Extraordinary Measures (2010)

Cast: Harrison Ford, Brendan Fraser
Language: English
Running Time: 105 mins
Director: Tom Vaughan
Censor Certificate: NA
Genre: Drama
Plot: Inspired by an incredible true story, this docudrama portrays one father's desperate quest to save his children from succumbing to a rare life-threatening genetic disorder. Working-class father John Crowley (Brendan Fraser) is finally on the fast track to corporate success when his two young children, Megan and Patrick, are diagnosed with Pompe disease -- a condition that prevents the body from breaking down sugar. In time, it disables the heart and the muscles, ultimately resulting in death. With the support of his wife, Aileen (Keri Russell), John ditches his career and teams with unconventional specialist Dr. Robert Stonehill (Harrison Ford) to found a bio-tech company and develop a cure in time to save the lives of Megan and Patrick. As Dr. Stonehill works tirelessly to prove the theories that made him the black sheep of the medical community, a powerful bond is forged between the two unlikely allies. Still, their greatest struggle is yet to come.
My Review:How a Father, John Crowley, Raised $100 Million - and Bucked the Medical Establishment - In a Quest to Save His Children.This movie is based on a true story which was penned by Geeta Anand in her book with the title "The Cure".Its an inspiring real life story well put on celluloid by Harrison Ford & Brenden Fraser.The movie is a little slow.The screenplay is not that powerful for the medical drama.I believe background score for such emotional dramas should be strong.but here also this movie lacks.The acting is just passable,nothing great to mention about.Still I would recommend this movie for the simple reason that it brings such issues to the masses & gives a very positive signals to the audience.So watch it for all those unfortunate children suffering from "Pompe's Disease".
My Ratings:2/5,Here is the link of the website of real life Crowley family on whom this movie is based.http://www.crowleyfamily5.com/

kites(2010)

Directer:Anurag Basu
Producer:Rakesh Roshan,Sharan Kapoor
Starring:Hrithik Roshan,Barbara Mori,Kangana Ranaut
Music:Rajesh Roshan
Running time:130 minutes (Hindi version)
90 minutes (English version)
Plot:"J"(Hrithik Roshan) is a Bollywood dance teacher in Las Vegas, Nevada. For extra income he marries immigrant women to get them green cards. When Gina (Kangana Ranaut), the rich daughter of a powerful casino owner (Kabir Bedi), falls for him, J. goes along in order to marry into money. He discovers that his future brother-in-law, the vicious, homicidal Tony, is about to marry a beautiful Mexican woman named Natasha (Barbara Mori), whom J. knows as Linda, the last of the immigrant women he married. On the night before "Natasha" and Tony's wedding, Linda and J. spend a romantic but chaste night, humorously agreeing to a "divorce." A jealous, gun-wielding Tony, however, arrives at her apartment while J. is there, and after he hits her, Linda impulsively knocks him out with a heavy object while he tussles with J. Linda and J. go on the run toward Mexico, with Tony and police chasing them.
My Review:The movie begins with the shot of 2kites flying in the sky with Hrithik Roshan in the back ground saying that "these kites flirt with each other for some time without knowing that if they stay togather for long one of them is bound to get cut."A very good way of conveying the message of the title "Kites".Infact this initial description itself gives us the hint of the climax.The movie begins with the end i.e hrithik is shot & unconcious in the train found by some mexican people.They remove the bullet & then he recovers only to go back to las vegas to find his love Linda.the rest of the movie is a flashback of previous 3months.The flashback narrative has been used in so many movies that it has lost its impact.infact in this movie you know since beginning that someone has shot Hrithik & he has lost his love.In next ten minutes you also come to know probably who must've shot him.Ofcourse,Tony.Hrithik flirted with his sister(Kangana)&romanced his fiancee.Tony being the son of powerfull casino owner would use all his powers to kill this couple on the run.So,now you start hoping for some great hollywood style car chases,bike chases,superb stunts?Even I thought so.Sorry guys,all these are there,but believe me you've seen better in some B-grade english movies.Typical Indian hero type fist fighting is missing.Just car,bike chases on mexican highways.Infact none of the stunts,car crashes remain with you even till the end of the movie.I remember the chase in DHOOM-2.The sequence was shot so well with all those gadgets,skates,below the truck scene.But here, nothing of that sort.Just some mindless car crashes on the highway.Let's come back to love story part.Hero speaks English,Hindi.Heroine speaks&understands only Spanish.Most of the dialogues are in English & Spanish with English sub-titles.Obviously Rakesh Roshan has not made this film for the masses.When it comes to sub-titles Anurag Basu has conveniently given sub-titles to only those important conversations.Rest of the time you are left with spanish dialogues & your great interpreter:Indian Mind.I wonder why the english version of this movie is 90min. & hindi version is 130min.Imagine we will be tortured for 40more minutes as compared to foreign audience.To me this was a complete non-entertainer.A few comic sequences would've made a lot of difference.But they were missing.The comedy of language created in "Ek Duje Ke Liye" was completely missing here.I don't think anytime the whole audience laughed togather for any of the comic scenes in those 2hours.This movie is a typical money making machine from the Roshans & I congratulate them for succeeding in that.Its meant for selling in foreign territory where the money is good.Not for the thinking,Indian audience.Relience Big pictures have put money in it & will earn huge by ring tones,selling t.v rights,pay per view on relience Big TV etc....I won't be surprised if you are able to watch this movie on Relience Big TV at your home in a month's time.Even then make sure you don't miss your "Indian Idol" episode,as it is more entertaining than this 130minutes.
A few things which I liked.The "chase song".That's the name given by me.Its a chase sequence with the song running in the background.Something New.Barbara Mori was definitely good as Linda.She acted really well.She also looked great.A definite treat to watch.Two songs "Zindagi"&"Dil kyun ye mara" are good & shot well.Kangana looks great.But she has no role to even mention about.Kabir Bedi just for few scenes with no use in the story.totally useless character.In all a movie with great marketing,great star power,high expectations but a poor strory,bad direction,lack of novelty.
My Ratings:2/5,watch Badmash Company instead,you'll enjoy it.

The Kite Runner (2007)

Nominations
65th Golden Globe Awards
Best Foreign Language Film
Best Original Score - Motion Picture
80th Academy Awards
Best Original Score
Cast: Khalid Abdalla, Atossa Leoni
Language: English,afghanese
Running Time: 126 mins
Director: Marc Forster
Censor Certificate: V/A
Genre: Drama/war
Plot: In the 70's in Afghanistan, the Pushtun boy Amir and the Hazara boy Hassan, who is his loyal friend and son of their Hazara servant Ali, are raised together in Amir's father house, playing and kitting on the streets of a peaceful Kabul. Amir feels that his father loves and prefers Hassan to him. In return, Amir feels a great respect for his father's best friend Rahim Khan, who supports his intention to become a writer. After Amir winning a competition of kitting, Hassan runs to bring a kite to Amir, but he is beaten and raped by the brutal Assef in an empty street to protect Amir's kite; the coward Amir witness the assault but does not help the loyal Hassam. On the day after his birthday party, Amir hides his new watch in Hassam's bed to frame the boy as a thief and force his father to fire Ali, releasing his conscience from recalling his cowardice and betrayal. In 1979, the Russians invade Afghanistan and Baba and Amir escape to Pakistan. In 1988, they have a simple life in California, when Amir graduates in a public college for the pride and joy of Baba. Later Amir meets his countrywoman Soraya and they get married. In 2000, after the death of Baba, Amir is a famous novelist and receives a phone call from the terminal Rahim Khan, who discloses secrets about his family, forcing Amir to return to Peshawar, in Pakistan,& then to dangerous streets of Kabul,in a journey of redemption.
My Review:The cinematography is out of this world.Director has created Kabul of 1970s so well.If not for the war this country would've been a great tourist destination.The story of two friends,one street smart,illiterate,poor& the other coward,literate & rich.The kite flying scenes are just superb.I've never seen kite flying scenes shot so well.The best part is they are shot from above down!!!!!!!!The Afghan government has banned the film from movie theaters and DVD stores because of the rape scene and the ethnic tensions and class struggles that the film highlights.Based on the novel of the same name by Khaled Hosseini.A bold movie & very true to the ground reality.An interesting climax.
My Ratings:4/5,an absolute delight

Alfred Hitchcock: North By Northwest (1959)

Cast: James Mason, Cary Grant
Language: English
Running Time: 131 mins
Director(s): Alfred Hitchcock
Censor Certificate: U/A
Genre: Thriller, Suspense, Action

Plot: New York advertising executive Roger Thornhill is kidnapped by a gang of spies led by Philip Vandamm, who believe Thornhill is CIA agent George Kaplan. Thornhill escapes, but must find Kaplan in order to clear himself of a murder it is believed he committed. Following Kaplan to Chicago as a fugitive from justice, Thornhill is helped by beautiful Eve Kendall. In Chicago, she delivers a message to Kaplan that almost costs Thornhill his life when he is chased across a cornfield by a crop-dusting plane.

My Review:First 10minutes are enough to get you hooked to this supersuspense thriller by Alfred Hithcock.Imagine a guy is having his business meeting in a restaurant & suddenly two guys with gun kidnap him & take him to a house where a very sophisticated man asks him to give all the secrets he is holding.They are damn sure that he is the CIA agent.This is where the story starts with ample of twists.The only thing I didn't like about the movie is that the suspense gets revealed very soon(almost by halftime).Afterthat its a simple hero vs villain.Still its an absolute entertainer.

My Ratings:3.5/5,You can't miss this if you love suspense thrillers

Caramel (2007)

Cast: Nadine Labaki, Yasmine Elmasri
Language: Arabic
Running Time: 95 mins
Director: Nadine Labaki
Censor Certificate: U/A
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Plot: Six women in Beirut seek love, marriage, and companionship and find duty, friendship, and possibility. Four work at a salon: Nisrine, engaged to Bassam, with a secret she shares with her co-workers; Jamale, a divorced mother of teens, a part-time model, fearing the encroachment of time; Rima, always in pants, attracted to Siham, a client who smiles back; Layale, in love with a married man, willing to drop everything at a honk of his horn. There's also Rose, a middle-aged lady, who cares for Lili, old and facing dementia. Rose has a suitor; Layale has an admirer on the police force. Is delight a possibility? Is caramel a sweet or an instrument of pain?
My Review:Caramel?Till I saw this movie I knew only one thing about caramel.It's a sweet.But here in this movie I got to know that it's used for epilation(waxing) in salons in many countries.The title caramel then makes sense as it can be used as sweet or may be painful.The story revolves around these four friends running a salon & their lives.Its a typical girly movie with nothing we haven't seen before.I watched it only for the director Nadine Labaki.She co-wrote, directed, and starred in her feature-film debut, Caramel, which became an international sensation at film festivals and went on to achieve box office success.A romantic comedy that deals with five Beirut women who gather at a beauty salon and deal with love, sexuality, tradition, disappointment, and everyday ups and downs.Knowing the conservative nature of arab countries,this movie shows a totally different side of arab women.
My Rating:2.5/5,Watch it with your partner

Persepolis (2007)

Nominations:Oscar,BAFTA Film Award,Golden Globe
Winner:Cannes Film Festival(Jury Prize)
Cast: Catherine Deneuve, Chiara Mastroianni
Language: English
Running Time: 96 mins
Director:vincent Paronnaud
Censor Certificate: U/A
Genre: Animation, Biography, Drama, War
Plot: In 1970s Iran, Marjane 'Marji' Statrapi watches events through her young eyes and her idealistic family of a long dream being fulfilled of the hated Shah's defeat in the Iranian Revolution of 1979. However as Marji grows up, she witnesses first hand how the new Iran, now ruled by Islamic fundamentalists, has become a repressive tyranny on its own. With Marji dangerously refusing to remain silent at this injustice, her parents send her abroad to Vienna to study for a better life. However, this change proves an equally difficult trial with the young woman finding herself in a different culture loaded with abrasive characters and profound disappointments that deeply trouble her. Even when she returns home, Marji finds that both she and homeland have changed too much and the young woman and her loving family must decide where she truly belongs.
My Review:The plot may seem a little difficult especially for the people who have no clue about history of Iran.This is an unique form of movie.A mature political/war drama in the form of animation.The whole movie is from the perspective of the lead character "Marji".Its about marji's life from 10years of age to 20years which coincides with internal conflict of Iran & external conflict with Iraq.Definitely a good lesson in history in animation form.The dialogues are smart.Overall a good watch.
My Rating:3/5,Recommended if you like serious political dramas