Interstellar (2014)

Director: Christopher Nolan
Story: Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan
Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Michael Caine
Music: Hans Zimmer
Time: 169 minutes
Bottom-line: Jaw-dropping, enthralling... Nolan’s imagination has no bounds

OK, I’ll be frank – I have been planning to watch this film since June. Finally, after a couple of hectic weeks I had the chance to view the latest Nolan film: the science fiction drama, Interstellar. Now, this film is unlike anything Nolan has ever done before, and though it may not be his best, it is arguably his grandest film till date. The film stars Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain in the lead roles, with Michael Caine and Mackenzie Foy in the supporting roles.

Mankind was born on Earth. It was never meant to die here. In a futuristic world, crop blight becomes responsible for the majority of the population to turn to agriculture for a living. One such farmer and ex-NASA pilot, Cooper (McConauhey), lives with his father-in-law, teenage son and 10-year old daughter, Murphy (Foy). Murphy is very much interested in science, but still believes that a ghost in her room is trying to communicate with her. Cooper figures out that the “ghost” is an unknown source sending coded messages, which lead to a secret NASA installation, led by Dr. Brand (Caine). He tells Cooper that an alien intelligence has created a wormhole near Saturn, perhaps offering humanity a chance to survive on another planet. Cooper is requested to fly a crew to search for potentially habitable worlds. Interstellar is about the adventures experienced by the crew in their journey, and whether or not they are able to return safely, back to Earth.

McConaughey as Cooper

Watching a Nolan film usually has three steps: one, start watching, hoping for all sorts of fantastic stuff. Two, after enjoying most of the film, slowly start scratching your head because things get really confusing. Three, come home, think about the film, read some analysis, and more often than not, plan to watch it again. Then why the hell are his films so good? Because he does not just put some nonsense together to rattle your brain; once you understand it properly, the story actually makes a lot of sense.

Hathaway as Amelia Brand

The story starts out slowly, mainly highlighting the father-daughter relationship between Cooper and Murphy. From the entry of Caine’s character, the science part begins. Basically his idea is, “It is not about saving the planet; it is about leaving it. Brand is working on some (sophisticated, of course) gravity equation, which, on solving, can give a way to take most of the humans on earth to the other planet, if found habitable. Once the crew is launched into space, the story becomes similar to that of Gravity. So why is Interstellar different? Because Nolan introduces some sentiment into the storyline.

This film has more content about love and emotions than any other Nolan film. Why? That you will know towards the end. The interesting thing, however, is that there is no non-linear narrative structure (yes, that’s true!). Now why would Nolan do that? That’s because he has gone to the next level of “playing with time”. You must realise that he has taken the viewers to a place where the word “time” has no meaning! I mean, in space, especially when it comes to black holes and such, a whole set of associated terms like relativity, time dilation etc come into picture. In fact, in one planet the crew visits, every hour spent there is equivalent to twenty three Earth years, because of the severe gravitational time dilation. So, in case you haven’t watched the film yet, just browse through some space and time related articles and books to have a better understanding of the film. The ending gets really confusing, so don’t worry about it too much. With time you will start to make sense out of it.

Chastain as (the adult) Murphy

One drawback of the film, I felt, is that it is way too scientific. The works of physicist Kip Thorne was the inspiration for the film. I am not in a position to say if it is scientifically accurate or not (not that I care) but though it is understandable that Nolan wanted to make the film as accurate as possible, I didn’t find any need for so much “geek talk”. The dialogues should have been written in a better way. There is no ambiguity in the climax (I guess that’s a disappointment to many) but a clear indication of a sequel, in my view. The visual effects are dazzling... and mind you, this film is in 2D! The wormhole, the other planets and in fact everything is so beautifully created and superbly shot.

McConaughey leads from the front, with a commendable performance. Anne Hathaway, who plays another astronaut, Amelia Brand, has done well too. But the better performance was given by Jessica Chastain, who plays the adult Murphy. And of course, not to forget Mackenzie Foy, whose role as the 10-year-old Murphy was interesting to watch. Matt Damon also has a cameo role in the film. The film’s score is brilliant – Hans Zimmer has put together some great pieces of music. His work was apparently quite secretive, because he had announced that the music that you hear in the trailers were not his compositions. Anyway, the final result is impressive.

In Interstellar, Nolan takes you to the next level of science fiction movies. Of course, films like these have probably come before, but he manages to take the theme a little further. Like I said, just brush up a little on some science terminologies and you should be fine. You may have been able to make sense of other films, but Interstellar requires you to have some scientific knowledge as well. One you satisfy this requirement, get ready, to be dazzled!

My Rating: 4/5
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 73%

Ocean's Eleven (2001)

Director: Steven Soderbergh
Story: George C. Johnson, Jack Golden Russell
Cast: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Julia Roberts
Music: David Holmes
Time: 117 minutes
Bottom-line: Highly impressive and stylish; a no-holds-barred joy ride

The early 2000s may be Soderbergh’s best period in cinema, as he directed three highly successful films during that time: Traffic, Erin Brockovich and Ocean’s Eleven. A comparatively light-hearted heist drama, the film stars George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Andy Garcia and Matt Damon in the lead roles, with Julia Roberts, Don Cheadle and many others playing the supporting roles. If Ocean’s Eleven is Soderbergh’s definition of a “fun-filled film”, he couldn’t have defined it in a better way than this.

Clooney as Daniel Ocean

Daniel Ocean (Clooney) is just released from prison. Violating his parole, he goes to LA to meet up with his friend "Rusty" Ryan (Pitt) to propose a plan for a robbery. The plan is to rob three casinos in Las Vegas: The Bellagio, MGM Grand and The Mirage, simultaneously. All three are owned by Terry Benedict (Garcia). Realising they need a big crew, Rusty and Daniel recruit eight more members, each with his own skill. They also receive help from Reuben, a man wanting to take revenge on Terry for bankrupting him. When Rusty finds out that Daniel is performing this heist because his ex-wife Tess (Roberts) is now with Terry, he starts to get suspicious. 3 Casinos. 11 Guys. 150 Million Bucks. Ready to Win Big?

Pitt as "Rusty" Ryan

There is no actual “plot development” here, but the main story starts right from the beginning. Except for a few scenes just to introduce the different members of the crew, there is no unnecessary scene or sequence. This is probably the main reason why Soderbergh was able to provide loads of entertainment within two hours of screen time. Then again, there is no character development either, but there is no need for that here. This is a film that focuses on how eleven men rob three casinos, and that’s it. Compare this with some film like Speed: a pure “popcorn thriller”. You wanted entertainment, you got it. That’s the reason I said Ocean’s Eleven is a comparatively light-hearted film.

Garcia as Terry Benedict (left) and Damon
as Linus

The acting is quite excellent too. George Clooney brings in style that can be associated with him alone. Accompanying him with an equally good lead performance is Brad Pitt. Others like Damon and Cheadle (who put on a cockney accent for this film) have done well too. Another aspect of the film that I liked is the humour. The script is witty, funny and crisp, but the actual humour and style that is screen on screen is mainly due to the acting. The dialogues, facial expressions and body language of the actors make this possible. Andy Garcia and Julia Roberts don’t disappoint either.

Julia Roberts as Tess 

I liked the background score by David Holmes, and the cinematography was quite good as well. There is no particular scene to look out for; every sequence has its own charm: a little thrill, little humour... This is not exactly a serious crime drama, but who cares! Ocean’s Eleven provides much more than just a caper film: it is perhaps one of the few films to make you sit on the edge of you seat for a moment, and immediately make you roll back laughing. And yes, there are as many twists and turns in the story as you would see in any other good crime film.

The members of "Ocean's Eleven"

Powered by terrific lead performances by Clooney and co., along with superb direction from Steven Soderbergh, Ocean’s Eleven promises entertainment every inch of the way. As long as you are 15 or older, you can watch the film with family. Don’t expect anything – just start watching and be surprised by what you see!

My Rating: 4/5
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 82%

Now You See Me (2013)

Director: Louis Leterrier
Story: Boaz Yakin, Edward Ricourt
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Mélanie Laurent, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman
Music: Brian Tyler
Time: 125 minutes
Bottom-line: Now I see why this is a stupid film

When it comes to films about magic (or anything closely related to magic), I have very high expectations, because my benchmark for this genre is Christopher Nolan’s The Prestige. So well, Louis Leterrier’s Now You See Me proved to be a major disappointment for me, thanks to the lousy acting, average storyline and the attempt to pack a truckload of “entertainment” within two hours, thereby compromising on other important aspects. “Look closely, because the closer you think you are, the less you will actually see” is the film’s tagline, and in my view, is should have been, “The more you expect from this film, the less you get”.

Eisenberg as Daniel Atlas

Harrelson as McKinney 

Four exceptional magicians, called the Four Horsemen: Daniel Atlas (Eisenberg), Merritt McKinney (Harrelson), Henly Reeves (Fisher) and Jack Wilder (Franco) perform street magic in different parts of the US. They are brought together by an unknown man. One year later, they perform in Las Vegas, and in one trick, they rob a bank in Paris by teleporting a man there and asking him to activate the air duct, thereby shifting the money from Paris to Las Vegas. The money is actually found to be missing, and the four magicians are arrested. After being investigated by Agent Dylan Rhodes (Ruffalo) and Alma Dray (Laurent), they are released due to lack of evidence. The agents decide to approach Thaddeus Bradley (Freeman), an ex-magician who exposes other magicians’ tricks. What is the Horsemen’s actual purpose? Is there a fifth horseman who is aiding them? Who is actually chasing whom? Watch the film to find out...

Fisher as Henly Reeves

Franco as Jack Wilder

                                            First of all, too many characters! Well, all the characters played a role, and all of them were sort of important, but the point is that when you have 7-8 main characters, and you don’t develop even one of them, it sort of gets “stuffy”. Of course, if you say that films like Ocean’s Eleven didn’t have any character development either, that is because there was no need for it. Here, the twist in the end sort of makes it necessary. I feel that a twist ending (especially when it has something to do with the nature of a character) has a better impact on you when there are clues that help you guess what’s coming, but you still don’t, and you are like, “Oh! How did I miss that??”

Ruffalo as Agent Rhodes and
Laurent as Agent Alma Dray

Except for maybe Morgan Freeman and (surprisingly) Mark Ruffalo, the acting was horrible. Jesse Eisenberg’s fast and catchy dialogues worked well in The Social Network, but not here. Michael Caine has a small role as the Horsemen’s sponsor and insurance magnate, Arthur Tressler, and for the small role, his acting was good.  Woody Harrelson was okay, but I felt that Isla Fisher and Franco tried to be a bit too stylish in their roles, and hence, didn’t perform well.

Freeman as Thaddeus Bradley 

The technical aspects are where the film finds success. The score, visual effects and cinematography were excellent. So I am guessing the director tried to use these to cover up the film’s poor story-telling, but it didn’t work out. Now You See Me starts off well, and initially you are glued to the story because somehow people like films where a bunch of characters are brought together for some “mission”. You might even enjoy the entire film. But I watched it expecting perhaps a bit too much, and hence was disappointed. Some more focus should be given on character and plot development (perhaps a few clues leading to the twist ending), but if you just want to see some “cool” magic tricks even if the acting and story are not so good, then you can go ahead and watch the film. But for a really good film of this genre, I strongly recommend The Prestige.

My Rating: 2.5/5
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 50%

Angadi Theru (2010)

English Translation: Market Street
Director: Vasanthabalan 
Story: Vasanthabalan, Jeyamohan
Cast: Mahesh, Anjali
Music: Vijay Antony, G. V. Prakash Kumar
Time: 157 minutes
Bottom-line: A vivid eye-opener

One year has gone by since the inception of Revisiting Films with KRK, and on this day, I review one of my favourite Tamil films of this decade.

Anyone familiar with the shopping locations in Chennai will know that Ranganathan Street in T.Nagar is the ultimate place for any sort of textile shopping. But behind the glamorous shopping malls and shops, there lies a dark side. Angadi Theru explores this dark side, that is, it talks about a textile showroom, but from the workers’ point of view. The film features debutant Mahesh and Anjali (in her second major film), with A. Venkatesh and Pandi in the supporting roles.

The story begins with Jyoti Lingam (Mahesh) and Kani (Anjali) roaming about in the streets at night, trying to find a place to sleep. As they finally find a place to sleep along with workers from a construction site, an accident causes a lorry to run over most of the people. The story shifts to a small village in Tamil Nadu, where Lingu lives. After his father dies in an accident, he becomes the sole earner of the family. His friend Marimuthu and he get a job in a textile store in the famous Ranganathan Street. Though initially they are happy to be earning money, they soon realise that the job is a nightmare. The store supervisor brutally beats up anyone who violates the rules or fools around during working hours. Lingu falls in love with Kani, a bold and fearless sales girl. The pitiable working conditions, the difficulties the workers face, and what sacrifices they make are the main themes explored in Angadi Theru.

New actors, relatively new director, completely new theme... how will it run in theatres? A big round of applause for Vasanthabalan for making the film despite these questions that would have been in his mind as well. The reason for directing Angadi Theru is perhaps to indirectly portray the pitiable working condition of employees in an actual textile showroom in Ranganathan Street. There have been cases of employees/customers being abused. And consequently, the reason the film is successful is because of its raw content and realism.

Anjali as Kani

The dialogues of the film reveal a lot of things. When the villagers are recruited for the job, the employers make sure to choose only the orphans, because “only they will do the job properly without giving trouble”. Once the workers enter the shop, they have to be report on time or else they lose a part of their salary for every minute they are late. The mess is literally a mess, where all the workers gobble up food (just in order not to starve) in dirty and unhealthy conditions, and even snatch plates from others to get food. An ex-employee tells Lingu that working twelve hours a day without sitting down ever for a minute has now permanently damaged his legs and made him immobile. “They take you in, drain your energy, and throw you out like garbage” is what he says. Lingu is made to run up and down five floors multiple times to get saris, and when found taking rest, he is abused by the supervisor. Another incident shows a sales girl committing suicide when another salesman rejects her love due to fear of the supervisor.

While this is the main theme, the romance between Lingu and Kani is the secondary theme. There is also some comedy here and there, thanks to Marimuthu’s character. Another thing I noticed is the way the workers express “happiness”. Are there really happy moments for them? Well, that’s pretty much the point: their working conditions are so pitiable that anything other than work brings them joy. In the beginning of the film, just roaming on the streets, splashing rain water on each other brings Kani and Lingu immense joy. Later in the story, when actress Sneha comes to the store to shoot an advertisement, all the men folk immediately bathe and clean up because they are so happy just to see her. The song “Unn Perai Sollum” is another example. Both Lingu and Kani are locked up in the store, and they are afraid of getting caught. But they decide to look at the bright side: when else do they have a chance of trying all the clothes that they otherwise only see and sell? Oblivious to the fact that they are caught on CCTV, they have fun (and for once, the hero and heroine donning a variety of costumes in the middle of a song is not surprising!).

Mahesh as Lingu

Angadi Theru could well be Anjali’s magnum opus. All emotions flow in freely to her face, be it fear, happiness, anger etc. The film gave her instantaneous fame, and she went on to win several awards for this role. Mahesh is impressive in his debut film, with an equally powerful lead performance. I think that’s why the film was able to portray the pitiable conditions properly (I mean, the locals will never ever remain silent if some popular hero gets beaten up by another character, without paying back!). A. Venkatesh, who plays the lewd and aggressive supervisor, has done well in playing the main antagonist role. Pandi, who plays Marimuthu brings in little humour in an otherwise tragic film.

A view of Ranganathan street (yes, it is always this
crowded!)

Look out for the songs “Aval Appadi Ondrum Azhagillai” and “Unn Perai Sollum”. The photography is excellent, for it is able to capture all the brutality, violence, happiness and romance perfectly. In fact, many sources report that most of the film was shot using hidden cameras in the actual street in Chennai. The cumulative effect of the brilliant acting, photography, and the scorching storyline which is brought to life in this vivid, raw, powerful manner leave an impact on you that you will never forget for a long time. Once you watch the film (and this is not a film that you just keep watching multiple times because you are bored), your shopping experience will never be the same again. Angadi Theru is not a pleasant watch, but it is certainly, a must-watch.

My Rating: 4.5/5