BADLAPUR: How a good movie missed out on being India's First Slow Burn Classic

BADLAPUR did well at the boxoffice. BUT what do I have to say about the movie?
Get into a critical analysis of this gritty revenge drama blow by blow and know why it gets rated 8/10 instead of the actual 7/10 that the movie was initially rated.

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Watch the review and Analysis:



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- Pushkaraj S Shirke

Baby

monkeyrating: 9/10
genre: action, crime drama
kudos to the director NEERAJ PANDEY and action director - my fav action director of all time CYRIL RAFELLI for making this brilliant movie!
One of the best action movies to ever come out of Bollywood!



 - Pushkaraj S Shirke

NH10 and BADLAPUR: Trailer first look reactions and review

Watch the trailer reaction and review of BADLAPUR and NH10. and why we are excited about it.

And unlike what most people are saying, NH10 is NOTHING like KILL BILL. its like a different bunch of films all together - see the review or read on to know more.

The NH10 trailer is brilliant - very gory realism. cinema in the lines of 'the last house on the left' and 'i spit on your grave'. 

Looks like bollywood finally has better days on the horizon.
he film looks like a gritty and gripping victim revenge drama. It has a vibe of recent korean revenge / slasher dramas. And I'm loving it. this is MY genre of amazeballs cinema.

NH 10: TRAILER: 

For those of you who have not seen the classics of this genre and their remakes, do watch them. The address the latent animal in every victim. and they are beautiful in the way the do it. Though they are not for the meek hearted.

LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT: FULL MOVIE:


I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE: TRAILER


BADLAPUR: The film looks like its gonna be sriram raghavan's comeback after the epic slip off on AGENT VINOD. its good to see him back in his gritty, indie like element which showed great promise in johnny gaddar. Kudos to Varun Dhawan for stepping out of the chocolate boy image and embracing some real grit. (though his looks seems inspired by my caveman bodybuilding look ;) :P )

check out the trailer:


PS: the song 'jee karda from Badlapur is already playing on loop in my head and is freakking awesome :) 

- Pushkaraj S Shirke

The Gunman

My favourite actor - Sean Penn and one of my favourite action movie directors - Pierre Moel (director of the First TAKEN and of Transporter 2), have gotten together and i'm mind blown!!!! I cant wait for this movie to release!
Also, the soundtrack sounds amazing and the story seems cliche and yet gripping!
So i have my fingers crossed for this one. This movie might just reclaim the magic that TAKEN 3 couldn't create in the genre.

what do you think?




- Pushkaraj S Shirke

UGLY

A 'Critically Acclaimed' Movie gets an honest review.
Ugly as honesty can be, the review is clear and unbiased, listing out the pros and cons of the movie without giving out any spoilers.
Though his review of the movie is not a pretty one, I do suggest that you watch this movie in theatres to encourage cinema that doesn't revolve around love stories, in Bollywood.

Rating: 2/5 
maybe an emotionally 3/5 just for not being a romantic crap bollywood movie.
Pros: Casting, Dialogues, Concept, Direction, Acting.
Cons: Scriptwriting - specifically towards the second half, all music besides the title track, loopholes in the story and an overall miss at completing a story and tying the end together.

In short, great characters were created around a brilliant concept, but eventually, to no avail.

watch the video review for details:


- Pushkaraj S Shirke

I Saw the Devil (ruined by bollywood as EK VILLIAN)

Monkey Rating: 8/10
personally, subjectively, i would rate this movie a 9/10

genre: crime, drama, thriller, gore, slasher

waddabout: When his pregnant fiancee becomes the latest victim of a serial killer, a secret agent blurs the line between good and evil in his pursuit of revenge.

i say: this is one of my favourite films. it has been ruined in india by a substandard remake by the name of 'ek villian'. i saw the devil is gritty, emotional, realistically and artistically gore filled and psychologically precise. it does not waste any time on unwanted scenes, establishes everything at an apt and rapid pace and tells its story in a nerve wrecking manner that is commendable.

The music in the movie holds the entire film together - storytelling in the absence of dialogues. The cinematography is sharp and gritty, left raw on purpose at times to showcase the animalistic rage filled moments : for eg in the scene where the villian shoots the hero with a shot gun (see trailer). The performances by both the leads are PERFECT. The use of art and props as subtext in the film are brilliant - the fishing rod as a weapon to show catch and release, the angel wings in the car to contrast the devil within, the minimalism in the lead characters house to establish loneliness and so on.

i personally cant get enough of this movie. i ahve watched it 3 times in one week. but i suggest kids and people who cant handle blood and gore do not watch this film. AND PLEASE DO NOT WATCH THE BOLLYWOOD REMAKE OF THIS INCREDIBLE FILM.



cheers!
Pushkaraj S Shirke

PS: for more reviews and recommendations: www.youtube.com/filmpickle

The Raid 2

monkeyrating: 8/10
actually, i gave it a 7, but the action sequences are so awesome that i gave it an 8 out of sheer awesomeness.

waddabout: a cop who carried out a legendary raid, is forced to go undercover with the crime syndicate to protect his family and uncover the police corruption that runs rampant in the city.

isay: the story is an improvement on part 1, but still not up to par. the acting is sub standard. and screenplay sucks. BUT - and a MASSIVE BIG BUT - this ain't what you watch this movie for!
this is a movie that will blow your mind with the action sequences, the fight choreography, the camera work, the raging music and the sheer incredible power of GORE!

monkeyrespect to: Iko uwais and Yayan Ruhian! i was wondering why the director would pick actors who could not really act - but when i saw the amazing fight choreography, i realised why - coz no one else could have evr pulled this off! These are by far the best fights i have ever seen choreographed for screen. Kill bill and old boy together cant match up to this awesomeness!


watch the film pickle video review:


watch the trailer:



- Pushkaraj S Shirke

Breaking Bad: Review and Tribute

Rating: 9/10
The only point deducted is for stretching it a bit far and taking too large a break between the final season segment 1 and 2.

I say: MUST WATCH.

Story: The story is on the canvas of the life of an over qualified yet simple high school chemistry teacher who is forced by circumstances to explore meth drug manufacturing and dealing. BUT it is actually an intense psychologically profound drama of human life, power, desire, greed, eventuality and fate. It follows two men of dire circumstances and how they ride their way through them with its ups and downs - complete with little joys and heart wrenching betrayals, love and murder, charity and greed and the complete unpredictabilty of life against the power of human will.

Characters: The characters are dickens like - very stark and intense. Good is good and bad is bad, yet with a human side. The casting is mind blowingly perfcet. Infact it is so good that not once does any character not convince you. Its like watching a real documentary of real lives. It is no wonder that one of the characters has already been picked for a spin off - 'better call saul'.

Cinematography: The scenes in the movie are a case study in macro and timelapse photography. This is one series that does justice to the fact that good cinematographers work on TV too - and not just for film. Every frame tells a story, every scene is a setting. you could literally freeze frame any scene and make a poster out of it.

Music: Even when the well written dialogues are missing, the sound is never lacking in storytelling or emotional grabbing. This soundtrack is worth a download and definitely ideal to be set as a writers mood music setting. Its intense, emotional and perfectly picked.

You know something in popular culture has had a far reachin effect when it inspires artists to work for it for free.
Just check out the number of posters and fan arts created for the series, and you'll know what im talking about.

No more words needed. my second favourite tv series of all time has been done justice in this tribute:


- Pushkaraj S Shirke

Need For Speed

view full image

Monkeyrating: 8/10 

Turned out way more amazon than I had expected. The trailers looked cliche, but the movie rocked some balls! Amazing storyline. Keeps you gripped throughout. Music is good. Cars are great. And performances are brilliant. 

 I might go as far as saying tht this is the best car movie ever. #movie 

#review #nfs #cars #film #hollywood "

Now You See Me

monkeyrating: 8/10 

waddabout: an FBI agent and an Interpol Detective try chasing a group of 4 magicians brought together by an unknown entity to pull of heists during their live magic performances and distribute the money to the audiences.

monkeysays: definitely one of the best movies I have seen in a long long time. Brilliant performances, brilliant direction, stylishly executed heist film that is totally worth your money many times over! It definitely made its way up into my top 5 heist films of all time. Masterpiece of a movie!

monkeyrespect to: Director Louis Letterier - from transporter 1 and 2 for Now you see me, he has definitely gotten better and better. slick and fast as ever, he knows how to abracadabra his audiences!
The entire cast pull their own weight brilliantly. Simply amazing to just watch them perform - you believe each and every one of them! 

watch the trailer: 

Fast & Furious 6

monkeyrating: 8/10

waddabout: the original crew of car-renegades comes together to take down a mercenary who is commanding armoured motor warfare boosted heists across the world and to get Dom's girlfriend Letty back - with full pardons for their previous crimes. 

isay: the best of the fnf movies according to me. this movie had it all - cars, attitude, dialogues, story, action, drama and absolute adrenaline value. This fnf movie reminds you why you love action movies once again!

monkeyrespect to: the fight choreographer on this movie takes the cake - all the fights are true to their own action stars, true to the martial art from and splendid to watch. Whether its gina carano with her mma moves, the rock and vin diesel throwing in some wrestling and street and mcmap, or paul walker bursting off some krav maga - its all perfect action poetry! the actions been kept REAL and Cinematic at the same time. truly brilliant.Justin Lin has done an awesome job directing this movie - even when he exagerrates scenes to make them cinematic, he keeps it looking classy and steers clear of cheap - that's sheer talent! He has the audiences in awe despite the clear disobedience of the laws of physics and biology! That's what entertaining cinema is all about - being realistic, but not real. that fine line between fantasy and reality? Lin's found it and tread on it perfectly.
Kudos to the writer for brilliant subtle humour at every stage (like refferring to the rock on the phone-caller-id as SAMOAN THOR :-D) and for the dramatic lines about 'FAMILY' that defines dom's character and give the movie its dramatic spine.

watch the trailer: 

The Dark Knight Rises

monkeyrating: 9/10
(the only reason i have deducted one point is cause of the lack of furious pace and action as opposed to the dark knight)

Wadddabout: the conclusion to Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy. Batman is forced out of his self imposed exile to fight a ruthless mercenary called Bane - and save the very city that has branded him a criminal.

isay: watch it in IMAX and buy highest definition DVD possible. This is the best possible conclusion to the Dark Knight Trilogy. It couldn't get any better!

True Dark Knight Fans will love it - purely for the reason that it is more psychologically true to the nature of the characters than anything else. it focuses more on the man behind the suit and the men beneath their masks than the mind numbing action that most superhero films have. THAT is what batman is.
People who became batman fans just coz of 'the dark knight', may not FEEL it. 

The movie draws more sources and similarities in pace and tone to BATMAN BEGINS than to THE DARK KNIGHT. So it would be an added advantage if you have watched the first one too.
All in all, i'm sold for the trilogy. Lots of popcorn and a Knight to remember.

monkeyrespectto: NOLAN, the god, for obvious reasons. and Hans Zimmer for a score that consistently keeps creeping beneath your skin somewhere. Bane's theme echoes in your mind long after the movie is done! epicness to the max!
And the catwoman?..... just in case you are reading Anne Hathaway... please marry me.

watch the trailer:

the girl with the dragon tattoo

monkeyrating: 7/10
i would have given it an 8 but i cancelled one star for the movie being a serving bitch to commercialist shit like mc donalds and marlboro.

waddabout: a sharp but recently defamed journalist invstigates a murder that took place 20 years ago with the help of a talented but psychologically disturbed assistant.

isay: people need to stop cmparing a book to a movie - they are 2 different mediums. this movie is awesome and a must watch. yes, it has sneaked in advertisments that go against the nature of the characters in the book, but hey, its a movie. just watch it.
if you still want to insist on saying that the book is great and the movie sucks - you know what? go stick to reading and dont watch movies.


monkeyrespect to: STEIG LARSON, for a briliant book and incredible characters!
ROONEY MARA - the girl kicks asss in her performance! i could have never imagined her to fit this role - but she did - and HOW!
TRENT REZNOR - there's a reason why fincher always works with him - THE MAN, AND HIS MUSIC, IS AWESOME. you can feel him behind the scenes whispering to you what the feel of the scene is! its his beats that have to gripped to every scene in the movie.
and of course - master DAVID FINCHER - the man is incredible. i have seen the swedish version of the film - and it seems like a documentary compared to this one. fincher's touch is sheer adrenaline! he always only remakes books into movies, but that's his niche and he's got it bang on!


watch the trailer: 
actualy, the first trailer - coz it is perfect - dosent tell you the story, but gives you the mood to be in -





all views expressed belong to an opinionated dickhead called Pushkaraj Shirke. If you have differing views, feel free to share them or visit www.go-fuck-yourself.com

DRIVE

monkeyrating: 7/10

genre: Drama Action Crime

waddabout: a hollywood stunt driver who also takes up TRANSPORT jobs for thugs and criminals finds himself on a mafia hit-list after he gets involved in a complicated heist.

isay: if you watch it expecting an action movie, you will be dissapointed. the movie is an incredibly well directed, tricklingly slow DRAMA - a character piece - and a marvel at that. watch it for that, and you'll be spellbound. its extremely 'real' and seeps into your skin.

monkeyrespect to: the director Nicolas Winding Refn. honestly, before this movie, i dint even know his name! But the way he has made this movie a slow-warm-burning piece of character drama, he deserves an applause. But an oscar? maybe not. Not yet.

#this song from the movie soundtrack is stuck in my head: A REAL HERO



watch the trailer:


all views expressed belong to an opinionated dickhead called Pushkaraj Shirke. If you have differing views, feel free to share them or visit www.go-fuck-yourself.com

City of God (Citade de Deus)

monkeyrating: 9/10 

genre: drama crime

waddabout: a tale of the circle of life through the lives of the youths living in the very violent, crime soaked slums of CITADE DE DEUS. And its based on a true story!

isay: if i ever make a movie - this is how it will be! the movie ain't just a movie - its a story of life. a tale worth being told and a visual experience worth being experienced! absolutely timeless!

monkeyrespect to: Director Fernando Meirelles, gets all the monkey respect monkey can give - the movie is god-fucking-fantabulous! the way the story is told is just brilliant in every way. this movie is a storyteller's dream!

The cinematography will have you gripped in the first 10 minutes itself - and what's more is that it dosent slack all through the movie. so definite monkeyrespect and the well deserved oscar to César Charlone. The camera movements and techniques put CG to shame! 
The editing by Daniel Rezende is so slick!!!! not at one point do you feel that any part of the story's fabric is ruptured! despite being such a long and complicated!!! almost as if the editing is invisible! that's the true art of a master tailor - a dress that stupefies you, but without a single hem or stitch ever being visible! 

trivia note: All of the amateur actors were recruited from favelas (slums) in Rio de Janeiro, and a couple of them - eg. Buscapé/Rocket actually lived in the Cidade de Deus

 
Watch the trailer: 

all views expressed belong to an opinionated dickhead called Pushkaraj Shirke. If you have differing views, feel free to share them or visit www.go-fuck-yourself.com

Singham

NOTE: this is the original tamil version. not the soppy remakes that might follow. i do not vouch for the bollywood remake.

monkeyrating: 7/10 

genre: Kollywood Action Drama Crime

waddabout: A small town honest cop with absolute machismo gets into a mega-faceoff with a big time city gangster.

isay: Watch it! Ultimate indian grindhouse cinema this is!  it is an all out entertainer! action, comedy and true south indian style drama - all packed into one! The exagerrations will leave you rolling on the floor with laughter!!!! (honestly, i dont know if the action scenes were meant to be comic, but they fucking are!!!! my stomach is still hurting!)

monkeyrespect to: SURIYA - the guy is an incredible actor and has managed to deliver a striking performance even in a grindhouse commercial, masala flick! the director has done a brilliant job keeping the tempo high at all points - a brilliant work of screenplay in terms of interspersing high octane moments with light hearted comedy - where i must mention the brilliantly comic performances that leave you rolling with laughter!!!!
but the script miserably loses pace in the second half: which btw is a usual feature in indian cinema. 

trivia note: the movie is being remade (as usual) in bollywood. with the same title. But set in goa instead of chennai.

Watch the trailer: 



AND THE FUN AINT COMPLETE WITHOUT WATCHING THIS SPOOF ON INDIA's prime minister - made by morphing the trailer of the bollywood remake of this film: HILLLARIOUSS!!! :


all views expressed belong to an opinionated dickhead called Pushkaraj Shirke. If you have differing views, feel free to share them or visit www.go-fuck-yourself.com

Lord of War

monkeyrating: 9/10

genre: crime / drama

waddabout: Yuri Orlov(Nicolas Cage) tells his humorous, disturbing, morally twisted and tragic story of coming from nothing to becoming the greatest gun-runner in the world.

i say: the film is so extremely well made despite being a drama movie that i've watched it more than 50 times! amazing use of music, great story telling, intresting voice over by nic cage and a story that truly shows that its based on reality.

monkeyrespect to: Andrew Niccol has written it so well that direction purely flows from it. This is one movie where it shows what difference good writing can make to a movie.
and Nicholas Cage's acting and voice over is so cold, to the character and believeable that he sinks into your mind as Yuri Orlov. Brilliant characterization!

must watch segment: the opening credits sequence of this movie, which is a music video, is considered one of the greatest opening credits sequences ever! dont miss it!!!

trailer:


all views expressed belong to an opinionated dickhead called Pushkaraj Shirke. If you have differing views, feel free to share them or visit www.go-fuck-yourself.com

Kill Bill

monkeyrating: 9/10

genre: Action Crime Thriller

also known as: The Bride

famous for: its mindblowing action sequences, its unique style of film-making thanks to Quentin Tarantino and being one of the greatest REVENGE flicks ever made!

waddabout: An ex assasin goes into coma and loses her unborn child after a failed attempt to kill her. On waking up she pursues a relentless quest of vengeance to kill them all - the members of the infamous deadly viper assasination squad, led by her lover and mentor - BILL.

i say: deeply philosophical, classy and meaningful even behind all the unbelieveably spellbinding action! Must watch for the not-so-weak-hearted!

monkeyrespect to: Quentin tarantino ofcourse! for the great direction, the brilliant choice of off-beat music and for making a revenge flick so damn classy and post-modernistic!

I actually used this film to explain POSTMODERN LITERATURE (this movie is an example of POSTMODERN FILM-MAKING) during my literature study years and scored!
Great respect to the JAPANESE GRAPHIC NOVEL - THE BRIDE on which the movie is based. As i always say: a great graphic novel is a good movie half made!for a change, im not putting up a trailer, but one of the best fight scenes from the movie instead - ENJOY:
all views expressed belong to an opinionated dickhead called Pushkaraj Shirke. If you have differing views, feel free to share them or visit www.go-fuck-yourself.com

A Time To Kill

monkeyrating: 7/10
This movie amazingly affirms my belief that 'Sometimes, you have to serve the justice to make the law see what's right.'

Waddabout: A lawyer defends a black man who muders the two men who raped his 10-year-old daughter.


Genre: Crime and Drama

I say: brilliant acting. a crash course in drama that makes your blood boil. Would be a brilliant play if not a movie! If you are a father, or have ever been on the unjust end of the law, you'll know what i'm saying when u watch this.



all views expressed belong to an opinionated dickhead called Pushkaraj Shirke. If you have differing views, feel free to share them or visit www.go-fuck-yourself.com

Rakta Charitra

Honestly, i'd given up on bollywood. But time and again a remarkable film comes up and reinstills my faith in it. Rakt Charitra is one such flick!
Deeply rooted in true to life tales in central india, the nature of GRASSROOT level politics and the games of crime and power. A brilliant depicttion of the circle of life... and death - through the purest of all emotions - REVENGE.

Plot: 
Rakta Charitra is a biographical tale of a young, idealistic man from Andhra Pradesh, who gets dragged by circumstances to a path or violence, power and revenge. A path flowered with an intense blood curdling conflict between two characteristic individuals.
Moreover, the story is also the ultimate statement on the often heard disastrous consequences of a fatal mixture of caste, crime, family feuds and politics.

BTW: The gore in the movie aint for the fait hearted. the story loves its initial grip after the first half. and the typical camera angels start getting on your nerves after a while.

my verdict: Watch it. great story - almost an Indian 'true to life' version of THE GODFATHER. Realism rules.

all views expressed belong to an opinionated dickhead called Pushkaraj Shirke. If you have differing views, feel free to share them or visit www.go-fuck-yourself.com