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Koko-di koko-da (2019)
Boooooooooooooring..... zzzzzzzzz
Okay, so a couple are grieving the loss of their young daughter. They go on a camping trip and while there they are killed by an incongruous carnival troupe. And then they wake up in the same tent. Rinse, repeat, with very minor variation. Rinse, repeat multiple times. Each cycle is the same length of time. Variation is minimal AND they do the pretentious thing of lingering on a shot more for longer than necessary.
Avoid at all costs unless you are looking for a cure for insomnia. Ignore the positive reviews and go watch Groundhog Day or Happy Death Day or any other movie.
The Unsuspected (1947)
Unusual little movie
If you ever wanted to see a blend of 40s film-noir and classic (30s to 40s) horror, this is the movie for you. It opens with murder of a young woman, Rosalind, which is quickly written off by the police as suicide. So, now we know there is a murderer on the loose. Rosalind was the secretary of a seemingly-wealthy host of a popular mystery radio-show, Victor Grandison (Claude Rains). Strange events soon start taking place at his household.
The script seems to have been written with film-noir in mind.There is murder, deceit, suspense, a damsel in distress, a guy playing detective, etc. However, one distinctive feature of noir is that it is grounded reality, more so than other genres and script fails at this by incorporating some rather improbable events. How to remedy this? By adding a touch of horror of course (a genre where suspension of disbelief is stretched quite often). At the centre of it is Claude Rains giving a superb performance. Suave, calm assured, sinister (and caring), his persona is more of a horror villain (as opposed tough and street-smart noir characters). It is a joy to watch him. The rest of the cast is serviceable.
Some other reviewers have complained about too many plot threads. While I agree with them, I did not find it distracting. Could this movie have been a teensy bit better? Yes. But, is it worth watching? Yes again.
Nightcrawler (2014)
Starts Well But Becomes Predictable
Nightcrawler follows the career-rise of crime journalist, Louis Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal), a man as slimy as the creatures under the rocks, as he moves from being an observer to a participant in the crimes he records. Aiding and abetting him is Nina Romina (Rene Russo),a TV-news veteran at a local station, who shares the same (lack of) values as Bloom.
The movie has a lot going for it. A thriller could not have asked for a better setup; there are the crimes being filmed on the one hand and on the other, there are the actions of the protagonist himself as he hunts those crime stories. And there is additional horror for the audience in that the news they watch on a daily basis is the result of such depravity.
The movie has a subject matter that has never been dealt with by mainstream cinema and a great cast with the lead actors sharing a particularly good (and foul) chemistry. In spite of all this the film only comes out as mediocre. It has a strong first-half; the characters are introduced well and it easily captures our attention. However the second-half comes across as stale; some of the scenarios feel repetitive, the ending is predictable and the characters too start to feel flat. The film also does some the mistakes other thrillers (I am looking at you Gone Girl) do; give unrealistic liberties to the bad guys and makes all the other characters, particularly cops, way too dumb and/or incompetent.
The movie tries to be a thriller-cum-commentary on some of the journalistic practices but ends being a slightly below-average, pop-corn flick.
Harvey (1950)
Still Relevant
Elwood P. Dowd (James Stewart) is a pleasant-natured, gentleman of means. He has an invisible giants rabbit for best-friend. His sister and niece, who live with him, think he is out of his mind but Elwood and his pall show that in a world full of hypocrisy and selfishness, a little bit of kindness can bring joy.
The setting, the characters and pretty much everything else are old- fashioned, but the theme of the movie (showing consideration to others, weather family or perfect strangers) is more relevant today than ever before. The story line is simple. It is well cast and well directed.
If you like this kind of premise, it a must watch. If not, it is still a good movie, you can give it a try.
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)
A Product of its Time, But a Good One
Disney's take on 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Natural historian Prof. Pierre Arronax (Paul Lukas), his assistant Conseil (Peter Lorre) and harpooner Ned Land (Kirk Douglas) set out on a government funded ship, in search of a rumored sea monster. The three of them get separated from the ship and stumble across the supposed "monster", which is in fact a highly advanced submarine called Nautilus. It is led by the enigmatic Captain Nemo (James Mason). He and his devoted crew have shunned civilization and adopted to the aquatic way of life. The visitors are not allowed to go back as Nemo does not want his secret to get out. Prof. Arronax has no objection as he is deeply fascinated by the underwater world and wants to study it. But as Captain Nemo starts showing his brutal side, Land is desperate to escape.
This movie is dated, be it its political incorrectness, the science depicted in it, Prof. Arronax's method of study, or its special effects. A sautéed unborn octopus would be an environmentalist's nightmare today, yet it was a delicacy in its time. Similarly, no present-day natural historian would want to kill a rare species and place it in a natural history museum, but that is exactly what Prof, Arronax intended to do with the sea monster. It also depicts American natives as cannibals. The Nautilus defends itself by passing electric current over its surface when we now know that electricity and water should not be mixed. Disney made quite a few changes to the original material and ironically, the novel, written more than eighty years before the movie came out, has aged better.
However, the movie has its own charm. Its heart is in the right place. We find yourselves smiling at its quirks as they remind us of the time when it was made. Kirk Douglas is the life of the movie; he is winningly riotous, effervescent and his energy pervades the entire movie. Another highlight of the movie is Captain Nemo and Prof. Annorax's stately friendship.
Good to watch once.
The Night of the Hunter (1955)
Good as Art, Poor as a Story
In the depression era, a man robs a bank, killing two people in the process, to provide a better future to his kids. He tells his two little children where he hid the money before he is arraigned and hanged. Before his death he shared the cell with a serial-killer, Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum). After his release, Powell heads to the dead man's village dressed as a preacher. He impresses the simple folk of the place with his spiritual talk and marries the widow Willa (Shelley Winters). His new step-daughter Pearl (Sally Jane Bruce) takes to him pretty quickly. Only her older brother John (Billy Chapin) suspects his true nature.
The children escape on a boat down river. They are found by an elderly woman Rachael Cooper (Lillian Gish), who runs a home for a few orphaned children. In her, our little protagonists have finally found a good parental figure. She is willing to love, trust ans protect them. But the shadow of Powell is still large over their lives.
The first half of the movie is a thriller and the second deals with themes like protecting the innocent and the triumph of good over evil. Nothing wrong with the idea itself but it here it is done poorly.
The characters are written well at first; gullible Willa, her annoyingly pushy neighbor Icey Spoon (Evelyn Warden), innocent trusting Pearl, strong protective John etc. But these personality traits are soon stretched beyond belief. Willa is so convinced of her new husband's bona-fide intentions that she remains still when he is about to slit her throat. Icey Spoon does not think twice before believing the stranger Powell, when he tells her the pious Willa, a person she knew for a long time, has run away with a tramp. Pearl is inclined to be affectionate towards Powell even after he put a knife on her and her brother's throats on two separate occasions.
The whole idea of good vs evil is slapped onto our faces. Powell has "Love" tattooed on back of the fingers of his right hand and "Hate" on the left. He even demonstrates the fight between his hands. The movie could do with a bit of subtlety.
The climax too is a let down. Powell is sitting outside Cooper's house at night while she is keeping watch inside with gun in hand. One moment of distraction on her part and he sneaks in. She shoots in the dark, hitting him in the leg and he starts yelping like a Warner Bros. cartoon, taking cover in her barn. So much for building him up as an undaunted monster.
There many good points about this movie too. The reactions of different people after Powell is caught by the Police are spot-on; John remembering his father's arrest, the same crowd who were swayed by Powell now self-righteously condemning his, Cooper shielding the kids from the crowd. Where most movies have a happy ending after the bad guy is caught/killed, this movie goes ahead to show the scars an episode like this can leave on those involved. A lot of taught has been put into these scenes and results are there to see.
The acting is top-notch. The famed cinematography and lighting are everything they have been praised to be. The songs and the score are beautifully haunting. The film is a mixture good, bad and ridiculous.
The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)
A Tale of Desire and Sin
Frank Chambers (John Garfield) is newly hired at a roadside café run by a jolly middle-aged man, Nick Smith (Cecil Kellaway). Chambers soon finds himself involved with his employer's gorgeous young wife, Cora (Lana Turner). They murder Nick and are even cleared by the law, but they find out that life as murderers comes at a price.
What Frank and Cora have for each other at first is no love, it is lust. It consumes them. They would do anything to get together. They act first and realize the consequences later. They run away from the café and only then discover they have nowhere to go. So, they plan on doing away with the cuckold and what they discover after this act is far more terrible. They cannot trust each other any more because they each know what the other is capable of. At the same time, they also realize they have come to love each other through their journey. They can neither live with not without each other.
Since this movie was made in the era of Hays Code, it could not be explicitly sexual or let the wrong-doers get away. But it mocks the code. Where it could not show or imply sex, it is rife with steamy atmosphere and titillating symbolism. The murderers are punished but they also get their redemption making them more human.
Turner and Garfield make sparks fly weather they are passionately in love or at each others throats. The platinum blond hair never sat better on any other actress as it did on Turner. She wears white throughout the movie, the intention being to contrast it with her dark personality. That idea is dated but it makes her stand out against the blacks and grays of the background.
This movie is up there with the best among film-noirs.
Batman Returns (1992)
Watch Nolah's Trilogy Instead
I did not watch Burton's Batman films while growing up and hence, I do not have the nostalgic love for them. I saw them recently, after having watched Nolah's trilogy, and I am not impressed.
Max Shreck (Christopher Walken), an evil businessman and a deformed Penguin (Danny DeVito) plot to take over the city through democratic means; the Penguin runs for the Mayor, with Shreck managing his PR. As expected, Batman comes to the rescue.
I found Batman (1989) to be mediocre in every department (apart from the the score) but this movie is simply a joke. The Penguin looks nothing like the bird except for the flippers. His henchmen look like they are dressed for a cheap mummers party; they are more ridiculous than scary. They live in the city's sewer full of water with green paint in it, which is supposedly the toxic waste released from Shreck's factories and the cause of Penguin's deformity. For some reason, there are many penguins living in there. If the chemicals caused mutations in a man, why are the birds quite healthy; aren't they more susceptible? Don't the sewers also carry domestic waste and the Penguin lives there? Isn't the sewer ever inspected? It is movie license I suppose.
Remember all the fuss about winning Vicky Vale's heart in the first movie? Well she is just shoved into a couple of passing references in this movie. But who is complaining; Michelle Pfieffer's Selena Kyle/Catwoman looks far more desirable. Her character is annoying as Kyle and her motivations as Catwoman are unclear. But as I said before, she is so luscious, who cares about her motivations as long as she is on screen.
Both Penguin and Shreck have evil written all over their faces, it is hard to see the people of Gotham trusting them, especially since they have seen many a super-villain. You would think they would wise up a bit. Whatever.
A totally predictable and forgettable film.
Batman (1989)
Dated
I did not grow up watching this movie hence I do not have the nostalgic love for it many of its fans have. I saw it only recently and was not impressed by it.
The problem with action movies is they do age well if they do not do anything different in terms of characters or story; movies a decade later will inevitable deliver better action. The movie starts quite well. We are given the backgrounds of our three main characters Bruce Wayne/Batman (Michael Keaton), photo-journalist Vicky Vale (Kim Basinger) and Jack Napier (Jack Nicholson) who would go on to become the notorious Joker. But once Napier turns into the super-villain, all character development is abandoned, becoming a good vs evil film.
In the 80's, movies blamed chemicals for anything from mutations and horrible disfigurements to superpowers, just like they blame genetic- engineering these days. This movie is no different; they are the cause of the birth of Joker and he uses them induce his trademark creepy smile on his victims before they die. It is horribly outdated in every way, it is difficult to buy water mixed with primary color paints as deadly chemicals or that they can kill you as shown in the movie.
There is earnest attempt at making the action innovative and I can see that it would have greatly impressed the audience at the time it came out, but it is pretty predictably today. There are some psychotic antics by Joker, some chases, some punches, some gunfire and of course Batman wins.
Keaton is an interesting choice for the title character and quickly wins our hearts with his boyish charm. Basinger is beautiful and witty and it is easy to see why she has so many admirers. Nicholson does a good job as Joker but you have seen him play the crazy guy character in so many other movies, many of those performance like in "The Shining" and "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" are even better, that it come across as if he is being stereotyped.
However, there is one tantalizing scene; the Joker dancing with Vicky Vale on the roof of a cathedral. It is beautiful, sinister and worth watching the entire movie for.
Fort Apache (1948)
One of Ford's Many Gems
One more of John Ford's epic westerns. The young and ambitious, Lt. Col. Owen Thursday (Henry Fonda) is appointed to a small army outpost close to one of the Indian reserves. Though crestfallen at first on being posted far from action, he decides to make his mark nonetheless. In his zest to prove himself, he disregards the advice of veterans like Capt. York (John Wayne) and sets off on a suicidal mission to attack the Apache.
Thursday is a man who has visions of glory but does not have the patience to get there. He is too proud to mingle with his subordinates, maintains a stately kind of relations with other veterans and in keeping with his manner, forbids his daughter's (Shirley Temple) romance with a young, eligible officer. He might follow the rules by the book and place great importance on formalities but he lacks leadership qualities.
The other soldiers are a stark contrast to Lt. Col. Thursday. They may appear and behave rough but they know to obey their superior. They respect him in spite of his flaws and do not question when he literally orders them to their deaths.
It is one of the few old Westerns that do not show the Indians as savages. They are all for peace and talks; it is Thursday's misguided aggression that forces them to defend themselves.
An all round good movie. It takes its time in developing the characters; it is almost like knowing more and more about a person as you spend more time with them. Wayne is in familiar territory as a man who knows the West like the back of his palm. Fonda is not a bad guy but a head-strong fool who manages to do more harm than a traditional villain; a role he simply nails. Shirley Temple is no longer the little girl from the 30's but boy has she bloomed. She is pretty, vivacious and steals every moment of her screen-time.
No more words, just watch it.
Dangerous Minds (1995)
Another Inspirational Teacher Movie
An inexperienced teacher, Louanne Johnson (Michelle Pfieffer) is assigned to a class of kids who come from rough backgrounds. They seem hopelessly unmanageable and the school management isn't of much help either. But by the end of the movie, the teacher earns the respect of her students through unconventional teaching methods and by showing genuine concern for them. Of course there are few disappointments but it is a happy ending on the whole.
The entire movie is a cliché done to death by Hollywood. We have seen this story in "To Sir, With Love", "Freedom Writers" and countless other movies. I understand that these are biographies of people whose tales are worth telling. But, none of these films are any different from the others. If you've seen one, you've seen them all.
Michelle Pfieffer is good as the inspirational pedagogue, but she does not bring anything new to the table. The students are a bunch of clichés we come to expect in these movies; there is the big bully, the bullied, the bright one, the joker and girls in bright-red lipstick, all in need of guidance. Not a bad movie as such, but there is nothing new in it. Watch it if you haven't seen any movie using this formula. Give it a skip otherwise.
Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
Can a Murder be Excused?
A soldier murders the man who raped his wife. His attorney says his best chance is to claim temporary insanity.
We see the movie through the attorney, Paul Biegler's (James Stewart) perspective. We know only what he knows, his guesses are ours and what comes as unexpected to him is unexpected to us. But he is a seasoned lawyer and most of the viewers are not. Thus, he is able to view the case objectively while we are swayed by our emotions a little. Biegler is not an unreliable narrator, he is a gentleman, yet we see things differently from him. The movie does a great job in pulling off this subtle effect and uses it raise some ethical questions.
We all know it is legally and ethically wrong to kill a man for revenge, especially if it is premeditated. But, the defendant, Lt. Frederick Manion (Ben Gazzara) is a handsome war-hero. The man he killed was rather uncouth and committed a heinous crime on the soldier's wife. We sympathize with Lt. Manion and want him acquitted, weather or not he went insane before committing the murder.
Our sentiments are acknowledged by the movie; Biegler reasons that the jury were likely to feel the same way as we, the viewers, do. The claim of insanity is only an excuse for the law to be followed to the letter.
Another layer of complexity is added by Lt. Manion's wife, Laura (Lee Remick). She is sensual and innocent. She is flirty and makes her husband jealous all the time. She seems to have got over the rape pretty quickly. Is it worth all the fuss over a woman like this? Does her nature make the crime committed against her any less brutal? She is certainly concerned about her husband. She seems air-headed but is she? Remick nailed this role and teases us every moment she is on screen.
Both the prosecution and the defense know that the crime was committed. The legal battle between them is to prove weather or not Lt. Manion was in possession of his faculties at the time. The prosecution tries to argue that he was. Biegler realizes that it is more important to gain the jury's sympathy and works towards that.
The casting of all the characters, major or minor, is done to perfection. The dialog is sublime. Every sentence said by either of the lawyers has a purpose, be it Biegler playing on the minds of the jury and counteracting the prosecution at the same time or the prosecution lawyer, Danser's (George C Scott) increasingly desperate attempts to win. Every argument and counter-argument put forth by them raises the tension and brings relief.
The emotions raised by a murder have never been explored to this depth on the silver screen. A true gem of a movie.
Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Perfect Blend of Horror and Comedy
Shaun (Simon Pegg) leads a dull life as a salesman at an electronic store. He is mocked by everyone around him and his girlfriend dumps him. But his life takes turn when a zombie invasion happens; he is spurred into action to protect his loved ones, winning back their affection and respect in the process.
It is a spoof of the zombie movies by George A. Romero, but also has an original story of its own. There is plenty for both comedy and horror fans. The atmosphere is tense, the scares are genuine and the movie does not cut back on gore. And yet every moment of it is funny. For example, there is a scene where Shaun and his gang move through a street full of zombies by pretending to be one of them. It is a cheeky idea and it is fun to watch them do that, but the danger of being discovered is kept real.
Pegg is the life of the movie. He perfectly brings out both the seriousness and the silliness of the movie at the same time.
The Cornetto trilogy is one of the finest British comedies alongside Ealing comedies and the Monty Python films. And this movie is the perfect beginning to the trilogy.
The World's End (2013)
Good Film but Not a Fitting Final for the "Cornetto Trilogy"
Five friends in the small-town of Newton Haven, decide to go on a pub- crawl after passing out of high-school but are unable to complete the run. Twenty years on, they have all moved out of their home town and are well-settled; all except Gary King (Simon Pegg). He lives a wayward life and insists that that day was the best in his life. He uses his persuasive skills on his four friends and convinces them to come to Newton Haven to have one more go at the pub-crawl. They arrive against their better judgment. At first the town seems to be as sleepy as it was when they left it but there is something odd about its inhabitants.
This is the final film in the "Cornetto" trilogy, the other two being "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz". Each of these films parodies a different genre: horror, action and Sci-fi respectively.
The film starts off on an entertaining note and keeps the fun going for most part. There are a lot laughs and the action is deliberately funny. But the ending is a let-down. An alien involvement is haphazardly introduced at the last moment and it feels like it was put in to simply tick the Sci-Fi box.
Pegg is easily the best part of the movie. He has played three very different characters in each of the films and he is just brilliant in all of them, with each performance topping the other. Nick Frost too is back as one of Pegg's buddies, but as opposed to the other films, he plays the up-tight character and Pegg the rapscallion.
It is a good movie but not up to the standard set by the other two movies.
Training Day (2001)
Good Performances
An honest rookie cop, Jake Hoyt (Ethan Hawke), on his first day in the narcotics division, is assigned to be trained with a street-smart veteran, Alonzo Harris (Denzel Washington). Harris demonstrates through his actions that in order to deal with hard-boiled criminals, it is necessary for the cops to get their hands dirty at times. They visit gang-infested neighborhoods, chase drug-dealers and conduct house-raids. But as the day progresses, Harris's methods become increasingly questionable and Hoyt starts suspecting his mentor's true intentions.
The stories of corrupt cops and naive, good-looking, rookie cops gaining an experience of their lifetime ("character arc" in movie parlance) have been told many times by Hollywood. But the performances of Washington and Hawke set this movie apart. The supporting cast is pretty good too. There is plenty of suspense and good action to keep the viewers engaged for two hours. But none of it stays in the mind after the movie is over.
Melody Time (1948)
Some Good, Some Boring
In the years following Fantasia, Disney came up with some animated films which are a collection of shorts. Melody Time is one them. It contains seven unrelated musical vignettes.
1. Once Upon a Winter Time: A lovey-dovey young couple go ice-skating and there they have a cutesy misunderstanding but make up cutesy-ly in the end. As though this doesn't ooze enough icky cuteness, there is a rabbit couple imitating the human couple. A poor beginning.
2. Bumble Boogie: The movie starts getting good. This is Disney's take on Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's "Flight of the Bumblebee" and a very interesting one too. If anything it ends too soon.
3. Johnny Appleseed: A romanticized story of Johnny Appleseed, a real- life, pioneer apple-cultivator, this short has some of the best animation in any Disney movie.
4. Little Toot: The good run continues with the story of a naughty little tugboat who eventually learns to be responsible.
5. Trees: A short, totally forgettable song on how trees shelter animals and birds.
6. Blame it on the Samba: Donald Duck and Jose Carioca dance to some Samba music played on piano by Ethel. It has some interesting animation but nothing special.
7. Pecos Bill: This is the longest feature and has a live-action sequence. It tells the tale of the folklore hero, Pecos Bill and it is really enjoyable.
Watch the better shorts separately rather than the entire movie.
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
This Movie is the Reasons Why We Love and Fear Zombies
George A. Romero has secured a permanent spot in the hearts of cine- philes with his series of movies on the "living dead". The monsters he created did not rely size or weapons to induce fear. They were mere human bodies but without life or conscience and a voracious appetite for human flesh and they multiply by turning their victims into one of them. What can be more fearful than being slowly consumed alive or seeing your loved ones turned into one of them.
Restricted to a low budget, Romero turns his disadvantage around. Most of the movie takes place in a farmhouse, where a small group of people seek refuge from the onslaught of the living dead. There is a great attention paid to the affect of the terror outside on the people holed- up inside; their fear, confusion, clash of ideas/egos, the consequent altercations and the tragedy of it all are well-depicted. At the same time we are informed of the wider extent of the terror through news bulletins. The actors are little known but deliver some good performances.
The black-and-white prevents us from noticing a lot of blood and for the most part the movie plays on the psychological fear of the viewers. But there are some very disturbing scenes and images peppering the movie, and each time we see one of those, we start dreading the one to come next.
This is horror at its best.
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)
Old is Gold
This movie is a set two unrelated but very enjoyable shorts. The first is an abridged version of Kenneth Grahame's Wind in the Willows. It tells the story of an anthropomorphic toad who is goodhearted but loves to live beyond his means and his animal friends who try to save Toad from himself.
Some changes have been made to the novel to make Toad more likable. All the characters are well-developed. The dialog in simple and elicits a few laughs and there is one particularly catchy song. It is narrated by Basil Rathbone, with a gentlemanly air, perfect for this tale set in Victorian London. However, this short is only meant for kids; the human characters treat the animals like equals and it is difficult for adults to take it seriously.
The second short adopts the Legend of the Sleepy Hollow onto screen. This short in true to its source material and it has no dialog. The story is told through a narrator (Bing Crosby) and has a few musical numbers. Ichabod Crane moves to a sleepy little village of Dutch- settlers, as the new school master. He finds himself competing with the local roughneck, Brom Bones for the affections of Katerina Von Tassel. One night, to scare Ichabod, Brom tells him about the local myth of a headless horseman, who haunts the woods around the village at night. But could the legend be true?
While the first short had clear cut good and bad guys, the line is blurred here. Ichabod is rather opportunistic and covets Katerina for her wealth. Brom is not very pleasant and is shown to go to great lengths to out-rival Ichabod. Katerina herself likes to toy with the affections of both the men and is referred as a "coquette".
The animation is good in Mr.Toad's story but it is simply wonderful in Ichabod's. The movie makes full use of the creative possibilities it offers to bring Ichabod's thoughts and imaginations to life. There is a song in which Ichabod dreams of the money he could make from Katerina's farm, after marrying her and it has a beautiful sequence that shows a wheat grain in the fields turning into a gold coin as it falls down. Similarly, the final song, where Ichabod is traveling in the woods, shows exactly how one imagines to see and hear specters in the dark when they are scared. The headless horseman, when he finally appears, is every bit as impressive as he has been built up or as our imagination can conjure.
I will say it even if I sound clichéd; they don't make it like this anymore.
The Parent Trap (1961)
A Lighthearted Comedy
Two identical looking girls (both played by Hayley Mills) meet at a summer camp and they discover that they are twins. Their parents are divorced and they had decided to take custody of one girl each. They guess that since neither of their parents has remarried, they must still harbor feelings for each other. They each go to the other parent and plot to bring their parents together again.
It is a simple story. The first half of the movie in very enjoyable. The scenes where the girls see their other parent for the first time are touching. But, the movie looses touch after the parents meet; it becomes noisy and meandering. There is an unnecessary plot-line of the father's (Brian Keith) engagement to a generic, gold-digging, young woman and the girls trying to get rid of her.
Maureen O'Hara, as the mother, easily steals the show with her wit, grace and beauty. There are many good, well-acted supporting characters like the girls maternal grandparents, the sharp nanny and the flirty Reverend. The girls' personalities are well-written. The father gets the tomboy and the mother gets the more feminine daughter. But, Hayley Mills rather fails to bring the differences to life. She gives the same performance for both the characters but somewhat makes it up with her liveliness.
It has good nostalgic value but does not really stand up if you are watching for the first time in 2010's.
Back to the Future (1985)
A Refreshing Take on Time-Travel
Time travel and the possibilities it offered, of altering the past, knowing the future, meeting people/beings from the future, has always fascinated people. Renowned authors from H.G Wells and Isaac Asimov to Charles Dickens have given their interpretation of time-travel. Hollywood too brought out movies like Terminator and the Star Trek franchise. They had all used it on a grand scale, to explore things like ethics and/or future societies. Nobody thought of placing it in a simple high-school setting and using it to comic effect until Back to the Future came along.
A teenager, Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) is accidentally transported to 1955 (which is 30 years ago since the present day for this movie is 1985). There he interferes with the moment his high-school-age parents meet, to fall in love later, thereby endangering his own existence. To prevent that from happening, Marty has to play match-maker to his parents.
What we have is a very entertaining comedy full of enjoyable characters like the eccentric scientist, Doc (Christopher Lloyd), the school bully, Biff (Thomas F. Wilson) and his sidekicks, Marty's parents, Lorraine (Lea Thompson) and George (Crispin Glover) and the school principal Strickland (James Tolkan). It also manages to have a few tense moments towards the end. It's funny, it's intelligent, and it expands the scope of time-travel by focusing on smaller events.
Hang 'Em High (1968)
A Look at the Law in the Old West
Hang 'Em High deals with a subject not very often touched upon by Westerns. It addresses the nature of trials and their execution in the old West. A lynch mob hangs an innocent man, Jed Cooper (Clint Eastwood), suspecting him of cattle rusting and murder and leave him for dead. He is rescued, becomes a lawman and owes to hunt the members of the mob down. He is convinced by Judge Fenton (Pat Hingle) that the men should get a trial and it is for the law to punish them. After witnessing a few trials and public hangings, he realizes that the law is not all fair either.
Judging by today's standards this justice system may look like a Kangaroo's court. But, is it really as barbaric as it seems to be. In the crime-riddled Old West, some tough decisions had to be made. These include making an example of crime-doers to deter others from repeating the same. Judge Fenton even explains to Cooper that he does not enjoy handing out harsh punishments but it is the only way for a better future. The greater good, you may call it.
This is not a "Spaghetti Western", as maybe expected since it stars Eastwood. It is a like the classic westerns in that it raises ethical questions. Eastwood does a great job as a man undergoing an internal conflict while maintaining a no-nonsense demeanor. The supporting cast is good and it is interesting to see that we get to know each one of the lynch mob before they die.
An under-rated gem.
Back to the Future Part II (1989)
As Good As the First Movie
I was a little apprehensive about this film. How could it possibly stand up to the first Back to the Future movie. But Back to the Future Part II is every bit as good as the first one and takes the franchise further. It begins where the previous film left off, with Marty (Michael J. Fox), Doc (Christopher Lloyd) and Jennifer (Elizabeth Shue) traveling to 2015.
There we meet Marty's future family and Old Biff and his grandson (both played by Thomas F. Wilson) and see many futuristic gadgets. However, by a curious turn of events, Marty and Doc have to travel back to 1955, the same year Marty traveled to the previous day, in the first movie.
The plot of this film is more complicated than the first one, with multiple time-lines in the past, present and the future. There are multiple Martys, Docs, Jennifers and Biffs at a given time. As you can see, it explores the consequences of time-travel in greater detail. But it is never confusing and as light-hearted as the first movie. It has a lot of good, intelligent comedy. It is nice to see all our favorite characters from the first movie. All the cast, with the exception of Crispin Glover and Claudia Wells, have returned, with some of them playing multiple roles. This is one sequel which I am glad they made.
Back to the Future Part III (1990)
Perfect Ending to a Perfect Franchise
The first movie, Back to the Future, had successfully blended Sci-Fi and high school drama to give us a heart-warming little tale. This movie does an equally good job of taking Sci-Fi to the wild west. The previous movie had ended with Doc being accidentally transported to 1985. Marty takes the help of 1955-Doc again, to bring 1985-Doc back to the present day(1985).
What follows is a fun-filled adventure. Marty meets his ancestors. Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen, an ancestor of Biff's, is a dreaded outlaw. A forefather of Principal Strickland is the town Marshal. There are gunfights, duels, Indians, Fedoras, chasing trains on horses, rescuing of a damsel and romance.
The film pays tribute to the great westerns of the past. Marty adopts the name Clint Eastwood when he meets his ancestors. Like in some of the classic westerns, this film too has the plot-line where an outsider (time-traveler in this case) comes to a lawless town and teaches them, by setting a example, that violence is no good.
The trilogy on the whole does a great job with time-travelling and alternate time-lines. There are a total of fifteen known time-journeys, three alternate 1885's, four alternate 1955's, four alternate 1985's, one 2015 we see and one which is yet to be made and zero plot-holes, in all the three films combined. What makes it even more special is that none of it is complicated. That is how story-telling ought to be.
It is a one-of-a-kind time-travel trilogy. A must watch for film aficionados and casual movie-watchers alike.
Predator (1987)
Predator in a Jungle
A group of commandos go into the South America jungle on a mission. There they encounter an alien that hunts the army men for game. It has powers that enable it remain elusive, track people in its vicinity and kill them deftly. As the men are being taken out one after another, it falls on the lead of the team, Dutch (Arnold Schwarzenegger) to out-wit the predator at its game.
The character of Dutch is tailor-made for Schwarzenegger. It is the tough guy kind of role that does not require a lot of acting chops. He has some memorable lines like, "If it bleeds, we kill it" and "Payback time."
This alien is different from most other movie aliens in its personality and characteristics. Its design was unique at the time in was made, but tentacles/mandibles on the face have been used many times since then.
The story is simple but gripping nonetheless. The action is good with lots of gun-fire and explosions. The effects still hold up and its good to see a non-CG monster.
Ghostbusters (1984)
Ghosts Busted!
Ghostbusters has all the ingredients that go into the making of a good comedy. Subtlety, wit, good performances and a smart and crisp story. Three out-of-work, oddball scientists found a company that gets rid of ghosts from haunted places. They encounter myriad spirits and are put to test when they have to face the mother-of-all-ghosts in a riveting climax.
The movie is just a cascade of one comedic situation after another and at the same time, we are also interested in the big picture. Bill Murray is one of the ghostbusters and his character is unusual for a scientist; he appears bored throughout the movie, when he is chasing ghosts or courting the Sigourney Weaver character. Weaver herself is brilliant as both the cynic and the temptress, before and after she is possessed respectively. All the supporting characters are memorable. They all have their own weird personalities. Heck, even the ghosts, big or small, cute or fierce, have personalities. Top it up with some witty dialog and you have a thoroughly enjoyable film.