Its raining movies out here
after a long time, managed to watch some really good films in the past few days. all of them were of top quality, it would be a really tough job if someone asks me to rate them according to the points. so here is the list in random order:
1. Yahaan: an average fair. doesn't compare with the rest of the films. loved the songs and the scenic beauty of kashmir though. urdu was properly pronounced!
2. Black Friday: this was mostly a documentary, not a film in the general sense. i appreciate the impartiality of the film-maker in documenting the events surrounding the bombay bomb blasts without any personal bias. this film was by far the best of the lot, both for the amount of research that went into writing the book on which the film was based, and the effort that went into converting it into such a high quality film. the editing of the film was very confusing though - i need to watch it another couple of times to digest its content fully. a must watch for everyone in my opinion.
3. Anaahat: this has a slow, boring start. but amol palekar always has a surprise or two "up his sleeve." enjoyed the twist in the tale, but thought the end was a bit forced, a premature one, in a bid to give it a happy ending.
4. Matrubhoomi: a completely unapologetic and 'in your face' kind of a movie. the film-maker did not get carried away by the theme of the film - the effort was still there to make it as good as it can get. the screenplay was particularly noteworthy - the camera always keeps the viewer busy and engaged in the proceedings. after watching this movie, when you come across a news item that talks about killing of the female foetus, and if you don't get a scare, then you immediately need to contact your family doctor. insist for a complete checkup.
5. Khamosh Paani: this was also an authentic picturisation of the life in a pakistan village in the 1970s. was as realistic as Black Friday - just the plot was different here. loved the twist in the tale in this movie too. Kiron Kher was at her best - she single-handedly lifted the movie from being an average enterprise, to a really praise-worthy one. screenplay and editing were very good.
what else? couldn't watch Hazaaron Khwahishein Aisi and Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Maara. others to follow in the list are Water and Amadeus.
btw, watched Pride and Prejudice in the PVR Cinemas last saturday. the film was not in the true spirit of the book - film buffs might have liked it, but for a diehard fan of Jane Austen's books, i can never watch Elizabeth Bennett giggling like a silly girl, just like her other younger sisters. Keira Knightley looked good, acted well, but never seemed to have completely understood the character that she was portraying. some of the 'improvised' scenes were very well shot(the party scene where all the music/noise is balanced by the loneliness being felt by Lizzy at that time, capturing the mood of the bennet family through their window panes, some important scenes shot at the lake side etc). amount of footage for the different characters from the book was extremely well balanced - Wickham, Bingley, Collins were hardly visible in the entire film. not even Jane; it was a Lizzy and Darcy show all the way. 4 out of 10 for the movie.
1. Yahaan: an average fair. doesn't compare with the rest of the films. loved the songs and the scenic beauty of kashmir though. urdu was properly pronounced!
2. Black Friday: this was mostly a documentary, not a film in the general sense. i appreciate the impartiality of the film-maker in documenting the events surrounding the bombay bomb blasts without any personal bias. this film was by far the best of the lot, both for the amount of research that went into writing the book on which the film was based, and the effort that went into converting it into such a high quality film. the editing of the film was very confusing though - i need to watch it another couple of times to digest its content fully. a must watch for everyone in my opinion.
3. Anaahat: this has a slow, boring start. but amol palekar always has a surprise or two "up his sleeve." enjoyed the twist in the tale, but thought the end was a bit forced, a premature one, in a bid to give it a happy ending.
4. Matrubhoomi: a completely unapologetic and 'in your face' kind of a movie. the film-maker did not get carried away by the theme of the film - the effort was still there to make it as good as it can get. the screenplay was particularly noteworthy - the camera always keeps the viewer busy and engaged in the proceedings. after watching this movie, when you come across a news item that talks about killing of the female foetus, and if you don't get a scare, then you immediately need to contact your family doctor. insist for a complete checkup.
5. Khamosh Paani: this was also an authentic picturisation of the life in a pakistan village in the 1970s. was as realistic as Black Friday - just the plot was different here. loved the twist in the tale in this movie too. Kiron Kher was at her best - she single-handedly lifted the movie from being an average enterprise, to a really praise-worthy one. screenplay and editing were very good.
what else? couldn't watch Hazaaron Khwahishein Aisi and Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Maara. others to follow in the list are Water and Amadeus.
btw, watched Pride and Prejudice in the PVR Cinemas last saturday. the film was not in the true spirit of the book - film buffs might have liked it, but for a diehard fan of Jane Austen's books, i can never watch Elizabeth Bennett giggling like a silly girl, just like her other younger sisters. Keira Knightley looked good, acted well, but never seemed to have completely understood the character that she was portraying. some of the 'improvised' scenes were very well shot(the party scene where all the music/noise is balanced by the loneliness being felt by Lizzy at that time, capturing the mood of the bennet family through their window panes, some important scenes shot at the lake side etc). amount of footage for the different characters from the book was extremely well balanced - Wickham, Bingley, Collins were hardly visible in the entire film. not even Jane; it was a Lizzy and Darcy show all the way. 4 out of 10 for the movie.
posted by sami at 3/21/2006 07:18:00 PM
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