Shhh... Movie's On

New Movies

2006-05-25T06:41:00.000-05:00

This seems to be a year of great releases:
- V for Vendetta*
- MI-III*
- United -93*
- The Da Vinci Code*
- Pirates of the Caribbean – II
- X-Men - III
- Casino Royale
- The Departed

First four movies I’ve already seen.
Last four movies are yet to be released!
I should add "Miami Vice" to this list ...

[1] United – 93 ... EXCELLENT movie!
It’s difficult to say a disaster movie as awesome. This one falls into that category. However what I particularly liked about the movie was that rather than evoking pity; the movie created a feeling of *heroism* … I was admiring the passengers for their bravery in face of extremely hostile circumstances.
Director: Paul Greengrass

* btw I dont like disaster movies, I didnt even like the super-duper hit "Titanic" and have no intensions of seeing "Poseidon". But "United -93" is more like a war movie! And when you know that every character was REAL, the element of authenticity adds to the raw emotions in the movie-watching experience!

[2] MI-III - Loved it!
Good action flick! Tom Cruise proved yet-again that he is a top-notch actor, despite his silly off-screen escapades …
Director: J.J.Abrams
Cast: Tom Cruise, Philip Seymore Hoffman, Lawrence Fishbourne, Jonathan Rhys Meyers

*** I was just checking out the list of Tom Cruise movies ...
They are all excellent: The Last Samurai, Minority Report, Jerrry Maguire, The Firm, Few Good men, Rainmaker, Top Gun, Risky Business, Eyes Wide Shut ...
Wonder why such a phenomenal actor is acting so crazy these days.
And though I've liked all his movies, I've never been one of his fans. I like Brad Pitt much much more!!!

[3] V – for Vendetta – Another excellent movie!
I totally loved it, thought it didn’t do well at box-office, which is understandable, because it is slightly complicated plot! But it’s a BOLD movie – bringing in politics and religion in the theme!
Director: James McTeigue
Writing Credits: Andy & Larry Wachowski
Cast: Natlie Portman, Hugo Weaving

[4] The Da Vinci Code - couldn’t hold up to my expectations. …
It’s one of the movies I would have seen despite bad reviews. And I did see it yesterday. It’s a let down!
Director: Ron Howard
Writing credits: Dan Brown
Cast: Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Ian McKellen, Jean Reno

[5] Thank you for smoking - Nothing great about it!
Cast: Aaron Eckhart

Select New Movies

2006-04-21T20:57:00.000-05:00

Few New Movies ...
• V for Vendetta
• Take the Lead
• Inside Man
Not so new - Movies released last year ...
• A History of Violence
• 40 Year old Virgin

# V for Vendetta
Simply mind-blowing!!!
One of the best movies I’ve ever seen …
A landmark movie in cinema history … dealing with conrtemporary issues …
Directed by Wachowski brothers [ Andy & Larry] …
After the Matrix trilogy they did it again this time!!!
Cast includes:
Hugo Weaving – [as] V
Natlie Portman – [as] Evey
Highly recommended – DON’T MISS

# Take the Lead
Good movie … based on the true story of a dance teacher in New York.
Antonio Banderas shines as Pierre [the dance teacher] …
Director: Liz Friedlander

# Inside Man:
Good Movie – though not all that great …
Director: Spike Lee
Cast: Denzel Washington, Clive Owens, Jodie Foster …
The highlight of the movie was Clive Owens who performed really well!
But I’ll remember this movie most for the song sequence from Dil Se ..
“Chal Chhaya Chaiyya …”

Few Not soooo new movies … From last year’s stable …

# A History of Violence
Great Movie!!! A very absorbing thriller …
Director: David Cronenberg … [also directed “the Fly”]
Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Ed Harris, Maria Bello ...

# 40 Year Old Virgin
A comedy, Nothing great …
Director: Judd Apatow
Cast: Steve Carell, Catherine Keener …

Select Old Movies

2006-04-21T20:54:00.000-05:00

• The Day of The Jackal
• Talented Mr Ripley
• Cider House Rules
• Days of being wild
• Following
• M

The Day of The Jackal
Brilliant Movie … plot to kill Charles De Gaulle – the President of France …
Main protagonist Edward Fox did excellent job …
Director: Fed Zinnemann

Talented Mr Ripley … & … Cider House Rules
I’ll tag these two together as they are both “Independent Movies” produced by Miramax.
Nothing extraordinary …

Days of being Wild
Directed by Kar Wai Wong – a slow and interesting movie …

Following
A very interesting crime – thriller … in Black-&-White …
Directed by Christopher Nolan … who also directed Memento, Insomnia, Batman Begins ...
I didn’t recognize any of the casts ...

M
Totally loved it!!!
A very old [1931] German movie … in “Black & White” …
But a brilliant movie!!!
If anyone enjoyed “Citizen Kane”; then this is a highly recommended movie ...
A Classic!!!

Independent Films ... Sundance & Miramax

2006-04-04T20:35:00.000-05:00

Out of nowhere comes this post on Independent Films [Indie films]

SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL
It is the largest *Independent* film festival in the U.S. .... held in January every year in Park City, Utah. It was initially started as the Utah/US Film Festival in 1978; an effort to attract more filmmakers to Utah.
However the event became popular only after Robert Redford started the “Sundance Institute in 1981”. In 1991 the event was officially names “The Sundance Film Festival” after Redford’s film; “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”.
The *Institute* [a non-profit organization] was set up to actively encourage aspiring filmmakers, and the *Film –Festival* become a forum to display the newly unearthed talent.

Some films: Sex, Lies And Videotape, The Blair Witch Project, El Mariachi, Memento, The Full Monty, Shine, In The Bedroom, American Splendor, Whale Rider, Napolean Dynamite ...

Many famous independent filmmakers had their big-break at Sundance:
Kevin Smith, Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino, James Wan and Jim Jarmusch ...

MIRAMAX:
The Miramax Studios, was formed in 1979 by brothers and co-chairmen Harvey and Bob Weinstein [the name was derived from the combination of their parents' names: Miriam and Max] to produce and distributed independent and foreign. But now its entered even mainstream films.

Miramax made a name for itself in the late '80s and '90s by making "art" films and the small independent and foreign language movies that other studios refused to make, including "Working Girls"; Steven Soderbergh's "Sex lies and videotape" and Quentin Tarantino's heist picture "Reservoir Dogs". After Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction (1994) - its biggest hit of the 90's - Miramax Studios gathered together some hip, young actors including Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Affleck, and Matt Damon.
*All of Tarantino's movies have been released by Miramax.

Some more films: Bullets Over Broadway, Sirens, Good Will Hunting , Life is Beautiful ,The Talented Mr. Ripley and The Cider House Rules, The English Patient and Shakespeare in Love ...

In 1993 Miramax was purchased for $70 million by the Walt Disney Company. Harvey and Bob Weinstein ran Miramax until they left the company on September 30th, 2005.

Acceptence Speech of George Clooney ...
[Best Supporting Actor: Syriana] at the Academy Awards, 2006 ...

And finally, I would say that, you know, we are a little bit out of touch in Hollywood every once in a while. I think it's probably a good thing. We're the ones who talk about AIDS when it was just being whispered, and we talked about civil rights when it wasn't really popular. And we, you know, we bring up subjects. This Academy, this group of people gave Hattie McDaniel an Oscar in 1939 when blacks were still sitting in the backs of theaters. I'm proud to be a part of this Academy. Proud to be part of this community, and proud to be out of touch. And I thank you so much for this.

Some Classics

2006-03-24T09:48:00.000-06:00

Past few days, I’ve seen some excellent movies …

BLACK & WHITE
1. Dr Strangelove
2. One Flew Over Cuckoo’s Nest
3. The Raging Bull
4. Seven Samurai
5. Some Like It Hot
6. Citizen Kane
7. 12 Angry Men
8. To Kill A Mocking Bird

Technicolor:
9. Breakfast at Tiffany’s
10. The Clockwork Orange

[1] Dr. Strangelove: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Black & White - 1964
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Cast: Peter Setllers, George C Scott, Sterling Hayden
Brilliant movie!!!!
One of the best satires I’ve ever seen …
Kubrick turned a nuclear holocaust into a black comedy

[2] One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Black & White – 1975
Director: Milos Forman
Cast: Jack Nicholson [as McMurphy] , Louise Fletcher [The nurse]…
also featuring very young looking Danny DeVito, with a curious name “Martini”

Jack Nicholson brilliantly plays Randall Patrick McMurphy, an ex-con, who fakes being mentally insane, to enter the institution and avoid time in jail. McMurphy got the lobtomy at the very end..The movie is hilarious, tragic, chilling, disturbing and very poignant.

Based on a novel by Ken Kesey “ Cuckoo’s Nest” which he wrote in 1962;
from his experiences working at a veterans hospital. The movie version of the of the novel swept the 1974 Academy Awards … [ best actor, best actress, best director, and best picture, Best [adapted] screenplay ]

Along with "It Happened one night" and "Silence of the Lambs" this movie received the main 5 Oscars: Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Director, Best Picture and Best Screenplay

[3] Raging Bull
Black & White - 1980
Director: Martin Scorsese
Cast: Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci
Based on life of Jake la Motta – true story

A biographical film about the middleweight champ, Jake LaMotta.
Jake La Motta was consultant for the film.

Robert de Niro, won the Best Actor Academy Award.
He actually learned to box for the film, and did all the boxing scenes himself without using a stunt double. He gained 60 pounds to play LaMotta, which was an all-time record at the time (later beaten by Vincent D'Onofrio, who gained 70 pounds for Stanley Kubrick's "Full Metal Jacket").

Scorsese and De Niro's partnership over the years has resulted in some of the best movies of all time: "Mean Streets," "Taxi Driver," "The King of Comedy," "Goodfellas", "Casino” & “The Raging Bull”.

[4] Seven Samurai
Black & White - 1954
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Excellent movie but too long ...

[5] The Clockwork Orange [1971]
Directed by Stanley Kubrick - A very disturbing movie ...
but extremely absorbing and thought provoking!

On the road again

2006-03-08T11:57:00.000-06:00

I love road trips …
But they have never been as interesting as some of the movies I’ve seen ...

# 1. TRANSAMERICA [2005]
Just before *his* [!!!!!] sex-change operation Bree [Felicity Huffman] visits his son Toby [Kevin Zegers]. They take a return road-trip which changes their lives forever!!!
A beautiful movie … & … Felicity Huffman deserved the Oscars!!!
Director: Duncan Tucker

# 2. SIDEWAYS: [2004] Two friends set off on a road trip as the tagline says:
“In search of wine. In search of women. In search of themselves.”
Two middle aged men Miles [Paul Giamati] and Jack [Thomas Hayden Church] set off on a wine-tasting tour through North California , just a week before Jacks wedding.Their characters and life unfold through a series of incidences that they encounter on the way! A sideways detour may or may not affect their later lives as they meet two interesting characters: Sandra Oh and Virginia Madsen.
Director: Alexander Payne

# 3. HAROLD & KUMAR GO TO WHITE CASTLE:
Two friends Harold [Korean guy] and Kumar [Indian] want to grab some munchies from “White Castle”. On their road-trip they encounter amusing characters: cop, rock-star, hitchhikers …. A very funny movie!!!!
Director: Danny Leiner [of “Arrested Development” fame ]

# 4. ROADTRIP:
Long distance relationship and goof-up with a sex-tape compels a grad-student to take a road-trip with his three friends. A hilarious movie. Tom Green with a small role steals the show. Somehow this movie reminds of two equally funny movies: "American Pie" and "There’s something about Mary".
Director: Todd Phillips

# 5. ABOUT SCHMIDT:
Warren Schmidt [Jack Nicholson] a retired insurance salesman, whose wife died, takes a road-trip to stop his daughter’s wedding … A good movie. A very fallible character and his everyday life experiences …
Director: Alexander Payne

SOME OTHER:
- Thelma & Louise – saw long back and don’t remember much ...
- Road to Perdition

Not Seen Yet:
- The Motorcycle Diaries
- Elizabeth town
I’m sure there would be many more ...

Trilogies

2006-03-07T15:15:00.000-06:00

Many movies have sequels ...
But here I’m talking of only those movies with have a *minimum* of two sequels ...

# Interestingly most of the “action” heroes have movie-trilogies to their credit ...
Tom Cruise [Mission Impossible]; Bruce Willis [Die Hard]; Arnold Schwarzenegger [The Terminator]; Keanu Reeves [The Matrix]; Mel Gibson [Lethal Weapon]; and Harrison Ford [Indiana Jones] ....

# Some of the best directors have made sci-fi /fantasy trilogies …
George Lucas [Starwars]; Steven Spielberg [Jurrasic Park, Indiana Jones]; Robert Zemeckis [Back to Future]; Peter Jackson [LOTR]

* I haven’t seen all the movies listed here ...

1. MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt [action-thriller]
Strangely enough the sequels have different directors… First is directed by Brain De Palme, second by John Woo & third, yet to be released by J.J Abrams …
Sequels: [i] Mission Impossible – 1996; [ii] – 2000, [iii] – 2006

2. THE MATRIX: Keanu Reeves as Neo [Sci-fi - Action - thriller]
A futuristic story: of struggle between “artificial intelligence” & humans
Director: Andy Wachowski & Larry Wachowski
Sequels: [i] The Matrix: 1992, [ii] Reloaded- 2003; [iii] Revolution – 2003

3. THE TERMINATOR: Arnold Schwarzenegger as The Terminator [ Sci-fi /action / thriller]
A human-looking, cyborg is sent from the future to the past
Director: James Cameron
Sequels: [I] The Terminator- 1984; [ii] Judgment day- 1991; [iii] Rise of the Machine- 2003

4. DIE HARD: Bruce Willis as John McClane [action-adventure-thriller]
New York cops and hostages
Sequels: [1] Die hard – 1988; [ii] Die harder -1990; [iii] Die hard with a vengeance – 1995

5. LETHAL WEAPON: Mel Gibson as Sergeant Martin with another LA cop Danny Glover as Sergeant Roger [ Action/ Comedy/ Crime thriller]
Director: Richard Donner
Sequels: Lethal Weapon- [I] 1987; [II] – 1989; [III] – 1992 & [IV] – 1998

6. BACK TO FUTURE: Michael J Fox as Marty and Christopher Lloyd as Dr. Brown
A sci-fi time travel movie – action-adventure-comedy
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Sequels: [1] Back to Future - 1985; [ii] - 1989; [iii] - 1990

7. INDIANA JONES: Harrison Ford as Indian Jones [action-adventure-thriller]
Director: Steven Spielberg
Sequels: [i] Raiders of the Lost Ark – 1981; [ii] The Last Crusade – 1989; The Temple of Doom [1984

8. JURRASIC PARK: A Steven Spielberg mega project – sci-fi-action-adventure
“An Adventure 65 Million Years In The Making”
[i] Jurrasic Park – 1993; [ii] The Lost World – 1997; [iii] The Extinction – 2001

9. LORD OF THE RING: A Peter Jackson mega project.
Sequels: [i] The Fellowship of the Ring – 2001
[ii] The Two Towers – 2002
[iii] The Return of the King - 2003

10. STARWARS: A George Lucas mega project – with Harrison Ford [Han Solo]; Mark Hamill [ Luke Skywalker]; Hyden Christensen [Anakin Skywalker]; Ewan McGregor [Obi-Wan Kenobi]; Frank Oz [Yoda]; Natlie Portman, Samuel L. Jackson, Christopher Lee ….
“A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away …. “
[i] Starwars: 1977
[ii] Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back – 1980
[iii] Episode VI – Return of Jedi -1983
[iv] Episode II – Attack of the Clones -2002
[v] Episode III – Revenge of the Sith – 2005

FEW MORE ...
1. Godfather trilogy – Gangster movie with one of Hollywood’s best directors Francis Ford Coppol and three scting powerhouses: Marlon Brando, Robert DeNiro & Al Pacino…

2. Dollar Trilogy: Western-action … directed by Sergio Leone with Clint Eastwood.
Sequels:
[i] A Fistful of Dollars – 1964;
[ii] For a few dollars more - 1965
[iii]The Good, The Bad & the Ugly - 1966

COMEDIES:
Home Alone
American Pie
Carry On Series
Police Academy
Beverly Hills Cops

Oscars - 2006 ... My Choice

2006-03-01T11:00:00.000-06:00

Best Motion Picture: Crash
Best Director: Ang Lee for "Brokeback Mountain"
Best Actor: Philip Seymore Hoffman for “Capote”
Best Actress: Felicity Hoffman for “Transamerica”
Best Supporting Actor: George Clooney for “Syriana”

Though I will be very happy if “Capote” wins the Best Film award,
and totally thrilled if “Good Night and Good Luck” wins it !!!

Few of my related posts ...
[1] Good Night & Good Luck ...
[2] Capote...
[3] Munich & Syriana ...
[4] Crash & Constant Gardener ...
[5] Transamerica, Mrs Henderson Presents & others...
Though I've seen "Brokeback Mountain"; but never wrote a review on it ...

For 2006- Oscar Nominee List; check out this IMDb site: Oscar Nomination - 2006...



ADDENDUM : [ March 6, 2006 ]
So I was almost correct ...
Except for ...
Best Actress: Reese Witherspoon for “Walk The Line”

To add to the list ...
Best Supporting Actress: Rachel Weisz for “The Constant Gardener”
Best Original Screenplay: Crash
Best Adapted Screenplay: Brokeback Mountain
Best Editing: Crash


Best Cinematography: Memoirs of a Geisha
Best Art Direction: Memoirs of a Geisha
Best Costume Design: Memoirs of a Geisha
Visual Effects: King Kong
Sound Editing: King Kong
Sound Mixing: King Kong
Documentary Feature: March of the Penguins
Original Song: "It's hard out here for a pimp" [Hustle & Flow]
Original Score: Brokeback Mountain

...... And George Clooney's was the most handsome face on the red carpet!!!



Too much color on the red carpet ... Kiera Knightly - wine; Sandra Bullock - navy-blue; Charlize Theron - forest-green [with a *giant* bow, that looked ridiculous]; Jennifer Lopez - light green; Jada Pinkett Smith - bright blue; Salma Hayek - slate blue ...
Some in Basic Black: Felicity Huffman; Jennifer Aniston, Rachel Weisz ....
Monochromes: Nichole Kidman, Jessica Alba, Reese Witherspoon ...

More: Academy Awards ...
IMDb site: Oscars ...

Some New

2006-03-01T10:49:00.000-06:00

[1] TRANSAMERICA:
Director: Duncan Tucker
Cast: felicity Huffman , Kevin Zegers ...
I went to the movie, NOT expecting much; but was up for a surprise ... A Very Nice Movie!!! It turned out to be a beautiful experience. The movie makes an honest attempt to humanize the social life of transgender - who still face immense difficulties in being accepted in the mainstream culture. I applaud at the extremely sensitive handling of less talked about issue of sexuality! The protagonist [Felicity Huffman] is an ordinary person, with no heroism and got nothing to boast about; but faces scorn dealing with his (!!!!) gender – a man trapped in a woman’s body!
Felicity Huffman – Bravo!!! Deserves the Best Actress Oscars!!!
The acting of his son is also very commendable.

[2] Mrs HENDERSON PRESENTS:
Director: Stephen Frears
Cast: Dame Judi dench, Bob Hoskins ...
Nice, delightful movie. Its loosely based on the life of Laura Henderson, a rich widow who brought a decrepit London theater “The Windmill” and revved it up as a round-the-clock vaudeville showing nude women. A theater that never closed even during the war [WW-II] periods; even when there was bombing in the city.

[3] THE MATADOR:
Director: Richard Shepard
Cast: Pierce Brosnan ...
It’s a comedy, crime-thriller and drama … with Pierce Brosnan in the lead role.
Brosnan sheds the Bond-guy image! Well he is still a hit-man; but no more appointed by “The majesty - the Queen” and his “license to kill” is gone and along with it goes his suave sophistication.
An okay kind of a movie – neither great, nor was boring, just alright!
However I feel that Pierce Brosnan has been in similar kind of roles … of a person who commits crimes just for the thrill …
- Thomas Crown Affair – he steals from his own art museum, just for fun
- After the Sunset – Again is a diamond thief; just for the kick
(Not touching upon the topic of his Bond-guy roles)

[4] WEATHERMAN:
Director: Gore Verbinski
Lead actors: Nicolas Cage, Michael Caine ...
Nicolas Cage - as the Chicago weatherman! [Another Chicago based movie!!!]
Again an ordinary movie! Nothing to rave about.. The movie draws-upon the unpredictability of life from vacillating weather and the very-many factors that can sway either [weather / life] in unforeseeable directions.
Though I liked Nicolas Cage in another movie, “Lord of War” and last year’s hit; “National Treasure” and some of his earlier movies, Adaptation, Face-off, Gone in Sixty Seconds, City of Angles ... but this one didn’t impress me much!
Michael Caine makes the movie slightly pleasant ...

Citizen Kane [1941]

2006-02-28T05:35:00.000-06:00

A CLASSIC .....
An absolutely brilliant movie!!!

Let me begin by saying that the first time I saw this movie; I didn’t enjoy it that much. But its one of those movies that pulls you for a repeat viewing and the second time I saw it; I was totally E-N-T-H-R-A-L-l-E-D !!!!

It’s a landmark in creative direction and technical wizardry.
- Its one of those films where the craft of *story-telling* is as fascinating as or rather more interesting than the story itself. In no way am I suggesting that the plot is not arresting … there is romance, tragedy, music, dance, victory, defeat, dreams fulfilled and shattered and a whole lot of drama and mystery !!!!

- And to add to the *mystery* is an equally absorbing plot-delivery technique. A *narrative* style. A * non-linear* method of presentation which was definitely futuristic for that era! The movie unfolds in a *series of flash-backs* beginning with the death of a media tycoon – whose last words were “rosebud” … and the story is about discovering on who/what is rosebud and why so important to a man who had everything in this world!!??!!!

- There is lot of *symbolism* used which is more absorbed in repeat viewing! When Kane loses his job; he walks down spiral staircases; when his wife leaves him, she walks through a fleet of doors … the movie is full of visual representations ….

- Brilliant camera work - The angles of shots & the use of light - makes for an experience extraordinaire. A movie-watchers pleasure ...

- The dialogues are crisp & witty …

- The story is not definitive but leaves ample scope of multiple interpretations. What the movie conveys depends totally on the viewer and his perspective. Does it convey - the hollowness of American dream? The duality of life - a rich media tycoon who cares for the poor?

SOME TRIVIA:
- This was Orson Welles debut movies. He was just 25 years old when he wrote, directed and acted in this movie.
- The movie opened doors for many fresh faces ... Most of the cast members were first-time in the movie industry …
- The story is said to be loosely based on the life of "William Randolph Hearst"; who is considered to be the greatest newspaper baron in the history of United States ...

SUGGESTION: Citizen Kane needs to be seen *over–n-over-again*.
Repeat viewing is highly recommended – to grasp the nuances of the movie - dialogues, camera-work, lighting, symbolism and acting!!!

Final Word: MASTERPIECE !!!

This post is a spin-off

2006-02-25T17:52:00.000-06:00

This post is a spin-off from an earlier volley-of-comments in the post - “From the Idiot Box” - on Anna Nicole Smith ... To me, Anna conjures images of a gal who has lost significant amount of weight ...

And that reminds me of Hollywood stars who gain or lose significant weight to suit the roles they are playing ...

- Renee Zellweger, had put on 20-30 pounds for her role in “Bridget Jones Diary” & its sequel and what’s more interesting is that in-between she lost all that increased weight for her role in “Chicago”. It’s well known that she was offered more than 3 millions to shed weight after “Bridget Jones-Edge of Reason”.

- Robert DeNiro had put on 50 pounds to perform the role of Jake la Motta in “Raging Bull”

- Charlize Theron is said to have put on about 25 pounds for her role in “Monster”

- Adrien Brody lost 30 pounds for film “The Pianist”. I think he never put that weight back

- The most interesting is the gain-loss by Tom hanks. For “Cast Away” he had put on weight in the first half of the movie and shed about 50 pounds in the second half!

Now this takes me to the issue of “Method Acting" ...
Where performs actually “live” the life like the characters they are performing ...
Few names closely associated with “Method Acting” ... Marlon Brando, Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, Paul Newman ....

For example for the movie “Gandhi” Ben Kingsley took to vegetarian food, no-drinks and sleep with minimum mattresses, read books written by him to understand how his mind worked … Similarly, Robert DeNiro captured the characteristics of Jake la Motta in “Raging Bull”. Tom Cruise took a lot of training for “The Last Samurai”. Demi Moore spent quite some time in strip clubs foe her role in “Striptease” ...
The list goes on n on ...

* But well Anna Nicole Smith has nothing to do with acting in Hollywood ...

Quentin Tarantino

2006-02-20T21:00:00.000-06:00

After listing some Gangster Movies ... here's some more "Crime-Thrillers"...
and Quentin Tarantino qualifies for a separate post ... so here ...

Quentin Tarantino’s latest movie “Hostel” is running in theaters ...
However I have no intensions of making it to this one ...From the reviews I’ve read; it sounds more like a horror-&-gore film than a crime-thriller ... And I stay away from horrors ....
Also; Tarantino is not the director/writer of the movie, but is the executive producer. Its director is Eli Roth and is an adaptation of Elmore Leonard novel “Kill Shot”.

Excepting Hostel, I’ve seen every other movie of Tarantino.
He shot into fame from his very first film … when
• In 1992 his debut movie as a writer/director; “Reservoir Dogs” was released … in the Sundance Film Festival. It won rave reviews.
• In 1994, “Pulp Fiction”; premiered at the Cannes and won “Palme d’Or [Golden Palm] – It practically revived the Independent Films and was the come-back movie for John Travolta.
• In 1997, his next film was “Jackie Brown” was out. It was adaptation of novel by Elmore Leonard “Rum Punch”.
• “ Kill Bill” [Volume I & II] – An out-an-out “revenge” flick in Japanese n Spaghetti Western style

Though the above mentioned movies have been written-directed by him; there are few movies for which he just has the writing credits:
- *From Dusk to dawn [A strange crime-vampire film; didn’t feel like watching the entire movie]
- *True romance
- *Natural born Killers
[*- I haven’t seen any of these three]

Tarantino has come a long way from his modest beginning as an assistant in a Santa Monica video store ... Though his movies are extremely violent; but I like them as they are very stylishly made!!! He adopts unconventional storytelling methods like: nonlinear, retrospective, chapter format [Kill Bill]. He’s now become a cult-figure in Hollywood ...

His most significant contribution has been the big-boost to *Independent [Indie] films. His name is closely associated with MIRAMAX - the film studio that has nurtured all his films ...

Now this post sounds incomplete; but whatever ...
... and "Crime-Thrillers" will continue ...

Gangster Movies

2006-02-18T15:31:00.000-06:00

Issues surrounding law & order will always generate interest;
and Hollywood has churned out some excellent Gangster Movies …

There are three main elements:
- perpetrator of crime – gangster/mobster
- victims
- law enforcement officer/s – police, detective ...

But such simplified storylines are recipes for fairy tales ...
Crime thrillers have more complicated storylines:
- the gang leader is often the law-enforcer & does justice to the oppressed
- the gangster himself is a victim of social-injustices, poverty, police brutality
- the police officials are more-often-than-not corrupt

Most people often relate to this situation and that’s one reason for its huge popularity ... In most Hollywood movies gangsters are immigrants: Irish, Jewish, Italian, African-American, Mexican ... mostly a victim of poverty, oppression & injustices and rises to power-&-fame, through guns-drugs-&-violence ... And then it all comes crashing down ...

Three names are closely related to Gangster movies:
- Brian de Palma ... The Untouchables, Scarface, Carlito’s Way
- Francis Ford Coppola ... Godfather trilogy
- Martin Scorsese ... Goodfellas, Casino, Gangs of New York

Some actors into method acting: Marlon Brando, Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, Chazz Palminteri, James Gandolfini ...

Some of the best Gangster movies:
• GODFATHER trilogy: I, II & III … The all-time favorite American gangster movie about the rise and fall of Sicilian Corleone family in the world of organized crime.

• THE UNTOUCHABLES: [True-story] Based on street – crime perpetrated by Al Capone in Chicago during Prohibition years of 1920-30’s.

• GOODFELLAS: [True- story] New York crime scene in 1960-70’s. How a local half-Irish-half-Italian boy becomes a gangster and then bares it all taking shelter under the “witness protection program”.

• CASINO: [True –story] Mob involvement in Las Vegas casinos in 1970-80’s.

• GANGS of NEW YORK: [True-story] The crime scene in “Five Point” area of New York City with Irish immigrants in the 1860 -70’s.

• DONNIE BRASCO: [True–story] An FBI undercover [Johnny Depp!!!] infiltrates into a New York mob in the 1970’s.

• CARLITO’S WAY: How difficult it is for an ex-con to leave his life of gangs & violence.

• SCARFACE: Set in 1980’s when a Cuban immigrant [Al Pacino] comes to America; to pursue his American dream, only to get involved in the drugs and money network of Miami.

• ROAD TO PERDITION: A very different sort of gangster movie, delicately handling the father-son bond ...

Few comedies with gangster themes:
- Analyze This / Analyze That
- Get Shorty / Be Cool
- Bullets Over Broadway

Few good movies, in “YET-TO-SEE” list:
- Bonnie & Clyde
- Once Upon A time In America
- Miller’s Crossing
- A Bronx Tale

I’ve NOT included “crime” –thrillers like Usual Suspects, se7en, Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, Memento ...

Al Capone

2006-02-18T15:26:00.000-06:00

Slot reserved for

The St. Valentine's Day Massacre story of Chicago in 1929 ...

will write today / tomorrow / whenever

From The Idiot Box ....

2006-02-11T06:59:00.000-06:00

Who is the "Idiot Box" here ??!!! ... Well ... ME of course ...
So I love another idiot box. Ahhh ... What would I do without it?
Though I rarely watch soaps or reality-shows, but comedies and talk-shows political-satires are my staple ... Thanks to dish, I have more than 200 channels [don’t know exactly how many are there]; Though most of them are boring but some are worth getting hooked-on.
Here’s a list of shows ... I enjoy ...

[1] FRIENDS:
“I’ll be there for you, When the rain starts to pour
I'll be there for you, Like I've been there before
I'll be there for you, 'Cause you're there for me too…”

Perhaps this is the most recognizable theme song of any sitcom ... And "How you doin'?" ... perhaps the most popular catchphrases of any sitcom. Rachel, Ross, Monica, Chandler, Phoebe, Joey ... [Green, Geller, Geller, BING! Buffay & Tribbiani ] ... All so adorable ... and the unforgettable characters of ... Gunther, Janice, smelly cat, monkey and naked ugly guy ... And the sofa ... And coffee-house! A TV phenomenon!!!
Set in Central Park, Manhattan, New York; its 10 year run has ended ...*alas*
Friends’ spin-off; “Joey” with Matt le Blanc is not half as good!

* Though at the moment “Friends” figures top in my list, but somehow I feel that very soon I’ll be bored of it; in the same why as when I had come to the US; I used to be glued to the “Jerry Springer Show”; but now I cant watch it for more than 10 minutes.

[2] SEINFELD:
Yada Yada Yada ... A show about nothing, but something all of us can associate with!
I find Jerry Seinfeld to always dressed to the occasion as against Kramer’s retro-looks & George’s a-size-too-short cloths. Jerry & Kramer are good fun to watch; but I find George Coztanza a tad-bit irritating though much better than Elaine; who simply gets on my nerves. She’s the only reason why Seinfeld fares second in my choice.
Set in Manhattan,New York; 9 seasons.

[3] THAT 70’s SHOW:
Fes-z [ Foreign Exchange Student] is the ohh-so-funny; Michael Kelso is so-stupid; Jackie is such-a-snob; Steven is so totally-lost; Eric is such-an-adorable-lil-kid ... Only red-hair Donna seems to be somewhat normal! Eric & Donna make a steady couple, but the rest keep changing their partners … Eric’s parents play the typical role of “strict father n soft mother”... & Donna’s parents are typical - 70’s hippies ... AND together they all rock – the 70’s style!!!
Trivia: Their episode title is frequently based on song titles of rock legend of 70’s ... Like: Led Zeppelin, The Who & the Queen!
Set in Wisconsin; 8 seasons’ ...

[4] 3rd ROCK FROM THE SUN:
Group of aliens disguised as humans …all with “Solomon” as last name ...Dr. Dick, Sally, Harry n Tommy ... and ... poor ole’ earth-creature Dr Mary Albright – stuck with ‘em! An a-typical show, where in every character is crazy, whacky, weird and sooo funny!

[5] DREW CAREY SHOW:
Lovable loser Drew Carey and his bitter-sweet feuds with Mimi – recipe for instant giggles!!! I find Mimi as the funniest character in the show! Lewis Kiniski (Ryan Stiles) with his laid-back approach to life; is just too good. He is said to have an IQ of 180; which is fairly evident from his other show; “Whose Line is it anyway?” Oswald and Kate are good too!
Set in Cleveland, Ohio ... 9 years!!!

All the above mentioned series have ended ... From among the NEW ones ...
[6] SCRUBS: A BRILLIANT sitcom – smart & funny ; with an interesting narrative style. Set in a hospital; it deals with issues in a entertaining manner, yet makes a point! Dr. Elliot, Dr Turk, Dr. Carla, Dr Bob, Dr Cox … and the janitor … EXCELLENT Show! Actually; on second thoughts, this should be No1 on my list ...

SATIRICAL NEWS / TALK SHOWS:

[7] THE DAILY SHOW with JON STEWART:
Its comedy with current events: news, politics, pop-culture, sports … you name it!
Jon Stewart is not only witty, he looks good too and this show – I love !!!

[8] THE COLBERT REPORT:
Stephen Colbert is another extremely witty satirist – I’ve become his big-time admirer ...
This show has become my "TOP" Favorite these days!!!

[9] LATE NIGHT with BILL MAHER:
I have mentioned him so many times, on different occasions. In many ways he has shaped my opinions on many issues! Another one of my absolutely favorite shows.

[10] CNN – My default channel …
Though some anchors I greatly admire : Anderson Cooper, Larry King & Howard Kurtz

NOTABLE MENTION:
# COMEDY:
• [A] OLD: Frasier, Sex & the City, Will & Grace, Golden Girls, Faulty Towers, Fresh Prince from Bel-air …
• [B] NEW: Stacked, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Office, My name is Earl ...
# SERIOUS: House [Excellent serial!!!]
# Sci-FI: Battlestar Gallactica [A sci-fi - I Love]
# TALK SHOW: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno & Late Show with David letterman

Oscar Nominations [2006] ...

2006-02-07T10:16:00.000-06:00

Oscar Nominations 2006 ...

Best motion picture / Best Director:
Brokeback Mountain’_________________ Ang Lee
Capote ______________________________ Bennett Miller
Crash _______________________________ Paul Haggis
Good Night and Good Luck ____________ George Clooney
Munich ______________________________ Steven Spielberg

Best Actor:
Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Capote”
Heath Ledger in “Brokeback Mountain”
Joaquin Phoenix in “Walk the Line”
David Strathairn in “Good Night, and Good Luck.”
Terrence Howard in “Hustle & Flow”

Best Actress:
Judi Dench in “Mrs. Henderson Presents”
Felicity Huffman in “Transamerica”
Keira Knightley in “Pride & Prejudice”
Charlize Theron in “North Country”
Reese Witherspoon in “Walk the Line”

MY CHOICE:
Best Motion Picture: Crash [though Brokeback Mountain seems set for the award]
Best Director: Ang Lee for "Brokeback Mountain"
Best Actor: Philip Seymore Hoffman in “Capote”
Best Actress: Reese Witherspoon in “Walk the Line”

Crash & The Constant Gardener ...

2006-02-07T07:19:00.000-06:00

Finally I saw two movies which were in my priority list of 2005-movies…

CRASH:
An Excellent Movie! I was totally absorbed.
Multiple characters & each character is multi-faceted … and … multiple plots but they all are linked together. Few very moving scenes; as when the person shoots the kid … Well I cried! I am not very fond of Sandra Bullock and in this movie she seems to be copying Julia Roberts :(
I think this movie would be a serious contender to “Brokeback Mountains” for Best Film Oscars.
Director: Paul Haggis
Cast: Sandra Bullock, Brendan Fraser, Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Ludacris, Terrence Howard, Thanadi Newton ...

THE CONSTANT GARDENER:
Here comes a very good movie from the British stable!
It’s based on a novel by John Le Carre, by the same name.
A political thriller; set in Kenya; featuring a diplomat [Ralph Finnnes] and his political-activist wife [Rachel Weisz]
Wonder if the story is based on true events???
Reminded me of another movie: “Beyond Borders”; with Clive Owen & Angelina Jolie.

Capote ...

2006-01-26T11:55:00.000-06:00

Yesterday; I finally saw the much awaited movie “Capote” ...
An Absolutely Brilliant Movie!!!
I’m writing this post in a great hurry; but feel compelled to jot down some thoughts on my mind ...

The movie is a biography on the life of Truman Capote; but not his entire life; it rather focuses just on the incidences surrounding the writing of his famous novel “In Cold Blood”; which actually is a non-fiction crime novel; on the brutal murder of 4 family members; that took place in 1959.

Director: Bennett Miller
Cast:
Philip Seymour Hoffman [as Truman Capote]
Catherine Keener [as Harper Lee]
Clifton Collins Jr. [as Perry Smith]

# Philip Hoffman did a brilliant impersonation /impressions of a very interesting and controversial character – Truman Capote! He makes me want to know much more about Capote; as also to read his novels ...
Of the many character impersonifications that I’ve seen; this one stands out; or is at par with the best ...
To name a few ...
- Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash in “Walk the Line”
- Leonardo diCaprio as Howard Hughes in “The Aviator”
- Jamie Foxx as Ray Charles in “Ray”
- Liam Neeson as Oskar Schindler in “Schindler’s List”
- Ben Kingsley as Gandhi in “Gandhi”

# True Stories rule ...
The three best movies of 2005; are all based true stories:
• Capote
• Munich
• Good Night & Good Luck
This trend was there even the year before [2004] ... Ray, Aviator & Hotel Rwanda...
And some of the all time best movies are based on true stories ...

# 2005: Year of gay – movies:
• Brokeback Mountain
• Capote
• *Transamerica [not seen yet]
• Rent [Lesser known movie - a musical – but good]

# I didn’t know ...
• that the famous novel “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” is written by Truman Capote; though I’ve seen the movie.
• that Harper Lee, author of novel “To Kill a Mocking Bird” [again I’ve seen the movie but not read the novel] … was Capote’s very close friend.

# I’m always intrigued by investigative journalism ... and though Capote was not a journalist; but he acts as one ... To write a novel; he goes on interviewing not only the near-n-dear ones of the murder-victims; but meeting with the 2 convicted murderers several time in prison, and trying to bring us their humane aspect ...
This investigative spirit; reminds me of two awesome journalist-based movies:
- Good Night & Good Luck [Edward Murrow brings down Senator Joseph McCarthy]
- All the Presidents Men [ Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward exposed the Watergate Scandal that brought down Nixon administration]

Final Word: EXCELLENT !

* Of all the movies mentioned in this post ...
there's just one movie I havent yet seen: "Transamerica"

Golden Globe Awards [2006] ...

2006-01-18T19:48:00.000-06:00

63rd annual Golden Globe Awards were announced Jan. 16th; 2006 in Hollywood.
The most coveted of all awards is definitely The Academy Awards ...
However; the Golden Globe has historically been a predictor of how the Oscars will shape up. The 2006 Academy Awards will be presented on March 5th and the Oscar nominations come out on Jan 31st.

"Unlike the Oscars, which are determined by about 5,800 film-industry professionals, the Globes are parceled out by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association [HFPA]; a group of 86 journalists who write for different publications ..."

If the Globe is any indicator; "Brokeback Mountain" is the movie of the season. It bagged the most important awards [Best Picture, Director, Screenplay & Original Song] categories. Surprizingly "Munich" got a cold shoulder; though I think its a very well made movie. Another movie that I really liked is "Goodnight & Goodluck".
So Best Movie category may have some competition; but the Best Actor [Philip Seymore Huffman for "Capote"] and Best Actress [Reese Witherspoon for "Walk The Line"] seem almost certain ....

Below is the list of Golden Globe [2006] winners ...
• Cecil B. DeMille [Lifetime Achievement] Award: Sir Anthony Hopkins
• Best Picture - Brokeback Mountain
• Best Director - Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain)
• Best Screenplay - Brokeback Mountain
• Best Performance by an Actress - Felicity Huffman (Transamerica)
• Best Performance by an Actor - Philip Seymour Hoffman (Capote)
• Best Performance by an Actress In A Supporting Role - Rachel Weisz (The Constant Gardener)
• Best Performance by an Actor In A Supporting Role - George Clooney (Syriana)

Musical / Comedy Category
• Best Motion Picture - Walk The Line
• Best Performance by an Actress - Reese Witherspoon (Walk The Line)
• Best Performance by an Actor - Joaquin Phoenix (Walk The Line)
• Best Foreign Language Film - Paradise Now
• Best Original Score - Memoirs Of A Geisha
• Best Original Song - "A Love That Will Never Grow Old" (Brokeback Mountain)

Reference: Golden Globe Awards
The “Hollywood Foreign Press Association” [HFPA] awards the Golden Globes to honor achievements in film and television during the calendar year. It began in 1944.the awards are often regarded as the third most publicized awards for movies and television, after the Academy Awards (for film) and Emmy Awards (for television). This is particularly true since 1996, when the HFPA signed a new television broadcast contract.

* Recent Cecil B. DeMille winners include Robin Williams (2005), Michael Douglas (2004), Gene Hackman (2003), Harrison Ford (2002), Al Pacino (2001), Barbra Streisand (2000), and Jack Nicholson (1999).

Also see: HFPA [Hollywood Foreign Press Association]

People's Choice Awards [2006] ...

2006-01-18T19:36:00.000-06:00

The 32nd annual People's Choice Awards were held on Tuesday, January 10, 2006, at the Shrine Auditorium.
It was hosted by by comedian Craig Ferguson.

MOVIES:
• Movie: Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith
• Movie comedy: Wedding Crashers
• Family movie: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
• Leading lady: Reese Witherspoon
• Leading man: Brad Pitt
• Female movie star: Sandra Bullock
• Male movie star: Johnny Depp
• Female action star: Jennifer Garner
• Male action star: Matthew McConaughey
• On-screen matchup: Vince Vaughn & Owen Wilson (Wedding Crashers)

MUSIC:
• Female performer: Kelly Clarkson
• Male performer: Tim McGraw
• Group: Green Day
• Tour: U2
• Song From a Movie: Jessica Simpson - "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'" from The Dukes of Hazzard

SOME INTERESTING CATEGORIES:
• Crest Whitestrips Fans Favorite Smile: Cameron Diaz
• Nice 'N Easy Fans Favorite Hair: Faith Hill
• Olay Total Effects Fans Favorite Look: Jennifer Aniston

What is People’s Choice Awards?
Reference: People's Choice Awards
The People's Choice Awards are different from most Hollywood award shows. Until 2004, the winners of the People's Choice Awards were selected through a Gallup poll of the general public. The people were polled for their opinion about their favorite movie & TV stars, their favorite singers, and their favorite films and TV programs. Those polled were free to name any star that they like as their favorite; their choice is not limited to a handful of nominees.

However, in 2004, they dropped Gallup and switched to a partnership with Entertainment Weekly magazine. Now, nominees are determined by a "front row panel of over 6,000 entertainment enthusiasts" recruited by EW editors. The panel votes on the various categories, then people vote via the Internet for the winners.
To cast a vote via the Internet go to www.PCAvote.com

December [2005] ...

2006-01-18T19:31:00.000-06:00

The months of November/December/January ...
are traditionally the time for some of the best movies to be released ...

The BEST MOVIE … I’ve seen this year: MUNICH!!!!
Already seen it twice ...
Some other movies that I saw recently:

[1] MATCH POINT:
Romance/ drama with a bit of noir twist!
Director: Woody Allen
The only cast I recognized was Scarlett Johansson.
Reminds of “Crime & Misdemeanors”; which I think was better than this movie.

[2] BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN:
Director: Ang lee
Cast: Heath Ledger; Jake Gyllenhall, Anne Hathaway, Michelle Williams

[3] KING KONG:
Director: Peter Jackson
Cast: Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Brody

[4] CHEAPER BY DOZEN:
Director: Shawn Levy
Cast: Steve Martin, Bonnie Hunt, Hilary Duff, Eugene Levy, Carmen Electra

[5] WALK THE LINE:
Director: James Mangold
Cast: Joaquin Phoenix & Reese Witherspoon
Based on the life of Johnny Cash & his relationship with June Carter

[6] RENT:
Musical – A beautiful movie!
Director: Chris Columbus ... director of Harry Potter [Sorcerer’s Stone, Chambers of Secret], Stepmom, Mrs Doubtfire, Home Alone

[7] Munich
[8] Syriana

Munich & Syriana ...

2006-01-05T21:21:00.000-06:00

MUNICH:
Based on true events:
In 1972 Munich Olympics, 11 Israeli athletes were murdered by Palestinian terrorists group called Black September. Israeli government under PM Golda Meir; recruited a 5 member group of ex-Mossad agents to execute these terrorists.
Well Steven Spielberg is Hollywood’s most talented Jew, and this movie can be interpreted as taking Israel’s side but he presents it in a very unbiased manner. None of these members of the revenge-squad is a trained hit-men and the focus is on how in their first killing; they are hesitant; but became daring and almost emotionless in subsequent ones. It's a movie on the fight for land or "home". It's remarkable how Spielberg presented imparial views of both sides: Palestinians and Israelis.
The performance of all the actors are really good; but two stand out:
- Eric Bana – With every movie of his that I see; I admire him more and more [Troy, Black Hawk Down and Hulk]
- Craig David – The next blonde Bond guy. He’s awesome.
Though; I didn’t quite notice him in Elizabeth or Road to Perdition.
WORTH WATCHING MOVIE - Dont miss it!

SYRIANA:
This is a serious and complex movie. It’s a commentary on the existing oil-politics. Though a fictional story, but based in the true existing economic-political dynamics. There are many parallel story-lines but they are all connected. It has CIA operative [George Clooney], oil broker [Matt Damon], Gulf Royal family, corporate giants, lawyers, immigrant workers and suicide bombers.
Though Syriana is a good movie; I preferred George Clooney’s other movie:
Good Night and Good Luck much more.

FROM MY SCRIBBLE PAD :
Listing down some war movies that I’ve seen :
- THE BALKANS [1993]: Behind Enemy Lines, No Mans Land
- SOMALIA [1993]: Black Hawk Down
- THE GULF WAR [1991]: Bravo Two Zero, Three Kings
- VIETNAM WAR [1965-73]: Platoon, Full Metal Jacket, The Deer Hunter, Apocalypse Now
- KOREAN WAR [1950-53]: M*A*S*H
- COLD WAR [1945-1991]: The hunt for Red October, Topgun, Thirteen Days
- WORLD WAR - II [1939-45]: Saving Private Ryan, Enemy at the Gates, A bridge too Far, Das Boots, The English Patient, The Eagle has Landed, Schindlers List, Tora Tora Tora, U-571, Casablanca
- SOME OTHERS: Braveheart, The Patriot, Ben-hur, Gladiator, Dances With Wolves, Gone With The Wind ...

Hail! Hail Rock N' Roll !!!

2006-01-05T21:09:00.000-06:00

Few days back I saw this movie on TV ... "CHUCK BERRY HAIL! HAIL ROCK N ROLL!" [1987]
What a beautiful movie!!!!
I wonder how could anyone not admire Chuck Berry especially after seeing this movie?
Also how could anyone not dance to his beats? EXCELLENT MOVIE!!!

It’s actually a documentary to cover the 60th birthday of Chuck Berry,
which was celebrated at a concert at the Fox Theatre in St. Louis, Missouri.
One highlight was John Lennon’s son Julianne Lennon; perform with Chuck Berry; the song was ... “Johnny B Goode”
Songs List includes: Roll Over Beethoven, Maybelline, School Days, Reelin’ and Rockin’, Sweet Little Sixteen, Johnny B Goode, Too Much Monkey Business, Memphis Tennessee, Think of you, Nadine ...

Director: Taylor Hackford
who has directed movies like Ray, Proof Of Life and The Devil’s Advocate!

Some other outstanding documentaries; especially for any Rock fan:

- THE LAST WALTZ [1978]
Another absolutely STUNNING MOVIE !!! Director: Martin Scorsese ...
It's a documentary on the final concert of the group “The Band” in 1976, San Francisco's Winterland. See Robbie Robertson, Eric Clapton, Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Muddy waters and others….

- IMAGINE: JOHN LENNON [1988 ]
A documentary on John Lennon. With songs like:
Imagine, In My Life, Strawberry Fields Forever, Revolution, Don’t let me down, Help!, Twist and Shout, Woman, God

- WOODSTOCK [1970]
Chronicles the 1969 Woodstock Music festival at Bethel, New York. ..
With performances from Jimi Hendrix, Pete Townshend, Joe Cracker, Carlos Santana, and Sly Stone ...

- FESTIVAL EXPRESS [2003]
Based on “The summer of 1970”; when a chartered train traveled across Canada carrying some of the world's greatest rock bands. The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, The Band, Buddy Guy, and others. Their journey was filmed.

All the movies listed above are all documentaries.
Some commercial movies on lives of music-artists:
• Walk the line – 2005 [ Johnny Cash]
• Ray – 2004 [Ray Charles]
• 8 Miles – [2002] Eminem
• Elvis and Me [1988] – story of Priscilla’s life with Elvis Presley
• School of Rock - 2003

Some musical programes I saw on TV; worth noting down for records.
[From my scribble pad]
- Rock and Roll Induction Ceremony: 2005
Blues legend B.B. King and Eric Clapton inducted BUDDY GUY ...
Performances from Bruce Springsteen, Rod Stewart, B.B. King, Justin Timberlake, Eric Clapton, Neil Young ...

- VH1- Save The Music Concert: New York [Feb 28th, 2005]
Performances from Mariah Carey, Alicia keys, Rob Thomas, Sheryl Crowe, Bon Jovi, Queen Latifa ...

- Country Music Awards 2005
CBS Television show – from Madison Square Garden, New York City
Performances from Kenny Chesney, Keith Richards, Gretchebn Wilson ...

- LIVE 8 – Concerts - 2005

SOME MUSICALS:
[Listing just for the record, maybe someday I’ll elaborate]
- Rent – 2005 – Good movie!
- The Phantom of the Opera
- Chicago
- Moulin Rouge
- Staying Alive
- Footloose
- Grease
- Saturday Night Fever
- Cabaret
- My Fair Lady
- Mary Poppins
- Singing In the Rain

MOVIES - 2005

2005-12-26T09:58:00.000-06:00

I'm listing some movies released in the year 2005:

High on my Priority List:
• Match Point
• Brokeback Mountain
• Memoirs of Geisha
• Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire

As much as I wanna see them As Soon As Possible;
this year-end is turning out to be really hectic ...

Wouldn’t mind watching; though not very high on priority list:
• Cheaper by Dozen
• Fun with Dick and Jane
• Rumor Has It

MOVIES I SAW :
• Munich
• Syriana
• King Kong
• Walk the Line
• Rent
• Goodnight n Goodluck
• The Weatherman
• Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
• Charlie and The Chocolate Factory
• The Wedding Crashers
• Madagascar
• Mr & Mrs Smith
• The War of the Worlds
• Batman Begins
• Starwars Revenge of the Sith
• Genesis
• Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
• Constantine
• Sin City
• Be cool
• The Longest Yard
• Kingdom of Heaven

Some movies I missed and I somewhat regret:
• Capote
• Constant Gardner
• A History of Violence

Much awaited:[to be released in 2006]
• Da Vinci Code
• Inside Man
• Apocalypto
• Casanova
• Mission Impossible -III

SCI - Fi

2005-12-15T13:49:00.000-06:00

I have a few very close friends who just love sci-fi /fantasy novels. Who would start a fresh one late evening and finish is overnight and claim their proudest possession is their library of sci-fi. Though I really admire them, I’m more of a movies person. These friends would always crib that novel-based-movies don’t do justice to the author, but to me, it’s the only exposure to the creative world of fantasy ….

Hollywood has great affinity with fantasies …
Some of Hollywood’s favorite sci-fi authors are:
• PHILIP K. DICK: Blade Runner, Total Recall, Minority Report, Paycheck
• ISAAC ASIMOV: I-Robot, Bicentennial Man
• CARL SAGAN: Contact
• DOUGLAS ADAM: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Let me begin with TWO sci-fi movies released this year:
• HITCHHIKERS GUIDE TO GALAXY
I absolutely loved this movie!!! It’s a bizarre, wacky, funny, futuristic, philosophical movie. The concept of a “babel fish” – as a translator; really impressed me. Then the author took his own potshots at the bureaucrats.

• STARWARS: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith:
It’s another brilliant movie. George Lucas finally closed his 6-movies saga. Intergalactic travels, Clone Wars, Dark Side of The Force, Jedi-master, good versus evil plot … Moreover it’s a movie that spreads over two generations and the series began when special effects were at a very nascent stage – A Sci-fi Classic!!!

Now I’ll move back in time ...
and mention “The Matrix” – trilogy” [Matrix, Reloaded n Revolution] There are so many different interpretations of this movie. A futuristic movie when life on earth is computer simulated; a scary idea; but it’s quite so possible. What especially struck me was the plausibility of AI using humans as energy-source. It reminds of an excellent TV serial – Battlestar Galactica, in which Cylons [robots] wage a war against their human masters; [even clone humans] Even I-Robot is a remarkable movie, most remarkable is the idea of adapting robots to human emotions – I almost felt sympathy for Sonny!

Sci-fi is a huge category; so I’ll just categorize a few movies I’ve seen. Though some movies belong to more than one category, I’ll place them in just one . For example “Independence Day “ is both an alien and disaster movie; but I’ll put it in disaster category.

DISASTER MOVIES::
• Armageddon – An asteroid headed towards earth
• Deep Impact – A comet may collide with the earth
• The Day after tomorrow – Abrupt climatic changes ushering global warming n ice age
• Independence Day – aliens coming with goal of destroying us
• War of the worlds

TIME TRAVEL:
• Terminator Trilogy : I like most of Arnold Schwarzenegger movies and this one is particularly entertaining. Two antagonistic androids travel back and fight over the fate of a boy, who has the key to human future. All three movies had hugely popular catch-lines:Terminator – I [I’ll be back]; Terminator - 2 Judgment Day [haste La Vista baby], Terminator - 3 Rise of the machines [Talk to the hands]
• Twelve Monkeys – sent back to time but goes far too back
• Back to future Trilogy: An eccentric doctor invents a time travel machine

SPACE TRAVEL:
• Planet of the Apes – a space detour takes a person to a strange planet – where apes rule the human race
• The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
• Starwar Series

ALIENS:
• Men in Black
• Contact
• Alien
• Signs

ROBOTS/ AI
• Blade Runner
• Robocop
• I-Robot
• The Matrix
• Artificial Intelligence

MEMORY IMPLANT:
• Total Recall - memory implant
• Paycheck- erasing memory
• Eternal sunshine of spotless mind – erasing memory

GENETIC ACCIDENT/ TAILORING:
• Hulk
• The Fly
• Spiderman
• X-Men

OTHERS:
• Minority report – in future criminals are caught before they commit crime
• The 6th day – futuristic movie about a man who meets his own clone
• Gattaca: futuristic story – life expectancy and diseases are ascertained at birth
• Fifth Element
• Solaris

EPICS: Beyond Entertainment - A Glimpse Into Our Past

2005-12-10T14:25:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I saw an awesome epic : “Kingdom of Heaven”;
directed by British Sir Ridley Scott ...

There’s something about EPICS ...
When different dimensions of a movie - acting, script, direction, editing, cinematography, music and costume – all fall into place – it’s a masterpiece and this movie is one such brilliant classic! Somehow most epics put the audience through a range of emotions – love, hatred, pain, anger, defeat, victory and joy … so the movie leaves a deep sense of satisfaction. Epics take us back to age old battles fought in near-or-far-away lands and in a roughly 3-hours journey; gives us a glimpse of the culture, values, rituals and the lives of people in a totally different era; which gives us a new perspective of the events that led us to our present. Since they always mean lessons in “history”; which intrigues and fascinates me ... so ... I Love Epic Movies!!!

KINGDOM OF HEAVEN: It’s a TRUE STORY set in the Medieval Times. It’s about the “Christian crusades” and the capture of Jerusalem by a Muslim “Saladin" in the year 1182. Jerusalem interestingly is a Holy City for Christians, Jews as well as Muslims. It’s a place where Jesus Christ was crucified and attained resurrection. For Muslims; it’s a place where the Al-Asqa Mosque [The Dome of the Rock] is situated. It’s also sacred for the Jews; as it has their holiest shrine “The Wailing Wall”. So historically Jerusalem has always been a centre of war over religion and land ...

The three main characters of the movie are well chosen:
- Orlando Bloom as “Balian” - a French blacksmith; who is drawn into crusades
- Edward Norton as "King Baldwin"; always in a mask, due to advanced stage of leprosy
- Syrian actor Ghassan Massoud as "Saladin"
The movie doesn’t take sides and shows that both Christians and Muslims have fanatics and war-mongers as well as fair-minded chivalrous people. What a parallel to today’s world!! A Brilliant Movie!

It reminds of few other Ridley Scott masterpieces:
GLADIATOR: This movie - a fictional tale on factual backdrop - takes us back to the heydays of second century Rome. It gives a glimpse into the life of gladiators, who used to fight with wide animals often to their death for the ‘entertainment’ of spectators. Colosseum which is a symbol of the pinnacle of architectural advancement of that age; ironically, is also the hallmark of decadence of the mighty Roman culture … Russell Crowe plays his Oscar-winning role as “general” Maximus; who becomes a slave and then a gladiator; defies the authority of Emperor Commodus [ Joaquin Phoenix] and gets back his honor!

BLACK HAWK DOWN: TRUE STORY of US involvement in Mogadishu, Somalia; in the year 1993. There was condition of famine, but warlords stole UN supplied food and ordinary people were dying of starvation. The world was outraged by human rights violation; and US intervened by sending Rangers and Delta Force troops to capture the warlord. But the mission was not very successful, and two choppers “Black Hawks” were gunned down by armed civilians on the streets. It’s a documentation of the horrors of war. Clinton had to withdraw his troops and this incidence influenced later US foreign polices and explains why US adopted a stay-out approach in the genocide in Rwanda.

Btw, “Hotel Rwanda” is another brilliant movie,
but I’ll cover later under “War-Movies” ...

SOME EPICS I've seen : Elizabeth, Patriot, Braveheart, Ben hur, Troy, Cleopatra, Alexander
The Last Samurai, Hidalgo, The English Patient, Ten Commandments ..
Some yet to see epics: Seven Samurais, Lawrence of Arabia ...

*** I've left out the names of most war-movies ...
which I'll cover under a separate topic on war movies ...

Indian Cinema On The International Platform

2005-12-05T13:32:00.000-06:00

The winter months of Dec-Jan-Feb ...
are very significant for movie-enthusiasts, as it’s time of increased Oscar buzz ...
with deadline for accepting final nominations, insanely intense lobbying and the finale of this crescendo of real drama over reels; with a grand Awards Ceremony! This year more than 50 countries are vying for “Best Foreign - Language Film” Oscar category; out of which only 5 will be shortlisted. The mass media, has already started predicting winners; ratcheting up the betting ritual and adding to the overall glamour and allure that surrounds any film-artist’s ultimate dream – The Golden Statue of Uncle OSCAR!!!

The Film Federation of India [FFI] has chosen it's film to be submitted for Oscar considerations: a fantasy folk-tale “Paheli”. Directed by Amol Palekar; it casts Shah Rukh Khan n Rani Mukerjee in lead roles. Till date, only three Indian movies have made to the “Top Five” nominations in the Oscar “Best Foreign Film” category:
- Mehboob Khan’s – Mother India -1957
- Mira Nair’s – Salaam Bombay – 1988
- Aamir Khan’s – Lagaan – 2002

WINS - NONE!!!

WHY???
Some of my very dear friends argue that Indian movies are made with the Indian audience on mind and that we don’t need any acknowledgement of the West. But then they indulge in such animated discussions on Oscar possibilities; that it easily reflects their innermost desire for a Hollywood stamp of approval. I’m sure they’ll be ecstatic and throw me a dinner-party if we do win any. Oscars is after all “the mother of all film-awards” and a solid proof of universal recognition! When our film industry is such a large conglomeration of so hugely talented luminaries; we deserve a larger worldwide audience. Moreover films are undoubtedly a very powerful medium to showcase our rich and vibrant culture on a global platform. With our age-old tradition of story-telling, we have folklores and epic-tales, stories of kings and queens, battles and heroic victories, religious leaders and illustrious personalities, our struggles with Independence, our trials with modernization, our tribal and mainstream culture ... In short, we got a plethora of potential scripts to churn out scores of masterpieces ...

But still the academy awards elude us ...
An easy way out; is to blame everything on others. It’s a common complain that Hollywood has racist attitude and does not give Indian cinema its due credit. This I feel is the lamest of all excuses. Another, more valid excuse is that the West does not understand the spirit of “Indian” movies. We prefer long movies [ get money’s worth !!! ]; with song n dance sequences [ escape from dull humdrum realities of life !!!] and with oodles of family dilemmas, melodramatic dialogues, appeal to God’s blessings and a grand moral finale suggesting triumph of good over evil [ feel-good factor ensures commercial success !!! ]. Now this collective set of factors makes for a “masala” or formula Hindi movie. But these hardly have any semblance to the hardcore realities of life; so those not abreast with the popular Indian taste in movies are not able to connect; in other words these movies do lack universal appeal!!! So there’s no point blaming the West, before some hard introspective analysis …

SATYAJIT RAY received worldwide accolades mostly for the true-to-life portrayal of characters in his movies. In fact he is revered as a precious treasure in the annals of world film history and is often compared to the likes of Akira Kurosawa and Steven Spielberg! So the accusation that the West is racist and biased against Indian doesn’t hold much water. His most famous work is said to be the Apu-trilogy [Pather Panchali, Aparajito and The World of Apu]; but of these; I’ve only seen Pather Panchali, which is said to have been shot on location with his friends as actors! It received instant recognition at the Cannes film festival. His other great movies that I’ve been lucky to see are Charulata, Agantuk and Shatranj Ke Khilari!
Satyajit Ray was honored with:
- “Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement” in the year 1992; and
- “Legion d’Honneur” ; the highest civilian award of France; in the year 2000.

Some other Indian artists [or artists with roots in India]; to make their names in international film circles are:
- Mira Nair
- M.L Shayamalan
- Shekhar Kapur

MIRA NAIR: She was born in India, educated at Delhi University and at Harvard; and has now is settled in the US of A. She has made scores of movies with typical Indian ‘flavor’ which has generated a positive buzz in the international circles; like:
- Salaam Bombay [Bafta award for best foreign film]
- Mississippi Masala [Golden Osella at Venice film festival]
- Kama Sutra: A tale of love; and
- Monsoon Wedding [Golden Lion at Venice film festival]

M.L. SHAYAMALAN: Born in India, but raised in the US. Produced some commercially successful Hollywood movies:
- The Sixth Sense [nominated for 5 Oscars, including in the coveted Best Director category]
- Unbreakable
- Signs and
- The Village
Though personally I feel his magic is wearing off now ...

SHEKHAR KAPUR: His movie Elizabeth got 7 Oscar nominations and won one in the Best Makeup category.

Now he’s an Indian to produce movie on a British Queen. What a strange coincidence that the only Indian to win an Oscar [BHANU ATHAIYA; “Best Costume Design” category] is in a movie produced by a British Sir Richard Attenborough on “Father of our Nation”. In fact this movie “Gandhi” won 8 Oscars including the most prestigious Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Director awards.

I’ll just add the names of a few movies on NRI’s or made by NRI’s …
- Hydrabad Blues
- Bombay Boys
- American Desi
- Foreign Body
- The Guru

Now with India creating ripples in international circles as an emerging superpower, it’s high time that Bollywood produces such movies that have universal appeal and wins the stamp of international approval: OSCARS!!!
So, keeping fingers crossed for the riddle ... Paheli !!!

Film Awards and Festivals ...

2005-12-05T13:26:00.000-06:00

Just a list of International Film Awards and Festivals ...
More information is welcome ...

ACADEMY AWARDS / OSCARS:
Presented since 1929 by “The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences” [AMPAS]
Nicknamed Oscars only in the 1930’s
Venue: Kodak Theater, Hollywood & Highland, Los Angeles, California, USA.

EMMY AWARDS:
TV version of the Oscars awards.
Presented since 1949, by “The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences” [ATAS]
Venue: Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, USA.

THE GOLDEN GLOBE:
Presented since 1944, by “The Hollywood Foreign Press Association” [HFPA].
Venue: Beverly Hilton Hotel, Beverly Hills, California, USA

BAFTA: Now known as, Orange British Academy Awards; as is sponsored by mobile phone company Orange. It is presented since 1947, by “The British Academy of Film and Television Arts” [BAFTA] Originally founded as British Film Academy, but later television was incorporated and named as BATFA..
Venue: Odeon, Leicester, London, England, UK
[Leicester pronounced as Lester]

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FILM FESTIVALS:

THE CANNES FILM FESTIVAL:
It is held since 1946, at Cannes, France.
Most prestigious award is Palme d’Or [Golden Palm]

BERLINALE / THE BERLIN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
It is held since 1951, at Berlin, Germany.
Awards are called Golden or Silver Bears [The Bear is the symbol of Berlin]

VENICE FILM FESTIVAL:
It is held since 1932 at Venice, Italy
The main award is Leone d’ Ora [Golden Lion]

SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL:
It started in 1978, at Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
Awards: Grand Jury Prize and Audience Awards

TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL:
Started in 1976 at Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Awards: People’s Choice Award

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FILM AWARDS in INDIA:
- National Film Awards: started in 1973
by the government sponsored Directorate of Film Festivals [DFF]
- Filmfare Awards: since 1953
- Zee Cine Awards
- Stardust Awards

The Blacks' Magic ...

2005-12-01T12:51:00.000-06:00

Yesterday night, I was flicking through TV channels and I stopped at the movie “Ray”. As I’ve already seen this movie; when it was released last year; so I just saw a small bit where he sings … “ What’d I say” [ Absolutely love this song!!!]
I think Jamie Foxx was P-E-R-F-E-C-T for the role ...
... as he’s quite an accomplished musician; having performed with the likes of Kanya West, 50 Cents and Ludacris ... So he well at ease getting into “Ray Charles” skin. But what’s more interesting is that he’s a comedian, more than a sober actor; but this was rather a very serious role. Before embracing Hollywood, Foxx had performed in a variety of TV serials with comedy roles. He also has his own sitcom “The Jamie Foxx Show”. For a person associated with comic-roles; to carry-out so convincingly in staid role, deserves loads of credit ...

So Jamie Foxx very deservingly won the Best Actor Oscar for “Ray” ; and along with him, another African American Morgan Freeman also won the Oscars as Best Supporting Actor for his role in “Million Dollar Baby”! Now this was only the second time in the 76-years history of Academy Awards that two African Americans won Oscars in the same year. The first time it was not long back, but quite recently in the year 2002, when Denzel Washington won Best Actor for “Training Day” and Halle Berry own Best Actress for “ Monster’s Ball”. The only other artist to win the best actor/actress Oscar has been Sidney Poitier in “Lilies of the Field” in 1963. This reflects how poorly the African-American community is represented in Hollywood!!! But this scene is now changing ...

That brings me to 3 of my favorite Black artists:
- Denzel Washington
- Morgan Freeman
- Samuel L. Jackson

Some movies I’ve seen:
DENZEL WASHINGTON: Training Day, John Q, The Bone Collector, The Manchurian Candidate, Pelican Brief, Man on Fire, Philadelphia, Mississippi Masala ..

MORGAN FREEMAN: Million Dollar Baby, Shawshank Redemption, Bruce Almighty, Driving Miss Daisy, Unforgiven, Nurse Betty ..

SAMUEL L. JACKSON: Pulp Fiction, A Time to Kill, the Negotiator, Jackie Brown, Unbreakable ..

I’ll also mention DANNY GLOVER here; though not a superstar, but definitely an excellent actor!!! [Lethal Weapon, The Rainmaker …]

Hollywood also has a host of African Americans; especially in comic roles:
EDDIE MURPHY: Doctor Dolittle, Nutty professor, Coming to America, Beverly Hills Cops
CUBA GOODING Jr: Rat Race, Men of Honor, Jerry Maguire, A Few Good Men
WILL SMITH: I-Robot, Hitch, Men in Black, Bad Boys, Independence Day
CHRIS TUCKER: Rush Hour, Jackie Brown ...

Some leading ladies:
WOOPIE GOLDBERG: Ghost, Corrina Corrina, Rat race
HALLE BERRY: Monster’s ball, Die another day, X-men, Swordfish
JADA PINKETT: Collateral ...

Art Imitates Life...!!!
I remember an old movie “Gone with the wind” in which Blacks were depicted as slaves.
Now a days African Americans are largely integrated into American mainstream culture; especially when if compare with the situation 50 years back. Prior to the passing of the “Civil Rights Act” of 1964; Blacks were restricted by law, to attend only “Colored Theaters”; which had separate entrance and seats...
Some absolutely *BRILLIANT* movies that depict the struggles of Blacks:
- To Kill a Mocking Bird [based on Harper Lee’s novel]
- A Time to kill [based on John Grisham’s novel]
- Mississippi Burning [based on true events that occurred in 1964]

Though earlier movies brought out STEREOTYPICAL roles for Blacks; which were not very flattering [servants, criminals, prisoners ...] But now, with changing times; Hollywood is increasingly churning out CROSSOVER roles; where they are depicted as layers, doctors, scientists, detectives’ police and the likes. In fact recently I saw a comedy “Be Cool”; in which a White [Vince Vaughn] acted as a “wannabe Blackman” ...
African Americans have made considerable impact on American culture, and as the perception of the society on them is changing, films; which reflect the society in which they are made; are changing as well ...

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*** Except for Sidney Poitier’s “Lilies of the field”; I’ve seen all of the other movies mentioned in the post .. In fact I’ve not even seen his “Guess who’s coming for dinner”!!! The only Poitier movie I’ve seen is “The Jackal"; in which he has a minor role!

Comedy Tonight ...

2005-11-21T23:10:00.000-06:00

These winter days when everything outside is dull and lifeless; a good escape from this all pervading drudgery is MOVIES … especially COMEDIES!!! These days are meant for grabbing some munchies, curling-up on a sofa and enjoying a laugh riot comedy-flick in the warmth of a thick blanket !!!

Now I am *NOT* talking about some of those movies, which though are termed as comedies; are not really funny . For example I can never call a movie like “Fargo” to be funny! To me it’s simply a tragic dark crime-story. I’m also leaving out satiric dramas like “The Trueman Show”, which though belongs to genre of comedies, but far from making me laugh, leaves me melancholic and pensive. Even romantic stories with happy endings, are ruled out.

So today I’m going to write on hardcore laugh-out-loud comedies like:
- SLAPSTICKS – characterized by exaggerated physical action, like cake-fights, chases, collusions …
- SCREWBALLS – with odd and eccentric pairing; intelligent with stupid, rich n poor…
- SPOOFS – comedy take on serious movies …

Humor is a very personal individual taste. What may make one person roar with laughter, may totally offend another. As I’m attempting to list some movies that I’ve throughly enjoyed; I wont be surprized if some of the readers find them to be totally nonsense, boring or even repulsive!

To begin with, three names closely associated with comedies are:
- Ben Stiller
- Jim Carrey
- Adam Sandler

Recently I saw a movie, “Dodgeball – A true underdog story”. Now that’s an outright funny movie!!! Ben Stiller acts as an obnoxious fitness freak, and is uproaringly outrageously
H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S!! In fact, if I’m asked my favourite comic character; its Ben Stiller … he has consistently proved himself to be a top-class low-brow comedy-champion, covering a wide range of roles in different movies:
- Starsky & Hutch – play-by-the-book impractical cop
- Zoolander – unintelligent awkward male model
- Meet the parents / Meet the fockers – simpleton male nurse with a funny name!!!
- There's something about Mary – goofy embarrassing [zipper!!] loser
- Along came Polly – neurotic OCD salesman

I remember another riproaring screwball comedy that I saw some days back; “Anchorman - The legend of Ron Burgundy”. In this the lead role is played by Will Farrell, but Ben Stiller makes a small appearance!!! In fact Stiller and his friends have formed an informal FRAT PACK / SLACK PACK – which is a group of middle-aged men who keep popping up in each others movies. Members are: Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson, Will Farell, Vince Vaughn and Black Jack.

Seems like these Frat-Pack members have dislodged the longtime king of Hollywood comedies :Jim Carrey. Though he’s known for his comic-roles, some of his movies to be rather serious, like “The Trueman Show” and “Eternal Sunshine of a spotless mind”. I really like his performance in non-silly movies, but comedy is his forte ...
- Dumb n Dumber
- The Mask
- Me myself & Irene
- Bruce Almighty
- Ace Ventura

Another person to have carved a substantial niche for himself in the world of comedies is : Adam Sandler. Starting as a stand-up comedian, he now writes and produces his own movies and also composes songs! Some of his good movies:
- The wedding singer
- Little Nicky
- Big Daddy
- Anger Management
- 50 first dates

But of these three: Ben Stiller, Jim carrey and Adam Sandler ..
... I like Ben Stiller THE MOST!!!

Some other good comedies:
White chicks
The wedding crashers
Hitch
Napoleon Dynamite
American Pie – 1 and 2 / American Wedding
Analyze This / AnalyzeThat
The whole nine yards / The whole ten yards
Dude where's my car?
Road trip
Tootsie
Mrs Doubtfire
Police Academy

Good Night and Good Luck

2005-11-18T10:26:00.000-06:00

The movie is a historical documentary; so spoilers shouldn’t be an issue. I myself being a movie aficionado; know the importance of mystery and suspense in a movie; so I wouldn’t be a killjoy divulging any part of the storyline. But since it’s based on a much-known event; a reference to plot; shouldn’t matter at all…
But be warned of spoilers …

Two days back, when temperature dipped sharply and Chicago had its first round of flurries; my friend and I decided to celebrate this [non] event with a movie! We chose “Goodnight and Good luck”, and boy, it turned out to be an absolutely brilliant movie!!!

To begin with David Strathairn’s acting is mind-blowing! Makes me wonder where he was all this while; don’t recall seeing his movies. The script is taut, gripping and perfectly paced; I mean it neither races through nor slows down. It’s meticulously edited with no wasted moments. The most exalting highpoint is the articulate language used; which is crisp, gentlemanly, direct with no-frills; no melodramatic dialogues and no swear words even in the worst fits of rage and frustration. It is such a refreshing change from the much degraded language that we hear today.

It is in the backdrop of the dark period of American history - the period of witch hunt for communists in the US of A or the period of McCartheism. The story is of newscaster Edward R Murrow who waged a media war against him and eventually brought him down. The movie immediately takes the audience to the fifties milieu with Black-n-White cinematography and period costumes that reflect fashion of those days when formal pinstripe suits and button-down shirts were in vogue. What further gives an authentic stamp, is the wonderful Jazz-interludes; with relevant lyrics, which makes a person chuckle .

But the reason why this historical piece; really hits so hard, is its relevance in today’s world. Just substitute communism with terrorism and McCartheism with the US Patriot Act; and we get stark parallels! Now-a-days, we live in a vicious atmosphere of fear and suspicion and have even forsaken some of our civil liberties in the name of security. In the wake of Bush administration’s war against terrorism; any dissent to his policies is usually treated as unpatriotic and viewed as a move that will potentially strengthen our enemies. In fact this has become a good strategy to avoid public scrutiny and accountability. The movie emphatically underlines the issue that criticizing government policies do not make its citizens unpatriotic!!!

Further; it brings out the “power” and “role” of investigative journalism and mass-media in a democratic society. Though challenging the establishment is an extremely daunting task; especially with corporate control over media, sponsorship issues and rating pressures; but its still possible! We got a few outstanding precedences, if we just turn the pages of our history books!!! So the movie gives a jolt to the mass-media, while itself playing its small little role in creating awareness ... and in such an entertaining manner!!!

I’m reminded of a couple of other true-story based movies.
- “All the Presidents Men”– one of my all time favorite movies; based on the works of two journalists Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward who exposed the Watergate scandal and brought down the Nixon administration.
- “The insider” - media versus corporate arm-twisting! A must-see real-life drama.
- “Confessions of a dangerous mind” – which was George Clooney’s first movie as a director. It was another true-story on a comedian who claimed to be an undercover CIA assassin.

With this movie, Hollywood once again plays its role in tossing around liberal ideas.
A must watch movie!!!

DIRECTOR: George Clooney
CAST: David Strathairn
Robert Downey Jr.
Patricia Clarkson
Jeff Daniels
George Clooney

British Movies

2005-11-15T12:21:00.000-06:00

My name is Bond ... James Bond!!!
When I think about British movies; the first name that comes to my mind is of Bond ... James Bond. This spy-thriller can safely be said to be the most successful of the British movies in the world. They also brought-in few of the most handsome of faces on the silver screen: Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan ... and now Daniel Craig. Interestingly, Bond movies, is another phenomenon with roots in the “swinging sixties”- in the atmosphere of all pervading music, dance n sex; as its very first film "Dr. No" came out in 1962.

But somehow, I think that the influence of Brits in the field of movies is much less profound than their flamboyant contributions in the musical arena. But maybe that's just me. So now I'll just pen down the names that come to my mind; when I think of British movies. Few names definitely stand out: Charlie Chaplin; the “master of suspense” Sir Alfred Hitchcock and other directors like Richard Attenborough, Ridley Scott, and Guy Ritchie. Then there are few wacky comic-series that I've really enjoyed like: Mr. Bean [Rowan Atkinson], Monty Python, and Carry-on series ...
Of course the super-duper Harry Potter series:
- Sorcerer’s Stone
- Chamber of Secrets
- Prisoner of Azkaban

Now if I list of my five fav. British movies, it'll include:
• Bridget Jones Diary
• Notting Hill
• Love Actually
• Four weddings and A Funeral
• Bend it like Beckham

Some other movies I’ve really liked: About a Boy, The Full Monty, The day of the jackal, The English patient, Educating Rita, The Bridge on the river Kwai.

LISTMANIA:
Actors: Hugh Grant, Clive Owens, Jude Law, Colin Farrell, Orlando Bloom,
Sir Anthony Hopkins, Ben Kingsley, Peter O’Toole, Christopher lee, Michael Caine, Kenneth Branagh

Actresses: Kate Winslet, Catherine Zeta Jones, Kiera Knightly, Elizabeth Hurley, Minnie Driver, Emma Thompson
Dame Judie Dench and Dame Julie Andrews

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YET - TO - SEE MOVIES LIST:
Shakespeare in Love, Trainspotting, Billy Elliot, A man of all seasons, House of flying daggers, A fish called Wanda, the Killing Fields
Classics: Lawrence of Arabia, Pride and Prejudice, Crime n Punishment, Great Expectations, Chariots of fire

Film Genres

2005-11-13T06:42:00.000-06:00

GENRES:

• Thriller
• Comedy
• Action
• Science-Fiction
• Crime / Gangster
• Horror
• Epics / Historic
• Musical
• War
• Westerns
• Documentary

Innumerable Combinations: Action-comedy-crime-mystry; Drama-romance-comedy; History,drama, action

SUBGENRES:

COMEDY:
- SLAPSTICK / WACKY – Charecterized by exaggerated physical actions. [ Trivia:The term “slapstick” comes from wooden sticks that clowns slapped to make audience laugh] Movies: Lauren-Hardy, Charlie Chaplin, Zoolander, Monty Python, The Mask, Ace Venture ...

- SCREWBALL - Films where everything is in juxtaposition: rich n poor, intelligent n stupid, honest n dishonest, male n female, educated n uneducated. In a typical screwball comedy, two lead characters often employ hideous tricks on each other, untill finally they fall in each others arms. Like: You've got mail, Wedding Crashers ...

- SPOOF / PARODY – These are comedy takes on serious films. Like: Austin Powers series, Airplane ...

- ROMANTIC COMEDY - commercially; this is probably the most successful of all sub-genres. Movies: Sideways, Wedding Crashers, Hitch, My Big fat Greek Wedding, Notting Hill, Bridget Jones's Diary, America’s Sweethearts, My best friends wedding, Sleepless in Seattle, When Harry met Sally, French kiss ...

THRILLERS / CRIME:
- FILM NOIRS: Key ingredients of a noir-movie:
- Primary Mood : melancholy, alienation, disillusionment, moral corruption, guilt and paranoia
- Dialogues are often crisp n witty with great one liners
- In typical noir; the “protagonist” tries to escape some mysterious past. He maybe gangster, crook, criminal or even government agent or cop
- "Femme fatale" plays a crucial role; she’s usually mysterious, manipulative, irresistibly attractive and often leads men to disaster
- Distinct cinematic visual style – dark, shadowy, gloomy appearance
- Film usually has a narrative style with a series of flashbacks.
Movies: Momento, Pulp Fiction, se7en, Usual Suspects, The Last Seduction, Vertigo ...

- GANGSTER MOVIES - The Godfather trilogy, The Untouchables, Scarface, Goodfellas, Casino, Ganges of New York ...

- COURTROOM DRAMA - Philadelphia, A few good men, My cousin Vinny; John Grisham novel based movies: The Rainmaker, A time to kill, The Client, Pelican Brief, The Firm ...

WESTERNS
- SPAGHETTI WESTERNS - During 1960-1975, many Westerns were made; mostly financed by Italian companies, so they were called ‘Spaghetti Westerns’. This term is now used for any Western movie made and financed by European film makers.

References:
http://www.filmsite.org/genres.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cinematic_genres