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whoz_thiz_guy
Reviews
Bollywood/Hollywood (2002)
Laboured Comedy
Humour is obviously not Deepa Mehta's forte as she ambles through a painful comedy that barely has any humour in it. The production values of the movie are low. The movie is intended to poke fun at traditional Indian value systems like arranged marriages and Bollywood masala movies and songs. But the dialogues and situations are so humourless it becomes a pain to sit through the movie. The dialogues also give away the fact that it was written by a non-native English speaker. The first 20 minutes are slightly funny with Dina Pathak quoting Shakespeare and Moushmi Chatterjee weeping. But this continues right throughout the movie. As for the positives, there is one good song in the movie. Lisa Ray is beautiful, well endowed and not coy about kissing. Thats just about all you get.
Citizen Kane (1941)
A Very good watch
One thing you need to tell yourself whenever you watched a hyped up movie is never to expect too much. One is almost always disappointed. So having watched the #1 billed movie with a more or less open mind here is what I have to say.
Its a fantastic movie as far as the cinematography and non-linear narrative goes. The camera angles and black and white shades are the best I have ever seen. The last time I was impressed with the camerawork was "The Matrix". The narrative is very well done with the initial brief montage followed up by different perspectives of Kane as we go on. I did get briefly bored towards the middle of the movie when it looked like all we were going to be served up is a tycoon's story in detail. But the narrative really took off with Jed Leland's interview and manages to describe a man with as much accomplishment as one can expect in two hours. The remarkable thing is that one gets the feeling that one has known Kane for twenty years with just two hours of watching the movie. There is no tawdry sentimentalism either. It manages to comment on society and the press without getting too preachy either.
Altogether a very good movie. But is certainly not #1 on my list. I find "American Beauty" to be much better (not in cinematography). Dont know if I missed something remarkable about this movie. Most probably a very good movie for a student of cinema with its cinematography, non linear narrative and for potraying a man incisively and dispassionately on film reel.
Independence Day (1996)
Worth MST 3K
What kind of movie was this. They cud just have stitched 2gether all the special effects and kept all the remaining crap out and saved us time.
But admittedly the movie is unintentionally humourous. For example the idea about how alien research is funded by overcharging on Toilet seats or some such thing. Then of course will smith enters alien space craft and starts manoeuvring it as if he had built the whole damned thing. Then there is that Macintosh Virus infecting Alien computers thru god knows what socket that will-smith-in-alien-space-craft connects to. Then that alien speaking 2 humans by manipulating a dead scientists throat.
Then theres the massive destruction of the city from which 3 ppl escape. Who r these 3. will's wife, prez's wife and their dog, How sweet.
Then we have social messages shoved down our throat. Will's wife is an exotic dancer. How wonderfully liberated thinking. Liberated thinking is even more profound. Just wait. Macho man is Black, scientist is white. But of course. Then that scientist getting xited about all these events and our slinky holier than thou prez reprimanding him. Then again the prez boarding a fighter plane. OHHH WE ARE SO IMPRESSED. All cliches packed in2 1 basket.
Then we have American patriotism, The world being saved by america. Thats fine but who will save the world from america and these movies.
Not such a bad movie but cant digest this trash being 1 of the top grossers of all time. My rating 3/10.