Skyfall

The latest Bond film finds MI6 under attack and M all alone with her trusted 007 out in the cold. He is helped by a lone field agent Eve (Naomie Harris) as they pursue the mysterious Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem). For a change the film focuses a tad more on the characters, their flaws and tribulation instead of the usual stream of tech toys that 007 wields. Here he is more MacGuyver than his usual suave self which does come peeping out when he runs in to the stunning Bérénice Marlohe. But the actor who dominates is predictably Mr Bardem who adds a whole lot of color to the latest Bond villain. This definitely is one of the better Bond films in recent times.

Rating: * *

Biutiful

Only an Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and Javier Barden combination can use a beautiful city like Barcelona as the canvas to tell a story of abject poverty and dying hope. Nothing from the very outset prepares the viewer for anything but darkness and in an intense manner plots the story of Uxbal. His broken family, his African goons, the Chinese labour racket he is part of and his own mortality. Whilst the detail & reality in the story telling is well crafted and top notch, there is something amiss. And I still can't seem to put a finger on it. Its the spontaniety in the story telling possibly.


Rating: * * +

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) go to Barcelona, meet Juan (Javier Bardem) who is obsessed with his ex-wife Maria Elena (Penélope Cruz) and end up in a mighty existential tangle. Woody Allen continues remain in my book as a noisy and overrated director!

Rating: * +

No Country For Old Men

Amongst the finest pieces of story telling that I have seen. Dont know why the phrase "cleanly made" comes to mind when thinking of how to describe a good part of the movie.

Movie starts with a deal gone wrong near the Mexican border. The story slowly kicks into gear with completely unconnected characters getting drawn into the plot. The following hour of the chase (of many sorts) appear seamless, with the action sequences capturing everything that one would expect.

However, where the film - for want of a better word - disappoints is the way it closes. Not so much the plot, but the last 10 minutes somehow wasnt truly allowed to say what it wanted to say. Did not have the support of what went on previously. That is, if one prefers scripts that are well rounded. I read that its just the Directors' complete allegiance to the novel. Considering I am watching a movie, I dont buy that. However, on the flip side it could be considered as a V gesture from the directors to Hollywood - which is endearing, but not part of what the greater part of the movie was about.

The peformances were fuckin fantastic across the movie - Javier Bardem, Tommy Lee Jones (who does a quiet but very integral bit) and Josh Brolin (whom I havent seen much of or cant remember). A pity that Woody Harrelson got an extremely insignificant bit.

A must-see beauty.

Rating: * * *