Cinematic Chronicles
Movies, for reasons unbeknownst to all of us are the greatest unifying factor. We want to be thrilled, to be swept away by the torrent of emotions that only a silver serenade can provide. From love to war,from tragedy to comedy, movies make us weep, make us laugh and make us feel priviledged to experience it all. Come, join us on our ride through the odyssey of wondrous movie magic !
Wednesday, 16 January 2013
Django Unchained (2012)
As far as I can remember, I have been a big fan of Quentin Tarantino movies. The non linear storytelling, the impressive use of brilliant verbiage, the extreme violence acts filled with humour -- are all simply irresistible. His movies are a genre in themselves.
Django Unchained, though not following the usual Tarantino-esque chapter-wise direction, doesn’t disappoint. The plot is plain and easy, but it’s the characters and their remarkable dialogue delivery that steals the show and embeds Django Unchained as an entertaining flick to cherish in one’s mind.
As the movie kickstarts, we see Django (Jamie Foxx) being dragged in chains among other slaves, stopped by Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz) who in an educated manner offers to buy Django from the Speck Brothers. As the movie unfolds, Dr Schultz makes Django an offer that if he helps find and kill the Brittle brothers for him, he will grant him his freedom. He takes him in as his valet and they both ride off to Spencer “Big Daddy” Bennett’s plantation where they eventually kill the three Brittle Brothers and later convince that they were legally authorised to do so. Later that night, Bennett and his men plan to kill the duo, riding in their KKK style masks. A funny scene ensues here where they are unable to put their act together because of the poorly made masks. Django and Schultz, sitting far away, blow up the cart, killing most of the clansmen.
Django tells Schultz what he plans to do now. He intends to find and free her wife, Broomhilda Von Shaft (Kerry Washington). Schultz proposes to help him in his pursuit if he works with him over the winter collecting bounties. Django agrees and the two bounty hunters set on their course. Schultz teaches Django how to be an expert gunslinger.Once the winter passes, both head to Mississippi and discover that Broomhilda is a slave belonging to a plantation owner, Monsier Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio) who is a ruthless Mandingo-fights lover. They lure him as a wealthy European traveller and a talented slaver/evaluator who are willing to pay a ridiculous amount to buy Candie’s third-most favourite mandingo fighter. Next day, all of them travel to Candieland ranch where they meet Stephen (Samuel L. Jackson), Candie’s loyal house slaver, who instantly starts repelling Django. There they also find Broomhilda and later ask to buy her as well. But their charade is understood by Stephen. He interrupts the deal and informs Candie about this, to which he threatens the duo dramatically and disarms them. Things turn worse and Schultz and Candie are killed. Django goes on a rampage but ultimately surrenders owing to Broomhilda’s capture. He was about to be castrated but a change of plans led to selling him to a mining company. En route, he tricks the travellers, takes a horse, gun and dynamite, and returns to Candieland to seek vengeance and relieve Broomhilda.
Christoph Waltz’s legendary acting skills definitely deserve an Oscar. His charismatic bounty hunter traits, the hidden spring-loaded pistol and his suave verbiage are totally mesmerizing. His style is reminiscent of Colonel S S Landa from Inglourious Basterds. There is no denying about the regal grandeur of the role played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Samuel Jackson never ceases to amuse with his evil-eyed witty one-liners. A short cameo played by Quentin Tarantino himself is quite amusing.
The music in any Tarantino movie is an adventure unto itself, a tradition that continues with Django Unchained. The soundtrack has glimpses from 1966’s Django theme, Ennio Morricone’s Braying Mule and Un Monumento and rapper James Brown’s The Payback. It totally gets one carried away in the movie.
“Awesome” and “Epic” are just modest words to describe this blend of a genre which pays a humble tribute to Spaghetti Western movies.
Wow. Quentin Tarantino never stops enchanting you with his filmmaking skills overridden with dramatic flair. “I like the way you film, boy”
--Waseem
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Sunday, 9 December 2012
Skyfall
If there's one gripe about Bond films, it is the lack of
characters. Most films feel like action sequences interwoven with the barest
minimum of a story involving international intrigue. This is a formula that's
served the franchise well for over 50 years now. However, in recent times with
Casino Royale and now, Skyfall, character development is suddenly quite
important to the cannon.
After the disappointing Quantum Of Solace, EON went back to
Sam Mendes and gave him the reigns to helm the next one. Rocked by cash flow
problems, the production was quite troubled and took it's fair time to get
started. Daniel Craig reprised his role as Bond while a host of the
Bond cannon regulars returned such as Q (Ben Whishaw) and Moneypenny (Naomie
Harris).
The story begins with Bond and Eve (Naomie Harris) chasing a
mercenary, Patrice who has stolen a hard drive containing details of all
undercover agents inserted by NATO in terrorist organisations around the world.
This doesn't end well as Bond is mistakenly shot and presumed dead, while the
names of the agents are revealed on YouTube. Bond however, returns and follows
his usual around the world in 2 hours routine by dropping off to Shanghai and
Macau in search of Patrice. He learns that the main player behind all this is Raoul
Silva (Javier Bardem), an old Mi-6 man who has his own personal axe to grind with
M (Judi Dench).The film oscillates from London and then on to Skyfall estate,
the place where Bond grew up.
The direction is assured and thankfully doesn't have the jerkiness that plagued Quantum of Solace. The theme of cyber terrorism is well chosen and fantastically dealt with. Javier Bardem is stunning and the most memorable Bond villain for quite, quite some time. The suave brutality he brings to the table is a welcome change and one we are thankful for as Bond would be nothing if it weren't for his villains.
M (Judi Dench) has her biggest role of the series yet and
she pulls it off with nonchalance. There is this world weary look in her lined
face as the realities of the decisions she has had to make have made immune to
what we would call human sensibilities. Moments abound that make you marvel at
her command of her character, be it her quoting Tennyson at a public hearing or
ruthless decision making that could see one of her agents killed.
Daniel Craig is again fantastic and brings that vastly human
factor despite being ruthless when he must. Having seen all the Bond films, I am
well placed to make a judgement and frankly, Craig deserves to be mentioned in
the same breath as Connery and when he is done, that might yet be elevated.
Above all, there is a distinctly different aura at work in
the film that sets it apart from the 22 before it. Sam Mendes must be given
credit but so must Neal Purvis, John Logan and Robert Wade who pull off a
miracle of sorts by coming up with an action packed story that allows for an
emotional undercurrent. In what could be truly regarded as a rarity in the Bond
cannon, the characters are afforded time and space for development which works
like a charm.
There are also small nods to Bond's history with his origins
being explored and ironic humour such as Q's "Were you expecting an
exploding pen? We don't really go in for that anymore" and Bond driving M
around in a Aston Martin DB 5 from well, Goldfinger. The shot of the tombstone
of his parents is also immensely poignant to anyone who's bothered to read the
books.
While being a huge, huge fan of James Bond and having
religiously followed all his adventures, I will admit that it had started to
feel a bit old and grossly irrelevant. But, Casino Royale and more so, Skyfall
has made Bond relevant again.
So much so, that this isn't just a good film,
it’s a bloody good film
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Monday, 3 December 2012
Good Will Hunting
Nearer the end of the film, Will Hunting talks about
childhood domestic abuse. He talks dispassionately about how his foster father
would keep a wrench, a belt and a stick and ask him to choose. His psychiatrist
says he’d choose the belt. Will replies he’d rather take the wrench. When asked
why, he says “Cause F*** him, that’s why”. It sums up his resentment and desire
to not care for authority and more importantly indicates the damage that a
disjointed childhood can do, even to geniuses and savants.
Genius is well, genius. There's a reason they call it that. It's
because us common folk can't make head or tail of it. However, despite knowing
or being able to figure it all out, genius could do with a hard look at reality
for once. Good Will Hunting attempts to cut past the trappings of extraordinary
intelligence and come up with a story that is refreshingly relevant, even 15
years down the line. Written by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, directed by the
enigmatic Gus Van Sant, the film won two Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actor
for Robin Williams and Best Original Screenplay for Affleck and Damon.
The story kicks off with Professor Lambeau(Stellan
Skarsgard) at MIT,scribbling down a difficult problem for his students to solve
on a blackboard in the hallway. The question is solved by an unknown student,
leading Lambeau to put up an even harder one. This time, the solver Will
Hunting(Matt Damon) is caught and the professor takes note of Will's gift of
mathematics.
Will, however has numerous problems of his own. Orphaned and
disciplined cruelly by his foster parents, there is the classic mental block
that causes him not to trust in anything for fear of abandonment. His only
solace are his friends Chuckie(Ben Affleck),Morgan(Casey Affleck),Billy
McBride(Cole Hauser) who are as close he any one can be to him. His excitable
character gets him into trouble with the law; Lambeau saves him recognising his
immense potential with the only stipulation being that he must see a shrink regularly.
Will plays with the official shrink and thus the professor brings in one of his
old classmates, Dr. Sean Maguire(Robin Williams) to deal with this troublesome
yet incredibly gifted young man.
Along the way, Will finds time for a relationship with
Skylar(Minnie Driver),a British student at Harvard. Being the reticent genius
that he is, Will finds it hard to accept his feelings for her and pushes her
away so that she cannot do it to him, a fear born of his orphan childhood. This
makes for a scene so intense; you can feel it gnawing at you. It is said that
they fell in love during the making of the film and it is almost visible in
their scene. Either that, or it's some of the best acting I’ve ever seen.
Robin Williams is brilliant as the neighbourhood kid who
grew up amidst violence and strife, working to remove the demons of his
patients. His concern for Will is in stark contrast to Lambeau's attitude of
forcing him to make the best of his abilities, rather than resolve the issues
that prevent him from doing so. There is a particular scene when he tells Will
that "It's not your fault", backing him into a corner from where
acceptance is forthcoming .In a way, it is a scene that is so ironic it is
almost funny and we'd be laughing if well, we weren't crying already. The man
with a high IQ and incredible talent needs a broken down shrink to see sense, there’s
irony in that.And while we're at the irony part,I might as well remark on how a janitor at MIT is better at mathematics then well,the students at probably the finest technical institute in the world.
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are fantastic and do more than
just justice to their roles. Initially when the film was being floated, studio
executives wanted Brad Pitt and Di Caprio in the lead roles. While that may
still have been a formidable cast, this one feels just right and in making
Damon and Affleck’s careers in Hollywood, it’s
given us two great actors who despite all their excellent work since
,have probably never made a film this good. Matt Damon in particular is
incredible as the savant kid who is smarter than everyone else, but yet can’t
be bothered to prove it
On a personal note, I saw this film with a friend of mine
who despite being more of a film buff than even me, opted to put it this way. She
said "Any director worth his salt can make his audience shed tears of
sorrow, but a director that can make you cry at redemption has truly
transcended his art"
I simply couldn't agree more.
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Saturday, 27 October 2012
Black Swan
While looking over Darren Aronofsky's work, there is always a certain psychodrama element at work be it the remarkable 'Requiem for a Dream' or the underrated 'The Fountain'. He seems to be at his best whilst dealing with the bleak side of human nature. Certainly not Kubrick-esque but arguably the closest modern cinema can get to him. And that is in itself an achievement of staggeringly epic proportions.
In 'Black Swan', Aronofsky does not disappoint us. A film about the ballet, rather more the ballerinas, it is a look at two proverbial white and black characters. Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) and Lily (Mila Kunis) play two ballet dancers in a production of 'Swan Lake' helmed by Thomas Leroy (Vince Cassel).The girls are polar opposites in the extreme with Nina's dainty ways and inherent goodness contrasting with the brash and almost libertine Lily. The concept of 'Swan Lake' where there is a black swan (evil) and a white swan (good) is central to the story. Nina is chosen to play the Swan, yet she finds it hard to display an evil side. Enter Lily, who is the archetypal Black Swan. There isn't much of a story line, just a metamorphosis of Nina's character into one resembling that of Lily's or rather White Swan to Black Swan.
Nina's character is formulaic, almost. She is as pure as a
flower, a girl who's probably never been with a man. Looked after by her
mother, Erica (Barbara Hershey) who was a dancer herself but put all her
energies into making her daughter what she could not be. Her journey or rather
metamorphosis is visceral in the extreme. Everything she does somehow filters
back to her sexual repression. It could be argued that sex is but one of the
fundamental choices that humans make, or rather even have the freedom to make. And
when this choice isn't even an option it just adds to the mental drudgery of a
too-pure-to-be-true experience. Nina's mental problems are quite possibly just
an offshoot of all her desires being repressed or told off. While it is not
clear that being good is her defining trait, it is more likely her mother's
raising of her impregnated her against being a wee bit bad.
It is here that Aronofsky displays a control of his characters so intimate that one cannot help but marvel at his sheer brilliance. The major gripe with most people who prefer books over movies is that emotions cannot be transmitted to the screen whereas within a book, you can be inside the character's head. This is one of those rare films where you can actually enter Nina's mind space and observe how Lily causes it to disintegrate amidst chaos. Lily's character is a fascinating journey into another extreme. She is liberated and at ease with her own sexuality, a modern woman aware of the power she commands just by being her. Her conversations with Nina are indeed particularly interesting as she introduces her to a world unlike her fairyland. This different world cannot help but seduce Nina. If there's one constant in humankind from the Adam & Eve days, it is the overwhelming temptation of being bad. Nina’s mental battles to resist change are handled well and offer an insightful portrait of the mental tussle that she undergoes.
The strange thing about this film was that there was no normal 'grey' character; all the characters were extremes in their own ways from the darkness of Lily and Thomas Leroy to the light of Nina and her mother. What this leads to is removal of any empathy with the audience, as there is simply no connect with any of the characters. So, while you feel horrified at what Nina is going through, you never really feel anything more than just pity at her thrill-less existence. Black Swan is an exploration into the foundations of human character and a very insightful look at why we are what we are. One wonders though, if only Nina had more sex then she probably wouldn't have had to go through all this.
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Monday, 8 October 2012
Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind
Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind is a film that could
be broadly classified as a sci-fi romance. Scripted by the legendary Jason
Kaufman whose scripting credits include Being John Malkovich, Synedoche and
Adaptation and helmed by Michael Gondry, it is certainly a film that is
'different' and very refreshingly so.
The movie is about the life and mind of one Joel Barish(Jim
Carrey).He is shy, restrained and gentle. His girlfriend, Clementine(Kate
Winslet) on the other hand is everything that he is not, vivacious, foul
mouthed and brash. They break up and Joel learns that she has had the memory of
him removed from her brain at 'Lacuna Inc' a firm/clinic that removes people's
desired memories. Shocked, he decides to
do the same. All his memories of her are being wiped out, when he realizes he
doesn't want it to happen. He takes the memory of her and hides in umpteen
places such as his childhood, even so that her memory isn't lost to him.
The whole thing turns into a race through Joel's mind to try
and protect his memories of Clem, as he calls her. The transitions from memory
to memory are a bit lacking in production quality, but the subject matter is
such that it simply does not matter. It is about a romance that is almost feral
in its intensity.
While the film won an Oscar for Best Cinematography, technical perfection is simply not what this film is about. Jason Kaufman's script is probably the biggest star amidst a cast of actors such as Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet and Kirsten Dunst. The actors chip in with performances that are delightfully understated with their characterizations being secondary to the script's musing about love and separation.
The endearing thing here is its ability to make us think. We've
all wished we could forget something from our lives. And so we begin to think, should
we be grateful for our memories or get rid of them if they're too painful? It
isn't an easy question to answer. Clementine does because she's impulsive, Joel
wants to abort because he'd rather have all those memories of the one woman who
actually did love him.
The movie is summed up when in his memory, he leaves a house simply because of Clem's brashness and now when it is his last memory, she asks him to make up a goodbye at least and instead of walking away, he comes close and tells her he loves her. The house she is in is crumbling as with the rest of that memory, but we want him to hold on. We want him to have a final goodbye. Maybe as much as he does. That is where this movie wins, in getting you to emote with Joel and Clem who love each other, but have differences simply on account of being so vastly different from each other.
Jim Carrey does a fantastic job as the shy, insecure man who
has loved and lost. His face betrays the emotions of a despondent man, one with
sadness etched into every line. The few moments he is happy we see the
difference in his smile, that tells how
unfamiliar it is for him to smile. Kate Winslet, Kirsten Dunst and the rest of
the cast are equally good and we can understand and appreciate each ones
travails.
The quote that gives the film its title is oddly fitting and
comes from Alexander Pope, poet extraordinaire, forever in the shadow of
Tennyson, Hardy and the like
How happy is the blameless vestal's lot!
The world forgetting, by the world forgot.
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!
Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd
While an article could be devoted to what it means, I’ll be brief.
An innocent pure woman is happy only because she has prayed for and received
the gift of forgetting everything she's been concerned about. Ignorance is
bliss, and such is the case for this woman.
'Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind' refers to the fact
that a mind unclouded or shrouded in memories is eternally bright, like
sunshine.
This isn't a great movie; not even a very well made one but
reaches far deeper than most blockbusters with all special effects and no
heart. As I listen to the background score as Joel travels through his
Clem-less memories, the twinge of the guitar may be the twinge of his own
sadness. The film put simply, has this human element. It isn't just a script or
a collection of actors, it's us, people we've known and choices we've made, lives
we've led...it is about all of that. And heart-breakingly beautiful...
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Monday, 1 October 2012
Rango (2011)
Rango (Johnny
Depp) is a thespian chameleon who gets landed into the Southwest desert highway
after falling from his terrarium in a car accident. In the burning environment,
he finds a run-over armadillo in his quest for Spirit of The West, who informs
him about the town of Dirt. On the way, he befriends a female lizard- Beans (Isla
Fisher) who takes him to Dirt, a forgotten town inhabited mostly by reptiles
and rodents.
Rango
tries to blend in among the town folk, using bravado and improvisation by
faking himself as a rootin’-tootin’ gunslinger.
After accidentally killing the hawk preying on Dirt, he is promoted to
Sheriff by its narcissistic mayor, an old turtle, John (Ned Beatty). Things begin to get dirty in Dirt when the
water in their bank is stolen by moles. Rango dutifully organizes a posse and
tracks the robbers to their hideout. They fight the robber’s clan over the
stolen water bottle in a ‘Ride of the Valkyrie’-chase through the canyon before
discovering the bottle to be empty. Despite the robbers asserting they had
already found it empty, the posse brings them to town for trial.
Rango
suspects the Mayor on his water-controlling notions to which the Mayor reacts
by summoning Rattlesnake Jake (Bill Nighy) who humiliates Rango in front of the
town and makes him admit that he is no more than a fake and a coward. He walks
away ashamed and doubting his very identity. Then he meets the Spirit of The
West, as a cowboy-with-no-name who drives his golf cart . Now, personally I
wanted Clint Eastwood to do this voice-over but nonetheless, Timothy Olyphant
lives up to the expectations by brilliantly inspiring Rango telling him “No man
can walk out on his own story”.
In his
quest assisted by mystical yuccas, Rango learns about the water-supply scenario
which the mayor had been manipulating. With the aid of his friends, Rango
returns to town with a plan to call out Jake for a duel with a single bullet
and turns the water-valve to flood the town with water. In the climax, Dirt is
renamed to Mud and Rango is recognized as their Hero.
The
movie indeed has innumerable cues to old time favorites like Chinatown, The
Shakiest Gun in The West, Blazing Saddles and of course, the dogfight scene
inspired by Star Wars. The animation is mind-blowing and so precise that it would
make you wonder at the marvel of 2-D animation. Hans Zimmer’s music is
wonderful, though some of it has been derived from the western flavor viz.
Once upon a time in The West. The duel scenes are unforgettable and the
chorus-providing Mariachi owls that appear throughout the movie are very
enjoyable. Actor voice-overs are class-apart and Johnny Depp pulls it off very
well in a suave style. The director, Gore Verbinsky of Pirates of the Caribbean
fame, has done a remarkable job as his debut in animation field.
There
is no denying the lure of this Oscar-winning movie. The message conveyed is
simple: ‘How high can you aim when your whole purpose in life is to blend in ?’
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Tuesday, 25 September 2012
Trainspotting
For all those who have experienced drug addiction, it isn’t just a mere fleeting high. What potent ecstasy must it brew up to allow a man to squander and fritter away his prospects, life and even loved ones ?
Trainspotting is essentially, a story. And a very well told one at that. Danny Boyle's first major feature after the criminally underrated "Shallow Grave", it presents drug addiction in a form that delights and horrifies in equal measure. Adapted from Irvine Walsh's book of the same name, it follows five friends and their dalliances with drugs in Edinburgh
Narrated by Renton (Ewan McGregor), the film
is about him and his friends: Spud (Ewen Bremner), Sick Boy (Johnny Lee
Miller),Tommy (Kevin McKidd) and Begbie (Robert Carlyle). All except Begbie and
Tommy swear by drugs and regard it as their reason for existence. Begbie is
addicted to violence and loves picking up fights in bars.
The film's black humour is a pleasant
surprise and could be considered akin to 'Pulp Fiction' in pop culture
reverence terms. However, the real strength of the film lies in it's depiction
of what it believes to be a story, without any taking of sides. When Renton
tells us “Choose your future. Choose life . . . But
why would I want to do a thing like that ? I chose not to choose life: I chose
something else. And the reasons ? There are no reasons. Who needs reasons when
you've got heroin ?"
We begin to see where this will go. The
friends have no place to stay and no one to care about or for. They are truly
the Lost Boys .
When Renton's parents lock him into a room
to go cold turkey on his addiction, we see the full horror when he is tortured
by his days of ecstasy. The drugs within him turn into enemies that torment him
every second of his ordeal. His friends continue their drug fuelled ecstasy
ride with disastrous consequences. Begbie's character is interesting because of
his addiction to violence. He isn't so much a danger to himself as to others.
Danny Boyle does very well in bringing out
what he wanted to do. He succeeds in creating a film that is fun, serious and
not at all preachy. His ease is apparent in the many memorable scenes that dot
the film. The music is full of the eclectic pop rock that we've come to expect
from British movies and plays a major part in not letting things get too
serious.
A major theme here is the one of
camaraderie between the drug users. They appear to be good friends, best mates
even. However, as the ending shows their friendship didn't mean that much at
all. Or maybe, it was the fact that addicts do not care who comes in their way
to do what they must.
Ewan McGregor as Renton is good and comes
across as a character we might like to be friends with, despite all his
despicable traits. His scene in 'The Worst Toilet In Scotland' is one of the
most vomit inducing scenes you shall ever see and he deserves special praise
for allowing himself to go through with it.
What shines through all this is however the inherent simplicity of the film. At no point does it claim to be a British 'Pulp Fiction' and simply looks like a likeable story strung together very capably. There are no complications, no deep characterisations and the almost bare bones look gives the film a character of it's own. It is what we could call a cult film. With some Edinburgh slang ('shite') and some brilliantly understated black humour, this is one film that should be watched. Not for its drug themes, not for its lessons but simply as an exercise in entertainment. And if you learn something, so much the better.
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