'Her' movie review

There is a dilemma that every writer faces - how to create something new  and refreshing out of the same subject that has been written about at-least a hundred times before? Writer-director Spike Jonze 
does this amazingly well with near-futuristic buildings without looking too 'sci-fi' and a story that seems plausible in this digital age.

'Her' is the story of Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) whose day-job is to craft hand-written letters to share love and joy, while at night he is desperately lonely seeking love and companionship that everyone desires until he installs a new Operating system 'Samantha' (the lyrical voice of Scarlett Johansson). This heralds the start of a 'relationship'. As Samantha listens to Theodore, makes him laugh and even flirts with him, Theodore cannot help but fall in love with 'her'.

At one level this seems to be a movie of human emotions, of bonding , of connections and the vicissitudes of  relationships, which is beautifully portrayed between Theodore and Samantha.But what bothers me is that it is so plausible a story that causes existential angst. People are already addicted to devices, but would they become so anti-social that they seek relationships with technology rather than humans?  Would they rather have a perfect-'I will be there for you always' Operating system rather than a woman who has arguments and disagrees with you?
  
I fear that such an operating system with AI would become a reality soon and might even come with some nuances of imperfections but I am pretty certain that the idiosyncrasies that we are born with cannot be replicated. Only I know where my nose itches.

American Hustle - A Movie Review

'American Hustle' is a comedy-drama that is light-hearted while dealing with a heavy subject of an FBI investigation. Unlike Argo, this movie does not adopt the seriousness of the actual event - Abscam, the investigation that shook the US Congress in late '70s. The movie pivots on Irving and Sidney (amazingly played by Christian Bale and Amy Adams) who are con artists with a zest for life.But they have a problem - Irving's wife ,Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence) who is sometimes an air-headed housewife and other times an alcoholic.Sidney adopts a false identity with a British accent - Edith Greensly and increases Irving's business until she is caught by an FBI agent, "Richie" DiMaso (Bradley Cooper). Richie releases her on the condition that they participate in a 'sting' operation in a corruption investigation.

Thus begins the roller-coaster ride - of greed, of deception, of women's power play over men and of insecurities. Amy Adams towers tall over Jennifer Lawrence playing the role of her career - sometimes seductive, other times frightened, as Sidney she simmers and seduces both the men - Irving and Richie.Switching easily between British and American accents, her character adds depth where it could easily have been one-dimensional.

Jennifer Lawrence, as Rosalyn, is a wild card.A loud paranoid,alcoholic,who happens to talk her mouth out. The scene where she asks the Mayor of Camden and her husband to smell her nails to see why she likes the smell 'so sweet yet rotten' captures her character. She speaks what is on her mind and is candid to admit that 'she does not like change'.

The rest of the story is how friendship evolves between Irving and Carmine, the Mayor of Camden, while Richie plots how to nab Carmine for corruption.

It was fun to see all those '70s styles-  Sidney with her hair in rollers at home, Rosalyn with those loose,bouncy curls and even Richie sporting several tiny rollers.

I like this movie way better than Silver Linings Playbook (directed by the same person,David O. Russell). It has style, glitz and glamor but beneath it all it has heart-warming depth of characters. The one note of caution I must mention is that it would have made Hitchcock, who said "The length of a film should be directly related to the endurance of the human bladder.”, a very unhappy man. Over 2 hours, it calls for a better editing job. 

Blue Jasmine - A movie review

For those of you who came in late, Blue Jasmine is a contemporary 'A Streetcar Named Desire'!

Like Blanche DuBois, Jasmine is a fading, but still-attractive woman who has lost everything in life and seeks solace in her sister's home in San Francisco. Like Blanche, she is an alcoholic and a nervous-wreck and like Blanche, Jasmine is delusional and refuses to accept the reality of life.But unlike Blanche, Jasmine's past was luxurious and extravagant , hosting lavish parties where New York city's socialites rubbed shoulders.

The movie pivots on Cate Blanchett.Sometimes a suave high-society and other times a nervous wreck surviving on Xanax, Cate plays the part as beautifully as Viven Leigh in 'A Streetcar..'.
We are mesmerized by this Berkin bag carrying woman whose past in the upper echelons of society she cannot let go. Her sister Ginger is portrayed with sincerity by Sally Hawkins. Affectionate but timid, Ginger tolerates Jasmine's hysteria. Whether commanding her boys to keep it down or asking her boyfriend to leave so that Jasmine can concentrate on her computer course, Ginger is supportive of Jasmine.But, Jasmine is ashamed and embarassed of Ginger's dull and mundane working-class life.

You want to hate this woman whose big dreams of going back to a rich life are meaningless especially since she has no education or basic computer knowledge. But you only end up feeling pity for her mental unbalance and histrionics.

There is a scene where Jasmine describes working in a shoe store serving the same women she had entertained with grand parties. This scene is created so well with a narrative that one can't help but applaud the greatness of Woody Allen, the director.
Do not expect to be entertained with the typical Woody-esque jokes, instead it is an intense drama not seen since Crimes and Misdemenours.

Review of 'Life of Pi'

A book or a movie takes you on new and exciting adventures. But, sometimes they also lead you through familiar labyrinths. For me, ‘Life of Pi' offered both.

I have a mental picture of Pondicherry, where I grew up in the ‘80s - wide open buildings in the Indo-French quarters, the view of the beach from the ashram, yellow limestone walls and the shady paths of the botanical gardens. ‘Life of Pi’ brought this image to screen so vividly that I was almost tempted to like the movie better than the book.  The bharatnayam dance lessons brought a wave of nostalgia of similar experiences. I remember my mother reprimanding me when I made the Sign of the Cross gesture with 'In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit' in a Hindu temple. Although I did not read Camus’ The Stranger until later in life, I went through the same existential angst of our teenage protagonist, Pi. When Pi enjoys the storm on the deck of the ship, I was reminded of how much I enjoyed running around in the rain. 

‘Life of Pi’ is not only about the philosophical questions that Pi raises while growing up in Pondicherry, but also a story of survival. Survival of a ship-wrecked teenager stranded on a boat with a tiger named Richard Parker. This boy who believed that even animals had ‘souls’ had to find a practical way to not only stay alive at sea but also make sure that he is not devoured by a hungry tiger.  Just like ‘Wilson’ provided the much-needed companionship in ‘Cast Away’, Richard Parker is subjected to conversations that help Pi stay hopeful and afloat. 

It is not the interpretation of the book that Ang Lee has brought to screen but the nuances of dwelling deep into the characters. One example is the dinner table conversation between Pi and his parents about his interest in multiple religions. While his father points to him western rationale and power of medical science, his mother soft-spoken yet strong, points to the ONE who takes care of the inner self. It is a beautiful yet subtle depiction of Indian women of my mother’s generation. The soothing Tamil music, the ‘karthigai’ lamps on the water and the lovely shots of the beach mesmerized me blurring the lines between reality and fantasy. For those of you who grew up in India in the ‘80s or are from Pondicherry or in search of a soulful story, this is a must watch.

Review of the movie 'The Master'

What is it that Lincoln said ? '“You may fool all the people some of the time, you can even fool some of the people all of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all the time.” 

Paul .T. Anderson's The Master  seems to fit this bill. Movies that meander aimlessly never fail to amaze me. Even if the maker of the movie believed in it (P.T.Anderson), what the hell were the people around him doing?

The story of The Master had immense potential. It could have conveyed the thin line between fanaticism of  belief and non-belief, it could have been a powerful message about the charisma of charlatans, it could have even been a story of the power of influence over the helpless, instead it chooses to be an incoherent mishmash of a half-lunatic war veteran and an evangelist of a new religion.

The war veteran ,Freddie Quell, is played by Joaquin Phoenix and the evangelist,The Master, is a brilliant Philip Seymour Hoffman. Freddie is an alcoholic and wanders around until he lands on the yacht of Lancaster Dodd, otherwise known as The Master. The Master is the harbinger of a new cult that is based on beliefs of reincarnation and hypnotism. The Master takes Freddie under his wing and begins a series of psycho-analytical tests to convert Freddie. Freddie's beliefs in The Cause are ambiguous. He attacks anyone who opposes the master but whether he himself is a true believer is questionable. Dodd's wife Peggy (wonderfully portrayed by Amy Adams) seems to be a silent controller of the Master himself. His teenage son does not seem to believe his father's preaching and his daughter and son-in-law seem to be 'Yes' men. In the midst of all this, The Master is a great orator, often holding gatherings in private houses and releasing books about 'The Cause'. His attempts to change Freddie's violent behavior are futile and Freddie escapes him to return to his hometown of Massachusetts.

I have multiple problems with this movie. The biggest one of them is that there are way too many loose threads. Why does Dodd go to the middle of a desert to recover a box that 'seemed' to be his unpublished works? What is the purpose of Dodd's daughter trying to seduce Freddie?  What was the necessity to show the sexual hallucinations of Freddie? Why does Peggy not have a voice in front of the gathering? And many more.

I know that some people might think that meaningless cinema is brilliantly creative , but I think that it is greatly idiotic. The Master seems to fall in the latter category.

Review of Beasts of the Southern Wild

There is a scene in 'Beasts of the SouthernWild' in which six-year-old  Hush Puppy says ‘When you’re small, you gotta fix what you can.' and that pretty much summarizes what this movie is about.'Interesting' is the adjective you would use to describe the adventures of six-year-old Hush Puppy who lives in 'The Bathtub' along with her father. You would also wonder if Hush Puppy is the modern day Scout  and her father Atticus? Pretty soon you realize that they are not. 

 Hush Puppy, along with her father, belongs to a small community who refuse to embrace civilization even if it means that diseases are left untreated and their land disappears under water.  Their dilapidated house has filthy livestock but Hush Puppy revels in it. She bonds with them by listening to the heartbeat of animals and fish and believes that they speak to her. Her father Wink, is suffering from a deadly disease but teaches Hush Puppy to be self-sufficient both physically and emotionally. Crying is frowned upon and fearlessness is encouraged. She is also taught how to fend for herself in case the world ends. 

There are parts of this collage which do not make sense ; the huge boar-like creatures could have been allegorical but they actually come charging towards the six year old and she stops them with her courage. But you can forgive these misgivings looking at the various layers it presents. On one level this appears to be the story of a little kid who is missing her mother and tries to be strong and does not want her father to die. Another layer is the stubbornness of social groups who are resistant to change. But ultimately it is a joy to see the six year old's smile in the poor, dirty, deteriorated land. 

The kid who plays Hush Puppy has a wonderful knack for expressing through her eyes.Her magical view of everyday things and her struggle to be brave in the face of adversity are definitely Oscar-worthy.But you must remember that this is definitely an unusual and exotic fare in the midst of typical American films like ‘The Dark Knight Rises’.

Kahaani - A movie review

When I called my friend to watch a Hindi movie, he was skeptical but played along. He did mention that he would rather watch 'A Separation'. I asked him not to insult my intelligence. I would never waste my time on a movie that is not worth my time. 'A Separation' is high on my list but I was in mood for some Indian fare.

How can one not like a movie that plays 'Tere bina jiya jaaye na'? Kahaani is all about such small details. It assumes that the viewer is intelligent, which is a big plus for Indian movies.

Kahaani is the story of a wife searching for her missing husband just like 'Roja'. But it doesn’t taper off as lamely as 'Roja' did. Vidya Bagchi (Vidya Balan) , a computer engineer from London, frantically searches for her husband, who comes on a two week assignment to India. No one has heard of her husband - Arnab Bagchi. Not the 'National Data Center' (the project he was working on) or the guest house where he stayed. The first place she starts her search is the usual one that any common man would go to - the police and earns the sympathy of a constable, Rana. Her search leads her into an intricate web of mystery and suspense of a look-alike of her husband. Her relentless pursuit of what looks like a lost cause, in spite of being heavily pregnant, makes us want to shout to her to be more considerate to her unborn baby.

The suspense here is not built by a car chase or a series of gun-fights. It is the slow unveiling of an intricate plot which revolves the 'Intelligence Beaureau' and an incident involving a terror attack in the Kolkatta metro.

The characters are flawless. You would hate the IB deputy chief Khan (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), whose commands are nothing but a string of swear words. You would love Rana(Parambrata Chatterjee), for being a simpleton, who takes the tram after work, telling his mother that he is on his way back home. And you are afraid when Bob , the contract killer who masquerades as a lazy insurance agent, is going to kill next.

Of course Kolkatta is an important central character. The simple beauty of the Howrah bridge as seen from the tram, the traffic, the chai chops, the yellow taxi cabs, the Chinese street food stalls, the preparation for puja and the ever beautiful Bong women (if you notice the receptionist at NDC).

Vidya is excellent - as a forlorn wife, as a frantic and pregnant woman, as an NRI who is returning back to homeland, as a South Indian adjusting to being called 'Bidya' and lastly as a beautiful actress who portrays emotions through a subtle glint in her eyes.

Every year I think there is atleast one Hindi movie that I love. Last year, it was Dhobhi Ghaat and this year Kahaani usurped it.  If all this is not enough, the throws-off-your-seat ending makes it a must-watch.