From Blighty with Love March 5-18 : Glorious 39

Directed by: Stephen Poliakoff
Cast: Ramola Garai, Bill Nighy, Charlie Cox

The are a series of movies being screened in India in association with the UK Film Council. In Bangalore they are being screened @ Fame, Lido…Now with the Metro work in progress, to reach Fame you have to take detour while coming from MG Road. The first film I saw as part of this, was Glorious 39.

There are two things which strikingly stand out in this film – the screenplay and the performance by Ramola Garai. I am surprised to notice that it is not an screenplay adaptation and instead an original one. While watching the film, I was almost convinced that it would have been an adaptation. Usually I tend a nothing before watching a film, so that I walk in w/o an unbiased mind…This would be the first work of Stephen Poliakoff, which I have seen.

The cinematography was breath taking, and so was the performance by Ramola. I vaguely remember seeing her in As You Like it and Atonement. Bill Nighy I remember from Love Actually and Charlie from Stardust.

I heard people walking out (there were hardly 10-15 people in the whole auditorium) saying it was a not long and the suspense was some blah blah….I mean for once people there are ways to appreciate a movie rather than criticizing and not liking a movie does in no way make you a better authority on films…Everyone has a taste, and everyone has a opinion - period.

Invictus

Director: Clint Eastwood
Cast : Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon
Academy Nominations: Best Actor in Leading Role and Best Actor in a Supporting Role

When Nelson is going for his morning jog, the day after he is elected the President, the newspapers carry the headline – ‘You have won the Election, but can you run a country?’. Nelson tells, ‘Yes it is a valid question’. This sets the pace for what is in store for us. Every moment, Nelson has to live up to the expectations of 43 million South African nationals, a rainbow nation with diversity in color and nationality. And Nelson is a shining example of an upright moral conscience, with the urge to make SA an leading nation on the world map.
When he invites Matt Damon for a discussion, he ask him a direct question, what is your philosophy of leadership?
Matt Damon is portrayed as a ordinary citizen, player and a captain. He does not suddenly become an unconquerable super hero out of the blue. Instead he feels the need to win, at any cost and inspire his team….

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

Looking through the Glass

Pre Independence, Dadi’s ashes, the Freedom Fighter’s guilt, the SLR camera, the journey from Delhi to Banaras, the fall. Ammi, Ashrafi, Masroor, Amnesia, Parwana, East India C_____, Shimla, Banaras, Delhi, Nari Niketan.

Looking through glass meanders through the lives of many and gallops time zones.

Mukul Kesavan is an Old Stephanian.

An Education

Directed by Lone Sherfig
Screenplay Adaptation by Nick Hornby
Cast: Carrey Mulligan


Carey Mulligan indeed captures the naivety and spark of intelligence in what they call as ‘coming of age’ drama. She received a nominated for the Best Actress at the Academy for her role. The plot is no stunner, its not something being show cased for the first time. However the treatment, the subtlety and the impact are what Lone Sherfig has been able to bring out beautifully. Nick Hornby of High Fidelity fame has done the screenplay for this film and bagged an Academy Award nomination too. The film was also nominated in the Best Film category, which definitely is a huge recognition.

Up in the Air

Director – Jason Reitman
Cast – George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, and Anna Kendrick

Jason’s previous works – Thank You for Smoking, Juno and Up In the Air. My personal favorite Juno. Up in the Air has multiple Academy Nominations including one for Best Director and Adapted Screenplay for Jason. Thank you for Smoking and Up in the Air both have a contemporary view of an odd-ball job which no one knew could be turned to a subject for a film or a book. Juno is a class apart, and I give more credit to Diablo Cody for the concept and screenplay :)

George Clooney has done a similar ‘I-am-the-janitor-you-can’t-live-without-me’ role before too…His good looks somewhat hide his real acting potential from exploding on the screen. I feel his role as Michael Clayton had more impact.

Vera Farmiga- I have seen earlier in Breaking and Entering and The Boy in Striped Pajamas and remember her roles quite clearly. Though I have seen Departed, I do not recollect her now. Strangely when you look at the roles she has played, there is so much of versatility. It was only when I started reading about her and checked the various roles Vera has played that I learnt a lot about her. When you see a string of movies, then you notice one particular actor, you think have I seen the actor before. It’s an interesting and spiraling form of discovery. I discovered Laura Linney too in the similar fashion.

Anna Kendrick – Frankly did not feel her performance as geek-turned-corporate-honcho-far-away-from reality deserved an Academy nomination, though my opinion hardly counts here :)

Hedda Gabler

Cast: Sheeba Chadha, Neeraj Kabi, Denzil Smith, Samar Sarila, Tillotama Shome, Shipra Singh and Veera Abadan.

I walked into Rangashankara picked up the ticket and wanted to get some grub before the show. I saw two persons at the café, who apparently had met after really long years and I assumed they would be some veterans of the circuit. It was only later that I realized tha one of them was not only a lead cast in the play but also a popular actor on the play/cinema circle – Denzil Smith.

www.denzilsmith.com/

The play was decently executed, and the actors looked absolutely confident and were showing off their command and control. This hint of exhibitionism I feel somewhere came in between the character they were portraying… Never the less the play being Hedda Gabler had more than enuf matter and substance to look for than all the false pretences of the actors.

The duration of the play was almost 2 hours and during the 10 minutes break; all the civilized gentlemen and ladies became unruly savages when it came to picking tea/coffee from the counter. It was clearly survival of the fittest, with no consideration whatsoever to order and sanity.

Super Cop Super Con

Well this is the story weaved from different stories and its about Super Cops and Super Cons.

Scene 1.

Super Con on his mobile phone, driving his car to glory. Super Cop spots the prey, chases the prey till his home. Super con realizes there is no escape. He has been caught red-handed. He looks at the Super cop, smiles, gives him a I-am-no-super-con looks. He adds you look like a real Superstar from Kannada films. Super Cop happy, gleams and gloats. Super con walks away free.

Scene 2.

Super con coming wrong way, against the traffic. Super cop, is alert, quickly gets into action. Super con has local advantage, knows the local language. She points out to her friend waiting for her. Luckily she was waiting in front of a hospital. Her story makes her friend completely unwell, and needs to be rushed to hospital. Super cop’s humane part melts, let the super con leave. Super con and her friend get on her way to the next nearest mall.

Scene 3

Super cop stopping all vehicles for routine checks for documents and license. Super con, w/o any proper documents is caught. Super con pleads, begs and asks for mercy. Super cop, agrees to let him off at subsidized fine. Now the bargain begins. Super con convinces that he does not have money to eat food, and all the shopping bags he has are for his friend. He is so poor, he cannot even think of eating three meals a day. Super cop take super subsidized fine. How much - 30 bucks!!!! Because the con does have only 30 buck to spare and 20 buck for three meals.

Scene 4

Super cop waiting behind a tree. Two super cons, good looking and handsome, working as executives in MNCs in their night Chaddis, caught by super cops for riding w/o head light and West Bengal registration vehicle in Karnataka. Now hear the super con story. They are security guards!!! Super cops believe the story ask for subsidized fine of 100 bucks. Super cons not willing to pay more than 30 bucks. Big heavy bargaining, threats to seize the vehicle also of no help to resolve. Finally the deal is struck at 50 bucks. Super cons are dejected after one hour duel that they could not get off for 30 bucks.