Archives For Motion

Vidya and Dubbing in Indian Films

So… I thought I was wrong [1], but now I’m not so sure.

One of my pet-peeves with Indian cinema (and Chinese… and Russian) is when some sort of dubbing is involved. The Russians, of course, are the worst offenders of that when they just slap some Russian over-dubbed without even caring if it’s a man talking over a female character. It’s not even like it’s properly dubbed, it’s just lazily slapped onto the original track without even lowering the audio.

Then the Chinese mess around with you because you got Hong Kong actors that don’t necessarily speak proper Mandarin working with Mainland actors who wouldn’t necessarily speak proper Cantonese (or at all). The result? You don’t exactly know which one is the original audio track. The way I go about it is to choose always Cantonese when film is set in Hong Kong, and go for Mandarin in most epics. Anything historical epic HK production pre-97 also gets the Cantonese favoritism. xD

India has suchhhhhh an array of languages that I’m not entirely familiar with that it would mean little to choose one language over the other, unless you’re bothered with lips syncing. Though Hindi now sounds familiar, I must admit. What bothers me is that I get accustomed to people’s voices. It seems people in India find certain voices more appealing than others, and could -in a whim- dubbed you over. One of the reasons I can’t stand Ghulam is because it bothers me that Rani’s dubbed voice doesn’t match my idea of Rani.

Tabu has done a bit of non-Hindi films, and though her acting can be epic- Telugu dubbing, man. I know and I like Tabu’s voice, and it freaks me out a little how different the dubbing voice can be. As a general dubbing rule, companies tend to go for voices that are similar to the original audio… or they go for someone with a similar flare. Not generally in Indian cinema.

All this talk is because I found a clip of Vidya Balan from Urumi, for which I complained that they probably dubbed their voices. However, in the clip, it sounds… almost like Vidya. For a very long moment I thought it was her, until I read the comments… now, I’m not sure. LOL

If it’s dubbed, it’s the best dubbed I’ve seen. It’s a Japanese super-dub!

If it’s Vidya’s voice, she apparently speaks perfect Malayalam for the movie.

Posted on May 14, 2014 In Celebrity, Chinese, Clips, DVD/BR, English, Films, Misc., Russian, Sharing , , , , , , ,
permalink Leave a comment

Shiina Ringo’s NIPPON for NHK’s FIFA

If FIFA’s World Cup is making me choose between Pitbull and Ricky Martin. Okay, I’ll take this~

NHK got Shiina Ringo to make a song for their coverage of the event, and that’s all we need to know. I’m not sure what’s the coverage is gonna be like down here (cable or networks), but I’m sure we’re stuck with Pitbull.

I just knew songs were gonna suck when they started announcing the social media contests to “create the song” for the World Cup. Cheap music will always be cheap.

Posted on May 12, 2014 In Clips, English, Japanese, Music, Sharing, Television , , , , , ,
permalink 2 Comments

More Candid Koffee for Madhuri and Juhi

I ran into this deleted clip of the Rapid Fire Madhuri and Juhi did for Karan. I wonder how it’s decided what questions or answers make it onto the show.  Madhuri kept being her usual diplomatic self, especially that answer about who’s the best dancer- it does make me wonder~ I do know that she could totally pull off most dance numbers in most movies most of the times…

Post-Madhuri, I haven’t seen any actress being able to pull off what Madhuri was able to give to the screen… though Aishwarya came close for a while back there. However, there are… on rare occasions… when a choreography is so full of energy from a particular actress that it seems only that actress can pull that number alone. I’m not HUGE on Deepika, but post-Cocktail she improved quite dramatically and she sorta impressed me with Nagada Sang Dhol [clip] – a part of me wants to see whether Madhuri could pull that number right now. It’s the stamina involved.

And though I’m pretty sure the track has been sped up, Discowale Disco [clip] and Dil Bole Hadippa [clip] could also prove a bit of a challenge. But… could Madhuri pull off the funny swag that Rani put into Bhangra Bistar [1]? Ha! I’d LOVE to see that~

Anyway, going back to the clip~ I do think Juhi’s questions were a lot more difficult and expose her a bit more, especially the one asking her about who she considers a current sexy actor, what would happen if a younger co-star would hit on her, and the impact that marriage (and kids) can have in people’s (specifically women) careers. People have also been milking the “rivalry” that should have, so there’s been a lot of focus on Juhi’s character. It shows… err- the shades of her as a person. She’s not the super human that exudes confidence and always has an opinion on anything- she seems like a human being that has had insecurities throughout her life in an industry that heightens everything, and she’s had to lived under that microscope.

In theory, it should bother me… but I find her oddly endearing. Juhi makes me feel like I want to give her a hug, and ALWAYS hope for the best for her. The other day when I found out she voted “for the first time,” my reaction was… “Juhi, you’re in your forties, I can’t believe this is the first time you vote.” LOL Though voting is mandatory down here [two 2-round presidential votes, one for city mayor and one to kick out the major LOL], I do have a really strong sense of politics. I’m the snotty late-twenty-something talking to the thirty-somethings and forties about South and North American politics (I’m a little fuzzy in Central American dealings), East Asian, English, and West European politics.

And I do have too many older friends.

I wonder what it’s like to be Juhi Chawla’s friend. Sipping a cup of coffee or tea and chat.

Posted on May 10, 2014 In Celebrity, Clips, English, Sharing , , , , , , , , ,
permalink Leave a comment

Funny Tabu for Meenaxi Extras

You know how we love to put stars on pedestals? Often reserved and measured in interviews — except for the fact that Ang Lee told her she laughs like a school girl [1] — it was totally worth the buy of the Meenaxi DVD for the Making Of. Now we have these~

tabu-meenaxi-making-of-funny-001
My reaction when I saw that?

Continue Reading…

Posted on May 4, 2014 In Celebrity, Clips, DVD/BR, English, Films, Fun, Screencaps, Sharing , , , , , , , ,
permalink Leave a comment

Ranveer Does the Rex for Durex

Let’s tag this NSFW on the basis that is a condom commercial, alright? Otherwise, you’re really safe watching it considering some music videos are way WAYYY more risky than this I-don’t-know-if-I-should-be-embarrassed-or-do-the-rex commercial.

I have sooooo many conflicting feelings on Ranveer Singh. I look at him, see him act on movies, look at his photos, be a dork in short spans of time… and I find him oddly attractive. Then I see him behaving in a rather lengthy interview, and my logic wants it to continue- but it’s off. Totally OFF. The Koffee with Karan episode he did with Arjun Kapoor, it grossed me out.

As a general reaction, I get all Madhuri Dixit and laugh my butt off saying “he’s hilarious.”

The commercial starts off pretty cringe-worthy until you reach the 10-sec mark, and a goofy loose-pant Ranveer does a funny dance. The music (or at least the beat) is a bit generic, you can think of a dozen songs that are catchy and might sound similar to it (Psy, LMFAO, I felt all of you guys — and i don’t even like you), and he certainly shouldn’t quite his job as an actor.

BUT! He’s such a dufus. I can’t help it~

I haven’t been able to find anything on it, but rumor has it that DigitasLbi was in charge of the ad, which seems to target women as their demographic. Why should condoms be solely a guy’s responsibility, no?

I can’t believe there’s still people who don’t practice safe sex.

Posted on April 23, 2014 In Celebrity, Commercials, English, Sharing , , , , , , ,
permalink 1 Comment

Movie Streams, VOD, and Worldwide Online Distribution

I’m still not sold on Netflix- never to this date I’ve ran into a film that I wanted to watch on it. At least in terms of this region, which doesn’t count with as much content as the US or Canada one. Similar issues with iTunes… and Amazon is out of the question.

I used to subscribe to MUBI for a long while (at least for a bit over a year), but eventually turned off my subscription because I wasn’t watching anything, while things I had added to my watchlist stopped being available, and the selection of their films eventually was reduced to their now curated content. I’m only subscribed to EROSNOW now, and have seen a few couple of films there, but had to turn to other mediums when found links that were region-restricted or surprisingly without subtitles.

My experience with streaming has been decent- and for as cheap as $5-9 bucks you can watch a lot in a month, and it just makes your life quite easy. Similar flawless experience with my first Vimeo On Demand watch. Thanks Joss Whedon for the heads up, and actually putting the film up there right after its premiere. To top it all off, subtitles in Spanish, German, French, Portuguese and Japanese (plus English CC) were available making it the smoothest watch if you decided to watch it with any bunch of people.

Paying $5 to stream a new movie can seem like the best way possible to make it look as if you’re going to the cinema. It takes me back to those days where I would watch 2 or 3 new movies a weekend. If studios ever decided to really go off their way to online distribute their new movies almost simultaneously, I’d be willing.

Here’s In Your Eyes.

Apparently Vimeo streaming is not as smooth (or at all) if you don’t have a Vimeo account, though. Take it as a good chance to get one, or don’t complain. I really don’t know any other streaming (paying) website that would let you use their content without an account. You need one in iTunes, in Amazon, in Netflix, HBO, et all. So please, people, stop complaining about THAT.

Spanish (more serious) related note.

Posted on April 22, 2014 In English, Films, French, Fun, Japanese, Jobs, Sharing, Spanish, Torrents & Digital Streams, Trailers , , , , , , , , , , ,
permalink Leave a comment

From the Vault: Tabu’s Words of Wisdom

I ran into this interview Tabu did for the promotion of Toh Baat Pakki! for Hungama — or as I’ve labeled ’15 minutes in heaven’ — where they speak about her roles and experience in films like Maachis, Astitva, Chandni Bar, Cheeni Kum, Maqbool, and The Namesake.

https://dai.ly/xc46xk

Here’s Part 2 of that interview.

Then my procrastination got ridiculous when I found this really old interview of her, and things got out of control from then on~

  • A really young Tabu talks about who forms her family unit and mentions how Mumbai is not home [1].
  • A fairly early interview talking about how Prem and Vijaypath are her babies [1].
  • A brief clip talking about Ghaath [1].
  • A short interview on her role in Astitva [1].
  • Tabu wins Best Actress at Zee Cine Awards for Astitva, and Shabana Azmi receives it in her behalf [1].
  • Tabu wins Best Actress at Zee Cine Awards for Chandni Bar [1].
  • Rekha gives Tabu the Critics Best Actress Filmfare Award for Hu Tu Tu [1].

I find interesting the last clip, because (I think) she thanks her dad, but in previous interviews (like in the first link) completely ignores his existence. Or maybe I’m mishearing, and she’s thanking Gulzar as if he were her dad. As a side note, I love that her mind just drifts off after the announcement coz she’s just too damn excited, and totally ignores the question.

Posted on April 13, 2014 In Celebrity, Clips, English, Sharing , , , , , ,
permalink 1 Comment

Jambinai’s got the Connection~

Talk about experiences. Keeping an eye out for Korea’s Jambinai x)

Posted on April 13, 2014 In Clips, English, Korean, Music, Sharing , , , ,
permalink Leave a comment

JeA, You’re Killing Me~~~

Oh, heck yes, I’m GOING~

THEY ALL COME TO ME. First, Bjork, then the BackStreet Boys, Miyavi and (bonus for) Big Bang. Now it’s JeA’s turn. Maybe you don’t know, JeA is my BEG bias.

After much deliberation with a friend, we decided to crash the Lunafly concert for JeA, just to get a glimpse of her.

Posted on April 12, 2014 In Celebrity, Clips, English, Fun, Korean, Music, Sharing, Spanish , , , , , , , , , ,
permalink 1 Comment

Rani and Preity for Girly Friendships

I’m really really sad that the synopsis for Har Dil Jo Pyaar Karega sounds boring, and it’s got two girls vying over Salman’s affection, because you got the cutest smiles in early 2000s Bollywood and they didn’t make a girly friendship movie.

I NEED girly friendship movies that aren’t necessarily about boys, and Japan is disappointing me lately. I admit it, though, the video for Piya Piya O Piya is pretty cringe-worthy for the first three minutes of the clip, but if you make it, you’ll find the dorkiest and cutest Rani and Preity having silly pajama parties.

Last time I had this much girly fun was with Sunny [1], and that was nearly 3 years ago!

Posted on March 31, 2014 In Celebrity, Clips, DVD/BR, English, Films, Fun, Misc., Sharing , , , , , , ,
permalink 1 Comment