Though the full lineup won’t be announced until tomorrow, a little bird has let me know that Joshua Weinstein’s documentary Flying on One Engine will premiere at SXSW. This one looks unmissable.
Dr. Sharadkumar Dicksheet is a wheelchair-bound larynx-less surgeon who nevertheless travels often to India to perform dozens of free surgeries on severely deformed children. Though he appears frail, not surprisingly since his heart functions at only 18% of its capacity, the marathon surgery sessions seem to give him energy. Did I mention that he’s been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize eight times? Weinstein’s film promises to share much more of this very special man’s life with us.
Here’s an interview with the director that gives us a hint of what’s in store.
OT: Our Town (USA, 2002, Scott Hamilton Kennedy, director): What happens when Dominguez High School in Compton, California decides to put on a school play for the first time in twenty years? This documentary reveals all. This is an experience so genuine and thrilling, so full of real characters and real drama, that you’d think it would be a dramatic feature (ie. a made-up story). Despite less than perfect video and sound quality, this impeccably-edited documentary pulls us into the lives of a group of talented, creative high school students in a place mostly known for “gangsta rap.” 9/10
A Peck On The Cheek (India, 2002, Mani Ratnam, director): This is the first Indian film I’ve seen in the Tamil language, and while it does share some similarities with other Indian films (wonderful music and choreography, sweeping storyline), the director attempts more than just to entertain. The film tells the story of Amudha, a precocious nine-year old whose parents reveal to her that she was adopted, thus beginning an odyssey that takes them all from India to war-torn Sri Lanka. Gorgeous visuals mix with horrifying scenes of violence expressly to make a point, though it is a simplistic one. Amudha is played by P.S. Keerthana, and she is one of the few child actors I’ve seen who can be precocious and yet not annoying. Her charm and beauty held the film together. 9/10
Brooke is away until tomorrow, so tonight I invited Brent (my ex-roommate and best man) over to sample my latest culinary triumph, Apple and Caraway Stuffed Chicken Breasts (I changed the recipe to leave out the currants). Don’t worry. I’ve made this for Brooke twice already. We ate dinner watching The Man Who Came To Dinner (1942), accompanied by half a bottle of Château La Baronne. Things sure have changed since my bachelor days!
The movie was fine, but marred I think by some odd casting. Bette Davis is great, but playing opposite her was some rube named Richard Travis, who was absolutely wooden and boring. It’s no wonder he was limited to B-movies for the rest of his career. And Jimmy Durante? Well, it’s a good thing his screen time was limited to about 15 minutes, as that’s about all I could take. I love screwball comedies, but there are many finer examples than this. From this era alone, you could take His Girl Friday (1940), or The Philadelphia Story (1940), or any of Preston Sturges’ films (The Lady Eve (1941), The Palm Beach Story (1942), Sullivan’s Travels (1942)). It’s true that they don’t make films like this anymore, and The Man Who Came To Dinner would be a great film if released today. It’s just not that great when compared to some of the other greats of its time.
By way of contrast, this morning I watched a recent Bollywood blockbuster, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998). Unbelievably corny, and filled with impossible plot twists; nevertheless, I was completely absorbed. The chemistry between the two leads was very real, and the emotions were genuine. Well before the predictably happy ending, I was reaching for the Kleenex.
I’ve become interested in the Hindi film industry (often referred to as “Bollywood”) over the past few months. I’ll admit that what got me interested were the song from a film called Gumnaam (1965) which was used in Ghost World (2001) and some of the music from Moulin Rouge! (2001). I bought a film called Sholay (1975) from a site called IndiaWeekly and was pleased to note that most Bollywood DVDs are not only long (three hours is average), but also ridiculously cheap, at least from this vendor. I think the disc was US$6.99.
Well, today I decided to try to track down some Indian DVDs here in Toronto. I found a bunch of Indian grocery stores around Bloor and Lansdowne and proceeded to look for some titles I’m interested in: Company (2002), Satya (1998), Amar Akbar Anthony (1977), and Jewel Thief (1967). Though these are all available online, I thought I’d try for a little instant gratification. Well, it was like pulling teeth. All Indian grocery stores seem to rent discs, but trying to buy one is an ordeal. They sell them, but don’t have them on display. Instead, they’d ask, “Which ones are you looking for?” and then search for them. I tried four different stores, and none of them had any of the discs I was searching for. And when I asked how much they usually sell for, I was told $25-35. Hello, IndiaWeekly? Clickety Click!
Oh, and last night? Well, last night we felt brainless and rented Shallow Hal (2001), the latest from the Farrelly brothers. It was actually pretty sentimental and “feel-good.” Unfortunately, it wasn’t very funny. And when it tried to be funny, it used either the self-deprecating humour of a man with spina bifida (which wasn’t funny), or relied on the old tried-and-true fat jokes, which in addition to running counter to the film’s “message,” also weren’t funny. It did manage a few moments of charm, but overall, I think the Farrellys are getting soft.
Latest Comments
RSSdoc holiday, James McNally, doc holiday, Jay Kerr
James McNally, Bazfan
M. Derbecker, Jay Kerr, Brooke Smith
Allan Pulker
Behind the Glass at Toronto Screen Shots
Daddy Tran: A Life in 3-D at Toronto Screen Shots