The imitation game

 

Alan Turing's story was a fascinating one I remember. A British mathematician who unravelled the German Nazi code and hastened the end of WWII - while his heroics could not be told to the public, he was found legally guilty many years later of being a homosexual - a tragedy in many ways.

The film, despite the Cumberbatch effectiveness, could have done with more of the David Fincher sharpness. Cheesy in most parts, it could have been much more. The support cast doesn't help - Keira Knightly while she means well, does nothing to enhance the story telling. Blame the director. 

The + is for Alan Turing.

Rating: * * +

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The Rover

 

As I watched the movie, I thought to myself that this would be the kind of movie that I would write and make. From the characters, to the guns, and the drugs, the apocalyptic social situation, the dialogues (or lack of), the photography, the apparent lack of motive, the beautiful landscape that is Australia and the choice of the lead actor - Guy Pearce. It couldn't have meant much to many others, and therein is a possible lesson for me. But the bright spark comes from an unlikely source - the supporting lead played by Robert Pattinson. Who would have thought he could provide credibility to an indie type indulgence. 

Rating: * * *

Silver Linings Playbook

Bit too much of the silver linings stuff. Though David O. Russell puts together a compelling cute comedy, it falls way short of other films that he has done. Oscar for Jennifer Lawrence for this? Talent certainly, but give her time man.  Bradley Cooper shrugs off his good lucks to strike it out and which he carries through in the American Hustle. I was kind of glad when it ended - but dont get me wrong, it was cute.  

Rating: * *

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1

Katniss Everdeen makes her way back to screen after the disastrous end to the Quarter Quell. She finds herself deep beneath the ground in District 13th with the rebels. Advised by the rebel President Coin and cajoled by her friends and advisers, she reluctantly agrees to become the face of the revolution. Thanks to being a movie you are spared the whiny inner dialog of Ms. Everdeen. But the movie makes up for that with its boring pacing and uneventful screenplay. A book that easily could have fit in a single movie is dragged across two films with no real reason other than greed. The only saving grace is that you got to see Philip Seymour Hoffman one more time.

Rating:: * +

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Empire of the sun

Christian Bale's finest performance, arguably, thus far - in his debut film as a 13 year old. To put a 13 year old through every scene of a film, through a range of emotions that even the best would struggle with and essentially carry a movie of scale, needs balls. Steven Spielberg manages to do so in 1987 - and with some fine photography & direction. 

Christian Bale plays Jim Graham, a young British boy who has grown up in the Shanghai expat bubble scene as WWII enters its end game. Loses his parents through a tragic turn of events and spends the next 4 years more than surviving through all kinds of John Malkovich type hooligans. 

Outstanding.

Rating: * * * +

The Flowers of War

Possibly the first Zhang Yimou movie that I have watched fully. "Possibly" because I think I headed for the exit while watching Hero or House of Flying Daggers. This unfortunately was a similar experience. Only thing that kept me going through this melodramatic, yet dumbed down, tragic story of WWII Nanking was to watch Christian Bale. Which was ore the disappointing - blame the fucking director.

Rating: * +

The Midnight After

The Chinese title's literal translation is "That midnight, I got on a red public light bus that headed from Mong Kok to Tai Po" and is based on a web novel called "Lost on a Red Mini Bus to Taipo". Given the titles one should expect to be in for a bizarre journey and you will not be disappointed. Seventeen passengers clamber on a bus which delivers them in to a post apocalyptic Hong Kong. Unsure as to what the hell is going on, you quickly get involved with characters as they try to unravel the situation they are in. You are treated to some over the top horror laced comedy that leaves you cringing and laughing. But as the final destination comes closer you realize that the plot is quite empty and disappointing. Or it is going to take some doing to get on the same wavelength as Fruit Chan.

Rating: * *

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You, the Living

Another one of those many vignettes films that are thrown together with a hope a central theme emerges. Few of the shorts are connected but as a whole they seem disparate as the director strides towards the overarching message which is the banality of human existence. Some of them are funny but with a hint of tragedy. There is a self centered middle aged woman, a disillusioned psychiatrist, an enamored rock star fan and a saxophone player to name a few of the inhabitants of this movie. Some interesting techniques are used where the actors speak directly to the camera like in a documentary as they relate their fears and dreams. As much as one would technically want to rave about this movie, the fact that it does not engage you fully just leaves you with a feeling of despondency. 

Rating: * +

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Liar's Dice

A slow drawn out road movie that features a young mother, Kamal, and her daughter Manya, traveling to Shimla from their village called Chitkul in search of her husband. Enroute they meet Nawazuddin, a roughneck of dubious character who acts as their escort. A multi-layered film exploring the tense man woman relationship in rural India with a socio-political backdrop. Brilliant acting again by Mr. Siddiqui and a fine performance by Ms. Thapa. Directed by Geethu Mohandas of Onnu Muthal Poojyam Vare fame, the movie is India's entry in to the 2015 Oscars. For a change a movie of quality has been picked. 

Rating: * * +

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Curse of the Golden Flower

An entirely fictional historical drama set in a court of a Chinese king is the target of Zhang Yimou's extravagance. At the time of release it was the most expensive Chinese film to be ever made, with Chow Yun Fat and Gong Li appraising the lead roles. A highly melodramatic story that features a royal family, incest and intrigue. But the plot is so obvious that the only thing that keeps you watching is the ethereal beauty of Gong Li and the elaborate costumes and sets. The only reason to subject yourself to this movie is if you are stuck on a plane with nothing to read.

Rating: * *

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Breathless

Watching this movie can leave you breathless, as you follow Sang-Hoon and his violent temper. He is a loan shark with a tendency to beat people up at the slightest provocation. But as you venture in to his life you find a troubled man with goodness buried deep down inside. His past has filled him with so much darkness that for any kindness to bubble up is also disguised by some roughness. Another well done Korean drama that explores child abuse while flirting with loan sharking. Yes, only the Koreans could have come up with that combination.

Rating: * * +

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We Are What We Are

The film starts with a lady struggling in a torrential down pour. The dull weather sets the tone for this moody drama and its eeriness seeps off the screen. You are shown the lives of a strange family that seems to be harboring a secret in a small town in the US. The pace is slow as the director counts on the atmosphere to keep you hooked. It does, except Netflix gave away the plot in the description. I wonder if my rating would have been higher had I seen it without reading the badly written synopsis.

Rating: * *

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Bangalore Days

The lives of three cousins in Bangalore is the focus of this film. Kuttan lives in the big city, but his heart is back in his Kerala village. Arjun is the black sheep of the family working as mechanic and bike racer. Then there is Divya, a happy go lucky soul, who is newly wed to a brooding workaholic. Their loves, trials and tribulations are chronicled in a well nuanced manner by director Anjali Menon. However trying to draw out the tale of three couples made the film longer than it should have been. A scope reduction with a less cliqued climax would have definitely made for better viewing.

Rating: * *

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Import/Export

Two parallel lives are shown in this movie. Olga struggles to support herself and her baby working as a nurse in Ukraine. When internet pornography does not help with the bills she leaves for Austria to work as a maid. Pauli is a young security guard in Austria, who is in debt to everyone and has little going for him. A job installing video game machines finds him in Ukraine. The camera weaves back and forth between their lives in a sort of bored haze. There are some moments of promise, but they are quickly extinguished.

Rating: * +

Gone Girl

Its official. Ben Affleck is the Ravi Shastri of Hollywood - overachieving and overrated at the same time. Credit where its due and all, but who gives a fuck. David Fincher digs deep, as always, to tell us the best-selling, diabolical story of Nick & Amy in a super smooth and engaging manner.

Rating: * * +

Gangs of Wasseypur

 

Was reminded of this * * * * movie when I saw Nawazuddin Siddiqui in The LunchBox recently. Plucked seemingly out of nowhere, NS plays Faizal Khan to perfection - a shadowy, chillum-smoking character who reluctantly transforms to become the lynchpin of one of the gangs involved in a bloody multi-generational tussle. GoW, the finest hour of Anurag Khashyap's career thus far, in a way is also a study of the evolution of India from independence to "modern" day. Outstanding soundtrack. And a brilliant cast of nobodies.

Rating: * * * *

Haider

Vishal Bhardwaj has always delivered impressive films - Omkara and Maqbool being good examples. The unfortunate bit about Haider is the choice of Shahid Kapoor as the main lead. Schooled in the Shah Rukh Khan school of acting, the film eventually succumbs to junior SK's theatrics. Despite the odds, Tabu, Kay Kay Menon along with some spectacular Srinagar footage keep the interest going. 

Rating: * *

Lucy

Lucy is forced in to becoming a drug mule that sees her turning in to something way nastier. The drug pouch that is shoved in to her intestines leaks in to her blood stream and makes her neurons fire between pathways undiscovered in the human brain. In the background you have a professor lecturing about the untapped power of the human brain while Lucy starts to kick ass. Unfortunately, neither Mr. Freeman's voice or Ms. Johansson's pyrotechnics saves this film from the shit pile. 

Rating: * +

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Ploy

A Thai-American couple, Dang and Wit, checks into a Bangkok hotel after a long flight from the US. A death brings the two back to their homeland after many years. Jetlag has captured Dang while Wit falls prey to restlessness.Wit's entry to the hotel coffee shop introduces us to the other characters in the movie. The movie languidly wanders over the state of the couple's marriage while cutting to some bizarre disconnected sex scenes. One of Mr. Ratanaruang's earlier films that shows his silent promise.

Rating: * *

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Edge of Tomorrow

Director Doug Liman hit upon this original idea of making a movie that resembles a video game where you have no control over the players. He then roped in Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt to play the leads and lend sex appeal. For two hours you watch Tom die, live, die again at different points as he tries to stop an alien race from annihilating the human race. Unfortunately, you are not given an option of playing as an alien.

Rating: *

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