BuddhaWake

I have not seen Kahaani but as someone who started watching indian movies, it all started with the others listed. We are all familiar with low level gangsters and from rags to riches stories. Satya is a bit old now so while I absolutely loved it the first time around it might be a bit aged in 2014 to start with it. I would say Maqbool and Omkara could really work for western audiences since we are all familiar with Shakespeare. I also like the ones that deal with terrorism/rebels etc.

BuddhaWake

I remembered some other ones I enjoyed.
The legend of Bhagat Singh and the other one about him
Vaastav with Sanjay Dutt is he in prison? Wasn't he running guns or something? can't remember
Sarkar
Hey Ram such a great movie. Has Kamal Hassan done anything similar since then?

flixtime

Good to see you in this thread after a long while!

Ah, the one that started it all...meaning this thread...over 12 years ago...now I feel old...but yeah that is the movie I watched that kicked off this whole thing.

Haha...that is the way I remember it too...not exactly a memory-friendly title...in case anyone is curious the title is 23RD MARCH 1931: SHAHEED

Yeah, I don't know if he is in or out now...sometimes he's in and then he's out and then back in...and still making movies in between.

You probably know, but there was a sequel too - SARKAR RAJ...don't remember accurately what I thought of it (or the first one for that matter)

No, he seems to be doing mostly big-budget, see-it-and-forget-it, for-the-masses type of movies.

BuddhaWake

Is the Legend of Bhagat Singh the one that started it all? Well I really do like that one and the other one 23rd March 1931: Shaheed (thanks for looking it up as I sure wouldn't have remembered). I figured since this is something I've seen compared to the huge backlog I have I could help someone out.

Didn't know about a Sarkar Raj, is it with Jr. Bachcham? I need to catch up on the backlog of Indian films I have yet to watch and maybe pick up some of the newer ones. I particular care more for the crime ones and the political/terrorists ones.

flixtime

Yup, SARKAR RAJ is with Jr. Bachchan. Of recent movies, maybe you'd have interest in ones such as D-DAY, MADRAS CAFE, MISS LOVELY, ATTACKS OF 26/11, SHAHID, SHOOTOUT AT WADALA, even KAI PO CHE maybe...and maybe too even that Pakistani one I recently mentioned BOL (2011)...and since you watched OMKARA and MAQBOOL, then HAIDER when it comes to home video. I wouldn't perhaps label them all as strictly crime/political/terror but they might interest you still.


Finished up AMERICAN HORROR STORY COVEN...it was fine...though I think I've lost a fair amount of enthusiasm for the series. I don't remember the first two that well, but I think this was my least favorite of the three. The issue maybe for me is that...things feel imbalanced...an overindulgence in the characters and their performances/showmanship...at the sacrifice of a more compelling narrative arc and deeper plot development. There was a lot of opportunity in this season for interesting story with witches, voodoo, etc. but I thought they didn't fully capitalize on that potential. And I thought it came up short in terms of the horror/creepy factor...there wasn't that much there. Another issue is that I thought the show really dragged around the midpoint and by then it felt like things really dragged in every scene with Jessica Lange (and Danny Huston too...who seemed to be continuing his character from MAGIC CITY). Still another issue I had was with the whole "dead/not dead" aspect of this entire season. While I realize the season was about witches, it still felt way too female-character based. Actually, as the show goes forward, I'd hope they re-boot the cast...Jessica Lange has been the same in each season (and I'm tired of her), and while the performers are talented, at the same time the prospect of seeing the same cast over again would start to play as quite stale for me.


I was going start FARGO S1 next, but after AMERICAN HORROR STORY COVEN, I wanted something that seemed a safer bet aka hopefully with a little more testosterone and grit...so I've gone back some years and started SLEEPER CELL S1...only watched one episode so far...but, this show totally had me recalling the 80s TV-series gem WISEGUY...it very much felt like WISEGUY but simply replacing gangsters with terrorists (like HOMELAND style maybe but given that SLEEPER CELL is from 2005 there is a much stronger vibe of the post-9/11 years). So if that is what this turns out to be - WISEGUY with terrorists - then I should certainly find it enjoyable...it'd be hard to screw things up with WISEGUY as your foundation.

flixtime

Gangster (2014 - Malayalam) - Solid little crime/vengeance flick. Apparently this was a highly anticipated film but later failed with both critics and audiences. This movie isn't really the type of thing that'd hit big at the box-office...it's a guy movie...I can't see it as being of much interest to the mass-market Malayali audience...it isn't the type of thing to attract female audiences, or families, or kids, or conservative and older viewers. One of the first thoughts that came to mind was that it didn't feel like a South Indian movie at all. The movie actually opens with a ten-minute opening prologue that is entirely animated. A suitable choice given that the movie does have a feel of something that could have been based on a graphic novel (there is a lot of narration in the first half plus...kind of gives it the feel of a twisted fairytale). The story is slim and routine, yet the movie succeeds on style and its visual presentation (and an interesting villain too). While the pace is measured, I thought the film clipped along nicely over the 132-minute runtime. I actually think that director Aashiq Abu did a real nice job. The English subtitles are a little rough, but functional. GANGSTER rates out as a rather pleasant surprise. I can see it ranking as a "favorite" with regard to Indian cinema in 2014.


And it sure as heck was more enjoyable than the nonsense that was David (ANIMAL KINGDOM) Michod's THE ROVER.


Random thought (or likely brought on by my current viewing of SLEEPER CELL):
CLEANSKIN is a better movie than THE RELUCTANT FUNDAMENTALIST

flixtime

Thegidi (2014 - Tamil) - Quite okay detective/mystery...the opening thirty-seven minutes is just sort of there to lay a foundation, but once the story gets into gear after that it certainly becomes a satisfying experience for the next eighty minutes.


A general comment with regard to Tamil cinema...I am very disappointed by the greatly diminished supply of English-friendly Tamil DVDs...I'd watch more Tamil movies but the DVDs coming out just aren't including English subs...I miss Ayngaran.


I did watch the first episode of FARGO...it was outstanding! Great scene between Billy Bob Thornton and the cop near the close of the sixty-nine minute episode.


Might as well file a final report on the ten-episode S1 of SLEEPER CELL...yup, it certainly felt like WISEGUY with terrorists. In terms of the undercover aspect, WISEGUY felt deeper and more rich...for example, there wasn't a Lifeguard-type character on SLEEPER CELL, and too the agent in SLEEPER CELL was less conflicted over his assignment (for obvious reasons I suppose) than Vinnie on WISEGUY. SLEEPER CELL does score high in terms of entertainment and being fast-paced and being the type of show you get tempted to watch as quickly as you can. At times, the show does come across as rather earnest in its desire to educate the viewer about Islam, and while it can sometimes get a little preachy in that regard, it is a well-intentioned and thoughtful type of preachy. The decision to populate the terrorist cell with a few Caucasian members is interesting...while you can say that would be a wise way to not attract attention with regard to the story (aka a better chance for the terrorists to succeed in their mission), I might also think it helped make the show perhaps less incendiary and more salable as a project. For those craving eye candy, the show does do a decent job in the naked chicks department. In terms of acting, it gets the job done, though maybe some of the supporting cast were just barely passable...again a more plot-driven show than anything else. I don't think SLEEPER CELL is as transcendent as HOMELAND in terms of broad appeal, but as a genre effort I quite enjoyed SLEEPER CELL and look forward to the final S2.

A couple of closing comments, both being Showtime efforts, I do wonder if the SLEEPER CELL opening credits were studied when creating the opening credits for HOMELAND...they feel very similar.

The names of the two writers for SLEEPER CELL seemed quite familiar to me and I was wondering why...well, it appears these two guys also wrote the wonderful BRIMSTONE TV-series many years ago...I was truly ticked off when they cancelled that show so early in its run...I pretty much gave up on network TV not long after.


And to get even more off-topic...what the heck is going on with the nitwits in charge of the HIGHLANDER franchise. I mean...fer Christ's sake...all these shows like SPARTACUS, VIKINGS, DA VINCI'S DEMONS, PENNY DREADFUL, and all these Nordic shows, and British shows, etc., and the folks in charge of HIGHLANDER can't manage anything. How can they possibly be dormant for this long...I just don't get why they can't jumpstart a project somewhere...not even like a five-episode type thing that they do in the U.K...I mean if they can revisit FARGO as a series, then why not - if you can't write something new - just revisit the original HIGHLANDER movie as a five-episode series. Or why can't they do like TRUE DETECTIVE and do an anthology style series with a new story and cast every season. I mean so many friggin' channels are doing shows, and so many countries to select from, and the HIGHLANDER franchise has been flatlined for like forever now. Really, the concept for HIGHLANDER has such wide potential for storytelling...and what is being done...absolutely nothing. Man, I thought this rant would make me feel better about things, but now I'm even more ticked off.

I suppose this is the result when I find myself in such harmonious spirit with Indian movies lately...I needed to find another target for my grumpy side.

flixtime

This is off-topic but kind of on-topic...at least in terms of following up on "grumpy" and nonsense like THE ROVER...but first...

I've downed six of ten episodes of FARGO...as wonderful as it is...I will say that for me...once you become comfortable with the characters in the early episodes, the charming FARGO-ness of it all does lose some wind-in-its-sails or perhaps starts to feel one-note around the midway point. And too I'm not feeling that it has that addictive "I can't wait to see what happens next" quality...maybe it is a little overlong in that sense...perhaps eight instead of ten episodes might have been more optimal. To be clear, I am not saying the show isn't A-grade, just that the zeal I expressed after the first episode has diminished.

Anyway, back to the opening "grumpy", "nonsense" comment...I watched COLD IN JULY...and I just don't get the praise for this at all...I suppose if considered as DTV-grade, superficial genre fare, then it rates as passable, cheap thrills entertainment, but to grade it well as serious crime cinema is entirely foolish. The opening third is a lame DTV-grade CAPE FEAR rip-off, after that it creates a new identity and in some sense there is an improvement. And I can't comment because it'd be spoiler-sensitive, but I found it somewhat tonally confused (which wasn't so bad perhaps), but worse is that the whole thing is quite dumb and senseless. Again, fine enough as brain-dead escapist, cartoon crime fare...but a failure if intended as a serious crime movie.

On one level I'm certainly appreciating the recent revival with regard to all this Southern/rural/modern-Western crime fare...at the same time I feel the movies have been overrated...as if grim and downbeat stories automatically qualify as high quality cinema. Now, I did like MUD and THE FROZEN GROUND (tonally mixed but the better for it)...but the others didn't score as well with me as I had hoped. As one example from COLD IN JULY, what sort of professional does nighttime surveillance from their vehicle while leaving the interior dome light option in the on position. Actually, COLD IN JULY is much more nonsensical than that but that'd be treading into spoilers.

Speaking of idiotic...and in relation to the crime genre...not too long back I watched S1 of EPITAFIOS...and the French cops from ENGRENAGES and BRAQUO have now been dethroned as the dumbest cops in modern cinema/TV...now EPITAFIOS was fine I suppose in terms of cheap thrills entertainment...but good heavens, that main detective is the dumbest creature I've witnessed in recent memory...an IMDb commenter actually expressed nearly identical feelings to mine...there's a scene where the cops try to capture the villain in an apartment building setting and their plan...well, it was of Goldberg-ian inspired lunacy and laughably stupid...needless to say it failed.

flixtime

Soodhu Kavvum (2013 - Tamil) - Routine kidnap comedy...plentiful in characters and turns of plot...a nicely done climax...while I found it rather ordinary, it delivered what I anticipated and was a pleasant enough watch. Apparently, it was a huge success at the box-office and thus has been slated for Hindi remake as well as other South Indian remakes.

sleepyhead55

It's been a long time since I saw Epitafios, but I seem to recall the main cop being a dumbass most of the time. I don't recall the scene in question but I wouldn't be surprised if that were the case. I agree that it's probably more entertaining than the other two French shows you mentioned.

Oh btw, I like reading your reviews and hope you keep on posting them.

flixtime

Beside his shortcomings as a detective, I also found his romantic pursuit of the female lead to be rather creepy, mentally unstable, and stalker-like.

sleepyhead55, appreciate the sentiment, I've most certainly enjoyed discussing crime TV/movies, etc., with you...it really is nice to find someone else who has actually watched similar stuff and chimes in to talk about it.


I did finish up S1 of FARGO. A-grade and essential viewing for sure...technically splendid, nicely cast and performed, and most impressive was the wonderful dialogue. I like that the proceedings got a little kick with Episode 8...kind of remedied my earlier thought that maybe the series should have been shorter by a couple of episodes. Though I still feel that it is more the type of show you take a little slow and savor versus doing a quick marathon viewing. I'm wondering which one I liked better FARGO or TRUE DETECTIVE...hmm, really don't know just yet.

I'll admit to be quite smitten with the character of Molly...average looking in terms of physical beauty I suppose, but I found her character to be supremely attractive.

nitin77

some long overdue comments on Haider. I was disappointed on the whole but only because this was probably decent rather than anything more. Easily the weakest of Bhardwaj's Shakespeare adaptations, mainly because I thought it struggled with translating some of the Shakespeareanisms to the indian setting. I thought Maqbool and Omkara did this aspect brilliantly to the point where apart from anything else, Omkara even adapted some of the dialogue AND managed to keep the rhythm and flow of Shakespeare's language.

The one scene for me where Bhardwaj got it totally right in Haider was the Bismil song, this song sequence encapsulated everything that I wanted from the whole film, a faithful translation that was still nonetheless well translated to the Indian setting in an imaginative fashion. It also helped that Shahid Kapoor brought his A game to this sequence whereas he was strangely subdued for a lot of the film which didnt work for the tone of the movie. Kay Kay also disappointed in the Claudius role but everyone is right re Tabu (the oedipal overtones between her and Shahid were also done well) and I would also like to mention Irrfan, who totally stole the movie in his few scenes. IMHO he should have been cast as the Claudius character.

flixtime

Since you are more a fan of Bhardwaj than I am, too bad it didn't turn out better for you...it seems your experience with HAIDER is not too far removed from mine.


From the category of "off-topic is the new on-topic", I did watch:

Mayday (2013 - U.K.) - This is a 5-episode mini-series that aired in the U.K. around the same time as BROADCHURCH. At first glance they are quite similar (following on FORBRYDELSEN too) so the story concerns a missing/dead child. My initial reaction during the first episode was "it's okay enough, but maybe I've had my fill of this type of show"...also too it felt lesser when compared to FORBRYDELSEN and BROADCHURCH...a little bland perhaps and in need of some flavor enhancement (again taking into consideration over-familiarity with this type of show also). However, it does create its own identity as you go along and I found it quite involving as I got deeper into the second episode (hour-long episodes). Perhaps what made it a little less compelling at the start is that you really aren't given a protagonist to latch on to. While there is an investigation into the girl's disappearance, the police are more peripheral characters than anything else. The main characters instead are people of the small town who know the girl in some way, shape or form...again like BROADCHURCH in that regard. The focus is equally divided amongst these assorted characters and you slowly learn about them and how they connect to the missing girl. So you watch the show thinking "he did it, he did it" until the following scene with a different character and you think "he did it, he did it". As far as the mystery goes, I think I liked this one better than BROADCHURCH...I guessed the bad person in BROADCHURCH a little too early on for my liking (and though one might figure out MAYDAY too I suppose, I still found the final answers to everything to be a bit more interesting). Now all this does come with a caveat...whereas BROADCHURCH was a straight detective-type crime series, MAYDAY does have a supernatural Wiccan type angle to it. It is part of the show throughout so they don't spring it on you at the last second or anything and it isn't anything silly like a ghost did it or anything. But if you like your mysteries more straightforward aka without a tinge of mysticism then maybe MAYDAY might put you off a bit. I actually ended up enjoying the show quite a bit, and I appreciated the slightly different approach that it took...so, though generally similar, it didn't just feel like more of the same (aka BROADCHURCH and FORBRYDELSEN). Whereas BROADCHURCH was the U.K. entry that seemed to catch everyone's fancy, in terms of my own enjoyment of both BROADCHURCH and MAYDAY, the experiences were more similar than not (though MAYDAY is arguably the more minor work, and too doesn't offer anything to challenge a couple of the more praiseworthy performances from BROADCHURCH).

flixtime

Since BuddhaWake recently mentioned SARKAR, it seems that Ram Gopal Varma has revisited and reimagined SARKAR as a Telugu movie - ROWDY...I'll plan to check it out sooner rather than later.



I did finish the final eight-episode S2 of SLEEPER CELL. The first episode felt totally "meh" and had me wishing maybe that I had put some more distance between watching the two seasons. Also too it started off feeling a little like an unnecessary "dot the i's and cross the t's" continuation of S1, with the new plot also feeling a little like a tired (and perhaps credibility-straining) retread of the S1 story. This hangover effect lasted into the second episode as well. However, the season did take on a life of its own rather quickly, and became quite enjoyable...again quick-paced and entertaining and the type of thing you hurry through to see what happens. The second season felt a little different in some respects...first off it didn't feel as much like WISEGUY but instead felt - eventually - more like a forerunner to HOMELAND. Even in terms of plot/story it was a little different, while S1 has an overall season arc, each episode did also have a plot-of-the-week type vibe...so each episode in some ways told a satisfying tale. S2 has less of the plot-of-the-week type stuff, however it perhaps is a little stronger in terms of character-development. I still think that - speaking in general terms - that the casting/acting/writing for most of the supporting FBI-types (besides the lead undercover operative) is below the level of the other characters. And I'm not one to complain about gratuitous nudity, but this season redefined the word gratuitous...the main undercover FBI agent and his handler had as their meeting place...yup, a strip club...so you always get - to start the scene off - an establishing shot featuring stripper boobs...again not complaining...but yeah, sort of brands the show as more escapist entertainment than anything too highbrow. In terms of Islam, this season continued to inform while being far less preachy than S1. S2 also felt more grand as it was more expansive in terms of not having the storyline be tied solely Los Angeles.

Actually, I would love to see some sort of crossover between HOMELAND and SLEEPER CELL. It'd be a great way to continue the story of SLEEPER CELL, and I'd even like - while I suppose retaining the Homeland brand name - but I'd really like it to be a 50-50 hybrid bringing the world of SLEEPER CELL into HOMELAND. It really seems like a natural fit, but yeah I know it won't ever happen.

flixtime

The Lunchbox (2013 - Hindi) - Finally got around to watching this...it was "good"...though not especially notable otherwise. Again, Hindi cinema was quite remarkable in 2013. So, while I did like it for sure, in terms of "favorite" and "replay value", I'd slot a number of other Hindi efforts ahead of THE LUNCHBOX (and SHIP OF THESEUS for that matter). Storyline was rather ordinary...two lonely soles find companionship (and respite from their stagnant lives) in their letters exchanged via an initially misdirected lunchbox. The U.S. blu-ray coverart is misleading as it makes the film look more like a perky romantic comedy....the tone is actually far more low-key and soulful. The pace is quite measured so it does feel longer than the 105-minute runtime. I would have trimmed away some of the repetitive nature of the story, and even trimmed away some of the part played by a third major character (a co-worker of the male lead). I thought one plot point involving the husband of the lead female character was too easy, and would have preferred it to have been handled differently. The director has lived quite a bit of time in the U.S., and as such the film has a definite Western cinema sensibility to it, and that certainly exhibits itself in the climax. However, for me, after the time invested with the two lead characters, I would have preferred maybe more of an Asian/Indian ending...in the sense, something that makes an obvious play to your heartstrings.




Off-topic....also watched LONE SURVIVOR...liked it a lot...certainly preferred it over Oscar fare such as AMERICAN HUSTLE, WOLF OF WALL STREET, 12 YEARS A SLAVE, GRAVITY, CAPTAIN PHILLIPS. Nice to find a recent Hollywood film I actually have some enthusiasm for.

flixtime

Brazilian Western aka Faroeste Caboclo (2013- Brazil) - Watched this via the recently released U.S. Blu-ray. First off, there ain't anything "Western" about it...so if you are looking for a modern-Western type experience...ride clear. And although there is a definite crime/drug-dealer milieu, the main vibe of the movie is poor boy meets rich girl romance. Combine that with the early-to-mid 1980s setting and the use of pop music from that era in the soundtrack, instead of a crime or Western film, this felt something closer in spirit to 1980s Hollywood teen-movies...like say VALLEY GIRL if the Nicholas Cage character were a drug dealing criminal and the movie had been done, again, in the crime milieu...point being, it felt like something that sprung from the teen movies of that era...except strip away all the comedy and make it a crime/drug-dealer movie. Though I did think the cast here looked just a bit too old for the roles. All that said, I was a little surprised that the climax here didn't make play for a sort of rock opera feel...I thought there should have been some grander use of music during the final scene.

The lead actress - Isis Valverde - is quite gorgeous...and the less make-up she has on the better looking she is...must be nice to have looks like that...where you don't even have to try. I thought she looked somewhat similar to Jeanne Tripplehorn (from BASIC INSTINCT).

Brazilian movies can give Indian movies a good run in terms of how much stuff (company partnerships, etc.) that they show before the actual start of the movie...here it lasted for nearly 90-seconds...though at least they don't thank every industry legend like Indian movies seem to do.

The movie runtime is only about 96-minutes, but then the end credits go on for eight-plus minutes...and here is where we get to the Brazilian title - FAROESTE CABOCLO. This apparently is some sort of famous folk ballad from that 1980s era...really nice song that plays over the entire run of those eight-minute end credits. They should have translated the lyrics to the song, because watching the extras, the movie's story is loosely taken from the lyrics of that song...so imagine maybe something like Billy Joel's The Ballad of Billy the Kid in terms of music style crossed with a boy-meets-girl type song/lyrics such as Journey's Don't Stop Believin'...so you take that as your inspiration and make a movie out of it...and that is what they did with Brazilian Western.

All that being said, the movie was just okay...nothing more nothing less...and certainly nothing new or thematically rich...just a run-of-the-mill tale. The take way for me will be the pretty female lead, and more than the movie, I quite enjoyed that folk song that stretched epic over the end credits. So really more a nothing-new-to-the-table, forbidden-love romance, and it wouldn't get by judging it only as a crime film.

If you'd prefer a Brazilian movie a little more firmly planted as a crime film, perhaps consider SERRA PELADA (2013)...ultimately it is standard rise of a gangster fare but it has its charms. Or at least check out the trailer, notably the shot at around 26-seconds in...for me, one of the most jaw-dropping visuals of any film released in 2013.

Following is a youtube link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqOE6eUeND8

BuddhaWake

I'm going to really derail this thread now.You have it absolutely right about Faroeste Caboclo. A couple of things, like you mentioned the story is based on a song. Can you take something that takes 3-4 minutes and turn it into a feature film? I don't know who in their right mind would. But yeah, is a famous song in brazil from a rock band. The band name is Legiao Urbana. They are a bit of a rock/punk group. I don't really listen to those music genres but they are BIG in brazil in the classic sense. The singer and band leader died. They made a movie about his life in the last year or two. The movie titled is Somos Tao Jovem. He passed away of AIDS and the band doesn't exist anymore. But believe me, they are huge. Anyone who grew up in the 80s in that punk era is a fan.
As for the "western" part is not western in the sense of cowboys and stuff like that but in the sense that Breaking Bad is a Wester Drug Story. It takes place in the west of civilization Brasilia not much more past that specially in the 70s. Considering Brasilia was built basically after WW2. Now there are things that could be "western-ish" I could recommend this is not so much that. Now the Faroeste Cabloco could translate into "mixed Indian western" I'm sure that would leave to even more confusion.

Serra Pelada, while a rags to riches like hundreds others it does have its charm. Specially the scenes in the pits and all those people working like ants.

flixtime

Do you know if Brazil has done any cangaceiro, Lampiao, Glauber Rocha, COBRA VERDE type stuff lately...I like that cangaceiro outfit with the headband and such. Thanks for all that background info. you provided in the rest of your post.



Mystery Road (2013 - Australia) - Outcast, lone-wolf, caught-between-two-worlds detective (recently-returned to his small town roots) investigates the case of a murdered aboriginal girl...while everyone else wants him to simply leave well enough alone. A drama/detective-mystery/modern-Western...it is entirely formulaic but still quite solid...quiet, unhurried, and consistently engaging throughout the 121-minute runtime. Still, despite thoroughly enjoying the journey, I found it somewhat wanting when all was said a done. It didn't register as well as it should have perhaps. I thought the director made a poor choice with the closing scene...a case of too much closure (which actually runs counter to the rest of the script). Perhaps the script is why things came up a tad unfulfilling for me...while the mystery is solved, quite a bit of the peripheral story elements are left for the viewer to ponder...in a you-connect-the-dots type of way.

As a counter-example, I did watch EDGE OF TOMORROW recently...it was see-it-and-forget-it-fare (and I wish Hollywood would rediscover the effective use of montage...to hopefully cut down on their bloated, self-indulgent, self-important runtimes). However, unlike MYSTERY ROAD that had a weak final scene, the closing of EDGE OF TOMORROW caught me rather off-guard...I found it remarkably poignant...and it sort of re-shaped the movie for me...a final note that carried quite a bit of resonance.

I also watched SWERVE (2011 - Australia)...entirely derivative of 90s Hollywood neo-noir fare aka RED ROCK WEST, etc.

A lame attempt to make this less off-topic....does Australia ever make movies based in the major cities as opposed to all the fringe-of-the-Outback stuff...it seems every time India shoots in Australia, they do the complete opposite...travelogue for the major cities.

nitin77

flixtime yeah they do, recentish examples like Felony, Animal Kingdom and The Square.

flixtime

nitin, I seem to recall quite liking the director's first movie NOISE, so I'm looking forward to FELONY...I know the Australian release comes the end of this month, but maybe I'll just grab the U.S. release which I believe is slated for a month later. You know, I don't recall a darned thing about either ANIMAL KINGDOM or THE SQUARE...I did check the trailers to try and refresh my memory on both...had been thinking maybe that both were more suburban but yeah, the trailer for ANIMAL KINGDOM definitely shows city scenes, and the description does mention Melbourne. Still don't recall any Australian movies where the urban setting becomes a "character"...as compared to a lot of rural movies where the setting certainly acts as another character in the movie.



Rowdy (2014 - Telugu) - Nothing to see here as Ram Gopal Varma revisits his SARKAR except now done Telugu-style (aka that isn't a good thing). It is a DTV-grade effort and kind of cheap-feeling too. I suppose it isn't entirely unwatchable or anything and it does come in at only a 115-minute runtime (though even that feels longish). Varma uses the same father-son casting gimmick that he utilized with the Bachchans in SARKAR, and the son here is even more bland than Jr. Bachchan. Nothing really stood out as deserving of any recognition...again a tolerable enough experience I suppose...but ultimately it offers nothing of value to non-Telugu audiences.



Watching S5 of JUSTIFIED (finished 9 of 13)...I'm sort of playing out the string at this point...this show isn't feeling much different than SONS OF ANARCHY at this point. I think the writing in terms of dialogue has slipped a bit this season. The storytelling is definitely SONS OF ANARCHY...just dragging things out...and relying on endless killings to keep things watchable. Will start S2 of THE AMERICANS come Tuesday...hopefully that turns out better.

I liked TRANSFORMERS AGE OF EXTINCTION better than the prior two entries (which I didn't care for)...the reboot of the main characters certainly helped a lot. Hollywood movies are the new Indian movies...just look at this movie and it totally has a natural intermission point at pretty much the halfway point...and it sure seems constructed that way on purpose.

Watched a fairly solid Korean movie called MELO...something that might be of interest if you maybe like Kim Ki-duk type stuff. The first half is pretty much an indie/arthouse character study/romance...it tosses in some psycho-horror type genre elements during the third quarter of the movie...before refocusing on the character study while also reshaping as an obsessive love type story over the final quarter. I haven't said much about Korean films...still watching them...but pretty much finding them all to fall in the category of average-to-good, watchable/entertaining...which is fine for me to some extent...yet it does feel like everything I'm seeing is something I've seen done better in the past. And perhaps MELO too fits that description, but it's just that maybe I've seen less of that type of stuff. At least I found it an engaging entry over the course of its 120-minute runtime.

I did quite enjoy a little Korean indie I watched a while back (aka too long to comment accurately)...the movie is MURDERER aka SALINJA aka (at IMDb) SAL IN JA (2014)...had a nice compact runtime at like 76-minutes. It had a couple rough edges but otherwise I found it more enjoyable than a lot of the more high profile Korean entries. It is a suspense-type entry, and while it doesn't have anything to do really with vampires/horror...I do recall that in some way the character dynamics had me recalling LET THE RIGHT ONE IN. From what I remember the English subs were less than ideal, but otherwise functional enough.

There is even less to say about Hong Kong/China/Taiwan movies...but I did like China's SILENT WITNESS (2013)...if you miss the courtroom type stuff that Hollywood did in the early 1990s (A FEW GOOD MEN, PRESUMED INNOCENT, etc.), then maybe you'd like SILENT WITNESS. Of course it isn't to the level of Hollywood's best from that era, and technically it is far more TV-movie in presentation...but in terms of story I enjoyed it.

I'm a Zatoichi fan and recently had the chance to watch another Zatoichi stageplay (following on the Takashi Miike one)...this one starring Matsudaira Ken and filmed in Japan in 2009...found it enjoyable...Shintaro Katsu's wife turned in the best performance in the role of Zatoichi's mother...his son also had a small role in the "movie"...the story is taken from the first movie in the Zatoichi film series...apparently Shintaro Katsu acted in this same stage version back in the 1960s...he enjoyed singing and I believe it is his voice singing the song early in the stageplay...I seem to remember he sang the enjoyable title tune to the Zatoichi TV-series.

Also was thrilled to finally watch Randolph Scott's SUGARFOOT...I've seen every post-1938 Western he did...except I don't recall ever having seen this one...actually the movie wasn't really of much note...ranking on the lowest-tier of Scott Westerns for sure, but I'm still glad I finally got to experience it.

nitin77

flixtime, have you tried the Jack Irish tv movies from Australia? With Guy Pearce and there is 3 of them, all with US releases. City used pretty well in those and the movies themselves are at least decent and maybe a bit better than that for crime drama aficionados.

flixtime

Hey nitin, I was aware of but never fully looked into the Jack Irish stuff until your post...certainly seem worth a look for a genre enthusiast such as myself...I'll pick them up sometime in the coming weeks...thanks.


I seem to have a good handle - at least as of this moment - on my sometimes masochistic viewing tendencies...in other words, I won't be going to the theaters to watch LINGAA...and why do I sense that I should maybe hope for that same follow-through when it comes to staying away from the upcoming release of PK too.


I watched GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY...yeah, I think popular Hollywood cinema is just not intended for me. I mean it was fine...like TRANSFORMERS AGE OF EXTINCTION and every other superhero movie...and every other Hollywood blockbuster which no matter what genre it might be...is basically all the same movie...I find the action setpieces in these films to be supremely dull...pointless and lacking in suspense...I actually mentally disengage from all these movies once all these super-destructive action setpieces kick in. For me, I'll take something like an "action" scene in the Fargo series any day of the week. It was a scene with just two guys talking to each other at a luncheonette...and that's all that happened, they just talked but it was super suspenseful and there was a great sense of danger...for me that is an "action" scene. Like how THE TWILIGHT SAMURAI is a great action movie to me even though there was only like one bit of a swordfight before the more lengthy one that closed the film...the final fight had a great sense of build and gravitas. Now GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY was fine in a see-it-and-forget sense...but empty in terms of any meaningful content...some of the humor was amusing...I liked the tree character and I liked Dave Bautista and a couple of the villains...and of course the soundtrack was enjoyable to listen to. But seriously, as a "best" (versus "favorite) of the year type movie...well if you think that fine...I'll check back in to see how your tastes evolve once you hit your teen-age years. The story is totally formulaic and derivative product (again no different in that sense from a Telugu blockbuster)...and the writing felt machine-generated aka you could sense what the characters would say before they said it. And it is far more of a children's movie than something like WALL-E...actually I thought GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY was entirely geared towards kids...with nothing to engage adults. I cannot believe that any adult with any sort of measurable scope in the movies they watch would proclaim it as the "best" of the year.

And I'm still trying to grasp the appeal of 12 YEARS A SLAVE...again it was fine enough...but seriously, everyone acting as if it was some sort off earth-shattering revelatory experience...slavery=bad, no shit sherlock!,...I think we covered that in 1977 aka ROOTS. And the "soap" scene at the end didn't work for me because it felt too modern and I thought the performer/director broke character in the sense that that character was often shown as more child-like and simple earlier in the movie. And the whipping scene was covered far more effectively in GLORY...where it played more to your mind and wasn't more about gratuitous, sensationalized, attention-seeking violence as delivered in both 12 YEARS A SLAVE and DJANGO UNCHAINED (a movie that was solid before extending into its final third). Again, 12 YEARS A SLAVE was fine...a standard biopic...but all the acclaim escapes my understanding.

You know how...say...sports Hall of Fames might sometimes not induct anyone in a given year if they don't find anyone worthy...too bad (pat-yourself-on-the-back) film awards type ceremonies don't adopt that same policy.

On the topic of biopics...in terms of being based on lawyers...India's SHAHID is better than South Korea's THE ATTORNEY.

nitin77

also the Jack Taylor series from Ireland is worth a watch.

sleepyhead55

I saw this when this broadcast on tv and really enjoyed. Granted, there are some plotholes that you really have to ignore (like why is Martha never suspicious that Clark is never really around) but I was satisfied with the season. BTW, have you seen The White Queen? I picked that one up during a black friday sale and should be watching it in a few weeks.

Never saw either of those US films but that just got me to thinking how most of my DVD/BD purchases are either geared toward catalog titles or foreign fare. I think I purchased a few titles that were released within the past 12 months only because they were dirt cheap (like $3.99). I just stopped paying attention to the Oscars a few years ago. It seems like they never awarded the best performances/films and just gave it to the ones who did the best job of politiking. DJANGO UNCHAINED is one that I never really got all the praise for, but to be honest I haven't liked anything from Tarentino since the Kill Bill series and even those aren't anywhere as good as his first three films (which were incidentally crime based).

Since you mention US action films...the last one I saw in the theater was JOHN WICK and that was pretty good. Look, Keanu Reaves is always going to be a shitty wooden actor so in this film the fact that he has little range doesn't really hurt the film all that much. You're just here to watch him kill a bunch of people and kick a whole bunch of butt. And on that count it delivers. I liked the understated humor/deadpan that was in the film from most of the characters. The story is pretty generic and predictable though. I do think he could make a prequel with this though and it has earned enough money since this was a pretty low (by modern Hollywood standards) budget action film.

flixtime

Well, so much for the best laid plans...when I checked on the Jack Irish releases at Amazon UK, the Jack Taylor items also turned up in the search...and I summoned all my wallet-saving willpower and avoided looking into them more closely...and now comes your post to vanquish my resolve...I suppose it is my destiny to check it out.

I liked the first season a lot. I couldn't believe how much Matthew Rhys kept reminding me of John Ritter. As to Martha, I'll be sure to pre-wire myself...rationalize it away as "love blinds" or something. I'm also interested in checking out that one-season ABC show THE ASSETS...if it ever gets released.

Yup, watched it a while ago...so not fresh in terms of recall...but I liked it a lot. I appreciated - like say something like The Mists of Avalon - that it took a look at things from a different perspective...it was refreshing to see a series being driven more by its female characters. And too I liked that it did well in terms of forward plot momentum...the show covered a lot of story.


Appreciate the words with regard to John Wick...I'm eager to catch it once it releases on Blu-ray. I actually don't mind Keanu Reeves as much as others seem to...probably wouldn't be fair of me to complain about his limited acting abilities given - as I recently mentioned - how many Randolph Scott movies I've watched...I mean I like Randolph Scott...in a Brady Bunch "he fits the suit" sort of way, but I can easily see Scott being described as wooden, etc. I think - in terms of acting ability - that he was often one of the least talented performers in his movies...no shame as the rest of the cast often consisted of extremely talented character actors and such. I seem to recall learning that even Scott had a sense of self-deprecating humor about it...when he wanted to join a pinky-in-the-air type of country club after he retired from acting, they said they didn't want "actors" as members, his reply to them was something to the effect..."I thought I made it clear over the past thirty years, that I'm not an actor"...found that story very amusing and it made me like Randolph Scott even more...even if I don't think he was all that great as an actor.