Movie Review: Chameli Starring Kareena Kapoor and Rahul Bose

One of my favorite movies of all time is Chameli, starring Kareena Kapoor and Rahul Bose, directed by Sudhir Mishra, and released in 2003. For those of you who are into the occassional "aaaart pilm" - I highly recommend it and give it 4 stars. If you have never watched a Bollywood movie, and can only watch one, it would have to be this or Sholay.

There are actually very few song scenes in the movie. Here is a snippet from the film when Kareena Kapoor "sings" Bhaage Re Mann.



And here is a snippet from AishFan, an IMDB user:

This movie is definitely a breakthrough in Bollywood cinema in terms of the story and the approach to telling it. The entire movie takes place in just one night. It is interesting to see how a family values, extremely wealthy man spends a night with a prostitute. Beginning with his prejudice, he slowly grows to accept, protect, and, one can even say, love her. It took an entire movie summed up in an extremely brief "climax" to perfectly convince and portray the theme that 'It doesn't matter what the backgrounds, gender, etc. are; there should just be love.'

Tasveer Fund Raiser - Seattle South Asian Film Festival

Life, Art, Movie Review: Saturday night we went to a lovely fundraiser for Tasveer. Ameen and I both hung artwork at the event to help raise funds for the upcoming South Asian Film Festival Tasveer is hosting here in Seattle. It was a fantastic event, and Tasveer is a very sweet and dedicated group.

They showed The Little Terrorist, a short film by Ashvin Kumar. This was such a beautiful film about a little boy who wanders across the India/Pakistan border while chasing his cricket ball. Another film was also shown, which was equally , if not more amazing than Kumar's film. Unfortunately I can't remember the title. But it was shot in Mumbai, and basically follows this chain of events; some events are negative, and spawn a negative chain across multiple characters, others are positive, and spawn a moving chain of positive events. And there was some intersection of the events. The film also had great high tempo music, bouncing camera freneticness (if that's a word), and interestingly -- I'm told the whole film was put together from two long shots. After writing this, a bit more is coming to me, I think the title is something about a red cherry blossom.

Al Gore's Movie: An Inconvenient Truth

Movie Review: We saw the new Al Gore movie last night. I admit, I am in a similar category to most folks I know - I believe global warming is happening, that it is bad, and that I can't really do too much about it. I highly recommend this movie, not only does Gore paint an undeniable reality, but it is truly shocking. And what is more shocking, is that society is not far more shocked given the looming disasters. I was really moved, and feel compelled to action, but have no idea what to do. Recycling and driving less just don't seem to cut it.

I'm also one of those people who assumed Gore was a wooden robot who inspired a bit too much to be president; I was, however, moved by Gore's passion and steadfast persistence on this issue despite becomed mocked as "Ozone Man" by our lovely leader of mass cranial prowess. Here's a classic quote from W on the campaign trail in 2000: "This guy is so far out in the environmental extreme, we'll be up to our neck in owls and outta work for every American."

The website referenced in the movie is: http://www.climatecrisis.net/.

Review of Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's Rang De Basanti

Movie Review: People are often asking me for tips on great Bollywood films that don't have annoying singing and dancing - well Rang De Basanti has some singing and dancing, but its totally intertwined with the plot, and the film is beautiful and engaging. First, a bit of the what's it about. From Wikipedia (yes its strange that films now have Wikipedia write ups), but alas:

Struggling British filmmaker Sue (Alice Patten) comes to India after she reads the diary of her grandfather, who served in the British Force during India's struggle for Independence. She comes to India in order to make a short film about some of the heroes of the Indian Independence Movement, men such as Bhagat Singh and Chandrasekhar Azad. With the help of her friend Sonia (Soha Ali Khan), she sets out to find actors suitable for the roles. Sonia introduces Sue to some of her male friends [...]

Don't get too disappointed - for me, a typical clue that a Bollywood film is going to be terrible: when they start hauling out the whole east meets west theme (think Bride and Prejudice) - the Brit actually speaks Hindi with a not too annoying accent. The shooting is so well done - I especially loved the really grainy scenes shot in dumpy dhabas - all the friends inhaling food, laughing, and most typically Punjabi - picking on each other. There's also not a single motorcycle muscle flexing scene. Here's some more plot-y stuff from Wikipedia:

Sue convinces them to act in her film. Laxman Pandey (Atul Kulkarni), a political party activist, later joins the group though he is initially disliked by the other boys on account of his Hindutva beliefs and contempt of Aslam, who is a Muslim.

As the young men learn their lines and learn more about the history of the Independence movement, they realize that, unlike the men they are playing, they have lived completely for their own pleasures and have ignored India's pressing problems. They lack the spirit of patriotic self-sacrifice.

Strong film. I give it 3 1/2 out of 4 stars.

Review of Pixar's First Flop: Cars

Movie Review: Yesterday I took Nayan to go see Cars, the new Pixar film. I should start by saying I'm a huge Pixar fan - I love all their films, and in general, thought they were just out doing themselves with each new release - especially The Incredibles. But alas, maybe Steve Jobs is too busy w/ IPods, perhaps the clueless executives at Disney have gotten there grubby hands on this thing, or perhaps Pixar's talent has been pilfered by the Shrek-makers gang. In any event, this movie is terrible. The first, and foremost problem, is the whole car thing - I mean, every other Pixar movie had such an original story line, but a movie about an arrogant talking car that makes friends with nice cars w/ a bunch of stale jokes targetting the hinterland is certainly not on the same level as the premise behind The Incredibles, Toy Story, Nemo, etc. In addition, how many annoying cars driving around circles w/ CNN like coverage can a sane person take - even if it is spoofed a bit - its so subtle its not that funny. That reminds me, I have a friend who one day showed up in a 70s white camaro with flames swooshing down the sides, he was sporting long mutton chops, poofy hair, cowboy boots, and wearing a skin tight Cinderella tee shirt (not the childrens story character, but the bad hair 80s band). I shook my head, and said something to the effect, "Me thinks you're getting a little too close to the image you're spoofing." Not sure if that is totally related, but anyway, if you have kids, and have limited animation movie options, feel free to check this out, but don't get excited about it, and be forewarned: its on the level of a blah Disney picture more than past Pixars. I really hope this is temporary. 2 stars out of 4 from a company that traditionally gets 4s from me.

closer

movie review: just saw mike nichol's film "closer." well, it was moderately entertaining. i really have a hard time liking films where i fundamentally don't like any of the characters. all of these people were quite annoying. julia roberts plays this depressive photographer that only shoots "sad" people; she casually almost-leaves her men repeatedly. then there are these 2 brit guys that are significantly annoying in there own way. one is a sort of whining literary adulterer type - the other a raunch obssessed dermatologist adulterer type. the only mildly redeeming character is played by natalie portman - who is this needy stripper girl, who eventually finds her own way, i guess. also, there were some bizarre chronology jumping going on. despite all this, it was shot well, the characters were reasonably well developed, fairly artsy and while julia roberts is in it, it has nothing to do w/ typical hollywood, which for me, is good. i give it 2 1/2 stars.

dilwale dulhania le jayenge

movie review: just saw Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge last night. i'm sure i'm veering out of the desi mainstream when i say this, but this flic was just too steriotypically blah. i honestly felt guilty when it was over for wasting so much of a beautiful sunny sunday afternoon. here were my problems: i was shocked when intermission showed up, i could have sworn we were wrapping up, but alas, we were simply leaving england for the punjabi homeland, which we certainly could have done sooner. the lamborghini/motorcyle/fight w/ the juts/prancing switzerland business is so stereotypically bollywood - its been done over and over and over again. i also tire of the 'i love india' speeches, and the brainless 'east is west, punjab is best' type one liners. still, some things were good - for one, we were spared shahruhk's stomach gurgling 'i'm so sad' acting. less cynically, the songs are pretty good, as are the dance scenes. perhaps i'm just feeling ready to trash a film since the past few i've seen have been so good. had i seen this last year when i was wallowing in a long string of muscle-flexing-junior-high-school-machismo-bollywoods, i might have been more sympathetic. for now, i give it 2 1/2 stars, while seriously contemplating dropping it to 2. more at: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112870/

parineeta

movie review: i really need to do more than write about the movies i've seen. alas, that seems to be the only thing driving me to the computer at night. anyway, saw parineeta last night. i have no idea why we've had such great luck w/ films lately. its especially odd given our process for picking films. basically we live in a mostly white-neo-hippy-dip-only-slightly-hip corner of the city, in other words, hardly a brown skinned person for miles (since the grand pop up mansions are more readily affordable elsewhere). so, we drive to this dump of a store on aurora that sells meat in little plastic baggies with protruding bones, random spices, and the occassional packet of naan. behind a broken glass counter lies a stash of semi-bootlegged dvds. i typically ask the guy in punjabi for some 'ARRRT' film. he says, "oh they're all so terrible these days - too much hip thrusting and not enough brooding. i have nothing.' then i plead w/ him to show me something, anything. he sighs, slowly bends down, reaches inside without taking his eyes off me, grabs a handful of DVDs, and throws them on the counter. he shakes his head and wanders away to cut some more meat. anyway, so... the movie. it was really good. set in 63' calcutta - my guess is the scene bares little resemblence to the real calcutta - as i've never seen a jazz club in india, let alone one as cool as that in the film. the setting, fantasy or real, is beautiful. well shot, w/ nice touches to 'date' the film in the right era. what i liked especially, is parineeta's classic bollywood, w/ the singing and dancing and love story and propensity for melodrama, but its well done. i give it 3 1/2 stars.

--
and for the spiders: movie review

yahaan

movie review: saw yahaan, a film by shoojit sircar, last night. was a very touching film. not a typical bollywood film. best one i've seen since chameli. the cinematography was very interesting. was shot in almost black and white with very sparing use of color. i really wish i had seen it on the big screen as opposed to my crusty laptop. i hadn't realized how long its been since i've seen so many images of kashmir. its a shame kashmir has suffered so much these past 10+ years. the story of hope through love is a compelling one. for a more synopsis-y type review, see: this link. i think she was a little harsh though. i thought the pace of the film was fine - i had no problems moving between the various movements. i also thought the action scenes were well done - and with the exception of the ending, not overly so as many b/h ollywood films tend to be. something that struck me was how difficult this film would be for an american to make now. in the 40s, no problem. now, we're so jaded in our 'love' stories, atleast on the artsy side of the film spectrum, that honest love as simple is this would be too foreign for its audience. it would certainly require raw sexuality, or something twisted, and less first sight type warmth. on the whole, i give it 3 and 1/2 stars. i'd have given it a 4 if it wasn't for the slightly overly 'action-y' ending. still a definite should see.

flight plan

movie review: just saw flight plan last night. jodie foster was great and a perfect match for the role. she plays this grieving-wife-who-may-be-losing-her-mind part real well. the picture was a pretty harrison-ford-john-grisham-like thriller. lots of tightly fitting plot construction mixed w/ some nice story telling technique. if you haven't seen the movie, i'd stop here. oh, i'd give it 3 stars out of 4 - mostly just because to get more than that from me a picture needs to have significant artistic merit beyond just being well told and executed.

and for those who've seen it, or don't fret whether a review 'ruins' the film, i really bought into the idea that her daughter indeed had died w/ her father and took foster for a coo coo bird. so much so, that i was almost annoyed, like the rest of the crew w/ her obsession. it is curious that we have air marshalls in the air these days, and trust them to not be crazed loons and loose cannons. i hope they do some serious psychological screenings of these guys.

other tid bits, if the arab guys on the plane weren't the ones looking at her the night before she left, who was? are we just supposed to assume they were other 'evil' arab dudes? also, if one were to hatch such an extreme plot for $, it seems they would see the many risks of this plan as extreme. why not just kidnap a rich person's kid and skip the complications w/ the airplane. anyway, i have more on that line of thinking, but i have things to do. on the whole, great escape movie.

ek hasina thi

movie review: saw ek hasina thi last night. definitely not your typical bollywood song and dance film. read a great review of it here. i was all set to write about the film, then i read this - it captures 95% of what i was going to say. i also agree w/ the 3 star rating, as well as the assessment of the strong first half vs. more formulaic, though still engaging, second half.

what else, we just got back from watching the sunset over puget sound at the park. our neighborhood converges at this one lovely point anytime the sunset looks promising. this evening was no exception. also learned a new trick w/ my son - normally, we play helicopter, and i swirl him around and round by holding onto his hands while he stares at the ground. today, we flipped him on his back, and i held his ankles while he could gaze up at the sky. minor change, certainly a bit less safe, but he was dizzy and giddy and clearly preferred our new found form.

the constant gardener

movie review: saw the constant gardener last night. what a terrific movie. i give it 4 stars out of 4. plot was energetic and exciting. the cinematography was original and well done. there were lots of scenes where the camera was intentionally bouncing around, or struggling to focus - all adds well to the tension. they also did some great things with the color. the opening murder scene in the desert has some interesting color effects. the setting was in kenya. lots shot in the slums. this film left me really struggling to piece together all the details. i even woke up in the middle of the night because i forgot one. also got me thinking - biopharm companies must really be moving their human testing to poor locales. there was a great quote in the movie, something like ' you can test lotions made of battery acid here if you pay the right folks off' - that's so sadly true in the third world. i'm ignorant of any american laws that prevent this from happening, but my sense is abuse exists in some form. i suppose weird drug testing happens even here. i had a friend who funded his entire graduate school by volunteering. he was particularly proud of a trial where his body was used for stress testing the impacts of mixing a cardiac arrest prevention drug with ibuprofen. they wanted to see how high the doses could go before significant side effects manifested themselves. he was excited because it paid 4 times more than the regular trial. he ended up going into a mild coma for a few minutes and walked out w/ 4K$. i shudder to think what the extreme poor would do for 4K$ in india, or africa.

bewafaa

movie review: last night we rented bewafaa. was pretty good. i'd give it 2 3/4 stars out of 4. the story line was good, not too cliched. the music was below average for a bollywood flick. too much of that mid tempo brooding singing that was common back in the 70s. not enough catchy big fashion flash. a lot of this was due to the plot, though. tough to be happy and dancy when melancholy is required. also, found the half western/half eastern thing poorly executed. the main girl's mom's white, dad's punjabi, and that somehow had something to do w/ who the girl was. the only way it tied in was this singer guy from montreal specialized in 'fusion' music. only problem was 'singer guy' wasn't western at all, nor was his music. started thinking about this whole 'marry your sister's husband in the event of her death' thing. if it wasn't for my instinctive western discomfort w/ the idea, it actually makes a lot of sense - keeps the family together, kids get to be truly loved, and as the film explores well, the problem's in the touchy husband / wife dynamic.