RA One

So here was a movie that I was expecting quite a bit from. It sucked.
What ra? What a bore you are ra..
Okay it was much better than Bodyguard or some of the other movies that have been called 'hits' in recent times, but still lacked the making of a blockbuster. Its been a long time since I have truly been wowed by a Hindi movie (Dev D being the last that had me go 'woooow') and I think I have a longer wait (don-2 maybe?).

Back to RA One. I liked the stunts and the special effects, though many of them were very 90's. I love the songs especially the take on one of my favourite 'Stand by me'. The first half was watchable, sitting through the second made you realise that, there was not much of a script remaining to be played out.

I thought the script had a lot of scope but it was a big let down due to a few fatal flaws.

A super villain character needs to follow a few rules. Without these he/she is not a super villain. RA One failed on almost all these rules, especially the goal. A Super Villain needs a goal, an overpowering desire to achieve something that if achieved, will result in decimating at least half the world's population. RA One wanted to kill a kid :-|
That's it. That was his only goal and he fails.
To top it the kid was annoying, forget Ra One, I wanted to kill the silly twat. His claim to fame was bullying an overweight kid ins school and acting like an arrogant SOB. I was hoping it would be killed off quite quickly, but nope, the whole movie revolved around the kid.

The only running gag throughout the movie was SRK's crotch. Almost every other scene had the hero holding on to his crotch, or thrusting it towards an unsuspecting neighbour in the guise of 'Power yoga'. Crotch jokes were only funny back in...well they have never been funny. Except the one time when the baby in 'Baby's day out' lights the main thug's crotch on fire and it needs to be stamped out.

The other entertaining aspect of the movie was its references to other movies. One could sit and make a list of what scenes have been inspired by what movies, here are ones I found:
The very obvious H.A.R.T - Ironman
The Funeral scene - Everyone in black, slow-motion rain drops and a coffin being carried in slow motion with a song playing in the background: 'Watchmen', Zack Snyder.
RA one in level 1 as a the Chinese looking chap - Costume inspired by Neo from 'The Matrix'
RA one chasing the car that had the annoying kid, RA one forming again from the road: 'Terminator 2' - Judgement Day
The climatic fight - 'Sucker Punch', Zack Snyder.

So the only thing I have to say is - Its better than Bodyguard.

In flight entertainment.

I've found an excuse for my lack of posting on my blog in recent times. Its the new blogger interface, all white and clean, or so they think. Thoughts don't flow in such spaces. So I've changed back to the old interface and lo behold I am furiously hacking away at the latest post. This one.

My previous post on Brasil has been criticized (and rightly so) and I am being prompted to write a better one about Brasil. But maybe some other time. This one is about movies that I got to watch on the flight to and fro from Brasil.

It was a 15 hour single haul flight from Dubai to São Paulo(and back), which meant good opportunity to watch some of the movies that the Emirates entertainment system(I.C.E) had to offer. Here are a few:

Hanna

Ok. So I am not a fan of Kill Bill. I think its pretty lame, with the exceptions of a few scenes. So when I watched Hanna, I was taken aback by its awesomeness. Here was a movie that Kill Bill should have been but wasn't.
Hanna a young girl, is trained by her dad(Eric Bana), to be a killer. It's her only chance to survive her nemesis - Cate Blanchett.
Why Hanna and her dad are being hunted down is part of the story and I shall not give it away. Just rest assured that the action sequences are awesome. The sound track is brilliant and this is a MUST WATCH.

The Guard
I watched this one for one reason only. Brendan Gleeson. Gleeson has never disappointed and my reasoning turned out to be perfectly logical.
This is one good movie. Directed by Jonathan McDonagh (brother of Martin McDonagh of 'In Bruges' fame), this movie has Gleeson playing the title role, that of a cop. A middle aged, slightly corrupt and seemingly lonely cop.
This dark comedy, follows a tip-off to the police department about a drug heist about to happen in their sleepy Irish village.
The dialogues, the direction and the soundtrack are all top-notch. Please watch this!

Sucker Punch
Sucker punch is Zack Snyder meets Charlies Angels meets Pan's labyrinth. I was very sceptical about this movie, until I watched it. It follows 4 girls trying to escape out of a mental asylum(or is it a whore house?). There is a decentish script and some suspense with the twist in the end, but I won't give it away. The soundtrack, oh the soundtrack is just mind-blowing. The girls are pretty too, but they are very soon overshadowed by the soundtrack. Very watchable.


The Trotsky
Canadian movie about a young guy who thinks he is the reincarnation of Leon Trotsky and that his life must follow the same suit. Hilarity ensues. A good watchable movie.

There are loads of other movies that I did manage to watch, but am not bothered to write much about:
Cypher: Action/Thriller. Average
The Fountain: Fantasy/Drama. Bad
The Dilemma: Confused Genre. Bad
Fast Five: Action. Bad
Midnight in Paris: Comedy/Fantasy. Very Very Good.
Kill the Irishman: Action/Biopic. Very Good.
Last Night: Romance. Alright.
Submarine: Romance/Coming of Age. Average.
Ironclad: Action. Average