Cinema's greatest classics

Ajay
Have you seen another recent Palme d'Or winner THE TREE OF LIFE? I was blown away by how emotionally intense it was while still keeping its non-linear narrative structure. And of course Terence Malick's eye for beautiful shots is omnipresent throughout the picture. Perhaps his masterpiece.
It shares an obvious relationship with 2001 but I find it even more compelling in its view of the divine through humanity rather than looking outwards at the wonder of space. And of course there is a terrific score to accompany every moment of the film.
But it is not a conventional movie, neither in structure or theme, and therefore in fairness some will love it and some will hate it......
 
and therefore in fairness some will love it and some will hate it......

staxx

I enjoyed Terence Malick's earlier films like Badlands, Days of Heaven and The Thin Red Line. So I began watching The Tree of Life with a lot of anticipation. But the film didn't click with me. I checked out after 45 minutes of indifferent viewing. Perhaps one of the reasons was that I find Brad Pitt bland and boring although Sean Penn is watchable. I really enjoyed watching Badlands in the early 80's. The film had energy and originality. And interesting actors like Sissy Spacek, Martin Sheen and Warren Oates. You will find several appreciative posts by forum members about this film, if you scroll back a few pages :)
 
Have you ever walked out of a movie hall with a sense of exhilaration and a strong conviction that you have just witnessed a masterpiece?

I have had a few such moments while walking out of festival screening. Never while walking out of a regular cinema hall showing a regular mainstream film. Some Bollywood films in the past have provided me immense viewing pleasure. Pyaasa, Jaane Bhi Do Yaro, Ardh Satya, Mandi, Bandit Queen, Maqbool and Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi. But I have never come across anything from Bollywood which can compare with Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola. Vishal Bhardwaj has created a multi layered masterpiece. In my opinion it the best film to have ever come out of Bollywood. Five decades after Ray's Pathar Panchali, Jalsaghar and Charulata we finally have another Indian film which is very,very special.

The fact that apart from producing and directing the film, VB has also co-written the screenplay and dialogues and scored the music makes him a true renaissance man in my book. I found the film to be almost flawless. It works perfectly on many different levels. As a wild, hilarious comedy with shades of Emir Kusturica. As a political and social commentary brimming with energy, ideas and satire. As agitprop in the true Brechtian sense. As a chuckle of delight and a howl of despair from the heartland of India at the twisted, wheeling dealing ways of the city folks.

I seldom read a newspapers and never watch television so I have no idea about how the mainstream film critics have reviewed this film. The film dosen't fit into their cosy, simplified world. Most probably they would have demolished the film by now. Some with velvet gloves and some with steely knives. But great cinema is remembered long after the bad reviews have been forgotten.

I didn't take my daughter to view the film as I felt that it might not be suitable viewing for a child. But I would like to watch the film again with her, so that she too can witness the first major milestone in contemporary Indian cinema.

Its time to raise a toast to VB, so I will borrow a one liner from his film: KURSIYAN!
 
@Staxxx

I saw THE TREE OF LIFE many moths ago and i liked it a lot, one of best movies i've seen in recent times, the cinematography, the camera work and many other aspects of that movie impressed me a lot(it did remind me of 2001 a bit but 2001 is still for me simply brilliant at many levels), overall i think malick changed from his usual style and did something different in this movie. I am waiting for his new movie called "Knight of Cups".
 
^^ Terence Malick's "To The Wonder" is already out and on the film festival circuit. I'm looking forward to watching it very much.
 
Ajay,

In my case i never look for a master piece because what have i got to do with it.

All i am interested is in a movie which can entertain me and if there is something to learn from it then all the more great.

If a movie can not grip me even after 20/30 minutes, i follow a simple rule, delete the movie and move on to a another one. While even if i have liked it, i still delete because i am mostly not interested to see the movie again.

I have seen some of VB's movies and found them good.

V.


Have you ever walked out of a movie hall with a sense of exhilaration and a strong conviction that you have just witnessed a masterpiece?
 
vinay

You are right. Considering art as anything more than entertainment seems like a highly romantic and antiquated notion in the present times. Perhaps we should have no expectation from art except that it be entertaining. Perhaps the artist should be satisfied when he has entertained the audience and expect nothing more from his creation. Probably the most that a film maker can expect from the audience is that after watching his film they will press the 'like' button on Facebook. And maybe even post an enlightening comment like "Awesome!" or "It rocks!"
 
It seems to be raining good films these days :)

Today I went to watch Tom Hooper's Les Miserables and it turned out to be a wonderful film. An immensely entertaining big screen spectacular. The music is absolutely divine. Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean and Anne Hathaway as Fantine are outstanding. Russel Crowe dosen't quite fit into the time and space in which the story is unfolding. Inspector Javert should have been a strong counterpoint to Jean Valjean. But while Hugh Jackman handles his part effortlessly, Russel Crowe fails to convince.

I find it difficult to sit through a typical mainstream boy flick (bang, bang, bang) or chick flick (sigh, sigh, sigh). Which is why it is a pleasure to have viewed Les Miserable and Matru Ki Bijlee in a short space of time. Both are classy, grown up films. The kind which seldom make it to our multiplexes. Both have a strong underlying sub-text. MKBKM's most important scene is Mandola's dream of transforming farmland into a money spinning empire of smoke belching factories and shopping malls. Is it a dream or a nightmare? Only time will tell. Les Miserables dramatic plot is peppered with christian themes highlighting the role of mercy and forgiveness in redeeming lost souls who have fallen into bad times or bad ways. Both films effortlessly combine art and entertainment. Personally I will be looking forward to the future films of Vishal Bhardwaj and Tom Hooper. I have viewed snatches of The King's Speech. But now I intend to watch the complete film.
 
I too watched Les Miserables and Matroo within a couple of days. The latter, a wonderful movie, being a movie about lunatics, should easily fly with members of HFV (all audiophiles are loonies to an extent)...

Les Miserables - now that is something special. I was given the Thompson Original cassette in 1993 during business school, and then in 1995, during a stay in New York, I watched the play. It was the experience of a lifetime. I bought the 2 CD set of the stage sound track, and it is still the finest music I own.

In the play, the singers were brilliant singers - not so in the movie. I think some of the actors sing themselves. Of these Russell Crowe is particularly wooden.

The movie may win at the Oscars, since the script (written by the makers of the play, and almost 95% taken by the movie) and the subject is so strong. But the audio is absolutely hopeless.

I have listened to this CD at least 50 times in 20 years. After the movie, I had to listen to it again, just to get the right sound in my head again. Cant believe a major production has such pathetic audio.
 
I too watched Les Miserables and Matroo within a couple of days. The latter, a wonderful movie, being a movie about lunatics, should easily fly with members of HFV (all audiophiles are loonies to an extent)...

Les Miserables - now that is something special. I was given the Thompson Original cassette in 1993 during business school, and then in 1995, during a stay in New York, I watched the play. It was the experience of a lifetime. I bought the 2 CD set of the stage sound track, and it is still the finest music I own.

In the play, the singers were brilliant singers - not so in the movie. I think some of the actors sing themselves. Of these Russell Crowe is particularly wooden.

The movie may win at the Oscars, since the script (written by the makers of the play, and almost 95% taken by the movie) and the subject is so strong. But the audio is absolutely hopeless.

I have listened to this CD at least 50 times in 20 years. After the movie, I had to listen to it again, just to get the right sound in my head again. Cant believe a major production has such pathetic audio.

Giri

Film stars can seldom (or perhaps never) compete with professionally trained theatre actors. I haven't heard the original music from the play, which is why even the filmy version seems good! But I believe you when you say that the music in the film is not a patch on the original from the play.
 
There is no reason looking for rips, when most of the classics are available quite cheap in original DVD. Look around for better deals for such movies at Rhythmhouse. Amazon.in, Snapdeal, indiatimes, flipkart, infibeam etc apart from manufacturer like moser-baer, shemaroo, etc. Most of the oldies in DVD format are quite cheap. Avg cost will be less than 100.

Only reason for looking around for rips is that, if the movie is not available for sale.
 
If I'd learnt one thing from travelling, it was that the way to get things done was to go ahead and do them. Don't talk about going to Borneo. Book a ticket, get a visa, pack a bag, and it just happens.
? Alex Garland, The Beach


Yes. All you need is a visa. And a Visa card. But one thing I have learnt from travelling is to avoid places which have become enshrined in bestsellers or blockbusters. Because these places tend to shed their innate reality and becomes caricatures of the synthetic reality concocted by Hollywood.

A full moon party in Koh Phangan will no longer have the rawness or edge that Alex Garland's book hints at. The hordes of tourists sailing out for Koh Phangan (and all the other 'interesting' places in the world) have missed the boat. They should have done it a long time ago. Because now we live on a planet which has been flattened out. Local culture and nature has withered away. Small samplings are offered on a plate, in an environment which is closer to Henry Miller's "An air-conditioned nightmare" than to Alex Garland's "The Beach'.
 
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Takashi Miike
Audition, Ichi The Killer


French Horror
Martyrs, Inside, Frontiers

Audition and Inside are my fav. :)

There is no reason looking for rips, when most of the classics are available quite cheap in original DVD. Look around for better deals for such movies at Rhythmhouse. Amazon.in, Snapdeal, indiatimes, flipkart, infibeam etc apart from manufacturer like moser-baer, shemaroo, etc. Most of the oldies in DVD format are quite cheap. Avg cost will be less than 100.

Only reason for looking around for rips is that, if the movie is not available for sale.

Best of Bergman of 5 movies DVD is available for Rs.1000/- (snapdeal is giving almost 50% off)
 
That's got got to be the most generous review I've read on this movie. I've not watched it, so I really don't know how good/bad the movie actually is.

This is the Spanish movie La caja 507 (Box 507): At times ripped off scene by scene and dialogue by dialogue, going by what a friend (who's watched both movies) said.
 
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