Zootopia (2016)

Director: Byron Howard, Rich Moore

Story: Byron Howard, Rich Moore, Jennifer Lee, Jared Bush, Josie Trinidad, Phil Johnston, Jim Reardon

Cast: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Idris Elba, Jenny Slate

Music: Michael Giacchino

Time: 108 minutes

Bottom-line: Scintillating and wonderfully made!

In terms of creativity, Zootopia is one of the best films I have come across. Set in a world populated by anthropomorphic animals, Zootopia, this is a story that tries to inspire the viewers to try everything and become what they choose to be. The cast includes Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Idris Elba, Jenny Slate, Nate Torrence, J.K Simmons and Shakira.

Judy Hopps (Goodwin), a bunny from the rural town, Bunnyburrow, travels to Zootopia, hoping to become the first bunny police officer. She becomes the valedictorian of the police academy, but she is assigned to parking duty on her first day. She encounters a fox, Nick Wilde (Bateman), who turns out to be a con artist, illegally selling popsicles. Judy requests the Chief to assign her the duty of a “real cop”, but her zeal is not appreciated at all. Her chance arrives when an otter raises a complaint regarding her missing husband, and Judy makes a deal with the Chief that she’ll solve the case in 48 hours, else resign. Judy links the disappearance to the fox, and forces him to assist her on the case. What she learns along the way is that the “missing animal” case proves to be a scandal far larger and scarier than her expectations…

 

Judy, Nick, along with Lionheart, Chief Bogo, Officer Clawhauser,
and Yax

The highlight of the film is that portrayal of animals. All of them are shown to behave and act like humans, but more importantly, they also live up to the stereotypes we associate with those animals. The bunny is agile and active, but considered by everyone else as too weak to become a cop; the fox is sly and cunning; the sheep is being taken advantage of by everyone; the lion is the ruler of the city; the sloths are ultra-slow in everything they do… and the best part is that all these fit in beautifully with the story. These add to the humour, with loads of contributions from the smartly written dialogues.

My favourite scene from the film

There are also references to The Godfather and even to other Disney films along the way. The scene where Judy and Nick meet the sloth is the best part of Zootopia, and their encounter with Mr. Big, the Arctic shrew, is a close second best, as well as the investigation they conduct at the yoga class! The message, as I said, is summarised by Shakira’s song Try Everything – no one can tell you what to become or do; it is all about what we put our hearts and minds to.

The animation is also superb. The characters are adorable, and the expressions – and the way the stereotypes are portrayed – vocal work are near-perfect. There is no way you cannot love the film; it has everything to entertain people of all ages, and it’s visually dazzling. This is certainly one of the best (if not the best) pictures of 2016.

My rating: 5/5

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 98%   

Steve Jobs (2015)

Director: Danny Boyle

Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin (based on the book by Walter Isaacson)

Cast: Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Jeff Daniels, Seth Rogen

Music: Daniel Pemberton

Time: 122 minutes

Bottom-line: The best screenplay you could possibly have, and the best acting

The two most significant events of the 20th century: the Allies win the war, and this (Jobs introduces the Mac).

The moment I knew Aaron Sorkin wrote the screenplay, I made up my mind to watch this film. Danny Boyle’s biopic stars Michael Fassbender and Kate Winslet (each receiving an Oscar nomination) in the lead roles, with Jeff Daniels, Seth Rogen and Katherine Waterson in the supporting roles.

 

Fassbednder as Jobs

You play the instrument. I play the orchestra.

1984: Apple Macintosh 128K’s voice demo fails at the last minute, and Apple co-founder Steve Jobs (Fassbender) demands it to be fixed, and in the end the crew ends up faking the demo. Jobs complains to his managing executive Joanna Hoffman (Winslet) about Time magazine exposing his family issues. He denies being the father of his daughter, Lisa, and this strained relationship persists throughout the movie.

Rogen as Wozniak

1988: Jobs is fired from Apple, and he starts his own company, NeXT. The remainder of the film covers incidents till 1998 – touching on Jobs’ friendship and relationship with Steve Wozniak and John Sculley – where Apple renames Jobs as its CEO, who launches the iMac.

You had three weeks to fix it. The universe was created in a third of that time.

Winslet as Joanna

Lines like these, and exchanges: each one more biting than the other, is what made me love Sorkin’s screenplay in this film, as well as his previous success, The Social Network. The dialogues are humorous, catchy and often quite intense: for example, the talk between Jobs and Sculley before and after Jobs is fired (shown in non-linear fashion with quick cuts between the two timelines), the exchange between Jobs and Steve Wozniak before the launch of the NeXT computer are engaging on a whole new level.

Daniels as Sculley

This was quite different from the other five Danny Boyle films I have seen, in terms of cinematography and themes. The story was a bit different: I was expecting more of the pre-Apple struggle to be shown, which people would not know about, but instead Steve Jobs emphasises more on the financial and commercial successes and personal failures. The relation with his daughter and wife (Waterson) is a recurring theme. So it’s not really an informative insight into the life of Jobs, if you’re looking for the development and growth of Apple; most of that are shown as news clippings.

Fassbender is outstanding in the film. He doesn’t quite have the physical resemblance, but I liked the way he was able to portray the business-like, egotistic, yet pioneering, character of Jobs. Kate Winslet – whenever she’s not calling after Jobs reminding him it’s time to go up on stage – has few notable instances on screen, the best one being the scene where she convinces Jobs to patch things up with Lisa. Seth Rogen and Jeff Daniels have also done remarkably well; again, even if the appearance doesn’t quite match, the execution was perfect.

 

Wozniak (left) and Jobs, in real life

So, how much you like the film boils down to what you expect from it. Don’t go looking for a great story, although the script is probably the best you can write for the biopic, and the wonderful acting makes it all the more entertaining.

My Rating: 3.5/5

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 86%  

Lion (2016)

Director: Garth Davis

Screenplay: Luke Davies (based on the book by Saroo Brierley)

Cast: Dev Patel, Nicole Kidman, Roone Mara, David Wenham

Music: Hauschka, Dustin O’ Halloran

Time: 118 minutes

Bottom-line: Brilliantly made! The climax will melt your heart

Nominated for six Oscars at the 89^th Academy Awards, Garth Davis’ debut feature film could be the most heart-warming one of 2016. The film is based on Saroo Brierley’s non-fiction book A Long Way Home, where he narrates his adventure of being “lost” from home for over 25 years.

 

Patel as the adult Saroo

Based on a true story.

Khandwa, India, 1986: Saroo (Sunny Pawar), his brother, Guddu (Abhishek Barathe), and mother (Priyanka Bose) work as labourers. One night, Saroo follows his brother to a train station, where he waits while his brother looks for employment. In search of Guddu, Saroo boards an empty train – and dozes off – which takes him to Calcutta, 1600 kilometres away. Without knowing a word of Bengali, a panic-stricken Saroo eventually finds himself in an orphanage. Months later, an Australian couple in Tasmania: John (Wenham) and Sue (Kidman) Brierley adopt Saroo. Twenty years, Saroo (Patel) returns to Melbourne to study hotel management. He starts a relationship with Lucy (Mara). When talking to other Indians, Saroo suddenly realises he is not from Calcutta, and decides to start a search for his true home. The rest of the film is how he uses Google Earth to help him with his search, and how that affects his life in Australia.

 

Pawar as the young Saroo

There is not a single dull moment in the film. The first one hour deals with Saroo’s life in India; till then it is pretty much like a Bollywood film in every aspect. The second half deals with his life with his new parents, his girlfriend, and his search for home. This is not the first film that has been made about someone searching for his home and family, but Davis’ film stands out because of its faithfulness to the true story – no unnecessary exaggerations and melodrama – and the way it portrays themes like a mother-son bond, and the love between brothers. The scenes from Saroo’s childhood keep flashing by on the screen, often comparing his actions in Australia to those of his childhood, emphasising on the nostalgia.

 

Kidman as Sue Brierley 

Dev Patel and Nicole Kidman are both nominated in the Supporting Actor/Actress categories. The former puts on an Australian accent, but his Indian appearance makes him perfect for the role. The way he is able to show his feelings of missing home and family is superb, and towards the end it gets even better; if the climax of Lion isn’t the most heart-warming scene of all the films in 2016 then I don’t know what is! Nicole Kidman has excelled in her role as the “mother” of Saroo. Her happiness on seeing the little boy she’s going to adopt, her sadness on seeing him distinguish between his adopted and biological brothers, and her support for his search will pull some strings in your heart as well. Priyanka Bose and the debutant, Sunny Pawar, have performed wonderfully too.

 

Mara as Lucy

The film closes by saying that over 18000 children disappear in India every year, and that the film crew have setup an option for donation towards this purpose, in the film’s official website. The best part of Lion is that it is a film catering to the taste of Indian audience, but without the clichés or drama of a usual Bollywood film. Emotionally powerful and visually uplifting, this film is one to cherish.

My Rating: 4/5

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 86%

Manchester by the Sea (2016)

Director: Kenneth Lonergan

Story: Kenneth Lonergan

Cast: Casey Affleck, Lucas Hedges

Music: Lesley Barber

Time: 136 minutes

Bottom-line: An emotional ride, with Affleck and Hedges at their best

Earning six Academy Award nominations this year, Kenneth Lonergan’s Manchester by the Sea brings out one of the best performances of both its lead actors: Casey Affleck and Lucas Hedges (each receiving an Oscar nomination). The story revolves around Lee Chandler (Affleck), a quiet, introverted janitor in Quincy. Despite his reliability, he is often rude to his customers, leading to tension between him and his boss. Lee receives news that his brother, Joe (Kyle Chandler), has died of a heart attack. When Lee reaches his hometown, Manchester-by-the-Sea, to break the news to Joe’s son, Patrick (Hedges), he comes to know that Joe has named Lee as Patrick’s guardian. Lee is shocked, for this would require him to shift to his hometown: the place where his past haunts him. The relationship between Lee and Patrick – before and after Joe’s death – is what the film is about.

 

Affleck as Lee (left) and Hedges as Patrick

One thing about Casey Affleck’s acting: he can never express emotions. However, when the role doesn’t require one to do so, this guy is one of the best-suited people. Lee’s character is a reserved one: taciturn, minding his own business. He has a traumatic past: memories of his accident causing the death of his kids, his divorce (Michelle Williams plays his ex-wife, Randi) all come flooding back when he arrives at his hometown. The other mentally disturbed character is Patrick: a boy with a deceased father, an alcoholic mother, two girlfriends and an uncle whose cooperation he never seems to get. The film emphasises on the mental tension that exists between these two characters. Both of them suffer in different ways, each with his own problems, but they try to find solace in each other.

Affleck, with Williams as Randi 

That is what brings out the best in acting from Affleck and Hedges. The former’s authoritative attitude, his angry outbursts, and the latter’s myriad of emotions – as a teenager would normally have – are so naturally delivered. Michelle Williams has barely 10 minutes of screen time, with one heartfelt conversation with Lee, but giving her an Oscar nod seems a bit exaggerated! I also felt there were a lot “awkward silences” throughout the film; scenes where the camera would be at a fixed location, and the characters performing mute actions, probably intended for the viewers to reflect on what’s going on.

The story has several flashes to the past, as Lee scans through his memories of Manchester by the Sea; the relationship between Patrick and himself gradually turns from two people forcibly made to stay in each other’s company, to people who accept each other with all their flaws. The ending seems apt, leaving you with a touch of happiness after almost two hours of melancholic content.

My Rating: 3.5/5

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 96%