Not today.
I feel compelled to write about one man who has been a great inspiration - Roger Ebert.
Through the last 5 years of reading Ebert, I have been introduced to different ways of looking at art and life. His humour, intellect, knowledge and humility made reading him an immense pleasure. He treated his readers with respect and warmth. His curiosity was childlike and his battle with cancer, graceful and encouraging.
Reading Ebert has enriched my life and I will forever be indebted.
Recently, I have been handed a collection of movies by a cinema lover whose taste is different from mine. Hence, watching movies has been a strange experience lately. I may not have given preference to some of these movies, and may have skipped others completely. But that's the good part of watching movies from a collection that's different from your own. You end up experimenting and watching newer directors and exploring more themes.
Another practice I've followed is to randomly pick movies and watch and not whet my expectation with reviews or rankings.
L.A. Confidential (Jan 4) : A crime thriller set in the 1950s. 3 LAPD cops on the trail. An absolute must watch! Crisp writing and strong, believable characterisations. Given the ambitious scale of the project (since it is an adaptation from a book), I felt the movie assumed a life of its own and is standalone piece of art.
Let the right one in (Jan 10) : A Swedish, vampire love story. My first Swedish movie. My first vampire love story. My last vampire love story. I hate vampires, especially when they are in their pre-teens! Having said this, I loved the mood and the cinematography and feel the winter in Mumbai added to enhance my late night movie watching experience.
True Grit (Jan 13) : Decent performances and that's that. I couldn't understand the hype, except for that it's a 'Coen brothers' movie.
Winter's bone (Jan 13) : The plot is fairly basic and the movie is simple in style. Yet, this was one of the most engaging movies I have seen of late. A spectacular performance by the lead actress, Jennifer Lawrence. Winter's bone is the actual True Grit.
The Fighter (Jan 14) : My only motivation to watch this one was Christian Bale. While he didn't disappoint, I didn't think much about the movie.
The constant gardener (Jan 28) : A political drama about the nexus of governments, large (and evil) corporations and the impact on third world countries. A fairly engaging watch, with some great shots of Africa. While I wasn't too impressed with the political theme, I enjoyed the parallel romantic theme, especially, because of its non linear treatment.
Other decent movies : The squid and the whale (poignant, funny, family drama with good performances. The more I see Jesse Eisenberg, the more I like him), Man on the train (French movie, a lovely theme and good performances. I enjoy movies which have two or at the most three characters, and are completely dialogue driven. It is a minimalist approach and can serve as a litmus test to see how good a writer one really is).
*****
Speaking about movies, I have been on my usual movie watching spree and even revisiting some old favorites. From the recent fares, I quite enjoyed Shor in the city. Tushar and Sendhil put up likeable performances and I didn't want their stories to end. There is a marked difference between Ekta Kapoor's cinema and her television plots and I much prefer the former.
Another movie I enjoyed watching was Stanley ka Dabba. It is a novel plot with ample innocence and reference to good, old days of childhood. The way Stanley fuses food into its plot is commendable. The movie is certainly not a masterpiece. Personally, I would have preferred more meat for the characters, especially, the Science teacher. Such fun! But this, and some other glitches apart, the movie is worth a watch or even two.
*****
Can't wait for Kung Fu Panda 2.
Problematic as the exercise is, the appraising of actors isn’t all that difficult when the acting touches you, when you feel what you’re supposed to be feeling (or, sometimes, when you feel something else altogether) as the actors hit their marks. But how do you evaluate the performances of, say, Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep, the most widely acclaimed actors of our time, and whose exertions on screen – almost always – have left me confused about how to respond? It isn’t that they haven’t given great performances – or, at least, performances that I rate as great – in The Godfather Part II and The French Lieutenant’s Woman. But more often, I am aware of their acting, and how do you account for that? Do you marvel at the weight gain and the mastery of the Lithuanian accent and the precise angle with which the elbow is raised in proportion to the torso, or do you sigh that this is “acting” but not acting in the sense of sublimating the actor in service of the character?
My mind couldn't help toggling between the piece and two movies from 2009 - 3 Idiots and Rocket Singh
While most people saw Rancho, I couldn't help seeing Aamir Khan. Every twitch of the muscle, slack in the walk, squinting of the eye told me it was Aamir acting as Rancho. The problem aggravated since I couldn't find faults with his acting. As a 40+ actor he had pulled off a teenager's role rather well. But, it was still, an act.
Compare it with Ranbir's act in Rocket Singh. I haven't always been favorably placed to Ranbir. But his act in Rocket Singh, in my opinion, is light years ahead of many senior performers in the industry. Ofcourse the writing was crisp and full of wit. Yet, it was Harpreet's charm and innocence that stayed with me a viewer, not Ranbir's cool mannerisms. That the movie didn't work will be a peeve I shall hold forever.
The King's Speech is about the Duke of York, Albert, an heir who is 4th in line to the British throne, after his grandfather, father and brother.
Fate however has different plans for him. The Duke, must take the reins of the Monarchy and be coronated as King George VI.
He must restore public faith in the Monarchy - which had been dipping during the late 1930s and early 1940s.
Through show of courage and perseverance, he must lead his countrymen and keep them hopeful, during the World War II.
Only, there is a minor glitch.
The Duke will do everything in his powers to keep away from the throne.
A chronic stutterer and low on self confidence – he will not jeopardise the fate of his countrymen and make them suffer due to his shortcomings.
How the Duke finally finds his voice and earns his rightful place in history, forms the crux of this movie.
Any adjective I use for The King's Speech will fall short of what I experienced last night, while watching it.
Though I am a cinema lover, it is hard to come by movies that make one's heart soar.
The King's Speech had me choked throughout its running time. And this, I say in a good way.
It is hard to live with a physical/mental/speech defect, harder still to be belittled for it. But what is hardest and even daunting, is to be put under a microscope and be judged for your defects. To remain in the public eye and meet the sympathetic glares of your close confidantes and subjects. To live with a constant feeling of having failed in your duties.
The King's Speech offers many such terrifying moments – moments where you feel one with the King, in his humiliation and loneliness, failure and torment.
Though I could grasp what King George VI must have been through, I just couldn't stop marveling at Colin Firth's portrayal of the distressed King. I wonder which recesses of his mind he must have tapped into, to bring to life such a complex character. At one level, I experienced the King's acute sense of terror in front of a huge audience, yet, at another, I was aware of the unfolding of a very uplifting personal story.
While the entire cast comes up with a commendable act, I choose only to talk about Colin. I do hope he gets to portray meatier roles and moves away from his Darcy image.
As a viewer, The King's Speech will treat you to some rare, poignant cinematic moments; they will stay with you long after the King has made his eloquent speech.
Needless addition, still – Go watch it!
*****
Next in line, Black Swan. Will keep you posted.
This has definitely been my personal "most awaited movie" of 2008.
I had wanted to catch a first day preview of this one. However, prior commitments held me back !
Later reviews flew thick and fast. Everyone had something or the other to say - a disappointment to a masala flick to a blockbuster !
I wanted to find out for myself.
I must say - I was absolutely enthralled by the movie.
Nope, unlike other Aamir movies - this one doesn't boast of a strong storyline. Also, it is a complete bollywoodish masala flick, with Aamir in a never seen before avtaar.
Yet, what clicked for me was the effort and sincerity of the movie !
Always known for his softie/boy next door roles, Aamir sure was a revelation in this one !
Apart from a body to die for, Ghajini brings out the "Animal" in Aamir !!
His metamorphoses from an introverted, high flying tycoon to a man blinded by rage and revenge are
spellbinding !
Being an Aamir fan - I was delighted to see my fave actor do something diabolical yet again !
He makes you want to smile and cry at the same time ! This is the power he holds over the audiences !
OK. Enough about Aamir !
Now, the story - The movie revolves around a man's search for the murderer of his beloved.
The twist here being that the protagonist has to live with his "short term memory loss" and fight the goons !
I found the movie to be loud in many places, first & foremost being Asin !
I wasn't impressed by the lady and felt she could have given a far better performance had she restrained her histrionics. You see, Bollywood audiences have outgrown Garish laughter and nakhras that are still a rage down south.
Jiah Khan was wooden.
Even the antagonist, Mr. Ghajini's role could have been given more depth. I say so because, Aamir sets a standard so high, that we need an extremely tough opponent against him.
Anyway, I was far too engrossed watching Aamir emote and flex his muscles than bother about a half convincing villian.
All said and done, I would recommend Ghajini to one and all - go and watch the power of this Khan !
Complete Paisa Vasooooolllll !!!!
I am a BIG fan of the horror genre.
Now, horror movies generally don't scare me. Also, the blood and gore aren't the types I like. They seem rather stupid to me.
What I like are movies like The Sixth Sense. Very believable and dark.
I have wanted to watch The Others since a long time now. What made me keen, apart from it being a horror flick was watching Nicole in action. This was my first Nicole movie and…to come to the point – She surpassed all my expectations !
The Others is a ghost flick set in the 1950s, just after the World War II. It outlines the story of a war torn mother and her two kids.
They lead solitary lives in a mansion. Their days are filled with readings from the Bible and an endless wait for the Man of the house who is a war soldier.
Add to this, the fact that the kids suffer from an indescribable allergy to light. Hence, at no times should the doors and windows of the mansion be kept open ! Also, all the inhabitants follow a strict code while in the house – no room should be entered without locking the door of the previous room.
What makes their wait creepy and scary is that their Mansion is haunted by "The Others". These "others" tear the fabric of their routine lives is what forms the crux of the movie.
The two kids called "Anne" and "Nicolas" are adorable and have given fine performances. Their tiffs seem very natural and would make one think that they are probably real life siblings too.
The movie also includes supporting cast in the form of Nicole's husband (nothing to write about) and the house attendants. Of the attendants – Mrs. Mills (Fionnula Flanagan) brings the right amount of mystery and old world charm to her "Nanny" act.
The movie has an amazing cinematography – the whole look of the mansion and the dark interiors set the pace and mood of the movie.
The creepy background score not only scares but also evokes strong emotions for the protagonists.
The editing is crisp and at no point did I feel that a scene was wasted or unwarranted for.
Nicole's portrayal of a longing wife and an upright and caring mother leave us asking for more ! Her delicate walk, the far-away look and the pain of losing her children to the unknown would stir strong emotions amongst all.
Only when we think that the climax is near and the battle has been lost does the movie take a U turn ! A very un-expected, hard hitting and truly unthinkable climax.
A slick performances with a mind blowing climax is what makes The Others a "5 star" for me.
Highly recommended to one and all.
