Movie :: Salaam Namaste (Hindi)

Hey everyone,

Last night a bunch of us went to see Salaam Namaste, which one of the highly anticipated movies releasing this year from Bollywood. When I came out of the theatres, I was highly disappointed. The movie had a great story, but could have been handled so much better. At times the movie was not sure what genre it wanted to be: an out and out comedy, a serious drama, a rom-com, or making a statement of the ethics and moral of the Indians living abroad. It seemed like as the director mashed in all the ingredients into one film, and this leaves the viewer confused what the movie is really about.

Nikhil, aka Nick, is an architect turned chef who now runs his own restaurant Nick of Time in Melbourne, Australia. Amber is a medical student, who supports her income as a radio jockey on the program salaam namaste. She is scheduled to interview Nick, but he doesn't show up and so she demeans Nick of Time, hurting the restaurant business. Nick and Amber fight over the phone for two days, and end up at the same wedding, where they realize three days later that they both had been fighting with one another earlier.

To cut it short, Nick and Amber don't want to commit to one another to any relationship, and so decide to move in together, but live in separate bedrooms, in order to get to know one another to see if they are compatible. After the initial tussles and fights, they eventually end up in the same bedroom, and spend too much time together.

One fine day, to complicate matters further, Amber finds out she is pregnant, and Nick asks her to abort the baby. So, they are again fight with one another, and drift apart. So the rest of the movie shows how they resolve their misunderstandings, sacrifice their dreams and beliefs and learn to be more tolerant of one another.

While the subject matter is very bold, what with Nick shown shirtless and in boxers for than half the movie as well a full lips on lips kissing scene by the lead actors, the way the story was messed about with was not fun. Typical stereotyped characters of South Indians and Bangladeshis were out of sync. A guest appearance towards the end was totally uncalled for and ruined the mood of the movie. One song (What's Going On?) should have been totally eliminated. Plus, a whole lot of inconsistencies were glaringly obvious (Nick is refused a bank loan for his restaurant, yet he goes on to buy a very expensive ring from a very expensive shop!!)

The one good thing about this movie was that there were no families involved and no in-laws involved- which is typical of Indian films. Instead, this movie is about two individuals and how they deal with certain obstacles in their lives. Mention also has to be made of two comic turns in this movie, who provided the necessary laughs, Ron, as Nick's friend, and the Evil Landlord. Indian movies are very slick and technically top-notch. Camera angles, music, costume design and all are done very well. But the script, story and the directions remains the most challenging part.

However, on the whole, Salaam Namaste was a golden opportunity wasted.

Having said that, if you enjoy senseless, brainless Indian movies, then you will enjoy this.

Mansur

Movie :: Red Eye

Hey everyone,

I saw Red Eye over the weekend. I had been waiting a while for this movie to come out primarily for two reasons. One, it is directed by Wes Craven of Scream fame, and two, the premise.

Red Eye is about Lisa, a hotel managress, who bumps into Jackson, a sweet, charming man at the airport, where her flight to Miami is delayed. While waiting for her plane, Lisa and Jackson chat up over drinks. Unbeknownst to her, Jackson ends up being Lisa's seat-mate on the plane. Everything seems hunky dory, as Lisa is clearly seen to be enjoying Jackson's company. Lisa is an aviophobic and Jackson manages to distracts her by talking about her family.

While up in the air, Jackson asks Lisa to make a phone call to her hotel to change the room for one important political figure so Jackson's comrades can assassinate him. Otherwise, Lisa's dad will be killed!

It's an interesting premise. What would I have done if I were taken hostage in a plane. With limited opportunities and places to go to, I would be stuck. The sense of tension and claustrophobia is used to the full here. Lisa turns out to be no dumb girl, and eventually manages to think of her get away from Jackson.

It's a superb suspense movie, with no cheap effects, side kicks or implausible going on. Sure, there are a couple of goofs in the movie, but I think it should be over-looked. Coming from Wes Craven, we are supposed to take his movies as having a good time, and I was having a ball of a time with Lisa and Jackson on the plane.

The action is shifted to Lisa's home after touchdown, and the suspense continues to play on high. Lisa (Rachel McAdams- of The Wedding Crashers) is a competent actress, but I think she will be typecast eventually into playing these damsels in distress kind of roles. Jackson (Cillian Murphy- of 28 Days Later) did a tremendous job, of playing a charming man, and then an intense hostage taker. His chilling blue eyes and receding cheekbones made him look all the more creepy.

Watch it for fun. Don't over-analyze the movie, and just have a good time!

Mansur

Movie :: The Skeleton Key

Hey you guys,

I had a bunch of movie reviews ready to be posted, so here they are.

The Skeleton Key is about Caroline (Kate Hudson) who is a nurse working as a hospice caretaker. She is called to work at a plantation deep south in New Orleans. Caroline is to look after Ben (John Hurt), who is paralyzed after "that incident" in the attic. Violet (Gena Rowlands), Ben's wife, is the other person living in the house. Caroline and Violet don't exactly hit it off initially but the friendship is strengthened with the help of Luke, the lawyer taking care of the real estate business.

In short I must say I enjoyed this movie immensely because of the way it was handled. The creepy atmosphere, the eeriness of the house, the music and the foreboding tension that creeps up to you. Caroline is given the skeleton key, which means she can open any doors to the house. However, there is one door in the attic which doesn't open, and Caroline's determination leads her into that room where she discover startling things.

Through her discoveries of what really happened in the attic, Caroline realizes, with the help of her friend Jill, that Hoodoo (not voodoo), a mysterious religion is practiced heavily here. So, in an attempt to to bring Ben out of his curse, she attempts to uncurse him through Hoodoo. "What I don't believe in, can't hurt me, right?" Well, fearing is believing! Caroline ends herself up more deeply than she ever wanted to.

The movie does pose an interesting question: can something you don't believe in hurt you still?

The ending is a very smart one, and will not leave you cheated. You don't know what's cleverer: the ending, or the twist. It's a smart, intelligent movie pretty much like The Others. I would watch this one again.

4 out of 5.

Mansur