UDAAN------Unwelcome at School, and at Home, Too

A coming-of-age story, “Udaan” is an impressive debut feature by Vikramaditya Motwane that covers familiar first-film ground with emotional conviction and freshness. A kind of Indian cousin to Truffaut’s “400 Blows,” “Udaan” follows the fortunes of Rohan (the sweet-faced Rajat Barmecha), an aspiring writer whose horizons shrink when he’s kicked out of prep school. He is sent home to Jamshedpur, an industrial town in northeast India, to live with a father he hasn’t seen in years and a 6-year-old half brother, Arjun, he didn’t know he had.
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Rohan immediately squares off with his father (Ronit Roy), a petty tyrant who demands to be called Sir (as in, “Sir is waiting”) and thinks nothing of stomping on Rohan’s dreams or using him as a punching bag.

“Udaan,” the first Indian movie in seven years to be an official selection at Cannes (in this year’s Certain Regard category), is at its best in loose, picaresque scenes showing the restless bravado of Rohan and his going-nowhere pals as they drink, brawl and joy ride. (The opening prep-school sequence is a classic of the boys-will-be-misbehaving-boys type.)

The father-son plot — the story’s motor — is stickier, occasionally relying on contrivance to move ahead. Part of the problem is that the father is too much a fairy-tale ogre. Mr. Roy gives him a military bearing and an unbending self-righteousness (even as he drinks himself silly). But while the movie wants to suggest he’s something more than a monster, it can’t say what that might be. (Why, for example, does sentimental music run under a scene in which the father, drunk, threatens Rohan and calls him a girl?)

Still, Mr. Motwane has an ability to present melodramatic material without the Bollywood-style melodrama. He shrewdly has his actors underplay, especially Aayan Boradia, the adorable little boy who portrays Arjun. This way, Mr. Motwane knows, tears lie.

“Udaan” means “to take flight.” That’s what you wish for Rohan and Arjun. And with this film Mr. Motwane gives himself a leg up.

Armadillo-A Great movie on war

This is a documentary. As such it tries to show the reality of camp armadillo in the Afghan Helmand province. Armadillo is the most forward of the allied camps, and as such the one with the most fighting, and the least civilian work. Taleban territory is 800 meter from the camp - and peace is not something that the locals dare hope for.

Some people seam to think this movie is an argument against the war. I beg to differ. This movie simply shows us what war sometimes is: Young men, without a clue about why, leaving their tearladen family to fight in a country far away. AT great personal cost. Sometimes the greatest. Maybe - something good will come out of it, even though it can seem hopeless.

The movie shows us the different coping strategies the soldiers uses. The sense of brotherhood, the porn, the adrenalin, the dark sarcastic humor. It shows us how the soldiers doesn't always have time to ask before shooting. And it shows us how different the soldiers are.

It's a sober movie. Filmed at the front line, with images never before seen from the actual war in Afgahnistan. Beautiful camera work, sublime editing makes this a very good documentary.

EDIT: What I miss - and why I don't give it a 10: I am actually a bit surprised by what the soldiers do not say. In these circumstances I would expect a much more racist tone/humor. But there is hardly any of that. The few soldiers I have met in real life, have all had very complicated/nuanced/many faceted feelings towards the local culture: Admiration and disgust at the same time. I get the feeling that this movie have actually edited the worst lingo out of the movie. I think it would serve everyone good to know, that if a returned soldiers refer to someone as a camel-f***er - this is not always because that same soldier cant feel a deep respect for said camel-******* culture, customs, language and persona.

Also: A soldier 'snitches', and talks to his relatives back home, about a certain incident. Since everybody is talking about brotherhood in this movie, I would suspect that having a "snitch" in the brotherhood, has led to some interesting frustrations, misgivings and suspicions. This is not shown, which is disappointing.

But still: fantastic camera-work, and very sober war movie. 8/10

El laberinto del fauno(Pan's labyrinth)-

This is a movie with a simple and straightforward plot which contains layers and layers of intelligent writing, metaphors and message.

This is no small feat, interpreting fantasy as something of a product of a real world, cross-referencing how the child acts to her real surroundings and the "other world", metaphors that describe the accelerated state of growing up some of us are put through... Incredible. Simple, straightforward yet there is so much to be appreciated.

Those who are saying how it's predictable and thus not enjoyable, I ask of you, which movie nowadays aren't predictable? Hell, even 21 grams was predictable but so damned good. It's not about how it ends, you can always predict how a movie would end if you've ever taken a half-decent script writing class or have some common sense. It's always about how well you tell a story.

I'm grateful there are still directors who aren't tied down to this new epidemic of including a plot twist simply because they need a plot twist.

Pan's Labyrinth features some of the best storytelling and attention to detail without being affected by the now ever-popular opinion of cameras having to be put through several technical difficulties to make the shots eligible to be called a brilliant shot.

I am also grateful for them not dubbing it. Watching it in its' original language is much, much more rewarding even if I had to rely on the subtitles for most of the time.

This is a brilliant movie. Watch it.

127 hours-A completely cathartic life-or-death experience,Boyle and Franco turn a true survival story into a powerful statement about living

ometimes (even oftentimes) in the world of film criticism, the word "triumphant" is thrown around. It's often used to describe a film, perhaps more often a performance. I've certainly used it; it's a term I like to pull out when a film seems to go beyond the call of duty. When it's more than art, entertainment, or a combination of both. When the story, images, and characters pop off the screen and go with you, and the lasting impression left on you means something more than having killed a couple hours in a big, dark room with a bunch of strangers. Now, after watching 127 Hours, I feel I've never used "triumphant" in the correct critical context before.

James Franco's performance is simply astounding. He, as an actor, is triumphant because his character is, and because he delves into what it means to be bringing this incredible story to life on the big screen for mass consumption. This is a tough role - Franco is basically putting on a one-man show, and he does so elegantly. We feel Aron Ralston's pain because Franco feels his pain and shows it in every line of his face, verbalizes it with every sigh, and lets it control him even as he battles to take control back and find a way out of his dire situation.

It's pure, masterful art. Franco is simply flawless. Trapped by the boulder, much of his performance lies in his facial expressions, and he is able to deftly switch from desperation to comedy to a brutal will to survive, all while being barely able to move. I've rarely been so impressed by an actor's work; Franco is wholly deserving of the Oscar.

Danny Boyle's kinetic, energetic direction is a perfect match for Franco's easy-going goofiness, and even when the film becomes grounded in the narrow canyon where Ralston was trapped, Boyle always keeps things interesting. He and co-writer Simon Beaufoy weave flashbacks and hallucinations into Ralston's dilemma to great, heart-breaking effect, and the premonition that drives Ralston to finally dive whole-heartedly into amputating his own arm is breath-taking in its tenderness.

Also impressive is Enrique Chediak and Anthony Dod Mantle's cinematography. Instead of letting the confined space limit their camera techniques, they tackle every possible angle, often bringing the audience uncomfortably close to the action. Shots through the bottom of Ralston's water bottle mark time and heighten the sense of urgency. The addition of home movie-style footage brings Ralston even closer to the audience; when he expresses his delayed gratitude to his family, you'll likely find yourself thinking about the last time you told your parents how much you love them. It's a great device, and is put to best use in one of the film's funniest scenes, when Ralston interviews himself Gollum-style. The combination of the dark humor, varied cinematography, and Franco's impressive facial dexterity pitch the scene perfectly; it's a lighter moment that is nevertheless grounded in the gravity of the situation.

Complementing and combining Chediak and Mantle's beautiful shots is Jon Harris's dynamic editing. The use of split-screen is particularly brilliant, put to use in innovative ways throughout the film: the bookend sequences mark Ralston's departure from and return to society, and the technique in general represents the multiple facets of a seemingly simple tale. Yes, when it comes down to it, 127 Hours is a film about a mountain climber who gets stuck under a boulder and has to cut off his own arm. But it's so much more than that. It's about a man overcoming the physical, emotional, and intellectual strains of an unthinkable situation. It's about responsibility, love, and the will to live. Above all, it's about the triumph of the human spirit, show more clearly and beautifully here than in any other film I can think of.

DHOBI GHAT-review- A must watch flick,very mature and sensible cinema

The city of Mumbai, still called Bombay by many of its denizens, has sat for any number of memorable literary portraits, from Vikram Chandra’s Sacred Games to David Gregory Russell’s Shantaram. But Kiran Rao’s Mumbai Diaries is easily one of the most dynamic cinematic portraits of that decaying, vibrant, impossible city ever made; it treats the city itself as a character. Diaries is all the more remarkable because it’s a first feature by Rao, who has worked in the Hindi film industry but had never written or directed a film.

OK, so she has an advantage being married to Aamir Khan, one of Bollywood’s biggest stars, who is her star and co-producer here. (American audiences might remember him from the Oscar-nominated Lagaan, which he starred in and produced.) But Diaries is no vanity project; it is a fully realized art film with European sensibilities.

The story begins with a woman pointing her video camera out of a taxi into a gray city pelted with rain — we later learn she is a young Muslim bride, Yasmin (Kriti Malhotra) — and then shifts attention to introduce Hindu artist Arun (Khan), a U.S.-born Indian investment banker, Shai (Monica Dogra), on sabbatical to pursue photography; and Munna (Prateik Babbar), a poor boy with dreams of Bollywood stardom who asks Shai to shoot his head shots.

In the intersection of these four people and one city, Rao locates a host of dreams, desires, fears and tragedies with stories touching on art, photography, poverty, crime and Mumbai’s indelible sense of mystery.

Khan sensibly underplays his role, allowing his noncelebrity cast members to shine: The two female stars, each in her movie debut, are outstanding, delivering nuanced takes on class and worldview. Babbar, with charisma and chiseled looks, is a star in the making.

Cinematographer Tushar Kanti Ray uses formats ranging from Super 16mm to mini DV cam to penetrate Mumbai’s shadows, and Oscar winner Gustavo Santaolalla’s guitar-heavy score is non-Indian but a perfect fit for capturing the sad-happy mood of this tumultuous city.               

rating:4/5
Cast: Aamir Khan, Monica Dogra, Prateik Babbar, Kriti Malhotra
Writer-director: Kiran Rao
Producers: Aamir Khan, Kiran Rao

TOKYO STORY-A beautiful experience to watch

A fantastic film that belies the simplicity of its plot, Tokyo Story is the tale of a vacation gone sadly awry, with an elderly man and woman visiting from the countryside pushed to the sidelines by their busy children in the city. The younger generation (and by extension the "new" Japan) turns its back on the family from which it arose- because of selfishness, because of necessity, or because it's simply the way of the world. The movie provides no easy answers- its melancholy ambiguity is part of its charm. Whatever the case, Ozu delights in portraying the details of everyday life. The emotional resonances of this movie are extraordinary, and some shots (a child picking flowers, an old couple framed by the sea, a woman sitting forlornly at her work desk) are enough to give a sensitive film-goer the shivers. Despite the testimony of some critics, the film is not totally devoid of melodramatic elements (some stock characters and cloying musical motifs spring readily to mind), but the film is founded upon such an obvious love and respect for the importance of real-world interactions that it's hard not to be anything other than enthralled by it.

An appreciation of this movie may demand some understanding of Japanese culture. The Japanese are rather reserved, and were even more reserved back in the early 1950's, when this film is set. No embracing, even of parents, children, siblings; no dramatic histrionics; even a death scene in this movie is much quieter than a Westerner might expect.

Consequently I can't really blame several reviewers here for calling this movie boring and slow-paced. But it is not at all slow-paced from a different cultural perspective. It just depends on what you're used to.

If you do take the time to watch and try to understand it, you'll find an engrossing analysis of the dynamic of a middle-class family, the rift that grows up between generations, and of the many excuses we find ourselves making to justify our neglect for others, even those dearest to us. These themes are universal, but are couched in a postwar Japanese idiom, and so probably less accessible to the average Western viewer.

I have wondered awhile about a speech at the end by Noriko, the widowed daughter-in-law, in which she denies that she's such a good person (though her actions in the movie indicate otherwise). I'm still not sure I understand her motives in saying this. Really everone should watch this beautiful memorizing story.

DHOBI GHAT-let start this year with a great one movie

As i know,my favourite kiron, i love her dressing sense,and now she is here to present a delicate flavour,this movie has been shot in some of very congested places of mumbai,its promos are very magnetic,i m wating to that  date of january when the movie will reveal all its secrets.hope for a good surprise