The Downfall (Der Untergang, 2005)

If you are one of those people who have had enough of the monochromatic holocaustish World War II movies and are desperately looking for another angle, then "The Downfall" is the film for you. It is not anti-semitic nor is it a 'hail hitler' film...that way, it would not have reached the academy in 2005. I think it is an attempt to recount the tale of the last few days of the fuhrer and his team-the way it actually it happened. and boy, does it work!

I missed the opening credits and a good part of the beginning as I tuned in late...but read later that the film is actually an account of the last ten days in the sub-terrain headquarters. Also, it is based on books and accounts of people who were pretty much there. Like Frau Trudl Junge for example, who was Hitler's secretary (and an extremely pretty one!). I was shocked to see her interview just before the credits - recorded in 2002....she was apparently alive until 2003!!!

Bruno Ganz is extremely believable as a tired, old and a still ruthlessly focussed Hitler. What strikes you about the film is the completely different character sketch of this man and for that matter, the Nazi junta itself. Doctors, friends, drinking buddies, lovers, kids...normal people. I love the way this scene has been written:

the end is near. the alco hol is out. some choose to end it in their own terms. So people leave the drinking table on by one with a mild good bye and enter the toilet where a doctor explains to them the science of shooting yourself and the tricks to keep it painless...no violin orchestras playing in the background, no close-ups to 'enhance the emotion', nothing. The scene just rocks you by itself.

Can somebody identify this church?

the web is more fun since last night....for sometime atleast

While sifting through the name throwings for the next president and 'opting outs' of the 'Somanth ji's and 'Atalji's (who by the way is my personal favourite to succeed Dr. Kalam), I landed up on what seems to be the president's blog! Now, I am an occassional nic.in visitor, but I am convinced this is a first...It does not seem amazingly interactive, but I can see a very detailed feedback page and all....it even has the powerpoint presentations that he made at different events...besides pictures of his herbal garden!!!

http://presidentofindia.nic.in

am just super excited bout this! so please bear with me if this is old news for anybody! It is not just the fact that the president has an 'e' existence....thats something you would expect today....but it is the care and effort that has gone into making it....the pics are not too heavy to download....the color scheme is not gawdy....the design is very tasteful....the content is staggering in volume and quality....many firsts there...;))

another reason why the web became more fun since last night is prem panicker's blog....or portal, or whatever you wanna call it.....for those to whom the name does not ring a bell, prem is the face of cricket journalism on the internet, for many mortals like me...lately, he has become editor (or something like that) of India Abroad - Rediff's NRI weekly and all that.....but there is nothing NRI about his writing....take a look even if my intro does not sound interesting...

http://www.prempanicker.com/index.php

Spidey 3 and Superstar

OK. Have finally seen the world's most expensive film. First day, last show. Spidey 3 is a lot of fun. I dont care too much for the 'Kirsten does not do justice to Stan Lee's MJ' or 'Goblin is the real hero in 3' foul crying. Honestly, I remember so little of the spidey strips I read in school that I would'nt notice it if they had made goblin a busty blonde! OK...I accept am not a confirmed spidey fan...back then and even now, my allegience was / is always with a certain bat in a cape.

(spoiler alert!)

Back to Sam Raimi. Surprisingly, the thing that sticks out like a sore thumb in the film is the special effects....Now, I am pretty sure this had nothing to do with my lack of sleep the previous night. The special effects just feel like....well....'special effects'! Especially the scene where the crane rips the building apart.....i could have sworn that crane looked like 3D art.... is it just me?

or may be its because I assumed you could do a lot with $258 Million (Now, that is more than 10 times the budget of Bhansali's Devdas - arguably the most expensive Indian film ever made. It is also 80,000 times the budget of 'haze'!).

And yes....most of the reviewers are right.....Tobey cries way too much and removes his mask way too many times.....but Kirsten Dunst is exceedingly adorable. especially in her 'waitress in a Jazz bar' attire...I know not too many people agree with me, but I think she is a real beauty....kinda a 'hot gurl next door' (in spite of 'Marie Antoinette').

Now to the best part....the story line.....our hero is a super hero....he fights for justice....he has a lady love and a best friend....the friends have a misunderstanding....best friend thinks that the hero killed his father....a rift....but by the end of the film, best friend realizes his mistake and they both together fight the bad boys and save the girlfriend......sounds familiar?...remember Annamalai?? James Franco reprises Radha Ravi!!!!

OK that was a stretch....but it really got me thinking....when the protagonist is a super hero, I guess your options as a writer are very limited.....you pretty much 'hang' interesting emotions around the central character and spin the story....a.k.a masala....so I guess there is in fact a 'universal' method to the madness...be it spidey or Sivaji-The Boss!!

PS: by the way....on another note, I think I am going to offer an online jackpot to anybody who can translate Sivaji songs to Tamil....

Pyaasa...

Just read that it is the 50th anniversary of Pyaasa. It is amazing how this song stunns every single time....literally...(the entire movie does Ofcourse, but this is Special)....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSo3KVwrp8M

OK...I Really need to get back to work now....