Six Degrees: The venue for the special screening for select invitees and media.
Posts By sudhishkamath
Wednesday morning 10.15 a.m.
That image, at Six Degrees on February 21, will be followed by 91 minutes 13 seconds of the movie that’s been part of about 25 per cent of my entire lifetime and probably all my youth.
It is a special preview show for the media and opinion leaders. Do give me a call at 9382118103 and book yourself a seat if you feel left out.
Else, we have the commercial release on February 23. And, you can contribute to the cause of independent cinema and buy your own tickets. 😀
Wednesday morning 10.15 a.m.
That image, at Six Degrees on February 21, will be followed by 91 minutes 13 seconds of the movie that’s been part of about 25 per cent of my entire lifetime and probably all my youth.
It is a special preview show for the media and opinion leaders. Do give me a call at 9382118103 and book yourself a seat if you feel left out. Else, we have the commercial release on February 23. And, you can contribute to the cause of independent cinema and buy your own tickets.
😀
The girls on SS Music
This clip is from Southern Spice Music. The SS Music team was there to cover the premiere at the Chennai International Film Festival. Here’s what Usha, Paloma, Suriya and Srikanth had to say to them.
Bytes from the premiere – 1
This was at the premiere of my film at the Chennai International Film Festival on December 21. A quick look at what Suriya had to say along with my bytes on the film. Thank you, Times Now, for the footage.
Will post clips acquired from Galatta and SS Music during the week.
Another Evam play this weekend!
If you haven’t seen Oh God yet, this is your chance. This hilarious farce comes alive at Sivagami Pethachi auditorium on Saturday (7.15) and Sunday (3.15 and 7.15).
Here’s a review I wrote when it last played a coupla weeks ago.
One of my favourite actors from That Four Letter Word has come up with such an adorable performance in this play, you guys just got to watch it.
And if you are God-fearing and don’t like the idea of a spoof on the Holy book, father, son or spirit, stay home.
Babel: Watch closely
If you watched Babel and came out feeling indifferent to the film, chances are that you probably just lost the plot.
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu comes up with a cleverly crafted complex ensemble, layering his paradoxical portrait of mankind with the kind of diversity and the sameness that divides and brings together people across continents.
Yes, just like the complex construction of that sentence takes away from what it tries to say, Babel too, could do with a second reading.
Especially, when the tag-line goes: If you want to understand, listen.
The filmmaker who made ‘Amores Perros’ and ‘21 Grams,’ uses his trademark non-linear episodic narrative connected by one incident, this time around, to explore the politics of communication and the factors that keep the human race divided in an increasingly volatile world.
Yes, it helps to understand the Biblical context before you head to the hall. In fact, it is that context that ties everything up in a film that’s subject to varied interpretation.
At the surface, Babel merely seems to be the story of an American couple holidaying in Morocco, whose world is shattered, moments after a goatherd kid pulls the trigger to prove to his brother that the rifle (originally belonging to a hunter in Japan) given to them, could hit distant targets. In a remote village called Tazarine where surgeries and anesthesia are unheard of, the couple awaits medical aid.
With the parents stuck in Morocco, the Mexican nanny taking care of the American kids, is left with no choice but to take them along to her son’s wedding across the border with an eccentric, reckless nephew.
And far away in Tokyo, the Japanese hunter has a deaf-mute daughter who has a difficult time making the boys understand her quest for love.
But, as you catch and connect instances of weapons, lust/love (it once used to be the same thing as the director implies) sometimes manifested through incest (the censoring of a critical portion towards the end does take away a significant layer from the film) and the most primal needs of man (to hunt, to love, to endure and survive) scattered across the four stories, and, traces of all the needs in each of the stories (watch closely), you see the larger picture emerging.
The characters in the film suffer because they cannot understand each other. They have to deal with barriers of language, borders, moral codes, attitudinal differences and technological disparities to understand that in spite of the differences of how they live, they still are the same.
Characters in each of the four stories are primal at some level, they all get violent at some point, they are all animals looking to mate or looking out for their mates and children, they all are fiercely territorial and guarded about people of other races and yet, at some level, they are all still capable of survival, bonding and in understanding each other, if they tried.
The fact that Brad Pitt stars in the film is rendered irrelevant by uniformly first-rate performances by the entire ensemble, especially the raw talent from Morocco. Technically, the film, though not as stylised as his earlier works, is heart-wrenchingly credible in its portrayal of people with the docu-style cinematography and minimalist background score.
Pure cinema, it is.
That Four Letter Word from February 23
I had been postponing putting up the trailer because we didn’t know when the exact date of release was going to be. And, to be honest, my editor’s been busy as hell trying to make his film and I didn’t want to bother him.
Now, that it is official, what you see above is a trailer I cut, with my limited editing skills and resources (on my laptop). Working on a low budget film, you really can’t always afford the luxury of a studio.
So yes, please go ahead, feel free to post it in your blog and organise mass spamming through email, groups and communities across networking portals. I just checked Orkut and realised: That Four Letter Word community already has 98 members. If you are not yet part of it, you can join the gang here.
I don’t care if you rubbish it but do let people know that there’s a movie called That Four Letter Word that will release in Studio 5, slotted for the daily Four O Clock show.
If you are new to this blog, you can read some of the early reviews and reactions to the film here.
If you are a regular here, well, this is the first in the series of videos and posts that I had saved up for the pre-release buzz. So do come back for more. I will be posting videos including scenes from the film, celebrity responses and also resume blogging on the making of the film, something that I had to suspend to complete the making.
Now that it’s all done and set, I finally have the time (barely, given that the release is just two weeks away) to make some noise on the film.
Given that it is a low-budget independent film, That Four Letter Word, solely relies on the word of mouth generated by people like you. So please watch the movie. You should be able to book tickets from the blog shortly, I’m talking to Sathyam Cinemas to see how we can work that out. Else, please head to http://www.thecinema.in anytime around Valentines to book your seats.
I’m nervous and excited. Too many things, too little time. Not found time to work on the website yet. Just finished trailer after a non-stop marathon 15 hour editing session that started at ten last night and ended at 2.30 this afternoon. Hardly got three hours of sleep.
After numerous attempts trying to upload the trailer on to Youtube, finally some luck.
Next, I have to sit on getting posters and publicity materials ready. Then, the website and then if I have the time, the book on the Making of TFLW.
In between all this, I need to generate some sort of media buzz. So if you do know journalists or are one, please make them consider/consider writing about a movie made with four lakhs, after seven years of effort and two and a half attempts. After all, it’s not everyday that an independent film gets made in India, shot with a digital MiniDV camera, without the backing of studios or stars and actually makes it to the theatres. The film will release in most metros in the country after finishing the rounds in Studio 5. Else, you can catch it on the internet this summer or on TV shortly after that.
If this works, anybody will be able to make a movie and find an audience. For a market to emerge, we need to cultivate it. Support indie cinema. Support fresh thought.
This Valentine’s season, spread the word.
That Four Letter Word.
Evam’s Odd Couple
A HILARIOUS COMEDY about 2 OPPOSITES!
LAST 3 SHOWS at Sivagami pethachi auditorium , Luz Church Rd , Alwarpet
(near isabella hospital, near old lifestyle)
On 03 FEB 2007- 7.15 PM
On 04 Feb 2007- 3.30 pm and 7.15 pm
BOOK TICKETS simply at http://www.evam.in or call 9840222363 / 9840612333 or Call 42244224 for door delivery
Starring: Karthik Srinivasan, Karthik Kumar, Anuradha Ananth, Kalyani Kumar, Sarvesh Sridhar, Navin Balalacahnder,Shankar Ramachandran and Sunil Vishnu K
Duration: 110 minutes
The Plot
Two divorced men decide to share a New York apartment. That’s the premise of The Odd Couple by evam……
Felix and Oscar are an extremely odd couple: Felix is neurotic, precise, and fastidiously clean. Oscar, on the other hand, is the exact opposite: sloppy and casual. What happens when the two friends are forced to share an apartment, and their differing lifestyles inevitably lead to conflicts- a full laugh riot for the audiences. Add to that their Saturday night poker gang friends: Vinnie- the dutiful husband, Murray- the cop, Roy-Oscar’s accountant and the sarcastic Speed , and the possibility of a date with the Cuckoo Pigeon sisters who live in the same apartment- you’ve got a chaotic entertainer for sure!
This Neil Simon situational comedy on one hand is about two opposite people (out of their marriages) deciding to stay together and the chaos and humour which is generated as a result, while on the other hand the story is about friendship, and loneliness — it gives us a glimpse into what makes us cling on to our friends even when they are so opposite to us and can drive us over the wall with their antics — the uncanny bond, which makes friendship such an odd-even relationship! Somewhere it also touches about how easy it is to lose people and how difficult to stay on and make things work — and sometimes you don’t get a choice at all!
A perfect Stress Buster for THE AUDIENCE-hilarious fun!
Reviews:
“In evam’s hands it was two hours of mirthful laughter for the audience. The play’s success goes beyond even the direction to the two main characters. Their timing was perfect and they played with changing the pace, with pauses, with sulks and silences. they presented an interesting variety, a group made up of very different individuals…
– The Hindu
No, that was not my review.
I’m yet to watch it and hope to catch it during the weekend.
I’m yet to watch it and hope to catch it during the weekend.
Hollywoodland, Flags of our Fathers & Heroes
I’m not sure if it’s a co-incidence that the last three things I saw with my buddy D turned out to be about heroes and what they are made of.
Based on the true story of George Reeves, the guy who played Superman and shot himself, the film examines a very basic question, which incidentally, also turned out to be the starting point for my own That Four Letter Word: What do we want from the rest of our lives?
The guy everybody likes to watch on TV, George (Ben Affleck), does not want to play Superman (“I look like a damned fool,” he says seeing himself in costume, later wondering: “You can’t see my penis, can you?”). He wanted to be a real actor. He would chase this dream to no end. But the big question was: Was he capable of being a great actor?
The guy investigating his death, Simo Louis (a fictional character created by cinematic licence played by Adrian Brody) the guy who watches over people’s lives, wants to be the greatest detective. But the big question was: Was he capable of being a great detective?
We all want to be heroes, don’t we? But were we meant to be? Do we have it in us? How do we know unless we’ve tried? When and where do we stop?
These questions fascinate me. Because, these in many ways, captures our deepest insecurities and fears. With two weeks for release, I keep telling myself: If I don’t turn out to be a decent filmmaker, I’m not quitting till I become one. I’m raring to go with my second.
Anyways, the next film I saw right after Hollywoodland was:
Flags of our Fathers:
This one’s puts heroes under the microscope. Do real heroes see themselves as heroes? What makes them heroes? Did they start out trying to be heroes or did a set of incidents put them on a pedestal?
Clint Eastwood delves deep into the minds of a bunch of unlikely heroes — American soldiers who shot to fame because a photograph of them hoisting a flag in enemy territory made it to the headlines.
Thanks to a picture, people perceived them as heroes but these are guys who’ve been traumatized by the war, seen their friends die and fought hard to stay alive. The fact that they were being celebrated when many of their friends died sudden explosive deaths doesn’t help that trauma.
As the son of one of these heroes later says in the movie:
“I finally came to the conclusion that maybe he was right, maybe there are no such things as heroes, maybe there are just people like my dad. I finally came to understand why they were so uncomfortable being called heroes. Heroes are something we create, something we need. It’s a way for us to understand what is almost incomprehensible, how people could sacrifice so much for us? But for my dad and these men, the risks they took, the wounds they suffered, they did that for their buddies. They may have fought for their country but they died for their friends. For the man in front, for the man beside him, and if we wish to truly honor these men we should remember them the way they really were. The way my dad remembered them. “
I can’t wait to see Eastwood’s take on the Japanese side of the war, ‘Letters from Iwo Jima.’
If ‘Flags of our Fathers’ got two Oscar nominations for the year and ‘Letters from Iwo Jima’ has got him four nominations including Best Director, Best Picture and Best Screenplay this year. You can imagine my excitement.
I saw the first two movies last night. Tonight, in the middle of my colour correction (yes, I did manage to brighten up a couple of scenes which people found dark in That Four Letter Word), I watched:
Heroes:
It’s a new TV series D downloaded off the net because he heard a lot of good things about it.
After watching the pilot, I’m hooked. It’s super promising if you are a comic book lover and also if you like what the film versions have done with Spidey and X-Men: Exploring the human side of heroes.
The reason for the post is because somewhere in the middle as one of the key characters Mohinder (supposed to be from Madras of all places) tells his class in University of Madras (wearing a suit and all, speaking to sethji type extras):
“Man is a narcissistic species by nature. We have colonized the four corners of our tiny planet. But we are not the pinnacle of so-called evolution. That honor belongs to the lowly cockroach. Capable of living for months without food. Remaining alive headless for weeks at a time. Resistant to radiation. If God has indeed created Himself in His own image, then I submit to you that God is a cockroach. They say that man uses only a tenth of his brain power. Another percent, and we might actually be worthy of God’s image. Unless, of course, that day has already arrived. The Human Genome Project has discovered that tiny variations in man’s genetic code are taking place at increasingly rapid rates. Teleportation, levitation, tissue re-generation. Is this outside the realm of possibility? Or is man entering a new gateway to evolution? Is he finally standing at the threshold to true human potential?”
Soon, we find him getting profound:
“Where does it come from, this quest? This need to solve life’s mysteries, when the simplest of questions can never be answered. Why are we here? What is the soul? Why do we dream? Perhaps we’d be better off not looking at all. Not doubting, not yearning. That’s not human nature. Not the human heart. That is not why we are here.”
And a coupla scenes later, he has this for an answer:
“Some individuals, it is true, are more special. This is natural selection. It begins as a single individual born or hatched like every other member of their species. Anonymous. Seemingly ordinary. Except they’re not. They carry inside them the genetic code that will take their species to the next evolutionary rung. It’s destiny.”
Now, is there anything at all called co-incidence?
Oh, yes, it does seem like one big co-incidence that I’ve been watching movies/TV series about heroes. And, I just remembered that in a few hours from now, I have to go for the press preview of ‘Rocky Balboa’!
To wrap up this post on heroes, their insecurities and the need to keep fighting, I leave you with the punchline from Syl Stallone (from Rocky Balboa):
“Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It is a very mean and nasty place and it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t how hard you hit; it’s about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. How much you can take, and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done. Now, if you know what you’re worth, then go out and get what you’re worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hit, and not pointing fingers saying you ain’t where you are because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain’t you. You’re better than that!”
MADRAS INK. 