Post by Vits on Jan 1, 2019 12:40:19 GMT
The 1st segment in the anthology BOMBAY TALKIES is the kind of misguided infidelity melodrama that makes your jaw drop. Think R. Kelly's TRAPPED IN THE CLOSET (there's even a moment where someone weirdly counts to 4!) except I didn't even feel like laughing at the insanity. It opens with with a young man named AVINASH entering a house with the body language of a gangster who's about to make the home owner pay a debt... except that it's his house! He wakes his father up by grabbing him and yelling at him in a way that feels like an arguement that has been going on for a while. Even without the misplaced dialogue, there's no emotional weight because we have no idea who these people are yet. Even if we did, it wouldn't make things that much better, because their relationship isn't even the main focus, so the scene feels like a waste of time! He befriends a co-worker named GAYATRI and then develops a crush on DEV, her closeted husband. AVINASH wants him to witness a performance from someone whose repertoire includes the kind of music they both like. A professional entertainer? No, a homeless child who sings for money! She's not his friend or anything; it just so happens that he saw her on the street. The movie doesn't even clarify how many times he has seen. Oh, and DEV is the one that ends up giving her money, instead of... you know, the person who invited him!
3/10
LUST STORIES is a rare (or the only?) anthology sequel that has the exact same directors as its predecessor. I wouldn't have guessed it, considering that more creative risks are taken. The results aren't always good, but that's better than playing it safe. The 1st segment is subtly experimental, but there isn't enough content to justify its running time. The 2nd one is terrible, because it feels like like a prelude in search of a plot. The 3rd one is so well-directed that it kept me hooked despite being written like a play rather than a movie and despite having the least original story in the group. The 4th one starts off as cute, but it feels like they didn't know how to end it. Also, it steals the gag from a certain Hollywood rom-com. A gag that wasn't even that funny 9 years ago. At least least the script writers of that movie and the 1 or 2 other movies that also stole it knew that it deserved to be used in a throw-away scene. This segment uses it to trigger the climax, causing an abrupt tone switch. I don't understand why the makers chose this title for the movie. There are very few sex scenes and they're quite tame, and the tales aren't really about sexual desire. There's one about jealousy and one about sexual unsatisfaction. 2 are about a forbidden relationship, but they're presented in a melancholic way.
5/10
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AVINASH goes to his workplace and, when DEV asks him why, AVINASH gets nervous and doesn't give a straight answer. As if that wasn't stalkerish enough, he literally sniffs DEV's neck! DEV punches AVINASH and the movie seems to imply that DEV is wrong for taking his self-hatred out on someone else! No! Later, DEV apologizes to AVINASH and kisses him. AVINASH tells GAYATRI what happened. Why is he ruining his own plan?! No way he grew a conscience that quickly! Maybe it's a way to get back at DEV for hitting him, so he doesn't really care about GAYATRI's feelings. The segment ends with the homeless girl singing in front of DEV, who says "Sorry, I have no money." What?! Is he homeless now?! I get that she kicked him out of the house, but what about his job?!
You know what the worst part is? This is my favorite segment! Not because the performances are good (they are), but because at least it's memorable. The other segments are forgettable and boring and the points they choose to end the story at feel wrong. A tribute to Indian cinema is included (when this movie came out, it was celebrating 100 years). It's well-made, but I'm not sure if a theatrically-released feature film was the best place to put it in. At least not one that's almost 10 minutes long... and that's shown after the directors' names have appeared but before the rest of the end credits.3/10
LUST STORIES is a rare (or the only?) anthology sequel that has the exact same directors as its predecessor. I wouldn't have guessed it, considering that more creative risks are taken. The results aren't always good, but that's better than playing it safe. The 1st segment is subtly experimental, but there isn't enough content to justify its running time. The 2nd one is terrible, because it feels like like a prelude in search of a plot. The 3rd one is so well-directed that it kept me hooked despite being written like a play rather than a movie and despite having the least original story in the group. The 4th one starts off as cute, but it feels like they didn't know how to end it. Also, it steals the gag from a certain Hollywood rom-com. A gag that wasn't even that funny 9 years ago. At least least the script writers of that movie and the 1 or 2 other movies that also stole it knew that it deserved to be used in a throw-away scene. This segment uses it to trigger the climax, causing an abrupt tone switch. I don't understand why the makers chose this title for the movie. There are very few sex scenes and they're quite tame, and the tales aren't really about sexual desire. There's one about jealousy and one about sexual unsatisfaction. 2 are about a forbidden relationship, but they're presented in a melancholic way.
5/10
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You can read comments of other movies in my blog.