ARANYAKANDAM - Tamil Movie

To know more about this movie read this link. It has been acclaimed critically and has won the jury recommendations at various  Film Festivals. Thiagarajan Kumararaja is an alumni of Loyola College Chennai and was an ad film maker . This is his maiden venture.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaranya_Kaandam
Aranyakandam means a chapter in the jungle.

The Kings Speech and other good movies for 2010-2011

An informative article on the movies to watch out for:
http://www.indiewire.com/article/big_screen_this_weeks_top_5/

http://www.indiewire.com/article/box_office_the_kings_speech_has_very_royal_thanksgiving/

Malayalam Film songs: Chandrakantam kondu. Film: Padheyam

Click Here

Malayalam Film songs: Thumbayum Thulasiyum. Film: Megham

This song captures the landscape of rural Kerala and the music is apt. Girish Puthencherry provides the lyrics which have been scored by Ousepachan. The movie is Megham and starred the Punjabi girl Priya Gill and Mamooty.

Trailer of "Inside Job" by Sony Picture Classics

From Sony Pictures Classics comes the new shocking documentary "Inside Job" which investigates and exposes the economic crisis of 2008. The film, in theaters October 8th, was directed by Charles Ferguson and narrated by Matt Damon.
Wall Street "Money never sleeps" seems to have done extremely well in India and it can be expected that Inside Job too will be well received.

Mumbai Academy of Moving Images Festival

MAMI festival 2010. To learn more about this festivalCLICK HERE

Social Network, Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg

"Social Network"  a movie based on the founder of "Facebook" seems to have become a hit with both critics and the movie audiences.


The Box Office report:
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Movies/10/03/box.office.social.network.ew/index.html

More on Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of facebook.

The White Ribbon- An appreciation

I finally got to see "White Ribbon" a film that was nominated for the Oscars and won the Palmd'or in 2009. Shot in black and white by the Austrian Director MichaelHaneke, it is an exploration of events in a German village before the World War1. It is a chilling examination of human conflict and uses it to mirror the underlying cruelty and erosion of basic human values, even as things seem normal on the surface. It is a brilliantly told story and the use of black and white, the stark absence of any music, the choice of similar looking characters and suggestive of the reflection that this human drama has on society as a whole. It is not a soothing film and in its climax, it does not offer any answers, other than to suggest and warn us of monstrosities that society's sometime become even as they seem civilized and progressive on the surface.
There are some reviews and I am posting them here:
The link immediately below is a classic example of immaculate review writing. Well researched, well referenced, insightful, authoritative and with an excellent command over the language...it is at once both erudite, illuminating and edifying.
http://grouchoreviews.com/reviews/3776

These reviews provide you the synopsis and details in a simpler fashion.
http://www.flicks.co.nz/news/review-the-white-ribbon/
http://www.flicks.co.nz/news/review-the-white-ribbon/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1149362/

Teachers and Student Films

Michelle Pfieffer has been a favourite and in this movie, she does a turn as the teacher in a tough school. The movie is Dangerous Minds and the lyrics still ring true. I like most teacher- student movies and this one was among the better ones made after "To sir with love", "Dead Poets Society",Mona Lisa Smile,The Great Debaters and many others. The Class(entre les murs) which was a french movie was brilliant and won an Oscar nomination in 2008.It had the teacher and novelist François Bégaudeau playing himself.

A short film on boys and girls:)

This one is a lovely, charming and beautifully short film on boys and girls and the lessons you learn growing up. Short and sweet.
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=102992196384637

Short and stunning films: French Roast

French Roast from Piokaz on Vimeo.

Hindi Erotic Film Songs or Item numbers

The Indian film industry banks on a mandatory "item number" which is nothing but a sexy and provocative dance number, to set the box office ringing.
Evidence suggests that promos featuring clips from this sequence does bringing in the "initials". It also gets a lot of air time and is a very viable tool to promote the film. So much so that many movies are recognized by the "item number". It sometimes also becomes part of the sub-culture.They also generate revenue as ring tones and through live performance royalties.Careers are made sometimes on the strength of these item numbers.Here is a look at some of them.

The most popular item number is from Sholay and the song became a rage, yes the Mehbooba Mehbooba number.


There are many who however claim that it was in "Johny Mera Naam" that this feature came into its own with this highly talked about strip tease sequence which was crucial and integral to the plot.


The most popular one in recent times is the "Babuji zara dheere chalo" which made Yana Gupta a celebrity of sorts. This however is a cover version of an old Hindi song. It also marked the spread of remix versions with raunchy dance videos.

It seems to have taken inspiration from Hollywood.See this scorcher from Salma Hayek in "From Dusk till Dawn" a movie directed by Roberto Rodriguez. Quentin Tarantino is looking stunned in it as do most viewers:)




This one is another scorcher. This is from an old film called Roti Kapda aur Makan which was directed by Manoj Kumar. This version I believe features a Pakistani actress by the name of Nargis.



After item songs started pushing music sales,the trend of remixes with erotic videos blossomed. It propelled music sales for a period of time and was very popular with TV channels airing them incessantly.


Another number from the movie Teen Patti. Very stylishly choreographed and well photographed. Great body language. The film flopped but the song was popular.

Hindi Film Songs: Film:Rajneeti . Song: Mora Piya

"In the name of the father". Fathers and Sons in Movies

http://mayanmuse.blogspot.com/2009/08/in-name-of-father.html

An article on fathers and sons and how this relationship has been shown in movies.

Inside the Actors Studio: Mimicking celebrity actors - Kevin Spacey

Kevin Spacey's skill set includes mimicking people apart from whatever method acting imparts as a practice!

Malayalam Film Songs: Erotica

 A popular song credited to Irrayiman Thampi was played first in a movie called "Enipadikal", with the music being provided by Devarajan. This song lends itself best to Mohiniattam. It has also been rendered in a modern fashion,in the movie Kadaksham.

Made my day: Clint Eastwood

A witty and gritty article on the man who was both
Clint Eastwood!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/apr/26/clint-eastwood-profile

Malayalam Film Songs

NINE: Movie

The trailer says it all...

And of course the wiki link to know the plot and details :)
CLICK HERE

ONE OF THE MOST VIRAL SHORT FILMS ON THE NET

I HAVE SOMETHING TO REVEAL!
CLICK ON THE LINK TO SEE A WORLD FAMOUS MOVIE THAT I AM PART OF!!
http://en.tackfilm.se/?id=1268081221921RA79

OSCAR AWARDS 2010

http://oscar.go.com/oscar-night/winners

MIMICRY TALENT: HINDI FILM INDUSTRY

Mimicry artistes in Kerala were known for making waves on TV and in films, now it seems it is catching up in the Hindi film industry too.

UP IN THE AIR

Up in the air
As we travel through life, I have often felt that we are in the air in a manner of speaking. There is a certain constant about our changing situation. Up in the air explores the uncertainty of life and our destinations as we navigate life, forge relationships and establish loyalties. Our paths, which we have decided, are changed for us by unexpected events and people and we cope by changing them, which becomes our unwitting destiny.  The roller coaster of joy and despair that we go through then becomes our life as we experience it. The relationships that we form seem to be led by expedience, chance and convenience and we agonize over how enduring it could be and how real and true. Up in the Air is a movie to watch since it flies over these  questions  in the context of a recession deep America where people come face to face with what they dread, the loss of all material possessions and are force to look within for strength and sustenance. Plans do not work out, friends seem scarce as does opportunity and relationships are put to a loyalty test.
Just as in Juno, Reitman delivers an honest, intelligent film, which is authentic and garnished with metaphors.

CLASSIC DANCE SEQUENCES: SINGING IN THE RAIN

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmCpOKtN8ME

GULZAR THE LYRICIST

" Mera woh saaman lauta do" from the movie IJAZZAT


"Dil to bacha he " from Ishqiya
http://moviebizz.blogspot.com/2010/02/ishqiya-hindi-movie.html

HINDI FILM MUSIC: Random Selections from my blogs

Love in the times of house hunting.
http://mayanmuse.blogspot.com/2010/02/love-in-times-of-house-hunting-mumbai.html

Remembrance of things past : A lil love isthory.
http://mayanmuse.blogspot.com/2009/11/remembrance-of-things-past-lil-romance.html

Nostalgia : Remembrance of things past.
http://mayanmuse.blogspot.com/2009/11/nostalgia-remembrance-of-things-past.html

HINDI FILM MUSIC: TIMELESS HITS FROM GURU DUTT MOVIES

Piya aiso jiya mein.. Meena Kumari at her best. Flirtatious but with an unmistakable grace and dignity all her own.



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

Guru Dutt had an ear for music and probably that's why he married Geeta Dutt who sang this song. Sahib Bibi aur Ghulam had lovely music and some of these are retained here. I have also added links to Chaudvin ka Chand and the song with the same words which I think is one of the consummate forms of romantic hindi film music.


Waheeda Rehman looks ravishing in this breezy, flirtatious Bawara Bada Nadan hein..



Jaane Kya tune kahi.. jaane kya maine suni.. from "Pyaasa". Loved this song and was the first scenes that I saw of a Guru Dutt movie.



Waqt ne Kiya Kya Haseen Sitam, Tum rahe na tum.. the haunting lyrics of Kaifi Azmi captured the pathos of many who found their emotions denied by the conservative confines of the age.



Chaudvin Ka Chand had the unforgettable song that every lover worth his heartbeat would swear by:) Naturally it had Gurudutt involved in more ways than one in its making!

http://mayanmuse.blogspot.com/2009/04/chaudvin-ka-chand-ho.html

Aankhon hi aankhon mein  was sung by Geeta Dutt and Rafi. The movie was directed by Guru Dutt. For every romantic at heart, this was a hummable song and for obvious reasons:)


Hum aap ki aankhon mein is dil to basa de to?



Na jao saiya... There is a haunting sense of tragedy about Meena Kumari which comes through as she plays a helpless housewife in a haveli who seeks to keep her philandering husband at home.

ISHQIYA: Hindi movie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcQxI8QxCjo

Lyrics
Aisi ulji nazar unse hatt ti nahi
Daant se reshmi dor katt ti nahi
Umar kab ki baras ke safaid ho gayi
Kaari badari jawani ki chatt ti nahi
Walla ye dhadkan bhadne lagi hai... See More
Chehre ki rangat udne lagi hai
Darr lagta hai tanha sone mein ji
Dil to bachcha hai ji
Dil to bachcha hai ji
Thoda kaccha hai ji
Haan dil to baccha hai ji
Aisi ulji nazar unse hatt ti nahi
Daant se reshmi dor katt ti nahi
Umar kab ki baras ke safaid ho gayi
Kaari badari jawani ki chatt ti nahi
Ra ra ra ..

Kisko ptaa tha pehlu mein rakha
Dil aisa paaji bhi hoga
Hum to hamesha samajhte the koi
Hum jaisa haaji hi hoga
Hai zor karein, kitna shor karein
Bewaja baatein pe ainwe gaur karein
Dilsa koi kameena nahi
Koi to rokey, koi to tokey
Iss umar mein ab khaogey dhokhe
Darr lagta hai ishq karne mein ji
Dil to bachcha hai ji
Dil to bachcha hai ji
Thoda kaccha hai ji
Haan dil to baccha hai ji
Aisi udhaasi baithi hai dil pe
Hassne se ghabra rahe hain
Saari jawani katra ke kaati
Piri mein takra gaye hain
Dil dhadakta hai to aise lagta hai woh
Aa raha hai yahin dekhta hi na woh
Prem ki maarein kataar re
Taubah ye lamhe katt te nahi kyun
Aankhein se meri hatt te nahi kyun
Darr lagta hai mujhse kehne mein ji
Dil toh bachcha hai ji
Dil toh bachcha hai ji
Thoda kaccha hai ji
Haan dil toh baccha hai ji

HOLLYWOOD CLASSICS: CASABLANCA

Visual Effects in Hollywood

WAKE UP SID

Not an entirely bad movie. A kind of a coming of age plot and theme. Shows a spoilt brat finding purpose in life.very predictable and cliched, but watchable thanks to the lead cast. Great music but.
Listen to iktara/

Some Malayali Film Music that make for great listening

Chentarmizhi from Perumazhakalam . Brilliant movie on an incident among Gulf Malayalees and about clemency that saves a life. The visuals show a Brahmin wedding.Brilliant camera work.
Click here

Pathira mazha from the movie "Ulladakam"



"Kaneer poovinte kavilil thalodi" from the movie Kireedom. Johnson Master composed the music for this. Kaithaparram gave the lyrics



"Madhuram Jeevamritha bindu" from Chenkol which was a sequel to Kireedam and a Lohita Das creation. Think Sibi Malayil directed this one too like it happened with Kireedom.


"Alimalar Kaavil pooram kanan"



Valkannezhuthiya makara nilavil mamboo manam ozhuki.. from Paithrikum



Seetakalyana again from the same movie paithrikum. Brilliant. Thyagaraja kriti in utsava sampradaya set to Kurinji raaga.

Girish Puthencherry- Lines that will never fade away

 For those amongst us who listen to music expecting it to soothe us and give us meaning and reason to ruminate, the death of a lyricist and poet like Girish Puthenchery would be cause for grief. Girish Puthencherry graced the malayalam cinema world as a song writer and those of us who listened to "Pinneyum Pinneyum aro kinavinte padi kadannethunna ..." would remember him and the mesmerising music he created with Vidyasagar. "Surya kiridam veenudanju ravin thiruvarangil..". would capture the pathos of a fall from grace with the sunset as a metaphor, like no other song could.
His death too was probably reflection of the sensitive soul that he was, he was apparently upset with the untimely passing away of a friend and colleague Cochin Haneefa. This exacerbated his blood pressure and he suffered a stroke within a few days. He did not survive.
Yesudas in an eulogy to this writer lamented the situation of talents like Girish who find themselves with a bank balance of Rs 48/- at the age of 45 in spite of a body of work that set the trends and became benchmarks in our cultural mores.

This blog is to pay homage to this free spirit and sensitive soul. May he find eternal peace.

"Pinneyum pinneyum aro padikadannethunna padaniswaram" from "Krishnagudiyile Pranaya Gatha."


I think the K.S. Chitra version has its own sweetness, listening to it again would only heighten the pleasure :) Girish and Vidyasagar at their best!!

 

"Aaro veral meeti" from the movie "Pranayavarnangal" girish puthencheryy and vidyasagar.



"Sooryakireedom veenudanju ravin thiruvarangil" - Devasuram. Lyrics by Girish Puthencherry and Music by MG Radhakrishnan


"Manja kiliyude moolipattunde manasil" from Kanmadam.



"Movandhi thazhvarayil"... ravindran mash providing the music from the movie "Kanmadam".



Harimuraleeravam songs by Girish Puthencherry and music by Raveendran Mash. Film Aaram Thampuran. The picturization kills the song in my opinion, but the lyrics are great and you can shut your eyes and listen to it:)



Another song from Aaram Thampuran, I think the lines are by Girish Puthencherry.
Padee,Thodiyilethoru punnam kili". Brilliant visualisation! Watch it and listen!




From the movie "Balletan" "ente nenjile" captures the ethos of paternal affection.




Oru rathri koodi videvangave... from "Summer in Bethlehem" Girish and Vidyasagar.




From the movie Nandanam... "Gopike ....hridhayamoru venshnaghu po le.." Girish and Raveendran mash.


This is another one from the movie and the singer K.S.Chitra broke down in tears after singing this. Girish always had the lines that made their way to your heart.



From the movie "Vadakumnathan" for which Girish Puthencherry wrote the screenplay.

This is a devotional dedicated to Lord Siva.



This one is on the river Ganges. "Gange". His interest in the Sree ragam finds and echo here:)



Another hit "kalabham tharam bhagawane manasum tharam" from Vadakumnathan.



In an interview with Asianet, Girish mentioned this song as one of his favourites and the lines "kanana shalabathin kandathil vasantha kakali nirachavan neeyallo, nitya sundaramamee bhooloka vaadiyil udyana palakan neeyallo...deva.. as one of the best he had heard.The song is "Thamara kumbilallo man hridayam.." penned by PBhaskaran and set to music by MS Baburaj and sung by S Janaki from the movie"anveshichu kandethiyilla"



This is another song by the same team of PBhaskaran MS Baburaj and S Janaki for the movie "Tharavattama" . This was not in Girish's list but is worth listening as it has the same simplicity and melody to it.Straight from the heart.



Another song he mentioned is "aa nimishathinte nirvrithiyil" from the movie Chandrakantham. The song was written by Sreekumaran Thampi and music was set by MS Viswanathan and was sung by Yesudas and S Janaki



S Jankai and pictured on the sensuous JayaBharati



The full song (without Jayabharati in the visuals)
CLICK HERE

Dear John beats AVATAR at the box office hustings!!

 Dear John a romantic drama beats avatar at the box office stakes!
http://in.news.yahoo.com/137/20100207/736/tnl-avatar-dethroned-at-box-office-by-de.html

THE ART OF PERFORMANCE CAPTURE: AVATAR

James Cameroon and team explain how they made Avatar. The art of performance capture which made the story of Pandora come alive.



The link is :CLICK HERE FOR THE YOUTUBE LINK
A review of the movie which the advertising crowd liked:CLICK HERE TO READ

ERIC ROHMER - A TRIBUTE

Attaching an article that appeared in the TIME magazine.
CLICK HERE TO READ

Film Review: 3 Idiots

Film Review: 3 IDIOTS.
By some one who sometimes acts like one. 

“When our friends do badly, we feel bad, and when they do better than us, we feel worse”. Most of us would nod mentally at this and admit privately, that it is certainly an insight. ‘3 Idiots’, Raju Hirnani’s latest offering, has quite a few of these that make for interesting viewing.
“Give me some sunshine, give me some rain,
Give me another chance, I wanna grow up once again”,
goes the lines of a song which is already appearing on status updates in the social networking world. Again courtesy this flick, that is becoming the main conversation topic in metros and campuses.

When it comes to movies, it is not so much the story that is important, but the screenplay, that makes all the difference. ‘3 Idiots’ tells the tale of a group of students going through the rites of passage in a college. “Classmates”, a blockbuster in Malayalam, did the same with aplomb and has become almost a cultural reference point in the state of Kerala. ‘3 Idiots’ may acquire similar status in the Hindi film industry.

‘3 Idiots’ too has characters that remain with you for days. The archetypal “teacher’s pet” and the “establishment’s stooge” is very much present in class and throughout the film answering to the roll call of Chatur. In my opinion, it is a brilliantly etched character and portrayed with panache by Omi Vaidya. The oppressive and pompous “Principal” is played by Boman Irani. A wealth of quirks and mannerisms that he adds to the character, makes it come alive and is now defining, what can be termed as a signature Boman Irani presentation. The other players in the dramatis personae, include the main protagonists played by Aamir, Madhavan, and Sharman, who are lower in the introduction hierarchy of this review, purely due to the low relative impact that they have had on the reviewer.

Campus life is one of irreverence and humor. Nearly everything is converted into a joke, and pranks are punctuation marks in the sentence of life here. 3 IDIOTS stays true to that, and therefore is entertaining. Nicknames exist for nearly everyone, with the pride of honor going to “Virus”, the Principal. “Silencer”, is the villain who is also the teacher’s pet, and “Millimeter”, is the title reserved for the street smart, cheeky errand boy at the hostel. The prank played on the Uganda returned Chatur, (a.k.a “Silencer”), as he proceeds to “butter up” the “Virus”, by delivering a speech in his newly learned Hindi language, had nearly everyone rolling in the aisles. To me, it was the high point in the film. The treatment of poverty and the struggle of Sharman’s character Raju Rastogi, is told in the fashion of a spoof, which does not fit in with the tone and tenor of the film, and does jar a bit. If it was to be a spoof, it could have been crafted better and woven into the fabric of the film seamlessly. And while on the subject, the bathroom dance featuring the lead trio in towels, was out of character and avoidable. It is also reminiscent of a similar sequence in a tamil movie.
The link is provided here:Click to watch

And while on "similar sequences" or "shameless lifts" or "creative coincidences", this video gives you an inkling where one of the pranks played by Rancho on the examination invigilator possibly came from.


The hero, who answers to the moniker “Rancho”, is interesting. Aamir manages to pull this of in spite of the body language issues. I guess we are forgiving of a fit 45 year old, playing a 20 year old, since we have been weaned on septuagenarians romancing teenagers! “All is well” is his credo, and it reminds you of the saying in the ‘Bhagwat Geeta’; “whatever happens, happens for the good, whatever will happen will happen for the good, whatever has happened, has happened for the good”. He forms a counter-point to Sharman’s character Raju Rastogi, who is forever anxious, is therefore superstitious and on edge constantly. “Arjuna disease” would be an apt term for the symptoms shown. Therefore, there are low grades, even more tension and a constant worry about failure that acts like a self fulfilling prophecy. A brilliant set up in the plot, according to me, and very true of a lot of students and professionals. Probably what makes us “soft” targets for a lot of foreigners?

The obnoxious and repulsive ritual of ragging that has claimed many innocent lives, is shown in this movie also. However, Rancho is shown to be resisting it and protecting his rights and dignity with his wits and resources that are available at his command. Again, a throw back to the ‘Bhagwat Geeta’, if you ask me. It is a pity that most student unions missed the message completely.


Innovation and the need to promote lateral thinking, is another value espoused. The danger of a “memorize and reproduce” system of education and evaluation, is denounced here, and rightly so. The brutal side of it is used to heighten the drama. Never mind that ‘Dead Poets Society’ handled the theme of parent – child conflict over career choice, in a poignant fashion that can never be matched. Never mind that ‘Scent of a Woman’ also had an oppressive school system that was loaded in favor of the privileged, and where coercion amounting to blackmail, was used to get students to turn witnesses against their peers. ‘3 Idiots’ does all this, with some degree of originality and ‘touch’ that is Indian.

Raju Harnani's Munna Bhai had a Capraesque innocence about it and some of it seeps through here. It is very much in evidence in the placement interview shown, where Raju Rastogi admits to having attempted suicide, and various others misdemeanors. This would have had him blacklisted for life in the real world, but here he magically finds acceptance and employment. Evangelism for the honest life! Such liberties are de riguer in the Indian cinematic idiom and no eyebrows are raised. It is also the reason why the delivery scene with the vacuum cleaner seems to fit in the scheme of things, though anyone from the 'cinema verite' school would have baulked at this .

No Indian movie can be complete without the beautiful girl who has to hate the hero, fight with him and then fall in love with him, only to be separated by the villain, who wants to marry her. ‘3 Idiots’ provides that too. Here the climax is not in an airport, when the hero is about to leave dejected, but is at the next popular venue, the marriage “pandal”, where the heroine tearfully does the 7 pheras. The getaway is tongue and cheek and cause for mirth. Kareena Kapoor looks drop dead gorgeous, and the scene where she visits the boy’s hostel, drunk, is really funny and cute. Especially the kissing sequence. For those of us who in teenage years, practiced kissing the mirror, to see if the nose would come in the way, there is deliverance. Those agonizing years are apparently as universal among youngsters as pimples, according to Raju Hirnani, Abhijat Joshi, Vidhu Vinod Chopra and even Chetan Bhagat?

Not surprising then, that you end up paying almost double at the box office to get in, and find that there are many who are here for the second time, with friends in tow. No wonder Reliance Big Pictures is getting bigger by the year!!

Rating: Wah Wah

Rating Scale:
Wah Wah – excellent
Wah - good
Bah - bad
Baaaaa( not Paaaaa) - horror.
(As in recommended watching for your nasty neighbor or cantankerous colleague and family)

ENDS

THE HILARIOUS, CHATUR KA CHAMATKAR SEQUENCE: LOL


click here in case the link above is disabled

THE BEHTI HAWA SONG.


click here


click here

THE TOP EARNING NAMES IN HOLLYWOOD FOR 2009

CLICK HERE TO READ