Pictured Moving

If you want to see an editing masterpiece this is one of them. The true display of non linear narration is in movies like these. Amores Perros or Love’s a Bitch is a Spanish flick with English subtitles. Directed by the acclaimed Alejandro González Iñárritu of Babel fame this movie keeps you to your seat till the end. Excellent performances from the entire cast. A must watch and if you are a movie connosiuer you should have this in your DVD collection.

My Take - Wow! ■■■■■

I finally did catch up on Capote and the resuly was amazing. Based on a true life incident of American non fiction author Truman Capote in the run up to his book In Cold Blood, this is truly fascinating. With Phillip Seymour Hoffman in his Oscar winning role, he has been able to catch and execute the emotion of an author caught between his human side and his professional side, besides all the mannerisms of the real Truman Capote. For serious movie fans this is a must watch.

My Take: Yeah! ■■■■■

How do the young and restless behave - watch Rang De Basanti to find out. What changes for them in that one tipping point of their lives from no hopers/wanderers to people with a mission however far fetched it may seem. This is a truly inspirational film especially if you are an Indian concerned about the future of this country. This is about fighting the establishment, this is above love, and about finding purpose. All perfomances are well executed, Siddharth and Aamir are the best of the lot, with the rest not so far behind. Alice Patten is cute.

Music gets you dancing in your seats especially tinga dinga dinga dinga ding No prizes for guessing which song that is. Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra hasn’t disappointed in his next film after Aks. He is one of the best “before intermission” film makers I have seen. Overall don’t miss it…and buy/hire DVD only after you have experienced it on the big screen.

My Take: Yeah! ■■■■■

Blasphemy! That’s what the Christian world said when they saw “The Last Temptation of Christ”. It’s been 17 years since the controversy on this Martin Scorsese flick. Deftly executed in terms of the content and cinematography, this movie rakes up a lot of issues on the divinity or rather the humanness of Christ.Got a chance to see it at last and yes even though I don’t call myself a hardliner it did make me a little uncomfortable watching it. I’m of course willing to believe that Martin Scorsese had access to some information that the laity in the christian world is not aware of (read as the non fictional Da Vinci code if there may be).

All in all, I must say do watch it, but with a lot of caution lest you need to question your belief system.

My Take - Yeah! ■■■■■

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is a well crafted movie. I had to see the original after my disastrous viewing of Charlie and the Chocolate factory“”. This one is much better and more believable than the remake. Gene Wilder is wonderful so is Peter Ostrum as Willy Wonka and Charlie Bucket respectively. The truth of the matter is please leave the classics as they are, do not remake them atleast not in a way that people get to see your incompetence. Also, I’m glad that now I have my own personal copy of the film on DVD. This one is a not to miss especially if the kid in you is still alive and of course if you like chocolates.

My Take - Yeah! ■■■■■

Nagesh Kukunoor of Hyderabad Blues fame is getting better with every movie he makes. Iqbal the story of a deaf and dumb village boy who dreams of riding his dream of becoming one of the men in blue. The struggle he goes through against all adversity is the highlight of this movie, along with performances from Shreyas Talpade who play Iqbal and Naseeruddin Shah. Shweta Prasad who plays Iqbal’s younger sister is also well played.

All in all a feel good movie to watch if you are an ‘underdog’ supporter. Besides if you are a fan of Nagesh Kukunoor’s brand of movies, this one is pretty slickly made.

My Take - Yeah! ■■■■■

Al Pacino, Robin Williams, and Hilary Swank are exceptional in the 2002 murder thriller Insomnia. Slickly shot in Alaska where the sun never sets, this crime thriller is
well executed with great perfomances. It’s unimaginable that you’ll find that Al Pacino and Robin Williams set a wrong foot when it comes to performances, and this one is no exception. Christopher Nolan well known for his crime flicks is one filmmaker to watch when it comes to gripping crime thrillers replete with tight characterizations.

This one needs a rerun because each moment has some tale being told. Needs a keen eye to pick the relationships each of them share and the worlds they live in, and ofcourse how protective they are of their worlds.

My Take - Yeah! ■■■■■

Picked up the DVD of Hello, Dolly!on one of my rare appearences at the local music/video store. A 1969 classic, it has my favourite female singer Barbara Streistand along with Walter Mathau. An elegantly done musical this one also has Louis Armstrong in his last appearence in a movie singing the title song as well. Musicals are a great fun to watch and I would recommend this movie to anyone wanting to get a peek into the world of musicals.

Though not in the same league as the director Gene Kelly’s earlier classic Singin in the Rain - this will however keep you entertained with its music. Worth a watch and the title song and dance sequence deserves multiple reruns, what with it being the Satchmo’s last appearence on the big screen.

My Take - Hmmm! ■■■■■

Mind Blowing – That’s how I would describe this movie. The 2nd of the movies that have both the Bachchan’s, father and son. Loosely based on The Godfather and a rehash of the Thackeray family, this is one of the best films from Ram Gopal Varma’s stable. Wow performances from Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Kay Kay Menon and the others in the cast. The best thing about this movie is there are no songs, to the point effective dialogs and delivery, and to top it all speaking with your eyes performances. A must for ham actors to make them understand that acting is more about shutting their trap than opening it.

Abhishek Bachchan has been able to hold his ground in front of the doyen of Hindi cinema and more importantly his father Amitabh Bachchan. This guy is to be watched – He is the next big superstar in the making. And that could not have been more aptly shown when, he takes over the reins from his father in the movie. Watch out all you Abhishek Bachchan critics you will all eat crow now.

Don’t even dare watch this movie on cable or DVD – you will kill yourself for it later, watch it on the big screen.

My Take - Wow! ■■■■■