twistednerves Reviews

The Mistress of Spices (2005)

Light but tantalizing.

[8/10 · 26 August 2006]

All the prickly hate surrounding this film is perplexing. Aishwarya Rai fills the chapals of Tilo perfectly and Dylan McDermott is ravishing as Doug. The chemistry between Rai and McDermott is palpable.

The source material for the film is pretty thin itself. So given that Berges was able to fashion this tasty, meaty film -- that lets you feel the sizzle of the chilies or the lapping of the almond milk while providing a cute folktale in the U.S. -- is commendable.

The movie's failing attribute is how slow it is to start -- but a quirky cast and hypnotic cinematography make this a movie that's easily along the lines of The Lake House or Chocolat in the realm of accessible magical realism.

Spice World (1997)

Just shut your brain off for some guilty fun.

[8/10 · 4 June 2006]

Spice World is not brilliant cinema. It's utter pap. But it's hilarious if you can get over the fact that the movie is intended to be taken as seriously as the Spice Girls themselves: that is, NOT AT ALL. The movie is a ridiculously campy, plot hole-ridden piece of movie cake.

There are appearances by Elton John, Alan Cumming and even Meatloaf and all of it just adds to the fact that time will look back on Spice World as a campy gem. Go consult a list of Oscar winners if you want a proper film. The Spice Girls did what even Britney Spears couldn't do -- make a movie that proves to be irreverent and mocking enough to win over the hearts of any willing skeptic.

Memo to Victoria Beckham/Posh Spice: Please spare us any future records and take a break from fashion -- you missed your calling as a comic actress.

X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)

Lukewarm!

[4/10 · 25 May 2006]

This was a trilogy, Brett. Trilogy.

Honey, stick to your day job and directing 'Rush Hour' sequels 'cause you botched this baby up big-time. Killing major characters and rendering other major characters useless and introducing characters that do absolutely nothing? I mean seriously. Here's a movie that fails by a long shot to live up to the promise of its first two parts.

For marketing purposes, package the first two DVDs together and send this one directly to the bargain bins.

Yeah and having Halle Berry carrying the burden of X3? Really, really stupid decision.

Bryan Singer, we really really miss you.

American Dreamz (2006)

Grapefruit sorbet, anyone?

[8/10 · 25 March 2006]

American Dreamz....dreams with a z...

Ensemble comedies that are uproariously funny are few and far in between and when you have a film like this that boasts the screen talents of everyone from Marcia Gay Harden to Hugh Grant to Mandy Moore to Shohreh Aghdashloo and every single player makes the film work, you know it's a keeper.

Dennis Quad is delicious as a President with the same moral and intellectual sensibilities as the current president and Harden's fabulous as his First Lady. Let's add Dafoe who's hilarious as the overzealous VP.

But my most favorite scene has to be when four terrorists are hanging out in the jacuzzi of a Persian family in California and the matriarch of the house offers them grapefruit sorbet -- the matriarch being none other than Shohreh Aghdashloo (featured most recently on Will & Grace, ER but also on 24 and also House of Sand and Fog.)

Any film that can marry politics and pop culture this successfully and with such a talented cast goes down in my book as one not to miss. But then again, I'm nuts for anything Shohreh does and this film is proof positive that she, in addition to everyone else in the cast, are stellar, stellar players.

Bride & Prejudice (2004)

Self-consciously cheesy, but good fun...

[10/10 · 28 November 2004]

When I first started watching Bollywood flicks back in the day, I was always on my high horse (being a connoisseur of independent and foreign cinema that I am), and I was constantly berating these movies which always had seemingly trite plots, typical main characters, and a number of flaws spawning from lazy scriptwriting/editing. Over the years, though, I've continued watching it because I love the sound of the music and the way everything surreally breaks into song and dance -- no matter how ridiculous the music itself is.

What Gurinder Chadha has done here is create a very, very solid Bollywood movie. Unlike most Bollywood flicks, "Bride & Prejudice" has a solid script. I can't attest to the effectiveness of the film's adaptation of the novel, but I genuinely loved this movie enough to know that once it becomes available on DVD, I will go out and buy it. The songs are very typical, yes -- as are the dance routines, but that's all this is. I don't think Chadha was aiming to make a be-all, end-all of Bollywood movies to introduce the genre to Western audiences. Another note: everyone seems to comopare this to Chadha's previous flick -- "Bend it Like Beckham" -- the two are incomparable...it's like comparing apples and oranges. This is strictly lighthearted fare and succeeds at it.

The acting in the film supports the movie itself. That means that while nothing is exceptional acting, this movie is supposed to just be a feel-good romantic comedy and all the performances in the flick (especially Nadira Babbar's) contribute to that. The jokes -- while some are a bit tired -- deliver the laughs.

I also want to disagree with those who complain about the lack of chemistry between Rai and Henderson's characters because I think they work just fine; they're able to show the cultural clash well in the way their characters don't exactly sweep each other off their feet. And Rai needs to be commended for doing what few Bollywood actresses would do: giving up fame and fortune to try new acting prospects.

If you're looking for the apex of cinematic art, don't watch this flick, but if you're looking for a two-hour feel-good romp littered with bright colors and toe-tapping musical numbers, this is right up your alley. It gives us a break from the by-the-numbers romantic comedies that Hollywood's been churning out for so many years.

One last thing: this film is not Bollywood, but it is done in the style of Bollywood and perhaps that's why the self-conscious aspects of the movie also succeed. The large song and dance routines are a bit random, but then also become part of the backdrop for larger events of the movie to take place.

All in all, Chadha's made another great flick! Go check it out if you can!