Priceless...an Enjoyable flick!

Ahh, I love french Comedies, even though the story is old and told many a times but French Cinema always presents it in a freshly manner. 

In this entrancing French comedy Audrey Tautou plays gold-digger, Irene who has a series of relationships with wealthy older men for the benefits, nice hotels, good food, and the gifts they give her. She has supreme self-confidence and makes no apologies for what she does. The other main lead, Jean (Gad Elmaleh) is just the opposite, meek and will capitulate in almost any circumstance. He works as a bartender in a Hotel. 

In one uncontrollable night Irene mistakes Jean for a wealthy man. They have a night of passion, but when her boyfriend finds out, he dumps her. Rejected by her ticket to financial security, she focuses instead on the hotel worker, unaware that he is as poor as she is. Poor Jean is deeply smitten with Irene, so much that even after she realizes he's poor and is angry at him for wasting her time, he continues to gladly bankrupt himself just to be with her. At one point he offers her a one-euro coin for 10 seconds of her time. He spends the 10 seconds gazing at her with huge love-struck eyes. ( isnt that Cute) . Now now Irene and Jean have an intense emotional and physical attraction for one another, but she needs more money to 'survive' than he can afford, and he needs the sponsorship of his own mistress to keep himself afloat. How they resolve the entanglements that tear them apart is both amusing and heartwarming.

 The plot twists and turns as the film progresses, but, since this is a romantic comedy, we have a fairly good idea of where things will end up - but it still is fun to watch this odd couple volleying back and forth. This isn't any kind of masterpiece, but is effortlessly crafted and thoroughly entertaining with spectacular locales.

Happy Watching..

How many boxes of popcorn will you give this movie (out of 5)??

Dil Chahta Hai....What the Heart Wants. Definitely(D) Captures(C) ur Heart(H)

I remember the last day of school so clearly, it seems like yesterday. All my friends and I were sitting outside the class in the sunshine, all of us speculating about where we would be years down the line and what would we be? (thanks to facebook we all are still in touch). But thinking of your school days makes you want to re-wind your life back to those days..

That’s the sort of thing you reminisce about when watching a film like "Dil Chahta Hai".

It is based on debutant director Farhan Akhtar's diaries of his trips to Goa, his 1996 month-and-a-half long stay at New York, and a storyline narrated to him by a friend. It tells the story of three friends graduating from college and transitioning into life as adults. Each individual has a different perspective of life and love in particular.

Sameer(Saif Ali khan) is a firm believer of love, always on the lookout for that special someone. The only problem is that he wears his heart on his sleeve and lets it get run down by ladies all the time. On the other hand Siddharth (Sid) is a mature sensitive guys, who is an introverted artist and still searching for the meaning of life, the most mature of the three, is not interested in trivial romances and is dedicated to his work.. but strikes a chord with a much older, alcoholic divorcee who shares his love of art. Aakash is a non-believer in hardwork and love. He thinks love makes a healthy relationship more complicated so all his relationships never last more than two weeks.

The story takes you forward in their lives and how things get complicated and difficult as life moves forward.

One of the highlights (and also less talked about) of the movie is its Cinematography by Ravi K. Chandran, who has done a brilliant job. Especially some scenes like breakdown of Aakash, song Tanhai and some scenes in Australia and Goa were just amazing.

As soon as I finished watching Dil Chahta Hai, a film that is a good three hours long, I wanted to hit play and watch it all over again. The feeling I had when it came to an end was like the one you sometimes get when you finish reading a good book - satisfied and sated, but regretful that you have to leave that perfectly created fictional world and the characters you have come to know and love so well, so soon.

I wanted to write some more about the movie, but decided against it! Instead i would ask you to rent it asap and enjoy the movie! Do watch this movie at least once. This movie is a toast to friendship and love.

Let me know whether you liked it or not.

Happy Watching!

you can find the whole movie on youtube with english subtitles. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRKwagKd7Ls&feature=related

Love Me If You Dare! Wickedly Delicious.

Are You Game Or Not??

French film has always been more creative and offbeat than standard Hollywood fare (atleast i think so), and like all French movies,  this movie may not be for everyone. But if you like exploring different ideas, and complex characters, then you should give it a try. It's a very unconventional movie. 

I am a big fan of Marion Cortillard since I saw her in La môme, I am always on a look out for her movies. I came across this movie while browsing the French section from Netflix, and I'm glad I chose this one! This movie tells the story of Julien(Guillaume Canet) and Sophie (Cotillard), who meet in grade school and make a pact that binds them together for a lifetime. Their pact/game revolves around a little tin box, a toy painted to look like a merry-go-round. When one hands the other the box, along with it comes a dare. The other "Must" do what they've been dared to do. This begins as a childhood game and continues into adulthood, where it gathers dangerous and dark undertones.

The Dares that they play at times are very funny and other times it would make you think "what in the hell...", I would request to suspend your belief for once while watching this, just open your mind and heart.

The movie's first shot tells us something we don't understand at the time. The last scene explains it, and yes it's creepy for some people. But actually the beauty of the last scene is it leaves you with your imagination, so it all depends on your perception.

I am not sure whether you’ll like it or not but am sure of one thing, you won't get bored. And if you know French, I suggest you watch it in French, though it is available with English subtitles.

P.S: One of the highlights of the movie is its music. They have used Edith Piaf's "La Vie en Rose" as the sound track, which suits it to the core. 

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

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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:)