THE IRISHMAN (ENGLISH) (2019)

The Irishman sees veteran Scorsese (now, in his 70s) returning to a genre that he had redefined with his early works .. a genre that brought him widespread critical as well as commercial acclaim and made him what he turned out to be. 

And.. he returns with a power packed cast that is headlined by Robert de Niro (a frequent collaborator), Al Pacino and Joe Pesci (all three, now in their 70s) and many more stars in juicy cameos.

The Irishman is adapted from a novel - "I Heard You Paint Houses" by Charles Brandt. It is set in the period from 1950s to 1980s and narrates the story of Frank Sheeran - a war veteran, truck driver who gets associated with the underworld crime families, becomes a mob hitman and how his life intersects with trade union leader, Jimmy Hoffa. 

The movie which runs for a whopping 209 minutes demands - nay, commands - a patient viewing and rewards the viewers with superlative performances by Al Pacino, Joe Pesci and De Niro at the heart of the narrative filling almost every frame besides excellence in almost every technical aspect of filmmaking - be it the brilliant staging, fluid cinematography, pitch perfect score.

De Niro is a class act in the role of Frank Sheeran - a stoic mobster of few words and fewer emotions. Pesci gives great company in his own version of stolid mentor for Sheeran while good old Al Pacino more than makes up for the lack of words and emotions of the these two in an energetic performace where he explodes in almost every frame.

What we might miss in terms of pace is more than made up by the quality of performances and the craft of a master who shows that even the oldest genre tropes, if handled right, could work like magic.

While the CGI assisted de-aging of the leads is not perfect yet, it is nevertheless unobtrusive and heralds exciting augurings for the future of movies.

The deliberate pacing by Scorsese allows us to soak in more of the unfolding events through the conversations, character arcs and gets us ever more invested in their predicaments. The narrative flows like a clear stream that is seamlessly punctuated by historic events (a la Forrest Gump) and sudden bursts of bloody violence. 

Overall, this movie feels like a sagely Scorsese in his Yoda mode meditating on a mobster life. 

The Irishman would certainly rank among Scorsese's finest and is certain to enjoy a brilliant run at the awards functions too.

A MASTERPIECE ! (if you can muster some patience to enjoy it.)

RATING - 4/5

PS - The Irishman is streaming on Netflix

KAITHI (TAMIL) (2019)

A truck load of drugs is seized by a crack team of cops in what appears to be the biggest drug bust ever. The desperate drug gang wants the consignment back at any cost. 

Thus begins a  narrative that is a thrill ride of events unfolding over a night with well placed moles on each side and safety of the cache as well as the lives of some top cops hanging by a slender thread resting on the shoulders of a recently released convict. 

Karthi brings a simmering intensity to the part of the protagonist, Dilli - both as a father yearning to see his daughter for the first time after spending a decade in prison as well as the titular macho convict rescuing the cops. Sam CS throttles the proceedings onwards with his pulsating score.

After a stellar debut with Maanagaram, director Lokesh Kanagaraj (LK) delivers an above average action flick that is fairly engaging and entertaining. 

Overall, while it may not match Maanagaram in its audacity, Kaithi, despite its flaws, is a neat action entertainer. 

A VERY GOOD WATCH !

RATING - 3/5

BIGIL (TAMIL) (2019)

It is third time lucky for us, the viewers, in case of this Vijay-Atlee combo.

Director Atlee presents a decent entertainer which mines the charisma of the star to a large extent.

Bigil also benefits from the fact that the entire movie and the semblance of a story is not entirely buried under the build-up for the star.

In Bigil, Atlee places his star Vijay shining bright at the center of the universe with the plot itself and the subplots merrily orbiting him as minor satellites.

Rahman delivers a rousing anthem and a good score. There is nothing - including the music or performances - that could be counted as superlative in any sense. Still, the entire movie works and doesn't feel like a tedium despite having a run-time of almost three hours.

The fact that this movie remains largely coherent on a whole does not make you cringe despite its run-time is no minor blessing.

A DECENT ENTERTAINER !

RATING - 3/5

JALLIKATTU (MALAYALAM) (2019)

In a village near Idukki, Kerala, at daybreak,  a buffalo which is about to be slaughtered escapes and runs amok creating sundry destruction.

Thus begins a 90 minute plunge into a seemingly absurd, yet absolutely riveting set of events.

Director Lijo Jose Pelissery, with his unique handling of this simple premise,  concocts a  visual and aural adventure that is a deeply visceral.

What appears, on the surface level, as a preposterous, albeit straightforward narrative of a communal chase behind a gentle bovine, there is a subtext of multiple layers which throw a light on toxic masculinity, strong undercurrent of animal spirit that lurks under the thin veneer of thousands of years of civilization and how it could be unleashed at the slightest of provocations, with vignettes of political and social landscape and a healthy sprinkling of dark humour.

Director Lijo Jose Pelissery has marshalled technically top notch talents in the form of cinematography by Girish Gangadharan,  Prashant Pillai's background score and crisp editing by Deepu Joseph to mount brilliant setpieces suffused with manic energy.

Kudos to the director that he could cook up a tense thriller, that is also an one of a kind immersive experience. 

AN INCREDIBLE  WATCH !! (perhaps not for all)

RATING - 3.5/5

PS - Best enjoyed on the big screen with excellent acoustics.

WAR (HINDI) (2019)

At long last ..

Desi Greek god with fab bod.. Hrithik Roshan gets a movie that befits his charisma ..

And.. in the process..

We get a paisa vasool action movie that is actually entertaining in every sense.. well, almost ..

Our very own version of Mission Impossible or Bourne flick..

Filled from frame to frame with exhilarating action set pieces in exotic locales ..

Both the leads - Hrithik as the charismatic tutor  and Tiger - a self confessed fanboy tyro, in more ways than one - share a crackling chemistry that works like magic for the movie.

Siddharth Anand has conjured up a veritable entertainer - a la John Woo - that is a perfect cocktail of just the right bit of stupid and right bit of stupendous, in a narrative that seldom sags.

A PHENOMENAL ACTION ENTERTAINER !

RATING - 3.5/5

VIRUS (MALAYALAM) (2019)

Director Ashiq Abu presents a gripping thriller inspired from events surrounding the Nipah virus outbreak in Calicut and Malappuram districts.

Abu has assembled an ensemble star cast and handles then brilliantly to serve the story he set out to narrate.

A narrative that is crafted with great care and balance without overdoing any of the several potential pitfalls that it skims over gracefully to retain a unitary focus on the events surrounding the outbreak and the collaborative efforts to control it.

Nevertheless, Abu maintains the emotional connect intact through several subtle instances that capture the myriad human emotions of loss, helplessness, love, grit and determination without exploiting them or escalating into weepy melodrama.

In all, this is a naattu (desi) companion piece to Soderbergh's Contagion and could rightly be reckoned as an unequivocal masterclass in every aspect of film-making.

A MASTERPIECE !

RATING - 4/5

JOKER (ENGLISH) (2019)

Crazy can be so captivating ..

Descent into chaos could be so devastatingly brutal ..

This is an origin story that is deeply affecting as it delves into the depths of a psyche of one of the most complex characters from the comics universe - Arthur Fleck aka Joker.

It might be natural for us - as the viewers - to empathise with the predicament of Arthur Fleck - a lonely, failing stand-up comedian - as he is pushed down a slippery slope of insanity through repeated assault of rejections. His sorry state of existence is brought to stark relief when we learn that something as benign and banal as laughter is accessible to him only through a medical condition.

However, if we dig a little deeper .. it becomes quite scary when we realise that this a neither remote nor an imperfect reflection of the times and climes that we inhabit. Director Todd Phillips might have set this movie in the early 80's. But, make no mistake... This is a movie for our times .. In fact, this is a commentary on our very own turbid times. A dire warning on the dehumanising influences that have engulfed us in the form of an irrepressible contagion of indifference towards "the others". 

We, as a society, are unapologetically harsh on those faceless forgettables and indifferent to their sensibilities. Their needs and dreams are continuously crushed under our collective disdain and an ever rising tsunami tide of our insatiable wants. Consequently, the less fortunate majority are forced to flee and dwell on the very margins of our society as we continuously push them ever more further to the edges of their very existence and quite often, even beyond. The rousing finale gives us glimpses of what could be in store if the dispossessed decide to decry and dethrone the dispensation that denies them the chance of decent existence. 

Joaquin Phoenix pours his heart and soul into the emaciated frame of Arthur Fleck and owns every speck of this character's crazy mind space that is a spectacularly chaotic mess. His is a phenomenal performance that captures the journey of Arthur's deep seated vulnerability, inner angst, earnest yearning for acceptance, agony in the face of repeated rejections, frustration at his failures and humiliations, sudden eruptions of bloody violence all the way into the finale of uncontrollable chaos. This is a performance that is in the realm of pure artistry and every bit award worthy. The sombre score and the dark hued framing magnify the  melancholy mood that permeates the movie.

A little over a decade ago, Heath Ledger had totally owned this part as a formidable adversary to the batman in The Dark Knight and elevated that movie to stratospheric heights. In the process, he earned a well deserved Oscar and left a permanent imprint on our minds. To aspire going beyond that stupendous performance and redefining Joker is an audacious endeavour - an adventure in itself. And, after watching Joker, one would concede that director Todd Phillips and his leading man have succeeded to pull off this unlikely feat - a true mission impossible in the realm of cinema - and to add to that, have done it with aplomb and gusto.

If The Revenant was the physically taxing penance of Leonardo DiCaprio which brought him awards glory, Joker is Joaquin's deep meditation on exploring the rapidly unravelling  universe of Arthur Fleck's messed up mind and is certain to fill his trophies chest.

The beleaguered DCU and WB have another winner here that has been forged in the darkest of realms. The scenes where Arthur comes across the Waynes - both senior and junior - are loaded with intrigue, pregnant with possibilities that could herald healthy augurings for the reboot of the Batman franchise. If only they could flesh out a worthy caped crusader to take on this Joker, it would be a delectable entertainment. Amen. 

Joker is utterly dark and is unquestionably disturbing .. Nevertheless, it is an engrossing watch that grabs your attention with a brilliant performance and holds an unflinching mirror to all of us to reflect upon.

A DARK TOUR DE FORCE ! A TRIUMPH !!

RATING - 4/5