Watching Movies - III

Here's my short take on the movies I've seen in the last 6 weeks or so. A rating of 3 stars or more means that the movie was satisfying enough to me and worth seeing.

 

Life in the Undergrowth *****

Magnificent, wondrous, bizarre world of invertebrates by the great D. Attenborough

 

Osama *****

Oppressive, dismal world of the Taliban, poignant, vivid, tragic; documentary feel

 

Sunshine ****1/2

Epic saga, engaging, dramatic sweep of Hungarian history, a bit too condensed

 

Paradise Now ****

A sharp, brave, stereotype busting story of two suicide bombers, a bit soap-boxy

 

The Story of the Weeping Camel ****

Anthropological gem from the Gobi, intriguing link between music and camels

 

The Namesake ****

Better movie than the book, see my longer review with commentary here.

 

Monty Python’s Life of Brian ***1/2

Mocking, funny, goofy, last third best; partly overdone, overacted, can use subtitles

 

Amistad ***1/2

Potent theme and historical-courtroom drama, gaudy Spielberg-ian excess

 

Short Cut to Nirvana ***

Kumbh Mela 101 by moony New Agers, low on erudition but worthwhile footage 

Comments

[Ruchira Paul]

I loved Osama. The last scene was one of the most heartbreakingly chilling and repulsive one I have ever seen. Makes our prolonged war efforts in Afghanistan (initially justified) and Iraq (criminal from the beginning) seem all the more mawkishly futile.

I too took out a Netflix membership recently. A few good movies I would recommend:

The Battle of Algiers: Made in 1965, just five years after the French colonial occupation of Algeria ended. A gripping B&W film about arrogance of occupiers who doggedly believe in the face of contrary evidence that their imperialistic designs are truly for the benefit of the occupied. Amazing shots of the city's maze like Muslim Quarters. A must see for all aspiring world leaders. Too late for Bush-Cheney.

Walk the Line: I am a little cynical and old for mushy love stories. But the quirky lives of Johnny Cash and June Carter had enough of an edge to hold my interest. Very, very good performances by all actors, especially the two leads - Joachin Phoenix as Cash and Reese Witherspoon as Carter. The music too is great.

Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? A long time fan of the Coen brothers, I missed this one when it was first released. A fantastically quirky movie with a goofy story line about hidden treasure, escaped convicts, the KKK and lots and lots of lies. The acting is stupendous, especially by the three convicts - George Clooney, John Turturro and Tim Blake Nelson. Clooney is charimingly brilliant in this movie. I don't know if the actors sang their own songs. The soundtrack alone makes it worth seeing the movie.