Archive for the ‘World Cinema’ Category

Mumbai Film Festival, 2013 – What was Leos Carax smoking?

Posted: October 19, 2013 by moifightclub in cinema, Interview, Mumbai Film Festival, News, World Cinema
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Well, we still don’t know the answer to that question. But going by his filmography, whatever he smokes, must be out of the world. So here’s Carax on cinema, life, going digital, and more. The quotes are from his conversation with Ian Birnie. Deepanjana Pal tweeted it, and much thanks to her, we are posting all the tweets here.

Mumbai Film Festival, 2013 – Films we saw [Day 1]

Posted: October 19, 2013 by moifightclub in cinema, Film Festival, film review, reviews, World Cinema
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And we are also back with our daily fest diary. As long as our brains keep working after 5 back to back shows, we will try to do a post daily. Here’s Kartik Krishnan‘s to Day 1 wrap.

matterhorn

Matterhorn – a normal middle class devout time table wala Ram Gopal Bajaj (Andaz apna apna – Paresh Rawal) character’s life changes when he takes a mentally challenged drifter as a ‘flatmate’. Dealing with themes of ‘मोह’, church, conformity, redemption, cognitive disability, pity, homosexuality, relationships and a dash of black humor – this dramedy is crisply directed with minimal flab. The usage of BGM is particularly striking.

Pussy Riot – A Punk Prayer – This documentary immediately reminded me of Ismat Manto Haazir hain & Howl (the brilliant film screened few years ago at MAMI). Bunch of girls perform anti establishment punk rock songs at the Sacred Cathedral in Moscow and the ‘orthodox’ residents are outraged – following which the administration slaps a case on them. And then we delve into the characters’ of the three girls and the courtroom drama that follows. Gandu-equivalent music (though with more political content), the girls claim they have not done anything blasphemous. Provocative, entertaining, subversive, satirical.

Blackfish – Docu on Killer whales exhibition and how the greed of Seaworld (no different from any of the conscience-less corporates ruling the roost we’ve seen before) led to the death of many trainers. The fondness & familiarity with which everyone talks about the ‘culprit’ whale – Tilakam almost makes this docu like a thriller with an unpredictable eccentric protagonist at the center. Candid videos of training gone wrong – there is a particularly chilling sequence with a trainer being forced entertain Tilakam’s ‘eccentric’ behaviour, and being dragged underwater for as long as 60 seconds – repeatedly.

Wajma – An Afghan Love Story – turned out exactly what the trailer promised. An Afghani Julie. Made with low budget & minimal production values, shot on HDV, candid shooting style. While the film lacked the ‘professional’ touch it had a lot of heart in it. The lead actress gave an arresting performance, and particularly the honor-beating scene stays in your memory more so perhaps due to the rawness of the film. Want to see more films from Afghanistan.

The Weight of Elephants – starts out on a promising note and a mis direction – I was wondering(hoping) perhaps it is going to go in Prisoners’ zone with kids gone missing. But this New Zealand film stays with the drifter protagonist – the young Adrian and his life in an around his school friends, next door neighbors and troubled home, and eventually becomes a coming of age film. The kids look so natural and impressive that their scenes alone tower over the nothingness which is so present in the film. Disappointing except for the lovely Kiwi locales and the Gulzar-ish/Masoom-ish kids.

Tales from an Organ Trade – This docu shot all over the eurasia, middle east, canada, thailand covers the complex nature of the Organ Trade, specifically the kidney racket. Why do slumdwellers in Manila happily become kidney donors for as little as 2000USD? How do the doctors performing such clandestine surgeries look at themselves in the mirror? Is only voluntary organ donation ethical ? What other option does a long suffering renal patient have if he/she has been waiting for 7-8 yrs for a ‘legal’ kidney? The docu puts forth these and many more important questions in an entertaining engaging manner.

The Armstrong Lie – This documentary focuses in detail on the confessions made by the cycling champ cancer survivor famous oprah interview. Slightly long and rambling, it turned out to be nevertheless an eye opener on the life of Lance (I must confess- knew little about him before this docu). How can one be so convincing as a liar for so many years ? Why is every genius a narcissistic aatm-mugdh asshole ? With lots of in depth interviews and candid conversations, this one really made my day. Another must watch.

Locke – Tom Hardy. Driving a car. One night in London. Travelling from one end of town to another. All the time on phone. The premise sounds like a thriller but it is a superlatively shot human drama about a man trying to face his demons. Doesn’t get repetitive despite being a single ‘setup’ film. Wish we could see a hindi film like this but which actor is confident and daring enough to pull off something like this ? I wish subtitles were there because the Brit accent sometimes flew over my head. Now I want to see the writer-director’s Humming bird.

– Kartik Krishnan

(PS – If you are wondering how KK managed to watch 8 films on one day, well, he did his homework well. Watched three films from #youknowwhere)

Everything you always wanted to know about Alfonso Cuarón’s GRAVITY

Posted: October 7, 2013 by moifightclub in cinema, Everything you always wanted to know about, film, film review, Hollywood, Interview, Movie Recco, movie reviews, Must Watch, News, Technique, video, World Cinema
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Was I worried?” Cuarón says. “Yeah!” He and Lubezki would watch their footage, “and depending on the day, you’re just in a room laughing, like, What the heck are we doing? Chivo’s (Lubezki) favorite phrase was, ‘This is a disaster.’ Some days you’d just have bits and pieces of Sandra Bullock in a box, floating around, surrounded by robots with cameras and lights on them, and you’d think, This is going to be a disaster.

James Cameron said he was stunned, absolutely floored. He called it the best space photography ever done, best space film ever done, and it’s the movie he has been hungry to see for an awful long time.

Rian Johnson tweeted something more interesting…

https://twitter.com/rianjohnson/status/385301804365279232

Michael Moore also pitched in and asked people to watch it in 3D.

Tarantino has already put it in his Top 10 of the year. And the best one comes from Edgar Wright.

SO WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL ABOUT GRAVITY?

Well, watch it. To see, feel, float, and experience.

CuaronAnd it’s entirely possible that even after watching the film you might not get its brilliance – why and how. Twitter has made me realise that. And i am not going to try – argue and make you understand. There are many things that many pea-sized brains might not grasp and understand, and i have made peace with it. This post is for those who were blown by it. If you watch movies like i do, can bet that you will come back home and start googling about it. So i am going to make your life easy and putting all the best articles/features/videos on Cuaron and Gravity here. The links are divided into two parts – filmmaking and sci-fi.

FILMMAKING – How and Why

I have to say that I was a bit naïve; I thought making the film would be a lot simpler…

– Digital Trends has got an interesting feature titled “Before Alfonso Cuarón could make ‘Gravity,’ he had to overcome it”. It tells you all about the problems they faced and what they did to find new technology. Click here to read.

– Cuaron is known for his magical long uncut takes. And as we all know Gravity has some 17-minute long jaw-dropping opening sequence. Here’s a video essay on his “Cinematic Canvas”.

Has voice-over by Cuaron.

I’m going to tell you something, the reality is that the movie was so new that when we finished a shot we would get so excited people would scream on set—probably me before anybody else. There were moments when we were shooting and Alfonso said ‘cut’ we would all just jump and scream out of happiness because we’d achieved something that we knew was very special.

– The Credits have done a feature titled “One of the Greatest Cinematographers Ever: Gravity‘s Emmanuel Lubezki”. This one is an interview with Lubezki. Click here to read.

Both of them—along with a number of other Mexicans who would go on to achieve success in Hollywood—were expelled before graduation. “In Mexico, there are a lot of conspiracy theories” about why, Cuarón told me, “and I’m sure that a lot of them are true. The truth of the matter is that I think we were pains in the asses. We disagreed with the ways of the school.” He laughed. “Even if they had their reasons, we were right.

– Vulture has posted a great piece on Cuaron’s career and filmography. It’s titled “The Camera’s Cusp: Alfonso Cuarón Takes Filmmaking to a New Extreme With Gravity”, and this one is a must read. The story of “a Mexican auteur who’d just made a tiny foreign erotic ­comedy-drama being handed the biggest, most fantastical franchise in movie history.” Click here.

– Cuarón sat down with George Stroumboulopoulos to talk directing, George Clooney and Sandra Bullock, and new voices in world cinema. This one is a funny interview.

Experiencing this film in 2-D is only getting about 20 percent of the experience of Gravity,” says Cuarón.

– The Daily Beast has also done a feature on Cuaron and his film. It took four and a half years to bring the magnificent 3-D film to the screen. The director retraces the journey for Marlow Stern, from Robert Downey Jr. and Angelina Jolie’s departures to creating the most groundbreaking cinematic voyage ever put to film. Click here to read it.

Still, it was a massive culture shock. “I had more toys to play with, but the crew was three times bigger than my Mexican film, with producers giving me notes, which I never had before.

– DGA has also covered Cuaron’s entire career – from Mexico to big Hollywood studios. Click here to read.

Did even this historically auteur-friendly studio (Kubrick, Eastwood, Nolan, et al.) wonder if they’d just gambled away $100 million on the most expensive avant-garde art movie ever made?

– Variety has done an interesting piece saying Gravity’ could be the world’s biggest avant-garde movie and drawn comparisons with Michael Snow’s films. Click here to read.

– And to know how the sound masters of ‘Gravity’ broke the rules to make noise in a vacuum, click here. Another must read.

SCI-FI – Science or Fiction

 From my perspective, this movie couldn’t have come at a better time to really stimulate the public. I was very, very impressed with it.

– The Hollywood Reporter has got Astronaut Buzz Aldrin, the second man on the moon, to review the film. Click here to read.

George Clooney’s character, in a rare and fleeting quiet moment says to Sandra’s character, “Beautiful, don’t you think?” And the scene is the sunrise in space. Hold on to that.

– The Time got another astronaut, Marsha Ivins, a veteran of five shuttle flights, with a total of 1,318 hours—or 55 days—in space, to review the film. Click here to read what she thought – how much is real and what all looked fake.

– And there are some rants too. If they can float, can’t they rant? Vanity Fair has put it all together. Click here.

– So how Realistic is the movie? The Atlantic has interviewed the film’s science advisor. Click here to read.

In India, the film has currently released only on IMAX 3D screens. It should be out in normal 3D screens from this friday. And do remember what Mister Moore said.

If you are in Mumbai, i would suggest you watch it at PVR IMAX screen in Lower Parel. No, they haven’t paid me. This is from my experience across various 3D screens in the city. The glasses at PVR, Lower Parel don’t make the screen dark. Also, they are bigger, better and light in weight. So if you already wear one set of glass, this is the best possible option. Rest, as they say, haath kangan and all that jazz.

If you have read or seen any interesting feature, interview, or video related to Gravity or Cuaron’s film, do post in the comments section.

– @cilemasnob

(ps – due apologies to Woody Allen for stealing half of his title for the post and even turning it into a category)

Yes, i saw ‘The Good Road’ and want to know what the FFI Jury was smoking

Posted: September 24, 2013 by moifightclub in cinema, film, Hollywood, Indie, News, World Cinema, WTF
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Because that seems to be the only reason why none of us could speak out openly about our “best” film to be sent for Oscars in the Foreign Language category.

Now that i have seen it, let me say it loudly – The Lunchbox is Casablanca compared to The Good Road. I will come back to the film later. Let me also clarify few things first. I have been reading articles, posts and tweets on similar topic since last 3 days, and some of them are on such a wrong tangent. So here it goes.

Oscars

No, it’s not white man’s approval. It’s not even the best function or festival as far as films are concerned. Some of the best American films and actors don’t even bag a nomination. So why are we getting jizz in pants about Oscars?

Because it still matters. Because it’s money, market and reach. Because one nomination (and win) not only puts the spotlight on the director’s entire filmography but the country also comes into focus. Because it opens every possible door for its lead actors. The examples are many. In the last few years only Chile’s No, Israel’s Ajami and Footnote, Algeria’s Outside The Law, Greece’s Dogtooth, Denmark’s In A Better World, Argentina’s The Secret In Their Eyes, Japan’s Departures and Denmark’s After The Wedding have brought so much attention to their country’s cinema just by being nominated. Same goes for actors. Who knew Matthias Schoenaerts before the Bullhead?

A Cannes win also has the power to do all that. Ask the Romanian filmmakers. But Cannes is not so mainstream, Cannes is French, and Oscar is Amreekan. You know the difference, and two shall never meet. One is purely about cinema, the other is more about box office. Btw, do auteurs eat big burgers?

That’s the simple reason why Oscars count. Not for any white man supremacy. In 2011, when Asghar Farhadi went on stage to collect his award for The Separation, almost everyone knew that it was not only the “best foreign film” but it was the “best fucking film of the year”. The white man supremacy and approval logic is so 80s. The world went back to all his films and he was named one of the 100 Most Influential People in the world by Time magazine in 2012. Difficult to believe that the journey started with “Nader and Simin” (title was changed later) getting the distribution fund at Berlin fest.

So do i believe in Oscars? NO.

An award ceremony which never did any justice to Martin Scorsese, how can they be fair?

Do i watch Oscars? YES.

The only day in the year when i get up early and see the rising sun. Why? Because Marty believes in it. Because it’s good fun to watch some of your favourite actors, directors, screenwriters, all under the same roof and still be so cool and candid. And because they still make it “look” professional. Some of the best talents never get their due but when they get, it changes everything. One nod is all it takes. That’s it.

Foreign Language Category & The Good Road

In the last few years, this has become one of the most toughest category. The number of submissions keeps on increasing every year. You are not just competing with the best of the Amreekan cinema but from best of the world. Last year it was a new record with 71 films. This year’s running list already has 45 films. Heavyweight Wong Kar-wai’s The Grandmaster is already in the ring.

Since FFI’s announcement on The Good Road came out, anyone having any doubts about it, the first question asked was have you seen it? And as far as i knew nobody except the FFI jury had seen it. So, before writing any post on it, i decided to watch the film, and am so so disappointed after watching it.

So far i was only arguing that it’s always about the “right” film at the Oscars, it’s not about the “best” film. Why get so holier than thou and sentimental about putting our “best” film?  Especially when Oscars is just another ‘market’ event that does wonders. Put the “right” film out, play according to the games, play it smart, and get a nod. Simple. Just look at the big picture.

Now, if i consider this is the standard of our best film which is being sent to the world audience, am sorry to say that people will laugh at us. Don’t believe me, go watch “The Good Road”. The film is easily available on dvds and #youknowwhere. It doesn’t even look professional. Except an idea and intention, it has nothing to offer. It’s boring, the production looks tacky, direction is bad, performances are inconsistent, and acting by non-actors look like non-acting only. The arid landscape and the use of music are the only things that work.

The only Oscars bait was a sequence involving young girls in prostitution racket standing on platforms surrounded by coloured tubelights. Haven’t seen anything like that on screen.

With “The Good Road” as our submission, what’s our chance at the Oscars? i think ZILCH. I hope am proved wrong but i doubt it.

And what i am most confused about is the sudden support for the film. As a friend pointed out, just because it has suddenly become the David in front of The Lunchbox Goliath with UTV, Karan Johar and Anurag Kashyap in its support? Strange. Very, very strange. Watch both the films and compare the merits.

More strange is the fact that not a single mainstream critic in this country bothered to review the film when it released – in theatres and on dvds. That says more about the state of film criticism in this country.

The Lunchbox

With The Lunchbox, many of us believed it had a *chance*. Yes, just a chance. And we have been shouting about it. It’s a tough battle there. But with Sony Classics having its US rights and many influential American voices already pushing for it after watching the film at Cannes, Toronto and Telluride, it had the right visibility factor going for it. Michael Moore, Ted Hope and many others tweeted about it. Aseem Chhabra has written more about it here. Also, The Hollywood Reporter and Indiewire, the two ends of spectrum, were counting it among the frontrunners. And am sure they know (at least little bit) more and understand their Oscars more than us.

It was just not the “right” film but it’s a much, much better film than “The Good Road”. Just ideas and intentions don’t make a good film, or a good road.

So what did the FFI jury saw in the film which i could not? Let me quote from this interview of Gautam Ghose…

The criteria is simple — we had to select a film that represents the country perfectly.

WTF! Represents the country perfectly? As in peacocks and elephants? Do they watch the Oscars? Not sure what it means (Can someone explain?). After watching the film, all i can say is that The Good Road represents us amateurishly. You all made us look tacky in front of the world. Forget The Lunchbox, any other film would have been better too.

Though just Irrfan Khan and Nimrat Kaur’s performances were enough to pick the film. These two are not just the best performances of the year in Indian cinema, but they can be easily counted as among the best ones in world cinema too. So I would sincerely like to smoke what the FFI jury was smoking. Anyone?

Because this was our chance. Because we needed it. We needed to tell the world that we do more than naach-gaana now. We needed to assure Sony Classics that you can look and pick more Indian films that can do wonders. You don’t need to wait for 10-15 years again. We needed to tell the world that it’s not just Iranians, Romanians, Koreans, Greeks and Australians, we are also heading in right direction. And this was the best stage to do it. We had a chance, a bright and fair chance. But what a fuck up! what a royal fuck up this turned out to be.

One more thing – who made the rules suddenly that FFI can’t disclose the names of jury members? I would surely love to know the names of those 12 or 15 or 19 people who thought The Good Road was better than The Lunchbox and every other film that was submitted for consideration. As far as i remember, when the jury meet used to happen in Mumbai, almost all the jury members used to present in the press conference to announce their choice. What happened suddenly in the last two years or so? Are they afraid to endorse the film publicly because their taste will be questioned? Someone enlighten me here too. Come on, come out, tell us you loved The Good Road. And as the saying goes, any festival selection or win always tells you more about the jury than about the film. I will still try not to judge you.

– @cilemasnob

( PS – The only consolation is we are not the only morons. We have company)

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Black goes Turkish – official or not?

Posted: September 12, 2013 by moifightclub in bollywood, film, first look, News, plagiarism, Trailer, World Cinema
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Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Black was heavily inspired from The Miracle Worker. Some scenes were exactly the same, just with some more background music added to it. And now, it seems Karma’s cycle is complete as someone has made it in Turkish (Titled Benim Dünyam, which means My World). Interestingly, the lead actor of the film, Ugur Yucel, is also the director.

We are not sure if it’s official remake or just plagiarised. But from the trailer it’s easy to spot that it’s a frame by frame copy of Black. Though whatever little we could gather with the help of Google Translator, many Turkish articles do mention the film Black. So it might be official remake. Have a look.

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