Marley & Me by David Frankel

Category: English

Marley & Me is about a dog named Marley who enriches the life of Owen Wilson & Jennifer Aniston's character. The film spans the entire dogs life and has the lead pair portraying journalists. One good thing was there wasn't a LOT of melodrama in the first half and it's all pretty slick but the 2nd half as expected is loaded with it, so if you love dogs bring out the hankies!

I am really not sure what else I should be commenting on!

Recommendation level: 1.5/5 Yeah it's cute and the emotions behind it are real but the climax is a little drawn out and kinda expected. The film comes undone in the second half and that's a let down for me personally. Jennifer Aniston & Owen Wilson hold this film together along with the dog named Marley. 5/5 If you love dogs!

The Marriage of Maria Braun by Rainer Werner Fassbinder

Category: Non-English

Touted as one of the most commercially films of Fassbinder, The Marriage of Maria Braun is a very engaging film that although might not be represent of the New German Cinema movement but is a methodical and superb effort from Fassbinder.

The film plays out the life of Maria Braun, who like most women in the days post the II Great War were at the core of powering Germany. Their efforts in reviving the German economy is perhaps overshadowed by the returning men from the front lines. Maria Braun calls herself, "The Mata Hari of the Economic Miracle" at some point and rightfully you can see how she works for it at times even prostituting herself. Back to the plot! Maria Braun spends a while waiting for her husband to return she finds love in a African American GI known as Bill. The husband returns and while he takes the blame of the GI's death, Maria decides to work her way to the top by any means possible, mostly because she wants a life with her husband at any cost.

The movie is shot incredibly, Fassbinder doesn't blink as much as other directors do and when he does you can rest assured the framing and the close ups (non-face) add a whole new layer to the film. His film is an allegory for the state of Germany at that time and of course about the political scenario present in those days.

Watch out for the empowering scenes where he doesn't want to show his protagnoist weeping or when he doesn't want to break the scene and reality with an unnatural cut. Truffaut spoke about continuing an emotion in a particular scene and in Fassbinder's work you can see how he continues, how he doesn't want you to break away. He lifts poignant political questions and of course the start of the film has a picture of Adolf Hitler.

Recommendation level: 5/5 - You have to see this, somehow or another, find a way! Thanks to a friend who generously lent me his personal copies.

Autumn Sonata by Ingmar Bergman

Category: Non-English

One of the only color films of Bergman I have managed to land my hands on Autumn Sonata is a masterpiece in its own right. Although more celebrated for its performances by Ingrid Bergman & Liv Ulman, Bergman has to be credited with his almost flawless handling of the delicate relationship shared between a mother and a daughter.

Ingrid's character has been busy all her life, pursuing a career as a celebrated pianist she in turn has forgone her personal life and her children - Eva and Helena. Through the film Bergman pokes, prods and annihilates their personal space by creating a new one. He uses this new space to analyse and dissect their interpersonal relationship. From the start it's the mother who is in a dominant position but eventually it gives way to the daughter finally getting a hold on things and finally managing to get her mother to acknowledge the pain they underwent as kids. Helena on the other hand is a spastic child who is now almost incapable of communicating, only with the help of her sister, Eva can she actually put forth her emotions and comments.

The characters he creates and particularly the joy of what color can do for a film is brilliant exposed by Bergman. The lighting in the scene where there's a projector, when there's a warm glaze of sunlight coming from outside do you realize how important the lighting and how much color holds. The reds in Bergman's films are definitely always spoken about and for once I got to see a taste of this power.

Most of all Autumn Sonata - with it's powerful music of Chopin & Bach lend a very interesting comparison to the characters he creates on screen. His framing, relying heavily on his close ups but now capturing 2 central characters is almost undeniably brilliant of his work. Even though it's been made in 1978 it still, in my mind, belongs to the early 50's of European Cinema.

Recommendation level: 5/5 - Eventually the film is quite relentless but for his vastly different way of handling female relationships - Bergman gets a 5 on this! Note that unless you're used to Bergman you will find this 92 minute film to be quite boring. My personal copy!

Cloverfield by Matt Reeves

Category: English

Monster drops into ocean 1 month earlier, monster activates itself on set day, monster consumes city, monster has parasites, monster is indestructible.

The film itself is made using a shaky camera approach as a result it adds even more to the entire tension. Also, the perspective doesn't change so you literally at times try to cram your head to the edge of the screen to get that little more information. The entire film plays out through a recording. The recording comes from a farewell party for the movie's "protagonist".

The film has so many unanswered questions that obviously we can look forward to a trilogy of films and a ton of other paraphernalia. I liked the film, it's scary, great ambient sounds, almost plays like a perfect game.

Recommendation level: 2.5/5 - For going that extra mile it deserves a reward! Watch it with friends for hours of discussion and "did you see that..." & "I really loved..." moments.

The Break-Up by Peyton Reed

Category: English

There is this one particular scene in the film, towards the end which has Jon Favreau & Vince Vaughn chatting at the bar. The scene takes place with Jon (being the burly, massive quarter backish person that he is) telling his old buddy how he will arrange for the beating up of the new guy Jennifer Aniston's character is supposedly going out with. This scene literally made me roll with laughter. I am not sure how many of you would remember this or reach this point, but if you do - please appreciate this film for this scene if nothing else!

The movie has Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn under-going a break up fueled by stupidity from both parties but arguably more so from Vaughn's side. Neither wants to leave the condo in which they are living though and so begins a game of one up man ship among other things.

Vincent D'Onofrio, Jon Favreau and a few others really raise this film to a "must see" chick flick. I enjoyed it.

Recommendation level: 2/5 - Yes!

Tropic Thunder by Ben Stiller

Category: English

Produced and directed by Ben Stiller, Tropic Thunder is quite a phenomenal film. The actors used, the plot lines and the entire premise is original in it's own sweet way.

But one get's the feeling that it's humorous only because of the actors used in the film. Robert Downey Jr. & Jack Black are particularly stand out in the film as the Method actor and the coke head actor, respectively. The end is a little convoluted but all's well that ends well I suppose.

The direction is funny and the entire film is carried by the dialogues and the script. Personally it's one of those films you can watch with a few guys in the evening. It's a bit shockingly violent at places so watch out for that in case you have some women around for company.

Recommendation level: 1.5/5 Yeah it's funny, but what more? .5 rating for Tom Cruise's little jig at the end. Ben Stiller's Reality Bites is a far better film than this one, can't you make more like that?

The Decameron by Pier Paolo Pasolini

Category: Non-English

I should have reviewed this earlier but I didn't and anyway. This is the first film in the Life trilogy by Pasolini. The Decameron is based on a novel by Giovanni Boccaccio originally titled Decamerone.

As with his work reviewed yesterday, this one encapsulates multiple narratives and many characters across several stories. The earlier ones are particularly longer than the Second half (the film is split into 2 sections). The stories that come in the second one are far bizarre and the narrative is boundless as it continues from one story to another without any notification of a story coming to an end.

Having watched the film literally in two separate halves, I thought I'd be unlucky but to be honest it helped a lot. It felt like almost two films within the same film, this is done thankfully to the pace in which the film movies, the almost 110 minutes don't seem so claustrophobic since the meta narrative is controlled very well by Pasolini. Unlike Arabian Nights, this one doesn't have a central story running parallel to others and hence this one is very experimental in comparison to what he tries to achieve with the following films in this trilogy. The camera work is particularly remarkable, he seems to be able to control the pace of the film and the camera at regular intervals, even slowing down at times to enforce and drive certain points home.

The dialogue is very entertaining, lots of puns and funnies used in here. The sex is present here as well and it's just his style so something we all have to accept. Still this film shines past that unlike yesterday's film.

The stories in the film vary from people fighting to survive, people getting duped, a young couples love blossoming into instant marriage and another couple falling in love and meeting a disastrous end. There's also the artist who is a dominant force in the 2nd half of the film.

I'll end this entry with the final statement in the film, made by the artist -

"Why execute a work when it's so beautiful to dream it?"

Recommendation level: 4.5/5 - Credit to an old friend for lending DVDs to me! Do watch it if you can.

Arabian Nights by Pier Paolo Pasolini

Category: Non-English

For today and tomorrow am going to review two films from Pier Paolo Pasolini's trilogy. Arabian Nights was pretty well received for its time (1974). While technically and structurually it's a very complex film using strong meta-narratives in his film, Pasolini can deliver a very strong impact probably only comparable to his work as a writer among other occupations.

I wasn't too happy with the amount of nude scenes present in the film, yeah random statement to make but I haven't come to applaud the aesthetic that needs to have nudity on screen for prolonged amounts of time. It's almost like getting your money's worth I guess? Whatever.

Anyway to the basic plot - Nur-e-Din falls in love with the slave girl Zumurrud whom he ends up losing and in the process spends the entire film, in search for her but also bumping into women who are only too glad to make love to him. In between all this there are stories from the lives of people who aren't even remotely linked to the main storyline. Here's where the film is absolutely brilliant, the story telling, the humour, the situations but most importantly the narrative is so compelling that you really get muddled up until you actually realize that these stories are building it up, they are the meta narrative which eventually complete an entire film.

Some of the stories include - a man dumping his wife on the marriage day for another beautiful lady to come across an acrimonious realization about the lady, there is also the man who survives a bandit run and finds his way to a beautiful lady who is protected by a Demon. It's a little long at 120 minutes, but the films pace is such that it doesn't really drop you out of it's central theme.

Recommendation level: 4/5 If it wasn't for the absurd amount of nudity which at times isn't even needed in the plot it would have been a 5/5! Still brilliant stuff, DVD courtesy an old friend/mentor.

The Ugly Truth by Robert Luketic

Category: English

This film was entertaining up until the first half, I didn't know there were 3 female writers behind this. But now that I read about that it makes a lot of sense. A LOT actually!

Gerard Butler's character is actually the exact same way women would imagine a chauvinist or a misogynist to be like in person. Some of the things he says are pretty generic, there's some insight into how he talks about women and how they think for themselves but once again it's a very by the book approach! Thank God he didn't go on - there would be some trade secrets that would have to come out then.

The plot is there for you to watch, if you see the trailers you already know it so I won't go into that. Katherine Heigl has now a formidable lineup of chick flicks behind her now and can most likely prepare to rocket herself into the big leagues, this movie helps that endeavor. Gerard Butler is very convincing as the man who goes from treating women as pets to treating women as equals (in some ways). It's still a chick flick though so the initial plot is just accidental to the end. The end has to be a feel good end and so it is.

I was personally laughing at quite a few places but it could probably have done a lot more if there was different input about certain scenes and dialogues. The supporting cast isn't much of a support and hence the film has to be carried on by it's leading pair and they do a decent job.

Recommendation level: 1/5

The World by Jia Zhangke

Category: Non-English

Jia ZhangKe is considered to be one of the foremost directors of the 6th generation and while some call this the Chinese New Wave there have been critics as well. The film deals with the relationship of a couple who works at the Beijing World Park. In this park you can be everywhere - you can be in London, Paris or even Tokyo. With the help of replica's every part of the world is re-created here.

Their life incorporates several of their friends who also work at the park as guards, performers or simple construction workers. Events unfold and as these events unfold it has different reprecussions on them and the people around them. Some characters lose their lives and in their farewell note write about the debts they have rather than a real farewell note. The common thread across the characters remain the same. Everyone trying to find a way to lead a better existence away from their home provinces, but can they really? Or perhaps they can find that solace and peace their mind wants in the Park that can place you physically anywhere in the world.

Jia Zhangke's pace is a little questionable but the dreary existence of an individual is probably better off reflected this way, there's nothing positive in this film if you want some super happy ending and some other rubbish like that. His camera is plain, but far reaching. He looks at the entire issue he just doesn't take one cause. As mentioned in a previous review of "Unknown Pleasures" by the same director he takes a very critical look at the social outlook of Beijing. The cultural mixes brought about by language or simply about people from a different province with an entirely different identity. Brought together by the common goal of achieving something ... or rather striving to get there. He even introduces a Russian lady who has the most noble of intentions, leaving you to wonder about the frailness of social boundaries and the ruthless World we all live in.

Through out the film Jia Zhangke also throws in a bit of animation when his characters recieve messages, what does this signify?

Recommendation level: 4/5. This is a very good film, probably one of the few recommendations in this week! But you need to have watched prior Chinese New Wave to even remotely appreciate this or you need to be a real cinema buff!

Notre musique by Jean-Luc Godard

Category: Non-English

How relevant is Jean Luc Godard in this day and age? The legendary French director broke boundaries and was a little above Truffaut at places. Truffaut and Godard being the biggest names to come out from Cahiers Du Cinema and the French New Wave.

Notre Musique made in 2004 is his latest offering, the film which has a Divine Comedy of Dante style of narrative is divided into 3 sections - Realm 1: Hell which is a montage of images of war (fiction and non-fiction). Realm 2: Purgatory forms the bulk of the film and even has Godard deciding to take a front row seat to viciously attack and deconstruct. Realm 3: Heaven is a brief epilogue featuring the lead actress.

Godard continues where he left off with all his previous films - understanding Cinema itself, asking questions such as, "Can the little shiny cameras save cinema?" among other things. Framing, images, the aesthetic everything comes under questioning. The film itself is set in Sarajevo in which a French Jewish woman of Russian descent is attending a symposium on War which features other prominent thinkers and intellectuals such as Mahmoud Darwish.

There's also Godard's questions posed on language and the structure of Grammar - film and language. Interlaces it with still pictures and lets you figure out what he's doing exactly. He de constructs the city of Sarajevo, he does everything. The heart of this film is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Yes, he's still relevant today - in a day when even film makers of this day and age aren't. Watchout for his next release in 2010.

Recommendation level: 5/5. No director can deconstruct and analyze and pose questions the way Godard does, his political style of films has lasted and made him relevant even in this day and age. Color only brings everything to a different level. Speaking of which - watch out for his play with lighting. It is one of his first films I am featuring but I have been a regular Godard film watcher for a long time so I know what am talking about.

Management by Stephen Belber

Category: English

Am not going to lie, this film is much better than The Proposal, the only reason why it isn't selling as much or as popular is because Steve Zahn isn't really eye candy for all the women. But this film surprisingly works on more than just the obvious level.

It's a romatic chick flick but I was surprised to say the least that this film wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Steve Zahn plays a character completely lost about how he is going to live his life he meets Jennifer Aniston's character who is very uptight and basically the polar opposite of his. They have sex in the motel which is owned by Zahn's family and he falls in love with her, she doesn't. He plays catch up all movie which sees her ignoring him, squirming him to midly accepting him to finally getting married to the crazy Jango (portrayed by Woody Harrelson) who is an ex punk and now a Yogurt selling moghul. There's also that part of the Buddhist monks and a Chinese side kick.

I have to say, emotions were very well handled in this film - it does get you all emotional at places and then there's some humour in the form of Jango and the kinds of things he says or does. Aniston looks old, sadly she does and all the cosmetics in the world can't hide that she's tired. Zahn has always been that loser in the films and while this is no different he shines in his acting and portrayl - from being mildly annoying you see his point as the film progress'. Fred Ward is restrained as the father who never doted on his kid.

Recommendation level: 2/5 - Oh Lord, it's a little sappy, I might change this to a 1.5 later though. Having said all of that, do check this film out it's one of the better chick flicks I've seen lately.

The Proposal by Anne Fletcher

Category: English

For today & tomorrow am going to review two chick flicks, the first one is directed by Anne Fletcher and has Sandra Bullock returning to what she does best - sappy chick flicks. This time armed with botox in her buttocks and face and every part of skin that is exposed on screen. The movie has Sandra Bullock playing a really tight ass books/novels editor and Ryan Reynolds playing her assistant whom she always torments along with the rest of the office.

The acting is pretty okay - Ryan Reynolds is Berg Bergman from Two guys a girl and a pizza place (well he's been the same since then and in every other picture he has 'acted' in). Sandra Bullock' botox acts more than she does! There's a funny dog moment and that's all the film has, very lost moments.

The good news is, the supporting cast - primarily the grandmother is reasonable and thus doesn't make you go mad! But aside from that there's nothing new here barring the concept in general. I have to say though the emotions aren't even conveyed in this film, really disappointing the drama is fake and there aren't enough anti-Canadian jokes to make this movie palatable.

Recommendation level: 1/5 - It's not that bad! LIES it is. Saw this on the plane.

The Passion of Joan of Arc by Carl Theodor Dreyer

My review won't be able to do justice to do this piece of art. The Passion of Joan of Arc is one of the biggest landmark in cinema's for it's lyrical use of the silent medium and for the use of its extensive close up's enhanced by a special film (back in those days). The film is especially unique because it just tells the Passion of Joan of Arc, a different approach in comparison to the Trial's of Joan of Arc type of films we are used to watching.

As a result the film follows the last few hours before Joan gives up her life for her beliefs and most importantly displays immense humanity in these few hours. We're always used to watchin an extremely brave and strong Joan of Arc and Dreyer gets his lead actress, Maria Falconetti to essay this poetic role with immense grace.

As the narrative progress' the more experimentation we can see with time and space itself. As the pace quickens to the expected end Joan displays a lot of human tendencies she's also much like Christ and his Passion has a doubts right up to the end. She is also reminded of her mother at just a few instances.

There's plenty of experimentation with Lights and Sounds - since it's a silent film the background score really makes this film much like stand out films like Lang's Metropolis. Definitely a very experimental film in terms of form and content.

My only grouse with the film was the sub titles were probably not the best since it was made in French, then after it was thought to be burned and surfaces years later it's been translated to Danish and then finally sigh - comes into English.

Dreyer is simply remarkable and I will definitely try and find some more work of his, there's not a lot of films he made but this one really got me hooked onto his style. Watch this space for more on Dreyer!

Recommendation level: 5/5 - For a true international cinema fan this was a treat, but I am not really sure if people who watch films for entertainment will find this Artistic 20's piece any good. Oh this is also one of the bunch of films I have picked up recently on holiday and there's a LOT of quality cinema coming up in the next month or so! Not available in India and still I have an original copy! Yaay!

Break #2

Well, it's that time of the year again, am off for a family vacation and this means I won't have the time to run the blog from tomorrow. I know it's a sucky thought but it's something I can't avoid.

I shall be back very soon though (in a week) and then we shall have sexy times! There's going to be a bunch of Korean films up for review when am back and hopefully I can get some cheap DVD's there and probably view them when am back.

Anyway - have a nice week and miss me!

The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie by Luis Buñuel

Category: Non-English

Aside from Un Chien Andalou, I haven't watched any of Buñuel's works and there's a good chunk of Surreal cinema am missing. I am now certain of this! Anyway - the film is a vicious, dark take on the Bourgeoisie. A section of the people who could only be interested in how they could cut a lamb roast or what wine tastes best with food. That one of their friend is a diplomat from a fake country is of no interest. That they make snide jokes about how people from "poor classes" drink dry martini differently actually bothers them!

The film takes its pace to settle in about the 4 principal characters essayed brilliantly by the cast. The first half of the film primarily deals with the viewers settling in and once the film continues the magik starts, Buñuel basically takes you through a complete visual and audible treat that makes you wonder what to pay attention at and what is exactly real. One of his final works before he stopped making films and eventually passed away, this 1972 film would have probably would have been way different had it been in Black and White.

There's also the Bishop who avenges his murdered parents by first giving the dying man Absolution and then proceeding to blow his brains out. There's also the Bloody Seargent of June 14th and plenty of jokes on the Bourgeoisie which will keep you firmly glued while watching and hopefully appreciating the film. Ah there are some really wonderful shots in the scene particularly when he wants to introduce a new track, like a magician he moves the camera around - conjuring images for you. Basically once the characters are established he starts tackling the dreams and the subsequent effects and there is also the 6 principal characters wanting to have a meal together but never getting about it and the mysterious path they all walk on, or rather we all walk on?

Recommendation level: 5/5 - I'd say you must see! I have a Palador print and it also came with a copy of Un chien andalou. A key actress to point out has to be Delphine Seyrig!

The Human Beast by Jean Renoir

Category: Non-English

I have to admit, I have never been into Renoir, barring a few films I can't really lay claim to being an expert on this. Onto the review - this film is very very dark, the characters are really not the most ideal ones and yet through his camera work and his execution Renoir paints a portrai in front of your eyes. Mind you - you don't even realize how serious this is until the very end of the film comes.

The primary characters are Jean Gabin's Jacques Lantier, Simone Simon as Séverine Roubad & to a lesser extent Fernand Ledoux's Roubaud. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Emile Zola. Lantier is a pathological killer who after serving his debt to society has settled down as a train operator he runs into a bit of trouble as he encounters the lovely Séverine who looks to start an affair with him - mind you she has an abusive childhood as a girl and is also storing away herself. Roubaud is the husband who commits a murder of an ex-lover of his wife and slowly disintegrates into nothing by the end of the film. His character crumbles away as the narrative progress'.

The film is completely powered by Gabin's performance and Simone as a back up. The camera gets very uncomfortable as the movie progress' and this just goes to show exactly Renoir wanted us to watch the film. The film has a very poetic set of lighting to it, thus probably alleviating the seriousness of the situation with the main characters. Some of the train sequences are really stunning for a 1938 film, the film gets a completely new depth when you are made to see the train pulling into the station.

Recommendation level: 4/5 - I really like it, but it's not a masterpiece! The editing is something to really watch out for. Got it from Palador and the rate was pretty good too, not to mention no glaring mistakes in the translation unlike some NDTV Lumeire films.