Stardust: The stars shine down
Monday, September 17th, 2007
When a trend has begun, there is no stopping the followers. Fads, though short lived, almost possess people into doing what is “in”. Right now, I suppose the trend points towards a magical bend of the directors and script writer’s wrist. You see, the public is bored of our own mundane, bad world and want to enter another realm which takes them deep into the world of fantasies and enthralls them, if only for an hour or two. Take the Harry Potter series, or Lord of the Rings for example sake. And now, we have another one jump onto the band wagon. This is Stardust. (more…)
Bet director Steven Soderbergh was counting on this play of fate to make his third in the Ocean series - Ocean’s 13, a runaway hit. Can’t really blame the guy - third movies almost always run out of steam unless its like Star Wars or The Trilogy of The Lord of the Rings; but then again, that’s a totally different league all together. Anyway, coming back to Ocean’s 13, it has two great predecessors. Ocean’s 11 was mind blowing, we all know that. The sequel was a little off the bull’s eye, but nevertheless, it made enough money for there to be a third part. 
No. we are not talking about another slasher flick which decided to cash in on Psycho. Most people who have not heard of the film will be forgiven if they thought that. But Sicko is actually a documentary film that is based on the American health care sector. Those not living in America think of it as the land of opportunities and can’t wait to get there. They think that everything in America is superbly perfect and this includes the health care. All you have to do is get medical insurance and then you are set for life, right? 
Comedies really are nice to have around. I mean, you return home all stressed out from work and may be feeling down. A comedy will get your spirits up right away. Romantic comedies are even better - you can watch them with your chick friends or with your guy. That’s for the girls. What about the guys? Nah! Romantic comedies are for pansies, there is no way you will catch a real boy watching that stuff! No way until girl wants to watch the film. So to solve the dilemma that the poor guys face, Judd Apatow has magnanimously come up with a movie guys don’t have to be ashamed of watching. 
This is really unfair. If god is honestly just materializing in front of people and giving them the opportunity to become him, I want in! How come this does not happen to normal people?! Yes, you might think this is the hysterical outburst of a small child, but truly, when you see films like this don’t you just want to scream? I thought Bruce Almighty was a mistake that Jim Carrey made. Of course, he made the mistake more watch able, but it was mistake nonetheless. Just when I had thought that was behind me, here comes Evan Almighty - the sequel! Tom Shadyak sure does not believe in learning from mistakes otherwise he would never make this film. 
There are a lot of superstitious folks out there who believe in numbers. As in, some believe that number 13 is unlucky and that number 7 is lucky. Most hotels and building don’t even have a 13 th floor to them. So what is so special about room 1408? Well, if you check, it does add up to 13. Besides, when the unanimous king of horror, Stephen King says that there is something about room 1408, I’d believe there is. Among the score of horror novels and stories that this celebrated author has written, 1408 is one of the most chilling. Why? Because it is pure, unadulterated horror. Forgive me, but I believe that blood and gore just ruin the effect of horror. In fact, the very fact that there is something really disgusting in front of you makes you forget about the horror element. In this movie, director Mikael Hafstrom has beautifully adapted this spine chilling short story from King’s vast collection and has created horrifying magic. 
There are a few of us who find it fascinating to think about the great masters who lived in another time, but thought like ours. Michelangelo, Rafael, Leonardo Da Vinci, Einstein, Marx - all these people were the ones who sparked off change and revolution, altered the way people lived and thought. Though never appreciated in their own lifetime, today they are revered as the sculptors of our free world. Some spoke through their words, some with their voice, some with their knowledge and some through their paintings. One such painter is Goya - works like his can never be recreated because of the true genius that he displays. There have been numerous biographies that have described and portrayed the life of this great painter. 
That is exactly what we WON’T be having, according to the makers of Sunshine. Imagine how the world will be 50 years from now. Much the same? Well, how about a century from now? Have not given it much thought. Mostly, the human race might not be there. Or maybe we will be like The Jetsons. This thought has fueled the imagination of countless film makers and one thing they all seem to agree upon is that it’s not getting much better. Films like The Matrix tell us how the machines are going to make us their slaves. Movies like Minority Report tell us that the world will become more of a global village. Then there are movies like Sunshine which tell us that we will be frozen to death. 
Oh yes! There is nothing better than something really tasty to eat and something really great to watch. The combination of the appeasement of these two senses is of vital importance to me and once the two are satiated, I’m one happy person. Some films are so great that they make you forget what is happening in your world because they pull you into theirs. 
It is every person’s dream to marry the partner of their dreams, have a fairytale wedding and a lovely life ahead of them watching the kids grow up and then grow old together. Sigh! If only life was that perfect. But since it is not, we try and get it as close as possible to our ideal scenario. When Adam Sandler is starring in a movie, you expect it to be a laugh riot. You think it is going to be three stooges funny and you assume that you will have to leave your brains at home in order to enjoy the film. This is where you might have a problem when you go to see I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry. 
