He Rises

Hey all! Those of you, who have seen the Dark Knight Rises trailer in my previous post , would have definitely been wondering "What the heck was that chant all about!?"

Well, i came across ujam's site, where Hans Zimmer has actually invited people world over to lend their voice to this chant sitting from their homes! (Link)

And should i say, Hans Zimmer does it again! He blew me away with his powerful orchestra-mixed-with-synthesiser style music for movies such as The Rock, Broken Arrow, Air Force One, Last Samurai, Inception, Batman Begins, Dark Knight and now he is back again for The Dark Knight Rises!

Just Play the video above and picturise Bane and Batman going toe-to-toe with each other! It is going to be epic!!

The Chant in the trailer is "Dey-Shay, Bah-sah-rah" It means, "He Rises"

How apt right??

I just cannot wait for 2012, because in Nolan i trust.

Cheers!

The Dark Knight Rises : A Storm Coming

Yaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy!!!!! Christopher Nolan is back!!! The Dark Knight is back!!

Im jumping up and down, somebody get a hold of me for god's sake!!

The highly anticipated trailer for the epic conclusion of the the most awesome-est batman series directed by the awesome-est director and my favorite, Christopher Nolan is out and has set my pulse racing!

A Brutal Bane and a wicked Catwoman are all set to go head on against Batman/Bruce Wayne who is now 8 years older than the previous film!

Will batman triumph once again? How will Nolan end this epic trilogy? Will Bane really break the Bat's back!? O god dammit! i can't wait!!

One thing is for sure! I'am definitely going to Hyderabad to catch The Dark Knight Rises on IMAX babay!!

Watch the extremely enticing full trailer from the powerhouse that is Nolan!

The Dark Knight shall Rise!!

Tintin : A Wild Fantasy Ride!

Great Snakes!!

Billions of Blue Blistering Barnacles !! Just got back from Sathyam, and still reeling from all the on-screen awesomeness that is "The Adventures of Tintin - The Secret of the Unicorn" !!


Where do i begin?? You know i've probably read all the Tintin comics atleast a 100 times! I was introduced to the world of Tintin at the tender age of 6 by my mother, and by god what an adventure it was! Be it "Tintin in Tibet" or "Explorers on the Moon", each and every Tintin comic WILL draw you to its world! Herge, the creator of the Tintin would have never anticipated the longevity and the influence Tintin had or has on the people of yesterday and today! My parents grew up reading it, i grew up reading it and so will my kids and their kids!

But, my favorites of all the 23 comics that has been published is "The Secret of the Unicorn" and "Red Rackham's Treasure" which has so beautifully been brought alive on the big screen.

What do we get when one of the greatest and pathbreaking filmmakers of all time and one of the best known comic characters of all time come together? We get this one helluva movie that will surely be remembered in the years to come for faithfully sticking to the original plot, yet craftfully narrated with an engaging screenplay backed by the industry's best motion capture techniques!

So what's all the hullabaloo you ask? Just imagine this. Tintin and the other characters look so bloody real you could actually mistake the movie as a movie with HUMANS. Visually stunning, Tintin would leave you crave for more, what with its spectacular sets and complex camerawork! You have to hand it to Steven Spielberg, even a simple comic book can be made on such a magnificent scale!!

I being a Tintin fan, am absolutely delighted! Commercial cinema can't get better than this! Action, Adventure, Humor and Awesomeness, what more can one ask?!

All the memorable characters, Snowy for instance draws the "awwws" , Captain Haddock entertains you with his bumbling demeanour, the Thompson Detectives with their idiotic antics and ofcourse, the crème de la crème, Tintin !! Smart, agile and one brave sonofagun! He will floor you!

The best scene would be the chase scene in Bhaggar! Tintin can sure teach a thing or two to Ezio (Assassins Creed) and Drake (Unchartered) about high flying stunts!!

Bottomline: It is the BEST animated movie i have EVER seen!

What i love about the film is that there is something fabulous in each frame! Be it the particle effect in Marlinspike Hall's Cellar or the Oasis in Bhaggar or Glass Shatter by Castafiore, it just makes you go AHHH!

I envy my IMAX counterparts..i was stunned by its impact on 70mm 3D, i can only dream how it would be on IMAX! I'd advise you to not miss this masterpiece, the effect is just not the same on DVD or on the computer! Period.

Well, i can't control my excitement for the second part in the series! Steven Spielberg and Percy Jackson are sure to surprise us!

As Haddock would say it, "My thirst for adventure is Unquenchable!"

So is Mine! 

V for Vendetta : Freedom! Forever!

Vi Veri Veniversum Vivus Vici

"Remember Remember, the fifth of November, the Gunpowder Treason and Plot,
I know of no reason, why the Gunpowder Treason, should ever be Forgot"

I remember watching this movie when i was 16 years old..right about the same time the movie was released! And i could not understand head or tail of it! And now 5 years later..i decided to revisit this Wachowski Brothers product with hope that i would be blown away! And was i blown away or what!! Back then, i did not even know that the Protagonist of the movie was played by Hugo Weaving (Agent Smith of Matrix) and i must say, he is such a brilliant brilliant actor!

The Year is 2038, Britain has become a totalitarian society, run by fascist leaders. Just when everyone thought that the country had gone to the dogs, enter "V" , a freedom fighter with a stormy past, vowed to remind the people what it means to live for a cause!

A Guy Fawkes mask, 16 inch knives, Zorro like clothes, an addicting persona, some extremely cool martial arts moves, "V" is out to eradicate the vermin of the society. At first glance, you would expect a cheesy plot, with cheesier situations, typical to most super hero movies.. But this film, works because and only because, it tries not to be something it is not.

The film sets the Gunpowder Plot as V's inspiration, and having escaped a cruel past filled with torture and imprisonment, V spends 20 years preparing to take his vengeance on his enemies. A Vendetta.

But the most striking or important part of the film is the fact that we are not told anything about V as an individual, but rather the film dives into V being an embodiment of an idea! How deep is that huh? V does not have a identity or a face. All we get is an extremely convincing body language as when V speaks. Hugo Weaving's deep and sophisticated voice lends character and strength to the man behind the mask.

The Wachowskis gave us the path breaking Matrix Series and they do justice to "V" with both soul and spirit! The action sequences are nothing less than Jaw Dropping! Believe me, there is nothing sexier than "V" using his deadly knives to gracefully kill his oppressors! The final battle is so EPIC!

Natalie Portman as Evey somehow stumbles into V's life as she is saved by him during an attempted rape by the "Finger men" (secret police). As fate would have it, she is drawn into the enigmatic world of V and learns to face her fears with V as her mentor! No i'm not talking about a Karate Kid style training session!!

There are just so many things about the movie that i loved!! I just loved V's alliterative speech when he introduces himself to Evey, and you must see it too!! (Sorry there are no embeddable videos on YouTube for that scene!)

Be it the hard hitting flashback scenes, or the subtle emotions of "V", or the eventual relationship that Evey develops with a Man who has no face, or the buildup to the climax, V for Vendetta strikes on all chords for me! There are many who would classify this as an action movie and would shy it away! NO! Spare 2 hours and i assure you that you will not be disappointed!

In short, the movie is a masterpiece, extremely inspiring and at the end of it all, the movie by itself is more than a Guy Fawkes Mask, it is an idea.

As "V" would say it, Ideas are bullet-proof! "V for Vendetta" is solid bullet-proof!!

P.S: Watch the trailer, and you will want to see it instantly!!

X-Men - Point Between Rage and Serenity

We Are the Better Men

Hey!! How's October treating you all?! I've had a hectic 30 days since my last post..but time just flew! I guess that's how relative time is!

You know, when i started this blog..i told myself i would not talk about any movie that hits the screen! I made a solemn oath that i would not be a movie reviewer, but id rather be a Extremely-Movie-Addicted-Junkie who would only rant about the movies that impressed/impacted me a lot!

X-Men First Class hit me with so much force, energy, adrenaline and excitement that i did a Banshee during every exciting scene in the movie! After having seen three disappointing X-Men films with the only shimmering light being Magneto and Wolverine, i wondered if any of the movie makers of today would get the Superhero concept right!

It is about presenting the characters onscreen and utilizing the limited time to bring out the best in each character! And Michael Vaughn (Kick Ass fame) has done just that! Be it Magneto (Michael Fassbender), Professor X (James McAvoy), Mystique (Jennifer), Shaw (Kevin Bacon) or any other character introduced as the first of the X-Men Clan, each person's emotions have been delved at satisfying levels..

I'am so blown away by the new Magneto and Prof X, that am already craving for a sequel!!

So what sets apart X-Men you ask? Just about EVERYTHING!!

Brilliant performances, jaw dropping action sequences, multitude of super powers and an intense plot! The extremeness between Erik Alias Magneto and Charles Alias Prof X is simply electric..James McAvoy as Prof X brings a new dimension to the character! Being a telepath has never been so cool!

Michael Fassbender as Magneto never ceases to amaze me with his performances (Watch Inglorious Basterds). Erik (Michael) born Jewish undergoes the cruelty of the Nazi Reich, separated from his parents, experimented upon,but with an awesome gift to generate magnetic fields, he is one person you do not want to mess with! Erik battling his own demons and haunted by his past is shown the path by Charles,thus harnessing his seemingly untapped power source,turning him into an unstoppable force!

Erik's character is dark, subsequently complemented by his rage and desire for revenge. While Charles is the suave, calm and practical person, who in the real sense has not been exposed to the world that Erik lived in. Together, they light the screen on fire!

X-Men is set against the backdrop of the Coldwar during the 1960's, the atmosphere just gets to you, be it the concentration camps, or the high voltage tension between two Super Powers, X-Men does it all!!

X-Men is a wonderful prequel as it REALLY sets the pace going! It is the legendary story of how two gifted persons became friends, and how certain events make them the worst of enemies forms the core of the film.

And being a lover of Movie Soundtracks and Epic Scores, the soundtracks "First Class" and "Sub Lift" go waayyy up my personal charts!! Henry Jackman! Beauty i say!!

My favorite scene hands down would be when Erik (Magneto) lifts the submarine from the depths of the ocean below using his awe-inspiring powers. EPIC. JUST EPIC.

I've seen that scene atleast 23 times, and every time the feeling is the same.

INDESCRIBABLE..

As you watch the sub rise and the strained determination on Erik's face, you just can't help clapping your two hands and pumping your fist in the air! So much adrenaline i tell you!!

Go watch X-Men First Class. It WILL surprise you! Personally i think, its way ahead of Thor, Captain America, Green Lantern and every other Super Hero movie that has been released off late. X-Men has soul, it has a STORY, it has intensity, and most of all it has some awesome Mutants!!

As Charles would say it, Focus is between Rage and Serenity. and X-Men hits the spot right from the beginning!

It Picked The Wrong Man to Hunt

The Hunt is On!!

You know, the 80's according to me is the best era for movies in the Action Genre. Although stars such as Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Steven Seagal and Mel Gibson contributed their share to the world of "Bam Bam & Kaboom", no one did it better than the "Austrian Oak"  - Arnold Schwarzenegger.

It was the same time when Arnold went from "Conan - The Barbarian" to the real bad ass "The Terminator" Arnie was becoming hot property!

And the same goes for Predator.

An Elite team of Special Ops. A dark and intense jungle in Central America. Arnold and ofcourse, the merciless and fear inducing Extraterrestrial - the Predator.

For a movie that released over 25 years ago, the effect is unreal! Funny part is, i saw the movie on a very tiny screen, tinier than you would imagine! On my iTouch!! 320*240. That is all i get! Although the movie has a very thin plot, every single character that has been portrayed in the movie is today, a cult legend and the movie, a classic!

The movie follows a team of Elite commandos led by Major Dutch Schaeffer (Arnold) on a mission to rescue guerrilla hostages in a Central American jungle. As the movie progresses, the team soon realize that they are being hunted by an advanced biological life-form/warrior that is not of this world.

The PREDATOR...

Armed to the teeth with hi-tech weaponry and a brilliant camouflaging armor and with the skill of the deadliest hunters, it plays with Dutch's team. It taunts and toys with them. As one reaches half way through the film, one realises this -

IT kills for the sheer pleasure of killing.
IT hunts for the sheer thrill and sport.
and IT is out to kill every single man ever crossing its Cross-Hair.

Each time, the camera shifted to an uneasy point of view of the Predator watching and observing Dutch's team, with its Super Advanced Thermal Vision, one can't help accept the fact how eerie and creepy the mood transforms into..

As the Predator weaves an elaborate and deceptive trap to kill each man of Dutch's team, Arnold is left struggling to accept the fact that there is someone out there. More awesome and more powerful than anyone he has ever encountered before.

As the team seeks explanations to the mysterious and gruesome killings, they come face to face with the Predator as it reveals itself (partially) to the adrenaline pumped group of soldiers. Fear. Panic. Chaos.

The Hunters become the Hunted, its a clash of the smartest foxes (um. warriors) in town! M-16s firing, Mini guns blazing, blood oozing and most of all, Arnie with his mono syllabic dialogues, the tension ramps up every second!!

Down to the last man, Dutch (Arnie) makes a last stand to show who the real Terminator of Earth is! What can be more exciting than that!! Muscles rippling, pecs heaving, Arnie throws his weight around literally and finally comes nose to nose with the Predator without its headgear

As Dutch said it, "You are One UGLY M****R F*****R"

A gruesome face, claws snapping and blood curling war cry is enough to make you run back to your mommy! 

So how does Dutch defeat this outworldly beast?? How does the Ultimate Soldier defeat the Ultimate Enemy??

Go watch the movie!! and you shall be enlightened!

So folks, i gota go, COS...

I ain't got time to bleed!!

And shhh...you are being watched...escape the evil sight of the Predator, GET TO THE CHOPPA!!!

'til next time, adios!

P.S - Leave your comments below and follow up by subscribing via email to the comments section!

The Return of Johnny English!!

Rowan Atkinson Fans!! Rejoice!! Because this fall, the world's greatest spy, Johnny English is back! Yet another mission for MI7!

He has made hard of what is soft!

I just saw the trailer on Apple Trailers and o my god am i still rolling on the floor and laughing!! Its HILARIOUS!

Trailer Here:

The Mr.Bean we love so much is back with double the fun, double the action and double the stupidity!

This time English has learnt some ultra cool moves - Courtesy: Kung Fu from the Shaolin Temple! Although the trailer has similarities to other spy-spoof movies, no one does it better than English! (Except Austin Powers maybe)

And guess what? Seems like salt and pepper is the way to go :) Atkinson does look dashing doesn't he!?

Releasing on September 16, 2011! As Johnny English would say it -

"Work Hard. Play Hard."

Her Majesty, are you listening?





P.S - Your thoughts in the comments section please :)

India's George Clooney is Here!

Mankatha Da!!

What do you get when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? You get Mankatha! Thala Ajith is back for his 50th film! and how! He is everywhere, what with his salt and pepper hairdo, overwhelming onscreen persona, slow-mo strutting, a devil-may-care attitude and a bad ass character that made the viewers squealing for more!

I saw Mankatha on the 4th, my expectations a double notch higher due to the frenzy created by the teaser trailers and ofcourse the single soundtrack from the movie "Vilayadu Mankatha" . As i entered our lovable Sathyam Cinemas, i heard a bunch of kids chanting "Machi open the bottle!" and that did it! I rushed into the theatre, just in time when the Censor Board's certificate was being screened! The otherwise dull audience bored to death by the mindless commercials were in uproar!! Fans screaming "Thala! Thala! Thala!" , my own sister shouting and clapping as soon the titles started rolling. It was MAYHEM.


As each second passed, the audience wait with bated breath for the protagonist's introduction. The scene cuts to a police encounter in the middle of no-where, with Faizal (Aravind Akash) tied down, terrified about the getting killed any minute. And lo, flying through the air and landing on the ground, is a massive car, and out steps namma thala, with the BG theme blaring! Police uniform, Ray Ban shades, a lazy strut and a cool face. That, is Ajith as Vinayak Mahadev for you. Once again, MAYHEM.


The Plot is wafer thin though! Who takes home 500 Crores of match fixing money  forms the crux of the movie. The local kingpin Arumugam Chettiar (Jayaprakash) who deals with the bookies is the person handling the money.

Sumanth (Vaibhav), Prem (Premji) - hacker , Ganesh (Ashwin Kakumanu) - a corrupt sub inspector and Mahath (Mahat) - a bar owner chart out their plan to place their itching hands on the loot. Vinayak a silent spectator to their fiasco tags along, revealing his true colors!

Greed. Betrayal and Lust. That forms the rest of the story as each one of the characters try to pull the other person down.

Vinayak has no morals. His psychotic lust for money brilliantly expressed, Ajith surprises the audience in every frame. Intense & Intimidating, Merciless & Diabolical, he makes bad look cool. If you thought the mute Ajith in Vaali was evil, wait till you catch him in this unimaginable avatar!!

I told you about the unstoppable force - Vinayak Mahadev. What about the immovable object? Enter ACP Prithviraj essayed by Action King Arjun. With his ruggedness and stylish moves, he does a Mudhalvan by tightening the noose around the local goondas of Mumbai.

As the pace picks up towards the middle of the movie, Venkat Prabhu skillfully weaves his magic, linking the sub plots and presenting to the audience, an explosive game of deceit and greed.

Allthough Mankatha is supposed to be a heist film, the heist by itself happens in a jiffy, which was a dampener for me. What really amazed me was the fact that, Vinayak shown as an extremely clever cat - depends on 4 rank amateurs to get the job done.

Nevertheless, an entertaining film, what really sets the movie apart is Venkat Prabhu and Ajith's decision to take this movie in the way they wanted it to -

Strictly No Rules!

And it works. It REALLY works. Frankly speaking i am bloody tired of watching goody goody heroes trying to be something that they are not and that is in reality - not possible at all!

No mother sentiment, sister sentiment and other usual filmy stuff! (THANK GOD)

It was a satisfying experience allright. Watching the two heavyweights, Ajith and Arjun face-off on screen gave a strange sense of awesomeness and pleasure! The many times after watching awesome English multi-starrers, the wait is finally over!

Go watch Mankatha. For Ajith. Put aside the gaping holes and just watch for Ajith. The man has come a long way and as far as i see it, he is the only other Superstar after Rajni & Kamal who can pull of negative roles! Bring on the heat i say!!

And so as the old saying goes, Life begins at 40.

And i am pretty sure i just heard Ajith say "Mankatha Da!!"

P.S - Don't miss the bloopers!

High on Cinema

Hey all!! Hows it going?? The ones who are familiar with my other blog (My Mind a Nolan Movie) might just be wondering "why a 2nd blog!?" Well here's the answer.

<I AM A MOVIE FREAK>

A Movie is an awesome medium to express an emotion, message or just to have some plain fun! Films have become such an essential part of our lives that it has grown to be a gigantic industry worldwide. Be it Hollywood, Bollywood or Kollywood, every human being on this planet is able to appreciate this expressive medium.

Over the past 50 years, we have come a long way from the "Silent Movies" to the revolutionary 3D movies that are the craze today. Haven't we? Larger than life heroes, diabolical villains, hot women, bone breaking action, high tension drama and fog shrouded mystery. You name it, we have a 1000 movies in each genre. These elements form a crux of every movie we have seen or heard of. Ofcourse on the otherside of the spectrum are "artsy" movies, that cater to a niche segment of the audience.

Source: 123 RF

For a person born during the late 80's, i've grown up watching a plenitude of cult classic movies - ranging from Superstar Rajnikanth's Muthu, Kamal's Michael Madhan, Arnold's Terminator, Stallone's Rocky/Rambo, Jackie's Armour of God, and legendary movies such as those of Steven Spielberg (Jurassic Park, ET), James Cameron (Titanic, Independence Day), and later graduating to movies with more "depth" such as Schindler's List, Shawshank Redemption and finally to recent blockbusters by our time's greatest directors!

Although id love to get into so much more about movies, il have to stop here and tell you this -

Welcome to my blog!

Frankly speaking, my love for movies instigated me to execute a dormant idea into a tangible think tank. A place where i can talk about movies, the way i see it!  Once again, its great to have you here! Feels amazing when people around the world take a few seconds to read what i have to say! Big thanks for that!

Come. See movies in close up. Extreme Close Up.

Until my first post, cheers!!