Monday, April 11, 2011

Thank You Movie Review


Film: “Thank You”; Starring: Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor, Bobby Deol, Irrfan Khan, Rimi Sen, Suniel Shetty, Celina Jaitley; Directed by: Anees Bazmi; Rating: *** – another comedy on the perils of skirt-chasing.


Bow to the wow. Men, we are told, are dogs. They cheat on their wives. And have themselves the time of their lives. And the wives, poor creatures, are so devoted to their spouses they observe the Karva Chauth for their pati-devils even when they have no reason to do so. Such devotion in show motion.


“Thank You” is a kind of backhanded ode to the classic Indian wife we grew up watching in the films where the resplendent Nutan would sing “Tumhi mere mandir tumhi mere pooja” to her smug husband.


Times have changed. But mores and marital values have only shifted location. Inexplicably “Thank You” is shot in Canada. Caucasian girls steeped in a slutty splendour, fill up the fringes of the saturated frames. Blonde salad-dressing apart, the message at the heart of “Thank You” remains as desi as the Punjabi accent that Akshay Kumar doesn’t even try to conceal.


Since this is a film about the perils of skirt-chasing there are plenty of women of all shapes and sizes in skirts (including Sonam Kapoor whose dress code defies all analysis) and other designer clothes.


For that talented writer Anees Bazmi the theme of infidelity in “Thank You” is familiar territory. In the past he has done jokey takes on men who can’t keep their libido down with varying degrees of humour. A certain higher level of intelligence is perceptible in the way the characters are put out for scrutiny in the light of their unfaithful characters.


Irrfan Khan as the sarcastic bully of a husband scores the highest marks in the acting department. His wry caustic responses to semi-petrified wife Rimi Sen make a mocking mark mainly for the way the lines are written and delivered. Irrfan is priceless in projecting parody. Rimi Sen, an underrated actress, provides Irrfan valuable support.


Akshay Kumar plays the pied piper of the libido. He tries to teach the three womanizers how to check their carnal instincts. That is the best joke in the film. Such self-righteous cool roles of the social reformer are not new to Akshay. He delivers a rousing monologue at the end on the virtues of fidelity. While his comic timing remains sharp and spot-on it is the way he tries to create an aura of suspense about his character’s motives as a man on a mission, that provides a cutting edge to the tale of three skirt-chasers.


Remarkably the dialogues remain free of innuendos. Surprising, considering how lurid films about infidelity have gotten in the past. The proceedings adhere to a sense of fun without getting cheesy. Suneil Shetty’s body language and comic timing in some sequences show his coming of age as an actor of mirthful value.


“Thank You” has moments that come close to illuminating the underbelly of infidelity. But fearful of forsaking the mood of a riotous farce writer-director Anees Bazmi pulls out of any serious statement to lounge languidly in his comfort zone. As far as masala comedies go “Thank You” gets by on the strength of some smart writing, sassy dialogues and of course a handful of performers who try to balance out the lacklustre performances of other actors who, lethally for a comedy, just don’t get it.

Katrina Kaif’s visit to London


London, Apr 10: Recent thrilling buzz of Bollywood is the reasons behind Katrina Kaif’s trip to London. Though her trip to London especially was to endorse an event but the buzz in and around the tinsel town is revealing that after a heart-breaking separation from her buddy Ranbir Kapoor she was tremendously disturbed. And in order to soundly nurse her wounded heart she opted to visit London. Even there was a warm call from her elite family who efficaciously wanted her to have a change.
As reported, Katrina is quite hurt about her personal life’s rumours. Though she presumptively started dating Ranbir during `Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani’ but did not disclose her relationship. Now she does not see him though heart eruptions are not easy to mend. So, her family perceived that she requires an alteration and effectively called her to London. At present, Katrina is back and is again busy shooting for a sequence of wedding in `Mere Brother Ki Dulhan’ with handsome Imran Khan in dynastic Agra. Katrina also faced tough period after separation from Salman Khan when media popped up variable stories. However, she states that her friendship with Salman will be persistent. We truly wonder in future what will be her quotes for Ranbir.

I am not part of ‘Dostana 2′: Priyanka Chopra


New Delhi, April 10 – Actress Priyanka Chopra has shot down reports that she will be starring in the sequel to 2008 hit ‘Dostana’.
‘I was never doing dostana two..hello..reason bein my love story ends in the first film..so where is the question. this was cleared some 2 years ago,’ Priyanka wrote on microblogging site Twitter.
Directed by Tarun Mansukhani and produced by Karan Johar, the 2008 film starred Abhishek Bachchan, John Abraham and Bobby Deol. There were also reports that Priyanka was likely to do a comeo appearance in the film and Katrina Kaif might play the lead.
‘And whn it comes to a special appearance or something thats a much later call. once and for all (sic),’ she added.

Lady Gaga’s song gets Bollywood twist!


New Delhi, April 11 – International pop star Lady Gaga’s hit single ‘Born This Way’ has got a desi twist! Bollywood composers Salim-Suleiman have added a sitar intro and dhol beats to her vocals for the special remix.
The latest version of the song has been produced by media company Desi Hits.
Gaga will also release an urban-desi version of the song for Britain’s South Asian market. Created and produced by Culture Shock, this version of ‘Born this way’ fuses bhangra with elements of dubstep.
‘Gaga has truly fallen in love with India, so we’re helping her pursue this audience to authentically connect with both the huge diaspora and South Asia itself. The debut of these remixed tracks is step one,’ Anjula Acharia-Bath CEO of Desi Hits, said in a press statement.
‘We collaborated with Indian music producers from across the globe to show our respect and appreciation for our desi fans and music community. We’re looking forward to more desi collaborations in the near future,’ Troy Carter, CEO-Atom Factory, Lady Gaga’s management company, said in a press statement.

Trailer for PASSION PLAY Starring Mickey Rourke, Megan Fox, and Bill Murray


A trailer for the upcoming drama Passion Play has gone online.  The film stars Mickey Rourke as a jazz trumpeter who falls in love with winged circus performance (Megan Fox).  The film was widely panned when it played at the Toronto Film Festival last year and while Image entertainment has set the film for a limited theatrical run on May 6th, it will be dumped on to DVD a few weeks later on May 31st.
Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  Passion Play also stars Bill Murray and Rhys Ifans.
Here’s the full synopsis for Passion Play:
This strange and lyrical love story blends old-fashioned romanticism with all the fantasy of a fairy tale. It is also a welcome sight to see Mickey Rourke in a role that bores beneath his shambling gruffness to find a tender core. The slow-burning passion that gradually simmers between him and a darkly vulnerable Megan Fox showcases the talents of both actors with finesse. Finally there is Bill Murray, the counterpoint whose role is to act as a cold shower whenever heat blows between the two star-crossed lovers.
Nate (Rourke), a small-time jazz musician, is clearly a hard-luck case. Caught trying to break into a car, he is taken off into the desert where his assailant puts a gun to his head. Game over? Not quite. Stumbling into a circus pitched amidst the vast expanses of the southwest desert, Nate finds himself drawn to the exotic beauty of Lily (Fox), the Bird Woman. Lily is cold and dismissive; socializing with customers is not her scene. But it dawns on her that this gentle giant may well be her way out of a life of eccentric exposition. Nate is protective and understanding, and to him her aquiline beauty is a magic part of her uniqueness. As their bond deepens, Nate finds that his dreams of bliss are about to be thwarted by Happy Shannon (Murray), a cucumber-cool businessman with deep pockets and an eye for the bizarre.
Drawing on the remarkable talents of its high-powered cast, this wonderfully offbeat film is filled with surprises and proves that magic can be found in many places. Mitch Glazer balances the tough-guy moments and the rocky romance with the touch and feel of a high-wire artist. It makes for a spirited and uplifting spectacle with all the spirited colour of the circus.

HEREAFTER Blu-Ray Review


Clint Eastwood’s Hereafter got so beaten up and ignored upon release that it’s easy to have a soft spot for it. At the time it was considered another a long line of Eastwood’s efforts to win more Oscars for himself and his cast and crew. But when Hereafter tanked, it became just another Eastwood misfire that’s bound to get lost in the shuffle of his latter career.
Matt Damon stars as a psychic who struggles with day to day life, as – in parallel stories – Cécile De France’s news reporter can’t quite come to grips with her near-death experience, and Frankie and George McLaren play twins Marcus and Jason, one of whom meets an untimely death. My review of the Blu-ray of Hereafter follows after the jump.
The film asks a question: What is the Eastwood touch? We’re now a number of films post his 2004’s Million Dollar Baby best picture win, and he’s been following in similar awards footsteps (something that picked up after 2003’s Mystic River) from the parallel war films of Letters From Iwo Jima and Flags of our Fathers in 2006, to the year of The Changeling and Grand Torino in 2008. But none of these films nor 2009’s Invictus have had any staying power. Then again, his Oscar bait pictures didn’t age that well upon release. Eastwood has directed 31 pictures at this point (not including J. Edgar, which is due next year unless it makes it for award season this year) and a full third of them come across as awards bait first and foremost.
Such raises questions about the image of Eastwood, whose figure as an icon of the west doesn’t necessarily translate to his body of directorial work. As an actor, he was of a very measured range that he knew how to play with. As a director his work is all over the map. And from that directorial body of work there’s no real through-line. He picks material that interests him, sometimes because it’s obviously a passion play (BirdWhite Hunter Black Heart), other times because it’s too obvious not to do (say Sudden Impact, or Unforgiven). But as he’s grown older, he has fallen into make films for academy voters, for better or ill.
Hereafter is not his worst film, though there are arguments to that effect. The film tells the story of three narratives that must collide. What makes the film worthwhile is that Eastwood has always had a sense of people and people who work, so there’s a lived in feel for the movie. Damon’s psychic character is a labor guy, and everything that involves him feels lived in. And Eastwood knows the performers that work for him. He and Damon work exceptionally well together, as Damon delivers a grounded and haunted performance. But Eastwood is also strangely terrible at casting sometime, Jay Mohr plays Damon’s brother and it makes you scratch your head. But then Damon and Bryce Dallas howard have a couple scenes together that are rather great. Eastwood is consistently inconsistent these days. But he hasn’t worked with a script as good as Unforgivensince Unforgiven.
Alas, the narrative is garbage. What would seem (at least on the surface) to be a film about an older man struggling with the idea of mortality comes across as a half cooked “Angels are Among Us” narrative that never seems to fully commit to the vision. You need someone who believes in flights of fancy to make this stuff work, and Eastwood must have picked this material because it was ready – or something. Eastwood works to work at this point, and this material needed someone who believed in crazy religious spirituality, or someone wrestling with the idea of mortality. As that’s not the case, the film is vacuous.
But there is an Eastwood touch, and it’s that the director is often invested in the pauses, and the little moments of humanity that make great work. But those sequences only pop if the story is good. And here, he’s got a misfire.
Warner Brothers Blu-ray presents the film in Widescreen (2.35:1) and in 5.1 DTS-HD Surround. The film also comes with a DVD and digital copy. The Blu-ray comes with two extras, the “Focus Points” feature which can be viewed while watching the movie or in total (42 min.) that offer a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the making of the film, with interviews with the primary cast and crew. Snore. There’s also the documentary The Eastwood Factor (87 min.) which has narrator Morgan Freeman walking through Clint’s body of work. The highlight of this are the moments of Eastwood talking, but it’s mostly a clip show that brings up Dirty Harry without taking a penetrating look at the character. The film also ignores Eastwood’s Universal films, which are some of his more interesting – but does give time to Tightrope.

James Cameron Creates New Company to Shove 3D Down Everyone’s Throat


James Cameron is aiming to make 3D his legacy and he wants to make sure that you won’t be able to escape it no matter how much eye-strain it may cause.  We’ve received a press release announcing that Cameron will team up with Aliens of the Deep cinematographer and fellow 3D enthusiast, Vince Pace (above left), to form the Cameron – Pace Group (CPG), “which seeks to accelerate worldwide growth of 3D across all entertainment platforms including features, episodic and live television, sports, advertising and consumer products, pioneering a new generation of camera systems, services and a variety of creative tools that are innovative, powerful and easier to embrace.”  Huzzah.
Some of the projects already under the CPG banner include Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger TidesTransformers: Dark of the MoonThe Three MusketeersThe Invention of Hugo CabretLife of Pi, and 47 Ronin.  Hit the jump for my thoughts on Cameron’s aggressive expansion of 3D and the full press release.
Currently, the cost of 3DTVs isn’t consumer-friendly enough to attract the casual buyer.  There simply isn’t enough 3D programming and even if you do buy a 3DTV, you also have to buy more glasses (sets usually only come with one or two pairs).  Cameron can’t do anything about the cost of the hardware, but he can try to provide more 3D programming and that’s what he’s doing here.  If there’s enough material in 3D, then the idea is that consumers will have to buy a 3DTV or else they’ll feel like they’re missing out on seeing 3D sporting events and 3D commercials.  And if there’s one thing people don’t want to miss, it’s commercials.
Here’s the full press release:
James Cameron and Vince Pace Form New Venture to Accelerate 3D Solutions Across All Entertainment Platforms
Legendary filmmaker and 3D visionary, James Cameron has teamed up with acclaimed cinematographer and fellow 3D pioneer, Vince Pace to form CAMERON – PACE Group (CPG), which seeks to accelerate worldwide growth of 3D across all entertainment platforms including features, episodic and live television, sports, advertising and consumer products, pioneering a new generation of camera systems, services and a variety of creative tools that are innovative, powerful and easier to embrace. Cameron and Pace unveiled the new company this morning during a press conference at the 2011 NAB Show in Las Vegas.
CPG will build upon the strong foundation of PACE and the 3D technology to which its co-founders have individually and collectively contributed, such as the revolutionary FUSION 3D system. In combination, Cameron’s and Pace’s technologies, products and services have been responsible for $4.7 billion of box office receipts and have played an extensive role in 25 features, seven concert and music entertainment projects and 40 sports productions worldwide, including “Avatar,” “TRON: Legacy,” “Resident Evil: Afterlife” and “U2 3D.” This history puts CPG in a unique position to respond to the growing demand for high-quality 3D entertainment and to provide 3D technology innovations that serve studios, filmmakers, directors of photography, producers, networks, studios and broadcasters. The company plans to take full advantage of its position to drive innovations in technology and deliver products, services and creative tools in unprecedented ways.
In addition to making advanced technologies, tools and services available to the global entertainment community, CPG will serve as an industry advocate for 3D technologies, practices and creative tools that will help filmmakers and other content producers realize 3D’s full potential as a creative and powerful storytelling and live broadcast medium. It will also drive public advocacy by setting the “gold standard” for the public’s perception of 3D, which will result in compelling, engaging and high quality 3D entertainment.
“Our goal is to banish all the perceived and actual barriers to entry that are currently holding back producers, studios and networks from embracing their 3D future,” said James Cameron, Co-Chairman of CAMERON – PACE Group. “We are dedicated to building a global brand that is synonymous with high quality 3D and spans multiple channels, from features to episodic television, and changes the boundaries of what is understood to be 3D material.”
“CPG’s mission is to step up industry-wide efforts to help filmmakers realize 3D’s full potential as a creative and powerful storytelling medium and accelerate the growth of the next generation of 3D solutions across all platforms,” said Vince Pace, Co-Chairman and CEO of CAMERON – PACE Group. “Through our expanded reach and new generation of 3D solutions, we will deliver a variety of creative tools including SLATE2SCREEN™ 3D production services, educational workshops for industry professionals in FUSION 3D and FUSION 3D Mobile Workflow Units that support end-to-end solutions for both the live and recorded production environments. CPG will deliver CAN DO solutions.”
CAMERON – PACE Group already has an extensive list of current and upcoming projects, including “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” “Transformers: Dark of the Moon,” “The Three Musketeers,” “The Invention of Hugo Cabret,” “Life of Pi,” and “47 Ronin.” For a more extensive list of CPG projects, as well as a comprehensive overview of CPG’s available products and services, please refer to, www.cameronpace.com.
PACE has begun the formal rebranding process and its operation under the CAMERON – PACE Group banner is effective immediately. CPG will be headquartered in Burbank, CA, at the current home to PACE. CPG is going to expand PACE’s technology impact by developing new solutions and implementing current solutions worldwide. These activities will require the company to both expand its existing staff of engineers and technicians and fill a number of newly created positions. Qualified and talented industry professionals, design engineers, software engineers and technicians interested in shaping the future of 3D entertainment are invited to learn more at, www.cameronpace.com
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Check Out Some Very Cool Set Photos from SILENT HILL: REVELATION 3D


As a fan of the video games, I’m always interested in seeing how Silent Hill film adaptations turn out. While I thought the visual style that Christophe Gans brought to the 2006 iteration was on par with the creepy atmosphere present throughout most of the games, some new images from the set of writer/director Michael J. Bassett’s Silent Hill: Revelation 3D match said creepiness and multiply it by a factor of a creepy carnival.
Hit the jump to check out the images. Hitting theaters in 2012, Silent Hill: Revelation 3D stars Radha Mitchell, Sean Bean, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Malcolm McDowell.

Here’s the synopsis for Silent Hill: Revelation 3D:
For years, Heather Mason (Clemens) and her father have been on the run, always one step ahead of dangerous forces that she doesn’t fully understand. Now on the eve of her 18th birthday, plagued by terrifying nightmares and the disappearance of her father, Heather discovers she’s not who she thinks she is. The revelation leads her deeper into a demonic world that threatens to trap her in Silent Hill forever.

First Look at the Digital Apes in RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES; Live-Chat with WETA on Wednesday



With the first trailer for Rise of the Planet of the Apes set to be released on Thursday, Fox has released a first look at one of the film’s digital apes created by WETA.  There’s not much motion in this brief four-second clip, but I do like the level of detail and it’s a nice reminder that we’ve come a long way since Tim Burton’s atrocious 2001 remake.  I’m also encouraged that Fox recently rescheduled the flick out of a crowded Thanksgiving weekend and into the summer movie season.
Hit the jump to check out the clip, the official logo, and to learn more about a live-chat with WETA.  The film stars James Franco, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow, Brian Cox, Tom Felton, and Andy Serkis.  Rupert Wyatt (The Escapist) will direct from a script by Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver.  Rise of the Planet of the Apes is due out on August 5th.


Here’s the official synopsis for Rise of the Planet of the Apes:
Set in present-day San Francisco, RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES reveals the origins of a war that ultimately led to a global apocalypse – and to Earth becoming the Planet of the Apes. The Oscar-winning visual effects team that brought to life the worlds of Avatar and Lord of the Rings is taking on its most ambitious challenge, creating for the first time a non-human CGI character that delivers a dramatic performance with real emotion and intelligence.
Fox has also released the official logo for the film.  It’s a nice throwback to the logos of the original series:

Finally, there will be a live chat with WETA’s Joe Letteri and Dan Lemmon on Facebook on Wednesday, April 13th at 2:30 PDT.  Here’s the press release:
LIVE FROM WETA: “APES” REVEALED!
WETA DIGITAL TO HOST LIVESTREAM EVENT ON FACEBOOK
FOR RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES
OSCAR®-WINNING VFX HOUSE (AVATARTHE LORD OF THE RINGSTRILOGY)
TO PROVIDE A BEHIND-THE-SCENES LOOK AT THE MAGIC OF RENDERING, FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE FILM SERIES, A PHOTO-REAL APE
LOS ANGELES, April 11, 2011 –WETA Digital, the industry-leading and Academy Award® winning visual effects house behind the wizardry of films such as Avatar, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, and District 9, will host a livestream event on Facebook, for RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES. On April 13, at 2:30PM PDT, from WETA’s headquarters in Wellington, New Zealand, WETA’s Joe Letteri and Dan Lemmon will give viewers an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at their work on the film, a reality-based cautionary tale that blends science fiction and science-fact – and is the last big event movie of the summer.
The event will live on Facebook’s official fan page for Avatar(http://www.facebook.com/officialavatarmovie), which has 14.2 million followers.  Last year, WETA won an Academy Award for its groundbreaking visual effects work in rendering an entire fantasy world in James Cameron’s history-making epic.   WETA’s work on RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES presented very different challenges and opportunities. In addition to creating a CG character that gives a performance of unprecedented emotion and intelligence, WETA is applying some of the technology it developed for Avatar to bring to life a real world – the film is set in modern-day San Francisco – and epic battles on which rest the upended destinies of man and primate.
Letteri, a five-time Oscar® winner, and Lemmon will provide a look into WETA’s process, and explain how working on a Planet of the Apes film has long been the “holy grail” of visual effects wizardry – and a driving force behind their own careers.  In addition, visitors to the livestream event will hear from other RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES filmmakers, including director Rupert Wyatt, and get a behind-the-scenes look at the work of actor Andy Serkis, whose nuanced performance is playing a key role in WETA’s rendering of Caesar, the film’s principal ape character.
A five-second preview of WETA’s work on RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES is available on the film’s official Facebook page:
(http://www.facebook.com/ApesWillRise)
In the film’s story, a single act of both compassion and arrogance leads to a war unlike any other — and to the RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES.  It stars James Franco, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow, Brian Cox, Tom Felton, David Oyelowo and Andy Serkis as Caesar. Peter Chernin and Dylan Clark are producing for Chernin Entertainment under its pact with Fox.  Rupert Wyatt is directing from a screenplay by Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver, who are also producing.
RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES opens in theaters everywhere August 5, 2011.

54 High Resolution Images from FAST FIVE


With Justin Lin’s Fast Five opening April 29, Universal has released the full press kit and included are a ton of new images from the fifth installment starring Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Jordana Brewster, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Tyrese Gibson, Sung Kang, Gal Gadot, Matt Schulze, Tego Calderon and Don Omar.  The latest chapter in the franchise is set in Rio de Janeiro and features a federal agent (Johnson) hot on the trail of a jail-skipping Dom Toretto (Diesel). Hit the jump for all the images and the official synopsis.
Here’s the synopsis:
Vin Diesel and Paul Walker lead a reunion of returning all-stars from every chapter of the explosive franchise built on speed in Fast Five. In this installment, former cop Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) partners with ex-con Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) on the opposite side of the law. Dwayne Johnson joins returning favorites Jordana Brewster, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Tyrese Gibson, Sung Kang, Gal Gadot, Matt Schulze, Tego Calderon and Don Omar for this ultimate high-stakes race. Since Brian and Mia Toretto (Brewster) broke Dom out of custody, they’ve blown across many borders to elude authorities. Now backed into a corner in Rio de Janeiro, they must pull one last job in order to gain their freedom. As they assemble their elite team of top racers, the unlikely allies know their only shot of getting out for good means confronting the corrupt businessman who wants them dead. But he’s not the only one on their tail. Hard-nosed federal agent Luke Hobbs (Johnson) never misses his target. When he is assigned to track down Dom and Brian, he and his strike team launch an all-out assault to capture them. But as his men tear through Brazil, Hobbs learns he can’t separate the good guys from the bad. Now, he must rely on his instincts to corner his prey…before someone else runs them down first.