Brown Motion

D.G. Phalke is considered the father of Indian cinema.  As a middle class, hard working Maharashtrian fella in south Bombay under British rule he was fascinated by things that were breaking new ground.  In his era it was a short silent film, shot in black and white and shown in a dimly lit canvas tent as the latest attraction from the other continent. Not wanting to continue a life of mediocrity and somewhat frustrated by the status quo, Phalke with unequivocal support of his family, wife and two boys embarks on a crazy adventure the likes of which might compare to Edison's innovations with lighting systems or Tesla's research with designing alternating current. Harischandrachi Factory was the first (silent) movie that Phalke created, directed and released to audiences in India in 1913.  The DVD I (finally) watched with the same name (gifted by a cousin a while ago) is a biopic showcasing the tireless efforts Phalke undertook to bring cinema to the Indian masses and ...

Watched a rom com as in romantic comedy that plays more like a documentary cum autobiography of a desi born in the USA.  The movie is called 'Meet the Patels'.  The last name Patel is common to a large section of society native to the Western Indian state of Gujarat. India's current Prime Minister is himself a Gujarathi, although not a Patel.  The Gandhi also hailed from the same state. The film stars the entire Patel family as in the elder mom and dad along with their son Ravi (real and film name) and their daughter (Geeta) who spends most of the time behind the camera doing shaky filming. Now having grown up in India and interacting with several Patels in real life, I could relate to a lot of the comedy in the movie about how a conservative first generation couple would interfere in the life of their only son (the daughter stays behind the lens providing a running question and answer session through the film) who in their lexicon has reached 'marriage age' ...

Nobody I have ever seen (or can remember) in the movies before was the cast of this film.  In that sense it was a clean slate to go watch.  Film was Oscar nominated.  Means as much to me as a Rotten Tomatoes rating does. Nothing.  I rate a movie based on what I think of it.  Anyway aside from the group think vs. me think debate I thought this film is entertaining and has one line that takes the prize. That line is  - 'There are no two worse words more harmful in the English language than 'Good Job'.  That is what the band director (I thought was the protagonist but the film review team thinks was a side role) tells his drummer student in a bar (as they talk about bars and brass and drums and other lingo related to music). Movie revolves around a high school kid that grew up with one parent.  Wanting to play the drums he enrolls in a NY school to be the best he can be.  While he is focused on achieving this skill...

Had an opportunity to go see the US premiere of a Pakistani film (Hindi with English Subtitles) at the Castro theater in the Castro neighborhood of San Francisco.  Film is titled Dukhtar (urdu for daughter) and is about a rescue organized by a mother who cannot foresee being a silent part of a criminal undertaking where her underage daughter would be wed in an arranged marriage to a local warlord. The Castro district (so labeled to remember a one time Mexican Governer of Alta CA)  as it is called is a colorful community with a lot of non-straight individuals calling it home.  Wonderfully located on a hill slope rising in the middle of the 50 sq. mile city limits, I was also able to do a short hike up said hill (twin peaks) which I shall write about in another blog. The theater almost a 100 years old is reminiscent of the old days of movie watching.  It has still retained some of its patina, glazed tile street foyer Castro Entry and old ca...