Freaktana A Major Disappointment

Joanna Mccarty Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

Kinley This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Wuchak "City of Joy" has a lot going for it: A great director ("The Killing Fields," "The Mission (Two-Disc Special Edition)"), a great cast (Patrick Swayze, Om Puri) and outstanding locations/sets (Calcutta). It's a worthwhile film with a lot of good and it's clear that 2008's "Slumdog Millionaire" borrowed from it, but it's not a standout picture. Why? Because great films take you into the world of the characters to the point that you forget you're watching a movie. While I think "City of joy" is a very worthwhile film, it failed to do this for me. Too often I was conscious of the fact that I was watching actors in a movie. Another problem is that the story jumped around without a good sense of flow. For instance, near the end with about 25 minutes left, the story jumps to the monsoon storms and the salvation of someone, which takes a few minutes; it then jumps right back into the main story. If you had gotten up to go to the kitchen you'd have missed it. Bad flow.Regardless, this is a film that can have a positive effect on your life. Suddenly, your life doesn't seem too bad and you find yourself exceedingly grateful for your lot in life. I literally wept through parts of the first half, which is a sign of a worthwhile film, even though it's a mixed bag.This one needed more time & effort to develop, but sometimes filmmakers pull the plug prematurely to just "get the job done," and it shows.The film runs 132 minutes.GRADE: C

David McLean (dave-930-429885) City Of Joy: I am writing this now because no one seems to have made a review post Patrick Swayze's death. I enjoyed the movie before this, but I am also wise enough to see its flaws. Saying this I still cannot help but to see the movie as a legacy I'm sure he would be proud of. It's no Action sensation like Point Break but having traveled the sub-continent it has a sense of the sadness of reality. When you Google Patrick Swayze's top films it does not make the cut.... Pushed out instead by Ghost, Youngblood, Roadhouse, Dirty Dancing and so on. This film however makes me wonder what how he would rank his film achievements.

pgovil Although the movie might not have the best direction or not one of the best laid picture it still has a lot of good things. If you have visited India (where it has been primarily filmed) and especially Kolkotta city you would see the realistic nature of movie. It depicts the day to day life of a person below the poverty line. It also highlights the morality of foreigners and NGO's who are trying to help the needy. Very often they have to face resistance from local authorities who either want to exploit the masses or think the foreigners are trying to religiously exploit them. In nut shell I liked the movie.

For the Love of Good Cinema The Western society has been fed ideas about India being a poor country. Movies like these only make those beliefs stronger. Such illustrations make it all the more difficult for Indians to be accepted abroad. Agreed there are poor and homeless in India, but why is there no representation of educated people if not the successful ones.I totally hated the idea of the movie portraying Patrick Swayze as another Mother Teressa. In my opinion this movie has shown India in a very bad light giving wrong notions. It is unjust to discuss only one aspect of the society. Exactly the reason why people ask me, "When we go to India, can we hire an elephant right outside the airport so we do not have to walk on the roads so full of filth and snakes?"Those who want a second opinion on contemporary Indian society should watch "Monsoon Wedding".