This is one of those posts where the news is way more exciting than anything I could say about it. So it will basically be just me repeating the facts.
Casting News Update: Sonakshi Dabanggs, Aamir Dutts?
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Monthly Archives: August 2016
Srimanthudu: My First Mahesh Babu Film!
So, moviemavengal is like totally in love with Mahesh Babu and has been telling me and telling me I need to watch one of his movies. And then last week I saw that Srimanthudu had just been added to ErosNow, and that I could now chromecast ErosNow to my TV, and I decided it was fate!
Happy Bhaag Jayegi Review (SPOILERS!!!): Kind of Midsummer Night’s Dream in Lahore
No one cares about this movie, do they? That’s kind of too bad. It’s a sweet little film, and it says something a little unusual and interesting about relationships, and also narrative structure and assumptions.
News Round-Up: Robbery, Cameos, and Babies (in utero)
I can’t tell if there is a lot of big news today, or just so much little news that it all starts to feel big.
Happy Bhaag Jayegi Review: A Nice Little Film (NO SPOILERS)
I saw Happy Bhaag Jayegi, on a weeknight, at 8pm. So I am a little pie-eyed and sleep-deprived, and yet I will still attempt to write a quick spoiler free review!
News Round-Up: Box Office, Casting Musical Chairs, and Sarkar 3
Nothing terribly surprising in box office, so I am mashing it in with a couple of other stories as well.
News Round-Up: On Set Photos, and Dil Se
This is all from twitter, basically. Sometimes, that’s all you need! The stars give you your stories directly.
I Saw Varun Dhawan Live!!!!!
I saw Varun Dhawan!!! And other people were there too. I mean, other people in the audience, it wasn’t just me and Varun alone in a room. But also, there were other people in the show. Only, I don’t really care about any of them. Which is really the big news, that Varun was so clearly superior to everyone else in the Dream Team show.
News Round-Up: Box Office, Badminton, and BABY!!!
Slowish news day. Just a few box office reports and some Olympics reactions. And also, BABY! Is Salman’s nephew the cutest baby in the film industry today? Possibly!
Mohenjo Daro Spoiler Review: I Really Wish It Had Just Been a Romance
In my earlier non-Spoiler review, I mentioned that Mohenjo felt like 3 good movies smashed together into one, a romance, a political drama, and a big action movie. Now, after I’ve had time to let the movie percolate in the back of my mind, I think the romance is the best of the 3. Not by much, they are all strong, but the romance was just the slightest bit better filled in and more emotionally resonant.
News Round-Up: Salman, Shahrukh, and Kajol’s Next Film (not the same film)
It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these, so I am going to hit the highlights and mention a fewer smaller stories I found interesting as well, and see if I can cover it all.
Mohenjo Daro Review (No Spoilers): 3 Movies Shoved Together, But 3 really Good Movies!
I liked Mohenjo Daro better than Rustom! Surprise! I went in all set to be bored, since Rustom got the better reviews and the better box office, and then I ended up really like Mohenjo Daro! Much better than Rustom, which felt kind of old hat once you removed the period clothes and titillating connection to “real life”.
Happy Raksha Bandhan!!!
Happy Raksha Bandhan! A holiday I don’t get to celebrate at all, because there are no brothers in my family. Yes, even if I count cousins. All girls, all the time, both mother and father’s side of the family. But, at least I can watch movies and pretend this is what it would be like if I had a brother or a cousin-brother.
(as always, if you have a favorite video for the holiday, let me know in the comments!)
Rustom Review/Summary: Whole Thing! With Spoilers! It’s Almost all Exposition
I was thinking I would do a full summary for this film, like I usually do for a major release. But then I started thinking about it, and the whole movie is basically exposition. There isn’t nearly as much to talk about as usual in terms of visuals or dialogue or character moments. So I’m going to skip through it pretty quick and just lay out what happened. If you don’t want to bother seeing the movie, but are curious about how the plot plays out, you are in the right place! (if you just want a regular review, look at my first Rustom post)
Rustom Review: Akshay is Perfect (NO SPOILERS)
I saw Rustom! FINALLY! I was out of town this weekend, so I couldn’t see either release until Monday night. And tonight I am going to Mohenjo Daro after work. And then I will be free until Happy Bhaag Jayage comes out next weekend. The Independence Day to Republic Day release schedule is just exhausting!
Box Office Report: Rustom Wins!!! By A LOT (Per Screen)
This is FASCINATING! The screen numbers are all upside down! Mohenjo Daro had way way more screens, and yet Rustom still made more money! Very impressive, Akshay Kumar!
Shaheed: Not a Good Movie to Watch With Breakfast!
So, I sat down to watch this before work on Independence Day, and I ended up having a much larger breakfast than planned, because that whole last hour of the hunger strike just had me going “ooo, maybe I’ll have another glass of milk! And toast! Toast with my eggs!”
Happy Indian Independence Day!!!
Happy Indian Independence Day! I’m going to try a theme this year, and limit it to just things directly related to the Independence movement. Next year I’ll do something else like, I don’t know, patriotic songs that involve color coordinated clothing or something. The point is, there are so many patriotic options in Indian film! Way more than in American. At least, American post-WWII. And if I missed your favorite Independence movement set scene or song, just mention it in the comments!
Mahesh Babu’s Businessman: Wait, Am I Missing a Deeper Level Here?
This is one of those silly stupid fun movies that had a couple of moments that made me go “wait, am I imagining a hidden message here, or is it actually here?” So I am going to need your help in the comments to figure this out!
Happy Birthday Vyjantimala! How Cool is It That You Share a Birthday with Sridevi?
So cool! It’s like, August 13th is “Day of great dancers with big eyes and sweet smiles”. I did 13 reasons I love Sridevi, I am sure I can come up with 13 for Vyjantimala!
Happy Birthday Sridevi!
It’s Sridevi’s birthday! I am so excited about celebrating! Because it means we all get to watch a bunch of really great song sequences as I list of my reasons that I love her. I’ll do 13, because she was born on the 13th, and she was 13 when she had her first heroine part.
Abhiyum Naanum: A Love Story From the Sidelines
I loved this movie! So sweet and funny and tender. And then, right at the end, it pulled out a message that really packed a wallop and made me go “yes! That is why these movies are important!” Not just because of the lovers at the center, but because of everyone else around the edges.
Sorry Shahrukh (on behalf of America) (and also Sorry Salman, on behalf of The Internet)
Oh dear, not a good day for Salman or Shahrukh, and I can’t help but feel it is partly my fault! As an American, and part of “The Internet.”
Rudhramadevi: SO AWESOME! Terrible CGI, But Great Message!!!
If you live in America, Rudhramadevi just made it to Netflix, and you should definitely watch it! It’s like Bahubaali, but with a feminist message and really really bad CGI. But I like the message so much, I can look past the CGI.
Trailers and 10 Years of KANK!
Two trailers that I haven’t gotten around to discussing yet, and just to round out the post, my favorite song from KANK (actually, one of my all time favorite songs), in honor of the 10 year anniversary of its release.
dontcallitbollywood 