The greatest of life’s many tragedies is that it’s so damn unfair.
Evil often triumphs over Good.
There’s often no penalty for cruelty, gluttony, debauchery, savagery and a raft of other venal acts.
And, oh yes, good movies sometimes meet a sorry fate at the box office and the hands of critics.
We just returned from a screening of director Tarsem Singh Dhandwar’s Mirror Mirror.
Pleased as punch.
Certainly not a masterpiece or classic but most definitely an eminently watchable film.
From what we could gather, the audience (hall was about 60% full) seemed to be having a good time too.
But if you were to visit a meta reviews site like Rotten Tomatoes you’d find Mirror Mirror’s rating at a mere 50%.
Because half of the reviews are critical.
And unfairly so.
Well, nobody ever said life was fair
Fine Spectacle
Considering that the Brothers Grimm fairy tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves has been told numerous times on the screen, many may have rightly felt it was a reckless act on director Tarsem Singh’s part to accept to helm a remake of the film.
But, boy, what a fine job Tarsem and his crew have done bringing a fresh look at an old story.
Not merely a dazzling visual spectacle, the movie is a fine amalgam of wit, love, cruelty, good acting and old and new faces.
Hollywood veterans like Julia Roberts (evil Queen) and Nathan Lane (Brighton) unite with pretty, young, fresh faces like Lily Collins (Snow White).
Lily Collins ably holds her own against a strong cast.
The young lass is already being hailed as the new Audrey Hepburn.
We’ve always loved Julia Roberts and her solid performance in Mirror Mirror added an extra dimension to our affection for the Pretty Woman.
But Mirror Mirror is not your grandfather’s Snow White.
Writers Melissa Wallack and Jason Keller achieve the impossible by bringing a novel, fresh cheeky take to the oft-told, age-old fairytale.
Although Melissa and Jason keep the broad framework of the fairytale unchanged, they adroitly maneuver in the innards of the story through some clever sleights of hand to make the story interesting to viewers.
The dialogs, particularly when the dwarves are around or when the evil Queen is kinda soliloquizing, crackle with wit and verve.
As is to expected given Tarsem’s reputation for bringing rich imagery in his films, the photography in Mirror Mirror is bewitching and totally satisfying.
The rich visuals of the court and the Queen’s dresses are a sight to behold.
Bollywood Icing on Hollywood Cake
And for desis like us, the Bollywood ishstyle dance set to the song I Believe in Love – Boy Meets Girl at the end of the movie with Lily Collins demurely looking at the camera was the icing on the cake. 🙂
Superb!
SI thoroughly enjoyed Tarsem Singh’s Mirror Mirror.
SearchIndia.com Rating
SearchIndia.com delightedly recommends Mirror Mirror to our dear readers.
The movie is playing in theatres across the U.S.
Go for it!
Mirror Mirror Review – I Believe, I Believe, I Believe, I Believe in Tarsem Singh added by SearchIndia.com on
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On a related note, check out the beautiful Charlize Theron as the evil queen..
http://www.imdb.com/rg/s/4/title/tt1735898/#lb-vi2494275609
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Read about this upcoming film just the other day.
Wonder why Bollywood or Kollywood hasn’t traveled down the Snow White road yet.
It’s not as if we don’t have a cornucopia of talented girls to play Snow White: Trisha, Nayantara, Kareena Kapoor and, of course, Priyanka Chopra, to name just a few Über accomplished Indian starlets.
Oh, we must, must have Abhishek Bachchan playing the Prince.
No one that side of the Atlantic can play a dumb guy so effectively, so effortlessly (hey, it’s a Snow White film so the Prince has not much to do)!
Karan Johar, are you listening?
N.B.: And if Karan picks up the gauntlet the Bollywood version of Snow White will most certainly be set in NYC with Snow White shown riding the 7 train to Jackson Heights!
This news is a better plot idea. Although Ram Gopal Varma is more likely to pick it up than Karan Johar. 😀
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/Woman-raped-by-goons-she-hired-to-kill-husband/articleshow/12510786.cms
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Only in Incredible India!
On second thoughts, maybe the rape was part of the plan all along. To add a realistic, gruesome touch to the main crime of her Husband’s Murder.
Or maybe the husband funded the rape!
Bad News: One of the guys at the local Hot Breads has quit and moved to some Indian Restaurant in Michigan. He is replaced by a Hindi speaking fella. 🙁
I am no longer going to get the special attention when I go there next time. By special attention I mean he would wash his hands and wipe it clean before making my Andhra Spicy Dosa.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Maybe, he’s tempted by the ‘idea’ of buying a $25 foreclosed house in Detroit.
A friend from India once asked us about the $100 houses in Michigan. No kidding.
Even Recession-hit America looks wonderful from outside.
All he said was he was going to get a good “massage” from an asian chick before heading to Michigan. 😉
SearchIndia.com Responds:
As the sweet hookers on the Madras beach used to ask: Kayya, Vaaya?