Tropic Thunder (2008)

Director: Ben Stiller
Story: Ben Stiller, Justin Theroux
Cast: Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black, Tom Cruise 
Music: Theodore Shapiro
Time: 120 minutes
Bottom-line: Superbly acted, well filmed and absolutely hilarious! 

Probably the most successful among all Ben Stiller’s directorial films, Tropic Thunder is a satirical comedy in which he plays the lead, along with Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black and Tom Cruise. The film begins with these lines: “Out of the 10 men sent to rescue Sergeant Tayback from an NVA camp, four returned, out of whom three wrote books about the incidents, out of which two were published, and only one got a movie deal. This is the story of the men who attempted to make that movie...”

Stiller as Speedman

The movie crew consists of a used-to-be-star Tugg Speedman (Stiller), five time Academy Award winner Kirk Lazarus (Downey Jr.), rapper Alpa Chino (Brandon T. Jackson), drug-addicted comedian Jeff Portnoy (Black), novice actor Kevin (Jay Baruchel), director Damien Cockburn (Steve Coogan), the author of Tropic Thunder, Sergeant Tayback (Nick Nolte) and foul-mouthed producer Les Grossman (Cruise). The director is heavily criticised for not being able to handle the set of prima donnas, and the actors don’t get along with each other either. Grossman has half a mind to cancel the film. So Tayback and Cockburn come up with a plan – they will drop the actors in the middle of the jungle, which is rigged with hidden cameras and special effects explosives; the filming will be done guerrilla style. However, what they don’t know is that they have actually dropped them in the heart of the Golden Triangle – home of the heroin producing gang Flaming Dragon. While the actors are armed with nothing but a map and guns that fire blanks, they must using only their skills to get away alive from the jungle. When Speedman and Tayback taken hostage, Jeff’s drug issues causing serious havoc, and with the actors having no idea of the danger they are in, it is going to take a true miracle to solve the problems and make a proper movie.

RDJ as Lazarus

Who said they were capable of only playing superheroes and secret agents? In Tropic Thunder we see probably the best performance of Downey Jr. and one of the most hilarious ones of Tom Cruise. The former plays an Australian method actor, acting as a black character Sgt. Osiris for the movie (within the movie). RDJ makes you applaud in wonder as he puts on a Vernacular English accent, shows a wide range of expressions and constantly hits you with biting one-liners. Cruise puts on a fat suit, fake hands and a bald cap and is practically unrecognisable as Les Grossman. The profanity goes overboard but with his amazing dance moves and dialogues, Cruise’s character is simply stunning. The film’s ensemble cast comes together beautifully; even the actors like Matthew McConaughey who barely comes for about 15 minutes have done their parts well.

Black as Jeff

I really liked the plot twists in the story; there is not a single dull moment in the film, and every act has a surprise to offer. The dialogues are responsible to lift the film – be it one-liners (including Lazarus’ “You just went full retard man... never go full retard”) or hilarious conversations, particularly from RDJ. I liked the way the characters, each with their own problems and strengths came together to make a film and in the course of that they undergo a change in their lives as well. To make the characters more authentic, the film begins with faux trailers to introduce the actors of the film-within-the-film. In fact, to promote the film, fake websites were created for the characters of the film!

Yeah this is actually Tom Cruise, as Les Grossman!

Tropic Thunder will most certainly give you your money’s worth of entertainment; you just have to be ready, to GET SOME! 

My Rating: 4/5
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 83%

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

Director: David Fincher
Screenplay: Steven Zaillian (based on the novel by Stieg Larsson; remake of the 2009 Swedish film of the same name)
Cast: Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara 
Music: Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross
Time: 158 minutes
Bottom-line: Typical Fincher... a magnificent crime drama

With this film, I successfully cross off the last of David Fincher films in the list. Having seen all his nine major feature films, I must say that The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is the creepiest of them all. Starring Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara in the lead, with Christopher Plummer and Stellan Skarsgård alongside, this film proves to be an epitome of all of Fincher’s trademarks.

Rooney Mara as Lisbeth 

“She’s... different.”
“In what way?”
“In every way”
That’s the introduction to Lisbeth Salander (Mara), a brilliant computer hacker with a traumatised and troubled life. She does extensive research on journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Craig), who has just lost his life savings after losing a libel case brought against him by businessman Wennerström. Lisbeth gives the data to business magnate Henrik Vanger (Plummer), who hires Mikael and offers a job: to investigate the disappearance and possible murder of Henrik’s grandniece Harriet, 40 years ago, in return for information that can bring down Wennerström. Mikael accepts the job, and in the course of his investigation, asks for an assistant. Lisbeth agrees to partner with him. How this case changes the lives of Mikael and Lisbeth is what the film explores.

Daniel Craig as Mikael 

The main focus of the film, I felt, was not the Harriet mystery, but, as the title says, the girl Lisbeth. Throughout the film we see what a troubled life she leads – being sexually abused in order to receive her allowance, being considered mentally incompetent for murdering her father, being arrested for narcotics...and the list goes on. But that does not compromise her unmatched technical skills as a hacker. She has a strong hatred towards men who abuse women (made obvious from her first line to Mikael “If you touch me I'll more than alarm you.”) Her complicated relation with Mikael, starting as an assistant and then becoming intimate is pictured well. Fincher could not have chosen a better person to play this character than Rooney Mara. This is truly a committed performance – to change your appearance, voice and behaviour so much in order to perfectly portray this antisocial yet caring, pitiful yet ruthless girl. Daniel Craig’s acting was top-notch. At a time when he had firmly established his role as 007, this film proves that Craig does not need action or crime lords to being out the best in him. This portrayal of the cool-headed investigator, (not to forget his occasional humour) is amazing.

Just like every other Fincher film, the technical aspects are flawless. The locales, cinematography and the background score (including a spine-chilling piece by Reznor and Ross for the opening credits) are perfect. The Fincher aspects – like the dark settings, introverted characters, creepy score, and just enough visual effects and gore to enhance the film are all right up there, and of course, with such a dark theme, the way the characters have been developed is immaculate. This is one story where you are debating over which character seems to be screwed up the most – is it Lisbeth? Or is it the Vanger family members? After all, one of Hendrik’s lines to Mikael is, “You will be investigating thieves, misers, bullies. The most detestable collection of people you will ever meet. My family.” It’s for a reason that one of the taglines of the film is “The feel bad movie of Christmas.”

The poster of the 2009
Swedish film

But nevertheless, if you are a fan of Fincher, or you are one of those who wants a movie that deals with such complex characters, especially their dark side, there is no better movie in recent times than The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. 

My Rating: 4/5
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 86%  

Deadpool (2016)

Director: Tim Miller
Story: Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Ed Skrein
Music: Tom Holkenborg
Time: 107 minutes
Bottom-line: Expected too much from it; disappointed

When Deadpool’s trailer was out, it became pretty much the only topic of discussion among my friends. However, thanks to its content, the film never reached Indian theatres the way it was supposed to – a considerable amount of violence and language were censored out, and it still ended up being an adult-only film, but at least it ran, unlike the equally controversial Fifty Shades of Grey, which never made it to India.

Reynolds as Wade/Deadpool

With great power... comes great irresponsibility.
Wade Wilson (Reynolds), a former Special Forces operative, falls in love with Venessa Carlysle (Baccarin), and after being together for a year, when he proposes and she accepts, Wilson is diagnosed with terminal cancer. A recruiter from a secret program approaches Wade and offers an experimental cure, to which he eventually agrees. Wade meets Ajax (Skrein), who injects him with a serum to awaken latent mutant genes. Despite his cancer being cured, Wade’s entire body is disfigured. He decides to take on the identity of a masked vigilante: Deadpool, and goes in search of Ajax, hoping to get his human form back. Joined by two other X-Men, Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead, how Wade roots out his destroyer is what the film’s about.

Baccarin as Venessa 

At the outset it becomes obvious that the film is going to be like no other superhero film made before; after all, how many of them start with the credits saying: “...in association with Marvel entertainment... some Douchebag’s film... Starring God’s perfect Idiot...” But as the story progressed, nothing else seemed impressive, except Ryan Reynolds’ constant surprises. The story wasn’t great; it has the same foundation as Face/Off more or less, but it is categorised as a superhero film. What did amaze me were the action sequences (whatever wasn’t censored out I mean!) – Deadpool’s sword fights, shootouts, stunts and what not! The way he kills the bad guys at the bridge is as good a superhero entry as you’ll ever come across.

Skrein as Ajax, in a sword fight
with Deadpool

Once a superhero film becomes successful it is almost impossible to imagine the hero or villain being played by another actor... be it Robert Downey Jr. for Iron Man or Christian Bale for Batman. Ryan Reynolds has finally found the role he was destined to play – Deadpool, and I doubt if anyone can play it better than he did. Though he wears the mask for most of his screen time, through his dialogues and one-liners he never stops entertaining. While he shocks you with his violent acts he also immediately makes you laugh! Deadpool is probably the funniest, most charismatic and captivating Marvel hero, judging by the way Reynolds plays the character. The supporting crew is barely noticeable, except for Ed Skrein, who plays a decent villain.

So while the trailer and general word of mouth gave me a lot to expect from the film, in the end it was Ryan Reynolds’ standout performance that took the cake... probably because it was the only thing worth responsible for the movie’s success. With his stunts, catch phrases and acting, he carries the film on his shoulders, for without his acting Deadpool wouldn’t have been half as well received. It’s a new type of superhero film, but is far from being the best.

My Rating: 3/5
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 83%

Thozha (2016)

English translation: Friend
Director: Vamsi Paidipally
Screenplay: Vamsi Paidipally
Cast: Nagarjuna, Karthi, Tamanaah 
Music: Gopi Sunder
Time: 158 minutes
Bottom-line: Much longer than needed, but still a level higher than most of the recent Tamil films

Note: The same film was simultaneously released as Oppiri in Telugu with the same lead actors 

Thozha is one of those rare Tamil films that receive surprisingly positive reviews from audience and critics alike, and that is what caught the attention of my family as well. The film, also released in Telugu as Oppiri, (with the same lead actors but with a slightly different supporting crew) talks about the bond between two men, each coming from polar opposite parts of the society.

Karthi as Seenu and Tamanaah as Keerthi

The film begins in the present day but the timeline soon shifts back a few months. Seenu (Karthi) is a thief who is just released from prison, on parole. With help from his uncle, he is determined to show that he can be useful to the society, in a period of four months. Being astonished by the affluence of Vikram Aditya (Nagarjuna) – a billionaire who is paralysed from the neck down – and falling in love with his secretary Keerthi (Tamanaah) at first sight, Seenu decides to apply for the post of Vikram’s caretaker. Somehow impressed by Seenu’s happy-go-lucky behaviour, and his seemingly rowdy appearance that others look at in disgust, Vikram appoints him. Soon the lives of Vikram and Seenu undergo a sea change, and despite their widely different social status, they find in each other, a friend, a companion...a brother.

I wonder if the reason Karthi was chosen to play Seenu is because he fits the description of a careless, charismatic and jovial guy, or some other weird reason, because I have never had the opinion that Karthi was capable of being a good actor. But in Thozha he proves me wrong, and in a convincing fashion too. The way he plays a spoilt young man initially, then a caring friend is amazing, and every instant throughout the film he brings a charm to the screen. Nagarjuna has acted quite well, using only his facial expressions to convey all his emotion, although his Tamil could have been much better. Prakash Raj’s cameo role was a delight too.

Karthi, with Nagarjuna as Vikram

The film runs for about 40 minutes longer than necessary, mainly due to the comedy track, which at times was a drag, but at least, not all jokes were not clichéd or lame. The songs were way below standard; not even one of them was worth listening to, be it the tune or the lyrics. I liked the main theme which is about the friendship between Vikram and Seenu, and how they go from being strangers to brothers, and how they make each other’s lives sparkle. One message the film tries to give is that wealth alone will not give happiness, but to know that there is someone who loves you and takes care of you will give you immense joy. The scene where Seenu’s simple methods to surprise Vikram on his birthday overcome those of Vikram’s friends who think they are actually throwing a “surprise party”, highlights it.

While Thozha is still far from being a perfect film, it is the filmthat has come closest to being one, among the other Tamil films of 2016. Despite its flaws, this is a family movie worth watching!

My Rating: 3/5 

Spotlight (2015)

Director: Tom McCarthy
Story: Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer
Cast: Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber 
Music: Howard Shore
Time: 129 minutes
Bottom-line: Elegant, clean and captivating

The Best Picture winner at the 88th Academy Awards was this drama based on the real life Pulitzer Prize winning investigation. Nominated for six Oscars, Spotlight ended up with two – Bes  Picture and Best Original Screenplay. The film stars Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo and Rachel McAdams in the lead roles, with Liev Schreiber, Stanley Tucci, Brian d'Arcy James and John Slattery in the supporting roles.

Break the story. Break the silence. 
2001 – The Boston Globe’s new editor, Marty Baron (Schreiber) meets Walter Robinson (Keaton), editor of the Spotlight team, a group of investigative journalists consisting of Mike Rezendes (Ruffalo), Sacha Pfeiffer (McAdams), Matt Carol (James) and Ben Bradlee Jr. (Slattery). After reading an article about a lawyer, Mitchell Garabedian (Tucci) – who claimed that the Archbishop of Boston knew that a priest was sexually abusing children but did nothing about it – Baron encourages the Spotlight team to investigate. The team slowly begins to unearth a pattern of sexual abuse by Catholic priests. As they press the issue further, they realise that the case is far deeper, and far more sinister...

The lead three characters - Keaton as Robinson
(centre), Ruffalo as Mike (right) and
McAdams as Sacha

Unlike the plot – one of the most controversial cases in Boston history – the film however, captures it in a clean manner. The film emphasises more on the power of journalism, and not on exposure of the Church. It’s one of those rare masterpieces like Zodiac, which bring a set of actual incidents to life, on screen, and portray them so faithfully without any unnecessary drama. The pace is well-set: rapid enough to keep you raving for more, while being slow enough to capture every single detail. The language is simple enough – anyone watching the film can follow the events happening, unlike the other biographical film of 2015 – The Big Short, which according to me, was too complex for a layman to understand.

The cast is well chosen; I particularly liked the combination of Michael Keaton and Ruffalo. The latter is someone who has had few bright spots in his career (The Avengers, Begin Again to name a few), and now I add Spotlight to that list. Ruffalo brings to the screen a charismatic performance as the inquisitive and cogent journalist. The former, is the experienced guide/veteran, who impresses again, following one of career best performances as Riggan Thomson in Birdman. Rachel McAdams seemed to be a bit of a disappointment; she hardly shows any interest in playing the role. In fact her minor role as Irene Adler is Sherlock Holmes was more exciting to watch. The supporting actors like Stanley Tucci have done well too.

The Spotlight crew - Schreiber as Marty(2nd from left),
Slattery as Bradlee Jr (2nd from right) and
James as Carol (rightmost)

In two hours Spotlight compiles all the drama of a case that shook the world, thanks to its well developed plot – with enough substance thanks to the fact based true story – powerful acting, and overall presentation. It ended being a box office failure compared to the other 2015 films (The Force Awakens grossed over $2 billion!!), and not half as action-packed, but nevertheless, Spotlight is the film that certainly deserved Best Picture, and justly ended up winning it too!

My Rating: 4.5/5
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 96%