Ensemble, C'est tout - Together, that's it

2007 by Claude Berri - French movie

This movie is actually known in the west as Hunting and Gathering. After watching the movie, I think it is not a fair title. Anyways, this is a Claude Berri movie, the director of one of my favourite movie - Jean de Florette, and I was very excited and I was really happy.

Camille, Phillibert and Franck, three youngsters, loners, living in the same apartment building meets and forms a friendship. Franck is very fond of his old grand mother.

This is quite different from the other Claude Berri movies I have seen. Actually it is a simple movie of three loners meeting and sharing. But what makes this movie special and make it extremely special is the grand mother. In fact the movie even begins with the grand mother, before it gets into the life of the youngsters. And the way the three treat the grand mother is really really special, something which is more like a message to the youngsters. I really believe Claude Berri wants youth to look at his three loners as models in treating old.  May be he didnt mean it at all, but whatever he has managed to make a simple and touching movie on love.

The three characters are really wonderful, especially Phillibert. He is completely different from typical young males that we come across in movies. And wonderfully played too. Audrey Tautou as Camille is brilliant as always. Sure there is no need to say how she performed. Does she ever make a bad performance? I dont think so. I simply wish, she put in some weight to cover her skeleton frame.

A wonderful cinema, it was. 

Belle Epoque

1992 by Fernando Trueba - Spanish movie

Belle Epoque actually refers to an era in French history. This era coincides with the pre Franco era in Spain as well. Still I am not really convinced about the title for this, simple but beautiful comedy on love.

Fernando runs out of his civil war duties and meets Manolo. He then really sets out on an exploration tour of the 4 beautiful daughters of Manolo.

I am not sure if the world exploration is right or insulting. But that is exactly what happens, nearly. Manolo has a tryst with each and every daughter of Manolo and finally marries one. Simply put, this is a really wonderful comedy on sex and love. At the same time, the background is full of Spanish civil war.

It is quite an easy watch of a young man being seduced by four beautiful ladies, all sisters. May I say that it is actually a classic. I enjoyed it immensely that I would not mind watching it once again right away. There are funny moments, but there are also many moments which any man will easily identify with. I bet any man would have fantasised at least one scene in this movie, sometime in his life.

The young man and all the four daughters were incredibly charming too. The youngest of the daughters is one Penelope Cruz, who really looked very very young.

A very charming and lovable movie indeed. 

Don 2

2011 by Farhan Akhtar - Hindi movie from Bollywood

A lot of facts related to this movie, are well enough to keep me far away from the theatre. Add to it the fact that, it is in 3D. Still I ended up watching it, only because of some reviews, all of which described it as sleak, stylish, bla bla bla...

Farhan Akhtar is yet another person from Bollywood who would love to make Hollywood style movies, which was proved right away with his debut film, Dil Chahta Hai. That one was exactly like a Hollywood Romantic comedy, but it was really looking fresh, for a Hindi movie. Now Don 2, is only another attempt to make a Hollywood style movie, by Bollywood.

Watch all those famous movies from Hollywood, including the Oceans 11/12/13, Matrix's, Italian job and many others including the Mission Impossible's and various other action ones. Sure, one cannot watch all this again before watching Don 2. But if you remember anything from all these movies and then watch Don 2, you will really understand what I am saying.

I could not find anything original in this movie. Sure it looks sleek and stylish by Indian standards. But for the subject matter and rest, it is just like watching another Hollywood movie with Indian actors, mostly and occasional Hindi and Indian English, and of course, some songs.

If this trend is continued by Bollywood, I mean trying to make Indian movies which looks exactly like Hollywood, soon there will be only a couple of differentiating factors between Bollywood and Hollywood, ie for the occasional use of Hindi and a few songs in Bollywood movies.

I also dont understand why this need to make all these movies in 3D??? It is a real suffering, for hardly noticeable benefits. 

Oru Marubhoomi Kadha

2011 by Priyadarshan - Malayalam movie

What do I say. It is difficult for me to think that Priyadarshan is unable to make a really new Malayalam cinema.

His latest Malayalam cinema is a result of thousands of  requests being made by fans and cinema friends, asking for a good comedy movie in Malayalam. He had announced many times he would not make another Malayalam comedy. But he had to break that promise. I just wish, he had taken some time and effort to bring out a real new cinema.

Instead, Priyan has taken bits and bits from many of his previous movies and from even other South Indian movies. All together it looks like a hotch spotch of past movies. Sure, there are some laughs here and there, but at the end of it I only felt sorry for Priyan and his team.

Mohanlal would be doing a great favour to cinema, if he will stop acting in love scenes and song sequences depicting love. He will also do a great favour to himself and his family, if he can do something to lose his weight. With his present physique, he should only play father or grand father roles or judges or retired police officers or something like that.

It is not a secret that vast majority of our heroines have horrible body shapes. They will do a favour to themselves if they would not appear in front of the camera wearing western dresses which clearly announce how horrible of a body (devoid of any curves at the back) they have. The person in point here is Bhavana.

One good point is the re assertion of the fact that Mukesh and Mohanlal make a great pair. They still have it in them to bring brilliant comic scenes. Just that, they need to take care of their physique and the roles that are made for them. 

Vellarippraavinte Changaathi

2011 by Akku Akbar - Malayalam movie

I did not expect anything great from this movie because of the director. He showed promise with his Veruthe Oru Bharya (which I think was the first time a Malayalam movie took note of the wife's point albeit the end being routine anti women stuff) and then a terrible movie in Kanaa Kanmany. VC  also began exactly how an average Malayalam movie would, but then it looked completely different.

The story itself was quite different from routine. In fact there are three stories in one. And it definitely gave a great opportunity for Akku Akbar to make a classic but.....

Sometimes, the last bit of effort or care or that last bit of money spend would make a big difference. Watching VC, that was what I missed. A little bit more care on the script to avoid certain avoidable glitches and a bit more money to enhance the production qualities would have made a big difference in this movie. For, its story is really good and had all ingredients to make a brilliant drama. In fact, it has been long since there has been a story with a classical touch in Malayalam. All what was required was that final attention to details and a good producer. That is what I felt.

The climax could have been more better, actually the climax could have been like in a Shakespearean tragedy or even a dramatical end offering that last bit of heart felt tears of happiness. Either ways, if the script and the director had put in a bit more thought and effort, it would have been really different and better. Add to it the lack of production values, which is evident through out this movie. What a pity!

I also felt, had the movie used new faces for the 70's movie (the movie within this movie), VC would have shone even better. That would have been a master stroke which, together with the above points, would have offered a real classic to Malayalam cinema, which would have made Kerala proud.

The movie as such, is still better than 98% of modern Malayalam cinema.  I really wish, this movie will not be a failure at the box office. If at all it wins, it might inspire many other movie makers, hopefully. 

Rajapattai

2011 by Suseenthiran - Tamil movie

A director give us movies like Naan Mahaan Allai and Vennila Kabadi kkuzhu and a master piece like Azhagar Saamiyin Kuthirai. When the same director is making a real entertainer, you would expect him to better or at least match Naan Mahaan Allai. But..

Rajapattai ends up as a typical Tamil entertainer which is just meant to give some fun, songs and action. An out and out masala movie for the masses.

Just because of the director, we wish, at least it could have been a different fare, but unfortunately it isn't. What a pity.

The only saving grace of this movie is the show by Vikram. Whatever role he may be doing, Vikram is cent percent sincere to it, that is quite obvious. He just performs for the masses here. I can understand that Vikram wanted a pure entertainer after Daivathirumakal, but at least he could have planned on bettering his best entertainer to date, Dhool. Unfortunately it is nowhere near Dhool or even Saami or Dhil. Just an ordinary No brainer. 

Venicile Vyaapari

2011 by Shafi

Two Tamil movies which recreated 80's very well were huge hits in Kerala. I was sure then that Malayalam would follow suite. Well here it is but what a shame.

I dont even understand why this movie had to be set in the 80's at all. Even if at was in the end of 90's there would not have been any difference. Anyways, it ends as a very ordinary fare.

To be frank, the story looked quite different from routine Malayalam entertainers, at least during some parts in the first half. But later, it follows the same pattern as many other movies and is really ordinary.

I am afraid, Mammootty needs to stop accepting roles where he plays a normal hero who is around 30 or 40's. His age is not clear in this movie, but from the settings he is definitely playing somebody around 30 - 40 and he is really too old to play this. Real pity actually.

Finally I cannot stop thinking whether this movie would have chosen the 80's period, if not for the success of certain Tamil movies. 

Hable con Ella - Talk to her

2002 by Pedro Almodovar- Spanish movie


Yet another drama from Pedro Almodovar. But he deserves a lot of praise to always pick up a theme which has something unique or wild and build a drama around it. I also like it how he finds time and space to criticize church one way or other in between.

An odd friendship between two men, made possible by  the fact that they are both looking after a woman in coma.

The above plot itself actually would make a great classic with a brilliant director. Almodovar likes drama and he brings in a shocking twist in between, which is really wild and unimaginable, but that lets the story take a very different route towards the end. I would not say I really appreciated that twist, but as a drama it does help Almodovar to make out another human drama on life, love and sex.

The two men and their women, would definitely force us to like them, but that twist is quite shocking. For the way he build up those characters, it was more than shocking and unimaginable though. Still, we do not lose interest in the movie and we carry on with it. And the end is typical of Almodovar too.

At the end of it, I think only Almodovar could get away with this kind of movie. His viewers seems to know, you can expect wierd and wild things from him and he does not disappoint.

La Teta i la Iluna - The tits and the moon

1994 by Bigas Luna - Spanish movie

I have this deep admiration for Catalunia, which is because of my love for FC Barcelona. So here is a movie which is from this region in Spain. And what a wonderful piece of entertainer it was.

A child, when he is deprived of mother's milk because of a newborn brother, wishes to have a woman for himself who can breast feed him. An older friend of his also is in love with the same woman.

This movie cannot be called a real children's movie or fantasy or surrealistic or anything like that. This is a realistic movie on pre adolescent fantasy, a kind of magical movie. It is brilliant how realistic moments are interspersed with absolutely surrealistic and fantasical thoughts.

It is incredible how women's breast is depicted in this movie. Breast is an obsession for our young hero, only because of his desire to drink tasty breast milk. And the way the story is told, with lots of images of breast but never going into any kind of eroticism is really nice. It is a simple and charming way of looking at pre adolescent thoughts on female body.

Simply put this movie is like an ode to female breasts. This may not be a classic, but it is a beautiful movie with lots of charm. 

Dead Ringers

1988 by David Cronenberg - English movie

Some movies are successful as a cinema, but they might not be easy to watch.

The story of two twin doctors, who fall for the same woman and ultimately leading to..

Well, that is it. Within the first 15 minutes, I was sure what the end would be. But still this is quite a movie as one exploring a complex relationship, which lingers between brotherly love, sex, possession and fear of lose and what not.

But the movie turns out like a horror movie, a weird thriller, which is really dark and psychic. It was like as if we have watched a movie which glorifies the life of two bloody criminals. Yes, it is a ridiculously difficult watch which might even make the viewer sick by the end of it.

Having said that, the movie is still brilliant for its performances. And anyone with a sick or stone heart might even appreciate this as a classic.

Balada Triste de Trompeta - Sad Trumpet Ballad

2010 by Alex de la Iglesia - Spanish movie

This movie is more famous as the Last Circus. But it is one of those movie, after which one feels confused as to say if it was terrible, allright or excellent.

During Spanish civil war in 1937, a circus clown is forced into the war. Javier the son of the clown would like to be a clown, a sad clown as he never saw happiness in life. In 1973, towards the end of Franco's regime, he starts working with a circus company and falls in love with Natalia, who is brutally controlled by her husband, a happy clown, Sergio. Soon it turns out into a fight for Natalia, between the two clowns and Javier turns out brutal, just like Sergio.

This is quite a fantasical and wild movie. There are moments when it feels like a Fellini classic and moments when it is looking very amateurish. But we can bear all that and just wait for the story to unfold. But it is the final which was the worst let down for me. That final scenes can only be matched by the most stupid Holly/Bollywood action movies and is a terrible disappointment. I still dont have any clue, why the three had to run up towards the cross.

I also was quite disappointed by the performances, especially of the actress who played Natalia. I am not sure if her dramatic overplay was intentional by the director, just to accentuate the fantasical wild nature of the movie. Whatever..

There are certain aspects which was good about this movie, but mostly I was not happy. 

La Naissence des Pieuvres - The birth of the Octopuses

2007 by Celine Sciamma - French movie

What makes French cinema so unique is that they dare to go into themes, which movies from elsewhere might not even think about. I am not saying this theme was not taken up by any other movie makers. It is just that when the French do it, they are so bold and they go much deeper into it. La Naissence des Pieuvres, which is known as Water Lillies, rather than for the literal French translation, is quite an unique and different movie.

It is about 3 teenage girls who are just experiencing the calls of sexual attractions in them.

In one way this is a real teenage movie (nothing like the Hollywood ones, this is quite serious). We hardly see any adult in this movie, except for a couple of shots. It is all happening in the teenage world. Three girls and their lives around the swimming pool, where two of them practice Synchronised swimming, makes the movie. There is a teenage swimmer as well, making it like a quadrilateral love.

The eagerness for the first kiss and sex, and all the anxiety and excitement around it is very well told. And the relationship between two of these girls is really complex and is out for us to interpret in anyways. I guess, one girl really loves the other and would like to make it physical, but for the other it is all some kind of game where the silly physical things between them are just like in a rehearsal and she is really looking forwards to her first sex with a man. Or she is not sure at all about what she wants in sexuality, if she is lesbian or heterosexual.

It is also very good how these girls are connected to Synchronised swimming. Just like one of those beautiful scenes depict, this kind of sport looks so pleasing from the gallerry, but it requires an incredible amount of hardwork, under the water. The director seems to be just trying to tell us how difficult it is for women, young girls, to appear pretty when they are under so much pressure.

A very interesting film, with excellent performances by the teenage actors. Considering it is a first film, it is pretty good work from the director too. 

Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol

2011 by Brad Bird - English movie from Hollywood

I have never liked the previous MI's. So normally I would never be watching this one. But my wife is a fan of Tom Cruise and she cannot miss his movie. And I have to watch it.

I have to say, I suffered. Because this is just another version of America saves the world, nothing else. A movie without any soul, just action. But even in the action, we might feel overwhelmed by the use of technology that, honestly, I felt it was more like a latest James Bond movie, without some of the Bond stuff's.

A good majority of the scenes are definitely from the studio and even the outdoors are not really convincing. They say Mumbai and show Hyderabad, I think so I could be wrong. They are in India, but the car number plates have unIndian numbers and many many more stupid things.

Tom Cruise look really old for this kind of action, if I may say. Simon Pegg is a saving grace though.

I couldn't believe that many youngsters in the theatre were screaming, that's fucking geat man, not once but so many times!!!!!!!

Rockstar

2011 by Imtiaz Ali - Hindi movie from Bollywood

Going through media, almost all seemed to have very good impressions of this movie was the only reason I decided to see it. Yes, this inspite of having A R Rahman's music. But..

Understanding Hindi is not easy for me. If it is quite, it is allright I can understand 99%. But as is common now, in Kerala theatres are the venue for the youth to speak out loud their fantasies and to shout on mobile phones (latter not just youth, almost everybody). So frankly, it was not very quite and I might have missed a lot of dialogues. Simply put, I did not understand most of this movie. But even if I had managed to understand the full dialogues, I am not sure if I would have liked it. I have seen more than a few foreign language movies, without any subtitles, and was still able to appreciate the cinema behind few of them.

Rockstar simply speaking is not fluent. It looks like a collage of different scenes taken from the love life of a rockstar. Some could say that it is fast paced, with brilliant editing, and it requires an amount of intelligence from the audience to understand it and so on. I am afraid, I dont think so. There are many things happening in the screen, which is typical of Bollywood and Indian cinema, which are just there to make sure the audience have it simple. So.

Above all, I failed to understand the love between the man and the woman and also why this man behaves like a Rebel.

I can only feel that, this movie might be representing the heights of Bollywood trying to ape the west. There are so many so many things, from the story to the behaviour patterns of the characters, which are just not Indian and which are just an attempt to ape Hollywood.

A R Rahman's music was the only saving grace. But even as an A R Rahman fan, I wish to listen a new album from AR Rahman, which can better his early Tamil works. 

Paris, Texas

1984 by Wim Wenders - English movie from America

I feel lucky to have seen this movie. I never heard about it before. But within a few minutes I knew I was watching one of the best American movies I have ever seen.

A man wandering in the desert is located and brought back to his brother's home. The brother and his wife are acting as parents for the wanderer's boy for the last 4 years, who is now past 7. The man painstakingly tries to bond with his child and slowly the past and the future comes clear.

This movie deserves to be among the best piece of art from American cinema. It is purely a piece of art in cinema. There is a kind of curiosity the movie holds, almost until the end, which makes it as engaging as a thriller. As we meet Travis and his brother, we are simply curious why Travis is so quite, why he doesn't speak and will he speak at all (for the first 20 - 30 minutes the central character doesnt utter a single word!!!). And then as he starts speaking we feel curious about what had happened to him and his wife and we are also worried will he manage to convince his boy as a father and finally we wish for him to find his wife and so on. Whatever, till the very final shot, this movie keeps our heart and mind engaged.

Brilliant scenes follow one after the other in this wonderful tale of a man who turned his back to everything dear to him, but wants to face life back after 4 years. And there are really heart touching scenes as well, but told in a sublime way without any tear jerkers.

Brilliant performance by Harry Dean Stanton as Travis and the child actor was also really brilliant.

The background score, which is almost made only of Guitar (it seems) is incredibly brilliant.

Finally, it is incredible to know that such a movie, which has a real American soul, is directed by a German.

A true master piece. 

La Mala Education - Bad Education

2004 by Pedro Almodovar - Spanish movie

I didnt really read the synopsis, when I saw that this was an Almodovar film. May be I should have.

A child who was sexually abused in his religious school, comes back to the priest for revenge, quite a different kind of revenge.

First of all, Pedro Almodovar is more than brave to make a movie on this theme. And his style is quite there everywhere... But...

I did not enjoy watching this movie at all. I am not into homo sexuality or bisexuality, I am not against it though. But it is very difficult for me to watch through a movie were all the relations on screen always happens between two men.  And there are expilcit scenes of men in love too. Not even a single major female character is there, would suffice my point.

For sure the movie is very sincere to its theme, just that it is a bit more melo dramatic or exaggerated than a normal Almodovar movie.

It is of course not a bad movie, but I could not enjoy it. 

Lucia Y el sexo - Sex and Lucia

2001 by Julio Medem - Spanish movie

If I was watching this movie during my teenage days, I would have immediately interpreted this as a porn film and would have just fast forwarded the whole movie only to watch any skin show. If I was watching this movie sometime later, I would have stopped watching it after 30 minutes and then fast forwarded it only to watch any skin show. Lucky that this one came across me only now. What a movie. My CD friend at first, didn't present this one to me as he thought it was a porn film. Then another friend of his hired it, as a porn film, and gave it back with lots of abuse. That is when he told me that may be there is a movie that I will like.

Sure, the title can mis lead anyone. And the beginning first 30 minutes, I really thought, oh this looks like a pretentious movie, by some director who wants to look artistic. To be frank, I had to force myselves to continue watching and slowly, but not clearly the movie got into me. I said not clearly because, the movie has a very intelligent and brilliant script, and it requires some serious rational thinking to make out what exactly is happening. By the end, I almost knew what all it was, but I watched the last 70 or 80 minutes once again today. And I could not help giving an applause at the end of it.

This movie has a very complex looking plot. Well, the basic story line if given to a typical Hollywood/Bollywood writer, would have made a run of the mill romantic, triangular love story (no, actually there is two men and 4 women) with some family saga and suspense and what not. But Julio Medem has scripted out a master peice from a complex subject. The script is bloody bloody brilliant. I would say this is the height of script writing at its best, with the intention of expecting a kind of intelligent involvement from the viewer. A second viewing would be must for an ordinary man like me. But the best part about this is that, even an ordinary man will know by the end of his first watch that the movie deserves a second view to really appreciate it.

And please my readers (if there's any), this is not a porn film. There is heart felt romance, there is despair, lust, beautiful love making scenes, wild sex, incredible juxtaposition of nature and life, suspense and above all real cinematic brilliance. There is everything except action and porn in this film. The settings of the movie, so brilliantly and beautifully captured by a truly brilliant cameraman, make this quite an unique film. Add to it a very seductive back ground score with some truly beautiful acting, this movies gave me one of the best cinematic experiences in recent times

I can only term this movie as a master piece. The one factor that does not do justice to it, is may be its title. 

The Sorcerer and the White Snake

2011 by Ching Siu-Tung Ching - Mandarin movie from China.

I am not a fan of these kind of ultra fantasy movies but one wrong review pushed me to get this dvd. And it turned out to be exactly that kind of a movie that I didnt want to watch.

A movie on the Chinese myth of a snake woman who falls in love with a human. There is a sorcerer who is trying to capture demons and is after the snake woman.

When there is too much of CG, than important cinematic aspects, it is quite difficult to watch a movie. I doubt, if this movie was made trying to reach the levels attained by Avatar. May be.

Whatever, I didnt like it, even if there are some amazing CG work, not consistent though. However, an element of love is quite good. 

The Ides of March

2011 by George Clooney - English movie from Hollywood

I like George Clooney a lot, even if he always looks like George Clooney on screen, irrespective of his character. He is a brilliant actor, but his macho charm is too much that I always tend to see him on the screen rather than the character. And when he is seriously involved in a Hollywood movie, it is a near guarantee that the movie is going to be different and above average. I have so many examples for this like Oh Brother where art thou, Welcome to Collingwood, Good night and Good Luck, Syriana and few more. He likes to be part of off beat Hollywood movies and he is one of the very few bold movie makers who do not mind taking a poke at America's foreign policies.

In Ides of March, George Clooney is looking at the Presidential campaign of US, following a major staffer of his campaign. And he establishes how politics is dirty and it will even make a principled human being to play dirty.

The message Mr. Clooney wanted to convey, is so nicely conveyed, without ever using cinematic cliched exaggerations, is the high point of this movie. There is a kind of subtle way of handling this high pressure moments. And like he wish to, George Clooney has created a chance to really comment on some of the foreign and internal policy blunders of his Government and he boldy does that. Kudos to Mr. Clooney as the part writer and director. I am almost assured Mr. Clooney will be labelled a leftist or Communist or extremist for some of his comments in this movie.

Ryan Gosling, I think, is going to be next George Clooney of Hollywood. He have had two movies, Drive and this one (I dont know which one came out first) and he has really excelled in both. It is interesting how both the characters had a kind of calm, which is exemplified by the persona of Ryan Gosling. Just that, like Clooney, I could still see Ryan Gosling on screen. I eagerly wait for his future characters to know will he exactly turn out in the Clooney way or make out his own path to being a legendary actor.

Overall a bold film from Clooney and co. I doubt if an ordinary American would accept it though.

For me, I would have enjoyed it much more, have I had more knowledge about the American Presidential election procedures. 

Bella

2006 by Alejandro Monteverde - English movie

After watching certain movies, inspite of all its brilliance, beauty and warmth, one can remain a bit confused or dis connected. Bella did that for me.

A football player turned chef, tries to convince a girl against abortion.

There is a real good message in this movie. The man has a loving family behind him because of which he is very sensitive to family, children and all. The woman had a terrible family life and especially since she is not settled yet and have to find a good job, she doesnt have any option but to abort.

The background of how a millionaire football player had to become a chef is nice and touching. So are most of the scenes in this movie, which has a genuine feeling about it and is really warm. But honestly, it disappointed towards the end. May be because it was edited out, there is a blunt cut to the final scene. And we are left to believe that the lady finally did not abort, but the man simply adopted the child. Ah, this man is just a friend and he is not the person responsible for the lady's pregnancy. Owing to his family back ground and because of what happened to him in the past, he tries his best against abortion and might have decided to adopt.

All it was fine. Just that, that very sharp cut was too blunt. I am sure many people might have been confused about it. And to believe that inspite of all what happened, the lady left her baby  (only to come back, but after the infancy period) with an adopted father was not nice for a female character. That was too harsh.

Brilliant performances. Most of the actors in this movie seems to be from Mexico and there is lot of Spanish too in it. A good film, still.