BIG EMOTION SMALL CREATION

Do you read Newspaper?? If yes, you must have noticed how sometimes a 4 inch sq. cartoon says a lot more than a full page advertisement. Thats what we call- Genius Abridged.

Everybody cannot afford extravagant sets or cameras of brilliant quality. But should that influence your caliber. We differ totally. A sketch of charcoal can be more exquisite than some senseless piece of canvas.

If you don't have camera of gr8 quality, if you cannot affort exorbitant sets but have a story to tell and a talent to showcase... Between Breaths is exclusively for you.

We don't care about your budget... if you are priceless.

The 13th Edition

Editorial: Between Breaths and Blue Notebook

Let me tell you a story…

There was a boy who wanted to write but too shy to accept that. He mailed articles to editors in night so that no body finds him doing so. After numerous rejections, he finally got a work selected. He didn’t receive any monetary benefit out of it. What he received was the recognition that led him to the path of creating new avenues. He was Charles Dickens.

If you have it in you but don’t have a platform to showcase your work; we have Between Breaths just for you.

Further…

TheReelMag is looking forward to “Blue Notebook”, the annual recognition of cinema and people behind it in India. The jury will rate and recognize the best of year 2009 in its first edition. As of now, we are looking forward to your suggestions.

Finally, I read in news that Being Human Foundation of Salman Khan is doing extremely well in Dubai. Salman has done a lot of charity in past too. So, it was expected form him. Kudos to him. If you can, support his charity.

Love and wishes

Sujoy Ghosh

P.S.: Rishabh Shukla is the first one to get on our cover as "Imprint Winner" Congrats

George Lucas – Steven Spielberg | Statesmen duo

Circa 1977, just after release of Star Wars
Status of George Lucas: after initial doubts of many Star Wars has released to stupendous results. Verdict is out: Star Wars is on the way to have a cult following. Lucas escapes of to a beach to stay away from all huge media attention after Star Wars

Status of Steven Spielberg: creator of Jaws is in trouble; his films are going over budget including Close Encounters of the Third Kind. He goes on to meet Lucas. (Both have been friends and critics of each other for ears.)

Conversation veers of dream projects:
Spielberg: “I have always wanted to make a James Bond movie.”

Lucas: “I have a movie better than James Bond in mind, it is called ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’, the lead is an Archeologist Adventurer who goes off to search for Ark of the Convenant. The character will be like we had in 1950’s TV serials the character wears a fedora (a hat) and carries a Bullwhip. Are you interested?”

Spielberg: “I want to direct it.”

Lucas: “It is yours.”
------------
Spielberg was notorious in those days for going over-budget, so Lucas had a hard time to get the film financed. Film was rejected by many production houses, finally Paramount agreed to produce it.

The movie was highly story boarded before being shot so it helped keep budget in control. Also, Lucas kept Spielberg in reality check. Spielberg wanted the movie to be grand, but Lucas wanted it to be low-rung, at one stage Lucas advised him, “Think of this as a B-movie.”

Together they made Indy a cult classic. (I have been using term “cult classic” a little too frequently theses days, hehe.) Till date Indy has had 4 parts and Behold, talks for Indiana Jones 5 are on!!

P.S. Plan for Statesmen section from initial days also included in covering of great cinematic partnership. This article above is our first attempt in the same idea.

Written by, Ali Naqvi.

Wake Up Sid! | Critique

Who is Sid? Sid is a boy who lives next to your house. He may or may not be as charming as Ranbeer but still lives his life to the fullest without giving a damn to anything serious, especially the one called Future (an F-word). He lives with a friend, Ayesha who has aspirations to grow and achieve something in life. Technically both are poles; the opposite ones in approach. Ayesha works with a local magazine and have a crush over her magazine editor. What happens between Sid and Ayesha and what Sid learns about life and himself is the story of the movie.

Is that a classic? No, but still I would like to watch it again for the same reasons that made Dil Chahta Hai and pre-IMA-Lakshya my faves (though post IMA was equally cool). The movie revolves around characters that are realistic and have the freshness of new cosmos. We don’t live like Sid but at some point in our lives, we all are/ were like him only. Ayaan Mukherjee (Director) had a simple story, simple characters and made a lovable movie out of it. Impressive for a debut.

Ranbeer as Sid was an apt choice. He has done a nice job but could have been better. The comfort level with the character of an easy going guy was better in Lakshya where Hrithik did the job. But Ranbeer can be rated as a good second. Konkona was great as usual. Watching her living characters is a delight to soul.

Last thing. Music was nice but not upto Shankar-Ehasaan-Loy tio’s standards. ‘Iktara’ is the only song that will have a long lasting influence on public memory. For details; read: Music Review by Vinayak

Overall, a nice movie. Watch it as it’s a better choice over Acid Factory.

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

Tum Mile | Music Review

Producer- Vishesh Films
Director- Kunal Deshmukh
Music- Pritam Chakraborty
Lyrics- Sayeed Qadri, Kumar
Label- Sony Music
Rating- 4.5/5 stars

One reason i always wait for a mahesh bhatt movie is for their track. Since years they have been delivering us musical blockbusters & 'Tum Mile' is no exception.The deadly "Pritam - Emraan Hasmi" combo is back with the most romantic tunes of this year.The album consists of 8 tracks & one instrumental.Lets discover the melodies.

 The album begins with the tiltle track "tum mile". It's a typical peppy n bouncy Neeraj Shridhar number.The title track has two more versions by Javed Ali(Love reprise) & Shafaqat Amanat Ali(Rock version),which are infact better than the opening version.Although the three tracks are the same, but the way they are presented,so differently,is outstanding, & hats-off to Pritam ji for such an effort.The version by Javed Ali is very soothing .The 'ticking-clock' music is lovely(comes somewhere in the mid of the stanzas).The track has some shades of "Life... in a metro",but you still can't criticize the song.The rock version starts in a very gripping way & doesn't leave you till the end.

Then comes the second track of the album - "Dil Ibadat" - & here you realize that this album gets even better. KK 's charming voice just takes over you.The song catches its real pace with the stanzas with full cooperation by the poetic lyrics by Saeed Qadri,which are more than just romantic.It also has a rock version, but i like the first one more mainly because of the beautiful music it has. However, i love the guitar lead in the rock version (at 3:39sec),which completely energizes the track.

Next we have "Tu Hi Haqeeqat",which starts off with rock but then grabs the sufi tune. Javed Ali's soft voice does complete justice to the song.Lyrics are awesome & so is the music.This love ballad is surely gonna win your heart.

Since 'Jab we met' we have been listening Mohit Chauhan singing Pritam ji's tunes.With "Is Jahan Mein" this duo delivers yet another melody.The track is young,fresh & joyful & suddenly changes the mood of the album.The tracks is not the best in the album coz you get a "heard-somewhere" kind of feel this time.

Then we have "O meri jaan",which certainly reminds you of 'life...in a metro',but Pritam ji's music is fabulous,especially his use of piano.But the USP of this track is KK's magical voice.The song starts slowly but keeps on gaining pace as it progresses,until it reaches an engrossing pace in the stanza.

The last track of the album -"soul of tum mile" - is an instrumental. It is a good musical which basically gives you enough idea about the theme of the movie, & a vry suitavle end to the album.

There are certain facts that make this album very special. FIRSTLY,it is an all n all melodious album.You dont need to skip any track in this album. SECONDLY,i think this is the first album in bollywood which is both romantic & melodious, & to my surprise it doesnt contain any female singer! Infact this is the first thing that came to my mind when i saw the cover. THIRDLY, its the best album of this year so far focusing the fact that all the tracks are of the same mood, so you dont need to do much 'reverse -forward' exercise.

If you liked 'life... in a metro", you will love this one...go get your copy now!

Written by Rishabh Shukla

AJAB PREM KI GAZAB KAHANI | Music Review

Produced by- Ramesh S. Taurani
Directed by- Raj Kumar Santoshi
Music by- Pritam Chakraborty
Lyrics by- Irshad Kamil
Label- Tips
Rating -3.5/5 stars

One of the most awaited movies of this year Ajab Prem Ki Gazab Kahani" brings the hot pair of Ranbir-Katrina on screen.After a long time Raj Kumar Santoshi is back with a comedy. The promos are on & the movie is looking quite funny.The music is by Pritam ji & he has done a good job yet again.The album consists of 14 tracks - 7 originals, 5 remixes, 1 reprise & 1 unplugged version...so definitely a lot of stuff !....

 1> The album begins with "main tera dhadkan teri", which is no doubt a typical Pritam ji's masala track which is very high on energy.The vocals are given by KK,Sunidhi Chauhan & Hardkaur, so you can yourself imagine the energy level. Overall a good stuff,which must occupy the DJ nights.


2>Then we have "Tu jane na" which is the best track of the album, infact an evergreen song. It has three versions, 1st by Atif Aslam,2nd by Soham, Rana Mazumdar & Ashish Pandit (reprise version),& the third by Kailsh Kher, Paresh & Naresh (unplugged version). The track begins like a qawalli but thats just a part of the song.Its a very beautiful melody & that comes out very beautifully in all the versions.This is one track you will want to listen again n again.However, the unplugged version sounded a bit similar to the "soniyo(unplugged version)" of 'Raaz-the mystery continues.My favourite is the reprise version.

3>The 3rd track is "Oh by god" which is a complete fun track, & the voices of Mika & Sunidhi Chauhan do the job excellently.The music peices of 'Shahnai" used in the song are very funny & i am pretty sure that you are going to really enjoy this track.

4>With this one Pritam ji again proves his calibre with the melody."Tera hone laga hun" is the second best song of the album.It begins with english vocals by Neeraj Shridhar & is followed by the romantic voices of Atif & Alisha Chinoy to do with the hindi part.The song is mushy & soothig love ballad that has already gained a lot of popularity.

5>"Prem ki naiyya" is another decent effort by Neeraj Shridhar & Suzanne D'Mello. For a change the english part is not by Neeraj but by Suzzane this time & he is doing a typical hindi stuff by singing the track in complete UP accent.The experiment does a good trick for the listener as the output is a good fun track.

6>"Aa jao meri tamanna" is a typical Pritam stuff.The track is beautiful but it carries that 'heard-somewhere' feel which somehow blocks my liking for the song.Javed Ali does a fabulous job here.Overall a decent track.

7>Finally we have "Follow me" by Hardkaur, & you get that as soon as the track begins.Its a usual Hardkaur product.Parts of this song are used in the 1st song.The good thing about this track is its length which is not at all unneccessary.A fine track but not something that i would listen for long but yes it goes quite well with the movie.

Then its followed by 5 remixes which are nothing but the paced versions of the originals.They really dont click me infact i would prefer if they could be avoided. Overall, the album is another hit by Pritam ji for this year. No matter how much he is blamed for lifting up the tunes but he has always delivered us a 'hit' stuff (forget dil bole hadippa!) .The album is non-monotonous & carries a fun & joyous feel with it, which is felt throughout the album .

 Final verdict- Go grab this one.Its one of the better albums of this year. Written by- Rishabh Shukla

An Affair To Remember- Indian Summer | Eyes Read It

Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru was a statesman and unlike most of his compatriot contemporaries had a very different image that resembled a Casanova. Why? He was stylish. He was sophisticated. He had a charismatic persona and he was a Lady’s Man. Well, in the light of Struggle of Freedom, a book “Indian Summer” probed more.

Alex von Tunzelmann’s book “Indian Summer: The Secret History Of The End Of An Empire” presented a romantic story of love blossoming between Nehru and Edwina Mountbatten, Lord Mountbatten’s better half. The book is woven around the relationships of Lord and Lady Mountbatten, Nehru, Gandhi and Jinnah; and how their relationships shaped the destiny of a nation divided into two countries. According to the writer, the love story can termed as the real life Casablanca.

Did the romance faded after the Independence? No. Even after the end of the empire, the bond didn’t faded. The relationship lasted till their last breaths. In 1960, when she died in UK, India’s parliament passed a condolence resolution. Moreover, government dispatched a wreath of Marigolds to be scattered into the waves of English Channel.

Production house- Universal Pictures has decided to bring the novel to the screen. According to the rumors, the Government of India has suggested that the production house will have to follow some ground rules in order to shoot in country. The rules states that nothing that can hamper the public image of Nehru can be shown on screen. Any scene showing them (Nehru-Edwina) kissing or in compromising state, holding hands in love or expressing love shall be strictly avoided. The sanctity of a friendly relation shall be maintained. The speculations are that Joe Wright, Director of Atonement and Pride & Prejudice will direct the saga with Hugh Grant as Lord Mountbatten, Cate Blanchett as Lady Mountbatten and Irrfan Khan as Nehru.

It will be interesting to see the movie on celluloid. However, in this country movies on demigods had suffered setbacks in past for going against social norms. With Congress being the main constituent of UPA, it will be interesting to see how much of the story is accepted and how much protests crops up.

Couple's Retreat | Music Review

How often do you get to hear Tamil song playing in a Hollywood soundtrack? Don’t believe me;?just get hold of album “Couples Retreat”, the track

Here's what i thought of tracks of the album:
“Kuru kuru” would be a treat for you this Diwali, brought to you by A R Rahman in his Hollywood debut. It’s a really addictive track with the Tamil lyrics tuned in complete Hollywood style.

The next track “Undress” is the prettiest ‘jugalbandhi’ work that any music lover would’ve heard. Mrindangam & Veena take a start blending into sync-base.

“Salvadore” is superb fusion of Hindustani tarana with Latin instrumentation. You may find similarity to some of Rahman’s previous hindi scores.

Next surprise comes your way in form of “Sajna re”. No dear, it has English lyrics, with Rahman’s idea of adding a Hindi word to it. The lyrics are mesmerizingly touching with crystal-chimes accompanying them. You can find it’s instrumental in same album as “Tour of Villas”.

A hip hop number “Nana” with lot of tribal words is enjoyable and you can’t resist tapping along with tune. I read somewhere that Rahman’s son Alim has also given voice in this song.

“Jason and Cynthia Suite” on the other hand begins on a more solemn note but changes to a more folksy segment in the end. One can see Rahman employing his entire orchestral splendor.

“Meeting Marcel” and “Sharks” are two instrumental tracks with almost same notes, I guess people with taste of classics will only love them.

“Animal Spirits” is a blend of theme and ‘villas’, you may skip it. “Itinerary” is just a background track, I feel, it shouldn’t have been included in the CD. But, the maestro roars again with “Intervention”, marked by its orchestral opulence and Rahman’s soulful humming. John O’Brien’s sole score for the movie, “Luau” is a Hawaiian song, which can be given a chance.

The album has more instrumentals than songs, hence not made for masses, but yet one can’t afford to miss Sajna, Kuru and Salvadore.

Written by Neha Jain.

Updates
Read more about A R Rahman

Blue | Music Review

Produced by- Dhilin Mehta Directed by- Anthony D'Souza Music by- A.R.Rehman Lyrics by- Abbas Tyrewala,Mayur Puri,Rajat Arora & Sukhwinder Singh.
Label- T-Series
Rating- 3.5/5 stars

The maestro is back!!...yes..A.R.Rehman is back with his second album of the year(after Delhi 6)..n he yet again delivers a list of chartbusters. Blue is supposedly one of the most awaited movies of the year & its tracks have already gained all the appreciation they deserve.The music contains Rehman ji's signature style.Lets have a look...

1> The album begins with "chiggy-wiggy",which is a fabulous number,but the only fact that makes it fabulous is that Kylie Minogue makes her debut in bollywood with this. The track is simple and 'conventional-bollywood-type'. However, the first part is still better than the later half, by Sonu Nigam . Rehman ji could have given us better.

2> "Aaj dil Gustakh" is the next track in the album with a light,romantic & breezy feel in it.Sukhwinder Singh and Shreya Ghosal do a decent job.The track has excellent guitar strummings & vocals in between however somewhere in them we get a hint of tracks of Rehman's DAUD(remember "o bhanwre").

3> This one is my favourite in the movie. "Fiqrana" is a track with 'high energy' embedded in it.Ressul Pulekutty at his best again in this one, alongwith Vijay Prakash, who sings this one with its full vigour.He is backed by Shreya Ghosal.

4>With "Bhoola tujhe" Rehman ji reminds me of those beautiful slow numbers he has given us in all these years.The track is awesome with loads of gravity in it. I have always liked Rashid Ali since i heard him in Jane tu ya na jane, & he delivers an excellent stuff,again.

5> Next comes the "Blue Theme" which is fast paced number with alternate western & indian music in it.It reminds me a bit of RDB rap...but in this one you dont get the lyrics! It includes six singers so you can yourself realize the enormity of the track.One of the best in the album .

6>It is followed by "Rehnuma" which is a typical rehman number.It has got a james bond kinda music in between,with an influence of jazz, which i really like.Sonu Nigam gives life to the track, however i wish that in place of Shreya Ghosal it was Alisha Chinoy, coz her voice would have given this track a new dimension.

7>The album ends with "Yar Mila Tha",which a complete dissapointment.Its sung by Udit ji & Madhushree ji,but even they couldn't save this track.You can easily skip this one.

Although 'Blue' cannot be considered as one of Rehman ji's best album but still the songs are cool & catchy, & they very appropriately fit into the movie's theme.This is infact his speciality,composing for the most difficult movies in bollywood(read as lagaan,jhoda-akbar,etc-etc).

Conclusion-Dont miss this one, coz not all, but it has still got a few good numbers which you seriously can't afford to miss!!

 Written by- Rishabh Shukla.

Updates
Read more about A R Rahman

Top 5 Indiana Jones Rip-off Franchises >> Under Lens

There are successful films, very successful films and then there is ‘Indiana Jones’. That’s because “Indiana Jones” (lovingly known as Indy) has had many sucessful rip-off franchises.

“So what? Several hit movies had similar movies on the same formula and structure to cash in”, read the line written before carefully. Did you notice the word “franchise”? yup, Indiana Jones has had similar formula rip-offs (read copies) that went on to have sequels of themselves!! It has not-one-not-two-not-three but six rip-off franchises, Yeah!!

'The Mummy' Franchise- checklist of Rick O’Connell (Brandon Fraiser) and Indiana Jones similarities (Harrison Ford), ARCHEOLOGIST check, WITTY ONE-LINERS check, ADVENTURE check, ANCIENT-TEMPLES check, ACTION check. Sure, O’Connell settings are in Egypt and undead-Mummies but at heart he is Jones all the way. Ironically, in 2008 it all came full circle, when both franchises witnessed in their sequels Indiana Jones and Kingdom of Crystal Skull.

‘King Solomon’s Mines’ (Allan Quatermain) Franchise- this is a straight rip-off or can be said as parody of Indiana Jones movie. Case in point being the look of the character- The Hat, The Whip, The masculine grunt just the beard is thrown-in to distinguish the two. Even the typeface used in poster has been a take-off of Indy. See posters above.

‘Tomb Raider’ franchise– Ah! every guys favorite, Lara Craft is Indy’s female alter ego. Jolie’s Tomb Raider does it all, goes to treasure hunts, kicks quite a few a** ;). The settings and environment of Tomb Raider are quite similar to Indy’s films. Agreed, She looks quite a stunner, and her fights can put apna Mithun to shame :D.

‘Romancing the stone’ Franchise - Even Michael Douglas couldn’t resist the temptation of an Indy rip-off. Then Douglas was going through a low phase and RTS helped return him to mainstream with a bang.

‘Da Vinci Code’ Franchise & ‘National Treasure’ Franchise- I placed these down on the list as they are rather removed from original, but have Indy’s elements nevertheless. Main theme in both, has a expert going for a quest to uncover some secret/treasure.

There have been rip-off TV series and other less successful rip-off movies. It is therefore that I say, “and then there is ‘Indiana Jones"........”

Written by, Ali Naqvi.

Korean Romantic Movies | Under Lens

Korean romantic movies have something special about them. They touch your heart and even the heartless may cry at times. The culture of romantic movies is elevated by beautiful sceneries and cute-made-for-each-other couples. Stories are simple still intense.

Man-woman relationships are beautifully portrayed. This can be attributed to the evolution of a free yet traditional culture free from the North Korean orthodox influences. If you haven't seen any, we recommend three sweet movies (keep tissues along with you):

1: The Classic: It has two love stories of two generations. A girl finds letters written by her mother describing her love story. How she fell in love with a boy but was not able to marry him. While reading, the younger girl's story continues. She struggles to find her love in a boy liked by one of her friend. After a lot of confusion, they are united. Finally, they realize that he is son of the same boy her mother fell in love once.

2: A Millionaire's First Love: A spoilt brat inherits a large fortune on a condition that he will have to graduate from a petty village school. He goes there and meets a girl. After initial rub off, they fell in love with each other. But when everything seems to be settling for him, he discovers that his lady love is terminally sick. All he wants now is to make her remaining days wonderful.

3: A Moment To Remember: A boy finds a lovely chirpy girl and they fell in love. They marry and try to lead a peaceful life till she realizes that she is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Their sufferings and love for each other is worth watch.

Watch these three till we come up with more from World Cinema.

Written By; Sujoy Ghosh

EXCLUSIVE SUPPLEMENT- EXTENDED INCH

Eekks… hi!

Welcome to the extended inch” the supplement to the great Horror Show going on TheReelMag. By all means, this edition has been phenomenal and so, we planned to go further with a few more stories.

An uncle (retired Government employee) of mine said an interesting thing about horror genre. Ponder! “Montu (that is my nick name) horror movies reflect not only the little elf in us but also, at times, brings up the blood sucking pervert demon too. In the name of art, sometimes even garbage is auctioned. In some movies people turn cannibals or kill just for fun etc etc. Is that cinema or just ugly piece of mind sold in the name of art? Horror must have a limit. It should make you feel nervous. But if it makes you throw up in disgust… that’s not horror, for the matter of fact not even cinema?”

Should there be a limit to what is shown in name of art on celluloid. Let’s have a debate…

Love

Sujoy

Ram Gopal Verma | Statesmen

Bollywood hasn't witnessed much of big producers and directors going out for horror movies. But one name which has made its mark in this field is that of 'Ram Gopal Verma'. He is one person who has tried his hand in lot many streams of bollywood, be it action, underworld, thrillers or romantics or horror, in which he gave us many cult movies.

Ramu ji entered into this genre with 'Raat/Rathri'(1992). It’s an out n out horror movie with a lot many scenes that can literally freeze you out! It’s a cult movie that gave new definitions to so called horror movies. Trust me! After watching this one you would want to be alone! Then there was a big gap until he re-arrived with 'Bhoot'(2003). It was a psychological horror that not only won many awards and nominations for the director and the actors as well but also established him as the king of this genre. He also directed 'Darna Zaroori Hai' which was not successful at the box-office. 'Phoonk' was another movie which came in with a lot of hype. To promote this movie Ramu ji even announced reward for the person who would watch the whole movie alone in the theatre; however these advertising stunts didn't work out much for the movie.

As a producer too Ramu ji has supported a few such projects like 'Darna Mana Hai', 'Vastu Shastra', 'Darling' and 'Agyat'. 'Darna Mana Hai' was a collection of short horror movies which basically defined horror with new terms and conditions. It wasn't any regular horror movie and highlighted the fears of human nature in a very unconventional manner. It was followed by 'Darna Zaroori Hai', which was on a similar pattern. Even 'Vastu Shastra' was an excellent horror flick with many new concepts of scaring people, and did average.

His movies brought up this genre in an entirely different pattern. The ghost was not restricted by daylight or city life. He could catch you anywhere! And that was the USP of his movies. His movies scared us in a very new and fresh way, which was quite unlike typical horror movies that we had seen in the past, by bollywood. That's the reason why his movies saw such a huge success. Kudos to Ramu ji for bringing up a new approach to bollywood horror movies.

Written By: Rishabh Shukla

Why We Love Horror | Under Lens

Horror is undoubtedly one of the most loved genre of cinema amongst youth and children. Probing into the minds through hypnotism, I found reasons that makes Horror so cool:

1: While Sci-Fi flicks make us rationale, horror movies make us feel more human. There are certain things beyond human capacity and calibre.

2: Good always stand tall. Evil can scare and kill people but at the end of the day, Good and God wins.

3: Feel of eerie is the most amazing thing. The shivers make us feel sick and nervous but the fun quotient of watching the movie holding the chair or sofa or companion is uncomparable.

4: Expect the unexpected to scare your guts out. You never know what can happen on the screen.

5: The feel of your beloved hugging you, horrified, when some devilish thing happens on screen. That is the cherry on the cake.

In conversation with: Akshay, Pankaj, Alok, Sanchit, Apoorv, Deepak

The 12th Edition

Dripping in Blood >> TheReelMag

1. Editor's Pen: Horror Nights

2. Amityville horror: Critique

3. Musical Horror!! : Under Lens

4. Exorcist: critque

5. Why was Exorcist Banned?

6. Sam Raimi: the man behind Evil Dead and Spiderman

7. Master Directors who did horror too

8. Woh Kaun Thi: Critique

9. Cannibals in court !!

10. Devil wears Raavan

11. The Ring Series:Critique

Editor’s Pen: Horror Nights!!!

Hi…

Do you like horror movies? If you do, you will appreciate this edition and if you don’t… read on buddy, I bet, you are going to love this edition. Come on who doesn’t fall in love with Ghosh's… oops. I mean Ghosts.

In this edition we are going to present some awesome stories from the world of Hades realized on the silver screen… some thrilling reviews and some revealing fables. Horror is the flavor of this edition.

Now, lets talk about Between Breaths. We got some interesting reactions but we are expecting better ones to come. The best ones will be exclusively reviewed and teams will be showcased on Golden Podium. So, a short movie can be your short cut to silver screen.

A special mention: Neha has turned out to be a star contributor. Reasons: She is smart. She knows what to write and there is a news that she has been invited by some other portals to contribute as freelancer. TheReelMag is proud to present her on our platform. You can be the next.

Love,

Sujoy Ghosh.

Critique: The Amityville Horror

What if you feel like killing your own family? Feel like taking out a gun and kill your children and spouse one after another without any guilt and remorse? You hear voices and blood soaked corpses are the only things that can pacify your rage?

Guess, you wake up at 3:15 in the morning (or night) at you are at 412, Ocean Avenue, Amityville, New York. The Amityville Horror is a movie directed by Andrew Douglas, scripted by Scott Kosar and Sandor Stern based on novel by the same name by Jay Anson and starring Ryan Reynolds and Melissa George. The plot is based on a real life incident in which Ronald DeFoe, Jr. shot dead six members of his family in Long Island.That happened in 1974.

George (Ryan) and Kathy Lutz (Melissa) and her three children from first marriage finally shift to a new home that suits their budget. Then strange things happen to them. Daughter Chelsea becomes friends with Jodie, a mysterious girl. Magnets on refrigerator rearranges to spell KATCH EM< KILL EM. Locked boathouse opens up repeatedly. But the most and weird thing happens to George. He complains of cold and spends most of the time in the basement. He hears voices and feels the urge to torture people. One day, he looses his control over himself and chases his family with his shot gun.

Is murder of his family his destiny? The bloodshed and his rage… what is happening to him. Who is Jodie? Watch the movie; you will realize why everything is not on a review.

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

P.S: It is said that Madhvan's 13B was inspired by this movie. See the climax to notice great similarities ( read copy)...

Musical Horror !! |

Horror films are for fear & terror and Musicals for delight & pleasure. But imagine what the outcome would be of blend of these two movie genres. Bollywood has given hits in this genre which we term as Musical Horrors. Just check out the list and you will know what I mean.

1. Mahal (1949) : A supernatural suspense thriller was one of the biggest box office hits of its time,paving the path for stardom for Lata Mangeshkar. The song “Aayega Aanewaala” is a hit of all times. American film Reincarnation of Peter Proud seems to be inspired from it.

2. Bees Saal Baad (1962) : It owns the honour of being first hindi movie to be nominated for Oscar, also bagging 3 Filmfare awards for music. The song “Kahin deep jale” is one of the memorable songs of Hindi cinema, sung by Lataji again.

3. Raaz (2002) : The third grossing hit of the year. Nadeem Shravan’s music playing an important role in its success. “Aapke pyaar mein” & “Jo bhi Kasmein” were nation wide hit. They could be heard on every street, parties, cars, music charts. “Tum agar saamne” is yet a compulsory song in any marriage party.

4. Saaya (2003) : A classy romantic horror directed by Anurag Basu, needless to say it had to have romance in music. Anu Malik didn’t let down his director giving good quality subtle music for lovers. “Aye meri zindagi” & ” O saathiya” are my favorites, watch out Sayeed Quadri’s lyrics.

5. 1920 (2008) : Vikram Bhatt says it to be his best creation ever with splendid music for alluring the audience. The album boasts of several big names to its credit, Pandit Jasraj, Asha Bhonsle, Kailash Kher, Shubha Mudgal & Adnan Sami (music director). The music takes you to an immortal journey from the heart of 19th century, a worth experience.

6. Raaz 2 (2008) : Another good adddition to the music catalogue of Bhatt camp, reaching to the expectations set by its prequel. Toshi Sabri (debut) has done wonders in song Maahi. Soniyo has rocked the charts. The albums like these are made only once.

Written Neha Jain

Exorcist | Critique

When I think of horror movies, the first movie that comes to my mind is "The Exorcist”, a movie that set many standards and scared people a hell lot!

The movie is adapted by the 1971 novel of the same name by 'William Peter Blatty'. The basic story of the movie is that the daughter of a successful movie actress is supposed to be possessed by a demon which is thrown out of her body by two priests through exorcism, which is the climax of the movie. Both the film and novel took inspiration from a documented exorcism in 1949, performed on a fourteen-year-old boy.

The movie boasts of excellent special effects and horrifying stunts of that era (1960-1975,in which many such horror movies were released).However, the USP of the movie is its performances. Linda Blair does an outstanding job as the girl possessed by the demon. Ellen Burstyn powerfully portrays the frustration, anger and affliction of a mother. Jason Miller as the priest is impressive.

It has many unbelievable and outstanding scenes (considering the fact that it was made in the 1970's), be it the 'spider-walk' scene which is supposed to be one of the spookiest and most horrifying scene of the movie (it just lasts for a few seconds and wasn’t there in the 1973 version because it was considered technically ineffective), or the 360 degree head spin, or the shaking bed. If you have been keeping tracks of bollywood horror movies, then you are surely going to find some or the other work plagiarized from this flick! The movie is said to have given new standards to the class of horror movies. Another remarkable thing about this movie is its background score. Its fresh, soft & very well presented in the movie. The script keeps you gripped (except a few scenes, which are basically used to establish the feel), from the beginning till the end...even though you know the whole story. This part of ‘THE EXORCIST’ series is considered to be the best although many other parts have been released till date.

In the end I must say that if you like horror movies, you can’t afford to miss this one, for sure!

Written By: Rishabh Shukla

Banned Horror Movies Exorcist | Under Lens

Exorcist pretty much defines the term “cult-classic”. This 1973 release directed by William Friedkin, has had popularity in every sense of the word, both positive and negative.

Several Directors refused the movie one of which did so stating that the movie is “cruel to children”.Controversy started early for Exorcist, right from the trailer. It had a simple trailer concept, with the face of the possessed girl bobbing in and out of darkness, but had a horrifying effect specially on young girls and was thus changed. Below is the same banned trailer.



As the movie released protestors in UK gathered outside the theaters to ask people not to see the movie, and this resulted in theaters being packed. British MP Rhodes Boyson asked for the movie to be banned.

Though actual ban wasn’t really implemented and is more of a legend than truth. Ban therefore was in 4 countries viz. Burma, Iran, Malaysia and Tunis. In Tunis it was banned for the silly reason after being branded as “Christian propaganda”.

As the film’s reputation grew, people in New York used to stand upto 4 hours before ticket windows opened in lines for hours just to be able to watch the movie. The same New York theater there were many reported incidents of vomiting, fainting, in some cases heart stroke and also a miscarriage. So much so that at some places catholic priests were present at the screenings and stretchers were kept ready to take out audience who would faint.

Later it was adopted by the catholic community and is still screened at some church sermons. Father Kenneth Jadoff's claim in The Catholic News that 'The Exorcist is a deeply spiritual film.'

The movie went on to get 10 Oscar nominations, won 4 Golden Globes including best picture, is still in 20 most grossing movies of all time and always be considered a cult classic.

Written by Ali Naqvi.

Sam Raimi | Statesmen

What is common between Spiderman and Evil Dead? Well both the cult classics are works of the director- Sam Raimi.

Sam at the age of 13 started making films with Super 8mm Camera, given to him by his father. He went on to make 32-minute short film “Within the woods”(1978). Whoever saw the movie was impressed and it raised $350,000.

Buoyed by the appreciation, it was decided to turn “Within the woods” into full feature film. Sam Raimi invested four years into the project and it was eventually titled “Evil Dead”(1981). A theater was rented to showcase the movie, the audience simply loved the movie and rest as they say is gore history

It spawned two sequels “Evil Dead 2”(1987) and “Evil Dead 3: Army of Darkness”(1993). Sam was an ardent fan of both Horror and superhero genres so next he mixed both of the genres to make “The Darkman”(1990). Darkman upon initial release had mixed reviews but has achieved cult status toady as have Evil Dead films.

There after he went onto make Tobey Macguire starrer Spiderman trilogy, of which each has grossed $800 million dollars each. That sums up to around $2400 million (Rs.12,000 Crores.)

In 2009, Sam Raimi helmed the directors chair again for “Drag Me to Hell” and has wowed critics and audience alike. It stands at 91% in RottenTomatoes.com and is thus nothing short of awesome.

Sam Raimi’s horror movies have all have been noted for humour into them. Humour and Horror don’t usual;ly go hand in hand. Sam’s films are an exception as one critic remarked “Drag Me to Hell is both Scary and fun in true Raimi style”.

Even in his days with Spiderman, his love for horror never faded. He has been a producer to quite a few horror movies such as “The Grudge” Trilogy(2004,06,09), “The Messengers”, “30 days of night”, Luccy Liu starrer “Rise: Blood Hunter” among others. Sadly though, none of his horror productions have been critically acclaimed.

Sam Raimi is thus one Of TheReelMag "Masters of Horror".

PS: for Raimi Fans, Evil Dead 4 is currently being written by Raimi, May he rest in peace :D.

Written By- Ali Naqvi.

Critique: Woh Kaun Thi?

One night of turbulence, Dr. Anand is on his way back to home when he meets a girl in white saari. He offers her lift and she accepts. She guides him to a cemetery and disappears. A man who seems to be crazy stops his car and begs him to save his daughter who is dead and is none other than the mysterious girl.

He goes back and returns with cops to find the place deserted for long. He is puzzled and decides to investigate but more surprises are there in the Pandora box. He later finds out the girl his mother has singled out as her prospective bride is none other than the same mysterious girl. He falls for her. But what is the truth of the mysterious girl. Is she flesh or just an illusion or… a ghost?

Anand is puzzled and weirdly in love with Sandhya- the girl in white saari. When in 1964, this black and white mystery horror thriller banged the silver screen, it created history. Story of an alluring beauty, a helpful doctor and numerous mysteries later became a trendsetter for numerous movies.

Directed by Raj Khosla and starring Sadhna, Manoj Kumar and Prem Chopra, Who Kaun Thi is a milestone in Indian Cinema. Background score in a horror flick should be of great quality. Who Kaun Thi had an advantage. Score was good but music was awesome. Like the melody- Lag Jaa Gale, a song that brought Sandhya alive as Anand’s muse.

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

Master Directors Who did Horror too | Under Lens

Well we all have at some point in time thought of Horror films as B-movies lacking in class haven’t we?? Well I sure did once. But in course of researching for this horror edition, I found that the THE BEST, MOST RENOWNED HOLLYWOOD DIRECTORS have all made superb horror flicks.

Still don’t believe me?! So what is your list of best directors??? Did u say Martin Scorsese, Steven Speilberg and/or Peter Jackson. Yup all of them have. If your list was different then too you would sind big names making chilling horror flicks. Here goes...

Stanley Kubrick-“The Shining”: Though not conventional horror it is a scary account of few people stuck in a hotel, where one of them descends in to madness. It showcases one of Jack Nicholson’s career best performance. Based on Stephen King’s Novel of the same name.

Peter Jackson-“Brain Dead”: before he made LOTR trilogy he made several horror films. “Brain Dead” is a spoof of sorts and is put under “Slapstick Zombie Comedy” genre. It had a grotesque, gory second half culminating in a shocking climax scene where the hero faces his Zombie mother.

Alfred Hitchcock-“Psycho”: In 1960 the master of Suspense decided to adapt the novel “Psycho”. The movie had initial bad review but was a huge hit. Today it is a cult classic. Scenes of the movie have been copied innumerable times over the decades. There is a Shower scene which in itself has been

Danny Boyle-“28 Days Later”: Danny Boyle has been dabbling with many genres and so he did very popular, successful and highly acclaimed Zombie movie “28 days later” its sequel “28 weeks later” has also had favorable response.

Steven Spielberg-“Twilight Zone”: Speilberg has been producing quite a few horror movies. He wrote Gremlins and directed one of the four mini movies in the Horror Anthology “Twilight Zone:The Movie”(1983). It was movie version of the television series “Twilight Zone” that was hugely popular in 50’s and 60’s.

Francis ford Coppola-“Bram Stoker’s Dracula”: 1992 saw maker of “Godfather” adapt The Original Novel “Dracula” written in 1897!! It starred Anthony Hopkins, Gary Oldman and Keanu Reeves and has had a positive respoce and is known for its exquisite imagery.

Martin Scorsese-“Shutter Island”: Yup the greatest of ‘em all is coming to horror. It is based on a novel of the same name. One stormy night a serial murderer goes missing on “The Shutter Island” and it is upto the sergeant (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) to find the killer in this stormy night. We smell blood!!

Written by Ali Naqvi.

Cannibals In Court | Hammers High

One fine day, a director came up with a movie he claimed to be the last documentary of dead documentarians. The crew was allegedly killed by the tribal. The movie was Cannibal Holocaust, a milestone movie by Ruggero Deodato. The movie was premiered in Milan and was banned by the orders of court within a small span. Deodato was arrested. It was an age when media was not such a big tool. Filmmakers stressed more on hype and rumors and sometimes crossed the limits. Deodato did the same mistake. To assert the assumption of dead documentarians, he signed up an agreement with the lead actors that they would not appear in media for a year. The idea simply backfired. Court believed that for shooting purposes the actors were brutally killed and the famed impalement scene was performed on a real girl.

The producers and Deodato were charged with murder. He claimed that the ‘dead’ crew was alive. Court asked about their whereabouts and here, Deodato was trapped. Finally, he voided the agreement and brought the actors to an Italian TV show. Then to satisfy the court about their doubt about the impalement scene, it was re-enacted. Every effect was explained. Satisfied in doubt, court dropped the murder charges. However, the filmmakers including Deodato and few others received a four month suspended sentence. It took three more years of courtroom drama for Deodato to get his movie excapulted from ban. It was finally rewarded a VM18 certificate in 1984 after a few cuts. Apart from native land, it received stern censorship in countries all across the globe. UK, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Finland and conservative sectors banned it outright. Though the ban was lifted in most of the countries after certain rating and recommendations.

For ages to come, the movie will remain an iconic effort in Gory-Horror genre.

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

Devil Wears Raavan | The Eyes Read It

Picture this- an elephant goes berserk and attacks the star cast of the movie… this and a lot more is happening on the sets of Raavan (Ravana, Ravan… whatever suits astrologically). Horror tales are haunting the sleep of the crew.

Winds told us that everyone is whispering that some bad omen is influencing the next blockbuster. Yes, I am talking about Mani Ratnam’s Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Vikram starring flick Ravana which boasts of music of A. R. Rahman.

According to legend, the fall of the Demon King was attributed to Lord Shani and Nakshatra Rahu. Some people believe that the same are now influencing the namesake (the movie). Actually, Abhishek is playing Ravana and Aishwarya is playing Sita. Since, Ravana wanted to marry Sita by force, casting of a real life pair as Ravana and Sita is extremely inauspicious. Interestingly snakes and elephant are said to be agents of Rahu. Moreover, according to rumors in the movie, characters of Abhi and Ash fall in love. This might have invited wrath of Gods.

Numerous incidents have taken place. Ash has complained of insects and snakes. While shooting in Kerala, an elephant killed his mahaut (handler) and attacked the crew that included the star couple. At Malshez Ghat, forest department lodged a complaint against the crew for illegally erecting sheds and dumping wastes. Mani Ratnam suffered stroke and final nail, the producers Reliance Big Pictures asked Mani to reduce the budget that was initially estimated to be 120 Crores. And one thing more; Amitabh Bachchan and Amar Singh also faced health problems meanwhile. Do we need more evidences? I expect a few more- like some ‘Sena’ may attack the cinema for alleged blasphemy?

It may have something to do with stars of Abhi and Ash. In Dhai Akshar Prem Ke, Ash's character drank poison. In Kuchh Naa Kaho, her ex-hubby came in when both fell in love. In Guru, their personal life suffered a setback, brother-in-law and Abhi parted ways and he suffered stroke. In Dhoom-2, Hrithik got the girl and the kiss. And in Umrao Jaan, both relationship and box office collections didn’t delivered. Finally, in Sarkar Raj… Abhi got killed. I guess, this time their stars ascended from reel to real avatar. Anyways, looking forward to see the movie as with Mani Sir, I can guarantee a great theatrical experience.

P.S.: When Sujoy was told about the story, he complained of nightmares.