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Ray Mama Ray Mama Ray

And saw Ray yesterday too. It was a Sunday, and I love driving to downtown Mumbai on Sundays, only because the traffic is so much less it’s almost (but not quite) like Mumbai back when it was Bombay and there were still more crows flying overhead than cars on the road. Theatre of choice was Inox at CR2, Nariman Point. Nice multiplex, good snacks, etc, but the seats are too darn narrow and uncomfortable. Why? There’s enough legspace, so would it have hurt them to let the seats shift back a few inches?

Anyway, the movie was worth it. I’m a longtime Taylor Hackford fan. He’s one of those perpetually under-rated directors who immerses himself totally in his movies and creates a spellbinding experience, taking you into a world that is compelete unto itself. My two favourites in his limited but very watchable oeuvre are An Officer And A Gentleman, and Blood In, Blood Out. I liked the way he captured Ray Charles warts and all, even down to the sweat on the singer’s face when he sings his heart out in those smoky jazz joints. It’s a terrific biopic, and more than does justice to a great artist.

But Ray really belongs to Jamie Foxx. Man, what a performance. No wonder the media is already backing him for the Best Actor Oscar. There’s no question he deserves it. He really takes that character and makes it his. Power to Mr Foxx.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 22nd, 2005 at 6:41 am. It is filed under Ashok. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.