The Wonder Years

The Wonder Years is probably my favorite sitcom. When I was a kid in Jubail and Kuwait, I remember not religiously following the show like I did some others. But I do remember that whenever I managed to catch an episode or two of the series, I left it completely enriched. Enriched with the goodness, the humor and the pure emotional depth the show projected. Compared to a lot of the instant entertainment shows dished out on television these days, this kind of show lingers in the memory.

So recently, when I got all the seasons of the Wonder Years again to watch, I started going through them slowly. Kevin Arnold played wonderfully by Fred Savage, and the voiceover of the adult Kevin given heart rendingly by Daniel Stern (the less informed watchers may remember him as one of the robbers in the first two Home Alone movies). Kevin’s family, including his grouchy but caring dad, his fussy mom, his elder sister with her liberal attitudes and his irritating bully of a big brother, Wayne. His best friend Paul. And, of course… his childhood sweetheart, Winnie. The story of Winnie and Kevin is what runs through the narrative of the six seasons, sometimes in the background. They may have gone in between to other partners, but there was always a sense, that they had a happy ending waiting for them. It takes till the final episode of the final season to find out if they did indeed have one. The chemistry between them was delightful, from the first episode of the first season when they were supposed to be twelve.

The show is set during Kevin’s growing up years in a middle class suburban neighborhood in the US, during the turbulent 60’s. The episodes dealt with a wide range of issues, all examined poignantly and innocently from the point of view of this kid. Family feuds’, first love, friendship, school, the Vietnam war… Who can forget the episode of Kevin inadvertently initiating a walkout in his school to protest the war? Or the one in which he and Winnie share their first kiss. And the bittersweet final episode.

For everyone fed on a diet of today’s shows, mostly lacking in emotional depth or resilience, I would suggest checking out Kevin Arnold’s world. And remembering a time probably long gone.

Kerala Café

I finished watching Ranjith’s experiment, Kerala Café the other day. Ten different short stories by ten different directors combined to form a single movie. The experiment has been done, of course, in other languages, including in Bollywood (Dus Kahaniyaan). However, in the barren wasteland of creativity that Malayalam cinema has become since the turn of the century, Ranjith is one maker who keeps trying to revolutionize the industry, almost as a one man army out to repair the damage.

The movie has various stories from 10 directors, some established and some new. The opening is a story of NRI angst and memories, in a story fittingly called Nostalgia. Though this is not among the best, it does in a way capture NRI attitudes with respect to Kerala, and Dileep does well portraying a character with shades of grey.

After this, we see Prithviraj in all his effortless dashing best, talking about Jesus, Frankenstein and Mangalassery Neelakantan and about his ‘bitch’. As only he can do these days, he pulls it off, in what turns out to be a touching story of a gathering of people from different walks of life, who bear common witness to a tragedy which affected them all. Called ‘Island Express’, this stars Jayasurya and Rahman as well and is one of my favorites from the collection.

The next was a story on adultery by Shaji Kailas with Suresh Gopi. It’s a relief to know that Shaji hasn’t totally lost it. Another decent effort to add to. After that is Uday Ananthan's Mrityunjayam, which has Fahd Fazil in a new avatar as compared to his last outing a few years back in his dad’s venture. A horror movie, it does manage to send a chill or two down your spine, but still not one of the best here. Despite that, Fahd definitely does look much more assured now.

The next story is Anjali Menon’s Happy Journey. This one beautifully captures the mind of a middle class Keralite male(Jagathy) who, on a night journey in a bus, tries to get flirty and touchy with a young co passenger next to him. What follows is a brilliant game of one-upmanship between them, which keeps the viewer guessing. I do hope that Anjali’s Manjadikuru gets a release in Kerala. If this short feature is anything to go by, her full length movie must be great.
After this, there are a couple of nice efforts including one on the effects of recession (brilliantly acted by Siddique and Shweta Menon) and another by Shyamprasad. Good to know he can do the light hearted ventures too.

However, one of the best here is Anwar Rasheed’s Bridge. A brilliantly metaphorical and hauntingly sad tale about a son who tries to lose his mother, much the same way as a dad tries to lose the stray cat his son had brought home. The story talks of themes of helplessness, desolation and love and is beautifully acted (mainly Salim Kumar). Amazingly, this is done by Anwar Rasheed, the same guy who did those mindless potboilers with Mammooty and Mohanlal before this. I sure hope he continues on this path rather than go back to those.

PuramKazhchakal, starring Sreenivasan and Mammooty, is the last one, and another fine one. Sreenivasan is a traveler on a bus thinking of his past, when suddenly a man in a hurry gets on the bus. Throughout the journey he pesters the driver and gets ridiculed also, while trying to get the bus to move fast. The ending of this is touching and speaks a lot of how we may not realize why someone does what he does. Mamooty is shorn of all his star power here and does brilliantly.

Seeing these 10 minute stories, I couldn’t help wondering… If these guys can do so well with short stories, why the heck can’t they start replicating this onto their longer counterparts?

Whither the Rancho’s?

Do we still have our Ranchos around? Or more importantly, is the world too cynical these days to believe in the Ranchos?

The funny (or refreshing) thing about Hirani’s latest offering is that much more people than I have seen before seem willing to at least try and believe in the philosophy endorsed by Aamir Khan’s character. Even though the last picture done by him (Lage Raho Munnabhai) was another work of genius, a lot of people seemed unwilling at the time to believe that the radiant idealism which he propagates can work. Sadly, a lot of them saw it as just good fun and were not willing to draw in the message that goodness can thwart all evil.

However, this time around, he seemed to have got to everyone, or at least much more of us. The character of Rancho was just so infectiously endearing and hopeful that we just cannot help thinking that it is possible. Hirani is a genius. I don’t know how he manages to brilliantly evoke sensitive issue so comically, without it descending into parody or hurting sentiments. I said this the last time when the second Munnabhai came out. His portrayal of Gandhi in that was brilliantly balanced with the right amount of light heartedness while making sure that not even the so called ‘righteous’ moral police (read idiots) of the country can raise a hue. Similarly in his latest, he portrays Sharman’s character’s lousy family situation (paralyzed dad, haranguing mom, unmarried sis etc.) in a uniquely comical and good hearted manner that you just cannot raise a protest. In the hands of a lesser film maker, such a depiction of the widespread poverty in the land could have been misconstrued as in bad taste or mockery.

As for me, I love the Rancho’s of the world. If it wasn’t for those people I have been lucky enough to get close to in life, who embody at least parts of his idealism, I would have probably lost faith in humanity a while ago. In the ever changing, cynical and cut throat universe we seem to inhabit at times, it is the simplicity, directness and honesty of these people that breathes in fresh air to our existence. They bring in that essential ingredient which everyone seems to want to run away from or keep under wraps most of the time. Truth. To yourself and to others. And the world is all the more better because of them. All is definitely well!

Avatar! WTH??

Gawd, I really wanted to like this movie. After hearing so much about it for weeks on end, I was waiting so that I could catch it in its best version, namely in IMAX 3-D. Well, finally I did get a chance over the new years weekend with my friends in Mumbai. If this is what the best version had to offer, I can imagine how much I may have disliked it in normal 2-D.

First of all, I do like good big budget actioners, which also have fresh characters and credibility of plot. The Dark Knight or the recent Star Trek are recent movies which I really liked. However, I have never been able to enjoy or like a movie which just has exorbitant special effects and no screenplay, dialogue or character development. This is probably why I actually managed to sleep through some time of the mayhem that was the second half of the first Transformers movie, and didn’t bother to watch the second one. However, I did expect James Cameron to not just make a showpiece of a movie. One of my all time favorites, T2 was done by him. You never felt in that movie that he was compromising on script, characters, dialogues or intensity for effects. I even liked Titanic quite a bit. But this one was plain disappointing. Credit has to be given where due. The idea and beauty of Pandora, and the basic premise was amazingly interesting. But the screenplay left a lot to be desired. Some of the lines uttered by Sully’s and Neytiri’s Na’vi characters are so cheesy and clichéd that you feel even the most run of the mill romantic comedies do it better. On top of that, the various scenes look like they had been picked up from a collection of good movies over the years (like the brilliant LOTR trilogy). And what in the world was all that sudden spirituality thrown in at the end? It just did not fit in credibly with the story till then.

But I guess these days, most of these movies do well. Which would explain why Transformers 2 and Avatar are among the biggest hits of the year, and Avatar will probably challenge Titanic for all time Box Office earnings. And why something beautiful and complex like Watchmen was probably not watched by half as many people as who saw Avatar. Sad though. I never thought I’ll be disappointed with Cameron.

2012.. Blah!

I really got to stop wasting my time and money on these kinda crapfests. I mean, I guess I deserve it. What was I expecting? The Dark Knight? But still, I had actually likedone of Emmerich's earlier movies, Independance Day. Atleast that had charming characters you rooted for.

This one was simply a CGI fest, and not too good also I felt. Somehow the effect of the world getting destroyed was just not there. This is what too much of CGI can do. Or it probably is just a vindication of the fact that no matter how much special effects you have, you cannot replace a good script and good acting.

I dont want to give the impression that I'm some sort of art house fanatic or that Cusack and Ejiofor are bad actors. I loved movies like the recent Star Trek and The Dark Knight. Its just that these guys were plain cheesy and over the top in this one. For starters, why the heck are we rooting for Cusacks family when the rest of humanity is going under? There is hardly any connect with the characters, which is required in this kind of flick which focuses on a group of survivors. I can get past the cliches of Cusack and co. escaping from every danger in the nick of time with hardly plausible scenarios. But this was plain bad. Even the supposedly "deep" scene between two monks near the Himalayas somewhere seemed laughably funny. Something about emptying your head and all. Yea, makes sense, if you want to enjoy this movie.

I guess I should not be ranting when it was pretty obvious what will be in the movie. But it is sad when these kind of fare make hundreds of millions and genuinely felt movies hardly rake in anything. I think I will be giving Emmerich's movies a break for some time now. Add that to the Michael Bay list (unless of course, he makes another Bad Boys, which by the sheer force of Will Smith's and Martin Lawrence's charm actually is quite enjoyable).

JFK

"What is Past is Prologue"…

I just got over another viewing of Oliver Stone's JFK, this time the Directors cut, which runs for around 3 hrs 20 mins. As always, I was not bored for a single second of this high octane, virtually paranoia driven dialogue. And I got reminded again why it is one of my favorite movies. I've always been a fan of the political thrillers with espionage thrown in, and JFK is undoubtedly one of the best (if not the best) of these. This is Oliver Stone at his best (which is telling, because there have been a lot of instances, especially in recent times, when it seems he has lost it). His Vietnam trilogy not withstanding.

Based on the true life memoirs of Jim Garrison, who was, as per the movie, the only person to bring a trial in the Kennedy assassination, this movie holds you from the first scene till the end. Unless of course, you’re the kind who rates a movie’s greatness based on the special effects. In which case, I would suggest you go for the Transformers sequel, as most of the world seems to be.

Kevin Costner plays Jim Garrison, the New Orleans DA, who (after 3 years) discovers that things were just not right with the investigation and findings of the Warren commission regarding the murder of John F. Kennedy. Together with his office, a small yet dedicated bunch, he sets out to investigate. Against all odds and a labyrinth of characters, threats, murders and political intrigue, he manages to bring forth the case to trial. Regardless of the outcome of the trial, the final monologue by Costner has to be seen to be believed. And felt. No matter how many times I see this, it always brings a lump to my throat, as Costner elaborates on just why this is so important. Reminds you that Costner is capable of being there with the very best, despite some of the crap he dishes out at times.

As for the actual case, was there conspiracy involving the CIA, the govt, the FBI, and the anti-Cuban and anti-communist forces? Or is Oliver Stone just a paranoid genius, as many say? Well, I don’t know, but the power of the movie can be gauged from the fact that it turned me, a completely disinterested person, into a believer.

Ghostwriter

I just finished watching another episode of Ghostwriter. For the uninitiated, Ghostwriter was a popular kids show during the 90's which involved a gang of kids in NY and their invisible ghost friend, who they couldn't see, but who could make words out of letters. With the help of this ghost buddy, they went around NYC solving various mysteries. The episodes were always in 4 or 5 part mysteries, and I used to love them. I remember in Saudi, as a kid, i would want to wear pens around my neck just like they used to. Got a couple of my friends to do the same too.

Anyways, the funny thing was, i just realized how much i still like the show, 10-15 years after i first saw it. Now when i revisit it, i realize the show was not only entertaining, but also dealt with a lot of issues which a lot of adults would do good to take note of. It celebrates the power of togetherness and friendship, as well as showing glorious examples of steadfast loyalty to the ones you love, passion and determination, as well as an aversion to violence in any form. I remember the show was probably one of the first ones i saw where the kids who made up the gang where all of different ethnicities. There was Jamal, the African American, Tina the Chinese American, Alex and Gaby, the Hispanics as well as Lenni, the true blue American. Yet, without ever getting preachy, it managed to make us care for these kids and put across the point that with tolerance, understanding and friendship, the differences don’t really matter. Another thing i liked about it was the importance given to writing. It genuinely encouraged kids to take up writing more.

The poignant thing is though, all the kids who played a part of this have now all gone to the 'Where are they now' list. I looked up their limited profiles available on IMDB, and it looks like hardly any of them went onto any more acting assignments. Though they all seemed to have graduated from university. That was surprising for me, considering they all seemed to have the natural flair for the screen. Especially the unmentioned leader Sheldon Turnipseed (Jamal) and Blaze Berdahl (Lenni), who seemed to have it in them to carry it off on the big screen.

I don't know if they still make 'em like this for kids, but somehow i doubt it.

An Ode to Malayalam Cinema

I saw a couple of movies in the last few days which made me feel maybe, just maybe, there is still hope left for Malayalam cinema. Once the pantheon of path breaking and intelligent cinema made on shoestring budgets with fantastic actors, Malayalam cinema since the turn of the century is a sorry shadow of its former self. These days a true fan finds it hard to find a few meaningful and worthwhile movies every year. While Bollywood seems to be moving in the right direction with its new breed of filmmakers and actors, Malayalam cinema seems to have moven in the opposite direction. This may be because of the demise of such great auteurs as Padmarajan, Bharathan etc, as well as the slow corrosion of cinema of the neighbouring states, including the superstar culture. While Mohanlal is one of the finest actors i have ever seen, the number of worthy movies he has done in the last ten years are very few and far between. Ditto for Suresh Gopi. Mamooty might have fared a bit better.

Coming to the movies that I saw, the first was "Thirakatha" (Screenplay). The story was that of a young filmmaker who wanted to make a movie on the life of a yesteryear starlet and her relation at the time with a current reigning superstar. The subject was an intriguing one for the protagonist, as the starlet faded away as swiftly as she came to the limelight, and no one seemed to know of her whereabouts. The main protagonist was played by Prithviraj, who in my opinion is a brilliant young actor, and who seems to genuinely want to do good cinema, rather thn cashing in on crass starry roles. The starlet and her lover were played by Priya Mani and Anoop Chandran, both brilliantly. While this one atleast got a decent run in cinema's in Kerala (probably because of the popularity of its director, the gifted Ranjith), the next one I saw probably hardly saw the light of the day in the state.

This one was called "Sanchaaram" (The Journey) and was the story of two adolescent girls in a village in Kerala. After being together since childhood, they realise that they have feelings for each other. How they and others around them in conservative Kerala society deal with this forms the rest of the story. I felt it beautifully evoked the alternative sexuality the girls had to come to terms to and captured their angst, as compared to certain overhyped Hollywood productions ("Brokeback Mountain", "Milk") on the same. Those movies to me seemed to give way too much preference to the sex and physicality between the characters rather than their feelings. The director, writer and producer of ths film, Ligy J. Pullappally, supposedly came across the story after she heard of two girls in Kerala who wanted to kill themselves because society wouldn't let them be who they were. In her own words: "On January 25, 2000 I received an email about a young woman at a university in the South Indian state of Kerala. She and her girlfriend had fled the school, presumably under the threat of expulsion as a result of the rumors of their love affair with each other. The women were recovered and sent back to their respective families. The next day, one of the young women’s body was found floating in the reservoir of a dam. It was a tragic loss of young life and potential, a suicide. It was, I would learn, an all too familiar circumstance in the South Indian state of Kerala." This was a beautiful movie which i feel, sadly, a large section of the movie going public wouldn't have seen.

Maybe there still is hope for the lover of the Malayalam cinema of yore.

Firaaq

I think I'm in love. With Nandita Das. Of course, her choices in her acting career have never been anything but exemplary, so I was expecting her maiden directorial venture, Firaaq, to be good atleast. But i was unprepared for the extent to which i was moved by this moving tapestry of a few lives after the Gujarat riots.
Inevitably, there will be the usual community lovers who will cry out without even watching the movi of how these movies only show one side of the story or only the suffering suffered by one community. I loved the response she had for one of those. "I'm not pro-Muslim, I'm pro-humanity'. It expressed the sentiment throughout the movie beautifully. Or how she responded to Modi's response to have a 'special' screening of the movie by retorting that the movie has been released, he can go watch it.
The film is helped in a large measure by the amazingly talented ensemble of actors, the more famous of them being Naseerudin Shah, Sanjay Suri (a very under rated actor in my opinion), Deepti Naval, Paresh Rawal and Shahana Goswami (of Rock On fame).
Incidentally, i went to watch the movie with Af, a pal who follows Islam, but who i found to be more liberal and openminded than most others i know. A fitting response to all those prejudiced and so called educated fools out there.

Heck, i sure hope she keeps making movies more often.

Benjamin's Button

I wasn't too impressed with the movie. It was too long and too boring, to put it bluntly. At no point could I really connect with the character and Brad Pitt, though a good actor, was too wooden in this movie. It's too bad David Fincher almost won an Oscar for this movie, considering he has made some gems in the past, including the underrated 'Zodiac' from 2007.

One aspect of the movie critics seemed to be harping on about was supposedly the amazing chemistry between Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. And one picture I saw the other day from the movie really made me believe it. The one above... The way they are standing in front of the mirror with Cate's reflection looking back at the real life Pitt, made it look amazing.

Unfortunately, in the movie itself, the chemistry was hardly there, and the scene shown above was hardly noticable. The movie ended up (for me) looking like a wannabe 'Forrest Gump'.

Thank God it only won the Oscars which it really deserved, for art direction and makeup.

My Yearender for Bollywood

With all the year end reviews going on, i thought i'll put in my own fave hindi flicks of the year gone by. I gotta say i was influenced to do this after hearing procalamations that certain mediocre(and dumb) movies (an example wud be Ghajini and Rab ne whatever) are cinematic masterpieces. Considering the Indian movie industry is producing some absolute gems these days, i thought it was blasphemous that these overhyped star vehicles are getting all the plaudits as usual.

So here's my fave from the last year in "Bollywood":
1) Mumbai Meri Jaan - My favourite of the year. This movie marked that rare achievement of bringing together an excellent ensemble of actors and a great director with a theme that was thought provoking. I had seen Nishikant Kamath's Tamil movie Evano Oruvan and found it to be unique and fresh. This time he brings the protagonist of that movie, Madhavan and combines him with Paresh Rawal, Kay Kay Menon, Irrfan Khan and Soha. It was a brilliant character study of these characters and how the Mumbai blasts affected them. Although it doesnt provide solutions. If you just want an easy thrill, i would suggest 'A Wednesday', which in my opinion is a bit overrated.

2) Rock On - This was a movie which had a predictable storyline, cliched situations and some actors who had never really made it big. But wow! The way the story was presented was fresh, original and the actors all did a great job, particularly Farhan Akhtar, Arjun Rampal and Shahana Goswami.

3) Dasvidaniya - The movie that touched me the most the last year. Vinay Pathak gave an endearing performance as the man stricken with cancer and only having 3 months left to live. Some say it was inspired by 'The Bucket List', but somehow, i liked this one much better.

4) Aamir - Another movie which i went for on my gut feeling. It released in the same weekend as Sarkar Raj, and somehow i got the feeling this would be a richer movie experience. Boy, was i right. The movie was 1.5 hours of a pure thrill ride, with the ending putting everyone with the question of what would they have done in the same situation?

5) Jaane Tu.. - This was another movie which i was not expecting to like. After all the story seemed age old and the actors did not seem too charismatic. However, like Rock On, this one was brilliantly presented and hit all the right spots. The comic touches were perfect and you ended up caring for this bunch of kids.

I know no one will agree with me... but i thought i had to put in an honourable mention to Tashan. The public seems to have misunderstood it. I thought it was a brilliant spoof of the movies of the 80's with the larger than life villain, the loverboy caught in the wrong situation, the childhood lovers meeting up in later life, 2 people fighting 20.. but somehow it turned out to be one of YashRaj's biggest flops. Which probably persuaded Aditya Chopra to make the utterly irritating Rab Ne... considering it a safe investment.

One more honorable mention i felt i needed to make. Shaurya may have been taken from 'A Few Good Men', but no one can deny it was a beautifully made movie, and featured probably the best monologue of the year, from Kay Kay Menon. The actor had a glorified special appearance in the movie but left probably one of the most indelible impressions in the whole year.

Talkin' Movies

Its good to listen to two intelligent film makers talking to each other. Dibaker Banerjee, the maker of Khosla Ka Ghosla and Oye Lucky, gets together for a chat with Navdeep Singh, the maker of that excellent little gem last year, Manorama Six feet Under. The funny thing is, Banerjee even feels that his Khosla Ka Ghosla was in some ways a compromise, as in the end he had to give into an ending the audiences in India would have expected. Navdeep Singh though, is someone I consider a brilliant film maker. His Manorama Six Feet Under was daring, different and an amazing homage to the classic film noir. You can see the full article at:
http://in.news.yahoo.com/32/20081214/1070/ten-life-or-something-like-it.html

A treat for any serious film buff. A true sign of the times that Bollywood now has a place for those who want to look beyond the extravagant and empty showpieces they make in the name of cinema. I hope for every Singh is King they make these days, I can catch hold of a Manorama.

A Thousand Elephants...

The past weekend I had the privilege of watching Gautam Menon's latest offering, 'Vaaranum Aayirum'. Though i had heard mixed reviews of it (Suzy darling, with whom i went, said a friend had personally told her it was the pits), I figured Gautam Menon and Surya.. How bad can it be?

It wasn't bad. Far from it. It has to be one of the best movies I have seen all year. If there is one thing Bollywood can learn from the South, it is how to make great movies on big budgets. The usual tendency in tinseltown here is 'have money.. will spend on anything but plot or character development'. And the sad thing is, people still prefer the overbudgeted crap to the small thoughtful movies that have been coming these days in Bollywood (OSO's humongous success last year is a pointer to that).

Coming back to Vaaranum Aayirum, I found a lot of things going for it. Surya in almost every frame of the movie helped a lot. This guy has to be one of the finest method actors I have seen from the South. Over here, he had to play a multitude of characters and emotions, ranging from a sixties college kid to a drug addict and finally to an army officer. Not once did you feel not convinced by him. He brought an intensity and sensitivity to his performance that endears the audience to him and makes us care for him. And that is another great thing about the movie. I have not often seen a movie which deals with a wide range of issues as this does and pull it off. Over here you can see a father-son bond,a sixties romance, a modern day romance, tragedy, effects of drug addiction, a kidnapping and rescue, as well as an army operation. Thorugh all of these multiple themes, you get the feeling the director has done his research and paid careful attention to details. And you get drawn into the proceedings. Despite the length of the movie, I was left wishing for more from this magnum opus. Oh... and who can forget Sameera Reddy? Looking more beautiful and convincing than she has ever looked in any Hindi movie, she and Surya formed one of the best on screen couples I have seen in a long time. They just seemed to ooze chemistry.

After the excellent Vettayadu Villayadu, Gautam Menon is fast becoming one of my favourite directors. This one just re inforced my belief that while the Tamil film industry may churn a lot of trash, when they do it good, they do it better than the rest. This was the second one this year I have felt the same way, Anjaathey being the first.

Cry Freedom

Richard Attenborough is a director whose name is synonymous with the Academy Award winning 'Gandhi', back in '83. I didn't know of any other work of his til i recently came across 'Cry Freedom', released back in 1987 (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092804/). While it may not have been as popular as his Gandhi, it is every bit as gripping, if not more, and was released when South Africa still had not got rid of the shackles of apartheid. While most movies on social issues come out after the event had happened, i guess this one released during the time.

The story is based on real life characters and events. The book on which the movie was based, was written by Donald Woods (Kevin Kline), a journalist who used to work in South Africa until the end of the seventies. It traces the origins of Woods friendship with the charismatic black leader Steve Biko, who is wonderfully portrayed by Denzel Washington. I cannot imagine a better choice for the role. Washington exudes a natural charm and screen presence, which Biko's character required.

While initially, Woods was against what he felt was black racism being spread by Biko, after meeting the man, he could not help being drawn into his struggles and ideas. The bond between them grows stronger, and Woods and his family realise and become more sensitive to the plight of the people Biko represents.

However, finally, tragedy strikes, and Woods must now concentrate on escaping from South Africa, with his book, so that he can get it published and let the outside world know what is going on. The second half of the movie is a gripping tale of his escape from South Africa, along with his family, and will keep you on tenterhooks.

There are some deliciously humorous dialogues too. The scene between Biko and the lawyer in the courtroom is an example.

Lawyer: Do you advocate violence?
Biko: I advocate a confrontation.
Lawyer: Well, isn't that violence, Mr. Biko?
Biko: Not necessarily. You and I are having a confrontation now, but i dont see any violence.

However, there are moments that bring you back to the horrors that pervaded the country before better sense prevailed. The scene where the army opens fire on a protest by school children is gut wrenching and heartbreaking.

This is definitely a must watch. I would suggest those not familiar with Attenborough's work, do take time out for this. There are movies which make a lot of money. And there are movies which make lives. I would any day prefer the latter.

Almighty Courage

The other day, i manage to catch a screening of 'A Mighty heart' starring Angelina Jolie. I did not know what to expect from the movie, considering that it was based on a real life incident. However, the movie was made like a taut, slick thriller, and with excellent direction. Indeed, there were times when you felt you were not so much as watchin, but were actually participating as a silent observer in the various attempts to try and get to Daniel Pearl. After the movie, as is customary for me these days, i visited IMDB to give my own rating and take a look at the message boards. A particular thread i saw there, brings me to the point of this post.

There was a post which was started with the mailer stating that he/she did not feel that Mr. Pearl was a hero, and that he actually should be blamed for putting himself and his family at such a risk, depsite knowing how dangerous it was for a person of Jewish descent as him, in these places. The responses for this varied, from those who were shocked with the writer, to those who were downright cynical...some even going so far as to say that Marianne Pearl is using her husbands death for her own ends.

As for me, i feel the above statement is one of the most insensitive things i have heard. We have to understand here that, nobody is really trying to make Pearl into a hero here. And nobody is really trying to discount the millions of other lives that may be getting lost to terrorists around the globe, by just focussing on one American murder. If one were to go by the argument that we cannot feel sorry just for one person, just because his story has been shown, while the others have not, i would like to say that, it is through these isolated stories of brutality that people can truly become aware. In my opinion Daniel Pearl was a hero, if simply for the fact that he believed in doing his job to the best of what he could, despite the fact that he probably knew that there was always a danger. I have heard somewhere, courage is not the absense of fear, its the knowledge that there is something more important than your fear. And Marianne Pearl is a bigger hero. She chose to make her husbands story heard, and in a very impartial manner. While i have not read the book, if the movie is anything to go by, we would realise that she herself says (in this case, Angeline Jolie) that thousands do get killed by terrorists, including a lot of people from the local population. And the movie itself portrays characters like the Inspector(Irrfan Khan, in a wonderfully realistic portrayal), good men, who just want to do their job right and just. If nothing else, this is one thing i greatly admired about the movie. The absence of stereotyping of any particular community. I have heard that the lady now travels to war torn places and tries to get other peoples stories heard. Definitely a hero, if i have ever heard of one.

Getting back to some of the lighter aspects of the movie, a lot of the filming took place in Pune itself(Aundh, to be precise), because the producers felt that certain areas of this city could pass off as Karachi. I have to admit, i had an element of curiosity because of this.

So, finally...is it worth it? Does it get across what it wants to say? I would say...a big resounding YES...or better yet, get the book. I sure am planning to.

Diamonds are forever...or so they say..

Last night, me and a buddy went to catch the late nite show of Blood Diamond. Though i had already seen it once, it was a testament to how much i liked the flick, that i decided to watch the late nite show, despite it being a dreary weekday, and an episode with the ever endearing auto drivers of Pune on the cards..

The movie has already entered my pantheon of great movies i have watched. i guess i should have paid more heed to the directing credits. One of Edward Zwicks previous flicks, 'Courage Under Fire' , starring my personal fave, Denzel Washington, also happens to be one of my fave movies. But this one was definitely more powerful. The beauty of the Sierra Leone landscape has been interspersed seamlessly with the gore that has become commonplace in that country, and probably in that continent. Like they say..TIA..'This is Africa'.. The opening sequence of the RUF rebels coming and laying waste the village to which Soloman Vandy (Djimon Hounsou) belongs, sets the tone for the rest of the movie, which manages to spread the message of the illegal diamond trading that cost locals their lives, while at the same time, keeping you at the edge of your seats as a slick action thriller.

Leonardo DiCaprio..for the first time (yes, not even in the Departed), looks like a tough guy. though i never had any doubts about his acting chops, his baby face made me skeptical about him in these kind of roles. But, boy did he carry it off well. I still feel like sayin to everyone. 'Ma man'..in the Rhodesian accent he portrays in the movie. This movie should finally, atleast for me, lay to rest his Titanic image. Before i saw the movie, i was wondering if they gave him the Oscar nomination for the wrong movie(i was expecting him to get it for the Departed)..but this is definitely a more worthy performance.

The other stars in the cast also give stellar performances. Djimon Hounsou is perfectly believable as the tough yet simple village fisherman, who just wants his family back. Jennifer Connelly, apart from looking ravishing, seems to be perfectly cast..

The movie has a number of poignant sequences..when Leonardo's Danny Archer finally breaks down and says 'Sometimes i wonder if God would ever forgive us for what we've done.. But then i realise, God left this place a long time ago..'
Or the scene when Archer is leaving and Connelly gives him, just a glance..but a glance which conveyed a lifetime of longing..Archer's response? 'some other life, maybe'..

Even the bad guy had some great lines..'You may think I'm a devil..but only because i have lived in hell'..

This is one for my all time faves..Whenz the DVD comin?

Munnabhai Rokz!!

The other day, as i was caught in the loneliness of Diwali (most souls around here had gone off home, while i was left wondering why the heck my parents had to be somewher else at this time of the year), i caught up wit by buddy, George. Since he had yet to catch the brightest flick of the year, Lage Raho Munnabhai, we decided to catch a mornin show of it. I had, of course, seen it before. The first time i watched it, i remember it as a feel good film. But not just feel good. This was a movie with a difference. Genuinely. I had gone for it expecting some great rib tickling comedy, but nothing much else. yes, it was outrageously funny. But thats not it. It also had a great, sweet love story thrown in. But thats also not it. For the first time in my life, it actually made me understand what Gandhi was all about. Now im not going to endorse him here or anything. However, the way the idea of achieving something without resorting to violence was portrayed, u have to have a heart of stone to not get moved by it. This is a great flick. It was dangerous territory to step into. One goof up in the presentation could hav resulted in the whole thing degenerating into a parody of Gandhi. However, it didnt. A movie like this in todays day and age is priceless. I heard that they were sending it as an independant entry to the oscars. Wonderful news..It actually may stand a great chance. Of course, i also loved India's official entry to the oscars this year, that neo-revolutionary classic, Rang De Basanti.

But watching it for the second time, i felt a wonderful, soothing feeling..like it was all possible. The movie stays on with you. I hope everyone who watched it was able to look beyond the laughs. Because, thats what it deserves. I probably wouldnt mind watching it again. And again. Just to remember that...things are never as bad as they seem.

I heard they're makin another sequel to this series. Bring it on. Feel Good Entertainment?? This is Feel Amazing...