As you may have picked up from my Aval Shanmughi and Ambe Sivam posts, I have a hard time with Kamal Haasan. Yes, he is a brilliant actor. Yes, he has movie star charisma. But it just seems like his characters have to be so perfect and so wonderful, that no one else is allowed to do anything. But this Kamal Haasan movie, this one I liked!
Monthly Archives: September 2018
Mouna Ragam! Mani Ratnam’s First (well, one of them) Movie! A Classic Married Love Story
I watched Mouna Ragam! Which is my 3rd (or 4th or 5th?) Revathy movie. And my I-don’t-kn0w-how-many Ratnam movie. But according to this blog excerpt, this is arguably the first “real” Ratnam film.
Happy Mani Ratnam Day! Starting With Kaatru Veliyidai, His Most Recent Film
Happy Mani Ratnam Day! I’ve reviewed almost all his films here (really, I’m just missing Raavan, Thiruda Thiruda, and the Terrorism Trilogy) and I will be reposing the reviews through out the day today in the run up to Chekka Chivantha Vaanam. Mostly because I have to work a funny day at work to be able to see CCV in theaters so I’ll have no time to write anything new. If you don’t want to be spoiled, here is my no-spoilers review for this film.
Hindi Film 101 (Reprint): Rahman-Ratnam and the Importance of the Composer-Director Relationship in Honor of Chekka Chivantha Vaanam
This is a post I wrote a year and a half ago for the last Rahman/Ratnam movie, but I thought I should repost it today in honor of Chekka Chivantha Vaanam. It’s important to know why it is so especially exciting when a new Ratnam-Rahman movie comes out, and why that director-composer relationship is so special. (also, usually in this posts I try to use images instead of songs, but because of the topic, this will be an all songs post. I encourage you to actually watch all the videos too)
News Round-Up/Hindi Film 101: #MeToo in Hindi Film, From All the Angles, Nawazuddin to Nana to Vikas Bahl and How Anurag Kashyap and Shahrukh Khan React to Them
Still no big big exciting stories, but some interesting things today, worthy of discussion. Some more than others, but all worth reporting.
Wednesday Watching Post: What Are You Reading and Thinking and Watching This Week?
Happy Wednesday! Strange week for me, I am super busy but it all starts at the end of the week instead of the beginning. So, today and tomorrow and Friday and Saturday are all king to be a bit of a slog.
Bloodstone! I Watched Rajinikanth’s Hollywood Starring Role!
Well, that was a bad movie! But absolutely worth the $30 it took to buy the last DVD copy available in the world. It was definitely an interesting experience and now I can tell you all about it, so you don’t have to waste time tracking down your own DVDs.
Votes Needed! Should I Do an SRK Birthday Month, Yes Or No? (Also, remember to register to vote if you are in America)
I need your opinions! I need to make a blog scheduling decision soon and I don’t know what the preference of the readers is. So, get ready to answer a poll! I thought this would be a good day for it since it is also Voter Registration Day in America (REGISTER TO VOTE or CHECK YOUR VOTING STATUS).
Important Dog Hazel Update!
For those of you who care about Dog Hazel. Everyone else can just skip this post.
Random Tuesday Discussion Post: Overrated and Underrated Actors/Films
I am pretty sure YRF has arranged things so that no news breaks except for the Thugs posters. But I am sick of talking about the Thugs posters! And there’s no other news! So I have to fall back on discussion posts. Oh well, I always really enjoy talking to you all, hopefully you enjoy talking to me too.
Box Office Report: Everyone is in Love with Love
Good week for Punjabi films! Bad week for all other films. Oh well, someone always has to rise to the top. (as always, figures from bollywoodhungama)
Tuesday Tamil ReRun Announcement: Next Week, 10/2, Kandukondain Kandukondain!
I am sure my regular Tamil readers are rolling their eyes a bit at this. But this is such a wonderful movie, and a great introduction for those of you who have been all-Hindi up until now. AR Rahman soundtrack, mixture of stars (Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam), and a great script based on Jane Austen. What’s not to love? (by the way, no Tamil on Tuesday this week because I am hoping to see Chekka Chivantha Vaanam in theaters and I will review it whenever I can see it even if the day doesn’t start with a “T”)
Monday Malayalam Film School ReRun: City of God, I Watched it 11 Times in One Week and It Is Still Brilliant
This is a very long and detailed review, as is appropriate for such a deep and complex movie. So, prepare yourself! Strap in for a lot of detail and discussion!
Monday Morning Questions Post: What Are Your Unpopular Opinions?
Happy Monday! After my super productive weekend (I did everything but hang the new towel rack), regular work feels like a bit of an anti-climax. So, distract me! Ask me questions!
Silly Sunday: The Godfather with The Three Khans and Shahrukh as the Hero
Raajneeti, Sarkar, and the original film, I have been on a bit of a Godfather binge (I also rewatched 1 and 2 over the past couple days). So now the inevitable final step, writing my own version.
My Very Very Productive Day
Phew! Sitting down for the first time since 9:30. And thinking about maybe having breakfast, now that it is almost 5pm. Or maybe dinner at this point.
Sunday Film School ReRun: Jodha-Akbar, the Perfect Biopic
This post isn’t as long as I remembered, but it is probably nice to have a little short post for you all to read instead of the overwhelmingly long ones. After all, the movie is long enough without the post making it even longer.
Happy Fall Equinox!!!!
Happy Fall Equinox! A late post, but better late than never. And it will give you something to enjoy while you wait for the Sunday posts to go up (this is an updated and reposted post)
Saturday Small Talk: Chat the Day Away About Kiara Advani, Abhishek Bachchan, and Pumpkins
Hindi Film 101: Trolling and Censorship and Bystanders
Ugh, sometimes India makes me really angry. Two absolutely ridiculous charges of offending sensibility just succeeded in forcing films to alter themselves, because no one (and I’m not saying filmmakers, I am saying the courts and media and public) is willing to stand up and say “This is ridiculous”.
TGIF: For the Birthday Girl, Kareena Versus Kareena Versus Kareena!!!
Usually I do birthday versus birthday, but Kareena has had a long enough career, I think she can be a challenge all in herself.
Thugs Motion Posters! What Do We All Think?
Well, the opening salvo of Thugs promotions has been fired. It’s no longer just the ramp up news stories teasing things, it’s the actual official motion posters. To be followed by teasers and then song teasers and then a trailer and then a barrage of interviews, and finally the film just as we become completely sick of hearing about it.
Friday Classics: Sarkar, When is the Moment to Stop Watching and Start Acting
Such a good movie! I always forget, and then I watch it again and it is even better than I remembered. Abhishek is perfect, Amitabh is perfect, Katrina is dubbed, it’s just what you want!
Happy Birthday Kareena!!!! 38 Reasons I Love You
Happy Birthday Bebo! Let’s see if I can come up with a full 36 reasons to love you! I think I probably can.
Random non-Hindi One-Off: Enough About The Godfather So We Can Better Appreciate Sarkar, Raajneeti, Chekka Chivantha Vaanam and All the Other Remakes
Well, this is awkward. I have almost no qualifications to write this post. But on the other hand, I started writing about Sarkar and realized half that post was just a discussion of the film that RGV used as a jumping off point. And I already dumped paragraphs and paragraphs on it before I could start talking about Raajneeti. And I can feel the same thing coming with Chekka Chivantha Vaanam. So, I guess I have to do this. Write a post just so I have something I can refer back to in all those other posts rather than starting from scratch each time. Even though I am far from the best person to write about this film.