I’ve been quite surprised with the reactions to My Name is Khan. First, it was a pleasant surprise to read all the positive reviews from the critics. Almost all of them had nothing but good things to say about KJo’s latest film.

But then the member reviews started coming in. The initial ones were still very positive, but then one person didn’t like it. Then another. Then a few more. “What’s going on?” I thought. Those few reviews caused me to unconsciously lower my expectations for the film. I watched it Saturday afternoon, and came out of the theater so happy. SRK, to use an overused cliche, knocked it way out of the park. The SRK/Kajol pair delivered the magic, and Karan didn’t ruin a great opportunity.

Karan doesn’t change his formula too much. Why should he, he’s made 3 super-successful films. MNIK makes you smile, it makes you cry. It may be void of the colorful dances, the lip-synced songs, the rona-dhona, but you don’t miss it in this film. He also includes those scenes that you really wish he would have cut out. But it’s Karan. You forgive him for iit.

The first half of the film is just simply amazing. Interval comes too quickly. You’re sucked into the Rizvan/Mandira love story, and just keep wanting more. You love Rizvan’s innocence, telling their friend that he simply doesn’t like the food she’s made. It’s not done with malice, not meant to hurt anyone’s feelings, but he can’t lie. And doesn’t see anything wrong with telling the truth. You laugh when he takes Mandira’s words literally, in the lighthearted case of him saying “Don’t die, don’t die” when Mandira says she wants to die, and in the more serious scene, when Mandira tells him to go tell the President that he’s not a terrorist, and off he goes, not to return until he accomplishes his task.

The songs work in the film as well, though the volume could have been turned down a bit. Some dialogues are missed due to the loud songs. Also, no subtitles on the songs, which I don’t understand. If we need the subs for the movie, we certainly need them for the songs. And the songs have so much meaning.

The film does go a bit downhill, starting with the church singing. I was fine with Rizwan talking to the other people in the church in Hindi. Those emotions come across, no matter what language you are speaking. Everyone in that church was praying for a lost loved one. Emotions were high, and here’s this man who is pouring his heart out for his son. You can’t help but cry. But the singing after is what I didn’t like. Reminded me too much of the disastrous ‘Jana Gana Mana’ part in K3G. It’s just not necessary.

Also, what almost everyone has been complaining about, the hurricane sequences. After thinking about it more, I’m more accepting of it. But it’s still a mess in my opinion. It just seems like a whole new film stuck into the one we’ve been watching. I don’t understand why they aren’t making getting people out of there the number one priority, and why they would rebuild while the hurricane is still going on. I didn’t mind Rizvan being there, I didn’t mind Mama Jenny’s character at all. But things could have been handled better.

I also wish Sam didn’t have to die. But I guess something major had to happen for Mandira to tell Rizvan to leave. But I would have liked to see the happy family at the end.

Shah Rukh Khan makes the whole movie. He IS Rizvan Khan. He plays the character so perfectly, he is never ever out of character. Each mannerism, each dialogue, everything was just amazing. I have no words for this guy. By far it’s his best performance ever, and it will certainly be hard to top, not just by himself, but by anyone.

Kajol was also amazing, and shone in her smaller part. The standout was certainly after her son’s death, as she lies over his body. I couldn’t stop crying. Zarina Wahab was the perfect choice as Rizvan’s mother. She certainly shaped him into the man he became. I wish Jimmy Shergill had more screen time, because he is such a good actor, and shone in his small part as Zakir, Rizvan’s neglected younger brother.

I really loved Sonya Jehan’s character. She’s so sweet and caring with Rizvan, and finally gives Zakir and Rizvan an explanation for Rizvan’s behavior. I also loved that she showed up at the wedding. A great sister-in-law to Rizvan, someone he needed in his life. Also enjoyed Parvin Dabbas, Arjun Mathur, Tanay Chheda, Sugandha Garg, and Vinay Pathak in their small roles.

MNIK is filled with lots and lots of sweet moments that stay with you long after you leave the theater, my favorite being when Mandira asks Rizvan to marry her. He turns away, covers his face with his hands. It’s very sweet, and you can just see how happy it makes Rizvan, considering he had been asking Mandira the same question over and over and over again with no answer.

All the interaction between Rizvan and Mandira is memorable. Him taking her to various places in SF, and she says she’s already seen them, Rizvan asking Mandira to cut his hair, while she already has a customer sitting in her chair, Rizvan stealing glances at Mandira through his camera, and her following along when she catches him, and Rizvan flirting with a customer, and Mandira telling him that it’s not allowed. So many wonderful moments between these two, it makes the whole film worth it.

Rizvan shines on his own as well. The scene with his mother is very touching, she asks for a two minute hug, and he starts counting. We get a laugh when Rizvan tries all the herbal products on himself before going to sell them, as he wants to be as truthful as possible. And also him telling potential customers that it won’t make them beautiful, only enhance their features. Also loved at the end, when he remembers to give the President the ‘howdy’ message. And how particular he is with people pronouncing his name. It’s Khhaaaan. Get it right.

In the end, I absolutely loved the movie. The performances and the first half overshadow any doubts I may have about the film. It’s one I’ll cherish, and will probably wear out the first half of my DVD when I get it.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Heard good things and bad things about this movie. Well, I liked it.

It’s one of those movies that has a comedy track as well as a serious one. The comedy track is more slapstick than anything, but it still made me laugh. The love angle becomes predictable once you realize that Upen Patel is in fact in this film (for a reason unknown to me. Why do people still insist on casting him?). But it’s still fun.

I actually warmed up to Katrina in this film. Yea, it didn’t take a serious film like New York, but this silly film. Not saying I’m a fan or anything, but I didn’t mind her. That’s saying something, considering I couldn’t stand her before.

Loved all the songs. Forwarded thru Prem Ki Nayya (family decision lol), but Main Tera, Tu Jaane Na, Tera Hone Laga Hoon were all great. Such a good soundtrack.

Some of the comedy did get annoying though, especially the end scenes. It felt like a Priyadarshan movie, with a bunch of things going on at once.

Overall, I enjoyed it.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Wake Up Sid was probably one of the better reviewed films of last year. I’ll admit, it was a bit slow, and a bit predictable, but it’s still an overall great movie. The casting of Ranbir is perfect, and I loved that Konkona was in it and not some regular main-stream actress. Her and Ranbir worked so well as a couple.

Music was nice too, but nothing that I would listen to over and over again. It fit well in the story.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

It’s not fair to expect so much from a movie, based on the director, due to that director’s earlier films. Meaning, I shouldn’t have expected another Jab We Met, but it’s hard not to. You figure the same director could create the same wonderful feeling throughout each film they make. But Love Aaj Kal goes terribly wrong, though I can’t exactly pinpoint what it is that’s so bad about it.

What I didn’t like is the fact that Saif is opposite Deepika. They just don’t work together IMO. There needed to be a bit older of an actresses (or more experienced), or a younger male lead. But that wasn’t going to happen, considering it’s Saif’s production (which is more than obvious while watching. More on that later.) When the main pair doesn’t work for you, you don’t care about whether or not they end up together. Maybe that was my major problem with the film.

The track of Rishi Kapoor’s younger days was completely unnecessary as well. It didn’t really add much to the story, and the way they flashed back got confusing and annoying as well. The best thing to do is make it as easy as possible for the viewer to follow the story. I’m not saying I wasn’t following, but make it a bit easier. The constant back and forth isn’t innovative. It’s boring after a while.

The songs also appear randomly, especially Twist and Yeh Dooriyaan. I still don’t get what Yeh Dooriyan was supposed to be about. Songs don’t have to be in the movie. Cut them when necessary.

Rahul Khanna is completely wasted, I wish he wouldn’t sign these tiny roles, and find himself a nice, big, Rahul-centric role. But I guess he’s signing whatever he’s getting. Poor guy, such a big talent is constantly wasted. Rishi Kapoor was his usual good self, it was a lovely treat to see Neetu Singh at the end. Deepika’s improving, she was good. Saif, I liked him more in the ‘past’ scenes.

I really disliked the fact that it was Saif playing the young Rishi Kapoor. It annoyed me to no end. That character needed a totally different actor. That character had nothing to do with present day Saif, so why have them played by the same person? That’s what screams “Saif Ali Khan production”. As many scenes as possible, even if it doesn’t make sense. Also, so many close-ups of Saif throughout the movie. There are other people in the film, but we barely see them. All we see is Saif. Argh.

Overall, a huge disappointment. Imtiaz, please rebound with your next film. Still looking forward to it, no matter who is in it.

Rating: 1 out of 5 stars

Maybe that’s an influencing factor on how I viewed this movie. I’m a big Rani fan and a big Shahid fan, so I’m going to obviously like it, right? I think we tend to overlook a lot of glaring holes and mistakes when we like the lead actors so much.

DBH is certainly no Chak De India, Lagaan, or any other dramatic, hard-nosed sports film. And it doesn’t claim to be either. Sure, YRF puts out fluff year after year, but sometimes that fluff is enjoyable. This one is. The story is apparently copied from She’s The Man, though some have said that the only thing similar is a girl pretending to be a man. Not much else to the story, Rani dresses as a man so she can play cricket. And she’s found out at the end after leading her team to victory.

The story is painfully predictable, but there are moments here and there that you’re happy to see. I loved the little impromptu play that Rohan (Shahid) and Veera (Rani) did, even though it was a major YRF throwback. Though if Shahid’s looking to shed his SRK image, doing a DDLJ reenactment is not going to help. Also loved the look of all the songs, and they are all growing on me. Ishq Hi Hai Rab is so pretty, Bhangra Bistar and Discowale Khisko are fun, and the remix at the end is amazing. Though one crib about Bhangra Bistar was the use of Hard Kaur’s voice for Rani. They should have either cut that part or had someone random from the group singing it.

Other little things I liked:

- The revealing of Veera as Veer. It wasn’t something overdone like her mooch starting to fall off or her hair coming out. The contact lens falling out was just perfect IMO. It’s something small enough that only Rohan can notice, but it’s so big.
- The very end, with Rohan just forgiving Veera without any big confrontation and each explaining themselves. Just let it go.
- I liked that the end credits rolled horizontally, so you can still see most of what’s going on. It’s very annoying when they shrink the size of the screen at the end so the credits can roll (RNBDJ, I’m looking at you.)

Overall, not the greatest movie ever made, but I enjoyed it. Oh, and Shahid? Next time you’re doing a scene without your shirt, lose the towel.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

I’m glad that I watched it though. I was really enjoying it. Until…

The movie starts out with Neil being framed by the FBI for something he didn’t do, in order to get him to agree to work with them on an undercover mission. We then get the full story in flashbacks, about the friendship between Neil (Omar), John (Sam), and Katrina’s (Maya) characters. Omar is then forced to re-enter Sam and Maya’s lives under false pretenses in order to help the FBI.

The movie doesn’t really focus on 9/11, just the aftermath and how it affected so many lives. New York is a well-paced movie, it doesn’t jump too quickly back and forth between the past and the present. The characters are all sympathetic and you can almost see why Sam does what we does, even though we know it’s not right. I was completely engrossed in the movie, eagerly anticipating what would happen next.

And then we get to the climax. I’m going to go ahead and write some spoilers, because this movie has been out for quite a while. If you plan on watching this movie at any point, stop reading now. The movie went totally downhill for me when Maya was shot as well at the end. You have 5-6 snipers, all with plenty of time to lock in to their target. Maya is far enough away from Sam at the end for the snipers to completely miss her. She should not have been shot at all. Even if she was too close, what is the point in killing her as well? In a dark, dramatic movie like this, I like to have at least a bit of a happy ending. How heartbreaking is it that Danyal has lost both of his parents, that he has to be brought up by someone who was a complete stranger to him about a year ago? Why not let Maya live? She didn’t have to end up with Omar (too filmy), but they could have remained friends, and she could have raised her son. It just seemed unnecessary, and it really put a sour taste in my mouth after enjoying so much of the movie.

Performances are, surprisingly, all top-notch. It goes without saying that Irrfan Khan did an amazing job; it’s what we expect from him. Neil was amazing as well. But the real surprise for me was John. His was a wonderful performance. Katrina was pretty good as well, I guess she can act a bit.

There are some cheesy moments, but it’s a Bollywood film. It’s expected. One thing I really liked was the funny one-liners thrown in every now and then. It really lightened up the scenes, and let you laugh every once in a while. I’m gonna have to use ‘Museebat’ on my caller ID as well.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Life Partner’s decent enough though, but not as a comedy. Sure there are a few funny lines here and there, mainly from Govinda, but overall it’s more of a drama. Between a couple having a love marriage and a couple having an arranged marriage. Fardeen and Genelia make a cute couple, but Genelia starts to get very annoying, especially when she’s supposed to be angry. She ends up shrieking and squealing, and it becomes very irritating. Tusshar and Prachi are cute as well. Though you end up getting frustrated with Tusshar when he refuses to stick up for his wife.

Govinda’s role is a bit weird, him being the playboy, but he pulls it off well, it’s a good performance from him. Though his pairing with Amrita Rao was definitely weird. Out of the other four actors, the only disappointment for me was Genelia. I hope she calms down for her upcoming movie with Shahid.

I personally loved the music in this movie. Poorza Poorza (Amrita was a total surprise), Kuke Kuke, Teri Meri Yeh Zindagi, and my fav, Gunji Angana Mein (love the garba-ness, I never get to see that in an Indian movie). Aage Aage was good too, but I didn’t like the English in it.

Overall, Life Partner isn’t a bad movie, but it’s not all that great either. Average I guess. It’s the T-word: Timepass.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

This one doesn’t even start out on a good note. It’s dreadfully slow, and I found myself almost falling asleep a few times. We start out with the lives of Shekhar (Akshaye) and Raju (Arshad), both struggling to make it big in Bollywood. Shekhar as a director, Raju as an actor. Through deceit, Raju makes it, and then I don’t know what the point of the story is. Amrita Rao is thrown in as Akshaye’s love interest. I wonder why she would even bother with a film like this, she’s barely there, and when she is, she’s pretty much useless other than showing off her body (which I am totally jealous of, but it was all just unnecessary).

The songs aren’t even worth watching, which is a shame considering it’s an SEL soundtrack. The only song I liked was Kyun Hota Hai Dil Deewana, the others I left.

Overall, this one is a big disappointment. I was really hoping for a nice comedy film I could laugh at, but those moments were few and far between. I don’t remember even laughing out loud at anything in this one. Guess I should have watched Love Aaj Kal instead.

Rating: 1.5 out of 5 stars

LUCK BY CHANCE

I liked this one, but not as much as other people have. It’s a good story, but it moves a bit too slow for me. Found myself getting bored halfway through, wishing things would hurry up a bit. Farhan and Koko were great, they make a cute couple. Loved the ending as well, perfect ending for it, and not a cop-out. Hope to see more of Zoya’s movies in the future.

Songs were ok, I liked Baawre the most. I wish they showed more of Farhan’s version though.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

WELCOME TO SAJJANPUR

Took me a while to get around to this one, glad I finally did. Shreyas does a wonderful job, and the movie belongs to him. I wish Amrita had more screentime and more to do, but she was really good as well. I like how all the stories of the village tie in together. The only thing I didn’t like was the end, when Shreyas tells us what happened to the couple that got married. I felt it was unnecessary, they could have just left that out and nobody would have known the difference.

I skipped all the songs except Sita Ram, so nothing to say about those.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

BILLU BARBER

This was a nice movie, but it could have been a lot better. I’m sure many figured it was an SRK movie, because all the promotion seemed to point to it. I loved the soundtrack, but at least two of SRK’s songs needed to be cut to make for a better film. Love Mera Hit Hit should have been chopped (even though I absolutely love the song) and Ae Aa O should have been shortened. There should have been more concentration on Irrfan Khan’s character, and less of SRK’s. Still it was a good film.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

DHAN DHANA DHAN GOAL

Watching this wasn’t my decision. My mother seems to randomly set movies to record from the satellite, and for some reason she set this one to record. I was sitting here, so I watched. It’s really an awful film. They seemed to want to go the Chak De India route, but couldn’t quite get there. It’s predictable, it’s bad acting all around (surprisingly bad performances from Arshad Warsi and Boman Irani. It’s understandable from John and Bips). And the ending was just ridiculous.

Rating: 1 out of 5 stars

A WEDNESDAY

I heard so many good things about this one, and it was everywhere in the Filmfare nominations. And it’s a tight, slick, short film that’s very good. I have a few problems here and there, especially with how ethical the ending really is, but it’s so much better than some of the junk we’ve been getting from Bollywood lately. Though so many movies seem to be about terrorism, I’d like a serious film that doesn’t have to deal with that subject. Naseeruddin Shah and Anupam Kher are top notch. Jimmy is good too, can’t wait to see him in MNIK, he’s really a good actor it seems.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars