Bollywood's veteran actor-writer Kader Khas has passed away after fighting a long battle with illness at the age of 81 on December 31. His son Sarfaraz confirmed the news.
"My dad has left us. He passed away on December 31 at 6 pm as per Canadian time due to prolonged illness. He slipped into a coma in the afternoon. He was in the hospital for 16-17 weeks. We are thankful to everyone for their blessings and prayers," his son Sarfaraz said.
People all over the world welcomed 2019 celebrating and partying in their own way and our Bollywood celebs are no exception to this. Most of them are away from the country ringing in the New Year with their friends and family.
Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut is currently in Manali where she is spending the holiday season with her family. Her sister Rangoli often shares some lovely photos of the actress which is a treat for her fans. Amidst the promotions of her upcoming film, 'Manikarnika - The Queen of Jhansi' the actress will ring her New Years 2019 with her family in Manali.
While most of the celebrities ushered in the New Year, parting and celebrating it with friends and family, Akshay Kumar has a different and unique way to do the same and his New Year wish for his fans is the proof!
Shankar's previous film '2.0' featured South superstar Rajinikanth and Akshay Kumar in pivotal roles. Now the director is all set to direct 'Indian 2', which is the sequel to his hit movie 'Indian', with Kamal Haasan. There's a buzz that the shooting will start soon after Kamal Haasan is done with the hosting of the television reality show. Recently, Pinkvilla reported that Shankar has narrated another sci-fi thriller script to Hrithik Roshan and the superstar is almost on board.
In Brian De Palma’s “Carlito’s Way,” Al Pacino plays the “JP Morgan of the smack business.”
Carlito Brigante has been a criminal for 25 years and has spent five years incarcerated. Recently out from a lengthy prison sentence, Brigante leans on the friendship of his lawyer, David Kleinfeld (an unrecognizable Sean Penn) and attempts to reinvent himself as an upstanding citizen and nightclub owner.
Immediately on his quest to rehabilitate his image and public standing, Brigante reencounters Gail (Penelope Ann Miler) the former love of his life and finds that, despite possessing a clear sense of right and wrong, Brigante can’t stay out of trouble.
Released 10 years after De Palma’s “Scarface,” which featured the same director, star and producer, “Carlito’s Way” is about reinvention. If “Scarface” anti-hero Tony Montana’s journey was of a poor man selling his soul to be become a powerful criminal, then Brigante’s tale (based on the novels “The After Hours” and “Carlito’s Way” by New York Judge Edwin Torres) is of an infamous criminal striving to get his soul back.
De Palma knew how that felt, as the film represented his attempt to regain command as a commercial filmmaker after recovering from a series of bombs. Years of being the new Master of Suspense and establishing his signature style and themes with extreme, elegantly crafted and confrontational shockers like “Carrie,” “Dressed to Kill” and “Scarface,” De Palma landed a mammoth commercial breakthrough with the commercial and critical success of “The Untouchables.”
Then came his brilliant but horrifying “Casualties of War,” a summer movie whose subject matter was woefully out of place against the likes of “Honey, I Shrunk The Kids” (no kidding, De Palma’s allegory about the rape of Vietnam opened against the Disney fantasy and died instantly).
A year later saw the release of “The Bonfire of the Vanities,” a prestigious, lavish and greatly anticipated all-star satire that supposed to lead to Oscar glory. Instead, the film is among the most legendary disasters and is mentioned alongside doozies like “Howard the Duck’ and “Ishtar.
A few years of licking his wounds later, De Palma returned to the thriller genre, delivered the lower budgeted but mostly ignored “Raising Cain” (the consolation prize is that the film has a healthy cult following today).
“Carlito’s Way” was a means for De Palma, whose flops were ridiculed and his reputation as a reliable commercial filmmaker was on shaky ground, to regain and potentially surpass his former glories. De Palma, like Brigante, had a lot to lose.
Let me cut to the chase: “Scarface” is the more iconic, influential movie but “Carlito’s Way” is better.
RELATED: Why ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ Lives Up to Kubrick’s Legacy
“Scarface” clocks in at 170-minutes and “Carlito’s Way,” at 144-minutes, is almost 30 minutes shorter and feels much looser. Far more important than the running time is the grand storytelling, careful pacing, character building and masterful set pieces by De Palma, who is in his element.
“Carlito’s Way’ is nowhere near as excessive as “Scarface” and is comparably the “safer” film but, scene-for-scene, it has a momentum, focus and filmmaker’s passion that elevates it above many great De Palma works (including “The Untouchables”).
Pacino, in the decade that showcased his work in “Dick Tracy,” his forever under-appreciated turn in “The Godfather Part III,” “Heat,” “The Insider,” “Glengarry Glen Ross”, “Donnie Brasco” and his Oscar winning performance in “Scent of a Woman,” gives Brigante the fire and pathos required.
Although Pacino’s “hoo-ah” drawl from “Scent of a Woman” frequently creeps in from his prior movie, his performance here is as good as the movie overall, which is saying an awful lot.
We like Carlito because Pacino is playing him. It’s a big, theatrical performance, but Pacino connects with the inner struggle that makes Carlito’s tale so tragic (obviously, it’s this quality that makes Pacino’s Michael Corleone comparable in how sympathetic we are to such a morally indefensible character).
Miller’s Golden Age of Hollywood looks made her a perfect fit for “The Artist,” “Chaplin,” and this – she’s the perfect film noir character. Not a femme fatale but akin to Mae Clarke’s sad figure in the Cagney classic, “The Public Enemy.” Miller holds her own here.
Penn is terrific in this, creating a vivid character and, like Pacino, giving him enough layers to elevate the role above being simply insufferable. Penn oozes impish carnality and, as in his turn in “Casualties of War,” gives superbly textured portrayals for De Palma of characters who, in lesser hands, would have merely been villains.
A young Viggo Mortensen and Pacino have a key scene together; it’s so well acted, one can almost forgive how Mortensen is going full-on Tony Montana with his accent.
David Koepp’s screenplay is full of quotable dialog, like “When you can’t see the angles no more, you in trouble baby, you in trouble.” Also, “I don’t invite this s–t,” says Carlito, “it just comes to me.”
Establishing Carlito as a Joe Gillis-like character (ala “Sunset Boulevard”) in the very first scene felt like a misstep in 1993, as the opening credits reveal the last scene first. Today, it plays out like De Palma is firmly declaring this to be a cautionary tale and not a glamorous dive into the underworld that defines “Scarface.”
Cocaine is also the drug of choice for these characters and, as in “Scarface” (but far less amusing), we see how it brings out the stupidity in everyone. “Shaft’s Big Score” is visible on a movie marquee, establishing the anti-hero motif early on.
Shaft’s Big Score! (1972) pic.twitter.com/xZlhBK0Uk6
— Killer Kitschmas (@killer_kitsch) February 6, 2017
When he’s not designing his big sequences, De Palma lingers on the details. Note the amusingly bored looks on Carlito and Kleinman’s dates. Or how Carlito (in a poetic touch) uses a trash can lid as an umbrella while he’s spying on his ex and dreaming of the life he lost. There’s also a shot of Carlito reflected in a mirror, glowing like a devil.
The climactic subway chase scene (aided by Bill Pankow’s knockout editing, Stephen H. Burum’s exciting cinematography and Patrick Doyle’s roaring score) is a De Palma masterpiece, among the finest set pieces he’s ever staged.
RELATED: Fanboys Are All Wrong About Ang Lee’s ‘Hulk’
The final scene has a whiff of the sad airport climax of “12 Monkeys” (which arrived tree years later)- even if you recall the opening and know what’s coming, the devastating impact is still there.
There’s no denying the ubiquitous nature and vast appeal of “Scarface,” which has (to name a few spinoffs) an action figure line, lunchboxes, video games and, God help us, a snow globe (!).
It also sports the affection of generations of filmgoers, dozens of hip-hop artists and filmmakers who have cribbed from it for decades. I know the film has a permanent place in film history – most cinephiles I know of have authentic theatrical one-sheets framed on their walls.
Yet, Pacino and De Palma’s encore into the world of crime and moral compromise a decade later is the much stronger, more emotionally stirring work.
The post Why ‘Carlito’s Way’ Is Superior to De Palma’s ‘Scarface’ appeared first on Hollywood in Toto.
'Simmba' box office collection Day 3
'Zero' box office collection Day 10
'KGF' box office collection Day 10
The lovebirds tied the knot earlier this month, and in the latest photos that have surfaced on the internet, we get to see more of the insights from Nickyanka’s Hindu as well as Christian weddings.
Rohit Shetty brought together Ranveer Singh and Ajay Devgn for his latest film ‘Simmba’. Ajay appeared in a special role in the film and the action scenes between the ‘Singham’ star and Ranveer was definitely whistle-worthy.
'Simmba' box office collection Day 3
Recently, Deepika Padukone reportedly revealed that initially she just wanted to try casual dating with Ranveer Singh.
Recently, the two Khans relived the memories of the film by watching the film together. Salman took to his Twitter handle to share a video where they can be seen watching the film together on the TV.
One of B-town's rumoured lovebirds, Disha Patani and Tiger Shroff jetted out of the city to enjoy a holiday to soak up some sun far away from Bollywood.
The much-awaited trailer of Thala Ajith’s Viswasam was released a while ago.
'Simmba' box office collection Day 2
We recently saw Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan shake a leg together in the latter’s film ‘Zero’. For those praying to see the two powerhouses of talent together on the big screen again, Sanjay Leela Bhansali may just be the answer to it all
Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas tied the knot in December at Umaid Bhavan Palace in Jodhpur. The couple is currently enjoying their Christmas break with their families and keep sharing lovely pictures on their social media profiles. Currently, the lovebirds are holidaying in Switzerland with their families that include Joe Jonas, Sophie Turner, Franklin Jonas, and others.
Bollywood's most adored couple Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone tied the knot in a fairytale-like wedding in on 14th and 15th November at Lake Como in Italy. The lovebirds dated each other for 6 years before tying the knot and never forget to shell couple goals with their adorable pictures. Recently, Deepika Padukone how she took her time for marriage.
Sonam Kapoor took Bollywood by surprise when she unveiled her “unexpected” love story ‘Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga’. Fans, film folk and the online world at large, were quick to connect the dots in the trailer that seemed to suggest that the film might just be based on a same-sex love story.
Prashanth Neel directorial action flick 'KGF: Chapter 1' which stars Yash in the lead roles in continuing its good run at the box office even after the movie has crossed its first week.
'Zero' box office collection Day 9
When Robert Altman died on November 20, 2006, I was a few hours away from teaching a class on his life and works.
A number of students called me that morning to inform me of his passing. They also asked if class would be cancelled or altered. They knew Altman was a god among directors, and that I would be shattered by news of his passing.
The class went on as planned, though I hated speaking of Altman for the first time in the past tense.
I still do.
At the age of 81, Altman had left behind a wildly unpredictable legacy as one of cinema’s renegades, great comeback stories and true auteur filmmakers. He proved to be an outsider whose against-the-establishment perspective influenced all of his films.
Altman had made a film in every single genre imaginable and even expended the expectations of convention and directorial approach. Known for his trademark voyeuristic camera work (in which the viewer practically stalks characters from afar or just close enough to eavesdrop) and overlapping dialogue (in which characters talk over one another and interrupt, just like real life), Altman dabbled in every foreseeable category of motion picture.
“M.A.S.H” is his best known work and a definitive anti-war comedy, though he also made westerns (“McCabe and Mrs Miller”), surreal sci-fi (“Quintet”), a jazz-infused gangster drama (“Kansas City”), an ahead-of-its-time political satire (“Tanner ’88”), a Van Gogh biopic (Vincent and Theo”), a fashion industry romp (“Pret-a-Porter/Ready to Wear”), a ballet-set slice-of-life drama (“The Company”), an early comic book adaptation (“Popeye”), various theater adaptations (ranging from “Streamers” to “Fool of Love”), and oddities so distinctly personal, they could only be described as “Altman-esque” (namely “Brewster McCloud” and “O.C. and Stiggs”).
Among his later works, he also directed “The Gingerbread Man” which, despite being a legal thriller based on a John Grisham tale, is as close to a horror film as he’s ever made. The film’s troubled production alone is a horror story that plagued Altman’s return to the mainstream.
The Savannah, Georgia-set “The Gingerbread Man” stars Kenneth Branagh as Rick Magruder, a successful, morally dubious attorney with a hit streak undermined by his shaky home life (his unhappy ex is played by Famke Janssen) and a weakness for attractive women.
A tryst with Mallory, a troubled client/damsel in distress (Embeth Davidtz), plunges Magruder into a case involving a local religious sect, overseen by Mallory’s deranged father (Robert Duvall). What appears to be an open-and-shut case escalates into a complex series of reveals and double-crosses that puts Magruder and his reputation at stake.
Although touted as “the first Grisham story written directly for the screen,” various accounts state that “The Gingerbread Man” was an early, unremarkable Grisham work that grew in importance after Grisham became a household name.
While the screenplay is credited to Al Hayes, Altman stepped forward and owned up to Hayes being his pseudonym. Following the string of Grisham bookstore and in-theater blockbusters, Polygram expected Altman to deliver a conventional hit.
According to Altman’s February 1998 interview in Film & Video, “The Gingerbread Man” received just-okay scores at test screenings, causing the studio to take the film away from Altman and alter the final edit. Thankfully, the final result shows no signs of the post-production struggle.
In fact, only the rushed final scene feels like an editing compromise.
Altman’s return to courting the mainstream for the first time since casting Robin Williams as Popeye the Sailor Man was soured by its reputation as a flop. The movie still has plenty to recommend it.
“The Gingerbread Man” begins with a spectacular aerial shot, seeming to capture the surface of an alien planet, until we see a Savannah road that intersects with Magruder’s car. We watch as he speaks into his car phone (an extravagant luxury at the time) and the POV remains at a distance in the sky for an extended amount of time. As Magruder is bragging about his posh existence, a storm is brewing. It’s perfect foreshadowing.
Branagh fashions a honey-dipped Southern inflection and creates a compelling central figure who is as sleazy and morally compromised as Tim Robbins’ Griffin Mill was in Altman’s “The Player.” Just as Branagh was uncannily effective playing an American in his own “Dead Again,” his underrated turn as Magruder is an actor’s master class that holds the film together.
The ensemble cast demonstrates Altman’s imagination and taste in selecting collaborators. Playing Magruder’s assistant is Daryl Hannah, first-rate in a character role. Robert Downey, Jr. (in a second go-round after stealing a portion of Altman’s “Short Cuts”) is delightful as a questionable detective who works for Magruder. Duvall is unsettling as a Manson-like cuckoo and Davidtz, Janssen and Tom Berenger excel in supporting turns.
Mark Isham’s typically chilly, jazzy score assists Altman’s rendering of Savannah as a place of dark pasts and colorful scoundrels. The Spanish moss dangling from trees says as much as the confederate flags seen hanging from state buildings. Altman is far more interested in atmosphere and character than fully developing a Grisham yarn akin to “The Firm.”
This is truly modern film noir, as many scenes are bathed in shadow, the “hero” is an unreliable protagonist and rain pours for most of the movie. The latter is a standard touch of film noir, as the water is either washing away literal blood or representing a means of cleansing of sins that the central characters can never achieve.
The storm reflects the temperament of Duvall’s character, who holds a disdain for lawyers and authority in general. In an odd way, Duvall’s Dixon Doss is a stand-in for Altman’s worldview; Duvall’s long-haired free spirit and righteous outlaw watches as God rains down his judgment on Magruder’s gleefully prideful, suit and tie-wearing hypocrite.
While Altman’s essential masterpieces remain “Nashville,” “3 Women,” “The Player” and “Short Cuts,” Altman’s engrossing, if unlikely Grisham adaptation is a hidden gem. Like his “Secret Honor” (a one-man Nixon portrayal) and “Dr. T & The Woman” (the eternally misunderstood, Richard Gere-starring commentary on male ego), “The Gingerbread Man” is offbeat and intriguing in a ways that ultimately make it Altman-esque.
The post Unsung ‘Gingerbread Man’ Remains Altman-esque appeared first on Hollywood in Toto.
The Hindi version of 'KGF' has been receiving a lot of appreciation from all the quarters. The film has been holding strong at the box office since the release.
Shah Rukh Khan, Anushka Sharma and Katrina Kaif starrer film 'Zero' has been the talk of the town since its announcement. The film's team has been promoting the film extensively to reach to maximum audience. According to the report on BoxOfficeIndia.com, the film opened to 19.35 crore and now on the eighth day, the film has collected Rs 1 crore approximately. The film witnessed a huge fall on the eighth day. Now the total collection of the film is Rs 85 crore.
Ranveer Singh and Sara Ali Khan starrer 'Simmba' has been the talk of the town since the announcement. The film has hit the theatres this Friday and has opened to a good collection.
'Simmba' box office collection Day 1
Few films hit Oscar season with the buzz and high expectations “Roma” enjoys.
Director Alfonso Cuaron’s deeply personal film follows Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio), a young domestic worker for a wealthy, loving family. The black and white feature already snared 3 Golden Globe nominations and 8 Critics’ Choice noms. (Note: This critic is a voting member of the latter group)
Oscar glory seems the next logical step, but is it worthy some, if not all, of the hype? To find out I contacted fellow critic Dave Taylor. He reviews film for both ScienceFiction.com and GoFatherhood.com.
Christian Toto: This critic was shocked after seeing “Roma” given all the pre-release hoopla. I saw a slog of a first half, followed by a moderately diverting second hour. There’s nothing necessarily wrong with the film. It’s well acted, the production design is excellent and the cinematography often lush and inviting.
The story? Moderately engaging at best. There’s precious little dramatic tension for much of the movie. Cuaron doesn’t make “Roma” political in nature. Observers can snuff out some class tension here, although Cleo is treated wonderfully by her employers and their children. She’s part of the family. The interesting through line? Men from the era (the early 1970s, Mexico City) treated their romantic partners poorly. That’s an interesting observation. Is that all there is?
I’ve seen dozens of films this year far more engaging. So why all the praise?
Dave Taylor: Oh, Christian, you apparently don’t know a good movie when it appears on the screen in front of you! Actually, there’s a specific genre that “Roma” represents, and it’s a long way from modern Hollywood. Cinema Verité endeavors to show a “slice of life” and “Roma” is an extraordinary accomplishment in that sense. It’s beautifully shot – the black & white was an inspiration – perfectly acted and leisurely paced, as is life itself.
You do have to realize that the film is about Cleo, the maid and housecleaner for the Sofia family, not about the family or era. Cuarón, in what is apparently a highly autobiographical film, is represented by one of the two constantly fighting boys in the household, a household shakily managed by Señora Sofia (a touching, if frazzled Marina De Tavira).
There are no great narrative breakthroughs, no epiphanies, no mysterious stranger who changes everything. It’s just… life. With all its joys and sadness, frustrations and moments of happiness.
I concur that the first half did seem to drag a bit, but part of that was that I believe Cuarón left us a bit adrift, trying to figure out the narrative focus. It’s well worth sticking it out, though, because the second half is breathtaking with its portrayal of the 70’s Mexico City student uprising and Cleo’s personal health journey.
There’s also a consistent undercurrent of class separation, where in one moment Sra. Sofia will be holding Cleo’s hand and telling her that she’s a part of the family, and then next yelling at her to clean up the endless dog poop in the parking area. Or when they’re shopping for furniture even as a violent protest occurs just outside the window. If you ignore it, will it go away?
Christian Toto: Great films don’t have first halves that drag. Let’s start there. I easily embraced the film’s slice of life perspective, but at some point you need something compelling to emerge. Starting a film in that fashion is a wonderful device, a way to set the stage for what’s to come. Having to wait an hour for that stage? Unforgivable.
Cleo is treated magnificently by the family in question. The one time Sofia snaps at her could represent how any family member snaps at someone. The uprisings and protest do offer excellent texture to the film, but once again the main story is less than compelling.
The class distinctions are blurred, and happily so. To see yet another film deplore the haves and have nots be celebrated by Hollywood, the ultimate community of “haves,” would sicken me. So kudos for Cuaron for not hammering us with that cultural observation. Only what remains is not the stuff of great drama. Competent storytelling? Perhaps.
RELATED: Critic v Critic: ‘The Hateful Eight’
Here’s the most damning thing for me about ‘Roma.” With good, let alone great, movies I think about them long after the end credits. I saw “Green Book” recently and it stuck with me for days. I still mull that film’s marvelous characters and insights today, weeks after I saw it. With “Roma,” the only time I’ve thought about it is by engaging in this debate.
Dave Taylor: I’m surprised that you think the family treats Cleo “magnificently”. To me, there were precious few moments in the film where it wasn’t quite clear that she was the help, albeit a well loved staff member. Her closeness to the children also spoke less about her being a warm, loving human being then about the failings of the mother (a facet of the story I would have liked to see explored more).
ROMA is very much focused on the life of Cleo, the live-in maid both as an individual and as a representative of the indigenous members of the class-conscious Mexican society of the 1970s. We learn through almost incidental comments how she is from an impoverished village and how her mother becomes displaced by the government without recourse, then wince at Cleo’s naive approach to romance, a moral mirror of the sad journey of Señora Sofia. Blurred class distinctions?
Did we see the same movie?
Finally, I admit that there are elements of “Roma” I would have treated differently, including the pacing of the narrative. Heck, even a masterpiece like “2001: A Space Odyssey” could do with some judicious editing to clean the pacing up, too.
But I think that Cuarón’s absolute mastery of the language of cinema, the visual, aural and narrative elements, have helped him produce an oft-startling and unquestionably visually stunning ode to an era and a culture, a film that actually asks the viewer to step into the story and pay attention rather than just feed us action and snappy dialog every 72.3 seconds.
Is it a film for the ages? Perhaps. But it’s definitely worth watching, and even more so on a big screen while it’s in the theaters.
The post Critic v Critic: Alfonso Cuaron’s ‘Roma’ appeared first on Hollywood in Toto.
The Bollywood and Punjabi nights at Output Bengaluru.
'Zero' box office collection Day 7
Rohit Shetty's awaited film of the year 'Simmba' is finally out and fans are going gaga over this masala entertainer. While Ranveer Singh's performance is being appreciated by the most, some just cannot stand by the actor's hard work. Rohit Shetty and Sara Ali Khan too are facing the burnt of mixed reviews.
It was very smart of Rohit Shetty to introduce two of his upcoming films through 'Simmba'. The song 'Ankh Marey...' that featured 'Golmaal' boys dropped hints towards 'Golmaal 5' while another cameo role in the film surprised one and all.
However, making up for SRK's absence at the party is a rare and unseen video of the two Khan superstars jamming together to the song ‘Pyaar hamein kis mod pe le aaya’.
Simmba is a potboiler that you expect it to be, where the good surely outweighs the bad. There are enough paisa vasool moments including the cameo by the original Singham, Ajay Devgn.
Akshay Kumar to have a special cameo in Rohit Shetty's 'Simmba'
In the world where people turn their back on each other, folks used to swear by the friendship of Nick Jonas and Demi Lovato. Thus, when Demi Lovato was not invited at Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra’s big fat wedding, it left everyone in shock. If reports are to be believed, then Demi Lovato wasn’t happy with Nick Jonas’ decision.
