casting:
Elijah Wood - Martin, an American student
John Hurt - Arthur Seldom, a British authority on logical series.
Leonor Watling - Lorna, a Spanish nurse.

Elijah Wood...an enthusiastic american mathematics student who comes to cambridge to complete his P.hd thesis under the great mathematician Arthur Seldom...about whom its said ''a few hours with Seldom is worth a lifetime for a maths. std''....the landlady where martin stays has ''a special'' relationship with Seldom...but oneday when he is back home he meets Seldom at the door,both of them enter the room together....and what they find..''the old woman murdered brutally''.....and a series of murders takes place in cambridge and and the rest of the story is they try to solve the murder mysteries with the help of goddamned Mathematics....as Seldom puts everything in this world can be solved with logics and reasoning.....and Mathematics is the only language known to mankind which speaks the truth of logic and reasoning...and find out whether Seldom was right or wrong.....thats it.

8.5/10

Runtime - 109 minutes
Starring - Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly & Marlon Wayans
Written By - Hubert Selby Jr., Darren Aronofsky
Directed By - Darren Aronofsky.

Requiem for a Dream is a masterpiece which depicts different forms of addiction, leading to characters imprisonment in a dream world of delusion n reckless desperation, which is then overtaken n devastated by reality. It is undoubtedly, the most powerful, shocking n xtremely moving film I've ever seen.

Its a story about 4 people. Harry(Leto), his mother Sara(Ellen), his girlfriend Marion(Jennifer) n his friend(Tyrone). The film is presented in 3 phases: Summer, Fall n Winter showing the progression of the addiction.

Summer is the time when everything is going fine. All dreams looked possible. Fall starts n the characters begin to diminish n die a little. By Winter, the characters are destroyed & devastated completely by their addictions.

Director Darren Aronofsky has done a brave job by taking up this subject. This story deserved to be told on big screen. Its not a movie completely about substance abuse but addiction in a wider sense. Cinematography is completely different from other movies, split-screen is used extensively here along with the close-ups.

The score is a masterpiece, easily among the greatest soundtracks ever. The score n tight editing will haunt you for years to come. The last half hour of the film is among the most harrowing of any film ever made. The ending is, sheer power. The film leaves a huge impression, infact a huge scar which you're proud to wear.

This film is a must for all. I can guarantee tht you'll not be disappointed. Yes, it is depressing, not a happy ending fairy tale but thts what the motive was. Its an eye-opener for those who thinks drugs n all is cool, This film has a serious warning for all. A Must Watch.

Strongly Recommended.

Rating - 9.5/10

Runtime - 2 hrs
Starring - Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Ted Lavine
Written By - Ted Tally
Directed By - Jonathan Demme.

This masterpiece is a bone-chilling experience. Sweeping all 5 major Academy Awards (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor & Best Actress) is no easy task but thts what this classic did. Acting, direction, editing, music, screenplay, cinematography... its all class.

This is director Jonathan Demme's smart, taut thriller teeters on the edge between psychological study & all-out horror & benefits greatly from stellar performances by Anthony Hopkins & Jodie Foster.

Silence of the Lambs is the story of a young FBI trainee Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) who seeks the advice of the imprisoned Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) on catching a serial killer known as 'Buffalo Bill' (Ted Lavine). A major part of the film is psychological more than violent. Still not a film for all ages, coz of the many disturbing scenes.

Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling holds the movie together. Anthony Hopkins made the cannibalistic Dr. Hannibal Lecter, the most feared villain of all time. Lecter is so odd a mixture of intelligence, cruelty, insanity, grace & charisma, n its all coz of Hopkins smart performance. Just 16 min of screen presence n an Oscar for Best Actor in his bag. The game between Lecter n Starling is an art in itself.

The Silence of the Lambs goes down as the greatest suspense film ever. Its dark, gory, creepy, suspenseful, confusing yet breathtaking, exciting n bone chilling. This, one of the most mentally frightening film of all time, is A Must Watch for nyone who wanna see some intelligent film-making. If you want to see a thriller tht will have you on the egde of your seat, then this film is Strongly Recommended. Watch out for the world's most famous cannibal in cinema history. The thriller to thrill all thrillers... thts The Silence of the Lambs.

Rating - 9.5/10

There are a few films taken in Telugu language way back in the late 50’s; but are still very much popular in the Southern film world and every person cherishing them even today. This speaks volumes of the amount of hard work and dedication which had gone to make these films so memorable. Three of such mega-hits are:

 

♦  Maya Bazaar

♦ Missamma

♦ Gundamma Katha.

 

 

In each of these films all the four reigning artistes of those times namely NTR, ANR, SVR and Savitri are present. All these actors had lots of talent and performed in their own style, which contributed to the huge success of the films. Besides, the songs in them have very good lyrics and are truly melodious.

 

I would like to discuss briefly about each of these films.

 

 

MAYA BAZAAR

 

This mythological film, released in the 1957, is based on a folklore called “Sasirekha Parinayam”, which is supposed to be part of the epic Mahabharatha. This was later remade into Tamil also.

 

 

 

Cast: NT Rama Rao ,SV Ranga Rao, ANR, Savitri, Gummadi Venkateshwara Rao, Mukkamala and Relangi Venkatramaiah, Rushyendramani

Director: K.V Reddy

 

Synopsis: The background of the film is that at the time of Pandava`s exile, Arjuna sends his wife Subhadra(Rushyendramani) to Dwaraka to stay with her brothers, Krishna(NTR) and Balarama(Gummadi Venkateshwara Rao).

 

Here, Arjuna’s son, Abhimanyu(ANR) and Balarama’s daughter, Sasirekha(Savitri) start to love each other right from childhood and so, the families agree to get them married. However, as the Pandavas are in exile, Duryodhana(Mukkamala) comes and persuades Balarama to give the hand of Sasirekha to his son, Lakshmana Kumara (Relangi). Balarama agrees, but due to Krishna’s intervention, Sasirekha  gets wedded to her sweetheart, Abhimanyu.

 

The drama that follows with Ghatotkacha(SVR), in the guise of Sasirekha, coming and getting ready for marriage to Lakshmana Kumara and the real Sesirekha blissfully getting married to Abhimanyu  forms the central plot of the film.

 

 

Review: The animation scenes, which were perfectly made at the time when technology was still at its starting stages, are interesting to watch. NTR, as usual, was at his best in his role as Lord Krishna. SVR's portrayal of Ghatotkacha is notable and he, along with comedian Relangi display nice, decent comedy. The songs are lively, with music scored by the legendary singer Ghantasala.

 

 

MISSAMMA

 

This social film was released in Telugu in 1955 and was remade in Tamil(as Missiamma) and in Hindi (as Miss Mary).

 

 

 

 

Cast: SV Ranga Rao, NT Rama Rao, A.Nageswara Rao, Savitri, Jamuna, Relangi Venkatramaiah, Bala Krishna, Ramana Reddy, Gummadi Venkateswara Rao

Director: L.V Prasad

 

Synopsis: A village zamindar, Gopalam(SVR) gives an advertisement in the paper stating that he wants a married couple to run his school. Rao(NTR) and Mary(Savitri) posing as a newly-wed couple go and join the job. There, Sita(Jamuna) gets attracted to NTR and asks him to teach her music and dance.  Meanwhile Mary, to control her auguish, tries to teach music to A.K Raju(ANR) – who is  the school’s ex-principal and also an amateur detective.

 

Now, the zamindar has two daughters, one of whom gets lost approximately 20 years back.  One is Sita and the other one turns out to be Mary whose actual name is MahaLakshmi. Thus, the film ends on a happy note with all mysteries resolved and Rao marrying Mahalakshmi. 

 

Review: The acting of NTR and Savitri and the drama between that goes between them is the most interesting feature of the film and provides enough humour, even for the non-Telugu people.  The comedy scenes by Relangi Venkatramaiah and Ramana Reddy are simply superb. ANR, in his role as a private detective, looks a bit comical. There are many enjoyable songs in the picture. Though not strictly a message oriented film, the film also deals with the underlying issue of unemployment.  This can be said to be one of the greatest hits in the telugu film world and brought immense fame to the director.

 

 

GUNDAMMA KATHA

 

 This film was released in the year 1962 and is considered a masterpiece in the Telugu film realm.

 

 

 

 

 

Cast: NT Rama Rao, A. Nageswara Rao, SV Ranga Rao, Savitri, SuryaKantham Jamuna, Relangi Venkat Ramaiah, Chayadevi, Harinath, Rajanala, Ramana Reddy

Director: Kamalakar Kameshwar Rao

 

Synopsis: It is a pure family drama which revolves around a proud mother, Gundamma (Suryakantham’)s family. Gundamma is a rich widow who stays with her son, Prabhakar(Harinath),daughter Saroja(Jamuna) and step daughter, Lakshmi (Savitri). Saroja, being the love-lorn daughter, happens to be a little bit arrogant while Lakshmi is humble and decent. As both Saroja and Lakshmi come of age, Gundamma, keeps herself busy searching for suitable grooms.

 

Ramabhadraiah(SVR), a wealthy landlord, who has two marriageable sons, Anji (NTR) and Raja(ANR) comes to know of Gundamma and her daughters. He visits her place, but finds Saroja’s attitude a bit disturbing. Therefore, he tells his sons to go anonymously and first  transform Saroja into a well-behaved girl before winning the girls' hands. Anji goes in the guise of a servant, sees Lakshmi and weds her. Raja goes and wins the heart of Saroja. He marries her and brings about a change in her attitude, posing as a drunkard and a thief in the process. At the end, Gundamma also changes for the better and all live together happily in Ramabhadraiah’s home.

 

 

 

                                                                                                       A scene from the film Gundamma Katha

                                                                                                           

Review: ANR and NTR who act as brothers form the major highlight in the film. The numerous mild comedy scenes and humerous dialogues which are present throughout the film are commendable. The performance of NTR posing as a servant and a guardian to the house is good. The songs are appropriate and have rich lyrical value. The music composed by the legendary singer, Ghantasala, is a masterpeice and appeals to even today’s youth.

 

These films have become so popular and inspirational that even today, attempts are being made to present these goldies to the audience in color, fully confident that the color versions would become a huge success at the box office. Already the film Mayabazaar has been released in color with 55 prints last week and is giving a visual treat to all NTR and ANR fans.