Bollywood DVDs July 00 .
Mo
DVDs and are deliberately producing one badly mastered DVD after
another maybe to kill the Indian DVD industry as they did the VHS one
in the 90s and so there is no point in buying their DVDs and lamenting
constantly so one might as well discuss some Hollywood ones . Only
when the GOI disqualify Eros and B4U from buying any more DVD rights
until they produce perfect DVDs will they take any notice of the
consumer .
The Unforgiven - Clint Eastwood
Sound-excellen
Picture -very good , 1990s
One of those rare Hollywood movies with a good story line worth
watching once . Not once did I feel the need to fast forward as the
action was quite gripping . Recommeded , some bad language about good
time girls offering freebies and getting upset when they get turned
down .
The Amerrican outback is so beautiful that I dont know why Hollywood
cameramen have to spoil it by giving it a very dull reddish brownish
look . Long may Bollywood continue with its true to life Mother Nature
vibrant colors and conquer the world ..
Niraj Agarwalla
> Eros seem to have brought out the rights to all the new Bollywood
> DVDs and are deliberately producing one badly mastered DVD after
> another maybe to kill the Indian DVD industry as they did the VHS one
> in the 90s and so there is no point in buying their DVDs and lamenting
> constantly so one might as well discuss some Hollywood ones . Only
> when the GOI disqualify Eros and B4U from buying any more DVD rights
> until they produce perfect DVDs will they take any notice of the
> consumer .
If the GOI did its job and try to combat video piracy, maybe we wouldn't
have to deal with sloppy DVDs. This is not an excuse for Eros, but I
understand and commiserate with their concern.
> The Unforgiven - Clint Eastwood
> Sound-excellen
> Picture -very good , 1990s
> One of those rare Hollywood movies with a good story line worth
> watching once . Not once did I feel the need to fast forward as the
> action was quite gripping . Recommeded , some bad language about good
> time girls offering freebies and getting upset when they get turned
> down .
> The Amerrican outback is so beautiful that I dont know why Hollywood
> cameramen have to spoil it by giving it a very dull reddish brownish
> look . Long may Bollywood continue with its true to life Mother Nature
> vibrant colors and conquer the world ..
A great film. It was filmed in this way on purpose. It is mean to show
the brutal reality of the West.
--
Niraj Agarwalla -- ni...@shore.net
Mo
>If the GOI did its job and try to combat video piracy, maybe we wouldn't
have to deal with sloppy DVDs. This is not an excuse for Eros<
with it ? Complain to the BBB and the advertising standards authority
if you feel that you have been ripped off..
Niraj Agarwalla
They can sell it if they want, it is their right. It is the business of
the conumers if they want to buy it or not. And I, for one, will not
purchase it. All I am saying that the GOI is indifferent to piracy, so how
will you make then enforce new regulations when they won't even enforce
old ones? I think it should be taken care of at the business level-- just
don't give EROS or B4U you business.
Sydney Assbasket
>Sound-excellen
>Picture -very good , 1990s
> One of those rare Hollywood movies with a good story line worth
>watching once . Not once did I feel the need to fast forward as the
>action was quite gripping .
Yeah, it's one of those RARE Hollywood movies with a good story line. Unlike
Bollywood, which has unique story lines in all their films, right?
(btw, for those of you who didn't catch it, it was sarcasm)
Recommeded , some bad language about good
>time girls offering freebies and getting upset when they get turned
>down .
> The Amerrican outback is so beautiful that I dont know why Hollywood
>cameramen have to spoil it by giving it a very dull reddish brownish
>look . Long may Bollywood continue with its true to life Mother Nature
>vibrant colors and conquer the world ..
>
DPs portray the outback as a reddish brown place because that's how it is! Do
you expect a Western to take place in a flower garden like so many Bollywood
songs?
________________________________________________________________
The Indian DVD Resource: http://www.fly.to/indiadvd
"Gay" is not a synonym for "bad."
Remove "bination" to reply.
Sydney Assbasket
>with it ? Complain to the BBB and the advertising standards authority
>if you feel that you have been ripped off..
Yeah really. If companies like Dot Media that have done shoddy authoring for
Eros, why didn't they get someone known to do the authoring? Why couldn't they
have gotten the Panasonic DVCC to do it? Eros should have gotten some sort of
test from the authoring company to see if the work was good or not.
Mo
wrote:
>They can sell it if they want, it is their right. <
and sell inferior quality products . If Ramliers dont complain to BBB
and ASA , Indian DVDs will become as bad as the previous VHS ones .
Sydney Assbasket
>and sell inferior quality products . If Ramliers dont complain to BBB
>and ASA , Indian DVDs will become as bad as the previous VHS ones .
>
Absolutely correct. I don't know if the BBB can or will do anything, but
simply not buying Eros DVDs won't help. Eros has to KNOW that we aren't buying
their DVDs and the reason.
Niraj Agarwalla
> >There is no 'right' in the west to use misleading advertising
> >and sell inferior quality products . If Ramliers dont complain to BBB
> >and ASA , Indian DVDs will become as bad as the previous VHS ones .
> >
>
> Absolutely correct. I don't know if the BBB can or will do anything, but
> simply not buying Eros DVDs won't help. Eros has to KNOW that we aren't buying
> their DVDs and the reason.
Just to clarify. Absent of any government enforcement of piracy laws,
the distributors have to take the action into their own hands, including
the intentional releasing of substandard videos. I personally abhor the
practice, but you have to understand where they are coming from; that is
why I am agreement with the two-tier release schedule for JOSH. I didn't
want to mislead anyone.
Mo
Picture quality -excellent
Sound -excellent 5.1 surround
English subtitles except the songs
Natrajan , Tabu
A dubbed South Indian Hindi movie . WEG is now one of the good
masterers of DVD along with Superdigital and DEI . Really silly not to
subtitle the songs .
Computer graphics are excellent eg the 4th song with the two wives -
the second one is the girl who acted in Gentleman - forget her name
but she is very pretty .
South Indian music takes getting used two and I liked the classical
opening of the that song but the others are a bit too westernized with
heavy bits .
Fabuolous modern dresses worn by Tabu . There is more exposure in
these movies than they would get away in Bombay and double meanings
-for example in one Tabu sings 'looking at my mother , she asks me for
a kiss' she sings 'mama dekhke mujse chumha mangta hai' mama is also a
word for a breast in North India !
I would like to own an apartment in 'Keerthi apartments ' with the
fabulous views overlooking the city . One of the dances even has a
short Maori one so it might have been partly filmed in New Zealand .
Worth renting . They would sell a lot more and make tons more money if
during production they made a Hindi version of all Indian movies ,
that would save the trouble of trying to lip synch since the Hindi
market is twenty times the next biggest -Telugu .
James
Who wants to watch Packies.
Nigel
James <free...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:42ilmscfphtghomj7...@4ax.com...
Bardo
Nigel <ni...@gallifrey5.co.uk> wrote in message
news:8kftoi$gvi$2...@news7.svr.pol.co.uk...
> I'd love to watch them kick your ass you ignorant gobshite.
>
Well said, Nigel. Learn a little tolerance please, James - such comments are
not appropriete in this newsgroup!
Mo
track for Telugu and the second for Hindi or do you need five for each
language ? I think there are 8 altogether on a DVD ..
Brian Wescombe
"James" <free...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:42ilmscfphtghomj7...@4ax.com...
>
> Who wants to watch Packies.
Hmm. Libellous and racist messages in one day. You really are heading for
trouble.
>
> On Tue, 11 Jul 2000 22:38:13 GMT, mo2...@yahoo.com (Mo) wrote:
>
Patrick Navin
"James" <free...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:42ilmscfphtghomj7...@4ax.com...
>
> Who wants to watch Packies.
>
James
Fuck off you ignorant wanker
Patrick
Patrick Navin
"James" <free...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:42ilmscfphtghomj7...@4ax.com...
>
> Who wants to watch Packies.
>
I hope I'm not the only one reporting this post to your ISP you little
retard.
Patrick
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David Whitney [The GTA Jedi/AGGTA Nice-Guy]
--
--
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--------------------- David "The GTA Jedi" Whitney ---------------------
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--- World Wide Whitney / Grand Theft Auto: Section 487 ---
--- david (@) worldwidewhitney (.) webfusion (.) co (.) uk ---
-- mobile (@) worldwidewhitney (.) webfusion (.) co (.) uk ---
________________[AGGTA Nice Guy]_______________
_______________________________________________
We have five grand for the rent, half the police force on our
tails, we have to be in Chicago by 11am tomorrow, its dark
and were wearing sunglasses. Lets go.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
Patrick Navin <patric...@REMOVENOSPAMbtinternet.com> wrote in message
news:8khf9h$n6$4...@uranium.btinternet.com...
Mo
English subtitles except songs and is pretty good .
Picture quality - excellent
Sound -excellent Dolby 5.1
Govinda , Twinkle
Fabulous comedy , Bollywood at its best . A rich man has four
daughters who refuse to get married and leave the house - one hates
men , another is in love with somebody who is in love with a club
dancers , the third makes too many conditions and the fourth is
Twinkle who looks extremely good in some great dresses , but sexiest
in the saree .
Two gorays ( whites) I took to see the movie , thought it was
fantastic , the girl said the humour was slapstick like the Hong Kong
ones and fighting well choreographed but she loved the songs and
dances the best .
Mad video sound have not subtitled the songs and this is the height of
stupidity as these movies wont become popular in the West unless they
do that . I will put translation of one of the songs in the next few
days here , Its Twinkle doing the ancient classical Indian dance from
50.35 onwards .
You will laugh so hard your stomach muscles will hurt . Get this DVD
from www,indiaplaza.com or other places ..
Mo
later when she gets into the ring with Johnny Lever..
Mo
Ghulam . It definitely seems to be true that the colors in Hollywood
and the two Pakistani movies I have seen on the big screen do seem
quite washed out .
Maybe Indians are using a much superior film negative ..
Sydney Assbasket
Nah, it's just artistic tastes. Indian filmmakers tend to favor bright colors,
whereas the Hollywood color palatte seems to vary. There are almost monotone
films like "Sleepy Hollow" and "Matrix" and bright, colorful films like almost
any comedy or romantic comedy.
Niraj Agarwalla
> The gorays commented about rich and vibrant the colors in Joru Ka
> Ghulam . It definitely seems to be true that the colors in Hollywood
> and the two Pakistani movies I have seen on the big screen do seem
> quite washed out .
> Maybe Indians are using a much superior film negative ..
They are using the same film negative. The reason many Hollywood films
looked washed out because it was meant to be so.
Covenant
But I heard a rumour recently that *Mr India* was soon to be released on
DVD..
Does anyone have any news on this?
--
Covenant.
A Man With Far Too Much Time On His Hands
Mo
'Westward Ho! for Bollywood
Mumbai: India's prolific film industry, which for decades has been
content to feed its vast domestic market, is increasingly turning its
gaze overseas where the Indian diaspora promises a rich new source of
profit. According to Supran Sen of the private Film Federation of
India (FFI), India exported films worth $104 million in the year to
March 2000, an increase of almost 30 percent over the previous year.
The FFI is the apex body of all domestic film industry organisations.
Sen said the overseas demand for Indian films started growing around
five years ago. "Before that the export figures were quite dismal,
averaging about 500 million rupees a year."
The growing importance of the overseas market was reflected in the
decision of the Indian film industry -- based in Mumbai, or
"Bollywood" -- to choose London's Millennium Dome as the venue for its
annual film awards last month. It was the first time the Indian
equivalent of the Oscars had been held outside the country.
Sen said 95 percent of India's film exports were Hindi-language
movies. India produces around 800 films a year, of which 200 are in
Hindi and the rest in regional languages like Tamil. London is the
second biggest market outside India, and Hindi movies have for the
first time begun breaking into the top-20 list of box-office draws in
Britain. Two major cinema groups in Britain are preparing to open new
complexes with screens dedicated to Bollywood films, known for their
melodramatic plots, song and dance routines and wet sari-clad female
stars. Living movie legend Amitabh Bachchan was recently chosen as the
first Indian film star to have a look-a-like exhibited in London's
Madame Tussaud's wax museum. Other overseas markets include the United
States, Middle East, Fiji, Japan, Singapore, Hongkong and Malaysia.
For Shah Rukh Khan, Bollywood's most bankable male star of the moment,
the growing popularity of Indian films abroad has had tangible
ramifications. "I can't walk in Singapore. I can't shop in Malaysia. I
can't really be easy in London. I have problems doing things openly in
New York," Khan said in an interview with the BBC this week. "Indian
films already are international. No two ways about it. Everywhere they
understand our cinema," he said. Film industry analyst Vinod Mirani
said the new-found interest in Indian films had helped to improve
traditionally poor production values. "Technically Indian films are
now far superior than before. There are also a large number of Indians
going overseas for work or permanently.
"A large number of local television stations and cinema halls overseas
want to cater to the migrant Indian population," Mirani said. Several
Indian entertainment software companies are basing their expansion
plans on the potential growth in demand from outide India. The Sahara
group recently announced plans to set up a two-billion rupee film and
television infrastructure facility in Mumbai to cater to the domestic
and overseas market.
"We will have the capacity to produce 5,000 hours of entertainment
software. We do not need all of it and will sell it overseas as well
as locally," Sahara chairman Subrata Roy said. "People (overseas) are
willing to pay huge amounts of money for Indian software. If we are
able to develop it, technically as well as content-wise, we will be
able to grow into a major global supplier," Roy said.
Sunil Lulla, whose company Rishima International is the largest
exporter of Indian films, said the overseas demand for Hindi-language
movies had boomed in recent years. "What sells best are romantic films
with good songs and music and a focus on family values. They are not
so interested in our action movies which cannot really match Hollywood
production values," Lulla said. Indians are passionate about films.
Some 20 million Indians are estimated to watch movies daily in 13,000
movie theatres across the country.
sunny...@virgin.net
5.1 sound. It will be released by EROS international
Covenant <cove...@joelamb.freeserve.co.uk> wrote in message
news:8klppe$ieo$1...@newsg4.svr.pol.co.uk...
Covenant
Thanks for the info.
(Any idea if it'll have subtitles? Or any URL's ??)
Covenant.
A Man With Far Too Much Time On His Hands
"Sunny...@virgin.net" <sunny...@virgin.net> wrote in message
news:ldIb5.702$4v6....@news2-win.server.ntlworld.com...
sunny...@virgin.net
Covenant <cove...@joelamb.freeserve.co.uk> wrote in message
news:8ksgjf$ot8$1...@news5.svr.pol.co.uk...
Mo
the songs are not subtitled ..
sunny...@virgin.net
improving and are becoming more involving on the DVD format.
Mo <mo2...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:oRpc5.2221$Ki2.3...@nnrp4.clara.net...
Matrix7861
sunny...@virgin.net
Matrix7861 <matri...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20000717192639...@ng-md1.aol.com...
Mo
One only realizes what a wonderful invention DVD is when you see some
of these teasing dances Bollywood is so good at . Just look at the
number of times Govinda pulls her hair and Twinkle slaps his face or
kicks his behind from 49.00 onwards .
And that classical segment from 50.37 onwards where the music gets
faster and faster and they both dance faster and faster is truly one
of the best ever from Bollywood . If you put the DVD on repeat for
that 90 sec section you will see that all the dancers are doing their
thing and Govinda is the best of all , however every time because
Twinle is dressed in that great traditional Indian outfit the eye just
goes back to her all the time .
Must have disc..
Irwin
Mukherjee. Music by Anand Raaj Anand. 162 minutes. 5.1 DD. 1.75 Aspect
ratio. Subtitles on dialogue and only on the first few lines of the
songs! Apparently, the translator went for a cup of coffee, and then
picked up translating after the song was finished!!!
Bichhoo is an entertaining actioner that re-unites Deol and Mukherjee
after their previous succesful teaming in "Badal." Here they attempt to
repeat the chemistry that made "Badal" so entertaining. Bichhoo has
Deol playing a similar role as he acted in "Soldier" and "Badal," as he
once again plays a man which fate has turned into a cold-blooded killer,
and who eventually falls in love with a persistent female suitor (Rani).
The DVD's picture quality is fine. The digital transfer is sharp and
detailed, although grain is noticeable in a number of scenes. Perhaps,
the director filmed it this way for effect, or it could be the due to
the DVD transfer; the bit rate is only around 5 throughout. Still, video
is mostly sharp and pleasing to the eye. Video rating- 8.5 out of 10.
The 5.1 audio is excellent; with the surround soundfield used to great
effect even during the non-action scenes. The songs and choreography are
quite good. Especially "Tote Tote Ho Gaye" and "Ek Baari Take Le (which
features the "Chaiya, Chaiya" dancer from "Dil Se"). The sound effects
are numerous and interesting, especially the suspenseful, "swirling
blade" sound-effect, which is heard as action is just about to commence
on the screen. Audio rating- 9 out of 10.
In closing, Video Sound has produced a fine DVD, that definitely has
repeat-viewing value, in spite of their song-subtitling snafu. Overall
rating- 8.5 out of 10. Recommended.
Irwin
Hrithik Roshan & many other stars. 22 songs from DEI's recent releases;
taken from Kaho Naa.. Pyar Hai, Bulandi, Godmother, Krodh, Baaghi and
others. All the songs are in superb 5.1 Dolby Digital. Video quality is
top-of-the-line since most of the selected songs are taken from their
recent anamorphic DVDS. This is probably the highest quality Indian song
compilation disc that has ever been released. Standout selections
include: "Ek Pal" from KNPH with its message of living each moment to
the fullest as the future is unknown and which features great
choreography and dancing by Hrithik. "Ek Kabhi Do Kabhi" from Baaghi as
a sexy Manisha struts her stuff for the camera; and "Dil Ne," also from
KNPH. Recommended.
•UPDATED• -Indian DVD Ratings List-
http://indiandvdreviews.cjb.net/
Irwin
Do the songs have subtitles ?..
..Unfortunately, no. Even though DEI subtitled the songs on the KNPH,
Krodh, Jung and Baaghi DVDS, they weren't subtitled for 2 Hot 2 Handle.
Thus missing a golden opportunity to make the DVD even more special and
to increase sales, too.
• The UPDATED Indian Dvd Ratings List•
http://indiandvdreviews.cjb.net/
Mo
=95UPDATED=95 -Indian DVD Ratings List-
http://indiandvdreviews.cjb.net/
Mo
in theaters to beat the pirates . They could have done more than one
language and maybe used a second disc for the promos etc. and charged
another $5..
Mr...@webtv.net (Irwin) wrote:
Refugee (2000) Released by Yash Raj Films. With Original widescreen,
5.1 DD, Subtitles on the dialogue; and best of all- subtitles on the
beautiful and poetic lyrics by Javed Akhtar of the melodious songs of
Anu Malik.
Video is amazingly clear and life-like; the best I've seen in a Yash
Raj
DVD. The 5.1 audio is well used; never intrusive, pleasantly balanced
for the songs, but active when it counts for the action scenes.
Contains
interviews with the director and cast. Plus TV promos, and the
star-studded music release launch of the CD. The DVD has a bit rate of
around 7, which is good considering the plethora of material included;
the movie itself is 207 minutes long, so space was at a premium on
this
DVD, yet quality appears not to have been compromised. Inspired
cinematography and direction by J.P. Mutta, along with marvellous
debuts
by Abhishek and especially Kareena, who is quite simply as natural an
actress and beauty that Indian cinema has seen in a long time, make
this
movie a must-see and this DVD a must-have. I recommend it highly.
The =95=95UPDATED=95=95 Indian Ratings List
http://geocities.com/shahrukhkhan.geo/
Niraj Agarwalla
> It makes sense to release these DVDs while the movie is still playing
> in theaters to beat the pirates . They could have done more than one
> language and maybe used a second disc for the promos etc. and charged
> another $5..
Instead of tackling the issue head on, you are trying to evade the issue
by taking a supposedly easy way out. By releasing the movie on DVD while
it is still playing in the theatre you are resorting to a form of
self-cannablism: you will be sacrificing your own movie at the box office
to just combat piracy. Anyway you look at it, it is a lose-lose
proposition.
If they want to add a promo disc to the movie that is find by me, as
long as I don't have to pay for it. Imagine, paying extra to see
commercials.
Niraj Agarwalla
> Well we will see who is right in a few months . I predict Bollywood
> would make millions from delighted customers who will buy this perfect
> DVDs in great numbers EVEN if they have seen the movie and most will
> go and see it again on the big screen .
No argument from me. I do that now with Hollywood releases. I don't buy
anything I haven't seen beforehand, whether it be on the big screen or
renting DVDs. But they must release the DVDs with good prints, correct
aspect ratios, and excellent sound on a conistent basis. Right now, I
have little faith in Indian DVDs
> I am sure if people got a chance to see Refugee -which I havent yet-
> they will go and see it and enjoy it , inspite of the fact that they
> might have seen it on DVD. So a max three week delay for first release
> is good as most movies dont last that long on screen anyway and most
> of their money is from music rights , and satellite and DVD..
You haven't seen REFUGEE yet! What are you waiting for? It is very good
film. If you loved BORDER you will love REFUGEE.
Mo
would make millions from delighted customers who will buy this perfect
DVDs in great numbers EVEN if they have seen the movie and most will
go and see it again on the big screen .
they will go and see it and enjoy it , inspite of the fact that they
might have seen it on DVD. So a max three week delay for first release
is good as most movies dont last that long on screen anyway and most
of their money is from music rights , and satellite and DVD..
--
Niraj Agarwalla -- ni...@shore.net
Mo
some of my collection of Hollywood ones .
For a few dollars more-Clint Eastwood , Lee Van cleef ? 1980
United artists
Picture quality-excellent but widescreen which means half the screen
is blank 16:9
Sound -excellent Dolby digital
Really enjoyed this one , might even see it again . Background music
score is superb , dialog excellent , and picture quality good and they
havent ruined it by giving it that reddish look except the odd scene .
Everything bad I said about Hollywood movies is true , because this
isnt one , its an Italian production and the quality shows .
To see what non Hindi speakers must suffer watching a movie with
subtitles I put the sound in another language and the subtitle in
English and if anything its a much better experience . These cowboys
mumble a lot of the time and speak American the rest and can be hard
to understand so reading the subtitle one picks up many subtle jokes .
So maybe non Hindi speakers watching Bollywood movies think they are
better than they really are ..
Compare this desert lifestyle with that in Rajasthan . How temporary
and fragile the wooden shacks look compared to the Maharaja's palaces
and even the houses in town are all solid brick , and Americans had
oil coming out their ears too ., not even an Indian fakir would want
to stay in a 'hotel' like they have in the wild west and last time I
was in California it didnt seem any better .
Anyway the movie is highly recommended . How lucky we are to be able
to enjoy the best of both cultures..
Gear
clock!
"Mo" <mo2...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:yx0j5.7306$_8.9...@nnrp3.clara.net...
Michael Brooke
> Not only is he stupid enough to spam a ton of groups...he cant even set his
> clock!
>
>
Gear, if the word "stupid" can be applied to postings in this thread, Mo
is hardly the person I think it should be applied to to!
Since his postings are clearly on-topic with regard to all the
half-dozen newsgroups he's posted to (hardly "a ton") -
rec.arts.movies.current-films being the only arguable exception - I
really don't see how they can legitimately be called spam.
And I for one welcome Mo's postings, since despite my good general
knowledge of European, American and Far East Asian cinema I'm
embarrassingly ignorant of Bollywood's output.
By contrast, your posting was rude, unnecessary, irrelevant and... well,
you supplied the most appropriate adjective yourself!
Michael
------------------------------------------------------
DVD Times - http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk
10 recent reviews: The Navigator, The Cocoanuts, Animal Crackers,
Monkey Business, Horse Feathers, Day of the Dead, Full Alert
The Rock: The People's Champ, Masters of Russian Animation 1,
Beavis and Butt-head Do America
------------------------------------------------------
Mo
groups . All you have to do it is mark it ignore and you wont see it
again . People should stick to movies and not like Bawa and Chirag go
off into off topic one liner arguements and rebuttals for hundreds of
message , start your own thread as a branch from this one if you must
do that ..
Michael Brooke
> Moron , its one thread once a month to draw in people from different
> groups . All you have to do it is mark it ignore and you wont see it
> again . People should stick to movies and not like Bawa and Chirag go
> off into off topic one liner arguements and rebuttals for hundreds of
> message , start your own thread as a branch from this one if you must
> do that ..
Mo - don't worry about it. Gear's the idiot round here, not you.
Rest assured you have at least one reader round these parts ("these
parts" being uk.media.dvd)!
Mo
you provoke people into arguements !..
Michael Brooke
> Thanks Michael . I have developed a thick skin , which you must do if
> you provoke people into arguements !..
Tell me about it! Actually, it's pretty easy to deal with arguments on
Usenet - if the guy's an obvious idiot and has nothing worthwhile to
offer, it's easy to dismiss them, and if they're halfway intelligent I
actually ENJOY arguing with them!
Michael
Mo
movies are being released on DVD within two weeks , ie while the movie
is still playing on the big screen . Here are a few reviews that were
posted earlier..
Refugee
(2000) Released by Yash Raj Films. With Original widescreen, 5.1 DD,
Subtitles on the dialogue; and best of all- subtitles on the beautiful
and poetic lyrics by Javed Akhtar of the melodious songs of Anu Malik.
Video is amazingly clear and life-like; the best I've seen in a Yash
Raj DVD. The 5.1 audio is well used; never intrusive, pleasantly
balanced for the songs, but active when it counts for the action
scenes. Contains interviews with the director and cast.
Plus TV promos, and the star-studded music release launch of the CD.
The DVD has a bit rate of around 7, which is good considering the
plethora of material included; the movie itself is 207 minutes long,
so space was at a premium on this DVD, yet quality appears not to have
been compromised.
Inspired cinematography and direction by J.P. Mutta, along with
marvellous debuts by Abhishek and especially Kareena, who is quite
simply as natural an actress and beauty that Indian cinema has seen in
a long time, make this movie a must-see and this DVD a must-have. I
recommend it highly..Irwin.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I concur with Mr. Irwin's review wholeheartedly. What a superb film.
The dialogue was good, the music excellent, and the cinematopography
is breathtaking (who says you need to go outside India to impress the
desis). Both Abhishek and Kareena gave an impressive debut, especially
Kareena, who with her girl next door looks is pleasant change to the
anoxerically-charged, model wannabes that presently occupy the role of
heroines in Bollywood. This movie is a definite keeper. -- Niraj
Agarwalla
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
rating- 8.5 out of 10. Recommended.. Irwin
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2 HOT TO HANDLE (2000).
No subtitles.
Song compilation DVD released by DEI. Starring Hrithik Roshan & many
other stars. 22 songs from DEI's recent releases; taken from Kaho
Naa.. Pyar Hai, Bulandi, Godmother, Krodh, Baaghi and others. All the
songs are in superb 5.1 Dolby Digital. Video quality is
top-of-the-line since most of the selected songs are taken from their
recent anamorphic DVDS.
This is probably the highest quality Indian song compilation disc that
has ever been released. Standout selections include: "Ek Pal" from
KNPH with its message of living each moment to the fullest as the
future is unknown and which features great choreography and dancing by
Hrithik. "Ek Kabhi Do Kabhi" from Baaghi as a sexy Manisha struts her
stuff for the camera; and "Dil Ne," also from KNPH. Recommended..Irwin
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joru Ka Ghulam -( slave of wife)
English subtitles except songs and is pretty good .
Picture quality - excellent
Sound -excellent Dolby 5.1
Govinda , Twinkle ,
Fabulous comedy , Bollywood at its best . A rich man has four
daughters who refuse to get married and leave the house - one hates
men , another is in love with somebody who is in love with a club
dancer , the third makes too many conditions and the fourth is Twinkle
who looks extremely good in some great dresses , but sexiest in the
saree and in the boxing outfit when she beats up Johnny Lever .
Govinda is great when he does the Gujarati accent.
Two gorays ( whites) I took to see the movie , thought it was
fantastic , the girl said the humour was slapstick like the Hong Kong
ones and fighting well choreographed but she loved the songs and
dances the best . Video sound have not subtitled the songs and this is
silly as these movies wont become popular in the West unless they do
that . I will put translation of one of the songs in the next few days
here , Its Twinkle doing the ancient classical Indian dance from 50.35
onwards .
You will laugh so hard your stomach muscles will hurt . Get this DVD
from www,indiaplaza.com or other places . One only realizes what a
wonderful invention DVD is when you see some of these teasing dances
Bollywood is so good at . Just look at the number of times Govinda
pulls her hair and Twinkle slaps his face or kicks his behind from
49.00-53.00 .
And that classical segment from 50.37 onwards where the music gets
faster and faster and they both dance to keep up is truly one of the
best ever from Bollywood . If you put the DVD on repeat for that 90
sec section you will see that all the dancers are doing their own
thing and Govinda is the best of all , however because Twinkle is
dressed in that great traditional Indian outfit the eye just goes back
to her all the time . Must have disc..Mo
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kaho Na Pyar Hai
I hope KNPH breaks all sales records and wakes up the other DVD
companies, who keep producing cheap, no frill DVDS with poor video
quality, and no song subtitling or extras.
I've written and commended DEI for their past good work and will do so
for this one. And I hope others will do the same with their e-mails
and purchasing of their DVDS. If DEI fails to make its mark, the other
companies will continue to do business as usual, and dump inferior
product on the consumers of DVDS.
Here is my Review:
KAHO NAA... PYAR HAI
Released and authored by DEI. Introducing Hrithik Roshan & Amisha
Patel. 172 minutes. Subtitles are on the dialogue AND songs in
Spanish, Japanese, Arabic and French. And of course, in English. Also,
the Hindi lyrics are printed on the glossy 20 page booklet that comes
with the DVD.
The main menu graphics are top-notch and the amount of extras provided
are plentiful: 10 very well made TV Promos, the theatrical trailer,
interesting interviews with Hrithik, Amisha, director Rakesh, musical
director Rajesh, and choreographer Khan, reaction from the fans, and
best of all- the complete Filmfare Awards when Hritik spoke about his
father's attempted assassination, and then brought the house down with
his electrifying performances of "Ek Pal" and "Kaho Naa Pyar Hai."
The video quaity is spectacular; the best ever seen for an Indian DVD.
Colors are finely detailed with no signs of artifacts. The stunning
and flawless transfer is probably due from using the original film
negative as the source. Rating 10 out of 10.
Likewise, the audio is dynamic, filling the soundfield with Rajesh
Roshan's superb score. The (lfe) channel features a wicked bass and
there's plenty gong on in the surround channels. Rating 10 out of 10.
In closing, DEI has made a world-class DVD that ranks with any DVD
made anywhere on the planet. Featuring a gorgeous, widescreen
anamorphically-enhanced transfer, song subtitling, an attractive
booklet, and tons of extras. Overall rating 10 out of 10.
The Indian Dvd Ratings List
http://indiandvdreviews.cjb.net
Irwin
KRODH (DEI)
The very first Indian DVD that utilizes a 16X9 Anamorphic Widescreen
transfer is a pleasure to behold. Video is crystal-clear and sharp;
the images displayed on the screen are amazingly life-like. And of
course, since this is anamorphic widescreen, all that was shot on
camera is presented on your tv as intended. 5.1 DD audio is dynamic
and very busy on the surround channels.
Also, Krodh has complete subtitling of the songs and dialogue. Truly,
a must-have DVD.
Indian Dvd Ratings List-- http://indiandvdreviews.cjb.net
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hera Pheri
Hera Pheri , 2000 , Videosound , English subtitles though I couldnt
get them to work - how does one do it ?
Akshay , Tabassum , Sunil Shetty , Paresh Rawal
Picture quality -perfect
Sound -perfect 5.1
What a genius of a movie !. Every scene is captivating Beautiful shots
mostly from Sun City Hotel in South Africa . Three poor people living
in Bombay but they can still have great songs and dances in their
dreams .
Being very partial to dark haired long limbed beauties , I would watch
any movie of Tabu , and the three men here do extremely well . Paresh
as the myopic landlord has done an outstanding job . Akhsay in his
best performance for a long time .
The three try a get rich quick scheme to pay off their debts . Om Puri
is brilliant as the Punjabi dehati . This movie is still playing in
the theaters so I am going to hide this DVD from my friends and take
them to see the movie on the big screen - the only way to see these
Bollywood movies and appreciate the tremendous hard work and craft
that goes into making them . Must see .
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Usually Bollywood movies are more about style over substance, but this
movie breaks this mold.
Hera Pheeri is a well-written, well-directed, and superably-acted
film. Paresh Rawal plays the almost-blind surrogate father figure with
great aplomb, he literally steals every scene in the movie. Even the
two knuckleheads, Sunil Shetty and Aksaye Kumar, give a better than
average performance.
I never really liked Tabu, she has the looks of a model, but the voice
of man. It is so monotone and low one can easily lose her in the
movie. Her performance was understated (rumor has it that she and the
producer got into a tiff of some kind, thus all of Tabu's performance
was left on the cutting room floor. A godsend for me, anyway) and her
relationship with Sunil shetty was quite well-developed. It was nice
to see Gulshan Grover reprising his role as the dastardly villain. He
is a one-trick pony to be sure, with his gruff style of talking, but
he was enjoyable. A good film, overall. Not bad, at all..Niraj
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pehla Pehla Pyar 1994 Media Digital , no subs
Picture quality -excellent , glorious full screen
Sound -Dolby AC-3 2channels
Tabassum , Rishi , Anupam
From www.indiaplaza and indiaweekly.com
Bollywood at its best . Superb music by Anand Milind and choreography
by Tharun .
Story of a princess who falls in love with a commoner , who not
knowing who she is, treats very off handedly which makes her love him
even more ( joking) . Two songs 'Pinjre se ud gayo maina' - the bird
has flown from the cage - when the princess escapes Jodhpur palace and
Kore kagaz pe anghuta lagwale -sign a blank cheque - where she is
teasing him unmercifully -some UN agency has recognized Bollywood
teasing dances as an art form -are truly wonderful .
Only Indian musical instruments in these two songs , none of the
screeching synthesizers which should be banned by the UN cultural
affairs committee and Tabu wears absolutey eye catching dresses , has
never looked so beautiful .
She is great even in the rain dance with western classical music in
the background . This is a must see movie , wish I had seen it on full
screen , some scenes I think are shot in Norway in summertime .
If Bollywood wants to make billions it should release one and a half
hour movies with all the songs from three movies , including ones they
might have ommitted in the official release eg Raveena's erotic dance
in Mohra and subtitle them in English . I think they would be wildly
succesful , even more so on Imax..
Phir bi dil hai Hindustani -1999 , Eros , B4U
Juhi , SRK
English subtitltes -not songs
Picture quality -poor
Sound-5.1 excellent .
Eros and B4U should stick to film distribution and get out of the DVD
business . They are buying the rights of all the excellent movies and
just ruining them .Are these guys blind ? Cant they compare their bad
discs with what superdigital and videosound and DEI put out as long as
two years ago .
I always put on a song DVD from superdigital eg Gharwali to readjust
all the colors after watching junk from Eros .
The songs are OK , its the rest of the movie which has a shimmering
effect due to i think running the movie through telecine to put on the
subtitles .You cant tell the picture is bad because you cant read the
titles at the end .I was eager to know who that beauty with such
express face was who plays SRK's girlfriend in pink -Shalini - but
couldnt read at the end . I think she may be the one who hosted a Zee
cinema show .
some of the red blue look of the movie was on the film screen as well
, so it may just be the camerman monkeying about with color filters .
The GOI must insist on looking at a master copy of all DVDs to make
sure customers are not ripped off . Its a kind of export quality
control .
My recommendation would be not to buy any DVD from Eros /B4U untl they
change their makers to DEI or Superdigital and subtitle the songs. All
must go to the Eros and B4U sites and send them nasty email and tell
them to start mastering DVDs properly. They have had enough chances
and dont give a damn . Even many of their 'original' VHS tapes I found
to be atrocious ...Mo
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You've echoed my sentiments about the picture quality on this DVD. The
pirated version that I had initially seen for this movie had better
picture quality and the correct aspect ratio. I couldn't believe the
shimmering in the picture. I sincerely hope that Eros gets their act
together...here's hoping that Vishwatma and Naukar Biwi Ka DVDs that
are in the mail are of good quality..Bloodhound
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Badal - 2000 - DEI
Bobby Deol , Rani
Picture quality - good , excellent in songs
Sound -Dolby 5.1 , Perfect
English subtitles including songs.
One of the must have DVDs, along with KNPH and Mast for those who dont
understand Hindi as they will really enjoy the subtitled songs .
Showing DVDs to some girls who didnt understand Hindi I found that
they were immersed in them till the non subtitled songs came up and
then lost interest .
So if other DVD makers are reading this , then do the subtitling
accurately and of the songs too . Generally the subtitiling is
extremely good with some minor quibbles - for example the priest says
'Even God cant stand in the way of the obsessed' is instead translated
as even God cant help the obsessed . The second is less punchier .
Enjoyed the comedy scenes of Johnny Lever and his new wife who prefers
to look at hunks rather than him .
The Mumbai mafia has made it difficult for movie makers to show
gangsters in a bad light so its back to the politicians and policemen.
Have only seen an hour of it but its seems like a very good movie .I
still prefer Superdigital picture , maybe they have turned the
contrast up a bit to make it sharper.
On the whole the subtitling is very commendable . It should be left
literal for example where the hero is told 'if you dont do this you
will repent ' the correct translation is 'if you dont do this ,you
will shed tears of blood' . The two best songs 'Red Skirt' with the
very sexy Minke Singh and 'Jugni jugni ' are well done but the
translator has made a bit of a mess with the second song .
A lot of Punjabi . Loved Johnny Lever as the Sardar although I am not
sure why sardars have not taken to the streets in protest ! -they must
be getting broadminded! for eg when the Policeman asks 'Sardarji what
have you come to town for ? Honeymoon or rioting ?' Another line I
liked was 'Wives are no different from cars . Cars run into trouble .
Wives get bored and start troubles' .
Its really a hugely enjoyable movie and the three hours fly by..
Bollywood's use of background music to arouse emotions is well
illustrated in that scene where the girl ties a bandage as a Rakhee
around Bobby Deol's wrist and makes him , her brother who will protect
her just after he has been up all those who molested her .
Later on one of the terrorists remarks that India is a funny country
where men will kill themselves for a relationship based on a 'piece of
a thread' , translated as' foster sisters'
Dil hi dil mein
Will put a review on this one later . The music by AR Rehman is so bad
I had to stop the DVD . Even the Gujarati Gharba song and dance is the
most unispiring insipid piece ever heard on Bollywood screens . ARR
should go and learn the rudiments of Indian music before ruining
films.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hot pics 2000
Hot Pix 2000 Esquire Hong Kong no subtitles Picture quality -Variable
, too much shimmer ,so probably transfer from video
Sound -Excellent , Dolby 5.1 surround
This one has 33 songs from recent movies - a bit of overkill ! It has
all the songs of Kaho Na Pyar Hai and most from others
KNPH - 6 songs
PBDHH-5
Pukar - 4
Badal-5
Jaanwar-3
Bulandi-4 including the excellent Teri meri ik jindadi with who else ?
Raveena
Khubsoorat-3 , but missing the excellent -Ae Shivani sung by Sanjay
Dutt
Mela-3 A pity there are all jumbled up . Why ? Each movie should have
all the songs in sequence . The print of Bulandi is excellent , KHNH -
not so .
And by not putting in the English and Hindi and Urdu subtitles - songs
are the easiest to do as the lyrics keep repeating , they just missed
an extra million in sales . And they can make these DVDs irrestible if
they add in the ommitted song eg Asha one from KNPH , and as is done
in Mohra
There is an alarming ten second break when you press the chapter
forward for the next song , when the TV screen goes completely blank .
Mo
goes . Unfortunately it has been mastered by Eros and doesnt I think
have subtitles and hopefully it will be remastered by DEI .
Shot in New Zealand , superb black comedy , must see on DVD .The fight
scenes between Sanjay Dutt(male) and Urmilla (female) are truly great
. Another splendid dance is to the Great God Beetle done by a bevy of
beautiful Australian girls . As all Indians dream of goree mems this
movie is a must see.
The hissing snake dance is very good too and AR Rehman's
music and background score is great..
Ali Ikram is by far the best reviewer and I think they may have had a
fight if his reviews are no longer there .I saved his review of Daud
and as its no longer on Planet Bollywood its put here ..
9/10
Daud (Run)
Producer: Ramgopal Varma
Director: Ramgopal Varma
*ing: Sanjay Dutt, Urmila Matondkar, Paresh Rawal, Ashish Vidyarthi
Music : A.R. Rahman
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1997 continues to be a great year for quality cinema. The posters for
Ramgopal Varma's Daud claimed the film was "Fun On The Run". Those
posters were not exaggerating. I have not seen this superlative a
Hindi action-adventure in ages. Most people are sick of watching those
boring Akshay Kumar/Sunny Deol revenge flicks. Daud is more than just
welcome relief: it is youthful, award-worthy, and one of the best
films this year.
Sanjay Dutt is indirectly hired by a group of terrorists to recover
their 'black box' from the harbour, after it is confiscated by police.
(He is told there are gold biscuits in it, but the contents are really
far more important to the government.) Sanjay tries to deliver the
contents to his employer, but the police identify him, and so begins
the Daud. He is chased by both the police and the real terrorists (who
have killed his boss). Luckily street-smart Urmila, who wants half the
loot, accompanies him and helps him out. The story may not be
completely original, but like Varma's Rangeela, the treatment of the
film is enjoyable. In my opinion, the "Meri Maa Bahaut Badi Shikari
Thi" (in Chaku's village) sequence is alone worth eight dollars. And
the Dolby-system background score, also by A.R. Rahman, knows how to
punctuate the different sequences.
Sanjay Dutt and Urmila make an usual pair, but they are perfect foils
for each other. Here are two greedy, self-centred characters that you
know God made for each other. When Urmila slanders the hero or invites
him to a fist fight, you can hear the ladies shout their approval: the
heroine is a woman of the nineties. And whenever strong and tall
Sanjay throws petite Urmila over his shoulder, you can sense all the
guys secretly rooting him on: the hero is a man among men.
Honestly, the lead pair give the best performances of their careers.
Not only do they act well, but Varma ensures they physically suit
their roles. Sanjay is such a large fellow, that you would expect him
to give a loud performance, as Sunny Deol is doing these days. Not so.
In the action sequences, Sanjay's muscles do all the yelling for him.
For a change, you don't feel the villain is letting the hero win. And,
of course Sanjay has always had impeccable comedic timing. Welcome
back Nayak.
Urmila Matondkar has honed her acting skills since Narsimha. Daud
requires Urmila to flaunt more than just skin. She is perfect at
comedy, romance and dancing. And the action sequences look convincing
because she is physically fit. Though you would swear the dialogues
were written for Sridevi, admit it, the former Queen Bee could never
do these physically demanding action and dances convincingly. If
Urmila ever attains numero uno status, it will be because she deserves
it.
Ramgopal Varma has even given the supporting cast well-etched
characters. Each member of the terrorist gang lead by Pinky (Paresh
Rawal) is fun to watch. And the main police force in hot pursuit,
headed by Ashish Vidyarthi (from last year's quality Is Raat Ki Subah
Nahin) is just as amusing. Ashish's comedy sequences with his two
sidekicks are even better than the Om Puri team's antics in Gupt. Not
to forget, Chaku is the surprise packet.
The songs are beautifully shot and choreographed on virgin locales in
Australia ( New Zealand) . You might even consider honeymooning there,
but remember that Urmila will not be with you. Inspite of all of the
heroine's provocative costumes and dances, the cinematography is not
really distasteful or vulgar. (Just compare Daud's camera-work to the
repetitive belly and bust highlights in Mere Sapno Ki Rani.)
Ramgopal Varma is an extremely talented director. The cameo characters
in his movies are even three-dimensional. (Watch the flirting truck
driver sequence with Urmila.) Rangeela, Shiva and Raat were no flukes.
Ironically, Daud is fun, frivolous and unforgettable entertainment;
the nineties answer to Mr. India.
DK
I very much appreciate your movie reviews. And if it was not for your
postings on this newsgroup I would not have come across them.
Do you have a website?
Thanks
Ditta
Mo <mo2...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:MWoj5.9586$671.1...@nnrp4.clara.net...
Mo
Ramli . What we need is a website which can store whole disccusions on
a topic ..
Gul Agha
mo2...@yahoo.com (Mo) writes:
> ... only bit I have my doubt are
> the Masai tribal huts -do they really have them in the Rann of Kutch ,
> and the pink flamingos ? The songs are great , the choreography slow
> and beautiful . The Sufi song is superb .
Yes.. they have tribal mud huts (called boongo), pink flamingos (and
dozens of other migratory species during the Winter), as well a
plenty of sufis in Kutch (many of whom sing Shah Latif's songs).
I have seen them all (the huts are very pleasant and cool despite
sweltering heat outside -- besides being really colorful with mirror
work on the inside). All the tribes in this area (Mangharnhar, Ahirs,
Soomras, Sammas, Jats, etc.) also live in Sindh across the border and
have the same customs and liberal values. Their religious practices
are very eclectic.
--
Peace,
Gul A. Agha
Mo
Yash Raj films -Superdigital
Picture quality - Perfect , 3 dimensional !-widescreen theaterical
Sound -Dolby 5.1 - not quite perfect
English subtitling - outstanding
starring Abishek . Kareena Kapoor
Truly outstanding movie . Dont put it on unless you have three hours
spare as you wont want to get up once it starts running .The colors
are rich and detailed , the picture sharp and perfect and who else can
do that except Superdigital ! Stand up and take a bow !
Btw this DVD has been titled 'not for sale in UK' , probably because
Eros will bring out a junk quality DVD with blurred picture so get
your hands on the USA copy if you can ( Hindi movies are region
free) .
The white salt desert of the Rann of Kutch between India and Pakistan
has been beautifully filmed , including some lakes there , and whenver
Kareena wears bright colored dresses , the foreground stands out ,
giving the whole frame a truly outstanding 3D effect .
The movie was only released on the big screen four weeks ago and I
wanted very much to see it in theater first and was only curious to
see the first few minutes of the DVD but really got completely hooked
. I am still going to see it on the big screen a couple of times - it
is that good .
JP Dutta is a very clever man . Those who know the politics and
culture of the subcontinent know that his previous movies 'Border' -
and no other movie has moved me as much as the complete version of
Border did ( the DVD has the longest song cut out) , and in that movie
Dutta pleased the Sikhs but hurt Muslim sentiment and in this movie he
has made it up to them . One of the Pakistani characters is shown in
a very sympathetic light unlike Pakistani movies where Indians are
always bad guys !
There is a fair amount of humor , some of it quite subtle for eg we
all know what is going to happen to any Indian caught smuggling people
into Pakistan and still watch it unfolding with morbid anticipation.
Really enjoyed the slightly slower pace than one sees in Bollywood
movies , in perfect pitch with the desert setting and the costumes ,
houses etc. are truly instructive . The only bit I have my doubt are
the Masai tribal huts -do they really have them in the Rann of Kutch ,
and the pink flamingos ? The songs are great , the choreography slow
and beautiful . The Sufi song is superb .
Refugee doesnt have the shock emotional impact of Border which left
one in tears for weeks but it has its own charm and is one movie that
will stay in the memory for a long time .
You can buy this movie for about $25 from www.indiaplaza.com and other
web sites and it is one DVD that one absolutely must have .
Mo
job . I would say be bold and be even more literal , sometimes they
think the language would to too flowery for westerners , for eg. when
the father says about the bad son ' he is threatening and some day he
wil threaten us too' what he really says is 'he has got his nails at
that guy's throat and someday he will have them at ours too ' .
when the chacha greets the Pakistani officer the first time - he says
' how did you get here ' what he says is 'how did you manage to lose
your way to here ?! ' A 34m the correct translation should be 'Yes we
are related . As one human to another ' and at another point the
father says ' he has become an enemy of common sense and will soon
take to sin' !
Minior quibbles but overall I have not seen this good a translation
before and really this movie should be titled in a few more like
KNPH..
Mo
(2000) Released by Yash Raj Films. With Original widescreen, 5.1 DD,
Subtitles on the dialogue; and best of all- subtitles on the beautiful
and poetic lyrics by Javed Akhtar of the melodious songs of Anu Malik.
Video is amazingly clear and life-like; the best I've seen in a Yash
Raj DVD. The 5.1 audio is well used; never intrusive, pleasantly
balanced for the songs, but active when it counts for the action
scenes. Contains interviews with the director and cast.
Plus TV promos, and the star-studded music release launch of the CD.
The DVD has a bit rate of around 7, which is good considering the
plethora of material included; the movie itself is 207 minutes long,
so space was at a premium on this DVD, yet quality appears not to have
been compromised.
Inspired cinematography and direction by J.P. Mutta, along with
marvellous debuts by Abhishek and especially Kareena, who is quite
simply as natural an actress and beauty that Indian cinema has seen in
a long time, make this movie a must-see and this DVD a must-have. I
recommend it highly..Irwin.
I concur with Mr. Irwin's review wholeheartedly. What a superb film.
Mo
possible and give us an extensive review or on DVD..
Niraj Agarwalla
> A few more points
> The first song starts with 'On the lap of night shines the moon' again
> more poetic than what is translated as the 'moon shines at night'
> -Javed Akhtar's lyrics are superb.
> The disappearing trick that Abishek does in the desert when he is
> chased by the Border Security Force is too good and should have been
> censored out ! It will give the infiltrators ideas and the Indian
> govt has enough problems with them now .
> The map at the start has the refugees starting in BD across India and
> then crossing the border but one would expect the red line to go south
> to Karachi , but in fact maybe not to upset the Sindhis , turns north
> into the wilderness of Baluchistan !
> The moment when the refugees make it to the cherished Muslim homeland
> of Pakistan is marked by a burst of Arabic music and one feels like
> raising a cheer to them.
> And be honest all widescreen fans . When they show the extra features
> -interviews with the stars and its full screen is the impact not twice
> as great due to four times the number of pixels hitting the back of
> the eye ? I would like to be able to buy a full screen version of this
> DVD when it comes out ..
If the film was shot in widescreen, we should be able to see it as such.
If it was shot in full screen, we should also be able to see it as such.
Since the interviews were shot for DVD in mind, hence the full screen. I
have no problem with people watching movies in full screen, as long as
there is an option for widescreen fanatics like me.
Dan Helmick
: And be honest all widescreen fans . When they show the extra features
: -interviews with the stars and its full screen is the impact not twice
: as great due to four times the number of pixels hitting the back of
: the eye ?
The solution to that is to get yourself a widescreen TV, which stretches the
anamorphic image out to the full height and width of the monitor.
Dan
--
Mo
booklets handed out to all and to save time listening to jokes they
knew by heart each would come on stage and just read out the number .
So one guy said '42' and they all fell about laughing till their sides
hurt . Another said '21' and there was embarassed silence .I thought
all jokes were equally good said one guy to another sitting next to
him . They are , replied his friend , its just the way you tell them
!.
Bollywood movies are like that , maybe not much of a story but they do
spin it out into a very entertaining yarn with lost of good music ,
songs , dances , costumes , weepy episodes etc.
Hollywood ones are the second type - good storyline , but many times
one has to look at the watch and squirm and wish one was elsewhere .
Rules of engagement has a good ending and one scene which will
definitely be copied by Bollywood where a lawyer gets into a fistfight
with his client ! To sidetrack a bit India does make about 1000 movies
a year but then it is a huge land with more people than America and
Europe combined but the number of Bollywood ie Hindi movies is only
about 150 a year compared to 189 movies made in French last year .
The outside scenes are filmed well but the indoor ones in the first
half are a bit grainy and out of focus , I think maybe they dont use
lights inside the room any more . Compare it with the beautiful
photography by Basheer Ali in the Indian movie Refugee . Hollywood
really has fallen far behind .
When the refugees reach the promised Muslim land of Pakistan , there
is a sudden burst of Arabic music and one cheers for them . Here when
they reach Yemen they keep playing American tunes , the background
score is non existent .
And then as with all H action movies there is tension , tension ,
tension and nothing else and it gets TEDIOUS - no humor , no good, no
going to the Arab night club for belly dancing m no dialog . When the
soldier is told to choose on the flip of a coin , does he say
something poetic as he would in a Bo movie , like ' Life is all about
making choices , including choosing death' - maybe that is not so good
but if I was paid one million dollars I would spend time and think of
many thoughtful never to be forgotten phrases. So what does the
soldier say in this one' flip the m..f..! Liebermann must win and
outlaw the f word so Yankees learn to write good English again .
Of course the Arabs are shown as all bad , unlike Bo movies where even
the villains have good sides to them . Duryodhan for example elevated
lowly son of a charioteer -Karna to a kingdom and stayed loyal to him
Mo
At a recent jokers conference all the jokes had numbers and the
booklets handed out to all and to save time listening to jokes they
knew by heart each would come on stage and just read out the number .
So one guy said '42' and they all fell about laughing till their sides
hurt . Another said '21' and there was embarassed silence .I thought
all jokes were equally good said one guy to another sitting next to
him . They are , replied his friend , its just the way you tell them
!.
Bollywood movies are like that , maybe not much of a story but they do
spin it out into a very entertaining yarn with lost of good music ,
$25 from www.indiaplaza.com
Quite a few Hollywood ones are the second type - good storyline , but
many times one has to look at the watch and squirm and wish one was
elsewhere .
Rules of engagement has a good ending and one scene which will
definitely be copied by Bollywood where a lawyer gets into a fistfight
with his client ! To sidetrack a bit India does make about 1000 movies
a year but then it is a huge land with more people than America and
Europe combined but the number of Bollywood ie Hindi movies is only
about 150 a year compared to 189 movies made in French last year .
The outside scenes are filmed well but the indoor ones in the first
half are a bit grainy and out of focus , I think maybe they dont use
lights inside the room any more . Compare it with the beautiful
photography by Basheer Ali in the Indian movie Refugee . Hollywood
really has fallen far behind .
When the refugees reach the promised Muslim land of Pakistan , there
is a sudden burst of Arabic music and one cheers for them . Here when
they reach Yemen they keep playing American tunes , the background
score is non existent .
And then as with all H action movies there is tension , tension ,
the Arab night club for belly dancing , no good dialog . When the
Mo
The first song starts with 'On the lap of night shines the moon' again
more poetic than what is translated as the 'moon shines at night'
-Javed Akhtar's lyrics are superb.
The disappearing trick that Abishek does in the desert when he is
chased by the Border Security Force is too good and should have been
censored out ! It will give the infiltrators ideas and the Indian
govt has enough problems with them now .
The map at the start has the refugees starting in BD across India and
then crossing the border but one would expect the red line to go south
to Karachi , but in fact maybe not to upset the Sindhis , turns north
into the wilderness of Baluchistan !
The moment when the refugees make it to the cherished Muslim homeland
of Pakistan is marked by a burst of Arabic music and one feels like
raising a cheer to them.
-interviews with the stars and its full screen is the impact not twice
as great due to four times the number of pixels hitting the back of
Mo
Bobby Deol , Rani
Video Sound
Picture quality-OK
Sound -very good
Subtitling in English-superb but the songs have not been done.
Picture quality is good VHS standard but after seeing the superb
transfer of Refugee , no other mastering is going to be good enough.
This movie is a superb entertainer . The family fights between Rani
and her stepmother are just great and will have everyone in splits .
Rani uses a lot of swear words but many have been silenced by the
censor but you can make out by lip movements . For eg when Bobby walks
away from her at 15.45min she calls him a 'sala chutiya' - wanker ,
but it has been silenced and there are a few other times she does it
too.
Dont know who that first girl friend of Bobby is , could be Malika
Arora of Chaiyan chaiyan fame ? The songs are quite good and one I
think has been filmed at the sun city hotel in South Africa .
This is a must see DVD. Opening credit effects also are great ..
Michel Hafner
>
> Bichoo ( Scorpion) -July 2000
> Bobby Deol , Rani
> Video Sound
>
> Picture quality-OK
> Sound -very good
> Subtitling in English-superb but the songs have not been done.
>
> Picture quality is good VHS standard
VHS quality on DVD is absurd. A DVD with VHS quality images is a junk DVD by
definition and should be boycotted on principal.
Michel Hafner
Gul Agha
Mo,
I have to find this movie. I went to Haji Pir last year to pay
homage. Great Sindhi culture lives on in those parts. Could you
forward me the reference again.
Mo
Saw it again on the big screen -Basheer Ali's photography is truly
astounding , these kinds of surrealistic desert moonscapes .
Abishek's athleticism is also to be praised . Just watch the way he
falls when the Pakistani Rangers are busy breaking his legs ,
surprised he didnt damage his spinal cord twisting his neck like
that !.
Would the Mullahs ever allow a Pakistani movie to be made which is so
sympathetic to Hinduism as this one is to Sufi Islam , eg that
festival shown at Haji Pir ? . Would the West make a movie which
didnt show vegeterian Hindus eating monkey brains ! ? Only India has a
culture which seeks out the best in all other faiths.
One of the best moments in this movie is at the beginning when Kareena
wanders into the beautiful stone temple in the middle of the Gujarat
desert late at night . The carvings on the outside walls , the openess
from all four directions , the soft orange glow from it -all
breathtaking -it truly makes one feel proud of our ancestors . Others
may decry India , but which other culture could produce work of such
beauty in the middle of a hostile desert ?..
Mo
Rani actually instigates all the trouble with her step mother - that
is quite funny in this movie , also the overkill on that jacket hiding
guns , grenades etc..
Mo
DVDs. the movie is great and worth a rental..
Mo
DVD from www.indiaplaza.com
http://www.indiaplaza.com/videostore/dvd/
http://www.dvdshippers.com/index3.html?Codefree_DVD_Players.html
You dont need a codefree player as Bollywood movies are code free..
They have Bulandi DVD on sale for just $9.99
Refugee (Yashraj Films)
Star/Description: Abhishek Bachchan, Kareena Kapoor, Anupam Kher,
Jackie Shroff, Sunil Shetty, Kulbhushan Karbanda
Language: DVD Films
Category: English Subtitle/Dolby 5.1 Channel
Product ID: 650066 price: $24.99
Tortilla Maker (Roti Maker) by Wrap Master - FREE Shipping & Handling
in US Prices effective through 4th Sept 00 for Ganesh Chaturthi only.
(110 V)
[100163] BEST BUY
price: $38.99
Mo
Picture quality -perfect
Sound -perfect , English
from www.indiaplaza.com
Highlights from 12 matches
Saeed Anwar's highest 194 in one day against which side ?
Kumble taking 10 wickets against Pakistan
Pakistan winning 1992 world cup
Lara's record test innings
Sri Lanka winning World Cup
South Africa vs Australia etc.
One minor criticism is that the repeat function is disabled but with
the extreme slow play one-sixteenth it is great to see the seam of the
ball as it spins and the batsmen turn the bat to stroke the ball to
the boundary behind him as Saeed does .
Superdigital are on to a great money spinner . With six hours on one
DVD lets have more of them with one game to one DVD eg India's world
cup victory , India vs Pakistan Toronto matches . What about hockey ,
tennis , wrestling , football ?
Keep the picture quality as perfect as on this one..
Mo
Picture quality -excellent
Sound -excellent
Raveena , Anil
Indian village life . Songs are great esp the one lead by a black
dancer -Teri meri ik jindadi . Raveena looks ravishing . Another sexy
dance should have been given to her instead of Rekha (who was superb
in Qila) .
The movie is a bit spoilt by an unneccessary double role by Anil when
Amitabh would have been perfect . Some great comedy moments when the
father and son go to look for a bride for the son and they fall for
the lecherous father or turn out that they are his long lost
illegitimate daughters !.
Really stupid not to subtitle the songs..
Mo
DEI
No subtitles
Picture quality -perfect !
Sound-excellent
Why waste money on mastering these DVDs if the songs the best part are
not subtitled in many languages ?
This one has great songs from Poorab aur Pachim , Upkar , Shaheed ,
Roti Kapda Makan , Shor , Kranti , Neel Kamal , Yaadgar
The best one is Saira Banu in miniskirts competing with a girl I dont
recognize , she is doing the western dance and the Indian girl replies
with a traditional one.
DEI have mastered these old films beautifully . Let it be a lesson to
Eros..
Domingo Lopez
>
> Bichoo ( Scorpion) -July 2000
> Bobby Deol , Rani
> Video Sound
>
> Picture quality-OK
> Sound -very good
> Subtitling in English-superb but the songs have not been done.
>
> Picture quality is good VHS standard but after seeing the superb
> transfer of Refugee , no other mastering is going to be good enough.
I found the picture quality of REFUGEE being terrible. Bad rate and the
print was badly scratched...even a lof of Eros/B4U DVDs are way bettar
than this one...
Am I the only one who thinks like that?
Domingo Lopez
>
> Mo wrote:
> >
> > Bichoo ( Scorpion) -July 2000
> > Bobby Deol , Rani
> > Video Sound
> >
> > Picture quality-OK
> > Sound -very good
> > Subtitling in English-superb but the songs have not been done.
> >
> > Picture quality is good VHS standard
>
> definition and should be boycotted on principal.
BICCHOO has DVD quality, and better than REFUGEE . i don't know what
DDVd player is using but ussually his picture report is just the
oppossite as mine. i have a pioneer 525 and a Sony s525D.
Michel Hafner
>
> Cricket Classics -Video Sound , Superdigital,2.5hrs
> Picture quality -perfect
I have seen maybe two perfect or close to perfect DVDs so far (direct digital Tarzan
and Bug's Life special edition).
What is a DVD with perfect pictures for you?
No Indian DVD I have seen is excellent, and certainly not perfect.
Less than 2% of all DVDs are excellent (worldwide), I'd guess. Perfect ones you can
count with the fingers on one hand.
Do you watch your DVDs on a TV? Do you use component connections? How far do you sit
away? Is the room completely dark? Do you have a 16:9 TV? Is the TV calibrated with
"Video essentials" or something equivalent?... As long as the exact specifics of one's system
and viewing conditions are not stated terms like 'excellent' or 'perfect' are meaningless.
If you sit far enough every more or less ok DVD starts looking very good. You simply can
no longer see the image details to get a correct impression.
A DVD is perfect for me when you can project it on a screen 3 meters wide and it looks like digital film at ~500 horizontal lines of resolution, with ~250 shades of gray and ~17 Mio different colors. It has no visible compression artifacts, no video artifacts of any kind
within the parameters of the medium. Color and contrast are top notch, images are as sharp as the medium allows, there is no visible video noise. DVDs that are like that are very, very rare.
Michel Hafner
Mo
Sangeeta , Naseeruddun , Sangeeta, Sunny Deol
DEI -Eros
Picture quality -perfect
Sound-perfect
English subtitles except songs.
When Eros were letting DEI do the mastering it was perfect , so if you
buy this one make sure it is the one with DEI and not remastered badly
by Eros alone .
It stars Azharuddin's wife Sangeeta in a minor role . Sonam looks
lovely and the favourite song is 'Tirchi topiwala' where the tune was
stolen from Gloria Eston, but its been so beautifully picturized in a
cave with Sonam changing ten glittering costumes that Gloria will
surely forgive them..
Mo
be perfect for a new one . The picture sharpness is what interests me
mostly . Speckles etc. are acceptable . I thought Refugee was
excellent but would have preferred a full screen version too..
Michel Hafner <mha...@dial.eunet.ch> wrote:
Michel Hafner
>
> Its all subjective . What maybe perfect for a 70 year old movie maynot
Image quality on DVD is for the most part not subjective. The technical aspects are quite
clear and well understood. Subjective is which artifacts you consider important or less
important, distracting or not distracting, to be avoided at all costs or acceptable.
And if it's ok to exchange one kind of artifact with another or not.
> be perfect for a new one .
A DVD should in the first place render the master element without adding anything anything
it does not have or take away anything it does have, as good as possible within the
technical limits of the medium. If the master element is an old scratched and grainy
film so be it. I want to see that film as it is. If you can show me the film as if would
have looked without the scratches and with less grain, great.
> The picture sharpness is what interests me
> mostly .
Sharpness is important. But what helps a sharp picture full of compression problems or
overenhanced edges? Incorrect colors and missing shadow detail? One dimensional quality
measures don't cut it. Image quality is multi dimensional and all dimensions count.
> Speckles etc. are acceptable . I thought Refugee was
> excellent but would have preferred a full screen version too..
I will never understand how one can prefer a mutilated version to the real thing, provided
both are properly mastered (except for the aspect ratio).
Michel Hafner
Mo
assemsement and others are free to disagree.
Full screen has more emotional impact than half screen and even the
32inch widescreen TVs have only half the screen area of normal 34inch
ones..
Michel Hafner
>
> I bow to your superior technical knowledge . Mine are just subjective
> assemsement and others are free to disagree.
> Full screen has more emotional impact than half screen and even the
> 32inch widescreen TVs have only half the screen area of normal 34inch
> ones..
It depends on what type of screen you have. You can have a 16:9 screen and
a projector and the 4:3 image is then smaller than the widescreen image
like in a cinema. On a standard 4:3 TV widescreen fills more screen space
but shows less image of the film. Emotional impact is important, but when you
miss half of the image composition, is it really worth it?
If you want emotional impact you better buy a projector and project on a
wall size screen. No TV, 4:3 or 16:9 can achieve that kind of emotional
impact. Of course it costs more than an TV... :-)
Michel Hafner
RMcD
movies how you could prefer a full screen presentation where you can
only watch HALF the beauty of the images, and where two persons are
talking or fighting and you only get the chance to watch one of them. I
can't understand how could be A SINGLE person defending full screen.
sukh_s...@my-deja.com
In article <39A27649...@dial.eunet.ch>,
Michel Hafner <mha...@dial.eunet.ch> wrote:
> Mo wrote:
> >
> > I bow to your superior technical knowledge . Mine are just
subjective
> > assemsement and others are free to disagree.
> > Full screen has more emotional impact than half screen and
even the
> > 32inch widescreen TVs have only half the screen area of normal
34inch
> > ones..
>
> It depends on what type of screen you have. You can have a 16:9
screen and
> a projector and the 4:3 image is then smaller than the widescreen
image
> like in a cinema. On a standard 4:3 TV widescreen fills more screen
space
> but shows less image of the film. Emotional impact is important, but
when you
> miss half of the image composition, is it really worth it?
> If you want emotional impact you better buy a projector and project
on a
> wall size screen. No TV, 4:3 or 16:9 can achieve that kind of
emotional
> impact. Of course it costs more than an TV... :-)
> Michel Hafner
>
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
sunny...@virgin.net
with your girlfirend! (even though you won't be watching the film half the
time!!!!)
<sukh_s...@my-deja.com> wrote in message
news:8nu873$n5b$1...@nnrp1.deja.com...
> i concur. nothing beats watching any type of movie on a 6ft screen
>
> In article <39A27649...@dial.eunet.ch>,
> Michel Hafner <mha...@dial.eunet.ch> wrote:
> > Mo wrote:
> > >
> > > I bow to your superior technical knowledge . Mine are just
> subjective
> > > assemsement and others are free to disagree.
> > > Full screen has more emotional impact than half screen and
> even the
> > > 32inch widescreen TVs have only half the screen area of normal
> 34inch
> > > ones..
> >
Michel Hafner
>
> Mo wrote:
> >
> > assemsement and others are free to disagree.
> > Full screen has more emotional impact than half screen and even the
> > 32inch widescreen TVs have only half the screen area of normal 34inch
> > ones..
>
> a projector and the 4:3 image is then smaller than the widescreen image
> like in a cinema. On a standard 4:3 TV widescreen fills more screen space
of course I meant full screen, not wide screen, silly me...
Mo
they get plasma high def TV of 60 inches it will be fine , until then
full screen scores over squashed wide screen..
The Real William!!!!!!!
contents removedbad article contents removedbad article contents
removedbad article contents removedbad article contents removedbad
article contents removedbad article contents removed
Michel Hafner
:-)
I was not referring to projection TVs. I meant video projectors, preferably of the
CRT type that produce superb images from 4:3 and widescreen DVDs. Admittedly they
cost quite some money...
Michel Hafner
RMcD
SADLY FOR U NOBODY IS GOING TO EDIT DVD IN FULL SCREEN...THANKS GODDESS
KALI!!
Niraj Agarwalla
> DVD Diamonds 2 -90mins - 2000
> A free DVD of promos of upcoming movies in the cinema and on DVD ,
> with the magazines What DVD ? and Total Film. A great idea which
> should be copied by indiaplaza.com , DEI and others . Send out a free
> DVD with 50 odd movies shown . Even if the customer likes one or two
> it will pay for the $3 or so it costs for each DVD.
Not a bad idea. Maybe there should be a magazine out there strictly
devoted to Indian DVDs in particular, or South Asia in general. I, for
one, would subscribe.
> Picture quality - Excellent
> Sound- Excellent
>
> Over 50 Hollywood movies . The ones that seem must see are
> Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas , Titus , Shanhai Noon , X men , Dark
> Castle , Summer of Sam , Kadosh ( Hebrew), Being John Mackovich , Men
> in Black -special edition and a couple of French ones with subtitles
> to master the language .
> Its surprising anyone ever goes to see Hollywood movies after watching
> the promos - heavy metal , loud noises , car chases , cut after two
> seconds - really really bad .
One person's banality is another person's joy, and this, of course,
works both ways.
> The Flintstone promo however is like a Bollywood one , funny , with a
> bit of music and dance .
This doesn't say much for your taste in movies-- Bollywood or Hollywood.
I'm surprised the first one did well enough to warrant a sequel, but
Hollywood is Hollywood.
> Hollywood movies tend to be one dimensional and not a mixture of
> everything like Bollywood ones and since the lack songs its hard to
> make a promo which captivates the attention . Just watch a Bollywood
> promo next time and see how much the songs come into it .
Hollywood does make it fair share of crap, but there are great films out
there, most of them off the beaten path. Bollywood is a caught in some
sort of a vicous cycle, where all the movies seem to be in the same vein
as HAHK. It is getting quite tiring. Of course movies that broke this
mold have done really well: Satya, Dil Se, Border, etc.
> The lyrics writer is told the story eg in HDDCS when Salman obeys his
> music teacher and walks away from his love , and he then has to write
> a song and it is then put to music . That is why these songs make so
> much more sense and stay in the memory after watching the movie ..
Not a bad little movie. A bit overraught, but which Indian movie isn't.
> DVDs
> The Insider
Have this one. Great film. Michael Mann is a great film maker.
> ..the circle
> Speedway
> Talented Mr Ripley
> Three Kings
Another gem. This anit-Gul War flick deserves tons of kudos for being hip
and political at the same time.
> The world at war -BBC series
> Being John Mckovich
> Bone collector
A decent films that falls apart in the end.
> End of the Affair
> The Green Mile
> Haunted house on the hill
> The last producer
> Men in Black -Special Edition -with morhphing
> Picking up the pieces
> Simpatico
> Kids
> etc..
>
>
>
--
Niraj Agarwalla -- ni...@shore.net
Niraj Agarwalla
> If you hate widescreen so much, get at least a 32" TV. Are you losing your
> sight or something? I still remember watching "Ben-Hur" (2.76:1!) on my 35" TV
> letterboxed without any problems. Maybe you aren't a big enough film buff to
> appreciate widescreen.
Personally, I consider them as heathen and blasphermers. They should be
all burned at the stake. :)
Mo
A free DVD of promos of upcoming movies in the cinema and on DVD ,
with the magazines What DVD ? and Total Film. A great idea which
should be copied by indiaplaza.com , DEI and others . Send out a free
DVD with 50 odd movies shown . Even if the customer likes one or two
it will pay for the $3 or so it costs for each DVD.
Picture quality - Excellent
Sound- Excellent
Over 50 Hollywood movies . The ones that seem must see are
Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas , Titus , Shanhai Noon , X men , Dark
Castle , Summer of Sam , Kadosh ( Hebrew), Being John Mackovich , Men
in Black -special edition and a couple of French ones with subtitles
to master the language .
Its surprising anyone ever goes to see Hollywood movies after watching
the promos - heavy metal , loud noises , car chases , cut after two
seconds - really really bad .
The Flintstone promo however is like a Bollywood one , funny , with a
bit of music and dance .
Hollywood movies tend to be one dimensional and not a mixture of
everything like Bollywood ones and since the lack songs its hard to
make a promo which captivates the attention . Just watch a Bollywood
promo next time and see how much the songs come into it .
The lyrics writer is told the story eg in HDDCS when Salman obeys his
music teacher and walks away from his love , and he then has to write
a song and it is then put to music . That is why these songs make so
much more sense and stay in the memory after watching the movie ..
The ones shown on this DVD are
Films to come
Road to El Dorado
Nutty Professor 2
Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas- must see
Rules of Engagement
Cut to the chase
Grinch
Souffle -French
Hollow man
Kadosh -Hebrew
Keeping the faith
Me myself and I
Me myself and Irene
Miss Julie
Perfect Storm
Pitch Black
The Butler
Screwed
Shaft
The Solution
Wonder Boys
X men
Shanghai Noon
DVDs
The Insider
..the circle
Speedway
Talented Mr Ripley
Three Kings
The world at war -BBC series
Being John Mckovich
Bone collector
Sydney Assbasket
>aspects are quite
>clear and well understood. Subjective is which artifacts you consider
>important or less
>important, distracting or not distracting, to be avoided at all costs or
>acceptable.
>And if it's ok to exchange one kind of artifact with another or not.
It depends, I suppose. I don't expect some film that has been in the public
domain for years to have Casablanca-like picture, but I do expect a certain
degree of quality. Even in the early days of DVD, there were still some
reference discs, like "The Fifth Element," so it wasn't altogether impossible.
I don't expect "Arsenic and Old Lace" to be devoid of specs since that type of
cleaning up requires thousands of hours of digital paintbox work. I do expect
"The Matrix" to be pretty much free of specs since it is a recent release.
________________________________________________________________
The Indian DVD Resource: http://www.fly.to/indiadvd
(not my site): http://www.boycott-riaa.com
"Gay" is not a synonym for "bad."
Remove "bination" to reply.
Sydney Assbasket
>assemsement and others are free to disagree.
> Full screen has more emotional impact than half screen and even the
>32inch widescreen TVs have only half the screen area of normal 34inch
>ones..
When I watch a film, I want ALL the characters to be onscreen. I don't want to
see some guy talking and not the guy he's talking to unless that's how it was
meant to be seen. Unless you have a 13 inch television, 2.35:1 widescreen,
especially on DVD, shouldn't present any problems as to detail.
Sydney Assbasket
>they get plasma high def TV of 60 inches it will be fine , until then
>full screen scores over squashed wide screen..
If you hate widescreen so much, get at least a 32" TV. Are you losing your
sight or something? I still remember watching "Ben-Hur" (2.76:1!) on my 35" TV
letterboxed without any problems. Maybe you aren't a big enough film buff to
appreciate widescreen.
Mo
DVD Diamonds 2 -90mins - 2000
have those black bars at the top and bottom . Even when I take them to
my brother's 32 inch widescreen TV they still have the black bars so
the viewing area and hence the emotional impact is much reduced.
Has anyone bought those 40inch or more high definition flat plasma TVs
yet ? The picture quality I saw at the Las Vegas Consumer electronic
show was amazing .
They do cost about $25,000 or so but that is only the price of an old
car and will give you much more pleasure..
ChanManFan
> Hollywood movies tend to be one dimensional
No, not one-dimensional. Because they're not bound to have musical numbers that
often snap the viewer's suspension of disbelief, they are able to deal more
with character development, relationships, plot, and all of the things that a
picturization in Switzerland can't dream of.
I enjoy a lot of the musical numbers in the films, but I just don't understand
why the many trips outside of the country in which the film is taking place? I
call them travelogues -- "we interrupt this movie to take you to (name of
country here) for this picturization for no apparent reason". Aren't there
lovely, luscious, lavish, interesting, beautiful sites in India that would
serve the purpose without making the audience wonder what's going on, or were
they all used in DIL SE? At least in HDDCS, they "went to Italy" in search of
the Italian, but how did they end up in a restaurant in Austria, Switzerland,
or Germany with the beer-drinking crowd??? At least in KNPH (what a stupid
movie!), New Zealand was a part of the script (and the most interesting part, I
might add).
> the lack songs its hard to
> make a promo which captivates the attention .
Wrong here again, Mo. Western promos are designed to give the viewer an idea of
what the movie is about, what genre, etc. Since Bollywood has virtually only
one genre and basically one theme, I guess it's easier to just highlight the
songs and get it over with.
> Just watch a Bollywood
> promo next time and see how much the songs come into it .
That's all the promos are for the most part, and they are more a promo for the
soundtrack than for the film. How can anyone tell what the movie is about when
all you get is clips of musical numbers?
> these songs make so
> much more sense and stay in the memory after watching the movie ..
Hmmmm ... I'd much prefer the acting, the story, the direction, the design,
etc. to stay in my memory after watching a movie. How many times can one enjoy
seeing the heroine -- in a beautiful but flimsy costume -- dance in the
mountain snow while the hero -- usually in an overcoat, boots, and hat --
smiles at her? Methinks the hero's often thinking, "What an idiot ... she must
be freezing."
Don't get me wrong ... I *love* Hindi films. But each country's or culture's
film industry and offerings are different from any other. You can't say this
one or that one is The Best in the world ... they all have something different
to offer, and they each offer it in a different way. But Mo, I don't think you
get that concept at all. :-( God forbid you should watch a UK period film or
even an Italian comedy by Roberto Benigni. At least the stories aren't lifted
from Hollywood productions.
Mo, your cinematic life is far too sheltered.
You need to get out more :-)
Jeanne
ChanManFan
viewing. Mo, would you prefer the screens in the theatres to be square? ;-)
Tee hee hee.
Haven't you ever seen a pan/scan or fullscreen film in which there's an intense
scene happening, two people talking to each other, and all you can see is their
noses? Bah!
Have you ever stumbled across an obvious camera copy of a Hindi or HK film?
That's when a guy sits in the theatre and films the movie by videocamera.
Because the video camera is TV-square, the camera guy has to move back and
forth, back and forth as the dialogue switches from one character to the other.
Why? So they'll be "onscreen" when the at-home viewer watches the pirated
copy. Not only do the viewers get seasick or nauseous, but they're not seeing
the film as it was intended to be seen.
And that's the real reason for those "black bars", Mo ----- so you can see the
film as it was intended to be seen :-) Give it a try. Don't pooh-pooh it
without fully understanding the reasoning. Watch the whole movie, not a
portion of it -- which is what you get with a fullscreen version.
Jeanne
M. St. Bernard
>
> why the many trips outside of the country in which the film is taking
> place? I call them travelogues -- "we interrupt this movie to take you
> to (name of country here) for this picturization for no apparent
> reason".
Some films are pretty bad for that, I'm noticing. "Gumrah," for
instance, where every 2 minutes they seem to move to another landmark,
where you see one of the prinicple characters yelling out a car window
in front of a major tourist spot, with the word "Calcutta"
superimposed...and then suddenly they're in another city, all justified
by the fact that she's a famous singer on tour...but still!
The same thing happened in "Geetenjali" to a lesser extent. One
reason the directors put these scenes in might be because "they can."
It doesn't bother me, though. I find that most Bollywood films have
so many elements in them that I can ignore the things I find annoying,
and still have a great time.
> That's all the promos are for the most part, and they are more a promo
> for the soundtrack than for the film. How can anyone tell what the
> movie is about when all you get is clips of musical numbers?
I imagine they put things in the promos that the majority of the
audience wants to see...otherwise the promos wouldn't work.
Objectively, I have no problem with that.
Subjectively, though, that's a good point...very rarely can I figure
out what a Bollywood film is about from the promo alone. I find it
interesting that few of the promos mention who the stars are...is this
because everybody just knows? I've seen a number of films where the
names of the stars don't even appear in the credits.
Hollywood promos, however, I find to be equally empty in
general...they show you the best scenes and compact all the cliches into
1 1/2 minutes (and almost always end with a quick-cut montage set to
thundering music which climaxes right as the title is finally revealed
on the screen). Promos are intended to sell the film so, like any
commercial, I find them kind of annoying. :-)
> How many times can one enjoy
> seeing the heroine -- in a beautiful but flimsy costume -- dance in the
> mountain snow while the hero -- usually in an overcoat, boots, and hat
> smiles at her?
A lot of times. :-)
Though I'm more used to seeing her standing on a grassy hillside,
while the camera pans by with flowers in the foreground.
> Methinks the hero's often thinking, "What an idiot ... she must
> be freezing."
Nah...they're "imagination songs!" Anything goes in them, and that's
something I love about Bollywood. Few people in real life get to stand
on a snowy hillside in a skimpy outfit, or have a wet sari scene with an
invisible man. I find everyday life pretty dull.
> Don't get me wrong ... I *love* Hindi films. But each country's or
> culture's film industry and offerings are different from any other. You
> can't say this one or that one is The Best in the world ... they all
> have something different.
For sure! I've never been able to single out a country as producing
superior or inferior films. Maybe superior or inferior to ME (I am
pretty darn tired of Hollywood blockbusters), but I can't say they're
better or worse than anything else.
Muffy.
M. St. Bernard
> Haven't you ever seen a pan/scan or fullscreen film in which there's an
> intense scene happening, two people talking to each other, and all you
> can see is their noses? Bah!
Far worse than that, I sat through "Khuda Gawah" where they hadn't
bothered panning & scanning at all, they just chose to show the center
of the picture, and they'd even cut off most of the top of the frame for
some reason.
The entire film was just horses talking to each other, I rarely saw a
person...just the heads of horses. And when somebody would yell during
the conversation, the horses would shake their heads in sympathy...it
was remarkable what good actors those horses were!
Personally, I prefer letterboxing any day, as long as the TV is big
enough. Fortunately, they no longer just "squish" the image
horizontally...I remember that was considered a solution to different
aspect ratios at one time. It drove me nuts looking at long, oval
heads.
Muffy
Michel Hafner
>
> DVD Diamonds 2 -90mins - 2000
If you have $25,000 to spend stay away from plasma screens. The picture quality is so so,
and the picture is not really that big. Buy a 7 or 8 inch CRT projector, a decent screen and
a Faroudja linedoubler or some cheaper clone and for 25000$ you have an experience that is
pretty close to a nice print in a cinema, emotional impact and all. Add 5 channel digital sound and it beats the cinema experience on quite some occasions.
MH