Movie Review: The Imitation Game…well played

A rather humble looking title for a movie that celebrates a humongous yet sadly little known achievement. This ‘Well Played’ is not so much for the movie but its for the life of the person it takes us through. Yes, well played Sir Alan Turing (I don’t care if he wasn’t really  knighted, what he did provided every reason for him to be. In fact, the very device I am typing..but I get ahead of myself…). Well Played, indeed.

The question is not so much whether you should go for this movie since this is about the life and achievements of a genius everyone ought to know about but more, whether you should go for the movie for how the central character has been portrayed, the performances, the story development, the visuals and the answer in each of those departments is also a resounding yes.

While a biopic, there is a sense of intrigue built right from the opening scene, in fact the opening narrative itself –  which I thought was very smartly done. The movie scarcely loses your interest, though the constant flitting between past and present can be a little disconcerting. Some scenes, in particular could’ve been done with a better context and presentation, but these are minor niggles in what is otherwise a remarkable story that is extremely well told.

Benedict Cumberbatch is in familiar territory with the British accent and the reclusive character he plays but he does so with an ease few others would exhibit. What works in his favor is also that while a complex character, the protagonist scarcely displays more than the minimal range of emotions – not unlike his Sherlock avatar. Keira Knightley is also in her comfort zone with a character that doesn’t have a lot of complexity either but goes further to bring a natural warmth to her character. All others perform their side roles ably well.

However, more than the performances, it’s the story itself that is the real hero in this offering. A story of a highly significant achievement, the tremendous burden it bore and the treatment of its protagonist - one that by the end will have moved you enough to moisten your eyes or maybe even scream and shout. From a simple story of the life and times of Sir Alan Turing, emerges what ought to be known and more importantly, highly respected.

Thank you for making The Imitation Game and making this highly deserving story available to one and all. Now you need to do yourself a favour and go watch it. Oh, and a word to the wise..don’t watch the trailer…it gives away practically everything

Movie Review: Ugly…50 shades of black!!

In my customary style of using a direct connection to the movie title, to write my review title I was originally considering to title this one as Ugly..doesn't paint a ‘pretty’ picture. Story and plot wise, it would certainly portray the reality. However, purely from a film making perspective, that would be far from the truth.

In the world of Anurag Kashyap, people are hopeless – they have already condemned themselves to hell and are living that hell each day. While most film makers try to uplift their audience even when they tell a story with grey characters by providing the protagonist with some hope, courage and opportunity to rise against the odds, Kashyap indulges in his fantasy nightmare that simply gets darker with every passing sequence till finally, you can’t see – its all black and the darkest shade of it at at that. He gleefully smothers out the last spark of hope that might have been ignited had anyone shown the slightest bit of respite, compassion or even consideration.

Despite not taking a step wrong in the actual movie making - complete with a long conversation between a police in-charge and one of the central characters that displays a grim reality with dark humor, barely present songs that progress, not hinder the narrative and the usual Anurag Kashyap touches with random psychedelic music intact, this particular narrative becomes so soul sucking by the end of it all, that it doesn’t leave a nice feeling. This is especially on display in one hellish scene – which could as easily have been implied than shown in its truly ‘ugly’ form

Performances wise, there is hardly a glittering star cast with Ronit Roy being the most recognizable actor of the lot, but true to the Anurag Kashyap brigade of the past, they all come to the party with solid performances. Vineet Singh and Girish Kulkarni do a brilliant job (I wish Girish’s character’s dialogues had subtitles since a lot of them were in Marathi). Rahul Bhat also does justice to his role though his performance is a little wooden in comparison. Tejaswini Kohlapuri and Surveen Chawla both look dull and worn out but then that’s what the script demanded.  Ronit Roy shows a restraint that he earlier showcased only in Udaan though struggles in scenes of high strung emotion.

While it baffled when it was first revealed – Ugly is a near-perfect title for this movie. The world doesn’t get uglier and murkier than the one that Kashyap showcases, with each character blacker than the other and a situation and progression that is not just unsettling but downright choking and unrelenting – If that’s not ugly enough, I shudder to think what is. Think before you watch this one, its certainly not for everyone

Movie Review: PK..the best you’ll see this year

2014 hasn’t been a generous year for those of us who crave genuinely good cinema. In this respect, calling PK the best this year may not seem as the great compliment it would otherwise be. The good news however, is that this movie would have been amongst the best any year. Its just that given the dismal offerings this year, it’s the best watch by far.

Its all good - Rajkumar Hirani re-affirms our belief in him as a master storyteller and writer. One of the few, if not the only one, who has managed to maintain his consistent high standards. Aamir Khan proves that Dhoom 3 was a mere aberration. His quality stamp is still as high as ever – it only needed the right canvas. If a certain other film that played quite heavily on a similar theme had not been made recently, the kudos for PK might well have doubled. However, if I were to compare, this one considers the debate from a far more positive and mature perspective

There is simply an innocence to the script – a child-like quality to its characters that is conveyed in as many words towards the latter half of the movie. But even if it wasn’t specifically told to us, the effect is felt just as much. Especially in the first half, Rajkumar Hirani does such a good job, that It makes one wish that even they could tell such stories – so much simplicity and innocence and yet delivered with such panache. While it doesn’t start with a great bang, post PK’s entry the movie grabs your attention with renewed vigor.

The second half doesn’t delight as much, though it is by no means any sort of a drag. Rajkumar Hirani again achieves the feat of taking you from laughing till your sides hurt to have tears welling up in the eyes as the movie progresses which itself says a lot. Some scenes teeter dangerously close to the edge of falling into the stereotypical or cheesy mould but are saved by a cut just at the right time – thank goodness for that.

As for the songs – while some are melodious most are unnecessary interruptions to the unfolding story.  So interesting are PK, his thoughts, his dialogues, his actions that they are the only things you want the movie to focus on and nothing else.

Aamir Khan and PK are the life-blood of this well written story. The master performer is at his vintage best doing complete justice to a character that would have not been easy to slip into the shoes of. There is so much that I can talk about his character and dialogues but anything I say will dampen your fun at least somewhat, so I’ll refrain. Anushka Sharma yet again has her familiar ‘independent, modern girl’ role and she’s probably most comfortable in it so she pulls it off convincingly

Christmas has arrived in style. While there’s nothing remotely resembling Christmas in PK, it does give every reason to celebrate. After all the hype and expectations, PK delivers and is the best reason to be in a cinema hall not just this week, but for all of 2014 – don’t miss it.

Movie Review: Penguins of Madagascar..cute n fun but best left in Madagascar

Ever since the release of the first Madagascar movie, they’ve been in the spotlight despite being the side characters. With genuine humor to boot and their own mini - cast of quirky characters, the penguins quickly became the biggest draw to any Madagascar movie. Now that they have their own movie it should so many times more fun, right? Well, not exactly..

You see, much like seasoning in a great dish, they are excellent accompaniments to a good act but give them an act of their own and you force them down a path of plot, direction and story telling which is not particularly their forte. The penguins are best enjoyed in mayhem - plotting, up to their necks in adventure, bringing their little spy games and rescue missions to life and succeeding despite having planned it all wrong. Their excellent play on words and quick yet witty dialogue is what brings in all the laughs. While this movie, certainly starts down this path, it is ultimately forced to bring emotion and a sense of normality to the proceedings which just isn’t the penguins’ style

Of the 92 minutes you see them on screen, a good 40 minutes is still penguin fun, though not as laugh out loud as you would have preferred. A scene involving a zebra crossing is a mini-gem and more of such stuff would’ve been great. However, the chase sequences and escape plans are all still very much in penguin territory. Unfortunately, post that, the fun dies down

One thing that could’ve added a new layer of fun to the script was a fresh, zany cast of new characters and while Cumberbatch and co. try their level best, their characters just don’t bring that extra zing. While I don’t fault the penguins per se, but I do think this movie could’ve done with a little more effort in the writing department. Keeping the fun going, despite telling a good story, would’ve taken a lot more creativity and effort that doesn’t seem to have been spent in this offering.

The Penguins of Madagascar thus, don’t get their dream debut . They are themselves still in form, but the lack of other great characters, not so great writing and an ordinary stereotypical storyline is what lets them down in the end. If I had to choose between watching this movie and a re-run of the airplane scene in Madagascar 2, I’d still choose their side act.

Movie Review: Mockingjay Part 1..sadly douses the flames

Catching Fire had set the stage perfectly. I remember when I reviewed the previous installment I had said it set the series ablaze and I couldn’t have put it better. The future was brimming with possibilities – so much intensity and focus, a clear direction, thrilling action, a climactic finale….Well, while we are still one movie away from the finale to comment on that, Mockingjay Part 1 in itself is sadly quite the dampener and douses most, if not all the flames that catching fire had set.

The primary reason that this movie fails is not because it isn’t particularly well made or its badly acted – it fails because, quite simply, it doesn’t deserve to be an entire movie by itself. By these counts, only the Harry Potter franchise really deserved a two part finale – there was so much Rowling had done with the last book that a single movie, albeit action packed, couldn’t have done justice. But that’s where it ends. No other franchise deserved it. All this hobbit 3 part movie nonsense is also possibly going to meet the same fate.

In all honesty, I haven’t read the book Mockingjay, but if this movie is any indication, its plain it doesn’t have all that much to showcase. It would be obvious to even the most casual viewer – each scene lingers on more than its due; if Katniss is moping about something, well she mopes longer, if the ground is being surveyed after damage, you see more of the rubble, if Katniss is to sing a song, the song will be longer – each time you know its just to fill time – it really doesn’t have any impact to make.

Despite the seemingly comfortable 123 minutes it runs, Mockingjay Part 1 is painfully slow. There’s hardly anything that happens. I could write a two line summary of the movie and I may well have told you all that happens by it. With not much happening, neither does Jennifer Lawrence need to do too much with her character and unfortunately, in the few scenes that do demand something, she doesn’t pull it off as convincingly. Julianne Moore is a veteran actress and its sad to see her given such a wooden and one dimensional character. All the other side characters are also given even lesser airtime so I really don’t get what the point of this movie was.

Since I haven’t read the book, I don’t know whether the Hunger Games is really going to have the thrilling end we would’ve anticipated at the close of Catching Fire. But if Mockingjay Part 1 is to be any indication – I am not all that enthusiastic about its release, despite it being the finale of the series. That’s the kind of damage this ridiculous, money spinning focused strategy has done to what might well have been a good trilogy

Movie Review: Boyhood…feels the long years it films

Some of you might feel I have violated one of my own cardinal principles and given away the storyline..by the look of the review title. Well, be assured, I haven’t given away anything. In fact, here’s the real shocker – this movie has nothing to give away - no storyline or plot and therein, lies its greatest weakness

Boyhood is very well made – no doubt about it. A scathing commentary on the American culture and where we are all headed if we continue down this garden path is very thought provoking. However, when it takes 169 minutes for the director to say all he has to say, it can be exhausting and in the absence of a movie-like plot – you feel time slowing down even more. Furthermore, whatever message the director ends up giving isn’t really uplifting. The scenes are painfully realistic – cutting out the escapist, idealistic façade which make most movies a delight and exposing the grime and struggle of life. Instead you feel even more depressed and frustrated – not your ideal time at the movies.

I heard about the tremendous efforts that went into making this movie and the kind of painstaking diligence and discipline it took to make the transition feel as natural as possible in the movie. However, my concern is that while the effort is certainly laudable, as an audience, it doesn’t matter as much. I could’ve possibly felt the same effect with 3 similar looking child actors than I did with what was presented.

The movie shines at times when it treads the familiar road of the boy and girl having conversations that would be considered much ahead of their ages – the kind that made the Before (Sunrise, Sunset and Midnight) series the hit it was.

In terms of performances, the real recognizable actor is really Ethan Hawke. However, the rest of the ‘family’ also all do a solid job and there’s no complaint there – especially Patricia Arquette as the mother.

If you are okay with movies without a plot but rather a large slice of real life, you can jump right in to Boyhood, though its long runtime is bound to have even you looking impatiently at the watch every now and then. For the others, who need a definite storyline and some excitement – better to recollect your own childhood instead, Boyhood isn’t gonna interest you

Movie Review: Interstellar..a stellar, outwardly experience..best digested with a pinch of corn..

Possibly my longest review title till date but I had to do justice. Yes, it is nothing like I have ever seen and yes, Nolan does bring another mind bender..but this time perhaps it’s the visuals and the scale, the sheer ambition and guts to show what was shown rather than the intricacies of the plot or the mind games or even the writing, that deserve all the kudos

Confession time – I haven’t seen 2001 A Space Odyssey so alas! I cannot compare how this one turns out against what I hear was a visionary masterpiece ( I plan to correct that very soon though). However, for the visuals I did see, I can tell you that Nolan’s sheer ambition will win you over. Its not just another outworldly adventure. Its not about breaching the boundaries of gravity and the earth – it goes far beyond that. It doesn’t talk of separation, pain and angst over months – it goes far beyond that. It’ll even expect you to understand wormholes, blackholes and multiple dimensions and give you lessons on these concepts as you watch it. For Nolan, the entire universe becomes his sandbox and our good old earth is but a tiny piece in a gargantuan puzzle. For that vision and ambition, and that alone, I would recommend this movie be watched in an IMAX theater, no less

In terms of plot and storyline I am probably less ecstatic. While he attempts to weave an emotional tale, with all the weaving and interconnected threads he ultimately manages, the story from being one of hope, sacrifice, belief and courage adds an extra layer of corn (and I am not talking about the expansive corn fields destroyed in the movie) that just doesn’t sit right by the end of it all. Maybe I couldn't fathom the multiple ‘dimensions’ that Nolan is willing to explore, but for me that extra effort just seemed forced, a desperate attempt to take the story in the direction he wanted to.

What he does manage though, is a breath-taking visual journey that not only captures the imagination – it challenges it. Whatever you think you might see next, Nolan takes it to greater heights and offers a dazzling spectacle. So much so that actors and performances, credible though they are, pretty much get relegated to the background – the canvas and the storyteller themselves have so much to offer.

Matthew McConaughey gets it exactly right, his act while watching video messages being particularly convincing. Anne Hathaway gets a pretty simple character given her abilities and she pulls it off fairly well but all that is secondary. There are some new additions to the standard Nolan cast but its best you discover them as the movie progresses along

Interstellar also manages a wonderful communion of sound and visuals. Hans Zimmer has been oft accused (unfairly, in my opinion) of offering very similar soundtracks. Well, this one should easily silence his critics. Whether it’s the scenes in the cornfields or those of exploration - the background score is an integral part of this movie and would not be half the experience it is, without it.

For, in a nutshell, that’s exactly what Interstellar offers you - an experience. It’s a journey not only to the stars but beyond. Sure the storyline gets a more than a little warped and (unconvincingly) convoluted but for its sheer vision, ambition and stellar presentation, Nolan’s Interstellar should not be missed