Tamasha (2015) (Hindi)

He started with a very simple movie 10 years back.  One which would qualify to be a sleeper hit.  It was called Socha Na Tha and starred a certain relative of someone with a 2.5 kg fist.  He has released a movie around every 2 years since.  Jab We Met (2007), Love Aaj Kal (2009), Rockstar (2011), Highway (2014) and now Tamasha (2015).  He is one of my favourite writer directors in India today – Imtiaz Ali.

Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

When you have Alejandro González Iñárritu directing a movie you can be rest assured that it has to be at least a little bit “hatke” (off the beaten path).  With movies like Amores Peres, 21 Grams, Babel and Biutiful under his belt Birdman (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) could not have been straightforward.  It would not have been Iñárritu.

Foxcatcher

Steve Carell in a role that is not comic and over the top would be perceived by most people as laughable for sure.  But believe me when I say this – Steve Carell as John Eleuthère du Pont will be spoken about for time immemorial.  It is a stroke of casting brilliance and Carell grabs the opportunity with everything that he possibly can.

American Sniper

From frame one American Sniper screams Clint Eastwood.  With his last 2 movies being well below par (J Edgar and Hereafter – and I mean as a director), an ageing Eastwood probably desperately needed a movie that could have a shot at Uncle Oscar.  With American Sniper he gives himself 6 nominations and a truly deserving one for Best Picture.

The Theory of Everything

In the recent past, most of you would have heard or experience something to do with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) thanks to the Ice Bucket Challenge.  Also, many of you would have heard of Stephen W Hawking purely thanks to references in The Big Bang Theory.  Sadly, few of us have read A Brief History of Time or have followed one the most brilliant minds of our time – I hope I am wrong.

Big Eyes

My first preview for 2015 was a movie that released last year in the US.  I had in fact asked a question about this movie at the Entertainment Quiz @ Oasis 2014, BITS Pilani around 2 months back. I must admit that I had no idea who Keane was till I researched stuff for my question – such is the importance given to art and artists out here.  Sad but true.

Ugly (2014) (Hindi)

It takes a lot of courage to portray the darkest sides of human behavior.  People are capable of much worse than we could imagine – given the right circumstances.  Most of us are aware of that but live in denial.  To the film maker who doesn’t believe in the beaten path, this aspect of homo sapiens sapiens is nothing short of a delectable treat.

Penguins of Madagascar

When you have Skipper (Tom McGrath), Kowalski (Chris Miller), Private (Christopher Knights) and Rico (Conrad Vernon) as the lead characters in a movie, you can be assured that there will be no shortage of excitement.  The cute looking but aggressive Penguins from the Madagascar series finally get an entire movie to themselves. Long awaited and well deserved indeed.

Exodus: Gods and Kings

The outstanding part about Exodus : Gods and Kings is the courage that Ridley Scott has shown with telling the story without any qualms about rubbing people the wrong way.  The Old Testament (from whatever little I know) shows God in a very dark form.  One who didn’t hesitate before wreaking havoc amongst the Egyptians.

Big Hero 6

It was only after I began my research that I realized that Big Hero 6 is actually a comic book series from Marvel.  The comic book premise is actually quite different from that of the movie.  The names of the characters stay the same but the story is actually nowhere close (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Hero_6).

Edge of Tomorrow

Let me start by saying that I am not the biggest of Tom Cruise fans.  I have always believed that any of his movies would be far better if someone – anyone – else replaced him in the lead.  There may be a few exceptions to the rule though.  And Edge of Tomorrow (Surprise! Surprise!!) will feature in my list of Tom Cruise movies wherein he actually does well and I was really glad.

Godzilla (2014)

I was sold with the Godzilla trailer – much as I tried to avoid watching it.  But if member serves me right I saw it before Noah @ IMAX Wadala.  The trailer was so brilliantly made that I sent a shiver up my already weak spine.  My only apprehension after the trailer was – like in many cases before – whether the trailer was the movie.  Godzilla, I am thrilled to say, had much more to offer.

Noah (2014) (English)

I missed the preview show of Noah because I wanted to catch up with it at an IMAX Theatre.  I did so, on Friday after India qualified for the semi-finals of the World Cup.  A 22:55 hrs show @ IMAX Wadala with a guarantee that I was spending in excess of `1500 for the entire experience (`1060 for tickets + `300 for the cab back home + `300 for snacks).  Was it worth it? HELL YES!!!

Dallas Buyers Club

Craig Borten was out of college and wondering what kind of movies he wanted to make.  Around this time is when he heard of Ron Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey).  A man, who had been diagnosed with AIDS in 1986 and given less than a month to live.  Director Jean Marc Vallée digs out this script that was hidden away for over 20 years, to give us The Dallas Buyer’s Club.

The Game

If I were get around to making a list of my favourite directors, David Andrew Leo Fincher would definitely be on that list without a shadow of doubt.  In his 3^rd movie (after Alien³ (1992) and Se7en (1995), Fincher comes up with yet another brilliant concept.  I remember having seen The Game around 15-16 years back to the date and I was completely blown away.

The Lego Movie

My first Lego set was called “Legoland” that my uncle had picked up as a present way back in the late 80s.  I cannot think of a more addictive exercise in my pre-teens.  The simplicity and the world of possibilities that a Lego set offers a young child is simply mind blowing.

Saving Mr. Banks

John Lee Hancock is a very choosy person.  How did I deduce that? Well, in 54 years, Hancock has made 7 movies and written 9 screenplays.  Of these 16 pieces of work, 4 overlap leaving us with a total of 12 assignments.  In a career spanning over 20 years, that’s being choosy.  But that’s also being a stickler for perfection – The Rookie, Alamo and The Blind Side are 3 of Hancock’s recent works.

Locke

This is why I really really really would have wanted to be introduced to the world of film festivals earlier.  While I knew they existed, I could not make time for them with my “busy” schedules and I always thought they were boring fora where people come to promote “Art for Art’s sake”.  But over the 17 movies that I saw in MIFF, not one fell into this category.  In fact, some were outstanding to say the least.

American Hustle

My admiration for David O Russell keeps growing with every movie that he directs.  My first experience was with Fighter where he took Christian Bale and Melissa Leo to Oscars.  Next up was Silver Linings Playbook with Jennifer Lawrence making her mark with the coveted statuette.  Now it seems to be the turn of Amy Adams and Jennifer Lawrence who have brilliant roles and have backed it with performances that deserve their nominations.

Inside Llewyn Davis

All Coen Brothers fans in the house raise your hands!!!! And once you have done that, check your list of movies to confirm that you have seen Inside Llewyn Davis.  A few of us (about a 500 I am guessing) were lucky enough to see the movie at the Mumbai International Film Festival.  For the rest, PVR Director’s Rare has been kind enough to release it after several delays – 10^th January 2014 is the day.