Exodus-The Atrocity Exhibition: Exhibit A

Exodus are back!, and back with a bang! they are. For the uninitiated; Exodus are one of the most influential Thrash bands ever and their album Bonded by Blood is easily one of the Top 10 Thrash albums ever. Their last two releases, Tempo of The Damned and Shovel Headed Kill Machine, though praised by the critics and fans alike left me unsatisfied. They were more 'groove' than 'thrash' for me. With The Atrocity Exhibition however, they have hit a home run. It's all in the guitars they say, and Gary Holt and Lee Altus leave no stone unturned to rattle your brains crazy with their uber heavy and pulverizing riffs. This album has that quintessential aggression that was missing in the two previous releases.

Right after the minute and a half soothing intro of 'A Call to Arms', they bombard you with the bludgeoning 'Riot Act' and you know that Exodus mean business this time. Relentless riffing coupled with double bass mayhem make this a headbanger's delight, the solo here is just boombastic!! Next up is 'Funeral Hymn', an 8 and a half minute epic with it's thunderous and crunchy! riffs--a good song overall but it tends to get monotonous and a tad tedious. The solo here is again magnificent! Exodus follow it up with another 8 minute+ player in 'Children of A Worthless God'--the main riff is excellent! here and the guitars are exceedingly sharp. It does have an almost Arch Enemy-esque sound though. Next up is 'As it Was, As it Soon Shall Be', which is reminiscent of their work in Tempo of The Damned..crunchy and groovy mid-paced riffing. This song is nothig great but still leagues ahead of the Staind,KoRN,Disturbed,Godsmack crap masquerading as Metal out there. Things move on to the 10 minute+ epic Title song--which is a strange mix of Thrash as well as the Dillinger Escape Plan and Meshuggah sounds. You have to give this one some time, it grows on you! and really turns into a monster around the 5 minute mark...and the last 4 minutes are absolute Thrash bliss!..ummm. Oh, there's another exquisite solo in here. Next up is what is arguably the best song of this album..'Iconoclasm', when Rob Dukes screams I am the chosen one!!! you'll feel the adrenaline rushing to your head. The main riff is superb, and the breakdown around the 3 minute mark is simply mindblowing! Terrific solo once again!(man!! what were these guys on?). 'Garden of Bleeding' starts off in a very doom-ish way but comes into full feldged thrash frenzy in under a minute. This is also one of those songs which can be an acquired taste(yeah, even for the metalhead). It has a certain avante garde feel to it, and the riffs are heavier than your normal Thrash. I love! it though :) ..the last 1 and a half minutes of this song are pure mayhem! The last song 'Bedlam 123' is the most experimental song here. Starting with off beats and a Primus like bass line, this song gets into hyper speed destruction mode. Time changes coupled with blast beats and galloping double bass throughout, this is a worthy closer to the album.

Finally, what Exodus have achieved here is an excellent example of classic brutality and speed coupled with modern finesse,variations, and production sound. I say hats off!

Killer Tracks--Riot Act, Iconoclasm, Garden of Bleeding, Bedlam 123

Rating: 8.5/10

Om Shanti Om

Some films take themselves very seriously and some take themselves too lightly. Om Shanti Om is an anomaly of sorts; it gets too serious in taking itself too lightly. Doesn't make sense? Well..yeah..even the 17 odd reels of Om Shanti Om don't. That's not a point of contention however, I knew what to expect when I walked into the cinema this morning. Let's get on with the review now..shall we?
Om Prakash Makheeja(SRK) is a 70s junior artist who’s insanely in love with Shanti Priya(Deepika Padukone), who is in love with the badman Mukesh Mehra(ArjunRampal). Things go wrong, and both OM and Shanti end up dead! But….picture abhi baaki hai mere dost.

The first half with the 70s backdrop is as much a visual treat as it is a laugh riot. Yes, I’m not exaggerating here; the first hour of the film has some of the most massy and funny sequences Indian cinema has ever seen. The Dreamy Girl premiere, the whole Manoj Kumar spoof and Rajesh Kapoor(Khanna) and pregnant wife(Dimple) interview are supremely hilarious. The Rajnikanth spoof will have you holding on to your stomach, just in case anything pops out. The Dhoom Tana song where Shanti dances with Sunil Dutt, Rajesh Khanna and Jeetendra a la Forrest Gump is absolutely splendid. The special effects department should be lauded for this feat.The village shoot where Om and Pappu(Shreyas Talpade) are playing dacoits is again a rib tickler. In between all these moments of laughter and entertainment(which is the whole point of OSO anyway) is a friendship brewing between Om and Shanti. Their rendezvous’ are handled beautifully and Deepika looks quite charming, and if I might add, stunning. The whole set burning sequence which results in the deaths of both OM and Shanti is grandeur at its best. Among the typical Bollywood masala entertainers, this is definitely one of the most entertaining, funny and involving first halves ever.

30 years later….Take TWO!, the second half dips and dips and keeps dipping for several minutes till we have a jug full of bitter Lipton Tiger in our mouth. Om Prakash Makheeja is reborn as Om Kapoor, the son of yesteryear superstar Rajesh Kapoor. Dard-e-disco though choreographed beautifully and quite catchy semed just out of place, I dunno why it had to be there. Om Kapoor keeps hearing voices and seeing flashes from his past life. His mother(Kiron Kher) in his first life keeps chasing his car with the everlasting ‘beta ruk ja’ line. The visions, the voices..anything just doesn’t make any emotional impact. When Om is shooting for superhero film Mohabbat Man(which was a very funny sequence again) he accidentally walks into the room which used to be Shanti’s dressing room. Again come the flashes, the voices and the faces too; all this while, I was hoping this just gets over!!! Give me some more entertainment. This isn’t good for Farah Khan, if she ever wants to be a good storyteller. Farah does oblige to our requests intermittently though; with the earth shakingly hilarious Filmfare Awards sequence and the star studded Deewangi Deewangi. Anyway, Mukesh Mehra is back again, this time as Mike or Mik-ee as he wishes to be addressed. Om of course recognizes his murderer, goes back to his mother and Pappu, gets lucky enough! to find a Shanti look alike,Sandy(Sandhya) and is determined to bring Mukesh Mehra to justice(wow!..now that’s what you call absitively posilutely seriously mindless). Om devises a plan which involves the help of all his actor friends and family to bring Mukesh Mehra to justice at the same place he murdered his beloved Shanti. Surprises, shrieking old ladies, staged bhoot incidents, tampered film reels et al make Mukesh Mehra fall into the trap and justice is finally delivered in Madhumati ishtyle! climax which is immaculately shot and is truly a grand spectacle. The second half could’ve been crisper though; some serious editing flaws in there. The whole Om/Mukesh restaurant sequence, the Om/Sandy rooftop sequence are just plain boring. The dialogues are grossly overwritten, too much blah blah for no rhyme or reason. All in all, quite a disapoointing second half with the exception of the far and few in between funny moments, and the climax, which is very well done indeed.

Coming on to the performances—Shreyas Talpade as Om’s sidekick is funny, loveable and extremely confident…two big Thumbs Up to him. Kiron Kher excels in what she’s supposed to do, i.e. play the loud, melodramatic Bollywood maa. Deepika Padukone looks gorgeous, and her performance is not bad for a first timer. I have my doubts about the voice though, I still think it’s dubbed. Arjun Rampal is plainly stupid in some scenes and plainly terrific in others. I still don’t know how to rate him here. I’ll go with a ‘decent’ at best. And now to SRK—the man hams like he never has! But wait a min, that doesn’t mean what you think it does. The truth about OSO, as a matter of fact is…it’s a one man job. It is SRK’s film; he’s the spine, the heart, the soul, the joy, the laughter and the emotion(whatever little this film has) of the film. He’s a revelation in the first half specially—playing to the gallery comedy has never been his forte, but he’s just marvellous here. Some of the hamming in second half is quite annoying though, specially in the confrontation scenes. He hams, he overacts, he makes silly faces, he ridicules himself, he ridicules others and still manages to bring the film several notches above what it deserves.

So that was OSO for you. No, it’s not the mother of all masala entertainers as some of our esteemed critics seem to think. What it is though, is 2 and a half hours well spent with your family and children. A first half full of laughter and energy, a scond half which gets quite boring at times, annoying at times, fun at times resulting in a wonderfully crafted climax. Am I disappointed? Yes…still worth a watch though.

Rating: ***