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Vikaren, a review by Tom

Title: Vikaren
Year: 2007
Director: Ole Bornedal
Rating: R
Length: 93 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35
Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1 , Danish: Dolby Digital 5.1 , Commentary: Dolby Digital Stereo
Subtitles: English, Spanish

Stars:
Paprika Steen
Ulrich Thomsen
Jonas Wandschneider
Nikolaj Falkenberg-Klok
Emma Juel Justesen

Plot:
A small-town sixth-grade class gets a new substitute teacher who wants to train them for a mysterious international competition in Paris. But something isn't right. How is she able to read their minds? Why is she so mean? And how does she so cleverly manipulate all of their parents into believing how great she is when it's obvious to the whole class that she's a nightmare come true? As the story unfolds, we find that there's a reason she seems to be from another planet...

Extras:
Closed Captioned
Commentary
Scene Access
Trailers

I had seen this one in this year's FantasyFilmFest in Munich. I was surprised that this movie has been released so fast on DVD in the US.
I still enjoyed it as much as I did in the cinema.

Rating:

(From Tom's Random Reviews on November 15th, 2008)

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, a review by Tom

Title: Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge
Year: 1995
Director: Aditya Chopra
Rating: FSK-6
Length: 182 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35
Audio: German: Dolby Digital Stereo, Hindi: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: German

Stars:
Shah Rukh Khan
Kajol
Amrish Puri
Farida Jalal
Satish Shah

Plot:
Having been brought up in London, Raj (Sharukh Khan) and Simran (Kajol) are second generation British Asians, who still cherish their Indian roots, culture and values. The two meet in a chance encounter jwhile traveling through Europeon an inter-rail holiday. When they get seperated from theirfriends, they discover each other...they discover LOVE! When they return to london, Simran is taken back to India, for an arranged marriage as per her fathers wishes. Now Raj must go to India to win his Dulhania and asks Simrans father for her hand in marriage and seek acceptance of their love-all this, while Simrans wedding is in full swing.

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge released in 1995, is the longest running film of Indian Cinema. Aditya Chopra's debut film became one of Hindi cinemas biggest blockbusters sweeping 10 Filmfare awards and the Natinaol award for popular and wholesome ebtertainment. Sensitively and often poignantly scripted, the film has a sweet, innocent freshness that makes not Simran and Raj (perhaps Kajol and Sharukhs best performances) but all the other characters so real that you love, laugh and ache along with them as if they lived next door.

Awards:

Filmfare Awards	1996	Won	Best Actor Award	Shahrukh Khan
Filmfare Awards	1996	Won	Best Actress Award	Kajol
Filmfare Awards	1996	Won	Best Dialogue Award	Aditya Chopra
Filmfare Awards	1996	Won	Best Director Award	Aditya Chopra
Filmfare Awards	1996	Won	Best Male Playback Award	Udit Narayan
Filmfare Awards	1996	Won	Best Movie Award
Filmfare Awards	1996	Nominated	Best Music Director Award	Jatin Lalit
Filmfare Awards	1996	Won	Best Screenplay Award	Aditya Chopra
Filmfare Awards	1996	Won	Best Supporting Actress Award	Farida Jalal

Extras:
Scene Access
Music Videos

I enjoyed this movie. The first part is essentially a road movie, where the two main characters meet, do not like each other at first but eventually fall in love with each other. The second half consists of trying Raj to prevent Simran marrying to an arranged marriage by forcing himself into the life of her family and win their hearts.
This movie is one of the most successful Bollywood movies. Even now, after almost 15 years, it still runs in Indian cinemas (the longest running movie in India). It is a first for the screen couple, who went on to do more movies together. I already reviewed three of those (in two of which they ended up as a couple).

Rating:

(From Tom's Random Reviews on July 23rd, 2009)

Doctor Who Marathon, a review by Tom

Doctor Who
Series 1.05 World War Three
Writer: Russell T Davies (Writer)
Director: Keith Boak
Cast: Christopher Eccleston (Doctor Who), Billie Piper (Rose Tyler), David Verrey (Joseph Green), Camille Coduri (Jackie Tyler), Penelope Wilton (Harriet Jones), Noel Clarke (Mickey Smith), Rupert Vansittart (General Asquith), Morgan Hopkins (Sergeant Price), Andrew Marr (Himself), Annette Badland (Margaret Blaine), Steve Speirs (Strickland), Jack Tarlton (Reporter), Lachele Carl (Reporter), Corey Doabe (Spray Painter), , Elizabeth Fost (Slitheen), Paul Kasey (Slitheen), Alan Ruscoe (Slitheen)

I liked this conclusion to the two-parter episode (Aliens of London being the first). What is strange though is that Mickey turns out to be a computer expert. This episode seems to be the turning point for him. He is more couragous here. But not yet courageous enough to travel with the doctor.




(From Doctor Who Marathon on January 11th, 2014)