INTERSTELLAR (2014)

Christopher Nolan holds a special place among Hollywood's top billed directors for his unique credo of creating mammoth blockbusters which venture beyond being a slam-bang visual spectacle to engage the viewers' grey matter. After The Dark Knight Rises, the triumphant capping to a glorious Gotham trilogy and nested, nebulous dreamscapes of Inception, with Interstellar, Nolan has set his sight quite literally beyond the visible horizon. As in the case of excellent Inception, Nolan is again fiddling with one of his pet themes of asymmetric time lines across one or more planes. The vastly differing speeds of passage of times between earth and in space, especially close to black holes.

In the not so distant future, the survival of human beings on earth is at peril. Global warming and ecological degradation induced blights have killed most of our food crops and corn is the sole surviving food crop. The human race is on the brink of a near certain extinction through starvation and diseases induced frequent dust storms. The human race is pushed back to pre-industrial agrarian age to sustain life on the planet where schools train students to become food-growers of the future. 

Cooper (Mathew McConaughey), a widower, former NASA pilot turned forced farmer, lives in rural America with his son Tom, daughter Murph and father-in-law. Murph is an intelligent and curious kid who shares a deep bond with her father. Strange events involving the bookshelf of their home set Cooper and Murph in a journey which leads them to a secret installation which happens to be a near defunct NASA headed by Professor Brand (Michale Caine) and his team including the Professor's daughter, Amelia (Anne Hathaway). 

Professor Brand states that they are planning to send a team of astronauts on an inter-galactic mission to find new planets suitable for human inhabitation. To this end, the mission would make use of a large wormhole that had appeared mysteriously near Saturn some years ago. Brand urges Cooper to be the pilot of this mission as the other members have no flying experience outside a simulator. Cooper accepts the offer much to the chagrin of Murph who believes that this is dangerous and could well be an one-way journey. Nevertheless, Cooper sets out on this daredevil mission after making a solemn promise to Murph to return from the mission, no matter what the circumstances. 

It is also revealed that NASA under Professor Brand has been working on utilizing the mysterious wormhole for several years to find new inhabitable planets in far away galaxies to replace the earth which is withering in a wasting dust bowl.  They have already sent several manned probes - called Lazarus missions - through the said wormhole and three of them such probes have been transmitting some basic signals indicating potential destinations which could hold promise for humanity. Brand wants Cooper to lead a mission through the wormhole to explore these three planets for possibilities of human sustenance. Meanwhile, Brand is also working on earth in solving an equation which could help escape earth's gravity and enable a larger mission to transport humans from earth to a planet to be located by Cooper and his team. If the transport of humans at such a large scale to the new planet, which is Plan A, fails to succeed, Brand has devised a Plan B which involves creating a new settlement on the new planet from a collection of fertilized embryos being transported along with Cooper and his team.

Cooper's team includes Amelia Brand,  physicist Romilly, geographer Doyle, and two multi-purpose artificially intelligent robots— CASE and TARS. Their long mission involves an initial docking with a rotating space station Endurance which would, in turn, carry them on a two year long trip to Saturn in hypersleep mode. Thereafter, they traverse through the wormhole to reach a distant galaxy where they find that the three planets to be explored by them - Miller, Mann & Edmunds (named after the pilots who had flown on the initial Lazarus missions and reached those planets) - are orbiting around a super massive black hole called Gargantua.

The intense gravity of the black hole distorts space time in such a way that one hour in a planet orbiting near the black hole could be the equivalent of seven years in the earth time. This poses an additional  constraint of time on Cooper's team over and above the limitation of fuel to explore these planets and return to earth before the human race embraces a painful extinction through starvation. While Cooper and team are busy on their mission which skews their time line, several decades pass on earth, where we find that the now grown up Murph (Jessica Chastain), a brilliant astrophysicist, is assisting Professor Brand in solving the equation while Tom (Casey Affleck) is struggling to sustain the farm and save his family. 

What happens to Cooper and his team as they set out to explore these three planets ? Could they explore all the three planets ? Could they identify a planet hospitable to human sustenance ? Did Professor Brand solve the equation that could help him operationalise Plan A ? Could Cooper keep his promise to Murph ? Could Cooper's team find the planet in time to save the human race from extinction ? How did the worm hole near Saturn come about in the first place ? Who had put it there ? An technologically advanced race of aliens ? Or super-evolved humans ? Why would such an advanced race want to help us in the first place ? The movie answers most of these questions through a narrative spanning across galaxies while raising several others as we walk out of the movie hall.  Remember, the scene in Inception where a whole city folds in half over itself.. Suffice to say that the Nolans have written Interstellar in manner quite similar to Inception's city such that the entire movie folds over itself as it proceeds to its conclusion.

This is a movie which engages, nay, demands the viewer's undivided attention to understand the proceedings on screen. In fact, it would help a great deal if we go prepared with some basic understanding about stuff like black holes, worm holes and time travel (Click here for a quick primer from Stephen Hawkings himself). 

The movie checks several key elements which we have come to identify as a Nolan template - be it dealing in wildly ambitious themes dealing with cerebral &/or psychological conflicts, exceptional set pieces, movies which kindle several questions which linger on long after viewing and which requires repeat viewings & further reading for better understanding and above all movies which are superlatively entertaining. While it is true that the movie deals with dense and theoretical concepts in physics, it is to the credit of Nolan that he renders most of these accessible within a narrative which results in a momentous movie that stretches the horizons of a Hollywood blockbuster. Yet, at its very core, this is a very human drama involving the emotional bond between a daughter and her doting father which places love as a force which transcends all dimensions -hitherto known and unknown. While a drama like this can be set in any period or geography, Nolan, true to his penchant, has chosen to stage this on an interstellar scale, in a very literal sense. 

While not a very challenging role in the league of Dallas Buyers Club, Academy Award winner McConaughey sparkles in the role of Cooper and is effective especially in his scenes as a vulnerable and emotionally conflicted father. But, it is Mackenzie Foy who plays the young Murph whose performance which tops the charts among a cast which includes such renowned performers as regular Nolan collaborator Michael Caine, Jessica Chastain and Anne Hathaway among others. While Hans Zimmer's score puts the galactic proceedings on an overdrive with a thumping score, Hoyt Van Hoytema, who has handled the camera in the absence of Nolan regular Wally Pfister, captures the action in space in visuals which are simply overwhelming.

Interstellar does not trump the towering 2001 - A Space Odyssey, which remains the definitive touchstone for a space movie. Yet, Nolan's movie, despite its calculated cinematic liberties, succeeds in bridging the narrative of a Hollywood blockbuster to cutting edge concepts in space science (thanks to his collaboration with renowned astrophysicist Kip Thorne), which are accessible to the commons. And, while it may, on the surface, appear to be a sensational sci-fi flick set in space packed with resplendent visuals and set-pieces, Nolan has suffused its core with the power of love and bonding in what could well be his most heartfelt movie till date. 

A MUST WATCH (preferably in IMAX) !!

RATING - 3.5/5

P.S. : Click here for an info graphic explaining the science behind Interstellar

GONE GIRL (2014)

Acclaimed director David Fincher presents a tense thriller adapted from Gillian Flynn's (screenplay is by Flynn herself) best selling novel of the same name - the story of a marriage gone bad... bad... BAD... a super-twisted & knotty BAD !! This movie explores the vulnerabilities, helplessness, frustration and the sheer desperation of being tied down in a doomed marriage.

Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) and his wife Amy (Rosamund Pike) are writers who have lost their jobs in the recession and are forced to relocate from New York to small town Missouri on account of Nick's mother who is diagnosed with fatal cancer and Nick's new job as a teacher in a local college. On the day of their fifth marriage anniversary, Nick, on returning home, finds Amy missing. There are also signs of struggle. Nick alerts the cops who begin an investigation that is bathed in the spotlights of a 24*7 news media melee, given the fact that Amy was a minor celebrity. As the hunt for a missing person transmutes into a murder investigation, skeletons start tumbling out of what was once considered a "forever after" fairy tale marriage and the needle of suspicion, slowly, but surely, turns towards Nick. 

What are the problems that caused these die-hard, hot-for-each-other romantics to fall out ? And, how bad is the fall-out ? Is it so frustrating and are they so desperate to kill for it ? The movie narrates all this and more in a plot that presents one twist after another which leads the viewer to believe one way only to trump them in the very next scene in deceit with their feelings oscillating between Nick and Amy with each unravelling of the knots. I refrain from detailing any further of the story which would be providing spoilers that would spoil the viewer's experience. 

Marriage is HARD WORK. It is a continuing exercise in mutual understanding which sustains and nurtures the seeds of mutual attraction which are supposed to sprout into an everlasting and deepening bond with strong roots. A continuing work in progress to build and reinforce compatibility through mutual care, trust and most importantly, communication. But, many, if not most, marriages trap the couple as hapless prisoners in an humdrum existence constructed on the ashes of their hyper-expectant beginnings that are divorced from their real selves. While one may never know the veracity of the adage of marriages being forged in heaven, there are more than ample proofs that once the frills & thrills of initial courtship fade off, deficits in mutual compatibility and communication could well render the marriage as a living hell with no escape.

Nick & Amy Elliott Dunne traverse the entire spectrum of a marriage from its blissful beginnings to banal existence and onto fatal desperation in all of five years. While the rifts start appearing when the reality of depression, retrenchments and financial issues start to bite in, are they the cause or merely symptoms of some deeper fissures ? Despite seven years - two years of courtship and five years of being married - of knowing each other, how well do they know and understand each other ? What and how deep are their feelings for each other ? Do they know each other at all ? Or, are they just familiar with the exterior personality that each wants to present the other ?

David Fincher has crafted a nail biting non-linear thriller which while being centered on an intriguing whodunit murder mystery also transcends the genre to explore the murky waters of modern marriages as well as that maddening phenomenon of our days called 24*7 news media. He pries open the Nick & Amy's layer by lifeless layer to pull out the diseased underside hiding behind the picture perfect exteriors. He also presents a commentary on the all pervasive sensation hungry news media which thrives on tabloid-isation of any news with scant regard to issues of privacy or even decency. News anchors - a la Arnab - preside over daily news shows which are stage managed kangaroo courts dishing out near vigilante justice based on insinuations and innuendos. 

Fincher's masterly skills are in crafting a film that strikes a fine balance in blending a first rate thriller with a nuanced study on the growing morass of modern marriages  which are staged on flimsy foundations which end up spawning disenchanted couples and a growing number of divorces and dysfunctional families, societal hypocrisy, sensation seeking news media and an industry of attorneys who survive on familial discord. In examining the life of Nick & Amy, Fincher holds a mirror to our own relationships forcing the views to reflect upon them. 

Ben Affleck is absolutely stunning as Nick Dunne, sporting a role with several shades of grey which requires him to be a consummate romantic to completely outwitted husband caught in the quagmire. But, it is Rosamund Pike who aces the tricky role of "Amazing" Amy showcasing with equal ease, romance, charisma, glamour and chilling malice. She is chameleon like in moving from being vulnerable to venomous to calculating to crowd pleasing to much more effortlessly. She is sure to earn several Best Actress nominations for this titular role and may also win a few. The spot-on supporting cast consisting of Neil Patrick Harris as a creepy jilted ex stalking Amy, Tyler Perry as an attorney specialising in defending husbands accused of murdering their wife, Carrie Coon as Nick's twin sister who is only support and Kim Dickens as the homicide detective are effective. The background score by Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross provides an accentuating texture to the proceedings. 

A slick, superlative and layered thriller that is a disturbing, yet, edge-of-the-seat entertainer that gets under your skin and makes you squirm. The following lines that open and close the movie are likely to resonate within the viewer long after they have finished watched it.

"What are you thinking? What are you feeling? 
What have we done to each other? What will we do?" 

A MUST WATCH !!

RATING - 3.5/5

REVANCHE (GERMAN) (2008)

Wounds may, well, heal with time. But, what about the ugly scars which remain as some fossilized prints of our past wounds ? While the festering wounds cause physical pain, don't the scars, which could last for even a lifetime, continue to corrode us emotionally ? Aren't they, in some ways, the pincers from a past which stretch out into our present and future to puncture out the winds of mirth from our sails ? How does one live with such scars,  much less make peace with these artifacts of an agonizing past ? Could seeking revenge for the past make cleanse those scars from our very beings ? Does revenge provide any redemption ?

Alex is a ex-con in Vienna acting as a muscleman for a ruthless pimp Konecny. Alex is in love with Tamara, one of the prostitutes working for Konecny. Konecny, too, has an eye on Tamara and is possessive about her. Consequently, Alex and Tamara keep their affair, a secret and plan to escape Konecny to make a fresh beginning. Alex proposes a bank robbery which could fund their escape from their present misery and provide for a new life. Despite the initial apprehensions of Tamara, Alex manages to convince her, albeit after conceding to her demand that she would accompany him and wait for him in the getaway car. While the robbery itself goes without a hitch, in a quirky twist of fate, their getaway is obstructed by a loner cop, Robert, who was patrolling the area. Robert ends up fatally shooting Tamara despite aiming for the tires of their car.

Alex, who is absolutely disillusioned on Tamara's death, abandons the getaway car in the woods and seeks refuge in his grandfather's home in the country. His grandfather, Hausner, is a widower and lives a lonely life in his own terms, declining advice from several quarters to settle down in a home for elders. He is happy to have Alex in his house. He is also visited occasionally by his neighbor Susanne. While his grandfather is happy to see Susanne and even regales her by playing the accordion, Alex remains cold to her warm overtures despite her keenness to connect to him. 

Susanne is the wife of Robert and their life is haunted by the recent loss of her pregnancy as well as by her knowledge that Robert may be incapable of fathering her a child - something she desperately yearns for. She is further distraught when her proposal to adopt a child is categorically turned down by Robert. Meanwhile, Robert is consumed by the guilt of being personally responsible for Tamara's death and is gradually becoming a recluse. The overwhelming pall of sorrow consumes him from within and has a debilitating effect on his career as well as personal life resulting in his suspension from the force. Robert confides in Susanne of Tamara's death and shortly after, Alex gets to know that it was Robert who killed Tamara. Alex's life, which, following Tamara's death,  appeared bereft of all purpose till then, finds a new quest in avenging her death by killing Robert.

Does Alex succeed in his quest of avenging Tamara ? Or, could Susanne's advances kindle any thaw in his cold bearings ? Does Robert find any solace ? What happens to Susanne and Robert ? The rest of the movie focuses on the intriguing intersection where these three characters who wallow in their own personal sense of grief, loss and desperately seek redemption. Does revenge provide such redemption ?

Revanche feels like a breath of fresh air in a genre that has largely subsisted on the momentum of the action and/or the mechanics of the plot. Kudos to the Austrian director Gotz Spielmann for bringing a rare sensitivity to the thriller genre by populating his story with well fleshed out characters whom we could connect to and deeply feel about without in anyway compromising on the essence of a thriller. Credits are also due to the three leads - Johannes Krisch playing Alex, Ursula Strauss playing Susanne and Andreas Lust playing Robert - who are excellent in their roles.

Revanche was much admired and awarded at several Film Festivals including the Berlin International Film Festival, 2008. It was also Austria's official submission for the Academy Awards under Best Foreign Language Film in 2009 and made it to the final shortlist.

A MUST WATCH !!

RATING - 3.5/5

KATHTHI (TAMIL) (2014)

Director A.R. Murugadoss is largely successful in  presenting story with a socially relevant theme weaved into a superstar action blockbuster narrative.

Vijay, in a double role, looks better than ever and has tried to flex some acting muscle too. While Anirudh's background score is rocking in several sequences, the same cannot be said about his songs. 

While movies which are star vehicles generally lack logic and try to mint money by through sheer superhuman characterisation of the star, Murugadoss, despite succumbing to much of those demands, deserves kudos for harnessing the star power to underline important issues like livelihood of farmers and market-driven media within a structure of a masala entertainer. 

The length of the movie is a definite dampener, especially those from a bloated first half (Diwali overeating ??) which could've been culled by Sreekar Prasad. Alas, it seems his hands were tied by supposed "Commercial" constraints.

Overall, if it had been trimmer by at least 30 minutes, this is one Kaththi (knife) which would've been sharper and could've pierced deeper !! Yet, it is better than a mere butter knife, thanks largely to Murugadoss' writing.

A GOOD ONE TIME WATCH !!

RATING - 2.5/5

HAIDER (HINDI) (2014)

Haider is the third offering of Vishal Bharadwaj's  trilogy of Shakespearean tragedies which included Maqbool (Macbeth) and Omkara (Othello). For his final instalment, he adapts what is perhaps the most challenging of the three, viz. Hamlet and sets it amidst an equally challenging setting of the restless paradise of earth, Kashmir, circa, 1995. Its brilliance lies in the successful juxtaposition of various strands of portent conflicts across several planes which belie any solution - those within, inter-personal as well as the smouldering geo-political conflicts - to find common grounds therein.

Haider (Shahid Kapoor), a student and poet studying in Aligarh has to hurry to his home in the valley when he receives the news of an army crackdown that destroys his home and also results in the disappearance of his father, Dr.Hilal Meer (Narendra Jha), who was taken into custody by the army for harbouring militants. However, on returning home, he is distraught to find little remorse of the disappearance in his mother Ghazala (Tabu) who appears to be settling down quite well with Khurram (Kay Kay Menon), Haider's uncle and his fathers only brother. Haider sets out on a mission to find his father and unravel the mystery surrounding his disappearance. He is assisted in his quest by his childhood sweetheart and local journalist, Arshia (Shraddha Kapoor). The gentle canter of the plot finds momentum at the halfway mark with the arrival of the mysterious and almost ghostly Roohdaar (Irrfan) who contacts Haider. When he discovers the fate of his father, Haider is consumed by rage and obsessed with revenge.  

The movie sets a gradual pace through the first half to familiarise the viewers with the simmering situation situation in the valley where the daily living is punctuated by overnight curfews, frequent crackdowns, constant fear of living in the shadow of gunfire, a deep-seated dread of being included in the growing lists of those who have disappeared and a security blanket which choked the life out of this paradise. Vishal Bharadwaj and his co-writer Bhasharat Peer cast an unflinching eye on the valley when the insurgency was active to bring us the images which feel very real. 

Haider gains immensly from its excellent star cast who provide superlative performances in their roles. Shahid Kapoor brings in his best performance till date to capture a very difficult part of Haider (Hamlet) which oscillates across multiple dimensions of love, loneliness, desperation, sorrow, seething rage to seek revenge, subtle hints of Oedipal complex and being on the threshold of lunacy. He has a simmering presence and emotes well in scenes with minimal dialogue even while nailing those where he morphs into an impromptu performer as in the 'Mike Testing....' sequence. Kay Kay Menon aces the role of Khurram (Claudius) who is devious in seeking recognition and power, yet not entirely lacking in warmth. But, Haider's best performance comes from Tabu who plays Ghazala (Gertrude). She plays a complex role which is mired in mystery; a woman whose heart seems tri-sected between the three men in her life - Dr. Hilal Meer, her husband, Khurram, her brother-in-law and Haider, her son. Or, is she just another helpless woman victim in a valley beset with violence, where survival is at a premium and it is only natural that if you survive the bombing of your home, you just jump into the nearest bomb shelter to preserve your self ? There are moments where she appears to drop her guard and lets her vulnerability seep through as in some of her conversations with Haider. Shraddha Kapoor is radiant as Arshia (Ophelia) who is smitten with Haider and tries to assist him in finding his father.

Vishal Bharadwaj also adds memorable minor parts, be it Irffan playing the ghostly Roohdaar who sets the plot into motion or  Narendra Jha who effectively underplays his part of Dr. Hilal Meer or the duo (Sumit Kaul & Rajat Bhagat) who play Salman and Salman bringing some stray comic relief in an otherwise grim tale or even the elderly grave diggers.

Vishal Bharadwaj appears to be an auteur in fine form here as he morphs his world famous source and transplants it to to the troubled landscape of Kashmir to achieve dual goals of narrating a poignant tragedy even as he makes a hard hitting political commentary of a festering wound that continues to consume and singe many a lives without any signs of healing. He and his co-writer Peer capture the insecurities, distrust, anguish and phenomenal sense of loss which permeate the psyche of generations of residents of what was once a paradise on earth as in the scene where Peer himself displays the deep seated scars of a population living in perennial fear. The beautiful, yet desolate images of the snowy landscapes captured by cinematographer Pankaj Kumar combine effectively with the dialogues, haunting background score and Gulzar's lyrics set to Vishal's tunes to present the mutation of this paradise into a morbid hell for its residents. In fact, Tabu's character of Ghazala could as well be seen as a metaphor for the valley itself which is caught between its allegiance between two blood brothers, shrouded in a mysterious veil of apparent self preservation only to let the vulnerabilities show in a few moments when she reaches out to her son affectionately and protectively. While the picture presents a political commentary that need not be entirely neutral, the essence of the commentary tends to abhor violence for any reason. 

This is a tour de force in film making as Vishal Bharadwaj marshals his entire arsenal - a fine adaptation, stellar star cast acing well fleshed out characters, superb writing, bewitching cinematography, soulful score and music and much more -   to make the boldest political movie of our times to stress that revenge merely begets revenge and can never be a path to seek freedom.  

Yes, the movie does have its fair share of flaws - a languid pace, for one - just as its characters do.. Yet, just as its characters shine through their flaws, the movie too soars to hitherto uncharted trails.  

Intense, grim, dense and somber, Haider may not be a movie that would suit everyone's palette, especially those who are faint of heart  and yet, if, "To watch, or, Not to Watch" is your question, "Steel yourself and don't miss this MUST WATCH which would haunt you long after you've watched it" is my most definitive answer.

A MASTERPIECE ! A MUST WATCH !!

RATING - 4/5

GATTU (HINDI) (2011)

Gattu (Mohammad Samad) is a nine year old boy under the care of his uncle, Anees Bhai, who runs a junkyard in the small North Indian town of Roorkee, Uttarakhand. Gattu is unlettered and wants to join school, but his wish is turned down by his uncle who feels he would lose a helping hand in running the junkyard. Yet, Gattu remains a bubbly and curious kid who thinks on his feet and has a naughty streak. His passion is flying kites and he dreams of bringing down Kali, a mysterious black kite which rules the Roorke skies and has cut down all her rivals. Gattu figures that to defeat Kali, he would require a vantage point which could only be provided by the terrace of the local school. Thus, he steps into the school with a uniform which he flicks from a clothesline and tries to blend in among a group of students on an exchange program from another school. The rest of the movie shows how he manages to sustain his student act by convincing teachers as well as his classmates and his pursuit of defeating Kali. 

This is a rare movie which puts the spotlight on the world of the scores of under-privileged children who dot the rural and urban scapes of modern India and their loss of childhoods in pursuit of quelling hunger and self-sustenance. But, what is remarkable about the movie is the treatment by director Rajan Khosa who deftly helms this film and brings to the fore the problems of poverty, illiteracy and lost childhoods without ever preaching or resorting to any needless melodrama.

Mohammad Samad is endearing as Gattu with a brilliant screen presence and wide eyed wonder which could convey a multitude of expressions effortlessly. While the rest of the cast including Gattu's schoolmates are well chosen, Naresh Kumar playing Gattu's uncle Anees Bhai is particularly impressive.

Gattu proves that if one's spirit is resilient, there could be beautiful blossoms even in the heat and grime of a junkyard. Like his titular protagonist, Khosa, despite being confronted by several challenges makes the most of his limited means by wearing a sunny attitude, quick wit and clear focus on realising his dream. Khosa is particularly successful in capturing the playfulness, curiosity, and innocent bonds of childhood naturally.

Gattu is an ode to the dreams that we all carry in our hearts and as the kites in the movie, this charming movie is sure to soar in the skyline of the viewer's heart. Do watch it. I am sure you would be smiling all through and may well reconnect with the long forgotten child in you.

A MUST WATCH !!


RATING -3.5/5

THANGA MEENKAL (TAMIL) (2014)

Was watching this much acclaimed/awarded movie yesterday on TV.

While there are no doubts that it is indeed a thematically different and visually brilliant film. Yet, Ram, with his sledge hammer subtle heavy handed handling, makes this into a mind numbing MELODRAMATIC mess ! 

A HUGE letdown !!

Strange choice as the Best Tamil Film of 2013 :(

RATING - 1.5/5