Apur Sansar

The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec is an adventure film directed by Luc Besson. The film was selected by Besson to be one among his five films to be screened for his retrospective at the International film festival of India 2011. Though I missed it during the festival, I was able to catch up with it once I made it home.  Adele Blanc-Sec was an interesting watch. It had a comic nature throughout and proceeded with plot developments and characters that I thoroughly enjoyed watching. The film has been based on a comic book series as far as I can know from the wikipedia page of the film. The narrative does carry that comic flavor very much for the entire duration of the film. It is delightful for most part except that the film runs a little long and could have been better if it was a tad crisper. The film demanded a good deal of visual effects but the output wasn't quite as convincing. If it was little more brilliant, I guess that the adventure would have man...

Antony Zimmer is the film that inspired the film, The Tourist. Antony Zimmer is a film that works in the genre of an action thriller. The editing should be the best part of the film. It has been brilliantly handled right from the opening of the film. The stylized jump cuts and the smart pacing of the film keeps the momentum going which the remake did not quite. However, the writing of the film does not offer a lot of surprises and makes the total experience of the film rather too un-special! The stylish execution and the visuals of the film does look neat and the performances are just about right. The climax of the film works better than the remake but the ending deserved to have been something more worthwhile. Antony Zimmer is not a great watch but one that is worth seeing for the excellent job with the footages by the editor.

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...

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.

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!

Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Amelie , one very innocent movie, is definitely going to give a unique experience to everyone who is watching it. It works on ideas that seem small but actually quite out of the world. It works on normal characters but in a detailed complex manner. It works around every object in a way you can never imagine. It's a Fabulous adventure of a girl called Amelie. A whole new visual style has been invented in this film. Bruno Delbonnel uses colours in such a brilliant way that Paris is never the Paris I had seen in other movies. The art direction in the movie is also worth mentioning as I feel the sets in the movie looked perfect! Andrey Tautou is perfect as Amelie and so are the others in the cast. Jean's inspiring movie has invented a whole new genre for visual presentation. It has life in every frame and is fresh each second. It is one must watch lighthearted movie.

District B13 is a stylized slick action movie from France. Pierre Morel, the cinematographer turned director, feels that his treatment would work wonders for a plot that is almost hollow. District B13 is top notch before it enters its main plot. By the time the movie starts to reveal it's plot it has actually finished with all the movie has got- the fast moves, the sharp cuts, the CG enhanced visuals and what the makers mean by action! We can see the ending coming once the movie is halfway through. Still, district B13 without having offered anything new in its writing has made a masterful attempt in creating an action flick not many Hollywood makers would dare to make. B13 successfully manages to create the 2010 scenario with a template that reminds of nothing but video games. And just as in video games are the characters who have very less to speak or act about as they are all busy jumping around (all in the name of martial arts). District B13 is a smart action flick for all ...

The Perfume of the Lady in Black is a very interesting French crime comedy. The movie happens to be fast with an old cult touch to it! The movie follows quite a simple plot which is based on the novel by Gaston Leroux. Bruno Podalydes, the director of the film, has done a wonderful job as he wins complete attention of the viewer. The film consists of two stories that follow one another. First is Rouletabille’s long-awaited reunion with his parents and the second is another crime to be solved at the castle where his mother is staying. Denis plays the lead role supported by the brilliant photographer Sainclair, played by Jean-Noël Brouté. The acting is again top class. The cinematography by Christophe Beaucarne too is of high standards largely due to the wise use of the brilliant locals in and around the sea. The movie is crisp for 115 minutes and a non-stop entertainer.