9 Songs

Where do we draw the line between nudity for the sake of art and nudity for the sake of sexual pleasure? The line, if there is one, is a very fine line and it must be said it is closer to impossible to put it down for certain. It can be said that this would be a sensitive topic to deal with but nevertheless Michael Winterbottom has ventured into it. With the film 9 Songs he has tried to define the line between art and pornography.

The film is a narration by Matt, an English glaciologist, about his relationship with Lisa, his American college student girlfriend. After meeting at a rock concert in London the two hit it off and have a torrid sexual relationship over the next few months. They continue to attend different concerts during their live-in relationship until the time that Lisa has to return to her home in the US. The film is mostly scene montages which alternate between 9 different songs at the concerts, sexual intercourses between the couple and other events during their relationship.

The film features its own unique style. With a runtime of just 71 minutes, it is unlike other films since it does not have a continuous storyline but a progressive story with jumps directly to the important events. Not only does the relationship between the couple develop, the story also progresses in the form of the nature of the 9 songs, the type of sex scenes, the framework and camera angles, the amount of nudity shown, the progression of explicit content in the film etc.

The film starts with art, in the form of the love blossoming between the couple and the thematic style of execution, and somewhere along the way moves into the dimension of pornography with hardcore sexual encounters, explicit content, nudity and finally ending with a sex scene in itself. It blurs out any definite line between art and pornography or at least that is what it aims to do.

(I believe this was an incredibly tough film to review and may not have done it justice. Nevertheless I tried my best. Only after watching it can one decide upon this film, and all the same it is a good film to watch)

Small Notice

If people do find the need to distinguish between the both of us. I ( Sean D'mello) am writing under the name ' Sean Will Write' and Sean Sequeira under Sean.

Thank You

Attention Guaranteed.

The kings of comedy will always arise from the west. Their comedic sense and wit left us all in splits even those half a globe away. It made the Canadians forget that they were the butt of most jokes and I think I saw a Chinese guy laughing at himself trying not to squint. This was a pre concept notion we all had, the belief that great comedy arose only from the west. Well no one is happier than me to see those shackles broken and somehow we didn’t have to turn further than a certain Bengali to see that happen. Arnab Ray makes Indians a lot more that call centers and spicy food and gets the whole world to laugh with us.

His blog http://greatbong.net/book/  made way for more of us to come out and blatantly abuse/mock and laugh whole heartedly at our country. Now I must admit that most of what I just said I wasn’t well aware of until I picked up his book ’May I Hebb Your Attention Pliss’. I should be ashamed however to admit that the only reason I did so was because of the cover. The book is about a series of topics politics, moral policing, call centers and toilet flushes (yes toilet flushes).  This book in the author’s own words will give you no worldly wisdom or greater knowledge. But if you’re some one that doesn’t mind humor filled with satire and sarcasm then this book should be on your shelf.  Arnab ray isn’t a rambling idiot who goes around pointing figures, his jokes are well planned and something that comes across fairly well is how well read this man truly is.

If you were born after the 1990s or were too small to comprehend what happened around that time you may find yourself slightly lost. This is mainly because a lot of the references are to culture or incidents of that time.  What amazes me the most is that he never holds back even when it comes to poking the ribs of his own culture and his wedding in particular.  

What is easily the most standout aspect of this book is that so much of what he writes you can associate with your own life.  He makes you want to turn to the person right next to you shake them up and insist the pick up a copy. So get ready for pyramid uncles, guides to making a fortune and whole lot more.  

Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai

When I first heard the title Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai, the first thing that came to my mind was ofcourse the film Once Upon A Time In Mexico of the El Mariachi and Desperado series directed by Robert Rodriguez. To an extent I liked those films for the pure entertainment they provided. But Once Upon Time In Mumbaai is absolutely no comparison. One of my friends, a fellow film critic, was absolutely correct in stating that Ekta Kapoor (producer) did nothing but make a 3 hour extended K serial.

The story is set in 1993 where a police officer fails to commit suicide and relates his reasons to his senior. He takes us back into an 18 year flashback to the time when the streets and waters of Mumbai are controlled by the underworld and in particular by Sultan Mirza, a righteous smuggler who loves the city and keeps peace among the city's underworld but subletting areas to different mafia groups of the city, he himself controlling the seafront and thus bringing in material to be smuggled. He is lovesmitten by Rehana, a beautiful actress who he wins over by his charms. A parallel story runs in the form of Shoaib Khan, the son of a police officer, a small time criminal who is bailed out by his father every now and then. The two stories merge when Shoaib becomes too much of a headache for his father and is put under the guidance of Sultan. He rises through the ranks and wins Sultan's respect and thus power in the underworld. However the difference in opinions between Sultan's puritanical ways and Shoaib's hunger for power cause their paths to split.

The film is flawed beyond measure. The drama is overplayed to the point of death. The acting may be commendable but easily reminds of other veteran actors, leaving no originality from the part of the artist. The dialogues are extremely dramatic, terribly metaphorical and outrageously exaggerated. The constant burn effect on the edges of the frame with the brightness effect in the centre of the frame caused the actors and their shining white clothing to shine but easily caused headaches to some audience members. Another defect would be the concrete cobbled streets which were not in existence in the 1970's. Overall terribly made and badly flawed film.

Watching this film would be an utter waste of money on counts of travel and ticket. You can argue that your snacks and some entertainment would satisfy you, but I suggest doing the same in another movie screening.

First Day, First Show. Our Prelude

We all need to simplify certain things in life. There are moments when we are on our way out of a theater or on the last page of a book and we keep thinking ‘if only we read a review’. Right here we provide you with all this and more. Here is a little background about the both of us.


Sean S : If I said my life could be fuel for an entire feature film or a three hundred page plus novel it would mean a lot. But that wouldn't really be telling you a lot about myself, would it? It is my love for and ergo passion for the arts which drives me on as well as the desire to leave a mark and influence. Many people have told me that I would be the perfect Devil's Advocate, let's just build forward from there...


Sean D: Anything that’s put on paper enthralls me. Those that can keep you intrigued and keep you flipping from page to page are more than just writers they’re entertainers. Aside from this writing is also my closet outlet to make sense of anything in this complicated world. I was taught that through writing I could say and be all that I want. In between those lines lies my story.

We as a people cannot end well. In bed we do it too fast and at speeches we take to long, here's hoping this is not the last you hear from us.