Apur Sansar

Portraits in a sea of lies or Retratos en un mar de mentiras has fantastic visuals. The opening sequence of the film and the credits are simple beautiful. The story progresses at a rather interesting manner with splendid visuals explored by the makers of the film. The film takes a serious turn step by step with the strange things that are seen by the protagonist. There are some exceptionally wonderful scenes in the film. This includes the quick shootout scene in the middle of the journey of the characters. The film through the eyes of a girl jumps between the realms of real and fantasy. It has been quite well portrayed as well by the director Carlos Gaviria. Even when the film has lots of interesting moments and scenes, nothing really lifts the film from being an exceptional one. The climax of the film was also not as impressive as the way the the writer and director managed to make his first hour. However, Paola Baldion plays her character with all the strangeness and makes t...

The Silent House or La Casa Muda is not a must watch film. But the way the film has been made is worth mentioning. The whole film or atleast a large part of the film is made to feel as though it has been shot in a single lengthy take and the story of the film happens to unfold in real time! The movie, which very well falls in the genre of a horror film, with its darkness does have some space for the filmmaker to cheat his visuals. Yet, there has been a lot of effort put forward in making the film and that deserves to get a mention. The writing of the film is more or less silly as in the case of most of the horror films. The climax has an interesting twist as well. But what I'm able to remember quite well is a portion somewhat halfway through the film which had been executed brilliantly by the maker. The film which I guess has been shot digitally has a very keen eye on catching visuals at low light. The darkness adds a lot of mood, alongside the silence, to the film.

Five Hours from Paris is a neatly made film. There is a interesting plot and a narrative that has been divided into three. The smooth screenplay, and the apt visuals with the good performances makes the film a very good watch. The film moves in predictable lines and also features some excellent background score. Of the three divisions, the last one has a lasting impression and carries more power than the first two. The first two sections act as a strong foundation for the third segment. The major highlight of the film is that it centers around two characters and it stays with the two characters without going much into the depth of the people and culture around the two. But the director and writer has managed to clearly show how the life is different for both the leads. On the performance, Dror Keren as Yigel is splendid while Elena Yaralova is a treat to watch!

I don't know if Alamar or To the sea is a scripted film. Written and directed by Pedro Gonzalez Rubio this is a film that talks and shows nothing but life. He is a documentary filmmaker and that might be the reason for the sharp and raw life that is seen in the film. There isn't much to talk as a plot for to the sea. But it is nature, humans and life. The photography is just beautiful. I'm not sure if the live or real sea is as beautiful and rich as the way it has been shown here. The visuals are just awesome.  As of the film, it did strike boredom to me at couple of instances or even more. Besides the visuals there are some tiny acts of the little boy once in a while. However what is quite noteworthy is the fact that the film is a very pleasant throughout its duration and manages to pass a powerful note in the end. For everyone who wants realism, I don't think there can be realism more than this in cinema!

I am Kalam is a film that I really loved. It is one of those film that affected me very well in the emotional level. The film is about a young boy, Chottu, who happens to get inspired by A. P. J. Abdul Kalam. The film does have cliched portions such as the spooky story Chottu has to tell to sleep inside a roof! But the story follows the character to new worlds and the plot developments though predictable are just engaging. The visuals and the light humour in the tea shop provide enough entertainment as well. The film did remind me of a few films which where also films that I loved. The boy in striped pyjamas being the one which I was reminded when the two boys interacted and had fun. Bashu, the Iranian film or Kazcha, its Malayalam take, was also a film that I remembered. These memories may have been due to way the story of I am Kalam was narrated by its maker. Through the eye of a child, how different can the world be after all. I am Kalam is a film that children shouldn't miss. I...

Vino or Wine is a film that is set inside a single house with just two characters. The film begins with the arrival of Jimena to Gonzalo's house. For the first few minutes, the film is more or less a cookery show that is set inside the kitchen of the house of the protagonist. After which the real plot of the film develops where the characters begin to talk and they talk real wild! Funny as well as lame sex jokes are cracked before the film moves into its super hot climax! I don't think the extra zoomed close ups or the burned colour tone of the film helped me much. But yes, it is the liberty of a filmmaker to mess his film. But this was not quite an innovative film. I was reminded of a far better film, titled Tape directed by Richard Linklater, which had just three characters and also set in a space similar to the one in this film. Tape was also shot digitally in 2001 and it had a more candid and impressive feel. The plot of tape was structured like a one act play an...

Human Resources Manager is a film with a great heart. It has a premise that would remind one of a few movies that have come in the past few years such as, Getting Home and Little Miss Sunshine. But there is something more to it in HRM as the film took me on a journey that was sad and happy. The film has a rather slow opening. It takes time to come in terms with the characters and the plot. But once the journey takes a new direction half way through, there is almost no looking back in the film. The film has plot developments that are both funny and original. The ending of the film is also just beautiful. The film which has been based on a novel has something very interesting about the characters. It is the fact that besides one character, the film does not name a single character. Now that is something very challenging for a writer and a director, to pull off an effective film without names!

Werner Herzog's Heart of Glass is a strange film. It has a premise that is just as strange as the absent minded characters. A film is a weird fantasy shot in style with some amazing visuals. The sequence of the glass being made is one of the most brilliantly visualized scenes I can remember in the film. Even when the film is set in historic times, the maker still manages to bring the red glass theory very convincingly. The simple premise, the odd performances and the strangest dialogues one can imagine of hearing makes this film rather unique.

Abbas Kiarostomi's Certified Copy is an interesting film. It is simple yet complex. If one would ask me if I got the point of the film, I would stay confused. It is a film that I enjoyed but never really understood! There are certain things that I'm certain of the film and those things simply force me to love it beyond the un-understood episodes that come after. Juliette Binoche comes up with one of the best performances I have ever seen from an actress. She is not just beautiful but also performs to her beauty. William Shimell, a man whom I'm not familiar also manages to be so convincing as the writer who is present opposite Juliette.  The film like one of Kiarostomi's earlier films is all talking with brilliant long shots to balance the conversations. I'm quite uncertain how Kiarostomi manages to grab such awesome performances from his actors who have to talk so much without a cut. The dialogues are fun and witty at times and are so well written. The flow in which...

Takeshi Kitano's outrage stays very much true to its title. It is outrageous and it is fucking crazy! This is not a film that is highly recommended but it was fun to watch this one and it is worth just a watch! Outrage may be a film that many would find easy to say as low in originality. It hardly offers any plot to discuss. It is bloody shootout from minute one. It's got enough and more style, cardboard mafia characters, double crossings, gore, more gore, bullets, more bullets and lots of men in black outfits and cars. It is even freaking funny at most times when different men from the opposite sides of the mafia end up meeting to kill one another. Outrage is a film about bad men and that might be the reason why Kitano thought of making it like this, with just style and very little effort on its writing department! The photography of the film is really beautiful. The shots of the car moving in a straight line are simply awesome. This visual side is very pleasing with cool visu...

Silent souls is a film which has very few characters. It is very well photographed film with a small premise that tells the story of two people journey to cremate the body of the wife of one of the passengers. The visuals speak so much for the film. The narration of the protagonist is interesting and the new plot points which are revealed on the way are also quite well written. The film may be a bit slow but the film is crisp and communicates effectively with some powerful images and thoughts which deserves to be seen. Aleksei Fedorchenko makes a film that may not be quite innovative in its making but it is a film that is made in a style that seems to have been mastered with a lot of the movies in the past which had been just as powerful or maybe more.

Osho (or The Grand Master or The King) is a 1948 Japanese film directed by Ito Daisuke. The film has a rather simple premise and has been well made. The film has been beautifully photographed as well. Daisuke's narration is very much in a linear fashion and is mostly in predictable lines. Though the ending seems to be a bit too melodramatic for this time, the film does not look long for its less than 100 minute duration. The passing of the train is a very important element that has been placed through out the film. It is in a brilliant way the director has managed to shoot the train scenes as well.

The last summer of la Boyita is a film that is from the perspective of a small child and is a coming of age film. A child so brilliantly played by Guadalupe Alonso and directed by Julia Solomonoff, the film is interestingly written as well. Though the first few minutes of the film does not point directly into the story, it does after a while. As the characters of Mario and Jorgelina meet each other and become friends, the film is just lovely. Julia has to be admired for her great directorial skill of being able to bring what could be called brilliant performances from the two lead actors, who are both children. The film was to an extent predictable but I would disagree that it was cliched. The last summer of la Boyita may not be a great film, but it was a neatly made film that is worth seeing.

A day in orange or Dia Naranja is a film that was screened in the competition section in the 15th International Film Festival of Kerala. I have no idea what the panel might have had in their minds as they selected this film to compete in the competition section. The film may look partly interesting in its synopsis. But that is just about it. Through the 90 minutes, I as a viewer seemed to have suffered more pain and suffering than the silly women or the pointless men in the film. It is not necessary that a film has to be thought provoking, but it would be better to see a film that makes any kind of sense in any minute of its entire duration. This is one outrageous film made by a woman director on the issue of unexpected pregnancy. I can't help but remember a far better film, which evoked more sense on the issue of pregnancy called Notebook, which was a Malayalam film directed by Roshan Andrews.

Maria Novaro might be the most successful woman director from Mexico. But here 1989 debut film, Lola, was not quite an interesting watch. The film has a very feminine point of view and is a tiring journey of woman. The film does feature some worthy background score, some interesting shots and fewer interesting scenes. Yet, the film or its content failed to move me. The leading lady who carries the film, Leticia Huijara, looks gorgeous. But nothing saved me from the sufferings in the dark theatre whole which was from from what the protagonists had faced.

Mika Kaurismaki is a Finnish filmmaker. His 2009 film, The House of Branching Love, is definitely not a unique film but it does have some real funny moments. The film which has been based on a novel tries to explore the relationships that break and form within a rather small family. This is not quite a refreshing subject, yet the maker tries to make the film interesting with his proceedings. But what the film suffers is some very lame gags which does not occur once but repeats throughout the film. The actors are quite comfortable at what they are doing but the film will make one sick after its first hour. The film does discuss about human relationships in a humorous manner but that isn't a good enough excuse to watch this.

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu is one of my favorite filmmakers and his amores perros is one of the films which has inspired me the most. After having differences of opinion and splitting with his writer Guillermo Arriaga, Alejandro returns with Biutiful with himself and two others at the writing table. Biutiful is a beautifully made film indeed. But the film does suffer a little in its writing department. The film has a plot that may sound too much of a cliche. A plot that may be in the similar lines of films such as Ikiru. But the writers have tried to detail and develop the storyline with elements of afterlife. The way in which it has been executed is nothing short of smartness. He does not emphasis too much on the afterlife element yet marks them with solid visuals. Javier Bardem gives a wonderful performance as Uxbel and it is he who carries the film throughout. Alejandro makes effective use of the events and has been able to generate the unpleasantness around the path of Uxbel inter...

Please Don't Disturb is an interesting film but not exceptional. What actually irritated me was the documentary kind of film making which the director had implemented to narrate his story. This nature actually made a few minutes of the film rather too boring as well. The basic thing about I film which I have a strong point on is realism. Film may or may not be realistic. It is not at all necessary that a film has to be realistic. A point when the film becomes too real and less cinema is when it would turn into a documentary. And that is exactly what has happened to the film by Mohsen Abdolvahab. But I would not deny that the fact that the film featured some exceptionally brilliant performances. And if one would ask me who the pick of them would be, my answer would definitely be the old man in who has problems with his memory. His presence carried the best part of the film and he has done an amazing work. There has been an interesting way the narration shifts the characters as well....

People say a film is made at two tables. One on the writing table and the other on the editing table. No matter what is on the writing table, the future of the film is written in the editing table. Martin Scorsese's The Departed has been edited by Thelma Schoonmaker. The film's highlight is its editing. The screenplay by William Monahan may be an interesting take on the Hong Kong film, Infernal Affairs. It may also be mentioned that the film has a very interesting premise that details with the conflict of ones identity. But what really makes the film better is the way the proceedings have been mixed up so that the pace of the film has an amazing balance which could help keep the viewer engaged. Martin Scorsese has to be admired for playing so much with the footages that he had come up with a very smart film with a screenplay that may have lacked the pace which The Departed now has. The best performance in the cast should come from Mark Wahlberg who gives a stunningly impressive...

Alejandro Amenabar is the director of the Nicole Kidman film The Others. The film is a mystery thriller that deals with the subjects of ghost. A film that relied greatly on the performance of Kidman was a film that was quite interesting especially for the writing. The filmmaker comes with a completely different film three years after The Others in 2004. And that film is the Sea Inside, a film that tells about the suffering of a man. A true story of a man named Ramon Sampedro. The film though deals with a rather dull story has to been told very interestingly by the director. What makes the film worth seeing is also the simplistic nature of the story telling. With a protagonist who hardly moves, the maker of the film has managed to narrate a very moving piece of film.  Javier Bardem plays the lead player in the film. He plays the role which seems so comfortable to him. Even the supporting cast of the film do a splendid job making the film a very interesting watch. The film beyond the...

The Bicycle Thieves is a masterpiece. It has a heart and it is in the right place. There is a very simplistic nature to the characters and the setting of the film. This nature along with the innocence is what I  loved about the bicycle thieves. The film has been shot in the brilliant backdrops of Italy and the story has been splendidly visualized on screen without any glamour by direcotr Vittorio De Sica. The writing is sharp and crisp. The bicycle thieves even today has some sort of a freshness within it and that is the sign of a masterpiece!

Kramer vs. Kramer deals with the story of relationships. Based on novel, the film has a terrific content. Robert Benton who has adapted and directed it has made a remarkable film. Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep and Jane Alexander give wonderful performances. Alongside them would be Justin Henry, who acts as the son of the Kramer's, Billy Kramer. This has to be one of the better child performances ever! Dustin Hoffman in the lead role shares terrific chemistry with Justin Henry. The scene when Justin wakes up and walks over to the bed of Dustin is simply terrific. The scene where Ted runs with Billy to the hospital was just too well made. And also watch out for the scene where Ted Kramer's friend Phyllis Bernard meets Billy! Kramer vs. Kramer would be one film that I will remember for a long time.

[Rec] follows the style of Blair Witch Project. But the format, the budget and every about the film is slightly bigger and better. But what is so sick is the content the film has to deal with. The plot reminded me of Resident Evil from the word go but the video style making and the beautiful TV girl manages get the proceedings going for sometime. But after the first plot point the things begin to fall on predictable lines for the sometime which makes the film rather a bit boring! But the makers of the film makes an interesting finale to end things up. [Rec] is different from Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity in the matter of silence. Here the film has been filled with so much conversation and shouting. But what remains the same is that it still has some horror in it!

Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless is a film that stays true to its title in style. The film follows a rather simple storyline. The screenplay is tightly packed and what further makes the proceedings interesting is the editing of the film. The film makes use of jump cuts to a great extent which was not a familiar style during the making of the film. The cuts the duration of the characters breathing, which makes the dialogues and conversation flow so continuously without a pause. Though the style seems to be odd at certain points, Godard has managed to make a great impact with his narrative.

Watching Inception a second time, I actually loved it more. Christopher Nolan is indeed one hell of a filmmaker. What I truly admired in the second watch besides Nolan's master imagination are the editing by Lee Smith and the background score by Hans Zimmer. I doubt if this is a great score from the side of Zimmer but I'm sure it works well with the movie. The editing by Smith is uncompromisingly the back bone of this film. He has not let room for the tempo of the film to go down at any point. Watch out for the scenes of DiCaprio with Ellen Page in the first hour of the film.  Though I do feel that Nolan's dialogues lacked the punch which he had in his previous movies, his gripping screenplay tries to cover things up. He has also managed to explain an interesting idea, which do have references to the Matrix, with a good deal of clarity. Though I do have certain doubts about the idea of limbo, I'm not really bothered! I loved the film and happy to have watched it agai...

Michael Mann's Public Enemies is a period film that has been shot digitally without the glamor of artificial lighting. It may be disturbing for many of the viewers to see this film which gives the feeling of watching a documentary or a video on TV. It seems Michael Mann wanted this feel and has made the film like this after a hell lot of thought. Public Enemies is based on some true events, so Mann wanted the realism factor in his film has opted this kind of a look for the film. I was indeed affected a bit by the look of the film and felt myself uncomfortable in watching it. The sound design of the film too is strangely in the style of a video! But Mann's brilliant screenplay makes the film going. The interesting performances and the weird making of the film does deserve a look!

A prophet is a brilliantly made violent film set in the French prison. The film is tightly packed with great details given to the actions of the protagonist. The cinematography and editing helps in the translation of the screenplay quite beautifully for the maker. The narration of the film is in an interesting style and the pace is steady throughout the film. Though the film seems to be violent at various portions. One of the best images in the film which is also one of the best scenes in the film is that of Malik seeing the sign of deers as he moves in the car and the content that follows it. The background music and execution of the portion has been quite a shocker!

Walt Disney can be proud that they have distributed a great movie to begin their proceedings in India. Do Dooni Chaar is a small film with a big heart. Rishi Kapoor, Neethu Kapoor, Archit Krishna and Aditi Vasudev appear in the lead roles in this film. A film tells a beautiful story and the characters are have so much life in them. The events in the film progress at a leisure pace but not once did I feel like taking my eyes of the big screen. There aren't dull moments in this film and that's what makes it so feel-good. The film grows to a new level with the plot development in the second half and has some brilliant scenes. There is even a portion where I felt so much love for what the maker has written. Aditi Vasudev who plays the daughter of Rishi Kapoor performs very well and so does the others in the cast. The film reminded me of the Hindi film, Khosla Ka Ghosla which was also a family comedy. However Habib Faisal's making makes DDC different and it maybe noted that ther...

Black book is a smart thriller from director Paul Verhoeven. Paul is the director of Basic Instinct and Hollow-man. Black book may be considered as a much more matured attempt at making a thriller. The canvas of the film is bigger and it is during the second world war. The film is erotic and violent yet the screenplay keeps the events ticking and there are lots of interesting characters. Carice van Houten in the lead manages to pull off the film very well. Her character though does not offer much surprises after the first plot point, she still manages to play her character very convincingly. The film may not be one of those serious films on holocaust but it is indeed one very entertaining film on the same.

PC Sreeram is one hell of a cinematographer. His works in Mani Ratnam films have always been once which I admire a lot! But when PC Sreeram steps into the shoes of a director with Kamal Hassan as the lead player and also the writer of the film, Kuruthipunal just does not happen well. The film does feature interesting moments at regular intervals. It has some brilliantly taken shots as well. Yet, when the two hour plus film ends and the credits roll, the experience does not seem to have been one that I could cheer about. Besides Kamal Hassan, Gautami, Arjun and Nasar, the film suffers a lot in its casting. When the film has some powerful dialogues it too has some very pathetic lines as well. The writing of the film lets down in its narration though the scenes may look interesting when pulled out from the heard and seen. Kuruthipunal may have some good intentions but the film does not bring them well.

Maria Full of Grace follows an interesting tale of a girl. Catalino Sandino Moreno is the lead player of the film and plays the title character of Maria. It is she who drives the film. Even when the writing begins to slow its pace and the proceedings in the film start to look lame, she pulls off some excellent performances and saves the film. The character of Maria is powerful and it has helped her in the performance it seems. I did find an amount of strangeness in the plot but the film did work for me.

Animation has indeed come a long way. And the styles inside it has not been discovered completely. The proof would be the film Waltz with Bashir which showcased a unique and highly innovative style of animation in the documentary film Waltz with Bashir. The film has a great visual appeal while dealing with a very hellish subject - war! Though the film has an interesting narration the film does become very docu-like and less cinematic as the end nears.

Zhang Yimou made an exceptionally brilliant film called Hero which had Jet Li in the title role. Zhang Yimou makes Curse of the Golden Flower in an even more grand scale with Chow Yun Fat in the role of an Emperor.  Curse of the Golden Flower features sets and the costumes rich in terms of colour. But the writing of the film lacks a certain power. A power to overcome the visual grandeur of the empire Yimou has captured for his viewers. There is too much of drama involved in the film. More than a cinematic experience Yimou's film has a more theatrical approach in the proceedings. Besides some flying action sequences shot in different time speeds Curse of the Golden Flower does not even live up to the curious nature of its title.

Love, Sex aur Dhokha was a wonderful film. Three stories of Love, Sex and Betrayal. It may also be seen like the first story was about love, the next about Sex and the third about betrayal. The film works both ways! Khosla Ka Ghosla was one film that I really loved. The director Dibankar Banerjee who made that film made a second film called Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye which I haven't seen. But Dibankar's thrid film LSD is an excellent film in terms of the content as well as the innovation he has made with digital cinema. Having watched a few episodes of the programs such as Emotional Attyachar, I was able to sense an extra life in the film. The references to the television world and the folks who sit for entertainment in front of that box should definitely put on a DVD of LSD and watch! It does not mean that the film is flawless. LSD does suffer some hiccups. The pace of the film seem to alter at regular intervals. Events would seem forced at places. But those are forgettable when the...

Mulholland Drive is a brilliant film. It maybe even flawless. It is one of the most inspiring movies I have ever seen with one of the most complex of screenplays written! The shot divisions and the making is nothing short of pure class! Naomi Watts and Laura Harring perform the roles of their life time and in style. There is a lot of mystery in Mulholland Drive. The film would grow in you with every new frame.   

The White Ribbon reminded me of Manoj Night Shyamalan's highly underrated film, The Village. The film talks about the mysterious happenings in a village during the first world war. The film has been brilliantly shot. The film which is completely in black and white has a peculiar feel to it. The visuals kind of remind the films of Ingmar Bergman and other films of his times. The film takes its time to narrate its tale which has some terrifically written instances and fantastic performances.

A cop. A criminal. A flower. The tagline of Daisy does say a lot of things. It is the story about a cop and a criminal which gets connected over the life of a colour through a flower. Daisy however does not have much of a charm besides the beautifully shot visuals and the charming leading lady. Andrew Lau who had co-directed the Infernal affairs is the director here. However Daisy is no interesting film with its slow tempo and poor narration.

The song of the sparrows comes from the director Majid Majidi, the director who made Children of Heaven. The song of the sparrows is yet another masterpiece from the maker. A film that has a heart and soul. The beautiful story has traces and reminders of Children of Heaven but it is not definitely the reminding that makes this a great film but the beauty of the writing and the innocence of the characters. As the scene changes from one to another Majid Majidi is almost writing a beautiful poem with human emotions. The scene of the gold fish in the poster will be one you will never forget when you witness it on the cinema. A movie for life.

Finally, I watched My Sassy Girl. A romantic comedy that has some brilliantly written moments. It is the character of the girl and the performance given to the character that works beyond the screenplay here. The ending did not come by surprise but the simple yet interesting moments through the film with interesting narrations by the male protagonist makes this film worth watching.

I'm not interested in politics. The same was the case with the protagonist of Roman Polanski's The ghost writer. This film is one beautifully crafted political thriller even for those who aren't interested much in politics. The film based on the novel by Robert Harris is a very calm film. There is a lot of talking going on in the film but the smooth nature of building suspense and thrill in the film is one engaging thing. The pacing of the film is not that fast but the good performances and the smart ending is definitely worth it!

The Secret in their Eyes is an Academy Award winning Argentine film. The film impressed me right from the opening shot. The mystery aspect of the film is also thoroughly engaging though we have a writer who is unraveling the mystery than a police officer! The screenplay has been beautifully written and brilliantly filmed. The performers seemed perfect and so was their make up! Half way through the film comes one of the best cinematic shots that lasts almost 5 minutes planned and executed in terrific style. The visual effects in the shot and the cinematography is one of the most admirable works I have seen in some time!

Gus Van Sant is one of those directors who has never failed to impress me. I had previously seen Elephant, Milk and his short film in the series Paris je t'aime. Elephant is also one of my all time favourite! So coming back to writing about this film that I happen to see, it was really wonderful. The writing which actually comes from actors Matt Daemon and Ben Affleck was very impressive. The growth of the story was simply superb. The characters and their dialogues all seemed to be really impressive. Robin Williams plays one of his best written roles in superb style. As of the way the film has been treated, I don't think it could have been treated any better. The fight sequence in the beginning of the film is one that would be remembered for long. 

Ram Gopal Varma is without doubt one of my favourite directors in Indian cinema just for the reason that he made Shiva, Satya and Company! This along with Mohanlal being cast in the film are the only two reasons why I bought the DVD of aag home and sat through the entire film.  First things first, I also don't believe that Sholay is the greatest movie made in India! But yes indeed it does work as a very interesting film. I remember very little of Sholay now but I do have the idea of the proceedings as I sat to watch Ramu's version. The last one hour of the film and the romance between Ajay Devgan and Nisha Kothari could be considered as one of the most terrifying bit of film making especially because it comes from Ram Gopal Varma. The songs where horrible expect for the track Aag and the background score was simply too loud for me! The cinematography was fine but it did make me dizzy after a while! But Amitabh Bachchan and Mohanlal gave splendid performances though Mohanl...

As the trailer and audio of the film Enthiran are out, here is a feature on one filmmaker who has inspired me to be in movies, Shankar. Director Shankar as he is referred is a filmmaker from Tamil Nadu. He debuted with the film Gentleman in 1993, made the Kadhalan, Indian, Jeans, Mudhalvan, Nayak, Boys, Anniyan and Sivaji. Now, in September 2010, he would be presenting to his audience yet another film that would just be as overboard as his earlier offerings. This time around he comes up with a Science Fiction film titled Enthiran- the Robot. Shankar is known for films with huge budgets, exotic locations, glamour and style. I believe he is a filmmaker who very well knows the pulse of the audience. His success rate at the box office is the proof of this. Shankar has indeed tasted failure. And that was not just once, but back to back in both 2001 and 2003. The films, Nayak and Boys, did not do the expected business for the money spinning filmmaker. However his next release could have shu...

Kim Ki-Duk's Dream is yet again a strange film. I'm not much impressed with the film though there are a few interesting aspects in the film. The story of a guys dream turning real is not new. But due to the fact that it is connected to a girl who happens to be sleep walking at the time of the dream is quite an interesting idea. However this interest cannot last for 95 minutes and that is the place where the film fails.  The film is quite violent in nature as the end nears and there are a few highly imaginative scenes in the film. But in the end, Kim Ki-Duk's Dream is not a must watch.

Christopher Nolan is an excellent filmmaker. A filmmaker who has inspired me a lot. It was only hours back that I actually saw one of his earlier works. It was a short film titled Doodlebug . I did not like the film much but it definitely shows that Nolan wanted to make something that would be out of the box, something which I guess every aspiring filmmaker would try. Christopher Nolan after this 3minute film went on to make a feature film titled Following which was shot on 16mm. Something I love about this film is the fact that the film has a brilliantly constructed narrative and some brilliant moments. The film has been shot in black and white and made on a very small budget. Christopher Nolan two years after Following went on to make his cult film, Memento , with Guy Pearce in the lead. The film was brilliant not just for its story but also for the skillful writing and also for the film making. The film goes in both the forward as well as the reverse chronology simultaneously. It ...

I thought I would see another Korean movie today. This time around I chose director Kim Kid-duk's Bad Guy. But the film was not such a great experience. The impact I have after watching bad guy does have traces of the reaction I had after watching Address Unknown.  The initial part of the film progresses interestingly. But the narrative struggles as the plot development seems to be too little. The character never really interested me. The film does have a few good symbolism and some interesting images despite the very sad events happening inside the film. 

Death of a Cyclist or Age of Infidelity, as it is given at the imdb.com was quite an interesting film. I did not personally expect much from the film but the film was brilliantly made. The film is powerful in every aspect of its making, from the plot to the screenplay to the visuals to the actors. Everything was excellent. What I loved exceptionally well was the transition from one scene to another. The film also makes brilliant use of the black and white photography. The screenplay is crisp for the 90 minutes and it is definitely worth your time.

Kim Ki-duk is one director whom I have suddenly become a huge fan of. The reason is simple, his characters don't talk too much. I have only seen four of his films however. The last two of them happened to have made me admire the craft and art of the filmmaker in Kim Ki-duk while the first two where not quite the sort I enjoyed. The first film that I saw from the maker was called Address Unknown and I remember very little of it now except for some brutally bloody scenes which are more or less nightmares for me now. Then I happened to have seen a brilliantly set film that happens just around a single location. It was The Isle. The female character of the film was a mute girl and so was the film mute for more than three fourth of the time. What I disliked about Isle was also certain scenes of extreme violence which was very hard for me to watch on screen. It was 3-Iron that surprised me completely of how beautifully characters could be handled in the film with very little talking. 3-I...

I had seen a film by the director Joon-ho Bong almost three years back (That would be 2007). The film was called The Host. It was a dubbed version of the Korean original. I usually don't like dubbed movies, but the experience of watching Host could be called a slightly different one. It is because, the film worked for me. The film was a comedy set on a disaster day. The disaster of a monster attacking a city. The film was brilliantly made, though I'm not sure if everybody would enjoy the kind of humour that was present in the film. Now after three years I was able to visit yet another film by Joon. It was a film made in 2003. The film had faces familiar to me via The Host! The film was called Memories of Murder. Memories of Murder is a brilliantly made film which grows into being a excellent thriller. The film is smartly written, well executed and splendidly visualized.

Kim Ji-Woon is a Korean filmmaker. I happened to have seen two of his films recently. A bittersweet life and A Tale of Two Sisters. These two movies happened to have had a terrific impact deep inside me. If you ask me if these are my favourite films. The answer would be a definite no. But they seem to have inspired me to be a filmmaker real soon. The kind of treatment and the beauty in executing scenes is evident through out these two films. A bittersweet life is a story that is a bit over board as the film progresses. But what makes the film work is the sensibility with which the filmmaker has treated his film. The beautiful thought provoking story in the beginning and the brilliantly crafted scenes that follow of the lead protagonist are a pure treat to watch. A Tale of Two Sisters is a horror flick. Even when it has a lot of cliches the treatment of Kim makes you want to sit through the whole film.

Taste of Cherry happens to be the first Abbas Kiarostami film I'm seeing. It has a simple yet challenging plot. The movie is definitely not meant for all kinds of moviegoers. The story happens in a small setting, with brilliantly taken long shots and some terrific visual imagery. Though slow, the treatment of the film and the dialogues spoken by the characters will keep the interest quotient alive all the way. Taste of Cherry is a little film with a beautiful heart. Watch it.

Kick-Ass is a superhero movie directed by Matthew Vaughn. Micheal's film making style has striking resemblances to Guy Ritchie's which I can't help remembering evening while seeing this Kick-Ass movie which is quite different from his Layer Cake. Kick-Ass is neatly made and has a couple of interesting moments but the film never really grows up to being something extraordinary. There is Nicholas Cage in an interesting role and he has done that quite well. The rest of the cast don't seem to need any extra mention but except for maybe the little girl. Kick-Ass is worth a watch but it is not a must watch.

Baraka is an experience. It is unlike the experience from the technical gimmicks of James Cameron or Micheal Bay but something more true and from heart. Baraka can't be enjoyed the folks who believe in the traditional and conventional story telling pattern. If you ask me whether baraka tells a story, I would be confused because I don't know. Maybe there was some great story hidden between the moving cars, the staring people or even the exotic locations. I couldn't follow them as my eyes and mind sunk into the brilliant rhythm and flow of visuals that I have always wanted to see. If you ask me if baraka is long for 93 minutes, I would definitely agree. I did not quite enjoy Baraka all that well towards the last 20 odd minutes. But for the rest of the film it was awesome. Something just like the film - World beyond Words.

I happened to read a bit of Ram Gopal Varma's blog, rgvzoomin.com. It was not just interesting but it was an amazing experience. I might even become a regular reader of the space as well. The intelligent and crazy answers of RGV towards the reactions section is also amazing to note. Among a lot of things what has inspired me most where the lines which said ' Both praise and criticism don’t matter to me because I already know what I am and what I am not and I also know the reasons for the same.' I have used the same as my status at various social networking sites as well. The reason for the same being the fact that I agree 101% with Ramu. Also having watched Ramu's debut film I'm even more impressed. Though I'm don't know much of Telugu, I saw Shiva and simply loved it. The rawness and the energy and the use of techniques impressed me a lot. The steadicam shots are simply amazing. I believe that everybody should see Shiva for the brilliant way ...

Steven Spielberg is one most interesting filmmakers ever. Saving Private Ryan is a masterpiece from the master himself. Saving Private Ryan has a simple story. It follows a neat screenplay. But the film is beyond the words. Janusz Kaminski is a cinematographer and he will put the viewer right in the middle of war for director Steven Spielberg's vision. The film is a bit lengthy yet Spielberg has done a wonderful job. There is very little story that might happen in the 2 hour 30 minutes but it is feel and experience that takes the upper hand. In a way it is different from many of the movies I have seen. I don't have words to write more. Saving Private Ryan is a very interesting piece of film better not missed.

Cinema is actually meant to be the place where a movie which may be shot on film is screened to people. But it has come to be commonly used instead of film and movies. I too personally like it this way. There are things that I love about cinema. Those are the reasons why I have always wanted to be a filmmaker. I don't know if people have felt this but there has always been a lack of clarity of my ideas about movies. I feared a right or wrong in what I said. But since the selection of Irreversible for the festival there has been an air of confidence in me. The lack of clarity in me is almost zero percent now. I now feel that there is no right or wrong in art. Whatever said or done is a freedom, a right to expression. I have always had my own opinions on whatever movie I saw. My analyzing nature tried to criticize everything. I was not satisfied by anything, ever. But indeed I had movies that I loved, but moments I hated in them. There has been a lot of changes ...

It's been a couple of days since I had booked the tickets for Venkat Prabhu's latest film, Goa. I had very little idea about what Goa was going to be like though I had seen a couple of chat shows with Venkat Prabhu, Soundarya Rajnikanth and the actors of the film. I had seen the trailer and the I simply admire the newspaper ad of the film! Chennai 600028 and Saroja, two of the earlier films by Venkat Prabhu had a lot of things in common but they seemed to be entirely different. Being an optimist I hoped for the best as I walked into the R-29 seat at Sathyam Cinemas for the 6.30 show. Venkat Prabhu did not disappoint me. It reminded me of Chennai 600028. Venkat has made the film with more grandness but with the same flair of freshness and fun. The film took time to get a move. But once the protagonists started for Goa the movie was on. There was no looking back! Premgi Amaran is terrific as Sami in the film. His look and performance is total fun. It is he who has h...