What a disappointment...
Sam Mendes who made American Beauty and Road to Perdition, works with two bright talents - his wife, Kate Winslet and Leonardo di Caprio and creates a complete contrived picture.
Once the story starts to flow of a couple who get into domestic rift, the film reeks more and more of pretentiousness in terms of philosophising and easy resolutions.
It gets to an interesting level where they need decide to leave everything behind to move to Paris. However even then the lady's character's unpredictability creates a suspicion about the logic, but then it continues to spiral downward; the woman IS supposed to be unpredictable but the story doesn't hold.
It only ends in the two fighting with each other all throughout the film hoping or maybe believeing that the acting of Winslet and Caprio does a marvelous job. Well...it does but only to create a mockery of the film.
As such the self-indulgent film gets more and more boring, especially as many situations look so much inspired by American Beauty, trying to tell a story of another dysfunctional story.
Based on the novel by Richard Yates
Writer: Justin Haythe
Director: Sam Mendes
Rating **
[Max Rating ****]
[Viewed on 13th June at Hampden courtesy NetFlix]
Monday, July 6, 2009
Viewed: WOMAN OF THE DUNES
An amazing story of a man being kidnapped by some dwellers in sand dunes who force him to stay with a single lady in a house within the dune.
There is no escape for him except to give in and live his existence. It's a world within a world that takes a stance at existence of man.
The 1964 Black-&-White film was penned by legendary writer Kobo Abe, and Teshigahara leaves his indelible stamp by shooting the film in sand. Every thing revolves around the sand - there is no escaping for the protagonist or the audience.
The film is a proof of how conflict can be created even with the supposed limited means of a story and a gripping story be conveyed in a feature. The man of science goes on a journey of adventure and learning, only to be caught, to struggle and from which there's no escape when and if you are caught amidst circumstances that you can't control.
Based on a novel by Kobo Abe
Writer: Kobo Abe
Director: Hirosha Teshigahara
Rating ***1/2
[Max ****]
[Viewed at Thornton & Hampden on 5th/6th June courtesy NetFlix]
There is no escape for him except to give in and live his existence. It's a world within a world that takes a stance at existence of man.
The 1964 Black-&-White film was penned by legendary writer Kobo Abe, and Teshigahara leaves his indelible stamp by shooting the film in sand. Every thing revolves around the sand - there is no escaping for the protagonist or the audience.
The film is a proof of how conflict can be created even with the supposed limited means of a story and a gripping story be conveyed in a feature. The man of science goes on a journey of adventure and learning, only to be caught, to struggle and from which there's no escape when and if you are caught amidst circumstances that you can't control.
Based on a novel by Kobo Abe
Writer: Kobo Abe
Director: Hirosha Teshigahara
Rating ***1/2
[Max ****]
[Viewed at Thornton & Hampden on 5th/6th June courtesy NetFlix]
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Viewed: FROST / NIXON
The much-acclaimed film in its attempt to provide 'drama' turns around some incidents and the characters, especially, Frost. And if you have watched the real interviews, then...something seems amiss.
Sheen does a great job at times in impersonating Frost and Langella is pretty effective in bringing Nixon, but if you love the underplay more than over-drama then...this one doesn't impress as much as it's supposed to!
Writer: Peter Morgan
Director: Ron Howard
Rating ***
[Max ****]
[Watched in mid-May @ Hampden courtesy NetFlix]
Sheen does a great job at times in impersonating Frost and Langella is pretty effective in bringing Nixon, but if you love the underplay more than over-drama then...this one doesn't impress as much as it's supposed to!
Writer: Peter Morgan
Director: Ron Howard
Rating ***
[Max ****]
[Watched in mid-May @ Hampden courtesy NetFlix]
Viewed: HEARTS OF DARKNESS: A FILMMAKER'S APOCALYPSE
Passion shines. The filming became the movie became the life. A stunning insight into the making of Apocalypse Now.
The master filmmaker of Godfather went berserk, budget shot up like mad, actors went crazy and the shoot never got over! Coppola had no idea what he was doing. He met the President of Phillipines, took help of their army and was at their mercy, not to mention the literal hurricanes that knocked off the sets.
The film that was set to bury the filmmaker and yet...he came out. Watch Coppola lost on what to do. Watch what filmmaking is all about :-)
Writers: Fax Bahr & George Hickenlooper
Directors: Fax Bahr & George Hickenlooper
Rating ****
[Max ****]
[Viewed on 20th May @ Hampden on NetFlix dvd]
The master filmmaker of Godfather went berserk, budget shot up like mad, actors went crazy and the shoot never got over! Coppola had no idea what he was doing. He met the President of Phillipines, took help of their army and was at their mercy, not to mention the literal hurricanes that knocked off the sets.
The film that was set to bury the filmmaker and yet...he came out. Watch Coppola lost on what to do. Watch what filmmaking is all about :-)
Writers: Fax Bahr & George Hickenlooper
Directors: Fax Bahr & George Hickenlooper
Rating ****
[Max ****]
[Viewed on 20th May @ Hampden on NetFlix dvd]
Viewed: FROST / NIXON (Documentary)
The facade of Nixon eventually shows as he flights from and arrives to the critical moments when he has to face the question of doing something 'wrong'.
It is interesting to see how he 'rights' the 'wrong' by being the President of USA. And yet there are moments when he is caught perhaps in his guilt or in his desire to ask for forgiveness.
However no matter how David Frost tries to penetrate a direct apology is till missing. Frost does comes across as a serious contender taking taking on Nixon. As a film unless one is aware of the dynamics, it will not be found too gripping.
Perhaps more interesting than the Nixon interview are the thoughts and views of David Frost on this whole affair.
Director: Jorn Winther
Rating ***
[Max ****]
[Viewed on 29th April on Netflix DVD @ Hampden]
It is interesting to see how he 'rights' the 'wrong' by being the President of USA. And yet there are moments when he is caught perhaps in his guilt or in his desire to ask for forgiveness.
However no matter how David Frost tries to penetrate a direct apology is till missing. Frost does comes across as a serious contender taking taking on Nixon. As a film unless one is aware of the dynamics, it will not be found too gripping.
Perhaps more interesting than the Nixon interview are the thoughts and views of David Frost on this whole affair.
Director: Jorn Winther
Rating ***
[Max ****]
[Viewed on 29th April on Netflix DVD @ Hampden]
Viewed: LA VIE EN ROSE
No doubt a stunning performance. Marion Cotillard won the Oscar for portraying a character that is based on the life of 'Edith Paif', who rose from the streets and became France's most celebrated singer during her times but lived a very fractured life.
Rating ***1/2
[Max Rating ****]
[Viewed on 10th May, 2009 @ Hampden courtesy NetFlix]
Rating ***1/2
[Max Rating ****]
[Viewed on 10th May, 2009 @ Hampden courtesy NetFlix]
Viewed: MARCH OF THE PENGUINS
A great insight into the habitual act of Penguins dealing with perhaps the toughest place to live on earth - Antartica.
The documentary made under monstrous conditions takes us into the lives of these special creatures.
It is amazing to watch how the male and female go to pains to give birth and bring new life into the world, showing once again that affection and caring is just not the domain of humans.
In fact it is inspiring to watch the stead-fastness, the commitment, the effort of these animals to go about doing their 'jobs'.
Writers: Luc Jacquet & Michel Fressler
Director: Luc Jacquet
Rating ***1/2
[Max ****]
[Viewed at Hampden on 10th May, 2009 courtesy NetFlix]
The documentary made under monstrous conditions takes us into the lives of these special creatures.
It is amazing to watch how the male and female go to pains to give birth and bring new life into the world, showing once again that affection and caring is just not the domain of humans.
In fact it is inspiring to watch the stead-fastness, the commitment, the effort of these animals to go about doing their 'jobs'.
Writers: Luc Jacquet & Michel Fressler
Director: Luc Jacquet
Rating ***1/2
[Max ****]
[Viewed at Hampden on 10th May, 2009 courtesy NetFlix]
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