Edition 102

The year 2020 has been an extraordinary year. Consequently, the frequency of the blog was cut to once every few months. Still, there were enough readers to keep the flame burning. I will return with renewed vigour in 2021. Take care and stay safe. Wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year !

The Non-English Movie of The Week

Why Don’t You Just Die! (Russia, 2020) [IMDB: 6.8, Rotten Tomatoes: 97%, My Rating: 8.0]

The point of this movie is not the suspension of disbelief required from the viewer. Though the characters survive assault on every sinew of the body, they conveniently die when the script demands that they do. It is a testament to the craft of the director that inspite of the heavy odds against it, the film remains a fun ride from start to end. For those looking for a story, it is about a guy who wants to avenge on behalf of his girlfriend. For those looking for the moral of the story: Good guys can win (in the end).

Movies I Saw This Week

Dating Amber (2020)[IMDB: 7.0, Rotten Tomatoes: 96%, My Rating: 8.0]

‘Dating Amber’ is not a movie that reinvents cinema but it comes close to reinventing the genre of romantic comedy. The warmth and the effervescence are palpable. The performances are genuine and the characters relatable. The story of two queer young adults pretending to be in love to avoid the harsh realities of coming out is affecting. There are very few movies which resonate to such an extent that you care for the characters. The standout feature is that this movie is made with a lot of heart and it will keep you hooked till the titles roll.

The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)[IMDB: 7.8, Rotten Tomatoes: 90%, My Rating: 7.5]

This film is a courtroom drama based on a true incident. The thing with movies based on real life is that often they would not pass muster if they were presented as tales of fiction. Indeed, truth is stranger than fiction. The high drama in the courtroom is amusing and appalling at the same time. The trial of civil rights activists descends into a sham under the leadership of an incompetent judge. Aaron Sorkin is in fine form as the director in this movie, whose immediacy and relevance to 2020 are concerning.

Sound of Metal (2020)[IMDB: 7.8, Rotten Tomatoes: 97%, My Rating: 7.5]

Riz Ahmed gives a career defining performace as a musician struggling to come to grips with his rapidly declining ability to hear. His whole world is turned upside down and he faces an existential crisis. The movie has nothing earth shattering to say. The story is fortunately or unfortunately eclipsed by the acting. Ahmed should be a shoo in for an Oscar nomination. I would recommend watching this movie with good headphones.

Swallow (2019)[IMDB: 6.8, Rotten Tomatoes: 88%, My Rating: 7.5]

‘Swallow’ is a richly entertaining movie about a young and pregnant housewife who starts ingesting strange objects. The movie is very layered and raises many issues outside of the central character’s immediate concerns including unwanted pregnancies, the class divide and the vapidity of social soirees. It is evident that a lot of thought has gone into the screenplay and the framing of the scenes. ‘Swallow’ starts slowly but as it gathers pace it pulls in the viewer and does not let go. Very highly recommended.

Mank (2020)[IMDB: 7.2, Rotten Tomatoes: 84%, My Rating: 7.0]

For me, the greatest Hollywood movie of all time is ‘Citizen Kane’. If you have not seen it, please do. ‘Mank’ is the story of the writer who gave birth to ‘Citizen Kane’. Bereft of much drama, the movie rather surprisingly does not fail to keep the viewer interested othen than popping a question at the end about what all the fuss was about. ‘Mank’ is surely an Oscar bait and may yet be in the running for many technical categories and for Oldman’s acting. ‘Mank’ is a lurid look into the unseemly underbelly of the studio system. Hearst and Meyer are singled out for ‘special’ treatment. To take a harsh view, ‘Mank’ is a collection of vignettes from a rabble rouser of his time. Incidentally, he wrote ‘Citizen Kane’

Miss Juneteenth (2020)[IMDB: 6.3, Rotten Tomatoes: 100%, My Rating: 8.0]

I would like to raise a toast to the producers of this gem of a movie for having the courage to put their money into this project. A delicate movie with a lot of self-respect and dignity oozing through its barely contained feeling of doom is a must watch for what I would call silently strong performances. The protagonist is a former beauty queen who has fallen on hard times and wants to give her daughter a better shot at success in life. It is not a movie where there are trumpets and lilting music at the end to herald the victory of the underdog. Victory does come, in a sweet understated way. Highly recommended.

His House (2020)[IMDB: 6.5, Rotten Tomatoes: 100%, My Rating: 7.0]

Horror is a genre that is so easy to get wrong and easier still to be prey to gimmickry. ‘His House’ channels the guilt of the lead characters and their total alienation from what is around them, as they try to build a life as refugess in the United Kingdom. The culture clashes and the dark past start catching up with them as time passes. There are few scenes which evoke laughter in a rather twisted way. Watch this for a different type of horror.

I’m Thinking of Ending Things (2020)[IMDB: 6.7, Rotten Tomatoes: 81%, My Rating: 6.5]

Charlie Kaufman is weighed down by his own formidable reputation in this movie with too many metaphors that I stopped caring. As is the case in a Kaufman movie, nothing is what it seems. There are subtexts and subplots but he stretches the metaphor too long. The story is a contemplation of a person’s life and choices just as the person is close to calling it quits. On a shoddiness scale it is much better than the insufferable ‘Tenet’ but that does not say much. Watch it if you have to and think about it after watching it if you have nothing else to do.

Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020)[IMDB: 7.3, Rotten Tomatoes: 99%, My Rating: 7.5]

Abortion is a divisive issue in America. This movie should not be divisive for the humanity and heart it brings to the table. This grim flick is told in a matter of fact way without finding the need to preach. It prefers to practice. The story is of a young girl who has to travel out of state to get an abortion but has scant resources at her disposal. She must put to task every idea and thought that ensures that she gets what she wants. A deeply moving film that is highly recommended.

Happiest Season (2020)[IMDB: 6.7, Rotten Tomatoes: 83%, My Rating: 6.0]

Kristen Stewart plays the same sex lover who has to visit her girlfriend’s family for Christmas. The twist in the plot: The lover’s family has no clue on the girl’s sexual orientation. There are a few laugh out moments in this straighforward romcom. There are a few cringeworthy moments too but it is Christmas and all is forgiven. If couch viewing for Christmas is what you are looking for, then this will suffice.

Documentaries of the Week

The Donut King (2020)[IMDB: 6.9, Rotten Tomatoes: 97%, My Rating: 8.0]

If the Los Angeles donut empire looks Cambodian, there was a king to that empire. A story of an immigrant’s rags to riches and then to rags story. Very engaging.

Midnight Family (2020)[IMDB: 7.4, Rotten Tomatoes: 97%, My Rating: 8.5]

If you have to watch one documentary this year, watch this one. It is about a private ambulance service in Mexico.

Eagerly waiting for: ‘West Side Story’ from Spielberg.

Did you know: Oscar winning production company ‘Higher Ground Productions’ is owned by Barack and Michelle Obama.

Edition 56

The Non-English Movie of The Week

Goodbye First Love (France, 2011) [ IMDB: 6.5, Rotten Tomatoes: 80%, My rating: 6/10]

This film which had a good run at the festival circuits, is an intimate observation of adolescence and the youthful passion associated with being in love for the first time. Camille and Sullivan fall in love as if they were made for each other. Then Sullivan decides to go on a trip, only to return after eight years. Camille meanwhile has been through an emotionally turbulent period. Will their once indestructible and fervent love stand the test of time? The film is an exploration of how maturity brings change in the thoughts and actions of people. Beautifully shot and competently acted, this film is not a classic by any stretch of imagination but is certainly worth a look.

Movies I Saw This Week

Boyhood (2014)  [ IMDB: 8.5, Rotten Tomatoes: 99%, My rating: 9/10]

Trailer:

A first in the history of cinema, this movie delves into the life of Mason at the age of 5 and follows him till age 18. That would be a normal thing in film making but the filmmakers do the incredible by shooting with the same boy over a course of 12 years. Ellar Coltrane who plays Mason quite literally grows as the movie progresses. Richard Linklater, best known for the ‘Before sunrise/sunset/midnight’ series of movies also ropes in actors who stay committed to the project over such a long course of time. The movie is a coming off age tale and at the risk of sounding overenthusiastic, I can say that there was and never will be such a story. The best part is that the there is a seamlessness about the acting. It feels as if a real life is unfolding in front of you. Kudos to the producers for staying invested in the movie for such a long period. The risks were too many. Certainly one of the best movies of the year and a piece of cinema history to boot.

The Theory of Everything (2014) [IMDB: 7.8, Rotten Tomatoes:84% My rating: 7/10]

Trailer:

Based on the memoirs of Stephen Hawking’s first wife, the film tells the renowned physicist’s battle with life as he ascends into the pantheon of intellectual greats. At its heart, it is a personal story in which the science part comes into play intermittently. The standout feature is the dramatic performance from Eddie Redmayne who plays Stephen Hawking. Critics have already started comparisons with Daniel Day Lewis’s performance in ‘My Left Foot’, some even calling it as ‘My Left Brain’. All this augurs well for Redmayne who can count an Oscar nomination as a given. The film though is mostly told from the viewpoint of Jane, his wife and at times feels like a long explanation for her leaving Mr. Hawking. Quite obviously, she did not sign up to be his partner for life and would have been driven by emotional considerations when she thought of providing solace to a young man staring at imminent death. The film only scratches the surface when it comes to the science and is clearly targeted at the masses. To its credit, it must be said that the film is shot well and is successful in capturing the persona of the genius and the times he lived in.

Predestination (2014) [ IMDB: 7.5, Rotten Tomatoes: 82%, My Rating: 6.5/10]

Trailer:

Adding to the never ending list of time travel movies, ‘Predestination’ is a new variant in this sub category. On his last mission, a special agent wants to save the world from a violent person . He goes back in time a few times to achieve his task. If only life was that simple or shall we say, only that complex. Frankly, it took me some time to figure out what the scenarists were trying to say and once you get the gist of it, it becomes more or less a film on bending the rules of biology to fight crime. How about the daughter, mother and father being the same person? Will an agent choose self preservation over saving other’s lives? If you like movies which have a lot of knots (some of them beautiful to look at) and want to attempt untying them, this is the movie for you.

The Babadook (2014) [IMDB: 6.9, Rotten Tomatoes: 98%, My Rating: 7.5/10]

Trailer: 

An out and out horror movie which is one of the better ones I have seen in a long time. Unlike some of the pseudo horror movies in recent times, ‘Babadook’ does have some really edge of the seat stuff. A mother still recovering from the tragic death of her husband has a troublesome kid to deal with. Already in a depressed state, her life hurtles towards complete annihilation when a devious cartoon character enters her life. All hell breaks loose and then it is a fight to death as she and her son turn enemies and allies in the fight against evil. Often relying on the standard stunts of horror movies, it is the treatment and the sheer force of what is on screen that makes the movie stand apart. If you like horror, this one is for you.

Magic in the Moonlight (2014) [IMDB: 6.8, Rotten Tomatoes: 53%, My Rating: 6/10]

Trailer:

Coming from the master Woody Allen, this film relies on magic and conjuring to tell its story. Unlike many of his previous screenplays, the magic is sorely lacking on screen. A world renowned illusionist is summoned by a friend to help solve the mystery of a lady who can make fancy statements about a person’s past with an all knowing look. Devoid of much logic and giving the feel of a theatre piece, the film lacks the wit that once used to be a hallmark of Woody Allen. The film also has shades on his earlier work ‘The Curse of Jade Scorpion’ and is similar in the quality too. The only plus in this half hearted attempt is the scenic beauty of the French terrain.

Happy Ending (India, 2014) [IMDB: 5.7, Rotten Tomatoes: 29%, My Rating:1/10]

Trailer:

Saif Ali Khan continues his wonderful run of films with this one. Continuing on his contribution to cinema in the last two years in the form of ‘Humshakals’, ‘Race 2′, Bullett Raja’, ‘Agent Vinod’ et al, this one is a film for which he will have a lot of explaining to do when he meets his maker. An author who is a one book wonder has a writer’s block and hasn’t published a book in a very long time. He is roped in to write the screenplay (why? god knows) for a superstar’s new film which aims to capture the hearts of all sections of the audience. I fervently wished that this track involving Govinda would bloom and prosper because that was the only hope of redemption in a movie which otherwise has no idea what it is doing. It seems that the following day’s script for shooting was written on the night of the previous day. I genuinely wish that the script writer’s should have stuck to the advice the character of Govinda gives in the movie. It would have been less painful if they just took DVDs of Hollywood movies and mixed them up. That concoction would be palatable and not as deadly as this ‘original’ work.

Ungli (India,2014) [IMDB: 6.0, Rotten tomatoes: Not yet rated, My Rating: 3/10]

Trailer:

Coming from the director of the severely flawed ‘Kurbaan’ who also penned the screenplay for ‘Rang De Basanti’, ‘Ungli’ literally shows the finger (ungli) to the audience. After making a mess with Kurbaan, the director hopes that his tried and tested formula of vigilante justice will see him through. What comes out is a series of fantastical ideas and leave-your-brain-at-home events. The good cop-bad cop routine is also played out in the most stereotypical way possible. The movie is essentially a call to arms and tries to be a voice against the injustice that some of the cast members are subjected to. As for the acting, the only one doing any justice to his role is Randeep Hooda. Sanjay Dutt who also had the time and opportunity to study the behavior of cops in real life, also tries his two bits.

Documentary Pick of the Week

Helvetica (2007) [IMDB: 7.2, Rotten Tomatoes: 89%, My rating: 7.5]

Trailer:

The story of ‘Helvetica’ font and the tremendous influence it has had. Also, a study of the art and craft of graphic design. Interesting for the interested.

Eagerly Waiting for: ‘Spectre’ because 007.

Did you know: The alien language used in ‘District 9’ was created by rubbing pumpkins.