Movie Review: CC and Company

True Blue Biker Movie

I have seen several biker movies but only few really successfully depict the true spirit and quest for freedom that bikers claim. The Easy Rider of yore and the recent Wild Hogs show two extremes of the biker spirit. CC and Company goes one step ahead in this, the movie successfully shows both kinds of bikers. On one side are a gang of rowdy, and unruly bikers who chose to drift on the periphery of the society and earn a living by stealing, prostitution, and other illegal stuff. Then there is the other side where people enjoy biking as a sport and recreation.

The protagonist of the movie CC is a biker who blends the best of both these types of bikers. The movie starts off when CC and his biker friends find a beautiful woman stranded on the highway in a limo. The bikers try to force themselves on the woman and CC interferes. In the ensuing fight CC wins and the bikers flee to join the gang.

The next major event in the movie is when the bikers chance upon a dirt bike race and the gang decides to gatecrash into the event. When they see dirt bikes flying across the track, the leader decides that his gang is better than them and hit the tracks and start riding in the opposite direction of the racers. The bikers end up making fools of themselves and feeling humiliated they return to their camp. CC is interested in this racing game and he buys himself a dirt bike.

Next thing we see CC riding a race and he nearly wins. The leader of the gang is not so happy with the attention CC is getting from the rest of the gang. Now begins the tussle between the gang leader and CC. The rest of the movie is about how CC is able to get out of the gang successfully and move on... or shall we say ride on into the sun.

I would definitely recommend this movie to everyone who wants to watch a short entertaining movie with good biking action.

Tall in the Saddle - Movie Review

I am a big aficionado of John Wayne movies. I try and watch every movie I get hold of starring John Wayne. His imposing screen presence, smart dialogue delivery and rough demeanor make it highly entertaining. I have enjoyed his performances in Big Jake, Red River, and a whole list of others. I stumbled upon Tall in the Saddle on youtube and decided to watch this 1944 monochrome flick.

As expected the movie is all about the land, inheritance, treachery, gun men, swindling and of course horse riding. The movie is set in an era when there were no automobiles, the only mode of transport was horses and carriages. The movie starts with the arrival of Rocklin (Wayne) along with a beautiful young woman Clara Cardell along with her domineering aunt. Rocklin has come to work at the Cardell Ranch while Clara has come to claim her inheritance. Old man Cardell who promised employment to Rocklin is dead.

Rocklin has a run in with Arly Haroldy, the young and beautiful owner of the Topaz Ranch that adjoins the Cardell ranch. After being shamed Arly wants to take revenge and hires Rocklin as a foreman in her ranch. Things start getting nasty at this point, there is an attempt on Rocklin's life and he soon comes to know that some unscruplus elements are trying to cheat Clara off her property. Rocklin returns to town to settle scores and there ensures lots of fist fights and few gun fights before the movie draws to a close with a totally unexpected twist.

What I like about this movie is it is short and fast paced. There is no unnecessary conversation, and drama. The best part of the movie I'd say is not the gunfight or the fist fight but the smart one liners delivered effectively by John Wayne and the amazingly hilarious facial expressions and kinesthetics by the drunk carriage driver.

Thoroughly enjoyable I'd recommend this to anyone interested in western movies.

Kshatriya Hindi Movie Review

Tale of Two Cities - Bollywood style

Whenever I get some free time I try and watch some Indian movies on Youtube. There are couple of reasons why I watch Youtube, first and foremost they are free, and except for the pesky advertisements they are pretty good quality. I particularly like action movies starring Sunny Deol, Sanjay Dutt, Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, etc. I also enjoy the previous generation of heroes Dharmendra, Vinod Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan.

This movie was one of those multi-starrer films with many action heroes and gorgeous heroines. The main theme of the movie is how love overcomes hatred passed down for generations. The story could have been told in a much better way without the unnecessary drama, over acting and by reducing the number of illogical twists to the plot.

The story centers around a famous temple of Kali Mata in Rajasthan where the ruling clans of two kingdoms Surjangarh and Mirtagarh fight for the right to sacrifice a buffalo in order to propitiate the goddess and get rain for their respective kingdoms. In between there is the corrupt Minister of Mirtagarh who along with his son wants to take control of the treasury and enjoy the wealth. The villainous minister and his son plot to kill the crown prince of Surjangarh during one of the sacrificial events but is unsuccessful.

The rulers of both the nations played by Dharmendra and Sunil Dutt don't see eye to eye and are always at war. Now comes a twist, the nephew of Dharmendra, crown price of Surjangarh falls in love with Sunil Dutt's daughter, the princess of Mirtagarh. Despite families ordering them not to meet each other they get together clandestinely and are caught by the elders of Mirtagarh. When the prince tries to escape he is murdered by the conniving minister and his son. In retaliation, Dharmendra Kills Sunil Dutt. This leads to a bloody battle between families and Sunil Dutt's brother Vinod Khanna kills several members of Dharmendra's family.

The result is quite predictable the family members hate each other. In order to keep their children away from all the politics both families send their children to London to study. There the children played by Sunny Deol, Sanjay Dutt, and Raveena Tandon oblivious of their family rivalry become very close friends. Raveena and Sunny even fall in love with each other.

They return to India only to face the wrath of their respective parents, who are bent on separating the lovers. There are numerous dramatic outbursts, twists, conspiracy, sub-plots to the movie which sometimes is quite confusing. All in all it is three hours of entertainment, Indian style.

I am not surprised that the movie didn't do all that well in the box office when it was released. I am sure the sales of DVDs are not bursting any charts either. If you have time and the movie is free go ahead and watch, otherwise it is completely passable.

88 Minutes Movie Review

Absorbing Crime Narrative

I have always liked Al Pacino's movies because they are action packed like the Serpico, full of suspense such as Dick Tracy and of course the super crime thriller The Godfather series. 88 Minutes is available free to watch on Youtube and that helped me make a decision to watch it. The movie doesn't have a high number of votes on Rotten Tomatoes but still I decided to watch it and boy it was not a mistake at all. The hour and 47 minutes spent watching this movie doesn't have one boring moment and thrills the audience to the end.

Al Pacino plays successful forensic psychologist Jack Gramm whose professional opinion seals the fate of serial rapist and killer Jon Forster played by Neal McDonough. Fast forward nine years on the day Forster is supposed to be executed Gramm receives a phone call saying that he has only 88 minutes to live. This sets into motion a frenzy of bombing, shooting, car chases and there is no indication as to who is the real villain.

The screenplay is so well conceived that there is no hint of who the culprit could be till the very end of the movie. The twists and turns of the plot keeps the viewer guessing as to who the real killer is. Is it Gramm himself, or is it his beautiful homosexual assistant or the male student who is questioning his professor's logic, or is it one of the female students who has a crush on him.

Director Jon Avnet has done a good job in extracting great performances from all the actors. The cool jubilant exterior of Forster when his execution gets stayed even if briefly. The tension on Gramm's face and the aloofness of the FBI agents etc are all well done. Writer Gary Scott Thompson has done a good job in story telling which has been translated into visual imagery very well by Avnet.

This is definitely entertaining but does not merit any awards. Simply put I am pretty sure the producers made good of their investment and everyone involved is happy with the return on their investment. I wouldn't watch it again, simply because I know the end.

The are times during the movie when the plot seems confusing and abrupt. Apart from these little irritants 88 Minutes is a totally watchable movie and I would suggest take the opportunity to its free availability on Youtube and grab it.

A Nation of Farmers: Book Review

Food shortages have become the buzzword everywhere in the world. In a globalized world where food is no longer grown and consumed in the same place, crop failure in one nation means shortage somewhere else. In the recent years we have had instances when India had banned export of rice because crop had failed in Thailand and other rice producing nations.

The first world nations have the money power to out buy crops and food from impoverished third-world nations and leave their citizens starving. How long can this practice continue? There have been food-related rioting, protests and movements in various third-world nations and emerging economies also.

The worst hit in this crises are the poor in every nation, be it America or India or China or any sub-Saharan nation. The poorest of the poor always go hungry and are most affected by any price rise.

In this context Sharon Astyk and Aaron Newton have come out with this noteworthy and information-rich volume: A nation of Farmers. The main theme of the book is how American people can save themselves and their nation from the impending food shortage. The book is a fervent appeal from the authors to the common people of America urging them to convert their backyards into gardens where they can grow their own food, rear chickens and other consumable animals.

I believe that with so much land and so little population America could well become the bread basket of the world. There needs to be political will and a social change... no social transformation. After reading this book I am convinced that it should be mandatory reading for every high school and college student in the country. This is one of the sure-shot ways to attain food-self-reliance for America and today's citizens owe it to themselves and their nation to achieve this.