Chalo Let's Go

Saw Chalo Let's Go by Anjan Dutta. This time the audience was me and my parents. A sort of travelogue with four frnds' and a bus full of characters. Four frnds takes a bus full of individuals to a tour of picturesque Dooars. Very urban characters but nicely weaved together to portray the complexity of adult life. There was a typical central kolkatan bourgeois who just complains about everything on the tour. There was a professor reading sleazy magazines wrapped in brown cover and claiming it to be his research papers. The cast was wonderful as was the panoramic locals of North Bengal. But best thing about the movie was the music. There was the song 'Chupi Chupi' by Rupankar and Ujjyani which I've been looking for a long time. I heard it in some reality talent hunt show and ever since I'm looking for it. Its an wonderful composition and brilliantly rendered by Rupankar. Hat's off to Neel Dutta. Listen to it if you've not yet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQZxugKl2MI

Adios........

Julie & Julia

Yesterday I watched a movie named Jule and Julia *ing Meryl Streep and Amy Adams. The movie is based on Julie Powel's book with the similar title. I got the name from a list at IMDB and decided to give it a try.

It was based on the life and passion of two women from different era with one common interest cooking. But more than cooking it was how they overcame the boredom of their regular life with the same passion. Cooking gave them the purpose in life and helped their true identity. They both connected with the world through cooking and reinvented their true identity.

It was a fare chronicle of the two lives separated by time and place. But the movie didn't raised any emotions and seemed quite blant probably because of the dull script. It was more of an docufeature to me.

I won't watch this movie if i get another chance.

December 19th 2009

Rashomon

Its raining all over. One old broken samurai temple. Three poor man waiting inside to take cover from the rain. A priest, a woodcutter and a commoner. Between them they discuss a recent scandal where a girl was raped, her husband was killed and a famous bandit was arrested. Then the woodcutter narrated stories told by each of the witnesses in the court.
It was a movie that defined a genre. It was a movie inspired Satyajit Ray, who is like god in cinema for me. It has the same kind of effect in Japanese cinema what Pather Panchali did for Indian cinema. It is a masterpiece by one of greatest movie maker of all time Akira Kurosawa.
I started to watch the movie with so much to look for. I felt quite similar when I watched the legendary The Bicycle Thief. I loved this movie. I may not a great critic of movies but I quite an ardent follower. The simplicity with which the story moves and the amazing performance of the artists kept me in awe. Each of the characters were speaking lie to a point that the protagonists priest lost his all belief in goodness and humanity. But the movie isn't about pessimism. In the end it raises the hope to believe hope to love. It depicts the inner villain in everyone of us. We all see life as the way we want to see it and its possible for us to interpret the same thing in variable manner. This simple message was conveyed so beautifully through the movie.

Moral of my story if you get a chance please watch this movie.

Once - something fresh

Today me n my roomie saw a movie named 'Once'. As usual it was me who ordered this unusual movie from netflix and quite suspicious about it till I watched the movie. 5 Mins into the movie and Soumya turned at me and said impishly ''Great Movie''. But myself and even he managed to stick around till the end. And it was worth sticking around.

The movie is a modern day musical set on the streets of Dublin. As the first scenes rolled out I thought it to be a documentary. I mean u don't find the gloss and glamour u associate with Hollywood. But then again its not a Hollywood product per se. It is an Irish movie written and directed by John Carney. The protagonists were an talented musician who used to sing by the road with his rug in front of him begging and a very ordinary girl who used to sell roses in the street. The amazing part of the movie for me was the simplicity of the visuals. You never feel like watching a movie. Sometime it may remind u of the bollywood musicals as the film has a song probably in every 5 mins. The first interaction between the lead pair happens when the girl listens to the singer and gives him 10 cents. Can u b've it? And then they meet again when the girl brings her vacuum cleaner to get fixed in his dad's shop. During this musical journey they feel each others voidness. The boy lost his beloved when she ran away with someone else. The girl is married with a kid but her husband doesn't stay with them. She is a brilliant piano player but her husband never saw that in her. Together they spent some wonderful time together and if u r expecting something saucy then u r wrong, they don't even kiss in the film. They get together because of music and together with some more street singers they create a record for the guy. But after the recording they both return to their life without any further touch killing all the emotions for the right.

The movie is a simple story told very simply but with utmost honesty. And the most beautiful part of the movie is its songs. They are wonderful and moving.

Well that's about it and will be back with some other movie.