Cinema Cinema

Movie: Midnight Cowboy Language: English Genre: Drama Director: John Schlesinger Year: 1969 Watched on: 29 December 2005 Rating: **** (4/5) Review: Some movies are timeless (E.g. Bicycle Thief) and Midnight Cowboy is one among them. This movie is a more than thirty-five year old but it appears so contemporary that one can easily establish a connection with the story and characters. Don't get fooled by the title, this is not a western where gun totting cowboys on their neighing wild horses shoot at drop of a hat but a realistic as well as a tragic story of great bonding between two losers and is situated mostly in the very urban New York. This film was nominated for seven Academy awards (1970) and won three Academy awards (Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay), the first X-rated film to do so. Joe Buck (John Voight), a Texan dish washer bids adieu to his small home town as well as his job to pursue the dream of making big bucks by becoming a hustler in New York. Naïve ...

Movie: I Love Huckabees Language: English Genre: Comedy Director: David O. Russell Year: 2004 Watched on: 24 December 2005 Reviews: Chandrakanth: **** (4/5) I Heart (Love) Huckabees is an amazing comedy full of witty dialogs, unique visuals, great characterization and brilliant performances. Albert Markovski (Jason Schwartzman), an environmental activist and a poet hires a detective couple Bernard and Vivian (Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin) to help him out understand a coincidence and the very existence. The detectives’ unorthodox way of doing things includes spying on their subject to understand his psyche. As the movie as well as detectives make some progress we get to meet the Brad Stand (Jude Law) a Sales Manager at Huckabees and his model girlfriend Dawn (Naomi Watts). Brad, a smooth operator manipulates to depose Albert from directorship of the environmental group and get some protected land for Huckabees. Albert gets to meet fellow client Tommy, a fireman with a strong concern ...

Movie: Scarlet Diva Language: French/Italian/English Genre: Drama Director: Asia Argento Year: 2000 Watched on: 24 December 2005 Reviews: Chandrakanth: **** (4/5) Asia Argento’s semi-autobiographical movie tells a disastrous tale of a budding Italian actress Anna Batista (potrayed by Asia Argento herself) who is mired in loneliness, drugs, predating friends and acquaintances. This film doesn’t have much of a story but is an energetic expression of pain and sadness suffered by the main protagonist. The movie is shot quite well to go with the gloomy mood of the film and the script too helps the cause. Asia Argento’s style of direction is very stark and realistic and some scenes are very disturbing. Overall it is a good movie but it is not for everyone.

Movie: The Hound of the Baskervilles Language: English Genre: Crime/ Mystery / Horror Director: Terence Fisher Year: 1959 Watched on: 22 December 2005 Reviews: Chandrakanth: ***1/2 (3.5/5) This one is a vintage Sherlock Holmes stuff. Peter Cushing dons role of the ultimate detective Sherlock Holmes and André Morell plays his sidekick Dr. Watson who go on a mission to unravel mysterious curse thrown upon the Baskerville family. Though the movie has its rough edges, it turns out to be a thoroughly enjoyable fare. Good performances and tight direction are the highlights of the movie. Though Cushing has done a good job, I find it difficult to accept anyone other than the great Jermy Brett as Sherlock Holmes.

Movie: Appartement, L' Language: French Genre: Drama / Mystery / Romance Director: Gilles Mimouni Year: 1996 Watched on: 17 December 2005 Reviews: Chandrakanth: **** (4/5)

Movie: 25th Hour Language: English Genre: Crime / Drama Director: Spike Lee Year: 2002 Watched on: 16 December 2005 Reviews: Chandrakanth: **** (4/5)

Movie: Baise-moi Language: French Genre: Drama / Thriller Director: Virginie Despentes and Coralie Year: 2000 Watched on: 15 December 2005 Reviews: Chandrakanth: ** (2/5)

Movie: Before Night Falls Language: English / Spanish / Russian / French Genre: Biography / Drama Director: Julian Schnabel Year: 2000 Watched on: 4 December 2005 Reviews: Chandrakanth: **** (4/5)

Movie: The Cry of the Owl (Cri du hibou, Le ) Language: French Genre: Drama / Thriller Director: Claude Chabrol Year: 1987 Watched on: 3 December 2005 Reviews: Chandrakanth: *** (3/5)

Movie: Annie Hall Language: English Genre: Comedy / Romance /Drama Director: Woody Allen Year: 1977 Watched on: 2 December 2005 Reviews: Chandrakanth: **** (4/5)

Movie: The Star Maker (Uomo delle stelle, L') Language: Italian Genre: Comedy / Drama Director: Giuseppe Tornatore Year: 1995 Watched on: 27 November 2005 Reviews: Chandrakanth: **** (4/5)

Movie: A Clockwork Orange Language: English Genre: Crime / Drama / Sci-Fi / Thriller Director: Stanley Kubrick Year: 1971 Watched on: 26 November 2005 Reviews: Chandrakanth: **** (4/5)

Movie: Raging Bull Language: English Genre: Drama / Biography Director: Martin Scorsese Year: 1980 Watched on: 25 November 2005 Reviews: Chandrakanth: **** (4/5)