02/01/2006

SPIEGEL Surfs the Web

Build a Better Bollywood

Bollywood movies are by nature a lot of fun. But for those looking for an even bigger kick from some subcontinent classics, one Web site lets you write your own subtitles.

What do you think she's saying?

Some movies, of course, get it right. Robert DeNiro's "You talkin' to me?" was a perfect line. "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn," was likewise the only thing Rhett Butler could have said in that situation. But all-too-often, script writers fall flat on their faces. Leonardo DiCaprio yelling "I'm the king of the world" in Titanic has to be one of the most embarrassing moments in film.

Now, though, you can make movie characters say exactly what you want. Assuming you're into Bollywood films and don't understand Hindi or Marathi, that is. This Web site lets you write your own subtitles for clips from Indian romances and action movies and send them to your friends. The clips available for improvement even change daily.

Gay Cowboys Round Up Oscar Nods

US President George Bush might have said he doesn't want to see it, but "Brokeback Mountain," a movie about the love affair between two gay cowboys, dominates this year's Oscar nominations. With eight in total, the film has been tipped for best picture, best director, best actor and best supporting actor. The other films rounding out the best picture category include the race relations drama "Crash," a look at the red scare of McCarthyism in 1950s America in "Good Night, and Good Luck," "Capote," about author Truman Capote and director Steven Spielberg's "Munich," about the aftermath of the killings of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

The German film industry will certainly be pleased that the movie " Sophie Scholl - The Final Days" was nominated for best foreign film. As the title would suggest, the movie documents the last days of Sophie Scholl and her brother, Hans, who were part of a student resistance group that dared to defy the Nazis. But SPIEGEL INTERNATIONAL has its doubts whether the picture, which relies heavily on long-winded and often plodding dialogue, has much of a chance with a non-German speaking audience. The subtitles will be a killer.

Blogging from Death Row

Vernon Lee Evans has been sitting on death row in Baltimore, Maryland for more than 20 years. He doesn't have a computer or Internet access in his prison cell, but he's still managed to become one of the most-talked about people in the blogosphere. His Web site, meetvernon.blogspot.com, describes his final days on death row before his planned execution during the week of February 6. Evans relies on Virginia Simmons, an anti-death penalty activist who manages the site. Simmons collects questions from readers around the world and then sends them to Evans, who either gives handwritten or typed responses. Vernon answers questions about life on death row, often suffusing his responses with reflections of Christianity. Vernon takes questions at meetvernon@gmail.com -- but, please, nothing about last meals.

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