FINALLLLLY!!!

THE MUCH-AWAITED HARRY POTTER & THE HALF BLOOD PRINCE TRAILER IS HERE!!!!
IF IT'S HALF AS GOOD AS THE BOOK, I'M GOING TO BE CRYING FOR WEEKKKSS!!!!
GO HARRRRYYY!!!!

In a nutshell

Gone Baby Gone is such a well made movie that one has to wonder what the talented Mr. Ben Affleck has been doing in front of the camera for all these years. I almost felt like someone must have ghost-directed this excellent piece for him. Although based on a book, due credit must be given to the director who has created something that's heartbreaking and gripping at the same time. Also pretty good is Casey Affleck, forever ingrained in my memory as one of the two goofy brothers in the Ocean's movies. Kudos to them both!

The Burden of DVD Hunting

Back to the subject of renting DVD’s, my choices have normally been carefully researched ones that may not enjoy the best ratings but have something in them that makes me say, ‘Hey, that’s worth a watch’! Up until my last rental, I used to swear by the Rotten Tomatoes website to help me make important decisions about which movie to rent, but this last rental has not only got me biased against everyone in it, but also this website which seemed to recommend this abhorrent movie pretty highly. I went out of way to gloat about how good its ratings were and now all I can do is look sheepishly at those fingers poking fun at my DVD-hunting skills (which I sort of pride myself on).

Call me insane, but when I rent a movie, I expect a thriller, a drama, a romantic comedy, a documentary, a period movie, etc. etc. etc. Not that I define a movie by these norms necessarily but I know how to categorize a film broadly. 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' however made me feel like I had called the wrong movie library. Actually, I felt like I had called some kind of helpline for ‘Save the Penis’. The characters and who they are in real life is of no consequence. Nor is the story, the cinematography, the direction, blah blah blah. The movie is crap, refined.

The unnecessary show of male body parts throughout had me wanting to throw up. What is the world coming to? Is this supposed to be funny? I tried to amuse myself with the thought that the writer of this movie is it’s lead actor and he’s the one flapping his body parts even before the drop of a hat, but no, it’s still just disgusting. Apparently, its funny or something that the ‘hot chics’ get to keep their pants and tops on and it’s the men doing the dance in their birthday suits, but I have a reality check for all those idiots out there who seemed to think the idea was cool. Women’s body parts are actually aesthetically pleasing. Men’s? NOT. And I don’t care if I sound like chauvinist. If you didn’t want to show off the women, you shouldn’t have… More power to you. But did we have to go through this? And how has this movie been successful? The lead actor is an eye sore. The blonde playing Sarah Marshall is an eye sore. Her boyfriend is an eye sore with an accent. And the cute brunette from ‘The 70’s Show’… What was she thinking? This movie was not funny, even if I were to shut my eyes or fast forward the gross bits.

All in all, I have lost my faith in Rotten Tomatoes. And the DVD search process just got harder. NO PUN INTENDED.

On a more pleasant note, my memories of the 90’s music era were recently revived and so were my chic flick loving hormones. 'Definitely, Maybe' is a sweet movie about a soon-to-be-divorced guy played by Ryan Reynolds (now him I’d like to see again) who has been given the difficult task of explaining to his daughter, played by the adorable Abigail Breslin how he met her mother and his soon to be ex-wife. We go through three of his major relationships as he tries to explain to his adorable little one the complexities of life and love. The three ladies are a mix of lovely and average but I'm going to sideline them here. How this movie will end is obvious from the start and not the point. I liked the way the story progressed through the 90’s, sprinkled with the music that I once thought was oh so cool or oh so cute. Everyday People, by Arrested Development, Connected, by Stereo MC's, Save The Best For Last (OK so shoot me, I used to like it) by Vanessa Williams and of course, Come As You Are, by Nirvana (a heart-warming ode to a gifted and revolutionary musician, Kurt Cobain). This is not a fabulous piece of cinema but it's witty, it's charming, and it touched a chord. Call me conservative, but this is what I expect a romantic comedy to be. No flashing involved. Instead, we see the lives of 4 people unfold in context to one another’s, each different, each searching, each trying to feel that thing called love, often side-stepping it for their careers, their beliefs and what have you. Oh and Bill Clinton is thrown is for some good effect... What would the 90's be without him, right? Rent, enjoy, sweet dreams...

Deviating

I only go to the theatres when I am about a 90% certain that I shall enjoy the film I am going to see. It’s too expensive. So what do I do? Rent DVD’s of course! Consider it snooty but I don’t seem to care for any other theatre since INOX came along, and it almost seems like propaganda, but they keep raising their prices, as if in knowledge of this fact. 300 bucks just to sit in a chair for what’s basically one-eighth of a day… And that’s the lowest possible price per ticket! Inflation, you say? Ah, inflation-shinflation! Anyways, so it’s either INOX or ATHOME.

I tried another theatre recently (only because I really wanted to see the film and it wasn’t being screened at INOX - shocking!). If it hadn’t been for the movie itself, I would’ve walked man! Everything, from the parking access to the ticket counter was a pain. Hence, I have reiterated to myself in my head over and over since then that selective movies will get the benefit of my presence at INOX and the others just have to be on DVD... Which isn’t so bad actually…

Just to digress, the movie was ‘The Dark Knight’ and, while almost fabulous, I sincerely believe that the death of its brightest shining star has more to do with it’s gigantic success than the content of the film itself, which falls drastically short, when compared to its predecessor ‘Batman Begins’ (even though one had to put up with Katie Holmes in the latter).

Simply put, it’s too long. If it weren’t for Heath Ledger and the fact that I was sitting in the first row, (which was deceivingly far from the screen on the computer monitor when I was buying the tickets by the way) I could have fallen asleep. I didn’t though because Ledger shines as The Joker, and you can’t take your eyes off him when he’s in the frame. He has the exaggerated belligerence of the anti-hero, but more than that, he seems to be completely in sync with the pain and darkness that has possessed this absolute villain. His energy seems to come from a real place, and the effect is mind-blowing. Hats off!

The rest of the cast is pretty good too, though I’d pick Christian Bale any day in ‘The Prestige’ and ‘Batman Begins’. Maggie Gylenhall is too drastically different from Katie Holmes (who played the same character in the previous movie) in body language and also sort of ‘flip-floppy’, so again, the choice of the damsel in distress leaves much to be desired. As for Aaron Eckhart, I doubt he’ll find anything as path-breaking as the irreverent and sexy pro-tobacco campaign leader type from ‘Thank You For Smoking’ for a while. That was a once-in-a-lifetime thing! Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman demand too much respect on screen to do any wrong, even is supporting roles. So that’s that.

I’m afraid I’ve digressed a bit too much. Oh well, there’s always time for another entry.

Weird, funny, heatbreaking...

'Atonement' is not a movie heaped with the sort of drama that is a trademark of war movies usually. What it is, is a simple story of a boy and two girls, and how their lives are plunged into spectacular tragedy as a result of some very typical adolescent feelings of jealousy. It is understated but really quite brilliant in many aspects. Right from the beginning, the background score inspired by the clickings of a typewriter grab your attention and you are transported to a rich English house and the gorgeous outdoors that surround it. The mood is rebellious, the heat persistent, and the hormones raging. Everything seems as if it's under control, but only on the surface. Beneath, there are waves as if at high tide - passionate, tumultous, unrelenting. In the midst of it all, one of the girls becomes responsible for a life changing act that rips apart three destinies.

As the movie fast forwards five years, all the three protagonists are still around (though only just) but the mood has changed. The passion is alive, but it is fuelled not just by hormones but by feelings of guilt, love and helplessness. Each tries to come to terms with the past, all the while wishing for an opportunity to overcome it and to be free, at last.

The final chapter of the story depicts an aged woman who is dying, but perhaps never really lived after that one summer afternoon changed the course of her life and the others'. They are now dead and she is responsible. There is only remorse and the attempt to create a memory that allows all the three of them to be happy at last, if not in reality, then at least in a land of fantasy.

This is not a film to be missed, especially if you haven't read the book. The clear cut camera angles, the succint dialogue and the age old English pride that line it allow the story to take over. It only gets as deep as you want it to, if you want it to, but in the end, it's not just another doomed love story. It is a tragedy of epic proportions that only gets magnified because the grounds for its existence are so trivial. This is a brilliant effort that is accompanied by performances par excellence. James McAvoy is my Hollywood star of the year and quite franky seems he is capable of many a great film, after this one and 'The Last King of Scotland'. I may just check out 'Wanted' in which he appears with a bevy of stars and will probably be at par if not outshine them all. Looks like he's been around for a while, but I think it is now that he has finally arrived.

Speaking of which, closer to home, there has been much hue and cry about yet another bunch of romance movies quite simply made as a launch pad for the boys who star in them. This has been made quite obvious by the 'Love Story 2050' fiasco, because the movie bombed but the boy is in the house. He is, as someone very wise told me, a Hrithik at one tenth the price of the original. And he even has his sideburns! Am I the only one this disturbs?

The other movie, with the other boy, who I am just about ready to kidnap becuase he is so cute was one of the best cliche movies ever. It is a strange recipe that embraces the cliche and makes a spoofy kind of silly movie where the cliche is so over the top, it has to make you laugh. Now that's taking something boring and basic and going all out of the box for it. 'Jaane Tu' is cute but not soppy, funny but not LOL hilarious, and sweet but not saccharine-coated. The 'Ranjhore ke Rathod' bit is awesome... Now there's a bunch of boys who know how to come of age in style!

All in all, the film seems like an earnest effort to understand that thing called love, and the heartbreaks that one must endure and sometimes cause to meet that one elusive person who defines it all and defies it all depending on the time of day.

This one's a worthwhile watch too... Won't take too much out of you and will make you walk away heaving a little sigh with the knoweldge that pleasant dreams shall follow.

Black & White

Two weeks ago I rented a movie called Good Night, and Good Luck. I am ashamed to say this but the only reason I rented it is because of George Clooney. He has co-written and directed it, and is in it. I have great respect for the work he has done as a socially responsible citizen of the world and I find him to be great eye candy, so I thought, OK, combine the two and what do you get? A great Sunday afternoon!

I like to know the cast of the film I choose to watch, mentally referencing other films they have done in the past. It was odd because I was more familiar with the supporting cast than I was with the protagonist of the film, David Strathairn. He plays Edward Murrow, reputed CBS journalist. His friend, producer and partner is crime, is Fred Friendly, played by Clooney. And together they take on Joseph McCarthy.

The films backdrop is the overcrowded and ultra-smoky CBS newsroom. It is not a fabulous film, but a good one. It is a treat for a thinking person and cinematically fairly superior with its camera work, performances and editing.

The fact that it is in black and white was disturbing to me at first, colour being an important part of the ‘setting’ of a film for me (having grown up in the 80’s where ‘flashy’ was an understated adjective). Now that I think back, however, it not only represents the time during which it was made, but it also brings out the unambiguous philosophy of the protagonist. He is not advocating his opinions loudly or screaming murder from the rooftops because of the injustice the McCarthy era instituted. But he has a deep-rooted knowledge and therefore love of himself, his ideals and his country. He was rather reminiscent of someone from an Ayn Rand novel actually…

Speaking of which, I recently read that Atlas Shrugged was going to be made into a film!?!? Words fail me when I think of the impact Ayn Rand’s work had on me as a lost and confused teenager and all I can say to whoever is listening is ‘Stop! Please don’t hurt us’. You cannot make a movie about this. You cannot touch it. Please don’t spoil it.

Back to the original subject, the movie was about the power of TV and how one man used his reach to influence an entire country. Have you watched TV recently? It shames me to see the channels that proclaim themselves as newscasters. Repulsive is not a good enough word to describe the state of Indian TV today. If it’s not a cat with a religious symbol on it, it’s a teenager with raging hormones that gets a heart attack on one of TV’s million circus shows, a daughter-in-law with mascara that can make her eyes bleed or a pompous loser of a vocalist with a nasal defect who thinks he owes it to people to talk down, croon loud and make movies about caps.

I think Shah Rukh Khan, Juhi Chawla and Aziz Mirza were on to something when they made Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani. It flopped… badly. But I remember thinking even then that these guys are saying somethng important to us. They were trying to make a statement about the sensitive nature of the media, and how hype and vulgarity can make a whore out of news channels. And today it has. And it’s not just the news channels now, its all of them.

To sum it all up, here are a few words from the movie: ‘This institution can teach. It can illuminate, and yes, it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it toward those ends. Otherwise it is merely wires and lights in a box. Good night, and good luck’.