Prequel: http://riddikilus.blogspot.com/2012/03/imovies-2.html
Forrest Gump - Happily sad...
12 Angry Men -No bombs, no car chases but edge of the seat stuff none the less
Where can I start with 12 Angry Men? Its a story about a person believing that the soon-to-be-convict is innocent. The movie is not about the story though. Its about how it unravels itself. Any vivid movie lover knows there has to be 2 plot points in a three part screenplay. But this movie has more than 4 :) with out the conventional "set-up" portion.
The twelve angry men are the twelve jurors of a murder case and no one has a'priori introduction to any one under the roof. An eighteen-year-old boy from a slum background is accused of stabbing his father to death and faces the electric chair if convicted. Eleven of the men believe the boy to be guilty; only one (Henry Fonda) has doubts. Can he manage to convince the others?
Although the plot of the film is excellent and it is fascinating to see what little things can influence which way a verdict goes. Where this film really succeeds is in presenting the characters of the 12 jurors. The character of each of the jurors emerges through a wonderful mix of perfect casting, excellent dialogue and near-flawless acting.
Juror #1 - a simple man who clearly does not understand the full complexity of the task that lies before him but is trying to do everything not to let anyone else find this out.
Juror #2 - a small, quite man, clearly unaccustomed to giving his own opinion much less to expecting his views to be of any importance. Apparently he finds solace in his job - he is an accountant.
Juror #3 - probably the most complex personality in the film. Starts off like a pleasant self-made successful businessman, he analyses the case impartially, explains his arguments well and is reasonably self assured. As time goes on he becomes more and more passionate and seems to be somehow personally involved with the case. He also starts to show some signs of slight mental instability. Wonderfully played by Lee J. Cobb - this is the character you remember after the film is over.
Juror #4 - self assured, slightly arrogant stockbroker.
Juror #5 - a man under great emotional stress.
Juror #6 - He really wants to see justice done and it worries him that he might make a mistake.
Juror #7 - One that really has no opinion on this case.
Juror #8- A caring man, has put more thought into the case than any of the other jurors.
Juror #9 - a wise old man with his great life experience has quite a unique way of looking at the case.
Juror #10 - the most horrifying character in the film. Votes guilty and does not even try to hide the fact that he does so only because of the boy's social background.
Juror #11 - An immigrant watchmaker, careful methodical man, well mannered and soft spoken.
Juror #12 - a young business type - perhaps he has his own opinions - but is careful to hide them.
Midnight in Paris - Stunning Allen!
All men fear death. It's a natural fear that consumes us all," says a character in "Midnight in Paris"… "However, when you make love with a truly great woman, one that deserves the utmost respect in this world and one that makes you feel truly powerful, that fear of death completely disappears." Paris is her name. She has seduced writers for centuries, and in "Midnight in Paris" writer/director Woody Allen makes love to her with his camera, in the most poetic of ways. Or perhaps he's referring to art, to achieving such intimacy with your craft and such artistic climax that you become immortal, like Hemingway, Matisse, Fitzgerald, Picasso, Dali or Allen himself.
Gil Pender, the protagonist in Allen's 2011 oscar winning film, has never experienced that kind of artistic height. Played quite convincingly by Owen Wilson (in a surprising and refreshing role that Allen had to re-write for him), Gil is an aspiring novelist who is visiting Paris with his girlfriend (Rachel McAdams) and her parents. But while they prefer to shop and visit museums, Gil chooses to wonder about. "No work of art can compare to a city," he says.
Pender is actually mesmerized by the City of Lights and fantasizes about what he believes was Paris' Golden Age, the 1920s with the Lost Generation of American writers walking its streets, writing in sidewalk cafés, and frequenting smoky bars and flamboyant parties. One evening at midnight, trying to find his way back to the hotel, something magical happens to Gil. Really! But no reviewer should give that magic away.
Getting lost in the city seems to be a symbol for how lost he really is, as a person and as a writer, and although he's somewhat insecure and anxious (he even carries a bottle of Valium with him), he's actually a likable guy and soon meets a few bohemian friends (played by Marion Cotillard, Kathy Bates, Adrien Brody, among others) who give him much-needed advice about life and the creative process. From the beginning, "Midnight in Paris" grabs you with its witty and sophisticated dialogue about art, culture and literature, and in the second half the dialogue gets even better. For instance, my favorite line comes from one of the bohemian characters, who believes that: "the job of the artist is not to succumb to despair but to find an antidote for the emptiness of existence." Another piece of wisdom comes from one of the antagonists who criticizes Gil for being infatuated with the past: "Nostalgia is denial … a flaw in the romantic imagination of people who find it difficult to cope with the present." Think about that one while watching the film, for I believe, there lies the moral of this fabulous fable about the past and the present.
At age 75—with more than 40 films under his belt—Allen has created a film that literally glows. Its dazzling cinematography, inventive plot, and Parisian score, combined with the top-notch acting and set-design, makes for an almost-perfect film, one that's not only clever and thought-provoking, but also entertaining and accessible—even to mainstream audiences
Finding Neverland - Gives you a huge smile, takes away all your tears...!
I always feel that one can't claim a movie he/she just saw as their favorite movie ever because it has yet to stand the test of time. But..every now and then a movie comes along that defies that rule for me -- a movie that as soon as I finish seeing it I know that it is an instant classic, if not "my favorite movie ever." American Beauty was such a movie...Finding Neverland is more of such sorts!
In this drama, we are told the story of how J.M.Barrie came up with the play Peter Pan. After some failed attempts at creating a well written play, Barrie finds himself in a park playing with his dog. Several moments later he meets the inspiration for his next play, four small boys and a widowed mother... and how was he inspired..whom did he inspire? forms the rest of the story..
Johnny Depp takes us by the hand and in the gentlest most reassuring way leads into the heart, soul and mind of an artist. How easy is for the world to judge a person? How frightened we still are of all that we don't understand? How easy it is to be curious always? How simple is it to be innocent? The very nature of innocence is suspect because innocence belongs exclusively to the innocent. Every time the world claims to protect it, tends to destroy it. - There are moments, reactions, sequences, scenes, music -at times everything put together - to answer all these delicate questions about life and mind, in this movie.
"Finding Nerverland" is filled with moments of enlightenment. Moving and powerful moments but none more so than Julie Christie's face as she applauds, converted to the fantasy transported into her daughter's house. The moment and the enlightenment are short lived, but, somehow, remains in my mind as a glimmer of hope. If for a moment she accepts the mystery of it all, maybe we all could.
Johnny Depp is the best American actor of his generation, period. Kate Winslet is a stunning rarity among her contemporaries. She doesn't look like anybody else and the camera catches every tiny little thought that crosses her marvelous face
Forrest Gump - Happily sad...
“A good heart is better than all the heads in the world.”
-Edward Bulwer-Lytton
..is what Forrest Gump is all about.
Most of us think this movie as a collection of events centering Forrest Gump (portrayed beyond excellence by Tom Hanks), but if we notice keenly, it is not! It is about journey between
Jenny Curran (Robin Wright) and her childhood friend Forrest. When did they meet? What happened between them? How did they separate? How they met again? And about what kept them together for all those years - Love!
The narrative style of the movie is set in its opening scene. During the opening scene, Forrest strikes up a conversation with a woman sitting beside him in the bus stop. She is 'us'. It feels as if Forrest is telling his own story to us in a third person's point of view. Not many of us reckon it but every body falls for this narrative
unwittingly . That's the beauty.
Forrest gump - this movie has a lot to do with me. Nikhil - my friend suggested me this movie. He was then, studying in Suratkal and I was rotting in Madurai with daily routines and day-scholar life. One gloomy day, we had a conversation and having known Nikhil for quite sometime, I know he is not for tearjerker movies! But still he suggested this to me with a promise that I will feel light after watching this. And yes - I did.
Just then, when had thought life is cruel and complex, this made me believe again in life's simplicity! The movie relates to one, in many different levels. A LOT I should say. It kindles the innocence, empathy, gratitude, fulfillment, love - all in around 140 minutes!
Tom Hanks - is the only person who could have played this role. I can't think of anyone else as Gump, after seeing how Hanks makes him into a person so dignified, so straight-ahead. The performance is a breathtaking balancing act between comedy and sadness, in a story rich in big laughs and quiet truths.
Any attempt to describe him/this will risk making the movie seem more conventional than it is, but let me try. It's a comedy, I guess. Or maybe a drama. Or a dream.
Do experience it.
Forrest gump - this movie has a lot to do with me. Nikhil - my friend suggested me this movie. He was then, studying in Suratkal and I was rotting in Madurai with daily routines and day-scholar life. One gloomy day, we had a conversation and having known Nikhil for quite sometime, I know he is not for tearjerker movies! But still he suggested this to me with a promise that I will feel light after watching this. And yes - I did.
Just then, when had thought life is cruel and complex, this made me believe again in life's simplicity! The movie relates to one, in many different levels. A LOT I should say. It kindles the innocence, empathy, gratitude, fulfillment, love - all in around 140 minutes!
Tom Hanks - is the only person who could have played this role. I can't think of anyone else as Gump, after seeing how Hanks makes him into a person so dignified, so straight-ahead. The performance is a breathtaking balancing act between comedy and sadness, in a story rich in big laughs and quiet truths.
Any attempt to describe him/this will risk making the movie seem more conventional than it is, but let me try. It's a comedy, I guess. Or maybe a drama. Or a dream.
Do experience it.
12 Angry Men -No bombs, no car chases but edge of the seat stuff none the less
Where can I start with 12 Angry Men? Its a story about a person believing that the soon-to-be-convict is innocent. The movie is not about the story though. Its about how it unravels itself. Any vivid movie lover knows there has to be 2 plot points in a three part screenplay. But this movie has more than 4 :) with out the conventional "set-up" portion.
The twelve angry men are the twelve jurors of a murder case and no one has a'priori introduction to any one under the roof. An eighteen-year-old boy from a slum background is accused of stabbing his father to death and faces the electric chair if convicted. Eleven of the men believe the boy to be guilty; only one (Henry Fonda) has doubts. Can he manage to convince the others?
Although the plot of the film is excellent and it is fascinating to see what little things can influence which way a verdict goes. Where this film really succeeds is in presenting the characters of the 12 jurors. The character of each of the jurors emerges through a wonderful mix of perfect casting, excellent dialogue and near-flawless acting.
Juror #1 - a simple man who clearly does not understand the full complexity of the task that lies before him but is trying to do everything not to let anyone else find this out.
Juror #2 - a small, quite man, clearly unaccustomed to giving his own opinion much less to expecting his views to be of any importance. Apparently he finds solace in his job - he is an accountant.
Juror #3 - probably the most complex personality in the film. Starts off like a pleasant self-made successful businessman, he analyses the case impartially, explains his arguments well and is reasonably self assured. As time goes on he becomes more and more passionate and seems to be somehow personally involved with the case. He also starts to show some signs of slight mental instability. Wonderfully played by Lee J. Cobb - this is the character you remember after the film is over.
Juror #4 - self assured, slightly arrogant stockbroker.
Juror #5 - a man under great emotional stress.
Juror #6 - He really wants to see justice done and it worries him that he might make a mistake.
Juror #7 - One that really has no opinion on this case.
Juror #8- A caring man, has put more thought into the case than any of the other jurors.
Juror #9 - a wise old man with his great life experience has quite a unique way of looking at the case.
Juror #10 - the most horrifying character in the film. Votes guilty and does not even try to hide the fact that he does so only because of the boy's social background.
Juror #11 - An immigrant watchmaker, careful methodical man, well mannered and soft spoken.
Juror #12 - a young business type - perhaps he has his own opinions - but is careful to hide them.
All these characters and its complexities are put to us slowly along with the story. .......Films rarely get this uplifting and brilliant. I cannot think of the last time I was so intrigued by the flawless plot, dialogue and acting since 12 Angry Men. For such a simplistic story set in one jury room, it is surprising that Sidney Lumet can drain you of all your emotions and leave you on the edge of your seat with suspense, mystery, and some of the best acting you are bound to ever see grace the silver screen!
Midnight in Paris - Stunning Allen!
All men fear death. It's a natural fear that consumes us all," says a character in "Midnight in Paris"… "However, when you make love with a truly great woman, one that deserves the utmost respect in this world and one that makes you feel truly powerful, that fear of death completely disappears." Paris is her name. She has seduced writers for centuries, and in "Midnight in Paris" writer/director Woody Allen makes love to her with his camera, in the most poetic of ways. Or perhaps he's referring to art, to achieving such intimacy with your craft and such artistic climax that you become immortal, like Hemingway, Matisse, Fitzgerald, Picasso, Dali or Allen himself.
Gil Pender, the protagonist in Allen's 2011 oscar winning film, has never experienced that kind of artistic height. Played quite convincingly by Owen Wilson (in a surprising and refreshing role that Allen had to re-write for him), Gil is an aspiring novelist who is visiting Paris with his girlfriend (Rachel McAdams) and her parents. But while they prefer to shop and visit museums, Gil chooses to wonder about. "No work of art can compare to a city," he says.
Pender is actually mesmerized by the City of Lights and fantasizes about what he believes was Paris' Golden Age, the 1920s with the Lost Generation of American writers walking its streets, writing in sidewalk cafés, and frequenting smoky bars and flamboyant parties. One evening at midnight, trying to find his way back to the hotel, something magical happens to Gil. Really! But no reviewer should give that magic away.
Getting lost in the city seems to be a symbol for how lost he really is, as a person and as a writer, and although he's somewhat insecure and anxious (he even carries a bottle of Valium with him), he's actually a likable guy and soon meets a few bohemian friends (played by Marion Cotillard, Kathy Bates, Adrien Brody, among others) who give him much-needed advice about life and the creative process. From the beginning, "Midnight in Paris" grabs you with its witty and sophisticated dialogue about art, culture and literature, and in the second half the dialogue gets even better. For instance, my favorite line comes from one of the bohemian characters, who believes that: "the job of the artist is not to succumb to despair but to find an antidote for the emptiness of existence." Another piece of wisdom comes from one of the antagonists who criticizes Gil for being infatuated with the past: "Nostalgia is denial … a flaw in the romantic imagination of people who find it difficult to cope with the present." Think about that one while watching the film, for I believe, there lies the moral of this fabulous fable about the past and the present.
At age 75—with more than 40 films under his belt—Allen has created a film that literally glows. Its dazzling cinematography, inventive plot, and Parisian score, combined with the top-notch acting and set-design, makes for an almost-perfect film, one that's not only clever and thought-provoking, but also entertaining and accessible—even to mainstream audiences
Finding Neverland - Gives you a huge smile, takes away all your tears...!
I always feel that one can't claim a movie he/she just saw as their favorite movie ever because it has yet to stand the test of time. But..every now and then a movie comes along that defies that rule for me -- a movie that as soon as I finish seeing it I know that it is an instant classic, if not "my favorite movie ever." American Beauty was such a movie...Finding Neverland is more of such sorts!
In this drama, we are told the story of how J.M.Barrie came up with the play Peter Pan. After some failed attempts at creating a well written play, Barrie finds himself in a park playing with his dog. Several moments later he meets the inspiration for his next play, four small boys and a widowed mother... and how was he inspired..whom did he inspire? forms the rest of the story..
Johnny Depp takes us by the hand and in the gentlest most reassuring way leads into the heart, soul and mind of an artist. How easy is for the world to judge a person? How frightened we still are of all that we don't understand? How easy it is to be curious always? How simple is it to be innocent? The very nature of innocence is suspect because innocence belongs exclusively to the innocent. Every time the world claims to protect it, tends to destroy it. - There are moments, reactions, sequences, scenes, music -at times everything put together - to answer all these delicate questions about life and mind, in this movie.
"Finding Nerverland" is filled with moments of enlightenment. Moving and powerful moments but none more so than Julie Christie's face as she applauds, converted to the fantasy transported into her daughter's house. The moment and the enlightenment are short lived, but, somehow, remains in my mind as a glimmer of hope. If for a moment she accepts the mystery of it all, maybe we all could.
Johnny Depp is the best American actor of his generation, period. Kate Winslet is a stunning rarity among her contemporaries. She doesn't look like anybody else and the camera catches every tiny little thought that crosses her marvelous face
For as quiet a film as "Finding Neverland" is, you never get the feeling that it's all a lot of monologuing. That's one of its chief strengths. There are other things to admire as well. Director Marc Forster avoids the easy trap of sentimentality somehow, and we're never quite sure how he managed that while also investing the film with real emotional content. Forster also does a good job of integrating point-of-view shots so that we can see the world the way that Barrie sees it. Shots like these can be tricky because they can seem so gimmicky if not done well.
Understatement is the operative word with this film, and so even in a scene where Barrie envisions a hook on the end of one of he character's arms, it doesn't seem overly intrusive. Throw in location filming in London and Surrey and you have a movie that's really a delight to watch. I'm not sure how much we ultimately learn about the man behind the Pan, but it's a pleasure spending time with him.
PS: I know that I am writing about the movies that you all might know.. but can we omit them just because of that? :)
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