Tom's Random Reviews

[Tom]

My Name Is Khan (2010/India) IMDb | Wikipedia Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (United Kingdom) Director: Karan Johar Writing: Shibani Bathija (Screenwriter), Niranjan Iyengar (Screenwriter), Shibani Bathija (Story By), Shibani Bathija (Screenwriter) Length: 155 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35 Audio: Hindi: Dolby Digital 5.1, Audio Descriptive: Dolby Digital 5.1, Audio Descriptive: Dolby Digital 5.1 Subtitles: Dutch, English

Stars:
Shah Rukh Khan as Rizvan Khan
Kajol as Mandira Khan
Katie Amanda Keane as Sarah Garrick
Kenton Duty as Reese Garrick
Benny Nieves as Detective Garcia

Plot:
My Name Is Khan is the triumphant story of an unconventional hero and the obstacles he must overcome to regain the love of this life. Rizvan Khan, a Muslim man who has Aspergers Syndrome, moves to San Francisco and falls in love with the beautiful Mandira. They marry and have a happy life; until September 11, 2001, when attitudes towards Muslims undergo an alarming change. After a series of tragic events leaves her devastated, Mandira splits from Rizvan, leaving him alone once again. To win her back, Rizvan embarks on a touching and inspiring journey across America to clear his name and prove his love to the woman who captured his heart.

Awards:
Won:

Filmfare Awards (2011)		Best Actor (Shah Rukh Khan)
Filmfare Awards (2011)		Best Actress (Kajol)
Filmfare Awards (2011)		Best Director (Karan Johar)

Nominated:

Filmfare Awards (2011)		Best Film
Filmfare Awards (2011)		Best Lyricist ("Noor-e-Khuda": Niranjan Iyangar)
Filmfare Awards (2011)		Best Lyricist ("Sajda": Niranjan Iyangar)
Filmfare Awards (2011)		Best Music Director (Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy)
Filmfare Awards (2011)		Best Playback Singer - Female ("Noor-e-Khuda": Shreya Ghoshal)
Filmfare Awards (2011)		Best Playback Singer - Male ("Noor-e-Khuda": Adnan Sami, Shankar Mahadevan)
Filmfare Awards (2011)		Best Playback Singer - Male ("Sajda": Rahat Fateh Ali Khan)

Extras:

• Featurettes
• Scene Access

My Thoughts:

This movie is about a guy, who has a mild case of Asperger's Syndrome, who is told by his wife in anger to go meet the president of the United States and tell him "My Name Is Khan, and I am not a terrorist". This movie is about the journey of him to accomplish it, during which we see in flashbacks his life growing up and later meeting is wife, and finally the tragedy which lead to his journey. This movie also deals with the prejudice that Muslims have to deal with since 9/11.
I have seen this movie a few weeks ago in the cinema. I really enjoyed it and luckily it has already been released on DVD in the UK. This is the first Shah Rukh Khan/Kajol collaboration since 2001, before Kajol went on a baby break. And this alone was a reason for me to seek it out. This screen pairing never let me down.
When I mentioned it in passing to friend that this movie is running in the theatre, the first reaction wasn't positive because of Bollywood. But the next day he told me, that he has read a review now and he wants to see it. I ended up seeing this movie with three friends. They did all enjoy it. They were surprised that a Bollywood movie takes on such controversial topic like racial discrimination in the wake of 9/11. That didn't fit with their image of a Bollywood movie.
The movie goes on some occations a little overboard, but overall I really enjoyed it. Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol were both great in it. They have real chemistry together, even if he plays a man with a mental disability. In this regard it is reminiscent of "Forrest Gump". We have gullible but lovable guy, who goes out across the US. Both inspire the nation when they are they catch the eye of the media. And both have a loving relationship with their dream girl.
When I was watching this movie in the theatre, it was running in the "international cut" done for a film festival. It was missing about thirty minutes of footage. A complete subplot was missing, which was only touched upon through television reports. Here on this DVD it is restored, and I have mixed feeling about this sublot. It somehow doesn't really fit, and it had a better effect on me when only seeing it in parts through television reports. But of course I am glad that I now got the chance to see the full movie.
BTW, the movie has no real dance numbers.



[ Watch on Youtube ]  [ Full Screen ]

Rating:

[Tom]

Title: Knight Rider: Season One
Year: 2008
Director:
Rating: 15
Length: 769 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78
Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1, English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Subtitles:

Stars:


Plot:
An iconic TV classic is back and better than ever in the reinvented, updated and super-charged Knight Rider Season One. From executive producers Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity franchise), David Bartis (The O.C.) and Glen Larson (Battlestar Galactica) comes this action-packed series about the coolest car ever created K.I.T.T. (Knight Industries Three Thousand), that's equipped with artificial intelligence capable of hacking into any computer, the weapons system of a jet fighter, and incredible custom body technology that allows it to transform into other vehicles. Relive every Season One episode as an elite team of crime-fighters work with K.I.T.T. (voiced by acting legend Val Kilmer) to track down elusive, hight-tech villains. Presented in uninterrupted Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, you won't want to miss this fast-paced ride to the wild side!

Awards:
Extras:
Commentary
Featurettes
Outtakes

My Thoughts:

I have seen the pilot when it first aired. Even though I had some problems with it, I was excited overall for a new series. But when the reviews of the actual series came in, I didn't bother picking up the DVD set when it was released.
But when it was on sale now and it's only a single season, I decided to give it a chance.
I have to admit, that I enjoyed the pilot more than I remembered it being. I thought it did a good job setting up the series and also acknowledging the 80s series.
But when I saw the episodes from the actual series, I was heavily disappointed. Bad acting overall. Especially bad was the guy who played Sarah's father. He always had to do the exposition and he always looked like he didn't know what he is talking about. Hard to believe that this guy is supposed to be the inventor of both KITTs.
Horrible scripts which sole aim seem to have been to get the lead actresses into a bikini or down to their underwear. Also I think it is a terrible idea to make KITT a transformer, being able to transform in any kind of Ford car (pick-up truck and even a big van etc.). They should have left it with the "attack mode" (which essentially is the updated version of the "super pursuit mode" of the original KITT). Although the attack mode could have looked better. I looks cheap and ugly. It almost seems like they wanted to top the series Viper, which also had a super car which transformed into the Defender mode. So they couldn't leave it with one alternate forms, but had to have multiple. Or they wanted to get in as much product placement for Ford as possible.
They even had KITT's evil twin KARR be an outright transformer! A robot in disguise of a car. It even has Optimus Prime's voice! Though to be fair this is a nod to the original series, where Peter Cullen also did the voice for KARR.
I liked that they used the windshield as a head up display. But I think it is very stupid to take up the whole windshield for incoming calls. They hardly couldn't see the street anymore when talking on the phone.

After the first 13 episode they retooled the show. Kicked out all the bad supporting cast and kept the ones which were the only fun back in the headquarters scene. And moved the direction of the series more to be like the original series. They even did a bit with petty criminals trying to steal KITT, which was a running joke in the old series.
I have to say, that I enjoyed the last five episodes. And if they would have done it like this from the get-go, maybe the series would still be on today.
I loved how KITT seems to constantly put down Michael at the end. Like when Michael told him to track something, and KITT was like "No shit, dickhead. I am already on it. You don't need to tell me every little thing."

One other thing: I liked the new intro. I starts out as an updated version of the original theme and sounds like the theme of "IT Crowd" towards the end.

#	Episode	Rating
01	Prometheus (Pilot Episode)
02	A Knight in Shining Armor
03	Journey to the End of the Knight
04	Knight of the Iguana
05	A Hard Day's Knight
06	Knight of the Hunter
07	Knight of the Living Dead
08	I Wanna Rock & Roll All Knight
09	Knight of the Zodiac
10	Knight Fever
11	Don't Stop the Knight
12	Day Turns Into Knight
13	Knight to King's Pawn
14	Exit Light, Enter Knight
15	Fight Knight
16	Fly By Knight
17	Knight and the City
18	I Love the Knight Life

[addicted2dvd]

I agree... the later episodes were definitely better. But I was able to enjoy them all.

[Tom]

Title: Pardes
Year: 1997
Director: Subhash Ghai
Rating: FSK-12
Length: 181 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35
Audio: German: Dolby Digital 5.1, Hindi: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: German

Stars:
Shahrukh Khan
Amrish Puri
Mahima Chaudhary
Apurva Agnihotri
Alok Nath

Plot:
Kishorilal(Amrish Puri), a billionaire, had left India with only 10 dollars in his pocket to create his own destin in America. He made it big -the biggest of all- building his own empire with a huge family to support him in his endeavors and in the business. Though he was not living in India, he did not let go of his Indian values his deep sense of love & patriosm for the land of his birth. He always tried to instill Indian cultural values & ideas in the minds of his family members, especially his son Rajiv(Apoorva Agnihotri), who were now second generation Americans, and had been born and brought up in the West. Kishorilal comes to India to find a traditional 'Indian' girl for his 'American' son. He discovers Kusum Ganga(Mahima Chaudhary), the daughter of an old friend(Alokh Nath) and sends Rajiv and his foster son Arjun(Shah Rukh Khan) to India to meet her. Rajiv and Ganga are engaged, after which Ganga, an Indian soul comes to America with stars in her eyes and rainbow hued dreams in her heart. When the East(Ganga) and West(Rajiv) clash, Arjun has the difficult task of trying to get Rajiv to accept Indian values and Ganga to accept American ways.

Awards:

Filmfare Awards	1998	Nominated	Best Actress Award	Mahima Chaudhry
Filmfare Awards	1998	Nominated	Best Director Award	Subhash Ghai
Filmfare Awards	1998	Nominated	Best Movie Award
Filmfare Awards	1998	Nominated	Best Music Director Award	Nadeem Shravan
Filmfare Awards	1998	Won	Best Screenplay Award	Subhash Ghai
Filmfare Awards	1998	Won	Lux New Face Award	Mahima Chowdhary

Extras:
Scene Access
Trailers

My Thoughts:

This movie is really pushing the Indian values against American values. It was released in the year India had their 50th anniversary of their independence.
This celebration of Indian values is so obvious and broad, that it is funny again. It's about a rich Indian family which has lived for years in America and have lost their Indian values. They became too "western" (here it means smoking, drinking, beating up women and general disregard of "good Indian values"). So the father wants to marry his son to a good Indian girl so that she will bring his son closer to the Indian values. For this he asks his other (adopted) son (who is very much an Indian in this heart) to make sure that this couple agrees to get together. Problem is now that that adopted son (Shahrukh Khan) himself falls in love with this girl and wants to protect her.
As mentioned, this movie is a constant battle between the good Indians and the evil Americans.
Although the old-fashioned Indian values also get taken down a notch with the climax of the movie, where these values almost cost the happiness of the couple who has really fallen in love with each other.

Rating:

[Tom]

Title: Chandni Chowk to China
Year: 2009
Director: Nikhil Advani
Rating: FSK-12
Length: 144 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35
Audio: German: Dolby Digital 5.1, Hindi: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: German

Stars:
Mithun Chakraborty
Akshay Kumar
Deepika Padukone
Ranvir Shorey
Roger Yuan

Plot:
Have you ever dreamed of being more than your circumstances? Sidhu (Askay Kumar) longs to escape his dreary existence cutting vegetables at a road-side food stand in Chandni Chowk, one of the oldest and busiest markets in Delhi, India. When two strangers from China proclaim he is the reincarnation of a Chinese war hero, Sidhu envisions fame, fortune and adventure. Journeying with them back to China, Sidhu meets the alluring Sakhi (Deepika Padukone) and love blossoms. But can it survive the vicious smuggler, Hojo (Gordon Liu) and his cadre of kung-fu assassins?

Megalomaniacal villains, crazy inventors, Chinese mystics and outlandish kung-fu assassins all get thrown together in this joyful, uplifting adventure full of beautiful landscapes, attention-grabbing songs, and high energy dancing.

Awards:
Extras:
Bonus Trailers
Deleted Scenes
Poster
Scene Access
Trailers

My Thoughts:

A silly Bollywood kung fu movie with the familiar story of a nobody getting accidentally involved fighting a (Chinese) gangster gang and then starting to learn martial arts "Karate Kid"-style and defeating them. The star reminded me of Adam Sandler. So essentially this could be classified as a Bollywood Adam Sandler movie. The fights were okay, also the songs. Beautiful Deepika Padukone stars in a dual role as twin sisters who were separated as babies. One was raised by the gangsters, the other by the mother in India.



[ Watch on Youtube ]  [ Full Screen ]

Rating:

[KinkyCyborg]

Chandi Chowk To China has been on my wish list for awhile but it seems tobe somewhat elusive here in Canada. I've yet to find it even available to rent in any of our major rental outlets.

When I first saw the trailer it piqued my interest as it looked like a humorous clash of cultures. Your review makes me want to find it even more. I may have to break down and buy this one online, usually a last resort for me. 

[Tom]

Chandi Chowk To China has been on my wish list for awhile but it seems tobe somewhat elusive here in Canada. I've yet to find it even available to rent in any of our major rental outlets.

And again I am lucky because Rapid Eye Movies released it here in Germany, on whose Bollywood releases you can count on.

[Tom]

Title: The Hangover
Year: 2009
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: FSK-12
Length: 108 Min.
Video: Widescreen 2.40
Audio: English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1, Audio Descriptive: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround, French: Dolby Digital 5.1, German: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Icelandic, Norwegian, Swedish

Stars:
Bradley Cooper
Ed Helms
Zach Galifianakis
Justin Bartha
Heather Graham

Plot:
They planned a Vegas bachelor party that they would never forget. Now they really need to remember what exactly went down! Whose baby is in the closet of their Caesars Palace suite? How did a tiger get in the bathroom? Why is one of them missing a tooth? And most of all, where is the groom?! What the guys did while partying can't compare to what they must do sober in an outrageous caper that has them piecing together all their bad decisions from the night before - one hazy clue at a time. Director Todd Phillips (Old School) and an all-aces comedy cast bring it big time with unpredictable situations that somehow all fit together. Tie one on with The Hangover.

Awards:

American Film Institute Awards	2009	Won	Movies of the Year
Anatomy Awards	2010	Won	Best Breastfeeding Scene	Heather Graham
BAFTA	2009	Nominated	Original Screenplay	Jon Lucas, Scott Moore
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards	2010	Won	Best Comedy Movie
Golden Globe	2009	Nominated	Picture - Musical or Comedy
Golden Globe	2010	Won	Picture - Musical or Comedy
MTV Movie Awards	2010	Nominated	Best Breakout Star	Zach Galifianakis
MTV Movie Awards	2010	Nominated	Best Comedic Performance	Bradley Cooper
MTV Movie Awards	2010	Won	Best Comedic Performance	Zach Galifianakis
MTV Movie Awards	2010	Nominated	Best Movie
MTV Movie Awards	2010	Nominated	Best Villain	Ken Jeong
MTV Movie Awards	2010	Won	Best WTF Moment	"pops out of trunk naked right in Bradley Coopers Face": Ken Joeng
Teen Choice Awards	2009	Nominated	Choice Movie - Comedy
Teen Choice Awards	2009	Nominated	Choice Movie Rockstar Moment	Mike Tyson, Bradlet Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis
Teen Choice Awards	2009	Nominated	Choice Movie Villain	Ken Jeong
Teen Choice Awards	2009	Nominated	Choice Summer Movie - Comedy

Extras:
BD-Live
Commentary
Digital Copy
Featurettes
Music Videos
Outtakes
Photo Gallery
Picture-in-picture
Scene Access

My Thoughts:

This movie never seemed something that I would particularly enjoy, but because of all the raving reviews out there and because it was on sale, I thought I'd give it chance.
Of what I have read this one is supposed to be a laugh riot. But I didn't laugh often. As a matter of fact the first half hour was boring. Then it got better when the guys were trying to find the puzzle pieces of the forgotten night. There were some fun moments, but overall I expected more from it.

Rating:

[addicted2dvd]

Agree... I watched this one on On-Demand not long ago... I found it to be ok,,, but expected much more from it. If I do add it to my collection it will be because I found it very cheap.

[Tom]

Title: Two Weeks Notice
Year: 2002
Director: Marc Lawrence
Rating: FSK-0
Length: 97 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85
Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1, German: Dolby Digital 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Subtitles: Danish, English, Finnish, French, German, Icelandic, Italian, Norwegian, Swedish

Stars:
Sandra Bullock
Hugh Grant
Alicia Witt
Dana Ivey
Robert Klein

Plot:
Attorney Lucy Kelson wants to save the world. Instead, she's choosing ties and interviewing prospective girlfriends for her handsome and hapless billionaire boss George Wade. Is this why she got a Harvard Law degree? Lucy's fed up, so she submits her notice. But Wade – with an assist from Cupid – has other plans.

Awards:

ASCAP Awards	2004	Won	Most Performed Song from a Motion Picture	"Big Yellow Taxi": Joni Mitchell
Teen Choice Awards	2003	Nominated	Choice Movie Actress - Comedy	Sandra Bullock
Teen Choice Awards	2003	Nominated	Choice Movie Hissy Fit	Sandra Bullock

Extras:
Commentary
Deleted Scenes
Featurettes
Outtakes
Production Notes
Scene Access
Trailers

My Thoughts:

An average romantic comedy. Nothing special. Definately not the best rom-com for both lead actors involved. In my opinion the relationship has no spark to it.

Rating:

[Tom]

Title: Duplicate
Year: 1998
Director: Mahesh Bhatt
Rating: FSK-16
Length: 159 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35
Audio: German: Dolby Digital EX 5.1 (Matrixed 6.1), German: DTS 5.1, Hindi: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: German

Stars:
Kajol
Shah Rukh Khan
Juhi Chawla
Shah Rukh Khan
Sonali Bendre

Plot:
Shahrukh Khan plays the roles of Bablu and Mannu. Bablu wants to become a great chef and win the heart of Sonia(Juhi Chawla) while mannu is a criminal who wants revenge. Lily (Sonali Bendre) plays mannu's love interest. When mannu finds out that bablu is his look-alike, he tries to kill bablu and take over his life so that he can escape the law.

Awards:
Extras:
Bonus Trailers
Featurettes
Interviews
Music Videos
Poster
Production Notes
Scene Access

My Thoughts:

Nice guy gets confused with a murderer because they look a like. Shah Rukh Khan plays two vastly different characters. Both, especially the villain, are over-the-top. Especially fun to watch is when the villain pretends to be the good one and the good one pretends to be the villain. The romance between Babloo and Sonia is also nice.
I enjoyed the movie, though it is nothing special.
Really nice and fun surprice was Kajol's two-seconds appearance which was a funny nod to "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge".

Rating:

[Tom]

Title: The Last Starfighter
Year: 1984
Director: Nick Castle
Rating: PG
Length: 101 Min.
Video: Widescreen 2.35
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Stars:
Kay E. Kuter
Dan Mason
Lance Guest
Dan O'Herlihy
Catherine Mary Stewart

Plot:
"GREETINGS, STARFIGHTER! You have been recruited by The Star League to defend the frontier against Xur and The Kodan Armada." So begins an adventure of galactic proportions in The Last Starfighter. After Earthling Alex (Lance Guest) conquers the Starfighter video game, he is recruited by alien Centauri (Robert Preston) to be part of an elite legion of fighters. Leaving behind his trailer park home for the outer regions of space, Alex becomes the last hope for the beleaguered Star League and hundreds of worlds – including Earth. Loaded with out-of-this world bonus features, The Last Starfighter 25th Anniversary Edition is the ultimate video game fantasy come true!

Awards:

Hugo Award	1985	Nominated	Dramatic Presentation
Saturn	1984	Nominated	Best Supporting Actor	Robert Preston
Young Artist Awards	1985	Nominated	Best Young Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture Musical, Comedy, Adventure or Drama	Chris Hebert

Extras:
BD-Live
Commentary
Featurettes
Photo Gallery
Scene Access
Trailers

My Thoughts:

Strangely, I didn't know this movie before. I stumbled across it, when I read a recent article on denofgeek.com recently about the best 1984 geek movies.
This movie is one of the first movies which did all visual effects on the computer. Of course it is really outdated now, but it is not that horrible. The rest of the movie is fun to watch. I can't believe that I never saw it before. It can easily compete with other 80s geek classics like WarGames.

Rating:

[Jon]

Oh, yeah! This film is great. I've always sort of associated it with Flight of the Navigator as well. Not seen that for years either! Or Alien Nation. Damn. So much cheesy geekness, so little time.

[Tom]

Title: My Name Is Khan
Year: 2010
Director: Karan Johar
Rating: 12
Length: 154 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35
Audio: Hindi: Dolby Digital 5.1, Audio Descriptive: Dolby Digital 5.1, Audio Descriptive: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: Dutch, English

Stars:
Shah Rukh Khan
Kajol
Katie Amanda Keane
Kenton Duty
Benny Nieves

Plot:
My Name Is Khan is the triumphant story of an unconventional hero and the obstacles he must overcome to regain the love of this life. Rizvan Khan, a Muslim man who has Aspergers Syndrome, moves to San Francisco and falls in love with the beautiful Madira. They marry and have a happy life; until September 11, 2001, when attitudes towards Muslims undergo an alarming change. After a series of tragic events leaves her devastated, Mandira splits from Rizvan, leaving him alone once again. To win her back, Rizvan embarks on a touching and inspiring journey across America to clear his name and prove his love to the woman who captured his heart.

Awards:
Extras:
Featurettes
Scene Access

My Thoughts:

This movie is about a guy, who has a mild case of Asperger's Syndrome, who is told by his wife in anger to go meet the president of the United States and tell him "My Name Is Khan, and I am not a terrorist". This movie is about the journey of him to accomplish it, during which we see in flashbacks his life growing up and later meeting is wife, and finally the tragedy which lead to his journey. This movie also deals with the prejudice that Muslims have to deal with since 9/11.
I have seen this movie a few weeks ago in the cinema. I really enjoyed it and luckily it has already been released on DVD in the UK. This is the first Shah Rukh Khan/Kajol collaboration since 2001, before Kajol went on a baby break. And this alone was a reason for me to seek it out. This screen pairing never let me down.
When I mentioned it in passing to friend that this movie is running in the theatre, the first reaction wasn't positive because of Bollywood. But the next day he told me, that he has read a review now and he wants to see it. I ended up seeing this movie with three friends. They did all enjoy it. They were surprised that a Bollywood movie takes on such controversial topic like racial discrimination in the wake of 9/11. That didn't fit with their image of a Bollywood movie.
The movie goes on some occations a little overboard, but overall I really enjoyed it. Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol were both great in it. They have real chemistry together, even if he plays a man with a mental disability. In this regard it is reminiscent of "Forrest Gump". We have gullible but lovable guy, who goes out across the US. Both inspire the nation when they are they catch the eye of the media. And both have a loving relationship with their dream girl.
When I was watching this movie in the theatre, it was running in the "international cut" done for a film festival. It was missing about thirty minutes of footage. A complete subplot was missing, which was only touched upon through television reports. Here on this DVD it is restored, and I have mixed feeling about this sublot. It somehow doesn't really fit, and it had a better effect on me when only seeing it in parts through television reports. But of course I am glad that I now got the chance to see the full movie.
BTW, the movie has no real dance numbers.



[ Watch on Youtube ]  [ Full Screen ]

Rating:

I just watched this movie again. My excuse is, that I wanted to check, if a scene, which I remembered from watching the international cut in the cinema, really isn't there or if I only missed it the first time around. Sadly, it really isn't part of the longer cut. It is a nice scene, where Sameer teases his mother (Kajol), that she must love Rizvan (Shah Rukh Khan), as she was worrying about him when he didn't show up for a few days.
I still enjoy the movie even though I already seen it three times now in a short period of time. It is Shah Rukh Khan's finest performance to date. I still didn't like the Wilhelmina subplot, which is part of this longer cut. It just doesn't fit with the rest of the movie and is much too cheesy. If there should be a DVD release of the shorter cut someday, I probably will also buy it. I liked how effectively they told the story by cutting around the Wilhelmina storyline. I would also get the above mentioned scene again.

Spoiler (hover to show)

Also, if I remember correctly, in the shorter cut we do not get to see the meeting with the president. I think it happened off-screen, and only hearing the president greet Rizvan Khan. Which I think was also more effective.

[Tom]

Title: Salaam-E-Ishq
Year: 2007
Director: Nikhil Advani
Rating: FSK-6
Length: 201 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35
Audio: German: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, Hindi: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: German

Stars:
Anil Kapoor
Juhi Chawla
Govinda
Shannon Esra
Salman Khan

Plot:
Six couples in love must face different problems caused by love itself. Do they resolve their issues and face life anew, or do they succumb under pressure?

Awards:
Extras:
Poster
Scene Access
Trailers

My Thoughts:

Similar like "Love Actually" six love stories run in parallel and cross paths from time to time and come together at the end. I definately enjoyed this movie. It never got boring during its 200 minutes runtime. It also has some catchy songs. There are some familiar faces here but I wouldn't call it an all-star cast. Most famous here are Priyanka Chopra and Salman Khan. She is playing a starlet who is sick of being cast as "item girl" (i.e. only as the dancer in a movie's showcase song number) instead of being cast as a serious actress. This is why her plan is to invent a fake steady relationship to change her image. But then someone appears proclaiming to be her partner. Another nice storyline is the one with the taxi driver who falls in love with his foreign passenger. All the women are beautiful, the guys though are surprisingly average looking for the most part.

Rating: