Rachel getting married

This is one of the reasons why I liked this film. The quiet Sidney, who is getting married to Rachel and played by Tunde Adebimpe, singing Neil Young's 'Unknown legend', which I had not heard in many years. Quite similar in premise to Margot's wedding experience, Kym's (Rachel's sister) one is also about the family's emotional baggage. Which hit close to home - what do you do if you are entirely responsible for an accidental death of a family member? Bollocks really.

Anne Hathaway who normally is more irritating than skilful, gets it right as the troubled one. With the backdrop of a wedding 'Indian' style, much gets played out in front of everybody (including a random bunch of musicians) and credit to the director Jonathan Demme in getting all the many characters involved, including you the viewer.

PS: The writer Jenny Lumet is the daughter of Sidney Lumet. Which explains Adebimpe's character's name. Jonathan Demme subsequently directed a documentary called 'Neil Young journeys', which explains the song choice for Sidney.
 
Rating: * * *

Blue Jasmine

Woody Allen has been a bunch of hits and misses for me. More of the latter. This one, however, surges to the top of the list because of The Spectacular Cate Blanchett - who plays a neurotic ex-socialite struggling with the turn of events in her life. Heads to her sister's place in San Francisco, who is everything what big sister Jasmine isn't, to seek refuge. Things just get worse as she slowly and comically struggles to stay in the race with the Joneses. Louis C K makes a cameo as a cheating sound engineer and is perfect for a Woody Allen film - straight faced, dark, and makes more out of nothing. 'Blue Jasmine' does have a social angle to it - should be the campaign video for the President's latest brainwave on inequality.

Rating: * * * +

Inside Llewyn Davis

I have this weakness for films about music & musicians. That is why the latest from the Coen brothers gets the stars it does. Llewyn Davis is a folk musician trying to strike out on his own before Bob arrives on the Greenwich village scene and makes folk hip. Llewyn lives off other people's couches in & around Macdougal street and has nothing to show for his "principled" view of music. Has his priorities all wrong, which could be irritating to some, but I kind of get what he is about. However, 'Inside Llewyn Davis' doesn't get inside of anything and rambles Coen brothers style. Which still is pretty good.

Rating : * * +

Any Day Now

An attractive man quietly watches a drag show in a gay bar. The follow up is a hot and steamy hookup but never would you think that this would be lead up to a poignant battle for child custody. Rudy Donetallo (Alan Cumming), a drag queen, and Paul Fliger (Garret Dillahunt), who works at the district attorney's office, struggle to convince the courts to give them custody of Marco (Isaac Levya). Marco suffers from Down's Syndrome and has a junkie for a mother. An odd situation indeed and made odder given that the film is set in the 70s. Movies like these need to be made, but they are contrived to tug at the viewer's heart strings, and that is unacceptable in my book.

Rating: * *

This Must Be the Place

Cheyenne (Sean Penn) is a retired glam rock star, boring the hell out of life in Dublin with his wife of many decades. This low key life is interrupted by his estranged father who is on his death bed in New York. In the hope of a late reconciliation, he travels to the US only to arrive too late. What he discovers is that his dad was a survivor of Auschwitz and was tortured by a former SS officer who is still at large. Cheyenne takes it upon himself to track down the office and bring him to justice. So ensues a surreal road trip across the US as Cheyenne unwittingly starts on a path of self discovery and awakening. A brilliant film that echoes with the touch of the Coen brothers and Penn playing a unique role like he has never done before.

Rating: * * *

Dark Water

A young divorced mother moves in to an apartment with her young daughter. A blissful start to their new life is cut short by a water stain on the ceiling. The water in the apartment complex has a malevolent spirit flowing through it and is really dark. The film struggles to put fear in your heart but fails to even slightly startle you out of your seat.

Rating: * +

Chaser

Joong-ho is an asshole of a pimp who used to be a police detective in another lifetime. He finds himself in deep shit when some of his prostitutes start running out on him. He suspects that someone is kidnapping them so he puts on his detective hat to get to the bottom of it. As he scratches the surface he finds someone way more sinister beneath. Unlike many psycho thrillers, this one is not a whodunnit. You are shown the identity of the killer right from the start. Rest of the film is about apprehending him. The way Joong-ho is portrayed is also very interesting. At one side he is ruthless and works his girls to the bone while at the same time he cares deeply for their well being. Director Hong-jin Na throws all this in front of you with zero melodrama and lets you be the judge. Another brilliant addition to the South Korean crime genre.

Rating: * * *

The Secret of the Grain

The film opens with the main protagonist, Silmane Beiji being forced out of his shipyard job. The camera then patiently follows him to reveal the many facets of his life; a divorced father with a mistress and a tired earning for something better. In spite of the tough economic conditions and fractious family life he forces himself to chase his dream of opening a couscous restaurant that he hopes will unify his families. The movie chronicles this journey of a dream being brought to life. 

Rating: * * +

Naked

In comparison, the lead character of Johnny is like facing a bouncer heading towards your throat at 150km/h. This time around however, David Thewlis the central actor, hooks it out of the ground. There is nothing nice about Johnny - runs away from Manchester to London after raping a woman and afraid of being beaten. He then moves across the capital from person to person - mostly random acquaintances from the streets - in pursuit of nothing. Or possibly something that we are not aware of. Cursing the world, contemplating 'future', devouring books and spewing vitriolic shit - like this for instance, to a woman who spurns his advances: "And I hope that all your fuckin' children are born blind, bow-legged, hare-lipped, homeless hunchbacks" Over 120 minutes long, Naked should be far from being considered as misogynist - but a fantastic film that focuses on the lunatics on the prowl. Much like this one. Welcome to my world, Michael Leigh.

Rating: * * * +

12 Years a Slave

When an actor confronts the character of 'Solomon Northup', I suppose it is like facing a juicy half-volley. With an Oscar waiting for you once you have cleared long-on. From being brutally kidnapped, the tragedy of not seeing your family for 12 years, repeatedly being tortured & humiliated, travelling alternatively between hope & despair and finally being free - its all there. But one could easily overthink and hit the ball down the ground to mid-on for no runs. That's what Chiwetel Ejifor manages to achieve - a very safe and unexciting performance. And surrenders the mission to capture the viewer's soul to Steve Mcqueen and the others (Paul Giamatti, Paul Dano, Lupita Nyong'o & Michael Fassbender). You never know, Chiwetel Ejifor might still get an Oscar for a well crafted film. 

Rating: * * +

Trance

I spoke about this film here. Felt cheated after spending couple of hours getting through it. Danny Boyle? Well..

Rating: *

Following

 

It looks a bit familiar: strangers getting involved in each other's lives, pursuing mysterious goals while the story plays out in a non-linear manner. Chris Nolan's dry run before blowing up the premise into a full length feature classic - Memento. All of 60 minutes, its fluid, shot in black & white and gripping. 

It also brought to mind the recent film by Danny Boyle - Trance - which I review next. Couldn't help but feel that Mr. Boyle has a big Nolan monkey on his back and fails miserably to shrug it off.

Rating: * * +

Ilo Ilo

One of the many characteristics of Singapore is the presence of live-in maids in the houses of the affluent. Being a constant presence in the family the maid becomes part of the family persona whether one likes it or not. This film set during the Asian financial crisis in the late 90s, takes a stab at exploring this inter-family relationship. Teresa, a young Filipina reaches Singapore as the maid for the Lim family of three. Her presence while being a help in the day to day household activities puts a strain on the family. However, slowly a deep bond forms between the young troublesome son, Jiale and Teresa. Throw in the onset of the financial crisis and you are left with a random graph of inter-familial tension that is captured quite well in the film. But yet there is something intangible that holds this film back from breaking through to the audience.

Rating: * *

American Hustle

Having watched David O. Russell, Christian Bale and Amy Adams combine with aplomb in The Fighter, there was much anticipation. But didn't bargain for the brilliant performances from all the rest - Amy Adams (firmly entrenched in the top spot in Hollywood), Jennifer Lawrence (supreme talent) and Bradley Cooper (solid as the funny guy). And Bale, of course, was perfectly measured.

American Hustle was like watching a novel - space for characters to develop sub-plots to gradually unravel, but at the risk of losing the fluidity that makes a film great. The approach to story telling reminded me of Donnie Brasco, but in the latter case I did watch a fantastic film. Here it was about great performances (count in Louis C.K and Jeremy Renner) and therefore stops at 3 stars.

Rating: * * *