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Reviews
Asoka (2001)
Enjoyable
I enjoyed this film immensely. I had never seen a Bollywood film before this, and given that I love to sing and dance and watch romance, this film filled my needs and desires. It may not satisfy others' needs or desires, especially if realistic action/fighting scenes are required, or fantastic acting skills, or seamless dialogue. Shah Rukh Khan and Kareena Kapoor meld delightfully in their romance, but after seeing a few other movies with these two superstars in them, I admit their acting skills are not exceptional-I noticed that their facial expression and vocal fluctuations are almost identical in other films. It seemed to me that they each brought themselves and their stardom to the scene more than the essence of the characters they were portraying. Maybe this is simply a trait of Bollywood actors and actresses across the board-understandable, since they make so many movies, it would be quite difficult to really learn each character and portray it believably. That being said, I loved Shah Rukh Khan's big hooked nose and his eyebrows, and Kareena Kapoor's beauty and personality beamed through this film. I have yet to see a Bollywood film with comparable dance scenes (I love dancing along to "O Re Kanche") and unforgettable music. The elements used in the cinematography for "Roshine Se" were beautiful. There are some other memorable shots that stick with you,for example, the memory of the spilt milk, that hold the magicalness of the chance gathering of all involved in making this film, the essence of something beautiful and perfect that will probably never come together again. That essence is as poignant and lingering as Indian spices, and that is why I love Asoka.
Casablanca (1942)
A Masterpiece
I absolutely agree with user kdyran. This is a Classic, a Masterpiece. This is what real acting and real film making is about. Casablanca is, in my mind, the pinnacle of American cinema. It is rather depressing to go from Casablanca and look at what is coming out in theaters now-American cinema has really declined in quality since the age of Casablanca. Perhaps this is because the film industry was just starting out, and money could only be devoted to movies and ideas that really deserved it. Today, the film industry is so huge that even the trashiest films get funding and viewer time. The American Moviewatching Association ranks Casablanca #1 or 2 as the best American movie ever made, trading places every so often with Citizen Kane (another great classic). If you don't like Casablanca, either there is something really wrong in your head, or you have absolutely no taste. What a fantastic film!
Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam (2002)
There must be better ways or better movies to spend your time on.
I was not impressed by this movie, maybe because I have seen too many movies with SRK recently or maybe because I couldn't figure out how to turn on the captions. It just seemed to me that SRK's range of expressions and emotions was rather limited- I saw the same techniques used during the "emotional scene(s)" in Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam (when SRK confronts Salman Khan with a gun, and when SRK finally explains how upset he is to Madhuri Dixit)as I have seen in all his other movies (Asoka,Kal Ho Naa Ho, etc.) Also, I thought the relationship between Madhuri Dixit and Salman Khan was too over-the-top and obvious- it left the viewer very frustrated that Madhuri's character didn't realize how her closeness to Salman Khan's character was eroding her relationship with her husband, SRK. It was also very frustrating that SRK didn't speak frankly with Madhuri Dixit earlier in the movie about his jealousy, but maybe that is something that Indian families don't usually do? Who knows, maybe the film makers were trying to show how real marriages are ended-with a gradual build-up of frustrations that never get released, and a weak bond to begin with.