Movie Of The Day : Enemy At The Gates

Enemy at the Gates
Directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud, 2001
Staring Jude Law, Ed Harris, Joseph Fiennes

I have seen many war films like saving private ryan,Apocalypse Now ,All Quiet on the Western Front,Schindler's List,Platoon,The Bridge on the River Kwai,and there are 100 more but the movie i am about to discuss is not one of top films in war genre but a good war film Enemy at the gates.The movie is partially based on Enemy at the Gates: The Battle for Stalingrad, which describes the events surrounding the Battle of Stalingrad from 1942–1943. It is based on a duel mentioned in the book that developed between the legendary Soviet sniper Vasily Grigoryevich Zaitsev and his German counterpart, Major Erwin König, as they stalk each other during the battle. The movie is also partially based on the book War of the Rats

The main plot of this story is

The movie opens with Vassily stalking and shooting a wolf in the frozen Russian countryside and then quickly moves to his being drafted and put on a troop train to Stalingrad. The scene is bleak as the raw recruits leave the train and get into boats to cross the river to Stalingrad. In the water they immediately come under fire from the German artillery but face certain death from the guns of the Soviet Army if they turn back. Once inside the demoralized and besieged city, Vassily puts his shooting skills to good use. Danilov quickly sees Vassily's potential as a morale builder and convinces his superiors to utilize Vassily as a sniper and the rest of the story is A Russian sniper befriends an Army writer and the writer writes about the sniper's accomplishments in WWII. They run into problems when they both fall for the same girl. As they continue to fight and write a German sniper hunts down the Russian.then Vassili Zaitsev,takes down German officers one by one, thus, destroying German morale and boosting Russian morale. The Germans send in a Major sniperer, hoping to take care of Vassili who hides dangerously behind enemy lines. There is a small romance between Vassili and a local woman in the town they're in. As the Germans close in on Stalingrad, the last hope for the world, the Russians must use everything they have to survive.

The main thing that is considered is technical values of this film cinematography and settings are used very effectively to convey the harsh and brutal conditions that residents and members of both armies had to endure as they coped with the brutal Russian winter and the all out devastation of modern urban warfare.

This a very good war film and a watchable film inspired by real events

82nd OSCAR AWARDS

Best Picture : The Hurt Locker

Best Director : Kathryn Bigelow – The Hurt Locker

Best Actor : Jeff Bridges – Crazy Heart

Best Actress : Sandra Bullock – The Blind Side

Best Supporting Actor : Christoph Waltz – Inglourious Basterds

Best Supporting Actress : Mo'Nique – Precious

Best Original Screenplay : The Hurt Locker – Mark Boal

Best Adapted Screenplay : Precious - Geoffrey Fletcher from Push by Sapphire

Best Animated Feature : Up – Pete Docter

Best Foreign Language Film : El Secreto de Sus Ojos (Argentina) in Spanish – Juan José Campanella

Best Documentary Feature : The Cove – Louie Psihoyos and Fisher Stevens

Best Documentary Short : Music by Prudence – Roger Ross Williams and Elinor Burkett

Best Live Action Short : The New Tenants – Joachim Back and Tivi Magnusson

Best Animated Short : Logorama – Nicolas Schmerkin

Best Original Score : Up – Michael Giacchino

Best Original Song : "The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)" from Crazy Heart – Ryan Bingham and T-Bone Burnett

Best Sound Editing : The Hurt Locker – Paul N.J. Ottosson

Best Sound Mixing : The Hurt Locker – Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett

Best Art Direction : Avatar – Art Direction: Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg; Set Decoration: Kim Sinclair

Best Cinematography : Avatar – Mauro Fiore

Best Makeup : Star Trek – Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow

Best Costume Design : The Young Victoria – Sandy Powell

Best Film Editing : The Hurt Locker – Chris Innis and Bob Murawski

Best Visual Effects : Avatar – Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R. Jones

Honorary Academy Awards

Lauren Bacall

Roger Corman

Gordon Willis

Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award

John Calley

Shutter Island Review

Starring : Leonardo DiCaprio,Ben Kingsley,Mark Ruffalo,Michelle Williams

Produced : Martin Scorsese,Bradley J. Fischer,Mike Medavoy,Arnold W. Messer

Cinematography: Robert Richardson

Editing by :Thelma Schoonmaker

Directed : Martin Scorsese


Another film from my favorate director and one of my favorate actor.There are already three films from this duo, Academy Award nomination The Aviator ,Gangs of New York, The Departed.All those movies are biggest hits for this duo so everybody expect another good film from Martin Scorsese.This not as good as his previous films but it is watchable

STORY:

Shutter Island should benefit from strong reviews and a demographic that will respond to positive word-of-mouth to give it a much longer theatrical life than its opening weekend.

In 1954, Teddy Daniels (DiCaprio), a US Marshal haunted by the death of his wife (Michelle Williams), heads to Shutter Island with his new partner Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) to determine the whereabouts of a missing psychopath (Emily Mortimer) from the island’s renowned mental hospital. But hints soon arise that the hospital may be hiding dark secrets about its deranged patients.

As with The Departed, Scorsese focuses his energies on creating a pulpy, highly entertaining genre film. Considering Shutter Island’s period trappings and creepy locales, the director is clearly harking back to the horror films of yesteryear, most notably The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari, in which psychological scares and foreboding atmosphere are more important than any rampant gore. Done poorly, such cinematic referencing could potentially lead to an artificial
tone, but Scorsese absorbs his influences so completely that Shutter Island never feels arid or self-conscious.

With the help of cinematographer Robert Richardson and production designer Dante Ferretti, Scorsese turns the film’s principal setting, Ashecliffe Hospital,into a dank, claustrophobic lair that’s perfect for the elegant mind games which will soon be visited upon Teddy as he tries to uncover the truth about the institution.

While it’s little surprise that the Marshal’s investigation will not go smoothly, Laeta Kalogridis’s screenplay deepens the drama by digging into the characters’ back-stories and teasing out possible answers for what’s really going on at the hospital. Scorsese takes sizable risks with elaborate,wilfully melodramatic dream sequences and flashbacks that add to the film’s temporal disorientation, but on the whole they’re very successfully rendered,giving the audience the same sense of looming unease that plagues Teddy and Chuck.

In keeping with the film’s increasingly surreal tone, music supervisor (and long-time Scorsese collaborator) Robbie Robertson draws from a diverse range of instrumental and pop music which is sometimes representative of the era (such as Johnny Ray’s crooning ‘50s ballad Cry) but occasionally more contemporary (such as minimalist composer John Adams’ gorgeous ‘70s orchestral piece Christian Zeal And Activity), which furthers Shutter Island’s strategy of
faithfully adhering to its time period while simultaneously evoking a mind-state that seems to transcend chronological boundaries.

Unfortunately, at well past two hours in length, Shutter Island can’t maintain its feverish grip on the audience, as certain thematic points and narrative tricks are repeated until they lose their potency. In addition, the mystery’s outcome, though masterfully delivered, isn’t entirely a surprise, which makes its slow reveal somewhat anticlimactic.

Still, the performances are largely first-rate. DiCaprio can sometimes still seem too baby-faced to fully embody the role of the emotionally tortured Teddy,but he remains an extremely empathetic actor. Ruffalo perhaps leans too heavily on noir clichés for his role as Teddy’s loyal partner,but Ben Kingsley perfectly embodies his part as the institution’s brilliant (and potentially diabolical) head doctor.


Ratings:3/5

MY NAME IS KHAN

Cast:Shahruk khan,Kajol,Arjun Mathur,Jimmy Shergill,Zarina Wahab

Director: Karan Johar
Producer: Karan Johar




My Name Is Khan makes two strong statements The first: B.C. (before Christ) and A.D. (after death) are milestones used to label years in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. There's now a third designation - 9/11. Post September 11, the world stands divided.
Terrorist outfits continue to strike in the name of religion, but the common man, not even remotely associated with these groups, is bearing the brunt.
The world is not a safe place anymore. This movie has the shades of ForestGump.

‘My Name Is Khan’ is the story of Rizwan (Shah Rukh) and his sincere effort to uphold the dignity of Muslims. Growing with the mental challenge of Asperger’s syndrome, Rizwan learns the lessons of humanity from his mom as he spends his childhood amid 1983 Bombay riots. He is taken up by his brother (Jimmy Shergill) and sister-in-law (Sonya Jehan) to US after the death of his mother. It is here that he meets his love, Mandira (Kajol) who happens to be a Hindu widow with a child. Despite having some problems in dealing in crowded places, intimate hugs and expressing and reacting as per the outside environment, Rizwan secures a place in the heart of Mandira and they live together as a happy couple until that tragic day of 9/11 dawns.

Rizwan’s peaceful life is shattered as Mandira alleges him to be the worst mistake in her life. This makes the innocent Rizwan to undertake a journey to meet US President and to say that “My name is Khan and I am not a terrorist”. The depiction of each scene is so subtle and touchy that you cannot afford to miss even a single one. Innocence and honesty form the core of the story. The story is a hard-core revelation that no matter how educated and cultured one is, there is always a general misconception regarding Muslims. Rizwan in his simple and innocent manner tries to uphold humanity and teach people lessons of unity.

The movie abounds in powerful one liners. One such one liner which deserves mentioning is when Rizwan is refused entry at the presidential fundraiser that is aimed to help the Christian poor in Africa. He leaves behind $500 and says, “This is for those who are not Christians in Africa”. Shibani Bhatija deserves applauds for the splendid screenplay. Ravi K Chandran’s cinematography is excellent and Shankar Ehsaan Loy’s music is very pleasing to the ears and in no ways seems extra in the movie.

Coming to the actors, Shah Rukh needs no words officially. Though at times the personality of Shah Rukh peeps from Rizwan, he still proves himself capable in accepting challenges. Though initially you may feel as if he is rehearsing, but soon you get into the role. After ‘Swades’ and ‘Chak De’ this movie is indeed a remarkable stone in his career. Kajol, as always, shows herself the queen of Bollywood with her incomparable charm and non-challengeable act. Love sequences between the evergreen pair Shah Rukh and Kajol is simply superb though it does not get much time to be shown fully. Other actors Jimmy Shergill, Sonya Jehan, Zarina Wahav and others have very well justified their roles no matter how small space they shared on the screen. The captain of the ship, Karan Johar surely deserves all praises for taking up such a theme and handling it in such a deft manner.

So, the verdict is: ‘My Name is Khan’ is definitely a movie of substance and is a must watch for both Shah Rukh’s fans and the ones wanting to see a logical nice movie!

Ratings:4/5

YE MAAYA CHESAAVE

Cast: Naga Chaitanya, Samantha, Krishnudu, Devan, Surekha Vani, Lakshmi, Sanjay Swaroop, Sudheer, Trisha Alex

Producer: Sanjay Swaroop

Director: Goutam Vasudeva Menon

Music Director: A.R.Rahman




At the time this movie was officialy launched i saw his first movie JOSH.I was very disapponted with the movie,it did not live up to its expectations.
But luckly he got a chance to do a movie with Goutham Mennon this time he utilized the opportunity and gave his best.I was very much satisfied with his performance.

This movie is made parallel to vinnai thandi varuvaya

The film has a simple romantic story of two youngsters that has been narrated realistically.
Menon has selected a perfect star cast and an experienced technical team. The director has also
been able to get the best out of both Nag Chaithanya and newcomer Samantha.

As in any of his previous films, the camera work stands out. Menon has used very good locations to present his story.

And coming to A.R. Rahman’s music, it would be difficult not to get carried away by his superb compositions and background music.
His soulful and melodious compositions add lot of weight to the film. Rahman once again proves that he is the unbeatable master of music.

Menon’s penchant for reality has seen the inclusion of many Malayalam dialogues in the film, which may be a little irritating for the Telugu audiences.
But Menon’s script is so well written that these mminor things will be forgotten. The love sequences are presented very aesthetically.

In the film, the protagonist Karthik has just passed his engineering course but wants to become a film director. He meets a young christian girl Jesse,his landlord’s daughter, and falls for her immediately. But Jesse hails from a traditional christian family and she keeps away from Karthik’s overtures in the beginning.

But Karthik follows her and even pleads with her to marry him. Later, they meet again in Kerala and Jesse falls for him. But then the complications begin.

Nag Chaithanya has scored well in his second film. He is certainly good star material. But Samantha is the real pick among artists. She is sensuous and extremely talented. Her expressive eyes are her strong point.

Both Nag and Samantha share a good on-screen chemistry. Devan, Sanjay Swaroop have effectively portrayed their roles. Well-known director Puri Jagannadh also makes an appearance as filmmaker in the movie.

Rating:3.5/5

Karthik Calling Karthik Review

Star cast: Farhan Akhtar, Deepika Padukone, Ram Kapoor and Vivan Bathena.
Director: Vijay Lalwani;

In Karthik Calling Karthik (KCK), Farhan Akhtar plays the title role. Karthik is basically a loser, a simple, middle class guy who lacks confidence
and is forever bullied in life. He does not like to use mobilephones - for the same reason that Rizwan Khan (Shah Rukh Khan) in My Name is Khan doesn't
use them.

Karthik is gullible, naïve, and cannot strike deals at work. He likes a girl in office, the hot architect Shonali Mukherjee (Deepika Padukone), but is never able to tell her. He's working there for the last four years, but she never notices him. Karthik is always under-confident, as a childhood incident has affected him.

So, what brings about a sudden change in Karthik's life, and for the better? You guessed it right, a phone call from a man who is his namesake and knows everything about him. Karthik calls Karthik everyday, and guides him through the day to get whatever he wants – that hot position, that hot chick, whatever. Now, if only everyone had a mentor like that!

Until this point, KCK seems like a lesson in self-confidence. But the twist comes when this caller Karthik becomes our loser Karthik's enemy and begins destroying the same life he helped build. That's when the film takes a dramatic turn. From then on, poor loser Karthik builds his life back bit by bit. How he does it, is what touches your heart.

Writer-director Vijay Lalwani has made KCK with a lot of love. Its Hollywood style treatment is good and so is the editing. It's an old story in a new format, but the humour in the dialogues makes it watchable. The cinematography also does the trick.

The film makes you sympathise with Karthik. And yes, you get the jitters every time the phone rings. Even the shrink (played by Shefali Shah) runs away from it!

The director has effectively been able to make a thriller out of a story about the games our mind plays. The treatment is edge of the seat and smooth.

Even though it's pretty clear by the interval what the film is about, the suspense remains till the end. You don't know till the end if it's about something supernatural or not. Watch the film to know the truth.

Farhan Akhtar excels in his third outing as an actor. He has good screen presence, and truly possesses the ability to get into the skin of any character.
Here we have a great actor in the making, if he keeps going the way he is right now.


Deepika Padukone is as fresh as she was in Love Aaj Kal, and plays her bindaas girl part well. There's not much scope for her in this film to show her acting, but she makes a hot pair with Farhan Akhtar. We wish there was a li'l more screen time for them in terms of songs and stuff.

Ram Kapoor, Vivan Bhatena, Tarana, Shefali Chhaya and Vipin Sharma fit into their parts well.

The chartbusting songs provide a li'l bit of relief from the slow pace, but the undercurrent of the tension onscreen remains – which is both good and bad.

But Karthik Calling Karthik never gives you that high you expect from a thriller. It will also remind you of some Hindi or English films on the same subject
, which I'm not revealing on purpose. Nevertheless, it's a touching tale.

Verdict: Vijay Lalwani shows that Taare Zameen Par and My Name is Khan are not the only two ways to treat sensitive subjects on celluloid.
But the film does not have repeat value once you know the suspense.

Ratings : 3/5

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