Saturday 26 March 2016

Forrest Gump (1994)

Director: Robert Zemeckis
Screenplay: Eric Roth (based on the book by Winston Groom)
Cast: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise 
Music: Alan Silvestri
Time: 142 minutes
Bottom-line: A charming film, with Hanks at his best

In a year that produced a lot of popular and memorable films, Forrest Gump emerged as one of the most charming, inspirational and well-made films. Starring Tom Hanks – who won his second consecutive Oscar for acting – and Robin Wright, supported by Gary Sinise and Sally Field, the film covers several (sometimes life-changing) incidents of its titular character.
"My name is Forrest Gump. People call me...
Forrest Gump" 

1981 – Forrest Gump (Hanks) narrates the story of his childhood to random strangers who sit next to him on a public bench. His story dates back to the 1950s, where Forrest, as a child, had to wear leg braces. His mother (Field) knows he has below average intelligence but still motivates him by saying "stupid is as stupid does". As he goes to school he becomes best friends with Jenny – or as he calls her, “Jennayyy” (adult role played by Wright). One day when some bullies chase him, Forrest realises that he can run extremely fast. This eventually gets him a spot in the College Football All-America Team. This is only the beginning of the tale of one of the most influential people of the 20th century – Forrest Gump.
Wright as Jenny

How does Tom Hanks do it? How can he bring so much of passion and commitment into acting that just whatever he does on screen wins your admiration? Every time we see a child do something innocent it brings a smile to our face, and our minds think “If only everyone was as innocent as that”. But if a man in an adult body can make you feel the same way, you know that only Tom Hanks can do it. Forrest is one of the most intriguing and mysterious characters you’ll come across – he’s not smart, but sure is brave; he’s naive, but come on, when you see such a person, cheating him is the last thing that comes to mind! He seems to have no clue what he’s doing half the time, but yet the results are fascinating. To see him be so innocent in his actions and thoughts may makes everyone around him seem all the more worse.
One such memorable quote

The story mainly builds on four relationships of Forrest – with his mother, friend, colleague and lover. Sally Field portrays the strong-willed single mother who is Forrest’s inspiration and guide, as seen from the way he sticks to all her quotes. To see her be so supportive and benign to Forrest when no one else is, makes you feel all the more sad for Forrest when she dies later in the story. The “friend” is his partner in the Vietnam war, Bubba (Mykelti Williamson). A personality as weird as Forrest himself, Bubba inspires Forrest to join him in the "shrimpin’ business", but unfortunately doesn’t make it past the Vietnam border. Forrest keeps up his side of the promise and starts the Bubba-Gump Shrimp Co. The colleague is Lieutenant Dan (Sinise), a man to whom Forrest (unknowingly) teaches the value of life. Losing his legs in Vietnam, the only thing that would have made Dan happy was to die a hero, but Forrest saves his life by bringing him back to the US. When you see him come to Forrest’s wedding, as a changed man (with magic legs too!), you can’t help but smile when you think how influential Forrest has been. Forrest describes his relation with Jenny as “Jenny and me was like peas and carrots”. Her character is difficult to understand – when you see her get into bad practices, almost commit suicide, you think why Forrest stills want her. But when you are in Forrest’s position, where everyone mocks you and tries to fool you, when one girl is able to touch your heart, you will do anything for her. If the film has any effect on you then you surely will shed a tear when Forrest talks to Jenny's grave.

The cross-country run that Forrest does has become a memorable event in Hollywood cinema, being used as a reference numerous times. With so many memorable quotes, not to forget Forrest’s bits of dry humour (thanks to his child-like innocence), a spellbinding performance from Hanks, and a well-paced storyline, Forrest Gump is one of the best Tom Hanks films. But my personal favourite film of 1994 will remain The Shawshank Redemption, which I believe deserved the Oscars for Best Picture and Director.

My Rating: 3.5/5
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 72%

Tuesday 15 March 2016

Room (2015)

Director: Lenny Abrahamson
Screenplay: Emma Donoghue (based on her novel)
Cast: Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay 
Music: Stephen Rennicks
Time: 118 minutes
Bottom-line: A terrific film, albeit a distressing watch 

If it weren’t for the powerful performances of Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay, Room would have certainly been an unnoticed masterpiece among this year’s films. Nominated for four Oscars, including Best Picture and Director, Room emerges as the film with perhaps the simplest plot and setting, but the most touching story.

Joy “Ma” Newsome (Larson) is a 24-year-old mother living with her five-year-old son Jack (Tremblay) in a garden shed they call “Room”. Joy was abducted by her captor – Old Nick – seven years ago and has been living in Room ever since. The mother and son share a bed, toilet, bathtub and the only way light enters is through a skylight. Despite being raped often by Nick when Jack’s sleeping, Joy tries to overcome her depression to stay optimistic for her son. When she finds out Nick has lost his job and cannot support them anymore, she decides to introduce Jack to the “world outside Room”, and use him as a means to escape. How they manage to do so, and later survive in a changed world is what the film is about.
Larson as Ma/Joy

The main theme of the film is the relationship between mother and son. The mother is an undernourished, depressed female who has brought up her son by convincing him that Room is all there is to the world, and the rest of the world is just something seen on TV. The son is someone so intimately acquainted with Room and his Ma that actually escaping from the Room is out of the question for him. We see how Joy teaches her child the concept of the “world beyond Room”, and how desperately she tries to train him to be the instrument of escape. The second half the film deals with the after-effects of depression. Jack talks only to his Ma and doesn’t respond to anyone else. Joy attempts suicide after a news reporter makes her feel guilty of not letting Jack into the normal world when he was an infant. I felt that the story could have been a little longer, by giving a little more detail about how Jack develops as a child and how Joy recovers from her trauma/depression; the ending seemed abrupt.
Tremblay as Jack

Brie Larson’s performance clinched her almost all the major acting awards, with barely any competition too! Known earlier for her supporting/lead roles in only a few major films, her career is certain to reach the sky after Room. At the outset, she wins our admiration when we see how she’s has trained Jack into believing that Room is the world (after all, what else can a mother do when trapped in a room for five years with her son?) and keeping Jack happy with whatever they share. Despite her own pitiable state she tries her best to keep her son jovial. She plays a character who is not the “perfect Ma”, but under the circumstances, she is what any child would have needed. Jacob Tremblay’s performance is one of the best by a child actor. The nine-year-old is highly impressive, with his ability to perfectly transition from one mood to another, and to portray a child who is introduced to the world only at five. His inquisitive expression to follow whatever’s going on around him is so authentic!

Room is not really a comfortable watch; in fact it could be the Best Picture nominee with the most depressing story. But the way it is presented on screen, powered by two heartfelt, committed performances by the lead actors will transform you in the course of two hours. Room introduces to two of the most powerful characters among this year’s films. This is one mother-child relationship that will remain in your memory for a long time to come!  

My Rating: 3.5/5
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 94%

Thursday 10 March 2016

127 Hours (2010)

Director: Danny Boyle
Screenplay: Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy (based on the book by Aron Ralston)
Cast: James Franco
Music: A.R. Rahman
Time: 93 minutes
Bottom-line: Gruelling, compelling, but far from comfortable viewing

If you are one of those people like me, whose first impression on the film was “It’s a movie about a man and a rock... how boring!” – ensure that you put 127 Hours right on top of the list of your “To-Watch Movies” list. This 2010 biopic survival drama by Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle is an engaging film, although it will be a gut-wrenching experience for most.

There is no force on Earth more powerful than the will to live.
Adventurer Aron Ralston (Franco) heads to Canyonlands National Park, Utah, for a day of hiking. While exploring on his own, he slips and falls, and a boulder traps his arm against the canyon wall. He yells out but realises he is completely alone. Over the course of the next 127 hours, he tries various methods to free himself – chip off the rock, build a pulley... but nothing works. He rations food and water, but eventually he is forced to drink his own urine to survive. Watch the tale of Aron Ralston, as he finds himself between a rock and a hard place (literally!).   
Franco as Aron 

What makes 127 Hours unique as a survival tale is that Boyle makes you sure you focus on Ralston and Ralston alone – almost throughout the film we see what Aron does to free himself, how his mind and body slowly stop functioning, and then his eventual triumph. But with no other part of the storyline to throw us off track (except 15 minutes in the beginning), it really does feel like the viewer is also stuck with Aron in the canyon; you can feel his every emotion, and you vicariously endure all the struggles he undergoes. Yes it is true that the film is pretty much about “a man and a rock”, but only Danny Boyle can make it an unforgettable watch.

The cinematography in Boyle films is something to look out for, and in 127 Hours, though the camera rarely moves out of the crack in the canyon, it is able to capture all the nuances in emotions, the hallucinations, and not to forget the loneliness of Aron. Towards the end the content shown on screen gets disgusting and bloody, but it is part of the experience – you were stuck with Aron till then, and so you must watch the film till the end however sick it may be! I also liked A.R. Rahman’s score for the film (in his second collaboration with Boyle after the Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire).
The real Aron Ralston

Often critics praise actors by saying “It is a one man show!” but only watching the film I realise how loosely the term is being used! This is the perfect example for the so-called one man show because literally, there is only one man for 90 out of the 93 minutes of screen time! All eyes are on James Franco, who delivers one of the greatest performances of the past decade, and I am shocked that the Oscar (and most of the major acting awards) went to Colin Firth for The King’s Speech. The way Franco makes the transition from the care-free adventurer to the man who almost loses hope in living is sensational, and for someone who has had very few major performances till then, Franco carries responsibility on his shoulders with amazing panache!

In a year with a lot of blockbusters like Inception, Toy Story 3 and my personal favourite, The Social Network, this biopic went unnoticed by many. But it is certainly a well-made film, with James Franco giving the performance of his life!

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