The Great Beauty (2013-Itali) Original Title “La Grande Bellezza”, Rating: Genre 4.5/5, Overall 4.5/5

The Great Beauty is a very deeply sensual representation of a 65 year old man Jep Gambardella and his life, expectations, repents and joys. Mysterious in a very dramatic and unfamiliar way this movie brings a great deal of art in one bag and let the viewer to explore Jep’s illusions and realities through a mix of tastes and concepts. At times it seems like the story shatters and runs in all directions but it is like a fine cloth woven in separate pieces that comes to a whole in the hands of a master tailor. And no doubt it is one of the finest of contemporary cinema.

Jep (Toni Servillo) is an aging writer who has written one book read by many and bought respect 40 years back. Now he is living a comfortable life surrounded by his party hard aged circle of friends and writing columns in a prestigious newspaper. In a society influenced by connections and the rich and famous flocks with like minds Jep spends the majority of his day active at night. But after his 65^th birthday he realizes that his life has being empty for some reason and a sudden encounter with someone that reminds him of his first love stirs his emotions and memories.

As mentioned earlier The Great Beauty is a jumble of many sorts of art. It has poems, songs, dances, performance arts as in stage plays and magic, Painting such as modern and renaissance and even sculpture. This many sorts of mixed arts bring in a very bizarre disposition to this movie and the cinematography is superior at each element. The other key player is music. You will hear many types of music one after the other and the emotional beauty is certainly enhanced in each level no doubt.  

You will get to see the Roman grandeur in perfect cinematic angles and explore some of the fine pieces of sculpture in candle light. And meet various characters of the society with taste of fashion dressed in fine clothing even in funerals. And the journey takes the viewer through vividly lit night clubs and lavishly furnished condominiums and roof tops of the fortunate. All these elements adds spice to Jep’s lifestyle filled with witty and at the same time sarcastic dialogues.

Leaving the technicalities aside the single most powerful strength of The Great Beauty is its beautiful script and representation of the plot. However it’s like a two edged blade where some of you might completely agree and move with the flow while the rest might curse and leave the cinema hall for wasting their precious time. But the latter kind will be seldom as either your hooked or slipped within the first few minutes of the movie. If the journey looks promising you will find many goodies along the way. 

Genre: Drama

Director : Paolo Sorrentino

Zulu (2013) Rating: Genre 3.5/5, Overall 2/5

Zulu starts with a good foundation for a movie based on a crime and investigation theme. However going deep in at some point it loses its momentum. It is not because it becomes poor in performances or production but because it loses its grip of being a strong plot that can be practical. Zulu could have being a different crime drama. But it sticks to some formula that does not completely impress the audience.

Zulu is a South African production which based on two South African police investigators who are investigating a brutal murder of a young white girl. When the investigation precedes it turns larger than murder and their team suffers lethal damages from the hand of drug dealers. Challenged by life and haunted by childhood memories and family backgrounds the two investigators struggles to get the bad guys.

Forest Whitaker and Orlando Bloom play the main roles and performance wise both of them does a fine job at it. However they both are bound by the plot and its limitations become victims of it. Like mentioned before from a certain point the plot slips away and suddenly it starts to feel like some Hollywood action film that runs out of boundaries. Maybe it’s the fault of the director Jérôme Salle who is known for writing of The Tourist (2010 starring Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie) which reminds me of another sloppy script.

All in all Zulu is not a police crime drama that can remain in the brain. It does a decent job at entertaining. If you like the cast like me you might probably enjoy it a bit more. 

August: Osage County (2013) Rating 3.5/5

When movies about dysfunctional families are funny they really make very good laughs. And when they are serious it makes you feel miserable. August: Osage County can be the most interesting of that kind seeing from Hollywood lately. This movie swings in between a drama and a sarcastic dark comedy. And there are plenty of reasons for the movie lovers to gulp this in one go.

August: Osage County is based on Tracy Letts Pulitzer prize winning play of the same name. Crowed gatherings in one sitting, lengthy talk sequences, excessive amount of drama and emotions makes you feel the stage presence of some sort. Maybe they were inherited by the original play though the movie takes few steps out of the house and explain some sequences in a different way. But still as a whole everything here takes places under one roof.

Barbara Weston (Julia Roberts) is a strong willed eldest daughter of the 3 girls of Weston family. Her mother Violet (Meryl Streep) is a pill addicted cancer patient and an impossible character to deal with. Their collision course was inevitable after the family gathers at the house following a tragic incidence involving their father. Despite the family going through the grieving process they find room to criticize their twisted characters.

August: Osage County is a heavily character and acting driven movie. The cast is simply overwhelming to begin with. Meryl and Julia are two incredibly talented performers and both the main and the supporting actresses’ roles are played with equal level of power and energy. And then there is Chris Cooper, Ewan McGregor, Benedict Cumberbatch, Juliette Lewis and the cast goes on and on. It is obvious that when you put so many talents like that in to one movie it can either be a blast or a total failure. But August: Osage County manages to survive on the middle ground. If not it could have being a total disappointment.

The director John Wells is more known for his TV work (ER -1994, The West Wing -1999) prior to his talked about The Company Men (2010). However August: Osage County does not show real potential as a movie thought it might have being a powerful stage play. Without the cast and splendid acting it could have being easily forgotten. Especially Meryl Streep definitely save this movie a thousand times with her blasting performance which made her nominated for the best actress in 2013 Oscars. And for a moment I stop to wonder if she really deserved it than Cate Blanchett for Blue Jasmine.

We're the Millers (2013) Rating 2.5/5

While being completely flimsy in the practicality of the plot but utterly funny, We're the Millers will sure to make you laugh quite a lot.

David Clark is a small time pot dealer in the neighborhood. But his title is about to change to drug smuggler after he is unintentionally pulled to a wicked plot to smuggle weed over the Mexican border. While trying to figure out the best way to accomplish his assignment he realizes that a happy family on vacation is the way to go. So he gathers up few individuals and set up the fake family the Millers. But the drug smuggling business turns out to be tougher than he expected.

The plot is one good reason for making this movie watchable. It throws out some instant yet funny twists now and then. And as mentioned before the humor (mostly adult) is good. Thought it puts this movie on the long list of movies that actually make jokes about sexuality to make an impression it does work here. But this is not another American Pie or 21 Jump Street. It’s not that funny. We're the Millers is good for casual watching. Come to think of it there are no comedies that you can actually take serious. This one especially is no way near any kind of seriousness. However it does a decent job and entertainment.

This one is directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber. I’m not sure if that name rings a bell or I have seeing any of his previous works that was good enough to remember. But We are the Millers is showing good potential for better things to come by Rawson. And the part 2 is already rumored and I hope he will do a fine job with that one too.

I liked the character of David performed by Jason Sudeikis. He has previously done some fine funny roles in Horrible Bosses (2011) and Hall Pass (2011). In this also his main role keeps up the spirits. And then comes Jennifer Aniston, one of the most underrated yet skilled actresses of the commercial cinema these days. It’s mind blowing how good she looks in this. You have to see her doing ‘the dance’! 

Philomena (2013) Rating 4/5

Right at the beginning of this review I have to tell that Philomena is a beautiful and a heartwarming movie. And it’s based on true events that will make you adore the things you already have today. You will feel like hugging the main characters (Especially the old woman Philomena played by wonderful Judy Dench) and thank them for being who they are and for what they did and finding solace on a rough place of life lived with difficulty. And if you want to stop reading this review right this moment and decides to watch Philomena I will not mind at all.

Philomena is a main character of this movie. She is an orphan who has spent her life at a convent from a very young age where she has taken a sacred vow of silence following her unexpected pregnancy. Forced to go through rough labor to pay for her sins she gets to see her child only an hour a day until one day the convent decides to give away the child for adoption. Shattered and traumatized for life Philomena lives keeping this a secret for 50 years. And finally she decides that someone should know. Her emotional journey of finding her 50 year old lost son is accompanied by a freelance writer Marin Sixsmith (Steve Coogen) who has his own life difficulties to overcome. (I hope I have not given away too much of the plot)

Philomena is based on 2009 investigative book by BBC correspondent Martin Sixsmith. It’s directed by Stephen Frears the man behind the acclaimed Queen (2006) and it is a British production. I must say that Philomena caught me by surprise. I knew little about the plot when I started watching and it was surprising to witness how interesting it’s becoming every minute. And further realizing that they are true to life raised my interest furthermore. Judy and Steve are fantastic in their roles and for a moment Philomena becomes a mystery and the next it becomes a deep heart melting drama. This has the power of storytelling and telling it beautifully from start to end. The key to success of Philomena is its emotional value no doubt.

There is something so very sweet about Philomena. She is so calm and amazingly empathetic towards the people who have made her suffer a lifetime. And it’s so dramatic to witness her keeping all that pain in her heart and still manages to keep the faith to what she believes in. She symbolizes the motherhood in such a powerful way and more than that she reminds us to be grateful for the joys of life and people we come across even how insignificant they may seem. Maybe that’s the great lesson that Philomena teaches us. 

Snowpiercer (2013) Rating 3.5/5

Since the dawn of fear by several theories that stands a chance in ending our civilization for good and advanced CG to bring them to life on the screen, apocalyptic science fiction are the kind of movies that seeing so often. But the Snowpiercer stands at a unique position among many of those mundane films for several good reasons. And it’s worth watching.

This movie is based on the French graphic novel "Le Transperceneige". While being a thought provoking piece of concept for a graphic novel when it’s presented as a movie the plot seems utterly impractical to begin with. Basically Snowpiercer is a train with a perpetual engine that creates never ending energy that’s running through many continents on the frozen earth for the last 17 years continuously. That’s right the earth has entered an ice age and the all known living beings are now almost extinct. The only survivors are on the Snowpiercer but it has a major issue on board. That’s the class system that divides the passengers in to front section privileged to almost ghetto conditioned tail section. An uprising is brewing and no one has ever succeeded in hi jacking Snowpiercer. And it’s going to be different this time.

The first question that comes to any sensible mind is that who maintains this rail road and how come the train is running for so long without any stops. But then the movie does not provide you any answers for that so the best is to keep that aside and move on with the plot. When you ignore that elephant in the room you start to witness a story that is so creative and brilliant. And it all boil downs to humans and their spirits that’s warm and courageous even in the most harsh of conditions they are forced to live in.  You will start to witness struggles, sacrifices, leaderships, betrayals and above all that hope for survival. And the story flows without hesitation with the cast moving from carriage to carriage of the train unfolding never seeing environments and challenges to face. And steadily it arrives at its destination where there are surprises wait. By the time the movie ends it provides many satisfactory answers to some burning questions but open doors for many more. However the ending is fulfilling.

You will witness solid performances by many and amongst them Chris Evans and Tilda Swinton are the best. Good cinematography and score yet the CG seems a bit poor comparing to the big budget Hollywood movies nowadays. But that does not harm to enjoy this far as I see. Because Snowpiercer does not depend on CG to make a mark. And there are some fine set creations also can be witnessed as from carriage to carriage of the train it’s a whole different mood and atmosphere.

Snowpiercer delivers something beyond scientific representation of a possible future disaster and action filled blood stains on the walls. Therefore I would say it is a successful movie. 

The Grandmaster 2013- "Yi dai zong shi" (original title), Rating 3/5

(language Mandarin)

I have nothing but respect for Kar Wai Wong. His movies are deeply thought provoking and mesmerizing in every possible way that you can imagine and they are pure works of art. As a director he knows what cinema is truly capable of and touching the deepest corner of hearts for him is just magically simple. However his latest The Grandmaster is very noticeable out of his usual movie making style and it’s different. While being one of the most beautiful martial art movies I have seeing ever this gives me mixed feelings. 

To start with the plot is not an unfamiliar one for anyone who has seeing previous movies by Wilson Yip about the great master IP (IP Man 2008, IP Man 2 2010). However The Grandmaster is an exploration of master IP’s life from the early 1930s which is somewhat an unexplored era of his life in previous movies. This could be the main reason that Kar Wai Wong has spent significant time on master IP’s early life but given a short span of the movie for his life after arriving in Hong Kong. Master IP was truly known for his contribution to take martial arts especially Win Chun to a global arena and that part of his life is less explored in this movie. If anyone expects to see the same story unveiling with the great hands of Kar Wai Wong they will be somewhat disappointed. 

But The Grandmaster offers much more than just master IP’s life. For a good deal of time the viewer feels like it’s an exploration in to an era where China has gone through lot of domestic and international disturbances and the evolution and the struggle of Chinese people as a whole to keep up their life and traditions. At this point the plot spreads in few directions and master IP’s story at times takes backstage. Though this is a bold move made by the director to give the story more weight and meaning it feels like master IP’s character was not given the proper respect he deserve. For me the different story lines were a distraction and a reason to drift away from the main plot than an anchor point. Being a slow moving film the time spent on sub plots is harming the main plot. 

Performance wise The Grandmaster is brilliant. The simple yet rich performance by Tony Chiu Wai as master IP and sharp eyed stunningly beautiful Leung Ziyi Zhang delivering the role of ambitious Gong Er keeps the movie alive and warm. And the wonderful cinematography with close up and high speed camera sequences makes The Grandmaster a visually memorable one. You will witness some wonderfully crafted action sequences in this one that’s lethal yet eye pleasing. As I recall this only fall short to the beautiful cinematography of Hero (2002).

All in all The Grandmaster does not fall in to one of those amazing movies made by Kar Wai Wong. But that does not mean that he loses his title as one of the greatest directors of the contemporary international cinema. His flags are still flying high while the flag for The Grandmaster is at a bit lower level than the rest. 

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (2013) Rating 4/5

Nelson Mandela is one of the most known and respected characters in recent history where this movie is a clear representation and screen adaptation of his biography written by himself. I don’t think that I should go in to detail of what this movie is about and how it appeals to the audience. My job today is not to write about the plot in general like I do most of the time but to realize how effective it is as a movie in terms of doing justice to great Mandela.

Mandela’s character is portrayed by Idris Elba. My first impression was that there is a chance that I might be disappointed as Idris is seldom (or never) seeing making great character performances. He is mostly cornered in to portraying roles in commercial flicks. But proving that his true potential was not tapped by the directors so far he delivers a commendable job in this movie. Idris bring out the best of Mandela accent to action and for good reasons manages to show the power this great leader possessed within.

With a high production value and very good detailing throughout Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom does not look cheap in anyway. The story spreads via decades and the characteristic differences in each era is beautifully crafted. Maybe it is one reason that works a bit negative on the movie as well. Sometimes it feels like the movie is covering too many incidences from Mandela’s life and movie is stretching eternally. But there are clear connections in everything and none of it seems unnecessary. If the viewer is not bound by time and enthusiastically enjoying the movie the long running time will not be a point to consider.

And on a personal note I would prefer to see more of what Mandela did on the ground for the battle for freedom in terms of his strategic guiding of the members of ANC. But it will definitely reduce the time given on his personal life. And this is a tricky point indeed as for Mandela he almost had no personal life from one point and everything was political thereafter. Finally talking about the production the only point I would find frail is the makeup. It doesn’t stand up to the quality of the other details and the prosthetic work done on Mandela seems poor.

To sum this up Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom is one of those movies that you must see. Not because it will give you great joy to witness a great character comes to life on the screen but the joy of realizing the ideal he stood for. No matter which country or which race or religion you were born to there is only one universal truth. Everyone is equal and no one deserves to be punished for things what they don’t have control of such as the skin color.

Lone Survivor (2013) Rating 4/5

Movies based on heroism on the battle ground are not an unfamiliar territory for the movie fans. And once in a while a movie comes out which strikes so hard that you realize that somewhere out there some people risk their lives for the betterment of many more sleeping at home. Lone Survivor is indeed a brilliant movie of that kind seeing seldom from Hollywood. And to make it even better it’s based on actual events taken place.

Lone Survivor is the cinematic adaptation by Peter Berg of the book of same name. The plot is based on a US failed mission Operation Red Wings taken place in Afghanistan. The mission objective was to track a high priority Taliban leader Ahmad Shah and a four member covert operatives team was sent out. The story unveils their mission starting from base camp to a remote village in the Hindu Kush mountain range through a tough terrain on foot. While the team is equipped with latest technology and experienced personal an unexpected incidence pushes them the deviate from the plan. And they find themselves surrounded by enemy insurgents and hope of getting out alive becomes thinner and thinner.

Some call this the best after Black Hawk Down and I pretty much agree with it. But then there is the Special Forces (2012) a French movie that comes very close to this in my opinion but seems many Hollywood critics despise it (Well that’s their problem). But what’s the best movie is not the fact to highlight here. It’s the fact that Lone Survivor is filled with brilliant performances, action sequences and top of all mind blowing amounts of heroism, courage and patriotism.

Lone Survivor has good production quality and direction. Though there are no surprises to the plot or anything never seeing before in a war flick, this runs right through predictable points without sweating much. Relatively there is not enough character building done throughout but the lack of that kind of drama is barely noticed after the guns starts to fire. It is quite right to say that Lone Survivor has one of the best battle sequences that do not include heavy artillery. And it’s pretty obvious that many stunt actors have broken bones performing it.

A good war movie is not in terms of how bloody it is but in ways of how successful it is in justifying a war. It seems like Lone Survivor has done a decent job at it while the whole war again terrorism is at a questionable point.

The Birds (1963) Rating 4/5

Plot wise thrillers then and now are not much of a difference. But the key difference between the Hitchcock thriller classics and the movies nowadays is not the plot but how it’s built up.  Hitchcock knew that jumping right in to the action has less impact on the viewer so he most of the time went on a long road filled with lengthy conversations and normality phase before the real plot unveils. The success of The Birds is also largely depends on that way of storytelling.

The Birds starts with a familiar feeling of a romantic movie. A beautiful woman get attracted to a handsome man at a bird shop and ends up finding out who he is and goes through the trouble to visit him at his remote home town. This town situated near the bay is scenic and peaceful where the couple gets to enjoy there company a bit till something strange comes to light. First it comes in the form of curious people (Which is always the case in small towns) and later on it takes a different shape. The shape of birds.

Like in all Hitchcock movies there are many characters that raise suspicious looks, dialogues and vibes. And the viewer sense that there is something brewing in the background but not sure exactly what and how it will come to play. Therefore it’s the familiar frustrating wait that the viewer will feel for a good deal of time of the movie. However there is a crucial shift in plot that actually turns the movie from romantic to thrilling and from that point onward there is ample reasons to grab on to the seat.

There is a noticeable beauty in the cinematography in The Birds than most other Hitchcock movies. Maybe because it takes place in a scenic location whereas majority of others movies has urban based plots. And another noticeable different is the use of animation and props which I must say for a movie made 50 years back is very good. And like always acting is good even by the minor roles and directed well.

I cannot think of a recent movie which is better than this running on a similar theme. Sadly thrillers based on nature’s epidemics have turned in to half science fictions and has lost its base value. But here all you will see is ordinary people facing an extraordinary situation. And the ending perfectly makes sense.