Movie Freak, yes I’m one. Can’t stop myself from buying tickets to the latest movie in the cinema. I thought would make use of this obsession.
Along with my friends mother, I’ve started off a new site on Bollywood Gossips. I’ll write about everything and anything that happens in the cinema world. I’ll cover gossips, reviews, critiques and everything funny and serious possible.
Please do visit the site and leave your comments there when ever you get time.
Set in the 80’s in Brooklyn,New York We Own The Night tells the story of a fractured family comprising of Police Chief Albert Grusinsky (Robert Duvall), his pride and joy, his older son, Joseph Grusinsky (Mark Wahlberg) who follows his father’s footsteps and the wayward son, Bobby Green (Joaquin Phoenix), a nightclub owner.
Frequenting Bobby’s club is Russian drug dealer Vadim Nezhinski (Alex Veadov) whom the police department is desperate to capture. Though warned by Joseph, Bobby tired of constantly playing second fiddle to his elder brother continues to allow Nezhinski to the club.
One night the club is raided and Nezhinski’s henchman and Bobby are arrested. And from then on all hell breaks loose.
In true blue mafia style Nezhinski swears revenge and has Joesph shot. Though constantly at odds with his brother Bobby feels compelled to help with the police investigation while his brother recovers from near death. He is largely successful in bringing in information that has Nezhinski running for cover and earns his father’s respect and love. But this also puts him in the life of fire and Bobby and his ever supporting girlfriend, Amada (Eva Mendes) are forced to go under police protection.
Back from the hospital Joesph finds his brother in the limelight and feels shunted out. Everyone has their hands full a mole on the loose and Nezhinski constantly one step ahead of them. During a hotel shift Bobby and his team are attacked n his father dies trying to protect him.
Devastated, Bobby swears to avenge his father’s death and bring Nezhinski in at all costs.
The story is no great shakes. Might have seen the same a zillion times before. Yet, We Own The Night is a compelling watch with some revetting performances especially by Phoenix and Wahlberg.
The movie tends to get sluggish though and could have done with some tighter editing. The chase sequence when Bobby is attacked is uniquely shot.
Nothing new. But a good dvd watch this one if you have the time.
The Academy Award-winning No Country For Old Men is written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen starring Josh Brolin, Tommy Lee Jones and Javier Bardem. Adapted from the Cormac McCarthy novel of the same name, No Country for Old Men tells the story of a drug deal gone wrong, and the ensuing cat-and-mouse drama, as three men crisscross each other’s paths in the desert landscape of 1980 West Texas.
It is June 1980 in desolate Texas country and local sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) believes that times are changing with violence on the rise.
Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), is arrested and taken into custody by a sheriff’s deputy. The deputy scarcely has time to describe Chigurh’s unique weapon, a captive bolt pistol, to authorities before Chigurh wraps his handcuffs around the deputy’s neck, strangles him to death and escapes.
Miles away, Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) hunts pronghorn antelope near the Rio Grande when he stumbles upon a group of corpses and a lone dying thristy man: the aftermath of a drug deal gone awry.
And a truck bed of heroin.
And two million dollars in a satchel.
Which Moss decides to hang on to 
Later that night in bed with his wife Carla Jean (Kelly Macdonald), Moss is troubled by the dying man’s request for water and return to the scene only to run into the Mexican gangsters to whom the money belongs to.
He barely escapes and sends his wife away and narrowly misses Chigurh, now hired to retrieve the stolen money, which he tracks through the small transponder hidden inside the satchel.
A meticulous, brooding psychopath, Chigurh does not hesitate to kill anyone impeding his mission, his victims ranging from gangsters and law enforcement officials to civilians he encounters by chance. Moss, unaware of the transponder darts from motel to motel in an attempt to elude his pursuers. Meanwhile, Bell focuses on locating and protecting Moss, following the trail of corpses left by Chigurh as he searches for the money.
Quirky, gory, fast and compelling No Country For Old Men is a must watch flick of 2007. Advance book your tickets, grab a dvd or whatever but don’t miss this one
| 8 strangers, 8 points of view, 1 truth reads the tag line of the movie. And that pretty much sums up the movie The assassination of an American president is tracked through the experiences of eight different individuals to reveal the truth.
Compelling, gripping with some fantastic action. A good watch |
| This was a high profile project from the word go. It was Aushutosh Gowariker’s return to direction after the long but touching Swades and it brought back on screen Hrithik Roshan and Aishwariya Rai after their sizzling chemistry in Dhoom 2. And then there were all these protests saying Ashu got history all wrong and that Johda was Akbar’s daughter-in-law and not one of his many wives.But never mind history. She might have been called Jodha or something else but this Rajput princess that Akbar marries for political convenience sure gets his number . The movie starts with a history lesson detailing the lay of the land and their kingship and if you sit through who is related to whom and how and who lost to whom in which battle you can forget all about it and just enjoy the romance that follows  Jodha Akbar is essentially a love story. It just happens to be a love story between an emperor and a princess bound by marriage for political reasons. They are both head strong, certainly aren’t fond of one another and come from different religions and cultures. And yet they discover plenty to get interested and then slowly but surely form a bond that sees them through the toughest times.
Akbar is a good king. One that truly loves his land and people and is determined to govern them well and lead them to prosperity. But he is also a king who has lost his voice in the babble of advisers. His fight to assert himself to make the right decisions is commendable and touching. He is also a sensitive, wonderful husband. Though he has no reason to…he is king after all….he goes out of the way to make Jodha comfortable and then win her over. Jodha on the other hand is a spit fire but shares concern for the welfare of the people with Akbar. She makes him wait n torments him but falls for him just as hard The sets are lavish and the costumes wonderfully done. Other than the love story not much attention is paid to the rest of Akbar’s life as king. Consequentially these bits look thrown in at the last minute. The war scenes are terrible. Most of the foot soldiers look bored most of the time The music is melodious and used well. Though if you have had an overdose of Jashne Bahaar on the radio then you need to be prepared for more of it during the movie Hrithik Roshan simply becomes Akbar. And looks darn good doing it too. This is one actor who simply gets better and better. He’s a pleasure to watch. Aishwariya Rai looks good. Her marvelous eyes are used effectively throughout the movie. Never much of an actor she stumbles during the tougher scenes but all in all pretty good. Sonu Sood as Jodha’s brother does a good job. The movie is way too long and tends to drag. Forget the history bit. Watch it for Hrithik. You might wanna grab the dvd though |
Three pregnancy tests. All positive. And 16-year-old Minnesota high-schooler Juno MacGuff (Ellen Page) discovers she is nine weeks pregnant,the result of a one time experiment in a chair with her best friend and longtime admirer, Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera).
Although she initially opts for an abortion, a last-minute change of heart leads her to decide to have the baby and put it up for adoption. With the help of her best friend Leah (Olivia Thirlby) finds a couple she feels will provide a suitable home. Along with her father, Mac (J. K. Simmons), Juno meets the couple, Mark and Vanessa Loring (Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner), in their expensive home and finalizes the adoption arrangements.
As time passes, Juno strikes up a friendship with Mark, with whom she shares tastes in rock music, horror movies, and pop culture. Mark is a commercial composer who longs to be in a rock band as he was when he was younger, but has set aside his dreams for a conservative life with Vanessa, who longs to be a mother. As a previous potential birth mother had “gotten cold feet,” Vanessa is extremely anxious around Juno and their initial interactions are uneasy.
As months pass Juno struggles with the emotions she feels for her baby’s father, Paulie, and Mark with whom her relationship is getting increasingly flirtatious. Though Juno maintains an outwardly indifferent attitude to Paulie she is furious when she learns that he has asked another girl out to the prom.
Not long before the baby is due, Mark and Vanessa’s marriage falls apart and Juno is left wondering if she wants her baby adopted into a broken home. After a heartfelt talk with her dad Juno confronts her feelings for Paulie.
Will she let Mark and Vanessa still have the baby? And will she she ever unite with Paulie again is the rest of the story of Juno.
A fantastic screenplay(it was nominated for the same) and some fabulous acting from everyone involved especially Ellen Page make Juno a wacky ride you are sure to enjoy.
Nothing regular about this flick
Watch it. You’ll enjoy it
Based on Ian McEvan’s critically acclaimed novel of the same name, Atonement starring James McAvoy and Keira Knightley is one of the nominations in the best picture category this year at the Oscars. A nomination well deserved indeed.
The year is 1935. 13-year-old fledgling writer Briony Tallis(Saoirse Ronan), the youngest of three, and her family live a life of wealth and privilege. One hot summer day when Briony can’t get any of her visiting cousins to perform in the first play she has ever written she witnesses a scene by the fountain with her elder sister Cecilia(Keira Knightley) and the housekeeper’s educated son, Robbie Turner(James McAvoy), stoking Briony’s vivid imagination.
Robbie carries a torch for the headstrong Cecilia and believes that Cecilia has similar feelings and all it will take is for one spark to get this relationship started. When it does, Briony — who has a crush on Robbie — is compelled to interfere, going so far as accusing Robbie of a crime he did not commit. Cecilia and Robbie declare their love for each other, but he is arrested and with Briony bearing false witness, the course of three lives is changed forever.
Briony continues to seek forgiveness for her childhood misdeed. Through a terrible and courageous act of imagination, she finds the path to her uncertain atonement, and to an understanding of the power of enduring love.
Spanning several decades Atonement touches you immensely. The accusation of a young girl convinced she is right compels two lovers on a journey they never wished to embark on.
Kiera Knightley as the headstrong Cecilia who stands by Robbie through the worst is compelling.
James McAvoy brings to life the anguished Robbie shamed for life for a crime he did not commit.
Saoirse Ronan, Romola Garai and Vanessa Redgrave playing Briony at different ages are marvelous as they make the journey of Briony’s shock, betrayal, regret and atonement.
Director Joe Wright tells a gripping tale with several scenes retold in different view points.
This is a fantastic watch!!!
K(John Abharam) is a chain smoker. And he wont quit. Because no one tells him what to do 
. Then his wife Anjali(Ayesha Takia) decides to leave him because she cant handle the smoking anymore.
K promises to quit to get Anjali back and goes to a baba(Paresh Rawal) who promises that by the time he’s done with K, K will be done with smoking 
From here trouble begins. For the great baba and his henchmen are simply not what they seem to be and the methods used to get one to quit smoking are nothing short of scary. But will K survive and more importantly will he stop smoking
When the lead actor’s character is called K you know the movie is bound to be unusual. The twists and turns in No Smoking are strange, wierd and at times unbelievable.
True this kind of cinema is completely unprecedented in Hindi cinema but is it good cinema? Hard to say. What it is however is compelling. The plot gets stranger but you cannot stop watching 
If you like your movies typical Bollywood ishtyle then you wont survive more than 10 minutes of No Smoking. But if you are someone who likes giving experimental cinema a whirl No Smoking is worth a dvd watch.
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I watched Socha Na Tha coz I thought Abhay Deol was cute  but came away impressed by the simplicity of Imtiaz Ali’s direction(Deol was incredibly cute in the movie by the way ). With Jab We Met you get more of Imtiaz’s receipe of watchable cinema and the result is very very likeable A suicidal Aditya Kashyap(Shahid Kapoor) who’s just been dumped by his lady love runs into the non-stop chatterbox Geet(Kareena Kapoor) on a train. He wants to be left alone, she wont stop talking  In a bid to get away from Geet, Aditya gets off at a random station only to have Geet follow him and miss her train in the process. Now poor Aditya has to get Geet safely back home to Bhatinda
Once in Bhatinda Aditya is forced to play Geet’s boyfriend as she has no intentions of marrying her childhood friend as her family desires. Geet though is sweet on another and has plans ready to run away from home and marry him When Geet doesn’t return home for months together the family come to Aditya believing that Geet and Aditya are together. Aditya who hasn’t seen Geet in ages goes in search of her to bring her home. Only he finds that her boyfriend has left her and now she’s the one that’s miserable. Do Geet and Aditya finally end up together or will Geet finally marry the man of her dreams? The movie is full of moments that have you smiling. With all the crazy twists and turns happening you simply don’t have any time to be bored Kareena Kapoor does well as the chattery Geet. The movie though belongs to Shahid Kapoor who underplay’s the first half playing perfect foil to Kareena’s exuberant Geet and is the perfect shoulder to cry on in the second half. Jab We Met is one of those sweet romances that leave you smiling and believing in love. |
The other Diwali biggie, Saawariya was plenty hyped too. After all it was Sanjay Leela Bhansali film, was the debut film of Ranbir and Sonam Kapoor, was shot exclusively on indoor sets, was backed by Sony Pictures and cost a fortune. Sadly, Saawariya disappoints 
. A bad movie it ain’t but special it isn’t either.
Narrated by Gulabji(Rani Mukerjee), a local prostitute, Saawariya tells the story of the lovable Ranbir Raj(Rambir Kapoor) a minstrel who comes to town and brings much happiness to all around him. One night he meets Sakina(Sonam Kapoor) and loses his heart to her instantly. Sakina though is in love with Imaan(Salman Khan) for whose return she has been waiting for a year now. Come Id and she hopes she will be reunited with her love again.
A year alone is awfully lonely though and it is impossible not to likeRanbir Raj . Saawariya tells the story of Ranbir n Sakina and the time spent together over four nights. Will Sakina succumb to Ranbir’s charms or will his love remain unrequited.
Saawariya has magnificent sets. If Black was dark blue seems to be the theme for Saawariya . Omung Kumar deserves immense praise for bringing the sets alive. Though they really need better fake snow 
But there is simply no technical brilliance in Saawariya, usually a given in a Bhansali film.
The movie is more like a staged play. The expressions, body language and dialouges are well….theatricial. It is more like a video taken of a staged play rather than a movie
Ranbir Kapoor is a promising newcomer. He is charming, confident, talented and has wonderful screen presence. Barring the Raj Kapoor mannerism’s(Bhansali should be shot for this!!!!) he is delightful as Ranbir Raj.
Ah and the delectable Sonam. Vulnerable, beautiful, mischievous she has you rooting for her Sakina. She’s inherited the impish Anil Kapoor smile but needs to giggle a lot less.
Salmaan Khan has about 4 lines n looks like a gangster. You really wonder what Sakina sees in him 
Rani Mukerjee does the call girl routine…again and is decent(no pun intended) enough.
Saawariya is best viewed with minimal expectations.
It’s a nice enough movie but it isn’t a Sanjay Leela Bhansali film by far.
. They should have stuck to the long shots.