OKK - Mani strikes back !

A film with good romance is like filter coffee, every morning it never ceases to win you back again. Ok Kanmani was a much needed respite to all the Mani bashing that has been going on for a while now. I am a diehard fan who will pick up arms against even the slightest diss at Mani Ratnam. To me it was more than film-maker fan relationship, it was part of my childhood experience. Like Baby boomers had their cinematic favorites every Indian millennial kind of grew up adoring Mani Ratnam. As a teenager I have watched multiple re-runs of Mouna ragam, Anjali and Nayagan on Doordarshan. Every random youtube browsing makes me want to watch “ithu Suriya sir, urasathinga” scene from Thalapathi.

Now back to the movie, Nitya Menon was at ease in her character and her eyes spoke more dialogues than she got to. Dulquer was good but Nitya was natural. The chemistry between the lead pair is riveting and keeps the film gripping. I think the prior Mani mishaps were partially due to lack of chemistry between the lead pair in Ravan, Guru, and Kadal. Loved the fact Mani went back to first principles and did not do multiple shoots of the same film in different languages with different stars but resorted to good old fashioned dubbing. The film’s premise is not novel but the treatment was fresh. It does look like a distant hangover to Alaipayuthey with Praskah Raj being the Arvind Swamy who made his appearance right from the very beginning. Got to love the way Mani glosses over some of the details where Adi goes missing for two days keeping the viewer guessing instead of throwing in clichéd melodrama. Loved the squabbles which creep into any happy relationship and the dialogues were entertaining even in the wake of tense situations. OKK was a mani ratnam thoroughfare with all the usual trains, India gate, bike rides, gypsy on sea shore and even the house where they stayed Neo-classical. I love how Mani like Woody Allen picks a city (Bombay) and makes it a character in the film (Delhi in Mouna Ragam). Though this time around he did not do justice to Bombay.

PC Sreeram cinematography shone in the Jami Masjid in Ahmedabad scenes showcasing the Indo-Islamic architecture. The church intro scene with the hallow light effect accentuates Nitya’s eyes. There was a conspicuous overuse of red light/filter in some of the scenes.

ARR has always delivered for Mani no matter how the film fared. Mani has always been classical heavy right from the Yamunai Atriley to Alaipayuthey Kanna. Not sure if I had given ARR a chance for his songs to seep in before I watched the movie. But overall I felt the music complemented the film more even while doing justice as a standalone album. Kaara Attakara being wasted on the title track with the video game graphics was a disappointment. The red blooded male in me misses the item numbers that Mani tastefully threw in when he saw the chance (Sonali Bendre in Bombay). naane varugiraen gives me goose bumps at times when I listen to it.

A satiated fan slept well that night, knowing that the creator is back in business.

Weekend Movie Staples

I've just had an amazing weekend filled with many different genres of cinema - English and Hindi.

Friday started off with the gritty Zero Dark Thirty, a fact based, detailed account of the capture of Osama Bin Laden. Leading the pack here was the super versatile, ever dependable, solid performer Jessica Chastain (watch her juggle hats efficiently in The Help, The Debt and I've heard on broadway too) And she is from the bay area - REPRESENT!!! I believe with this movie Kathryn Bigelow has tried to move beyond the fact that she is a 'female' director. 

Vishal Bharadwaj (acclaimed Indian director of Maqbool, Omkara, Kaminey, Makdee, The Blue Umbrella) beckoned and I was off to the cinemas to catch Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola. Alas the potential winner of a concept was lost in translation. Plus - definitely the great Pankaj Kapoor as Harry Mandola is as expected fantabulous. The actor par excellence just goes to prove (he definitely does not need any proving at this point) what a true genius he is, I was awestruck that Abbaji can prove to be such a riot. A goofy grin disappearing to a solemn hard nosed manipulative businessman, a doting drunk dad breaking out into an impromptu bottom shaking dance with the zulu tribe dancers ... bravo. This is the same Abbaji from Maqbool who with a simple gesture, and a slight change in his deep, distinct voice stands heads and shoulders above the rest with his diminutive physical persona. A special shout out to Badal (the rib tickling Arya Babbar) in a fun fun madcap role reveling in its buffoonery. At 2 hrs and 27 minutes long, the movie truely tests your patience as I waited for the groovy title song that only made an appearance at the end of the movie :-S

Also did a bit of a movie night, catching Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana - a simple, small movie with my favorite line "bakwas na kar titu" and a winsome Amit Trivedi soundtrack (a definite rising star this guy) and Rangeela - still so fresh and enjoyable with all its lovable potshots at bollywood, topping off with a helluva tapori performance by Munna aka Aamir Khan and a great Hindi debut soundtrack by the musical genius AR Rahman and a truely inpired, rabble rousing choreography of super hit songs, aah what a throwback to the awesome 90s :-)

Against all my reservations about the movie, I enjoyed the truely amazing story of Life of Pi. Mounted against FANTASTIC visuals by one of my favorite directors - Ang Lee, it was laden with enough amounts of sensitivity and imagination (something that I've taken for granted in an Ang Lee movie). A pleasure to see the amazing Tabu in a small role lending it her evergreen elegance. Am glad though I missed out on reading the book, I got a chance to catch the movie in the theater and be transported to Piscen Molitor's truly magical world.

Must add - the HFPA (when left untreated HPV haha) ought to have given more screen time to the yummy duo ~ Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. Take a bow ladies, an absolute pleasure watching them host the golden globes. They sparkled on stage with utter irreverence, sharp wit and impeccable timing....... more girl power :-)

Been a while since I posted here anything about movies, but my love story with cinema continues and flourishes and thrives, thanks to the wealth of movies easily available. Love Always............

JFK

It is easy to question the star status of time-proven hallmark directors of the likes of Oliver Stone when they fail with wallstreet2 and natural born killers.But on the other hand they singulalrly earn their reputation one frame at a time when you watch their classics ,once such being JFK.There's little reason to believe that Stone will ever surpass what he has accomplished with JFK.

I dont care if the film is propaganda, i dont care if it distorts fact, it is undeniably a work of art. Slick editing makes the film watchable even at a tiring length of ~210 minutes.Trivia junkies might know that the film won an academy award for the same.

Kevin Costner gives a tour-De-force performance from start till the courtroom finale. Stone on the other should be admired for not making the movie to be about a lone warrior taking on the system but what it actually should be - an investigation of an assassination. The score by John Williams' is already legendary and fits the films multi-layered tapestry perfectly.

The subject matter is incredibly controversial and subjective but Stone presents it with such emotional audacity and raw power that it all seems factual. When i saw the film as a teenager i was not even close to enjoying it ,for this movie is almost an acquired taste as with all intrigue driven drama.

The hero of the story is New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison (Kevin Costner). Three years after the assassination, he could not let sleeping dogs lie. While many were convinced that Lee Harvey Oswald (Gary Oldman) was the lone assassin. Garrison decided to conduct his own investigation and slowly builds a case against Clay Shaw (Tommy Lee Jones).

To go into detail about this film's rapid narrative passages is a challenge for the most astute of film experts. But I will say this: Stone's control is beyond criticism, the film has a stunning, powerfully kinetic force that I have yet to see in any other epic. This film has the historic depth of "lawrence of arabia" or "gandhi" and manages it with the break neck pace of social network.

The rest of the cast is flooring. There are a number of cameos and small parts filmed by huge names. There's everyone from Tommy Lee Jones, Joe Pesci, Kevin Bacon to Donald Sutherland. When you watch a film that has so many excellent faces appear for brief minutes, you get the sense that the film is important. Any script that draws in that many names must be special and "JFK" is.

This movie is feverishly exciting in parts mostly due to the subconscious fear that what we see might just be true !!!.

Title card
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"To sin by silence when we should protest makes cowards of men." - Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Verdict
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For film lovers, for history nuts, for pop culture fanatics and for conspiracy theorists, this is a must.

Precious

I knew i was in for a tear-jerker and what did i get, i got a gritty grim 80's harlem teenage abuse story which among other things did manage to elicit a few tear drops. Was it like "Requim for a dream" ? no not at all there was nothing film noirish about it. The claustrophobic household, the nauseous food and all that sweat, abuse and human dirt was so real that i could smell all of it right out of the screen.

I am not qualified to draw comparisons with the book by Sapphire as i have not read it for starters. But the movie is embellished with minor details which shakes the very core of the viewer. There is this one scene in Precious Jones's class where she is told that she has been a victim of incest and she is trying to fathom what the new word means and says "Insect??" the closest word that comes to her mind.

What startled me was not the abuse itself but the way a human being can be forced into a state of dyslexia by her mother. The way her mother's taunts as to how she would be yet another dumb person hinders her learning was positively disturbing.

However, it is Mo'Nique that gives the film's most earth shattering performance minutes before the end of the film. I don't know what emotional reservoir she is tapping into, but she nails the counselor at the welfare with a fury so startling and realistic that it's impossible to trivialize the source of her villainy.

While this movie lacks the rags to riches transition, the never say die attitude of the girl in face of all adversity was something i cheered for in my mind's eye. This rite of passage from a abused teenager to a mother wanting to be someone her mother never was , makes way for a magnificient and disturbing movie.

Guest appearances by Lenny kravitz and Mariah Carey doing what was required of them was a nice touch.

Memorable Quotes
================
Some folks has a lot of things around them that shines for other peoples. I think that maybe some of them was in tunnels. And in that tunnel, the only light they had, was inside of them. And then long after they escape that tunnel, they sitll be shining for everybody else.

Verdict
=======
A must-see biography of an abused colored harlem teenager.

An Education

Carey Mulligan shines and how :-)

*** Spoilers ahead ***

An Education is a simple, well made movie shouldered brilliantly by Oscar nominee (well deserved) Carey Mulligan. Playing Jenny, she conveys teen angst, playfulness, excitement, rebellion, hurt, confusion, happiness in a supremely delicious subtle manner. Bravo girl!!!
Looking like a young Katie Holmes (well atleast when she played Joey Potter from Dawson Creek, and looked less Mrs.Beckham lol), cute-as-a-button Carey pulls off the character convincingly. Peeling back layers in her character - young, wide eyed, giggly teen, whose only act of defiance was stealing a smoke with her gal pals, going dizzy with all the luxuries her heart longed for, compromising on her morals, ending up heartbroken but wiser - Carey turns in a pitch perfect performance.

The plot revolves around a young girl who has everything going for her, atleast not counting Latin translation, a constant reminder that she has to make it to Oxford (which she would anyway!!!) and ofcourse BOREDOM - what happens when she meets with an older man, David (played convincingly by Peter Sarsgaard), and is seduced into loving him and his lifestyle. David is not your regular sleazy old man lusting after PYTs, he is quite charming, proof being he has not only Jenny but also her parents eating out of his hands. He has impeccable taste and the means to indulge in the best.

I would suggest sit out patiently and wait, everything is answered in time and in a simple, crisp manner. No discourses here.... after all neither the audience nor 17 yr old Jenny have the patience do they??? The supporting cast rally well. I am not aware of the nitty gritties of the period (the movie is set in 1961 in the UK), but I think they manage well to create the mood and the setting.

But I reiterate, the star here is Carrey Mulligan, doing complete justice to her part and making the movie eminently watchable.

Fashion

Ok this is probably coming in way too late, what with both leads having won national awards, but hey whatever :-)

I must confess I have a strong prejudice against Madhur Bhandarkar movies, barring Chandni Bar. I think his movies reek of stereotypical characters and situations. They seem forced, or more suited for "shock value".

Coming to Fashion, the reasons I mentioned above contribute to some extent against it. Since the name is quite a give away - the turmoils an ambitious girl goes through in the big bad world of fashion, lets delve straight away into some character analysis of the 3 leads - Priyanka aka Meghna, Kangna aka Shonali and Mugdha aka Janet.

PChops does a decent job, is it national award worthy, now thats up for debate and stuff for another post :-). Her character's redemption lies in overcoming personal shortcomings rather than pulling off some larger than life vendetta scheme against the people who have purportedly wronged her. Makes perfect sense, her fight is with her choices not with any one in particular. This was a good takeaway for me from the movie. Hate to mention that her realization sets in with a really contrived, ridiculous incident. Thats Madhur Bhandarkar for you, you feel his touch in all the wrong places.

Raw, edgy characters have become synonymous with Kangna Ranaut, but her bastard screeching, snorting, wailing character, apparently modelled after Gitanjali Nagpal, never goes beyond these adjectives. Its an in your face character which leaves you feeling.... well nothing. Blame the character etching rather than the actress. Watch Gangster if you want the real deal from Kangna. Contrast it with Mugdha's Janet, a character that is never explored to its true potential and leaves you with a lot of unexplained questions. What about her needs, why does she do what she does....For a new comer she plays it with poignant earnestness.

On a closing note, absolutely loved the haunting strains of Mar Jawaan. Overall an ok movie, if only Madhur's movies did not set out to be a treatise on exposing the underbelly of a certain strata in society, they could achieve a lot more.

A Serious Man

I have always paid close attention to the quote with which a movie opens and make no mistake in this case as the opening quote might be your only ticket to understanding this movie. It runs as below

"Receive with simplicity everything that happens to you." - Rashi

Being a fan of Coen Brothers i have always been astonished by the remarkable ease with which the brothers are able to blend comedy into serious story lines. I have also experienced first hand the slap on my face when "No country for old men" ended abruptly and I actually thought there was going to be some form of explanation during the end credits. And this time the brothers have graduated from a slap to a choke slam.

You would have to do more than just watch this film but look for allegories in the form of "Schroedinger's Cat". As Nobody really doubts that the presence or absence of the cat is something independent of the act of observation, every person can take home what he wants from this movie. In this very fact lies the perverse maniacal genius of the brothers.

The movie works almost as a modern fable. To simplify it, the lead protagonist Gopnick was so busy mourning everything around him that he never appreciated what he still had the entire film, untill the very end where the brothers insinuate what it's like to really suffer.

The orthodontist's story is a good comic relief to an otherwise Yiddish movie full of goys, rabbis and semitic sentiments. Ebert and such had prepared me for a drama. I suppose it is that too, but much more, A Serious Man is black with very little or no comedy.

This is one of those films which cannot be labelled good or bad but leave you wondering why the jury at the academy nominated it for best picture and screenplay. It is easy to say this movie is self-indulgent nonsense if not for Michael Stuhlbarg's acting, the way his character was etched and the surrounding gritty drama.

Memorable Quotes
================

Rabbi Scott: I mean, the parking lot here. Not much to see. It is a different angle on the same parking lot we saw from the Hebrew school window. But if you imagine yourself a visitor, somebody who isn't familiar with these... autos and such... somebody still with a capacity for wonder... Someone with a fresh... perspective. That's what it is, Larry.

Verdict
=======
If you did watch this in a movie hall, i promise you will return "A Serious Man".