Monsoon Wedding

Amazon.com

Monsoon Wedding is a return to form for Mira Nair, director of 1988's Salaam Bombay! Nair's gift for observation of the everyday and her love for her characters make for a delightful film, which spins a web of family relationships that knit and break during a wedding at a perfect pace. The excellent performances exceed the often stereotypical roles on offer (including the incomparable Nasiruddin Shah as the harassed father, Kulbhushan Kharbanda as the comic uncle, and Shefali Chaya as the orphaned cousin). Nair's sympathetic eye for the unnoticed and the harassed is at its best with the tender romance between the servant and Dube (Vijay Raaz), the marigold-munching, upwardly mobile wedding coordinator, who brings pathos and humor to the often unseen servant classes. The handheld camera gives a docudrama feel to this celebratory look at the upper-middle-class Hindu Punjabi joint family, while paying tribute to modern Indian public culture of music, television, and, of course, "Bollywood." --Rachel Dwyer

Customer Reviews:

Monsoon Wedding.......2007-07-23

This exhilarating Punjabi comedy of manners by the talented Mira Nair ("Salaam Bombay!") fuses Bollywood-style antics (and one extravagant dance sequence!) with crisp social observation. As chaos consumes the tradition-minded Verma and Rai clans, all bets are off--and some new ones are made--on who's pairing up with whom. Declan Quinn's roving camera spotlights the large and eccentric cast, but standouts are Shah and Vijay Raaz, the marigold-chewing nuptials planner who has eyes on a comely maid. Addressing the collision between West and East, as well as class difference in the hustle and bustle of modern Delhi, "Monsoon" is a buoyant, multifaceted comedy/drama that's as thoughtful and rich as a weighty novel.

monsoon wedding.......2007-07-14

I love this movie, as do my whole family..... I saw it on HBO and wanted to have it for my library. The way the story is told, it makes you feel like your part of it. For being shot in such a short length of time, it is really well done. I am fasinated with the indian culture, and I love their foods and music.
So this was the perfect blend for me.

Off the beaten path for me.......2007-06-16

Normally, this wouldn't be a DVD that I would pick off the shelf, but I have heard good things about it, and decided to get it. I was pleasantly surprised. It was a good movie and I couldn't believe that it was almost 2 hours long....it didn't drag at all. Maybe just the smallest bit slow in starting, but the people were so interesting I knew it would probably get better, and it did. Interesting backdrop in Delhi....I can't imagine the crowding and the heat in India. Part of their culture is different, of course, but we have a lot in common. I liked the fact that there were several stories going on, and all loose ends got tied up. I would recommend this movie to anyone who wants a break in the ordinary.

Colorful.......2007-05-30

I have never seen a Bollywood film and wasn't much interested in them. But I read such good reviews of this that I gave it a try.

I found the view into modern Indian upper middle class life interesting, particulary the blend of ancient culture and the new. Cell phones, mixed drinks, smoking cigarettes in the bathroom, crude references to sex, shopping...It seemed that they have picked up on the worst elements of Western society. golf? I think that's what dismayed me the most. I kept waiting for some sort of spirituality to emerge but that wasn't to be, not in this film.

The story is ok, in a simple way and the subplots of the romance of the servants and the child predator added some more interest. The character of the father of the bride is very well acted; he was probably the only person I felt any affinity for. The others just seemed so one dimensional that I couldn't take any of them very seriously.

The costumes are gorgeous. The colors are sumptuous and the overall feeling of celebration at the end is nice. There is certainly a warm family vibe--but they're all drinking so much that one wonders how genuine it really is.

I hate to say this for I fear I'll get some nasty comments addressed to me like I don't have a heart or brain...but I kept thinking that this movie would have played well in the US in about 1950. I just found it superficial, shallow and silly. However a whole lot of others loved it....so take your chances.

Inda - Monsoon Wedding.......2007-05-26

I like this DVD because it is a fun movie plus it shows life in India. It is hard to believe how crowded it is in Delhi.

Average customer rating:

Kama Sutra: Monsoon Wife
Director: Marlin Darrah
Manufacturer: Platinum Disc
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ASIN: B000BDH67Q
Release Date: 2005-09-12

Stormchasers (IMAX) (2-Disc WMVHD Edition)

Average customer rating:

Pass on this one. . .
Good
Great Sound Does Not Cut It!
IMAX Stormchasers
Great sound, good video, little content!

Stormchasers (IMAX) (2-Disc WMVHD Edition)
Starring: Howard Bluestein , Hal Holbrook , Surindra Bhandari , and Robert Sheets
Director: Greg MacGillivray
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00022PZ0Q
Release Date: 2004-06-29

Amazon.com

The power of tornadoes, hurricanes, hailstorms, and other severe weather serve as a reminder that, despite technological advances, there are elements of nature that still have us at their mercy. Stormchasers follows the meteorologists who put their lives in danger to chart and research severe storms. A group of scientists drive hundreds of miles per day to chase down tornadoes in the Midwest, lingering until the last possible second when they actually encounter a twister. Weather Service personnel send an airplane through the middle of Hurricane Emily, with everything that can be shaken loose inside the plane tethered down for the rough ride. The "making of" segment of Stormchasers documents the crew's hair-raising experiences as they placed themselves directly in the path of danger and doubted their own sanity for doing so. Interestingly, the filmmakers were forced to manufacture a monsoon when shooting in India; the results were convincing indeed. Originally shot in large format for IMAX theaters, Stormchasers gives the formation of menacing storms a beautifully lyrical quality and goes a long way toward explaining the weather phenomena that shape our lives. --Jerry Renshaw

Description

Follow the people who follow the storms. Prepare to take a ride inside some of the most extreme weather conditions experienced on earth. Hurricanes, monsoons, and tornadoes are the stars of "Stormchasers" (38 min.), an exhilarating large-format film by MacGillivray Freeman Films. Weather is one of the most evolving and exciting areas of science, one that we experience every day. In "Stormchasers," we join storm-chasing meteorologists who track extreme weather conditions in order to understand how they form. Ever wonder "how did they do that?" "The Making of 'Stormchasers'" (29 min.), shot in High-Definition Video, takes you behind the scenes. Disc 2 includes the complete feature in Microsoft Windows Media High Definition, playable on your PC.

Customer Reviews:

Pass on this one. . ........2005-10-03

This was a very disappointing DVD. IMAX has some great stuff but this was NOT one of them. The additional "Making footage" adds to the disappointment. 1. They mentioned how they had to make their own monsoon. This is moderately amusing until you learn (in the "making") that India was in the middle of a drought and they had tons of water trucked in to satisfy a deskbound producer who insisted they do it. 2. Wow, a plane flying through a hurricane. Great footage of the pilots looking out the windows at. . .white. Should you be impressed by the crew bouncing around? Not really. Especially when they pull back (again, during the "making") from the bouncing crew member to find a cameraman/technician lying down kicking his chair. Why? Because, (chuckle chuckle) the frames for the IMAX cameras are so good you can't really tell the crew is bouncing. . . . ? The footage from the glider sent to snag lightning is pretty darn good, but that is the only plus I give this DVD. In conclusion, don't waste your money.

Good.......2005-03-05

This is good for what it is - a short IMAX film about stormchasing. Most IMAX films are 45 minutes or less, so a viewer should not be expecting a real-life two hour version of Twister. It also covers a lot of material, so it doesn't go into depth. Also, the team fails to see tornadoes and then when they get one, they run out of film (this often happens in IMAX because they can only shoot something like 90 seconds at a time). Overall, though, pretty good.

Great Sound Does Not Cut It!.......2002-01-02

As a severe storm lover, I eagerly awaited this DVD. The opening sceen starts out wonderful with beautiful DTS sound. Then it quickly goes down hill from there. It interviews a few "Hurricance Experts" and chasers, shows video of them flying through the eyewall of Hurricane Emily. From there, well it really does not show much more on Hurricanes. Then Tornadoes are discussed. Video of only one tornado and the chase! I was disappointed! I was expecting lightning, towering thunderstorms and a few more tornado videos. If you want an excellent storm video, get National Geographic's "Natures Fury". It is superb compared to this. More footage and great sound.

IMAX Stormchasers.......2001-11-25

I was very disappointed with this video. There was little actual storm footage. Mostly about the weather equipment.

Great sound, good video, little content!.......2001-07-13

I'm not sure if it was the huge screen, or what, but when I saw this feature in Omnimax it was much more impressive! The video is good, the sound is awesome on a surround sound system, but there is little storm footage. If I wanted to watch the people who chase storms, I could turn on TLC or the Discovery channel.

Customer Reviews:

South Seas in a Swimming Pool.......2003-12-08

I read somewhere that this was filmed in the swimming pool at PRC, the doyen of poverty row movie makers. Maybe so, but it is amazing what a genius director like Edgar Ulmer (who gave us the wonderful "Detour") can do with a small budget. Gale Sondergaard is the madam of a south sea island brothel called "Isle of Forgotten Sins". John Caradine is her two-fisted, diver boyfriend who goes after sunken treasure with Frank Fenton, a rival for Gale's affections. Sinister Sidney Toler (Charlie Chan) is also along for the ride but I wont tell you what happens because it's well worth a look, especially at the cheap price. However, be prepared for a fair bit of rear projection, obvious miniatures and a puppet. But it's all good fun in an el cheapo sort of way, plus you also get a couple of songs for your trouble. I had to smile when the diver walked the deck of the sunken ship to the strains of what sounded like a pirate sea shanty. Wonderful stuff. The monsoon of the title, complete with wind, rain and a tidal wave, comes late in the picture. It's short but quite well done considering this is a PRC release. Now for the bad news. The Alpha dvd is taken from a VHS master (a few video drop-outs are evident) of a very worn print. The sound was very scratchy in places and particulary noticable during the tropical moon number. But it definately IS watchable.... and the all babes wear sarongs! Watcha waitin' for.

Average customer rating:

Simple Review
On par with a night of heavy drinking...
Complained on earlier review
An attempt to stir up some pretentious Indian charm

Tales of the Kama Sutra 2: Monsoon
Starring: Richard Tyson , Matt McCoy , Doug Jeffery , Gulshan Grover , and Dilip Raj
Director: Jag Mundhra
Manufacturer: Platinum Disc
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00008G8MF
Release Date: 1999-06-29

Customer Reviews:

Simple Review.......2007-04-25

This is below a B movie! The acting is atrocious! I made it through 3/4 of the movie and couldn't take it any longer! In one word... LAME!!

On par with a night of heavy drinking..........2006-04-26

I typically do not go this route when first introducing this film from a critiquing standpoint, but Monsoon was painful. This movie was not just painful to the eyes (as most film tend to be), but also painful to the ears, head, shoulders, knees, and especially the toes. This film was on par with a night of heavy drinking. I remember awakening from the slumber that this film induced and wondering if my body had decided to leave and head to the local watering hole for excitement. I apologize to the word painful for associating such a film with such a word, but Monsoon was excruciating. Beginning with the sleazy, nearly home-movie-ish opening to the clich? moments that plagued the entire plot and story of this film to the pathetic excuse for an ending, Monsoon did nothing but bring a black cloud upon the excitement that surrounds "Kama Sutra". I am surprised that those behind the business of "Kama Sutra" haven't brought lawsuits against this slanderous film. I suppose that one could say that I am being harsh, but I have trouble understanding how films, without any artistic moments, any detailed development, or any feasible acting can be a clean mark on the Hollywood community. This was one of those films that demonstrated to the world that if you have a camera and women are willing to expose themselves, than you ... yes you ... could have a potential film on your hands. Pathetic isn't it?

Again, I must apologize, but I do not remember much of how this film ended. I think that will stop me from needing to warn you about "spoilers", but that also tells me about the poor quality of everything leading up to this anti-climactic ending. I would like to begin my ranting with the opening of this film. Flashbacks are a huge element to defining the moment and sub-plots of a film, but when it decides to take history into its own hands and slap a simple mustache on our supposed heroine to show ethnicity, you immediately feel your stomach begin to curdle and all hope for decency soar out the window. That is how I felt at the beginning of Monsoon. From the third-grade CGI to the daytime television acting, I could only hope that this film would grow better over time. Yet another shining example of how time ruined my hopes and dreams.

As Monsoon developed (if that is what you would like to call it), the characters fell deeper within their clich? sinkholes and random intangible events seemed to take the place of a structured story. I do not believe that anyone that focused an evening on this film could accurately tell me the story surrounding this film. That is not a good sign. I honestly believe that it is due in great part to the acting that this film could never quite catch its moment of glory. Take for example the illustrious villain of this film, a man simply named Brian (doesn't that send shivers up your spine?) who seemed to sound more congested than sinister. I couldn't tell if someone else was doing his voice from behind the screen to give a stronger demeanor about the character, but whatever was happening was wrong. This man wasn't evil on a stick, but instead a sweet little lollypop with hair all over it. Yuck! Then we have our heroine. Kenneth. Could anyone have a decent name in this film? His entire story is so diluted that I was surprised not to see water trickling from his pockets. No emotion surrounds this character, no reasoning behind his actions, and foremost, any reality behind his words. I never once believed that Kenneth was nothing more than Richard Tyson playing a character whom could not act. Actually, as you look amongst all of our players in this film, there was not one that decently gave us an attempt to act. It felt as if they all were possibly using this film to pay their credit cards and to gain notoriety in an apparent "D" film market. It was as if I was watching an Acting 101 video on "How not to act in Cinema". It was that horrid.

I have nearly destroyed this film, but that does not make me happy. I have every intention of falling in love with every film that enters into my player, but when it doesn't even bother picking itself out of the muck like Monsoon, why should I bother enjoying. It is when I watch films like this that I miss Mystery Science Theater 3000 the most. Their ability to find the most wretched of films and point out its flaws to the world was priceless. Mystery Science Theater 3000 was created for films of this nature. If I was handed Monsoon as a film project and was asked to grade the power in front of the camera for director Jag Mundhra, here is how it would look:

Acting: F

Plot: F

Creativity: F

Interesting Use of Lighthouse: C

Reason for being in Hollywood: E (oh, it was that bad)

As I deeply cleaned the burning sensation from my eyes, I dreamed of a life without Monsoon, and my face broke into a very enthusiastic smile!

Grade: * out of *****

Complained on earlier review.......2002-04-04

Earlier review by a Pakistani viewer sounds more of a triade against India and Indian movie industry rather than anything said on the movie.
The review is distasteful and is more about political views of the concerned person rather than about movie.
Please remove this review... doesn't help anybody.

An attempt to stir up some pretentious Indian charm.......1999-05-27

This one's a disappointment. Given the hype some of the affluent circles in India had been giving it, this turned out to be a two hour plus excercise in futility. Perhaps some of Ms. Helen Brodie's fans expected a treat for their eyes seeing her in all her glory (as the word'd gotten around), they too will be disappointed. Definitely miss-able. Worst of all, this is the kinda' product that comes along once every year or so, when a bunch of elitist Bombay men and women get together and attempt playing up on the pretentious idea they think the west tends to enjoy about tying up the west with the east. What they may call 'Charming Indian Culture In a Western Light'. Urghh!

Average customer rating:

Pretty good

The Young Girl and the Monsoon
Starring: Mili Avital , Daniela Bar-Illan , Brian Flaherty , Tina Flaherty , and Patricia Francy
Manufacturer: Vanguard Cinema
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000095J4Z
Release Date: 2003-07-29

Description

Raising a teenage daughter in Manhattan can be a scary proposition. For a single father in a mid-life crisis things are outright dicey. Hank (Kinney) has kept his private life mostly away from his teenage daughter Constance (Muth), who most of the time lives with her mother. When Constance's mother leaves the country for awhile, she moves in with her father and the two are in for a surprise. Constance is a beautiful mass of crazy contradictions, with eating habits careening between starvation and gorging. With her long, thin legs twisting like straws she tells dirty jokes and develops boy crushes almost daily. Hank, a successful war news photographer has hidden his work out of sight to protect his daughter just as he has kept his occasional girlfriends (Avital) stored in the closet as well. As their worlds collide amidst cosmic mood swings, the two rediscover their father-daughter relationship to realize that they like each other as much as they are alike.

Customer Reviews:

Pretty good.......2002-12-27

I watched this movie like last night on HBO, and I thought it was good. Unfortunately, I can't remember enough to give what would be a good review.
It's about a divorced father whose daughter lives with him, and stuff happens. He's a photojournalist that goes to war stricken areas, which seems to upset his daughter. She is thirteen years old, very emotional, somewhat weird (hmm...I think that's why I liked the movie, being 14 yrs old and all). He had been in a relationship for about a year, but had kept it a secret from his daughter.

Amazon.com

Description

Customer Reviews:

Pass on this one. . ........2005-10-03

Good.......2005-03-05

Great Sound Does Not Cut It!.......2002-01-02

IMAX Stormchasers.......2001-11-25

I was very disappointed with this video. There was little actual storm footage. Mostly about the weather equipment.

Great sound, good video, little content!.......2001-07-13

Product Description

Format: BLACK & WHITE, IMPORT, NTSC ALL REGION, FULLSCREEN AUDIO: DOLBY DIGITAL in Hindi. SUBTITLE LANGUAGES: English, Chinese, . PRIMARY ACTOR: Kanu Bannerjee, Karuna Bannerjee, Subir Bannerjee SUPPORTING ACTORS: Uma Das Gupta, Chunibala Devi DIRECTOR: Satyajit Ray PLOT SUMMARY: Made in 1955 by Satyajit Ray, this truly remarkable feat of storytelling is a must-see kind of movie. The story is based on the novel of the same title, written by Bibhutibhushan Banerjee. Shot in glorious black and white, it runs for 115 minutes. The script is by Satyajit Ray, the music by Ravi Shankar. --Luanne Brown The first in a popular trilogy of Indian films! Pather Panchali is a moving story of a rural family cursed with bad luck. The father is a dreamer, while his wife struggles to feed the family, including son Apu. When a petty thief brings tragedy to them, they must find a way to survive.Written and directed by award-winning filmmaker Satyajit Ray. Multiple film festival awards. Pather Panchali tells the story of a family inching slowly and irrevocably, over the course of several years, toward the edge of financial and emotional disaster. In a rural Bengali village, circa 1919, Harihar (Kanu Bannerjee) recites sacred texts and performs religious rites for a living. He dreams of being a playwright, but he must support his growing family. His wife, Sarbajaya (Karuna Bannerjee) must suffer her husband's long absences as he searches for work and the hostile pity of extended family members who are better off financially and socially. Her daughter, Durga (Uma Das Gupta), has the bad habit of stealing mangoes from the neighboring orchard, which adds to her mother's shame. When a son, Apu (Subir Bannerjee), is born, things seem to be looking up for the family. But it is only a short-lived illusion.

Tales of the Kama Sutra: The Perfumed Garden/Tales of the Kama Sutra 2: Monsoon

Average customer rating:

Tales of the Kama Sutra: The Perfumed Garden/Tales of the Kama Sutra 2: Monsoon
Starring: Tales of the Kama Sutra , and Tales of the Kama Sutra 2
Manufacturer: Platinum Disc
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00008G8GO
Release Date: 2002-10-29

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