Spielberg Joins with Tom Hanks to recreate a gripping Cold War drama

Spielberg reunites with his old friend Tom Hanks in this Cold War drama (set during the late 1950s) about a New York lawyer tasked with negotiating the prisoner exchange of Francis Gary Powers (an American pilot whose spy plane was shot down in USSR) for Rudolf Abel (a Soviet spy).

Two interesting things about this movie:

## In Spielberg's entire career, this is only his second film (after Color Purple) which will not have his favourite composer John Williams scoring the soundtrack. Thomas Newman (Shawshank Redemption, Skyfall, Spectre) takes the place of Williams, who opted out for health reasons.

## This is the first time Spielberg has collaborated with Coen brothers (Fargo, No Country for Old Men), who have written the screenplay.

Here is the trailer:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mBBuzHrZBro

Film-maker Prakash Jha on his new film (the sequel to Gangaajal)

"...Do you know what the biggest issue is in the country today? It is the ownership of land. Right from the poorest to the richest person in this country. All politics, economics, and society hinges on land. You leave your village because you don’t have land, but if you have land, the government and industry wants it for development. Why do politicians own thousands of acres ? Why do companies want it too? Why is it that the land ordinance became such a big issue in Parliament? Everything revolves around it and hence it became the issue of my film..."

Three years after Satyagraha, and 12 years after Gangaajal, which exposed the criminal-politician nexus in Bihar, film-maker Prakash Jha is back with Jai Gangaajal. Priyanka Chopra replaces Ajay Devgn as the honest cop and the film focusses on the political hot potato of land acquisition.

Read the full story: 

http://www.thehindu.com/features/magazine/prakash-jha-talks-to-alok-deshpande-about-jai-gangaajal/article7742826.ece

The first superstar and anti-hero of Hindi cinema

Kumudlal Ganguly (better known as Ashok Kumar)...The first superstar of Hindi cinema, the first lead actor to play an anti-hero, the first actor whose film entered the 1-crore club (Kismet) in the 1940s...

And probably the only actor who as producer (of Bombay Talkies) gave those crucial breaks to Bollywood greats such as Dev Anand, Pran, Madhubala, Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar.

And interestingly, a career in acting happened purely by accident for this law graduate from Presidency College (Kolkata) who aspired to become a film technician.

Read on: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/education/story/ashok-kumar/1/497246.html

When De Niro and Anne Hathaway Warm the Hearts

A nice treat for the weekend if you like the Nancy Meyers brand of movies (Something's Gotta Give, The Holiday, It's Complicated, What Women Want, The Father of the Bride).

Robert De Niro (as a 70-year old intern) and Anne Hathaway (his CEO/mentor) shine in this heartwarming film on how Gen-Y leaders can learn valuable lessons on work and life from their senior citizen counterparts.

Story synopsis:

70-year-old widower Ben Whittaker has discovered that retirement isn't all it's cracked up to be. Seizing an opportunity to get back in the game, he becomes a senior intern at an online fashion site, founded and run by Jules Ostin.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=f6dKhzYgksc

The Story of How 'The Shawshank Redemption' Become a Cult Classic

A dud at the box office when it opened 20 years ago this week, The Shawshank Redemption now perennially tops IMDb’s favorite-movies list—the ultimate in “guy cry” cinema. A story of studio maneuvering, big paychecks deferred, and well-earned roof suds.

Read 'The Little-Known Story of How The Shawshank Redemption Became One of the Most Beloved Films of All Time'.

http://www.vanityfair.com/vf-hollywood/2014/09/shawshank-redemption-

anniversary-story

The 'Shining' Nicholson

The classic horror flick I revisit every time I want a taste of Jack 'Phenomenal' Nicholson. His genius is in full play in this scene where he is seen hallucinating and slowly going insane. Importantly, 3:59-4:40 (in the video) shows where Heath Ledger could have possibly got his inspiration for his version of the Joker.

JEREMY BRETT - The Holmes Incarnate

No doubt about it...Cumberbatch is wonderful as the new-age Sherlock...I liked even Robert Downey Jr in the recent movie versions.

But to me (and, I am sure, to many others) Jeremy Brett will always be the 'elementary' Sherlock Holmes INCARNATE. He was born to play Holmes.

Television in the 80s (Doordarshan) would have been half as good as it was but for this outstanding series by Granada TV (UK). Till date, it remains the best ever (and the most faithful) adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's work.

(After watching this clip, I am now seized by the mad urge to buy the entire DVD set of this series).

Jeremy Brett - Sherlock Holmes (clip)

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