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Reviews
The Boss Baby (2017)
A perfect film for young kids who don't get the idea of 'success' imposed by the adults.
I regularly watch classics, award season dramas and thrillers on occasion. I wanted to watch an animated kids film for change, while the last animated film I saw was Bolt. I naturally don't get the 'not a Pixar film' argument about The Boss Baby. I enjoyed the film thoroughly. I felt nostalgic about my own lost childhood and the pressure of being 'grown up' and 'hired'. It's target audience are little kids, who I believed were thoroughly enjoying it in the cinema where I had been. It was fun, imaginative and very very cute. I don't understand why kids films have to face such a harsh criticism. It reflects a common adult attitude to keep kids under their control. Boss Baby is about the importance of a complete childhood, free from the constraints, superficiality, hypocrisy and faulty preconceptions of modern day success- oriented adults.
'You read stories of cannibalism? No wonder why kids are so ruined' - Tim.
Blade Runner (1982)
A flawed but ambitious take on dystopia
I first saw this film (Final Cut) three years ago in Blu-Ray, and I was stunned by its visual details. To achieve something like that in 1982 is a big deal, and to inspire a generation of filmmakers by doing so is a huge feat. Kudos to the production team!
The problem lies in its screenplay which is a total disaster, given the nature of the themes it tried to explore. It was only saved by the ideas of its original author Philip K. Dick who was more interested in exploring the dark side of American future. It is debatable as to how much of that vision was accurate, but some Americans today have widely acknowledged its dangerous similarity to the present situation. It is interesting why an author of that caliber, who lived during the glory days of USA, had such a bad dream about his nation.
Sir Ridley Scott (of 1982) is absolutely fantastic as a visualizer, but his lack of storytelling sensibilities is highly evident in how he has handled that flawed material. He is very successful at creating such an immersive experience that, if the viewer willfully suspends his belief, can feel like he had a bad nightmare.
There isn't anything here for the actors though, apart from Rutger Hauer and his iconic 'Tears in Rain' monologue, which I felt was very poetic and quite thought provoking in the end. I'm eagerly waiting for its recently announced sequel and hope that it features a better screenplay which is less fumbled than its prequel while at the same time retaining those oddities that actually makes it so special.
RangiTaranga (2015)
Inspite of flaws and biases, Rangitaranga is a must watch for the fans of the original TV series and those who like suspense-thrillers alike
Make no mistake. Rangitaranga is not the best film ever made, but its kind of a redemption for new-wave Kannada filmmakers who for long had been battling for a space of their own. Anup Bhandari, the latest entry into Sandalwood New-Wave offers post-modern Kannada audience their sweet slice of pie in the form of a mystery-thriller.
It's flaw lies in most of its casting choices, except for one - Sai Kumar as Thenkabaila Kalinga Bhat. He ends up owning the entire movie after despising the monotony of amateurs in principal roles. Had Anup Bhandari been a little unbiased about casting his own brother Nirup Bhandari and looked for someone brilliant instead, the film would have looked a lot better.
The screenplay is nothing more than potpourri of both necessary and unnecessary elements stuffed around the legend of 'Guddada Bhoota' (the 90s TV show), so much that some elements don't play any big significance on the narrative (e.g. the sand mafia angle). Though Anup Bhandari deserves his own share of credit for the movie's success, he can't help but admit that it was the brilliance of Sai Kumar and composer Ajaneesh Lokanath is what saved his day. The Hollywood duo cinematographers have done a good job, only to be let down by the post-production team.
Overall, in spite of its flaws and biases, Rangitaranga is a must watch for the fans of the original 'Guddada Bhoota' and those who like suspense-thrillers alike.
Léon (1994)
One of those movies that remain stuck to mind
I watched this film on DVD that I borrowed from my friend, who recommended it after I asked him for some refreshing thriller, but I ended up getting something more than that. It's just brilliant in every aspect - from casting to call, and from beginning to end, without a little distraction in between. Luc Besson has done a good job, and Gary Oldman! My god! Why didn't he win an Oscar for this role? Jean Reno did a terrific acting and so did the young Natalie.
What starts off as an introduction to the 'cleaner' takes a whole new direction as the girl meets our Hit-man. Then comes Norman, the bad-ass cop, for a drug related issue with the girl's father. A murderous scene that sets in so naturally that I felt I was in that room. The girl is fortunately safe and credit goes to her mother who sent her to the grocery and Leon who allows her inside after she seeks help witnessing the aftermath.
Later on I thought the story between Leon and Mathalda would go somewhat like Terminator-Judgement Day. But there was something even more special. Leon is losing his murderous instinct bit by bit as he grows into a 'Caretaker' and Mathalda loses her craze for killing and adulthood again a bit by bit. The way the climax has been written and presented, boy! 200 cops on one man, and still they struggle to take him out until he finally sacrifices his life to save the pretty girl. Every thing in the middle, that I've left out is something that I can only feel from the experience of watching this movie. Natalie Portman is now a huge star, and she deserves her stardom and acclaim after having acted like this in her very first film, and remember its no small film.
It's a type of movie that I get to watch on rare occasions. Something that remains stuck in my mind after days of watching!