CINEMATIC COOKBOOK: How to Make a Cult Movie

When the time is in for a new feature, there is no point in delaying its arrival and no wrong time to introduce it. Hence, despite my publishing the new 100 Favourite Movies list just recently, today is another day for a change here at Lime Reviews and Strawberry Confessions.

In The Cinematic Cookbook, you will - as time goes by and more and more entries are published - be able to find recipes for any film-related meal. Be it the classic action flick or the new trend of philosophic, complicated films that search for a meaning in life, we know all about it. Theoretically, that is. 

Perhaps you will find inspiration for your own soon to be coming production, or what is more likely and the actual intention of this, you will find amusement and pleasure in reading the various recipes and if possible sharing thoughts for additional ingredients or refinements with the other gourmets here.

To start with, I have decided to take up a meal that I have been ordering almost every night for the last two weeks; the cult film. The basis for my knowledge of this speciality has been derived from an excellent list from my favourite place for film-related lists - the 500 Essential Cult Movies list based on the book by Jennifer Eiss, published on icheckmovies.com (for some reasons there are 502 movies in the list). I was simply looking for some interesting new films to watch and decided on one of the lists I had seen fewest movies from and that didn't sound as scary as "The 100 Most Significant German Films" (notice the use of 'films' instead of 'movies' here).

Anyway, I've spent many of my recent evenings watching a wide range of very different films - there's really everything from "f*cking crazy" to "incredibly beautiful" in the list - that all have an extreme cult following by a supposedly small group of people in common. Some of these films have had an influence on cinema, others have gone by unnoticed and unwanted until (re)discovered by some people that could appreciate them.

Although some of them made it really hard for me to like them (sorry, but Assault on Precinct 13 is so predictable when you've seen the remake before the original), I was surprised to love most of them. So, now that there are only 459 movies left for me to watch, here's my newbie-ish suggestion on how to make a cult movie.

That's How You Do Tragedy

India, 1957

Pyaasa - प्यासा

 "Thirsty"

Directed by Guru Dutt

Written by Abrar Alvi

★ Guru Dutt, Waheeda Rehman, Mala Sinha

        

Sight & Sound, Time Magazine, Indiatimes and the critics and audience of yesterday and today - Pyaasa enchants everyone. It has been one of my top must-see-films, ranking as high as The Godfather, Fight Club and Kill Bill did in their respective times. So I put myself together and figured that my goal of seeing more (especially Indian) classics fit the fact that youtube has become a great source to watch these for free. (Link for this movie).

What can I say; of course Pyaasa is as fantastic as everyone says. It's the tragic story of the poet Vijay who is first neglected by his family, love and the publishers, and finds his only friends in the prostitute Gulab who adores his poems, and a poor massager. But the tragedy doesn't end here, for of course Vijay and his first love who is now married, meet again, and Vijay detects that there is more cruelty in the world than he would have ever imagined.

Lost in This Film

USA, 2003

Lost in Translation

Directed and written by Sofia Coppola

★ Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson

        

Two people meet and spend a short time together, feeling they have known each other for life. And after that time is over, the two part and carry on with their respective lives, perhaps never to meet again.

Timeless: Feed the Kitty (1952)

Watch "Feed the Kitty"

While the feature film still is the padrino of cinema, Warner Bros, Disney and countless independent directors have more than one time proved that there's not much you need to make an ingenious film with everything in it. Like FEED THE KITTY. With a duration of 7 minutes and 23 seconds, this film outlines some of manhoods most discussed and thought-about issues and eternal questions. 

Soundtrack of the Month - November '11

The wonderful French romantic comedy I saw yesterday convinced me to have a soundtrack of the month this time, instead of just a song - a very special soundtrack, that is.

DIRTY DANCING. A film about music and coming-of-age, including a dash of 60s-nostalgia (those old enough to remember watching it on the silver screen might also say 80s-nostalgia). Countless teenage girls must have been introduced to it by their mothers when "the time was right" and fallen in love with not only the film, I'm sure. As for me, I didn't fall in love with Patrick Swayze for that matter, but the film initiated my chronic crush on dancing and the 60s - style, films, and especially music from that decade (or music inspired by it).

A Heavenly Creature

This post is part of the LAMB Acting School 101 - Kate Winslet.

One actress that has been a role model and inspiration to me, both on-screen and off-screen, is Kate Winslet.
The film that introduced her to me was ex-most-successful-film-ever TITANIC, during the year that started my great passion for cinema for real: 2009 (I'm a late bloomer concerning this). I thought she was one of the most beautiful women on earth, and was impressed by her acting skills as well. Plus I've never since seen a (on-screen-)chemistry like the one she has with Leonardo in this film.

Kate is one of those few actresses that have the body of a goddess, and oddly enough, makes you feel very confident about your own one. She has appeared in various period films, and I remember her saying in an interview, that she can only explain the reason why she was chosen for these films must be that her body is perfectly apt for wearing a corset.

A night of celebrating international woman power

MIRCH - WO HU CANG LONG - VOLVER

Being all alone yesterday night, after one week of familial semi-claustrophobism ( we were testing out or new camper), was the perfect opportunity to go through my never ending stacks of yet unseen DVDs - many of them borrowed from various people - and eventually what started out as a not-at-all choosy night of light entertainment, turned into a legendary night of exotic power women. 

There are people saying one should start a film night with the "toughest", most demanding films, in order to not expect your sleepy brain to handle things it physically won't be able to handle at 2 AM. Other voices tell you not to commit the sinful act of a triple (or even more) film night. I didn't listen to anyone this time - and let me tell you, it was the best film experience I've had since being spellbound by THE TREE OF LIFE last month.

The oldest Indian film I've seen

MOTHER INDIA (1957)

Epic/ Melodrama

Directed by Mehboob Khan – Written by Wahajad Mirza, S. Ali Raza, Mehboob Khan

Starring Nargis, Sunil Dutt, Rajendra Kumar, Raaj Kumar

The 54-year old classic has been overdue on my watchlist for a long time, so yesterday I finally pluck up courage and flung my DVD into the player. After all, it's the first Indian film to be nominated for an Academy Award (it was also India's first submission ever). Plus, it's one of the two single Indian films included in the famous "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die"-book.

Realizing I'm not used to these overlong Melodramas anymore, I took a break at the Interval, finishing the whole thing this noon. Fun fact: the film is actually shorter than K3G, MOHABBATEIN and many tomes from the turn of the millennium.

The Good, The Weird, The Awesome - Triple Mini-Review

ACTION REPLAYY - EK CHALIS KI LAST LOCAL - ANARI

That I would end up writing about these three films in particular, in one single post, was nothing I had had in mind when watching them. They were just coincidental views, films that I bought because I was curious and had heard about them. It's funny that Ek Chalis Ki Last Local was the only one I had been wanting to buy for a long time, the only one I watched even though it wasn't the first one of my new films, alphabetically - and the only one I ended up not liking, plus being disappointed by.

Anari and Ek Chalis Ki Last Local have currently received the exact same rating at the IMDB: 7.3/10. Both are Parallel Indian Cinema, Anari was a Superhit with superstars, directed by disinguished Hrishikesh Mukherjee - Ek Chalis Ki Last Local was a Flop with "normal" actors and directed by debuting director Sanjay M. Khaduri. Now, Action Replayy is something in between, starring two big Indian stars, but receiving a Below Average rating from the box-office, a 3.9/10 rating at IMDB and being directed by a unsuccessful but commonly known director (Vipul A. Shah). 

Differently from my other mini-reviews, I won't divide this one into the different films, but into categories and compare the films this way.

Who's who?

Just to clear this at the very beginning - without revealing my deepest thoughts, which I will do at the end only; 

The Good: Action Replayy (2010)

The Weird: Ek Chalis Ki Last Local (2007)

The Awesome: Anari (1959)

Story

Many people pointed out, that the main idea of Action Replayy seemed to be stolen from all-time-classic Back to the Future, which in some ways is true, but the story actually is very different. Still, this does not make it more original; I haven't heard or read anyone mentioning this before, but the plot is very similar to 2007 German tv-production Küss mich, Genosse! (IMDB). I don't appreciate story stealing at all, so in this category, AR does worst. One of the problems about Ek Chalis Ki Last Local is, that there doesn't seem to be any story at all. A guy misses his train at night, has to spend two hours in a village and meets a girl. Boring, and hard to make a good screenplay of (which I also don't think they did). 

The sad-funny story of a poor young gold-hearted man, who doesn't seem to have much luck by his side is typically Raj-Kapoor and 50's Indian cinema - so it's not hard to decide, who wins in this section.

Screenplay

As already said, ECKLL's screenplay doesn't count to the best ones made. The love story is minimally interesting, but all other plot lines didn't catch my attention at all, which is also why I turned off the DVD player after almost 2 hours. Off course, I could have stayed through the last 30 minutes, but I really couldn't stand it any longer. 

AR takes us on a bubbly, coulourful 70s-trip and manages to never let boringness slip through any giant screenplay-holes. How nice.

Everything in Anari can be classified as either interesting, amusing, or entertaining - in one word: as Raj Kapoor. Therefore, as in every other category, Anari wins.

Cast

You (and I) already know that no one can beat Raj Kapoor, but as I'm not the most versed person concerning actors from the 50s, I'll tell you what I thought about my first meeting with Nutan. I was very pleased by her performance, her wittiness and beauty, which reminded me strongly of Kate Winslet. Along with Raj Kapoor and Lalita Pawar, she is the person that makes Anari shine. -- If you've been following this year's Deol Dhamakka, you've most certainly read my (only) contribution to that event (if not, read it here). In that post, among other things, I tried to express my love to Abhay Deol, which thankfully is still untouched after watching this film. He was lovely as ever in ECKLL - thank god. An item song in Heyy Babyy was all that I'd seen of Neha Dhupia until ECKLL (and Action Replayy, for that matter), but she does look promising, even though I think there's much more she can, than what I've seen yet. 

Aishwarya Rai, I don't think you're the Queen of Bollywood, like Western media often tries to call you, but nevertheless what you are is: definitely already one of the finest actresses of this decade, one of the best dancers after Madhubala and Madhuri Dixit, and one of the most beautiful women I've seen. Akshay Kumar is... well, I think he's one of the most sympathetic actors I know, and also he can make the worst movies and still not loose me as his fan. He can also look incredibly ugly in films, and incredibly 70s-fashion-victimy - never will my affection for him die.

I think we can agree that all of these films could mention some worthy names in their credits, and that all of them did a good job.

Music

One of the reasons, and also the most important one, that I wanted to watch ECKLL, was not Abhay Deol, funnily. Around the releasing time in 2007, I had one of those periods where I listen to all of the latest Bollywood soundtracks, and immediately fell in love with this one - three years before I even watched my first Abhay-film. Laree Choote features a wonderful singer and is very intense, Ekka Chauka is funny and fast, Akh Ladiye is a great example for a disco-background/underground-track - shortly: I love the soundtrack.

Also Anari  was discovered by me through its music, namely when I listened to some of the songs that won a Filmfare Award for Best Singer. The song I'm talking about ("Sab Kuchh Seekha Humne") really is one of the best ones I know, combining satirical lyrics with the awesome singing talent of Mukesh and an interesting melody. But also the other tracks are fabulous and will stay on my mind (and iPod).

Though I listened to the music of AR before, I only really liked it in the film. The best tracks are Zor Ka Chhatka and Nakhre, while Baaki Main Phool Gayi can only be described with 9 letters: h-i-l-a-r-i-o-u-s, believe me. However, this soundtrack is the weakest, compared to the other two.

Title

Ek Chalis Ki Last Local = The Local Train That Went at 1:40.

Unusual title, but in the end just as totally meaningless as the film itself.

Action Replayy = Action Replay 

Fits the story, but the second "y" is just as annoying as stolen from Heyy Babyy (2007).

Anari = Idiot/ simpleton

Brilliant title, brilliantly used in the film.

Camera (Cinematography)

After all those camera-experimental films, filled with 1-second-shots, dizzy-making rotations and shaky hand cameras, a 1959 classic black-white motion picture can feel like a supreme vacation (inlcuding virgin pina colada). Long, clear-shot scenes, no distracting eastman colour, grainy quality... I am sighing with relief. One may notice, that ECKLL is also shot in a rather quiet and non-distracting way, but a little more bang-bang would have been nice due to the boring screenplay. I'd like to mention the kiss scene though, which was not only well-performed but also beautifully captured.

The poster of Action Replayy already says that the film is shot "IN EASTMAN COLOUR", and that's also what you NOTICE when looking at the poster. 70s slam-tam-bamboo-banga eastman colour, that's what this film is made of. Sometimes the camera setting is very mainstream-music-video like, for example in the song Zor Ka Jhatka, but otherwise very fitting and a good contrary to category-winner Anari.

In a nutshell... (Lucky-Nut)

Action Replayy: 

I expected a long-drawn, exaggerating, very below average film with some good songs.

I saw a never-boring, exaggerating, very entertaining personal-hit (with some good songs).

Ek Chalis Ki Last Local:

I expected a satirical, unusual, surprising film with a cute Abhay and a great soundtrack.

I saw a boring, art-housy-bad, uninteresting and weird film with a cute Abhay and a great soundtrack.

Anari:

I expected a Raj-Kapoor-film.

I saw a Raj-Kapoor-film.

---------------------------------------------------------

Let's end this post with a little smile:

"Marriage, now? We've only just sung a duet song!"

(Akshay Kumar in Action Replayy)

All Good Things Come In Threes

Mini-Review of Deepa Mehta's Element Trilogy:

FIRE - EARTH - WATER

This is just my third mini-reviews-post, while the amount of normal-review-posts is 12 at the moment. I could say I'm proud of this, and I am somehow a little bit proud, but let's not forget that there's a certain virtue in writing/ reading mini-reviews, too. As for writing, it's clearly that you 1) don't need to write that much, 2) can write about more than one of your recent views and 3) can combine films that resemble each other in some way or another. 

For this (falling due) post, I chose to present these three films by Deepa Mehta, as they are not only my most recent "Indian" views (I, personally, categorize them as Hindi-Films, and therefore also as Bollywood, but others might not; the language in "Fire" is English, for example), but also three films that will stay with me for quite a while, and that are majestic epics to me (just like the quote on the "Water"-poster says - by the way, just because I call them this, doesn't mean they're my favorite films, but you'll notice what I mean, when reading the reviews). Finally, it doesn't happen very often that I borrow Indian DVDs from my library; they don't have many, and I've seen all of them - so I get really excited, when I find new ones. Actually, they had all three films in a collector's box, so I got even more excited. My weekend was saved (it was last weekend, so this post is a little behind schedule). Okay, I wish you a nice weekend, and hope you enjoy reading.

Fire (1996) फायर

I forgot to mention, that these were my first Deepa Mehta films (except for "Bollywood/ Hollywood", but that one wasn't really mind-blowing) and "Fire" was also my introduction to Nandita Das. 

The eye-catching thing about Deepa's films (except for B/ H) is that sedate, but still rebellious atmosphere, which is also how I think she is in real life (I saw some of the bonus material on the DVDs). The actors are of big importance in this connection, and it doesn't surprise me that she likes working with the same crew, or some of them. It's needless to say that Shabana Azmi and Nandita Das are magnificent, but I'd like to mention Javed Jaffrey as one of the impressive Indian talents we sadly don't hear enough of. 

Though I couldn't identify with the main characters on all levels, - and this is not about being lesbian; I was almost able to identify perfectly with two well-known cowboys - "Fire" is a great film dealing with a dateless problem. Also, it's a perfect match for Deepa-Mehta beginners, for the language is primarily English. As the other two films, it has a length that eases the question of when to watch it.

Rating: 7.3

Earth (1998) अर्थ

Earth is, until now, my favorite Deepa-Mehta-film. Why? Again, it's a matter of the identification; I said I was almost able to identify with those cowboys - but I have felt perfect identification with heterosexual characters in other films, so that's one of the reasons, and as for "Water" - the film made me feel angry, irritable and helpless, and especially the last feeling isn't my favorite thing to feel, so even though it was a great film with a superb screenplay, story, cinematography etc., "Earth" was the one film that'll stay closest to my... soul or heart, or whatever. 

Maybe it's the good old triangle-drama, newly-invented almost each year, which made a new impact on me, maybe it's Nandita, Aamir and Rahul, maybe it's the universality of the context; not everyone is homosexual, not everyone is a widow/ widower - but in every human soul we find, in whatever dimension, weaknesses, desires and brutality. 

Rating: 7.8

Water (2005) वाटर

According to Wikipedia, "Water" is a Canadian film, which brings us back to what I wrote at the beginning: I don't blame anyone for seeing these films as Canadian productions, or whatever else, but for me they are not only Indian films, but because of language and setting: Bollywood. 

One might also notice, that while the characters in "Fire" speak English, and in "Earth" a misc of English and Hindi (not to be confused with Hinglish, though), "Water" was filmed in Hindi, completely. 

As I already mentioned in the foregoing review, "Water" didn't leave me with the most desirable feelings. More clearly: this Gulabi and Madhumati were so freaking annoying, while both Kalyani and Chuyia - and Narayan, for that matter - were so freaking naive, that I really got some exercise, baling my fists or doing other aggressive movements. The subtitles for deaf people were also annoying (though I do speak Hindi, I don't feel secure enough to watch a film entirely without subtitles - what if I miss a word and then don't get the meaning of the whole scene?), but there were no normal subtitles.

But even though the nice A. R. Rahman music was always announced as "happy music", "romantic music", "playful music" etc., and even though it didn't kill me softly (in the pos. way), it was a nice score - but only nice, just as the film was, well, nice. 

One of the best things was the cinematography... Varanasi was captured in an almost poetic way, like a poem, I'd say, without having been there. I don't want to bash the movie, though: many people will probably like, or even love, it - and I can't say why not; the actors are superb, the story is fresh and not boring... but as I've told you now, it just wasn't made for me. So this rating is entirely subjective and not about the objective greatness of the film - because in an objective way, it is great.

Rating: 6.4

Thank you for reading,

Mette M. K.

How I Fell In Love With the Bollywood 70's (Kabhi Kabhie Review)

Confused by the wide range of opinions on "Action Replayy" (this happened about a lot of other 2010 fillms, too), which was a film I thought would freshen up my curiosity for the world of the Bollywood 70's, I decided to jump into the cold water for real. I watched the two classics "Don" and "Sholay", an experience you can read about here... And as I found out, that I actually liked them, I watched "Kabhi Kabhie". You are the first ones to hear about this experience, too. Okay, I don't know anyone Bollywood-interested personally, so it's obvious, that you're the first ones.

KABHI KABHIE - LOVE IS LIFE (1976)

Director: Yash Chopra
Authors: Pamela Chopra, Sagar Sarhadi
Starring: Amitabh Bachchan, Waheeda Rehman, Raakhee Gulzar, Shashi Kapoor, Neetu Singh, Rishi Kapoor

Plot: The young poet Amit is in love with Pooja, but Pooja's parents arrange her marriage with architect Vijay. About 20 years after, the two meet again, and the next generation has to fight for their love.








Written the 15th of January 2011

This DVD has been laying around in my cupboard for almost one year now, courting for my favour with many other films. As I've mentioned previously, I've been quite lazy concerning old films. I could never pull myself together and watch those old classics, apart from "Mughal-E-Azam". Why, I don't even know the answer to that myself. Maybe because... old films are just something else, you need to yourself in the postition of the time and can't except a film that would have been made the same way today. However, I've already seen two old films since the beginning of the year, including this one. I do like it. It's not like I never watch old films (I've especially seen many Danish ones), but the list of Indian ones still leaves room for improvement (okay, the English and German ones too). Per contra to the other two films I've seen (remind: Sholay and Don), "Kabhi Kabhie" is no born-and-bred cult film idolized by everyone, but it is definitely a special film. Firstly, it starts quite unusual, very calm and quiet. We are introduced to the love story of Amit and Pooja, peppered with sweet dialogues and lots of poetry. Then we see a wedding song, in which, at the beginning, only Pooja appears - by the way, it is very well-filmed. The bridegoom arrives, he pulls up his veil, and... shock: It's not Amit! Amit(abh), who has put a spell on us from the very beginning, with all his poetry. Something, that not many actors succeed in, during the first few minutes of a film. Even less actors would succeed in actually allegorizing the, now on principle hated, bridegoom in a sympathetic way. Kudos to Shashi Kapoor, who I experienced for the first time (though his laugh reminded me of the bad guy in Sholay). I also liked Raakhee from the very first moment I saw her, she looks very healthy and beams down a motherly warmth. The chemistry is right, between her and Amitabh, as well as between her and Shashi... Effectively, in the second half, Shashi and Raakhee seem to be the couple having most fun together. Vicky and Pinky, played by Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh, are also a cute couple, while I instantly liked Rishi, but had to get used to Neetu at the beginning. Talking about getting used to something: I'm shocked by realizing, how much I've gotten used to the ideals of beauty we have nowadays, though I never thought about it this way. I realized it, when I thought, that Neetu and Raakhee were kind of... chubby. But then my alarm bells rang, thank god! My mind is so manipulated by all those human clothes rails, which are dominating our media.

Amit and Pooja

Talking about clothes rails: Amitabh wears some really cute, cuddly sweaters, that I absolutely want to own... (Beth wrote a post on this, but I can't find it right now). Back to the review. I really liked the camera setting of this film, it was whether too brash, nor too boring. Just at two moments, it seemed unprofessional too me, because they used the "shifting-between-to-faces-1000-times" technique. Otherwise, the scene changes were quite good, mostly rather subtle, but sometimes also with the good old impact.

Funny was, that Amit didn't look like his father at all, in contrast to Vicky, whose father was played by his real-life uncle. In addition, I liked the scene, where Vicky's father tries to catch Pinky's mother, and the two fiancés look at each other and vanish silently. Yes, the film has humor, why else should Vicky ask his horse: "Eritéz mon ami, yaar?"?

Actually, there was just one thing annoying me: Sweety, alias Naseem. She was just disruptive and beyond all bearing. By the way, I just IMDB-ed her, and this was the only film she acted in. Good decision!

"Kabhi Kabhie" is indeed quite long, but I've gotten used to that now, that's just how it is with old films. Though also many new films suffer from this - if they're poor. Because this is the secret advise for a long film, that's able to entertain: It has to be interesting. To the makers of "Shakti", "Sehar" etc. - remember this.

Rating: 7.2

Thank you for reading,

Mette M. K.

Mini-Reviews: "Eastern", Curry-Masala & Trash

One of my "new year's resolutions" (don't like using the designation, because it makes you think of "I want to quit smoking" and "I want to loose weight") is seeing some of the really famous and/ or critically acclaimed (Indian) movies that I haven't seen yet (which there are plenty of). Another one is what I call "A film a day", which is very obvious in understanding: I want to watch one film a day. At least. So, I've been good at it this first week of the year... And among others, I watched "Dabangg", "Sholay" and "Don" ('78). Why these? Well, because they are... really famous. Just what I wanted.

There are, as I found out, many similarities between those three. I love lists, so let's look at it in list form:

• They're slightly (as for "Dabangg": very) unrealistic. Ahem, walking a tightrope with two kids in your arms and a bad leg? (Don).
• They have great soundtracks ("Yeh Dosti", "Munni Badnaam", "Khaike Paan Banaraswaala" etc.)
• They have great actors and actresses (not a big fan of Salman, but I like him more and more)
• They exaggerate
• They are Blockbusters
• I love them (especially "Sholay and Don" - wouldn't watch "Dabangg" too often, but it's also good)

Here's a little more about each of them:

Dabangg (2010) दबंग

In this world, there are two kinds of people: Firstly, the bad guys and secondly, the good guys. And then, there is Salman. When Salman enters the room, a terrifying orchestra of e-guitars and hands being smashed sounds. Salman knows how to handle a lasso (ahem, water hose), how to deliberate new stunts (that are not cloned from Hulk or Matrix) and how to melt a woman's heart. And wen he wants to marry one, he doesn't ask: He just does it. Salman has got them, swiveling hips. He can agitate his belt, squash the sun with his bare hand and he has more hair today, than he had 8 years ago. Salman is fearless, oh yes, he is… Dabangg! (Two G's, very important!).

And if you haven't seen the fence post, on which is written "do NOT take this film seriously", I'm very sorry for you. Though I don't really understand the huge success of "Dabangg", I do have to admit that I couldn't have wished for more entertainment. Even the women don't miss out - admittedly, they're not very important in the plot, but they are presented by good actresses. You can't be very wrong with Dimple Kapadia, as everyone knows, and also the new face, Sonakshi Sinha, is not only a beauty. I do sense this woman's potential and hope that it will be utilized in her next projects.  Since "Ghost", we all knew that men are often attracted by female potters, but this is not the only wisdom we can extract from "Dabangg": Finally I know, that the same sound resounds, when you pack a puch, and when you fall onto the floor with a lot of kinetic energy (without breaking anything). Sonu Sood is, buy the way, no concurrence to Salman Khan, though he's allowed to show his six-pack more often than Sallu. Honestly, can anyone give this man a bra? And a hair-dresser?

However, my advice to you: Flip off your brains and let "Dabangg" take over your DVD-player!
6.4

Don (1978)

"Yes, who is it?". "Don". 

I say it, as it is: Whenever I think of those very famous lines, I automatically hear Shah Rukh's voice. Most people of my generation watch the remakes before having seen the original movies - if that's a good thing, or a bad thing, that's up to you. At all events, it entails that 1) I don't watch the originals very soon (as I'm a little "lazy" concerning old films) and 2) I always look after the differences between the two movies, taking the remake as my initial point. After having seen the original "Don", however, I came to the result that "Don" 2006 is certainly a good movie, but not comparable to its forerunner. It is indeed a little unfair comparing Shah Rukh to Amitabh, because Amitabh will always be a little bit better. I love Shah Rukh, and he is one of the best actors I know, but Amitabhji is… Well, he's Amitabhji. 

"Don" '78 is trash - the best trash I've seen until now. And a piece of film history.

8.5

                                                                                                      

Sholay (1975) शोले                                

My first Masala-Curry-"Eastern"… I had undertaken to see it this year, as I was quite ashamed actually… I mean, you must have seen Sholay! And if it's only because of the quotes and references in newer films… It is film history, in the truest sense of the word (can you say that?). 

Despite overlength: Sholay is cult with 4 BIIIIIG letters!!!!

(This part is very short and uncreative, but I find it hard to describe my feelings about Sholay. It's just a fantastic movie, and I'm so happy that I've finally seen it).

10
















Word explanation
"Eastern"???
Sholay has, among other films, been called an Indian western, because of all the guns and the countryside location. But I don't like that indication, because this is India, we're not in the wild west, we're in the wild east. Not in the countryside, "gaanv men". That's why I call movies like Sholay "Eastern". Simple.


Another resolution
As you may have noticed, there are not yet any entries concerning Kollywood or Tollywood. There's a simple reason for this, too. The reason is, that all I've seen of those until now, is one single movie. Yes, it's true. The movie was "Bumbai" (1995), and the only reason I watched it, was because of Manisha Koirala (buy the way, I miss you Manisha!). But I decided that I need to watch some regional movies, so that's another resolution for 2011. Happily, I have somewhere to start: Since I've watched Rang De Basanti, I'm so crazy about Siddhart, so I'll start by watching some of his movies.

Thank you for reading,

Mette M. K.

Review: Dil Chahta Hai

DIL CHAHTA HAI (2001)

Director: Farhan Akhtar

Screenplay: Farhan Akhtar & Kassim Jagmagia

Starring: Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Akshaye Khanna, Preity Zinta, Dimple Kapadia

Plot: "Dil Chahta Hai" tells the story of the three friends Akash, Samir and Siddhart. It's about how the three of them change, fall in love and grow up, and how strong their friendship is in the end. (I know, this sounds worn-out, but don't judge before seeing!). 

Written the 2nd of January 2011

As you can read out of the plot description, we're not fed a new story, but that can, as is generally known, also be lovely – provided that the whole thing is freshened up a little. Be it via new perspectives, eminently good actors, a great soundtrack... or a little bit of everything. That's probably what Farhan Akhtar, who debuted as a director with this one, thought too, when he puzzled out what became one of the most known Bollywood films nowadays. (By the by, I'm a big appreciator of Farhan Akhtar's work and happy to have seen all of his scheduled work by now).

The three friends

The result, which may celebrate its 10st birthday this year, can be seen, and is now as then surrounded by some fresh air, to which, among other things, the great actors contribute. Many of them are high-profiled performers today. Aamir Khan, who in the same year tightened his position in Bollywood by means of Laagan, gave one of his best shots again. Accustomed down-to-earth, but not boring, he plays the buffoon Akash, and in some scenes almost eclipses his colleagues Saif Ali Khan and Akshaye Khanna. Still, those two are in full cry in “Dil Chahta Hai”. While Saif has been somewhat disappointing with his choice of films in the last past years, he doesn't leave anything to be desired in what's often dealt as his big break. He's the perfect cast for the charming womanizer Samir, in spite of some dubiously fashionable outfits. The third party is Akshaye, who gives one of his best performances here. Though he, just like Aamir, is no “classic beauty”, he's very well able to inspire as the gentle artist Sid, and soon catches the sympathy of the audience. His love to an older woman appears to be cordial and honest and is one of the best ideas of the writers. There are still to many films with old men and young women, that don't even question the age difference, and not enough with an opposite constellation. Dimple Kapadia plays Tara and I really liked her in this role – she has a calm aura, through which you can slightly see her insecurity and sadness. I also believe that Tara, in her very heart, loved Sid, but didn't feel she had enough power to listen to it and break the traditions. Sonali Kulkarni, who plays Samir's big love Pooja, isn't really worth mentioning, as her role is rather exchangeable and unimportant. And finally, there's Preity Zinta, my favorite actress, who sadly isn't very present in these days. As always, she is, in face of an unthankful hair styling, enchanting and fully fills out her role. She also makes a cute couple with Aamir, in some scenes, a concentrated passion springs up between the two of them; I'm talking about the famous metro scene, where the door shuts between Akash and Shalini... For one moment, their expressions change and the feelings are at once as touchable as the door between them. That's something I call real acting talent, and I was just captured by that scene... The two are convincing all through the film, and I still wonder how they succeeded in making that opera scene not seem kitschy.

A cute jodi - Aamir & Preity

Another great “couple” is the threesome of Aamir, Saif and Akshaye. The three boys'/ men's friendship is convincing and realistic (apart from the fact that a tiny comment destroys the friendship for such a long time, but we'll save that under dramaturgic freedom). This whole wonderful and interesting story (which, buy the way, doesn't get boring though its three hours), is also backed up by great locations, a fresh soundtrack and well done filming. Sydney, Goa and Bombay are portrayed beautifully, but in a realistic way, by Ravi K. Chandran. The soundtrack by S-E-L is youthful and stays in your head, and it enhances the story instead of unnecessarily deviating from it. 

I could go on praising this film, but I think it's enough for today. “Dil Chahta Hai” lives up to its promise: It's an ode to friendship, with all its highs and lows, and a remembrance, that there's a soulmate for everyone. All of that may sound really kitschy to you, but it's been permuted resourcefully and hence remains a true milestone of Bollywood – a must-see.

Rating: 9.9

Thank you for reading my review, 

Mette M. K.

Mini-Reviews: Devdas & Dev.D

I will now try something new: The mini-reviews, which you probably already know from some of the other Bollywood bloggers. What's great about this method is that you with little effort can delete some of your DVDs from your to-write-list. Somehow reminds me of short films in comparison to feature films...
We'll start with SLBs Blockbuster, Devdas, and the experimental remake Dev.D.

For those who are not familiar with the story of Devdas: Devdas was the name of a Bengali novel by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, written 1917. It has been picturized many, many times, but the story is always the same: Devdas is a boy from a wealthy family and his best friend is Paro, who belongs to a middle-class family. They both live in the same village. When Devdas returns after 13 years of studying, the two childhood-friends fall in love with each other. But when Paro's family makes the wedding proposal to Devdas family, they are insulted, because Paro doesn't belong to the same caste as Devdas. She's "not worthy". Then, Paro's mother finds an even richer husband for her. Devdas then leaves the village and tells Paro, that they were only friends. However, he changes his mind and tells Paro, he would do anything for saving their love. Paro is now almost married, so she makes only one request to Devdas: He shall return to her, before he dies. While Paro lives the life of a bird in a golden cage, Devdas seeks consolation in alcohol and Chandramukhi, a courtesan, who falls in love with him.

DEVDAS (2002):
Devdas - another great film by SLB. All those dances, the style and production and the dresses and actors, that's already really impressive. But a good movie needs a good story, too. And Devdas has got one. True, I couldn't comprehend to some of it, but it was definetely dramatic! The actors are also superb! I didn't always understand Shahrukh's character, but at any rate, he acted well. Aishwarya was truly beautiful and also the acting was one of her top performances. Madhuri was magical. Both of them also performed some incredible choreographies, especially in the well-known "Dola Re Dola". And as we're already into it, the songs are fantastic. Well, they should be, as the composers needed 2 years to complete the soundtrack. "Silsila Yeh Chaahat Ka" is the first song in the movie, and it's staged very well, with the candle light and that whole choreography. "Maar Daala" is another gem, with Madhuri, who dances delightfully. The whole soundtrack is very romantic, a little bit like the soundtrack of HDDCS, but much better, off course. All songs are implemented very well, it was especially great seeing so many traditional dances. The backdrops are breathtaking, with plenty of gold and silver.
Well, I can't say much more, other than: Watch this movie!!!

Rating: 10.0

DEV.D (2009):
Wow - this movie really blew me away. The story about Devdas, Paro and Chanda (or Chandramukhi) was interpretated in a totally new, modern way. There were even two newcoming actresses: Mahie Gill, who I found very good. She seems very Indian and natural (she's been casted in other movies too, but this was her first big role).  Furthermore Kalki Koechlin, playing Chanda/Leni. I'm not sure of what to think of her. She was quite convincing in this movie, but the question is, if she can also fill out other roles...? The movie was also very gloomy,  a fact that doubtless doesn't stimulates you to watch it very often, but that was also quite fascinating. The music matched the movie perfectly, especially the many versions of "Emosanal Attyachar", but I won't listen to the soundtrack very often, as it's just real film-music.
I can only recommend this movie, particularly to fans of Abhay Deol (includes me) and all those, who also like the "dark" Indian cinema.

Rating: 9.4

All of you who are even more interested in the story of Devdas, I can advise you to watch all the other versions, from which the newest is from 1965 and the oldest from 1928. If I have the time some day, I might do that. But you should really have seen one of those movies, whereas the 2002 version is probably most compatible.