I am, there, not gone yet..

The Beach (2000)

The Beach (2000)
Director: Danny Boyle
Cast: Leonardo Di Caprio, Tilda Swinton, Virginie Ledoyen

Tilda Swinton, I have seen her movies earlier, but not able to associate her with those movies now.

Travel. Explore. Lots do.

But when you travel and explore, with “what do I have to lose” attitude. Then it’s different. When three such guys get together, you reach/find ‘The Beach’. That’s just for starters.

It’s interesting to think how would you want to live your lives, if you could get to lay down the rules. Right from scratch. Only you need to keep the place, secret from everyone else. Scary a little, and idyllic and ideal to a larger extent. Welcome aboard, take a swim with the crew…

Blue Valentine (2010)

Blue Valentine (2010)
Director: Derek Cianfrance
Cast: Michelle Williams, Ryan Gosling

Blue Valentine. Ryan Gosling – Cool. Parenting, romancing, proposing, hitting on Michelle, he was absolutely cool…
Michelle – mysterious, can’t really get to know what’s going on in her head. In fact even till the end of it, not very clear idea of what went wrong…

Good script, good plot, you can pulse the tension, and forget all that there is in the media about its certification (it’s all hype). Ryan deserved better, any day. This is the second film (Kids are all right) where the cool dude was just spit out of the family. Felt bad both for Ryan and Mark Ruffalo. Are cool dudes out of luck these days. Well, these dudes def had a heart of gold as well.. No way were they a mess, a crack-pot. They had their addictions and weakness, who doesn’t….

Winter’s Bone (2010)

Depression, cold, pain, loss, meth, drug, poverty, illiterate, different sort of dialect of English, survival, gangs….

After certain point of time, all I wanted was to see was some sunlight, hear laughter and have a hearty meal!!

The Kids are all right (2010)

The Kids are all right (2010)
Director: Lisa Cholodenko
Cast : Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska, Josh Hutcherson

Well, this is definitely when you would say, ‘wow what a family’. I am not going to discuss the plot, which is pretty much all known. So, let me tell you something about the characters I liked.

Mark Ruffalo as Paul the sperm donor. Absolutely carefree and so cool still…Not bound by conventions, and very very spontaneous. Awesome outfits and an awesome bike. I can use his bike, it won’t hurt one wee bit..,

Julianne Moore. Indecisive, sensitive, humorous, easy going…Julianne was so fun to watch. Esp. when she is during the escapades during the landscaping 

Mia and Josh – adorable kids, have their own ways of handling stuff, still there is a connect. And they need it.

I didn’t quite like how things turned out for Mark. He loved his kids. And he was no stranger in the family. Why couldn’t the family take him in. They were anyways an odd family, and this would have not turned the odds against them. On a more serious note, it would have been a quite a jumbled up state of affair. Who would be who in the family?

Chuck all that, and I say enjoy the movie. You’ll love it.

The King’s Speech (2010)

Director: Tom Hooper
Cast : Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter, Geoffrey Rush

This is first feature film from John Hooper I am watching.

Colin Firth, I have seen a couple of his films. Probably this would be the one I feel he did his best. The other role which I would stand by is for Pride and Prejudice.

Helena Bonham Carter – I saw her first in Fight Club. I was floored. Howard’s End. Well, her role here is quite a non-whacky one…but then she captures what is needed to get the King going.

Guy Pearce – See him in Memento. See him in Rules of Engagement. LA Confidential. Factory Girl. The King’s Speech, is a milder of his performance.

Geoffrey Rush – I have seen him. I do not really remember a role which I recollect clearly.

Now coming to the movie – the definite high is the unconventional and unorthodox ways of the speech therapist. An inside peek into the ways of the blue blood and the manner of conduct. A must watch.

The Fighter (2010)

Director: David O Russell
Cast: Christian Bale, Mark Wahlberg, Amy Adams, Melissa Leo.

Based on a true story.

When you see Christian Bale, in such a de-glamorized state, you wonder is he the same guy you saw in the Batman series. Well, the casting guys have always amazed me in spotting people. It’s difficult to conceive a role for a person, who has done some typecast roles earlier.

For instance in Fighter, look at Amy Adams. When I first noticed her in Enchanted, well I was she was the best for a princess in distress. Look at what she did in Doubt. I was simply awed at the transformation, and more so like I said about the casting guy to spot her. Now look at her in The Fighter. Same holds so true for Christian Bale. Batman series -> Prestige -> The Fighter!!!

I like boxing movies, and I liked a lot more when I saw it again quite later. The underdog winning is an instant thrill. And it works for me always.

The story has several sub plots, and equally involved side-kicks. The transformations happen all around, and the victory is not just for Mark Wahlberg, it’s for all. Watch it for the grit and determination, and fighting the odds. Actually there are a lot of odds in here. I liked the soundtrack as well.

Melissa Leo – I have seen her 21 grams, Frozen River and some more, but actually did not quite recollect her when I saw her in The Fighter. In fact I did not register her as an actress, her name and other details before. Though I knew the critical acclaim for Frozen River, little did I take notice of her.

This is first David O Russell for me, looking forward to watch I Love Huckabees.

Rabbit Hole (2010)

Directed by – John Cameron Mitchell
Cast – Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckhart
Nominations – Academy, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award – Actor in a leading role


Rabbit Hole deals beautifully with the lives of Becca and Howie who have lost their son in an accident. The subject is quite tragic but the plot and the narrative does not delve only on the tragedy part and grief. But there are sub plots as well, the lives of others which get intertwined as well, mostly family and friends.

Nicole gives a superb performance, undoubtedly. I liked the thought process and the concept behind the comic series created, and the detailed and intricate activities that goes into the making of it.

We went for the 10 AM show at PVR on a Saturday, and was expecting it to be not crowded. I was right, we had a free seating as there were hardly 10-12 people in the hall. I had a slightly more number somewhere around 30-35 people when I went for ‘Yeh Saali Zindagi’, the previous week.

I am planning to go for ‘The Fighter’ and ‘The King’s Speech’ this week, for the special Oscar screening at PVR. I hope these dismal turnout does not result in cancellation. The other way around is also equally dangerous, if there is a sudden downpour of viewers.

Yeh Saali Zindagi (2011)

Director – Sudhir Mishra
Cast – Irrfan Khan, Chitrangada Singh, Aditi Rao Haydari, Arunoday Singh

Excellent review - http://filmreviewsjohnsonthomas.blogspot.com/2011/02/yeh-saali-zindagi-utt-pataang-united.html
There is not much to add/write after reading the review. Read the part before the plot, well that in fact is somewhat the same thing I would have wanted to write. One thing to add, was Arunoday Singh’s voice dubbed and also for Chitrangada Singh?

More reading material on Sudhir Mishra - http://passionforcinema.com/film-making-influences-life-and-people/