Paddington

The first kiddie movie of 2015 is here and it draws itself from a 1997 series of children’s books called “The Adventures of Paddington Bear”.  It was probably only a matter of time before the little bear from Darkest Peru found its way to the silver screen.

Grace of Monaco

It is in moments like these that I convince myself once again that I have to have to have to go to film school – sooner the better.  Grace of Monaco has been universally panned by critics across the board and the comments have been really nasty.  Why is it that I disagree with what most critics are saying? Maybe I need

Just Go With It

Denis Dugan does it yet again. This is the second movie with the Adam Sandler – Denis Dugan combination that I am reviewing and I must say that there has been no improvement whatsoever. It could be a case of the director and actor have built a familiarity and there is no scope for further improvement. I would hazard a more drastic thought that they are probably the same person and that Dugan is just a front that Sandler and eventually gives us a movie that HE wants us to see. For the fifth time, Sandler and Dugan get together and give us a movie that is just about par for the course. In an adaptation of the 1969 classic Cactus Flower that starred Walter Mathau and was also the debut movie for Goldie Hawn. The only difference being that Cactus Flower was extremely tastefully made and is still remembered fondly in most circles. Just Go With It will be forgotten in a few moments after you move out of the hall.


Danny (Adam Sandler) is studying to be a doctor and is therefore a great catch for his would be wife. And the only reason the wife to be is willing to compromise on his horrendous looks (a really massive nose) is that he is a secure investment. And before I forget, she is as promiscuous as can be and has a romp in the sack with her ex boyfriend, the night before the wedding. Unfortunately for her, Danny over hears a conversation that she is having with her friends and is distraught to say the least. But things are about to change for the ugly Danny who decides to drown his sorrows in alcohol at the local bar and gets lucky… really lucky if you know what I mean. At this pivotal moment in his life, the medical student decides to keep his wedding ring and put up a front as being an unhappily married man thanks to an atrocious wife. He also chooses his area of specialization – Plastic Surgery – an extremely lucrative career in the developed world. And the wedding rings ensures that our good doctor continues to get his regular doses in the sack. Needless to say, he gets his nose also fixed soon enough to ensure that he doesn’t have any drawbacks whatsoever. This keeps going on for a few years but soon enough he finds himself not only attracted to but very much falling for Palmer (Brooklyn Decker). But his wedding ring gets him into trouble this time around and to bail himself out, he seeks the help of his very average looking but extremely committed secretary, Katherine (Jennifer Aniston).

If you have seen Cactus Flower you will find JGWI to be a travesty to say the least. If you haven’t seen it, I would strongly recommend that you watch it sooner than later because it is a wonderful movie. Adam Sandler, cannot, is not and will not be a patch on Walter Mathau, a fact that would be endorsed by several people. The same can be said of the rest of the cast also. I would guess that the only difference between Goldie Hawn and Brooklyn Decker would be that on a hotness quotient, Brooklyn is ahead by a country mile and a half. But if it is a question of class, then everyone in Cactus Flower is miles ahead. Now don’t misunderstand me when I say this. I am a genuine fan of remakes but they should be done in the right manner and tastefully. After JGWI, I am compelled to make a request for an organization that screens these remakes before the release. A just about average movie at best. 4.5 on 10 is what I would give it. Watch it on DVD if you have nothing else to do.

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1443666457/

Australia

LARGER THAN LIFE. EXTRAVAGANT. BRILLIANT COSTUMES. SUPERB VISUAL EFFECTS. LOADS OF SONG AND DANCE. VEREY LONG. HINDI MOVIE. Just some of the adjectives one would associate with a movie that comes from the table of Mark Anthony Luhrmann more popularly known as Baz Luhrmann. And one wonders why it took him so long to make a movie on his country of origin. It would have seemed the most obvious thing to do. But he did get around to it after 3 movies that have very much established a unique identity for Luhrmann. But Australia is a bit pale in comparison to the ones that Luhrmann has given us before. And I am not sure if my eyes were playing some games with me. But some of the sequences in the movie seemed very obviously made with the use of the blue / green screen. One can easily make out the difference in the colours and the tones between the main story and the background. Something that you would not expect from a Luhrmann. But the rest of the adjectives hold good even this time around. I would have been surprised if they hadn’t.


Luhrmann takes us down memory lane to a story that came to the fore only after the turn of the century, in fact towards the later part of the previous decade. On the 13th February 2008, the then Prime Minister of Australia, Mr. Kevin Rudd offered a formal apology to what is referred to down under as “The Stolen Generations”. For about a century from 1869, maybe a bit longer, children of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent were taken away by force from their natural aboriginal parents by the police and handed over to church missions so that they could be bought up in the Australian way. Several of these children were never heard from again. Many movies have also been made which talk about the concept. “Australia” covers the story partly through Nullah (Brandon Walters) a love child of Neil Fletcher (David Wenham) and an aboriginal woman, Daisy (Ursula Yovich) on a cattle farm called Faraway Downs in the Northern Territories. Faraway Downs is owned by Lord Maitland Ashley and is the only cattle farm that doesn’t belong to King Carney (Bryan Brown). Obviously King Carney wants a monopoly and has been trying to squeeze out Faraway Downs from existence. But when Maitland dies in mysterious circumstances – allegedly by an aborigine who goes by the name of King George (David Gulpilil), Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman) takes over the reins of the farm. Along with a cattle drover who goes by the obvious name of Drover (Hugh Jackman) she manages to take the first step in keeping the farm alive. Along the way, she builds a close bond with Nullah and wants to adopt him.

Set in the backdrop of the period just before World War II, Australia offers you fantastic visual effects and gargantuan sets ala Baz Luhrmann. But as mentioned earlier, it hasn’t been finished as well. Nicole Kidman is as over excited an actress as she has always been (probably in line with her character) and Hugh Jackman is as ice cold and rugged as he has always been (probably in line with his character again). In between all of this predictable acting, Brandon Walters comes to the fore in his portrayal of Nullah and the relationship he has with Mrs. Boss (Sarah’s name on the farm since she is the Boss’s wife). In short if you like well made larger than life Hindi movies which have acceptable levels of acting on display, then Australia is a fabulous way to spend your weekend afternoon. Preferably watch it on a larger screen TV or at a friend’s place on a home projector. That’s the only way to come as close to the effects that Baz wanted to portray. I give this one 6.5 on 10.

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1784152089/

Rabbit Hole

Have you ever lost someone who you were really close to? I am sure most of us have at some point or other in our lives, gone through the pain. I personally went through it only a couple of years back when I lost a very close friend in an accident. But what if it was a blood relative? I may sound very crude and heartless if I said that losing a parent is difficult but probably not the most difficult of situations to have, and I am at no point of time under playing the pain here. What if it was someone younger? Your brother? Worse still, what if it were your 4 year old son who chose to run after a your dog because the dog ran after a squirrel and as destined, he gets run over by a car which is doing 31 kmph, maybe 32 kmph in a 30 kmph zone and the impact is enough for him to pass on. I could not even begin to imagine the trauma that one would go through and would hope and pray that it would never happen to anyone – whether known to me or otherwise. But it is exactly with this extremely sensitive and poignant topic that John Cameron Mitchell has achieved an Oscar nomination for Nicole Kidman.

Becca (Nicole Kidman) has spent the past 8 months trying to come to terms with her son’s death in a car accident. She has pretty much cut herself off from the rest of the world and speaks to people in the best possible way that she can muster herself to, without hurting their sentiments. Her support structure involves her husband Howie (Aaron Eckhart) who is in the same boat as Becca – probably worse. Between the two of them, they are putting their life back together – bit by little bit. They are past the stage of what they could have done to avoid the situation. Should they have locked the gate? Should they have bought a dog for their son? Who should have kept a look out for him? Still very much in love but the spark has gone off in some way. Add to that the conflicts of watching people who really matter to them getting on with their lives. Such as Becca’s sister Izzy (Tammy Blanchard) who is in a relationship with a musician Auggie (Giancarlo Esposito) and are expecting their first child. Or Becca’s mother Nat (Diane Wiest) who is trying her best to support Becca much to Becca’s disappointment. In the midst of all of this, Becca bumps into Jason (Miles Teller) who was driving the car that killed her son and slowly but surely builds a relationship with him – probably a way to come to terms with the loss of her son. The human mind acts in mysterious ways at times. Simultaneously, Howie is drawn to Gaby (Sandra Oh), one of the participants at counseling who has lost her child 8 years back and is still struggling to move on.

John Cameron Mitchell weaves for us an extremely complex web of human emotions and one cannot find much fault with the path that he takes the movie into. Not too many of us would be in a position to say if it is the right or the wrong direction. But irrespective of that, he ensures that the movie doesn’t drift about endlessly and keeps it on track and most importantly keeps it tight. Performances are the hallmark of Rabbit Hole across the board. Nicole Kidman is edgy / eccentric as always but has proven that she is much more than a pretty face. I personally thought that Aaron Eckhart was better in his performance of Howie with the exception of a couple of super emotional scenes where he falters. Diane Wiest, Miles Teller and Tammy Blanchard have all given probably their best shot towards making this movie what it has turned out to be. Warning though – not meant for the emotionally weak; this one is sure to break you down if you are. And question to the guy who made the poster – why make it so confusing? People should be able to get the movie by looking at the poster right? I always thought that was the idea. Nevertheless, try and get a dekko @ Rabbit Hole this week before it leaves the theatres – 7.5 on 10.

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3003816217/