Cat out of the Bag

Mendacity. Politely, lies and then damned lies. Brick Pollitt, favored heir of the Pollitt empire, lies to himself about why he is an alcoholic, and why he resists the affections of his beautiful wife Maggie (Elizabeth Taylor). Big Daddy Pollitt (Burl Ives) lies to himself about loving the family, as opposed to, well, owning them. And other son and daughter-in law Gooper and Mae (Jack Carson and Madeline Sherwood) are the very picture of pretentiousness as they make their rather obvious moves for the Pollitt empire. Cat on A Hot Tin Roof is set on Big Daddy’s 65th birthday, and, unknown to him but to the knowledge of his family – his impending demise. One by one, through intense bursts of dialogue, all the truth comes tumbling out of the closet. Brick’s self-loathing and guilt on account of blaming himself for the death of a friend, is revealed only through the dialogue with Big Daddy. In the meantime, the relationship between Brick and Maggie move towards the mend, even as the brother and his wife’s true intentions are glaringly revealed. The emoting is generations from what modern audiences would expect, but the story in no way appears theatrical - it is a fairly believable account of what can befall a family if each member is clouded by his or her own self-seeking goals. And Maggie pulls off an understated and brilliant performance as one who has her heart, her past and her little white prevarications all in the right place

14/20

Freeze this

Let me tell you about a movie, newly released, called Frozen, wherein three young adults get stuck in a ski lift in the bitter cold. A series of improbable circumstances mean that their predicament is not known, and they are likely to be frozen stiff over the next week or so. After much conjecture the truth hits them that they are not about to be rescued. Braving the height (of the ski lift from the ground) and looking for rescue, the most intrepid of the trio jumps – and breaks both his legs. He meets a gruesome fate (thanks to the natural predators that abound ski slopes), and is not the only one to end thus. In the end, the only survivor is rescued, and will possibly never end up on a ski slope again. Nor me, with this movie. And yes, I do get the message about being duty-bound to be scared of ski lifts and black swan events on my next ski trip

9/20

Spectacular.

I watch hundreds of movies a year. Most rate a bit above 10, simply because all the movies pass through some degree of pre-selection. A rare movie makes it past 15. Only occasionally there comes a movie that reminds us of all that is great about movies per se – so brilliant is the theme, so perfect the execution, and so absorbed and perfect the key characters in their roles. It is in this vein that I shall desist from a lengthy review of Black Swan. It is Nina Sayers’ (Natalie Portman’s) role of a lifetime, but only because she has the canvas for the same in this surreal movie. So, a brief. Nina is the quintessential White Swan in “Swan Lake” her New York ballet troupe, but can she make a Black Swan too? Enter Lily (Mila Kunis), the natural Black Swan – a night of debauchery and hallucinations ensues – and Nina finds herself teetering at the edge of being the Swan Queen. Further hallucinations and a magnificent and tragic performance round off this spectacle. Like many great movies, this one is hard to put into words. Darren Aronofsky uses elements of melodrama, split personalities, and incredibly difficult character portraits to put together this once-in-a-lifetime movie

18/20

Test of Nerves

It is the ultimate test for the ultimate contestants. All eight of them, packed into a room with pencil and paper, and not knowing what the test could possibly be. Exam is not so much about decoding what the content of a particular evaluation process is, as it is about personalities. It is a test of how different people react to a specific circumstance – quiet resignation, logical thinking, violence, anger – and how such a process can be used to select winners from losers. For a movie that is shot in a single room and has an ever-decreasing cast of characters, this one comes through rather nicely

14/20

Spit on it

Why do I even bother reviewing such movies?! I Spit on Your Grave is a 2010 remake of a 1978 movie – suffice to say that the latter ranks in the Top 10 Ridiculously Violent Movies by Time Magazine. Jennifer Hills (Sarah Butler) finds herself a quiet corner in the woods to finish writing her book. Her paths cross with a bunch of depraved locals including a crooked sheriff, and what follows can only be described as gorno – graphic rape followed by graphic revenge. It would perhaps be for the best if such movies were banned – the kind of taste that this kind of movie implies cannot possibly be healthy

7.5/20

A Case of old wine..

Someone please step out there and re-invent the horror movie genre. Case 39 is a case in point that totally lacks any new inspiration. Social worker Emily Jenkins (Renée Zellweger) takes a personal interest in Lillith Sullivan (Jodie Ferland), and the interest turns into alarmed near-adoption as Emily finds that Lillith’s parents were actually trying to kill her. Living under the same roof has unexpected (?) consequences however – a number of people close to Emily start dying, and the linkages to Lilith become irrefutable. And then the attempts to destroy the evil presence follow. Once you have the Omen meets Exorcist feeling about halfway through the movie, you will rapidly lose interest and wonder whether there is anything unexpected around the corner – there isn’t

10/20

After the Flood

Among the various better-documented paranormal phenomena would be near-death experiences, and the subsequent connectivity that people with such experiences supposedly have with the dead. At the heart of Hereafter there are just three characters (and I don’t mean director Clint Eastwood, producer Steven Spielberg and writer Peter Morgan). Marie Lelay (Cecile de France) almost dies as the tsunami hits Thailand – and the subsequent changes in her have profound consequences upon her work and relationships, as she embarks to write a book about her experience. George Lonegan (Matt Damon) is a San Francisco based reluctant psychic, a man running away from his gift and the psychological consequences of communicating with the dead, even as he is not quite stably employed. Marcus (Frankie McLaren and George McLaren) cannot cope with the death of brother Jason and looks for ways and means to communicate. The paths of all three cross unexpectedly in London – with the hope of positive outcomes all round. Well-executed like all Clint Eastwood fare, sensitive and touching in parts, and a good watch all round, though never crossing into exceptional territory as Eastwood has done so often

13.5/20

Better than a Life of Despair..

Deadbeat professor John Brennan (Russell Crowe) steps out for dinner with wife Lara (Elizabeth Banks), where the latter has a face-off with her boss. The next thing he knows – the boss is found murdered, and all the evidence points to his wife. Facing life imprisonment with stoic acceptance, Lara has not reckoned with the resourcefulness of her husband. After failing with lawyers and the right side of the law, John obsesses with getting Lara out of prison – and the country – by any means possible. The next few months are a blur of delirious effort, the horror of near-misses coupled with near-penury, and finally - when something is required by The Next Three Days, a breakthrough. But breaking out of prison is one matter – will the couple be able to re-unite with their child and find their way out of the United States? The extraordinary movie slows towards the middle to let the viewer soak in the consequences upon a family of justice denied, and then switches to a dramatic conclusion. Paul Haggis of Crash, Million Dollar Baby and Casino Royale fame pulls off an extraordinary movie –the extent of improbability of the escape cannot be better captured than by the quote from Don Quixote used in the movie – “'If we choose to exist in our own reality, are we insane? And if we are, isn't that better than a life of despair?'”. And Russell Crowe on his part shows all of the quiet resolve that made the likes of Cinderella Man and A Beautiful Mind such extraordinary movies

16.5/20

The Siege of LA

Yes, (at the time of writing), it’s in the multiplex and yes you will not go wrong on this one! So this is another alien invasion, and the aliens have taken over Los Angeles. Battle Los Angeles swings between Skyline-style terrifying, to Independence Day style melodrama, and lots of action in between. Where the movie does not go wrong are the Black Hawk Down-meets The Hurt Locker style urban battle sequences. With Ssgt. Michael Nantz (Aaron Eckhart) well-supported by his multi-ethnic company including the spunky action heroine Elena Santos (Michelle Rodriguez), this movie will keep you occupied with excellent action cuts interspersed by reasonably convincing stock-taking on the futility of it all, and other similar clichés

13.5/20

Monsters (?)

No matter how hackneyed the theme, an effort at an authentic rendition of a situation, and the people affected by the situation, has an appeal all of its own. First, the context. A probe to detect extraterrestrial life crashes over Mexico. Six years later, the whole of northern Mexico is a dangerous quarantine zone, infested by Monsters, with barbed wire fencing to the south and The Wall protecting the United States to the North. It is against this backdrop that cynical journalist Scoot McNairy (Andrew Kaulder) is given the task of escorting beautiful American tourist Samantha Wynden (Whitney Able) to the safety of the USA. A plan to take the ferry to the States goes all wrong, and the trip across the Infected Zone has unexpected consequences for the duo, and their perception of the persecuted monsters. The distinguishing feature of the movie is the effort at authentic scenes of Mexican life affected by the infestation – a cart carrying off a jet engine, monsters in graffiti and children’s drawings, children wearing gas masks as a way of life. Touching in parts, and engaging in full, this is not your average alien-buster Hollywood flick

13.5/20

Heist with Twists

Generous brushstrokes of noir and well-chosen sepia tinted scenes and soft lighting are an unexpected canvas for The Hessen Conspiracy, a World War II whodunit. Jack Durant(Billy Zane) and Lt. Kathleen Nash (Lyne Renee) fall for each other, and for the crown jewels of Princess Sophie of Germany. While the extrication of these jewels to the United States is rather cleanly orchestrated, how does the couple get legitimacy over the jewels and get the wartime police off their backs? And are they truly with one another, or is it that they are looking to double cross each other? The movie manages to generate a surprising degree of suspense even as it maintains its retro feel.

13/20