Author: Sasikanth

I am Sasikanth Paturi, a big time foodie and movie freak, and a pretty good critique.

A Good Day To Die Hard | Movie Review

A Good Day To Die Hard

It looks like Hollywood is now taking inspiration from Bollywood and making films which make no absolute sense. A Good Day To Die Hard is one movie with absolutely no story, and all the action scenes are stitched together to make a movie. And these action sequences too make no sense. Direction by John Moore is mediocre while the screenplay by Skip Woods is pathetic (It’s the worst I’ve seen in a Hollywood movie till date).

Bruce Willis looks old, but still does a commendable job, while Jai Courtney struggles to act. The cinematography is alright, but the action sequences are so fast that you can’t make any sense out of them, thanks to some bad editing. The graphics could have been better, and the entire film looked grainy on a regular screen (I wonder how they plan to release it on Imax with such quality). Overall, it a bad film, so stay away from it!!

Is it worth your time and money??: No!! If you’ve watched and enjoyed Die Hard movies, then a bigger NO!! This movie is a disgrace to the franchise, it’s that bad.

Acting: 5/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 3/10
Technical Aspects: 5/10

Verdict: 4/10

Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola | Movie Review

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Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola is a fun movie, but is unnecessarily long which makes you yawn over and over again. Vishal Bhardwaj tried to put in a lot of content into the movie, and in the process lost track. The movie starts off well, and there are certain epic episodes. But overall, dragging and long redundant shots are more in number when compared to the good ones. Screenplay is weak and could have been better.

On acting front, Imran Khan is alright as Mandola. The shabby look suits him. Anushka is super hot as Bijlee. The oomph factor is all there. But the clear winner is Pankaj Kapoor for he was brilliant in every shot and lit up the screen on fire. Shabana Azmi was equally good.

Editing could have been way better. The 148 minute movie would have been much effective it were cut short to somewhere around 120. Cinematography by Kartik Vijay is decent, while music by Vishal Bhardwaj could have been better. 

Is it worth your time and money??: Depends. While the main intention of the film gets lost, you can still watch it for the humour and Pankaj Kapoor (and appreciate Anushka’s hotness!!).

Acting: 8/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 6.5/10
Technical Aspects: 7/10

Verdict: 7/10

Django Unchained | Movie Review

django-unchained

After three years of hiatus, Quentin Tarantino is back. Django Unchained is a typical Tarantino movie in all ways; its got the style, and all the blood. The story is simple, and sometimes predictable, yet engrossing. The screenplay, like other Tarantino films, is non linear, but not so much as say Inglorious Basterds.

Jamie Foxx is superb as Django, and his body language in certain scenes is excellent. Leonardo DiCaprio is great as the antagonist. But the clear winner in terms of acting, gaining him a much deserved Oscar nomination is Christoph Waltz. He is terrific as Dr. Schultz. The rest of the cast is alright. Cinematography by Robert Richardson is good, but editing by Fred Raskin could have been better. 

Is it worth your time and money??: On the whole, for any Tarantino movie lover, Django Unchained is a must watch. You might actually enjoy the movie even if you are not a fan, so go ahead and watch it nevertheless!!

Acting: 9.5/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 9/10
Technical Aspects: 9/10

Verdict: 9/10

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey | Movie Review

The Hobbit _scifidrive

Is it worth your time and money??: Well, if you are expecting something very similar to The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, you might be slightly disappointed with The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. The problem is Peter Jackson (Director) trying too hard to make it similar to the trilogy. The movie starts of pretty slow, at times felt very similar to LOR: The Fellowship of the Ring, but it slowly picks up pace and ends very well. The screenplay was pretty neat, but I thought the editing was shabby. Cinematography, like other LOR movies, is awesome, and the 3D effects just add value. Overall, it’s a good film with its own charm.

Acting: 9/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 8.5/10
Technical Aspects: 9/10

Verdict: 8/10

Talaash | Movie Review

Talaash is a different film and does not suit the tastes of everyone. Aamir is, as usual, very good as Inspector Surjit. He proves his mettle in the last scene. Kareena looks beautiful, while Rani downplays her role to perfection. Story by Reema Kagti and Zoya Akhtar challenges current generations thoughts and perceptions. Direction by Reema is excellent, and she was able to keep the mystery till the end, but the slow screenplay plays spoil sport. There was unnecessary drag, and a couple of scenes could have easily made the cut on the editing table (Editing by Anand Subaya). A shorter, crispier Talaash would have been awesome. Nevertheless, the film works (at least for me). I loved the suspense revealing climax sequence – it was shot superbly and created the required effect. But the following water shots ruin the effect in a way for they looked lame. Cinematography by Mohanan is pretty good. Production values are good.

Is it worth your time and money??: Well, it’s not a typical Aamir Khan movie, so if you go without any expectations, you’ll end up liking it. Keep an open mind!!

Acting: 8/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 6/10
Technical Aspects: 8/10

Verdict: 7/10

Life of Pi | Movie Review

Directed by Ang Lee, Life of Pi is a simple story told in a very effective way. The film grips you right at the start, and you are engrossed in Piscine Molitor aka Pi’s life all through. You can emotionally connect with Pi, feel his pain and joy, and that’s what makes the movie work. The subtle humour is wonderful.

Acting by Suraj Sharma is superb and he couldn’t have asked for a better debut. He digs into the role with all his might and comes out a winner. Irrfan Khan is good as the older Pi, while Tabu looks stunningly beautiful as Pi’s mother. The Royal Bengal Tiger aka Richard Parker is a graphic wonder (to an extent that you would think he was real if no one told you that he were computer generated!!)

Direction is perfect, and so is the screenplay. However, I was kinda disappointed with the ending for it could have been much better. The graphics are simply wonderful. They look a little unrealistic at times, but I’ve never sailed in the Pacific at night, so I wouldn’t know :P!! The 3D effects are really good – they made me jump out of my seat on a couple of occasions.

Is it worth your time and money??: Absolutely!! It’s a visual masterpiece. A better and gripping ending could have made Life of Pi a magnum opus. But still, it’s a brilliant film nevertheless. Go rediscover yourself!!

Acting: 9/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 9/10
Technical Aspects: 9.5/10

Verdict: 9/10

Travelogue | Day 20: Shimla – Kalka – Delhi

September 11, 2012

Reached Shimla at around 6:00 in the morning. Asked people for directions, and walked to the Railway station in about 30 minutes. Brushed my teeth at the station and was wondering what to do next. The Toy Train to Kalka was at 10:30 so I had about 3 hours to kill.

So I decided to head out again onto the streets. Everything was still closed for it was not even 7:00. I managed to find a small roadside hotel serving hot Poori, and settled down in there for a while. After roaming around the deserted town for a while longer, returned to the station. Sat in the waiting room and read a book, and did some time pass before the train arrived. I got in and settled in my seat.

I was expecting this train ride to be fun, and initially it was, but soon it got boring. Again, the view and landscapes were more or less mediocre and I kinda dozed off after a while. The view kept getting worse as we headed down the mountain range, and as we neared Kalka, there was nothing but garbage and filth next to the train track. It was actually pretty disgusting.

The train reached Kalka at around 4:30 PM, and my next train to Delhi was at 5:45. Did some time pass at the station and watched TV on the platform while  waiting for the Shatabdi Express to arrive.

This train was very well maintained and one of the best trains I’ve ever been in. I actually felt like I was on-board an aircraft rather than a train. It also moved pretty fast. The compartment was pretty much empty and I therefore had the liberty to sit with my legs stretched out. They served some pretty good food mid way through and we reached Delhi earlier than the scheduled time, at around 9:30 PM.

I initially had a couch in Delhi, but the girl I was supposed to Couchsurf with had to travel on emergency to Mumbai. She said she’d be back in a day, so I had to again find a place for myself in Delhi for a night. This time around, I asked a rickshaw guy to take me to a decent place, where I could get a air-conditioned room for around 500 bucks. He took me to a couple of hotels but everyone quoted around 1000. Unable to find an A/C room in my budget, finally zeroed in on a regular room for 500 bucks in the better part of Paharganj.

I had a quick shower before hitting the sack.

Day 19: Dharmshala (McLeodGanj)
Day 21 – 23: Delhi

Travelogue | Day 19: Dharamshala (McLeodGanj)

September 10, 2012

The bus was supposed to reach Dharamshala or McLeodGanj at around 5:00 AM, but it ended up reaching way before time. I didn’t realize the difference between Dharamshala and McLeodGanj until I reached; Dharamshala is the town and McLeodGanj is the suburb hillock on which His Holiness the Dalai Lama resides. Anyway, Andreas decided to part ways here and went along with the girl he had met in the bus, and the task for me now was to find a room for myself.

I roamed around the empty streets in search of a room, and a few guys offered me one for around 300 bucks. I thought it was too expensive for a day’s stay, for I was travelling to Shimla the same night. After walking through the by-lanes, I found a small hotel which offered me a room for 150 bucks. The room was pretty neat, and after check in, I dozed off till about 8:00 AM.

I had a quick shower and decided to go visit the monastery near Dalai Lama’s residence. I had to walk quite a bit before I finally reached the place. Having visited so many monasteries, this one was quite ordinary. But having nothing else to do (His Holiness wasn’t in town), I sat in there for a long time. I then headed back towards the room and stopped by at a small cafe called Mom’s Kitchen for lunch.

After hogging on some good food, I took a bus to the nearby Bhagsu Waterfalls. It was about a 30 minute ride, and this place looked very different from rest of McLeodGanj. There was a long steep walk to reach the falls from where the bus had stopped. I was pretty tired but somehow managed to reach the top. The Waterfall wasn’t big or anything, and again, having witnessed amazing landscapes through my journey thus far, it felt quite ordinary. I sat there on a rock in the water for a long time before heading back down to take the bus back to McLeodGanj.

I was unsure whether to head back to the room to take a nap or roam about a bit more. But my legs gave up pretty soon and I chose the nap. I woke up at around 7:00, roamed through the streets and had a quick bite before walking to the bus stop at around 9:00, for my bus was at 9:30 PM.

And this is when I realized that my bus wasn’t from McLeodGanj but from Dharamshala. I had to rush down to the other bus-stop, and luckily a found an auto on time. He charged me a bomb (100 bucks), but I had no alternative. I reached the Dharamshala bus-stop to realize that the bus was running late. It left for Shimla at around 10:00 PM, and I think I fell asleep as soon as I got in to the bus.

Day 18: Manali (Paragliding)
Day 20: Shimla – Kalka – Delhi 

Travelogue | Day 18: Manali (Paragliding)

September 9, 2012 

Again woke up late. It was still drizzling outside, so I was in for another lazy day. Went to the bus stand and booked a ticket to Dharamshala for the night from Manali. Andreas was joining me on the trip. He had no itinerary in place, and was exploring all the places he could. I also booked my bus ticket from Dharamshala to Shimla for the next night.

We had a late brunch in a small cafe near the hotel, and lazed around the cafe for a long time. The weather cleared up, and at around 3:00 PM, decided to go give Paragliding a try. Andreas wasn’t interested in gliding, but he said he would give me company, so we got into an auto and reached the spot.

We had to take a Gondola (Cable Car) to reach the top of the mountain from where the gliding began. There were two levels of gliding, but because of the weather, the second level (longer ride) was closed for the day. Including the Gondola ride up, the operators were quoting a price of 1000 (500 for the Gondola and 500 for Paragliding), but I managed to negotiate it for 800 bucks. Andreas decided to just take the Gondola ride to the second level and walk down the hill.

The Gondola ride was good, and after about 20 minutes, I got down at the first level while Andreas continued the ride up. I was asked to wait for a while before my turn came, so walked around the place, took some selfies and ate Maggi at the small cafe. I was walked down through the jungle to the spot from where the gliding started, and after putting on the gear, I was flying along side the operator.

Honestly, I expected the ride to be spectacular, but it wasn’t. The view wasn’t anything great, and I had already seen landscapes which were much more beautiful in my journey so far.

After reaching the bottom, Andreas and I walked around a bit before heading back to town in the same auto. Our bus to Dharamshala was scheduled to leave at 7:10 PM, and so, soon after reaching the room, we had a quick bite and started our walk to the bus stand.

The bus was more or less empty with just 5 passengers. Andreas found a Swiss girl for company, while I dozed off pretty soon through the bumpy ride.

Day 17: Manali
Day 19: Dharamshala

Travelogue | Day 17: Manali

September 8, 2012

I woke up late to a beautiful view from the verandah. I was so tired that I just wanted to sit and relax in the room all day. And more or less, that is what I did.

Maya left for Delhi late in the afternoon, and it was just Glenda and Andreas and I. We roamed around Old Manali for most of the day; had a good lunch at a nearby cafe. While Andreas went back to the room, Glenda and I explored the place a little more. We wanted to go try Paragliding, but was it was raining/drizzling, and we were told that the gliding might be closed for the day. So we postponed the act. There was a beautiful pathway through a park which connected old and new Manali, and we walked through it a couple of times. We had some snacks in the town, and on our way back, came across Water-Rappelling.

There were a couple of guys who were conducting rappelling across Beas river, right next to a small bridge. He was charging around 400 bucks (as far as I remember), and Glenda and I decided to give it a try, given that we didn’t do anything exciting through the day. Glenda went first and she loved it, and so did I. I actually wanted more of it for it was too short a ride. The guy stopped me midway through and made me swing, which resulted in me drowning in the water till my waist. The water, as expected, was ice cold, but the entire experience was super fun.

Back to the room, stuffed with all the junk I ate through the day, I skipped dinner. Glenda also left for Delhi, and it was just Andreas and I left in Manali.

Day 16: Keylong – Manali
Day 18: Manali (Paragliding)