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sumithar
Reviews
Yavanika (1982)
Well Crafted
This is a well crafted movie with memorable characters. It easily stands the test of time because the acting, direction and production values are all quite comparable to today's Malayalam movies. Of course Gopi is the standout but Venu, Jalaja, Mammootty and even Ashokan as the rebellious son all play their parts well.
The other reviewer criticises this for not being a true murder mystery, but I have to differ on two counts- the murderer isn't all that obvious and the movie really aspires to be more than a mere murder story. The drama troupe and the interactions of the varied characters, the social drama of the plight of the poor woman with 3 daughters, all are well portrayed.
My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves (2008)
Unexpected pleasure
Not often I get to watch a movie knowing nothing about it, MNIAG was one of those. And what a treat it turned out to be. After the tear-jerking, heartrending glop turned out in TZP, this was an unpretentious delight- nice acting by all concerned, simple story line (though a thoroughly gratuitous fight scene at the end) And that Amrita Rau- she is the spitting image of Emmanuelle Chirqui and equally bubbly! Just the right kind of movie to watch of a Sunday afternoon, no hamming and quite a pleasure to see Anupam Kher actually acting instead of hamming it up as he seems to have been forever since Saraansh.
Yeah, all said and done I recommend MNIAG most heartily and am awfully surprised to see the rating of 5.2 or whatever it has. Must be a bunch of philistines who mistook the shameless emotional manipulation of TZP for real cinema!
Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
overrated
The main reason I took the trouble to get this video was the reference to it in one of the Seinfeld re-runs. Also there was a song with the same name that I had heard last year.
I found it quite a trial to sit thru this. Hepburn's Over The Top exuberance got to be thoroughly taxing and the ambiguity of her occupation quite irritating. Is she a call-girl? Is "Fred" a gigolo? And the Japanese guy provided precious little comic relief.
Lastly, on the Seinfeld episode, someone says that "Fred" is gay. Did I hear them wrong?