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“Mehandi Circus”… A not-bad romance that wants to be an epic but falls short
Spoilers ahead… Read the full review on Film Companion, here: https://www.filmcompanion.in/mehandi-circus-movie-review-a-not-bad-romance-that-wants-to-be-an-epic-but-falls-short-baradwaj-rangan/ Among the newer crop of filmmakers, Raju Murugan may be second to none in his love for Ilayaraja. He appears to be working his way through the maestro’s catalogue. If Joker featured Alli thandha boomi, from Nandu, Mehandi Circus — for which Raju Murugan […]
Posted in: Cinema: Tamil
“Kanchana 3.”… Ragava Lawrence busts our eardrums in the most tiresome entry in the ‘Kanchana’ franchise
April 19, 2019
Spoilers ahead… Read the full review on Film Companion, here: https://www.filmcompanion.in/kanchana-3-movie-review-ragava-lawrence-busts-our-eardrums-in-the-most-tiresome-entry-in-the-kanchana-franchise/ According to Aristotle… (Reader’s mind voice: Wait! What? I thought I was reading the review of ‘Kanchana 3’. After years of sitting through films like ‘Boomerang’, has BR finally lost it?) Bear with me, please. I’m trying to make a point here. So according […]
Posted in: Cinema: Tamil
“Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyun Aata Hai?”… A ‘conceptual remake’ with a conceit that’s not carried through convincingly
April 18, 2019
Spoilers ahead… When Saeed Mirza made Albert Pinto ko Gussa Kyun Aata Hai? in 1980, a little after the Emergency, he seemed to be taking on Bachchan’s Angry Young Man of the 1970s and asking: “Okay, now, in this new decade, what is the young man angry about?” It’s not that his parents have been […]
Posted in: Cinema: Hindi
The only major award Bibi Andersson won for her indelible work with Ingmar Bergman was at Cannes
April 18, 2019
Read the full article on Firstpost, here: https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/bibi-anderssons-only-major-award-for-her-indelible-work-with-ingmar-bergman-was-at-cannes-for-brink-of-life-6472111.html When news came of Bibi Andersson’s passing, I Googled up the celebrated actress to see how many acting awards she’d won in her career. I expected to find a host of nominations and wins for her collaborations with Ingmar Bergman alone (Wild Strawberries, The Seventh Seal, The […]
FC Recco: ‘Winter Light’
April 18, 2019
A weekly series where I recommend a film-based book, a foreign film or an Indian movie. For more, subscribe to FILM COMPANION SOUTH: http://bit.ly/2xoNult Copyright ©2019 Film Companion.
Posted in: Cinema: Foreign, FC Recco
#AskBR – Why is 70’s Tamil Cinema so Special?
April 16, 2019
In which I answer a few questions on an older film… or a new one… or take on a few YouTube comments… For more, subscribe to FILM COMPANION SOUTH: http://bit.ly/2xoNult Copyright ©2019 Film Companion.
Posted in: #AskBR, Cinema: Tamil
Interview: Nani
April 16, 2019
For more, subscribe to FILM COMPANION SOUTH: http://bit.ly/2xoNult Copyright ©2019 Film Companion.
Posted in: Cinema: Telugu, Interview
“Gangs of Madras”… CV Kumar’s second film is a pretty decent heroine-oriented thriller
April 13, 2019
Spoilers ahead… Read the full review on Film Companion, here: https://www.filmcompanion.in/gangs-of-madras-movie-review-priyanka-ruth-cvkumar-baradwaj-rangan/ In his first film, Maayavan, the producer-turned-director CV Kumar aimed for the moon. He had a high concept. He tried to get high on the filmmaking, too, and the result was a bit of a mess. In Gangs of Madras, he sets his sights […]
Posted in: Cinema: Tamil
“Watchman”… GV Prakash gets help from a golden retriever in an unsatisfying thriller
April 12, 2019
Spoilers ahead… Read the full review on Film Companion, here: https://www.filmcompanion.in/watchman-movie-review-baradwaj-rangan-gv-prakash-kumar-vijay/ Watchman is a thriller, and it runs a mere 90-something minutes. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but a clever script and clever direction can work wonders in this running time, paring away the fat (say, character-building) and concentrating on the more bone-chilling aspects. […]
Posted in: Cinema: Tamil
‘Capharnaüm’, directed by Un Certain Regard jury president Nadine Labaki, questions the ethics of having children
April 11, 2019
Read the full article on Firstpost, here: https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/capharnaum-directed-by-un-certain-regard-jury-president-nadine-labaki-questions-the-ethics-of-having-babies-6430631.html The Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival, second in importance only to the Competition, was created in 1978 by Gilles Jacob, former (and long-time) President of the festival. The aim was to showcase and reward more offbeat fare, or as the festival puts it: […]
FC Recco: ‘Spadikam’
April 11, 2019
A weekly series where I recommend a film-based book, a foreign film or an Indian movie. For more, subscribe to FILM COMPANION SOUTH: http://bit.ly/2xoNult Copyright ©2019 Film Companion.
Posted in: Cinema: Malayalam, FC Recco
#AskBR – Some ‘pressing’ YouTube Comments – Part 1
April 9, 2019
In which I answer a few questions on an older film… or a new one… or take on a few YouTube comments… For more, subscribe to FILM COMPANION SOUTH: http://bit.ly/2xoNult Copyright ©2019 Film Companion.
“Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota”… An affectionate, gently winking, beautifully made homage to our movie memories
April 6, 2019
Spoilers ahead… Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota, written and directed by Vasan Bala, opens in medias res. Also, in mid-air. That’s where the hero, Surya (Abhimanyu Dassani), is frozen, as though suspended from the sky with invisible strings. He is in mid-kick, and the people he’s targeting — it’s a classic one-versus-many stunt sequence — […]
Posted in: Cinema: Hindi
Interview: Suhasini (about Mahendran)
April 6, 2019
For more, subscribe to FILM COMPANION SOUTH: http://bit.ly/2xoNult Copyright ©2019 Film Companion.
Posted in: Cinema: Tamil, Interview
“Uriyadi 2.”… A loud mix of political ideology and heroism, with flashes of brilliance
April 5, 2019
Spoilers ahead… Read the full review on Film Companion, here: https://www.filmcompanion.in/uriyadi-2-movie-review-vijay-kumar-abbas-sudhakar-baradwaj-rangan/ Despite the number in the title, Uriyadi 2 is not exactly a sequel to the gritty, sensationally effective earlier film, which was also written and directed by Vijay Kumar. Yes, there are similarities — for instance, the seething social anger, reflected in the well-timed […]
Posted in: Cinema: Tamil
FC Recco: ‘Masala Shakespeare’, by Jonathan Gil Harris
April 4, 2019
A weekly series where I recommend a film-based book, a foreign film or an Indian movie. For more, subscribe to FILM COMPANION SOUTH: http://bit.ly/2xoNult Copyright ©2019 Film Companion.
“Natpe Thunai”… A loud, choppy sports movie that wants to be both drama and comedy
April 4, 2019
Spoilers ahead… Read the full review on Film Companion, here: https://www.filmcompanion.in/natpe-thunai-movie-review-hip-hop-thamizha-aadhi/ In Natpe Thunai, Adhi plays a hockey player. As with everything else, the film takes a long time to get to the point that he actually plays hockey — for all he does till a little before the interval is sing Hiphop Tamizha songs, […]
Posted in: Cinema: Tamil
Agnès Varda passes away: Cléo from 5 to 7 is one of the most famous films of veteran French filmmaker
April 4, 2019
Read the full article on Firstpost, here: https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/agnes-varda-passes-away-cleo-from-5-to-7-is-one-of-the-most-famous-films-of-veteran-french-filmmaker-6382611.html In the September/October issue of Film Comment, Agnès Varda said, “There is only one old friend left now, Jean-Luc Godard.” As a reader, I felt sad, but Varda was probably being very matter-of-fact about it. She said, “Although I’m quite happy to be old, my whole body […]
Posted in: Cinema: Foreign, Firstpost Column
Interview: Hemanth Rao
April 3, 2019
For more, subscribe to FILM COMPANION SOUTH: http://bit.ly/2xoNult Copyright ©2019 Film Companion.
Posted in: Cinema: Kannada, Interview
Tribute: J Mahendran, who began his directing career with the Rajinikanth-starring ‘Mullum Malarum’
April 2, 2019
From the high melodrama of ‘Thanga Pathakkam’ to the subtleties of ‘Uthiri Pookkal’, his filmography saw it all. Read the full article on Film Companion, here: https://www.filmcompanion.in/mahendran-tribute-baradwaj-rangan-rajinikanth-mullum-malarum-johny/ On the surface, J Mahendran seems to have had a strangely schizophrenic career. On the one hand, he is one of the seventies’ directors responsible for the transformation […]
Posted in: Cinema: Tamil
April 19, 2019
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