White Ribbon - The silent horrors

Another Cannes winner. Use of natural light and the pace of the movie makes it true to the lives and times it represent. Of so many World War movies I have seen, this makes it closest to my idea of reality then existed. It is not just photography or color treatment, but body languages of the actors and especially that of the child actors make it flawless.

The bicycle they ride and how they handle things, there so much thought that was put into each character. Story shows a puritan pastor, a doctor and the baron - how it revolves around these three poles in a fictitious protestant village Eichwald - they represent kind of sub surface aggression and nodes of societal tension in the pre-worldwar era in Serbia.

There is a narrative of a school teacher that tells the bizzare incidents taht remains unresolved

There is no closure to many things but that is not the point of this story. How everything changed and became irrelevant with imminent War. This movie depicts what was that everything that existed before war and new value system it brought in. Pastor represents the close walled religious hypocracy, the baron the disregard of the powerful to the reason and fairness towards people he rule, the malicious doctor, the widower with degenerated values.

The white ribbon the pastor asks his son to tie stand as a reminder of the innocence and purity he lost. He makes them feel guilty about natural instincts and inflicts his own values on them.

There are some scenes that transport you to that age - when schoolteacher goes to meet Eva's parents, the conversations between man and his woman - Baron and baroness post dinner, doctor and midwife, schoolteacher with Eva in carriage.

The movie was shot in color and then treated frame by frame to remove traces of modern age. it shows. Haneke is capable of handling big canvas of a village and succeeds in delivering his message. Creates the tension without much of images of violence and horror and shows that terrorism and oppresion in different age can be equally disturbing without of the actors realising that are being subjected to it.

Abbas kiarostami : Certified Copy

I think highly of cinema that initiates a compelling inner dialog especially when in the end you don't reach any closure. So much about happy endings.

Abbas Kiarostami's 'Certified copy' uses this ambiguity extremely well.

Of many Persian directors that I tend to confuse with each other except Majidi, from now on he is not the only one. Now there are two of them to distinctly remember and 'follow'.

Movie starts with a London writer, Shimell, attending launch event of its translation in Tuscany, the book flaunts the controvercial name - copy. Book as he describes is about art is in its perceptual value and not about its being original or copy. Among the admirer and attendee is Binoche, who runs a antique shop which sells copies of great originals and had views of her own. They end up spending time together later on and exchange views without necessarily sharing it, squabble through.

At a coffee shop he is mistaken for her husband and from the moment as they walks out, their interaction changes to as if they are married for real.

Abbas uses the graphic treatment of frame within frame with the use of mirrors when they argue over the statue and its artistic worth. Now the whole argument of fake-real uses the same recursive mechanism within the medium of movie making which itself is based on suspension of disbelief. He leaves the exact relation between shimmel and binoche ambiguous driving his point home.

He mixes his argument with light hearted almost natural comic vein at multiple instances. When they are approached by newly married couple or when Binoche waves at them from after the wine and outburst episode, or when Julian, her 8 yr old kid, decides to interrogate his mother for good, when she over phone help them find something. Juliette Binchoe is fantastic in her grace and illusive comedic presence.

This cinematic style does reminds of Linklaters. All those conversation heavy scenes - before sunrise. But the kiorastami and his graphic sense take this movie to different level than just an intelligent argument with yourself. Abbas is known for use of Persian poetry and so is Shimell takes refuge of poetics 'Garden of leaflessness' when he tries to convince her.

Go for it for a lingering thoughts of the movie that remains long after it is over.

Skin over skeleton

Last few days were mentally busy and full of unstructured thoughts. Folks see me walking around with a cup of tea. This is beautiful phase in product design. Made me think...

Design is like Paleontology.

You excavate for bits and pieces, try put together bigger pieces that make sense and stand true within themselves. Then comes the skeleton and you try to imagine it in motion and put skin onto it. You try to figure the ambiance in which this creature must have lived and try to decipher his body in motion and his responses. User experience design in spirit is so much alike.

Paleontologists do the discovery. Fossils are a way to understand what must have existed.

While more like natures way of working, design tries to foresee different trajecotries of evolution that might work. Its fab way of worshiping the god by practicing his art. :)

Not so fluent

Atlantic is big but not enough. American's still have nostalgic feelings about everything British and the dynasty, Royal linen is even more for that matter.

'King’s Speech', after all the hype of last month, comes across way too short of expectations, but individual performances make it up for the lack of depth in movie-making. Or I would say, it is the subject matter that triumphs over the 3d s of story - details, dialogues and drama.

There is hardly any subtext or deeper insights into the characters and it fails to impress. Colin firth is in his usual self except for his temper which gives him this edginess; He carries that throughout the movie while it is nicely contrasted by the revering looks and nodes in the last shot of the movie. Colin is king of his craft and shows subtle changes in expressions and demeanor, steals key moments.
Worth mentioning is the role of your Highness of York, Queen Elizabeth by Helena carter, her eyes do all the talking. She was among my list of probable with Eduardo Saverin, who portrayed Andrew Garfield in social network. Both were unlucky as so were many ace actors in different era when it came to Oscars. She fits the bill for an aristocratic alpha woman and whole aura comes naturally. Churchill gives authenticity to this period movie with his stiff upper lip and hard hitting enunciations. David's character is weakest in the lot and so is Wallis. Even Doctor’ the family man needed little more build up and flesh.

There is no dramatic peak, any muted crescendo of sorts and movie just ends as expected. One of the remarkably crafted scenes is in which his daughters show mix of hesitation, respect and distance to the new Your Majesty, the only place of comfort for the protagonist.

Suzanna... Sultana....Sunaina

रोज उठते धुवें की कालक से उस तरफ आसमा का एक टुकड़ा सारा दिन सिया रहता हैं

उसके नीचे न कोई सजदा करे. सर झुका के जमी पे रखने से अब खुदा पाँव खीच लेता हैं

'7 Khoon Maaf' owes all its defining punches to Gulzar. So is becoming the case with VB.

May it be Baban's spontaneity in Ishquiya or Wasiullua khan aka Musafir's poetry. In a way, Gulzar and VB are complementary.. or else Chopras and Johars employ it for remoantics and tragedies of rich and sensitives. But somehow Vishal gives a outlet to Gulzar's genious is multitude of situations. No wonder Gulzar calls it the priceless association.

Gulzarsaab may not have the wherewital to make a movie but he is adapting his pennmanship to making some of the urdu words immortal and still relevant. Thanks to VB for making it happen.

I felt story is so representative of story of India. Hangover of Anglo Indian, hippie culture of 70s, then the burning paradise, affair with Russia. And Ruskin bond penned it down from a vantage point of detached outsider, somewhere from his cottage in the hills of kumau. Of Priyanka's, Suzanna ..sultana .. Sunaina, her last affair is very interesting.

What so subtle by rusty is actnetuated in the way VB weaves it. The lyrics and dialogs stand out and you notice how elegantly each scene is made natural and yet anything but pedestrian.

When sultana joins in with her couplet...

Irrfan exclaims, "mukarkar... mukarar..."

when sultana asks "वो कौन हैं?" who is this mukarar?

Hemiles and says, "हाहाहा.... आपके चचा ! " Your uncle.

that was fabulaous...

Vivaan as 'sugar' is okay in the narratior role and got a baritone that will narrate many tales to come. Yah its in genes. We are now getting a great team of like minded supremely talented people coming together... VB, Rekha bhardwaj, Gulzar saab, Naseer, vivaan, konkana.

Annu kapoor's first and second act steals the rare laughs of the movie. Movie is longer than the average pot boiler. Given the age we live with attention span of butterfly, most movies stick to sachet version of stories and game plan is to survive 2 weeks and break-even.

Here VB takes the artisitc freedom and deft editing to portray his gang of well sketched characters. One tend to see the scorsesee-like apetite to take time to carve out the characters, gives them enough flesh and blood, without worrying too much abnout the fearture length...

Good casting is job half done. Like Siddhu says, a good lather is half the shave! The forever nervous Neil Nitin Mukesh looks solid in his shoes for the first time. Irrfaan can now slip into any of VB's stories. Nobody would have recited the poetry and those lines the way Irrfan did. well of course except Gulzar.

कूडे करकट के ढेरियोंमें अभी ठंडी लाशों के सर सुलगते हैं

टांगो बाहों की हड्डियों के लिए लड़ते रहते हैं भूके चोपाय

जिसने भी पहले दात मारे हैं हड्डी बोटी का हक़ उसी का हैं

मजहबो वाले पूछते हैं अब किसने पहले कुदाल मारी थी

कोई कहता हैं एक मस्जिद थी कोई कहता हैं एक मंदर था

सर झुका के जमी पे रखने से अब खुदा पाँव खीच लेता हैं

उसको भी अब यकीन नहीं आता इस जमी पर उसी का एक घर था.

The Fighter: Head body head...

Oscars like boxing movies - Raging bull, Million dollar baby, Cinderella man. But this time it is slightly different. "The fighter' makes it for different reasons. It is more of family drama, a family sorting out their issues... kind of movies that are coming to fore - "kids are alright" or 'american beauty' for instance. For the love of the boxing, technicality is limited to "head-body-head". That somehow seems enough too.

The surprisingly best performance is by Christian Bale. In the first shot of the movie you see him in a completely differnt look, twiching on his feet all the time, an air of spinless mercurial unpredictability. The whole style of talking and body language of a dude on crack in his 40s but still living in his past moment of glory when he knocked down 'sugar ray'. He showed his metamorphosis in machinist earlier, this is even better. This is definitely a role with more shades and dimensions than his all previous. Scene around the 'oh, they gave you new teeth!' he nails it.

Mark Whalburg has arrived. Gives a solid performance too. But movie is not about him. amy adams and christian bale takes the honors.

Black Swan : Watch it for Natalie

Sometimes you leave the theatre with not fullest understanding of what the movie was about. Like for Inception. So is for Black Swan. You get enthralled nonetheless. It’s beautifully pictured and ensemble of a sincere cast. Darren Aronofsky was dead-on in executing his vision of this movie. I have seen his pi and requiem of dream before, and was expecting no less.

Black swan is a struggle of saint hearted white swan to get acquainted with but thereby acquiring the traits of black swan, the dark side.

It’s an allegory at some level. But what’s supreme about this movie is Natalie’s performance in different moods and state of minds. So wide is her palette that at times screenplay get vivid because of her rather than too stark or repetitive.

It keeps you guessing and you lose sights of reality at times as it uses impressionistic style of rendering her state of mind her hallucinations. Throughout camera point of view stuck her back and you become one with her. This style of moviemaking makes storytelling so engaging . The background score was actually the soundtrack of “swan lake” ballet so it is hard to distinguish where the theme of play ends or the life striving to achieve that perfection starts.

Natalie Portman had a good run but so far her roles were too restrictive or limited in terms of scope. This one blows your mind by what is capable of doing.

So subtly used were the special effects that they don’t overpower and fills in the imagination and fear just right. The peak of the story or the imagery of thorns and feathers from her skin so precariously overlaps at the moment it like reaching the crescendo.

This is in some way revives the ballet and the art and perfection around it through form of cinema.

A must watch.

✓ ....Just did it !

Teee gets soaking wet and mind goes blank and serene. Last 4-5 km is completely mind over matter. Timed not that well but could finish nonetheless - 21km in 2 hr 22min. Kudos to Hyd-runners for arranging it so well ! Route was way too good than city scape and it felt good to just be there at that hour of the dawn.

कितने दफे दिल ने कहा दिल की सुनी कितने दफे

कितने दफे दिल ने कहा दिल की सुनी कितने दफे

वैसे तो तेरी ना भी मैंने ढूँढली अपनी खुशी

तू जो गर हां कहे तो बात होगी और ही

दिल ही रखने को कभी, ऊपर पर से सही

कह देना हां... कह देना ... हां ...यूँ ही

कितने दफे दिल ने कहा दिल की सुनी कितने दफे

कितने दफे हैरान हुआ मैं ये सोच के

उठती हैं इबादत की खुशबुएँ क्यों मेरे इश्क से

जैसे ही मेरे ओठ ये छु लेते हैं तेरे नाम को

लगे के सजदा किया कहे के तुझे शबद के बोल दू

के खुदाई छोड़ के फिर आजा तू जमी पे

और जा ना कही तू साथ रह जा मेरे

कितने दफे दिल ने कहा दिल की सुनी कितने दफे

कितने दफे मुझको लगा तेरे साथ उडते हुए

आसमानी दुकानों से ढूंढ के पिघलादु मैं चाँद ये

तुम्हारे इन कानो में पह्ना भी दू बूंदे बना

फिर ये मैं सोच लू समझेगी तू जो मैं न कह सका

पर डरता हू अभी ना ये तू पूछे कही

क्यों लाये हो ये ..क्यों लाये हो ...ये ...यु ही

Extermely melodious song from "Tanu weds Manu"... Mohit sung his heart out...composed by new talent Krsna and sublime lyrics by Rajshekhar. Could not resist sharing this beautifully writen song.