The attraction of movies with smart cons is two fold, one the charisma of the con men(and women) and the other the brilliance of the con itself. Sadly Badmaash Company shows only a spark of the attraction and then falls flat.

The trailer of the movie promised a smart movie involving beautiful people who wear disguises to outsmart others and then go about their evenings blowing away their winnings in fancy casinos… In the movie we realize thats only half quarter a part of the story. The audience is then inflicted with cons involving defective pairs of shoes and gloves! Just as we sit and wait for that smart con, we are greeted with a spectacular bank loan con…

Seriously? A Bank loan scam… come on what about the thrill of breaking into an underground vault or the idea of zipping thru the city in cars carrying jewels, flying past ignorant bystanders? But nope, instead lets buy and sell houses, gloves and Shoes that will be so thrilling.

The only thrill Badmaash Company manages to generate is the expectation that at some moment this is going to become and awesome fast pace thriller… Yet the only thing in the movie that gets the pulse racing is a lovely looking Anushka Sharma.

Shahid Kapoor’s stable performance is possibly the biggest positive of the movie, while the lack of scope in the screenplay sees Vir Das & Meiyang Chаng performances to dissolve into the background. Anupam Kher is pretty much wasted with only a couple of scenes in the movie.

The screenplay is what ruins this movie, the writers for some reason choose to be overly conservative. They even resorted to the old mantra of ‘turning a leaf’ and ‘doing the right thing’. The cons which were the heart and soul of a movie of this type are too frivolous… The writers could have gone the full circle by including a insurance scam while at it.

All in all Badmaash Company gives the viewer a feeling of walking into a restaurant and being shown a very different menu than what was advertised outside.

Sherlock Jr. was the first movie I stumbled upon, the silent movie from 1924 is a fun story about a movie projectionist who wishes to become a detective one day. His ambitions are put to a test when he finds himself wrongly accused of a crime he didnt commit.

The movie unfolds beautifully, with physical comedy sprinkled all over the place. Some of the scenes in this movie had me amazed as to how they actually managed to create them. Some of the ideas are outrageous and some are extremely silly, but in the end is totally entertaining.

Some Like It Hot is the other classic movie i watched, the 1959 romantic comedy is the story of two struggling musicians who witness a mob hit. With the mob tailing them they decide to take the only opportunity they have to get out of town, dressed up as members of a female band. Things get even more complicated when one of them falls in love with the lead singer of the female band and the other is accosted by an overly romantic old man.

Some like it hot is one of those perfect comedies that take an unusual situation and source humor from the most unimaginable of places. The acting is brilliant which complements the near perfect dialog writing and rib tickling screen play. If you love romantic comedies, this is one movie that should be on your list of must watch movies.

Both Sherlock Jr and Some like it hot are on the IMDB list of top movies of all time. The former is on the list of best all time comedies at #12 and has a running time of just 45 minutes, wonder if movies were much shorter back in the 1920s.

Some like it hot is on the list of IMDB’s top 250 movies of all time at #80. This was also the first time I was watching Marilyn Monroe act and I can see why she was considered the most beautiful woman of her time.

Considering the high that classics got into me, I will be trying of a few more of the critically acclaimed movies of yesteryear… I am starting out with “The Good The Bad and The Ugly“… Feel free to suggest your favorites among the classics and I will try to catch them.

Hamlet 2

The story of a failed actor trying hard to save his drama class in school by writing a crazy play is my kind of movie   The subtle satire about a recovering alcoholic who hits rock bottom but simultaneously writes a bold and provocative play was one of the best surprise great movies of the year.  The concept of writing a sequel to a play in which every important character dies is not just laughable but ridiculous… Yet Hamlet 2 (the play) is made a musical with crazy numbers like “Rock me sexy Jesus” (Yeah that wasnt a typo).  If you like “different” movie, this one is right up your alley

The Accidental Husband

When influential radio show host Emma Lloyd advices one of her female viewers to break up with her boyfriend, the hurt ex boyfriend sets about getting his revenge. He manipulates the state records to say that Emma is married to him. Emma who is about it be married is startled to find out that she already is and hunts down her ‘husband’.

The romantic comedy about love and vengeance is truly sweet and touching. Uma Thurman plays the lead in this exceptional Romantic Comedy. Another must watch for people who seek something different rather than the usual dose of Rom-Coms. For the rest I suggest The Proposal

Son of Rambow

Son of Rambow is the story of two friends who set about making a movie inspired by First Blood. Whats amazing is that these two schoolboys are from two radically different backgrounds, facing different problems and trying in their own way to fit into their worlds.

Hors de prix

Priceless is the story of a gold digger who seduces a simple bartender thinking he is a wealthy businessman. By the time the gold digger realizes who he is, love enters the picture and things get complicated. Another different and nice romantic comedy… totally worth a watch.

Closer

There is something odd and provocative about this movie that walks us through the lives of four individuals whose lives get intertwined. The characters are brilliant and the actors flawless. The movie is simply a series of conversations at different point of the lifeline of the characters and is simply beautiful. This is the kind of movie that makes you think and one of the best in the category too.

Dasvidaniya

Story of a man who suffers from a terminal illness changing his life to make the last few days truly count. The story is beautiful, characters are very entertaining and the emotion very touching. One of those movies that make you look into your life for meaning.

Carry on Spying

Hilarious movie about a bunch of incompetent british agents in a secret mission. The movie is childish and slapstick in moments but is equally brilliant in quality at other times. A perfect watch when you need a cheer up.

The World’s Fastest Indian

Very impressive movie about determination and the love for perfection. The touching story of an old man who travels across the world to break the land speed record on his trusty bike. Anthony Hopkins is extremely loveable and the story beautifully heart warming. A must watch for engineers as its core values are deeply embedded in this movie.

Igor

A nice animated movie about a world where evil is respected and Evil Scientists are honoured. The story is about an Igor(assistants to evil scientists) who dreams of becoming an evil scientist. Igor is smart and creates a Frankenstein monster but starts getting the attention from his competitors.

Bolt

Another Animated movie in the list This one is about a dog that plays a superhero on Television. The dog trulybelieves that he is his superhero persona and that he possess superpowers. When an accident causes Bolt to get lost, he and his magical abilities are put to test to find a way back home.

Batoru rowaiaru

This movie was brought to my attention while watching an interview of Quentin Tarantino. He considered this movie the best movie of the last decade… After watching the movie I have no choice but to agree, while this movie is probably not the best its easily in the top.

The movie is about the future where the Japanese government captures a class of ninth-grade students and forces them to kill each other under the revolutionary “Battle Royale” act. The movie is bold, shocking, gory and enlightening. This is normally not my type of movie but its brilliance is hard to ignore.

Crank

A movie with Adrenaline running in the veins… Chev Chelios is a professional assassin who learns that his rival has injected him with the Beijing cocktail. The drug slows down the heart rate of the victim killing them, Chev wants to live… To get to the antidote Chev needs to keep his Adrenaline up to prevent the drug from taking over. What happens over the next few hours of Chev’s life is Crank.

The movie is brilliant with its presentation. Shot in parts in First Person Shooter mode and with some of the best writing Crank is an high voltage thriller. A must watch for Adrenaline junkies.

Shade

Shade is about poker and hustling. The story is about a group of hustlers who encounter “The Dean”, the ultimate hustler and pull off a successful sting that results in their pursuit by a vengeful gangster. The story is fast paced and a good thriller. Totally worth a watch

Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist

A sweet movie about getting over people, finding love and good music. The background score is really beautiful and story nicely engaging. Watch the trailer if you like it you will like the movie

The Man Who Sued God

The story of a lawyer who became a fisherman from frustration. When his one piece of property, his boat, is struck by lightning and destroyed he is denied insurance money because it was ‘an act of God’. He re-registers as a lawyer and sues the insurance company and the church under the geise of God, defending himself. (excerpt from imdb.com)

This movie is good – watch it

The Game

I always wanted to watch the cult classic and finally I got around to watching it. The movie is about a wealthy man who gets a strange birthday present from estranged brother, the gift, a live-action game whose rules are undefined and end unforeseeable. This movie is a must watch.

Funny People
Story about a comedian in his prime who is told he has a terminal illness. The comedian goes about preparing for the end and simultaneously seeks the help of a budding stand up comic to keep his comedic persona alive in the tough time.

This movie is brilliant is so many levels, the scenes where the comedian has to bite into his agony to make his audience laugh is so touching it can reduce you to tears. Yet the movie is ruined by a pathetic last 30 minutes which changes the main storyline to one about relationships and ethical boundaries…

Note: These are movies I watched in 09 not necessarily released in the same year.

The next few days went partially in rediscovering the lost love for the stage and waking up to the beauty of the video camera. In the last 10 days I have written 2 short films and worked extensively on one. My initial purpose for being a part of the exercise was to warm up to concepts of movie making. Next thing I know I am cast into the movie(albeit a small role but thats based on screen time only ) and told to re-perform a comedy play (which I was a part of back in 2008).

Adding to that I have been around for about three birthdays (my friends will say I was barely there) and traveled from one end to the other end of bangalore more than a few times…

I guess that is one way to start a year

There is a famous anecdote about a wise master and a tea cup. This story is one of my favourite zen stories. The short version goes something like this:

Nan-in, a Japanese master during the Meiji era, received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen.

Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor’s cup full, and then kept on pouring. The professor watched the overflow until he no longer could restrain himself. “It is overfull. No more will go in!”

Like this cup, Nan-in said, you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?

- taken from this post

Its a simple and beautiful story that hits home. What is amazing is that Hollywood has been dishing out different versions of this story way too many times.

There were mentions of parts or the entire anecdote in both 2012 and Avatar (and possibly many others I havent watched). To be honest either movie is not symbolic of great writing but seriously people shouldn’t you be trying to come up with something a little different than the original story.

Ps: And guys dont waste too much Tea while getting the message thru