Tuesday, March 08, 2005

Not by Appointment*

To think I almost didn’t see it.
Sivarathri and an unexpected holiday for Sudha called for hurried movie plans. What can we see? scour papers. Tucked quietly among large ads for Chand Bhuj Gaya, Chand Sa Roshan Chehra and Zameer (The Fire Within) was a small box announcing Sky Captain and The World of Tomorrow. What’s that? Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow!? oh, ok. Consult Sudha – she’s heard it’s worth a go, so we go.

WOW! What a terrifically good looking movie this is. Made entirely on computer graphics barring the actors, this is a futuristic, comic book-inspired, save-the-world adventure. And it’s set in 1939 and wears a gorgeous, absolutely stunning retro look. Plus, an additional factor that never fails to thrill me – a debutant director in Kerry Conran. Style over substance, perhaps, but this is one of those times when it doesn’t matter.

++++

And I came home to get caught up in an old Telugu movie on TV – Krishna and Vijaya Nirmala in Meena, a movie based on a novel by Yaddanapudi Sulochana Rani. Surprisingly, it had overtones of The Grand Sophy – much more emotional, of course – but a rather good adaptation, if it was one.

That brings up accidental delights of the day to two. Lucky me.

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*Not by appointment do we meet delight
Or joy; they heed not our expectancy;
But round some corner of the streets of life
They of a sudden greet us with a smile.
--Essie Summers

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