With 2017 coming to a close, in an effort to reduce the
never-ending list of things left undone, I decided to do a superfast review of
some of the movies I missed reviewing during the year for whatever reason
(mostly laziness). So, in no particular order, here goes:
Star Wars Episode VIII– The Last Jedi
This movie is arguably the most polarizing movie of the
franchise. Director Rian Johnson definitely took a sharp detour from a lot of
things considered canon and brought a movie with many twists and turns and
discarded a lot of setup from “The Force Awakens”, angering and disappointing a
lot of the die-hard fans. I am not the greatest Star Wars fan and just enjoy
the movies for what they are, so I felt the movie delivered in a lot of ways –
good strong performances, especially from returning Mark Hamill, as well as
Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver and not to forget the last performance from Carrie
Fisher (the other lead and supporting casts were great too); great effects and
visuals; a decent plot touching upon a lot of core themes while bringing up
more new ones. If only some of the subplots which really don’t amount to much
could have been avoided, it would have been a far leaner and, in my opinion,
better movie (this is the longest movie in the franchise so far). Given the
number of things it disrupts, it would be interesting to see how J. J. Abrams takes
it to the finish line. All in all, a good time – but I guess I can see what all
the hate is directed at.
Angamaly Diaries
This one wasn’t initially anywhere near my radar, but the
positive reviews and general buzz around it got me interested. Though the movie
doesn’t have a real ‘plot’ so to speak, the way it captures the flavour of the
region and progresses with so much energy and fun made it a really enjoyable
watch. Introducing a lot of newcomers who mostly came through, the interesting
mix of unique characters, cracking dialogue, excellent cinematography and one
of the best tracking shots I’ve seen as its climax, this movie really worked
for me. Probably something only I felt, but this felt very similar to last
year’s ‘Kammattipaadam’ (follows the life over time of its main characters,
featuring a gang of youngsters who are on the shadier side of the law, with
focus on the uniqueness and nuances of the region the movie is set in). While I
found ‘Kammattipaadam’ overlong, plodding and slow; ‘Angamaly Diaries’ was a
joyride pretty much throughout. Watch it if you haven’t – may not be for
everyone, but I think mostly you will enjoy it.
Coco
Pixar really got back to their element with ‘Coco’, a
gorgeous looking movie with music at the centre of its
tugging-at-the-heartstrings story. While it deals with death, a theme that
would not seem the most appropriate for a children’s movie, the makers
masterfully handle the subject and infuse so many beautiful moments that would
resonate with both children and adults. And of course, it was nice to see
Mexican culture take centerstage with its vibrancy and vitality. With its heavy
focus on family, music and fun, this is a great one to be seen on the big
screen with the entire familia.
Newton
‘Newton’ is definitely a good movie, but not necessarily the
easiest watch since it is slow, a bit longer than it should be and generally
leaves you with a feeling on nothing happening. That being said, it tackles a
very relevant theme with humorous moments that will make you laugh and think at
the same time. It’s also especially good that delicate subject matters are
neither trivialized nor handled controversially. With amazing performances from
Rajkummar Rao and Pankaj Tripathi, the movie also cements the fact that actors
with talent are getting good roles, which is slowly becoming a better option
than making a senseless movie with just the standard trappings of a commercial
potboiler. ‘Newton’ may not be for everyone, but it was one of the better
movies of the year.
Get Out
Jordan Peele’s psychological horror thriller is so
disturbing (as a good horror thriller should be), what makes it so fascinating
is the evident U-turn it takes from standard race centric movies – while making
sense all the while. With some terrific acting, brilliant atmospherics which
keep an element of unease throughout the movie, and masterful writing and
direction, this was one of standout movies of the year for its sheer audacity.
Highly recommended.
Aval
This horror movie has good performances from Siddharth,
Andrea, Atul Kulkarni and many of its supporting cast, but it’s a surprising,
star-making turn from Anisha Victor that is the highlight of the movie. While
‘Aval’ is pretty much by the numbers (except for the surprise ending I guess)
and adopts the usual tropes to scare its audiences, it does it well and has a
good mix of jump scares and tension building. It is one of the better Indian
horror movies solely because it executes the usual stuff well. Nothing
ground-breaking, but a decent watch nonetheless.
A Death in the Gunj
Konkana Sen Sharma’s directorial debut is a good example of
a slow burn, where events and situations occur and accumulate over the course
of the movie to result in a climactic moment. Though the movie is slow, the way
it builds up it characters and adds so much nuance and backstory with very
little, if any, exposition is to be appreciated. With great performances from a
very strong cast, and confident directing at its helm, ‘A Death in the Gunj’ is
a class in film making. Though not really ‘enjoyable’ in the strict commercial
sense of the word, this one would be appreciated by those who are interested in
the art of cinema.
Justice League
Easily the most disappointing movie of 2017 for me given I
was hoping DC would get its act together after the success of ‘Wonder Woman’. The
worst thing about ‘Justice League’ is that it isn’t really bad but more a
just-there, ho-hum and generally lacklustre experience. What was expected to be
a course correction for the universe ends up being a hotch potch that takes no
risks in an attempt to appease everyone and ends up pleasing no one. And
ofcourse for me personally, it sucks that the movie reduces Batman to pretty
much a muscle man who has no place among people with superhuman abilities. It
is no surprise that it didn’t generate any kind of buzz or excitement since its
promotion also was pretty much nothing. Atleast ‘Batman v. Superman’ and ‘Suicide
Squad’ had its moments, be it in gorgeous comic panel style shots or some good
performances. ‘Justice League’ ends up being just a big nothing – DC really are
in a spot and need to do some serious rethinking here.
Vikram Vedha
‘Vikram Vedha’ shows that you can make a movie that is both entertaining
and intelligent. A good cat-and-mouse chase and cop movie, this was an
enjoyable watch from start to finish with hardly a boring moment. The highlight
of the movie is obviously the cracking chemistry between its two leads, and Madhavan
and Vijay Sethupathi are pit against each other in roles that are perfect for
them. Full credit to the writer-director duo for delivering on the super high
expectations this pairing created. The visual imagery and dialogues alluding to
the story of Vikram Betal is a nice touch. Definitely a must watch.
Lipstick under my Burkha
Needless to say, this movie had its fair share of controversy.
But we won’t go into that here. As a movie, ‘Lipstick under my Burkha’ points
the spotlight at its female protagonists who are across age groups but pretty
much in the same regressive social structure of small-town India, and talks about
their hopes, dreams, trials and tribulations. It is telling of our society and
also of the relevance of this movie that so many people were uncomfortable and
upset by it. While it is not the greatest movie I have seen, the good performances
and storytelling with its shades of humour make for an interesting watch. One area
I felt the movie was lacking was its portrayal of all male characters with the
broad brush of negativity. A breakthrough movie for its relevance in our times.
Thor: Ragnarok
Marvel has to be commended for its sheer genius when it
comes to identifying what their characters need. Thor’s solo outings have been
less than exciting – and all that changed with the breath of fresh air that is ‘Thor:
Ragnarok’. Taika Waititi’s unique vision reigns supreme throughout the movie
and there are amazing visuals, good writing with all the irreverence and humour
that is needed to shake up the franchise-within-a-franchise (if you can call it
that), and a starcast that takes full advantage of the material they have. And
of course, there’s Jeff Goldblum at his weird and wacky best – who doesn’t want
more of that? Fun times!
Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru
Based on a true story, ‘Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru’ is an
excellent police procedural, which focuses on portraying real-life events
without much frills. Barring the very unnecessary love track, this is a movie
that engages you from start to finish and does not insult the audience’s intelligence.
Yes, it could have been tighter and some of the unnecessarily long action
sequences could have been avoided, the focus on things like war tactics and strategy
and a strong lead performance by Karthi makes for compelling viewing.
Blade Runner 2049
Surely the most visually stunning movie of the year, ‘Blade
Runner 2049’ – the much-awaited sequel to Ridley Scott’s ground-breaking and
polarizing sci-fi (what some call but I don’t necessarily agree) masterpiece –
ticks all the boxes for what could be called a great sequel. A movie that just doesn’t
‘reboot’ or ‘rehash’ the original for the sake of it, but instead delivers a
compelling story and takes the world of the original forward while adding new elements
both thematically and otherwise, while maintaining the heart of the original,
it is disappointing although not surprising that ‘Blade Runner 2049’ repeats history
– like its predecessor, it has polarized critics and audiences and not done
well box-office wise. My take though – I am not a die-hard fan of the first
movie, which I saw just before ‘2049’, but appreciated it a lot. ‘Blade Runner
2049’ from Denis Villeneuve – who I feel cannot make a wrong move at this point
– is a gorgeous visual masterpiece (definitely has to be seen on the big screen
to be fully appreciated, though you will marvel at the sights no matter how you
watch it) and though it is slow (again not unlike its predecessor), it has a good
screenplay which pays homage and respect to the original and also respects the
audience. Along with some great music and stellar performances from a great
cast, I really liked the movie. There was a lot to discuss and debate over
afterward as well. I hope like its predecessor, ‘Blade Runner 2049’ gets more
recognition in years to come.
Here’s to a great 2018 at the movies!
