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Taxi Driver (1976)
A Martin Scorsese and Robert Di Nero Classic
Before I started to watch this movie, I was awed by whatever I had heard about this classic and was also in awe of the two legends involved - Martin Scorsese and Robert Di Nero. Immediately after watching this, I was a bit disappointed. This is not to say this wasn't a good work of cinema, which it is, but guess I am a victim of "The Over-hype". After a few hours when I pondered upon my experience, the cinematic excellence of this classic dawned upon me. It is not as smart and hard-hitting like my other Martin Scorsese's favorites ("The Departed", Gangs of New York), but this one grows on you. This film had it all - good starcast (its all about Robert Di Nero), good camera-work, strong script to work with, nice editing to tie-up the movie, apt music which added to the element of the movie (as intended by the director) and of course, strong direction to bring it all together.
The first aspect that impressed me was the way story was portrayed by Mr.Martin Scorsese. If you actually look at it, this is just another story about a disturbed Nam marine who is back and is trying to adjust to his life post coming back from war. He is a loner, disturbed and wants to clean the streets cowboy-style. It could very-well have ended as just another action flick. But Mr.Scorsese had other plans. The movie started with the new york streets and how filthy / busy they are. At the same time, no shot was particularly stretched - it was all shot in passing, like a dream. The continuous shots of the streetlights and the traffic signals was actually very psychedelic, as if on drugs . The saxophone music, while adding a touch of classic element, was making the viewer very comfortable, as if watching in half sleep. Now I realize that it was all because this was how the protagonist was feeling - he could not sleep (insomnia). What a wonderful way to invite the viewer right in the midst of the protagonist's life ! It feels like I was made to be the cab passenger of Travis's taxi and I watched everything from the back seat. Cinematic excellence at its best !
Travis (Robert Di Nero) has been shown to be very eccentric with a quirky sense of humour, which was very rusty at times. His character (disturbed war hero) demanded such confused feelings and reactions. One of the best performances by Mr.Robert Di Nero (Raging Bull with Scorsese being another noteworthy one). "You Looking at me?" will always be an iconic phrase for all times to come.
This review would not be complete without the mention of Bernard Herrmann's background score. The soundtrack brings out the central theme of the movie in the viewer's mind - loneliness and at times its absolutely terrifying. Deserves a special mention.
In summary, this movie could have been categorized as action/crime but Mr.Scorsese made it a drama/crime movie and portrayed a strong nightmarish experience. Its a down-right riveting piece of film-making. I give it 8.5 out of 10.
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)
Good Clean Sunday Afternoon Cinema
45 years after its release, GWCTD is still a cinematic delight. This movie is not my generation and I could not identify that it had some of the most well-known actors of its time like Spencer Tracy, Katherine Hepburn. Though it was dealing with a sensitive topic of its times, it was handled very delicately by both the script-writer and the director.
But the handling of the issue was not the high point of the movie for me. What amazed me after watching this movie was the honesty with which it was written. Ignoring 1-2 digressions, the plot stuck to what it had to convey. The sequencing and the flow of scenes made sense, and I must add that it is not easy to do this in such low-decibel drama movies. It was an emotional ride for all the character's involved, except maybe Joey who for her age had to be shown as a young immature young woman who could not see beyond her love. The dialogue were straight to the point - I don't remember a single dialogue which was out of line or not relevant. It was a good clean script. Near-absence of background music added to the drama and am guessing it created an environment that Mr.Stanley Kramer intended. Well, he succeeded.
I could recognize only Mr.Sidney Poitier and he delivered a powerful & straightforward character performance. While reading some other reviews I realized that this was Mr.Spencer Tracy's last movie and that too with Katharine Hepburn with whom he had an off-screen love affair. The veterans pulled this one off with amazing simplicity. The last scene where Mr.Tracy delivers his speech was a fitting culmination to the emotional drama that unfolded in the previous 90-95 minutes.
To summarize, GWCTD is a good clean Sunday afternoon cinema which I would recommend to anyone. 8 out of 10 for me.
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
The best superhero trilogy ever
Christopher Nolan has done it again. With the same team who worked with him on the previous two parts of the Batman trilogy, he has delivered a classic finale to the one of the best superhero trilogy of our times.
This film is a cinematic delight for an avid cinema admirer like me. I could not find a single low point in this movie - direction, story, screenplay, cinematography, editing, music... It takes a master like Mr.Christiopher Nolan to bring it all together.
I have been witnessing a trend in superhero movies. When the superhero craze started, these movies were all about special effects based on superpowers which would WOW the audience. But as more and more of these heroes started hitting the cinemas, the audience were lusting for something new - Not just action and special effects, but maybe some more drama. Their call has been answered. Look at James Bond's latest "Skyfall". It was entrusted to Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Road to perdition) who has no history with the action genre. But he is known to add depth to his characters and overall plot. Christopher Nolan did the same to the Batman Franchise in 2005 when he convinced Warner bros to give it to an unknown director like him. This was the first time when we saw Batman as a person before the Batman we all knew. This character has emotions, he was afraid before he rose up to the challenge. Superheroes are no longer with (just) supernatural powers. They are humans like us and they feel. They can go down like any of us, but what sets them apart is their ability to rise. The Dark knight definitely rises in this epic finale!
The greatest victory of TDKR is the message which Christopher Nolan has been conveying in this trilogy over and over again - the triumph of the human spirit, the win of good over evil. And this symbolism could not have been possible with superpowers or futuristic gadgets, but only when Batman breaks down and digs deeper to find his inner strength. The Batman had to rise again. Nolan broke down Batman to dust to such an extent that it made the audience actually root for him to stand up. Imagine a superhero being an underdog. Wow! Bringing out the underdog emotion in a superhero story can only be done when a lot of homework has been done on the plot and screenplay.
The other cinematic aspects were upto the mark in conveying this message. David Goyer (written Blade series) assisted Nolan with story while Jonathan Nolan did so with screenplay - David has been with this trilogy since batman begins and Jonathan joined in The Dark Knight. The three of them had a fair grip on what they wanted to convey. Cinematography was done by Wally Pfister who has been with Nolan since Memento and was part of all of Nolan's projects (Inception, all 3 Batman, The Prestige, Insomnia). In TDKR, cinematography was not all about picturesque sceneries, but more about lighting and grandeur (when needed). Hans Zimmer (Music) has gained expertise in providing music for grand & action oriented cinema - Gladiator, 2 POTC, MI 2, Pearl harbour, all 3 Batman, Inception). TDKR was no different.
The actors could not have better chosen. Christian Bale has been maturing like fine wine and aptly displayed Nolan's version of the Human superhero - he displayed weakness, depth of character, fear, arrogance, dug deep to find inner strength and all this, with few extra grey locks. Awesome ! Tom Hardy was a revelation in this movie and carried on the good work from his previous movies - Inception and Warrior. He was brawn, merciless and fearful. Voted in 2009 as Variety's "10 actors to Watch", I'll be waiting to see more of this muscular 35 year old in times to come. Anne Hathaway and Joseph Gordon-Levitt were the two other actors who justified their characters to the fullest. Joseph is just 31 and is turning out to be the next star. He has already been part of two of Nolan's movies (Inception and this one). Michael had very little screen time but had powerful screen presence.
For a superhero movie, this cinema was emotionally riveting. The Avengers had 5 (or 6) superheroes but came no where close to touching the audience as the Batman Trilogy has. The best part is that this movie, like Inception, ended with possibilities - now what, did Leo (Inception) gets left behind, will Levitt be the next Batman or will Christian make a comeback with Levitt as Robin. Mr.Nolan has set the bar too high this time. Cant wait for a reboot.
Celda 211 (2009)
Sheer cinematic perfection
Hard-hard-hard hitting ! Edge of the seat thriller. And the climax, could not have been better. Movies like Cell 211 come by once in a decade or so. Superb direction, extraordinary acting, rock solid script, impeccable camera-work. Cell 211 had all the makings of a Blockbuster.
The direction by Daniel Monzon is flawless. The way he built the story from the beginning kept me involved from scene 1 where the first inmate of cell 211 cuts himself. Mr.Monzon has to be a visionary to shoot the scene the way he did. The script is really-2 honest & no time was wasted with anything else. The movie came straight to the point - new guard, riot, Calzone inside - buckle up Dorothy coz this is going to be one hell of a ride! The thrill and action was nicely mixed up with the bedroom scenes of Calzone with his wife. It made me experience the passionate side of Calzone and source of his motivation to get out. Later, this also became the source of his anger and madness when he cuts up the guard who killed his wife. The build up had to be perfect to make me feel the sadness and anger which Calzone was feeling. I could almost feel myself cutting up that guard as I was so angry - how could he kill a harmless pregnant women? I really liked the fact that Mr.Monzon kept the script honest to what he wanted to convey - no distractions. He had only a handful of characters who he wanted to focus on and only they formed the primary part of the script - shows the vision of the screenplay writers & in this case, the director as well (Mr.Monzon did both).
The sets consumed me into the movie from the moment the riot broke out - the whole place trashed, rioting outside, whole movie shot within the prison. Its a unique style of direction when a movie is shot within a closed compound/room. I feel the whole intent is to make the viewer experience the movie as if he is himself there. The feeling is made real with hand-held camera-work and not standard industry crane-work all the time. Cell 211 had this quality. As I said, the movie stuck to the director's vision.
The actors gave it all. The two protagonists, Luis Tosar & Alberto Ammann, were outstanding. Luis is an accomplished Spanish actor and won many awards for his performances in Spanish films (acted in Miami Vice, 2006). The support actors did their part to perfection - I think Mr.Monzon extracted exactly what he wanted from his acting crew.
All in all, Cell 211 is an amazing thriller and a great work of Spanish cinema. Definitely a keeper. I rate this 9 out of 10.
Full Metal Jacket (1987)
Typical Kubrick - Another side of the human behavior
Typical Stanley Kubrick - shock & awe. Mr.Kubrick has this typical style to portray extremities of the human behavior when under pressure or showcasing the delusional side of the human mind. He did it in "The Shining", The clockwork orange and now again in FMJ.
Many war movies have been made that take the viewer through how and why American wars were futile and without purpose. FMJ takes the same topic and shows it in typical Kubrick style - extreme side of human behavior which is sometimes delusional, background sets in line with the mood of the movie, script which shocks the viewer. FMJ does not really have a plot, but a good script. The script builds up the confusion which war has created in the minds of these so-called men. They do not know what they are fighting for - some are patriots without reason, some love guns, some are trigger happy cowboys who just want to shoot NVA (north Vietnamese army). The initial training drills on the island described the brainwash that marines are made to go through to make them brain-dead killing-on-order zombies. Even if some of them realize the futility of it all, they continue to do it so that they confirm to the larger madness. Joker had realized that but he still punished Pyle Lawrence, which eventually led Lawrence to shoot the sergeant and commit suicide.
The script then shows how these "Trained Marines" act in the field. During the sniper scene, there was no plan which the marines were following - they were randomly moving around which got 3 of them killed, acting on pure motion, defying direct orders from platoon leader and looking for payback when the third soldier is killed. Stanley Kubrick shows brilliantly what war does to young men - it turns marines into brainless mercenaries thirsty for blood. These marines thoughtlessly sing the mickey mouse song once they have killed their targets.
Camera-work was typical Stanley Kubrick style adapting as per the scene's requirements- hand-held camera when the marines are moving made the viewer feel as if he is present there and moving along with the marines, camera showing what the NVA sniper sees making the viewer skip a heartbeat and adding to the thrill factor.
All in all, this is a different and typical Kubrick style of cinema. Though I still felt that maybe this was an incomplete movie, but then again, wars are pointless. This could have been dragged the same way as shown in Francis Ford Coppola's "Apocalypse Now", but guess it conveyed the same point in half the time. 7.5 out of 10 for me.
American History X (1998)
Edward Norton Classic
Powerful, hard hitting, provoking, touching. AMX is truly a classic on a controversial social theme. It is one of those movies where the viewer is left stunned when the end credits start rolling and it takes a moment for him to realize that he just viewed a good work of cinema. Though many movies try, but very few leave such an impact on its audience. AMX has this quality.
For me, three things stood out in this movie - Direction by Tony Kaye, dialogues (written by David McKenna) and above all, Edward Norton's portrayal of Derek Vinyard.
Tony Kaye has been known to come out with work on social themes, his other known work being a documentary on abortion debate, Lake of fire (2006). Through AMX, Tony has depicted the impact of the black-white divide in a very impactful manner. His depiction of the struggle that the youth go through and the impact on their impressionable minds is spot on. But more importantly, he was able to convey the message by building up a story which conveys the impact of this racial hatred on the vineyard family - father's killing, Derek's violence, Danny's death. The sequence of events could have been done sequentially without any voice-over. But having this told by Danny's voice with flashbacks made the story more honest and real. Derek's character transformation inside prison made sense and was not random. Tony was himself the director of photography for AMX. He made sure that the shots which needed impact were done differently - slow motion, face shots.
The story/screenplay is by David McKenna. Since there was no credits given separately for dialogues, am assuming David wrote the dialogues as well. Unlike other movies handling the same theme, I found the dialogues of AMX were much more though provoking & amazingly articulate. The dialogues weren't just swearing and shouting obscenities - they had meaning and made the viewer understand how clear the character's thought process was. This was amply displayed multiple times - Derek's speech to his gang before they busted the departmental store or the lunch table conversation. The same clarity wasn't showed for Danny's character and rightly so - he was simply confused whether to follow his brother's footsteps or be the good family kid.
Tony's and Danny's work would have been unreal had Edward Norton not brought Derek's character to life. I would rate this as one of Edward Norton's classic (along with Fight Club). He powerfully portrayed Derek's pre-prison character as an intellectual youth misguided by neo- nazi propaganda. The extremities of his youthful obsession came out beautifully when the cops arrest Derek for the killing of two black youths, but all he does is smile. There is a look of triumph on his face, a sense of pride. Pure hatred, no regret.
Overall, AMX is a thought provoking work of cinema which is well written, nicely directed and brought to life by one of the best actors of our generation, Norton. I rate this movie 8.5 out of 10.
The Flying Scotsman (2006)
Good cinema, but Sports or Drama?
What can a man do when he sets his eyes on something and backs it up with everything he has got? Its people like Graeme Obree who keep giving us answers to such questions. TFS is a tribute to Obree's superhuman determination and physical-limits-defying accomplishments. Its an inspiring work of cinema and did well in showing the viewers what Obree had to go through on his arduous journey.
For me, this movie could have been so much more. There were some high points but some factors just pulled the movie down. The highlight of this movie were a few aspects of the direction by Douglas Mackinnon. The plot was honest & all about the protagonist, Graeme Obree. Obree's personal characteristics & his ingredients for success were aptly on display - raw grit, determination, stubborn, hard-headed, persevering, the hours & hours of practice, the unending sweat. The small things were nicely shown - race to earn that extra 100 bucks, orange & sugar sandwich to provide his body more sugar, "banana" principle for measuring the distance between legs, his exercise routine. Douglas Mackinnon was successful in showing these various aspects of Obree's life and bringing it all together for the viewer. A small mention here to the background music, especially in the first half. Whenever that specific instrumental music was played, it brought about a sense of hope and the thought that either Obree will come up with a new idea or something magical from Obree would follow. Pumped up the tempo !
But the same direction & maybe sheer laziness at it, left me asking for more. I would have liked it better if more time was spent on the primary two things which were different about Obree - cycle and his position. After all, these two things were instrumental for Obree's success. I needed to understand that how can a bicycle made from washing machine parts compete with a bike made by a computer and costed half a million? Though I would not have understood the technicalities, but if the laws of physics (as applied on Obree's bike) were explained in the movie in layman's language, it would have added to the AWE factor. I still don't know why & how Obree arrived at his first cycling position and then to the superman position (was it just the box in the fridge?)
Another low point in the movie and direction/screenplay was the lack of time spent on building up Obree's character. Obree's mental health status could have been delved into in a better & detailed manner. Would have given the viewer a better perspective as to why he tried to commit suicide. I could just guess that his championship loss coupled with his disturbed frame of mind (owing to his childhood bully-memories) led him to end his life. The contrast of the character puzzled me - on one hand, this guy had superhuman grit and perseverance, and on the other hand he was easily disturbed when his childhood bully (now an adult) insults him on the loss of championship.
Jonny Lee Miller was a revelation in the movie. He aptly portrayed what Obree had to go through to achieve what he did. I am sure he could have handled a much more complex Obree's character.
Summary - TFS was a good watch. It wasn't exactly an underdog story but Obree had to fight for all his achievements. All such stories have a feel-good factor attached to them and when all the cinematic aspects come together to create a good piece of cinema, it leaves the viewer with a nice sense of the protagonist's achievement. TFS had some good parts but sadly, it wasn't inspirational. I think the confusion was whether the team wanted to make a sports movie or good dramatic cinema. It came close to both. 7 out of 10 for me.
Taken 2 (2012)
Shades of Original 'Taken' but no match for it
Taken 2 had a huge burden to carry - that of Taken 1. The success of taken was based on multiple factors - the portrayed perfection of Bryan mills by Liam Neeson(the perfect "preventor"), screenplay depth, action sequences, hard-hitting dialogues ("I will find you"), fast paced nature of the film and overall, the believability factor - the film looked & felt real. Liam Neeson, as always, was brilliant and brought seriousness to Bryan Mills character. As the story is with most sequels, Taken 2 did not deliver the same adrenaline as Taken 1. But on a standalone basis, its a good action movie - fast paced, slick, good action sequences and nice screenplay resulting in character depth.
For me, the highlight of the Taken 2 was the screenplay and detailing of action sequences. Taken 2 had the same screenplay team who wrote Taken 1- Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen. These two guys have a thing for action movies and they have delivered high adrenaline heart-pumping flicks like transporter series, revolver, colombiana, Leon the professional - all movies with slick action. The highlight of Luc & Robert's work is that they don't depend on lot of explosions and high intensity fire power to create an action packed movie. They accessorize the central character with skills like extremely sharp presence of mind, hand-to-hand-combat expertise, knowledge of all kinds of weaponry etc. Basically, the protagonist is an exceptionally trained character (with army background or an ex-spy) applying his skills in real world crime scenarios. It puts the viewers in an awe of the protagonist from the first time they see him in action & from there the character build-up continues - exceptional story/screenplay skills. Luc & Robert are also very creative when it comes to action sequences. The stunt team doesn't pack the action sequences with punches, kicks or simply martial arts. It involves using a lot of small items from the place where the action is happening - be it Jason Statham's spilling of oil & then using cycle pedals to skid over it or Bryan mills presence of mind while using wooden sticks or counting the strokes of the watch when he is first kidnapped and understanding the course of the van from his knowledge of the city. Robert & Luc are adept at building the character before such genius presence of mind is displayed - everything about the characters just fits in and is precise and exceptionally executed. Taken 2 had the same qualities and that always kept the viewer on the edge of the seat with a WOW look on the face. One low point of the screenplay, when compared with Taken 1, was including some avoidable side stories - Kim's boyfriend, driving license, the separation etc. Taken 1's screenplay was honest - it was only about Mills and his passion for saving his daughter. The honesty in Taken 2 got diluted.
Liam Neeson portrayed Bryan Mills to perfection, again. He a mature actor and brings a sense of perfection to all his roles. I love the guy.
There are some obvious lows in the movie which made the movie less believable, which as I mentioned, was the strong point of Taken 1. Like Kim throwing grenades around in a crowded city, Kim driving the cab with expertise when she couldn't even get a license back home, the Albanians leaving Mills for long stretches of time post his capture (they were thirsty for his blood but suddenly wanted to wait when they capture him), bad guys emptying whole cartridges of bullets on Mills and hitting nothing. Taken 2 also picked up some specific style of dialogues & scenes which reminded the viewer of part 1 - obvious lack of creativity or simple laziness. Olivier Megaton's direction was also a low point - Colombiana was a much better effort than this.
All in all, Taken 2 did not bore me but it did disappoint me. Being a die-hard "Taken" fan, I'll let this one go by with a smirk. Much more creativity is needed to surpass the original. Would love to see Bryan Mills in action again. I hear Taken 3 has been announced. Rating for taken 2 - 6.5 out of 10.
A Clockwork Orange (1971)
"Its funny how the colors of the real world only seem really real when u viddy them on the screen"
Stanley Kubrick was a celebrated director and screenplay writer that gave us cinematic masterpieces like 2001: A space Odyssey, the shining, full metal jacket and the list goes on. A clockwork orange is a part of this special list. Though it lost the race for the Best movie Oscar to "The French Connection" in 1972, I bellieve it could have gone either way - both being trendsetters & works of inspirational cinema.
When I started the movie, the first shot really set my mood - The smirk on Alex's face, those eyes full of determination, hatred, scorn, revenge, unremitting, intense - just ripping through the viewer and sending a chilling message down the spine. Before Alex was imprisoned, Stanley Kubrick presented a theatrical piece of anarchy brought about in a devilish manner. Sometimes it felt like Nihilism and sometimes, just pure & unadultered paranoia. Malcom McDowell's portrayal of Alex's character must be commended - There was a sense of symphony to Alex and what he did, as if he was performing with the background music. It was like watching a concert.
But the highlight of this movie was not the plot, but the theatrical extremities in which the cast portrayed their characters. This was brought together with detailed camera-work, background music, sets, artwork, make-up and symbolism. Specific sequences in the storyline helped in building up the feeling of hoodlumism and anarchy - billy & his boys raping a young girl, the garbage lying around when Alex was returning home from his evening odyssey, the vandalized art pieces, broken lift, artwork at the milkbar. Stanley Kubrick did well to create an atmosphere for Alex's delinquent behaviour. The background score added to the overall drama. Throughout the movie, most of the scenes had concert music in the background, even during acts of crime or action sequences - like when Alex and his droogs were beating Billy & his boys. When there was no music, there was silence with the dialogues echoing in the room, as if live theatre performances were getting delivered. It helped in building up the concert/theatre feeling very nicely.
Stanley Kubrick did well with artwork and make-up that denoted underlying sexuality and anarchism. Detailed creativity like Alex's eyelashes and the piece of art at the murdered lady's house are classic. The poster of clockwork where Alex is peeking out with his eyelashes & smirk, still gives me a quirky feeling. Knowing that Stanley himself was an avid photographer & knew all about cinematography, it isn't a surprise that in the credits under cinematography, John Alcott's name has been mentioned only as lighting cameraman. Stanley manipulated the camera-work that suited his style & which went with the movie's flavour - the close faceshots, camera-work from unique angles to shoot the characters.
All in all, a clockwork orange is a masterpiece from Stanley Kubrick, in his long list of successful pieces of work. It is worth mentioning here that clockwork is by no means an easy film to watch and/or understand, as many will be turned off by the explicit violence and rape. It'll make the viewer heavy-headed and leave the theatre in shock. But that was Mr.Kubrick's style afterall - Shock & Awe. This is a brand of cinema which'll live on for many years to come.
Score - 8.5 out of 10. Definitely recommended if you have got a taste for drama.
The Shining (1980)
One of the better horror films
The Shining has been rated as one of the best horror flicks of its time and a Stanley Kubrick classic. It was a first of its type horror/mystery movie and brought cinematic novelty for the audience of 1980.Though I do believe its an excellent work of cinema, but I would not rate it as Mr.Kubrick's best, or comparable to classics from his stable, like "A Clockwork Orange" or "full metal jacket".
That does not go to say that The Shining did not have its moments of brilliance. The aspects of this movie which I appreciate are the plot (family in a haunted hotel), cinematography, background score, sound editing, direction & Jack Nicholson's maniac portrayal of the central character.
Stephen king had chosen a perfect plot for his novel - isolated hotel, dark winter, no one to help, just the caretakers to deal with the supernatural and of course, with themselves. Gives me the shivers. The story and direction had a lot of grip and flow up to the point where Jack started to lose his mind (had a nightmare) - the build up was really nice. I have come to realize that the secret to a good mystery movie is if it continues to unravel bit by bit, but never giving the viewer the whole story, or the climax. As I said, the build up to the climax is critical. If it has a shocking end, all the more better. The shining had many such moments in the first half - psychic son, hotel with a murder history, a busy hotel suddenly shown as a big empty mansion, room 237 conversation between the cook and Danny, the twin girls being seen a couple of times and maybe a few more. This build-up was ably aided by haunting music & good camera-work. But somewhere the plot was lost. Some of the scenes were quite flimsy & cheesy for an audience like me - like the wave of blood coming from the lift and flowing across the lobby. Or the old lady with boils (or just bad skin) which Jack tried to kiss. Or Jack's multiple encounter with imaginary people, and maybe the real ghost of Delbert Grady. Such scenes actually led to more bitterness than pounding heartbeats. But nonetheless, Mr.Kubrick was successful in maintaining the plot based madness and continued it till the end. Maybe I wanted to get more chills.
The background score, sound editing and the cinematography deserve a special mention. The background music was haunting for sure and added that extra dark-wintery feeling to the already freezing winter.The same played from the opening shot of car traveling in the mountains - beautiful scenery, haunting music. Did set the mood. The sound editing was fabulous. Its not like the clichéd tricks of sudden loud noises, but a potent combination of silence and background sound. The cinematography was classic horror style. Camera-work had this quality of making the viewer expect that there is something around the corner, which the camera will see at the same time as the character in the scene. It builds up the feeling of the "unexpected"and magnifies the shock factor. Its a feeling which we all are familiar with when we close our eyes while watching a horror flick to avoid the shock. I know I did it a couple of times! The awesome co-ordination of sound editing and cinematography could be seen in a scene where the kid is riding his tri-cycle in empty corridors of the hotel - nice zippy work with just the background noise of tyres running on the wooden floor (and carpet) and camera behind the kid. Really thought the twins were just around the corner!
All the above needed a central character for anchoring - Mr.Nicholson obliged. He is an artist who uses his face and various features in a brilliant manner. His expressive eyes, broad smile, ever moving eyebrows, deep crackling voice - all tools for a top class entertainer like Mr.Nicholson. He displayed cold frustration as effectively as outrageous anger. Portrayal of a frustrated madmen who slowly looses his mind was very detailed and must have resulted from a lot of homework.
All in all, The shining had a lot of things which went right. For 1980, Mr.Kubrick did deliver a never-seen-before cinematic horror experience. But maybe having seen current horror flicks like "The Ring" and "The Grudge", I was expecting more chills. At the time of this review, IMDb rates The shining @ 8.5. I rate this as 7.5
Real Steel (2011)
Entertainment Guaranteed !
My first impression was that this is going to be a "sci-fi hi-tech action" kind of a movie which would not give me any food for thought, but this is much more - story of a boxer past his prime (who's a bad bet), a relationship which builds between a son and his father nicely told), a kid who was looking for a father figure, finding it first in a robot and then his real dad. A real plot, continuity and interesting twists (though on expected lines). The underdog formula always works if the director builds it up till the end - Shawn Levy did it pretty well.
The high point for me in this movie was the screenplay. This movie could have so easily ended up being another sci-fi flick, but the screenplay actually gave it so much more depth - made it more human. Each character was well researched and portrayed - jackman's portrayal of boxer past his prime had to be burly but not muscular (knowing how jackman can really tone up his body), the portrayal of Tak Mashido's character was flawless - geometrical face-cut and doesn't speak much (had to be an egoistic geek). Mark of an effective screenplay is how it builds up to the finale. Real Steel had this quality. And finally, not to miss, the graphics were believable too. Robots looked & moved in a believable fashion. Overall, 7 out of 10 for me. Entertainment guaranteed !
Prometheus (2012)
Disappointing Ridley Scott
Expectations were high from a Ridley Scott movie - the director who gave us Alien, which was a path breaker in 1979. But the movie didn't even came close to fulfilling those expectations. It seemed to move in some direction in the beginning with profound questions being raised (meeting our creators) but what followed thereafter was disappointment. Screenplay lacked depth/thought, story/scenes lacked logic, absence of depth in characters (theron went unutilized for a vamp). Cinematography is a definite saviour for this film - by Dariusz Wolski (he gave us POTC trilogy, Crimson Tide). But nice art shots was compromised by absence of thought. Such a waste of time from the director who gave us Gladiator, ALIEN, Black hawk down, American Gangster, Body of lies, Good year...
The French Connection (1971)
Best Cop movie ever
5 Oscars and 3 nominations. Beat "A clockwork Orange" to the ribbon and deservedly so. This is a perfect cop movie - gritty, fast-paced, intense, no super-hero cops but realistic believable characters. Although the genre of this film is classified as action, but I think its as much drama as action.
There were so many things brought together to make this a cinema classic. Popeye Doyle's character was etched in history by Gene Hackman's portrayal of the character - gritty, messy,intense, unremitting but also human. He didn't beat 10 goons, didn't have six packs. Just a regular hard working cop who goes after his hunches. He deserved an Oscar for this. Hackman's and Scheider's chemistry as two hard-ass NYC detectives was nicely written and acted.
The live-action cinematography by Owen Roizman was one of the best I have ever seen. Simple things like a street chase (with hand held camera shot) where Gene is running after the sniper with the background sound of Gene's heavy breathing gave it the thrill-factor. The car chase was breath-taking - No fireworks, no cars flying like today's movies. Just 2-3 hits to cars on the road and a wall, and finally, a smashed car (that still drove). No adrenaline rush, just intense heartbeats - WOW! For a 1971 movie, this deserves an applause. The other shots and camera-work brought about a sense of realism to the movie. Many of the street shots were done with hand-held camera while others with normal industry crane-work, close-ups etc. The ruggedness of the camera-work made you believe that this is how my life also looks like.
The direction, soundtrack and story added to the drama factor. The documentary film technique applied by Friedkin worked wonders. The high pitched background score wasn't used much except the beginning and end of the movie. The background sound was made to fill itself by sound of the street, dialogues and light background scores. Again, this added realism to the central plot. Hints of irony in the story were also made to stand out sometimes, like a simple shot where Gene was waiting for the frenchmen outside the restaurant. Gene was standing outside in the cold eating a slice of pizza with not-so-good tea/coffee while the bad guys were having delicious cuisines with best of the world drinks and hot tea. Makes you hate the bad guys and admire the hard working salaried cops. The ending where the frenchman runs away and justice is not served, was a bit abrupt and unexpected. It could have been more impactful. There was no hint in the movie's storyline about the system being unjust. But nonetheless, the ending did not corrupt the flavour and storyline.
Summary - for its era, this movie was ahead of its time. It has been termed as violent by some, but I consider it as the beginning of an era of cop movies. Its a classic and worthy of the Oscars (and other multiple nominations). 8 out of 10 for me.
Nights in Rodanthe (2008)
Sweet, but cud be better for a Nicholas Sparks novel
This movie has the signature of Nicholas Sparks - romance and tragedy. It has been the same for all his works which have been made into movies - the notebook, A walk to remember, message in a bottle, dear John. Nights is no different. It's a sweet love story. Richard Gere and Diane lene depict believable characters. Full marks to both of them for the chemistry and displayed emotions. I fell for the locations of the movie and the cinematography - The inn is breathtaking with all the blue colours. What a beach location! The extra effort to make the actors wear some shade of blue all the time was clearly visible. Would have appreciated the movie more if time was invested in building up the love between richard and diane. It seemed a bit abrupt. I did feel happy when they hooked up and sad when Richard dies, but the magic of "A walk to remember" was missing. That movie really touched me...nights just missed it by inches.
Overall, for a Nicholas Sparks work, I was hoping for more magic. 6.5 out of 10 for me.
There Will Be Blood (2007)
Stunning Character-based movie !
Based on a novel "Oil!"
..A very strong & theatrical performance by Daniel. Music was loud and brought about a stillness and grandeur to the desert, oil and sweat. Daniel's swagger as a businessman (OILMAN) carried the movie till the end. Eli, the self-proclaimed priest character, was suppose to be the anti-thesis to Daniel's character, but the portrayal wasn't done as strongly as Daniel Plainview's character. Many viewers, after watching this movie, could be confused and left with bitterness. I was simply stunned.
For me, the highlight of this movie was the screenplay and the depth of Plainview's character. 2 scenes bring out this aspect - one where he was drinking with his newfound brother, Henry, and claims that he does not like anyone else to succeed around him. You could feel the hatred, the jealousy and the scorn inside the man. Second, when he kills henry, buries him and sleeps on that very ground. Cold!
Not a happy movie, but a good work of cinema.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
You never know what you've got until it's gone
Refreshingly original! Charlie Kaufman has a knack of coming up with these outright creative and never-thought-before stories. Sunshine is like an Odyssey into a lover's mind who has decided to erase the memories of his failed affair, but during this procedure, he realizes that beyond the fights, there are some memories that he actually cherishes.
This could have been another run-of-the-mill love story, but Charlie combined it with this creativity and produced a bizarre piece of cinema. One thing I really love about Charlie kaufman is that he has the ability to create a different dream world through his screenplay. He did this by creating the 7 1/2 floor in "Being John malkovich" and he did it again by taking us inside Jim's brain where Kate's memories were being erased one-by-one - Jim's desperateness at losing Kate, shooting scenes in the light of a torch, people/things disappearing one-by-one as they are being erased - astounding, brilliant, riveting! Even the little things like Kate's ever changing hair color leave you to question why is she doing it. Eventually, you get so immersed in Charlie Kaufman's wonderland that you stop asking and just stay in his world - bewildered at what he has created ! He creates a mystique which is so unique that it borders on insanity - one mistake and the whole movie would become pshycotic !
During all this madness, somewhere you realize that this actually is a love story and all that Jim is doing is to save Kate from being erased. They have so many beautiful memories. Its amazing how Charlie Kaufman managed to sequence all the scenes together to bring out such emotions in the viewer.
For me the brilliance of Charlie Kaufman's screenplay is in that one scene when the memory of meeting kate for the first time on the beach is being erased. Jim sat with Kate for 30 seconds, first talking to her as it really happened, then talking to himself as how he felt during that conversation & finally, jim and kate being sad that the memory is being erased and this being the last memory of them together. One scene, 3 emotions, all being felt by the same guy - WoW! I liked Sunshine more than Charlie's other film, "Being John Malkovich". Both are outright creative, but Sunshine scores on the message and the tender feeling it leaves you with. I salute you Charlie Kaufman - you really are a genius!
Stranger Than Fiction (2006)
Could have been much more
This movie could have been so much more
more funny by putting in comical situations, more romantic (I could feel the romance brewing between Harold & Ana), more thrilling (Harold's search for the author could have been more dramatic, with probably some quintessential twists in the plot). But no...the spark of brilliance was missing. It could have kick-started this movie into fifth gear...I kept waiting for it. There were some scenes in the middle which posed supposedly life altering questions - what would you do if you knew you were about to die? But the screenplay just didn't push me to think or feel the desperation which Harold was experiencing. Maybe Mr.Helm should have decided before starting the movie whether he wanted fiction, a comedy or serious drama. Guess we'll never know. Overall, its better than a lot of worthless cinema out there. I really think Jim Carrey would have been a better choice than Will Ferrell to play Harold's character...and yes, I mean comedy!