Jab Tak Hai Jaan Review

• Film : Jab Tak Hai Jaan
• Producer : Acidity Chopra
• Director : Yash Chopra
• Star Cast : Shahrukh Khan Katrina Kaif Anushka Sharma..
• Music Director : A.R. Rahman
• Rating :
  3.5

A typical Yash Chopra movie with the mushy love, with near perfect performance from Shah Rukh Khan but nothing exceptional on the story front is what you should expect from this movie. In short, the movie is worth watching to make your festival a little better. Jab Tak Hai Jaan Review at least, you can definitely pick this over Son of Sardar and any other movie that released this festival.

Other Ratings

Average Movie Rating

  AVG:3.25

Sify

  3 It's all about loveWe meet all three characters early on in the film.

• Deccan

  3 A swansong

• The Times of India

  3.5 Jab Tak Hai Jaan..

• BharatStudent

    3.25 A triangular love

• Rediff

    3 A bomb defusal

Story

This is a documentary venture of a chivalrous student, Akira (Anushka Sharma) who happens to learn about the life of a bomb disposal officer Samar, SRK, and is interested in making that her documentary. SRK is the Man Who Cannot Die in the army.

The movie is basically the flashback of the army star and his lost love. Samar plays the hardworking common man in London who has several menial jobs desperately to make ends meet. However, never disparaged by his condition, he once meets Meera, Katrina Kaif, a rich heiress which becomes the turning point of his life. Meera gets interested in learning Punjabi songs from Samar while he does it in exchange for English lessons. As you guessed already, the teacher-student relationship binds them in love despite Meera's engagement to someone else.

The present Samar is an equally hardworking man but an army officer, stubborn and bitter to the core, courageous nevertheless. He defuses bombs without the bomb suits (probably never watched Hurt Locker). Akira's interest in Samar is now beyond profession. Will Samar's heart melt for Akira would they have a chance together? Why do Meera and Samar part ways?
The answers to these questions are at a theater near you.

Analysis :

Aditya Chopra and Devika Bhagat worked hard behind the screens on the screenplay to make the movie look like a trademark Yash Chopra product. Romantic and pleasant to say the least. Dialogues by Aditya Chopra are some of the finest these days. A weak story makes the movie not the best one. Though love, romance dominate the screen, there is more frustration than the sympathy that was expected from audience at the sentimental scenes, for example, the scene where Meera and Sir Jesus make a pact. The love story is not a strong one too; Neetu Kapoor should have had better lines.

What makes the movie a drag is the climax, which would have been better if it were trimmed 20 more minutes. I could rather watch my nails grow than wait for the movie to end.

Late Yash Chopra's last direction is not his best, but from the perspective of this being his last one makes the view a little better. Two love stories in one movie, with great depth and detail to both of them is an incredible feat to achieve. That being said, you would definitely come out of the theater saying, “If only the climax had been well attended to”.

With a movie shot in Kashmir, you know what to expect on the screen when it comes to locations. Ladakh, London and Kashmir add color to the movie. Rahman's music though fine leaves much to be desired, or maybe because I expect a lot from a Academy Award winner. However, SRK's entry had the dramatic atmosphere with the BGM.

Slick Editing job by Namrata Rao.

Performance :

SRK's acting as the army man was beyond accolades but he had exaggerated a bit as the romantic guy. He, probably, has become too old for it now. Katrina Kaif has been improving her skill-set since quite a few movies but she was not up to the mark in a few scenes of the movie, while in others she did just fine. Anushka Sharma plays Akira so full of life, that you can't help but fall in love with her on screen. Cameo appearances from Neetu and Rishi Kapoor are well thought out and executed. Anupam Kher had a poorly developed role with little involvement in the movie that his action cannot be critiqued.

Final Word:  Jab Tak Hai Jaan Review You can watch the movie for more than just paying respects to the late legend, Yash Chopra. He puts the mushy and the filmy love in the movie making it a good watch.

(AW- Anil)

Stills from Jab Tak Hai Jaan:

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1920 Evil Returns Review

1920 Evil Returns Review

• Film : 1920: Evil returns
• Producer : Husnain
• Director : Bhushan Patel
• Star Cast : Aftab Shivdasani, Tia Bajpai, Sagar Saikia, Vidya Malvade...
• Music Director : Chirantan Bhatt
• Rating :
  2.5
  
  

The Exorcist in 1973 has been one classic film that has been adopted, rewritten and used thread bare in Hollywood and the trend still continues to reign in Bollywood. 1920 Eviel Returns Review With several scenes directly ripped of the classic movie that has scared people to death, Bhushan Patel has failed to put together a movie that is genuine and the movie still uses the timeworn scare tactics that hardly instill fear into the crowd.

Other Ratings

Average Movie Rating

  2.5

Sify

Not Yet Rated

Deccan
Not Yet Rated
The Times of India
Not Yet Rated
BharatStudent
Not Yet Rated
Rediff
Not Yet Rated

Story:
Smruti (Tia Bajpai) has no sense of logic and refuses to accept what is logical trapped and tormented by an evil spirit residing inher house. A servant comes to the rescue helps her with a holy mirror which would help her escape from her house while she meets Jaidev (Aftab Shivdasani), a complete stranger with whom she falls in love.

The evil spirit now devours on her memories and leaves her almost dead. Meanwhile, Jaidev neck deep in love with Smruthi is convinced that she is dead as she doesn't return and becomes the dipsomaniac Devdas minus the dog. His poetic skills bring him to the banks of a river where he finds his love, literally. Smruti lays on the riverbank in an unconscious state but he does't recognize her not can Smruti recollect who the person is. She loses memory of everything.

Jaidev's sister doesn't have good feelings about Smruti and his sister's feelings towards her worsen when a cemetery keeper warns her of a demonic soul in Smruti.
Horror in the movie now is at its peaks as Smruti starts puking iron nails and hallucinates about ghosts. Demonic possessions begin as she is being taken to a doctor and Jaidev has no options but to believe the cemetery keeper.

Who is the evil spirit? What does it aim to achieve and would the duo recognize each other later? There are more secrets the movie holds but are best narrated on screen.

Analysis :

Story writers Vikram Bhatt and Amin Hajee have made an interesting story allowing the users ample time to connect from the first half of the film to the events of second half. Though there are ingenious parts of the movie like the bangle mystery or the love letters, they were not coupled with the scare factor. First half of the movie ends up boring with the poor direction, shadows and eyeball scare tactics are overused to the point of being battered. For those of you who haven't seen scenes from Exorcist, there are a few scary scenes that may impress you but if you have you will not stop cursing the shameless rip off.

Poetic skills of Jaidev are exceptional but misplaced. You don't want to listen to a poem while you are being spooked, do you? Dialogues are just fine.

Bhushan Patel hasn't taken the job seriously and that is evident with the half-boiled script. He should know better that the red eyes, lack of eyes and other similar techniques have developed tolerance in audience. New horror flicks should bring in new techniques rather than reuse and kill the joy of a scare tactic that audience are familiar with.

That being said, second half is impressive. A few hair raising scenes that make your spine go cold. Songs are a nice touch to the not very impressive first half with good lyrics prompting you to forgive the mistakes. Cinematography from Naren Kedia leaves you expecting especially after you came here expecting something like 1920. Amar Mohile’s BGM is terrible to the point of being a headache. Special effects receive mixed scores, great at times and the opposite in other scenes.

Performance :

Aftab has failed as Jaidev and chronic alcoholism is no excuse for lack of expression. Vacant looks and lack of dedication (or skill) make him a eye-sore. Overly sweet, or rather cloyingly, when she does the positive role Bajpai has impressed as the possessed one. Vidya Malvade should learn to act before she tries again since audience are paying to watch. Sharad Kellar is perfect for the hateful character he dons.

Final Word: 1920 Evil Returns but without a sound plot or direction. A few decent scenes worth watching only if you have a craving for a horror movie or if you have been living under a rock. (AW- Anil)

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Skyfall Review

Skyfall Review

• Film : Skyfall
• Producer :
• Director : am Mendes
• Star Cast : Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Javier Bardem, Naomie Harris, Bérénice Marlohe, Ben Whishaw...
• Music Director :
• Rating :
  4.5
   

Daniel Craig, frankly speaking, in the earlier episodes of the movie, has not established himself as “The James  Bond” people craved for. Casino Royale had some impressive action for a debutant but Quantam of Solace was an utter disaster for a Bond movie. However, this time, he has come closest to the Bond we all aspire to see on screen. This is by far his best Bond movie without a saying and also one of the finest in the history of the secret agent series. However, he still has to work a little more to be put in the class of other classic Bonds like Sean Connery or Pierce Brosnan. How close has he come with Skyfall? Read on and you will have your answer! Skyfall Review

Other Ratings

Average Movie Rating

  4.5

Sify

  Not Yet Rated 

• Deccan

  Not Yet Rated

• The Times of India

  Not Yet Rated

• BharatStudent

    Not Yet Rated

• Rediff

    Not Yet Rated

Story

Marking the 50th Anniversary of the hit series by Ian Flemming, Skyfall is a story that is based in Istanbul as agent 007 (Daniel Craig) chases an assassin who has gained top secret information of the identities of all the secret agents based in terrorist organizations. Several action scenes that capture the beauty of Istanbul, an opening scene where oranges are toppled, adrenaline rushing chases and many more do not disappoint. Judi Dench plays the ruthless assassin M and gets Mr Bond killed after he orders a blind shot. The dramatic scene where Bond falls down a tall bridge is sheer brilliance of the cinematography. However, like you all would guess this isn't the end of Bond; he just lays low out of shame, agony and with an intent to escape the eyes of the MI6.

With Bond gone and potential information regarding all the secret agents in his hands, you can only guess what M would do. He blows up their cover and the MI6 headquarters. Bond who was fixed on an early retirement is forced to come out in the light again. M realizes Bond is still behind him as more chases take you to the breathtaking sights of Shangai and London. Bond Girls make their appearance (Bérénice Marlohe and Naomie Harris).

Silva is the one you are looking for the whole movie. Silva (Javier Bardem) is an ex-agent, and like all ex-agents he is evil yet genius. The devilish psychopath is Bond's only nemesis. Finally they have to face each other when Silva tell him more about his past with M and MI6 and the plot gets more labyrinthine, not confusing but deeper.

Bond's history and Silva's thirst to get M and MI6 forms the rest of the plot, discussion of which would only ruin your show without the visuals.

Analysis :

Bond is back and with a bang too! However, you still don't feel the richness and the completeness of a Bond movie. There is something lacking, a nuance but still irritating. Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and John Logan have done a commendable job. The debonaire Bond is here, sexier, thoughtful and witty too but he should have been smoother. The nuanced Bond is still not here.

The plot is pretty thorough and labyrinthine to keep you engaged for a little more than two hours. A few times you just feel that the villains go easy on Bond. Childhood nostalgia for Bond seems contrived and forced onto the audience. Bond girls have no role in the movie but to please your eyes. Other than that this would have scored a 5.

Sam Mendes is a genius with his directional skills. There are a few scenes that slack off but at most points you are on the edge of your seats. The underwater part where Bond suffocates was excellent just as a few chase sequences and fights. Roger Denkins brings out the life in the movie with his cinematography. Dapper editing skills from Stuart Baird. The music from Thomas Newman makes the action more fast paced than it is actually. A few references from the old Bond movies and the iconic Aston Martin DB5 are appreciated. The last thing you would complain is about the Special Effects. “Mind-blowing” is a literally possible phenomenon; watch out people!

Humor, British style, terrific action and the perfect villain you wouldn't mind teaming up with (Javier) are perfect reasons you should not even think of letting this movie pass.

Performance :

Daniel Craig is just at his best. Re-read that, 'his' best. Don't compare him with Brosnan or Connery which would only leave you wishing for more, at least for now. Judi Dench as M is neat. Javier Bardem should impress the most critical critics on earth for his performance as the evil genius Silva was earth-shattering. Naomie Harris and Bérénice Marlohe as beautiful as Bond girls but nothing of importance in their characterizations makes you feel a little disappointed. Q does just what he was supposed to do.

Final Word: Skyfall Review Get all the gadgets, action, bad villains, bond girls, chases and a little contrived emotion with this episode of the franchise, Skyfall but only if you forget that there were other bonds before this movie. (AW- Anil)

Stills from Skyfall:

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