Aag Aur Shola

Another long Indian movie with lots of songs and dancing with over 227 minutes of running time according to my DVD clock. Lots of beautiful saris including a gold and purple that are colors of my Middle School. LOL.

Aag Aur Shola (1986)NetflixLivid when his sister Usha chooses impoverished Raju as her suitor, Bombay thug Nagesh tracks down her beau, thrashes him and leaves him for dead in this potent yarn about sweet revenge. Surviving the vicious attack and undeterred by it, Raju seeks help from the reclusive Vishal, hatching a scheme that will even the score and put Usha back in Raju's arms. The film's cast includes Jeetendra, Mandakini and Shakti Kapoor.

Yes, the comical versions of fight scenes reminiscent of the 1970s in the USA.

Aag Aur Shola From Wikipedia
Whenever Inspector Ram, incharge of police station in Bombay, try to arrest some criminal a gangster named Nagesh help these arrested criminals. Nagesh has political influence. Nagesh's sister Usha is in love with Raju. When Nagesh learn this, he beats up Raju. Raju survives. He and his mother approach Vishal for help.

A side story involves Vishal and his love with him promising to protect lovers as his lover dies in his hands. Ultimately he sacrfices his life for the friendship of Usha and Raju.

No special features except Songs listed. This film like a couple of others have like a dozen lead in previews and advertisements even when choosing the subtitles it goes back through the previews again. Quite Distracting...
"Put vermilion on the bride's head."

Aag Aur Shola{Blockbuster}

Aag Aur Shola

Baazigar (1993)

In addition to the following entry, Wiki gives complete details about the plot of the movie:

Baazigar (Hindi (Devanagari): बाज़ीगर, Urdu/Farsi (Nastaliq): بازیگر, English: Gambler) is a 1993 Indian Hindi film directed by Abbas-Mustan. It is a contemporary thriller about a young man who stops at nothing to get revenge. The film shocked its Indian audience with an unexpected violation of the standard Bollywood formula: The hero murders the innocent heroine. However, this film with an ambiguous hero did well at the box office. This was Shahrukh Khan's first movie as the sole lead and also Shilpa Shetty's debut film. Although Akshay Kumar was initially offered the lead role of Baazigar, he turned it down because of its negative shades.
This film is loosely based on the Hollywood film A Kiss Before Dying (1991).
Baazigar

Yes definitely a more vicious villain than most Indian films. We do not get to know the reasons for the murder of innocent lives until later in the movie as flashbacks fill in the background information slowly. Still we can see his hatred for wanting to take revenge over the past sins of others leads to the killing of innocent lives. Even if your sister and mother deaths was caused by another gives no right to extract that same punishment on other innocent lives.

Vicky then goes on to kill two more innocent lives to cover up his first killing. Thus he becomes a sociopathic killer of the worst kind. But overall has some of the same tragic life stories of many Indian films but just more cruelty in how the punishments are handed out. I gave it a rating of 3.5/5 which was below Blockbuster customer ratings of 4/5.

Baazigar (1993)

The Corporation (2003)

The usual left-wing talking points. It does provide some voices to explain the "corporations" point of view but of course we have the usual suspects. That is Noam Chomsky (Chumsky), Howard Zenn, Naomi Klein and The Fatso-Michael Moore. They have no soul because they want to personify inanimate objects and in this case a concept of business organization.

It also must be noted clearly that the first corporations were state sanctioned monopolies. And I am sure that no Lib-tard {including Thom Hartmann} is going to tell me that they would like to go back to the monopoly corporations.

It was nearly hilarious that somehow they used DDT as proof that corporations are bad by showing that they were spraying people to prevent diseases caused by ticks and lice. There has never been anyone died from DDT and thus the millions that lived because of those techniques are much better off. DDT is no longer patented and as such many good uses are not being used because of scare mongers like these LIBTARDS. Anyone for DDT? is a good place to get some information on DDT.

Another funny part is their descriptions of memes in society and they label that process as roach bait. Just like corporations are "branding" and creating images with words this film is doing the exact same thing. Product placement is no longer in movies but is labeling {as they described}. I use to wear a lot of Camel T-shirts that they use to give away and a coworker asked me why I wore something that was against what I preached. In subtle ways I use to complain about smokers. I asked do you see how dirty they get as I worked in a machine shop. Hell if someone wants to pay me to be a living billboard then fine with me as long as it is enough...

In the mid-1800s, corporations began to be recognized as individuals by U.S. courts, granting them unprecedented rights. The Corporation, a documentary by filmmakers Mark Achbar and Jennifer Abbott and author Joel Bakan, delves into that legal standard, essentially asking: if corporations were people, what kind of people would they be? Applying psychiatric principles and FBI forensic techniques, and through a series of case studies, the film determines that this entity, the corporation, which has an increasing power over the day-to-day existence of nearly every living creature on earth, would be a psychopath. The case studies include a story about how two reporters were fired from Fox News for refusing to soft-pedal a story about the dangers of a Monsanto product given to dairy cows, and another about Bolivian workers who banded together to defend their rights to their own water supply. The pervasiveness of corporate influence on our lives is explored through an examination of efforts to influence behavior, including that of children. The filmmakers interview leftist figures like Michael Moore, Howard Zinn, Naomi Klein, and Noam Chomsky, and give representatives from companies Burson Marsteller, Disney, Pfizer, and Initiative Media a chance to relay their own points-of-view. The Corporation won the Best Documentary World Cinema Audience Award at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

Theatrical Feature Running Time: 145 mins
The Corporation (2003)

Michael Moore close to end of movie talks in terms of the Communist Meme that capitalism will sell the rope to hang itself. He claims that this is a gaping hole that capitalism will let voices be heard and will even promote it that is contrary to its basis. Well this contradicts what Pacifica and much of the Libtarded left that claims that corporation control the news and no other voices get aired. Of course no Libtard will note or acknowledge this cognitive dissonance including the Dweeb MM...

There was some special features like the making of the movie that is arranged as an question and answer session.


The Real Threat Posed by Bill Ayers

Hum Aapke Hain Koun (1994)

A beautiful directed film with plenty of good Bollywood dancing and singing. Over half of the film was over before the happiness had to be interrupted. I was thinking at the time that most Indian films have to have a moral dilemma for the main actors as well as some tragedy that spans this problem. And sure enough someone has to die to create this dilemma. We also get the problems presented for widowers and the lives of "bhabhi{s}". That is sister in laws on the brother's sides, the family that is the receiver of the bride in the marriage.

A huge hit when released in India in 1994, director Sooraj Barjatiya's affecting family drama started a notable trend towards more family friendly fare in a time when violence was the predominant attraction of Bollywood films. As Prem's (Salman Khan) brother prepares for his marriage to Nisha's (Madhuri Dixit) sister, the single siblings slowly fall in love with one another. Following the death of Nisha's sister Pooja, Nisha is obligated to marry Prem's brother Rajesh since Rajesh's child is familiar with Nisha. As Nisha and Rajesh prepare for their wedding, Rajesh finds a note that Nisha has written to Prem and insists that she follow her heart and marry her true love. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Theatrical Feature Running Time: 205 mins
Hum Aapke Hain Koun (1994)

Most movie reviews only give details of the first half of film but the one above is basically telling the whole story.

Parinda (1988)

It had more of a feel of "Americanized" film than others including the bloody and violent deaths of Karan and Paru for Indian standards with the machine gun killing of the lovers in bed. I also seem to remember that one of the dance scenes was scripted like an American dance scene than Indian but as the movie progressed the usual Indian dance moves and rhythms came back. Also when Karen willingly joins the gang to get back at the killers, was similar to many cops and robbers movies of the 70s and onward in the USA.

Two brothers take different paths in life, which leads both of them into danger in this drama from India. Kishan (Jackie Shroff) and Karan (Anil Kapoor) are two brothers who move to Bombay to find their fortunes. Kishan falls in with Anna (Nana Patekar), a drug dealer; Karan becomes friends with a policeman (Anupam Kher), falls in love with schoolteacher Paru (Madhuri Dixit), and decides to go to America to further his education. As Kishan sinks deeper into the criminal underworld, Anna discovers the policeman Karan used to know has been assigned to bring him to justice. Anna intends to kill the cop rather than lose control of his criminal empire, and Kishan learns of Anna's deadly plan just as Karan is about to return home. Kishan is determined to keep his brother away from himself and the policeman to protect his safety, but Karan isn't so sure he wants to be sent away to Delhi, since he hopes to renew his relationship with Paru. Like many "Bollywood" dramas, Parinda also features several songs. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Theatrical Feature Running Time: 145 mins
Parinda (1988)

Not One Less (1999)

A charming little story about a young lady that perseveres over obstacles and ultimately does not lose any of her students, although you have to wonder why such drive for only 10 extra yen. She spends much more and a lot more hassle than the extra 10 yens as well as the salary of 50 yens.

I did have a soft spot in my heart for the young people that desired to learn {for the most part} and quite a bit of attention was paid to the amount of chalk used on a daily basis. But ultimately it was a propaganda piece about socialism. And while Justin Lin shows the problems with wrong incentive structures, the young heroine {Gao} does show some desire to accomplish her tasks in the best way possible.

In a village in China mired in poverty, Gao (Gao Enman) is the lone teacher in a school so threadbare he must ration chalk to make sure he has enough for the day. The destitution of the village is not limited to the school; some of the children sleep in the schoolhouse because they have nowhere else to go, and many students have already dropped out to go to work to help feed their families. Gao is forced to leave town for a month, and no one in the village is able to take over for him except a 13-year-old girl, Wei Minzhi (Wei Minzhi), who possesses only the most rudimentary education herself. What she lacks in educational credential, she makes up for in determination -- she needs money, and teaching is an honest job that pays, and since she'll get a 10 yuan bonus if all 28 students are still attending when Gao gets back, she is determined that no one will drop out on her watch. So when one student turns up missing, and word has it he's been sent to the city by his mother to work, she travels to the city to look for him. In a place where thousands of children are working in the underground labor force or begging on the street, one boy hardly stands out from the crowd, and she has little luck. However, she's able to persuade a sympathetic TV station manager to let her make an announcement in hopes someone knows where he has gone. Despite its serious and often grim theme, Yi Ge Dou Bu Neng Shao is often light in tone and draws on the strength and humor of its characters; the film won the Golden Lion at the 1999 Venice Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide


Theatrical Feature Running Time: 106 mins
Not One Less (1999)

Do I Love You? (2003)

A disappointment to me in that the dialogue at times seemed more like prepubescent girls exploring their sexuality than mature women understanding their Lesbianism. They were completely fickle and Lisa even tries some "experiments" with men but chickens out after getting in bed with at least one of them.

British writer/director/actress Lisa Gornick makes her feature debut with the microbudget romantic comedy Do I Love You? Shot with digital video, the film involves struggling writer Marina (Gornick) riding her bike around London while her voice-over narration ponders all matters of life and love. She thinks that having kids will solve her problems with girlfriend Romy (Raquel Cassidy). Meanwhile, straight girl Louise (Sarah Patterson) writes a magazine article about the hip quotient of being a lesbian. Do I Love You? was shown at the 2003 San Francisco Lesbian & Gay Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

Theatrical Feature Running Time: 73 mins
Do I Love You? (2003)

Lumumba (2000)

You know the Bantu proverb: "The hand that gives, rules."
And your hand has been a bit heavy lately. Excuse me.
Which Lumumba states to the US representative in the hallway outside of the Presidencies office.

A highly slanted version of the events including that somehow the CIA was an important enough force that it had to be included in this film. But other than abstaining any decision about what to do with Lumumba and meeting briefly in front of the Presidents office they played little role in the vast amount of violence in Congo. While it shows the vast overreaching colonialism of Belgians into Congo life, I doubt that many Libs would take away from it that. As that is compared to so called US colonies.

Still, I did not have time to fully explore Lumumba's life before watching the film so I am sure there are parts I missed that further education would help fill in the various actors and the parts they played.

Patrice Lumumba was a passionate advocate for freedom in colonial Africa, and when the Belgian Congo was granted independent (and was later renamed Zaire), Lumumba was the new nation's first prime minister. However, Lumumba's dream of freedom and dignity for the people of the Congo made him a controversial and dangerous figure, and this biographical drama explores his short, tumultuous life. We first encounter Lumumba (Eriq Ebouaney) in the late 1950's, when his National Congo Movement is gaining widespread public support, despite opposition from the nation's political leaders. Hoping to avoid a violent overthrow, the Belgian government begins negotiations with the NCM to turn rule of the Congo over to the citizens, and Lumumba and his political party are swept into power during the nation's first independent election. However, Lumumba's desire to bring a peaceful and orderly transfer of power soon earns him enemies of all political stripes. Militant advocates for freedom demand that white Belgian officers of the nation's military be replaced with African soldiers at once, while Belgian colonists are met with violence, sparking a revolt by the white settlers that leads to a bloody civil war. Lumumba was directed and co-written by Raoul Peck, who previously directed the acclaimed documentary Lumumba: Death of a Prophet. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Lumumba (2000)

Second Generation (2003)

Although from a casual observer they may overlook at the conflicts between the Hindu and Muslim traditions and how that played out. Ultimately Heere decides to move back to India with her Father to take care of and forsake London with her Muslim friend. So if there is a message in the film, I am not sure if it was to say that India is mother country beyond even differences in religion. I did do a search and this commentary did show up:

British TV brings NRIs home RASHMEE Z AHMED

LONDON: The UK's first, mainstream, British-Indian television drama arrives on thousands of screens across the country this weekend, but the real headline is its extraordinarily in-your-face message: Immigration is no longer a one-way street heading West and it's okay for the punk-haired second generation of British Indians to "immigrate" to the Motherland.

The drama posits an unexpected, deeply-poignant, 21st-century passage to India at the height of Britain's ongoing, passionate and commercially-productive love-affair with all things Indian. The bold television drama, baldly titled Second Generation, ends with three of its lead characters returning to India. Two of them -- a Bengali Hindu-Muslim pairing -- are beer-swilling, bhangra-rapping, British-born-and-bred. To top it all, they speak Bengali with a pronounced accent.

But, for the first time ever on British TV, the British-Indian second generation is shown to reject the bright lights of London for the alien-but-dimly-remembered chaos and camaraderie of Kolkata.

It's something director Jon Sen believes to be a "positive statement about India as an alternative place to live for British Asians".

The third "reverse immigrant" character, played by Om Puri, arrived in Britain half-a-century ago and sacrificed everything including his "(Indian) moral framework" to make good in an alien land. Eventually, he returns to India to lay his "demons to rest" and find peace, Sen told The Times of India.

In his first pre-release interview to an Indian publication, Sen, an Anglo-Indian, said the drama was a "benchmark production because it took the British Asian narrative on, even as it started from a position of Indian pride, wealth and success".

The drama, baldly titled Second Generation, is executed as an expertly-crafted Hollywood-Bollywood mish-mash of saris-sex-swearwords and suicide. It stars Puri, Anumpan Kher, Roshan Seth and Parminder Nagra, heroine of the hit film Bend it Like Bechkam. And it's already being described as an important, British Indian "think" piece on immigration, taking the Asian story onwards from the seminal Buddha of Suburbia.

But it comes at a sensitive time, when the right-wing British National Party has won several local election victories despite banging the drum on the issue of "forced repatriation" of coloured immigrants.

Sen denies Second Generation is about "being repatriated but about choice and reversing the traditional view of immigration from the sub-continent to Britain".

Britain has a several-million strong, largely prosperous, Indian community. But Sen believes Second Generation underlines the huge sacrifices Om Puri's generation had to make to become the wealthy, successful, stereotype British Indian of today.

But the second generation, he says, can now see -- and show on British TV -- that "Britain isn't always the ideal place for us to make our lives� that India is an alternative choice, it can offer British Asians as good a standard of living, it has revolutionised itself".

The drama, commissioned and screened by Channel 4, is written by Neil Biswas, the son of Bengali immigrants who lived in London's East End.

Sen, the director, has a Bengali father and English mother and admits to "romanticising India" at least partly because he feels "the pull of history there, at least half my history is in India".

Yes a good description of some of the underlying stories of the movie. I also would like to point out that while this film was not a commercial success it did provide a vehicle for the career of Parminder Nagra to take off in Hollywood and getting a contract with the show "ER" for one year and to continue on.

Some of the special features and flashbacks were confusing and campy but overall the film was good and worth a DVD rental.
Second Generation

Second Generation stars Parminder Nagra as the free-thinking daughter in a traditional Indian family who has torn herself away from the restrictive traditions of her parents. A family emergency brings her back into the fold, where the entire family must contend with how their world sometimes is at odds with the modern London world they inhabit. In addition to the struggles with her family, the daughter is caught in a love triangle involving her British fiancé and her old flame. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Theatrical Feature Running Time: 136 mins
Second Generation (2003)

The Mystic Masseur (2001)

Ismail Merchant, best known as the producing half of the successful Merchant-Ivory team, once again steps behind the camera as director for this story of life among Indian expatriates in the 1950s. Ganesh (Aasif Mandvi) is a young man who was born to a community of Indian exiles living in Trinidad. Always bright, Ganesh hopes to hake a career for himself as a writer, but he lacks the money to pursue writing full-time, and his ideas about education clash with those of his employers after he gets a job as a teacher, leaving him with few prospects. Returning to Trinidad after the death of his father, Ganesh is pressured into marrying a local woman named Leela (Ayesha Dharker), whose father, Ramlogan (Om Puri), is a successful merchant. Ganesh and Leela move to a modest home in the hills, where he begins work on a book, but Leela chafes at the Spartan lifestyle dictated by Ganesh's finances, and for a time leaves their home to stay with her parents. In time, Ganesh completes his first book -- a book for lay people on the Hindu faith -- but sales are sluggish until Ganesh and Leela come up with a plan to boost interest in Ganesh's work. Ganesh is promoted as a "Mystic Masseur" with special powers to heal the infirm; Ganesh's routine quickly makes his work very popular with spiritual seekers, and his book becomes a top-seller. However, Ganesh becomes disillusioned with his newfound fame and power, especially after he attempts to take advantage of his celebrity by entering the political arena. The Mystic Masseur was based on a novel by V.S. Naipaul, who won an Nobel prize in the year of this film's release. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide


Theatrical Feature Running Time: 118 mins
The Mystic Masseur (2001)

Seems funny that a washed up masseur turns to being a con artist {mystic healer} then decides to peddle books and then after getting notoriety decides to enter politics and ends up being just a mantle piece instead of actually do good. You have to wonder if he took a hard long contemplated look at his life.

But the scenes were nice.

Andaaz (2003)

Directed by Raj Kanwar, Andaaz follows the friendship between Raj (Akshay Kumar), a handicapped college student, and Kajal (Lara Dutta), a hot-tempered young woman who shares the same love of model airplanes that he does. With her help, Raj miraculously overcomes his disability. Though he finds himself deeply in love with Kajal, she marries another man while he is fighting in the Indian army. Several years later, the disillusioned Raj is going through intensive special training in South Africa, where he meets a beautiful but mysterious woman named Jiya (Priyanka Chopra). ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

Theatrical Feature Running Time: 152 mins
Andaaz (2003)

Another fun film from India that has plenty of back and forth romance with our hero taking the extremely long time to express his feelings for his first love. "First love" when people are in 3rd grade is something that the USA never really got into but in India there must be a dozen I have seen so far.

There is the dilemma of sister in laws {Bhabhis} that comes up briefly also when Kajal becomes a widow. Although not allowed, it might have been interesting to have a three way marriage...