Family – Movie Mahal

April 27, 2013

THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES (Dir. Derek Cianfrance, 2012, US) – Eclipse of the Son [Spoilers ahead!]

I’m still convinced that as Ryan Gosling gets older he’s going to eventually look like Jimmy Stewart; it’s that curvature of his elongated face and dewy eyes. Much has been made of Gosling’s performance in this latest feature from director Derek Cianfrance and it is suggestive to the film. Gosling is a performer who is Continue reading

American Independent Cinema, Class, Family, Melodrama, Ryan Gosling, Social Realism

January 11, 2011

NO ONE KILLED JESSICA (Dir. Raj Kumar Gupta, 2010, India) – The Power in Delhi

I had been looking forward to this one given director Raj Kumar Gupta seemed to show some promise with his debut Aamir but like most Hindi films of late this falls short of expectations and in many ways descends into a melodramatic sentiment un-keeping with the first half of the film. Based on what is Continue reading

Crime, Delhi, Family, Indian CInema, Media, Melodrama

November 2, 2010

SHREE 420 / MR. 420 (Dir. Raj Kapoor, 1955, India) – Contesting Ideologies

The title for Raj Kapoor’s 1955 film Shree 420 takes its social inspiration from the Indian Penal Code. Section 420 deals with cases of fraud and cheating yet it’s popularisation by Raj Kapoor has meant it has become ubiquitous with the figure of the con-man or trickster in Continue reading

Auteur, Family, Genre, Indian CInema, Melodrama, Neo realism, Raj Kapoor