THE  RELUCTANT  FUNDAMENTALIST
[4/5]

There are some movies are which are optimistic and some pessimistic, But only few are realistic and "the reluctant fundamentalist " packs a punch when it comes to being a realist . Meera Nair lives upto her name and the actors make it a movie to remember for a long time.The starcast comprises of Riz ahmed ,Liev schrieber ( X-men fame),Kate hudson,Om puri and Shabana azmi.This is a story about a passionate man , who wants to live an american dream but his roots which is Pakistani and the post 9/11 scenario change his life,thinking, and the way he wants to lead his life.The story is not a hunky dory happy endings type wherein everything is at ease at last but a realist's view of what happened after the sept 11 tragedy and its subsequent repercussions in the life of changez khan (Riz) .The story begans in the backdrop of Lahore university where an american lecturer is kidnapped and country is in turmoil over the incident.A journalist who is in enigmas of his own goes to interview changez in lahore university canteen ,and here is when we meet the protagonist of the story. Its a flashback of his beautiful days,loving days and even isolated days in the states.It is an adaptation form a book by same name authored by Mohsin hamid but the movie is beautifully crafted to showcase the reality.
Must watch for political movie buffs.
Cheers!!!!

THE OCTOBER SKY (1999)

THE OCTOBER SKY(1999)

GENRE : Drama

My Rating :  :-) /10

(Who cares when it inspires)

" Sometimes one dream is enough to light up the whole sky "

There are movies which are as predictable as number of  's' in Mississippi ,as predictable as desi Rambo coming out unhurt off the sea of moustache clad villains and there are movies like OCTOBER SKY. You know the movie ab initio to the very end of it ,but it still catches you off guard, captures your thoughts and gives you goosebumps,you just don't want it to end.

October sky is based on  "Rocket Boys",true story of a boy named Homer Hickam living in a mining town called coalwood,west virginia . It portrays the 1950's when US and Soviet Union were fighting a cold war with Soviet launching Sputnik I but this town is just about coal with mining being the main profession.Homer's father  John manages affair at the mines ,comes from the old school of  thought and is anti homer's endeavors.Homer is just another guy in coalwood but gets his path when his teacher and mentor ,Miss Riley shows him the light.He takes up to beat the odds, leave aside future of shoveling coal eventually getting a spot on lungs  to make his own rocket.He befriends weirdo Quentin Wilson ,which according to ROY LEE and O'DELL would end his social life in school.So ,the 4 of them team up and set on a journey, take the unbeaten path ,walk to snakeroot 8 miles away from the mining company's property.AUK as they call their test rockets start to show for their dedication.They get support from people at mine like Ike Bykovsky.

They too face obstructions landing even to a jail ending their efforts and homer joining the mines,but a defining moment comes in the movie when Miss Riley asks homer to be himself .  

" Sometimes you really can't listen to what someone else says, you just  gotta listen inside "

Movie is a joy ride from there on with some turns like strike at mines, attempt to kill john Hickam . Homer goes on ,succeeds and even meets his hero Dr. Wernher Von Braun unknowingly.Take my word this movie isn't about watching and enjoying alone.As,the movie progresses you start to believe in homer,start to beleive in you.To cut it short,it inspires you to chase your dreams,and as Quentin says " It will be prodigious".

Run Boy Run!!!!!!

ELYSIUM(2013)

Elysium

 [3/5 Stars]

" Does his skin fall off? Get him off the bed, I don't want to replace the sheets."

An overpopulated earth, a slum infested earth is what the future looks like at least till 2154, even the skyscrapers are slum-like settlements, that's because the rich don't live in them anymore, they left, left for near immortal lives in an artificial sattelite settlement with highly advanced medical facilities, the Elysium. The film begins with showing us the childhood days of the orphans Max(Matt Damon) and Frey(Alice Braga) who like many childhood friends, promised to be together forever, but as Frey went on to be a nurse, Max, a kid with a dream to leave the Earth for Elysium one day, followed a path that came much easier to him, he became a car thief, a natural as his friends call him, now on parole and often in trouble because he can talk himself into it.

Neill Blomkamp falls short of giving us another sci-fi classic after District 9, but it has it's moments, which deliver quite well. The immigration scenario, is borrowed, probably from the real life scenario of Mexico and USA. The poor who have now inherited the earth, need desperate medical attention and the rich don't want to waste their resources, as a result they employ them to do dangerous jobs, which causes Max to come in contact with radiation and also meet Frey again and this time her daughter as well who too needs desperate medical care. The poor have now however ceased to have human rights as all attempts at illegally boarding the Elysium are met with force and are greeted with certain death.

The film's hero Max wants to save himself from certain death, so he goes to a man named Spider, responsible for illegally immigrating people onto the Elysium, so he can get treatment, but Spider has his own plans and recruits Max's help, offering transport in return, Max agrees, after all a man must do whatever keeps him alive, what follows this is high intensity action as Max tries to steal highly sensitive data which could decide Senator Delacourt's fate, and she must do whatever she can to stop him from bringing it to Elysium as it could cost her, too much is at stake for her and for Max, all that matters is his own life.

Predictable more often than not, it doesn't do a good job at keeping you involved, the cinematography is a plus but the story-line fails, with plenty of plot-holes and a formulaic finish, the film fails to deliver the goods you hope after a thrilling first 35 minutes, while in sync with the current scenario of socio-economic conditions, you end up craving for more. Jodie Foster as Secretary Delacourt and Sharlto Copley as Kruger however with their brilliant performances alongside Matt Damon manage to keep the film together and add more credibility to the script.

Till Next Time. :)

THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION(1994)

The Shawshank Redemption

 [4.5/5 Stars]

"Remember, Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies."

Dum Spiro Spero, "While I Breathe, I hope" are the words that Andy Dufresne lives by during his bid in prison, an innocent man, sentenced to serve two life terms for a crime he did not commit. The movie differs from other prison movies, it lacks the lame attempts at visceral action made by some, or the intense experience that others try to put forward, by being about the simplest of all things, friendship and hope. Red, played by Morgan Freeman, narrates Andy's life in prison(with the voice god itself), as seen from his eyes, becomes his closest friend as they both serve out their life imprisonment together.The film has been adapted from the Stephen King novella, Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, and Rita Hayworth alongside Raquel Welch become the poster-girls for hope, literally. It was Frank Darabont's first film as a director as he gave life to Andy and Red's friendship built on their mutual respect for each other and an unquestionable loyalty they had towards each other, and managed to create a masterpiece and a gem that has managed to outshine every other collaboration that he's had with Stephen King.

PosterGirl of Hope

Andy is assaulted repeatedly, by "the sisters", but after he helps the Chief of the guards in saving some of his money, his life in prison changes, from a one time offer of a cold brew for all his friends on the prison roof despite him being sober, to him being left alone by "the sisters" and being removed from laundry duty to the library to do taxes for the other Prison guards and then to making money for the Warden.
An educated man, Andy tries to help the inmates receive an education, and with the arrival of Tommy he gets a ray of hope that all would be okay again, but as fate would have it, it's all in vain, but he is still patient, still hopeful and in his mind, he is free.
Tommy's death changes him, while Andy had accepted his role as a prisoner-with-benefits by being loyal to the warden, helping him earn money, when he realizes Tommy was killed just because he offered to help him be free, he decides to get revenge, and does that in spectacular fashion.
The film is an underdog movie to the core, as we watch Andy fight the "man", we root for him, and like him, we hope, hope that he gets out, hope that Red leaves with him, hope that that everything wrong that happened to him is put right.
The cinematography is nothing unusual, but add the dullness with which the prison is presented, and a brilliant script to it, the film becomes beautiful and is a must watch for  anyone who loves cinema in its purest form.

12 ANGRY MEN(1957)

12 ANGRY MEN (1957)

Genre : Drama

My Rating : 9/10

*Spoiler Alert*
(You should have seen it by now!)

I would like to lay my hands on this classic before any other Contributor does.This isn't just a movie but a potpourri of human prejudices, doubts, arguments, emotions, rationality and the cognitive process of reaching a decision. The movie, shot in a a single room(apart from  3 min scenes shot at and courtroom and lavatory) presents us with a wonderful example wherein without any exotic location, bond gizmos and magniloquent script, one of the best movies as of yet could be produced.Directed by Sydney Lumet ,and produced by Henry Fonda and Reginald Rose,  there is no doubt why 56 years after its release 12 Angry Men still stands out as one of the best ever. It is a trial movie wherein 12 Jurors are left to deliberate and come to a conclusion to decide whether convict is guilty or not for charges of murder.An eighteen-year-old boy from a slum background is accused of stabbing his father to death and faces the electric chair if convicted. Eleven of the men believe the boy to be guilty; only one (Henry Fonda) has doubts. Could he manage to convince others?

As the movie progresses the the day hots up, with viewers sweating it out with the other characters of the plot alike as the intensity of arguments grows. Every juror tries to solve this jigsaw puzzle, from the experiences of his own life. The jurors represent people from different backgrounds having diverse views on the issue. Henry Fonda, Juror 8 comes forward with the loopholes of the prosecutor's evidence, which are quite believable. Juror 10 comes up with his prejudices against the slum dwellers when he says, "they kill for no good reason". There is observant old man (Joseph Sweeney), Juror 9 who finds discrepancy in the testimony of the woman across the track. Then there is the Salesman, Juror 7 who is more worried about his ball game, Juror 5, who himself has managed to make it out of the slums, comes up with an explanation as to how to exactly use a switchblade, therefore contradicting the claim of prosecution .These arguments raise enough doubt amongst the Jurors. The vote shifts from 11 to 1, to 9 to 3, to 6 to 6, to eventually 11 to 1, Juror 3 being the exception, hard, aggressive, and a vindictive avenger who is reduced to breaking down when forced to confront the failure of his relationship with his own son.

The movie concludes with all deciding the convict not guilty. No names are used in the whole except at the end when Jurors 8(Henry Fonda)and 9(Joseph Sweeney) exchange names. 12 Angry Men explores many techniques of consensus-building, and the difficulties encountered in the process ,with no edge of the seat drama but still captures your imagination. A must watch for all movie buffs.

MAMA(2013)

MAMA(2013)

[3.5/5 Stars]

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof. 

Daddy, look! there's a woman outside the window. And she's not touching the floor.

And with this dialogue we are introduced to 'Mama', the ghost of Edith Brennan, a psychologically disturbed mother, who protects the two Desange Sisters from getting murdered by their own father.Keeping in tradition with other Guillermo Del Toro films, Mama, presented by Del Toro, has an eerie aura surrounding it, an aura similar to the one surrounding Mama in the film, which makes it a rather unusual entry into the horror film genre.

Creepily beautiful in a way, as it tries at times to empathize with the ghost, the ghost of a mentally challenged mother who develops an emotional attachment with these girls, and gets "jealous" of anyone who tries to touch them. Victoria, the older of the two 'lost girls' realizes this and tries to make her Uncle(played by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, famous for his role as another uncle in GoT, also playing the father here) and her aunt(Jessica Chastain) learn of this, as she is now wary to Mama and how she could be dangerous for her sister Lilly, herself and the rest of the family as well.

The film achieves something rare for horror films, it maintains the pace it began with throughout the length of the film, all while avoiding the cheap scares which begin with sudden appearance of a ghost in other horror films, Mama's appearances throughout the film are predictable and it is in these moments that you are genuinely scared. Dr. Gerald Dreyfuss, a trauma doctor who is responsible for the girls' slow and gradual return to civilization, is the first of the adults to become aware of Mama, and earlier refuses to accept the existence of such a being, by providing the theory, that it was Victoria, who created this being, in order to cover up for the lack of a caregiver.

The movie is quite different from 'The Conjuring', while both are probably the best horror films to come out since 'The Cabin in The Woods', they are quite different, Mama relies on the story line and the character history, coupled with the not so innocent looking younger daughter, and the very visible Mama, in place of the hidden thrills that were there in 'The Conjuring' for scares, while a highly recommended film, it is not for people who prefer gore-filled horror movies.

A thumbs up to the films director Andy Muschietti, for this highly entertaining film, a complete thrill ride, as the end will give rise to all kinds of mixed emotions in you.

Till Next Time. 

DECEMBER BOYS(2007)

THE DECEMBER BOYS(2007)

My Rating: 7.5/10

The name struck me first "December boys", but most movies do have intriguing names, nothing much to brag about. The catch really was a "Non Harry Pottery" Harry, and to my utter amazement this thought diminished pretty soon through the course of the movie. The movie rose above just one actor and painted a canvas which got the better of my emotions and I got lost in the plot. The other three boys in the backdrop of the movie poster come upfront as a lovely inclusion, as they portrayed innocence and realism. 

Based on novel by Michael Noonan by same name, December Boys came across as something different from the usual mix of Iron Mans, the wolverines and the hangovers. Placed in an Australian setting, the movie revolves around four main characters: Spits, Maps, Spark and Misty, all orphans at the St Gregory's orphanage.They are the December boys as they have their birthdays in the month of December. Sent on a vacation to Cove beach to stay with Mr. and Mrs. McAnsh, their life changes as they come to know other residents of cove, supposed carnival biker, Fearless and Teresa are planning to adopt one of them. Misty ,the most religious of them keeps this as a secret from others for a while. Maps befriends Lucy who came to the beach to live along with his uncle. They have frequent hangouts at the remarkable rocks ,where Maps comes to term with his teenage life. The movie turns when Fearless’ truth is discovered by Maps and causes a rift among the boys. A moment which escalates the emotions and adds to the plot is when fearless says,"You fight like brothers" and Maps(Daniel) replies,"We are brothers". Misty is subsequently asked for adoption which he refuses by saying, "I don't require a family ,as I already have one" looking at the boys.The movie reflects the coming of age of these boys on a vacation with stirring emotions and feelings. Daniel Radcliffe does a fine job with his role and music blends in beautifully with the films’ scenes and adds perfectly to the plethora of emotions the film you go through.