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Mazdoor
Reviews
The Village (2004)
Best Movie So Far This Year
My wife and I saw this movie last night and both thought it was the best movie we've seen thus far this year, an excellent effort by Mr. Shyamalan. A few minor nitpicks regarding potential plot holes that don't affect the overall tenor and focus of the movie. Beautifully directed, cinemetographed (if that's a word) and generally commendable acting. While Ms. Howard was good, I must complain that she didn't come across as a blind person very well -- her eyes seemed to focus on whatever she was "looking" at. But then, I'm not an expert on blindness.
The marketing for this movie seems to have been in some ways an advantage and in more ways a drawback leading to disappointment. My advice if you do want to see this movie: (1) don't read any more reviews on this board because some of them give too much away; and (2) don't go in expecting anything -- try to have a clean slate with respect to your notions of what this movie will be.
Sadma (1983)
Well-done yet heart-wrenching
An extremely well-done movie (although not terribly intellectual), both lead actors do an excellent acting job with good material. Very simply, the plot focusses around the relationship between a single man and a girl he takes in, who has lost her memory. I was recommended this as an Indian film that is very non-Bollywood, and that is certainly true. (The unbelievably improbably coincidences are kept to a minimum, and there is no long-lost twin brother or dying mother or any of the inevitable Bollywood cliches.)
Be warned though, after watching this you might feel vaguely depressed for the rest of the evening.
Not Without My Daughter (1991)
Idiotic, Racist, Worse than a Waste of Time
Leaving aside for a moment the poor story, plot, credibility as based on a true story, etc. -- the movie comes off as sheer anti-Islam propaganda.
Apparently based on a "true" story (whatever that means), the movie completely ignores the point that whatever truth there is to it would simply be that this woman's husband was a psycho with a mental illness. His religion, culture, country of origin are completely irrelevant to this -- and yet in the movie they are made out to be the root causes of his behaviour. As some of the comments on imdb show, this (and the whole anti-Islam tone of the movie that shows Islam and Iranians as a sinister, unfriendly threat) leaves some people with a misguided and foolish view of Islam and/or Iran. (For those people, I sincerely encourage you to look to more credible sources for your cultural & religious education.) Thus, the movie is worse than a waste of time.
It's unfortunate that this kind of blatant misinformation (for want of a better word) in the form of entertainment is becoming so common. Oh yeah, the storyline is vaguely absurd (you telling me they had a fairytale marriage for so many years, the wife never noticed anything odd about him, and then the air in Iran suddenly turns him into a nasty monster?) & the direction extremely poor.
In short, only see this if you like being slapped in the face.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Different yet fabulous
I had a fabulous time watching this. Having read the books when I was 10 and then once after that, they have a lot of childhood associations for me -- the movie didn't ruin a single one of them.
The pleasant thing about this movie is that it didn't try to stick too closely to the book. The movie is a different medium and demands different dialogue and action in places -- Jackson wasn't afraid to do that and make the movie his own to some extent. Many of the changes he made were good for the movie version. (Although perhaps a bit much of the dark gloomy threatening scenes at Isengard -- but that's just me.)
After seeing and being quite disappointed by Harry Potter & the Philosopher's Stone, I'm extremely relieved with Fellowship -- it shows how a book should be adapted. Also, the actors did a uniformly amazing job -- particularly Elijah Wood and whoever played Gandalf (Ian somebody?). This will be a classic -- do yourself a favour and see it on the big screen.