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%

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%

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%

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% 

The 88th Academy Awards (2016)

The 88th Academy Awards were well underway at the Dolby Theatre, by early morning today, where I am. It was one hell of an event too! Hosted by Chris Rock (he voices Marty in the Madagascar franchise), this event brought forth many surprises, laughs and will give us memories to remember, with the main highlight being Leonardo DiCaprio winning his first Oscar after a long wait!

The host: Chris Rock

The main issue with this year’s award ceremony was the fact that there were no black nominees. While this may have been controversial to many, Chris Rock certainly did make the most of it to entertain everyone around. His line, “Black people don’t care about these! We’re too busy being raped and lynched to worry about who won Best Documentary Short!” He also questioned the need for separate categories for males and females in acting! After all, if you are an actor you should be able to play both! As he said, “Robert de Niro is not gonna say ‘I’ll slow down here to let Meryl Streep catch up with me!’” The other interesting thing that occurred was Chris Rock advertising Girl Scout cookies, and it resulted in a collection of over $65000 too!

Now, onto the winners:

Best Picture: Spotlight (Michael Sugar, Steve Golin, Nicole Rocklin, and Blye Pagon Faust)

Todd McCarthy’s biographical crime drama talks about The Boston Globe’s “Spotlight” team, that investigated the widespread and systemic child sex abuse in the Boston area by numerous Roman Catholic priests. The Globe earned the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. It was one of the top contenders for the accolade, with The Revenant being the only other close competitor (my pick was The Martian). “The film gave a voice to the survivors, and the voice is amplified by this Oscar” the team said as they accepted the final award of the night. Michael Rezendes, the real life reporter (played by Mark Ruffalo in the film) was present for the occasion.

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Best Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu (The Revenant)
Winning the award for Best Director second time in a row, after last year’s Birdman, (the third director to do so) Alejandro G. Iñárritu continues to impress us with his versatile filmmaking styles. The Revenant is the survival tale of Hugh Glass, a fur trapper who was left for the dead by his team after being mauled by a grizzly bear.

Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant)
Ah, this was the best moment of the night, for a Leo fan like me! After being eluded by the Oscar for his better performances in Blood Diamond and The Wolf of Wall Street, DiCaprio finally had a chance to give his Oscar speech following a long standing ovation. He plays Hugh Glass, the survivor of the film. With barely any dialogue but with a wide range of expressions and good use of body language, this was a well-deserved win. Being an environmentalist, he also gave a shout-out to climate change before signing off – “Climate change is real, it is happening right now… it is the most urgent threat facing our entire species and we need to work collectively together and stop procrastinating. Let's not take this planet for granted. I do not take tonight for granted.” DiCaprio was all praise for Tom Hardy too, saying, "The only thing better than his acting on screen was his friendship off screen."

Best Actress: Brie Larson (Room)
You have seen her as the crazy school girl in 21 Jump Street, but get ready to see her as Joy "Ma" Newsome, the mother who is held captive in a room for seven years, who has the responsibility of introducing her child to the world outside. “The thing I love about movie making is how many people it takes to make it”, she said, after accepting her accolade.

Best Supporting Actor: Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies) 
Well this was a surprise! Personally I considered Rylance’s performance to be a bit overrated; it was terrific, no doubt, but I felt that Tom Hardy, for The Revenant, deserved the award more. Rylance plays the Soviet spy Rudolf Abel, held captive in the US, while the Americans try to use him to settle for an exchange of spies. His referred to his famous line in the movie “Would it help?” during his speech, saying, “If anyone asks 'Would it help working with Tom Hanks?', the answer is certainly yes”.

Best Supporting Actress: Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl)

While there was slight controversy about placing Vikander in the supporting category and not the lead actress category even though the title refers to her character, the award was well deserved. Vikander plays Gerda Wegener, the wife of Einar Wegener (played by Eddie Redmayne, also a nominee), the letter being the one of the first people to undergo a sex change operation.

Best Animated Feature: Inside Out (Pete Docter and Jonas Rivera) 
I was disappointed this film didn’t become the fourth animated film to be in the Best Picture category, but I am certainly happy it won the Best Animated Feature award. As the recipients said, “This film was born from watching our children grow up...”, the film is about a 11-year old girl who has five emotions/personalities in her head, and how we see the world through their eyes. This is one family film worth watching, and is as good as any other Pixar film you’ll come across.

Best Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki (The Revenant) 
Three years in a row – following Gravity and Birdman – Lubezki has been the proud recipient of this award. The Revenant gives him an opportunity to use his skills again, as he gives us some terrific action scenes, and equally grueling ones too. The scene where the grizzly bear attacks Hugh Glass is one to look out for!

Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Costume Design, Best Editing, Best Makeup and Best Production Design: Mad Max: Fury Road

This post apocalyptic thriller (the fourth installment in the Mad Max franchise) emerged as the film with most wins, bagging 6 out of its ten nominations! While the storyline was not that impressive, I really loved the sets, camerawork, and the mind boggling action. This film certainly deserved the awards, and credit must be given to its artistic touches.

Best Original Score: Ennio Morricone (The Hateful Eight)
It’s not often you see a Tarantino movie winning in categories other than screenplay, but well, here’s surprise! This was one award the film deserved winning, even if it otherwise fell way below my expectations in terms of acting and storyline.

Other winners:
Best Original Screenplay: Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer (Spotlight)
Best Adapted Screenplay: Adam McKay and Charles Randolph (The Big Short) 
Best Original Song: Writing's on the Wall" - Music and Lyric by Jimmy Napes and Sam Smith (Spectre) 

The Revenant entered the ceremony with the most nominations (12) (winning three) and Mad Max: Fury Road ended up winning the most (6). The ceremony went well, thanks to the excellent hosting by Chris Rock. The performances of the nominated songs were excellent, and overall, the event went smoothly.

#Oscars #Oscars2016 #88thacademyawards

Skyfall (2012)

Director: Sam Mendes
Story: Robert Wade, John Logan, Neal Purvis (based on the character created by Ian Fleming)
Cast: Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fieness
Music: Thomas Newman
Time: 143 minutes
Bottom-line: Bit goofy, but exhilarating! 

Skyfall marks the fiftieth anniversary of the classic, unforgettable MI6 agent, James Bond. The twenty-third installment in the James Bond franchise stars Daniel Craig as 007 and Judi Dench as M. The film begins in Istanbul, where Bond and Eve (Naomi Harris) chase a mercenary. As Bond and the mercenary fight on top of a train, M orders Eve to take a direct shot, which ends up hitting Bond, who falls into a river, and is presumed dead. Following the event, M faces pressure from Gareth Mallory (Fieness), the Intelligence and Security Committee, to retire. After a terrorist attack, the MI6 is forced to relocate its emergency offices underground. Bond eventually returns after hearing about the attack, and though he fails all the required tests, M approves his return to the field. After a series of events Bond meets Silva (Bardem), the film’s villain. The rest of the film focuses on the Bond-Silva encounters, with particular importance on M’s character.

Craig as Bond. James Bond

The film begins with an exciting encounter, as always; but then it slows down a bit. The process of Bond getting back to the field is shown in detail. But nevertheless, the action sequences were interesting, especially the drama at the Macau casino. One thing odd about Skyfall is that the villain makes an entry only after 70 minutes into the film (“He’s the villain we’ve all been waiting for... for seventy minutes, that is!”). Silva is that one villain more bent on destroying M rather than Bond, which is why the film’s climax is unique.

Bardem as Silva

Daniel Craig impresses again, playing the role I feel he was born to play (as I wrote earlier in Casino Royale, Craig has always been my mental picture of Bond). Judi Dench does an amazing job as M, and among her recent films, it is one of her best performances. The new characters are Gareth Mallory, played well by Fieness, the bond girl – surprisingly with a very short screen time – Bérénice Lim Marlohe as Séverine, and finally, the villain – Silva. I felt that Bardem could have done a much better job at playing a more horrific villain – his role as Anton Chigurh in No Country in Old Men still haunts me. Craig and the others manage to throw in a few bits of dry humour as well (like during Bond’s word-association test!)

Dench as M

The film’s cinematography is superb, as is the background score. Perhaps the main highlight of the technical aspects is Adele’s Skyfall theme that plays as the opening credits roll, immediately after Bond is shot. The song later won the Oscar for Best Original Song, and boy, was it good! The stunts were exciting to watch, but again, as in most films, the more exciting it is, the more ridiculous it is (I mean which driver continues to drive a train after half of it has been “sawed” off??) The climax was goofy; it looked more of a Home Alone type showdown!

Marlohe as Severine

Thanks to its terrific acting performances, camera work and stylish presentation, Skyfall marks the fiftieth anniversary in such finesse and elegance. To me, Casino Royale was a better Bond film, but this one definitely is worth a watch!

My Rating: 3.5/5
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 92%