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The aesthetics of Pedro Costa, whose ‘Vitalina Varela’ will be screened at the Sundance Film Festival
Read the full article on Firstpost, here: https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/the-aesthetics-of-portuguese-auteur-pedro-costa-whose-vitalina-verala-will-be-screened-at-sundance-film-festival-2020-7945111.html “I finally watched a Pedro Costa on the big screen” is a real thing for some film lovers. This happened to me last year at the Dharamsala International Film Festival, where I saw the Portuguese auteur’s latest film, Vitalina Varela. (It was also screened at the JIO […]
Posted in: Cinema: Foreign, Firstpost Column
Readers Write In #135: Reconnect
January 22, 2020
(by Iniya, the 14-year-old daughter of Aravindan R, a regular reader of this blog) PROLOGUE – FORTNIGHT Me That’s it. My life’s over. What will everyone say? Nah! Who cares what they say. Like I’m going to tell them. They’ll probably laugh at me. None of it matters now, without her. She was the only joy in […]
Posted in: Fiction, Readers Write In
Readers Write In #134: Why we need more shows like ‘Sex Education’ in India
January 22, 2020
(by Sai Sagar) In a recent discussion with a friend, the netflix series Sex Education came up. He remarked that I might as well be acquainted with the education part, given that the first half of the title will always elude me. The joke here is on both of us. Firstly one doesn’t “GET” Sex […]
Posted in: Readers Write In, Television / Online
Readers Write In #133: Parasite and The White Tiger: Doing what it takes
January 22, 2020
(by Adhithya K R) The White Tiger was one of the darkest books that I’ve read. The book started with a former driver explaining that he had murdered his employer. It hadn’t been very difficult because his master had trusted him. For a while, after reading it, I was puzzled by how people trusted others […]
Sam Mendes’s ‘1917’, Hitchcock, long takes and why a technical achievement isn’t the same as a truly immersive movie
January 22, 2020
Read the full article on Film Companion, here: https://www.filmcompanion.in/sam-mendes-1917-and-why-a-technical-achievement-is-not-the-same-as-a-truly-immersive-movie The more you try to convince me that something is really happening on screen – through, say, the single take – the more I am convinced that it is “unreal”. Because the craft is too obvious. Spoilers ahead… I mean no disrespect to Sam Mendes when […]
Posted in: Cinema: English, Cinema: Foreign
‘Sarileru Neekevvaru’, ‘Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo’ and the Manmohan Desai brand of madcap masala
January 22, 2020
Read the full article on Film Companion, here: https://www.filmcompanion.in/sarileru-neekevvaru-ala-vaikunthapurramuloo-and-the-manmohan-desai-brand-of-madcap-masala/ If there’s any place the masala film is truly alive and kicking, it must be Telugu cinema. What stands out is the effort that’s gone into writing the outrageous, “illogical” and OTT moments. Spoilers ahead… Sarileru Neekevvaru is a Mahesh Babu vehicle, but of course we […]
Posted in: Cinema: Telugu
Tuning In: Sid Sriram on the creation of ‘Vaanam Kottattum’ songs
January 21, 2020
For more, subscribe to FILM COMPANION SOUTH: http://bit.ly/2xoNult Copyright ©2020 Film Companion.
Readers Write In #132: Why I believe Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker is better than Heath Ledger’s
January 19, 2020
(by Alex John) This has been one of the closest contests in the history of cinema on who played the same character better than the other. I mean, there have been countless remakes of different films in world cinema, and several takes on the dreaded comic villain Joker himself, but Heath Ledger raised the bar […]
Posted in: Cinema: English, Readers Write In
During Pongal 1994, the Kamal Haasan-starrer ‘Mahanadhi’ tackled a number of philosophical questions
January 16, 2020
Read the full article on Film Companion, here: https://www.filmcompanion.in/mahanadhi-revisiting-philosophy-kamal-haasan-sukanya-poornam-vishwanathan/ In a revenge drama, you would expect a morally disillusioned Krishna to embark on a killing spree to avenge his fate. But that’s precisely where Krishna’s transformation from an incipient sociopath to a rational humanist begins, writes reader Jeeva Pitchaimani. When released in 1994, Mahanadhi was […]
Posted in: Cinema: Tamil
Almodóvar’s Oscar-nominated ‘Pain and Glory’ looks a lot like autobiography, but then, so does ‘Bad Education’
January 16, 2020
Read the full article on Firstpost, here: https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/pedro-almodovars-oscar-nominated-pain-and-glory-looks-a-lot-like-autobiography-but-then-so-does-bad-education-7907881.html/ In the face of the Parasite juggernaut, no one, realistically, gives Pedro Almodóvar’s Pain and Glory a chance at winning the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award. But I’m glad it’s up there in the list, and I’m glad Antonio Banderas has also been nominated for his […]
Posted in: Cinema: Foreign, Firstpost Column
Readers Write In #131: A fun premise and great songs hold up a predictable romance in ‘Yesterday’
January 15, 2020
(by Aparna Namboodiripad (who writes here as tonks) When I was thirteen years old, a friend handed me a cassette that belonged to her older sister. It was the Sergeant Pepper album by the Beatles. That was my first introduction to the band. When I went home and listened to the album, song after mesmerising […]
Posted in: Cinema: English, Readers Write In
Readers Write In #130: Looking back on the festival of Pongal through the movies released
January 15, 2020
(by Raghav Ravichandran) Looking back on the festival of Pongal through the movies released The festival of Pongal is huge, it is a very special festival that brings in lot of joy, happiness and abundance of food and sweets along with it. My most recent memories of the festival include having relatives coming over to […]
Posted in: Cinema: Tamil, Readers Write In
“Pattas”… Dhanush double-roles his way through an action drama that’s the dictionary definition of “formula”
January 15, 2020
If you can add so many small touches and elevate generic moments, is it all that much of a stretch to elevate the whole narrative, the entire screenplay? Spoilers ahead… You can read the full review on Film Companion, here: https://www.filmcompanion.in/pattas-movie-review-rs-durai-senthilkumar-dhanush-sneha-mehreen-pirzada-baradwaj-rangan/ RSDurai Senthilkumar has good instincts. Pattas is one of those masala (as opposed to […]
Posted in: Cinema: Tamil
#AskBR – Darbar
January 15, 2020
In which I answer a few questions on an older film… or a new one… or talk about actors and directors… or take on a few YouTube comments… For more, subscribe to FILM COMPANION SOUTH: http://bit.ly/2xoNult Copyright ©2020 Film Companion.
Posted in: #AskBR, Cinema: Tamil
Rajini Rant – Darbar And The Trap Of Being The Superstar
January 14, 2020
Read the full article on Film Companion, here: https://www.filmcompanion.in/readers-write-rajinikanth-darbar-ar-murugadoss-legacy-petta Don’t capitalise on the Superstar and run him into the ground like a racehorse. Let him act, just a bit more, writes reader Adhithya K R My friend in college once told me that if you’re a class topper, your score is never going to fall […]
Posted in: Cinema: Tamil
Tuning In: Sid Sriram on singing for Ilaiyaraaja in PSYCHO
January 14, 2020
For more, subscribe to FILM COMPANION SOUTH: http://bit.ly/2xoNult Copyright ©2020 Film Companion.
“Chhapaak”… Deepika Padukone stars in an issue-heavy movie that Meghna Gulzar treats with impressive lightness
January 13, 2020
This isn’t the angry film I thought it would be. It is, surprisingly, filled with laughter and hope, and a solid companion piece to ‘Uyare’. Spoilers ahead… What is it about acid attacks that makes them possibly the worst possible crime on a woman? Listen to this phrase from the gorgeous and heartfelt Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy number […]
Posted in: Cinema: Hindi
A molested woman seeks revenge in Rosshan Andrews’ powerful ‘Prathi Poovankozhi’, aka ‘Manjuvinte Prathikaram’
January 13, 2020
Read the full article on Film Companion, here: https://www.filmcompanion.in/opinion-prathi-poovankozhi-manju-warrier-rosshan-andrews-baradwaj-rangan What happens to the villain is a writing masterstroke not just in terms of how we regard the man by the end but also in how it makes the heroine’s journey more “realistic”. Spoilers ahead… In Prathi Poovankozhi, directed by Rosshan Andrews, Manju Warrier plays a […]
Posted in: Cinema: Malayalam
Readers Write In #129: My 2019 in Books – Top 10
January 10, 2020
(by G Waugh) 1. Rishi Moolam by Jayakanthan Jayakanthan’s take on the Oedipus Complex just blew me away. I don’t know why I have this obsession with small books. This is easily the greatest novella ever written in Tamil. 2. A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth The second place is taken by the longest book […]
Posted in: Books, Readers Write In
Readers Write In #128: Ricky Gervais’ monologue was the ultimate charade of authenticity
January 10, 2020
(by Madan Mohan) Going to lead this with what may seem like a non-sequitur. In 1979, heavy metal band Judas Priest released a live album (that is, pulled from a concert) called Unleashed In The East. It’s one of the most coveted releases of the band with the live versions in some cases surpassing those […]
Posted in: Cinema: English, Readers Write In
January 23, 2020
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