Recently Seen Movies - 5 (Page 139)

Desi Boyz

Special 26... Loved everything about it , apart love story wasnt needed at all ... we had seen so many movies based on this kind of stuff, but i am amazed to know ppl in those days actually managed to pull it off was great , nice presentation, and good acting , this is the Akki i like he should stop doing stupid movies . 

Special 26

Good movie, but not as amazing as I expected. Perhaps I had raised my expectations too high with all the great reviews, but still decent and funny watch. Don't compare to other thrillers we've had like Kahaani last year, because in comparison SP26 is slower and definitely don't compare to A Wednesday because that was a much more TAUT thriller.

The love story in SP26 is so bad and almost put me to sleep. It was TOTALLY unnecessary. It just slows the film down for no reason at all and is just plain annoying. I'm almost sad that Neeraj Pandey felt he had to add in a love story and songs to this film because besides that song/dance at the wedding, the others weren't really necessary. Kajal Aggarwal has ZERO screen presence, can't act, isn't even pretty to look at. In fact, she ruined my mood whenever she came. 90% of why I didn't enjoy first half as much. Second half was much much better because it focused more on their heist & thank god Kajal wasn't there. The last twist was good and it was really interesting to watch how they would pull this heist off. I liked the subtle humor in this film. I really liked th attention to detail too..they tried very hard to keep it true to the 80's with the phones, they way they tapped the phones..

SP26 is kind of like a desi Ocean's 11...I suspect they want to make it a series like that. In the sequel, when it happens, I'd like to know a little bit more on their backgrounds, how they met, how they formed this team, etc :)

As for the acting, besides Kajal everyone else is top-notch. Akshay, please do these kind of films more and quit wasting your talent in shit like Housefull 2. Not to mention, he looked hot in the film. Manoj Bajpaye was great as always, Kimmy Shergill, Divya Dutta everyone in the team. But for me the star was, Anupam Kher without a doubt.

All in all, a good movie to unwind with, in need of slightly better editing (I would have chopped the whole love story off)...don't expect anything gobsmackingly amazing like A Wednesday was, and you won't be disappointed.

3.25/5


Edited by chocolover89 - 16 February 2013 at 12:47pm

^^ Chocolover...

Edited by shakti_rock - 16 February 2013 at 1:04pm

I'm not sure, but I thought he was just checking Akshay's integrity...as in will he take money from anyone and everyone? That was how I looked at it..


Edited by chocolover89 - 16 February 2013 at 1:16pm

Ishaqzaade

Ishaqzaade is another Bollywood rendition of the classic Romeo and Juliet tale. But along with that there are shades of Beauty & the Beast as well.

The highlight of the movie is top notch acting. Parineeti Chopra is brilliant as Zoya. I totally fell in love with her sassy character. These are the kind of female characters I love. Never for one moment is she subdued or sidelined or just a pretty face. She steals the frame every time she is in it. Arjun Kapoor is also phenomenal as Parma. He essays the role of a spoiled rural brat and uncouth youth with perfection. He has a long way to go. Even if you don't care for Bollywood, don't care for love stories, you should watch the movie for these two. They make the movie. I'm hoping to see much more of them in the future.

Overall the story and plot is good. It moves quickly and has been well adapted to modern day rural India. But I found some bits unpalatable. I think they should have stuck to the cross religion Romeo Juliet style love story. I was bothered by the fact that in essence Parma rapes Zoya. I wish that along with the theme of honor killings they dwelt on the issue of abuse and womanizing as well.  The end result was positive though, I enjoyed it.

I also liked the music. Amit Trivedi is quite a talent. Loved the songs Pareshaan and Ishaqzaade.

7/10


Edited by return_to_hades - 16 February 2013 at 10:10pm

Safety Not Guaranteed

Who does not like cute and quirky films with eccentric and weird characters. It is indeed the awkward outsiders who make the world an interesting place.

The movie was inspired by a humorous fake ad on time travel. A Seattle magazine decides to pursue the story of a time traveler in Ocean Woods, WA. The team consists of Jeff whose idea is to write the article, but what he is really interested in is hooking up with an old girlfriend. He recruits interns Darius a lonely, introverted outsider and Arnav a geeky Indian virgin. Darius gains the trust of eccentric alleged time traveler Kenneth and begins working with him on his mission.

What follows is an oddball story of self discovery, trust issues, love and following ones dreams and heart. The tale of each character is interestingly woven together into one cohesive and engaging story. And it all leads to quite an interesting and unexpected climax.

Aubrey Plaza is adorable as Darius and Mark Duplass is a show stealer as Kenneth. The two of them carry the movie with their unique blend of humor and chemistry.

The storyline, the characters and the entire movie is just quirky and different. Kudos to the writers for coming up with this really unusual storyline. It just boggles the mind that they took a joke ad and turned it into something so intriguing, fun and cute.

8/10

It Happened One Night