Review
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After having watched The Reader I realized something interesting: It is a movie about guilt and involves a former guard at Auswicz, but this description simultaneously tells you everything and nothing. I will not spend much time on the plot, which is beautiful. Or on the writing, which feels like a punch to the gut.…
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Saif Ali Khan has two brilliant monologues. Both involve him starting off with a certain point of view and realizing that his heart has been running on a different track midway through it. He does this switch so naturally, makes this realization seem so unforced, that you really get a sense of how confused his…
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Beware! There be spoilers. The sixth movie installment in the Harry Potter series is, to be honest, a bit of a disappointment.When I think about it, it seems like a Herculean task for it not to be. But I ask myself, should that really be my problem? Writing the screenplay for the sixth movie in…
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When we watch movies about people finding a way to live a normal life in the midst of an adverse socio-political environment, we marvel at their resilience and their will to live. But if any of these characters had a way to interact with their audience, would they turn to us and ask, “What would…
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First things first. Amrita, you were right. This is the first real Rahman album in a while. I could obsess about each song in turn for a month. So I’m going to imagine that he actually won those two Oscars for this album and not for Slumdog Millionaire. Go Rahman! (To have spoken a line…
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The opening credits of Luck by Chance appear over a montage of shots that depict the frayed boundaries of what is sometimes referred to as the Dream Factory. Old security guards, projectionists, dilapidated buildings serving as make-up rooms for the extras… The funny thing is, it strikes you neither as a preview to a Madhur Bhandarkar-esque expose,…
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At the time of writing this, Slumdog has already won over audiences around the world, snagged a few Golden Globes (and other awards besides) and is widely expected to take home some statuettes on Oscar night. And I’m happy for the cast and crew who made it this far. I really am. But here’s what…
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I dreamt of being a boy scout last night, so let me start with the most charitable thing I can say about Padikkadhavan: It is a steaming pile of crap. There, my good deed is done for the day. Now let me talk about the movie. Dhanush seems to have gotten into the business of…
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Full disclosure: The idea of a movie about God’s silence doesn’t set my pulse racing, despite whatever I have led you to believe about my tastes in cinema. In my defence however, I will state that it doesn’t turn me off to the point of not watching it. So I slipped in the DVD and…
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When you watch enough comedies, you begin to get a sense of what they are like. And sooner or later, those ideas congeal into something approximating what a comedy should be like. So it is a pleasant surprise when you come across something that does’t quite fit the mold. I had that experience while watching M.…
