Tetro

Tetro is Francis Ford Coppola's first original screenplay since The Conversation some 30 years ago. And Coppola yet again demonstrates his effortless ability to tell a story, that not many can match. Tetro (Vincent Gallo) is the older brother who walks out on his family and settles down in the bohemian district of Buenos Aires dealing with demons of various kinds. Out of the blue Alden Ehrenreich, who plays the younger brother Bennie, comes calling to reconnect with his prodigal brother. Bennie realises that demons don't come for free, especially if it involves their very famous father. However, he decides to stubbornly hang on to discover the truth and potentially destroy the both of them. Shot largely in B&W and along with a haunting music score, the film captures all the darkness that Tetro inspires.

The film has ensured that Buenos Aires & the Patagonia mountains moves into the 'must visit' list. Also finally got to watch Vincent Gallo in real "action" (the infamous action scene from one of his earlier films being the first).

Rating: * * *

Avatar

Avatar is indeed a spectacle, especially if one has 3-D glasses on. It actually reminded me of the opening ceremonies of the Olympic games - one has seen it all before, but it gets more extravagant & spectacular as the years go by. The colours, images, the magnificent wild beasts & birds, and the elegant movement of the Na'vi people are all beautifully constructed. 

Well, is it the "path breaking" film that its being heralded as? Certainly not. Well maybe, if you were born recently or never watched any of the legendary sci-fi / fantasy films over the years. Conceptually, it's all familiar ground and therefore making it nothing more than "exciting". 

In my mind, nothing can take away the title of "path breaking" from The Matrix.

Rating: * * +

Chak De India!

Take A League of Their Own, add some Indian patriotic fervor and unrealistic hockey to it and you have Chak De India!

Rating: * *

3 Idiots

Finally a realistic portrayal of engineering college life has been splashed on the screen by Rajkumar Hirani based on a book by Chetan Bhagat. There is a bit of everything in the movie... ragging, comedic teachers, pranks, love and some melodrama. Well make that a whole lot of melodrama with so much ghee and sugar that some of the desi sweets would be put to shame. A film that shaped to be the second coming of Dil Chahta Hai but over the course of its viewing, morphed in to a middling Hindi comedy.

Rating: * *

Kanchivaram

The colors that occupy the screen are muted except for the colors of the Kanchivaram silk saris being woven. The lives of the weavers too reflect this. The only bright spot in their poverty filled existence are the strings of silk that they transform in to a phantasmagoria of art called the pattu pudavai. At the mercy of dastardly overlords, the coming of communism to India gives them a semblance of hope. Set during the brink of Indian independence, weaver Vengadam (Prakash Raj) and his family is the vehicle that Priyadarshan uses to show the plight of this now diminishing tribe of artisans. Cinematography that reminded me of Chris Doyle and the direction of a Priyadarshan of old makes this a rare film in the arena of Tamil cinema.

Rating: * * *

Subramaniapuram

If you ever wanted a look at mafia in small town India, this movie will provide you with that window. Set in Madurai during the early 80s, the film centers around Azaghar (Jai), Paraman (Sasikumar), Kaasi (Ganja Karuppu), Dopa and Dumka. They hang around street corners, drinking, picking random fights and usually landing up in jail. But what was just a bit of fun turns dark as the friends are used for nefarious purposes by local politicians. Enacted by new comers, the film is presented very naturally without the nauseating Tamil melodrama. The end result is savage but with a tendril of humanity running through it.

Rating: * * *

G. I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

A movie that feels like a video game that you have no control over. It made me wonder why I clamored for G. I. Joe toys when growing up. Sigh... childhood.

Rating: * +

The Country Teacher

Peter (Pavel Liska) quits his prep school post and drifts towards the countryside to teach at a small school there. He soon befriends Maria (Zuzana Bydzovská) and her young son (Ladislav Sedivý). But when Peter's boyfriend shows up from Prague, complications follow. A film that calmly portrays that everybody always needs someone.

Rating: * * +

Silent Light

A film pregnant with guilt. Waiting for the birth that would ease its conscience was something beyond me.

Rating: +