Movies | PassionforCinema

Archive for the ‘Movies’

4
Creation
The reviews of this film that I read yesterday send me into a contemplation mode. Was Charles Darwin really reduced to a meek, a sick and sweaty Gothic writer, or were the conflicts arising between his theory and religion oversimplified and dumbed down by the film? Many of the reviewers complained of the lack of any stimulating debate and absence of any drama related...
by Gaurang at February 5th, 2010 at 02:02 am
17
Weaving my dream…
Varthamaanam. . (The Present. .) Varthamaanam. . (The Present. .) I grew up watching a lot of movies. My parents are real movie buffs. Even now, they make it a point to go to a theater and watch a movie every Saturday. ‘Movie buff’ is the right word, considering the fact that they are sexagenarians! I can say that I took it to the next level. I watch...
by ranjeet.sankar at February 4th, 2010 at 11:02 am
15
No Smoking : random puffs on the soundtrack
A sign in the lobby of the marriott said: “welcome trial of K., liberty ballroom A/B”, and in smaller letters underneath: “a smoke-free building” – K for Fake (Jonathan Lethem) A darkness prevails over the soundtrack of No Smoking. It’s the hypnotic darkness of clubs and lounges drenched in shadows and light diffused through clouds...
by George Thomas at February 2nd, 2010 at 08:02 pm
37
Indie film making in India – How do we go about it.
Hi. A brief introduction of myself – I’m just a dude from Hyderabad. You can call me ‘Dude’. Or ‘His Dudeness’ or ‘El Duderino’ if you’re not into the whole brevity thing. ;) I have an insatiable love for films, and hope to be a film maker someday soon. This article is about indie film making, and for other aspiring...
by TheDude at January 29th, 2010 at 12:01 am
52
Unbreakable-They call me Mr.Glass
“Comics are capable of being anything the mind can imagine. I consider it a great privilege to be a cartoonist. I love my work, and I am grateful for the incredible forum I have to express my thoughts. People give me their attention for a few seconds every day, and I take that as an honor and a responsibility. I try to give readers the best strip I’m capable of...
by Ratnakar Sadasyula at January 27th, 2010 at 03:01 am
10
Is Agyaat a satire?
Ram Gopal Varma’s ‘Agyaat’ is a surprise, a nearly suave portrayal of horror. I guess the idea of horror films is somewhat based on a form of catharsis. It is relieving to watch people get killed in various fashions (and realise that one is still alive and safe while being able to experience the gore and pain of such a death) by the unknown killer as the film always...
by dhan.rajaram at January 21st, 2010 at 01:01 am
4
Kieslowski’s genius : Tracing back ‘12B’ to ‘Sliding doors’ to ‘Przypadek’
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both. And be one traveller, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth Its a grave irony that I want to discuss a movie about chance, but I start with a poem which is about choice. The above poem, The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost, is one which all of us face...
by crazyrals at January 14th, 2010 at 01:01 am
16
God’s Beloved Amadeus
O! beware, my lord, of jealousy; It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock The meat it feeds on.- William Shakespeare, Othello E-N-V-Y, 4 letters that more often than not, have the power to bring about the downfall of a person. It was Duryodhan’s envy of his cousins, the Pandavas, that led in a way, ...
by Ratnakar Sadasyula at January 13th, 2010 at 03:01 am
3
Sapphire
Note: Some Spoilers An extremely long lens on an insert of a sugar cube, dipped just enough, in a small cup of coffee, so that it gradually seeps in the dark beverage. Four and a half seconds of unadulterated cinematic bliss. Not a frame more, or a frame less, but exactly four and a half seconds. The sugar cube is of course, yours truly, viz., the audience pasted awestruck...
by ArSENik at January 9th, 2010 at 08:01 pm
12
Soldiers of Doomed Wars… (Some thoughts on Avatar)
“There are plenty of warriors that I know and love, people far more valuable than myself, who go to war each day, knowing in advance that they will fail. True, they are less ’successful’ in the most vulgar sense of the word, but by no means less fulfilled”, Arundhati Roy, “The End of Imagination” History records that most of the wars...
by Prasanth Vijay at January 2nd, 2010 at 05:01 am
13
Arjunan Saakshi- My Next Malayalam Project
For all those who wanted to know about what I would be doing after my debut movie – Passenger, I have some news for you. My next film is titled as Arjunan Saakshi and it will feature Prithviraj in the lead role. The movie is all about a young architect named Roy Mathew (Prithviraj), who after living outside Kerala for a long time takes pains to return to his homeland,...
by Ranjith Sankar at December 31st, 2009 at 12:12 am
22
Publicity Design/Film Promotions/First Looks: How lame can we get?
I was doing the customary count-downs in my head and elsewhere, going through the database of films released in the year and trying to come up with yet another lame year-end post, which technically is an exercise in futility, because a)my Top-10 would make zero sense to you unless you are paid to agree to my analysis, b)see, I knew you would never get to b, and while doing...
by Tushar at December 30th, 2009 at 02:12 pm
34
Wake up Idiots, subah ho gayi mamu!
Apologies for making you read the nth review of 3 Idiots. Rajukumar Hirani’s power as a director comes from the vision of world he creates. It can be called a world of ‘convenience reality’, his world is only real to the extent he wants it to be. But, it is his unique style of exaggeration where he chooses to address a relevant problem by dressing his characters...
by Tanul Thakur at December 26th, 2009 at 05:12 pm
23
Bollywood’s 10 Best (‘00 to ‘09)
Wind chill, overcast, dampness and snow flakes take over as another decade comes to an end. Sitting and contemplating about all of the movies that I watched in those 10 yrs, it does not take a whole lot to figure out my top ten and some more. Thanks to a new generation of filmakers who seed the begining of the Bollywood New Wave. Here is the list of their contributions. 10....
by Jateen at December 25th, 2009 at 10:12 am
34
10 Best Hindi Films of the Noughties
The noughties saw a spurt of films, hitherto unfancied and at times unacknowledged, that dabbed the viewers and the Hindi Film industry (HFI). This decade in Indian films has perhaps been the strongest in terms of ideas, style, narration, and development of new talent. Although it is nothing like La Nouvelle Vague, it surely will find an epochal footing in the history...
by Nikhil Kumar at December 24th, 2009 at 09:12 pm
20
The Ootywood Series : Chandaal
There is ‘HOLLYWOOD’ There is ‘BOLLYWOOD‘ And then there is ‘OOTYWOOD‘ Many mere mortals are still unaware of ‘Ootywood’. And often ask what ‘Ootywood‘ actually is? Fear not, for I am here today to introduce such people to this divine place and its unique creations. In the mid 90’s Mithun Chakraborty...
by Aditya Savnal at December 20th, 2009 at 10:12 am
7
Rocket Singh: Character Assassination of the year
Ranbir, the valuable zeroRocket singh urf salesman of the year! When the movie began I was gripped by its fine characters. I thought, finally I got to see some really amazing characters, finely crafted by the writer after a real long time. The porn addict colleague- Girish Reddy with a tacky hyderabady accent , The wicked, mean, smart-ass manager- Nitin, The almost sexy-slap-stick...
by Shreyank Khemlapure at December 19th, 2009 at 08:12 am
13
Avatar: stunner with a message
When you watch Avatar – you most likely will – you can choose to just immerse yourself in the fantabulous visual imagery created by James Cameron using first-time technologies. You may choose to enjoy the best of what Hollywood has to offer in terms of sci fi adventures, with a love story thrown in to heighten the drama. You may choose to revel in the clear good-vs-evil...
by Runumi G at December 17th, 2009 at 12:12 pm
8
La stanza del figlio(The Son’s Room): Shades of Grief
La stanza del figlio(The Son’s Room) is a 2001 Italian film written and directed by Nanni Moretti. The film won the Palme d’or at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. It depicts the psychological effects on a family and their life after the death of their son (Wikipedia). The film is a stark account of the events as they happen in this family of 4. Moretti plays a psychoanalyst...
by Tushar at December 16th, 2009 at 11:12 pm
22
The torture series revisited – Mujrim
Inspired by Oz’s “The torture Series” – I got a forwarded mail to read review of one of the movies under “The torture Series” banner- Mehndi Rang Layegi and yeah it was the first time I visited passionforcinema.com and I realized what I have been missing in all these years. Thank you so much Oz for writing reviews in a way, I always...
by Niraj at December 16th, 2009 at 06:12 am
14
Posters Let You Know Who Is Going To Rock And Rocket
Before the stars ***** are doled out across the newspapers and channels after the release of a film , the stars have to really sweat it out and prove their mettle by luring the audience to theatres!..And the classic and basic vehicle to do is Film Posters.. Poster is like a coded message ..One glance and you can make out what genre of film it is, who is selling as a star,...
by krysh at December 10th, 2009 at 07:12 am
10
We Are All Paa
Paa has to work..It better work! This coming from the one and only detractor of Big B, I have ever come across in my whole these years on planet earth.. I was foxed !..Et tu ! moment for me.. First a brief backstory on the reasons for this guy’s major opposition to the Mahanayak of Indian Cinema..According to him Big B is the biggest demotivator to the young generation..All...
by krysh at December 2nd, 2009 at 04:12 pm
21
Lake Tahoe : Acceptance brings the tranquility, understanding and energy to go ahead in the life
This is a compelling film showing the reactions of the people, after an event has taken place in their life. When a person dies then tales come from the reactions of the people who are left behind to live with the memories of the deceased person as they were perhaps too dependent on the deceased person and now they have to learn how to handle the life on their own. Sometimes...
by Rk at November 16th, 2009 at 06:11 pm
9
Delicatessen – How to Tell a Story through Sound
Note: This post contains some spoilers! It’s been years now since cinephiles have been fighting over the endless debate as to whether the visuals are more important than the sounds in a film. I was one of those who favored the visuals and argued my case by merely citing the existence of silent films. I had watched films with great sound design like Apocalypse Now,...
by ArSENik at November 12th, 2009 at 11:11 pm
53
DVD Watch: Aagey Se Right: The Most Underrated Gem of the Year
I picked the DVD from the counter where so many more were lying around. I asked my usual questions to the store owner, “Is this the original copy?”, “Pukka”, “Copy to nahi hai”. This is not because I am a pukka usoolwalah and wouldn’t watch pirated DVDs, it’s just that I have been burned in the past when my experience was completely destroyed because of...
by A. Singh at November 11th, 2009 at 12:11 pm
46
Meenaxi- with reverence
Koi mile ki bichade, yahan kisko kya padi hai Sab log chal rahe hain, duniya yahin khadi hai Khamoshiyon se kahiye chalkar zara pukaarein Khwabon ke jangalon se aayin hain kya bahaarein Neendon ka yeh zamaana bas aur do ghadi hai Sab log chal rahein hain duniya yahin khadi hai Aankhon mein khushboo ke manzar wahin khilenge Lagta hai chalte chalte khud se wahin...
by Jyoti Rayaprol at November 8th, 2009 at 03:11 pm
43
Y2K, The Decade that was… Part 1
The last year, 2010 of this decade is about to take flight. And while we all at PFC and numerous other sites, blogs and boards dedicated towards the passion for cinema, are talking, discussing, trashing, uplifting, ditching, or fucking up movies and movie professionals and anything related to cinema, very few have had the chance to take a pause, a breather and look at...
by oz at November 6th, 2009 at 12:11 pm
15
Jackie Brown-Of Tarantino and Blaxploitation
One of the numerous slam bang movies, i saw as a kid during the late 70’s in India was Black Belt Jones. It had Jim Kelly, one of the main characters in the 70’s martial arts flick, Enter the Dragon, that had made Bruce Lee an icon of sorts, especially during the ...
by Ratnakar Sadasyula at November 3rd, 2009 at 08:11 am
13
Hollywood Masala
warning : post contains profanities, rated language and graphical material, discretion is advised (“—-with a wicked smile —–” ) The 80’s were a great time not just in Bollywood but Hollywood as well, the amount of education(not just Philmi but practical as well) being dished out to the unsuspecting public was phenomenal, while in India...
by Vineet at November 2nd, 2009 at 12:11 pm
9
A Cinematic Exploration of the Evolution of Film Noir – Se7en
Film noir has been around for a long time now, with its very dark roots in German Expressionism, since the Black and White days of cinematic infancy. As Darwin said, every life form must evolve. I believe this postulate can be extended to film genres as well. So, how has film noir evolved? The answer lies in watching Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt pursue a serial killer,...
by ArSENik at October 30th, 2009 at 07:10 am