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Reviews
Quincy M.E.: Death by Good Intentions (1978)
Enjoyable and complex episode
I enjoyed the complexity of this episode, with the vulnerability of affirmative action programs mixed with mysterious deaths, and the reputation of one of Quincy's oldest friends on the line. Good acting throughout, and I appreciated that it raised a social issue which is still sensitive today, with systemic racism common in the medical profession.
Although it wasn't difficult to identify the murderer (mostly because they had no other function in the plot), I did enjoy that Quincy spent fruitless days trying to find the cause of death in the first victim until Dr Asten wandered in, picked up a magnifying glass and found it in 30 seconds. I also enjoyed the 1970s electronic hospital record system, which seemed much more complete and accessible than the ones we have today!
Dilwale (2015)
A film caught between brilliance and awfulness
Diwale is very much a tale of two wildly different films which have been edited together into one, with the hope that no-one notices. Half of the film is a good gangster love story sets across eras, the other half is an atrocious comedy caper.
The Quality Part: The West-Side Story-esque plot between Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol's characters is actually very good, and there are solid flashback scenes which are convincing in terms of looks and subtle differences in characterisation. The modern day scenes with these (more jaded) characters also works well, even if it is all resolved a little too easily at the end. Goa looks gorgeous, and the stylised nature of the way the movie is shot actually sets off the movie well (Although some sound-effects during the fighting scenes are distracting). It's a unapologetic brash modern car-chase shooting-fighting movie and if the film had simply been this story line, it would have been great.
Side note: It has to be said, Shah Rukh Khan is so ridiculously on a different level to all the other actors in the film, it was like watching Robert De Niro circa Raging Bull era being forced to act in an Adam Sandler movie. He, and to some extent Kajol, who is less consistent, deserve much much better than this. They are the only people in the cast who appeared to turn up, work hard and actually act, so kudos to them.
The Terrible Part: But what brings the whole film down is the supporting cast and side-plots which have little purpose other than demonstrating terrible 'comedy' and limited performance skills, sometimes so bad it actually ruins the film. The younger love story is boring and superficial, but only raises a little when it intertwines with the love story of their older siblings. The other characters linked to the sub-plot (plot may be too strong a word) of the drug cartel/black marketeers are terrible, and serve little purpose at all. You could have easily deleted an hour off this movie by editing out these characters, and it would have been much better.
Best scene: Towards the start of the film in the hospital, Shah Rukh Khan's change from one 'aspect' of his character to another without moving a muscle, his transformation as seen only in his eyes is brilliant.
Worst Scene(s): A toss-up between the Ramlal/Pogo stupidity, or any scene with the car-part black marketeers.
Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... (2001)
Beautiful flawed film
Coming late to the party, but this is a beautifully film shot with no expense spared when it comes to the sets and the actors involved. The story is a simple one of a prodigal son, but the caliber of most of the actors involved lifts up the whole film.
Of particular note, Amitabh Bachchan plays the emotionally locked- down father with gravitas and power, and Jaya Bachchan is just very real playing the loving mother. Arguably the best performance comes from Shah Rukh Khan, who hits all the right notes in his role: He particularly excels when showing the emotional pain of his situation, most notably in the big (and best) final scene, where he is outstanding. Kajol's character confused me a little - she deviated between being loud and brash to timid and subservient in different scenes, with little explanation. Hrithik Roshan was good in some scenes, but I felt he was slightly out of his depth with the other actors, with the exception of Kareena Kapoor, who has been better in other films (And indeed, seemed to be in a different film altogether here). In terms of the film itself, it could have been even better with some pruning - the second half is particularly flabby, but that could have been due to my lack of interest in the younger son and his unconvincing romance. Really, the film has its best moments when it simply focuses on its strongest actors doing their thing in a simple room, and forgets the artificial opulence, glamorous locations and undeveloped or unexplained side-plots. Would I recommend this? Absolutely - for the simple story, and the superlative acting of the three main actors if nothing else.