Topic: Tom's Alphabet Marathon Reviews

[Tom]

Jimmy, also for this one you can replace my old review. Thanks!

[Tom]

I have watched "12:01" as my "#"-movie. Review can be found here.

[Tom]

Title: Vivah
Year: 2006
Director: Sooraj R. Barjatya
Rating: FSK-0
Length: 166 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35
Audio: German: Dolby Digital 5.1, Hindi: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles:

Stars:
Shahid Kapoor
Amrita Rao
Anupam Kher
Aloknath
Seema Biswas

Plot:
Vivah is about the sanctity of marriage....and the importance and symbolism of engagement rings and the act of exchanging it how it unlocks the right we get on one another, Vivah is about the Sanctity of Marriage.

Poonam is a beautiful and joyful girl with all the right virtues one could ask for. Bhagatji (Manoj Joshi) is a matchmaker, who tries to make Poonam marry Prem (Shahid Kapoor), the son of Mr. Harish Chandra (Anupam Kher), a renowned businessman based in New Delhi. Chandra’s family is New Delhi’s most prominent business families. Prem is the soft spoken, charming and well-educated young man. Despite born with a silver spoon and brought up in a cosmopolitan city Prem has inherited his family’s traditional values. Prem’s father asks him to meet Poonam. Though Prem feels he is too young for marriage and needs to focus on his career first, he decides to respect his father’s wish. The meeting between Prem and Poonam turns out to be a unique one. it starts off as an awkward, formal exchange of words but gradually grows into a deeper, meaningful conversation. Prem and Poonam feel that they should marry each other. The engagement takes place and the marriage is fixed to be held after six months. Once the engagement is over, the magical and romantic period of their lives starts. They share a special bondage between them. However, a crisis arises when they are just about to get married. They have to go through a trial by fire. Will they overcome the crisis successfully and marry each other? Do their values help them face the problem? ViVAH is a moving story about love and commitments

Awards:
Extras:
Poster
Production Notes
Scene Access

My Thoughts:

Finally I got the chance to see Amrita Rao in another movie besides Main Hoon Na. She is beautiful again and she did a good job here.
The first two hours of the movie is slowly building the romance between the two main characters. We follow them through their first shy meeting after their parents arrange their marriage. Then through their engagement period where they are getting to know and fall in love with each other.
Although very enjoyable there is not much else happening in the first two hours. Both families are full of nice people who are just perfect. His family rich but down-to-earth and nice. Her family poor and also nice. Strange that a movie with no conflict whatsoever can be entertaining.
The last half an hour deals with the aftermath of a fire accident where she is badly burned. Just shortly before the wedding. And deals how the groom will react to this. It is sugary sweet with Hollywood ending. We never get to see the burns (her face is unharmed and the rest is always covered).

Rating:

[Tom]

Title: Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na
Year: 2008
Director: Abbas Tyrewala
Rating: FSK-0
Length: 147 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35
Audio: German: Dolby Digital 5.1, Hindi: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: German

Stars:
Nirav Mehta
Renuka Kunzru
Karan Makhija
Alishka Varde
Sugandha Garg

Plot:
Hailing from the town of Ranjhore in Rajasthan, Jai Singh Rathore is everything a Rathore from Ranjhore is not supposed to be- pleasant, warm, funny, kind, sensitive and pathologically non-violent.

Jai's father passed away when he was still an infant, and he has been brought up by his mother Savitri. The few years she endured as the bahu of a Rajput joint-family remain a nauseating memory for Jai's mother. After her husband passed away, Savitri ran away from this insane clan and came to Mumbai, where she now works as a professional social worker struggling with human rights issues.

Savitri's upbringing has ensured that Jai is the most unlikely Rathore either sides of the Aravallis. Her staunch belief is that Indian mothers are responsible for their sons turning out to be such jerks- so she has never pampered Jai. Everything, from preparing breakfast to doing laundry, Jai does himself. They share a great friendship, but also completely respect each other's space.

The most important thing in Jai's life is Aditi. They connected the first day they met, and nobody has ever seen them apart since. When they are not together, they are on the phone. And so, to friends and family, it is simply a question of time before the two get married.

Awards:

Filmfare Awards	2009	Won	Best Choreography Award	Longinus Fernandes
Filmfare Awards	2009	Won	Best Male Debut Award	Imran Khan
Filmfare Awards	2009	Nominated	Best Movie Award
Filmfare Awards	2009	Won	Best Music Director Award	A. R. Rahman
Filmfare Awards	2009	Nominated	Best Supporting Actor Award	Prateik Babba
Filmfare Awards	2009	Nominated	Best Supporting Actress Award	Ratna Pathak

Extras:
Bonus Trailers
Deleted Scenes
Deleted Songs
Interviews
Music Videos
Poster
Scene Access
Trailers

My Thoughts:

At first this movie developed in a direction which I didn't enjoy. I expected a different kind of movie. But then it caught my interest and had some funny moments. Towards the end I was really enjoying it.

Rating:

[Tom]

Title: Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam
Year: 1999
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Rating: FSK-6
Length: 188 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35
Audio: German: Dolby Digital 5.1, Hindi: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: German

Stars:
Salman Khan
Ajay Devgan
Aishwarya Rai
Zohra Sehgal
Vikram Gokhale

Plot:
When Salman asks for Ash's hand in marriage her family refuses. They have already chosen a husband for their daughter. Salman returns to Italy. When Ajay, Ash's new husband realizes that his new bride has been in love with someone else, he is prepared to sacrifice his love for her and take her to Italy to be reunited with her true love, Salman.

Awards:

Filmfare Awards	2000	Nominated	Best Actor Award	Ajay Devgan
Filmfare Awards	2000	Nominated	Best Actor Award	Salman Khan
Filmfare Awards	2000	Won	Best Actress Award	Aishwarya Rai
Filmfare Awards	2000	Won	Best Background Score Award	Anjan Biswas
Filmfare Awards	2000	Won	Best Choreography Award	Saroj Khan
Filmfare Awards	2000	Won	Best Director Award	Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Filmfare Awards	2000	Won	Best Male Playback Award	Udit Narayan
Filmfare Awards	2000	Won	Best Movie Award
Filmfare Awards	2000	Nominated	Best Music Director Award	Ismail Darbar
Filmfare Awards	2000	Nominated	Best Supporting Actor Award	Ajay Devgan
Filmfare Awards	2000	Nominated	Best Supporting Actor Award	Salman Khan
IIFA Awards	2000	Won	Best Actress	Aishwarya Rai
IIFA Awards	2001	Won	Best Background Score	Amrik Gill
IIFA Awards	2000	Won	Best Choreography	"Nimbooda": Saroj Khan
IIFA Awards	2000	Won	Best Cinematography	Anil Mehta
IIFA Awards	2000	Won	Best Dialogue	Amrik Gill
IIFA Awards	2000	Won	Best Director	Sanjay Leela Bhansali
IIFA Awards	2000	Won	Best Male Playback	"Chand Chhupa": Udit Narayan
IIFA Awards	2000	Won	Best Movie
IIFA Awards	2000	Won	Best Screen Play	Sanjay Leela Bansali
IIFA Awards	2000	Won	Best Sound Recording	Jeetendra Chaudhary
IIFA Awards	2000	Won	Best Sound Re-Recording	Sushmita Sen
IIFA Awards	2000	Won	Best Story	Pratap Karvat, Sanjay Leela Bansali

Extras:
Bonus Trailers
Karte
Music Videos
Poster
Scene Access
Trailers

My Thoughts:

I had high expectations for this. Not that I would think it will be a masterpiece, but I thought for sure that this will be a movie I will enjoy. It has won a lot of awards and it is written and directed by the same guy who has written and directed "Black".
But I was disappointed. The characters were flakey and rather unlikable in the beginning. And even though I enjoy the music in these films, there was too much of it in this one. There was more focus on it than it usually is. Because of this there wasn't really much story. It got better towards the end, but I don't think this will be a movie that I can watch again and again.

Rating:

[Tom]

I have reviewed "What's Cooking?" here.

I also watched the following movies for this marathon without writing up a review:

Date	Title	Rating
10	Dil Ka Rishta (2003)
10	P.S. I Love You (2008)
10	Yuva (2004)
11	First Daughter (2004)

[Tom]

Title: Bollywood/Hollywood
Year: 2002
Director: Deepa Mehta
Rating: FSK-0
Length: 101 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35
Audio: German: Dolby Digital 5.1, English: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English, German

Stars:
Rahul Khanna
Lisa Ray
Moushumi Chatterjee
Dina Pathak
Kulbushan Kharbanda

Plot:
From Deepa Mehta, the acclaimed director of 'Fire' and 'Earth' comes 'Bollywood/Hollywood', a madcap love-song to both East and West with Bollywood music, Hollywood choreography, North American locations, and Bollywood stars. Rahul Seth is a dashing young millionaire dating a beautiful, Caucasian pop star whom his parents are none too fond of. Before you can say 'karmic intervention', Kimberly dies in a freak accident and Rahul is devastated. Instead of allowing him to mourn in peace, Rahul's domineering mother sees the opportunity she's been waiting for and threatens to call off his sister's wedding unless he finds himself a 'nice Indian girl'. The charade begins and it seems this match borne out of necessity could fool everyone, until things get complicated...

Awards:

Genie Award	2002	Nominated	Best Motion Picture	David Hamilton, Bob Wertheimer
Genie Award	2002	Won	Original Screenplay	Deepa Mehta
Genie Award	2002	Nominated	Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role	Ranjit Chowdhry
Genie Award	2002	Nominated	Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role	Dina Pathak
Genie Award	2002	Nominated	Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role	Moushumi Chaterjee

Extras:
Bonus Trailers
Featurettes
Interviews
Music Videos
Photo Gallery
Production Notes
Scene Access
Trailers

My Thoughts:

This is supposed to be a Bollywood parody. It felt more like it was making fun of it. I found it a little insulting. Added to that the leads do not have any chemistry at all. The love story is just really unbelievable. The only thing I enjoyed in this movie are some of the songs. But they were mostly ripped off of Bollywood movies anyway.

Rating:

[Tom]

I also watched "Taal" yesterday, which was barely a .

Coincidentally it starred someone, who makes a cameo appearence in "Bollywood/Hollywood" as himself.

[Tom]

Title: Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi

Rating:

I was away on business the last two days and I took my portable DVD player with me for something to watch in the evening. As I didn't want to watch anything from my unwatched pile on this small screen and also not something I have planned for this marathon, my choice fell on "Rab Ne Di Jodi". I just had the urge to watch it yet again even if I already watched it this month for this marathon. This is definately now one of my guilty pleasures that I can see watch myself again and again.

[Tom]

Title: Sisi
Year: 2009
Director: Teil 1, Xaver Schwarzenberger, Teil 2, Xaver Schwarzenberger
Rating: FSK-12
Length: 197 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78
Audio: German: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles:

Stars:
Cristiana Capotondi
David Rott
Martina Gedeck
Fritz Karl
Licia Maglietta

Plot:
The Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph falls in love with the young Elisabeth. It's love at first sight but Franz Joseph's mother Sophie doesn't approve this love.

Awards:
Extras:
Bonus Trailers
Scene Access

My Thoughts:

This is a recent "remake" of the classic Sissi trilogy. This time around it is said to be more faithful to reality. But I found that surprisingly the dialog is even more clichéd and sentimental than in the original films. Also I found the delivery much more natural in the original. Here the acting was much too wooden for the most part. Even though I enjoyed the original movies much more, I liked watching it and was entertained for the 197 minutes these two-part movie took.

Rating:

[Tom]

X-Men (2000/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (Germany) Director: Bryan Singer Writing: David Hayter (Screenwriter), Tom DeSanto (Original Material By), Bryan Singer (Original Material By) Length: 100 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1, German: Dolby Digital 5.1 Subtitles: English, German

Stars:
Hugh Jackman as Logan/Wolverine
Patrick Stewart as Xavier
Ian McKellen as Magneto
Famke Janssen as Jean Grey
James Marsden as Cyclops

Plot:
Born into a world filled with prejudice are children who possess extraordinary and dangerous powers--the result of unique genetic mutations. Cyclops unleashes bolts of energy from his eyes. Storm can manipulate the weather at will. Rogue absorbs the life force of anyone she touches. But, under the tutelage of Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart), these and other outcasts learn to harness their powers for the good of mankind. Now they must protect those who fear them as the nefarious Magneto (Ian McKellen), who believes humans and mutants can never co-exist, unveils his sinister plan for the future. Pulsing with state-of-the-art visual effects and unforgettable characters.

Awards:
Won:

Blockbuster Entertainment Awards (2001)		Favorite Supporting Actor - Sci-Fi (James Marsden)
Blockbuster Entertainment Awards (2001)		Favorite Supporting Actress - Sci-Fi (Rebecca Romijn)
BMI Film & TV Music Awards (2001)		BMI Film Music Award (Michael Kamen)
Empire Magazine Awards (2001)		Best Director (Bryan Singer)
Saturn (2000)		Best Actor (Hugh Jackman)
Saturn (2000)		Best Costumes (Louise Mingenbach)
Saturn (2000)		Best Director (Bryan Singer)
Saturn (2000)		Best Science Fiction Film
Saturn (2000)		Best Screenplay (David Hayter)
Saturn (2000)		Best Supporting Actress (Rebecca Romijn)

Nominated:

Blockbuster Entertainment Awards (2001)		Favorite Actor - Sci-Fi (Patrick Stewart)
Blockbuster Entertainment Awards (2001)		Favorite Actress - Sci-Fi (Anna Paquin)
Blockbuster Entertainment Awards (2001)		Favorite Male Newcomer (Hugh Jackman)
Blockbuster Entertainment Awards (2001)		Favorite Supporting Actress - Sci-Fi (Famke Janssen)
Blockbuster Entertainment Awards (2001)		Favorite Villian (Internet Only) (Ian McKellen)
Costume Designers Guild Awards (2001)		Excellence in Costume Design for Film – Contemporary (Louise Mingenbach)
Hugo Award (2001)		Dramatic Presentation
MTV Movie Awards (2001)		Best Male Breakthrough Performance (Hugh Jackman)
MTV Movie Awards (2001)		Best Movie
MTV Movie Awards (2001)		Best On-screen Team (Halle Berry, Hugh Jackman, James Marsden and Anna Paquin)
Saturn (2000)		Best Makeup (Gordon Smith, Ann Brodie)
Saturn (2000)		Best Performance by a Younger Actor (Anna Paquin)
Saturn (2000)		Best Special Effects (Michael Fink, Michael J. McAlister, David Prescott, Theresa Ellis)
Saturn (2000)		Best Supporting Actor (Patrick Stewart)
Taurus Award (2001)		Best Specialty Stunt (Steven McMichael)

Extras:

• Animierte Storyboards
• Deleted Scenes
• Featurettes
• Interviews
• Photo Gallery
• Scene Access
• Trailers

My Thoughts:

This movie was my first contact I ever had with the X-Men. Even though I enjoy the movie, the X-Men never got to be a must-see for me. I also think it is too much of a Wolverine show and the other characters come up short.

Rating:

[Tom]

U-571 (2000/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Highlight Communications (Germany) Director: Jonathan Mostow Writing: Jonathan Mostow (Original Material By), Jonathan Mostow (Screenwriter), Sam Montgomery (Screenwriter), David Ayer (Screenwriter) Length: 111 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35 Audio: German: Dolby Digital 5.1, German: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround, English: Dolby Digital 5.1, German: DTS 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles: Commentary, German

Stars:
Matthew McConaughey as Tyler
Bill Paxton as Dahlgren
Harvey Keitel as Chief
Jon Bon Jovi as Emmett
David Keith as Coonan

Plot:
A U.S. Navy Captain and his crew are just beginning to enjoy 48 hours of leave when they receive word to immediately return to duty. On a top-secret assignment, they must disguise themselves as Nazis and infiltrate a severely damaged Nazi U-boat. Once on board, they are to steal the Nazi's top-secret decoding device and sink the sub before the Germans catch on to what's really happening. Their mission is more dangerous and frightening than anything they could have ever imagined, but one which has the power to turn the tide of battle.

Awards:
Won:

Academy Award (2000)		Best Sound Editing (Jon Johnson)
BMI Film & TV Music Awards (2001)		BMI Film Music Award (Richard Marvin)

Nominated:

Academy Award (2000)		Best Sound (Steve Maslow, Gregg Landaker, Rick Kline, Ivan Sharrock)
Blockbuster Entertainment Awards (2001)		Favorite Actor - Action (Mathew McConaughey)
Blockbuster Entertainment Awards (2001)		Favorite Supporting Actor - Action (Harvey Keitel)
Cinema Audio Society Awards (2001)		Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Feature Film (Steve Maslow, Gregg Landaker, Rick Kline, Ivan Sharrock)
Taurus Award (2001)		Best Fire Work (Robert Lahoda, Jaroslav Psenicka)

Extras:

• Booklet
• Commentary
• DVD-ROM Content
• Featurettes
• Interactive Game
• Interviews
• Production Notes
• Scene Access
• Trailers

My Thoughts:

I know there are some hard feelings about this movie in this forum, because of the Americanization of true events. Personally I had more problems of how stereotypical evil the German sailors were portrayed. First they shoot survivors in cold blood. Then when one of them is captured himself (the US sailors are of course much more civil and take him in), he tries to take over the ship all by himself.
As an action movie it is decent. It doesn't come close to "Das Boot" though. What I always liked about this one is, that they chose to use real German actors talking real German for the German U-Boot crew. Usually in Hollywood movies we see American actors trying to talk German (like here the one on the US side who is supposed to be half-German).

Rating:

[Tom]

I am almost finished with my marathon. The only letter missing is "L". And as I have written in another thread, I want to watch "Lagaan" for this one and ordered it yesterday. It will be a few days until I get it.

[goodguy]

... or you could watch "Lola rennt".

[Tom]

I could, but I already watched it in our last Christmas marathon and I do not have the urge to watch it again just now