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Split



The critics were crowing about this Manoj Night Shyamalan film , and after a long time and a number of bad films he seemed to have found his groove back . So off I went to the theatre , like a loyal Indian to support this director of Indian origin in Hollywood .

The villain is also the leading actor of the film , and he is played by James McAvoy . The heroine is a young girl played by Anya Taylor-Joy . The movie has no hero , for no knight in shining armour comes to save the three young girls including the heroine kidnapped by the villain . The three must try to escape by themselves .

The villain has a strange disorder in which he has multiple personalities . The three young girls must cope with them during their harrowing time with the villain . Sometimes he is menacing , sometimes like a small child , sometimes like a woman , and so on and so forth . But when the girls try to ask his other personalities to help them escape , they don't help . However when the menacing personality comes forth , he is horrible and does bad things to them . The girls are shown in various stages of undress , which makes for some shady viewing . The heroine has a past and present of have suffered sexual abuse , and seems to be most capable of surviving the ordeal because she seems to be capable of manipulating the various personalities for her survival . Maybe the reason is that the villain is a victim of childhood abuse himself in the past .

The villain visits his psychiatrist ( played by Betty Buckley ) regularly , and she detects something wrong since his villainous act . She fancies herself an expert on his condition and delivers international speeches on it . The sufferer of this syndrome can have different physical attributes for his different personalities , and the most dangerous of these personalities gives him awesome physical powers like a superhuman .

The psychiatrist decides to visit his place to see what is wrong , and therein lies the chance for three girls to escape . But can they escape ? Will the villain allow this ? The movie will have to be watched for the answers .

The acting by the leading actors is very good and they show a range of emotions . But the movie drags on and on and a satisfactory conclusion is not reached . Shyamalan tries to make cerebral thrillers , but maybe I am not cerebral enough to like what he makes . It cannot be called regular commercial fare and I could not make out if it was an art film ( non cerebral person you know ) , but maybe the hi fundoo people may like it . I being low fundoo , I didn't particularly care for it .

Background score , photography is good and colours are decent . The movie is low budget and has no fancy locations or any stupendous special effects .

Verdict---Not good .




Kong - Skull Island



A man ( John Goodman playing Bill Randa ) hell bent on proving the existence of monster sized creatures tricks the US military into an expedition to a forbidding island---forbidding because it is surrounded by perpetual storms and getting helicopters into it is not easy . Having got there through those storms the expedition faces the bigger dilemma of getting out safely , because there is only one escape route and the way to it is across a path strewn with monsters ; the fact that Randa is trying to prove is true .

The monsters are nothing new but mostly oversized versions of common creatures---oversized buffaloes , oversized insects etc . But at that size they are enough to terrify humans who look tiny in front of them . Of course , the most terrifying are the most ugly---giant reptiles what else . They are hell bent on killing anything that moves on the island . And the biggest on them has been woken up by the explosives that the military team detonates on the island .

Lording over all these creatures is the 'hero' of the film---the massive ape called King Kong what else . At first Kong has to destroy the helicopters killing many of the expedition's men in order to stop them from exploding explosives which will wake his biggest enemy---the big reptile . This rouses the ire of the military team's leader ( Lt Colonel Packard played by Samuel L . Jackson ) who vows to kill Kong . Little does he realise that Kong is the only hope for the surviving men and women ( the expedition has been joined by female photojournalist Mason Weaver played by Brie Larson ) in the expedition to reach home alive---for only he can counter the big reptile awoken by the explosives who wants to eat the remaining members alive .

I saw the film in IMAX 3D form and straightaway I must say that the film has been tailormade for that form . 3D effects are really good and IMAX lends full glory to the visual beauty of the film . The film's photography is it's strong point---stunning scenes of helicopters weaving their way through storms to reach a beautiful island carpeted by a cover of dense green vegetation pleasing to the eyes , towering shots of the huge monsters on the island including a full scale one of Kong in all his majesty , long range shots of the destruction of the helicopters by Kong , and a superb shot of the delicately vulnerable Mason Weaver held tenderly in his hand by Kong .

The background score is not the strong point of the film , but that is not noticed due to the other strong points of the movie . Action scenes are well pictured too , though they do not convey any seriousness even in life and death situations . Acting is good by everyone , particularly by Samuel L. Jackson , John Goodman and John C. Reilly ( who plays a quirky old soldier stranded on the island for 28 years ) . Brie Larson looks good , particularly with her lovely breasts thrust out from under her top . The native humans of the island look appropriately peaceful and helpful .

The film does manage to convey a sense of impeding mystery and doom as the helicopter ride into the island begins , and also manages to convey a sense of adventure throughout . What else is a non serious adventure film meant to do for entertainment ? Nothing more , I guess .

Verdict---Good .




Beauty And The Beast



Once upon a time ( this archetypal start means that this is nothing but a fairy tale ) there was a good looking prince ( played by Dan Stevens ) . But he was also arrogant , so arrogant that he refused an enchantress refuge in a snow storm . Angry , she cursed him to become a beast and his entourage to become just pieces of furniture and the castle in which they all lived to be forgotten in the midst of perpetual snow . In order to lift the curse , a beautiful girl has to fall in love with the beast before the petals of a rose the enchantress has planted all fall down .

In a village not far away there exists just such a girl ( played by Emma Watson ) . But a formidable obstacle exists in the form of another suitor ( played by Luke Evans ) who will do anything to get the girl . And that includes attempting to kill the beast . However fate has other plans , and the two lovers are destined to meet...

The film has been created with great attention paid to every small thing especially in the castle . The director sure is a perfectionist . The visual beauty of each and every chamber and the costumes is almost too good . The pieces of furniture ( who are nothing but humans cursed into become furniture ) sure make bedlam while dancing .

Music is the high point of the film ; this fact is very important as the film is a musical . The music just keeps getting better and better as the movie progresses with the music director reserving the best for the climax . The scintillating music sure adds to the grandeur of the film .

Also photography is very good and every frame is rich with colour . The experience is heightened if you see it as I saw it---in IMAX 3D . The visuals of the interiors of the castle , of the snow outside , of both gentle as well as ferocious animals , of the green countryside and hills , of the beauty of the heroine---all are well captured on film .

Emotion is a strong point in the film too , and the film gets more and more high on emotion as the climax approaches ; the emotion is nothing but pure love with pure hate and evil as obstacle....but what is a film without struggle between good and bad .

What could be more debatable is the necessity of the over political correctness of the film . Did blacks really get to mix and dance as equals in the eighteenth century with whites as shown in the film ? Were interracial couples accepted so easily in those times as shown in the film ? The film's villain has a gay sidekick who eventually meets a similarly inclined partner , albeit only for a brief moment ; but what was the need for an old fairy tale to have it's gay moment ?

But the enjoyment of the film is not marred by the debatable issues , and I liked it especially towards the end . The film will be appreciated by those with a yen for romance , and women may make a beeline for the movie in the theatres---as indeed they already have .

Verdict---Good .




Life



The international space station gets samples of mars soil from a probe sent to that planet , and the crew begins studying the sample for finding extraterrestrial organisms . They do find one which has been dormant , and it begins to grow under their stimulation---too rapidly in fact .

And their worst fears come true . The organism in fact is a very vicious predator and it begins to attack and kill everyone of the crew . It can feed off anything , including coolant gas of the station . And it is very smart and knows it's way around the ship very quickly .

As the cat and mouse game of survival begins between the crew and the predator , things get very thrilling indeed . The predator very rapidly moves from place to place within and even outside the spaceship , and can even temporarily survive without oxygen for a brief period outside . It's ultimate survival however depends on oxygen and the crew tries to lock it outside the spaceship....unsuccessfully , as the too smart predator finds a way to enter even though one crew member has sacrificed her life for keeping it out .

The predator looks ferocious very fully grown , and one wonders if the film can be called a sci fi film or a thriller or is it horror . One by one each member of the crew is finished off by the predator by either going inside the mouth and killing the person and coming out even bigger than before or by latching on to the leg and eating it . The crew now have to find ways of preventing it from reaching the earth , for if it does reach it could devastate population on earth .

The movie has good photography and good colours and decent background score . As usual , I was enthralled by the shots of earth taken from space and by shots of the infinite cosmos beyond . Acting by everyone is good and the the pace of the movie is good too---the thrills keep coming and the speed of the movie never slackens .

But the ending disappointed ; it was typical of horror movies and establishes the movie as from the horror genre . The climax has been created to probably ( in my thinking ) make a part two of the movie just typically like horror movies where endless parts are made one after another . The director had the chance to make the perfect ending and make the movie a great sci fi movie like 'Gravity' or 'Interstellar' but he chose exactly the opposite way out , to my chagrin . The climax brought down my rating from four to three stars . Even the audience , which until then had watched the movie in rapt attention , began to snigger at the climax .

Verdict---Good .




Lion



Lion is the true story of an Indian boy adopted by Australian parents , who grew up to search for his long lost biological mother in India decades later .
He remembers calling himself as Saroo , and his brother as Guddu . Real mother's name he does not know , and he remembers her just as 'mother' .

He remembers stealing coal from freight trains for a living , for his mother was too poor to feed him and his brother . His brother was older , and they both used to climb the trains together . One day he insists going with his brother on a longer distance journey , and his brother leaves him asleep on the platform never to return . What happened to his brother ? It takes a quarter century for him to know the truth...

Meanwhile , what happens to him ? Not finding his brother , he takes a train going in the opposite direction of his home to the city of Calcutta . But he is saved from the worst horrors ; runs off when child traffickers try to kidnap him among other street children , runs away again when he feels he is going to be trafficked again by a seemingly kindly woman , and finally a person takes him to the police . They send him to a children's home which is not completely safe too , judging from what happens to another child there .

But he is selected to be adopted by an Australian couple , played by Nicole Kidman ( Sue ) and David Wenham ( John ) . These good people have their own quaint reasons for not having their own children and instead adopting them , which are later revealed in the film . But when Saroo grows up , he discovers he has not left the baggage of his Indian past ; wants to reach out to his origins . I watched his search unfold on screen , and it does fill you with real emotion .

Of course , the first half of the film ( which I have described in short above ) once more brought focus on the west's obsession with the poverty of India . It seems India has to carry the can for all the world's poverty . Africa may be poorer , but the country selected for showcasing poverty is India . Because it is politically incorrect to show african poverty for fear of being labelled racist . Pakistan and Bangladesh have similar poverty , but it is 'communal' to show them as poor because both of them have the same religion . China has poverty too , but it is a dictatorship which firmly closes it's door on foreign media to areas of it which are not worth showing . Only Indians do not mind being denigrated as poverty struck and the west takes full advantage of this attitude . Also , Saroo is everywhere in danger from human traffickers when separated from his brother . Presumably , Indians don't mind being demonised as traffickers too .

The above mentioned dark side of the film is counterbalanced by some great photography . Watch from long distance as only the lights of the train are on as it moves forward in the darkness , and watch an even better shot of the train silhouetted against the backdrop of lightening .

Emotions are of course the highlight of the film , and the film grows more emotional towards the end ; does manage to jerk a tear or two out of you at the climax---all the more because it is a true story . Acting by Sunny Pawar ( the young Saroo ) and Dev Patel ( the grown up Saroo ) and Nicole Kidman is simply great . Music is good too .

So why is the film named 'Lion' ? The reason is revealed in the end . But that is not the only reason why it is worth watching .

Verdict---Good .




The Salesman



This Iranian film is currently being screened in India , as it was the winner of an oscar in the best foreign film category . It is in the farsi language I guess , but I saw the movie with english subtitles . One of the reasons for me seeing this film was the insight I would get into the islamic republic of Iran , which since the islamic revolution has become a most interesting place---to watch on film I mean .

Aah , so how is the society of Iran ? The first thing that strikes you is , how goodlooking the people of Iran are . They are so proud of their looks that Iran has a politically incorrect name---Iran means 'Aryan' in the farsi language . The term was inspired by Hitler , who had endorsed the persian peoples aryan origins . Even the cats ( persian cats ) are goodlooking , though I did not see any dogs---they are considered unclean in islam .

So how are the women ? Their hair is partially covered by the scarf which they have to wear since the islamic revolution . But otherwise can wear western clothes , though they have to cover major part of the body . Even the men were wearing full clothes , largely because iranian capital city Tehran ( which is the location of the film's happenings ) is a cold place . But these were modern city women . What is the condition of women in the countryside ? That is not shown .

The people still greet each other 'khuda hafiz' while leaving instead of the 'Allah hafiz' that is common among the muslims of the Indian subcontinent ever since Pakistani dictator Zia ul Haq changed the wording . I could catch a few words from my knowledge of urdu language , which has words of farsi---'azizi' means 'dear' .

So onto the movie . Emad ( Shahab Hosseini ) and Rana ( Taraneh Alidoosti ) are a married couple who act in the theatre . Emad works as a teacher in a school where he is allowed to teach only boys ; girls have separate school because the islamic republic forbids co education . The schoolboys make fun of Emad behind his back and jokingly call him salesman because he and Rana act in a production of 'Death of a Salesman' by Arthur Miller . So a play from what Iran calls the 'great satan' ( America ) is allowed to be enacted by authorities , eh ?

The couple is forced to leave their apartment which is collapsing , and have to move in another arranged by a fellow actor called Babak . They move in without knowing that it's former owner was a prostitute . One day while she is alone , Rana is assaulted by a former client of the sex worker . Even though the two do not talk about it openly at first , the couple both know that the assault is sexual . Here their asianness comes in to play . We are not talking of a happening in the west ; it is the backward east we are talking about . And in the east a woman's honour will be tarnished if the matter of sexual assault becomes public knowledge . So even though the neighbours know about it , the couple does not go to the police .

The first half of the movie is about the effect of the grave event on the couple's marriage . Rana is so shaken that she cannot stay alone , and even cannot go to the toilet without her husband standing outside . She breaks down while the play is being enacted and does not allow even her husband to touch her at night . Emad insults Babak who had given them the apartment while on stage enacting a play , because he blames Babak for guiding them towards such a place .

The second half is dominated by the asiatic male's need for revenge for this insult on his family's honour , though Emad is shown to be a relatively civilised man . So he traces the person who did the assault . To be honest his revenge is milder than what I have seen in Bollywood films . But on the screen it seems terrible because of the way it has been brilliantly filmed . The movie really keeps you on tenterhooks as to the fate of the accused . And that is the triumph of the director , I feel .

So how is the revenge taken ? What happens to the couple ? The movie is worth watching for the answers . Acting is good and cinematography is good too . Tehran , which forms the backdrop for the happenings does not seem to be a rich city and has crumbling infrastructure inspite of all of Iran's oil because Iran suffers from sanctions forced by the west . Deservedly so , I suppose .

Verdict---Good .




The Zookeeper's Wife



1939---the nazi panzers are going to roll over Europe and ignite the second world war . Poland is going to be the next victim of nazi aggression ( Czechoslovakia was the first ) . One of the biggest zoos in Europe is the zoo of Warsaw , the capital of Poland . It's zookeeper is Jan Zabinski , who is played by Johan Heldenbergh . But the movie's main focus is his lovely wife Antonina , played by Jessica Chastain.

The movie begins with Antonina waking up in a shining figure hugging nightie , and considering her looks and figure , you want more of her to be shown . And she does further entice you by wearing enticing clothes all through the movie---lacy and backless and having put on enticing make up . Her scenes with her nude thighs wrapped around the thighs of her husband and again around her admirer's thighs give you the hots .

Of course , the complaint can be made that this beauty fest takes away from the main theme of the movie---the holocaust . But this is not exactly a holocaust movie anyway . It is not meant to show how jews were murdered by nazis during the world war . It is meant to show how this brave lady saved the quite a number of jews from the nazi killing machine with help from her husband . It is not meant to take us to view a concentration camp and all it's horrors .

Another focus of the movie is the animals of the zoo and their fate . It has quite a few scenes of Antonina caring for animals and fondling the more smaller among them , to the point where I was lusting to be in place of the ones she was fondling ....she was holding it quite close to her breasts To anyone who is sore that this once again takes away focus from the holocaust , let me remind that the name of the movie is 'The zookeeper's wife' and she is the centrepiece of the film ; the jews she saves are not the centre of the film .

In fact we are not introduced to the names of some of the jews and about their background stories . But the heroine and her husband do take enormous risk in hiding jews and smuggling them out and feeding them out of the rations allotted to them . But the enormity of the risk they take is not properly shown in the film ; seeing the film , their task seems easier than it actually was . They were at the risk of being killed ( or worse ) by the nazis if found out , but somehow you don't 'feel' the risk in the movie . Only at the end when their son is about to be shot dead as punishment for the hiding jews does the enormity of what the couple were doing strike you fully .

Such a beautiful woman is bound to use her beauty to survive at a time when only six percent of Warsaw's population managed to survive the war . She does so by winning the attention of Hitler's chief zoologist ( Lutz Heck played by Daniel Bruhl ) and luring him with her charms to make him accept the idea of making the zoo a farm for breeding pigs for food for the war effort , which she and her husband will run . But this strategy carries it's own price as Heck demands sexual favours with increasing boldness as the movie progresses . It is a measure of the heroine's character that she not only ensures her own survival but also that of jews taking grave risk on herself and her family .

The movie does have a sentimental and 'happy' ending , if such a sordid tale set in a city and nation which is in ruins could have one . That is because her own family and most of the jews the heroine tried to save survived the war . And that was the triumph of the heroine---worthy of making a movie over . One thing the film does not show ( but I forgive the director for that ) is that after the war majority of Polish citizens refused to take back the jews who tried to come back to Poland .

The music of the movie is sweet , the colours and photography are so good---they go a long way in making the movie worth watching . Acting by Jessica Chastain is superb , of being strong and looking vulnerable in the appropriate situations . Daniel Bruhl plays the mean nazi villain , but even his cruelty is tempered ; this being a major flaw of the film , which does not show the full extent of nazi barbarity .

Verdict---Good .




As much as I like Jessica Chastain, that movie doesn't interest me at all.

Great review though ash!
Thanks mate !!



The Sense Of An Ending



'The sense of an ending' could have well been titled 'Making sense of an ending' , for at the end of the movie we are left confused as to who was dating whom and who was fathering whom in the past . The director ( or rather the novelist who wrote the book on which the movie is based ) has deliberately left the events that unfolded in the past somewhat vague , so that endless discussions are made on movie portals and drawing rooms about what exactly had happened in the fateful past . This seems to be the new trend of publicising movies ; 'Inception' movie greatly benefited from the endless discussions on it's vague ending , and this movie may too benefit from the curiosity generated by the discussions .

So on to the story . A grumpy old man ( Jim Broadbent playing Anthony 'Tony' Webster ) leads an ordinary existence in Britain . He owns a small antique camera shop . He is not exactly polite to his customers , is impolite to the mailman , and has been divorced from his wife because of his unpleasant nature---as he himself admits at the end of the film to her . But lately his life has acquired a humdrum nature as he has gotten used to meeting his ex wife and daughter in between while ruminating over past memories of his life---some of those memories being notoriously selective as the events that unfold in the movie prove . The one thing that he can look forward to is the upcoming birth of his grandson , as his daughter is heavily pregnant .

To interrupt in between from an Indian point of view ( as in my country India families are close knit ) , the standard of living of these people in the west is of course high quality but marked by loneliness . The three ( Tony , his wife , his daughter ) live alone in different houses . Yes , even the daughter lives alone without the man who fathered her son even though she is relatively younger , and it is Tony who goes with her to her pregnancy classes rather than her partner . The other thing I noticed was the difference between the past memories ( when native Britons predominated in the population ) and the present ( where society is multiracial , and the pregnancy class has even lesbians ) .

Coming back to the story , the humdrum existence of the lead character is interrupted rather rudely by a letter that he has inherited a sum of money from his ex girlfriend'a mother . Along with that he has also inherited a diary which presumably contains some secrets , but when he tries to lay hands on that diary he cannot get it . Intrigued as to what were the contents of the diary , Tony contacts and meets his ex girlfriend Veronica ( played by Charlotte Rampling ) and when he cannot get her to divulge anything he starts to literally stalk her . During all this the unopened corner of his memories gets opened , and we get to see the flood of past events unfold before us on screen . They are shown to us as flashbacks and give a relaxed feel and languid pace to the film , tinged with nostalgia for what happened and what did not happen and what should have been....

A saga of suspense ran through the film very slowly , taking it's time to unravel secrets at low speed . And that was the way I liked it , for it was getting very cozy in the theatre as I sat pondering the mysteries of life in my cushioned seat as the film never rushed the flow of events even though the director had the chance to make things happen fast and finish it off quickly . And as Tony was handed a letter that he had written and had sparked off a chain of events that led to tragedy , he was being forced to rethink the fundamentals of his own existence . That he turned out into a better and more responsible man at the end of the film is what makes for a positive ending .

Acting by all is good , even by the actors who play the young Tony and Veronica ( Bill Howle and Freya Mavor ) . Background music is decent and colours and photography are okay too . The film is for those who like off beat films without the thrills of high octane entertainment that mainstream cinema provides . Made on a presumably low budget , the film has no special effects or fancy locations . It rather depends on it's story , direction and acting skills of it's actors .

Verdict---decent .




Everything , Everything



Maddy ( played by Amandla Stenberg ) is a cute young girl who is supposed to have an immune disease that will kill her if she comes into contact with the outside world . So her mother ( played by Anika Noni Rose ) who is a doctor keeps her in a controlled environment where everything is sterlized and Maddy does not come into contact with any infection which can kill her because of her weak immune system . She is not allowed to ever go outside her house , and can only dream of the outside world .

The only people who ever are allowed to come into the house are Maddy's nurse ( played by Ana de la Reguera ) and the nurse's daughter . Maddy's life is the internet and has learnt about the outside world due to this . The house in which Maddy lives is real posh and her mother it seems has real money to be able to keep her in such luxury with a nurse in attendance and her every need being taken care of inside the house . But the real need---to be able to breath the fresh air of the outside world ; what about that ?

As if sent to fulfil her need for companionship one day a nice looking young boy named Olly ( played Nick Robinson ) moves into the neighbourhood , and he begins to flirt with Maddy from his window which is directly opposite Maddy's window . A young girl full of hormones kept closed in a house starving for someone to love and share and care...does it get more desperate than that ? Maddy directly hooks to Olly without any ado , and soon the two are messaging and texting each other all day and night .

The two soon meet when her mother is not around and even though warned against physical contact , they can hardly keep their hands off each other . And why not ? For Maddy looks hot and sexy in cleavage baring and breast outlining and leg showing short clothes throughout the movie , and she is not the only one in the room loaded with hormones .

And Maddy is in love....not just with Olly , but with the idea of going out with him and seeing the open sea and feeling the soft ocean breeze against her breath . She wants to explore the outside world and wants her love besides her everywhere and in all places . It is an idea for which she is ready to take all risks with her health and her life . So she asks Olly to elope with her to Hawaii . Love and longing is something for which she is willing to give up on everything , everything---including her very existence on earth....the scene is set for tearjerking tragedy....

Or is it ? For near the end of the film the director turns everything upside down with a revelation....a revelation that makes mockery of everything shown in the film till then....a revelation that will make the true blue critics shake their collective heads in condescension....

But I wasn't shaking my head in disappointment....for I am not a professional critic but am an ordinary person....and like an ordinary person I was rooting for Maddy to get her love....to not just get her love but to acquire it....and not just acquire it but to let her roam freely on the world's oceans like a carefree bird along with her lover...and I wanted to see her kiss her boyfriend with her red hot lips and and I wanted to see her making love on satin sheets....and if the revelation towards the end of the movie was going to make Maddy get what she wanted , then I was willing to let go of my critical sensibilities just for the joy of seeing her get what she wanted....to hell with the critics !!

Photography of the movie is great , with stunning shots of the ocean at sunset in Hawaii and shots of the forest of Hawaii taken from above with it's winding road and great photography of the sea and the waters of the sea . Colours of the movie are rich , and house in which Maddy lives is beautiful . Background music is good , and the songs played in the background are obviously romantic . Acting is decent from all , and the chemistry between the lead pair is good . The film is for those with a yen for romance .

Verdict---Nice .




The Lost City Of Z



To be honest the only thing that prevents this film from being a borefest is the fact that the film is based on real happenings , and the acceptance of that fact that real happenings cannot be made to look as interesting as fiction . Of course , the moment I realised while watching the film that it is based on real exploration I knew that no grand discovery of any ancient civilisation was going to be made in the movie because I had heard of no such discovery in this period . But in the earlier part of the film a person who goes into the theatre without knowing anything about the movie may feel that some epically grand discovery of some ancient civilisation is going to be made in the amazon region of the south american country of Bolivia by the end of the movie .

Charlie Hunnam plays Percy Fawcett---a soldier who is sent to that region to map the border between Bolivia and Brazil . Against orders , he and a few companions undertake a perilous journey deep into the amazon region . Here they are faced many difficulties like with deep forests , hostile natives who shower arrows on them , wild animals like poisonous snakes and black panthers , and strong currents in the river that threaten to sink their raft . The photography of the dense green forest is beautiful and the native americans look all too authentically real , and so do the dangers of the jungle .

But after all the dangers the discovery of a few pieces of pottery in the jungle does not enthuse the viewer of the movie , however interesting it may be from an archaeological point of view . Another point I thought the director missed was showing how adventurous it can be to stay in the jungle in the night . I have lived in the jungle , and believe me---while it is beautiful during the day it is terrifying in the middle of the night . The sounds of jungle give you jitters in the dark .

When Fawcett returns he vows to go back to discover what he feels is a lost civilisation , and he is faced with some ridicule . But biologist James Murray ( played by Angus Macfadyen ) agrees to come to a second expedition . Fawcett's wife Nina ( Played by Sienna Miller ) wants to come too as she dispairs of living years away from her husband , but Fawcett does not allow that . But Murray cannot face the rigours of the jungle and the expedition ends with acrimony .

The first world war prevents a third expedition from being launched , but by this time the Fawcett family has developed an obsession for discovery of lost civilisations in the amazon that can be described only as crazed . So after the war a third expedition is launched . But by this time the movie was drifting into nothingness ; nothing was really happening . And Fawcett and his son never came back....What happened to them has only been guessed by the director , or so I guess....But Nina lives on hope that they are still living among the tribals in the wild , and that hope gives her courage to live on....

The acting by everyone is good , and more so by Charlie Hunnam . Sienna Miller looks really attractive . Colours of the movie are good , and the background music is haunting . But the end result of all the explorations is underwhelming at least to a lay viewer like myself .

Verdict---Okay .




I watched Split last week and I agree with you, I thought it was lousy. I also watched Lion and I liked that one alot. I believe I have The Salesman coming for next weekend.



Baby Driver



Baby ( played by Ansel Elgort ) is the nickname of a fabulously talented car driver who has had the bad luck of being forced to use his skills at driving for the wrong guys---thieves who carry out high profile and big stakes heists . His mom and dad got killed in his childhood when they got involved in an accident , leaving baby to be brought up be a black man named Joseph who also was deaf and mute . Baby got mixed up with gang when he tried to rob the head of the gang ( played by Kevin Spacey ) and was forced to join the gang to pay off his debt to the head . The accident in which his parents died left baby with tinnitus in his ears , and he listens to music all the time on earphones to drown out the noise in his ears . So far so bad for baby....I mean he has had a run of bad luck all of his short life .

The good part about baby is that he is very young and looks kinda cute with a refreshing youthful innocence , which is the reason he is called baby in the first place . The other good part---he has managed to get a good girl for himself ; the kind of girl that not only looks good but is good from the heart as well ; the kind of girl who sticks with her boy through thick and thin and does not leave him even when he is in dire trouble....and we all know the importance of a woman's support in the success of a man don't we....I mean the importance of a girl's support in the success of her boy---they are still kids you know....

Baby's one dream is to break free from his boss and the gang and drive off with his girlfriend Debora ( played by Lily James ) to nowhere without a care in the world and without a plan in mind....yeah , that's what young love is like....but his boss threatens to kill his foster father and his girlfriend if he flees....so baby is forced to take part in the gang's activities against his will....and those activities become increasingly murderous with police officers getting killed and heists going wrong....and soon all hell breaks loose with the police hot on their heels....

In all this mayhem baby never loses his humanity and tries to save innocent people's lives , even though all around him guns are blazing and vehicles are turning topsy turvy after banging with each other . But baby has to take the path of violence too , when bad guys threaten his very existence and also that of his foster father and his girl ; all weapons booming and cars smashing into each other and blood spilling out of bodies...

So will baby and his girl survive in this mess ? I kinda wished they would....but after a very good first half with great thrills and chills , the movie turns corny in the second half and the action becomes ordinary....
Never mind...the film has given some entertainment already....

Music is the hallmark of the film , for our hero has the habit of converting even ordinary conversations into music on cassette tapes . Photography I would rate as good . Colours are decent . It all adds up to a barely decent film . I am giving it three stars because I grew kinda fond of the pair---baby and his girl ; and like the gang leader in the film who finally decides to sacrifice his life for protecting the two kids because he remembers the time when he was young and in love , I too was young and in love once....

Verdict---Three stars .




Dunkirk



For those who don't know , this is the background to Dunkirk . In the second world war , the Germans handed a huge defeat to the defending French and British soldiers in France . A part of the French army and almost all the troops the British had sent to help the French were trapped near the port of Dunkirk on the English channel surrounded by German soldiers on three sides . The only hope the British had was to escape from Dunkirk back to Britain by sea to live to fight another day . So many private boats owned by ordinary British people sailed across the English channel and brought back the soldiers stranded at Dunkirk . Though a retreat , Dunkirk was still hailed by Britons as a evacuation that brought back their army to regroup and re equip to fight the Germans again .

The movie itself gets better and better as it progresses . The fear and the uncertainty of war---it's all there . The tension on the soldiers' faces as they wait on the beaches , the relief when they see dozens of small private boats coming for them , the cheering for those private citizens by the soldiers as they take in the soldiers , the uncertainty of war again as the boats are attacked by German warplanes and some get killed , the shame of having retreated from France , the disbelief when ordinary citizens do not treat them with contempt for having fled the battlefield but instead offer them food and drinks , and the stirring speech in the end by Britain's Prime minister Winston Churchill promising never to surrender---it's all there in the movie .

Individual bravery does form a part , as is shown by the gallantry of a British pilot who has run out of fuel but still manages to shoot a German warplane trying to kill the soldiers on the beach . Individual cowardice too---as in case of a French soldier who tries to escape with the British instead of defending his country's land . Hard decisions taken too form a part , like the one to not use the Royal ( British ) navy to evacuate the soldiers and the Royal air force to help cover the evacuation from air---because they would have to be used later to defend the oncoming German invasion of Britain instead of being sacrificed at Dunkirk .

The movie is well photographed , with the dogfights between British and German fighters in the air shown with precision . The cracking sound of gunfire hitting the aircraft , the thump of onrushing water when it lands into the sea---all look authentic . The desperation of a troop of soldiers who commandeer an abandoned boat on the beach and wait for high tide to come so that it can be put to sea , only to be shot at by Germans and holes drilled by bullets in the boat so the water will rush in when the boat is put to sea and will be sunk---all is well crafted .

There is the heroism of an old man and his son who are joined by the ship's hand who wants to become a hero by saving lives , only to see his bid for heroism thwarted tragically by a shell shocked soldier who is picked up and does not want the boat to go to Dunkirk to get attacked again by Germans . A gunfire damaged German plane crashing into the water to ignite the oil spilled around it endangering the lives of soldiers stranded in the spill---that's the way it is in real war .

The background music complements the events and many of the events are tragic with a suddenness that befuddles---one moment evacuated soldiers are enjoying their sandwiches in a ship , and next moment the ship is hit and drowned and they are in the midst of water....

The movie is relatively short but still delivers the bang for the buck , especially in IMAX form . Colours are authentically pictured and acting by everyone is appropriate .

Verdict---Good .




Lolita ( 1997 )



The full movie is available on youtube in HD quality , so you dont have to go anywhere else . The movie is based on the famous novel---Lolita .

Jeremy Irons catches the fancy of a young girl ( nicknamed Lolita ) played by Dominque Swain . They proceed to have a sexual relationship , and Jeremy marries her mother ( Melanie Griffith ) to stay close to her . But Melanie sends Dominque off to a boarding school , only to discover the relationship later . In a state of shock , she gets killed in an accident . This lets Jeremy get what he wants---guardianship of Dominique , and chance to continue their relationship . As she grows older , Dominique tires of him and wants to break away . Eventually she succeeds by going with a another man who exploits her . Jeremy searches for her in vain because he is in love with her . Finally Dominique sends a letter to him asking for money because she is married and pregnant . Jeremy is by now ashamed of having used her when she was so young and meets her and asks her to forgive him . She does , and he gives her a large sum of money to continue her life . But she also tells him of the man who exploited her and Jeremy is mad with rage and kills the man . He dies in prison and thus repents for his sin , but Lolita dies in childbirth too .

Thus in effect both are equally guilty and deserve to die in the director's eyes ---or so I thought . Though Jeremy is more guilty because he was an adult using the body of a young girl , Dominique ( Lolita ) was not innocent too as she gave herself up readily to him .

There are plenty of erotic scenes between Jeremy and Dominique . Dominique plays the unabashed sex kitten , spreading her soft milky white legs on Jeremy's thighs on innumerable occasions and acting in a sexually provocative manner and repeatedly making lascivious movements . Photography is splendid and so are the colours . Acting is good too from everyone . The movie moves from erotic in the first half to tragic in the climax and changes your mood swiftly .

Verdict---good .

Three and a half stars .




Annabelle : Creation



Created as a prequel to the movie 'Annabelle' , this movie nevertheless can be seen as an independent horror movie by those who haven't seen the original 'Annabelle' . The basics are the same as any other horror movie . The setting is in a remote house in the countryside with no one around to help if help is needed immediately . The house has plenty of rooms for the characters to roam about when searching for ghosts . Most of the action takes place in the dark , which is obviously more terrifying and gives the chance for the ghosts to pounce suddenly . The victims are goodlooking females mostly , because females seem more vulnerable . And little girls seem even more vulnerable , so the main victims are small girls .

The main difference is that the girl who is most victimised by the ghost is a polio stricken handicapped girl who becomes more handicapped as the movie progresses . So the ghost targets the weakest of the bunch . The movie makers must be thinking as the word 'ghost' or 'spirit' to be too mild and hence they call it 'demonic presence' . The movie has strong religious overtones with the bible being invoked consistently , the cross making it's appearance on several occasions to stop the demonic presence , priests chanting prayers to ward off the evil . But it all proves useless . The demonic presence is unrelenting , or maybe the lure of making the demonic presence unrelenting to make the movie interesting has not been resisted by the makers in the quest to make money . The use of small handwritten notes by the spirit to lure people by announcing it's presence with them is another feature that is different .

A group of female orphans move into a house where tragedy has struck 12 years ago , and the youngest make contact with what seems to be the spirit of a little girl . But the spirit is malignant , and it's actions are evil . It resides in a doll which is scary from the start . As usual in horror movies , the girls tread alone where even adults would fear to go---into darkened rooms and fearsome closets . You really fear for the handicapped girl because she cannot even run quickly , yet she inquisitively opens even the most dangerous doors . The demonic presence comes covered in sheets at first and later reveals itself openly . There is no subtlety to it's moves and the movie is scary from the start . In fact I thought that the first half was more scary than the second . Not that the second half disappoints . It is interesting too as events unravel themselves .

The audience was giggling nervously throughout , especially the women . The photography was decent , colours were regular but the movie was mostly in the dark with only few glimpses of sunlight . There was no underground cellar , but a barn outside containing a possessed scarecrow compensated for that to give us the chills . Background music was appropriate to give us the necessary jolts from time to time . We anticipate the coming jolt and our hair stand on end as we see it coming . And the jolt doesn't disappoint . More of a hammerblow than a jolt . Acting was authentic from all .

Verdict---Fun for aficionados of horror movies .




It



The film starts with a kid rowing his paper sailboat made by his elder brother till it goes down a drain , and when he tries to retrieve it a clown appears in the drain . Needless to say , the clown is the evil spirit . And it grabs the kid down the drain like it has grabbed so many kids who are dead but who are floating in empty space down in the drain .

His elder brother is part of the losers' group in school , and they are bullied regularly by the gang of bullies who are tall and lanky and real mean . But the losers' are joined by a goodlooking girl who entices by wearing exposing clothes like bikinis and has earned the reputation of a slut . But she actually is being sexually harassed by her own father and is a good person . Her looks reminded me of a young Nicole Kidman .

Together the losers' group teams up to combat the town's menace---evil spirits what else . The bullies are after them too , and it is difficult to ascertain who is more fearsome---the bullies with their guns and sharp knives , or the evil spirit which keeps on reappearing as a clown which reveals extremely vicious teeth when it opens it's mouth to bite .

The first half of the movie is real scary , with the evil spirit first appearing as a pair of shiny eyes that look real scary in the darkness before it fully manifests itself . But the second half is dragged too long and the movie goes almost to two and a half hours in length . In the end I was waiting for IT to get finished .

Acting is good by everyone and photography and colours are okay . Background music is decent to give you the scares at the right time . I would have given three and a half stars had the movie been shorter , but the length of the movie made me reduce the points by half.