1-By Laksh, ET, Movies

South Indian ‘Masala’ in ‘Bol Bachchan’

Leave a comment

‘Masala’ trailer gives an impression that the movie is pretty faithful to its original. Effort is akin to McDonald’s regional flavored burgers. The last I can remember such faithfulness, sans VFX adjustments, is from ‘Yugandhar’ (Amitabh’s ‘Don’ remake) and ‘Trimurthulu’ (Amitabh’s ‘Naseeb’ remake).

Please sample these two images. (there are more, if you care…VFX employed to change the number plates. Is the source bad though?)

Exhibit 1: From ‘Bol Bachchan Trailer

Exhibit 2: From ‘Masala’ Trailer


But, ‘Masala’ trailer still works….


…loved this comment about Venkatesh (trived m 1 day ago)

One thing I like in this trailer is Venky……..Venky…u r like Rahul Dravid(Comparing to cricket). U dont carve for records, u dont carve for domination. All u do is contribution. U can play anyform. u r one of those actors, TFI is blessed to have. Thumbs Up for Venky

Btw, here is the original trailer of ‘Bol Bachchan’


 

1-By Laksh, ET, Movies

Gravity: Dizzying spectacle..

Leave a comment

Just a few minutes into the movie, you could get dizzy by the sheer vastness of space, and tracking the protagonists suspended in gravity-less void. Sandra Bullock and George Clooney play two astronauts–Dr.Ryan Stone and  Matt Kowalski–who meet with an unexpected danger (what would one expect in space anyway) and struggle to make it to safety. While Matt is a veteran, Dr.Ryan is on her first mission which soon turns into a nightmare. It is her point of view, that of a suffering rookie, that gives the movie its challenging and triumphant moments.

If in ‘Castaway’  Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks) bonds with one Mr. Wilson (who is nothing more than a bloody handprint on a volleyball), in ‘Gravity’ Dr.Ryan bonds with Matt and latches on to his every word even after he is long gone, to keep her going.

‘Gravity’ is a spectacle of the first order, with a special mention for sound design and editing. It ‘s a near impossible feat to create a thriller with just a character stranded in space (for the most part), but the film makers pull it off.

The movie is a must watch for all sci-fi movie lovers.

I was reminded of Steven Spielberg ‘Duel’  where the point of view shifts form the protagonist to that of the villain, to create that sense of imminent danger even when the chase isn’t on. Just substitute the truck with space.

P.S
Here are two articles on the movie’s VFX

  1. THR: 5 Ways ‘Gravity’s’ VFX Wizards Sent Sandra Bullock Into Space
  2. Fxguide: Gravity: vfx that’s anything but down to earth | fxguide
Directing Business, Etc.

Silicon Alley’s First Billionaire Aims To Dominate Images On Web

Leave a comment

Jon Oringer marches along the gutted 21st floor of the Empire State Building and ducks out a window onto a deck to pose for a magazine shoot, snapping his own photos as the photographer snaps photos of him. Starting this winter, the entire floor (and an identical one below it) will play home to Shutterstock SSTK -2.07%, Oringer’s 295-person photo website whose shares have more than tripled to a $2.5 billion market value since their debut on the NYSE last October.

It’s an appropriate headquarters for New York’s first tech billionaire ($1.3 billion, to be exact) as he looks to ride the proliferation of screens, smartphones and bandwidth to turn Shutterstock into the world’s largest marketplace for buying and selling images. Right now that title belongs to the Carlyle Group-owned Getty Images, but over the last few months Oringer, 39, has inked a deal with Facebook FB -0.76% for its advertisers, launched offerings of high-end photography and raised $276 million in a secondary offering–all while expanding and simplifying his library of 25 million images and a million videos searchable in 20 languages. What began ten years ago with one $1,000 Canon Rebel and a 600-square-foot office has exploded into a platform that adds 20,000 new photos a day from 40,000 contributors in more than 100 nations.

Click here for complete article at Forbes.com

ET, IT…and the rest