This is one of those post which I dedicate to the last few good movies I saw. Nothing much to differentiate these movies, at best it would be some extra-ordinary movies with a sprinkle of some good movies. And I do not start writing these posts until I come across a movie or a couple of movies, which compels me to sit & write. The movies behind this post happens to be "Stuart: A life backwards" & "The way way back"
"Stuart: A life backwards"- It is not one of those formula driven movies, but it is one of those rare stuff which makes you sit back & review the story in your head once the movie is over. I was reading an article on Season 3 of BBC series "Sherlock", from there I went to IMDB page of Benedict Cumberbatch, eventually landing at the IMDB page of this movie. It had 7.7 rating but given my recent distrust for IMDB rating, I decided to do further research. Saw the cast & spotted Tom Hardy in the list as well. Now both these actors posses great head for movie selection, Benedict Cumberbatch has impressed me 100% so far & Tom Hardy's other Indie movie "Bronson" was as impressive as it gets. Coming back to the movie itself, its a British TV movie based on a book written by Alexander Masters dedicated to his friend Stuart Shorter. Despite being a homeless guy, who has had a history of violence & crime, Stuart impressed Alexander during their first meeting. They develop a bond, leading to Stuart work with Alexander on activities handled by Outreach & in return Alexander treat him as a friend & an equal. When the writer request Stuart to let him write a Biography on his life, Stuart requests back by asking him to write his story backwards. Viewers are also shown the movie backwards, where one keeps uncovering one layer at a time to eventually explains what made Stuart the way he was in the end. Story is gut-wrenching, but the movie had plenty of moments where Alexander & Stuart are working together, enjoying together, traveling together, etc. Benedict Cumberbatch gives such a restraint performance which great actors twice his age would/should be proud of. In a role where he is suppose to be a guide to another character, which is the lead character, Benedict Cumberbatch still manages to impress one & all. This role also happens to be damn different from whatever else he has done so far in his career. But Tom Hardy is the best thing about the movie. Playing a character which has had a painful life since childhood can't be easy, but Hardy still justifies his selection. The mannerism which Hardy introduces into the character, the way he walks, talks, recount events in his life, talks about his son, etc just make his character that bit more believable. Having seen him perform phenomenally in "Bronson", I was still surprised by his portrayal of Stuart Shorter. Despite the sad & depressing storyline, viewers still connects with the characters to the credit of writers & the actors. And if for nothing else, movie deserves to be seen for performance of both the lead actors.
Prince Avalanche- It happens to be one of the under-rated movies of the recent times, IMDB rating of 6.5 does not do justice to the movie. I have always liked Paul Rudd movies, for the simple reason that they are not just funny but at the same time they would also have a bit of realism in them & often have emotional undertones & humane themes. But off late he is also taking slightly mature projects which would have elements of comedy but borderline on drama. 'Prince avalanche' is such movie where Paul Rudd plays a roadways worker who has to stay away from home & his girlfriend. He still is happy to stay close to nature & making money which would be used to improve life of the people back home. Also to support him, there is Emile Hirsch plays the character of his co-worker who also happens to be brother of Paul Rudd's girlfriend. The best part of the movie is not the chemistry that exist between the two lead actors, or the dialogue which are funny in a subtle manner, or the insecurity of both the characters portrayed brilliantly by both Paul Rudd & Emile Hirsch, it is the silence that exist in the movie where nature is shown in its prime along with the combination of good background score & actors giving awesome expressions without uttering a single line that for me is the best thing about the movie. The performance from both the actors is sublime, which is not surprising at all given the amount of talent they both have.
The words- There are not many good movie about writers, definitely not many which have a mystery or a thriller feel to it. 'The words' has all of the aforementioned things, along with an interesting star cast comprising of Bradley Cooper, Dennis Quaid, Zoe Saldana, Olivia Wilde, etc. The plot is about an author who after struggling for a long time comes up with a piece of literary brilliance, the only issue being he is not the original author of the story. The movie works as all the contributors perform their role with seriousness & honesty, as a viewer one realizes that & appreciate the movie even more. For the person who falsely claim the work of other the worst bit is not the guilt of falsely claiming someone's hard work, but its the realization that he is not capable of producing a work like that. Living with with that kind of inferiority complex can be difficult & Bradley Cooper portrayed that bit beautifully.
Arthur Newman- Another one of extremely under-rated movies with an IMDB rating of 5.4, the reason behind such a bad rating is beyond me. Its not the best movie of all times, but it definitely deserves better than 5.4 on IMDB. Colin Firth & Emily Blunt plays two central characters who are trying to run away from their respective lives by adopting false identity. Emily blunt takes up the name of her sister who is in a mental institution, whereas Colin Firth buys a new identity of a man named Arthur Newman, something similar to the naming logic of the 'man' in "The man from earth". Both of them are trying to run away from their realities & past & while on run they are also trying to have fun through the new life that they have undertaken. Both the actors more than justify the strong characters given to them by the makers of the movie, by bringing nuances to their performances which keeps the viewers glued to the screen.
Wag the Dog- I am a fan of both Robert Deniro & Dustin Hoffman, well who isn't. A satire is not something which is easy to pull-off, more so when it is a political satire, but Barry Levinson pulls it off gracefully. Having directed movies like 'Rain-man', 'Sleepers', 'Good morning, Vietnam', director has proven ability of handling big stars & sensitive subjects. Plots revolves around a President who just before election gets involved with a Sex scandal. Robert Deniro's character, who is a political fixer, is called to fix the situation. He comes up with a solution of manufacturing a war with Albania, the entire MO of creating the war is so satirical that it leaves viewers with a stomachache. But the real show stealer of the movie is Dustin Hoffman, playing a role of egoistic Hollywood producer. When things become too hot to handle for the fixer, the Hollywood producer is called upon to give legitimacy to the entire war episode. The story becomes even more interesting when the opposition leader tries to outwit the team of fixer & producer. But the team is more than up to the task & manages the show in the end. Dustin Hoffman brings just the right amount of eccentricity to portray the character, he is just perfect when he is trying to record a situational song for one of the fake war situation created by him, or when he is discussing with his team of professionals from hollywood about the entire sequence which is to be created & shown as a fact for the public, or his reaction in the climax where on not being given the credit for his work he is even ready to blow the entire thing by exposing the plan to public. Deniro gives a performance that is expected off him & one that is befitting of his stature.
The way way back- Off late I have realized that the amount of happiness that I get from a good coming-of-age movie is incomparable to any other genre. Movies like "The way way back" justifies my bias for the genre. Again the story is pretty simple, a divorced mother with her son decides to go on a trip with her boyfriend, who is also a divorcee & has a daughter, who accompanies them on the trip. The equation between the boy & his mother's boy-friend is not good. Role of the boy-friend is played by Steve Carell, who shows that his prowess is not just limited to funny, sensible & emotional characters but he can play the role of an asshole also with equal panache. The equation between the boy & his potential step-father keeps on degrading as Steve carell's character keeps on undermining the boy's spirit. Boy also realizes, as does everyone else, that his potential step-father is cheating on his mother. The boy is not accepted into the community & feels lonely, thats where the Sam Rockwell steps in playing the role of a guy working in a theme-park. He understands the issues the boy is facing & tries to help the boy in gaining confidence. He ends up doing that & more. Sam rockwell giving an assuring performance in an author backed role. Best part of the movie for me was the various characters who adds so much to the overall experience. And the cast comprises of some really talented & known faces, Tony Collette, Alison Janney, Amanda Peet, Maya Rudolph, etc & Liam James does not dissappoint playing the role of the boy who eventually comes of age.
Shahid- I generally would avoid movies that I watch in theater & hence no mention of Lootera, Lunchbox, Rush, Gravity, Prisoners, etc but there are a few movies which really impresses you & breaks the streotype or the genre code, one such movie is 'Shahid'. There are quite a few movies which has been made on a muslim character who is victimized because of his caste & background, but only a few of them have this uplifting feel throughout the movie. One such movie was "Aamir", which I loved for almost everything. Even in the worst of situation the movie does not let you sit down & feel bad for the lead character or the other victims, but through the resillience of the characters & the background score (awesome it is) the movie avoids falling into that trap. Exactly same thing happens in case of Shahid, where circumstances makes the central character join a terrorist camp & then run away from their after he sees through the mirage & accepts the reality. After coming back he is taken in custody under state terrorism act, a brief hint of police brutality & their usual tactics of manipulation of victims, the protagonist struggles to come out of jail for a crime he never commited. In the prison he is getting misguided by a polished extremist, but there are other good people who guide him towards education. He decides to study more & after coming out of prison with a help from the character who guided him in the first place inside the prison, post this he decides to become a lawyer. And from their the real story of Shahid starts, his intention of helping people who are unable to help themselves, takes him to places where no ordinary man can go. A beautifully crafted story, which lifts you up whenever you need one, goaded by top notch direction, hansal mehta is back in form here, but what takes the cake is the performance of Raj Kumar Yadav. He breathes life into this movie by portraying the character as best as humanly possible. The manner in which he goes about playing this character would make some very serious & accomplished actors proud. Kay Kay Menon & Tigmanshu Dhulia reminds the viewers of their acting abilities, especially Kay Kay Menon who has been visible only in forgettable movies off late. All the support cast does immensely well, making the entire movie watching experience a delight.
Life in the middle of rice fields- We decided to stay at a modest but beautiful place called "Goan Corner", on the other side of the river. It was surrounded on all sides by rice fields & small hills. Setting was so awesome that we could have spent 3-4 days in the near vicinity without feeling bored. Early morning walks comprised of us climbing one hill after another, breakfast was basic but it was good. This part of Hampi was beautiful & devoid of much development & was ideal for people who want a break from their mundane life or who wants to stay close to nature.The place didn't have a television, electricity wasn't there throughout the day, food was limited in terms of options, they were also short on man-power, but still I would go back when I will visit Hampi again. Simple things like hammock in front of every room, trees of seasonal fruits, helpful staff (they went out of their way to accommodate all of our requests), beautiful pets, etc did the trick for me :)
