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Merku Thodarchi Malai (2018)
Merku Thodarchi Malai (மேற்கு தொடர்ச்சி மலை) is a refreshing and honest depiction of villagers from a by-gone era. A few years ago Visaranai (2016) made film critics across the globe take notice of Tamil cinema with its true portrayal of the sufferings of the urban casual labourers in the hands of the Indian “System”, is Merku Thodarchi Malai (2018) now that has taken it to the next level with its brilliant depiction of the lives of peasants of Tamil Kuringi lands (Hilly regions). The film starts in the early hours of 4 AM in a small village near Kombai (Tamil Nadu) which is in the foothills of western ghats. From that…
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Shaun of the Dead (2004)
I like British dark comedies like in the TV Series “The IT Crowd” or “Come Fly with me“, they are the antidote to the cliche comedy that Hollywood churns out nonstop. Today on a friend’s recommendation, I watched the British film Shaun of the Dead (2004), that has become a cult classic – it is a perfect example of the genre that in recent years became famous in Tamil Cinema too, the Horror Comedy – this film seems to be the pioneer and has set a gold standard on how to do it right. The story is a simple one, on how Shaun, a lazy London salesman, his dysfunctional roommate, Shaun’s girlfriend…
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Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
Glengarry Glen Ross (1992) is one of the classics that many movie lovers will be happy to recommend. It is about what happens in a shadowy realtor’s office in New York for four hardcore salesmen who will go to any length to close a sale. Adopted from a 1984 Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name by the original author David Mamet, the film is known for its intensity and profanity in dialogues. The film features a marquee cast like no other, including Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Alec Baldwin, Ed Harris and Kevin Spacey, each of them playing their roles like a well-recursed orchestra. What I found remarkable is that the 100 minutes running film happens almost entirely…
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Darkest Hour (2017)
Darkest Hour (2017) – is a fine cinema, that has captured one of the most important appointments of the last century – the appointment of Sir Winston Churchill as Prime Minister just before the war reached the shores of Britain. It shows the hours leading to his appointment, King’s reluctance to invite him to form the Government, the resistance he faces within his own war cabinet, winning King’s approval and finally to turning down a peace negotiation with Germany through Italy and declaring war. The film starts with the scene of a young girl, a typist coming in for her first assignment to Mr Churchill’s room, only to come running down scared to…
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The Matrix (1999)
Lately, I have been (re)watching many of the exceptional sci-fi films of last century – La Jetée (1962), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Primer (2004), Blade Runner (1982), The Terminator (1984), and, Star Wars. As part of that list, it was – The Matrix (1999) today. Just like most of these films of the period this one too depicts an apocalyptic future for the human race – may be, as audience and readers, we appreciate doom’s day stories more. After George Orwell’s classic 1984, The Matrix (1999) is the work that’s often quoted by pessimist when they talk of a dystopian world that awaits us. As I have written earlier in this blog, I am…
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The African Doctor (2016)
The African Doctor (Bienvenue à Marly-Gomont) is based on an inspiring true story of an African family trying to settle down in a conservative rural France of the 1970s. A young man from Congo, who has recently graduated as a doctor from a French university, has two choices in front of him. To take up the job as the personal doctor to his country’s (Dictator) president which promises a luxurious lifestyle, or, work in a rural village outside of Paris as the local doctor. He opts for the latter as it will give him French citizenship, dignity, and a path to a brighter future for his kids. The people in…
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Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Star Wars: The Last Jedi was a good sequel to the franchise. The previous one Star Wars: The Force Awakens was not so much – though we could understand why Disney had to do it that way – which was to introduce new characters (Ray, Finn, Poe and BB-8) who can act as a bridge and take forward the franchise after Luke, Han Solo and Princess Leia. The momentum picks up with “The Last Jedi”, where we see seeds planted for new ideas which we will see as the Resistants forced to reinvent itself. We understand the background of Kylo Ren and what led to Luke to live in isolation at Ahch-To. We can expect to…
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2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) is one of the must-watch sci-fi films of all times. The film was made almost half-a-century ago, and I watched it today on Netflix. It blew me away for its visual effects and its storyline, thanks to the famous sci-fi writer Arthur C.Clarke and brilliant direction by Stanley Kubrick. The story is about an alien monolith rock that gets dropped on earth during the apes’ era, the rock reappearing near a lunar human colony. Then a manned mission is sent to Jupiter to explore alien life. The mission’s crew are aided by an intelligent and all-knowing computer HAL-9000. Did the mission succeed – find out by watching…
