LA LA LAND: What a waste of lovely feeling!

La la land, a dreamy musical starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone has swept awards; won hearts of critics; and definitely made people tap away to its catchy music. However it fails to impress all. La la land had the makings of something really brilliant and truly dreamy, but it had to ruin it all by getting ‘realistic’ at the end, or whatever you call that.  What a waste of a lovely feeling!

The really simple story (which gets really complicated towards the end) written and directed by Damien Chazelle follows two people Mia (Emma Stone) and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), who have their hearts set on their dreams.  Mia wants be an actress and struggles to get call backs while Sebastian is a pianist who dreams of opening his very own jazz club. They meet, fall in love, and live together helping each other to achieve their dream. But as they grow in career, they are pulled apart from each other slowly. The film underscores their struggle to achieve their dream, and drags along their relationship as well.

(SPOILER ALERT!)

The first half of the film is colourful in every way possible. The songs are addictive and the dance especially ‘What a waste of lovely night’ seems as a fond dream of a memorable and happy night.  Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling are both beautiful and delightful in their performance. But even that does not save this film from the bitter after taste that it leaves. Thanks to the ‘unusual ending’.  Some critics are of the view that it is precisely the ‘unusual’ ending, which shows sacrifice of love to attain ambition, as the element which elevates this film to brilliance. Well, I for one vehemently disagree. The narrative which ends with the lovers separated is not an unusual narrative even for Hollywood. It is quite common. However the circumstance of this film does not necessarily warrant it. It seems more like a forced separation to earn brownie points from almost sadistic critics. Hence disappointment surrounds this film.

If we were to go by the argument of the power of the audience to choose the climax since two possibilities are shown towards the end, the one together and the one separated. Well, it is actually not two possibilities because in the end after giving glimmering hope of seeing them together happily married, the director snatches it away as we see Mia walk away with another man. So there is no other possibility. Her walking away shatters all possibilities.

It could have been one of those inspiring films for real dreamers, but it turned out to be a waste of a lovely feeling!

Film: La La Land

Year: 2016

Genre: Musical         

Director: Damien Chazelle

Producer: Fred Berger, Jordan Horowitz, Gary Gilbert, Marc Platt

Editing: Tom Cross

Music Composer: Justin Jurwitz

Cinematography: Linus Sandgren

Ryan Gosling as Sebastian Wilder

Emma Stone as Mia Dolan

John Legend as Keith

Rosemarie DeWitt as Laura Wilder

Finn Wittrock as Greg Earnest

Jessica Rothe as Alexis

Sonoya Mizuno as Caitlin        

Callie Hernandez as Tracy

J. K. Simmons as Bill

Tom Everett Scott as David

Meagen Fay as Mia's Mom

Damon Gupton as Harry

Jason Fuchs as Carlo

Josh Pence as Josh

Tomatometer: 93%        IMDb ratings: 8.5/10

-Indumathi S 

Rooting for the Martian: 2015

After the brilliance of Interstellar, it is hard to imagine another equally impressive story on space travel. However, The Martian by the famed director Ridley Scott, is an invigorating film on journey beyond the earth. It follows a style which is completely foreign to space flicks, and in doing so it has changed the landscape of space genre films.

Based on the novel of the same name, the story is set in Mars where a team of NASA astronauts are on an exploratory mission, but the sudden change in weather condition forces them to abort the mission, and set course back to earth. In the process, one astronaut is left behind because he is suspected to be dead. But much to their surprise, the NASA and the rest of the world soon realise that the astronaut Mark Watney is still alive, and marooned on Planet Mars. NASA quickly charts a rescue mission to save the astronaut stranded in Mars.

A major chunk of the film is the trials and tribulations that Mark goes through to survive on Mars. Mark Watney’s struggle on a strange planet is a pleasure to watch as it is accompanied by his infectious optimism and his nerdy quick plans. All through the film, Mark Watney’s double dose of sense of humour which is perfectly portrayed by the talented actor, Matt Damon is blissfully entertaining, and so are the performances by the different characters in the NASA. Matt Damon as Mark Watney is captivating and convincing to the extent that he will make you crave for hot potatoes with ketchup which he is seen relishing in the movie. The usual darkness, eerie silence, impending doom, the sudden loss and strange occurrences which are the natural accompaniments of such films are present in the The Martian as well. However, they are complimented with humour, peppy music, fierce optimism and quick thinking. The marriage is beautiful!

Music and sound effects play an important role as they set the mood which alternates skillfully between strangeness and familiarity. Even the visuals of the Mars paint a picture of strange land at the same time it gives you a feeling of comfortable familiarity. This dichotomy is an intriguing experience.With clever plot, subtle enjoyable humour, impressive dialogues, valuable life lessons, great performances, and of course the space trivia, The Martian has ventured where no human has ever dared to. The Martian is a sweet compelling film, a perfect entertainer and an absolute treat. 

Film: The Martian

Year: 2015

Genre: Sci-fi

Director: Ridley Scott

Produced by: Simon Kinberg, Ridley Scott, Aditya Sood, Michael Schaefer, Mark Huffam.

Editing:  Pietro Scalia

Cinematography: Dariusz Wolski

Music Composer: Harry Gregson- Williams

Screenplay: Drew Goddard

Based on : The Martian by Andy Weir

                                    

CAST: 

Matt Damon as Mark Watney

Jessica Chastain as Melissa Lewis

Michael Peña as Major Rick Martinez

Kate Mara as Beth Johanssen

Sebastian Stan as Dr. Chris Beck

Aksel Hennie as Dr. Alex Vogel

Chiwetel Ejiofor as Vincent Kapoor

Mackenzie Davis as Mindy Park

Sean Bean as Mitch Henderson

Jeff Daniels as Theodore

Donald Glover as Rich Purnell

Benedict Wong as Bruce Ng

Kristen Wiig as Annie Montrose

Eddy Ko as Guo Ming

Chen Shu as Zhu Tao

Naomi Scott as Ryoko

Nick Mohammed as Tim Grimes

 

Tomatometer: 92%         IMDb ratings: 8.1/10

  - Indu Mathi S

Frozen: 2013

Walt Disney’s icy, fantasy film, Frozen is a joyful ride into seamless snow, all things magical and human. This musical fantasy released in the year 2013, won Oscars for the Best Animated Feature and the Best Original Song (Let it go).

The story is set in a kingdom, Arendale and revolves around two princesses, Elsa and Anna, who are sisters. The eldest sister, Elsa is an ice queen born with magical powers. However, she fears the impact of her powers and so she lives in isolation within the palace, and keeps her powers a secret. When the secret comes out unexpectedly during a ball, mainly due to the provocation of her sister, Anna, Elsa is termed as a witch and shunned by the people of her kingdom. Accidently, Elsa also sets off winter in her kingdom which snows and wreaks havoc. The rest of the film is about Elsa overcoming her fears with the help of her sister Anna, and Anna’s new friends Kristoff, Sven and Olaf, and putting her magic to good use to restore summer, and normalcy in her kingdom.

 It would be foolish to reject this film as another ‘fairy tale’ story as it does not use the same magic formula of good vs. evil. Instead it brews a story of magic, love, fear, challenge and mixed emotions. This is served alongside simple comedy and melodious songs that can warm the cockles of your heart.

The beauty of this film is its simplicity, and the smooth and visually intriguing pictorial narration of the story that flows in new territories, one after another. The hit song “Let it go” is powerful enough to help you break your own shackles and taste the freedom. The songs “Summer” and “Love is an open door” are beautiful dreams that you can experience, and is sure to make you swoon as if you were in your lover’s arms.

Frozen is a celebration of nature’s different weathers - summer, winter, ice and snow as it shows both the beauty and the darker side of these elements. The writers of this story should be commended for their depiction of the reindeer, Sven which has more characteristics of a dog than a reindeer. And of course the snowman, Olaf is such a lovable creature.

Frozen is a happy film, despite the numerous tragedies, and it would indeed be a crime to miss it!

                               

Film: Frozen

Year: 2013

Genre: Animated fantasy         

Director:Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee 

Producer:Peter Del Vecho

Editing:Jeff Draheim

Music Composer: Christophe Beck

Writers:  Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee, Shane Morris

                                                                                   

                                                              FROZEN   TRAILER

Tomatometer: 89%         IMDb ratings: 7.7/10

                                                                                                                             -Indu Mathi S

INTERSTELLAR: 2014

Christopher Nolan knows how to get one’s attention and he certainly knows how to make one think. His film, Interstellar is deeply engaging on many levels. It absorbs you not just with its impressive story, heart-skipping visuals, but with thought-provoking theories as well.

Imagine racing through space against the worst adversary in the form of invincible time, to find a life supporting planet to save human species.  This is the backdrop of the film and the deed rests on a team of astronauts led by Cooper (Mathew Mc Conaughey). The film shifts through sequences of alternating worlds of space shuttle, darkness, unpredictable planets and mysterious human natures. Nolan ought to be commended for his sudden twists in the plot. It would be a lie, if I wrote here that I understood this film completely. Some science concepts may present a few challenges as loose ends floating in your brain, but this in no way can stop you from experiencing this film.

It may be a fiction, but realism is all pervading in this beautifully crafted story. Human nature stands out tall, and it tells a valuable lesson that what truly matters is the people that we love. The essence of this film is love not science. The strength of love is beyond time, distance and space. To love and care is human, and a human can never truly detach oneself from his or her true existence and ultimate purpose. It is also about the power of faith; faith in oneself and in people whom we love.

Matthew Mc Cannaughey weaves his magic again, and he is backed by Anne Hathaway( Dr. Amelia Brand) and Jessica Chastain (Murphy). Chrisopher Nolan, of course is the star for both his original story, which he co-wrote with Jonathan Nolan, and its stellar presentation. Interstellar is an enchanting exploration of outer space and human minds! It is undeniably a landmark film in the history of cinema.

Film: Interstellar

Year: 2014

Genre: Sci-fi

Director: Christopher Nolan

Produced by: Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan, Lynda Obst.

Editing:  Lee Smith

Cinematography: Hoyte Van Hoytema

Music Composer: Hans Zimmer

Written by: Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan.

Trailer

CAST: 

Matthew McConaughey as Joseph Cooper.

Anne Hathaway as Amelia Brand

David Gyasi as Romilly

Bill Irwin the as voice of TARS 

Josh Stewart as the voice of CASE

Matt Damon as Dr. Mann

Jessica Chastain as Murphy

Mackenzie Foy as young Murphy

Ellen Burstyn as elder Murphy

Michael Caine as Professor John Brand

Casey Affleck as Tom Cooper

Timothee Chalamet as Young Tom

John Lithgow as Donald

Leah Cairns as Lois Cooper

Tomatometer: 73%         IMDb ratings: 8.9/10

- Indu Mathi S

Silver Linings Playbook: 2012

If you have been in a scary situation in the company of extreme human nature, and somewhere in the middle of the imbroglio, laughed for a fraction of a second, because something tickled your funny bone, and then suddenly found yourself back in the grip of fear, then you will be able to pulsate with the tactful humour in this film. Silver Linings Playbook is based on a mental illness, but refreshingly it uses comedy that lightens the serious issue, and radiates an aura of optimism throughout its course.

The lead character Pat Solitano played by Bradley Cooper, suffers from a mental illness called bipolar - a disorder identified with symptoms that include hallucination and extreme behavior. Surprisingly, the film does not take the all too familiar ‘realistic’ approach, and end fashionably with some tragedy. Instead the story flows in a completely different set-up that includes interesting comedy convalesced with reality; slow bloom of love meshed with interludes of romantic dance sessions. To this interesting mix of love and comedy, the excitement of football is added that plays out like a commentary at the background. The end result is life-affirming both onscreen and off-screen.

The story is sourced from a novel, The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick, and tells the tale of a man named Pat (Bradley Cooper), who gets released from a mental hospital, and is steadfastly determined to get back with his wife Nikki, who has a restraining order on him. Whilst trying to get back with his wife, Pat meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), a recently widowed girl with a troubled mind and past. The two decide to help each other and start taking dance lessons to partake in a competition. Although pat thinks that he loves his estranged wife, he is drawn towards Tiffany. The film is all about Pat shedding his inhibitions and coming to terms with his real feelings.  The film is accentuated by the closeness of Pat’s loving family especially his parents, Solitano Sr. (Robert De Niro) and Dolores (Jacki Weaver).  The duo’s natural portrayal of loving, concerned and protective parents can have a nostalgic effect on many. The one thought that dominates throughout the film is that ‘we are all crazy at some point or the other’. The craziness of a normal person is concealed whereas the craziness of a person with mental illness is out in the open. What separates them is the diagnosis of the mental disease. This becomes more clear when we compare Pat’s or even Tiffany’s behavior with Pat’s father, and his friend Ronnie.

Oscars’ favourite Jennifer Lawrence in her Academy winning performance is strikingly beautiful, arrogantly stylish, and exceedingly talented. Her out of this world performance is a strong tear-jerker. Bradley Cooper surprises all in this sensitive yet clever portrayal. The waltz and the swaying music at the closing quarter, transports one to a dreamy land of absolute bliss; the feeling reaches new heights at the closing scene. Importance of love in life, and its strength to cure even serious illness is subtly conveyed. Silver Linings Playbook is a romance with positivity for sparkling silver lining, and thanks to David O. Russel for bringing this beautifully optimistic story of excelsior to screen.

Film: Silver Linings Playbook

Year: 2012

Genre: Romantic-comedy

Director: David O. Russel

Produced by: Donna Gigliotti, Bruce Cohen, Jonathan Gordon

Editing:  Jay Cassidy, Crispin Struthers

Cinematography: Masanobu Takayanagi

Music Composer: Danny Elfman

Screenplay: David O. Russel

Based on: The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick

Film trailer

CAST: 

Bradley Cooper as Patrick Solatano Jr.

Jennifer Lawrence as Tiffany Maxwell

Robert De Niro as Patrizio Solatano Sr.

Jacki Weaver as Dolores Solatano

 Anupam Kher as Dr. Cliff Patel

Chris Tucker as Danny McDaniels

Julia Stiles as Veronica

Brea Bee as Nikki Solatano

Shea Whigham as Jake Solatano

John Ortiz as Ronnie

Paul Herman as Randy

Dash Mihok as Officer Keogh

Tomatometer: 92%         IMDb ratings: 7.9/10

-Indu Mathi S