Also published at: Wordsutra.com
How do you just outdo yourself once you’ve made a movie like “Fargo” or “The Big Lebowski”? The answer is, not make a sequel. The answer is, translate Cormac McCarthy’s novel about the relationship between the hunter and the hunted and take it to a totally elevated dimension with riveting performances, groundbreaking shooting moments and most importantly fill it with spine-chilling silence, coz nothing works as good as plain simple silence when it comes to “thrills”. And that is what the Coens have done with “No Country for Old Men”. Not only have they explored the characters of the three main protagonists with so much ease and detail, but have also managed to paint a perfect depiction of the “West” replete with Sheriffs on horses and the Cow Boy hats, the leather boots, the gas stations owned by some old guy, and the cheap motels. But wait, am I forgetting something here? This is a movie totally owned by Javier Bardem, which is actually how the Coens would’ve planned and hell yeah, they have succeeded.Never been a better and stronger onscreen depiction of evil since “Silence of the Lambs”. Read the rest of this entry »
Also published on Wordsutra.com
How often do you feel changed after watching a movie? Trust me on this, “Once” is one of those. And if you do NOT, may be your heart just went cold two hours back. It is amazing that a cheese-less story about a young Irish busker, his torn guitar and an immigrant flower selling lady and their combined passion for music can transcend all the glitter and gleam of High Budget Hollywood musicals with so much ease, you almost forget what was the last musical movie that was so musically as well as cinematically perfect. Amazingly made in 17 days for a shoestring budget of $150K, this can beat all the multi-million ad campaigns of Hollywood summer blockbusters filled with special effects in every frame, with just a single stroke of the acoustic guitar. Pitch perfect!
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As 2007 comes to an end, its time to roll out the red carpets, open the envelopes and beat the pulp out of those movies that kept on coming back to you and haunted you this year and made you shiver with disgust at the most odd hours of the day/night.These movies go down in the history of this list as the Bollywood Razzies, aka the Worst Movies of the Years as well as Performances. It is no easy job to make it to this list. You need to be utterly creative in some way, as in if you actually intended to make a tragedy, you ensure it looks like Mr.Bean’s Holiday. And if the original script pitched plans of a comedy, the end product should make all of the crew weep. Now that’s what we call (F)ART. Only few movies have been able to qualify for the coveted “award” this year, and choosing the righteous winner among them has been a tiring effort for me. It has taken me sleepless nights, intense hours of soul searching and some barrels of Budweisers to arrive at the “Winners”. So here we go.
Breakthrough Performance of the Year Male:-
The Shaved and Waxed chest, a Peek at what’s behind the Diesel Cap, The Nasal takes a big leap beyond the lands of Narnia, and well, He finally smiles. Ladies and Gentlemen, bow to his Majesty, Himessssss….Surooooor….Reshammiya. A Star is Born? Ahem Ahem! Sorry, I just choked on me words. Read the rest of this entry »
Bollywood Music has just left me drained completely. This has been a year where I got variety , versatility and above all, quality music that transcends all definitions and spans across all possible genres from Qawwali to Rock to Jazz to Blues to even Hindustani Classical. This has been a year which has excelled all of my expectations, mostly in the later part of the year with the kicking in of the major blockbusters accompanied by their equally explosive soundtracks. It has been quite a journey for me listing out these gems and in no way I can accurately opt for the winners, but then, some are more equal than the others.
So well the Nominees are:-
A.R. Rahman – GURU
From the Arabic belly dancing ritual number, Mayya Mayya, to the very Folk –Barso Re Megha, the signature Rahman sound in Tere Bina , the heart melting Hairat-e-Aashiqui which transforms into a Scottish Pipers song and then back to a Ghazal, and to top it all, a Soul Stirring choir singing in unison – Jaage Hai Der Tak Humein….GURU had it all. Bow down Mister, to the current GURU of Music. Read the rest of this entry »