We watch movies at home, usually with heavy quick succession interspersed with long gaps in between. Mostly happens when we are guilt-ridden on being bad parents and playing Satan to the kids as they study upstairs or we walk around like zombies with too many late nights. That combined with my random distantly placed blogs, I figured a digest was in order. This will be a quick review/nods or curse on the movies we suffered through.
Off I go
Babel ****
I am at a loss for words on how to describe this one. Every scene captures you and tugs at your heart in various ways. Ok, am a sop, but the husband isn’t and yet, he commiserated and empathized on how the 2 day events across the world unfold. Particular scenes that made me close my eyes and wish that the scene ends well were the babysitter and the children lost in the desert after a trip across the border and the immigration officers giving them a tough time. That was truly scary. The Japanese deaf-mute story was at best crazy. Sure I understand disturned minds with a lack of reason and logic, but this was whoa! I am no prude and am no flincher with nudity, but this sudden showcasing of body was abrupt and raw – a bit overwhelming for me I’d say. Rinko is very beautiful, and has a schoolworld charm about her.
Brad Pitt – this guy’s a looker, but here, he looks old. Maybe he was meant to, maybe the makeup guy gave him the boot, in any case, he fit the role, and did his part well. Cate Blanchett was okay.
The movie is well taken in its concept and does good justice to the Oscar it claimed.
Kabul Express ****
Offbeat, simple movie with Arshad Warsi and John Abraham. Another desert/war/temperature hot setting, with no romances and silly storylines. It isn’t intense, but chugs along at a fine pace. Arshad is doing wonderfully well these days, and his dialog delivery is noteworthy. John is creating a niche for himself beyond just his model looks. I would imagine the chemistry and dialogs between the characters was the foundation the movie was able to hold itself.
If I could draw a parallel, Babel was between characters all linked by an infinite thread of connection across the world, while Kabul express was on a more lower level – taliban, desi, afghani, and american. Oh yes, the Reuters journalist was such a bore and very artificial.
The best part you ask? It’s under 2 hours. May the tribe of short bollywood movies grow more and more!
Number 23 **
I expected a lot more, a tad disappointed in the “surprising” weakness of the plot. Taken well, with nice elements of horror, Jim Carrey was awesome, but not worth $10 at the movies – a DVD movie.
Da Vinci Code **
Finally saw it, and as expected didn’t like it. I am a fan of words, of books – so to see a fine novel condensed to an irony was disheartening.
Kid rank – Don’t let any kid under 12 go within 20 feet of any of the above movies, not uness you want them to disown you and perhaps write a book 20 years form now as “how a chance celluloid messed my childhood up” – a literary artform!
![Krrish [Hindi]](http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k259/kowthas/Krrish_poster2.jpg)
I haven’t seen any of the other movies except Kabul Express – a shameless waste of money. The movie was crap. Had stuffs copied from No Man’s Land. Crap storyline. Crap commedy. Crap senti. Crap Crap Crap.
Even the issue they were trying to potray is questionable, and even if the issue is authentic, they have made a joke out of the issue.
The only thing that i liked in the movie was the female journalist. She was pretty.
Nothing else is noteworthy..
I do this.. I look at the review of Times of India.. If the movie is rated badly by TOI, I definitely watch it. If TOI says the movie is a must-watch, I stay away from it.
Hail TOI.
p.s. – I didn’t watch Kabul Express by reading TOI reviews. I just happened to be out with friends and the only movie to which tickets were available was Kabul Express.
lol – looks like KE hit a raw nerve. You know that’s the whole beauty of art [in any form] – it’s very subjective.
lol@TOI – I don’t read it at all, but Ive heard similar thoughts before.
me has jus seen Da Vinci Code n didnt like it much either….. Babel I hav to watch now tat many ppl say its gud!!
havent watched even one of the mentioned! maybe babel the next time!
First time here !
Completely agree with you on Da vinci code. I believe no movie adapted from a novel can ever make justice to the book !
KC – watch it, it’s intense but worth it.
Madsies – you should enroll in taht blockbuster thingy they have going on now..
dushti – welcome! yepyep!
I have Babel, Da Vinci code sitting on my coffee table as we speak lined up for the weekend….thanks for the review 🙂 Yeah, we are on a roll too with the movies, thanks to the new deal at block buster 🙂
for some reason, been wanting to see Kabul express.
Let me get my hands on the DVD first, and then on u..if need be:-)
You know, you should watch Pan’s Labyrinth. Although I’m not sure how much the kids will enjoy it.
I agree that art is subjective. But. Why do you have a Michaelangelo or Picasso? Guess because there exist good art, bad art, and all the degrees in between.
gingko – watch it, it’s sane and simple.
metlin – thats on the list. The kids want to watch it, will let them after I have a preview.
wh – the great guys are great because of the critics and the others in their profession. Am sure the common man had not much of a say in it. hmm.. maybe I should just go blog on this than fill comments up. What do u think? 🙂
Go ahead.. blog this up.. this deserves an exclusive post… a lot more than an exclusive post.. but lets start with an exclusive post…
Btw.. I do disagree with you that great people are great because of critics.
And as far as the common man’s opinion is concerned, the common man likes anything that is spicy.
To relate to you – how many Raveena Tandon – Govinda movies or Govinda – Karishma movies were hits.. Many i guess. But how many were good movies? That remains a question.
Its just the degree of exclusivity that differs.
Another thing is that not all classy things are exclusive. Bob Dylan is definitely not exclusive, nor is Pt. Ravishankar or Ustad Zakir Hussain.
But then, there are other things that do require a more refinement of taste, for example, I don’t know many people who appreciate Shakespeare’s writing, mostly because that comes in an archaic English, and is set at a time which may not completely fit into ours. It is not the sort of reading fit for the easy chair, you have to spend time with it.
Point is, there are certain things which must be taken seriously to appreciate – and to separate the wheat from the chaff. The Chaff is for the easy chair. The Wheat may or may not be for the easy chair. And after you reach a level of being used to wheat – you start loathing chaff (Now there are very few people in that category. Ahmed Jan Thirakwa, a famous Tabla Player, wouldn’t have people clap at his concerts because, according to him, clapping was unmusical).
Its not a matter of something being Elite, its a matter of learning to spend time with something, LEARNING to SEE the hidden beauty in things.
I didn’t really like Babel. It was just too haphazard for me. I mean, there isn’t anything groundbreaking in that movie and ever since Sidney Sheldon perfected the art of weaving different totally unrelated stories and somehow bringing them together at the last minute, there has been just too many variations of it.
Da Vinci Code is the worst. Usually directors are well known for goofing up trying to convert Stephen King’s movies to onscreen (except Misery of course). This one is right up there in rotten tomatoes.
If you like old classics, try ’12 Angry Men’ — its simply mind-boggling.
wh – you argue well, but I disagree on the examples you pick. How could you say
Another thing is that not all classy things are exclusive. Bob Dylan is definitely not exclusive, nor is Pt. Ravishankar or Ustad Zakir Hussain. – for a fact I know there are enough folks out there who couldn’t care less if Ustad was playing or a 3 yr old was having a blast.. it’s simple, for the 3 artists you point out are awesome only if the audience were aware of whats being played/sung/open to..
Why don’t you write a post on this and link it here, am sure there are quite a few who’d have something to say on this?
Dilip – True, Babel has this zigzaggy feature, and somehow though it is meant to confuse you, I found it quite clear, maybe coz I was too into it?
Will try the classic. Thanks 🙂
I am something of a movie freak. So if you ever find yourself wanting for some good suggestions just put out a shout for me.
You know what, I would have loved to write something on this.. something properly.. I even gave it a shot.. but it never turned out right – at least not to my satisfaction. Maybe sometime later, when I have more time, I’ll try to do it again.. perhaps, that will be a better attempt…
I saw ‘The Prestige’ today. Interesting movie — a bit confusing at times but all Christopher Nolan’s movie take a little bit of effort to understand (think ‘Memento’). 2 hours of good timepass though.