Posted: 6 years ago
Originally posted by Himalaya10


The dogs of war---

The tin-pot republic of Zangaro---typical specimen of the hellhole that is Africa...

Its ruled by a typically brutal dictator called Simba...oh actually it is Zimba...

But Zimba Simba who cares...they are all the same in the banana republics of Africa arent they...

He's come to power by killing all his enemies , and to make sure no one entertains any future thought of enemity to him , he kills them before they have such thoughts...

And he lives lavishly with his harem in the midst of his garrisoning troops in their barracks while his country is awash in a sea of crime and injustice...

Into this godforsaken place comes our hero---posing as a wildlife photographer...

He's instantly suspected for what he is---for who would come to this hellish place taking photographs if he is not sent by Zimba's enemies for taking measure of Zimba's power and the potential of destroying it...

...And so he is packed off to jail where amidst myriad tortures , he meets the leader of the democratic movement of Zangaro who is cooling his heels in jail for the past 4 years for preaching democracy...

But our hero's a white man---a citizen of the United States , and that country wont take the death of its countryman so lightly...

So he cant be killed and has to be sent home...

A home where the people who have sent him are waiting for his report on the situation in Zangaro...

For them he is just a mercenary , a dog of war...

...And such dogs are expendible...

But before such dogs are expended they have their uses...

And his use to his handlers is to assemble a pack of dogs like himself and start a revolution in that little corner of Africa called zangaro...

...And their plan is to prop up a suitably black president who allows them to loot the mineral resources of his country and make money...

But our dog is a dog with a mind of his own...

And above all he's a good dog...

He's not got long to live due to a fatal disease, and so has no use for the money his handlers are offering him...

And at the end of his life he wants to do something good for humanity...

But firstly , does he succeed in bringing revolution to Zangaro ??

Happily he does , and the director torches alight Frederick Forsythe's dull novel by moving away from the script and showing some real action unlike the novel which concentrated only on the planning of the coup and disappointingly stopped before some fighting broke out...

As President Zimba's palace is swept by a hailstorm of firepower and the invaders fire grenades , rockets and bullets into the garrison protecting Zimba , the question is not whether Zimba will go but in how short a time will Zimba's power collapse...

But the bigger question is---what is our hero's plan to put idealism in action in Zangaro ??

And will the people who financed him take his betrayal lying down ??

For answers to it , watch THE DOGS OF WAR...

I found it a decent watch...

rating---3 stars .

 ___________

😆

Whoa! The President is being bashed left and right for allegedly calling those countries something similar

Only instead of hellhole, he said s#%&hole (allegedly, he denies but agrees using strong word ðŸ˜†)

BLUE - Usually yes, but from 2009 to Jan 2017  it was different, the opposite many times
Edited by ---Betty--- - 6 years ago
Posted: 6 years ago
movie review---All the money in the world
Oil tycoon John Paul Getty---the richest man in the world . But a mean miser with money...or maybe I am being too harsh on him , because his mean ways were obviously what earned him all the money in the first place . However , does all the money in the world matter when your precious grandson is kidnapped and the possibility arises that you will not be able to see him ever ? It does , especially if you are John Paul Getty . The old man fears that a precedent of him paying ransom money may spark off further kidnappings of other family members for money and simply refuses to pay at first .

And the refusal to pay money sets in motion a long saga of the grandson's suffering in captivity , of his mother running from pillar to post to try to do something to get her son back , of his grandfather sending his ex CIA dealmaker to try get the grandson out by making a deal with the kidnappers , of the Italian police meddling in...for the grandson has been kidnapped in Italy .

What makes you really feel for the family of the kidnapped boy is the acting by Michelle Williams as Gail Harris---the boy's mother . Her struggle to eke out the required amount from the hard old man Getty , her expression when she gets false news that her son has been killed , her relief when she finds out that he is not dead , her repeated meetings with Getty's dealmaker Fletcher Chase ( played by Mark Wahlberg ) in her quest to get her son free , her tears and her efforts---all make you really empathise with situation she finds herself in .

Michelle's great acting is however outmatched by Christopher Plummer as Getty , who plays a person as tough minded as a billionaire who has earned his billions through sheer hard work ought to be . In private he does care for his kidnapped grandson , but seems almost loathe to admit it...as if it would be a insult to a man in his power and position to bow before a bunch of mere thugs who hold the grandson . And he does not care for the heartache he gives to the boy's mother with such a hardened attitude .

As the matter spirals out of control due to the boy being sold to another gang and his escape attempt nearly succeeding but failing , and Getty's miserly attitude resulting in the kidnappers cutting off one ear of his grandson , it is left to the deal maker to show some conscience and threaten the powerful old man into parting with his money by literally grabbing his arm .

The movie which is based on real events unfolds as a thriller that relies more on the acting of it's protagonists than it's action . And it relies on the tension on the faces of the protagonists and the sweat created by the tension on their brows to hold us in it's grip . The publicity generated by the kidnapping and the photographers and news reporters falling over themselves to report the news adds to the tension .

Background music is appropriate for the situations and photography is decent , but colours are grim just like the scenes . The movie does keep us on tenterhooks for a long time as to the fate of the kidnapped boy . But amazingly , the film makes you worry more about what the mother will go through if he does not return home than what will happen to the boy himself . And watching the relief on the mother's face when she finds her boy is just priceless . Watching 'All the money in the world' is certainly your money's worth .

Verdict---Good .

Four stars out of five .
____________
Posted: 6 years ago
Thanaa Serndha Koottam
Venue: Novo Ibn Battuta, 9:40 pm
Status: Around 70%

Storyline

Inspired/influenced by the notable Neeraj Pandey work Special 26, Thanaa Sendra Kootam (TSK) is about how a jobless youth decides to form a fake 'CBI investigation' team of good-hearted people, who steal funds from the rich and corrupt. When the real team catches wind of the deception, they leave no stone unturned to catch the conmen.

Direction and script

Vignesh Sivan has kept up a pacy and entertaining style to proceedings throughout. He has managed to infuse a lot of humour and colour to the narrative, though the script is predictable and sometimes illogical (especially towards the end). The witty one-liners keep coming and more than the raids themselves, it's the humour between the protagonists that make TSK a worthy watch. Music by Anirudh is a mixed bag, with Sodakku and the title song making a real impact, but the songs involving Surya and Keerthi are terrible. While the climax is a weak point overall, the post-credits scene is simply hilarious.

Performances

Surya is as charming and young-looking as ever, and is really having a riot here. His costumes and various looks are a particular highlight. Ramya Krishnan does a neat job as an alternately funny and poker-faced 'officer'. The rest of the team deliver laughs in spades. On the other side, Karthik is a little over the top in his portrayal of the real CBI Officer, while Suresh Menon is far more convincing. Keerthi Suresh is a disappointment with her non-expressions and general characterisation which acts as a downer and speed breaker during the film.

Overall, TSK is an entertaining diversion packed with an energetic and charming turn by Surya

Verdict: Paisa Vasool
Rating: 3.5/5
Posted: 6 years ago
Anne with an E.
Such a beautiful show. Simple story of a little girl from an orphanage, adopted by a family under unusual circumstances. Stunning visuals, nice screenplay, brilliant camera work along with a bunch of very gifted performers. Brings in a lot of memories of childhood...eagerly waiting for S2.
Posted: 6 years ago
The Lost City of Z
A well made adventure biography about Percy Fawcett, an explorer in the WWI era who wanted to find ancient South American civilizations. Well acted with Charlie Hunnam, Robert Pattinson and Tom Holland doing well in their roles. The major drawback is the sluggish pace and extensive length. The movie could have done with better editing. 

The Ghazi Attack

A thrilling naval war film. One positive about The Ghazi Attack is that it is patriotic without being jingoistic. It is a complete battle of wits and strategy between PNS Ghazi the best South Asian sub of its time and S21 an Indian recon sub. It is an uphill task for a recon sub to go against a battle sub, but S21 is able to do so with some clever maneuvering and loads of luck. Overall a good war film. My only critique is some of the underwater torpedo and mine sequences were a bit cartoonish. 

Bill Nye Saves the World S2

S2 is much shorter with only 6 episodes compared to S1's 13. But I think they went for quality over quantity. Bill Nye is less dismissive, more educative and conducts his expert panels a lot better. Bill meets Science Twitter is a cool new segment. In many segments, it does come across as over the top and cheesy. A must watch for Bill Nye fans as well as anyone with an open mind and curiosity to learn more. 

American Vandal

An absolutely clever parody of Making a Murderer and Serial. At first, I didn't know if it was a parody or real. But then I got it from the internet buzz. Even though you know it is a parody, you get totally sucked into figuring out "Who Drew the Dicks?". The show also manages to make some great commentary on our society and approach to crime. It gives surprisingly profound lessons on biases and the self-fulfilling prophecy. 

Somebody Feed Phil S1

I honestly started watching it because it looked like a cool food documentary. I had no idea who Phil Rosenthal is. He is no Anthony Bourdain or Andrew Zimmern who have a strong culinary background. He is just a quirky eccentric old Jewish guy who really digs food. At first, I didn't know if I'd like Phil, but he grows on you and he genuinely has a warm heart and open mind when it comes to people. My favorite bits were the shots of Purim in Israel, the lesbian wedding in New Orleans and Leah Chase

Hindi Medium

A really sharp appraisal of the current state of education in India. We Indians make a huge fallacy of equating English with intelligence. Yes, English is a wider used language. English education is practical and opens a lot of opportunities. But we should not engage in elitism or ignore our own languages. Secondly, while the right to education allowed poor children access to better education, it did not guarantee them acceptance. Many schools still find these kids beneath them. They allow the rich to scam and take their seats. Those poor kids who do make it are bullied, ignored, and don't fit in. This movie shows all this so aptly. Irrfan Khan and Deepak Dobriyal are phenomenal. Also the opening love story between Raj and his wife was adorable. 

Posted: 6 years ago
There's a marathi movie I watched on Netflix called Baapjanm and I liked it. It's a family type movie but with a twist. Recommended.
Posted: 6 years ago
movie review---Darkest hour
'Darkest hour' centres around Winston Churchill from the time he was made prime minister of Britain till the evacuation of British troops from the french port of Dunkirk during world war 2 . The movie starts with the removal of former prime minister Neville Chamberlain from his post for failing to confront Hitler . Majority of the cabinet wants Lord Halifax to be PM , but he feels his time is not yet come . So the onus falls on Churchill to be PM .

Churchill's wife and children raise a toast for his elevation , but privately Churchill tells his wife that making him PM during Britain's darkest hour is like taking revenge . Obviously if anything goes wrong as it seems will happen , then Churchill can be made scapegoat . It is upto him to prove his detractors wrong and make history .

But the movie does not glorify Churchill and does not just show the fiery speeches that he gave , but also concentrates on his private moments . And many of them are filled with self doubt and even tears . Also many of his private moments are spent on his commode in the WC phoning allies like US president Roosevelt . And many moments are disappointing , like when the US president says he cannot give the fifty warships Churchill wants as he is bound by the neutrality act .

His female secretary/stenographer ( played by Lily James ) is witness to many of these happenings . When the British army is surrounded at Dunkirk and she does not understand the situation , he personally takes her to the war room to show the situation on map . And watches her tears flow as she comes to know...her brother is trapped there never to return you see...Churchill just keeps on looking at her face...

His plan to ask 4000 British soldiers to divert the Germans on themselves so that those trapped in Dunkirk can escape does not receive the support of anyone , but he pushes the plan and those soldiers are sacrificed . His wife ( played by Kristin Scott Thomas ) is his pillar of strength , egging him on to fight the nazis . King George VI ( played by Ben Mendelsohn ) would plainly have preferred to have Lord Halifax as PM , as he admits to Churchill . But later he warms up to Churchill , visiting him in his all too humble quarters asking him to reach out to the people . And Churchill is shown doing just that ; a fictitious journey is invented by the moviemakers in which Churchill travels through the London underground to asses British public opinion about the war . And the opinion of all is not to surrender .

But behind the scenes there are people willing to negotiate with Hitler , and they want Churchill out because of his adamant opinion that war is a must to preserve western civilisation . Leading them are Lord Halifax and Chamberlain , who is dying of cancer . They consider him a drunkard and a man who has only 4 good ideas among 100 , with the rest 96 being bad ideas . Indeed Churchill is shown forever drinking and smoking a cigar . But the speech he makes in parliament makes him unstoppable . ''We shall fight them on the beaches , we shall fight with growing confidence in the air'' he says . And promises to carry the fight across the seas if Britain shall fall .

The speech makes a rousing climax to the movie and Gary Oldman has wonderfully acted every bit of his part as Churchill , making us feel as if the PM himself was with us making the speeches . He is helped by the some great music as background score and good photography . What would disappoint an ordinary viewer is the fact that there are no action scenes . Ultimately Churchill's decision to send civilian boats to evacuate the British soldiers stranded at Dunkirk proves to be right as the boats manage a successful evacuation , but you will have to see the movie 'Dunkirk' for that . This movie is about what went on in the centres of power in Britain's darkest hour .

Verdict---decent .

Three stars out of five .
______________
Posted: 6 years ago

Netflix has released a whole treasure-trove of Marathi movies... if anyone is interested. Now, you require a taste for Marathi movies before you can go and enjoy them. They are not the usual commercial movies... nor are they out and out art movie. In fact, a typical commercial Marathi movie will feel like watching an art movie... and an art movie, well... jaane do. All Marathi movies are art movies... why because they have no budget to make a commercial movie. The g'ment probably finances most Marathi movies... and then it forces the movie-halls to show at least one.

Sorry... went on a tangent there. That is not the point of this thread. There are some good... and some bad Marathi movies. Most of them seem to be Ashok Saraf starrers... which automatically put them into bad but funny movies. Thought I should list some of the decent ones I watched recently... but hungry now and brain does not work... can't remember any of the names. Will update post later when stomach full and brain working...

 

Those Marathi movies on Netflix,

Hridaynath: Jackie Shroff stars in this one as an old school teacher (master), who dislikes conflict... to the level that he will just give in and take a beating but not stand up. Then his heart changes... physically... and he changes into a small time ganglord. But due to budget restrictions (movie-making, low production values), he never rises up to his zenith... and the movie just fritters away. Watch if you have nothing else to do.

Ideachi Kalpana
: A remake of the old Sanjeev Kumar/Farouqhue Shaikh movie, "Dus Lakh". But of course, the marathi movie takes it a scale up and adds more twists and turns. A funny one-time watch. The twists towards the end really seem unending till you keep asking for more... and more.

Shame-to-Shame
: A mixup of twins... but old and badly made... the mixup seems very forced. Can be skipped.

Pheka Pheka: This is a remake of the old "Aaj ka Taja Khabar"... and not funny at all. It has the constipated-looking Ashok Saraf making his forced-faces all through out. And there are no add-ons or twists, follows the old movie faithfully. The original hindi movie is way better.

Kay Dyache Bola:
This is a gem of a movie... a loose remake of "My Cousin Vinny". Couple of college guys get falsely accused of murder... and their lawyer-uncle comes from the village to rescue them. Dialogue-delivery of this uncle is first-class and takes the movie from its simple nature to the high-level of movie-making. Definitely worth a watch, if only one-time.

Started watching "Aajcha Divas Majha"... will update after watching... give me a few days/weeks.

 

This is one movie which i found not worth watching. So, there might be a few out there who like it.

O21 -


The synopsis said it was about corporate mining Afghanistan and some extremist leaders thrown in sounded interesting.

Found that is a Pakistani movie, relatively high budget with some Firang actors.

But the presentation is horrible. It is slow but with horrible editing, there is a frequent flipping of scenes. The background music is also monotonous and does not even reflect what is going on in the scene. The result is a headache and you dont know where the movie is heading.

In imdb, all Pakistani posters are going gaga over it. I would be more like the audience in a couple of Karachi halls who booed this movie and forced the halls to change it.

 

__________________
This is quite a game, politics. There are no permanent enemies, and no permanent friends, only permanent interests.

 

Edited by Himalaya10 - 6 years ago
Posted: 6 years ago

Old 1969 Movie is on youtube :

 Aadami aur Insaan ::

 Watched this movie on youtube. A film directed by Yash Chopra.
Cant believe Bollywood was so advanced with technology during those days,excellent direction,photography and the tight screenplay which keeps you glued.
Firoz Khan and Dharmender at their best,Mumtaz as a vamp is also wonderful,Saira Banu somewhats looks like a mis-caste for the film.
Liked the shirts worn by Dharmender in the first half,hope I find some of those materials now

 The aircraft breaking into flames scene special effects, though amateurish now, were a lot hat ke for bollywood those days.

 Packs a lot of story. Lot of twists.
Friendship, love, patriotism, action, corruption, intrigue in those 3 hours. Saira Banu is stunning and Mumtaz is Sexy.
Plus a load of villains and henchmen- Feroz Khan for a good part of the movie, Madan Puri, Ajit and Randhawa (brother of Dara Singh)

It starts off as Satyakam but goes beyond that.

 Here is the youtube video from Venus films which is of better quality.

 https://youtu.be/M-HQzjXkfGU

 __________________

Edited by Himalaya10 - 6 years ago
Posted: 6 years ago
Originally posted by Himalaya10


movie review---Darkest hour
'Darkest hour' centres around Winston Churchill from the time he was made prime minister of Britain till the evacuation of British troops from the french port of Dunkirk during world war 2 . The movie starts with the removal of former prime minister Neville Chamberlain from his post for failing to confront Hitler . Majority of the cabinet wants Lord Halifax to be PM , but he feels his time is not yet come . So the onus falls on Churchill to be PM .

Churchill's wife and children raise a toast for his elevation , but privately Churchill tells his wife that making him PM during Britain's darkest hour is like taking revenge . Obviously if anything goes wrong as it seems will happen , then Churchill can be made scapegoat . It is upto him to prove his detractors wrong and make history .

But the movie does not glorify Churchill and does not just show the fiery speeches that he gave , but also concentrates on his private moments . And many of them are filled with self doubt and even tears . Also many of his private moments are spent on his commode in the WC phoning allies like US president Roosevelt . And many moments are disappointing , like when the US president says he cannot give the fifty warships Churchill wants as he is bound by the neutrality act .

His female secretary/stenographer ( played by Lily James ) is witness to many of these happenings . When the British army is surrounded at Dunkirk and she does not understand the situation , he personally takes her to the war room to show the situation on map . And watches her tears flow as she comes to know...her brother is trapped there never to return you see...Churchill just keeps on looking at her face...

His plan to ask 4000 British soldiers to divert the Germans on themselves so that those trapped in Dunkirk can escape does not receive the support of anyone , but he pushes the plan and those soldiers are sacrificed . His wife ( played by Kristin Scott Thomas ) is his pillar of strength , egging him on to fight the nazis . King George VI ( played by Ben Mendelsohn ) would plainly have preferred to have Lord Halifax as PM , as he admits to Churchill . But later he warms up to Churchill , visiting him in his all too humble quarters asking him to reach out to the people . And Churchill is shown doing just that ; a fictitious journey is invented by the moviemakers in which Churchill travels through the London underground to asses British public opinion about the war . And the opinion of all is not to surrender .

But behind the scenes there are people willing to negotiate with Hitler , and they want Churchill out because of his adamant opinion that war is a must to preserve western civilisation . Leading them are Lord Halifax and Chamberlain , who is dying of cancer . They consider him a drunkard and a man who has only 4 good ideas among 100 , with the rest 96 being bad ideas . Indeed Churchill is shown forever drinking and smoking a cigar . But the speech he makes in parliament makes him unstoppable . ''We shall fight them on the beaches , we shall fight with growing confidence in the air'' he says . And promises to carry the fight across the seas if Britain shall fall .

The speech makes a rousing climax to the movie and Gary Oldman has wonderfully acted every bit of his part as Churchill , making us feel as if the PM himself was with us making the speeches . He is helped by the some great music as background score and good photography . What would disappoint an ordinary viewer is the fact that there are no action scenes . Ultimately Churchill's decision to send civilian boats to evacuate the British soldiers stranded at Dunkirk proves to be right as the boats manage a successful evacuation , but you will have to see the movie 'Dunkirk' for that . This movie is about what went on in the centres of power in Britain's darkest hour .

Verdict---decent .

Three stars out of five .
______________

Watched it today. It was a good movie I guess. I felt really uncomfortable watching it, especially having watched Dunkirk before. I mean to see what's happening on the other side while the soldiers were facing almost certain death, it was scary. 

Also, I think it's amazing how many parallels can be drawn to the present political scenario with Trump having got the presidency. I don't agree with Trump's hysterics but somehow Churchill was someone I was rooting for. Of course, I have my reasons, but this probably shows that you can agree with the left and with the right for different causes. No perspective is completely wrong. It's probably the person who is wrong, another person with similar perspective might have been the right choice. 

I really liked Lily James too. She is so pretty but in a very real way, not plastic like some actresses look. I like that and she acts really well too. 
Edited by astha36 - 6 years ago

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