DesertTalkies Film Reviews!

  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 ...

TRIANGLE OF SADNESS [2022] Starring: Harris Dickinson, Charlbi Dean Kriek, Dolly De Leon Direction by Ruben Östlund Language: English An absurd, surreal romp of a movie, ‘Triangle of Sadness’ was a delight to watch. Although it may not be ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ level absurd, I think the extended vomiting scene may just speak for itself. Almost bringing theatre back to life, the movie was split into three distinct acts with wildly different settings. It is a dark social satire and unflinchingly takes aim at the super rich and their absurdities. The first part, and probably the most subtly intriguing one, is centred around two model-cum-influencers and the simmering gender politics in their relationship. The extended scene where they fight over the bill at a restaurant was a great watch, albeit slightly strange. I was slightly startled by Harris Dickinson’s performance in that scene - it was a little bit uncomfortable to watch. From there, the movie moves to the second part,...

  To Leslie [2022] Starring: Andrea Riseborough, Marc Maron, Owen Teague, Allison Janney  Screenplay by Ryan Binaco, Direction by Michael Morris  Language: English  The second I heard a Dolly Parton song in the opening credits scene, I knew that this was going to be my type of movie. Whether Andrea Riseborough’s nomination was lobbied for or not, I’m glad that the Oscars have recognised this small movie, and have allowed it to be watched and appreciated by new eyes - I would never have known about it otherwise.  After watching this movie I have two questions. Why isn’t ‘To Leslie’ more popular? Who is Andrea Riseborough and why hasn’t anybody been taking notice of her work until recently? I have seen movies that centre around addiction, and how it affects those afflicted. But a lot of those movies were extremely expositional, almost surrealistic in their contents, to the point where viewers are so disillusioned that the movie will lose all meaning. This was a mu...

  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...

  LAYLA MAJNUN [2021] Starring: Acha Septriasa, Reza Rahadian, Baim Wong Direction by Monty Tiwa, Story based off Layla & Majnun by Nizami Ganjavi Language: Bahasa (Indonesian) Every time I feel as if I have exhausted all the good movies in the world, all it takes is a quick search on Netflix to find a whole new array of movies in a new, exotic language. If you couldn't already tell, that is exactly what happened in the case of this movie. A quick search for Indonesia on Netflix, and I am presented with a rom-com (albeit slightly more dramatic than Hollywood rom-coms) that could give the Bridget Jones series a run for its money.  A melding of two vastly different cultures, not just different to my own, but so different to each other is always something that is tricky to pull off in any movie. Indonesian cultural norms and Azerbaijani norms are vastly different, and somehow Monty Tiwa managed to make it work. Who could have thought that an Indonesian film from a fledgling i...

  All Quiet on the Western Front [2022]  Starring: Felix Kammerer, Daniel Bruhl, Albrecht Schuch Direction by Edward Berger, Original story by Erich Maria Remarque Language: German Well, I guess I'm just a snob. I normally do not like action movies, especially war movies because they are so incredibly cookie cutter. For weeks, I have been debating actually putting myself through the experience of watching this, but at the end I'm so incredibly glad that I did. I can definitely say that this is my top choice for Best Picture at the Oscars. This may have been the single most harrowing, poignant, heart-wrenching, brilliant film that I have ever seen. Firstly, let's talk about the movie as a whole. In my experience, we learn about World War One from an American/British point of view, and so seeing the flip side of the conflict was incredibly eye-opening. Seeing the experiences of German troops, in a way, really humanised them. At the end of the day, soldiers were just pawns in ...

It has been five years since Sridevi passed away; five years since Bollywood lost one of its biggest superstars. In her memory, I have decided to write a series of reviews in her memory: ' Spotlight on Sridevi' . English Vinglish [2012] Starring: Sridevi, Adil Hussain, Mehdi Nebbou Direction by Gauri Shinde Language: Hindi This was a movie that was definitely different to other Hindi-language films I have seen in the past. For so long, the Bollywood industry has focused on young protagonists, who largely fight against the expectations and actions of those older than them. This movie, however, completely flipped this norm the other way around. The movie centres around an older, married lady played by Sridevi, whose inability to speak English makes her the object of ridicule from her family.  What I found really interesting was the fact that this movie broke the mould of Bollywood movies: there were no giant dance numbers to distract from the narrative of the story, and the prota...