tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39968422318485274412024-02-18T22:00:54.179-05:00U, Me and FilmsShantanu will discuss various films he watched and other related things with it.SDGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09331736603243732602noreply@blogger.comBlogger190125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3996842231848527441.post-4165754261558913992014-12-10T11:10:00.001-05:002014-12-10T11:10:34.715-05:00September Blind Spot: Brief Encounter<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Do you know a movie that
anyone who has seen it praises unconditionally but you still don't hear whole
lot of buzz around them otherwise? I mean, we all know movies that we think are
under appreciated but this is taking it to the next level. I think my film for
this month, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037558/"><b>Brief Encounter(1945)</b></a>, is one such film. I know lot of people
who think world of this film. I should rather say it like this -
I have never seen anyone say anything remotely bad about this film.
But somehow this film has successfully eluded me thus far. I decided I wasn't
going to let it go any further this year and finally put it on this
list. And here we are, in the month of September, I have finally seen it!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037558/"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><b>Brief Encounter</b></span></a> is about an affair of two sensible, happily married people with perfect families who wouldn't even think about cheating on their spouses, that is, until they meet each other. Even their meeting is a chance meeting. Laura is a housewife and spends her Wednesdays shopping and Alec is a doctor who spends his subbing for a friend. Their paths cross at a Milford railway station where they catch trains in opposite directions every week. They meet for the first time in waiting room where he helps her get something out of her eye. Over the next couple of weeks their paths cross again on few occasions and two very easily strike up rather innocent friendship at first. However, as they start spending more and more time with each other watching movies and sharing lunches, even they don't realize when it turns into a full blown affair.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">It opens with Laura and Alec parting their ways. It is one of those scenes where both Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard say a lot without actually saying much; probably even the best of the lot. Rest of the film plays out inside Laura's head where she imagines she is telling everything about this encounter to her husband. This is a rather interesting tool since it makes us privy to all the information first hand, from Laura's own perspective. It tells us things that we otherwise would only guess like at every step of the way, both Laura and Alec knew what they are doing will have serious repercussions and still kept going with it. In their own words, they decide not to see other a thousand times over the week but still end up together every Wednesday.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Neither Celia Johnson nor
Trevor Howard are particularly attractive or traditionally beautiful. But this story is not
driven by their physical attraction and it is a very welcome change. We don't
get many films like that. What drives this story is their innocuous desire to get out of
the ordinary, to do something different from their routine life and once ball
gets rolling, no one really knows how to stop it or whether they really want it
to stop it. What makes it work is chemistry of Johnson and Howard, compact
script and direction. </span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">And it is directed by David Lean in his early period of British films. When someone says David Lean, films that I associate this name with are his sprawling epic films like <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056172/"><b>Lawrence of Arabia(1962)</b></a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059113/"><b>Doctor Zhivago(1965)</b></a> or even <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087892/"><b>A Passage to India(1984)</b></a>(even though I wasn't the biggest fan of it). It was nice to see him making such a personal film with equal finesse.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">However as much as I like it, and I do feel very strange saying this but, I
cannot help but feel a little disappointed and this is completely my own fault. When I think back on it, I can only think of good things about this movie but never being really wowed by it.
I have seen many people giving this film glowing review. While I sat down to
watch this one, even I was expecting to be swept off my feet a la <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118694/"><b>In the Mood for Love(1999)</b></a>. What I forgot was it impressed me so much was because I
had no expectations at all from it; I didn't even know it then! Here I already was
expecting a masterpiece here and now even a really good film seems like a letdown. I
told you, I have no one else but myself to blame.</span></div>
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SDGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09331736603243732602noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3996842231848527441.post-9478112083819861662014-12-02T11:01:00.001-05:002014-12-02T11:01:07.394-05:00Wrapping It Up: October<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Another
month, another wrap-up post full of this month's viewings. Let us get on to the movies of this
month...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">October</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120815/"><b>Saving Private Ryan(1998)</b></a>(Re-watch): I have seen this one quite a few times already but this was probably the longest between my two watches. It is one of those movies that every time I see, I find someone knew I didn't know was in this film. This time it was Paul Giamatti who I completely forgot was in it. But it still awes me as much it did the first time I saw it. Yes, it's little too on the nose sometimes, like that ending, but that's Spielberg for you. And there is more than enough pathos in it to help me turn a blind eye towards such moments. And it makes me want to see <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120863/"><b>The Thin Red Line(1998)</b></a> again even more.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3390572/">Haider(2014)</a></b>(Hindi): Third installment of Vishal Bharadwaj's Shakespeare adaptations trilogy. What Bharadwaj has succeeded in doing in this trilogy is translate these stories beautifully to Indian backgrounds while keeping Shakespearean core of each intact. Bismil song in this film which replaces play in Hamlet, re-enacting his father's death, is prime example of this. He has achieved same effect with something intrinsically Indian and, if you ask me, that was easily the best part of the whole film. Bharadwaj has always been one of my favorite Indian directors and he once again demonstrates why. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0338564/"><b>Infernal Affairs(2002)</b></a>: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0407887/"><b>The Departed(2006)</b></a> is one of my favourite films. If I am not wrong, it was my first Scorsese film and still remains to be the best piece of ensemble acting I have seen. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0338564/"><b>Infernal Affairs</b></a> had been on my watch list since knowing Scorsese adapted his film from this one. Now I can see that <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0407887/"><b>The Departed</b></a> had a solid base to build on. This one here is very smart film. It is relentless and equally well acted. However, best thing I can say about it is it's still an exhilarating watch despite knowing what's coming next.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113247/"><b>La Haine(1995)</b></a>: Have you ever had a lingering feeling that something terrible is going to happen? You keep on thinking it's about to for a long time and it never does and then you let your guard fall for a second and it hits you right then. That was me watching <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113247/"><b>La Haine</b></a>. Given the way it starts, at every turn I kept expecting something terrible to befall. It never did, not really and just when I thought nothing would happen now - BOOM! It's such a beautiful film though - B&W, episodic, great flow, very natural acting, little abstract but always palpable.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0161860/"><b>Nowhere in Africa(2001)</b></a>: This is one of those films that if it had not won Foreign film Oscar, forget about watching it, I wouldn't have even known about this. I don't know about how it was received in 2001 but if feels like a kind of movie that not many people would know about. My first impression of this film was this is sort of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089755/"><b>Out of Africa(1985)</b></a>, because it is based in Africa, + <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077405/"><b>Days of Heaven(1978)</b></a> because of look and feel of this film. Only difference is I was indifferent at best towards either of these films and I liked this one quite a bit.<b> </b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3709344/"><b>City Lights(2014)</b></a>(Hindi): Not to be confused with Chaplin classic, this is a Hindi movie released earlier this year with same name. I saw this after watching <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2181831/"><b>Shahid(2012)</b></a> last month which was first collaboration of actor-director combo of Rajkumar Rao and Hansal Mehta and was very much revered critically as well. It reminded me of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0449467/"><b>Babel(2006)</b></a> because just like it, nothing remotely nice happens to anyone in this film. As a movie lover, I can appreciate it on many levels but it really gets overbearing after a while. I don't think I'll came back to it anytime soon. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0021814/"><b>Dracula(1931)</b></a>: As has been my tradition, if you can call something I have done twice in a row a tradition, I chose a classic horror as this month's <b>blind spot</b> entry in honor of Halloween. This might come as a surprise but I have been mostly uninitialized to this piece of classic literature. There must be countless versions of it now but I have seen <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0013442/"><b>Nosferatu(1922)</b></a> and that is as far as my initiation to this world goes. And what could be better place to start than this classic. What I can say is for a film made in 1931, it works remarkably well today. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1972571/"><b>A Most Wanted Man(2014)</b></a>: Since last year, I was very interested in watching this film just based on political nature of its plot and I am very glad that it didn't disappoint. If you don't like political thrillers you might find this one sleep inducing because this is a sort of film that runs on single speed, never picks up except in the end. But they have always interested me. And it still hurts to see PSH on screen, even more so because he is amazing in this film. The way he just lets it go in the last seen is really something, especially since he is so controlled otherwise.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 19.5px;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095497/"><b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><b>The Last Temptation of Christ(1988)</b></span></span></b></a><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">: This was first of 3 films almost three hour long films I saw in a week. Other two were 2 films right below. Curious thing with Last Temptation is on one hand, I am really intrigued by the path it takes after Jesus' crucifixion(I am guessing that is where all the controversy surrounding it was). And on the other, other biblical aspects of his life - him turning water into wine, resurrecting dead person - really turned me off. And at the risk of starting another controversy, I don't think I would've like him at that time. He was too ostentatious. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054331/"><b>Spartacus(1960)</b></a>: This was another example of a film that I would be much more in love with had it been about an hour less in run time. I was never bored while watching it, on the other hand I appreciate quite a few things in it, but I seriously cannot comprehend why does it had to be as long as it was. There really was not enough content in it to justify that length. I know Kubrick was just a for-hire vehicle here but I have this problem with some of his most acclaimed works as well - they are almost twice as long as they have any business to be.</span></span><br />
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One of the notoriously famous film for all the wrong reasons. I didn't
really like it much but I found it to be better than I expected based on
its status as one of the worst flops of cinema. I might sound like a
broken record here but my biggest problem with this was it's run time.
Any film with a run time 0f over 200 minutes will have its dull period
but in this case, it was almost first full hour where I was never sure
of what the hell is happening. It sort of picks up later on but damage
is already done.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 19.5px;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 19.5px;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0024216/"><b>King Kong(1933)</b></a>: Just like Dracula above, I think this also works remarkably well for a film made in 31. Early in the film King Kong looks like created from animations we did as kids - flipping through pages a of book very fast but it settled as movie went along. I had seen Peter Jackson version before so I had some idea of what whole thing was. However, King Kong here is much more plain villain. You feel quite sad for him in Jackson version. Plus, Denham is much more of an asshole in that version. Here I can defend him pretty much all the way through. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 19.5px;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 19.5px;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087800/"><b>Nightmare on Elm Street(1984)</b></a>: For the past three years, I have been making some effort to acquaint myself with some of the horror films prevalent in pop culture. You can safely assume that I don't watch horror films for the rest of the year. So in October, I spend some time with them for Halloween. This was my first exposure to Freddy's world and I have to say that despite being very '80s, which in my case is not the best thing you want to be, I quite enjoyed this. I may not run to it but I think I'll be down for another trip down this lane.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 19.5px;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1981115/"><b>Thor 2: The Dark World(2013)</b></a>: </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 19.5px;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">I always feel that Thor is the most neglected superhero of Marvel universe. Maybe that goes somewhere in the back of my mind as well because I had very less expectations of this one despite <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0800369/"><b>Thor(2011)</b></a> being one of the better superhero films of recent years. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1981115/"><b>Thor 2</b></a> exceeded my expectations as well. Now, it's not doing anything extra ordinary here. I guess rather than what it does, more important is what it does not do. It doesn't overdo anything and that made it very enjoyable to me. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh22dtB9C2Zbj4bl_yPidji2L1CmoFUkb78-H3DdIuaZSd9UM9v0aTgfCDNXa-iv5FG-asd_L4j3LzVMJsF2rO1OxFPGGdEFIKakHogEcyr6WnMRyD3vztdSKmGOcGDumn-It2cY35Sow/s1600/Oct4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh22dtB9C2Zbj4bl_yPidji2L1CmoFUkb78-H3DdIuaZSd9UM9v0aTgfCDNXa-iv5FG-asd_L4j3LzVMJsF2rO1OxFPGGdEFIKakHogEcyr6WnMRyD3vztdSKmGOcGDumn-It2cY35Sow/s1600/Oct4.jpg" height="264" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 19.5px;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2358891/"><b>The Great Beauty(2013)</b></a>: It could be the time and place I saw this film at but I went through a lot of conflicting emotions while watching this film. On one hand, there were moments in this film that I could really connect with while on the other I felt it too opulent, too frivolous and vacuous. But Jep Gambardella knows this very well; in fact showing how empty their lives are is the main point of this film and it does so eloquently. Knowing all this I should appreciate it a lot but then again, I had to fight to keep my eyes open the whole time.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<b style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Bu0l9eulgYU/UHedUqeKT6I/AAAAAAAADgQ/mS1kOrr_2gY/s1600/2+and+half.jpg" height="66" width="200" /></b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 19.5px;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2043933/"><b>Night Moves(2014)</b></a>: I think I can take slow movies. Or maybe I should say they don't bore me just because they are slow. I have seen and enjoyed a few to confirm. I understand that keeping your patience with it and still be able to appreciate it can be difficult but I can appreciate a movie taking its time to say what it wants to say. In this case, however, I wasn't sure what it was trying to say or it lost somewhere in the way that I didn't really care where was it going. Either way, not a movie I can say I liked for what it is. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106308/"><b>Army of Darkness(1992)</b></a>: Last of the horror movies I saw this month and unfortunately the worst one. I can appreciate self deprecating aspects of it because it would have been almost impossible to take it seriously but it was little too out there; too much of rolling the eyes. The way it makes fun of itself or jabs at many horror tropes etc. kept it interesting but there was only so much of it I could bare. I think I would have liked this more as a pure comedy than horror+comedy. Still, not the worst horror film I have seen.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085334/"><b>A Christmas Story(1983)</b></a>: This is one of those movies I never would've seen, forget seeing - I never would've known, had it not been in IMDb top 250 list(Spare me your highbrow frown. Yes, I still do watch films just because they are in this list. I only have 6 more to see and I would like to say I've seen them all soon). If I had seen it a child, I think this has all the ingredients to be my favourite film. It's really sweet and cute but to tell you the truth now, with its language and looks and stupid voice-over throughout, it is too kiddies stuff.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwdLf37ZfOCvxHL2hB7C54PBjccXHv2irG7nRYapE_kSZyZ-zpiQhvuOIOoSpDR8Gh8dXJxp45Noeb92ZQ3wjzgbZ4A5LQp9G9Q3_5ZgNat4DgCcQJqJja3Lnx_poZzW-tabpBnrt3nA/s1600/Oct5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwdLf37ZfOCvxHL2hB7C54PBjccXHv2irG7nRYapE_kSZyZ-zpiQhvuOIOoSpDR8Gh8dXJxp45Noeb92ZQ3wjzgbZ4A5LQp9G9Q3_5ZgNat4DgCcQJqJja3Lnx_poZzW-tabpBnrt3nA/s1600/Oct5.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2872732/"><b>Lucy(2014)</b></a>: </span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">I heard so many good things about this film that </span>one of my major regrets in the past few months was I missed this film during its theatrical run. By luck, I got a chance to correct that but now I so wish I hadn't. This was a colossal waste of time, money and anything else that I cared to invest in it. I didn't expect much from Besson anyways but this is one of the stupidest, consistently over the top films I have seen in a long time. Even just 90 minutes of this film felt like an eternity.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;"><b>Total Count: 19. 18 First Time Watches and 1 Re-watch .</b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">2014 YTD Count</span></b></div>
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Total Count: 170. 160 First Time Watches and 10 Re-watches.</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">So, how was your month? Did you see anything interesting? What do you think of the movies I saw? Any favorites?</span></div>
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SDGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09331736603243732602noreply@blogger.com7Pune, Maharashtra, India18.5204303 73.85674369999992518.2795358 73.534020199999929 18.7613248 74.17946719999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3996842231848527441.post-91689566497502829742014-10-01T12:48:00.001-04:002014-10-03T23:15:38.680-04:00Wrapping it up: September<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Another month, another wrap-up post full of this month's viewings... </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">This was one of the best months I have had. I have always been choosy about which film I want to watch and when but my selection this month was very last minute. Usually that would mean less than spectacular results and that makes me even more surprised because, against all odds, I rated three films 4 and 1/2 stars this month. I am usually quite liberal when rating movies but I have a strict policy of allowing extravagance of 5 stars to only 10 films at a time. So considering this, these three films below have achieved even bigger feat. If not for my personal quirk, they easily could have been perfect. Let us get on to the movies of this month.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">September</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;"><b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055471/">Splendor in the Grass(1961)</a></b>: Sometimes you just don't know which movie will connect with you and why? This was case with me for this Elia Kazan vehicle. I never thought I will like this film so much but I was really taken by the maturity with which Kazan handles this subject and transformation both the leads go through. And my respect grew even further by the way he chose to end this film. We are so used to neat endings that it was really refreshing to see someone saying life isn't always perfect. Sometimes you just have to roll with it and make most of what you get. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;"><b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0283431/">Kandahar(2001)</a></b>: This was one of the hardest to watch films for me. And what makes it even more frustrating is there is no resolution at the end of it. None of Iranian films I have seen are entertainers but this is much more hard hitting than anything else I have seen. Makhmalbaf made it such a personal story that I was never able to take my eyes off it, even when I repeatedly wanted to. I think what he was trying to do in this film was to make a case for humanity even in the most adverse situation and in my books this is a glorious success.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;"><b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1550312/">Cafe de Flore(2011)</a></b>: I'd like to repeat What I said above for <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055471/">Splendor in the Grass</a></b> - I never thought I'd love it as much as I did. It reminds me so much of <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2024519/">The Broken Circle Breakdown(2013)</a></b> last year. It is just as heartbreaking and intense, both have shocking ends, both handle parallel narratives really well and both have strong ties to music. The way this film jumps between two stories and connect them to each other is absolutely amazing. If I had seen this in 2011, it easily would have made my top 5 which shouldn't surprise you because Broken Circle was my number 2 last year. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099077/"><b>Awakenings(1990)</b></a>: This was one of the films I wanted to check out last month but couldn't fit in. Having two heavyweights in Robert De Niro and Robin Williams was definitely the biggest pull of this film. And biggest takeaway from this film should be - you should appreciate small things in life more. I am sure it sounds very corny when it is said in such a way but I guess that was biggest success of this film - making it look so natural. Another proof that despite primarily being known as comedian, Robin Williams was a very good dramatic actor.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;"><b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068327/">Cabaret(1972)</a></b>: Even though I wanted to scratch this film off my watch list, I have been wary of watching it given its musical format and loud nature. And <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078754/">All that Jazz(1979)</a></b> from same director and with similar structure lost me in the last third. But I ended up enjoying this one a lot. Yes, it is loud and very musical-y but I think it has a structure to support its need. Plus, Liza Minnelli was absolutely amazing. Since it won most of its Oscars over <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068646/">The Godfather(1972)</a></b>, I also my doubts about quality of this film. But now I can see that it actually was a worthy contender for most of its wins. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;"><b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2011971/">Monsieur Lazhar(2011)</a></b>: To tell you the truth, this movie doesn't really go anywhere. By the end of it, they haven't found any solution to most of the problems of either Bachir or his students. But it was told so beautifully that it didn't really matter to me. We learn so much about them that I would've loved to spend more time with them and that's success of this film. Another one is handling subject of real trauma or even being human without ever getting preachy. That is a very fine line that this movie treads so perfectly.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;"><b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0450188/">La Vie en Rose(2007)</a></b>: Obviously main draw for watching this film was Marion Cotillard's Oscar winning turn. I have seen very few Best Actress winners but even then this was one of the most glaring omissions from the list which I am more than happy to check off. Even more so since Cotillard did not disappoint at all. She really was a force to reckon with. The way he embodies Edith Piaf, even the physical transformation she goes through over the years, was astounding. Truly, a site to behold!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2181831/">Shahid(2012)</a></b>(Hindi)</span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><b>:</b>
Despite having heard a lot of good things about this film, it took me its
consideration for this year's Oscar submission to see this film. I am not sure
why it's being considered now because it was properly released here in 2012 and
even won Nationals for it. But I am really happy to see movies like
this being made in Indian industry. What struck me most about this is how
measured everything about this film is. Hansal Mehta never overdoes anything.
And he does that with a cast of virtual unknowns though Rajkumar Rao, playing
titular role, is household name now; but that was because he won National for
this role.</span>
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037558/">Brief Encounter(1945)</a></b>: This month's Blind Spot. Everyone I know who has seen this film has given glowing review to this film. To tell you the truth, that might have put my expectations a little too high for it to match but I still liked it a lot. And it was nice to see a movie from David Lean's early British period, a man I have only known for making grand, sweeping epics. It was also great to see Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard, both I've never seen anywhere else, who aren't traditionally beautiful couple but make it work solely based on their chemistry.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1074638/">Skyfall(2013)</a></b>(Re-watch): This is third time I am watching this which is at least three times more than any other Bond film I have seen except <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0381061/">Casino Royale(2006)</a></b>. My DVD cover has a quote - it continues stripped down approach introduced in CR, taking even further Bond's transformation from kiss-kiss-bang-bang action figure to full-fledged character. Maybe that is why these two are the only Bond films I've seen multiple times. Plus Roger Deakins. I would always be in awe of what this man has done with <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1074638/">Skyfall</a></b>. Simply marvelous!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;"><b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3495000/">Mardaani(2014)</a></b>: 2014 can be called a year of female roles for Bollywood. It's already had multiple films driven by its leading ladies. <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3495000/">Mardaani</a></b> was a completely Rani Mukherjee vehicle and she does deliver here. This films has been generally praised but I don't understand some of the criticism it has received. I have my problems with it - I think this was a bollywoodised version of this story which would have been better served without it. But I don't have problem with involving Shivani Roy's personal life. Neither do I have problem with villain's <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0903747/">Breaking Bad(2008)</a></b> fascination. He hardly mentions it twice in whole film anyway.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;"><b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1646971/">How to Train Your Dragon 2(2014)</a></b>: When it comes to animated films, they don't always fall on the right side of me. As for Dreamworks, I don't think there is a single film that I can say I actually like. Well, that's except HTTYD including first part. I like first one much more but this was good enough successor. They should have given Valka more to do once they all get together as her introduction is very grand but payoff isn't much worth. Otherwise it has all the traits that make first one so good.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;"><b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2866360/">Coherence(2014)</a></b>: I rarely get a chance to see micro budgeted films like this but that is also one of the reasons I tend to like them more. You have to respect the way they make it worth your time despite all the limitations and this one was certainly worth every minute. I loved the concept of it and I loved its execution even more. I am especially in love with its ending - a sort of nudge that it isn't over yet. And cast - certainly the biggest highlight of this film with Emily Baldoni as its lead.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064612/"><b>My Night with Maud(1969)</b></a>: To tell you the truth, I am really not sure why this film is considered so great? I was never bored and I can appreciate that Rohmer kept multiple long conversations thrughout this film interesting. We all know how difficult that can be but none of it really piqued my interest. Maybe because none of their topics were of any particular interest tome. Maybe I will find it fascinating after I grow little older. I am ready to give it that chance because it didn't put me to sleep either. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2883512/"><b>Chef(2014)</b></a>: I have not seen all the films Favreau has directed but looking at his filmography, I seriously have no idea where this movie came from. Well, wherever it came from, I am quite glad he did this because it is such a beautiful and personal film. It feels very honest and everyone in it, including Emjay Anthony who was a highlight for me, play their role with remarkable ease and sincerity. Apparently Favreau acquired culinary skills required for this role and it helps. Also, music he uses in the background throughout the film is very catchy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;"><b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2692904/">Locke(2014)</a></b>: As good as this film is, I am really much more fascinated by the way this film was shot. Apparently, Hardy shot this film over 6 nights filming twice every night as it was shot in a single take. I didn't know about it earlier but while watching it, it actually felt like they are filming it in real time. It was like being in a passenger seat of that life changing one and half hour drive with Ivan Locke. Lots of props to Tom Hardy to go through this and do it so well. He is really amazing in it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;"><b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084805/">Tootsie(1982)</a></span></b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">: Even though it was one of the funniest films I have seen, I would have liked it much more if it had some more laugh out loud moments. I loved many bits in it but just when I thought they should press their foot on the gas, it slowed down. More than once! I guess he was trying to maintain balance between funny and romantic and sweet. And I shuld be really ashamed to not have recognized Jessica Lange. I mean, she pretty much hasn't changed in the past 20 years but it took me whole film to recognize it's her.</span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2404181/">Belle(2014)</a></span></b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">:
I don't have many things to hold against <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2404181/">Belle</a></b> but at the same time I
don't have much to praise it. It's a well made film with a important story
that should be told but I never really got into it. One of the major
reasons for it could be my general apathy I have garnered over the past few
years for British period pieces. It's not about movies but I find it very stiff
and, in many cases, boring. So despite quite good intentions of everyone
involved, including Tom Wilkinson, it just never got my complete attention.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><b><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Bu0l9eulgYU/UHedUqeKT6I/AAAAAAAADgQ/mS1kOrr_2gY/s1600/2+and+half.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Bu0l9eulgYU/UHedUqeKT6I/AAAAAAAADgQ/mS1kOrr_2gY/s1600/2+and+half.jpg" height="66" width="200" /></a></b></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM9XTYaQqtJ6L_yOe90-8lqkvh5QgsukRDJ3YkDm_yRBBRzXayZPnZmw1ZwLMOMzsVGpvk6_VByOkgb0ubbfUyPZbFdG7ylvG5ZpcSovPe4gaZaHCImcLDKLqunXeXQXkE99gNLkKsgQ/s1600/Sept5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM9XTYaQqtJ6L_yOe90-8lqkvh5QgsukRDJ3YkDm_yRBBRzXayZPnZmw1ZwLMOMzsVGpvk6_VByOkgb0ubbfUyPZbFdG7ylvG5ZpcSovPe4gaZaHCImcLDKLqunXeXQXkE99gNLkKsgQ/s1600/Sept5.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;"><b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062136/">Playtime(1967)</a></b>: After this film, I think I am pretty much done with Tati. I might watch <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050706/">Mon Oncle(1958)</a></b> eventually but that would be for the sake completion. That's it! I saw <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046487/">Mr. Hulot's Holiday(1953)</a></b> earlier and had pretty similar experience. My main beef with his films is that they are pointless. Maybe I am slave to the format but </span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">this films are two whole hours of NOTHING! I could have understood them being five minute skits but watching this for two whole hours was one of the most excruciating experiences of my life! Clearly, it's not for me.</span><br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;"><b>Total Count: 19. 18 First Time Watches and 1 Re-watch .</b></span></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">2014 YTD Count</span></b></div>
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Total Count: 151. 142 First Time Watches and 9 Re-watches.</span></b><br />
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</span></b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">This was my first full
month at new job and looking at the number of movies, I can safely say that I
have settled down in this new schedule now and have even found a way to squeeze
movies in it. I couldn't let almost 2 and half hours I spend traveling go
waste, can I? It is not the most ideal way of watching movies but at least I
get to watch them. I try not to watch CGI heavy films since I am on smaller
screens and so far this has been a fruitful experience. But looking at the
number of posts, I clearly haven't found a way to squeeze my writing into it
yet. But this is just first month. I am hopeful everything will be much more
normal in October.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">
</span>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">So, how was your month?
Did you see anything interesting? What do you think of the movies I saw? Any
favorites?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">
</span><b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;"> </span></b></div>
</div>
SDGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09331736603243732602noreply@blogger.com12Pune, Maharashtra, India18.5204303 73.85674369999992518.2795358 73.534020199999929 18.7613248 74.17946719999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3996842231848527441.post-10713387033685326192014-09-20T03:52:00.001-04:002014-09-20T03:52:01.222-04:00August Blind Spot: L'enfant<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFVnBsUju7Pq-_E1djyeNxQCqIFZvOFpLlBXNDU2zChcVJ5HDmhKKNhZd8ffdcbVVHB2xPZ6mmPihepba2aJTJ8ev1dqaAWSZpG7iqW-MPqwnIAhcUTwlGx26KvKsinhzkQhmwbbWVSg/s1600/lenfant4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFVnBsUju7Pq-_E1djyeNxQCqIFZvOFpLlBXNDU2zChcVJ5HDmhKKNhZd8ffdcbVVHB2xPZ6mmPihepba2aJTJ8ev1dqaAWSZpG7iqW-MPqwnIAhcUTwlGx26KvKsinhzkQhmwbbWVSg/s1600/lenfant4.jpg" height="380" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Dardennes Brothers are one
of the directors who have garnered quite a reputation for themselves over
the years. I became more and more aware of them as I got more into foreign
cinema and their films became part of my ever growing watch list. I was under the
impression that I have never seen any of their films and hence wanted to
include one on this year's Blind spot list to give myself a start. I
chose <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0456396/"><b>L'enfant(2005)</b></a> because, with one of their two Palme
d'Or, it seems to be their most revered film. I have been meaning
to check out more Palme d'Or winners as well. Two birds in one stone, I
thought. As it turns out, they directed <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1827512/"><b>The Kid with a Bike(2011)</b></a>
which I saw last year. So this wasn't really my first Dardennes film but
regardless it was a worthy choice.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Like most other directors,
most revered directors anyway, Dardenne brothers have their own style and their
own formula and, from what I know, most of their films follow that track. Based
on this, my first thought was what makes them so special if they are
essentially making the same film again and again? What I can say right now is
it’s their ability to tell what looks like same story from outside from
different perspective and their ability to make us viewers relate with
characters. And I felt it even more in reference to the character of Bruno in this film because saying that he is a despicable character is putting it very mildly. He is just about worst father that ever existed on the surface of this earth.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">First of all, </span></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Bruno</span></span></span> is an extremely irresponsible and deplorable guy from the start. </span></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">He</span></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">
doesn’t even have a house and he almost scoffs at a notion of having a regular
job. He lives either in a shelter or in his shack by the river. Sonia does have
a small apartment rented but Bruno even sublets that to someone else when she
is in a hospital for her delivery. As for job, Bruno has a 14 year old
assistant who helps him do petty crimes like stealing.</span> If you already hate him, I can't really blame you but there is much more to come yet. I haven't even started. Elephant in the room here is Bruno selling their 9 day old son in black market. I don't think this would count as a spoiler because if you one thing about this movie it would be that but even that isn't all.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ntJtB7gQ69gP75Ry0MQ-_2UmBzd6OKy7l4mqUQ2E15tkIQ-JQuvQEDbASKDk6trdadgtFEX_EFDoZfVkfdHZDdhBI1h5-Ojl3dg3l0e0PGts2VeBxV_SYP5n34hxW2G9YdTM2S9i1Q/s1600/Lenfant3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ntJtB7gQ69gP75Ry0MQ-_2UmBzd6OKy7l4mqUQ2E15tkIQ-JQuvQEDbASKDk6trdadgtFEX_EFDoZfVkfdHZDdhBI1h5-Ojl3dg3l0e0PGts2VeBxV_SYP5n34hxW2G9YdTM2S9i1Q/s1600/Lenfant3.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0456396/"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">L’enfant</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">
is almost like a checklist for all their trademark elements. Their films
usually feature characters struggling to make their ends meet. Here, with no real prospects, Sonia and Bruno pretty much live on her welfare money and his stealing money. They do not use any score.
There was none here but to tell you the truth, they didn’t really need it. They
tell their stories so well that I really didn’t notice any lack of score until
it was brought to my attention half way through. Handheld cameras are
prevalent. Leading characters are seen in every scene. You do get either Sonia
or Bruno is ‘every’ scene. And I think Bruno, played by Jeremie Renier – one of
Dardennes’ regulars, is in every scene except first couple of them where Sonia
is looking for him. And, in words of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/"><b>IMDb</b></a>, they usually end with one character giving a helping hand to another - that's Sonia finally going to meet Bruno in jail. All check.</span></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Bruno doesn't have many redeeming qualities. After he has sold their son, he shamelessly sells his pram as well and there is not even a hint of distress seen in his actions. <b>[SPOILER ALERT] </b>Sonia faints after hearing this news and involves police in this. After seeing that, he somehow manages to get that child back but not because he felt bad for it. It's because Sonia might make authorities pick him up.</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><b>[SPOILER END]</b></span></span></span> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">I
really wouldn’t mind if someone skinned him and left him hanging to dry. About
the only responsible thing he does throughout this film in taking blame for
stealing a purse in the end. Otherwise he is an extremely horrible and
irresponsible person throughout.<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">You usually feel for
someone you are rooting for in their bad times. Making you feel for someone you
almost hate and want to see punished as hard as humanely possible needs
something special and, by the end, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0456396/"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">L’enfant</b></a>
had done that; Dardenne brothers did that with just one image. As much as I hated Bruno, and as I said earlier I really despised him, note on which they chose to end this film still gave me hope that there might still be some future for Bruno and Sonia together. There still might be some hope for Bruno to account for something. I think it really needed it and they could not have said it better in thousand words.</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy3SHwAoRvn1Rz2AKaxHg2cvVjVYthYPOm_h_wMrs7ZQ6vRyPHmRC_csHqVh4erYoaBDBQsYNPNs9XKdRBxcMgyLX7pUzr91PZcAA9IspBtu8jBql12cy8haCw5ltTypZYVacIuj-fXg/s1600/Lenfant1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy3SHwAoRvn1Rz2AKaxHg2cvVjVYthYPOm_h_wMrs7ZQ6vRyPHmRC_csHqVh4erYoaBDBQsYNPNs9XKdRBxcMgyLX7pUzr91PZcAA9IspBtu8jBql12cy8haCw5ltTypZYVacIuj-fXg/s1600/Lenfant1.png" height="382" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Since it revolves around Bruno and Sonia and has at least one of them on screen all the time, naturally Renier and Deborah Francois hold key for its success. Personally, I liked Francois more because her character goes through bigger emotional arc with initial elation and hope of new life with arrival of their child to bitter disappointment to eventual makeup after Bruno comes around. However, there would be no denying that Renier is more important to success of this film. It is designed in such a way that you are sympathetic towards Sonia and despise Bruno and I would think it would be difficult to make viewers hate you than to make them sympathize with you.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">But real hero of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0456396/"><b>L'enfant</b></a> is neither Bruno nor Sonia. It's the script written by Dardenne brothers themselves. It is so well written, so well paced that it almost always succeeds in getting exact response it was aiming for from us viewers. I obviously do not have in depth knowledge of their style. So I am going to go to someone I know bit more and someone who I think has one think in common with them - Christopher Nolan. I could be completely wrong about it but I think, like Nolan, their films almost always have some great performances. But what it boils down to is their direction and writing that makes them so great. In hands of lesser directors, these films and </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">even performances </span></span></span>couldn't be as good as they are. That makes me real excited to tackle rest of their films!</span></span> </span></div>
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SDGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09331736603243732602noreply@blogger.com1Pune, Maharashtra, India18.5204303 73.85674369999992518.2795358 73.534020199999929 18.7613248 74.17946719999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3996842231848527441.post-57277597109006826122014-09-01T12:12:00.001-04:002014-09-07T00:52:14.235-04:00Wrapping it up: August<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Another month, another wrap-up post full of this month's viewings. For the first ever, neither have I written a Blind Spot entry for this month yet nor did I publish this post on last day of respective month after keeping that tradition for more than two and half years. But more on that later. Let me get to films I saw last month first...</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">August</span></span></h2>
<img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zdDq79axV5I/UFDGRE9Do1I/AAAAAAAADNE/UODgsX6nXLQ/s200/4+and+half.jpg" height="40" width="200" /><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4AKEFxGaj80KkcmAEnF0PYgHOs-3FuGGMc7AxIBMaDATVu79lywr3CyC6SvCbJRjdjgt9HtBCZgPH9neMrla7fKlshdVFj6WmOikLE1pCheKnDHUq4o1haEi5s9TtS1kZ2rRDqGEW8Q/s1600/Aug_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4AKEFxGaj80KkcmAEnF0PYgHOs-3FuGGMc7AxIBMaDATVu79lywr3CyC6SvCbJRjdjgt9HtBCZgPH9neMrla7fKlshdVFj6WmOikLE1pCheKnDHUq4o1haEi5s9TtS1kZ2rRDqGEW8Q/s1600/Aug_1.jpg" height="380" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0456396/"><b>L'enfant(2005)</b></a>: This month's Blind Spot. I was under impression that this would be my first Dardennes film. It was one of the reasons I added it to this year's list. I realised it later that I have seen <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1827512/"><b>The Kid with a Bike(2011)</b></a> which is a Dardennes' film as well. First thing I realised after watching this is this film can be a check list for Dardennes. Hand held camera - check, lower class characters struggling to make ends meet - check, father-son relationship - check, no score - check. Made me even more excited for <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2737050/"><b>Two Days, One Night(2014)</b></a>.</span></span></span><br />
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<img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a_H8hz8UnCU/UNY-f94OmzI/AAAAAAAAEI8/GaZVJDq_quE/s200/4.jpg" height="50" width="200" /><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1951181/"><b>The Immigrant(2014)</b></a>: It feels like we have been waiting for this film for like forever. In most cases, it would mean this film is doomed in one way or the other. You can say that for this film as well since it did not get much of a theater run and went to VOD pretty soon. I don't know numbers but distribution wise I don't think this is a good sign. At least, it wasn't doomed quality wise. It has a stellar cast and they have deliver stellar performances. You can say it's too serious but given the subject matter, I don't see any other way.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2718492/"><b>Ida(2014)</b></a>: For past few
months, I haven't watched many foreign films. For some reason, I don't feel
like watching them anymore. I am already in 2014 mode in the middle of the
year, which I usually get into somewhere around end. I seriously hope this
is just a passing phase because turning my back on so many great films would be
an absolute shame. I am hoping films like this will help me get back on that
horse. And better the quality of these films, more they help. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2718492/"><b>Ida</b></a> was a great help.
Best thing about it was the quietness with which it presents even the most
dramatic moments of film.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105682/"><b>Un Coeur en Hiver(1992)</b></a>:
Quick show of hands. How many people here know any such film exists. I don't
care if you haven't seen it; raise your hand even if you know this film exists.
If not for <b>Josh</b>, even I wouldn't. But it is one of those
lesser known gems that I am so happy to have seen it. There are so many great
films this one reminded me of but most of all - <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118694/">In the Mood for Love(2000)</a> </b>because
of suppressed sexuality of leads, unforgettable music in the film and exquisite
looking Emmanuelle Beart.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRnL1RBvRAMiueaKfo6huKkYPbVzkkp_E9T4I9diCfVx0C3bmAxrfcKQEVN3ZsCBt6-O4DKcB4hOfMRC8avvvF9jZViHKVStGOSo_HQfe6CxCdsddsNtkowTIrVZZfn2DjSOQLgLV6ew/s1600/Aug_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRnL1RBvRAMiueaKfo6huKkYPbVzkkp_E9T4I9diCfVx0C3bmAxrfcKQEVN3ZsCBt6-O4DKcB4hOfMRC8avvvF9jZViHKVStGOSo_HQfe6CxCdsddsNtkowTIrVZZfn2DjSOQLgLV6ew/s1600/Aug_2.jpg" height="430" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097165/"><b>Dead Poets Society(1989)</b></a>:
After the shitty news we all got this month, this was mandatory! Robin Williams
was probably 1st Hollywood star I knew by name. <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113497/">Jumanji(1995)</a> </b>was one of my
childhood favourites and I used to watch it over and over. This was one of his
legendary roles I had not seen and I had to correct this. To tell you the
truth, there is no reason why this film should work? It's sappy to the core.
But it does! Perfectly. And given that everyone loves it, it is not just an
emotional response to recent tragedy.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1631867/"><b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Edge of Tomorrow(2014)</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">: </span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Now this is my kind of blockbuster! </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Lot of people loved a lot of different blockbusters released this summer. I was cold on most of them but this was totally my type of film. This was <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107048/"><b>Groundhog Day(1993)</b></a> with human existence at stake and I think they pulled it off very nicely. But I hate the fact that I need a film to remind me that Emily Blunt is a great, versatile actress. I really hope with <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2180411/"><b>Into the Woods(2014)</b></a> later this year, she gets recognition she has been deserving off for years.</span></span></span></div>
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<img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VbJJXND-ZuM/UKR-pHXb8RI/AAAAAAAAD2E/AtJBFoNdJuc/s200/3+and+half.jpg" height="50" width="200" /><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037913/"><b>Mildred Pierce(1945)</b></a>: I can't be sure but I don't think I have seen a movie in which I've hated almost every single character like I did in this one. Don't get me wrong - I completely understand that's exactly what director was going for and I like it as a film, especially Joan Crawford, but first thing I will remember about this film in future will be I hated everyone in this film, not that I liked Crawford's performance. To be fair, I didn't actually hate Mildred but she definitely frustrated me.</span></span></span><br />
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<![endif]--><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3322420/"><b>Queen(2014)</b></a>(Hindi):
Bollywood is going through a female empowerment phase this year. I
mean, there are many female centric films released this year and they
are even doing quite well at box office. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3322420/"><b>Queen</b></a> released
early this year was probably the first of this year's lot. Kangana Ranaut, lead
of this film who is really good in it, is going through
a reincarnation of her career and this role has helped her a lot. I
liked the concept and most of its execution. If not for Amsterdam leg, which I
thought dragged a lot and was very cliché; I would rate it even higher.</span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqjsS58YbNSKh8y-ARG_kn5PFrq2CWezQvNRaKukjob9paAw_KrOpZdNqx7HE36Ut8WB6x3Nt79v8ZW-r18f70hxQa0AZHOvjNeD-lHUm_yqM5FYOyUcQEuu1s2Zzw0mIqzU4OPztYYQ/s1600/Aug_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqjsS58YbNSKh8y-ARG_kn5PFrq2CWezQvNRaKukjob9paAw_KrOpZdNqx7HE36Ut8WB6x3Nt79v8ZW-r18f70hxQa0AZHOvjNeD-lHUm_yqM5FYOyUcQEuu1s2Zzw0mIqzU4OPztYYQ/s1600/Aug_3.jpg" height="422" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1877832/"><b>X-Men: Days of Future Past(2014)</b></a>: So I spend whole summer watching films people praise and rolling my eyes over how did they like this? And then I see two blockbusters in a month I like. I still won't call it a great film or anything but it delivered on everything I would expect from summer blockbuster. It is possible that since I have seen almost all X-Men movies before, I was into it but I didn't have any major problem with it. Plus, it has a great cast of new and old which certainly helps elevate it a notch up.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069995/"><b>Don't Look Now(1973)</b></a>: This film bleeped on my radar since <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1787988/"><b>Talaash(2012)</b></a>. I would have called it one of the best horror films, since even though it did not genuinely scare me, it did create create a great environment and constantly kept me at the edge of my seat wondering what is going to happen next, if only I understood that ending. I am still not sure what really happen there - it just dropped suddenly, out of no where. But Julie Christie - I have only seen 4 or 5 of her performances but I love every single one of them. That's really something!</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tUBYGm7qU3M/UIn9gmxrFLI/AAAAAAAADlM/W99sxVArVac/s1600/3.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tUBYGm7qU3M/UIn9gmxrFLI/AAAAAAAADlM/W99sxVArVac/s200/3.jpg" height="66" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2771372/"><b>Veronica Mars(2014)</b></a>: I
knew this wouldn't be 'One of the best of the year' type films but I quite
liked series despite some of its flaws. So this was one of my most anticipated of
the year films. I wouldn't say I am very disappointed because my expectations
were in check from start but it still could have been better. My main problem
was everyone looked rusty including Kristen Bell and Rob Thomas. Case involved
was definitely best part about it but there were too many distractions from it
which worked in series format but never really paid off here.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><b><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Bu0l9eulgYU/UHedUqeKT6I/AAAAAAAADgQ/mS1kOrr_2gY/s1600/2+and+half.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Bu0l9eulgYU/UHedUqeKT6I/AAAAAAAADgQ/mS1kOrr_2gY/s1600/2+and+half.jpg" height="66" width="200" /></a></b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1843866/"><b>Captain America: The Winter Soldier(2014)</b></a>: I feel like this movie is a complete fanboy material. I constantly felt like watching a typical high budget South Indian masala movie which needs, sorry, demands unequivocal suspension of any disbelief. Only good thing about it is because of high production value, it makes even the most ridiculous thing look damn good. Call it my chronic disability but I have never been able to enjoy that sort of thing. That is exactly why I can never watch those south Indian films, neither can I get into any Salman Khan movie. This was no better.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2955096/"><b>Happy Christmas(2014)</b></a>: I watched this film primarily for </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;">Anna Kendrick</span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"> and while she isn't bad in it, my primary takeaway from it would be Joe Swanberg's son. If you have seen this film, you'd know how amazing that kid is. However, reason why I would rate it so low is screenplay. It never went anywhere. I don't feel like any of the characters went through any transformation or we learnt anything different about them that we didn't know in first 5 minutes of it. It just starts and ends without giving us pretty much anything. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2223990/"><b>Draft Day(2014)</b></a>:<b> </b>I watch American football. I understand the game but even then I will not say that I understand process of their draft and that fascinates me. So this movie was quite interesting to me; you can even say I was target audience for it. But extremely predictable and over sentimental nature of it made it an opportunity lost. You always, always know where this is going to go and what any character going to do long before anyone in this film actually makes any decision. That makes it a boring watch after a while.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Total Count: 15. 15 First
Time Watches and 0 Re-watch .</span></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">2014 YTD Count</span></b></div>
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Total Count: 132. 124 First Time Watches and 8 Re-watches.</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">So the reason I was only able to watch 15 films this month and couldn't do Blind Spot post and this post in time is new job I started today. Because of that, I spent my last month at old job doing KTs and transferring all other responsibilities. Plus, juggling all pre-joining requirements at this job turned out much more taxing than I thought it would. So, blogging took back step, though I do hope to have my blind spot entry up by this weekend. I have already seen the film.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Now good thing about this job is it will pay me hell lot more than previous one used to and, since I wouldn't be job searching anymore, would allow me to devote my free time to do things that I want to do - like watch more films. :). Bad thing is it will take almost 12 hours of my day straight up. Even worse is the fact that about 2 and half of those will be spent traveling. I need to find productive ways to utilize that time or else I am not going to get anything done! Lets see how this goes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">So, how was your month? Did you see anything interesting? What do you think of the movies I saw? Any favorites? </span></div>
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SDGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09331736603243732602noreply@blogger.com7Pune, Maharashtra, India18.5204303 73.85674369999992518.2795358 73.534020199999929 18.7613248 74.17946719999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3996842231848527441.post-70137703910090244602014-08-03T00:26:00.002-04:002014-08-03T00:26:56.854-04:00Six Degrees of Separation Blogathon<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLcV_19-Gv4Uhj7zQuxpv_-BV3ybrz5LXVk6_TXvDtJ6wD-RRoY7vGaIv1Dcznj8LZAstreFA1L4WE3-weKgCru1elVthzSh1mAPQvUZsXQw5QHx5-ZCphFB3h7Rrf53KJT6knpNp-qA/s1600/6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLcV_19-Gv4Uhj7zQuxpv_-BV3ybrz5LXVk6_TXvDtJ6wD-RRoY7vGaIv1Dcznj8LZAstreFA1L4WE3-weKgCru1elVthzSh1mAPQvUZsXQw5QHx5-ZCphFB3h7Rrf53KJT6knpNp-qA/s1600/6.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">So
<a href="http://tipsfromchip.blogspot.in/"><b>Chip Lary at Tips from Chip</b></a> tagged me to participate in the Six Degrees of
Separation Blogathon, another great blogathon started by <a href="http://www.myfilmviews.com/2014/07/18/six-degrees-separation-blogathon/"><b>Nostra at My Film Views.</b></a> Basic aim is I will be given two actors who I have to connect in not
more than six steps.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">This
is a list of those who have tried their hand at this thing before it was passed
on to me:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><b><a href="http://afistfuloffilms.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/6-degrees-of-separation-blogathon.html">Drew
from A Fistful of Films</a></b> (Charlie Chaplin to Jason Statham)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><b><a href="http://cinematiccorner.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/six-degrees-of-separation-blogathon.html">Sati
from Cinematic Corner</a></b> (Jason Statham to Michael Haneke)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><b><a href="http://www.andsoitbeginsfilms.com/2014/07/six-degrees-of-separation-blogathon.html">Alex
from And So It Begins</a></b> (Michael Haneke to Stephen Dillane)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><b><a href="http://thevoid99.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/six-degrees-of-separation-blog-thon.html">Steven
from Surrender to the Void</a></b> (Stephen Dillane to Ingmar Bergman)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><b><a href="http://moviesandsongs365.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/6-degrees-of-separation-blog-thon.html">Chris
from Movies and Songs 365</a></b> (Ingmar Bergman to Toshiro Mifune)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><b><a href="http://classicblanca.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/6-degrees-of-separation-blogathon.html">Josh
from Cinematic Spectacle</a></b> (Toshiro Mifune to James Stewart)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><b><a href="http://www.film-actually.com/2014/07/blogathon-6-degrees-of-separation.html#more">Shane
from Film Actually</a></b> (James Stewart to Spike Lee)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><b><a href="http://attheback.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/blogathon-6-degrees-of-separation.html">Tom
from At the Back</a></b> (Spike Lee to Birth of a Nation)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><b><a href="http://lifevsfilm.com/2014/07/27/6-degrees-of-separation-blogathon/">Jay
at Life vs. Film</a></b> (Birth of a Nation to Daniel Bruhl)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><b><a href="http://1001plus.blogspot.com/2014/07/six-degrees-of-separation-blogathon.html">Steve
at </a><a href="http://1001plus.blogspot.com/2014/07/six-degrees-of-separation-blogathon.html">1001plus</a></b> (Daniel
Bruhl to Vinnie Jones)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">And
<a href="http://tipsfromchip.blogspot.in/2014/07/six-degrees-of-separation-blogathon_30.html"><b>Chip at Tips from Chip</b></a> (Vinnie Jones to Jean Gambin)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">What
Chip assigned to me is to connect Jean Gabin to none other than, Amitabh
Bachchan. Well, probably not many people would know who that is but he is, in
Chip's own words, the biggest ever star in Indian films. And he is absolutely right.</span></div>
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I have been following this blogathon on many other blogs I follow and I have
even tried connecting two people before. So I was obviously excited when Chip
tagged me. However, I was put into precarious position because of the
connection given to me. The thing is, I had no idea who Jean Gabin is until Chip
tagged me. Call me stupid but even after I looked him up on IMDb, only film I
could recognize in his filmography was <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028950/"><b>La Grande Illusion(1937)</b></a> which I have
never seen. That puts me in a disadvantageous position.</span></div>
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I also would have loved to follow rules Chip set forth like choosing films I
have seen or choosing film where two actors involved at least share screen
once. But since I have not seen any Gabin film, at least my first connection
has to be a dart in blind. So I decided not to be too hard on myself and call
it a link as long as two actors involved have a credit on IMDb. This is how I
arrived from Gabin to Bachchan - </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTmGOhGU5mpFP2ky7nac9hw6K4LIFUvANELZp8Oc-WPCb-kKSxHEiz4Wn1yCwEJKGAkTJcxfmEVIUY1Ej3Bw72xWgqd1OloeE5XkvY-9QOg06GL_FkYUwpqLrJpoJiY_5T-c50V6OAUg/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTmGOhGU5mpFP2ky7nac9hw6K4LIFUvANELZp8Oc-WPCb-kKSxHEiz4Wn1yCwEJKGAkTJcxfmEVIUY1Ej3Bw72xWgqd1OloeE5XkvY-9QOg06GL_FkYUwpqLrJpoJiY_5T-c50V6OAUg/s1600/1.jpg" height="440" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">1. Jean Gabin worked with Paul Mercey in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052573/"><b>Archimede, le clochard(1959)</b></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Now
this connection is a complete guess. I do not know either of the actors
involved, nor do I know anything about the film and it was a complete
happenstance that I got this link. But as I said due to my lack of knowledge
about classic French actors, I have to do with it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5IGfd6XPu84Qhf1B7lZIWVbz52HU4LbbNM4eOFA-mBnQ7fMP1JWeynH-ZdC5FvLxMwFCYEUhVYk-3Z6CN3OPyIKSzJuu8bcN2oi-xOko9VrbEa_AREv_kn43E-j7u6iTEknCeV_1Mpg/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5IGfd6XPu84Qhf1B7lZIWVbz52HU4LbbNM4eOFA-mBnQ7fMP1JWeynH-ZdC5FvLxMwFCYEUhVYk-3Z6CN3OPyIKSzJuu8bcN2oi-xOko9VrbEa_AREv_kn43E-j7u6iTEknCeV_1Mpg/s1600/2.jpg" height="428" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">2. Paul Mercey worked with Eli Wallach in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064146/"><b>The Brain(1969)</b></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Now
this link was a real breakthrough for me and I was lucky to get this as well.
But once I got Wallach, I got next connections in a matter of seconds.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0vEn5Y2x4G_kmn_ySdPZS5wzN7T587QFqrPmSee6zA6Ns3WXXBODPHuHh_xM-upJgMUW3UXz0X5eyMVghPtEnjRg9miEbPxoc5rGnQgMC-6HUjN8-k9aQC41iLKGK0frxsyj8kb56Zw/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0vEn5Y2x4G_kmn_ySdPZS5wzN7T587QFqrPmSee6zA6Ns3WXXBODPHuHh_xM-upJgMUW3UXz0X5eyMVghPtEnjRg9miEbPxoc5rGnQgMC-6HUjN8-k9aQC41iLKGK0frxsyj8kb56Zw/s1600/3.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">3. Eli Wallach worked with Kate Winslet in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0457939/"><b>The Holiday(2006)</b></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Eli
Wallach(May he rest in peace!) is best known for <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060196/"><b>The Good, the Bad and the Ugly(1966)</b></a> and rightly so. But first time I remember watching him in was in this one and I
still associate him with it first than Good, Bad, Ugly.</span><br />
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">4. Kate Winslet worked with Leonardo DiCaprio in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0959337/"><b>Revolutionary Road(2008)</b></a>
and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120338/"><b>Titanic(1997)</b></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">duh! Just look at them.</span><br />
<br /></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw903sem1hDYybj7RU_xVPUXZTT_dM9kQN8OuQEkw9VKpx-RRPFZNkGhkSp5uMV4KxvXkr4dkVt6jVt5IlYVJMd6TMWdI8ij0aHPn2VG8JLla9gsBkCbLTa9PDfgjT4opny9i5hlInwA/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw903sem1hDYybj7RU_xVPUXZTT_dM9kQN8OuQEkw9VKpx-RRPFZNkGhkSp5uMV4KxvXkr4dkVt6jVt5IlYVJMd6TMWdI8ij0aHPn2VG8JLla9gsBkCbLTa9PDfgjT4opny9i5hlInwA/s1600/5.jpg" height="330" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">5. Leonardo DiCaprio worked with Amitabh Bachchan in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1343092/"><b>The Great Gtasby(2013)</b></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Now
you will remember him, right? Yup, Wolfsheim. Gatsby's friend that supposedly
rigged 1919 World series. That's him!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">And I did it! I feel so accomplished, even though I had to get help from several sources. Now, who should I pass it next to? Ummm, why not go Down Under? I will pass it to <a href="http://www.anonlineuniverse.com/"><b>Sam McCosh at An Online Universe</b></a>. And since we are going there, I will task her to connect Mr. Bachchan with one of my personal favourite Australian actresses - beautiful and funny, <b>Rose Byrne</b>. Have fun, Sam!<b> </b></span></div>
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SDGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09331736603243732602noreply@blogger.com6Pune, Maharashtra, India18.5204303 73.85674369999992518.2795358 73.534020199999929 18.7613248 74.17946719999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3996842231848527441.post-62774404284719152612014-07-31T11:10:00.001-04:002014-08-27T05:59:23.453-04:00Wrapping it up: July<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Another month, another wrap-up post full of this month's viewings. Lets not waste any time with pleasantries here. Let me get straight to what we are here for. To
the movies of this month...</span><br />
<h2 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">July</span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0353969/"><b>Memories of Murder(2003)</b></a>: Granted, I don't know a whole lot about Korean cinema but I must have seen about 15-20 films, most of them acclaimed at International stage for some or the other reason. Most of them are really good in their own fucked up way but I think this has to be the best one of them all. This is an extremely frustrating movie in a way <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0353969/"><b>Zodiac(2007)</b></a> was but just like it, a really good one. I was feeling every up and down of their investigation in my gut. I am also glad that this was my 100th new to me movie of the year.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052311/"><b>Touch of Evil(1958)</b></a>: I haven't seen many Orsen Welles films. Only 2 before this one but I like this one more than other two put together and that includes <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033467/"><b>Citizen Kane(1941)</b></a>. I loved how it sets up the whole story in first 5 minutes and loved how it unfolds till the end and how despicable Hank Quinlan gets by the end even more. It is one of those films I needed a happy ending to because I hated Quinlan completely. I couldn't have bared a thought of him getting away with everything. </span></span></span><br />
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<img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a_H8hz8UnCU/UNY-f94OmzI/AAAAAAAAEI8/GaZVJDq_quE/s200/4.jpg" height="50" width="200" /><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1441395/"><b>Under the Skin(2014)</b></a>: I feel like I appreciated this one lot more than I actually liked it and that is despite me liking it well enough. I haven't seen most of Jonathan Glazer's work but looking at it from outside, they don't look easily accessible. Neither is this one.</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"> I would say that this was one of the best movie watching experiences I
had. While it was quite different and still kept me interested till the
end, there were many things in the film that I wasn't exactly sure of. Maybe that is the biggest allure of this film. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1937390/"><b>Nymphomaniac: Vol I(2014)</b></a>: With the notable exception of probably only <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1723811/"><b>Shame(2011)</b></a>, I usually can not see beyond sexually oriented films as anything but. <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1937390/">Nymphomaniac</a></b> was another exception. Like most of von Trier's films, it was slow and rather monotonous narratively but for once it felt like von Trier's extremism was put to good use here as it felt about so much more than just sex. It was about love, loss, loneliness and lust. And Stacy Martin gets naked A LOT but is absolute revelation.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051792/"><b>Jalsaghar(1958)</b></a>: This month's Blind Spot and my re-introduction to Satyajit Ray's filmography after I saw Apu trilogy about two years ago. First two installments of Apu Trilogy were first two films Ray ever did and this one was third. It is really hard to believe that when you see how well thought, how well crafted all this movies are. Why wouldn't he make a film if he had such a clear vision of what he wanted? I am not sure if we will know answer to that question but we can only consider ourselves lucky that he did. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2103281/"><b>Dawn of the Planet of the Apes(2014)</b></a>: I am actually very torn on this one and I fully expect this rating to drop as the year goes by. On one hand, I think this is a great blockbuster mainly for its technical achievement but at the same time, it also feels very stifled by being a mere blockbuster. It feels like it had chance at greatness, if they worked a bit on making screenplay a little less cliched. It looked great on screen to see them get there but I always knew where this was going.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2178470/"><b>Ye Jawaani Hai Deewani(2013)</b></a>(Hindi)(Re-watch): Lets just take a moment to contemplate scarcity of the situation here. I have not only re-watched a film, it is a Hindi film. Last time that happened must have been back in... I don't even remember. But this film, for me, is a living proof of you don't have to be out of the box to make it good. This tells me that you can still take a same old story and make it worth audiences' time. All that matters is doing it well and Ayan Mukharjee proved once again that he certainly can. </span></span></span><br />
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It was one of those films you randomly put on and keep on watching just
because you feel like it. Even this is quite a rarity for me but not as
rare as recent Bollywood film re-watch. I wasn't feeling much while the
family stuff was happening around. It felt rather contrived. But once
they got to killings, aka part where most films feel same old again, it
became quite awesome. And now we know that Sharni Vinson can dance and
fight. Hopefully, she will soon get to serious acting.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096895/"><b>Batman(1989)</b></a>:
This is first Batman film I have seen outside of Nolan trilogy. So I am
sorry if I unfairly compare all Batman films to them but that's
literally the only reference point I have. I wouldn't say I loved this
film but there was almost nothing about this film that I didn't like. It is
very '90s but I don't see there was any other way to it. It isn't great either but
I blame Nolan for getting my expectations sky high. And I also see
where Nolan got his inspiration for a lot of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0468569/"><b>The Dark Knight(2008)</b></a> Stuff.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1954206/"><b>The Dirty Picture(2011)</b></a>(Hindi): Like Dawn, I haven't really decided whether to like this one or hate it. It can go either way. There is some sort of rawness to this film which, if done purposely is a good thing but, I am not exactly sure is there consciously. My biggest problem is Emraan Hashmi's acting in this film is better than Nasseruddin Shah's</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">. That would require an exceptionally incompetent director. Vidya Balan, on the other hand, was absolutely on fire, though she made me uncomfortable at various times.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1840309/"><b>Divergent(2014)</b></a>: In my opinion, biggest hurdle this movie had to face was to get out of it's identity as other <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1392170/"><b>The Hunger Games(2012)</b></a> because as much as someone might want to deny it, it is obvious that this is an attempt to reap the fruits of recent YA craze. Frankly, </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">I am sure book might have a lot more background to set up this dystopian world properly which would be crucial to get you interested and it is not a bad film but </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>this doesn't offer much beyond usual. And ending feels really rushed. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><b><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Bu0l9eulgYU/UHedUqeKT6I/AAAAAAAADgQ/mS1kOrr_2gY/s1600/2+and+half.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Bu0l9eulgYU/UHedUqeKT6I/AAAAAAAADgQ/mS1kOrr_2gY/s1600/2+and+half.jpg" height="66" width="200" /></a></b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1872181/"><b>The Amazing Spider Man 2(2014)</b></a>: Despite being a sequel of a franchise that didn't really need a revival so soon, I was down for this one from start for two reasons. One, I quite liked first one and more importantly, second, Emma Stone. I think biggest problem with this film is its mediocrity from start to end. It is not really bad but it is really not good either and sometimes that's worst thing you can do. There were aspects of it that I liked but most of it never went anywhere interesting. Plus that ending means I have no reason at all to look forward to third one.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1825157/"><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">The Double(2014)</b></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">: I can take weird movies. I can go on watching them even if I have no idea what's happening in it. I didn't know what was happening in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1441395/"><b>Under the Skin</b></a> most of the time but I not only kept watching it, I gave it 4 stars above. But it loses me when I get bored of it in between and in that sense Richard Ayoade's latest lost me completely around half way line. I was so out of it that when the climatic moment came, I didn't care for it at all. I don't even remember it less than 10 days after watching it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2265171/"><b>The Raid 2: Barandal(2014)</b></a>: I really did not care for it. It had few decent fights but it was more gory, cringe worthy than exciting for my taste. I think first one worked much better because of it's hand fights that wowed me. What wowed me here was incompetence of all the actors involved. Gareth Evans goes way over the top way too often and while I can give him credit for finding disturbingly creative ways to hack people into pieces, all it really did was turn me off. Plus, first had at least believable presence of story. This one is wafer thin at best. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Total Count: 15. 14 First
Time Watches and 1 Re-watch.</span></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">2014 YTD Count</span></b></div>
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Total Count: 117. 109 First Time Watches and 8 Re-watches.</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">For no apparent reason, I went on mini-binge of watching 2014 movies this month. It is mostly because some of them are late to get here and some released earlier this year are available otherwise. I am still surprised by how much I liked </span><b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1937390/">Nymphomaniac</a> </span></b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">and </span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I have only seen 18 so far but it is leading the pack currently. I want to part 2 as soon as I can, while part 1 is still fresh in my mind. Otherwise, it would be business as usual.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">So, how was your month? Did you see anything interesting? What do you think of the movies I saw? Any favorites? </span></div>
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SDGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09331736603243732602noreply@blogger.com7Pune, Maharashtra, India18.5204303 73.85674369999992518.2795358 73.534020199999929 18.7613248 74.17946719999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3996842231848527441.post-24543357881352313892014-07-29T12:06:00.000-04:002014-07-29T12:06:25.113-04:00July Blind Spot: Jalsaghar(The Music Room)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrL310ZUVaPDanjdSRd1HsHfBwHuTsbBA5Nsi4cTej5ezxNFL-1K9graroKkb9b5aQz0DMcQyuyPGFWRrydrblZJj1wXa5_ylgSG6ReStpRYwPcB9BQQTAm4X998CCyxn4PwVvSEHk8g/s1600/jalsa1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrL310ZUVaPDanjdSRd1HsHfBwHuTsbBA5Nsi4cTej5ezxNFL-1K9graroKkb9b5aQz0DMcQyuyPGFWRrydrblZJj1wXa5_ylgSG6ReStpRYwPcB9BQQTAm4X998CCyxn4PwVvSEHk8g/s1600/jalsa1.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</xml><![endif]--><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Couple
of years ago when I was doing my Masters in US, one of my university friends
was kind enough to lend me his copy of Apu trilogy. This was my first and so
far only excursion into cinematic world of Satyajit Ray, probably the only
Indian director with a worldwide fame and following. Considering how successful
that experiment went, (it certainly was a success, so much so that <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048473/"><b>Pather Panchali(1955)</b></a> sits prettily in my personal ‘Top 100’) it is rather sad
that I never saw any of his other films since. So I put one of his films on
this year’s blind spot list, since that is what this list is for – to get rid
of such blemishes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Even
though it is directed by Satyajit Ray, considering this is
a Bengali film, this film also provides me a unique opportunity. Usually films
I choose for this list are those which are supposed to have been seen my most
people. So I try not to get into plot details and other usual suspects of
review. But I would be very surprised if many of those who frequent this place
would have seen this movie. So, for a change, I get to frame this post as a
traditional review.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051792/"><b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Jalsaghar(1958)</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> or </span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051792/"><b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The Music Room</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">,</span><b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">as it is known internationally, </span>is a story of Biswambhar Roy, a last of his kind
landlord which means he is basically a royalty in areas surrounding vast pieces
of lands he owns. It also used to mean that everyone leaving in that area would
depend on him for their livelihood but his estate is in dilapidated state. He
has inherited lands that are being depleted by river nearby and there is not much
he can do about it. So he has the title and even respect of the people that
comes with it but no perquisites that usually follow.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">But his
status in the community means he has to live pompous life his ancestors did, even if it is only
to put up a show for others and pinnacle of his ostentation is his music room. His music room is where he would invite some of the best artists - singers, dancers, musicians -
to put up a show for him and would invite most important people around to
accompany him. Even being a part of this group would mean your entry in
landlord's innermost circle and indication of your elevated social status.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisd2708-Gx644m-VDofohDJme5qf-yknsb2sjw_Xdc9Lg7NJf52QOjXTOTAJhVRR2hTS8UFQe5DOzlcXF26uL8iGcwgGjMsHIjyFuvaqos69kMZ90YVhrsh1Q6iaenWdoH46r5iUeDng/s1600/Jalsa2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisd2708-Gx644m-VDofohDJme5qf-yknsb2sjw_Xdc9Lg7NJf52QOjXTOTAJhVRR2hTS8UFQe5DOzlcXF26uL8iGcwgGjMsHIjyFuvaqos69kMZ90YVhrsh1Q6iaenWdoH46r5iUeDng/s1600/Jalsa2.jpg" height="472" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Only
problem here, however, is Biswambhar Roy's estate is running on fumes and can
not really afford all this extravagance. He even has to sell family jewels of Roy family that have been passed on for generations to pay for initiation ceremony of his son but even this doesn't deter him from his flamboyance. His wife tries to open his eyes but there is no other way he can live by and in the end, he succumbs to illusion of his grandeur, leaving his his last two remaining servants helpless witnesses of this event. His manager, who handles all his financial
business and other things related to his lands, is solemn, worried where
this might lead to while his man servant is almost giddy to see his master
back to his old ways months after. <b>[SPOILER]</b>What he doesn't realize is this is candle burning brightest before extinguishing</span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><b>[SPOILER END]</b>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051792/"><b>Jalsaghar</b></a> was Satyajit Ray's only third film; he made it between second and third installment of Apu trilogy. But, even though this was obvious right from <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048473/"><b>Pather Panchali</b></a>,
sensibilities of this film are of a seasoned film maker. Premise of changing times and someone who once prospered in it failing to adapt to these times is not exactly novel. But what makes it work despite being the same old story is Satyajit Ray's handling with a knack of seasoned storyteller. He knows what
he is going for, how he wants to get there and he does so right on the money. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">He highlights hollowness of Roy's lifestyle from very first frame. His idiosyncratic behaviour to keep up with it and cling on to stupid notions of his false status only make him more miserable and Ray does not flinch from showing this. But he doesn't make him spineless which makes it much more interesting character; someone I genuinely cared for despite being rather vain. He is not without his values, however vain they might be and not without his qualities either, however crazy they might be especially under the given circumstances.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Chhabi Biswas, playing protagonist </span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Biswambhar Roy,</span> makes it even more impressive with great range he puts on display here - from someone who is lordly from head to toe, riding his beautiful horse Moti to a hollow shell of that man we see in the very first scene with no idea of time and date. His ease and command with which he slips into persona of Biswambhar Roy also played major role in making me sympathetic towards him, despite all his glaring faults.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjJuqMvJClMxqccILzdeTHjHaoAV4RMkL1bNsPt7g-dJcasnwaGGLv6mq379QTJAy4Px4A6YidtXKHEYbK-pniZRvvgwx9LFkj31wDzsi4xvJvqv3uovCXLbgiBA5zsDMJxNaqCDQ0lA/s1600/Jalsa4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjJuqMvJClMxqccILzdeTHjHaoAV4RMkL1bNsPt7g-dJcasnwaGGLv6mq379QTJAy4Px4A6YidtXKHEYbK-pniZRvvgwx9LFkj31wDzsi4xvJvqv3uovCXLbgiBA5zsDMJxNaqCDQ0lA/s1600/Jalsa4.png" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">While Roy is seeing the last days of his fading glory, Ray makes this story even more contrasting by adding character of Mohit Ganguly, son of userer leaving nearby, and making him a rising star. Roy constantly feels threatened by him as quite possibly he is looking to replace him. There are quite a few confrontational scenes between the two in film and almost every single one of them would find its place on highlight reel. Ganguly, being a self made man still not used to be a part of dignified society around him, is like a new kid on playing ground; always uncomfortable around Roy. And Roy, possibly because he himself not comfortable with his rise, constantly trying to cross him.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">And finally, Indian classical music that is featured so richly in this film. I have to admit one thing though - however deplorable this guy might be, he certainly had a good taste in music. If you have any liking towards this kind of music, three concerts featured in this film alone are more than enough to make Jalsaghar worth a watch. Having artists from all over perform at your doorsteps like this, used to be a kingly habit of the class that Roy is last remnant. And Ray doesn't use them only to as a showcase of classical music but makes them very much integral parts of whole narrative. I feel really happy after getting back on Ray bandwagon with this film but this time I really hope my next stop won't be after another two years.</span></div>
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SDGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09331736603243732602noreply@blogger.com4Pune, Maharashtra, India18.5204303 73.85674369999992518.2795358 73.534020199999929 18.7613248 74.17946719999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3996842231848527441.post-70495833530358573072014-06-30T12:05:00.001-04:002014-07-29T12:08:44.170-04:00Wrapping it up: June<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">
Another month, another wrap-up post full of this month's viewings.<b> </b>On to
the movies of then...</span><br />
<h2 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">June</span></span></h2>
<img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zdDq79axV5I/UFDGRE9Do1I/AAAAAAAADNE/UODgsX6nXLQ/s200/4+and+half.jpg" height="40" width="200" /><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0475276"><b>United 93(2006)</b></a>: The fact that this was the earliest Best Director nominated film I had not seen proved to be one final push I needed to check this off my watch list and if I wasn't a fan of Greengrass' direction after <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1535109"><b>Captain Phillips(2013)</b></a> last year, I certainly am now. People usually call <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1285016"><b>The Social Network(2010)</b></a> a real 'Director's film' and while I love absolutely everything about TSN, if you ask me - I would point you to this one! And hey, Olivia Thirby, was that... you? </span></span></span><br />
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<img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a_H8hz8UnCU/UNY-f94OmzI/AAAAAAAAEI8/GaZVJDq_quE/s200/4.jpg" height="50" width="200" /><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0026752/"><b>Mutiny on the Bounty(1935)</b></a>: When it comes to films based on real life events, I have special respect for those who dare to show things like they were rather than dramatizing them to land more punch.This film deserves that. They easily could have dramatized actually mutiny much more or cut aftermath of it. </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Charles Laughton deserves special mention for his amazing performance as Captain Bligh. But what I really want to know about it is this - How does a film win Best picture and nothing else? </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056687/"><b>What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?(1962)</b></a>: Off course I had heard quite a lot about rivalry between Joan Crawford and Bette Davis which gave all the more dimensions to this film and knew few things about Crawford because of some references to <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082766/">Mommie Dearest(1981)</a> </b>but this is a first movie I have seen her in. </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">As good as she is in this, </span></span></span>it was all about Bette Davis though. I have seen her in few other films and she is always good but here she is crazy good. And I never saw final reveal coming which adds so much to whole story. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080388/"><b>Atlantic City(1980)</b></a>: So I had never seen a Louis Malle film before in my life and then I saw two in a week. This was first of the two. Burt Lancaster, in whichever role and in whichever film I have seen him in, has always stolen a film for me. Once again, he was as clinical as ever though this time Susan Sarandon was able to match him. I always forget how good an actress she is until I see her in one. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092593/"><b>Au revoir, les enfants(1987)</b></a>: Second of Malle double feature and this month's Blind Spot. Malle's treatment of this film is not what you might expect from a movie on such topic. We are more used to sensory overloads that attack you from every possible angle and make you cry bucketful. Malle underplays every single scene in this film and still makes it equally devastating by the end. And very young Irene Jacob pops up which is never a bad thing. More <a href="http://umeandfilms.blogspot.com/2014/06/june-blind-spot-au-revoir-les-enfants.html"><b>here</b></a>.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0280491/"><b>Bloody Sunday(2002)</b></a>: Josh at <a href="http://classicblanca.blogspot.in/"><b>The Cinematic Spectacle</b></a> gets all the credit for this one though me having seen <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0475276"><b>United 93</b></a> this month and having loved it played a part in it as well. I was quite eager to get to another of Greengrass' work and <a href="http://classicblanca.blogspot.in/2014/06/2002-cinspec-awards.html"><b>his post</b></a> gave me the right push. I feel like I am doing a disservice to many fantastic actors in Greengrass' films because they do a great job of portraying his vision with authenticity but once again, I think it is his direction that shines the most here.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0307901/"><b>25th Hour(2002)</b></a>: So Spike Lee can make a movie without bringing racial elements into it after all. I know there is <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0454848/"><b>Inside Man(2006)</b></a> as well and then last year's <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1321511/"><b>Oldboy(2013)</b></a> but this one is far better than either of them. In fact, this might be my favourite of his though I have hardly seen about 5. Also, I never knew David Benioff had any sort of writing career before GoT. I say this because screenplay was one of the stronger suits of this film. And I can not not mention Barry Pepper. He was a beast!</span></span></span><br />
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<img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VbJJXND-ZuM/UKR-pHXb8RI/AAAAAAAAD2E/AtJBFoNdJuc/s200/3+and+half.jpg" height="50" width="200" /><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0436697/"><b>The Queen(2006)</b></a>: As I have explained my situation with getting through the rest of Best Picture winners before, I have also shortlisted 5 films that were nominated for Best Picture in last 15 years that I haven't seen. For some reason, getting through this list isn't much different and I thank God, rather I thank Helen Mirren, for not making this any worse. She was absolutely exquisite in that role though I was rather surprised by the time period Frears chose to highlight Queen Elizabeth.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071230/"><b>Blazing Saddles(1974)</b></a>: When I was 9, I watched certain western comedy which, by now, I only remember bits and pieces of. For the past few years, I have been trying to figure out which one was it and my search for it brought me to this one this month. Well, it wasn't the one I was looking for but at least it was a good western comedy. Last 15 minutes of it were a bit too much for me but that is the risk you have to take with comedies. You never know what will stick. And I really enjoyed rest of it to hold any serious grudge against it. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040506/"><b>Key Largo(1948)</b></a>: I have been holding this one off for far too long. John Huston at the helm, Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall with him. In addition, Edward G. Robinson whom, I will be honest, I have not seen except in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036775/"><b>Double Indemnity(1944)</b></a>. What's not to like? It is a John Huston film all right and all the key players are good at their jobs but it was Edward G. Robinson who took the cake. I loved his viciousness of manner and calmness of demeanor and effortless transition from one to another. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2278388/"><b>The Grand Budapest Hotel(2014)</b></a>: It was like some strange mixture of live action and stop motion which probably would have looked much better if it was either of the two all the way through. It was all pretty and sweet and cute, even most of the cameos were really good but that does get old after a while and it lacked any foundation to fall back on. So even at 100 minutes of its length, it already was rather repetitive, laughable and even inconsequential. If not for consistent acting throughout, this would have been insufferable.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106226/"><b>The Age of Innocence(1993)</b></a>: I never expected Martin Scorsese to make a movie like this but I guess not only did he make it, he did what seems quite out of his wheelhouse quite well must be one of the reasons he is Martin Scorsese. Though I wish I had more good things to say about this film. I liked it reasonably enough but for no fault of its own, I can not say I loved it. It's just that I am getting rather tired of period pieces, especially of upper class and their uptight manners and ways. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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My only problem was it never looked like Miniver family had much at stake. Even though there is a war going on and they were involved with it in a way, it was rather casual. It was never brought into their house; up until last half hour or so that is which certainly up the ante. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">All in all, I am glad to have nother one of the list and thankfully, it wasn't much of a task. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> Oh, and, did I give you the count? This one is 73rd. 14 more to go now.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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I don't really have much criticism to offer, except that it was rather run of the mill story, but I don't have many praises for it either. Real highpoint for it was Hepburn butchering Tracy's kitchen in the last scene. I kept expecting him to break into some sort of moral lecture. Is it my fault that he does so in every film I have seen him in?</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Bu0l9eulgYU/UHedUqeKT6I/AAAAAAAADgQ/mS1kOrr_2gY/s1600/2+and+half.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Bu0l9eulgYU/UHedUqeKT6I/AAAAAAAADgQ/mS1kOrr_2gY/s1600/2+and+half.jpg" height="66" width="200" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1234721/"><b>Robocop(2014)</b></a>: There was about half an hour just before the end that made it somewhat worth it because otherwise only word that kept coming to my mind for the rest of it was - bloated. Direction and script will have to bear major blame for it as it felt like everyone started off thinking we are going to make a great film but had no idea how. I mean, for all it's worth, it was released in February aka Studio Dumpster and it even doesn't know that. Who takes itself that seriously in February?</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Total Count: 15. 15 First
Time Watches and 0 Re-watch .</span></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">2014 YTD Count</span></b></div>
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Total Count: 102. 95 First Time Watches and 7 Re-watches.</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Once again, not the most productive month even by my current low standards but I certainly saw few good ones. Actually, I don't think I have had a 4 and 1/2 starred film in few months. There were couple of surprises as well. Some I have been keeping for too long that paid off like <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0307901/"><b>25th Hour</b></a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0475276"><b>United 93</b></a> and some I had no idea and turned out to be quite awesome like <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0280491/"><b>Black Sunday</b></a>. All in all, I am quite satisfied at this lot even though it is a short haul.</span> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">So, how was your month? Did you see anything interesting? What do you think of the movies I saw? Any favorites? </span></div>
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SDGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09331736603243732602noreply@blogger.com4Pune, Maharashtra, India18.5204303 73.85674369999992518.2795358 73.534020199999929 18.7613248 74.17946719999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3996842231848527441.post-27753568048508137702014-06-27T12:12:00.001-04:002014-06-29T00:32:10.779-04:00June Blind Spot: Au revoir, les enfants<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmB5a3B-pUnOMtu-vywTWg5dOg2voLXTYGN6LQSGMi4sJAw_LfG47t2VaQZ6CyRV4XxoGmEMQ7YNo9_JbSDTi7hZCfDGPtsGcs-XjjSncYfkidsmncBr1cfvKeKkdEFBbdoux-mTm6Ow/s1600/Au5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmB5a3B-pUnOMtu-vywTWg5dOg2voLXTYGN6LQSGMi4sJAw_LfG47t2VaQZ6CyRV4XxoGmEMQ7YNo9_JbSDTi7hZCfDGPtsGcs-XjjSncYfkidsmncBr1cfvKeKkdEFBbdoux-mTm6Ow/s1600/Au5.jpg" height="376" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">For
various reasons, World War II has been a topic that fascinates me a lot and it
continues to do so to this day, even after reading many books and seeing films
covering multiple facets of this monstrous event. WWII was a kind of event that
tested everyone it touched to the limit of their existence. I believe the way
we respond in the event of great adversity is what really defines us as humans
and this event offered many such opportunities. I am usually game for anything
that involves WWII but if it is anything as revered as <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092593"><b>Au revoir, les enfants(1987)</b></a>,
it validates my inclusion in Blind spot list.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Though
it didn’t go down exactly as we see in the film and almost certainly not with
Malle at the center of it, Louis Malle, who directed this film, witnessed events
this film is based on first hand. Three Jewish students and one Jewish teacher
were captured from Roman Catholic boarding school Malle was attending when he
was 11 and sent to concentration camps along with their head master who
suffered for harbouring them. His fateful last words while being led away by
officers, “Au revoir, les infants! <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">À
bientôt!</span>”, make for title of this film.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">This
is a film about budding friendship between two boys which gets clipped under
very sad circumstances. This is story of Julien Quentin and Jean Bonnet in
Nazi-occupied France in 1944. Bonnet is a sort of recluse, even more so since
he is new to Julien’s Catholic boarding school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Julien isn’t the most popular guy either but at least he is comfortable
with most everyone else. Bonnet goes through the same old routine that I
imagine every person trying to break into close-knit group like boarding school
can be has to go through. But slowly, he and Julien get closer and become very
good friends; only to have to face dire consequences of it.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVPjsozArvYr1pt1z6xShL2lW2r1i9UsR7r8DI3k3TU1-f0L52jEwKKtQ70QdXUntfsO_avUK5a5JRox4t5bTIb1EDZCk2j670A3EjCWpXNkzopntJcgJZrX74rmhF_UQTP-70z9YGZg/s1600/Au2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVPjsozArvYr1pt1z6xShL2lW2r1i9UsR7r8DI3k3TU1-f0L52jEwKKtQ70QdXUntfsO_avUK5a5JRox4t5bTIb1EDZCk2j670A3EjCWpXNkzopntJcgJZrX74rmhF_UQTP-70z9YGZg/s1600/Au2.jpg" height="384" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Maybe
I am more like Julien in that way but to me, it wasn’t obvious from the start
that Bonnet is a Jew hiding from getting captured. I mean, it was obvious that
something was wrong by the way he is introduced but not what exactly. Julien
never knows difference between a Jew and a gentile either. If I had not known what this
film is about, it really would have been a big surprise for me too to figure it
out. What’s more surprising for me is throughout the film, no one actually
directly tells us so either. That is until Nazis come knocking on school doors
looking for them. It becomes all obvious then!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">For
first half or so, this movie is about an outsider trying to fit in as best as
he can and finding an unlikely friend in someone who never really became an
insider despite being part of that world. A Jew in hiding, Nazi occupied France or 1944 have nothing to do with any of that. Two boys form a tenuous relationship at first
which only gets stronger and stronger with every experience they share. And
then doubt creeps in. Julien finds out Bonnet is not his friend’s real name. He
sees him praying one night and that adds to it. I am not sure if he ever puts
two and two together, maybe he does based on the way he looks at Bonnet in the
restaurant, but once again Malle is content with ambiguity.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Among all this ambiguity, however, there is one moment which is as clear as sunlight. Even though Malle has said that actual events did not transpire exactly like he showed in a film, this is a moment that will haunt you for the rest of your life. When German soldiers get into their class asking for certain Jean Kipplestein, Julien remembers that name to be his friend's and with boyish curiosity tries to steal a glance at him past Nazi officer. Immediate gasp left my lips. That one look of curiosity blows Bonnet's cover and leads him to his eventual death. Like every other emotion that Malle keeps in check, he never makes this film about over bearing guilt of unknowingly sending someone to gallows but that's what hangs over it in the end. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5WhaQpZ8R-yzVAmLg19eSc1uzApmzuEu8Z4Yyh_2sVn7J-rH4gQ7I9RJrmYm-gWvcjesp6tMTfsMlZe9UNTxxitu_lo7nuFP0aVtQP59GzPkmkuAuTiHF8TftSuk7zUyRApItGi1C6w/s1600/Au1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5WhaQpZ8R-yzVAmLg19eSc1uzApmzuEu8Z4Yyh_2sVn7J-rH4gQ7I9RJrmYm-gWvcjesp6tMTfsMlZe9UNTxxitu_lo7nuFP0aVtQP59GzPkmkuAuTiHF8TftSuk7zUyRApItGi1C6w/s1600/Au1.png" height="376" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Malle
never goes for over sentimentality. Even in the end when Nazis knock on school
door, where he had every chance of being melodramatic, he keeps melodrama in
check. I don’t want to take any cheap shot at Spielberg or <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108052"><b>Schindler’s List(1993)</b></a> because I love that film and even think it’s better than this
one but I do want to mention it if only for stark emotional contrast in the way
they handle similar situation and still make it just as devastating. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108052"><b>Schindler's List</b></a> is a relentless, full-on attack on your emotions that turns you into a blabbering mess. You don't even realize the effect <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092593">Au revoir, les enfants</a> </b>has on you almost till the last moment when those fateful words are uttered. It totally stumped me but only response it got out of me was a "Wow!" and sigh.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Malle
himself considers this to be his most important film. It most certainly his
most personal and given the subject at hand and, even more importantly, almost
autobiographical nature of this incident, there should not be any doubt about
that. I haven’t seen most of Malle’s work; in fact only <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080388"><b>Atlantic City(1980)</b></a>
which I saw only a couple of days before this one. But given the reputation of
rest of his work, this might even be his best one and that is not a slight in
the slightest.</span></div>
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SDGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09331736603243732602noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3996842231848527441.post-64216643961479682412014-05-31T08:11:00.001-04:002014-07-29T12:08:30.329-04:00Wrapping it up: May<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Another month, another wrap-up post full of this month's viewings. Not much to add here so lets get to
the movies of this month...</span><br />
<h2 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">May</span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1069238/"><b>Departures(2008)</b></a>: I had never heard of this film for a long time and I probably never would've if I didn't go digging into Best Foreign Film winners list but I am so glad I did because this is a beautiful film. It's about a rather unpleasant business - a guy working as encoffineer, preparing dead for funerals and it easily could have been very sad or disturbing. But most of it is rather funny and all of it is a delicate and touching story. I kept on thinking that something will go wrong or might get weird at some point but it was so beautifully handled that it warmed my heart.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070460/"><b>Day for Night(1973)</b></a>: I haven't been a big fan of either Godard or Trauffaut. Godard is bit better; at least there are couple I can say I like. As for Trauffaut, I have only seen three but I found even getting through two of them to be a task. Things they do never seemed anything more than gimmicky to me. And first film I see them going back to almost conventional film making is one I like almost unconditionally. Lot of people consider it to be the best film about films. Well, it is no <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056801/"><b>8 1/2(1963)</b></a> but it is still a damn fine competition. And Jacqueline Bisset looks divine! </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097216/"><b>Do the Right Thing(1989)</b></a>: I haven't seen many of Spike Lee's films but his films come with a specific agenda and he tries too hard to shove it down our throat. This one is bit different because here he only gives us a perspective. That's the best thing you can do - leave a viewer with perspective and let him take choose a side. Another thing I like here is Sal is a nuanced, well developed character. Probably the most developed and that makes what goes down even more troubling. I respect this film for making me introspect many such things.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0042593/"><b>In a Lonely Place(1950)</b></a>: I have never seen a Nicholas Ray film before but I have a reason for it - I usually have problem liking stories with despicable lead, however good story might be. And his movies are known to be sympathetic of his troubled leads. This film, which I had heard a lot about and hence was anticipating it quite highly, however, proved to be an exception. Probably because it never sugarcoats how troubled Bogart's Dixon Steele is. And mystery that comes with is what makes it worth it. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1855199/"><b>End of Watch(2013)</b></a>: I came back from a wedding that day and didn't want to watch anything overly dramatic. I chose this because from what I knew, this felt like a lighter choice. I was completely wrong but I loved this one. So I am happy, I finally saw it. Right from the way it is shot, it is very different and I loved the path this story takes. Both Gyllenhaal and Pena make it even better and if anyone doesn't already know or has forgotten, let me remind everyone. Anna Kendrick. She. Is. Awesome!</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2980794/">Highway(2014)</a>(Hindi)</b>: Randeep Hooda isn't bad, certainly not as bad as I thought he would be but lets admit - this was Alia Bhatt show. She looked really good in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2372678/"><b>2 States(2014)</b></a> promos as well but there is no chance in seven hells that I am going anywhere near that film. So I will be content with judging her from this. She fell short in the most important couple of scenes at the end, yes, but I think she did a good job for the rest of it. And this is just her 2nd movie, man! Who knows, maybe one day with little more experience, she will even own those scenes as well. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0014429/"><b>Safety Last(1923)</b></a>: This month's <a href="http://umeandfilms.blogspot.com/2014/05/may-blind-spot-safety-last.html"><b>Blind Spot</b></a>. As I mentioned in the post, Lloyd is the last of classic comedians I was exposed to. About year and half ago was the first time I heard his mention in relation to <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0014429/"><b>Safety Last</b></a> and that iconic climb of Bolton building in the end. First of all, I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly it got over. It's just 70 minutes long and secondly, even though Mark Harris does mention this in his documentary, I was rather surprised by how much time it gives to that climb.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073440/"><b>Nashville(1975)</b></a>: I have seen a few Altman films by now to know about his style of large ensemble pieces and multiple overlapping story lines. There is no doubt that he can handle them really well and he does it here as well. I like what he does with this one, handling multiple aspect of this city at once - political, musical, personal - from multiple point of views. But I still feel like I haven't really 'got' this. I am not sure if there is supposed to be something common, other than Nashville off course, that brings them together. Is there anything Altman trying to tell us? </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0401711/"><b>Paris, je t'aime(2006)</b></a>: I have been meaning to watch this one for too long. My only real complaint is they were too short; some because I really wanted to see more of and some because I felt like nothing happened at all. Gurinder Chadda, Coen Brothers, Wes Craven, Cuaron and Isabel Coixet fall in first, Bruno Podalydes, Christopher Doyle, Vincent Natalie and Chomet in second. But the real star was Margo Martindale. Sure, Payne deserves part of credit but what she was able to do just with her eyes was incredible!</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0813547/"><b>The Counterfeiters(2007)</b></a>: Another one of films I had not even heard of until I picked it up watch from Best Foreign Film winners list. Another reason I chose this over others was I always feel like I haven't seen many German films. It's rather strange - I probably have seen most of the notable ones and there are many more languages I have seen less films in than German, I am sure, but for some reason I always like that about German films. None other! It was a good film to check out from both the lists, that's for sure.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031725/"><b>Ninotchka(1939)</b></a>: Billy Wilder is one of my absolute favourite directors and obviously most of it is due to his astute writing. Since he considered Ernst Lubitsch to be his Guru in that area, I was pretty excited to watch some of Lubitsch's own movies. I did go for one of his best films or well-known films to start off but he did not disappoint me. Having Wilder himself with him writing for him might have helped as well. It was little simplistic perhaps but it is such a beautiful and heartfelt story. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078754/"><b>All That Jazz(1979)</b></a>: First of Bob Fosse's duo I wish check off the list. I chose this over <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068327/">Cabaret(1972)</a> </b>just because it won Palme d'Or and Cannes was this month. It was really good. Sure, lot of them appeared in second half but at least earlier, most numbers were blended so well, </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">I didn't even realize it was a musical. Second half dragged a lot once it starts going down or it would have been a bracket higher. I don't know anything about Fosse himself but I like that despite being such a dick, at least he can be so self critical.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1019452/"><b>A Serious Man(2009)</b></a>: Have you ever liked a film but hated every single character in it? It might be Coen Brothers doing their thing and doing it quite well but I think I just did. Coens have always at there best when they are handling dark comediy but this is completely another level of it. There was not a single character in this film that I wouldn't love to beat the living shit out of, including Larry Gopnik, but I think this polarizing reaction is what Coens must be going for because they never try to dial it down for even 1 minute. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><b><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tUBYGm7qU3M/UIn9gmxrFLI/AAAAAAAADlM/W99sxVArVac/s200/3.jpg" height="66" width="200" /> </b></span></span></span></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043924/"><b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><b>A Place in the Sun(1951)</b></span></span></span></b></a><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">: </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">After watching <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043278/"><b>An American in Paris(1951)</b></a>
last month, I checked out it's competition this month and though I had
problems with this one as well, there is no denying that this was far
superior than less than ordinary Best Picture winner. I liked it quite a
bit but my only problem with the film was it felt like running on
little below full throttle. Every time it seemed like reaching its peak,
it would lose its steam and settle on idling mode. I usually love Liz
Taylor but she mostly felt like wasted here.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2389182/"><b>Cheap Thrills(2014)</b></a>: I actually do not have a whole lot to say about this film. It seems to be sort of medium budget indie film that started with an idea that looked great. It keeps on climbing till the end and that part was interesting enough though it did gross me halfway through. And when it does aim for the peak in the end but for some reason, it didn't really hit me hard enough, or at all for that matter. The 3 pointer buzzer beater to win it all was just an air ball for me. NBA Playoffs are going on right now. So I think you will allow me that reference.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120780/"><b>Out of Sight(1998)</b></a>:
There are many things I liked about this film, like great chemistry
between George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez that hardly anyone ever talks
about, and there is only one thing that I have problem with but it kept
me bugging throughout this film. I have problem with sort of minimalist
presentation of this film. I am pretty sure that is exactly what
Soderbergh was going for as I was reminded of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1506999/"><b>Haywire(2011)</b></a> time and again but it kept me taking out of the film. Anyone will tell you that's never a good thing!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0831387/"><b>Godzilla(2014)</b></a>: It was exactly what I expected it to be. I wasn't expecting story to make whole lot of sense. Hell, even to have someone that resembles it would asking be a lot. I wasn't expecting any high class acting, though Elizabeth Olsen did stand out especially against Aaron Taylor Johnson who looked like he had no clue why he's there, or much else for that matter. All I wanted was none of it to suck too hard and a visual treat. Some thrills would be nice too! And it delivered all of that. Last big fight was so bitching, I loved it!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AMhzPqf9A6k/UdNHGDXf1iI/AAAAAAAAFgI/Vz4f3SBwzRU/s128/2.jpg" /> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1490017/"><b>The Lego Movie(2014)</b></a>:
The only thing I can say about this film, I guess, is it so wasn't for
me. I never got into this movie for even a second. Checking your watch
every two minutes gets really boring after a while. I know there are
many people who liked this movie a lot, all age groups alike and it got
lot of praise at the tile of its release but it was too childish and
superficial for my taste. I literally started rolling my eyes in first 5
minutes and it only got worse; so much that there was serious danger of
it being first film I walked out on.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Total Count: 18. 18 First
Time Watches and 0 Re-watch .</span></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">2014 YTD Count</span></b></div>
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Total Count: 87. 80 First Time Watches and 7 Re-watches.</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Considering it was another hectic month away fro this blog, I am quite happy with the tally for this month. If it was anything, it was a month of themed weekends. Almost all the weekends of this month, I went on small binges with some theme in mind. First, I saw three 2014 films in a week. Next week was Best Foreign film Oscar winners which, with inclusion of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1069238/"><b>Departures</b></a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070460/"><b>Day for Night</b></a>, was definitely the most successful of all binges. Third was rather unsuccessful but I was planning on watching Palme d'Or winners because of the Cannes film festival that took place this month but all I managed was <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078754/"><b>All That Jazz</b></a>. I gave up on watching <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114787/"><b>Underground(1995)</b></a> after couple of attempts were interrupted multiple times. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">So, how was your month? Did you see anything interesting? What do you think of the movies I saw? Any favorites? </span></div>
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SDGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09331736603243732602noreply@blogger.com6Pune, Maharashtra, India18.5204303 73.85674369999992518.2795358 73.534020199999929 18.7613248 74.17946719999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3996842231848527441.post-4609401286887458052014-05-29T00:02:00.002-04:002014-05-31T03:42:40.820-04:00May Blind Spot: Safety Last<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjan4Qa9cSH7GrEE9HDv0eQ97ydXgQpMSNk0KD_fgv30tfwElsp-JvMpVCZVF-w2PXYX_q3DX4P4cR-hqbH7XxvO1cx2cVkAlau7GYhN2dKmLyzLKOG-w12K4ujZMpxvngLcfY7yYmabQ/s1600/SL1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjan4Qa9cSH7GrEE9HDv0eQ97ydXgQpMSNk0KD_fgv30tfwElsp-JvMpVCZVF-w2PXYX_q3DX4P4cR-hqbH7XxvO1cx2cVkAlau7GYhN2dKmLyzLKOG-w12K4ujZMpxvngLcfY7yYmabQ/s1600/SL1.jpg" height="526" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">When
I got to see Mark Harris’ epic documentary <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2044056/"><b>The Story of Film: An Odyssey(2011)</b></a>
last year, like everyone else who has seen it I am sure, it opened a lot of new doors
for me. I always knew a lot of areas that I lacked exposure, like silent films
for example, but what this doc did brilliantly was gave me starting points to eradicate
those anomalies in my film knowledge. I am still working on many of those areas
but it is always good to know where to start than just grapple with all the
options. One such area was classic comedians and it introduced me to Harold Lloyd, probably the last of classic comedians
that I was introduced to. I checked off lot of names from my watch-list over the last year and inclusion of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0014429/"><b>Safety Last(1923)</b></a> in this year’s
blind spot line-up was to get rid of that last dark spot around the corner as well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">It is convenient for us viewers too but it's rather convenient of director to name characters in this film as 'The Boy', 'The Girl' or 'The Pal' and 'The Law'. So 'The Boy' and 'The Girl' are in love with each other and want to get married but he wants to become responsible first. So he leaves his small town, goes to a big city to get a job and make sure he can provide for his girl. After being in the city, 'reality' strikes and he has to share a room with his 'pal' and can only get a job in De Vore Department store as a salesman. Off course, he can not tell this to his girl as this would mean he can not hold his part of bargain. So he lies that he has a great job that pays sumptuously and will be able to get married and bring her to the city pretty soon.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Keeping this illusion alive takes lot of work. And Money. And if they had that, it wouldn't be an illusion. So he has to pawn almost everything they own to buy gifts a manager of his fabricated stature could afford like lavaliere and almost his entire paycheck for a chain to wear it. Though such gifts convince his girl of his well-being, they also convince her mother that a young man should not be left alone in big city with so much money. And 'The Girl' decides to surprise him by visiting. This puts our boy in a rather precarious situation and presents us with a long but well done sequence even though we must have seen similar scene played out many times before. And during this sequence, his real manager declares that he will give $1000 to anyone who will come up with an original idea to promote their store. This culminates into that iconic scene which most of us watch </span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0014429/"><b>Safety Last</b></a> for(see picture above).</span> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJFPRm4CF8onJKwwqde13l9WAkbc-_3l_yWMdRLPPdNxE9h0KIk8wT5WIEkW2MHc6dDx5vgOu7nHWA47_WWKQX9TQaQm0_0fFn5BBXzEsNE0QBxJAnQ6mrtaTakrIMXzguo8GRaXcYvQ/s1600/SL2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJFPRm4CF8onJKwwqde13l9WAkbc-_3l_yWMdRLPPdNxE9h0KIk8wT5WIEkW2MHc6dDx5vgOu7nHWA47_WWKQX9TQaQm0_0fFn5BBXzEsNE0QBxJAnQ6mrtaTakrIMXzguo8GRaXcYvQ/s1600/SL2.jpg" height="462" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">It is actually a very simple story of boy and girl. Nothing specifically wrong with that especially since it is rather enjoyable. It's just that it is too straight forward and set up in a way that the whole thing is leading towards one big gig at the end. It largely depends for all the laughs on talents and physical humour of Harold Lloyd and his roommate, Bill Strother. Again, nothing specifically wrong with it either since lot of comic films did that in the day and considering how well choreographed and performed that one last, big stunt is, it's also worth it but it's just too old school. 90 year old, to be precise. And we being <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0468569/"><b>The Dark Knight(2008)</b></a> generation and all, might have been a bit too used to a fight or an explosion or to at least whip smart one liners every second of every minute. If you can curb that instinct of yours, you can lean back and certainly enjoy this one. I did!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">If you thought that I was making fun of its simplicity, let me remind you again - I enjoyed this film! As for its simplicity, it was a reminder to watch films with their time frames in mind. I am sure many things it does, like that iconic climb of Tower in the end or sequence in which he juggles multiple roles during impromptu visit of his wife-to-be, were rather difficult to film and to stage in 1923. They may not be today with technology so far advanced but that's why you need to keep in mind that it was made in 1923 and it is still quite enjoyable, if not exactly novel. Standing the test of time for almost a century, that in itself is quite notable achievement. I fail to imagine how many of today's films would pass that test in 2100. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The other day, someone shared a quote from <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0770828/"><b>Man of Steel(2013)</b></a>. In the middle of General Zod giving a pounding to whole New York and Superman trying to save it from that, he finds time to get Lois Lane somewhere alone and kiss her. Now how he was able to do that in the middle of shitstorm is matter for another post but he IS Superman so... Anyways, I digress. After their kiss Lois i.e. Amy Adams says "You know, they say it's all downhill after the first kiss". I can apply that analogy to all classic comedians and my affairs so far with their films.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIRDfXMzOPVBQbfJUH31_l-aQE6o7PMmQZFfvo0lbx69zHLQ51GCfgxlD6qtE_F5tjlfiBmQQh-PSjqeB3DSW6OesPeGOt-LSIb3easFQ_8iFyBexxWfUn6yI72bl8np1HkPjtwuC_0g/s1600/SL3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIRDfXMzOPVBQbfJUH31_l-aQE6o7PMmQZFfvo0lbx69zHLQ51GCfgxlD6qtE_F5tjlfiBmQQh-PSjqeB3DSW6OesPeGOt-LSIb3easFQ_8iFyBexxWfUn6yI72bl8np1HkPjtwuC_0g/s1600/SL3.jpg" height="468" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">In all reality, that makes Chaplin nothing short of Superman. His reply to Lois above is something on the lines of 'I am pretty sure that only counts when you are talking about Human' and Chaplin has proved his super-human abilities with every film. I don't even remember the first time I saw a Chaplin film; I must have been single-digit old. We have had our ups and downs, mostly ups though, but it hasn't hit a rough patch yet and after all these years, there is still something to look forward to i.e. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044837/"><b>Limelight(1952)</b></a>. Buster Keaton, based on analogy above, turns out to be very human. The first kiss was <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0017925/"><b>The General(1926)</b></a> and it has been by far the best one. I have taken it forward from that and I genuinely enjoy the company but it has certainly been downhill since that first kiss. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The Marx Brothers, on the other hand, have been extremely unlucky. They haven't gone much further than second date and even that second date was to ensure I didn't brush them off with one false step. There are certain things you just can't do in affairs like these, you know! Jacques Tati, though not contemporary of others in these ranks and it is too soon yet to seal his fate but, is another one that might end up with fate similar to Marx Brothers. Second date I will soon arrange might do the trick for him. I don't know much about Harold Lloyd but based on all these encounters is it wrong if I expect him to be at least Captain Freaking America? I mean he is sort of lame but he is still a super hero. Or... am I having just too many affairs?</span></div>
SDGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09331736603243732602noreply@blogger.com4Pune, Maharashtra, India18.5204303 73.85674369999992518.2795358 73.534020199999929 18.7613248 74.17946719999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3996842231848527441.post-31571262995267677092014-05-25T02:58:00.001-04:002014-05-25T02:58:28.521-04:00Favourite Movie Titles Blogathon!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<![endif]--> </span></b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOjnkYfk6kOwW2c3Q467_FhIVGvq7WvgZ-8ngAdPdQiG7JVCK7xlMKOla_Qnn3lRHvJUYF7ydU2RUkFIxrYMSZLhjn6c44r13onoShJgI1PSfs8NOIqsh6algCyUo72BmKGEa6B47t8A/s1600/Banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOjnkYfk6kOwW2c3Q467_FhIVGvq7WvgZ-8ngAdPdQiG7JVCK7xlMKOla_Qnn3lRHvJUYF7ydU2RUkFIxrYMSZLhjn6c44r13onoShJgI1PSfs8NOIqsh6algCyUo72BmKGEa6B47t8A/s1600/Banner.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Brittani
at <b><a href="http://ramblingfilm.blogspot.com/2014/05/please-join-me-in-my-favorite-movie.html" target="_blank">Rambling Film</a></b> is doing her first blogathon, and </span></span></b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">after seeing couple of entries, I thought it looked like fun. So I am going to try my hand at it</span></span></span><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></b>. Here are the rules:</span></span></b></div>
<b><span style="font-weight: normal;">
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">1)
Going through the alphabet, list your favorite movie title beginning with each
letter.</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"></span></span></div>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">2)
You don't have to necessarily like the movie to use its title.<br />
3) Use the banner at the top of this post in yours.<br />
4) Please have submissions in by Friday, May 23rd. (But I'll be honest, if you
send them to me after that date; I'll still add them to my post.)</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Another rule I self-imposed was I only chose from movies that I have seen. It did bite me in the ass like in case</span><i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> of Q and V</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> as I did not have many options but I have stuck with it as much as I can. Hope you like it!</span></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"></span></div>
</b><br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN_7A25CWl0F9AVT52vGKlePo8csre1Skwjnf3xOAJ6W57s_SD16zOpCzj1Ucl-KYKBIKQFXbgDzcjHvFShaHyBdIkNRVxx5F8o3nhsZga-GQZR9M4-_J8MOoCLksOxswP2Y71sijtuw/s1600/%23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN_7A25CWl0F9AVT52vGKlePo8csre1Skwjnf3xOAJ6W57s_SD16zOpCzj1Ucl-KYKBIKQFXbgDzcjHvFShaHyBdIkNRVxx5F8o3nhsZga-GQZR9M4-_J8MOoCLksOxswP2Y71sijtuw/s1600/%23.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Ace in the Hole</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNeXnnwru-IcHks3rOwtyJagUWVplhaO54KWeBNhFtNP45wJLyw_eZ6wkrBPX5qlbu5bm5BMb05gtwnGw8hIcuWT-IF0IfARi_QM1WAmkkMsV3Zug_GKivEkPW_7M_HgWamHOVuhBOig/s1600/A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNeXnnwru-IcHks3rOwtyJagUWVplhaO54KWeBNhFtNP45wJLyw_eZ6wkrBPX5qlbu5bm5BMb05gtwnGw8hIcuWT-IF0IfARi_QM1WAmkkMsV3Zug_GKivEkPW_7M_HgWamHOVuhBOig/s1600/A.jpg" height="315" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Before the Devil Knows You are Dead</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEWuWBJ4T3RaaSCuwZjVWOa_QJXBzWd2e3d_u8NJ3zvExs9quWritjmoPstVdMFUC7FUK2MSm7ZQE-mg177rw6XXHeHRAm-7xBPhAqBoqw-jsnithYxH238vySNHjX84Ks1bPTGrxC2A/s1600/B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEWuWBJ4T3RaaSCuwZjVWOa_QJXBzWd2e3d_u8NJ3zvExs9quWritjmoPstVdMFUC7FUK2MSm7ZQE-mg177rw6XXHeHRAm-7xBPhAqBoqw-jsnithYxH238vySNHjX84Ks1bPTGrxC2A/s1600/B.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Cat on a Hot Tin Roof</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy1OAbcI9zD6pgPX2eeEMIs3Ji2opeS1jUI5zfV8TaIO9lO-hlMrRdyjf9qMXQ1B81pbtBn2ypGT5dCk-LPqA9F8ZWfr-d0Opprw9CV_zm2Zkmy53BSnfHmoOM4gMbbExBGJeGewQ1Zw/s1600/C.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy1OAbcI9zD6pgPX2eeEMIs3Ji2opeS1jUI5zfV8TaIO9lO-hlMrRdyjf9qMXQ1B81pbtBn2ypGT5dCk-LPqA9F8ZWfr-d0Opprw9CV_zm2Zkmy53BSnfHmoOM4gMbbExBGJeGewQ1Zw/s1600/C.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop
Worrying and Love the Bomb</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWXjTLoAIFX8cyEdqE2AZz3KblI0-EfBfVScvXrWCXV0oXaDs7mWq7Dl7YStyAw_-tLbg5jo83WVh8pQ4_sKQo6VmGF9DhLnXHU02AkqbwHke6bN1aSi1prh5yvZzlAaqcWCBlej4TbQ/s1600/D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWXjTLoAIFX8cyEdqE2AZz3KblI0-EfBfVScvXrWCXV0oXaDs7mWq7Dl7YStyAw_-tLbg5jo83WVh8pQ4_sKQo6VmGF9DhLnXHU02AkqbwHke6bN1aSi1prh5yvZzlAaqcWCBlej4TbQ/s1600/D.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj5AfoYjc7WhZDwBU3z9idf9jZPeswJvMvCgoOAhr4lPxLTznjGzYiKGe48VDvuLP2h0Li4s3idF8mmjnn8HTWEqzX4i9R4L1ynQuybF6QAwdHHX8jqa2yEQGjkuhO8YOG4rWl_je27g/s1600/E.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj5AfoYjc7WhZDwBU3z9idf9jZPeswJvMvCgoOAhr4lPxLTznjGzYiKGe48VDvuLP2h0Li4s3idF8mmjnn8HTWEqzX4i9R4L1ynQuybF6QAwdHHX8jqa2yEQGjkuhO8YOG4rWl_je27g/s1600/E.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris
Lessmore</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgWIM8s4u0zk2m9D9YS5Om0gkEdjPz6Onn-VRYZJ0x7t60s62qpFTkkQeKKUBrxZ6f7GylJoPkDJrg6JcTVkwN6w4byIYdZWLQbVPw_YWflejQT0PBjKGNL6RqihwiP4DD1YeCP8vVHA/s1600/F.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgWIM8s4u0zk2m9D9YS5Om0gkEdjPz6Onn-VRYZJ0x7t60s62qpFTkkQeKKUBrxZ6f7GylJoPkDJrg6JcTVkwN6w4byIYdZWLQbVPw_YWflejQT0PBjKGNL6RqihwiP4DD1YeCP8vVHA/s1600/F.jpg" height="305" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Gods Must be Crazy</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP9JPOGSIu5gk5-gPcbh39Lr0WqXPwNQ_XEaxPY1WGBUzLj0qbV_0wiUxsyUrRJQtngPLt7qVkLmldQXu6KfmAxJT1dELqRu2tSLiXvnQf-iuigXk4dEyNG9xtJfxoRJzmFrfi2nvK8Q/s1600/G.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP9JPOGSIu5gk5-gPcbh39Lr0WqXPwNQ_XEaxPY1WGBUzLj0qbV_0wiUxsyUrRJQtngPLt7qVkLmldQXu6KfmAxJT1dELqRu2tSLiXvnQf-iuigXk4dEyNG9xtJfxoRJzmFrfi2nvK8Q/s1600/G.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Hold Me while I am Naked</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSzTOlJGxxeiDwWM9ZnD8vWipr4OGqjgmMarEMM757KV9Mxxn8Q-fjKnmjybcbj9VYVuBXcxS8brENe5tEMI7oBPcs0d16zcB5ZLg2gTjrYvSkSbob0fL0KwF8HgQ4FEBljjE8nk5Dmg/s1600/H.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSzTOlJGxxeiDwWM9ZnD8vWipr4OGqjgmMarEMM757KV9Mxxn8Q-fjKnmjybcbj9VYVuBXcxS8brENe5tEMI7oBPcs0d16zcB5ZLg2gTjrYvSkSbob0fL0KwF8HgQ4FEBljjE8nk5Dmg/s1600/H.png" height="293" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">In Bruges</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></b></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron</span></b> </span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwGQIjjOFXwSLHEPtsu-ITpiATPYBv-y0N2RvaDUGyBV8ERTXPMCLbCNZ31XE5XWPtbKuS5fmRA-aUcCfQIUlvsnYQB59jFaAb30j8W_F6urb3Hft0UV4q_unz7QuNFo_bYIpXlscKGA/s1600/J.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwGQIjjOFXwSLHEPtsu-ITpiATPYBv-y0N2RvaDUGyBV8ERTXPMCLbCNZ31XE5XWPtbKuS5fmRA-aUcCfQIUlvsnYQB59jFaAb30j8W_F6urb3Hft0UV4q_unz7QuNFo_bYIpXlscKGA/s1600/J.jpg" height="346" width="400" /></a><b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang</span></b></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Lock, Stock and Two
Smoking Barrels</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Miss Pettigrew Lives for a
Day</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfSXAOgnVdfipYUt6-yhyZjrCxdCjXRCW-VQvsOmif_NFf9QQ_xzY5yP0fliGhQjtlu1ncCGaWo4H3FmhPuk2vgbFuXVPw_yK7Ai3pKipCuZRpvdbfsH71Wuyar-3lL3mDQqqNRqOdig/s1600/M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfSXAOgnVdfipYUt6-yhyZjrCxdCjXRCW-VQvsOmif_NFf9QQ_xzY5yP0fliGhQjtlu1ncCGaWo4H3FmhPuk2vgbFuXVPw_yK7Ai3pKipCuZRpvdbfsH71Wuyar-3lL3mDQqqNRqOdig/s1600/M.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">No Country for Old Men</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">O Brother, Where art thou?</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Paris, Texas</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Que Viva Mexico</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRRAM785lwqwSFyBN4_faiveKQil7mkqToXKzUfzep2TE28eBsWx45Fp4kh01c9rkWqYfj8-M4711EzvIMKv8P21VCghzeSPW5L2gdd82BxZBKqYe0amxPKII3ehnR0auFYrOladUvqQ/s1600/R.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRRAM785lwqwSFyBN4_faiveKQil7mkqToXKzUfzep2TE28eBsWx45Fp4kh01c9rkWqYfj8-M4711EzvIMKv8P21VCghzeSPW5L2gdd82BxZBKqYe0amxPKII3ehnR0auFYrOladUvqQ/s1600/R.png" height="223" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Snake in the Eagle's Shadow</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">To Kill a Mockingbird</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Unbearable Lightness of Being</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Viridiana</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">X-Men: First Class</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Y Tu Mama Tambien</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Thank you
Brittani for organizing this blogathon! I have participated in a blogathon
after quite a while and I had lot of fun putting together this list. Cheers!</span></div>
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SDGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09331736603243732602noreply@blogger.com10Pune, Maharashtra, India18.5204303 73.85674369999992518.2795358 73.534020199999929 18.7613248 74.17946719999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3996842231848527441.post-19718314744817483232014-05-14T23:54:00.003-04:002014-05-14T23:54:33.724-04:00Bollywood Essentials: Jagte Raho(1956)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4RXRfdGgEUkG2gzh-WgYIznYVBFY7uHmiVrHl0kpQzrCjALvyoZarJ0JLAR_9w5WQwlBvuCkrK7hBJyGr6uxezLTy7Ax8hriZI5TL0nwd7b-T11eRQIWiZzkoSx3kPS3mqdpaCvQCbQ/s1600/JR3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4RXRfdGgEUkG2gzh-WgYIznYVBFY7uHmiVrHl0kpQzrCjALvyoZarJ0JLAR_9w5WQwlBvuCkrK7hBJyGr6uxezLTy7Ax8hriZI5TL0nwd7b-T11eRQIWiZzkoSx3kPS3mqdpaCvQCbQ/s1600/JR3.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<b style="line-height: 150%;"><i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">As
the name of this post suggests, this series is basically about some of the best
movies Hindi cinema has to offer. As a film lover and someone who has grown up
watching these movies, I want to give the glimpses of my world to everyone else
who hasn’t yet been initialized to it or is under the impression of it being
nothing more than glitzy, glamorous melodrama and random song and dance
sequences. There is more to it and I intend to showcase that through these
posts.</span></i></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">All
the films I have highlighted so far in this feature are sort of obvious
inclusions. Not that they are unworthy of it, far from it, but if you ask
anyone to name 10 Most Essential Hindi movies, there is a good chance that
person will include 5 of these movies in that list. All these are fairly big names which have garnered quite a reputation over the years for being some of the best this behemoth of an industry has to offer. Nothing wrong with that, especially since I agree with their 'Essential' status as well. For the first time, I am
going for a little obscure film in this series. For reasons that are unknown and incomprehensible to me, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049378/"><b>Jaagte Raho(1956)</b></a> is not a movie that gets mentioned fairly regularly in Bollywood vernacular. It certainly deserves much more attention that it gets and if I can steer few people its way though this post, I will be extremely happy. That's what I intend to do with these posts anyway!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I have not seen it happen for a long time now but in olden days, chowkidaars or security guards and police constables on their night duty used to keep each other awake through the night with loud, intermittent shouts of "Jaagte Raho!" or Stay Awake. Title of film is a reference to that as it takes place during one single night in a big apartment complex of a city. This film follows a peasant's first night in the big city. He has just arrived empty handed from his village looking for job and is roaming through the night roads of city looking for nothing other than just a drink of water. It all fairness, it should not be too hard to find but he learns that the hard way, probably even in worst possible way.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">After looking for it a while, he comes across a dog drinking water from leaking water tap inside a big housing society. He sneaks in through a small gap of their locked main door. But before he can quench his thirst and get on his way, he is sighted by a police constable on his regular night strolls. Policeman takes him for a thief and wakes up security guard of society who in turn wakes up whole society warning them of presence of a thief in their society. Next two hours consist of everyone in society hunting him like a dog and him trying to save his skin. Various encounters he has with multiple people in that society not only produce lot of dark humour but also expose dark side of so called serene, sophisticated life of city people.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">First house he gets into to hide from everyone has two illicit lovers meeting in the dark to hide from girl's father. Sudden clamour this thief has created puts them at great disadvantage as these paramours can't hide in house for fear of her father, can't go out either for fear of getting caught. Next, he follows an outwardly gentleman looking guy but soon finds out this guy has lost everything on horse races and even witnesses him stealing his wife's jewellery. Then he witnesses a drunkard forcing his wife to sing and dance for him. As he goes from one house to another, gravity of crimes he witnesses that are so well swept under sham of sophistication gets more and more serious and distressful and our peasant gets trapped deeper and deeper into it. Whole thing culminates into last half hour which gives us many twists and turns but is </span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">brilliantly executed. Best thing about it though is he gets to drink water; for which he gets into all this trouble; </span></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">only </span></span>after he manages to get out of that building, in very last frame of film!</span> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049378/"><b>Jaagte Raho</b></a></span> was made under RK films banner which has been dormant for past few years but is one of the legendary production houses of India established by Raj Kapoor. Kapoor family is nothing short of royalty in Bollywood after producing legend after legend for four generations and Raj Kapoor is probably biggest luminary they produced. Apart from producing it, Raj Kapoor, who is considered as the greatest Showman of Hindi Cinema, plays central role of peasant. One of the joys of watching this film was getting to see so many known actors pop up in other roles. I would sooner recognize Tom Cruise in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0942385/"><b>Tropic Thunder(2008)</b></a> than I would Pran as reporter in this film. Ifteqar, who would go on to make a career out of playing cop, is leader of search party in charge of finding thief or Pradeep Kumar, secret lover of first house, known for Jo Wada Kiya Wo...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I will never deny him as a legend or impact he has had over the industry or on generations after him, but I have always had my reservations against Raj Kapoor both as an actor and director. Though it is mostly based on films in the later phase of his life, his films are tedious, laborious and over sentimental. He is also known for playing almost same character in every film and you see traces of that character even when he was not really playing it. But I will also be the first one to admit that this is like saying Charlie Chaplin, who BTW was huge inspirational for Raj Kapoor's act and it was evident, did nothing other than playing a tramp all his life or Hitchcock did nothing other than thrillers. Like Chaplin and Hitchcock, his act had much more nuance to it if you care to scratch beneath the surface. That act gave some of the most popular and well known pieces of art like <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043306/"><b>Awara(1951)</b></a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052560/"><b>Anari(1959)</b></a> or <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048613/"><b>Shree 420(1955)</b></a> all in same decade. That was the Golden Age of Indian cinema after all!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">1950s
is considered as the Golden Period of Hindi cinema and for a very good reason.
'50s is to Bollywood what '70s was to Hollywood. That was the time when
Parallel cinema got its biggest exposure and almost merged into Mainstream
cinema. That was the time when directors tackled different subjects and
presented different themes. Some of the biggest stars ventured into many
different territories, something that dearly lacked in Bollywood in recent
times, or even became big by doing so. And more importantly, they
got recognition. Bengali directors played vital part in taking industry
there. Satyajit ray, probably the only Indian director with international
acclaim got his start with <b>Apu trilogy</b> in '50s though he didn't make a
Hindi movie till late '70s. Bimal Roy, a director who inspired generations of
directors to follow, was at his peak during that time. Hrishikesh Mukharjee, a
personal favourite, got his start with aforementioned <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052560/"><b>Anari</b></a> and I am sure
there are many more that I am missing. To the best of my knowledge, this is
that only credit of director Amit Moitra but I would like to believe that this
high tide of Hindi cinema and influence of Bengali directors then played some
part in that.</span>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 19px;"><b>Previous Essentials:</b></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 19px;"> </span></div>
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<a href="http://umeandfilms.blogspot.com/2012/07/bollywood-essentials-satya1998.html"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 19px;"><b>Satya(1998)</b></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 19px;"><b><a href="http://umeandfilms.blogspot.com/2012/09/bollywood-essentials-sholay1975.html">Sholay(1975)</a></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 19px;"><b><a href="http://umeandfilms.blogspot.com/2012/11/bollywood-essentials-jaane-bhi-do.html">Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron(1983)</a></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 19px;"><b><a href="http://umeandfilms.blogspot.com/2013/02/bollywood-essentials-wednesday.html">A Wednesday(2008)</a></b></span></div>
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<a href="http://umeandfilms.blogspot.com/2013/04/bollywood-essentials-do-bigha-zamin1953.html"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 19px;"><b>Do Bigha Zamin(1953)</b></span></a><b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 19px;"> </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 19px;"><a href="http://umeandfilms.blogspot.com/2013/07/bollywood-esentials-sarfarosh1999.html">Sarfarosh(1999)</a></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 19px;"><a href="http://umeandfilms.blogspot.com/2013/10/bollywood-essentials-taare-zameen-par.html">Taare Jameen Par(2008)</a></span></b><br />
<b><a href="http://0.0.7.221/12/bollywood-essentials-lagaan.html"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 19px;">Lagaan(2001)</span></a></b></div>
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SDGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09331736603243732602noreply@blogger.com0Pune, Maharashtra, India18.5204303 73.85674369999992518.2795358 73.534020199999929 18.7613248 74.17946719999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3996842231848527441.post-61913457417277814202014-04-30T13:11:00.001-04:002014-06-15T10:53:00.130-04:00Wrapping it Up: April<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"> Another month, another wrap-up post full of this month's viewings.This was a tumultuous month! Due to various personal reasons and also bit due to lack of inspiration, whole month almost went silent and then I had to rush to put 2 posts on consecutive days. I can not promise how regular next month can be either because there are many things still in the balance but here is to hoping it would be a bit more regular. On to the movies of this month...</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068646/"><b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The Godfather(1972)</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">(Re-watch): <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068646/"><b>The Godfather</b></a> is one of my absolute favourites. It has always been and it will always be. But if I tell you I have only seen it once in its entirety, would you believe that? Because that's true. I have actually read Puzo's book twice but this was only second time I saw film. I mean, it is so prevalent in pop culture that it never felt like it. I have seen bits and pieces of it over and over but whole three hours of it in one sitting - just twice now and that Diane Keaton's face in that last shot will always, always make it worth it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1954470/">Gangs of Wasseypur</a>: Part 1(2012)</b>(Re-watch): I had seen first part back in 2012 itself but for some reason I never went to second one from that. And since they were originally planned to release as single 5-hour long film, it was imperative for me to give this another look before diving into second part. I know I will be watching it many times over, if only to watch Manoj Bajpayee imitating washing clothes, so I am certainly not complaining. And songs! Their lyrics, their feel, their style. Everyone who decided they shouldbe done this way and everyone who executed that plan to perfection is sheer Genius!</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1954470/">Gangs of Wasseypur</a>: Part 2(2012)</b>: I have not felt as strongly for any Hindi film in at least 5 years as much as I did for Wasseypur. There is absolutely nothing I will like to see changed because these films are so well put together that changing anything might mean changing the whole product. And I don't know if it can get any superior. I mean, seriously, how can you do better than "Nervousao Nahi Mora" or whichever the hell songs Yashpal Sharma was on screen for. Accept it, nobody can! </span></span></span><br />
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</a><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3417870/"><b>30 For 30: The Price of Gold(2014)</b></a>: If you ask my mother, she will tell you that I can watch any sport; however boring it might be. There is certain level of truth in it because I can but figure skating isn't one of them. I have seen bunch of sports documentaries but all of them have been about sport that I at least know some basics of. Figure skating isn't one of them too. But then, I also haven't seen a documentary about an event so pervasive that a President of any nation references it in his speech. That makes in unique in every aspect!</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109424/"><b>Chungking Express(1994)</b></a>: Maybe I had my expectations set little too high after <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118694/">In the Mood for Love(2000)</a> </b>but a couple of expeditions I have takes after that to Wong Kar Wai land have been rather disappointing to me. I was glad to see something that I liked. More than one simultaneous stories that are somehow connected to each other seems to be his style, at least early in his career and he uses it here as well though they are not really simultaneous. They are both interesting and executed really well. So, no complaints from me!</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049378/"><b>Jagte Raho(1956)</b></a>: One of the forgotten masterpieces of Hindi cinema. I remember I first came to know about this movie in one of the lists somewhere and I have been looking for this movie ever since. I never heard anyone else talking about this movie ever and it became evident that not many people know about this movie when I actually started looking for it. I have no idea why. It really is one of the gems of Indian cinema and I intend to dedicate my next 'Bollywood Essentials' to it.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0018578/"><b>Wings(1927)</b></a>: Even after getting through 70 Oscar winners, films before '40s have mostly eluded me. Sure, they are difficult to get hold of than most recent ones and that is a major factor why I have seen only 2 films before 1938. But many of them have also lost their place in public consciousness. Most of these films get into conversation only when you talk about Oscar winners. You respect movie like <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0018578/"><b>Wings</b></a> even more if you consider that. It still holds its ground even after being very first Oscar winner.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069704/"><b>American Graffiti(1973)</b></a>: Blind spot of this month. I have heard many people say "I wish George Lucas would go to make movies like he did before Star Wars". I am sure most of them would say differently if he did not put a bullet into his foot with Star Wars prequels but I was interested in checking out validity of above statement. I certainly liked it way more than I usually like movies like that but it is rather ironic that news of Star Wars 7 casting came same day I published my post. Whatever tiny smudge of soft spot formed inside of me for Lucas, vanished with reminder of existence of Star Wars 7.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1568921/"><b>The Secret World of Arrietty(2011)</b></a>: I have been a Ghibli fan for a long time now and as any real fan would, I have seen most of their films. I have seen every film Hayao Miyazaki ever directed except <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2013293/"><b>The Wind Rises(2014)</b></a> which hasn't released here yet and I am not sure if it ever will but there are a few with him not at the helm that have escaped me. I managed to check one off here. It's a well-known story of The Borrowers but one that fits perfectly in Ghibli canon and is done with enough charm to make it worth your time. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046487/"><b>Mr. Hulot's Holiday(1953)</b></a>: I have never seen a Tati film before and if you ask me in one line, it was supremely disappointing. Basically, It is like a series of various unrelated gags done at or around the same place put together and I had problem with everything about it. First of all, I didn't find most of the gags funny but that can be subjective, so I won't put too much wait on it. Second, if it is presented as one film, shouldn't there be some theme, some common element to connect various incidents together? Third, was it a silent film? was it a talkie or both or neither? Fourth, well... you get my point.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043278/"><b>An American in Paris(1951)</b></a>: 71st of Best Picture winners I have seen and one of the worst so far. It was a colossal waste of my time. They had about 13 minutes of story that can actually amount to something and then MGM hired Gene Kelly and couple of other people who can sing and dance and stuffed it till it bloated to 113 minutes. Every single song or dance, including An American in Paris ballet, were completely, utterly and absolutely useless as they meant zip in terms of story. It was a torture of level in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066921/"><b>A Clockwork Orange(1971)</b></a>. I even struggled to keep my eyes open. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1253863/"><b>300: Rise of an Empire(2014)</b></a>: I have seen many bad films and I am sure I will many more this year as well but any 2014 film will have a very stiff competition from this film to beat as the worst film of the year. To tell you the truth, I knew exactly what I was walking into. As campy and ridiculous as first <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0416449/"><b>300(2006)</b></a> was, I still like it for great dialogues, amazing action and its graphic novel feel. Everything that made first one cool, mind you, I am not saying good, makes this one insufferable. I swear, anyone who sat through these two hours without fending strong urge to bolt out deserves some kind of medal.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067810/"><b>Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song(1971)</b></a>: I know I am way out of my element saying anything about this film; I was way out of it just by watching it because I do not have any yardstick to measure this film as anything other than just a film. This might be a cultural phenomena, a cultural revolution even but that doesn't conceal the fact that this is a terrible film in every aspect. Maybe I am looking at it as just a film and that's biggest problem here but there was not a moment in this film that made me think "What the FXXX am I watching?" </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Total Count: 16. 14 First
Time Watches and 2 Re-watch .</span></b></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">2014 YTD Count</span></b></div>
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Total Count: 69. 62 First Time Watches and 7 Re-watches.</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">It certainly was a turbulent month. Last month, I said that my last month might be the best I have had in a long time in terms of quality of films I saw. I am following it with probably one of the worst. It certainly is very peculiar, if nothing else. I don't think I have had a month before where I had at least one film under each star rating. Under some circumstances that might mean something to celebrate but here it means 1/3 of films I saw in entire month were below average and I think I am pretty generous when it comes to calling a movie average. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">So, how was your month? Did you see anything interesting? What do you think of the movies I saw? Any favorites? </span></div>
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SDGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09331736603243732602noreply@blogger.com10Pune, Maharashtra, India18.5204303 73.85674369999992518.2795358 73.534020199999929 18.7613248 74.17946719999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3996842231848527441.post-53198646135732502622014-04-29T13:08:00.001-04:002014-04-29T13:08:33.193-04:00April Blind Spot: American Graffiti<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Whenever
I choose my Blind spot films, I usually have certain thought behind them. Since
I had a pretty late start to serious movie watching, there are so many great
films I haven’t seen yet. So when I choose, I try to choose films from as many
decades, genres, languages as possible while trying to justice to those glaring
omissions as well. And obviously, they cater to my own tastes as well though I
do try to use this opportunity to broaden them. So when I get to them, even though I don't go too much into details, I do know few things about them; things that somewhat assure me that there is a good chance of me at least liking these films. I do this so that I would know
what I am getting myself into, at least when it comes to blind spots. These spots are too precious for me and I try not to waste them as much as possible.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">But
sometimes, even after all this whittling, I do get a curve ball that I don’t
know how to handle. I am getting into this entire preamble because this month’s
selection, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069704/"><b>American Graffiti(1973)</b></a>, is one such occasion. I have been
writing this blog for almost three years now and, however poorly I might be
doing it, you would expect I would know how to get
myself out of such situation. Don't worry! It isn't as plain and simple as I didn't really care for this movie. With <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072684/"><b>Barry Lyndon(1975)</b></a> last year, I have tasted those waters but here I was into something deeper. What, you ask? Well, you will know soon enough!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">So
why did I choose <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069704/"><b>American Graffiti</b></a>? In all honesty, I knew nothing about
it walking in, except for the fact that certain George Lucas directed it. I
don’t have any particular affinity towards this man (or you can say that’s my
way of saying “I pretty much hate him”). I don’t even have any interest in <b>Star
Wars</b> film, original trilogy or abomination of three more films that
followed them, which basically made him whatever he is now. Again, that’s my
way of saying “I don’t understand why people like them so much” and we can all
see what this guy has turned into now. But I added Graffiti to the list because
I have seen many people say something on the lines of – I wish he went back to
making films like <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069704/"><b>American Graffiti</b></a>. That’s it! All my defense stands on
that single line. Flimsy, eh?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Wait!
There is more. Film is about two high school graduates leaving their small town
to go to college in some big city. I don’t like these films. Sure, I haven’t
seen all of them and sure, there are 1 or 2 I even liked. But mostly, I don’t
like high school movies and more they are about last fateful day or nostalgia
it brings with it, more I stay want to away from them. Maybe I am not just that kind of
guy but I don’t get <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106677/"><b>Dazed and Confused(1991)</b></a> (See what I did there? and honestly, it should
have been called American Graffiti 2 because that’s what it is). I have had enough last days of my own and surprisingly, I have even spent them in a similar way people do in these films but something about them never connects with me when it is put on screen.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">You do realise I am leading you up to something, right? because we are almost there! What I am trying to tell you through all this blabbering is against all odds <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069704/"><b>American Graffiti</b></a> somehow got to me. Don't worry, I ain't head over heels in love with it and I still don't get how anyone just abandons their car and get into someone else's? Sure, it is just a strip but what if they don't drop you back to where your car is? How are you gonna get back to your car? Have you thought about that? and BTW how in hell do these cars start? because I will be damned if I see a single key in whole film. BUT... main point is I still like this film somehow.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I am sure people connect with this movie because of how authentic it feels. I am sure it reminds viewers of their teenage years and how they went about spending those fateful moments. Even though it is very distinctly '60s with its authentic rock-n-roll and suburban look, it is easy for anyone who has been there to get nostalgic about it. I haven't and that's why I usually don't get them. Maybe it is me back in my hometown, back to those hangouts and back with friends that I spent those times with had its effect but the fact that it did lure me in counts more than it would for any other film.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I like that most of the characters are not obnoxious or at least because I like the film and hence don't think they are. I like that they all have their own stories and they all get their own arcs, sometimes crisscrossing through each other to get to one common end. I liked how it got me invested in them, even those I didn't much care about initially. I knew Ron Howard had his career in front of camera before he got behind it but I liked seeing him and young Richard Dreyfuss. I can't believe this is the same guy in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075860/"><b>Close Encounters of Third Kind(1977)</b></a>. How much can a man age in 4 years? But most of all, I loved Cindy Williams.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">By now, film's tumultuous production is as legendary as film is. One of the six films Universal sanctioned after success of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064276/"><b>Easy Rider(1969)</b></a> to let young filmmakers make semi-independent films for low budget, this film hit the rocky road from start. With limited budget and time, Lucas often printed first take he would get even if they weren't necessarily according to the script. It all worked for good though as probably spontaneity of those scenes is what made it such a hit. Technical misfortunes were abundant and it is filmed almost exclusively at night but it looks as well-lit as any suburban strip can be. Apparently Universal deemed it unreleasable and shelved for six months and when they released it, it quickly became third highest grosser of the year.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">We all know where Lucas went after this but now I understand why people want him to go back to him before Star Wars. Given his track record, this might be a colossal waste as he did go back to his glory days in 1997 and made what I called above an abomination of trilogy. But still, if he can make anything remotely close to this, it can be worth an attempt. How much worse can it be than Star Wars 7?</span></div>
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SDGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09331736603243732602noreply@blogger.com0Pune, Maharashtra, India18.5204303 73.85674369999992518.2795358 73.534020199999929 18.7613248 74.17946719999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3996842231848527441.post-33102177245816686162014-03-31T09:42:00.000-04:002014-06-15T10:54:34.808-04:00Wrapping it Up: March<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"> Another month, another wrap-up post full of this month's viewings. I spent most of March trying to wrap 2013. It involved multiple lists like my Favourite Performances - <a href="http://umeandfilms.blogspot.com/2014/03/end-of-2013-favourite-performances-of.html"><b>Male</b></a> and <a href="http://umeandfilms.blogspot.com/2014/03/end-of-2013-favourite-preformances-of.html"><b>Female</b></a> and most importantly, <a href="http://umeandfilms.blogspot.com/2014/03/end-of-2013-15-favourite-films-of-year.html"><b>Favourite Films of 2013</b></a>. Take a look, if you haven't already and then we can head on to month at hand.</span><br />
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</xml><![endif]--><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1375666/"><b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Inception(2010)</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">(Re-watch):
So I was watching <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094812/"><b>Bull Durham</b></a> the other day(more about it little down the line)
and in it there is a scene where Tim Robbins tells Susan Sarandon to open the
door, that he knows she is in there as he can hear 'that weird Mexican lady'
singing. And she is listening to is 'Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien'. Generally
I wouldn't know shit about stuff like this but in this case, I instantly went
"That's Edith Piaf and she is French! Everyone knows that!" That's
enough of a reason to watch your all-time favourite, right? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1285016/"><b>The Social Network(2010)</b></a>(Re-watch): Another personal favourite I had not watched in over a year, almost two. I was almost beginning to forget lot of its dialogues. After <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1375666/"><b>Inception</b></a>, I had to watch this as well. There are handful of others that contribute as well but these two films are principal reason that I think you can make a strong case for 2010 being one of the best years of decade so far for cinema. It is certainly not better than 2007 but it can certainly be close behind. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046911/"><b>Diabolique(1955)</b></a>: <a href="http://umeandfilms.blogspot.com/2014/03/march-blind-spot-diabolique.html"><b>Blind Spot</b></a> of this month which turned out to be one of the Best films I have seen for this series so far and I have seen a few notable films. Best thing about this film was the way Clouzot keeps on building the tension till the end. Come to think of it, the way this film ends should not be as surprising as it was. There are only a couple of ways it could and it does go that way. But there is something going on constantly that is so interesting that it never gives you time to stop and think about it. And then ending drops! </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2751904/"><b>30 For 30: Survive and Advance(2013)</b></a>: ESPN probably should stop calling it 30 for 30 because I am pretty sure I have seen about 35 of them by now. I am not complaining because they always fascinate me but it's rather odd that there are 35+ 30 for 30 docs, right? Like all other documentaries, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2751904/"><b>Survive and Advance</b></a> is an incredible story of one team achieving the impossible. As fascinating as they are, I only fear falling down this pit again, watching as many as I can on binge. I saw a dozen first time I did that.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0022100/"><b>M(1931)</b></a>: Did anyone else confuse it with <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052311/">Touch of Evil(1958)</a> </b>or was it just me? I don't know why, mostly because I saw Peter Lorre in the poster looking behind and thought he was Orsen Welles. To make matters a little more confusing, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0022100/"><b>M</b></a> had the dubious honour of being the highest ranked film on IMDb Top 250 I had not seen. Now baton has been passed to <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052311/"><b>Touch of Evil</b></a>. It is probably to be expected of a 1931 film but it was little jarring technically but I love how well it captures mentality of the whole society and how little hasn't it changed over the years. </span></span></span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VbJJXND-ZuM/UKR-pHXb8RI/AAAAAAAAD2E/AtJBFoNdJuc/s1600/3+and+half.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VbJJXND-ZuM/UKR-pHXb8RI/AAAAAAAAD2E/AtJBFoNdJuc/s200/3+and+half.jpg" height="50" width="200" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031679/"><b>Mr. Smith Goes to Washington(1939)</b></a>: I feel like I have watched what could be, or rather should be, Aaron Sorkin's favourite film. This sort of overly idealistic political world we see in his series is probably something we all would love to live in but know for certain will not be possible in million years. I know something like <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0200276/"><b>The West Wing(1999)</b></a> is just a right wing patriot's political fantasy and I still like it. Mr. Smith also treads on similar waters and I like it too but mainly because Claude Rains, Jean Arthur and Jimmy Stewart's usual earnestness.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1340107/"><b>In a Better World(2010)</b></a>: With <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048356/"><b>Marty</b></a> this month, now I have seen 69 Best Picture winners. You know how many Best Foreign Film winners I have seen? 23. Including this. I am going to go after remaining Best Picture winners for now but after that, I will have another goal. As for the film, all I knew about it was it beat <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1255953/"><b>Incendies(2010)</b></a>, my favourite film of 2010,<b> </b>for that Oscar. Did I think it was better than <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1255953/"><b>Incendies</b></a>? No way! But I can't hold that against it either as it was quite good. Depressing as hell but good film.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037008/"><b>Laura(1944)</b></a>:
Probably not one of the most well-known noirs but I certainly had heard
a lot about this film before. Almost halfway into the film and I wasn't
really feeling it but then it put a spin on it. And even though I saw
the end coming before, it only got better from there. It is probably one
of the early noirs where not all the tropes were stone etched but I like the way it plays with genre itself. You get murder, shady
characters, low key lighting but key ingredient is femme fatale and
Laura isn't your typical femme fatale, is she?</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065214/"><b>The Wild Bunch(1969)</b></a>: So after <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048356/"><b>Marty</b></a>, I had an impromptu Ernest Borgnine double feature one day with this one. Though it isn't as much Borgnine vehicle as Marty is, watching him play these two so different roles in a day was so worth it. It's a typical Western! Everything and anything you think of when someone says the word 'Western', you will find it here. But it's one of those who just get it right. It's long, it's slow, it's stylish and it's beautiful, intriguing and interesting. Plus, any movie that can pull off that ending wins in my book!</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0808357/"><b>Lust, Caution(2007)</b></a>: What I am going to say next is going to sound stupid but I am going to say it anyways. I know Ang Lee is Chinese, Taiwanese to be more precise, and this is not his first Chinese production I saw but I am always surprised to see how authentically Chinese movies are. Ideally I should be surprised at how authentically American his films appear but since that is how I was introduced to him as a director, it doesn't. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0808357/"><b>Lust, Caution</b></a> has good story, great leads but what I was more impressed with is everything that gives it authentic Chinese feel.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094812/"><b>Bull Durham(1988)</b></a>: I don't like Baseball. I now basics of it but it gets boring to sit and watch. I always thought that would be a problem when I'd watch baseball movies. Surprisingly, I have seen quite a few and have enjoyed them to varying degrees. This would probably count as one of the bests. They rarely make us sit through 9 innings of game, up and down and human stories of it is what attracts us viewers more anyway. Better those human stories are, better the film. And it also helps when actors bring their A-Game like Susan Sanrandon does here. She was on Fire!</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114681/"><b>To Die For(1995)</b></a>: I did not know much about this film apart from Nicole Kidman is in it and for whom I have heard a lot of praises. She certainly was every bit worth it but to me, Gus Van Sant was as much hero of this film for me as Kidman was. Off course, it's Kidman's show and she never drops the ball for even a second but Van Sant's presentation of this film - everyone is talking straight to us as if they are being interviewed by someone - was certainly intriguing and made it a further more interesting.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097576/"><b><span id="goog_1355648666"></span><span id="goog_1355648667"></span>Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade(1989)</b></a>: Funny thing about it is I had two almost polorising experiences watching this film. Initially, I was taking it too seriously. It involved a lot of rolling my eyes and shaking my head. But just about when Sean Connery enters, I realized film itself isn't. Why should I? It almost instantly became better. It was a fun, action film and when I looked at it as just that, I really enjoyed it. I might even go back to Raiders and watch it again because, wait for it..., I didn't really care for it the first time. Now that I know how to enjoy them, I just might like it better. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0465551/"><b>Notes on a Scandal(2006)</b></a>:
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">A forewarning, this will venture into spoilers territories. I am not
sure why but I was sort of underwhelmed by this film. If it wasn't for
Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett, who BTW looks radiant in this film,</span></span></span>
I probably would have liked it much less. I guess, I was irked by the
dynamics of story - Blanchett, cheating on her husband with her student,
a 15 year old boy, and Dench, constantly seeking companionship of a
woman much younger than her. And I never got over it.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><b> </b></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076245/"><b>Julia(1977)</b></a>: There were many female-oriented films I saw this month. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076245/"><b>Julia</b></a> was one I saw on Women's Day and I wish I had more positive things to say about it but I don't. I didn't 'not' like it but it was told in such a way that I never really found it interesting. Actual story certainly was; storytelling of it wasn't. </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Even contrast between Jane Fonda's character and Redgrave's, something Zinnemann must be going for, </span></span></span>came off as little off putting. I guess he was going for bleak since original story is so grim but it came to me as little too cold.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048356/"><b>Marty(1955)</b></a>: As I said earlier, this is my 69th Best Picture Winner. As a film, it was very charming and easy-going film and Ernest Borgnine was really good in his simple, straight forward everyday man role. As a Best Picture winner, it feels too lightweight, like <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1655442/"><b>The Artist(2011)</b></a>. There is no such rule that it has to be heavy, meaningful film to be the best of the year but it is hard to imagine that there was no other film that would represent 1955 better than <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048356/"><b>Marty</b></a>. Another one that suffers just being an Oscar winner, I guess!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0884328/"><b>The Mist(2007)</b></a>: This one goes into 'The shit you see on TV' category though it wasn't all that shitty for a couple of reasons. Probably the most important reason was Marcia Gay Harden. She played a character I absolutely loathed and I love that she played it so beautifully to get that reaction out of me. Second is its ending. I knew where it was going but I still like the way it took to get there. It is not some sort of ground breaking, trend setting horror film or anything but it certainly is a generic but above par thriller.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1959490/"><b>Noah(2014)</b></a>: The month I close books on 2013, I open new log for 2014 with <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1959490/"><b>Noah</b></a>. My first 2014 released film. I know we are already three month into the year but, hey, we are still getting the Oscar releases here. I am actually not sure what do I think about this as a whole. There are parts of it I liked but there are parts, as good as they were, which I felt were completely unnecessary. Aronofsky's films usually are cold and brutal but they usually leave us with some strong emotion. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1959490/"><b>Noah</b></a> didn't.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Total Count: 18. 16 First
Time Watches and 2 Re-watch .</span></b></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">2014 YTD Count</span></b></div>
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Total Count: 53. 48
First Time Watches and 5 Re-watches.</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">It is certainly not the most productive month I have had, only 18 films. But I think it could be my best month in terms of quality of films I have seen. I usually have most number of films in 3 and 3 and 1/2 bucket. This month it's predominantly 3 and 1/2; almost 50% movies have come from that. And there are couple of movies each in 4 stars and even 4 and 1/2 stars range which is becoming more and more rare. And even those with 3 stars aren't much inferior at all. I feel like saying something like Tarantino. If <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0884328/"><b>The Mist</b></a> is the worst film I have seen all month, I think I will take that month over any other.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">So, how was your month? Did you see anything interesting? What do you think of the movies I saw? Any favorites? </span></div>
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SDGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09331736603243732602noreply@blogger.com6Pune, Maharashtra, India18.5204303 73.85674369999992518.2795348 73.534020199999929 18.7613258 74.17946719999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3996842231848527441.post-40832847634612569452014-03-26T11:31:00.001-04:002014-03-31T07:06:56.312-04:00March Blind Spot: Diabolique<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq96xVfvugFid2NKC14jSuRjeeN5YzUioidmwQu8en7b-ykQTP1OGX8yFNpckRlv_SzU21UzdXUZksB59eR1XAdUjTxJ03k1j4jvNaPH5zzfpQXiWuIXt31pSJmLymNQKvtHICVg9jQw/s1600/D1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq96xVfvugFid2NKC14jSuRjeeN5YzUioidmwQu8en7b-ykQTP1OGX8yFNpckRlv_SzU21UzdXUZksB59eR1XAdUjTxJ03k1j4jvNaPH5zzfpQXiWuIXt31pSJmLymNQKvtHICVg9jQw/s1600/D1.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">When I selected my movies
for this year’s Blind Spot back in December, one movie I got most enthusiastic response about was </span><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046911/"><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Diabolique(1955)</b></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">. Even though I was anticipating this one as well; enough to put it on this year's list, I have a small history with this film. I knew next to nothing about it up until last year and for some reason, I always thought of this as some sort of horror film; probably because that title gave me such vibes. I don't remember exactly where but I had it in one of my queues somewhere. Though I have always tried to get more acquainted with it, I am not the biggest fan of horror movies. So I took it off that list without having seen it. I have been regretting that decision for last year, even more so today after having seen it now.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">This film comes with a disclaimer at the end - "Don't be Devils. Don't ruin the interest you friend could take in this film. Don't tell them what you saw. Thank You for them!" Now that could be a terrible translation but you get the idea, right? And considering how little I knew about this film a year ago, there could easily be many more like me. So, I intend to take this seriously even though it is now almost 60 year old film. I will try to give away as little as possible but if you haven't seen this film and intend to keep yourself in blind, turn away now and find yourself a copy of this film. Let me assure you, you are missing something worthy!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Michel Delassalle runs a boarding school where he works as a headmaster along with 4 other teachers including his wife and former mistress that everyone knows about; even his wife. But more surprising thing is, they are actually very good friends. Probably because they both have been manhandled by brutish Monsieur Delassalle, in case of his wife - she still is. Delassalle is not just a strict headmaster, he is an outright cruel person. And not just to the students in his school, to his fellow teachers which as I just mentioned include his former estranged lover and especially to his wife, who in reality is providing all the dough to run that place. He himself wouldn't get paid if it wasn't for his wife's money. That doesn't deter him much though as he knows his wife too well. She is submissive, demure and religious; death sentence of a combination for her, blank check for him.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">A day before one of the weekends when school is going to be closed for few days due to holidays, Nicole, Delassalle's mistress, plants an idea into Christina's, Delassalle's wife, mind. She intends to get rid of him for their own good. This is only a final resort but by then we have seen enough evidence that this person deserves it more than anyone else. And it will only be poetic justice if it comes at hand of two women he has treated worst. Christina, being what she is, wrestles with that idea. As terrible a person her husband is, because of the kind of upbringing she has had, initially she can not even think of something like this, let alone actually cary it out. But every time she decides to turn away from this, as if on queue, her husband does something to push her towards it; like humiliating her on dinner table in front of everyone. That turns out to be a final straw as Christine leaves with Nicole next morning to her house where they plan their perfect murder and even execute it to almost perfection. But, as you would expect, something goes wrong at the last step and they spend rest of the film cleaning their trail.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">As I promised above, I
won't give away any more details than this. I have given you about 45 minutes
worth content and as intriguing as they may sound, all they actually do is set
us up for thrilling 80 minutes that follow. It takes its time to set everything
up but that doesn't mean it gets boring, not even for a second. And what
follows for rest of it more than makes up for it anyways. Vera Clouzot and
Simone Signoret, in their contrasting characters of Christina and Nicole
respectively make sure of it. Differences in their personality is what makes
dynamics of this partnership even more crooked than it already is based on
their relation to Delassalle. Christina seems utterly terrified of her
husband and that makes her fickle at every stage of their plan. Nicole, though
regularly overpowered by Delassalle; when we see her first, she is wearing
sunglasses to hide her black eye given by Michel the night earlier, is much
more composed, stern. She has thought out every little detail
of their plan earlier and once it's is set in motion,
she doesn't even flinch an eye. But when walls start to close<b> </b>up on
them, Christina is the one that can handle that pressure more capably than
Nicole.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">In many ways, it reminded me of another film that has lot of similarities(slow start, elaborate setup of story, building tension, role reversals and those last couple of minutes) and even has similar look and feel to it, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046268/"><b>The Wages of Fear(1953)</b></a>. </span>Though there are few traditional twists, unlike most other thrillers, t</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;">here aren't couple of key scenes that drive whole film. On the other hand, i</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">ts biggest asset is the way it keeps on building tension in every scene. It utilizes every scene it has at its disposal to add on to tension until everything changes in last couple of minutes. This connection I made was completely unprovoked. Imagine my surprise when I realized Clouzot actually directed both.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">This is my second year of doing Blind Spots and 15th entry into the series. During its run last year, I have seen likes of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046438/"><b>Tokyo Story(1953)</b></a> and <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040897/">The Treasure of the Sierra Madre(1948)</a> </b>which I am quite sure will make their way into my top 100 when I decide to update that list. I would probably be able to say this with much more conviction after little more time has passed but even after watching such revered movies, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046911/"><b>Diabolique</b></a> can go down as not only 'one of the best' but probably even 'the' best. I only wish it was as much respected or well-known as the other two. I don't even know how many years will it take - maybe 15 to 20 years, depending on the judge! </span></div>
SDGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09331736603243732602noreply@blogger.com8Pune, Maharashtra, India18.5204303 73.85674369999992518.2795348 73.534020199999929 18.7613258 74.17946719999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3996842231848527441.post-29317671579730566272014-03-22T08:04:00.001-04:002014-03-31T07:05:43.006-04:00End of 2013: 15 Favourite films of the Year<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I know it is too late but I am back with my final list for 2013 and it is big one - Favourite films of the year. I won’t do any honourable
mentions here but if you are interested, <b><a href="http://letterboxd.com/sdg/list/2013-so-far/">here</a></b> is a list of all the films from
2013 I saw ranked. Not much to add, let's get to movies!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">15. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1854513/"><b>Blancanieves</b></a>: You can guess that I love Black and White films because there are going to be three on this list. But I don't think anybody, including me, would've guessed that I would have a black and white silent film putting its own spin on Snow white fairy tale, set in 1920's Spain that revolves around female bullfighter. Especially when I saw it on those small, crappy screens on flights. But it did! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">14. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1798709/"><b>Her</b></a>: I had my doubts on whether <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1798709/"><b>Her</b></a> would work based on its premise. But I was so engrossed in this film that for whole length of movie, I didn't even think about it once. It would have been ranked higher if I can figure out what exactly I thought of its ending but it wins on so many other levels to leave it out of this list completely - beautiful story, Phoenix's unexpected and charming portrayal, Adams, Johansson's voice work, just to name a few.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">13. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2347569/"><b>Frances Ha</b></a>: I have said this before that this film came as a genuine pleasant surprise for me. Based on whatever little history I have with both Gerwig and Baumbach, I was fully prepared to be annoyed, irritated by it but it was lovely, heartfelt. Frances does a lot of crazy things in film but she was just charming or self deprecating enough for me to never feel like going off the rails, even when she goes to Paris for couple of days on whim.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">12. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2024544/"><b>12 Years a Slave</b></a>: Even since I've seen this, I've been trying to figure out how I really feel about it. If I am being very honest, as much as I liked it, it didn't hit me that hard like it did many others and I frankly think that's because I've never been there. But then I think of something like <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050188/"><b>Mother India(1957)</b></a>, which is a kind of movie that is hard to sell to anyone if you don't get it and that makes me respect it more because I like </span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050188/"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><b>Mother India(1957)</b></span></a>. I guess all I am saying is I may not love it but I really respect it for what it is.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">11. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2278871/"><b>Blue is the Warmest Colour</b></a>: Blue has been in news since winning its Palme d'Or for various reasons. I am not really interested in how many of those things were true and how many were not but one thing is for sure - it is a damn fine film spearheaded by two amazing performances, especially by Adele Exarcholpoulis. It's incredible how natural she is in this role and actually it's not just her. Everything about this film falls exactly in place. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">10. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1535109/"><b>Captain Phillips</b></a>: I have not seen a whole lot of Greengrass' work but he seems to know how to hold viewer's attention very well. He puts us right in the middle of things with the opening scene of film itself and it only builds from there till that final scene where Tom Hanks just kills it. This film is greatly assisted by two phenomenal performances that certainly elevate it to another level but Greengrass' stern direction also deserves credit for keeping tight control of this ship. It was always clear that he was the real captain of this ship.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">9. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0993846/"><b>The Wolf of Wall Street</b></a>: I have said this before and I will say this again - if you think this films is trying to glorify Jordan Belford, his lifestyle or his unscrupulous ways, it is you who needs to check your own moralities than anyone else. Scorsese made this film as a passive observer and left it to us to make whatever we want to from it. Personally, it never felt like him glorifying Belford's hedonistic lifestyle because I was repulsed by its overabundance. If you feel attracted to them, who is to blame? Think again! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">8. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1821549/"><b>Nebraska</b></a>: Highest ranked film </span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">of the 9 Best Picture nominated films this year </span>and last of the three B&W film on my list. Payne did not write this movie for a change but he is master of taking flawed, sometimes pathetic, sometimes irritable, unlikable characters and redeem them by the end by giving them real pathos. Woody Grant is perfect example of such a character and Nebraska is perfect example of how he makes them work. I know it never had any chance but if I had a ballot, this would be my choice.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">7. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1935179/"><b>Mud</b></a>: I saw <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1935179/"><b>Mud</b></a> on my way back from US to India. 30,000 feet above ground, pressure controlled cabin and small screens with no idea of what quality of print you get is certainly not the most conducive environment for movie watching, especially for someone like me who often gets airsick and to make matters worse I was flying 14 hours straight from San Francisco to Hong Kong. I guess it speaks highly of this films quality that it not only has stuck with me for past 7 months, it remained in my top 5 till start of February.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">6. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2209418/"><b>Before Midnight</b></a>: Even though I had my doubts about this film, as I have for any sequel and even more if it is of a film I like, it was also one of my most anticipated movies of this year. This third installment also has everything that makes first two so great - long cuts, great conversations, beautiful locations and yet, like first two films, it ventures into places not many movies have before. As unromantic as it might be, it gives us what I think is most realistic stage in the relationship of Jessie and Celine and I love that they went there. And any scene that has anything like that dining table conversation scene is a win in my books. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">5: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2024519/"><b>The Broken Circle Breakdown</b></a>: Last two years I've been doing these lists, I've always had a foreign film topping them. If you scroll down a little, you will see that streak continuing but it's not just that. This year, none of my top 5 films is an English feature film. That in no way is a knock against mainstream Hollywood cinema; I've never had 3 BP nominees in my top 10 either so 2013 was a great year for them as well. But I think that makes this feat even more remarkable. As for the film, even though it has 'Breakdown' in the title, I never expected it to go as far as it did and it blew me away when it did.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">4. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2350496/"><b>The Lunchbox</b></a>: I don't know what will it take for them to do it or if they ever will do it but I really wish Bollywood made more movies like this. It will probably take another Cate Blanchett to tell them - "The Earth is round, people!". As much as I like what makes it so different from everyone else and I am usually a proponent of most of it, it wouldn't harm them to start putting out more meaningful films that don't revolve around a love story. It is a very simple but elegant story told in a very straight forward but effective way. And it gets elevated to whole another level by extremely natural and charming performances by all three of its main characters. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">3. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2366450/"><b>Stories We Tell</b></a>: </span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I have loved Polley since I saw her first in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120255/"><b>The Sweet Hereafter(1997)</b></a> and have always been interested in what she does. But I never expected anyone, even as talented as her, would do something like this. </span>It has been months since I have seen this documentary but I still can not believe what Polley did with this documentary. Not only did she bring something buried deep into the family closet, she handles it with great poise. I am still in awe of frankness she brings into this and maturity with which she handles this whole thing looking at it from every possible angle and giving </span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">a voice to </span>anyone and everyone related to that event. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">2. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2106476/"><b>The Hunt</b></a>: Obviously I loved this film, it would not have been at no.2 </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;">otherwise</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"> but what's more impressive for me is, even though this movie infuriated me like anything else, it doesn't incriminate anyone. Everyone is to be blamed and at the same time no one can be. You can't blame little girl, she doesn't know consequences of her action. You can't really blame her parents, teachers or even others in town because, frankly, I am not sure if I would've behaved any differently if put into anyone's shoes. And even then we feel so sorry that Lucas has to go through such an ordeal for no mistake of his own.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">1. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2404461/"><b>The Past</b></a>: As I noted before, streak that started with <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1255953/"><b>Incendies(2011)</b></a> and continued with <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1602620/"><b>Amour(2012)</b></a> last year has continued this year with <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2404461/"><b>The Past</b></a>. They are all foreign, they are all tragedies and they are all hard to watch and maybe even like but I not only like them; I love them. I have never seen either <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1255953/"><b>Incendies</b></a> or <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1602620/"><b>Amour</b></a> again after seeing them once and I have no intention of doing that anytime soon but they have firmly secured their place in my top 100 and it will be a while before they will be displaced, if at all they will be.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Farhadi seems to revel in bringing out dynamics of people going through divorce. He did that beautifully in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1832382/"><b>A Separation(2011)</b></a>(which, BTW, has become my second favourite movie of that year behind <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1255953/"><b>Incendies</b></a>), he does that equally potently here though there is whole different dynamic of their kids here. But what made <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2404461/"><b>The Past</b></a> special for me was the way everything just gets worse and worse as we get deeper into the story. And like <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2106476/"><b>The Hunt</b></a>, I have no idea whom to blame. Maybe everyone or maybe no one! </span></div>
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SDGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09331736603243732602noreply@blogger.com12Pune, Maharashtra, India18.5204303 73.85674369999992518.2795348 73.534020199999929 18.7613258 74.17946719999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3996842231848527441.post-34827935460974402332014-03-15T01:25:00.001-04:002014-03-31T07:05:55.215-04:00End of 2013: Favourite Performances of 2013 - Men will Follow!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I feel like this was a better year for actors than actresses. I had more choices for female roles but there were few that I felt I had to have on my list. With this list, I had fewer choices but I had much tougher time bringing down the list to 10. There are few in my honourable mentions that at any other day, I could easily swap with those in my list. But that's the bittersweet challenge of making such lists, I guess. So here are 10 that I finally settled on. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">But first, Honourable Mentions: James
Gandolfini for <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2390361/"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Enough Said</b></a>, </span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Jonah Hill for<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0993846/">The Wolf of Wall Street</a></b></span>, Michael Fassbender
and Chiwetel Ejiofor for <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2024544/"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">12 Years a Slave</b></a> and Irrfan Khan in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2350496/"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Lunchbox</b></a>.</span><br />
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</xml><![endif]--><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Tom Hanks for <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1535109/"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Captain Phillips</b></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">: </span>Even though Hanks has been
around for more than three decades now, this role was reminiscence of old Hanks
that all of loved, admired and revered but was missing somewhere for quite a
while. This role required him to bounce back to his A-game and boy, did he rise
up to the occasion? He is excellent from the word go here but, I said this
after watching this movie for the first time and I still stick to it, any actor
who can do even 10% of acting he does in last 10 minutes of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1535109/"><b>Captain Phillips</b></a>
deserves every accolade he can get. Him not even getting nominated is easily
the biggest oversight of this year's Oscars.</span>
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</xml><![endif]--><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Leonardo DiCaprio for <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0993846/"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Wolf of Wall Street</b></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">: </span>A LOT has been said about DiCaprio and
this role and I am sure lot will be said about him in future. You may
like this film or you may not; you may think his performance is
one of his best ever or you may think of him as just too over the top but you can
not deny the fact that, for better or for worse, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0993846/"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Wolf of Wall Street</b></a> will remain in public discussion and in
public conscience more than any other film of 2013. And as much as Martin
Scorsese is responsible for that, DiCaprio’s fearless, shameless, and
completely out there performance is equally responsible. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Mads Mikkelsen for <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2106476/"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Hunt</b></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">: One of the reasons I don't rank these performances is I seriously do not want to choose between Hanks and Mikkelsen as my favourite of the year. Mads Mikkelsen is one of the actors who has made quite a name of himself in the past few years. His Lucas is confused, he is angry but more than anything else, he is dejected that his childhood friends actually believe rumors to be true. </span></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Throughout this performance Mikkelsen wonderfully underplays him to show all these emotions but it also gives you such a contrast when he finally bursts. Just watching his face in any of these moments is witnessing a phenomenal performance.</span></span> </span></span></div>
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</xml><![endif]--><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Daniel Bruhl for <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1979320/"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Rush</b></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">: </span>Rush won't go down as one of my favourites of the year is one but I really liked it and I think those who didn’t went in with wrong
expectations. They wanted another <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1424432/"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Senna</b></a>
and what they got was Hollywood version of it. It is certainly not as good as
latter but I never thought it was aspiring to be. It was being a pure
racing film and it succeeds in being quite a good one. What I am
absolutely certain about is Bruhl being best part of it. His intense,
no-nonsense portrayal of Nicki Lauda elevated whole film to another level and
as movie goes through ups and downs of Lauda’s personal and professional
career, he doesn't miss a beat.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Tye Sheridan for <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1935179/"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mud</b></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">: </span>If I have to choose, this
guy will have to be my 'find of the year'. I haven't seen him in anything else
before or since <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1935179/"><b>Mud</b></a> but if his work in it is any indication, he deserves great
things to come his way in future. His character initially is someone who almost
blindly believes in true love, in finding someone that is made for you. But
then he witnesses dire consequences of being at the wrong end of such
relationships and not on just one or two but on three different occasions. Each
encounter changes him forever for better or for worse and he portrays
everything about this journey in glorious yet heartbreaking fashion.</span>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Matthew McConaughey for <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1935179/">Mud</a>/<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0790636/">Dallas Buyers Club</a></b>: Everyone knows that we are in the
middle of McConaissance. This guy has been churning
out one amazing performance after another for past few years and he even got
his official seal with this year’s Oscar. To tell you the truth, as much as
I like him in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0790636/"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Dallas Buyers Club</b></a> and
I certainly do like him in it, I think he was better in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1935179/"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mud</b></a>. And I
still want to recognize both films here because I think his Oscar was for his
phenomenal run in the past few years and I want to recognize that as well. As
good as he is in either of these two films, or even in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2356777/">True Detective</a> </b>for that matter, his 'McConaissance' as we have been
calling it is far more impressive and worthy than any singular performance.</span>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Barkhad Abdi for <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1535109/"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Captain Phillips</b></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">: With his fairytale type story, this man has already become a legend in his first ever screen appearance. Like Adele in my previous list, there are moments of this performance that seem like he is not acting at all, just being himself but as you see more of him, you realize he is being so much more. There is a moment in the film where he realizes that he has crossed a point of no return and there is a combination of viciousness, vulnerability, determination, fear on his face that I am not sure even many seasoned actors will be able to produce to such perfection. I just hope he doesn't become a one-time wonder. This guy seems to have a great potential and it will be damn shame to let it go wasted.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Bruce Dern for<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1821549/">Nebraska</a></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">: Unless you count <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1853728/"><b>Django Unchained(2012)</b></a>, I have never seen a film with Bruce Dern in it until this one. Woody Grant is a old man who as far as we can tell hasn't been a best of father or husband and he is not really sorry for that either. He has certain type on entitlement - he has served his country, paid his taxes, so he has right to live his life the way he wants. Based on just this, it is vet easy to dismiss him as a 'bitter old guy'. Even though he is a son-of-a-bitch, like any typical Payne character, there is a pathos to him and that is his redeeming quality. What Dern does best is conveying all this mostly through his body language and face. He doesn't really need words all that much.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Nawazuddin Siddiqui for <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2350496/">The Lunchbox</a>/<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2797242/">Bombay Talkies</a></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">:</span> Remember that obligatory Bollywood spot I was talking about earlier? Yup. Nawazuddin Siddiqui has
been a revelation these past few years. The way he is churning out one great
performance after another has certainly made him one of the most saught after
artists in Bollywood. This year was no exception with him being part of two
amazing movies as well. His story in Bombay Talkies was best of four short
stories in film by sizable margin and he was best thing about it. In <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2350496/"><b>The Lunchbox</b></a>, he is surrounded by other equally great performances but he certainly
stands his own ground.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Joaquin
Phoenix for <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1798709/"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Her</b></a></span>:</span> What makes me appreciate him more is this is not a kind of role I would imagine Phoenix in easily. I like it when
an actor surprises you like that. </span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Spike Jonze got lot of
acclaim for his futuristic love story. All of
it was certainly deserved but Joanquin Phoenix also deserves a lot of credit
for making thing work. </span> Phoenix portrays a loner we meet first to
perfection. It is easy to believe that while he is not a bad person why his
wife would want to be away from him. But more impressive is his
charming performance when he starts falling for his OS, Samantha. Charming!
Imagine Freddie Quell being charming!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">And next one will be the big one - my favourite films! </span>
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SDGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09331736603243732602noreply@blogger.com6Pune, Maharashtra, India18.5204303 73.85674369999992518.2795348 73.534020199999929 18.7613258 74.17946719999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3996842231848527441.post-69505146213000929372014-03-10T10:56:00.001-04:002014-03-31T07:06:19.041-04:00End of 2013: Favourite Performances of 2013 - Ladies First!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I feel like I always say this at the end of the year but 2013 was a great year for films. Even though it took me two more months to catch up with it, with 70 films watched and Oscars done, I am finally going to call it done! Like last year, that comes up with End of the year lists but unlike last year, I am going to do them in reverse order starting with this list of my favourite female performances of last year. Probably not as rich as last year but this year offered many good ones to us to choose from. Theses are 10 that I liked the most, that I noticed more and have stuck with me more.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">First, Honourable mentions: Amy
Adams for <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1800241/"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">American Hustle</b></a>, Amy Acker
for <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2094064/"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Much Ado about Nothing</b></a>, June
Squibb for <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1821549/"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Nebraska</b></a> and special
mention for Deshpande Aunty in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2350496/"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Lunchbox</b></a> who we don't even see but she is such a quintessential character in our society that I loved her presence.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Berenice Bejo for <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2404461/"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Past</b></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">: I will have much more to say on this film a bit later but this films works as much as it does for me because of host of amazing performances from everyone involved. Reason Bejo stands out for me is because her character is at the center of everything. She is the reason previous wife of the guy she wants to marry is in the hospital which is why her teenager daughter and </span></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">his son</span></span> throw fits at her. You see that burden weighing on her in every scene, you see that guilt in her eyes all the time and that makes this film so much better(or worse!). </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Adele Exarchopoulos for <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2278871/"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Blue is the Warmest Colour</b></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">: I saw Blue much later than many of my peers. By then, there were many singing praises of her acting but my first impression wasn't in line with them. To me, her performance felt like no performance at all. Then, I always felt like she is just being there and people feel she is so natural. When I finally saw it, I realized she does so much more than just being there. And her being so natural in those moments is probably her biggest strength, especially when cameramen is so close to you all the time that you could slap him hard on the face and he won't be able to do anything. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Greta Gerwig for <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2347569/"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Frances Ha</b></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">: The fact that not only I actually really liked this movie but how much I adored Gerwig's performance in it has got to be the biggest surprise for me this year. Frances is a small kid in grown-ups body. She is oblivious to any social norms or responsibilities any person her age is usually bogged down under. Just this one thing could easily have made Frances an obnoxious, insufferable brat who thinks she is too good for all this nonsense. But Gerwig does an excellent job of making her endearing, personable and even </span></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span data-dobid="hdw">relatable</span> despite all her flaws. To me, she is leaving that life which most of us really want to but can't.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Cate Blanchett for <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2334873/"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Blue Jasmine</b></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">: I think Natalie Portman must be the last actress to dominate awards season the way Blanchett did this season. She must have won every single award that is humanely possible for an actress to win for this role and all for a very good reason. Blanchett is one of those actresses who has always been good in any role she is given but she is absolutely on fire in every scene of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2334873/"><b>Blue Jasmine</b></a>. Not only her character has similarities to Blanche DuBois, she manages to stand toe-to-toe with one of the best performances of all time. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Veerle Baetens for <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2024519/"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Broken Circle Breakdown</b></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">: Even though there is word breakdown in title of this film, I am not sure I was ready for what I saw. Both lead characters of this film go through a lot but it's Baeten's Elise that goes through biggest transformation starting from a firecracker of tattoo artists to someone who is devoid of any hope or desires. I</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> certainly did not expect it to go where it did till last minute but, as surprising as it was, it was her performance that took me there. It was first time I ever saw her and don't even know how to pronounce her name but she certainly has my attention now. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Julia Roberts for <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1322269/"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">August: Osage County</b></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">: </span></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1322269/">August: Osage County</a> </b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">is one of the films I liked way more than I expected to this year and majority of its credit goes to its script and performances. If it wasn't so hateful that all I wanted was to run as far away from it as possible, it might have made into my favourite films of this year. There is a whole bunch of performances I could have picked from this film including Meryl Streep and I really like Julianne Nicholson as well. Some of them might even be better than Roberts, but the only reason I am picking her over everyone else here is because I have never seen Julia Roberts in a performance like this before. </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Nirmat Kaur for <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2350496/"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Lunchbox</b></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">: Whenever I make any kind of 'Best of' lists, I feel like I have to have a spot for Bollywood on them. Let me assure you, this is not that spot. Nirmat Kaur, like Sridevi Last year, is here purely based on her craft at display in another movie I will have more to say soon - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2350496/"><b>The Lunchbox</b></a>. I don't remember seeing her anywhere else and that probably works to her advantage as this is such a simple, non-glamorous role. Nirmat Kaur brings a lot of depth and honesty to this role and, like Adele, looks so natural while doing so that it is hard to imagine she is putting up a performance.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Sandra Bullock for<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1454468/">Gravity</a></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1454468/"><b>Gravity</b></a> was a spectacle to behold. It remains to be one of the two or three films that made me think that 3D can be useful somewhere than just moneymaking machine for studios. Obviously, Lubezki's work with camera and Cuaron's direction, for which both deservedly won their Oscars, deserves much of praise for this but I kept on thinking that Bullock's equally courageous work somewhere took a backseat to them. Maybe Blanchett's clean sweep also has something to do with this as </span></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">in any other year, she easily could have gone home with that statuette </span></span>but I really liked Bullock's work as well. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Lea Seydoux for<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2278871/">Blue is the Warmest Colour</a></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">: These next two performances are supporting turns, sort of companion pieces that makes their leads, as good as they are and they certainly are great as both have featured in this list earlier, even better. Blue hs always been in the news since its premiere at cannes and as overshadowing sexuality of this film has been, what makes it work is brilliant understated and at the same time uninhibited performances by both its leads. Adele is more understated though she has many momemts where she lets her emotions flow. Seydoux is exactly opposite - as audacious, as extrovert as she is, her understated moments like one in the cafe near the end are what make her performance noteworthy.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Sally Hawkins for <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2334873/"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Blue Jasmine</b></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">: As good as Blanchett is in this role, she </span></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> probably </span></span>would not have been if not for Sally Hawkins holding her own in every single scene and I am so happy to see her acknowledge that. Hawkins' performance in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2334873/"><b>Blue Jasmine</b></a> is probably 'the' definition of supporting turn. She makes every scene better just by being in it, and she is in almost every damn scene, but she never becomes the centerpiece of it. She never diverts your attention from where you are supposed to look at but somehow always manages to accentuate it. Those are the best kind of roles!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Keep your eyes and feeds open people! Men shall follow soon... and by soon I mean this weekend.</span></span></div>
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SDGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09331736603243732602noreply@blogger.com8Pune, Maharashtra, India18.5204303 73.85674369999992518.2795348 73.534020199999929 18.7613258 74.17946719999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3996842231848527441.post-54671360174122564352014-03-03T10:37:00.001-05:002014-03-03T10:37:19.668-05:00And the Oscar Goes to...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">It is that time of the
year again!! First of all, I should get one too for my commitment to this damn
show because I woke up at 5AM to watch it. With last night's Oscar, this is
time to officially wrap-up 2013 and look forward to everything else. As I said
in the previous Warp-up post, February was quite a busy month for me. It
largely kept me away from this blog as well. So I was absent from all the
predictions and other games prior to the Oscars. But after skipping on so
called mandatory post on those predictions, I am not skipping the second
mandatory post. As always, I am only concentrating on the categories that I
have some knowledge of. I can't even differentiate Sound Mixing from Sound
Editing. So I will keep my expert opinion on that category to myself. So, only
top 8, animated and foreign film. Here is the list the winners and my brief
thoughts on these categories. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
<b><u>Best Picture</u></b>: <b><i>12 Years a Slave</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">It was going to be a
two-horse race between <b>12 Years a Slave </b>and <b>Gravity</b> and that tug
of war went on till the last minute.<b> </b>Some people tried to introduce <b>American
Hustle</b> into the picture but I didn't even want to think of that as a
possibility.<b> </b>There were equal number of people leaning either way. And
even I often thought of going the other way many times but for no other reason
than it was winning all its precursors, I stayed in 12 Years camp and I am glad
to see it being rewarded here. </span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Best Director</span></u></b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">: <i>Alfosnso
Cuaron for <b>Gravity</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Cuaron had this in bag for
a long time. He had won almost every award there was before for him to win.
Only thing that could have gotten in his way would have been <b>12 Years a
Slave</b> taking home the big one and people might want to go with McQueen in
this one as well. But he never really threatened Cuaron. Of the two films, I
like 12 Years better but it has got nothing on Cuaron. He, Bullock and Lubezki
made <b>Gravity</b> a spectacle that it is and deserve every applause get for
it. Period.<br />
<br />
<b><u>Best Actress in Lead Role</u></b>:<i> Cate Blanchett for <b>Blue Jasmine</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">When I wrote about Oscar
nominations, I said that I am really happy to see Amy Adams getting nominated
in this category but I am not even sure why because Blanchett had her name
carved on it since then. She took an early lead, kept the momentum going and as
good as all the other nominees were when she crossed that end line, no one else
was even in eye sight. Some thought her name being dragged into Woody Allen
fiasco might hurt her chances but apparently it didn't.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
<b><u>Best Actor In Lead Role</u></b>: <i>Matthew McConaughey for <b>Dallas
Buyers Club</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Once again a movie that I
wasn't the biggest fan of but McConaughey's performance certainly was worthy.
And we all know that this was not only for his performance in any one movie.
This was for McConnaisance that I really hope continues in 2014 as well. After
all, he is doing a Christopher Nolan film next year. DiCaprio loosing might
have broken many hearts but if precursors were any indication, it was
McConaughey's award to lose.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Best Actress in Supporting
Role</span></u></b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">: <i>Lupita Nyong'o for <b>12 Years a Slave</b></i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I feel really bad that I
am happier for Lawrence loosing than Nyong'o winning but I cannot take anything
away from that girl. Not only was that an incredible performance for any
seasoned actress, let alone for someone facing the camera for the first time in
their life, it was even better, genuine and heartfelt acceptance speech. And to
Lawrence's credit, she looked genuinely happy and appreciative for her fellow
nominee.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Best Actor In Supporting
Role</span></u></b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">: <i>Jared Leto for <b>Dallas Buyers Club</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I was surprisingly
uninterested in this award. I don't have anything against any of the nominees
in particular. I even quite like some of them - Barkhad Abdi for instance but I
didn't have a favourite here either. Maybe it was the fact that I was rather
indifferent to most of these performances or maybe it was the fact that it was
rather obvious that Leto was going to win. At least, they had it done with the
very first thing in ceremony. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
<b><u>Original Screenplay</u></b>: <i>Spike Jonze for <b>Her</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I had my doubts about <b>Her</b>
from start. From what I do in real life, I had a hunch that my thoughts would
be its a rather farfetched story. Forget about coming out with that impression,
I did not even think so while watching the film and long time after watching
this. And Jonze did that. Joaquin Pheonix, Scarlett Johansson and Amy Adams as
well but mostly Spike Jonze. Obviously, he was favourite to win here but that
doesn't make it any less deserving, does it? </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Adapted Screenplay</span></u></b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">: <i>John
Ridley for <b>12 Years a Slave</b></i> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">This was my favourite
category in all the Oscars. All 5 nominated scripts were actually great and
really deserved to be there. So anyone of them winning would have been a good
choice by me. But by the same logic that gave <b>Argo</b> it's win last
year(If it is to win Best Film, it has to win at least one of the other major
awards. All the other possible contenders were locks for someone else. So it
has to win here.), 12 Years was a frontrunner this year. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
<b><u>Animated Feature</u></b>: <i>Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee and for <b>Frozen</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">If anyone ever thought
there was even remote chance of any other film winning this award, you really
should not be predicting Oscars. I haven't seen two of the nominees(and I
really wish I had seen <b>The Wind Rises</b>, if nothing else for Miyazaki)<b><i> </i></b>but
what probably made this decision much, much easier for me was that other two I
had seen were quite terrible. I mean, I am not the biggest fan of <b>Frozen</b>
but in comparison to <b>The Croods</b> and <b>Despicable Me 2</b>, it was a
masterpiece.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
<b><u>Foreign Language</u></b>: <i>Paolo Sorrentino for<b> The Great Beauty</b>(Italy)</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Well, to many people that
wasn't a surprise at all. But like I did with Best Picture winner, I chose my
horse early and kept it till the end even when a lot of people started
predicting this The Great Beauty to be the ultimate winner. I am not
complaining about it since I have not seen it since but I certainly would have
been much happier if The Hunt had won. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">So, as expected, <b>Gravity</b>
pretty much swept all the technical awards and went home with 7 Oscars. 12
Years won the big ones and I do not have numbers at hand but I am pretty sure you
would have to go way back to see a Best Picture winner with just 3 Oscars. I
remember something on similar lines last year. Overall, they were pretty
predictable. Most unpredictable thing that happened over the whole night was
Ellen DeGeneres ordering pizza. So...yeah, exactly! American Hustle went home
empty handed(Mean I know but YAAY!!) and so did Wolf. But you know who has more
Oscars than 6 of the Best Picture nominees, combined? <b>The Great Gatsby</b>!
Make whatever you can of this.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I will see you next with
my End of 2013 lists starting with my favourite female performances.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; color: #222222; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; color: #222222; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; color: #222222; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; color: #222222; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; color: #222222; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; color: #222222; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; color: #222222; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; color: #222222; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; color: #222222; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; color: #222222; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; color: #222222; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; color: #222222; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
SDGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09331736603243732602noreply@blogger.com8Pune, Maharashtra, India18.5204303 73.85674369999992518.2795348 73.534020199999929 18.7613258 74.17946719999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3996842231848527441.post-36169728699622608192014-02-28T09:46:00.001-05:002014-02-28T09:46:50.743-05:00Wrapping it Up: February 2014<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"> Another month, another wrap-up post full of this month's viewings. This 25th Edition of Wrapping it Up is a historic event for one more reason. At the start of this year, I said that I expect my monthly viewing to go down a bit this year and I will be OK with that. Last month, I was somehow able to keep up with the usual pace of 20. However this month proved my suspicions true. With only 15 movies, this is slowest movie-watching month I have had since I started recording this stuff two years ago. Given the fact how hectic normal life and day job was in first three weeks of this month(You may have noticed, no posts at all this month till Blind Spot couple of days ago), I fully expected it and am actually surprised I even got to 15.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">But that's enough of it. Let's talk movies! </span><br />
<h2 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">February</span></span></h2>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zdDq79axV5I/UFDGRE9Do1I/AAAAAAAADNE/UODgsX6nXLQ/s1600/4+and+half.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zdDq79axV5I/UFDGRE9Do1I/AAAAAAAADNE/UODgsX6nXLQ/s200/4+and+half.jpg" height="40" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100150/"><b>Miller's Crossing(1990)</b></a>: Call me stupid, call me naive but I never thought any film would give <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0477348/"><b>No Country for Old Men(2007)</b></a> run for it's money as my favourite Coen Brother's film. I've liked many of their other films but none as much to contemplate it dethroning NCFOM. Knowing Coen's, I should've known better. Interesting thing is, multiple instances where this one reminded me of No Country, whether it was because of the similarity in settings, in story-lines, in looks or in mood, is probably the principle reason why I think I liked it as much as I did.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1951264/"><b>The Hunger Games: Catching Fire(2013)</b></a>: </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;">I personally don't think second book was better than first one but film does a good job of not deliberating on stuff that bogs down the book i.e. everything leading up to the capitol. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">It might be the new director who got rid of all the shaky cam or actors getting a little more grip of their characters or might be the source material which is just more suitable for given format or combination of all three but end result certainly was better than first one. It almost has me excited for last one.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1821549/"><b>Nebraska(2013)</b></a>: I have seen all of Payne's films except the very first one he did and I at least like them all. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1821549/"><b>Nebraska</b></a> was no exception. It was the surprise winner on the day of nominations but it has emerged as my favourite of those 9 now. Payne did not write this for a change but he is master of digging deeper into characters that are imperfect, vulnerable and even pathetic seem very likable, very real. He does it here as well and as every other of his films, that is it's biggest win.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1322269/"><b>August: Osage County(2013)</b></a>: I think I would have liked it even more if it wasn't that bitter or if there was at least one sane person in the whole family that you can relate to but then that would probably be like missing the whole point of film. Maybe their father was such person and maybe that is exactly why he left. Not to say that I did not like it. I like it way more than I expected, mainly thanks to all the performances but it's such a bleak story that you want to run as far away from them as possible. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0425112/"><b>Hot Fuzz(2007)</b></a>: I Love first part of Cornetto trilogy, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0365748/"><b>Shaun of the Dead(2004)</b></a>, and was really interested in the last one <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1213663/"><b>The World's End(2013)</b></a>. The only problem was I had never got around seeing second one. I knew they are not super connected or anything but it just didn't feel right. So one fine Sunday, I sat myself down and checked them both out. This one may not be as good as first but sure is a hell lot of weird fun. Something tells me I will be retuning to it many times.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119174/"><b>The Game(1997)</b></a>(Re-watch): I always forget how much I like this film and then fell in love with it all over again when I see it. I am making it sound like I have seen it a dozen time or something. It's actually only my third time but I only saw this for the first time last year and then again when I actually moved to Sunnyvale, CA. This film has a rare distinction of making me love a city I have never been to. And when I did, I made it a point to go to that street where Sean Penn runs away from Douglas after he finds all those CRS keys in his car.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2370248/"><b>Short Term 12(2013)</b></a>: I had heard a lot about this film, especially about performances, and I will have to agree with that. Brie Larson, who got attention for her role, is certainly deserving of all the praise but so is almost everyone in the cast. Another standout for me was Kaitlyn Dever as Jayden. I am not completely sure how I feel about Grace going out of her way to Jayden's house and doing what she does but apart from that, I was completely into it till end. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2390361/" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><b>Enough Said(2013)</b></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 150%;">: Like most others, I obviously saw this for Gandolfini. He certainly was really good and so was Julia Louie-Dryfuss. They had good chemistry together and it came off very naturally. It also was about two middle aged people getting in a relationship, something that you don't see often in movies and Holofcener certainly needs to be credited for that. I probably would've liked it more though if it didn't cast Catherine Keener who looked completely uninterested or if it didn't feel </span><span style="line-height: 20px;">repetitive</span><span style="line-height: 150%;"> in the middle.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033729/"><b>How Green was My Valley(1941)</b></a>: 67th Oscar winner and this month's Blind spot was yet another success. I did not expect it to, certainly not as much as it did and initially it did look like I might be right. For me, it falls into <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081283/"><b>Ordinary People(1980)</b></a> category(or it might be more apt to say other way around) as films that get bad reputation because of the films they won over but if we keep the comparison aside and look at them objectively, they are actually good films by themselves.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1213663/"><b>The World's End(2013)</b></a>: I already told you that I was quite excited about checking this one out. Pegg and Frost were obviously back but with additions like Martin Freeman and Paddy Considine, cast looked good, premise was completely up Wright and Pegg's alley and I was having quite a bit of fun with it. But then it went too far. I like the idea of introducing the aliens and they have done great job making fun of such things in previous two but they went little too extreme for my taste. I think I will be ok with watching it just once.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><b><br /></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095647/"><b>Mississippi Burning(1988)</b></a>: I had heard a lot about this film even before watching it and was intrigued as well as dreaded it. I agree that most of the black folks in this film are nothing more than set pieces but I don't think they could've been any more given the structure of story. Now you can find faults in structure, which I might as well agree, since it is in the end 'white men to the rescue' story. There were many good things to admire in this film but in the end, that structure even left me with a bad test in mouth.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1300854/"><b>Iron Man 3(2013)</b></a>(re-watch): I have no idea why I saw this again. Not like I loved it the first time but I was just sitting in front of TV and it was on. That's it! Now that I think of it, this might be the only film I have seen twice in he year of it's release. Certainly only one since I started blogging and although there are others, I am pretty sure that number is not in double digits. It might be shocking for many but I have very few re-watches. So this happens very rarely!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2431286/"><b>Philomena(2013)</b></a>: With this one, I have not only seen all the films nominated for best film Oscar for second year in a row but this might be the first time I have seen every single film nominated for top 8. Once again a film driven by one leading performance which was actually really good. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;">As for the film, it was good but I didn't find it great.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"> It was very sweet and nice but that's it. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;">One thing I was very happy about though was Coogan kept himself in check. I can't stand that man for too long.</span><br />
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I think the problem here was my aversion to source material, <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058331/">Mary Poppins(1964)</a></b>. P.L. Travers was a total bitch to everyone at Disney and we were supposed to feel sorry for them. However none of that worked for me in the film. So, for me, they deserved to be treated the way she was treating them. So I was left with almost no character to root for, even those</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"> from her past</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2194499/"><b>About Time(2013)</b></a>:
Sometimes you want to watch something that won't have you pick your
brain at all. Since there is so much I really want to see, I rarely do
that. I always feel my time is better invested in something with better
returns but this one was a good watch for the mood I was in at that time
because it is sweet and innocuous but falls apart completely the moment
you go into logic. I can't call it a good film by any standards but I don't regret watching it either. I
only wanted an easy-going film and I got exactly that. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Total Count: 15. 13 First
Time Watches and 2 Re-watch .</span></b></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">2014 YTD Count</span></b></div>
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Total Count: 35. 32
First Time Watches and 3 Re-watches.</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2140373/">Saving Mr. Banks</a> </span></b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">will be my last official 2013 film. I certainly wish I had better reaction to the last film of last year but I have had enough of it now. With 70 films in the bag, month of March or better part of it will be dedicated to wrapping up 2013. Next time I will talk them will obviously be Oscar nominations but after that I will get into my lists of favourite male and female performances followed by Films. Given my schedule, I expect them to be done by mid-March which shall leave me free to watch everything else. As much as I loved 2013 as a year in films, it is kind of liberating to have much more choice. See you on the other side of the Oscars! </span><b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">So, how was your month? Did you see anything interesting? What do you think of the movies I saw? Any favorites? </span></div>
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SDGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09331736603243732602noreply@blogger.com8Pune, Maharashtra, India18.5204303 73.85674369999992518.2795348 73.534020199999929 18.7613258 74.17946719999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3996842231848527441.post-4986850696913440542014-02-26T10:46:00.000-05:002014-02-26T10:46:02.288-05:00February Blind Spot: How Green was My Valley<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">There are many films,
especially those made decades earlier, where their reputation, good or bad but
mostly bad, usually precedes their presence in pop culture references than
anything that actually concerns film itself. And more often than not, these
films are only remembered for all the wrong reasons for no fault of their own.
My choice for this month’s blind spot, 1941’s Best Picture Oscar winner <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033729/"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">How Green was My Valley(1941)</b></a> – ‘the film
that beat <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033467/"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Citizen Kane(1941)</b></a>’ – is one
such film. In February, all of us are in the high pitch Oscar fever with
ceremony just a few days away. Since last year, I have been trying to get
through all the Best Picture winners and hence, I thought it will be a good
idea to choose past winner for this month. Last year I did the same thing with <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067116/"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The French Connection(1971)</b></a>. I am
continuing the trend this year with <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033729/"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">How Green was My Valley</b></a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">This is a story of Morgan family, 1 BIG family, leaving in one small village in South Welsh at the start of 20th century. Like many small villages, most men in village have one business. In this case, it is coal mining. Morgans have six sons and one daughter, Angharad .</span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> Their youngest son, Huw, is our narrator </span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">and protagonist. Their father and all five sons work in collieries. Being a small and close-knit community that most villages like this are, Father Morgan is not only the patriarch of Morgan household but also a well respected, authoritative person of the community. Their daughter is the most beautiful face in the valley and their sons are voice of youth, young, dynamic leaders of tomorrow. What we get for two hours is this family, and subsequently everyone around them, going through uncertain phase of their life.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">We see them going through workers strike that their father vehemently opposes but has to participate for the sake of whole community. We see them trying to live through consistently dropping wages but increasing risks and in case of Angharad who falls in love with Mr. Gruffydd, their local priest, but has to marry son of mine-owner because he thinks he will not be able to provide for her, we see whole community turn on to them for something she herself strongly opposed. However when it comes to Huw, family has high hopes for him. At least their father does; he has seen what collieries can do to man and very capable, hardworking men like his other sons. He doesn't want his eldest to go down that gutter as well and is visibly upset when Huw decides to follow their family tradition. Mother, on the other hand, seems quite contend with him following their father's or brother's footsteps. "If he could be as good a man as his father or his brothers, I will be fine with it", she says. There are many occasions when she says something like this, very simple and practical, and I love that about her. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I tried not to go into
this one with too many preconceptions. In this case, it was slightly easier
since only thing almost anyone talks about it is being ‘that’ film. It almost
doesn’t exist beyond that but I will admit I wasn’t super excited about it
either. And first 15 minutes confirmed my belief. It might be that I am
watching too many 2013 movies in the past few months that theatricality of a
1941 film bothered me a bit initially. Not like I have that problem every time
I watch a classic and I do watch fair amount of them but it was bit jarring
this time around. It also could have been that voice over narration which felt
bit too on the nose. I was almost certain then that I will just have to slog
through this one. I was going to take this as a sort of dress rehearsal of what
I expect majority of my 19 remaining Best Picture winners will be.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">But then, something unexpected
happened! As I kept going through it, I get more and more into it. That voice
over narration disappeared almost completely. It appears here and there till the very end but not to the point of my initial annoyance. I got used to the type of acting and
was even able to see beyond it. By the end of it, I was completely into it to the extent that I kept praying for Father to be well in the end from the second alarm blares over that valley. I credit most of this to its screenplay. What I find most interesting in it, apart from turning me around completely on it, is how much it manages to put in it in those two hours. There are almost too many characters for it to handle - 6 sons, their daughter, parents and few other add-ons like Bronwyn, their daughter-in-law, and Mr. Gruffydd, local priest. But it manages to give almost every one of them enough screen time to warrant their existence and at the same time keeping it easy enough to follow.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">It is also funny that even though my favourite part of the film was screenplay, it was also the only department I had problem with. I like everyone in their respective roles, I like the direction, I also like how Ford makes it look like. But I really don't have much to say about any of them except it was good. Screenplay is something I have already praised for it's depth but I will go into couple of loose ends here as well. Movie starts with that voiceover narration I've already talked down. In it Huw talks about finally leaving the valley after 50 years. When it ends, he couldn't be more than 15. So what happens over the rest of 35 years that is worse than what we have already seen that makes him leave? I don't get why would Ford put that bit at the start if rest of film has no intention answering it. I don't want dwell too much on it since, as I said, I quite like this film but it was something he could have easily avoided. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">So let’s address the
elephant in the room – How does it measure up against <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033467/"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Citizen Kane</b></a>, Mecca of films? Let me make two things clear first.
One, I have only seen Kane once, about three and half years ago, so the only
thing that I remember about it is what’s Rosebud? Absolutely nothing else! So
yes, it is highly overdue for a re-watch which brings me to my second point.
Based on that first watch, I am not that big fan of it. Hence it never was high on my list of re-watches. My reaction to it was
somewhat similar to that of Joey and Rachel’s(That’s a <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108778/"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Friends(1994)</b></a> reference for you. Go, figure!). I might have
rendered my opinion useless after that preamble but at this point, I actually
do prefer this one over Kane. And if you know your Oscars and your Citizen
Kane, you would know that it was always going to be impossible for it to win.
If there is anyone to blame here, blame Academy for making that decision; ‘tis
the season after all!</span></div>
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SDGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09331736603243732602noreply@blogger.com4Pune, Maharashtra, India18.5204303 73.85674369999992518.2795348 73.534020199999929 18.7613258 74.17946719999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3996842231848527441.post-69996526268478002112014-01-31T11:52:00.001-05:002014-02-02T02:01:28.363-05:00Wrapping it Up: January 2014<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"> Another month, another wrap-up post full of this month's viewings which will complete two full years of me doing these wrap up posts. I guess this is becoming a norm now. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2024544/"><b>12 Years a Slave(2013)</b></a>: I am purposely going to keep this vague because I am hoping to, if not a full post, at least write a mini-reviews of this one and two that follow. But I am guessing I have given you enough of what I think of them</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"> by including them in this bracket</span></span></span>. I will just say one thing about it - it must have been a while since I just kept looking at the screen in amazement as the credit started to roll.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0993846/"><b>The Wolf of Wall Street(2013)</b></a>: When <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1853728/">Django Unchained(2012)</a> </b>was released last year, everyone was happy that Di Caprio finally seemed to have some fun with his roles. But even then I am guessing nobody really expected him to one-up that and go on to win Best Comedic actor award just the following year, right?. After all, that it itself was a big departure from usual. </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Judging by his acceptance speech at Globes, even he didn't</span></span></span> but that is exactly what he did in this role. Hit it out of the park!</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1798709/"><b>Her(2013)</b></a>: So this is where 2013 starts to kick some ass. After it's over! Three movies that I saw on three consecutive days in the week before nominations were announced and every one of them swept me off my feet. Now I know why everyone keeps talking about 2013 being such a good year for movies. I am not a big expert or haven't been in the game for long but, from where I am standing, personally I think 2012 was better than 2011 and 2013 certainly looks better than last 2 years that I have been blogging. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2334873/"><b>Blue Jasmine(2013)</b></a>: It took some time for me to get all the Streetcar similarities to me but now that I know, I am really surprised how I missed it. I guess it's because you don't expect something that dark, that humourless from someone like him. But even though I like his usual style, ones where he digresses from them have almost always been my favourites and ones where he doesn't show up as his own neurotic self. Maybe except <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079522/"><b>Manhatten(1979)</b></a>. And Yes, Catt Blanchett is great in this but was she ever not?</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1979320/"><b>Rush(2013)</b></a>: After hearing a lot of lukewarm reaction after its release, I was rather pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it. </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Maybe because I used to like watching these races that I was completely into this film from start. </span></span></span>I mean, yes, it is no <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1424432/">Senna(2011)</a> </b>but I don't think it is even trying to be. I even this comparison is rather unfair. I think two films were trying to achieve two completely different things and I think they both succeed at that. Bruhl was a definite standout but I think even Alexandria Maria Lara did a great job acting mostly through her eyes.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2042568/"><b>Inside Llewyn Davis(2013)</b></a>: </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">I
have no idea how did Llewyn took that turn to Acker and in next shot,
woke up in NYC(did I miss something here?) but this is a Coen Brothers
movie. I often don't get everything at a a first go. </span></span></span>The
thing with Llewyn is there aren't many straight out comedies that I
have laughed as much as I did in this film. It's a typical Coen
Brother's sort of absurd, dark humour but I was loving it. And Carrey
Mulligan - I don't think she has done such a spiteful role before. I am
glad she is varying them up.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2278871/"><b>Blue is the Warmest Colour(2013)</b></a>: After picking up its Palme d'Or, as expected, for the next few months all everyone talked about this film was Lesbian Sex scenes. </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Maybe it's just me going on just the right outlets but </span></span></span>what actually surprises me is over the last few months, Adele's phenomenal acting has actually taken over most of the discourse surrounding this film. I mean, at least I don't expect that sort of rational reaction from media in general. She was amazing obviously and much more than I initially thought it would be.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109707/"><b>Ed Wood(1994)</b></a>: First Blind Spot of the year and it was a really good start. I love how personal Tim Burton makes this film and uses this opportunity to actually put something substantial in front of us for Ed Wood as a person when he completely had an opportunity to make a complete caricature of every single character in this film. And as good as Johnny Depp is, special mention has to go out to Martin Landau, who completely vanishes into this character. More <b>here</b>.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2258858/"><b>Wadjda(2013)</b></a>: As much as I can, I like to keep the external factors out while rating a movie. Doing so for something like <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2258858/">Wadjda</a> </b>would probably be a huge disservice, even though it means I have to break my own rules. I was sort of underwhelmed by this film. There were few things about it, mostly involving the production of this film, that I wasn't sold about. But the fact that Haifaa Al-Monsour was able to get this movie made in itself is its biggest achievement and making it as good as it is, makes it monumental. I am comfortable with leaving it at that. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0030993/"><b>You Can't Take it with You(1938)</b></a>: 66th of Best Picture Winners. I am slowly getting there. It was one of the surprises of this exercise of watching all winners. It's quite simple story but done very well. Frank Capra does that quite well. Think <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0025316/">It Happened One Night(1934)</a></b>! However what I find most interesting is how a film wins Best Film and Best Director and nothing else? And I spent most of this film thinking where have I heard Jean Arthur until I remembered <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046303/"><b>Shane(1953)</b></a>. She has a very peculiar voice to forget.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0356680/"><b>The Family Stone(2005)</b></a>: I own this movie on DVD for almost three years now and this is the first time I am watching it. I don't even have any reason why I didn't see it before because I quite liked it when I finally saw it. It is one of those weird movies where its ending is sort of too neatly wrapped up and I would usually hate it for that but here, I was actually rooting for it to be that.I like how utterly predictable it is but still makes me care for each and every one of its characters.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0903624/"><b>The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey(2012)</b></a>(Re-watch): Remember I said I am not going to as big fan of these movies as I am of LOTR and then I see this for third time inside a year. But after watching the second one, this one gets half a star improvement because some of the things here make little bit more sense now. I am still not sure if he really needed a lot of it but at least there is something happening for them. And Gollum! Gollum's story is my least favourite part of LOTR but given in moderation, I love him here.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2294629/"><b>Frozen(2013)</b></a>: Part one of my 'Double Feature Sunday' followed by <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0993846/"><b>The Wolf of Wall Street</b></a>. Quite a double feature, eh? It was really beautiful and cute. Almost all the songs were good and couple of songs were stuck in my head for a very long time. Story wise it was very predictable and even execution wasn't very different or anything but it had enough charm in it to let me turn a blind eye towards it.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058331/"><b>Mary Poppins(1964)</b></a>: I might be the last person on earth to see this one but what would really surprise me is I am the only one not to think world of it. I mean, it is all nice and sweet and has its moments but it's too much kiddie-fare. Anyone above 5 would probably think of it as too sweet. And every song and dance sequence is almost twice long than it has any right to be. Julie Andrews is obviously amazing but now I totally think that was a pity Oscar. If MFL casting didn't stir up everything, I don't know if she would've won for this.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0790636/"><b>Dallas Buyers Club(2013)</b></a>:
As amazing as Matthew McConaghey and Jared Lato are(and they are truly
amazing. I have other performances that I like more personally but I
don't think I would have any problem with them winning their respective
Oscars and it has become almost inevitable anyways), I don't get the
love this one gets as a film. To me, there was nothing besides them. I
appreciate the story and care with which it is presented it but
ultimately, it was rather slow and even overlong.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1170358/"><b>The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug(2013)</b></a>: Peter Jackson is just trying to cash on his LOTR glory here. I think I read the book about 6 years ago. So lot of details are really sketchy but I am pretty sure majority of this film has nothing to do with actual story. It's him saying "So people loved Legolas and Bloom doesn't seem to be doing anything else. Let me insert him here for no reason". I had same problem with first one and I seem have warmed up a bit to it now but second one is one such sequence after another and even I was tired of it after a while. I expect to like it even less with time.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1800241/"><b>American Hustle(2013)</b></a>: As more I think about this film and as more time goes by, less I like this one and all this talk after getting so many nominations isn't helping it at all. I loved Amy Adams(duh!) and Christian Bale in their roles but they were all over. On the other hand, Jennifer Lawrence </span></span></span>was completely one-dimensional but personally, a character I couldn't care less about. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">If this film had even a hint of any screenplay somewhere, if Russell had put some effort in it, I might have liked it so much more.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Total Count: 17. 16 First
Time Watches and 1 Re-watch .</span></b></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">2014 YTD Count</span></b></div>
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Total Count: 17. 16
First Time Watches and 1 Re-watches.</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I started this year with <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058331/">Mary Poppins</a> </b>but next 15 days or so were about nothing other than 2013 films. I wanted to see as many Oscar contenders as possible before the nominations were announced. There are still a few left but I watched more Oscar nominated films in first 15 days of this month than I had seen for the whole year before it. It also included a double feature on one of the Sundays which was after... I don't even remember how many years</span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">. Hopefully, I will have time and resources to get to some others that I desperately want to</span><b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">in February before finally moving on to all the other films I have been stalling for past few months. Seriously - so many movies, so little time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">So, how was your month? Did you see anything interesting? What do you think of the movies I saw? Any favorites? </span></div>
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SDGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09331736603243732602noreply@blogger.com10Pune, Maharashtra, India18.5204303 73.85674369999992518.2795348 73.534020199999929 18.7613258 74.17946719999992