Friday 2 January 2009

Year in review: 2008

So long, 2008, it's been a great banner year here at the PPCC! Time for one of those arbitrary End of Year Round-ups!

Biggest disappointment of the year: Rab Ne Bana Di Bodi. We still feel pangs of pain when we hear a bar from Haule Haule or see SRK's face on our Om Shanti Om poster (what? you don't have one?).

Biggest surprise insta-love: Yuvvraaj. The PPCC's newest shamewatch of intense shame-laden devotion, and the movie that made us love Anil Kapoor BIG-TIME (which we are less ashamed about). Manmohini Morey was transcendental.

Emperor of the year: Shashi reigned for longest and hardest in 2008 - thanks to that particularly attractive way he wobbles his head and lazily drawls, "Arreeeeeee..." Siiiigh. Makes our dil go dhadak-dhadak.

Most underappreciated PPCC review of the year: Okay, okay, I know most of you come here for the Hindi reviews, but the Korean film The Host, which we saw back in March, was really a hoot and a hog - highly recommended! Also, we would be remiss not to mention some of the Italian classics we've reviewed this year, especially The Son's Room and Mi Manda Picone.

Boringest month of the year: October, for the PPCC, as we wrote like... no reviews that month.

Intensest month of the year: the post-Yuvvraaj boom, where we've almost managed to throw up a review a day, most of them Anil-centric.

Most underwhelming but still objectively good film of the year: Slumdog Millionaire... honestly, the idea of this film - what it MEANS, man - moves us more than its flashy, Danny Boyle-fied theatrics. Or maybe we just read waaay too many reviews of this before seeing it.

Best thing of the year: the PPCC becoming a little famous!

What next PPCC?


Our 2009 resolutions are:
1. Finish the screenplays. Yes, PPCC reader log, we are writing not one, but TWO scripts aimed for the Bollywood market. It is a hoot, and we promise ourselves to finish them sometime in the next month or so.
2. 2009 is shaking up to be a great year for films. Our resolution is to SEE IT ALL, MAN! Billu Barber, New York, The President Is Coming, Dev.D, and Anil Kapoor walking the Hollywood red carpets!
3. Watch Shashi Kapoor's entire filmography and enter the Guinness Book of World Records for that.
4. Similarly keep riding the Anil Kapoor train.
5. Watch more African cinema.
6. Watch more Latin American cinema.
7. Defeat the morning tea-produced muffin top... ONCE. AND FOR ALL.

And, of course, to keep pumping out reviews of your favorite and least-favorite and undiscovered favorite films!

11 comments:

ajnabi said...

You're really truly writing a script for Bollywood? Nahin, TWO scripts!?! This is fantastically awesome and makes my New Year start off with a PPCC-induced explosion of excitement!

On the muffin-top thing...Oh God. I think I have more of a dough-that's-been-left-to-rise-for-twice-the-time-that's-called-for top, spilling over the pan and flattened on the counters and maybe gooing over a random utensil that's been left out of its drawer. I think the PPCC's next project after the scripts should be the Bolly-diet, in which the participants eat only lentils and spinach with no potatoes and do the Kajra Re dance every two hours.

Anonymous said...

^ What Ajnabi said!!!

Anonymous said...

I can't wait to see those scripts, ppcc :-)

and ditto what ajnabi said...a Bolly-diet seems in order!

My verification "word" is screcry. I like it.

Filmi Girl said...

I loved "The Host"! I own a copy. :)

Happy New Year, PPCC!!

(Also, I was extremely unimpressed with "Jaane Tu.." My write-up of it will be v. cranky.)

Anonymous said...

guys started followin post punk...just recently..
u guys rite some amazing reviews...altho i disagreed on rab ne...being a srk fan..never mind..

i am waitin for a ghajini review..wer is it????

The Comic Project said...

Yuvvraaj I don't understand but PPCC being a "little" famous, I definitely do. Have gone through some of the posts and you guys/gals(?) are awesome.

Best wishes

TCP

Beth Loves Bollywood said...

There's a Bollywood cookbook out there, plus Bips's workout...perhaps can conglomerate into one irresistible media package?

"Throw up." Tsk.

a ppcc representative said...

Ajnabi - Mwahaha, YES! Most Bollywood scripts are written in English first anyway, so I figure, "Why not?!" Plus, major novelty value - I dream of being the next Tom Alter!

BOLLYDIET! Yes. OH YES. I actually have a Bollywood dancercize video that I may need to break out.

Amrita - :)

Memsaab - The masala revival one is like 70% complete, but the indie Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na "middle class" one is slowly taking shape at about 15%.

Filmi Girl - I know, it's so awesome, isn't it?! OMG can't wait to see you tear apart Jaane Tu!

Prateek - Hey, welcome! Disagreement is like sunshine and water to the PPCC: it makes us grow! So feel free to disagree, etc. Ahh, guilting me into Ghajini...

TCP - I don't understand my love of Yuvvraaj either. Thanks and welcome! (And OMG keep making the comics. What about Tezaab next?!)

Beth - Bollywood COOKBOOK!? YES PLZ.

NidaMarie said...

Happy New Year!

I'm super excited about the scripts! :) (Been wanting to write a fiction novel myself that plays like a Bollywood movie but nothing solid has come to mind yet).

I'm sure the scripts will be hilariously good!

I actually own the Bollywood cookbook...haven't tried any of the recipes yet though some look really good. I'm just too attached to the Shan spice kits my stepmom recommended...so easy and yummy and you don't have to buy all those spices!The pics and narratives in the book are kinda cool though.

Sign me up for the Bollydiet Ajnabi!!

Cheers to 2009!

eliza bennet said...

Glad to hear about the scripts and looking forward to read them!


The Host is great and I strongly recommend "Barking Dogs Never Bite" and especially "Memories of Murder" (which is another masterpiece of cinema imho) from the same director.

Not really into Italian cinema but reading your reviews are always good.

I really would like to do some of the dances but too timid/lazy even to try one.

Terrible cook here (but I don't intend to stop trying)

Shweta Mehrotra Gahlawat said...

Bolly scripts!
PPCC as the next Tom Alter!

Wheehee!

Too much fun for me to be v coherent, sorry :B