The Great Gatsby (2013)

The poster itself shows the wide range of costumes used
in the film

Director: Baz Luhrmann
Story: Baz Luhrmann and Craig Pearce (based on the novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald) 
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton 
Music: Craig Armstrong
Time: 141 minutes
Bottom-line: Many a time boring, but a dazzling ride

It was a long time since I had seen a good DiCaprio film, and The Great Gatsby wasn’t the best choice. The film stars Leo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire in the lead roles, with Carey Mulligan and Joel Edgerton in the supporting roles. Though it was a critical failure, I liked the film to some extent. The main highlight is the lavish production design.

DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby

Nick Carraway (Maguire) is being treated in a sanatorium, when he narrates the story of (and simultaneously writes a book about) Jay Gatsby (DiCaprio), a man whom he describes as ‘the most hopeful person he had even met’. In 1922, Nick moves to New York, where his neighbour (later found to be Gatsby) lives in an enormous mansion. Nick’s sister, Daisy (Mulligan) lives across the bay, and is married to Tom Buchanan (Edgerton). Edgerton, however, has an affair with someone else. Nick’s neighbour is very mysterious: he throws expensive parties for no apparent reason, and all the people of the city attend, even without invitation. Nick is the only one who actually gets invited, and he learns that none of them have really met Gatsby! So what is the real nature of Gatsby? And why is he the great Gatsby? Watch the film to find out!

Maguire as Nick, with DiCaprio

The story is boring. I thought The Wolf of Wall Street was the film with maximum amount of screen time given to partying, but I think this film tops that. For the first thirty minutes or so, the story is very slow, with lots of time given to parties at New York and Gatsby’s. I found the story boring at many places, and I felt that after thirty minutes, the film suddenly moved very fast, and the ending was also sort of abrupt. The pace of the film wasn’t satisfactory. But at the end, you feel sorry for Gatsby. (Spoiler alert) Nick says (about Gatsby), “Of all the people who attended his parties, no one attended his funeral. And from Daisy, not even a flower.” This shows a sad reality, where things are being loved more than people. As long as someone does good deeds to you, you remember them. Once they are gone or once they stop doing the good things, you forget them instantly.

Mulligan as Daisy

Now, as I said, the parties and celebrations slow the pace of the film, but, I admit, they are visually stunning. The production design in the film is most certainly award-worthy as are the costumes (and they did win the Oscars). The elaborate settings, lavish costumes and designs are breathtaking (full credits to Catherine Martin, who won her 4th Oscar). The camera work was also excellent, even though I couldn’t enjoy it fully, for I saw it the film in 2D (and this is a 3D film). I also liked Craig Armstrong’s score.

Edgerton as Tom

In the acting part, DiCaprio’s performance is the best. The film gets a little entertaining only after DiCaprio comes on screen, which, surprisingly, is only after thirty minutes or so after the start of the film. His slightly different accent, fast dialogues, and a range of expressions make his performance stand out. His character is also a mysterious one. His true nature is shown as the film progresses, and in the end, as I said, you feel sorry for him. This is why Nick changes the title of his story from Gatsby to The Great Gatsby. Tobey Maguire’s acting was poor most of the time. Edgerton and Mulligan have done well too; Edgerton’s acting starts off poorly but gets better towards the end. Four-time National Award winner from India, Amitabh Bachchan, also makes a cameo role in the film, as Gatsby’s friend, Meyer Wolfsheim.

One such party at Gatsby's. Like I said, one has to admire the
settings!

To sum up, Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby is a film that excels in production design, costumes and settings (See the poster I used, and read the caption). I felt amazed at the amount spent for these things (the budget is an estimated $105 million, which, compared to films like Avatar and Spiderman 3, is less), but final result was well worth it. Leo’s acting is superb, but that of the others are okay. The story is boring, but the ending was good. If you a Leo fan, go for it (that was the main reason I saw the film!) but it is certainly not one of his best.

My Rating: 3/5
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 49%

Zodiac (2007)

Director: David Fincher
Screenplay: James Vanderbilt (based on the book by Robert Graysmith)
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr. 
Music: David Shire
Time: 157 minutes
Bottom-line: No guns, no fights, but still probably the best detective film I have seen

Zodiac is not your usual crime thriller. In fact, the thrill that this film provides is proportional to your patience. The story is based on actual events that took place in the late 1960s and early 70s, and it is about a serial killer. This case remains, till date, as one of the most infamous unsolved cases. Jake Gyllenhaal and Mark Ruffalo play the lead roles, with Anthony Edwards and Robert Downey Jr. playing the supporting roles.

Gyllenhaal as Robert Graysmith

One night, two teenagers are brutally shot in Vallejo. The boy survives, while the girl dies of injuries. A month later, a letter written by the killer arrives at the San Francisco Chronicle. Working there are cartoonist Robert Graysmith (Gyllenhaal) – who would later write the book on which the film is based – and crime reporter Paul Avery (Downey Jr.). In the next few months, several letters arrive, each with a cryptic message. The killer calls himself the ‘Zodiac’. When the Zodiac murders a cab driver, detective Dave Toschi (Ruffalo) is assigned to the case. Robert soon becomes obsessed with case, and starts to conduct his own investigations. Whether or not the Zodiac gets caught and how this case transforms the lives of the lead characters form the rest of the film.

Ruffalo as Dave Toschi

The story is based on actual case files, as the caption at the beginning of the film says. So, I said that the case remains unsolved, but I am not going to tell you how David Fincher ends the film... see that for yourself! The way the film is shown is exactly as if you are reading it in a book. Except for the two brutal murder scenes, the film has no violence and no action. It is entirely dialogue-driven, and it follows the step-by-step investigation conducted by the police and Graysmith. But, the suspense is still there in every scene. As I watched this on my computer, I could pause and rewind to understand the dialogues more carefully, and you may need to do the same. This link provides the entire story, but read it after watching the film, if you are interested in what actually happened. If you like mystery novels, you will enjoy the film more. Just follow the dialogues, the other clues shown on the screen, and you will understand the film, with perhaps, a little help from Google too.

Downey Jr. as Paul Avery

In the technical aspects, the film is brilliant. Fincher is adept with the use of visual effects. He doesn’t flood the screen with CGI but uses just the right amount of effects at just the right places. The slow-motion murder sequences really make you feel the brutality of the killings (look out for the camerawork in the scene building up the murder of the cab driver). The cinematography and Shire’s score are top notch as well. The period settings (which also involved some CGI) and editing are equally good. But half the scenes are shot in the dark, and a few important dialogues are spoken on the phone, which are not heard that clearly, so it becomes a little difficult to follow the film.

The killer, as shown in the film

As far as acting goes, it is a Jake Gyllenhaal show. In the first half of the film, he hardly displays any emotion, but in the second half, his acting is awesome. Robert Downey Jr. comes mainly in the first half. Now, this film came before Downey Jr. started playing Iron Man, but he still had style in him. Even though he is log-faced, his style made me like his acting. Mark Ruffalo was utterly bored with his role. I hope that the real Dave Toschi had a better attitude towards the case; Ruffalo, throughout the film, looks like ‘The Zodiac was never found, so why should I act as if I am going to find him?’

Overall, David Fincher’s Zodiac is a classy thriller. Don’t expect anything big – there are no fights and such, but only dialogues. But if a mystery novel with only police work can be made into such a suspenseful film, credit goes to Fincher and crew: this is a perfect display of the surgical, meticulous detective work. The story is thrilling, provided you are willing to do a bit of extra research to understand the actual events fully. In my view, this is one of the best crime thrillers (which involve police work I mean) I have seen.

Note: Another useful link: http://zodiackiller.com

My Rating: 5/5
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 89%

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

Director:  Gore Verbinski
Story: Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Stuart Beattie, Jay Wolpert
Cast: Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley
Music: Klaus Badelt
Time: 135 minutes
Bottom-line: Not quite a popcorn film, but terrific entertainment

The film that began one of the most popular film series of all time, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is the first installment in the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise. Johnny Depp stars as the Captain Jack Sparrow, and his performance earned him an Academy Award nomination. Orlando Bloom, Geoffrey Rush and Keira Knightley play the supporting roles. It is not quite a popcorn film, but worth a watch.

Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow

A 12-year-old girl, Elizabeth, in a ship, makes friends with another small boy, William, who has just been saved from the sea. She notices he has a pirate chain, and hides it, lest he be killed by her father. Eight years later, Elizabeth (Knightley) is proposed to by a Commodore, but she faints and falls into the sea before she can answer. She is saved by Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp), but she is wearing the pirate chain, which sends a pulse to the ship The Black Pearl. As Sparrow is a pirate, he is sentenced to death. But that night, the immortal crew of The Black Pearl comes alive because of the chain, and they capture Elizabeth. To retrieve her, her lover, William (Bloom) releases Sparrow in return for taking him to the ship. What follows are fights and lots of action, and of course, the final clash between Sparrow and the captain of The Black Pearl, Captain Barbossa (Rush).

Bloom as William Turner

Depp plays Captain Jack Sparrow, which may not be his greatest role, but arguably his most famous one. The character’s comic timing and expressions, behaviour, hilarious dialogues, attitude, and of course, Depp’s splendid acting make this character one of the most iconic ones of this century so far. Geoffrey Rush plays a convincing villain, and his acting was also superb. Orlando Bloom’s acting was not that good in the beginning, but got better as the film progressed. I didn’t like Knightley’s acting... I felt she could have done better. The dialogues in the film are quite funny, and there are a number of catch phrases. My favourite one is in the beginning, when Commodore says, “You are without doubt the worst pirate I have ever heard of,” and Sparrow replies, “But you have heard of me.”

Rush as Captain Barbossa

The score by Klaus Badelt is brilliant, be it the Pirates of the Caribbean theme or the score in other places during the film. There is always something ‘pirate’ish about it. It deserved an Oscar nomination, in my view. The visual effects are excellent too. The crew of The Black Pearl are immortal i.e. their true skeletal forms are exposed under moonlight. The effects used to show these scenes are good, but are also sick and disgusting at times. The period settings, costumes and the production design are great, as is the cinematography. In technical aspects, the film is almost flawless.

Knightley as Elizabeth

This film was extremely successful in reviving the ‘pirate’ genre in films. But the story is sort of boring to start with, before Depp enters. He is the main driving force, with Rush giving good support as well. But the actual story wasn’t that great... somehow I didn’t like it. But the dialogues were humorous, and the way the characters spoke the lines added to the effect. However, there are few scenes in the film I liked. The scene where Sparrow is caught by Commodore, the one Sparrow and William duel, the scene where the two ships attack each other, the final fight between Sparrow and Barbossa are few of the best scenes in the film. Also, there is a two-minute scene after the closing credits; make sure you watch that!

To sum up, Gore Verbinski’s Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl excels in special effects, cinematography and the score. Depp and Rush have done a magnificent job in acting, while Knightley hasn’t done that well. Watch the film for the entertainment it gives, but I warn you, it does get a bit gory at times. Among the four films of the series, this one is the best.

My Rating: 4/5
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 79%

Dhoni (2012)

Director: Prakash Raj
Story: Prakash Raj
Cast: Prakash Raj, Aakash, Radhika Apte 
Music: Ilayaraja
Time: 136 minutes
Bottom-line: A strong message; a powerful performance by Prakash Raj

Two things I want to make clear, before writing the review. One, this is not a biopic about the cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Two, cricket itself is only the secondary theme. Like 3 Idiots and Tare Zameen Par, the film takes a realistic look at the current state of the education system in India (Tamil Nadu rather). The film stars Prakash Raj - who continues to give impressive performances - Aakash and Radhika Apte in the lead roles. Ilayaraja also does a great job with the score.

Prakash Raj as Subbu

Subbu (Prakash Raj) is a widowed, middle class man, who struggles to make ends meet, often borrowing from a moneylender, Ghani Bhai. He has a boy, Karthick (Aakash), who aspires to become a cricketer, having Dhoni as an inspiration. However, he is poor in studies, and hence all the teachers in his school scold him. His has a sister, Kaveri (Sriteja). One of Subbu’s neighbours is Nalini (Apte). Karthick’s cricket coach (Nassar) is all praise for him, but as the school becomes strict regarding education, Subbu decides to take Karthick away from cricket, and makes him join tuitions. Eventually, Subbu gets so fed up of Karthick’s passion with cricket, that he beats him, and Karthick goes into a coma. How Subbu repents for his sins, and what he does for Karthick are shown in the film.

Radhika Apte as Nalini

The acting by Prakash Raj is top notch. He is one of the few actors acting today, who can play any sort of role: a comedian sort of role (in Mozhi) or a fatherly role (Abhiyum Naanum and this film) a villainous role (Ghilli) or any serious role (as in Kanchivaram). Even in this film, he makes you laugh with some subtle humour, he makes you empathise with him, and he makes you think. Though he overacts in a few places, his performance is still sublime. Aakash and Sriteja, the child actors, have done a decent job and Radhika Apte has done well too. I also liked the acting of Murali Sharma, who plays Ghani Bhai. The scenes in which I liked the acting are the ones where Subbu asks his son what 17 times 8 is, and an exchange of dialogues between father and son follows. The scene where Subbu talks in the reality show Neeya Naana and the scene where he argues with the history teacher in Karthick’s school are equally good.

Aakash as Karthick

The first half of the story is more fun-filled, with few serious moments here and there. Prakash Raj entertains us with his little bits of humour. By the time the song Vilayaattaa Padagottyi gets over, the film takes a serious turn. But, other than few scenes of comedy that could have been cut, the film has no other needless scenes. The film deals with the state of the current education system in India, where no matter what talents a student has, schools always give importance only to studies. Karthick, a talented cricketer, is poor in studies, and due to constant belittling by his school, his father also fails to understand him. The other issue that is dealt with is the way parents force their children to study a particular subject, instead of asking them to follow their interest. In one dialogue, Prakash Raj also tells how schools make a fortune by asking parents to buy all unnecessary things for school.

The portrayal of middle class is also quite authentic. The way Subbu struggles to make ends meet to give his children good education is shown in a realistic manner. While Subbu earns by working in a government office and often borrowing from a moneylender, his neighbour Nalini has different means of earning, which is not exactly proper. How her life turns out is also shown. But other than the story, I also liked the cinematography and the music. The two songs Thaavi thaavi pogum and Vilayaattaa Padagottyi are two of the best songs I have heard among recent films.

Sriteja as Kaveri

To sum up, Prakash Raj’s Dhoni is a film that should be watched by all fathers (or anyone) who wants to give a good life to his child. The portrayal of the middle class lifestyle and education system of India are realistic too. Watch for Prakash Raj’s splendid acting, Ilayaraja’s mesmerising score and a good story overall. You may think 4 on 5 is a bit overrated, but I loved this film.

My Rating: 4/5

Big (1988)

Director: Penny Marshall 
Story: Anne Spielberg, Gary Ross
Cast: Tom Hanks, Elizabeth Perkins, Jared Rushton
Music: Howard Shore
Time: 104 minutes
Bottom-line: A heart-warming film, with Hanks giving a magnificent performance

Having seen Tom Hanks’ latest film, Captain Phillips, I decided to watch one of his early films, Big. Well, in short, I think Tom Hanks has never, and can never disappoint in his acting, ever! The film that earned him his first Oscar nomination is also one of his best ones. In fact, excluding the Toy Story series, this film is also his second or third highest rated films in Rotten Tomatoes. The film stars Elizabeth Perkins and Jared Rushton in the supporting roles. The story, in one line, is this: what happens if a 13-year-old kid becomes an adult overnight?

Tom Hanks as the adult Josh

13-year-old Josh Baskin (David Moscow) goes to a carnival. But because of his height and age, he is not able to impress an older girl. He sees an antique wishing machine, called Zoltar Speaks. He wishes that he become big, and he receives a slip of paper, saying that his wish is granted. Nothing happens though. Next morning, Josh wakes up to find out that he is now a 30-year-old man (Hanks). Shocked, he tries to reverse his wish, but finds that the entire carnival has moved on. Fleeing from his mother and friends, he finds that only his friend Billy (Rushton) is helpful. What Josh does as an adult, and whether or not he is able to become a child again form the rest of the film.

David Moscow as the 13-year-old Josh

Films like The Shawshank Redemption were able to deliver a message (hope, in this case) using normal, realistic situations. But when directors/writers want to give a message, but cannot do so with existing conditions, they often introduce magic or fantasy into their stories (as in Groundhog Day or It’s a Wonderful Life). Big uses the latter scenario. The story is often funny, and is entertaining all the way. The main source of comedy comes from the fact that everyone thinks that Josh is actually an adult, who, at times, behaves and acts like a child, for no reason. But along with the fun, the story also tells us the gift of childhood. Sure, we may be ignored and we may be bullied in our childhood, but that does not mean we should skip this precious part of our lives. Growing up is something which is often painful, for we face loads of difficulties. But it is also something that is essential to lead a good life. The experiences learnt during this time are invaluable.

Jared Rushton as Billy

But the story shown in the film is quite funny, even it is slow at times. The scenes where his colleague, Susan (Perkins) tries to make advances, but he just ignores them (because he can’t understand what she is doing!) is hilarious. The scene where Josh and his boss make music on the piano keys is also quite famous. (Spoiler alert) The ending, where Josh and Susan say a tearful goodbye to each other is moving. It may not make you cry, but a strange feeling grips you. It is as if you are going to miss someone for a long time (or at least, that’s how I felt).

Elizabeth Perkins as Susan

The acting is the best part. This is the film that made the world see the genius in Tom Hanks. The film earned him his first Oscar nomination, and from here, it is has been a glorious career. The way Hanks portrays the innocence of child, and the way he expresses happiness and other emotions are brilliant. In the scene where he tries to escape from his mother, who thinks that he is a kidnapper, he acts in such a way that you feel sorry for him. Perkins has acted well too, and Jared Rushton has done superbly for a child actor.

Josh standing in front of the Zoltar machine

To sum up, Penny Marshall’s Big is a film that shows us why Tom Hanks is great. The story is not that good, nor are the dialogues, but it is a fun-filled film, with the message asking all the children to enjoy and make most of their childhood, when they can. Hanks, Rushton and Perkins are excellent in their roles. Watch the film for the fun it gives. If you are a Tom Hanks fan, you will only love him more. If you are not, you will be after watching Big.

My Rating: 4/5
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 97%

Naan Ee (2012)

English Translation: I am a fly
Director: S. S. Rajamouli
Story: S. S. Rajamouli, Crazy Mohan 
Cast: Nani, Samantha, Sudeep
Music: M. M. Keeravani
Time: 134 minutes
Bottom-line: Loads of fun!

Note: The film was also simultaneously released in Telugu as Eega, with the same actors. I am writing about the Tamil version.

A film that provides guaranteed entertainment, Naan Ee stars Nani, Samantha (who got her stardom because of this film) and Sudeep. The two things to look out for in the film are the visual effects, and Sudeep’s acting. These two basically carry the film all the way till the end. The story is a magical one, so obviously it cannot happen in real life. In short, what The Birds did to real birds, Naan Ee does to flies. The difference is that while the former took a horror approach, the latter takes a comic approach.

Nani as Nani (left) and Samantha as Bindu

Nani (Nani) is a person specialising in making fireworks. His neighbour and love interest is Bindu (Samantha), who is a micro artist. She also runs an NGO. She too loves Nani, but doesn’t reciprocate his love. Enter Sudeep (Sudeep) who is a multi-millionaire, and a womaniser. Bindu approaches him to ask for a donation for her NGO, and he too gives a fortune, hoping to make her love him back. But he soon realises that Bindu likes Nani, and that night, Sudeep murders Nani in a graveyard, just as Bindu messages her love to him. Nani dies, but knowing that Bindu also loves him, is reborn as a fly, destined to take revenge on Sudeep. How he does so forms the rest of the film.

Sudeep as Sudeep

The script is imaginative, no doubt. Stories have been told of a person being reborn as another human to take revenge, but to have thought differently, and created the next life of a person as a fly, is indeed unique. The story is, well, a laugh ride. The visual effects have a huge role to play. The effects used to show the close-ups of the fly are brilliant. The comedy comes mainly from Sudeep and the fly. The ways the fly tries to irritate Sudeep, and the ways he tries to shoo it away make you laugh out loud! Then, coming to another important part: until you see the film, a fly is a harmless creature. After seeing the way it tortures Sudeep and the way it makes him pay, you will feel that any fly around you is a dangerous living being.

The fly

As far as the acting is concerned, it is an all-Sudeep show. Nani comes only for a short time and Samantha’s acting wasn’t that good either (yet, this film somehow made her famous). But Sudeep, with his expressions of anger, fear, irritation and many more, is the true star. His actions make you laugh, more than the story or the effects. The scene where he goes to the spa, the scene where he explains his project to others, and the fly keeps interrupting, are some of the best scenes in the film. The character where the magician comes in, is completely useless, and I am still not sure why it was needed.

To sum up, S.S. Rajamouli’s Naan Ee is a joy ride, with an imaginative script that provides enough laughter to keep you talking about for quite some time after seeing the film. I appreciate this new attempt to create a comedy film, though it practically has no story. Watch for the special effects, and Sudeep’s scintillating performance.

My Rating: 3.5/5 

Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year (2009)

Director: Shimit Amin
Story: Jaideep Sahni
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Naveen Kaushik, Manish Chaudhary
Music: Salim-Sulaiman
Time: 156 minutes
Bottom-line: Different type of film, but well worth a watch

Troubled of salesmen always calling on your mobile or knocking at your door? Well, then you must see Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year, the 2009 Bollywood film, focusing on how a normal sales executive enters and experiences the world of sales and marketing. Not audience favouring, for it has no fistfights, no duets etc. but just a clean story, with very little deviations. The film stars Ranbir Kapoor in the lead, with D. Santosh, Naveen Kaushik, Manish Chaudhary and Gauhar Khan in the supporting roles.

Harpreet Singh Bedi (Kapoor) is a graduate with very low marks, who goes for a job interview with AYS Computers, a big computer sales and servicing firm. Harpreet is an honest and straightforward salesman, but within a few days, he realizes that honesty has no place in the sales business. His good attitude only brings him humiliation. Yes, he is sure that someday, honesty will succeed. So, he illegally begins his own corruption-free firm: Rocket Sales Corporation, while still working at AYS. How he recruits members for his company, whether or not he makes business and the other ups and downs of his company are shown in the rest of the film.

Ranbir Kapoor as Harpreet

The story is basically about what a salesman has to go through to become a pro. But of course, in today’s world, most of the salesmen and the companies are corrupt, using some method of trickery or the other. So, in that aspect, the film shows what an ideal salesman should be like. In many places (in the scenes or dialogues) it is shown that a company can profit only through trickery. We also see how big companies often ignore talent and concentrate only on money-making.

Manish Chaudhary as Sunil Puri

But that apart, the story also has plenty of subtle humour and few good dialogues as well. The romance between Harpreet and Sherena (one of his customers) is perhaps the only thing that is deviating. Yet, some scenes are interesting. The scene where Nithin, Harpreet’s boss (Kaushik) asks him to advertise and sell a pencil (somewhat similar to a scene in The Wolf of Wall Street), the scene where Harpreet meets a parts supplier and understands the truth of how companies make money, and the scenes where Harpreet recruits members are excellent. Of course, whether or not someone can really open a film in this illegal manner without getting caught is a question mark, that can very be well ignored here.

Kaushik as Nithin (top left), Santosh as Giri (top
right), Gauhar Khan as Koena (bottom left)
and Ranbir Kapoor

The acting is superb, but more importantly, the characters are what I liked. Ranbir’s acting is splendid, and he displays various emotions: innocence when a client asks for a bribe, determination when he starts the company, cheekiness when Puri (the M.D of AYS computers) calls him to ask about the company, and many more. The dialogues were good, but my pick is this one, when Harpreet says, “You saw the clients as numbers, while I saw them as people.” D. Santosh, who plays Giri (a mechanic), gives us lots of humour in his acting. Others like Manish Chaudhary have also done well.

To conclude, Shimit Amin’s Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year is a welcome break from the masala Hindi films, but is well worth a watch. Ranbir Kapoor’s fantastic acting (this might be his best acting performance yet), the brilliant dialogues, fast and thought-provoking (in a way) story are few of the plus points. Any person interested in making a business should watch the film.

My Rating: 4/5

Madagascar (2005)

Director: Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath
Story: Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath, Mark Burton, Billy Frolick 
Cast: Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith
Music: Hans Zimmer
Time: 86 minutes
Bottom-line: Made for children

Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath direct this animal comedy film, Madagascar. Like most animation films, this one too, wins the admiration of the younger generation, while adults will give mixed responses. I, for one, saw the film as a kid, and hence I enjoyed it. The voices are given by Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett Smith and David Schwimmer.

In Central Park Zoo, Alex the lion (Stiller), Marty the zebra (Rock), Melman the giraffe (Schwimmer) and Gloria the hippopotamus (Smith) are close friends. On the day of Marty’s birthday, Marty decides to escape from the zoo and go into the wild, as he always wanted to. His friends are reluctant to join him, but eventually do, when they realize that Marty actually escapes. They get captured at the Grand Central Station, from where they are transported in a ship to Kenya. However, en route, due to an accident, the four of them end up in Madagascar. How they survive in the wild, and whether or not they get back to Central Park Zoo form the rest of the film.

Melman, Marty, Alex and Gloria (from left to right)

The part of the story which covers the incidents till the animals reach Madagascar is very funny indeed. The dialogues and the animation are excellent, and if you are a kid, you cannot stop laughing. I am not sure about the adults’ reaction. After that, the story somewhat sags. The dialogues are still quite good, but the story itself becomes a little weird. The main sources of laughter are Alex and Marty. Both of them have contrasting characters: one wants to live in the wild, while one wants to be pampered in the zoo. This opposite nature is what drives the film most of the way.

The four penguins 

The four penguins that come in the film are some of the best characters, in my view. Their dialogues and their actions provide lots of laughter. The scene where Alex, Marty, Melman and Gloria unite in the shores of Madagascar, and the scene where Marty and Alex compete with each other to decide which side of the island they will be on, are quite funny. The scenes at the Grand Central Station also cause a lot of laughter.

The vocal work is excellent. Other than the four leads, Cedric the Entertainer voices for Maurice, and Sacha Baron Cohen voices for King Julien characters in the jungle of Madagascar. Their vocal work is also good. But even if the voices are good, the dialogues will be appreciated by the kids more than the adults. I, for one, liked dialogues very much, and in fact, few of them have become quite famous. The ‘Happy Birthday’ song which the animals sing to Marty, and the song ‘I like to move it, move it’ have become viral. The animation is good, but not great. The facial expressions of the animals are shown quite well.

King Julien (left) and Maurice; two
characters in the jungle in Madagascar 

To sum up, Darnell and McGrath’s Madagascar does not impress as much as my favourites, Finding Nemo and Up, which entertained both adults and children alike. But it is, no doubt, entertaining. The story starts out very well, but becomes slow and boring in the second half. Yet, the dialogues are superb throughout the film. The animation and the vocal work are good too. If you a kid, you will be bound to like the film. If you are an adult, your reaction will be mixed. But during these films, I guess you just have to bring out that kid in you!



My Rating: 3.5/5
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 58%

The 86th Academy Awards (2014)

The most awaited award function finally gets underway on 3rd March 2014 (IST). The host of the show was Ellen DeGeneres (the person who voiced for Dory in Finding Nemo). She was brilliant as a host, I must say; very rarely did I feel bored. With her funny one-liners and lively commentary, she really gave a new life to this award ceremony. But some jokes were crude, and at many times, I felt that DeGeneres was focusing more on herself than the award-winners and nominees. Of course, not all the presenters were good. Some like Kim Novak and (surprisingly!) Harrison Ford seemed utterly bored. The real Philomena and the real Captain Richard Phillips were present for the ceremony (but couldn't spot Judi Dench or Tom Hanks! And for those who don't know what I mean, Dench and Hanks played the respective characters in the films). And importantly, if you had followed the Rotten Tomatoes predictions for the Oscars, you will realize that they were spot on!

Best Picture Winner: 12 Years a Slave (Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen and Anthony Katagas) 

Best Picture

No surprise here. Steve McQueen has made only three feature films thus far, but these are films that really scorch you…he has become the Charles Dickens of today’s cinema. He takes a harsh aspect of life (in this case, slavery) and shows it in the darkest way possible. Not for the faint-hearted, but his films give you an unforgettable, thought-provoking experience. In his acceptance speech, McQueen gave a shout out to all those who endured slavery, and the 21 million people still experiencing it. My choice was Gravity, but maybe it would have changed had I seen this film. By winning the award, 12 Years a Slave becomes the first film made by a black director to win the Best Picture Oscar.

Best Director

Best Director Winner: Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity)
The man who made the next-gen science fiction film, Alfonso Cuarón takes home the Best Director Award. His direction and the work of the other crew members made Gravity win the most nominations, and the most number of awards in this ceremony. McQueen (who was the toughest competition) made the viewers really feel the harshness of slavery, but the man who made science interesting and visually breathtaking, won. Cuarón was also my personal choice.

Best Actor

Best Actor Winner: Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club)
So Leonardo DiCaprio still remains without an Oscar… but it is, McConaughey, who plays Ron Woodroof, a person infected with AIDS, who wins the Best Actor Oscar. The man who was in obscurity has made a big leap with Mud, a stylish cameo in The Wolf of Wall Street, and finally this magnum opus: Dallas Buyers Club. In his acceptance speech, he said that his role model (the person he wished to chase) was himself! There was tough competition from DiCaprio (who was my pick) and Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave), but this man takes the award.

Best Actress Winner: Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine)

Best Actress

She was the critics’ pick from the very beginning, and they said she was a sure winner. She plays a rich socialite, who falls into poverty and homelessness. By winning the Oscar, she beats veteran actress Meryl Streep, who got her 18th nomination for acting. In her acceptance speech, she praised all the other nominees as well. She also said that she was happy to see films with women as the lead were running well and also making money! My pick was Sandra Bullock, whom I believed had done extremely well. Cuarón also praised Bullock in his acceptance speech, saying ‘she was the heart and soul of Gravity’.

Best Supporting Actor Winner: Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club)

Best Supporting Actor

The person whom DeGeneres called ‘the prettiest’ person in the auditorium, Jared Leto wins the first award of the night: Best Supporting Actor for Dallas Buyers Club. He plays an HIV-positive transgender woman. Barkhad Abdi (Captain Phillips) won the BAFTA award, and my personal pick was Bradley Cooper (American Hustle), but it is Jared Leto who may have had the most challenging role and who eventually picked up the Oscar. He gave a shout out to all those who have perished, and those who are suffering, from AIDS.

Best Supporting Actress Winner: Lupita Nyong'o (12 Years a Slave)

Best Supporting Actress

Jennifer Lawrence was my pick, and she did win the BAFTA award as well, but it is this woman from Kenya who wins the Academy Award. She plays a young female slave in the film. She was the most surprised of all the other winners today, and one line she said in her acceptance speech was quite valuable. She said (and I quote) “No matter where you’re from, your dreams are valid.”

Best Original Screenplay Winner: Spike Jonze (Her)
The most innovative script among all takes home the award, and it is Spike Jonze who wrote it. Giving a glimpse of futuristic scenarios, with the main theme of a heart-warming and sweet love story, Her is an excellent film about modern relationships. Jonze’s script deserved the award, and was my pick too, along with the script of American Hustle.

Best Animated Feature Film

Best Adapted Screenplay Winner: John Ridley (12 Years a Slave) 
No surprises here either. The film won Best Picture, and so, obviously, the script also should win. Billy Ray (Captain Phillips) and Terence Winter (The Wolf of Wall Street) had done quite well too, but well, the story based on the life of Solomon Northup wins the award. Ridley, in his acceptance speech, gave the credits to Northup, saying ‘it was all his words’.

Best Visual Effects: Tim Webber, Chris Lawrence, David Shirk and Neil Corbould (Gravity)
Anyone surprised? Didn't think so. Visual effects are something I have always loved, and this year too, my pick wins the award. The space disasters, the sophisticated space equipment and machines were shown brilliantly, and Gravity rightly wins the award. It was dazzling in 2D and would have been spectacular in 3D as well.

Best Music: Steven Price (Gravity)
Price was easily the winner for this category. His score was eerie, suspenseful and it gave a big boost to the film. Price was also new to the world of cinema, compared to Thomas Newman and John Williams, but it was a deserved win for Price.

Best Make-up and Hairstyling: Adruitha Lee and Robin Mathews (Dallas Buyers Club) 
Okay, now this category is not usually given importance to, but why I am specifically mentioning the winners of this category, is because of an interesting fact: the entire cost of make-up was only $250!

Not to forget the host: Ellen DeGeneres 

The other winners: 
Best Animated Feature film: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee and Peter Del Vecho (Frozen)
Best Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki (Gravity)
Best Costume Design: Catherine Martin (The Great Gatsby)
Best Film Editing: Alfonso Cuarón and Mark Sanger (Gravity)
Best Original Song: ‘Let it Go’ (Frozen) Music and Lyric by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez
Best Production Design: Catherine Martin (Production Design); Beverley Dunn (Set Decoration) (The Great Gatsby)
Best Sound Editing: Glenn Freemantle (Gravity)
Best Sound Mixing: Skip Lievsay, Niv Adiri, Christopher Benstead and Chris Munro (Gravity)

The winners in the acting categories: McConaughey,
Blanchett, Lupita and Leto (from left)

Best Live Action Short film: Anders Walter and Kim Magnusson (Helium)
Best Documentary Short Subject: Malcolm Clarke and Nicholas Reed (The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life)
Best Animated Short: Laurent Witz and Alexandre Espigares (Mr. Hublot)
Best Documentary Feature: Morgan Neville, Gil Friesen and Caitrin Rogers (20 Feet from Stardom)
Best Foreign Language Film: The Great Beauty (Italy)

So American Hustle and Gravity emerged as the films with the maximum nominations, with 10 each, and Gravity ends with the maximum number of wins: seven. The film took away most of the awards given to the technical categories, and of course, Best Director as well. The film with nominations in all four acting categories (and 10 overall), American Hustle, ended up with no wins. 12 Years a Slave and Dallas Buyers Club took away three awards each, and other favourites like The Wolf of Wall Street didn’t win any awards either. Yet, while I am disappointed that DiCaprio is still without an Oscar, I am happy that my favourite film, Gravity, did so well.

#oscar2014 #oscars2014 #academyawardwinners #oscarwinners