Darkness and Light

In Star Trek – Into Darkness, JJ Abrams scripts a taut thriller that is centered around a former starship captain – Khan (Benedict Cumberbatch) gone rogue – rather than the hackneyed alien encounters of old. Apart from saving the introductory planet through dazzling special effects, and one minor Klingon encounter, there is no long drawn alien engagement. Rather, it is James Kirk (Chris Pine), and Spock (Zachary Quinto) coming to terms with their personalities, their relationship, a misguided leader in Admiral Marcus (Peter Weller), and of course the great Khan threat. The special effects are expectedly mindblowing, including possibly the first instance of the equivalent of base jumping in space. This is a different Star Trek, with more overtones of terrorist threats and dual personalities, than the copybook 20^th century Star Treks and their extra-terrestrials

14.5/20

Recall, Run

Post World War III, the great oppressor of history – the United Federation of Britain (UFB) lords it over the Colony (loosely, today’s Australia) – and the latter send a daily retinue of workers to the former through a subterranean transport system referred to as the Fall. Douglas Quaid (Colin Farrell), a nondescript worker from the Colony with an inexplicably stunning wife Lori (Kate Beckinsale), decides to go deeper into his mind to find an escape from daily monotony and a distraction from disturbing dreams that could well be memories. Quaid enters virtual reality – through Total Recall – as a secret agent. And here is where Quaid’s life blurs between fiction and reality – and even love interest Melina (Jessica Biel) and access to none other than Matthias (Bill Nighy) – the kingpin of the Resistance – could well be elements in a very elaborate virtual reality experience. Unlike its predecessor 22 years ago, this edition Total Recall leaves the viewer in some doubt as to fiction and reality, even as the action is as immersive as it could possibly be

13.5/20

Weed for All

So Harold (John Cho) is now an established investment banker, married into a rather mercurial Hispanic family with Mr Perez (Danny Trejo) for a father in law. And Kumar (Kal Penn) has not been with Harold for two long years. It takes a Christmas gift to bring them together. And – surprise, surprise, it takes a Christmas tree in flames to keep them together from there on. In the middle of it all, we have babies high on acid, a Neil Patrick Harris in his version of heaven, and a Santa shot down from the skies in the line of duty. And much more besides. While A very Harold and Kumar Christmas is no doubt a one-of-a-kind Christmas movie, and very watchable, in a series of three movies, this installment comes in a reasonably distant third

13/20

The Free Generation

Harold and Kumar is one of the most interesting media to convey the immigrant dilemma in America with startling clarity. Here in Harold and Kumar go to White Castle, the intrepid duo escape inhibition and racist slurs, angsty trysts with extended families and oppressive Investment Banking bosses, run-ins with “white boys” that give them a hard time – all in their singleminded quest for those little things that embody the Great American Dream – coke and pizza, hash, and pussy. Yet again the movie trails off with Amsterdam and free will. Yet another entertainer, but not one that deals with quite as many issues as its successor (Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay)

12.5/20

The First Trek

The first thing that struck me about Star Trek is the simplicity of execution. For a TV series that I remember for its inherent complexity in terms of the issues depicted, the introduction to the key characters, their motivations and their budding interrelationships is surprisingly devoid of complications. The special effects though undoubtedly top of the line (and hence in sharp relief to the TV series), are by no means the focus of the story. This is about how young leaders take responsibility for thinking through and resolving challenging situations, well too aware of the consequences if they take a misstep. In terms of characters, while Kirk is a little over the top as a brash young man, Spock comes across as the conflicted half-man half-Vulcan with all the inherent conflict in such a character. Not worth # 46 all time on IMDB, but definitely an un-missable movie of the year

16.5/20

Leave us Alone

Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanomo Bay can be watched at two levels. At one level is the obvious frivolity and cock-a-snook at a dozen different themes ranging from homeland security and racial profiling, to the untamed South (overtones of O Brother Where art Thou) and the dark side of politics. At a more subliminial level is an America, or at least some of its minorities, gasping for breath and clamoring for its constitutional right to be just left alone, the right to smoke weed and have one-on-one consensual relationships, without judgementality creeping in. This movie is worth a watch at this time - none of the fervour of say a Lions for Lambs or the Michael Moore kind, but no less effective in delivering a clear undertonal message of individual freedom. Quite a change for Kal Penn from The Namesake, is it not?