What makes Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara a perfect summer movie

For the record: I'm perfectly aware of the fact that 1) perfection is subjective, and 2) I don't have a clue what makes a good movie. A film with similar ingredients as Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara might not have worked anywhere near as good, and maybe there are people somewhere in this world, who didn't fall in love head over heels with this film.
But as we continue, I want you to forget all these thoughts and look at Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara from the viewpoint of a summer-craving, adventure-seeking, latinophilic (there's no such word, is there?) fan, and just sense the love...

Success factor #1: Setting

Against the System

A Wednesday!

India, 2008

Directed and written by Neeraj Pandey

★ Naseeruddin Shah, Anupam Kher, Jimmy Shergill

 The first half of A Wednesday seems like a mixture of the most basic, well-known, mainstream terrorism thriller elements; a police officer receives a call from a stranger telling that he has planted bombs in various places of a big city (Mumbai). The police officer wants a proof, he gets it. The stranger wants some terrorists with muslim names to be released.
And that's where the film gets interesting. I don't want to say much about the plot from that point on, except that this is not your typical Indian terrorism film at all.

Innocence. Desire. Suicide.

USA, 1999

Directed and written by Sofia Coppola

★ Kirsten Dunst, A.J. Cook, Hanna Hall, Leslie Hayman, Chelse Swain

      

Much has been said about Sofia Coppola's directorial debut, and what I have heard has in particular been full of praise - even love - for The Virgin Suicides. If you want to read some more of that, stay tuned.

The IMDB Tops: 5 Thoughts on... Rebecca

For my second post in the series, I share my thoughts on a so-called classic that didn't make it easy for me to like it. Only 5 thoughts instead of the usual 10, therefore. 

USA, 1940

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Written by Robert E. Sherwood, Joan Harrison

★ Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine, George Sanders

    

Current IMDB rank - rating - votes

 1. It's so hard to find a genre for this film. I like it when films can't be genre-rized genuinely, but this is something else; I don't really know what it was truly about. There was some love and some drama... mystery... sometimes a dash of horror... but nothing really made a huge impression, which is a problem in my opinion. You don't know what the message or the essence of all this is supposed to be. But maybe one of you has the answer?

2. Though Joan Fontaine was a beauty, most of the time I found her acting to be quite strange and stiff. Might be her character is supposed to be shy, but to me it seemed very much over-the-top. The same can be said about Laurence Olivier, though the script is part of what went wrong here - his character, Maxim, never explains himself. Actually, it doesn't seem like the couple talks about profound things at all, except maybe grandchildren. They even live in separate bedrooms - was that really normal back then? And as for that one kiss in front of the fire-place - you can't fool me, I've seen Casablanca. I know that Hollywood films didn't have to be that prude and un-realistic in the 40s. Come on, who on earth would kiss like that and simultaneously turn their heads towards the fire place, dreaming. It was just too much.

3. My favourite character of the whole film was Mrs. Danvers, played by Judith Anderson. I think she delivered the best performance of the whole film, her character was truly scaring and though she was over-the-top as well, she didn't pretend to be "normal". My favourite scene therefore also happens to be with her - the one where Mrs. Danvers shows the new Mrs. De Winter Rebecca's old room. I think with a few more horror or thriller elements, the film might've worked better.

4. There was some great suspense in some of the scenes, especially when Mrs. De Winter is starting to find out (or thinks she does) about Rebecca and everything just seems so mysterious and strange. The mansion of Manderlay is the perfect scene for all of this, and I love films that take place in a restricted but grand environment, like a mansion.

5. It is surprising that Rebecca happens to be one of Hitchcock's most famous works, for in my opinion it wasn't much more than average. I've just seen Shadow of a Doubt, which isn't included in the IMDB Top 250 (it's famous too though), and I think this is a little unfair.
While Rebecca did have its moments, most of which I've mentioned, I failed to see its greatness.

Blood. Music. Ryan.

USA, 2011

Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn

Written by Hossein Amini

★ Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston

        

Even though DRIVE has only been a moderate success at the box office, it's already considered a cult classic by its fans. Once they saw Ryan Gosling driving around in L.A. at night time to the blooming electronic beats of Kavinsky & Lovefoxxx, they were hooked. So was I.

While few films truly live out their ideas, DRIVE has its own spirit that shines through in every single scene. The extreme brutality may seem arty to some viewers, to me it was just perfect. A little shocking at times, but nevertheless perfectly right.
The complete contrast to the brutality is existent in many calm and slow scenes, and both sides are connected in the character of the Driver, who is a quiet yet two-fisted person. If you haven't been falling for Ryan Gosling yet, this movie will certainly make you. Ryan is the greatest star of the movie, taking the spotlight from every single one of the excellent supporting actors and actresses. His character is best described in the lyrics of one of the hyper-cool songs of the soundtrack: „A real human being, and a real hero“.
Though he shows traces of humanity by falling in love with Carey Mulligan's character and being wounded a few times, the Driver is an invincible hero. Maybe it's this utterly cool hero that I've been missing in many films of the recent times, at least he's one of the main reasons why I loved DRIVE. The way his silver jacket with the golden scorpion shines in the light, the dark sunglasses that hide his beautiful blue eyes, and his calm smile... absolutely everything about him is so perfect it hurts.

It is hard for me to write about a film I love, and therefore, this review isn't very long. I want to apologize for this, but the words just won't come... it's only emotions, sounds and images in my head. The pink letters, the short yet always perfectly fitting dialogue, the moment when me and my mum couldn't bear the absurd brutality anymore and were caught by a fit of laughter in the theater... which, in case you would like to know, was after one of the gangsters hit a fork into the eye of another gangster.

The haunting alternation of silence and slaughter, and the moment when everything was over and I realized how outstanding this movie is.

I always fear to be too impulsive rating movies, therefore the rating is a bit lower than I  would actually like it to be.

What I learned from Lone Scherfig's An Education

UK/ USA, 2009

Directed by Lone Scherfig

Written by Nick Hornby and Lynn Barber

★ Carey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgaard

   

Contains spoilers

The message of Lone Scherfig's acclaimed coming-of-age movie is neither surprising nor very eye-opening. Most of us female creatures have heard it at least a dozen times while growing up, from our parents, teachers, the magazines and so on.

We're fortunate. We take our possibilities for granted. We need to fight harder. We need to be able to survive without men's help.

When I hear the expression "early marriage", I think of it as negative thing, something I wish I would never hear again. A picture pops up in my head, showing a young woman, doomed to stay in the house and prepare dinner while two of the five babies are screaming in the background. The highlight of her day is meeting the other housewives at the playground and talking about the latest episode of some soap opera.

But what if early marriage and being a housewife is equal to „listening to Jazz music and going to Paris!“? Now that sounds a lot more fun than sticking your nose into books for years and then working 9-5 while trying to sustain your friend- and other relationships.

What AN EDUCATION managed to do was make me relate to an intelligent girl who wants to abandon her studies in favor of the fun-seeming idea of marriage. And the fact that the film succeeded in doing that is by itself pretty amazing.

Of course, sitting in your cosy armchair, you are forced to question the happiness and bright-looking future of this young girl. Something has to be wrong, life is never as easy as it seems. Which is the reason why most people wouldn't have chosen to abandon their studies in real life, but if the filmic protagonist hadn't chosen to abandon her studies, there'd be one great movie less in the world.

And let's be honest: who has never dreamed of throwing all those school books into the garbage? Who has never dreamed of  taking the easy way, thinking it'd be different in your case, it'd work out in your case? I have.

Without stories like AN EDUCATION, a lot of people might think that way, and a lot of people would take a decision they would be happy about for one moment, but regret later.

You might say now, that Jenny (the protagonist) could have continued her wonderful life full of fun, if only she had ignored the fact that her fiancé was already married. 

Indeed, she could have done this - but it would have made her a cold, heartless shell.
"Your heart can be broken", the film seems to be telling us, "so don't ever rely on the things it holds dear".
Be independent, you can still find love and give away your heart. Just keep your shell safe, so that your heart doesn't become homeless once it's broken. 

And that, Ladies and Gentlemen, is the one of the least romantic and most inspiring lessons I have learned from the movies.

The Compelling Beauty of In the Mood for Love

Once in a while, a film comes by and makes you realize how much you've become used to mediocrity. 

Fa yeung nin wa (2000)

Directed by Kar Wai Wong | Hong Kong
Written by Kar Wai Wong
★ Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Maggie Cheung

    

 ~~~


MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

Essential Hindi Films: Lagaan

Three of my various personalities discussing a milestone of Hindi film history.

Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001)

Directed by Ashutosh Gowariker | India

Written by Ashustosh Gowariker, Kumar Dave, Sanjay Dayma, K.P. Saxena

★ Aamir Khan, Gracy Singh, Rachel Shelley

    

Why Does Shit Always Happen To Us?

A comedy about friendship, Burqa-snogging and... shit.

Delhi Belly (2011)

Directed by Abhinay Deo | India

Written by Akshat Verma

★ Imran Khan, Vir Das, Kunaal Roy Kapur

    

Aamir Khan can today be called one of the trailblazers of the Hindi comedy film landscape. After the immediate and huge success of 3 Idiots (my very first post on this blog), Aamir decided to produce an even blacker comedy, this time starring his nephew Imran, among others.

Different language, same film - or is it?

Read also: Raavan - A Wet Experience (review)

In 2010, Mani Ratnam was the first director to use the Shahrukh-Darr-phenomena* in a filmatization of the holy Ramayana. But why did he make the same film two times?

Raavanan (2010)

Directed by Mani Ratnam | India

Written by Mani Ratnam & Suhasini

★ Aishwarya Rai, Prithviraj, Vikram

     

Mani Ratnam is what you may call an offbeat film maker, whose films sometimes happen to gain commercial success. Hearing the word "offbeat" scares a vast amount of people, which is why they are called the main stream, while others feel interested only when they hear this word.
There is one more group of people however, who think that the word offbeat is a label for many good films, but not a guarantee for that.

I belong to the latter group of people, and maybe that is the reason why Mani Ratnam is one of my favorite directors. His intention seems to be not to make offbeat films, but to make good films that are "difficult" and thought-awakening, and on the other hand comparatively easy to understand and get in to. Ratnam's latest two films, Raavan and Raavanan happen to be a fusion of all these factors. While the first one didn't do that well at neither box-office nor critics, the latter had quite some success and has been praised by many writers. If you remember my review of Raavan, you might now that I - unlike many others - very much liked Ratnam's new interpretation of the Ramayana.

People told me that the Tamil-version was much better, because it had Vikram as the main lead, and already then the thought crossed my mind that: why has Ratnam made two versions of this film, instead of just letting one be dubbed? I was about to find out...