Indian Cinema [PART 4]
06-21-10, 12:24 PM
#226
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toddly, if I were a betting man, I don't think you'd be too excited over RAAVAN. Yes, you can certainly cut a nice looking trailer out of things...but I thought the film was a case of the whole being less than the sum of the parts. I don't think the film really functioned well as either arthouse or commercial entertaintment. The storytelling and character development were lacking. And while the technicals such as cinematography and music were at times of high quality, I don't think they really melded together with the movie to enhance the experience. As I see it, the screenplay needed a lot of work, and that was the film's main failure. I didn't feel moved on any emotional level...it was too dry and poorly constructed/paced to function as pure entertainment...there was no real substance or meaning to offer any intellectual appeal...etc. Unlike JODHAA AKHBAR, I don't think that RAAVAN is required viewing on the big screen.
I checked the weekend box-office take and RAAVAN did pull in $551,000 at the U.S box-office. That landed it at number 15 for this past weekend. The per screen average was around $4,600 and that would actually be the third highest of the top 15 (behind TOY STORY 3 and the KARATE KID remake).
Random and gratuitous (and off-topic) thought...I recently watched THE HURT LOCKER...it was "good" (but something like JARHEAD was better)...aka Tarantino got robbed!
I checked the weekend box-office take and RAAVAN did pull in $551,000 at the U.S box-office. That landed it at number 15 for this past weekend. The per screen average was around $4,600 and that would actually be the third highest of the top 15 (behind TOY STORY 3 and the KARATE KID remake).
Random and gratuitous (and off-topic) thought...I recently watched THE HURT LOCKER...it was "good" (but something like JARHEAD was better)...aka Tarantino got robbed!
06-21-10, 01:32 PM
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Re: Indian Cinema [PART 4]
I agree with you 100 percent with The Hurt Locker. I love Bigelow, but it was just an okay movie. It was just a well-filmed video game. Inglorious Basterds should have won everything. It's certainly the movie I've watched the most on DVD (and then blu-ray) this year. Avatar was better than The Hurt Locker as well...I think The Hurt Locker was overrated, and I actually thought that Avatar was underrated. It's not like anyone praised Avatar for being the best thing ever. All it did was bring tons of people to the theater. But it's a great movie and a huge accomplishment for being the first film, I think, to successfully merge real people with CGI actors (sorry Lucas, you suck).
06-21-10, 03:52 PM
#228
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Out of curiousity I still might check out the Tamil version (and because I like Vikram) when it hits DVD...if my thoughts change I'll mention it. The "raving loony" aspect wasn't too bad, though, now that you mention it, I do recall a lot of people screeching on-screen in the earlier half of the film (which I didn't like), but it calmed down later on. But, yeah, as far as rewatchability...maybe not so much, unless you are a big fan of Mr. and Mrs. Jr. Bachchan.
Would you believe I still haven't seen AVATAR...never made it to the theater, then I thought I'd get the DVD, but then it seems the studio might double-dip on it so I'm waiting for that. THE HURT LOCKER did feel a bit like a twenty-minute short repeated a few times over...then the end. Though I'd mark it as "good" (but no more), I'd certainly apply the overrated tag to it (though no way anywhere near the overratedness I'd apply to THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL...yes, I'm still venting). In THE HURT LOCKER, I especially didn't like the scene that introduces Ralph Fiennes' character and his group...it just felt like totally false suspense...I never bought into it that they were baddies. And yet they try to make the scene suspenseful by having Fiennes and company act rather suspicious/dangerous...if it were me in their shoes and some heavily-armed U.S. troops rolled up on me, I for sure would be proclaiming "friendly" rather boldly...I'd be too afraid of being taken out by itchy trigger fingers.
And some more random, gratuituous, off-topic thoughts (because...well, just because)...I don't really watch many regular TV shows, and I know I'm way late on it but in the past few months I watched the U.K. series LIFE ON MARS and recently started THE SHIELD...and, well, it struck me watching these shows that maybe the state on writing for the cinema is...well, pretty lacking actually. I watch a lot of cop/crime films...and I wonder now why the vast majority of episodes I've watched from THE SHIELD are just so much better written. The same most certainly applies to LIFE ON MARS (U.K. series). Both shows pack so much story and character into a sub-sixty-minute runtime...and then I try to watch some HK crime film or something like the recent feature SHERLOCK HOLMES (and at least a couple other big name Hollywood films which I don't recall at this moment) and they seem so hollow and uninspired...lots of money spent...but not having much appeal beyond some sort of technical showreel (fight scene, CGI, or whatever else). I recall when I watched LIFE ON MARS some months back that it nearly ruined my movie-watching for maybe a month because the vast majority of newer films I watched came up short against LIFE ON MARS.
Lastly, the hosts on the Spanish-language news show Primer Impacto are really, really....really hot! Especially Satcha Pretto (if I'm remembering the name right)...she has been looking tremendous lately! And bravo to the folks who select her wardrobe. And I love the camerawork on that show that...well, they seem to know why I'm watching and do their best to make it worthwhile.
Closing note: the above is what happens when the Red Sox are doing well (especially when all was thought lost)...I get really chatty when I'm in a good mood I suppose.
Would you believe I still haven't seen AVATAR...never made it to the theater, then I thought I'd get the DVD, but then it seems the studio might double-dip on it so I'm waiting for that. THE HURT LOCKER did feel a bit like a twenty-minute short repeated a few times over...then the end. Though I'd mark it as "good" (but no more), I'd certainly apply the overrated tag to it (though no way anywhere near the overratedness I'd apply to THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL...yes, I'm still venting). In THE HURT LOCKER, I especially didn't like the scene that introduces Ralph Fiennes' character and his group...it just felt like totally false suspense...I never bought into it that they were baddies. And yet they try to make the scene suspenseful by having Fiennes and company act rather suspicious/dangerous...if it were me in their shoes and some heavily-armed U.S. troops rolled up on me, I for sure would be proclaiming "friendly" rather boldly...I'd be too afraid of being taken out by itchy trigger fingers.
And some more random, gratuituous, off-topic thoughts (because...well, just because)...I don't really watch many regular TV shows, and I know I'm way late on it but in the past few months I watched the U.K. series LIFE ON MARS and recently started THE SHIELD...and, well, it struck me watching these shows that maybe the state on writing for the cinema is...well, pretty lacking actually. I watch a lot of cop/crime films...and I wonder now why the vast majority of episodes I've watched from THE SHIELD are just so much better written. The same most certainly applies to LIFE ON MARS (U.K. series). Both shows pack so much story and character into a sub-sixty-minute runtime...and then I try to watch some HK crime film or something like the recent feature SHERLOCK HOLMES (and at least a couple other big name Hollywood films which I don't recall at this moment) and they seem so hollow and uninspired...lots of money spent...but not having much appeal beyond some sort of technical showreel (fight scene, CGI, or whatever else). I recall when I watched LIFE ON MARS some months back that it nearly ruined my movie-watching for maybe a month because the vast majority of newer films I watched came up short against LIFE ON MARS.
Lastly, the hosts on the Spanish-language news show Primer Impacto are really, really....really hot! Especially Satcha Pretto (if I'm remembering the name right)...she has been looking tremendous lately! And bravo to the folks who select her wardrobe. And I love the camerawork on that show that...well, they seem to know why I'm watching and do their best to make it worthwhile.
Closing note: the above is what happens when the Red Sox are doing well (especially when all was thought lost)...I get really chatty when I'm in a good mood I suppose.
06-21-10, 08:50 PM
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Re: Indian Cinema [PART 4]
I will still give Raavan a go, particularly because I thought Avatar and Inglorious Basterds were overrated and Hurt Locker was excellent (not oscar material but not much competition IMHO) 
Also I think I'm the only person in the world who doesnt like the UK Life on Mars. It may have suffered from The Wire syndrome though, ie I watched it straight after 5 series of the wire and lets face it, watching crime drama is just not the same after The Wire.
Also I think I'm the only person in the world who doesnt like the UK Life on Mars. It may have suffered from The Wire syndrome though, ie I watched it straight after 5 series of the wire and lets face it, watching crime drama is just not the same after The Wire.
06-22-10, 02:05 PM
#230
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I'm actually going through THE WIRE right now too. I'm only eight episodes in though. The last couple of episodes have grabbed my interest a little more after just an okay ride through the first half-dozen. I know THE WIRE is about the big picture and not just immediate gratification based on individual episodes, and yeah I get how it is realistic and all. Still, at this point, I'm liking THE SHIELD a lot more (I've only finished the first two seasons of THE SHIELD)...for me it is more entertaining so far and I like the fast-pace of the show...and I enjoy spending time with all the various characters. I think I'll alternate seasons, so once I finish the next five episodes of THE WIRE, I'll jump over and start Season 3 of THE SHIELD (something I'm quite eager to do (at this point)), and then come back for Season 2 of THE WIRE. From what I gather HBO is supposed to be some sort of pinnacle for the best of television...I love Westerns and I never checked out DEADWOOD except for a partial episode which didn't really grab me...is loading your show with an overabundance of profanity what's considered great writing nowadays. THE WIRE is that way too but at least it seems more fitting on THE WIRE...and I suppose it is "realistic" with how the world is...at the same time I find it rather lazy in terms of a writing style.
Anyway, to follow up on my earlier mention of the lovely Satcha Pretto of PRIMER IMPACTO fame...following is some youtube goodness (with a thank you again to her wardrobe consultants):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFwXq7yTjhs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aPnUP-uT1s
Since the other hosts seem busy assigned to World Cup coverage, Satcha seems to be getting a little more airtime lately.
Anyway, to follow up on my earlier mention of the lovely Satcha Pretto of PRIMER IMPACTO fame...following is some youtube goodness (with a thank you again to her wardrobe consultants):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFwXq7yTjhs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aPnUP-uT1s
Since the other hosts seem busy assigned to World Cup coverage, Satcha seems to be getting a little more airtime lately.
06-23-10, 05:29 AM
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Re: Indian Cinema [PART 4]
flixtime,
Deadwood does take an ep or two to get used to the style (particularly the use of swearing), but its blend of victorian english and swearing becomes mesmerising quite quickly (not to mention the intricate characters and drama).
Then again, I consider The Wire and Deadwood to be the two greatest drama series of television I have seen (with Mad Men and Sopranos not far behind) but I will be the first to admit that they are not everyone's cup of tea. Mainly because of the slow pacing of each one.
Deadwood does take an ep or two to get used to the style (particularly the use of swearing), but its blend of victorian english and swearing becomes mesmerising quite quickly (not to mention the intricate characters and drama).
Then again, I consider The Wire and Deadwood to be the two greatest drama series of television I have seen (with Mad Men and Sopranos not far behind) but I will be the first to admit that they are not everyone's cup of tea. Mainly because of the slow pacing of each one.
07-01-10, 07:11 PM
#232
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Another reason I've passed on DEADWOOD so far is because I've read they just sort of ended the show without a proper conclusion...I've been reluctant to make the journey of viewing the show if they didn't give it a fitting conclusion (since it seems the earlier rumored made-for-TV movie(s) will never get done). And too - since this post is shaping up to be a bit of a ramble - another reason for passing on DEADWOOD is because I didn't care much for another Western - THE PROPOSITION - which everyone raved about, so I am again reluctant to bring my perhaps old-school sensibilities to another modern take on the Western (aka who needs Borden Chase when all you have to do nowadays is simply cover all your actors and sets with dirt and flies...presto...a great Western).
Would you believe I've never watched a full episode of THE SOPRANOS (SEINFELD and FRIENDS either). My reason for passing on THE SOPRANOS is that somewhere along the line I got a nagging feeling that it might be too soap opera-ish. As it stands right now my main incentive to watch the show would be for actor Dan Grimaldi (aka Patsy Parisi)...I liked him based on his work in his first film DON'T GO IN THE HOUSE but even moreso is that he seemed like a really, really great guy based on the interview they did with him for a supplement on that DVD.
And to be more of a nuisance...and since we are sort of talking THE SOPRANOS...nitin, by any chance, did you ever sample any of that "Australian Sopranos" show UNDERBELLY? From what I've read it appears to have been quite the hit in Australia (and the third series DVD has just been released). I sampled a few clips and, well, if I was worried about THE SOPRANOS being too soapy....well UNDERBELLY looks a whole lot more so.
Actually, the STARZ cable channel here in the U.S. has picked it up for a remake...the sex/violence factor must have sold them...I can't wait for the SPARTACUS BLOOD AND SAND-like disclaimer about how STARZ has packed the show with sex/violence as a result of their purely-conscientious effort to maintain historical accuracy.
And lastly, I did wrap up SEASON 1 of THE WIRE a few days ago...I'm thrilled to share that the positive feeling I had reported getting from the previous two episodes I had watched only grew through the final five episodes. Now I just want to stop watching movies altogether and just do a massive marathon of THE SHIELD and THE WIRE (followed by ASHES TO ASHES after that...has anyone watched this LIFE ON MARS sequel show...the complete series is hitting UK DVD in a few days). Anyway, where before I had proclaimed THE SHIELD as my preferred choice...now they are pretty much dead even...but both excellent. I'm not sure how valid the claim is but I really liked how the latter half of Season 1 of THE WIRE offered greater screentime to the bad guys side of things...that was my problem with the start of the show...I didn't feel much invested with the cop side of things but was much more interested in seeing the Barksdale crew. Based on my very positive experiences with LIFE ON MARS (U.K.), THE SHIELD, and THE WIRE maybe I should stick with watching TV shows as - unlike my recent movie experience (aka THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL and numerous others) - I actually seem to find myself agreeing with the majority when it comes to TV shows...though I do recall not liking the few episodes I caught of that show ROME (which I think was HBO too and I gather was reasonably well-received).
Would you believe I've never watched a full episode of THE SOPRANOS (SEINFELD and FRIENDS either). My reason for passing on THE SOPRANOS is that somewhere along the line I got a nagging feeling that it might be too soap opera-ish. As it stands right now my main incentive to watch the show would be for actor Dan Grimaldi (aka Patsy Parisi)...I liked him based on his work in his first film DON'T GO IN THE HOUSE but even moreso is that he seemed like a really, really great guy based on the interview they did with him for a supplement on that DVD.
And to be more of a nuisance...and since we are sort of talking THE SOPRANOS...nitin, by any chance, did you ever sample any of that "Australian Sopranos" show UNDERBELLY? From what I've read it appears to have been quite the hit in Australia (and the third series DVD has just been released). I sampled a few clips and, well, if I was worried about THE SOPRANOS being too soapy....well UNDERBELLY looks a whole lot more so.
Actually, the STARZ cable channel here in the U.S. has picked it up for a remake...the sex/violence factor must have sold them...I can't wait for the SPARTACUS BLOOD AND SAND-like disclaimer about how STARZ has packed the show with sex/violence as a result of their purely-conscientious effort to maintain historical accuracy.
And lastly, I did wrap up SEASON 1 of THE WIRE a few days ago...I'm thrilled to share that the positive feeling I had reported getting from the previous two episodes I had watched only grew through the final five episodes. Now I just want to stop watching movies altogether and just do a massive marathon of THE SHIELD and THE WIRE (followed by ASHES TO ASHES after that...has anyone watched this LIFE ON MARS sequel show...the complete series is hitting UK DVD in a few days). Anyway, where before I had proclaimed THE SHIELD as my preferred choice...now they are pretty much dead even...but both excellent. I'm not sure how valid the claim is but I really liked how the latter half of Season 1 of THE WIRE offered greater screentime to the bad guys side of things...that was my problem with the start of the show...I didn't feel much invested with the cop side of things but was much more interested in seeing the Barksdale crew. Based on my very positive experiences with LIFE ON MARS (U.K.), THE SHIELD, and THE WIRE maybe I should stick with watching TV shows as - unlike my recent movie experience (aka THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL and numerous others) - I actually seem to find myself agreeing with the majority when it comes to TV shows...though I do recall not liking the few episodes I caught of that show ROME (which I think was HBO too and I gather was reasonably well-received).
07-02-10, 07:31 AM
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Re: Indian Cinema [PART 4]
Well no it doesnt end properly (Deadwood) but the ending to season 3 is actually good enough to be an ending if you dont know what was planned ahead.
Re:Proposition, I liked it but it was definitely overrated IMHO with plenty of flaws. Still I thought the good outweighed the bad quite easily.
The Sopranos is definitely soap opera-ish, anyone that tells you otherwise is lying. But it is grand soap opera in the way The Godfather is. Underbelly on the other hand is not (grand), it is just soap opera with elements of soft porn. Somewhere around Season 4, The Sopranos starts having a feeling of deja vu, but season 5 fixes that and even though season 6 is wholly unsatisfying, it is most definitely interesting.
And trust me, everyone gets a fair focus on The Wire. Its true the start of season 1 had the focus on the police, but as it goes, everyone gets valuable screentime.
ps : Rome is good, but has a number of issues. Not in the league of most HBO dramas.
Re:Proposition, I liked it but it was definitely overrated IMHO with plenty of flaws. Still I thought the good outweighed the bad quite easily.
The Sopranos is definitely soap opera-ish, anyone that tells you otherwise is lying. But it is grand soap opera in the way The Godfather is. Underbelly on the other hand is not (grand), it is just soap opera with elements of soft porn. Somewhere around Season 4, The Sopranos starts having a feeling of deja vu, but season 5 fixes that and even though season 6 is wholly unsatisfying, it is most definitely interesting.
And trust me, everyone gets a fair focus on The Wire. Its true the start of season 1 had the focus on the police, but as it goes, everyone gets valuable screentime.
ps : Rome is good, but has a number of issues. Not in the league of most HBO dramas.
07-07-10, 07:01 AM
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Re: Indian Cinema [PART 4]
just to post an on topic reply, I saw What's Your Raashee on the weekend, Ashutosh Gowariker's followup to Jodhaa Akbar.
Basically, a young man (Herman Baweja) is looking for a bride and arranges to meet 12 young women representing the 12 different signs of the zodiac. Trouble is they all take the same bodily form (Priyanka Chopra), as he projects his perfect woman on to each of the girls he is meant to see, and he has a hard time choosing.
It has some good scenes and Priyanka Chopra continues her impressive upward trend in acting ability (and looks hot doing so) but since when is it okay to make a 213 min romantic comedy? Lightweight fluff like this should not be anywhere near this long (I mean really this is longer than both Lagaan and Jodhaa Akbar which were both in the epic genre). Obviously the budget was not large enough to accommodate the services of an editor.
Basically, a young man (Herman Baweja) is looking for a bride and arranges to meet 12 young women representing the 12 different signs of the zodiac. Trouble is they all take the same bodily form (Priyanka Chopra), as he projects his perfect woman on to each of the girls he is meant to see, and he has a hard time choosing.
It has some good scenes and Priyanka Chopra continues her impressive upward trend in acting ability (and looks hot doing so) but since when is it okay to make a 213 min romantic comedy? Lightweight fluff like this should not be anywhere near this long (I mean really this is longer than both Lagaan and Jodhaa Akbar which were both in the epic genre). Obviously the budget was not large enough to accommodate the services of an editor.
07-27-10, 03:22 PM
#236
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toddly, you plan on watching the Malayalam-language historical epic PAZHASSI RAJA? It seems the movie was a record hit at cinemas in the state of Kerala, and later on Malayalam home video.
Following is the trailer at youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mi2JPJQZgOQ
nitin, I've finished off Season 2 of THE WIRE...it was outstanding (even though Vinnie Terranova never showed up...not that he should have as he is from an older show WISEGUY...it's just that it really seemed like a story arc that could have evolved from that older show) I'd be surprised (very pleasantly so) to learn that any of the following seasons can match the excellence of Season 2. The overuse of profanity I was complaining about earlier with regard to THE WIRE seemed to tone itself down a bit after the first couple of episodes in Season 2 (or maybe it just felt less gratuitous than earlier). I'm a few episodes into Season 4 of THE SHIELD and so far I'm a little disappointed as it has dropped off from the high standards of the first three seasons. Appreciate your thoughts on UNDERBELLY (I'll pass on it), DEADWOOD (I'll probably give it a go sooner rather than later), and THE SOPRANOS (a gut feeling that I won't like it but I might try it out sometime down the road...for the sake of general knowledge if nothing else).
Following is the trailer at youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mi2JPJQZgOQ
nitin, I've finished off Season 2 of THE WIRE...it was outstanding (even though Vinnie Terranova never showed up...not that he should have as he is from an older show WISEGUY...it's just that it really seemed like a story arc that could have evolved from that older show) I'd be surprised (very pleasantly so) to learn that any of the following seasons can match the excellence of Season 2. The overuse of profanity I was complaining about earlier with regard to THE WIRE seemed to tone itself down a bit after the first couple of episodes in Season 2 (or maybe it just felt less gratuitous than earlier). I'm a few episodes into Season 4 of THE SHIELD and so far I'm a little disappointed as it has dropped off from the high standards of the first three seasons. Appreciate your thoughts on UNDERBELLY (I'll pass on it), DEADWOOD (I'll probably give it a go sooner rather than later), and THE SOPRANOS (a gut feeling that I won't like it but I might try it out sometime down the road...for the sake of general knowledge if nothing else).
07-27-10, 03:33 PM
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Re: Indian Cinema [PART 4]
07-27-10, 03:44 PM
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bhavanidvd and induna both show listings for a now available, English-friendly Blu-ray. Not sure of the quality as it is from Moser Baer and from what I recall they sometimes put annoying logos on their DVD releases...don't know how it is with their Blu-ray releases. It was also released on DVD back in early May but on quick check I can't find an e-tailer listing so I can't even say if the DVD is English-friendly...next time I visit my rental shop I'll look into it.
07-27-10, 04:08 PM
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Re: Indian Cinema [PART 4]
bhavanidvd and induna both show listings for a now available, English-friendly Blu-ray. Not sure of the quality as it is from Moser Baer and from what I recall they sometimes put annoying logos on their DVD releases...don't know how it is with their Blu-ray releases. It was also released on DVD back in early May but on quick check I can't find an e-tailer listing so I can't even say if the DVD is English-friendly...next time I visit my rental shop I'll look into it.
Last edited by toddly6666; 07-27-10 at 04:15 PM.
07-27-10, 05:24 PM
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Hope it turns out to be a good buy for you toddly...if I recall correctly the runtime is north of 3 hours.
Doing some digging after my previous post...as I understand it now the DVD release too is English-friendly (which makes sense of course, but it never hurts to be cautious)...suryausa would be a good option to try and source the DVD version here in the U.S.
Doing some digging after my previous post...as I understand it now the DVD release too is English-friendly (which makes sense of course, but it never hurts to be cautious)...suryausa would be a good option to try and source the DVD version here in the U.S.
07-27-10, 09:05 PM
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Re: Indian Cinema [PART 4]
Hope it turns out to be a good buy for you toddly...if I recall correctly the runtime is north of 3 hours.
Doing some digging after my previous post...as I understand it now the DVD release too is English-friendly (which makes sense of course, but it never hurts to be cautious)...suryausa would be a good option to try and source the DVD version here in the U.S.
Doing some digging after my previous post...as I understand it now the DVD release too is English-friendly (which makes sense of course, but it never hurts to be cautious)...suryausa would be a good option to try and source the DVD version here in the U.S.
07-28-10, 06:02 AM
#242
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I'm going to try my rental shop maybe tomorrow. If they don't have it then I'll just try and source the DVD from suryausa. For those in a rush, njmtv.com is listing the DVD as in-stock...search KERALA VARMA PAZHASSIRAJA. Actually, bhavanidvd seems to have the DVD also...missed it when checking yesterday...the Blu-ray is under PAZHASSIRAJA and the DVD is under PAZHASSI RAJA. The cover art listed for the DVD doesn't seem to match the cover art at njmtv but maybe that is just some temp artwork at bhavanidvd.
The Hindi movie pipeline has been real dry lately...might as well try and catch up with some South Indian stuff...there's a few new Tamil movies I want to try, and a few more Telugu movies, and of course PAZHASSI RAJA.
The Hindi movie pipeline has been real dry lately...might as well try and catch up with some South Indian stuff...there's a few new Tamil movies I want to try, and a few more Telugu movies, and of course PAZHASSI RAJA.
07-28-10, 10:52 AM
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07-29-10, 08:21 AM
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Re: Indian Cinema [PART 4]
Prince, I flicked through it, it looks like a badly put together combination of all the major hollywood action scenes of the last 15 yrs. Could be wrong, but that's what it looked like.
flixtime, my personal order for Wire seasons was 4,1,3,5,2. That's all relative obviously because even though I found 2 the weakest, it is streets ahead of most tv. But general consensus seems to be that 4 is the masterpiece season. Would like to hear your thoughts as you go along (although maybe we should stick to PM's than this thread).
Also, if you are looking at aussie crime dramas, I recommend The Square and Animal Kingdom out of recentish stuff and Chopper for something a bit older.
flixtime, my personal order for Wire seasons was 4,1,3,5,2. That's all relative obviously because even though I found 2 the weakest, it is streets ahead of most tv. But general consensus seems to be that 4 is the masterpiece season. Would like to hear your thoughts as you go along (although maybe we should stick to PM's than this thread).
Also, if you are looking at aussie crime dramas, I recommend The Square and Animal Kingdom out of recentish stuff and Chopper for something a bit older.
07-30-10, 09:19 AM
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Thread Starter
Yup, thumbs down on PRINCE...I suppose the best thing I might say is that it wasn't sleep-inducing.
nitin, appreciate the mention of ANIMAL KINGDOM...I'll keep an eye out for a DVD release. I did watch THE SQUARE a while ago via the Australian DVD...it didn't strike me as being as extraordinary as some have written...but it was certainly a solid little neo-noir. I've got CHOPPER in my never-to-be-completed-in-one-lifetime to-watch pile. I've enjoyed a number of older Australian movies - LONG WEEKEND, WAKE IN FRIGHT, FAIR GAME, RAZORBACK, ROADGAMES, THE CHAIN REACTION, TURKEY SHOOT, THE CHANT OF JIMMIE BLACKSMITH, etc.
I'm going to make the trip out today to catch ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI. Hope I enjoy it more than RAAVAN...actually hope some more of the following I plan to watch down the road turn out well - RAAJNEETI, CITY OF GOLD, RAKTA CHARITRA, SHABRI (if they ever get around to releasing it!).
And of course the one I'm even more eager to catch in theaters in just over a month is director Shankar's ENDHIRAN. I hope they release the Tamil version with English subtitles for a change.
nitin, appreciate the mention of ANIMAL KINGDOM...I'll keep an eye out for a DVD release. I did watch THE SQUARE a while ago via the Australian DVD...it didn't strike me as being as extraordinary as some have written...but it was certainly a solid little neo-noir. I've got CHOPPER in my never-to-be-completed-in-one-lifetime to-watch pile. I've enjoyed a number of older Australian movies - LONG WEEKEND, WAKE IN FRIGHT, FAIR GAME, RAZORBACK, ROADGAMES, THE CHAIN REACTION, TURKEY SHOOT, THE CHANT OF JIMMIE BLACKSMITH, etc.
I'm going to make the trip out today to catch ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI. Hope I enjoy it more than RAAVAN...actually hope some more of the following I plan to watch down the road turn out well - RAAJNEETI, CITY OF GOLD, RAKTA CHARITRA, SHABRI (if they ever get around to releasing it!).
And of course the one I'm even more eager to catch in theaters in just over a month is director Shankar's ENDHIRAN. I hope they release the Tamil version with English subtitles for a change.
07-31-10, 09:48 PM
#247
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Thread Starter
Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai (Hindi - 2010)
Watched this in theaters as planned on Friday. It was average...enjoyable enough I suppose, but maybe with limited appeal aka of interest only to completist fans with regard to Indian crime films. The film kicks off with a disclaimer that it is not based on the life of Haji Mastan (one of modern India's first glamor gangsters)...if I recall correctly Haji Mastan's remaining family even tried some legal action to stop the film...despite the disclaimer it would be hard to deny the film is indeed based on Haji Mastan. The film opens in 1993 around the time of the Bombay terror attacks (as seen in BLACK FRIDAY)...we meet a cop played nicely by Randeep Hooda (from the movie D) and he then proceeds to narrate the tale as we fall back in time to show the rise of the lead gangster (basically Haji Mastan) played by Ajay Devgan. The role is fairly typical to the type of roles Devgan has been playing recently. A lot of time early on is spent with Devgan and his romance with a Bollywood starlet played by Kangana Ranaut (who looks quite fetching in retro 70's fashions, hair, and makeup...the movie is set primarily in the early 70's). After a while the third main character played by Emraan Hashmi (AWARAPAN (the Indian remake of Korea's BITTERSWEET LIFE)) is introduced into the mix. Emraan Hashmi's character is basically a representation of notorious Indian/world criminal/terrorist Dawood Ibrahim. Again some time is spent on a romantic track for Emraan Hashmi's character too...before we finally see things come together as he becomes a protege of Ajay Devgan's character. As with many crime flicks, the right hand man eventually wants to be number one. The problem with the film is that it never really knew what type of movie it wanted to be...a hard-hitting crime film like COMPANY...a loose/semi-fictional biopic...something more in the realm of maybe a masala action film...or something with more of a retro fun factor such as OM SHANTI OM...or maybe something with more of an escapist, light-hearted crime caper feel. As such it is a little bit of everything and yet not enough of each to register much impact. The 70's window dressing is rather superficial and limited in scope...Kangana Ranaut looks good...every so often another person on-screen looks fitting to the time period...but then a lot of it doesn't really give you any sense of 1970's India. The song and dance was rather nice (and I'll youtube link a favorite number from the film later on down this post). The runtime was approximately 140-minutes if I'm guessing right. While individual compartments in ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI do succeed, it just lacks too greatly for a cohesive and overall identity.
Following is the youtube link for one of the songs I liked a lot - Babu Rao Mast Hai:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05hfbqoju8E
I'll comment on some of the trailers they showed before the movie...which actually seemed rather interesting:
AAKROSH - suspense/thriller starring Ajay Devgan and Akshay Khanna that seems rather promising...and quite shockingly to me is that the director is Priyadarshan...this is certainly an out-of-the-ordinary attempt from him.
trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUIa_WWunKs
DABANGG - starring Salman Khan....seems to be an action/comedy and has potential for a high fun factor...it is the directorial debut for Abhinav Kashyap...name sound familiar...yup, he is the brother of noted writer/director Anurag Kashyap.
trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mr5qseulcHE
PEEPLI LIVE - comedy that seems to have received some acclaim on the festival circuit including Sundance...produced by Aamir Khan...seems promising.
trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lzqv76Mj3hk
I'll be watching all three of the above.
Even another trailer for AISHA (based on Jane Austen's EMMA) seemed rather solid...though the genre isn't really my cup of tea.
trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OP5b4yT53WM
Watched this in theaters as planned on Friday. It was average...enjoyable enough I suppose, but maybe with limited appeal aka of interest only to completist fans with regard to Indian crime films. The film kicks off with a disclaimer that it is not based on the life of Haji Mastan (one of modern India's first glamor gangsters)...if I recall correctly Haji Mastan's remaining family even tried some legal action to stop the film...despite the disclaimer it would be hard to deny the film is indeed based on Haji Mastan. The film opens in 1993 around the time of the Bombay terror attacks (as seen in BLACK FRIDAY)...we meet a cop played nicely by Randeep Hooda (from the movie D) and he then proceeds to narrate the tale as we fall back in time to show the rise of the lead gangster (basically Haji Mastan) played by Ajay Devgan. The role is fairly typical to the type of roles Devgan has been playing recently. A lot of time early on is spent with Devgan and his romance with a Bollywood starlet played by Kangana Ranaut (who looks quite fetching in retro 70's fashions, hair, and makeup...the movie is set primarily in the early 70's). After a while the third main character played by Emraan Hashmi (AWARAPAN (the Indian remake of Korea's BITTERSWEET LIFE)) is introduced into the mix. Emraan Hashmi's character is basically a representation of notorious Indian/world criminal/terrorist Dawood Ibrahim. Again some time is spent on a romantic track for Emraan Hashmi's character too...before we finally see things come together as he becomes a protege of Ajay Devgan's character. As with many crime flicks, the right hand man eventually wants to be number one. The problem with the film is that it never really knew what type of movie it wanted to be...a hard-hitting crime film like COMPANY...a loose/semi-fictional biopic...something more in the realm of maybe a masala action film...or something with more of a retro fun factor such as OM SHANTI OM...or maybe something with more of an escapist, light-hearted crime caper feel. As such it is a little bit of everything and yet not enough of each to register much impact. The 70's window dressing is rather superficial and limited in scope...Kangana Ranaut looks good...every so often another person on-screen looks fitting to the time period...but then a lot of it doesn't really give you any sense of 1970's India. The song and dance was rather nice (and I'll youtube link a favorite number from the film later on down this post). The runtime was approximately 140-minutes if I'm guessing right. While individual compartments in ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI do succeed, it just lacks too greatly for a cohesive and overall identity.
Following is the youtube link for one of the songs I liked a lot - Babu Rao Mast Hai:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05hfbqoju8E
I'll comment on some of the trailers they showed before the movie...which actually seemed rather interesting:
AAKROSH - suspense/thriller starring Ajay Devgan and Akshay Khanna that seems rather promising...and quite shockingly to me is that the director is Priyadarshan...this is certainly an out-of-the-ordinary attempt from him.
trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUIa_WWunKs
DABANGG - starring Salman Khan....seems to be an action/comedy and has potential for a high fun factor...it is the directorial debut for Abhinav Kashyap...name sound familiar...yup, he is the brother of noted writer/director Anurag Kashyap.
trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mr5qseulcHE
PEEPLI LIVE - comedy that seems to have received some acclaim on the festival circuit including Sundance...produced by Aamir Khan...seems promising.
trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lzqv76Mj3hk
I'll be watching all three of the above.
Even another trailer for AISHA (based on Jane Austen's EMMA) seemed rather solid...though the genre isn't really my cup of tea.
trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OP5b4yT53WM
08-01-10, 01:16 AM
#248
DVD Talk Limited Edition
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Re: Indian Cinema [PART 4]
KERALA VARMA PAZHASSIRAJA
I can understand the importance of this film for Malayalam cinema. I guess that part of India is not known for their films. So from that perspective, this is a good film for them. But...
But for the rest of the world, this is a very amateurish fair film. There is nothing wrong with the historical story. There is nothing wrong with the cinematography. There is nothing wrong with the music. Here comes the part that throws off the whole film:
1. The British actors (or actors pretending to be British) in this film which make up a good majority of the film are awful, awful, awful, awful actors. Bad bad bad bad. There is no excuse for such bad acting if the majority of the movie is going to include British actors. I wasn't rooting for the evil British colonists to be killed because they were evil. I was rooting for them to be killed because I was waiting for them to get off the screen. But when one main British actor gets killed, he gets replaced with another bad British actor. Just plain awful. If the British acting would have been good or just neutral, the film could have been good. But in turn, it makes the film seem like an amateurish tv movie.
2. For anyone that has read online reviews and praises the action in this movie, it's because they are Indian and they are just proud of any type of action choreography in their movies. The action is just plain bad, bad, bad, and bad. This movie has some of the worst laughable wirework that I have ever seen. And I like wirework. The actors are just nongracefully flung around like ragdolls. It looks totally amateurish and stupid. Furthermore, these fat warriors think they can just attach themselves to wires and do some Asian moves and think that they are all smooth and awesome looking. It wasn't. It looks like these fat-ass warriors never did any type of training or physical activity in their lives. I don't know who's to blame but it's a combination of the actors not caring, the director, and the fight choreographer. It was like watching fatties in a bloody version of a medieval live action role-playing game. There is only one actor in the movie that somewhat cared (you can tell that he lifted weights, unlike the other warriors who could care less how they looked). For anyone that even mentions this movie in the same realm as any Chinese martial arts film is truly retarded and can't tell the difference between amateur fight choreography and professional fight choreography. The producers should have hired Sammo Hung (a well-known martial arts actor and fight choreographer who is heavy himself and knows how to make heavy people look suave in fight scenes).
3. The Indian acting is pretty good, but you just don't feel for any of the characters - just not that gripping. People die, but you just don't care. That's the fault mainly with the screenplay.
Other than that, even though it's an amateur B-movie, it's certainly entertaining, not boring, and worth seeing what the big deal was for Malayalam cinema. The only direction to go from here is up. So they have to start somewhere. And since this is one of their most successful films, you got to give them credit for trying. Hopefully, they will correct some of the mistakes they made in this film in their future films.
The Blu-ray is pretty good. After watching the whole film, I saw a bit more faults with it, such as white specs through out (not a big deal though) and the video quality was grainy and not as good during night scenes (once again, very common with many blu-rays). But for a Moserbaer blu-ray, this is a very impressive blu-ray since their dvds are just plain awful. When you put the bluray in the player, it goes pretty much straight to the menu. The DTS Malayalam rocks though - the sound was really good! Not one advertisement before the menu and no ads or logos popping up during the movie or songs. This is what a regular bluray is supposed to be like. And there is a song menu (just 3 songs). This company obviously did their bluray research!
The English subtitles were okay. I don't understand why Indians can't get native English speakers to work on their subtitles. It will make the movie a lot better if the English subtitles make sense, don't have spelling mistakes, and are grammatically correct! And there are no extras on the bluray.
MOVIE: 2.5/5
VIDEO: 4/5
AUDIO: 4.5/5
EXTRAS: O
I can understand the importance of this film for Malayalam cinema. I guess that part of India is not known for their films. So from that perspective, this is a good film for them. But...
But for the rest of the world, this is a very amateurish fair film. There is nothing wrong with the historical story. There is nothing wrong with the cinematography. There is nothing wrong with the music. Here comes the part that throws off the whole film:
1. The British actors (or actors pretending to be British) in this film which make up a good majority of the film are awful, awful, awful, awful actors. Bad bad bad bad. There is no excuse for such bad acting if the majority of the movie is going to include British actors. I wasn't rooting for the evil British colonists to be killed because they were evil. I was rooting for them to be killed because I was waiting for them to get off the screen. But when one main British actor gets killed, he gets replaced with another bad British actor. Just plain awful. If the British acting would have been good or just neutral, the film could have been good. But in turn, it makes the film seem like an amateurish tv movie.
2. For anyone that has read online reviews and praises the action in this movie, it's because they are Indian and they are just proud of any type of action choreography in their movies. The action is just plain bad, bad, bad, and bad. This movie has some of the worst laughable wirework that I have ever seen. And I like wirework. The actors are just nongracefully flung around like ragdolls. It looks totally amateurish and stupid. Furthermore, these fat warriors think they can just attach themselves to wires and do some Asian moves and think that they are all smooth and awesome looking. It wasn't. It looks like these fat-ass warriors never did any type of training or physical activity in their lives. I don't know who's to blame but it's a combination of the actors not caring, the director, and the fight choreographer. It was like watching fatties in a bloody version of a medieval live action role-playing game. There is only one actor in the movie that somewhat cared (you can tell that he lifted weights, unlike the other warriors who could care less how they looked). For anyone that even mentions this movie in the same realm as any Chinese martial arts film is truly retarded and can't tell the difference between amateur fight choreography and professional fight choreography. The producers should have hired Sammo Hung (a well-known martial arts actor and fight choreographer who is heavy himself and knows how to make heavy people look suave in fight scenes).
3. The Indian acting is pretty good, but you just don't feel for any of the characters - just not that gripping. People die, but you just don't care. That's the fault mainly with the screenplay.
Other than that, even though it's an amateur B-movie, it's certainly entertaining, not boring, and worth seeing what the big deal was for Malayalam cinema. The only direction to go from here is up. So they have to start somewhere. And since this is one of their most successful films, you got to give them credit for trying. Hopefully, they will correct some of the mistakes they made in this film in their future films.
The Blu-ray is pretty good. After watching the whole film, I saw a bit more faults with it, such as white specs through out (not a big deal though) and the video quality was grainy and not as good during night scenes (once again, very common with many blu-rays). But for a Moserbaer blu-ray, this is a very impressive blu-ray since their dvds are just plain awful. When you put the bluray in the player, it goes pretty much straight to the menu. The DTS Malayalam rocks though - the sound was really good! Not one advertisement before the menu and no ads or logos popping up during the movie or songs. This is what a regular bluray is supposed to be like. And there is a song menu (just 3 songs). This company obviously did their bluray research!
The English subtitles were okay. I don't understand why Indians can't get native English speakers to work on their subtitles. It will make the movie a lot better if the English subtitles make sense, don't have spelling mistakes, and are grammatically correct! And there are no extras on the bluray.
MOVIE: 2.5/5
VIDEO: 4/5
AUDIO: 4.5/5
EXTRAS: O
08-01-10, 12:08 PM
#249
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Thread Starter
That's too bad toddly, but not surprising it turned out that way. Basically you confirmed some concerns raised in the trailer. I certainly get your drift with regard to the physical appearance of some of the performers...when I watched the previous superhit Malayalam movie TWENTY20...a film featuring most of the biggest stars in Malayalam cinema...I too was struck by the fact that an industry-wide low-carb/no coconut milk gravy diet might be in order...and maybe a temporary leave of absence for all their personal drivers...a little extra walking couldn't be much of a bad thing. I don't remember much now about TWENTY20 but that impression regarding the performers' physical appearance still lingers.