maggi_me Reviews

Che (1998)

The Man from the Image

[8/10 · 5 November 2005]

Many have seen the image of a man in red and white on posters, T-shirts, mugs, stickers, etc. This image belongs to Dr. Ernesto Rafael Guevara de la Serna or Che Guevara and has become an icon for a new generation of youth in alternative culture.

However, not many know of the inspiring story of the revolutionary behind the image. I certainly had no clue of him until two weeks ago, when I walked in for a screening of the film - "Che - The Final Hours".

'Che - the final hours' recounts the final revolution attempted by Argentine born Marxist Revolutionary and Cuban Guerilla leader, Che Guevara in Bolivia. The film, told entirely through photographs and interviews spaced by the narrative, tells of his birth, his association with Castro and his end in Bolivia.

The film starts out like any stereotypical documentary with facts cascading on the screen. However, before you can say, "so this is it..." its hold on you tightens, and by the time you see the first odd glimpse of the jungles which the guerrillas crossed, you are positively hooked. the language barrier stays for a while( for those who don't know Spanish, like me) but not for long. The build-up to the climax is intense.

The film does not force ideology down the throat (though the same can't be said for the hero-worship). What it does do is that it makes one pause, if not to outright salute him, then to concede that yes, such a charismatic person did exist and so fleshes out the man from the image.....

John Safran vs. God (2004)

one man army on crusading mission

[28 September 2005]

NOTE: only one episode discussed here.

Writer, co-producer and host John Safran goes on a worldwide expedition to find God in various religions. Instead he exposes the various types of practices carried out in the name of religion. It begins with how the supreme judge of the Shariat court in UK is so Fatwa-friendly that he issues one in the blink of the eye.

It continues to say how old junkies in Texas are using the garb of Native American religion (peyote) to get a fix, legally. Later, it points out that Scientology is really nothing more than a group of obsessed sci-fi believers. A film such as this is an entertainer – its comic sequences, over the top statements and sweeping judgments are carried out in a comic manner, thereby ensuring a lot of laughs. However, laughter is all that there is to it.

The film is (somewhat) a polemic, aimed at debunking all other views and voices except those of its creators. Large tracts of commentary, magnificent editing of sequences and musical scores as fillers make it a very clever ploy to get audiences to share in their beliefs. So even though it exposes individuals, it uses these to make sweeping statements at the religion per se. For e.g. the Muslims following Islam in Britain are extremists, the peyote way church is just a group of drug junkies and scientologists are trying to brainwash the world into following them. Of course it does not literally say that. However, the juxtaposition of visuals and news clippings along with comments loaded with 'If', 'Perhaps' and 'maybe' leave the viewer to connect the dots in a style earlier seen with Michael Moore.

Lastly, its holier-than-thou attitude makes it into a screening of snob value. So, even when it provokes thought it is not the direction intended. Perhaps, the film is just a reaffirmation of the existing prejudices of SOME, but these cannot be counted as ALL.

If...: If... The Generations Fall Out (2004) Season 1, Episode 3

it can happen...be prepared!

[7/10 · 28 September 2005]

It is 2024 and the baby boomer generation (currently in their forties and fifties) has started retiring. The number of people over 65 has increased by nearly 50% since 2004. And this is just the beginning.

Adair Turner, chairman of the Pensions Commission claims: "It is possible that there is no limit to life. It's possible that this life expectancy increase may go on forever". With an 80% tax rise to help fund an ageing population, the younger generation are starting to get angry. Members of the same family find themselves on opposite sides as the young rebel against their parents.

Are we heading for a future of protest, destruction and the threat of financial meltdown?

This is the underlying theme of this award-winning, action oriented and experimental documentary. The what… if series, produced by the BBC looks at the seemingly less important issues of today in terms of the catastrophes that they can become tomorrow.

The film chooses to see this issue in a complex manner. On the one hand, we have a fast-paced narrative of how the young have no savings for the future due to the high taxes and how they are being overburdened by the demand of the old to place cosmetic surgery on national health care AND on the other, we have a fictional story of mobilization of youth into a protest movement.

The ageing population are not the only problem shown here. A low birth rate in subsequent years has meant that there are fewer younger people. This combination is one of the major challenges that Britain (and the rest of the world) will face in the future.

IF looks at the tough choices that Britain must make to deflect the fall-out of an ageing population. These include whether to increase immigration, the birth rate, the age of retirement or taxes, or whether to reduce pensions, means-testing health care and lowering the voting age to lessen the burden on the young.

Watch it if not for knowing about tomorrow, then simply to watch something new.

Paheli (2005)

Once upon a mythical time.......

[7/10 · 26 June 2005]

I went to see this title purely out of curiosity - amol palekar, being more than a revered god in our household and srk's grand charisma covering all promos from head to toe. Also, rani mukherjee and big b in the cast certainly added to the shimmer.

What i found was something more......

The child in me arose as I no longer remained in the theater but, moved to my childhood room with grandma telling me an exquisite tale - of a land far far away. A land where the arid, parched environs sharply contrast with the rich color of the people and melody flowing with the air.

The tale is simple. The narration; funny and colorful.

A childish princess(rani) comes to her groom's (shahrukh) household with hopes of bliss and true love - finding a true-to-bone abacus instead. He leaves her the next day to set up a business in a distant town. As fate would have it, someone who truly loves the bride now enters her life - a ghost! This ghost takes on her husband's appearance (though confessing to her) and lives with her for a few years.

The real groom now returns and everyone is baffled. The bride however faces the real paheli - should her husband be the one who took marital vows with her or the one who loved her?

Though the movie looks like another glitzy tale from lala land, there is much more to it. Beyond the exotic tanishq( the jewel sponsor for the film) stones, CGI effects and tall Khan tales lies a true gem, that brings back a twinkle in the eyes, of a memory long forgotten.