Monday, August 01, 2005

Well I was waiting eagerly for this movie as I love animation abe it 2D or 3D. The best part about these movies are that one can watch them again and again. ************************************************************ About The Movie ************************************************************ This movie is one of a kind. It has a different plot and an interesting ending. It has romance and humor and yes the voiceovers and the script had us in stitches. Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, John Lithgow and how can I forget Eddie Murphy who is known for his wit, have given life to the animated characters . The whole movie has tried to be different than other animation movies and it succeeded. Dreamworks have done a good job. Your kids will love it and you will also enjoy the antics of the characters. ************************************************************ The Plot ************************************************************ The plot is unique and though it has it’s shares of loopholes, one can sit back and enjoy oneself and get involved with the characters . That’s what matters to me when I watch a movie. Even if the plot is weak, the director should be able to hold the interest of the audience. This movie takes you to a world where humans and fairy tale creatures lived side by side. The town of Duloc is where the focus is placed. Lord Farquaad, who has ambitions to become a king, rules Duloc and he can only do so if he marries a princess. Shrek (voiceover by Mike Myers) is an ogre who lives the life of a recluse and is happy to be on his own. Everyone is scared of him and it suits him fine as he knows he cannot inspire anything but disgust because of his looks and stature. He is selected by the fairy tale creatures to save their land, and he is manipulated into rescuing the princess (voiceover by Cameron Diaz) who Lord Farquaad wants to marry but is too scared to risk his life for the princess. Anyway along the course of the story Shrek meets a talking donkey ( voiceover by Eddie Murphy) who sometimes steals the show from Shrek. This donkey is cute and arrogant and has a perpetual smile in his face … very endearing !!! The story is good and the ending is pretty interesting. That’s what makes the plot going. ************************************************************ Animation ************************************************************ They have done a great job in making everything seem so real. Its amazing what animation has achieved. I had watched Final Fantasy, which was technically very good but the story and the concept was a little dry. I believe that Monster Inc. is also a great revolutionary movie when it comes to animation. Shrek has used bright colours and great expressive faces. The backgrounds are very impressive. Its as close to reality as it can get. ************************************************************ My Impressions ************************************************************ I was very entertained by this movie and this was a fairy tale about which I did not read about and that made it all the more interesting !! What I liked best was the voiceovers which was real funny specially Eddie Murphy. He is incorrigible. After watching this movie you can take home with you at the memories of all the characters and the kids will have something more to smile about. And there is a moral to the story too like all other fairy tales which you can teach your kids. ************************************************************ Should you watch this movie ?? ************************************************************ This is a must watch movie for kids and for those who love animations and fairy tales. This is a movie one has to watch in the theatres. So what are you waiting for?? Go with your kids and watch it. Bangalore has 4 shows playing in the Plaza theatre. Pros : Great script and great animation Cons : none Plot : Good - Original and a good plot Cast Performance : Good - Overall good Soundtrack : Good - Except a few Camera Effects : Wow - Best effects I've ever seen Watch this movie with : Spouse / Partner

Mitr - Friendship makes the world go round

This millenium seems to be a season of offbeat movies. Hyderabad Blues, Rockford, Bollywood Calling,Monsoon Wedding and recently Mitr. What I like about these movies are that they are much more realistic and are slowly making place of their own with their mix of some mainstream cinema and some art cinema. And most importantly these movies relate with the audience. That is what I appreciated about the filmmaker. She has tried to connect with the audience and succeeded, I feel. Believe me these movies are a welcome change after watching cliched movies like Mohabbatein, Yaadein, Mission Kashmir, AAAAGHHH !! Just thinking about these movies makes me shudder. ************************************************************ Concept ************************************************************ A friend is one who excepts you as you are and well does not judge you for what you do .. A friend in need is a friend indeed.... A friend i sone who shares and cares .... etc etc .. uou must have heard these words a thousand of times and believe in it too.. I do for sure .. But in real life as you proceed across the different phases of life, childhood, youth, adult, middle-age, old-age, etc the concept of friendship changes. Thats what MITR is about in a nutshell. How would you convert relationship to friendship and how important it is for your survival. ************************************************************ About the movie ************************************************************ The movie is simple and the message is very clear cut without any frills. You have to think about the subtle nuances projected in the movie. Its everything to with what happens and may happened to many people and family . The best part of the movie is that one can enjoy the story even if it has its serious undertones and one can definitely relate to the movie. The concept is not far fetched and one may find oneself in a similar situation sometime. Specially for an Indian who has left the country and settled down in another country for business purpose. The movie boasts of all women technical crew which is a first, I think. Revathy Menon who is a powerful actress in her own right has directed this movie and well she has done it very well. The editing is well done. It is difficult to watch the movie if the editing is not done well. FOr example, Monsoon Wedding was very shabbily edited I feel. It was not comfortable watching the movie. The music was composed by Bhavatharini Ilyaraaja, the esteemed Ilyaraja’s daughter. The music was okay but it could be improved. According to me it blended well with the movie and for a change the music did not overpower the story. The cinematography was also very pleasing to the eyes as they locations were well selected. Shobhana, Naseer Abdullah and Preeti Vissa did a great job in portraying the emotional confusion and the flow of the story and the characters were pretty smooth. You will not get lost in the movie with certain scenes being there unnecessarily. ************************************************************ My Recommendation ************************************************************ Go and watch it if you liked movies like Hyderabad Blues, Rockford, Bollywood Calling and Monsoon wedding. This movie is something which many Bangloreans will relate too specially those having left the country to slog in the IT industry and earn more money and have a better life. Its a movie where you dont have to think much and yet feel that you have enjoyed the movie. Its ideal for an evening date with your partner. :) Avoid it if you have a penchant for chicks running haywire in spandex and hens running around trees and going WHAM BAM with lot of tomato sauce smeared on their face. :) Pros : Good script and story Cons : The music could have been better but I found it was ok for starters Plot : Good - Original and a good plot Cast Performance : Good - Overall good Soundtrack : Fair - Only a few Camera Effects : Good - Will do for normal viewing Watch this movie with : Spouse / Partner