Recently I heard about this film and I watched the trailer. Looks interesting. It sounds like this film is following Sita Sings the Blues model. Pay what you can. For more information on the film, check out Shyama on MovieSet.

This film starts with Chris Rock wondering what is good hair. His tiny little daughter is unhappy with nappy hair and questions him why she does not have good hair. He sets off on a mission to figure out what this is all about. His questions take him all the way to India, Atlanta and Los Angeles. Although the movie is very funny, thanks to Chris Rock, it deals with difficult issues of conformance and the superficiality of looks.

(more…)

I recently watched this film again, may be for the 100th time. Every time someone watches this film, they always tell me what a nut case Timothy Treadwell was and nothing more. Yet to me, this is a fascinating film. Werner Herzog is such a brave director to have made this film even though the first reaction for most people is that Timothy is just a madman.

(more…)

Amreeka is one of my favorite films that I watched at viff. I did not expect myself to be among hundreds of 12 and 13 year old kids. Then I got to know schools had made special arrangements for the students to watch this film.

It is one of the immigrant stories which was fresh, light, funny and sad. Life in Palestine seems like being in a prison and the move to America is not without issues. The confusion between Jews and Arabs cannot be quite explained to the Americans.  It is a well made film and has a sense of humor.

I also learnt that checkmate is an Arabic phrase. Shah mate in Arabic means the king is dead, which is borrowed in English as checkmate.

(more…)

This is not about the yoga push up or push down. This is a film that I watched at VIFF and is one of the very few Indian films. The film is based on Rabindranath Tagore’s book. I am not sure if the book also goes by the same title, it was not mentioned. This is an interesting and complex film with many questions for Patanjali. What is spirituality and what really does it lead to? Or is it just escapism from the real world? Is it for the weak who cannot handle the real world? The film deals with these questions and more through the various characters, which are four and hence the title chaturanga, four chapters.

The main character in the film is one confused person. He confidently jumps from one set of ideals to the other one. While he is at it, he strongly believes in it and then leaves it for something else when he reaches the end of the line. The other characters around him question his behavior. Is he really so shallow that he leaves one for the other?

(more…)

A lot of Indians may eat meat. But all that might have to stop, for QGM is here. Quick Gun Murugun is a bhagavad gita quoting vegetarian cowboy reincarnated for a mission.  He has to stop the non vegetarian McDosa chain by Rice Plate Reddy. His idol and inspiration is Clint Eastwood. His favorite food is dosa and whisky. His duty is to protect the cows, he is a cowboy. So, beware all you beef eating folks. You are next on his hit list.

I absolutely loved this film by Nina Paley. I agree with Nina, why is Rama the perfect man? Awesome work, Nina!

Thanks Papi, for the link.