DVD Collectors Online

Ta Ra Rum Pum, a review by Tom

Title: Ta Ra Rum Pum
Year: 2007
Director: Siddharth Anand
Rating: FSK-6
Length: 149 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35
Audio: German: Dolby Digital Stereo, Hindi: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: German

Stars:
Saif Ali Khan
Rani Mukerji
Jaaved Jaaferi
Angelina Idnani
Ali Murtuza Haji

Plot:
This is the story of one man, his family and how they overcome the obstacles that life puts in their way, together. It is the story of human spirit and how it ultimately prevails.

Rajveer Singh (Saif Ali Khan) is a pit-crew worker in a racing team with a passion for driving who gets discovered by a team manager, Harry (Jaaved Jaaferi). The same day he accidentally meets a music student, Radhika (Rani Mukerji), who he falls for instantly.

He gets drafted into 'Speeding Saddles' - a failing race team and transforms from Rajveer Singh to 'RV' - the race car driver. While his racing career takes off instantly, his love life also blossoms after a whirlwind romance. A few months later, he is both a happily married man and one of the country's best racers. Fatherhood and greater success both follow and soon he is the Number 1 race car driver in the USA, as well as the proud father of two precocious kids - Priya (Angelina Idnani) and Ranveer (Ali Haji).

But as a result of a bad racing accident, RV is hospitalized for a few months. When he tries to make a comeback, he realizes that he has been mentally scarred by the accident and has lost his edge. His life now takes a turn for the worse and after a string of failures, he is forced to auction his house and move with his family to a run-down Bronx-style neighborhood. However, RV and Radhika decide not to tell their children the truth and construct a skillful masquerade of a reality show where they have to live a poor life in order to win a mythical grand prize.

The family struggles to survive a life that they are not used to, using a mixture of fantasy and cheerfulness to pull through in the face of adversity. But an incident forces RV to reclaim the life that was taken away from him.

Can he, once again and perhaps for a last time, face down his inner demons on the race track? Can the family remain together in the wake of what could perhaps be their biggest challenge yet?

Extras:
Deleted Scenes
Poster
Production Notes
Scene Access
Trailers



(From Tom's Random Reviews on August 19th, 2009)

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, a review by Antares

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre





Year: 1948
Film Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures, First National Pictures
Genre: Adventure, Drama
Length: 126 Min.

Director
John Huston (1906)

Writing
John Huston (1906)...Screenplay
B. Traven (1882)...Novel

Producer
Henry Blanke (1901)
Jack L. Warner (1892)

Cinematographer
Ted D. McCord (1900)

Music
Max Steiner (1888)...Music By

StarsReview
       The film Casablanca may have made Humphrey Bogart a star but to me his role as Fred C. Dobbs, the down on his luck drifter who agrees to go in search of gold in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, is his greatest performance. In this one role we get to witness the versatility of his acting prowess as he portrays Dobbs as a troubled individual with a chameleon personality whose mood and mannerisms change like the wind. One moment he is in good cheer as he recounts for his partners how finding gold will not change him personally and the next he is a rambling, quivering mass of paranoia as he believes everyone is out to rob him blind. Bogart walks this fine line with the agility of a skilled tightrope walker, never going so far as to make his character appear a caricature.

       This would be the second time that Bogart worked with director John Huston, and the arrangement must have suited Bogart well as they would make two more classic films together with Key Largo & The African QueenThe African Queen. Yet, one upshot of his role in this film would be the laying of groundwork for his portrayal of another paranoid and delusional character in The Caine Mutiny, Captain Queeg.  

       If you are un-familiar with the film history of Humphrey Bogart, most people will tell you start by watching Casablanca, but The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is all that and more. It could arguably be placed in the top ten films of all time.


Ratings Criterion
5 Stars - The pinnacle of film perfection and excellence.

(From The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) on December 17th, 2009)

Tom's TV Pilots marathon, a review by Tom

The Cosby Show: Season One (1984/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Carsey-Werner Distribution, UrbanWorks Entertainment (United States) Length: 527 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles:

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Plot:
The Cosby Show appeared on NBC from 1984 to 1992, becoming one of the most popular programs in the history of television. The series depicted a close-knit and prosperous African American family (The Huxtables) that dwelled in New York City. Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable, OB-GYN (Bill Cosby), and his attorney wife Clair (Phylicia Rashad), a happily married, dual-profession couple, had aspirations of raising their five children in an uplifting, positive environment. The Huxtables were truly a groundbreaking family for television.

The Cosby Show was an instant smash hit, holding TV's #1 slot for a record five consecutive years (1985 to 1990), and it remained in the Top 20 shows of all eight seasons it was on NBC. The Cosby Show's popularity was so intense that it has carried over into the 21st century, and in 2005 The Cosby Show is as relevant as it has ever been. The Huxtable's are adored around the world.

The Cosby Show
1.01 Pilot Presentation
Writer: Ed. Weinberger (Writer), Michael Leeson (Writer), Ed. Weinberger (Created By), Michael Leeson (Created By), Dr. William H. Cosby Jr., Ed.D. (Created By)
Director: Jay Sandrich
Cast: Bill Cosby (Cliff Huxtable), Phylicia Ayers-Allen (Clair Huxtable), Lisa Bonet (Denise Huxtable), Malcolm Jamal-Warner (Theo Huxtable), Tempestt Bledsoe (Vanessa Huxtable), Keshia Knight-Pulliam (Rudy Huxtable), Todd Hollowell (Rafael), Keith Reddin (Mr. McManus)

I grew up with the Cosby Show. I loved watching it. It's still one of the better sitcoms from the 80s. I especially love the scenes between Cliff and Theo in this pilot. It's classic how Cliff demonstrates Theo with Monopoly money, how "regular" people live. And Cliff's comeback after Theo tells his father, he should love him even if he was only regular people is great. Theo giving a typical sitcom speech and Cliff telling him that it's the dumbest thing he had ever heard.

Rating:

(From Tom's TV Pilots marathon on April 1st, 2011)