Tuesday, June 20, 2006

french flicks

Taxi 3 is a French film directed by Gérard Krawczyk. It is a sequel to Taxi written by Luc Besson and directed by Gérard Pirès in 1998 and to Taxi 2 directed by Gérard Krawczyk in 2000.

A gang of thieves calling themselves the Santa Claus Gang are wreaking havoc, and the police are unable to keep up. Police Captain Gilbert (played by Bernard Farcy) is distracted by a Chinese reporter (Bai Ling) writing a story on his squad, detective Emilien's wife, Petra, has just announced that she's pregnant, and taxi driver Daniel (Samy Naceri) is in the midst of a relationship crisis. After a string of mistakes in which the thieves outsmart the police time and time again with a reporter there to record it all, Daniel and his super-taxi pitch in.

Commisar Giber (Bernard Farcy) has you in splits and Daniel (Samy Naceri) is his usual self with his love for cars and speed, with more gadgets in his taxi this time around. Marion Cotillard as Lilly is impressive. Sylvester Stallone makes a cameo at the beginning of the movie as a taxi passenger.

Tres bien Samy Naceri and Frédéric Diefenthal!

Check out a short sequence!

Monday, June 12, 2006

When life just slips away

Ankahee. That which has been left untold.

This tale of infidelity, desperation and deceit keeps you glued to the drama unfolding. The sheer fact of Life slipping away from one's hands, a doctor in this case, is quite intricately captured by Vikram Bhatt. Shekar's (Aftab) world gets ripped apart as he gets tangled in a relationship with a manic depressive woman. He lends a helping hand but is caught into a whirlpool which seperates his wife and daughter from him forever.

The gentle background piano score and the lustre backdrops lend a unique soft effect to the film. However, certain dialogues and expressions leave quite a telling effect on one's psyche. The synthesis of serenity and neurosis gives the narrative a cutting edge.

Ankahee courts observant silences on many occasions. Pritam's background score is evocative. Mere Paas Aaa, Socha na tha and the theme music blend with the sequences. In one restaurant sequence the director appears as one of the guests at a table. There are hitting dialogues which give you a sudden jerk - "Why do you have to be so devoted to me? Why is it always about me?"
Ankahee. This tale is about Vikram Bhatt's affair with Sushmita Sen. Or so they say. The character of Sushmita portrayed in this film raises many a question in your mind.

Is all the glitz and glamour really worth the ride?

Wednesday, June 07, 2006

Corbett National Park











Rule No.1 - Don't get down and walk in the jungle. Never, if you're in a place like Corbett!

No other bollywood movie captures the mood of a jungle this well. Debutant Director Soham brings out the world of the jungle in a truly breathtaking style. Crisp cuts, awesome cinematography and a stunning background score create a new genre. You literally fall in love with the jungle.

"Kaal" shows us how it is to be done, without degrading the genre or stepping too hard and fast on those peripheral scares. The best thing debutant director Soham Shah has done is to take his ingenious plot into the great wild outdoors - the Orbit Park.

End of the movie, a few words and sounds still linger on....

"Saab - Yeh Core Area hai - Route # 5. Bahut Khatarnaak hai"

"Kuch log shikar karneatey hai, kuch shikaar ban jaate hain"
"When you enter the jungle, you're a stranger to the animals"
"1300 kms of dense forest. This jungle has its own rules"