The Memory of a Killer

Angelo Ledda (Jan Decleir) wants to retire from a profession which has only one end game. He is an assassin with a problem known as Alzheimer's Disease. In spite of the handicap he leaves a trail of bodies in his wake. Ledda's scent is picked up by two detectives in the Belgian Judiciary and things become very interesting. A tight crime thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat until the last half hour when you slip and fall. Baring the fall the film is a tight cat and mouse crime thriller.

Rating: * * +

Twilight Samurai

Yôji Yamada's masterpiece set around the time of the Meiji Restoration follows Seibei Iguchi (Hiroyuki Sanada), a low ranking Samurai. The role of the Samurai is fast disappearing and its effect is magnified for people like Seibei. But he stoically moves on struggling to look after his two daughters and ailing mother. The film is beautiful and caresses the screen with poise and elegance. The acting of Sanada and the direction of Yamada have much to do with that. A movie that needs to be revisited every now and then.

Rating: * * * *

Secuestro Express

Half the world is dying of starvation, while the other half is dying of obesity. There are two options: Fight the monster, or invite him to dinner.

An old friend of mine from Bogotá used to tell me stories of kidnappings in her country. Secuestro Express is about one such incident. Carla (Mía Maestro) and Martin (Jean Paul Leroux) are a rich couple living the high life in Caracas, Venezuela. After a night of dancing they walk into the arms of three thugs and their world is turned upside down. Exposing the hard underbelly of crime hidden beneath soft luxurious lives, the film raises an important question. The answer to which is not easy and will remain elusive for eternity. But it is important for the sake of humanity that we strive to find the answer.

Rating: * * *

Junebug

Madeline (Embeth Davidtz) an art dealer who owns a gallery in Chicago. Pursuing a reclusive painter finds her in rural North Carolina which also happens to be the place her freshly minted husband, George (Alessandro Nivola) is from. So the trip turns into a "Meet the family" journey. Watching Junebug is akin to being part of a awkward family reunion. Very well acted with eerily life like characters.

Rating: * * +

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress

1971 sees Luo (Kun Chen) and Ma (Ye Liu), two youngsters sent to a mountain province in China to be re-educated in a Maoist rehab camp. There they run into the village's Little Seamstress (Xun Zhou) and cache of western literature. Amid the stunning mountain countryside, the two city lads grow fond of the seamstress and introduce her to the magic of books.

The film peeps into the insane world of Maoist China. It also highlights that even though Mao stopped a lot of things, he could not stop people from falling in love. Nor could he deny the power of literature. Books open doors that usually can never be shut and have to be ventured into.

Rating: * * *

Throwdown

A drunk ex-judo champion turned scam artist, a pretty girl trying to make it big in showbiz and a man who wants to fight the world. These are the characters that wander around in this melodrama that tries very hard to be a martial art flick. Was made to trouble Akira Kurosawa's soul by calling it a tribute to Sanjuro.

Rating: *

Goodbye South, Goodbye

A gritty gangster flick directed by Hsiao-hsien Hou shows Kao (Jack Kao), a small time crook in Taipei who wants to go legal. He hopes to invests in a restaurant and settle down. But his partner in crime, Flatty (Giong Lim) won't let him. Flatty's girl, Pretzel (Annie Shizuka Inoh) only adds to the dead weight that drags Kao down.

The film was a letdown when compared to some of the other Hou films like Café Lumière and Good Men, Good Women. It left much to be desired for both in style and substance.

Rating: * +

Bad News Bears

Morris Buttermaker (Billy Bob Thornton) is a washed up baseball player who loves his alcohol. He is charged with coaching a rag tag baseball team. It turns out to be a kids version of A League of Their Own. A feel good type of movie; the kind I usually avoid. The only reason I wanted to watch this was because of Richard Linklater. A director whom I highly regarded for a while but after seeing some of his old films again, I realize he is just a tad above the average.

Rating: * *

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter enters his fifth year at Hogwarts. Like in its predecessor things start to get much darker in the film. Harry starts to come into his own and the rest of the cast joins him in the battle against Voldemort. The slick action sequences and the easy pace of the film makes it a breeze to sit through. But for me the fourth one remains the best in the series.

Rating: * *

The Reception

Jeannette (Pamela Andrews) is a lonely divorcee who lives with her boyfriend who is gay. Their idyllic life is shattered when her estranged daughter and husband come to visit. A simple film that felt too contrived.

Rating: *

Memories of Murder

The film is based on South Korea's first recorded serial killings that took place in the Hwaseong area. The police department shown in the flick reminded me of the cops in India. Largely incompetent, poor in technique and greedy for easy glory. When a competent cop comes along, another layer is peeled away revealing the ancient technology and scant resources available to the them. But in spite of all the road blocks, the detectives doggedly try to sniff out the scent of the killer.

An interesting note is that director Joon-Ho Bong has punctuated the film with some well placed comedy. Considering the serious nature of the film I am sure the audience would be shocked. But then that's life. One is not given a choice when humor creeps up on you.

A film that languished at the bottom of my queue for many a month. I am glad it magically made its way to the top.

Rating: * * *

Rushmore

It was political reporter K Kuppuswamy who first drew my attention to the movie by recounting a dialgoue by Bill Murray's character: She is my Rushmore, in order to explain something from his past.

Rushmore is a funny movie, in which Jason Schwartzman makes his (rather, impressive) debut as Max Fischer, a talented rebellious student of Rushmore Academy. Things get a bit messy, when his best friend, a rich business man (played by Bill Murray), meets the subject of Max's student fantasy: his high school teacher.

The movie was apparently a turning point in Bill Murray's acting career: and I suppose provided the inspiration to specialise in portaying a man's tragic midlife existence. Wes Anderson and Bill Murray owe one each to the other and thats why I suppose they still link up. Neat soundtrack, as it pretty much does in a Wes Anderson movie. A simple movie, yet feels nicely complete.

Rating: * * *

Happy Endings

Familiar faces Lisa Kudrow, Tom Arnold, Sarah Clarke (24) grace unfamiliar roles while Maggie Gyllenhaal, Laura Dern swim in well known waters. They all come together into this collage of loosely connected vignettes. The movie deals with love, motherhood, relationships, identity and the randomness of life itself. But what holds the film together is the streak of dark humor that runs through it.

Rating: * * *

Shijie

"See the world without leaving Beijing" is the theme of the fantasy park the film is set in. The theme park has miniature replicas of some of the famous structures in the world fringed with dancers who add to the show. Tao (Tao Zhao) is one of the dancers.

The film revolves around her relationship with Taisheng (Taisheng Chen) who is a security guard there. Swirling around their strained love are other vignettes which opens a window into the lives of the rural population of China that drifts to the big city.

What really fascinated me was Tao's friendship with Anna, a Russian dancer. Anna does not speak a word of Mandarin and Tao knows no Russian. But they become fast friends conversing with each other in their respective languages.

Director Jia Zanghke has a unique way of framing his shots. Very panoramic but with distractions on the edges. Coupled with the pace of the film, it causes for fine viewing.

Rating: * * *

Coffee and Cigarettes

There are some directors/actors I am biased towards - not without reason though I assure you - but the truth is I know there is a good movie out there, the moment I learn that its one of them in it. Like Jim Jarmusch for instance and his 2003 movie 'Coffee and Cigarettes'. Shot in B&W, features a wide range of talented artists in a series of 11 chapters - each of which has couple of people meeting over coffee & cigarettes and discussing stuff. In some cases, its tea - for the sake of variety I presume. Some of the conversations are inane, a few I found funny and then there are some that brings attention to some varied pieces of information. But there seems to be a thread running through it - like for example, the two people are related to each other, that coffee before going to sleep is like racing an Indy 500 race and that ciggys + coffee do not make a healthy lunch. I liked it - but its one of those that I would not recommend to anyone. An amusing flick, especially with a fat rolled one in hand.

On a connected note, heres a link to an amusing email exchange between 2 protagonists in the movie - Jack White and Stephen Coogan - brought to you by the Guardian.

Rating: * * *

Terms of Endearment

One of those stories of the 80s that told you all that went on in a family. Here its mother (Shirley Maclaine, who was really good) and daughter (Debra Winger) who help each other through their respective lives. Jack Nicholson as an astronaut neighbour of the mother provides good distraction. Good for sunday brunch viewing. Bit of a surprise that it collected 5 Oscar awards.

Rating: * *

A heartful of love

An amusing story of 4 passengers of a flight to Moji from Tokyo who find themselves in Moji alright - but 20 years back. As they come to terms of whats become of them, they realise it could be connected to their biggest regret in life. Very interesting, but it drags a bit as it draws to a close.

Rating * * +

Vertigo

Alfred Hitchcock's famous "romance thriller" and "crime drama" shows us Scottie (James Stewart), a retired detective who suffers from vertigo. He is shaken out from his retirement by an old college friend who wants him to shadow his wife (Kim Novak) who is suffering from a strange ailment. Hitchcock then takes you on a vertiginous and enjoyable ride along with Stewart and the beautiful Novak. I have to say that they don't make crime thrillers like these anymore.

Rating: * * +

Girl with a Pearl Earring

Tells the ficitionalised story behind this famous Johannes Vermeer painting. The movie is based on a novel by Tracy Chevalier, and again it appears as though the book would have been sufficient in telling this story. Well made though, and Scarlett Johansson impresses.

Rating: * *

Escape from Alcatraz

The title should explain everything about the movie. But then theres a movie made about Alcatraz like this piece of shit, and then theres this classic. The man who has spoken the least number of words in his acting career, performs brilliantly in this simple but splendidly made movie. Clint Eastwood plays the role of Frank Morris, who was the only man ever to escape from the prison and the reason behind its closing.

Rating: * * *

The Beautiful Country

"Less than dust" is a term used to refer to Vietnamese children with American fathers. Binh (Damien Nguyen) is one such lad. Hard circumstances forces him to flee Vietnam and head towards the land of his dreams... America. But sometimes your dreams are camouflaged nightmares. Showing yet another after effect of the Vietnamese war, the film deftly portrays the hardship and inhuman conditions the illegal refugees endure to get to the land of their dreams. The acting of Nguyen and Nick Nolte in a fine bit role augment this film beautifully.

Rating: * * *

Transformers

My cousins were ore the enjoying it, while I was enjoying the book in my hand.

Rating: * +

Die Hard 4.0

The usual really. This is how I have come to accept it: Part I >> III > 4.0 > II.

Rating: * +

Unnale Unnale

What a waste.. despite being a 'realistic' love movie.

Rating: *

Venus

Hanif Kureshi's script brings out the best in Peter O'Toole. He plays Maurice, an aging actor who falls in love with his friend's niece. Endearing and sleazy at the same time, O'Toole basks in the limelight. "Pleasure, I like. I've tried to give pleasure. That's all I'd recommend to anyone." says his character. It stands true for the master's acting too.

Rating: * * *

Thiruvilayadal Arambam

As expected, lots of histronics, over 90 mins of it, before the story begins. After you have mentally erased all of it, one can attempt to enjoy this rather fun movie. Or should I say, larger-than-life, wholesome-entertainment of a movie. Realised that the lead star is the son-in-law of Sir Rajni. Hmm.. there is potential there. Nonetheless, the bugger reminds me of an old friend.

Rating : * *

Good Men, Good Women

A movie within a movie with the past and present of actress Liang Ching (Annie Shizuka Inoh) juxtaposing the role she is playing in the "within" movie. Liang in the movie plays Chiang Bi-Yu, an anti-Japanese revolutionary in the 1940s. While doing this role she finds her past crowding into her present as the tendrils of her dead boyfriend creeps back into her life. Aimed at drawing attention to the anti-Japanese movement in Taiwan the film meanders and the three threads barely hold together.

Rating: * *

13 Tzameti

A still black and white thriller that slowly draws you in. You grab on to its tantalizing bait early on and it reels in you in delicately as you watch the macabre story unfold with morbid fascination.

Rating: * * +