Her (2013)

Director: Spike Jonze
Story: Spike Jonze
Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Rooney Mara, Scarlett Johansson 
Music: Arcade Fire 
Time: 127 minutes
Bottom-line: A successful attempt at making a unique love story

Spike Jonze’s Her tells a tale of modern relationships. While all the other Best Picture nominees at this year’s Oscars are either dramas or biopics, Her may be the only actual film belonging to the romance genre. The film stars Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlett Johansson in the lead roles, and is largely driven by acting and dialogues. Olivia Wilde, Amy Adams and Rooney Mara play the supporting roles, and, as the title says, the film covers the relationships between one man, and ‘her’, referring to four different women.

Phoenix as Theodore 

L.A 2025 - Theodore Twombly (Phoenix) is a lonely introverted man, whose writes personal love letters on others’ behalf. His break-up with his childhood friend, Catherine (Mara) has left him distraught. He purchases OS 1, which is an operating system that ‘develops and grows’ with experience (or in other words, is artificially intelligent). The OS names itself Samantha (Johansson). Samantha learns all about Theodore’s life and gives him advice on dating. Eventually Theodore and Samantha fall in love with each other. How this unlikely relationship between a man and an operating system turns out, forms the rest of the film.

Amy Adams as Amy

The story has several needless scenes, but in the end, the lingering romance will leave you emotional. As I said before, the story is basically the relationships a man has with four women. One, his childhood friend Catherine, whom he loved deeply; two a woman with whom he goes with on a blind date, Amelia (Olivia Wilde); three, a long-term friend, Amy (Adams), with whom he remains friends; and four, an operating system, who understands him the most. Often we see that memories of Catherine prevent Theodore from falling in love with others, but Samantha, who also has experience of Theodore’s life, manages to make him love her back. The fights in a relationship, the joyous moments, the evanescent feelings of anger or pity are shown brilliantly in the film. The basic idea of the story reminds me of another line from a 1991 science fiction film, Terminator 2, where Sarah Connor says, “If a machine can understand humans, one day, so can we.”

Rooney Mara as Catherine

The acting by Phoenix is splendid. His portrayal of loneliness, sadness, the little instances of joy and anger are superb. Scarlett Johansson’s face is never shown, but her voice modulation is excellent. Through her dialogues and the way she speaks them alone, she makes the viewers believe that a machine can really act like a human. At times she is angry, at times happy, at times romantic and at times curious, and in all these cases, her vocal work is superb. Amy Adams and Rooney Mara have acted well too, even if they come for only about 15 minutes throughout the film.

Olivia Wilde as Amelia

                               The dialogues are in many places profane, and in this aspect, Jonze could have done a better job by reducing the number of swear words. The script, however, is excellent. Jonze's imagination should be appreciated. Through the dialogues alone, Jonze manages to put forth questions. Human relationships are not always perfect. Love failures are often painful. If the human mind and soul are not capable of handling this human emotions (as Catherine says), what happens? Does one become a brooding recluse? Who knows, maybe in the real future, operating systems like the one shown in the film may really be invented. Are machines the only solution? Will humans go to such an extent, that we find more comfort in machines than other fellow humans…? The score is melodious, and is perfect, given the scenario and story.

OS 1

To sum up, Spike Jonze’s Her is a different sort of film. It is a mixture of many genres: traces of sci-fi in the beginning, some amount of comedy too, but mostly, romance. Brilliant acting by Joaquin Phoenix and equally talented voicing by Johansson drive the film. The story is occasionally deviating, but manages to come back on track. By the end of the film, two things stick to you: one, the romance between Theodore and Samantha; two, the questions put forth by Jonze (or rather, the questions I feel Jonze has put forth). Of all the Best Picture nominees, Her may be the only one which actually makes you think.

My Rating: 4/5
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 94%

Captain Phillips (2013)

Director: Paul Greengrass
Screenplay: Billy Ray (based on the book by Richard Phillips and Stephan Talty) 
Cast: Tom Hanks, Barkhad Abdi 
Music: Henry Jackman
Time: 134 minutes
Bottom-line: Tom Hanks all the way

Veteran acting Tom Hanks returns to the screen in this Paul Greengrass biopic, Captain Phillips. The film is based on the pirate hijacking of Richard Phillips’ ship, his subsequent capture, and its aftermath. Tom Hanks portrays Captain Phillips, while Barkhad Abdi portrays the pirate chief Abduwali Muse. Despite its slow start, the film is a terrific entertainer, with Tom Hanks giving us another first-class performance.

In 2009, Richard Phillips (Hanks) takes charge of MV Maersk Alabama, an unarmed vessel carrying cargo. The ship is going from Oman to Mombasa. Phillips is aware of pirate activity off the Somalian coast, and hence prepares everyone aboard with a drill. Soon, a group of pirates led by Abduwali Muse (Abdi) manage to enter the ship. Phillips asks the crew to hide, and faces the pirates himself with two other men. After a lot of events, the pirates eventually take Phillips as hostage with them to Somalia. Whether or not the US Navy and the others are able to rescue Phillips, and what Phillips does to try and escape, form the rest of the film.

Hanks as Captain Phillips

When people realized that the Academy had not nominated Tom Hanks for the Oscar, I am pretty sure they would have been cursing the Academy. It must have been a touch choice for the Academy this year (for they can nominate only five actors for award), but I really feel that Hanks deserves an Oscar nomination (even if he doesn’t win). Till the last thirty minutes, Hanks pretty much has a standard facial expression. His displays authority and leadership quite well, and always has a very subtle expression of fear in his face. In the last thirty minutes, his acting is sublime. He expresses sadness, anger (for the first time in the film too) and shock. While everyone praised Barkhad Abdi for his acting, I found it good, but not great. He too, more or less, has the same expression throughout the film, but his portrayal of a villain is quite good, even more so as it is his debut film. The other actors who play the three pirates have done well, and in fact, no actor (be it an extra or a main character) disappoints, in this film.

Abdi as Abduwali Muse

The story is slow to start, with Greengrass giving an elaborate build-up for both Phillips and Muse. The introduction to both these characters could have been reduced, but after the first 35-40 minutes, the film is a straight road of thrill. Greengrass builds the suspense very well, and he also maintains it throughout the action scenes. He does well to show the twists and turns, and also makes the film realistic, instead of making it an all-hero show. There was some controversy after the film’s release, where many crew members said that Phillips was not main hero of the rescue mission, as shown in the film.

The four pirates

The scene where the pirates attack the ship, and the way Phillips tried to defend his ship are filmed brilliantly. The scenes of the final stage of the rescue mission is also thrilling to watch, thanks to the photography, which, in some places, is even better than Gravity. Jackman’s score is superb, and is in accordance with the scenes. In my view, the score just before the closing credits (not intending to create any controversy here) is similar to Hans Zimmer’s score just before the ending of Inception.

Hanks as Phillips (left), and the actual
Richard Phillips (right)

 To sum up, Paul Greengrass’ biopic Captain Phillips is a film where Tom Hanks once again shows why he is boss. Classy acting by him, with support from Abdi and all the other members of the cast, some great bits of photography and good background music are all the plus points of the film. Though the start is slow, the movie is a splendid thriller all the way.

My Rating: 4/5
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 93%

Vishwaroopam (2013)

Director: Kamal Haasan

Story: Kamal Haasan, Atul Tiwari

Cast: Kamal Haasan, Rahul Bose, Pooja Kumar, Andrea Jeremiah 

Music: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy

Time: 149 minutes

Bottom-line: Good, not great; in many ways a welcome break 

One of the most controversial films of recent times, Kamal Haasan’s Vishwaroopam is considered by many to be of Hollywood standards. But for me, it is just not the usual Indian film. For those who just want to experience a lot of thrill, the film delivers. However, many others have criticized the script for bring shallow, with very poor dialogues. Kamal stars in his own film, with Rahul Bose, Pooja Kumar and Andrea Jeremiah playing the supporting roles.

Kamal Haasan as Vishwanath

In New York, Dr. Nirupama (Pooja Kumar) is a nuclear oncologist, while her husband, Vishwanath a.k.a Viz (Kamal) is a dance teacher. She likes her boss more than Viz, and to make sure that Viz has no secrets, she hires someone to spy on him. The spy is killed by a terrorist gang led by Omar (Bose), who traces him to Nirupama. They capture Nirupama and Viz, who escape after Viz has a fight with the terrorists, and kills most of them. Nirupama now realizes that her husband is more than just a dance teacher. We see that Omar and Viz have a common past, as both of them were at the same Al-Qaeda camp, in 2002. The rest of the film tells us about Viz’s real identity, and whether or not he manages to stop Omar from executing his plan to destroy the city. 

Rahul Bose as Omar

In many ways the film is different from the usual Tamil films. There is only one song shown on screen (OMG indeed!), which too is pretty useless; there is no fistfight between the hero and villain; the story is told in somewhat non-linear narrative; the action scenes are indeed better. The story is slow to start, but kicks on after the warehouse fight, where Viz escapes from the terrorists. Many scenes that take place in the Al-Qaeda camp were boring, as not so many scenes are required to tell us the background of Viz’s real nature. (Spoiler alert) There are few loopholes here and there, and the ending is somewhat dumb. I mean, after all that running and escaping, I would liked it better if Kamal had ended the story with this film, instead of saying, “Either I should die, or Omar should,” and showing a trailer of the prophesied Vishwaroopam 2 (seriously, what is this? Harry Potter? What is all this ‘either me dying or him dying’ stuff?).

Kamal Haasan, with Pooja Kumar, who plays Nirupama

The acting by Kamal is good, but compared to his good films, this is nothing. Pooja Kumar has done a very poor job, often overacting. Most of her dialogues are also useless (and on that topic, there are only about 30-40 lines of good dialogue in the film; most of them are poor). Rahul Bose has done well, and Andrea Jeremiah has done a decent job. The song Unnai Kaanadhu in the beginning is not really needed, though it is melodious. The background score is excellent in the film. 

Andrea Jeremiah as Ashmita

The action scenes have been filmed well. The warehouse fight is one of the best scenes in the film. Yet, throughout the film, there is lots of violence, at places quite gory too. Kamal Haasan tries to become Quentin Tarantino, and perhaps this is one reason why people said that the film was of Hollywood standards, for it introduced a new level of violence in Tamil cinema. The violence, along with the portrayal of Muslims in the film, created widespread controversy, so much so that Kamal thought of leaving Tamil Nadu because of this. Theatres were attacked, and the release of the film was postponed for a long time. So, well, if you think you are going to be religiously affected, don’t watch the film. If want to watch the film with a light heart, then you can do so. 

To sum up, Kamal Haasan’s spy thriller Vishwaroopam provides thrills and entertainment, but has a lot of controversial issues. Tons of violence and of course, the way Muslims have been shown in the film have led to the banning of the film in many places. Kamal’s acting is good, Pooja Kumar’s acting is poor and that of the others is okay. I say again, the story is not great, nor is the film, but I liked it mainly (and perhaps only) because it was an attempt to create something different.

My Rating: 2.5/5

American Hustle (2013)

Director: David O. Russell
Story: Eric Warren Singer, David O. Russell
Cast: Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence, Jeremy Renner
Music: Danny Elfman
Time: 133 minutes
Bottom-line: A vibrant film, driven by the acting of all the leads 

Along with Gravity, David O. Russell’s American Hustle emerged as the film with the maximum number of Oscar nominations, with ten. Somewhat based on an actual scam in the 70s and 80s, the fast-paced story, accompanied by the strong performances by Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Christian Bale, and Jeremy Renner (in that order), make this crime-drama a solid entertainer.

Bale as Irving Rosenfeld 

Con artist Irving Rosenfeld (Bale) meets another con artist, Sydney Prosser (Adams), and they fall in love and begin a relationship. Prosser puts on a fake English accent, and helps to improve Rosenfeld’s scams. Though Rosenfeld loves Prosser, he does not want to leave his son with his somewhat psychotic wife, Rosalyn (Lawrence). Both Rosenfeld and Prosser get caught in a loan scam by FBI Agent Richie DiMaso (Cooper), but he agrees to let them go free, if they help him to make four more arrests, including that of the Mayor of Camden, Carmine Polito (Renner). Prosser wants to escape, but Rosenfeld does not want to leave without his son. So eventually, they agree to DiMaso’s deal. Whether or not the con artists complete the deal forms the rest of the film.

Adams as Sydney Prosser

This is the second film, since 1985 (after Silver Linings Playbook, also a David O. Russell film), to win Academy Award nominations in all four acting categories. You want an actor to do a weight transformation and put on any costume, and perhaps even change his accent, you bring in the man: Christian Bale. Gaining an extra 40 pounds, Bale does a really remarkable job in the film, but yet, I felt that DiCaprio’s acting in The Wolf of Wall Street was better. This is Bale’s best acting performance so far, perhaps second only to The Prestige. Bradley Cooper, with his fast dialogues and humorous scenes, stuns the audience with a lively performance. Amy Adams, with her put-on English accent and a wide range of emotions has also acted very well. Though Renner comes in for a comparatively short time, he manages to make a mark with his acting. The best of this ensemble cast is Jennifer Lawrence. She is just 23, but has remarkable potential, and can become great soon. Her portrayal of the psychotic Rosalyn is brilliant. The scene where she dances around singing Live and Let Die perfectly brings out the nature of her character.

Cooper as Richie DiMaso

I like the way O. Russell has chosen this powerful cast: on one side you have experienced actors like Bale, Adams and even Renner, while on the other side you have upcoming actors like Cooper and Lawrence. Yet, when they act together, it enhances the film. The costumes of the actors, their hairstyles and make-up all add to the uniqueness of the cast. All the members of the cast look different, compared to the way people usually picture these actors. Danny Elfman’s score is good, and in many places, some songs are played in the background.

Lawrence as Rosalyn 

Eric Singer and O. Russell have written a nearly taut script. Though the opening of the film says ‘Some of this really happened’, there are a number of historical inaccuracies. But altering history has only made the story better. In many places the dialogues and the story are quite funny, despite the profanity used. The romance and a few other scenes make the film go offbeat, but Russell manages to bring the film on course in quick time. The characters are well-developed, and Russell has done well to give the right roles to the right people. The story is never boring, and is always entertaining.

Renner as Carmine Polito 

To conclude, David O. Russell’s American Hustle is an excellent crime drama, with a brilliant script and scintillating performances by all the leads. Lawrence and Cooper deserve the Oscars for acting, but Bale hasn't done as well as DiCaprio and Amy Adams' performance was not as good as that of Sandra Bullock (in Gravity), in my view. In most aspects, American Hustle delivers the goods.



My Rating: 4/5
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 93%

Gravity (2013)

Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Story: Alfonso Cuarón, Jonas Cuarón
Cast: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney 
Music: Steven Price
Time: 91 minutes 
Bottom-line: Stunning, dazzling, exhilarating

It is rare to see a science fiction film get the Best Picture Oscar, but I would feel disappointed if Gravity does not win this time. Though 12 Years a Slave is the most favoured film among critics, no film has been able to win the admiration of critics and audiences alike, as Gravity. Excelling in all aspects, viewing this film is a magical experience.

In space, no one can hear you scream. Dr. Ryan Stone (Bullock) is on her maiden voyage in space. Her job is to fix the Hubble Telescope. Accompanying her is veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski (Clooney), who is on his last voyage. They receive news from Houston that some debris is approaching them. Soon, hundreds of pieces of debris attack the shuttle, and both Stone and Kowalski are detached from the shuttle. Their contact with Houston is lost, all the other crew members are dead and both of them are just drifting into space. Whether or not they manage to get back to the Earth forms the rest of the story.

Sandra Bullock as Dr. Ryan Stone

The film is actually more of a documentary, in my opinion, so there is no story. It takes place in real time, almost, and it covers the various dangers and challenges astronauts have to face, if at all they get detached from a shuttle and start floating in space. Yet, from the first minute, the film moves at breakneck pace. Of course, these sort of films will always have some scientific inaccuracy, but many people have said that Gravity is quite acceptable, despite a few inaccuracies.

Though the story takes place in space, lots of other themes appear in the story: hope, survival, solitude and other psychological effects in the mind. The film tells that no matter how deep in a mess you may be in, there is always hope.

The visual effects are awesome. The crashes and other accidents look dazzling in 2D (because I saw the film in 2D), and I am sure in 3D they would have been spectacular. All these disasters are quite thrilling to see, and you also sit on the edge of your seat during these scenes, for they appear so realistic. Another aspect that boosts the film is Price’s score. In many places, the music crescendos, and then abruptly stops, just to show the contrasting silence of space. Even when the word GRAVITY appears in the beginning, the score’s volume increases, and then suddenly stops, and the viewers experience the eerie quietness of space. His score is good in other parts of the film as well.

George Clooney as Matt Kowalski

Sandra Bullock is the main driving force of Gravity. George Clooney comes for about 35 minutes in the film, but Bullock stays from the first till the last. She has about 85% of the dialogues in the film, with Clooney having about 10% and the remaining 5% are from the guys at Houston. But overall, the dialogues in the film are poor. Bullock’s portrayal of fear, desperation and sadness are superb, that you also empathize with her during few scenes.

The settings are brilliant as well. The space shuttles, the space station are all shown on screen, and even the intricate details are shown. This, along with the visual effects makes the film a pretty authentic science fiction movie, with little bits of information about space here and there.

To sum up, Alfonso Cuarón’s sci-fi thriller Gravity is a masterpiece. Breathtaking visual effects and sets, splendid acting and a story that has a little bit of humour, science and various other elements make this film a delight for all audiences alike. The running time is just 91 minutes, but these ninety minutes are totally worth spending to watch the film. Go for it!

My Rating: 4.5/5
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 97%

Vertigo (1958)

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Screenplay: Alec Coppel, Samuel A. Taylor (based on the novel by Boileau-Narcejac)

Cast: James Stewart, Kim Novak

Music: Bernard Herrmann

Time: 129 minutes

Bottom-line: Perhaps a bit far-fetched, but a classic thriller

 Very classy, very Hitchcockian is Vertigo. This 1958 Hitchcock thriller stars James Stewart (in his fourth collaboration with Hitchcock) and Kim Novak in the lead roles. Often considered the director’s best work, Vertigo masterfully combines romance and suspense to give a different type of psychological thriller. Known for its chilling score and some unique camerawork, this film reinforces why Hitchcock is one of the greatest and most influential directors of Hollywood. In my 100th review, I revisit that very film. 

James Stewart as John "Scottie" Ferguson

Everyone has a fear of their own; John “Scottie” Ferguson (Stewart) has a fear of heights. That’s where the story begins. After seeing a fellow cop fall to his death, Scottie has quit the force, and is slowly recovering from acrophobia and vertigo. His friend, Galvin Elster, asks him to undertake a private investigation: he wants Scottie to follow his wife Madeleine (Novak), who is supposedly possessed by the spirit of a woman named Carlotta Valdes. She seems to wander away into another world, and never remembers anything about it either. Scottie reluctantly follows Madeleine, and in the process falls in love with her. Galvin informs Scottie to be more careful, as Carlotta committed suicide when she was 26, and Madeleine was also 26. With his vertigo and acrophobia causing problems, Scottie must still try his best to save Madeleine. Whether or not he does so forms the rest of the film. 

Kim Novak as Madeleine

Remarkable work by Hitchcock: be it in direction, casting and the other touches. Hitchcock puts his trust in Herrmann with the score, and he never disappoints. Then there is the camerawork. The ones used to show Scottie’s dream after the church scene, and the ones used to show his fear are brilliant. One technique which has its roots in this film is the (aptly named) Vertigo effect, where the camera moves away, but zooms in at the same time. Some shots of silhouettes and other shots taken from different camera angles are few of the Hitchcock touches I liked. 

A dream sequence that Scottie has, after being
haunted by a particular incident that takes place
at the church

The story initially starts out as a mystery thriller, with the reason behind Madeleine’s weird behaviour causing doubts. The story goes pretty well, and at a rapid pace, till the sequence of events that take place in the church. Towards the last thirty minutes or so, the story gets a little far-fetched, as we know the answer by then. In the remaining 40 minutes or so of the film, it is about how Scottie tries to finally solve the mystery. Until then, you will feel eager to know what actually happened to Madeleine and why she is behaving in such a way. Is she really possessed? Or is it an elaborate set-up? The answer to these questions is what makes the film a wee bit far-fetched, but yet, the mystery is perfectly constructed: no loopholes or flaws. The romance may seem like it is offbeat and is ruining the tempo, but love has a big part to play in the mystery.

In my opinion, among the four Hitchcock-Stewart films, this is the one where James Stewart has acted the best. The way he portrays a fear of heights is excellent: his facial expressions, body movements, all make you feel that James Stewart really does have acrophobia. The way he expresses love, shock and surprise are also superb. Kim Novak has also acted well, and her portrayal of being possessed is quite good. The film was known for the way it portrayed vertigo, mainly because of the score and photography, but I feel that James Stewart also has an equal contribution in making the film great in that aspect. 

The scene where the Vertigo effect is used.

Great work by Bernard Herrmann on the score, which is another driving force of the film. It is chilling, and in some places hypnotic. The score during the church scene, especially during the places where Scottie’s fear is shown, and the music when the story gets more romantic are simply brilliant. His score was voted the 12th best score of all time. The film Vertigo was recognized as the 18th best thriller, the best mystery film, and the 9th greatest film of the past century by the American Film Institute. 

Overall, Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo is another masterpiece among many other films of his. Splendid acting by James Stewart and Kim Novak, great background music, a well constructed – albeit far-fetched - mystery and some unique photography make Vertigo a Hollywood classic. It may not appeal to the modern day youth, but it is a good entertainer for sure. 

My Rating: 4.5/5

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 98%

Lincoln (2012)

Director: Steven Spielberg
Screenplay: Tony Kushner (based on the book by Doris Kearns Goodwin)
Cast: Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, Tommy Lee Jones 
Music: John Williams
Time: 150 minutes 
Bottom-line: An excellent performance-driven film

Emerging as the film with maximum Academy nominations at the 85th Academy Awards (with 12 nominations), Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln is a biopic that focuses entirely on the last months of American President Abraham Lincoln. Starring Daniel Day-Lewis - who won his third Oscar for acting – Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones in the lead roles, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Hal Holbrook in the supporting roles, this film draws strong performances from all of them.

Daniel Day-Lewis as Lincoln

The film mainly tells the events in Lincoln’s life dealing with the passing of the 13th Amendment that abolished slavery in the United States. President Lincoln (Lewis) wants to abolish slavery in the US, and also wants the Civil War to end soon. He finds out that even if all the Republicans vote for it, he still requires votes from several Democratic congressmen for it to pass. So he decides to get help from Francis Blair, another politician, who in turn asks for peace negotiations between the Confederates and the Union. (Not explaining the full plot, for I have to into history for that) The rest of the film covers the various incidents: how Lincoln tries to get votes, whether or not the Amendment is actually passed, and what happens to the Civil War. The film ends with Lincoln’s assassination.

Lincoln's wife Mary Todd Lincoln, played
by Sally Field

Unlike other biopics that I have seen, which focus on many years of a person’s life (as in The Aviator and The Iron Lady), Lincoln focuses only on the last four months of Lincoln’s life, and hence the film is bit more detailed than expected. So I found it difficult to follow the plot, as it speaks a lot about American history, with which you have to be familiar to understand the plot. I felt that Spielberg could have used a voice-over perhaps to give an introduction as to what the film is going to dealing with, thereby helping most of the viewers (even those not so familiar with Lincoln) to understand the film. Of course, after reading the summary of the film later and surfing about American history a little I was able to follow the story.

Tommy Lee Jones as Thaddeus Stevens,
another person who helps Lincoln secure
the votes. 

But yet, one can have a vague idea of the plot if he listens to the dialogues carefully. Other than the story, everything else about the film is almost flawless. The period settings are excellent, and the costumes as well. And the make-up was well, simply astonishing! Daniel Day-Lewis looks like the actual Lincoln, and others like Sally Field and Jones also look pretty much like the real-life characters. John Williams’ score was superb, and in all his collaborations with Spielberg, he has never failed to deliver.

As I said, the make-up and costumes were superb.
Here is a comparison between the actual Abraham
Lincoln (left), and Lewis portraying Lincoln 

Now, to the important part: the acting. Daniel Day-Lewis won his third Academy Award for Best Actor, making him the person to have won it the most number of times. He appears in almost all the scenes of the film, he has several lengthy dialogues and a lot of responsibility as well (for after all, his character is the one that does everything!). His facial expressions, voice modulations are all brilliant, and I am guessing even the actual Abraham Lincoln would have been impressed! Tommy Lee Jones’ provides some humour here and there, and also has some powerful dialogues. Sally Field plays Lincoln's wife, and her character’s importance is shown in the film, and her acting is also splendid. Both Jones and Field were nominated for Best Supporting Actor and Best Actress respectively at the Oscars. Thanks to the acting (of other supporting actors as well) and dialogues, the courtroom scenes – even if you can’t understand what is going on – are quite interesting to watch. Joseph Gordon-Levitt has also done well, even if his role is a small one.

To conclude, Steven Spielberg’s biopic Lincoln shines in its acting and settings. Its story is good, and now that I know the actual events covered in the film, I say Spielberg and the writers have actually done well to make a decent film out of a what would usually be a history lesson. But the problem is that a number of the viewers may not be familiar with the life of Lincoln, and hence find the movie boring. Yet, I found the film to be good thanks to the other aspects. Worst case, if you feel that you still can’t understand the film, at least watch for the first-class acting!

My Rating: 3.5/5
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 90%

The Adventures of Tintin (2011)

Director: Steven Spielberg
Screenplay: Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright, Joe Cornish (based on the books by Hergé)  
Cast: Jamie Bell, Daniel Craig, Andy Serkis
Music: John Williams
Time: 107 minutes
Bottom-line: Thumbs-up!

Tintin, the world-famous comic-strip character, comes to the big screen, and surprise: it is a Steven Spielberg film! In 2011, Spielberg decides to direct a 3D animated film about Tintin. The voices for the characters are given by Jamie Bell and Andy Serkis for Tintin and Captain Haddock respectively. The film is based on three Tintin books written by Hergé. Personally, I am a big fan of Tintin. That, along with assured great direction from Spielberg, makes this film a superb one.

Tintin 

Tintin (Bell), a young reporter, and his dog Snowy are surfing through some artifacts in a market, and Tintin decides to buy a miniature model of a ship called The Unicorn. Immediately, two more gentlemen, Barnaby and Ivan Sakharine (Craig) are willing to buy the ship from him, each offering a fortune for it. Yet, Tintin ignores their offers and keeps the ship. Tintin finds a piece of parchment inside the model, but is unable to make out what is written on it. Things get weirder when Tintin’s model gets stolen, and he notices an exact model of the ship in Sakharine’s house. Soon, Sakharine kidnaps Tintin and keeps him hostage in his ship, where Tintin meets Captain Haddock (Serkis) - the actual captain - who is permanently drunk and has no idea of what is going on the ship. As the story goes on, Tintin realizes that the models of The Unicorn actually contain clues leading to a treasure, which was hidden by Haddock’s ancestor. Whether or not he is able to find the treasure using the clues forms the rest of the film.

Captain Haddock

The story is a confluence of three Tintin books: The Crab with the Golden Claws, The Secret of the Unicorn, and Red Rackham’s Treasure, but the film mainly draws ideas from the first two. Though the main story is from Hergé’s works, the film is also in many ways similar to Raiders of the Lost Ark, another famous Spielberg film. In both films, there are clues leading to a treasure, there are two parties searching for the same treasure, the hero gets captured and he escapes, there are exotic locations and few other similarities as well.

Detectives Thomson and Thompson, with Tintin

Though the film does not have the subtle humour one finds in the comic strips, the film has several funny dialogues and other comic scenes, mainly caused by Snowy and the Captain, with the usual contributions from Thomson and Thompson. The story moves at a rapid pace, the writers of the screenplay have done very well to combine three books into one single story. John Williams' continues to amaze with his awesome score, for which he also received an Oscar nomination.

The film has several interesting sequences. The scene where Tintin and the Captain escape from Sakharine’s ship; the scenes that Haddock narrates about his ancestor; the sword fight between Haddock’s ancestor and another pirate, Red Rackham; the chase through the town, when Tintin tries to get back the scroll from Sakharine’s bird are few of the really well-created scenes in the film. Moreover, the 3D effect also adds to the excitement and thrill of the action sequences. The animation is excellent, and the characters are very real indeed. Their facial expressions are almost like that of real actors and not like that of animated characters.

Last but not the least: Snowy

To conclude, Steven Spielberg’s The Adventures of Tintin is a splendid film that boasts in storytelling and in animation. Some thrilling action scenes, funny dialogues and incidents and brilliant animation make this film a thorough entertainer. It is not an overstatement to say that this film might be the best one that has been made on Tintin, yet.


My Rating: 4/5
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 75% 

Enthiran (2010)

Director: S. Shankar
Story: S. Shankar, Sujatha, Madhan Karky 
Cast: Rajinikanth, Aishwarya Rai, Danny Denzongpa
Music: A.R. Rahman
Time: 170 minutes
Bottom-line: In the end, a disappointment

Some called this a revolutionary film in Tamil, while others praised only the visual effects. I, for one, belong to the latter category. Shankar’s Enthiran is indeed brilliant in its technical aspects, but when it comes to the other aspects that make up the film, it is below average. The film stars Superstar Rajinikanth and Aishwarya Rai in the lead roles, with Danny Denzongpa and Santhanam in the supporting roles. The film is sort of a mix of The Terminator, I, Robot along with the usual Indian drama elements.

Rajinikanth as Dr. Vaseegaran

Dr. Vaseegaran (Rajinikanth) is a scientist who makes robots. He makes a special android robot (which looks like himself), for commissioning into the Indian Army. Vaseegaran’s girlfriend, Sana (Rai) is unhappy with him because of he is ignoring her due to his work. After introducing the robot (which is named Chitti) to the public, Vaseegaran’s mentor, Dr. Bohra (Danny) becomes jealous, as he is also trying to create a similar android, but is failing in the task. Eventually Vaseegaran decides it is time to teach the concept of human emotions to Chitti, but soon, this idea works against him, as Chitti falls in love with Sana. This triggers a conflict between Vaseegaran and Chitti, and soon, Chitti begins using his powers in the wrong manner. Whether or not Vaseegaran is able to control Chitti and save everyone from destruction is what forms the rest of the story.

Rajinikanth as Chitti, the robot

When Avatar came out in 2009, it took the world by storm with its special effects. In Enthiran too, the visual effects are dazzling. Some fight scenes and the various structures the robots form together are exciting to watch. But, in my opinion, the effects are good, as far as Indian films are concerned. For the local public, the film was revolutionary in its technical aspects. For me, I find the visual effects in Terminator 2, which came about 20 years before this film, much better and advanced than the ones used in Enthiran. Yet, while watching this film, I admit I was stunned.

Aishwarya Rai as Sana

Now, other than this one thing, the rest of the film was a disappointment. The story was okay, with some irritating parts here and there. The scene where Chitti takes elaborate measures to catch a mosquito that bit Sana, and the scene where Vaseegaran and Sana meet to discuss about their love are boring, and the dialogues which are supposed to create comedy don’t work out well either. In the first half, it is mainly about how Vaseegaran tries to make Chitti mingle with the public. There is some comedy and lots of drama till the interval. In the second half, there is nothing but fights between robots and humans, and these scenes, except for the effects, were pretty boring. The song Kaadhal Anukkal was nice and Arima was good too, and the others were average. Yet, the score by Rahman was superb.

Danny Denzongpa as Dr. Bohra. His acting was okay: not good
not bad. 

Rajinikanth’s acting is excellent. He does well to act as both a normal human and a robot; he changes his voice and actions accordingly. Aishwarya Rai’s acting was, in one word, useless. Her character is important, but her acting was poor. Santhanam creates some comedy, though half his jokes are lame. His character, and the one of Vaseegaran’s other assistant, are somewhat unnecessary, except for one crucial dialogue that forms the basis of the entire film. The characters of Vaseegaran’s parents are not at all needed, and on that topic, if Shankar had cut many unnecessary scenes in the first and maybe few in the second half as well, the film could have easily been thirty minutes shorter.

To sum up, Shankar’s Enthiran is an entertainer all right, but disappointing in the end. You can watch the film only to see the visual effects, and of course, if you are a regular fan of Superstar (which I am not). The acting of Rajini is good, but that of others is poor. Some dialogues are memorable, others funny, and many are useless too. Yet, few dialogues from the film have become viral, especially Chitti’s “Robot” (said in a sort of stylish fashion). Most of the songs are average, but the choreography is good, as is the score. However, with its huge budget and star cast, I felt that the final result could have been better.

My Rating: 2.5/5

National Treasure (2004)

Director: Jon Turteltaub
Story: Jim Kouf, Oren Aviv, Charles Segars 
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Diane Kruger, Justin Bartha, Sean Bean
Music: Trevor Rabin
Time: 131 minutes
Bottom-line: If you like treasure hunts, this film is a popcorn thriller

An action-packed film is what Jon Turtletaub gives the viewers, in National Treasure. In numerous ways similar to The Da Vinci Code, this film follows a historian cum cryptologist who goes in search of a lost treasure hidden by the Freemasons. Starring Nicolas Cage, Diane Kruger, Sean Bean, Justin Bartha in the lead roles, with Harvey Keitel in the supporting role, this film promises entertainment if and only if you love treasure hunts.

Benjamin “Ben” Gates (Cage) is a descendant of a long line of treasure hunters. Despite his father’s discouragement, Ben continues with the search of an enormous treasure, after he gets a clue, which leads him to the Arctic. His team includes computer expert Riley Poole (Bartha) and Ian Howe (Bean). They discover a ship, and inside find another message, which Ben interprets. He tells that it leads them to the Declaration of Independence. Ian says that he will steal the Declaration to get to the treasure, and Ben opposes. This leads to a fight, and Ian and Ben (along with Riley) escape, but are now two different groups searching for the treasure. Ben goes back to the US, and tries to convince the authorities, including a woman named Dr. Abagail Chase (Kruger), that some men are going to steal the Declaration. When no one believes him, Ben knows that through hook or crook, it is up to him to save the Declaration, and also the treasure. Whether or not he finds the treasure, and whether he can find it before Ian, forms the rest of the film.

Cage as Ben Gates, with Kruger

The story goes at a very rapid pace. But well, there is no depth in the story: it is just a non-stop treasure hunt, with one chase after another. So, if you are a fan of films/books of this genre, then you will enjoy the film, but if you are not, you will only mock at the highly impossible events in the story. From the start, it is all about how one clue leads to the next. The clues seem to make sense to me, but of course, they are not exactly realistic. The heist methods are thrilling to see, but whether or not they are possible in real life is a question mark. But in films like these, you can either ignore these things and enjoy the movie, or you can criticize the absurdity. I, for one, choose the former option, but yet, some scenes are very unrealistic to me.

Bartha as Riley Poole

The acting is overall, poor, but Justin Bartha’s performance is brilliant. Cage has a face of stone, with hardly any expression, and Diane Kruger seemed to overact in some places. Yet, Bartha, with his comic expressions, and his dialogues, manages to provide lots of subtle humour even at serious times. Ben takes a more serious look at the events, whereas Riley always takes everything a little lightly, and this is what helps to create humour from Riley’s character. Bartha’s performance was a standout, I must say.

Kruger as Dr. Abagail Chase

The score is good, as was the camerawork. The settings were excellent, especially the ones used to show the underground chambers. The scenes shown here were quite exciting to watch, though the suspense was not so good. The scenes that take place in the Arctic, the van chase were somewhat unrealistic, but the heist scenes were pretty convincing. The action scenes are not bad, but they could have been improved.

To sum up, Jon Turtletaub gives a fast-paced story in National Treasure, which is in many ways like The Da Vinci Code. If you like treasure hunts (I do), then the film is enjoyable. The acting could have been greatly improved, unless you feel that in such films the acting need not play a role (I don’t). Bartha’s performance is excellent, and deserves praise. The story is quite unrealistic, but entertainment is guaranteed.

My Rating: 3.5/5
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 45%

Anniyan (2005)

English translation: Stranger
Director: S. Shankar
Story: S. Shankar
Cast: Vikram, Sadha, Prakash Raj, Vivek
Music: Harris Jayaraj
Time: 181 minutes
Bottom-line: Takes more time than it should, but an excellent film 

One of Shankar’s and Vikram’s best films, Anniyan is a vigilante film, which also provides wholesome entertainment. The film stars comedian Vivek, Sadha and Prakash Raj in the supporting roles, with Harris Jayaraj directing the music. The story is about ‘Anniyan’, a dark knight who punishes all small criminals in and around Tamil Nadu. Despite its comedy and romantic tracks, in the end, the film also asks the society to fight crime, instead of ignoring it.

Vikram as Ambi

Ambi (Vikram) is an innocent and honest lawyer, who cannot bear it if anyone breaks the law. He has a habit of always being prim, proper and law-abiding all the time, and this eventually gets him to develop a Multiple Personality Disorder, which causes a new character, Anniyan (Vikram) to grow within him. While Ambi is harmless, Anniyan is a psychotic killer. Ambi loves his neighbour Nandhini (Sadha), who rejects him because of his strict following of rules. As he attempts to commit suicide, another character comes up from within him: a fashion model named Remo (also Vikram), who is able to win Nandhini’s heart. Meanwhile, DCP Prabhakar (Prakash Raj) and Chari (Vivek), Ambi’s close friend, are following the doings of Anniyan, who viciously murders the criminals using ancient punishment methods. What happens to Ambi, Anniyan and Remo, how their characters clash, and whether or not Prabhakar is able to capture Anniyan form the rest of the film.

Vikram as Anniyan

The story mainly deals with crime in India. The film, in many ways, is like Evano Oruvan, but the difference is that in the Madhavan film, the person who fights crime is an ordinary man like you and me, where here, it is a person whom everyone knows and fears. But yet, the message is same: unless people are punished, no one gives a damn about committing crimes. Criminals are going to prosper unless they feel (physically) that what they are doing is wrong. The punishments shown in the film are very violent, but the point is the same: criminals should be punished, whether in a violent way or not.

Vikram as Remo

With this being the main track, the rest of the film is a normal drama. Vivek’s comedy is quite good at some places, but unnecessary at other places. The romance is a bit irritating, but it forms an important part of the story. The story is fast-paced and entertaining, with entertainment from all angles. Though the songs and Harris Jayaraj won awards, I did not find the songs appealing. None of the songs were good, and they only add to the running time. Yet, the score was excellent. I like the ending of the film: it is slightly ambiguous, but is perhaps the best ending one can give to Anniyan. The film is at times very violent, and while you can argue that violence can be reduced, I say that some criminals can only be corrected if the police or whoever are violent to them. The main theme of the story are also parodied in Thamizh Padam.

Vivek as Chari (left), and Prakash Raj as Prabhakar

The acting is the best part of the film. Vikram is sublime in all the three roles, and is irreplaceable. Be it the softness, humbleness and innocence of Ambi, the romantic charm and style of Remo, or the viciousness and psychotic character of Anniyan, Vikram is brilliant in portraying all of them. Sadha has done fairly well. Prakash Raj has acted superbly too, and Vivek does well to provide the comic timing even in serious times. Though several comedy scenes are not necessary, Vivek still makes us laugh during those times (like in the scenes where they go in the train).

Sadha as Nandhini

To sum up, Shankar’s Anniyan is a great entertainer, with a social message. The story is good, but perhaps thirty minutes longer than needed. However, the message it gives should really be followed by our government and people: if people are committing crimes, small or big, punish them in such a way that they don’t do it again. Whether the punishment is violent or not is not really a problem. Vikram’s superb acting, along with good performances by the supporting cast boost the film. The songs have become popular among the people, but to me, they were never that good.

My Rating: 4/5