the world weather patterns are truly frightening.this past weekend has been cold and miserable, the rain started late Saturday, and has continued unabated since then.
it is usually the cape that has cold and wet weather, and usually in winter, not the summer months. we have had this miserable weather for most of summer, it's kind of depressing to say the least.
since we are doing our bit to conserve energy, the heaters did not come out of mothballs. i brought the duvet down,and made myself cosy in front of the tv,the latest dvd purchases stacked up next to me, a steaming cup of tea,and some hot porridge to get me going, yes i know don't say it,...porridge urghhhh!!!.
hot mealie miel porridge, with lashings of butter, milk and loads of sugar, mmmm! a moment on the lips and a lifetime on the hips,in this miserable weather though, it had the desired effect.
Friday night saw me at the theater, "Jodhaa Akbar", was the movie of choice, personally the hype surrounding the movie,did not live up to expectations. oh but the bod on hritik, wonderful eye candy. nice soundtrack, good costumes, i was really expecting an epic along the lines of "Spartacus", directed by Stanley Kubrick, made in 1960.why can't Indian film makers pay that much attention to detail, the movie score, choice of music,research into the historical background, a slave revolt 2000 years before the abolition of slavery, a three hour long epic, tucked up beneath the folds of my duvet, i thoroughly enjoyed the theatricality of the entire movie,the idea of the hero,who lived on beyond death,the romance between Spartacus and Varinia.the epic battle scene's.not even Russel Crowe in "Gladiator" can compare.i think though "Gladiator" owes a lot to "Spartacus".
then there was "Jodhaa Akbar", Ashwarya prancing about with a sword was so unconvincing,surely they could have spent some attention to detail, and hired a professional sword person to choreograph the fight scenes, even the battle scenes looked weak.the couple falling in love was standard bollywood fare, close ups on dreamy eyes etc,etc. when Spartacus first touches Varinia, the excitement is palpable, no dreamy eyes, just a man in a room with a woman for the first time,music that could make you feel the intensity, the begining of a love story.
the sub continent has stories to portray, that could take a lifetime to put on film, so why doesn't anyone tap into this limitless store and produce good movies,"jodhaa akbar" tried, but we can do better.the only real enjoyment for me was perving over hritiks gorgeous pecs.the movie after two hours becomes a real ass burner when that's all there is to watch.
the third movie epic, i watched from beneath my duvet was titled "curse of the golden flower". a Chinese epic set in the tang dynasty, the emperor comes home from war to find his family falling apart, illicit affairs, war,love tryst's,this movie had it all. the costumes and cinematography far outshone that of ashutosh gowarikers "jodhaa akbar".well acted, the movie could be placed in the same genre, so i ask again, why can't India do the same.movie going audiences are not as stupid as Indian directors and producers think we are,we should be treated with a greater respect than is shown.
personally i believe that people in the industry should be made to watch and study directors like kurosawa/bergman/kubrick/visconti.from these they would learn much and perhaps, the bollywood fair would reach a wider audience, and those that are fans, will become even more so. just a suggestion.
my epic weekend, beneath the covers of my duvet, came to a close on sunday night, with Steven Spielberg's, "Jaws".the movie after all this time can still make me feel the suspense,the mechanical shark,doesn't look that real anymore, but Spielberg got his message across.as the movie ended, i picked myself up, and waddled my way back to bed, why? i really don't know, as that couch and my duvet, had practically been a weekend in bed:).
as i write this i can feel my freezing feet,and am glad, that i can make my way back to the duvet and warmth, it is tuesday afternoon, 17.05 and the rain shows no sign of letting up.
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About Me
- africanfragments
- johannesburg, gauteng, South Africa
- passionate bout all things literary. dislike, stupidity and insincerity.
4 comments:
Lucky you! The summers are here, with 30 plus degrees weather and no electricity. I would rather be somewhere cool. And its only March, damned if I know whats going to happen next with 40 plus degrees.
As far as Indian movies go, I haven't seen a commercial Indian flick in forever and I don't intend to. I just don't see the point. The reason why they don't pay attention to detail is because their biggest consumers don't give a damn. They are happy with the half naked hero and heroin running around and singing. Even better if it is done in the pouring rain.
lol:)....so true. the problem with grey,cold rainy days, is that too many in a row gets rather depressing. 40 degrees and no aircon, that sounds worse.hope this coming summer is not to unpleasant. i am rather partial to hot weather myself, though tempreture around the 30 degree mark, is about all i can handle.
I personally liked Jodha Akbar. Now that you mention what you found unpalatable about it, I guess you are right too. I think I liked the pair, the sensitive handling of the love between people from two diff cultures and the music so it did not seem to matter that it wasn't true to history or that the scenes were not of epic proportions.
Now I must watch the other to films. Let me check if my library has.
the story line, did have it's moments. and you are right in these angry, divisive times, they brought different cultures and faiths together, with sensitivity, just goes to show that a little, understanding can do so much.
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