kirukkal.com

August 11, 2007

Films, Faith and Friendship

http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=-8155571489738252066&hl=en

Now that Google Video’s Pay-to-Play store is closed, I was searching the Charlie Rose interview and found this gem. Though, I watched this interview before on Pan’s Labryinth DVD, thought it would be a great pointer for film buffs.

Charlie Rose interviews three mexican directors who are shaping hollywood with their films. Alphonso Cuaron (director of Y tu mamá también and Children of Men), the fantasy whiz Guillermo del Toro (director of Hell Boy and Pan’s Labryinth) and Alejandro González Iñárritu (director of Amores Perros(inspiration for Mani’s Aayitha Ezhuthu) and Babel) are three friends, who are also incidentally film makers.

This interview talks about their faith on each other and also how their appreciation and criticism on other’s work, elevates all three of them. While my personal favorite is Alphonso Cuaron, I also enjoy del Toro’s work. Alejandro was simply astounding in Babel which I think it one of best movies of last year. Cuaron’s Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, is the most stylish Potter movie in that series.

With tons of humor and some sneak peaks into their film-making process, this is a great interview. I wish it was longer.
August 11, 2007

Inside Men

It’s second time around and still loving it, the movie and ofcourse the men behind the song. Men ? The man who asked for it and the man who actually made it happen.
August 11, 2007

Was surrounded by mountains

Was surrounded by mountains at the Olympic National Park. Inspiring !!
August 7, 2007

Vaaranam Aayiram aka Forrest Gump ?

From the official site – A unique story of a unique individual. Motivated and driven, a go-getter. Like Vaaranamaayiram, the strength of a thousand elephants – strong of mind and body. Shooting starts December 2006.

Yeah, Dec 2006. Atleast that’s what the official website says. We know it started long after that. But it is slated to release for the pongal of 2008.

After a much derailed effort, Pachaikilli Muthucharam, Gautham Menon goes back to his legendary hero, Surya. And ofcourse, it’s his same old team except for the cinematographer. Sethu fame R. Ratnavelu takes on the lens department and this is the fourth change of cinematographer for Gautham. After RD Rajasekhar in Kakkha Kakkha, it was Ravi Varman in Vettaiyaadu Villaiyaadu and for Pachaikilli Muthucharam it was Arvind Krishna for Selvaraghavan’s camp. Now Ratnavelu comes from the Bala camp and is known for his realistic cinematography.

Vaaranam Aayiram is a great title for the movie and there should be a sub-text to it, other than the obvious strength-of-thousand-elephants message.

In Nov 2006, Sify reported that the movie was named Udal Porul Aavi and it was gossiped to be a super natural thriller(!!). The wiki page states that this could be kodambakkam’s version of Forrest Gump. Hopefully Gautham didn’t gulp vodka on the rocks before watching Hrithik’s Krrish and Hank’s Forrest Gump, back to back. Good Luck !!
August 6, 2007

The end or what ?

The online version of Katrathum Petrathum says “முற்றும்” at the end. Not sure if it was a typo or if the series has ended for good. This one was the fifth serving that started last July.

Even on the saturday ambalam chat with Writer Sujatha, nobody talked about this. Since I hadn’t read this week’s serving of Katrathum Petrathum by then, I was also talking about En Iniya Iyanthira and other things.

Can someone verfiy this from the print edition ?

Films, Faith and Friendship

Inside Men

Was surrounded by mountains

Vaaranam Aayiram aka Forrest Gump ?

The end or what ?