<Review by: Sailesh Ghelani>

Directed by Rupert Sanders. Starring Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron, Sam Claflin, Bob Hoskins, Sam Spruell.

Not expecting much from this remake of a classic fairy tale, especially after the slapstick, Bollywood-esque Mirror Mirror, I was utterly floored by this film. The stirring music, the enchanting imaginary world, the solid performances and sheer brilliant direction, all make Snow White & The Huntsman a modern classic.

I think I join many when I say I’m not a fan of Kristen Stewart (Snow White), owing to the fact that I despise the Twilight franchise with every cell in my blood. That being said, after watching Snow White & The Huntsman I had to give my hatred for her (which is probably a hatred for her character and Twilight) a rethink. Needless to say I was much more looking forward to Charlize Theron’s performance as the wicked stepmother Ravenna. Even Thor and The Avengers actor Chris Hemsworth (The Huntsman) wasn’t really a draw, but yet again, another surprisingly good performance.

From the very start of Snow White & The Huntsman you are introduced to magical visuals, magnificent orchestral music and a story that seems familiar. We all know Snow White, the fairest in the land, daughter of a King who is cut down by his new dark wife who takes over the throne and in this case imprisons Snow White (Kristen Stewart). But Snow is ‘destined’ and escapes in to the Dark Forest. The mirror on the wall tells the evil queen Ravenna (Charlize Theron) that only Snow’s beating heart will make her the most beautiful in the land. And so the huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) is despatched along with the queen’s molester albino brother (Sam Spruell) to retrieve her. But the huntsman soon has a change of heart.

So look, you think you know the story of Snow White, but first time movie director Rupert Sanders (he is a big shot ad director in the UK) and his writing team of Evan Daugherty, John Lee Hancock and Hossein Amini have crafted such a brilliant film that even though you know what happens next (or think you do) you are glued to the screen wondering what will spring forth from this enchanted dwelling where humans, beasts, fairies, trolls (a very King Kong/beautiful girl moment here) and dwarfs all roam in a land of death and decay that lies alongside a land of magic and wonderment.

I even forgot there were dwarfs in this story, until they finally appeared and then I was worried – what if this greatness dissolves in to slapstick comedy with little people talking funny and doing silly things. Ah, no my friends, there is comic relief and wit, but none of that silly stuff. If anything, the dwarfs add a unique and refreshing layer to this story (Bob Hoskins as one of the dwarfs is stellar). They’re not there merely for our amusement and no they’re not named Happy, Dopey, Grumpy etc.

The CGI in this film that is used to create some of the amazing effects – including the golden plate that plays the mirror and the pixies of a fairyland unlike any you have ever seen – is so real that you can’t help but gape in awestruck astonishment. A tear rolled down my eye. Not because I was sentimental or sad but because I felt privileged to be watching this film.

A colleague once told me that music could often make a good film great. James Newton Howard’s orchestral score does just that in Snow White & The Huntsman. Half the reviewers sat back during the end credits (superb visuals of ravens, knights and swords) that featured a lovely song and fabulous end creds score. “Just write great music and the rest will take care of itself,” Howard once said. How right he was. And what a difference an orchestra (hardly used nowadays, sadly) makes to a film’s story and in conveying nuances of emotion and environment.

Each and every one of the actors has performed admirably. Yes, they’ve taken it seriously; Snow White & The Huntsman is dark, ominous, twisted and sinister. But yet it is wonderfully magical, fantastic, moving, original and heart warming. The finale is a tad anti-climactic but far from disappointing. The backstory about Ravenna’s past and her seemingly vain need to appear young adds so much depth to her character showing you that in this case, beauty is far from skin deep.

I’ll have to watch the film again to make sure I’ve not been gushing without merit and to prove that it wasn’t just one of those days. But I’m quite sure I felt a lot better after watching this film than I have watching the last 100. Please watch it, not with high expectations but with an open mind and you will not be disappointed. Thank you Hollywood, for making me believe that you still have some originality left.

PS: Watch the Snow White & The Huntsman trailer above & Read our feature Fairy Tale Films Are Back With A Vengeance

Also, you could take part in our Snow White & The Huntsman Tickets/Poster Contest

A personal Facebook invitation to attend the launch of dENIiZEN’s new line of men’s clothing designed by actor Imran Khan. Very cool indeed. Minority-Review had to attend. Editor Sailesh Ghelani arrived at the venue, where mostly PYTs all dolled up were chitchatting about their blogs and this season’s collections. It was a bloggers meet, after all. We took our place on the bean bags placed in front of a stage and waited for Imran Khan and someone from dENiZEN (a Levi’s sub-brand) to tell us about the new Spring-Summer line.

The stage is set

The jeans, half-sleeved shirts and t-shirts were designed and co-created with Imran, all of them bearing his signature. But that’s not all. They’ve also tried to infuse some of his quirks and personality in to the line. For instance, Imran wears a ring all the time. But when he does something with that particular hand he pulls off his ring and puts it in the small watch pocket of his jeans. After a while doing this, the ring leaves an impression on the material (just like a coffee mug would leave a ring on a wooden table). So they’ve replicated that on the jeans, which are meant to appeal to the youth.

Imran Khan and his hand gestures

Imran was asked what other nuances from his life were used in the creation of these denims. Here’s what he had to say:

Whatever I own or buy, the idea is to make it unique and individual and make it what I am. Also, I carry two mobile phones and put one in each pocket, so they tend to leave a distinct marking on the material of the jeans. So we’ve done that as a design on the pockets of a pair of dENiZEN jeans so it looks like you’re carrying two phones. The idea is trying to make it stand out. Often there is a disconnect between the people who make clothes and the people who wear them.

What other inputs did you have in the process?

I’m a big denim geek myself in terms of the type of denim, the cut, the types of washes. We actually worked in great depth in selecting what type of denim we used. We used a slightly premium type of denim, which is the highest quality denim in the world. For the summer collection the idea was to use lighter denims, lighter washes and lighter colours.

All the jeans have the signature red zipper ribbon; they have a canvas label instead of the leather one you find on most jeans. That’s because it has a unique look and feel, which is handmade. The jeans have my signature on the inside. A lot of the stuff won’t be visible on the outside but you’ll feel happy when you wear them; it feels good to you. It’s not to show someone else.

What’s with this t-shirt that has the words ‘Did you know?’ on it?

My friends call me Wikipedia, because I know a lot of things and when my friends need to know about something they ask me. And then I say, ‘Did you know…?” which is a catchphrase of sorts for me. So we put that on a t-shirt.

Were you inspired by any brands that you buy?

I’ve never been a brand person; I have no loyalty to any particular one. I pick up things purely based on what they look like. Of course, things that I see and people that I meet influence me.

What made you push the boundaries this year from the last collection you did?

The idea is to try and stay current. I am not someone who is very clued in to fashion trends. The idea is how do you take something and make it different from everything else? More than fashion, I believe in style, because that’s about who you are. How do you make a pair of jeans unique? People don’t just want to buy a pair of jeans that has my signature on it. They want to see if there is something more, something unique about Imran that they are buying with the jeans too.

What are the new things you’ve done in this collection?

In the previous collection we had done a day and night thing. So there was a contrast between the two with darker, leather-looking colours and denims for the night. This collection is lighter and made especially for summer.

Where do you get your inspiration from then?

You get inspiration from everywhere. For instance, that canvas patch on the back pocket of the jeans. Do you remember the canvas shoes we used to wear for physical training in school? I bought a pair of those recently. That rough texture on them that looks unique after being worn down, that’s what I liked. So I used that.

Imran showing us the canvas label

What sort of research did you do to create a unique pair of jeans?

At some point all the different blues they show you look the same (Laughs). I got into this honestly not knowing much. I just knew what I liked. Every single rivet was shown to me. The colour, the enamel, the works. The back pocket has four lines of stitches instead of the standard two. It’s about the details. Jeans are so common that you develop a blind spot to them; you just look at what the person is wearing above the waist, which is why they need to stand out in a different way.

I’ve always dreamt of having a pair of jeans with my name on it. I would find visual references of things that I’d like to show them what I wanted. For instance the buttons on the jeans, traditionally they are copper or brass, but these ones are gunmetal because I think they have a more modern feel.

The problem a lot of people face is with the fit of jeans. Have you worked on customising it to Indian bodies?

Traditionally, the jeans you got in India were tight on the thighs and loose on the waist and you would have to wear them really high up on your waist. Research was done on the Indian body, so we’ve got a fit that is just right for our body types.

Imran's favourite from the collection: a denim shirt

Will you be making anything for women?

That’s on the cards for the next season. For the Fall-Winter collection.

How do you take time off from your busy schedule to do this?

We pull out a couple of days in the month where I would dedicate to designing. Other than that they send me pictures to approve on my iPhone.

Do you have any ideas for the women’s wear line?

My inspiration for that is very Ivy League preppy.

Can you wear jeans to a formal event?

No. But semi-formal yes, if you wear a dark pair of jeans, with a jacket or a tie. And of course a nice pair of shoes. I think people don’t change their shoes enough, they wear the same pair everywhere.

What’s your opinion on men’s accessories?

I really don’t think much of men’s accessories, the only things I wear are my wedding ring and the other one that I take off and put in my watch pocket.

The half-sleeve dENiZEN shirts look pretty much the same as most other brands…

Sometimes it’s the smallest things that make a difference. So with these shirts, if you feel the material or wear them you’ll see they are very light and comfortable where most other brands the material tends to be thick and heavier.

Do you have a say in your clothes on set or does your stylist make all the decisions?

Yes I do have a say. A simple example is in the film Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu. I played a character that is very uncomfortable in his skin. He’s a guy who is forced to be something he is not, he is very awkward. I asked them to make all the clothes a size too small. So the collar was always too tight; I could never relax my head. The jacket was tight so I couldn’t move freely. I was physically uncomfortable so it altered my body language, which adds to the character.

Making the ditsy MC wear the denim shirt he likes, awkward much!

You wear a lot of ties, how come you didn’t add that as part of the collection?

Yeah, I wear a lot of ties but the guys at dENiZEN didn’t think that appealed to a young target audience. In India ties, are considered formal unfortunately.

Imran and Sailesh Ghelani

Gallery of some of the clothes from dENiZen’s Spring-Summer line:

Imran Khan signature inside

The canvas label

Imran's favourite from the collection

I just saw the movie at a press show and was blown over by it. So were most of the other reviewers. With an awesome soundtrack, brilliant visuals, magical screenplay and powerful acting, Snow White & the Huntsman is a modern classic. You have to watch it. And to give you that edge over the rest of the eager viewers who’ll be queuing up this Friday (June 1, 2012), we at Minority-Review are giving you a chance to win some couples tickets.

This just in: If you’re too late to win the limited tickets, you could win an awesome Snow White & The Huntsman poster instead. Just let us know if you would like to avail of that option in your email.

Just answer this simple question.

In the movie Snow White & the Huntsman, actor Chris Hemsworth plays which one of the following:

a) the Prince Charming

b) the Huntsman

c) one of the seven dwarfs

Send in your answers with your complete name, address and mobile number to minorityreviewindia@gmail.com

Unfortunately, the ticket contest is restricted to Mumbai Residents only. Contest conditions apply. Contest ends on Friday June 1, 2012. If you want the poster (India residents only) in case all the ticket prizes have been taken, then mention that you would like a poster in your email. 

Here is the poster you could win:

<Review by: Anuvrat Bhansali>

Directed by Arnab Chaudhuri. Featuring the voices of Yuddvir Bakolia (Arjun), Ila Arun (Kunti), Anjan Srivastava (Lord Shiva) , Sachin Khedekar (Lord Krishna) and Vishnu Sharma (Bheeshma).

It’s time for summer holidays, Big Brother Bheem had already arrived last week but the kids want more and more! A fragmentary depiction of the Mahabharata from the eyes of its most important character, Arjun – The Warrior Prince (ATWP) is a delight for the kids because of its great animation and simple storytelling. The actual story however, doesn’t include some key incidents of the Mahabharata and the epic war of Kurukshetra, making it an unfinished creation for an audience beyond kids.

If you’ve read the Mahabharata, you would know that Arjun, the bravest of the five Pandavas and the greatest archer the world has ever known, is the central character of the epic. In his early days, it becomes clear to him that being a real warrior has to do much less with the skills but with character and understanding of the human existence. Living under the shadow of his guru, his elder brother and his cousins, the Kauravas, Arjun comes face-to-face with the evils of human society and his unpreparedness to defeat them all. Being a royal warrior, he has to go through multitudes of experiences and vicissitudes of his inner demons before he can avenge himself and his family name.

Announced in 2008 and co-produced by UTV & Walt Disney, ATWP has marvelous animation with fine detailing but it’s still far behind all those Hollywood visual treats we are used to. But it’s a milestone for animation films in India. The sequence where Arjun displays his archery skills to his future wife – Panchali and other kings will make you believe that the Indian animation industry has truly come of age. The hitch is that though Mahabharata isn’t fiction, the animated characters still have strange facial expressions. Perhaps, that’s how humans looked back then.

The voices – some are extraordinary and some just a plain misfit. The eldest Pandava – Yudhishthira, about to lead a war and a kingdom thereafter, has absolutely no command on his voice. This is a big disappointment for such an outstanding animation effort. The music by Vishal-Shekhar is ordinary but the background score is decent.

The movie has been made specifically for kids and not for the argumentative grown-up. Still it’s unimaginable why the team behind ATWP would leave a big portion of the epic untold and not go that obvious extra mile to give folklore, the grand conclusion it deserves. A big opportunity lost by the makers but kids should look forward to it.

<Review by: Sailesh Ghelani>

Directed by Joe Carnahan. Starring Liam Neeson, Dermot Mulroney, Dallas Roberts.

Expecting this to be a gritty and edge-of-your-seat film about the survivors of a plane crash being attacked by man-eating wolves? Just the bit after ‘survivors’ is true of The Grey.

Apparently some animal rights activists aren’t too happy with this film. They even set out a call to ban it: (Check out their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/BoycottTheGrey).

Wolves attacking people, oh my, what a new and horrible premise for a film to take on. Just imagine, now people are going to kill more wolves. You think they thought of this when werewolf films were being made? Anyway, the digital and mechanised wolves of The Grey look just as artificial as the ones in the unbearable Twilight saga. I think they should ban digital wolves, cause Hollywood can’t seem to get them right!

Ottway (Liam Neeson) is a wolf hunter in Alaska, he kills the beasts in order to protect oil rig workers from being attacked. But he does feel their pain. Flashback to some girl in bed with him and it’s obviously a sad memory. He tries to commit suicide but can’t. The rig workers and Ottway are heading out of the area on a plane but a blizzard brings the winged beast hurtling down ferociously upon the barren tundra (very well shot), where surprisingly about seven of them survive. Ottway, assumes leadership of the pack since they are being ‘hunted’ by a pack of wolves who are killing them for sport. And why not, the humans have been killing them off mercilessly. Nature will fight back.

Liam Neeson as the mysterious, strong and reticent Ottway is perfectly cast. He is a good actor that unfortunately has been utilised in some very tacky roles (Wrath of the Titans, comes to mind). His interplay with this group of volatile, complicated and eccentric men is what keeps you paying attention. The wolves aren’t really scary. It’s the accompanying music and sound editing that give you the occasional shock treatment.

Director Joe Carnahan and some interesting landscapes create a somewhat mesmerising vista of white snow, grey trees, black creatures and shades of grey men with some pretty digital snow thrown in. Visually, it’s beautiful to look at.

But what The Grey misses is originality. One by one the survivors are picked off and torn apart. Their impending deboning set up appropriately so that you know which one is going to be next. How come it’s always just one at a time? How come a murderer, monster or ghoul never hacks two characters off at the same time? I guess the movie would end pretty quickly then.

Predictable and a bit pointless, unless you want to read into the balance of nature message, The Grey is watchable but isn’t anything new really. Which makes me feel a bit grey.

<Review by: Sailesh Ghelani>

Directed by Gitanjali Sinha. Starring Raghuvir Yadav, Yashpal Sharma, Manjusha Godse, Raj Tandon, Anya Anand, Kishor Nadalskar, Nitin Kerur, Aditya Sidhu, Gulshan Pandey.

Thinking Yeh Khula Aasman to be a niche film and seeing that it has won some awards internationally I figured I’d catch this Hindi film. Never again will I make this mistake. 

Don’t be fooled by all those awards wreaths adorning the poster of Yeh Khula Aasman. One of them is from the ‘Haryana Film Festival’!

The story is about Avinash (Raj Tandon) who has been banished to Mumbai to study while his parents played by Yashpal Sharma and Manjusha Godse are busy with their careers in England. The poor boy fails, gets disheartened and decides to go back to his old family house in a village where his loving old grand father Dadu Gulab (Raghubir Yadav) still stays, longing for his family to return to see him. Needless to say dadu is elated upon his grandson’s return and bursts into song soon after.

Avinash’s parents still don’t seem to care, preferring to stay on in England (though very much shot in a tacky home in India) while their son slowly dips into depression. So much so that the filmmaker shows us a vessel of water bubbling over as a metaphor. And then some very TV soap music plays as dadu, in slow motion, runs up the bungalow steps towards his grandson’s room where he finds Avinash… with a bit of a fever. Anti-climax is an understatement.

Avinash is so whiny and irritating that you can’t really empathise with him. And then of course the neighbour uncle’s daughter played by horrible actor Anya Anand falls for him and keeps telling him to fly kites. Because the village has a kite flying competition, which dadu had won eons ago, and his arch nemesis’s son challenges Avinash to a kite duel. Snore…

Only Raghubir Yadav’s performance is noteworthy but he too soon gets corny, throaty and on your nerves. ‘Fly the kite, win the competition,’ they all go. ‘No, I can’t do it, I’m too depressed,’ says Avinash. ‘But dadu may be dying, you have to, for him.’ (*bangs head on front theatre seat*.)

Apart from the long, boring, needless shots of the kite flying competition, this film is poorly produced, poorly acted and poorly directed. Whoever is giving away these awards needs to be shot at once. This film looks like it was made in the 80s (and not in a good way), it is so dated but apparently it was shot just a year ago. Shameful. It is filled with so much faux, cliche philosophical drivel about ‘focussing’ and ‘thinking positive’ that you want to just kill the writer.

Indian critics are talking about how many crocins, disprins (asprins) they need after horrendous films and while the PR people for this film were talking about giving away kites for the movie, I was thinking one of those meds would have been a better idea.

Note: Apparently the makers of Yeh Khula Aasmaan threatened to sue one of the writers of another site who gave the film a bad review. I tweeted about this saying that they would have their hands full of they did that to all the reviewers! Such sore losers, aren’t they? Why have a press show if you can’t take the bad reviews? And just because a film gets ‘awards’ at ‘dubious’ film festivals doesn’t mean it has to be liked by all.

Of course the director Gitanjali Sinha tweeted in response: ‘We have the humility to appreciate honest opinions’… ‘but cant encourage young writers to question the credibility of respected festivals’. 

<Review by: Farzad Mistry>

Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld. Starring Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, Emma Thompson, Jemaine Clement.

It’s been almost ten years since we last saw Agent J (Will Smith) and Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) in action and to be honest nothing much has changed between them. J is still the wise cracking smart mouth and K is still the straight faced strong silent type. This dynamic has always made the duo enjoyable to watch.

This particular instalment in the Men In Black series involves time travel and the now apparently mandatory alien invasion of Earth (from Transformers: Dark of the Moon to The Avengers it seems to be becoming a requirement for Hollywood Sci-fi blockbusters). Now I am personally not a big fan of time travel movies because they always tend to complicate the story line but fortunately this film kept it relatively simple. As for the alien invasion even the alien ships are starting to look alike in most of these films.

The film starts out with a particularly nasty villain named Boris the Animal (Jemaine Clement) being broken out of the MIB’s maximum security lunar prison by one of his apparent fans (Nicole Scherzinger in a guest appearance). Boris was apprehended by K 40 years earlier just after he shot Boris’ arm off. Obviously Boris has been plotting his revenge for the last 40 years and now travels back in time to kill K before he could arrest him or shoot his arm off. If Boris’ plan works he will not only kill K but also prevent him from obtaining a secret weapon that would protect the Earth from an alien invasion.

So now its upto J to save the day. He travels back to 1969 to save the Earth and the younger Agent  K (Josh Brolin). Josh Brolin does a great job of imitating Tommy Lee Jones’ mannerisms as Agent K, their physical resemblance ofcourse helps alot. There are plenty of funny references to people and events of 1969 giving parts of the film a nice retro feel.

On the whole it was enjoyable to watch although in my opinion it didn’t need to be in 3D, the movie has great visuals and I am sure it would’ve looked just as good in 2D. Fans of the franchise will probably appreciate that it doesn’t deviate from the standard MIB formula. Even though Sony forged ahead with this film without a complete script, the movie has all the makings of a good summer film. It probably won’t be the best film this summer but it definitely isn’t the worst.

<Review by: Amit Divekar, a fashion designer and uber stylish guy with an eye for what’s right and what’s fright!>

Fred Flintstone in animal print

Animal prints are perhaps one of those things that you either love or hate. There isn’t much of a grey area there, except for a few like me who don’t mind it, but in very small doses. Apart from our primitive forefathers and Fred from The Flintstones, the trend of wearing animal prints hit the fashion world in the early 40’s. Christian Dior was one of the first designers to popularise animal prints by infusing his collections with hints of leopard print. Right from its genesis in fashion, wearing an animal print has always been considered a symbol of wealth, power and aristocracy. Still is. The trend caught on very quickly and raised animal prints high up to a level of absolute sophistication and elegance. Only the formidable, the rich and famous wore it with pride and élan.

Katy Perry in a blue animal print dress

Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga's animal print bikini

However the 60’s and 70’s hippy culture broke down this barrier (among many others!) and diversified this trend to fit into more prêt lines by emulating animal prints on various everyday fabrics and in a wide and wild array of hues. Animal prints soon became a natural choice especially of stars and celebrities with edgy and flamboyant personalities, who were willing to push the style envelope. Needless to say animal prints gradually seeped into everything allied to fashion, be it accessories, lingerie, home furnishings, hair, make-up or jewellery.

Gwen Stefani

Come the 80’s and the ‘we live dangerously’ punk and rock folk picked up the trend effortlessly and gave it their own spin. They customised and incorporated animal print in their tattered stockings, sky high spiked shoes, bandannas, giant hoops and other grunge ensembles. From Axl Rose, Blondie, Cyndi Lauper and Iggy Pop to Lady Gaga, Gwen Stefani, Kanye West and Katy Perry… they’ve all worn it, rocked it and had fun with it. Animal prints have since become a series regular on catwalks worldwide. Whether it’s cheetah, leopard, tiger, python, zebra, giraffe, cow, pony or Dalmatian, it’s incessantly been strutting down runways.

Cyndi Lauper

Kanye West in a leopard print jacket

Today, animal prints are so versatile: team it with leather for a dark, feisty look or team it with lace for a feminine, flirty look. One can find it on a $5 tee or acrylic bracelet, at the same time on a $10,000 elaborate, fully beaded gown or rhinestone studded sun glasses. Unfortunately this versatility has become curse as well. Fact is, one does have a good chance of looking very tarty and tacky in animal print as opposed to looking very classy, expensive. It completely depends on how it is used and who wears it. One could easily spot platinum blonde Candy standing on the corner of the street wearing fuchsia cheetah print hot pants with thigh high PVC boots. Or one could spot a beautiful chiffon zebra print chic flowing flouncy dress worn on the red carpet. Oh well, this way or that, the bold, raw, adventurous and almost ostentatious vibe and appeal that animal prints assert, is consistent.

Zebra print bag

Leopard print heels

Roberto Cavalli, Versace, Dolce and Gabbana, Alexander McQueen, are some international designers who have had a strong inclination towards using animal print prominently in all their collections. On indigenous grounds undoubtedly the designer duo Falguni and Shane Peacock have used animal prints most creatively and fabulously, often mixing them with very colorful floral and psychedelic prints on very sheer breezy fabrics. The culmination of the two comes out looking quite fantastic and exclusive, even more so when it’s embellished with chunky embroidery and bead work.

Animal print bangle

Even a chair!

I think one must have at least one animal print garment or accessory in their closet, reserved for days when one feels brave and catty. Just to keep a little bit of that animal instinct inside us alive!

Note: We do not condone the use of real animal skins or furs in any products, just animal ‘prints’. 

The Galaxy defenders are back in a time travelling third installment. Actor Josh Brolin takes on the role of young Agent K (played by Tommy Lee Jones) and of course Will Smith must correct the past to put the future back in order. MIB3 releases in India on May 25, 2012.

The MIB3 Posters you can win

Sony Pictures India has sent us some cinema-quality posters of MIB3 and here’s your chance to win one.

All you have to do is answer this question:

What is the real name of the character played by Tommy Lee Jones apart from his official name of Agent K?

Send in your entries with your full name, address and mobile number to minorityreviewindia@gmail.com

Entries must reach before May 25, 2012. Conditions Apply. Contest restricted to India.

‘I Feel Love’ – Donna Summer

4 Billboard Hot 100 #1 singles, 5 Grammy’s, a back-catalogue of over 40 years and a legacy that remains incomparable, there’s no one quite like Donna Summer, nor will there ever be another Donna Summer. At a time when disco was ruled by the men, Donna Summer revolutionised music by dominating the charts as the reigning Queen Of Disco with genre-bending classics like ‘Hot Stuff’, ‘Bad Girls’ etc. Growing up listening to a staple playlist of Madonna, Janet Jackson, Cyndi Lauper, Kylie Minogue, Whitney Houston etc (the 80′s power-diva brigade), I was always intrigued about their influences and musical styles, ever eager to deconstruct a Janet Jackson or a Madonna song’s origin (I had way too much time in my hands as a morbidly obese kid with low self esteem issues, but lets not go there now. Another post on ’5 songs to listen to when you have an oversized arse and are worthless’ maybe?).

Donna Summer was the crucial key. There would have been no Madonna or Janet or Beyonce or TLC or Gaga – generations of vocalists who have created their careers using dance music as the backbone. Donna practically revolutionised dance, and today, Gaga, Beyonce, Rihanna and even Madonna have re-structured, revitalised and re-created their careers by reviving the sound of the 70′s and the 80′s, the blueprint of which was laid down by Donna. Today, I include my favorite Donna Summer song on the top of my playlist. ‘I Feel Love’ was way ahead of it’s time back then, and it’s still as refreshing, insanely addictive and poignant even today. Just play this one at a club, and watch the crowd go berserk (I usually flail like it’s nobody’s business when this one comes on). Thank you for the music Donna Summer. Rest In Peace. The Heavens must surely be having one helluva party after your arrival there.

‘Happy Pills’ – Norah Jones

Velvet-voiced chanteuse Norah Jones is back with her 5th studio album ‘Little Broken Hearts’, and this time around we get to witness the darker side of the diminutive diva who made us collectively fall head over heels in love with her mellifluous voice with the incredibly lush and mellow ‘Come Away With Me’, which remains one of the highest selling albums of the past decade with over 21 million units sold worldwide. Norah seems to go the Adele way, focusing on her broken hearted blues for inspiration for this new album. It’s good to see a shift in her musical style as well, as she’s collaborated with Danger Mouse for this album. Here’s the first single ‘Happy Pills’ from the album, the video for which unveils a rather dangerous side of the demure chanteuse as she deals with a relationship gone wrong.

‘Good Girl’ – Carrie Underwood

Did you know? The impeccably flaw-free Carrie Underwood can officially do no wrong. Period. Ever since she released her 7 times Platinum debut album ‘Some Hearts’ after winning American Idol, Country music has never been the same. Each album of hers have had at least 2-3 songs that have literally been stuck in my head. Timeless indeed. Carrie’s 4th studio album ‘Blown Away’ debuted straight at #1 on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart last week blocking none other than chart titan Norah Jones with ‘Little Broken Hearts’, and is at #1 for a second week in a row. I’m thoroughly in love with the album, and my fave track on the album is the mellow ‘Nobody Ever Told You’. I highly recommend you guys go get it. Today, I’ll feature the first single from the album, ‘Good Girl’, a typically sassy Carrie Underwood Country gem that’s on course to become her 12th #1 single on the Billboard Country Charts. Watch the video right here:

‘Call My Name’ – Cheryl Cole

Girls Aloud front-woman and flawlessness supreme Mizz Cheryl Cole has just unleashed ‘Call My Name’, an out-and-out banging new club anthem and a bona fide summer jam, as the first single from her 3rd solo studio album titled ‘A Million Lights’ scheduled for a June 18th release. The Calvin Harris produced cut is supported by a fierce Anthony Mandler-directed video that features some majorly sexy choreography. This one’s playing on loop on my dance playlist right now. Check out the gorg video right here:

‘Live Your Life’ – Yuna

Malaysian songstress Yuna Zarai is just on the verge of crossing over into the mainstream music scene in the US with her self titled English language debut album. Already a mega-star in her home country, Yuna has come a long way from performing to local crowds to rocking the MTV stage at Times Square, New York. Yuna’s first official single from her new album is the bongo-based lush-fest, ‘Live Your Life’. It’s an interesting blend of Feist-meets-Sade-meets-Dido, and sounds positively divine. Addicted to this one as of now, and the mellow song with Yuna’s breathy vocals is a staple on my lounge playlist. Check out the video for ‘Live Your Life’ right here:

Hope y’all enjoyed my playlist for today. Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter ShouryaC. Lots more coming up soon!