EDGE OF TOMORROW: Cruise’s own GROUNDHOG DAY! A fantastic fun!! [3.5/5]

If you could repeatedly go back in to your past, possibilities are that you could master yourself in dealing with the hitches & glitches of life you are destined to face but will that alone be able to temper or alter the upcoming written in bold? That’s a different subject matter altogether. Daug Liman’s sci-fi alien-human war film EDGE OF TOMORROW settles its premise on the very same. Living same day again and again till you learn how to get out of this fascinating but suffocating time-loop. This is Tom Cruise’s own GROUNDHOG DAY with an absolutely engaging plot, effective action and thoroughly enjoyable humor as added bonus.

William Cage [Tom Cruise] – a ‘behind the desk’ officer in US Army Media Relations who can hardly see a pool of blood with his eyes wide open is thrown to fight in war against an alien race with prospects to bulldoze humanity from earth. In the middle of early mental-establishment of the situation, Cage gets killed and finds himself waking up where the day had just started. Now, he has to go by the day all over again to find and save a war-hero Rita Vratasky [played by Emily Blunt] who’s entirely aware and sympathetic about the entrapment Cage is in. Now, together they have to spot the way out but not without retaking the journey hundreds of times to mug up, master and overcome all the obstacles around.

In a cleverly crafted plot when you see a non-performing soldier by chance Cage taking over the situation as per his prior indulgence and presence in the circumstances before, there is no chance you wouldn’t find it gripping and winning. Also, the pre-combat practice sessions when Cage fails miserably and Rita has to kill him over and over again to restart the day, how can you not laugh over Cage’s helplessness? The action sequences are well designed and in synced with 3D effects to maximize the effect but it’s the tighter screenplay that doesn’t leave much to complain. Crisply edited sequences and the humor that comes handy with how everything just ends up in the same ‘been there-done that’ arena time and again are totally born-entertainment. There is also a breezy layer of unsaid-unexplored love between the two but thankfully Daug doesn’t dare himself to travel on that path long enough and sticks to the promise to give you an unadulterated action entertainer in true sense.  

Tom Cruise is known to bring the charm of a star along with him but in comical scenes, you have to experience it yourself. Emily Blunt is terrific and the kind of physical energy and strength she puts in her character is amazing. Together they both flash the desire to see more of them in a more romantic exposure.  

All said and done; though we have seen the allure of time-loop earlier in more than a couple of movies before, the fact that Daug Liman gives us an authentic action film that is best enjoyable in 3D overshadows the lack of novelty in the plot. It’s a fantastic fun if action, science-fiction and creature movies don’t really mean a put-off situation for you! [3.5/5]

GODZILLA: Monstrous Homage to good old-times! Revisit and relive… [3.5/5]

The creature porno is probably one of the very first impressions I had of Hollywood. As small-town kids, then JURASSIC PARK was our only point of high-on-excitement source of entertainment on VHS. GODZILLA (’98), though wasn’t much ably equipped & remarkable to overshadow Steven Spielberg’s classic, was the second most popular in the segment. Evolution is what time offers to the mankind. 16 years later, this mammoth creature known for mass destruction and damages that bring your guts out is again on loose, only to bigger the excitement and better the entertainment.

Gareth Edwards’ GODZILLA works mostly on the fear of unknown. You never actually see him rising to its fullest till the later part of the movie. You’re always made sure of its presence being felt around from the first frame but as quick as the plot goes thicken, Godzilla’s found track gets all hazy and blurred with shifting focus from this one legendary monster to a couple […and a quite romantic one] of new additions; gigantic Mutos. Mutos that find their energy-boosters in radioactive materials and are capable enough to gulp down all the electricity, Las Vegas would need to produce its glamorously lit shine & sheen.

The winged male Muto and the mechanical-looking female Muto must get stopped before they could breed another set of Mutos to create massive destruction of human civilization. The only way out is nuclear detonation but hold your horses as this newer version of GODZILLA is also a gifted surprise. So if you are going in with pre-conceived expectations of having just another monster-movie, you might come out enjoying a super-hero flick. And this super-hero is none other than the age-old bulky-scaly Godzilla!

Where the second part is mainly dedicated to the nerve-wracking, nail-biting and terrifying final combat between the three monsters, the first half is quite a slow effort to build up the most frightening situation mankind could ever face. Graphically constructed Godzilla is definitely bigger, better and scarier than its previous version. With the roar filled with angst, the thumping walk and the immeasurable scale of its huge built; this is the most evolved creature seen in recent times. If you could sustain the boredom at places while assembling all the excitement towards the much awaited intensifying of the leading force, you would sure find all of it worthy enough to stay back; at the end. 

On the 3D front, it is more of an atmospheric addition to be in the same league and not for just some attention-grabbing tricks to create fake experiences. So, don’t really expect much from that part. Performances are also strictly regular. The visual effects are top-notch. Watch out for the power-packed finale that leaves you breathless and filled with a delightful entertainment. After all, it’s better late than never! GODZILLA is a monstrous homage to good old times. Revisit and relive it! [3.5/5] 

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2: A regular popcorn fling! Nothing new to offer!! [2.5/5]

How can you not find it amusing when Spider-man himself starts humming his own signature tune in midst of his early face-off with some notorious criminals! In the very next, you get to notice that how miserable, messy and misunderstood a superhero’s normal life can be when at home. Interesting take but that’s that. If you’re seriously looking for something additional, something extra to the previous Garfield starrer movie, I have to break your hearts coldly. Marc Webb’s second in the series THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 has nothing new to offer and is a regular popcorn movie that trusts blindly on its own set of rules to entertain.

Taking story forward from where it ended in the first, the quest for his parent’s inexplicable disappearance still drives Peter Parker anxious and restless when he learns his childhood buddie Harry [Dane DeHaan] is now the new inheritor of OsCorp., after his father’s death. Meanwhile, Max [Jamie Foxx]-an almost invisible ordinary yet extremely susceptible loner and an electric engineer at OsCorp is the new accidental victim of its illegal human-animal mutation program. The ‘Electro’ is his new avatar with super-electric powers. Now, Harry has some hereditary illness that demands Spiderman’s blood as its venom and his only hope is Electro. Together, they are on to wreck-ruin & smash the New York City and the lives of its people, and Spider-man has to prove himself again, in hard times when his love life too is not very smooth.

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 shows great promise in glimpse and pieces where a humorous, realistic and sympathetic touch to Spider-man’s regular day-to-day life is being portrayed but soon, it gets derailed or rather I would say takes a U-turn to its own guarded path to entertain, entertain and entertain…and that’s when the jinx of getting in routine hits. Even the drama here is so ‘seen-it-before & sensed-it-before’. Is the fear of losing his love while he’s on his ‘saving the world’ mission not a typical superhero setback?? Also, the rise of villain here is very much a forced practice without having much of a strong explanatory shield to it. Though the visual effects are at par, especially Spider-man’s final face-off with Electro and Harry-turned into-Green Goblin at the magically lit Times Square, it is the sparkling chemistry between Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone that pulls off most of the scenes.

The 3D effects are worth taking the ride. Watching Spider-man shuffling and juggling in the center of New York City skyscrapers, that too in a rhythmic slow & fast motion technique, is more than just a visual treat. Before getting thinned and restricted by VFX extravaganza in later part, Jamie Foxx makes an incredible impact with his simpleton Max in the first. Emma can never get it wrong with her twinkling and ‘communicating in good volumes’ eyes. Dane DeHaan plays it well but his major will strike soon in the next as suggested at the end.

There should not be any expression of surprise if I say THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 belongs to Andrew Garfield. He’s witty. He’s charming. He’s expressive. And he shoulders the responsibility in a skilled manner. I wish the plot would have been more responsible with a new, fresh and innovative approach. The glimpse and suggestions are there in portions. Watchable! [2.5/5]  

SHOLAY 3D: A visual heritage in Cinema for the next generation! [5/5]

As a devoted movie lover, my most desirable dream came true this week with Ramesh Sippy’s magnum opus SHOLAY getting re-released in 3D after 38 years of its very first release. I was, until, one of those few unlucky who hadn’t experienced this all-time blockbuster and the biggest entertainer in Indian Cinema on big screen. So first and foremost, no matter how many times you have seen it before, no matter how religiously you have learnt all its juicy dialogues by heart…you should rush to the nearest cinema to relive this enormously engaging film bollywood has ever produced. History repeats itself but not so often. So be a part of it!

Despite taking inspiration largely from Sergio Leone’s ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST [‘68] for the ‘mouth-organ’ themed background score & sound designing for family-massacre sequence, George Marshall directed segment in HOW THE WEST WAS WON [‘62] for the train-robbery part and John Sturges’ THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN [‘60] for the plot, Bollywood’s tribute to ‘spaghetti western’ cinema SHOLAY finds its root very much in our ‘desi’ soil and there exists the formula of its never-ending success.

Hats off to the writer-duo Salim-Javed for giving us characters that never lose their magical charm, colloquial quirky dialogues that never get out-of-the fashion and a drama that keeps us engaged and entertained all the way through its perfect and balanced mix of emotions. Who would not react in chuckles when Jai asks wisely, “tumhara naam kya hai, basanti”! How could you not feel the rage of vengeance in Veeru when he calls for the final encounter with, “Gabbar Singh! Main aa reha hoon”! Try to hold yourself from laughing when, modeled mockingly on Hitler, Jailer instructs his orderlies, “aadhe idhar jao, aadhe udhar jao…baki mere saath aao”! Have you ever seen a villain as cold-blooded & brutal as Gabbar who shoots his own sidekicks soon after making them burst into laughing only to prove a point that, “jo darr gaya, samjho marr gaya”? And my most favorite that has social significance also, is the unsaid inherent romance between Jai & Radha. Does your heart not bleed when Radha expresses. “laal, peele, neele, hare, socho toh rangon ke bina zindgi kaisi berang lagegi” cut to the while-clad Radha forced to live a colorless life of a widow.

Apart from Hema Malini playing the chatty tanga-girl Basanti, Sanjeev Kumar as the intensely gritty Thakur Saab and Jaya Bhaduri’s compassionate Radha, this is probably one of those rare films where every single actor cast has come out with an unforgettable presence on screen and definitely a remarkable work of his/her career. Dancing Queen Helen in the sensuous ‘mehbooba o mehbooba’ dance number, Jagdeep in a 2-scene role as ‘Soorma Bhopali’, A K Hangal as Imam saab in the heart-aching ‘itna sannata kyun hai bhai’ act, Leela Mishra as Mausi and everyone else.

SHOLAY was also a trendsetter in many senses. The era of 70’s in Bollywood with formula action entertainers that finds its base in violent vengeance seeking gangster-dacoit movies, was unquestionably lead by SHOLAY. Dharmendra’s foray into ‘kutte-kameene, main tera khoon pi jaaoonga’ mode took a giant leap after the very same. Amitabh dying in the end became a profit-formula & a sure-shot success-mantra for many Bollywood producers and last but not least, the emersion of 70-mm stereophonic sound technology for a king-size ground-breaking entertainment. Who all have experienced it before on screen can vouch for that.

The new form of SHOLAY in 3D has only improved and enhanced the experience. There are added 3D effect-gimmicks also that will make you satisfied with the glasses. The background score and songs are brilliantly been reworked in an enhancing Dolby digital atmosphere. CG effects keep the freshness in the visuals alive and intact but these aren’t and shouldn’t be the criteria to judge the film. Watch it for the status it has achieved through all these years and still doesn’t smell rot and old-fashioned. Classic in other words! This one is a visual heritage in cinema you should pass on to the next generation. Take your kids & family as I say, “History repeats itself but not so often”. Be a part of it! [5/5]        

GRAVITY: 3D gets a new dimension! And we, a chance to live our dreams to be in space! [4.5/5]

Days are not quite out of sight when the human race will have residential colonies on extraterrestrial zero-gravity space stations but in its own time. And till the time, when advanced science & the technology constantly making headways in getting breakthroughs achieve that, we have another power to experience what may suggest the future in its own way…the vision to create, replicate, reproduce and design the ‘dream-come-true’ ultramodern set-up into another brilliant piece of art never less than the predicted and the expected one.

For Alfonso Cuaron’s sci-fi thriller GRAVITY (3D), adjectives like breathtaking, heart-pounding, awe-inspiring, spine-chilling, nail-biting are not merely some words mentioned in the phrase book but an experience at large. Or else you can say that these words look just plain simple formation of random alphabets when the jaw-dropping visuals of GRAVITY happen to you in the most extraordinary way that has never been tried before. It’s ‘out of the world’ in literal and every sense.

In an unpredictably splendid scenic celestial beauty, when the crew of a space-shuttle undergoes with a critical accident caused by destruction in another satellite, 2 crew-members find themselves detached from their space-stations to float around in the vast environs of zero gravity world. Oxygen level is dropping down persistently. Connections to the base are lost. Hopes are the only survival instinct. Undying Spirit is the only way out. But aren’t these the rules of earth they have left long way down?

Filtering GRAVITY to extract one hero, to credit its success in the name of, will not be an achievable choice. Camerawork that makes you believe what all you see is never done in a comparatively tiny little studio covered in green, is absolutely picturesque and mesmerizing. Watch out for the opening sequence of a 10-12 min long one shot and you will be submerged into thoughts that how could they even think of it. Visual effects and the 3D technology have really gone beyond expectations. They don’t just make you jump or cringe into your seats for the sake of it but they grab & grasp you firmly to enjoy every bit of it like you are in there in all of your flesh and with your entire soul.

Oscar award winner Sandra Bullock earns all your emotions to be with her character in all good and bad times. Her commitment to excel is very much visible through her emoting muscles and in physical appearances also. George Clooney plays an ‘out and out’ charismatic astronaut who, even in the worst case scenario, doesn’t lose his calm and the pleasurable flirtatious attitude. Don’t miss the softer moments between them…of love ‘in no air’.

After Stanley Kubrick’s philosophical sci-fi drama ‘2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY’, this is the most astonishing 90-min long trip to space, no one should give a miss. I am not sure how many of us will make it to the futuristic space-colonies in their lifetime but here’s a chance to live your dreams like never done before. Watch it in IMAX 3D if you have the privilege! [4.5/5]

Special Note:

Don’t forget to cheer when you hear a crew-member at space-shuttle singing ‘mera joota hai Japani’!