Euro 2008 Film Festival: Group B, Poland

Film Festival Rules & Guidelines

Film selected (Year, Director): Edi (2002, Piotr Trzaskalski)
Rating: 9/10
Rules compliance: All rules met

Relevance to Soccer: Teamwork, friendship and taking one's chances

"Dream-cup run", "fairy tale season", "dreamland". These are just some terms used when a team with no superstars overcomes a team loaded with world famous names. Given the amount of money in the current game, it is getting harder for teams with little budgets to overcome a team of millionaires. But it does happen every now and then, both at the club and international team level. In fact, at the last European Championships (Euro 2004 held in Portugal) Greece defied all the odds to win their first ever major soccer tournament. Despite not having any superstars, the Greek team managed to beat the hosts Portugal twice (in the opening and final game), knocked out the defending Euro 2000 Champs France (Zidane, Henry and the other big French stars were present), edged past the talented Czech team in the semi-finals and managed to hold Spain to a 1-1 tie. A 2-1 loss to Russia in the final group game almost knocked Greece out but they elbowed past Spain on goal difference to make it to the Quarter-finals where they beat France.

One of the major reasons Greece prevailed was because the team was able to defend like a unit. There were no individual stars in the team so every player chiped in with a workman like approach. The combined teamwork and a defensive game plan meant that Greece won matches in a precise chess like manner. Ofcourse, team-work alone can't always win matches against the big name talented teams. Luck also plays a big part. Teams with limited skills and talents have to take every chance that comes their way because they will not be able to create as many efforts on goal as their talented counter-parts. Example, Greece did not create too many changes against their opponents and won games only by a 1 goal margin (2-1 and 1-0 over Portugal, 1-0 over France and Czech Republic). Had Greece not taken their solitary chances, they would surely have been knocked out. Solid teamwork and the ability to take one's chances are a good starting point to overcome an almost unbeatable team.

The emotional Polish film Edi is about two characters who live on the fringes of society. Edi and his friend, Jureczek, are the victims of a harsh economy and find themselves earning a living by collecting scrap metal. Their friendship allows the two to get through their poverty stricken lives with a smile – Jureczek is constantly trying to ensure Edi is in lighter spirits, whereas Edi is able to make the right decisions for their day to day lives. The film contains plenty of beautiful aerial shots depicting moments in the two characters lives. The following two pictures are from an opening sequence where Edi and Jureczek have to navigate through traffic with their precious goods.



Thanks to Edi's educational background, the two are given a brief shot at a better life. Because of this new opportunity, Edi and Jureczek get to spend the night in a rich person's house. Jureczek finds pleasure in sitting back and watching a local soccer game on tv, something he can’t often do. And when the soccer game is over, alcohol helps to pass the day.


But life is tough at the bottom. A cruel lie results in innocent Edi getting beat up and put in charge of someone else's baby. At first, he sees this as a hassle but he eventually warms up to the child. Despite not having any money, Edi finds true happiness in raising the baby.

As per the film's bleak sentiments, unhappiness finds Edi again. But thankfully, Edi and Jureczek can still smile after going through a roller coaster emotionally ride. When one is at the bottom, simple things can bring happiness and a smile -- there are no lofty ambitions, no grand titles to be won. There is just the pleasure of navigating through everyday life.

Euro 2008 Film Festival: Group D, Russia

Film Festival Rules & Guidelines

Film selected (Year, Director): Daywatch (2006, Timur Bekmambetov)
Rating: 6/10

Rules compliance: Since I have seen Timur's previous film Nightwatch, which forms part of a trilogy along with Daywatch and Twilight watch (to be released in 2009), the criteria of choosing a film from an unfamiliar director was not met.

Relevance to Soccer: Changing face of modern Russian & European soccer because of billionaire owners.

The first obvious signs of money being poured into Russian soccer was highlighted by the presence of Brazilian soccer players in various Russian teams a few years ago. 10 years ago no Brazilian would have gone to play professional football in Russia because of two reasons:

The cold Russian weather

Low salaries compared to those offered by Western European teams

Now, despite what people say about global warming, Russia still has chilly weather and soccer games are often played on snow with an orange colored soccer ball. Examples of this can also be found in Daywatch where a few kids engage in a footie game on snow.


So if the weather is still cold, then it must be money that is luring not only Brazilians but even some Western Europeans to Russia! Some of this money has paid dividends as CSKA Moscow beat Sporting Lisbon 3-1 to win the 2005 UEFA Cup and that too in a game held in Sporting's stadium. The fascinating play of the Brazilian duo of Daniel Carvalho and Vagner Love made the difference that night in Lisbon.

Besides pouring money into the domestic Russian clubs, a few young Russian businessmen are also investing money in various Western European soccer teams or outright buying them. Chelsea in West London is a prime example of a team whose fortunes were transformed after Roman Abramovich flew in one summer day in 2003, wrote a cheque to wipe out Chelsea's multi-million pound debt and bought the team. In the few years since, he has given a blank cheque to his managers to buy the best players in the world. Two league titles and 2 Cups (Carling and F.A Cup) have been all been won thanks to Roman's money.

Soccer is not the only thing benefiting from the fortunes earned through the oil and gas companies that some young Russians bought at bargain prices after the collapse of communism. The Russian film industry has also been injected with an influx of cash and 2004's Nightwatch was an example of a Russian film modeled like a slick Hollywood production. Based on Sergei Lukyanenko's novel, the film was a fascinating experience which contained elements of The Matrix, Blade, sci-fi with even a tiny nod to the Russian classic novel The Master and Margarita (the presence of the black cat).

Often in soccer throwing money into a team and buying flashy players does not translate into instant success or even quality football. Likewise, a big and lavish film production does not guarantee a good product, which is the problem with Daywatch -- cool effects, flashy set-up but lukewarm execution.


Soccer as a source of distraction:

In one scene, the main character Anton has to break into a building to get back his son's belonging, lest war breaks out. But his job is made easier when the security guards are busy watching a soccer game on tv and are not bothered to keep an eye on the circuit cameras.



If Anton only knew of this weakness of the security guards, he could have scheduled his break-in right at the game's start and 90 minutes would have been enough time for him to escape. But as it turns out, he breaks in somewhere near the end of the game and has to scramble retrieving the important item just before the final whistle blows.

01-18-08: A good idea is just not enough

The best thing about The Blair Witch Project was the idea. The smart marketing ensured that there was some terrific buzz around the idea. In the end, I found Blair Witch.. average and was not as impressed as others were. I have to admit that the true kick regarding that movie was seeing it in a packed theater with an audience that was able to react in fear to the perceived danger. Snakes on a Plane had a great title but that was about it. What point was there in seeing a movie when the title clearly spelled out what the film was about? And given Hollywood's track record, it was obvious how things could unfold in a movie that put snakes on a plane. No wonder people stayed away.

Cloverfield had a very good idea centered around an intriguing trailer and poster. Even though Imagination can only point to a few things capable of taking out the Statue of Liberty's head, I harbored a small hope that maybe the film-makers thought of something really clever. Unfortunately, my hopes were dashed when sneak trailers on Thursday night pointed towards the cause of the destruction. After that, I really did not have any need to see the film. But I still went.

And the verdict?

Not bad really. There are some parts that were neat but I felt the film truly missed a chance to push its unique idea further. The usage of the hand held camera to record events certainly takes a cue from The Blair Witch Project but then this idea is extended to incorporate a few fearful elements depicted previously in Hollywood films. While in the past, we may have had a different camera angle for the events, this time we get a view from the ground up. Although the actual cause of havoc in the film is different, the film certainly brought back memories of other such incidents filmed in New York city. Also, another layer of fear is added given the choice of New York as few scenes evoke a sense of realistic threat given the act of terrorism that took place in that city 6 years and 5 months ago.

Rating: 6.5/10

Bad marketing or a slip-up?

A few months ago, it was only a trailer with no film name. Then a name got attached on the poster -- Cloverfield. For months there was a cloud of mystery around Cloverfield; rumours were flying about as to what the movie could be. Although, I did fear the movie was going to be just another Blair Witch -- all hype but no end product. Still I was willing to head into the theater to see if there was a tiny chance that something genuine lay in store. But on Thursday night, the newest cut of the film trailers on tv gave it all away. I was not interested in finding out in advance so I am a bit miffed. Once again, a Hollywood film trailer gives away too much detail. Sort of like what happenned with 2000's What Lies Beneath.

This act on the marketing part seems like an act of desperation. With less than 24 hours to go in the film's release, why on earth would you give away something that has been kept under wraps for months? The mystery around the film was its biggest draw. So why use that card now? Did the people associated with the movie feel that no one was going to turn up unless they showed what lay in the movie? In my view, this was a poor move that has certainly taken out any interest I had in seeing the film.

Euro 2008 Film Festival: Rules, Kick-off

The Euro 2008 Soccer tournament is still a few months away (June 7) but I am already 7 films into my film festival. The full film line-up is not completed yet but here are the rules and guidelines I will be following:

Rules:

One film per country, for a total of 16 films.

The films will be divided into the 4 groups as per the soccer tournament:

Group A: Switzerland, Czech Republic, Portugal, Turkey
Group B: Austria, Croatia, Germany, Poland
Group C: Holland, Italy, Romania, France
Group D: Greece, Sweden, Spain, Russia

Each film will get a rating out of 10 in the group stage.

The top two films from each group will move onto the quarter-finals.

The draw for quarter-finals, semis and final will be made as per the soccer tournament.

In case of a tie between two films in the group stage, a head-to-head comparison will take place between the movies. Also, the same head-to-head rules will be used for the quarters, semis and finals

Head-to-Head rules

:
The films will compete against each other in 5 categories -- Acting, Story, Direction, Cinematography & Production values.

-- If one film is superior to another film in a category, then it will get one point, while the other film will get 0.
-- If both films match each other in a category, they will score one point each.
-- If both films fail in a category, they will get 0 points each.
-- In case of a tie after these 5 categories, then a subjective vote tie-breaker will be used. This means that the film which sways me the most emotionally advances. I feel this is similar to the penalty kicks used to settle soccer games when two teams are tied after extra time.
Note: It is possible to have scores such as 3-2 or 5-5 (if both films score maximum on all 5 counts) in this scheme.

Film Festival Optional Guidelines

A few extras to make things interesting.

None of the films selected should be before 1960, as this was the year when the first Euro soccer tournament was held.

If possible, choose newer/recent films.

European soccer just like European film has changed a lot over the last few decades. The new soccer is faster, more physical and employs different tactics. So I want to look at newer films to reflect the new thinking/issues that exist in European culture.

If possible, choose films from newer/unfamiliar directors.

In soccer games, some managers often revert to picking players they are familiar with, even if better soccer players are out there. Similarly, it is easy to pick films from directors that I am familiar with. So I want to avoid that by giving chances to newer director's works.

Try to make some bold selections.

I want to get some film genres that I would not normally pick just to shake things up. An award winning drama vs a shock horror film? Why not?

Relevance to soccer:

This is the most challenging aspect. None of the films I have chosen have anything to do with soccer. But I want to judge each film using soccer as a foundation. It could be any trait found in the game, be it teamwork, or the crazy money that exists in the modern sport, etc.

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In the upcoming weeks, I will start putting up reviews of the films seen so far. In the meantime, here are some older notes:

Festival idea, First 5 films seen

2008: Film Log

Total # of films seen in 2008: 445

The total number includes films (fiction & docs) over a length of 60 minutes. The only two exceptions are Season 1 of Californication and the collected European shorts of Cinema 16 which added up to more than 3 hours of film.

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Film (Year, Country, Director): Rating out of 10, [optional comments]

Jan 2008

Outsourced (2006, USA, John Jeffcoat): 7

Dus Kahaniyaan (2007, India, multiple): 6

Taare Zameen Par (2007, India, Aamir Khan): 10, repeat viewing from 2007

Waitress (2007, USA, Adrienne Shelly): 8

Fay Grim (2006, USA, Hal Hartley): 8.5

Breach (2007, USA, Billy Ray): 8

The Boat is Full (1981, Switzerland, Markus Imhoof): 8

The Kingdom (2007, USA, Director Peter Berg): 7.5

A Beautiful Mind (2001, USA, Ron Howard): 7.5

The Detective (2007, Hong Kong, Oxide Pang Chun): 7

Hulk (2003, USA, Ang Lee): 5.5

Scoop (2006, USA/UK, Woody Allen): 6.5

Lady Chatterley (2006, France, Pascale Ferran): 7

Angela-A (2005, France, Luc Besson): 7.5

No End in Sight (2006, USA, Charles Ferguson): 9

Cloverfield (2008, USA, Matt Reeves): 6.5

Kinky Boots (2005, UK, Julian Jarrold): 8

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005, USA, Tommy Lee Jones): 9

The Blue Umbrella (2005, India, Vishal Bharadwaj): 7

Yes (2004, UK/USA, Sally Potter): 8.5, repeat viewing

Rouleman (2005, Greece, Panos Karkanevatos): 7

Natural City (2003, South Korea, Byung-chun Min): 6

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005, USA, Shane Black): 9

Halla Bol (2008, India, Rajkumar Santoshi): 6.5

Interview (2003, Holland, Theo Van Gogh): 7

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007, France/USA, Julian Schnabel): 9.5

There Will be Blood (2007, USA, Paul Thomas Anderson): 8.5

Blade Runner: The Director's Cut (1982, USA, Ridley Scott): 7.5

Khoya Khoya Chand (2007, India, Sudhir Mishra): 8

Antares (2004, Austria, Götz Spielmann): 8

12:08 East of Bucharest (2006, Romania, Corneliu Porumboiu): 9

Feb 2008

3:10 to Yuma (2007, USA, James Mangold): 8

I Don't want to Sleep Alone (2007, Taiwan, Tsai Ming-liang): 8

My Name is Anthony Gonsalves (2008, India, E. Niwas): 4.5

Rambo: First Blood (1982, USA, Ted Kotcheff): 7.5

Strangers (2007, India, Aanand Rai): 5.5

Step Up (2006, USA, Anne Fletcher): 7

Thriller a cruel picture (1974, Sweden, Bo Arne Vibenius): 6

Across the Universe (2007, USA, Julie Taymor): 7.5

We Own the Night (2007, USA, James Gray): 10

Summer Night (1986, Italy, Lina Wertmüller): 5.5

No Reservations (2007, USA, Scott Hicks): 6.5

Domino (2005, USA, Tony Scott): 7.5

Superman Returns (2006, USA, Bryan Singer): 7

Music and Lyrics (2007, USA, Marc Lawrence): 6

Clerks II (2006, USA, Kevin Smith): 6.5

Vacancy (2007, USA, Nimród Antal): 7

Nada+ (2001, Cuba, Juan Carlos Cremata Malberti): 7

In the Valley of Elah (2007, USA, Paul Haggis): 9

Kaala Patthar (1979, India, Yash Chopra): 9, repeat viewing

Tape (2001, USA, Richard Linklater): 6.5

Hostel (2005, USA, Eli Roth): 6

The Lost City (2005, USA, Andy Garcia): 6.5

Ghost Rider (2007, USA, Mark Steven Johnson): 3

Mar 2008

Coisa Ruim (2006, Portugal, Tiago Guedes/Frederico Serra): 8

London (2005, UK/USA, Hunter Richards): 3

300 (2007, USA, Zack Snyder): 4

The Prestige (2006, USA/UK, Christopher Nolan): 7.5

Sunshine (2007, UK/USA, Danny Boyle): 7.5

Perfect Blue (1998, Japan, Satoshi Kon): 8

Scrap Heaven (2005, Japan, Sang-il Lee): 7

Vera (2003, Mexico, Francisco Athié): 6.5

Lila Says (2004, France/UK, Ziad Doueiri): 7.5

The Hi-Lo Country (1998, USA/UK, Stephen Frears): 8

The Year of the Tick (2004, Spain, Jorge Coira): 5

Sunday (2008, India, Rohit Shetty): 3.5

Pride (2007, USA, Sunu Gonera): 6.5

Presagio (1975, Mexico, Luis Alcoriza): 7

Down in the Valley (2005, USA, David Jacobson): 6

Death Proof (2007, USA, Quentin Tarantino): 7, repeat viewing

Mithya (2008, India, Rajat Kapoor): 9

Jab We Met (2007, India, Imtiaz Ali): 8.5, repeat viewing

Disturbia (2007, USA, D.J. Caruso): 8

Sophie Scholl: The Final Days (2006, Germany, Marc Rothemund): 8

Torremolinos 73 (2003, Spain, Pablo Berger): 9

Harem suaré (1999, Turkey, Ferzan Ozpetek): 6.5

About Love (2004, Russia, Sergei Solovyov): 6

The Russian Dolls (2005, France/UK, Cédric Klapisch): 9

Without a trace (2000, Mexico co-production, María Novaro): 7.5

Ek Hasina Thi (2004, India, Sriram Raghavan): 8.5, repeat viewing

Ten Canoes (2006, Australia, Rolf de Heer): 6.5

30 Days of Night (2007, USA, David Slade): 4.5

25th Hour (2002, USA, Spike Lee): 7

Nacho Libre (2006, USA co-production, Jared Hess): 7

Woman is the Future of Man (2004, South Korea, Hang Sangsoo): 8

Manufacturing Dissent (2007, Canada, Rick Caine/Debbie Melnyk): 5.5

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005, UK/USA, Mike Newell): 7

Jarhead (2005, USA, Sam Mendes): 6.5

Dharm (2007, India, Bhavna Talwar): 6.5

Valley of Flowers (2006, India co-production, Pan Nalin): 8.5

Nice Bombs (2006, USA, Usama Alshaibi): 6.5

Ali G Indahouse (2002, UK co-production, Mark Mylod): 4

The Lookout (2007, USA, Scott Frank): 7.5

Super Star (2008, India, Rohit Jugraj): 7.5

Why We Fight (2005, USA, Eugene Jarecki): 6

Molière (2007, France, Laurent Tirard): 7

Perfect Stranger (2007, USA, James Foley): 4.5

Fida (2004, India, Ken Ghosh): 5

The Hoax (2006, USA, Lasse Hallström): 7

English as a Second Language (2005, USA, Youssef Delara): 7.5

Blades of Glory (2007, USA, Josh Gordon/Will Speck): 6

Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007, UK, Shekhar Kapur): 5

Blissfully Yours (2002, Thailand, Apichatpong Weerasethakul): 8

Things We Lost in the Fire (2007, USA/UK, Susanne Bier): 7

Into the Wild (2007, USA, Sean Penn): 7

Red Lights (2004, France, Cédric Kahn): 7.5

The Spanish Apartment (2002, France/Spain, Cédric Klapisch): 8

Alien (1979, USA, Ridley Scott): 6.5

Aliens (1986, USA, James Cameron): 7

Alien 3 (1992, USA, David Fincher): 5.5

The Saddest Music in the World (2003, Canada, Guy Maddin): 6.5

Lust Caution (2007, China co-production, Ang Lee): 7.5

Turistas (2007, USA, John Stockwell): 5

April 2008

The Yards (2000, USA, James Gray): 8

The Valet (2006, France, Francis Veber): 8

Stick It (2002, USA, Jessica Bendinger): 7

Saaya (2003, India, Anurag Basu): 3

Deewar (2004, India, Milan Luthria): 5

Mission Impossible III (2006, USA, J.J Abrams): 7

Inspector Gadget (1999, USA, David Kellogg): 3

Kagemusha (1980, Japan, Akira Kurosawa): 7.5

S-21: The Khmer Rouge Killing Machine (2003, Cambodia, Rithy Panh): 7.5

The Hudsucker Proxy (1994, USA, Joel & Ethan Coen): 6

Yatra (2006, India, Gautam Ghosh): 5

The Masseur (2005, Philippines, Brillante Mendoza): 6

Man Push Cart (2005, USA, Ramin Bahrani): 8

Heading South (2005, France/Canada, Laurent Cantet): 7

13: Game of Death (2006, Thailand, Chukiat Sakveerakul): 5

Bombay to Bangkok (2008, India, Nagesh Kukunoor): 6.5

I Am Legend (2007, USA, Francis Lawrence): 5.5

Macho Dancer (1988, Philippines, Lino Brocka): 6.5

Art School Confidential (2006, USA, Terry Zwigoff): 6.5

Un Buen día lo tiene cualquiera (2007, Spain, Santiago Lorenzo): 6

15 (2003, Singapore, Royston Tan): 5

Bee Movie (2007, USA, Steve Hickner/Simon J. Smith): 6

Rififi (1955, France, Jules Dassin): 9

Kaleldo (2004, Philippines, Brillante Mendoza): 8

Beerfest (2006, USA, Jay Chandrasekhar): 4

The Reaping (2007, USA, Stephen Hopkins ): 5

Naglalayag (2004, Philippines, Maryo J. De los Reyes): 7

Tashan (2008, India, Vijay Krishna Acharya): 4.5

A Peck on the Cheek (2002, India, Mani Ratnam): 8.5

Because I Said So (2007, USA, Michael Lehmann): 6.5

May 2008

Travellers and Magicians (2003, Bhutan, Khyentse Norbu):7.5

Perth (2004, Singapore, Djinn): 6

License to Wed (2007, USA, Ken Kwapis): 1

American Dreamz (2006, USA, Paul Weitz): 7

M.Hulot's holiday (1953, France, Jacques Tati): 7.5

Negocios son negocios (2004, Dominican Republic, Jorge De Bernardi): 4.5

W.R. -- Mysteries of the Organism (1970, Yugoslavia, Dusan Makavejev):6

Black & White (2008, India, Subhash Ghai): 6.5

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007, USA, Tim Story): 4.5

Shake rattle and roll 8 (2006, Philippines, Multiple directors): 5

Forbidden Games (1952, France, René Clément): 8.5

Transformers (2007, USA, Michael Bay): 5.5, repeat viewing

Le Salaire De La Peur (1953, France, Henri - Georges Clouzot): 10

Lacombe Lucien (1974, France, Louis Malle): 7.5

Elevator to the Gallows (1958, France, Louis Malle): 10

Caribe (2004, Costa Rica, Esteban Ramírez): 7.5

Juno (2007, USA, Jason Reitman): 7.5

Sweet Movie (1974, various, Dusan Makavejev): 6.5

Anatomy of Hell (2004, France, Catherine Breillat): 5

Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector (2006, USA, Trent Cooper): 3.5

Knocked Up (2007, USA, Judd Apatow): 9, repeat viewing

Murmurs of the Heart (1971, France, Louis Malle): 8.5

La Belle et la bête (1946, France, Jean Cocteau): 7.5

Late Autumn (1960, Japan, Yasujiro Ozu): 10

The End of Summer (1961, Japan, Yasujiro Ozu): 9

The Devil Wears Prada (2006, USA, David Frankel): 8.5, repeat viewing

Black Snake Moan (2007, USA, Craig Brewer): 5.5

Au revoir les enfants (1987, France, Louis Malle): 8

Recount (2008, USA, Jay Roach): 8

Syndromes and a Century (2006, Thailand, Apichatpong Weerasethakul): 9

27 Dresses (2008, USA, Anne Fletcher): 7

Assassination Tango (2002, USA/Argentina, Robert Duvall): 6.5

Sheitan (2006, France, Kim Chapiron): 6.5

June 2008

Red Road (2006, Scotland co-production, Andrea Arnold): 7

Romance (1999, France, Catherine Breillat): 6.5

Brief Crossing (2001, France, Catherine Breillat): 8.5

Semi-Pro (2008, USA, Kent Alterman): 4

Charlie Wilson's War (2007, USA, Mike Nichols): 8.5

Tokyo Story (1953, Japan, Yasujiro Ozu): 10, repeat viewing

Early Spring (1956, Japan, Yasujiro Ozu): 8

Tokyo Twilight (1957, Japan, Yasujiro Ozu): 10

Equinox Flower (1958, Japan, Yasujiro Ozu): 10

Coeurs (2006, France/Italy, Alain Resnais): 8

I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (2007, USA, Dennis Dugan): 3.5

Climates (2006, Turkey, Nuri Bilge Ceylan): 9

Day Night Day Night (2007, USA co-production, Julia Loktev): 6

Little Odessa (1999, USA, James Gray): 8

Comédie de l'innocence (2000, France, Raoul Ruiz): 7.5

Be Kind Rewind (2008, USA, Michel Gondry): 6.5

U-Turn (1997, USA, Oliver Stone): 7

The Syrian Bride (2006, co-production, Eran Riklis): 9

Kal: Yesterday and Tomorrow (2005, India, Ruchi Narain): 7

The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros (2006, Philippines, Auraeus Solito): 7

Rambo (2008, USA, Sylvester Stallone): 4

Three Crowns of a Sailor (1983, France, Raoul Ruiz): 10

Ocean's Thirteen (2007, USA, Steven Soderbergh): 8, repeat viewing

Play Time (1967, France, Jacques Tati): 10

Mon Uncle (1957, France, Jacques Tati): 8.5

IXE-13 (1972, Canada, Jacques Godbout):

Les portes tournantes (1988, Canada, Francis Mankiewicz): 6

Gaz bar blues (2003, Canada, Louis Bélanger): 7.5

Les ordres (1974, Canada, Michel Brault): 9

Hairspray (2007, USA, Adam Shankman): 3

Silent Light (2007, Mexico, Carlos Reygadas)

Drama/Mex (2006, Mexico, Gerardo Naranjo)

On War (2008, France, Bertrand Bonello)

Son of Man (2006, South Africa, Mark Dornford-May)

July 2008

Meet the Spartans (2008, USA, Jason Friedberg/Aaron Seltzer): 0

National Book: Book of Secrets (2007, USA, Jon Turteltaub): 7

Henry Fool (1997, USA, Hal Hartley): 8

Amateur (1994, USA, Hal Hartley): 6.5

OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies (2006, France, Michel Hazanavicius): 9

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976, USA, John Cassavetes): 8.5

Opening Night (1977, USA, John Cassavetes): 9

Superbad (2007, USA, Greg Mottola): 5

Sirf (2008, India, Rajatesh Nayyar): 6

Race (2008, India, Abbas-Mastan): 3

Jannat (2008, India, Kunal Deshmukh): 6.5

Zebraman (2004, Japan, Takashi Miike): 5

Battle in Heaven (2005, Mexico, Carlos Reygadas): 8.5

Caramel (2007, Lebanon co-production, Nadine Labaki): 8.5

Anamika (2008, India, Anant Mahadevan): 4.5

Grand Slam (1967, Italy co-production, Giuliano Montaldo): 8.5

Bhootnath (2008, India, Vivek Sharma): 5

Krazzy 4 (2008, India, Jaideep Sen): 4

Mr. Black Mr. White (2008, India, Deepak S. Shivdasani): 0

Khuda Ke Liye (2007, Pakistan, Shoaib Mansoor): 7

Don't tell anyone (1998, Peru, Francisco J. Lombardi): 7

Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008, USA, Jon Hurwitz/Hayden Schlossberg): 4

The Heartbreak kid (2007, USA, Bobby Farrelly/Peter Farrelly): 6

The Method (2005, Argentina co-production, Marcelo Piñeyro): 8.5

Aug 2008

Machuca (2004, Chile, Andrés Wood): 9

Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na (2008, India, Abbas Tyrewala): 7.5

Aamir (2008, India, Raj Kumar Gupta): 8

Kismat Konnection (2008, India, Aziz Mirza): 2

Sarkar Raj (2008, India, Ram Gopal Varma): 5.5

Mission Istaanbul (2008, India, Apoorva Lakhia): 0

Los Muertos (2004, Argentina, Lisandro Alonso): 8.5

La Espera (2002, Uruguay, Aldo Garay): 7.5

Bolivia (2001, Argentina, Adrián Caetano): 9

Adios Momo (2006, Uruguay, Leonardo Ricagni): 7

Contract (2008, India, Ram Gopal Varma): 0

Vantage Point (2008, USA, Pete Travis): 5

El Nominado (2003, Peru, Nacho Argiro/Gabriel Lopez): 3

1888 el extraordinario viaje de Jules Verne (2005, Venezuela, Alfredo Anzola): 3

El destino no tiene favoritos (2003, Peru, Alvaro Velarde): 8

Hotel America (1981, France, André Téchiné): 7.5

I Don't Kiss (1991, France, André Téchiné): 8

Manila by Night (1980, Philippines, Ishmael Bernal): 7

Mere Baap Pehle Aap (2008, India, Priyadarshan): 8.5

Singh is Kinng (2008, India, Anees Bazmee): 0

De Taali (2008, India, E.Nivas): 4

Californication Season 1 (2008, USA, multiple): 9, avg rating for 12 episodes

Brick Lane (2007, UK, Sarah Gavron): 8

Zibahkhana (2006, Pakistan, Omar Khan): 5

Southland Tales (2006, USA, Richard Kelly): 6

Oedipus Mayor (1996, Colombia, Jorge Alí Triana): 8

Un titán en el rincón (2002, Ecuador, Viviana Cordero): 6

Pizza, birra, faso (1998, Argentina, Adrián Caetano/Bruno Stagnaro): 7

Antonia (2006, Brazil, Tata Amaral): 7

The Year My Parents Went on Vacation (2006, Brazil, Cao Hamburger): 9

Kaalia (1981, India, Tinnu Anand): 7, repeat viewing

City of Men (2007, Brazil, Paulo Morelli): 8

Aankhen (2002, India, Vipul Amrutlal Shah): 9, repeat viewing

Welcome (2007, India, Anees Bazmee): 5, repeat viewing

The TV Set (2006, USA, Jake Kasdan): 7

Sept 2008

The Burmese Harp (1956, Japan, Kon Ichikawa): 10

25 Watts (2002, Uruguay, Juan Pablo Rebella/Pablo Stoll): 5

Bachna Ae Haseeno (2008, India, Siddarth Anand): 7.5

Rock On (2008, India, Abhishek Kapoor): 10

Casa De Lava (1994, Portugal, Pedro Costa): 8.5

Step Up 2: The Streets (2008, USA, Jon Chu): 4

My Blueberry Nights (2007, co-production, Wong Kar-wai): 7

9 Songs (2004, UK, Michael Winterbottom): 0

The Lovers (1958, France, Louis Malle): 7.5

Away from Her (2006, Canada, Sarah Polley): 9

The Fire Within (1963, France, Louis Malle): 8.5

Mumbai Meri Jaan (2008, India, Nishikant Kamat): 9

The Fall (2006, India/UK/USA, Tarsem): 10

Smart People (2008, USA, Noam Murro): 8

Speed Racer (2008, USA, Andy & Larry Wachowski): 7.5

Street Kings (2008, USA, David Ayer): 6.5

The Darjeeling Limited (2007, USA, Wes Anderson): 8

Black Night (2005, Belgium, Olivier Smolders): 6

Alexandra (2007, Russia/France, Aleksandr Sokurov): 9

Children (2006, Iceland, Ragnar Bragason): 10

Parents (2007, Iceland, Ragnar Bragason): 10

Bobby (2008, USA, Emilio Estevez): 6

A Shot at Glory (2000, USA/Scotland, Michael Corrente): 7.5

Used Parts (2007, Mexico, Aarón Fernández): 9

Let the Right One In (2008, Sweden, Tomas Alfredson): 8.5

FC Venus (2005, Finland, Joona Tena): 7.5

I am from Titov Veles (2007, Macedonia, Teona Strugar Mitevska): 5.5

Wonderful Town (2007, Thailand, Aditya Assarat): 10

Paraiso Travel (2007, Colombia/USA, Simon Brand): 7

Gomorra (2008, Italy, Matteo Garrone): 10

Eleven Men Out (2005, Iceland, Róbert I. Douglas): 5

Alice’s House (2007, Brazil, Chico Teixeira): 5

Time to Die (2007, Poland, Dorota Kedzierzawska): 7

One Week (2008, Canada, Michael McGowan): 8.5

The Grocer's Son (2007, France, Eric Guirado): 8.5

Driving to Zigzigland (2007, Zigzigland, Nicole Ballivian): 6.5

REC (2007, Spain, Jaume Balagueró/Paco Plaza): 8

The Band's Visit (2007, Israel, Eran Kolirin): 8

The Wide Blue Road (1957, Italy, Gillo Pontecorvo): 7.5

Corridor #8 (2008, Bulgaria, Boris Despodov): 8

Jar City (2006, Iceland, Baltasar Kormákur): 6

The Pope's Toilet (2007, Uruguay, César Charlone/Enrique Fernández): 8

Oct 2008

Welcome to Sajjanpur (2008, India, Shyam Benegal): 8.5

Kick 'N Rush (2003, Denmark, Aage Rais-Nordentoft): 7

Saas Bahu aur Sensex (2008, India, Shona Urvashi): 6.5

The Boss of It All (2006, Denmark, Lars Von Trier): 7

The Inheritance (2003, Denmark, Per Fly): 9

Sex and the City (2008, USA, Michael Patrick King): 5

Factory Girl (2006, USA, George Hickenlooper): 5

Hijack (2008, India, Kunal Shivdasani): 0

The Love Guru (2008, USA, Marco Schnabel): 0

Elling (2001, Norway, Petter Næss): 6

Mexico: the frozen revolution (1973, Argentina, Raymundo Gleyzer):

Margot at the Wedding (2007, USA, Noah Baumbach): 7

Old Joy (2006, USA, Kelly Reichardt): 7.5

A Wednesday (2008, India, Neeraj Pandey): 8.5

Laaga Chunari Mein Daag (2007, India, Pradeep Sarkar): 0

The Traitors (1972, Argentina, Raymundo Gleyzer):

A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints (2006, USA, Dito Montiel): 6.5

High and Low (1963, Japan, Akira Kurosawa): 10

Reprise (2006, Norway, Joachim Trier): 7.5

The Brave One (2007, USA, Neil Jordan): 7

Drona (2008, India, Goldie Behl): 4

Kidnap (2008, India, Sanjay Gadhvi): 2

Nov 2008

Hello (2008, India, Atul Agnitori): 1

Chamku (2008, India, Kabeer Kaushik): 8.5

C Kkompany (2008, India, Sachin Yarda): 5

The Happening (2008, USA, M. Night Shyamalan): 6

Mukhbiir (2008, India, Mani Shankar): 9

The Savages (2007, USA, Tamara Jenkins): 9

The Yacoubian Building (2006, Egypt, Marwan Hamed): 5.5

Before the Rains (2008, India, Santosh Sivan): 7.5

Honeydripper (2007, USA, John Sayles): 6

Maan Gaye Mughall-e-Azam (2008, India, Sanjay Chel): 3

Manufacturing Landscapes (2006, Canada, Jennifer Baichwal): 10

Kings and Queen (2004, France, Arnaud Desplechin): 8

Iron Man (2008, USA, Jon Favreau): 7

Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008, USA, Nicholas Stoller): 8.5

Shut up & Sing (2007, USA, Barbara Kopple/Cecilia Peck): 9

Black Republic (1990, South Korea, Kwang-su Park): 8

The Road to Guantanamo (2006, UK, Michael Winterbottom): 8

Sunset Bollywood (2005, India, Komal Tolani): 8

You Don't Mess with the Zohan (2008, USA, Dennis Dugan): 6.5

A Married Couple (1969, Canada, Allan King): 10

Montreal Main (1977, Canada, Frank Vitale): 9

Tell No One (2008, France, Guillaume Canet): 10

A Woman Not In Love (1950, Mexico, Luis Buñuel): 8

Woman of the Port (1934, Mexico, Arcady Boytler/Raphael J. Sevilla): 7.5

Dec 2008

JCVD (2008, France, Mabrouk El Mechri): 7.5

Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! (2008, India, Dibakar Banerjee): 10

Dasvidaniya (2008, India, Shashant Shah): 8.5

I'm Not There (2007, USA, Todd Haynes): 7

Dostana (2008, India, Tarun Mansukhani): 6.5

The Skeleton of Mrs. Morales(1960, Mexico, Rogelio A. González): 9

Aventurera (1950, Mexico, Alberto Gout): 7

No One Writes to the Colonel(1999, Mexico co-production, Arturo Ripstein): 6

Get Smart (2008, USA, Peter Segal): 6

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008, USA, Steven Spielberg): 4.5

City of Rising Sun (1999, South Korea, Sung-su Kim): 4

The Dark Knight (2008, USA, Christopher Nolan): 7

Wanted (2008, USA, Timur Bekmambetov): 5.5

Flight of the Red Balloon (2007, France, Hou Hsiao-hsien): 7.5

Quantum of Solace (2008, UK/USA, Marc Forster): 7

Rangeela (1995, India, Ram Gopal Varma): 7, repeat viewing

Dirty Carnival (2006, South Korea, Ha Yu): 9

Fashion (2008, India, Madhur Bhandarkar): 6.5

Sátántangó (1994, Hungary, Béla Tarr): 9.5

In Bruges (2008, UK/USA, Martin McDonagh): 8

The Last Lear (2007, India, Rituparno Ghosh): 8

Disco Dancer (1982, India, Babbar Subhash): 5.5

Golmaal Returns (2008, India, Rohit Shetty): 1

Jumper (2008, USA, Doug Liman): 7.5

The Visitor (2007, USA, Thomas McCarthy ): 9

Yuvraaj (2008, India, Subhash Ghai): 0

Paranoid Park (2007, USA, Gus Van Sant): 9

Milk (2008, USA, Gus Van Sant): 9.5

The Restless (2006, South Korea, Dong-oh Cho/Dong-oh Jo): 6

Rachel Getting Married (2008, USA, Jonathan Demme): 10

EMI (2008, India, Saurav Kabra): 4

Mad Detective (2007, Hong Kong, Johnny To/Wai Ka-Fai): 8.5

War Inc (2008, USA, Joshua Seftel): 6

Om Shanti Om (2007, India, Farah Khan): 8.5, repeat viewing

Black House (2007, South Korea, Terra Shin): 6.5

Kung Fu Panda (2008, USA, Mark Osborne/John Stevenson): 7.5

Happy-Go-Lucky (2008, UK, Mike Leigh): 10

Heroes (2008, India, Samir Karnik): 6

Slumdog Millionaire (2008, UK/USA, Danny Boyle/Loveleen Tandan): 8.5

Cinema 16: European Shorts (2007, multiple directors):

Tropic Thunder (2008, USA, Ben Stiller): 5

WALL·E (2008, USA, Andrew Stanton): 10

Hancock (2008, USA, Peter Berg): 7

A Christmas Tale (2008, France, Arnaud Desplechin): 7.5

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Espionage: Spies and consequences

....."blowback", the term used by spies to describe planted propaganda that filters back to confuse the country that first set the story loose. (page 47, Ghost Wars by Steve Coll)

Information and Misinformation -- both are tools which are part and parcel of a spy's arsenal. The spy on the opposing side also has information and misinformation as their tool set. Things get complicated when misinformation from one side is taken for information by the other side and results in further misinformation being generated.

Lies + Lies = Truth

At the core of Hal Hartley's inventive Fay Grim lie a collection of diaries called "Confessions" which may contain valuable government information. The information is equally coveted by the CIA, KGB, French Secret Service, Israeli spies, British agents, Arab informers and even some terrorists. The diaries might be gibberish but that does not matter as each side believe the information could help them in their nation's cause.

Fay Grim is unlike any other spy movie. The tilted camera and the light hearted background music give the film a stage/musical feel. On top of that, the lead characters (especially Fay played by Parker Posey) are busy dancing their way through stressful situations with such ease. After a slow 20 minutes, the film moves into a high energetic dialogue exchange as Fay moves effortlessly past dangerous spies and killers. The complicated plot is rendered with such ease that the real joy is in watching the characters move through each frame. The light hearted touch removes any barriers between good and evil as all the rival spies are portrayed in the same light. As a result, one can focus on watching this international espionage game at play without having to put a good or bad label over each character.

There are some scenes where the tilted camera works and in others, not so much. But having the entire movie shown in a slanted manner just adds to the story's bizarre appeal. Also, the tilted camera only allows the relevant details in each frame. Never before has a film filmed in Paris and Istanbul allowed so little of the street side or city highlights in each frame. And in Fay Grim this tactic works as the real interest lies in observing the characters and listening to their words as opposed to caring for which location they are in.

Note: I have never seen a Hal Hartley film before so this was an interesting viewing. The film continues the adventures of the characters first shown in his 1997 film Henry Fool. And from his interviews, it seems that there may be future adventures for this colorful set of characters.

Truth moves to the other side

Breach shows what happens when a spy starts working for the opponents. No concrete reasons are given for the CIA agent's betrayal even though a shroud of ethics, morality and religion are mixed in the story. Ofcourse, when it comes to selling information to the enemy, no reason is required by the government. It is 'Us' vs 'Them'. Even though governments on both sides are constantly trying to entice the enemy spy to divulge information.

When a blowback results in a violent reaction:

Newtons's third law: "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction".

Spies from one nation train young men of a second nation to fight and shoot down the enemy of a third nation. Then the spies leave thinking their jobs are done. But the young men of the second nation need a new enemy. So they target the nation of the spies who taught and helped them.

Peter Berg's The Kingdom starts off with a violent act when gunmen and a suicide bomber kill innocent people in a Riyadh housing compound. Initially, there is no revenge reaction but a calm investigation into the identity of the terrorists. But along the way, the investigators come across more deadly enemies. While trying to save one of their own, the investigators end up killing the enemy leader in a defensive act. The film ends with a line that indicates that there will be further killing to avenge the leader's death, while also revealing that the investigators did not just go out to investigate the truth but went with an intention of revenge.

This was a much better film that I had originally expected. But it could have been a lot better if not for some rather cliched Hollywood elements near the movie's end. There is a climatic battle between the terrorists and the good guys which is well shot and engaging. However, the sequence falls into a Hollywood trap where despite the circumstances, the big Hollywood stars are unharmed. And then the one local native who was helping the American agents is killed. Why was this honest policeman killed? Well one reason could be that this man was closest to the enemy leader. But that is a weak excuse. The real reason is that the characters played by big name Hollywood stars in such movies cannot die as they are true 'heroes'. Whereas characters played by actors from other parts of the world are completely expendable.

Truth is a manufactured lie:

The cold war was a tense time when spies and code breakers were in high demand; there was plenty of misinformation out there which needed to be filtered through. In plenty of cases, this misinformation was manufactured in just one person's mind and then transferred to other people. But what if this misinformation never left a person's mind and continued to grow inside their head? The resulting mental 'blowback' could put that person in a horrifying mix of reality and delusion. The true story of John Nash in A Beautiful Mind is an example of a man trapped in his genius creations -- spies, 'big brother', hidden patterns all try to compete with mathematical formulas in John's mind.

Note: William Friedkin's Bug is a powerful example of how one person's misinformation can corrupt others.

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Ratings out of 10:
Fay Grim (2006, Director Hal Hartley): 8.5
Breach (2007, Director Billy Ray): 8
The Kingdom (2007, Director Peter Berg): 7.5
A Beautiful Mind (2001, Director Ron Howard): 7.5

Best Films of 2007

Favourite 2007 films, in order of preference:

Foster Child (Philippines, Brillante Mendoza)

Dans la ville de Sylvia & Unas fotos en la ciudad del Sylvia (Spain, José Luis Guerin)

Slingshot (Philippines, Brillante Mendoza)

Children of Men (2006, USA, Alfonso Cuarón)

Black Friday (India, Anurag Kashyap)

The Bourne Ultimatum (USA, Paul Greengrass)

Zodiac (USA, David Fincher)

Rendition (USA, Gavin Hood)

Ratatouille (USA, Brad Bird)

Drained (Brazil, Heitor Dhalia)

Taare Zameen Par (India, Aamir Khan)

Euphoria (Russia, Ivan Vyrypaev)

Update: Children of Men is added to the list as it was only released locally in the first week of January 2007.

Honorable mentions, in order of viewing:

Hot Fuzz (UK, Edgar Wright)
Summer 04 (Gemany, Stefan Krohmer)
The Big Sellout (Germany, Florian Opitz)
Happy New Life (Hungary, Árpád Bogdán)
4 Months 3 Weeks 2 days (Romania, Cristian Mungiu)
Khadak (Belgium/Germany, Peter Brosens & Jessica Hope Woodworth)
The Mosquito Problem and Other Stories (Bulgaria, Director Andrey Paounov)
The Edge of Heaven (Germany/Turkey, Fatih Akin)
Black Butterfly (2006, Peru, Francisco J. Lombardi)
In Memory of Myself (Italy, Saverio Costanzo)
Secret Sunshine (South Korea, Lee Chang-Dong)
The Girl Cut in Two (France, Claude Chabrol)
Import Export (Austria/France, Ulrich Seidl)
Bliss (Greece/Turkey, Abdullah Oguz)
Johnny Gaddaar (India, Sriram Raghavan)
No Smoking (India, Anurag Kashyap) A Mighty Heart (USA/UK, Michael Winterbottom)

Older favourites (released prior to 2007), in order of viewing:

United 93 (2006, USA co-production, Paul Greengrass)

The House of Sand (2005, Brazil, Andrucha Waddington)

Notes on a Scandal (2006, UK, Richard Eyre)

Tropical Malady (2004, Thailand, Apichatpong Weerasethakul)

Pickpocket (1959, France, Robert Bresson)

L’Enfer (2005, France co-production, Danis Tanovic)

Aguirre: The Wrath of God (1972, West Germany, Werner Herzog)

Eraserhead (1977, USA, David Lynch)

Cobra Verde (1987, West Germany, Werner Herzog)

My life to Live (1962, France, Jean-Luc Godard)

Volver (2006, Spain, Pedro Almodóvar)

Crimson Gold (2003, Iran, Jafar Panahi)

The Straight Story (1999, USA, David Lynch)

Blue Velvet (1986, USA, David Lynch)

The Mahabharata (1989, multiple countries, Peter Brook)

Pixote (1981, Brazil, Hector Babenco)

Whisky (2004, Uruguay, Juan Pablo Rebella, Pablo Stoll)

North by Northwest (1959, USA, Alfred Hitchcock)

Camera Buff (1979, Poland, Krzysztof Kieslowski)

Army of Shadows (1969, France, Jean-Pierre Melville)

Spare Parts (2003, Slovenia, Damjan Kozole)

Dekalog (1989, Poland, Krzysztof Kieslowski)

Underground (1995, Serbia, Emir Kusturica)

Mirage (2004, Macedonia, Svetozar Ristovski)

Modern Times (1936, USA, Charlie Chaplin)

L'Avventura (1960, Italy, Michelangelo Antonioni)

L'Eclisse (1962, Italy, Michelangelo Antonioni)

Blowup (1966, Italy, Michelangelo Antonioni)

The Addiction (1995, USA, Abel Ferrara)

Bad Lieutenant (1992, USA, Abel Ferrara)

The River (1997, Taiwan, Tsai Ming-liang)

Yi Yi (2000, Taiwan, Edward Yang)

The Bourne Identity (2002, USA, Doug Liman)

The Page Turner (2006, France, Denis Dercourt)

Dead Ringers (1988, Canada, David Cronenberg)

Le Trou (1960, France, Jacques Becker)

Touchez pas au grisbi (1954, France, Jacques Becker)

The Son (2002, Belgium/France, Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne)

Distant (2002, Turkey, Nuri Bilge Ceylan)

Bug (2006, USA, William Friedkin)

Grand Prix (1966, USA, John Frankenheimer)

Le Mani sulla città (1963, Italy, Francesco Rosi)

Salvatore Giuliano (1962, Italy, Francesco Rosi)

Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi (2003, India, Sudhir Mishra)

Life on Earth (1998, Mali/Mauritania/France, Abderrahmane Sissako)

Moolaade (2004, Senegal co-production, Ousmane Sembene)

Note: The funny nature of release dates sometimes puts some films in a bizarre limbo state when it comes to personal best of year lists. Children of Men only got a limited released in 2006 and didn't make it Canadian cinemas until early 2007. Initially, this film was missed from my year end list but as a correction, I have now put it back.

The same border-line release schedule continues this year as well. For example, There Will be Blood is only getting a limited Canadian release on Jan 4, 2008. But it might take another few weeks to make it out to my city.

2007: Year in Review

2007 was a satisfying film viewing year both in terms of the quality of films seen and even the quantity.

Total # of films & documentaries seen in 2007: 385

Note: This number only includes films and docs with a duration of over 60 minutes; I am not including any individual shorts or medium length works (such as some 30 minute films or 45 minute documentaries that I saw). And the only shorts collection included is that of David Lynch whose 2002 released shorts DVD contained more than an hour's worth of material.

A big reason for this high total of 385 is the number of films that I saw as part of my spotlight series and at film festivals. I found that focusing on works of a region, country or even director made for an enjoyable experience and allowed me to easily watch multiple movies in succession.

Here are the major spotlights I looked at in 2007:

African cinema: part I, part II

David Lynch: Part I, Part II

French vs German Cinema: Part I, Part II

Iranian Cinema

Brazil -- part I, part II, part III, part IV

Eastern Europe -- part I, part II, part III, part IV, part V

Western Europe

South America via Copa America Film Festival

Taiwan, Tsai Ming-liang, part II

Abel Ferrara -- part I, part II & III

Antonioni

Chaplin

Jacques Becker

David Cronenberg

Japan

Turkey

Alejandro Jodorowsky

Francesco Rosi

Greece

Bollywood -- part I, part II

Hong Kong

And ofcourse, there was the matter of the two film festivals:

CIFF

VIFF

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Full list of films seen in 2007 (roughly in order of viewing):
Comments/reviews of atleast 350 films have been posted on this blog over the course of last year.

Film (Year of Production, Country, Director name): Rating (out of 10)

1. United 93 (2006, USA co-production, Paul Greengrass): 9
2. Calvaire (2004, Belgium co-production, Fabrice Du Welz): 8
3. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006, USA, Adam McKay): 6
4. Todo Todo Torres (2006, Philippines, John Torres): 8
5. After this our exile (2006, Hong Kong, Patrick Tam): 8.5
6. Joni's Promise (2005, Indonesia, Joko Anwar): 6
7. Mukhsin (2006, Malaysia, Yasmin Ahmad): 8
8. Rain Dogs (2006, Malaysia/Hong Kong, Yuhang Ho): 6.5
9. Crazy Stone (2006, China/Hong Kong, Hao Ning): 5.5
10. Love Conquers All (2006, Holland/Malaysia, Tan Chui Mui): 7
11. Children of Men (2006, UK/USA co-production, Alfonso Cuarón): 10
12. The Queen (2006, UK co-production, Stephen Frears): 9
13. Pan’s Labyrinth (2006, Mexico, Guillermo del Toro): 8.5
14. Inside Man (2006, USA, Spike Lee): 7.5
15. Touching the Void (2003, UK, Kevin MacDonald): 8
16. Dolls (2002, Japan, Takeshi Kitano): 7
17. Babel (2006, USA/France/Mexico, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Writer : Guillermo Arriaga): 8
18. Jealousy (1999, Spain, Vicente Aranda): 7.5
19. Lisbon (1999, Spain/Argentina, Antonio Hernández): 6
20. District 13 (2004, France, Pierre Morel): 7
21. The House of Sand (2005, Brazil, Andrucha Waddington): 10
22. Guru (2007, India, Mani Ratnam): 8.5
23. Dhoom 2 (2006, India, Sanjay Gadhvi): 5
24. Woh Lahme (2006, India, Mohit Suri): 8
25. Zatracení The Damned (2002, Czech co-production, Dan Svátek): 4.5
26. Notes on a Scandal (2006, UK, Richard Eyre): 10
27. Invisible Waves (2006, Thailand, Pen-Ek Ratanaruang): 8.5
28. Exiled (2006, Hong Kong, Johnny To): 7.5
29. Khoshla Ka Ghosla (2006, India, Dibakar Banerjee): 10
30. Tropical Malady (2004, Thailand, Apichatpong Weerasethakul): 9
31. Apocalypto (2006, USA, Mel Gibson): 9
32. The Bow (2005, Korea, Kim Ki-Duk): 7.5
33. Eklavya (2007, India, Vidhu Vinod Chopra): 6.5
34. The Proposition (2005, UK/Australia, John Hillcoat): 8.5
35. Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story (2006, UK, Michael Winterbottom): 8.5
36. When the Stars meet the Sea (1996, Madagascar/France, Raymond Rajaonarivelo): 8.5
37. Touki Bouki (1973, Senegal, Djibril Diop Mambéty): 7.5
38. Quartier Mozart (1992, Cameroon/France, Jean-Pierre Bekolo): 5.5
39. La Vie Est Belle (1987, Zaire/France/Belgium, Benoît Lamy & Mweze Ngangura): 6
40. Black Friday (2005, India, Anurag Kashyap): 10
41. Pickpocket (1959, France, Robert Bresson): 10
42. La Cienaga (2001, Argentina co-production, Lucrecia Martel): 7
43. Novo (2002, Switzerland co-production, Jean-Pierre Limosin): 6
44. Shanghai Triad (1995, China, Zhang Yimou): 7
45. Ashes of Time (1994, Hong Kong/China/Taiwan, Wai Kar Wong): 6
46. Anwar (2007, India, Manish Jha): 5.5
47. Letters from Iwo Jima (2006, USA, Clint Eastwood) : 7.5
48. The Departed (2006, USA, Martin Scorsese): 8.5
49. The Last King of Scotland (2006, UK, Kevin MacDonald): 7
50. Blood Diamond (2006, USA, Edward Zwick): 7.5
51. Hell L’Enfer (2005, France co-production, Danis Tanovic): 9
52. Otomo (1999, Germany, Frieder Schlaich): 8
53. Idiocracy (2006, USA, Mike Judge): 7
54. Night at the Museum (2006, USA, Shawn Levy): 7.5
55. Aguirre: The Wrath of God (1972, West Germany, Werner Herzog): 9
56. The Enigma of Kasper Hauser (1974, West Germany, Werner Herzog): 8
57. Claire's Knee (1970, France, Eric Rohmer): 8.5
58. Les Bonnes Femmes (1960, France/Italy, Claude Chabrol): 7
59. The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (1972, West Germany, Rainer Werner Fassbinder): 6
60. The Wind that Shakes the Barley (2006, Ireland/UK co-production, Ken Loach): 8.5
61. Gangster: A Love Story (2006, India, Anurag Basu): 8
62. Takeshis' (2005, Japan, Takeshi Kitano): 6.5
63. Paris je t'aime (2006, France co-production, Multiple directors)
64. Eraserhead (1977, USA, David Lynch): 9
65. The Elephant Man (1980, USA, David Lynch) : 8
66. Lost Highway (1997, USA, David Lynch) : 7.5
67. The Science of Sleep (2006, France/Italy, Michel Gondry): 8
68. Traffic Signal (2007, India, Madhur Bhandarkar): 8
69. Strings (2005, India, Sanjay Jha): 4
70. Risk (2007, India, Vishram Sawant): 5
71. Je vous trouve très beau (2005, France, Isabelle Mergault): 8
72. Ma fille mon ange (2007, Canada, Alexis Durand-Brault): 9
73. Guide de la petite vengeance (2006, Canada, Jean-François Pouliot): 8.5
74. The Grindhouse (2007, USA, Robert Rodriguez & Quentin Tarantino): 7.5
75. Chronically Unfeasible (2000, Brazil, Sergio Bianchi): 7.5
76. Black Orpheus (1959, Brazil, Marcel Camus): 8
77. Hot Fuzz (2007, UK, Edgar Wright): 9
78. Cobra Verde (1987, West Germany, Werner Herzog): 10
79. Betty Blue (1986, France, Jean-Jacques Beineix): 8.5
80. My life to Live (1962, France, Jean-Luc Godard): 9
81. The Disenchanted (1990, France, Benoît Jacquot): 7.5
82. Destiny (1921, Germany, Fritz Lang): 7.5
83. Volver (2006, Spain, Pedro Almodóvar): 9
84. Catch a Fire (2006, USA, Phillip Noyce): 7
85. Namastey London (2007, India, Vipul Amrutlal Shah): 6
86. Just Married (2007, India, Meghna Gulzar): 6
87. Salaam-E-Ishq(2007, India, Nikhil Advani): 5.5
88. Nishabd (2007, India, Ram Gopal Varma): 7
89. Gafla (2006, India, Sameer Hanchate): 8
90. Red: The Dark Side (2007, India, Vikram Bhatt): 5.5
91. Crimson Gold (2003, Iran, Jafar Panahi, Writer -- Abbas Kiarostami): 10
92. Under the Moonlight (2001, Iran, Seyyed Reza Mir-Karimi): 7.5
93. Smell of Camphor Fragrance of Jasmine(2000, Iran, Bahman Farmanara): 8
94. The Straight Story (1999, USA, David Lynch): 9
95. The Short Films of David Lynch (2002)
96. Blue Velvet (1986, USA, David Lynch): 9
97. Twin Peaks:Fire Walk with me (1992, USA, David Lynch): 5
98. Wild at Heart (1990, USA, David Lynch): 4
99. Hotel Room (1993, USA, David Lynch, James Signorelli): 7
100. Manderlay (2005, Denmark co-production, Lars von Trier): 7
101. Inland Empire (2006, USA co-production, David Lynch): 8
102. Spider Man 3 (2007, USA, Sam Raimi): 5
103. Training Day (2001, USA, Antoine Fuqua): 7.5
104. Rebels of the Neon God (1992, Taiwan, Tsai ming-Liang): 9.5
105. Colour Me Kubrick (2005, UK/France, Brian Cook): 4.5
106. The Mahabharata (1989, multiple countries, Peter Brook): 9
107. Himalaya (1999, multiple countries, Eric Valli): 8
108. Lower City (2005, Brazil, Sérgio Machado): 7.5
109. Pixote (1981, Brazil, Hector Babenco): 9
110. El Compadre Mendoza (1934, Mexico, Juan Bustillo Oro, Fernando de Fuentes): 8
111. Coronacion (2000, Chile, Silvio Caiozzi): 6
112. Como voy a olvidarte? (2004, Ecuador, Edgardo Viereck): 4.5
113. North by Northwest (1959, USA, Alfred Hitchcock): 9
114. 1971 (2007, India, Amrit Sagar): 5.5
115. Delhii Heights (2007, India, Anand Kumar): 6
116. Whisky (2004, Uruguay, Juan Pablo Rebella, Pablo Stoll): 9.5
117. Dias de Santiago (2004, Peru, Josue Mendez): 8.5
118. Sexual Dependency (2003, Bolivia, Rodrigo Bellott): 7.5
119. Oriana (1985, Fina Torres, Venezuela): 7
120. Life in a Metro (2007, India, Anurag Basu): 7.5
121. Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. (2007, India, Reema Kagti): 6.5
122. Ek Chalis Ki Last Local (2007, India, Sanjay M. Kanduri): 7
123. Kya Love Story Hai (2007, India, Lovely Singh): 4.5
124. Salaam Namaste (2005, India, Siddharth Anand): 5.5
125. Neal 'N' Nikki (2005, India, Arjun Sablok): 3
126. Shakalaka Boom Boom (2007, India, Suneel Darshan): 3.5
127. Orange Revolution (2006, USA, Steve York): 7.5
128. Do you Remember Dolly Bell? (1981, Serbia, Emir Kusturica): 8.5
129. Camera Buff (1979, Poland, Krzysztof Kieslowski): 9.5
130. Werckmeister Harmonies (2000, Hungary, Béla Tarr / Agnes Hranitzky): 8
131. Army of Shadows (1969, France, Jean-Pierre Melville): 10
132. The Good Shepard (2006, USA, Robert De Niro): 8
133. Time (2006, South Korea, Ki-duk Kim): 8
134. The Fountain (2006, USA, Darren Aronofsky): 7

135. Spare Parts (2003, Slovenia, Damjan Kozole): 9
......titles not included 
148. The Prefab People (1982, Hungary, Béla Tarr): 8.5
149. Christmas Tree Upside Down (2006, Bulgaria, Ivan Tscherkelov,Vasil Zhivkov): 6
150. Ocean's Thirteen (2007, USA, Steven Soderbergh): 7.5
151. Knocked Up (2006, USA, Judd Apatow): 8
152. Jestem (2005, Poland, Dorota Kedzierzawska): 8
153. Dekalog (1989, Poland, Krzysztof Kieslowski): 10
154. Underground (1995, Serbia, Emir Kusturica): 9
155. The Oak (1992, Romania, Lucian Pintilie): 8
156. The Outsider (1981, Hungary, Béla Tarr)
157. Transformers (2007, USA, Michael Bay): 7.5
158. Where Fig Trees Grow (2004, France, Yasmina Yahiaoui): 7.5
159. Exterminating Angels (2006, France, Jean-Claude Brisseau): 7
160. Summer 04 (2006, Gemany, Stefan Krohmer): 9
161. Romanzo criminale (2005, Italy, Michele Placido): 8
162. Vitus (2006, Switzerland, Fredi M. Murer): 6
163. Fuse (2003, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Pjer Zalica): 8
164. Pretty Village Pretty Flames (1996, Former Yugoslavia, Srdjan Dragojevic): 7
165. Mirage (2004, Macedonia, Svetozar Ristovski): 10
.......
169. Ratatouille (2007, USA, Brad Bird): 10
170. Jhoom Barabar Jhoom (2007, India, Shaad Ali): 7
.........
178. El Aura (2006, Argentina, Fabián Bielinsky): 8.5
..........
184. When Father was away on Business (1985, Serbia, Emir Kusturica): 7
........
189. Happy New Life (2007, Hungary, Árpád Bogdán): 9
......
191. Blockade (2006, Russia, Sergey Loznitsa): 9
.....
205. The Man Who Copied (2003, Brazil, Jorge Furtado): 8.5
206. The Official Story (1985, Argentina, Luis Puenzo): 8.5
207. Los Ninos Invisibles (2001, Colombia, Lisandro Duque Naranjo): 7.5
208. Forever Never Anywhere (2007, Austria, Antonin Svoboda): 6
209. Fool N Final (2007, India, Ahmed Khan): 3
210. Shootout At Lokhandwala (2007, India, Apoora Lakhia): 6.5
211. The Train (2007, India, Raksha Mistry/Hasnain Hyderabadwala): 5
212. Swami (2007, India, Ganesh Acharya): 6
213. The Kid (1921, USA, Charlie Chaplin): 8.5
214. Modern Times (1936, USA, Charlie Chaplin): 10
215. City Lights (1931, USA, Charlie Chaplin): 7.5
216. The Gold Rush (1925, USA, Charlie Chaplin): 8
217. L' Avventura (1960, Italy, Michelangelo Antonioni): 9
218. L'Eclisse (1962, Italy, Michelangelo Antonioni): 10
219. Blowup (1966, Italy, Michelangelo Antonioni): 10
220. The Addiction (1995, USA, Abel Ferrara): 9
221. Bad Lieutenant (1992, USA, Abel Ferrara): 9
222. Fear City (1984, USA, Abel Ferrara): 5
223. King of New York (1990, USA, Abel Ferrara): 8
224. The Driller Killer (1979, USA, Abel Ferrara): 4.5
225. Crime Story (1986, USA, Abel Ferrara): 7.5
226. New Rose Hotel (1998, USA, Abel Ferrara): 6
227. The Funeral (1996, USA, Abel Ferrara): 8.5
228. God is Brazilian (2003, Brazil, Carlos Diegues): 7
229. Drained (2006, Brazil, Heitor Dhalia): 10
230. Baixio das Bestas (2007, Brazil, Cláudio Assis): 8
231. The Samba Poet (2006, Brazil, Ricardo Van Steen): 7.5
232. Yi Yi (2000, Taiwan, Edward Yang): 10
233. Millennium Mambo (2001, Taiwan, Hou Hsiao-hsien): 7.5
234. Vive L'Amour (1994, Taiwan, Tsai Ming-liang): 8
235. The River (1997, Taiwan, Tsai Ming-liang): 9
236. Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal (2007, India, Vivek Agnihotri): 4.5
237. Good Bye Dragon Inn (2003, Taiwan, Tsai Ming-liang): 7.5
238. The Bourne Identity (2002, USA, Doug Liman): 9
239. The Bourne Supremacy (2004, USA, Paul Greengrass): 8.5
240. The Bourne Ultimatum (2007, USA, Paul Greengrass): 10
241. Zodiac (2007, USA, David Fincher): 10
242. The Edge of Heaven (2007, Germany/Turkey, Fatih Akin): 9
243. Black Butterfly (2006, Peru, Francisco J. Lombardi): 9
244. The True Legend of Tony Vilar (2006, Italy, Giuseppe Gagliardi): 7.5
245. Hunt Angels (2006, Australia, Alec Morgan): 7.5
246. Jade Warrior (2006, Finland co-production, Antti-Jussi Annila): 6
247. The Mosquito Problem and Other Stories (2007, Bulgaria, Director Andrey Paounov): 9
248. Persepolis (2007, France, Directors/writers: Vincent Paronnaud & Marjane Satrapi): 8
249. Two in One (2007, Ukraine/Russia, Kira Muratova): 6.5
250. Fresh Air (2006, Hungary, Ágnes Kocsis & Andrea Roberti): 8
251. 4 Months 3 Weeks 2 days (2007, Romania, Cristian Mungiu): 9
252. Saviour Square (2006, Poland, Joanna Kos & Krzysztof Krauze): 8
253. Khadak (2006, Belgium/Germany, Peter Brosens & Jessica Hope Woodworth): 8.5
254. Quilombo (1984, Brazil, Carlos Diegues): 7.5
255. Madame Satã (2002, Brazil, Karim Ainouz): 7
256. Citizen Dog(2004, Thailand, Wisit Sasanatieng): 8
257. Offside (2006, Iran, Jafar Panahi): 7.5
258. The Page Turner (2006, France, Denis Dercourt): 9
259. 2 Days in Paris (2007, France/Germany, Julie Delpy): 8.5
260. Cavite (2005, Philippines/USA, Neill Dela Llana Ian Gamazon): 8
261. Les Enfants Terribles (1950, France, Jean-Pierre Melville Novel by Jean Cocteau)
262. Videodrome (1983, Canada, David Cronenberg): 8.5
263. Dead Ringers (1988, Canada, David Cronenberg): 9.5
264. Le Trou (1960, France, Jacques Becker): 10
265. Casque d'or (1952, France, Jacques Becker): 8
266. Touchez pas au grisbi (1954, France, Jacques Becker): 9
267. Midnight Express (1978, USA/UK, Alan Parker): 8.5
268. The Son (2002, Belgium/France, Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne): 9.5
269. Fists in the Pocket (1965, Italy, Marco Bellocchio): 8.5
270. Japón (2002, Mexico co-production, Carlos Reygadas): 8
271. Chocolat (1988, France/West Germany/Cameroon, Claire Denis): 8
272. Transylvania (2006, France, Tony Gatlif): 7.5
273. Electra My Love (1970, Hungary, Miklós Jancsó)
274. Fando and Lis (1968, Mexico, Alejandro Jodorowsky): 6.5
275. El Topo (1970, Mexico, Alejandro Jodorowsky): 7.5
276. Distant (2002, Turkey, Nuri Bilge Ceylan): 9.5
277. Journey to the Sun (1999, Turkey, Yesim Ustaoglu): 8.5
278. Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul (2005, Germany/Turkey, Fatih Akin): 8.5
279. In July (2000, Germany, Fatih Akin): 8
280. Hamam (1997, Turkey, Ferzan Ozpetek): 7.5
281. Bug (2006, USA, William Friedkin): 9
282. Grand Prix (1966, USA, John Frankenheimer): 9
283. Mysterious Object at Noon (2000, Thailand, Apichatpong Weerasethakul): 8
284. The Hole (1998, Taiwan, Tsai Ming-liang): 8
285. Paprika (2006, Japan, Satoshi Kon): 9
286. Kamikaze Girls (2004, Japan, Tetsuya Nakashima): 6.5
287. The Twilight Samurai (2002, Japan, Yôji Yamada): 8
288. Eastern Promises (2007, Canada/UK/USA, David Cronenberg): 8
289. After the Wedding (2006, Denmark, Susanne Bier): 8
290. Black Book (2006, Holland, Paul Verhoeven): 6
291. Foster Child (2007, Philippines, Brillante Mendoza): 10
292. Dans la ville de Sylvia (2007, Spain, José Luis Guerin): 10
293. Unas fotos en la ciudad del Sylvia (2007, Spain, José Luis Guerin): 10
294. Slingshot (2007, Philippines, Brillante Mendoza): 10
295. Euphoria (2006, Russia, Ivan Vyrypaev): 9.5
296. Bliss (2007, Greece/Turkey, Abdullah Oguz): 9.5
297. Secret Sunshine (2007, South Korea, Lee Chang-Dong): 9
298. In Memory of Myself (2007, Italy, Saverio Costanzo): 9
299. The Girl Cut in Two (2007, France, Claude Chabrol): 9
300. Import Export (2007, Austria/France, Ulrich Seidl): 9
301. Times and Winds (2006, Turkey, Reha Erdem): 8.5
302. Help Me Eros (2007, Taiwan, Lee Kang-sheng): 8.5
303. Ploy (2007, Thailand, Pen-ek Ratanaruang): 8.5
304. Bad Habits (2007, Mexico, Simón Bross): 8.5
305. Sounds of Sand (2006, Belgium, Marion Hänsel): 8
306. Useless (2007, China, Jia Zhangke): 8
307. The Man from London (2007, France/Germany/Hungary, Béla Tarr): 8
308. My Winnipeg (2007, Canada, Guy Maddin): 8
309. Drowned in Oblivion (2006, Belgium/France, Pierre-Yves Vandeweerd): 8
310. Great World of Sound (2006, USA, Craig Zobel): 8
311. The Counterfeiters (2007, Austria/Germany, Stefan Ruzowitzky): 8
312. Keepers of Eden (2007, USA, Yoram Porath): 7.5
313. The Duchess of Langeais (2007, France, Jacques Rivette): 7
314. Soo (2007, South Korea, Sai Yoichi): 6.5
315. Since Otar Left (2003, France/Belgium, Julie Bertucelli): 8.5
316. Killer of Sheep (1977, USA, Charles Burnett): 7.5
317. Dog Days (2001, Austria, Ulrich Seidl): 6.5
318. Chak De India (2007, India, Shimit Amin): 8.5
319. Gandhi My Father (2007, India, Feroze Khan): 8
320. Bhool Bhulaiyaa(2007, India, Priyadarshan): 7.5
321. Saawariya (2007, India, Sanjay Leela Bhansali): 7
322. Dhamaal (2007, India, Indra Kumar): 6.5
323. Cheeni Kum (2007, India, R. Balki): 5.5
324. Dhol (2007, India, Priyadarshan): 4.5
325. Partner (2007, India, David Dhawan): 4
326. Cash (2007, India, Anubhav Sinha): 3.5
327. Aag (2007, India, Ram Gopal Varma): 2
328. A Girl in Black (1956, Greece, Mihalis Kakogiannis): 9
329. The Weeping Meadow (2004, Greece, Theodoros Angelopoulos): 8.5
330. Ulysses' Gaze (1995, Greece, Theodoros Angelopoulos): 7.5
331. Attila '74 (1975, Greece, Mihalis Kakogiannis): 6
332. Johnny Gaddaar (2007, India, Sriram Raghavan): 9
333. Manorama Six Feet Under (2007, India, Navdeep Singh): 8.5
334. Om Shanti Om (2007, India, Farah Khan): 8.5
335. No Smoking (2007, India, Anurag Kashyap): 10
336. Le Mani sulla città (1963, Italy, Francesco Rosi): 10
337. Salvatore Giuliano (1962, Italy, Francesco Rosi): 9
338. Cristo si è fermato a Eboli (1979, Italy, Francesco Rosi): 8.5
339. Tre fratelli (1981, Italy, Francesco Rosi): 8.5
340. Diario napoletano (1992, Italy, Francesco Rosi): 7.5
341. The Simpsons Movie (2007, USA, David Silverman): 7.5
342. This is England (2006, UK, Shane Meadows): 8
343. Bheja Fry (2007, India, Sagar Ballary): 7.5
344. Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi (2003, India, Sudhir Mishra): 9
345. Dil Dosti etc (2007, India, Manish Tiwary): 7
346. Dhokha (2007, India, Pooja Bhatt): 5.5
347. Welcome (2007, India, Anees Bazmee): 5
348. Gone Baby Gone (2007, USA, Ben Affleck): 8.5
349. Rendition (2007, USA, Gavin Hood): 10
350. Michael Clayton (2007, USA, Tony Gilroy): 8
351. American Gangster (2007, USA, Ridley Scott): 8
352. Rescue Dawn (2006, USA, Werner Herzog) Rating 8.5
353. A Mighty Heart (2007, USA/UK, Michael Winterbottom): 9
354. Life on Earth (1998, Mali/Mauritania/France, Abderrahmane Sissako): 9
355. Hyenas (1992, Senegal, Djibril Diop Mambéty): 8
356. Moolaade (2004, Senegal co-production, Ousmane Sembene): 9.5
357. Haramuya (1995, Burkina Faso, Drissa Toure): 6.5
358. Wend Kuuni (1982, Burkina Faso, Gaston Kaboré): 6
359. Yeelen (1987, Senegal, Souleymane Cissé): 8.5
360. Hommage à noir (1996, Germany, Ralf Schmerberg): 8
361. Caméra arabe (1987, Tunisia, Férid Boughedir): 7
362. Halfaouine: Child of the Terraces (1990, Tunisia, Férid Boughedir): 8
363. Alexandria Again and Forever (1990, Egypt, Youssef Chahine): 7.5
364. Redacted (2007, USA, Brian De Palma): 6.5
365. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007, USA, Andrew Dominik): 7
366. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007, USA, Sidney Lumet): 7.5
367. No Country for Old Men (2007, USA, Joel & Ethan Coen): 8.5
368. Speed (2007, India, Vikram Bhatt): 0
369. Goodbye Lenin (2003, Germany, Wolfgang Becker)
370. Sorry for Kung Fu (2004, Croatia, Ognjen Svilicic)
371. Daywatch (2006, Russia, Timur Bekmambetov)
372. Zelary (2003, Czech Republic, Ondrej Trojan)
373. Edi (2002, Poland, Piotr Trzaskalski)
374. Jab We Met (2007, India, Imtiaz Ali): 8
375. Aaja Nachle (2007, India, Anil Mehta):8
376. Parzania (2005, India, Rahul Dholakia): 7.5
377. Kairee (2000, India, Amol Palekar): 6
378. Divergence (2005, Hong Kong, Benny Chan): 7
379. Triangle (2007, Hong Kong, Tsui Hark, Ronny Lam, Johnny Tam)
380. Love for Sale (2007, Brazil co-production, Karim Ainouz): 6.5
381. La Vie en Rose (2007, France co-production, Olivier Dahan): 7.5
382. Once (2007, Ireland, John Carney): 7.5
383. Who's Next (2007, Hong Kong, Chung Kai Cheung): 5
384. Taare Zameen Par (2007, India, Aamir Khan): 10
385. Heyy Babyy (2007, India, Sajid Khan): 3

Hong Kong Films

Final spotlight of the year shines on Hong Kong.

Divergence (2005, Benny Chan)
Triangle (2007, Ringo Lam, Johnnie To, Hark Tsui)
Who's Next (2007, Chung Kai-Cheong)

A Cop, A killer and a Girl:



Suen (Aaron Kwok who turned in a great performance in After this our Exile) plays a cop trusted with bringing a key witness safely into custody. But along the way, a sniper kills the witness. The sniper has a chance to take out Suen but he leaves him alive (reason is revealed later). Besides this case, Suen is haunted by images of the girl that left him 10 years ago. He thinks the murder case and his girlfriend's disappearance are connected.

After a decent set-up, the film disintegrates towards the end. Still there are some neat sequences in the movie. One worthy sequence takes place when Suen is chasing the sniper through a food market.


The noise of everyday things like fishes being chopped, carts being moved, ice being crushed are all around him. But he manages to tune everything else out and his ears pick up on just one noise -- heavy panting of the sniper. The fight that follows between the two is just fascinating to watch.

Also, a small cameo for Suet Lam. I have grown to enjoy his presence in so many Johnny To films. But in this movie's case, his screen time is just limited to two scenes.


The Three masters:



The concept of three well known Hong Kong directors making a movie together was just intriguing. Of the trio of Tsui Hark, Johnny To and Ringo Lam, I am most familiar with Johnny To as I have watched atleast 7 of his movies. I have seen some old Tsui Hark movies and only saw portions of his last featureSeven Swords. Ringo Lam is the one I am least familiar with.

So with great expectations I tuned into Triangle. But as it turns out, my film version had no English subtitles. Even though I managed to get a feel for the film, I missed out on some interesting conversations and even some not so obvious sub-plots. So I will only focus my attention on the obvious overall robbery plot.

Each director worked on a 30 minute film segment and all three make up a continuous film. While the first two segments have a similar feel to them, it is easy to pick out Johnny To's final segment.

Segment One: Set-up of the treasure robbery:

Tsui Hark kicks things off with the robbery setup. Three men are given information about a hidden treasure underneath a building. The three quickly manage to get the treasure chest out and attempt to escape, despite being chased by gangsters.


Segment Two: The betrayal starts:

The first segment also shows that one of the three men's wives (the wife of Simon Yam's character) is having an affair with a corrupt cop. Sure enough, the corrupt cop wants a piece of the treasure. While the gangsters also want the treasure as one of the three men was in debt to them. So this segment develops the mind games and betrayal further.

Pace-wise, this segment is along the same speed as the first 30 minutes. Although, one scene of violence sets this segment apart. But Ringo Lam has flushed a lot of the character's personality in this segment with the aid of an extended tense torture sequence. Definitely, something I need to revisit with English subtitles again.

Segment Three: The shoot out:

Suet Lam's appearance signals the final Johnny To segment. As all the three men along with the cop and mafia head to one location, Suet Lam's character appears out of nowhere to complicate things further. And when slowly, one by one, the guns start appearing, we can anticipate a thrilling climax.


But unlike the flashy gun shoot out sequence in To's Exiled, the final gun shoot out is more subdued and along the lines of what would expect from his brilliant Election films. This segment was a treat to watch though and with minimal dialogue, it was easy to just focus on the tension hovering in the air.


Overall, it is interesting to see three different directors make one continuous flowing film.

And finally, the Triads:

Johnny To's Election and Election 2 are masterful works which probe the life of the Triads and the violent games that hover beneath the group's democratic surface. Safe to say, his works are the finest in covering the gangster's lives. But I am sure there are (and will be) plenty of imitation films that will attempt to show the lives of the Triad members. One such substandard effort is Chung Kai-Cheong's Who's Next. The film shows a battle that takes place to head a triad group when the existing leader is killed by a rival gang. And thrown in the chaotic mix is an Anti-triad group. Some laughs and plenty of over the top acting.

---

Ratings (out of 10):

Divergence: 7
Who's Next: 5

Taare Zameen Par

Emotional Beauty


Taare Zameen Par (2007, India, Directed by Aamir Khan): Rating 10/10

The human mind is complicated enough -- despite decades of scientific advances, we are still a long way from comprehending all the mysteries embedded in the human psyche. We have difficulty understanding adults despite the benefits of observing their body language, their expressions and even noticing adults behavior. If we can't comprehend adults, what are we to make of little children? Can we ever truly understand what goes on in a child's mind?

We live in a society where things are labeled and packaged instantly. 14 year old kids are pushed towards Olympic excellence, the weight of soccer teams is thrust on fragile 16-17 year old shoulders and 10 year olds are expected to be future geniuses. But in a fast paced world, not everyone can keep pace. Just like each soccer player and team has its own tempo, so do humans and kids in particular. Schools have multiple kids in one classroom and teachers don't have time for everyone. Exams are marked quickly because teachers have too much to do. And sometimes, parents do not have time to properly understand their children. So if a child needs help, he/she is bound to be isolated and left on his own.



Taare Zameen Par shows a 9 year old's (Ishaan) problem with dyslexia. Ishaan has trouble with words but no one notices his difficulty. He is afraid to look at words which jump out of the page and taunt him. Yet he is comfortable with images and the beauty in nature. So it is not a surprize that Ishaan finds peace and comfort just by observing the chaotic everyday images. Those same images are ignored by adults who rush about in a chaotic world, yet an innocent 9 year old can carefully extract the beauty from mundane activities such as painting of house walls, hammering of nails, a crane digging up rocks or even a vendor crushing ice. It is left to an art teacher (Aamir Khan) who once suffered from the same problem as a child to help integrate young Ishaan into the harsh world.

The film is handled with a lot of delicacy and emotional tenderness. As the movie strives to show things from the view point of Ishaan, the audience is treated to a world full of simplicity and charm in everyday mundane activities. That is a quite a feat considering that a city like Mumbai offers very little respite from constant relentless noise and competition (education, corporate or even spousal). In that regards, Taare Zameen Par is able to abstract the beauty out of a dangerous and chaotic world. Even when Ishaan wanders around the dangerous streets of Mumbai by himself, the background music and camera only focus on highlighting the joy of discovery he has in observing objects around him. Yes, the film gets a bit emotional in parts but at no point does it resort to melodrama or over the top acting. Also, credit goes to an exceptional acting performance from 10 year old Darsheel Safary. His expressions are phenomenal as he manages to convey the confusion, frustration and hidden joy that exists in 9 year old Ishaan. Easily, the best Indian film of the year.

Love and Music

Love for Sale (2006, Brazil, Director Karim Ainouz): Rating 6.5/10

The only reason I got Love for Sale (or Suely in the Sky) was because of Karim Ainouz. I had enjoyed Ainouz's previous directorial venture Madame Satã and his writing in Cinema, Aspirins and Vultures & Lower City. But I have to admit that after seeing 15 films in my Brazilian spotlight this year, Love for Sale was one movie too much. The story is reflected in other Brazilian films I saw this year, especially in Deserto Feliz.



In Deserto Feliz, a girl leaves her village for Sao Paulo. But in the big cruel city, she is forced into prostitution to make ends meet and longs for an escape from Sao Paulo. In Love for Sale Hermila returns back from Sao Paulo to Iguatu with her young baby and moves into her mother-in law's house. Gradually it is clear that Hermila's 20 year old husband has no interest in looking after her and the baby as he stays in the city and does not attempt to make contact with her. So Hermila longs for an escape far away from Iguatu. But since she has no money, she comes up with a scheme to raffle off her body.

Like most recent Brazilian films, the production values of Love for Saleare top-notch. I am a big fan of Walter Carvalho and as usual his cinematography perfectly captures the visuals of a hot Brazilian landscape. There are some neat camera techniques here but overall, the story had the air of inevitability that I had found in a handful of other recent Brazilian films dealing with such a topic.

Music as escape from Poverty & Misery:

Once (2006, Ireland, Director John Carney): Rating 7.5/10

This charming Irish films shows two characters who live on the fringes of modern society's economic charts but can easily be found in any European city's core. The guy plays his guitar on street sides hoping to earn some money for his talent while the girl is an immigrant from the Czech Republic who roams the Dublin city core selling red roses.

The smart usage of hand-held cameras give the movie an earthy feel and allows to us to experience these character's bitter sweet life. When things get tough, both the guy and girl find solace in music. The girl provides the inspiration for the guy to finally follow his dream of getting his music recorded.

La Vie en Rose (2007, French co-production, Director Olivier Dahan): Rating 7.5/10

In Once the guy sang on street corners while playing his guitar. In La Vie en Rose, Edith Pilaf (Marion Cotillard in a riveting performance) also stood on street corners to sing but she only relied on her soulful voice -- her powerful voice could stop traffic and lighten any wary heart. The film shows her rise to fame from a background of poverty to her performance at music halls in Paris and New York. The best parts of the film are where we get to listen to her booming voice.