Many of us know that the only thing true about India is that no single element represents the whole of India - her wonders, complexities, contradictions and the diversity. And Indian Cinema certainly can not - only Hindi movies surely can not. Still, I believe that the stories we tell and the songs we sing are a great representation of the people we are.
Many of my non-desi (firang!) friends have asked me numerous times for recommendations on Indian movies they should watch. I have prepared this list to for such Indophiles as a primer into the world of mainly Hindi films over the ages. The focus is to introduce them to some of our best artists in this craft - directors and actors whose work has had a remarkable impression on their generation (and the following ones).
These are films, which through their characters, dialogues and songs, reside in the subconscious of many-million Hindi speaking Indians and which have helped influence the idiom of our language. That way they lie in the fertile portion of our common milieu which influences our dreams and passions and represents them at the same time. These films either established a genre, represent the best example from a genre or broke new ground in Indian cinema. That is why this list also straddles the spectrum from serious art-house cinema of Shyam Benegal to crass commercial cinema from Manmohan Desai or Karan Johar.
You would notice that I have tried to keep away from film-makers like Mira Nair whose works foreign Indophiles get exposed to anyway. Also, however honest and rightfully critical their work is of our life and heritage, it is also at some level an attempt to gain attention by selling either over-hyped exotica or much-dramatized penury. I do like these films as well but they do not conform to my current spec of being able to influence our lives.
A few disclaimers before I unleash the list. The first disclaimer is that these are NOT the best Indian movies - no such list is ever objective and coming from an amateur like me, this is just a list of my favorites. The second disclaimer is that this list is, in no way, complete since it excludes some legendary film makers like Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Shaji N Karun and many more whose work I have not been suitably exposed to because of my linguistic limitations.
Another disclaimer/advice - especially for non-Indians - Have patience with the films - in each one of them you would see more melodrama than you would have seen in a whole Oscar Show reel, more songs than a Broadway show, most longer than an NFL Play-off - but have patience. Alas, you would perhaps miss the beauty of the language (poetry, dialectal nuances to build characters, analogies) in many of these films but I do hope that the charm would still show through.
and the Final one : this list is overtly biased in Amitabh Bachchan’s favor - but I can’t help it…he is the Best !
So, here goes :
V Shantaram :
- Do Ankhen Barah Haath : From one of the early leaders of Indian film-craft comes this drama with a social message - to reform convicts with hard work and kindly guidance.
Mehboob Khan
- Andaaz : Perhaps the first attempt at a love triangle which was to become the central theme of many many Hindi films to come, this film pits legendary thespians Raj Kumar and Dilip Kumar in conflicting roles, early in their careers. This is also a good movie to watch the contrast in their acting styles.
- Mother India : One of the first big screen, big story movies with the central theme of the ever-sacrificing mother with one saintly son and another gone awry.
Raj Kapoor : It is very difficult to chose a small sample from the works of the greatest showman India has seen. Yet, I have tried to limit the list to work from his golden era in B&W 1905s/60s with him as the Producer-Director-Actor
-Awara
-Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behati hai
-Shree 420
Bimal Roy
- Bandini : the moving love-story of a soft - spoken convict woman and a young doctor on duty in the prison.
K Asif
- Mughal-e-Azam : India’s first real Magnum Opus - took N years to make, had a stellar cast and extra-ordinary performances from Dilip Kumar, Madhubala & Prithvi Raj Kapoor. Is based on the legend of Crown Prince Salim’s ( Emperor Jehangir later, son of Emperor Akbar) romance with a courtesan Anarkali. You may want to pick the recently digitally remastered and colored version for the awe-inspiring sets and camera work, but Madhubala’s eternal beauty shines in the B&W frames much better.
Guru Dutt : Again, difficult to chose even from the limited amount of work this Director-Actor produced in his short life. Here’s an example of serious cinema about the tragedies and pressures in the show-business contrasted with a very light hearted romantic comedy
- Kagaz ke Phool
- Mrs & Mr 55
Dev Anand : India’s first real on-screen Casanova, did very well in creating his own style and charisma (some say, copied from a Hollywood star of 50s, I don’t know who)
- CID : One of the earliest thrillers
- Guide : Dev and his brother Vijay Anand’s take on R. K Narayan’s incredibly well-written eponymous novel. If you were a R K Narayan fan, as I am, you would not forgive the Anand brothers in murdering Narayan’s plot. However, that does not take away that it is a wonderful piece of story-telling, heart warming music, brilliant camera angles - in all a good film despite a prolonged and unnecessary climax.
Naseeruddin Shah, Smita Patil, Shabana Azmi : Acting & Parallel Cinema Power Houses. Smita’s life and career were shortened by a merciless brain stroke while Naseer and Shabana have successfully helped make mainstream cinema respectful in art-circles and art-movies profitable at the box office.
- Mirch Masala
- Masoom : Director Shekhar Kapoor (Oscar winner Elizabeth ) adapts Eric Segal’s “Man Woman & Child”, with heart warming performances by Shabana, child-actor Jugal Hansraj and a restrained one by Naseer.
-Arth
- Jane Bhi Do Yaron : Black Comedy ; India’s best political satire yet
Hrishikesh Mukherjee : This recently deceased director’s strength lay in taking simple but heart warming stories with usually every-day characters, little malice and find comedy/joy in almost everything - even in the story of a terminally ill cancer patient
-Chupke Chupke
- Anand : celebrates Rajesh Khanna’s stardom while Amitabh’s silent strength shines through.
Dilip Kumar Vs Amitabh Bachchan : Period.- Shakti
Yash Chopra : the God of mature romances, poetry in dialogues and eternal melodies
-Kabhie Kabhie : excuse the last 30-45 minutes of the movie. This movie could be watched only for the sequence where the heroine ( Rakhi)’s old poet lover ( Amitabh) comes home to have a drink with the husband ( Shashi Kapoor)
-Silsila
Gulzar : Basically a poet and a lyricist but has shown himself to be an extremely talented director as well
- Machis : Gulzar style take on the Punjab insurgency - non-preachy yet no pretence of a balanced point of view
Maniratnam - The best story teller of our times. Movies originally made in Tamil
- Nayakan : Mani drives another thespian Kamal Hassan to perhaps his career best performance. Story of a Tamil Underworld Don in Mumbai.
- Roja
Masala : Pop culture, pulp fiction, mass cinema
-Sholay : and then there were none ! No other single movie, with the possible exception of Mughal-e-Azam, has been able to generate as big a fan following with each character and each frame/dialogue giving birth to timeless memories. The movie’s popularity and longevity can be gauged by the no. of spoofs it continues to inspire in popular culture - stand - up acts, ads, MTV gigs, etc.
- Amar Akbar Anthony : Bollywood’s favorite theme of brothers separated when young, who grow up to avenge their parents from the evil villain. And of course, the bonus of one of Amitabh’s most comic performances.
- Kal Ho Na Ho : Almost a perfect example of the genre started by producer/director Karan Johar - modern pop chocolate romances of young people in trendy DKNY & Tommy attires, supposedly representing modern India, where there is no villain in any frame. This one is directed by his protege Nikhil Adavani and is a loose remake of Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s ‘Anand’ and celebrates Shahrukh Khan’s stardom as much as the original celebrated Rajesh Khanna.
Recent Marvels:
-Black: not original but perhaps one of the finest example of our modern cinema; loosely based on the story of Helen Keller - almost un-Bollywood like in its perfection. I can venture to say - Amitabh’s career best — and that is saying a lot.
- Eklavya : One of the most original scripts that we have seen; almost Shakespearean though; competent performances. Watch it for the return of one of India’s most prodigious director after 7 years, his mastery at extracting the best from actors and technicians and his audacity to throw the hall in complete darkness for 3 minutes in midst of a chilling scene
- Bluffmaster : the younger Bachchan - Abhishek - comes of age in this con-man romance
- Maqbool : Director and Music Director Vishal Bhardwaj’s adaptation of Mac Beth in the netherworld of Mumbai crime mafia. Pl excuse the blasphemy but you could compare Pankaj Kapur’s (plays the old Don - “Abba ji”) performance with Brando’s in Godfather
-Lage Raho Munnabhai ( Munnabhai Part 2) : a refreshing take on the relevance of Gandhi in our modern life
- Lakshya : a coming of age story of a boy during the Kargil war - completely humane look at soldiery but no jingoism, no Pak bashing despite the obvious anger at their actions
-Swades : has caused many a Non-resident desi professional to rethink their personal and professional goals.
-Iqbal : The most charming attempt at marrying two of India’s strongest passions - cricket and movies. Story of a deaf & dumb village guy whose dream is to play cricket professionally.
Indian Independance/Biopic : Not many credible movies on this, unfortunately - maybe this history is too close for it to truthfully told yet. I have picked 2 movies which are biopics for 2 contrasting faces of Indian Independence struggle - both continue generating passions still - Gandhi perhaps more than Bhagat Singh
-Gandhi : This of course is not an Indian movie - made by Richard Attenborough, Gandhi played by Ben Kingsley, this movie brought the only Oscar an Indian has won on a movie project - Bhanu Atthaiya for Dress design ( Satyajit Ray won it for Lifetime Achievement). I have included this movie because no introduction to popular Indian culture can be complete without an introduction to Gandhi.
- The Legend of Bhagat Singh
Well, as I said, this list is not complete. So, my desi friends, please add on to the list - not merely your favorite films, but especially those which have represented and also inspired our collective imagination. Also, if you have been faced with similar questions - please feel free to pass the list along.
By,
Kapil
(This list was originally posted on http://www.arthshastra.com/post/218)
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Review of Die Hard 4.0
'Die Hard 4.0' - a Must Watch
In the US it has been released as 'Live Free or Die Hard' but internationally in other markets the 20th Century Fox has titled the film Die Hard 4.0. The name is in sync with the new plot of virtual terrorism.
Back for the fourth round after a decade on the sequel sidelines, Bruce Willis is resurrected as a resourceful New York City detective John McClane and takes on the bad guys in a bold exhilarating adventure that threatens the very infrastructure of the digitally savvy United States . But this time on McClane is helped by computer hacker Matt Farrell played by Justin Long.
Considering the fact that the film takes place 18 years after the first film ‘Die Hard’, the makers have clearly kept in mind the new target audience for the film. The makers have responded in obvious ways, pairing Willis with a scruffy young computer geek (Justin Long) and tailoring the package for a PG-13 rating rather than an R, which is what the previous three entries received.
In the movie McClane is forced to confront the technical expertise of 21st-century baddies who know how to shut down communications, data and security systems with the press of a laptop key. When the FBI realizes its computers have been hacked into, McClane is assigned to haul in Matt Farrell (Long), a New Jersey slacker on a laundry list of suspects.
Even this isn't easy, however, as French assassins frantically attempt to take Matt out even as McClane endeavors to spirit him away. In short order, the ultra-efficient culprits, led by ice-cold, black-clad tech genius Thomas Gabriel (Timothy Olyphant), bring Washington D.C. , to the sort of standstill it hasn't experienced ever. The chaos starts with first disrupting the transport system. After this, Wall Street is thrown into similar disarray and Matt sees that someone is setting off a fire sale, a three-step plan to shut down everything in the country that's run by computer.
While the government -- Homeland Security, FBI, NSA ( National Security Administration) , the armed forces, police, et al. -- scrambles to figure out what to do, McClane tries to keep Matt alive long enough to reveal what he knows about the dastardly project in which he was an ignorant participant. The film is action packed from start to end. It works and delivers. Head shaven and still in fine shape, Willis has no trouble convincing that he's still capable of handling heavy action. Justin Long proves to be a very sympathetic young actor. And of course, Timothy Olyphant’s (Thomas Gabriel) is good as well. Although at some places I thought the action was slightly disjointed.
All the "Die Hard" films have centered upon terrorists. The fourth sequel is a film like it should be done and it totally lives up to its title ‘Die Hard 4.0’ on all levels. I think it’s worlds better than the last one and just as fun as the second one. But nothing comes close to the original. I recently read in some interview where Bruce Willis said that he thought ‘Die Hard 4.0’ was as good as the first; well, I guess he has to believe that on some level to work on it, but man, ‘Die Hard’ defined a genre, and you can’t touch that.
It’s worth a watch once.
The film is releasing in Indian on June 29
By,
Anusha
(Read more stuff by her on admediaworld.blogspot.com and freaktrekking.blogspot.com - Ed)
In the US it has been released as 'Live Free or Die Hard' but internationally in other markets the 20th Century Fox has titled the film Die Hard 4.0. The name is in sync with the new plot of virtual terrorism.
Back for the fourth round after a decade on the sequel sidelines, Bruce Willis is resurrected as a resourceful New York City detective John McClane and takes on the bad guys in a bold exhilarating adventure that threatens the very infrastructure of the digitally savvy United States . But this time on McClane is helped by computer hacker Matt Farrell played by Justin Long.
Considering the fact that the film takes place 18 years after the first film ‘Die Hard’, the makers have clearly kept in mind the new target audience for the film. The makers have responded in obvious ways, pairing Willis with a scruffy young computer geek (Justin Long) and tailoring the package for a PG-13 rating rather than an R, which is what the previous three entries received.
In the movie McClane is forced to confront the technical expertise of 21st-century baddies who know how to shut down communications, data and security systems with the press of a laptop key. When the FBI realizes its computers have been hacked into, McClane is assigned to haul in Matt Farrell (Long), a New Jersey slacker on a laundry list of suspects.
Even this isn't easy, however, as French assassins frantically attempt to take Matt out even as McClane endeavors to spirit him away. In short order, the ultra-efficient culprits, led by ice-cold, black-clad tech genius Thomas Gabriel (Timothy Olyphant), bring Washington D.C. , to the sort of standstill it hasn't experienced ever. The chaos starts with first disrupting the transport system. After this, Wall Street is thrown into similar disarray and Matt sees that someone is setting off a fire sale, a three-step plan to shut down everything in the country that's run by computer.
While the government -- Homeland Security, FBI, NSA ( National Security Administration) , the armed forces, police, et al. -- scrambles to figure out what to do, McClane tries to keep Matt alive long enough to reveal what he knows about the dastardly project in which he was an ignorant participant. The film is action packed from start to end. It works and delivers. Head shaven and still in fine shape, Willis has no trouble convincing that he's still capable of handling heavy action. Justin Long proves to be a very sympathetic young actor. And of course, Timothy Olyphant’s (Thomas Gabriel) is good as well. Although at some places I thought the action was slightly disjointed.
All the "Die Hard" films have centered upon terrorists. The fourth sequel is a film like it should be done and it totally lives up to its title ‘Die Hard 4.0’ on all levels. I think it’s worlds better than the last one and just as fun as the second one. But nothing comes close to the original. I recently read in some interview where Bruce Willis said that he thought ‘Die Hard 4.0’ was as good as the first; well, I guess he has to believe that on some level to work on it, but man, ‘Die Hard’ defined a genre, and you can’t touch that.
It’s worth a watch once.
The film is releasing in Indian on June 29
By,
Anusha
(Read more stuff by her on admediaworld.blogspot.com and freaktrekking.blogspot.com - Ed)
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
A Walk on a Cloudy Evening
One of the nicest ways to spend an evening these days is to go for a walk on Bandra Bandstand. There’s the sea to look at - waves swelling higher and more ominously than before, surf splattering higher and further - an array of Bharatnatyam dancers morphed into Kalaripayattu dancers by the monsoon. Then there’s the breeze to enjoy, mussing one’s hair and tossing it this way and that in pretty much the same way that it ruffles the leaves and blows the branches of the trees helter-skelter. All this makes up for the crowds and the sight of the thermocol and other debris that rim the shore. For the last few weeks, to add to the fun, there has been a group of people singing there every Sunday evening. It seems to be free - have never noticed anyone paying, and onlookers often join in when they know the words of the song. Last Sunday was even better than normal though. To start with, the group sang really well and they chose songs that matched the atmosphere, also Bandstand made just the perfect setting for them.
Picture this:
An angry brooding cloudy sky, not a star visible – the only colours in the sky are dark blue and really dark blue. A grey sea pounding away in the distance, its borders visible as a long line of frothy greyish-white foam leaping high. A long stretch of brownish black rocks between the white sea-line and the shore. Against this frame of dark blue, greyish-white and brown – two small patches of bright red stand out in the foreground. At the very edge of the promenade at Bandstand, stand two men in red kurtas, singing loudly and melodiously; their only accompaniment a guitarist, and of course, the boom and thump of the sea in the distance.
It was almost as though they were calling to the sea and the clouds. And the clouds applauded the performance when it ended with a deep roll of thunder and a downpour that sent part of the audience scurrying away and the rest jumping with glee in the rain.
What a great way to end the weekend !
By,
Zenobia D. Driver
Picture this:
An angry brooding cloudy sky, not a star visible – the only colours in the sky are dark blue and really dark blue. A grey sea pounding away in the distance, its borders visible as a long line of frothy greyish-white foam leaping high. A long stretch of brownish black rocks between the white sea-line and the shore. Against this frame of dark blue, greyish-white and brown – two small patches of bright red stand out in the foreground. At the very edge of the promenade at Bandstand, stand two men in red kurtas, singing loudly and melodiously; their only accompaniment a guitarist, and of course, the boom and thump of the sea in the distance.
It was almost as though they were calling to the sea and the clouds. And the clouds applauded the performance when it ended with a deep roll of thunder and a downpour that sent part of the audience scurrying away and the rest jumping with glee in the rain.
What a great way to end the weekend !
By,
Zenobia D. Driver
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Poster Boys and Girls
One area that seldom gets attention in Dravidian politics is the fine art of making posters. For some reasons, the minions of the party have long felt that the one way of displaying loyalty is to ensure that your constituency is choc-o-bloc with posters of all relevant leaders. Presumably when the party chief’s car whizzes by at 100 kmph on roads cleared by the traffic police, some special vision capability will make them note that T Nagar had only 149 posters as opposed to Adyar which had 152 posters. The Adyar MLA gets a pat on the back and looks forward to becoming a central minister some day.
The casual observer however immediately notices a flaw in this strategy that emphasizes volumes. The T Nagar guy takes a mere day to up his count to 160 and the Adyar guy obliterates all business signs, trees, people on the road with his increases. Sooner or later, both chaps run out of walls, the general public is complaining about the lack of space to spit without disfiguring your favourite leader and there is chaos all around. It was at this fine moment of despondence that some worthy invented the ‘Cutout’.
A Cutout is a huge, larger than life cardboard picture of your beloved leader that one can erect on wooden poles. If mere walls were a constraint earlier, then the Cutout solved the problem in one stroke. You did not need walls anymore. Footpaths did nicely. So what if the voter had to swerve his way around every Cutout and jump onto the road and back on to the footpath constantly. That is the kind of aerobic exercise that makes the average citizen fit and brings down health expenditure in the government budget.
Sadly the Cutouts began to disappear one day. My guess is a passing flight bumped into one of them and as they say 'what tangled webs we weave'.
So innovation became the name of the game. MBA style cunning was used to subtly differentiate poster A from poster B. What was hitherto a piece of cheap paper listing down details of the leader being praised, the ambitious sponsor of the poster and some general terms of sucking up (‘Our great leader’, ‘the greatest son of the soil’, ‘may we be humbly permitted to give a bath to your dog’ etc) became a work of art.
People decided to take their inspiration from the movies. Remember the good old days when the hero and heroine methodically changed clothes every twenty seconds in movie songs? Watching a series of posters on the Beach road gives you the feeling of watching such a song. First there is the poster with the leader’s head morphed onto western clothes, then onto Indian clothes and finally some colourful casuals. That the morphing has transformed the perpetually dhoti-clad man into a somewhat thinner, shapelier and nifty dresser is considered artistic license.
Not to mention, it is not just sartorial elegance that wins votes. Apparently during the last elections one of the reasons the incumbent was rumoured to have lost was because of the serious, unsmiling face in the posters. This election the posters were modified to show a benign smile that the electorate could apparently identify with. Sadly in the more remote villages where wall paintings are still cheaper than posters, the benign smile turned slightly constipated in the artist’s reinterpretation of the original work. It seemed to understand the common man’s urgent need to perform ablutions by the wall.
My latest fancy has been to gawk at a poster that depicts a smiling yesteryear leader now deceased. Emerging from the open heart of the deceased leader, like some grotesque mid way picture of a heart transplant is the smiling mug of a current leader. Still it is a whole lot better than the Congress posters. Devoid of any imagination and burdened by history, the congressmen feel obliged to make family snaps with pictures of various generations of the Gandhi-Nehru family appropriately sized to depict current levels of importance. Thus Nehru would be fluttering like a fly by Sonia Gandhi’s head. Entertaining but not in the same league as the open-heart surgery one.
Some day, I am sure Chennai citizens will be too advanced to vote going by the posters. But I do hope as an art form it finds its place in history.
By,
Anita B
(Read more of Anita's posts on http://royalvilla.blogspot.com)
The casual observer however immediately notices a flaw in this strategy that emphasizes volumes. The T Nagar guy takes a mere day to up his count to 160 and the Adyar guy obliterates all business signs, trees, people on the road with his increases. Sooner or later, both chaps run out of walls, the general public is complaining about the lack of space to spit without disfiguring your favourite leader and there is chaos all around. It was at this fine moment of despondence that some worthy invented the ‘Cutout’.
A Cutout is a huge, larger than life cardboard picture of your beloved leader that one can erect on wooden poles. If mere walls were a constraint earlier, then the Cutout solved the problem in one stroke. You did not need walls anymore. Footpaths did nicely. So what if the voter had to swerve his way around every Cutout and jump onto the road and back on to the footpath constantly. That is the kind of aerobic exercise that makes the average citizen fit and brings down health expenditure in the government budget.
Sadly the Cutouts began to disappear one day. My guess is a passing flight bumped into one of them and as they say 'what tangled webs we weave'.
So innovation became the name of the game. MBA style cunning was used to subtly differentiate poster A from poster B. What was hitherto a piece of cheap paper listing down details of the leader being praised, the ambitious sponsor of the poster and some general terms of sucking up (‘Our great leader’, ‘the greatest son of the soil’, ‘may we be humbly permitted to give a bath to your dog’ etc) became a work of art.
People decided to take their inspiration from the movies. Remember the good old days when the hero and heroine methodically changed clothes every twenty seconds in movie songs? Watching a series of posters on the Beach road gives you the feeling of watching such a song. First there is the poster with the leader’s head morphed onto western clothes, then onto Indian clothes and finally some colourful casuals. That the morphing has transformed the perpetually dhoti-clad man into a somewhat thinner, shapelier and nifty dresser is considered artistic license.
Not to mention, it is not just sartorial elegance that wins votes. Apparently during the last elections one of the reasons the incumbent was rumoured to have lost was because of the serious, unsmiling face in the posters. This election the posters were modified to show a benign smile that the electorate could apparently identify with. Sadly in the more remote villages where wall paintings are still cheaper than posters, the benign smile turned slightly constipated in the artist’s reinterpretation of the original work. It seemed to understand the common man’s urgent need to perform ablutions by the wall.
My latest fancy has been to gawk at a poster that depicts a smiling yesteryear leader now deceased. Emerging from the open heart of the deceased leader, like some grotesque mid way picture of a heart transplant is the smiling mug of a current leader. Still it is a whole lot better than the Congress posters. Devoid of any imagination and burdened by history, the congressmen feel obliged to make family snaps with pictures of various generations of the Gandhi-Nehru family appropriately sized to depict current levels of importance. Thus Nehru would be fluttering like a fly by Sonia Gandhi’s head. Entertaining but not in the same league as the open-heart surgery one.
Some day, I am sure Chennai citizens will be too advanced to vote going by the posters. But I do hope as an art form it finds its place in history.
By,
Anita B
(Read more of Anita's posts on http://royalvilla.blogspot.com)
Monday, June 11, 2007
Another review of 'Ocean's 13'
Robin Hood and his merry men are back. This is time though, it is not about money, or survival. It about righting a wrong perpetrated on a pack rat.
Reubens, the still flamboyant man of Vegas past is worried about being laid to rest alive on an ice slab. He therefore enters into a deal with Bank, a super successful property owner and a career backstabber, betting on the unwritten bond that exists between men that shook hands with Sinatra. He wouldn't, would he?!
He does, and leaving him with nothing save a $10000 poker chip and a myocardial infarction.
The merry men gather, and decide to win back Reuben's money and more importantly his joie-de-vivre.
The movie is about a multitude of capers, electronic, seismic, polymeric, of strange bedfellows, and some tongue in cheek humour. The movie is good, but isn't as pleasing as the first one or even the second one. The earlier editions did great jobs of keep the action going throughout. This one is a heavily back loaded, the first half being a very long and unduly slow lead up. Also, the audience knows how each trick is going to play out. Rather than discovering a sweet deception that they had failed to notice which was key to the first two.
It is light-hearted. It makes fun of a lot of things - Oprah, and mexican sweat shops. The carried over cast is good, and predictable. Of the newcomers, Al Pacino (Bank) seems to be trying very hard to be a ruthless man, but is really a Corleone on the brink of retirement. In fact, his character would have been better off being a little more comic. The last time I saw Ellen Barkin (Bank's flunky) in a movie, was in the Big Easy, when she was effortlessly hot in an intense way. Here she is just a pale shadow of that smouldering self.
The verdict ? Ultimately it is like a mutual break up date. Reminds you of things that were great, but you know it has come to an end. You will go, but only to say so long.
By,
Nikhil Pednekar
Reubens, the still flamboyant man of Vegas past is worried about being laid to rest alive on an ice slab. He therefore enters into a deal with Bank, a super successful property owner and a career backstabber, betting on the unwritten bond that exists between men that shook hands with Sinatra. He wouldn't, would he?!
He does, and leaving him with nothing save a $10000 poker chip and a myocardial infarction.
The merry men gather, and decide to win back Reuben's money and more importantly his joie-de-vivre.
The movie is about a multitude of capers, electronic, seismic, polymeric, of strange bedfellows, and some tongue in cheek humour. The movie is good, but isn't as pleasing as the first one or even the second one. The earlier editions did great jobs of keep the action going throughout. This one is a heavily back loaded, the first half being a very long and unduly slow lead up. Also, the audience knows how each trick is going to play out. Rather than discovering a sweet deception that they had failed to notice which was key to the first two.
It is light-hearted. It makes fun of a lot of things - Oprah, and mexican sweat shops. The carried over cast is good, and predictable. Of the newcomers, Al Pacino (Bank) seems to be trying very hard to be a ruthless man, but is really a Corleone on the brink of retirement. In fact, his character would have been better off being a little more comic. The last time I saw Ellen Barkin (Bank's flunky) in a movie, was in the Big Easy, when she was effortlessly hot in an intense way. Here she is just a pale shadow of that smouldering self.
The verdict ? Ultimately it is like a mutual break up date. Reminds you of things that were great, but you know it has come to an end. You will go, but only to say so long.
By,
Nikhil Pednekar
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Review of 'Ocean's 13'
I began my week by watching Steven Soderbergh's Ocean’s 13. Reminiscent of its old school roots, the film returns to its original, classic casino setting to entertain us with another sensational, dangerous heist. In the current sequel, Danny Ocean (George Clooney) and the gang have only one reason to pull off their most ambitious and riskiest casino heist - to defend one of their own. But they need more than luck on their side to break the ruthless casino owner Willy Bank (Al Pacino).
Pacino aka Bank never imagines that the odds would be against him when he double-crosses Danny Ocean’s friend and mentor Reuben Tishkoff, putting the distraught Reuben in a critical condition. Bank miscalculates - badly. He may have taken down one of the original Ocean’s eleven, but he left the others standing and, worse for him, gave them a shared purpose: to take Bank down on the night of what should be his greatest triumph - the grand opening of his new casino, appropriately named ‘The Bank’.
While not as fresh as 'Ocean's 11', the latest sequel is slick and funny and fast enough to keep you happily entertained for a couple of hours (2 hours and few more minutes). As always Clooney and Pitt are good (irresistible as usual) in every scene they share. It is sad that Julia Roberts does not return in this sequel. Ellen Barkin is the solo female star in the epicentre of the distinguished boys club in this film. Pacino is deliciously evil as always. Matt Damon is especially funny with a new comical disguise to support his increased responsibilities. The remainder of the cast is humorous as usual with the inclusion of Andy Garcia as Terry Benedict. .
There isn’t a dull moment in the film as the men conspire to contrive an ingenious plan of action for this complex heist which they execute with perfection. All OCEAN’S fans will enjoy the film. I have quite liked it.
By,
Anusha S
(Read more stuff by her on admediaworld.blogspot.com and freaktrekking.blogspot.com - Ed)
Pacino aka Bank never imagines that the odds would be against him when he double-crosses Danny Ocean’s friend and mentor Reuben Tishkoff, putting the distraught Reuben in a critical condition. Bank miscalculates - badly. He may have taken down one of the original Ocean’s eleven, but he left the others standing and, worse for him, gave them a shared purpose: to take Bank down on the night of what should be his greatest triumph - the grand opening of his new casino, appropriately named ‘The Bank’.
While not as fresh as 'Ocean's 11', the latest sequel is slick and funny and fast enough to keep you happily entertained for a couple of hours (2 hours and few more minutes). As always Clooney and Pitt are good (irresistible as usual) in every scene they share. It is sad that Julia Roberts does not return in this sequel. Ellen Barkin is the solo female star in the epicentre of the distinguished boys club in this film. Pacino is deliciously evil as always. Matt Damon is especially funny with a new comical disguise to support his increased responsibilities. The remainder of the cast is humorous as usual with the inclusion of Andy Garcia as Terry Benedict. .
There isn’t a dull moment in the film as the men conspire to contrive an ingenious plan of action for this complex heist which they execute with perfection. All OCEAN’S fans will enjoy the film. I have quite liked it.
By,
Anusha S
(Read more stuff by her on admediaworld.blogspot.com and freaktrekking.blogspot.com - Ed)
Friday, June 01, 2007
When Thin is Sin
We have figures that make Rubenesque women envious. Waists that can be spanned by a man’s hand, pixie-like bone structure, boobs too insignificant to require support and straight lines where regular people have bulging curves. It’s a body type that forgives the extra cheese on our pizza, and makes us scoff at the boiled veggie options when we are eating out. It’s really fun being petite, except when we go shopping.
That’s when the entire preening and subtle showing off catches up with us in the trial room mirror. When size S is too small and that flowing kurti fits you like a tent, suddenly being petite is not so desirable.
Most of us have had buy Tees and tops from the kid’s section so that it fits right. Few stores that do have XS size available unfortunately have a very small collection which is extremely frustrating.
This is not a ‘poor little thin girl’s call for attention. With most mass manufacturers catering to what they call the Indian woman silhouette (big-hipped and curvy) another kind of Indian woman is left behind. The one with the 24-inch waistline who has as much right and interest in trying on a pair of low-rise flares at Pepe without them falling off.
Many women who are of a petite size shop in the junior section in order to find clothing items that best fit their dimension. This is often frustrating as junior clothing is of a designer typically too young for more mature women who wish to be taken seriously. Usually, petite women end up purchasing clothing that is too large or too long, and then work to have the items specially tailored so it best fits their body. This practice can be costly and time consuming, in addition to having an end product that still does not quite fit right.
While formal clothes are the most problematic for petite people, Indian wear, surprisingly poses problems too. One size-fits-all kurtas look like one-size-fits-two on a petite frame. And salwars get embarrassingly bunched up around the hips when drawn into a too-tiny frame.
I being an adventure sports enthusiast often have had trouble with the right size in shorts and bulkier jackets. I still am kitted out with a kid’s harness when go waterfall rappelling or rock climbing. As my friend Jayesh who conducts these adventure sports activities always jokingly makes it a point to say this harness was specially bought for you. It’s sad that there really is no provision for the petite woman who wants to wear something other than girlish florals and frills.
And while women at the other extreme (the XL sizes) now have specialty stores and product lines that cater to their figures and makes them look slimmer, there is still no special line of clothes to help the petite woman fill out fashionably.
So the next time you pass a petite woman by and envy her concave belly and skinny legs, remember, she has problems too. And most of them start in the trial room.
By,
Anusha
That’s when the entire preening and subtle showing off catches up with us in the trial room mirror. When size S is too small and that flowing kurti fits you like a tent, suddenly being petite is not so desirable.
Most of us have had buy Tees and tops from the kid’s section so that it fits right. Few stores that do have XS size available unfortunately have a very small collection which is extremely frustrating.
This is not a ‘poor little thin girl’s call for attention. With most mass manufacturers catering to what they call the Indian woman silhouette (big-hipped and curvy) another kind of Indian woman is left behind. The one with the 24-inch waistline who has as much right and interest in trying on a pair of low-rise flares at Pepe without them falling off.
Many women who are of a petite size shop in the junior section in order to find clothing items that best fit their dimension. This is often frustrating as junior clothing is of a designer typically too young for more mature women who wish to be taken seriously. Usually, petite women end up purchasing clothing that is too large or too long, and then work to have the items specially tailored so it best fits their body. This practice can be costly and time consuming, in addition to having an end product that still does not quite fit right.
While formal clothes are the most problematic for petite people, Indian wear, surprisingly poses problems too. One size-fits-all kurtas look like one-size-fits-two on a petite frame. And salwars get embarrassingly bunched up around the hips when drawn into a too-tiny frame.
I being an adventure sports enthusiast often have had trouble with the right size in shorts and bulkier jackets. I still am kitted out with a kid’s harness when go waterfall rappelling or rock climbing. As my friend Jayesh who conducts these adventure sports activities always jokingly makes it a point to say this harness was specially bought for you. It’s sad that there really is no provision for the petite woman who wants to wear something other than girlish florals and frills.
And while women at the other extreme (the XL sizes) now have specialty stores and product lines that cater to their figures and makes them look slimmer, there is still no special line of clothes to help the petite woman fill out fashionably.
So the next time you pass a petite woman by and envy her concave belly and skinny legs, remember, she has problems too. And most of them start in the trial room.
By,
Anusha
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