Movies: Oh, Calcutta; Om Shanti Om; Jabberwocky

[amedia]

Taking advantage of being sick to catch up on movies we've watched recently. I keep thinking there should be at least one more, but these are the ones I can remember.

Oh, Calcutta!

Nothing to do with Calcutta. Supposed to be very risque, all-nude cast, cutting-edge sketch humor, blah blah blah. Surprisingly dull and unsophisticated; much of the so-called humor relied on the assumption that sexual harassment and assault are funny. One bright spot was a ballet-influenced modern dance performed nude, which was very beautiful.

Om Shanti Om

This was so much fun I actually wound up buying a copy. On the other hand - I don't recommend it to anyone who isn't already a Bollywood fan! In many ways, it's a parody of Bollywood movies with over-the-top production numbers, loads of meta-humor, and dozens of cameos. "Hey, there's the guy from Baghban!" "Hey, is that the girl from Kal Ho Naa Ho?" "Dude, there's one of the guys from Dostana!" Heck, we were barely experienced enough to "get" a lot of the humor, and I imagine we can rewatch it in a few years and enjoy it even more. The plot features the usual wild conglomeration of romance, adventure, confused identities, comedy, and tragedy, interspersed with frequent song-and-dance numbers. I thought I knew where the end was going, but I was wrong, and rather pleased with what it turned out to be.

A warning: if you look up the movie or even read the copy on the back of the DVD, what looks like background information is actually a set of major spoilers for the entire first half of the movie.

Jabberwocky

Slightly closer to the Lewis Carroll poem than the execrable Sci-Fi Channel movie we watched a while ago. Significant Python involvement: stars Michael Palin, directed by Terry Gilliam, has Neil Inness in a small role. Lots of squalor and gross-out humor, some genuinely funny bits. I really liked Max Wall, who played King Bruno the Questionable. Probably better accompanied by a drinking game.

Comments

[bulleteyes.livejournal.com]

That has to be one of my all-time favorite film comments: "Probably better accompanied by a drinking game." I can't COUNT the films I've seen through all the years that fit this description!

Again, you give me a great laugh :)

[amedia.livejournal.com]

So glad you enjoyed that!!!! I am happy to say, there was never a time when I needed to repeat the classic you taught me, "Wake up! Something boring is happening!"

[chorale.livejournal.com]

I probably wouldn't get most of the Bollywood jokes in Om Shanti Om, then, as I have only seen one Bollywood film: Bride and Prejudice. It's an adaptation of Austin, with the requisite music and dance, and B and I both loved it. I'd love to see more Bollywood films, but my time is so short nowadays that that is impossible to manage. B and I have a 3' shelf and a bit more full of DVDs we haven't watched. This summer I will start whittling them down, I hope, unless I decide to go to summer school.

I'm sad to say that I haven't watched Jabberwocky either, and it's a Terry Gilliam project, too. I never meant to miss it. I'm glad to hear Neil Innes is in it because I like his musical sense of humor. Have you heard, or heard of, The Rutland Weekend Songbook? Innes did that with Eric Idle. It's loaded with jokes about music, including the first appearance of the Rutles, and jokes about the now defunct county of Rutland in England. Would you like a copy of it?

I, too, loved the comment about the drinking game!

[amedia.livejournal.com]

B and I have a 3' shelf and a bit more full of DVDs we haven't watched.

I know what you mean! Our queue is so full. Hey, I just remembered the film I forgot to list. *foreheadsmack* We managed to knock off a classic we've been wanting to see.

I didn't even realize Neil Innes was in it until I saw his name in the credits. I think someone on the IMDB mentioned that Terry Jones was in it, too, but I didn't spot him either. There's actually a very good and thoughtful review as the first "user comment" - the one that's currently on the first page of the IMDB entry.

I never heard of The Rutland Weekend Songbook!!!!! And I LOVED the Rutles!!! Would you like a copy of it? Holy Killer Rabbits, YES!!!!!

I, too, loved the comment about the drinking game!

Hee! I'm glad to hear it. You and bulleteyes obviously have excellent taste. ;-)

[derien.livejournal.com]

Oh, Jabberwocky! Damn, at first I was going, "What might that be, sounds like I'd enjoy it," and then I realized I HAVE seen it, years ago. :)