The Tashkent Files (2019) [Hindi] : India's Biggest Conspiracy Theory, a must watch, but with a pinch of Salt

The Tashkent Files is a political Conspiracy Theory, a movie genre so rare in Indian films that this fact itself makes it imperative that one watches this movie. 

As the film shows so aptly, we all know 2nd October as Mahatma Gandhi's birthday. But why don't most of us remember, or even are aware that it is also the birthday of Lal Bahadur Shastri, the 2nd Prime Minister of India? The movie succeeded in making me go and look up his page on Wikipedia, with a new respect for this oft-unsung hero of the soil. As the protagonist in the film asks: "If India is a country of Gandhiji and Nehru, then why is it not the country of Shastriji?", as I read the article about India winning the Indo-Pak War of 1965 under the able leadership of this great man, I do wonder - really, why not?

Giving short glimpses into his achievements and virtues (after all, how many of us knew that "All he owned at the end was an old car, which he had bought in instalments from the government and for which he still owed money" - wikipedia) the movie does reacquaint us with the great leader, and succeeds in bringing him back into the ever volatile current Indian social consciousness. But the most important part the movie tries to tackle is not his extraordinary life, but his mysterious death.

The 2nd Prime Minister of the biggest democracy, wins the war with it's hostile neighbour, signs a peace treaty with the enemy on a foreign land, and dies on the very same day. And there is neither a post-mortem nor an inquiry? Even a kid would cry foul play. The government maintains that his death was due to a heart attack. The movie questions this official stand, successfully building evidence to make us doubt the circumstances of Shastriji's death.

The movie is based on research and book by Anuj Dhar, who is also the author of the famous book "India's Biggest Cover-up" (remember Raj Kumar Rao in the web series "Bose: Dead / Alive"?). So, the facts presented are well-researched and convincing. But not some of the conclusions, which clearly reek of the director Vivek Agnihotri's Right wing inclinations. This is the one little unfortunate bad trait, that soured one of my most satisfying movie experience in recent years.

The movie starts off with an interesting premise, flounders on the way, and ends with a bang full of both common sense and non-sense. The facts and hypotheses presented in the movie are very convincing, and leaves the viewer indignant with shame at how we, the common man (the majority "no one", as termed in the movie) are fooled by the powers that be, into believing that which is not true. And the movie successfully attacks all things that are not right in the current state of affairs of our society - right from the politicians who exploit our prejudices to rule us and manipulate us as a nation, to the intellectuals and the media who willingly or unwittingly become their pawns in the Great Game, to the racists whose prejudices are played upon by these selfish politicians to achieve their own gains, to the gullible justice system that sits blindly - knowing all, seeing nothing, to the fake news and social media, which makes a joke and a joker out of all of us who foolishly believe in the digital bullshit floating around the net. It mercilessly lays bare all these pain points that haunt our nation and our society. But then, in the end, it goes one step too far, as those who are not too dazzled by the final revelations will note that its is a pathetic attempt at promoting certain political right-wing ideals. It is almost subtle, this attempt at hiding the ulterior motive of spreading certain political agenda, I agree. But the smell of bullshit cannot hide for long behind the best of fragrances. 

Why am I so vehement in my critique for this movie? Because I feel for the cause that this movie stands for - to finally bring out the truth behind the death of the great and humble son of our soil. To lay bare the dirtiness of politics, national and international, both - that will go to any lengths to ensure the profits of a few and the blinding of the majority common populace. And this little right-wing propaganda ruined, at least for me, what would have proved to be one of the best movies to come out of that ocean of unoriginal celebrity tripe that is Bollywood.

The final twist just goes to prove what the movie claims - no one know whom they are working for, not even the ones for whom you are working for. We are all puppets, manipulated by the puppeteers - the politicians who would sell us progress, exploit our racist mindsets, make us their pawns, letting us believe that we control them by our power to vote and to raise our voice, in their support or against them. We think we can make a difference, all the while doing exactly what "they" want us to do. For that little insight, I give this movie an extra star...

My Rating: 4

Nagrik [2015] Marathi - as shocking as Life, as difficult as Truth

This is the story of the everyday life, from the High places to the underbelly of the city of Mumbai, as seen through the eyes of a Reporter who writes a political column named 'Nagrik'.

"Nagrik" means Citizen. This is the story of that citizen who struggles to expose the truth through his journalism, only to get swept aside like an inconsequential and irritating housefly by the politicos and the rich. It is the story of that citizen who has to make a choice between making a decent living and being truthful to his ideals. A story of that citizen who has spent his life fighting a losing fight against the injustice to the poor worker like himself. It is the sordid tale of that citizen who is unscrupulous in his hunger for power. Too, of that rich builder who will stoop to any level to quench his depraved thirst. It is the story of that poor citizen who is happy to trade the life of his one child in order to save the rest of his kids.

Naming the movie "Nagrik" is quite misleading. They should instead have named it "Life". For, instead of entertaining us, as a movie is supposed to, this flick will leave you squirming in your seat, as it holds a mirror in front of us and makes us see the sordid side of our daily lives. That sordid part which we conveniently choose to ignore as we go about our business of living with a blind over our eyes.

Or maybe, they should have named it the "Truth". For, just like the truth, this movie is difficult to discern and even more difficult to digest, not to mention unsavory and downright ugly. It shows us that, which is right there in front of our eyes, and yet, its so dirty, so real, so fucking clear as the air and the sky, that we choose not to face it. We go about living our lives, blissfully turning a blind eye to the truth around us. Truth, about the perverted and insidious nature of greed that encompasses our politicians, rich-men and god-men alike.

The acting is brilliant. Performances by the dynamic Sachin Khedekar, the veterans Dr. Sriram Lagu, Sulabha Deskhpande and Dilip Prabhavalkar, and even Milind Soman in a negative role, are all executed so perfectly. The direction is quite decent. The dialogues are packed with dynamite. 

And yet, somewhere down the line, the movie fizzles out, as it tries to be as faithful to the real life as possible. And that is where, it fails the viewer who has come in expecting some good action and fireworks. That, and the optimistic, yet unrealistic and abrupt ending. Which is why, this movie is not for everyone. Do not go in expecting some nice action from Sachin Khedekar like he delivered in "Me Shivajiraje Bhosale Boltoy". Instead, be ready to come out with a sense of unease.

We go around our daily lives, earning our bread, chasing our dreams, looking out for "me and my own". And in that process, we become a part of the system. A system where we are supposed to turn a blind eye to the ugly truth. A system where you scratch my back and I will scratch yours, thank you. A system which eats you up and spits you out into oblivion, if you ever dare to oppose what you think is wrong. You do not dare to open your eyes. For if you do, you will see the vile relationship of Man and Greed. Try to change it and the system will change you instead. Or drive you insane. For the sake of your sanity, you quickly close your eyes again, drop your pants and welcome the inevitable pain that has become the part of your life as an Employee and as a Citizen. A system of the Rich, by the Rich, and for the Rich.

The film exposes the ugly underbelly of that system. And that is why it leaves you with a sense of unease. Unentertaining, yet extremely important. Better seen once than let it vanish into oblivion. Failure as a movie, yet shamelessly successful as an eyeopener...

My Rating: 3

Irada [2017] (Hindi) - It was not A Wednesday!

"Jalte ghar ko dekhne walon, phoos ka chappar aapka hai ... aag ke peeche tezz hawa, aage muqadar aapka hai" 

(Loose translation: "All of you looking at the burning house, remember even your roofs are made of grass. The wind is blowing behind the blaze, who knows what fate awaits you down the line?")

With this dire warning starts Irada...

An ex-Army officer loses his daughter to Cancer. An RTI activist disappears after being warned off by goons. The activist's girlfriend publicly insults a big-shot business tycoon, accusing him for silencing her boyfriend and blaming him and his factory for illegally disposing off dangerous waste. Soon after, there is a massive blast in the Factory. An NIA officer is called in to investigate the blast. The CM, whose campaigns are generously funded by the business tycoon, wants the case solved as soon as possible, so that the businessman can claim the Insurance money. Is it a terrorist act? If so then which terrorist group is responsible for it? So starts an investigation that was supposed to be a simple open-and-shut case. But as he gathers evidence, the NIA officer begins to question whether there is more to the blast than a mere terrorist act?

The film is a detective story about this investigation. But truth be told, it doesn't really take a detective to figure out what's going on in the movie. Some claim that its a thriller. But do not watch it expecting a lot of thrills and action. This is certainly not one of those racy mindless action thrillers Bollywood churns out every month. And it is certainly not A Wednesday! But there are undertones to the movie that just cannot be ignored. What one of the characters in the movie says about the city, can also be said about the film - "Ye shahar jitna zameen ke uppar hain na....utnaa hi Zameen ke niche hai". There is more to it than meets the eye. There is as much to the movie under the story than what appears in the story itself.

Irada was not a box office success. People went in expecting a movie like A Wednesday! - and they were sorely disappointed. Which is understandable because, truth be told, even I was disappointed during the first half of the movie. Its like you went in expecting a kadak chai (piping hot strong tea) and instead landed up with lukewarm kaadha (medicinal decoct). It is only later that you realize that the kaadha really did you more good than the chai, and left a mild but entirely pleasant aftertaste. But Indian tastes are so blunted by the excessive bollywood masala that we are incapable of appreciating the fine aromas of movies with actual substance.

The movie boasts a pretty rock-solid cast of veteran actors. Arshad Warsi plays the role of the cocky NIA officer, who plays cool even in face of pressure from the Chief Minister. Naseeruddin Shah is portrayed as an ex-army officer, who loses his daughter to cancer, and may possibly have a role to play in the blast that took out the factory. Sharad Kelkar appears in the role of the powerful, highly influential and stereotypical corrupt business tycoon who owns the said factory. And Divya Dutta has superbly enacted the role of a corrupt Chief Minister, who is hand-in-glove with the corrupt business tycoon. She succeeds in portraying a really bad-ass antagonist that the audience can hate. But the movie fails to give us a protagonist the audience can root for. And this is probably what turned off many of us. With such a dynamite cast, one can't blame the audience for expecting big bangs and fireworks, some good face offs between the virtuous and the sleazy, and the ultimate showdown between good and evil. But all the characters appear underplayed. Even the NIA officer played so well by Arshad Warsi appears hand-tied in most situations. The director had the finest armory of big guns and bazookas. And yet, we are left wanting for some good old-fashioned action. But patience pays off. And by the time the final credits are rolling, we realize that the movie failed to utilize the fire-power of the great actors on purpose. Because it knows that a well timed and well placed single sniper shot is more effective than rockets and mortar.

I read a few reviews that state that the characters are mere cliched caricatures. Of course they are cliched, because they are all side characters. They are not as important as the central character of the movie. And the reviewers all tend to miss it. It makes a brief appearance but leaves a lasting impression because the director and the script writer have taken the pains to portray it at the cost of losing out on unnecessary drama and masala. The central character in this movie is the Punjab Cancer Train. If, like me, you had never ever heard of it before, then that is the glaring testimony of why this film is so relevant. And once you watch this movie, the way you look at our "Wheat Bowl of India", will never be the same again. And if the movie succeeds to do this, then its characterization was just perfect, I tell you.

It would be unfair to compare this movie with A Wednesday! (which is a brilliant movie in its own right), because, though the two films try to tackle socially relevant topics in a similar fashion, the topic that Irada tries to tackle is, I feel, much more relevant and impacting to our future, than the one tackled by A Wednesday!. While A Wednesday! is any time a better thriller and a better entertainer than Irada, I congratulate the Irada team for taking the efforts to highlight a topic which, despite it's seriousness and grave implications, has hardly received any media attention at all.

The movie had the potential to be a good thriller. But the makers purposefully chose to keep out excessive dramatics and unnecessary macho action scenes. With Naseeruddin Shah, one would have expected some virtuous rhetoric. Instead we are just treated with him quoting poems and shayaris. But here is the thing - the poems (just like the one that appears at the very start of the movie) are a warning. So is the movie... A wake up call meant for the people of this nation who have mastered the not-so-subtle art of not giving a fuck beyond me-and-my-own-in-today's-date.

All great movies open our eyes and make us see the world in a different light. Irada might not be a very entertaining thriller, but in doing this, it succeeds with flying colours.

My Rating: 3.5

Ventilator [2016] (Marathi) - Comic as well as touching, pure family entertainment

A prominent director is about to host a screening for the famous celebrity Priyanka Chopra when the bad news comes in. His favourite Gajya Kaka (uncle) suffered a sudden brain hemorrhage and has been put on Ventilator. He hastes to the hospital. Turns out he is not the only family member to do so... The hospital waiting area soon fills up with near and distant relative. Some who care. Some who have their own ulterior agendas. News travels to the native village and a retinue of relatives leave from there posthaste. Some are concerned about the Ganapati festival that's right round the corner. Some are concerned about property disputes that would erupt post Gaju Kaka's death... Hardly anyone gives a thought as to why Gaju Kala was put on the ventilator in the first place. Its been a long time since our famous and busy protagonist has been amidst all these relatives together. Meeting all these quirky characters is a bit overwhelming. Gaju Kaka's son is too busy frying fish for his own career in politics. The fact that all wasn't well between him and Gaju kaka doesn't help. And there is the friction with his own father that the protagonist has to contend with... Will Gaju kaka ever get well?

The first half of the movie is a nonstop ride of fun and frolic as we are treated to a host of weirdest and zaniest characters from Gaju Kaka's nearest to the most distant relatives. A collection of quirky characters that make up almost every big family in the world... Exasperating, endearing individuals who are difficult to live with and maybe even more difficult to live without... The movie captures their quirks and presents them to us in a refreshingly comic fashion, without overdoing it... The underlying satire of people being their usual selves even in the backdrop of a grave emergency in the family makes it both funny as well as a social commentary about us humans. It portrays all these characters in a perfect mix of love, care and greed - the three emotions that define us all most...

In the second half the movie takes a serious turn. While they wait for the neuro-surgeon, observing and interacting with all the near and distant relatives and friends is an eye-opening and humbling experience for our protagonist. The ties that bind a father and a son are not always straight and simple. They are sometimes full of kinks and knots. While he watches these kinks straighten and knots unravel between Gaju kaka and his son, the protagonist slowly begins to understand and appreciate the fragility of the ties under all those knots... And this helps him reconcile his differences with his own father...

This movie is a pure tear-jerker - i.e. It will make you cry with laughter. And at the same time it will also make you shed a tear or two as you begin to empathize and relate with the characters therein.

Most of the actors have acted quite well. Which was to be expected when the movie boasts of a mammoth ensemble of some of the best Marathi actors - including stalwarts like Viju Khote, Usha Nadkarni, Sukanya Kulkarni-Mone, Shashank Shende, etc. The lead protagonist - through whose eyes we see the saga unfold - is played by Ashutosh Gowarikar. And while I will maintain that Ashutosh is a much better director than he is an actor (which he himself agreed in an interview), I would also state that - to be fair, returning to acting after such a huge gap, he has performed quite well. Jitendra Joshi, who plays the role of Gaju Kaka's son has also performed quite well.

Special appearances by Priyanka Chopra and Boman Irani adds some bollywood zing to the movie - not necessary, but good to have...

Marathi contemporary cinema is known to shy away from the usual bullshit that we come across nowadays in bollywood movies. The same can be said about this one. While some of the comic scenes appear farfetched, they are still much better than the lame comedy that bollywood comes up with nowadays. The story touches the heart, mainly because one can relate to it. Its realistic and does not venture into the usual over-dramatic bollywood masala crap. There is not a single dull moment, and the story never ever once loses its momentum. Its a fun and heart-touching ride all the way.

Certainly worth watching at least once, this is a pure family entertainer that can be enjoyed by everyone in the family - from grandchildren to grandparents.

My Rating:3

Phobia [2016] (Hindi) - An extremely well-executed psychological thriller

A woman suffering from a severe case of agoraphobia - fear of the outside world, suspects that a killer is stalking her. She is scared to get out of her house. And, stuck in her lonely flat that has become both her sanctuary and her prison, she is afraid the killer may strike her any time. Talk about being caught between a rock and a hard place...

Is she imagining things? Is her agoraphobic mind playing tricks with her? Or is there someone watching her? Entering her fortress when she is asleep? Is her neighbour a psychotic killer? Or is she just being paranoid? Is there some supernatural presence lurking in her lonely abode - that makes things go bump in the night, or even in broad daylight, for that matter? Or is she going stark raving mad?

This is an intricately crafted, multi-layered mystery that explores exactly what its name suggests - phobia, extreme fear... The story is tightly woven and well-crafted. Supported by extremely good acting and perfect direction, this is one of the best movies to appear in this as-yet-unexplored genre in Hindi films.

Both, the script and the editing, ensures that there is not a boring moment in the whole movie. Augmented with well-sketched and sometimes quirky characters, almost every moment in the movie offers some form of entertainment. Some quirky characters like Vikki, a teenage neighbour, that lighten the otherwise dark and tense atmosphere. They add funny moments in the movie, which makes one laugh and relieves the builtup tension. But thankfully these moments are not overdone - which would have ruined the movie.

The character of the main protagonist has been very successfully enacted by Radhika Apte, an extremely good actress. Aided by a strong script, she successfully makes us empathize with the character of Mehek, depicting her fragile psychological condition, her fears, her struggle to understand whether what's happening to her is real or just her mind playing games, and her formidable spirit and will in trying to over come these psychological barriers.

It is a difficult task to include supernatural elements into the plot and then manage to tie everything up without landing up with illogical and unbelievable nonsense. The writer has made a great effort to achieve this feat. And the director has depicted it well enough for the common layman to understand the reasoning behind the story. Everything ties up well in the end and appears to make perfect sense. I did not stumble upon any loose ends -which are common in these type of movies.

The film depicts the struggle of people suffering from Agoraphobia like none other has in the history of Hindi films. Though it manages to just scrape the tip of the Agoraphobia iceberg, it does manage to give us a glimpse into a psychological disorder that most people don't even know exists.

There is a 2013 English movie with the same name, and pretty similar plot. Which makes one suspect whether the plot for this movie was maybe copied from or inspired by this one. I have not seen the 2013 English movie (IMDB link). But I have a hunch that even if this was inspired by that movie, it is still a better executed artwork.

For the longest time, Hindi films have managed to churn up utter tripe that gets sold solely by the power of the Superstars and Kids, Inc (read, the Khans, the Kapoors, the Kumars and the rest of the stardom gang). Forget about poor acting, amateurish direction or physics-defying action, even the script and the story are shallow and childish. It is only recently that they have started exploring new ideas, with good actors, writers and directors breaking new ground. Psychological thrillers in Hindi films have mostly been mundane and same-old-stuff. But in the past few years movies like Karthik Calling Karthik are expanding the horizons of this oft misrepresented genre. And Phobia takes it to a whole new level with its brilliant script, extraordinary actors and superb direction.

This movie is certainly not for everyone. While it makes for a good scary / suspense movie, one cannot approach it for simple mindless entertainment. There is possibly a mild dose of the supernatural involve. And the final resolution, while unique and unexpected, may not be digestable to a few. But if you like movies with supernatural overtones, that make sense even as they make you hold on to your seat and avoid crying out loud, then you will certainly enjoy it as much as I did.

My Rating: 4

Before I Wake [2016] (English) - A great idea, poorly executed

A couple, Jessie and Mark Hobson trying to cope with the death of their infant son, adopt a child - a little boy named Cody. The kid is a bit reserved at first. But they try their best to make him as comfortable and welcome as possible. And slowly but surely the kid starts to open up. All is going well... But not quite...

Why is the kid trying his best to stay awake at night, alone in his room? And on nights, when he does fall asleep, strange things start happening. Does the boy possess a supernatural gift? And, they discover that this gift turns into a horrific nightmare...

At the beginning, the movie subtly but successfully depicts the pain that parents can go through, when they lose a child. The father is trying to cope by immersing himself in the daily chores that need to be done. The heartbroken mother is still to come to grips with the loss of her child. Attending alcoholics-anonymous-like meetings with other parents who have lost their kids; battling insomnia; unable to forget the memory of their lost child. What appears to most critics as no chemistry between the couple, is actually the two trying to cope with the tragedy in their own different Martian and Venusian ways, trying hard to not let it rip their marriage apart.

The kid with a beautiful but eventually nightmarish supernatural gift is also portrayed pretty nicely. Jacob Tremblay has acted the part pretty nicely, depicting a kid with a weight on his shoulders - who knows his gift can cause harm and tries so hard to control it.

The movie explores the theme of loss of a loved one. The anguish and the inability to cope with it has been depicted nicely. The movie could have delved deeper into it, but that would have made it lose its momentum.

There are a few loose ends in the story though. And a few scenes are left to ones own interpretations. Some parts of the movie are amateurish and some are just plain ridiculous. For instance, when Jessie loses her husband, she displays no emotion whatsoever. Its like he was never a relevant part of her life. The climax appears rushed and strangely devoid of juice, after a good buildup. Yet, the final revelation and wrap up, though hasty and apparently half baked, left me with a warm glow the same way Green Mile, another unusual movie that has a supernatural gift as its core idea, did (though, no comparison should be made between the two, because Green Mile is a much better movie)

This movie is based on an interesting premise. And the makers could have made it into a much better movie, had they explored the idea even deeper. But instead, they tried to make it into a commercial supernatural thriller. And that's where the movie lets us down. Which is unexpected from writer/director Mike Flanagan who gave us such superb psychological / supernatural thriller like Oculus. Though, the final revelation and wrap-up is complex, unexpected and totally worthy of appreciation.

If you are looking for a horror / supernatural thriller movie, then this isn't it. Like the audience in the theater where I was watching this movie, you will be sadly disappointed. Instead, if you like some new ideas that drive the movie, with a healthy dose of the supernatural, then you will certainly like this movie, the way I did.

This is not an easy movie to watch. Not your regular keep-your-brains-aside kind of entertainment. But for the connoisseur of the unusual and the different, this is an interesting watch. Unfortunately the commercial thriller angle adopted by the makers of the movie will grate on your senses...

Yet, for someone who likes movies with interesting and unusual concepts, this is certainly worth watching once.

My Ratings:2.5

Killa (the fort) [2015] (Marathi) - a beautifully shot coming of age movie

There are events that change us. For better or for worse. Force us to grow up, whether we like it or not. Growing up can be painful, but who has escaped this necessary transition in life? This is a story about growing up.

Chinmay, a 11 year old boy, arrives with his mother to a picturesque town in Konkan. His mother, a widow, and a government servant, recently got transferred from Pune. Such a transition can be very difficult for a kid. Especially someone who has lost his father recently. What such a kid needs at such times are friends. Chinmay manages to make friends with a few kids in his new school. One day they visit a nearby sea-fort. And something happens there that will eventually push Chinmay to grow up.

This is a very simple but touching coming-of-age story which succeeds to entertain in more than one ways.

The movie tenderly and beautifully captures the life of a kid, in school and outside it. (I was reminded of "Stanley ka Dabba", another movie that captured and portrayed the life of kids so beautifully). Chinmay and his new friends in school are so charming, it forms a major part of the entertainment value of the movie. It reminded me of my childhood days.

But let that not deceive you. This is no simple tale about kids in school. Its a beautifully crafted art-piece that portrays the beauty of Konkan like no other movie I have seen before. Kudos to Director and Cinematographer Avinash Arun for making magic with the camera and capturing the essence of the greenery and the coastal beauty of Konkan region. The scenes at the beach, on the boat, and at the fort are absolute eye candy.

The script is so simple and yet so effectively conveys the emotions of all the charaters. Especially the strained yet tender relationship between Chinmay and his mother. The story throws at us some very memorable characters. Bandya (Chinmay's friend), and the fisherman are the ones I liked most. The script does not flinch to depict kids swearing really nasty swearwords. Most movies depict kids as sweet and innocent. Not so with this one. And that makes the story even more realistic.

The pace of the movie can be a bit slow, especially after the interval, when things start going wrong. The Killa - which means a Fort, on which the movie title is based, does not feature in the movie until the interval. And though the events at the fort play a pivotal role in the movie, the fort itself features in the movie only for a few minutes.

The performances of most of the actors was extremely good. I especially liked the roles of Parth Bhalerao who plays Bandya, Amruta Subhash, who plays Chinmay's mother and Archit Deodhar who plays Chinmay.

This was one really good movie experience for me...

My Ratings: 4

Is Anybody There? [2008] (English) - a bitter-sweet tale of an old man and a boy

"Is anybody there?" Sounds like an innocent question, doesn't it? A little boy - hardly more than 10 years old - is obsessed with it. What happens after death? Do we turn into ghosts? Is there life after death? Do we just switch off after death or do we linger behind? Is it just emptiness we leave behind? Or is there anybody there? A truly morbid topic for so little a boy to be obsessed with. While the movie does not really delve too deeply into the roots of the kid's obsession for life after death, it does spin a pretty entertaining yarn about life before death...

The boy in question is Edward, the only son of a couple who run an old people's home. A caring and dedicated mother who is too busy caring for the old and making ends meet, a jobless father caught in a desperate middle-age crisis, and a home full of old grumpy people. Not the best of the environments for a young fellow to spend his growing years in. And obviously Edwards resents the fact. The only consolation is that he has a house full of ideal subjects for his experimentation. All he has to do is wait for one of the oldies to drop dead... With a home that's not a normal home for a 10-year old, and a hobby that's not a normal hobby for that age, Edward hardly has many friends... With resentment growing as fast as his obsession, he is usually quite grumpy and full of mischief...

Then one day the old age home has a new recruit. An old fellow who is as grumpy, if not more, as Edward. His name's Clarence. A fellow with a bitter past and a dreary future... A self-respecting guy who resents his having to rely on anyone else. At first the grumpy, reclusive Clarence fascinates Edward. No wonder. In his heyday, Clarence used to be a magician. But no more. Now he is just an old man, with a past full of bad choices and a future that's destined to go straight downhill...

An uneasy bond starts forming between the afterlife-obsessed Edward and the resentful bitter magician Clarence... Old-age despair and resentment collide with the hope of youth, giving birth to an unlikely friendship... A friendship that transcends age and generation barrier... A friendship that would change both their lives...

The movie captures some of the most basic and raw human emotions so effortlessly with such tenderness and empathy that one is left marveling at the skilled direction, the perfect script and such superb acting by everyone involved. But it hardly gives one an opportunity to mull on such nitty-gritties... The story sweeps up the viewers and plunges them into the lives of Edward, Clarence, Edward's parents and the quirky denizens of their little old-age home...

For a story that tackles really serious human emotions like despair, bitterness and fear of death, it manages to entertain pretty effectively. Its full of humorous and tender moments. Edward's innocent antics are captured so effectively. It also unflinchingly depicts the helplessness that old age thrusts upon a self-respecting and self-reliant person... And the bitterness of our past choices that haunt us as we grow older - the ghosts of our past following us like an ever-present shadow... It shows us the trials and tribulations of growing old with empathy and understanding. And it paints so well the downward spiral that a marriage can take when not everything is working out fine and either of the partners realize that they have crossed their prime years and have nothing to look forward to but old age and despair that they already see around them everyday.

Not many movies manage to entertain while tackling serious human emotions. But this gem of a movie succeeds in doing this with flying colours. It will make you laugh. It will make you cry. It gets a bit serious near the two-third mark, but never once loses its pace. It manages to keep it all realistic and finally it wraps up the climax with a happy ending, leaving the viewer with a nice feel-good glow as the end credits roll out.

The direction is superb. So is the cinematography. All actors have played their parts very well. Michael Caine of course plays the part of the Magnificent Clarence to perfection. I also liked the acting of Bill Milner who played the part of Edward and Anne-Marie Duff who played the part of his mother, very much...

Its one of those few rare movies that one can watch again and again without getting bored by it. I enjoyed it a lot. And hope you do too...

My Rating: 3.5

The Intouchables [2011] (French): A Friendship can define your life

The movie begins with a black guy is driving a car. Besides him sits a white guy. As they wait at a traffic signal, the Black guy suddenly breaks the lane and speeds off almost breaking the signal. The powerful engines whine as the car - a cool Maserati - picks up speed. The two men look at each other and smile. The car veers this way and that dodging other cars at breakneck speed as it hurtles away through the night on the streets of Paris. Of course, they are soon being chased by the traffic police. The black driver challenges the white guy that he can loose the police in no time. He almost makes it. But then the police finally cut him off. They make him come out of the car, but before they can apprehend him, he claims that the reason for him to drive so fast was because he was taking the white guy to Hospital. He is a quadriplegic and is having a stroke. The white guy for his part pretends that he is spasming... The police quickly release him and escort them to the Hospital, as the two friends share a hearty laugh at their expense.

Flash back to an interview. Candidates are sitting in a line. All immaculately dressed in formals. All except one. A black guy dressed in jeans, T-Shirt, jacket and sports shoes. He is Driss, the driver mentioned above - a poor unemployed young fellow. The interview is being conducted for hiring a caretaker for Philippe (the white guy in the above mentioned scene) - a rich white quadriplegic widower. Driss is not looking for employment. He is just looking for a signature claiming that he tried for a job but failed, thus making him eligible for government benefit. And he makes no effort to hide the fact. To his surprise and chagrin, Driss is offered the job... He has no choice but to accept. For he has been recently asked to leave home by his angry mother. 

How did Driss survive the job taking care of the often moody Philippe? How did Philippe put up with this cocky unorthodox fellow who had no reservations to speaking out his mind? How did these two men from such diverse background become friends?

This is the story of Intouchables, a movie that became the second biggest box office hit in France. Its a comedy-drama based on a true story. A story of a rich quadriplegic who learns to hope, to enjoy to live life from his cocky, unorthodox, but full-of-life caretaker. And above all, gains a life long friend who will change his life forever.

The story is well-edited. The movie never looses pace. The script is well-crafted. The dialogue flows smoothly, never appearing awkward or contrived (at least the English subtitles didn't). The visuals as well as the dialogue manage to convey the story gracefully. The witty sparring between Philippe and Driss adds the spice to it all.

The best part of the movie is the acting. Both the lead actors - François Cluzet playing Philippe and Omar Sy portraying Driss, have acted extremely well. Especially François Cluzet - for it is no easy task to act as a quadriplegic. His acting skills are evident in his ability to convey emotions with his face alone - especially his eyes. The other actors have acted well too.

Some critics (excepts the french of course) were not very impressed by this movie, questioning what the fuss was all about? In a way I agree with them. For though it is based on a true story, some parts of it do feel contrived, which may be a let down for some who might expect more realism from it. And yet, therein lies its charm. It entertains with its lighthearted comedy. The quips that often flow between Philippe and Driss makes one laugh out loud. (This one reminds me of a similar movie "The Bucket List" - another favourite of mine). We are allowed a peek into the lives, the pains, the happy and sad memories of these two men from vastly different backgrounds. Its a feel good movie that manages to spread a happy glow as you watch and cheer the victory of life over disability and hope over despair. But above all it celebrates Friendship - a friendship that knows no bounds, that transcends beyond the boundaries of race, class or physical disability...

Mostly funny, but at times tender and serious, its a good movie that I am sure to watch and enjoy many more times.

My Ratings: 3

The International [2009] (English): The difference between truth and fiction - fiction has to make sense

"This is the very essence of the banking industry... to make us all, whether we be nations or individuals... slaves to debt."

Words of wisdom. Uttered by a man in high places, a man who has inside knowledge of the machinations of big financial institutions... Soon after uttering these words, the man, an Italian presidential candidate dies. He is assassinated in broad daylight, in front of hundreds of people, while giving a speech.

He is not the first casualty in the movie The International. And he won't be the last...

The first casualty takes places five minutes into the movie - right in front of the eyes of the lead protagonist. And the movie never looses its grip from that point on...

The lead protagonist mentioned above is one Louis Salinger, an Interpol agent, who is assisting Eleanor Whitman, an Assistant District Attorney from Manhattan, in investigating money laundering and malpractice done by the International Bank of Business and Credit (IBBC). But they lose their lead witness, and the death toll rises, and soon they realize that they are up against a very formidable foe. A big international corporation with access to virtually unlimited funds wields power enough to twist any evidence, make witnesses disappear and "buy" friends at the highest places. As they try to uncover more and more evidence, their investigation keeps hitting inaccessible walls. Will they succeed in pinning down the corrupt bank and its unscrupulous officials?

The well-edited story moves at a break-neck pace. The action and the chase sequences are very well-executed. Kudos to the director and the photography crew for depicting some pretty cool action scenes. Instead of the shaky blurred camerawork used to depict intense action, they employ well placed cameras and aerial views to depict much of the actions scenes, making them look quite elegant. The shootout scene that takes place within the Guggenheim museum, (though preposterous) is especially breath-taking. (It is claimed that they built a life-size replica of the actual museum for this.) The film does not flinch from showing blood and violence wherever necessary. The story threatens to take a decidedly vigilante turn at the end, but fortunately wraps up well. The climax is unexpected but realistic, though its a bit of a letdown after the pretty impressive built-up of the entire story...

The basic premise of the story may sound a bit preposterous, but the related Wikipedia article claims that "the film draws on a number of macabre incidents from international banking". It successfully depicts the ugly underbelly of the big financial corporations and how they manipulate governments, facts and situations to suit their own needs.

Some of the dialogues are quite well-scripted. One of my most favourites is this one: "We cannot control the things Life does to us. They are done before you know it, and once they are done... they make you do other things... until at last, everything comes between you... and the man you wanted to be."

Clive Owen plays the disillusioned, disgruntled protagonist quite well - especially with his impassive face, vacant eyes and his almost perpetual part-confused, part-contemptuous expression (Though his acting is not really that good, such roles do suit him quite well I think). Others have acted okay too. Most of the characters a shallow and two-dimensional, but they suit the story well. Any attempt to sketch the characters further would have made this essentially action flick cumbersome and slow. But there is one character I found most interesting - that of an antagonist - a former stasi colonel named Wexler, who has been depicted pretty nicely, and well-performed by the German actor Armin Mueller-Stahl.

There are some negative reviews for this movie, some of which claim that it "is undone by its preposterous plot"... I find that statement preposterous. For the film's plot is certainly less preposterous than so many other commercial action movies out there that receive such great accolades from the reviewers... And I do agree, that to a certain extent, certain aspects of the plot are a bit preposterous. (For instance the sequence where Whitman slips Salinger out of police custody undetected is utterly naive) Yet, the real value of this movie lies in its attempt to convey the idea that it is not the politicians, the world leaders, the governments and armies that move the world. It is the big financial corporations, working silently at the backstage, that unscrupulously manipulate the world we live in - for their own benefit... This does sound a bit farfetched and paranoid. But then, it is after all merely a work of fiction, isn't it?...

There is one more dialogue in the movie which I liked a lot: "This is the difference between truth and fiction... Fiction has to make sense."... Hmm, I wonder...

My Ratings: 3

Elysium [2013] (English): "This isn't science fiction. This is today. This is now."

In the late 21st century Earth was diseased, polluted, and vastly over-populated.

(The camera shows over-crowded, garbage-riddled, crumbling dirty cities with smoke-filled skylines)

Earth's wealthiest residents fled the planet to preserve their way of life.

(This is where the camera pans out moving away from Earth and focusing over a massive ring shaped structure orbiting the planet Earth... This is...) 

ELYSIUM...

(Supported by a star shaped spike structure that extends from a central core to the the massive ring. The inside of the massive ring made up of huge curving landscapes consisting of beautiful grassy lawns, huge white houses and sparkling water bodies. A virtual paradise compared to the hell that earth has become...)

So starts Elysium. An artificial space habitat built by the "have"s, to keep away the "have-not"s and still enjoy the best that money and technology can offer. Sterile air, open beautiful spaces, Robot servants and Medical technology that can "re-atomize" your body to heal any and every disease or injury within minutes...

And there is the Earth. The abode of the "have-not"s. Congested, over-populated, polluted. Tightly controlled by robot police, and many of the population serving the companies that enrich the "have"s who are the Elysium citizens, even the basic necessities like medical care are hard to come by. The squalor and the living conditions are clearly apparent in the garbage-riddled landscape, the crumbling buildings where people live, the over-crowded hospitals and public places...

One such have-not is Max. As a kid he has always dreamed of buying a ticket to the beautiful and fabled paradise of Elysium. Once involved in criminal activities during his early youth, now he works hard as an assembly worker in Armadyne Corp, an armaments company that provides not only the weaponry for Elysium and the police force on earth, but also designed the controlling system of Elysium itself. One day he meets with an accident while at work. Exposed to lethal dose of radiation, he has mere five days to live. And all the company gives him as compensation is a vial of capsules that would make his final days painless, and relieves him of work.

The only thing that can save him is a Med-bay - a near magical technological marvel that can re-atomize your body cells and cure any disease within minutes. The only med-bays available are on Elysium. So he approaches a smuggler named Spider, for whom he has worked before, hoping to get himself smuggled into Elysium. But Spider asks him to perform a last job for him. A job so daring and dangerous, that no person in his right mind would take it up. But Max would. He is going to die anyway. What has he got to loose? They plan to steal secret information off a high-profile Elysium citizen, and use it to buy their way into Elysium. But they land up obtaining information that's so confidential that soon they are being man-hunted for it...

The movie succeeds pretty nicely as an action flick. Though it starts off slow, it soon picks up pace and hardly ever slackens thereafter. Some slow motion action shots are quite breathtaking. Though it is not your run of the mill action flick that starts off with a bang and involves superheroes and over-the-top action sequences, it does offer some nice sci-fi action eye-candy - some pretty cool futuristic armaments, fighter droids, and some very good action sequences.

Most of the actors have acted pretty well. Which was to be expected considering that the star-cast boasts such brilliant actors like Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, Alice Braga and William Fichtner.

But I liked this movie more for its concept. There are few sci-fi movies that succeed to present ideas that are possible in the foreseeable future. To make you realize with horror and trepidation that - "OMG, this may happen; it may really happen in a few years"... (One such movie I had seen before is Repo Men [2010] - another dystopian sci-fi action flick). Elysium is one such movie. If you look beyond the action and the sci-fi entertainment it offers, you may realize that what has been portrayed in the movie may very-well happen in the near future. The way our population is growing exponentially, and the economic divide between the haves and the have-nots widening every day, the day is not far when we might be thrust into just such an exploitative dystopian social structure... Maybe we already are living in such an exploitative economic system - economic slaves enriching the already rich "haves". The over-population will simply make it worse in the the near-future... 

The writer and director Neill Blomkamp says that it is a comment on the contemporary human condition. "Everybody wants to ask me lately about my predictions for the future," he says, "No, no, no. This isn't science fiction. This is today. This is now."... In a way, he is right...

My Ratings: 3.5

A Civil Action [1998] (English): An eyeopening Courtroom Drama

Through the huge bustling corridors of what appears to be a government building, a lawyer is pushing a wheelchair. On the wheelchair is seated a young white man. As they enter what appears to be a courtroom, a voice-over comments:

"It's like this. A dead plaintiff is rarely worth as much as a living, severely maimed plaintiff.However, if it's a long, agonizing death, as opposed to a quick drowning or car wreck, the value can rise considerably.A dead adult in his 20s is generally worth less than one who is middle-aged, a dead woman less than a dead man, a single adult less than one who's married, black less than white, poor less than rich.But the perfect victim is a white  male  professional, 40 years old, at the height of his earning power, struck down in his prime.And the most imperfect?Well, in the calculus of personal injury law, a dead child is worth the least of all."

This is how begins A Civil Action. These simple words - words that are ironic, yet sound truthful - words narrated by the lawyer himself - the lawyer who is the hero - or rather an anti-hero in the film - these words gripped me and sucked me into this wonderful movie...

For the past few months, I have been afflicted with a severe case of the Blogger's Block. Its not that I did not see any movies during that time. I saw quite a few of them. Some of them were quite good. Even worth writing about. But this is the movie that finally snapped me out of my block and compelled me to write again. 

A Civil Action. Starring John Travolta, Robert Duval and an assembly of other really good actors.

Its based on a book, which is based on a true story. Weird how some such movies based on real-life stories appeal to me some how (refer October Sky). Real life can be so boring and mundane and, well... realistic. Yup, the story is realistic. And yet it manages to make a very entertaining yarn. The script is really well-crafted, to entertain without losing the touch of reality. The dialogs are sometimes so razor-sharp, they cut through your heart, while at other times manage to tickle and make you laugh.

The direction is pretty good. The visuals complement the story very nicely, conveying the drama, the tragedy and the irony thats the part of this real-life story. And they are complemented pretty nicely by great acting from all the actors big and small.

The movie starts with the voice-over (mentioned above) of a Lawyer - Jan Schlichtmann. And what the voice-over has to say, is so eyeopening and has such a ring of truth to it, that I was hooked. The movie is peppered with such voice-overs by the character of Jan Schlichtmann (played by John Travolta), that reflect on the nature of the court, the trial, the law and the lawyers from the insider's point of view of a lawyer himself. They are a real treat - like coming across an occasional piece of frosted caramel in the butter-scotch ice-cream.

This is the story of the residents of the small town of Woburn, who have lost quite a few of their loved ones to Leukemia. And they suspect its the water they drink. Water that's being contaminated by the nearby companies dumping their waste into it. So they contact the firm of the lawyer Jan Schlichtmann. Jan is at first reluctant to take the case. But something, that has less to do with his empathy for the townfolk and more to do with his won greed, compels him to take on the case. And so begins a courtroom drama where a four partners small-time law firm is pitted against mega-corporations and big bullying law firms.

As mentioned earlier, the story avoids taking any flights of fancy. Expect no happy endings. Actually, the story does end happily in a very unexpected way. But not for everyone. It portrays the ugly side of the law and the lawyers, The shenanigans of the big corporates who don't give a damn about the environment or people dying due to their negligence, the tragedies of the people who have lost their dear ones, and the downfall of a lawyer when he stops being a lawyer and starts getting emotionally affected by the plight of his clients.

Overall, I enjoyed watching this film a lot, and would certainly not mind watching it again...

My Ratings: 3.5

The Last Days on Mars [2013] (English): A Sci-Fi Thriller with no new ideas, but clockwork-perfect execution

This is a movie about a manned mission's Last Days on Mars. So this makes it one of the few movies that says it all in the title itself.

Aurora Mission...
Duration: 6 months...
Remaining time: 19 hours... 

It is their last excursion out in the sands of the Red Planet. Kim, an ambitious and now disillusioned scientist, is busy collecting the last samples they would take back home. Samples, that she dejectedly observes, are as sterile and fruitless as the ones they have been collecting for the past 6 months... As she is driven back to base by the team 'chauffers' (would the term "Rover Driver" sound funny?) Campbell and Lane, another scientist, Marko, prepares to go out. He claims that he needs to check "a Gamma sensor that's not responding", something he confesses he forgot to check. As he heads out, Kim, his obvious rival, becomes suspicious. She checks his workstation. What she finds out implicates two things: one - Marko lied, and two - he may have stumbled upon a profound discovery... And then disaster strikes...

The story is strictly okay. On the sci-fi front, it does not explore any new ideas. On the action front, it does not add any unnecessary and unrealistic stunts. On the thriller-horror part, it delivers shocks and jolts with the pitch-perfect timing. The characters are neither too shallow, nor too detailed. Some of the characters are well-sketched enough to fit into the plot. <Spoiler> The idea that the very first discovered extra-terrestrial bacteria should turn humans into zombies, is quite preposterous, not to mention a bit difficult to digest... </Spoiler> 

The special effects are quite nice. The spaceship, the base and the rovers are depicted very nicely. Can't comment on the depiction of the Mars itself. Never been there, you know ;-P... But it looked too drab, like some desert on earth itself viewed through an orange red filter. Maybe the red planet is as arid and drab as depicted in the movie? Who knows? The sets and props of the insides of the rovers and the base are good enough enough. Some of the scenes shot through the dark, abandoned and wrecked corridors and rooms of the Base well shot enough to make one's hair stand on end.

Almost all the performances are good enough. Liev Schrieber, who plays the role of Vincent Campbell, steals the show. He fits the role of the reluctant protagonist like a glove on the hand - so much so that he almost defined the character by his performance. I also liked the performances of Olivia William (as Kim Aldrich, the scientist), Elias Koteas (as Brunel, the leader of the team) and Romola Garai (as Lane).

This is the second sci-fi movie of this year (2013), that I liked because it steers clear of unnecessary dramatics (the first one was Europa Report - which is a better movie than this one though). And therein lies its charm... It refrains from taking the well-trodden path of a typical action-packed horror-thriller in space. It keeps everything low-key. And yet manages to deliver thrills and jolts at exactly the right places and manages to maintain a steady pace. There is action, yes, but its pretty realistic. No extraordinary stunts. No super-human feats. And yet, it manages to entertain. In short the movie is very well executed and well directed.

In short, it is certainly worth a watch at least once.

My Rating: 2.5

V/H/S 2 [2013] (English): A tab bit better than its predecessor

After watching V/H/S, the first Horror Anthology in this series, I was a bit apprehensive about watching this one. Not only because such serial movies tend to become repetitive, losing the novelty of the first one. But also due to the fact that the first movie did not impress me so much. Yet, I decided to give this one a try. And I can't say I was disappointed. Not that this movie was very impressive or ground-breaking or anything. For it suffers from the same handicaps that the first movie did. But it also scores as good as the first one for exploring some original ideas.

Just like the first movie, this too is an anthology of horror short films, each one directed by a different director, and each one exploring an individual unrelated story. Each short film uses the now well-worn found-footage format. And one of the shorts is used as a frame narrative, which also acts as an individual story on its own.

The movie starts off with "Tape 49" directed by Simon Barrett. This one acts as a frame narrative, within which the other stories take place. It tells the story of a P.I. who has been commissioned by a college student's mother to investigate her son's disappearance. While searching through the abandoned and dark home of the college student, they stumble upon a series of VHS tapes. While the P.I. search the house, his colleague plays the tapes to get a clue as to the missing student's whereabouts. This frame narrative story is even more drab and mediocre than the frame narrative story of the first movie. It tries to explain how viewing the tapes can lead to disastrous circumstances (duh!). There are hardly any surprises and shocks. The story is uninspired. The direction appears awkward. On the whole, I personally did not like it very much.

The next story is "Phase I Clinical Trials" directed by Adam Wingard. There is one thing I really liked about the first movie. That is the use of various types of hidden cams, including a spy cam on eye-glasses. This movie takes a giant leap further in that regard. For example, in this story, the hidden camera is located within the eye-implant of the protagonist. Neat, huh!? A guy, who has nearly lost his vision of one of his eyes in an accident, is fitted with an artificial implant that will help him see again from his impaired eye. It is an experimental device and hence the company will be capturing the footage of whatever the man views through his eye and saving it for a few days, for testing purpose only. But guess what? The guy starts seeing people that aren't supposed to be there... The premise of the story is pretty interesting. Its jolts and shocks are effective enough. So is some of the explanation that comes forward in the form of a girl who comes to the protagonist's help. On the whole, this story was quite better as compared to the other stories in the lot...

The next one is "A Ride in the Park" directed by Eduardo Sánchez and Gregg Hale. It is a short story about horror that takes place inside some sort of national park. Its a zombie story (which is not surprising considering that the Z-word is the new magic buzz-word in Horror movies nowadays, isn't it?). There is one area in which this movie pushes the boundaries of the shaky camera genre even further - that area being, the placement of the camera. In this short story, the camera is located on the helmet of a cyclist who has turned into a zombie. Apart from this very novel idea and an excessive amount of blood, gore and disemboweled zombies, this short film doesn't have anything interesting.

The next one is "Safe Haven" directed by Timo Tjahjanto and Gareth Huw Evans. This one is Indonasian. It is also the longest story in the batch. And personally, I think it is the best one in the anthology. A news crew approaches the "father" of a reclusive religious cult. They are invited to interview him and visit the cult's abode. What they discover there makes a pretty interesting good old-fashioned traditional horror tale.

The last story is named "Slumber Party" directed by Jason Eisener. It is about a slumber party held by a bunch of kids at their home - an open property complete with a barn - near a big lake. There is sibling rivalry and fun and frolic. All is going well until they spot unusual lights on the lake. This one is the most uninteresting story of the lot. Except for one novel innovation. The hidden camera that captures most of the footage of the episode is mounted by one kid on the head of their pet dog!

This movie certainly scores points for pushing the frontiers of the shaky camera sub-genre beyond what its predecessor did. And it loses some points for a few script as well as directorial failures similar to ones evident in some of the stories from the first movie. It has a lot of unnecessary blood and gore and a couple of unnecessary sexually explicit scenes. But some of its stories are so good that they make it a worthwhile watch, at least once, if not more.

My Ratings: 2

Sleuth [1972] (English): Expect the unexpected

The movie starts with a young fellow approaching a stately manor-like home in the country-side. As he approaches the house, he hears a voice floating his way from the gardens. Assuming that the voice probably belongs to the owner of the house, he tries to find its source through the green foliage. But he is in for a surprise. For what looks like mere green foliage is actually a Garden maze. And the owner of the house is sitting right in the middle of it, narrating a story and recording it... The owner is Andrew Wyke, a middle-aged, wealthy and famous detective fiction writer. The young man is Milo Tindle, a self-made hair-dresser, who has been invited by Andrew Wyke for a little chat. Milo is also the guy having an affair with Andrew's wife. Andrew knows about this. And makes no effort to hide the fact. On the contrary, it is about the same topic that Andrew wishes to discuss with young Milo... But not all is as it seems...

This is how the movie starts... And one would never guess the many twists and turns it takes, navigating through plots and sub-plots, before this roller-coaster ride finishes off, leaving the audience dazed and enthralled.

As the name suggests this movie is a detective / mystery story. But don't be fooled by the name. You may not encounter a sleuth in the movie for at least the first half. And when a sleuth does appear on the scene, he is not your traditional arm-chair detective, but your regular police investigator.

The story is extremely well-crafted. Its quite a lengthy movie - 2 hours 18 minutes long. And there are at least two instances during this lengthy movie, that one might feel that now the story would end indeed. But it doesn't. In spite of it being so lengthy, it hardly ever looses pace or gets boring or tedious. It is like a nicely wound machine, ticking away like clockwork, precisely delivering surprise after surprise at regular intervals... There are instances where, if you stop to think, you are bound to find some holes in the plot. But seriously, if you let it catch you by the collar and drag you along with it, you will never really stop to think...

The wisecracking exchanges between Milo and Andrew during the first half of the movie are so witty and interesting, that the viewers are hooked within the first few minutes. It is surprising how the script manages to build the characters and convey so much through spoken dialogue alone. Sometimes the dialogue does appear a bit awkward, unnecessary or out-of-place, but the viewer is usually too engrossed in the movie to notice it.

The characters are quite well-sketched, not only of Milo and Andrew who are present in front of us, but also of certain other characters like Andrew's wife Marguerite, who never really appears in person, throughout the movie, and yet we get to know her quite well through the dialogues, thanks to the well-crafted script. Especially the characters of both Milo - an ambitious and self-made man, and Andrew - an egotistic, prejudiced, old-fashioned, pompous, sometimes immature rich guy are very well-portrayed.

The performance is brilliant. Both by Laurence Olivier who plays Andrew Wyke and by Michael Caine who plays the role of Milo Tindle. At first I thought Michael Caine's acting was a bit amateurish. But by the time the movie ends, we are presented with his formidable acting skills, which may seem to overshadow even the brilliant performance by Laurence Olivier himself.

Attention is given to the finest details in the movie. The sets and the props are very intricately designed - right from the portrayal of the garden maze, to the various games and "Automata" ("and they all work" as Andrew Wyke proudly says) peppered around Andrew Wyke's house. The detailed set of the house and various props in it serve well to define certain aspects of Andrew Wyke's character as a person who loves games-playing.

This is one brilliant gem of a movie that I am sure to enjoy watching many more times. For though the plot will lose its surprises and twists after the first viewing, the movie will never lose its entertainment value for me, thanks to the refreshing performances, the eye-candy of the detailed sets and the witty and entertaining dialogues that made it a memorable flick indeed...

My Ratings: 3.5

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels [1988] (English): pure unadulterated fun

Lawrence Jamieson is a proud prince of some small far away kingdom. His royal Highness operates out of Beaumont-sur-Mer, a beautiful little place located in what they call as the French Riviera. His major occupation is to get help in the form of hefty donations from the rich ladies who visit the place, in order to help the cause of his enslaved people. All is going well, until one day he stumbles upon one Freddy Benson, an American, who is in the same line of work as himself. Except for the fact that Freddy is trying to get help for his very sick Grandmother.

There is just one problem. Actually a set of problems. Namely, Freddy is fishing in the same waters as Lawrence. He is younger. Less experienced. Not to mention, an utter moron, according to His Highness.If nothing else, he would scare away the fish on which Lawrence relies on for his living. So Lawrence tries to convince, persuade, or scare Freddy in order to leave voluntarily. But to no avail. The young cocky grandson of a very sick grandmother becomes the thorn in the backside of his highness - a thorn which will not dislodge itself so easily.

Something needs to be done. So they both decide to settle matters once and for all, by placing a bet. The first one to get 50000 bucks from a lady wins. The lady in question is ... A Soap Queen of America. The race is on. Who will finally win?

Lawrence Jamieson, played by Michael Caine has been brilliantly portrayed. Michael Caine's acting skills are extraordinary, as is evident in this movie. His straight faced comedy is as refreshingly hilarious as the serious performances he had to give during one or two scenes in the movie. The klutzy but persistent role of Freddy has been played quite nicely by Steve Martin. I felt his acting was a bit awkward and contrived. But it suited well for the character of Freddy. In fact he fit the role so well, he almost defined it. After watching the movie, I can't imagine anyone else playing the same role. Glenne Headly, who played the role of the Soap Queen of America, has also performed well.

The movie captures the beauty of some idyllic European towns along the Mediterranean coastline, during that golden age before such beautiful places became expensive, commercialized, crowded and polluted...

What I liked most about this movie is that it gave me quite a few good laughs. Its pure unadulterated humorous good old-fashioned entertainment. A rare gem of a movie that will not fade with age. Something you can watch and enjoy with your family without having to worry about adult content. I had a really good time watching it. But most importantly, it was so good, that I am sure I will be watching it many more times in the years to come. And I am sure it will still make me laugh and give me a good time every time I watch it!

My rating: 3.5

Exam [2009] (English) - an intricate puzzle and a psychological thriller

8 candidates prepare for the final round of an extremely lucrative job opportunity. The recruitment is supposed to be for a very high post in a very big company. An opportunity worth dying for. An opportunity worth killing for.

The exam hall is a single closed room, with no windows, a single door, a guard besides it, 8 desks and chairs and 8 question papers, one for each candidate. The invigilator sets forth a set of rules: they cannot communicate with the guard or the invigilator at any time. They cannot leave the room for any reason. And they should not spoil their own question paper. There is one question. And one answer is required. The invigilator starts a timer. They have 80 minutes to give the correct answer. Then the invigilator leaves the room. Each candidate opens the question paper. Each of the paper is blank...

So starts the quest for the question. And the correct answer. At first its a very intriguing puzzle. But as the time begins to run out, the pressure increases. Which candidates will snap under pressure? Which ones will manage to find the right answer? What is the right answer? But before that, what is the question? This is what forms the heart of the movie. This is what fuels it, grabs the audience by the collar and hardly ever lets go...

What I liked about this movie was its entirely original premise. The idea is unique. Who would have thought of making a movie based on a recruitment process for a big job opportunity? It thankfully refrains from using the age old spices of love, action, romance, murder, etc. Which makes it a refreshing watch. There is mystery and suspense. Its a puzzler, which reminds me of movies like Cube and Fermat's Room. Just like the Cube, it not only entertains by making the audience use their grey cells as they get absorbed in the puzzle, but also explores the human psyche.

Somewhere in between the movie seems to veer off from the path that one might have expects. For, it starts off as an intriguing and intricate puzzle and then turns into a psychological thriller where it explores the impact of pressure on human psyche. How a situation of stress and pressure can bring out the best or the worst in people. And how some people would go to any lengths when the stakes are high enough for them.

And the climax comes with a twist that you would never have anticipated. Some of the ideas in the movie, like how each of the candidates came to know about the job opening, may sound a bit half-baked. And some of them, for example the explanations at the end, may sound a bit far fetched and fantastic. And yet it manages to keep it all as realistic as possible, refraining from taking unnecessary leaps of fantasy.

The movie is a single room drama, where the entire story takes place within a single room. Which shows the talent of the co-writer and director Stuart Hazeldine, to be able to make the entire story work within such a limited location / set.

The camera work is pretty impressive too. Many aspects of the story are narrated very well by intuitive visuals. It exemplifies the rule that visuals can express better and are more powerful than words.

The acting ranges from very good to mediocre. I especially liked the acting of the candidates who are referred to as "white", and "dark" in the movie.

The characters are neither too shallow, nor too intricately sketched. But each character's personality is portrayed with enough details to fit the requirements of the story.

The movie will not afford you easy entertainment. It will demand your brain power. It will make you think. If you don't mind that, then its certainly worth watching at least once.

My Ratings: 3.5