“Go Goa Gone” (2013) – Hindi Zombie Horror/ Comedy

I know… I’ve been a baaaaad lil’ kitty and let my posting drop back again…. but I’m finally back at things once again with a look at the 2013 Hindi zombie comedy film, “Go Goa Gone” just released to DVD. Yep… you heard this wee Catgirl correctly… an honest to goodness Hindi zombie movie. Bet you’ve never seen one of those. 😉

Our synopsis? How’s this for all the details… “Luv (Vir Das) is dumped by his cheating girlfriend and an irresponsible act by his buddy Hardik (Kunal Khemu) leaves him without a job. Their roommate Bunny (Anand Tiwari), meanwhile, lands himself a free business class flight ticket and a five-star stay at Goa – thanks to a presentation of his at work. Hardik decides that instead of whiling and whining their time away in booze and drugs, the two should seize the chance to join the trip and seek a fresh chance at the wild life in the Party Capital of India – Goa. Little do they expect that an invitation to a crazy rave party hosted by the Russian Mob will bring them all face to face with the shambling hordes of the walking dead!!”

Hmmmm? Sounds to this wee Catgirl more than a bit like a Desi version of say “Harold and Kumar meet the Zombies”… now it’s not necessarily sure that’s a bad thing… but I’m thinking this one’s not going to be the stuff of classic cinema. Hehehe!! Good thing this lil’ lady sorta likes her movies a wee bit on the trashy side… 😉

So then. Are brain dead zombie movies with a side of comedy… and musical numbers… all crammed together with subtitles your idea of fun too? Then what the heck are you waiting for? By all means “Read On” and find out what it all about!

“Ek Thi Daayan…” (2013) – Hindi Witchcraft/ Horror

Review time here at the ol’ Litterbox once again!! This time out it’s yet another Hindi horror offering, part of the big ol’ pile of Indian DVD’s I received in the mail just recently, “Ek Thi Daayan…”.

Our film’s synopsis reads like this: “Bobo (Emraan Hashmi), is India’s premier stage magician and illusionist. But unknown to even his girlfriend Tamara, Bobo’s life is falling apart. His constant hallucinations leave him with no option but to seek psychiatric help. Going through regression hypnosis, a terrifying story about his childhood surfaces involving a sinister entity called “Daayan” who has not only destroyed his family but also promised to return to destroy him after 20 years. He chooses to ignore it and move on with his life. Just when his career and love life is at full throttle, in enters the irresistibly mysterious Lisa Dutt. After many odd coincidences, Bobo becomes convinced that she is the reincarnation of the Daayan from his past returned to complete her revenge. But is she, really? Or is he just losing his mind?”

Now this one sounds a wee bit more like the kind of film I normally like. Witches… curses… revenge from beyond the grave… and a little romance thrown in to sweeten the taste of this bit of curry flavored horror goodness. 😉 Yep. Neko’s definitely one happy lil’ Catgirl when she gets a DVD like this one for our “Movie Time” cuddle fest…

From what I saw in the Trailers, I’ve had some high expectations for it… and if you want to see if I ended up all happy and content with it’s creepy story goodness then all you have to do o’ Gentle Visitor is “Read On” to find out!!

“Commando: A One Man Army” (2013) – Hindi Action/ Romance

Continuing my recent theme of “romantic movies” here at the ol’ Litterbox, it’s time for a look at the second film in my recent “double feature movie nite” with my sweetie, the Bollywood Action/ Romance mash-up “Commando: A One Man Army”. What? You say Kick-boxing isn’t a major plot element in your romantic movies? Hmmmm?.. Maybe that explained my sweet Carolyn’s somewhat bemused smile when this one hit the DVD player… Hehehe!!

Our synopsis goes like this: “Caught on Chinese territory after an accidental helicopter crash and branded a spy, Commando Karanveer Dogra (Vidyut Jammwal) is disowned by his country because a politician reasons that siding with Karanveer would be damaging to the Indo-Chinese relations. After spending a brutal year in imprisonment Karanveer escapes and crosses the border trying to get to his base Pathankot. En-route he bumps into damsel-in-distress, Simrit (Pooja Chopra), on the run from local gangster Amrit Kanwal aka AK74 (Jaideep Ahlawat) with political aspirations who wants to marry her to satisfy his unwholesome lust for both political power and Simrit’s undeniable beauty. Despite his desire to stay uninvolved, Karan finds himself the only one capable of fighting AK47’s gang on behalf of both Simrit and the people of her province…. and protecting both is the inescapable duty and mission of a commando.”

Oooohhh! Well… Neko does like her kickboxing…. and it’s always fun to see the whole “Rambo” story through yet another “cultural filter”. Alright… alright, sign me up. Sigh… If only Hindi DVD’s weren’t so crazy cheap…. 😉

Wanna hear if this odd little slice of Bollywood flavored action might also be something you can’t pass up? Then what are we waiting for? Let’s “Read On”…!!

“Shaapit: The Cursed” (2010) – Hindi Ghost/ Horror/ Romance

It’s back to India for a look at a film that’s been sitting in my big ol’ pile of unwatched DVD’s for quite a while, 2010’s Hindi Ghost/ Romance “Shaapit: The Cursed”.

Our synopsis for it goes: “Shaapit is the story of a young girl (Shweta Agarwal), who is trapped by a terrible curse that will not allow any of the daughters of her family to have love or marriage, punishing them and their lovers only with horrible death. When a young man, Aman (Aditya Narayan) falls in love with her, he wishes to free her from this curse and is willing to face even the deadliest of his fears, not knowing what evil awaits him in this quest.”

Ghosts… curses… and romance? All in the same movie? Ummmm? Wait a minute…. So how come it’s taken this goofy lil’ Catgirl so long to actually get around to watching this one? I mean… this wee lady is all about spooky romance stories…. All I can figure is that time and again I’ve picked it out… looked at that intimidating 2½ hour run time and then said to myself…. “Maybe later… when I’ve got more time.”

But… no more. With a Sunday night free… and my sweetie to cuddle with during the scary parts, it was finally time to check this one out. Lately my film choices have been a bit disappointing for the most part, can India break that streak and make me one happy lil’ kitten again? Let’s all find out shall we?

“Ragini MMS” (2011) – Hindi Ghost/ Horror

Another new week…. and another new Review is upon us… Oooohhh… and it seems the dreaded “Curse of the Shaky Cam Horror Movies” is sticking with this wee Catgirl like evil dryer lint to my favorite sweater as we are off to India this time out for their latest addition to the recent deluge of such efforts to hit DVD release, “Ragini MMS”.

Our synopsis reads: “Ragini (Kainaz Motivala) and her boyfriend, Uday (Raj Kumar Yadav) plan a naughty weekend rendezvous to have sex for the first time at a friends desolate bungalow in the midst of a forest outside Mumbai. Of course, Uday also has some other devious plans of his own: the entire house has been rigged with cameras so he can make an amateur sex tape of his tryst with Ragini and sell it off to kick start an “acting career”.

However that turns out to be the very least of their problems as things do not go as planned, and the cameras that were meant to capture tender illicit love-making become witness to something that is beyond the realm of human understanding… something metaphysical… and they find themselves trapped under the spell of an angry vile spirit who plans to keep them in this house forever, turning their “sexcapade” into a living nightmare.”

Hmmmm? Am I ready to see a “shaky cam horror”, Bollywood style? If anything…. it’ll certainly put a different spin on the idea once it takes a trip through the ol’ “cultural filter” to become something for the mainstream Hindi movie audience to enjoy. Both explicit sex and gore aren’t really all that prevalent in Indian film so I figure this ought to be pretty tame by the standards of movies your Favorite Catgirl usually watches, but who knows? Maybe the Indians will pull out all the stops and go crazy with this one….

Wanna know all about it? Well just tiptoe along with me and we’ll take a lil’ peek together then… 😉

“Haunted 3D” (2011) – Hindi Ghost/ Horror

This time… it’s of to India for your Favorite Catgirl in her endless quest to watch every odd foreign horror movie ever released. (At least it seems like that to those who know me best… Hehehe…)

Our synopsis? Well it goes like this:  “Set in the misty mountains of Koti, “Haunted 3D” revolves around the sprawling Glen Manor, a mansion with a secret past and a haunted present. The hero, Rehan, visits Glen Manor to complete its sale, which his father had initiated. But once he realizes that certain mysterious occurrences in the manor may jeopardize the sale, he investigates these inexplicable happenings and discovers a secret—only to fall in love with it! What he does not bargain for is that the secret brings him face to face with terror, the like of which he could never conceive.”

As the poster proclaims… this is India’s first foray into the recent 3D movie craze, and the DVD presents the film in this format… coming with no less than 4 pairs of those goofy red/blue paper glasses you need for this sort of thing… Sigh…. Not exactly this lil’ lady’s favorite movie fad, I almost passed on this one, but finding a copy at a really nice price convinced me to take a chance. Want to find out if it’s worth your effort to see?

Then you know the drill by now… “Read On” o’ gentle Visitors!

"Kaalo" (2010) – Hindi Horror/ Thriller

Another big ol’ delivery of DVD’s has reached your Favorite Catgirl’s mailbox and so it’s back to India this time for another wacky Hindi horror offering, 2010’s  “Kaalo” aka “Kaalo the Witch”.

Our synopsis reads: “Kaalo tells the story of a deadly witch returning from beyond the grave who attacks a bus in the deserts of Rajasthan and hunts down a little girl. Based on a folktale, the story of Kaalo revolves around a desert dwelling witch by the same name who lived in Kulbhata during the 18th century. She was stoned to death and buried by angry villagers for sacrificing young nubile girls to satisfy her greed for immortality. But, somehow, her evil spirit lived on.

A century later villagers spoke of Kaalo’s sightings yet again. They claimed she was even more angry and dangerous than before and that she was back to finish what she had left incomplete. Kulbhata village was vacated overnight by the frightened locals. All roads leading to Kulbhata were sealed by horrifying folkstories of Kaalo killing anyone who dared to enter Kulbhata until a bus carrying eleven passengers on its way to Kuldevi had to pass through the cursed place. One of the passengers on the bus was a twelve-year-old girl named Shona who was traveling alone to spend her vacation at her grandmother’s house in the neighboring village. Shona was clever, witty and cheerful. She soon became the life of the journey. Everyone loved her endearing manners. Especially the reclusive and reticent Sameer, who was traveling with a bag loaded with gun powder to blast a well for his drought plagued village. Unfortunately for them all, raised from her grave accidentally by foolish quarrymen, Kaalo awoke…. thirsty for blood. Shona’s blood…… “

Now that definitely sounds promising…. Evil child eating cannibal witch with big ol’ halberd chases people around the deserts of India. Why wouldn’t Neko want to watch this one? It certainly looks like it might be a whole lot of goofy monster movie fun!! Neko likes monsters…. especially freaky cannibal monsters…. and it’s about time for me to get a heapin’ dose of flesh munchin’ fun, Hindi style. So naturally I’m all over this one.

Think maybe you too could give “Kaalo” a try? Then by all means… “Read On” and find out for sure….

"Hisss" (2010) – Hindi Snake Woman Horror

Ummm?? Hindi snake women? Yep… India has a long tradition of movies featuring the fertility spirit/ goddess “Naagin” and recently yet another version, this time written and directed by American Jennifer Lynch, has been added to that long list of films. I’ve heard about this one for a while, and even though most reviews I read don’t exactly make it sound like the best “East meets West” collaboration going, I’ve been curious about it since the first stills and teasers hit the internet about a year ago.

The synopsis for it goes like this: “Legend says that Immortality can be gained by he who is able to seize the mystic diamond, the Naagmani, from she who holds it, the Goddess Nagin, but only if you risk her terrible wrath.

A foolish American, armed with guns and science, seeks a cure for his terminal cancer by kidnapping the cobra lover of the Serpent Goddess bringing down her vengeful curse on all who stand between her and that which she seeks to recover.

Can a rational policeman become a believer? Can he stop the killings or only become a victim himself? What will be the outcome when myth meets the Modern world?”

Neko has never let a few bad reviews stand between her and some tasty bit of cinema fantasy, so naturally I grabbed up a copy as soon as one became available. Think sexy snake women on the rampage might be up your alley as well? Guess you’ll want to “Read On” then and find out all about this one then, eh?

"Help" (2010) – Hindi Ghost/ Horror

December moves along towards Christmas, and as always, your Favorite Catgirl is caught up in the busy “Real World” things that conspire to steal away all my time here at the ol’ Litterbox. Worry not though… I’m still catchin’ the occasional movie, like this time out’s Hindi horror goodie, “Help”. Another recent “Bollywood” ghost story, hopefully with all the necessary scares and chills to go along with the usual “song & dance” I’ve come to expect from our good friends in Mumbai.

Our synopsis goes like this: “Help” is a supernatural horror that draws upon the story of a malevolent spirit that refuses to leave the human world. The story concerns, Vic (Bobby Deol) who is a successful horror film director in Bollywood and is married to Pia (Mugdha Godse). Pia and Vic are having marital problems and in the midst of their troubled marriage, they have to rush Mauritus to visit Pia’s ailing father.

Little do they know that there’s something ancient and dark that remains still, hidden and silent in the old house where Pia grew up. As the darkness spreads, things start to get worse and the spirit tries to annihilate everything. Now Vic and Pia must race against time to find out the secret which will save their lives.”

Mmmmm…. Now Neko likes her ghosts, and lately India has been particularly good to me, so is it hard to guess I’d be excited to get yet another chance to sample the horrors of the Hindi movie scene? Nawww……

The poster and the Trailer looked good… but then the only certain way to find out is to actually watch it… or be lucky enough to have a friendly lil Catgirl like me around to tell ya all about it!!

“Click” (2010) – Hindi Ghost/ Horror

Another day off from work, and another review for you all!! This time, it’s yet one more of the Hindi horror films that showed up in your Favorite Catgirl’s mailbox last week, the Hindi ghost story “remake” of the Thai classic “Shutter”…. “Click”.

Our synopsis sounds awfully familiar…. and goes sorta like this: “Avi (Shreyas Talpade) while dating a model Sonia (Sada) is a successful photographer. They hit a girl while driving back from a party and decide to run. A ghostly picture starts appearing in all of Avi’s photographs after this incident. Three of Avi’s friends are killed one by one and both Sonia is convinced it is the girl’s ghost after them.”

This one is another of the many “uncredited”…  almost direct scene for scene remakes done by the Hindi film industry. Practically any successful movie done anywhere eventually gets the “Bollywood” treatment to make the story more palatable for their domestic audience. So then? How close will the Hindi film copy the Thai one? Will it manage to equal the chills while weaving in those peculiarly goofy “Bollywood” elements we’ve all come to know …and sometimes fear more than the ghosts themselves? Well Neko’s never been one to let a little thing like blatant plot rip-off get between me and a movie, especially a ghost story, so I guess I’ll find out.

You wanna know more, you say? Then all you gotta do is “Read On”!!