Three is a charm

To be honest I really must thank all those people who had come to the PVR mall that I had gone to on numerous occasions over the past one month to catch a movie. The thing is with Theme VI done with and having been banished from the cozy confines of my B-school to the capital of my country under the pretext of my summer project, I decided that my movie watching days must continue (albeit at a slower pace) though now I would be upgrading from the 15’ screen of my laptop to a proper multiplex theatre. I’ve reached an hour before the show, 2 hours before the show, much before the show; I’ve tried on weekends, weekdays but was never able to get a ticket with Spiderman 3, Mr. Bean and a couple of others getting the miss. A normal person would’ve soldiered on determined to watch a movie over there but not me as I settled down for a random TV movie on a lazy Sunday. And a smart choice it turned out to be.


It’s been over 10 years since I’ve watched Lucky Day (Steve Martin), Ned Nederlander (Martin Short) and Dusty Bottoms (Chevy Chase) do their unforgettable routine given below in the 3 Amigos and it proved to be the perfect Sunday movie.

Lucky Day: Wherever there is injustice, you will find us.
Ned Nederlander: Wherever there is suffering, we'll be there.
Dusty Bottoms: Wherever liberty is threatened, you will find...
Lucky Day, Ned Nederlander, Dusty Bottoms: The Three Amigos!

The movie is hilarious with the casting being absolutely spot on. The dialogues are great and comic timing is superb as can be expected from the star cast. It is a simple kind comedy at times but one that will definitely will ensure that you’ve enjoyed it all the way to the end. Definitely a must watch especially considering the quality of comedies being churned out these days. Speaks volumes for a movie that was released 21 years ago. Sample this conversation from the movie

Jefe: We have many beautiful pinatas for your birthday celebration, each one filled with little surprises!
El Guapo: How many pinatas?
Jefe: Many pinatas, many!
El Guapo: Jefe, would you say I have a plethora of pinatas?
Jefe: A what?
El Guapo: A *plethora*.
Jefe: Oh yes, El Guapo. You have a plethora.
El Guapo: Jefe, what is a plethora?
Jefe: Why, El Guapo?
El Guapo: Well, you just told me that I had a plethora, and I would just like to know if you know what it means to have a plethora. I would not like to think that someone would tell someone else he has a plethora, and then find out that that person has *no idea* what it means to have a plethora.


Asterix & Obelix : Mission Cleopatra that followed the 3 Amigos was a very pleasant surprise. I never expected that I would end up watching more than 15 minutes of the movie much less the whole thing but it was highly entertaining. The movie is really funny with a lot of modern references thrown in for good measure. It has captured the spirit of the comic which most movies based on comics haven’t been able to and I loved the scene where the pirates are ready to board a ship after seeing that it is not a Gaullish ship and their reaction when they see Asterix & Obelix happily waving at them from the ship is absolutely hilarious. There is just so much to enjoy in the movie – the character names, the subtle humour in so many one liners and the “I Feel Good” song in the movie to name but a few. Thing is you need to pay attention or you could end up missing another of the one line gems that are smattered all over the movie. Apparently the original French dialogues are even funnier with much more subtle humour captured in them which the shift to English has expectedly not been able to capture. But hey I’m not complaining, the English version is funny enough for me.


A few months back, if you’de have asked me who Guy Ritchie is, all I would’ve been able to tell you was that he is Madonna’s husband. But then that was before I watched the Guy Ritchie written & directed movie – Snatch which is an absolutely hilarious movie if you can follow the brit accent. With wonderfully scripted characters like Turkish (better known as the Transporter guy), Brick Top Polford, Cousin Avi, Boris ‘The Blade’, Bullet Tooth Tony, Franky Four Fingers, Mickey O’Neil (Brad Pitt in an brilliant role as a pikey whose accent is unbelievable) etc: Guy Ritchie has created a very engrossing movie that weaves together multiple storylines with absolutely hilarious one liners that will have you in splits. One is given below

Vinny & Sol are 2 small time crooks who want to get even with certain bad guys in the movie and therefore Sol goes out to get them guns, replicas of course since they are small time crooks.
Vinny: What the fuck do you mean, replicas?
Sol: They look the shit, don't they? And nobody is gonna argue. And I've got some extra loud blanks, just in case.
Vinny: In... Oh, in case we have to deafen them to death?

Not seen a better made movie in a while and I’ve seen quite a bit of movies in my time in my B-school and earlier. An engaging movie that has all the ingredients I look for - top notch acting and more importantly very well written characters, huge servings of humour, very slick lighting and editing. What more can you ask for? If you do see any of these DVD out there the next time you’re out do not hesitate to pick them up especially Snatch. They certainly did make my Sunday.