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MVKim
Reviews
James (2005)
A Western in contemporary Mumbai...
"James" is like an old Western: a righteous man of unknown origins arrives in town, finds much iniquity there, and single-handedly goes mano-a-mano against the hoodlums that terrorize the locals. Mohit Ahlawat is the strong silent type (that in another era we encountered in Clint Eastwood, Gary Cooper, etc.) and he's up against the corrupt Bombay underworld, including the police. The gangster honchos are played well by Sheereveer and Zakir Hussain, both of whom ooze evil.
I thought there was a hint of the Thai action movie "Ong Bak" as well---especially in the leitmotif for James when he is roused to action. The clarion call sounded familiar...
True to convention for action heroes, James insists on fighting totally unarmed, even when going against dozens of gangsters with guns and against pit bulls! He is a good fighter, though! I enjoyed the movie despite the implausibility of some of the fight sequences. And I think Nisha Kothari looks sexier with some clothes on... I look forward to seeing her in the new upcoming edition of Sholay.
Latitude Zero (2001)
Zero Latitude and All Attitude
As the movie opens, we see a very pregnant woman masturbating in mid-day in the semi-darkness of her shack which is situated in the middle of nowhere. And it's all downhill from there. I wish there was *some* latitude here instead of *zero* latitude. As it is, this film (which features just two people) has no latitude and is all attitude. I guess that's the whole point---but why should I really care? There is very little civility between the two characters---not exactly fun for a movie-viewer who has to endure 85 minutes of this incivility. It's true that the pregnant woman's plight--her situation in life---is pathetic and distressing, but it's hard to feel any real sympathy for the ornery character she plays...
Dancer in the Dark (2000)
Difficult to watch but Bjork brings out the pathos..
I agree that Bjork and Morse were great in this tear-jerker (it made me cry) but viewing this film is a real strain on the eyes because of the constant jerkiness of the camera. I bought the DVD in part because I wanted to hear Bjork sing and she *does* sound great especially when her voice soars. Unfortunately, however, the loud instrumental accompaniments (strings, percussions) tend to drown out her remarkable voice---a real pity. The choreography in the dance numbers is mediocre---and it pales when compared to what you see in better Bollywood productions nowadays.
Appearance-wise, Bjork is no Jane March and watching her for 3 hours is not exactly fun. Still, she manages to project a waif-like sense of helplessness which is right on the mark for this character portrayal. You feel so sorry for her and the terrible situation she finds herself in..
The factory setting was great---it shows accurately what work on an assembly line can be like.
And, yes, I also watched the movie with sub-titles (in English).
Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999)
Lush and sumptuous
This is a lavish Bollywood production, and truly a feast for the eyes. The costumes and set designs are simply scintillating and the high DVD quality allows you the pleasure of not missing any of the fine details. Any time you see as many as six (or seven) choreographers listed in the opening credits you know that you are in for a special treat, and "Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam" delivers in a big way.
And Aishwarya Rai can dance! You can't take your eyes off her when she's putting on a show in one of the many dance numbers. Both Salman Khan and and Ajay Devgan (in his understated way) are great, too, in this movie
(Possible Spoiler Ahead)
I laughed a bit when Vanraj and Nadini arrive in "Italy" and we are greeted with a vista of Budapest and the Danube! Well, many films are shot off location (Vietnam war films in the Philippines, etc.) but they do generally try to keep up the pretense. But no... not here... "Italians" were jabbering away in Hungarian (a distinctly non-Indo-European language) and saying "kosonom" instead of "grazie". hehe.. I got a laugh out of that but still didn't really mind. Thanks to the film, I got to see parts of Hungary on a wide screen. Still, one wonders why Sameer couldn't have been an Indo-Hungarian... It wasn't like he spoke any Italian or really had anything to do on the screen with Italy.
But little bagatelle of a detail like this never stops me from enjoying a fun movie. I really enjoyed "Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam" and I am glad I bought the DVD.