This is an out of date post from a couple years ago, but only out of date in that the “most recent” film choices are no longer most recent. And, like, Anushka wasn’t married yet. Otherwise it is still a great post for giving you an idea of the pattern most actresses follow in their careers and how they play out.
Continue readingMonthly Archives: December 2019
May December Romances Among Hindi Film Celebrities!
This is an off-shoot of the discussion we’ve been having off and on about Ranbir-Alia and our conflicting emotions as celebrity watchers. They are hardly the first May-December romance in Hindi film, many of them even more famous and with an even greater age difference. So I thought it might be moderately worthwhile to quickly run through some other similar romances.
Continue readingHistoric Films Week: Kayamkulam Kochunni, a Big Fun Communist Bandit Movie!!!!
We skipped Helicopter Eela and saw this instead, and it was such a good decision! I recommend you do the same.
Continue readingSaturday Small Talk: A Gross Story, Which Movie Should I See, and New Laal Singh Chaddha Images
So much for you to talk about! I mostly care about which movie people want me to see, because the showtime is at 11am so I need to make a decision soon. But you can talk about the other stuff too!
Continue readingPati Patni Aur Woh Review (SPOILERS): Marriage is Complicated
What a good movie! It takes the question “why would a man consider cheating?” and treats it seriously. I encourage you all to watch it if you possibly can, and then come here and discuss it. If you absolutely cannot see it in theaters, and still want to see how they managed to make this plot acceptable, you can read on.
Continue readingPati Patni Aur Woh Review (No Spoilers): A Sex Comedy With Smarts, and Soul
Okay, I am going to describe this in a way that will excite a very small subset of people: this is the movie that the director of Happy Bhaag Jayegi can make now that he finally has a decent budget. Okay, now all the Happy Bhaag Jayegi/Happy Phir Bhaag Jayegi superfans can rush out and buy tickets! For the rest of you, I guess I still have to sell it somehow. Really, believe me, you will like it!
Continue readingTGIF: For St. Nicholas Day, Let’s Look at Shoes!
I wish Indian films and Indian celebrities focused more on shoes. They can be such delightful works of art, but unfortunately most of the time they seem like just after thoughts to outfits.
Continue readingHistoric Films Week: Urumi! Watch Prithviraj Be Hot in Period Clothes!
Blah blah, history, classism, colonialisms inevitable poisoning of the existing social structure. Forget all that, let’s talk about what’s REALLY important: is Prithviraj hot in this or WHAT?
Continue readingUpcoming Film Reviews: Rani Mukherjee Week! In Honor of Mardaani 2
What fun! Rani week! I’ll throw together a 101 on her, and post all my old reviews, and still have loads of time for Christmas shopping and parties and stuff. (by the way, these aren’t set in stone. If there is a movie you would like to add or remove, say it in the comments, I can shift things)
Continue readingHindi Film 101: Ranbir Kapoor, The Physical Embodiment of Young Male Privilage
Okay, sharpen your claws, build up the knives of resentment, stoke the fires of your class/gender anger, and let us focus all of that on the one perfect representation of every man who ever tried to tell you his pain was more important than yours, that his success is a tribute to talent and not privilege, that if we disagree with him it is just because we don’t have the depth to understand his thoughts. Take down Ranbir, and we can take down every patronizing boss, every bad boyfriend, every dumb colleague promoted over you, every person who looks at the world and only sees a mirror, not a window. Yes, our Ranbir Hate, in one great cleansing burst, will Save the World.
Continue reading101 Repost: Class And Film And A Little Bit Kangana
I am going to do my best to attempt a starting point of class and film in India. Not caste, I’m not even touching caste, just class. And a little bit Kangana too, but again just an attempt at a start with her.
Continue reading101 Repost: Where Did Today’s Young Stars Come From?
This is not a complete accurate every variable accounted for post, but it is a starting point for an actual fact based discussion of how most young stars get their start in Hindi film. And we’ve been talking about that a lot lately, so I thought I should repost it.
Continue readingDiscussion Post: Rank Actors, Sid M. or Arjun K. or Ranbir?
You know how during SRK month I have a warning that we are in a place of SRK love not hate? I think I have to put an opposite warning on this post, we are in a place of Ranbir hate not like/love/or tolerate.
Continue readingDiscussion Post: Inside Insiders, Versus Outside Insiders, Versus Outside Outsiders, or Ranbir Versus Ranveer Versus Ayushmann
Thank you FilmiKudhi for the idea! I suspect/hope this will turn into a heated discussion simply because when we have had similar debates in the comments, it has always gotten heated. So, prepare to battle!
Continue readingHistoric Films Week, Mughal-E-Azam, Hindi Cinemas Biggest Film Ever
We were just talking on the Jodha-Akbar post how that movie looks better and better as the years go by and inferior films are released. The same is true, but much more so, about this movie.
Continue readingWanna See My Office Christmas Decorations and Albie Dog in a Santa Suit?
Merry 21 days to Christmas! As you may have guessed from my lovely new jewelry displayed in this mornings post, I am going a tad overboard. Or, as I think of it, just the right amount of board. Christmas is a wonderful time! It should take over your life and space and clothes in every way! And Dog.
Continue readingWednesday Watching Post: What Are You Reading and Watching and Thinking the Week I Ignore Panipat?
Happy Wednesday! I hate post-holiday weeks, it’s so much harder to get motivated to go in to work every day, plus there is so much more work because we had a holiday the week before. Anyway, Wednesday! Just today, and Thursday, and Friday, and then I am FREE. For two days.
Continue readingHindi Film 101: Arjun Kapoor, An Average Actor and an Amazing Human Being (warning: you will cry)
Merry Christmas Angie! And Merry Christmas to all of us, because while I find Arjun unremarkable as an actor, as a person I find him surprisingly inspiring and, a strange word to use for a movie actor, but maybe a little bit Noble?
Continue readingDiscussion Post: What Young Actor Should I Dig Into Next With a 101?
I am having fun doing original takes on the hot young things, but my mind is blank when I try to think of what hot young thing to tackle next.
Continue readingHistoric Films Week, Jodha-Akbar! My Favorite Historical Film, I Am Just Going to Keep Reposting This Review Until You Have All Seen It
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.
Continue readingHappy Birthday Jimmy Shergill and Konkona Sen Sharma!
Interesting combo today! 2 people that I am fonder of than I should logically be, and I am guessing I am not alone?
Continue readingHindi Film 101: Ranveer Singh Part 2, Living His Real Life Off-Stage
Part 1 didn’t get as many comments as I expected, but it did get decent views, so I am moving on!
Continue readingHindi Film 101: Ranveer Singh, The Value of a Good Education
You know why I don’t like doing 101s on people in the middle of their careers? First, because people feel more passionate about it and are likely to disagree with me and I hate it when people disagree with me. And second, because it is a continuing story and things that may happen in the future will affect the accuracy of what I say here. So please keep that in mind, disagree respectfully and correct me respectfully, and forgive me if you come back to this post 2 years from now and it is no longer correct.
Continue readingHistoric Films Week: Asoka, Shahrukh’s Attempt at an Epic
I just wrote this review and posted it less than 2 months ago, but in case you missed it, here it is again!
Continue readingIn Honor of Silk Smitha’s Birthday, a Repost of my Hindi Film 101 on Types of Item Songs and Their Various Meanings
Every once in a while the war drums start beating about how item songs are the cause of all the bad things that happen to women in India, and it always bothers me, because “item songs” ends up including a whole range of songs that are completely different in meaning. Oh, and this is kind of a partner with this post that goes into what objectification means, and this post that talks about male and female gaze)
Continue reading