Movie Junction

Recently, a friend and I were talking about Indian movies. It turns out that he had never watched a Bollywood movie. Even without seeing a single movie, he knew that "Bollywood" movies are different. What is "Bollywood," and how is it different from "Hollywood"? Bollywood is one of the oldest film industries in the world. Its origins can be traced back to 1913, when Phalke's "Raja Harischand" (King Harischand), the first full-length feature film, was released in India . . . a year before D.W. Griffith's "The Squaw Man" appeared in Hollywood. In the book <i>Temples of Desire</i>, Vijay Misra interchangeably uses "Bollywood" and "Bombay Cinema" for Hindi-based films released in Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay). Moreover, "Bollywood" is a postmodern term that has become increasingly popular in the last 15 years due to its comparison to "Hollywood" and the emergence of In...

Scream 3” (2000) was a huge financial success, just as its predecessors, “Scream” and “Scream 2,” were, but the reviews were not favorable to the “Scream” franchise this time around. By the time “Scream 3” finished its theatrical run, the “Scream” trilogy had amassed about $480 million at the box office on a total budget of around $76 million. Indeed, the success of the “Scream” series has resulted in a cultural phenomenon. One can easily see the influence of the “Scream” movies in the teenage horror series “Final Destination” and in the parody series “Scary Movie.” When I looked at the cover of  “Scream 3” (2000), I could not help think that it closely resembles another movie, “Final Destination” (2000), since the DVD covers for both movies are identical, and both movies were released a few weeks apart. Nonetheless, with the “Scream” phenomenon, the filmmakers and other studios started borrowing the slasher concept to such an extent that by now it is difficult to know who had t...

With “Scream” (1996) becoming a sensational hit, Hollywood quickly responded with a sequel, “Scream 2” (1997), releasing it exactly a year after the first film.  The movie, produced on a budget of $23 million, ended up grossing $173 million at the box-office. The success of “Scream 2” ensured that the slasher genre was well and alive again and that the first film’s success was not a fluke. While a lot of fans think “Scream 2” surpassed the original in all areas, I am somewhat reluctant to admit that this is the case. Nonetheless, “Scream 2” is still as good as the original, if not better. “Scream 2” adheres strictly to the first film’s formula: a hacking killer, a couple of dead bodies, and an ultimate redemption for the protagonists. Writer Kevin Williamson and director Wes Craven have crafted another taut thriller by developing the characters further, building the right amount of suspense, and maintaining the film’s tight pace by using slick editing techniques. Just like the o...

Video: “The Cove” is presented in 1080p using an MPEG-4/AVC codec, in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. The Blu-ray offers a definite improvement from the earlier DVD release. The interview segments are crystal clear with great sharpness and consistent depth.  Skin tones are realistic, too, although a few on-site sequences are shot with a handheld camera, in which the detail suffers. Other than this, the outdoor shots are great to look at and pack an amazing amount of detail, especially when we get to see the temples in Taiji. The deep-underwater shots are breathtaking, comprised mainly of deep blues. The night shots in the climax have a greenish tinge with a lot of grain. And of course, we see deep reds around the cove in the climax that serve as a slaughter ground for the dolphins. The filmmakers purposely shot the final sequence using a combination of night handheld cameras and hi-def cameras. Audio: Lionsgate has included an English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track for this release. T...

Roger Avary’s “The Rules of Attraction,” (2002) with an underlying college theme--and with an indirect connection to the character of Patrick Bateman from “American Psycho” (2000)—is a film somehow promoted to cult status. The main protagonist, Sean Bateman (James Van Der Beek), is the younger brother of Patrick Bateman from “American Psycho.” In addition, Bret Easton Ellis wrote both the books, “American Psycho” and “The Rules of Attraction.”  This connection in no way uplifts the movie; nonetheless, for fans of the books and movies, the connections only serve one purpose: endless discussion of the book’s adaptation for the screen. Since, I haven’t read the books, and I didn’t remember the connection to “American Psycho,” I felt I did not miss anything while viewing “The Rules of Attraction.”  The writers have presented a complete product with no subtle references or missing links to “American Psycho.” “The Rules of Attraction” is all about one night: a college “end-of-the-...

For horror fans, “Scream” (1996) needs no introduction. If Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho” (1960) created the slasher genre, then John Carpenter’s “Halloween” (1978) affirmed that the slasher genre is well alive. Eighteen years since the release of “Halloween,” Wes Craven’s “Scream” revitalized the slasher genre, yet again.  Whatever be the case, the slasher genre owes a great deal to Anthony Perkins’s killer image holding a knife in “Psycho.” That iconic image redefined the horror genre for years to come, and the “Halloween” and “Scream” movies are born out from the “Psycho” phenomenon. “Scream” was created on a moderate budget of $10 million, and it became a smashing success generating gross revenue of $170 million at the box-office. “Scream” tells a tale of a serial killer, who has terrorized a small fictional town in California. One-by-one teenagers fall victim to his kills. Sidney (Neve Campbell) is attacked several times, but manages to escape. A Sheriff, a journalist, Sidney’...

“I Love You Phillip Morris” (2009) is rather an unusual title for a mainstream Hollywood movie. Not that there is anything wrong with the title per se, but the film features two male protagonists, with no lead actress, and the two leads are madly in love with each other. Of course, with a gay theme at its core meant that people would not flock to theaters in the opening week. A project like this one is a tough sell for marketers and producers alike. After all, the filmmakers are in the business of generating money by drawing audiences to theaters. This probably explains why the film never got a wider release in the U.S. Initially released in Europe and Asia in 2009--and after struggling for almost nine months to find a distributor--the film was eventually released in the U.S. in the summer of 2010.  Upon my first viewing of the film on Blu-ray, I can favorably endorse it for its accessible, mainstream approach in presenting a gay love story, something that is rarely tackled in H...

“We are crooks, not wild-eyed idealists. We don’t try to break the system.” Released in two parts, Mesrine’s story continues with the release of the sequel, “Mesrine: Public Enemy #1” (2008). Director, Jean-François Richet shot Mesrine’s saga as a two-part series to capture the breadth of Mesrine’s crimes, something that was impossible to represent in a single movie. The second part was released four weeks after the release of the first part, and it continues where the original movie finished.  Jacques Mesrine (Vincent Cassel), after making a daring prison escape, is back in France doing what he does best: robbing banks and millionaires.                                                          ...

“Turning creative success into business is your work.” -- Bert Cooper The cigarette-smoking, whiskey-drinking men are back for the fourth edition of “Mad Men.”  Unlike the earlier seasons, the thirteen episodes in this season are focused mainly on capturing the professional lives of people in the advertising world. The forth season builds on the same themes that made earlier seasons huge successes. We see Don Draper’s (Jon Hamm) strengths and his lonely private life; life at Sterling & Coopers in the aftermath of a merger; Roger’s (John Slattery) affair; Sally’s (Kiernan Shipka) continued problems; and Betty (January Jones) and Henry Francis (Christopher Stanley) beginning their new domestic life. The previous season ended with Betty and Don filing for divorce. But things don’t pick up where the last season ended. Instead, we are taken directly to a brainstorming session in which Don’s team is seen creating an advertising strategy for a local lingerie company. Things are get...