The New wave in the Hindi film industry [List]
I love cinema, irrespective of the language, color, genre or the decade. If it's a good film, I will watch it. I believe 1950s was the most significant period for Hindi films. Some of the most acclaimed films belong to that era; Pyaasa, Kaagaz Ke Phool and Awaara to name a few.
Although I have a few favorite films from each decade after the 1950s, but on the whole I cannot say that they made too many [percentage wise] critically acclaimed films during the 70s, 80s and 90s with exceptions being Shyam Benegal, Basu Chatterjee, Govind Nihalani, Kundan Shah and some more.
However in the last 10 years, a lot has changed with Indian films, the viewers are open to accept new subjects and improvisations in films. They like anything good, meaning if you make a good film, they will not trash it. They may not make a lot of money, but they surely receive critical reception.There is a whole new wave of actors, actresses and filmmakers that are bringing great change to the otherwise cliched industry we have turned into.
Here is a list of some people who has brought a great change in the ways films are made in the new millennium: [this list is in Alphabetical Order]
Aamir Khan
Abhay Deol
Abhishek Chaubey
Anurag Kashyap
Bejoy Nambiar
Ashutosh Gowariker
Dibakar Banerjee
Farhan Akhtar
Homi Adazania
Imtiaz Ali
Irrfan Khan
Jimmy Shergill
Kalki Koechlin
Kay Kay Menon
Konkona Sen Sharma
Mahi Gill
Manoj Bajpai
Nagesh Kukunoor
Nawazuddin Siddiqui
Piyush Mishra
Rajat Kapoor
Reema Kagti
Sanjay Mishra
Saurabh Shukla
Saurabh Shukla
Shimit Amin
Sudhir Mishra
Tigmanshu Dhulia
Vishal Bhardwaj
Vidya Balan
Vikramaditya Motwane
Vinay Pathak
Zoya Akhtar
Let me know if I have missed any, it will help me build a better watchlist
-Amritt Rukhaiyaar
[This post is a part of the A to Z Challenge in April 2014. Let's celebrate blogging.]
-Amritt Rukhaiyaar
[This post is a part of the A to Z Challenge in April 2014. Let's celebrate blogging.]
Tag :
Challenges,
Lists
Making favorites
I told you before how I was introduced to movies in my previous post titled Experiencing Cinema. Here is the 2nd part of that story.
So, I was only 5 when I developed an affinity for movies. With only Doordarshan and its other Channel "DD Metro" [do you remember that other channel] on TV, there wasn't too many opportunities to watch movies.
Yes, occasionally we used to rent VHS [or VCR] and watch films like "Mohra" and sometimes English films like "Jurassic Park" but watching an English films was a rarity those days.
I belong to a small town and movies used to reach the movie theater here after a good 4-5 months of its release. However they have evolved with time and "first day first show" is a possibility for the fan-boys now. Some of them even installed the Dolby sound system. But since I haven't watched a film here in last 10 years so I can't comment on that. Anyways.
Sometimes when the theater owners could not win the rights of the latest film [I don't know how the cinema hall functions though], they used to show some old films that released a couple of years ago.
So, in 1995, when I was 6 years old, one day they announced on the loud speaker on the back of a Tempo Rickshaw that from the coming Friday, a film called "Saajan" will play on 4 shows everyday [they really used to do such announcements, if you remember].
I still remember glimpses of the day when I virtually forced my dad to take me to the theater so that I could watch 'SAAJAN' and when I did, I was starstruck after seeing Salman. A few months later, they were playing ANDAZ APNA APNA and I asked some elder brother of mine to take me to the theater, this time to watch Andaz Apna Apna. I used to be patient with other films, but didn't missed any of Salman's film till I was 15 or 16.
I am not a Salman Khan fan anymore but yes I was, I certainly was and even now I can see him on those No Logic Entertainment films he does. At least he is honest with what he promises.
In the next part, I will share what happened during the late 90s and the early 2000s and about my drift to English films.
-Amritt Rukhaiyaar
[This post is a part of the A to Z Challenge in April 2014. Let's celebrate blogging.]
[This post is a part of the A to Z Challenge in April 2014. Let's celebrate blogging.]
[List] The Greatest actors of all time
I wanted to make this list three years ago, but at the same time I realized that I haven't yet watched some significant movies and I wouldn't do proper justice with the list. My total number of films count was 850 then so I thought let's make it a thousand and then make the list. The next year when I reached the 1000 mark, I thought let's watch some more films and then make a comprehensive list. So, last night when I finished up watching my 1300th film, I thought, I am prepared for the list now.
Here are some criteria which this list follows:
1. This list contains mostly American [or English speaking] actors. [Foreign Actors will be listed separately in another list when I am ready for it]
2. There are no Indian actors included in this list. [I will make another list for them too]
3. I have only added actors, of whom I watched at least 12 performances. [this is really important for me, I need to learn about the actor with at least a dozen performances]
Now, here goes the list:
19. Johnny Depp: He has won the Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild award for Best Actor. He chose to play the soulful monster Edward Scissorhands [1990] over the pretty boy stardom he could achieve.
18. Orson Welles: Welles was way ahead of his time, a great actor and arguably one of the greatest filmmaker of all time. Touch of Evil [1958], The Trial [1962] and Citizen Kane [1941] are some of his many great films.
17. Russell Crowe: He is perhaps the greatest star from Newzealand in Hollywood. [correct me if I am wrong]. A gem of an actor. Immerses deep into the skin of the character, whether it is Gladiator [2000], A Beautiful Mind [2001] or American Gangster [2007].
16. Sean Connery: Still the most loved James Bond. But even if you choose to ignore bond, he is a great actor anyway. Apart from playing Bond, he is known for his role in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade [1989], The Untouchables [1987] and The Rock [1996].
15. Charles Chaplin: Yes he was funny, but he was not like a clown. A true genius who used to make movies and act in it. Chaplin has not only given so much to the cinema but to the world. One of the first few people to attain huge stardom in Hollywood.
14. Michael Caine: For the fan-boys, his career has much more to highlight apart from his brilliant performance as Alfred in The Dark Knight Trilogy. Caine is one of two actors nominated for an Academy Award for acting in every decade from the 1960s to 2000s, the other one being Jack Nicholson. Now that tells a lot.
13. Denzel Washington: My first Washington film was Glory [1989] and the last one I watched was Flight [2012]. Now in between those, you will discover the accomplished actor Denzel Washington is.
12. Al Pacino: Just watch him closely in The Godfather Part I [1972] and Part II [1974] and notice how differently he carried himself doing the same role. His role as Frank Slade in Scent of a Woman won him the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1993 after receiving seven previous Oscar nominations.
11. Anthony Hopkins: Hannibal Lecter is definitely his most significant character, but do not ignore his other works like The Elephant Man [1980], Nixon [1995] and The World's Fastest Indian [2005]. He is one of the most intense actors ever lived. His eyes does most of the work, he perfects it with the dialogues.
10. Dustin Hoffman: The Graduate [1967], Kramer vs. Kramer [1979], Tootsie [1982], Rainman [1988] and a lot more. Hoffman kept delivering great performance one after another. He has changed the way viewers expected heroes to be.
9. Daniel Day-Lewis: He won a Academy Award for the Best Actor in 1990, 2008 and then in 2013. A record for most Best Actor Awards at the Oscars. A popular method actor who has weird [but productive] on-set tantrums to perfect his characters. I have actually watched all his films, even Gandhi [1982]. Did you notice him in Gandhi?
8. Marlon Brando: Again for the fan-boys, no The Godfather was not the only great film he did. The Fugitive Kind [1960], On The Waterfront [1954] and The Young Lions [1958] are some of his great films before The Godfather.
7. Morgan Freeman: Ask him to be a driver or a prisoner or a detective or the President of the United States, may be Nelson Mandela or just ask him to be God and he will do it with his calm and composed personality and that authoritative voice. He is godly indeed.
6. Jack Nicholson: He is renowned for his often dark portrayals of neurotic characters. His twelve Oscar nominations make him the second most nominated actor of all time, behind only Meryl Streep, and tied with Katharine Hepburn.
5. Robert De Niro: From Mean Street [1973] to Casino [1995], Robert DeNiro has ruled and bullied most of his co-stars with his electrifying performances. That is a big reason Robert De Niro breaks in to be in the top 5 on my list.
4. Clint Eastwood: The Anti-hero of the 1960s, the man with no name from the Dollar Trilogy had a flair that even the young kids of 2014 find fascinating. But not only his acting, he later developed as one of the greatest directors as well.
3. Gene Hackman: He is best known for The French Connection [1971] and The Conversation [1974]. He mastered the character of Lex Luthor in Richard Donner's Superman [1978] and its sequel. His films during the 1990s were rather intriguing. Nevertheless he deserves to be at the 3rd spot on my list.
2. Henry Fonda: I won't say anything but paste something I found on the internet about Henry Fonda "For six decades, Fonda was so good people stopped appreciating his talent". May be I missed some bad Henry Fonda film, but still I watched too many of them and he never ceased to inspire me. Yes Fonda inspires you, 'impress' will sound disrespecting.
1. Tom Hanks: Now you don't need a reason to explain why Tom Hanks is at the top spot of a list called "The Greatest Actors of All Time." Whether it is falling in love with a mermaid in Splash [1984] or being a victim of AIDS in Philadelphia [1993] or being Captain Miller in Saving Private Ryan [1998] or the very recent Captain Phillips in Captain Phillips [2013], this man never lost his boyish charm. One may argue but from the point I see, Tom Hanks beats everyone else to be the greatest actor of all time.
Honorary Mention:
Paul Newman
Jack Lemmon
Gregory Peck
James Stewart
Kevin Spacey
Joaquin Phoenix
Sean Penn
Christian Bale
Philips Seymour Hoffman
Sean Penn
Christian Bale
Philips Seymour Hoffman
These are some other great actors which I haven't mentioned [but wanted to] in this list only because I haven't watched a lot of their films.
Note: This list contains actor who I have watched thoroughly year after year. I may have missed some of your favorites because I had a criteria to follow.
[This post is a part of the A to Z Challenge in April 2014. Let's celebrate blogging.]
-------------------------
PS: Since Movie Geek's Blog is trying to determine the greatest movie ever made as voted by its readers, will you please take a minute to vote for your favorite movie(s) on the right side bar of this blog?
Tag :
AtoZ Challenges,
Lists
Born to Die: How many times have these stars died on screen?
Remember how Amitabh Bachchan used to die in most of his films; he died in Deewaar, Sholay, Muqaddar ka Sikander, Shakti and many others. Even Hrithik Roshan dies in a lot of his films. These great performances when comes in a dying role, makes an instant connect with the viewers.
After watching a hell lot of films from the west, I can say that death is equally important in Hollywood as well. Here is a list of popular Hollywood actors whose character died more often than others.
Totally Spoiler free.
After watching a hell lot of films from the west, I can say that death is equally important in Hollywood as well. Here is a list of popular Hollywood actors whose character died more often than others.
Totally Spoiler free.
.jpg)
John Hurt, who played the role of Mr. Ollivander, the guy who handed Harry Potter his first wand, saying "the wand chooses the Wizard", died 40 times in his career, he acted in 186 films and died in more than 20 percent of them.
Sean Benn, Ned Stark of Game of Thrones, has acted in 100 films and has died 24 times, that is beyond John Hurt if we compare the percentage.
Robert DeNiro died 17 times in the 96 films he has done. Gary Oldman and Johnny Depp have tied their scores with 12 each, only Depp has done this in only 64 films while Gary Oldman took 73 films to die the same number of times.
Bruce Willis stands next to Depp with 11 deaths in 92 films and the one who is closing in on Willis is Leonardo DiCaprio.
But even though everyone outnumbered Leo DiCaprio, he beats everyone in percentage. Leonardo DiCaprio died in 9 films out of only 35 films he did. That's more than 25 percent of his films.
Poor guy, so many deaths and still no Oscar.
Amritt Rukhaiyaar
[This post is a part of the A to Z Challenge in April 2014. Let's celebrate blogging.]
Note: Number of films include some television roles as well
Note: Number of films include some television roles as well
Tag :
Challenges,
Trivia
Something the "Janta" [People] needs to watch
[This is not really a post about movies and entertainment, but needs your attention]
Here I am sharing a video which I came across some 15 mins ago and I am using this platform to make it visible to those who are concerned about the nation. My readers and fellow bloggers.
This is the sneak peek of a documentary produced by Anand Gandhi and is created by Khusboo Ranka and Vinay Shukla. Anand is the one who directed "Ship of Theseus" last year. While Khusboo Co-Written Ship of Theseus and Vinay acted in it. Their previous works are critically acclaimed and has international recognition.
Khusboo and Vinay followed the development of Aam Aadmi Party more closely than you and I, they are neither Pro-AAP nor Anti-AAP, their work is just about the development of a revolution taking the shape of a political party without any sinister intention. All it needs is your attention, attention of the bloggers who are no less than a guiding force for the common people.
Khusboo and Vinay followed the development of Aam Aadmi Party more closely than you and I, they are neither Pro-AAP nor Anti-AAP, their work is just about the development of a revolution taking the shape of a political party without any sinister intention. All it needs is your attention, attention of the bloggers who are no less than a guiding force for the common people.
I had goosebumps while watching this and I feel inspired and more confident that this country will soon witness a new dawn [this is my opinion, yours can differ and I respect that], I request you to watch this 5 min long video without being a supporter or a critic of any political party. Just watch it and share your feelings with me. All I want is 5 minutes of your time. This documentary is titled Proposition for a Revolution.
If this video moved you, please share it, this is something that needs some exposure.
-Amritt Rukhaiyaar
[This post is a part of the A to Z Challenge in April 2014. Let's celebrate blogging.]
Tag :
Challenges,
Documentary
7 "Into the Wild" quotes I love
If you haven't seen Into the wild, you should. Buy it, download or borrow. But do watch it.
This is one of my most loved and respected films from the last decade. Sean Penn is awesome. I always respected him more as an actor and lesser as a filmmaker but that I guess was before I watched into the wild.
Into the Wild is the biopic on Christopher McCandless. Read more about him HERE.
This is not a review, I will write a review some other time. Instead, I will share some of the most thoughtful quotes that makes this inspiring film even more inspirational.
Here goes 7 gems from Christopher McCandless himself.
1. Christopher McCandless: Happiness only real when shared.
2. Christopher McCandless: I read somewhere how important it is in life not necessarily to be strong... but to feel strong.
3. Christopher McCandless: I'm going to paraphrase Thoreau here... rather than love, than money, than faith, than fame, than fairness... give me truth.
4. Christopher McCandless: Some people feel like they don't deserve love. They walk away quietly into empty spaces, trying to close the gaps of the past.
5. Christopher McCandless: You don't need human relationships to be happy, God has placed it all around us.
6. Christopher McCandless: Mr. Franz, I think careers are a 20th century invention and I don't want one.
7. Christopher McCandless: If we admit that human life can be ruled by reason, then all possibility of life is destroyed.
-Amritt Rukhaiyaar
[This post is a part of the A to Z Challenge in April 2014. Let's celebrate blogging.]
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone [2001]
Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint
Directed by: Chris Columbus
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s stone [also released as Harry Potter and the philosopher’s stone worldwide except India, Srilanka, Pakistan and USA] was an absolutely brilliant adventure film.
The book was a huge success and the people behind the film worked upon every little detail to make the film successful as well. Very often, we come across movies adapted from popular books and feel that the kind of atmosphere and setup you imagined while reading the book was very different than the kind of images you are given to watch. This is something which was perfected in the Sorcerer’s stone, we imagined a similar Dursley’s place and a similarly dark Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry; the set decoration was so well crafted.
This is not a film which adults usually wave off; instead this was a fully fledged adventure film for people of all age group. JK Rowling’s book was muscular and vibrant and director Chris Columbus made sure that the movie version does not end up being a cute film about kids for the kids.
It can be very well compared to Star Wars and Indiana Jones, though I am not sure about the latter one. What Star wars must have been for someone born in the late 60s and early 70s, Harry Potter is something like that for those born in the late 80s and early 90s. The supernatural stuff like a three headed dog never looked out of the place and as a viewer I was glued to the screen while thrilled if the trio will be successful in their little endeavors.
Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint were only 11, 12 and 13 respectively at the time Sorcerer’s stone was released. Daniel as Harry Potter was almost like every one of us has imagined him to be. Hogwarts looked dark and comical, which is something I love about Harry Potter films, because computers could make it look real but the director chose to maintain the atmosphere JK Rowling created in her books.
Apart from the three prime characters, the castings for the adult’s role were done fantastically. Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Richard Harris and Robbie Coltrane as Professor Snape, Professor McGonagall, Headmaster Dumbledore and Hagrid respectively were the most appropriate choices to make for the persona of the characters Rowling created.
Here is an interesting part from Roger Ebert’s review of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s stone, which he wrote 12 years ago, just after the film was released. Read more about Roger Ebert Here.
“Computers are used, exuberantly, to create a plausible look in the gravity-defying action scenes. Readers of the book will wonder how the movie visualizes the crucial game of Quidditch. The game, like so much else in the movie, is more or less as I visualized it, and I was reminded of Stephen King's theory that writers practice a form of telepathy, placing ideas and images in the heads of their readers. The reason some movies don't look like their books may be that some producers don't read them.”
Harry Potter is a classic which stays with you for life; you will make your kids watch it. It is that kind of film. Harry Potter can very well be put with E.T, Jurassic Park, Star Wars and Indiana Jones. It is the film you grew up with, how can you not love it?
"They say the first part is always the best part, they don't lie."
"They say the first part is always the best part, they don't lie."
Note: I have not discussed the plot of the film but other details assuming all of you have already watched Harry Potter films.
Movie Geek's Rating: ★★★★
[This post is a part of the A to Z Challenge in April 2014. Let's celebrate blogging.]
officially a Geek now
Before you start looking for some official statement like "My dear friends, I have been chosen for the geekiest person alive award", let me clear that the word official was not to be taken seriously. So, let's move with the post.
A few weeks ago, a friend of mine asked the number of films I have watched. So I answered him with an exact number. He was fascinated by the fact that I actually had a definite answer for his question. So he moved forward with another question expecting a rapid fire answer, he wanted to know the number of films I have watched from the 90s, this time I didn't have a definite answer so I said, "don't know."
That night I thought of making a detailed chart of the films I have watched from every decade. How can I call myself a Movie Geek if I am all social and not indulging in preparing charts or other weird things like that. [Sorry for the forced humor :P]
So I opened the excel sheet where I add the names of the films I watch and distributed the films decade wise. As I was busy with work, completing this chart took a whole week but finally its ready.
Percentage of the films I have watched from different decades.
-Amritt Rukhaiyaar
[This post is a part of the A to Z Challenge in April 2014. Let's celebrate blogging.]
Tag :
Challenges,
Geeky
Some "Forrest Gump" Trivia
At the time when I revealed my theme for the AtoZ Challenge, I promised that I will come up with some interesting movie trivia, this is my first trivial post for the month of April.
Forrest Gump is one of the most popular films we know of. Even if someone is not really into movies, they have watched Forrest Gump. Tom Hanks played the role of Forrest Gump and won the Best Actor Award at the 1995 Oscars and the film won the Best Picture.
Here are some interesting trivia about Forrest Gump:
1. The girl in the school bus was Tom Hanks's daughter Elizabeth Hanks.
 |
| Elizabeth Hanks |
2. John Travolta and Chevy Chase and Bill Murray turned down the role of Forrest Gump. Travolta did admit later that passing that role was a mistake.
3. It took only 66 days for the film to pass the $250 million mark at the box office.
4. Gary Sinise's character tells Tom Hanks's character that the day Forrest works on a shrimp boat is the day he'd be an astronaut and next year, Sinise and Tom Hanks appeared together as astronauts in Ron Howard's Apollo 13.
 |
| a still from "Apollo 13", Gary Sinise indeed became an astronaut |
5. After the success of Forrest Gump, Author Winston Groom wrote a sequel novel, 'Gump & Co.' (1995), Forrest Gump happens to meet Tom Hanks in the novel.
6. In the 1988 movie Punchline, Sally Field plays the love interest for Tom Hanks's character; in Forrest Gump, 6 years later, she plays his character's mother.
7. In 2007, the American Film Institute ranked this as the #76 Greatest Movie of All Time.
8. On the other hand, The movie was named as one of "The 20 Most Overrated Movies Of All Time" by Premiere.
I hope you like trivia as I do. They are fascinating.
-Amritt Rukhaiyaar
[This post is a part of the A to Z Challenge in April 2014. Let's celebrate blogging.]
Sources: Google, Wikipedia, IMDb
Experiencing Cinema- Part I
My Blog's tagline used to be "The Movie blog for reviews, trailers, quotes and interesting stories." So, I write reviews, put some trailers, mention quotes too but what is missing is some interesting stories about the Movie Geek himself. Now is the time for my first story as a movie aficionado.
Today, I will share my first experience with films and how it made me fall in love with the idea of movies, so this is how it all started.
Many Years ago, on a summer afternoon, I, a 5 year old child was lying on the bed with a body temperature of 101 degree Fahrenheit. The TV was on, and the Mehmood Starring "KUNWARA BAAP" was showing. I was shivering with fever and was alone in the room, so without bothering to move forward and change the channel [there wasn't a remote controlled TV in my home in 1994], I just lied there and continued watching that film without much interest.
In a few minutes, I started to bond with that crippled child [Mehmood's son in the film]or say started to relate with the child's character as I was sick too. After the film finished, I was so sad, I ran to my mother and started crying after witnessing the poor state of the father-son duo depicted in the film.
Today, I will share my first experience with films and how it made me fall in love with the idea of movies, so this is how it all started.
Many Years ago, on a summer afternoon, I, a 5 year old child was lying on the bed with a body temperature of 101 degree Fahrenheit. The TV was on, and the Mehmood Starring "KUNWARA BAAP" was showing. I was shivering with fever and was alone in the room, so without bothering to move forward and change the channel [there wasn't a remote controlled TV in my home in 1994], I just lied there and continued watching that film without much interest.
My mother explained patiently, that it is just a film and everything that they show is only fiction and I shouldn't be sad about it, but a sad child takes things to heart. Just thinking about that poor Mehmood character made me sad, but after a few weeks, when I watched him doing a comedy scene in some other film, I understood the methodology of films and understood that portraying of characters may not be real and are mostly fiction. This was a fascinating revelation for me, I was so fascinated with the fact that a couple of actors can make common people sad and happy and can make them cry. I respected cinema, thereafter, everything they made.
This is an important story and I don't wanna cut it short, so presenting it in parts, this was how I introduced myself to cinema or it was introduced to me. I will write a part 2 very soon to tell how my love story with films developed.
-Amritt Rukhaiyaar
[This post is a part of the A to Z Challenge in April 2014. Let's celebrate blogging.]
Note: I forgot the film name but I remembered the plot so I had to Google to find the title.
This is an important story and I don't wanna cut it short, so presenting it in parts, this was how I introduced myself to cinema or it was introduced to me. I will write a part 2 very soon to tell how my love story with films developed.
-Amritt Rukhaiyaar
[This post is a part of the A to Z Challenge in April 2014. Let's celebrate blogging.]
Note: I forgot the film name but I remembered the plot so I had to Google to find the title.
Doodlebug [1997]: 3 minutes and you admit Nolan is a born genius
Before you read this review, Watch this short film which is only 3 minutes long.
Before Nolan made Memento, The Prestige, The batman films, Inception or any other mind blowing film, he made Doodlebug. Now calling Doodlebug as Nolan’s baby steps to film making may be a disrespect because this was in all senses a brilliant short film which shows no sign of the director being a first timer.
Long before he made us indulge in dreams within dreams within dreams or in the magic tricks by a couple of rival magicians, he started with Doodlebug. Doodlebug reflects the illusion with which Nolan makes his films. His mentality to make the audience use their brains at all times while watching his film is pretty much evident in this short film as well.
Christopher Nolan doesn't allow you to sit back and have fun with his films, you will have fun but you will have to figure out, this is how it is done while we are into a Nolan made film.
A man with his shoe in his hand is trying to hunt down a bug or something only to find later that he wasn't after the bug but a smaller version of himself, what comes later is even more disturbing. A greater version of the same man is hunting the man with a bigger shoe in his hand. So, there were 3 versions of him, one he is after and another who is after him.
What is brilliant is that he fascinates his audience in a short film of hardly 3 minutes. There might be no bug at all but the man’s phobia about bugs and his constant uneasiness that a bug might hurt him, so he is trying to hunt that disturbing thought and not the bug actually. This is why he kills it even after finding that it isn't a bug but his diminished version. He is so obsessed with it that he didn't even care to listen to the person on the phone.
This was brilliantly shot in black and white and was incredibly creative which only a genius can think of. Nolan did prove his genius act again and again after every couple of years. Either it’s the non-linear story line of Memento, the ultimate revelation of the prestige, the brilliant batman films or his tampering with dreams in Inception. Nolan never failed to impress. He is a true genius.
Movie Geek Rating: ★★★★
Cast: Jeremy Theobald
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
-------------------------
Author: Amritt Rukhaiyaar
[This post is a part of the A to Z Challenge in April 2014. Let's celebrate blogging.]
Chupke Chupke [1975]: A comedy that deserves to be in your movie library for life
Long before David Dhawan and Priyadarshan started making ordinarily funny films in the name of comedy, there was one man who used to make films that made you feel good about life and laughter, that man was Hrishikesh Mukherjee. His films had a natural humor with the value of family in the background, never ever he tried to make a family look bad together.
Botany professor Parimal Tripathi [Dharmendra] marries Sulekha [Sharmila Tagore] without the presence of the girl’s family members and then plans to introduce himself to them under false pretense. Her wife and few friends support him in this little endeavor and he reaches his in-laws place acting as a driver sent by the professor himself.
The couple thus enjoys the secrecy in their relationship and her family, only consisting of her sister and her brother-in-law [Om Prakash], often finds it offensive seeing Sulekha giggling with the driver, who is actually her husband. This development between Sulekha and the driver grew tension in her brother-in-law and sister’s life and they are worried how professor Parimal will react to this.
Professor Parimal/Driver Pyarelal calls upon his colleague Sukumar [Amitabh Bachchan], who is also like a younger brother to him, to come and act as Sulekha’s husband. The set of events become more laughable once the fake Parimal indulges in a relationship with Vasudha [Jaya Bachchan].
Dharmendra shines as Professor Parimal/Driver Pyarelal and proves that he can do comedy effortlessly and has more shades to his acting skills.
Om Prakash as Ragahvendra plays the 2nd best performance in Chupke Chupke after Dharmendra of course.
Amitabh Bachchan played an extended special appearance in this film, his inability to hold his nerves is brilliantly executed. 1975 was a great year for Amitabh Bachchan because of the back to back hits. Amitabh tasted success with Sholay, Deewaar, Mili and Chupke Chupke all in the same year.
Among others were Sharmila Tagore, Jaya Bachchan, Asrani and Keshto Mukherjee, all playing their roles to perfection. This film has great music by SD Burman and lyrics by Anand Bakshi. This is a proper comedy film a family wants to watch together. Although the film focuses on the urban Indian middle class, the narrative was able to communicate with viewers of all society.
Movie Geek's Rating: ★★★★½
Cast: Dharmendra, Om Prakash, Sharmila Tagore, Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bhaduri Bachchan
Directed by: Hrishikesh Mukherjee
-------------------------
Author: Amritt Rukhaiyaar
[This post is a part of the A to Z Challenge in April 2014. Let's celebrate blogging.]
Batman [1989]: The real comic book experience
Cast: Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger
Batman was made 25 years ago and still it’s one of Burton’s best works, perhaps the late 1980s and the early 1990s was the time when Tim Burton made his greatest films. Beetlejuice, Batman, Ed Wood, Edward Scissorhands and what not; we can easily say that Tim Burton’s best is now behind him.
 |
| Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson |
Before watching a Batman film, a true Batman fan must have imagined a Gotham City pretty similar to what we see in this film. The Gotham here was dark, mysterious and unsafe, a place which deserves a vigilante, with the right mix of colors to not make it look too realistic and thus retaining the Comic book impression. This is one of those details where I find Burton’s Batman better than Nolan’s Batman.
Although I believe Christian Bale was the better Batman actor of the two, I have no hesitation saying that I found Michael Keaton much more convincing as Bruce Wayne. He was unbelievably charming and complacent as Bruce and even as the Batman he looked terrifying in that Batsuit.
Jack Nicholson’s brilliant portrayal of The Joker is always overshadowed by the iconic Heath Ledger’s performance as The Joker. This is an uneven comparison and is unfair for both of them, the films were different in tone and so is the interpretation of that character, which suited their respective films. The Joker played by Nicholson was actually Jack Napier who was a mafia rank and worked in a gang. It was only after his boss planned his execution; he survived and became the Joker after his face is damaged in a chemical factory. On the other hand, the Joker played by Heath Ledger was more dark and mysterious with a mentality to extract evil from the best of people. He was a loner, a psychopath and had more issues than just money. Ledger will always be my pick, but Jack Nicholson was great in his own way.
The Dark Knight Trilogy films were way better but Burton’s Batman was a better Batman film, especially for a Batman fanatic, this is gold. The over the top acting by Heath Ledger, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Christian Bale, the technically sound fight sequences and that remarkable background score by Hans Zimmer makes the dark knight trilogy an outstanding action film franchise and also enlist it with some of the greatest films ever made but for a batman film, this one is closer to my heart because of the non-realistic and conventional approach with which it was made.
The conventional Batman and Gotham City I am talking about was pretty much visible in Batman Begins. The other two films were better movies but lesser batman like. I am not here to criticize Nolan’s Batman films but only because Christopher Nolan made such amazing Batman films, it is important to talk about it when you are talking about Batman. Any review of any Batman film is compared with the kind of benchmark Nolan created with The Dark Knight Trilogy, so even being a critic here, I am admiring his films in the first place.
Burton’s Batman has many flaws all through but still very delightful and the gadgets were funny yet intriguing. Jim Gordon and Harvey Dent were not significant at all in this film but nobody cared about them till we came across Gary Oldman’s Gordon and Aaron Eckhart’s Dent in the Nolan’s Batman films; full marks to Nolan there for emphasizing those important characters.
Nolan’s batman was definitely a better film according to me and a majority of people but it can’t be denied that Burton achieved the feat to make the comic book world look real whereas Nolan’s Dark Knight was more realistic and totally out of the comic book world. Burton’s character weren't deep and it was something Nolan perfected in his films.
This is not a typical review where you talk about a film for its own substance; I have reviewed it while keeping Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy in the background. Only because Batman is a subject where one cannot talk about a film without comparing it with the Nolan’s films.
Movie Geek’s Rating: ★★★★
-------------------------
[This post is a part of the A to Z Challenge in April 2014. Let's celebrate blogging.]
Amores Perros [2000]: Loyal dogs, disloyal people
Cast: Gael García Bernal, Goya Toledo, Emilio Echevarría
Amores Perros is a Mexican film released in 2000 with the English title “Love’s a bitch”. This film is often compared to Pulp Fiction because of the non-linear style of storytelling. But let’s not go there; instead we should admire Amores Perros for its own substance; It is director Alejandro González Iñárritu's first film.
It is the story of three people living three totally different lives and how they connect because of a car accident. These characters belong to the rich socialites to the working middle class to the homeless tramps of Mexico City.
There are three different segments in this film that play one after another and all of them have some common elements, which bind the three plots into one.
The first segment is called “Octavio and Susana”. Octavio is having an affair with his brother’s wife Susana. Seeing the way his brother beats teenager Susana, he thought she deserves better and plans to run away with her, but needs money to execute his plans. He indulges in the dog fighting where guys make their dogs fight and make money out of it. One of those fights went too intense and a guy shoots Octavio’s dog Cofi in order to spare a defeat. Octavio ran away from the place in his car and gets into an accident at the intersection of the roads and injures himself badly.
The second segment called “Daniel and Valeria” is about the rich TV people. Daniel, a TV producer abandoned his family and is living with his beautiful girlfriend and young actress Valeria. Daniel rented a new apartment for Valeria where her little dog disappears under the floorboards while chasing a ball into a hole in the floor, only to never return. Later during a car accident Valeria severely injured her legs and is now permanently out of her modelling and acting career. This was the same accident which injured Octavio, only this time we see it from another point of view.
In both of these segments, we come across a tramp El Chivo. El Chivo is who we learn about in the third segment, “El Chivo and Maru.” Although he seems like a beggar by his appearance but he actually is a professional hitman with a revolutionary past that ended on a bad note. He also has an estranged wife and daughter Maru. El Chivo is hired by a man to kill his business partner and when he was about to do the execution, that car accident which affected Octavio and Valeria interrupts him. El chivo steals Octavio’s money and his injured dog Cofi and nurses him.
After the road accident, there come unexpected revelations in the lives of Octavio, Valeria and El Chivo. Perros in English means Dogs and indeed the director has showcased dogs as a significant entity in this film. Dogs are symbols of loyalty and in each of the three stories; there is disloyalty by the characters in it, whether it is Octavio being disloyal to his brother, Daniel to his family or El Chivo's client to his business partner.
It is interesting to see that how one car crash changed the course of time for the three main characters of this film. This film is melodramatic, sensational and violent at different points of the plot. Depicting elements of disloyalty in the company of an animal who is a symbol of loyalty is a notable contrast in Amores Perros.
Amores Perros lost to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon for the Award for the Best Foreign Film at Academy Awards 2001. It was the first film of director Iñárritu's Death Trilogy; the other two films were 21 grams and Babel.
Movie Geek's Rating: ★★★★
-------------------------
[This post is a part of the A to Z Challenge in April 2014. Let's celebrate blogging.]
AtoZ Theme Reveal Post: A Cinematic Fest ahead
On April 1st 2014, some hundreds of bloggers around the globe will take part in the AtoZ Challenge 2014. This challenge is like a blog marathon where the bloggers need to write everyday in the month of April.
It is called an AtoZ Challenge because the first post will be a topic starting with the Letter A, the second post will be about something starting with B and in the same way the last post will be about Z.
Then there is the blog-break, which is the Sundays.
So no blogging on Sundays, that will leave for us exactly 26 days to blog. So covering a letter a day is what we basically need to do.
Associated with the same there was another segment called the Theme reveal post, which was scheduled for 21st March, that is today. The bloggers need to write a post explaining the theme of the blogs they will write in the month of April.
Since this is a movie blog, I believe I don't have to talk about a theme. Obviously my posts will be about movies. But let's talk about the theme within the theme.
Basically my blog contains reviews of the movies from the west, but during this challenge, I am planning to write more about Hindi films and foreign language films. Basically, I don't watch commercial films but the ones which have more critical reception. So, you will get to read reviews of some critically acclaimed masterpiece from the world cinema.
Some films will be the latest ones [by latest everything after 1990 is latest for me] whereas some will be old classics. I will also write about my favorite form of films, that is the silent cinema. Silent films used to be ingeniously great and this is the right opportunity to discuss those brilliant films.
There will be some Indian films which the audience trashed, but they were actually good; I will include some of those as well. Sometimes I may come up with Trivial posts; I love Trivia, they are usually fascinating, so I will try to fascinate my readers as well.
I believe, you got a idea of what you are going to witness at THE MOVIE GEEK's BLOG during the month of April. Please bookmark this blog and come back in April, there will be a cinematic fest.
if you want to take part in this challenge, you can do it HERE
-Amrit Rukhaiyaar
Tag :
Challenges
.jpg)
