Before Sunrise+ Before Sunset

Sorry for not posting for this long, but i would have to shoot myself in the head if I was writing a stupid blog when Mood Indigo was on. So, this time I decided to review a hardcore romantic movie. Two of them actually, they're a series. Now, before you guys jump to conclusions, this is not like the Twilight Saga in any way imaginable, at all. Just get that out of your head, distance yourself from it, forget it, this movie is not a pile of bullshit, i will put a load of shit on that later. The sole reason I am reviewing this is that this is probably the only hardcore romantic movie that i've liked apart from Brokeback Mountain.

When?

There is a phase that occurs to every guy in IIT after a certain while. This happened to me twice, the first during my trip to Goa, and the second being all throughout Mood Indigo. The phase being "Why am I still single?". Seriously, don't you girls know how to choose? It's like every second guy I see with a hot girl and i'm like "Oh c'mon, are you kidding me?" Well, my uneventful love life can wait. Right after Mood Indigo, sitting alone, tired, filled with self pity I decided to watch this film. It was a bad decision ultimately, reasons for which will become clear when I explain the plot.

What's It about?

The movie's essentially about a guy and a girl who meet on a train and spend a day together in Vienna. They both know this will be their only day together. (for the first film)

The characters meet after 9 years in Paris and spend a day together in Paris. (for the second film)

That's all there is to it, i'm not making this shit up. Go to IMDB, they'll tell you the same thing.

Huh?

Before you go comparing this to a bloody Shahrukh Khan film. (Hate that dude..) The movie is essentially just exceptional dialogue and acting. They're all there is to the movie. So simple and yet so pretty. It's like The White Stripes. They're a two piece band, but a lot better than one direction. You see the characters just walking through various places in Vienna. The great thing is the acting. There's a scene in the movie where the two walk into a small room to listen to a song. Completely natural, just casual but you can see the sexual tension in their behavior. It's just so evident, it makes you queasy. The conversations are totally natural, just the kind you would expect to have with a person you've just met. The most awesome thing I found about the movie is that the expressions of the actors depict their reactions to what the other person is saying. The people are so in character that you tend to connect to them immediately. The dialogue (for the most part) is non cheesy. The guys don't go like "I'll give up my life for you.." and the gals are not like "Ooohhhh... help me.. let me rub my fingers all over your six pack abs". They're not superhot models either, just decent looking people. That makes the movie a whole new level of legit. It's just two young, completely average people who meet on a train.
                                The other great thing about the movie is the fact that the characters are true to their age in both movies. In the first movie, they're young, immature and adventurous. In the second, more mature, burdened by responsibility and less romantic. It's clear from the way they act. The movies were made ten years apart so they obviously look the part. It's not like Aamir Khan trying to play a college student at all.

The Bad

The movie can become monotonous. I mean, it's like listening to too much of a good song. People who want something dramatic to happen every 30 minutes (like Nolan fans) should probably stay the hell away from this movie. It's a movie which you wanna see with patience. The whole experience is kind of like eavesdropping on your friend's conversations with his girlfriend. (we all know we've done it ). 

When do I see it?

Now, I'll answer why my timing was bad for this movie. See, in a moment of loneliness, this movie will make you want to kill yourself. Is love really that easy? Essentially it's just a one to one combination of people right? Why in the world did nature make it so hard for some of the single ones of us to find? If two people can meet on a train and have an instant connection, why can't I? So, moral is, see it with your girlfriend or crush. This movie will be enjoyed by everyone but for the "Despo" junta. This will not be like "Pyar ka Punchnama". This will feel like watching Taare Zammen Par on the day your grades come out. (I'm not joking, the feeling is that bad). Above all, even hough the movie is 1 and a half hour long, it feels like a two hour movie. It takes its time, so be patient and you will be rewarded. (kind of like cricket)

Final Verdict

This movie is Texbook Acting and screenplay. If you want to see these two aspects of moviemaking exploited fully, see this movie. It's exquisite. It's a little monotonous but yes authenticity requires that sometimes with such movies. See it on Valentine's day with your love interest, if you have one. For the others, watch the first half of "What happens in Vegas" and be proud to be single. Oh and yes, watch them together, makes for a complete experience.

The Shawshank Redemption

The movie has been called one of the greatest movies since the 80's. It has been one of the most debated upon movies with critics fiercely divided over its greatness. I swear, this would be a classic dining table conversation between any two critics. Everyone acknowledges it's a great movie, they're just not sure if it is as great as everyone says. I've consulted a lot of people about this and i'm sure you would find it too, people have varying levels of respect for the movie. So, I saw this movie with great expectations, as would any idiot who searches for "Greatest movies of all time" and opens the IMDB link. Was it worth 700 MB of my data usage? I guess it was.

To The Ignorant

The Shawshank Redemption is a movie directed by Frank Darabont (the guy who brought you the green mile). It stars Tim Robbins ( Director of Dead Man Walking), Morgan Freeman ( do you even need to introduce this guy? ) and Bob Guntan ( I just felt like mentioning him for this great performance, i haven't seen him in any movie since ). So, shawshank redemption is a Prison drama about a young banker Andy Duffrene (Tim Robbins) who is accused of killing his wife and her lover and is sentenced to lifetime imprisonment. The movie essentially encompasses his stay in prison, wher he makes friend with the local conman Red (Morgan Freeman) and a bunch of his buddies. Bob Guntan plays the corrupt warden, who uses Andy's skills with the banking system for money laundering.

My Perception

While any person usually gives his perception of this film, they generally have to give it in two parts, the 2hr 15 minute movie and the last 15 minutes. That's how it is going to be here. For me, the first part is what makes this movie so good. The slow pace of the film essentially makes you feel like you've been in prison for a long time. For me though, my first month at IIT would have been exactly like that of Andy's first 3 years at Shawshank. I swear to god, more than half the time if felt i was like this in the entire place. 

Anyway, we see Andy using his skills as a banker to be of use to him in prison. He becomes like the "Machau Freshie" of the shawshank prison. For me though, the highpoint of the film was when Brooks dies. A very real and touching depiction of how a prisoner's mentality can make them dysfunctional in society. For me, the whole movie's charm is Red and his heart-rendering narration. That is essentially, one of the things  that kept me going in what could have been a highly boring movie. The other thing that was pretty special was the way in which the warden was shown. I couldn't make up my mind about the guy until about midway in the film. Now, in the last portion of the film, i get that the director was trying to hint at suicide on Andy's part and i think i would have liked the film more if that had actually happened. They had to be true to the tagline i guess (Fear can keep you prisoner, Hope can set you free). There have been people who have absolutely hated the ending, saying that it ruined the drama and other stuff, but if you see the film closely, Andy was all about escaping. Like that conversation he had with Red about hope. It was a glaring example of how Andy had still not taken on the prisoner's mentality. I saw the film and i was like "OK.. i mean.. i get it.. but the suicide ending would have felt right." I guess you get this feeling beacuse for a movie this slow you don't expect a sudden jump right at the end. Most guys would like to see it just fizzle out at the end. This ending sort of felt like when you have a firecracker which is burning out really slow and the it just bursts suddenly. That sort of stuff will piss you off. Of course for those who have been getting bored for the whole movie, the ending would be a huge relief.
My main problem with the movie was that the movie meandered a lot in the first 2 hrs 15 minutes. It was like watching different episodes of a TV show. I still feel that the Shawshank redemption story would have been more complete if it had been made into a TV mini series. That was not the only thing. There were a few plot points left undiscussed. eg. Did Andy seriously have the same cell for 19 years? How did he survive under the sewer for that long? (seriously, he should have been dead) The problem with this film is when you start to see it as a prison escape. Then all the minor details with the escape start to grab your attention and the Shawshank Redemption does not answer all these questions faithfully. This is one of the basic reasons i put it under a prison drama not an escape thriller. The movie essentially highlighted the importance of "Hope".

Final Verdict

The Shawshank Redemption is a good movie, not great, not nearly the greatest movie since the 80's but yes, a good film in its own right. A meandering script and a sort of forced escape plan are definetily let downs which does not make it a masterpiece but do not take much away from a kick ass Morgan Freeman performance.  

Inception

Every once in a while there comes along a movie which makes you go "Wow! I have no idea what just happened, but that was some cool shit." I remember it happening when I saw the Matrix and it happened again when I saw this movie. I bought Inception a couple of years back in a Planet M store (the same place where I got schindler's list). Me and my dad sat down to watch it and sure enough, my dad gave up  about 30 minutes into the film. I distinctly remember his words being "It seems good, but I'm tired and don't have the energy for this right now." In hindsight that is perhaps the most honest feeling that Inception generates. A grade A sci-fi thriller, this is a movie that requires every bit of your attention.

To the Ignorant

I thought twice before writing this portion of the article. Seriously, is there anyone who hasn't seen this movie? Let me put it like this, what brazzers is to males online, Inception is to movie watchers. Well, to the unfortunate ones who haven't, Inception is a movie, directed by Christopher Nolan and which stars Michael Caine, Joseph Gordon-levitt, Tom Hardy and well, the entire nolan crew as you can imagine. They have begun to form like a cartel of movie-makers who are determined to eat up huge box office collections. Oh and yeah, Leonardo Di Caprio is there too along with Ellen Page of Juno fame. (Now I don't know what happened that Leonardo di caprio wasn't in the Dark Knight Rises, but i like to beleive that the scene in the Dark Knight Rises where we see Batman seeing Ra's Al Ghul was actually inception performed by "Mr. Cobb" on Bane's orders. I don't know why they cut that out, must be in the deleted scenes.) Since the movie is so popular, it seems rather pointless to even discuss the basic plot. And to those who have not seen it yet, it's better that i don't ruin the surprise. Plus the plot is too complex, i would have to give at least 3 lectures to explain it in full detail. 

My Perception

Inception, certainly is "the" ideal sci-fi movie. Obviously better and deeper than most of the Sci-fi movies we have been served in the past, more engaging and its only competition would have to be The Matrix. Although in hindsight that would also be a distant second. Decently acted, brilliantly written, well directed, there is almost nothing wrong with Inception. If a sci-fi movie is supposed to amaze, then Inception does that in loads. I found myself thinking about the premise and the concept of dreams for weeks afterwards. I admit, i did try to be consciously awake during my sleep, failing miserably in every attempt but damn every inception fan who didn't. Among the weird effects it caused one was that i could never enjoy the show Beyblade afterwards. Anyway as far as the acting is concerned, fo me Leonardo Di Caprio was the show stealer, there is not even an actor close to him in this movie. That being said, the movie is not without faults. (Don't murder me for this Nolan Fans.) 

                  Perhaps the only problem i have with the film is that the characters are knee deep and just like Memento, Prestige and in a way The Batman triology, the wife (love interest in the batman series) of the lead character has to die due one or the other of his fault. After that, the protagonist has to live in guilt. I understand Nolan, that guilt is a crippling emotion, but in the 21st century, all your lead characters should consult shrinks. If a realistic depiction would have to occur of Inception, Mr. Cobb would have been given a prescription of Prozac and would be high the whole time, then for him the top would have  never stopped spinning and he would be like "Yaayy... look at the top... spinning... spinning.. spinning...i'm feeling dizzy." Probably looking like this..

 When to see

Inception is a movie for a fresh mind. With its highly intricate and layered script, it requires your absolute attention (not without reward though). All i'm saying is if you're back from an ED session do no go within 50 meters of this film. It will haunt you, frustrate you, and you will probably end up hating it.

Final Verdict

Inception has perhaps one of the most intricate, layered and innovative scripts of our time.  Being a little low on character development doesn't take much away from the film. It definitely deserves multiple viewings and not just because you can get more from the second time you watch it, because it is entertaining even when you've got all of it.

Life Of Pi

Hello dear bored fellow who is probably reading the link i sent him.. i got some feedback about my last movie that most people hadn't seen it so they couldn't really comment on how it was... so this time i got you guys a movie that is actually in (some) theaters and which some of you may have seen.. Life of Pi.  So I saw this movie a couple of weeks back with by wingmates (the Elixirs.. wing I hostel 2) and it was basically due to my persistent persuasion that they went ahead. You see the concept of a tiger and a man on a boat for a really really long time doesn't really mean that the movie's going to be nail-biting. Most of my wingies were like "Boring...".. i doubt they even listened to half of what i was saying, ("Guys.. it's ang lee... Brokeback mountain? crouching tiger hidden dragon? Memoirs of a geisha?... well the 3d is said to be awesome" ). Yeah,  i think it would be accurate to say that they went just so that i could shut up. Now obviously, the movie was on my head and subconsciously i too was thinking (" 2 hrs to watch a dude and a tiger at sea?? dude.......... this could be a bad gamble"). Surprisingly though it was not. 

To the Ignorant

So life of pi is a movie by Ang Lee who.. as i have mentioned has brought us some modern day masterpieces   .It is based on the novel Life of Pi by Yann Martel. Firstly, this is not ... in any way... related to the number 3.1416... let's just get that off the table. Pi the movie's lead character is played by... well some indian dude... and the character's real name is "Piscine Molitor". It is shown that his family has a zoo and pi's father decides to close down shop here and move to.. no.. not america.. this is not a cliche... to Canada. The movie is American and has actors of Indian origin so obviously, Irrfan Khan has to be there... sometimes i think that most directors just call him up and ask him.. "Dude.. so.. we're makin' a movie and it requires some indian dudes......... no not just you.. 3-4... do you think you could ask some guys out over there? yeah.. thanks a lot buddy.. bye." On a serious note though he's great in the movie, probably the best performance in the movie. Another actress whom i haven't seen in a movie since 2007 is Tabbu who has a short role, she plays Pi's mother. Not really relevant to the movie as a character but.. yeah.. she's there.. The other cast i don't really know, so no point in discussing. The movie basically strts when the ship the family was taking to America drowns due to some unknown reason and Pi is saved in a Lifeboat with an injured Zebra, a Hyena, an orangutan and a Bengal Tiger. The other animals ultimately kill each other off but the last ones remaning are Pi and the Tiger.

My Perception

So, the first time that you might see this movie, the thing that jumps out at you are the visual effects… and I’m not talking about stuff like Die Hard action scenes.. there is beauty in the film in almost every scene.. making it a must watch in 3D. I’m almost entirely certain that if Life of Pi wins any Oscars it’s gong to be for visual effects and cinematography. The scene when the ship sinks.. in my opinion is a 1000 times better shot and more engrossing than the scene in Titanic. There are scenes where the fact that the movie is in 3D actually enhances emotion.. precisely what Martin Scorcese said in an interview with the Hindu. Eg. The scene where the ship sinks and Pi is underwater … and he’s just staring at the ship underwater... There was like a ton of symbolism in that shot.. because.. he’s not moving at all.. he can just see his entire family , his entire life prior to this sinking along with that ship and I think that is one of the scenes that many will remember for weeks after seeing this movie. By now you must be thinking that Life of Pi is like a must watch classic. Sorry, but no.. Life of Pi does have its errors. The first thing that bothered me about the movie was the fact that Pi is talking right after the ship sinks.. to animals.. I mean, for a guy who’s just suffered the death of his entire family, I don’t think he would find it cute to like talk to an orangutan or something. Anyway, that was just a plot point that didn’t feel right. Another thing that bugged me was the way the movie ended. Pi and the Tiger went ot carnivorous island, got food supplies etc.. and just magically landed on shore. I would have liked to have seen a bit more struggle. It seemed rushed, that’s all.. but I guess that wasn’t the point of the movie. One of my wingies who had actually read the novel said that in the novel this was fully described and it was more survival based. I don’t know.. the whole feel of the film was spiritual rather than survival based. The best scene which for me, gave meaning to the entire film where pi gives an alternate story (I’m not gonna narrate the whole thing… that will ruin the surprise) to the whole thing that happened and Irrfan Khan (future pi) asks the dude that “I told you 2 stories.. which 1 do think is the better one?”… That blew my mind, I didn’t see that coming at all. The dude, predictably replies “the one with the tiger” but the question is awesome, so I would really like to hear from all who have seen this movie as to which story they actually believed. For me, it would have to be the second story which he told. I believe that after the death if Pi’s parents he was traumatized and rationalized the horrific events that happened afterwards by the story he just told. Anyway that’s just me…

Final Verdict

A few plot points missing, a bit rushed at the end but perhaps the best visual treat since Avatar. Life of Pi is definitely worth your money, I would recommend it to be watched only in 3D or IMAX. Btw. There is this one scene in the film that I found hilarious. I bet a lot of you could connect to this guy so well. I thought that is the exact face I make when my mother asks me to take a bath.

Schindler's List

Everybody has a mentor, a person or thing that strives them to achieve. Schindler's List was my inspiration to watch movies. Not that i didn't see movies before, i just didn't observe them that closesly.. i guess that's different for most of us.. I remember the first time i saw it, i was i think 15 then... (Censor Board can go f*** itself).. it was recommended by my mom at a planet m store in dehradun.. so we bought it and one day, the whole family began to see it, sure enough my little sister was kicked out of the room soon enough, and i myself was arguing that it's okay for me to watch it. 

To the Ignorant  

Firstly, to those who haven't seen it yet. Schindler's List is a movie by Steven Spielberg (the guy who gave us Jurrasic Park) about the life of Oskar Schindler, a businessman from germany who saved around 1500 jews from nazi ocupation. Read the wikipedia article if you like.. Oskar Schindler On Wikipedia... The man is still a legend among the descendents of those who survived who call themselves the "Schindler Jews".

The movie casts Liam Neeson (the guy from Taken), Ralph Fiennes (Lord Voldemort in HP series) and Ben Kingsley (the dude who played Gandhi)... BTW, The movie is ENTIRELY Factual. at one point i thought that the entire script could have been carved by piecing together real life incidents..

My Perception

The movie, i don't care who denies it, in my opinion is the greatest Holocaust movie ever made. Coming from the previous paragraphs, people might see Oskar Schindler kind of like a holy pure character, who fought bad and was always right kind of like the an Amitabh Bacchhan character. Sorry, but no. Oskar Schindler is no saint, the theme of the movie could be said to be the change of a greedy businessman who did great deeds. He changes through the course of the movie, one of the reasons the movie is so great. His primary motive as he said himself was "Every business i ever did, failed... not beacuse of my decisions, not beacuse of me... there was something missing, something that i have now... " and the his wife says.. i don't know what exactly.. but i think it was "money?" and he says "War". I was like that is the sickest douchebag in the world, i mean... to derive profit from death? that is evil dude.. anyway, that's what he was like in the beginning... but he changes along the way and the best part is you can never tell what exactly set him off!! me and my mom actually had a bog debate about this...

              The second greatest thing, and perhaps the best performance in the entire movie was of Ralph Fiennes. This dude plays a psychopathic Nazi officer Amon Goeth. I mean this guy is beyond redemption... he kills jews like sheep .... literally.. But you get some of the things that he's trying to do.. More than anything he wants power, ironically, he shows a great respect for schindler.... There was this one scene with the guy where he falls in love with this Jew girl and according to the law at the time, people were not allowed to copulate with jewish girls.. and he talks to her .. you can see that he's trying to convince himself that it's not wrong to fall for this girl.. he convinces himself that the nazi propaganda is wrong.. then as soon he hold her.. he says "Dear Lord, you almost talked me into it"... and starts to go on a murderous rage and beats the shit out of this girl.. I felt sorry for the guy at the time.. it was like true brainwashing, when you can't out-think yourself from an induced philosophy.. 

                                                                When to see

Apart from all it's greatness, this is not a movie you would like to see every second day. It's 197 minutes of misery on screen .... well treated misery that would make any person will a normal head at least have a lump in his throat.. but still misery. TOI once voted this as the saddest movie of all time. This is a movie i would recommend on a day when you have nothing to do... chilling in your hostel room and this movie will chill you to the bones..

Final Verdict

Schindler's list doesn't deserve one, i feel puny just reviewing it. Some things are just too great for me to give my verdict upon.. It will be like Justin  Bieber reviewing Pink Floyd. It wouldn't matter if he says they're good, it would be an insult to Pink Floyd's music no matter what he says.. I feel if anyone picked any 5 minutes of the film, people who watch films closely could write a 10 page essay describing what happened. I have nothing more to say. 

Prequel

Hello readers, this is Aaradhya Srivastava, an IIT Bombay student and crazy movie enthusiast. Ok, so from today onwards, i will be posting about movies that I have seen and will review them. I guess, that is deductible from the title of the blog, but unlike (some... let's say most) professors, i like to explain stuff properly. Ok.. i know what many of you might be thinking.. or at least what i would have been thinking if i had read the above paragraph.. "Banda infi Lukkhha hai".. In my defence...... uh...... well, heck there's no denying it... i am. The only reason i am writing this now is because my  i'm at home and apparently, "I should do something constructive rather that watching movies".... well, this is a thing that gives me an excuse to do both, watch a movie and doing "something constructive".. Honestly speaking though, i love movies, according to me, every genre has its own definition of good.. eg. if it's a drama, a good one would make a lump in my throat at some point, a great one would make me cry ( guilty as charged... i have cried during movies... oh.. and any nasty comments about this will be reported spam or deleted... i don't want friggin' Clint Eastwood fanboys reading this blog..).. anyway well.. for the future you may expect to find the following genre of movies on this blog.. If you want me to review any movie, i will try to put it up and will definitely mail you a short analysis...
Drama
A great genre, big winner at the oscars, one of my personal favourites. This is kind of my all time watch genre, like... i don't have to be in a specific mood to watch such films... just anyday would do..
Romance
Almost always a romantic film can be classified as drama. Somehow, i don't know why, all great Romantic movies have a sad ending. Ok, so this genre has been overused in almost every film industry, especially Hollywood, most of which are entirely crap. Technically, i should judge a romantic film on the basis of dialogue, chemistry and acting... but yeah, if the actress is cute my judgement might be clouded... I have a thing for Megan Fox, so if she starts acting in any film at all, do not trust my judgement.. Ok. well, for me a great romantic movie would have to be one which makes me ache for the characters in the film... where at the ending i'll be like "What the hell are you doing... she's perfect for you.. no.. why lord why?" (It seems cheesy, but just watch Before sunrise and tell me you don't feel that at the end).
Action
Ok, disappointing to action fans, i don't seem to like action much.. the only action movie i liked was the Matrix and i haven't been following the genre much.. it's seems like a display of SFX for me rather than what my perception of film-making is.
Thriller/Horror
In my opinion, the ideal thriller movie would have you biting your nails off in even the simplest of scenes. The best example would have to be No Country for old men. I mean, it is insane, i literally jumped whenever a guy even opens a door.. As far as horror goes.. ok first things first.. there are a lot of people who recommend to me movies saying they're great horror movies that only have jump scares, i would like to say that's incredibly easy to make if you think about it.. It's like my friends would creep uo behind me and yell "boo".. i'd be scared yeah, but i'd rather beat him to death than saying, good trick dude.. Anyway stuff like zombies popping out of nowhere wielding machetes pisses me off rather than scaring me, i'm gonna leave the film with a frown on my face rather than being white with fear. A/C this definition Silence of The lambs will probably be my favourite horror/thriller movie (i haven't seen the shining yet)... That is the kind of film that scares you in the middle of the night 3 weeks after you've seen the film...
Comedy
No Fart jokes, smart humour and tons of LOL moments... enough to get me going about any comedy..

Ok, so this is what it would be like from here... if u like this blog please share it with your friends and anybody who feels i've missed out on a genre, comment below.. for improvement in writing style, again comment below, your feedback as blood-sucking airline Companies say, "is invaluable"... (bitches!)..