Month: March 2023

Released in 1997
10/10
Genre- Sci-fi (Science-Fiction), Thriller
Main Cast: Ethane Hawke, Jude Law, Uma Thurman
Screenplay: Andrew Niccol
Direction- Andrew Niccol

BRIEF INTRODUCTION Set in a dystopian future with a background of advanced biotechnology, the story revolves around a character fighting his way out of genetic discrimination to fulfill his dream.

Initial impression One of the greatest sci-fi movies I have seen so far. After watching the film, I was quite amazed at it being so advanced in its setting, talking about concepts like Eugenics and a topic like genetic discrimination. I want to appreciate Niccol’s futuristic approach to this film, the design, the atmosphere, the visuals, and the conversations. He has provided some of the best stories to the industry be it G A T T A C A or The Truman Show or any other project related to him.

The Movie A true sci-fi I would say, and also a very underrated film, quite ahead of its time. Sci-fi masterpieces like Gattaca are rarely made in the mainstream. We see a lot of science fiction with little backstory or no backstory, and even if there is a backstory, most of the time it is unconvincing or far fetched but Gattaca has a lot of thought behind the story, behind the characters, behind the art design, it is complex creative imagination manifested as an understandable film. Straightforward narrative, no clutter, no unnecessary distraction, a focused plot, and a very natural and convincing performance by the cast.

P.S. The film was nominated for Academy Award in the Best Art Direction category.

Released in 2021
Genre- Romance, Drama, Comedy
9/10
Main Cast: Alana Haim, Cooper Hoffman, Sean Penn,
Tom Waits and Bradley Cooper
Screenplay: Paul Thomas Anderson
Direction- Paul Thomas Anderson

BRIEF INTRODUCTION Licorice Pizza is a romantic journey of a couple, various events in their relationship, and the ups and downs related to it followed by them realizing their feelings for each other.

The Movie Yes, it’s a romantic film but not a cliché, it’s very fresh and interesting with a bit of humor sometimes. The music of the film plays a key role in setting up the mood. The film received three Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay.
Since the movie is set in the 70s, it gives a nostalgic feeling while watching, and the development in the relationship is slow-paced and very natural/organic, unlike today when romance has merely become a game of interacting on some kind of electronic media making relationships more synthetic and fragile.

P.S. The film is available on one of the leading OTTs, watch it, it’s a good film, it’s a young film, for young people.

Released in 1974
Genre- Musical, Rock, Horror
9/10
Main Cast: Paul Williams, William Finley, Jessica Harper
Screenplay: Brian De Palma
Music- Paul Williams
Direction- Brian De Palma

BRIEF INTRODUCTION The story starts with an innocent, talented singer/songwriter, Winslow Leech (played by Finley), trying to make his mark and get recognition in the music industry. And what happens next is, the wrong people recognize his talent and trick him into giving his best work to them, specifically Swan (played by Williams). The second half is formed by Leech returning as yes, you guessed it right, “The Phantom” for his due credit and his ladylove (played by Harper). The rest is for the audience to find out by watching the film…

The Movie A treat for all rock lovers, with a little bit of drama, a little bit of romance, a little bit of fight, and a whole lot of music. Being a fan of De Palma’s work, especially Scarface, I was a bit surprised at first when I got to know about Phantom…being a musical film but if we take a look at Palma’s work, his other films, with every new film he did something new, a new subject, a new genre so that justifies it.

Theme The novel, Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux served as the primary inspiration for the story of the film.

An interesting dialogue from the film
“I would never let my personal desires influence my aesthetic judgment”

P.S. The music of the film was nominated for both Academy Award and Golden Globe.

Released in 2013
Genre- Thriller, Psychological
9/10
Main Cast: Nicole Kidman, Mia Wasikowska Matthew Goode
Screenplay: Wentworth Miller
Direction- Park Chan-wook

BRIEF INTRODUCTION Stoker is a story of mysterious characters in a family. The film opens up with the death and funeral of the lead character’s father and the arrival of her estranged uncle who never kept in touch with the family. Things start to get interesting with his stay and the subsequent disappearance of the people around him. The events that follow lead to a bigger mystery and truth related to the Stoker family.

The Movie Although the film is a thriller, the presentation of events, the silence in the expressions, with intense music in the background give a feeling of horror to the audience along with the thrill. Many elements of the mise-en-scène reminded me of Hitchcock films. While reading some articles about the film, I got to know about the inspirations for the screenplay. And as I thought, the writer has taken inspiration from some of the classic works of Hitchcock, the way of introducing doubt for a character or building up tension in the story.

Performances Nicole Kidman peaked in her performance as an unstable and complicated mother, she was more than perfect for the role.
Mia Wasikowska The intense look on her face and a reflection of rage and complexity in the eyes, her expressions delivered more than the dialogues.
Matthew Goode Subtle performance by Matthew Goode as the mysterious uncle, a characteristic dialogue delivery with a hint of evil intentions behind it. His personality suited the character well.

An interesting dialogue from the film
“Just as a flower does not choose its color…we are not responsible for what we have come to be. Only once you realize this do you become free, and to become adult, is to become free.“

P.S. DO NOT DISTURB THE FAMILY.

Released in 1992
Genre- Legal, Comedy
10/10
Main Cast: Joe Pesci, Marisa Tomei, Ralph Macchio, Mitchell Whitfield
Screenplay: Dale Launer
Direction- Jonathan Lynn

BRIEF INTRODUCTION A comic legal drama about two friends, framed for a crime they didn’t commit. Joe Pesci’s character is then appointed as their lawyer (Vinny) to defend them in court. His comic interactions with the judge, court, and the new city, with his girlfriend form the second half of the film.

The Movie One of the funniest movies of the 90s, very thoughtfully put together by the director and the writer, a legal drama with a comic tone backing it. The conversations in the film make sure that the audience doesn’t stop laughing till the end.

Performances Joe Pesci Being a huge fan of Pesci’s work in all the Scorsese movies, it was completely unexpected for me to see him in a role like this. Pesci’s image of being a tough guy in his previous films had no reflection on his character in this film except for his accent. To be honest, his performance amazed me till the end.
Marisa Tomei Tomei was the perfect choice for the character of Lisa. Her performance made the film very interesting, especially, the last part. Other than Pesci and Tomei, I found Fred Gwynne’s performance (who played Judge Haller in the film) quite impressive, intense, and comic at the same time.

P.S. Marisa Tomei received the Academy Award (1993) in the Best Supporting Actress category for her performance in the film.

Released in 1960
Genre– Drama, Musical
10/10
Main Cast: Leela Naidu, Balraj Sahni
Story/Screenplay: Sachin Bhowmick, Rajinder Singh Bedi
Music– Pandit Ravi Shankar (Lyrics by Shailendra)
Direction– Hrishida (Hrishikesh Mukherjee)

BRIEF INTRODUCTION The story revolves around a talented singer, played by Leela Naidu. First half of the film talks about Anuradha’s relationship with music and her marriage to Dr. Nirmal, played by Balraj Sahni. The second half deals with her isolation and her immense talent being wasted in fulfilling her duties as a homemaker. How Anuradha deals with this kind of life forms the rest of the story. Upon release, the film was nominated for numerous awards, winning the National Award (1960) in the Best Feature Film category.

THE THEME I feel very delighted and proud to write about this film. As early as the 60s when not even rarely, one thought about making films focusing on the individual life and struggles of a woman, Anuradha was released with such a strong woman-centric theme. And not just the theme, but the film also speaks about so many important roles that a woman plays, sacrificing her happiness, her interests, her talent, and that too without even coming to the limelight, sometimes as a mother, sometimes as a wife, sometimes as a sister, sometimes as a friend. Anuradha is not specifically about one woman, it is about every woman, who has given a large part of her life for the betterment of someone else’s life without even expecting any appreciation or acknowledgment for it. I dedicate this post to all the wonderful women in the world.

My reaction after watching the film I was both shocked and happy when the film ended, especially after watching the last part of the film, to know that there were people in the industry (mainstream) in that era who cared to make films on such important subjects. I want to thank Sachin Bhowmick and Hrishida, for making Anuradha and coming up with this theme in the early 60s.

Performances Leela Naidu, with her soft speech and confident expressions, very subtly conveys the message as Anuradha. Balraj Sahni, as always, played his part very naturally.

Music Renowned Sitar Player, Bharat Ratna Pandit Ravi Shankar composed the music for Anuradha and this was another interesting reason for me to watch the film. There are very few films that feature music composed by him and Anuradha is one of them. My favorite song from the film is, “Haye Re Wo Din Kyun Na Aaye” wonderfully performed by my favourite Lataji. “सूनी मेरी वीणा, संगीत बिना, सपनों की माला मुरझाए…हाय रे वो दिन क्यों ना आए…Shailendra exactly knew how to put the situation into words.

P.S. The star of the film Leela Naidu was also Miss India-1954 and was hugely considered one of the most beautiful women in the world.