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Reviews of movies from India & around the world
I love movies, but am highly selective of what I watch. In this section, you will find reviews of fascinating movies from around the world with considerable Indian bias, of course. There are also a few general articles on movies and several lists (e.g. great Iranian movies, etc.) that may be of your interest.
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Page 3: Madhur Bandarkar & Konkona Sen scintillate
Posted on May 26, 2007 | 1 CommentPage 3 IMDB Year: 2005 Director: Madhur Bhandarkar Category: Drama Rating: 5 out of 5 A fantastic out of the box movie from India ‘Page 3’ by Madhur Bhandarkar is one of the nicest Indian movies I have seen in the last five years or so. The plot of page 3 is available in many sites, and I will not write about it here. I shall concentrate instead on some aspects that liked most in the movie. Unique story line The story, to begin with, is refreshingly different, and is a drastic shift from the typical formula-based movies. This does... -
List of great movies: India and international (brief reviews)
Posted on April 23, 2007 | 4 CommentsHere is your window to some of the best movies in the world, in my perspective. The following ratings are not by a trained movie critic, but by as passionate movie buff. So, if the ratings reflect anything, it reflects my taste. In general, I tend to like movies with good stories, powerful but subtle dialog, good music that’s not conspicuous, acting that’s not overly dramatic and stories that “could have been true”. I thought of putting it together both as record for my own sake and to share a list of movies with those who may share my taste.... -
Pride & Prejudice by Leonard: Reasonable
Posted on April 18, 2007 | 1 CommentPride and prejudice IMDB Year: 1940 Writer: Jane Austen Director: Robert Z. Leonard Length: 117 Category: Drama Rating: 3 out of 5 Many movies have been taken on this brilliant book by Jane Austen. The best in my opinion is the version produced by BBC (click here for review). Being a television serial, it has the advantage of time – and so is better able to do justice to the novel. I feel that Leotard managed quite a bit in 117 minutes. The trouble though was not with time, but with Hollywood. Rarely can a Hollywood movie escape the pressures... -
Colour of paradise: Majid Majidi’s Masterpiece
Posted on April 18, 2007 | 4 CommentsColour of Paradise IMDB Year: 1999 Writer: Majid Majidi Director: Majid Majidi Category: Drama Rating: 5out of 5 Another great product of Iran’s movie revolution. A master piece on the struggle between a bright blind boy and a father who is ashamed of his disability Mohammad is a curious young boy who is constantly discovering the nature around him. He is bright and has picked a remarkable ability to read using braille. He is loved by his young sisters and nurtured by his grandmother, and the local school is proud of the boys academic abilities. His father though, is ashamed... -
Woody Allan’s Manhattan disappoints me
Posted on April 15, 2007 | No CommentsManhattan IMDB Year: 1979 Writer: Woody Allen Director: Woody Allen Rating: 2 out of 5 The movie starts with a forty something Woody Allan and his seventeen year old date at a dinner with his friend Yale (played by Michael Davis) and his wife. Yale confides to Woody that he is having an extra marrital affaire with a bright Journalist played by Diane Keaton. The movie then takes us through a tangled web of relationships, betrayals, insecurities and a dash of humour now and then. I decided to watch Manhattan after seeing the fantastic rating it had in Rotten Tomatoes.... -
Majidi’s Children of Heaven: A child’s lost shoe becomes a moving story
Posted on April 14, 2007 | 3 CommentsChildren of heaven Year: 1997 Writer: Majid Majidi Director: Majid Majidi Category: Foreign Rating: 5 out of 5 Children of Heaven is a product of Iran’s movie revolution. Ali goes to get his sister’s shoe cobbled and looses it on the way back. He’s too scared to tell this to his parents since they are too poor to buy another pair immediately. He convinces his sister to keep it from the parents and shares his sneakers with her. But this is not easy since his school starts immediately after her school ends and the children run to and from school... -
Gangajal Hindi Movie with Ajay Devagan:Old plot, new refinement
Posted on March 17, 2007 | 13 CommentsGanga Jal IMDB Link Year: 2003 Writer: Prakash Jha Director: Prakash Jha Length: 150 Category: Drama Rating: 4 out of 5 Though it is based on an age old plot of a police officer fighting against crime, Gangajal takes it to a new height in how it is executed I wish this move were not as violent as it is – baring that, it is close to a perfect movie. In this movie inspired by the Bhagalpur Blindings, Ajay Devgan plays an IPS officer who takes on the local gangster – Sadhu Baba, and expectedly, wins. In this he is... -
Great movies from Iran – list and brief descriptions
Posted on March 7, 2007 | 26 CommentsIran has produced some of the best world movies in the last decade or two. This is a short note on some great movies from Iran. I have listed below some of my favourite Iranian movies. These movies deserve detailed review that I’ll try in the near future. I’ll link them to good reviews when possible. For the moment, I’ll leave you with a list of movies, and a few links. List of movies Colour of Paradise: A bright blind child who enjoys school is forced by his father to quit school and take up carpentry with a blind carpenter. The story... -
List of Indian movies for my non-Indian friends
Posted on March 4, 2007 | 9 CommentsThis list consists of some formulaic movies and some that are innovative. I am working on the list and hope to build it over time. Some of my most cherished Indian movies require a contextual knowledge. The best of Tamil movies involves a play of words that cannot be captured by subtitles – and in any case the subtitles of most movies leaves us wanting. So, each time a friend asks me what’s a good movie to watch, I am left dumbstruck. I’ve finally decided to put together a list on which I can receive some help – and some... -
Moving beyond the formula: Bold new Indian movies
Posted on March 4, 2007 | 1 CommentThe last few years have seen some dazzling movies that have boldly departed from the mainstream. A movie historian in Tamil Nadu once said (perhaps Randor Guy) that most movies in the language (and I am sure in Hindi as well) revolved around 8 basic plots. These new movies have a bold new plot – but that’s not all. Many of these have given up a formulaic approach of making commercial movies in India (atleast in Hindi and Tamil): a little glamour, some songs, some dancing, some comedy (even if it’s totally unrelated), a macho hero, sexy heroine, fights (called...
