updated
I was in the mood for something light, and you can trust a Shahid Kapoor rom-com to fit the bill. The film shows Shahid and Priyanka as couples who meet by chance and fall in love in three time periods, 2012 England, 1960's Bombay and 1910's Lahore. The end credits show how they created the CGI backdrops for 1960's Bombay and those street scenes were absolutely gorgeous.

The runtime is only a little over 2 hours. There's no bloat, but also no real depth of angst in any one story, just enough time for the three meet-cutes and a catchy song in each. Shahid Kapoor is quite the dancer, and my favorite of the numbers is Humse Pyaar Kar le Tu from the 1910 Lahore setting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJ28gzrtsuQ
99 views
Loading...
updated
Saw the premiere at Sundance and had no idea what it would be like. An unbelievably creepy story of cult indoctrination and attempted escape and assimilation to "normal" life. John Hawkes plays the cult leader in a tour de force.

I was very impressed with Elizabeth Olsen in this, her debut film. I liked the ambiguous ending -- I hope that the ending I saw at Sundance remained in the theatrical release.

My husband, however, despised this film.
104 views
Loading...
updated
I gather this is an unusual Bollywood film because it deals with infidelity and divorce, but I appreciated that the characters had nuance and shades of grey. No one was completely blameless in the two married couples.

The main negative? SRK plays an injured former football star with a pronounced limp, and thus leaves most of the dancing to Abhishek Bachchan.

Favorite scene has to be when Dev and Maya are in a bed store and she tries to teach him how to massage and seduce his wife, by showing him what to do. And then she suddenly stops as she realizes how it's affecting her to touch him -- when she feels nothing sexually for her husband.

Once you see the movie, it's mandatory to laugh your ass off reading Imaan Sheik's hilarious Accurate and Honest Summary of KANK: http://www.buzzfeed.com/imaansheikh/cheating-is-adorable#16w4fid
105 views
Loading...
updated
This is a slapstick silly action comedy. SRK really carves out two characters, the hapless innocent Bablu and the maniacal criminal Mannu. The fun really begins after the interval when the two meet. It reminded of Face-Off in a way in that it was fun to see how SRK could show you he was one impersonating the other. So, the movie is fairly ridiculous, and not one I'll rewatch, but it was worth seeing just to watch SRK manage the dual roles.
98 views
Loading...
updated
Broke down and bought the DVD, and rewatched it again last night. I enjoyed it even more the second time. I appreciated Salman Khan a bit more, too.

After seeing more of each actor's work since I first watched KKHH, you really see what a magic mix of chemistry this film is. And that gazebo scene!! There's a reason this is a classic.
106 views
Loading...
updated
The enjoyment in this film is watching two strangers fall in love after they agree to an arranged marriage. Shahid Kapoor is charming as Prem, and Amitra Rao is good and so completely different than her character in Main Hoon Na, that I gained respect for her as an actress.

It's a long movie, but the denouement, after the accident left me going "That's IT?!" All is happy, end of story? It was a very different emphasis than I think a Western moviemaker would have taken. There would have been setbacks and arguments and .....something that happened or conflict for the couple after the accident. The movie is sweet to the point of treacle. Basically we are left with the conclusion that heroine and especially hero are saintly beings, with no flaws to their souls, if not their skin.
105 views
Loading...
updated
I kept hearing about the dog in this movie, and I also wanted to see what all the hoopla about Salman Khan is about. Still don't quite get the Salman thing. He is sweet and all in this movie, but Madhuri Dixit shows again that she is the star in my book.

Sweet romance mainly about the love between two families, and familial duty.
101 views
Loading...
updated
I have given Salman Khan the old college try with an older movie and now this one. He's not my cup of tea. SRK has more charm and personality in his pinky finger.

I did laugh out loud at the opening number where Salman makes his muscles dance. That was cute, and he seems to have a sense of humor about himself and his image. I just won't be seeking out his movies in future. A solid meh.
107 views
Loading...
updated
This is only my second film of Vishal Bhardwaj (I also have seen the dark comedy 7 Khoon Maaf) and he is already one of my favorite Indian directors. I can't wait to see Maqbool and Omkara.

Haider is an amazing modern adaptation of Shakespeare's Hamlet set in Kashmir in 1995. Shahid Kapoor transforms himself like I have never seen him before. This is a career best performance as he shows Haider's descent into madness.

The acting all around is stellar, and Irrfan Khan plays a special role as the "ghost" militant leader who carries a message from Haider's father. There is only one dance sequence, the song Bismil which I have been playing nonstop for at least a month. The director chose Bismil as the play within the play that Hamlet uses to show his uncle's guilt. It's wonderfully choreographed and a very, very effective scene at the wedding of his mother and uncle.

A special comic touch was the creation of Salman and Salman, Salman Khan fanatics, in the stead of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Loved them. Most all of the elements of the play have been included (To be or not to be is in there, the skull is in there), but with Bhardwaj's special touch. Recommend this film very highly.
104 views
Loading...
updated
This is Hrithik Roshan's debut Bollywood movie (directed by his father), and I can see why it made him an instant sensation. It's a cute romance/double identity role film. His acting has improved quite a bit since this early work, but his great dancing was already present.
102 views
Loading...