An Jo on ‘Gangubai Kathiawari’ and ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ performances

The Performances’ weightage

Over the weekend, I finally watched ‘GANGUBAI KATHIAWARI’ on Netflix. Two things struck me; one, the horrible negation Aamir is getting for LSC, and two, the over-praise that Alia got for GK.

Shivaay’s Viewings (Updated)

Minnal murali -India’s best superhero film by a mile. An original screenplay about a superhero vs supervillain tale created via love, ambition and standard masala father-son template.

tonymontana’s viewings (Updated)

Just back from Laal Singh Chadha:

Gosh, what a disappointment! Some scenes do stand out, but much of it is a meandering, pointless remake that is messy, maudlin, and overlong. It’s not the pacing that is an issue (I do love stories working like slow poison and take their own sweet time to grow on you), but someone said it right: the film, keeping in mind Indian cinematic sensibilities, neither reaches a conclusion nor does it intend to.

Bollywood 1947-2022

Link – complete article – Each era details at website

They are the wizards turning words, props, light and shadow into worlds we can’t forget. But how does the timelessness of storytelling adapt to new technology, to a nation that is young and vibrant and reinventing itself?

What spells do the wizards choose to cast when the audience is looking up at the screen and hoping, hungering, for something new? These were questions as vital in 1947 as they are today.

Master on Laal Singh Chaddha

Back from LSC. 

To be fair, I watched Forrest Gump about 1.5 months back and it’s very fresh in my mind. So, even if I don’t want to, I’d end up comparing a lot of LSC with the original. I like that instead of a bus stop, the setting has been placed in a moving train which is perfect for telling the story to strangers.

Shivaay on Laal Singh Chaddha

Laal Singh Chadha review :

*As if the 164 minute run time on censor board certificate wasn’t scary enough, you’re first made to sit through an endless list of disclaimers that make it evident that the makers are already nervous & doubtful about their product.

An Jo on Laal Singh Chaddha and Life

On LSC and life…

Spoilers: Unavoidable

It takes some time to realize and put together holistically the achievement of Advait Chandan’s LSC. In its own fragments of cinematic scenes, it doesn’t seem to present many take-aways; but as a whole, as a ‘circle of life’ it hits you hard enough as depicted in the climactic scenes of the movie. There are two things to any good movie: An enlightenment-devoted/entertainment successful marriage or getting 100% right one of these components. The former might mostly not rake in the moolah; the latter surely does. Aamir takes the path of the former mostly and that might prove its undoing. This is one honest film-making with no intention at all, on the box-office. One can interpret my line anyway one wants.

An Jo on “Bullet Train”

On ‘Bullet Train’ and Pitt’s fantastic aging…

Right in the realm of Guy Ritchie’s notorious action-comedy gangsta/assassins’ films like ‘Snatch‘ and ‘RocknRolla’, David Leitch’s ‘Bullet Train‘ is one joy-ride, though a little slow in the beginning in picking up speed. Having directed the superb ‘Atomic Blonde‘ starring the stunning Charlize, and of course, ‘Dead Pool’ and ‘John Wick’, a fun ride was expected anyway from David.

Master on Darlings

After long time, a very good movie in Darlings by Hindi – a perfect black comedy which is attempted very rarely in Bollywood. The whole setup, story, message is loud and clear by the end but most of the movie’s message is given very subtlety in layers. The performances by Alia is another great to join her long list and very good follow up for Gangubai.

Shivaay on Vikram

A perfect blend of contemporary film noir with our traditional masala sensibilities. Larger than life characters, hyperbolic dialogues, ample melodrama among relationships, Vikram has it all. But what eventually steals the show is the background score, sound design and the slick action sequences which despite being excessively gory (and unfit for family consumption) are a stylish enough ode to the Scorcese school of film making.

New York’s Last Movie Clerk Knows More Than You Do (NYT)

As the founder and sole employee of Film Noir Cinema, Will Malitek appears to be the final movie rental clerk left in New York City.

While his industry collapsed, Mr. Malitek flourished. Film Noir began in 2005 as a walk-in closet of recondite DVDs angled into a Brooklyn commercial drag. In 2017, it became a spacious den of films and film memorabilia attached to a 54-seat cinema.

Mr. Malitek, 55, who has worked in New York movie rentals for more than 20 years, perpetuates a way of life that faded with the closure of rental and record shops. He is the storefront scholar, the working-class aesthete, the connoisseur whose respect must be earned but also the enthusiast whose recommendations might change your life.

Read the complete article HERE.

Shivaay on Rocketry

Rocketry Review :

“I Had A Dream, That Dream Is Finished” : Nambi Narayanan

-these exact words resonate loud and clear well after the end credits have rolled in this R Madhavan cinematic drama on the tragic yet extraordinary life of former ISRO scientist Nambi Narayana.

An Jo on Gargi

To begin with, let me straight out declare that this is one of the most powerful movies I have seen this year. A straight-forward story of girl-child abuse shot and explored so brilliantly through the lenses of the writer and director [hear me out before you cry me out merciless], it deserves an award on its own: No Cannes, no Filmfare are needed to justify the audacity of this film.

Sanjana’s note on Jhund

Jhund is a feel good movie. It deserved more success. It is an above average feel good movie elevated by the presence of Bachchan.
Some glitches. Slum team winning against the other team at the very first attempt. Like Lagaan team winning against the well trained angrez team.

The Sports Thread 2022

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