THE RETURN OF THE KING (2003) - ENGLISH

This I suppose, is the greatest fantasy film made till date.

There are many reasons why this is the greatest. The visual effects were spectacular and they have increased the scope of any film. This film took the film-making to new heights which were previously not thought of. Peter Jackson for this very reason became one of the greatest filmmakers ever. 

The beginning is very simple, and it takes us to the backstory of the ring. The battle scenes are nothing short of epic. The culmination is happy and this has a feel good ending. everything is so perfectly commercial on the face of it. But, to tell it the way it has been told is stupendous. 

The acts by all, especially Elijah Wood as Frodo, Sean Austin as Sam, Ian McKellen as Gandalf and Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn are the most memorable for me. These are characters I shall not forget ever in my lifetime. 

The writing by JRR Tolkein is a masterpiece in itself but to translate such visual strength to the celluloid would have been the greatest challenge for any filmmaker. Just happy that Peter Jackson did his bit in bringing one of the greatest fantasy novels to the public reach, He actually did a great service by doing so. He served the book readers and the film viewers hugely. 

Thanks to all, who have made this film and the trilogy a possibility and I am going with 5/5. Nothing less for one of the greatest films.

CONTAGION (2011) - ENGLISH

A definite must watch for the way it terrifies sans supernatural elements.

It's about an epidemic, a disease breakthrough yet very powerful in making impact psychologically. It's a rare film I must say that dares to take an ensemble cast, and go the whole hog of creating an epidemic. The film has Matt Damon, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard, Gwyneth Paltrow and many others. This implies that this is a script that convinced so many stars to be a part of it. So the script is great in itself. What makes it greater is the way it is directed. As a good director, Steven Soderbergh takes this script and adds pace making it a thriller than a medical autopsy of an epidemic.

Yes, I must say it's a thriller and that's the genre of this film. It thrilled me from the word go and made me sit the very end and even after it's over it made me ponder. It actually gave me a lump in my throat. Kudos, to all those involved in making this and I rate this as one of the very important films for doctors and patients above the normal film viewers.

Also, I stay in Hong Kong currently so I can relate to this film. I have seen, the MTR, the ferry and those streets that are shown in this film and actually felt very happy. But from Hong Kong to the USA and meanwhile citizens of other countries should be aware of any epidemic. There was SARS, there was Ebola, and now there is MERS and ZIKA now. We do not know their origins and the investigation is on and in future, there shall be more such epidemics if we are not careful. 

This film just acts as a mirror in showing to us, what life can be like if we are not just doing the right things. One person's carelessness, can cause a lot of damage. This film, inherently, gives a message to focus on personal hygiene in anything we do.

The technical aspects are great and the atmosphere that this film created is chilling and amazing. It's a film that's a must watch and a 5/5.

SEVEN (1995) - ENGLISH

Calling this film 'Terrific' would still be an understatement.

Engaging right from the word go, and shocking at the end, this film is an epitome of writing and shows that if a well-written script is directed well, then everything becomes great. David Fincher was not a great well-known when he was making this. His first film Alien 3 was supposedly panned by most people. Then, he took on directing this cold blooded murder mystery film, and boy he did the job extremely well.

The dialogues are extremely important and they have a lot of weight. It's rare to see a thriller filled with such nuances and have a deep meaning to words. The action is minimal and yet has a very high impact. The culmination or finale is a shocker. To say the least, the last 30 minutes are riveting and spine chilling. 

The nearly 130 minutes film becomes highly action packed after 90 minutes. In the last 40 minutes, actually, there is a lot of dialogue that's very provocative than action. Yet. it's so very engaging that it takes me to the edge of seat each time I see this film thus, I call it as action-packed. I must say, I have seen this film multiple times, with multiple people as my viewing partners, and each time I like it more. So this film just keeps growing on me. 

The cinematography is amazing and so is the editing. These two departments technically are supreme. Other departments did their job well too. Of all, it's the direction that mattered. Fincher gave us a glimpse what he is capable of with this supreme film, his next one was "The Fight Club" which is a cult in itself.

It's a 5/5 for a great film that surpasses time to stand out as a classic thriller. I have not named the actual supreme character in this film, so go and find out who it is and what he does.

THE TWO TOWERS (2002) - ENGLISH

The adventure is poised and rightly so gets more fascinating. 

This is the second film of the trilogy and adds up more elements to the story. There are newer characters and few old ones seem to have been rested, for good. Yet, the fascination does not stop and it gets more engaging with this one. 

I am actually happy revisiting these films as I seem to understand more points about the story than I did earlier. I cannot put them here and become a spoiler as I am an ardent fan of the Lord of the Rings. Rather, I can say that everyone must see why this is one of the finest fantasies brought alive on celluloid.

The fellowship of the earlier film is split and yet each one is in the same pursuit. Their ways are different now, but the goal is still the same. The characterisations are still consistent and it makes it easier to understand the intention of each one. Also, it makes the story all the more fascinating. 

I love the technical aspects of the film, and that's one of the very reasons why this fantasy is highly appreciated. The visuals, the sound, the whole landscape. It seems so unreal and yet is so very connected. Peter Jackson is a genius who brought the whole middle earth in front of our eyes and yet everything seems like it existed at one point of time in reality. Also, he knows when to end and what to do with the material at hand.  That's where his genius is. This film takes off from a good point and lands at a very wonderful point, making us more eager to be on the next adventure.

It's a 5/5 for this one and is one of the greatest films and adventures ever. 

HACHI (2009) - ENGLISH

A heart-rending tale of an extremely loyal dog. 

I have seen some films where dogs talk, do funny things and even be very serious, those were unreal and cinematic. This one is a real dog and a real story. It does not, it does not do funny things or never becomes serious, it just plays itself as a dog. Hachiko, the dog is an amazing one and the story is fascinating too. 

It was hard to believe that such a dog existed, till I got to read the real story. Akita, the breed of Hachiko seems to be most loyal of all the dog breeds and we are lucky to have such beings accompany us in this world. I am lucky enough to have known and seen the story by myself, although in a cinematic form. 

It's a story that's worth telling and is worth knowing. There are aspects from where we as humans can learn something I believe. I learned to be more humble, and will try to be more down to earth. Death is a certainty that no mortal being can escape but the way we die makes what we are. This is the take away from the film. I hope to die in a way where I am remembered not just by my family and friends but by many more persons for the rightful deeds. 

Thanks to the technical team of this film, for taking this story and making us a film, so that many more will get to know of this. Thanks to Richard Gere for acting in this low-key film and making his performance and also the film special. He seems to be a generous human, by playing his part in a film like this one. Of all the technical aspects, I liked the music by Jan A P Kaczmarek. 

It's a 4/5 for a film that's tear-jerking, moving and memorable.

SHUTTER ISLAND (2010) - ENGLISH

It was one hell of a shattering film for me.

Definitely well written and well made, above all it was supremely acted. The poise by Ben Kingsley, the vulnerability by Leonardo DiCaprio and fitting into the characters by all others. It was a job well done by all. 

It dealt with a lot of psychological elements and effects without bloating or being preachy. Right from the word go, we have an action-packed film in words. Though there is no physical violence, there is a lot of psychological violence. The content of drama is terrific I felt. The film is surely 140 minutes but for me most of it is justified and I did not find anything that was out of place or was deliberately added. So editing takes a bow for keeping the content that is just as required. 

The master director Martin Scorcese comes with a terrific thriller and he seems to have done away with those gangster films, he made earlier. from "Taxi Driver" to "The Departed" there were always many dark shades to characters in his films and this film is no exception. The darkest character in this film was the protagonist himself like it was in "Taxi Driver".

Some of the appreciation must go to the original novel writer Dennis Lehane for writing the novel "Shutter Island". This would have surely been an unputdownable book. 

There are hallucinations, metaphors, dreams, reality and philosophy and much more embedded in this package and I loved most of it. 

My favorite line is "I wonder, is it better to live like a monster, or die a good man?"  from the protagonist Teddy Daniels. 

I am surprised that this is the third film that was made from his novel and I have seen the other two too. So Dennis Lehane should be the one I should make time to read some day. I saw his other adaptations "Gone Baby Gone" and "Mystic River" and I liked both of them too. 

This film is a 4/5 and I am afraid I may not sit through this film another time. Yet, I am going to remember this for a long time to come.

THE GOOD DINOSAUR (2015) - ENGLISH

A touching homecoming adventure of a Dinosaur.

Like in most Pixar films, there are moments that are heart wrenching, touching, exciting and endearing.  In the good dinosaur, there are a lot of such moments thankfully. The dull moments are spared and the editing of making this just 93 minutes feature helped I believe. The film is a thrilling adventure that has a lot of family values and emotional substance. In storytelling, this may quite not match up with the Pixar standards but in visual appeal, it surpasses Pixar's own standards. Technically, this film is just brilliant.

The visual effects are pleasing to the eye and the music pleased my ears. So, it was a great time for my eyes and ears and I liked it. Music by Mychael  Danna can be worth hearing independently too, and it has a universal appeal. Just loved the score of this film. 

The visual effects, the choice of colors, the depiction of natural elements and the dinosaurs itself, are all treat to the vision. It's a great feat in terms of achievement in the animation industry, I fell for the visual aspect of the film and happy to have seen the film in a theater in 3d. 

The writers, I wish had written or shown us a tighter story. Some elements were let loose and the film would have been better even without them. But I can easily spare them, coz they are tough  for a couple of minutes in this 93-minute feature, making 91 minutes totally worth the time.

Thanks to Peter Sohn to give us this film. We are happy about this and I felt to be lucky to have caught this in theaters.

It' a 4/5 for this film. Nice one, that should be watched for a good film experience.

Also, a special mention about the short film "Sanjay's Super Team". This is awesome and indeed, the best-animated shorts I saw in a long long time. The animation work done for the short film is amazing and being an Indian, I was proud with what I saw. Thanks to the director Sanjay Patel for this.

यही जन्नत है

बदलता है सब कुछ यहाँ पर हम न बदले यही चाहत है 
अगर हम बदलते नहीं, तो लोग केहते है 
हम इस ज़माने के है नहीं, यही तो मुसीबत है 
कितना भी कहे कोई, अगर हम खुद से खुश है तो यही जन्नत है 

अदा को सलाम

ज़माना ने दिया हमें तुम्हे प्यार करने का इलज़ाम 
पर हम थे इस ज़माने से अंजान 
हमने तो दिया नहीं इस रिश्ते को कोई नाम 
गुज़ारता हूँ ज़िन्दगी करते हुए तेरी हर अदा को सलाम 

अगर जीना ही है

क्यों आना था उन्हें अगर जाना ही है तो 
क्यों गए वो अगर किसी को रुलाना ही है तो 
आएंगे फिर से सब यहाँ, जीता हूँ इस आस से 
समझाना अब खुद को है, अगर जीना ही है तो 

आज़ादी देने वाले शहीदों

हमें आज़ादी देने वाले शहीदों को करता हूँ सलाम 
उनके बिना मिलता नहीं हमें ये आज़ादी का इनाम 
आज़ाद है हम, मरेंगे आज़ाद ही, पर भूलेंगे नहीं उनका नाम 

इतनी सी गुज़ारिश

हम जो सही समझते है वही केहते है पर करते नहीं खुद की नुमाइश 
समझे यहाँ कोई भी ये, है बस मेरी इतनी सी गुज़ारिश 

मेरी तन्हाई

सुनसान जगह था जिस में अपना जहाँ बनाया 
जब नज़र आया तेरा चेहरा तो गम हुआ मेरी तन्हाई 
सोचा की तुम भी तन्हा हो, पर ऐसा हुआ नहीं 
साथ लायी थी अपनी मौत को, फिर मैंने पाया तन्हाई 

सवेरा का इंतज़ार

उस सवेरा का इंतज़ार है, जो अभी तक आया नहीं 
ख्वाब सजा के रखा हूँ, बातें सोच कर बैठा हूँ 
पर अभी पता चाला कि वो सवेरा आएगा ही नहीं 
इस सोचता हूँ, की चल बसू, पर मौत भी हमें आज़माती नहीं