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A review of Silver Linings Playbook

 With words like ‘mental institution’, ‘rehab’ and ‘therapy’ being used in it’s movie description and the added tag of it being an Oscar nominated film ( Oscar films are generally considered to be extremely boring), most audiences would mark Silver Linings  way down on their watch list. On the contrary, Silver Linings does not delve too much into the sickness, instead it shows us the world from the eyes of the patient (in this case Bradley Cooper who I can’t wait to talk about).

The story picks up after Pat (Bradley Cooper) and his friend Danny (Chris Tucker. Yes you heard it right, the “Rush Hour” guy) finish their stint at a mental institution and are deemed fit to re-join the so called normal-folk. This movie follows Pat’s initial struggle to cope with his changing surroundings and explores his interactions with his parents, brother, neighbours and most of all, his never-ending quest to make peace with his ex-wife (that’s about it, like seriously). Things get interesting with the introduction of Jennifer Lawrence’s character, Tiffany, who is this carefree girl with some serious issues but she compliments Pat’s character beautifully throughout the movie.

Acting was almost impeccable in Silver Linings (it was the only saving grace for the film). This movie for me was Bradley Cooper telling the world that he’s not just “The Hangover” guy anymore but a ‘proper’ actor who should be taken seriously. His performance was near flawless (so much so that it took a guy like Daniel Day Lewis to deny him the Oscar for Best Actor). One scene in particular where he completely ‘loses it’ while searching for his wedding video was beautifully done and his transition from being calm to absolutely maniacal was almost seamless. I couldn’t picture anyone else pulling off Jennifer Lawrence’s role so I guess she did a good job (although I thought she was massively overshadowed by Bradley Cooper’s stellar performance). The rest of the cast was perfect; I mean you can hardly go wrong with people like Robert De Niro and Jackie Weaver filling in. Also a shout-out to Anupam Kher (him being Indian and everything) who I thought was daftly entertaining in his role as a shrink.

And finally we come to the script and this is where everything starts falling apart. I’m here to review the movie and not the acting and honestly there isn’t much of a movie here, in fact it left me wondering why a guy like David O Russell (director) would go from “The Fighter” to this. The first hour was good; the last half hour was painful. Silver Linings basically is a clichéd Bollywood movie (Like a “Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi”) spin-off with brilliant acting. If all I remember from the movie is Anupam Kher’s “go home you cock-suckers” in a heavy Indian accent, it’s quite evident that the movie didn’t really do much. 
Bradley Cooper, I’m obsessed. 
Silver Linings Playbook, I don’t quite remember.

“Auf Wiedersehen. BULLSEYE.” – A Review of Django Unchained

SO. The thrill you experience when you come to know about the release of a new Tarantino movie, is quite..thrilling, I must say. You anticipate the prospect of a blood bath. Some witty dialogues.  The music. All seem to fit so well into the theme of the movie. Django Unchained is Quentin Tarantino’s latest Spaghetti Western film. What is a Spaghetti Western you might ask? Generally an Italian director along with a cast of German, Italian and American Actors. A cocktail of ethnicity.

Set in the American South, the film takes us through a few months in the life of an African Slave, Django(Jamie Foxx) who has been freed and turned into a bounty hunter thanks to the eloquence and quick trigger-pulling-finger of Dr. King Schultz(Christoph Waltz). The film follows their travels as they strive to rescue the lovely Broomhilda(Kerry Washington) from the Francophile, and Mandingo enthusiast and slave owner, Calvin J. Candie(my namesake) played by Leonardo DiCaprio(not-so-proudly) who is assisted in his affairs by his more than loyal butler, Stephen(Samuel L. Jackson).

I found the opening scene to be particularly striking; a wide shot of a deserted strip of land across which a group of slaves bound in shackles and chains are being led by slave traders, walking to the rhythm of Luis Bacalov’s “Django”. It showcases the brutality of the slave trade and the struggles of the African slave. However the tone of the movie is set with the first shot of the expression on Django’s scarred face, unyielding and valiant, braving the torment he experiences; years of torture having registered deep red scars on his back.

Jamie Foxx, I would say, did an average job of the portrayal of Django. He did (could) not fit into the character, appearing ridiculously out of place in the fight sequences which in a Tarantino movie, we know, are numerous. Be it his screen presence, his dialogue delivery, he was average at best. Apart from scheduling problems with other African American actors considered for the role, why he was chosen for the lead role in a Tarantino flick is beyond me, there being no scarcity of talented actors out there.

Moving onto more exciting prospects, the character of the German bounty hunter, Schultz could not have been better portrayed! Christoph Waltz once again gave a unique performance, adding an Oscar to his list of accolades. Interestingly enough, this was the second time he was rewarded for his performance in a supporting role, the first also being in a Tarantino movie (Inglourious Basterds) and once again in a character related to the service of the Government. Waltz brought to the table the manipulative prowess, the sheer confidence, the polished manner of speech AND screen presence you would expect from the character. His acting literally carried the movie for the first quarter up until the introduction of Calvin J. Candie.

I like the character Tarantino has written for Candie. He boasts dramatic flair, a taste of the good life and a particular fetish for French culture. A ruthless businessman, he does  not like to be taken advantage of and believes in getting his penny's worth. I choose not to comment on DiCaprio’s performance as having watched too many of his other films, across which he playes diverse roles, my judgement in that regard is clouded. Samuel L. Jackson completely shadowed DiCaprio however, in his portrayal of the persistently annoying Stephen. You wonder at times, why they share the same screen space.

In terms of the plot, Django Unchained keeps you entertained from start to finish. Numerous comical circumstances all add to the brilliance of this Oscar winning script. The treachery of slavery is not veiled in any form. It has a truly heroic ending. Something that makes you feel good. On the whole, I salute the marvel of Quentin Tarantino in writing a script that is so compelling in thought, it makes you wanna jump right into the movie. It is fast paced and not in any way dull. This is a must watch for anyone and everyone.

Oh one more thing. Tarantino plays a short 5 min roll in the film. Keep your eyes open. 

The Alternate Review: Olympus has Fallen

Hollywood has a habit of spitting out action movies at will. Antoine Fuqua, the director, with movies such as Training Day and Shooter under his belt, has made a run of the mill action thriller. The premise is promising as terrorists capture the White House and hold the President of the United States as hostage. There are two ways of handling this premise - the Michael Bay action approach or the realistic approach. The movie takes the path usually traveled by and we have a typical Hollywood action movie.

The movie starts off interestingly, but in a way we have come to expect of movies like these. The usual introductions and back stories are all wrapped up and shown to us with a neat little bow to tie it up. The action sequences are the usual action affair, but they keep us entertained with enough variety here and there. The CG sequences are slightly unrealistic but they do their job. So, the movie starts off simple enough with Gerard Butler as Mike Banning, the ex-Secret Service agent who finds himself amidst the chaos at the White House. The President(played by Aaron Eckhart) is held hostage at a bunker under the White House by the terrorists as they plan to self destruct America into smithereens. Mike Banning uses his intricate knowledge of the White House, with the backing of Speaker Trumbull(the acting President played by Morgan Freeman. He makes anything awesome.)  and his Secret Service agent skills to infiltrate the captured White House and sabotage the terrorist's plans. Others in the movie namely Radha Mitchell and Melissa Leo have very less screen time. They do a functional job of whatever time they are given.

The screenplay is fast paced and tries to make us feel the gravity of seeing the White House being captured.  Although a commendable job is done in showing the capture of the White House, it still has a few logical loopholes. Gerard Butler has the physique to pull off the super one-man-army deal which the movie almost becomes.  Although the nation is saved because of him, it would not have been possible without the help of Speaker Trumbull who pitches in with directives and commands. The National Guard and Army take a back seat because of the hostage situation. Yet, one finds it hard to believe that such an incident could really happen and that these are the course of events that would follow. Since it is a typical Hollywood action movie, logic, as usual takes a back seat. The cliches are peppered here and there but we can see that they have tried to avoid it at certain junctures. The cheesy and witty dialogues may make you laugh if you can see it coming. A lot of the scenes take a predictable turn but you maybe surprised at some points. It is a point to note that the movie shows a lot of brutality and bloodshed and may not be suited for someone who cannot stand the sight of blood. Believe me, there is a lot of blood but not to the levels of quirkiness seen in Tarantino movies.

The terrorists, who are the Koreans this time, are vengeful against America and their motives are typical. You wouldn't be blamed if you thought the motives for terrorizing America are becoming weaker by the movie. Aaron Eckhart plays as the admirable President Benjamin Asher. The characterization of the President refers to every page of the manual "How to act as the President of the USA" and adheres to it with fervor interest. I do not mean that Aaron Eckhart doesn't do a decent job. In fact he does do a decent job but he fails to set himself aside from the previous "movie Presidents". As with movies which have the tone "America, hell yeah!", the movie ends on a well anticipated happy and cheery note.

This is an action movie with an interesting premise. It is sad that nothing more was made of the promising premise. If you are fan of fast paced action movies or Gerard Butler or the notion of seeing Morgan Freeman as acting President, then this movie is for you. If you are expecting a logical movie with a realistic response to the given premise of the movie, then I would recommend you to see elsewhere.

We Do Not Negotiate With Terrorists - A Review of Olympus Has Fallen

Olympus Has Fallen is the first motion picture I watched in the post Oscar 2013 season. Certainly not a powerful beginning to post academy awards season but a conventional and entertaining action flick nevertheless. The movie works on the premise of a much explored concept of Americans protecting their homeland in movies such as Amerika, Red Dawn, and multiple Second World War based films like Pearl Harbor. Also most gamers would remember the invasion of the United States of America in the game Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 which depicted some widespread destruction of the homeland. But where this movie achieves a certain level of distinction is in its depiction of the obliteration of Olympus (i.e the Secret Service code for the White House). Effort has certainly gone into engineering the sequences of destruction in the first part of the movie. Appreciable CGI in the destruction of the Washington Monument. But again nothing we haven't already seen before.

Olympus Has Fallen in its element is purely an action film. Viewers who are looking for compelling plots, relatable character and an acceptable level of realism may look past this billboard without fear of losing out on anything. This characterization of an action film is very apparent in some very key features like the existence of a disgraced/disgruntled hero Mike Banning played by Gerard Butler, the pillar of strength Allan Trumball played by Morgan Freeman and a fairly unconventional American president Benjamin Asher played by Aaron Eckhart and also a character who betrays (whose identity I am going to keep secret in fear of this review becoming a spoiler). Also, one will notice the presence of humour in scenes of tension that is becoming a regular in most action movies these days. To add to this is the separation of the hero Butler and his wife Leah banning played by Radha Mitchell in what seemed to be a normal day that takes a turn for the worst and their subsequent reunion after the ordeal.

One aspect I thought worth mentioning about the movie is that it was shot with a planned brutality and general disregard for human life. The East Asian group attack the Olympus without any aura of humanity but with a pure thirst for blood. In this manner the antagonists played good parts. Unperturbed actions of inhuman bloodshed stemming from immense planning for the op was apparent in the invaders. There was a regular volatile mix of International incident, nuclear warheads and revenge that drove their actions. Rick Yune who plays the head of the entire invading operation plays a sadistic inhuman leader with a single minded thirst for revenge as well as he has portrayed numerous roles previously.

There was no dearth of eye watering battle scenes. It certainly isn’t conventional warfare but satisfied all you needed for the spraying of a good deal of bullets. American action and war films have had a majorly unchanging trend in the fact that first the antagonists were Russians following the Cold War and then it was Middle Easterns following the 9/11 incident and now it is East Asians. Antoine Fuqua has followed a tried and tested outlook to action films with a resolute and unrelenting character and a One-Man-Army approach to setting USA all right in under 12 hours. Regular action movie watchers will find nothing exceptional with an almost predictable narrative. It is still an entertaining one time watch for most movie goers. It is now in theatres

PS – As for attention detail I will leave that to Americans to decide. But honestly, which president walks out of the Oval Office without buttoning his suit?

Review: Lincoln

As Biopics go, they sometimes can drag a movie down with the sheer weight of its details and facts. Lincoln, the movie, easily evades the problem by focusing on one thing - his struggles and the struggles of the people around him to get the 13th Amendment passed in the House of Representatives, which abolished slavery. The movie takes place during the raging civil war which engulfed the USA during the period. It chronicles the steps Abraham Lincoln had to take so that the amendment could be passed, which had a huge opposition. As an Indian who has very little knowledge of American history, the movie held my interest throughout.

Apparently, Spielberg had researched for the movie for about twelve years. The hard work shows on the screen as it reeks of authentic reproduction and factual correctness. The attention to detail is immense. From Lincoln's executive mansion to his ticking clock, everything was where it was supposed to be. The cinematography is a little wanting at times. It is not bad per se, in fact it is good. But it does not stand out. The dull palette overall does convey the right emotions. 

What really carries the movie are the performances by the talented cast of Daniel Day-Lewis, Tommy Lee Jones, Sally Field, Joseph Gordon-Levitt(He seems to be everywhere these days) and the like. The stand out performance is of course that of Abraham Lincoln by Daniel Day-Lewis. He makes you believe he is the President of the United States and commands the screen with his performance. One could see the work he has put into fulfilling the role. The fact that he had won the Oscar for his performance before I watched the movie had set my expectations a little high. He lived up to the expectation in every scene. From the first scene where he is talking to his fellow soldiers to the last sequence where he is with his son, you couldn't fault   with his acting. Joseph Gordon-Levitt has a subdued role in the movie, playing as Robert Lincoln, who enrolls in the army against his father's wishes. He isn't provided with much screen time to show his acting prowess. Tommy Lee Jones as Thadeus Stevens and David Strathairn as William Seward also have done an impeccable job. I loved the portrayal of Stevens by Tommy Lee Jones. It has been understated, but he was also nominated for best supporting actor. Overall, the support cast don't let down the movie, they elevate it.

The movie takes its own sweet time to tell its story. The movie builds on Lincoln's increasing ambition in seeing the amendment that abolishes slavery passed. He is shown to be an understanding human and an astute politician. The slow pace of the build up to the end might put off some people, but I believe it is worth the time it takes. It takes time to portray the gathering of support for the bill. I loved getting to know the Democrats and Republicans and their views of the time. Lincoln's personal life is also shed some light. Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln, does a slightly overacted portrayal of the wife who is in a miserable state because of the loss of their son three years ago. The friction in the relationship arch is well established. By the end, the moderate tension it builds in passing the amendment is commendable, but by no means the best work of Steven Spielberg. It concludes with the inevitable assassination of Abraham Lincoln.

I loved the movie for it's entertaining and slow burn foray into history. Even if you don't know American history, it won't matter as the movie provides more than enough entertainment and story build up. If you are prone to yawning due to slow paced movies, I would recommend you see elsewhere. Otherwise, it is worth a watch. Movies are not known for historical accuracy, but this movie might interest those who have an eye for it. 

Flight

I had to start off with a special movie this New Year. The only options I had were Cloverfield or Flight. Reading as it does that Denzel Washington plays a pilot who saves a bunch of lives followed by a legal drama there was absolutely no competition. Also, the IMDb score does help.

One thing to be pointed out though is that the movie is quite far from what the trailer pitches it to be. The movie is a study of a tumultuous character more than the investigation and the conspiracies following the plane crash.

Flight is probably Denzel Washington’s first serious drama flick since The Great Debaters back in 2007. The story mainly dwells around the life of the pilot Whip Whitaker played by Washington. Whip Whitaker is your everyday pilot for a domestic American airline who seems to have more than average discernible talent behind the controls of an aircraft and that seems to be his only saving grace through till the end of the movie. But alongside his penchant for controlling flights through turbulent storms he also has difficulty with his turbulent personal life which is stirred mostly by his heavy alcohol and drug abuse.

The story dwells in more his delusions of his control of alcohol and drug abuse than his heroic actions that saved 96 lives on board his plane whereas any other flight would have killed them all. Investigations into the flight also bring out his troubles with alcohol and could destroy his career. This is where the American view on justice and their judicial system has a card that might shatter his delusions and stop his prevarication about his alcohol and drug abuse once and for all. The same abuse that had damaged every chance of him leading a normal life and destroyed more than a few relationships. On the other hand his attorney Hugh Chang played by Don Cheadle desperately tries to make Whitaker perjure himself to save his career and continue living a lie. The climax follows Whitaker’s decision of paramount importance and the backlash it has on his life. 

This entire movie can be viewed as a single man’s first step in a 12 step Alcohol recovery program. His acceptance of his problems is paramount to repair everything he has broken down. The movie as a whole was pretty good nothing exceptional. Washington’s acting was excellent. Great story though. Definitely worth a single watch. And to dd to that is his offbeat relationship with Nicole played by Kelly Reilly who nudges him in the right direction.

     

Also an important aspect of this movie highlights the ridiculousness of the American judicial system with the perspective that even after the heroic efforts to save the soul they still need someone to sue for the few lost souls.A very cause effect factorized system. 

PS- Also notable about this movie is that it is his first R rated movie since Used Cars in 1980. Thanks to Nadine Velazquez in the very beginnings of the movie.