All in Music
Farah Khan's “OM SHANTI OM”
This is the most entertaining movie I have seen since Andrew Stanton’s WALL-E.
Kevin Lima's ENCHANTED
If you need something pleasant and friendly, you need look no further than Enchanted.
I remember seeing Pink Floyd perform DARK SIDE OF THE MOON in a live outdoor concert many years ago in Maryland. It was NOTHING like this absolutely spectacular show recorded in 1994, newly released on DVD with a remastered surround soundtrack.
Ashutosh Gowariker's “LAGAAN: ONE UPON A TIME IN INDIA”
This 3-hour-plus historical-drama-cum-sports-extravaganza has something for everybody:
* Little guy against big guy
* Noble farmers vs. evil foreign conquerors
* The Big Game at the end where everything is decided
* Girl From The Country competes with Girl From The City for the same dashing hero
* Pleas for religious and social tolerance
* An intermission (!)
Vidhu Vinod Chopra's “MISSION KASHMIR”
I rented this film because I was reading a book (Maximum City) by one of the screenwriters (Suketu Mehta) and because, let’s face it, I crave a Bollywood fix from time to time. I was not disappointed. This is now one of my favorites.
Joel Schumacher's “THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA”
I’ve never been a fan of this musical. The songs are repetitive and dull, the story is silly, and the overriding themes remind me of the covers of those paperback romance novels you see on sale in supermarkets. But I loved the movie, even though the three points I made above are painfully obvious. So why did I like it?
There's only one serious problem: the music itself is un-memorable. But this is made up for by an unusual story, interesting characters, vivid colorful photography, and amazingly choreographed song-and-dance numbers.