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Busy with college admissions n all that shit right now…let’s see what happens, just hopin for the best. Anyway, been long since I posted anything so just thought I’d put down some random ramblings over here! First up- my first Tarantino, WKW and Scorcese flicks… Pulp Fiction, fuckin brilliant as hell…what can I say- it’s an ultimate showcase of masterful and clever writing. An instant classic, a masterpiece. T’was my first Tarantino flick, but still have a feeling it’s probably his best ever…totally in awe of the sheer genius of the movie. I mean everything is so spot on, the dialogue so compelling and crisply delivered that it amazes you totally- the characters literally talk about rubbish, get entangled in the most inane situations and yet, you are gripped as hell! (And then of course, there is some hidden symbolism, too) Spectacular! In the Mood for Love is the first film by Wong Kar Wai I have seen and am completely blown away- what poetry, what visuals, what poignance- and what mood- wow! Christopher Doyle must be one of the best and probably the most patient cinematographer in the world- WKW makes him shoot through broken glass, panes, beads and God knows what- all to spellbinding effect. Tony Leung and the exquisitely beautiful Maggie Cheung give awesomely subtle and powerful performances in this nuanced study of repressed passion and romantic longing. Film critic Michael Atkinson rightly said- “One shot of her (Cheung) walking away from a rented room down a hallway is, all by itself, twice the movie of anything else currently in theaters.” Hauntingly melancholic- it proves that melodrama can be sublime too, and not always loud like SL Bhansali’s films…one of the most romantic films ever. Taxi Driver- a film as insane and unpredictable as its protagonist…dark, brooding, edgy, funny…this is classic work from Scorsese. And DeNiro IS Travis Bickle. “You talkin to me?”- WOW! Also seen: Jerry Maguire, Kramer v/s Kramer & The Graduate. Sprite or no Sprite…my pyaas for good cinema was quenched for sure…for some time atleast! Hadn’t caught up with any Bollywood releases for a loooong time- so finally saw Black Friday and Life in a…Metro. A double whammy from Messrs Anurag- Kashyap and Basu respectively. Two splendid films capturing Mumbai- one about an earthquake-like blast that shook the city, and the other about the tremors of everyday life. Well, it was also the first time I was watching an Anurag Kashyap film- though with the fate his past films have met, I can’t blame myself- and he leaves a solid impression. This is no-nonsense filmmaking…fearless, gritty, honest, visceral and hard hitting. No compromises made whatsoever, no unnecessary frills and add ons- and with good reason- when the material itself is so compelling there’s no need to resort to gimmicks- Mr Lakhia, are you listening? And kudos to the actors- Kay Kay, Pawan Malhotra, Aditya Srivastav- for making the real life characters feel real and alive- flesh blood and all. A chilling exploration of the mechanisms of violence and revenge. Metro scores with its stellar cast, all of who collectively give a great ensemble performance. But gotta say, Irrfan/Konkona stole the show. It was also heartwarming to see Garam Dharamji at his most naram with still beautiful Nafisa Ali- loved the way Basu treats the story. Kay Kay, Shilpa, Sharman- all really good. Kangana was very nice too, but still needs to polish some rough edges and work on her accent, and she will go places! In fact, I didn’t find Shiney too bad either, though I admit an actor of his calibre could have done better- but then again, it was Shilpa’s story really. Band Metro didn’t stick out like a sore thumb like I expected it to, but James really could restrict his trademark mannerisms- they look comical now. Apart from Basu’s tight direction, what also holds the film together is the superb cinematography by Bobby Singh which truly gives character to the film. On the downside, the film could have done with a more imaginative title (just my opinion!), better dialogue at times and certainly without that stupid gay angle to the Konkona story- so Page 3, so contrived and totally unnecessary! Especially with the ‘Brokeback Mountain‘ poster clearly visible in the bedroom- that was crude! The promos of Aap ka Suroor- The Moviee- The real luv story have indeed been a source of immense entertainment and vicarious pleasure of late. What’s even better is that every new promo they release is even more hilarious than the other! Two of them are especially priceless. There is one in which 3 auto rickshaws appear from God knows where and take on German police vehicles (which by the way are after Mr HR), with loud tumpeting background music, with one of the 3 wheelers plonking itself on the bonnet of one of the swank cars. This is followed by the text proclamation- “Tribute to the Auto Rickshaw community”. Then the 3 rickshaw vallas jump out of their vehicles to do a jig in front of the obviously bewildered policemen. The promo ends with Himesh giving his biggest fans- the rickshaw vallas, of course- a passionate salute. If this isn’t enough to make you gulp- the second ensures that your eyes pop out in amazement. What can be more insane and ludicrous than the idea of MALLIKA SHERAWAT SEDUCING HIMESH RESHAMMIYA??? The most ingeniously and inventively comic scene to be constructed in recent times- this is a must see! If you haven’t watched this already, See it here!

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