Mukkabaaz (2017)

realism that is what this film tries to depict, the gritty nature and life of the normal Indian sportsperson in the sport scene who’s life gets controlled by the corrupt official.

what makes this movie interesting to me, juxtapose to Rocky series i recently viewed, in this film fight is just the medium to add a base to the story and we have reason to care for the results of the fight, till the last one. much like the Rocky 1. this film concentrates more the the character dynamics than sports using it just as a backdrop. In the story we follow the trials of a talented Boxer Shravan Kumar Singh (Viineet Kumar), working under the head of the boxing association Bhagwandas Mishra (Jimmy Sheirgill) who purposefully derails his training making him do odd house chores and doesn’t let partake in fights. this is the point where our protagonist falls in love with Mishra’s niece and marries her. Mishra not the type to let go starts scheme to torment the family and ruin Singh’s boxing career even escalates into Kidnapping.

though when i am writing the film’s plot it feels filmy, yet its the same type of issue that gets heard every now and then from the lower brackets of sports scene in the country, people in power tend to control the lives of talented individuals. even at the end of the film Singh loses the fight intentionally as Mishra asked so that the slate could be made clean. but as a viewer this moment you realise that to Singh by this point the fight didn’t matter what mattered what he loved his wife and thus he accepts to the terms.

the movie showcases a love for the sports as well as the people that inhabit that eco system directly and indirectly, thus balancing the drama and the sports aspect of its core.

80 movies down………..420 to go

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alllvida.

Andaz Apna Apna (1994)

i watch a lot of film reviews on the net, one of my past time activities, and one film that i kept hearing for being a good comedy movie from bollywood was Andaz Apna Apna, making me curious and thus i set out to explore the claim.

i was sceptical at first but after watching i am pleasantly surprised it was good. the initial scene itself sold me on the story, the whole premise of falling in love with and actress and marrying her all of it to be dream, not only helps tell us about the main character but also was a funny sequence.

a small pic to showcase the cast of colourful characters

the plot of this film is simply two stupid young lads (Aamir Khan and Salman Khan) trying to woo a rich heiress, and the ensuing trouble that brews when teja and Crime Master Gogo join the scene to kidnapp the Heiress.

i think the main charm of the film lies in its ridiculousness, now i generally dont like a ridiculous plot-lines they make good masala-films but this film knows its ridiculousness and accepts it. from the main cast, the villains to all supporting cast all have this sense of being serious in being ridiculous. not the first film to do so but definitely a good formula to please me. having the self-aware humor along with pop-culture references here and there makes this a type of comedy i dont usual think Bollywood makes and is another of its charm points.

after watching the film i can understand why so many count it among their favourite comedies, it might be even mine if i sat someday to make that list.

79 movies down………….421 to go

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alllvida.

John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019)

yes, boy yes i like me some Keanu Reeves, now granted i am late to the party but i am here lets talk about the “Baba Yaga” which i recently got to know and if you dont know check out the link, the movie translates it as Russian for boogeyman, but in actuality it is a term for the Slavic folklore supernatural being who appears as a deformed or ferocious-looking old woman.

now i am not saying an old supernatural old women is not scary, believe me i wet my pants whenever one jumps scare the shit out in all the horror movies, but its funny to me how they missed this detail in the movie. or maybe it was intentional.

well all that aside. how was the film…..cool fun and fantastic. Its not my favourite of the series 1st one was perfectly satisfactory i my mind, but they have done a really good job taking the story from there. i say this because generally film that were never meant to have a sequel gets made a sequel they tend to make a mess of the story and the world they created. yes their are exceptions best would be dark knight. but generally look at fast and furious series and tell me how they hold up in sense of continuity now i ant saying everything needs to be connected and interconnected (not every thing is marvel you know) but my point how hard it is to do so.

and this series has played by its own set rules so i say good job. Now the hyped reason i have for liking this film this one has most of my favourite action sequences from the whole series. for this film takes of from the directly from the last film where we see John on run for his life from the whole organisation. now you can understand why i as hype for it before i released because it was obvious that this would result in relentless action set and i wasn’t wrong. so i am thinking rather than talk about the film which is goood and if not seen go see. i will talk about the set i loved.

lets keep it to 3 so that its not a guss-fest, boy i could

3.the fan boy assassin fight – this sequence is greatly choreographed and extremely fun but what made me have fun about it was that it showed a new light professional killer guys that really admired wick and getting chance to trade blows or kill him fills them with excitement.

2. here i am cheating and adding two separate sequences because they themselves never felt too long but their execution had me up my seat and ecstatic as a fanboy can be. the Book kill and Horse Kills, man after the famous pencil kills i was always think what next household item is my man wick choice to kill and the director doesn’t disappoint choosing book of all things and man is that fight fun. Now the horse kill i specifically talking about the one where he makes the horse kill back and nearly decapitate the henchmen, seriously i re-winded that scene number of time while viewing because it hilarious and dope at the same time.

1.the best scene hands down for me is the weapon museum scene, man i dont have words to describe its just such a great scene. it all seems so obvious to do hired killers facing each other they need weapons ok let them fight in the weapon museum. and what follows is action gold in my eyez.

well i gussed enough…………..i guess

78 movies down…………422 to go

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goodbye

Rocky Saga : end?

you know its been a week or so since my escapade into the Rocky franchise, and there was this one question that always came to my mind as i went through one film after the other whats next where will they take it now, this was most intriguing question after fourth film and Creed. For $th was the peak the film went to in aspect of fights, antagonist general theme abolute peak, while Creed used elements of Rocky 1 to create a similar tone film feelings its own. both had left me to wonder the future.

but in the past few days it came to me, why was i even thinking about where they gonna take it further, well it was because i knew there was a sequel already that why. thats when i felt stupid for thinking like that and then the question came to me. DO I/we eve need more Rocky films.

i had to think about this a while u see, i really liked the series as a whole its entertaining, has great moments and tells a saga. but yet when i sit to ponder about getting more content i feel very spilt. and it frustrates me that i dont have a definite answer about me wanting more. when then i just have to console myself by thinking well does it even matter if they release a new one i will watch and then write about it so lets we when we get to it.

I know i just went on a tandem about this but i had these ridiculous thoughts and just wanted to type them down for my own sake (like always). Thinking i didnt write an end note to completing the saga left a small gap so filling it with random thoughts. So here’s to completing this mini-quest

see you soon

goodbye.

Creed II (2018)

the sequel to the unexpected wonder-kid of this saga, Creed II was a surprise for me, i remeber the hype that everyone was on when creed first came out and having known of its sequel already before i ventured into this saga i always thought that Creed had an ending that made people yearn more. But that is not the case it is by itself a very content-ful spin off to the series and i my opinion not needed a sequel thus before i sat to watch this film i was curious what was gonna be done this time what would make this film interesting.

And i got my answer in the first scene itself as we see the son and father duo (Florian Munteanu and Dolph Lundgren) going about their training and fight the Drago family. and after watching all the films in order this past week you need no exposition to know whats about to go down whats the story gonna be how it will end up. All you need to know is its gonna be hype well it was for me.

best way to sum this movie is the mix of the #rd film and the 4th film (obviously), this merger comes at the cost of predictability to the story, but seriously who cares for that when we get to see dope action and Drago once again i mean i just got goosebumps when i got to know they were going down this route. that moment changes the story from a normal title fight to a one with a legacy and deep story behind it.

what this film does to me it help ground the bigger than life character of Drago from the 4th film using his relationship with his son and the wife and country that had abandoned it. to me in many ways it was more of a redemption story for the Drago name that was mostly used like a evil entity in old film.

ranking time

now even though i really enjoyed the movie, the fact that its so eerily similar to the past film that you can shrug off as saying history repeats itself, just doesn’t work for me and in the creed saga the 1st film always will take the cake for me. but the hype for the Drago is real.

77 movies down…………..423 to go

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goodbye

Creed (2015)

my oh my, after 6 movies spanning 30 years it was as if the saga had ended but 10 years later in 2015 a film gets released that continues this saga and does it so better that you just fall in love with the story again. As a fan of this iconic series it’s a worthy spin-off and sequel.

this movie does exactly what was needed to be done by the fifth film, as both premise are similar the difference comes in the way the two characters are written, in case of Tommy he gets very little screen time and creates dont do a good job of us caring about the character its mostly about his relationship with rocky and how it effects his family dynamics. while with Adonis (Michael B. Jordan) not only are we given time to know his motivations and nature we are also given a personal relation with Rocky. this move gives rocky the supporting trainer role rather the lead trainer role. i like to think that the creators of the film ( Ryan Coogler, Aaron Covington) looked at the fifth film on day and thought to themselves how to take the same premise and elevate the film.

now if i was to rank this film with the moves in the saga i would definitely top all as this film has the same heart that could be felt when watching the first film. a heart that knows its character and whats to tell a story about them. where this movie shined for me was especially how well every one imbibes the role that is given to them, and mostly how well they utilise the aged Rocky in the film even though e is a supporting character he himself gets a small arc about him dealing with the thought of mortality with every one he cared about having left him. now for the main man Adonis “Donnie” Johnson the son of Apollo Creed, Michael makes this character his dealing with the sense of identity and to prove to everyone his is his own man and not just a son of the famous Apollo.

To me this film ranks among the best spin off movies i have seen, and not only does it makes you love itself it makes u love the original series as well.

76 movies down…………424 to go

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goodbye

Rocky Balboa (2006)

this film comes 16 years after the last part Rocky V, the saga started in 1976 and if you are a lover of rough off numbers. you go to appreciate that the last film comes 30 years after the first one.

what was the issue with the fifth one that they made another part after 16 years you ask, it failed to give a send off to this iconic character, failing to make enough money in box office and being a mostly forgetfully film overall, didnt sit well with Sylvester Stallone, who rightfully considered this saga his brainchild and thus a fitting end was needed, and this film definitely is that.

this film tries to emulate the first film going back to the roots, even though the director to this film is the man Rocky himself. it seems he has learned from the days of directing the 2nd,3rd and 4th films by toning down the action and concentrating on the characters and their dynamics. making the film about a aged Rocky an old man Rocky and his life direction after he becomes a widower. this gives a dynamic to the family that has been built up since the 5 movies. the whole fight takes a back seat and just is mostly a thing to have a good final fight to end the Rocky saga, but the core is the drama and its what makes this movie fresh compared to the 5th this one just so much better.

this movie shines for knowing its characters knowing them very well and thus to the fan of the movie its a treat as old characters minor characters from previous movie are reference or shown to give as a wholesome feel to the world and as well as show that time has changed and movie on. yet our Rocky remains the same. the core that made this story comes full circle. the one thing that can be associated with the character Rocky is his never giving spirit and this movie milks that aspect to its best value. and never is it more apparent the famous quote of this film. as to me this line was not only said by Rocky but in part said by Sylvester Stallone after his years in industry struggling and the experience he amassed in those years .

And when things got hard, you started looking for something to blame, like a big shadow. Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done! Now if you know what you’re worth then go out and get what you’re worth. But ya gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain’t where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody! Cowards do that and that ain’t you! You’re better than that! I’m always gonna love you no matter what. No matter what happens. You’re my son and you’re my blood. You’re the best thing in my life. But until you start believing in yourself, ya ain’t gonna have a life. Don’t forget to visit your mother.
Rocky Balboa

ranking time

Rocky III > Rocky IV > Rocky = Rocky Balboa > Rocky II > Rocky V

75 movies down…………..425 to go

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goodbye

Rocky V (1990)

noooooo the 3year sequel consistency is broken this one comes out 5 years later……and what a change it is.

it would be hard to imagine this film to be the continuation of the fourth installment, because the scale gets drastically shifted to Rocky having to avenge his friend to that of training the next generation. this film more akin to first film and has much more grounded environment which is something i think is the hand of the director John G. Avildsen who as also the director for the first film.

the premise of the movie is one of my favourite film troupes where the next generation is trained by the wiser older generation and it had the making for a good finale to the series but even the return of the original director couldn’t save the film as you could feel it in your heart this is not a good film. my most glaring issue with this film has been the fact that it feels for all the cast it has it underutilised them, creating generic troupes and clique characters to progress the plot.

the moments this film shines to me was the intractions and family dynamics of Rocky and his son and how it gets effected due to Tommy Gunn (Tommy Morrison), fact : Rocky’s son’s role was done by Sylvester Stallone own son. but the moments it doesnt shine are so outright in your face that it makes the film jarringly disappointing.

ranking time

well this one was easy to place if the story line was more streamlined it would have been better but as it is its last place.

Rocky III > Rocky IV > Rocky > Rocky II > Rocky V

74 movies down……….426 to go

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goodbye

Rocky IV (1985)

before i start you just got to love how each part comes 3 years later, such consistency. now that’s out of the way this movie is just the peak of epic sound track, even epic-er training montages, even epic-erer (i know its not a word) america-soviet Union comparison, well at least they arnt shy about it.

now the whole story line for this movie is to have a greatest fight between Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) who is an aspiring challenger for Rocky’s title, but Apollo wanting to fight Drago first steps in to the ring but due to the massive strength of Drago he ends up dying due to the injuries sustained in the fight. this leads to Rocky taking upon himself to go to Russia to fight Drago in foreign soil and environment to avenge his friend. this cummulates into the hyped up fight. and it ends like all avenge stories good guys aka rocky winning over bad guys aka drago.

this movie is the one that is the most meme-ed out of all the series and thus is no surprised it was also the most profitable one, it gives it a nice stronghold in the pop culture. this was also the movie that i most associated as being a Rocky film before i ventured into the series, but now that i have seen its prequels i am left to wonder how much of this movie was truly a Rocky film, it lacks a character depth that the initial movies tried to established and improve upon, and replaces it with plot to avenge a friend which by nature is fine but plays into the aspect that i guessed that the movies are trending to a more action oriented sport series that the character driven ones. a shift that jumps right at you if you watch the first and 4th part side by side.

ranking time

this is a tough one i would have to say i did like this film, it is a movie that i guess most people including me will always remember first or foremost when thinking of Rocky or his epic fights and thus it does rank high for me, but it cant take the top spot for one simple reason, the robot. to those who dont know in 1st half of the movie to showcase advancement of science and america and robot much like that of C3PO from star wars is shown in the movie talking and doing stuff, now though this might now sound like a big thing but it broke my immersion into this world of characters and spoiled the movie in the process for me (i might be the only one though)

Rocky III>Rocky IV>Rocky>Rocky II

73 movies go………….427 to go

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goodbye

Rocky III (1982)

after winning the belt from Apollo, Rocky has had 10 successful title defends making him famous and giving him a stable life, so much so that all his ambitious seemed to be fulfilled and he feels to let his gloves hang. this is when the new upstart challenger comes in front of Rocky and accuses his team of not accepting his challenge offer which rocky himself wasn’t aware of. when Rocky confronted his manager Mickey (Burgess Meredith) about it he gets to know that this challenger James “Clubber” Lang (Mr. T) has been hungry for that belt which is an attribute lost in rocky now. even still Rocky takes the challenge and fights Lang only to lose a crushing defeat in the 2nd round. this results in a slump that affects Rocky and the one to take him out of this would be this rival Apollo Creed, he volunteers to train Rocky for the next Fight with lang for a future favour, and this is where the training montages begin. finally getting the hunger and his edge back Rocky challenges Lang and the fight begins. in the fight Rocky shows his revived self while Lang shows his inherent strength. to counter this Rocky takes a bold move and taunts Lang to make him get exhausted and using that to defeat him and reclaim the title.

now the movie ends with my favourite scene so far into this series, the closed room fight between Rocky and Apollo, that Apollo initiates using his Favor for the training. the scene ends with both of them throwing their first punch directly to each others faces simultaneously and film ending leaving us to decided how it ends (i guess we will never know….or never be told the result) to me this scene is a fitting conclusion to the rivalry and friendship that gets built up between these two individuals and acts like the cheery on top of the cake.

one thing that keeps getting pumped up and improved is the soundtrack and theme of the movie, the song ‘Eye of the Tiger’ is epic for the scene. the movie has a lot of training montages, he itself u see such a considerable difference that initially something that was rarely used now gets used before each fight and acts as the mirror to the characters determination. after watching the movie i was left with a thought that this series could have been a good trilogy itself even without anymore parts to it, though that has not been the case.

ranking time

now this is where it comes to a change overall this movie ranks in the same level to me as the first part not because it inherently that good most people will call it average but i like it because it gives the story a progression that reveals rocky as a character and as well as gives the supporting characters a chance to shine, and that last scene of Apollo and rocky fight sealed it for me

rocky III > Rocky > Rocky II

72 movies down ………….428 to go

see you soon

goodbye