Celebrating World Bollywood Day – September 24 | Bollywood Blog Posts Roundup

World Bollywood Day is celebrated every year on September 24 to honor the vibrant world of Hindi-language cinema—its music, storytelling, dance, and global cultural impact. Though not officially declared by any government, it's a fan-driven observance that has gained traction across popular culture calendars and online communities.  This blog has eleven (11) posts highlighting Indian cinema. Enjoy!

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(1) Shootout at Lokhandwala (2007)

Do you like movies where the bad guys get their comeuppance? This film is based on a true story.

(2) 6 Bollywood Movies With an Awesome Soundtrack

NOTE: I am a Priyanka Chopra-Jonas fan. So yeah! She stars in 5 of these movies.

(3) Three (3) Bollywood Films That Address September 11th

• (1) A love story set against the backdrop of a terrorist plot.

• (2) A child is killed because of 9/11.

• (3) Indian-Americans studying at a university, thought they were all-American kids until 9/11 happened.

(4) Chandni Bar (2001)

Per Wikipedia: “The film was a critically acclaimed hit and it won four National Film Awards.” Per me: It a depressing.

(5) What's Your Raashee? (2009)

Two words would be sufficient to review this movie. Adorable cuteness!

(6) Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006)

This movie was very controversial among the Indian audience. (Americans would not have raised an eyebrow.)

(7) My Two (2) Favorite Aamir Khan Movies

Aamir Khan is an amazing actor. If you watch these two films, you won't need convincing.

(8) Kismat Konnection (2008) is a Delightful Bollywood Movie

When people say “Kismet” or “Kismat”, they mean it's your fate or destiny.

(9) Spotlight on Bollywood Superstar: Akshay Kumar

This Indian-born Canadian actor can play a good guy, bad guy, funny guy, and more!

(10) Mission Kashmir (2000)

An alternate title for this film could be: “Were you dreaming of a pink house?”

(11) Based on a True Story: Mary Kom (2014)

A gooooood movie!! Based on a real-life female boxer, Mary Kom.

OK! That's my roundup! Dive into the magic of Bollywood.

Thank you for reading. Please visit often.

• Please share the love: Post this roundup with the hashtag #WorldBollywoodDay.

Old But Gold Movies: Review: “There Will Be Blood” (2007)

“There Will Be Blood” (2007) is a movie starring Daniel Day-Lewis.  He won an Oscar for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role. If you are a fan, then you will love the actor but you will hate the character he played.  Oh my!  What a horrible awful awful man!!  You never want to meet someone like that in real life!  If you know someone like that then surely you must go in the opposite direction every time it looks like you're going cross paths.  If I were keeping a list of movies I hate, this film would be at the top of the list.

I HATED THIS MOVIE!!!

If you are a loyal fan of Daniel Day-Lewis (Sir Daniel Michael Blake Day-Lewis) then you have probably seen this movie. It’s not a recent film. It was released 10+ years ago. The movie is “There Will Be Blood”.

I don’t care for all of the movies where Daniel Day-Lewis is the star, even if he is a “Sir”. But I do know that he always gives 200% whenever he gives a performance.

This film won 2 Oscars. One award was for Best Achievement in Cinematography: Robert Elswit. The other was given to Daniel Day-Lewis for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role.

He was good! He played his part well. He was so good that I HATED HIM!!

I HATED THIS MOVIE!!!

If I met any of those people in real life I would run away from them!

I only liked 2 characters: the adopted son (of Daniel Day-Lewis) and the girl he fell in love with.

As for the character played by Daniel Day-Lewis and that preacher he was always butting heads with?

I HATED BOTH OF THEM! I HATED THEIR GUTS!!

So was there blood? If you have not seen the movie, I don’t want to spoil it for but … yeah! Blood was definitely shed.

Sean Fennessey, a writer for The Ringer, a publication that covers sports, pop culture, and tech, provided a succinct description of this film in his movie review:

Never crawl out? Never??

What a relief to know that it was just a movie and not a historical account of real events.

So relax. If you are pursuing the American dream … dream on!

♦

Movie: Bollywood: Chandni Bar (2001)

Watched “Chandni Bar” (2001) as a Friday night movie pick. Chose this film because I was not familiar with any of the Indian actors or actresses. As far as the acting, the script, etc. … it was fine. I say “fine”? But according to Wikipedia: “The film was a critically acclaimed hit and it won four National Film Awards.”

Well! I don’t want to spoil it for others who have not seen the film. Don’t get me wrong. The performances were award-worthy. It’s just that … if I were to use one word to describe the storyline, that word would be “hopeless”.

Throughout the movie, I kept hoping. But my hope was never fulfilled. I was very moved by the characters and the harsh realities of life they faced daily; especially as the threads of their daily lives were sewn into the fabric of the criminal underworld. Definitely not a Cinderella fairy tale.

Someone described it as a handbook to life in Mumbai. What do I know? I'm American and to me, it was a very sad movie with a very sad ending.

*** Original source

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POPULAR BOLLYWOOD MOVIES ON NETFLIX
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— My Shopping Channel (@goshoppingbees) September 7, 2021

Quick Movie Review: Georgetown (2019)

If you like crime thrillers, you'll like the movie called "Georgetown" (2019). The name caught my attention because there is Georgetown, Texas, a city near where I live and then there is Georgetown near Washington, D.C. I used to work in D.C. and it's a lively place. This movie was set in the historic neighborhood of Georgetown, in the District of Columbia (D.C.) 

(SPOILER ALERT!)

Image credit

 

The reviewers at RogerEbert.com gave the film 2 stars and Rotten Tomatoes gave it 3 stars.  Not sure why the ratings were so low.  High caliber actors were in this film: Vanessa Redgrave, Annette Bening, and Christoph Waltz. I would give 1 star fir each and the another star for the film.  That's 4 stars!  

I did not realize until The End that it was based on a true story. Yeah. That creep was an idiot and he really did kill his wife.

The real guy's name is Albrecht Muth.
The name of the character in the movie was Ulrich Mott (played by Christoph Waltz).

In April 2014, Albrecht Muth, 49 years old, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced to 50 years in prison for first-degree murder of his wife.

Even though it would not make my top 10 list, it's a good movie for a Friday night.

RELATED LINKS:

• The Best Crime Movies of 2021 ‹ CrimeReads
• 40 of the Best Crime Movies (That'll Bring Out Your Inner Detective ~ PureWow
• Best Crime Films of the 21st Century, From ‘Memento’ to ‘Zodiac’ | IndieWire

Georgetown (2019) ~ A smooth-talking social climber is under investigation after his wealthy older wife turns up dead. https://t.co/3imal3YOtA via @amazon @PrimeVideo #movies #entertainment #crime #TrueStory pic.twitter.com/mtNMjxjq36

— Joie de Vivre Magazine (aka My Fox Nooze) (@FoxMarks_ATX) July 19, 2022

TV Movie: BBC Masterpiece Contemporary: Page EIght (2011)

Do you fancy BBC Masterpiece Contemporary Mystery movies or television series?

The BBC political thriller titled “Page Eight” is about a British intelligence analyst who refuses to compromise his integrity.

What happens to him is what usually happens when civil servants will not budge on their principles and ideals of Right versus Wrong, and their principles and ideals do not line up with their boss, i.e., the chief executive leader who says: I know what is best for our country and I am the one in charge, with the authority!

In his case, Mr. Worricker (the character masterfully played by Bill Nighy) butts heads with the British Prime Minister. He found some real information on page 8 of an intelligence report that points a finger in the direction of the Prime Minister and … Oh dear!

He has to leave his job? No. Rather he chooses that it is time for him to resign from the MI-5 service and move on. To spice up this not “atypical” political thriller plot, he meets a young woman (played by Rachel Weisz) that he has the power to help because of his access to confidential official government secrets. Does he help her? But of course! She helps him as well. In his line of work, it’s really hard to find someone you can trust.

This BBC political thriller is “Page Eight” is actually part of a trilogy. If it hooks you, you’ll probably want to watch the entire triology: Masterpiece: Worricker Trilogy Collection (Salting the Battlefield; Turks & Caicos; Page Eight)

Page Eight

Worricker: Page Eight

Worricker: Turks & Caicos

Worricker: Salting the Battlefield

Original source

Bollywood Movie Gem: Based on a True Story: Mary Kom (2014)

Priyanka Chopra as a boxer? Get real! No way!

Those were my initial thoughts. By the time the movie was over, I was eating my words. 

PC worked it! She was super awesome playing the role of a real-life female boxer, Mary Kom.

Let me explain. Here’s where I took a left.

What had really happened was that before watching the Bollywood movie, I had already seen an American movie. Million Dollar Baby (2004); which starred Clint Eastwood and Hilary Swank. Expected a really good flick. Some girl was going to go out there and kick butt like Layla Ali. Anticipated a story of victory, triumph, rising above the opposition, working against the odds, overcoming … all that feel-good stuff! You know?

That is NOT what happened!

Loyal Clint Eastwood fan, but that movie disgusted me! It wasn’t just a disappointment. It made me mad!!

So! Using my flawed logic … I figured the film with Priyanka Chopra was probably just going to be an Indian-style “version” of Million Dollar Baby.

Mea culpa. Mea culpa.  10,000 humble apologies!

Can you spell the word WRONG in all kinds of ways?

I can spell it at least 3 ways.

• Number 1 WRONG: Totally underestimated Ms. Chopra’s acting prowess. She delivered on her performance.
• Number 2 WRONG: Didn’t know there was such a person as Mary Kom.  She’s a really awesome Indian woman who opened a door for others to walk through.
• Number 3 WRONG: Boxing for women is hard … in America. Boxing for women IN INDIA? Seriously? My Indian sisters are truly on their own. Any woman who can rise up and make her mark in that field of sports … the world should know her story.

Mary Kom (2014) is a gooooood movie!!

(- Book worth reading: Autobiography: M.C. Mary Kom.)

Both the video and the book make perfect additions to your home entertainment library.

♦♦♦

(Image credit: Amazon)

♦

Related entertainment articles

• Hilary Swank says that after winning 2 Oscars, she was still offered 5% of her male costar’s pay
• Priyanka Chopra named as the world's 8th highest paid TV actress by Forbes
• India’s Desi Girl Priyanka Chopra is now considered a ‘Hollywood Royal’

Original source: Bollywood Movie: Mary Kom (2014)

Loyal fans of Priyanka Chopra-Jonas will appreciate this enthusiastic Bollywood movie review of the film about a real-life Indian female boxer called Mary Kom.

Search for #Bollywood movies on #AmazonPrimeVideo ~ https://t.co/A47IuCwJGZ @amazon @PrimeVideo #Entertainment #watchlists #watchparty #bingewatch pic.twitter.com/g1duxbV649

— My Shopping Channel (@goshoppingbees) September 7, 2021

POPULAR BOLLYWOOD MOVIES ON NETFLIX
~ https://t.co/hvzqekN1H3 #watchlists #watchparty #Entertainment #horror #suspense #romance #comedies #truestories pic.twitter.com/or4YCpouBi

— My Shopping Channel (@goshoppingbees) September 7, 2021

The Falcon and the Snowman (1985) ~ A True Story

Ever see the movie "The Falcon and the Snowman" (1985)? 

I once worked for the federal government. I understand how a young man like Christopher Boyce who came from a typical middle class white American Catholic family ... could become disillusioned he when comes to the knowledge that his beloved country, the United States of America, is not ... "perfect".  After all, that's not what he was taught or raised to believe.  

Even though I'm African-American and grew up in segregated neighborhood, I can empathize with how he felt. I was taught the same thing.  America is the land of the free, the home of the brave,  We're righteous and the other countries should follow our example.  Even though I understand Mr. Boyce, I refuse to justify what he did. Ideals or not, HE WAS WRONG!  

So America is not "without sin". But can any other country say that they are sinless?  You don't like what's happening in America?  Stay here and change it!!  At least you care.  The other country you're selling out to, could care less.

This is a very good movie.  I rate it 5 out of 5 stars.  The soundtrack gets 10 stars!  David Bowie is English but he sang the song "This is Not America", like he was an American

*(View the official movie trailer.)

"The Falcon and the Snowman" starred Timothy Hutton and Sean Penn. I think the movie should be incorporated into an orientation training class for all civil servants who work in the law enforcement agencies “ CIA, NSA, ICE, FBI, etc. The movie was intense. Riveting! A favorite word used by official movie critics. The best part of the movie for me is David Bowie and Pat Metheny on the soundtrack. But I digress. The movie is about a young guy (Christopher Boyce, played by Timothy Hutton) who works for the government and learns that "things" are not what they appear to be and feels betrayed by his country. He gets angry about it “ as any red-blooded patriot would - and decides to sells secrets to "The Enemy". He recruits his childhood friend (Daulton Lee, played by Sean Penn) who is a dope head! Long story short. In the end, they both go to prison.  There is also a book written about this story as well.

The Falcon and the Snowman: A True Story of Friendship and Espionage by Robert Lindsey (2002-06-02)

In between, Mr. Lee gets caught and accused of murder. Of course, he didn't commit the murder but that didn't stop the law enforcement authorities who captured him from grilling him, thoroughly interrogating him, and torturing him to get the truth out of him. After all is said and done “ they say "He did!," - he say "He didn't! He's just a tourist, a businessman." - there's a scene where he's about to be released and a man walks in and says something to the effect: "We're going to give you 2 choices." Before the man could tell what the choices were, Mr. Lee (Sean Penn) looks up at the guy, weary, scared, demoralized and says in questioning tone of voice: "Costa Rica?" I CRACKED UP LAUGHING!! I thought to myself: 'Now ain't that sumthin! They done beat the crap about this boy and he is totally weakened and confused, but he still had the clarity of mind to try to negotiate to get sent to Costa Rica!!' :)

Movie: Murder Mystery: “Big Bad Wolves” (2013)

Horror films and scary psycho-thrillers about murderers on the loose are not really my idea of fun entertainment. They are not my favorite type of film because of my weak stomach which cannot easily digest blood and gore – fake or real; and bad dreams or nightmares are almost always inevitably a byproduct of watching those movies. 

But every once in awhile, particularly if it’s a Friday or Saturday night, a relative or friend might be able to persuade me to watch that kind of movie. But even if I agree to watch the movie, certain allowances must be made.

Allowance Number 1: I am not to be left alone at any time while the movie is showing, except that I can go to the bathroom by myself. LOL.

Allowance Number 2: It is perfectly OK if I “watch” the film all the way through with my eyes closed and just listen to the dialogue. That way there won’t be any gory scenes in my memory for me to fall asleep and dream about.

Allowance Number 3: If I watch the movie trailer and it scares the bejeebers out of me, all bets are off! That’s it! I’m not watching the movie! If watching a movie preview upsets me, there is no way I can watch the movie.

* * *

Here is a movie recommendation. The movie is “Big Bad Wolves”. It’s Israeli-produced and it’s a scary murder mystery suspense thriller! This movie is also described as a black or dark comedy, but I have a problem with movies labeled as such. It’s just one of my pet peeves. Does this plot sound something to make you laugh? It’s a murder mystery wrapped around a horror. The victims are innocent little girls, a killer or killers are on the loose, and you have just got to know if the Big Bad Wolves get caught!

The Saturn Awards are presented by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films, an American organization. “Big Bad Wolves” received the award for Best International Film at the 40th annual ceremony. If that accolade isn’t enough to impress you, then it might interest you to know that Quentin Tarantino called it the ‘Best Film of 2013’.

Anyway! After reading a review that piqued my interest, this movie went on my watch list. The Number 3 allowance has been eliminated since watching the trailer did not overwhelm me with fear and dread. However, because of Number 1 and Number 2, I have to wait for my husband or other relative or friend to be in the mood to watch this mystery with me. I am NOT watching this movie all by myself! LOL.

Original source: Virily.com

♦ MovieTrailer:

Big Bad Wolves (English Subtitled) by Lior Ashkenazi for $2.99 ~ https://amzn.to/2FfbBIJ

'Big Bad Wolves' Is Designed to Scare the Parents, Instead of the Children ~ “... full of wicked surprises ..” ( https://t.co/TjzJbtFDuI ) #moviereviews #entertainment #moviesmusicandbooks #MurderMystery @popmatters pic.twitter.com/Am1NrgGFjB

— Treathyl Fox (aka cmoneyspinner) ~ #Freelancer (@cmoneyspinner) January 8, 2019

Movie Review: The Day After Tomorrow (2004)

Fans of Jake Gyllenhaal and sci-fi movie lovers will enjoy this film. I remember listening to a review by one of the critics that made me laugh. Paraphrasing his words, basically, he said:

• “This is a typical storyline. Something devastating or catastrophic is going to happen on earth. And of course, the one who knows what it is, what to do, and tries to warn others is the very person that nobody listens to!!”

This is a lighthearted movie review of a 2004 sci-fi film. Even though it’s 15 years old (as of 2019), it’s still relevant today. Plus! Fans of Jake Gyllenhaal, who want to know what he looked like as a teenager, will love this movie!

What the Official Movie Critics Said

Several official critics had a lot to say about “The Day After Tomorrow”. I remember a review by one of the official critics that made me laugh. Paraphrasing his words, he said:

• “This is a typical storyline. Something devastating or catastrophic is going to happen on earth. Of course, there is one person who knows what it is, what to do, and tries to warn others is the very person that nobody listens to!!”

What This Unofficial Movie Reviewer Says

If you believe in climate change, you’ll understand the storyline. What’s going to happen is there is going to be a drastic change in the weather and there will be freezing cold temperatures. Cold enough that people will die. If you believe in cryogenics, people won’t die. They’ll be instantly frozen. They can be thawed out later.

The Day After Tomorrow – Official® Trailer

Watched this movie and don’t want to spoil it for those who may not have seen it. (Although you might guess The End through the “hints” woven in between the lines of this discussion.)

Most Memorable Movie Scene

For me, there was only one memorable scene in the movie; a scene worth remembering because I love libraries.

In this scene, there is a group of people in a room in a library. It’s getting really cold! They have to do something to stay warm and since they’re in a library, they start burning books, grabbing any book within their reach and throwing it in the fireplace. They get ready to grab this one book and the man holding on it to refuses to let it go!

He goes: “You’re not burning this book!” He spills out his various reasons why “The Book” must not be destroyed.

Some debate and try to reason with him. Others are about to physically struggle to take the book away from him. Someone yells out that they have found an alternative set of books. No doubt every American would love to burn them! This is not one book. It is a set and has volumes upon volumes upon volumes. The group consensus is: “Yeah! Let’s burn those!!”

To me, that scene was totally hilarious fiction. The scene was also realistic. You could almost visualize that scenario actually happening in real life. If you’re an American taxpayer, you know you’ve thought of burning the U.S. Tax Code.

My Unofficial Movie Rating?  3.5 out of 5 stars and I’m being generous.

* * *

Links of Interest:

We need better laws to protect the rights of future frozen cryonicists: Cryogenics is facing legal trouble with body preservation — Quartz

Agriculture Department buries studies showing dangers of climate change – POLITICO

Content first published at RationalMind.club.

Watch the movie trailer

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Movie Recommendation for Fans of Sophia Loren: Sunflower (1970)

Did you know that sunflowers turn to follow the sun? In Greek mythology, a young nymph fell in love with the sun god Apollo. What do you think the gods did to her?  It's a tragic love story.  The movie "Sunflower" which stars Sophia Loren is also a tragic love story.  Where to Watch.



But the sunflower has more than one love story.

Do you enjoy old movies? Are you also a fan of Sophia Loren? If so, you may have already seen this film, but if you haven't, it comes highly recommended. (That means my husband liked it! ☺) It's a very moving love story about a newly wedded couple. The woman's husband went to war and did not return home. Even though others tell her he is probably dead, she believes her husband is alive and sets out to prove it.  "In the Soviet Union, Giovanna visits the sunflower fields, where there is supposedly one flower for each fallen Italian soldier, and where the Germans forced the Italians to dig their own mass graves."  (Quote Source)

That's it! No spoilers. That's all you'll get out of me, except to say that, this movie would make a great addition to your personal video library. Ms. Loren has starred in many movies that just didn't enough publicity or airtime. This is one of them.

Sunflower (English Subtitled)

"#SophiaLoren, 36, from her #movie #Sunflower" #history #pics #photography pic.twitter.com/XPwzo99Tmw

— Rebecca Rocki (@RebeccaRocki) February 20, 2017

Sofia Loren 2014 Drawing #Drawing #pencildrawing #graphitedrawing #Art #artist #artwork #sofialoren #sofia #loren #goldenage #goldenhollywood #actress pic.twitter.com/446Rp13EeS

— Trevor Doell (@doelldesigns) June 30, 2020

"Nothing makes a #woman more #beautiful than the belief that she is beautiful" #Sofia Loren #montegrappa #Barcelona pic.twitter.com/IFHTbEUG83

— Tomas Colomer 1870 (@Tomas_Colomer) December 14, 2015

Also posted at our partner blog: Joie de Vivre Magazine.

LINKS OF INTEREST:

Hollywood Screen Legends and Icons: Sophia Loren (September 20, 1934 - )

Discovering Sophia Loren - 2011

Sophia Loren: Live From the TCM Classic Film Festival - 2016