Waltz with Bashir (2008) (Israel)

Explicitly well built yet grimly presented with high contrast animation Waltz with Bashir is a documentary film from Israel. Though it is a documentary its surprisingly entertaining in an equal way to a feature film that builds a strong plot using speculation and reaches a point of realism at it’s peak. The horrifying reality about Waltz with Bashir is that its not fiction but it is the story of a dark event that took place in West Beirut, Lebanon in 1982 which later the world identified as the Sabra and Shatila massacre.

Director Ari Folman is on a path of self-realization when he interviews several veterans from the period of the invasion of Lebanon. And this movie represents those interviews and the findings in a very creatively laid out animation based cinematography.  The style of animation it self looks unique and very original and when it mixes with the details of the story there is very thin line between reality and animated characters. As the story telling style is attractive and appealing the viewers are carried to a certain point when they are bombarded with a brief session of live news footage. It is surprisingly well made and the presentation of this certain event is built to last a lifetime in the memory.

Waltz with Bashir is not just another documentary about war and barbaric human behavior. It is something more that has the capacity to reach in to deep corners of the mind and haunts viewer for times to come. And when it comes to events like this being haunted is essential as nothing comes close to the true pain and suffering the real victims went through.

My score 4/5

Genre: Drama | Documentary | Biography | Animation

Director: Ari Folman

"Vals Im Bashir" (original title)

Ida (2013) (Poland)

Ida is like a beautiful yet painful poem. It portrays the same world we live in but it looks very different from the poets point of view. At times it’s slow and empty yet sometimes so full and moving. But with every word and every worse it become deeper and deeper so full of life and full of perspective. And from start to end in the readers mind it’s mesmerizingly picturesque in its presentation.

Ida who is an orphan rose in a monastery and a soon to be nun discovers that she has an aunt who is the only living relative sets off to visit her. But once she finds her aunt it opens up very unexpected history of her family and Ida decides to find her origins. But more she digs bitter it becomes.

The plot of Ida takes place in the 1960s. More than just a movie Ida is a collection of a splendidly taken fine art photographic quality scenes one after the other. Right from the opening scene to the one it ends each frame is carefully crafted according to a style that links photography and cinema together. And I paused the movie more than a few times just to enjoy the true beauty of those scenes. For me Ida is perfect cinematography and a presentation of true skill in through photographic composition. This quality vastly ads beauty and depth to the movie and gives a strong base for the emotionally deep story to unfold.

The performances of Ida is fine as its cinematography it self. They are natural and emotional driven. They speak little words but much loud messages are given out. Ida uses minimal background score. Which solemnly binds with the emptiness in characters souls that again leads to the cinematography where most scenes use expression using empty spaces. In whichever the way the viewer feels the movie the experience is interconnected with the combination of all these elements. The vision of the director is impeccably visible throughout the movie and the viewer if engulfed by it.

Made in black and white in a very color savvy world Ida is a movie that touches the roots of cinema and the mind of the viewers.

My score 4.5/5

Genre: Drama

Director: Pawel Pawlikowski

Whiplash (2014)

Vernon Schillinger is back and this time he is having a brutal temper with a determination of vengeance. If you have seeing the great tv show OZ (1997-2003) you will know what I’m talking about. I have not seeing much from J.K Simmons in recent years as a groundbreaking performance but in Whiplash he is kicking some true ass. This hot headed no mercy high school music instructor and his band of music students will make you forget the real world. When they make music you will make music and whey they sweat you will sweat. And most painfully when they bleed you will also bleed. Whiplash is a freaking intense movie that we get to see rarely and 2014 is the year we got lucky.

Andrew (Miles Teller) is a first year music student at a prestigious college and he surprisingly gets selected to play in the college band lead by instructor Fletcher (J.K Simmons) who has a reputation to be downright tough. While Andrew being one of a kind determined and truly talented young man, Fletcher breaks him down to the core. When Andrew realizes that he have to give more than the best he could offer to survive in the band Fletcher raises the bar higher and higher.

While J.K Simmons is a veteran actor with lot of experience under his belt the main role is played by Miles Teller who is a young actor whom we have never seeing in a role that’s worthy mentioning of. But in Whiplash he delivers a thundering performance and at times you might wonder, “Who is this kid? And why is he so good?”. Well these two fantastic performances combined with the ear-blowing amount of jazz music, this movie is an experience beyond experiences. I mean if you’re a fan of jazz and especially a fan of drumming I’m sure you will hit orgasm more than a few times.

It is evident that Damien Chazelle has directed this movie with sheer passion and commitment.  There is very good flow, super duper music and lot of heated up harsh one-sided conversations throughout. And none of it goes a waste and when the final showdown happens the point of enlightenment unfolds. I’m certain that many who watched this sweated and intensely raised their heart beat in the last 10 minutes and it would have taken at least another half hour for the blood pressure to stabilize. Seriously, how can a movie about music can do that sort of thing?

Genre: Drama | Music

Director: Damien Chazelle

My score: 4/5

Birdman (2014)

I mean seriously what can you expect when the director of Amores Perros (2000) and Babel (2006) Alejandro González Iñárritu teams up with the cinematographer of Children of Men (2006) and Gravity (2013) Emmanuel Lubezki? It is nothing less but mind-blowing piece of cinema with brain breaking cinematography of epic proportions. Until I watched this I thought Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) had no fit contender for this years Oscars in cinematography category but boy I was wrong. And now the battle has got mad.

Birdman is a very unique movie that actually gives the feel of a stage play. This is directly related with the plot of the movie, as the movie is all about a former celebrity actor who used to star in a superhero movie is making his debut in Broadway through a stage drama that is actually written and directed by him while playing the key role.

The movie from start to end is pretty much simulated to be taken in one long shot. There are one or two places where it breaks the flow and jumps times but still the director has made a brilliant effort to keep everything in line so neatly that somewhere down the line you start to appreciate this amazing quality of Birdman. I have no idea how the team has managed to pull this one out (Guess it’s the technique they call as tracking shots) but for me it is nothing like I have experienced before in a movie and it simply blew my senses away. “This is one hell of a movie magic,” I said to my self.

Backed by this excellent cinematography Birdman tells a story so brilliantly that thins the line between reality and imagination.  There are certain moments it manages to play with the viewers’ minds (definitely at the end). And it is obvious that the performances of Birdman is nothing but phenomenal as well.  Michael Keaton, Edward Norton Emma Stone seems to be giving their very best here and it’s a pleasure to see them so stunningly brilliant in their roles.

While Birdmnan does not completely fall in to the genre of a psychological thriller it does have some elements in common with Black Swan (2010), which I was eagerly comparing when some scenes unfolded. Yet Birdman is a completely new movie experience that has lot of genuine qualities all the way.  Just to keep it short but do the top honors, Birdman is a movie that combines best of the best in to a heart-stopping film for two hours and it sure deserves to be in those golden pages of history of cinema.

Genre: Drama | Comedy

Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu

My score 4.5/5

24 City (2008) (China)

This piece of Chinese movie is dramatically thought provoking as it has a very thin line between fiction and reality. Being masterfully directed by renowned Chinese director Zhanke Jia  I believe there is nothing less you can actually expect from it.

The plot is based on the demolishing of a factory complex known as factory 420 in the city of Chengdu which has stood there for over 50 years. The property is now set to build a luxury apartment complex known as 24 City. The movie one by one introduces several people panning through 3 generations who have had connections with the factory 420 in different ways for many decades. These people reveal uniquely different stories from their lives surrounding the factory 420 and it ultimately leads to the history of China and its recent economic revelations effect on its people.

Though 24 City has a strong documentary type narrative and structure, it’s actually a movie made with real actors and actresses.  I’m certain that for anyone who is not familiar with the cast might immediately have a belief that the events that take place are certainly for real. However, it is not entirely wrong either due to the fact that some strong elements of the movie do exists for real and the director has very skillfully combined these fiction and nonfiction elements in to a single storyline. Due to this nature 24 City is definitely a movie that has the capacity to play with the viewers minds no matter in which way you would like to interpret it, as a documentary or as a movie.

24 City has very best of cinematography and storytelling structure. Every scene and story is built on certain theme that differentiates with short verses mostly extracted from old and contemporary poems. And each of these story segment has a wonderful feel of its own and its certain that the viewers would connect with some stories more than others with relatively close personal experiences of their own.

Even from a view point of a person who has very less knowledge and experience of China and its people 24 City will open up new windows of realization. Its indeed is because of the magical touch of Zhanke Jia.

Genre: Drama

"Er shi si cheng ji" (original title)

Director: Zhanke Jia

Rating: 4/5

Nightcrawler (2014)

Are you bored with movies that call them thrillers but offer the same old formula of blood and gore over and over again? Are you sick of stereotype villains and over dramatic performances by the actors in them? Have you lost your faith on thrillers that all the time is so far fetched and has no real meaning by the end? Then to restore your faith on the true colors of a thriller movie and what makes a darn good dark character possible, watch Nightcrawler.

Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal) used to be a jobless yet very enthusiastic man desperate to find his way out of the day-to-day petty thefts that makes him survive the day. But now he is a crime journalist doing his own pursuits for crime scenes at night and sells the footage to a local new broadcasting agency. But he is so desperate for a breakthrough story of his career finds an ideal opportunity one night. Lou draws a master plan to put him on the spot of a true crime scene and he is all set to get it on tape.

Nightcrawler’s plot is not common and unheard of. It peaks in to bitter yet very real circumstances of contemporary media culture.  And the movie brings in a very unique kind of a villain who is surprisingly the protagonist of the whole twisted plot. This character is very effectively and powerfully portrayed by the talented Jake Gyllenhaal, who is currently appearing in repeatedly challenging and better roles in his career. After last year’s less talked about yet one of the best of the years psychological thriller Enemy, his performance in Nighcrawler is indeed a plus point.

Nightcrawler has proper flow and very good cinematography. There is no moment where the movie unhooks the viewer from its grip. The plot rapidly grows with the main character and it builds the intensity at the correct phase. This movies is fine at its start middle and end. This is something very rare for a crime thriller and Nightcrawler is brilliant in its nature.

Genre: Crime | Thriller

Director: Dan Gilroy

Rating:  Genre 4.5/5 | Overall 3.5/5

The Missing (2014) – TV Series

Honored to be one of the best 5 mini series of 2015 in the Golden Globes, The Missing is truly a brilliant TV show in the making. Though Fargo (2014) was more popular and grabbed the award, for me The Missing was more heart felt and sensitive to the core. If I call The Missing as the most hauntingly emotional television experience I had recently that would be correct. 

When the English couple Tony (James Nesbitt) and Emily (Frances O'Connor) goes to France for a vacation their small boy goes missing. Devastated by their loss the couple seeks every angle to find their son but fails. After 8 years Tony obsessed with the idea that his son is still alive returns to France to find him pursuing a lead. There he discovers some unbearable truths about his sons disappearance. 

The Missing’s’ plot and set up is very powerful. It takes place in a small French town where the atmosphere screams of a certain emptiness that creates a mind boggling mood overall. This atmosphere mixed with the disturbingly emotional plot the viewer gets dragged in to the investigation of this small boy. And right from the first episode things becomes really tense and for the next 7 episodes its nothing but beautiful expression of cinematic quality television drama. James Nesbitt and Frances O'Connor deliver commanding performances in this show and they are supported by another set of very talented international cast. Everything about The Missing is well planned and well executed and they apply to even the sub plots that make strong sense at the end. 

To return to the shows emotional brilliance I believe The Missing makes a child abduction plot to go beyond the usual detective or crime stories and makes it feel so dearly. The plot run in 3 parallel timelines where the most significant events related to the investigation takes place and each timeline is given equal importance. This is where the beauty of writing comes to play and the job is very well done. Even at the time of the ending the viewer will be left with so many things in their minds and arguments to fight.  And just like the father of the boy the viewer will be doing a silent struggle in their minds to understand the events more clearly. Being so The Missing offers a strikingly good ending. 

If you are a parent you will certainly feel disturbed by this show and will shed tears more than few times along the way. But it’s certain that The Missing is one of the most brilliantly told story of parents love. 

Genre: Crime | Drama | Mystery

Director: Tom Shankland

Rating:  4.5/5

Leviathan (2014)

If I was asked to round up this movie in to one word most probably I will run out of a proper word. It is that brilliant in all its aspects of cinema and after a long time I can shout amazing and give the highest score possible.  If I compare Leviathan in to a living being the beauty of it is in its every molecule that makes a perfect living thing. Not only it has the best of looks it also feels warm and completely full of heart and emotion. And this mind bending contemporary tale of social drama from Russia will most probably numb your senses for a while. Director Andrey Zvyagintsev has delivered a pinnacle of creativity here and now I want to watch all his movies.

The plot of Leviathan is its strongest muscle. In a Russian picturesque coastal town an ordinary man is fighting a legal battle to save his property from getting demolished. On the other end of the lawsuit a corrupted politician grinds his teeth sensing his evident win of the case. But when a lawyer from Moscow comes with bitter information to burry the politician and to rescue the ordinary man things become heated beyond control. But the arrival of this lawyer turns in to misfortune than being a savior with certain unexpected events that starts to take place.

Leviathan is very good in presenting the plot in surprise elements. It builds from the scratch slowly but steadily. And every tough curve it takes it doesn’t become aggressive nor over dramatic. The movie manages to maintain certain calmness throughout but the viewer feels the intense calamity that brews step by step. How the director does this is mostly by the mood created with cinematography and subtle music. There are aggressive performances but they are not fueled by external cinematic elements. This is quite different to most of the movies we see but director pulls this stunt so swiftly that you may not even notice it. And when the movie ends some of it makes perfect sense while still most of it is a dark and a gloomy memory. Just like the cold empty shores with decaying skeletons of giant whales.

This brings me to the part where I admire the cinematography and acting of Leviathan. Right from the opening scene to the ending scene that makes a perfect connection of other scenes in between, this beautifully crafted movie is a piece of art in visual pleasure. Most of the wide-angle shots represent the atmospheric effects of this small and seemly remote town and its peoples life style. And the actors breaths life to a set of characters that looks simple at a glance but very complicated internally. They portray the good and the ugly with beautifully natural acting and for Leviathan it is a strong suit. These actors will make you remember the characters for a very long time.

To be frank I cannot recall a place where I can point as to be negative in Leviathan. There are no scenes or dialogues wasted and it seems like this is perfect cinema and we sure come across that kind very rarely. Definitely one of the best of the year and no wonder it’s running for the Oscars.

Genre: Drama

Original title: “Leviafan” (Russian)

Director: Andrey Zvyagintsev

Rating: 5/5

Fury (2014)

Coming from David Ayer who made some memorable movies in his career (Training Day 2001 and U571 2000 to be my favorites) and Brad Pitt in the cast I had high hopes of Fury. But it seems like Ayer was attempting to make a Saving Private Ryan but ended up losing the game. Don’t get me wrong Fury of course is not entirely a bad movie. But it is not what you call great. Comparing with Clooneys’ recent mega failure Monument Men this looks like its way ahead. But not really so. Monument Men at least spoke of true events and the plot was digestible. But this is more like Star Wars and quite far from reality.

Fury is a heroic tale based on the ending period of the WW2. Army Sergeant Don 'Wardaddy' Collier (Pitt) leading a group of tanks undertakes a deadly mission in the heart of Germany. When they become hopelessly outnumbered and outgunned this single crew must show utmost courage and bravery to face the enemy.

To speak of the good of Fury I believe the action sequences take the crown. When those bullets starts flying all hell breaks lose and for that few minutes the volume of adrenaline pumped is furious. And then comes acting. Dearly no complaints there as well. But I believe they could have done lot better. Maybe It’s something with the script that didn’t let them. Very good cinematography and set creation as well. The detailing is wonderful and it is in par with most of the high-ranking WW2 movies from the past. And for a movie of this genre the humor was quite good too.

But then why Fury doesn’t really make the cut to be great? I believe there is no true justice given for its run time. The movie goes from place to place with the tank crew but takes a long time to come to a point where the viewer should hang on to or have hopes of. The last battle is the moment of truth but the rest seems like some bitter justification to the fact that war is cruel. We already know that the war is cruel and we have seeing enough movies that proves the fact from the past. We want something more right now and Fury does not deliver that. And even the last battle seems too far-fetched and looks more Expendables than WW2 drama. These mistakes make this big production looks feeble and no matter how good it looks it doesn’t feel right in the mind.

Genre: Action | Drama | War

Director: David Ayer

Ratings: Genre 2.5/5, Overall 3/5

New World (2013)

No matter what kind of an impression you had earlier regarding Asian action and gangster movies, New World will open your eyes to some thing so heart pounding that when it ends you will be hungry for more. With well-executed bloody action sequences and top of the line performances and with a  twisted  plot this movie just pulls you off the chair more than once.

Though some of Hollywood experts will call this a rip off of the great gangster flicks like the Godfather or Departed I solemnly disagree to that statement as for the fact that though this carries certain similarities it is brilliant and unique in mostly Asian way.

New World is a long movie that runs over 2 hours but it does not waste a minute. It has this elegance that the Asian crime movies commonly has with gangsters in dozens wearing clean suits and pitch-black and dustless cars that rolls on blood money. With that beauty of cinematography with panning and high angle shots New World creates a dramatically enjoyable crime thriller. And the music is so good it just swiftly blends in to the scenes and gives the viewer goose bumps.

The plot is not that complicated yet will take a while to make sense. It is twisty beware but some might be able to foresee the ending from far. But there is no solid assurance that thing will go as planned so viewer will stick to the end. Even at the end it gives some answer and leave the viewer with more questions perhaps. And all this thanks to the brilliant acting and direction.

Like I said at the start no matter what opinion you have around New World there is no doubt it is one of the finest of gangster crime movies you saw in a while.

Genre: Crime | Thriller

Original Title: "Sin-se-gae"

Country: South Korea

Language: Korean |Mandarine

Director: Hoon-jung Park

Rating : Genre 4/5 | Overall 3/5

-Priyantha Bandara

678 (2010)

This powerful drama from Egypt speaks of sexual harassment that woman faces day by day and how the majority of society reacts to them. Not to mention that it’s shameful to be seeing by men knowing that men has the sole power and control to eliminate this situation around the globe yet men don’t choose to do so. And in a society where woman pays the price for every harassment she goes through and their silent cries get disappears in the breeze. 678 will open up your mind to this ugly truth and the director has done a good job at making the message clear.

In a world dominated by men the voice of women is hardly heard. In some regions of the world (Including ours) woman has less opportunities to follow their dreams and live an honorable and an independent life. And many become tools of selfish men and harassment is not a rare thing.

678 is well directed. It is packed with strong acting by several lead characters mainly female. Though its storyline may seems a bit too coincident based it is loosely grounded on some events that took place in Egypt that led to controversial changes in law systems of the country.

It is not a surprise that the movie faced with controversy and several attempts of blocking of screening at cinema festivals etc. However it is to be understood that the subject is universal but not only limited to Egypt. 678 will give the viewers a fresh look at a silently burning issue and it is very heart felt.

Genre: Drama

Director: Mohamed Diab

Score: 4/5

A Touch of Sin (2013)

Every crime has a victim and every criminal has a story of their own to tell. A Touch of Sin is one of the most powerful of such crime stories I have seeing recently and its directed by the well-known Chinese director Zhangke Jia. Zhangke is famous for his style in powerful dramas that mostly speak of the contemporary themes that surround the rise of Chinese economic boom and the resulting cultural changes.

A Touch of Sin is a collaborative of four different storylines that has minor connections with each other (which remind me of the great Mexican production Amores Perros-2000) that had the same style of story telling. There are more than few main characters in this due to it’s nature of the plot and each story has certain uniqueness’s and similarities to fathom. For me it’s hard to tell which story is my favorite and which is not as I see a certain beauty in all of them. As all the stories are based on some sort of a crime (large or minor) at a certain point viewer comes to the realization of where it is heading.

Though there is no hard hitting ending to this movie once it’s done the viewer will be still living a trance. There is beautiful cinematography, acting and very little of music and laughter going around. But I completely like the way it flow at times wished that some stories has more. And truly this portray the cultural and economical effects the modern China and its people are going through and some of it may seems overwhelming.

Genre: Crime| Drama

Director: Zhangke Jia

Original title: "Tian zhu ding"

Score: 4/5

Like Father Like Son (2013) (Japanese)

Like Father Like Son is a tale of parenthood and for some very good reasons it proves that parenting is not about how much wealth you posses in the bank but the love that you carry in side your heart. Directed by the well-known Japanese director Hirokazu Koreeda this story is brilliantly woven and will give you a tear or two on the way. But its so beautiful that you will see the beauty of human nature and the unending love parents posses for their children no matter how stiff they may seem from outside.

When Mr. and Mrs. Nonomia discovers that the only son they have and love so dearly is not their own they face the most painful decision of their life. After raising a child for 6 years and giving him so much love and making so much dreams for his future, Ryota Nonomia the successful businessman is struck by the discovery that his own blood is elsewhere. With his wife Midori he must find a way to let go of his son and welcome the true son to their lives. But in the process children suffers more than adults.

Like Father Like Son is beautifully directed. It’s subtle and less noisy throughout and the script is kept to a minimal with more emotion filled faces makes the story. The director makes the viewer feel the tragedy of the characters lives and at the same time it keeps the viewer guessing of the ending. With good cinematography and power filled performances this movie is capable of touching the viewers heart and mind.

Genre: Drama

Original title: Soshite chichi ni naru

Director: Hirokazu Koreeda

Rating: 4/5

-Priyantha Bandara

Fargo (2014)

If I phrase that Fargo is the most intensely satisfactory crime drama with a comedy twist in recent TV I don’t think my statement is wrong. With just 10 episodes it builds a brilliant plot, staggering performances, class A soundtrack that spread across the series right from the catchy first episode to the final show down. Created and written by Noah Hawley This show is inspired by the 1996 film of the same name written and directed by the Coen Brothers.

With clear similarities between the movie the TV show goes many steps ahead and roll out a larger and detailed plot given that TV has more space for being greater than a movie ‘if’ done right. I believe that Fargo (2014) is one of the best of that TV done right and no one can say otherwise. Fargo is brilliant from the start. You will not come across a single episode that slow things down or drags its overall progress backwards. This is very important especially for a mini series since there are only few episodes for the whole show and each episode has lot of weight. The director cannot afford to drop the ball in any episode as there will not be enough episodes to recover the damage. With Fargo the episode layout is fantastic no doubt.

Fargo has a gripping story line. It is based on crime and sometimes it’s gory yet the crime is based on a clever execution of criminal minds and police work alike. The viewers are given the opportunity to equally witness both sides of the blood trail and each side is equally interesting. To be honest there are times the dark characters seem to be winning and they appear to be more attractive. But ultimately the justice is served and the finishing is well knitted.

The quality of Fargo depends on many factors and performances are one of the key ones. Right away there are 2 good characters and 2 negative ones. All 4 of them pull off their roles with energy and persistence. With less dialogues as much as possible Fargo says a lot through action than with words. The actors make the journey a remarkable one.

Maybe the best thing about Fargo is its mood. The majority of the story takes place in the winter and there are a lot of whites and cold around. This atmosphere creates a challenging environment for the plot and as viewers we feel it. The feeling of isolation, abandons and insecurity are very well portrayed and they all fuel up this one of a kind story of hate crime. This is a must watch for TV lovers. 

Genre : Crime | Drama | Thriller

TV show

Rating 4.5/5

 

The Train (1965)

Maybe you are a fan of war movies or you are a keen locomotive enthusiast. Or you can be a classic movie lover. If you belong to either of those categories or few don’t look far The Train is the movie for you. This brilliantly executed gem of a movie will keep you at the edge of your seat and will expose you to one of the most wonderfully told story of heroism in the closing days of WW2.

The story takes place in France in the final days of German occupation. The German is in the process of leaving France while a colonel is in the process of removing valuable set of art pieces via train to Germany. The French resistance must give their lives to pull out a brilliant effort to stop this train from reaching Germany. Will they success or fail? The Train will give you the answers.

The Train is way ahead of its time in execution, story telling and performances. There are ample amounts of nail biting action and suspense and loads of heroism to go along with. I have not seeing them all but this could be the best movie based on Trains ever made! Bravo.

Rating: 5/5
Director: John Frankenheimer