Amelie

Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain (2001)

Director: 

Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Writers: 

Guillaume Laurant (scenario), Jean-Pierre Jeunet(scenario)

Stars:

 Audrey Tautou, Mathieu Kassovitz and Rufus

OK. I do not know what is it about this movie, but it is a very beautiful film. The story is not much, except that a childish girl decides to help others around her. What holds the attention about this movie is its amazing acting and the way it is made. It is the last film I saw in my Understanding Cinema class and I was just mesmerized by it.

It laments the French society which existed before corporatisation started dictating terms. The movie talks about a society which existed in France and is now overshadowed by the way people have changed. The movie is a modern fairy tale and even though some critics say that it is a farce because it talks about a society which does not exist, I could watch this movie so many times.

During Oscars, this movie was placed second after "No Man's Land", for the Indian people "Lagaan" was third. I think I respect French cinema for giving such a movie.

I think this movie is so magical that if you are sad and lonely, this movie will lift your spirits. This must be there on your shelf, after all we do have sad moments in life and we need anything we can get to cheer us up.

Snatch

Director: 

Guy Ritchie

Writer: 

Guy Ritchie

Stars:

 Jason Statham, Brad Pitt and Benicio Del Toro

There are some movies which you just want to watch again and again and again...yet it is just not enough! Snatch is one such movie. It is one of my favorite films and you will enjoy it too (I hope so... :-) ). The movie's brilliance lies in its plot and the way things intertwine in the end. I have always loved Guy Ritchie films- they somehow run a full circle and the background narration is brilliant. This was his first movie that I watched and I am a die-hard fan already.
The movie has a star-cast with Jason Statham, Brad Pitt, Benicio Del Toro and many others. 
The movie is not only strong on the star-cast and the dialogues but the direction and music give the movie the extra touch. I have watched this movie about 10 times but I can watch it again and still enjoy it like I did the first time. 
Recently I came to know that the Bollywood copy of this movie was "Fool n Final". I have not watched the movie, but I do know that it was a big flop. It is disappointing to know that many Bollywood films are copied from Hollywood and they are not even credited. There are so many other examples but let us not get into that.
As far as the plot is concerned, it is about a variety of people- Unscrupulous boxing promoters, violent bookmakers, a Russian gangster, incompetent amateur robbers, and supposedly Jewish jewelers are after a big diamond stolen from Antwerp (imdb). 
The acting is superb and this is probably one of the few movies about which I have nothing bad to say. Brad Pitt's accent captured a lot of attention in the movie and it is inspired by many critics' complaints about the characters in Lock, Stock and two smoking barrels (Guy Ritchie's first film). Guy Ritchie wanted to counter the critics by creating a character who could not be understood by the audience and also the characters in the movie. The accent is actually what the Irish and the Romanian gypsy travellers speak.
I must mention the music of the movie, which is amazing. The choice of music just lends the movie a style, more than it already has. I tend to like movies which have a background narration where you know what the person is thinking, it makes the film more exciting. Guy Ritchie's films have that and this movie is no exception.
I can continue to talk about the movie but I think you should just watch it. If you are looking for a perfect movie to pass your time- I could not suggest any better one. Hope you enjoy it.

P.S. That is the reason this is the first movie in my blog.

:-)

Movies, me and You!

I am a big movie buff but I don't like watching them in theatres. I would rather watch them on my laptop so that if the movie sucks, I can just switch to the other one. Last semester I had a subject- Understanding Cinema during which I started watching films in a totally different light. Even though the lectures were boring, I actually gained an interest as to how small things matter a lot in movies. I was forced to ask questions like- Why is the actor wearing such clothes? or Why is this painting used and not some other one?
I came to realize that one has to observe a movie to actually understand it. The significance of the plot with the director's life (or anyone else in the movie for that matter) or the story behind just adds to the excitement. Sometimes we cannot find such things even after looking for them, and that is where we google.
With this blog we shall gain insights into some of the most amazing movies of all time (in my opinion and yours too)- European, American and Indian. This blog is for everyone- who are looking to decide as to which movie to watch today or this weekend and also for those who want to know more about movies than what you can see. We will also look at the different approach of directors to film-making and even I hope to learn more about movies from you

Hope you enjoy it.
:-)