A Separation was extraordinary. I’ll admit that I was suspicious that this was another simplistic depiction of Iranian society (like Reading Lolita in Tehran) and that was the main reason its been so celebrated. Fortunately, this is not the case. Asghar Farhadi, the film’s writer and director, masters a perfect balance of subtlety and complexity. The film’s plot evolves so naturally and gradually that the monumental developments in the narrative feel perfectly intimate and understated. If you can, see the movie before it deservedly takes home the Oscar for Best Foreign Film.

The Museum of Modern Art is currently showing a retrospective called Raj Kapoor and the Golden Age of Indian Cinema.

From the film exhibition’s description: Largely unknown in North America—except, of course, to millions of fans of South Asian descent—actor, director, and mogul Raj Kapoor (1924–1988) is revered not only in India but throughout the former Soviet world, the Middle East, and beyond for the films he made during the Golden Age of Indian cinema. This exhibition of eight legendary Kapoor films, presented in newly struck 35mm prints, offers an introduction to one of the most ravishing and influential periods of world cinema. Kapoor founded RK Films in 1948, and it became the most important Hindi studio of the post-Independence era—and the one most commonly associated with that nebulous and often misunderstood expression, “Bollywood.”

I can’t wait to go to some of these screenings!

Aparna Sen, one of India’s best writers, directors, and actresses.

schisms:

Indian Actress Madhubala in her room - Photographed by James Burke in 1951

12 Angry Men  is one of the most incredible films I’ve ever seen. The world has lost a true visionary.

The sangeet scene from Mira Nair’s Monsoon Wedding. This scene captures the meaning of masti better than any other in the film.

I finally got around to seeing Rabbit Hole and I loved it. The film balances incredibly understated dialogue with overwhelmingly powerful scenes of grief. What could have been melodramatic and overwrought was intensely moving. I’m adding this to my list of movies that were robbed as this year’s Oscars, alongside Blue Valentine and Animal Kingdom.

Aishwarya Rai was at the Oscars apparently.

Represent.

Promotional still for Singularity, starring Bipasha Basu, Josh Hartnett, and Abhay Deol and directed by Roland Joffé (who directed The Killing Fields and City of Joy, as well as the horrendous 1995 version of The Scarlet Letter)

The film is a love story told in two different time periods, one of which is the first Anglo-Maratha war. Bipasha Basu plays Tulaja Naik, a Maratha warrior, though you wouldn’t know it from this image (though this still from the film shows her in warrior garb). Based on this promotional material, it looks like some heroic colonials will be saving some brown women. I obviously don’t want to judge the film until its released, but this type of imagery just glorifies the idea of the helpless “native woman.”

bollywoodsuperstar:

The first time I saw Mani Ratnam’s Dil Se (From the Heart, 1998) was a very formative moment for me in terms of my critical interest in cinema, Indian cinema in particular. I think it may be time to revisit it.

“Dil Se Re,” one of the many iconic songs in the film, written and sung by A.R. Rahman.

This is a film I love to talk and write about (and its soundtrack has to be one of my favorites of all time) . I need to post my thoughts on “Jiya Jale” at some point.

Deepa Mehta’s much-awaited film adaptation of Salman Rushdie’s Booker Prize winning novel Midnight’s Children will be called Winds of Change. The film starring Irrfan Khan, Rahul Bose, Nandita Das, Shabana Azmi and Soha Ali Khan among others, will start shooting in Sri Lanka next month.

When you are dealing with source material as epic as Midnight’s Children, it seems unnecessary to change the title. I guess the title Winds of Change incorporates the last element that Mehta has to cover in her “elements” film series. Still, to change the name suggests that this project will be defined by Mehta’s direction, rather than Rushdie’s source material, which I hope won’t be true.

Entertainment Weekly reports that a heated on-stage exchange occurred between director Darren Aronofsky and New York Press film critic Armond White at The New York Film Critics Circle awards earlier this week:

Reliably contrary to most of his voting colleagues, [Armond White] didn’t like many of the choices made by the rest of the group: He disdained Black Swan, The Kids Are All Right, and The Social Network, among others, in reviews that coincidentally have whipped up publicity and generated page hits for his publication even as they have confounded or infuriated or amused readers. Aronofsky, of course, is the director of Black Swan. And in presenting the NYFCC award for cinematography to Black Swan‘s Matthew Labatique, Aronofsky couldn’t resist the opportunity to take a verbal swipe at the evening’s host, saying, “I thought I was giving White the compassion award because if you don’t have something, you should get it. Seriously, keep it up because you give all of us another reason not to read The New York Press.”

While I like Aronofsky’s film and completely agree that White is often maliciously critical of extremely good films (as his profile on Rotten Tomatoes shows), this might not have been the appropriate venue to express his anger. However, based on this article, White’s response and subsequent comments just solidify his image as an epic douche, which I was pretty sold on after his reviews of The Social Network, Blue Valentine, Easy A, Black Swan, Toy Story 3, and many other great films. Seriously, how can someone be so critical of the Toy Story franchise? The article continues:

White couldn’t resist the opportunity to respond: “That’s all right. Darren reads me. That’s all I want. And because he reads me, he knows the truth.” The proceedings became ruder from there, more self-referential, more uncomfortable. Introducing Angels in America playwright Tony Kushner to present the best picture award to The Social Network, White offered, “Maybe he can explain why it won best picture.” And closing the evening — his final moment at the microphone – the emcee threw in a gratuitous swipe at director Noah Baumbach, another filmmaker on his s— list, saying, “I thank the Circle for not awarding a single award to Greenberg.”

If this turns into a bigger feud, I, alongside the rest of America, will be firmly on Team Aronofsky.

Oh my god, this movie. It was absolutely overwhelming and painful, yet still incredibly beautiful and moving. I cannot recommend it enough.

Also, I saw the film in LA and a couple in the theater dressed up as Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams’ characters…This really didn’t seem like the right movie for fan costumes.

bombayelectric:

Satyajit Ray is Electric #thegoddesswillrockyou

Devi (1960), directed by Satyajit Ray