Apur Sansar

Jackie Chan's Police story is an interesting action entertainer. Jackie Chan not only directs, but also takes the lead as Jackie Chan (or Kevin Chan in the original version.) It's not only a good action movie but also a very good comedy. Working on a simple plot and an engaging writing, police story is throughly entertaining. Police story is even complex at certain levels. The superb stunt sequences have an extremely intense construction. The opening fight which includes a bus chase is one of the most memorable fights I have ever seen. The fight in the climax makes much use of glass. The use of too much glass made the crew call the movie, Glass Story . The use of an apt cast, especially Brigitte Lin, has also helped in the successful creation of this unforgettable action movie. The use of humour in regular intervals by writer Edward Tang has served as an enjoyable part. My favorite scene in the movie is when Chan attends multiple phone calls at the same time. I strongly recom...

Stanley Winston is popularly known as Stan Winston. He could be called a special effects and visual effects artist or even a creature creator! Stan, who was born on the 7th of April, 1946, died on June 15, 2008. I'm not sure how make people would have bothered to see the end credits roll with the name of Stan. But Stan has made visuals and effects that kept many (including me) at the edge of their seats. Winston had been a frequent collaborator with filmmakers such as Steven Spielberg, and James Cameron. Stan wanted to be an actor. He became a painter, a sculptor and an artist. Everything to him was creating characters that tell stories in films. Stan Winston was a man adored by Steven Spielberg. How could Steven not adore a man who made dinosaurs that shuck the whole world. Stan was the creator of live action dinosaurs in the film, Jurassic Park . He was also the man behind the terrific makeover of Arnold Schwarzenegger in the Terminator series. Stanley has won four academy awards...

First things first. Shankar is one of my most loved filmmakers in India. But Sivaji according to his standards is in a way a disappointment. The publicity itself said AVM's Sivaji and not Shankar's! Starring Superstar Rajnikanth as Sivaji, the movie only ends up being just another action entertainer. This could be Shankar's most (or only) meaningless effort. It is due to the fact that this movie does not tell anything new than what he told with his own Mudhalvan . Shankar bases his first ever Rajnikanth movie on black money. Like every other Shankar movie, he too adds some subplots that blends with the flow which this time includes child labour, education and more. The basic presentation of the film is no different from Mudhalvan . The cutting pattern of Antony is far from his normal style and takes more of director Shankar's stamp. The other crew of the movie is also the same people who made Mudhalvan . This may be because Shankar had first opted to make Mudhalvan w...

Infernal Affairs is the Hong Kong crime thriller that inspired Martin Scorsese to make the Departed which won him his first academy award. In one way infernal affairs could be said to have a very simple one-line. It's about two people who sacrifice their identities. A cop who fakes to be a crook and a crook who fakes to be a cop. But then this is an emotional crime thriller with more value to emotions than the crimes they will commit. The use of identity is my major attraction to see this film. The style, performance and the making is only the second. The movie stretches through a span of more than 10 years. With time both men will have to come over loyalty, honor and betrayal. The film has been well executed by Alan Mak and Andrew Lau. The writing of Mak and Felix Chong is both clever and complex. What I did not enjoy about departed was it's excess use of abuse. But then, the makers of this Hong Kong version is clean in it's language. Andrew Lau, also the DoP of the f...

The Lives of Others is a German movie with a very straight forward cinematic approach. The Lives of Others traces the life of Captain Gerd Wiesler, a highly skilled officer who works for the Stasi, East Germany's all-powerful secret police. It is a story set in the world where there is no justice! To be more specific, East Germany in 1984. The film shares two genres, namely that of a political thriller and the other of human drama. It should be added that at both these levels The Lives of Others almost sets a perfect example. The tense and tight atmosphere of the plot is transfered beautifully to the screen. Ulrich Muhe as Wiesler is top class. His face communicates with such ease that watching him alone would serve half the success of these Lives . It is good to note that the director and writer, Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, even chose the perfect extras for his film. The basic colours of the film are mostly green, grey or brown. The director and production designer's ...