PICKS AND PANS

Jitesh Pillai / TNN / May 15, 2005, 15:13 IST

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The best of books, DVDs, films, vanity and more....

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">BOOK Moviemakers'' Master Class, Laurent Tirard, price Rs 730 Every great filmmaker has a secret method to his moviemaking â€“ but each filmmaker is different. Martin Scorsese likes setting up each shot very precisely ahead of time, so that he has the opportunity to change it all if he sees the need. Lars Von Trier, on the other hand, refuses to think about a shot until the actual moment of filming. And Bernardo Bertolucci tries to dream his shots the night before; if that doesn''t work, he roams the set alone with a viewfinder, imagining the scene before the actors and crew join him. For Sydney Pollack, it is all about relationships. Like he says, "My principal interest is in relationships. To me, relationships are a metaphor for everything else in life: politics, morality ... everything." In Moviemakers'' Master Class, Laurent Tirard talks to 21 of today''s most important filmmakers, allowing each man to speak in his own voice as he gets to the core of his craft. In these interviews, which originally appeared in the French film magazine Studio and are being published here in English for the first time, directors explore their visions as well as their techniques, shedding light on both the process and the person and helping us understand what makes each filmmaker â€“ and his films â€“ unique. Woody Allen sums it up best, "It''s a grave error to start shooting a film with a script that is weak or not ready...Experience has shown me that if you have a good script, you can do a miserable job of directing and still get a pretty good movie, whereas if you have a bad script, you can do a brilliant job of directing and it will hardly make a difference." For newbies, directors and just anyone who is fascinated with the process of filmmaking, this one''s a must read. Enjoy! FILM Kaal, directed by Soham, starring: Ajay Devgan, Vivek Oberoi, John Abraham, Lara Dutta and Esha Deol Why does Kaal disappoint so much? Because... </div> </div><div class="section2"><div class="Normal"> ... it just doesn''t deliver what it promises. After a fairly sizzling track where the titles roll out, you are treated to what must be one of the most unimaginative scripts. It''s pure Ram Gopal Varma territory. But just that RGV does it better, far, far better. To be sure, director Soham certainly shows flair and it would be interesting to see his next film. Certain sections of the film creep you out, but it is still a no go. Scenes go on and on interminably. Nothing of consequence is being said and the overall feeling is one of ennui. Dwarak Warrier''s sound effects hark you back to Bhoot territory. Making a different film isn''t the same as making a nebulous one. Kaal is also hampered by some of the lousiest acting seen in recent times. Even the normally efficient Vivek Oberoi grimaces and grits his teeth and the girls Esha Deol and Lara Dutta can''t act to save their teddy bears. In the event, Ajay Devgan rivets you with his performance. And hey, after all that brouhaha, there are just three tiredlooking tigers to add to the menace effect. DVD Chinatown, directed by Roman Polanski, starring: Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway. Running time: 130 minutes You may think you know what you''re dealing with, but believe me, you don''t," warns water baron Noah Cross (John Huston), when smooth cop-turned-private eye J J ''Jake'' Gittes (Jack Nicholson) starts nosing around Cross''s water diversion scheme. That proves to be the ominous lesson of Chinatown. In 1930s Los Angeles, "matrimonial work" specialist Gittes is hired by Evelyn Mulwray (Faye Dunaway) to... </div> </div><div class="section3"><div class="Normal"> ...tail her husband, water department engineer Hollis Mulwray (Darrell Zwerling). When Hollis turns up dead, Gittes decides to investigate further, encountering a shady old-age home, corrupt bureaucrats, angry orange farmers and a nostril-slicing thug (Polanski) along the way. By the time he confronts Cross, Evelyn''s father and Mulwray''s former business partner, Jake thinks he knows everything, but an even more sordid truth awaits him. The classic line: "Forget it, Jake, It''s Chinatown." Faye Dunaway and Nicholson are scorching in Roman Polanski''s stunner of a movie. VANITY BOOK Moviemakers'' Master Class, Laurent Tirard, price Rs 730 Every great filmmaker has a secret method to his moviemaking â€“ but each filmmaker is different. Martin Scorsese likes setting up each shot very precisely ahead of time, so that he has the opportunity to change it all if he sees the need. Lars Von Trier, on the other hand, refuses to think about a shot until the actual moment of filming. And Bernardo Bertolucci tries to dream his shots the night before; if that doesn''t work, he roams the set alone with a viewfinder, imagining the scene before the actors and crew join him. For Sydney Pollack, it is all about relationships. Like he says, "My principal interest is in relationships. To me, relationships are a metaphor for everything else in life: politics, morality ... everything." In Moviemakers'' Master Class, Laurent Tirard talks to 21 of today''s most important filmmakers, allowing each man to speak in his own voice as he gets to the core of his craft. In these interviews, which originally appeared in the French film magazine Studio and are being published here in English for the first time, directors explore their visions as well as their techniques, shedding light on both the process and the person and helping us understand what makes each filmmaker â€“ and his films â€“ unique. Woody Allen sums it up best, "It''s a grave error to start shooting a film with a script that is weak or not ready...Experience has shown me that if you have a good script, you can do a miserable job of directing and still get a pretty good movie, whereas if you have a bad script... </div> </div><div class="section4"><div class="Normal"> ..., you can do a brilliant job of directing and it will hardly make a difference." For newbies, directors and just anyone who is fascinated with the process of filmmaking, this one''s a must read. Enjoy! FILM Kaal, directed by Soham, starring: Ajay Devgan, Vivek Oberoi, John Abraham, Lara Dutta and Esha Deol Why does Kaal disappoint so much? Because it just doesn''t deliver what it promises. After a fairly sizzling track where the titles roll out, you are treated to what must be one of the most unimaginative scripts. It''s pure Ram Gopal Varma territory. But just that RGV does it better, far, far better. To be sure, director Soham certainly shows flair and it would be interesting to see his next film. Certain sections of the film creep you out, but it is still a no go. Scenes go on and on interminably. Nothing of consequence is being said and the overall feeling is one of ennui. Dwarak Warrier''s sound effects hark you back to Bhoot territory. Making a different film isn''t the same as making a nebulous one. Kaal is also hampered by some of the lousiest acting seen in recent times. Even the normally efficient Vivek Oberoi grimaces and grits his teeth and the girls Esha Deol and Lara Dutta can''t act to save their teddy bears. In the event, Ajay Devgan rivets you with his performance. And hey, after all that brouhaha, there are just three tiredlooking tigers to add to the menace effect. DVD Chinatown, directed by Roman Polanski, starring: Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway. Running time: 130 minutes You may think you know what you''re dealing with, but believe me, you don''t," warns water baron Noah Cross (John Huston), when smooth cop-turned-private eye J J ''Jake'' Gittes (Jack Nicholson) starts nosing around Cross''s water diversion scheme. That proves to be the ominous lesson of Chinatown. In 1930s Los Angeles, "matrimonial work" specialist Gittes is hired by Evelyn Mulwray (Faye Dunaway) to tail her husband, water department engineer Hollis Mulwray (Darrell Zwerling). When Hollis turns up dead, Gittes decides to investigate further, encountering a shady old-age home, corrupt bureaucrats, angry orange farmers and a nostril-slicing thug (Polanski) along the way. By the time he confronts Cross, Evelyn''s father and Mulwray''s former business partner, Jake thinks he knows everything, but an even more sordid truth awaits him. The classic line: "Forget it, Jake, It''s Chinatown." Faye Dunaway and Nicholson are scorching in Roman Polanski''s stunner of a movie. VANITY Kaya Skin glow, price Rs 1500, Kaya Skin Clinic, Fort, Mumbai Today, the seeds of change are being harvested and their fruits are a delicious and low-fat snack. Walk into any of the thousands of boutiques specialising in the needs of the image-conscious, and you''ll find packs of men shrieking and clawing at each other with beautifully manicured nails to get closer to the newest male vanity products that have just arrived from all over the world. So just step into the Kaya Skin Clinic, to get manscaped (somewhat) and come out looking fresh. After much trepidation, you agree to get your face washed, dried, petted. The incredibly well-mannered staff rattles out instructions learnt by rote, recounted to hundreds of customers. So you stare and watch your life pass you by, while magnesium (or is it zinc) crystals are administered to your face. An hour later, a gooey facemask (which smells great) is applied. Your pale skin starts glowing suddenly. You''re in the midst of a minor miracle â€“ the new improved you. Hey, vanity isn''t such a bad thing after all! Men of the world unite, you have nothing to lose except your blackheads. Today, the seeds of change are being harvested and their fruits are a delicious and low-fat snack. Walk into any of the thousands of boutiques specialising in the needs of the image-conscious, and you''ll find packs of men shrieking and clawing at each other with beautifully manicured nails to get closer to the newest male vanity products that have just arrived from all over the world. So just step into the Kaya Skin Clinic, to get manscaped (somewhat) and come out looking fresh. After much trepidation, you agree to get your face washed, dried, petted. The incredibly well-mannered staff rattles out instructions learnt by rote, recounted to hundreds of customers. So you stare and watch your life pass you by, while magnesium (or is it zinc) crystals are administered to your face. An hour later, a gooey facemask (which smells great) is applied. Your pale skin starts glowing suddenly. You''re in the midst of a minor miracle â€“ the new improved you. Hey, vanity isn''t such a bad thing after all! Men of the world unite, you have nothing to lose except your blackheads. </div> </div>

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