FanFare

An anonymous young man unleashes a campaign of vengeance against the corrupt leaders who murdered his mother and continue to systemically victimize the poor and powerless.
posted by TheophileEscargot on Apr 11, 2024 - 5 comments

An aspiring filmmaker in Hyderabad, Vasu, finds himself in the centre of a plagiarism scandal. But how is it possible he had access to the works of a long-dead leftist who made his mark in 1970s Kolkata? [more inside]
posted by cendawanita on Sep 26, 2022 - 3 comments

A fictional history of two legendary revolutionaries' journey away from home before they began fighting for their country in the 1920s.
posted by cendawanita on Mar 31, 2022 - 35 comments

Matchmaker Sima Taparia guides clients in the U.S. and India in the arranged marriage process, offering an inside look at the custom in a modern era. (Netflix, 8-episode reality show) [more inside]
posted by oh yeah! on Jul 19, 2020 - 10 comments

"Axone, pronounced ‘Akhuni’, is a particularly pungent ingredient used in Naga cuisine. In the opening scene of Axone, the film, our protagonists procure some of it to use in a special pork dish that they’re going to prepare for their best friend, who’s getting married. The film spans a single stressful day in the lives of a group of 20-somethings, who’re made to leap over one obstacle after another in their mission to cook the dish. Through the day, they’re forced to deal with bigoted neighbours, an uncooperative gas cylinder and interpersonal drama." [more inside]
posted by ChuraChura on Jun 16, 2020 - 2 comments

This week's main story is on US sheriffs, how they often have huge amounts of power on a local level, and how many of them are ridiculous. Rob Corddry appears playing "Sheriff Scott Wilkerson," who in his words, "has never met a frog he didn't kill." [more inside]
posted by JHarris on Mar 9, 2020 - 5 comments

A tiny Trump intro, Mike Bloomberg's attempts to buy a candidacy, Larry King weirdness, and the religious fundamentalism and nationalism of India Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his circle. [more inside]
posted by JHarris on Feb 23, 2020 - 3 comments

A haunted house and a haunted book stir the imaginations of young wannabe ghost hunters.
posted by Literaryhero on Aug 1, 2019 - 4 comments

Oscar winning documentary short, about Indian women fight the stigma surrounding menstruation and begin manufacturing sanitary pads. [more inside]
posted by ellieBOA on Feb 27, 2019 - 3 comments

ShortsTV presents a theatrical release of the five Oscar nominees for Best Documentary, Short Subject [more inside]
posted by Eyebrows McGee on Feb 15, 2019 - 2 comments

The megabudget sequel to the 2010 Tamil-language smash Enthiran brings back Rajinikanth in the dual role of Dr. Vaseegaran, government super scientist and Chitti, his AI/robot creation. All of the cell phones in Chennai have flown into the sky and coalesced into a bird-like monster. Only Chitti, Dr. Vaseegaran, and the doctor's newest robot Nila can save the city.
posted by DirtyOldTown on Dec 2, 2018 - 2 comments

India, 1947. The Doctor and her friends arrive in the Punjab, as India is being torn apart. While Yaz attempts to discover her grandmother's hidden history, the Doctor discovers demons haunting the land. Who are they, and what do they want?
posted by fearfulsymmetry on Nov 11, 2018 - 91 comments

This is a two and a half hour long Bollywood/Tamil musical/romantic comedy/sci-fi epic about Dr. Vasi, a brilliant scientist (Rajinikanth) who builds a robot named Chitti (also played by Rajinikanth) to protect mankind. Problems arise when Chitti falls in love with Dr. Vasi's girlfriend (Aishwarya Rai). This film's sequel, 2.0, is scheduled to hit theaters on 11/29/2018.
posted by DirtyOldTown on Nov 10, 2018 - 19 comments

Netflix first big budget Indian production and it is damn good. Sacred Games [more inside]
posted by KaizenSoze on Jul 15, 2018 - 7 comments

John Oliver starts with a quick update over the (recently thrown) Bob Murray defamation suit, then moves to the recap of the week: Trump's terrible plan to stop school shootings and foreign dignitaries visiting India, including Justin Trudeau's visit where he visited like a cheap backup dancer for a Bollywood movie and Donald Jr trip to sell condos and manage to give the only wrong answer to a softball question, and finally, the main Story: Italy (21:11), who in a week are going to elect their 65th government in 70 years and are seeing a rise of far-left and neo-fascist violence, as well as fake news, choosing between a former failed centrist prime minister, a candidate from a party started by a comedian, a fascist Mary Poppins and Mr. Bunga Bunga. [more inside]
posted by lmfsilva on Feb 26, 2018 - 13 comments

Blockbuster inspirational sports drama based on a true story: former wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat decides to teach his daughters to wrestle. Indian film star Aamir Khan stars -- and produces it, along with Walt Disney Pictures. Dangal is "the second highest grossing Indian film of all time". [more inside]
posted by brainwane on Jan 24, 2017 - 4 comments

A five-year-old Indian boy gets lost on the streets of Calcutta, thousands of kilometers from home. He survives many challenges before being adopted by a couple in Australia; 25 years later, he sets out to find his lost family. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jan 17, 2017 - 9 comments

Based on Fyodor Dostoevsky's short story "White Nights", Saawariya is a fable about the love as related by Gulabji, a prostitute, who tells the story of a complicated set of relationships centered around her meeting of an itinerant performer named Raj. [more inside]
posted by gusottertrout on Dec 24, 2016 - 4 comments

This week.... Terrorist attacks kill over a hundred people in Paris. Singles Day, a minor holiday turned into a gigantic sales event, hits the nation of China, and called in to promote it are foreign celebrities Adam Lambert, Daniel Craig and Kevin Spacey as, of all things, his House Of Cards character Frank Underwood. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pays his first visit to the UK, while Indian industrialists prepare legal challenge for the return of the Koh-i-Noor, a huge diamond that currently serves as the centerpiece of the Queen's crown. And Now: Another One Of John McCain's Favorite Jokes. Main story: Daily fantasy sports apps DraftKings and FanDuel, and their skirting laws regulating gambling. Last Week Tonight provides a more honest ad for the apps than the ones they have been filling the airwaves with. YouTube (19m) [more inside]
posted by JHarris on Nov 18, 2015 - 4 comments

This week.... The Republican debates happened, and one of the debators was Donald Trump. The Indian government blocks a few hundred adult websites, provoking outrage throughout the nation. Whole Foods comes under fire for their ludicrously high prices, including a plastic cup of water with two asparagus stalks soaking in it selling for $5.99. Last Week Tonight made a commercial on behalf of Whole Foods, apologizing for their prices. Main story: Sex education in the United States. LWT presented a small educational piece with famous faces providing some rudimentary sexual information. YouTube (21m) [more inside]
posted by JHarris on Aug 10, 2015 - 10 comments

Mindy starts to question Danny's commitment to their relationship when he's a no-show for dinner with her parents. Meanwhile, when Morgan thinks he overhears Mindy saying Danny is not the father of her baby, he gathers all the guys with whom she's ever slept, in an attempt to figure out who is the real father.
posted by ellieBOA on Mar 27, 2015 - 7 comments

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New York. Continued riots in Ferguson, Missouri, and the failed PR response. Mahmud Karzai steps down as President of Afghanistan. And now: Words newscasters coyly refuse to say. (At least one for every letter of the alphabet!) A damning piece on US drone strikes. How Is This Still A Thing: Ayn Rand. Kansas selling seized porn and adult toys to help make budget shortfall.
posted by JHarris on Sep 29, 2014 - 5 comments

This week: Flordia Representative Curt Clawson mistakes Americans for Indian government figures on camera, ISIS may have ordered genital mutilation for women in an Iraqi city (but may not have, at least they deny it), Thailand's government annoyed with Last Week Tonight's coverage of their silly prince (with a bit about nations with a lèse-majesté law), newscasters annoyed at what they're covering, a long piece on nuclear weapons in the US (YouTube, 15m), politicians using outdated pop culture references, and the temporary loss of that Russian gecko sex satellite (YouTube 3.5m).
posted by JHarris on Jul 28, 2014 - 18 comments

Episode 4 of John Oliver's satirical news program. Highlights are a video of Mario kissing Link, a disturbingly hilarious internal PR document from GM, John Oliver posting embarrassing pictures of himself to the internet, and an interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria. Next week the show is on break.
posted by JHarris on May 19, 2014 - 10 comments