Kung Fu Hustle
Stephen Chow
Kung Fu Hustle is a Hong Kong-based action comedy film directed by Stephen Chow. It is a debt of honour richly paid by Chow to his martial-arts forebears and to the traditions that shaped his sensibility. A humorous, special-effects-filled, martial arts epic set in early 1940s Shanghai, the film shows that the city was then controlled by the notorious Axe Gang. When Sing (Chow) arrives in Pigsty Alley, a slum too poor to be bothered with by the Axes, he impersonates a gang member in an attempt to get respect. When members of the actual gang show up, it provides for an uncomfortable situation for Sing and a series of memorable fight scenes.
The Blue Umbrella
Vishal Bhardwaj
The story unfurls with the discovery of a vibrant blue umbrella. Based on a novel by Ruskin Bond and directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, the story is set in a small village in the mountainous region of Himachal Pradesh. The blue umbrella is a metaphorical tale yet also contemporary. The symbol of love and forgiveness is the main theme of the movie. All-in-all, this movie is certainly watchable for Shreya and Pankaj Kapur’s acting and to enjoy the snowy landscapes.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Tim Burton
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a 1964 children’s book written by Roald Dahl and in 2005 Tim Burton directed the film. The story features the adventures of young Charlie Bucket inside the chocolate factory of eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka. A young boy wins a tour through the most magnificent chocolate factory in the world, led by the world’s most unusual candy maker. Obesity, indolence, T.V. addiction and grinding poverty all surface in the story of poor Charlie Bucket.
The Sorcerer and the White Snake
Ching Siu-Tung
Based on an ancient Chinese fairy tale, in which a young herbalist doctor and snake demon fall in love and are perfectly happy and not hurting anyone, atleast until Buddhist monk Jet Li comes and completely ruins their lives in Buddha’s name. Here the monk Fahai is given a more prominent role. A master monk tries to protect a naive young physician from a thousand-year-old snake demon. A contest of psychic powers results in mayhem. There is also a surprisingly potent dose of humour in the screenplay.
Makdee
Vishal Bhardwaj
In a small North Indian village, legend has it that a 100 year-old witch lives in an abandoned mansion on the village outskirts, and any person who goes there is turned into an animal. In the same village a clever, naughty girl named Chunni (Shweta Prasad) lives with her widowed father, grandmother and her identical twin Munni, who is the opposite of Chunni in mannerisms. But one day, Chunni’s prank leads Munni to enter the witch’s mansion and the witch turns her into a hen. Chunni strikes a deal with Makdee (Shabana Azmi) that she will present Makdee with 100 hens in exchange for Munni in human form. How she manages this task forms the crux of this fun-filled children’s movie.
Those that almost made it
Honey I Shrunk The Kids : Joe Johnston
The Bridge On The River Kwai : David Lean
Hotel Rwanda : Terry George
The Karate Kid : Harald Zwart
The Great Dictator : Charlie Chaplin
Jyothi C. is a lecturer of media studies from Tumkur.
