paddynair-1 Reviews

Black Friday (2004)

Black Friday

[9/10 · 30 May 2007]

An outstanding movie,documenting the sequence of events and also the background.The latter is important because it discusses the cause and effect of events and does not present them in one disjointed piece.

Kay Kay Menon & Pavan Malhotra both put up a superb performance as the pole superintendent & Tiger Memon respectively.The torture scenes were realistic and the sense of intimidation very much in the air.The bullying blustering attitude of the suspects and their cowering & weeping under torture brings out the fact that they are in fact,brainwashed illiterates.The manipulation of Tiger Memon is subtle not direct.

The role of Dawood Ibrahim has been put in perspective.All in all a very interesting,informative movie,very well directed by Anuraag Kashyap.It deserves its high rating.

Notorious (1946)

Notorious -Produced by Alfred Hitchcock

[9/10 · 31 March 2007]

The ending was not clear.That was the only criticism.What actually happened to Alexander Sebastian.Was he killed,exiled or beaten up?Alfred Hitchcock leaves a bit too much to the imagination Apart from that,it is the usual Hitchcock movie.Imaginative,and always moving.Even in silence,the plot is moving.That has always been his genius.Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergmann play their parts well.Ingrid Bergmann has always been good at the roles of the "helpless woman".Cary Grant was always tailor made for Hitchcock movies hand so he fitted into his role beautifully.The theme is a usual one for the late 40's-German spies,love stories and intrigue woven together.

Satyam Shivam Sundaram: Love Sublime (1978)

Stayam Shivam Sundaram

[9/10 · 14 March 2007]

This movie was at the cutting edge of Indian cinema.It dealt with a theme which is probably all to common in India's villages and semi-urban areas.Butwhat it brings out is that the same man is attracted greatly to a woman and repelled by her just because of one body disfigurement.

The story pulls at the heartstrings and really brings across the travail of any young woman,should she be disfigured.Zeenat Aman really shinesin this story.The glamour girl of the 70's dons the garb of a disfigured girl and performs with absolute panache.This ,added on to Don really did make 1978 Zeenat's year.Shashi Kapoor is good but not exceptional The depiction of the flood and how human beings are prepared to run roughshod over one another when danger looms is enlightening.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)

The good the bad and the ugly

[9/10 · 12 February 2007]

A pure western.Will always be remembered for its great music and the personality of Clint Eastwood.In fact this was the film in which Clint Eastwood made his name.

Both Lee Van Cleef & Eli Wallach put in sterling performances.The direction is exceptional The real merit of this movie is that it brings to light the exact situation in the USA around the period 1864-65 when the confederates were losing the war.There was confusion & chaos all around & no real authority.Hence the proliferation of a number of bandits and outlaws.

The photography and direction are breathtaking and there is areal attempt to bring out the characters of those who dominated the period.Life could be extinguished at any moment & a man had to live by his wits and by his guns.Women were fair game to any outlaw.Hanging and capital punishment were routine

This was the real United States of that period and they could practice this culture in isolation,as the communication & technologies of the period were highly limited compared to today.

Mughal-E-Azam (1960)

Mughal-E-Azam

[9/10 · 11 December 2006]

A true masterpiece,featuring some of the greatest actors ever to grace the Indian screen.Prithviraj Kapoor,the doyen of Indian Cinema is Akbar himself and Dilip Kumar & Madhubala both put in sterling performances There is a question as to whether the storyline was actually true but the very nature of the story indicates the level of religious tolerance that existed at the time of Akbar.Akbar's wife Rani Jodhabhai was a hindu and that was the mughal method of building bridges with their hindu subjects.The role of Akbar would really serve as a model for religious amity today.The major issue Akbar had in consenting to the marriage of dancer Anarkali(represented by Madhubala) and Prince Salim(Dilip Kumar) was the class status.After all it was the 16th century All in all,a grand spectacle which showcases Indian culture at its very best and grandest and leaves one to wonder at the relative deterioration in subsequent centuries

Dr. No (1962)

Dr No

[9/10 · 11 December 2006]

This movie has changed everything.We suddenly look at spy thrillers differently.Here we have the dashing romantic hero James Bond but with the proviso that he is a professional secret agent.Despite the glamour of the bond movies,one should not forget that Ian Flemingwas a professional spy and right throughout the movie we see that "hard professional touch" despite the glamour.Saltzman & Brocolli have by and large,adhered to the book The star of the show is definitely Sean Connery ,in my opinion the one and only original James Bond (though Daniel Craig seems cast in the same mould also!).He is dashing,yet robust,flamboyant yet professional.

The movie has some fascinating scenes starting with the "Bond tune" which has become the stuff of legend.

The Ursula Andress Bikini scene has become the centre of much attention,but the Bond Girls are essentially a sideshow-a platform to launch their careers.

Joseph wiseman does a brilliant job as Dr No.The multicultural aspect of Jamaica is brought out with several "chinese looking"receptionists.

A great movie which launched a cult figure and perhaps built a platform for all spy movies of the late 20th century-Glamour,laced with an undercurrent of substance!

Summer of '42 (1971)

Summer of 42

[9/10 · 11 December 2006]

Outstanding movie with sensitive portrayal.A pity that Jennifer O Neill did not really hit the big stage as she could have.Really does portray teen age adolescence in a very sensitive way without any vulgarity whatsoever.

Gary Grimes should have also got nominated.He also did not come up to the big time in the manner expected.The theme was outstanding and much of the credit for this must go to the author of the book Herman Raucher who is the real hero for the success of the movie.

A movie of genius played by actors who were putting on the show of their lives

Samson and Delilah (1949)

Samson and Delilah

[10/10 · 11 December 2006]

A true masterpiece.Exactly the right people in the right role.Hedy Lamarr(when she gets it right)is one of the greatest of all time.A truly remarkable person who was also an outstanding scientist.Hedy portrays the very image of a scheming yet stunningly beautiful Delilah.

Victor Mature/George Sanders/Angela Lansbury are all class actors with a strong track record and ideally suited to play such historical/mythological figures.George Sanders has his own dry sense of humour which is carried on in the 10 commandments.

Cecile B De Mille is a true master when it comes to portraying such classical movies.One can only think of how this spectacle must have appeared to viewers when they first witnessed it in 1949.It looks pretty good even now.

They portray the classics with a touch of panache Worth seeing again and again for connoisseurs of acting who are interested in real quality stuff and not just cheap showbiz!!