love&anarchy!
It's time for a post about HIFF, Helsinki International Film Festival and the four movies I saw this weekend. (I doubt I'll see more, but I might. Never know!)
Go see/rent/buy Maqbool if you want to see a Bollywood-version of Macbeth. The excessive song-and-dance scenes are replaced with drama, tears and dark scenery. It also has a bit of Godfather slipped in there somewhere. Gun violence. You may want to know the story of Macbeth before. Otherwise this movie may be quite confusing at first.
Go see 15. Just do it. It's a movie about Singaporean punks. Punks as in "let's skip class, smoke cigarettes, get tattoos and piercings and watch porn". Punks as in violent youth. This flick is so interesting visually. Think music videos and videogames. Think art movies and documentaries. And the characters are not just kids behaving badly. Singaporean government hates it. You'll most probably love it.
Go see Kal Ho Naa Ho, if you've never seen a Bollywood-film and want to know what's up. Go see it, if you like Bollywood-films and will enjoy one, even if it has a few flaws. Go see KHNH, if you just want a great laugh. And a love story. And catchy, pretty songs. And fake tears.
Dude, you definitely want to see NY through the eyes of Bollywood film-makers. Seriously.
Go see Neko ne ongaeshi, if you like the work of Ghibli-studios in general. And if you like cats. Catlove is sort of a must.
Spoilers follow. Don't read if you don't want to know what actually HAPPENS in these movies.
Maqbool
I haven't read Macbeth. I hadn't much of a clue about the story in Macbeth. So I was a little confused. Just a little though, I managed to follow the plot and I picked up on all the characters pretty soon. The mafia-element was pretty cool. Indian gangsters! Oh my. Of course, I love music in Bollywood-films and this one doesn't have much, but I knew it wasn't a typical Bollywood-film, so I wasn't disappointed. The actors were all pretty good but JESUS CHRIST what was with the young couple's love scene? I think everyone in the theater must've cracked up. So corny!
I just realized I've almost completely forgotten the ending. How did this happen? Ohmygod. I remember it was pretty powerful. Well, it is a story where nearly everyone gets killed. But there's humor in it, as well. And Maqbool cooking! Best scene ever, hehehe.
I don't what to say. It was a good film, but not a "OHMYGOD WHAT A GOOD FILM!"-type of movie.
15
I should see this movie again and I hope it comes on TV or on DVD so I can see it. Because after the first time of seeing it, I didn't really recognize any plot. This was sort of half-documentary, though there was a story there. But a plot that goes from A to C through point B ? Nope. None. Which made the movie very weird. Did I love it? YES.
Picture; skinny, tattooed, Asian boys without their shirts, not rapping, not singing, but just sort of talk-singing in a monotonic tone with technoish music on the backround. Boys, leaning against each other's shoulders, "singing" their own language to the camera. Weird lights in the backround.
That's music video for you.
Other cool scenes; two boys, both dry-humping a blow up doll on a bed, yelling "mass orgy!". Two youth gangs fighting, videogame style. You won! You lose! Guys presenting their friend different buildings he could jump off. The guy tells his friends: "No, I don't want that. I don't like red buildings." The punks picking a fight with English-speaking kids. Singaporean insults; "Your mum has no cunt!"
And so much more! And there was slashiness, it was really the type of "their-friendship-is-so-special-yay"-slashiness that just exists and doesn't need anything else, no fic or anything to complete it. Which is great.
Kal Ho Naa Ho
I will not get over seeing this movie in a while. It wasn't like, best movie ever, but it was a damn brilliant Bollywood-film that just sort of sucks you in its wonderful, colourful, beautiful world. It was just so entertaining! I loved it.
Some damn corny bits that made me laugh: when Aman (played by Shah Rukh Khan) starts singing "Pretty Woman" and the American flag goes up; when the Kapur family is praying and then they have these shots of Aman dressed in white (OMGWTF?! SRK = ANGEL OF GOD? HAHAHA!); Naina (the girl, played by Preity Zinta) gets drunk and isn't boring anymore and dances like WHOA (it wasn't really corny, but it's such a typical Bollywood-trick); the entire Pretty Woman-scene (black guys playing basketball! people dressed in hiphoppy clothes!).
In short; it's a movie about a girl, Naina, who lives in NY with her mother, brother, sister and grandmother. Her grandmother's a bitch. Grandma fights with Naina's mother daily. Her father is dead. Grandma hates Naina's adopted sister. All is very sad. Naina is dull. Naina has a friend, Rohit. He's one of the richest Gujartis in the States and young and handsome, so a pretty good catch. But he's just kind of hopeless with women. Enter Aman, like a gift from the above. Everyone loves Aman (of course). Except Naina (of course). But eventually he makes her smile. And she falls in love with him. And at the same time, Rohit realizes his feelings for Naina. Naina goes to tell Aman about her feelings, only to discover Aman is married (I always typed "pregnant", what the shit, hahahahaha). All is very sad. Naina leaves, crying her eyes out. Aman cries, because he's not really married, he's dying.
INTERMISSION. We get served really neat Indian food. Yummy.
Aman helps Rohit get Naina. Rohit gets Naina. Naina finds out Aman helped Rohit. Naina is pissed off. Naina still loves Aman. Aman still loves Naina, but no one knows about this. Rohit gets Naina back. They marry. Naina cries in the wedding (my summary kills the movie, I know). All is sad. Then there's some singing and it's all happy for a while and we see Kajol (beautiful Kajol, see icon!) in a cameo. But it's still all very sad, because Aman is dying. Everyone finds out this and Naina also finds out he's not married and loves her OMG. Rohit and Aman are friends (they always were, by the way), so Aman is all "Make her happy, man, 'cause I'm dying." Rohit is all "Okay."
20 years later and they never forgot Aman, because he was such a wonderful person.
How lame did that sound? It didn't do the movie justice at all, I'm sorry. Should've gotten rid of the sarcastic tone. Anyway! This movie, especially the first half, had so much comedy in it! I loved it, I laughed so much. There was this hilarious continuing joke about Rohit's housekeeper finding Aman & Rohit in suggestive situations. These kinds of gay-suggestions are not good for my mental health. Woke up the slasher in me. The slasher, who, you know, usually stays quiet during Bollywood-films. Oh my goodness. In the end of the movie I just wanted all three characters to do a threesome and get it over with. It was so obvious that they ALL loved each other. The love of three could've cured Aman and his mysterious heart disease! (I'm sorry, but heart problems with THAT physique? I'm not a doctor, but nu huh.)
I could go on forever. It was just such an entertaining film. The songs were so catchy, I had to download them once I got home. The supportive actors and actresses were good. The Bollywood-version of NY was fun. The Miracle Man, Aman, was such a comical character. Rohit was cute with his constant mess ups.
In one word; yay.
Neko ne ongaeshi
After 190 minutes of Bollywood, this seemed quite short of a film. I have to short with my review of it, too, as I got to be off to bed.
I loved the style of it, it was very cute. The story was cute, as well, and some of the characters were hilarious. I had some minor issues with the Finnish dubbing, but overall it was done well.
Eee, really have to go now. Thanks to sonormalithurts for providing movie company to all four movies.
Wow. Bollywood. My head is still spinning. Same time next year!!
Go see/rent/buy Maqbool if you want to see a Bollywood-version of Macbeth. The excessive song-and-dance scenes are replaced with drama, tears and dark scenery. It also has a bit of Godfather slipped in there somewhere. Gun violence. You may want to know the story of Macbeth before. Otherwise this movie may be quite confusing at first.
Go see 15. Just do it. It's a movie about Singaporean punks. Punks as in "let's skip class, smoke cigarettes, get tattoos and piercings and watch porn". Punks as in violent youth. This flick is so interesting visually. Think music videos and videogames. Think art movies and documentaries. And the characters are not just kids behaving badly. Singaporean government hates it. You'll most probably love it.
Go see Kal Ho Naa Ho, if you've never seen a Bollywood-film and want to know what's up. Go see it, if you like Bollywood-films and will enjoy one, even if it has a few flaws. Go see KHNH, if you just want a great laugh. And a love story. And catchy, pretty songs. And fake tears.
Dude, you definitely want to see NY through the eyes of Bollywood film-makers. Seriously.
Go see Neko ne ongaeshi, if you like the work of Ghibli-studios in general. And if you like cats. Catlove is sort of a must.
Spoilers follow. Don't read if you don't want to know what actually HAPPENS in these movies.
Maqbool
I haven't read Macbeth. I hadn't much of a clue about the story in Macbeth. So I was a little confused. Just a little though, I managed to follow the plot and I picked up on all the characters pretty soon. The mafia-element was pretty cool. Indian gangsters! Oh my. Of course, I love music in Bollywood-films and this one doesn't have much, but I knew it wasn't a typical Bollywood-film, so I wasn't disappointed. The actors were all pretty good but JESUS CHRIST what was with the young couple's love scene? I think everyone in the theater must've cracked up. So corny!
I just realized I've almost completely forgotten the ending. How did this happen? Ohmygod. I remember it was pretty powerful. Well, it is a story where nearly everyone gets killed. But there's humor in it, as well. And Maqbool cooking! Best scene ever, hehehe.
I don't what to say. It was a good film, but not a "OHMYGOD WHAT A GOOD FILM!"-type of movie.
15
I should see this movie again and I hope it comes on TV or on DVD so I can see it. Because after the first time of seeing it, I didn't really recognize any plot. This was sort of half-documentary, though there was a story there. But a plot that goes from A to C through point B ? Nope. None. Which made the movie very weird. Did I love it? YES.
Picture; skinny, tattooed, Asian boys without their shirts, not rapping, not singing, but just sort of talk-singing in a monotonic tone with technoish music on the backround. Boys, leaning against each other's shoulders, "singing" their own language to the camera. Weird lights in the backround.
That's music video for you.
Other cool scenes; two boys, both dry-humping a blow up doll on a bed, yelling "mass orgy!". Two youth gangs fighting, videogame style. You won! You lose! Guys presenting their friend different buildings he could jump off. The guy tells his friends: "No, I don't want that. I don't like red buildings." The punks picking a fight with English-speaking kids. Singaporean insults; "Your mum has no cunt!"
And so much more! And there was slashiness, it was really the type of "their-friendship-is-so-special-yay"-slashiness that just exists and doesn't need anything else, no fic or anything to complete it. Which is great.
Kal Ho Naa Ho
I will not get over seeing this movie in a while. It wasn't like, best movie ever, but it was a damn brilliant Bollywood-film that just sort of sucks you in its wonderful, colourful, beautiful world. It was just so entertaining! I loved it.
Some damn corny bits that made me laugh: when Aman (played by Shah Rukh Khan) starts singing "Pretty Woman" and the American flag goes up; when the Kapur family is praying and then they have these shots of Aman dressed in white (OMGWTF?! SRK = ANGEL OF GOD? HAHAHA!); Naina (the girl, played by Preity Zinta) gets drunk and isn't boring anymore and dances like WHOA (it wasn't really corny, but it's such a typical Bollywood-trick); the entire Pretty Woman-scene (black guys playing basketball! people dressed in hiphoppy clothes!).
In short; it's a movie about a girl, Naina, who lives in NY with her mother, brother, sister and grandmother. Her grandmother's a bitch. Grandma fights with Naina's mother daily. Her father is dead. Grandma hates Naina's adopted sister. All is very sad. Naina is dull. Naina has a friend, Rohit. He's one of the richest Gujartis in the States and young and handsome, so a pretty good catch. But he's just kind of hopeless with women. Enter Aman, like a gift from the above. Everyone loves Aman (of course). Except Naina (of course). But eventually he makes her smile. And she falls in love with him. And at the same time, Rohit realizes his feelings for Naina. Naina goes to tell Aman about her feelings, only to discover Aman is married (I always typed "pregnant", what the shit, hahahahaha). All is very sad. Naina leaves, crying her eyes out. Aman cries, because he's not really married, he's dying.
INTERMISSION. We get served really neat Indian food. Yummy.
Aman helps Rohit get Naina. Rohit gets Naina. Naina finds out Aman helped Rohit. Naina is pissed off. Naina still loves Aman. Aman still loves Naina, but no one knows about this. Rohit gets Naina back. They marry. Naina cries in the wedding (my summary kills the movie, I know). All is sad. Then there's some singing and it's all happy for a while and we see Kajol (beautiful Kajol, see icon!) in a cameo. But it's still all very sad, because Aman is dying. Everyone finds out this and Naina also finds out he's not married and loves her OMG. Rohit and Aman are friends (they always were, by the way), so Aman is all "Make her happy, man, 'cause I'm dying." Rohit is all "Okay."
20 years later and they never forgot Aman, because he was such a wonderful person.
How lame did that sound? It didn't do the movie justice at all, I'm sorry. Should've gotten rid of the sarcastic tone. Anyway! This movie, especially the first half, had so much comedy in it! I loved it, I laughed so much. There was this hilarious continuing joke about Rohit's housekeeper finding Aman & Rohit in suggestive situations. These kinds of gay-suggestions are not good for my mental health. Woke up the slasher in me. The slasher, who, you know, usually stays quiet during Bollywood-films. Oh my goodness. In the end of the movie I just wanted all three characters to do a threesome and get it over with. It was so obvious that they ALL loved each other. The love of three could've cured Aman and his mysterious heart disease! (I'm sorry, but heart problems with THAT physique? I'm not a doctor, but nu huh.)
I could go on forever. It was just such an entertaining film. The songs were so catchy, I had to download them once I got home. The supportive actors and actresses were good. The Bollywood-version of NY was fun. The Miracle Man, Aman, was such a comical character. Rohit was cute with his constant mess ups.
In one word; yay.
Neko ne ongaeshi
After 190 minutes of Bollywood, this seemed quite short of a film. I have to short with my review of it, too, as I got to be off to bed.
I loved the style of it, it was very cute. The story was cute, as well, and some of the characters were hilarious. I had some minor issues with the Finnish dubbing, but overall it was done well.
Eee, really have to go now. Thanks to sonormalithurts for providing movie company to all four movies.
Wow. Bollywood. My head is still spinning. Same time next year!!