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Spying on James Bond

Spying on James Bond

Who doesn't want to see a James Bond Film! My two cents on why James Bond Films work. 1. James Bond Films are the absolute acme of protagonist-antagonist plots. The enemy is as vicious and powerful as he can get. 2. The stakes are incredibly high. This is true for Point 1 too, by definition. If James Bond has to climb a mountain, it must be a vertical cliff. And when he does manage to reach the top, there must be someone there to kick him down again. 3. Every 10 minutes James

“Main aaj bhi phenke huey paise nahi uthata”

“Main aaj bhi phenke huey paise nahi uthata”

We know this scene from ‘Deewar’. In fact, we know it too well. Setup Mulkraj Dawar (Iftekhar) and his associate come out after playing a race. Iftekhar mentions to his associate that the winning horse is the one who runs slowly at first and picks up speed towards the end. Continuing this conversation, they stop to get their shoes polished. Once both their shoes are polished, Dawar’s associate throws a coin at the shoeshine boy by way of payment. The boy, Vijay, (a young Amit

Why did Jai and Veeru go after Gabbar Singh in 'Sholay'?

Why did Jai and Veeru go after Gabbar Singh in 'Sholay'?

What is the motivation of the two central characters in Sholay, Jai (Mr Bachchan) and Veeru (Dharam Saab) ? Why would two small-time criminals take panga with a dreaded dacoit, Gabbar Singh? Is it money? Certainly not? No amount of money would make most people risk their lives antagonizing an outright murder machine like Gabbar Singh. The motivation is guilt. There’s a scene which takes place the same night when they arrive at Ramgarh and are accommodated in the small cottage

Kitney Aadmi They? Why it works

Kitney Aadmi They? Why it works

“Kitney aadmi they”. Those legendary 3 words from Sholay, the blockbuster starring Sanjeev Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Hema Malini, Jaya Bhaduri, Amjad Khan and others and directed by Ramesh Sippy. Who hasn’t heard of them. And who hasn't marvelled at the mystique and aura of these 3 words. Here, in order of importance, are the reasons why I think this line works. Yes, it is entirely possible that this was serendipitous, and in our own interest, we must analyse as mu

Wedding scene in 'Godfather' - a primer in filmmaking

Wedding scene in 'Godfather' - a primer in filmmaking

This article is devoted to the ‘Godfather I’. His Excellency Sir Francis Ford Coppola. Respect. Saadar charan sparsh. The scene in ‘Godfather’ where Don Corleone’s daughter is getting married, the very second scene in the Film, is a virtual primer in filmmaking IMO. It is a film within a film. I am presuming that you have read Mario Puzo's 'Godfather'. Perchance if you haven't, I hope this interests you enough to read the book now. See how the scene has been constructed. Open