Movie Thoughts of late

Saathiya: The Tamil original Alaipayuthey has often been likened to "old wine in new bottle", and an interesting new bottle at that. That's where Saathiya doesn't score for me: it exposes the limitations of the story when not backed up with strong performances and a consistent rendering of the script. Yes,I was probably never going to praise the Hindi remake and perhaps familiarity does breed contempt, but I was really quite bored in the middle of the film. I thought the songs didn't come out so well in Hindi (as recorded here), so I was probably biased against it anyway. I found the film very uneven in all departments. But shouldn't Shaad Ali be allowed to make mistakes in his very first film?
(On the Tamil version and why I now know what my colleague was complaining about in Saathiya)

Schindler's List: Couple of thoughts still buzz around: how incredibly complex it must have been to make a film like that (just thinking of all that continuity boggles the mind) and I also wondered why it didn't get any major acting awards. Checked out the Oscars for 1993: Tom Hanks in Philadelphia was richly deserved of course, but not sure if Tommy Lee Jones (in The Fugitive) should've got the nod over Ralph Fiennes or even Ben Kingsley.

Cast Away: Talking of Hanks and Philadelphia brings to mind the amazing physical transformation he achieved in that film, something that is reprised in Cast Away. Quite a one-man show, this one. Not many would have the guts to make a mainstream film like this one.

Octopussy: is by the far the worst Bond film I have seen so far - no memorable stunts (auto-rickshaws ploughing through fruit-seller's cart appears even in every other desi phillim), nothing especiale in the looks dept., Kabir Bedi shouting Piichhaa Karo! isn't my idea of a Bond henchman and nor is a Vijay-Amritraj-replete-with-Binaca-teeth my idea of local Indian acting talent. Miaaow this at your own peril.