Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Search  

Xpress4me logo

my xpress | blogs | cinema blog

Image for Tomb of the dragon emperor: Best kept under wraps

Published: August 07, 2008, 08:57

Tomb of the dragon emperor: Best kept under wraps

Rajeev Kheror

The first two "Mummy" movies cleaned up worldwide, but the many fans of those films may be disappointed by this one.

The third film in the Mummy franchise is not a patch on the first two. The plot is convoluted and the twists and turn predictable.

In fact, except for some yetis, a three-headed dragon and several other demonic creatures thrown in to create cheap scares, there’s nothing new.



Image for Mamma mia!: Thank you for the music
© Supplied

Published: July 10, 2008, 08:50

Mamma mia!: Thank you for the music

Rajeev Kheror

Mamma Mia! will take you down memory lane if you have grown up listening to the phenomenal Swedish band ABBA, Those not familiar with the band or their music will not be disappointed either.

The movie is an out-and-out entertainer with lilting music and a very plausible romantic plot.

Donna (Meryl Streep) runs a hotel on a Greek island. Her daughter Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) is getting married. One day, she stumbles across her mother’s diary which has an entry about Donna’s three summer romances, one of which led to Sophie’s birth.



loading...

Published: June 26, 2008, 08:59

I Could Never Be Your Woman: Cupid strikes

Rajeev Kheror

A light-hearted romantic comedy with good performances, I Could Never Be Your Woman, will keep you laughing with its gentle humour and punchy dialogues.

Rosie (Michelle Pfieffer) who is in her forties is a divorced television producer with a doting daughter Izzie (Saoirse Ronan).

Rosie is faced with many personal problems. Her ex-husband is having a baby with a younger woman, and her daughter who has hurtled into pubescence has fallen for a schoolboy degenerate called Dylan (Rory Copus).



Image for Kung fu Panda: Panda kicks out Leopard
© Supplied

Published: June 12, 2008, 08:57

Kung fu Panda: Panda kicks out Leopard

Rajeev Kheror

Kung Fu Panda delivers with panache. The central figure in this story is Po (voice of Jack Black), one of the laziest animals in the Valley of Peace, a place in ancient China.

Po lives with his father below the Jade Palace, where Zen master Oogway (Randall Duk Kim), kung fu master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) and his disciples – the Furious Five (a team of kung fu masters) – also reside.

Po is expected to take over the family business, but unknown to many he secretly nurtures the ambition of becoming a kung fu master.



loading...

Published: May 29, 2008, 08:56

King of California: A crazed Indiana Jones

Rajeev Kheror

Miranda (Evan Rachel Wood) has had a tough time raising herself on her own. But when her father (Michael Douglas) comes to stay with her after spending several years in a mental hospital, her life is thrown into disarray.

Charlie is obsessed with finding a 17th century Spanish treasure. Miranda is torn. She likes seeing Charlie excited and having a purpose, yet at the same time she knows he is often delusional and always thoughtlessly self-centred.

Yet, thanks in part to her dad’s magnetic eccentricity, his unflinching optimism that there is indeed buried treasure nearby and her own sheer boredom, Miranda agrees to aid Charlie in his quest.



Image for Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: Indy cracks the whip again
© Supplied

Published: May 22, 2008, 08:48

Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: Indy cracks the whip again

Rajeev Kheror

The fourth instalment of the summer blockbuster is loaded with action and special effects.

The latest instalment of one of the most successful movie franchises in film history is here with a brand new fun-filled adventure.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull takes place in 1957 when the US and the Soviet Union were engaged in a Cold War.



Image for Step Up 2: Dancing in the streets
© Supplied

Published: May 08, 2008, 08:58

Step Up 2: Dancing in the streets

Rajeev Kheror

This sequel is as entertaining as its predecessor. Youthful and spirited, the film’s energetic pace along with some fabulous choreography makes it thoroughly enjoyable.

The heroine of this story is Andie (Briana Evigan), an orphaned 16-year-old street dancer who lives in Baltimore with her deceased mother’s friend. Andie is a part of a street dancing gang called 401, a notorious crew that stages musical pranks in public places and competes in dance contests at clubs.

Not too happy with her lifestyle, Andie’s guardian wants to send her to live with her aunt in Texas. But Andie desperately wants to stay back. In order to do so, she enrols in a formal dance school where she meets Chase (Robert Hoffman), a dance legend who likes street dancing. Andie’s total commitment to her new school gets her kicked out of her old dance crew, but no problem. She forms a new crew with Chase to take part in street dance competitions.



Image for Iron Man: Heavy metal
© Supplied

Published: May 01, 2008, 11:29

Iron Man: Heavy metal

Rajeev Kheror

Movies based on superheroes generally are not as exciting to watch as their promos. Yet, every time a new superhero surfaces on screen, audiences are ever eager to check it out. However, Iron Man is refreshingly different.

If you’re not familiar with Iron Man, he is a hero created by Marvel in the ’60s. Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) is a billionaire playboy and head of a company making sophisticated weapons for the US army. During a trip to Afghanistan, Tony is kidnapped by insurgents and asked by his captors to build the most lethal bomb for them.

Instead, Tony hatches an escape plan revolving around a metallic suit.



Image for Mad Money: Good run for your money
© Supplied

Published: April 24, 2008, 09:00

Mad Money: Good run for your money

Rajeev Kheror

A novel plot, good acting and affable characters make Mad Money an enjoyable watch but because of a weak screenplay, it falls just short of becoming memorable.

Bridget (Diane Keaton), a high middle-class woman who has just faced the economic meltdown of the US with her husband being downsized at work, is forced to take up a job as a janitor at the Federal Reserve Bank which is into destroying soiled currency notes. At the bank, Bridget forges an unexpected alliance with Nina (Queen Latifa), a hard-working single mum with two kids, and Jackie (Katie Holmes), an exuberant free spirit with nothing to lose.

The three devise an elaborate plan to siphon the soon to be destroyed currency out of the airtight Reserve Bank.



Image for Krazzy4: Slapdash and substandard
© Supplied
The only saving grace of debutant director Jaideep Sen’s movie are Irrfan Khan and Rajpal Yadav.

Published: April 17, 2008, 08:52

Krazzy4: Slapdash and substandard

Rajeev Kheror

It’s an out and out copy of the 1989 Hollywood comedy The Dream Team, but Rakesh Roshan’s Krazzy4 does little to live up to the original.

Same plot, similar characters but the screenplay leaves much to be desired. Even the songs appear out of nowhere and are just thrust upon you.

The only saving grace of debutant director Jaideep Sen’s movie are Irrfan Khan and Rajpal Yadav, who keep the audience entertained with their comic capers.



Cinema Blog
Rajeev Kheror is the Head of programming for ZEE TV Middle East. In his 20-year career Rajeev has produced and created feature films, TV shows, ads and documentaries. He is also a writer, cinemaphile and amateur film historian.

recent entries

Tomb of the dragon emperor: Best kept under wraps>

Mamma mia!: Thank you for the music>

I Could Never Be Your Woman: Cupid strikes>

Kung fu Panda: Panda kicks out Leopard>

King of California: A crazed Indiana Jones>

Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: Indy cracks the whip again>

Step Up 2: Dancing in the streets>

Iron Man: Heavy metal>

Mad Money: Good run for your money>

Krazzy4: Slapdash and substandard>

archives

August 2008 (1)

July 2008 (1)

June 2008 (2)

May 2008 (3)

April 2008 (4)

March 2008 (2)

February 2008 (2)

January 2008 (3)

November 2007 (3)

October 2007 (4)

September 2007 (3)

vote

Do you think parents who are too pushy towards their children turn them into an obsessive hobbyist?

Yes, I'm a victim

No, it's for their own good

Can't say