Deliciously horrible

the omen

Director: John Moore Cast: E. Julia Stiles, Liev Schreiber, Mia Farrow, David Thewlis, Pete Poatherthwaite, Michael Gambon, Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick 6/10

The Omen is a film comprised mostly the colours black, white and red or if seen in another light Christ, Anti-Christ and violence. A child of Satan born of a she-fox and adopted by the youngest British Ambassador Robert Thorn (Liev Schreiber). The Jews have gone back to Israel and the time of the Anti-Christ has come to arise from the troubled seas of international politics. It’s terrifying in its sudden violence. Violence is always more scary when it comes from an apparently innocent source, the child in this case. The shadow of evil envelops the film without degenerating into nauseating horror for horror’s sake.

The novel by David Seltzer has been followed faithfully, but the cinematic interpretation is all one could ask for. Aesthetically sound, excellent lighting, editing and performances. In some ways the remake surpasses the original starring Gregory Peck and that’s surely saying something.

Sunayani Ganguly

The buck stops at Uma Thurman

my super ex-girlfriend

Director: Ivan Reitman Cast: Uma Thurman, Luke Wilson 2/10

Pray, why on earth would a talent powerhouse called Uma Thurman take on a role of a crazy, bitchy, sex-starved Superwoman? Was the leading man a hottie? No way. Was the pay cheque that good? Dunno.

Surrounded by popcorn-chomping yuppies sipping colas, it felt like a wasted Sunday morning. The shocker wasn’t in the shockingly bad movie. It was the ticket priced at a shocking 160 bucks.

Pray, who would want to watch bad sex on a Sunday morning (Thurman straddling a terrified Wilson in mid-air) for 160 bucks? Not many, thank god, going by the turnout.

Thurman disappoints. Wilson, brother of Owen Wilson of Shanghai Noon fame, is a lucky chap — he gets to act with all the gorgeous women — do Charlie’s Angels or Legally Blonde ring a bell? No? Don’t bother. Best forgotten.

Pallabi Biswas

Pain actually

dil diya hai

Director: Aaditya Datta Cast: Emraan Hashmi, Ashmit Patel, Geeta Basra, Mithun Chakraborty 4/10

At first glance, Geeta Basra is a put-off, but after a few scenes, she sort of begins to grow on one. Which is not something one could say of the film. To be to the point, Aaditya Datta’s Dil Diya Hai falls flat in spite of the offbeat plot it could have tapped into.

Instead, Datta seems to be more focused on tapping Emraan into giving absolutely blank expressions, and worrrying about taking shots of Ashmit Patel, who is a complete disaster, both in terms of characterisation and acting. Over Mithun, too, Datta loses his hold once he takes away his guitar and hands him a gun instead.

But all this, and perhaps much more, one could have still calmly taken in one’s stride, if there was no Himesh Reshammiya to put up as well.

Deepali Singh