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Author Topic: Bollywood  (Read 28968 times)

oldkid

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Re: Bollywood
« Reply #20 on: September 06, 2010, 11:51:40 AM »
Bondo and Oldkid's Bollywood Marathon

Thus far, the only reviews on most of the Bollywood films Prathers considers great.  For the record, the only ones thus far I've seen that is truly great is Pyassa.  But there are great moments in many of the others.  Roujin, you really need to try some of these ones out.

And I need to find Mother India.
"It's not art unless it has the potential to be a disaster." Bansky

Adrienne

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Re: Bollywood
« Reply #21 on: September 06, 2010, 03:28:54 PM »
My favourite Indian film is Devdas (1955)

Modern stuff - Shah Rukh Khan is KING

Dil Se - Chaiyya Chayyia

roujin

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Re: Bollywood
« Reply #22 on: September 10, 2010, 08:01:00 PM »

Bachna Ae Haseeno Siddarth Anand, 2008

Ranbir Kapoor plays a really huge douchebag. I mean, like really huge. He spends half the film tossing girls around back and forth, playing tricks, smiling, getting into trouble, breaking hearts. Oh, but he's young. He has so much to learn. He has been in love three times. The first time he tries to recreate the events of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, complete with soundtrack cues. The second time he has moved in with a girl he loves, but when things get too serious, he bails. The third time he truly truly falls in love, but he's rejected. So, he goes back to undo all the damage he did during his youth. How does he do this? By making a bunch of serious faces. Ranbir Kapoor is a likable fella and all, but his character here is so insufferable that any sympathy is pretty much impossible. I know he's trying to win over Deepika Pakudone and all, but seriously, you can only have so much douchebaggery going on before you just cannot ask me to root for your hero. Or maybe I just misunderstood everything. Is this all a metaphor?

roujin

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Re: Bollywood
« Reply #23 on: September 23, 2010, 11:18:30 PM »

I Hate Luv Storys Punit Malhotra, 2010

Another one of those "boy doesn't believe in love, ends up meeting girl of his dreams but blows it because of said belief that love is just a bollywood construct, wins girl over anyway" movies. References are made to other "asshole hero" movies featuring the Three Khans (King Khan - Dilwale, Aamir Khan - Dil Chahta Hai, Saif - Never seen it) just to let you know you're in for a crappy time. However, it should mentioned that the title song is fantastic, and Imran Khan wears a lot of cool t-shirts, and I think they're making fun of Sanjay Leela Bhansali in a few of the parts where they're making a movie, so that's cool. In other words, whatever.


Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam Sanjay Leela Bhansali, 1999

Salman Khan plays some half-Italian dude who goes to India to study under some famous singer guy. While he's there he falls in love with his teacher's daughter, the beautiful Aishwarya Rai. The two have a fun flirtation with each other, lots of sexy stuff, even though it's forbidden (she thinks that kissing will make you pregnant and he's all westernized whatevs about everything). However, plot machinations rear their ugly heads, Aishwarya Rai is set up to be married and things happen. I'm not really sure Salman Khan can really act. In Saawariya, also by Bhansali, he plays it really intense and weighty and doomladen. In here, he's all goofy and nonsensical, which is not a good fit for him. And don't even ask him to cry. It's seriously embarrassing. The melodrama is laid on thick, the comedy is broad, everything is BIG. I tried to have fun with it, but the film just kept getting blerghier, as it embraced the whole "my parents were actually right about my love life all along / love is sacrifice" thing. Just run off and never look back. AMERICA.

MartinTeller

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Re: Bollywood
« Reply #24 on: September 23, 2010, 11:37:20 PM »
Salman Khan is awful.

roujin

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Re: Bollywood
« Reply #25 on: September 24, 2010, 08:18:33 AM »
He wears these deliciously awful (and colorful) 90's jackets all throughout the film - good stuff.

roujin

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Re: Bollywood
« Reply #26 on: November 13, 2010, 06:58:05 PM »

Housefull Sajid Khan, 2010

I amused myself by thinking the beginning was some obscure homage to Cracking Up thanks to our main character, played by Akshay Kumar, being cursed with ridiculous amounts of bad luck that leads to a bunch of silly pratfalls - basically, he's unable to function in the world. He gets dumped by his girlfriend so he goes back to London to hang out with his friend. Anyway, things happen, Deepika Pakudone is wasted, and silliness that I haven't seen outside of HK comedies occurs but without those films' charms. Basically, it's unbelievably terrible.

Pratters

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Re: Bollywood
« Reply #27 on: November 16, 2010, 03:48:54 AM »
I am really looking forward to Guzaarish (releasing this week) and Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sein.

roujin

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Re: Bollywood
« Reply #28 on: November 16, 2010, 06:44:22 AM »
Oooh, Bhansali. I'm looking forward to that as well.

roujin

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Re: Bollywood
« Reply #29 on: December 01, 2010, 02:12:02 PM »

Guzaarish Sanjay Leela Bhansali, 2010

It was good. I think Bhansali is really gifted at just making beautiful images. There are a couple of sequences that took my breath away. But he's probably a lousy screenwriter. The first half is relatively inoffensive, but then the melodrama is piled way the CINECAST! up in the second half, with a teary speeches at trials, unexpected deaths, etc, etc. It's too bad because it ruined something potentially interesting.

I didn't like the main dude all that much, but Rai is wonderful. There are about 5 characters too many though.

Basically, what I'm saying is that Bhansali would be nothing without his extravagant sets and designs and shit and I dread the thought of ever watching BLACK, since it's the miracle worker story and I'm sure bhansali indulged all of his worst instincts with that sort of thing.

Am still looking forward to DEVDAS though. But I need to watch the original versions first.