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Indian Cinema [PART 4]

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Indian Cinema [PART 4]

Old 03-16-15, 04:20 PM
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I've been eager to see Richie Mehta's SIDDHARTH (2013)...was checking around today and was surprised to see that it actually came out on U.S. DVD five months ago...will definitely grab it asap...it also came out on Australian DVD back in February.

With SIDDHARTH out of the way, now I just have to keep waiting for MONSOON SHOOTOUT.




A book was released today that might be of interest:

FUNKY BOLLYWOOD - THE WILD WORLD OF 1970s INDIAN ACTION CINEMA
Author: Todd Stadtman
Publisher: Fab Press

It can be ordered directly from Fab Press or via Amazon (among other places I suppose). It is a paperback only release and is currently $20 at Amazon U.S.




Time Out recently put up a list of The 100 Best Bollywood Movies...link follows:
http://www.timeout.com/london/film/t...llywood-movies
Old 03-17-15, 04:22 AM
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Re: Indian Cinema [PART 4]

are Time Out serious? That list is an absolute joke.

Best evidence : Dhoom and Tashan are apparently in the 100 best bollywood films ever made lol.
Old 03-18-15, 11:49 AM
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A list is a list is a list I suppose...I wasn't expecting anything too academic, especially given they are calling it "Best Bollywood" instead of "Best Hindi". I wasn't surprised by DHOOM being on there...not saying it would make my list...just saying given how high profile it was...the megahit title song...and that it kicked off a financially successful series...wasn't surprised. All that said, and even reading it with no expectations, inclusions of TASHAN and EK THA TIGER for example are certainly headscratchers.

Just the way things work I suppose, for example, I bet, if done now, something like THE HOMESMAN would end up in a list of Top 100 Westerns. I thought not much of that movie, but I wouldn't be surprised to see it make a list at the expense of much better "female Western" choices such as ZANDY'S BRIDE, HEARTLAND, and THE BALLAD OF LITTLE JO. It is how I feel when I see THE PROPOSITION turn up on lists of Best Westerns...meaning I don't care so much about what you've seen, but it does make we wonder what you haven't seen.

Relatedly, I do believe 1970s American Westerns and by that I include non-Spaghetti Euro-Westerns such as THE HUNTING PARTY, are a greatly under-appreciated body of films...actually if I were to write a book I'd expand it some and maybe go from something like 1968's WILL PENNY through 1982's BARBAROSA...and I'd certainly put a number of films from that selection ahead of THE PROPOSITION (and I'd opt to be liberal in my definition of a Western and select THE CHANT OF JIMMIE BLACKSMITH to any Best Westerns list of mine...meaning as an Australian entry over THE PROPOSITION...so, yeah, I guess everyone can tell I didn't like THE PROPOSITION all that much...haha).
Old 03-19-15, 07:17 AM
  #554  
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Re: Indian Cinema [PART 4]

I definitely havent seen too many westerns from say post Wild Bunch to Unforgiven. I do have a few lying around though (mostly Clint stuff)
Old 03-24-15, 05:45 AM
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To briefly revisit BADLAPUR for a moment...I did now read the 150-page book upon which it was based. To not spoil anything, I'll simply share a general comment. I believe the movie actually was my preferred experience...just found it more powerful...again the book was at a disadvantage perhaps since I was already familiar with the story. However, I think the movie did a much better job with regard to one of the two main characters...the book was perhaps a bit too cards-on-the-table early on, whereas the movie featured a more interesting character arc.

On a related note...meaning with regard to acclaimed European crime authors, I see that new movie THE GUNMAN is based on a Jean-Patrick Manchette novella...which I have but never read...I did try another Manchette some time back...FATALE I believe...and it did nothing for me...maybe I should give him another shot...at least it is short so it should be a harmless enough read.

Author Gregory David Roberts is finally coming out with his sequel to SHANTARAM...seems to be coming this Fall. I wonder what the status is of the movie version of SHANTARAM...it has been kicking around for years...okay did a quick search...seems like the last word had Joel Edgerton (previously Johnny Depp) as the new lead but that was eighteen months ago.
Old 04-01-15, 09:36 PM
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Watched EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS...yeah, I know, not "Indian" but if you stay with me I'll manage to bring it around thereabouts. Anyway, so I've been rather mellow in my postings lately...so I guess I was do for an eruption. Now, heading into this I was aware it was not well-received, but even that knowledge didn't prepare me for the actual experience...unquestionably the worst film I have seen this year, and even going back further than that. I don't even know where to begin...first off...another example of a movie with an excessive budget and bloated (and dull) runtime, yet entirely lacking when it comes to creating any sense of scope or wonder. The movie is poorly directed, poorly acted, poor in terms of story and dialogue...in instances it feels more like a parody...and in terms of casting it is as badly cast a film as I have seen in a very long while. Actually, the casting was bordering on offensive...totally sick of all these Brits and Aussies, etc. being gifted roles they are in no way suited for...Christian Bale completely failed at any sort of consistent accent, heck he even did Moses from South Boston at one point...Joel Edgerton, Ben Mendelsohn, Sigourney Weaver, Ewen Bremner...all terrible...Indira Varma and Aaron Paul....complete blanks...no chemistry at all among any of the cast. You know who would have been a great Ramses...Ashraf Barhom...okay you ask, who the heck is that? You know that show TYRANT on FX...I recently watched S1 and found it to be quite a pleasant surprise...it is brain on auto-pilot, popcorn viewing and not to the caliber of HOMELAND or THE HONOURABLE WOMAN of course...but I found it fast-paced and quite entertaining (the season-ending episode was curious...a solid episode if it were a one-season show...but about as bad an episode as you could write if you wanted to continue the series)...anyway, the best part of that show was actor Ashraf Barhom...just totally owns that show...and I generally enjoyed the cast of the show...not everyone is up to the mark, that is for sure...but the cast generally had a fresh feel to it. Oh man, now I forgot what else I wanted to complain about with regard to EXODUS...at least my mood has brightened after writing about TYRANT. Anyway, if I tell you the best part of EXODUS was the colored flags/pennants on the Egyptian chariots/cavalry that should tell you all you need to know. I suppose in terms of what-were-they-thinking, it'd be tough to outdo something like John Wayne's THE CONQUEROR...but if anything in modern cinema has come close then EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS would be it. The film ends with it being dedicated to Tony Scott...Sir Ridley should be stripped of his knighthood...EXODUS was an entirely inept and misguided disaster.

Okay, deep breath...anyway somewhere late in the opening third of EXODUS...when it settled in that the movie was a complete stinker...and I started thinking about what a terrible job they did in casting the movie...I got to thinking...if Hollywood could do something as silly and inert as EXODUS...then you know what I'd really want to see...now someone is going to steal my idea...anyway, I want a Hindi version of the ten commandments. I guarantee it'd be far more entertaining than EXODUS...how about we do Arjun Rampal as Ramses and John Abraham as Moses...I bet India would do a much better job all-around, and it'd be far more grand on a much smaller budget...and it'd have some heart, soul, and emotion (and it'd look great too). Seriously, someone needs to make this happen.
Old 04-07-15, 09:26 PM
  #557  
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Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! (2015 - Hindi) - While the surface details ultimately bring to mind something like Sherlock Holmes, the actual execution is really more moody neo-noir...in either case the movie doesn't rise above mid-grade fare. It starts off as typical detective noir...taking on a simple case that turns out to be anything but. When done right you get your CHINATOWN, NIGHT MOVES, etc.,...but when the writing isn't up to the task you get mediocrity...and that is what happens here. The primary casualty is the pacing...I'm fine with "unhurried", but here things slip to the point of "listlessness". Despite the urban setting, the feel in the first half is more relaxed-on-the-front-porch Southern noir...or perhaps more accurately it feels like period-set, less-than-urban Los Angeles noir...whatever it is there is a dullness to everything going on. The movie in terms of production values and technicals is first-rate, but that is just about budget...easy enough to do. The cast/performances too rate out well. Problem is the story is run-of-the-mill, and even with that, in terms of storytelling it could have been executed much, much better. I didn't note the runtime but I'd guess it at around 140-minutes, and that was way too long...really a half-hour more than what would have been better for this type of tale...a punishingly slow pace (especially the first half)...really an unnecessarily drawn-out and over-presented relating of a simple enough plot. Outside of setting up the main character, his sidekicks, and a super-villian for - perhaps - future installments in the series...there really wasn't much else accomplished...in terms of a rewarding standalone entry this movie fails...again because the generic story/plot made no impact...you never get pulled in to the experience. A final minor criticism is with regard to the visual presentation of the femme fatale...every time she came on screen it just felt...too stylish...like an homage to femme fatales in film...and that too sort of pulled me out of the movie...again it looked great in that regard but it again just left me detached from the overall experience.

In years past, I would have rated this movie higher...but given the high caliber of cinema now coming out India...I can't pass it just because it is professionally made. Heck, South Korea and Hollywood do professionally made all the time...you know how many good movies I've seen from them lately...not a lot. There has to be something more to make a good movie...because if professionally made were the standard then it'd be easy because it would be simply about money...it has to be about characters that come alive, or a story/plot/theme that registers as more than cookie-cutter, or going about telling your tale in a way that moves people...playing to their heart, soul, and mind...giving them a reason to care...to lose themselves in the experience. DETECTIVE BYOMKESH BAKSHY! doesn't measure up to that standard.

DETECTIVE BYOMKESH BAKSHY! is currently playing in U.S. theaters.
Old 04-08-15, 07:41 AM
  #558  
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Re: Indian Cinema [PART 4]

sorry to hear that, I was looking forward to this one being a) a fan of Dibakar Banerjee's last movie and b) a noir sucker.
Old 04-08-15, 03:39 PM
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I do recall stating a positive opinion with regard to Dibakar Banerjee's previous one - SHANGHAI. Broadly speaking - because I don't have clear recall on SHANGHAI - I think that DETECTIVE BYOMKESH BAKSHY! and SHANGHAI were not dissimilar in terms of general tone/feel...the difference being that SHANGHAI was compelling outside of that and this latest was "meh". The latest didn't find a true identity. There was a shopping list of pulpy ingredients but they added little flavor...at least any depth of flavor...they were just superficial bullet points to the story. As a Robert Downey-type Holmes movie...or even more comparable to a bunch of recent East Asian - China vs. Japan, or Korea vs. Japan - WWII espionage movies, BAKSHY doesn't work at all...too crushingly slow and lacking any sort of fun factor and thrills...even the film's promotional poster of Bakshy running/jumping misrepresents the feel of the movie. On the noir side, BAKSHY might not even deserve that label as the noir elements are superficial window-dressing...there isn't any undercurrent...nothing bubbling under the surface....no real depth in terms of developing the characters or the psychology behind things. I'm probably making it sound worse than it is now...and I think it still could have been a winner with the story/plot it had...but in the telling it was just too sloppy, redundant, and again quite dull.


Prior to BAKSHY, a trailer for the upcoming PIKU aired...even sitting through the annoying trailer was a challenge...and the most disappointing aspect was that it is directed by Shoojit Sircar...quite liked his last one MADRAS CAFE...don't have much hope at all for PIKU.
Old 04-08-15, 04:40 PM
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I see that bigwig Bollywood director/producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra is making his Hollywood aka English-language directorial debut with BROKEN HORSES opening in limited release this Friday. It's a reimagining of his 1989 crime classic PARINDA...now done as a modern American Western. Seems the idea came about after watching THE DEPARTED (after already having seen INFERNAL AFFAIRS)...and figuring why not do the same with PARINDA. Chopra doesn't seem like the type that'd transition well to contemporary American audiences...PARINDA, 1942, MISSION KASHMIR, EKLAVYA...I think of them as old-school Bollywood. And reviews from Variety and The Hollywood Reporter seem to confirm my doubts. A fair bet those reviews are more reliable than the fawning praise given the movie by heavyweights James Cameron and Alfonso Cuaron.
Old 04-20-15, 06:03 AM
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Re: Indian Cinema [PART 4]

I saw Bobby Jasoos on DVD today. Horrible script with inane plotting and contrived characterisation. The direction was also very average with no sense of how to balance the various parts of the overstuffed script.

But, all of those shortcomings are almost masked by effervescent performances from nearly everyone involved (except Kiran Kumar as Khan, Rajendra Gupta as Abba and Arjan Bajwa as Lala, all of whom were very one note) and some very nice cinematography.

5/10

The DVD from Reliance was unusually strong although there was something slightly off with the colours, nothing too bad but noticeable nonetheless. A shame there was no blu ray as I would pick it up for the cinematography alone.
Old 04-25-15, 10:04 PM
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Haven't yet gotten to BOBBY JASOOS myself.


Siddharth (2013 - Hindi) - Canadian director Richie Mehta again returns to India for his third film (his first, also done in India, was AMAL (2007)).

Some time back I was watching a mainstream-type Hindi movie and they were making fun of Hollywood/Western film critics or something along those lines...it was rather amusing...and accurate...the gist of the humor being that the only thing the West seems receptive to - when it comes to Indian cinema - is when a movie focuses on third world type tales. An example being that Telugu movie - VANAJA - from some years back...it won a major award in Berlin and Roger Ebert gave it a great review...all well and good...issue being it was a so-so movie. There are lots of better Indian movies...but they are ignored by Western audiences and critics. As discussed, the last couple of years have been quite impressive for Indian cinema...and yet when you look at "Best of the Year" type lists from Europe/America and other places you never see mention of mainstream Indian cinema. Even more damning is that Indian cinema distribution to theaters in the U.S., U.K., etc. is quite impressive...so it isn't like the films are hard to access. You can't help but wonder if things like racial prejudice might be a factor...if LOOTERA had been a French movie, I bet you would have seen it on lots of "best" lists...it is a far superior movie to France's RUST AND BONE (which got a lot of critical acclaim).

I see I'm doing the "long-winded" thing again...so back to SIDDHARTH...a third world type tale of a father and his helplessness when his son goes missing. Naturally it earned some rather positive reviews...from Variety for one. Now, SIDDHARTH was quite okay...I still liked Mehta's earlier film AMAL a little more....but SIDDHARTH was...fine. But not anything "special" enough to have warranted some of the glowing reviews I've come across. To be fair this seems to happen with something like Korean movies a lot too recently...you know how they've been making all these "social issue" type movies and then the critics seem to believe that just because a film has a "powerful" subject then that is enough for it to be automatically stamped with a positive review.

Back to SIDDHARTH...coming in at 97-minutes...it is rather plain and vanilla in terms of technicals/production values...professionally done for sure and fitting for the story...but still rather TV-movie-ish in terms of style. It is a different look perhaps at dealing with a missing child...it is not a suspense/thriller/mystery in that regard...no hard-charging momentum in terms of the father trying to find his son. Instead, you are faced with...what happens when something like this happens and the father/family are in no way equipped to tackle the situation...and by "equipped" I mean they just don't have the financial resources or even the "smarts" or sophistication to effectively and efficiently confront the situation. To make matters worse...there seems a general apathy from the public at large as it seems not uncommon (and in a way accepted) that these things happen and there isn't much you can do about it. The tone was sometimes at odds...as I said a generally "earthy" approach yet the musical score - though nicely done - was more tuned to a more melodramatic type telling of the tale. SIDDHARTH is primarily a character piece focused on the father combined with class commentary...for example in trying to find out where "Dongri" is, the impoverished father spends a fair amount of screentime asking people on the streets of Delhi...and he gets no results for a long while until someone takes just a few seconds to do a Google search to help him. I wonder too if this was some form of commentary on India as a nation...in the sense that each state is almost its own country...so asking people in Delhi was pointless because "Dongri" is in the "foreign" city of Mumbai in another "foreign" state. This point struck me because I immediately knew where "Dongri" was...because of a book I read on Dawood Ibrahim...so I was surprised that so many of the characters couldn't provide what seemed to me a simple answer to the father.

The closing scene is quietly moving and certainly hits the target in terms of emotional impact. So while I don't find myself in agreement with some of the high praise the film has received, SIDDHARTH is still an engaging effort...a father is confronted with the nightmare of his missing child...and despite giving his "best"...you watch helplessly knowing that his "best" might be nowhere close to enough.

Watched via the U.S. DVD.
Old 05-19-15, 09:29 PM
  #563  
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Bombay Velvet (2015 - Hindi) - as the saying goes, the longest of journeys begins with but a single step...but there really is too much ground to cover when it comes to BOMBAY VELVET...a film that gets nothing right. It just might be the most ill-considered project since Ram Gopal Varma's KI AAG. I don't know what director Kashyap was going for...outside of making himself look like an Oreo desirous of consumption by the West. I generally feel that Anurag Kashyap is overrated...with a reputation that stretches beyond his actual achievement. To his credit, his work - if not entirely successful - is at least "interesting"...and there is a lot of merit to being "interesting" even it is mid-grade. That makes this project even more curious...it is bland, big-budget, corporate, and impersonal. BOMBAY VELVET is very much an empty vessel...instead of characters and storytelling, you get tokens being run through cliched and tired plot points. This type of glossy, overproduced, everybody-play-dress-up, period-set crime film has been done to death...Hollywood, Hong Kong, South Korea...everywhere. BOMBAY VELVET doesn't even feel "Bollywood"...it feels like a reenactment of Hollywood past. Despite the generous budget...the "vessel" aka the costumes, set-design, props, etc. fail to create any sense of verisimilitude. I never felt transported to 1960s Bombay...again it felt like actors playing dress-up in 2015...I'd even say the feel was more like post-war Los Angeles or Florida maybe mixed with Roaring Twenties New York City (and I'll note that the Cagney film does serve a function in this movie). Even some brief fight choreography felt modern instead of reflecting a fighting style of the 1960s. In terms of the story and plot, it'd be a challenge to note anything that was original, and if you aren't going to be original that is fine too...I've enjoyed lots of cookie-cutter crime films like this...but there is nothing inspired or at the least involving about BOMBAY VELVET. The movie is dull and overlong. It failed to engage from the opening credits...I really did feel the doubt set it in that early on. It isn't in my nature I suppose, but thoughts of walking out of the film ran through my mind at multiple points even prior to the intermission...the movie was indeed that lacking in terms of having any sort of pulse...there was no reason to care about anything going on in front of my eyes. The performances didn't register either...additionally I didn't care for some of the casting decisions, and there seemed no chemistry between the performers. I really don't know what Kashyap was aiming for besides an attempt to, umm, curry favor on the world stage...the opening credits thank Martin Scorsese (which seems to be the International version of India's thanking Amitabh Bachchan for every other movie they make). And Scorsese editor Thelma Schoonmaker was indeed an editor for BOMBAY VELVET...perhaps a good fit for Bollywood given the bloated work done on THE WOLF OF WALL STREET...naturally I wasn't impressed by her effort in BOMBAY VELVET either. Years from now when all is said and done, I'd like to think that BOMBAY VELVET will only be seen as a minor anomaly in Anurag Kashyap's career...perhaps a poorly calculated effort by someone more interested perhaps in politicking, buttkissing, and brown-nosing his way to even greater worldwide acclaim...instead of reaching for the stars - and perhaps even falling short - but at least doing so on your own terms and with your own independent vision...contentment needn't come only from winning. I've enjoyed many an Indian crime film, that Kashyap felt compelled to take the "India" out of his movie is very sad indeed.

BOMBAY VELVET is currently in U.S. theaters. Avoid. Only thing left to decide is if BOMBAY VELVET should supplant EXODUS as the worst movie I've seen this year.
Old 05-20-15, 09:00 AM
  #564  
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Re: Indian Cinema [PART 4]

I'm genuinely intrigued by the fact that Thelma Schoonmaker edited this. Intrigued enough that I might even check this out.

Although I agree with your general sentiment re Kashyap. A lot of his films fell 'important' or 'interesting' because they go out of their way to not be standard Bollywood, but forget that there are other aspects to filmmaking apart from being different to the usual cinema from your country.

As for period accuracy, the trailer showed Tommy guns? In 60's Bombay lol.
Old 05-20-15, 02:33 PM
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Yup, the Rampuri knife yields center stage to Tommy guns. I just don't get what Kashyap was thinking with this movie. It's like he just "discovered" Warner gangster pictures or the crime cinema of Scorsese and Coppola, and felt compelled to shout it from the rooftop. I suppose the fact that we are shown Cagney's THE ROARING TWENTIES playing - in non-dubbed form - to a packed house in 1960s Bombay clearly signals Kashyap's intent for this to be an escapist exercise. At the same time...good gosh...bully for him and all, but we aren't exactly talking films that are an unexplored or hidden treasure. Okay fine he wants to pay (sycophantic) homage to the jewels of American crime cinema...but a filmmaker of his stature really needs to do more than simply regurgitate what he has seen. South Korea was successful with something like A DIRTY CARNIVAL, but BOMBAY VELVET is inert and flatlines viewers over the course of 150-minutes. Congratulations to Kashyap for proclaiming that he too appreciates the beloved classics of Hollywood crime cinema. A poorly conceived project from the get-go.

In terms of editing...maybe...I don't know if there just wasn't enough material available but I thought the introduction/prologue-type scenes that start the movie were somewhat roughly presented and without rhythm...they just felt sort of choppy and random and underdeveloped, and contributed to the film getting off to a poor start. Even in the second half - where I thought the story even got a little silly - there is a jump from a balcony scene that instead of suspenseful played as somewhat unintentionally and oddly comedic...maybe the type of thing where a couple of seconds should have been shaved off the very end of the scene.
Old 05-21-15, 12:16 PM
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More long-windedness so EXODUS doesn't feel so lonely...

or

If STAGECOACH married WESTWARD THE WOMEN and spawned a preemie, post-apocalyptic baby...

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) - decided to catch this in theaters...not so much because of the hype, but more because I wanted to try out a new theater and this seemed the only thing reasonably interesting...the theater was quite impressive for what it's worth. For background, I'm a fan - perhaps casual in nature - but I count myself an admirer of the Mad Max films...though it has been some years since I've watched any of them.

I suppose most (aka the remaining few) who follow this thread will anticipate my reaction...if not just try and recall how I felt about the last "greatest ever" action movie THE RAID (specifically how I felt about it prior to coupling it with the sequel). FURY ROAD was...fine...maybe I'd rate it as better-than-average...a diverting enough couple of hours but that's all.

Where to start...really don't get the high praise for the action. In that sense, if forced to make a pick, I'd be more easily swayed towards the hype for THE RAID. My major issue in terms of the action...the horribly distracting sped-up, undercranked, slip-to-the-fastforward button (or whatever else it is technically called) action. It was that bad...I could let it go when it came to the vehicular chase scenes for sure...but it appears elsewhere in some seemingly simple foot chase type work and even small groups of people scrambling about the screen. Just this issue alone disqualifies FURY ROAD from any ranking as a great action film.

Setting aside anything else, that makes what everyone is trying to sell about FURY ROAD as a great action movie just a house of cards. I've stated my thoughts with regard to how I feel about all the big action setpieces in Hollywood blockbuster superhero, fantasy, and sci-fi films...they do nothing for me. Perhaps FURY ROAD seems significantly better...because maybe of the uncluttered setting of the action...a dozen vehicles in a barren landscape...how could you not shoot something like that in a more plain fashion. I thought THE RAID 2 was a great action movie, or even stuff from Hong Kong such as EXILED and SHA PO LANG, or even, gasp, BAD BOYS and BAD BOYS 2, and THE ROCK...and even great DTV action films such as the UNDISPUTED sequels. By comparison FURY ROAD is a straightforward and pared down chase film driven by a handful of repeat-themselves setpieces. That's fine...see it for the two hours of mayhem...and then move along. As far as chase films go, I'll take THE NAKED PREY over FURY ROAD ten times out ten. Outside of the sound and fury, I just didn't care for anything in terms of character or story...if they let everyone die or ride off into the sunset after the first major vehicular setpiece it would have been fine by me...recycling things a couple more times was a case of diminishing returns.

Now it isn't that the movie was without glancing areas of interest...the idea of "worship" and things of that nature but they were just rather fleeting. And it didn't help that I found a lot of the dialogue to be rather garbled...such that I'd flip on English subtitles if ever I were to watch the movie again. The most interesting character to me was the "bad" henchman...he was the only one I felt some connection to in terms of being interested in his fate. I did quite like "the band" in the movie and as such music was very nicely incorporated.

Also, in addition to the action, don't quite get the praise for this as some revolutionary game-changer when it comes to the strong female lead. I mean we've been getting loads of female lead driven action films lately...and even in foreign films for example South Korea regularly offers up strong female leads. There just seems to be a fake and misleading narrative being built (and too easily embraced) for this movie in terms of how it is being portrayed by critics and such.

Oh man, I had more to say but now it just isn't coming to mind. I will expand in that I do have concerns about the current state of film criticism...in a culture where everyone can raise voice...there seems to be a great feel of (perhaps even uninformed) groupthink going on. For me it is like being part of an odd reality...where FURY ROAD is pedestaled to greatness...and a much better action film like India's D-DAY (as an ignored example) fails to find the sunlight. I've mentioned before, a great action film can contain only minutes of action - like TWILIGHT SAMURAI - because the fact that you care is what makes it great.

I tend to enjoy natural landscape type adventure films so FURY ROAD was a more welcome meal to me as opposed to superhero, sci-fi/fantasy fare, but outside of that the action scenes didn't score as much different from the usual blockbuster fare...even FURY ROAD contained quite a bit of quick-cutting in the action...more importantly the fast-forward-button action style icebergs much of the mayhem. If you want to do FURY ROAD on the cheap, pop in MAD MAX 2 and loop through the climactic action scene four times and your experience will be - though more modest - not entirely dissimilar.

Just remembered a final comment I wanted to make...perhaps (okay, we can remove the "perhaps") I'm far outside the norm living in a household where MATROESJKA'S is fine for family viewing...but I just don't get the R-rating for FURY ROAD...in the United States...in this day and age...and your telling me that FURY ROAD has content that needs to be kept away from a fifteen year-old.

Last edited by flixtime; 05-21-15 at 12:23 PM.
Old 05-22-15, 08:34 PM
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Re: Indian Cinema [PART 4]

Originally Posted by flixtime
More long-windedness so EXODUS doesn't feel so lonely...

or

If STAGECOACH married WESTWARD THE WOMEN and spawned a preemie, post-apocalyptic baby...

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) - decided to catch this in theaters...not so much because of the hype, but more because I wanted to try out a new theater and this seemed the only thing reasonably interesting...the theater was quite impressive for what it's worth. For background, I'm a fan - perhaps casual in nature - but I count myself an admirer of the Mad Max films...though it has been some years since I've watched any of them.

I suppose most (aka the remaining few) who follow this thread will anticipate my reaction...if not just try and recall how I felt about the last "greatest ever" action movie THE RAID (specifically how I felt about it prior to coupling it with the sequel). FURY ROAD was...fine...maybe I'd rate it as better-than-average...a diverting enough couple of hours but that's all.

Where to start...really don't get the high praise for the action. In that sense, if forced to make a pick, I'd be more easily swayed towards the hype for THE RAID. My major issue in terms of the action...the horribly distracting sped-up, undercranked, slip-to-the-fastforward button (or whatever else it is technically called) action. It was that bad...I could let it go when it came to the vehicular chase scenes for sure...but it appears elsewhere in some seemingly simple foot chase type work and even small groups of people scrambling about the screen. Just this issue alone disqualifies FURY ROAD from any ranking as a great action film.

Setting aside anything else, that makes what everyone is trying to sell about FURY ROAD as a great action movie just a house of cards. I've stated my thoughts with regard to how I feel about all the big action setpieces in Hollywood blockbuster superhero, fantasy, and sci-fi films...they do nothing for me. Perhaps FURY ROAD seems significantly better...because maybe of the uncluttered setting of the action...a dozen vehicles in a barren landscape...how could you not shoot something like that in a more plain fashion. I thought THE RAID 2 was a great action movie, or even stuff from Hong Kong such as EXILED and SHA PO LANG, or even, gasp, BAD BOYS and BAD BOYS 2, and THE ROCK...and even great DTV action films such as the UNDISPUTED sequels. By comparison FURY ROAD is a straightforward and pared down chase film driven by a handful of repeat-themselves setpieces. That's fine...see it for the two hours of mayhem...and then move along. As far as chase films go, I'll take THE NAKED PREY over FURY ROAD ten times out ten. Outside of the sound and fury, I just didn't care for anything in terms of character or story...if they let everyone die or ride off into the sunset after the first major vehicular setpiece it would have been fine by me...recycling things a couple more times was a case of diminishing returns.

Now it isn't that the movie was without glancing areas of interest...the idea of "worship" and things of that nature but they were just rather fleeting. And it didn't help that I found a lot of the dialogue to be rather garbled...such that I'd flip on English subtitles if ever I were to watch the movie again. The most interesting character to me was the "bad" henchman...he was the only one I felt some connection to in terms of being interested in his fate. I did quite like "the band" in the movie and as such music was very nicely incorporated.

Also, in addition to the action, don't quite get the praise for this as some revolutionary game-changer when it comes to the strong female lead. I mean we've been getting loads of female lead driven action films lately...and even in foreign films for example South Korea regularly offers up strong female leads. There just seems to be a fake and misleading narrative being built (and too easily embraced) for this movie in terms of how it is being portrayed by critics and such.

Oh man, I had more to say but now it just isn't coming to mind. I will expand in that I do have concerns about the current state of film criticism...in a culture where everyone can raise voice...there seems to be a great feel of (perhaps even uninformed) groupthink going on. For me it is like being part of an odd reality...where FURY ROAD is pedestaled to greatness...and a much better action film like India's D-DAY (as an ignored example) fails to find the sunlight. I've mentioned before, a great action film can contain only minutes of action - like TWILIGHT SAMURAI - because the fact that you care is what makes it great.

I tend to enjoy natural landscape type adventure films so FURY ROAD was a more welcome meal to me as opposed to superhero, sci-fi/fantasy fare, but outside of that the action scenes didn't score as much different from the usual blockbuster fare...even FURY ROAD contained quite a bit of quick-cutting in the action...more importantly the fast-forward-button action style icebergs much of the mayhem. If you want to do FURY ROAD on the cheap, pop in MAD MAX 2 and loop through the climactic action scene four times and your experience will be - though more modest - not entirely dissimilar.

Just remembered a final comment I wanted to make...perhaps (okay, we can remove the "perhaps") I'm far outside the norm living in a household where MATROESJKA'S is fine for family viewing...but I just don't get the R-rating for FURY ROAD...in the United States...in this day and age...and your telling me that FURY ROAD has content that needs to be kept away from a fifteen year-old.
FWIW I enjoyed the hell out of Fury Road. Not a great film by any means but way better than the action blockbusters that have been coming out of hollywood for the last 5 years or so.
Old 05-23-15, 07:17 AM
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As you know, I'm not big (aka understatement) on the current state of Hollywood blockbusters. Off the top of my head...trying to think of what I liked better within that standard (Hollywood blockbusters of the last five years)...first that comes to mind in terms of what I found to be an exciting action movie, would be OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN (and I liked WHITE HOUSE DOWN too). There's stuff like THE GREY and LONE SURVIVOR but those would be more apples-to-oranges comparisons. I think too that FURY ROAD benefits by being a "chase movie" so it is stripped of the "fat" as compared to other action blockbusters...at the same time in the cooking world it is often said that "fat" is flavor. Again really didn't like the look of some of the more simple stuff in FURY ROAD. For example, the opening where Mad Max is running through the underground hallways/tunnels and he jumps up to grab a short chain and climbs out of the hallway...it was all sped-up and such and for me that prevented it from being an immersive, exciting experience. I seem to recall this type of stuff in the earlier Mad Max movies but it is 2015 now so I just don't see why it had to be that way...it felt...I don't know...video-gamey or whatever. Even stuff later where Max and company might be scrambling to get to their vehicle...it is just weird looking...liking a silent film projected at a too fast frame rate...everybody moving too quickly and herky-jerky.
Old 05-23-15, 03:02 PM
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Re: Indian Cinema [PART 4]

Originally Posted by flixtime
As you know, I'm not big (aka understatement) on the current state of Hollywood blockbusters. Off the top of my head...trying to think of what I liked better within that standard (Hollywood blockbusters of the last five years)...first that comes to mind in terms of what I found to be an exciting action movie, would be OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN (and I liked WHITE HOUSE DOWN too). There's stuff like THE GREY and LONE SURVIVOR but those would be more apples-to-oranges comparisons. I think too that FURY ROAD benefits by being a "chase movie" so it is stripped of the "fat" as compared to other action blockbusters...at the same time in the cooking world it is often said that "fat" is flavor. Again really didn't like the look of some of the more simple stuff in FURY ROAD. For example, the opening where Mad Max is running through the underground hallways/tunnels and he jumps up to grab a short chain and climbs out of the hallway...it was all sped-up and such and for me that prevented it from being an immersive, exciting experience. I seem to recall this type of stuff in the earlier Mad Max movies but it is 2015 now so I just don't see why it had to be that way...it felt...I don't know...video-gamey or whatever. Even stuff later where Max and company might be scrambling to get to their vehicle...it is just weird looking...liking a silent film projected at a too fast frame rate...everybody moving too quickly and herky-jerky.
I haven't seen this yet but am looking forward to it. But reading this it makes me think that I won't enjoy this as much as I hate the herky jerky style of filming/shooting. It just gives me a headache since the action goes by too fast for me to process.

I think the last "blockbuster" film I enjoyed was X Men: Days of Future Past. That one was helped but a great storyline/plot.
Old 05-23-15, 08:26 PM
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Hey sleepyhead, just want to clarify that by "herky jerky" I wasn't intending to imply "shaky cam"...in case that was how you read it...by "herky jerky" I was just intending to say "sped-up", etc., but in another manner...that was all I meant. Shaky cam isn't an issue with FURY ROAD.

To just update something from the other thread...my copy of LA ISLA MINIMA is still in-transit, and with some holiday time here now...even if it arrives next week, I won't get to it until at least June 1st.

Haven't yet watched X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST. And still waiting for JOHN WICK to hit $14.99 or less before I purchase it.

I don't recall the budget aka was it a "blockbuster" in that regard...but I do seem to recall enjoying THE BOURNE LEGACY (in trying to name something else that falls within the last five years).

And also to complete a mention from the European thread...I did finish OLIVE KITTERIDGE...I thought the high point was the first episode...at that point I might've said something like "if you liked the FARGO television series then definitely check out OLIVE KITTERIDGE". The second episode was still impressive in a way but not to the level of the first...and then the third was less impressive than the second...and the fourth less impressive than the third. And, while Bill Murray was fine in his role, his casting sort of dropped me out of the experience just a wee bit. I'll say the series didn't quite go as I might have expected after the first episode...I thought it'd be an equal mix of story/plot and character. But after the first episode, it becomes more a character-centered entry...looking at the lives of the lead couple (though more focused on Olive as it goes along through the twenty-plus years)...sort of assorted key vignettes over the course of their marriage, primarily centered on their relationship with a select handful of family, friends, acquaintances. The mini-series still rates a thumbs up...but my great enthusiasm was for the first episode.

I recently watched THE IMITATION GAME and liked it a great deal...certainly more than a lot of the other acclaimed/awards-type English-language films.

In terms of TV-series viewing planned for next month...S1 of Sweden's REAL HUMANS and S1 of Italy's GOMORRA...and too S1 of RECTIFY.
Old 05-24-15, 01:36 AM
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Re: Indian Cinema [PART 4]

Originally Posted by flixtime
As you know, I'm not big (aka understatement) on the current state of Hollywood blockbusters. Off the top of my head...trying to think of what I liked better within that standard (Hollywood blockbusters of the last five years)...first that comes to mind in terms of what I found to be an exciting action movie, would be OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN (and I liked WHITE HOUSE DOWN too). There's stuff like THE GREY and LONE SURVIVOR but those would be more apples-to-oranges comparisons. I think too that FURY ROAD benefits by being a "chase movie" so it is stripped of the "fat" as compared to other action blockbusters...at the same time in the cooking world it is often said that "fat" is flavor. Again really didn't like the look of some of the more simple stuff in FURY ROAD. For example, the opening where Mad Max is running through the underground hallways/tunnels and he jumps up to grab a short chain and climbs out of the hallway...it was all sped-up and such and for me that prevented it from being an immersive, exciting experience. I seem to recall this type of stuff in the earlier Mad Max movies but it is 2015 now so I just don't see why it had to be that way...it felt...I don't know...video-gamey or whatever. Even stuff later where Max and company might be scrambling to get to their vehicle...it is just weird looking...liking a silent film projected at a too fast frame rate...everybody moving too quickly and herky-jerky.
well, I err, hmm, hated both Olympus has Fallen and White House Down

Bourne Legacy I agree was underrated, definitely above average at least.
Old 05-31-15, 12:13 PM
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Originally Posted by flixtime
And still waiting for JOHN WICK to hit $14.99 or less before I purchase it.
Did I awaken some form of latent superpower aka a few days later Walmart, Target, and Amazon all offered it at that price. Therefore I beg you the reader's indulgence aka if at first you do succeed try try again...

Still waiting for Lili Simmons (from BANSHEE) to declare that she is madly in love with me.

Originally Posted by sleepyhead55
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.
And while I patiently await my darlin' Lili...sat down with JOHN WICK, thought it started out as quite terrific. Really liked that they took fifteen minutes at the outset to set things up and give you a reason to care...and wow what a really nice job they did in that regard...it pulled me in emotionally and made me feel attached at the hip to the John Wick character. Despite being sort of escapist/graphic novel in feel, I liked that the movie was really quite hardcore and angry and single-minded in terms of the vengeance. And it was a nice mix in terms of...it maybe had an East meets West vibe...especially earlier on it gave off a vibe of something from Hong Kong or Korea. Up till maybe around the 55-minute mark or around there, I thought JOHN WICK was tremendous...off the top of my head the most enjoyable Hollywood movie of this very general type since FASTER (2010) perhaps. Around that 55-minute timestamp though, it lost its way to a measurable degree. Not that the remainder of the movie was bad but it was just ordinary...more importantly it lost its edge and it went sort of limp (as compared to the earlier section). The combination of the "hotel" and the "female villain" took the rage and drive out of things. I could have lived with the hotel thing...I mean it was amusing and all, but more comic book GET SMART than angry graphic novel, but it was acceptable. The handling of the female villain really sunk things for me though...I actually don't think the character was even necessary, or if she was she didn't need to be given as much screentime as she received. After the full-steam ahead opening, I was disappointed that the later section felt more like a series of less than efficiently planned detours. Again very much enjoyed the movie overall, but the final thirty-five percent or whatever didn't match the greatness of what came before that. Actually, FURY ROAD would have greatly benefited by taking some time - like JOHN WICK did - in setting things up at the start of the movie. Instead of a weak and rather empty action scene to open the movie (it was like a Telugu movie where every movie starts off with action...you know...just because), FURY ROAD would have been better if they had simply used the opening to introduce you to the female characters you meet later in the movie...you should have been shown their lives in the "harem" so maybe you would have cared more later...instead of their non-"surprise" introduction, maybe someone like Alfred Hitchcock would have...he would have clued you in earlier as to their presence, it just would have added a little more suspense to things. In terms of recent movies that felt a little like JOHN WICK, I'd say PANZEHIR from Turkey (which I mentioned in the European thread)...had that same graphic novel/action vibe....technically and such the action in JOHN WICK was certainly better...and PANZEHIR was more in the spirit of action/buddy-comedy...but it was a more consistent experience from beginning to end. All said, I guess I am just a little disappointed in that JOHN WICK didn't close as strongly as it began...because that opening 55-minutes or so was outstanding.
Old 07-19-15, 10:07 PM
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Baahubali: The Beginning (2015 - Telugu) - Director S.S. Rajamouli makes fine use of a record-breaking budget and delivers a game changer - in terms of spectacle - not just for Telugu cinema but for all of Indian cinema...measuring it as such, as "spectacle", BAAHUBALI really is an evolutionary event. As a "consistent" viewing from the beginning through the very end, I preferred it over his MAGADHEERA, and too even over his quite impressive (and evolutionary too) EEGA. I was impressed that there really wasn't any fat, filler, dead spots, or wastage in the approximately 160-minute runtime...the story caught my attention from the very opening and left me wanting more upon its conclusion. To note: this film is only Part 1, the second part is anticipated to hit screens about a year from now. A movie such as the Tamil entry ENTHIRAN certainly offered "spectacle"...problem was you had to sit through two-plus hours of complete garbage to get there. Even EEGA required a twenty-minute or more "warm-up" period before the movie finally kicked into gear. There are no such issues with BAAHUBALI. All this said, I don't really think BAAHUBALI is high art, thematically rich, or anything...it simply works as easy-viewing, popcorn-munching entertainment. Something like the great Tamil masala movie ANNIYAN probably offered "excellence" in more areas when compared to BAAHUBALI...for example the story in ANNIYAN had a greater stick-to-your-ribs quality, and Vikram's performance was solid, and the music/dance was top shelf. BAAHUBALI in many ways is more ordinary...but again it deserves praise for its grandeur.

While it certainly wasn't the aim of the filmmakers, in trying to describe the movie to non-Indian audiences, I would say that BAAHUBALI evokes the spirit of 1960's Italian pepla (aka muscle-man) movies more than any movie that comes to mind. Lead actor Prabhas is someone I've generally found to be less charismatic when compared to other Telugu superstars. And he isn't really any different here, but like the muscle-man stars of classic pepla, Prabhas certainly "fits the suit" and delivers in terms of serving up a "functional" character. Rana Daggubati's performance as the main villain could be described as effectively functional as well. A few of the supporting players were more impressive...mainly the actors who performed as the old chief of the royal guard, and too the leader of the enemy tribal army.

An aside comment...the movie has a disclaimer at the beginning...something to the effect that no animals were harmed and the animals were CGI creations...okay fine...but guess what...coming from the land of smoking and alcohol watermarks/warnings on movies...that certainly wasn't enough...so when a character fights a bull early in the movie...in the lower left-corner of the movie...you guessed it, you get a watermark indicating "C.G.I" to again let you know that it isn't a real bull but a CGI bull...and it happens three times more in the first half...with a snake, a horse, and elephant. And despite the mega-budget, the CGI isn't A-grade work so you know it isn't a real bull...but they have to tell you again anyway.

Might as well comment on the CGI and such...I'm not picky about stuff like that really...if I'm caught up in the story, it doesn't generally bother me if the CGI isn't the most realistic or such. So even if parts early on of BAAHUBALI came across as video-gamey in look, it wouldn't count as a major negative for me. Even stuff like wirework still isn't to the silky smooth level that you get from Hong Kong/China wuxia type films. But again the - at times - video-gamey PRINCE OF PERSIA type aspect didn't drop me out of the experience.

So at various points in the first half BAAHUBALI does remind of a wuxia film, or a classic Hollywood biblical epic, and assorted others types of films from not too far removed genres...but again the overall essence - for Western audiences - might be that of a classic Italian peplum. The film is structured like your typical Telugu movie...in other words the second half is mostly devoted to a flashback portion that fills in the backstory. This flashback portion eventually leads to an extended "big battle" conclusion that gives the movie a feel of something like TROY and other similar films, or perhaps a closer relation might be Chinese/Hong Kong period war films of the last fifteen years. As such there is a familiarity in the big battle, though to its credit this movie did have some "inventive" aspects, if not that it at least offered some level of unique "personality" during the final big battle.

In many ways BAAHUBALI is comprised of rather ordinary, run-of-the-mill, and familiar parts...but things were assembled in such an effective and efficient manner that the whole far exceeds the sum of the individual parts. I not too long back expressed my great displeasure with Ridley Scott's EXODUS, and too proclaimed that India would do a much better job with similar material...I suppose we'll never know...but perhaps BAAHUBALI is a close enough example to validate my earlier claim.

In terms of the big budget appearing on-screen, Director Rajamouli has certainly laid down the gauntlet with BAAHUBALI. Whether it be Hindi or Tamil or other Telugu filmmakers, anyone considering an "answer" back should exercise great care before doing so...BAAHUBALI is the new standard by which they will all be measured.

BAAHUBALI was very enjoyable...it didn't stir my emotions like something like BRAVEHEART might've done...but again this isn't that, again I think classic Italian pepla might be the best description...it was a good time at the theater.

BAAHUBALI is currently playing in U.S. theaters. In addition to Telugu, it is also playing in Tamil and Hindi dubs. This is week two in theaters for BAAHUBALI. In week one it set a record for an Indian movie in the U.S., and even finished in the Top 10 of the weekend U.S. box office...highly impressive for a non-Hindi movie (though the tickets prices for South Indian language "event" movies are much higher than Hindi movies). Even this current weekend it finished at number 15...quite impressive for a Telugu movie. It is certainly worth the trip to catch it on the big screen.
Old 10-13-15, 01:22 AM
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Re: Indian Cinema [PART 4]

Hey Flixtime, long time no see - great review of Baahubali. Any recommendation of what video to pick up? I dont mind if the blu-rays are in Hindi or Malayalam, I just want to pick the one with the best English subs. They are getting released on blu around now but im afraid to jump the gun and buy the very first blu available and then find out the English subs suck.
Old 10-17-15, 03:21 PM
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Greetings toddly...very nice to run into you after a long while...I hope you've been well these past couple of years.

I can't offer anything of use with regard to your question. Since I already watched it in theaters, I'm just going to wait things out before settling on a home video release. Since it was subbed for theaters...at least for the Telugu, Tamil, and Hindi versions (don't know about Malayalam), one would think the subs should be fine for the home video versions...though I suppose they could bungle the home video releases if the technical aspects for the subs are sloppily attended to.



Hmmm...let's see, I watched a Malayalam movie a while back - PAPILIO BUDDHA...it is thoroughly arthouse fare...solid enough as a film...notable though for being as heretical a film as I've seen when you consider the generally accepted norms and conventions of India cinema...and the film certainly closes out in strong fashion...director Jayan Cherian deserves a great deal of credit for his unique voice in making the film...apparently he lives in New York...I wonder how welcome he'd be when next trying to visit India.

Been going through a lot of television stuff....Nordic entries such as THE LEGACY, JORDSKOTT, THE SPIDER, SABOTEURS, and 1864...Y GWYLL from Wales...THE GAME and JONATHAN STRANGE AND MR. NORRELL from England...WITNESSES from France...and of course U.S. stuff such as THE KNICK, etc.

Naturally there's a really well-received movie that I caught in theaters and of course if it was well-received that makes it likely I wouldn't like it...and in this case that would be SICARIO...lame DTV-grade story and pointless protagonist (unless your audience consists entirely of soccer moms), all made to seem better because of A-grade production and technical values. I actually found ESCOBAR: PARADISE LOST to be a more satisfying experience (though it did remind me a bit of Mexico's 2009 entry AMAR A MORIR).

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