Movie Review: Dunkirk...a cinematic triumph that redefines a genre

I’ve never been a fan of war movies, in general. Somehow the genre never really appealed to me. Nolan’s Dunkirk though is a one of a kind experience. I don’t know if I should characterize it as a war movie per se or I should reflect whether the others were really war movies in the true sense. It’s a genre defining experience and is Nolan at his boastful best. Christopher Nolan, that is, not his brother…

After having watched all the Christopher Nolan movies after the epitome that was The Dark Knight, I have come to the conclusion that this is what Christopher Nolan does best – wide angle IMAX cameras, a vision for action in its most elemental form (not the Paul Greengrass shaky camera variety), simple notes that build to crescendo, large explosions and giant pieces with minimal CGI. Dunkirk gives this Nolan the best possible backdrop and canvas and he paints with aplomb.

Nolan moves the camera lens from the sidelines to the very heart – so much so that you live the experience as much as his characters. In a war movie – that’s a paradigm shift. You aren’t see a bombing happening somewhere on the horizon while you are safely in the trenches. Instead the explosion goes off near your very ear as you crouch helpless and vulnerable, in the middle of an unintended battlefield. And the onslaught is relentless – the explosions, the gunfire, the roar of a fighter aircraft’s engines and to top it off, the uncertainty of it all.

There are no heroes on this particular battlefield, just desperate and helpless men trying to survive. This is what the actual war would’ve looked and felt like and this is possibly our first, real look at it – and far from looking grand and victorious – it looks and feels hopeless and despairing. That is why when there is a glimmer of hope somewhere down the line, it feels like a shining beacon instead.

While he uses a grand cast of characters – his staple dependables like Tom Hardy and Cillian Murphy as well as adding the masterful Mark Rylance to the mix, its all for nought pretty much. This isn’t a hero  movie and doesn’t require great acting chops. This is just a director showing, no strutting, while he showcases what he can do. This is the Joker armed with guns, gasoline and gunpowder, wreaking havoc with our minds.

And he doesn’t make it easy. What could’ve been a simple sequential narrative is split across 3 mind exhausting timelines that come closer to each other as the movie progresses. When the movie abruptly breaks for intermission, you aren’t sure what the ‘story’ is or if there is any at all.

It is in his final flourish that Christopher Nolan shows any focus on emotions and a narrative. Done with his circus act of planes, boats and bombs, the camera finally moves to his characters, the situation they are in, their apprehensions, their little triumphs and the event in its entirety that was termed a colossal military disaster. There are moments here and there, strewn about – that indicate what the movie could’ve been had there been more focus on its narrative as well – this is where Jonathan Nolan’s contribution is missed the most, I suppose.

However, Dunkirk, as it stands is amongst the best that Christopher Nolan has made and it is cinematic triumph at that. Its not everybody’s cup of tea, mind you, there’s no tinted glasses here – there’s death and despair at every corner and that can be depressing. However, it is a masterpiece that re-defines this particular genre and gives all the other directors of such movies, plenty to think about.

Movie Review: Jagga Jasoos..an entirely different case

When I first heard of Jagga Jasoos – I thought this would be Anurag Basu’s answer to Detective Byomkesh Bakshy. Then the trailer came and I was utterly baffled. It looked more inspired from Jim Carrey’s Ace Ventura: Pet Detective than the famous sleuth. Thankfully, as it turns out, it is neither – but what it is – well its an entirely new genre – new to Bollywood at least.

Beyond doubt, this is Bollywood’s first true musical. I haven’t done a lot of research before saying this but of all the movies I have seen, this is the one that resembles a musical the most. One that doesn’t use songs as a crutch or a necessity. The music and songs are in the fabric of the movie itself. Okay so maybe it goes a tad too far with songs like ‘Sab khana kha ke..’ (a catchy number but ill-placed in terms of plot progression). Even so, there is a lot to be appreciated on the whole approach to the movie making itself.

This is the movie directed by the man who gave us Barfi. That deliciously thoughtful entertainer that left a distinctly sweet taste in the mouth (I really don’t care for all the talk of it having copied scenes, it was an original script!). While the movie has his signature touch – a poignant theme, good use of sounds and music intermingling well and clear plot progression – its not as refined a product as Barfi was.

Saswata Chatterjee – we first got glimpses of his potential with the thrilling Kahaani. While much of the credit could have gone to his character rather than his acting in that movie, with Jagga Jasoos he more than makes a mark. His fatherly character perfectly conveys every emotion within a heartbeat and when crumples into tears at a sense of personal loss – you’d shed a tear too with him.

Ranbir is in full flow as well but his character itself is not as strong. That said, he catapults into a different league in the more emotional bits. Katrina Kaif looks pretty but her role is pretty minimal despite a fair amount of airtime.

One challenge the movie faces is in conveying what it wants to be – a vehicle to spread a social message, an amateur detective’s foray into an unknown and dangerous world, a musical with the usual song and dance routine – so it ends up being a bit of everything. That’s a bit sad because when it tries to be just one thing, the movie really shines.

Jagga runs along at a fair clip and despite being told in ‘chapters’ – continues to capture your attention throughout. Some of the progression is fairly outlandish but it happens in such a flow that you let it pass. Jagga then is a musical adventure – there’s no case here and no mystery to solve. If that doesn’t spoil things for you, you really should go for this crazy ride.

Movie Review: Spiderman – Homecoming…welcome return but a new species

Marvel extended universe now has one of the coolest animation intros you’ll see across the board. The way it creates the build-up you really gear up for something spectacular. Avengers was and continues to be their finest ever and they leverage that to the full extent.

They also pulled out all the stops for Spiderman Homecoming – multiple teasers, so much branding and even a custom IMAX countdown specifically for the web-slinger. While the idea of this new countdown works the execution isn’t all that good and the original still shines through despite being much older. That holds true for our friendly neighborhood Spiderman as well.

Its been eons now that the Sam Raimi version of Peter Parker and his web slinger breathed life into our favorite superhero and in my view truly embodied the spirit of Spiderman (Especially Spiderman 2). Since then sadly we’ve had Spiderman 3, and the two reboots which simply didn’t cut muster and give us enough of the sperhero we wanted to see more of. Now making yet another comeback, Spiderman Homecoming gives us Spidey in a whole new avatar. While many will call this one the coolest Spiderman movie yet, I feel it trades off being cool to being more heartfelt and genuine as the Sam Raimi movies.

Captain America – Civil War. That’s what gave Spidey his exalted status in the extended Marvel universe. What started off as a delightful cameo in a superhero ensemble movie is now its own feature – with Spiderman Homecoming. Thankfully, there isn’t yet another origin story here. Spiderman became spiderman after a bug bit him and that’s that. Let’s get to the good stuff.

And there is plenty of it. The action though it comes in fits and starts, is blindingly fast but due to slick camerawork and high quality effects one can follow most of the proceedings. The movie walks a tightrope between a teenager’s growing up problems and a superhero who’s trying to come off age. While it comes off as goofy and fun for the most part, the movie really comes into its own when it changes tone for a bit.  That too is short-lived though and after all the good work, the climactic battle on a jet in the night is a bad advertisement for all the terrific action prior to it.

Much like the other MCU offerings, there are generous doses of humor every now and then, but one does get the feeling that this version of Spidey is trying too hard – too hard to make you laugh, too hard to build connect and concern for its chief protagonist and too hard on many other fronts. It just removes some of the sheen from the offering.

I think my biggest grouse (and this is more a personal view than a movie flaw) is the direction it takes Spidey in – making him a protégé for Ironman rather than a standalone superhero. Had we not seen Raimi’s version of Spiderman, we might’ve bought it, but after having seen that – I can’t see spidey as a kid in an iron-man’esque suit. That just spoils it for me.

One of the main reasons why the new Spidey works though is Tom Holland. Perfectly slipping under the skin of this very different Spidey, Holland brings a sense of childlike innocence to the character – as both Parker as well as Spidey. Even with the Sam Raimi/ Tobey Macguire movies – once he wore the suit, Spidey knew what he had to do. In Holland’s case though, he is still clueless on what is expected off him – and in its own whacky way – that works. Another aspect that brings some much needed gravitas to this Homecoming is Michael Keaton. With perfect screen presence, Keaton steals the show in a handful of scenes and despite a weak character for a villain, he more than makes his presence felt.

Overall then, Spiderman makes a welcome return – even if it does bring home a very different creature than what I expected. Oh, and there’s no end credits scene – just mid-credits. But you might still want to stick around – just to see the smart prank Marvel pulls off with the crowd.