MovieNotes: Jurassic World

Title: Jurassic World (IMDB)

*ing: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Irrfan Khan & Dinosaurs

Director: Colin Trevorrow

Language: English

Genre: Science Fiction cum Action

Basic Premise

Jurassic World is a dinosaur theme park. But corporate diktats need a newer, bigger attraction to ensure a better looking balance sheet. This results in the unleashing of a monster which needs to be put in control.

MovieNotes

Jurassic Park was probably the first contemporary English movie most Indians my age would have seen. It sparked a dinosaur craze, with dinosaurs starting to appear everywhere whether as merchandise, in fun fairs, almost every school science project or even appearing in puja pandals (news link). Even planetariums began having shows about dinosaurs in addition to their usual space related stuff.

Jurassic World is the 3rd sequel to Jurassic Park though it mostly ignores the actions from the 2nd and 3rd film of the franchise. The movie is set over two decades after the events of the first movie and it is full of tributes and references to the first one. The references sometimes act as a self-parody as well.

The key feature of the whole story is the subject of "control". Humans believe that they are in control and can play with the genetic make-up to create bigger, more menacing animals for their entertainment, while increasing their cash-flow. There is another group which believes that they can train and control the dinosaurs for use in military, as a kind of modern day cavalry unit. But as Irrfan Khan's character points out we feel that we are in control, though that's not always the case.

Acting wise, the humans do not really have much to do. Once the Indominus Rex is let loose, most of the human actors just keep running trying to escape the big dinosaur's jaws while the rest make a semblance of fight (mostly in vain). It needed the combined effort of multiple other dinosaurs to take out the new monster in their midst.

The dinosaurs maybe bigger, the visuals more spectacular but they are unable to generate that "wow" effect which made the original such a cult hit.

Mandatory India Connect - Irrfan Khan. He gets one of the lead human roles playing a character of a quirky billionaire who wants more "teeth" to boost up his park's revenues while at the same time making philosophical statements about humans never being in control although they might feel it to be the case.

Rating - 7/10. Not much story-wise, but a good one time watch. The makers may have succeeded in adding more teeth, but the story did not have the bite of the original.

Previously on MovieNotes - Tanu Weds Manu Returns

BookMarks - The Call of the Wild

Along the lines of the MovieNotes Section, this is my first attempt to write a short note on the books I complete reading. Hopefully this becomes an incentive to read more and further on write more as well. 

Title – The Call of the Wild 

Author – Jack London 

The book is set in the late 19th century and the discovery of gold in Yukon region provides for the back-drop of the story. The book tells the story of Buck, a domesticated dog, who is happily living a sheltered life in a big ranch in California, described as sun-kissed.  Dogs are in high demand for use in the harsh Alaskan environs. Buck is kidnapped and sold off by his owner’s gardener to be used as a sled dog. 

Buck passes from owner to owner while constantly having to adapt to his ever-changing environment. He not only adapts but also becomes the top-dog. He learns not only from his fellow dogs but also from the humans around him.  He becomes wilder as the effects of the generations of having been domesticated begin to wear off and the harsh environs takes its toll.

All this while, Buck is increasingly aware off a primal instinct calling him towards itself. It is only the love for his last master, who had saved him from near-death at the hands of his previous owners, which makes him resist this calling. However, once he finds that his master has been killed by local Indian tribals, all binds to human civilization are broken. He kills his master’s killers and moves into the wild. Here he joins and leads a pack of wolves. As time progresses his deeds attain near-mythical status with the local populace. 

The book is narrated entirely from the perspective of Buck. He is a quick learner and adapts fast to his surroundings. He is an explorer and a dreamer. Also he wants to be the leader and is ready to take on any challenge to prove himself as the leader of the pack. By the end of the tale, he has transitioned completely from a domesticated house dog in “sun-kissed” California to the leader of a wolf pack in cold and harsh Yukon region. 

In summary, The Call of the Wild is tale of the survivor spirit where the underlying principle is the survival of the fittest. Also the harsher the environment, the more the increase in brutality both in man and beast. And there is a primal spirit guiding all of us, although generations of civilized living has dampened this call.

MovieNotes: Tanu Weds Manu Returns

Title: Tanu Weds Manu Returns

*ing: Kangana Ranaut (2 Nos.), Madhavan, Deepak Dobriyal, Jimmy Shergill, et al

Director: Aanand Rai

Language: Hindi in multiple dialects

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Basic Premise

Events take place after the “happy ending” from the 2011 movie “Tanu Weds Manu”. The married couple has fallen out of love and is trying to pick up the pieces of their lives in an attempt to move on. But these attempts only keep entangling them further as the husband falls in love with his wife’s look-alike.

MovieNotes

What Works

• Kangana Ranaut’s twin performances as Tanu and Kusum. Played so perfectly that you tend to forget that both are played by the same actor. Also credit to the make-ups team for making them look similar yet distinctly different, unlike most movies with double roles.
• The performances of the leading men fall into two broad categories – the understated ones, who are going with the flow (Madhavan & Jimmy Shergill) and the ones who keep the audience engaged with their over-the-top acts (Deepak Dobriyal & Mohhamed Zeeshan Ayyub). And both these types complement each other perfectly.
• Its the characters in tiny one scene roles which are remembered e.g. the divorce lawyer, the uncles translating club as gymkhana etc. 
• The One Liners - The one thing which keeps the movie going are the never ending one liners, from a "growing man" being compared to an adrak to the confused parents not sure whose side they were on by the time the story reaches its climax.
• Special mention for Swara Bhaskar’s Bihari accent take. Other film-makers please note, you need not try to make everything sound Bhojpuri, and this is the real accent you hear in Bihar.
• The prequel had better music but this one makes clever use of background songs to bring out the characters' inner angst perfectly. ("Old School Girl" for Kusum and "Ja, Ja bewafa" for Tanu)
• The movie actually manages to weave in a couple of nice social messages to up the overall feel-good factor.

What Doesn't

• As is wont with most stories these days, the ending seems a little contrived. However, I am not sure how they could have tied it up any better. Given that like some of the characters, even the audience wasn’t sure of which side they were on. 
• There was the needless saga of the Punjabi-Bihari couple’s baby which served no real purpose in the plot. 
• Sometimes logic takes a back seat and manages to slip through the plot-holes (e.g. Hindi speaking doctors counselling couples in a mental asylum in Britain, or the sudden disappearance of the kidnap victim). But the one-liners prevent you from thinking too badly for the lack of logic in certain acts.

Rating – 9/10. Overall a thoroughly entertaining laugh riot.

Previously on MovieNotes – Avengers: Age of Ultron

MovieNotes: Avengers: Age of Ultron

Title: Avengers: The Age of Ultron

*ing: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, James Spader, Paul Bettany and many more

Director: Joss Whedon

Language: English

Genre: Comic Books

Basic Premise

Superheroes have teamed up to save the world. Some of them accidentally create a monster whose idea of saving the world is to destroy the people living on it. Superheroes successfully defend humankind and destroy this monster. 

In the process also linking up stories for the further development of the “cinematic universe”.

MovieNotes

The Theory of Movie Evolution - Once upon a time, stand-alone movies used to be made, then came the sequels and prequels which evolved into movie franchisees and now as a final logical step in the evolutionary chain, they have started linking together and transforming into cinematic universes.

Marvel started an ambitious project of recreating their comic book universe into a movie universe. Iron Man, Hulk, Captain America and Thor came together with SHIELD, Black Widow and Hawkeye to form the Avengers. The highly successful assembly of superheroes led to bringing in more superheroes and super-villains, creating inter-connecting plots, cross-referencing characters and events, planting Easter eggs across movies and has culminated in creating a larger than ever assembly. Only they are not going to stop as plans are afoot to bring in more and more characters into the Avengers group. Am not sure till how long the audiences would be able to keep pace with the ever expanding storylines.

Before I digress any further, back to the Age of Ultron [Aside - But they never reveal Ultron’s Age]

The film starts by throwing you into a fast paced, action packed sequence with all the Avengers playing their parts in their mission. The beginning itself feels like a good climatic scene. Only it is just a precursor to more action coming your way for the next two hours.

Key Message: People in highly critical roles should not try to abdicate responsibility. Otherwise even their best intentions might end up creating an Ultron-like monster. Also, the human mind is its own worst enemy.

Favorite Character Arc: I liked the development of the Hawkeye story. The character without any real superpowers and fights with bow and arrows against robots and software. (The irony of which is pointed out by Hawkeye himself). 

Learning: How do you control the Hulk? (a) try to hammer sense into him, or (b) sing him a lullaby (an approach previously used in King Kong).

Favorite Line: “He is fast, She is Weird”. A very succinct description of the Twins; who for commercial reasons are referred to as “Enhanced” and not “Mutants” (because mutants are in X-Men movies, whose rights are held by a different studio)

Favorite Scene – The Avengers trying their hand at lifting Mjolnir and the look on Thor’s face when the hammer seemed to move when Captain America tries to lift it.

Nice to see Andy Serkis play a human character, although in a very brief role.

Some of the actors seem to be wanting to retire their characters out in this over-stretched out universe. But whether they continue or not, the Show will go on.

Rating – 7/10. This cinematic universe has become over-spread out and is becoming unmanageable for audiences. But good action interspersed with witty one-liners manage to keep the interest going on for the next installment.

Previously on MovieNotes – Furious 7

MovieNotes: Furious 7

Movie: Furious 7

*ing: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Kurt Russel, Michelle Rodriguez and many more

Director: James Wan

Language: English

Genre: Action

Basic Premise

Former bad guys (with hearts of gold) are now working in close collaboration with the law enforcers in order to prevent the true bad guys from getting their hands on a piece of software which can put its eye on anyone, anywhere, anytime while simultaneously trying to save their "family" from becoming victims of a villain intent on revenge. 

[Spoilers Ahead]

MovieNotes

The 7th movie in a surprisingly successful action franchise which has evolved over time from car chases to heists to fighting terrorists.

The plot-line is full of holes. But the well-executed, fast paced action sequences (e.g. a car jumping across multiple building towers, parachuting cars down from an airplane, cars banging head-on etc), jumping across continents, with little nuggets of humor, never lets you have the time to think about the multiple plot-holes.

There are too many characters, some new, others cutting in from the older installments. Sometimes they just disappear for a while and then suddenly reappear (specially Statham) from nowhere. The likes of Statham, Dwayne Johnson, Hounsou do not really get enough screen time.

Implausible Scene: Statham fighting Rock in a one to one fight? I know, Statham is a former international diver (video) but him beating Rock?

Its all about the family - a theme which binds both the heroes and the villains. Dominic Toretto emphasizes family bonds in a way that would leave our Johars & Barjatyas to shame.

Bollywoodish Plotline: A lead character getting her memory back on being confronted with a tragic sight.

India Connect: Ali Fazal is in a small cameo role which is totally weird, implausible and funny at the same time. However, it is much, much better than Anil Kapoor's "hot Indian" cameo in MI:4

During the entire course of the movie, the thought of the real life tragedy of Paul Walker was ever present at the back of the mind. Every screen moment of him was a reminder of the tragedy even though no direct or indirect reference was made. The end sequence was probably the best on-screen tribute given to an actor ever. The characters talk about his passing on without mentioning his passing away. A sequence done most beautifully, it certainly left many in the audience teary-eyed.

Where does the franchise head from here. Will there be an 8th episode? Will the cast continue?  Or will they move on? They certainly have enough material and a loyal star-cast to continue this franchise for a long time but will they want to continue?

Rating: 8/10. Action packed with plot-holes. But all ignored in the light of the ending tribute scene.

Previously on MovieNotes: The Interview

P.S. Most of the notes seem same as the ones for Fast & Furious 6 

MovieNotes: The Interview

Title: The Interview

*ing: James Franco, Seth Rogen, Randall Park

Director: Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg

Language: English

Genre: Political Comedy

Basic Premise

A TV Show Host manages to secure an exclusive interview with the Supreme Leader of North Korea. The CIA sees this as an opportunity for regime change in this hostile territory.

MovieNotes

• Key Theme – Honeypotting. As per the lead characters, everyone seems to be “honeypotting” everyone else. The CIA doing it to the interviewers, the Supreme Leader to the interviewer, the interviewer to the Supreme Leader etc.
• The Katy Perry song, “Firework” is a character in its own right.
• The Interview while beginning as a satire on American News Television transforms to a spoof of the spy movie genre.
• Randall Park in the role of the Supreme Leader is the best of the lot in this slightly convoluted and implausible storyline which has plot-holes filling by themselves.
• Lots and lots of LOTR references in the movie

Other Notes

• Watching the movie the North Korean anger on the movie and its producers was understandable. No one wants to be “portrayed” in a bad light. But were the reactions justified? Especially in context of all the “freedom of speech” debate which is ongoing.
• One wonders how much of the movie is American propaganda to counter North Korean propaganda?
• Controversy is both positive and negative. The controversy certainly helped in generating buzz about the movie while at the same time making a big dent into its revenues. And it also served as a test case for direct streaming service model.

Rating: 7/10 – Mostly funny but a bit over the top. 

Previously on MovieNotes – Bhopal – A Prayer For Rain

Lets Behave India - Roads

The biggest challenge of urban life in India - the daily commute from home to work and back. Traffic is never smooth. Jams, dug up roads, incessant honking,increasing commute times are a regular feature. Yet quite a bit of this irritant can be reduced by following road discipline. Something which we Indians lack. 

Cutting lanes, jumping traffic signals, not wearing a helmet, driving in the wrong direction for a short-cut, not signalling while changing lanes or turning, stopping bang on the zebra crossing instead of behind it, pedestrians moving about without a care, over-speeding, honking for the sake of it, using mobile phones while driving (I have even observed one gentleman playing poker on his mobile while driving) - Rule breaking has become a part of our habit. And all of us our guilty of it.

Though we get away with breaking these rules most of the time but some are not so lucky. Accidents happen but many are completely avoidable, Only if everyone followed discipline on the road. We may not be able to do much about dug up roads or malfunctioning traffic lights or the sheer number of vehicles on the road, but we can be more strict in following up the rules. After all rules have been made for our convenience only, although many would like to differ. 

Only way to curb these dangerous activities is heavy fines and stricter implementation of rules by the traffic police. Within my office campus, most of the cars and buses actually follow speed limits, park in designated areas only and even stop for pedestrians on the zebra crossing. Chief reason being penalties which are deducted directly from the next month's salary. So monetary fines do have an effect if implemented properly. Another good option would be to take the offenders to the nearest station and show them videos/images of real life accidents which might put in some fear in them.

What we should & should not do?

• Stop before the zebra crossing. Don't think any time is saved by stopping 2 yards further.
• Use helmets always. And on your head. Carrying the helmet in your arm while riding is even more dangerous
• No mobile use - especially no texting or games or photography. All Smartphones have motion detectors. So why don't the likes of Apple and Samsung make sets which hibernate if moving beyond certain speeds. All callers can be notified that the person is driving and is thus unable to take the call. 
• No weaving through lanes.
• No honking at signals. I think most drivers in India believe that the vehicle in front is powered not by fuel but by the sound of the horn.
• Drive within speed limits.

Hope this initiative by Mumbai Mirror and Sanjay Manjrekar (Link1, Link2) has some positive effect. Hopefully our roads will then become a better place. I know there won't be any instantaneous change but we should continuously strive for it.

P.S. An old post on the subject of Road Rush (Link)

MovieNotes: Bhopal A Prayer for Rain

Title: Bhopal A Prayer For Rain

*ing: Martin Sheen, Kal Penn, Rajpal Yadav

Director: Ravi Kumar

Language: English & Hindi

Genre: Historical - Recent

Basic Premise

Movie based on the events around the gas leakage from the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal in 1984 which killed thousands of residents. It is considered one of the of the worst industrial accidents in history.

MovieNotes

What Works

Acting - Martin Sheen is good as Warren Anderson, while Rajpal Yadav is brilliant in depicting the role of Dilip, a worker in the Union Carbide Plant.

The depiction of Union Carbide plant as both a means of improving the life of the people around as well as in finally ending their life. As with everything else in life, it is not always black or white but somewhere in the grey. For all practical purposes the factory itself is the biggest character of the movie.

Movies depicting history are a rarity in our cinema. And those dealing with tragedies are even rarer. And this is a sincere effort which must be lauded.

What Doesn't Work

The casting of Kal Penn. Wonder why they chose to give the role of an Indian journalist to an American-Indian actor. His accent becomes a total misfit in the whole scheme of things especially in the context of other actors.

Mischa Barton's character is a total waste and the movie would have still had the same impact without her character's presence.

Although made with a lot of emotion, the movie is unable to state the true long term impact of the disaster which the residents are still suffering from almost thirty years down the line. 

Other Notes

Interesting portrayal of the conflicts between Revenue and Safety.  The biggest concern of the factory supervisors is the survival of the plant as it is their source of livelihood and they are willing to cut corners to ensure the same. In short, it is also a decent commentary on the very Indian concept of "Jugaad".  

Finally who was responsible for the disaster? Warren Anderson, the CEO? The owners, who wanted revenue and were willing to close the loss-making unit? The factory in-charge who went against safety norms to increase revenues? The politicians who were complicit in giving approvals? The medical services which were ill-equipped to handle any emergency? Or everyone together?

Rating - 7/10. Some stories need to be told lest they are forgotten.

Previously on MovieNotes - PK

A Very Responsible Blogpost

Disclaimer

The following blog post do not attempt to hurt or offend any person or group of persons on the basis of religion, ethnicity, nationality, gender, caste, sect, colour, race, language, income, education, location, sexual orientation, political beliefs, weight, height, physical appearance or any other characteristics.

Any resemblance to any person or persons, living or dead, and events is purely unintentional and entirely co-incidental. 

This is a work of fiction and a figment of my imagination.

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P.S. If inspite of the precautions taken above, this blogpost has still managed to offend any person or persons inadvertently, kindly accept my humblest and most sincere apologies.

Goodbye 2014

Last day of the Year MMXIV A.D. Its time to look back at the year gone by and await the year coming ahead.

It was an interesting year, full of travel and lots of new experiences and change. The kind of year one can look back in satisfaction that it was a time well spent.

• Biggest Change - Work shifted from 6-day to a 5-day week, automatically creating a whole extra day every weekend.
• Travel Map - More foreign travel done than ever before and more domestic travel as well. Singapore, Thailand and Greater Noida added to the travel map.
• Memorable Experiences - Spoilt for choice here - Staying overnight in a ship in the middle of Bay of Bengal, holding a tiger cub in my lap, para-sailing, underwater walking, boat ride in the backwaters, visiting ancient sites depicting human life from 100,000 years back, giving a speech in front of the entire group company. Or simply lying down on the ground and watching a sound and light show.
• Online courses - A new interesting world which I accessed this year. 
• Books - One area which needs heavy correction. Volumes are now at an all time low.
• Health - More fitness conscious than actually working out
• And did NOT lose a phone all year

And as for the year 2015 ahead.

• Soak in more experiences, see more, read more and most importantly enjoy more.
• Keep Learning
• Goal for the year - Citius, Altius, Foritus - in all parameters of life.
• And keep everyone around who matter happy.

Wishing all readers a very Happy New Year 2015 :)