It's Broadway!

If one ever visits New York City, it would be a crime not to watch a Broadway Musical. Lucky for me, I’m not a criminal.

There are so many musicals and plays that Broadway offers, so which one to choose? Out of the huge list of Musicals, each one of them with what seemed like a huge resume, it was finally decided that Once, shall be the first Broadway musical I shall watch. After all, it did win 8 Tony Awards, including the one for The Best Musical. And indeed it was.

Once is a story about a heartbroken Irish guy, played by Arthur Darvill of the Doctor Who fame  and a young Czech single mother, (Joanna Christie) who both have a passion for music and connect immediately. The girl, impulsive and funny helps the guy realize his musical dream and helps him pursue it at a time where he has lost all hope and ambition. 

The story as it may seem is very simple, in fact, nothing new. But it is such simple a story that that fuels emotion and passion and the real heart of theater to flourish.

The thing about theater is that, when you’re performing, you don’t get another chance. It is just what you do then and there. There are no cuts and retakes. That is what makes it the most difficult kind of entertainment. And it takes a tremendous amount of skill and presence of mind when one is on stage. And needless to say, the actors pulled it off. 

The way the story was portrayed was very interesting. They had no backdrop changes. At all. Then how did they manage to achieve the different scenes? Lighting. Such a simple aspect can make a lot of difference.With the single set of an Irish bar, they brought out 4 different rooms, an office space, a recording studio, a typical New York pub, and the view of city lights from a cliff, just using the lighting. 

Being a musical, the actors were undoubtedly great singers and each one of them played an instrument. Once has a soundtrack that every musical buff will love and will want to listen on loop. 
(Personal Favorite : Falling Slowly).

A simple, funny story (but a little tough to follow only because of the strong Irish accents), an amazing track of songs, unbelievably talented actors and an absolute visual treat. Once is definitely a Musical that will go down in history. 
Watching it gave me a feeling that no movie has ever done. At every raise of pitch, and at every change of scene, I had chills down my spine. Chills that made me realize that  Broadway is not a place and that Once is not a show. They are but an experience. 

Typical Karan.

Another one of those Bollywood films. Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani. And yet, no one gets tired of them.
If you have been watching Bollywood films since the 90s you would immediately connect many scenes to movies which have either been directed or produced by Karan Johar. Especially, the part where Naina stands at the train station uncertainly, only to be convinced by Bunny and as expected, catch a moving train. (With the dramatic music of course.)

Every Bollywood movie is a musical. Sometimes, it works, and sometimes, it seems like a desperate attempt to put those songs there, just because protocol dictates so. But rest assured, the YJHD soundtrack was awesome and all the songs are a treat to watch. I would say, the only reason I agreed to watch it a second time was because the songs were shot so well! A major plus point is that Ranbir and Deepika are absolutely amazing dancers. Also, THEY LOOK SO GOOD :O

Other than the dance and drama, the storyline was like any other. Nothing great about it.
The movie was pretty slow, I should say. But when it comes to clichéd Bollywood movies, no one really cares about the storyline because frankly, you're at the movie theatre only to feast your eyes on good looking people. (Don't you dare deny that.) 

As a big fan of Karan Johar films, I really enjoyed the movie, regardless of the number of false hopes that were raised about life. A feel-good movie and definitely one to watch if you're looking for a break, or are a Bollywood buff.

Rating:4/5

(Just for Ranbir,Deepika and Kalki) 

Not so super,man.

*Pays Rs.160 and buys ticket.*

*Watches movie.*

*Stands at the ticket counter, asking for a refund.*

I just felt like I watched the rip off of every single action film I have ever seen. 

With a production budget of $225 million, you'd think they would invest in a good story at the least, but NO. They had to go with the plot of a clichéd Indian movie. Bad guys hunting the hero and his family, hero goes to far off land, bad guys hunt him there, final fight, hero wins and gets the girl too.

There were few things that were good about the film. I believe a majority of the audience was quite disappointed. And so was I. Here is my opinion about it. 

Henry Cavill (Clark Kent) looked absolutely amazing but seemed to have a standard expression as shown below, although the part where he screams in the climax is an exception.

The CG was okay but I felt it was way too cluttered and overdone. There was no clear distinction and many parts of it were just a mess. Also, it hurt the eye to watch so much movement in close up, that too with 3D effects. 

The dialogues were not up to the mark at all. Rather they were pathetic.

Bad guy to superman: "We have only one choice. Either you die, or I will." Sure, state the obvious.

I think we all have gotten too used to the sarcastic dialogues and puns of many recent superhero movies that we aren't able to fathom something that seemed so straightforward. (Which is code for "terrible dialogues")

The movie was very slow, and completely lacked the vigor and excitement that is expected of a superman film. It was highly predictable which takes away the joy of watching a film. A very weak storyline does not help either. 

It can be said that this movie stands alone, and is not a sequel to the Superman saga, and that anyone can watch it. However, I advice against doing so.

Finally, if you are going to watch the movie, you can look forward to Henry Cavill looking great, decent graphics and an enjoyable time passing snide comments on almost every line and frame of the film or a good nap. 

Rating:1.3/5

It's a Silver Lining afterall.

I was browsing through my Facebook news feed and I just happened to stumble upon a post about Silver Linings Playbook and I realized I've been putting it off for too long. I know this is late, but what the hell?

It's definitely a movie which leaves you with mixed thoughts and emotions but I should say it was something refreshing as opposed to the cliched love stories that flood the box offices every other month.

Jennifer Lawrence was spectacular. At first, I was a bit hesitant to watch the movie itself, given that   I wasn't that impressed by Hunger Games. But I completely understand why she got that Oscar and for crying out loud, she's 22! She actually got really lucky. Been nominated twice, won the second time. [ I would love to hear what Meryl Streep has to say. ;) ]

Really simple story-line, not extraordinary cinematography or anything, quite crude actually, but that's how I believe it was meant to be and I must admit, it was great. Dialogue delivery was brilliant and absolutely easy to follow. And for the record, I could hear what they were saying.

Such a clever way to bring out what people with bipolar disorders and people under medication for the mind go through and to weave it into some love story must have been quite the task. Well written, something that humans can relate to and on the whole, it leaves us, at least me with a lasting impression.

One could argue that it does seem like other love stories for the simple reason that they get together at the end of the day and everyone's happy but we all are suckers for happy endings aren't we?
And to think that things do turn out fine for two people who are pretty much crazy is kind of reassuring that there is a Silver Lining after all.
Great stuff. Definitely one to watch again.
And hoorah for Indian people!

Rating:4/5

Trekking all the way!

"Space. The final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise."
Every single time those words ring in my ear, it sends a chill down my spine.
STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS. What. a. movie.
From the time the trailer came out, I was excited beyond my wits to watch it. The thing about these sequels is that, the more you get excited, and the more your expectations become. And it is only fitting to say that every single minute of Into Darkness exceeded them.

Why Star Trek Into Darkness is the best film this summer.
Firstly, the CG was brilliant, and unlike any other film. It had all the action and the blowing up and the usual phasers and ships, all that is a part of the star trek franchise, but for some reason, everything just looked so spectacular, and the level of clarity that they have achieved in incorporating every single firing and move is remarkable.
Secondly, the actors outdid themselves compared to the Star Trek movie of 2009. For a moment there, I felt that Zachary Quinto was a better Spock than Leonard Nimoy himself but let's face it. No one beats Nimoy. However it was a bit disappointing that Spock never mentions the line "Live long and prosper" and that Mr.Nimoy had screen time of less than 10 seconds.
Benedict Cumberbatch looked truly formidable and was perfect for the role of Khan except for the fact that his skin color was a bit lighter than our impression of Khan from the Original Series. But come on, he was brilliant.
I don't know if it's just me, but Simon Pegg always seems to be the technician and engineer recounting his roles from Mission Impossible and Star Trek. Seeing Scotty have a kick at all the action was surprising and Mr.Pegg's comic way of presenting it was awesome.
I thought that all the actors did a great job. Afterall, they aren't part of the Star Trek franchise for nothing.
The one thing that I loved about this film is that, all the three leads, Kirk, Spock and Khan brought out their soft side and they actually CRIED. And especially for Spock, it took the audience by utter surprise.
The most notable thing about this film is that it isn't just for the fans of Star Trek. Anyone who has absolutely no idea about Star Trek will be able to appreciate it and that is something very hard to bring about in the movie of a series that has a history of over 50 years.
It's fast, it's gripping, not predictable and I believe, will turn out to be one of the best movies of all time and I won't be surprised if it gets on IMDB's Top 250 sooner or later.
Such a genius this J.J.Abrams is. Word has it that he will be directing the next Star Wars movie and I can't wait for it already!
Overall, in my opinion, this is the one of the best movies of the entire series and every Trekkie as well as non-Trekkie is in for a treat.
Sorry for the spoilers btw.
Live long and prosper. _\\//

Rating:4.5/5

The awakening.

It has long been in my list to start a blog. And what a better topic to write on than to review the incoming and outgoing trends of the entertainment world?
The movies have always been my safe haven and there is nothing more magical or wonderful than to see what is practically not possible in the real world to flash before one's eyes. And to imagine what it must feel like to be a part of creating that magic, I would want nothing more than to be able to do just that.
However, I do not possess the skill or the wit to be the creator of such works of art as of now, and hence I shall resort to reviewing the works of others.
I shan't stick to the realm of movies alone but, I will explore Anime ( For I am an Otaku myself), TV Shows and Books alike.
So, here goes.