tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post8448490985017086141..comments2024-03-29T15:45:04.867+05:30Comments on Jabberwock: Tidbit post 2: a mini-rant about film booksJabberwockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10210195396120573794noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-5862397326219625382010-01-25T06:15:11.523+05:302010-01-25T06:15:11.523+05:30I hear there is a National Film Award for Best Boo...I hear there is a National Film Award for Best Book on Cinema (thanks to the Pachuari headlines). Though the Awards per se have been kind of all over the place are there some good books in there, perhaps in Indian languages (in fact wonder what the state of cinema criticism is say in Hindi, Bengali or Malayalam)?<br /><br />Someone on these threads suggested starting an Indian Cahiers du Cinema. There are plenty of immensely pleasurable blogs/websites on film but I can't recall any in India (i.e. like an e-zine, not personal musings). I am not sure if it has to do with the culture per se (as you also suggest) - part of the reason indie films, music bands etc and consequently their analysis, get up so fast, say in the US, is because there is a small but consistent audience I think-for lack of a better description there still remains a definite urban culture interested in offerings outside the mainstream. Without there being a critical mass perhaps it’s just hagiography (unfortunately laudatory insertions are the norm in India in any field) or books intended to fast-track academic careers? <br /><br />IMO it is no good to wait around for publishers but carpe diem etc. I think passionforcinema was a good idea to start with but as someone here observed it's all over the place and was in danger of becoming a Anurag Kashyap shrine when I last read it.Anuhttp://bluecompositionbook.blogpsot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-14542960898145256972010-01-25T00:15:31.642+05:302010-01-25T00:15:31.642+05:30I think there is a void, and in this we need not l...I think there is a void, and in this we need not look at any other tradition of film writing. The way Bollywood has a relationship with the Indian cultural consciousness, how it has influenced and been defined by the cultural trends; it needs to be written about more in that context.Rahulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08600228969911790479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-55226638599877656802010-01-21T21:48:42.354+05:302010-01-21T21:48:42.354+05:30Also, the key distinction is that when you review ...Also, the key distinction is that when you review a movie upon its release, you're being read by a very large and diverse audience which prompts you to simplify the critique.<br />However, when you review the same movie say 10 years later, you're pretty sure you'll be read by a much smaller and a more discerning audience. So, you can afford to be more indulgent and not tone down your writing.shrikanthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03898755392584822638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-68733095751329474232010-01-21T21:36:15.119+05:302010-01-21T21:36:15.119+05:30I think movie-reviewing by its very nature is soun...I think movie-reviewing by its very nature is sound-bitey and very cursory in analysis. Was reading some of Bosley Crowther's reviews of 40s-50s films when they came out. They aren't very different from the Bollywood reviews we get to read in ToI today. Movie reviewers are apt to pay more attention to the social immediacy of a film's themes (its trendiness so to speak) as opposed to its formal excellence.<br /><br />For instance, an iffy movie like <i>3 idiots</i> is currently hogging a lot of attention (even from the good critics) thanks to its subject matter (which would appeal to anyone who has been to college in India recently). In contrast, a narrative crime film like <i>Johnny Gaddaar</i> (a very special film by any standards) is practically forgotten after a couple of weeks in the box-office.<br /><br />The best film writing invariably happens only after the dust has settled down on a film.shrikanthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03898755392584822638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-71411917607438689672010-01-21T18:38:31.951+05:302010-01-21T18:38:31.951+05:30I have nothing to add to this except "yes, ye...I have nothing to add to this except "yes, yes, a thousand times YES". Really looking forward to the Harper series.Aishwaryahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12871059152281065272noreply@blogger.com