Change Your Image
stndt97
Reviews
Shah Jahan Regency (2019)
Worst movie ever produced by this director.
Film is not just a collection of fake emotions or some pseudo-artistic expressive shots or frames. A film is NOT something which, despite of horrible making, can be enjoyed thoroughly. In order to be a good film, therefore, one need to take some special attention to the 'craft', to the building block of cinema, which present Bengali Cinema, along with Srijit Mukherjee lacks brilliantly.
Watching a movie like this, you'd think, this director doesn't know, how to make shot counter shot, how to construct a story according to its internal logic, how to construct a scene according to the whole story. This whole film is the collection of ill made scenes, as I've said previously. The director failed pain strikingly even to tell a story in a cinematic way.
Cinematic TRASH!
No Bed of Roses (2017)
Doob: a refreshing experience from contemporary Bangla cinema
When you look at the big screen inside the huge dark auditorium, after the very moment, when light gets off, you start to expect many thing from the screen. You demand with your own aesthetics and sensibilities, you judge with your own sense of value judgement and morality, you try to get hold of things which are there on screen. A review is nothing but the subjective interpretation of these expectations, where, this title and this review is nothing exceptional.
Going back to the main question, what do you expect from a movie? I can't answer any other's statements as deeply as I can answer my own. I expect a movie to be "A Movie" at first, everything else is less important to me. Obviously that doesn't mean that a film is showing genocide in a very artistic way and my mode of reception is positive with the film. The problem with any kind of afterthought is that this is bound to be subjective, and the dangerous debate and miscommunication which is happening in Bangladesh now, is utterly unnecessary and 'cinema-less', if not unexpected and regressive. "Doob" is a fascinating movie experience for me. After a long time finally I've succeeded to speak for a contemporary industry-produced 'Bangla' movie whole heartedly. We know the sort of pros and cons of working within the heinous circle of any film industry, but, I've to appreciate the major mature steps which Farooki took in the course of making this movie.
Aesthetically, most of the time the movie relied on a very subtle tone and an intimate texture. There are no extra scenes or running motions within the sequence. (Though he can't retain this mature treatment throughout the movie) There are lots of pause and spaces, as the basic human relationships and emotions are. We cannot rush up everything in our 'real' mode of relationships, why should we continuously cut back and forth within one scene and destroy the spatial continuity of the 'realistic' cinema? 'Doob' respects the space between two people, the pause, the subtle gaze, the loss of words. It doesn't try to rush up everything with a single aim to tell the story. In other words, "Doob" adopts an aesthetic to create the story, rather than telling everything in a running mode.
Obviously there are flaws. Which work of art is perfect in the world? But it is the positive power of the film that it can engage the viewer with a serious mode of communication, one wants to forget about the problematic parts soon after watching the movie.
Finally the debate concerning the morality and the 'biopic-like' aspects of this movie, is, at least to me, an utter bullshit. Film, as any other serious art form, offers a parallel world of reality, which should be judged only with its own aesthetics and language. As far as this movie in concerned, it is an extraordinary piece of work which have managed to be a 'film' in the true sense of the term. Everything else (namely, the morality, biopic-like assumptions and other nonsense) doesn't matter at all.
Afsaid (2006)
A fascination film bends with simplicity and the high quality traditional storytelling
Well I am not an expert in the field of Iranian so called "New Wave Film" movement. The reader should not expect here an expertise discourse.I'm not an expert. I've not yet managed to see a lot of Iranian films, made by leading directors like Abbas Kiarostami, Majid Majidi of Jafar Panahi. My relationship to these movies is through just one man. Jafar Panahi, the rebel. Rebel, but not the prototype like Guevara, or artistic rebel, like Beethoven. He is Jafar Panahi. And that's all.
Any work of art can be judged by two aspects. Either It can be judged by putting it into its context. That type of judgment deserves a lot of research, better for a book. Another type, may be, not completely out of context at all, but judging a work of art through its sheer brilliance and universality solely offered by the unique work which it to be judged.
I've seen two of Jafar Panahi movies before Offside. They were post-banned film, 'This is not a film', and 'Taxi'.
I think in order to discuss Offside, above mentioned two is not very much important, because from offside to Taxi, there are a sea change in the style. But content matters. And here again, in offside, the form and content merged in an unique 'Panahian' way, just like other two. Narrative style of story telling unfolds the characters, the conflicts, and ends with a joy, mixed with a little bit of ambiguity.
In the disguise of the story, the director managed to put some very strong arguments, that is necessarily important, and universal. That's why, even not being a Iranian, not being a Muslim (here important, because the treatment of women in Muslim is quite different), I can relate with the simple disguised words.
I'm not going to discuss the story. But the way of treating the story deserves a word of two. The time span is very compact, that's why the tone and rhythm is almost managed through out the movie.
Any nation wants to treat their citizens in their own self-made way. The most powerful scene in this movie happened, when one of the prisoner girl argued with the soldier, why they are not allowed inside the stadium. This single sequence is enough for Panahi to reveal the paradox in the mind of nation's bodyguards.
The director is here unique, because of his treatment to the soldiers. He didn't make them villains, but a simple friendship created throughout the 'prison'-'out of prison' game. This friendship is very important.
The Nation should know there are the relationships between a man and a woman, that may be, and in general more that sexual desire.
A must watch movie even for non movie lovers.
La tierra y la sombra (2015)
One of the best film of 2015
One can see a large scale banyan tree surrounded by an equal vast, mysterious yet ambiguous milieu. There is a house, in other words, a cottage, and a road, surrounded and guarded by large crops. A rural unnamed village of Colombia, where this simple, very simple things happened once (most probably it is not a contemporary story, because no technological advancement can be seen, even not cellphone, which is indispensable is spite of hard poverty). But obviously it is a universal tale. Stunning, sometime beautiful and sometime just brilliant.
Cinema, after Godard, have seen a great change. Like 'atonality' in music, there are great deal of movies, that are without bold story-line. I think somewhere between this two extremes, lies the successful movies of our age. There are some fragments of story, but the director is more interested to reveal the inner psychology of the characters. (Like Michael Haneke in Amour, or Nuri Bilge Ceylan in Wintersleep.) Undoubtedly, this movie belongs to this category, and even expands its horizon.
There you can see a long, long shot at the very beginning of the movie. A man is coming, merely invisible at first, then camera waits for the person. Suddenly, a large truck passes by, and the screen is filled by poisonous black dust. Well, the director shows us the main cause of the conflict in the plot, (though the story-line is mostly blurred) with his ability to make, or rather ornament his movie with things like that. Then we get an antecedent-consequent phrase like image, boldly the contrast of light and dark. After the huge light, we come into almost an invisible indoor place, where another man laying for his chest problem and his wife and son are suffering from their trauma.
Well, I don't want to go to every scene of the film, that will be meaningless, but I have to say, then, for almost 30 minutes, the director set his film alternatively in four places. They are coming one by one like a Rondo form, and the main themes of the movie unfolds.
There is one scene, where from an open window (which was open almost 12 years after) we can see the green land, almost like a TV screen, camera stays there fully focused, in the soundtrack we can hear the mourning of the man, who will die after sometime. His illness, perhaps creates an unseen and unfeeling bond between the characters of the family who are stranger to each other for a long time. There was only one song, obviously incidental music, a folk song perhaps, with a dissonant yet attractive tune and a lyrics, subtitled by 'Love, written in tears'. That song is hovering my head after seeing the film, though I heard it only one. The fire scene, is the film's one of the most stunning, harsh poetic scene. Suddenly, when they went away from their land, I remembered the Indian Classic "Pather Panchali" with this same emotions and integrity. The best film I've seen in the 21st Kolkata International film festival.
I hope to see it in the top ten 'Sight and Sound' pole of 2015 films.
Kanchenjungha (1962)
One of my favorite movie of all time
I'm amazed to see why there are just 17 user review and 548 ratings. While trash products from Hollywood (I don't want to mention any Title) are getting so much appreciation even from Indian's. Does it mean the test are falling? Do we become more and more dull headed as days go on? Anyway, the purpose of my review is not to blame the viewers. I just finished it's viewing of 3rd or 4th time, and I myself considered this film one of my favorite because of certain quality, some of them can be explained, others have a feeling in non-verbal way. This is indeed one of Ray's most incomprehensible as well as brilliant and after all sophisticated film. The hidden meanings are underneath, beautiful views and uses of imagery which are called reflecting the human behavior both in their face and in natures, where nature is used, sublimed, underneath in between the shots(which are called literally in between the lines). There are type casting, beautiful, and which is more important, responsible comment from lower middle class to upper in terms of economical condition. But there is no touch of melodrama, which is the most crucial to any director. Unfortunately I'm not properly aware of World's Classic Films, rather I must say that this very film is India's one of the most sophisticated as well as important piece of art, not only in the genre 'Film'. But unfortunately there are not too much viewer or so called intellectuals to view it, obviously it is their fault and misfortunes.
Pather Panchali (1955)
"Not to have seen the cinema of RAY means existing in the world without seeing sun and moon."
The above title is not mine, rather than the great giant of cinema, Akira Kurosawa's. (creator of The Seven Samurai, Rashomon.) I can't help but quote a few from Andrew Robinson's Book "The Apu Trilogy - making of an epic" "(after describing the 'wobbling sweet seller' sequence) The brief wordless interlude of lyrical happiness belongs uniquely to the cinema; it is the kind of peak in Ray's work that prompted Kurosawa to conclude;'Not to have seen the cinema of RAY means existing in the world without seeing sun and moon.'" What can the 'humble' I say about one of the all time best films produced by world. There are lyricism, a lot place of poetry, from Marie Seaton to our critic Amitava Chattapadhyay..they are the renowned man who described about this. One can read the books by those I've mentioned, and also by Andrew Robinson's. Personally I can say, Ray is the man from whom I learned everything and still I'm learning. I'm learning not only how to read a film, but also how to write English! I am far younger than him, probably my age is similar to age of his grandson, but he's my Teacher, of all kind..from cinema to literature to painting to photography and music. He's the man whom I respect most.
Bronenosets Potyomkin (1925)
Probably the BEST film of all time..
I just want to know where are the Modern Hollywood Directors who creates 'Horror Films', detective films and so on..? just Make a single scene like Odessa Steps or the last few shots of "Potemkin". How can a man creates this type of suspense with just visual shots along with The Great theory of Montage and extraordinary music? Just look at the misen-en-scene of every shots, in interior..the succession of shots creating the mood, the musical cresendo of tempo, and whatever else. The Detailing..the Perfect Framing..It's the only film that I've seen where every shots are inevitable, if you omit one single shot, the film will destroy.. I'm not claiming that I've understand all the things subdued in each movement, each shots, each key of music and each cresendo and decresecdo of tempo..Eisenstein is (not was) the king of Cinema, And probably he is (again not was) the only director who can make 'propaganda' film in this height...
Limelight (1952)
The Best artist of all time...
Before seeing Limelight, I thought Chaplin's three masterpieces are 'The Gold Rush', 'City Lights', and 'Modern Times'. "The Great Dictator" makes me crying, in the last scene as well as 'The Kid'. Today, when I see Limelight, I was disturbed, I was ill-treated, I was very much disturbed. But after the film, I couldn't help but saying a word - The Greatest artist of all time. As a director, he is a master of misen-en-scene, in the beautiful scenes, interiors of Gold Rush, Modern Times - but Limelight, I can't think he couldn't make a film like this. As a director of Modern age, it is as tough to make a film like silent ages, and as a king of silent age, it was also very tough to make a film like Limelight. He was a king in music, and so was his theme. And one can feel what a true artist should be. Remember the very last scene, The king was dying, and then camera was slightly tracking back, then the close shot of his beloved...she was still dancing, seeing her king of heart dying...yet, as a artist her 1st preference was her art..Brilliant..not a clown..but the greatest Artist..Yes remembering all field..THE GREATEST ARTIST OF ALL TIME.