The Movies I Liked

[technobhatt]

no disrespect to any one but when we discuss movies, I think experience and exposure should be considered. I am 40 years old and I think I have seen so much movies that now it is getting harder for me to be surprised by movies. when I rate movies, I rate them by
originality, script, execution of the script and so on.
it is one of the reasons that I don't like Amir Khan movies as none of them is original whereas I may like an odd Akshay Kumar or Salman Khan movie for their silly laughs.

Hmm...a Lagaan or a Rangeela or even a Rang De Basanti were far more off the beaten track than the average Akshay Kumar or, worse yet, Salman movie

Having said that, Akshay has matured very well as an actor.

[Flame Resisting Cap On]

Just to add... I am now bored of watching Salman and Akshay doing same kind of roles all the time.
But like every other person having their own favourites, here is one actor I don't get bored at all !!

I like watching Shakti Kapoor :lol:... even Govinda sometime when in mood.
Shakti Kapoor is my favorite actor or in other words, I am his cult follower.

Just show me any Shakti Kapoor movie and I will watch the entire movie by just watching scenes of Shakti Kapoor...

Aaauuuuuu.....Ab yeh tum logo ko accept karna hi hogaaaa...
kyunki Khoon Kharaabe ke khaandaan se hoon main...
Aankhen nikalkar gotiyan khelta hoon main...
Main uss baap ki aulaad hoon, jiske chhurey pe khoon na laga ho, aisa koi din nahi gaya....
Jab tak iss duniya mein paap ka raaz hai, tab tak Shaki Kapoor Jagraaz hai...Aauuuuuu...mere Kanne Chakku hai....

But forgive me guys...
because... Main Nandu..Sabka Bandhu...
Main Chhota Sa Pyaara Sa Nanha Sa Bachchaa Hoon ;-)

 

[boltonfan]

no disrespect to any one but when we discuss movies, I think experience and exposure should be considered. I am 40 years old and I think I have seen so much movies that now it is getting harder for me to be surprised by movies. when I rate movies, I rate them by
originality, script, execution of the script and so on.
it is one of the reasons that I don't like Amir Khan movies as none of them is original whereas I may like an odd Akshay Kumar or Salman Khan movie for their silly laughs.

True, but many hindi films today are inspired by other films, and in my opinion there isn't something necessarily wrong with that if the film alone, without comparison to the original, stands out.

Actors playing the same type of roles always, is a completely different thing. Confining yourself to one genre is just stupid.

 

[shuv]

Shakti Kapoor is the best thing that ever happened to Bollywood!

 

[Rupam]

I like both versions. Original and a bollywood xerox copy.

A Short Film About Love

Ek Chhotisi Love Story
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0331479/?ref_=sr_2

 

[esanthosh]

A torini l (2011) - IMDb

I do not know if I like this because

a) This is my first movie in a couple of months.
b) I was helped by the two one hour power cuts, which broke down the movie to manageable 50 min pieces.
c) I just like Bela Tarr
d) I was in a good mood

Based on the IMDB rating and the relative rating and comparisons to other Tarr movies, I felt that this would be a disaster, a bore fest. While I keep turning to the time remaining quite often for Tarkovsky's movies, Bela Tarr has a knack for keeping me glued despite having relatively longer takes and slower pace.

While Werckmeister Harmonies and SatanTango had elements of mystery, a tinge of innocence, music, dance, humor thus creating an element of intrigue, Turin Horse is stripped of all of them catering only to the mere mundane human existence. There is no rain to wet the lands, just a constant howling wind that seems to get heavier and heavier. Even the music remains unchanged through out the film.

I am not sure many would even want to sit through the first hour of the film. I went in with an empty, open mind and like with all Bela Tarr movies, slipped into the role of a mere observer. His films always feel like an endless extension of my rare thoughtless state.

What does it have? Nearly two and a half hours of a father with one good (left) arm, a helpful daughter, an old horse, routines (dress / undress / boil potato / eat / drink Palinka), constant howling wind, minimal dialogues, lot of staring through the window, more routines and visitors who break the monotony. With each passing day, they realize that things are falling apart, the mood gets heavier and burdensome - even when eating potatoes. I felt increasingly sad whenever the horse was shown. In the end, everything slips into a dark, silent nothingness. This is a bit heavy and bleak compared to other Tarr creations. But, it still has an effect on me after a good night's sleep.

Obviously, not for everyone and certainly not a recommendation from my side. If you are already exposed to Bela Tarr [or] want to see something (very) different, you might want to watch it.

 

[hydra]

^^ What a coincidence! I just got myself a copy of The Turin Horse yesterday. Did you get it based on Criterion's upcoming BluRays listing? I did. I follow the listing every month, as it is a very reliable indicator of what I've missed watching so far. Because of it's connection with Nietzsche (as weak as the connection is), I'm looking forward to watching it.

 

[sud98]

Saw a few of the Oscar favourites last few weeks and below are my views

Lincoln (2012) - IMDb

Nice movie, worth the awards and the adulation. Great acting by Daniel Day Lewis. I also liked Tommy Lee Jones' part in the movie.

Silver Linings Playbook (2012) - IMDb

Fairly average movie, but the last 30 mins make it interesting and got me engaged. The movie could have been shorter and better. Had higher expectations from Jeniffer Lawrence.

Argo (2012) - IMDb
Nice, breezy movie but a bit shocking that it got an Oscar, that too the most coveted one. I like Ben Afleck movies, the Town was a nice movie. But some of the scenes are a bit too dramatic to make me believe its a true story.

Life of Pi (2012) - IMDb
Watched this really late as I heard a lot of reviews saying its very boring. I was a fan of the book and I really loved how they have turned it into a movie. Esp. as this was deemed as an unadaptable story. The CGI is excellent and the picture quality is a true reference.

 

[speed208]

I liked Drive movie.....It has awesome graphics and Sound. Music is also perfect.......I can watch this movie again and again....

 

[esanthosh]

^^ What a coincidence! I just got myself a copy of The Turin Horse yesterday. Did you get it based on Criterion's upcoming BluRays listing? I did. I follow the listing every month, as it is a very reliable indicator of what I've missed watching so far. Because of it's connection with Nietzsche (as weak as the connection is), I'm looking forward to watching it.

Thanks for reminding me about Criterion BR releases. I have not followed them with any regularity.

Oh! I've had it for a few months now. If I remember correctly, I got 'Turin Horse' sometime after watching Satantango. But I was forced to turn my attention to TV series given the unpredictable power situation, which still continues to haunt. Yesterday, I got too bored of watching TV shows and hence decided to return to movies starting with something familiar. I have a very long list movies to catch up on.

As you know, one of the joys of watching such movies is not knowing everything up front and forming our own opinion / making our own interpretations. The Nietzsche connection can be loose or important depending on how we connect the dots

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

PS: Update your iCheckMovies profile soon. It was fun when I had somebody familiar ahead of me

 

[Avijeet]

The Hobbit

this movie is a treat for all LOTR fans...
I loved it thoroughly..... really really well made movie.... can't wait for 2nd and 3rd part.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Staxxx]

esantosh, I would love to see the Tarr film. Do tell us about it. I love Tarkovsky and remember the feeling of being mesmerized watching Stalker!

 

[hydra]

Thanks for reminding me about Criterion BR releases. I have not followed them with any regularity.

Oh! I've had it for a few months now. If I remember correctly, I got 'Turin Horse' sometime after watching Satantango. But I was forced to turn my attention to TV series given the unpredictable power situation, which still continues to haunt. Yesterday, I got too bored of watching TV shows and hence decided to return to movies starting with something familiar. I have a very long list movies to catch up on.

As you know, one of the joys of watching such movies is not knowing everything up front and forming our own opinion / making our own interpretations. The Nietzsche connection can be loose or important depending on how we connect the dots

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

PS: Update your iCheckMovies profile soon. It was fun when I had somebody familiar ahead of me

I've been bitten by the mini-series bug too. Nearly all my viewing time over the last 3 months has been spent on catching up with them. I occasionally come up for air and watch a movie. I'm sitting on a HUGE backlog too and fast running out of space to keep not-yet-watched movies. I've been lucky to be blessed with mostly steady power. But I'm not sure it will remain that way in the coming year.

I've actually not watched as many movies as I used to, over the last 12 months. I'd come to learn that time spent with some special people can be as enjoyable or even more enjoyable. I'd watched perhaps half as many movies during these 12 months as I usually did the year before. I've begun to appreciate the outdoors more and go for treks and such quite frequently, so the weekends (which is when I used to watch 4-5 movies) also tend to be tied up. But I'm getting back into watching more movies during the weekdays these days.

I'll be watching The Turin Horse on a sunday afternoon when I'm in a relaxed state. I need to be in a certain state of mind to appreciate Bela Tarr. A regular weekday night will most likely not cut it. But I'm certain that as always, it will be a great experience!

I think I've not updated my iCheckmovies profile for more than a year! I'd actually completely forgotten about it -- the uh, thrill of the hunt has diminished quite a bit. But it is a nice tool to track my viewing. I'll update it soon

 

[esanthosh]

esantosh, I would love to see the Tarr film. Do tell us about it. I love Tarkovsky and remember the feeling of being mesmerized watching Stalker!

I would highly recommend the following Tarr films - Satantango, Werckmeister Harmonies and The Turin Horse.

But, I would also suggest that you start with Damnation as an introduction to Tarr. Even with it's shorter two hour running time, it felt a lot slower than the rest of his films. Perhaps, I need to watch it again to re-evaluate this notion. It hints at everything you can expect from a Tarr movie and prepares you for the rest.

Keeping in my mind that I am still scratching the surface of good cinema, here are my feelings when it comes to Tarvosky and Tarr. Rather than discuss the merits of their films, I felt it would be worthwhile to go on a different tangent and describe the connection I felt with their movies in general.

Tarkovsky

• With Tarkovsky, it feels poetic at times - literally with his father's poems as well as figuratively. For instance, with Stalker, even muddy places come across as strikingly beautiful - sort of a visual poetry. Even things that look mundane to the naked eye were presented with such elegance. I don't normally wish to see color in black and white films (which somehow feels more pure to me). But, there was this one scene in the field in Andrei Rublev which I wished was in color.
• I like watching the rain, most times devoid of any thought. But, as you know, life demands that we get back to 'duties' too soon. I loved how someone was able to bring out the beauty of rain without any other disturbance to the screen (a scene in Nostalghia where rain pours outside which we watch through the hotel window, rain inside the cave towards end of Stalker - readily come to mind). Irrespective of symbolism, even when taken literally, this is one of the things I have come to like in Tarkovsky's films.
• I don't know why, but I felt a rare sense of meditative calmness right after watching Stalker and The Mirror which I've never experienced with other films. May be there was a collective impact of the movie at the sub-conscious level which I didn't even realize was happening.
• There are certain instances in life where I've wished that time could stop / slow down, though they are far and few between. Some of Tarkovsky's slower shots felt like time was slowed down deliberately to zoom in on the experience. Even in Ivan's Childhood, a straight narrative by his standards, there are moments that break up to focus on water.
• One of the best story telling tools, at least IMHO, is silence. When there is 'nothing', our minds quickly act to fill that gap with thoughts. At times with Tarkovsky, I felt like checking the time remaining , but, if I connected with the movie, there were several things to think about.
• Tarkovsky comes across as an intellectual and spiritual person who loved his country and religion. I relate very well to his spiritual side and can understand most of philosophical thoughts. But at times, I felt like I could not grasp the enormity / entirety of what he was going through. It's like this - you can read about PRAT all you want, but you know it once you hear it. Without that understanding, you are merely assuming / extrapolating what it exactly means. I could respect Tarkovsky at all times, but I could not grasp / connect with him completely.

Bela Tarr

• Bela Tarr on the other hand talks to me in ways I comprehend easily - Mud, rain, desperation, a degrading / deteriorating village, community, deception, suspicion - a more simple, earthly way, if you will.
• Many times, my mind goes quiet. The surroundings, the tick-tock of the clock, a distant bird, neighbour's cell phone, my own actions - all become suddenly amplified. Walking across the hall which feels like a millisecond when head is filled with thoughts feels like a long time when every foot step is heard and even minute movements of the body are felt. Tarr's films put me in that state while watching. The exception is that while I would be bored to death if I walked three miles in that state of mind, Tarr somehow makes me feel at ease when showing the same three mile walk in it's entirety.
• Once you let go off the inhibitions of how a movie should be, sit relaxed with an empty, open mind ready to watch nothing but what is on screen, Tarr makes you an invisible, neutral observer (or a fly on the wall) who sees through the lens of the camera. Once you see past mundane activities on the screen, you realize that it allows you to empathize / understand the characters better. It is in this context that I feel that tracking the hungarian cow herd for eight minutes is one of the best opening sequences in movies. It is one of the first things I have reserved for a bigger screen whenever I save enough for a projector. It would be fun!
• Everything in a Tarr movie is long and drawn out. If you have experienced staring into nothingness (even if it lasted only a few seconds), Tarr's long takes where 'nothing' seems to happen wouldn't be that hard to digest. So much can be said with so little .. or nothing.

 

[baijuxavior]

Shortbus

Shortbus (2006) - IMDb

uffffff.... for your eyes only

There are lots of mainstream movies with explicit contents, but most of them lack a story. They are just pr0n, IMO. Shortbus has references to In the Realm of the Senses (1976) - IMDb. A more steamy one is the uncut version of Sexual Chronicles of a French Family (2012) - IMDb

 

[Rupam]

A must watch for movie lovers.

La Haine

La Haine (1995) - IMDb

The story line from imdb will tell you nothing about this film. At the ending the real message of the film will slap you hard in your face. Please watch this film......

 

[umapati]

A must watch for movie lovers.

La Haine

La Haine (1995) - IMDb

The story line from imdb will tell you nothing about this film. At the ending the real message of the film will slap you hard in your face. Please watch this film......

Hi..From where do you get suggestions for such good movies..?

 

[sam9s]

The King's Speech ....... First thing first I was simply blown away by the immaculate performance by Colin Firth as the stammering King George IV. The entire movie just heavily rest on his shoulders. Despite the obvious spot on direction the performance of Colin takes it to a new level. The plot revolves around King George VI, who is plagued by a dreaded stammer which results in low esteem and who starts to consider himself unfit to be the king, and an unorthodox speech therapist named Lionel Logue who helps him to regain his control over his speech and his low esteem as well. This movie is a perfect example of how a character driven movie is then a plot driven. Within first half hour the audience can come to the conclusion, what would be the course of the movie, but it is the characters, specially Colin as K.George IV and Geoffrey Rush as Lione who drive the movie all along and its a pleasure to watch their chemistry, leading to a warm climax that does bring few tears in your eyes. Absolute Worth a watch.

 

[Rupam]

Hi..From where do you get suggestions for such good movies..?

I was member of French Information and Resource Centre of the Embassy of
France for last 1o years...... They had a huge DVD library. I found many hidden gems there.

another excellent film is > Tess (1979)

Tess (1979) - IMDb

 

[subhash]

An amazing adventure


Kon-Tiki (2012) - IMDb

 

[hydra]

Hi..From where do you get suggestions for such good movies..?

There are lots of nice lists of movies on icheckmovies.com. There are enough lists there to keep you busy for a very long time.

If you like arthouse, look no further than the Criterion collection. iCheckmovies has a Criterion list, but you can always just go to criterion.com and look over their catalogue. If you're serious about buying Criterion DVDs/BluRays (they cost mucho dinero, but are worth it for the extras and commentary), you should wait for the 50% off sales that they run from time to time, usually on Barnes & Noble. If you have a fast internet connection (2mbps plus should do it) an international credit card, and can set up a US-based VPN, you can enjoy nearly all of Criterion's list legally on Hulu.