Jaye (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
jayes_musings) wrote2011-05-21 05:43 pm
jayes_musings) wrote2011-05-21 05:43 pm
Entry tags:
Movies -- Bollywood
Okay, to keep up with at least semi-regularly updating this journal.
I'm going to give reviews/thoughts/opinions on movies that I've seen recently (or at least the ones I remember!). So today's is going to be Bollywood.
Yes, I'm still a total Hrithik fangirl, and most of my Bolly watching involves him...because, well...eye candy is very nice. However, I did watch one without him in that I'd been wanting to see since I heard about it.
My Name is Khan
I knew I wanted to see this as it very much hits my buttons.
The story is about Rizwan Khan (Shah Rukh Khan) who after his mother's death joins his brother in the US before the events of 9/11. Rizwan has Aspergers making his social skills very difficult. He meets hairdresser, Mandira (Kajol) and they eventually marry and have a son.
Then 9/11 happens and like many other Muslims, they become targets of reprisal and hatred. This culminates when their son is beaten to death by a group of boys, and witnessed by his friend who is coerced into silence. This tragic event rips Rizwan and Mandira apart as Rizwan simply cannot understand what has happened. In her anger, Mandira tells him that everyone thinks they are terrorists and she will only have him back if he tells the president that they are not.
Rizwan takes this literally and begins and journey across America to do just that. It takes him a long time, but eventually he goes to a public event that the Bush is attending. As Bush walks past the crowds of people, Rizwan shouts out, "My name is Khan, and I'm not a terrorist!" This panics the crowd and the secret service quickly jump on him, and he is arrested.
Two students study the news footage and take up his case, publicizing Rizwan's case. Eventually, he is released, reunited with Mandira, and he is able to meet the newly elected Obama.
While there are some problems with the film, some of the plot devices were fairly weak or standard, and it doesn't go quite deep enough for me, overall it is good, and very good by usual Bollywood fare. This is the first time I've seen SRK in a movie, and I really liked him -- and the chemisty with Kajol. While I can't comment on how well they depicted Aspergers (I felt in a couple of cases they were heavily inspired by Adrian Monk), SRK was thoroughly endearing as a character. He can do cute very well, and his confusion at why people were suddenly hating him and his family for the actions of a few fanatical others very touching. A couple of parts lacked subtlety, such as the difference between Bush and Obama (which while obvious, I found a little heavy handed).
Overall, a very good film that adds to the trend in Bollywood of making more films accessible to Western audiences, although as my next review will show they still have a ways to go to match Hollywood or British cinema. 8/10
Kites -- Hindi version
J (Hrithik Roshan) is a dance instructor/con man in Las Vegas. His biggest scam is being a groom for women seeking a green card. One of his dance students, Gina (Kanganar Ranaut) takes a fancy to him and when J finds out she is the daughter of a big time casino owner and mobster, he reciprocates with the hope on getting a share of the wealth. Then one day he is introduced to Gina's brother's fiance, Natasha/Linda (Barbara Mori) and recognizes that she is one of the women he has married. As J is drawn into the family, he discovers the violence they use to keep people in line.
The night before Linda and Tony (Nicholas Brown) are due to marry, J and Linda go out and 'divorce' each other, and by the end of the evening fall in love. After they are caught by Tony, they leave Vegas. What follows is a mix of car chases, bounty hunters, and bank robberies.
Eventually the couple make it to Mexico and plan to make a home in Linda's old family one. However, soon after their wedding, Tony's men catch up with them. There is a shootout and J is wounded. Linda drives them to a railyard and puts J on a freight train before drawing Tony's men away. J is found and treated but he soon returns to the railyard to find his cell phone and a way to find Linda. In the end, J learns what happened to Linda from Tony's chauffeur and there is a big shoot-out with Tony and his men, where Gina manages to shoot J. Wounded he heads back down to Mexico to where Linda killed herself, and he follows her.
Oh Hrithik, you are gorgeous and the urge for hurt/comfort in this movie is tremendous; however, the movie falls well short of expectations. Where to start? First, the story is told in flashbacks which sometimes gets confusing as it's not always clear which timeline you're watching. And while I get that they were after a high-octane action flick, a Michael Bay film this is not. Oh, there are plenty of explosions, but they reminded me more of "Dukes of Hazzard" than "Transformers". It seemed that cars barely had to touch each other before going up in a fireball. And EVERY ONE had to explode, no matter what. The most laughable was when a bunch of cops are chasing J and Linda and they climb onto a car-transporting truck. All fine, except it was so very obviously filmed on a runway...they hadn't even bothered to cover over the markings. There were some cute moments, even humourous ones, but overall disappointing. A lot of the dialogue was clunky, and while I do use caps of J and Linda for icons in an RP plot, there was little chemistry between the two of them. They were nice enough, but there was not enough passion to convince me of this great love story. And one final thing, it does not rain that much in Las Vegas...it seemed to be raining nearly all the time and great downpours (at least in never did in the 3.5 years I lived there). They do get monsoonal rain, but the desert southwest is not Mumbai.
Overall, watch for the Hrithik eye candy, get screen caps of the eye candy, and forget about it. 3/10
Guzaarish
Ethan Mascaranhas (Hrithik Roshan) was a top magician until a trick went wrong, making him paralyzed from the neck. Fourteen years later, he is tended by his faithful nurse, Sofia (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan) in his rambling mansion that is falling into disrepair. Through his radio show, he announces that he is going to petition the courts to allow assisted suicide. While the legal process goes on, a young man, Omar (Aditya Roy Kapoor) asks to study Ethan's illusions. Later Ethan reveals that it was Omar's father, and his former friend and rival who rigged the trick to go wrong. With his wish to die, Ethan agrees to pass on his secrets to his apprentice. During the court case, it's revealed that Ethan's organs are slowly shutting down and he would soon need to be hospitalized and on life-support. He is nearly bankrupt as well. When his petition is denied, Ethan is still determined to end his own life.
This film is beautiful in a variety of ways. It is bittersweet and I came away with a mixture of sadness and happiness. Hrithik is excellent as Ethan, proving that he can really act, given that he couldn't use his body at all. Aish is equally impressive, as well as beautiful, being by turn caring and strict, who has not allowed herself to fall in love with Ethan over the past twelve years. Two scenes really stuck out to me. A leak develops and the rain comes in, hitting Ethan repeatedly on his forehead, but he can't move away from it, and he is left all night. His laughing, which becomes increasingly hysterical, is a sign of his complete impotence in everything. And when Sofia's husband arrives and begins to beat her for neglecting him over Ethan, and Ethan is utterly helpless to come to her aid. It's not just the actors that make this such a great film, but the scenery. Ethan's mansion is such wonderful faded glory, clearly dating back to the Portuguese colony of Goa where the film is set, and the lighting, giving it a very Renaissance look.
Overall, I loved it! One of Hrithik's best. 9/10
I'm going to give reviews/thoughts/opinions on movies that I've seen recently (or at least the ones I remember!). So today's is going to be Bollywood.
Yes, I'm still a total Hrithik fangirl, and most of my Bolly watching involves him...because, well...eye candy is very nice. However, I did watch one without him in that I'd been wanting to see since I heard about it.
My Name is Khan
I knew I wanted to see this as it very much hits my buttons.
The story is about Rizwan Khan (Shah Rukh Khan) who after his mother's death joins his brother in the US before the events of 9/11. Rizwan has Aspergers making his social skills very difficult. He meets hairdresser, Mandira (Kajol) and they eventually marry and have a son.
Then 9/11 happens and like many other Muslims, they become targets of reprisal and hatred. This culminates when their son is beaten to death by a group of boys, and witnessed by his friend who is coerced into silence. This tragic event rips Rizwan and Mandira apart as Rizwan simply cannot understand what has happened. In her anger, Mandira tells him that everyone thinks they are terrorists and she will only have him back if he tells the president that they are not.
Rizwan takes this literally and begins and journey across America to do just that. It takes him a long time, but eventually he goes to a public event that the Bush is attending. As Bush walks past the crowds of people, Rizwan shouts out, "My name is Khan, and I'm not a terrorist!" This panics the crowd and the secret service quickly jump on him, and he is arrested.
Two students study the news footage and take up his case, publicizing Rizwan's case. Eventually, he is released, reunited with Mandira, and he is able to meet the newly elected Obama.
While there are some problems with the film, some of the plot devices were fairly weak or standard, and it doesn't go quite deep enough for me, overall it is good, and very good by usual Bollywood fare. This is the first time I've seen SRK in a movie, and I really liked him -- and the chemisty with Kajol. While I can't comment on how well they depicted Aspergers (I felt in a couple of cases they were heavily inspired by Adrian Monk), SRK was thoroughly endearing as a character. He can do cute very well, and his confusion at why people were suddenly hating him and his family for the actions of a few fanatical others very touching. A couple of parts lacked subtlety, such as the difference between Bush and Obama (which while obvious, I found a little heavy handed).
Overall, a very good film that adds to the trend in Bollywood of making more films accessible to Western audiences, although as my next review will show they still have a ways to go to match Hollywood or British cinema. 8/10
Kites -- Hindi version
J (Hrithik Roshan) is a dance instructor/con man in Las Vegas. His biggest scam is being a groom for women seeking a green card. One of his dance students, Gina (Kanganar Ranaut) takes a fancy to him and when J finds out she is the daughter of a big time casino owner and mobster, he reciprocates with the hope on getting a share of the wealth. Then one day he is introduced to Gina's brother's fiance, Natasha/Linda (Barbara Mori) and recognizes that she is one of the women he has married. As J is drawn into the family, he discovers the violence they use to keep people in line.
The night before Linda and Tony (Nicholas Brown) are due to marry, J and Linda go out and 'divorce' each other, and by the end of the evening fall in love. After they are caught by Tony, they leave Vegas. What follows is a mix of car chases, bounty hunters, and bank robberies.
Eventually the couple make it to Mexico and plan to make a home in Linda's old family one. However, soon after their wedding, Tony's men catch up with them. There is a shootout and J is wounded. Linda drives them to a railyard and puts J on a freight train before drawing Tony's men away. J is found and treated but he soon returns to the railyard to find his cell phone and a way to find Linda. In the end, J learns what happened to Linda from Tony's chauffeur and there is a big shoot-out with Tony and his men, where Gina manages to shoot J. Wounded he heads back down to Mexico to where Linda killed herself, and he follows her.
Oh Hrithik, you are gorgeous and the urge for hurt/comfort in this movie is tremendous; however, the movie falls well short of expectations. Where to start? First, the story is told in flashbacks which sometimes gets confusing as it's not always clear which timeline you're watching. And while I get that they were after a high-octane action flick, a Michael Bay film this is not. Oh, there are plenty of explosions, but they reminded me more of "Dukes of Hazzard" than "Transformers". It seemed that cars barely had to touch each other before going up in a fireball. And EVERY ONE had to explode, no matter what. The most laughable was when a bunch of cops are chasing J and Linda and they climb onto a car-transporting truck. All fine, except it was so very obviously filmed on a runway...they hadn't even bothered to cover over the markings. There were some cute moments, even humourous ones, but overall disappointing. A lot of the dialogue was clunky, and while I do use caps of J and Linda for icons in an RP plot, there was little chemistry between the two of them. They were nice enough, but there was not enough passion to convince me of this great love story. And one final thing, it does not rain that much in Las Vegas...it seemed to be raining nearly all the time and great downpours (at least in never did in the 3.5 years I lived there). They do get monsoonal rain, but the desert southwest is not Mumbai.
Overall, watch for the Hrithik eye candy, get screen caps of the eye candy, and forget about it. 3/10
Guzaarish
Ethan Mascaranhas (Hrithik Roshan) was a top magician until a trick went wrong, making him paralyzed from the neck. Fourteen years later, he is tended by his faithful nurse, Sofia (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan) in his rambling mansion that is falling into disrepair. Through his radio show, he announces that he is going to petition the courts to allow assisted suicide. While the legal process goes on, a young man, Omar (Aditya Roy Kapoor) asks to study Ethan's illusions. Later Ethan reveals that it was Omar's father, and his former friend and rival who rigged the trick to go wrong. With his wish to die, Ethan agrees to pass on his secrets to his apprentice. During the court case, it's revealed that Ethan's organs are slowly shutting down and he would soon need to be hospitalized and on life-support. He is nearly bankrupt as well. When his petition is denied, Ethan is still determined to end his own life.
This film is beautiful in a variety of ways. It is bittersweet and I came away with a mixture of sadness and happiness. Hrithik is excellent as Ethan, proving that he can really act, given that he couldn't use his body at all. Aish is equally impressive, as well as beautiful, being by turn caring and strict, who has not allowed herself to fall in love with Ethan over the past twelve years. Two scenes really stuck out to me. A leak develops and the rain comes in, hitting Ethan repeatedly on his forehead, but he can't move away from it, and he is left all night. His laughing, which becomes increasingly hysterical, is a sign of his complete impotence in everything. And when Sofia's husband arrives and begins to beat her for neglecting him over Ethan, and Ethan is utterly helpless to come to her aid. It's not just the actors that make this such a great film, but the scenery. Ethan's mansion is such wonderful faded glory, clearly dating back to the Portuguese colony of Goa where the film is set, and the lighting, giving it a very Renaissance look.
Overall, I loved it! One of Hrithik's best. 9/10
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I do have Om Shanti Om on my Netflix queue, but I think it's got a long wait, so I don't know when I'll get a chance to see that. I'll add those other two, if I can. And what's the title of the one with psycho SRK? That sounds really like my type of character *g*.
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