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Pillalamarri
Reviews
An Affair to Remember (1957)
Silly, inane movie - a waste of Cary Grant
Years after hearing the reference to this movie in Sleepless in Seattle, I finally watched this sorry excuse for a 'great romantic movie' recently.
I found it ridiculous. The dialogues were insipid, the acting wooden, the situations implausible, Somewhere I read that the director let these two characters improvise their lines to some extent; that shows! Especially when they repeat each other's lines.
I give this a 1-star, because a Zero is not an option here.
Gravity (2013)
Waste of Money, Waste of Time
and waste of $105 million supposedly spent to make this. Surprisingly, it is said to have grossed $200+ million. There is no explaining to taste; other than the warning of PT Barnum.
To say that the story is weak is to concede there is a story; none, zilch, nada. It is endless crashes, explosions, with an often dazed, stone-faced Sandra Bullock trapezing her way from one unoccupied, exploding, space station to another, and managing a fiery re-entry into some unidentified land mass.
Navigation in Exploding Space Stations - would be a nice title for this documentary; but I can't call this a documentary, because as far as I can tell, it defies all logic, physics (space or otherwise).
Go watch Apollo 13 yet another time. This flick doesn't deserve the cost of a movie ticket, a DVD rental; and certainly not the expenditure of 90 minutes of anybody's life.
Miracle on 34th Street (1973)
Best of the Bunch
I don't know why most of the people here don't like this version, and compare it very unfavorably with the 1947 movie version.
I saw this in 1973, and perhaps a couple more times after that. Then it disappeared. It was difficult to track this down; even the existence of this version. Neither Blockbuster nor Netflix stocks this version.
David Hartman became the ABC morning show host soon after. Or was he already in that capacity when this was made? Jane Alexander gave a fine portrayal as the "sensible" mother. Sebastian Cabot was simply made for the role. I thought Burl Ives would have made a good choice too.
I thought that overall, the performances in this TV version far more understated while the older movie version is too explicit, leaving nothing to imagination. The dialogue seemed too contrived.
I wish I can find the TV version somewhere.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
Harry Potter and the Half-Baked Plot
The problem with the Harry Potter books is that the books are too long, the twists are too sudden and convenient. Is Snape a god guy, a bad guy, a good guy, or a bad guy? Rowling makes him to be whatever fancies her at the moment, continuity and consistency be damned.
One problem with the movies is that the books are too long. Another is that they rely on people having read the book. Or else, things don't make sense, because, even at 2hr 35mins, they have to cut scenes from the book, and the result seems to be a disjointed hodge-podge of scenes, with a bushel-full of inconsistencies. People are disappearing, so they say in one scene, but other than that lone statement, things are going on jolly well the rest of the time. On the one hand everybody can do magic, on the other hand, they act surprised at each other's stuff. Draco is supposed to be fiendishly clever, but neither he, nor the eviller Snape has no idea of being followed by Harry.
The trouble with this magic stuff is that one can be as lazy as one wishes to be in plot construction, as at any given time, you can change things around to what you want them to be, just by waving a wand.
Emma Watson is the true star of the show. Maggie Smith is in the movie all of perhaps two minutes.
Duplicity (2009)
a wasted Julia Roberts, a wood Owen
I would like to spill a secret at the outset: Rogaine has been in the market for more than a decade!
A spy film doesn't have to have so many twists and turns as to make the audience confused as to what is happening while watching, and wonder what happened, even after it is over.
Julia Roberts is wasted in this nonsensical plot less, clueless venture. Clive Owen is busy trying to fake a face that is a cross between Richard Burton and Cary Grant. Julia shows her age except when she sports that all-black "Hi, I am Johnny Cash" look. Clive has that perfectly chiseled, wooden mug, that manages to show no emotion; probably the prerequisite for a spy.
The movie has several foreign locales, all gratuitously thrown in as necessary ingredients for the intrigue. I missed Istanbul in the mix, a must-locale for any self-respecting spy movie.
I have never walked away from a Julia Roberts movie this dissatisfied; except after Ocean's 11.
Kabuliwala (1961)
A haunting, memorable movie
Ditto the comments in the previous review.
The film was made in commemoration of some anniversary (the precise one escapes me), and is made unlike the usual Bollywood movies. It has a lot of sensitive moments, such before leaving his home, Khan takes a print of his daughter's palms on a piece of paper, and keeps that close to him.
The songs are very moving, and excellently composed by Salil Choudhury. Both "aye mere pyaare watan", and "aaye kahaan se, gangaa, jaaye kahaare" are wonderful pieces with deep philosophical undertones.
I find the last scene particularly touching. This is when Khan gets out the prison, and comes to see Mini one last time, before perhaps returning to his native land. Mini is all grown up, and is about to be married. She doesn't remember him. This hurts Khan tremendously, because he then suddenly realizes that his little girl whom he left back home, most likely has no memory of him. Nothing is said outright, but you can see all this portrayed by Balraj Sahni, without saying a word.