Hangover part 2 - movie review

So Hangover 2 is finally here in all its glory or something like that. After I watched the movie, I have to say I was disappointed. Contrary to the very original, perverse, hilariously politically incorrect R-rated pleasure that was Hangover, Todd Philips, this time seemed to have lost his spark in generating a worthy sequel to the original and instead followed up with a dark and seedy farce in the name of a sequel. Instead of the humor, no matter how irrational or slapstick in its genre, this time it got a bit serious in that somebody actually lost his finger and Phil ended up getting shot. Well, I guess Stu's reaction to the incident was worth a watch. Its not that I'm grudgingly allowing myself to say that Hangover 2 makes you laugh, because truly the movie is actually has loads of opportunity for sidesplitting laughter, but at times its just repetitive. Considering the original, the sequel has the same tropes for comedy like mistaken identity, losing a friend, finding him through a crazy maze of events, as well as their absolute amnesia about their action during the drunken stupor that they leave in their wake and obviously Stu's Demon of a fetish for prostitutes "probably of all types". Its almost like you are waiting for something new to happen in the outcome, but its always the same story, maybe except for the substitution of Asians in place of Americans. And Bangkok is shown in all its dirtiness and darkness. The plot-line as is usual with the Hangover is nothing more than a hazy, blurred montage of scenes about drunkenness and the craziness it entails. To quote Joe Morgenstern, "What was fresh and surprising in Las Vegas turns rancid and predictable in Bangkok". The cast though has the kind of chemistry that makes their scenes together a pleasure to watch, especially the wolf-pack consisting Phil, Stu and Alan. Zach Galifianakis is superb as the idiotic and frustratingly appealing Andy, while Bradley Cooper and Ed Helms does a fantastic job of complementing each other. The female characters are not worth talking about, since the movie is all about male bonding and guys time out. I found Ken Jeong in his avatar of Chow, the flamboyant gangster, a great performer, in that he stands on his own in this star-studded cast. He's crazy, as simple as that. The story is usually the same, with Stu's impending marriage and how Stu's plan of a bachelor brunch goes awry with a beer. In any case though dismissed by most as a disappointed sequel by many, I have to say I had a good laugh, thanks to Hangover 2. And for all those who are looking for a good, mindless laugh this summer, not minding the raunchiness, Hangover 2 is definitely a watch!

Kunfu Panda 2 - Movie Review

Po is back...and with a bang! Jennifer Yuh, the new director of the Kung Fu Panda series managed to do justice to her role in recreating the magic of Kung Fu Panda, adding even more (if possible) to the charm and universal appeal to the movie franchise. This time though its not just hilarious and cute, but has a touch of drama, and if i may be bold to say, even a hint of romance. Jack Black is back with his swash-buckling, bumbling comic heroic strategies to save the day with his boundless energy as Po, the ever cuddly Panda. The Dreamworks Team has once again created scenes that are not only visually striking or kinetically thrilling, but overflowing with a humor that is in no sense, even for a moment seemed forceful or artificial.
The story in itself has touches of drama in that we have a glimpse of Po's origin, well thankfully he has panda parents, obviously because he can't really have a goose for a father. But their absolutely crazy relationship as father and son finds new meaning. The plot line, as  well the overall atmosphere, has a kind of a dark overtone but in the end, I guess it makes the story more involving. In this movie Po joins forces with the Furious Five of the earlier movie as well with Master Croc (the voice of Jean-Claude Van Damme) and Master Ox (the voice of Dennis Haysbert) to take on a deadly old enemy with a most dangerous weapon. Gary Oldman in the voice-over of Shen, the irredeemable peacock with only deadly vengeance  in his mind is absolutely breathtaking. The animation is superb, specially with a 3-D effect, its one-of-a-kind. The action and humor goes hand in hand, so that you never feel that the movie is getting too dark for the younger audience. The final face-off is worth a watch for its masterful detailing in every scene, as well as the theme music where the composers Hans Zimmer and John Powell has done a superb job in holding and increasing the suspense and delight of the movie experience. However, in my personal opinion, i missed Shifu (the voice of Dustin Hoffman) and his oh-so-charming berating, and frustrated incredulous observation  of Po. The rest of the cast seemed to hve played their role with elan. To describe it in a nutshell, although Kung Fu Panda series have every quality to become in the future a most profitable movie franchise (the last scene does hint of another sequel in time), with its humor and animation as well as Jack Black in his emblematic role of comic hero Po, the sequel cannot overcome the "awesomeness" of the original.

My Kitty Cat

My Kitty Cat, my room mate and I found her one fine morning, shivering and very, very hungry. Since my room mate doesnot take too well to cats or any furry animals, it was upto me to make our kitty feel at home...and so began our little tale of love. She took to me fast, always following me around, stroking my legs with her soft, smooth furry body and tail. And even when she ate, she always curled her tail around my hand, so that she knows I'm not far away. She was a sweetheart, very tame, very lazy and very loveable. Her favorite sleeping joint was my lap and she always knew when was her time to get pampered, because she's always right outside my door when i look for her.

But every story has its ups and downs. I will be leaving my Hostel soon since my semester is ending, and my friends advised that it will be better if i can find my kitty a good home, since i probably cant take her home. Oh! I know they had the best intention in their mind, but as is always the case not every good intention is meant for you. My room mate, who had come to love Kitty as much as I, tried to find some other alternative to the proposal of sending kitty away. I know how she felt, she also worried about Kitty and fed her regularly, although she was still hesitant about cuddling Kitty. But when the woman came to take kitty with the promise of a good home, it broke my heart to see her go. It took all my resolve not to snatch kitty away from her and keep her with me as i saw kitty struggle to escape. But at the end she went away. Unfortunately, the very next morning, the woman came to inform us that kitty has escaped last night and have not come back ever since. So now I wait everyday for kitty to return to me. I know she has every right to be angry with me, but i still wait for her and this time I have resolved that if i find her, I am going to keep her and take care of her and never send her away. And so i wait....with every ounce of belief that I will find her someday.

Murmurs of the heart

Here I am…trying to answer the daunting silence of the divinity with speech of silence. Look at me…always giving the impression of searching for the delight of living when all I am doing is trying to buy a moment's respite from sorrow.

Maybe I was not meant to be happy. Happiness is not everybody's gift and sometimes its all in us…never understanding what will make us happy leaves us probing blindly within our circumstances, never realizing what we have and what is enough.

Sometimes knowledge is inimical to happiness. Why am I not happy? Why are most people nowadays, educated, modern people like us are never happy? Because we know too much…after all the saying goes…" Ignorance is Bliss". And whatever we are, no matter how hard one tries, in this modern world its next-to-impossible to remain ignorant…what with these modern tropes of communication and mass presentation, it is impossible to keep secrets. It was all a fallacy, a very unending hopeless belief that more we know, more we understand, we will at last find the truth of happiness, that we will turn the mirage of happiness into the reality of everlasting experience. How naïve we had been…how hopeless we continue to be in our endless search for answers. But, I have only understood that more we comprehend, the more we realize or learn, only sadness prevails. Even the joy of learning becomes too insignificant and loses its sacrosanct status in the greater perspective of the utter failure of creating anything worthwhile from that knowledge.

What have we learned? That, humans are capable of as much cruelty, as much destruction as they can imagine. And the answer to the why's behind these actions are as heartbreaking as the questions are. Do you think you can be happy once you know the reasons behind, maybe find a solution to prevent cruelty? If only, it was that simple. Because it is human nature that breeds CRUELTY. And what does that knowledge bestow? Grief…despondency…helplessness...