Monthly Archives: January 2012
The Viral Factor “Movie Review” : An action fan’s dream come true
There was a time not very long ago, when movies from Hong Kong meant one thing : “ACTION” sometimes an overdose of it. But regardless of the naysayers, they were quiet brilliant at it. But then they grew either too frivolous or too serious and sometimes too pretentious for their own good. Dante Lam (one of the better ones out there) in the face of this gradual change has earned himself a name for sticking to his “guns”; literally. & if the experience of his latest offer is anything to go by, the trend may just catch up again. I for one will not be complaining.
The GOOD : This potentially could be the most accomplished HK “action” movie in a contemporary sense of the word and setting. There have been a few masterclasses but most of them are either from the age of the Kings & Queens or of characters with super powers (yawn inducing). “The Viral Factor” does not have any gravity defying stunts nor does it have a single shot which is used to glamorise the protagonist or the antagonist. With all due respect to Donnie Yen, considered the best action man in town and my favourite too, there have been too many caricatured villains in his movies. Nothing like that in TVF. Its bare knuckles, blood splattered walls, rusty nails / water pipes, plenty of body bags, big guns in extended street chase sequences, car crashes, rocket launchers, helicopter chases and the list goes on. You absolutely have to give it to the director for his no holds barred approach from start to finish. He does not pretend its anything else. The leads Jay Chou & Nicholas Tse, have done a fantastic job and quite possibly have produced their best work yet. Chinese lads are not known for histrionics but some demanding & long single shots have brought out the best in them. Nicholas Tse in my book has grown to be in a different league compared to his “Dragon Tiger Gate” days and character. The story although not a pathbreaker has a sense of nobility in it with a platform for a large spectrum of emotions. The almost unseen city skyline that of KL (in a movie before this) is used as a backdrop and that adds on the rare but tingling after taste that the movie leaves. I was very curious to see how it’d turn up and its fair to say I am mighty impressed as I have lived right in the middle of almost all the places the story evolves through.
Tse was terrific
The BAD : The screenplay does not do any huge favours to the story and is the biggest let down of the movie. It stands as the biggest deterrent to what it could have been. Mostly because, the 2nd n 3rd acts which is the glue that holds the end to the start tends to give a convoluted feel. There is nothing wrong in the story, but the sequence of events and there by its impact could have been spot on with some crisp writing. The editing leaves a little to be desired coz if that was snappy, TVF could have been an immortal piece of ACTION cinema. All these also mean that the runtime could do with some some chopping. Another sore point of the proceedings esp. for the non english speaking crowd, is the amount of English used in the script. Some of them were necessary and fits well. But I could not digest the main baddie delivering almost all his lines and most importantly the ones that mattered to the eventual development of the story, in English. And if it counts at all, I don’t speak Cantonese or Mandarin nor understand 1 bit. Considering this is predominantly aimed at the Chinese with a more than liberal approach begging the westerners to pay a visit, the subtitles alone would have sufficed.
The FINAL WORD : Its recommended for the action fan. Go and have Yourself a great time at the theater. One of the best ways to kick off a new year. I’d give it a 4 / 5 for the action alone 
Here’s a different trailer to the one I posted earlier. Enjoy :
Courtesy : Youtube
BAFTA Nominations : Complete List
Yeah, I am not a huge fan of 2 American Awards within a span of just one month and considering one of them is the Oscars, it’s obvious The Golden Globes had to make its way out for the BAFTA - the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Also known as The British Academy Film Awards that “aim’s to reward the best work of any nationality seen on British cinema screens during the preceding year”. It is more than obvious that US movies have a precedence considering their larger size that incidentally just like most of the world, also occupies a major chunk of the UK market. However the point to note here is that every movie released in the UK in that particular year is eligible for nomination. For me that’s exciting and is the best curtain raiser for the Oscars.
The complete list of nominations for 2012 :
BEST FILM
THE ARTIST Thomas Langmann
THE DESCENDANTS Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor
DRIVE Marc Platt, Adam Siegel
THE HELP Brunson Green, Chris Columbus, Michael Barnathan
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Robyn Slovo
OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
MY WEEK WITH MARILYN Simon Curtis, David Parfitt, Harvey Weinstein, Adrian Hodges
SENNA Asif Kapadia, James Gay-Rees, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Manish Pandey
SHAME Steve McQueen, Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, Abi Morgan
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Tomas Alfredson, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Robyn Slovo,
Bridget O’Connor, Peter Straughan
WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN Lynne Ramsay, Luc Roeg, Jennifer Fox, Robert Salerno,
Rory Stewart Kinnear
LEADING ACTOR
BRAD PITT Moneyball
GARY OLDMAN Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
GEORGE CLOONEY The Descendants
JEAN DUJARDIN The Artist
MICHAEL FASSBENDER Shame
LEADING ACTRESS
BÉRÉNICE BEJO The Artist
MERYL STREEP The Iron Lady
MICHELLE WILLIAMS My Week with Marilyn
TILDA SWINTON We Need to Talk About Kevin
VIOLA DAVIS The Help
SUPPORTING ACTOR
CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER Beginners
JIM BROADBENT The Iron Lady
JONAH HILL Moneyball
KENNETH BRANAGH My Week with Marilyn
PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN The Ides of March
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
CAREY MULLIGAN Drive
JESSICA CHASTAIN The Help
JUDI DENCH My Week with Marilyn
MELISSA MCCARTHY Bridesmaids
OCTAVIA SPENCER The Help
DIRECTOR
THE ARTIST Michel Hazanavicius
DRIVE Nicolas Winding Refn
HUGO Martin Scorsese
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Tomas Alfredson
WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN Lynne Ramsay
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
THE ARTIST Michel Hazanavicius
BRIDESMAIDS Annie Mumolo, Kristen Wiig
THE GUARD John Michael McDonagh
THE IRON LADY Abi Morgan
MIDNIGHT IN PARIS Woody Allen
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
THE DESCENDANTS Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash
THE HELP Tate Taylor
THE IDES OF MARCH George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon
MONEYBALL Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Bridget O’Connor, Peter Straughan
CINEMATOGRAPHY
THE ARTIST Guillaume Schiffman
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO Jeff Cronenweth
HUGO Robert Richardson
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Hoyte van Hoytema
WAR HORSE Janusz Kaminski
EDITING
THE ARTIST Anne-Sophie Bion, Michel Hazanavicius
DRIVE Mat Newman
HUGO Thelma Schoonmaker
SENNA Gregers Sall, Chris King
TINKER TAILOR SOLIDER SPY Dino Jonsater
The full list is here
(Courtesy : Huffington Post)
The host of the this year’s big night will be Stephen Fry (the man that dons different hats that of an actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter, film director, phew…) Do not miss it for anything and for that check Your local listings right away.
Here’s an amazing trailer of the main event. A fantastic one at that :
Courtesy : Youtube, BAFTA, Huffington Post
Carnage : Trailer
“Carnage” Roman Polanski’s Film – starring Kate Winslet, John C. Reilly, Jodie Foster, and Christoph Waltz.
What ? All these people are put together on screen and Polanski’s directing it? I’d do illegal things to watch this one (yeah haven’t done that yet). It’s a shame how so many movies only come to my notice when the Golden Globe & Oscar start to make their nominations public 
As much as I’d like to blame the movie distributors here where I live, my ignorance is inexcusable. Well “better late than never” is a philosophy that fits like a glove here and I shall stick it right in.
Here’s a gist of the plot :
Set in contemporary Brooklyn, New York, Carnage centers on two pairs of parents one of whose child has hurt the other at a public park, who meet to discuss the matter in a civilized manner. However, as the evening goes on, the parents become increasingly childish, resulting in the evening devolving into chaos. & it’s based on Yasmina Reza’s play “God of Carnage”.
One of the best comic plots I have come across off late. PERIOD.
“Can’t wait for this one” doesn’t cut it. Oh BTW has any of my readers watched it yet ?
Courtesy : No Good Flix, Youtube
Ayn Rand & the Prophecy of Atlas Shrugged
Ayn Rand & the Prophecy of Atlas Shrugged is a feature length documentary film that examines the resurging interest in Ayn Rands epic and controversial 1957 novel and the validity of its dire prediction for America.
Set in what novelist and philosopher Rand called the day after tomorrow, Atlas depicts an America in crisis, brought to her knees by a corrupt establishment of government regulators and businessmen with political pull the looters and the moochers who prey on individual achievement.
Here’s the trailer to the documentary that looks into Rands background for the ideas and philosophy that inspired and shaped her novel and seeks to determine whether America is indeed headed for the disastrous outcome she predicted. Read More
It starts with an interviewer asking a very frail looking Ayn Rand : “Do You have any comment about the prophecy that was made in Atlas Shrugged?” She replies very calmly “Only that it’s coming true”
Original Story Courtesy : corry41, IMDB
The Viral Factor : Trailer & Plot
Bodies leaping from tall buildings, choppers, guns, blasts, broken bones, cars hitting drains before crashing upside down, rocket launchers perfectly blended with an overdrive of emotion. No its not a war, I am talking about the trailer of Dante Lam’s next big release “The Viral Factor”. & by the looks of things, most likely his biggest yet. He has a reputation for the genre of which I have watched and enjoyed “The Stool Pigeon” and “The Beast Stalker”. Starring Jay Chou and his permanent lead Nicholas Tse with support cast in Andy On, Lin Peng, and Bai Bing.
A new look for Jay (Clip from the feature)
The fact that some scenes were shot right in my backyard (Kuala Lumpur CBD) is a definite impetus to the curiosity quotient. Infact the scene at 00:53 was being shot while I was on my way back from work. The crew must have just left when I reached there but still managed to see the car lying in the drain. Anyways, going by what is being let out in the smartly edited less than 2 minutes trailer, it is nothing less than absolutely mouth watering. With all the brilliantly and sometimes seriously written movies stacking up the theater scene come February owing to the Oscar fever, Viral Factor could be a fantastic respite. I just hope it lives upto the high expectations set up. The Chinese New Year release will definitely aid its intentions and could well turn out to be the next Ip-Man
For the ones interested in the plot line up. Here is a gist,
“IDC Agent Jon (Jay Chou) sustains grave injuries on a mission and decides to spend his final days with his mother. She tells him a long-held secret. To fulfill her wishes, Jon goes to Southeast Asia. He befriends medical specialist Rachel (Lin Peng). When she is forced into the schemes of a criminal organization, Jon attempts rescue and becomes the target of the organization that includes his estranged brother Yang (Nicholas Tse)! When the organization betrays Yang and kidnaps his daughter Sheng, the brothers join forces to rescue Rachel and Sheng.”
You can read more about their shoot in KL, here and here.
Ok its time to put Your feet up and enjoy the ride
Detachment : Adrien Brody : Trailer
This trailer although aimed at the European audience is more powerful than the US Official one which You can watch here. Atleast in my opinion that is.
"His finest performance since The Pianist " : The Hollywood Reporter
Adrien Brody one of the gifted actors around who does not bank on loud histrionics to capture the attention of its viewers, is back as the protagonist in this rather hard hitting uncomforting drama. I still am as dumbfounded as You are at his decision to act as a lead in the remake of The Predator. Its even more astounding if You consider what he had established a few years back through The Pianist. Nevertheless, moving on, the Producer of Hurt Locker and the Director of American History X are behind this, which only means the bar is already set quite high. The rest of the stellar cast is comprised of Christina Hendricks, James Caan and the under rated Marcia Gay Harden (her work in Mystic River still gives me the chills) among many more.
Here’s the trailer :
Party in the WACA pitch ?
If You have ever lived in Australia, You will be familiar with the term Schoolies. For the ones who are not accustomed to the tradition tend to accept it on the face value. Which cannot be a very good thing, as that could probably mean underage drunk kids causing havoc on city streets, right under the nose of administrators. But in cricketing terms this is a tradition that been restricted only to the spectators. I mean what’s wrong in enjoying a pint of chilled lager under the Summer sun witnessing 13 men fighting it out in whites. Well lets just say the ground staff took this to another level, when chief curator Cameron Sutherland decided to host a drinking session right on the WACA pitch, just hours before the toss of the 3rd Test between hosts AU vs IND. Although it has been a drab of sorts for the Indian fans, it still is a widely followed and well regarded series in the sport.
Party on the pitch, but please don't throw up 
Indian New Channel Times Now aired this on primetime tv that has left the Indian public fuming in aghast. Apparently its customary to have drinks on the ground before the match day and has happened in the past. But on the pitch is a bit bizzare. Having had the opportunity to work with the Aussies for the last 7 years, I can vouch they have a “different” approach towards the ordinary, which sometimes can be passed as too casual for the orthodox but even the liberal in me is a tad shocked.
Let’s just wait and see what ACB or the ICC has to say about that !!!
Here’s Harsha getting nostalgic with the ground a few days before the match
Courtesy : SMH, Youtube
The Downward Spiral Conundrum – Pt 2
Continuing from where I’d left, here is the 2nd edition of “The Downward Spiral Conundrum”.
Before we get started with the dissection, it is with much pleasure that I write about MUFC who have done a bit to revive their reputation as a force to reckon with after beating Manchester City at their backyard, ending the latter’s FA Cup hopes for this season. More on that, another time.
So what do we have in our hands here ? A test series that was well hyped in the Aussie media with Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke & Shane Watson going vocal in their promo videos warning “India : You’ll feel the heat down under”, has thin chances of going down the records as a breakthrough achievement in the advertising world. But what followed on the pitch in the 1st 2 tests, only reiterated what ( atleast before the series kicked off) seemed like tall claims. Aussies being owned by The Black Caps in Hobart right before the Boxing Test being a case in point.
Some dreams are just not meant to be Son. Tendulkar walks back
There is a belief among the community of cricket fans, that if a team is going through a rough patch they should play India. Time and time again it has been proved that a slump in batting form or a long losing streak is always over turned when one faces India. Strangely enough it used to happen to consecutive winning streaks as well. The historic India-AU series (Kolkata Test) and the last Perth test are case in points where we halted AU’s dominance over the game so to speak. With an utter sense of disbelief as much as disgust, the downward spiral for the Indian cricket team has been so phenomenal that anyone harbouring a sense of vengeance with a hope that this team will seek redemption in the next two tests is close to saying, we believed that the Lokpal Bill could have been passed by the Government, in its original form, if at all. The fall from grace could not have been anymore excruciatingly painful to witness, given the manner how every department of our gamesmanship has been found wanting against totally varied oppositions and conditions. Whether it is the English with softer pitches and overcast conditions or Australia with hard pitches baked by the summer sun in all it’s glory. The results have been identical. Regardless of the perspective or the manner You may choose to analyse the game, cricket rests on the 2 basic fundamentals of batsmen scoring runs and bowlers taking wickets. A 3rd dimension which we were always poor at could be that of fielders saving runs. We have categorically failed in all prospects fair and square.
The glorious stories such as that of Dhoni’s rags to riches does not look like its heading towards a fairy tale ending. The jingoism of a money making automobile also known as the IPL interrupting the euphoria of winning a World Cup considered the pinnacle of any sport after a gap of 27 yrs, speaks plenty about what occupies the minds of a group of people who run this show in a country where the sport has proved to be an unifying factor. Considering the country is also the world’s biggest democracy with the 2nd largest population of a secular nature, it is saying a lot.
It just may be that we the current generation of followers have been lucky to have shared a night when we danced and partied like possessed people, where we ran the streets without knowing where we are headed and hugged strangers. It just may be the most this team is touted to give us in return. It just could be the end of all other wishes associated with these lads. It just may be the epitome of “The Downward Spiral Conundrum”.
The 2 Chucks disappointed with the lack of intensity exhibited by the Indians on field, in the Sydney test are asking a question “Why is India so bad” ? ***BE WARNED*** Not for the weak minded
Courtesy : Youtube & Cricinfo
What Dreams Are Made Of… Thierry Henry
One of the most celebrated strikers of the game and legend returns to the club that made him what he became, on loan for 2 months. The fans went delirious seeing him in the bench. And as fate would have it, half way through the 2nd half at 0:0 Thierry Henry replaced Chamakh and all he took was 10 minutes bringing his already glorious tally of goals to 227 for the club. Mammoth isn’t it ? And that was the winner that took Arsenal past to next round.
“It was like a dream,” Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said. “It was a story you would tell young kids if you want to tell them a story about football. Sometimes it happens.”
So is the trophies drought for Arsenal going to end this season ? We shall wait and see Arsene. But for now, relive the glorious moment. Regardless of what club You support, there is no denying this is what we all long to see in sport but so rarely happens. So let’s just cherish “what dreams are made of…”
Courtesy: ESPN Star Sports / BBC
The 84th Annual Academy Awards : Trailer Out
I mean what can I say. Its the beginning of the New Year and there’s this one event we movie freaks look upto. Yes the Big one. The OSCARS. Watch this space for the nominees list and my predictions.
But before that, enjoy the trailer of the mega event touted to release on the 26th of February 2012 (worldwide).
Cast :
Josh Duhamel, Megan Fox, Vinnie Jones and yes THE HOST “Billy Crystal” 
ENJOY
