My Cinematic Alphabet - World Edition

Here is the promised World Edition of what I did earlier with Indian films.
It was not easy to create this one, as I've already seen 1000s of films, and off course do not have some kind of record of films viewed. These might not be my total favorites, because like Jack L., I wanted to create a list that's a bit different from others', and also I needed to find examples for all letters of the alphabet.

A is for Atonement [UK]

Avatar is one of my favorites, but off course, no one can beat Mr. McAvoy and Mr. McEwan

B is for Billy Elliot [UK]

Black Swan is too new, and only seen once, but it was considered, just like Bright Star

C is for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button [USA]

This one is probably on most lists, but it truly deserves it

D is for Dirty Dancing [USA]

A bit kitschy and mainstream, but so lovely 

E is for The Exorcist [USA]

Tight battle with E. T., but Horror needs some more appreciation

F is for Forrest Gump [USA]

Why do I keep commenting my selections?

G is for The Godfather I [USA]

Part Two was also great, but Brando really is the Godfather

H is for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban [UK]

Picked as a symbol for the whole series

I is for Into the Wild [USA]

J is for The Jungle Book [USA]

Did I ever mention I love Disney? This is not my favorite, however, but just came into my mind.

Picking "Becoming Jane" would be a cheater, I thought (and maybe too embarrassing)...

K is for The King's Speech [UK]

Hyped for a reason

L is for The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and The Little Mermaid [UK/USA]

... No, I was not able to decide...

M is for Match Point [UK]

Woody at his very best

N is for Network, The Social [USA]

Come on, how could I not cheat for this one

O is for Olsen Banden (all films) [Denmark]

These three guys are the loves of my life (don't tell James... whether Franco nor McAvoy)

P is for The Piano [Australia/NZ/FR]

I would have taken The Pianist or Pride & Prejudice, but then again... so mainstream, no?

At least one learns certain things from this one - how to buy a piano without money, in example.

Q... hm....

R is for Rataouille and Radio Rock Revolution [USA/UK]

Who can choose between a cute rat... or a good meal, and some rockin' roll?

S is for Same Same But Different [Germany]

Everyone knows Slumdog Millionaire, and it's fantastic, but: You HAVE to watch this film.

Do not miss it if you call yourself a movie buff, or whatever else fancy name you can imagine.

T is for Titanic [USA]

What was that? I'm not a film buff, I'm a typical teenage girl with a bad taste for cinema? 

How dare you - away from this blog. Titanic stays here.

(Can you imagine Leonardo actually ever looked handsome? It's unbelievable, these days.)

U is for Up [USA]

Couldn't think of many U-films, but whatever, Animated Features are often underrated among intellectuals.

V is for The HangoVer [USA]

You'd have killed me for selecting Valentine's Day, but I couldn't think of any other films.

W is for Das Weiße Band [Germany]

Sometimes, but only sometimes, German directors can be genius. 

X is for... well, I'd pick X-Men: First Class, but there's only one reason for, and one against this:

For: James McAvoy

Against: I haven't seen it, and the last time I watched X-Men with my family, I had to repress hysterical laughs every 10th second.

Y is for Yes, Man! [USA]

There is a God hidden inside of Jim Carrey. By the way, ever tried that Yes-programme?

Z is for Zweiohrküken [Germany]

Hate him or love him... Til Schweiger. I tend to the last one, even though his films do look a bit similar. For the non-Germans: This is the guy who died in "Alexander". 

Thank you for reading,

Mette M. K.

Mission "AFAD" - March 2011

In a way, it's funny that the amount of films I watch each month has grown smaller in every post I've done until now. On the other hand, it's not that funny, because off course, I'd like to fulfill my mission, which would make about 31 films per month. 21 out of 31... It's okay, but not perfect.

21 fillums....

But you know, I was on a class trip this month, and I had to write an important book project for school as well. So that might be an excuse.

I also made a little improvement on this project, namely I'll cut writing the date, when I watched the film.

The films will still be in the order of when I watched them, but I don't think you're interested in the exact date - also, it's a bit irritating when reading, at least that's my opinion.

Striker (2010) India, Hindi

First view. It's striking (haha), that I didn't watch this film before, as it's available on youtube for free (legally, I mean), and the youtube-release even was parallel to the cinema release. The film, however, turned out to be one of those films you want to like, and you know many people are going to like, but you just don't. 

Siddhart performed as fantastic as in RDB, but I liked his look in the last one much better; he was a little less muscular there, and his hair was shorter. Almost falling asleep during the (frequent) carrom-scenes, wasn't helping me like it either. I mean, it's a great idea and "special offer", the camera was really good... But nothing for me. I don't even really remember the second half.

Terminator Salvation (2009) USA & more, English

First view. Spent a weekend with my Danish guest family to celebrate my birthday, and as always, we ended up watching an action flick - entertaining, (often) exciting and not too complicated. I don't know, how many terminator films they've actually made, I know I've seen one with Arnie... Whatever. Well, you know what you can expect, and if you know that, this film is actually action-flicky satisfying. 

Not that I'd have watched it otherwise... But did I mention I really like Sam Worthington? Like, in action flicks? An action flick with him never fails - he's some kind of new Arnie. Just a bit different.

Black Friday (2004, but was released several years later in India) India, Hindi

First view. Good camera, good plot... But boringly made. You knew what was going to happen, because you saw it in the beginning already, also too many side plots.

I did like the idea, and also the braveness of the director for making a film about this, though.

Babettes Gæstebud ("Babette's Feast") (1985) Denmark, Danish & Swedish

First view. Oh, how I love Danish films. And old films. And old Danish films. If you've ever seen a Danish classic, you know what I mean (at least I think so - I don't really know, what "outsiders" meaning not Danish people think about their film industry). The Danish director Susanne Bier just won an Oscar for "Hævnen" - which I absolutely must see - and when I walked around the Danish library of Sydslesvig (district where I live, which has shifted being Danish and German in history), this film popped up in front of me. I only read "Oscar", and had to rent it, then. It's a rather quiet film, but with this awesome sense of humour, that I love about Denmark and the Danes, and with a story so heartwarming, that you almost have to wipe a tear of your eye after finishing it.

Arundhati (2009) India, Telugu

First view. What I think has already been expressed deeply in my review, so if you have a few more minutes, I recommend reading it. In a nutshell: Good film.

Match Point (2005) UK, English

First view. What a film - what a film! (I know, F. Scott Fitzgerald told us to "cut those exclamation marks", but I couldn't help it). "Match Point" was only the second work of hyped director Woody Allen I watched, and in contrary to "Vicky Christina Barcelona", this indeed is a master piece of cinema. By the way, I forgot how hard it is to write about incredibly great films. Music and picture are combined in a way I haven't seen before, the story exposes human desires in a yet subtle way and don't let me start about the actors. 

Chokher Bali (2003) India, Bengali

First View. Good that the DVD had subtitles - I just realized it was filmed in Bengali. That would explain, why I didn't understand everything. Actually, I did think it had a Bengali-cinema-touch to it... off course I knew, that it was based on a Bengali novel, though. Hm, seems like Bengali is very similar to Hindi, as I did understand a lot... Interesting. The film itself is, well, very Bengali; slow-paced, quiet and very, very subtle. Personally, I liked it. Aishwarya Rai and Raima Sen are to fantastic actresses, and Rituparno Ghosh is also one of the directors I admire (though this was only my second film of his, first one was Raincoat). If you like the style I mentioned, you should give this film a try.

Milk (2009) USA, English

First view. If you'd ask me, why I watched this film, I could imagine so many intelligent answers, but I must admit that the only reason I rented it (from the Danish library), was James Franco. So, starting with him: his hair cut wasn't the cutest, but he assured me that he's a good actor, and not only a cutie I met by incident, just because he starred in a Danny Boyle-Rahman film. Only thing that frightens me a little is, that his performance of a gay person was really convincing. But also the film itself is good, very good. 

My Name Is Khan (2010) India, Hindi

Second view. Why do those DVDs I get as a present or buy myself, always lay in my shelf for at least one month? I got MNIK as a christmas present, and only now, I managed to watch it - together with my Mum and sister. It was also the first time I watched the director's cut, but I think I like the cinema version a little more. It was less filmy. 

Billu Barber (2009) India, Hindi

First view. After thinking this thought I mentioned, when watching MNIK, I pushed myself a little and watched the three DVDs I bought for a gift card from my uncle and aunt - Billu Barber, Dostana and Salaam-E-Ishq. This one was a good take on how to combine regional setting and conflict/ story with some filmyness and also making it a mainstream-film, actually. I liked it, not because of SRK (not his best performance), but because of Irrfan (for non-BW-ers: the cop from "Slumdog Millionaire").

Azaad (2000) India, Hindi

First view.  I'm warning you: Do not watch this film. If you see it on a flee market, walk by. Don't buy it. If you still do so, you're probably just as Bollywood (and film) addicted, as I am. The DVD even looked really bad, I think the only reason I bought it was Shilpa Shetty. She's not even in the film for a long time. Well, no more details, just don't watch this boring, 3 1/2 hours old chewing gum.

The Truman Show (1998) USA, English

I only watched the end, but my mother told me what it's about and I really need to see the whole of it.

Dostana (2008) India, Hindi

First view. Putting this in the DVD-player, I was awaiting some nice flowing-by entertainment for about 2 hours, so I'd never thought it was that hilarious. John Abraham and Abhishek Bachchan really are the Jodi No. 1 in Bollywood - and by the way, this is the first time I noticed this side of Abhishek. He was the most convincing of the two.

Mehndi (1998) India, Hindi

First view. A new mission of mine is, to watch a film of my favorite directors/ actors etc. whenever it's their birthday, and I started with Rani. As I've already seen her latest motion picture, I wanted to check out her debut "Biyer Phool", but apparently, it has somehow "vanished". Next one was also unfindable, I already knew "Ghulam" and KKHH, so that left "Mehndi" for me. If you want some of that rocking-Rani, just younger, less experienced and in a not-so-good production, watch it. The story is actually rather interesting, and at least full of Girl-Power. I wouldn't watch it another time, though.

Inside Man (2006) USA, English

First view. My submission for the LAMBS in the Director's Chair-event featuring Spike Lee. Read my review here. 

Salaam-E-Ishq (2007) India, Hindi

First view. I liked it better than I thought I would, many people not liking it, though off course, it never came near the f-a-b-u-l-o-u-s "Kal Ho Naa Ho". Biggest fault was the length. And Sohail Khan.

Raja Hindustani (1996) India, Hindi

First view. E-Bay is such a nice invention. You can buy DVDs for 1,40 EUR. Okay: Aamir Khan was the star of this film, and I wouldn't have liked it without him. But he's in it, and Karishma Kapoor was also all right, so I could really indulge in a heavenly demonstration of 90's Bollywood, including horrible fashion, loud and shrill songs / Karishma-voices, dishoom dishoom and Switzerland. Oh no, I mean Palankhet.

7 Khoon Maaf (2011) India, Hindi

First view. Did I write somewhere, that NOKJ was the best of 2011's Bollywood until now? I changed my mind now, "7 Khoon Maaf" takes the lead for incredible usage of daaaaark humour.

Priyanka gets better and better every time I see her (this month I even watched three films starring her), and when I watched "Krrish" about 4 years ago, I never pictured her in a film like this (though I was only 12 then, I did think about stuff like this). And who does not catch him/herself singing "Daaaaarrrling" during the first Russian-Indian song-mix I've heard until now? 

"Daaaarling, dadadam, dadadam dadadam...".

The Last Song (2010) USA, English

First view. I have a sister. Who... is very interested in Disney films and those stars and you know... She has a big collection of all those movies, and I can tell you: High School Musical outshines its sequels by far, though the second one was ok as well. Zac became to muscular in the third film, so that's why...

Okay, you're probably not interested in that. However, I think that Miley Cyrus is a good actress objectively (and that has nothing to do with me watching "Hannah Montana" when I was smaller - by the way, don't you think the series is not as good as it was once?...). (Clearing throat). Where was I? Yeah, the film is very sad, and maybe a little predictable, but so many movies are predictable. Is that always wrong? Everyone knew the Titanic was going to sink, so basically, it's the way that matters. And "The Last Song" is not as bad as it sounds, starring Miley Cyrus and being based on a Nicolas Sparks novel (haven't read any of his books).

Saudagar (1991) India, Hindi

First view. I'm planning on writing a big article/ kind of love-hate letter about 90's Bollywood, which is partly why I watched "Saudagar". The other two reasons: 1) It's Manisha Koirala's Bollywood debut film (and I miss her...), 2) It's available on bigflix.com - free and legally. And 2 1/2) It's by Subhash Ghai. Not my favorite director, but he did make "Taal".

Anyways, even if you love Dilip Kumar or Raaj Kumar, this is not the biggest must-see. It's actually rather boring and long-drawn. But it's also very 90's, so... love-hate.

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PS: I'm going to Hamburg on Sunday for a 2-week internship at a hat maker, and I'm really excited. We have to do an internship from school, and I think it's a great idea. Not only is the hat maker situated in a beautiful old mall (see picture above), and also an interesting craft, but also: Hamburg is the 7th largest city in the EU, the 2nd largest in Germany, really beautiful (and big, I love big cities), and also full of shopping possibilities, cinemas (where they show more than just the mainstream flicks at our cinema) and Indian shops (YEAH). Meaning I can walk around in a beautiful city (maybe with a Starbucks in my hand, just really cool [we don't have a Starbucks where I live]), maybe buy some beautiful clothes and off course buy some (or many) Indian DVDs. 

I'm also a little scared, but never mind. And maybe hysterical. I... won't bother you any more with these thoughts and my personal life.

Thank you for reading,

Mette M. K.

Mission "AFAD" - February 2011

As usually, I learned a few new things this month (not talking about school, guys). But I apart from that, I gained some new cinematic experiences - seeing not more than zero films I'd already seen before.

Counting 23 films...

Among the things I learned are, i. e.: I'm officially a fanatic movie-addict-obsessive, movies being my favorite topic to talk about. I try to keep my friends entertained with other things, though, but... what can I do? I also learned that the German mass is full of idiots concerning the subject of "politics", that I can cry waterfalls watching movies (only film that came near of doing that [twice] was The Curious Case of Benjamin Button but My Sister's Keeper did waaaay better), that the Oscars were entertaining despite James Franco not being the big entertainer - just looking at him was better than sleeping (thanks to you, time difference!). What else... oh, India once again proved it's sense for making good satire (TBL)... I learned, that my prejudice of movies (I can't help it; it's there, right after I've seen a trailer) can turn out as a good instinct, when I still hope that the movie is going to be good, and also is, in certain aspects (True Grit), or it can turn to be a rather false opinion (Tees Maar Khan). Furthermore I learned to wait... for more people to read this blog. They might come, they might not. I am in balance, I do this for myself and for the people appreciating what I do (thanks to the book I'm currently reading, Eat Pray Love).

And finally I learned, that it doesn't feel very different if you're just about to turn 16, than if you're just 15. (PS: The 9th of March).

01.
Ocean's Eleven (2001) USA, English
First view. Wow, I did it: I watched a movie on the first date of the month. No, no, the best thing about it is, that I've finally, finally seen this movie. My friends were already laughing at me. Me, the movie buff, the motion picture geek... I couldn't stand it anymore. So, very secretly, I borrowed this movie from the library, and it was just as good, as I'd imagined. They kind of just put together all the hottest guys at that time, and made a movie out of it. Or maybe not - I'm sad to say that I don't count Clooney, Pitt and Damon to the hottest Hollywood has to offer (think James Franco), but the movie is good... Entertaining.

03.
Ram Jaane (1995) India, Hindi
First view. This film is so trashy, and in many aspects so not-qualitative, that it somehow is... good. I think you all are familiar with that phenomena. You just feel, how much fun the actors had during the shoot, especially Shahrukh. I also found the music quite... entertaining (pam pam the bhangda)... The length is one of the biggest faults, but I only forwarded a little at the end.
And, before I forget, this was the worst dubbing I've ever heard in my entire life. Hey, who decided to launch a DVD without original sound and subtitles? However, I'd incline to call it recommendable.

04.
Jodhaa Akbar (2008) India, Hindi/ Urdu
First view. How wonderful it is, finally watching another well-done historic film, that doesn't focus to much on war and facts, but which also attaches poetic lisense and therewith cinematic beauty.
I recognized, that I've only seen three BW-films of 2008, a year that's often being called a low of modern Bollywood. Jodhaa Akbar is thankfully not a part of that low. Let's just say: The romantic side of me felt good as it hasn't for a long time. And still, the film's not kitschy, 'cause I wouldn't have liked that.

05.
Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic (2008) India, Hindi
First view. Now this film was on the telly, which is nice, because that's rare these days, but I just didn't like it. My God, what did Kunal Kohli think he was doing? That was just... gruesome. Some scenes were animated so badly, that my mother and I almost bursted laughing, and otherwise every scene was totally predictable. Only good thing were the actors, even the kids, but the story ruined everything.

Jhootha Hi Sahi (2010) India, Hindi
First view. I gave this three Lime Stars in my review, so it's a normal movie, not bad, but also not highly recommended.

07.
Tere Bin Laden (2010) India, Hindi
First view. The second real review I wrote this month, four Lime Stars, I think I said it all. You might also have noticed, that I was starting on seeing some of the "between" films of last year: Not Blockbusters, but also not "tiny pearls" like Udaan.

11.
Nowhere Boy (2009) UK, English
First view. I'd call this one of my filmic letdowns... Went to cinema with two other friends, both Beatles-fans, and... don't know. Aaron Johnson wasn't as handsome, as he used to be (almost not handsome at all), and it was just one shattering scene after the other, almost everyone being negative... No bulbs of light... I just had expected something else.

12.
Das Weiße Band (2009) Germany, German
First view. Nominated for two Oscars, won the Golden Globe for best foreign language film... And I hadn't seen it yet. I was taken aback by its quiet brutality, wonderful cinematography and superb actors...

13.
Tees Maar Khan (2010) India, Hindi
First view. I've mentioned it before, and yes, I liked TMK. Actually, reading all those different opinions on it, I was very sure I was going to hate it - but I didn't. It wasn't as great as Farah's other creations, but come on: it was hilarious! In a different way than TBL, probably just worth 3 Stars, but still... It was more than I had expected. PS: My sister loved it too.

No One Killed Jessica (2011) India, Hindi
First view. Who watches NOKJ on the same day as TMK? Well, someone who can't get enough, I guess. Brilliant film, combining elements of the entertaining mass-film with subtle story and outstanding performance by Rani.

18.
127 Hours (2010) USA/UK, English
First view. No, no, I don't want to bore anyone talking about my new crush... Seriously, I love this movie. I love Rahman's music, which was perfect for the movie, I love the idea of action without action... I love survival movies... And, ok, I love James Franco. Platonically, of course.
I also love Danny Boyle - more of it, more of it!!!

True Grit (2010) USA, English didn't complete
First view. I didn't like it. Sorry, that's all I have to say. I liked the setting and Hailee Steinfeld, but after that boring court scene and not understanding a word out of my beloved Jeff Bridges' mouth, I cut the line.

19.
Into the Wild (2007) USA, English
First view. Wow. That's the best word to describe this movie. I mean, I'd heard what they say about it, but I could not in my wildest fantasies imagine a film so fantastic and touching. Wow. (I know how stupid I sound, thanks).

Monsoon Wedding (2001) India/USA/Italy/Germany/France, Punjabi/Hindi/English
First view. Very sweet movie - I thought it would be like "Bride and Prejudice" or "Bollywood/ Hollywood", so it took me some years till I finally watched it. And thinking about it, this was the time of K3G - as much as I adore K3G and its crew, Monsoon Wedding is a far more realistic film about family and love, also containing so many incredible actors... I really want to see it one more time.

20.
Fire (1996) Canada/India, English
First view. Read about it here

21.
Earth (1998) Canada/India, Hindi/English
First view. Read about it here

22.
Deewana (1992) India, Hindi
First view. They could at least have written on the DVD, that Shahrukh only appears after... not half an hour... not three quarters... one hour! And that one hour was so boooooooring... that I was mad. I skipped all the songs and thought that now they were finally together, but no, there had to be more songs. When Rishi is finally gone, the film gets some charisma, though, especially because of Shahrukh. The girl is also much nicer and sweeter, when Shahrukh is present, and not Rishi.
End was predictable, of course.

La Belle et la Bête (1946) France, French
First view. Last year, we should all talk about an artist we picked ourselves, in art class. I picked Jean Cocteau, whom I adore, but embarrassingly, I hadn't seen any of his films. Now I did, and I'm happy. I love French cinema and the language itself, and this film was a great fairytale movie. It's sad how infrequently we watch fairytale movies nowadays. It's very inspiring... and enchanting.

24.
Water (2005) Canada/India, Hindi
First view. Read about it here

25.
The King's Speech (2010) UK, English
First view. Everyone talked about the geniality of this movie, and as I was also keeping up on the Oscar trends, this was a must see. Colin Firth deserved his Oscar, as well as everyone else. The story and conflict of The King's Speech is very simple, yet it manages to be complex in many ways. Everything comes together in that last scene, where he finally holds his speech... magic.

26.
In My Father's Den (2004) UK/ New Zealand, English
First view. This is also a kind of movie that I adore... Confusing, quiet... mysterious, but not too arthouse-freaky, with too many pervert scenes etc. Matthew McFadyen is also, or has been, quite underrated.

My Sister's Keeper (2009) USA, English
First view. Do you see the similarity of these two movie titles, by the way? I borrowed both of them from a friend of mine. What one can say about this film is: You're going to cry, cry, cry. Just as Johnny Cash predicted. I didn't even know I could cry that much in a movie... But it's also really good.

27.
Yamla Pagla Deewana (2011) India, Hindi
First view. And now we have come to the last film of my February... also the 2nd 2011 Bollywood film, I've seen. It's not bad, at times very entertaining, but I'll forget it very soon... Nothing really special.

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And that's it for now. The month went by fast... but that's good, because I want something else now: I want my birthday, my class trip and my internship in Hamburg (which is in April). And then I want summer.

Mission "AFAD" - January 2011

First of all: The German version of this blog has been deleted due to several reasons. Mainly, it just takes too much time  and energy to keep two blogs and translate every post into the other language. It's easier to write the entries for only one blog, and I can put more energy in it now, and hopefully improve more. Also, I don't really feel like there's a need for the German version, as most Germans understand English very well. So much for that...

Films posters are often beautiful, trying to catch your attention.
This month, I watched farther than only at the posters of these films.

I've been writing a little about this new "mission" I have, and now it's time for the first results, namely of January 2011. A good month to start: new year, new decade.
AFAD = A Film A Day is the name of my mission - off course not the most realistic title, as I watch more than one film at the weekend days, and sometimes 0 films on a normal day of the week (especially on wednesdays, as that's my "Desperate Housewives"-day). But "MAFAD" (maybe a film a day) would sound stupid, so that's why my mission has this particular title. By the way, these are not only Indian movies. If you find the line "first view", it means that I hadn't seen the movie before.
Enough of those explaining words, let's get to the core: The results of my first month.

01.
The Baker (2007), UK, English
First view. I'm always at my guest family in Denmark for New Year (they're kind of like a second family, or some young grandparents), and they have 1000s of TV channels. As I don't have anything to do on the day after New Year's Eve, I usually just watch TV. This was a very funny comedy, that I didn't see from the beginning, but it shows the good side of English humor!

Hangover (2009) USA, English
First view. After watching this I just had to buy it - one of the best comedies I'd seen for a long time. What I realized when thinking about my movie watching habits was, that I don't really watch enough comedies. And I don't mean "Women's Comedies" like SATC, or bad Indian slapstick comedies, I'm talking about just regular ones. Off course, "Hangover" isn't for everyone, you need a special kind of humor, but I don't know anyone who didn't like it.

Dil Chahta Hai (2001) India, Hindi
First view (and I know how embarrassing that is). I wrote a review on this movie, so you can read it, if you want to know more about my opinion on it. I think my last words were "a must-see!".

02.
Aashayein (2010) India, Hindi
First view. I also hadn't seen many 2010 Bollywood films, but why I chose to watch Aashayein is still a big question. Read my review for more informations on this "well, well, well" film.

04.
Dabangg (2010) India, Hindi
First view. Now, were getting to the better parts of 2010. I only rated it 6/10 in my mini-review, but that's because it simply is nonsense. Charming nonsense, but not everyone is going to like it. (I did, so don't worry).

05.
Sholay (2010) India, Hindi
... Ahm... (Clearing throat)... First view.... Jump right to mini-mini-review or let me just tell you that I totally regret not having seen this before. Now I understand why it's one of the most famous Indian movies and why Amitabh Bachchan is a god.

06.
Amardillo (2010?) Denmark, Danish + English (documentary)
First view. This movie is really disturbing, it's about Danish soldiers in Afghanistan, in the camp called Amardillo. I think they showed the unpolished reality and it was a great documentary, but my opinion on the Afghanistan-war hasn't changed. I did think about the issue, though.

Don (1978) India, Hindi
First view. Another classic I was almost forced into seeing, well, not literally, but I wasn't allowed to visit the shooting of Don2 in Berlin by my parents, so this was my replacement for that.
Don original is actually better than the new one, especially because of Big B. Mini-review.

The Pillars of the Earth (2010) Germany & Canada, English (mini-TV-series)
Second view. Didn't watch the entire series on one day, off course, but I watched the last episode on that day, together with my guest mother. I read the book some month ago, while I was on a vacation in Mexico, and instantly fell in love with all about it. It is perfect and though the TV-series isn't, it still does a good job and is so well made. My guest mother hadn't read the book and she was just totally fascinated by the story and everything. Big thumbs up!

07.
The Core (2003) UK & USA, English
Second view. Trashy world-saving movie but with good actors and some funny new ideas.

Love, Sex Aur Dhokha (2010) India, Hinglish
First view. My self-education of 2010 Bollywood continues with LSD and my mind is split about it. It had great new and brave ideas, especially the first and second story were great. But then, in the end, I asked myself: What's the point now? Off course, it has some good observations on the modern Indian way of life and stuff, but it just remains kind of unfinished at the end. Also, the third story was rather unnecessary and annoying.

08.
Peepli Live (2010) India, Hindi
First view. I was just back in Germany at that date and so happy that Peepli Live was running at our Independent-kind-of cinema... I watched it with my mother and little sister (12), we all liked it. Actually, I think they liked it a little bit more than I did. It was good, off course, but in some ways a little bit too long and... hm... I can't explain. Funny, usually I always find words for films.

09.
Shakti - The Power (2002) India, Hindi
First view. Bought the DVD on Ebay - thank god. I won't ever watch it again, counts to the poorer films I've seen.

13.
Sarfarosh (1999) India, Hindi
First view. Always nice to see Aamir, Sonali and Naseeruddin, but the script was boring - they could have made more out of the plot. Still, I can recommend watching it.

14.
Love and Other Drugs (2010) USA, English
First view. Went to the cinema with a friend, we thought we could really use a romantic comedy then. Turned out to be a good choice, as there was romance, comedy but also serious matters - plus some really good actors. Definitely worth a watch!

15.
Kabhi Kabhie (1976) India, Hindi
First view. I was so in love with this movie, that I instantly wrote a review/ love song about it. The 70's are not my new 2000's, but I will keep in mind to watch some older films from time to time.

16.
Sehar (2005) India, Hindi
First view. Very big disappointment, even Arshad Warsi couldn't save this un-relevant Police-flick.

20.
Black Swan (2010) USA, English
First view. So sad the movie wasn't released earlier, I hurried to the cinema to watch it at the very first show. It was the first movie allowed for 16 year old, that I've seen at the cinema (I'm still 15, but only until March). I had an older friend with me and she was more horrified by the movie than me, but it was just wow. One of the best movies I know.

21.
Avatar (2009) USA & UK, English
I got the collector's edition DVD for christmas, so it was time to watch Director's Cut - together with my mom. Still one of my alltime-favorites.

22.
Guzaarish (2010) India, Hindi
First view. As you can see in my visual review, a big part of the film concentrated on the beautiful visual side, and there were also many things reminding me of my-biggest-Bollywood-disappointment "Saawariya". Still, it wasn't a poor film, but also not a particularly good film. Bhansali leaves room for improvement, but I think he's on his way back.

Forrest Gump (1994) USA, English
Second view. Hey, at least I have seen it. We watched it at school, because our new topic in English is the USA. The film was as great as it was, when I saw it the first time. Fabulous movie!

23.
The Social Network (2010) USA, English
First view. An entertaining and fast paced film with an interesting plot. Not the very best 2010 Hollywood film, but definitely in the top 10. Especially recommended for everyone with a profile on Facebook.

Dushman Duniya Ka (1996) India, Hindi
First view. I have to questions on this film: 1) Why did I buy it (even though it was cheap, on ebay). 2) What the heck did Shahrukh think he was doing in the mid-90s (aside from the great "DDLJ" and a hand full of other acceptable flicks)???

24.
Rakht Charitra I (2010) India, Hindi
First view. Counts to the best Indian film experiences of 2010, I'm absolutely mad about this film. It was perfekt - blood, great actors, catching story... RGV is back for good! Can't wait for the second part, which I put on my birthday wish list.

25.
Born Free (2010) Music Video/ short film (music by M.I.A.)
First view. A friend from school recommended this to me, as she knew I love M.I.A. - and films. We both found it very interesting, it's a good short film, as you can think and interpret for a long time. This short film will stick with you.

Inception (2010) USA/ UK, English
First view. Another film that I watched due to recommendations. It's not too well-grounded, but still an interesting idea and well-made. I always have mixed feelings about DiCaprio - on one hand, he is one of the best Hollywood actors, on the other hand I always think about how handsome he once was... And isn't any longer.

28.
Udaan (2010) India, Hindi
First view. This was my catch-up-on-2010 weekend, and I watched 5 movies that were either critically acclaimed and/ or discussed much. I think everyone is going to find something good about this film... It is an impressive direction debut with a respectable leading actor.

Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai (2010) India, Hindi
First view. No matter how much I like Ajay Devgn, 2010 was not the year where he showed off many new facets. We've seen him in this role a few times, but... he still plays well. Emraan is finally doing something not containing the trade mark "Bhatt", which is an improvement, because I think he's been a little underrated and took some rather bad role choices... One of the best 2010-ers.

Raajneeti (2010) India, Hindi
First view. Didn't feel like watching this at the beginning, because it was so long, but I'm glad I still did. Katrina Kaif convinced me for the first time and most other actors were also good (I didn't like the Irish girl, though). Story was a lot of Drama, but with the right amount of other things (thinking of "Guzaarish", which contained a little too much Drama).

29.
Ishqiya (2010) India, Hindi
First view. My curiosity made me watch this film, because it was contained on almost every single "Best Of 2010"-list. I was a little disappointed by the story and the length of the movie, it sometimes tries to be "Indie" too much. But the actors are totally worth watching and I can understand the hype of the film now.

We Are Family (2010) India, Hindi
First view. As I already said on twitter, this is the absolutely most kitschy film of 2010. I cannot believe why Kajol would agree on playing in it. Nor Kareena and Arjun... though they choose some awkward movies from time to time. Kareena was the best part of the movie and the only reason I didn't turn it off. I simply couldn't believe that scene just before the end... Horrible! Do not watch this, especially if you don't want to get sugared.

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That's it for January 2011.

Thank you for reading,

Mette M. K.