After watching the cartoons as a kid it feels great to go nostalgic once in a while (which let’s face it is one of the fundamental attractions of movies, to dream and take you back to that idyllic innocent and fun time as a kid where absolutely anything is possible), to see if it is the same as you remembered them.

This is a retelling of the original series, with its own twist added for a modern audience.

The Autobots’s planet has been destroyed, and Artemus Prime(voiced by Laurence Fishburne, Morpheus in the Matrix) along with a few other Autobots have come in search of a device that could give life back to their planet (the device also gives life to any electrical device it is targeted at), unfortunately, a bad Autobot has already arrived first, Megatron, but was frozen in the process, discovered by the military, and responsible for all major technological advances, mobile phones, microwaves, etc.

In their search for the device, the Autobots find the only human Sam WitWicky (Shia LeBoeuf) with a map to the whereabouts of the device, given to him by his grand father, he is discovered as a trader on eBay selling some of his grand father’s items, and being Autobots, they can transform into any electrical device they deem fit, one of them transforms into his car, as they try and find out the location of their device, which is where all the fun starts. The lovely Megan Fox is the love interest of Sam WitWicky and their chemistry is instant.

Shia LeBoeuf is one of those actors whose enthusiasm is infectious especially as he tries to explain that his car just got up and walked, absolutely classic. It is a nice fun family film, especially the scenes with the U.S. military up against the bad Autobots, and already there is talk of a sequel on the way.

Giga Flux

George Clooney plays the title character in the film, “Michael Clayton.” Clayton is a legal “fixer,” a legal kind-of janitor that cleans up people’s messes so that their attorney’s don’t have to. He’s special counsel to one of the most well known law firms in the world, and one of their star litigators requires some clean up work.

Tom Wilkinson plays Arthur, the litigator known for taking no prisoners. He’s been working for six years on a class action law suit brought against U-North, a large agrichemical company that may or may not have caused the deaths of hundreds of people due to a pesticide. Wilkinson is manic-depressive and suddenly snaps. Viewers are left to wonder whether it was because he went off his meds or he grew a conscious.

Tilda Swinton plays U-North’s chief counsel, Karen, a career-minded woman who could probably be diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. She is faced with numerous moral dilemmas, as many of the characters are, and put events into play that make for an exciting drama/thriller at the movies.

Clooney’s Clayton is like that down-on-his luck private eye. The guy makes some poor choices, but you’re still pulling for him because he’s one of the good guys. Or is he?

“Michael Clayton” has the feel of a John Grisham novel without the courtroom, crossed with a Michael Mann film. It’s a rare thing these days to find an intelligent thriller that doesn’t rely on action scenes and special effects, but this one has plenty of drama and tension thanks to the performances by all of the actors involved. Clooney shows us again why he deserves to be a movie star with this film. Tilda Swinton is so tightly wound that when she starts to unravel, she takes the audience along with her. And Sydney Pollack is just fun to watch in front of the camera instead of behind it.

Audiences looking for action and thrills won’t find them in “Michael Clayton,” but fans of the legal/political dramas of the 1970s and 80s will find lots to like.

Bottom line: Go See It.

Gifts Folder

Watching the continuing adventures of FBI agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) was a thoroughly engrossing and fun experience from the 90’s as the two intrepid detectives went in search for and prove unexplained phenomena such as ghosts, monsters and a conspiracy involving the major powers of the world and an evil alien race intent on colonising the planet. The latter had become a somewhat frustrating experience in the television series as only hints were ever dropped about what was going on between the government and the aliens; it was thought that the feature film coming hot on the heels of Season 5 of the television show would offer some big explanations but unfortunately, this film is just as elusive as the show, which I’m sure disappointed many fans out there.

This DVD presents a slightly edited film which includes a couple of more scenes which actually provide some definitive answers which were left out of the theatrical release and one has to wonder why they were left out in the first place. Those few minutes would have probably sold more tickets, but that’s the benefit of hindsight. Aside from that, “The X-Files Movie” is just as entertaining as the television series, more so in a number of instances as it takes advantage of the big widescreen format available for cinema.

The film opens 37,000 years ago with two prehistoric men discovering an underground cave which houses an alien virus which has the ability to infect a human host, turn that host into an incubator, create a new alien, and then discard the host when the alien is ready to jump out and start living. No, this is not a re-run of “Alien”, as this is part of a larger framework dealing with a government conspiracy in which a shadow government is assisting these same aliens to colonise the planet. When we first see Mulder and Scully, they’re searching a couple of buildings pertaining to a bomb threat; they’re off the X-Files and bored because of it. Mulder eventually finds the bomb, but the FBI agent in charge orders them all out under the pretense that he will defuse the bomb, but instead, he allows it to blow up. Mulder and Scully are framed for the accident; at this time, Mulder is contacted by a paranoid director Alvin Kurtzweil (Martin Landau) who points him in the direction of a virus outbreak in suburban Texas. As Mulder and Scully begin to investigate, they slowly peel back clue after clue leading to the shadow government, why they blew up that building, and what their grander plans are for all of us on this planet.

The movie hits all the marks that made the television show work so well, and then some. It’s a major highlight to see these characters on the big screen, and there’s no sense that the characters or the situations they are in have been lost in translation to the big screen. The film gets you intrigued right from the beginning with its unusual extended prologue, beginning in the Ice Age and then coming forward to the present day with the shadow government clamping down at the site where the alien virus outbreak commences. This setup gives you the feeling that quite a bit will be revealed, especially as the aliens’ plans change, forcing the shadow government to change theirs. Unfortunately, the more the running time passes, the more you realise they’re running out of time to drop some bombshells about the story, and it’s only in the one scene where Mulder crosses-path with the Well Manicured Man that we finally get some clarity to what’s happening. As a film that had the tag line, “The Truth Is Coming…”, the final execution leaves a lot to be desired.

Having said this however, the story is still quite entertaining. If you’d never watched “The X-Files” before, this film works very well as a stand-alone story and will likely get you interested in watching the television show. Duchovny and Anderson are as likeable as ever in the main leads, and the film continues the relationship tension between them without ever consummating it. The stellar supporting cast from the show including Mitch Pileggi as Skinner, William B. Davis as the Cancer Man, and John Neville as the Well Manicured Man all hit the spot as they usually do. The filmmakers have assembled a great guest cast as well, headlined by a perfect Martin Landau who really sells the paranoid doctor role, Armin Mueller-Stahl as the mysterious leader of the shadow government and Blythe Danner as an FBI investigator who casts a disbelieving eye on Mulder and Scully’s activities.

The film looks extraordinarily good. Director Rob Bowman really takes advantage of the big screen and composes some fabulous images. The cutting of the opening prologue is perhaps the most interesting in the film, particularly the way it draws you in to the mystery of the film. The effects are well done; the black oil virus running behind people’s eyes is creepy, and the final sequence in Antarctica where an alien spaceship blasts its way out from under the ice is an eye-opening visual, particularly the crater it leaves behind in its wake. The film also manages to throw in some of the show’s trademark scares and creepy, dark atmosphere.

The X-Files Movie is a solid entry for the franchise, but is likely to disappoint fans who expected more answers from the story.

Aid List

THE VIKINGS

This is what entertainment’s all about! Directed by (and starring) Kirk Douglas, this movie released in 1958. Ernest Borgnine is a Viking king, compelling in this rude/crude role, and Kirk is his son. A viking’s life is active, raping and pillaging, and partying at night. I read somewhere that this film was tops in the box office for the 1950’s, and I’d believe it. Tony Curtis believes he’s a slave. Can’t imagine a better lookin’ slave, rivaled only by his other slave role in Spartacus! Tony and Kirk vie for the affections of Janet Leigh (who married Tony in real life), Tony in a more endearing manner and Kirk with the grace of a wild boar in the woods. The battles are great, the ship maneuverings fascinating, the scene with the hawk still haunts me. I’ve never forgotten the music either. Definitely one to add to a must-be-viewed list.

EXCALIBER

This version of King Arthur’s story was released in 1981. Has anyone not heard the words “the sword in the stone” at some point in life, even if simply due to an animated or book version during childhood? Bring on the myth, Wagner and more-more-Merlin. It’s definitely a fave from younger days and fantasizing about the myth-perfection of Camelot. Lancelot to Guenivere: “As long as you live, I will love no other.” That’s gotta be top ranking in the ultimate most romantic things to say. The scene near the end with King Arthur riding out to reclaim his kingdom, Wagner at fever pitch and the scenery changing is forever etched in my memory.

DANGEROUS BEAUTY

First viewing of this 1998 release for me. I’m aghast that this treasure escaped my radar. Starring Catherine McCormack, Rufus Sewell, Oliver Platt, Fred Ward, Jacqueline Bisset, and Moira Kelly, to name a few, this lush, true story captures our attention and holds it until the end. The setting is 16th century Venice. What’s a girl going to do when born of a rank lower than a good marriage match deems. Why, become a courtesan, of course, trained by her very own mother. Catherine plays Veronica Franco, whose innocent heart belongs to Marco. He is, regretfully, not allowed to marry her. It seems her building courtesan skills attract him and she then spurns him, albeit skillfully. He simply burns for her more. The story moves along parallel to a plague ravaged Europe, political unrest, war and The Inquisition. Guess who will get accused of witchcraft. The music is nicely compelling and the entire production is lavish. This movie was a pleasure to experience.

Wow My News

In my continuing effort to understand the appeal of Zac Efron, I rented the movie “17 Again.” The movie centers on Mike O’Donnell (Matthew Perry), a man who made a life decision as a love-struck 17 year old and second guesses that decision to the present day. We meet Mike with his life in shambles. His career has taken a negative turn, his teenage children want nothing to do with him and his wife Scarlett (Leslie Mann) is divorcing him.

Stuck in a rut, the disillusioned Mike goes back to his old high school and gets lost in the pictures of his glory days. Through a curious string of events, Mike is transformed to his seventeen-year-old self (Zac Efron).

Since Mike feels he was given this opportunity to fulfill his basketball destiny, he decides to re-enroll in high school. By pretending to be the son of his best friend Ned Gold (Thomas Lennon), Mike O’Donnell quickly becomes Mark Gold. Everything is going according to plan until he realizes that his son he being bullied by the basketball team and his daughter is dating a jock jerk. His mission changes from his happiness to the happiness of his kids.

As a result of befriending his son, he finds himself spending a lot of time with his soon-to-be-ex-wife and realizes he stills loves her. There are many cringe-worthy scenes between a mid-30’s Scarlett and a seventeen-year-old Mark/Mike.

In the end, he finds himself at the exact same crossroads as when he was seventeen. He has a second chance to achieve his perfect life.

Aside from a few funny moments with Ned, this premise is well-worn territory. This film fairs well when compared to its many peers, but falls far short of the wonderful Tom Hanks starrer “Big.”

It’s painfully obvious that this movie’s sole purpose is to be a Zack Efron vehicle, but it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Although not meant for the likes of me, I can see the appeal for a Zac Efron fan. His character ranges from cool kid to dorky dad, and it works.

Bottom line: “17 Again” is no “Big,” but it’s pleasant enough and a perfect treat for a Zac Efron fan.

Music Lyrics List

Poor Shaun, (Simon Pegg) he’s having a rough go of it lately. His girlfriend Liz (Kate Ashfield) constantly nags him about his lack of devotion to her and his complete devotion to his best friend Ed (Nick Frost) and his pub “The Winchester Arms.”

His retail electronics job is tedious and his flat mates, Ed and Pete, (Peter Serafinowicz) **** each other and he’s forever stuck in the middle of their nonsense.

Oh, and to add insult to injury…their quaint town just might be in the middle of a zombie apocalypse.

This is where the movie first hints at its true brilliance. The constant zombie teases followed by the slow build towards full-on zombie-town is nothing short of pure genius.

The slow build is capped with Ed and Shaun’s hilarious realization that the stumbling woman in their backyard isn’t a drunk she’s a zombie. After sacrificing a kitchen’s worth of dishes and his much-loved record collection, Shaun grabs a cricket bat and decides this is his moment to shine.

Shaun and Ed plan to go get Shaun’s mom, kill Shaun’s dad (sorry, stepdad), swing by Liz’s and then hole up in the Winchester till it all blows over.

Of course, none of this works out as well as planned-thank god. Some of the movie’s best bits are during the lengthy journey to the Winchester.

My favorite scene is where the group nails a zombie to a tree using a ZimZam pole (remember those with the tennis ball) and then proceeds to copy his movements so they can fake zombie their way to the pub.

I’m not a big fan of the zombie genre, but am a huge fan of all things Simon Pegg. And I would be a fan of the zombie genre if all zombie flicks were this great. This film was funny, sweet, romantic, heartwarming, sad and scary all at the same time. The writing was razor sharp and Simon Pegg brought all of his adorable charm.

This movie also taught me that I would be quite ruthless in the case of a zombie apocalypse. The characters in this movie kept trying to save their loved ones after they’d been zombie-chomped. The second I saw the bite-marks, I would be doing whatever possible to pop off that soon-to-be-walking-dead head.

Bottom line: “Shaun of the Dead” is brilliant and hilarious. Oh, and I will destroy anyone with the slightest hint of a zombie bite. Fair warning.

Soaplantation

This weekend I was one of the many who went to see Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds.”

The movie begins in the idyllic French countryside at the home of a dairy farmer and his three daughters. Down the country road rumble the **** soldiers led by the much dreaded Col. Hans ‘Jew Hunter’ Landa (a terrific Christoph Waltz). Landa believes the farmer is illegally harboring the Jewish Dreyfus family.

After a most menacing interview, the poor farmer tearfully points to the floor where the family is hiding. The **** soldiers riddle the floor with bullets, but the young daughter, Shosanna Dreyfus, crawls out from under the house and begins to run. The startled girl is shaken and covered in blood, but she runs for her life across the countryside. Landa runs out of the house and looks like he has a shot at her, but lets her go with a smirk and a smile.

The antithesis to the Nazis, are the “Basterds,” a group of Nazi-scalping soldiers led by the charismatic Lt. Aldo Raine (a very funny Brad Pitt). The “Basterds” were assembled to create an atmosphere of terror throughout the Third Reich. They scalp all of their kills and carve a swastika in the head of the few they let free. Basically, a violent group of warriors that take tremendous pride in, and receive tremendous pleasure from, their work.

Through a magical twist of fate the “Basterds,” a now adult Shosanna Dreyfus, and every major **** officer-including ****** and the dreaded ‘Jew Hunter’-cross paths at an illustrious movie premiere. The events that unfold are truly explosive and surprising.

This movie is typical Tarantino with a lot of humor, bloodshed and jaw-dropping shockers. To me, it isn’t as brilliant as “Pulp Fiction,” but it’s pretty damn close.

There are many parts that are astonishingly wonderful and they all contain either Brad Pitt or Christoph Waltz. These two actors carry this movie and the excellent part is they have very little screen time together. When they finally do, the payoff is a feast for the eyes. I’m not usually a fan of Brad Pitt, but I honestly believe this to be some of his best work. He really embodies the role, which makes it a joy to watch.

Unfortunately, along with the positives of typical Tarantino, there are also the negatives. Many scenes drag on far too long, which wreaked havoc on my two-second attention span. If Mr. Tarantino could’ve cut down on the grandiose prose just a tiny bit, the movie would have been that much tighter and that much more pleasurable to watch. In addition, the majority of the movie is spoken in French or German, which means you have to read over 50% of the film. My eyes were exhausted by the ending credits.

Bottom line: Not as great as “Pulp Fiction,” but pretty damn close. Excellent performances by Christoph Waltz and Brad Pitt.

Funny Union

All ye DC Comics and Marvel aficionados need to reorient your conception of superheroes. In the constantly meandering labyrinths of social transactions where the nature of man is redefined everyday our good old superhero hasn’t remained unaffected. Gone is the emotionless face wearing which he would clinically execute the fall of his super foes. Now they feel the love, get affected by loss & rejection and also get drunk & roundly abused. Are these the super guys we have grown up with? I am not complaining but merely marveling at the imaginative twist that the movie makers have come up with.

Will Smith has come a long way since his hip hop days. Back in the mid eighties to early nineties he was better known as The Fresh Prince, the lead vocalist of the group DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. His rendition of “Summertime” still remains one of my favorite songs. The movie’s Big Willie, Mr. Hancock is a thousands of years old fellow whose flying skills can put Superman to shame. And while he is not busting the villains, destroying property worth several million dollars in the process he is busy emptying bottles of whiskey and taking a nap where he wills (pun intended). Besides defying gravity he is also bullet proof, knife proof and hit proof. In short nothing affects him physically. And here is the twist! The superhero goes ballistic whenever he is abused. How human! Due to his flawed crime fighting abilities and a foul mouth the media, the police and finally the public turns against him.

This is the age of celebrities who conjure up a hyped image of themselves aided and abetted by media manipulators euphemistically called image consultants. In walks Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman) who becomes eternally grateful to Hancock for saving him from being run over by a train. Sensing an opportunity to put his PR skills to test he proposes an image makeover to Hancock which involves surrendering to the police, spending some time in the jail and waiting for the police to call him back because crime is bound to rise in his absence from the streets even as the public property is safe from him. There are some interesting shots of the jail. One of them is of the self purging meetings on the lines of those of Alcoholics Anonymous. After consistent refusals to open up, a single line comment “I am Hancock and I drink and stuff” is enough to be reciprocated by loud and encouraging applause. Soon Embrey’s plan begins to bear fruit and Hancock is back in mainstream circulation and this time without the previous opprobrium. At this time everyone can happily live ever after but what about twist number 2?

Mrs Embrey (Charlize Theron), as it turns out, is a super heroine as well and to top that she is “technically” Hancock’s wife since the like of them were made in pairs. The cynical Hancock suddenly finds that his love quotient has taken a northward swing. Only the object of his affection is torn between the loyalty to her husband and the love of three thousand years. The raison d’etre is twist number 3. The invulnerability of the super couple goes down when they come closer emotionally. In some ways it is a Greek tragedy where love is doomed despite best intentions. The resolution of this mess is what rest of the movie is all about. Its entertaining, its different and its fun. Go watch!

Aid List

The title lead character is played by the superb John Malkovich as the mentalist Buck Howard. You learn early on he hates the name magician, as he believes it dilutes what he does.

It stars Colin Hanks(The House Bunny) as Troy Gable a law undergraduate who is uninterested in his current vocation, and is looking for that spark in life, much to the dismay of his well meaning father. When you first see Colin Hanks there is something strangely familiar about him, and viola in comes Tom hanks and it clicks that they are real life father and son, playing father and son in this movie.

Coincidences places Troy as a personal assistant to Buck Howard, who has a series of peculiarities that has driven his previous assistant Alan Berkman (Adam Scott, Knocked Up) eager to leave in a rage, leaving only Troy, Buck’s effervescent manager Gil Bellamy played amicably by Ricky Jay(Redbelt) and the brother and sister team in charge of his venue Kenny played by the hilarious Steve Zahn(Bandidas) and Doreen played by the affectionate Debra Monk(Mrs O’Malley in Grey’s Aanatomy) . The audience as well as Troy are left rooting for Buck regardless of his peculiarities and when things don’t go as planned you feel it as much as his personal assistant.

It is a lovely movie most will enjoy, and of course the customary love interest is provided by Valeria Brennan played by the superb Emily Blunt(The Devil wears Prada, Something about her eyes reminds me of Bambi).

The character of Buck Howard was based on The Amazing Kesring, who’s fantastic mentalist trick the great Buck Howard recreates was never duplicated or revealed.

One of the classic lines in the movie revealing the humor of the Buck Howard, he asks an attendant to get him a glass of water, the attendant points to water already in the room to which Buck replies “That there is distilled water, I am not an iron get me spring water.”

Keywords Post

The movie has some fierce competition with another new comer’s movie “Love story 2050″ top lining Harman Baweja. Who always looked like a Hero material. As compared to him Imran Khan never look to have that oomph factor but he certainly make up with his understanding of every scene and talent.

When the first promo come out of “Love story 2050″ which shows Mumbai in 2050 with skyscrapers, flying planes and Harman Baweja posing with his name revolving around him, I was really excited about the movie. I thought, wow here is bollywood’s real Sci-fi movie. But when next promos start coming it wasn’t thrilling enough, they actually failed to lead me to the theatres. It seems Harry Baweja, the Director of the movie and also the father of Harman tried to hard to launch his son as a Hero. He seems to be want to give him great launch so he has to dance well, he has to have great body and everything else. And may be other stuff took back seat. Anyway I never watched the movie so I shouldn’t comment on it any way. But as I seen “Jane Tu….” Lead more people to the theatres than “Love Story 2050″, as for all weak-end “Jane Tu…” was houseful and ” Love Story..” was secondary thought for people.

On the contrary to “Love Story…”, first promo was ” Jane Tu…” wasn’t that good. But excitement build up with the promos after that. Promos tell me that its on youth, Light Hearted romantic movie. With catchy songs by A.R. Rahman. And then the producer was Aamir Khan which is almost equal to quality movie. Which I don’t think is true for any superstar in bollywood. I am big fan of Amitabh Bachchan but he also does movies like RGV’s Shole. Anyways that’s a different story. Aamir Khan was did great to promote this film, he even get along with media which he normally doesn’t do. If this movie has good start it is because of Aamir’s Brand image. But when you are in theatres and movie starts, never it occurs to you that Aamir is associated with this movie, and you don’t feel any need for it.

As for the movie, you always know the story even before going to movie; but you like to watch romantic movies and you like the new treatment every time. Movie is always a director’s medium of expression and Abbas Tyrwalla done amazing job. Being writer certainly help him. The movie has very good screenplay and you enjoy every scene. The casting of the movie also spot on. Everyone did fabulous job. It was flawless performance by everyone except Genelia, I think being experienced in the young cast she could have done better. The movie is in the league of these new era of romantic movies of Imtiaz Ali like “Socha Na Tha” and “Jab We met”.

I think success of any movies lies in the fact that you never want to end, you will like to go on or you wonder what might happen next. And “Jane tu …” give me that feeling. So it is certainly well made movie. And of course as usual music by A.R. Rahman is best.

What I can say more…It is must watch movie. And I will also advice you to archive th DVD when it comes out.

Dating My Match