Valentine's Day (2010) Review

Starring : Julia Roberts, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Biel, Jessica Alba, Jennifer Garner, Shirley MacLaine, Bradley Cooper, Ashton Kutcher,
Topher Grace, Emma Roberts, Hector Elizondo, Eric Dane, Patrick Dempsey, Jamie Foxx, Queen Latifah and Carter Jenkins.

Studio: New Line Cinema

Release Date: Feb 12, 2010

Director: Garry Marshall

There is really nothing positive to say about Valentine's Day, a rom-com featuring a cast of recognizable TV stars with Julia Roberts

(she was paid $500,000 a minute), Kathy Bates and Anne Hathaway slumming it to be amongst "stars" from "Alias," "That '70s Show" (x2), "Dark Angel,"
"7th Heaven" and "Grey's Anatomy" (x2). On top of that we have Twilight star of the moment Taylor Lautner, his headline-making girlfriend Taylor Swift
and other names such as Jamie Foxx, Bradley Cooper and Queen Latifah not so much adding any kind of overwhelming talent, but certainly adding to the pool
of names New Line can use in the film's marketing in an attempt to make it look like they have an actual product, but it's surface level at best.

Directing this mess of "OK! Magazine" cover models is Garry Marshall whose career has been declining at a rapid pace since Pretty Woman

in 1990 and it has now hit rock bottom with a film Cupid's arrow couldn't even make attractive. In what is really nothing more than a
fifth-rate Love Actually knock-off — all the way down to the cute little kid looking for love — Valentine's Day can't even hold a conversation
with the far more entertaining predecessor of which I am embarrassed to even mention in the same sentence.

Set in the overused city of Los Angeles, Valentine's Day introduces us to a myriad of relationships, some doomed from the outset, others set on a
destructive path all while the story heads toward its redemptive conclusion with four times the endings Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King offered.
You don't know sorrow until you've suffered through what is essentially twelve endings to a movie I was ready to walk out of after losing all hope midway
through.

We have denied love, looking for love, tired love, new love, young love, can't find love, cheating love, forever in love, motherly love and even virgins
looking to make love. Oh, and Valentine's Day just wouldn't be complete if screenwriter Katherine Fugate didn't still believe that gay love was a source
of surprise. Guess what Katherine, it's no surprise people are gay in this world, although I'm not sure I believe anything coming out of the actor's mouth
when he claimed to be just that. To that complaint, this film reeks with some of the worst acting I have seen in a very long time.

The worst of the bunch is easily Taylor Swift whom I thought may have just been nervous in her "Saturday Night Live" appearance, but no, she's really that
bad. Eric Dane breaks into some kind of macho teleprompter speak that's as stunted as his character arc and if movies are going to rely on Ashton Kutcher
and George Lopez to reveal the moral of the story you may as well just give up.

Poorly edited sequences had me guess whether Jennifer Garner was in Los Angeles or San Francisco and if Topher Grace and Anne Hathaway are
on the verge of a relationship ever-lasting I certainly wasn't convinced. Finally, a scene with George Lopez swinging on a swing set with his wife is
almost as laugh out loud hilarious as the Bella and Edward dream sequence in New Moon. Get a padded room you two!

I felt no emotion other than boredom and hatred while watching this film. The only laugh comes in the final moments courtesy of Jamie Foxx, which is just
sad considering Marshall had two hours before that to deliver some humor. And I wouldn't be surprised if Foxx's line was improvised.

If you're dating one of those people that already hates Valentine's Day certainly stay clear of this one as it won't brighten their mood. All Valentine's
Day does is give the naysayers more to complain about while such obviously female-driven fare once again proves to dupe unsuspecting ladies into a film

even they will have a hard time enjoying. As one woman sitting next to me whispered with about an hour left in the film, "This movie is awful."
If you can't take it from me, take it from her, what she says is true.

Ratings :2/5

Leader Review

Cast: Rana Daggubati, Richa Gangopadhyay, Priya Anand, Kota Sreenivasa Rao, Suman, Suhasini, Subbaraju, Harsha Vardhan, Tanikella Bharani, Rao Ramesh, Ahuti Prasad.

Music : Mikey J Meyer
Story - screenplay - dialogues - director: Sekhar Kammula
Banner: AVM Production
Release date: 19 February 2010

Story : Arjun Prasad from a political family who does his PhD in the US but has to return to India after his father,
played by Suman (the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh), is injured in a bomb blast.

When Arjun's father dies, the patriarch of the family, Peddayana (Kota Srinivasa Rao) wants someone to take
over his nephew's place so that the 'dynasty' can continue.

A struggle for power then ensues. Peddayana nominates Dhananjay (Subbaraju) as the successor though Subbaraju doesn't have a good track record.
On the insistence of his mother (Suhasini Mani Rathnam) and to keep his father's last wish, Arjun enters the race for CM.

But he soon realises that corruption is everywhere. To his horror he finds out that even is father was guilty of corruption.
He begins to understand the machinations and manipulations in the race for money and power, and tries to clean the system of all this.

But in order to do so he uses the very system he's trying to change to win over the people. He carries on the task of 'reform' despite the
precarious nature of his position where MLAs try to pull the rug from under his feet at every opportunity.

All this is nothing new. We all know about wily politicians, nepotism, corruption, bomb blasts etc. And while Sekhar has stressed on the corruption
bit a little too much, he fails to attack the root of the problem. Plus, he offers no 'solution' per se.

Change is good but one has to be a catalyst to bring about that. One needs an extraordinary person (like Gandhi in the past) to rise to the occasion
with a powerful ideology or tool to take on corruption.

Agreed that Arjun has the inclination to reform the system but the way it is depicted in the film is rather simplistic. A leader is far above politics,power and 'position' if analogies are drawn with Gandhi.

If anything, the film is a wish-list of what one would like to see in the arena of politics, which Sekhar should be lauded for even trying, though the
message that he sends out makes the film rather preachy in parts and somewhat idealistic.

There are certain elements like the love story and the item song which seem to be pander to the masses, and at odds with the serious nature of the film. It looks rather odd for the CM to be waiting for his 'girlfriend' Archana (Richa Gangopadhyay) in a restaurant with the black cats behind him! Agreed the CM is young but it didn't have to be so blatant (even though the wooing started off as a scheme as she was another politician's daughter).

There is a quite a bit of Gandhi in the film too. The modelling of the protagonist itself to some extent seems to be on Gandhi's ideals -- honesty, integrity and a state free of casteism.

A scene from LeaderIn fact one scene in the film resembles a scene from Richard Attenborough's
Gandhi. In the scene Arjun (before he becomes a CM) sees a woman in tattered clothes crossing the stream and throws his towel to her. As we recall, Gandhi (Ben Kingsley) threw his clothes to a woman in a river.

Performance:His choice Suhasini as Arjun's mother is good. She is the inspiration and motivation for Arjun to become CM and leader. Suhasini is a brilliant actress. She brings grace and dignity to her role.

Rana Daggubati suits the character of Arjun Prasad. He looks fresh and exudes confidence and seriousness. His body language too is right for the part.
An impressive debut, indeed.

Richa looks pretty and charming. Harshavardhan (who plays Ali) and Priya Anand (Ratna Prabha) are competent in their roles.
Kota, Subbaraju, Ahuti Prasad and Rao Ramesh are good as the other politicians.

Mickey J Meyer's music is good too. The background score is quite haunting in parts. AVM, the production house, ensures that the movie is technically good. Thota Tharani's sets are good while Vijay Kumar and Marthand Venkatesh take care of the camera and editing, respectively.

All in all, Leader may be a little far-fetched and utopian but it has been released in the state at a time of political uncertainty. When one is certainly bemoaning the lack of leaders it may perhaps prove to be a catalyst for change. Again a brillaint job from Sekhar.

Ratings:3.5/5