Review
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It’s a dirty trick, really: setting a movie in Kolkata during Durga Puja, knowing that this very fact would make it nearly impossible for me to find fault with it. I lived in Kolkata for around 6 years as a grad student, and I haven’t lived in any city before or since that I have loved…
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I often wonder about star/numerical ratings for films. How does a film earn, say, 3 stars out of four? Is there a sort of formula employed by those who give out these ratings, or is it a quantified version of what is essentially a qualitative reaction? Is there an objective way of doing this? Here’s…
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There’s a lovely moment in the opening monologue of Mayakkam Enna (delivered by its protagonist Karthik) where he talks about how his friends took care of him and his sister after his mother died as well. Now, I don’t remember him mentioning his father in a previous line, but the “as well” tells you what…
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I watched the movie a few weeks ago and just finished reading the Michael Lewis book it was based on, and as it happens, what works in the movie and what doesn’t are the same as with the book. Both stood out as interesting examples of a certain type of storytelling — dense, jargon-heavy dialogue…
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The second installment in Guy Ritchie’s Holmes reboot reminds me, most of all, of The Dark Knight — the reference to this movie’s villain at the end of the previous movie, the theme of escalation, a triangular relationship (in a manner of speaking), the loss of a loved one and above all, the assured hand…
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Imagine you’re Ethan Hunt. You’re chilling out at a plush beach resort, knocking back a cold beer and eyeing the cheese. Your bikini-clad waitress brings you one of those drinks with an umbrella in it. You clearly didn’t order it but it does look interesting, and you aren’t inclined to say no to her. But…
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Over the past few months, I have watched three wonderful films that have made a deep impression on me. All three involve strong women who start from humble backgrounds and work their way up. The men along the way are sometimes supportive, sometimes not. But these stories are not really about women versus men —…
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Nearly every review of Rockstar will tell you the following things: Ranbir and Rahman are in top form. They are let down by a meandering script that shines in individual moments but lacks brevity in some portions and depth in others. Nargis Fakhri looks like a million bucks. Acts worth a dime, if you’re feeling generous.…
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How come in former lifetimes, everybody is someone famous? I mean, how come nobody ever says they were Joe Schmo? — Crash Davis, Bull Durham Many centuries ago, a Pallava king named Bodhidharma went to China to spread Buddhist teachings. He brought with him, not just Buddha’s message of peace, but also the knowledge of…
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Ra.One is a pitch perfect example of a wholesome family entertainer. It is a touching story about a father’s love for his son, and how it lives on in the form of a video game character come to life, set amidst a high-octane confrontation between a seemingly indestructible villain and a seemingly vulnerable and “human”…
24 frames per second 