Paris Je T'aime (2006)

English translation: Paris, I love you!

Directors: Olivier Assayas, Frédéric Auburtin, Gérard Depardie , Gurinder Chadha , Sylvain Chomet, Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, Isabel Coixet, Wes Craven, Alfonso Cuarón, Christopher Doyle, Richard LaGravenese, Vincenzo Natali, Alexander Payne, Bruno Podalydès, Walter Salles, Daniela Thomas, Oliver Schmitz, Nobuhiro Suwa, Tom Tykwer, Gus Van Sant

Story: Bruno Podalydès , Paul Mayeda Berges , Gurinder Chadha , Gus Van Sant , Ethan Coen , Joel Coen , Walter Salles , Daniela Thomas , Christopher Doyle , Gabrielle Keng Peralta , Rain Kathy Li , Isabel Coixet , Nobuhiro Suwa , Sylvain Chomet , Alfonso Cuarón , Olivier Assayas , Oliver Schmitz , Richard LaGravenese , Vincenzo Natali , Wes Craven , Tom Tykwer , Gena Rowlands , Nadine Eid , Alexander Payne

Cast: Willem Dafoe, Elijah Wood, Nick Nolte, Natalie Portman, Steve Buscemi and many more

Time: 120 minutes

Bottom-line: Impossible not to enjoy; different stories entertain different people

He who contemplates the depths of Paris is seized with vertigo.
Nothing is more fantastic. Nothing is more tragic.
Nothing is more sublime. – Victor Hugo

Buscemi as an American tourist (Coen brothers)

The assorted collection of short films, Paris, Je T’aime is an anthology film: it features eighteen clips, shot in the different arrondissements of Paris, each directed by a different person, and with a different cast. The stories are not related at all; rather the film is like a collection of documentaries, giving the viewers to get a vicarious feeling of a Paris holiday!

Among the eighteen stories, we see a how a young male customer is attracted towards a shop worker, and goes on talking about how he believes the other to be his soulmate. We see an American tourist getting beat up by a French man and his girlfriend when he accidentally makes eye contact, thereby breaking the cardinal rule. Then there is the boy who narrates the story of how his parents – both mime artists – met in prison and fell in love. There’s the encounter between a young man and a vampire, with whom he falls in love. And to finish it off, we have a lady on her first European holiday, narrating what she loves about Paris.

 

Nick Nolte and Ludivine Sagnier, in Cuaron's sequence

The best part about the film is that it caters to all audiences. You want comedy? You got it. Tragedy? Yes, sir! Romance? Introspection? Horror (sort of)? It’s all here. Paris, Je T’aime gives us an insight into the different styles of filming of the different directors; each sequence lasts not more than 7-8 minutes, but each is more-or-less complete in itself. I, for one, liked the part directed by Cuarón (that features a single continuous shot – ah, typical Cuarón – lasting 5 minutes, revolving around a father-daughter conversation), Coen brothers (the American tourist at the station) and Tom Tykwer (the story of love between a blind boy and a struggling actress; a romance lasting 6 minutes on screen, yet capturing all the ups and downs, giving almost the same effect as a complete story; I loved the camerawork and the narrative of this part).

 

Portman and Melchior Beslon (Tom Tykwer)

The film also serves as a sightseeing opportunity. 18 districts in Paris are shown; the different people and places, the shots of other landmarks in between two clips give the viewer a good visual tour (and a good reminder if you have already been there!). Some actors like Natalie Portman and Willem Dafoe are well-established Hollywood actors, while there are a lot of new faces too. The language spoken is mainly French, but there is a little bit of English too. The sequence that Elijah Wood stars in has no dialogues at all! That’s the unique aspect of the film: each part has something special that makes it stand out.

 

A glimpse of all the stories 

There will certainly be a lot of “unevenness” in the narrative structure – each director will have their own style, and the change will be clearly noticeable. The experience, however, will be an enjoyable one; each plot offers a new insight into a new area of Paris. It’s not a great film, but if you ever wanted to visit Paris, this film will give you far more information and visuals than you expect!

My Rating: 3/5

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 87%

Source Code (2011)

Director: Duncan Jones

Story: Ben Ripley

Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Vera Farmiga, Michelle Monaghan

Music: Chris P. Bacon

Time: 93 minutes

Bottom-line: Interesting concept… story not that impressive

This French-English science fiction thriller boasts of an interesting concept: something that combines themes of Groundhog Day, Inception, Avatar… Source Code features Jake Gyllenhaal, Vera Farmiga, Michelle Monaghan and Jeffrey Wright. To reveal the plot might give away hints/spoilers so if you want to explore the film on your own, skip the next paragraph.

Monaghan as Christina and Gyllenhaal as Sean/Stevens

7:40 AM: Captain Colter Stevens (Gyllenhaal) is travelling in a commuter train to Chicago. To his travel partner, Christina (Monaghan) and when he looks at himself in the mirror, he appears to be Sean Fentress, a school teacher. 8 minutes later, a bomb kills everyone on board. The scene shifts to a dinghy room where we see Stevens communicates through a video screen to Captain Goodwin (Farmiga), who confirms his identity. She asks him to stay on the mission to root out the bomber who has planned to strike again in the city in a few hours. We learn that Sean is actually transported to an alternate timeline through the “Source Code” program, which allows him to experience 8 minutes of another compatible person’s life. The film talks about how Stevens tries repeatedly to catch the bomber, and the experiences he has each time.

Farmiga as Goodwin

 Gyllenhaal’s character is pretty much like Phil in Groundhog Day – he lives the same 8 minutes over and over again till he completes his mission. He remembers his previous attempts but no one around him does. The story seems a bit boring because unlike Groundhog Day, here we get to see only the same 8 minutes repeatedly, so the whole “beauty” of having that experience of reliving the time is not shown; what we do see is a tense man trying to diffuse the bomb, which I felt boring. There is barely any character development. The whole concept of source code isn’t explained that clearly either.

Gyllenhaal does well in the lead role, but I felt the story hampered his chance of showcasing his acting. He does (more or less) the same thing in the alternate timeline, and what makes his role interesting is the transition between the characters of Sean and Stevens. he subtly modifies his expressions and actions because he, unlike other passengers, knows what’s going to happen. Michelle Monaghan plays the travel partner of Sean, and does well, nothing – says the same stuff, same confused expressions… after all, her character is reliving the same time again, freshly. Vera Farmiga also has a simple role to play – just communicate to Stevens and tell him what to do, that’s it. Source Code cannot boast of its acting either.

The effects, sound and Gyllenhaal’s acting are the strong points of this sci-fi thriller. The concept I feel could have been developed further...maybe a full story could have been created instead of just this one train incident. To see Sean/Stevens slowly make progress to finally stop the bomber is something I felt boring and monotonous, but if the subtle differences in each attempt interest you then you might enjoy the movie.

My Rating: 2.5/5

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 92%

No One Killed Jessica (2011)

Director: Raj Kumar Gupta

Screenplay: Raj Kumar Gupta

Cast: Rani Mukerji, Vidya Balan

Music: Amit Trivedi

Time: 134 minutes

Bottom-line: Excellent choice for the story, and good execution

One of the most infamous murder cases of Delhi, this 2011 biographical drama is based on the true events following the murder of small time model and celebrity barmaid Jessica Lal. While the actual events took place over a period of seven years, from 1999 to 2006, the film tries to give the gist of them in a little over two hours.

People generally say, that Mumbai is about money and Delhi is about power. In Delhi, nobody is a nobody. Everybody is a somebody.

30^th April 1999: Sabrina (Balan) gets a call in the middle of the night from a man named Vikram (Neil Bhoopalam), saying that her sister, Jessica (Myra Karn) has been shot dead. He narrates how three men – Manish, Vishal and Lucky – had demanded drinks at the bar during a party, and while Jessica repeatedly refused to offer it to them, Manish of them shot her. While all the evidence seems to point at Manish, and with 300 witnesses to testify, the case seems to be a simple open-and-shut one, so thinks reporter Meera (Mukerji). But months later, when she reads the headline “No One Killed Jessica”, she knows it is up to the media to make sure justice is delivered. In a city where everyone is ready to comment and complain, but hesitant to take the initiative, she has to lead.

 

Vidya Balan as Sabrina (right) and
Rani Mukerji as Meera

The Jessica murder case goes on to show the height of corruption and power in India. All it takes is money, muscle and influence to silence thousands of people and alter the course of justice; it is only a matter of targeting and threatening the common man. We see how Sabrina and her family try to protest on their own, going personally to each of the witnesses and pleading with them to testify in court, but all efforts go in vain; even Vikram, the first eye-witness, ends up saying he is not sure. Several biting dialogues bring out the harsh truth, and give a lot to think about. While the case is over a decade old, the issues of power and influence still exist.

The actual Jessica Lal

Having seen The Dirty Picture and Kahaani, I found it surprising that Vidya Balan has such a passive role in the film. Her character, Sabrina, takes the humble route to everything, which, sadly, have no place in a place like Delhi (as the film shows). With all her efforts having gone in vain, she gives up fighting. Enter Meera, the highly enthusiastic, determined journalist, who turns the tables around. Her quick thinking, persuasive methods and bravery to bring justice irrespective of the odds against it is clearly seen in her acting, and this is one outstanding performance!

The screenplay is not an exact copy of the actual events; some of it is obviously dramatized more than the actual incidents. Nevertheless, I would have enjoyed a bit more courtroom drama. The film also gives importance to the personal lives of Sabrina and Jessica; the meeting between Sabrina and Meera towards the end is the best scene of the film, and a myriad of emotions flow through you. In general, I look forward to films that are based on true stories/people, and I must say, hats off to Raj Kumar Gupta for bringing up this infamous case to the big screen.

My Rating: 3.5/5

Sicario (2015)

Director: Denis Villeneuve

Story: Taylor Sheridan

Cast: Josh Brolin, Emily Blunt, Benicio del Toro

Music: Jóhann Jóhannsson

Time: 121 minutes

Bottom-line: Superb thriller; deserved a lot more recognition

In Mexico, Sicario means hitman.

One of the splendid films that went unnoticed, Denis Villeneuve’s thriller Sicario is a story about the drug cartels in Mexico. The film stars Emily Blunt, Benicio del Toro and Josh Brolin in the lead roles, with Daniel Kaluuya and Victor Garber in the supporting roles. Sicario was nominated for three Oscars: Best Score, Cinematography and Sound Editing (winning none).

 

Blunt as Kate

In Chandler, Arizona, FBI agents Kate Macer (Blunt) and Reggie Wayne (Kaluuya) lead a SWAT raid of a safe house of a Mexican drug cartel. A booby trap kills several police officers. Following this, Kate’s boss, Jennings (Garber) recommends her to a DoD-CIA joint venture – led by CIA officer Matt Graver (Brolin) – to bring down the Sonora cartel lieutenant, Diaz. Determined to find the men responsible for the Chandler incident, Kate accepts. En route to El Paso, Kate meets Matt’s partner, Alejandro Gillick (del Toro). Matt tells Kate their plan is to disrupt the drug trade to such an extent that Diaz is called back to Mexico by his boss, Fausto Alarcón. During the operation, Kate finds several suspicious incidents: Alejandro’s foggy background, the refusal for arrest warrants… but is repeatedly overruled by Matt and her boss. What is the actual mission? What is Kate’s role? And more importantly, who is doing the right thing?

 

Brolin as Matt

I’m surprised none of the actors received any Oscar nods, while all of them deserved one; del Toro did receive a BAFTA nomination though. The way he plays the shady, powerful and cunning “cop” (for lack of a better name; you don’t get to know what he actually is!), with his sudden violent outbursts, is chilling to watch; look out for the dinner table scene towards the end. Josh Brolin’s character is also full of surprises; we are first introduced to him sitting in a conference room wearing a beach shirt with bathroom slippers! Always with a wry smile and casual demeanour, we are deceived a lot when it comes to his true nature.

One main theme of Sicario is that no person is entirely good or entirely bad; every coin has two sides. This is clichéd, admittedly, but the presentation is what makes it effective. The suspense is really good, and the several exchanges between the characters are the highlights: Kate and Matt outside the tunnel, Kate and Alejandro in the climax, to name a few (Blunt’s acting is outstanding in these sequences; a pretty good choice for a female action hero I must say!). There is a lot of violence, and that coupled with Jóhannsson’s chilling score makes a gruelling watch. The cinematography is superb: the aerial shots, a few long takes, the dynamic camerawork, the greyscale and infra-red scenes are quite exciting. 

 

del Toro as Alejandro 

Sicario did not get the popularity or the awards it deserved, probably because of the not-so-famous director and crew, but boy, this is one mind-blowing thriller! The acting, cinematography, score, visuals and the craftily created characters all come together to give one of the best films of the year. Highly recommended!

My Rating: 4/5

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 94%

Sully (2016)

Director: Clint Eastwood

Screenplay: Todd Komarnicki (based on the book by Sullenberger and Jeffrey Zaslow)

Cast: Tom Hanks, Aaron Eckhart

Music: Christian Jacob, The Tierney Sutton Band

Time: 95 minutes

Bottom-line: Hanks and Eastwood in full form, in an otherwise average film!

Tom Hanks could well be on the Oscar list this year as well, with his performance as the titular character, Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger. Aaron Eckhart, Laura Linney and Anna Gunn play the supporting roles in this biographical drama, based on the true incident that took place on January 15, 2009.

Captain Sully (Hanks) and First Officer Jeffrey Skiles (Eckhart) board an Airbus A320 from La Guardia airport. Almost immediately after the take-off, at an altitude of 2800 feet, a flock of geese strike the plane, disabling both engines. With the altitude being too low and time being insufficient to go back to La Guardia, Sully decides to land the plane in the Hudson river. He does so, and by some miracle, all passengers survive. While the public hail him as a hero, the NTSB criticise him of having deliberately put the lives at risk, arguing that he would have enough time to land at the runway. Sully also suffers from trauma following the incident. Will the glorious forty-year career end because of the one “risk” Sully took?

 

Hanks as Sully (left) and Eckhart as Skiles 

Forty years I’ve been flying and now they judge me because of 208 seconds?!

The main theme of the film is whether what Sully did was the right thing. First, we see the aftermath of the incident – the trauma, the case against Sully and the TV interviews showing Sully being regarded a public hero, then we actually flash backward to January 15, and see the incident from Sully’s point of view: from take-off, to the landing, till the official confirmation arrives that everyone survived. It’s not a full biopic – rather a documentary type film based on this one incident. There’s no exciting action; mostly it is just people talking.

Tom Hanks looks so different in Sully, with his snow-white hair and moustache. His acting though, is still impeccable. This is a guy who can play any role you give him. The authority, confidence and style with which he executes the captain’s role is amazing. Eckhart and the others have very little to do, comparatively. Hanks’ acting is what you should see the film for, in my view. Eastwood’s direction is quite good given the story, but I found it a tad boring at times. The emphasis shifts irregularly, between the case against Sully and his personal trauma/family.

I would never have imagined this one incident being the source of a 95-minute film, but only directors like Eastwood can accomplish that. Watch the film for Tom Hanks’ scintillating performance; the rest of the film will just blend around that!

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