Tuesday's short version in the Voice
Wednesday's longer, canonical LA Weekly version.
Whatever our reactions, we're stuck with them. We put down what we have to say. That's the Code of the West. But there are certainly times when you wish your reactions were different; which is to say, that the movie was better. An Indian movie made in China (not the first, I suspect; Shammi Kapoor got pretty close in Singapore)? An intersection of Bollywood and the martial arts? Part of what we're regretting is the movie's failure to rise to a memorable occasion. With a premise that rich it should have been at least a hundred times better.
ALSO: ""Chandni Chowk to China" won't attract many fans of kung fu -- or Adam Sandler, for that matter. The title and the ads will cause them to think for a second, an unacceptable delay for fanboys. It will appeal to the large Indian audiences in North America and to Bollywood fans in general, who will come out wondering why this movie, of all movies, was chosen as Hollywood's first foray into commercial Indian cinema. I don't know a whole lot about Bollywood, and even I could name some better possibilities." -- Roger Ebert
Variety.
Entertainment Weekly.
Bollywood Hungama. Hilarious.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
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6 comments:
Congrats on the semi-long article in the Voice. I'll have more to say tomorrow.
whatever you say, i hope it lives up to your first moment...summum bonum quote.
So it's no KARATE?
Speak of the devil, no mention of Mithun? Alas, perhaps his role is not as substantial as hoped for, and here I'd already resigned myself to no Disco Dancer/Master Killer showdown...
Maybe this means there's still room for another crossover project?
The Ganesh potato gag in the trailer does make me laugh, I must confess.
Mithun was mentioned, in some drafts; I think he might have been trimmed for length. He does get to bust a move or two. With this movie and Yuvraaj he seems to be making his living lately playing imposing authority figures who get trimmed from Chute reviews. If Bollywood was still creating Amrish Puri roles, who better?
Mithun gets props here:
http://www.oneknightstands.net/movie-review-chandni-chowk-to-china/
"MITHUN DA. This movie would sell to full houses in Japan and Russia just because of him. And that is a fact. The echo effect that has been accompanied in Mithun Da’s speech truly justifies his greatness. And he is in fact, the true Liu Shengh. See his gravity defying kicks, and combine that with “Aeeee Saalaa…” clubbed with a very Desi Bihari accent-ba. I don’t need no more. According to me, he gets the Golden Globe Akhrot."
Nice.
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