300

Another movie Friday, this time 300. Very nicely done movie. Although not a very accurate lesson in Greek history, this will definitely evoke your curiosity.

The background score is quite nice (300 guys hacking a few thousands to death with classic heavy metal in the background is quite nice). The actors have hammed well, though it is beyond my comprehension why the actors need heavy accents if the dialogues are in English.

A definite must-see; do take female company along - you can appreciate the stab-n-hack, while she appreciates the 300 six-pack-hunks. And if she complains about your paunch, you can always reveal your own interpretation of the Oracle's prophesies.

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Apocalypto

Saw Apocalypto last Thursday. Decent movie, but definitely does not live up to the hype. I guess this is because this is probably the first time a mainstream commercial movie has gory, gruesome scenes. But then, if I want to watch blood, gore, and human mutilation, I'd rather watch Cannibal Apocalypse - it's much more more entertaining. I got the feeling there was so much more that could be done for the movie, but wasn't. Mel Gibson seems to like scenes where organs are ripped out of live humans, and this is quite evident here.

Decent acting, almost realistic props and locales make it a watchable film, but don't go in with high expectations. And definitely don't take your girlfriend for this movie.

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Dejavu?

Do not watch, I repeat, do not watch Dejavu. You have been warned.

[Unless you happen to like tall, dark, thin, reaaaally pretty women, in which case this move is a must watch for Paula Patton.]

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I should be in the movies

I've been in Kolkata for some time now, and in the absence of other interesting things to do, I have turned to watching television for a few hours everyday. Having watched a decent amount of television over the past couple of months I have been able to compile a list of movie roles that almost seem like they were written with me in mind.

1. The nerdy friend of the protagonist who gets beaten up by the bad guys and barely manages to make it back to let the good guys know about the incident

2. This is a variation of the first one - the guy who, in a valiant effort, instead of pushing or hitting the bad guy when he is about to shoot/stab/bash the good guy, steps in to get himself killed.

3. The informer who is manhandled by the good guys/police/bad guys seeking the location of a certain something. The informer always resists at first, but gives in a couple of blows later, not because he is a coward, but perhaps because he was not there in the script in the first place, and was given the role because he is the director's wife's aunt's second cousin who came to the city to become a 'fillum hero'.

4. The doctor's assistant - this is the youngish intern who hangs around the senior doctor and is in charge of telling the near and dear ones of the patient to remain calm and 'sab theek ho jayega'. (This role is different from the one which requires the doc to say "Sab theek ho jayega. Bhagwan pe bharosa rakheye" - this is done by a senior doctor.)

5. The third/fourth motorcycle rider - this is the guy who assists in the creation of the "v" pattern when the protagonist and his friends are riding their mobikes in the middle of the road along Marine Lines in Mumbai. (I admit that cannot ride a motorcycle, and I will need to learn, practice and really 'get into the role')

6. The skinny guy who gets killed when he goes to have a pee in the middle of the night when camping in the woods in a horror movie - but this is more of a Hollywood role - perhaps my debut.


In the interests of keeping this post short, I'm ending it at 6. More roles in the next post.

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