Les Misérables (2012)

There are several ways of seeing and analysing Les Misérables. It is an evocative social commentary, as relevant today as it was in the 19th century. It is a bombastic musical, which is not everybody's cup of tea. It is a Dickensian tragedy, very similar to Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities. In its simplest, most universal form, however, it is a story about people struggling to be a good in an unforgiving world that encourages them to act otherwise. There are no villains here: not Javert , not even the innkeepers. There are simply characters fighting their fates and the place that society decides for them; people choosing to be good (or evil) in a cruel world that tests them at every step; acting morally, even if, sometimes, it is a choice condemnation and damnation. Their goodness takes the form of sacrifices, courage, bravery and a naive sense of hope and optimism. Tom Hooper's adaptation makes their moral choices its focus and therefore, emerges as a gratifying, magnificent and glorious adaptation of the musical phenomenon.

Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) served nineteen years in prison for stealing a loaf of bread to save his dying nephew. On release, he breaks parole and with the kindness of a clergyman, chooses to make an honest living and rise in society as the respectable Monsieur Lemar. Chasing him relentlessly is Inspector Javert (Russell Crowe), a man who sees the law and is blind to the social realities in which it operates. Due to a misunderstanding at Jean Valjean's factory, Fantine (Anne Hathaway) is fired and forced to take up a life of prostitution to pay the cruel innkeepers (Helena Bonham Carter and Sascha Baron Cohen) responsible for the upbringing of her illegitimate daughter Cosette. When Valjean realises this, he promises a dying Fantine to be a father to Cosette. As Cosette grows old (Amanda Seyfried), she falls in love with Marius (Eddie Redmayne) who is also loved by Eponine (Samantha Barks), the destitute daughter of the  innkeepers. But revolution is brewing in Paris, and the ensuing events shape the fates of all these characters.

The film remains faithful to the musical from start to end adapting the sing-song format. There are no spoken dialogues in the film. At a sprawling 158 minutes, it does test your patience, particularly with the overlong epilogue. However, this is a minor flaw in what is otherwise, a soulful, haunting adaptation of the stage production. Hooper executes the story playing to the strengths of the medium, making it a truly cinematic experience rather than a stagey one. His decision of recording the songs live rather than using pre-recorded music lends the movie an emotional depth not seen in musicals before.

Despite the tremendous production values, Hooper never lets the scale upstage the story and keeps his camera squarely focused on the actors. In The King's Speech, I thought his off-centre camera placement in key moments helped establish the characters better. Here again, his camera placement lends an added layer of intimacy and urgency to their emotional experience. The camera doesn't waver from Anne Hathaway's face even in the slightest during "I Dreamed a Dream", bringing every tear, every bruise, every vein and wrinkle into sharp focus. Because of this, the song (and the film) packs an emotional punch that is difficult to dodge.

Of course, this would all be a disaster if it wasn't for the stupendous performance of the entire cast. Hugh Jackman delivers a career-defining performance as Jean Valjean. He mesmerises us as he undergoes physical transformations and brings to life the agony and the pain of Jean Valjean. It is difficult to imagine a more powerful performance than his at the Oscars this year. Anne Hathaway and Samantha Barks as the doomed Fantine and Eponine are sure to drive up the stocks of Kleenex and other tissue making companies. Playing perhaps the two most memorable tragic characters in musical history, they brings these characters alive for the silver screen and immortalise them. Carter and Cohen are absolutely wicked as the innkeepers and are sure to bring the house down. Daniel Huttlestone as the child, Gavroche is absolutely unforgettable.

At the end of the day, Les Misérables is a great story that is adapted exceeding well by Tom Hooper. He does well to relegate the grand production to the background and bringing the characters to the fore; making us love them, hate them, root for them and cry for them. This is strong storytelling at its best. Carry tissues though. You are probably going to need them.

Rating: 4/5

Barfi! (2012)

Every once in a while, there comes a film where suspension of disbelief comes so quietly, so effortlessly that it is easy to forget that it did at all. Barfi! is a flawed film in many ways. It is overlong by a good half hour. The story is messy, it's screenplay even more so with the whole flashback in a flashback (in a flashback). The conclusion is unnecessarily convoluted by a dramatic sub-plot. It is repetitive, over indulgent and utterly unbelievable. I could go on and on in the many ways that it went wrong. But guess what? It didn't matter. Because, in the end, it worked quite literally, like a charm, transporting me into a world I came to love wholeheartedly and without doubt, much like the characters that inhibit it.

Although it appears anchored in a particular place and time, Barfi! is as timeless as a fairytale. It is a story that could lend itself almost effortlessly to any context, because it is one that is driven entirely by its characters, and what quirky characters these are! It is the story of Murphy a.k.a. Barfi (Ranbir Kapoor), a deaf and mute boy who falls for a beautiful girl, Shruti (Illeana D'Cruz), who is engaged to be married. His uninhibited love for life lands him in a world of trouble, which includes an adventure with an autistic girl, Jhilmil (Priyanka Chopra). Their lives intersect at crossroads over the course of several years, leaving a lasting impact on them and the people around them.

  

Basu creates layered, lovable characters and therein lies his greatest success. This film would collapse under its own weight if it weren't for its strong central characters, each of which is complex and believable. Barfi is simple, but by no means a simpleton. He is exuberant and cheerful but not the saccharine-y happy type. Shruti is flawed and doesn't always do right by people. But Basu neither idolises her for her beauty nor demonises her for her actions. Jhilmil is pure of heart, but she is also stubborn, difficult and needy. It is these endearing characters, so wonderfully realised by the three actors (particularly Ranbir Kapoor), that allow the film to soar well above its clunky script.

Stylistically, the influence of Chaplin is apparent throughout the film. It is easy to see glimpses of The Kid and City Lights in key moments. Influence also comes in the form of more recent works like Jean Pierre Jeunet's Amelie. However, while Anurag Basu does draw inspiration, he does not imitate. Instead, he wisely weaves these influences into a voice that is his own. It is undoubtedly his most accomplished film as a storyteller, told with love and affection for the art form and such conviction that he almost makes you forget the holes in the plot.

Technically, the film is gorgeous to look at. The journey of Jhilmil and Barfi is strewn with postcard shots of India. The use of light and shadow adds another dimension to the relationship of Barfi and Shruti, lending emotional depth in key moments. Swanand Kirkire pens lyrics that are unique to the characters and compliment the quirky yet emotionally stirring tone of the film. Pritam eclipses not only his entire discography, but also works of more accomplished musicians and delivers an album full of tunes that are as mesmerizing individually as they are complete together. From the excitement of new love to the insatiable longing for lost love, this album is, almost without a doubt, the best we will get this year.

Ultimately, Barfi! has the melodramatic heart of Hrishikesh Mukherjee and the whimsical spirit of Charlie Chaplin. The combination hits a home run with the support of a wonderful cast. This is a film that will make you laugh hard, sob in silence and leave you with a grin on your face that is as eccentric as its characters; and for a few moments, it'll make you want to celebrate life as you know best, whether that is with a tune on your lips or a beat in your feet.

Rating: 4/5

Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

Bollywood lovers will get this: Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom is like Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak but with 12 year old kids for protagonists.It is the final forty five minutes of that film converted into a offbeat feature, Wes Anderson style. In 1965, two kids run away from their homes on a tranquil island and decide to start a life on their own on a secluded beach. Sam (Jared Gilman) is an orphan attending a scout camp on the island where he is a misfit and a constant source of anxiety for the camp counselor (Edward Norton). Suzy (Kara Hayward) is a reader, a dreamer; someone who believes that she is wiser well beyond her years; with a slob (Bill Murray) and an adulterer (Frances McDormand) for parents. Mayhem ensues when they run away as the counselor, the parents and a cop (Bruce Willis) embark on a search for them. The remaining scouts (also pre-teens) join the search party, like a tamer version of their teenage counterparts from Battle Royale, to settle scores with Sam. Add to this an oncoming freak storm and you have the perfect setting for a odd, adventurous love story.

The first thing you notice about the film is the striking photography. Suffused with a warm colour palette, the images of the island carry a very distinct look and set the dreamy, fairy-tale like atmosphere perfectly for the quirky fantasy to play itself out. Anderson also manages to assemble a truly superb cast together. While all the stalwarts deliver competent performances, it is the kids, Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward that really blow your mind and capture your heart. Gilman plays Sam as the perfect underdog; nerdy, awkward and yet, brave hearted. Hayward looks like Emma Roberts but with considerably better acting skills. She plays Suzy wonderfully; and channels the rebellious, curious spirit quite effectively. From the moment when they first meet in a church, he in his scouts uniform and she dressed as a raven for a play, you are immediately sucked into their little world, rooting for them against all odds and oddities to succeed. 

Wes Anderson serves up his personal best in the form of Moonrise Kingdom. He directs the film with a deft hand and uses his signature whimsical style to make even the most preposterous and the most perplexing bits go down smoothly. In the process, he provides us with arguably the most emotionally rewarding and heartwarming love story in recent memory. There is a purity and innocence to the love of Sam and Suzy that is a rarity in these times. Sure, as they grow, that innocence is likely to be lost and the film hints at the haunting spectre of adulthood at several points. However, Anderson here is wise for seeing Sam and Suzy not as they are (naive pre-teens) but as they see themselves (rebellious, kindred spirits). This lends to their tale of love a sincerity and poignancy that will find resonance with a wider audience. 

Overall, Moonrise Kingdom is one of the finest films I am likely to see this year. It is Anderson's most accessible work without compromising on his distinctive style. Beneath its veneer of idiosyncrasies, this is an emotionally rich and complex tale of rebellious, young love with memorable, well drawn out characters that will leave you with a big smile on your face as you exit the theatre.

Rating: 4.5/5

Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)

Snow White and the Huntsman is a mess. That is not to say it is a bad film; just to say that it is a mess. There is a lot to like here. But there is a fair bit to dislike as well. The plot is fairly straightforward: a witch (Charlize Theron) takes over a kingdom by seducing and killing the widowed king and imprisoning his daughter Snow White. Many years later as her beauty and power begin to fade, the magic mirror tells her that Snow White (Kristen Stewart) was destined to stop her and if she were to consume the heart of Snow White, she would be immortal. At the same time, Snow White escapes from her prison into the dark forest and a huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) is asked to hunt her down. Instead, the Huntsman joins forces with her and along with the seven dwarves, Duke Hammond, his son William (Sam Claflin) and their army, lay siege on the witch's fortress.

There are two reasons to recommend the film: Charlize Theron and the production work. Charlize Theron looks sensuously bewitching and walks a fine line between menace and madness. She delivers a stellar performance, exercising the perfect amount of restraint over her exuberant, malevolent character. Among the actors, the film belongs to her, and her alone. It is a joy to watch her on the screen.

The second thing that works in favour of the film is the production work. The film is a feast for the eyes. The special effects, the art work, the camerawork and the action converge with each other to provide an absolutely riveting experience. Tremendous amounts of imagination as gone into conceiving these visuals, and it shows. The film is not just grand, but also beautiful to behold. They set the dark, melancholic atmosphere of the film quite well. There is a scene when injured ravens come together to form the injured queen. They converge into thick, black ooze and from there, the queen emerges in a gown of black feathers. The sheer detail with which this scene is constructed is breathtaking and the film offers plenty of such moments.

However, the film is almost undone by the rest of it. Kristen Stewart looks beautiful but is a poor choice to play a warrior princess. She looks ill at ease throughout as if still channeling the angst ridden, idiotic spirit of Bella from the Twilight series. Moreover, there is no chemistry between her and Hemsworth or her and Claflin. The love triangle is stale, soulless and without any passion. They are also done a great disservice by a script that provides very poor dialogues. At pivotal moments, when the words are meant to inspire, arouse or endear, the end result is either devoid of emotion, cringe inducing or unintentionally funny. Also, the film is overlong by a good twenty minutes. It meanders aimlessly at times, adding pointless subplots. The dwarves look and talk as if they've just walked off the sets of The Hobbit.

Ultimately, Snow White and the Huntsman has a lot to offer by way of visuals. It also has an enchanting villainess. However, there is a whole lot of mediocrity pervading the rest of the film that mars the overall impact considerably. If you love Charlize Theron or great visuals (or both), then this one is recommended viewing. For the rest, it's just another one of those summer blockbusters you will forget about soon after exiting the theatre.

Rating: 3/5

(P.S.: Notice how Hemsworth and Theron get more prominent footage in the poster? I wish that were the case with the film as well.)

Rowdy Rathore (2012)

Let me say this out upfront: Rowdy Rathore does not make a lick of sense. Seriously, looking for logic in the film is like looking for a strand of hay in a stack of needles. It is a needlessly excruciating exercise. Instead, if you choose to look beyond its nonsensical plot and simply lay back and enjoy the silliness of it all, you will have a jolly good time. 

Watching the film is like going through a time machine and landing up in the 1980s. This is the kind of cinema that made the careers of people like Jeetendra, Mithun and the like. Prabhudeva sticks steadfastly to the formula, with minimal reinvention for a modern audience. The audacity and confidence with which he does this is the prime reason why the film works. The dhinchak naach gaana, the dhamaakedaar lines, the copious jokes and the insane, over the top action is enough to keep you entertained for the most part. The villains are appropriately disgusting and ferocious and it is a delight to watch them meet their end at the hands of the hero(es). The production values are high, particularly the camerawork and production design.

The true hero of this film are the dialogues. They are full on taali maaro, seeti bajao type dialogues. Sonakshi Sinha is just eye candy. Her face is more expressive when she is dancing than when she is acting. Akshay Kumar is back in action, and he fits the part well. That isn't to say that he deserves any award for this, but he does deserve credit for not imitating Salman and playing to his own strengths. After all, only Salman has managed to pull off films like this in recent memory. This is hands down the most entertaining film Akshay has done in several years. Paresh Ganatra is hilarious as the sidekick. Nasser makes for a truly sick villain.

You will notice that I haven't explained the plot. Why bother I say? It's not like it is going to change anybody's minds. Those who are going for this film are well aware of what they are going for. Those not going, unless they are forced, will stay clear either way. I knew what I was going for. And with those expectations, I had a pretty good time.To use my favourite alliteration, this is pure, pulpy, popcorn entertainment.

Rating: 3/5

The Avengers (2012)

My hands are trembling as I type this. That should be sufficient indication of what I felt about The Avengers. The greatest build up in movie history, I waited patiently for four long years for it to come to fruition. First, there was Iron Man, then Iron Man 2, Thor and finally Captain America: The First Avenger. Each distinct, each entertaining. Finally, the wait is over and in the end, the payoff could not have been any better. In terms of spectacle and scale, it makes its predecessors look like small budget productions. At the same time, it is emotionally rich and very gratifying. The credit for that goes to one man, and one man only: Joss Whedon. The Avengers is testimony to what is possible when you give a creative genius nearly unlimited resources. This is Whedon at his absolute finest. The Avengers works, and works so fucking well.

I remember the last time I experienced such child like glee. It was when Woody and Buzz Lightyear zoomed across the road on a rocket to land safely in Andy's carton of toys. I was eight years old. I experienced a similar feeling when watching The Avengers. I laughed out loud, jumped for joy and jubilantly pumped my fist up in the air more than once.

The film's plot is simple. When the Tassaract (introduced in Captain America) is taken by Loki (Tom Hiddleston), he uses it to unleash his army and take over the Earth. To stop him and save the world, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) launches the Avengers Initiative. He brings together Captain America (Chris Evans), Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), the Black Widow (Scarlett Johanssen) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) to take on Loki and his evil army. But first, they must learn to work together as a team if the world is to have any shot at survival.

Sure, the plot lacks nuance. Of course, there are holes in the story. But in many ways, its simplicity and single mindedness are its greatest assets; for Whedon uses the opportunity to focus on the characters, toy with them, flesh them out and establish them firmly in the collective pop culture conscience of a whole new generation. There will be plenty of time for clever plotting in Avengers 2, which is an inevitability at this point. He uses his signature skill of deftly balancing humour and high octane action and drama to deliver gripping, thoroughly satisfying popcorn entertainment, with plenty of heart.

The film has some impeccable dialogues. Few writers do attitude as well as Joss Whedon and The Avengers is bursting at its seams with attitude. Not just Tony Stark, each character in the film has their moments of unqualified glory; even Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg). Therein lies Whedon's greatest triumph. The masterful puppeteer that he is (testified by his TV resume), he balances these heavyweight, larger than life characters beautifully. No one character is allowed to dominate, as much as Stark (and his fans) would have liked. They are established as equals, as a team, not just on paper but also on the screen. That is a tough task; but Whedon makes it look so fucking easy.

In terms of action, the film boils down to two mammoth battle scenes, one in the air and the other in New York City. A lot of imagination goes into conjuring up these sequences and unarguably, the mammoth budget is extremely well spent. Although he takes his time to come to it, when the action does come, Whedon delivers plenty of mind-blowing moments. At the same time, he is assisted by a brilliant cast that looks absolutely stunning and works well as a team. Unlike Thor, Tom Hiddleston really gets to shine as Loki here. Scarlett Johanssen not only is a classy actor but is also undoubtedly the most beautiful woman in the world. What more can you ask for?

Ultimately, The Avengers is not only a stunning conclusion to a series, it is a refreshing start of a new one. With Whedon at the helm, the possibilities are endless. As a superhero movie, it is closer to Superman than The Dark Knight, and better for it.  It is a very American work of art, one that pays due homage to its rich cultural base and yet, reinterprets it creatively for a much wider audience. Movies like this give blockbusters a good name and remind us why we love watching them. So buckle up people. Hearts will race. Adrenaline will rush. You are about to witness an epic movie.

Rating: 5/5

P.S.: Don't leave when the end credits start to roll. You may regret it.

Vicky Donor (2012)

After a great debut with the beautifully shot and severely underrated Yahaan, Shoojit Sircar offers Vicky Donor as his sophomore venture, the story of a vella Dilli da launda (Ayushmaan) who agrees to become a sperm donor for Dr. Baljit Chaddha's (Annu Kapoor) infertility clinic. Although he makes pot loads of money, which make his clueless mother (Dolly Ahluwalia) and grandmother very happy, things get complicated when he falls in love with an independent, outgoing Bengali girl (Yami Gautam) working in a bank.

Sircar hits a home run in his second innings. The film is undoubtedly the finest comedy I have seen since Khosla Ka Ghosla. Every aspect of it is spot on. The script is absolutely hilarious from start to end. The dialogues are ball bustingly funny in several places and the competition for the best scene is a tough one with plenty of candidates. My personal favourites are the drunk conversations between the mother and the grandmother and the scenes leading up to the marriage of the lead pair. These have you howling in laughter.

However, what makes the film truly great is in the way it handles the drama. Although it has been promoted as a comedy about sperm donation, it is so much more than that. It is a sweet, refreshingly honest love story with endearing, well fleshed out characters. Instead of sleepwalking or speeding through the drama to allow for more humour, those moments are handled with great care and maturity. The confrontation scenes in particular have been executed exceedingly well. The result is a genuinely heartfelt and moving experience where the viewer feels invested in the characters, a rarity in Bollywood comedies.

In terms of performances, Ayushmaan nails the role. He is absolutely convincing as the tharki with a heart of gold and the sperm count of Alexander. Yami Gautam looks gorgeous and enacts the dramatic scenes with surprising amounts of conviction. Together, they have tremendous chemistry and make for an attractive pair. Annu Kapoor is laugh out loud funny. The actor has been denied his due for a long time. Let's hope this film changes that. The actors playing the families of the lead pair fit their roles perfectly.

Overall, armed with a great script, solid acting and a nice soundtrack, Vicky Donor represents the changing times of Bollywood, where the quality of the film is its selling point rather than the glossy wrapping in which it is presented. Although the pacing could have been tighter in the second half, that is a minor glitch in an otherwise excellent film. It is an endearing love letter to the city of Delhi and its inhabitants. Alternately funny and heartwarming, it will leave you exhausted with laughter and maybe even a tear in the eye.

Rating: 4.5/5