KAUFMAN - "Or cramming in sex, or car chases, or guns. Or characters learning profound life lessons. Or characters growing or characters changing or characters learning to like each other or characters overcoming obstacles to succeed in the end. Y'know ? Movie shit."
Kaufman is sweating like crazy now. Valerie is quiet for a moment - from "Adaptation".
We are all about CINEMA. That movie shit.
NOTHING is sacred.
NOBODY is spared.
Because we talk about films, dammit.
Not your sex life.
Films, fests, unsung, indies, undiscovered - all that and some fun. If you have dope on anything related to cinema or you would like to share something, do write to us at moifightclub@gmail.com.
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You must have seen the video announcing the launch of Y-Films by Yash Raj Films. If you are still clueless about it, in simple words, Yash Raj is going U-25, and wants to pocket all the ‘new money’. Or in simpler words, for fans of Twilight, or say, Justin Bieber – it’s about the demography now. Why ? Because 70% of India is below the age of 35 and it’s too big an audience to ignore.
So, the first thing they did was to hire the head honcho of MTv – Ashish Patil. Roadies, here they come!
According to official release, Y-Films promises to deliver kick ass films of the youth, by the youth, for the youth. And be a platform for new talent – both on screen and behind the scenes – who will challenge, break and set new rules of story telling. Get ready to spread the Y-rus! The films will be laser-focused on the universe of the young covering all genres – thrillers, comedies, chick-flicks, capers – with some really fresh music.
And Y-Films is ready with its first production – Luv Ka The End, an ‘anti-rom-com’, which will release on 6th May, 2011. It stars Shraddha Kapoor and a bunch of new faces.
For a moment, we felt that one star is missing in the title and it’s A** Is Killed. But naah, Himesbhai is just a *.
According to TaranBhai’s report, “Himesh was selected by the makers as they felt he suited the part of Sidharth Patel, who is supposed to be an Indian musician absolutely mesmerized by a superstar who is killed under mysterious circumstances. How the truth behind the superstar’s murder unfolds forms the crux of the story.”
And HimeshBhai also claims that “I am the only Indian actor in the film.”
( PS – We need LOL tags soon. For this post, will use the Bolly jokes tag. )
Well, he can shout out Meri Marzi! Fair enough. But do watch the videos in this post. The first one is a trailer of his new film Memories in March. The film is directed by Sanjay Nag and stars Rituparno Ghosh, Deepti Naval and Raima Sen.
To quote from the official release, “Written by Rituparno, Memories in March unspools the story of a bereaved mother who comes to Kolkata to collect her son’s ashes. She is Arati Mishra, an art curator who lives in Delhi. Through his friends and colleagues, she discovers that they knew him in ways different from the way she knew him as his mother.”
Seems like Memories In March is Hazar Chaurasia Ki Maa, just replace Naxalism with sexuality. But from the trailer it feels like Rituparno Ghosh might have killed the film with his acting. Because he is just playing himself.
A filmmaker who knows how to explore that intimate space in a relationship so bloody well, and someone who has done it so many times, why this acting keeda suddenly ? Mr Ghosh, you can do better.
The second clip is from another bengali film titled Just Another Love Story (Arekti Premer Galpo). Directed by Kaushik Ganguly, it’s about a filmmaker Abhiroop Sen (played by Ghosh) who makes a documentary about Chapal Bhaduri, the legendary jatra (Bengali folk theatre) actor who spent his entire career playing female roles on stage, primarily as Goddess Shitala. Thus begins a journey where director and subject learn from one another – on the one hand is Bhaduri (playing himself) who was a closeted gay for fear of social ostracism but was openly accepted as a cross-dressing actor, and on the other is the modern urban filmmaker who is open about his sexuality but is still negotiating his gender identity.
The film stars Rituparno Ghosh, Raima Sen, Jishu Sengupta, Indraneil Sengupta and Chapal Bhaduri.
And click here to read Variety’s review of the film and more about Ghosh’s acting debut.
We haven’t seen either of the films and may be it’s completely wrong to judge his acting just on the basis on the trailers. But then, if the reverse is true, we will write the apology post in big and bold font too.
Patang – The debut feature of Prashant Bhargava will have its North American premiere at the 10th Tribeca Film Festival. It will be shown in the World Narrative Feature Competition and will compete with 11 other films for the Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature, Best New Narrative Director, Best Actor and Actress, Best Screenplay, and Best Cinematography.
The film was also shown at this year’s Berlin Film Festival in the International Forum of New Cinema. It stars Seema Biswas, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sugandha Garg and Aakash Mahayera, and has been shot by Shanker Raman.
Click on the play button to check out its goregous preview trailer…
To quote from Tribeca’s official release..
A family saga set against the colorful spectacle of the Uttarayan, India’s largest kite festival, The Kite is a kaleidoscopic whirlwind of energy, romance, and turmoil. A businessman arrives in Ahmedabad for a surprise visit to his once grand family home, bringing with him his daughter and some unexpected news for the family’s future. Amongst the flurry of preparations and the energy of the festival itself, the transformative and intersecting tales of six characters unfold.
To know more about the film, click here. To read more about the other films selected for Tribeca Fest, click here.
You can also watch Prashant Bhargava’s short film Sangam at www.mubi.com. The film premiered at Sundance Film Festival in 2004.
Once upon a time there was a filmmaker called Nikhil Advani who directed Kal Ho Na Ho. And the rest, as they say, is all history. Salaam-e-Ishq, Chandni Chowk To China, Patiala House. And looking at his history, some say KHNH wasn’t that Advani but might have been that Johar. If that wasn’t enough, he has signed Akshay Kumar for one more film. And somewhere in between is the Delhi Safari.
It’s a 100 minute 3D animation feature which involves 7 main characters voiced by Govinda, Akshay Khanna, Urmila Matondkar, Boman Irani and Prem Chopra. And here’s a trailer of the film..
And if you are still curious about the film without thinking much about Rango, Rio or Kung Fu Panda2, here’s the synopsis of the film…
The animals of the national park in Bombay welcome a bright sunny morning, birds singing, animals running, Sultan the leopard and his young cub Yuvi, playing by the lakeside. The jungle has an air of joy and peace. Until, a distant thunder breaks the silence and a closer look reveals the jungle being raided by man and machine, destroying everything in its path. Sultan tries to fight a futile battle and ends up losing his life. A sign announcing a proposed apartment complex is hammered into the ground where Sultan has fallen.
That night, a group of frightened animals gather to discuss their fate. Yuvi, Sultan’s cub, tries to reason with the elders, urging them not to give up their homes. Asking them to do what his father would have wanted. The hot headed military monkey, Bajrangi, wants to declare a full scale war, but the anger management Guru, Bagga the bear, has a more civilized suggestions. He believes that all problems could be sorted out through peaceful discussions. Saying the best way to get back their homes is to have a dialogue with the humans and win their hearts. The only problem being that animals can’t speak to humans. Then, Air India, a pigeon with short term memory loss, remembers meeting a parrot who spoke human.
With hope in their hearts, Yuvi, Bajrangi, and Bagga set out and ultimately find Alex, the talking parrot, in his luxurious golden cage. However, their hope turns to despair as Alex is not interested in helping the barbaric animals with their cause, since this would mean leaving his life of luxury. Also Alex is sure that such issues would need to be addressed in the parliament at Delhi.
The motley crew manage to coerce Alex to join them and they begin their journey across the mountains and rivers of India, hitching rides in trains and trucks, to take their petition to the leader of the humans in Delhi. Along the way they discover that not only are their homes in jeopardy, but the homes and lives of thousands of other animals on the way. Their exciting journey becomes one where enemies become friends and an unlikely family comes together to fight for what rightfully belongs to them – A HOME.
The 9th Annual Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) which takes place April 12-17 at ArcLight Hollywood has announced the 13 short films that will screen in the 2011 festival. The shorts were selected from over 350 submissions worldwide. The shorts will be presented in two programs each one screening twice throughout the six-day festival.
The IFFLA programming team includes Rani Breslow, Isaac Klausner, Sudeep Sharma, and Rachael Sevilla along with Executive Director Christina Marouda and Programming Consultant in Mumbai Uma Da Cunha.
Shorts Program 1
BEHOLDER (Director/Writer Nisha Ganatra)
USA/Los Angeles Premiere/English
Imagine a future where it is mandatory to alter the sexual orientation of an unborn child who doesn’t fit the heterosexual norm.
IDOL (Director/Writer Kranti Kanade)
India /Los Angeles Premiere/Marathi, English*
A father and son fight in defense of each of their idols, be it Lord Ganesh or soccer superstar Maradona
IN THAT MOMENT (Director/Writer Shripriya Mahesh)
USA /Los Angeles Premiere/Silent
A brief moment of tenderness in Central Park is enough to brighten a lonely man’s day.
THE RETURN ADDRESS (Director Abi Varghese Writers: Matt Grubb, Abi Varghese)
USA /Premiere/English
A young boy plays cupid in a small, sleepy town.
THE STITCHES SPEAK (Director Nina Sabnani)
India /Doc/USA Premiere/Gujurati, English, Kutchi*
In this animated documentary, Kutch artisans tell stories of finding both themselves and a home.
TUBELIGHT’S MOON (Director/Writer Shlok Sharma)
India/World Premiere/Hindi*
If you cannot go to the moon – make one!
WHEELING DREAMS (Director Hardik Mehta Writers: Bharat Parmar, Hardik Mehta)
India/USA Premiere/Hindi*
Beware of other men eyeing your wheels.
Shorts Program 2
…JUST THAT SORT OF A DAY (Director/Writer Abhay Kumar)
India /Animated/USA Premiere/English
Disconnected characters each have one of those days that you really can’t put a finger on.
ALL IS WELL (Director/Writer Akshay Roy)
India/Los Angeles Premiere/Hindi, English*
A rich boy and a poor boy spend the night at a roadside tea stall.
FAÇADE (Director/Writer Iram Parveen Bilal)
Pakistan/Los Angeles Premiere/English,Urdu*
A dancer reflects on life and art.
JOY OF GIVING (Director/Writer Shlok Sharma)
India/World Premiere/Hindi*
Kindness is always rewarded, sometimes in the most unexpected way.
THE ECLIPSE OF TAREGNA (Director/Writer Rakesh Chaudhary)
India/Los Angeles Premiere/Hindi*
An eclipse draws a man, his grandson, and their village closer together.
*Subtitled in English
Having seen Shripriya’s In That Moment and Shlok’s Tubelight’s Moon will recco both the shorts. Congrats!
BEHOLDER (Director/Writer Nisha Ganatra)
USA/Los Angeles Premiere/English
Imagine a future where it is mandatory to alter the sexual orientation of an unborn child who doesn’t fit the heterosexual norm.
IDOL (Director/Writer Kranti Kanade)
India /Los Angeles Premiere/Marathi, English*
A father and son fight in defense of each of their idols, be it Lord Ganesh or soccer superstar Maradona
IN THAT MOMENT (Director/Writer Shripriya Mahesh)
USA /Los Angeles Premiere/Silent
A brief moment of tenderness in Central Park is enough to brighten a lonely man’s day.
THE RETURN ADDRESS (Director Abi Varghese Writers: Matt Grubb, Abi Varghese)
USA /Premiere/English
A young boy plays cupid in a small, sleepy town.
THE STITCHES SPEAK (Director Nina Sabnani)
India /Doc/USA Premiere/Gujurati, English, Kutchi*
In this animated documentary, Kutch artisans tell stories of finding both themselves and a home.
TUBELIGHT’S MOON (Director/Writer Shlok Sharma)
India/World Premiere/Hindi*
If you cannot go to the moon – make one!
WHEELING DREAMS (Director Hardik Mehta Writers: Bharat Parmar, Hardik Mehta)
India/USA Premiere/Hindi*
Beware of other men eyeing your wheels.
SHORTS PROGRAM 2
…JUST THAT SORT OF A DAY (Director/Writer Abhay Kumar)
India /Animated/USA Premiere/English
Disconnected characters each have one of those days that you really can’t put a finger on.
ALL IS WELL (Director/Writer Akshay Roy)
India/Los Angeles Premiere/Hindi, English*
A rich boy and a poor boy spend the night at a roadside tea stall.
FAÇADE (Director/Writer Iram Parveen Bilal)
Pakistan/Los Angeles Premiere/English,Urdu*
A dancer reflects on life and art.
JOY OF GIVING (Director/Writer Shlok Sharma)
India/World Premiere/Hindi*
Kindness is always rewarded, sometimes in the most unexpected way.
THE ECLIPSE OF TAREGNA (Director/Writer Rakesh Chaudhary)
India/Los Angeles Premiere/Hindi*
An eclipse draws a man, his grandson, and their village closer together.
what else do you want ? And it has some priceless gems too. Like this one about Being John Malkovich – I described the tunnel in the script as vaginal and Spike made it Anal, not exactly what i wanted but now it’s all water under the bridge. Click on the play button and enjoy!
And if you don’t have time to watch the entire video, here are some excerpts from the interview…
Formula – ….It doesnt appeal to me to have a kind of formula for writing anything. Some people like it and it helps them. So i am not going to tell people to no to do it…..am not interested in going in with any kind of framework because it inhibits the possibilities for me.
Adaptation – The main character in the movie is the screenplay itself….from its initial evolution of the screenplay to its ultimate corruption….that is the tragedy of this creature that is the screenplay….he never was able to make a movie about flowers….Donald represents a corrupting influence..he is a nice enough guy….probably much nicer than Charlie but i don’t think he is helping matter.
Hollywood Romances – It has been damaging to my relationship at least..i can talk about myself.. it sorts of set up unreal expectations and which you then project onto your partners and it just destroys the possibility of any kind of actual conversation.
Taking Risks – I think if what you are doing doesn’t have the possibility of failing, then by definition , you are not doing anything new. That’s really the way it is. And if you know how to do what you are doing and/or you have seen it done before, then you are not doing anything. So, the only way you can do anything new or interesting is to open up yourself to the risk of failing. And in that sense, I try to look at success and failure both as neutral thing. It’s hard and am not always successful in accepting failure but I feel that I need to keep reminding myself of that…this is the only way it will be worth anything at all…..May be, won’t be….But it definitely won’t be if i don’t do that.
Characters taking themselves seriously – People take themselves very seriously and their struggles are very serious. Life is hard and everyone’s got a struggle. May be, that’s sort of who I am too…I am not a carefree person….May be so I don’t write carefree people because of that…I don’t know….wish i were.
Synecdoche, New York – I made that movie and I also didn’t understand what was going on there.
Stories – I am not really interested in stories because stories are things that are kind of have polished end…and seen from a distance….and i want to do things which feels like I am immersed in it when i am working in it….and the audience will experience that immersion and that chaos and confusion of actual existence as opposed to a story with beginning, middle and end….And a kind of distance, perspective and life lessons that doesn’t really seem to be part of moment to moment of life that i have….Does that make any sense ?
Direction – I think I have opinions about visual things, about aesthetic things, have lot of interest in paintings and compositions….am novice when it comes to technical stuff of cinematography…..i think all you really have is your opinions. That’s what your value is….as a director you hope you have good opinions…people will show you stuff and you hope that you like the good stuff.
Money – ….there is lot of “trying to get money” in my life.
Writing – I just add more ideas…when I am writing I generally don’t have an outline that I have to get from this point to this point….I find that kind of constricting..So I like the thing to develop the way it develops. If I have a new idea that excites me, I will include it if i can.
Why John Malkovich ? – It’s funny to me. That’s really the only reason. I can tell you why it is funny but i don’t know if that will matter….when i was writing this script i wasn’t planning on this movie ever getting made, so i could make it whoever i wanted. When Spike came on board, we thought we could get it made and we didn’t have John Malkovich yet, we had to think of other people and possibilities and my instincts were confirmed because we could not come up with anybody who worked as well as John Malkovich.
Struggle – It’s harder when you are trying to do your own thing and then they don’t see a precedent for it…Its harder to get in….It took me over 11 years from the time i left college to my first writing job. It just wouldn’t happened…..what happens is that more people see you are stuff, you get to talk to people, the greater the chance that you will hook up with somebody who gets it and wants to do it…..so perseverance, and if you believe in your stuff then you should do it and continue to push for it.
Writers/Directors/Hollywood – …there is the auteur theory that confused everyone for a long time…..writing in Hollywood is not really important….It’s proven again and again….those who market movies and make movies, they don’t need writers….the worst movies with the most problematic scripts become the most successful movies….then you see that writers aren’t important. But directors have a visual language and some of them are celebrities and big names too.
Q. Inception – My friend said that Inception was like a James Bond film written by Charlie Kaufman. what do you say ?
A. …..i have to be very careful about it……(silence)…..i don’t know…(long silence)….You know the weird thing is you cannot say anything anymore anywhere without it appearing online. So i am not going to say anything anywhere anymore.
Q. What is your reason for making/writing films ?
A…..I think its something that i always wanted to do as a kid..it always excited me..the make believe world….its my job….am trying to pay a mortgage and i like this particular kind of job, and i guess it defines me or it helps me feel defined..may be i have something to prove..terrible reasons ? …..i don’t know…why i do it..i don’t know what else i will do…it sounds bad, right ? I mean, i kind of like it sometimes but sometimes it’s really hard, it’s a struggle and i get depressed. But i will probably get depressed being a homicide detective.
End note – But i do want one more question because there is absolutely no more way that i am going to end on that question…that was like yeeeawwkkkh. Make it something nice, i don’t want to end on that question.
And here is a video from Kabhi Haan Kabhi Na in which he had one of the prominent roles, the lovable Don who even had to fake the mark sheets of the hero.
If your answer to the question in the header is NO, then Gyandeep Pattnayak feels awful about it. He really does. And so, here is a recco post by him, why you should watch it and make Gyandeep feel better when he asks the same question next time. Read on…..
Every time, I used to hear someone say, “You should see this murder mystery. It’s damn bleak, man.” – I was reminded of 36 China Town. I don’t know why. No, it doesn’t mean that I considered 36 China Town to be CINEMA at all. It doesn’t even qualify to be a tele-serial which Ekta Kapoor can produce in order to re-invent herself. Anyway, I digress.
What is a good murder mystery, in your opinion? Something which is plausible, something which makes you go, ‘Whoa’ and something which ties up all the loose ends neatly. But most importantly, a better murder mystery is one which lures you all along and just when you think you’ve figured it all out, it pulls the rug from beneath your feet and makes you think, “Christ, only if there were more movies like this.”
Guillame Canet’s Ne le dis à personne or Tell No One is exactly that kind of a film. And more than just that, if you will.
Let me try to be as brief and as careful as possible while I try to give you an idea of what this film is all about. The film opens with a terrific scene in which our protagonist Alexandre, a doctor by profession, drives along with his wife Margot to a lake. They swim, have fun, make love, bicker and eventually get into a heated argument. Margot, hurt and angry, jumps into the lake and swims to the other side. Alexandre waits for a while longer and senses something is wrong. As he gets ready to take a jump into the lake, somebody knocks him unconscious. He wakes up to find his wife brutally murdered.
The story cuts forward to eight years later. Alexandre carries on with his mundane life, still haunted by the memories of that fateful night. One day, suddenly, too many things happen at once. Alexandre is implicated in a double homicide. All evidence pins him down as the one and only suspect. Simultaneously, he gets a mail from his “wife” Margot – the very same Margot who has been dead for eight years. The mail has a video link in which “Margot” can be seen, hale and hearty – although, it isn’t very clear enough to determine whether or not she is his dead wife. The mail also contains a note which is chillingly mysterious and reads – “Tell no one. They’re watching.” Before Alexandre can piece together what’s happening, he finds himself running – from the law and from someone who doesn’t want him to find the truth.
So much for being as brief as possible.
Adapted from author Harlan Coben’s bestselling novel of the same name, this movie remains largely unseen by audiences. It would not be unfair if I said this is the rare case in which the film excels the novelization of the same story. The climax has been tweaked or rather, has been made more reasonable. Why Hollywood wasn’t first in the queue to adapt this book beats me. That a French guy named Guillaume Canet (actor, husband of the very gorgeous Marion Cottilard) has gone ahead and done it is not only laudable but also a befitting reminder, if we needed any, of the fact that the very finer aspects of cinema lie in the writing. Canet , along with Philipe Lefebvre, has written the screenplay which could serve as a tutorial for budding writers. He also enacts a small but integral character in the movie. If the word multitasking were to be used in this context, it suits him to the T. Multitasking and efficient.
Murder mysteries like these not only tend to be formulaic and ordinary, 99 times out of 100, they actually ARE formulaic and ordinary. Red herrings, cheating climaxes, a random murderer (here’s where the butler and housekeeper in 36 China Town come into the frame) – you name it.
So, how different is Tell No One? Different isn’t the word you would normally like to associate with a movie as restrained and as suspenseful as Tell No One. Trust me, I want to tell you every bit of the film but that would not make a whole lot of sense. As I sit here, typing out this recommendation, my fingers want to point out why this film is more recommendable than others in this done-to-death genre. And that would be a sacrilege. That would mean giving the movie away.
Let’s just say, Things are not as simple as they seem to be in the movie. Everything happens for a reason and everything is deeply rooted in the family, its past, its actions and the reverberations of those actions. The suspense in this movie is not crafted; it ties its own knots and weaves the fabric of an intricately laid out tale of love, lies and deceit.
I hate talking about movie climaxes but Tell No One compels me to write something about it. I will give you one piece of advice. Don’t try thinking too much about what is happening. There are people, who, while seeing the movie along with me, were trying to second-guess the whole time. Please. Don’t. Do. That. Relax, watch the movie and let the twists catch you off-guard. That way, the impact will be brutal. And yes, don’t let any douchebag tell you the ending. That will stink.
Francois Cluzet beautifully underplays his part but really it would be a crime to say so little about the man who makes melancholia his own. When we see him eight years later, his eyes are saggy, drooping and we forget that it is Cluzet. We forget that he is an actor. Such is the hypnotic power of his performance. Marie-Josee Croze, as Margot, is hauntingly beautiful and she brings certain believability to her part, which is entirely to her own credit. What is it about these French actors? Why are they always so good even if they are in an equally bad film?
To make a film half as good as this one is an achievement. I hope you can figure what it would be like to make a fuller such film. This film stands right there – amongst the great, modern murder mysteries such as Mystic River, The Secret in Their Eyes and Gone Baby Gone. Now, when people recommend me a good murder mystery, I promptly ask them, “Have you seen Tell No One?” It feels awful when they say no. It really does.
You must have seen the video announcing the launch of Y-Films by Yash Raj Films. If you are still clueless about it, in simple words, Yash Raj is going U-25, and wants to pocket all the ‘new money’. Or in simpler words, for fans of Twilight, or say, Justin Bieber – it’s about the demography now. Why ? Because 70% of India is below the age of 35 and it’s too big an audience to ignore.
F.i.g.h.t C.l.u.b 