Review: BigStrongBrute - We Can Sleep Under Trees In The Morning

Paul Donoughue (aka the man behind indie-folk 'band' BigStrongBrute) is a son of a bitch. He makes things look so easy. First off, he was part of the great band Tragic/Athletic, a band that started out as a snot-nosed noise-punk band seemingly highly indebted to Turnpike (no bad thing) before maturing into something much more 'adult' and yet somehow just as - if not more - interesting. Now he's continued that musical growth even without the help of his old band. BigStrongBrute has existed in some form for many years now, but its original incarnation as a mid-naughties electro-clash performance piece has now been completely replaced by exquisite folk-pop songcraft. Donoughue takes the same simple song structures and basic open guitar chords that thousands of people have used to create a million songs, and yet manages to create songs that are not only memorable, but somehow unique and individual. Paul Donoghue is a son of a bitch.

I suppose a large part of the reason for the success of We Can Sleep Under Trees In The Morning is the maturation of Donoughue's voice. It's always been a rough instrument, straining for pitch and range, but these days it's managed to strike that wonderful balance between roughness and musicality. The notes might be slightly off, but it's always in a way that makes things sound better, not worse. Donoughue's voice is full and rich and warm and contains a weariness beyond his years. It's the same kind of perfectly flawed voice that makes people fall in love with singers like Neutral Milk Hotel's Jeff Mangum or Okkervil River's Will Sheff, acts that BigStrongBrute are often compared to. Those are comparisons that are understandable: all three bands feature strong frontmen with 'rough' voices surrounded by a slightly tweaked and modernised version of traditional folk instrumentation. The passing similarity is just that though, there's no simple aping of a somewhat popular sound. Even if there was, there are worse musical ideas to steal; thank God that Donoughue didn't attempt to create yet another over-rehearsed, bloodless 'folk' act like the Mumford & Sons of the world (as an aside, I must have heard that band's hit song - whatever it was called - a bunch of times, and each time it's ended I've been completely unable to remember a single thing about it). We already have too many dudes who thought it would be a cool idea to grow a beard, strap on an acoustic guitar and get half-a-dozen other musicians to fill out the sound with a bunch of 'obscure' instruments. I'm sick of supposed 'folk' bands who are all slick, filled with multi-part harmonies and super fast finger-picking. Be raw! Be out of tune! Stop trying to be Grizzly Bear or Fleet Foxes! Anyway...

Of course, the songs are what make any record. My personal favourite here is the closing title track, a 3-minute song that feels as though it's a 1-and-a-half-minute song. When it finishes I find myself wishing it were a 6-minute song that felt as though it were a 3-minute song. The final wordless refrain leaves me completely devastated in a way that few local acts can manage (the dearly missed Ambitious Lovers being the only other that immediately springs to mind). 'Supply & Demand' is the obvious radio single (well, obvious to me. My friend thinks that the upbeat penultimate track 'You Were Always Right' holds that title), but even it can create a lump in the throat in its final, solo bridge before the band kicks back in for the rocking outro. Then there's the beautiful build of opener 'Hands', the minimal 'In My Own Mind' and the epic centrepiece 'Industrial Town'. As you'd hope from a 6-song record, there's not much fat on here.

Engineer Todd Dixon has given the record a somewhat timeless quality, doing a commendable job of mixing together the wide array of instrumentation; flute, trumpet, piano, organs, guitars ranging from nylon stringed through to distorted electrics, all manner of vocals. Some might call it lo-fi. It's not, but neither is it a modern, polished stitch-job. Like many things with this record, it's wonderfully balanced but not hyped. I wonder if this balance might actually end up being to its detriment, as the record's lack of immediacy in both sonics and songwriting gimmicks might mean that it doesn't grab ears in the same way that, say, The Middle East did last year. BigStrongBrute just don't have that show-off element that the more hyped 'folk' acts do (which isn't to say that they lack a sense of drama). It's a shame, because Donoughue's songs are as good (I'd say better, in fact) than those of that band; they're just simpler, rougher and more subtle. Hopefully this means that they'll have more staying power.

I want to say something vaguely negative about the record so that this isn't a glowing puff piece, but I can't really think of much. It's the best local record I've heard in some time, certainly the best folk record to come out of Brisbane for a while (right up there with McKisko's debut and the previously mentioned Ambitious Lovers' farewell EP, Winter Got Warmer). It's not perfect, but anything I can think of to criticise sounds exceptionally petty (eg: sometimes the backing vocals are mixed higher than Donoghue's lead vocals). I know it's a cliche to say this when reviewing an EP, but I really hope we don't have to wait too long for a full-length. Actually screw the rest of you, I just hope *I* don't have to wait too long for a full-length.

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Review: To The North - To Work And Not Feed 12" EP

To The North are, and have been for some time, probably the best so-called 'post-hardcore' band in Brisbane. Other dubious hyphenated terms that could be (and have been) used to categorise their music would be 'math-rock', 'jazz-hardcore' and 'tech-punk', all terms that might turn various people off of their music. Such labels might seem to paint their music in an over intellectualised, bloodless light, but anyone who has seen the band live knows that this would be a huge mistake, as the band are a hugely passionate, emotive force. In fact, an equally as apt term to describe their music might actually be 'emo', but in the original use of the term from when it described various bands from the early days of Washington DC's hardcore scene that grew around the Dischord label.

To Work And Not Feed is not the debut release from To The North, but it's the most substantial in a while (they released a split 7" with the similarly minded Ohana last year, and an EP called Landscapes before that). The record features four songs spread over two sides of vinyl (with a download code included), and was recorded almost 18months ago by a friend of the band (Dave Williams) and mixed by the ever present Bryce Moorhead. The record captures the band with a raw honesty; there are very few overdubs, the sounds are left without a huge deal of polish, and as such the band's musicality is left as the sole focus. It's a sound that is unadorned and uncluttered. This is probably the best presentation for the band as their songs are complex and non-linear, and would probably become impenetrable with a more dense mix. If a song like 'If Knowledge Were A Right Of Passage You Would Be A Fucking Genius' was filled with more instrumentation it would likely collapse under its own weight, as it's already stuffed with more riffs and chord progressions than a lot of bands put together throughout an entire album. As an aside, it's probably also the best track on the record.

The star instrument here is certainly Errol Hoffman's guitar. It winds its way around all of the other instruments, alternating between extremely intricate melodic runs and dynamic chordal work. Almost stealing the show at times is the muscular yet dexterous drum work from Simon, while Josh's bass provides a solid foundation for the music (also displaying its own inventiveness from time to time). The instrumental base is likely strong enough to invoke interest even in those who are not particular partial to this style of indie rock, but the vocals might be a turnoff to any who are averse to the genre's somewhat ubiquitous speak-singing. Singer Cam Gillard's style is fairly common amongst post-hardcore bands, and those who don't particularly like other vocalists of his ilk probably won't be won over by his efforts. That said, he's a particularly passionate, anthemic vocalist who provides a needed centrepoint in the middle of his bandmates' controlled chaos. Lyrically he seems to mostly deal with conflicts and relationships (though not necessarily of the romantic variety), and does so with an inclusive, non-accusatory tone - there are a lot more 'we's on this record than 'you's.

For a band who have for a long time been fairly irregular in their gigging and releases, it's encouraging to see To The North playing out more consistently. In recent times they've become a more constant presence in gig guides, and have been on multiple tours with another one about to begin in support of this release. With any luck they'll become more than the highly respected but inconsistently seen heads of a local scene. With a bit more luck we'll get another record from them soon.

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Review: Idle Cranes - Fur Release

Post-punk band Idle Cranes have been been playing around the traps for a few years now, but have just recently released their debut record, Fur Release. The band seems to think of it as an EP, but with nine tracks and a running time of around 40minutes it's equally as valid to think of it as a full length album. With a production style that hearkens back to the post-punk records of the late 70s / early 80s (ie: not much low end, LOTS of reverb and feedback, buried vocals that are largely indecipherable) it's not an easily digestible piece of music either, but it's not without rewards for those who persist with it.

The record starts of with the instrumental 'L'Amour', a spiky piece of down-tempo post-punk that somewhat sets the template for much of the record in its minute-and-change length: trebly guitars, distant thundering drums, monolithic distorted bass that somehow stays in the sonic shadows despite its volume. 'Frigate' introduces vocals into the mix, with both of the band's singers sharing the mic on the song - Jon's languid, British sounding croon laying the foundations while Jakeb's more colloquial bark cutting through the middle, his speak-singing sounding more like the vocalisations of your average post-hardcore vocalist than a post-punk one. 'High Heels Low Brow' closes off the more accessible first third of the record with the most immediately likable slice of music on the disc, disco drums and all. If Fur Release were to have a single, this would be it.

In it's live incarnation, 'Ghost Train' is an absolute monster. Slow, menacing, oppressively loud. This recording doesn't capture that side of it at all, instead the song comes across as monotone and repetitive, with pretty much no dynamics or significant changes in its 7minute span. Drums are reduced to a metronomic tapping in the background, the bass is neutered of any power and the song is reduced to an exercise in mood and texture. Strange, then, that it's not a total write-off (though cutting a minute or so out of the first half might have done the track a favour). The song is probably the biggest challenge on the record, almost as if the band is daring you to make it to side two. Those who do will be greeted by the somewhat schizophrenic 'Discotheque' (cool riff at the 2minute mark) and the relentless, tribal 'Tetrahydreen'. In combination with 'Ghost Train' this trio makes up the decidedly strange middle third of the record.

The final third of Fur Release is probably the strongest, but also the most oblique. 'Mexico' takes the murky atmospherics to their logical limit, slowing things down to a introspective crawl and, in the process, becoming the most successful recording on the album. 'Two Horse Race' is probably the Idle Crane's finest live track, and though the band's chosen recording style has sapped the song of some of its oppressive power from the live setting (much like 'Ghost Train'), it still stands out as one of the highlights of the disc. The verses are propulsive, while the choruses increase the intensity by just enough to highlight the epic nature of the chord progression. 'DFD41' finishes things off with some more atmospherics, utilizing some found sound loops, an acoustic guitar and some droning vocals to bring things to a soothing yet disquieting end. It's one hell of a comedown to a record that doesn't give an inch over its entire running time.

By taking such a strong stance in terms of creating a uniform, highly stylised sounding record, Idle Cranes have created a somewhat more divisive record than they perhaps might have with a more 'true to life' presentation. Such conviction is to be applauded, especially in such a young band, even if the results are perhaps to the detriment of individual songs. The band has obviously wanted to create a real record, as opposed to a collection of loosely linked tracks. Some people have labelled the record as 'lo-fi', but that's not really accurate. This isn't something recorded on a cassette four-track in someone's garage, it has been intentionally constructed to sound a certain way and create a certain mood. In this respect the record is a success (extra credit also needs to be given when considering that the band pieced the record together from multiple recording sessions at a variety locations, although four of the tracks were recorded at the (new defunct?) Valley Studios by Glenn Agnew).

There is certainly a consistent mood that runs through the entire record - often this can create a sameness to the music, and this is arguably the case here. However, after living with the album (or EP, whatever) for a bit of time the listener is able to get past the murky sounds and hear that there is actually a remarkably wide breadth of music on display. Strangely enough, it's easy to imagine that with a more orthodox production style Fur Release could actually seem a little bit scattered. The fact that it instead comes across as quite cohesive would indicate that this is a band with a fairly strong idea of where it's headed, even if at this stage it does seem to occasionally get lost . Still, their success rate is high enough that this record (and their live show) comes recommended.

You can currently listen to the entirety of Fur Release record at the band's myspace page.

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Review: AXXONN - Masters of the Epic Day

Masters of the Epic Day, the second EP from local laptop-drone duo AXXONN (the first being the freel download Should You Fear Hell?, which Gav reviewed a while back), is an interesting little release. Interesting because it's actually something of a split record, featuring two songs from AXXONN and two songs from each of the two members' solo projects: Tom Hall (as himself) and Ian Rogers (as Ambrose Chapel).

It's also interesting because the two AXXONN tracks are probably the weakest on the record. Masters starts out with 'The Second Death', a track that plays out like a slightly condensed version of the debut EP (but this time with drums). The song starts out quiet and contemplative, full of warm synth tones, before erupting into noise around the one third mark, cruising along at full volume for a bit before calming back down... only this time it returns to crushing distortion instead of just petering out. Since it's only one song compared to the first EP's three it contains fewer melodic ideas, being mostly based around changes in dynamics instead of the Hell's gradually shifting tones and melodies. It's satisfying in the way that a Mogwai song is satisfying: it hits all of the points that you want it to hit, and it peaks right around the time you desire it to. It has big dynamic shifts that seem as though they're meant to jolt you about, but you're expecting them so they don't really surprise. In fact, the song is very Mogwai-like - I know it's a sin to automatically compare dramatic instrumental bands to the Scottish post-rockers, but this track really sounds like the more electronic numbers from the most recent two or three Mogwai records (the only difference being that Mogwai play guitars that sound like synths while AXXONN play synths that sound like guitars - even the sampled drums sounds a lot like the playing of Martin Bulloch, though that's probably more because he's often such a lifeless, mechanical drummer). I don't think there's any plagiarism going on here, even of the subconscious sort, as I don't believe that AXXONN are overly avid listeners of Mogwai - it's probably has more to do with the inherent limitations of and similarities between bands in this vague 'genre'. Anyway, 'The Second Death' is certainly not a bad track, in fact it's quite good, but it doesn't feel as successful as the band's earlier release.

The second track, 'Nikki Grace', is shorter but perhaps a bit more interesting, though it mines a very similar vein of ideas as 'The Second Death' - gradually developing textures in the first half, a big dynamic shift around halfway, mechanical drums. In fact, I think one of the main problems with the two AXXONN tracks is the drums - I just don't think that Hall or Rogers are particular adept at programming rhythms, or at least not the big, bombastic sort that they're trying to implement here (actually, on second thought the rhythms are actually pretty decent, the issue has more to do with the drum sounds that have been chosen and the way they've been mixed - the drums just seem to stick out, breaking the spell created by the rest of the music). On Should You Fear Hell? rhythm was used sparingly, often being limited to muted bass rhythms that burbled away beneath the weight of the huge synthesizers, and this was very effective. On Masters the rhythms are much more upfront, and I don't think it really works. It takes the band more in the direction of standard post-rock, which is all well and good, but I think that the band's best moments are when they're more understated and are slowly milking a dramatic chord progression for every remaining bit of interest.

The solo tracks reinforce this. All four are far more understated than the opening two songs, and are all the better for it. Tom Hall's 'Wor(l)ds Fall Down' is four and a half minutes of dread based around a couple of keyboard notes, while 'Between Subdivided Distances' features a slowly building array of drones and textures which never reach any sort of emotional payoff, although they do eventually break through the aural clouds to reach a kind of sunshine for the last minute of the song. Both tracks are desolate, murky sounding affairs, but not in a cold, detached way. They're also both really, really good.

Meanwhile, Rogers' two tracks are equally as enthralling. 'Bulk Carriers At Sea (And On Fire)' alternates between unnerving white noise and synths that sound like foghorns, giving a feeling that perfectly reflects the song's title. 'Corridors_Bend' is the shortest track on the EP, featuring a chorus of what sounds like ebowed guitars and rumbling ambience - there's really only one idea in the track, but it's explored thoroughly while not outstaying its welcome, and as such is as successful as anything else on the EP.

Masters of the Epic Day is an interesting little release. It's successful in ways that you wouldn't think it would successful, and its failures are due to things that you would imagine would be strengths. Who would have thought that the solo tracks, which many might have expected to be somewhat 'throwaway' in comparison to the 'proper' band songs, would be the highlights of this disc? Conversely, AXXONN are often most successful when melding the heady 'art' of experimental drone music with the more emotive, visceral world of rock and folk (in the traditional sense of the word), so it makes sense that the use of bombastic rhythms and big dynamic shifts would only add to the success of their music. However, this doesn't seem to be the case. It seems as though the aspects of AXXONN's music that they should be pursuing are the subtle melodies and texture shifts, and mixing those with a more subtle rhythmic approach.

Don't let my musings on why this record doesn't quite hit the heights its aiming for put you off, it's still a highly worthwhile release. All six songs are at the very least interesting, with none of them being remotely 'bad', while some of the solo tracks would be highlights on many quality records. Oh, and the packaging is pretty cool, almost meeting the lofty standards set by Rogers' other act, No Anchor.

Here's the video for 'The Second Death'.

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Review: Do The Robot - First Names

Do The Robot's 2008 Valve records release Amp On Fire was an enjoyable, if somewhat flawed, minimalist shoegaze record. A little over a year later the band have released their follow-up, First Names, and it's an improvement on their debut in almost every sense. While recent live shows have played up the ambient side of their music, First Names combines the recent increased use sound layering with the traditional melodicism Do The Robot have shown at all stages of their existence. The record improves upon the areas that were somewhat lacking on Amp On Fire, while expanding the areas where the band was already quite successful.

The record starts off with 'Europe', about as concise a song as you'll find in Do The Robot's discography, coming in at a touch under 4minutes. Within this timeframe the musical improvements the band has made in the past year all come to the fore - the songs are more densely packed with melodies and shifting arrangements, and there's a greater sense of movement inherent in the music. No longer do their songs coast along for 7minutes with a mere two or three chords, seemingly held in stasis; now songs embrace traditional pop structures while still keeping the band's trademark dreaminess and languid beauty. Another thing that will strike those familiar with the debut is the sound of the record - everything seems so much more full than before, and not just because of the increased use of guitar and keys overdubs. Engineer Todd Dixon has done a great job of balancing reverb-filled haze with a sense of weight for all of the instruments. The final thing of note that has really improved in recent times is Sera's singing - she has always had a voice with the perfect character for this style of music, but now she has better control of her vocals and hence comes across as much more powerful and confident. She also seems to have reduced the Americanisations in her pronunciation (something that is a bit of a pet peeve of mine).

The band also seems more willing (or more able) to mix things up - 'Grandmother's Bicycle' is a terrific, upbeat pop song that devolves into a Sonic Youth Sister-era outro, 'Mountain' is the tensely dramatic centrepiece of the album, and 'Moon In The Sky' shares a fair bit with sister-band The Rational Academy's more reflective moments. Meanwhile 'Just The Six (No The Five Of Us)' is the sort of extended jangly pop song that Amp On Fire was filled with - except better. Matt also mixes up his guitar tone much more frequently than on the prior record, often double tracking his parts and not being afraid to throw down some appropriately distorted shoegaze guitar. It helps to keep the record moving along, and stops things from getting too samey.

First Names is the record that I was hoping for with Amp On Fire - beautiful and stark, yet inviting and enveloping. Unlike Amp On Fire, it benefits from not outstaying its welcome, being all over in a bit over 35minutes. It also packs a lot more ideas into its running time than its predecessor, ensuring that the listener stays interested through its entire duration. Since Do The Robot have already moved on from the sound of this record I'm interested to hear their next release - if its much like their current live show we can expect it to be more obtuse, more ambient, more abstract and even more densely filled then First Names, and yet just as melodically satisfying as this record.

Oh, and I should also mention the beautiful packaging. The vinyl version comes in individually hand-crafted fabric jackets.

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Review: BigStrongBrute - We Can Sleep Under Trees In The Morning

Paul Donoughue (aka the man behind indie-folk 'band' BigStrongBrute) is a son of a bitch. He makes things look so easy. First off, he was part of the great band Tragic/Athletic, a band that started out as a snot-nosed noise-punk band seemingly highly indebted to Turnpike (no bad thing) before maturing into something much more 'adult' and yet somehow just as - if not more - interesting. Now he's continued that musical growth even without the help of his old band. BigStrongBrute has existed in some form for many years now, but its original incarnation as a mid-naughties electro-clash performance piece has now been completely replaced by exquisite folk-pop songcraft. Donoughue takes the same simple song structures and basic open guitar chords that thousands of people have used to create a million songs, and yet manages to create songs that are not only memorable, but somehow unique and individual. Paul Donoghue is a son of a bitch.

I suppose a large part of the reason for the success of We Can Sleep Under Trees In The Morning is the maturation of Donoughue's voice. It's always been a rough instrument, straining for pitch and range, but these days it's managed to strike that wonderful balance between roughness and musicality. The notes might be slightly off, but it's always in a way that makes things sound better, not worse. Donoughue's voice is full and rich and warm and contains a weariness beyond his years. It's the same kind of perfectly flawed voice that makes people fall in love with singers like Neutral Milk Hotel's Jeff Mangum or Okkervil River's Will Sheff, acts that BigStrongBrute are often compared to. Those are comparisons that are understandable: all three bands feature strong frontmen with 'rough' voices surrounded by a slightly tweaked and modernised version of traditional folk instrumentation. The passing similarity is just that though, there's no simple aping of a somewhat popular sound. Even if there was, there are worse musical ideas to steal; thank God that Donoughue didn't attempt to create yet another over-rehearsed, bloodless 'folk' act like the Mumford & Sons of the world (as an aside, I must have heard that band's hit song - whatever it was called - a bunch of times, and each time it's ended I've been completely unable to remember a single thing about it). We already have too many dudes who thought it would be a cool idea to grow a beard, strap on an acoustic guitar and get half-a-dozen other musicians to fill out the sound with a bunch of 'obscure' instruments. I'm sick of supposed 'folk' bands who are all slick, filled with multi-part harmonies and super fast finger-picking. Be raw! Be out of tune! Stop trying to be Grizzly Bear or Fleet Foxes! Anyway...

Of course, the songs are what make any record. My personal favourite here is the closing title track, a 3-minute song that feels as though it's a 1-and-a-half-minute song. When it finishes I find myself wishing it were a 6-minute song that felt as though it were a 3-minute song. The final wordless refrain leaves me completely devastated in a way that few local acts can manage (the dearly missed Ambitious Lovers being the only other that immediately springs to mind). 'Supply & Demand' is the obvious radio single (well, obvious to me. My friend thinks that the upbeat penultimate track 'You Were Always Right' holds that title), but even it can create a lump in the throat in its final, solo bridge before the band kicks back in for the rocking outro. Then there's the beautiful build of opener 'Hands', the minimal 'In My Own Mind' and the epic centrepiece 'Industrial Town'. As you'd hope from a 6-song record, there's not much fat on here.

Engineer Todd Dixon has given the record a somewhat timeless quality, doing a commendable job of mixing together the wide array of instrumentation; flute, trumpet, piano, organs, guitars ranging from nylon stringed through to distorted electrics, all manner of vocals. Some might call it lo-fi. It's not, but neither is it a modern, polished stitch-job. Like many things with this record, it's wonderfully balanced but not hyped. I wonder if this balance might actually end up being to its detriment, as the record's lack of immediacy in both sonics and songwriting gimmicks might mean that it doesn't grab ears in the same way that, say, The Middle East did last year. BigStrongBrute just don't have that show-off element that the more hyped 'folk' acts do (which isn't to say that they lack a sense of drama). It's a shame, because Donoughue's songs are as good (I'd say better, in fact) than those of that band; they're just simpler, rougher and more subtle. Hopefully this means that they'll have more staying power.

I want to say something vaguely negative about the record so that this isn't a glowing puff piece, but I can't really think of much. It's the best local record I've heard in some time, certainly the best folk record to come out of Brisbane for a while (right up there with McKisko's debut and the previously mentioned Ambitious Lovers' farewell EP, Winter Got Warmer). It's not perfect, but anything I can think of to criticise sounds exceptionally petty (eg: sometimes the backing vocals are mixed higher than Donoghue's lead vocals). I know it's a cliche to say this when reviewing an EP, but I really hope we don't have to wait too long for a full-length. Actually screw the rest of you, I just hope *I* don't have to wait too long for a full-length.

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Tees Maar Khan Hindi Movie Review

Film: Tees Maar Khan (U/A)
Director: Farah Khan
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Akshaye Khanna, and others
Rating: *½

  

These are some of the reviews for the latest Bollywood Hindi film, Tees Maar Khan, directed by Farah Khan starring Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif and Akshaye Khanna, collected from the internet from different sources.

Times of India
Tees Maar Khan too is purported to be total fun and begins on a promising note, with the actors creating havoc on screen from the word go. Unborn Akshay kicking in his Bollywood-crazy mother's womb, all grown-up Akshay breaking the law and bragging about it in bindaas style, dim-witted Anya (Katrina) doing the Sheela Ki Jawani number with aplomb and basking in her B-grade starlet status, an edgy superstar (Akshaye Khanna) tearing his hair apart for having missed the Oscar to Anil Kapoor's Slumdog Millionaire act...you begin to settle down for loads of masti and dhamaal as the show unfolds. But post interval, you end up restless. And fidgety. Because nothing really connects.

DNA
Farah Khan’s idea of a ‘holiday’ film — put together a world-infamous con artist, a Bollywood starlet, an Oscar aspirant, a bunch of naïve villagers, and befuddled policemen, then weave an absurd story connecting all of them. That is how you have this catastrophe called Tees Maar Khan.

www.bollywoodtrends.com
There is a difference between Entertainment and Mental Torture. Tawaif Ki Loothi Izzat Bachana Aur Tees Maar Khan dekhna, dono hi bekaar hain.Okay, here is why Tees Maar Khan can make you cry this December. Minus point of Tees Maar khan: Apart from a couple of things, in Tees Maar Khan, there is nothing worth applauding The movie is made very casually, (this is the vibe one gets, considering comedy is a ‘serious’ business);

www.glamsham.com
TEES MAAR KHAN ends with a song called 'Happy Ending' in which many cast and crew members receive Oscars. Well, it isn't such a happy ending for you as a viewer. The con job goes wrong mid way, after an impressive start. Rating: 2.5/5

So all in all it is quite an unanimous verdict that Tees Maar Khan is a bad movie. Although, it got a good initial opening at the box-office, it can be safely said that Tees Maar Khan will not even recover its cost. Guess, Farah Khan should have stuck to her favourite Bollywood star, Shahrukh Khan and not switched loyalties. ‘Sheela Ki Jawani’ alone cannot save a film, madam.

Did I hear right? Farah Khan is already planning a sequel to the dud, Tees Maar Khan. What’s happening with Bollywood directors, anyway? Farhan Akhtar is making a sequel to the super flop Don and Farah Khan making a sequel for Tees Maar Khan… I think Bollywood directors and producers need to get their brains examined, because they have been leaving them at home while making movies for quite sometime now. But the audience has wizened now as they are keeping their brains with them while watching the movies even though most of the film makers urge them to leave them at home. WTF.

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Watch Trailer of Tees Maar Khan by clicking on the link below:

Tees Maar Khan Trailer

Watch ‘Sheela Ki Jawani’ Bollywood Song MP3

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The Godfather- DVD Review

 

Based on Mario Puzo’s best seller novel, The Godfather, directed by Francis Ford Coppola is probably the only film which finds its place in most top ten movie lists.

Winner of three Academy Awards including Best Picture, The Godfather was nominated for an additional eight Oscars. With intriguing depth, it provides audiences with a glimpse into the notorious underworld of warring New York crime families.

Marlon Brando as the Godfather turns in, arguably, the most memorable performance of his career. Also this Hollywood classic boasts of a number of actors who became Hollywood legends with this film.

Considered as one of the most perfect movies ever made, The Godfather is like a Worldwide benchmark for many a film maker, actor and writer.

Godfather is the greatest mafia film ever produced, and perhaps the best drama in all of cinema history. A dramatic story of family and change, of youthful idealism and the pragmatism of adulthood, The Godfather is a must-see for any serious cinema aficionado…although one cannot really concentrate on the film making part of the movie because the story is so compelling that one can’t help but get involved in the story and forget about the technicalities of the making.

Click on the pics below to download Free Wallpapers of Godfather

The making of the famous assassination scene from The Godfather

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DVD Review: WAKING SLEEPING BEAUTY

WAKING SLEEPING BEAUTY

(Dir. Don Hahn, 2009)

Veteran Disney producer Don Hahn here provides an engrossing inside look at the world of Walt Disney Feature Animation from the years 1980-1994. Years in which as an opening title tells us: "A perfect storm of people and circumstances changed the face of animation forever."

Hahn, who narrates, takes us through the studio's struggle in the '80s after animator Don Bluth left taking with him half of their staff. It was incredibly difficult to compete with Bluth and Steven Spielberg's more-Disney-than-Disney productions such as "An American Tail", so it looked like time to step up their game.

This resulted in the "Disney Renaissance" which included such smash hit features as "The Little Mermaid", "Beauty And The Beast", "Aladdin", and "The Lion King".

We hear the voice of Roy Disney (older brother of Walt) explain how in 1984 Paramount Pictures chairman Michael Eisner became chief executive officer of Disney. Also recruited from another studio (Warner Brothers) was Frank Wells who was made Disney's President and Chief Operating Officer. In addition Eisner brings in former Paramount colleague Jeffrey Katzenberg to run the film devision of Disney.

Hahn considered this an "invasion from Hollywood" and bemoans the changes that were being made: "I remember interior decorators tearing down walls that hadn't been touched since 1939."

These shake-ups dishearten the animators who are relocated to their chagrin to smaller shabbier production facilities.

Newly appointed President of the Feature Animation Peter Schneider (and co-producer of this doc) causes some controversy when he changes the title "The Basil Of Baker Street" to "The Great Mouse Detective".

The name change didn't help the film beat the box office of "An American Tale", but a collaboration with Spielberg on "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" a few years later would do a lot to spurn on the "Disney Renaissance".

From there we learn about the background on Disney's home video moratoriums, the making of various projects, we see grainy video of musical recording sessions, and we get the scoop on the rise of computer graphics via a small firm that experimented with character animation that made Listerine commercials on the side. The firm's name was Pixar.

Then there are the tragic deaths of song writer Howard Ashman who died from AIDs before he could see a final cut of his work in the smash hit "Beauty And The Beast" in 1991, and Disney President Frank Wells who died in a helicopter crash in 1994.

Wells was the glue that kept it all together, the go-between from ego to ego, so his passing made worse the friction surrounding Roy Disney, Eisner, and Katzenberg. Katzenberg wanted Wells' job and he learned he wasn't going to get it - he resigned.

WAKING SLEEPING BEAUTY may be a bit self congratulating at times, but it's a well told story that breezes by aided by classic film clips, sketchy yet eye-opening works-in-progress, excerpts from TV interviews, and much home movie quality film shot by Hahn over the years.

It's a must for Disney fans as well as anybody with an interest in the juicy details of what goes on behind the scenes of a major studio from turbulent to triumphant times.

Special Features: A bevy of featurettes entitled "Why Wake Sleeping Beauty?", "The Sailor, the Mountain Climber, the Artist and the Poet – Celebrating Roy Disney, Frank Wells, Joe Ranft, and Howard Ashman", "Studio tours" including Randy’s tours, "Roger Rabbit" studio, "Oliver studio", "A Reunion – Rob Minkoff and Kirk Wise", "Walt - What Would Walt Do", and "Compare Walt’s Era And This Era". There's also 3 webisode shorts, deleted scenes, and an extensive photo gallery.

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INSIDE JOB: The Film Babble Blog Review

INSIDE JOB
(Dir. Charles Ferguson, 2010)

"I don't know what credit default swaps are. I'm old fashioned that way." - George Soros

That makes 2 of us. There are many things like that in this documentary that I was completely in the dark about going in, yet in a sober (and sobering) manner INSIDE JOB explains the financial meltdown of 2008 in a fairly graspable way.

Matt Damon calmly narrates the film, taking us through segments entitled "How We Got Here", "The Bubble", "The Crisis", "Accountability", and "Where We Are Now".

It's a lot of complicated information to take in, but through interviews with key players such as the before mentioned financier George Soros, U.S. House Representative Barney Frank, former NY State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, Economics professor Nouriel Roubini, economist Paul Volcker, and many others, the film does an impressive, if at times impenetrable, job of breaking it down.

Ferguson, whose previous film the Iraq war doc NO END IN SIGHT was just as exhaustive, has a real knack for assembling a powerful narrative out of a tangled web of sometimes extremely confusing criteria.

We learn about corporate fat cats pocketing millions sometimes billions of dollars from corrupt loans. We see power point presentation style graphics that help define CDOs (collateralized debt obligations), subprime lending, and all kind of mortage mayhem. We even get an interview with a former Wall Street "Madam" (Kristin Davis) who supplied investment bankers with prostitutes.

It's an excellent eye-opening documentary that thankfully uses a minimum of Michael Moore-ish methods like pop song punctuation. Peter Gabriel's "Big Time" plays during the opening credit swoop through the Manhattan skyline, and Ace Frehley's "New York Groove" provides a backing beat to footage of excessive lifestyles, but such touches don't intrude at all on the thesis at hand.

INSIDE JOB is more informative than it is entertaining and its conclusion that criticizes President Obama for doing little to change the situation is depressing, but it's an incredibly well crafted and sharply focused work that got my mind reeling.

That is, even if I still can't tell you exactly what a credit default swap is.

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A Review Of The Dreadful TAMARA DREWE

TAMARA DREWE (Dir. Stephen Frears, 2010)

I was surprised to see the credit “Based on the graphic novel” on the screen at the beginning of this British comedy clunker.

It seems every other movie this year was based on a graphic novel!

Nothing wrong with that I suppose, just unexpected with this type of Thomas Hardy-ish material which concerns a writer’s retreat setting in a quaint English village captured in the ever lasting golden hour.

In a tale told in seasons, aspiring authors congregate at the home of a bestselling writer (Roger Allam) and his hosting wife (Tamsin Greig) who has long learned to look the other way to deal with her husband’s affairs.

Allam is always pompously pontificating about his supposed literary talent mostly to a struggling neurotic writer played by a buffoonish Bill Camp.

Returning to the town for the first time since her nose-job, Gemma Arterton, as the title character, appears in skimpy cut-offs and red tank top and every man in sight swoons.

This includes Luke Evans as the gardener/handyman who had a fling with Artenton when they were teens we’re told in a racy flashback.

Artenton is a journalist covering a punk pop band named Swipe who break up after a row on stage in which the drummer (Dominic Cooper) is outraged over the coupling of 2 his band-mates particularly since one had been his girlfriend.

To Evan’s chagrin Cooper and Artenton quickly couple up themselves, all the while a couple of hiding chatty schoolgirls (Jessica Barden and Charlotte Christie) watch it all smitten themselves with Cooper.

Allam gets into the game by bedding Arterton, Camp secretly pines for Grieg who he uses as a muse, and the schoolgirls cause trouble with a naughty email so there’s endless foolish shenanigans at every turn.

The film builds to a tragic last third, hints of which are dropped here and there throughout, but once it’s upon us its effect is mind-numbingly banal.

For all its energy and colorful imagery, “Tamara Drewe” never gels. It’s a completely charmless and painfully unfunny farce. Every attempt at wit falls flat and I could never deduce what the point of it all was.

No insights into restless writer’s mindsets or hearts – it’s all just misplaced vanity.

It also doesn’t help that the characters are all unlikable especially Allam’s who is just a transparent caricature of a womanizing cad.

The film doesn’t seem to be on anybody’s side so there’s nobody to care about. Despite the richness of the countryside and Frear’s ace sense of staging, its ultra-smarmy tone sabotages the entire production.

I can only hope that the graphic novel (and still going comic strip in the Guardian) by Posy Simmonds is more worthwhile than this dreadful tripe.

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ALL GOOD THINGS: The Film Babble Blog Review

ALL GOOD THINGS (Dir. Andrew Jarecki, 2010)

Andrew Jarecki, director of one of the best documentaries of the Aughts (CAPTURING THE FRIEDMANS), stays in the world of non-fiction for his first narrative drama based on what's been called "the most notorious murder case in New York history."

Loosely based on the life on real estate mogul Robert Durst whose wife Kathleen McCormack mysteriously disappeared almost 3 decades ago, this film begins as a love story with overhanded ominous overtones.

Through a framing device of later court testimony providing narration we meet Ryan Gosling and Kirsten Dunst as the couple, renamed David and Katie Marks, who meet in 1971 and seem initially happy, well, if she looks the other way when he mumbles to himself.

Gosling's powerful NYC property owner father played with suave menace by Frank Langella doesn't care for Dunst or his son's hippy lifestyle (the couple smokes joints and own a health food store out in the sticks in Vermont called "All Good Things").

Langella wants his son to be back in New York working for the family business - work than mainly involves shady money pick-ups from sleazy tenants. Gosling gives in to his father and the couple give up the country for the big city.

We learn from Lily Rabe as a outgoing friend of Gosling's that his mother had committed suicide in front of her son . This may explain why he demands that Dunst immediately get an abortion when she tells him she's pregnant.

The couple grow apart after that with Gosling in NY while Dunst stays at their weekend lake house pursuing a medical career.

Gosling has several violent outbursts aimed at his worried wife and after one particularly gloomy evening at their second home Dunst vanishes.

Throughout the film we see flashes of a dark figure hauling garbage bags that presumably have human remains onto a bridge in the middle of the night.

Despite the suspicion of many, Gosling is never charged with a crime and moves on until years later when he's charged with the murder of a cranky neighbor (the always welcome Phillip Baker Hall).

Though he claims self defense and is acquitted, of course, strong doubts linger.

The film gets a bit unfocused in its final third, but it was on shaky ground much earlier it must be said. Gosling is effectively cold and creepy and the film matches that demeanor beat by beat yet the overall take-away isn't one of eerie fascination.

ALL GOOD THINGS acts as if it has secrets to tell, but it really only has a few speculations up its sleeve.

It feels like a slightly glorified "made for TV" melodrama like those shown on the Lifetime network.

The supporting cast is capable - Dunst registers more realistically than she has before for me, and as her coke snotting best friend Kristen Wiig (Saturday Night Live) has a few moments as, I guess, light comic relief, but there isn't a lot of weight to this plodding procedural.

There have been great inconclusive films before such as David Fincher's ZODIAC and Jarecki's own doc CAPTURING THE FREIDMANS - films that passionately probe for the truth through a murky web of contradictions, but ALL GOOD THINGS simply doesn't have the hook or enough layers to make it anything more than a forgettable true crime thriller throwaway.

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THE KING'S SPEECH: The Film Babble Blog Review

THE KING'S SPEECH (Dir. Tom Hooper, 2010)

When Prince Albert, the Duke of York, steps up to the microphone to deliver the closing speech at the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley in 1925, we sense his extreme trepidation.

As portrayed by Colin Firth, the Duke is a dignified yet nervous man - nervous because he's suffered his whole life with a debilitating speech impediment.

His audience at Wembley cringes at his painful attempts to oratate in which the awkward gaps between words (or more accurately word fragments) seem to stop and start time.

The Duke's wife Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) desperately wants to help her husband and after much looking for a qualified speech therapist finds Geoffrey Rush as the erudite and sharply eccentric Lionel Logue.

Rush, who doesn't make house calls, doesn't want to take on the patient until he finds out who it is.

Firth is also hesitant thinking that his stammer is beyond repair, but after a short session is convinced otherwise because of Rush's recording of the Duke speaking almost normally while music plays through his headphones.

When the Duke's brother Edward VIII (Guy Pearce) abdicated from the throne for marrying a twice divorced American woman (Eve Best), Prince Albert becomes King George VI and is set to give a crucial radio address as war is looming.

Although it has a highly capable supporting cast including Michael Gambon as King George V, and Timothy Spall as Winston Churchill, it's mainly Firth and Rush's show. As good as Bonham Carter is here she's considerably just decoration on the side.

Firth dives into Rush's treatments involving breathing exercises, untangling tongue twisters, and a hilarious spouting out of a string of profanity in a scene that alone gives the film its R-rating.

Even as it can be seen as largely a filmed play (much like FROST/NIXON) there's an elegant film surrounding the 2 excellent actors.

It's mostly set in Rush's study, but director Hooper allows for a nice amount of visual splendor. In a rare break from the indoors the therapist and his royal patient take a walk together in a sunbathed park that fades behind them. It's arresting imagery that draws us closer to the leads and greatly enhances our emotional investment.

An investment that really pays off.

Firth takes on a difficult role - that of a stuttering man of stature - and infuses it with a living breathing fully realized performance, but it's Rush who truly steals every scene he's in. Rush is an absolute delight as the confident commoner speech therapist who fancies himself an aspiring actor.

A winner in every way, THE KING'S SPEECH was made for awards season, but unlike with such Oscar bait as "Conviction" that's so not a bad thing.

It's witty, wise, and wonderful - well deserving every bit of recognition it will definitely get.

It feels cheesy to use such clichéd critical accolades as "uplifting", "inspirational", and God forbid "the feel good movie of the year", but dammit if the shoe fits...

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I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS: The Film Babble Blog Review

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RABBIT HOLE: The Film Babble Blog Review

RABBIT HOLE (Dir. John Cameron Mitchell, 2010)

Married couple Aaron Eckhart and Nicole Kidman are shuffling through the motions of daily life. It's been 8 months since their son was killed - hit by a car - and the lingering pain has yet to recede.

Eckhart thinks group therapy will help with their grief, but Kidman hates what she calls the "God people" in their sessions. Such overly religious folks like the sobbing parent who says of her deceased daughter "God had to take her. He needed another angel."

Kidman dryly can't help but respond: "Why didn't he just make one? I mean, another angel? He's God after all...why didn't he just make another angel?"

Kidman leaves the group after this, but Eckhart returns and makes friends with Sandra Oh as a seemingly more stable group member who has been attending for almost a decade.

Meanwhile Kidman has to contend with a pregnant sister (the acerbic Tammy Blanchard), and their haggard yet still spunky mother (Diane Wiest) who had lost her son to a drug overdose - a comparison to Kidman's loss that she hates her mother to make.

Driving one day, Kidman spots a schoolbus and sees a teenage student that triggers recognition in her. She follows it and sees the student (Miles Teller) get off and enter his suburban home.

Stalking the student becomes a routine until the boy confronts her and we learn that he was the driver of the automobile that killed her son.

Also haunted by the death, Teller is apologetic and shows Kidman a comic book he's working on entitled RABBIT HOLE about parallel universes, time-holes, and alternate realities.

So Eckhart and Kidman don't cheat on each other, but they reach for others for support instead of each other and the film's unforced manner makes it easy to empathize.

It's one of Kidman's sharpest and most piercing performances with Eckhart matching her with some of his most nuanced acting to date. No predictions here, but I expect their names won't be left out in awards season.

Based on the Pulitzer Prize winning play by David Lindsay-Abaire, the inescapable sense of pain is palpable in RABBIT HOLE, but it's not a depressing film.

Director Mitchell's (best known as Hedwig in the cult favorite HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH) naturalistic style and compassion for these characters creates an extremely well constructed and moving film.

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FASTER: The Film Babble Blog Review

FASTER (Dir. George Tillman, Jr., 2010)

Apparently after a slew of kid's movies and commercial comedies, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has decided to put his goofy grin up on the shelf and get back to basics in a big dumb action shoot 'em up.

On the day of his release from a 10 year prison sentence "The Rock", who a title tells us is "Driver", sits down in front of a sympathetic Warden (Tom Berenger). Berenger in a one scene cameo goes on about rehabilitation and offers a helping hand. "Any questions?" the Warden asks.

The Rock: "Where's the exit?"

This is our protagonist's first and only line for a bit into FASTER, which follows the extremely stoical ex con as he follows a list of those involved in the bank robbery that landed him in jail and who murdered his brother.

One informant after another is treated to a bullet to the brain. Meanwhile, a sleazy Billy Bob Thornton, only identified as "Cop", is trailing "Driver" and there's Oliver Jackson-Cohen as a slick high tech assassin labeled only as "Killer" who is also caught up in the chase.

Working from the inside loop with a strong willed police detective (Carla Gugino), Thornton is a divorced druggie - unfortunately a scene devised to enforce his character's messed up mindset is set to the First Edition's "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)" which can't help but recall THE BIG LEBOWSKI (Dude! Don't steal from "The Dude"!)

Admiring The Rock's confidence and skills, Jackson-Cohen tells his girlfriend (Maggie Grace from "Lost") that his new worthy adversary is "faster" than he is, in case you were wondering about the film's title.

FASTER is ultra-formulaic and it takes itself way too seriously with only a few feeble attempts at humor to give us much relief.

The Rock puts in a refined and solid performance, but it's not a very interesting character. We don't learn anything about him except his single minded mission and the heavily implied love for his brother.

And because he's as unbeatable as always - there's no edge of danger present.

Thornton steals the scenes he's in - he and the brash Jackson-Cohen appear to be having fun with their roles which is good because The Rock sure isn't.

As for the mechanics of the plot there is a bit of a mystery about who pulled the strings in the botched bank job set-up with flashbacks and images on a videotape, but I seriously doubt the target audience for this film will care or be very shocked when the reveal comes. They'll probably just be waiting for the next kill like the preview crowd at the advance screening I saw this at who ate every bit of it up.

I will give credit to the fact that there were no explosions in this movie. For an action movie of this ilk that certainly can be seen as major restraint.

This is a movie for The Rock fans plain and simple. Those who want brains instead of blockbuster bloodlust may want to sit this one out.

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Jodhaa Akbar – An epic tale

Just lliked this article so that to share it with you all, as it’s of one of the blogger have written in AOL India Blogs about the movie Jodhaa Akbar in a very classy way:

To borrow the famous words of Mel Brooks,”The Legend had it coming”. At least it deserved a perspective from one of our best film makers.

Another two weeks before the might of the Mughal Empire unleashes on a Cinema screen near you.
And for the majority who is apt to get confused at the whole premise of AKBAR the GREAT and this Rajput Princess “thingy”, better ruffle through those old history textbook pages once again, if you can find them, that is.
It shouldn’t matter anyways.

For the rest who scream from the nearest fort ramparts about how Ashutosh Gowariker is shortchanging history and manipulating facts to his own interests, I say, please give him a break.
He has proved to be a great story teller, and a fine craftsman of the Silverscreen and if he wants to tell you a story in his own terms, let him do it.

Knowing Ashutosh Gowariker and his portfolio of fine craftsmanship, JODHA-AKBAR wouldn’t be disappointing. I am hoping that my wait was worth it. AR Rahman’s music that seems to be flowing at you from every second FM station these days doesn’t seem to disappoint you. Though as far as Ashutosh’s handful of movies are considered, the music played its part in the entire movie and then kept quiet. The stress was on the wholesome movie and not on the “item” numbers which usually are marketed as by-products of the main movie.

For those who came into the history classes late, or have never ever attended it once, arguably(after all, it wouldn’t be history if we didn’t, get it.) Jodha Bhai was the daughter of King Bharmal who gives away her daughter in marriage to young Jalaluddin, who makes his valiant presence felt in the battlefield, and is soon to be crowned and be known as Akbar the Great.

In keeping with the traditions based on the social customs and conditions of those times, marriages were more political alliances than “suitable”matches, and they kept the entire machinery of the Hindustan’s splintered royalty chugging on smoothly.

Seen as a prequel to Mughal-e-Azam, everything that has been done to Jodha-Akbar has been done in a grand scale or maybe, in Ashutosh Gowariker’s way of translating opulence. I always shiver at the prospect of those period drams that graced our silverscreen in recent times, and the apprehensions are still there, restless, but they have been unceremoniously banished to the back of my mind.

The last one that came in during Diwali(not exactly of the epic variety,but the marketing mandarins were adamant!), in an arresting blue afterglow, and spelling out opulence in big, large, cringing NEON from its every set, had me fleeing the Cinema. And that from another acclaimed Director.

For Hrithik Roshan, this is an “epic role”of a lifetime(though I am wondering what would best describe his role as Gautam Buddha for Shyam Benegal’s next project).

This also happens to be Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan’s first release post wedding, so it gains all the more gravitas as it naturally attains the grand inertia of the the First Family of Bollywood. Mme Rai’s last foray into an epic was to say the least “scathing”.

Maybe its just the beginning of epic roles for Hrithik.

Source: Bollywood |Bollywood Blogs

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Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal

Movie Story
Southall United Football Club is facing its deepest crisis ever. Bankrupt, with no stars, no coach, no sponsors, no takers, no spectators and most importantly no owner.

After the city council sends an eviction notice, it’s the last chance to save the ground, the club and their honor. Now, Southall United must win the Combined Counties Football League in their otherwise last season.

One man’s dream takes the team on a remarkable journey in this football-themed drama. Shaan (Arshad Warsi) takes up the challenge to save the club from extinction.

After a dishonored ex-player, Tony Singh (Boman Irani), joins them as the coach, in spite of being sniggered and laughed at, he and Shaan work to put together a team. It’s hard work as they approach their first game.

Sunny Bhasin (John Abraham) dreams to play for England. But his dream crashes after his club drops him because of the color of his skin. Ironically, Sunny himself had always laughed at his own community and Southall United.

Sunny and Shaan could not agree on many things. Adding to their personal chaos is Shaan’s cousin sister Rumana (Bipasha Basu) who is in love with Sunny.

Tony manages to convince Sunny to play for Southall United. It takes a while before Shaan and the team warms up to Sunny. With Sunny joining Southall United, the team gradually starts climbing the points tally. The city council is worried.

The only goal that the pragmatic Sunny has is winning, with all of the material perks and fame that he can acquire. He is more interested in being noticed himself, than Southall United winning the cup.

Johny Bakshi (Dalip Tahil), a commentator and a frontman of the council, plans to lure Sunny away from Southall United.

Sunny will need to sacrifice everything he believed in for something which he never believed. His love for Rumana, his relationship with his father and his life are at stake.

‘Goal’ is a contemporary story of the Asian community in UK told through the dynamic prism of professional sports. Competitive football only provides the action-packed backdrop, as the story takes an intimate look at a cross-section of Indians, Pakistanis and other Asians living in England.

‘Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal’ is presented by UTV and has music by Pritam chakraborty.

The film is produced by Ronnie Screwvala and directed by Vivek Agnihotri .

The film is set to hit the theatres on November 23.

Cast and their Roles:

John Abraham as Sunny

Sunny is the ace striker whose ambition is to play for the English National team. But he comes in for a rude shock when he is not selected due to the color of his skin. After he joins Southall United he is forced to reconsider his plans. His future as a footballer, his relationship with his father and his girlfriend are at stake and he needs to decide what he must do.

Arshad Warsi as Shaan

The captain of Southall United, he faces conflict with the coach after Sunny is included in the team. Shaan cannot see eye-to-eye with Sunny. He eventually is injured in a game and is replaced. But he tries to make a comeback later on.

Bipasha Basu as Rumana

Shaan’s cousin and a doctor, Rumana is taken on as the team’s physiotherapist. Sunny and Rumana fall in love, complicating things for Shaan. It is her maturity the way she keeps the club’s interest above everything else.

Boman Irani as Tony

He is the coach of the Southall United Football club. He is a traditional coach and considers the team and its players under his rule. An ex player, he was forced out of the game after threats due to extreme racism. As he resurrects the team, he has to fight his own demons.

“Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal” My Movie Page

“Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal” official site

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Om Shanti Om Music Review

Om Shanti Om Music Review

Shah Rukh Khan’s most awaited and much hyped home production ‘Om Shanti Om’ is one of the magnanimous projects of this year. This mega budget entertainer is slated for Diwali release along with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s hi-profile costume drama ‘Saawariya’.

This Farah Khan directed film is the story about reincarnation and is based on the glossy lifestyles of celebrities of Hindi cinema world. Supermodel Deepika Padukone will be making her first solo appearance in this film opposite Shah Rukh, who plays double role.

The film also stars Arjun Rampal, Shreyas Talpade, Kiran Kher, Malaika Arora and Javed Sheikh in supporting roles. The major attraction is the presence of thirty plus noted Bollywood celebrities in the soundtrack “Deewangi Deewangi”. Eminent music duo Vishal-Shekhar gets the opportunity of their lifetime to deliver their most prolific work after the super musical success of ‘Cash’.

The music of ‘Om Shanti Om’ is expected to one of the biggest grossers of this year and has already been making news in talent shows and radio channels. ‘Om Shanti Om’ delivers twelve original soundtracks with blend of sentimental and hip-shaking musical madness in its musical packaging. The songs of ‘Om Shanti Om’ can be heard on T-Series music cassettes and CD’s.

AJAB SI: KK’s voice has always been major feature in Pritam’s albums but this time he delivers a real smoothening soulful experience in mushy lovable soundtrack “Ajab Si”. It’s undoubtedly one of finest soft rock ballads of this year and a befitting tribute to romanticism by Vishal-Shekhar in their career. Vishal Dadlani’s penetrative wordings are real delight to ears and its amicable balancing in mellifluously refined arrangements makes it chartbusting material. Vishal-Shekhar’s soft malleable orchestration comprises supple piano, violin notes that form brilliant chemistry with woodwinds and keyboards notes to produce magical impact. ‘Ajab Si’ will be making big entry on charts and is likely to be promising aspect in film’s narration with positive saleable results.

DARD-E-DISCO: Shah Rukh Khan’s biggest make-over of acquiring six-pack-abs made considerable news and soundtrack “Dard-e-Disco” was its launching vehicle. Sukhwinder Singh delivers this high-profile dancing track that is heavily loaded with Persian-Arabian style of work embellished in trendy disco beat culture. It’s already been a big rage in promos and with Farah Khan’s slick choreography and lavish sets, it’s likely to a big on-screen exhibit.

Caralisa, Marianne D’Cruz and Nisha Mascarenhas’ sensuous background vocals deliver sufficient oomph factor to make it eye-grabbing material for viewers. Sukhwinder gets the first major hit of the year and its second major work after ‘Chhayya Chhayya’ (‘Dil Se’) where he has formed outstanding chemistry with both Khans (Shah Rukh and Farah) to deliver potential results.

DJ Aqueel gets into 80's style of disco-station antics in remixing this number with typical “club” remixes ethics and the end result is simply fabulous. “Dard-e-Disco (remix)” will be an encouraging factor in album sales as it will be urbane listener friendly for delivering frolicking substance for dancing floors.

DEEWANGI DEEWANGI: “Deewangi Deewangi”, a frivolously packed celebrity-bonding soundtrack, brings out zany signature tune of the film with spirited vocal performances by leading singers of musical fraternity. It’s great experience to hear Udit Narayan, Shaan and Rahul Saxena (Indian Idol contestants) showing great zeal in emanating male-bonding impact. On the contrary, Sunidhi Chauhan along with Shreya Ghoshal complements amicably for feminine counterparts to give it a momentous outlook. This soundtrack will be featuring thirty plus celebrities ranging from Subhash Ghai to Govinda in flashy surroundings of concert-looking extravagance.

Musical madness gets on to extra volumes in “Deewangi Deewangi (Rainbow Mix)” with imposing disco sensations getting itself embellished into “qawwali” and “bhangra” dancing moods. DJ Kiran along with DJ G delivers a rollicking remix stuff that brings back “retro” feel of 70's and 80's in a pulsating hot-shot disco beat culture musical stuff.

MAIN AGAR KAHOON: If KK’s mesmerizing voice in “Ajab Si” was a delightful experience then gifted Sonu Nigam delivers added moments of ecstasy and elation in his soft squashy voice in “Main Aggar Kahoon”. Vishal-Shekhar amalgamates the suppleness of Indian classical instrumental works with synchronized violin and piano notes in its impressive musical display. The soundtrack has mushy tingling signature tuneful experiences that bring memories of Shankar Jaikishan’s 60's magical charm. Shreya Ghoshal’s shimmering vocal impact brings extra mushy flavors that create an aura of serenity in the track. Javed Akhtar’s poetic prowess is the main highlight that gives it narrative edges in its tranquil flow.

JAG SOONA SOONA LAGE: Vishal-Shekhar maintains the decorum of “retro” feel where unconventional voices make imposing impact in sad and morose romantic soundtrack “Jag Soona Soona Lage”. This soundtrack brings memories of successful but different sounding tracks like “Lambi Judai” (Subhash Ghai’s ‘Karz’) and “Beshak Mandir Masjid Todo” (Raj Kapoor’s ‘Bobby’) to senses for its peculiar vocal renditions and lyrical flows. Pakistani Sufi sensation Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s voice packs melancholically resounding moments of lost-paradise in his excruciating loud pitched rendition. Richa Sharma’s harsh folksy voice has another notable offering in this track where her vocals set the tempo for the proceeding of the track. It will be of great significance in the climax of the film for its enriched melodramatic display but might not be as chartbusting as earlier tracks.

DHOOM TANA: If tracks of ‘Om Shanti Om’ promise vintage feel then it even boasts yesteryear’s talents like Pyarelal (of Laxmikant-Pyarelal fame) in main musical frames with blend of 60's, 70's and 80's retro feel in dancing soundtrack “Dhoom Tana”. This hi-voltage pulsating dancing number has Pyarelal’s orchestration that primarily comprises 40-45 different drums, ranging from ‘tabla’ and ‘dhol’ to ‘dhapli’, harmonized expertly with 40 plus violins and 22 woodwinds, amongst other percussive instruments. Abhijeet, an SRK favorite in late 90's along with melodious Shreya Ghoshal, cherishes Bollywood’s golden era as the mood swivels from 50's to 80's in its high-pitched interludes. Vishal-Shekhar’s arrangements are finely tuned with Pyarelal’s orchestration in making it crowd-appealing number on the silver screen.

DASTAAN-E-OM SHANTI OM: The soul of reincarnation vendetta saga erupts on with typical theatrical singing modes as affable Shaan’s vocals croon out emotions of ‘Om Shanti Om’ in sentimental number “Daastan-e-Om Shanti Om”. It strikes chord with “Ek Hasina Thi” (Subhash Ghai’s ‘Karz’) in its musical presentation where protagonist narrates his painful nostalgic moments through well narrated phrases and verses. This may not be the finest of Shaan’s works of this year but attracts eyeballs for its peculiar heart-throbbing theme and substance. Vishal-Shekhar’s energizing synchronized orchestration delivers shades of emotions that deserve to be applauded for its enriched harmonic affluence.

“Daastan-e-Om Shanti Om (The Dark Side Mix)” by DJ Nikhil Chinnapa, Zoheb and DJ Naved is stylized conceived promotional track that can well be catalyzed in promos and teasers of the film. It has darker side of human emotions in its daunting impulse with snazzy DJ claps and scratches making it perfect club remix track.

Vishal-Shekhar delivers their most pompous musical work of lifetime in ‘Om Shanti Om’ and predictably a potential winner in terms of commercial success. The album is expected to be one of the biggest grosser of 2007 and all credits to fine blend of Indian and western musical works by singers, lyricists, arrangers and composers. Soundtracks like “Deewangi Dewangi”, “Dard-e-Disco”, “Dhoom Tana”, “Main Agar Kahoon” and “Ajab Si” are sure shot chartbusting success while the rest of the numbers fits intro situation with great ease. It’s likely to be a big musical event for all ardent Bollywood musical fans and biggest musical success for talented and deserving Vishal-Shekhar.


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Jab We Met – Movie Review

Jab We Met – Movie Review

Starring Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Dara Singh, Kiran Juneja
Music by Pritam

Produced by Dhillin Mehta
Written and Directed by Imtiaz Ali

Jab We Met, is a Bollywood film directed by Imtiaz Ali, who earlier directed Socha Na Tha starring Ayesha Takia and Abhay Deol.

The film stars Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor in their fifth film together and will be produced by Dhillin Mehta under Shree Ashtavinayak Cinevision Ltd. The film’s score and soundtrack is composed by Pritam with lyrics by Irshad Kamil and is scheduled for a release in October.

It is the story of industrialist Aditya (Shahid Kapur) who feels defeated as the girl he loves is getting married. He drifts out of the gathering, and finds himself on a train, speeding away into the night.

A young girl Geeta (Kareena Kapoor), who is leaving Mumbai to elope with her boyfriend, meets Aditya. She irritates him to the point of leaving the train. They are stranded on a desolate station, without luggage or money.

They reach Ambala, her house, through highs and lows, only to be mistaken as lovers by the family. Geet then plans to run away to Manali to meet the man of her dreams.

By Manali, he has begun to see her in a different way. To realize later that her boyfriend had not accepted her. And she was missing. Her family traces him to get her back.

It is up to her to tell her family the truth. Only that she realizes that the misconception was the truth.. And they are meant to be together, always.

Go Watch the movie today. Read more on Jab We Met here.

Listen to the most famous songs from the movie here: Movie Songs

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