Movie Review – The Cow

Holy Cow

Being a fan of violence on screen, I’ve seen ‘n’ number of violent films and some not so violent films too having violent opening sequences. But the way the opening scene of Cow sets you aback by its cruelty couldn’t be matched to any of the violences in films. The closes that comes is ‘Wild Bunch’, but with Wild Bunch I was able to enjoy the sequence. Here I was completely taken aback.

Cow is not the film that you generally associate with Iranian cinema. It doesn’t get you teary eyed like how a Children of Heaven or a White Balloon does but the shock it gives leaves you with a profound impact. Of course it’s a sad movie but the sadness is not immediate as half the time you’d be left wondering how to react for a particular sequence.

There are movies which deals with specific characters. Here too the characterization happens but it happens to the entire village, the entire mankind. Let’s look at the first scene I talked about. There is a mentally retarded guy to whom the local mischievous kid and the other children tie to a tree and harass. As much as blinding his eyes with fire. All the while the villagers look at it and laugh but post that scene they complain about the mischievous kid and the nature of people who come from city. Being judgmental at its best.

The same folks would go to any lengths to protect Hassan and again finally laugh at it. Unfortunately we’re one of them too and nothing is going change. And just before the laughs, the best scene of the movie happens. “Move, you animal, move” Irony is Hassan is the only person who doesn’t laugh at the retarded person.

I loved the transition of Hassan from a person to cow. The best part about it is the angle where he loves Hassan by being a cow. I didn’t think of it. We should have seen it coming right from the first, with his dearness to cow. In the very first scene he bathes the cow, he bathes her first and only then pours water over his head. Followed by drying the cow first and using the same towel to wipe himself. Even in the cowshed he eats the grass, seeing cow eating the same. That’s where the doubt arises first and then as expected things happened.

 

Movie Review – South Park Bigger, Longer & Uncut

Sweet!

For every South Park fan! But I’d have preferred it to be a non-musical. Too many songs were irritating. You can’t really complain though, they have their own way of making films. The film sets the tone within minutes, after a super absurd typical South Parkish song.

As usual the boys land into some trouble because of their mischief and as usual Kenny dies, only this time he doesn’t really die but resides in hell. Don’t know whether to be happy or sad about it. Kenny dying is pure evil fun so it was when he died here too. Even though a bit sad that I would not able to see him again, it was fun. But when he appeared in hell along with Saddam Hussein and Gandhi and Satan I was disappointed. But the makers did a good use of this ‘Kenny dying’ template.

Being a big fan of Cartman, I expected a better show from him too. He wasn’t as evil as I thought and neither were his deeds. Almost every famous instance in the movie were made into a song including m’kay by professor Mackey. But my favorite was the first song in theatres by Terrance and Philip.

I don’t know why the makers wanted to get a MPAA rating for this one. South Park is known for its R rating. It’s as important as the title cards itself. Good that they didn’t get one.

I don’t have much to write about the movie. I’m not sure how non fans could watch this movie. For some reason I feel like rating this film. I’d give a 3.5/5 for this one.

Book Review – Mahabharatam

Better than the Best

The greatest story ever told, War of the Worlds and numerous other headlines came to my mind, because all I could think of while writing about Mahabharatam is how much of adjectives I’m going to use. It’s been two days since I finished but the climax and how Mahabharatam is such an anti-war agenda still doesn’t go out of my mind. One can’t really write a review of Mahabharatam, none can.

Even though an abridged version, first time I feel the clichéd saying of ‘books better than movies’ to be cent percent true. And reading it in Tamil has its own advantage. All I saw in serials and all I knew about Mahabharatam was war and only war. May be a bit of drama too. But only after reading the book, I could understand that how much of life stories are in it. If you read Mahabharatam you’ve got the purpose of your life. It tells about various aspects of life, highs, lows, romance, lust, vengeance etc. etc. An art work can make you feel happy, sad or induce any type of emotions but Mahabharatam is one book which will make you come in acceptance with your life. That’s the most important aspect out of all.

The start of the book had various stories, before the actual Pandavas Vs Gowravars story started. Abridged version is not really the way to read the pre stories or the start of Mahabharatam because the characters don’t get etched in your mind, only the stories do. It was same for me too. I remember the stories more than who were involved in it.

The second phase, the war phase, when I started reading, I thought what could differently happen over eighteen days. It’s going to be the same flesh and blood story. In a way it was, but in lot many ways it was not. We all know about Krishna’s Leelai in the war but a lot many things too happen apart from it. For me the most depressing event was when Dharaman was made to lie about Ashwathaman’s death. One couldn’t get sadder than the moment one loses their passion. For Dharman, honesty is his trademark and he was asked to forgo it. What worse could happen?

Dharman’s character is what affected the most. When Pandava’s children die in the end and he laments about how needless the war was, how unnecessary the throne would look like etc. It really makes you understand how rotten everything is in the world and you are going to be disappointed no matter what.

Icing in the cake was when each of them go to heaven with Dharman being the last with a dog accompanying him. Karma telling how a ‘dharmam vellum’ through dog was epic. I’m not a pet person but that one sequence got me respect for dogs.

P.S: The re(view) was for Rajaji’s Mahabharatam

 

Movie Review – Trainspotting

High on Life

“Choose Life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a fucking big television, choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players and electrical tin openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol, and dental insurance. Choose fixed interest mortgage repayments. Choose a starter home. Choose your friends. Choose leisurewear and matching luggage. Choose a three-piece suit on hire purchase in a range of fucking fabrics. Choose DIY and wondering who the fuck you are on Sunday morning. Choose sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing, spirit-crushing game shows, stuffing fucking junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the end of it all, pissing your last in a miserable home, nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish, fucked up brats you spawned to replace yourselves. Choose your future. Choose life… But why would I want to do a thing like that? I chose not to choose life. I chose somethin’ else. And the reasons? There are no reasons. Who needs reasons when you’ve got heroin?”

There are movies and then there is Trainspotting. Anyone who has slightest amount of inclination towards anything illegal would love the movie to the core. And mind it, it’s not a cheap movie. There are a lot of other movies which guarantee fun. American Pie, Handover etc. They are epic in their own terms but this one is of different league all together. The purposelessness of trainspotting has to be rewritten only by God.

Like the initial quote I can keep on quoting the whole movie and publish it as review but my most favourite would be, “We took morphine, diamorphine, cyclizine, codeine, temazepam, nitrazepam, phenobarbitone, sodium amytal, dextropropoxyphene, methadone, nalbuphine, pethidine, pentazocine, buprenorphine, dextromoramide, chlormethiazole. The streets are awash with drugs you can have for unhappiness and pain, and we took them all. Fuck it, we would have injected vitamin C if only they’d made it illegal.”

The strength of the movie lies in its nonchalance. The pointlessness of the characters. You see a baby stoned to death in one scene. That’s the most horrific moment of the movie, may be one of the most horrific movie scenes ever made but they you see the Sick-Boy getting ready for his next shot and in turn shooting the child’s mom with another one. That’s how you think as a stoner. Generally the drugs do the thinking and coffee does the writing they say. Here both the thinking and writing were done by drugs it seems.

Like the say in poster ‘Hollywood come in… your time is up”. That’s one more added point to like the movie. It’s Brit and it’s awesome. Some of the shite dialogues they talk couldn’t be written by us even if we go for Veta English class for 10 years. That scene especially where they get off the train and prepare for walk. That ‘lowest of lowest’ dialogue. That’s where the movie stands apart. Anyone who had got high and got restless to get high the next time could identify with that scene.