I was disappointed with the last American movie I saw, Alice in Wonderland, but was more than satisfied with the last Bollywood film I saw, Rann. Both feature a strong actor-director combination, but the Indian version is the one that paid off most satisfyingly.
Johnny Depp is at his best with Tim Burton at the helm, but Alice went off the rails for me as it drew to a climax. I loved the landscapes and the clever CGI stuff, but a movie needs a real plot to keep it going. Sorry, Alice, but I can’t feel excited about seeing you again.
Amitabh Bachchan is amazing with Ram Gopal Varma directing, as was proven in Sarkar and Sarkar Raj. Rann gives Bachchan a milder character but just as much drama and intrigue as we had in RGV’s earlier work with Big B. I planned on watching the DVD half-way through last night and then finishing it tonight, but I absolutely could not bear to stop watching it when I got to the half-way point. The plot punched its way through to the very end. Even though it ended with some tragedy, the finish made good sense in the confines of the plot as well as in a real-world sense. Rann tackles the way media, politics, and ratings intertwine to corrupt the system and I plan to use this in my AP Government class. Forget the emotionalism of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington: Rann is the real deal. First class film hain.
It is sad to see how as technology advances in Hollywood the essence of the movies made is of a lower caliber. Instead of focusing on producing a film that is worth watching for the storyline, Hollywood makes movies that completely lack in substance so that movies with eye-catching special effects are mass produced. It’s a rarity to see a movie that has something unique to say. that is why I enjoy watching foreign movies because most are more focused on the plot instead of the picture.
I know… there are some more action CGI movies coming out this year and I’m pretty much determined to avoid seeing them. If even the great Tim Burton can’t avoid a massive CGI battle scene at the end, then I shudder to think of what a lesser director would do.
In the Indian movies, the GOOD ones, CGI is used to add a bit of a flourish to an already magnificent story. We need more of that idea here…
Hugo, yeah sure a lot of movies have cashed in on visuals, but there have been bad movies forever. Now they just look cool. There are movies like Avatar, and then there are movies like 2012, its not necessarily a trade-off.