Note: Originally written in November 2015
It's an interesting premise that the makers of this film set for it. It almost seems like, at a pre-production meeting, screenwriter Aaron Sorkin established that he is here to have fun with this script, in a very theatrical sense. And that director Danny Boyle jumped with excitement at the mere mention of fun. I say that because this flick is quaintly unlike the ventures Sorkin has long been engaged in. It still has all the trademark Sorkin features to it, a quick paced narrative, very strong and striking dialogue, intelligent characters, long tracking shots of characters talking while walking and above all, oodles of energy. This also brings in the interesting template in which this film packs most significant events from two decades of Steve Jobs' life into three product launch events and the pertinent backstage happenings. That unfolds into a very interestingly, heavily dramatized version of a biography which is thankfully more drama than biopic. Thankfully because director Danny Boyle fills the drama up with buckets of passion and heart. He is a gifted artist who can bring charm into a flick by means of quirkiness. And that's what he does here, with skewed camera angles, quick flashback cuts, moody interiors, characters gorgeously flawed yet full of life and a well picked soundtrack. The original music by Daniel Pemberton and the cinematography by Alwin H. Kuchler ably guide the film along. Fassbender, Winslet and Daniels are more than up for their jobs here (no pun intended) but Seth Rogen surprises mightily with his rare turn in a serious role. In many ways, this film is like glorious theater. It assumes an interesting premise and fills it up with exciting drama. One of those mere reasons why a lot of us fall in love with the movies. Check out more on the film at IMDB and Letterboxd.
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Note: Originally written in October 2015
In a very visceral way, this film's last 15 minutes bring everything that was in the proceedings of the flick before then to a full circle. The characters find unusual redemption, the story finds a climactic excellence and the background score, a scintillating crescendo. These 15 minutes pack so much, in a very right fashion, that elsewhere through the flick feel like haphazard intrusions. This is when, in a nice surge, one realizes how the entire flick was so deliberately narrated, with its tonal variances, its cut-aways, flashbacks and flash-forwards, et al. Karthik Subbaraj, is more Danny Boyle than Quentin Tarantino, in this amusingly funny, yet gritty pulp flick. And that is a good thing, coz he manages to give the flick oodles full of heart. Siddharth plays his usual self, where he is not a humongous asset to the flick but a driving force for yet another good indie script to come to fruition. The soundtrack and camera work are part grungy part melancholic, yet very beautiful. Bobby Simha received a well deserved National Award for Best Supporting Actor for the flick. And it is him, spearheading everything else, that makes those 15 minutes and then, in retrospect, the rest of the flick so damn endearing. "Jigarthanda" is now streaming for free on Youtube. Catch more on the flick at IMDB and Letterboxd. Note: Originally written in September 2015
Watching Alexander Payne's "Nebraska" is like browsing through a very old family picture book, with people who are in those pictures. You not only get to see the people from erstwhile times, but also hear stories of their good times, the bad times, their idiosynchracies, merits and flaws. You recognize the humor that was between them and at the same time acknowledge the rifts in the relations that prevailed. 'Nebraska' is surely such a picture album portraying the life and times of Woody Grant, played so emphatically by Bruce Dern. He's so good at this role that he pulls of the pride of a lifetime in a single grimace in a comical bar scene, where he is applauded for supposedly winning a million dollars in a raffle. This raffle win, is the intelligent device around which screenwriter Bob Nelson creates the aforementioned portrayal of the life of Woody Grant. Through this, we get to experience his childhood, his family, his fancies, his whims and his penultimate aspirations for life. Will Forte and June Squibb add in a much affable dimension to the proceedings, the latter more so. The film is shot in gorgeous black and white, that sub-textually justifies my argument about the film being an old picture book. And just like with a picture book, one is left with a smile, a nostalgic tinge and a bittersweet longing as the movie concludes. Read more on the film at IMDB and Letterboxd. |
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