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Don , a review by Tom

Don (1978/India) IMDb | Wikipedia Spark Video (United Kingdom) Director: Chandra Barot Writing: Salim Javed (Story By), Salim Javed (Screenwriter) Length: 166 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: Hindi: Dolby Digital 5.1 Subtitles: Dutch, English, French

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Stars:
Amitabh Bachchan as Don
Zeenat Aman
Pran
Ifrikhar
Om Shivpuri

Plot:
When ruthless Don (Amitabh Bachchan) is killed by the police, the DSP (Iftekhar) is afraid that another "Don" will take over when the rest of the gang come of know of his death, so he, unbeknown to the rest of the police force, recruits Don's lookalike Vijay (also Amitabh Bachchan) to become the real Don. Vijay is, at first reluctant, but when promised that two children he is caring for, will be looked after and educated, he agrees. He is successfully re-located back with his gang by feigning injuries, and loss of memory. He soon recuperates. Then fate takes an unexpected turn when the DSP is killed and Vinay becomes the suspect: his role as the Don ends, as his gang comes to know he is a fraud: Vijay must run for his life - both from the police and Don's gang - for his life, and the life of the two children.

Awards:
Won:

Filmfare Awards (1979)		Best Actor Award (Amitabh Bachchan)
Filmfare Awards (1979)		Best Female Playback Award ("Ye Mera Dil Pyar Ka Deewana": Asha Bhosle)
Filmfare Awards (1979)		Best Male Playback Award ("Khaike Paan Banaraswala": Kishore Kumar)

Nominated:

Filmfare Awards (1979)		Best Lyricist Award ("Khaike Paan": Anjaan)
Filmfare Awards (1979)		Best Music Director Award (Kalyanji Anandji)

Extras:

• Music Videos
• Scene Access

Last year in this place I have reviewed "Don: The Chase Begins Again". So I thought I would review the original "Don" this year. So far this is my oldest Bollywood movie in my collection. It stars Amitabh Bachchan ("Black") in his prime. He was his generation's Shah Rukh Khan. He reminded me a lot of his son Abhishek Bachchan.
I enjoyed this movie. Especially in the beginning it reminded me of early Bond movies, if Bond were the bad guy. Don's simple self-introduction "Don" had more impact than Bond's "Bond. James Bond", in my opinion. There are a lot of simularities to its remake, of course. Although the remake put in more twists. I was surprised that the main twist of the remake wasn't part of the original.

Rating:

(From 2010 December Marathon - Discussion thread on December 11th, 2010)

Terra Sonāmbula, a review by Danae Cassandra

Where We Are:  Mozambique
wikipedia

What We Watched:


Overview:
In the midst of Mozambique's devastating civil war, Muidinga, an orphaned refugee, wanders the countryside in search of his mother.  His only companion is an elderly storyteller, and the only guide to finding his mother is a dead man's diary.  Together the storyteller and diary lead him on a magical, and sometimes macabre, journey across war-torn landscapes to find the family he lost.  Based on Mia Coutou's acclaimed Portuguese novel of the same name, Teresa Prata's transporting drama underscores the power of imagination in surviving, and ultimately overcoming, the catastrophe of war.

My Thoughts:
I'm a bit overwhelmed as to what to say.  This is a powerful film.  It has a lot to say about the effect of ongoing war on civilian populations, on the madness of madness of inter-tribal conflict and prejudice.  When the shopkeeper says that the kind of men he likes are those of "no color," it really resonates to conflict around the globe, not just Mozambique.

This is another low-budget film with amateur actors, but the two leads, Nick Laura Teresa as Muidinga and Aladino Jasse as Tuahir, are really good in their roles.  Jasse really brings Tuahir to life.  I was especially struck by the scene where he recalls life before the war, when he worked for the railroad, and how he brings that to life for Muidinga. 

This is, in part, magical realism, and as such can be read in multiple ways.  Tuahir and Muidinga journey in circles, ever-returning to the burned-out bus they first settle in.  Later the bus moves while they remain in it.  It is left to the viewer whether you believe in the magic, or it is simply their hallucination as the events of their lives overwhelm them.  Just as you are left to decide whether the story of Kindzu that Muidinga reads from the journal has happened as Muidinga reads it, or is it something that Muidinga is embellishing or making up.  The ending is equally ambiguous, letting the viewer end the story themselves.

This is a very compelling film, well made despite its budgetary limitations, but given the subject matter not for the tender-hearted.  There's also one scene that would offend most of my friends - - so let me also say that it's not for the easily offended.  It's a scene that could have been left out, but also makes sense in context.  Your mileage may vary, but that scene made me decide I could never show this great film to several of my closest friends and why I didn't rate the film higher.  Otherwise, recommended.

Bechdel Test:  Fail

Overall:  3.5/5

(From Around the World in 86 Movies on February 18th, 2013)

Pete's Pilots, a review by addicted2dvd

Dexter


Dexter (Pilot)
When blood spatter analyst Dexter Morgan is not out solving murders, he spends his time as a serial killer who eliminates those who do bad things. But his world is shaken when another serial killer commits a series of highly stylized murders in Miami.

My Thoughts:
This is a series that really grabbed me from the pilot episode.  The idea of a serial killer/vigilante working from within the police station is great. It has been a long time since I watched the pilot episode. Not since I bought the set. Which was a blind buy at the time. But I have been watching it every since. Unfortunately I am behind on buying the DVDs as I still only have season 1 in my collection.

My Rating:

(From Pete's Pilots on December 28th, 2009)