Filmy Fundas....

So I have been devouring movies left right and center over the past few days and that's eaxctly what I love doing best....old,new,unreleased, unedited almost everything.I am one of those viewers who likes to keep her brain out and carry her heart in once into a theatre(all cosy with some caramel popcorn and coke).Hardly a critic who understands the finer nuances of film- making, I opine about the overall look and feel of a film and that's what stays with me forever. I can enjoy an 'Atonement' as much as an 'Om Shanti Om'! So there lies my novelty...or so i'd like to believe.

Among a few good films I saw this year, yeah top of the mind is Slumdog Millionaire...I saw it at home in saddi Delhi in the 1st week of Jan when it hadnt even released in India. Ah the thrill of watching pirated movies before they officially release is something else...I swear....OK so Slumdog,well there's nothing much left to say about the flick which has enchanted the masses and the crtics worldwide...after having bagged 7 BAFTAS , 3 Golden Globes,a few Screen Actors Guild, the next big one is that elusive Academy.Which am sure is not a distant dream for this flick..... What a Lagaan or a Taare Zameen Par couldnt a SLUMDOG definitely has and how! Its become kinda fashionable to either root for it or pan it but dere's definitely no escaping Slumdog.So what's so special about SM- Not that the book on which it's based is a masterpiece or even the performances of the ensemble cast( which I thot were pretty above average but not brilliant.) According to me what sets the film apart is its 'treatment'.For the majority of western audiences who are writhing under the excruciating weight of a global meltdown, a fairy tale about the ugly side of India should certainly come as an orgiastic catharsis! “Slumdog Millionaire” should be considered as one of the most gratuitous fantasies to be created about India in the 21st century. Over 200 scenes whizzing past in 120 minutes leaves one completely incapable of registering the complex layers that make up the garbage dump presented in “SM” called India.

But nonetheless a thumbs up to Danny Boyle and his crew for a stupendous effort in showcasing the brilliance of India even at the lowest shackles!

The curious case of Benjamin Button-The story is a fantasy all right but what struck me most was good Ol Mr.Pitt. Was that really him I saw as a crippled old man who gets an elixir of life ???? or was that some other actor??? I still dont believe that make up can actually transform one COMPLETELY. David Fincher's haunting and uneven fable is a radical portrayal. It tells the tall tale of an infant who is born as an old man—tiny but suffering all the infirmities of an 80-year-old—who lives his life in reverse, becoming younger with each passing year until he achieves real infancy at the end of his life.Button is a heart warming story, very very fantasy yet so believable. The actors who play Brad's black mom an dad and his childhood sweetheart pitch in a good performance.So does Cate Blanchett.I kinda liked their pair in Babel too. The poignance of this love story lies in its impossibility. She will grow older as he grows younger; their daughter will grow up as he returns to childhood. Only for one magical moment will these lovers share the same age. Yet for all of Fincher's formidable filmmaking—this is one gorgeously shot and designed movie

If Brad Pitt picks up the best actor academy this year, I can understand.

Luck by Chance- Another attempt at exploring the underbelly of the hindi film industry (HHF) (sorry I am not to use, 'Bollywood' here) Luck by chance’ feels like a dream. There’s a scene in the movie when a character mentions – Hindi film heroes dance AND act too. The latter part of the sentence need not be there.HHF doesn’t need talent. It needs good-looking faces and people who are willing to make 'compromises'. It’s an industry where u must know how to work your way to the top. Debutant director Zoya Akthar must be noticing all that since she hails from an filmy family. Her brother,Farhan Akhtar is blossoming into a fine actor, all set to carve a niche for himself just like an Irrfan Khan or a Rajat Kapoor. His unventional good looks and charisma definitely work for me. Konkona too is in her mettle and together they look good.


more later.....