Clash of the Titans and some crap!

Watched Clash of the Titans - a Swords and Sandals epic which lies somewhere between Troy and 300. Kraken was the piece of cake and so were the mythical creatures.

Revelation: All Greek Gods are womanizers and the seemingly good Gods are in fact the bad guys. Zeus was on a globe-trotting one-night stand spree, impregnating women on earth and tricked Hades to the depths of the underworld. Remember, Hades is always portrayed as the bad guy in Greek epics as he tries to take revenge on his brother Zeus who cheated him by denying him his seat at Mount Olympus a.k.a Heaven! How idiotic is that! Isn't Hades doing what all of us with some self-respect left in us would do when backstabbed? He is trying to get back what is rightfully his. Now how is that evil?

The story on Medusa's origin was indeed sympathetic and another example on how wayward the Greek Gods are. Poseidon, the God of the Seas, brutally raped Medusa when she was a beautiful young woman and he gave way to his urge right inside the Temple of Athena. Medusa pleaded to the Goddess to save her and Athena didn't bother at all. Instead, she turned the hapless woman into a Gorgon and that too once Poseidon was done with his hunger. How considerate! Athena's explanation for her "blessing" - she regarded it as the finest way to save Medusa from men! Medusa went on to be known by the monstrous form from then.

Now tell me - Who are the good guys and who are the bad guys?

Bollywood Diwali Specials - Blue

Genre: Action Thriler

Director: Anthony D'Souza

Star Cast: Akshay Kumar, Sanjay Dutt, Zayed Khan, Lara Dutta, Katrina Kaif, Rahul Dev

Music Director: A. R. Rahman

One line summary – An underwater treasure hunt with action sequences borrowed from Deep Blue Sea, Torque, Bad Boys 2, and a lot of Hollywood flicks.

Release Date: October 16

My take on the Summer Blockbusters

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

Director: Stephen Sommers

Theatre visits: 1

What’s it about: An elite team of covert operations specialists chosen from around the globe fight to wade off a megalomaniac weapons manufacturer and his mad scientist. The movie tracks the rise of the Cobra terrorist organization and is the first live action feature film based on the G.I. Joe toy line/comic series.

Whistles: Finally a live-action movie on G.I. Joe, Joseph Gordon Lewitt’s Cobra Commander, special effects in pieces, the chase scene in Paris, Marlon Wayans’ Ripcord (I was surprised to see that he was good.), Snake Eyes, connecting flashbacks, Storm Shadow-Snake Eyes duel, Arnold Vosloo’s cool-and-cold Zartan, the hotties Sienna Miller and Rachel Nichols, the cliffhanger.

Boos: Relentless pace, terrible and unpolished CGI in many sections (I doubt whether they actually spent $175 million making this movie or not), Channing Tatum’s Duke, Breaker (is he gay?), failure to cash in on major action sequences, the illogical scene of polar ice packs sinking (ice doesn’t sink in water…even toddlers know that)

Verdict: Not bad. I’m forced to like it as I love the G.I. Joe characters so much. Stephen Sommers disappointed. I’d like to see a sequel though with more characters and some quality special effects. Gore Verbinski is my recommendation for the director's chair.

Sequel suggestions: TF2 league CGI, more screen time for Joseph Gordon Lewitt, Arnold Vosloo and Dennis Quaid. And give Brendan Fraser a major role. He has immense popularity in the Asia Pacific. How else do you think Mummy 3 survived? Bring in some actors from other nations in guest or major roles. The latest incarnation of G.I. Joe proclaims it as an international team anyway. Put that line to good use.