Rush (2013)

Rating : 9/10
Release Date : 4th October, 2013
Time : 123 minutes
Director : Ron Howard; Writer: Peter Morgan; Music : Hans Zimmer
Starring : Daniel Bruhl, Chris Hemsworth, Alexandra Maria Lara, Olivia Wilde, Natalie Dormer, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Christian McKay, David Calder

Sex : Breakfast of the Champions

The pure genius of this film lies in showing the contrast between two dramatically different characters and showing where the life choices they made, ultimately lead to…Its enthralling, gripping, nerve-wracking, slick, fast-paced (and how!) and thanks to the interplay between the characters, immensely entertaining and funny !

The closer you are to death, the more alive you feel. It’s a wonderful way to live. It’s the only way to drive.

Hemsworth plays Hunt : gorgeous looking, witty, likeable, lives life to the full, a rare Brit with flair. Bruhl plays Lauda : calculating, blunt, calls a spade a spade, without care of consequence or sentiment, brilliant, understands cars and how to set them up, lives life via making the right choices, playing the percentages, a classic, Germanic Austrian. Their rivalry is sealed when they clash in a Formula 3 cars at the inception of their careers. And is carried on to the Formula One tracks through the Seventies. Hemsworth marries the gorgeous Olivia Wilde after a whirlwind romance, while Daniel makes a most unromantic proposal to wed Alexandra. And then things come dramatically to a head at Nurburgring, Germany in 1976…

Happiness is the enemy

The photography and background sound is so good that this is the closest you can actually come to experiencing F1 without going to a track…the visuals of engines firing up, levers turning, gears meshing, rain flying off tyres and the overtaking manouvers are skillfully done. These visuals contrast well with the drama happening on the tracks as our two protagonists leave no stone unturned to gain an advantage…their individual lives going through many ups and downs even while their career is on a permanent upward trajectory

A wise man can learn more from his enemies than a fool from his friends

The entire sequence where Bruhl meets Alexandra – the ‘ wonderful ass’ comment, her refusal to believe that he is a Formula 1 driver, the people who give them a lift, the whole ‘Its Italy’ remark, the exchange between Alexandra and Bruhl about driving fast…its funny and charming beyond belief. Hemsworth lives the life we all dream of living – born with a talent which means he has to simply roll off the bed, and despite drinks, no practice, sex all night, he can still be the fastest man on the track.

I accept that everytime I get in my car, there is a 20% chance I might die

The end of this film is just about perfect…the two lives and lifestyles coming to a head, at an airplane hangar of all places…its important that right till the end, neither stops being who they are, even for an instant, with Hemsworth’s interaction with a particularly offensive journalist being a moment to savour, where you realize there is more than just animosity between these two champions.

The risk of death turns people on

I loved the choices made by the film-makers here – their choice of incidents, the aspects of the characters highlighted, the mix of professional and personal events shown and also the inspiring message underlying it all…if you’ve not seen the film yet, and there is a chance to catch it on the big screen – please go and see it – you don’t have to be a lover of automobiles or of F1 racing – there is plenty to keep you hooked from the first frame till the last…

American Reunion (2012)

Genre: Comedy/Drama/Adventure/Romance

 

Starring: Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan, Chris Klien, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Tara Reid, Seann William Scott, Mena Suvari, Eddie Kaye Thomas, John Cho, Jennifer Coolidge, Eugene Levy, Katrina Bowden, Ali Cobrin, Dania Ramirez, Chuck Hittinger, Vik Sahay, Jay Harrington

 

The American Pie series played a very large role in bringing sex-comedy in mainline cinema and poking fun at college life. Ever since then, many spin-offs and versions were formed but nothing seemed to do justice like the first 3 movies did with their original star cast. With the original cast now grown up in reality, the movie tries to build upon that by reuniting them and making it a movie of growing old versus the new generation. Jim (Biggs) and Michelle (Hannigan) now have a baby boy and are leading the typical married life. Their sex life is not going too well and both of them are not very happy about it. The class of '99 is reuniting at East Great Falls and Jim, Michelle along with their son plan on meeting Jim's dad (Levy) and meeting the old gang once more. Kevin (Nicholas) is happily married to his wife, Oz (Klien) is a sportscaster on a TV news channel, Finch (Thomas) is an adventurer and traveller and Stiffler (Scott) works as a temp at an investment firm. Jim bumps into Kara (Cobrin), the girl next door whom he used to babysit, who holds a secret desire to lose her virginity to Jim. Kevin meets Vicky (Reid) and finds all his previous emotions towards her coming back to life which he does not know how to control. Oz is dating a sex-hungry super model Mia (Bowden) but realises he still loves Heather (Suvari). The movie comes across as a breathe of fresh air amongst other movies who seem to only focus on sex and nudity and not bother too much about humour. This movie, instead, focuses on trying to make you laugh and everything else is a means to an end. The audience of the original movie would have grown over the years too and hence can also relate to the older life as against the college days. The movie showcases maturity very well, although there are some moments with too much emotion and dialogues and pulls away from the humour, but all in all if you have enjoyed the movies of the original cast then this movie would never let you down.

 

Thumbs up: LOL funny and a good improvement from the original movie

Thumbs down: Those few emotional moments that could be avoided

 

Rating: 7.1/10

Source Code (2011)

Rating : 6/10
Release Date : April, 2011
Time : 93 minutes
Director : Duncan Jones; Writer : Ben Ripley; Music : Rick Smith
Starring : Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, Jeffrey Wright, Michael Arden, Russell Peters

 

Jake, a US bomber pilot, who last remembers being on a mission in Afghanistan, wakes up in the body of another man, sitting across a lovely woman (Michelle) on a suburban train to Chicago. Which explodes a few minutes later. And he finds he isn’t dead…and has to find the bomber, who, authorities suspect, is about to plant a deadlier device in another location….

A considerable amount of sci-fi mumbo jumbo tries to explain how this is happening, what are the time constraints, what are the rules (you cant really change anything – ie if Jake made Michelle get off from the train, she wouldn’t live) and then through some equally hazy hocus-pocus, we find the rules are a bit bendable…

 

Vera Farmiga presents the humane face of the authorities while Jeffrey Wright represents the types who want to lie, make false promises and use others in their single-minded quest to succeed, reach the top of yet another secret US military organization…

The tension, the pace of the film and the events unfolding do keep you riveted…though there is a sentimental thread in the middle that does detract from the rest of the events. Jake is quite good as a person who’s bewildered, trying to figure out whats happening to him and those around him, while Michelle is excellent as the bubbly commuter, struggling with a personal decision. Vera is impressive, as always and Jeffrey does justice to his uni-dimensional character…the cameo by Russell Peters is good fun…

Source Code is a film that isn’t easy to understand and not entirely believable…you could at a pinch, imagine space travel in the distant future, or even Matrix-esque human cloning but something like the stuff that happens here seems very far-fetched…and that is the movie’s biggest flaw…

Jobs

 

Genre: Biography/Drama

 

Starring: Ashton Kutcher, Dermot Mulroney, Josh Gad, Lukas Haas, Matthew Modine, J.K. Simmons, Ron Eldard

 

Steve Jobs was an inspiring figure, not only for the technology industry but also for all of humanity. His thoughts and ideas may not have agreed with everyone but it pushed us all to take that one more step to raise the bar and help technology develop. If it wasn't for him, we might be living a life ten years behind what we currently have. Steve Jobs (Kutcher) grew up with a simple life at Reeds College where he was adopted by the Jobs family who raised him as their own. Whilst working for Atari, he kept insisting on doing something different but the people around him were limiting his thoughts and ideas. When Atari offered him a project on his own, he took it up but hit a stumbling block with the computer board of which Jobs had very little knowledge. It was then that his good friend, Steve Wozniak (Gad) came to his rescue and helped him develop a path-breaking board. From their on, there was no end to Steve and Wozniak's alliance. They started Apple Computers and started selling the Apple I. With the help of a venture capitalist Mike Markulla (Mulroney), they managed to get some much needed money in the business and from there on there was no turning back. His ideas and 'go-different' thoughts even got him sacked from his own company. Although Steve was an inspiring figure for a lot of us, the movie sadly isn't. It does not feel like a biopic of an individual of high stature but a mere narration of his life events all put together in a two hour movie. Perhaps if the movie focused on one aspect of his life rather than everything that ever happened with him, the movie would have been far better. The movie doesn't leave you with a sense of pride, motivation or you don't even remember the iconic figure-head once you get up. It feels far too average and normal and does not raise the bar of movie-making unlike his inventions.

 

Thumbs up: Ashton Kutcher for being able to step into Jobs' role pretty decently

 

Thumbs down: Uninspiring, far too much information crammed in a short span of time.

The Book of Eli (2010)

 

Genre: Adventure/Action/Crime

 

Starring: Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis, Ray Stevenson

 

With every country in the world having nuclear armament, the next world war has the potential to wipe out almost all of humanity. What happens when this apocalypse takes place? Years after a deadly war destroyed almost the entire human race, Eli (Washington) is a traveler who is looking at heading east where he believes lies some ray of hope. The new generation who is born after the war, is unaware of the world that existed to the extent of not knowing how to read and write. Water is probably one of the most scarce resources and Carnegie (Oldman) is a crooked landlord who has taken control of wells and fresh water pools and is building towns around it. Carnegie is obsessed on finding a book, a book that he says will help him control mankind and eventually take over the world. Conceptually, the movie has a very strong story and builds up suspense in a positive manner. It is engaging and entertains the audience well. The biggest chink in it's armor are the unexplained loose ends and the personification of Eli as a human god. Eli seems to posses skills and talents that are seemingly non-human but still are unexplained for within the movie. Had these lose strings been tied and the movie made more tighter in it's story, it would be a far better movie to watch and enjoy.

 

Thumbs up: Great story

 

Thumbs down: Denzel Washington's unexplained character traits

Captain Phillips (2013)

Rating : 8/10
Release Date : 18th October, 2013
Time : 134 minutes
Director : Paul Greengrass; Writer: Billy Ray (based on the book ‘A Captain’s Duty’ by Richard Phillips and Stephan Talty); Music : Henry Jackman
Starring : Tom Hanks, Barkhad Abdi, Barkhad Abdirahman, Faysal Ahmad, Mahat M Ali, Michael Chernus, Max Martini, Yul Vazquez, David Warshofsky, Corey Johnson, Catherine Keener

 

Whew !! A simple, true story – of a container ship sailing off the Somalian coast, being boarded by pirates and the Captain’s (Tom Hanks) battle to get them off his ship – is transformed into a great cinematic experience, thanks to wonderful performances and superb editing which never lets the pace or the tension flag for even a second.

It was great to see how the various characters were built up…the Captain, a veteran, safety conscious, running a tight ship. His First Officer (Chernus), enthusiastic and ensuring his boss’s bidding is carried out. The Chief Engineer (Warshofsky), who carries out his duties admirably. And some of the crew, who try to revolt / complain, but are dealt with a firm hand.

Even the pirates, under pressure from the war lords back home to bring in another ship (they got $6mn for the last one a month ago) – the selection process by which they pick their comrades, their internal dynamics, one loose cannon – everything adding to the tension palpable through the film.

It is strange to imagine a small dinghy with four armed pirates subduing a mammoth container ship with 30+ crew but such is the reality of life in those parts and the power of automatic weapons. The end is a little filmy – and not every nation would unleash the kind of firepower sent to free the Captain – but it does make for a fitting finale

Tom Hanks is excellent in the title role, felt he got it just right, managed to emote without over-acting. The pirates were great as well, very convincing in their desperation, wanting to do business but not afraid to use force when needed.

The realism of the whole adventure was confirmed by my brother, who’s a shippie himself and has sailed those waters (around the same time, coincidentally)…while I haven’t read the book (the true account of Captain Richard Phillips) I cant help but marvel at the choices made by the film makers of which incidents to include in the film and which to leave out…makes a world of difference in keeping you hooked from start to finish !

Thor : The Dark World (2013)

Rating : 8/10
Release Date : 8th November, 2013
Time : 112 minutes
Director : Alan Taylor; Writers : Don Payne, Robert Rodat, based on the comic characters created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Larry Lieber ; Music : Brian Tyler
Starring : Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Idris Elba, Rene Russo, Kat Dennings, Christopher Eccleston, Jaimie Alexander, Zachary Levi, Ray Stevenson, Stellan Skarsgard, Jonathan Howard

 

And that’s how you make a superhero film….

Lots of action, an interesting plot, very pacy, packed with sibling rivalry (with Loki really coming into his own) and laced with generous dollops of brilliant humour, this is a film that works for the young and old alike – with enough layers in the dialogue and the story to keep both segments entertained

 

There are some evil Dark Elves, led by Malekith (Eccleston), seeking to turn the entire universe into darkness, using a powerful substance known as Aether, when the nine planets are in alignment. They failed once, but now it’s the time of Convergence once more (happens every 5000 years), Natalie Portman finds the Aether and the only thing standing between the Dark Elves and her is Thor…with a little help from and unlikely source.

 

It’s the sheer charisma of the leads – Hemsworth and Hiddleston in particular – that sets the film alight…the showcasing of the sibling rivalry is really well depicted, the cut and thrust of their jibes and the potential of betrayal spicing things up…Natalie doesn’t have much of a role, but that is more than made up by great cameos by several fine character actors including Rene Russo (Thor’s mother), Kat (asst to Natalie), Jonathan (her intern), Jaimie, Zachary and Ray (Thor’s gang) and even Skarsgard playing the nutty professor well. There is even a conversation to treasure - one where Anthony Hopkins bemoans his legacy as a father - which has added poignancy due to the moment it occurs and what happens after...

 

The action and special effects are great to watch but what keeps you riveted is the humour…some of it coming in the conversations (and a short walk) between Hemsworth, Hiddlestone. Other priceless moments coming via the whimsical Kat Dennings or while Thor moves around in London (hanging his hammer on a coat hook, catching the Tube) or when his gang warns Loki of the consequences of betrayal…

 

There are some fantastical co-incidences…the Aether could’ve been anywhere in the nine realms but is found by Natalie Portman, similarly a certain gateway opened up during the convergence turns out to be a very convenient location too. But you’re having so much fun watching some very good looking people battle it out and match wits, that these pale into the background. I know its unfair to compare Krrish3 and Thor 2 – the budgets are a tenth, for example, but surely in terms of plot and character development, we could do better ? The end-credits were beautifully done as well and they’re worth the wait as a little teaser at the end makes you wish even more that the Third of the series released quickly !

Shahid (2013)

 

Rating : 7/10
Release Date : 18th October, 2013
Time : 129 minutes
Director : Hansal Mehta; Writer: Sameer Gautam Singh; Music : Alex Karan Kulkarni
Starring : Rajkumar Yadav, Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub, Prabhleen Sandhu, Baljinder Kaur, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Kay Kay Menon, Vipin Sharma, Shalini Vatsa, Yusuf Husain, Pawan Kumar, Paritosh Sand, Yusuf Husain

 

Shahid tells the true tale of Shahid Azmi (played by Rajkumar), suspected terrorist, convict and later human rights lawyer and activitst, who’s life went through more twists and turns than most ordinary people do in a few lifetimes.

Whats unique here though is not just the story but the way its told and the issues raised

• When someone does something good or bad, there is no loud music accentuating the fact…it just happens, as in real life

• The family that Shahid belongs to is refreshingly ordinary – no histrionics, a mom who finds his choices tough, and a brother, Ayyub, who is a bit tired of bearing the financial burden of the entire family

• The romance between Rajkumar and Prabhleen is so simple – right upto the proposal in the coffee shop – that its almost funny, unintentionally

• The distance between Rajkumar and the jihadis is never too far. Even in prison, there is an attempt to re-enlist him but luckily Kay Kay and a professor, Yusuf Husain, save him and show him the path towards education

• However, the tag of a terrorist, is not an easy one to shed – leave aside, the innocent people he is trying to save later, even Rajkumar is not spared at times

• I’m not sure at all about the logic and validity of a non-time bound TADA, the whole myth of National Security - as events around the world have shown, it has inverted the whole philosophy of the legal system, one where we are content to let lots of innocent people suffer, as long as we catch a few bad guys in the process. And as pointed out earlier, the tag of a terrorist can stay with you for life, even after you’re found innocent

• There have been enough films on corruption, sadistic cops, the unfair system – this touches upon the same issues yet shows another way out

• Being a lawyer isn’t easy…the bread and butter seems to come from defending the guilty…with only a little time spared, if so inclined, to try and fight against injustice

• Regardless of how ‘liberated’ we are, somehow, there is a tendency to lapse into a hardline religious position when it comes to our parents…the burqua incident was quite telling that way

• Another topic, one close to my heart and one that the director of the film, Hansal Mehta has also personally been through, is the unchecked rise of the radicals in our country…splinter political groups, usually funded or encouraged by the larger mainline political parties, founded on pure muscle, with the sole objective of creating disturbances on minor moral issues to thrust themselves into the limelight (aided and abetted by our non-discerning news channels). These groups, more than anyone else, are responsible for the stifling of Freedom of Speech in our country. There exist enough evidence of hate speeches, hooliganism to put them away behind bars, yet the state machinery looks the other way. And unfortunately, people who are killed or beaten up by these idiots can never get any form of justice

The tone of the entire film is somber, grim…just a few flashes of humour, with most of the movie being shot in dark or not too well lit interiors. I also found the lead character a bit naïve at times – with his intelligence, contacts surely he could’ve taken some of the threats against himself (especially for the sake of his family) a bit more seriously and actually done something ? Also, he seemed to disconnect from his brothers and mom a bit too easily. The acting was good uniformly, with Vipin Sharma and Shalini Vatsa as the two prosecutors standing out in their brief roles.

Its not an easy watch, not really a genre that I’m comfortable with…but am glad I watched it – a little dose of reality is a good thing in the otherwise escapist fantasy world of our Hindi films…

Escape Plan (2013)

Rating : 5/10
Release Date : 18th October, 2013
Time : 116 minutes
Director : Mikael Hafstrom; Writer: Miles Chapman, Jason Keller; Music : Alex Heffes
Starring : Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarznegger, Jim Caviezel, Vinnie Jones, Faran Tahir, Sam Neill, Vincent D’Onofrio, Amy Ryan, 50 Cent, Caitriona Balfe

 

This works to the extent it does simply because of the personalities of the two leading men…and a little twist at the end that made a lot of sense…else, it’s a pretty average plot, lots of conversation, very little to show as far as any real ‘action’ goes and a pretty standard prison escape flick, albeit from a prison that is pretty high tech.

 

Stallone breaks out of prisons for a living, is somewhat of a legend when it comes to defining security protocols. Hence when the CIA wants to test an escape-proof facility for the scum of the Earth, who better to check it out than Sly ? The rest is standard stuff – the prisoner who knows his way around (Arnie), the evil ‘I own your ass’ warden (Caviezel), the sadistic prison guard (Vinnie Jones) and another prisoner, who heads the Muslim inmates (Faran Tahir). A doctor (Sam Neill) and Stallone’s back up team (50 Cent, Amy Ryan, D’Onofrio) have other interesting roles, along with Caitriona, who plays the CIA spook.

 

 

Prison movies rarely have a chance to show much humour. Add to that some of the sadism / torture scenes, necessary to establish the evil characters, the dimly lit corridors, cells and interior sequences, and the overall tone of the movie can be quite down. You do, however, want Arnie and Sly to break out, even if for old times sake, and so are reasonably engrossed in the ‘how’ for most parts. Its an average film, lit up only by the sheer heavyweight presence of its two macho, brawny stars, who still strut their stuff convincingly despite being in their sunset years…