rantlust

Posted by anupcs on March 04th 2008 in Movies
::  [Print This Post]

Just in case you haven’t already seen it, here’s the preview for the latest Indiana Jones caper (”Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull“), coming to a theater near you this Summer:

Harrison Ford is 66 years old but might have a better chance at reviving an ancient franchise than Sylvester Stallone who tried to do the same recently with Rambo and Rocky without much success. To make sure the audience will include people other than AARP members, the filmmakers (both Spielberg and Lucas are back together) have wisely cast up-and-comer Shia LaBeouf (of “The Transformers” fame) and the great Cate Blanchett in supporting roles.

The trailer doesn’t reveal much and I am not sure the original theme music is contemporary enough but I’ll reserve further judgement until I see the actual movie.

Comments(2)

Posted by anupcs on February 23rd 2008 in Entertainment, Movies
::  [Print This Post]

As a movie buff, I look forward to the Academy Awards every year with great anticipation. However, the 80th Academy Awards being hosted at the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles tomorrow, doesn’t excite me as much as some of the previous years. There seems to be a shortage of superstar celebrities in the running save a Depp or a Blanchett. And even the movies for which these two are nominated didn’t ignite the box office like a “Gladiator” or a “Blood Diamond” from recent years. Even a potential hit like “Charile Wilson’s War” with uber stars Tom Hanks and Julie Roberts (both not nominated) was a dud at the box office.

But still, I have seen a few of the movies for which lesser (from a box office perspective) stars have been nominated and have to say all of them are fabulous movies in their own right and some of the performances will go down in history as among the greatest ever. Cue in my predictions for a few categories.

I have mentioned all nominees in the lists below with my choices in bold yellow color.

Best Actor

1. Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will be Blood
2. Johnny Depp - Sweeney Todd
3. Tommy Lee Jones - In the Valley of Elah
4. Viggo Mortensen - Eastern Promises
5. George Clooney - Michael Clayton

This is not exactly a tight race if the critics and oddsmakers are to be believed. I haven’t yet seen “There will be Blood” but I am really looking forward to. I do think Day-Lewis is one of the greatest actors of our generation and that he should have won over Adrien Brody in 2003 for “Gangs of New York.” So that’s why I am casting my vote for him despite not seeing the movie. Depp will be my emotional favorite as he has never won. Mortensen was phenomenal in “Eastern Promises” but I am not sure he deserves an Oscar for this role. Tommy Lee Jones should be given another Oscar just once and they should not do it for a specific movie as he plays the same character every time (and he’s real good at it). I didn’t see “Michael Clayton” and can’t comment on Clooney’s role though I was so bored by “Ocean’s Thirteen” that I don’t want him to win this year.

Best Actress

1. Marion Cotillard - La Vie en Rose
2. Cate Blanchett - Elizabeth: The Golden Age
3. Laura Linney - The Savages
4. Ellen Page - Juno
5. Julie Christie - Away from Her

I have seen most of these movies and I had earlier blogged about “La Vie en Rose” and at that time said that if the Academy did not nominate Marion Cotillard, it’d be time to throw the members to the dogs. Yes, Cotillard’s performance was that good. So, I think she should win this. While most people are rooting for Julie Christie, I think she was only good in “Away from Her,” not great. Although I think the Academy missed out on nominating the director of “Away from Her,” Canadian actress Sarah Polley. Blanchett, to me is a worthy successor to Meryl Streep for the title of the world’s greatest living actress and I am certain that she’ll be nominated many more times and I am really hoping she will win this year’s supporting actress award for also which she’s nominated. There has been only great performances in Linney’s career but I don’t think this is her year. Ellen Page, while fabulous in “Juno,” is too fresh to win it this year.

Other Awards

Comments(14)

Posted by anupcs on February 02nd 2008 in Humor, Movies, bollywood
::  [Print This Post]

[Hat Tip to Tomas of The Closet Entrepreneur for the link]

Comments(1)

Posted by papi on January 27th 2008 in Art, Earth, Movies, Reviews, Science
::  [Print This Post]

Saw this short movie today, and thought I’d share it. The full version is not available on youtube, but the first chapter is shown above, and you can catch the full movie in one piece at:

http://www.storyofstuff.com/

Some of the things shown are overly simplified, but then cramming even a broad explanation of a complex problem into a 20 minute short necessitates a certain amount of abbreviation. There are some little nuggets here that are revealing. Only 1% of the consumer goods purchased in the US is used 6 months after its purchase?? That’s a telling statistic! [see comments below]

On a related note, there’s a stunning documentary doing the rounds right now which I highly recommend. The movie is “Manufactured Landscapes” and it’s a documentary by Jennifer Baichwal, on the work of photographer Edward Burtynsky. Baichwal follows Burtynsky on his travels as he photographs the impact of humans on the landscape. Some of the shots in the movie are scarcely believable, as the scope of industrialization in parts of our planet takes time sink in. The images will stay with you long after you’ve left the theatre. The opening tracking shot of a factory is worth the price of admission in itself. Watch, and wonder.

Comments(7)

Posted by papi on January 23rd 2008 in Art, India, Movies
::  [Print This Post]

Recently, I rediscovered a true classic – a movie that I’d watched and enjoyed several times in years gone by, but had almost forgotten. The movie is Mughal-e-Azam, K. Asif’s magnum opus of Prince Salim (later to become Emperor Jahangir), and his ill-fated love for the beautiful courtesan Anarkali. The legend of Anarkali (literally - pomegranate blossom) has been immortalized in art, but its historical authenticity is disputed due to the lack of official records corroborating the story. There is a tomb in present day Lahore, Pakistan which is generally believed to be that of Anarkali, but historians are not sure if that is indeed the case. Regardless, it is a story that has drawn painters, poets, musicians, and of course, movie makers.

(Read more…)

Comments(1)

Posted by anupcs on January 11th 2008 in Movies
::  [Print This Post]

The first time I heard an Edith Piaf song was in the movie “Saving Private Ryan” by Spielberg. The scene is the calm before a momentous battle in which the soldiers ruminate on a song by Piaf amidst the ruins of a city they are defending. Though it had been years since my last French lesson, I was struck by the tragedy in her voice and immediately went about acquiring a few CDs of the French icon. I play Piaf on quiet evenings with a glass of Scotch by my side and a book to curl up with. I enjoy her music even though I understand hardly anything she’s singing.

Piaf was born in the slums of Paris in 1915 and died at the early age of 47 of liver cancer. She led a very tragic life despite her worldwide fame. There have been numerous biographies, movies and even plays made about her life. The most recent one is called “La Vie En Rose” (in the US — everywhere else it’s called “La Mome”) that I saw last night. Marion Cotillard plays Piaf with such ferocity and intensity that if the Academy award folks don’t nominate her for this performance, they should be fed to the lions. The movie pretty much portrays Piaf’s life as accurately as is known publicly. The normally gorgeous Cotillard (watch her true self in the Russell Crowe flop “A Good Year“) is stunningly transformed into the diminutive (and not so pleasing to the eye) Piaf with layers of makeup in what will be a career defining role. The movie is a bit too long at two hours and twenty minutes but still a captivating look at the life of a legend. You can see a preview of the movie here.

Rather than showing a clip from this movie, I am going to leave you with the scene in “Saving Private Ryan” that first introduced me to the music of Piaf:

Comments(1)

Posted by anupcs on October 13th 2007 in Movies, Reviews
::  [Print This Post]

Mini-reviews of movies I watched recently, in no particular order:

1. The Lives of Others
2. Wild Hogs
3. 3:10 to Yuma
4. The Kingdom
5. Into The Wild
6. The Valet
7. Away From Her

(Read more…)

Comments(0)

Posted by sselis on July 25th 2007 in Health & Fitness, Movies, Politics
::  [Print This Post]

Reflections on “Sicko,” collective compassion, and (fantasies of) quitting the corporate world

I finally saw “Sicko” last week, and it had a strong impact on me. That’s not surprising if you know how susceptible I am to the emotional pull of movies — and if you consider that Michael Moore was “preaching to the choir” in my case, since I’ve long been an ardent supporter of government-financed universal health coverage (my last job was as the communications coordinator for a health policy research center).

A caveat: I fully acknowledge that “Sicko” has its share of flaws and oversimplifications. For example, Moore makes a big deal of how the evil health plans deny patients’ appeals for medical services. While health plans have certainly denied many legitimate, needed treatments, it’s also true that — given the need to use our limited healthcare resources wisely — not all treatments for all medical conditions can or should be covered. Also, we never hear even a negative peep about the healthcare systems of France, England, Cuba or Canada (but Michael Moore is not exactly about balance!).

That aside, what really disturbed me about Sicko was not just the stories of suffering and hardship that sick people have endured because of our refusal to provide universal health coverage (although that was part of it — I cried when confronted with the Sept. 11 volunteer rescue workers who gave selflessly to their country, then couldn’t get decent care for the resulting ailments). What disturbed me even more was the broader point Moore makes (effectively I think) when he asks the question, “Who are we as a society?”

(Read more…)

Comments(4)