Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Oldboy
Oldboy: 2003
Language: Korean
Director: Chan Woo Park
Language: Korean
Director: Chan Woo Park
Boy... this was really nasty and a bit psycho-stuff...
I came to know about this movie from a fellow who told me that Oldboy is the original, from which Zinda a 2005 bollywood movie is ripped off (inspired) from. I never had the stomach to watch Zinda...but then I didnt had to...I watched the original instead...
Yes, the story line was really twisted...
possibly, one of the most twisted plots I have seen till date... that I recollect...
It started off nicely...the scene where the guy with the white dog asks, "I am a beast, but eventhen...do I not deserve to live?" was very well placed... which gets clear in the end...
Ah yes, the hammer on the teeth and the tongue chops were a little difficult for me to watch...i turned my face away...
And the climatic scenes, where the real reasons for the 15yr imprisonment are reavealed...was a personal letdown for me...i was expecting better...
Somehow, I don't find the shame that is a consequence of the public disgrace that incest between a brother and sister serious enough for a girl to end her life... but ofcourse that is a personal opinion... but nonethe less...it was well executed...and it gave the entire sequence a very novel look...
Did you notice, that the fight sequence between the hammer clad protagonist and the mob at the corridor was all a one-shot sequence... good stuff...
It is on the IMDB top 250 list possibly beacuse of the novelty of the plot and the overall fantastic quality ... I would have rated it a little lower though....
Thoroughly entertaining though, a must watch...these Koreans are great...
I came to know about this movie from a fellow who told me that Oldboy is the original, from which Zinda a 2005 bollywood movie is ripped off (inspired) from. I never had the stomach to watch Zinda...but then I didnt had to...I watched the original instead...
Yes, the story line was really twisted...
possibly, one of the most twisted plots I have seen till date... that I recollect...
It started off nicely...the scene where the guy with the white dog asks, "I am a beast, but eventhen...do I not deserve to live?" was very well placed... which gets clear in the end...
Ah yes, the hammer on the teeth and the tongue chops were a little difficult for me to watch...i turned my face away...
And the climatic scenes, where the real reasons for the 15yr imprisonment are reavealed...was a personal letdown for me...i was expecting better...
Somehow, I don't find the shame that is a consequence of the public disgrace that incest between a brother and sister serious enough for a girl to end her life... but ofcourse that is a personal opinion... but nonethe less...it was well executed...and it gave the entire sequence a very novel look...
Did you notice, that the fight sequence between the hammer clad protagonist and the mob at the corridor was all a one-shot sequence... good stuff...
It is on the IMDB top 250 list possibly beacuse of the novelty of the plot and the overall fantastic quality ... I would have rated it a little lower though....
Thoroughly entertaining though, a must watch...these Koreans are great...
Friday, January 27, 2006
The Return
The Return (2003)
Language: Russian
Director: Andrei Zvyagintsev
Language: Russian
Director: Andrei Zvyagintsev
The Return is a movie about a father and his 2 sons, to whom he returns after a span of 12 years, unexplained. The father acts nonchanantly, as if nothing extra ordinary has happened.
The movies begins with a scene in russia, a few young boys are standing on a jumping board over a lake. All the boys jump in one by one, but the youngest one, Ivan is afraid and is unable to. None of his mates wait for him, and leave him to his jumping. Alone, Ivan gets even more scared, and sits down near the jumping board, petrified, until his mother comes and rescues him. The next day, the brothers fight, play with their friends..., and when they go home...they find that their father has returned unannounced, unexplained after 12 yrs. Starting from the dinner table, he assumes the role of the dominant father.
The children obviously want to know the reason of his absence, but do not receive any such explanations from either of their parents.
The father, on the request of their mother decides to take the boys on a fishing trip. The elder one, Andrey, is more passive, who immediately acknowledges the father and is shown to be rather glad, ready and willing to be commanded. Ivan (Vanya), however, seems to distrust this complete stranger, and is irritated by the sudden turn of events; his unexplained father. He soon begins to display hostility, rebellion and refuses to cooperate during the trip distrusting his intentions and identity. His fathers hard - unsensitive behaviour towards the young boy further aggrevates Vanya's hostility and distrust.
The scenery are grey and gloomy and the characters are complex. The 3 day exposure to their father makes them men, and are able to stand up to the challenge that the plot throws at them in the end.
The acting, esp. by Ivan and Andrey is mindblowing. It was as if every emotion he had in his heart he was able to reflect on his face...stunning. One of the few brilliant movies I would recommend to anyone.
The father children relationship is really interesting. I can see my father having to face similar choices (in a broader sense) as the father here. My father wants to be a cool dad...a father who gives his children freedom, but at the same time wants to make sure that the freedom is not so much that it goes unchecked and eventually harms us. The line is very difficult to draw. My hostel expulsion and my infrequent homecomings alarmed my father, and made him wonder if the freedom was exceeding limits, because 'backfire' would be a very heavy price to pay. So, as a result I now ( for some time now) feel a burn on my freedom...
I can choose to be complaining... but just like he understands my needs, I must understand his worries too ... the worries of a parent... and give little freedom-sacrifices to keep relationships oiled...
Could the father in 'The Return' have behaved differently. There were hints to show that he was in the army... and hence his strict sense of discipline... his hard outer features... possibly his father must have been a hardball too... and hence he never got the right tips abt fatherhood...
Fantastic theme... brilliant execution...
The movies begins with a scene in russia, a few young boys are standing on a jumping board over a lake. All the boys jump in one by one, but the youngest one, Ivan is afraid and is unable to. None of his mates wait for him, and leave him to his jumping. Alone, Ivan gets even more scared, and sits down near the jumping board, petrified, until his mother comes and rescues him. The next day, the brothers fight, play with their friends..., and when they go home...they find that their father has returned unannounced, unexplained after 12 yrs. Starting from the dinner table, he assumes the role of the dominant father.
The children obviously want to know the reason of his absence, but do not receive any such explanations from either of their parents.
The father, on the request of their mother decides to take the boys on a fishing trip. The elder one, Andrey, is more passive, who immediately acknowledges the father and is shown to be rather glad, ready and willing to be commanded. Ivan (Vanya), however, seems to distrust this complete stranger, and is irritated by the sudden turn of events; his unexplained father. He soon begins to display hostility, rebellion and refuses to cooperate during the trip distrusting his intentions and identity. His fathers hard - unsensitive behaviour towards the young boy further aggrevates Vanya's hostility and distrust.
The scenery are grey and gloomy and the characters are complex. The 3 day exposure to their father makes them men, and are able to stand up to the challenge that the plot throws at them in the end.
The acting, esp. by Ivan and Andrey is mindblowing. It was as if every emotion he had in his heart he was able to reflect on his face...stunning. One of the few brilliant movies I would recommend to anyone.
The father children relationship is really interesting. I can see my father having to face similar choices (in a broader sense) as the father here. My father wants to be a cool dad...a father who gives his children freedom, but at the same time wants to make sure that the freedom is not so much that it goes unchecked and eventually harms us. The line is very difficult to draw. My hostel expulsion and my infrequent homecomings alarmed my father, and made him wonder if the freedom was exceeding limits, because 'backfire' would be a very heavy price to pay. So, as a result I now ( for some time now) feel a burn on my freedom...
I can choose to be complaining... but just like he understands my needs, I must understand his worries too ... the worries of a parent... and give little freedom-sacrifices to keep relationships oiled...
Could the father in 'The Return' have behaved differently. There were hints to show that he was in the army... and hence his strict sense of discipline... his hard outer features... possibly his father must have been a hardball too... and hence he never got the right tips abt fatherhood...
Fantastic theme... brilliant execution...
Sunday, January 01, 2006
Spartacus
Spartacus (1960)
Dir: Stanley Kubric
There are those movies with which you fall in love with within 5 mins of playing, Spartacus is one of them...
Spartacus (1960)
Dir: Stanley Kubric
Spartacus, a Stanley Kubric direction, with Kurk Doughlas (father of the very fortunate Michael Doughlas) as Spartacus. Set about 2000 years ago, S is the story of a slave, being trained as a gladiator, who leads a revolt against slavery...
This fantastically inspiring movie is a lavish 3hr14min long, but time passes sooner than you would expect to...
Fanatical attention to detail...makes the scenery and cast very believable...and the Roman Empire alive in front of your eyes...
Peter Ustinov, playing Lentulus Batiatus, did an amazing job. Ustinov's very likeable character, Batiatus, is a tactful, polite and right-hearted owner of the gladiators. It was he who picked up spartacus from a stone mine impressed by his animal frevour, and brought him to his gladiator school to fight in the mighty Colosseum of Rome.. The rebellion begins from his estates and soon spreads like wild fire. He manages to escape at the nick of time. He won an oscar for his role of a supporting actor, the movie winning three other oscars...
Fanatical attention to detail...makes the scenery and cast very believable...and the Roman Empire alive in front of your eyes...
Peter Ustinov, playing Lentulus Batiatus, did an amazing job. Ustinov's very likeable character, Batiatus, is a tactful, polite and right-hearted owner of the gladiators. It was he who picked up spartacus from a stone mine impressed by his animal frevour, and brought him to his gladiator school to fight in the mighty Colosseum of Rome.. The rebellion begins from his estates and soon spreads like wild fire. He manages to escape at the nick of time. He won an oscar for his role of a supporting actor, the movie winning three other oscars...
This is the first Kirk Doughlas movie I have seen, and I suppose it's his best...
There is this scene when Spartacus is with his new found girlfriend, Varinia. They are shown sitting on the grass. Spartacus is silent, shown in profound thought, when she pops the question..."what are you thinking?"...
Ha Ha...ever happened to you? I remember, each time I used to be with my girlfriend, and I would be quiet for some 5 minutes, she would ask....always..."what are you thinking about?"...
I never found out the right answer to that question. I remember, sitting with Giampaolo, during my stay in Italy, this summers. His girlfriend, Angie, was sitting in front of him... I was busy talking to another of my friends... G was quiet for something not greater than seven minutes...and I heard her ask him, "Borti (his nick-name), what are you thinking about?". When we were alone, I shared my similar experience with him, and he agreed to my observation. I never knew the "correct" answer to this question, my honest answers often led to a puzzled look on her face. We were never together that long, that I would be able to device a more appropriate answer...now, I don't need to...
However Spartacus did.
These are some pictures of Kirk Doughlas and Stanley Kubric, I found while browsing for Spartacus posters...
Kirk and Doughlas in Discussion, on the Sets...
And again...
And again...
There is this scene when Spartacus is with his new found girlfriend, Varinia. They are shown sitting on the grass. Spartacus is silent, shown in profound thought, when she pops the question..."what are you thinking?"...
Ha Ha...ever happened to you? I remember, each time I used to be with my girlfriend, and I would be quiet for some 5 minutes, she would ask....always..."what are you thinking about?"...
I never found out the right answer to that question. I remember, sitting with Giampaolo, during my stay in Italy, this summers. His girlfriend, Angie, was sitting in front of him... I was busy talking to another of my friends... G was quiet for something not greater than seven minutes...and I heard her ask him, "Borti (his nick-name), what are you thinking about?". When we were alone, I shared my similar experience with him, and he agreed to my observation. I never knew the "correct" answer to this question, my honest answers often led to a puzzled look on her face. We were never together that long, that I would be able to device a more appropriate answer...now, I don't need to...
However Spartacus did.
These are some pictures of Kirk Doughlas and Stanley Kubric, I found while browsing for Spartacus posters...
Kirk and Doughlas in Discussion, on the Sets...
And again...
And again...
