CHOP SHOP (2007)

In Chop Shop, director Ramin Bahrani (of Man Push Cart, Goodbye Solo fame) captures a coming of age story that is poetic & deeply engaging.

Chop Shop is the story of young Alejandro - Ale, as he is addressed by all - a young teenager trying to eke out a living in the outskirts of New York. He survives by doing sundry jobs to earn a living until he is employed in an automobile garage in a poor neighborhood. The owner of the garage also allows him to live in a shack inside the garage. Soon, Ale is joined by his elder sister Isamar who is in her late teens. She comes to live with him and starts working in a food van. Ale shares a warm relationship with her and also his close buddy Carlos.

Despite spending all his childhood in penury, Ale is an optimist & aspires a brighter future for both of them where they would own a food van in which his sister could cook. He strives extra hard to enhance his income by doing sundry jobs like bootlegging DVDs, helping the local garage owners to strip down parts of stolen vehicles, vending candies in trains and even occasional petty thievery. He saves every possible penny and is helped in this venture by his sister who contributes her own bit to realise their shared dream.

At one point, he is shocked when he discovers what she needs to go through to earn some more. However, he avoids confronting her and strives extra hard in the hope that she wouldn't have to toil any more than necessary. In his deep caring for his sister, he seems more a parent than her brother.

This is a movie which captures their joy despite their abject poverty, aspirations and dreams for a better future, struggles to earn a living and to realise their dreams, sorrow on seeing their dreams shattered and above all, their resolute optimism that stokes their hope for a better tomorrow.

The movie which has almost no background score sparkles in its sparse and starkly realistic setting. The actors, almost all of them amateurs, have given performances which gel so well in the narrative, that one feels that they far outshine their much more illustrious stars.

This is a movie where the director is less of a director and more of a keen observer of events unfolding in all their details in their natural order & pace. As in his other movies, on this occasion too, he successfully captures the lives of the oft-forgotten underdogs who populate the margins of the society.

This movie is at once, subtle, deep and makes a meditative connection with the viewer without resorting to any kind of melodrama or cliches.

A MASTERPIECE ....MUST WATCH !

RAANJHANAA (HINDI) (2013)

In Raanjhanaa, director Anand L Rai returns to familiar territory of unrequited love which he'd explored with some success in his previous movie Tanu weds Manu. As with that movie, this movie also set in the Hindu heartland, in this case, a vivid & colorful Benares. Here too, the hero played by Dhanush falls head over heels for the lady Sonam Kapoor.

Dhanush plays Kundan, a Tamil Brahmin born & brought up in Benares whose ancestors had moved to be priests in a local temple. As a boy, he comes upon Zoya, the daughter of an affluent Muslim professor and it is eternal love at first sight for him. After several years of persistent pursuit, nay stalking, umpteen slaps and a slashed wrist, Zoya finally relents and reciprocates only to find the age old cliche of differing religions being raised and her parents pack her off to study at Aligarh initially & therafter, at JNU. While at JNU, she falls in love with the idealist student leader Abhay Deol. However, Kundan  remains obsessed with his love for her and awaits her return and when she returns, he is devastated to know that she has not only forgotten about him, but is also in love with someone else.

The first hour of the movie sails through smoothly with many a light moment set in the earthy & colorful milieu of Benares capturing the city in all its rustic charm. However, as soon as the movie moves out of the Benares to Delhi & beyond and tries to dabble in issues such as campus politics and hot social issues in news, the narrative feels contrived & comes unstuck.

Despite its several flaws, the movie remains eminently watchable for its positives. For one, Rai has made this movie  with lot of heart and national award winning actor Dhanush, making his Bollywood debut, has given a sparkling performance and has carried the movie through on his slender, yet very able shoulders. Sonam Kapoor looks good and has an elegant screen presence, but still has a some way to go in terms of performance especially in the more emotional scenes. The leads are ably supported by the stellar cameos by Mohammad Zeeshan Ayub as Kundan’s best friend Murari and Swara Bhaskar as Bindiya, Kundan’s childhood friend who eternally pines for him. The movie benefits to a great measure from A.R. Rahman's music which blends nicely with the proceedings and some splendid cinematography which captures the city of Benares in all its colourful glory.

FLAWED .. YET, DEFINITELY WORTH A WATCH !

EASTERN PROMISES (2007)

This thriller directed by David Cronenberg shuns the usual Hollywood staple of slam bang action and kinetics to present a deeper study of the characters that populate its scape. The movie is set in London amidst the ruthless Russian Mafia that also includes sundry Eastern Europeans.

The movie begins with graphic scenes of a throat slitting and an under-age girl in labour spasms who eventually dies after her childbirth. We are then introduced to its main characters - Naomi Watts (Anna) as a second generation Russian midwife working in a city hospital who attends to the delivery and grows an attachment to the dead teen mother and her newborn daughter, a brilliant Viggo Mortensen (Nikolai) as the trusted driver-cum-bodygard-cum-enforcer of the Mafia patriarch, Semyon, as well as the best friend to his violent & volatile son (Kirill). 

Anna finds a diary from the belongings of the dead teenager which opens a can of worms with revealed connections to the Russian Mafia. More than a whodunnit, what Cronenberg presents here is a close glimpse of the people involved in the underworld, their seemingly superficial normalcy, shifting trusts and ruthless conduct.

The movie also features a singular stunt sequence in a public bath/sauna which is captured in what I would just state as a raw and real brilliance.

Brilliantly acted by Mortensen & Watts, this beautifully crafted, brutal & taut thriller would remain in your mind like a tattoo for times to come !!

A VERY GOOD WATCH !!

MAN OF STEEL

Man of Steel is the reimagining the story of the most famous superhero by Christopher Nolan who has written this along with David Goyer who was his collaborator for The Dark Knight trilogy. The film is directed by Zack Snyder who is a master in creating stunning visuals (300, Watchmen, Sucker Punch). So, it is quite natural that the output has shades of The Dark Knight with the protagonist having to lug some emotional baggage of his past despite being a superhero.

The story basically has Superman trying to save earth from a misguided General Zod who was banished from their home planet of Krypton before the planet's core collapsed destroying the entire planet. Zod wants to build a new Krypton on earth even if it means that the present inhabitants of the planet would have to be exterminated for that purpose.

The film works only in parts especially where a young Clark Kent has to get a grip on his superpowers as a young kid as well as in his youth. He is guided by his adoptive parents played by a wonderful Kevin Costner & Diane Lane. Russell Crowe also does a competent job in the initial sequences as the chief scientist of Krypton as well as in several appearances strewn through the film in guiding his son. The film also benefits immensely from a rousing score from Hans Zimmer.

Henry Cavil fits the part beautifully though he could've added further dimensions & depth besides the grey & sombre moods. It might well be because the writers haven't provided him with such scope.And, that is a major issue with this movie because for, what I am sure is, a first installment of a franchise, it almost completely shuns the lighter shades and humour and seems to revel in its dark tones. Even the part of Lois Lane played by Amy Adams seems incomplete. Yes, she seems to be a capable, Pulitzer winning investigative journalist. But, little else....

My next & biggest grouse is that the action sequences though awesome in all their CGI wizardry have a very chaotic & noisy feel to them and appear more from that dull & jarring junkyard rampage, Transformers. The last half hour is almost completely mired in sequences where almost an entire city is ground to dust. While Michael Bay might feel happy to find this carnage & may even feel inspired, it is such a put off.. Wonder when these guys would learn from Cameron or even Joss Whedon ...

This appears even more of a criminal waste when you consider the first part of the movie seemed to be in a tearing hurry of a runaway freight train and throws so much at us including the backstory of Krypton, the growing up of young Clark Kent, his youth, his discovery of his origins, etc. All that for this crescendo of chaotic madness... Oh, how we wish they had dwelt more on building characters with more shades & depth.....

Overall, while the movie is definitely a good watch & might be THE BIG BLOCKBUSTER of the season, one feels SUPERMAN deserved something more SUPERlative than this ! Hope they do a better job with the sequel !!

BLANCANIEVES (SILENT/SPANISH) (2012)

About a year ago, The Artist, a black & white silent movie, stole the hearts of millions and went on to win several accolades including the best movie at the Academy Awards. The roaring success of that movie showed that the silent movies, as a medium, can present several new enchanting dimensions to the viewers who are flooded with a deluge of banal assembly line finished products from Hollywood and its several other regional workshops which rely more on technical brilliance and CGI than more substantive, if economical, storytelling. Seen from that light, The Artist was like a whiff of fresh breeze and was natutrally, lapped up by viewers across the world.

Blancanieves is the latest gem in the line of The Artist. Being a silent movie, it speaks a global tongue. But, one would still need subtitles for the Spanish title cards that pop up occassionally. This movie is based on a interesting reimagining of the popular Snowhite fairytale set in Seville, Spain in the early twentieth century. 

The movie introduces us to the famous matador Antonio Villalta entering the ring for what he belives would be another one of his fine performances in front of an arena filled with adoring spectators. His conceit brings about his downfall, resulting in an accident which leaves him paralysed and immobile in a wheelchair. Further tragedy strikes in the form of his beloved wife dying during childbirth. Crestfallen at his double tragedy, a wheelchair-bound Antonio shuns his new-born daughter, Carmen. Antonio, now a melancholic loner in need of constant assistance, is quickly ensnared by a wily nurse, Encarna, who marries him to enjoy his immense wealth and promptly ignores him after the marriage. 

The newborn is nurtured by her loving grandmother and grows up longing for her father's affection. When her grandmother dies, Encarna brings Carmen to the palatial home, only to relegate her to the barn and to a daily rigour of hard labour.  Carmen is also given strict warnings against venturing to the top floor, for Encarna intends to ensure that Antonio, now virtually immobile in his room there, should not chance upon his daughter. Nevertheless, a sleight of fate ensures that the father and daughter end up meeting each other. In a series of covert metings in his room, they bond with each other and he manages to teach her the art of bull fighting. 

When Encarna gets to know about these secret meetings, she punishes Carmen in a manner that hurts her and leaves a permanent scar. Encarna also ensures that they do not meet each other anymore by keeping Antonio locked up in his room. Carmen grows up into a teenager toiling everyday keeping up with the household chores piled on her. At this point,  Encarna, pushes Antonio to an early demise and even attempts to get rid of Carmen. However, Carmen escapes when she was left for dead in the river. She is rescued by a group of dwarves who are travelling bullfighters. Carmen loses all memory of her past and travels with the dwarves who name her Blancanieves (Spanish for Snow White) after she proves her bullfighting skills when she jumps into the ring to rescue one of the dwarves. She gradually blooms into a matador of repute and the finale sees her performing in the arena where her father was once a star. The finale has certain twists which I would desist from delving into.

The story, having its origins from a popular fairytale, bears lots of semblance to a plethora of desi movies. But, it is the rendition of the movie in the silent medium which proves to be the uplifting factor here. Once again, just like The Artist, we are awestruck by the richness of expression provided by an awesome background score which livens up the entire movie and is a star in itself. Accentuated by the fact that their expressions have to do all the talking, the performances across the board are commendable, especially by Sofia Ora who plays the young Carmen.

Replete with sizeable doses of mischief, romance, action and dark tones, this movie engages the viewers completely and can make us laugh and cry effortlessly. Movies like these are rare gems, not just beacuse such silent movies are so rarely made these days, but for their inherent brilliance to forge an instant and deep organic connection with the viewers. 

A silent movie, that engages the viewers in a speechless state of enchantment, this is, indeed, A CLASSIC !

A MUST WATCH !!

HARD CANDY

This psychological thriller turns the cat & mouse game on its head, a la Tom & Jerry, one may say. But, the content here is far removed from the innocent and enjoyable pranks of those animated characters.

This is the story of how a young teenager Hayley (played true to form by Ellen Page) ensnares Jeff, a fashion photographer (Patrick Wilson) who is also a pedophile. She appears to be well aware of his modus and gradually entices him through conversations in internet chatrooms which culminates in an innocent ice-breaker meeting at a cafe. At the meeting where she comes fully prepared, she tempts him further and gets herself invited to his residence. 

What follows is a suspenseful thriller of twisted cat & mouse game filled with mind games where he tries to take full advantage of what he feels is a serendipitous development while she intends to deliver her own version of justice for his unholy deeds. She is smart to decline the drink offered by him which was not mixed in her presence and offers him a drink laced with sedative which he gleefully accepts without any qualms only to wake up hours later to find himself tied securely to a chair.

Much of the movie takes place within the confines of his residence as interaction between just these two characters. Full credits to the two leads and especially to Ellen Page for wonderful and convincing performance and the director for spawning such a suspenful thriller which is also remarkably economical in more ways than one.

Nevertheless, at the end of the movie, one gets a feeling that if Jeff is definitely a pedophile and deserves the punishment, there appears something deeply & chillingly wrong with Hayley too, though the jury is out on that one.

A VERY GOOD WATCH !!

CONFESSIONS (JAPANESE)

On the last day of the school term, a teacher at the Junior High School tells her apparently disinterested class about the value of life. Gradually, she draws the attention of her class when she declares that she is resigning the same day and further confesses that her 3 year old daughter who died, a few months ago, by drowning in the school swimming pool did not die by accident. The class is stunned by the time she declares that she now knows that two of the students in the class (referred by her as A & B) were indeed responsible for the death. She also expresses her anguish that she cannot register a complaint with the authorities because the law does not hold anyone below 14 as responsible for their actions and accordingly, cannot be punished for whatever they do. However, she states that, irrespective of the law, she is determined to punish the culprits.


Thus begins this psycho thriller wherein the teacher adopts a twisted way to avenge her daughter. The events surrounding the death and the teacher's punishment unfold through a series of confessions of the students who recount the happenings. The narrative style may remind us of Rashomon which also used multiple accounts to reconstruct a set of events. However, unlike Rashomon where each account narrated a different version of the events, here it is a singular version which is narrated from the perspectives of the individual confessor.


Although the movie succeeds as an effective thriller, one does not particularly feel much for any of the characters. The characters appear to be emotionally bereft and also guilty of harbouring dark motives (not that dark/grey characters can never evoke feelings). This movie was Japan's entry for 2010 Academy Awards and was also shortlisted a final nominee. The entire movie is picturised in a sombre tone though a scene towards the end where an explosion is captured in reverse slo-mo stood out for its magnificence.



A VERY GOOD WATCH !!