Archive for December, 2008
Opening December 24: Ghajini
Aamir Khan’s latest film opens in U.S. theaters on Wednesday, December 24. Ghajini is a Hindi-language remake of Christopher Nolan’s Memento, a film I enjoyed. Given how dark the original movie is, I’m a little skeptical of a version that includes dance numbers. But I’m willing to give Khan and composer A. R. Rahman a chance to win me over.
In the Chicago area, Ghajini is showing at the AMC Loews Pipers Alley 4 in Chicago, the AMC Cantera 30 in Warrenville and the AMC South Barrington 30 in South Barrington.
Movie Review: Dostana (2008)
3.5 Stars (out of 4)
A hunky photographer (John Abraham) and a male nurse (Abhishek Bachchan) pretend to be a gay couple in order to share a Miami apartment with a beautiful girl (Priyanka Chopra) they’re both in love with. This comedy of errors isn’t trying to make a political statement, nor does it rely solely on cheap gay jokes to generate laughs. Dostana is a genuinely funny and romantic story about friendship, enhanced by captivating performances from some of Bollywood’s top young actors.
No Rating (language); 145 minutes
This review originally appeared in The Naperville Sun on November 21, 2008
Movie Review: EMI (2008)
2 Stars (out of 4)
As economies around the world falter, what could be timelier than a movie about the danger of credit card debt? The film even ends with the written warning: “Take Loans Responsibly.” EMI (an acronym for “Easy Monthly Installment”) is an uneven but watchable comedy about a tough collections agent (Sanjay Dutt) who changes his image by helping folks out of debt, instead of beating them up for money — his usual collection method. The film’s best scene is an early dance number featuring Arjun Rampal that pays tribute to Saturday Night Fever, white leisure suit and all.
Movie Review: Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008)
3.5 Stars (out of 4)
Aditya Chopra and Shahrukh Khan, the director and actor responsible for the Bollywood classic Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, succeed again with Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi.
In RNBDJ, Khan plays Suri, a mild mannered guy who fulfills his mentor’s dying wish by marrying the mentor’s daughter, Taani (Anushka Sharma). Though Suri’s older and less flashy than she is, Taani accepts her new role as his wife, with the caveat that she’ll never be able to love him because of her broken heart. Timid Suri, unable to show his wife how much he loves her, secretly invents a flashy alter ego named Raj in order to bring some joy into Taani’s life.
Chopra thoroughly explains the emotions motivating Suri and Taani, and Khan and Sharma perfectly portray the characters. The relationship between the pair is believable, despite the age difference between the duo (Khan is 43 and Sharma is 19). Sharma’s nuanced performance makes it hard to believe that this is her first film.
Cases of mistaken identity are often hard to pull off onscreen, but Khan looks and acts so differently as Suri and Raj that it seems totally reasonable that Taani wouldn’t know that the two men are the same person.
RNBDJ trips up late in the film during a sequence in which Suri battles a sumo wrestler. The scene is so long and out of place that it completely brought me out of the movie. While the scene intends to show that Suri would do anything to make Taani happy, I would rather have seen more examples of that interspersed throughout the film. Taani continually performs small acts of kindness for Suri, while Suri’s affection seems to stop after providing Taani with a place to live, only to rekindle during the over-the-top sumo showdown. Suri doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who’d try to impress his wife with a big spectacle.
Apart from the one misstep, the movie is flawless. Chopra’s attention to detail is especially obvious during RNBDJ‘s big dance number, “Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte.” I’m almost always distracted by the background dancers in item numbers: one dancer is out of sync with the others, another is wearing an unflattering outfit, etc. No such worries, here. When I noticed the background dancers in RNBDJ, they looked spectacular. But most of the time, my attention was on the lead couple, as it should be.
Movie Review: Golmaal Returns (2008)
Zero Stars (out of 4)
I can’t think of a single reason to recommend this slapstick comedy. Every moment is annoying, from the persistent sound effects (such as flatulence followed by a slide whistle) to the character with a speech impediment who can speak only in vowels, and at a pitch that would make dogs howl. Even veteran actors like Ajay Devgan and Kareena Kapoor overact so outrageously that it’s impossible not to despise every character in Golmaal Returns.
This review originally appeared in The Naperville Sun on November 6, 2008
Opening December 12: Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi
Yash Raj Films production Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi opens this Friday, December 12, in theaters across the United States. In the Chicago area, you can catch RNBDJ at the AMC Cantera 30 in Warrenville and the AMC South Barrington 30. Check AMC’s website for showtimes.
Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi reunites Shah Rukh Khan with the director of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Aditya Chopra. Can Chopra recreate the success of DDLJ, or will Shah Rukh’s nerdy moustache prove too distracting?
Movie Review: Fashion (2008)
2.5 Stars (out of 4)
Fans of Project Runway will enjoy this inside look at the seamy side of the fashion industry. Priyanka Chopra (a former Miss World herself) plays Meghna, a small-town girl who dreams of becoming a supermodel. Her morals are put to the test as her star rises; quaintly, she considers wine and cigarettes gateway drugs. Apart from the stereotypical treatment of gay characters, Fashion has continuity, believable performances and enough content for a TV mini-series.
This review originally appeared in The Naperville Sun on November 6, 2008
Movie Review: Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! (2008)
1 Star (out of 4)
Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! follows the exploits of a petty thief named Lucky (Abhay Deol), who steals TVs and stereo systems from homes when the residents aren’t paying attention. None of his heists are that daring, he’s never in any real danger and, during the few run-ins he has with police, he escapes in such a casual manner you hardly notice he’s gotten away before the next scene begins. The people in Lucky’s life don’t really challenge him to change his ways, hence he doesn’t develop as a character. The film would’ve been just as compelling if it had been about Lucky preparing breakfast.
Movie Review: Yuvvraaj (2008)
1 Star (out of 4)
In this bastardization of Rain Man, chorus singer Deven Yuvvraaj (Salman Khan) tries to trick his autistic older brother Gyanesh (Anil Kapoor) out of his inheritance. The inevitable reconciliation between the brothers would be more believable if Khan’s character wasn’t so unrepentantly rotten during the first two-thirds of the movie, especially the revelation that Deven was disowned by his father after twice beating Gyanesh. And yet Deven is the brother we’re supposed to feel sorry for. After Black & White, Subhash Ghai’s compelling exploration of terrorism from early 2008, Yuvvraaj is a disappointment.
Movie Review: Heroes (2008)
2.5 Stars (out of 4)
Two slacker film students develop a love for their country as they travel across India. Preity Zinta provides the film with emotional gravity as a soldier’s widow, and Sunny Deol gets the most memorable scene, beating up a dozen people while seated in a wheelchair. Heroes is patriotic without being nationalistic, although the tone is sappy at times. The breathtaking scenery is more than enough to make anyone fall in love with India.
No Rating (violence); 138 minutes
This review originally appeared in The Naperville Sun on October 30, 2008
