You never know how interesting something is, until you dive into it head first and experience it with open arms. That’s what i did with World Cinema this weekend. Bored and tired of watching commercial cinema, I dug a little deeper and found a whole new genre of films called World Cinema. These are basically movies that are made around the world, and not necessarily in English. Most foregin language movies fall under this broad category, though they can be distinguished further.  So, armed with my new discovery, I managed to sift through the crap of TV to find UTV World Movies channel.  Some random movie..of some random language was playing. So i decided to watch it anyways. GUess what! It turned out quite ok! I was impressed with World Movies. It’s a genre that has not received its due. So after more googling, i found a community dedicated to World Movies. Check it Out! 

I think, the best world movie i have seen until today has to be the french movie Amelie. It’s absolutely beautiful and refreshingly brilliant. Leaves you with a feel-good after-taste.  

There is a movie called Summer Interlude. It’s a swedish film shot beautifully somewher in the vast open grasslands of Sweden. THough done in black and White, it gives you a clear picture of how stunning this country is. I rented out this movie from Seventymm, a while ago.  You can check it out here…  

To see their entire collection of World Movies, click here. I highly recommend that you give World Movies a chance if you are an avid movie lover. it gives you a different perspective of world culture and the way directors around the world see life. Definately somthing you should not miss out! 

Two big releases, two big names, two debutantes……but two great films? Am not so sure about that.  Sure, Love Story 2050 (LS) has a big budget, big star cast blah blah…but what about the storyline, the quality of story telling and everything else that make a great movie really great? I am very sceptical about LS. I dont think it will be a great film quality wise. i.e., in terms of cinema. It may be a hit because of its hype and the fact that Indian audience are starved for glossy cheap entertainment. Put together a few big stars, a couple of songs, some skimpy clothes and you hav a film! oh..here’s a video I saw on Seventymm by the way. click here.

Somehow i have better faith in Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na (JTYJN). Manly because it’s got Aamir backing it. I hope he doesnt let the audience down. When Aamir stands for somwthing, its always worthwhile. I hope the film is the same. I love this song from the film Pappu Can’t Dance! Rahman is at it again! The music is not as good as his previous films, but its better than most of the crap circulation these days. Oh by the way, I was looking throught the Seventymm site and found this fundu quiz on the same film…you shd chk it out!!

 

Just take a look at this…why have the brainless makers of the film made this chap look so much like Hrithik?? I don’t know what they are trying to achienve but logic tells me no one ever succeeded by being a carbon copy of someone else… I think Harman is an okay looker who seems to be able to dance. Am not sure about his acting skills though. Guess we gotta wait for Love Story 2050 to release to find out if the chap’s got any substance.

Meanwhile I read about Imran Khan, Aamir’s cousin who’s also making a debut. I have this gut feeling that he’ll be good. Hope he really is.

Remember the time when you heard a magical story and really believed it was true? Remember when you believed in happily ever after? And in a land far far away…? The innocence of childhood is a treasure that age steals from all of us. But every now and then, it’s necessary for all of us to go back to being children; to find that innocence again and just give in to a fantasy. For me, it was this quiz that brought back wonderful memories. Vivid colours, magical tales and beautiful picturisation; that’s what an animated movie offers today. Inspite of knowing in your ‘practical’ brain that none of this is real, there’s a little part of you that gets lost and very involved in the film. I love the feeling.

I watched Dr. Seuss Horton Hears a Who over the weekend. A beautiful film. It’s funny and incredibly interesting. I would recommend it to everyone who enjoys a meaningful animation film.

 

I’ve been totally hooked on this very entertaining film puzzle called Filmystery on Seventymm! It’s absolutely the best..! Has me going back for more! You need to spot movies in these posters that have like all sorts of things in them..very cool!

Over the weekend I watched a movie ‘An inconvenient truth’…it’s an eye opener. I learnt so much about global warming and now I have big plans to curb it. I don’t know how I can change the mindsets of a billion people, alone…but I suppose every task seemed impossible before it was accomplished. Stopping global warming is no longer a choice..it’s a mandate. Very soon, there will be no option but to live a more eco friendly life. We cannot go on dumping plastic anywhere we please..cannot sit around twiddling our thumbs, while the earth slowly gets warmer. One day, we’ll just be sitting in our offices/homes minding our business, pretending like global warming will not affect us, and boom! We’ll be underwater…

Sounds funny? Well..it’s really not. But ofcourse, humans are desinged and destined to deny. We will as a race, perish in the face of a natural calamity because we choose to ignore what’s staring us in our face today.  HUmans – we are the most intelligent species on earth..way to go!

 

I tried getting tickets for Krazzy 4 this Saturday. No hope in hell! Bangalore is by far the most populated small city I’ve lived in. Anyway, I settled for “The Blue Umbrella,” a beautiful movie by Vishal Bharadwaj. I have been looking for this movie for a long time. Each time, either the print wasn’t good or the DVD was unavailable. Finally I got an excellent quality DVD at Seventymm. The movie is a must watch if you enjoy off beat cinema.

I hope I get to watch both You Me aur Hum and Krazzy 4 this week. Meanwhile, my addiction with quizzes continues. I took this excellent quiz on You Me aur Hum. It compensated for not being able to watch the movie over this weekend.

Bollywood as a concept fascinates and repels me equally. I hate how pretentious the industry is but love the world it opens up to the viewer. Those three hours spent in the theatre are an escape from reality and everyday tensions. A good movie takes you far away from your physical/geographic bond. It gives you a fresh perpective of life and makes you dream. It is like a breath of fresh air. I especially like the fantasy-themed movies. Harry Potter transported me to a different plane altogether. It took me days to shake off the hangover. Bollywood does not experiment with fantasy. If at all, they do make a fantasy themed movie, it will instantly be branded as a children’s movie. I think it’s time..in fact it’s long due.. for Bollywood break out of the silly naach gaana, sleazy clothes routine and explore more. Taare Zameen Par is one example of how trying something new can really pay off.