The Jungle Book (2016)

Director: Jon Favreau
Screenplay: Justin Marks (based on the book by Rudyard Kipling)
Cast: Ben Kingsley, Bill Murray, Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong’o, Neel Sethi
Music: John Debney
Time: 105 minutes
Bottom-line: Crafty, funny, and thrilling

If you are one of those people (like me) who dismissed The Jungle Book as a “children’s film”, revert that decision and book a ticket immediately! This film, released in India a week ahead of its US release, so that it coincided with the Indian New Year (and hence, the viewership would increase), is now the fourth highest grossing film of 2016.

Sethi as Mowgli, and Bagheera

Meet Mowgli (Neel Sethi), a man-cub raised by the Indian wolf pack, led by Akela (Giancarlo Esposito). Ever since he was brought there as an infant, by the Black Panther Bagheera (Kingsley), he has been raised by Raksha (Nyong’o). When a drought strikes, the Bengal Tiger, Shere Khan (Elba) picks off Mowgli’s scent, and, having been scarred by man before, demands Mowgli to be handed over by the end of the drought. As the wolves debate over whether they mustprotect Mowgli or let him go, Mowgli voluntarily leaves the pack to protect the others from harm. Along with Bagheera, he sets off to the man village. Mowgli’s adventures in his journey and his encounters with the python Kaa (Scarlett Johansson), the sloth bear Baloo (Murray) and the ape King Louie (Christopher Walken) are depicted throughout the rest of the film.

Mowgli, with Baloo

The story is adapted from both – Kipling’s original work, and Disney’s 1967 film. The Jungle Book balances the art of building a plot and the art of using computer graphics to give us a dazzling ride. The story is replete with humour, drama, and the message of friendship and courage. The CGI makes a big difference actually... the way the animals and sets were created was beautiful. Some scenes in particular really deserved praise, like the water truce (where every animal in the jungle is shown), the encounter with Kaa, and the final showdown with Shere Khan. As the director Jon Favreau said, all these effects gave a “dream-like” quality to the movie. There is a lot of humour too, thanks to the characters of Baloo (and friends) and the other wolves. The scene where Mowgli knocks down a bee hive for Baloo to get honey is perhaps the funniest scene in the film.

Shere Khan

Neel Sethi is quite impressive in his debut role as the man-cub Mowgli. The child artist shows joy, sadness, anger, courage, fear and pretty much every emotion in the book! Not to forget, his acting is perhaps the only thing where CGI wasn’t used, and it was a treat to watch this little guy shine! Everyone else did their bits well too! In particular I liked Johansson as Kaa – the scene where she tells Mowgli his tale, is really creepy, thanks to the graphics, and Johansson’s hypnotic voice! King Louie’s song I Wan'na Be Like You (performed by Walken) was hilarious and fun too!

Kaa

With mesmerising CGI and terrific performances and voicing by all the artists, The Jungle Book is a terrific film, for children and adults. You will be taken to a new world entirely, but it’s a journey worth your time and money!

Mowgli with Raksha, and the other members
of the pack

My Rating: 4/5
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 95%  

A Beautiful Mind (2001)

Director: Ron Howard
Screenplay: Akiva Goldsman (based on the book by Sylvia Nasar)
Cast: Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly 
Music: James Horner
Time: 135 minutes
Bottom-line: One of the best biopics ever made

Perhaps it is good to have a beautiful mind, but an even greater gift is to discover a beautiful heart.
After numerous people suggesting that I put A Beautiful Mind on my “movies to watch” list, I finally got a chance to watch and review this masterpiece by Ron Howard. Following the success of Gladiator, Russell Crowe plays the lead role in the film, and is supported by Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris and Paul Bettany. The film won four Academy Awards – Best Picture, Director, Supporting Actress and Adapted Screenplay.

Crowe as Nash

He saw the world in a way no one could have imagined. 
1947 – John Nash (Crowe) arrives at Princeton University. He is involved with numbers, barely paying attention to anything else around him. The only person who seems to be getting along with him is his roommate, Charles Herman (Bettany). Nash is determined to publish an original idea, and develops a new concept of governing dynamics (known as the Nash equilibrium), following which he is offered an appointment at MIT. After being invited to the Pentagon to crack enemy codes, he meets a mysterious supervisor, William Parcher (Harris), who assigns Nash to look for patterns in newspapers and magazines to foil a Soviet plot. Nash also falls in love with, and later marries, a student, Alicia (Connelly). The rest of the film is about how Nash deals with his paranoid schizophrenia, and how it affects his family, his career, and his mind.

This was the time when Crowe was at the peak of his career, being nominated for Academy Awards in 1999 (The Insider), 2000 (winning it for Gladiator), and in 2001, for A Beautiful Mind. Crowe ended up bagging almost all major awards except the Oscar, which was won by Denzel Washington for Training Day. To me however, his performance as John Nash is by far the best of his career – thanks to his beautiful portrayal of emotions, and the perfection with which he played a schizophrenic. Whether it is his obsession with numbers, or his crazy acts due to his hallucinations, Crowe does it all superbly. Jennifer Connelly has a few bright spots in her career, and this role is one of her best. Despite a short screen time, she uses it well to play the loving wife of Nash, who has to take care of her family, and also support her husband, and deal with his paranoia. Towards the end when Nash acknowledges her affection by saying, “You're the only reason I am…you are all my reasons”, it just might bring a tear to your eye.

Connelly as Alicia

The film is not meant to be a literal representation of Nash’s life, according to the makers, but it gives a fairly accurate insight into the life of the genius. The film starts with Nash’s early days, and then it mainly focuses on his delusions and how others around him are affected by it, and finally ends in 1994, when Nash won the Nobel Prize for Economics. The reason it is one of the best biopics is because the film does not idolise Nash, rather it balances the good days of his life and the bad, giving the perfect insight in two hours. The sets, costumes and score were first class too.

Thanks to Ron Howard’s sensitive direction and Crowe’s committed performance – supported aptly by Connelly, Harris and Bettany – A Beautiful Mind captures the life of John Nash in a magnificent manner. If this film has been in your list for some time now, don’t wait any longer! You don't need to know game theory to know that the payoff you get on watching the film is well worth it!

My Rating: 5/5
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 75%

The Italian Job (2003)

Director: F. Gary Gray
Screenplay: Donna Powers and Wayne Powers (remake of the 1969 film of the same name; based on the book by Troy Kennedy Martin)
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Edward Norton, Charlize Theron, Jason Statham, Donald Sutherland
Music: John Powell
Time: 110 minutes
Bottom-line: Nothing special; just another caper film

Gary Gray’s 2003 action heist film comes with a good lot of action sequences and some interesting heist methods, but I guess after watching so many other such films, The Italian Job is "just another addition" to that list. The film features an ensemble cast consisting of Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, Jason Statham, Edward Norton, Donald Sutherland, Mos Def and Seth Green.

Wahlberg as Charlie and Theron as
Stella

Venice: John Bridger (Sutherland), a professional safecracker, organises a heist to steal 35 million dollars worth gold bullion from Italian gangsters. His team includes Charlie Croker (Wahlberg), “Handsome” Rob (Statham), Napster (Green), Left Ear (Def) and Steve (Norton). The team heads towards the Alps, where the members plan on what they will use the gold for. But soon, Steve turns the tables around when he “makes a few plans of his own”, as he and his men intercept the truck, take the gold and kill John Bridger. A year later, the Charlie’s team joins hands with Bridger’s daughter Stella (Theron), a vault technician, who is determined to take revenge on Steve for murdering her father. Whether or not the team is successful is what the film is about.

Mos Def as Left Ear (left)
and Statham as Rob

The film brings together an interesting cast, but the acting wasn’t significant, except for the performance of Edward Norton. Barring few exceptions like Ocean’s Eleven, most heist films just require the actors to do “something technical” that looks cool to the viewers, mostly because they cannot understand anything the actors are doing! Here too pretty much the same thing happens – the part we do understand is when the crew members just drive around in Mini Coopers! Only Norton is impressive by playing the manipulative antagonist, and he continues to be an excellent, versatile actor. His best line is when he casually says, “I liked what you said. I'll take one of each of yours” (when they plan on how to spend the money), and then goes on to actually do it.

Sutherland as John Bridger

Till the scene where Steve double-crosses the gang, The Italian Job is a caper film; beyond that it is pretty much a revenge film. We see how Crocker gather resources and hatch plans to spy on Steve and eventually snatch the gold back from him. It looks odd because usually revenge tales consist of one or two heroes battling against a bunch of villains but here it is the exact opposite. So the expected level of suspense or thrill is not there; beyond a point it becomes obvious that Steve is going to lose, so I was expecting at least some excitement or twist despite the obvious victory.

Seth Green as Napster

The action sequences are as usual, highly ridiculous, but refreshingly entertaining. The boat chase through the canals of Venice and the car-chopper chase on the streets of LA are superbly filmed, by cinematographer Wally Pfister (who later became much more popular after collaborating with Christopher Nolan). I liked the few bits of humour the actors throw in too; they didn’t seem out of place but rather merged well with the situation. That said, if you want a good heist film I’d still recommend Soderbergh’s Ocean’s Eleven, but if you must watch The Italian Job, Norton’s splendid acting is something to look out for, even if nothing else seems to match your expectations.

Norton as Steve

My Rating: 2.5/5
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 73%  

NH 10 (2015)

Director: Navdeep Singh
Story: Sudip Sharma
Cast: Anushka Sharma, Neil Bhoopalam
Music: Anirban Chakraborty, Sanjeev-Darshan, Ayush Shrestha, Savera Mehta, Samira Koppikar
Time: 107 minutes
Bottom-line: Best seen on an empty stomach 

The tagline of the film reads “No turning back” whereas the correct one should have been “No turning away from the screen, except when the violence is too much to bear” and that is basically throughout the film. Anushka Sharma and Neil Bhoopalam star in this road movie / action thriller, which is arguably one of the most violent Indian films of the decade.

Meera (Sharma) and her husband Arjun (Bhoopalam) plan a road trip on NH 10 (Delhi to Fazilka). They leave the next day and en route, when they stop at a Dhaba, a young girl pleads Meera to protect her, saying that few men are going to kill her. Though Meera ignores her, she and Arjun witness a gang of men beat up the girl and a boy, and forcibly drag them in an SUV. As the couple follow the gang, they witness a brutal honour killing. When the men discover that they are not alone, they start to give pursuit. It only becomes a matter of time before Meera and Arjun realise that their journey turns out to be life-changing, and probably even suicidal...

NH 10, along with pk, is a film where Anushka Sharma really deserves praise for her acting. This film is more or less a one-woman show, but for the violence. Throughout the second half, the story explores how one woman picks up courage against all odds, how she fights back against a gang of men bent on killing her and her husband. The film gives her a chance to showcase everything she’s got –anger, shock and desperation. Alongside her is Neil Bhoopalam who tries his best to show barely any emotion throughout the film, but it is probably because of this that Sharma’s acting seems all the more laudable.

Anushka Sharma as Meera
and Neil Bhoopalam as Arjun

The story makes few things clear: one, when your wife tells you not to poke your nose into mischief, you will do well to listen to her; two, if you have a gun, then it automatically triggers something in your mind that gives you immense bravery to go after a gang who clearly have murderous intentions; three, honour killing is the last thing you should complain about; any other crime is fine. So with these main ideas setting the foundation, the violence builds the rest. Though I didn’t get a good quality print of the film to watch, now I feel that it was a good decision not to; it saved my eyes from a ton of gore and bloodshed.

Despite the crooked storyline, I liked the way it was presented on screen. With such a screenplay, this is probably the best way to make it into a movie. The suspense is maintained well, and for a 107-minute-long film, NH 10 gives more than the expected amount of thrill, assuming you are okay with the gore. Nevertheless, to watch Anushka Sharma give it her all to portray the lone warrior was a delight. The film is not a pleasant watch, but it is one you will never forget.

My Rating: 3/5  

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%