Bombay Film Review

Bombay

     Bombay is a popular Bollywood musical from India. It was released in 1995 under the direction of Mani Ratman. The film follows the lives of a couple in India as their existence is rocked by religious riots. Shekhar, a Hindu man, falls in love with Shaila, a Muslim woman. Shaila originally dismisses his love, but eventually she too falls in love and they get married. Their marriage is not taken very well by both their families, as it is seen as dating out of your religion. At this time, there are daily riots going on in parts of India, which is actually based off of true events. These riots cost many people their lives, destroys cities, and divides the country. These riots are also particularly difficult for Shekhar and Shaila, as well as their children who are raised with a mix of both religions. It all culminates in a heart wrenching and heartwarming final chapter that will keep the viewer watching.

     Religion is probably the biggest theme in this movie because it serves as the real conflict. Any antagonism or antagonist that appears in the film is because of their religious views and what they feel they must do with them. Acceptance of religion, another theme, directly ties into this. The entire world is very diverse and everyone should be accepting of each other. We are all human and we all share planet Earth. Another theme in the film is love. The film demonstrates many forms of love – love for yourself, love for your family, love for strangers, and love for ones country. The characters in the film obviously care very much for their own safety and the lives of the family members that they love. There is a scene towards the end that demonstrates the other two forms of love. Towards the end of the riots, citizens in India stand together and save each other. They say that they are all Indians and that should come first. This instance shows the love for each other as humans, or more particularly Indians, and the love for their country.

     I was very skeptical going in to watch this movie. I am not a big fan of musicals, mostly because I think they’re kind of weird because singing and dancing just happens out of nowhere. I do respect other people’s opinions that differ from mine. It’s just not my genre of movie. I was pleasantly surprised with this film because it wasn’t over the top with the musical aspect. I think it had only maybe two or three numbers. That was bearable. The plot was really good because it gave a real sense of danger, especially when the kids were involved. I felt so bad for the kids! Although I did think it got a little monotonous when they would get lost again every ten minutes. I definitely enjoyed this film more than some of the other films we’ve watched in class. Just goes to show you can’t judge a book by its cover.

Dreams Movie Review

Dreams

     Dreams is quite the interesting movie. It’s very experimental. The movie shows 8 dreams that the man has had throughout his life. Each dream tells a different story and showcases his views on a subject and what is going on in the world at that time. Akira Kurosawa created this Japanese film in 1990. The first two dreams, Through The Rain and Orchard, are about the man’s views on respecting and protecting nature. The next dream was about a blizzard, and Tunnel is about the war Japan was in at the time and how he felt about all the meaningless death. Crows is about art and experiencing nature, while Mount Fuiji in Red is a dream about how man threatens to destroy art and nature. Weeping Demon is a nightmare about what’s left after man screws up the last time, while Village of Watermills is about the hope that is still left over that things may change.

     Nature is the biggest theme in Dreams. It is present in every dream except Tunnel. Akira’s clearly demonstrates his unhappiness with the way nature is treated and his hopes that things could change before it’s too late. Orchard, Mount Fuiji in Red, and Villiage of Watermills are the dreams which clearly show this. Orchard shows how upset he is when a peach orchard is chopped down. Mount Fuiji in Red shows how a whole country can be destroyed by messing with nature. Village of Watermills shows his hope for the future in the way that the dream has no electricity and the village runs clearly off what the land provides.

     The next theme displayed in Dreams is war. It’s obvious that the man does not think to fondly of war. In Tunnel, he takes the role of a captain of a troop of soldiers. He knew they would not win the battle he threw them into, and is now dealing with the guilt of his own survival. He encounters his troops while walking through a tunnel and their ghosts don’t know that they are deceased. He is heartbroken over this fact and successfully convinces them to march back into the eternal slumber that awaits them. Weeping Demon briefly touches on the war as it hints at aspects of World War II. The deformities of the demons can be compared to the side effects many Japanese people had after the bombs were dropped on their country.

     This movie is so weird that I wouldn’t change a thing! Tunnel was a little repetitive in terms of the dialogue, but aside from that it was crazy. I remember sitting in my seat thinking “What is this? What’s happening?” It was weird in a good way. It kept my attention because I was trying to keep up with it the whole time or waiting for something new to happen. I didn’t want to miss another random ghost dance scene, strange barking dog, or one horned demon. It was certainly entertaining and I would show it to other people, just so they could see what I saw! It was definitely a fun film to watch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTRw66CnWLI

Eat Drink Man Woman

Eat Drink Man Woman

   Eat Drink Man Woman is a film about three very different sisters living with their father. It was directed by Ang Lee and released in 1994. It is a Taiwanese film, which we are watching with English subtitles. In the film, three sisters live in the same house with their father, a very popular cook in their town. The oldest sister is a career woman who is falling for a new coworker. The middle sister is a teacher who was burned by love in the past. The youngest sister is a college student who steals a coworker’s boyfriend. The father tries to keep the family together through the use of his great cooking while his health secretly deteriorates. The story that follows is how their lives are changed by growing up, find love, and eventually moving out.

   The most important theme of this film is obviously the love of cooking. The father used it as a way to bring the family together every weekend. It was also the way he made his living to support his family all these years. Cooking was so important to him that he would spend hours, maybe even a whole day, just preparing the meal. He showed a great passion for it. He tried to pass this tradition and passion on to his daughters, but they were uninterested. However, it does seem like his young niece has picked up this love for food.

   Other themes in the movie are love, responsibility, and breaking the mold. Everyone in the film had love for each other, and every character found love in someone new. Even the father was remotely enthralled by that viper lady. Each character also had an intense sense of loyalty and responsibility to each other. They felt so strongly that they had to remain home and not displease their father that it seems like they put portions of their life on hold. This obligation to him was shattered when they decided to break the mold and go on with their lives. It wasn’t easy and they were hesitant at first, but after they realized their father was accepting – they ran with it.

   Honestly, I feel like the movie could have been much shorter than it actually is. At points I felt like it was just a story about nothing. At points I felt that there were scenes added in with no point, just for the sake of reaching some sort of time standard. While everything was shot well and explained, I felt that there were some scenes where they were repeating themselves. This would have been a much better flick if maybe 20 minutes or so was shaved off. The repetition of the movie is my only complaint. Aside from that, I think the film was pretty good. I know it’s in some sort of trilogy series, but it didn’t move me enough to watch the other two. Eat Drink Man Woman was just good enough to me to watch once.