Weekend Movie Reviews: Lone Survivor – Mr. GO – Hasee Toh Pasee (2014) Movie Review
Post watching Telugu films like Paisa [2014], Malligadu Marriage Bureau [2014] and Dil Deewana [2014] this Friday. Caught with three more films this weekend, Korean Film Mr. Go [2014], Lone Survivor [2014] and Bollywood’s romantic entertainer Hasee Toh Pasee [2014].
Let’s go down the list and I’ll tell you my thoughts regarding some of this week’s offerings and why I think you should watch/skip them in theaters.
Movie : Hasee Toh Phasee
Cast: Sidharth Malhotra, Parineeti Chopra, Adah Sharma and Manoj Joshi
Director: Vinil Mathew
Runtime: 142 Minutes
“Beena Blouse Piece ke Saadi Nahi Beejthe”
Nikhil (Siddharth) an aspiring Event manager, who falls in love with wannabe actress Karishma (Adah Sharma). Nikhil & Karishma get engaged after seven years of their love. In the meanwhile Meeta (Parineethi) returns to India, but due to some family problems Karishma makes her stay away from home. Nikhil’s world goes hugger-mugger when he sets his eyes on pretty Meeta. Problems arise when Karishma’s father “Saadi King” disapproves cauterize attitude towards life and career. Nikhil takes it to his heart and pledges to get the IPL event deal before the marriage. But Nikhil takes Meeta to his home. Meeta and Nikhil share bonding for 7 days the two fall deeply in love with each other. How did Meeta adjust in Nikhil’s crazy family? Will Nikhil and Meeta get married forms the rest of the plot of the romantic entertainer
“Chance Hameesha Second Last Hota Hai”
The lead actors are extremely commendable with Parineeti Chopra (Meetu) shinning like a star in each and every frame. The moments she appears on screen, you have no options but to surrender yourself to the charm and chutzpa of this talented lady. Her drug acts are quite compelling. Siddharth Malhotra is good as good-at-heart young man. Parineeti and Siddharth truly live upto the expectations of the audience, with their perfect portrayals. There mannerisms, diction were perfect to the T. Adah Sharma has to learn more, yet she seems quite effortless. Rest of the characters support the lead characters utterly with their performances.
“Shaadi ke Baad Break-Up nahi Divorce hota hai”
Though the storyline is a bit thin but with the method of storytelling makes up for the little glitches. Debutant director Vinil Mathew has a very refreshed storytelling pattern, the smooth flow of scenes with role reversals and dialogues helping it. Let you hooked onto anticipation of what else is going to come on your way. Especially scenes which include Meetu. Music sync with the mood of the film, Zehnaseeb is the best track and it has been utilized perfectly. Even Manchala & Punjabi song stand out. Kudos to Vishal Shekar for the songs as well as the instrumentals which are very important part of the film.
With an exceedingly interesting first half, cracking chemistry between Parineeti and Siddharth, some damn emotional scenes, repetitive second half, and a bit over stretched, but this one still is a good way to spend your weekend with friends and but obviously with your partner.
Go Watch It…
Survi Review: 3/5
Movie: Lone Survivor [2014]
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Eric Bana, Emile Hirsch, Ben Foster, Alexander Ludwig, Scott Elrod and Ali Suliman
Director: Peter Berg
“Moderation is for cowards.”
Lone Survivor is based on the book with the same name by Marcus Luttrell and Patrick Robinson. The book narrates actual event which covers three days Operation Red Wings, when an elite US Navy Seals set out to capture Taliban Chieftain Ahmad Shah [Yousuf Azami] in the tough Hindu Kush Mountains of the Kunar province. They wanted Ahmed Shah as he masterminded the murder of 20 USA soldiers. They see their target, and are ready to carry out their mission. They are discovered by three Afghan goat herders. They consider killing the goat herders, but Luttrell advises against it. If they kill the goat herders, they will be condemned on CNN as bestial Americans who assassinate Afghan civilians. Immediately after the soldiers release the goat herders, the goat herders inform the Taliban of their location. They Taliban quickly surround, outnumber, and begin firing on the four SEALs. Like Black Hawk Down, even Lone Survivor derives its narrative from actual and spectator account.
“If I don’t go home, you don’t go home.”
During the opening scenes Peter berg gives a glance for wannabe Navy Seal’s negotiating a gantlet of an obstacle course in documentary style. This has few deep points included; Leaving Sheep Herders (As it’s against rules to kill unarmed prisoners or combatant) – Raptuses the stereo type that Afghans are foul, savage and USA haters by showing brave Afghani’s – The characterization of seal team good, funny, heroic men to admire.
Coming to Performances, The four leads help the matters too with their bonding and chemistry being very believable. Nice to see Kitsch rebound from his recent woes with something much more suited to him. Wahlberg leads things just as well as he has been doing recently in another fine performance and Foster (arguably the best here for me) as the best performance of a soldier here. Hirsch even though he has chemistry with all the group doesn’t really get anything to do.
For a while in this movie it felt like it would be a war movie similar to Black Hawk Down, focusing more on people in an intense situation than on larger political issues. It’s not quite as jingoistic as some are claiming, but it certainly isn’t apolitical. On reading the captions at the end of this true story i felt like we missed out on a better story that could have been focused on rather than the action.
Survi Review: 3/5
Movie: Mr. Go [2014]
Cast: Xu Jiao, Sung Dong-il, Kim Kang-woo, Kim Jung-tae, Odagiri Joe
Director: Yong-Hwa Kim
Genre: Comedy/ Drama/Sport
Runtime: 132 Minutes.
“Turn impossible into possible that’s circus”
Mr. Go is based on popular South Korean comic book series written during 1980’s. Young-Hwa Kong is more like Rajamouli of Korean cinema knows how to utilize special effects to elevate scenes. His previous works like 200 Pounds of Beauty [2006] and Take Off [2009] are perfect examples of his works. Mr. GO tells about 45 years old, 300 kgs gorilla Ling Ling that grew up in China Ronghua circus with a girl named Wei Wei. The grandfather of Wei Wei has huge interest in baseball, resulting in Ling Ling being trained as a baseball player. Later on, due to an earthquake a huge financial debt that fell on fifteen year old Wei Wei’s lap when her grandfather passed away. How Wei Wei did handled the 45 kids in the circus and on the top of that the local goons demand to pay her grandfather’s debt. Seeing Ling Ling’s strange talent, Baseball agent Sung Choong Soo comes scouting him promising to clear her debts and keep the circus running. That’s how Ling Ling joins Doosan Bears turn the plates in the tournament with unbeatable batting. But locan goons return to Korea with a trick to haunt Wei Wei and Ling. Will goons succeed in their plan? Will Doosan Bears continue their winning saga? Forms the rest of the storyline.
“Turn impossible into possible that’s circus”
After a gap of 5 years Young Kim is back with South Korea’s most expensive film (22 Millions). Half of the budget is spent on the first digital character gorilas, motion capture, facial capture technologies. The CGI is on the par with that of Hollywood and it’s a new benchmark to Korean CGI films.
“First Korean Film to be shot entirely in 3D”
Unfortunately, the commendable visual effects fails to save the film from wafer thin storyline and weak performances by lead characters. Not merely because of the temper and mood swings, which was weird and felt a too striking and sudser-ish, yet it does not help in engaging the audience in the level of emotional depth the character could have conveyed. The story moves forward in a flat way, providing little entertainment and for 132 minutes its never tries to win hearts of the audience. Compared to Kim’s earlier works its definitely a step backward, CGI matters aside. In a nut shell, not even close to an enjoying movie, a time passing one maybe when have nothing else. Such a waste of a very good technology.
Survi Review: 2/5
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