The Wolf of Wall Street

This movie will be a classic. A Cult.
I didn't know Martin was capable of making such a movie.
No movie has made me sit back and soak all the information in, make me think hard about how people can be and question all that is pursued.

Leonardo delivered a brilliant performance but the direction is what makes the movie stupendous.
Oddly enough, 2 of my friends absolutely hated the movie and fell asleep, whereas my friend and I applauded the movie at every step.

The debauchery, the extravagant lifestyle, the rich vs poor debate, The wolf's ability to motivate, influence, persuade and control people, the herd-like behaviour of a bunch of people listening to a sales pitch, the extent to which drugs can destroy lives, the quarreling couple, the headiness of the money and the power and the fame, the need for the ability to have sex, the need to not lose as opposed to the propensity of winning more (losing hurts more than not winning).
And a man's need to get rich quickly, to spend lavishly and how envy is just so goddamned stupid.

And the dark dark humour in it all.
"Ya, would drive that kid to the middle of nowhere and let him out - you're free! go on!"

A very interesting personality and brilliant direction.
Brilliant choice of background scores and songs.

Homeland

The art of creating a thriller. Homeland is one of the best series I have seen. The casting, direction, screenplay, music, story - all spot on! Nothing to complain about except the pace - which eventually suits the twists that the viewer is subjected to.

Claire Danes (Carrie) has done a stupendous job - beyond stupendous. Damien Lewis (Nick Brody) has done a good job. My favourite character though is Saul Berenson played by Mandy Patinkin. He is a caring, decisive, brutal, soft spoken gentleman and ruffian all rolled into one. His equation with Mira is the stuff of great emotional content. In the last episode of the 2nd season, when Mira tells Saul that she is coming to the US, Saul says 'Yes'. No triumph, no happiness, just plain relief.

Homeland touches the viewer at so many different levels and makes the viewer question each possibility. A true masterpiece. But as it goes with so many shows, the odds are that they fk things up in the next few seasons...

Listen Amaya

I had to see this movie because of Farooq Sheikh and Deepti Naval. I saw it today and I was a little disappointed. The story was good, but they made a mess of how the daughter handles the change in her life. The music was rubbish because of its placement and the unnecessary songs (as they do with so many Hindi movies) - I enjoyed the cinematography and the screenplay at times, like the time that Deepti narrates her story to her daughter. The movie was half an hour too long...

The reason I am writing though is because of Farooq Sheikh. I wouldn't say that he is a fantastic actor, but I will say that he is an actor you want to fall in love with. Something so blithely adorable about the guy and the way he creates his character.
He was a good guy. A plain good guy in the city of New Delhi who saw the beauty in the people about him, he spread a smile and a warmth in others. As he walked away with Amaya towards the end and didn't say a word, I saw in him a good life. An honest life lived truly, lovingly and a dash of humour in the simple things we take for granted.

A good life is what we strive for towards the end. Nobody knows when illness will come by, and death will take away a loved one, or a financial crisis will throw us off - all we can do is control who we choose to be. A good life is one that is lived consciously.

All in all, a cute movie - see it for Farooq Sheikh.
For me, it was another eye opener.

Closer

Is love a creation? Are humans always in pursuit of that which they don't have and especially of that which they can't have...? May be things like alcohol in prohibition or restricted drugs?

The law of the land enforces monogamy and somewhere, humans have started believing that monogamy makes sense; for most cultures, multiple partners had been the norm for a long time and then things began to change as humans started living in societies and the concept of materialism reared its ugly head.

Another issue that this movie raised for me was about sex.
Could sex really be that desirable? Could sex really be that much of an issue such that it could hurt a man's ego? May be this movie says a lot about the India that is becoming.

Jude Law, Natalie Portman (didn't think she would have had such a brilliant body) and Clive Owen were phenomenal. One can see Clive's potential on the real stage. I have never liked Julia Roberts. Alas.

The movie is not for the masses because it demands patience and thought. Parts need to be glued together to make sense and one is left wondering how it will end and often, how it is still progressing. Something very operatic about the movie, like a tragedy. It ends with the godess that is Natalie.

Can't take my eyes off of you.

Looper

Finally - a sci-fi movie!! :D
Sad premise and quite illogical but engrossing nonetheless.
I am not a movie reviewer but I do like movies that make me write - this is one such movie.

The music was top-notch, the direction was oddly brilliant - had not heard of Rian Johnson until this movie, wonderful characters and it seems that Jason Levitt has a promising future.

As I was watching the movie, I thought of the mother and her kid and wondered if protection could be that strong; I thought of Willis' longing for his wife. I also thought of the plague that affects humans who are unable to focus on a good movie and then have to ask others for explanations for a simple story. I also thought of how cool that blunderbuss gun was!! And about how such a wicked kid could warrant affection...

I am a troubled little human being I am.

Barfi!

Ranbir Kapoor is one of the better mainstream actors in India today, it is because of him that the movie works, because his character is central to the movie. Yes, the movie is too long (thank you PVR for your soggy popcorn - it keeps me active) and one knew of Pritam because of those idiots playing some music while the movie played on.
Ranbir plays the role of Barfi effortlessly at times - the director did a good job with him and much appreciation for the director Anurag Basu for not making it an emotional drama with respect to the deaf and mute condition of the lead actor.
I liked Priyanka Chopra just because she had the nerve to dump her glamorous avatar and take up one of an autistic child who is also dyslexic, seems stupid, stutters and also has Freddie Mercury teeth.
Ileana D'Cruz is an Indian hottie and I like her Indian dressed-up avatar.
Saurabh Shukla is brilliant!!
Papon's Kyon is one of my favourite songs from the movie and so is the intro song of "Picture Shuru"

What I did not like - Chaplin copies, sure one could say, "We paid homage to Chaplin..."
Stuff from the Notebook - blatantly copied.
The entire love triangle and Ileana's inability to get over her love for a deaf-mute Barfi was unreasonable.

What I loved - I have already mentioned this but Ranbir's performance was quite awesome. I like the way he could dance, seem comical and non-sensical, comb his hair, make fun of others and act like a much loved much hated fiend of a small town in India. He always wanted to live a full life they said. The character could not have existed in real life, but one hopes that such a character one lived.

Barfi! is also India's official entry to the Oscars. This, for me, is disappointing. The movie is not exquisite and I believe it has been chosen as India's entry because of the selectors' perception of what an international audience would like. I believe that Indian movies are generally made for Indian audiences and hence an Indian entry should be one that speaks of India, not like a Salman Khan movie but like an Ab Tak Chappan which speaks of Indian society.

True Grit

I am fascinated by history. Ture Grit is a remake of a 1960s movie and I think also inspired by a novel. The story is simple - dude killed unfairly, his daughter is angry and wants to take some revenge; she hires an old marshall to find the killer in order to kill him.
The Wild Wild West was indeed wild. There was honour and animalistic behaviour. I liked the girl's performance and the Jeff was outstanding. Still don't know how he did a drunkard so well :)
The reason I had to write about this movie is that towards the end (because the end is simply cinematic awesomeness) I was peering into my laptop screen - took me a while to realise that I was literally drawn to the movie.
A particular scene right at the very end made me say, "Damn... no wonder this movie was named True Grit".

Ilhaam

Every thought is unique. Similar to how everyone who saw this play would have thought of different things.

There is a time when the world flows into you, when you can sense everything around you and understand all that there is; when that happens, things that used to matter, cease to matter in the same way. What would you do if you were to choose between moksha and bondage to human societal life?
/I can't be here and there at the same time... that is what humans want./
/Kya poori duniya aa kar tumse kehti hai... main hoon...?/

There is a joy in being a kid and there is regret in seeing that innocence in somebody else.
Someone weird is just someone who does not conform to accepted norms of human societal behaviour. Epilepsy was deemed madness, homosexuals are still not treated well, cross-dressers are not accepted, autistic people are scary, deformed faces are revolting. Odd people exist because of the categorization by other people who form the majority.

Moving to another point; what would you do if your loved one goes insane, i.e. you can't understand/ tolerate him/ her? What happens when that someone does not appreciate your presence?
What is the similarity between someone who treats you badly and someone who suffers from dementia or Alzheimer's? Are you liable to take care of a loved one more because of your love or because of society? What would you do if you realised you were losing control over your sanity?

Ilhaam is a play that I saw at Prithvi Theatre yesterday. One of the best I have seen in a while. A note to the buffoons who like to text and email while the play is on - one fine day, you might be shot or stabbed by someone like me.

The Dark Knight Rises

Spoiler Alert - Stay Away from this post.

"I have buried enough members of the Wayne family." The agony on Bruce's face tears up the viewer. For me, this movie was not about the glorious action, but just like "The Dark Knight", it was about human behvaiour and emotions.
The first line above was said by Alfred while he is controlling his tears. Bruce could not move on after Rachel's demise and the ones who loved Bruce always hoped that he would leave things behind and move on. Alfred spoke of how he wished Bruce never came back to Gotham.
Christian Bale is one of the best young actors that Hollywood has.
Tom Hardy is a wonderful Bane and Bane is as good as he should be. Calculated and sturdy. 
Anne Hathaway is a wonderful, voluptuous, enticing Catwoman?
Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a new kid on the block and does a fantastic Blake (Robin)
I was surprised at how gripping the movie was. Chicago is the perfect Gotham City; the action scenes are stupendous and the naysayers may say what they want to, but Hans Zimmer created outstanding music - especially towards the end and the music that usually accompanied Bane.
The plot was so-so but the idea was quite Shakespearen with the downfall of society.

How did the citizens feel when their city collapsed?
What did Alfred go through for 8 years after Rachel's loss and Bruce's degradation?
Why was Mr. Fox so loyal?
Did Commissioner Gordon really inspire Bruce so much?
What did people say when they found out about Harvey Dent's truth?
Why did Miranda do all she had to?
How did Bruce spend his years in pain?
What allowed him to escape the pit?

And the Batplane is fit for the 21st century!!! Wooohooooooo
Well done Christopher Nolan.
Side note: Anne Hathaway in stilettos (in the beginning of the movie) - oooooh laaaa laaaa

Dosar

I love human relations. The movie kept things vague and kept one engrossed with the questions or comments: "What is she going to do/ say? How is he going to respond? Why is this woman suffering an abusive husband? Who was Mita? Yeah sure, now he wants her back... Who are these two? Yeah, the prostitute makes sense... I think."
Wonderful symbolism and art meshed with a good story. Don't know why he did a B/W film, but read somewhere that he did it just for kicks...
"Here's the pack of condoms; my wife won't need it. Your husband might." Ghosh seems to do a wonderful job with personalities and close-ups. Aaaah... Bengali movies...

The Artist

So they decided to make a silent movie in 2011/12 and it won the Oscar for best movie. Well deserved! The silent movie managed to grip my attention throughout and I don't know why... I have a feeling that if it was a 'talkie', it wouldn't have been that powerful a movie.
I was simply mesmerized with the detailing and the sets and even the behaviour of people throughout the movie. The font in the newspapers, the clothing, the hair of the women, the cars, the homes, the sidewalks... The bulky actor suited the 1920s, the actress - Berenice Bejo - OMG!! I was quite impressed by her performance. She oozed of sex appeal, her body language cried of oomph and damn, she had one expressive face. There were moments in the movie where I literally gasped when she would strike a pose or express an emotion.
The story was simple. A leading proud actor falls behind the times. "Talking" movies would soon replace the era of silent movies - similar to how 3D movies will soon kill 2D movies - and this guy is a silent movie actor; the audience now wants new, young faces. Dude slips into depression along with the economy (1929/30); Berenice Bejo loves him secretly.. climax scenes... It's not an extraordinary plot, but it's a fantastic motion picture. The old ways were simple, and life seemed to proceed along just fine... movie makes one think along those lines...

Addendum: Berenice Bejo did not win the best supporting actress award at the Oscars but daym... some of her poses in that skinny frame of hers with those wonderful eyes and high bones of the face... ooooo laa laaaa

J. Edgar

One of the beauties of hollywood lies in the justice it can serve to historical movies. The biopic J. Edgar may well go down in history as a memorable creation. It was hard to imagine such an authentic recreation of the past. Leonardo is, as always, stupendous but somewhere, he ought-did himself. And it's not about the makeup, it's about scenes that become memorable.
When he cries in fear and calls Miss Gandy into his office, he makes her promise to keep safe the secret files.
To be honest, yes it was slow and might be considered boring by some. Comments from an audience member such as, "That is so gay.", during such a movie ruin the experience.
The movie did justice to portraying J. Edgar's motivations, personal flaws, progress through his personal life, his insecurities and his emotional disorders.
My ability to write about movies has deteriorated, if ever it was any good. :)

The Pursuit of Happyness

Few movies I have loved as I have this one. The viewer may well forget that it is the same Will Smith from Independence Day. The story is a quintessential rags to riches story, without the riches; that is because the story ends as soon as the protagonist gets a job :)
The story is about Chris Gardner who had above-average intelligence, circumstances led him to a life as a salesman, living with his wife/ partner and his son; it's a true story of a guy by the same name. Troubles with his wife/ partner, difficulties accepting his situation, his reliance on an obsolete technology he is trying to sell, his experiences trying to make ends meet (quite literally) and his journey through a six-month unpaid internship forms the basis for this movie's story.
He loses a shoe when he is hit by a car as he is chasing a 'bum' who had stolen his portable bone density scanner.
He is forced to live in the restroom of a subway train station.
He arrives for a job interview with white paint on his face after being released from jail - the crime, unpaid parking tickets.

Will Smith played an outstanding part, unbelievably convincing and quite heartening. Favourite quotes (aah, I love them):
Christopher Gardner: It was right then that I started thinking about Thomas Jefferson on the Declaration of Independence and the part about our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And I remember thinking how did he know to put the pursuit part in there? That maybe happiness is something that we can only pursue and maybe we can actually never have it. No matter what. How did he know that?

Christopher Gardner: This part of my life... this little part, is called happiness.

One of my all-time favourites.

Zombieland

Alas. This be a movie that will fade away, but it be so precious :'(
It is an outstanding creation and I say it with a lot of sincerity. The humour associated with 'monster' movies has been dry and repetitive; the humour in this movie is phenomenal. Casting Jesse Eisenberg of "The Social Network" fame was brilliant.
Rules of surviving in zombieland. For example, "Do Cardio, it's the fatties who go first." One needs to be really high to come up with statements such as this.
Enticing zombies with a eukele? Using chainsaws? Having a fetish for twinkies? A zombie in a bikini? Cute little zombie girls?
Woody Harrelson (one might remember him as the zonked dude from 2012) and Abigail (from Little Miss Sunshine) have outstanding roles, especially Woody. As I write this, I am laughing.

"Gotta enjoy the little things"

127 Hours

Too many spoilers. Read at will.

My eyes were wet twice during the movie; first during the flooding scene and the next actually made me flinch, when the family of 3 start running towards Aron (James Franco).
The movie itself didn't impress me for the first half but Danny Boyle did something brilliant towards the second. Cropping three scenes into once frame, the music, Sigur Ros and AR Rehman and Jame Franco outdid himself.
During the first half I liked James but not too much, during the second he blew me away. I loved the flashbacks, the dreams/ hallucinations, Rehman's background score. I knew, like many others that he makes it out alive but the movie still gripped me.
It will definitely be a memorable movie. Cheers to Aron Ralston and the spirit within us all.

Special mention to the flashbacks and hallucinations. Absolutely brilliant.

There are odd things I liked about the movie:
The fact that none of the girls were pretty.
The masturbation scene. Some would be humoured by it and I thought it completely natural - momentary pleasure can be wonderful.
The way Aron ran off after saying goodbye to the girls towards the beginning of the movie.
The flashback when he chose not to receive his mother's phone call.
The premonition of him with his son.
The way Aron kisses the hooks when he approaches the cliff after he had sawed off his hand.
How swiftly the canyon flooded, how easily he freed himself and how believably he made it to his girlfriend's house just for the audience to understand that it's some sort of a dream.
The ants on his face.
How the audience is forced to gasp when he drops his bottle of water.

Cannot forget how the family of three ran towards him :) - That scene just gnawed at me from my insides. Something so animalistic about how they ran to help Aron.