Toilet Ek Prem Katha Review (SPOILERS): Ignores the Obvious Villain

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Well, I’ve been putting this off, because I didn’t have much to say.  And also because a got a nice string of abuse on my no-spoilers review.  Which is why I am a little mad at this movie.  Because it’s leaving me open for abuse!  Being so political that I can’t avoid commenting on the politics, even though I want to run a nice film analysis blog that only deals with social issues in generalities, not specifics.  And clearly it is political, because there are angry people looking for me to say bad things about it.  Oh well, I’ll spoil it for you all anyway, and maybe someone will leave a nice comment on this one.

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Jab Harry Met Sejal Scene By Scene: Part 5, “Chinese Vase”

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I’m here!  I’m excited!  The first scene which really needs explanation and discussion or else it makes no sense.  The one that we all get to have arguments about what it really means and if it is stupid or works and how we all (and all the characters) feel about things.  Oh boy! (full Jab Harry Met Sejal index here)

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Toilet: Ek Prem Katha Review (NO SPOILERS): Loses Its Way When it Loses the Romance

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Well, that was an interesting movie going experience!  One half a charming unusual love story, one half a massive Modi propaganda movie.  And then a hidden third half in a parallel dimension that is what the movie really wanted to be about and couldn’t.  The movie I thought the trailer was promising us.

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Happy Independence Day! Post 3, Purab Aur Pachhim

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Don’t lie, you read that headline and went “Aha! She is leaving the purity of the real Independence movies for the random India-themed films!  Lazy!”  But no!  You are not remembering!  All of Purab Aur Paschim takes place in the shadow of the Quit India movement.  And also Hare Krishnas.  But mostly Quit India. (if you want a real meaningful hardcore Independence Day post, check out yesterday’s on Rang De Basanti)

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Jab Harry Met Sejal Scene By Scene: Part 4, Phones and Clothes

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Happy Friday!  And Happy 4th part of JHMS scene by scene.  I saw it for the 4th time last night, and you know, it holds up!  Besides a couple of kind of slow parts in the second half, mostly just because the second half had more moments when Shahrukh and Anushka weren’t on screen together, and that’s what makes the movie work.  But the songs, the character, all of that is still rewarding re-watching.  But now I really need to stop, because the lack of sleep is beginning to catch up with me. (full index of JHMS coverage here)

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TGIF: Jab Harry Met Sejal Themed, Men in Ties!

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What is it about men in ties?  Maybe it’s because there’s a kind of “I’m a grown up who knows how to do stuff” feel to it.  And then when they get loose, there’s a kind of “I’m about to get naked” feel to it.  And it’s extra special in Indian films because western style suits are only for special occasions.  Or, every single scene in Jab Harry Met Sejal.

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Friday Classics: Happy Independence Day! Rang De Basanti

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Oh boy, I really do not want to write this post!  But it was a special request, and it really feels like something I HAVE to do the Friday before Independence Day.  But I refuse to watch this movie one more time (ha!) because it makes me way way too sad.  So be aware, this will all be based on memories from like 4 years ago, the last time I felt masochistic enough to watch it. (I’ve written on this film before, and promised then that it wouldn’t be the last post. You can read it here)

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Jab Harry Met Sejal Scene By Scene Part 3: Indemnity Bond!

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Happy Thursday!  My 4th and final watch is tonight.  Which is usually the watch where I stop enjoying the film.  1st time, so-so, but there is so much to process I am overwhelmed.  2nd time, much better, I can relax and focus.  3rd time, usually as good as the 2nd time.  4th time, now I am starting to get bored because I know absolutely everything already.  And then 5th time is DVD/streaming a couple months later, and I am back in.  Anyway, good news is, now that I have seen it 3 times, my memories are pretty locked in and I can do the scene by scenes without struggling too much. (full JHMS index here)

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Happy Independence Day!!!! Post 1 of Many, 1942: A Love Story

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My local bank has this funky series of plaques along the side based on an editorial from the local paper from like 1954 called “Can We Wave the Flag Too Much?”  This, my answer is going to be “No!”, at least if we are talking about the Indian flag.  And so, a series of short posts suggesting some patriotic viewing choices on the ramp up to Independence Day.  Also, some nice counter-programming to the Jab Harry Met Sejal bonanza.

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Hello Youtube Focus Group! New Video on Box Office

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Have I mentioned that technology hates me?  Or at least, doesn’t like me much?  Following your notes on my last post, I tried a fast-talking excited video.  And then after 3 days of trying, have totally failed to figure out how to add graphics (the other big suggestion).  So put a pin in the graphics requests (unless you have a suggestion for a free program I can download to do them), and just focus on the talking head part of it.

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Jab Harry Met Sejal Scene By Scene Index

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I don’t know why I didn’t start doing this ages ago.  So much easier to just have one place to come back to instead of trying to link to every other post from within each post like some kind of crazed math graphing problem.  It’s here!  It’s all here!  And I will just update this one place as I add new posts.

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Jab Harry Met Sejal Scene By Scene Part 2: A Shameful Attraction

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Oh boy!  Moving right along, I’m like a whole 5 minutes in!  Which wouldn’t seem like a lot, except I’ve been working on my DDLJ scene by scene, and that is sooooooooooooooo much slower.  And here I am, only on part 2, and we are already past the opening credits!  Woo-hoo! Lightening speed! (although, in case you were wondering, no DDLJ today, skipping another Wednesday.  Partly because this post took up a lot of time, partly because getting only 6 hours of sleep because I am seeing JHMS every night is not in fact conducive to clear thinking) (full index of scene by scene here)

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Tuesday Tamil: Pizza! An Unfinished Horror Film

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Well, I watched Pizza!  Which had a high standard to live up to, because the only other horror movie I have seen is The innocents.  Oh wait, also Ezra.  Which is a lot easier to beat than The Innocents.  I think I would say this one landed closer to The Innocents side of the scale than Ezra.  Oh!  I forgot The Fog!  Which hardly qualifies to be called a movie, let alone a horror film.  But is fun if you ever want to see Irrfan Khan in the worst film of his career.

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Trailers and Songs! Baadshaho, A Gentleman, Bareilly Ki Barfi

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Let’s through out a nice general discussion type post!  For those of you who aren’t interested in my scene by scene of JHMS or Monday Malayalam or Tuesday Tamil.  We can all talk about Ajay Devgn’s midlife crisis and how increasingly charming Siddharth and Kriti are looking in comparison.

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Jab Harry Met Sejal Scene By Scene: Part 1, First Song and First Meeting

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Welcome to the first scene by scene since Bahubali 2!  Which might make you go “really?  This movie?”  But yes!  Really!  This movie!  It deserves it. (full index of JHMS coverage here)

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Monday Malayalam: Nerariyan CBI, A Very Confusing Plot!

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I watched this whole movie and I am still not sure who did it and why and all of that.  But it was certainly entertaining!  Although not as entertaining as the last CBI movie I watched, Jagratha CBI, where the twists were just BONKERS.

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Box Office: Jab Harry Met Sejal, Not As Bad As it Could Be!

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Okay, are we all ready to set aside our expectations and our prejudices and look at raw figures?  Are we excited?  Do we have our calculators out and our common sense hats on?  Are we ready to try to figure out a pun based on the title of this movie, because I couldn’t and I need help?  (The best I could come up with was “Jab Harry Met Slow Business”, which isn’t great).

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Happy Raksha Bandhan!

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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. (this is an updated and reposted post from last year)

(as always, if you have a favorite video for the holiday, let me know in the comments!)

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Netflix List for August! JAB WE MET!!! See What Imtiaz Was Doing Before JHMS! (Thank you Accessbollywood.net)

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Accessbollywood.net does the real work of keeping this list updated, if you want a day by day update, subscribe to them.  My update is only like once a month or so when I feel like it.  But it does give some tips on what to watch and what not to watch, so that’s helpful! I hope.

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Silly Sunday Speculative Post: Happy Endings For All Our Losers in Love, from Mandira Bedi to Varun

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We all know that Hindi film loves a love triangle.  And usually a blameless love triangle, two good options and one of them loses out through no fault of their own.  So, I thought, why not give a happy ending to all of love’s losers?  And, just to make this more fun, why not cross streams and give happy endings to losers from different films? And why not make an easy post in which I rapidly run through a whole bunch of different plots without a lot of details?

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