Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Goodbye Lenin

GOOD BYE, LENIN! came back empty-handed from both the Golden Globes and the Oscars.
DONOT miss this movie! (I had it with me for so long before I was finally made to watch it, I can't believe myself at times!)

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Wall-E


Wall-E is amongst my favorite movies now. The two robots have been made very life-like and likable.
The commentary on consumerism is well-placed and well-timed without any overdoing. The great success of Buy n Large (their very best friend) made the earth a big junkyard which BnL thought could be cleaned while it send the humans into space in the Axiom where the humans are coaxed into a vegetable lifestyle at the expense of their own technological products. And yet the movie doesn't demonize technology which is indicated by the extremely likable Wall-E and EVE and their struggle to get back to earth in their struggle fr each other. The humans have become "slaves of both technology and their own base appetites, and have lost what makes them human".
I saw it on bros' big TV and later saw it on my laptop screen and decided that watching it on a big screen is a must.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Shatranj ke Khiladi

What a lovely movie!
We had a DVD which landed at our place from Lord knows where.
I loved the juxtapositioning of the chess-obsessed with the annexation of Oudh! I loved the landscapes, the characters, the lack of music, the outfits.
And I must read Premchand!

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Skyline


For some reason, we went to see this movie. It would've been tolerable had the actors been more good looking. Rich guys having a party in an apparently "cool" house. Hero not excited about his girl being pregnant.  Followed by a lot of havoc by strange creatures with an attractive blue light.US Air Force couldn't do zilch about the strange creatures. After his brain is acquired by one of these strange creatures Hero protects his child. That was the story.
I am no judge for special effects. They might have been good, but I take them for granted if you're trying to make an alien movie. Oh yes and the most irritating bit of the movie was when one of the actors says, "What are these things" (referring to the strange creautres that wreck havoc) and a smart ass replies "Does it even matter?", this is why this movie doesn't qualify as science fiction.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Shutter Island


I saw Shutter Island before Inception. And I almost hated Inception.I think I like the movie better now,in recollection that when I walked out of the hall and it also has to do with how I just didn't like Inception.

"You act like insanity is catching", and this almost makes the rest of the movie predictable. Leonardo is very good but there is a point beyond which I want to see another expression on his face apart from the "stern-worrying brow" look. What I really liked were his visions of his wife and the surreal drama in those scenes with things floating in the air around him- papers, snow, and ashes. I also thought that the scenes from the camps were very chilling. 

The scenery is great and I was left with a damp feel after the movie.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Inception


I read a very good review of Inception:
A story within a story unfolds that adds to your frustration layer by layer, scene by scene, character by character, that by the time you've figured out what's happening in one story, there's a development in the sub story that makes you question yourself. Now compound this twice, add a sub-plot that is supposed to be the emotional crux of the story, lead the audience along on one idea and segue just as the audience is about to xpect some form of closure, throw in some gravity-defying stunts and fight scenes, get a busy city square to fold itself and then seal the deal with a climax that doesn't offer you any concrete answers.


Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Alice in Wonderland



For the 3-D version of this movie we got some really cute big blue glasses. The movie was just about perfect, though Alice looked a little too grown up and ugly. Helena Carter was excellent as always! Bandersnatch was ferocious at first and very lovable by the end. Johnny Depp looked a little too emotional,but all is forgiven in Wonderland!

Monday, April 19, 2010

Maachis





We bought this DVD from the South Extension market in a little basement movie store. I bought it primarily for listening to the music again. I don’t think I had seen this movie when it came out. We saw the movie over three days 'cos the DVD was bad/had to get a VCD/powercuts/hot oppressive weather...
Even though it epitomized love, it talked about how frail relationships can be and how easily ideas can be ignited in the face of atrocities. After watching the movie, what stayed with me was not the music strangely, but the parts of all the actors, however small they had been, were all noteworthy. I was surprised to find out that the music director turned into movie-director post Maachis.  

36 Chowringhee Lane





We bought this DVD (with english subtitles) about 2 weeks ago. For some reason my laptop wasn't reading it,but last night it worked. And we saw it alongside dinner.
What will remain with me is the little house that Violet stayed in with all its artifacts like the kettle, gramophone, crockery, bathtub and the black cat. And the lovely character of Eddie whom I think surpassed Jennifer Kendal and any of the other characters. Eddie’s depiction of an aged-ill man and his concerns is vivacious.