Christopher Nolan vs. The Power of Cinema

Christopher Nolan is a very intelligent film maker. However, I feel his focus, in all his movies so far, has been on story-telling. His aim is to keep the viewer interested right through his films. For this he uses complex story telling techniques. Don't mistake me, I love his movies. I was blown away when I watched 'Memento', didn't like 'Insomnia', and 'Following' (after Ramanand's recommendation). Both films are absolutely brilliant when looked at from a story-telling point of view. Both the superhero films have been terrific.

Nolan will have to make a more 'human' film if he wants to be remembered as a great director. Don't you think so? Most great films have been about characterization, people starting from a point in time and how they change and evolve. Their experiences changing the vieweres perceptions or just emotionally engaging them as they watch the film. In this sense there is some kind of characterization in 'Following' and I feel it is his best work. He tried to get into the human mind in 'Insomnia' but it didn't work for me, maybe I have to view it again to remind myself but it didn't take me into the minds of the characters back then.

Let's contrast Ang Lee with Christopher Nolan. Ang Lee capitalized on the power of the audio visual experience cinema provides to the viewer. He put us right on top of Brokeback Mountain. The visuals, like Ramanand mentioned in my blog, will stay with me forever. The sky, the scenery, the wind, I was there man! I was with them. No! No! We didn't have a threesome! But you know what I mean. On the other hand, Nolan writes complex stories. Nolan would have been a terrific writer without the camera rolling. His stories don't really need to be told on celluloid. We are fortunate he is able to bring his stories to the big screen and many of us can watch his stories in action. But it's not the same thing as watching Jack looking into his truck's rear-view mirror at Ennis about to break into tears.

Mike Leigh created 'Vera Drake'. There is a scene in the film when the cops pay Vera a visit. What follows in the next few minutes is the power of cinema. Mike transports us into the small house that Vera and her family share. As a viewer I was in the room and a part of the scene. I had a similar experience when watching 'Doubt' two days ago. I was in the principal's office. This, my friends, is the power of cinema. Cinema can transport its viewers into a world with its people through the visuals, the acting, the sets and the sound. Although it is great to watch a huge trailer somersault in the streets of Chicago it is not nearly the same thing as being in Jack's house with Ennis and Jack's parents.

Why was the 'Casino Royale' the best James Bond film ever? Was it the action? No! We'd seen it before. But the news was that Bond could feel pain. in his heart and in his balls. Humanism in cinema is works far better than thrills and perfect story lines. A thriller or an action film alienates my wife and many other women I know. Is this a vast majority of women? I think it is.

Charlie Kaufman, to me, seems to have located the middle path. His stories are complex but look at human emotions. 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' took us into the bond that the lead protagonists share. 'Being John Malkovich' took us into the mind, literally, of a famous movie star. 'Adaptation', I am yet to see so I can't say for sure, tells us about writers. 'Synecdoche New York' tells us about a genius stage-writer's problems as he ages. Although I feel Kaufman takes his audience for granted he has written on the confusions of the human mind. This more human approach told with complex story telling has already won him an Oscar.

I love Chrisopher Nolan. I know many are going to say that he is different from all the film-makers I have mentioned. That's true too. In that sense his work is fresh. But I still hope that Christopher Nolan will one day make that one film . That one film which will help him take home the bald man he very much deserves. I want him to be remembered as a great director. But I have a feeling everlasting accolades may not come through stories revolving around doubts in the mind of a caped vigilante.

The Wrestler

Darren Aronofsky's 'Requiem for a Dream' and 'The Fountain' come highly recommended from friends in IIT. Bombay. Although I wanted to watch them I was not in any hurry to do so. There was no urgency. Why? In IIT, Bombay there is plenty being recommended through word of mouth. Usually all the recommended films were those with a complex plot, like Nolan's 'Memento' or 'The Prestige', or whacky, like 'Pulp Fiction'. No one would recommend drama. All recent films I have loved are not thrillers but ones that explore characters. Assuming Aronofsky's two movies would fall into the 'IIT, Bombay' mould I was not in any kind of hurry to watch them.

Now the talk surrounding 'The Wrestler' seemed very unlike 'The Dark Knight' or 'Memento'. Everyone was talking about the human element in the film. Others mentioned how wrestlers, like Randy 'The Ram' Robinson, sustained several injuries which we don't see on television. There was of course talk of Marisa Tomei's skin show and Mickey Rourke's great acting performance. All this seemed evidence enough that this would be 'drama'. I looked forward to this film.

I look forward to every film I watch. That's only because I watch movies that have already been certified as great movies. But this film was something else. I remember watching a bit of WWF as a kid, very little because I was not a huge fan, but I played a lot with the cards of WWF. I remember the video games too. Today I won't be seen with any of these. No offense to those who like WWF here. Just because of my mental make-up about WWF wrestlers and other such wrestlers I feel this whole world of wrestling is for kids. I never knew a WWF wrestler's real names, I knew them as Mr. Perfect, Undertaker, Beefcake Barber, etc.. When I actually played those cards or those video I never thought who these people were in real life. Now here is a film about a wrestler which has caught the attention of the most respected critics. The appreciation that 'The Wrestler' has received got me excited. I wanted to know how such people think, how they prepare themselves, how they live their lives, etc. I was really looking forward to this movie!

There is a way this film is made. I am not sure if it's used in other films before, it probably has. The camera just follows Randy. For most of the film we see back. It's like he was walking in front and I was following him. Then Darren Aronofsky makes sure we can hear him breathe. When Randy is alone on screen we can always hear him breathe. The effect of this particular style of visual and audio did two things. Firstly, I was aware of how old Randy is and how he is struggling with his body. Randy is not able to walk easily even. Randy breathes heavily. This constantly reminded what Randy has been through as a Wrestler. Secondly, the effect of the following camera and the breathing made me Randy. Notice how when Randy speaks to someone the camera is on the person's face and we see the person just like we would if we spoke to someone. Add to this the fact we keep hearing Randy's breathing and does anyone feel that making the viewer feel like he is Randy is not Darren's intention. Of course I maybe mistaken but it's my interpretation.

Here I am going along living life as Randy 'The Ram' Robinson and the tough part of his comes along. The only difference of course being that the real Randy loves it and I can't take it. I am referring to the fights. Now here is one fight I shall never forget. Necro Butcher vs. Randy 'The Ram' Robinson. Darren put me right in the ring with these two fighters. I could feel the staple pins piercing my forehead, chest and back as Necro Butcher uses the staple gun on Randy. Another visual I recall vividly is when Randy throws Necro Butcher onto barb wire. Very very painful. With all the metal on my back when I stepped out of the ring Randy flew out of the ring and landed on my shoulder. I was under him. I was trying to escape but Randy put a trash can over my head and everything was dark. I could hear the people cheering. A guy was shouting, "Take my leg, Randy, take my leg". A moment later something hit the trash can and my ears were ringing, I fell down. A while later I was lying in the center of the ring, Randy was preparing for his 'Ram Jam'. I lost the fight. Everything went as planned. The people loved it.

RANDY 'THE RAM' ROBINSON

Randy 'The Ram' Robinson. For him life revolves around him and the '80s. He loves life as it was back when he was the star wrestler. He has an action figure of his, which he has probably saved for two decades. The only video game he plays is from the '80s and he is the star in it. The music he listens to in the bar with Pam. He even says he hates the '90s. He does not want to move on. A kid tells him about the second World war and Iraq but we can see it in Randy's face that he does not know. In fact, he is so fixated with his life in the '80s that he does not like anyone referring to him with his real name. He even thinks only of himself, all photos in his home are of himself at his prime. For a brief moment he puts his daughter's photo on the wall.

Randy is basically a 'fuck-up' like his daughter calls him. For a short while he convinces himself that he can live life like others. Get along with his daughter, romance a woman, etc. But one careless mistake and we know that he is no good. He too realizes that he is no good. He can't be what others can be. It's a flaw in him. His daughter almost puts him in his place. After that blunder he knows it's over. Pam does not want to take it further, he loves her and we know it when he gives away his action figure which he loves. Randy 'The Ram' has no one in the world. He may as well die wrestling.

There is no story to Randy's past. How he got into wrestling or why he is in the state he is now. The movie is almost like a documentary, or reality TV where we get to see Randy for a few months, in its depiction of Randy. I was left feeling sorry for Randy just like many others must have. But I was left wondering about Randy's past. How was he when he was successful. Why did he neglect his daughter? Where is his wife now? Why did he choose to wrestle in the first place? Why does he like the pain?

There is another scene which is superb. Randy is about to walk through some plastic curtains to start his new job in a supermarket. He imagines in his head as if he were walking into a fight. He can hear the people cheering in his head. We can hear it and feel what he is feeling because each one of us by this point in the film is Randy. It tells us how Randy thinks about the highs of wrestling. He loves to hear the people shout his name. Loves to hear them cheer as he is about to make his way to the ring.

This is an achievment on the part of Darren Aronofsky. 'The Wrestler' is a nice little film. It stands on well on its own. But more than anything it puts its director in good light. I will watch 'Requiem for a Dream' and 'The Fountain' soon.

Although Marisa Tomei and Mickey Rourke do a good job I am not surprised they didn't win Oscars for their performances. Sean Penn is brilliant as Harvey Milk and only he deserved it this year. But I don't advocate an Oscar for Tomei for this performance.

What will I remember from this film? I will remember living the life of a professional wrestler for almost two hours, feeling the staple pins and barb wire piercing my flesh but still soaring through the air to deliver my signature move, the 'Ram Jam'.

RATING: 4/5

'Brokeback Mountain'

If I make a list of ten of my favorite films this will be in that list. Why?

It's the movie that made us (Revathi & me) cry. We wept, man. We couldn't control.There are scenes in the film, towards the end, I shall not forget.

Consider the scene when Ennis Del Mar (I shall remember the names of the two lovers as long as I live) meets Jack Twist's parents. This scene is terrific. Why? Look at the mom and pop. They never speak their feelings but we know exactly what's on their mind. His mom sends him to Jack's room upstairs and he discovers his shirt. This is so heartwarming, man. A shirt preserved for over twenty years can't be just for a 'few high-altitude fucks', man. They were in love. I honestly believe so.

Did they neglect their families? I can't believe anyone would be saying that, da. When Ennis' grown-up daughter is getting married he is prepared to lose his job to make it to her wedding. In that scene you feel the love Ennis and his daughter have for each other. His daughter respects him and we see that with the way she speaks to him. Jack didn't neglect his family. Didn't he take good care of his son? Jack even died in 'the line of duty', of course exaggerated but you know what I mean. He kept telling Ennis that they can 'settle down' together but they never actually do it. Jack was visiting Ennis twice a year for nearly ten years but he didn't neglect anyone. Jack & his wife just stopped having sex and the reason for it, Jack tells us, is that she got too involved with the business. Am I justifying their marriage? No I am not. The protagonists have flawed characters and we all know that. A good film is not about 'heroes' & 'villains', it's about people.

Last of all it is the final scene that's unforgettable. Ennis opens the cupboard and there is a photo of Jack, Ennis is shown with tears in his eyes and the final shot is a road which Ennis has to travel alone. Jack is no more and there shall never be another lover. We cried as the credits started to roll. We couldn't get Ennis out of our heads for a few minutes after film. Even today Revathi and I speak of Ennis and Jack. This is not a film about sodomy. It's one of the best told lovestories on the big screen.

I have a confession to make. No! No! Revathi and I are not homosexuals! I want to make a film like this. It may not be on homosexuality. Look at this film and other films on homosexuality. All other films dwell on homosexuality as the society sees it. It tries to preach that homosexuality is not wrong. No film has portrayed homosexuality as true love, at least I can't think of one right now maybe you can. 'Brokeback Mountain' takes us into the souls of the two lovers. It made us realize that there is love in homosexuality just as there is love between Revathi and me. Immediately after watching this film I read Roger Ebert's review and there is one sentence that rings in my mind whenever I think of this film. He said (something like this) that some films are so specific in their story-telling that by the end of the film the viewers start to feel that the message in the film is general. Do you see what I am talking about here?

RATING: 5/5

'Mumbai Meri Jaan'

Honestly, I didn't want to watch another film on terrorism. Yes, everyone was gushing over this film, the same people who were gushing over 'A Wednesday'. my review will reveal I didn't like that film all that very much. But now I am gushing over 'Mumbai Meri Jaan'. I love this film.

Firstly, can I compare the two films? Someone told me I shouldn't. But I will. One takes the route of a thriller while the other takes us into the minds of people. 'A Wednesday' pretends to take us in the minds of a top cop and a 'stupid common man' but it doesn't really. Prakash Rathod just tells us in the beginning that 'the bastard' changed lives and we have to accept his words. 'Mumbai Meri Jaan' is more complex, it dwells into people's prejudices (Suresh), regrets one has at old age (Patil), an upright & patriotic individual who falls prey to fear (Nikhil Agarwal), a lady who discovers how her job can hurt the ones already in pain (Rupali), a south-Indian 'chai-wallah' who realizes that threats can sometimes cause as much as action (Thomas) and other people around these people.

Of all the characters I loved the journey that Patil makes with Kadam in the final week of his service as a policeman. At start Patil is shown as a man who did his duty very casually. Patil even convinces Kadam it is the way to be in a scene. However, later we realize there is regret in Patil for the thirty-six years he has spent with the law enforcement. He is old and wise and has a calm about him. There is no sense of urgency or excitement. Patil has seen it all in the time he has spent as a cop. The speech he makes in the end of the film is moving to say the least. Kadam seems to like Patil even after seeing all of Patil's flaws. Kadam believes Patil when is told that his hands are tied in this job. Kadam is shown impulse and hot-headed, that's youth. This pairing is perfect contrast. My heart went out to Kadam when he is close to suspension for doing his duty.

The story of a prejudiced man, Suresh, is my next favorite. Every Muslim is a terrorist in his eyes. He conducts his own 'investigations'. I like the way his prejudices are nullified. It is not a single step procedure. He hears Patil, hears a customer, interacts with Yusuf. It's lovely.

Then here's Thomas. Most unaffected by the blasts of all the characters. However he is the only one to use it to pacify his anger. Irrfan does not speak here in his portrayal of Thomas the Tamilian. This is a performance which has to be read from Irrfan's expressions. Thomas is a good man at heart. He is so upset with the grievance he has caused an old man. Thomas tries to make up for it with a simple gesture, helping the patient hire a taxi and buying a rose which he believes is over-priced (again this has to be read from his face). How easy it would have been for Nishikant Kamat to have gone for a more elaborate and exaggerated route of redemption for Thomas. But Kamat is very controlled.

Will Rupali ever work with the television media again? Nice tale about a girl who discovers how her job can hurt the already hurting. This is another one of those characters who don't speak much. The performance is largely understood through the pain expressed in the eyes of Rupali.

Nikhil, Nikhil. There is Nikhil in all of us. All of us armed with education know what's wrong and what's right. Nikhil is the embodiment of that part of us. He knows all that we know but Nikhil is more. His actions mirror his thoughts. Doesn't believe in wastage, doesn't want to buy a car to save time and reduce pollution. Nikhil is every software engineer in Bangalore who can have anything and everything he wants. However, his conscience is in the way. He has turned opportunities for a better life on numerous occasions. But the blasts have put fear into him. He finds it hard to step into a train. He considers moving abroad for the safety of his family. The two-minute silence clears all his doubts.

'Mumbai Meri Jaan' is a special film:

1. The central characters are of two types. Ones who speak a lot (Patil & Suresh) others who don't (Rupali, Nikhil & Thomas). It is the ones who don't talk much excite me about Nishikant Kamat's ability. Very few directors in Hindi movies have characters who don't speak their mind. Kamat wants us to look into his characters eyes. He wants us to hear what their hearts tell them. These are the signs of great directors, like Ang Lee or Mike Leigh.
2. The dialogues in this film are the best I have heard in a long time. Patil's 'do shabd' are the most touching I have heard in a Hindi movie in a long long time. Patil's lines are so well written that they will make you laugh and cry at the same time. They suit what a senior man would say, advice in every line but mixed with just the right amounts of humour. 'Do shabd' from Patil had me in tears. A guest, from USA, visits Nikhil towards the end of the movie and his little speech rings true. Honestly, I feel the future is what he says. The children of the twenty-first century will have 'terrorism' and 'fear' as a part of their lives. Kids will not be able to live without fear, they will know not a life without fear. The images of 9/11, Madrid, London moistened my eyes before Patil's 'do shabd' had me weeping.
3. Kamat does not rush it. He wanted me to weep and I wept. By the time Patil was finished tears were in my eyes, like I already said. The silence that the city observes was it. The tears rolled down my cheeks. I cry easily for I am moved with cinema very easily. But these tears were special as they were not only for the characters in the film but also for a city that has suffered as much as it has seen success. When the silence is broken with a Mohd. Rafi (not Kishore Kumar, mind you!) classic I was forced to listen. For the first time in a long long long time I watched the entire credits roll, absorbing all the images from the six blasts that ripped through Mumbai while I was safe in Powai.
   

Nishikant Kamat is a great director, I tell you. If there is one new director to watch out for it is Nishikant Kamat, not Farah Khan, not Sajid Khan, not anyone else. Kamat is controlled, he is calculated, he is a genius. Pandey's film is a thriller, Kamat's effort has depth and heart.

If 'Mumbai Meri Jaan' is available for nomination this year, i.e. if it was not in contention with 'Taare Zameen Par', it should be the film sent to the Oscars. The west will identify with it in the wake of the 'seige' in Mumbai. 'Mumbai Meri Jaan' is a great film.

RATING: 5/5

Almodovar's 'Hable Con Ella'

Benigno and Marco share a special relationship when the women they love are in coma. Not an unusual idea, if I may say so, but unusual treatment from Pedro Almodovar makes this film great.

Consider Benigno. Is he normal? Is he a psychopath? I believe he is the latter. He calls his mother beautiful, gets educated in the art of make-up or looks-for-women or something like that to keep her beautiful, does not go out much, claims he is a virgin, has the chance to see a babe naked but chooses to steal a hair-clip, is not jealous when another man looks at the same girl naked, tells a man he thinks of him at night, talks to the girl in coma, starts watching silent movies and ballets to brief the girl in coma and maybe a lot more. For me, he is a psychopath. However, he is not your average 'filmi' psychopath.

Consider Marco. I think he is a man who can easily empathize with anyone. In a crowd his emotions stand out. Watch him in the opening scene and watch him when listening to a singer in a group. He understands Benigno. He is the only one who understands him. Marco took ten years to get Angela out of his system who knows how long he will take to get Benigno and Alicia out.

One way to make a film is to show the audience characters and situations they can relate to. That way the audience can feel the joy and pain of the characters. Pedro Almodovar has not taken this route in all the movies of his I have seen. He puts characters in situations everyday people won't find themselves in. This is why I like Pedro Almodovar. Every single movie of his that I have seen is special.

My understanding of the characters maybe incorrect. Perhaps I interpreted the film incorrectly. Who cares I enjoyed the experience.

RATING: 5/5

'The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'

Last week I felt like watching a horror film. Now most serious movie watchers will agree with me that horror films today are not the one that will go down in history as great. I didn't just want to watch any horror movie, I wanted a conventional horror film. A damsel in distress type, fear for life and some sexual energy as well. Just checked around and settled for "Halloween" (1978). Roger Ebert said he was prepared to compare it with "Psycho". It's on my Netflix queue as I write this. Netflix movies take a while to come so I brought 'The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari' from the university library.

When I started watching a week after I'd brought it home I forgot it was a movie made in 1920. Hence, I was not prepared for a movie with "inter-titles". The picture too was not sharp in the earlier shots. Basically we were not prepared for it in the first few minutes. Once we accepted the fact it is "old" film we settled down.

The very first shot shows two people. My first thoughts were that they look like ghosts themselves. As soon as I thought this they started speaking about ghosts themselves! As if this was not enough a girl floated through the shot and I told myself that this was the ghost for sure. No! One of the men said that was his finacee! I knew something was wrong. But then one of the two men starts his story. That's when I forgot these points I was keeping track of.

Now the shots in the story had me thinking all the time. Dr. Caligari visits a clerk and that place does not look an office of any sort. The buildings look crooked, the patterns are odd, man, everything seems unreal. In fact the designs I shall remember for a while, the steps that seem to lead up to the two cops, the cell in which the suspect is detained, the vacant room in the 'insane asylum' with three sets of stairs leading up, the corridor outside the director's office, the door leading to the director's office, the house that Dr. Caligari stays in, two men battling before stabs the other shown through shadows. The entire film is in a yellow tone. In fact, when the stairs are shown leading to the cops I can't say for sure if the yellow is light or the stairs are painted that way, the two lines on the steps that probably shouldn't be there. Beautiful!

Then there is the music. For a film like this to work without dialogues takes something, In fact it takes two 'somethings', the visuals and the music. The best example is when we discover the director is Dr. Caligari. Wait, wait, now we all know the director is going to be Dr. Caligari for sure but the music does the trick of scaring you anyway. The hairs at he back of my head were standing! Exaggeration? No, it happened. Maybe I did this to myself because by then I was in love with the film anyway. Possible. Further, there are many other places where the music is good, only I can't remember it in the detail as I remember the visuals.

Let's get back to the story. What-a-story! I was not prepared for this 'twist-end'. In fact, my wife perhaps was not enjoying the film as I was and missed the end completely. We discussed our individual interpretations for a few minutes after the film ended and checked the internet for the right one. We had worked out the right end. The twist-end is of course one way of enjoying the film. But for me this film will remain about the visuals that the flashback provides. The fact that a mad-man is telling the story makes it convenient for all the odd but fantastic designs I mentioned two paragraphs before. These visuals will stay with me from this film and the way the story permits these visuals to fit into the film.

'Halloween' has now slipped lower in my Neflix queue. Dr. Caligari may not have been scary in visuals but the story is scary enough. It takes you in the mind of a mad-man who sees the world in a different way. In some way we tend to believe his almost all the way which frightens me because it creates the doubt. Am I mad? If not why did I believe the story of a mad-man?

RATING: 5/5

'A Wednesday'

Many critics put this film in their list of the best films of 2008. It came strongly recommended from all friends. When I finally watched it last night I was not totally disappointed. For a first time film-maker it is a reasonable effort. It helps Neeraj Pandey when Anupam Kher and Naseeruddin Shah act in his first full-length feature film. On the whole the film works. However, there are moments which don't fit in.

The film does a good job of creating tension for about ten minutes and then blows it away with a joke. Examples include Jimmy Shergill's 'pehla kaan saaf karoonga' act, the man who lived through 'haazaron volts ki bijli', 'yeh hain hamare hero' & the hacker receiving a call from 'babes', all of which throw the tension out of the frame. All these 'smart lines' successfully diverted my mind away from the seriousness of the situation. The thrill-factor slips a few notches & the atmosphere of suspense created in the last few minutes is completely destroyed. Why have such moments in a thriller? The 'hero' is not even integral to the plot and there is a flashback to tell his tale of woe!

Keeping these minor flaws aside 'A Wednesday' is a good film. Personally, I knew the four terrorists would be killed as soon as Shah's character asks for them to be freed but the 'the stupid common man' act was not something I'd guessed. It is definitely a fresh take on the incompetence on oft-repeated 'the whole system is flawed' philosophy. For this idea alone the film deserves praise.

It's March, 2009 and I am twenty-five years old, almost twenty-six, and I know what to expect from Kher and Shah. Kher's body language, his walk and his talk have an air of a man in control of the situation. Shah plays his part. All the while I was watching this film I kept thinking of something like this happening in 'Heat' where De Niro and Pacino act together but don't share too much screen time. If I were to pick an acting performance in this film it would be Jimmy Shergill. I'd not have cast him for this role if I were Neeraj. Hardly anyone would believe he could have done it. Man, does he do justice to his role. It's a stereotypical character, nothing special there but Jimmy brings the character alive with an intensity. He is the scene stealer in 'A Wednesday'. I am not sure if this performance will change the way industry views him but it will change my perception of him.

CONCLUSION: The film works to some extent. There are genuine moments of thrill. I like the film. Do I love it? No. Will I remember it for a long time? No. Is it one of the best takes on terrorism? No. However, the fresh view of 'the stupid common man' & Jimmy Shergill make it worth my while.

RATING: 3/5