in reverse order of viewing:
1. “the business of fancydancing”–promoted this one after mike’s endorsement. we liked it a lot (maybe sunhee will post her thoughts as well). some of the acting was a little amateurish (a lot of first-time actors apparently) but the lead was great, as was the writing generally. structurally very interesting as well–it felt like what it was: a film based on poems rather than stories or a novel. i also liked how it avoided resolutions, not only of seymour and aristotle’s relationship, but also of the question of seymour’s relationship to the rez (in his life and his art).
2. “mohabbatein”–this 3 hour 40 minute movie has made me seriously rethink my quest to get caught up on all the bollywood blockbusters of recent years. this was so bad that it may be necessary to write an academic article about it.
3. “since otar left”–i’m not sure if this is a french or georgian movie but it is set in georgia (the ex-soviet state, not where ned beatty got buggered). made by a woman director and about three women: a grandmother, mother and grand-daughter who are just making do in post-soviet georgia while the unseen otar of the title, a doctor in soviet days who is now in paris working construction and writing letters home to his doting francophilic mother. like “goodbye lenin” this is a film that involves telling lies about the present to an old lady who yearns for the socialist past (she insists stalin was a good guy) but it isn’t as frantic or slick as that film (which seems a little post-tarantino). but this is a good thing. “since otar left” isn’t preoccupied with making statements about politics (though it makes some very, very good ones in a quiet way) but more with sketching the relationships between the three women. by the way, the grandmother is played by a 90 year old polish actress who apparently started acting at age 86. but the performances are great all around. i recommend.