Inglourious Basterds: Not dastardly enough!

★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

Now this was disappointing. Nowhere as uproariously kickass as one’s made to believe it is [the publicity machine, the trailers, the interviews... everything], but still, has enough chops and enough amusing detail with casually humoured irreverence for it to be counted one of the best of the year (yes that’s how mediocre 2009 has been for the movies). What’s rather amusing is that in the wake of recent findings with regards to Hitler’s demise and all the speculations of his whereabouts in the final days, this is as much a plausible watch as the morose Das Undertang (Downfall).

Tarantino’s obsession with exposition and his care for the conversations that his characters have is admirable considering that he is a juggernaut of a popular icon, but since Kill Bill he isn’t able to imbibe the consistent wit that his earlier works sported [Okay by "since Kill Bill" I really mean Kill Bill Vol.1 and 2, and would exclude Death Proof which had some of the most phenomenal lines spoken by the baddest-ass females in Hollywood history], but really here, some of the interactions could have been shorter by atleast 10 minutes and would have lost none of the impact and atmosphere. The good thing is when Tarantino makes these talkie scenes work, it is at key plot-points. Like the opening scene where a Jew-hiding remote Frenchman is quizzed by SS Officer Hans Landa the “Jewhunter” or the introductory Inglourious Basterds interrogation and “scalping” or the lengthy scene at the tavern which smugly extends for about half an hour in the middle of the movie. Even though most of these sequences are going for the quiet-lull-before-ammunition-and-bloodstorm conceit rather exagerratedly, especially for Tarantino-regulars who have unravelled the panning-out before it all pans out. they still work. As do the two-three interrogation scenes of Landa.

But my main grouse with the film is it wasn’t as crazily misogynist or as full-throttle a primordial action-comedy as I wanted it to be. Yes, Tarantino and his writers do a splendid spin on the whole Nazi and Führer spectre, have gone wild penning two disparate threads of conspiracies to assassinate the moustached devil but there’s a nagging feeling they’ve taken themselves a tad too seriously and let the less amusing parts stretch on to overbear on the actual Basterds with their thuggish Nazi-homicide-shenanigans.I would have loved to see the latter track dunked in more action as Tarantino directs action like a pro. The two-three sequences he lays his teeth bare and gets his boys gun-toting and blowing things up-he’s in his element.

In stark contrast to when he’s tapping into a runaway-Jew’s anxiety as she sits across the table and being interrogated by the officer who mutilated her family which comes across as unnecessarily maudlin, predictable and poisons the purpose of this “alternative” historical piece.

All’s not lost because he’s got a super-efficient cast. Christopher Waltz is simply glorious as the slimy multi-lingual silver-tongued SS officer nicked as the Jewhunter and gives us the year’s most devious and memorable villian by taking every line of Tarantino and turning it into movie-magic. His scenery-chewing charisma is matched by a soaringly photogenic and unassumingly winsome turn by Melanie Laurent, whose track of a Jewish-lass-in-vengeance-mode is downtoned to almost-Schindler’s-List-grimness and contrasts the whole Tarantino badass mood, but she still managing to hold her own.

In what are extended cameos, Brad Pitt and Eli Roth as the key Basterds bring down the house with how much they are enjoying the lines they’ve been given, and by the end of it all, you WISH you saw more of these, and I am going to hold this against Tarantino bigtime. Awfully funny characters with a rabidly street-smart sense of humour and memorable antics, with more thought and development of these characters would really have turned these Basterds glorious, but alas, Tarantino wants us to take him seriously and take us on a joyride. Which is weird because the whole world takes him seriously when he takes them on a joyride.

So there you have it, some misdirected ambition of an auteur brings down a potential masterpiece as a flawed-above-average action-historical-spoof with a dream of a premise but flanked with more drama than it can handle. Still, this is some of the most fun I’ve had at the movies. And yes, the production design, the look and the detailing absolutely add to the experience. Motifs like glass of milk, wrist-mounted mini sling-guns, combustible film reels and subtitles for not one but three European languages go a long way in giving this film a flavour all its own. And since this is a Tarantino venture, rest assured it will be referred and referenced ad nauseum countless times whenever coffee-table conversations turn towards the Holocaust films and nostalgia for the 90s hard-as-nails Tarantino of Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs fame.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

“Sheer poetry on screen. Right from this terrific germ for a script courtesy legendary storyteller Fitzgerald to Fincher’s quietly mobile camera to the warmly lit pallette to the actors every one of whom are absolute grace personified and finally to the most fundamental of anxieties of human existence-ageing and death-as its undertones, this is one balmy yarn that just cuddles you with the warmth in its storytelling, soothes you with its tranquil mood and sweeps you over with its emotion. Haunting, just plain haunting. I am still trying to get over the final scenes of an ageing Cate Blanchett walking with now-infantile Pitt aka Benjamin. And then her reminiscing over the last knowing look from the baby Benjamin before he closes his eye… seriously,this is the most poignant fantasies ever I’ve seen. Mature and just so very emotional. And Blanchett, Pitt and my favourite Swinton perform with such understanding and such intelligence… it is a moment in movie-making. Take a bow, Mr Fincher, you’ve just made a masterpiece. And here’s to the imagination of Sir Fitzgerald and his counterparts like Kafka and Murakami for letting us know what it means to be human.

Scenes I adored: The opening montage of a man who builds a clocktower that runs backwards as a tribute to sons lost in war, then I liked the arc of Pitt-Blanchett romance, how they don’t hit it off at first then lead a blissful married life in their 50s, then the scene where Blanchett collapses on the stairs and is about to deliver, and this one time where she rehearses ballet after her students have gone and falters and Pitt sees all of this from the side, and the sight of Tilda as the old woman who crosses the English channel and Pitt’s expression (mirrored that of mine). Even the obvious inserts of man being hit by a lightning or Blanchett staring at young girls diving in the pool somehow become profound as the characters are endearing and the final 25 minutes, the film really comes into its own without even knowing it. Its just a brilliantly told equipoised epic fantasy that rang true all the way through.”

Movie reviews of the “A” titled brigade (2008)

A History of Violence (2005): §§§§§§§§ (8 on 10)

 

Hmm… this year seems to be all about catching up with the flicks I had been ailing to watch for quite a while now. This movie, in particular, struck me as very interesting. Despite having an ambitious title the way it captures violence in the microcosm of a family-next-door struck quite a chord. Its nothing extraordinary, but definitely much above the run of the mill wham-bam revenge/identity-scam action thrillers. A thinking man’s thriller, the clean cinematography and awesomely real turns by the stars who are palpably sincere as a family, the movie revels and discards violence in subsequent sequences as resolution and ideals become priority. In the end though, its mostly peace and forgiveness, and the high body count re-affirms, that when it comes down to it, its not really that hard to take a life. Grim. The mafia brothers in the final sequence are (un)intentionally hilarious and OTT. But its an immensely creditworthy flick, and Viggo Mortinsen has given, what I can call, one of the most interesting and layered male performances ever. His looks, his glances, and his moves are haunting to say the least. He’s so into the character, and is so easily able to bring different edges in the character out as the movie unspools, he leaves you rivetted. Totally.

 

A Very Long Engagement (French) (2004): §§§§§§ (6 on 10)

 

This one is so exquisitely filmed that it bleeds my heart to say that it ultimately has no real flavour and not much of a heart either; just some splendidly set-up over-plotted and irritatingly lightweight romance that overstays its welcome. Surprisingly low on emotional quotient too even though Jeunet’s film-making style and the whole visual streak and humour are magnificent and do add dollops of whimsicality, but the core’s almost hollow. I didn’t flinch much at the main girl’s dilemma of whether her dead condemned-at-war lover was still alive, simply because its stretched beyond limit on rather flimsily and rapidly-cut character sketches. Plus both the whole Jodie Foster and Marion Cotillard’s subplots are tried and tested soap opera cliches and do NOTHING to the main plot, although the very presence of both the delectable beauties who perform with all heart is treat alright. Audrey Toutou looks hungover from Amelie bigtime, and I was quite disappointed by her performance but overall, I’d still recommend the movie for one watch just to gulp in the lush beauty of French villas and countryside and some stylistically graphic WW1 battlefront footage. That and of course Jeunet trademark weird touches (using the albatross, or Toutou’s character finding solution to her dilemmas in completing mini-tasks or setting some stop-watch element then and there which is something I used to do but such moments are few and far between). Could have been so much more, a shame really.

A Wednesday (Hindi) (2008): §§§§§§§§ (8 on 10)

 

What makes a thriller worth its salt? 2 things according to me-plausible motivation on the part of the culpable and the unravelling of different layers that’s atleast two steps ahead of the viewer- both of these call for a firm hold on the story. And A Wednesday scores on all both. I totally bought Naseer’s motivation (such a humane one-the frustration of a common man), the whole speech towards the climax comes across so felt and so genuinely pathos-laden, every Indian is bound to identify with it. And at a time when innocent people all over the world are getting killed in thousands in ridiculous bomb blasts (which normally get revisited with how well a city like Bombay’s adjusted, spirit of Bombay hallelujah only)… a reply like this from “the common man” to the gross injustice meted out to the masses is so timely and so topical, its spine-chilling. It is a knuckle-bared terrorist-cop thriller going full on with the ideology of common man being the ultimate vigilante, something which is on everyone’s lips given the dire and lazy internal policies courtesy the exasperating Home and Internal Affairs Ministeries but only now saw fruition on the big screen in a gulpable format of a thriller. It is a tad inflammatory, so its good to have the escapism of the genre and a brilliant anchoring speech as supporting braces and am glad such cinema has found itself an audience thanks to a similar albeit paler work earlier this year called Aamir.

It does come packaged in genre-staple cliches that bog down every cop thriller, the excessive background score though supremely keyed in to the proceedings is sometimes used excessively (though there’s enough motive and drama that the calculatedly cool Naseer doesnt let filter and would thus limit the film’s audience) and Jimmy Shergill contrary to popular opinion is laughably clumsy, but the breakneck pace, supremely credible performances from thespians Naseer and Anupam who literally bind your attention with their charisma and believability-right-from-the-1st-shot and incisive, knowingly balanced dialogue make for an angry, informative, entertaining yarn. 

 

Aamir (Hindi) (2008): §§§§§ (5 on 10)

 

Unnecessarily over-rated, blatantly average and tiresomely repetitive thriller where a Muslim doctor from London lands in Bombay and is sent on a treasure hunt by the goons who’ve kidnapped his family. Basically they need a Muslim “brother” to meet their ends (what else?). The premise isn’t as much far-fetched as its slim to justify the running time, and the fact that the movie seldom goes beyond the obvious of the blurb makes it quite a tedious watch. Rajeev Khandelwal, the debutante, pitches in a routine performance which involves sprinting in a suit and acting scared, but what definitely works in the film’s favour is its humane message (what did you expect? There has to be one tagged along in the denouement). What doesn’t work in its favour is zilch character development which makes the whole running from A-to-B-to-C a bit monotonous to watch. And little insight into anything. Dull, just plain dull. 

 

Across the Universe (2007): §§§§§§ (6 on 10)

 

As my introduction to a minefield of retro-pop-culture that is the Beatles, this didn’t disappoint. But its severely flawed in the sense it could have been so much more than the maudlin, uneven mess it becomes in the second act. The ensemble pitch in fab performances and are in spirit throughout. Being a musical, not once did I feel them arching or struggling with the movie’s language and style, and Joe Anderson alongwith the “I Want You” music video about army recruiting young men for the Vietnam war is just plain rocking and made the whole movie worth it.

The music and usage of tracks is good, but it needed to be snappier and shorter by half an hour. The visual flair too sometimes pales and douses in mediocrity all too often and one feels the need for a more imaginatively conceptualised design given the sheer ambition of the project. Still, its undeniably genre bending and as a contemporary musical telling a wartime story and doing an ode to a musical stalwart, it is refreshingly experimental and works in more number of ways than not. Worth a watch I’d say, and this is coming from someone who didn’t know Beatles’ music that well. 

American History X (1998): §§§§§§§§§ (8.5 on 10)

 

Exceedingly well made movie that’s now achieved a cult status, and I was evading it uptil now thinking it’d be unpleasantly visceral or exploitatively gory. Far from it. A skinhead gang movie with growing-up lessons and a lensman (who doubles up as the director) keen to use and shade his lens experimentally, its an effective flick with old world lessons delivered via an inspired cast (headed by Norton’s yet another virtuoso turn) who are given sheaves of brilliant dialogue.

There are many standout scenes. Each of the dinner table scenes are testimony to the heights that can be scaled in cinema with fantastic writing, be it the one where Ed loses his rag at his mom’s “liberal hypocrite Jew” boyfriend in a conversation about racial relations which shockingly leads to him losing it and unsurprisingly assaulting a dissenting sister sitting nearby or Ed’s father’s displeasure over breakfast at Ed complimenting a book by black author. And ofcourse the key scene where Ed smashes the black guy’s head on the kerb as they try breaking in, then what he goes through when he’s serving time makes this one of the best character pieces in the genre. It boasts of a rousing classical score throughout and celebrates the normal peaceful family life as one sees through the futility of all this gang-bullshit. 

Not a single false note, even if the themes and ideas render a seen-that feel and the gang psychology seems a tad simplified. Its 10 years old but remains as topical (i correct myself- even more topical) as the global socio-politico-economico-population mess that the world has transmogrified into has led to even more efflux and influx of people, and almost inevitably, more hatred and angst in home communities of developed countries. Definitely worth a watch as a sobering reminder exactly how far does carrying unnecessary baggages of “hatred” in this ultra-fragile and short existence make one go and how futile it all is-to think people devote whole lives and whole intellects to build and justify plans based on hatred alone! 

Amu (Bengali/English) (2005): §§§§§§§ (6.5 on 10)

 

Decent semi-autobiographical movie of an NRI girl whose fascination with this impoverished family of a dhaba owner takes her slowly but surely to explore her own roots which is entwined with the murky past of 1984 riots (turns out she was a daughter of one of the victim families later adopted by a Bengali social worker). It all starts off a bit rambly and pointlessly, but there’s definitely a surehandedness and no-words minced honesty, simplicity and sensitivity when the actual “hot” issue is unfolded on screen.

The protagonist’s compelling personal need to find her lineage drives the movie ahead which otherwise doesn’t have much insight into what is not already known about the whole 84 fiasco (although the tone of some of the protagonists will make you believe otherwise) but it is a decent film with a poignant closure that of a TV screen blaring away in a present day village about Gujarat riots while the protagonist and her “bourgeois-snob” of a lover walk away satisfied that atleast they have been able to piece the jigsaw of their life’s puzzle. Konokona’s efficient as ever but its Brinda Karat’s performance that lingers with you.  Toned down superfluous Bengali independent movie touches and the short length keeps the interest alive too. Overall, its a decent issue-based film.
Anchorman: Legend of Roy Burgundy (2004): §§§§§§§§ (8 on 10)

 

Okay, so finally I strike upon the original Will Ferrell-Judd Apatow-Paul Rudd guy-flick which started the stream of Talladega Nightses and Knocked Ups and Blades of Glorys. And am not at all surprised why it is so popular and so loved. Its just too funny. It is super-lame, oddly retro, it switches between spoof and satire and slapstick and physical comedy sometimes in one scene, and its amazing to everyone take it so seriously and yet having such a ball doing it. Laugh out loud and super-lame in a guy-sort of way, you have to watch for the constant stream of expletives Christina and Ferrell’s characters hurl at each other on the news desk and the Jack Black-kicking-the-dog scene which is pure comedy gold. “I’m Ron Burgundy. Go fuck yourself, San Diego.” A Howl!

 

Apocalypse Now Redux (1979): §§§§§§ (6 on 10)

 

Another of those ultimate elephant “classics” that I couldn’t come to like totally. Coppola’s cinema simply fails to agree with me, touch me, affect me, yet again, but this war saga is definitely right up there with the first Godfather. The opening act, as always, is spectacular, the scale is applaudworthy but the way it meanders and meanders in the second half into a collection of listless, pretentious, self-consciously symbolic scenes made me impatient (I am told this is exclusive to the Redux version and the theatrical cut is snappier).

Especially the denouement and some scenes leading to it-the parallels drawn or felt by Willard with Colonel Hertz seem absolutely forced and as the ending credits get nearer, the characterisations become more and more abstract, and this vague phrase of “the horror, the horror” is thrusted on you with such grinding regualrity, its just unbelievably unsubtle and totally undoes the movie for me.

But yes, the opening hour has shades of brilliance for sure. I totally digged the romanticised opening sequence with the Doors playing in background and the legendary napalm speech and the brilliant theme-park ride camera effects in the opening war scenes when Willard’s with Kigmore. But the second half’s mis-direction is just irritating. Actually somewhere deep down, this madness and the bizarreness of the whole affair does salvage the movie from being an absolute stinkbomb and gives it some repeat value. So, pardon me if I sound a little ambivalent, the sheer length of 3.5 hours overwhelmed me a little and I got impatient towards the climax. Am optimistic that a second viewing with lower expectations might yield some unforeseen edifice of real felt emotion and not choreographed manipulative drivel it felt at first.    

 

 

Assassination of Jesse James by Coward Robert Ford (2007): §§§§§§§§ (8 on 10)

 

A supremely classy and quirky Western (a genre seeing a post-modern revival like no year). Rivaling Road to Perdition and 3:10 to Yuma, the mood and the feel of the whole enterprise coupled with such an unusual character as centrestage for a western make it a delectably interesting watch. Totally loved the lingering shots, the fantastic character study of Robert Ford (Casey Affleck has so been robbed of an Oscar, makes my blood boil) a boy who’s like a living embodiment of every awkward teenager breathing out there who wants to be like his idol, impersonating and becoming this person they are not right down to their reactions if by some godforsaken coincidence they share living space with the idol- the testiness, the clammy obsession as one comes face to face with the icon- its all here captured with such amazing candor, it makes you uncomfortable. That and then the anguish of Jesse James himself, the legendary bandit (Brad Pitt in another feather-in-the-cap performance) and the simple yet undercurrent-laden psychological politics between the Fords and James’s brother. Could have done away with that all-revealing title though, but there’s absolutely no faulting the vision and the care with which the bravuro performances have been extracted, and a breathtaking visuo-acoustic mood is set up to realise this unique, genre-bending epic for the big screen. Quality cinema. 

 

Away From Her (2008): §§§§§§ (6.5 on 10)

 

Somewhat over-rated, self-consciously serious movie about a man coming to terms with old age, his wife’s institutionalisation and her relationship with a male inmate at the residential care-home she’s placed in. The point being drilled across doesn’t call for this long a movie, especially when the tone is so monotonous and character development and insight is near-nil. Plus the whole media and awards have totally shrugged off Gordon Pinsent in the husband’s role as if he never existed. Julie Christie’s performance is no great guns, but I guess she’s reaping the benefits of nostalgia attached to an erstwhile Hollywood icon. Its really Pinsent’s movie and its his performance and dialogue delivery that keeps you glued all the way through. Its got class, but there’s a nagging feeling of it being self-awaredly so (especially in those sometimes-gratingly softened frames). Stiffish and dare I add, a tad pretentious, its an okay movie. 

 

The Assassination of Richard Nixon (2004): §§§§§§§§ (8 on 10)

 

Sean Penn delivers the performance of his life in this movie and he was bloody robbed of an Oscar for this! Its so courageous, and heartfelt and so emotional, its made this movie one of my all time favourites (really, at times his scenes reach the tragic peak of Requiem For a Dream) Such a tour-de-performance in a movie that IS a one man show essentially, really lifts an already well-written, supremely well directed movie to another level.

It chronicles a normal 9 to 5 guy absolutely losing it thanks to his own moral high ground which has absolutely no relevance in the cut-throat world of sales or just normally, life. You cannot take things too seriously and put every small interaction or occurrence on a moral scale- life becomes impossible if you do, just as Penn’s Samuel Bicke degenerates into an imploding, confused and finally, a chillingly erratic psychopath. The transformation is bone-chilling (the denouement where he hijacks a stationary plane) simply because on many levels you root for the guy from the start just for the mere reason he appears to be warmer and more thriving than the cold, going-through-the-motions mortals around him. But then, as the line between moral sanity and insanity blurs, it just transmutes into powerful cinema. Don Cheadle as the best bud and Naomi Watts as the separated and frustrated wife  were class personified, and each of Penn’s scenes with them resonate.

Infact there are so many scenes I want to write about. The final hijack sequence: the tension’s just right till that moment, and when it actually transpires it is quite gruesome. And then scenes like the one where Samuel enters his flat to find his brother sitting to have a chat since he’s just committed a fraud of having tyres delivered for his new business at his own address (the brother says “I wash my hands off you”), then the scenes where he goes to this black union Panthers and says he wants to do something for the country as a common man, but he’s white… so no one understands his moral dilemmas and suggests they rechristen their organisation’s name to Zebras, then his own explanation about moral business ways when he goes to the bank with his loan application (such dark humour permeates all these scenes, as a viewer, you are all the wiser of his perspective but can’t help smirking at the haplessness of the people dealing with Samuel).

It is that sense of amazing empathy that chillingly remains, right uptil the last scenes where he blatantly starts shooting (you kind of still side with him for his panicked paranoia and helplessness in making things change, its that good a character sketch).

And then right after he’s shot dead, there are two more scenes… one of his voiceover (oh yea, all through the movie, he’s taping his thoughts and sending it to his favourite musician Burnstein: its all supremely heart-rending and such a clever cue to have wonderful classical score in the background and a voiceover) as he’s just dying, he actually does think he’s made a difference and when his story is played on the news channels, the way his wife and best bud just go about their chores around nonchalantly made for an interesting, pathos-laden climax.  The movie is so persuasive and forceful and so relevant even today (psychology behind home-grown terrorists anyone?), that I was elated of having watched this on a whim. Unmissable!

The Air I Breathe (2008): §§§§§§ (6 on 10)

 

Another hyperlink movie close on the heels of Crash and Babel. The fact that this experimental mixture of interlinked stories is attention grabbingly shot with a lot of anger and explosiveness doesn’t hide the sheer ludicrousness and the slavish choreography of it all. Focussing on 4 cornerstones of human emotions- happiness, pleasure, love and sorrow, the 4 interlinked stories even though bordering on insane conveniences do have moments of genuinely captured exhilaration. The cast’s phenomenal, and yes, overall, it seems I will invariably over-rate this as am a sucker for these “webbed-narrative” movies.

The Plusses: The first story of Whitaker, this by-the-numbers guy who totally screws himself up by betting away all he has and then attempting a bank robbery–the way he feels liberated on the rooftop as a 100 guns face him, was very interesting a sequence. Then, the next story about this guy who could see future–the power that for all its hype, actually sensorily and psychologically numbed him, and released its grip in the exact same moment he gets pulped by the villians was again interesting. The way this assassin being carried on a stretcher soaked in blood is laughing away simply because a whole vista of unpredictability now lies open to him everyday resonated with me. The next story about this pop-star “with issues” who gets ripped by a smartypants reporter and the very next one where the best man-cum-doctor tries to save the bride aka bespectacled-overworked-researcher Julie Delpy’s life from a snake bite by getting exceedingly-rare-blood group blood from the, (cue: hold-your-breath!) pop-star who reveals it on the same interview she’s getting slated in was not that bad either. 

The Minuses: Problem is its all done a bit too often. And towards the end it totally belies credibility, but I guess its one of those movies which drives home the point of connection between human beings in “the small world” by slavishly suffocating a manipulative script down our throat, BUT it has noble intentions, moves at a breakneck pace and somehow despite the stories written as standalone paeans to the stated 4 cornerstones lend more importance on implausible co-incidences its a curiously amusing watch. 

Movie reviews of the 0-9 titled brigade (2007 and 2008)

Movies seen in 2008:

21 (2008): §§§§§ (5 on 10)

 

Pretty much by-the-numbers but reasonably entertaining fare based on true events about a group of MIT geniuses with their teacher-cum-mastermind taking over Las Vegas casinos bigtime by counting cards at blackjack table. The main character’s (a supergeek >< close to getting into Harvard Med School but desperately short of booty) intentions, dilemmas, motivations and actions are painted with stark black and white hues with cliche after cliche piled to give a familiar cosy lesson of growing up and realisation of the-stuff-what-really-matters-in-life, but all of it somewhat works and although you pinch your bum gone numb after a 2 hour morality lecture, it makes for good natured, harmless popcorn-cola entertainment. And yes, it made me refresh another card game. Which is sort of handy. So no love lost.

 

 

12 Monkeys (1995): §§§§§§§ (7 on 10)

 

Though jaded and uninspiring visually (which is rather surprising considering it comes from Terry Gilliam), this is another worthy addition to cerebral science fiction which sports a cracker of a script, applaudable performances from Willis and Pitt and such intelligent dialogue as very seldom heard in movies now. Great characterisation and idea-wise some great sequences. A prisoner of a now-surviving-in-underground-humans in future being sent back in time to find the virus that wiped it all and led to dominion of chief cities by animals has its moments. After time-travelling first to 1990 in an asylum where a panel of psychiatrists disbelieve him (obviously) and meeting a scientist’s insane son (an uproarious Pitt) to then going back to WW1 times only to get shot and then finally to 1996 with his now-ex-psychiatrist lady who slowly gets convinced its not really all going on in Willis’ head and he really is someone from future, its convoluted because it should be, not because it can be. Its a pity that her timing coincides with Willis’ believing he’s nothing but a goner, and all this saving the world thing is going on in his head; anyways it finally turns out they are unable to stop the inevitable disaster (Willis’ was having pre-visions of the climactic airport scene throughout and besides being a brave denouement resolution wise for the genre, it also lays to rest any incongruities that could have been brought about by the Butterfly Effect). In film’s own words, its a depiction of what’s known as “Cassandra complex” in which sometimes knowledge of the future comes with the impotence of not being able to avert it. But yea, the lackadaisical visuals (its similar to the more recent Children of Men in that it reconstructs a grimy apocalyptic future but with near-zilch slickness) meant it took me many fragmented viewings to get into this, but am glad I pressed on. It is a quality film. 

 

2 Days in Paris (2007): §§§§§§§§§ (9 on 10)

 

An exceedingly assured, poignant and honest slice-of-life love story about a middle aged couple (a young French woman and an American guy) and what transpires in their 2 day detour to Paris which happens to be the girl’s home city. The slow revelations about her past relationships through walks and wine parties with bizarrely eccentric guys and the overall openness about sex and intimacy topics in family and in the French land freaks out the hypochondriac guy no end. To say nothing of putting up with the verbal duels that the girl keeps on having with mum, minicab drivers, exes who are almost-paedophiles and a dad who scratches cars parked on pavements with his keys, bathrooms with moulds, condoms that are too small, and organic French grocery markets where skinned piglets and rabbit tongues are in the open. Its not any surprise he gets a bit freaked out and a little paranoid about the girl’s proximity to the guys around as the language barrier and a diametrically opposite way of everyday social protocol make things really tough.

But since, its a slice of life dramedy, the differences the couple have, the misunderstandings and all–they get resolved like they always do; when you have two people with a same world view, sense of humour, who’re all heart and who’re genuinely exasperated by the whole shabang of the “break-up”, it does come together in the end, or does it? Eternal Love or compromise in the end then?

There’s Delpy’s awesomely sincere monologue with all things that exasperate her-from the endless photo-clicking on night outs and sightseeing (is that jibe timely or what for us facebook addicts!) to when she confesses to the audience how there comes a point in time when you don’t want to start all over again, and how she’s still puzzled by how people can go from loving each other madly to nothing at all. Midway through, her difference of opinion with Jack about how she’s friends with her ex-es play on the same note, the neuroticism of this character resonated resoundingly with me. It is immensely sincere and as I said before, very assured a debut where the director has the audience by the collar and knows her characters inside out. Delpy’s totally adorable and so caring, so unpretentious and so unflinchingly French, your heart goes out to her despite all her eccentricities. The conversation romcom is  cute, keenly observed, and the lead characters are consistently spontaneous. The most interesting part is, even though you as a viewer hear Delpy’s monologue all the way through and the perspective totally switch to her in the final pivotal scene, it is as much an Adam Goldberg’s movie as besides everything else, it is a movie about cross-cultural relationships and unsubtitled, your identification to his viewpoint and the stuff that ticks him off as an English-speaking person is instant. Its a little gem of a movie, totally in line with Before Sunrise and Before Sunset about what its really like to be in a relationship. Atleast for me. 

 

3:10 to Yuma (2007): §§§§§§§§§ (9.5 on 10)

 

Never in this lifetime would I have believed to like a Western so much, until I watched this one. Its an absolutely fantastic Western drama with a bewitching background score and supremo performances by Bale, Crowe and the whole ensemble. It works so well because its more of a character driven drama where a prisoner plays off his captors by more of his verbal acrobatics and smooth tongue than his christ-engraved pistol. He would probe where they stand, try to buy them off, and then in the final act, give in to the bond shared by a family-man-but-no-hero rancher and his eager-for-a-role-model elder son. Or does he? The final act absolutely seals it in my all time favourites, as Crowe performs with class, wit and totally tuned-in emotion. And no-one does the quiet suffering and pent-up angry male as Bale. Very interesting supporting characters too (Ben Foster in the career-defining sidekick role) , and just overall, a very mobile movie that doesn’t bore for a second (this whole trek to catch the 3:10 to Yuma really keeps things going and simmering). Fabulous morality play that totally redeemed Mangold as a director for me. Very enjoyable and not at all disposable. Compulsive viewing.

 

4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days (Romanian) (2008): §§§§§§§§ (8.5 on 10)

I watched this one back in January with crappy subtitles and despite the fact that I was still absolutely able to tap into this story of two friends, one of whom is raring to have an abortion, in late 80s Romania, means somewhere someone got a lot of things right. And that someone is the director and the casting director who cast Anamaria-the girl who gives an absolutely winning performance as a wholly sacrificing friend who arranges and does everything for her friend’s abortion. The everyman heroism that her character has, and the values that it embodies-of friendship, trust, compassion, and most of all sacrifice at the cost of her own life is very heart-wrenching, and hits you much after the movie’s ended. Soon after her character is raped (to make up for the total sum of money for the abortionist), she has to hurry to her boyfriend’s mother’s birthday party, and there’s this one scene where she sits at the dining table with all the “educated” and classist elders who, like most elders invariably do, chide away her generation as being pampered, and how people from simple families don’t deserve allotments etc, and this girl’s stoic composure even as her eyes sway with frustration, anger and shock of what transpired barely an hour back, is a scene to behold. And then there’s the whole sequence with the abortionist itself, its a winningly written, directed and performed scene where the 2 hapless girls try to convince the abortionist they’ll pay the full dues for the abortion. Its probably one of the most tension filled, personal conversation I’ve seen, and the movie’s ability to capture the human pathos in so much honesty makes it worthy of all the accolades. The style is very minimalist and realistic and in noway does the extraneous setting of Romania intrudes overtly (except for every official’s callous attitude and obsession with IDs–both very Indian attitudes). But a very humane movie, all in all. A grim and unflinching watch!

 

Movies I saw in 2007 titled 0-9:

 

300 (2007): §§§§§§§§ (8 on 10)

What happens when you mate contemporary video-game production design with swords, shields, crowns, sandals, kings and wars? You have something as thrilling and as sensorily overwhelming as 300. Stylish to the core, bordering on homoeroticism and sporting a thumping score, the movie’s charm is in the combat scenes where every move of the choreographed action can be enjoyed in slow motion. Besides being ultrastylish, the two plus two storyline is equally compelling to watch for its simplicity and unambiguity, something of a rarity in these post-modern times. The preposterousness of the politics of the “committee of the wizened and the learned” who wouldn’t send backup to its courageous ruler simply because he’s taken 300 of the best human killing machines as the queen struggles to get her point across in that uproariously written speech has a deft contemporary sensibility about it and the delineation of black and white is so clear and powerful, it has your attention. Its filled with those old-school scenes of unambiguous emotions when courageous people are fighting in outworldly circumstances: like that somewhat cliched wail of a mighty old warrior who sees his son decapitated in plain sight–its wonderfully simple in its virtuosity. But perhaps more than anything else, its the no-holds-barred and fight-till-I-drop spirit of the brave Spartans that you take away long after the movie’s finished. Honour and valour never had such an unquestioning ode from the otherwise bloated, tired war movie genre where attention to detail usually detracts from the heart and core. Let’s thank Zack Snyder for making us all feel like we were holding shields and spears ourselves when it was only popcorn and coke. And Gerald Butler too, for making us believe in every syllable of “Hail Sparta!” 

 

25th Hour (2002): §§§§§§§§§ (9 on 10)

Simply put, this is Spike Lee at his best. The director turns even a seemingly turgid premise of a drug addict gone introspective on his last day of freedom before a seven year jail term into a story that’s so sincere and so humane, its spell-binding. Boasting of virtuoso performances from Edward Norton (watch him swear at everything that New York stands for in front of a mirror or pleading his best mates to pulp his face or the final 30 minutes as he drives away with his dad to the prison is the stuff great cinema’s made of), Barry Pepper, Brian Cox and Philip Seymour Hoffman, a background score that’s fresh and haunting and characterisations plus sequences so sincere and real, you can’t get them out of your head. Manipulativeness is replaced by languid geniality which might make the first half a tad difficult to get into, but stay put and if you are a sucker for nostalgia in real life, you’d be rooting for everyone and everything this movie stands for. The story arc is fantastic, you won’t be able to guess the next thing happening and you’d be surprised how honestly it captures a man’s desire for redemption and that “one more chance” in life. 

My commentary hasn’t finished yet, by the looks of my log though,

Scenes that stood out for me: 4 most noteworthy:

1. Ed’s outburst in the bathroom mirror where he monologues away to his reflection how pissed he really is with everyone and everything that’s New York.

2. Then, the scene where Ed demands his friend Barry to make him ugly. The whole unflinching sequence right from he’s pulped by his friend, to the way he swaggers away into his girlfriend’s arms, l remember secretly sobbing through it all. Just thereafter, his dad Brian Cox telling him to drive away to prison while his girlfriend goes to the fridge for ice cubes-it felt REAL, so real I thought I was hallucinating.

3. Finally, his dad’s monologue of how Ed could just run away and start afresh (which is very interesting a tag-on because without it the movie would have been very visceral if a tad too depressing. With that monologue and Ed’s dream tagged on, the picture of hope painted towards the really emotionally heavy fag-end of the movie really turns up the mood and yes, the final shot of ed sleeping on his windscreen is open to interpretation (are they actually making a run? Is he dreaming?). Any which way, its an inspiring and deeply affecting movie (90% so because the characters are so lovingly sketched).. its almost like you become one with ed’s character towards the latter half (since he really is a good man) and you really don’t want him behind the bars and you’ve so enjoyed every moment on screen with him.

4. The random subplot of Hoffman’s character’s affair with a student, not only is a fab attention diverter and relief tactic, but also makes the whole movie filled with one more old-school home truth- a geeky friend who accompanies them to the bar, is the butt of most of their jokes but is the 1st one to shoulder his pulped friend on a shoulder, this movie really is just all heart. 

Loved the background score throughout (Spike’s got an achilles heel for Indian music–I like that, even though at times it sits awkwardly for me atleast, but overall, the experiment pays off where the score never intrudes/manipulates the viewer. And it is a film that’s going to shine brighter with a second viewing as u then for sure know what’s going to happen to Ed. Its his last day before he goes to prison (boy, the scene in the bar where he breaks down in front of his best mate is class), there’ll be nostalgia for 1st-time suckers of this movie like me, and boy its gonna be worth it. So looking forward to another watch.

Probably the best book adaptation I have seen and a resounding reminder that Spike Lee really knows his movies, his humour and his action. Class! 

 

 

13 Conversations about One Thing (2001): §§§§§§ (6 on 10)

 

A drifting, maudlin, multiple-stories-interjecting around a common theme movie that supposedly talks about happiness. Supposedly being the operative word. The soporific and sleep-inducing background score aside, it is a very organic and real movie with some really believable performances (Especially Alan Arkin who rocks as the boss who’s pissed at an employee with a perpetual smile on face…haha). Only problem being that it probably takes itself a little too seriously and there’s a slight stink of pretension in one of the story arcs of this girl who breaks into a moronic lecture about looking at the life’s bright side even in the face of cold unpredictability (she’s just been bumped by a car when she was walking down the road holding the ironed shirt of an architect she works for and even after the accident, she buys a new shirt and goes back to return it only to be confronted by the sod who suspects she’s stolen his watch).

And then there’s Matthew McCaunahey’s character who in his sanctimonious mode after winning a case is lecturing everyone how he’s worked it all out and he’s so lucky and more such blah blah to Arkin and then just when he thinks he rules the world he bumps a girl on the road. And his world falls apart as he hides his crime and his whole belief on how justice prevails in the world is shaken. Its reasonably well done.

The last story arc is about this professor who enters an affair with a fellow teacher but on the day when he gets to know that its going nowhere since the hubby’s found out, his rebuking a keen student sends the latter off the rooftop really amplifies how even the littlest things we do or say can have such an effect on another person’s state of mind. Actually I like this movie more as I write about it but then some movies are deceptive like that. Awesome on paper, mediocre on screen. Still, its a middlingly atmospheric movie with good performances that says nothing exceptionally new but for its believability begs one watch maybe.

 

28 Weeks Later (2007):§§§§§§§ (7 on 10) 

 

I had absolutely given up on zombie movies now. Until this movie. It managed to somewhat freak even a zombie-immunised soul like me with some nicely staged action sequences, good quality acting, exhaustingly different camera techniques to spook one out (the torchlight, the night camera, the tracker… hell every camera and lens kind is experimented with), its pretty ambitious, but really the storyline’s got zero credibility (oh stop the moaning I should!) and what spirals the whole movie off is two kids purposely doing a stupid thing (like they do in these horror flicks, it is such a regular thing, I should stop bemoaning its existence as well. Bah!). 

 

Scenes that rocked it: The helicopter-chopping-zombie scene, the chase sequence where the people are chased trapped in a volvo through increasingly smoke-infested london streets, then the scene where all the mortals are trapped in the parking lot and a zombie enters and starts off a snowball of biting each other… quickly thereafter the orders for military to eliminate everyone-zombie or not.

So yea, its a stretch, but the one time watch was quite entertaining and the attention to detail in creating a mood was laudable at times. And more than anything, it was good enough to be one of the few creditworthy sequels that lived up to the now-modern-cult-classic original (Boyle’s 28 Days Later), and I am waiting for the sequel in the making. Hail the big studios turning every little germ of an idea that gets their money back into a money-milking franchise of diminishing creative returns. I hope this one-in-the-making proves me wrong, although I highly doubt it.

36 Chowringhee Lane (Bengali) (1981): §§§§§ (5 on 10)

 

 

An Aparna Sen-directed movie of which I really had heard about quite a lot. Underwhelming and ho-hum by the end of it all I have to say. So an old teacher in an old-age home has been estranged by her daughters (married and gone off abroad) and an erstwhile student who bumps into her takes advantage of her by using her home as a sod-pad tricking all the way through the poor lady into thinking that him and his partner really care for her. By the end of it, the couple move on to better pastures forgetting about the old lady (as it happens in life). I won’t deny that the issues handled here are real (the loneliness that envelopes the old age, of people moving on and the place of the spoken word in the contemporary sensibility) but somehow I wasn’t impressed by the Shakespearen style acting and the bookish dialogue. The dialogue and the acting’s very mannered, almost as if every actor’s learned the British and Scottish colloquialisms and figure of speeches the day before. I also thought the whole movie was ham-handed, patronising and manipulative, which is a surprise since its an arthouse classic; but it is what it is: too theatrical to touch me in any way.  

 

Moving on to the first alphabet now!

More and more film-watching 2006 (6)

*Mammoth post warning*

Since my movie binging days are far from over, here’s another post reviewing half of my past month’s batch in descending order of admiration. The batch includes Schindler’s List, V for Vendetta, Pulp Fiction, The Constant Gardener, Mr and Mrs Smith, Good Will Hunting, Run Lola Run, Syriana, United 93 and The Interpreter

What follows is not the usual analytical thesis that I subject my readers to (however few you are out there, I really should say this — I love you guys and thanks for bearing whatever I write here), and have boiled it down to only the most praise-worthy and cuss-worthy aspects of every movie.

The one-line summaries are lifted from imdb.com as they get their point made about the plot like no other (which really is another way of saying that I suck at summary-writing and can’t be bothered about writing a synopsis myself).