Review : UP IN THE AIR

10 million miles is too huge distance is too huge distance to travel. How much time you need to travel that distance? Ask Ryan Bingham (George Clooney), he knows it since he had done it.

 

Ryan Bingham's firm has expertise in firing the people from their jobs. Company which want to get downsized gives contract to Ryan Bingham's firm to fire people without creating any hassles and complications for that company. Ryan Bingham travels for 321 days across the country firing the people and enjoys the luxury of preferential treatment he gets while traveling. His target is to attain mileage of 10 million air miles. In one of his assignments, Ryan meets Alex (Vera Farmiga). Their meeting leads to a casual relationship between them. One day, Ryan's firm decided to adopt cost-cutting measures by grounding all its on-road employees. Now the company wants to use the technology to fire people just by sitting in Omaha, the location of Ryan's office. This idea is brainchild of Natalie (Anna Kendrick) who has just joined the company. Ryan doesn't agree with this idea since it is difficult to connect with to-get-fired employees emotionally and psychologically through internet. Ryan's boss tells him to take Natalie with him in further assignments so that she can learn the tricks.

The best moments of movie begin from here with Natalie's boyfriend breaking off with her through text message. More hilarious moments follows. Also it appears that Ryan and Alex’s casual relationship is leading to somewhere. After few downsizing assignments, Ryan's boss decides that Natalie has learned enough to do the job herself. So it is the best time for Natalie to use her idea of technology in doing the assignment. Since Ryan has been grounded, he thinks of all his relationships and tries to reconnect with them. He attends his sisters’ marriage along with Alex and also tries to give a surprise to Alex by visiting her home in Chicago.

The end part of the movie begins here with unraveling of twists leading to interesting climax.

 

All the characters were well sketched. Each of the main actors deserves an Oscar nomination, though it is tough for them to win, due to presents of strong contenders. The role of Ryan Bingham was tailor made for Clooney. Vera Farmega underplayed her character and did full justice to it. Anna Kendrick was awesome and most likable character of all.

First half of movie was funny and sarcastic. It helped to build the second half. Second half was more intense. It builds the sympathy for the character of Ryan though everyone want to hate him for job he does.

The music and the songs were beautiful, especially the song shot during the Ryan's sisters wedding.

The dialogues and screenplay was brilliant. Some of the dialogues will become cult. The one dialogue which will always remain in my mind is “Loyalty is not cheap”

My Rating: 3/5

Road to Oscars

Oscar night is approaching.  People started guessing and predicting the winners. I thought i also predict for important categories.

Best Feature Film: Hurt Locker

Best Director: Unable to choose between James Cameron(Avatar) and Kathryn Bigalow(Hurt Locker)

Best Actor: Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart). Sorry "George Clooney"

Best Actress: Sandra Bullock(The blind side)

Best Supporting Actor: No doubt it is Chritoph Waltz (Inglorious Basterds)

Best Supporting Actress: Mo'Nique (Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire)

Best Original Screenplay : I believe it is Quentin Tarantino(Inglorious Basterds) but Mark Boal(Hurt Locker) can upset the applecart

Best Adapted Screenplay: Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner (Up In the Air)

The D-day will only tell how close or not i was.

ISHQIYA- Review

Vishal Bharadwaj has been referred to as India’s Quentin Tarantino. But figuratively speaking, in ISHQIYA , the writing of Bhardwaj is 'hatke', but no way closer to Tarantino's style.

The structure of the film is as follows:
Act1: Setup
The film begins with Krishna (Vidya Balan) who is married and in love with Vidhyadhar Verma. One night a gas cylinder bursts in their house killing -Verma. 
Faraway, Khalujaan (Naseeruddin Shah) and Baban (Arshad Warsi) escape from the clutches of Mushtaqbhai and run away with the heist money. They reach Gorakhpur  to take Verma’s help to cross the border. They stay as a guest in Verma 's house on request of his widow, Krishna. However, Mushtaqbhai traces them and gives deadline to return money. Krishna coaxes them to be part of a kidnapping plan she has devised.

Act2: Confrontation
They plan to kidnap an industrialist for a ransom and successfully kidnap him. Meanwhile both of them fall in love with Balan. This causes friction among the duo. Krishna ditches them both when they were fighting with each other.

Act3: Resolution
If I narrate this part, I will be guilty of playing as a spoilsport. I found this part of the movie to be weakest among three. In any other film this climax could be called as great but here it is not up to the mark set by previous 2 acts of the movie.

Every character in this movie has been sketched brilliantly with each character  having subtle gray shade.
The movie was not a conflict between good and evil. Instead it is a conflict between wronged person and wrongdoer.

Naseeruddin Shah is brilliant as always.  Post-Munnabhai, it is one of the best movies of Arshad Warsi. Vishal Bharadwaj's movies always have strong leading women. Vidya balan is seductive as well as docile.

The movie is directed by debutant director 'Abhishek Choubey' but not in the single frame of the movie, his inexperience could be found out. The song  'Dil to baccha hai ji' is brilliantly shot.

The dialogues are funny, though some are crude. All the characters are talking in MP-UP accent.
The music is incredible and the all the songs have become hit.


My Rating: 3/5