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  • Bhaag Milkha Bhaag is an intense bio-drama Movie Review



    What it's about: A biopic is never easy to make. How do you fit someone's entire life in a few hours? What parts do you highlight and which slice do you decide to leave out while still staying true to the story? That explains the length of the film, which is over three hours. Rakeysh OmPrakash Mehra gives you more than the story of Milkha Singh the athlete. Most of us have heard his name, but none or very few of us know his story, so this was a story waiting to be heard. Mehra chronicles young Milkha's (Farhan Akhtar) life from a small village (now in Pakistan) to India. Then follows it into youth who falls in love and then joins the army, where he begins his training to become an athlete. BMB is proof that there are intelligent filmmakers makes sensible films for the discerning audience. This is an important film for many reasons.  It radiates sincerity and it acknowledges and celebrates one of our heroes.

    What's good: Some lives are made for the big screen. Milkha Singh's certainly is one. It has everything. Pain of losing a family, the backdrop of partition, the determination to win the one you love and a dream. Throw it all together with the added drama of India vs Pakistan and you have one of the most neglected sports stories of the century. You wonder why no one has made a film on this living legend. With an eye to authenticity, the director transports you back a few decades into past with superb period reconstruction. Even if you have no interest in sports and have never switched to a sports channel, this film will draw you in and has enough to keep you interested. Mehra has managed to draw meaty performances from all his actors, including the child actor who plays young Milkha. But the magic of the film lies in the simple moments. Like the new army recruits dancing in their barracks, the village gathering to hear the race on the radio, Milkha's fascination for wearing the official India blazers. Mehra also packs in emotional resonance with the brother-sister portions. Milkha runs the race despite the injury, or when he meets his sister in his India jacket.The film is good but Farhan Akhtar is exceptional. He gets all the nuances right. There are those awkward moments at times but that adds to the charm. Farhan dominates almost every frame in the film and dazzles in each one. Pawan Malhotra is brilliant as the Sikh army officer. Divya Dutta is commendable as always. Sonam Kapoor has little to do in her special appearance except be the perfect warm counterpart to Milkha. The songs and the background scrore is bang on. Finally, Mehra proves that it is  possible to make a good biopic while the events that transpired are still relevant and the characters involved are still alive.

    What's not: It's a sports tale but don't expect a Chak De! India or a Swades. You will find yourself cheering for Milkha a few times but you wish there was more to cheer for. While it is what one would call a semi-documentary, it is in the end, a big budget commercial film and the director somewhere forgets that.  This one relies entirely on one man, and though he delivers brilliantly, there are portions when you find yourself wishing the pace would pick up. The editor lets some scenes linger till there is uncomfortable silence for too long and awkward giggling in the theatre. This happens on many occasions like Divya Dutta's breakdown scene when she finds her brother and when Farhan breaks down when he returns home to the house he grew up in. It's not about the length. A film over three hours can keep you entertained throughout. This one loses you somewhere in the second half but then draws you back in.

    Kendall Jenner Sports Metallic Bikini To Go Paddleboarding In Hawaii

    We can't even imagine how many bikinis Kendall Jenner must own at this point, because we feel like we've seen her in a different one almost every day.

    Fresh from showing her patriotism on the Fourth of July in an American flag bikini, the 17-year-old model and reality star jetted over to Hawaii with her older brother Brody Jenner, where the pair went paddleboarding.

    Photographers spotted the siblings, who were with a camera crew -- no doubt filming for an upcoming episode of "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" -- and it was hard to miss Kendall, who sparkled in a metallic bikini top and rolled down wetsuit.

    Lindsay Lohan Urged To Extend Stay In Rehab, Advised Not To Live With Her Mother When Released

    Lindsay Lohan is reportedly ready to book it out of rehab once her court-ordered 90 day are up, despite being urged to extend her treatment for another 30 days.

    RadarOnline reports that the 27-year-old's treatment team at Cliffside Malibu has asked her to consider continuing her inpatient treatment because she's been making such good progress.

    Lohan, who is in rehab to avoid jail time after she pled no contest to reckless driving and lying to the police, began her 90-day stay at the Betty Ford Center in May, before moving to Cliffside in June.

    “The treatment team wants Lindsay to stay for at least another 30 days, because she didn’t do her entire 90 days at Cliffside. Someone with her addiction and psychiatric issues needs extensive treatment and 90 days just isn’t enough. She is in a really good place right now, but her doctors want that to continue," a source explained to the website.

    We have to wonder just how much progress Lohan has really made if she's intent on leaving treatment against the advice of her team.

    “Lindsay says she is required to be in Venice, Italy, at the beginning of August to attend the premiere of 'The Canyons,'” the source said. “She has assured the doctors that she will continue to go to AA/NA meetings and work the 12 steps."

    If Lohan decides to leave when her court-mandated time is up at the end of July, she's going to be living with her family at her mother's home in Long Island -- though she's also reportedly been advised not to live with her mother, Dina Lohan, upon release.

    Kim Kardashian Was Voted 'Most Likely To Lie About Her Ethnicity' In High School

    Kim Kardashian was apparently voted "Most Likely To Lie About Her Ethnicity" in high school. It's a factoid about the reality star that was revealed by Allure in 2010, but the folks over at BuzzFeed came up with a big list of surprising superlative titles celebrities were named in their yearbooks, and we have to say Kardashian's caught our attention.

    The students of Marymount High School, an all-girls Catholic school in Los Angeles, also voted Kardashian as “Most Likely to Meet Her Husband at the Million Man March."

    While we understand that her fellow students were highlighting Kardashian's preference for dating black men, we're slightly puzzled by the whole lying-about-her-ethnicity thing. We have to wonder if that superlative was meant to be sarcastic since Kardashian is very proud of her Armenian heritage -- or at least she appeared to be in the years since she shot to fame as a reality star.

    Whether it was meant to be sarcastic or not, it leaves us with a strange urge to wish we knew more about Kardashian in high school and the even stranger feeling that a show about her in her teens would have been endlessly entertaining.

    'Oldboy' Trailer Spike Lee's Remake Of Cult Classic Gets Stylish, Violent First Look

    The first trailer for Spike Lee's remake of "Oldboy" has arrived, and it's filled with enough wild imagery and homage to satiate any concerned fan of Park Chan-wook's original cult classic.

    Josh Brolin stars in "Oldboy" as Joe Doucett, who is kept imprisoned for 20 years without any acknowledgement as to why he's being held captive. (The trailer presents his lost time in a montage of significant events from the last two decades, including the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and Hurricane Katrina.) After his equally unusual release, Joe goes into revenge mode, which means some ultra-violence. (A hammer is involved, as fans of Chan-wook's original might expect.) The red-band trailer for "Oldboy" doesn't shy away from the violence, or the subversive nature of the film's storyline.

    "That's a great film," Lee said to Moviefone about the original "Oldboy," itself an adaptation of a Japanese manga. "This is the first time I am doing something like this, so it's interesting how you can stay true to the essence of the original source material, but make it something different, and I know that's what we are going to do with this one."

    Kristen Stewart Flashes Bra Through See-Through Shirt

    Kristen Stewart is a jeans and T-shirt kind of girl (like an everyday jeans and T-shirt kind of girl).

    So although it wasn't surprising to see the 23-year-old in dark skinny jeans, a white tee and Converse sneakers, it was surprising to see her black bra peeking through that top on a day out in Glendale, Calif., on July 9. Escorted by a friend, KStew grabbed a cool drink before heading back to a car.

    Coincidentally, that vehicle was NOT Stewart's dirty pickup truck, which was left branded with a cruel message the day before. Robert Pattinson's former love was taunted, most likely by a fan or paparazzo, after she returned to her truck to find the words "I Love Rob" on the hood. Rough.

    Lena Dunham Hopes Jay-Z Thinks Her Mom Is Special

    "Girls" star Lena Dunham really hopes Jay-Z appreciates her mom as much as she does.

    The hip-hop artist spent Wednesday at New York's Pace Gallery, where he performed a six-hour rendition of "Picasso Baby" off his new album "Magna Carta Holy Grail." According to Dunham's Twitter account, her mother, artist Laurie Simmons, was also there.

    Simmons and Jay-Z are actually no strangers in the art world. Back in 2010, Jay-Z announced that he bought one of Simmons' photographs of a black-and-white pistol attached to women's legs. But he later exchanged it for one of her more feminine images of a perfume bottle with women's legs at the request of wife, Queen Bey.

    'The Canyons' Trailer: Lindsay Lohan & James Deen Do Their Thing To Dubstep

    Tabloid fixture Lindsay Lohan and porn star James Deen star in "The Canyons," a movie that now has a trailer with dubstep-ish background music. It's directed by Paul Schrader (who wrote "Taxi Driver" and wrote/directed "American Gigolo") with some help from writer Bret Easton Ellis.

    The movie lands in theaters and on iTunes on August 2. Watch above and let us know if you think it will be better or worse than "Liz & Dick," Lohan's last noticeable acting gig.

    Regular sex can make you look 7 years younger, researcher says

    So says a British psychologist, who claims that people who get lots of action looked anywhere from five to seven years younger than those who don’t.

    “My message is that lovemaking is good,” Dr. David Weeks told the British Psychological Society.

    Former head of old age psychology at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Weeks said he spent a decade prying into the private lives of thousands of men and women of all ages.

    Weeks found that sexual pleasure is a “crucial factor” in preserving youth.

    How? Lovemaking releases the human growth hormone, which helps keep the skin elastic and thus less likely to wrinkle, he said.

    Sex also released endorphins, which are the body’s feel-good chemicals and natural painkillers that ease anxiety and make it easier to sleep, Weeks added.

    Nookie boosts blood circulation, which is good for that heart and gives skin that healthy glow, the good doctor said.

    Finally, sex burns fat and releases other chemicals that bolster the immune system, he said.

    Weeks, who is himself a youthful-looking 59-years-old, said getting it on is especially good for geezers.

    young couple in bed

    “Sexuality is definitely not the prerogative of younger people and nor should it be,” he said. “Sexual satisfaction is a major contributor to quality of life.”

    Out in Brooklyn, Marissa Martinez said she’s all for improving the quality of her life.

    “How much younger?” asked Martinez, who was strolling through Bay Ridge with her husband Conrad — and who declined to give her age. “Anything helps.”

    But Conrad Martinez wasn’t having it.

    “I’m trying to look older,” said Martinez, who is 50 and sported a salt and pepper beard. “I’m trying to look distinguished. I thought about getting a pipe.”

    Besides, he said, “Younger people do it all the time.”

    Outside a bodega on Fourth Ave., Ron Nelson, 74, and Heather Polamis, 52, said Dr. Weeks has the right prescription.

    “It’s a positive thing, makes you happy, makes you laugh, cures depression,” said Polamis, who admitted she only has sex once every three years or so.

    Nelson said he’s game but added, “At my age, you have summertime sex.”

    Lucy Hale Rocks A Bikini On The Beach In Hawaii

    As the East coast continues to get drenched in rain, "Pretty Little Liars" star Lucy Hale was able to soak up some sun while on vacation in Hawaii this weekend.

    The 24-year-old actress was spotted rocking a tiny white and blue bikini as she spent the day at the beach with boyfriend Graham Rogers. Hale confirmed the two were dating last week, when she told Us Weekly, "I'm with a really sweet guy now ... We're just having a good time."

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