Hollywood in 1940's

Haven’t watched much of World Cinema in recent weeks, for some time I turned my attention to the 1940’s Hollywood black-white comedy\filmnoir movies. One thing for sure that everyone ( characters in the film) were cool, even when there is a murder happening just two-feet from them, there is hardly a sweat and most of the lead characters smoked like an old-chimney.

Comedy-

For long time, I was looking for a Marx Brothers film. Had chance to watch- Room Service(1938). I thought it was a decent comedy from Groucho Marx who stars in a nearly-broke Stage producer trying to get his play to stage and the confusion arising with the hotel manager and the sponsor.

Mystery-

This is something a familiar story as it is from Agatha Christie, And Then There Were None (1945). 

Ten people are invited to an island, one-by-one murdered, who is the killer-type film. This was supposed to be a gore-film, but I didn't see any blood. Well-made film.

Film Noir-

This is where the dark crime drama begins, The Reckless Moment (1949), Whirlpool (1949), TheAsphalt Jungle (1950), Out of the Past (1947) and Dead Reckoning (1947).

Although of same genre, each film has a different ways of treating the story, one thing common in all is there is no iota of comedy in all. 

The lead character is always a person who had lost hope in life and who is always looking for it. The hope arrives in love, money or a place, but finally fate places a role and grabs the “hope” making the lead role to either die or perish in his\her lone world.

This is what I refer as a negative ending; I think people didn't have much hope in that period of 1940’s. The reason might be the world wars, but I see there were equally comic and romance films in those periods too.

US spokesperson in India

Pic from ndtv.com

Another new low in the government, Indian External affair’s minister aka spokesperson to US government. I don’t understand when they say “computer analysis”.

Spying of individual data like my blog, where I eat and where I work doesn't make much impact, but again a collection of individual big data is a certain threat when it goes by a set pattern. The biggest threat will be for the Indian government, be state or center. But the people who are supposed question the legitimacy of the US spying are in turn are becoming advocates for them.

The response from the government is just like they (US) are only going to spy about the recipe of masala dosai from the local Uduppi hotel or Saravana Bhavan. What about the sovereignty of the country? No one is going to read individual post/mail, but when there is an automated process (computer analysis), what does it actual do. ? I am assuming all our govt data is done through NIC (National Information Center) and I believe these are in Indian clouds.

It is ironic that the whistleblower Snowden is now a stateless person.

Tamil Cinema - Half Yearly Exam 2013

Not sure if we ( I ) write a half-yearly report in office, but always look forward to reviewing our own Tamil Cinema for past six months. Just to give a fact, there were 78 films released till end-of-June. So there is a sure chance of crossing 100+ this year. But in spite of the huge numbers, only a handful of films flared well in box office ( unverified ) and only fewer films made its mark as “aesthetically cinematic film” ( how you like the word ! ).

Staring of the year was not so good, especially for Kamal fans, there were hurdles after hurdles for Vishwaroopam to get released and once it got there were positive response from the fans and so Kamal went smiling to the bank. No biggies like Vijay, Ajith and Surya films in the first half of the year, so next-string or new comers made most of the numbers like Soodhu Kavvum, Neeram and Ethir Neechal.

Various artists and film makers in support for Kamal

As usual comedy genre became most trusted bet (not in IPL) in Kollywood and Santhanam is cast in almost all the films as a second hero. The latest burst in the silver screen was Power Star in Kanna Laddu Thinna Aasaiya (Now he is eating kalli in jail), “Power” was the buzzword among movie goers.

The Buzz of Kollywood 2013

Biggest let down were from veterans- Kadal from Manirathanam and Annakodi from Bharathiraja. Personally I felt Gouravam by RadhaMohan didn't fare much, although thematically a good story with a social-cause.

After long time Sidharth got two movies Udhyam NH4 and Theeya Vellai Seiyanum Kumaru, he must be the only lead actor to get two movies !. Oops there is Vijay TV fame Siva Karthikeyan with two films.

Comebacks, not only in reel, but also in real- Yesteryear actor Ramki in Masani and Manivanan-Sathyaraj due in Nagaraja Cholan MA, MLA. It was sad to miss Manivanan, would have been a great story-teller in India if he had stuck to his Nizalgal line. The Tamil Film Music world missed T. M. Soundarajan, T.K. Ramamoorthy and P. B. Srinivas.

From Left:- Manivannan, PB Srinivas, TM Soundararajan and T Ramamoorthy

With just three-weeks of shelf life for a movie, the film-makers are pushed to the edge to give good-entertaining cinema. It is strange to see dwindling of theaters in B-C centers, but at the same time mall-after-mall getting multiplexes in Chennai. Still Kollywood is trying to find answers for curbing piracy and statements like “..I downloaded the movie from Internet !!” is becoming hip.

Widely Loved - Vishwaroopam, Kanna Laddu Thinna Asiya, Soodhu Kavvum, Nerram,  Chennaiyil Oru Nal, Paradesi

Leading the let down - Kadal, Annakodi, Gouravam

Love to hate- Alex Pandian, Ameerin Aadhi Bhagavan, Samar, Kutti Pulli ( I am tempted to put KP here ).

Roger Ebert - RIP

1942-2013

Roger Ebert was a kind of reference for me, whenever I watch a film, I will be very eager to check Ebert' writing on the film. His list of Great Movies will always throw-up surprises for me. If I want to see a great movie I will always check into his list. I can say he was one of my inspiration in writing about films. 

*** R. I. P ***