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harikansal
Reviews
Krishna Aur Kans (2012)
Finally an in-depth rendition.
Most attempts at this story focus on fighting and "chamatkaars", but this one truly captures, not just from a scriptural and spiritual perspective, but from a theatrical perspective the true nature of each of the characters that it introduces.
The struggles and joys of having a relationship with Krishna are explored at a depth that is worthy of the Mariana's Trench that is this story.
The Huntsman: Winter's War (2016)
A fun watch
It's basically Frozen meets Lord of the Rings meets the first Snow White, minus Kristen Stewart which I guess is a good thing.
Angry Indian Goddesses (2015)
Don't miss this crucial message of the film
The film is about the problems that women (especially Indian women) face on a day to day basis, just because they are women.
Throughout the film we see their issues weaved into the narrative, and it all climaxes to the sobering message at the end:
"Society, don't wait till we're raped and murdered for you to stand up for us or with us. We are a part of you, society, we are mothers, daughters, sisters, cousins, wives, lovers, family, colleagues, and friends. You worship Devis, the goddesses, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Durga, but you don't stop and think that maybe the women we see every day deserve some of our respect too."
Wazir (2016)
Just a little better than "time-pass"
Wazir is a film with stereotypical cinematography/direction (especially the love scenes), a horribly failed attempt at playing a mad character by Neil Nitin Mukesh, and just barely believable performances by the usually talented Amitabh Bachchan and Farhan Akhtar.
The music, although carrying the weight of the talented musicians behind it, doesn't adequately carry the heavy emotions of the film itself.
Despite all these flaws, the twist at the end makes it just a little better than time-pass, so, watch it if you have time to pass.
Pink (2016)
Just what Bollywood needs.
Pink delivers an extremely crucial message by first explaining the subtleties, and then dismantling the logic behind, rape culture. It does this without any light moments, and still manages to keep the viewer fully engaged from start to finish.
Amitabh Bachchan, Tapsee Pannu, and Piyush Mishra deliver powerful performances as the film builds very carefully to an increasingly exciting climax. Exactly as such court cases build in reality. This is very difficult to achieve, but is masterfully executed by the direction and script.
The soundtrack is, in a word, epic. Seeing as the film discusses a global issue, similarly the music also pulls on the different sounds and cries of the world. These sounds are accentuated by the glorious poetry and lyricism of India, serving to drive home the heavy emotions packed in this film.
I highly recommend this film.
Sinsegye (2013)
A masterpiece based on masterpieces.
A modern Korean take on "The Godfather" and "The Departed", this film beautifully explores the nuances of Korean culture through near flawless character development, script, cinematography, and pulse (the cycling of high and low points throughout the film that keep the audience fully engaged), though is not for the haemophobic (those who fear blood).
Lee Jung-jae is absolutely phenomenal in his role; easily one of the best performances I've seen of any actor, ever. I would say the same about the character development in this film as well, which is extremely difficult to pull off in a film with such a heavy flow of "events".
The only noticeable flaw is that the elevator scene towards the end is unrealistic (you'll see when you get to it).
Easily in the top 3 Korean films of all time.
Miss India America (2015)
Miss(es) its mark.
The film is flawed from the start. Lily is extremely intelligent but doesn't grasp the fact that her boyfriend didn't leave her for Miss India America because of the title, he is shown from the opening scene to not care about accomplishments or titles. This fact on its own renders the rest of the film to be superfluous.
Despite this, I stayed thinking that Lily will explore the depths of her humanity via the constant setups that indicated a strong likelihood of her mother playing a huge role in helping Lily understand the world, but this miss(ed) the mark too. Although the film does eventually draw on her mother, it does so in a rushed and superficial way.
On top of all these disappointments, many of the secondary actors/actresses were atrocious (due in small part to the script).
Arrival (2016)
A masterpiece of its time.
First off, this film is designed primarily for intellectuals. It builds, very gradually, complex concepts that the average person may not find themselves thinking of on a day to day basis. This is why the climax can only hit you where it's meant to, if you paid attention and asked yourself major conceptual and theoretical questions throughout the film.
You can still enjoy it as an average person, since the acting, soundtrack, and visuals/cinematography are all well above average, but it might not shake up your view of the world.