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The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
My speed-review on Spiderman
Sequels always has my hair standing up on its end due to the mega disappointment it dishes out to you, when you are in a particularly lascivious and enormously ravenous mode post seeing an unbelievable movie before. Only in some cases is your appetite satiated and I mean really satiated (case in point being: Nolan's Batman series). And now with this Spiderman; my hair standing on its end at the close of the movie did a mean pirouette. Boy was I happy!! I was delighted!! And never did I feel anybody could up Tobey Maguire's act as a 'bumbling geek turned mean vigilante' act with so much finesse and sass. I love underdogs but this movie makes me want to be an underdog with oodles of brio wrapped in that Grey gloomy hood on my pate which drops down time and again. Getting down to the movie review; I am going to highlight a few departures from the earlier Spiderman movie.
Spiderman himself: Tobey Maguire was a geek until the spider comes along literally and spins a web... he he but despite becoming a Spiderman the nerd quotient stays in good measure and keeps him harnessed within the web.. he he enough of web jokes...the only time that we see his wild and impertinent side liberated is in part 3 when he is in the garb or influence of a black suited Spiderman. Tobey was the sort of guy you sympathized with, you loved to mother, you loved to pet. I am not sure if he was a lust and drool over sort of a man despite the spider suit. He had his shortcomings and these short comings were evident and were there for all to see. No masks and all. Enter the amazing Spiderman and truly the transformation of the character of Spiderman is amazing.
Very frankly I was certain that the oddball in an ill fitted suit; Eduardo Saverin read Andrew Garfield ( In Social Network) could not play the role of a Spiderman with as much aplomb as his predecessor did. He literally cast a web of magic over atheists like me. This Spiderman was more easy to relate to, more aspiration evoking, had oodles of spunk and well was amazing and the transformation does not hurt both the eye and sensibilities with an overdose. The man looks infinitely more handsome than the earlier guy. Sorry Tobey! Has mettle with a keen eye for body language (do notice the head tilts, the quivering lips, the guarded, reticent body language and such other gobs of tiny details weaved beautifully into his portrayal). His costumes - the Grey hoods, the sweat shirt with a thumb hole etc.. add dimensions to the character. He revels in his prowess yet wears it as coolly as a pin badge - remember the scene where he deals with the car burglar with a saucy talk, reading something perched upside down, working nonchalantly on a rooftop, lazing on a web hammock playing games on a cell phone while expecting a certain Mr. Lizard to show up. It's this celebration of self and its capabilities which make him super cool and confident yet not cocksure since mind you there is not a hint of vanity which paints this confident facade. Clearly bring the trumpets on and everybody else move over a new heartthrob is born; British American actor Andrew Garfield; blessed with panache, a certain endearing vulnerability, an easy charm, fantastic body language, lithe body and lightning quick reflexes make him truly amazing.
While Kirsten Dunst played the Mary Jane part in the earlier series... she was more plain Jane than Mary Jane, I thought. Now we have Emma Stone taking over the love interest part as Gwen. I am not a huge Emma fan, I feel she is forever stuck in the Olive Pendergrast role she played in Easy A and her dialog delivery and well everything else remains the same movie after movie. The dialog delivery with a weighty jaw really doesn't work for me. But well overall she is not bad. The scene where she looks expectantly up in the Grey, dreary sky slightly inching away the umbrella from her face hoping to spot her love while at her father's funeral was particularly mesmerizing. The story is good too, lot of earlier scenes have been incorporated albeit in sync with the mood and tempo of this movie. I also loved the fact that the web that springs out is made by Spidey himself and not attributed to his bite by the power induced spider. What truly sets this edition apart is the fact that this is not Grey, it's bright... what I mean that the earlier version was very grief inducing. Can't forget Peter walking away knowing that he has lost his love. Spiderman was unable to reveal his identity until a good 2 parts while this one shows that despite the promise made to his beau's dad Peter shows every intent on breaking it... lovers across the world cheer. Also Peter has no qualms in showing his identity to everybody; he is in fact without his mask more than anything else. And our own Irfan Khan plays the role of a mean sidekick to Norman Osborn kept in the dark in this part. He looks assured and his dialog delivery had no accent, thank god for that. Also special mention for the Coldplay song; till kingdom comes which makes an appearance at the right time when there is a superbly subtle romantic interlude between Peter and his love interest. The music accompanies his joyous finding of love. What then follows is an uninhibited swinging in a grim, abandoned industrial area atop metal chains. It's like he has found his love and also himself. It's a sort of a very celebratory moment. It depicts a very gay abandon, a self release – free as one can be.
Kites (2010)
Champagne Supernova Meets Bronzed Greek God
What do you say of a movie which has a successful producer with a string of hits behind him, a rather new age director at the helm of it, a Bollywood star who is so enviably good-looking and a well publicized Latino beauty? Did you say - A recipe for a great movie? Well then you have hit bulls-eye – Kites is indeed a breathtaking movie. A far cry from the regular soppy movies that Bollywood churns out so so regularly. It is also distinctly different from the latest thread of movies trotting about in multiplexes; all claiming to be different, far away from the clichés and formula ridden fare and supposedly meant for the intelligentsia.
Kites instead is a refreshing movie, a simple tale, well told. The story races back and forth as it delineates the story of two lovers escaping the clutches of a ruthless, spurned lover.
Now what sets it apart?
HRITHIK: What do I write about a man who with his unbelievable good looks leaves you perennially deluged in a pool of drool, with your knees that are so weak that you need help to hoist yourself. He looks like some ethereal, bronzed god. His stunning looks alternate between being some Greek god to an amorous Mexican to an Italian charmer. Simply a visual treat! In terms of looks the man is galaxies ahead of the Bollywood heroes. Perfectly sculpted and chiseled it's almost criminal to look so good!! And all this with dollops of innocence and believable love and longing brimming in the pools of his limpid seaweed yellowish- green eyes.
His acting does in a few scenes meander towards being a wee bit too earnest however we can forgive him because he more than makes up for all possible acting flaws with the final scene. The final scene with his unruly, curled locks and beard, the chapped lips - he looks every bit the wronged man. He looks beautiful beyond imagination. The scene is heart-wrenching, easily one of the most soul stirring scenes in recent times.
The dance sequence in the movie is a spectacle worthy of being a movie by itself, his fluid moves makes you wonder whatever cartilages and ligaments make his body they are surely not what we lesser mortals are made of. His body is like a pliant molten glass making some reality defying moves which can enthrall you and leave you in a state of shocked stupor.
You almost need to rush out to gulp some fresh air, shake your head and enter the hall again to believe what you just saw was a man dancing! Immortal.
BARBARA: Hmmm, let's see... what could possibly be an adequate description of her? Got it. She is like a champagne supernova! A star which bursts and becomes luminous in the process – bubbling with effervescence. Barbara has been filmed more erotically and sensuously; proof of which are her abundant number of pictures floating on the net. But in this movie, she looks like a natural burst of sunshine which you want to own and treasure. She does not look anything like some of our plastic, pan caked actresses; instead she exudes a clean, natural and freshly scrubbed look. Innocence and froth packed in that mischievous Mediterranean-sea colored eyes topped with a twinkle. Her smile is so precious with those perfect Pearl whites. Her gait and slender body too is effusive of an adventurous spirit in a gay gambol.
Despite these descriptions, she does not make your heart race in a testosterone driven manner for she really does not look like a scorcher or give any come-hither looks. She just seems angelic. Her supposed lack of a very screen scorching type of beauty is made up with her effortless acting. Pure bliss in these days to watch actresses act so stupendously well. It seems to be clearly a male domain when it comes to good acting. But Ms. Mori reposes your faith in the acting prowess of women.
THEIR CHEMISTRY: It's not a set-the-screen-afire kind of a chemistry which threatens to reduce everything to cinders and strip you to your bare minimum. It's not carnal, its classic .. it's pure love-untainted, a longing and inexplicable desire. In that sense the power of their love as depicted in the movie literally burns the screen down with its purity and the unmatched manner in which it's etched. It's real too, whether it's the shadow dance or the small card tricks or the fork-pricked- bread-roll dance. Truly, these are the ways in which real, regular people express their fondness, their love, infuse some good cheer and spirit in their love. It's real and not outrageous like how they usually show in movies. Splendiferous depiction, I say!
Usually such pulchritudinous stars run the risk of being exploited with languorous shots of their body or sometimes these ridiculous clowns of movies stars do a blatant exhibition of their suddenly spruced and dusted physiques. The director here steers clear of any such antics.
There is just one scene of Hrithik's bronzed body and some barely there scenes of Barbara's skin, ample cleavage and bust excluded.
The movie is ably supported by Nicholas brown as the menacing villain - the bane of our lovely, lead pair's life. Exuding the right amount of menace without going overboard, his rich playboy act is entirely convincing.
Yuri Suri, essaying the role of Jamal, the sidekick of the villain, also acts brilliant with his eyes giving away the empathy he feels for the star-crossed lovers.
VERDICT: Kites is indeed a movie which can plume its chest and claim to be on par with slick well directed Hollywood movies. It's a movie which is made with passion, belief and resolve and every frame exudes it.
Go soar away!!