A Scanner Darkly (2006).

Directed by
Richard Linklater

A Scanner Darkly is not just another drug movie. Its more subtle than say, Requiem for a Dream. However, the characters and imagery are a drug trip in itself.


The film is animated by a revolutionary technique using a software called Rotoshop which I guess, basically allows GFX artists to sketch, paint and trace over video to make Winona Ryder look like this.


Post Production work took care of most of the sets, props and costumes. The actors didn't even need makeup. Cool eh? More films should be made this way, right? But Rotoshop is proprietary software thats not commercially available and the owners don't plan to give it away anytime soon.


This experimental movie is set in a future where drug addicts are hooked on to a deadly substance and undercover agents spy and infiltrate gangs but no sir, this is no matrix or anything you'd normally associate with scifi movies. Its not an edge of the seat thriller - on the contrary it's slow and most scenes contain little or no action at all. The movie works as a dark drug abuse drama with occasional doses of hilarious dialogue from Robert Downey Jr. Definitely on the "must buy the DVD" list.


The movie is an adapation of a book and by virtue of which it must skip certain subplots and characters. A Scanner Darkly - Philip K.Dick immediately after watching the movie makes for a great read and is highly reccommended to fill up what might seem like plot-holes.

The Departed

I havent been able to depart from thinking about this movie in the past 3 hours since I have seen the movie. This is the best movie of the year so far, period. Scorsese has proved yet again what a masterful director he is and some of the scenes are just open-mouthed amazing!!!! I dont want to give out anything about this movie yet.

To the Academy Award......please just give the fucking Best director award to him.

I'm sure the story of the movie has been gone over countless times on reviews online, so I'm not going to give out anything. But I would like to mention a few points to watch out for. Sometimes with an all star cast such as this the motivation for some of the actors to act may not be that great. But DiCaprio, Damon, Nicholson, Warlberg none of them have taken a wrong step. A few words about the each of them.

DiCaprio - I went into the movie not expecting much from him but he just stole the show. In fact I think DiCaprio just out performed everybody including Nicholson!!!!

Nicholson - sigh!!!! nobody else can portray a crazy ass m*&@&*@#$%&* like he does. And he has done just that.

Damon - Matt Damon has just proved why he is well regarded among the acting circles of late. He brings out a very good performance here.

Warlberg - I cant believe that Im still thinking about an underwear models acting three hours after I have seen the movie. His character has been my favorite. His dialogues and character was portrayed perfectly. Watch out for the scene between Alec Baldwin and Mark Warlberg!!!!! Just ripped me apart.

More than anything else it has been a Scorsese movie till the final scene and it was just awesome!!!!!!!!

Plzzzzzzzzzz Academy just fucking give it him!!!!!!!!!!!

A Woody Allen Masterpiece

Title: Match Point (2005)
Director: Woody Allen

I have seen only one other Woody Allen movie, Manhattan Murder Mystery and I kind of liked it. This movie makes me want to see his other movies, directed or acted. What starts of as a story of passionate love both forbidden and otherwise builds into a crescendo with a fitting finale.

Chris (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), a tennis pro takes disillusioned with the tour takes up coaching rich and exclusive people at a tennis club in London. He befriends Tom (matthew Goode) one of the players and falls in love with his sister and marries her. With a beautiful wife, a nice cushy job in her fathers company, a house and a chauffered car, he seems to have finally done something with his life. That is only until he meets a struggling american actress Nola (Scarlett Johansson), va va voom. Johansson plays the femme fatale to a T and why not. Shes one of the very few today who can carry out such a role with poise and grace. Incidentally Nola is engaged to marry Tom.

From a stolen moment of passion to a full fledged affair, the story moves fast when Nola and Tom break up and Chris begins a stormy and lust filled affair with Nola. (Is there an unrated version of this movie anywhere :P ) While Chris and wife try everything to get pregnant, it is Nola who gets pregnant first. Having come to a point where Chris must decide between Nola and his wife, how he reacts to the situation forms the rest of the movie.

A thing to mention would be the opera which serves as the background music and the art and culture of London is beautifully captured by Allen. All the characters have performed and Jonathan Rhys Meyers has been revelation of sorts in some scenes, there are some scenes where his body language is just queer (I found his walk weird). Would definitely recommend watching it.

Cheers.

Title: Match Point (2005)
Director: Woody Allen

I have seen only one other Woody Allen movie, Manhattan Murder Mystery and I kind of liked it. This movie makes me want to see his other movies, directed or acted. What starts of as a story of passionate love both forbidden and otherwise builds into a crescendo with a fitting finale.

Chris (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), a tennis pro takes disillusioned with the tour takes up coaching rich and exclusive people at a tennis club in London. He befriends Tom (matthew Goode) one of the players and falls in love with his sister and marries her. With a beautiful wife, a nice cushy job in her fathers company, a house and a chauffered car, he seems to have finally done something with his life. That is only until he meets a struggling american actress Nola (Scarlett Johansson), va va voom. Johansson plays the femme fatale to a T and why not. Shes one of the very few today who can carry out such a role with poise and grace. Incidentally Nola is engaged to marry Tom.

From a stolen moment of passion to a full fledged affair, the story moves fast when Nola and Tom break up and Chris begins a stormy and lust filled affair with Nola. (Is there an unrated version of this movie anywhere :P ) While Chris and wife try everything to get pregnant, it is Nola who gets pregnant first. Having come to a point where Chris must decide between Nola and his wife, how he reacts to the situation forms the rest of the movie.

A thing to mention would be the opera which serves as the background music and the art and culture of London is beautifully captured by Allen. All the characters have performed and Jonathan Rhys Meyers has been revelation of sorts in some scenes, there are some scenes where his body language is just queer (I found his walk weird). Would definitely recommend watching it.

Cheers.

Compelling. Shocking. Graphic.

Irreversible(2002)

(French, with English subtitles)
Genre: Drama / Horror / Thriller
Director: Gaspar Noé

Cast:
Monica Bellucci .... Alex
Vincent Cassel .... Marcus
Albert Dupontel .... Pierre




Written and Directed by Gaspar Noe(I haven't seen his other films) this French movie is by far one of the most disturbing movies ever made. If you thought A Clockwork Orange was violent, you really need to see this. Its not entirely gore, there's no gangsters, no guns,.. the characters are regular people. One moment you're squirming in your seat at some of the most disgusting and violent acts ever viewed on screen and in the other you're lost in a tender love scene of a couple waking up to each other.

When it was shown at Cannes Film Festival, around 200 people(mostly professional film critics) walked out of the screening, sickened(physically) and needing medical attention. I don't believe in giving out any spoilers so I won't delve into the story. Basically, the gruesome events taking place on a night in Paris are shown backwards (a la Christopher Nolan's Memento). I can't even begin to tell you how real the movie is. It consists of 12 seperate single-take continuous segments without cuts. Camerawork is mostly handheld and its constant movement might cause viewers to get nauseated. The acting is very natural, much of the dialogue is unscripted and Monica Belucci is beauty personified.


The film doesn't glorify or glamorize violence. Yes, there is a stark & horrifying rape scene and a brutal murder, both shot very explicitly but then again, its a sick world, face it. These things happen at alarming rates as per crime statistics in the US/India/anywhere in the world.

Verdict: Unforgivingly disturbing. Not for the faint of heart.

Australian cinema at its best

ROMPER STOMPER(1992)

Directed by: Geoffrey Wright
Writing credits : Geoffrey Wright

Cast:
Russell Crowe .... Hando
Daniel Pollock .... Davey
Jacqueline McKenzie .... Gabe


The DVD cover screams STUNNING and INTENSE. Romper Stomper is exactly that.

Russell Crowe(Hando) heads a team of neo nazi skinheads who are enraged at the influx of Asian immigrants into Australia. The story follows the grim events that unfold in the life of the gang members who get involved in a turf war with the immigrants. The movie is complete with disturbing scenes of hate crimes, graphic violence and sex.

Due to similarities in theme, comparisons with American History X are unavoidable. But it would be something tantamount to a hatecrime to compare Romper Stomper and American History X. (There are huge IMDb threads about it!)


AHX is polished, packaged and glossy, sometimes kind of sugarcoats the brutalities(there was room for a lot more). Some minor flaws apart, American History X is definitely a good movie. Edward Norton is brilliant as the protagonist in AHX. However, towards the latter part of the movie, he is depicted as undergoing drastic changes in his beliefs after a stint in prison. The reasons for his menacing skinhead character reforming are quite weak and frankly, very Hollywood. Somewhere the directors wussed out. [sensiblystoned, Edward Norton rules as always :) . I was in total awe of AHX before I watched Romper Stomper. I could be wrong, but in my opinion, the movie didn't quite make the cut.]


Romper Stomper is raw and a relatively more accurate portrayal of the ruthless skinheads without being too preachy. It is dark, ugly and in your face. The lowbudget feel and the camera work add to the realism. The authenticity in costumes and dialogues are startling, maybe something you can relate to in your rebellious days(if you were/are one!). The creators have done their homework a lot better than the AHX guys.

If there was a flaw, it would be that the some of the characters are not well developed. Not much is known about Hando. Not much is known about the origins of most of the other characters either. They're just thrust on screen leaving the viewer to imagine their past, which I think is good in a way too. It doesn't hamper your viewing experience but a little more history on the characters would've helped.


Russell Crowe gives one of the finest performances of his lifetime. Its a wonder how this movie went unnoticed because it ranks high up there with Gladiator, Beautiful Mind and Master&Commander when it comes to his acting abilities. If you're a Crowe fan, this is a must see! The actors who play Davey and Gabe give out powerful performances as well.


To sum it up, if you're not too much of a prude to handle the theme, you won't be disappointed. You will emerge shocked, disturbed and sickened.


Verdict: Must watch.

P.S: Sorry for the image-heavy post.

The ending will take you by surprise

Title: The Life of David Gale (2003)
Director: Alan Parker
Writing Credits: Charles Randolph

Usually im not a guy who tries to outthink the screenplay and guess the plot. I prefer to let the movie play itself. But im quite sure even if I tried to guess the plot it would have been fruitless for this movie.

When this movie was suggested by my friend one fine saturday afternoon I was groggy and bleary eyed (too much drinking on friday nite, as usual) when it started playing out. But at the end of it, I was sitting up and most definitely wide awake. I had absolutely no idea what the movie was about but it had a very strong cast including Kevin Spacey, Laura Linney and Kate Winslet. The movies starts off with Kate Winslet, a reporter for a magazine being asked to cover the story of a death row criminal, Kevin Spacey for the rape and murder of Laura Linney. Both Spacey and Linney, professors at the local college are ardent death penalty activists. Why would Spacey rape and murder Linney, nobody knows and hes willing to talk only to Winslet about his story. The story unravels as Kevin Spacey reveals parts of his story and leaves Kate Winslet to figure out the remaining and solve the mystery.

The movie is to be strictly viewed objectively, as your stance on death penalty maybe conservative or liberal as is the case. Conservatives are likely to find this movie distasteful in all aspects. True movie viewers would love this movie for its treatment and the strong portrayal of all the characters in the movie. And the ending is the bonus. Personally this movie had one of the best endings I had seen in a long time. Period.

I hate my job!

Title: Office Space (1999)
Director: Mike Judge
Writer: Mike Judge
Lead Actors:
Ron Livingston .... Peter Gibbons
Jennifer Aniston .... Joanna
David Herman .... Michael Bolton
Ajay Naidu .... Samir Nagheenanajar
IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0151804/



I know this is not any groundbreaking thought provoking hardhitting movie.. Its just one of those movies you pick out from your DVD collection and say, "Hey I haven't seen that in a while." An when you do watch it , you remember how much you laughed the first time you saw it. You probably were in school or college when the movie first came out(I was!). Its so much more relevant now! And a lot more funnier!

Okay for those haven't seen it, here's the review.. for those who already have, here's something you already know ;)
Office Space is your dose of comedy if you are currently stuck in your cubicle and you hate it. Hate it so bad that you could just get up, take an axe and hack your computer to pieces(the word 'hack', also means To cut or chop with repeated and irregular blows.)

The characters in the movie are people you see everyday in your office -Your manager, your co-workers and who can forget, underpaid and underutilized you!
Office Space is about Peter Gibbons, a cubicle worker in a computer firm which is in the process of downsizing. Peter's friends Samir and Michael Bolton(thats his name!) are employees getting the pink slip. Lumbergh(Gary Cole) plays the part of the Evil Boss to a T. Also contains a serving of Jennifer Aniston, slurp!(Why do you hate her again? C'mon, she's not a bad actress.)

Director Mike Judge is the guy behind Beavis and Butthead. This is his first full-length non-animated movie and he demonstrates his comic abilites once again with this satire.
If you like Scott Adams' Dilbert, this is right up your alley.

You can't help but think of the characters in this movie long after its over and have quick laugh.

Caution: Might cause you to quit your current job and provoke you to look for alternate careers.

Verdict: Refreshing :)