Le Violon Rouge (The Red Violin)

I have been thinking of writing about "The Red Violin" since i saw it. I saw this movie by chance. Yes, i am really happy to have stumbled upon it.

This movie is about an epic journey of a perfect musical instrument, The Red Violin. Some might say the movie is a collection of small stories and I wouldn't disagree. The movie shows us the journey of the beautiful red wooden piece for over three centuries around the world and several owners, eventually ending up in an auction .

The movie begins with the tension filled auction in contemporary Montreal, where "the red violin", a famous Nicolo Bussotti violin, is being auctioned off. It is also attended by New York-based musical historian (Samuel L. Jackson). But instead of staying with the auction all the time, we flash back to the creation of the violin in 17th century Italy and then follow it as it makes its way through an 18thcentury Austrian monastery/orphanage, a violinist in 19thcentury Oxford and China during Mao's Cultural Revolution. Each time it brings the person who owns it a lot of fame, but also bad luck and despair, often resulting in the death of the owner or someone the owner really loves.

It is not just an ordinary drama or thriller, 


The story is as original as it can get. The physical setting, the background score and the superb acting only authenticates the movie. So we might feel uncomfortable with the subtitles, but it only makes you feel the movie more and draw you into the story more.

Enough about it, I will not give away any of the plot in hopes that when reading this you will take my advise and see this film and judge it yourself. You will not be disappointed.

Happy watching :D

Trivia: According to wikipedia: The film was inspired by one of Antonio Stradivari's violins, the Red Mendelssohn (1721), which is currently played by Elizabeth Pitcairn, heiress to the PPG fortune, whose grandfather purchased it for her 16th birthday for $1.7 million at auction at Christie's London. She is one of the few soloists who performs the Red Violin Chaconne composed for the film by John Corigliano.

OMKARA: Vishal Bharadwaj's adaption of Shakespeare's "Othello"

Omkara is an adaption of Shakespeare's  Othello. We all are aware of the story of Othello either by reading the original or by word of mouth, but watching it on the big screen is a different experience altogether, and mind you when the director is Vishal Bharadwaj then the experience becomes all the more memorable.  I still remember when i first watched this movie i was awestruck but the sheer magic he created on screen.

Omkara/Omi (Ajay Devgan) heads a band of outlaws in a semi-lawless rural area in Uttar Pradesh. Bhaisaab's (Naseer's) election win promotes Omi, leaving his "Youth Leader" seat empty. In a logical political move, Omi selects Kesu Firangi (Vivek Oberoi) as his successor ignoring his loyal right-hand-man Langda Tyagi (Saif Ali Khan). Green with envy, Langda slowly poisons Omkara's mind against Kesu leading him down a path too dark for anyone's good. Kareena, Konkona & Bipasha play Omi, Langda & Kesu's love interests respectively.

When Vishal is directing the movie he makes sure he takes the actors whom he can either mold or are just exceptional. Ajay Devgan is brilliant as usual, though on the flip side, his U.P. dialogue does come across as forced. Nonetheless, Devgan made a fine Omkara. Kareen showed that she can perform too. Well, with Vivek Oberoi, Vishal made him act this one time. Konkona Sen, she is a beautiful actor with genuine talent, she was a treat to watch, she commands her scenes and takes control of her fantastic dialogues, making the rest of the cast look like amateurs.

Saif Ali Khan was the soul of this movie. He did in this movie what Pankaj Kapoor did in Maqbool with Abba Ji, which is to re-invent how a character is portrayed, it can only be achieved by legends. Langda is a bit of Jack Sparrow and Bill the Butcher at the same time, which means quality. The best thing was, for the entire movie Saif killed himself to become Langda. Where Dil Chahta Hai gave Saif Ali Khan a new life in the industry, Omkara showed his versatility. Omkara proved that he could be more than just a comedy or second lead actor. He won Popular Award and Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role.

Another character who made a mark with this movie is Deepak Dobriyal who is simply perfect, providing the appropriate and realistic relief from the intense proceedings of the plot. His idiocy and pining for Dolly are laudable.

The opening scene of the movie was one of the best i have seen in recent times. Another scene that was really scary and haunts me till date is the scene with the eagle on the wedding day.

Have you seen the movie? which one is your fav scene?

Sunshine Cleaning: Two sisters and their messy lives.

SUNSHINE CLEANING shines all the way.

Wow! I avoided this movie while it was in theater based on certain negative reviews it received, but couldn't keep my eyes off from it. Watched it and realized how real reel life can be. From the producers of Little Miss Sunshine but except for the word "Sunshine" and presence of Alan Arkin there is no other similarity. 

Sunshine cleaning is a story about two sisters, Rose (Amy Adams) and Norah (Emily Blunt). Rose, whose life is not very rosy after her head-cheerleader days, now she is a single mom struggling to look after her troubled seven year old son, Oscar (Jason Spevack). She has a long-running-futile relation with her married high school sweetheart Mac (Steve Zahn). Norah is more or less a general screw-up, still living with her dad, a salesman with a lifelong history of ill-fated get-rich-quick schemes from selling Shrimps to selling Popcorns. After Mac's suggestion, they start a business cleaning crime scene for much bigger money. As they climb the ranks in this very dirty job, they find new respect for each other and he closeness they have always craved finally blossoms. By building their own improbable business they open the door to the joys and challenges of being there for one another-no matter what- while discovering personal healing in the most unexpected way. 

The Focal point of this movie is Rose and her crushing self-doubt. The portrayal of Rose by Amy Adams is brilliant. I cant imagine anyone else doing what Adams did to this character. Even Emily Blunt played Norah equally brilliantly. All other supporting casts are good. 

I wouldn't say this movie is for everyone, its not a sweet and cute movie, watch it only if you have a taste for movies whose dark and bittersweet coating hides a slightly gooey, feel-good soft centre. 

Happy Watching :)

ROMANTIK--A Turkish Treat!

I am delighted to be invited by the “AddPopcorn” team to write a guest post. I am not a big movie fan but I like to explore and AddPopcorn is a great place to discover unique movies from around the world. So I decided to do my bit as well and share this Turkish movie with you.

In life there are inevitable moments where we assume and judge a person, a place, an occasion, or a thought. And we go ahead and take actions. Actions, regardless right or wrong, they have butterfly effects on our environment and change our lives for the better or the worse.

The movie “Romantik” presents a love story between a girl and two men that love the same girl. When her boyfriend has to leave her to run away from the law, he comes back after three years only to find out that she is about to marry his best friend. He feels betrayed and she is confused. Things start happening...

It might sound like a cliché story or it is a cliché story. However the amazing point with the movie is how it plays with the audience. It shows the audience only one part of the story and as soon as we start assuming why the characters act the way they do, the story changes and shows us how bias we were. It is a great lesson the movie gives with a sweet love story and romantic scenes. There are great actors in the movie including my favorite Turkish actor “Okan Bayulgen”. He is a sensation in Turkey with his intelligence, humor and the ears that stand so far from his face that he could easily use them on his sailing boat. No seriously, he is a great actor and he chooses great movies. The other actor is a great singer who played for this movie for the first time.

I think “Romantik” is a nice movie with a great purpose and very easy to watch. I love the soundtrack  of  this movie as well. Worth watching it J

GUEST POST
Hacer Demiroers

President

UMASS Boston - International Students

UMBIS

The Royal Tanenbaums: A Must Watch!

The Royal Tanenbaums: A Must Watch!

The movie starts with Alec Baldwin narrating the film as if reading a novel. Royal Tanenbaum, played by Gene Hackman, wants to reenter the lives of his abandoned family. He does it by faking cancer. Each of the Tenenbaum kids was a precocious genius: Chas (Ben Stiller) made a killing as a child investor. Richie (Luke Wilson) was a junior tennis champ and three-time U.S. Nationals winner.

The adopted Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow) was a playwright who won a 50,000-dollar Braverman Grant in the ninth grade and then they had Eli Cash (Owen Wilson) as their neighbor and childhood friend. Their past resentments are bitterly held against Royal when he suddenly reappears, claiming to have six weeks to live and a desire to reconnect with his family. Thrown together under one roof, Royal tries to make amends by driving them crazy. His urge to be a part of their life is somewhat inexplicable, and though they resist, they also open the doors just a bit. In one funny moment, Royal kidnaps Stiller's two overprotected sons and takes them on an outing that includes running in traffic, shoplifting and swimming. He also offers to take them all to the cemetery to visit their grandmother's grave, forgetting that Stiller's wife is also buried there.

There are so many reasons why i like this movie, its not one of those regular comedy, its just DIFFERENT. There are endless hilarious scenes and all in the cast are absolutely radiant and deserve praise.I like the scenes where Gwyneth Paltrow locks herself in her bathroom and her conversation with her weird husband (played by Bill Murray). The dialogue delivery is just brilliant. If you listen to all the dialogues carefully you'll die laughing. The concept of Dalmatian mice is just so hilarious, the spots on the mice were actually created using a Sharpie pen.
This film truly depicts the creativity of Wes Anderson, he has a unique way of looking at the world, even if its ridiculous. This was Wes Anderson's third project with Owen Wilson after Bottle Rocket and Rushmore, as writers. Luke Wilson has appeared in all the three movies.

The Blue Umbrella: A Beautifully Simple but Impactful Little Fable

Blue Umbrella is a screen version of Ruskin Bond's short story Blue Umbrella.
The protagonist is Biniya (Shreya Sharma), a precocious girl who lives in a picturesque mountain village. The town is a stopping point for tourists on their way through the mountains. One day, Biniya meets a group of tourists and trades her lucky necklace for a beautiful, blue Japanese-style umbrella. The blue umbrella stands out among the alpine greenery, and Biniya and her umbrella become the town’s main attraction. Tourists pose for photos with her when they stop at the local snack shop, run by an old man named Nandu (Pankaj Kapoor). Nandu covets Biniya’s blue umbrella, as do several other adults in town. He tries to trick and bribe her into giving him the umbrella, but she isn’t interested. When the umbrella is stolen one night, Nandu is Bindiya’s prime suspect.
At her request, the cops raid Nandu’s shop, but the umbrella’s not there. Humiliated, Nandu vows to buy his own umbrella. A short while later, Nandu receives a delivery: an umbrella exactly like Biniya’s, only red. He becomes the de facto mayor of the village, though heart-broken Biniya still harbors suspicions about him.

But what's really incredible about the film is the sheer spirit of humanity that pervades and shines through the entire film. It is indeed ironical that the film that has been named the 'best children's film' at the Indian National awards is actually not a kiddies’ flick at all. But The Blue Umbrella can make you feel like being a child all over again- rather like Nand Kishore in the film, who despite all his vices still retains the child in him.
I won't say anymore about this one. If you are reading this I will urge you to watch this. It's a real cool piece of cinema, a great pleasure for the eyes and the mind. I am regretting for not watching the movie in theater.
And yes, an umbrella plays one of the main characters. ;)



Happy Watching :)

Golden Globe Award Winner "The Painted Veil"

I am so glad to have been able to watch this movie. This is the third screen adaption of the W. Somerset book: "The Painted Veil" and this is one of the most beautiful adaption. Its cinematography topped with haunting acting by both the lead actors is truly amazing. I have come to admire Edward Norton not only for his intense acting but also for his choice of films.

You cannot watch this movie without getting engrossed into the character's life. Yes, it is a slow paced movie, but for me the slow pace really enhances the beauty of the movie.

The story is interesting and believable. Naomi Watts clearly depicts a beautiful, spoiled and restless society girl who hastily marries a conservative micro biologist Dr. Walter Fane(Edward Norton), who is simple, dull, introvert and practically lives for his study of infectious diseases. From the start, the marriage was destined to fail. Kitty starts to look for affection in the arms of another man( played by Watt's real life then boyfriend and now husband, Liev Schreiber) . Walter finds out that his wife is having an affair and suggests a remedy and the remedy he propose raises eyebrows. He will either give her a divorce and effectively make her a social pariah, or she will have to follow him into a sort of purgatory—he's decided to take a post in the north of the China, where there's been a cholera outbreak and she must accompany him. She is left with no choice. Here starts a new journey which changes their lives forever.

The scene where Dr. Fane confronts Kitty is superbly done. That is one of my favorite scenes in the movie. If you have seen this movie tell me your favorite scene.
And if you havent, watch it!
Happy watching!!

P.S.: Confession: I'm a bit of a sucker for love stories that start after the wedding:)