Jerry Maguire - movie review

I know, this is too common a movie, too popular, too well-known to be writing a review about. But sometimes, I have to be selfish right? How can I not write a review on a movie, which still has the ability to make me cry , which still has the ability to make me miss my first love and still inspires me to give love another chance. I know, this sugary soft side doesn't suit my goofy image, but this is also a part of me, maybe not so prominent now and hidden away in the innumerable layers I chose to weave around myself, but then thats all the more reason to cheer for this movie, it still has the ability to reach my core and move me.
Should I talk about the story? I mean, if you not seen the movie yet, God save you.
The movie talks about love and inspiration for the underdog. How, Jerry Maguire, who is kicked by his company, after he suddenly starts developing a conscience and an ethical streak and left all alone to fight back his way to the top, does it with sincerity and whole-hearted determination. How a loving partner inspires him in the times of despair and how being true to his mission statement finally sees him through.
It has some golden lines which have been framed in the 'Hall of Fame of Hollywood Romance'. Yeah, I made that up, but if there was such a thing, these lines would surely have been there.
The scene which usually makes me cry :
Jerry Maguire: I love you. You... you complete me. And I just...
Dorothy: Shut up, just shut up. You had me at hello.

A few other golden lines :
Dicky Fox: Hey... I don't have all the answers. In life, to be honest, I have failed as much as I have succeeded. But I love my life. I love my wife. And I wish you my kind of success.

Dorothy: I love him! I love him for the man he wants to be. And I love him for the man he almost is.

Dicky Fox: If this
[points to heart]
Dicky Fox: is empty, this
[points to head]
Dicky Fox: doesn't matter.

It is one of the best performances by Tom Cruise. Renee Zellweger is gorgeous and delivers an extremely sincere performance. A most special mention to the kid in the movie. He takes your heart away and almost softens you to the idea that having a kid someday would not be so bad

I give it a rating of 6.5 out of 10.

Groundhog Day - movie review

What would you do if the whole equation of cause and effect was eliminated from this world, if whatever you did, did not affect anything, and every day you woke up, was a new day, a new beginning? Nothing you did ever happened in reality, and things just went back to what they were even after you messed with them? Confused? Interested? Fascinated? So was I by the plot of this movie.

The plot goes something like this, Phil (Bill Murray) is a weatherman and a news anchor, and is tired of his job and his routine and generally cursing everything and anything around him for his life's condition. Then he is sent on an assignment to a certain town to cover what is known as the 'Groundhog day' for the fourth consecutive year. He covers it with an over-the-top sarcastic streak and just can't wait to get out of the town. And surprise surprise, he finds himself stuck in the day. That is every morning that he wakes up, its Groundhog day, the time has stopped and he gets to live these 24 hours over and over again. Now begins the interesting part, for as he realises this, he starts experimenting with his days, he is free to do what he wants, to seduce women, rob banks, be good, be bad, cos nothing matters any longer. He then tries to seduce his co-worker Lita (Andie MacDowell), everyday but always messes up in the end and has to start all over again. In the process, he actually falls in love with her, and finally tired of not being able to win her, he tries ending his life, again failing, coming back to life the next morning always.

The climax is what makes this movie a winner. How does he break this cycle? What is the point of this plot? The message is extremely subtle and masterfully delivered. All it takes to make life meaningful is make an effort and constantly endeavour to make a positive change around you. Complaining about the negatives, being sarcastic (its fun, I know) doesn't really change anything.

The performances are natural. Bill Murray is a very competent actor and delivers one of his best performances. The plot of the movie is the real star. The concept new and amazing, though the movie is of the year 1993. All in all, a must watch this weekend.

I give this a rating of 7 out of 10.

'Big' starring Tom Hanks - movie review

'starring Tom Hanks' - reason enough for most of us hollywood lovers to check out this movie, I assume. But take my word, if you will that is, that is just one of the highlights of the movie. Check out this movie, for a ride back to childhood, for an insight into growing up and for finding out where you lost the kid in you while running along this path of getting all grown up and fitting into the society of manners and behaving yourself.

The plot of the movie is ironically the reverse of this all, its about a kid who wishes at a wishing machine (which works, something that only happens in movies sadly) to grow up into a man, and lo and behold, finds himself inside an all grown up body (Tom Hanks) the next morning. The movie goes on to portray how the kid inside Tom Hanks wins everyone around him by somethings we have been so taught to shed in the process of growing up, our innocence and honesty. He finds himself a job in a Toy manufacturing company, and off course soon rises to the top by knowing and telling which toy would work and which wouldn't, off course being a kid himself, it was easier for him. But more importantly (my opinion actually), it also is because he still played with those toys. That's how it is actually, being successful is that easy, if you work at something you are passionate about (off course we all know that, or do we really?). His room is full of the toys, he keeps on playing with them all the time, his mind on fun all the time. If only fun was not that underestimated in the real world, the world would be an infinitely happy place (oops, digression! but its fun :P).

Scenes which made this movie memorable for me -
The party scene where Tom Hanks arrives in a ridiculous tuxedo (compared to the standard black worn by the clones around) behaves all foolishly, like the kid he actually is and still leaves with the beautiful chick.
Then the scene where they just jump on the trampoline. How about that for a perfect date? We all have known cliches like the 'candlelight dinner' or the 'walk along the beach' perfect dates. But (my own experience as well), the perfect time is always when you are able to have fun with the girl, when you are just yourself.
And another where the beautiful chick explains what is special about Tom Hanks in just these simple words - 'He is so grown up' - this according to me is the best scene. The paradox of it all - the paradox of life according to me. Weren't we so grown up at thirteen (which is the age of the kid actually)? We did what we loved, never compromised, never said something just because its right!

And yes, now on to Tom Hanks, this here is his second best performance, according to me, right after Forrest Gump. With him, its difficult to rank his roles in all his movies, but still, this manages to just squeeze into the second spot. The way he gets his 13 year old behaviour on target everytime, the expressions, the joy he portrays while playing and the ease with which he displays discomfort (funny statement, ease and discomfort) of not being able to adjust with being a grown up. Full marks to Tom Hanks, but then, that is a given with him.

I give this a rating of 7 out of 10

English August - Upamanyu Chatterjee

For starters, how about I say 'The best book I have read by an Indian author till date'? or how about 'The Indian catcher in the rye'? If these two are not enough for you to try out this book, you might as well just skip the following review.

For the first time in my life, I read a book for about a month and a half. Why is that so dramatically put? Because, someone like me doesn't read a book for a month and a half. If its boring, I throw it away in a day or two. If its awesome, I finish it in a day or two. So what about this 'English August'? It was fucking awesome. It was so great, I just didn't want to finish it. On every page of this 300-something pages book, was a paragraph, which I read and reread, just to enjoy it thoroughly. Like the perfect drink in your mouth, which you wanna not swallow. Like the orgasm, you wish to extend it till eternity! And when I finished it finally, I wanted so much more of it! Again like the alcohol or the perfect night of making love.

So now to a more objective review, which itself is a paradox, because all throughout, the book is pointless. It describes everything, and yet it forces you to think nothing about it. Its about the lost youth, the aimless drift that life actually is, the pointlessness of routine and work and so on. And yes, most importantly, its Funny, with a capital 'F' as you might have noticed! Its humourous in an odd, caustic sort of way. Its dark but still you laugh. Its sarcasm at its best. Sarcasm which has given up, sarcasm which is sarcastic about being sarcastic. If you can follow this idiotic rant of mine, you would love this book. Its the other side of being an IAS officer, the revered position in India. Its about being confused, about always wanting to be on the other side, about India, the rural India, about unambition, about happiness and the pointlessness of happiness.

But all through this book, it leaves you to make what you want of it. You either enjoy the humourous view of the sad state of human life, or you get saddened by the reality that the book brings forth. Its very honest and frank, something that still our society refuses to accept, and above all, it laughs at it all. For instance, a very dark scenario about an officer's hands being cut has been dealt with a too realistic sense. How the protagonist (btw, English August is the protagonist, if you wondering :P), is first saddened and soon realises that its just another occurence, how a tragedy is not a tragedy until it happens with yourself. The book is shamelessly honest about everything like that. There are innumerable such instances, where you just can't help but laugh, and at the same time wonder, how shameless of the author to bring out the humour in such a scenario. A few of such witty excerpts from the book, mind you, I would have just wanted to go ahead and type the whole book, because its full of such gems, but here are just a couple of them.

Dhrubo (August's friend) : "I've a feeling, August, you're going to get hazaar fucked in Madna"
August (high with a joint in hand) : ''Amazing mix, the English we speak. Hazaar fucked. Urdu and American,a thousand fucked, really fucked. I'm sure nowhere else could languages be mixed and spoken with such ease.''

At another point in the novel, where August is all worried about where his life is going and he thinks to himself :
'Eventually, he knew, he would marry, perhaps not out of passion, but out of convention, which was probably a safer thing. And then, in either case, in a few months or years they would tire of disagreeing with each other, or what was more or less the same thing, would be inured to each other's odd and perhaps disgusting ways, the way she squeezed the tube of toothpaste and the way he drank from a glass and didn't rinse it, and they would slide into a placid and comfortable unhappiness, and maybe unseeingly watch TV every day, each still a cocoon'

Also, if you a big fan of Rahul Bose, like me, you have to read this book. Reading it makes you realise, why Rahul Bose must have chosen this movie as his debut break, at the same time, it makes you wonder, whether Rahul Bose has actually become this character, this character is so uncannily like him, he definitely has imbibed some traits of this character for sure. The same attitude, nonchalance, dark and caustic wit, the character being full of endless jokes running in his mind (Rahul Bose does this a lot in his movies). If nothing, read it for Rahul Bose.

I give this a rating of 11 out of 10!