Full of unexpected compassion and humanity, HOTEL MUMBAI is also a harrowing retelling of the 2008 takeover of the fabled Taj Hotel in Mumbai by terrorists whose zeal for religion had been twisted into something horrifying. The standard meet-and-greet of the people whose lives will shortly be forever changed is the only part of the… Read More »
FOR HERE OR TO GO — Andrea Chase takes you Behind the Scenes of FOR HERE OR TO GO? — Rishi Bhilawadikar and Rucha Humnabadka Interview
Many years ago, I worked a hi-tech job in Silicon Valley, and though I worked side by side with people who had come there from India on work visas, I had no idea of the struggles with which these bright and talented people were dealing. FOR HERE OR TO GO? , though set in 2009,… Read More »
Jeffrey D. Brown & Sushmita Mukherjee Talk How SOLD Changed Their Lives
Director Jeffrey D. Brown and co-star Sushmita Mukherjee wanted to do more than make a film, they wanted to make a difference for the kids like the one depicted in SOLD. That’s why they have partnered with NGOs, and are aiming for more than a run-of-the-mill theatrical release. In that spirit, there are links to several of… Read More »
BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM
BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM is an unpretentiously charming comedy about the family ties that bind, sometimes too tightly. It did major box-office in England, where it was produced, and has done more than respectable business everywhere in the world that it’s played. It’s about time it made it to our shores here in the states. What sets this film apart… Read More »
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Danny Boyle’s brilliant new film, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, is the improbable tale of how innocence triumphs against the most seemingly impossible odds. It begins and ends on the fateful night when Jamal Malik (Dev Patel), a former slum resident, plaything of an indifferent world, and current tea-boy in Mumbai, is about to answer a question on… Read More »
EAT PRAY LOVE
EAT PRAY LOVE is a glossy travelogue of a flick, full of stereotypes and caricatures providing a colorful backdrop to Julia Roberts’ glamour lighting. Based on the book of the same name by Elizabeth Gilbert, it is the personal journey towards inner happiness taken by Liz (Julie Roberts) as she learns the lessons of the… Read More »
Danny Boyle Translates SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
I talked to Danny Boyle on October 24, 2008, as the presidential campaign was in its final stretch, perhaps that was the reason politics was so much on Boyle’s mind during our talk about his latest film, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE. From the innately American impulse to root for the underdog, to the practice of democracy in… Read More »
Ang Lee Tells the LIFE OF PI
When I spoke to Ang Lee on October 15, 2012, one thing I wanted to know first was what was the spark that let him think he could film a book that had been considered unfilmable by a bevy of studios and directors. His answer revealed both his innate modesty, and his personal spark of… Read More »
Mira Nair Goes to VANITY FAIR
To speak with Mira Nair is to enjoy the workings of a remarkable mind, one full of humor, intelligence, and a passionate enthusiasm for the art of storytelling. It’s that last that shines through her adapation of Thackery’s “Vanity Fair”, a rollicking tale of a society tottering between two paradigms. While the conversation rarely strayed from… Read More »
Deepa Mehta Sails WATER
When I talked with Deepa Mehta on March 20, 2006, it was the third time I’d had the chance to interview this remarkable filmmaker. A magnet and a catalyst for controversy, she makes films that challenge not just society in her native India, but also the ones elsewhere that tolerate intolerance in the name of tradition. WATER, the third… Read More »