Madhubala on Filmfare (Aug 30, 1957)

‘Pancham Unmixed’ (older post updated)

thanks to Bliss..

Himmatwala, the rest of the box office!

last week’s thread

Sukumari passes away…

LINK

Initially I was reluctant to post this given how truly grim the story of her death was, but she is one of those essential faces and presences of Malayalam cinema, (and beyond) one of the most memorable and gifted voices of its golden age in the 80s, and she  has to be some kind of record holder for the sheer number of films she’s been in (some sources claim this number to be in the thousands, and I don’t really doubt this given the kind of production  schedules of some of those great working actors of the age) and she deserves a note and a moment of recognition  not just for this but because of how she, like Thilakan, like Murali, like Bharath Gopi, like Oduvil Unnikrishnan, was a defining artist of an unforgettable, important age.

In my search for an image, I came across the above gem, and thought it might be a nice bridge for those here  who might not otherwise pause.

RESULTS: What is your favourite Steven Spielberg film?

Showwizz

With N=39 votes, the film with the most votes as being peoples favourite Steven Spielberg film is SCHINDLERS LIST with 7 votes, closely followed by JURASSIC PARK with 6 votes. The Tom Hanks starrer THE TERMINAL was in third place with 4 votes. SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, E.T and RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK all got 3 votes each while CATCH ME OF YOU CAN, A.I, EMPIRE OF THE SUN and JAWS all got 2 votes. LINCOLN, WAR HORSE, THE ADVENTURES OF TIN TIN, MINORITY REPORT and THE LOST WORLD all got 1 vote each.

Duel 0% (0 votes)

Sugarland Express 0% (0 votes)

Jaws 5.13% (2 votes)

Close Encounters of the Third Kind 0% (0 votes)

1941 0% (0 votes)

Raiders of the Lost Ark 7.69% (3 votes)

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial 7.69% (3 votes)

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom 0% (0 votes)

The Color Purple 0% (0 votes)

Empire of the Sun 5.13% (2 votes)

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 0% (0 votes)

Always 0% (0 votes)

Hook 0% (0 votes)

Jurassic Park 15.38% (6 votes)

The Lost World: Jurassic Park 2.56% (1 votes)

Amistad 0% (0 votes)

Saving Private Ryan 7.69% (3 votes)

A.I. Artificial Intelligence 5.13% (2 votes)

Minority Report 2.56% (1 votes)

Catch Me If You Can 5.13% (2 votes)

The Terminal 10.26% (4 votes)

War of the Worlds 0% (0 votes)

Munich 0% (0 votes)

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull 0% (0 votes)

The Adventures of Tintin 2.56% (1 votes)

War Horse 2.56% (1 votes)

Lincoln 2.56% (1 votes)

Schindler’s List 17.95% (7 votes)

Prashant Harish Hari

Happy Holi 2013

This year I’ve beaten Rocky to it! Because Sanjay Dutt has been in the news recently I thought it appropriate to use a video from one of his father’s films. Wish him the best this Holi and hope he can somehow resolve this current crisis. And of course the very best to everyone else here..

Image from Bombay Talkies

thanks to Xhobdo..

A brief note on Sanjay Dutt in LoC…

This is in any case an underrated film. To my mind this work is despite the director’s indulgence at a great many points easily superior to the earlier Border. Because its nationalism is not as banal and its characters are much more differentiated. But most importantly for the reason that Dutta really fashioned an old-school epic in the Hollywood mode with magnificent vistas and some real tour-de-force sequences, as for instance the pre-interval action segment. It’s a sprawling work that certainly could have done with less repetition in more ways than one. But it’s also an authentic piece of cinema that was well-worth multiple trips to the theater (for this viewer).

The Sanjay Dutt character here possibly represents the actor’s best outing. His performance is about as ignored as the film itself. He plays his character with a certain weariness and knowingness. War for him isn’t an excuse for nationalistic bravado or buddy humor or sentimental gloss. It is simply something to get through. Dutt is empathetic in this part in a very calibrated way. He’s always been good at evoking a brand of humanism that is not marked by statist definitions though it’s not a talent of his that has often been tapped. He was similarly in fine form in the otherwise empty Mission Kashmir. In general he has specialized throughout his career in playing the somewhat unhinged even psychotic urban type but there are these other rare and less celebrated interludes where he is always uncomfortably an ‘agent’ of the state. His Munnabhai films in this regard present this larger configuration in more accessible (palatable!) form.

Raj Kapoor on Filmfare (Aug 15, 1958)

Aatma, the rest of the box office

last week’s thread

Sanjay Dutt gets 5 year jail term

LINK

Sanjay Dutt has been sentenced to 5 years in jail by the Supreme Court today in connection with the 1993 Mumbai blasts case. The Supreme Court upheld the actor’s conviction but reduced his sentence from 6 years to 5 years in jail. Sanjay, who has already served 18 months in jail, will now have to spend another 3 years and 6 months in jail.

However, Dutt can still file a review petition against the verdict within the next 4 weeks. If he doesn’t appeal in the given time period, he will have to surrender before the Bombay High Court and will be sent to jail to serve his sentence.

Himmatwala trailers (updated)

thanks to Bliss..

Of Bala’s Pardesi and the universality of unconscionable capitalism.. (An Jo on Paradesi)

As film-maker Bala is adding on to his filmography, he is proportionately turning further away from any sort of commercial trappings and making his movies true-to-self and then to the craft. In other words, while the true-to-self and true-to-craft are perfectly fine and valid as independents, the journey while bridging the gap between these two points is not completely free of hurdles for this bold film-maker. Pardesi, then, is an apt representation of this journey while still managing to leave a strong impact on the audience. If Nan Kadavul has been the bitterest pill to swallow in terms of life’s ‘realism’, Pardesi is milder in terms of human misery but harsher in terms of the visceral cinematically.

Results: Which Sunny Deol film are you looking forward to the most?

Showwizz

Out of a total of N=37 votes. the most awaited Sunny Deol film for his comeback this decade is the sequel to Raj Kumar Santoshis yesteryear action masterpiece GHAYAL RETURNS. Following in second place is Anil Sharmas SINGH SAHAB THE GREAT. I personally think this has a bigger chance of being a blockbuster given the Deols relationship with Anil Sharma in the past. In third place is the sequel to YAMLA PAGLA DEEWANA. Both I LOVE NY and BHAIYYAJI SUPERHIT managed to get 1 vote each.

Singh Sahab The Great 29.73% (11 votes)

Yamla Pagla Deewana 2 27.03% (10 votes)

I Love NY 2.7% (1 votes)

Ghayal Returns 37.84% (14 votes)

Bhaiyyaji Superhitt 3% (1 votes)

Prashant Harish Hari

QUICK POLL: What is your favorite Steven Spielberg film?

One vote only as always..

Showwizz