47 Ronin

                                   47 Ronin

                                                      A disgrace rather than a tribute !

Ronin is the Japanese word used for Samurai without a master.

The bare bones of the true story are all there: the kindly Lord Asano (Min Tanaka) is ordered to commit seppuku - ritual suicide by disembowelment - when he almost mortally offends Lord Kira (Tadanobu Asano). This renders all the honourable samurai in Asano's service masterless i.e., ronin. Led by the noble Oishi (Hiroyuki Sanada), the loyal band of 47 ronin vow to avenge Asano - even though they have been ordered by their Shogun (top military commander) not to do so.

47 Ronin is a highly fictionalized take on the story of the 47 ronin who took revenge on a court official who had the 47's leader commit seppuku. In the film, Keanu Reeves portrays Kai, a half-British Half-Japanese outcast who is called upon by Oishi, the leader of the 47. The 47 seek revenge on Lord Kira, who also has an evil witch (Rinko Kikuchi) serving under him, who killed their master.

What's less accurate, of course, is pretty much all the rest of it. Reeves plays Kai, a half-British, half-Japanese orphan who's taken in by Asano but treated like an outcast by everyone in the household - except, of course, for Asano's loving daughter Mika (Kou Shibasaki). Kira's nefarious plans have the support of Mizuki (Rinko Kikuchi), a witch who can apparently take any form she likes: wolf, snake or dragon. It's all a bit nonsensical, especially when Kai tries to get swords for the ronin amongst some pretty creepy folk who have gone from society's outcasts to being part of what looks like a supernatural cult.

In other words, 47 Ronin is a faintly ridiculous addition to the wealth of Chūshingura - fictionalised accounts of the 47 ronin tale - that already exist in Japan. It's the kind of big, dumb blockbuster in which the good guys literally live to die another day as long as the plot calls for it. These fearless ronin even survive when the villain is protected by a witch with crazy mystical powers! She can set an entire field on fire, create poisonous spiders and turn into a dragon! And the ronin - at least 47 of them - live anyway! It's crazy! 


The story of the 47 ronin is uniquely Japanese. It's the concept of bushido and how much one, or many, is willing to tarnish their honor in order to restore justice. Unfortunately things have been simplified a bit too much and all we are left with is a rather typical action- driven revenge plot that could have benefited from being slightly more character-driven. The original story contains a much more intricate build-up to the final confrontation that not only tests the groups patience, but their leader's resilience and cunning. Unfortunately, this film does away with these elements that made the original story so compelling. As good as the actors are (particularly Hiroyuki Sanada and Tadanobu Asano).Keanu's character as an outcast is an interesting addition although he doesn't really get much to do. His arc was fine but the character deserved more moments to shine. The villains were fine but could've been deeper. It would have been nice for Rinko Kikuchi's character to have some back story in order to pit her against Keanu in a more emotionally driven confrontation.

we can understand the desire to want to do away with the philosophical musings of bushido and character drama in order to push the action and fantasy elements, but the action, although generally exciting and visually interesting, lacked impact. I feel they missed an opportunity to really showcase the awesome fighting abilities of the samurai, instead opting for some CGI creatures and demons and a couple of averagely-lit night battles. The cut-aways seemed to cheapen the experience, especially during the seppuku scenes. It seemed to have been framed a bit too closely and the sound was a bit off.

When in 1941 Great Japani Master Kenji Mizoguchi is compelled to make a film into a war-propaganda effort,like many others, he give this tribute to the traditional virtues of the Japanese warrior to be remarkably sober in tone and almost completely devoid of any rhetoric. So, It is not at all surprised to learn that it was a commercial success when it was released in 1941 Japan.this film was released in USA In March1979.Kenji Mizoguchi was a Master film director who made such classics as Sansho he Bailiff and Tales of Ugetsu. 

This movie does not do it justice and is far from being Kenji Mizoguchi's best work. Unlike other stories based on the Ako Vendetta such as Inagaki's "Chushingura hana no maki, yuki no maki" (2 parts), and even the puppet play "Kanadehon Chuushingura" from the mid 1700s, (still preformed today) this film does not put enough emphasis on why Lord Asano had assaulted Lord Kira and instead puts its focus entirely on the loyalty of the 47 involved ronin.

So if you have seen above mentioned privious work on this subject than this film will be prove a great disappointment! As Americans seems to have run out of all great moments of their short history worth making into a film or have exhausted all possibilities thereof they chose to pick from other cultures, and this time (in fact for many times over now) it's the Japanese again. But while The Last Samurai was a passable interpretation and rendering of a conflict and turning point in Japanese history, the 47 ronin is a disgrace. The plot is childish and predictable, the storyline is boring and full of clichés; basically it is a collection of overlong, pointless and immensely silly scenes (e.g.:fat samurai in river) between three or four short action scenes. The dialogues are flat and perhaps even American audiences will find them sappy (Last words of the dying fat samurai).All in all this story would have deserved a far better treatment, and it is a disgrace rather than a tribute to 47 ronin.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

                                              The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

                                                                 "Stiller still loves still life"

         

               

All the Walter Mitty fan If you are looking for a connection to the original story to this silver screen saga, the connection happens during the first 45 minutes and then seems to go in its own direction. Big deal. The movie moves through characters development, plot lines, and geographies smoothly, and does not reveal its final hand until the end.Some indian viewer may try to find echo of 'mungerilal ke hasin sapne' but there is really no connection at all, except that both have original stoy idea from great James Thurber.

Loosely based on the 1939 short story by James Thurber, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty explores the idyllic fantasies of its protagonist, as he attempts to escape the mundane motions of his daily routine employment at Life Magazine. Mitty (Ben Stiller) is a photo negative archiver at Life Magazine. He has given up on his dreams, taking on the financial and emotional stress of his aging Mom brilliantly played by legend called Shirley MacLaine, about to enter a care home. His sister is flighty wannabe actress Odessa (Kathryn Hahn), dreams of playing Rizzo in "Grease". Walter joined eHarmony so he can date Cheryl Melhof (Kristen Wiig), who works in the same office. Wiig charms as Cheryl, the quirky single Mom of skateboarder son Rich (Marcus Antturi). Cheryl is smart and pretty, and is actually interested in Walter, if he had a clue. 

Life Magazine has been taken over by another Company. To transition over to an on-line magazine (some real life threads in fiction?), Ted Hendricks (Adam Scott) with fake(?) beard heads the restructuring corporate team. Ted is a major jerk— arrogant and not as smart as he thinks. Walter is the sole personal contact of legendary cover photographer Sean O'Connell (Sean Penn). When Sean's photo negative for the cover of Life's last newsstand issue is missing, Ted focuses his attention on Walter. Sean claims this is his best photo of his career. Walter must find the missing negative to save his job and possibly win over Cheryl. Working with Cheryl, Walter starts his search in Greenland. Somehow diverting to Iceland, Walter calls Cheryl from a Papa John's Pizza there. It all ties in. 

Ben Stiller is perfect as Walter Mitty.In addition to starring, Stiller also takes on directing duty, and does a mostly wonderful job of collaborating with writer Steven Conrad in adapting Thurber's classic tale of a man's yearning for more out of life.He is inspiring, as "Walter Mitty" and amazingly never takes itself seriously. The movie joyfully celebrates life as illustrated by the beautiful soccer game with Walter and Sean in the Afghan mountains. Stiller makes us pull for Walter as he reclaims his power.you have to remember that Walter Mitty has a very active imagination. Ben Stiller's performance was so engaging, a nice break from his usual slapstick roles. If you are hoping to see him doing one of his usual humorous roles, you will be disappointed. If you want to see him capturing the emotions of a man that has a hard time expressing himself, you will love this movie.The concept - of an underachieving dreamer finally discovering the world - is something most of us can relate to.

The visuals in this film were particularly fantastic. opening sequence of street fighting on roller skate boards sets tone of modern dreams of Walter Mitty.The film's fantasy references are inspired by popular movies such as The Matrix, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Harry Potter and pretty much every superhero film ever. This hilarious and creative approach to Mitty's fantasies offers an insightful look into how uninsightful our own imaginations can be, as they crave originality but settle for what has been imagined before.From the New York offices of LIFE all the way to Iceland. Every scene was perfectly captured and just beautiful.May be Oscar-worthy camera work! . 

The movie joyfully celebrates life as illustrated by the beautiful soccer game with Walter and Sean in the Afghan mountains. Stiller makes us pull for Walter as he reclaims his power. Kristen Wiig is funny and compassionate as Walter's gentle muse . She is surprising. Sean Penn is awesome as Sean O'Connell, strong and whimsically wise. Shirley MacLaine anchors in her Mother's unconditional love for her son Walter, without many words. Patton Oswald nearly steals the show as Todd, the eHarmony profile adviser. Warm and hysterical he punctuates Walter's transformational journey. Stiller reminds us with humor and soul that Life is wonderful when we are present in it. "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" is funny, beautiful and worth sharing your time with him.

Walking With Dinosaurs 3-D

                          

                         Walking With Dinosaurs 3-D

                         

In 1999, we were introduced to a documentary which would later become the of the greatest dinosaur documentary ever made. "Walking with Dinosaurs" provided us that we could be able to enjoy a dinosaur-related program without the need to put in talking dinosaurs. While the effects weren't fully "CGI", we were presented with completely realistic behaviour, environments and surprisingly, A really good story detailing about a certain dinosaur in one episode. From a female Coelophysis trying survive a Triassic drought with her pack members to a female Tyrannosaurus struggling to care for her young near the end of the Age of Dinosaurs, these stories were proved to be realistic, emotional and provided a sense of immersion. In a sense, we felt connected to the dinosaur, whether it was a bloodthirsty predator or not. Also, the music in the background helped to create a brilliant atmosphere to the viewers, which every future "DinoMentary started to take. The show was so good, it is actually 72nd place in the 100 Greatest British Television Programs by the British institute in 1999. It also led to the success of the "Walking With..." series, claiming numerous awards, mostly for it's effects.

Years have passed and now, we are presented with a new dinosaur film which is based on the 1999 documentary, which is distributed by 20th Century Fox. in india Reliance entertnment is distributing the film. Set in Alaska, Walking With Dinosaurs gives us the story of eternally optimistic Patchi (voice of Long ) and his bully of a brother Scowler (Stone), who have to survive annual migrations and growing up without parents in the late Cretaceous period.

Cast as timid and socially awkward, the film introduces Patchi as the runt of the litter, easily distinguishable from the rest of his siblings by a hole on the right side of his frill following a close shave with a predator as a kid. A change in the weather patterns prompts his herd's migration by his father Bulldust, which sets into motion a chain of events that will have Patchi eventually claiming the honour of leading the herd. It isn't just his inner strength that Patchi will discover by the end of the journey; along the way, Patchi also finds a romantic interest in the form of Juniper (Tiya Sircar), a fellow Pachyrhinosaurus he experiences love at first sight with.Watched over by his bird-precursor friend Alex (Leguizamo), Patchi has to navigate sibling rivalry, huge dinosaurs out to eat him and natural obstacles like fire and the ocean.

Patchi is a Pachy-rhinosaurus, from the Greek for “thick-nosed lizard” – in case you didn’t know. Don’t worry if you don’t know about dinosaurs because every time a new one is introduced the action stops and we get a quick lesson.A strange way to forward a story, actually it affects narration.

The visuals are nothing short of spectacular, featuring gorgeous photography of the Alaskan geography as brilliantly-rendered dinosaurs and pterosaurs frolic amongst the landscape, with attention to detail paid in footprints and the animation.there is no shaking off the feeling that the charm of the original series has been largely lost on its journey to the big screen.

Not that the US$85 million dollar production is without merit , the combination of computer animation and live-action is never less than impressive and captivating, demonstrating the leaps and bounds by which technology has advanced since Steven Spielberg first enthralled the world using animatronics in 'Jurassic Park'. On that account alone, it should more than be a fascinating watch for the kiddies; grown-ups though will have a harder time immersing themselves into the lifelike world, ultimately challenged by the artificial dialogue and even more clichéd plot.

                        Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2

        

                    Foodland fantasy which starves for fresh idea !!!

                       

                  

Cloudy 2 is a cute, family friendly film that won't get adults bored, while their kids will ask for more joy.'Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2' was yet another sequel released in 2013. The first one was a good solid animated film, not the best but it was different.


"Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2" utilizes a nonstop, universally appealing sense of humor and imaginative visuals. Children and adults alike will revel in the comic wonderland of "foodimal" hybrids that fuse popular fruits and vegetables with energetic critters. After saving his island hometown of Swallow Falls from his victual-generating invention gone awry, lab-coated Flint Lockwood (Bill Hader) settles down with his friends to clean up the leftovers and build a new laboratory with romantic interest and meteorologist Sam Sparks (Anna Faris). He's assisted by his bushy-eyebrowed father Tim (James Caan), chicken-suited mascot Brent (Andy Samberg), police officer Earl (Terry Crews) and his son Cal (Khamani Griffin), Sam's cameraman Manny (Benjamin Bratt), and his pet monkey Steve (Neil Patrick Harris). Just as they begin the reconstruction, legendary inventor Chester V (Will Forte) lands in his helicopter to recruit Flint to his massive LiveCorp research facility in San Franjose, California, where he secretly plots to use the youngster and his invention for nefarious purposes.interestingly this is real idea which is working in silicon vally without any expiry date !

Occasionally, the deeper notions of bullying, choosing role models, studying the living food instead of destroying it, and valuing friendships enter the picture, but they are quickly brushed under the carpet for more appealing animated absurdities and endangerment. Shrimpanzees, watermelophants, peanut butter and jellyfish, tacodiles, and bananostriches are but a few of the delightfully creative creature designs that run amok in Swallow Falls.yes, these are ideas directly come from jurassic park so it is not original but it may working in western market but it is blasphemy in developing country..

There are a few good jokes - the fishing trip, the translation, Steve the monkey generally - but it's largely overbearing sentiment, food creatures with punny names (essentially a Twitter hashtag that got out of hand), and Steve Jobs-based villainy, a sort of Robots/Wreck-It Ralph/Jurassic Park III hybrid, with a minimum of heart, wit and invention some time leave viewer cold in his seat.

The main plot itself is immediately stale, focusing on that point gives the film a hint of tastelessness. There's even hardly any meat to its subtext which it rather mixes its random messages; it started with the childhood idol trouble cliché, then to Flint's relationship issues to his father and friends, and eventually tells an environmental friendly story. There's also an irony at the fact the animals, which are made of food, shouldn't be harmed, but eating sardines is fine. what kind of analogy they're pulling off here, but then it gets a bit awkward when you give it a second look, at least it's not a sour remark.


2009's Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs was based on a book that turns out to be a really good and undeniably endearing adaptation, and that's satisfying enough for us to live without any sequel of it. But here it is, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, a film that gives Flint Lockwood and the gang an extra journey to this whimsical world. And surprisingly, it turns out to be all fun with wonderful animation and some interesting humor, especially when it involves puns. It's still extravagant for it to have a sequel, but if you're hungry for more of these delightful characters and their preposterous adventures, then this film is a worthwhile treat.

The Hobbit:The Desolation of Smaug

The Hobbit :The Desolation of Smaug 

The Hobbit is a series of three epic fantasy adventure films directed, produced, and adapted to film by Peter Jackson, based on J. R. R. Tolkien's 1937 fantasy novel, The Hobbit. The films are, by subtitle, An Unexpected Journey (2012), The Desolation of Smaug (2013), and There and Back Again (2014). Just as Tolkien's three-volume novel, The Lord of the Rings, continues themes and issues introduced in The Hobbit, Jackson's three Hobbit films together are imagined as a prequel to Jackson's earlier film adaptation of The Lord of the Rings.

Now Storyline..as usual Like any series it starts with same plot.Set in the fictional world of Middle-earth, the three films follow the hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), chosen by the wizard Gandalf (McKellen), to accompany thirteen dwarves led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) on a quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from the dragon Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch).Thia is 156 Minutes long movie but those who can immerse in fantasy of J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy land for them time flies..and thanks to great sets and equally great Camera works, which sets kind of new benchmark.Mostly book provides excellant Charecters but Jackson’s seemingly sacrilegious addition of the elf Legolas (Orlando Bloom) a character from “The Lord of the Rings” who appears nowhere in Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” - feels velvety good. So does the outright invention of a female elf character named Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly), a sort of inferior version of Lara Croft who’s nowhere in any of the books.But The sexing up of Tolkien’s text somehow works, and only nitpickers should object.It also helps that “Smaug” starts with a bang, keeping up the action with such intensity that you won’t have time to quibble about details. Instead of wasting half the movie, as the first one did, stuck in a claustrophobic hobbit-hole with a bunch of drunken dwarves, “Smaug” opens with a pulse-pounding  chase scene. Mere seconds in, we watch a pack of bloodthirsty orcs pursue our hobbit hero and his dwarf companions over the Misty Mountains — where, as you will recall, we last left them — to the home of Beorn (Mikael Persbrandt), a shape-shifter who first appears in the form of a giant bear.After essential discussion with Beron dwarfs moves on mission. 

First, the company of dwarfs must pass through the enchanted forest of Mirkwood, where they tussle with giant CGI spiders. Next, they’re imprisoned in the stronghold of the woodland elves.Their escape - in barrels carried by churning river rapids - is one of the movie’s great action sequences, and it looks simply sensational in 3-D. Unlike the orcs in The Lord of the Rings trilogy who wore full-body makeup and prosthetics, many of those in The Hobbit have computer-generated faces,Which purist may not like. It all felt more like a theater play, than a film. The sets, the way it was filmed and the music, all made it feel like you were just there.

So, viewed as an independent work, is this a good movie? Technically it is brilliant, full of detail that can only be appreciated on the big screen. Smaug is, hands down, the best-designed movie dragon the world has yet seen. If I were a teenager this wealth of fantasy action would probably have exited me no end.so fasten your seat belt and enjoy ride in lonely and lovely mountain !!

Old boy

                                                                Old boy: 

                      korean wine in hollywoodian bottle?

       Spike lee try to remake Chan-wook Park's great film Oldboy,but he is not up to mark so we have to concede that  Chan -wook Park is a wise man who turndown the offer for remake of the ' Evil dead'.After Watching this film viewer might think if spike lee should have shown same wisdom it would have prove better.. well, but hollywood remake has it's own plus points and that aspect has been very well exploited by spike lee. so here  first advantage is great actor Josh Brolin and his heroine Elizabeth Olsen.

Well,The story is well known. An ad executive one day kidnapped and solitary confined for 20 years and during all these years he tries to understand what went wrong and Whether he is good or bad human being? Typical korean way the film tries to give answer to moral question but like most of violent korean film these answer may not be acceptable to indian audience who has much finer and refined sensibilities for moral issues .

Interestingly for Indian audience this film may not offer anything new. Sanjay gupta already made indian version of this film titled ' Zinda' ( sanjay dutt).And sensor board had chopped this hollywood film heavily so it may possible you may not be able to connect some vital story points,but for the fan of Josh Brolin this may prove a  treat.Another new thing is that Spike lee has done is, he connects audience to story line through major TV events which works very well as story telling device. Original film won awards at Cannes.  But we are not sure about this venture of spike lee.So if you have not seen the original or the  bollywood rip off then this is your chance to see hollywood version of korean classic,which offers korean violence in mild manner.

Hunger game

                       The Hunger Games: Catching Fire    

Some stories are built on passion, some on courage and some on hope. Very rarely do you come across a love story that encompasses itself around a life-or-death contest. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire introduces us to the world of Katniss Everdeen, who mirrors the most innocent of sentiments which lie locked up within the depths of our heart. She wins us over in the first frame, It is not her heroism which makes her a heroine, but her vulnerability which makes her endear-able. The audience falls in love with Katniss because she is scared of the unknown just like us. What makes her a hero is her conviction and spirit, which makes her embark on a wide-spread journey for the search of love and faith. Her name is Katniss Everdeen. Brought up in an unforgiving society, Katniss battles the alternate evils of racial profile and scornful peers with equal focus, trying to make sense of the world that burns homes, bullies people at school and make a false show of sympathy. She goes by the doctrine of the Mockingjay, which teaches her that there are two classes of people in the world, those who are good and would offer a lollipop and those who are bad and would point a sharp stick.(Wait for Part - 3 with almost same cast.)   

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is appreciable because of its brilliance, acceptable for its nobility and unquestionable in its integrity. Suzanne Collins weaves in a tale of love, faith, strength and humanity within a cinematic frame of timeless minutes pulling out a riveting and compelling human drama of innocence poised against the system, through the filtered sensibilities of a patient suffering from the effects of unjust society, one who cannot understand the world, but love it enough to change it.but as a cinema it has shortcomings, like those who are not familiar with part -1 for them film taking too much time for built-up and and they don't know the importance of attention span of audience.

In the end, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire becomes the experience it is because of good production value, lavish game sets and Katniss and Peeta, essayed by Lawrence and Hutcherson. Lawrence exudes the spirit of Katniss in every breath and pulse of the film, putting in a good performance. She is complimented by Hutcherson whose very presence lights up the entire room with just a flashing smile. He balances the sensitivity of love and charm with the emotional conflict of a ravaged heart with effortless poise. The interactions between Hutcherson and his merry company form the highlights of the film, filled with the cackling chemistry of a uninhibited passion, captivating the audience in the mesmerizing spell of the couple. Woody Harrelson as Haymitch Abernathy delivers a matured and restrained performance while Liam Hemsworth as Gale Hawthorne blends in simplicity with sensibility in a performance that comes straight from the heart. Donald Sutherland is exceptional as President Snow in his mannerisms and he is the captivating Character who gives strength to other roles while the supporting cast all deliver credible performances including Jena Malone in a dazzling cameo.There will always be movies that enchant us with their magic here it is one.