Malayalam Movie 2018 And The Questions That It Poses

2018 is the Malayalam movie that ended the drought at the Kerala box office. It has achieved great critical reviews and is breaking collection records. I watched it last day, after it ran for almost 3 weeks to packed houses. There were certain sections of society that tried to create controversy out of it. One community accused the movie of failing to do justice to the rescue operations undertaken by them. Supporters of the ruling party allege that the movie doesn't highlight the efforts of the government in a positive way. The director of the movie, Jude, stoked the controversy by claiming that he used a particular actor as the CM so as to deliberately show him as a weak person who struggles to find a way out of the situation. In spite of all these, the common people related to the simple story of the prevailing human spirit, told from the background of suffering that they had firsthand experience of.

Instead of making a docudrama like Virus, which largely had real characters and situations that were documented, 2018 uses the method of the movie Titanic to tell its story. Titanic uses the real incident of the sinking of the biggest ship ever built in human history until then, in its maiden voyage, to tell a fictional story of unrequited romance between two people from different strata of society. The romantic element is used to connect with the imagination of the public so that when the eventual tragedy unfolds, they are more invested in its depiction. Romance provides an added layer to the actual events, even those that don't directly concern the main plot.

Jude Anthany Joseph introduces an array of characters from different social levels and with different ambitions in the first few scenes of the movie, and every one of them has their own crosses to bear. A young man who has eloped from the army and is paranoid of an impending investigation, an upcoming model who is ashamed of his family background of seafaring fishermen, a government officer who has toiled his whole life to build a beautiful home, an IT professional working abroad who is facing divorce proceedings, a truck driver who has fallen for propaganda and hates people from his neighbouring state—all of them are weighed down with identity crises that arise from societal burdens. When the flood happens, invariably all of them find themselves at a crossroads where they have to face their crises and break out of them for the greater good. Thus, 2018 uses simple fictional tales of personal redemption and portrays a much larger picture of a populace facing a deluge and emerging victorious.

But there are certain serious questions that the movie, which champions individual victories, poses to the public. The deluge of 2018 unveiled the inadequacy and serious lack of preparation of our government machinery in tackling such crises of enormous proportions. We saw an MLA begging for help on live television. We saw the inadequate warning systems before the dams were opened and water rushed into the property and houses of unsuspecting citizens at midnight while they were deep asleep. We saw the inability of government departments to coordinate their responses, in spite of most of them doing stellar work themselves. We saw the government depend on the goodwill of fishermen for rescue operations when their own machinery was incapable.

The questions that moviegoers, after watching 2018, should ask our government system are these:

What are the lessons learned from 2018?

What improvement will be there in the responses if, by any chance, another flood hits Kerala in 2023 or 2024?

And most importantly, if another flood hits us, will the burden of rescuing us fall again on the shoulders of poor fishermen?

Sisu: The Finnish John Wick

Sisu is a Finnish action movie that was internationally released recently. It is directed by Jalmari Helander, whose previous movie is Big Game, which is a decent Finnish adventure movie starring Samuel Jackson. I was underwhelmed after watching it years ago, believing it to be a Hollywood production. When I later came to know that it is Finnish, its ranking in my mind went up by several positions. I realised that Sisu is directed by the same guy while the end titles played. Then I also found out that the actor who played the main character of Big Game, Onni Tommila, has a role in this one, and the hero of Sisu is Joma Tommila, who is his father.

It's 1944, and the Germans are taking a beating in World War II. In Finland, Nazis are advancing and scorching every Finnish settlement on their way. Not interested in war, an old man is digging for gold in the wilderness. When he unearths a gold deposit, he collects the nuggets in a bag and leaves for the nearest town. On the way, he encounters a Nazi platoon, and when they find out about the gold, they try to confiscate it. He retaliates by taking lives in pretty ingenious ways. Germans realise that he is the legendary ex-commando Aatami Korpi, also known as the immortal, who has a reputation for refusing to die. Soon they will see a practical display of that reputation.

The pattern of Sisu is the exact same one that some of the best action movies have developed well before: a lone man getting pissed off and taking on a formidable group of adversaries. From First Blood to John Wick, there are many movies where a bunch of bullies try to pick on an innocuous person only to realise that they tried to bite off a lot more than they were able to chew. Sisu contains all the familiar action movie tropes of its predecessors and is basically a by-the-numbers action movie. It's basically a one-line plot, which is elaborated into an hour and a half-long display of machismo, something that was rampant in Hollywood movies decades ago but not that common to find these days.

Sisu employs a threadbare style of moviemaking that is very efficient and effective in telling its story. Conversations are sparse, character development is nonexistent, and the plot is very simple. But all these are compensated for by stylish action set pieces, sharp thrills, and a retro-exploitation vibe. The movie contains many scenes of graphic violence that are expertly placed for maximum impact. My favourite is a scene in which the protagonist saves himself when hanged on a noose by hooking his wound on a protruding iron bar.

The movie defines its characters very strongly through a simple act or a piece of dialogue. The Nazi villain is not just a maniac, and he needs gold to bargain for his freedom after they lose the war. This motivation, expressed in terse dialogue, makes a good impact on the plot without diluting his villainy. Similarly, a captive lady gives a sign of her strength of will when she volunteers to comb a mine field. The mysterious past of the protagonist is also conveyed by snippets of information reaching us from many sources. Thus, the movie manages to convey more with very little exposition.

Sisu is a run-of-the-mill action movie that is very minimalist but still manages to display a personality that many of the CGI-heavy, assembly-line behemoths of Hollywood lack. For an action aficionado, Sisu will definitely be a breath of fresh air by reminding them of the simple days when Bruce Willis or Stallone managed to punch their way out of situations.

Mani's Own Selvan

I watched PS2 in theatres. It convincingly ties up the story that began in PS1, though differently from the plot of the novel. A good artist also knows the deficiencies of his medium. So Mani Rathnam, who is aware of the mammoth that he has decided to adapt on screen, chose to trim the complex novel and make a straightforward movie. Under the time and budgetary restrictions, this seems to be the best version that could be made. He also chose to add some action and war scenes to appeal to the viewers' appetite for spectacles, all the while respecting logic and gravity. He has also cut short the importance of several characters who are shown in the first part. The movie is very quick in its pacing, though it takes time to breathe during some dramatic scenes.

Aishwarya Rai and Vikram steal the show with some great emotional scenes. All other characters, including Ponniyin Selvan, get one or two scenes to shine, except those few whose roles were totally butchered. But my only sympathy is with Sarath Kumar's character, who has a great arc in the novel that unfortunately wasn't realised in the movie. Each actor, irrespective of screen time, has done a good job, even if it is just showing up and looking good.

The songs in PS2 are not that catchy. After watching PS1, the tunes of Ponni Nadi and Devaralan Attam refused to get out of my head for days. But PS2 lacked in that department. All the songs complement the scenes but don't stand out. Background music heavily uses operatic sounds along with traditional Indian classical and folk tunes. The use of opera imparts a grandiose effect to the high-voltage confrontation scenes.

If you want a good entertainer that is aesthetically pleasing and not over the top, PS2 is satisfactory. If you have an obsession with the book adaptation being done line by line for the movie, it's better to skip it. If made into a series, this could give GOT serious competition with all the intricacies, subplots, and conspiracies, though that is not to be. Mani Rathnam, to his credit, manages not to spoil the legacy of the Cholas, Kalki, and the epic novel Ponniyin Selvan.

Final Portrait

It seemed to be a great proposal. After all how much time does a gifted artist takes to make a simple portrait..? Probably just a single afternoon... That was what American critic James Lord thought when famous Swiss artist Alberto Giacometti asked him to pose for a portrait. But little did he knew that he was to participate in the chaos that a truly artistic process involves. The self doubting painter took his own sweet time and a ton of anguish and anxiety to everyone involved, to turn out a remarkable work of art. One of his best...

Final portrait, directed by Stanly Tucci, is an incredible true story of an off beat relationship between a rude, selfish and indulgent artist and his patient and passive model. If you are watching a movie and you are more interested in its plot, then I would not recommend this one. Instead there is a four minute video in YouTube that beautifully summarizes the whole thing. But if you are interested in a movie for something more than just a story, you long for an emotional experience, I would love to introduce Final Portrait.

Alberto Giacometti 

This movie is about the artistic process and the whole trauma that comes with it. Giacometti is tormented, confused and is without any plan. He just want to show the world what he sees. He is not even sure if he has yet acquired skills to do it. He doubts his own abilities though the world has acknowledged his skills because he has enough money to throw around. In a fit of rage he can throw bundles at his wife. He can give so much money to the pimp of his muse that even the pimp declines him and says he has paid enough. Yet Giacometti is tormented as he is aware of his limitations.

Playing perfect foil to our artist is his model. Lord understands and even empathize with the struggle of Giacometti. He has a pressing need to go back to New York, yet has to postpone his tickets as he doesn't have any idea when his adventure will be ultimately over. He is surprised by the attitude and actions of the painter and feels apprehensive, but shows restraint on every occasion. He is passive and is herded many times by the more aggressive and dominant Giacometti. Yet he doesn't protest and takes it all with an all knowing smile.

The Portrait of James Lord 

The movie belongs to the two actors- Geoffrey Rush and Armie Hammer who plays the leads. They are very convincing. When I watched the YouTube video that I mentioned before, I was astonished how  perfectly they resembled the actual persons they played. Though to a casual viewer it may occur what is the necessity to stretch a thread bare plot to an hour and a half, the movie is rather an experience. It takes patience and some amount of empathy to appreciate this one...

Jumanji: Twice Right.

There are some movies that you're convinced are never going to work, and they doesn't- like Baywatch. And then there are some movies that you're convinced are never going to work, and surprisingly they does- like Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.

Jumanji was one of my favourite movies. It was funny and goofy and transported me to another world altogether. Every scene threw in a new surprise. And Robin Williams was amazing. When I heard they were remaking it, I had serious doubts. And then I heard Rock will appear in it with Jack Black. Still I had my doubts and gave upon it.

But when it released, it had a fresh rating from Rotten Tomatoes. So I decided to try it. And I feel it is exactly what it promised it to be- loads of fun. The makers were very successful in tapping the best out of all leading actors. The story is crazy, but kept me engaged. It was a wise move to make Jumanji a video game instead of a board game in the first part. Another good move was to make the whole movie set inside the jungle instead of being in the home like the first part. These re-touches made it different from the prequel and allowed to widen the canvas considerably.

The movie was largely dependent on the personalities of the main characters and they doesn't let it down. But it wasn't as magical as the first one.

Darkest Moment: Dialogue driven War thriller...

As an Indian, Churchill is no hero for me. The guy is an imperialist responsible for many atrocities like the Bangal Famine. His attitude towards Indians is condemnable. He forced Indian soldiers to fight for England and used Indian resources for the effect of war. There are many accounts of the valor of British soldiers in World War 2, but not much is heard about Indian soldiers who fought in the war and the Indian wealth used in fighting it. There is much for me to loathe him as deep as Hitler from an Indian view point.

Now, when I watch a movie made about Churchill, should I permit my bias to meddle with enjoying it? I am of the opinion that history is history, but when you make a fictional movie or write a novel by adapting an historical event, you should be ready to grant it a certain leeway for dramatic effect. Otherwise it is better to watch a documentary.

So when I sat to watch Darkest Hour, fully knowing the premise of it, I was all ready to watch it unbiased and take only the good things out of it. Darkest Hour is the story about Churchill's ascent to prime-ministership as a compromise candidate and how he manages to steer the opinion of his parliament and the public towards fighting Nazi threat instead of negotiating for peace.

The movie is mainly dialogue driven. But after finishing it, I had the effect of watching a thriller. There are no action sequences or battle scenes, and absolutely no suspense because we all are pretty aware how it turned out to be. But the rapid breathless pacing and the urgent atmosphere makes it feel like a thriller. Surprisingly, the movie has moments of humor and sentiment interspersed, which helps enormously in its enjoyment.

I had an issue with a scene were Churchill goes to public to ask their opinion. It was a sudden change of atmosphere and tone the movie was taking and so unbecoming of the man whom we saw till that moment. The scene doesn't seem probable and its depiction is also a bit unrealistic. I feel now that it was more like a dream that he had and not an actual happening though nothing in the movie substantiate my version.

Gary Oldman deserves his Academy Award for best actor for his characterisation of Churchill. To be using that much prosthetic and make up and still emote the subtlest nuances, is indeed great talent. He makes the man more endearing and human than his textbook depictions. I'm sure the sensitivity that his  Churchill displays in many scenes is a cinematic liberty to make us root for him.

If you loved the Nolan movie Dunkirk, you will be glad to see a more wider historic look on it here. The movie is a companion piece to Dunkirk and provide necessary exposition that Nolan never bothers to provide us.

The Ugly, Slimy Miss Lovely...!!!

There are certain movies that makes you feel terrible and drained out and filthy. You desperately need a bath after watching them. They are unpleasant affairs, with difficult subjects and not ready to sugar coat their intentions...

Miss Lovely is one such movie. It is about the C-grade Hindi movie industry scene in 80s and tells the story of two brothers whose business is to shoot cheap horror movies mixed with sleazy glamorous soft porn scenes. Nawazuddin Siddiqui is the reluctant younger brother who, after meeting a beautiful girl and falling in love is desperate to make a romantic film. To do this, he has to break away from his dominating brother and it turns out to be an impossible task.

Miss Lovely is shot in a style and tone very similar to the cheap movies it is about. It contains very less exposition about its characters or their motives. It switches its genre effortlessly to crime thriller, noir, romance and an indulgent art movie. This switching of style can be a turn off for lot of viewers.

Miss Lovely is not a movie for all. It needs a certain tolerance and understanding of art to fully appreciate it... and lot of patience.

Hate Crime in Bomb City

Human beings, in a historic perspective, always had difficulty in appreciating someone different from them. Those with different color, language, religion, political ideology or even sexual orientation are always looked upon with suspicion and even hate. Things are slowly getting better with passing time and these days generally we see that, being at least tolerant with the different other is a value that is held in a high pedestal.

One reason for this change is the more globalised world where distances are getting reduced with advancement in technology. Also, in the emerging consumerist world, it is always beneficial for all to keep the bridges open and promote more give and take of ideas, technology and wealth. Another contributing factor is the thought processes of people that is generally getting more and more radical, because of the wealth of information and knowledge available at their disposal compared to earlier periods of history.

Still we see cases where primitive hatred and suspicion of someone, clouding the judgement and causing acts of intolerance against others who doesn't subscribe to their views. Hate crimes still happens all around the world. Bomb City is a movie about one such crime, a true story that happened in Amarillo, Texas, where a young punk singer was killed during a brawl, overrun deliberately by a speeding car, driven by another teenager, someone with better approval from community, because he's an active athlete and conforms to societal norms.

For me the more painful part was that the killer was acquitted by the jury, who comprised of individuals who looked down on the rebellious attitude and dressing style of punk kids. They refused to consider the evidences and testimonials that established beyond any doubts that it was a deliberate murder. It seems that the whole community took part in the murder, as they looked down upon a bunch of kids who adopted a different lifestyle choice other than theirs.

Bomb City seems deliberately manipulative at times, by trying to force the goodness of its protagonist into our throats consistently. It plays out like a propaganda sometimes. But even if we overlook it, it is evident that the point the movie makes is valid. This is a movie that forces you to think deeply about the world with all its differences.

The Stoneman Murders: Dangerous, Noirish Nights

In 1980s there were a series of murders that occurred in Mumbai, then Bombay. Street dwellers- beggers and homeless persons who slept on footpath were killed using a heavy stone. The police were never able to solve them. Some years later, these kind of murders started in Calcutta. The media termed the incident Stoneman Murders, due to the usage of heavy stones as weapon. The police again failed to convict anyone.

Debutant Manish Gupta adapted the case into a suspense thriller titled The Stoneman Murders in 2009. The movie failed to generate any hype though was loved by critics. I wanted badly to watch it then, but soon had all forgotten about it. Last day, I happened to watch it, and it turned out to be a great experience.

K K Menon shoulders the movie with a fabulous performance as a disgraced policeman whose last chance to continue being one, is to solve this case. He is supported by a strictly adequate supporting cast led by Arbaaz Khan. Soon K K is on the brink of losing his sanity over the tough case. Will his persistence and diligence bring results?

The highlight of the movie is the cat and mouse chase between the killer and the officer, the killer being always one step ahead. It also helps that the protagonist is depicted as a questionable character with noble intentions, but rather unconventional method of investigation. K K exudes intense obsession and ruthlessness. The dark atmosphere that pervades the screen for most of the running time of the movie and its ominous score, builds up great suspense.

The resolution of the mystery, I felt was a bit disappointing. Another turn off was the actress who played wife of the protagonist. She was a sore thump in acting department. But the noirish setting and an atmosphere that screams danger every moment, along with an astounding performance of K K makes this worth a watch,

Mukti Bhawan: A story about death that teaches to live...

Mukti Bhawan is a lodge in Varanasi, on the banks of river Ganga, that facilitates the last days of elderly, who are ready to embrace their death. An old man realises his time has come and decides to live his last days there. But his decision forces his son to reluctantly take leave from his job and accompany him. This movie details their stay together at Mukti Bhawan.

A movie that's about death and the last days of people is expected to be bleak and depressing. But, surprisingly Mukti Bhawan or Hotel Salvation, as it is known internationally, neither. The movie, though having a laid back and leisurely pace, is vibrant and embraces life. It gives reassurance to its viewers that though death is a certainty, it is not something to be scared of. On the contrary, impending death is something that gives value to your life. The movie that starts off as a celebration of death, culminates into making a case to live our lives fully.

The movie, as I mentioned before, is slow, but interspersed with subtle comedy. The characters whom the father-son duo encounter are very real people. But it makes us feel that each of them are special in a unique way. It turns out to be a life changing lesson for the father and son. Their stay in Mukti Bhawan makes them to know each other more. The son gets to know the value of his life and his family. The father realises that though he has faltered as a father, he has made peace with it and still can prepare for his demise as a content person.

Kammara Sambhavam: Subversion of truth to make History

Kammara Sambhavam is a movie about rewriting the past to manipulate the present. This is an ever relevant topic, something that has been happening, is still happening and will always be repeated till the end of human race. The team behind this movie deserves a pat on the back for attempting something like this on such a grant scale, within the framework of commercial Malayalam cinema. The movie starts off as a lavish period movie and then evolves into a biting political satire by the end.

A minor political party needs a mascot, whom they find in an old freedom fighter Kammaran Nambiar whose story they found in a book written by an English officer. They decide to make a movie to educate people on the contributions of Kammaran. But then they realise the truth, that what happened actually wasn't as rosy as depicted in the book. Still they decide to go on with their agenda, tinkering history to their needs, adding masala elements to concoct a massive pot boiler of a movie.

The movie is shot wonderfully well. The locations are great, the acting is superb and its technically pretty awesome. Dileep and Siddharth does a commendable job with their roles, as well as the supporting cast. First half of the movie is incredible and immerse you in with some good suspense and great characterisation. But...

But, it is the second half that spoils all of it. I won't go as far to say it is bad, but still that part of the movie is jarring. In the second half they show you the movie they made within the movie. This movie is the one that's supposed to make the common people to like and idolise Kammaran. Well, it doesn't... I really wanted to like it after investing a lot on that great first half, but I could not. I know it is a great concept, something never attempted before, but the makers couldn't pull it off convincingly.

To summarise the movie, first half is a good period piece and second half is just a bit better than a Jalian Kanaran comedy skit. I would still recommend this movie for its great message and the incredible first half.

Carbone: Financial Crime Thriller with Street Credentials...

A bankrupt industrialist invents a new scam of cheating government by reselling the rights of CO2 pollution. The plan was to silently siphon the government off some millions and quit before shit hits the fan. But when some very questionable characters gets involved in the deal, all hell breaks lose. This is the premise of French thriller Carbone that I watched the last day. I wasn't expecting a Scarface when I heard about this one. But Carbone is a generic crime drama that ticks all the requirements of a reasonably well made one.

This is a story that's told hundreds of times, with the only USP being the novel method of scamming, which was borrowed from actual events. But the only flaw in the movie turned out to be the unclear way in which these deals are shown, without much details and with alarming simplicity. I'm not sure if the overnight rags to riches change is possible at all.

Otherwise the very run off the mill plot is narrated with much sincerity and passion. The actors were excellent. The pace of the movie never breaks and the emotional core of the whole enterprise is surprisingly believable. The climax is also similar to many movies of similar nature, but quite powerful.

Carbone doesn't open any new paths for future crime movies to follow. But I felt that the worn out premise is sufficiently covered with enough thrills to satisfy the fans of the genre.

Jolly Good LLB 2

I didn't watch the first part of Jolly LLB starring Arshad Warsi. But I've heard pretty good reviews of the movie. The second part was a bit controversial when the makers decided to cast Akshay as the lead and up the stakes. Fans of the first movie were pretty vocal about this decision, but Arshad decided to stand with the director.

I am not in a position to comment about the differences between them, but the second part is a good one time watch. It tackles a serious issue in a semi serious manner, satires the legal system in a healthy way without getting preachy and never loses focus. The story is nothing new or original. But the narration is thankfully devoid of clutter.

For a change Akshay never try to go overboard with comedy or action, even with ample opportunities present. That decision turned out to be a wise one. It is the supporting cast who does a great job. Even the minor ones deserve a pat on their backs. The moments to watch out happens between the judge, played by Saurabh Shukla and the opposite lawyer played by Annu Kapoor.

Hell Or High Water: Resurrection of Westerns

There's nothing new in Hell Or High Water, the Oscar nominated heist movie directed by David Mackenzie. It is essentially a western movie set in modern times, with many elements derived from great movies of yesterdays. Even the character of Jeff Bridges getting ready for his retirement after cracking a final case reminds you of Tommy Lee Jones from No Country For Old Man. The decadence, crazy bravado, casual violence, all the usual point outs of the genre are thrown at the viewer. There's even a cowboy-Indian duel albeit with words and in good spirits.

But none of this stands in the way of enjoying this well crafted, gritty character drama. The movie is shot picturesquely, with a pacy, razor sharp narration and specimens of wonderful acting. I loved the care given on the minute details that tells a lot about the setting and the characters. It also helped to do away with a lot of exposition.

The movie follows two brothers who team up with a plan to rescue their barn from loan shark banks by robbing them and two Rangers who are out to nab them. The heist plan is pretty basic, but interesting nevertheless when we review how it finally ties up all the loose ends. The violence is kept minimum, but once unleashed, gets effective and shocking. The movie plods to the climax with clockwork precision and every component of it works well within the whole. It's a must 'watch'.

Nocturnal Animals : A Novel Within A Movie...

Nocturnal Animals is an acclaimed psychological thriller movie directed by Tom Ford. It is intense and dark with a unique novel-within-movie structure of narration. A women receive a book from her novelist ex-husband. The movie moves in three parallel routes- the present reality, the novel that she reads and the flashback of their life together.

I loved the movie for the finesse with which the three narratives are blended. The biggest pleasure was watching them culminate in an awesome climax, the like of which I have never seen in my life. The depiction of the novel is very violent and dark. The plot of the novel is very basic, but that part got the benefit from some great acting talent that elevated it and bridged the remaining two narratives solidly.

I loved the parts that established the parallels between the novel and the events from real life. There is no real connection between plot of the novel and reality, but the way it is visualised, we get convinced. This adds ambiguity to the plot. We are left doubting whether it is intended by the writer or is it just the imagination of the reader.

The visual tone of the movie is reminiscent of the thrillers that used to be made in late eighties and nineties. It was good because these days we never get to see that style. Background score is excellent and contributes in adding impact to the visuals. The movie has a relentless pace with frequent cutting from one plot to another. I think after Nightcrawler, it is the first time I am watching such a good thriller.

Everybody Wants Some!!...- Great Plot-less Fun

Roger Ebert used the adjective anthropological in the review of a movie directed by Richard Linklater. All his acclaimed movies serve simultaneously as wholesome entertainers and strong social commentaries. His movies are mostly plot-less affairs, but based on great characters and solid dialogue.

Everybody Wants Some.., his latest, follows the tradition. A spiritual successor of his earlier movie Dazed And Confused, this movie follows Jake, a newbie baseball player on his first weekend before college starts. Jake has just arrived into college after a successful stint as a high school baseball player and learns that he has to stay with his fellow team members in a separate house. He has a whole weekend to pass before college begins. The movie follows his interactions with his team mates and all the fun and games of one-upmanship they have in those two days.

The movie, like every other Linklater film, relies heavily on strong characterisation instead of a structured plot. Here you find genuinely etched characters who display distinct world views and temperaments, but are totally relatable. Linklater uses these characters by making them interact in different social situations to create humor as well as social commentary. The movie is totally fun and enjoyable.

Jake and his friends, being sportsmen and team mates, uses every other situation to gauge their companions and to prove that they are one step ahead in competition. Failure, even in minor affairs causes much frustration. In the highly competitive world of college baseball, a stepping stone to being professionals, it becomes essential for survival.

Tremendously stylish and featuring a killer soundtrack its a must watch movie.

Silence: Scorsese On Religion, Faith and Suffering...

Silence, the latest by Martin Scorsese got just one nomination for Academy Awards. La La Land got 14, the highest ever. If you see Silence, you will understand why. Silence is not the kind of movie that wins at Oscar or create magic at box office. It is the kind of movie that after a decade, people may watch with awe and wonder why it failed when it was released. It is not Forrest Gump or Shakespeare in Love. It is Shawshank Redemption. It is 2001: A Space Oddesey. It is Blade Runner.

Silence is a period movie set in 17th Century Japan. Japanese monarchy is heavily coming down on converted native Christians and European priests who relentlessly try to import the religion. They are tortured brutally and made to apostate by stepping on a stone figure of Christ. When news reaches that Father Ferreira is captured and has apostated Christianity to become a Japanese, his two disciples decides to smuggle themselves into Japan and find out the truth. The movie follows their painful journey- in both physical and spiritual sense to find their mentor.

Silence is a companion piece to Scorsese's much derided masterpiece, The Last Temptation of Christ. Both movies are meandering, difficult ones that test the viewer's patience. But once you break the mould, both movies are immensely rewarding, I would even say meditational experiences.

Both movies have protagonists on whom greatness is thrust upon, who continually try to decipher God's messages to show them their way and get desperate when they fails to hear from him. Both movies need an emotional and intellectual maturity from audience who has to figure out that, it is not what is shown that is intended. They need the viewers to see through elaborate symbolism and decode the intent of the director.

Silence is a movie that gives you enough freedom to intellectually and emotionally involve with it. I feel that Scorsese is daring the audience to introspect about their faith and believes, engage with the movie, accept or even disagree with the concepts that it put forward.

You can watch this movie in many levels. The easiest would be the literal one, in which Japanese Buddhists torture converted Christians and force them brutally to abandon the religion. I saw it as the fight between a steadfast individual's believes and the social reality. A powerful drama about, how surrendering to greater good can be liberating. It resonates with my idea about one's religion being a very deeply private affair that should stay within his soul. I was clapping my hands when I watched the last shot of the movie, because that was what I felt pure faith should be.

I will not recommend this movie. Please don't even think of watching this movie if you are not ready to put your effort on it. It demands that much. If you are just in for mindless entertainment, you are going to lose your money and three hours of your life.

La La Land : A revival of Musicals

La La Land starts with a long musical and dance number in one shot happening on a highway. That and the retro looking opening titles clearly indicates that we're about to watch a movie that is intended as a tribute to the musicals of the Golden era of Hollywood. I've watched only very few of them. I can remember Gene Kelly starrer iconic movie, Singing in the Rain and old classic The Wizard of Oz. But being an Indian, I will never have an issue with appreciating Hollywood musicals. Most of our movies, be in any genre, feature song and dance sequences.

The title La La Land refers to a place that can exist only in fiction, in dreams. La La Land also denotes Los Angeles, the city of angels, of Hollywood, the place were dreams realise. This is a story about two dreamers, strugglers who falls in love in the city of angels. He is a pianist and a jazz puritan, who dreams of reviving the genre that is on its deathbed. She is an aspiring actress, working as a waitress and trying to audition for a dream role.



Their love is told through songs and dances that are beautifully staged in dream like setups. I used the word staged deliberately, because the movie, following closely the tradition of musicals from the bygone era, doesn't portray any semblance of realism in any shot. Yet the narration, instead of feeling made up and artificial, has a strong sincerity that force us to believe in them and their tribulations. The love story and the following breakup seems very genuine.

While watching it I was thinking that the movie looks and feels good, but the plot is pretty dated. But Damien Chazzelle, who shocked me with his astonishing drama Whiplash, had better plans. It is the climax that elevates it into a whole higher level. The climax, which was devoid of any dramatics was one of the best that I saw ever.

La La Land is a movie about movies, jazz, ambition, struggles, dreams and dancing in love. More importantly it is movie about the ability to let go of our great assets in order to achieve the passion of life.

(Na)Kaabil: Short of Expectations

Just like this week's other release Raees, Kaabil serves its audience a generous dose of worn out clichés. The movie tried to blend the revenge plot of Mohra with the logic of Aankhen (the Akshay starrer). But it failed to replicate the raw energy of the former or the smartness of the latter. Story follows a blind man who avenge his blind wife's death.

The treatment reminds you of movies that used to be made 20 years back. At that time, makers never worried about viewers questioning plot holes. (Spoilers ahead) Sanjay Gupta is in an illusion that time hasn't changed. His hero kills a guy after a bloody fight, drops a towel on the dead body and boasts not leaving an evidence for police. The fact is that there are enough finger and DNA prints lying around and the proof of crime is just short of a red banner with Hrithik's name, address and Aadhar number printed on it being displayed on the spot. For Sanjay Gupta's policemen, forensic science is a very foreign science.

The movie is a good show case of Hrithik Roshan. He displays wit and vulnerability in equal measure without much bother about the catastrophe that the plot is leading to. He is the saving grace of Kaabil. The supporting cast were really good, but never get any chance to shine. I hated the acting of heroine and her appearances in the second half of the movie. Misplaced songs were another spoil sport.

There were several scenes that really stimulated my interest. I was expecting that from that point, things are going to pick up. But unfortunately it was not to be. The scenes that hero exacts his revenge is supposed to be the backbone of the movie. The build up towards them were genuinely interesting, but at the time that matters, we find that our hero doesn't have any semblance of a plan with him. Somehow by luck things fall in place. The title of the movie should ideally be Khush-kismat (Lucky).

Raees And The Fall...

Raees is a gangster movie and comes generously packed with all the regular clichés of the genre. There are very few elements that we never watched before in better movies. The film makers were able to execute some of them successfully while sadly certain elements remain sore thumps.

Raees is the story of the rise and fall of a spirit smuggler who loves to call himself a business man. Set in Gujarat, the movie is based on alcohol prohibition. It shows us what happens when availability of a commodity is made scarce by legally banning it among a group of people who have the reputation of the biggest business minded ones. Raees has an ingenious business mentality and a daring criminal mentality. He scales the ranks effortlessly. The spoilsport is an officer named Majumdar who is hell bend on taking him out.

As I told, the plot just follows the worn out path of countless other mafia flicks. The difference is the characterisation of the protagonist. In other movies either the guy is forced to a life of crime by circumstances or is a born criminal. In Raees, the lead character had no such compulsions. Any doubt of a strain of criminality running in his blood is soon quelled by scenes showing his compassion. As per him, he is doing business and he will do whatever is good for business.

Though initially we see Raees turning around some situations to his advantage by some quick thinking, that part of the plot soon dries out. I was disappointed because that was what fascinated me in the beginning. The second best thing in the movie are the confrontations of Shahrukh and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Both actors shows off their best in those moments and the makers have included a lot of impressive combination scenes. 

No other supporting characters put up any remarkable show and are content with being perfectly good fillers. I have an issue with the action scenes. Recent Hindi movies had some amazing action sequences. But in Raees fights appear shoddy. The songs also break the pace of the movie and contribute little to the plot. 

If we put aside the matter that this is just a movie and meant for enjoyment, Raees put forward some serious doubts. Is it healthy to show a man doing illegal business by selling banned and spurious products that can harm the health of public, being a hero of the society? There are many movies that deals with the same subject including the great Godfather. But that movie never wanted the audience sympathising with the guy. He was a corrupt and bad man, who nevertheless had certain ethical codes and stood by it. Though audience loved him and gets sad when things go rough, they feel that whatever bad deal the person got, he deserved it. The same is the case with its Indian clones like Nayagan, Sathya or Once Upon A Time in Mumbai. 

What Raees tries to do is to emotionally manipulate the viewer into rooting for the bad guy. It seemed unnatural for me. I lost it when they showed him bash up violently an anti-alcohol possession (that was led by a corrupt politician) just because it was harmful for his business. It was okay if they left it like that. But what made it worse was the pathetic justifications that came afterwards. 

Though the makers have denied it, Raees is based on an actual criminal from Gujarat. Just a look at his biography in Wikipedia will confirm the parallels. This person was responsible for supplying RDX for Mumbai blasts. Raees team includes this also in the story and justifies it as a mistake. And to make it worse, he is given secular credentials. An antihero movie can be interesting if the power of judgement lies with the audience. Otherwise it is just manipulative...