Our Favorite Toys Are Coming Back: Toy Story 5 announced

Exciting news for fans of the beloved "Toy Story" franchise! Disney has announced that "Toy Story 5" is in development and audiences will once again be reunited with Woody, Buzz, and the whole gang. This announcement was made by Disney CEO Bob Iger during the company's Q1 earnings call, along with the news that other popular animated franchises such as "Frozen" and "Zootopia" will also be receiving new entries.

Buzz Lightyear, voiced by Tim Allen, will be making a comeback in "Toy Story 5" and Allen has expressed his excitement about reprising his role by sharing an image of the character on Twitter. This confirms that Allen will once again lend his voice to the beloved spaceman.

This new film will allow audiences to relive their childhood memories and create new ones with the characters they have come to love.

Overall, this is great news for fans of animated films and we can't wait to see what the new "Toy Story" film has in store. It's sure to be a movie that is both heartwarming and hilarious. Get ready to feel like a kid again, because the toys are coming back!

Hope Aur Hum

Recently came across this movie and seeing Naseeruddin Shah in the starring role, had to give this one a try. The plot promised a light and fun film...and it delivered. Sweet and warm, 'Hope aur hum' has some pretty good moments throughout.
The movie tells a tale of one family...actually encompasses three generations of it. Naseeruddin Shah plays the 'Dadu' who is extremely attached to his (very old) photocopy machine. He calls the machine Mr. Soennecken endearingly. And even though the machine is no longer working well, he doesn't want to let go as it connects him to his past. That much is revealed as he fondly recalls how the whole neighborhood had lined up to see when he had first brought 'Mr. Soennecken' home. He thinks Mr. Soennecken is an artist and the photocopies a work of art.
As the old photocopy machine takes up a whole room and doesn't even work anymore, Dadu is under pressure to let it go so that his grand child, Tanu, can have a study room. Tanu and Anu are the two grandchildren and completely understand the feelings of Dadu for Mr. Soennecken. Tanu helps out by looking for the lens' replacement online so the old machine might start working again. She helps out Dadu by sending emails to the concerned companies. And Anu is quite the star of the movie. Always ready for the next mischief and crazy about cricket, his antics are adorable throughout. Quite close to Dadu, the two have some very meaningful exchanges.
The movie is about how hard it is to let go of things, especially when they connect you to the brighter past. But as Dadu remembers an advice towards the end, one should become attached to people and not things. The movie is also about destiny and how you can't really control it. Also, it's about facing off one's fears and overcoming them rather than avoiding.
I quite enjoyed it. There were some pretty nice moments and some dialogues quite deep and meaningful. Do give it a watch.

Cocktail

I have to say, I enjoyed this one. Then again, maybe I was watching a Bollywood flick after too long and overlooked the negative aspects. Anyway, the movie’s gotten quite a few good reviews from people I know.

So what’s it about? There’s a guy and two girls. Let’s see, perfect recipe for a love triangle and all the typical drama that unfolds afterwards. But it still seemed different. Throw in a pinch of friendship and see how that changes things.

Veronica is your typical rich girl who is living the high life. No idea where her parents are, but she gets a fat check to fulfill all her needs. And so she takes Meera in to help her. Meera arrives from India only to find out that her husband doesn’t want anything to do with her. And there is Gautam who is a happy-go-lucky guy. Rarely serious, he starts seeing Veronica and moves in with her too. And so the three embark on a beautiful friendship. There is fun and frolic all the time.

Boman Irani plays an apt ‘maama jee’ and is quite funny. And it is the entry of Dimple Kapadia as Gautam’s very-Indian mom that puts the dents in the threesome’s lives.

Gautam and Meera fall for each other and Veronica gets left out. This may sound typical enough but “Cocktail” managed to weave a new magic into the same old story. And the music never let down. The soundtrack is actually pretty good.

So there it is then. Highly recommended for a good time. “Cocktail” will give you just the right mix of funny quips and good music, adding a big splash of good old friendship to all the other ingredients.

Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted

This latest offering of the Madagascar series was a much anticipated one. And for the fans, it didn’t disappoint. For others, I came across one comment describing it as a little too childish. But I believe the consensus is that it is pretty funny.

Alex, Marty, Gloria and Melman take off from Africa, desired destination being New York of course. However, as always, things don’t go exactly as planned. And they end up landing in Monte Carlo. From there starts their adventure in Europe.

J. Edgar

I know this is not the latest movie around but I only watched it recently. It promised to be a fascinating one, depicting the life of J. Edgar Hoover, the man who made the FBI what it is today. A very powerful institution.

Leonardo DiCaprio plays the lead role to near perfection. The movie takes us through the various life stages of Hoover’s life, as he turns from a young ambitious man to one who has his own, even against the various presidents of the United States.

Controversial yet effective, Hoover used all means to guard his country against anything he perceived as a threat. And of course, to keep himself in charge. Keeping personal files including the dirt and scandals of various presidents, he could bully almost anyone.

On a personal front, he was a troubled man. Dominated completely by his mother, she held the strings that moved him. Having lived with her till her death, Hoover never raised a family of his own. Rather, he stayed confused and enjoyed a rather peculiar relationship with Tolson, his confidant and associate director. He also had a quite loyal personal secretary, Helen Gandy, who destroyed his personal files after his death.

The movie portrays not only a man but an institution itself. J. Edgar Hoover’s story is synonymous with the story of the FBI and how it became such a powerful entity. It is intriguing and quite worth the watch.

Snow White and the Huntsman-Trailer

Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (Trailer)

The Avengers-Trailer

The Avengers

‘The Avengers’ is the latest superhero flick. Rather, there are quite a few of our favorite superheroes all bundled into one movie. I have a confession to make here. I haven’t seen any of their individual movies. ‘The Hulk’, ‘Thor’, ‘The Ironman’, ‘Captain America’. I haven’t an inkling what any of these were about. Yeah, I know. I must have been living under a rock all these years. But things changed with ‘The Avengers’ as I happened to catch it on the big screen. And it was brilliant.

Man on a Ledge

There is a man on a ledge. The man in question being Nick Cassidy, a former cop. He is serving 25 years.

We’re taken one month earlier in time to Sing Song Correctional Facility, where Mike Ackermann is visiting Nick. Both were partners before Nick got arrested. Mike tells him that his father is dying. Nick is allowed to attend his father’s funeral later. And it is there that he makes his escape, after picking up a fight with his brother, Joey Cassidy.

Present day, we see Nick Cassidy checking into a room at Roosevelt Hotel and having a meal. He then proceeds to wipe his fingerprints off of everything and climbs onto the ledge at the 21^st floor. He goes by the name of Walker now. Enter Detectives Dante Marcus and Jack Dougherty who have been assigned the case. Nick asks for a Detective Lydia Mercer and she is called up to handle the negotiation. In the hotel room, Nick leaves behind a statement, ‘I will exit this world as I entered-Innocent’.

Young Adult

I wonder why I sat through the whole of it! Simply put, not a movie I enjoyed. The story was so predictable from the very beginning. The script was dull and lacked spontaneity or any hint of imagination.

The Help

This is an adaptation of a book by the same name. The story focuses on the plight of black maids in early 1960s. So many aspects of life back then have been explored. And there are some pretty memorable performances.

At the forefront is Viola Davis playing Aibileen. You would instantly fall in love with the maid, feeling her every emotion as her life plays out. Then, there is Octavia Spencer playing Minny. She is a tough one, and doesn’t mince her words when she decides to speak out. And ofcourse the one nice white girl, Skeeter played by Emma Stone. She is what you would call a rebel, deciding to pursue a career instead of grabbing a husband for herself and having babies.

Skeeter decides to put together a book, compiling true stories from the lives of different black maids from Jackson, Mississippi. It is a hard enough task to get the maids to agree on the interview, but events play out which convince them to stand up and speak for themselves. It was a moving story. Little tales told that left the biggest of impacts. A story revealing the realities of one of the most horrible times in American history. A tale in which ultimately courage and human spirit triumphed.      

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

This is another one of those movies that are based on books. And I don’t quite know if the story plays out well enough on the big screen as on the pages as I haven’t read the actual novel. Let’s face it. The original books are always so much better than the movies based on the same books. At least I think they are. Anyway, this movie scored well.

There was quite a star-studded cast with Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock playing the parents. But it is Thomas Horn who plays the lead character here, Oskar Schell, a nine-year old boy. The story is intriguing and uplifting in quite a few places. Oskar’s dad dies in the World Trade Center on September 11^th, 2011. The two were quite close and needless to say, Oskar finds it pretty hard to let go. He stumbles upon a key in his father’s closet and sets out to find the lock the key fits into. It becomes a reconnaissance expedition for Oskar, just as the many he had experienced with his father when he had been alive. And so the story unfolds from there. And a pretty good one, it was.    

 

Kahaani

The trailers running on TV had definitely grabbed my attention. It seemed like an interesting plot, with lots of twists and turns. Not to mention, any Vidya Balan starrer promises a lot these days.

I would say, the movie turned out as good as was promised. A thriller definitely. There was suspense right till the very end.

A very pregnant ‘Vidya’ was the lead character around whom the story revolved. But there were other memorable characters who made the film what it was in the end. ‘Rana’ was the ultimate good guy from the start. The cop who helped a distressed wife look for her lost husband in a strange city. Then, there was ‘Khan’, the second-in-command at the Intelligence Bureau. Not someone you would love, but potrayed brilliantly as someone who wouldn’t mind getting his hands dirty if it was in the country’s interest. And ‘Milan Damji’. The character invisible for most parts of the film but as important a character as any. And the setting for it all, the city of Kolkata, was an equally huge starrer of the film too.

A very good movie all-around.

P.S. For all of those Indian movies’ fans who love the singing and dancing, this one’s not for you! :P  

The Lorax

This was one cute movie. No, really. And not all fun and entertainment, it gave a pretty important message as well. Doing all this, in the most wonderful manner possible. There were colours, some really cute characters, and songs you would find yourself singing along to. Watching it in 3D was just the icing on the cake really.

Once the movie ends, you would find yourself wanting to go out there and plant a tree. Get some seeds and find some ground. And don’t be fooled into thinking that this is only a movie for kids to enjoy. It’s for all ages. No one can regret watching this. Do not give it a miss!

Here is a link to the official movie  site: Loraxthemovie

Midnight in Paris

The movie opens to different scenes of Paris, and it is quite evident that we are about to witness a love affair with the city itself. Owen Wilson’s character leads us around the historic city, taking in the surroundings. He plays a successful Hollywood writer who is going through some life-changing moments as he looks to abandon his career for writing a novel. And he would love to settle down in Paris, of course.

Anyway, the movie moves along nicely. We are taken into the 1920s, when Paris was home to numerous beloved writers and artists. Hemingway, Fitzgerald and Picasso to name only a few. It really was intriguing to see all of those characters come to life.

The 1920s had been considered the Golden years of the city by the writer. But he meets another character who happens to think the 1890s were the sparkling years. And that is where the writer learns an important lesson. And so do we.

Another question comes to mind then. Where do you believe you would find contentment? Some decades into the past, or maybe a few in the future? Not many of us feel like we belong in the present, do we?

Enjoy the trailer: Midnight in Paris-Trailer   

The Ides of March

The Ides of March was awaited with anticipation. And I would say that it didn’t disappoint. Starring an ensemble that included George Clooney, Ryan Gosling and Phillip Seymour Hoffman, the cast alone lured one to check it out.

The movie eased forward and the twists that came depicted the political chaos that ensues before any major election. A man who seemed to be ‘the right one’ for the job and had all the correct ideas to propel him towards the White House eventually, seemed to be getting hard done by the political lobbying that matters so much more than the actual voting. But then came the point where it all turned topsy-turvy as a truth was revealed.

It was quite ironic that the hopeful candidate could only march towards a victory after his mistake caught up with him and he was forced to surrender himself to being blackmailed. Forced to go with the flow and play the political games. I guess we all know that’s how things work in politics.

The movie was based on the play “Farragut North”. It was directed by George Clooney himself. I quite liked it. Time well spent. J

Check out the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McCt-_yYLpo