DesertTalkies Film Reviews!

  Fallen Angels [1995] Starring: Takeshi Kaneshiro, Michelle Reis, Leon Lai, Charlie Yeung Direction by Wong Kar-wai Language: Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese  I managed to avoid revision for my upcoming exams for one last time to see Fallen Angels in the cinema! This movie was nothing like what I was expecting: just the name Fallen Angels seems like a movie with a primary focus on love: it is a Wong Kar-Wai movie after all! Although there was a love plot in the movie, it wasn't the main focus, which was interesting to see.  If anything, Wong Kar-wai movies are known for their romance, and this movie presented love in a very different manner: it explored isolation, and the loss of love. It was quite interesting to see: love was exhibited in a way that was not just romantic and sexual; it was layered like many of his other movies are. It explored the idea of platonic love and love through what could be described as friendship. It explored the idea of familial love. It was a ...

  Days of Being Wild [1990] Starring: Leslie Cheung, Maggie Cheung, Andy Lau, Carina Lau Direction by Wong Kar-wai Language: Cantonese, Mandarin I was very lucky to find that in my city, a local independent cinema was having a Wong Kar-wai retrospective, where they were showing Wong Kar-wai's most influential movies in a bid to increase tourism to Hong Kong. I had originally wanted to watch 'In the Mood For Love' on the big screen, yet it sold out almost instantly. In response, I watched this instead, and I am so glad that I did.  If the movie does anything well, it is character development that excels. Although the movie was quite short, I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of symbolism Kar-wai was able to pack into it. All of the characters felt very fleshed out, but not the the point where their storylines became repetitive, as is the case with may Western movies. Kar-wai's craft, in my opinion, is giving the audiences small hints throughout his movies, meaning t...

  Jerry Maguire [1996]  Starring: Tom Cruise, Renée Zellweger , Cuba Gooding Jr.  Direction by Cameron Crowe Language: English  After I watched a few good movies from the section, Netflix's critically acclaimed section is my new best friend: expect reviews from movies there.  I had forgotten that Tom Cruise was once considered by many to be a talented actor: somebody who was a chameleon whose movies did well. This movie, despite its flaws, taught me that the people who think of Tom Cruise as a frontrunner in the industry are not completely crazy. He was very good in the movie - I tend to find it difficult to judge acting and the quality of it, especially where characters play largely comedic or optimistic roles. I feel like a member of the Academy - only capable of recognising very dramatic performances in what tend to be very dark films.  Renée Zellweger was also great; I really do need to start watching her movies.  That being said, the movie felt so...

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai [1998] Starring: Kajol, Shahrukh Khan, Rani Mukerji Direction by Karan Johar Language: Hindi This, after Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge,  may be the most popular Bollywood film by a long shot. I have watched it several times, and with each additional viewing, my positive opinion of the movie just grows. With all the buzz from their previous blockbuster, Shahrukh Khan and Kajol were able to propel this movie into legendary status, and for good reason! This movie was great.  This movie was very typical in terms of storyline, so there's not much to talk about there. The first half is a typical love story: a friendship between a boy and a girl breaks down after one reveals feelings for the other. It's a tried and true classic. Sometimes you need a simplistic plot (which was true at least in the first part of this movie) to make the piece of work really good. However, the best thing about Hindi-language films, in my opinion, ìs the fact that an entire movie is essen...

  CHILDREN OF HEAVEN [1997] Starring: Mir Farrokh Hashemian, Bahare Seddiqi, Reza Naji Direction by Majid Majidi Language: Farsi I had originally seen this movie in 2011, but I was too young to fully understand the meaning or significance of the movie. However, for some reason, the movie has come back to my mind of late and so I decided to watch it. Let's just say that the Iranians are the kings and queens of heart-wrenching cinema. I plan to explore that statement over the coming weeks. Showcasing the relationship between siblings through a child's eyes was especially powerful. The fact that it didn't win the academy award for international feature film in 1998 just shows that the Oscars aren't everything, I guess.  The psyche of children really came to light in this movie, and the innocence and fragility of them was so endearing to see. It really put my problems into perspective - the fact that shoes were the focal point of such giant issues for the children really ex...

  AMERICAN PIE [1999] Starring: Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan, Chris Klein, Tara Reid, Natasha Lyonne Direction by Paul Weitz Language: English This may not exactly be Oscar-standard, but I have been watching so many movies with deeper, hidden meanings lately that I needed to watch something a little bit racy, a little bit absurd, a little bit idiotic (although I am on for a good psychological thriller). After a long day of work, sometimes one just wants to kick back and relax, and this relaxation is exactly what you'll get when you watch this.  There are only so many times that a person can hear an ' American Pie ' reference before actually watching the movie. Iconic to the point where, whilst researching, I found several reprises, sequels, and spin-offs, I knew that watching this had to be worth my while. Whilst some of the ideas were definitely avant-garde in nature, I was relieved. Isn't the entire nature of high school a hormone-filled roller coaster? I think that w...

  DARR [1993] Starring: Shah Rukh Khan, Juhi Chawla, Sunny Deol, Anupam Kher Direction by Yash Chopra Language: Hindi Pyar jab hadh se guzar jaaye toh pooja ban jata hai, aur pooja bahek jaye toh junoon. When love slips out of your hands, it becomes devotion, and when devotion goes astray, it becomes obsession. Magar iss mein aik baat aur bhi hai, woh baat joh aaj tak kisi prem kahani mein nahin aayi hain….Darr! But in this [movie], there is one more element, an element that, until today, has not featured in any love story…fear! And the award for most improbable sequence of events in a movie goes to…..Darr! A self-proclaimed ‘violent’ love story, this was Bollywood’s attempt at diversifying the love stories so popular in the 70s and 80s. I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again - I do not really like action films. BUT this movie balanced not only the love stories that I almost expect out of Bollywood, but it combined aspects of horror, psychological thriller and action to create a ...

  LAMHE [1991] Starring: Sridevi, Anil Kapoor, Anupam Kher   Directed by Yash Chopra Language: Hindi Watching this movie was a product of being incredibly bored in Karachi and mindlessly scrolling through Amazon Prime. This was the second Sridevi movie I had seen, and I can definitely say that I was not disappointed. Transporting you to the heartlands of Rajasthan, the viewer gets such an interesting insight into the very niche culture of the state. From the extended dance scenes in the rain, to campfires filled with traditional music, this movie is full of visual treats to make a 90s audience swoon. Whilst I can appreciate that Yash Chopra was trying to convey the message that love is possible regardless of age, the actual execution of this idea came off quite badly. One of the protagonists, Viren, came off as almost paedophilic by fancying a girl not only several decades younger than him, but also a girl that is the splitting image of her married, dead mother. The plot was s...

  DILWALE DULHANIA LE JAYENGE [1995] Starring: Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Amrish Puri, Anupam Kher, Farida Jalal Direction by Aditya Chopra Language: Hindi I have recently had the pleasure of seeing two of the  most iconic movies in their respective industries in the cinema: Titanic from Hollywood and Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ) from Bollywood. DDLJ has been playing for over 20 years in cinemas in Bombay, and I was super excited to finally have the proper movie watching experience.  Let's start with my actual experience watching it in the cinema. Wow! The theatre was packed, and everyone there had definitely watched the movie beforehand: everyone sang along during the big songs, and everyone cheered and clapped whenever there was a romantic moment. Watching the movie in this environment was incredibly enjoyable, and it's difficult to understand whether it was the experience of the movie itself which made me like it so much.  Much like Leo DiCaprio in Titanic, this...

  TITANIC [1997] Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet Screenplay & Direction by James Cameron Language: English Disclaimer: this is not the first time I've watched Titanic, I just recently re-watched it in the cinema as it was recently re-released. Nobody can call themself a movie critic until they have watched Titanic. It is definitely in the top 5 most iconic Hollywood films of all time.  Do you sometimes resent watching good movies? I do, because when I watch them I feel as if nothing can ever compare to how good the movie was. That is how I feel about Titanic.  I have seen Titanic before, but that was at an age where I was too young to comprehend the full meaning or significance behind it. There’s something about watching Titanic in a dark room, no distractions, no stimuli pulling you away. You are faced with no choice but to confront the harsh realities that nobody wants to deal with. Whenever I cry during a movie, it’s for a few brief seconds. This time, I ...

  DIL TOH PAGAL HAI [1997] Starring: Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Karisma Kapoor  Direction by Yash Chopra & Screenplay by Aditya Chopra Language: Hindi I often hear my parents talk of the ‘good old days of Bollywood’, also known as the Bollywood of the 1980s and 90s. I found myself wondering what that old Bollywood looked like, before Shah Rukh Khan sold out for the cash (you can tell how I feel about his recent projects), and when Madhuri Dixit and Karisma Kapoor were the two ladies ruling Indian cinema. I will tell you this much: I was not disappointed.  What made this movie so different to other Bollywood films at the time was the subject matter: although the movie was an almost typical love story, the fact that it was set with the backdrop of dance and music made it more interesting to watch. For once, it wasn’t only family drama that dictated the story, but it was dancing that did.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. In most cases, Shah Rukh Khan ...