TRANCE

Man O man.. What a roller coaster ride !!! Danny Boyle again proves why He is THE Danny Boyle ! The combinaton gets lethal when Antony Dod Mantle takes care of the cinematography !

You feel like it's as usual heist story..! But, right from the start it just teleports you ! hypnotize you rather..

Shear cinematic experience.. Please do not miss it.. This goes in to my 'ALL TIME FAVS' folder !


'BRING IT TO ME'. Period. 

E Q U I L I B R I U M

How many of us liked Christian Bale before 'Batman Begins' ? Frankly it took some time for me to digest Mr.Bale to be the 'Dark Knight' ! But he conquered a place wherein now Batman for me is actually Christian Bale and no one can portray that more commendably than he himself ! Like Michael C Hall as 'Dexter'.. !!!

Now as far as this movie 'Equilibrium' I wanted to enjoy some shear action with a engaging screenplay with our beloved Christian Bale's screen presence !! Now that Mr.Bale is away after all the Batman trilogy I really wanted to watch this movie as to find out -- Is He someone who was getting himself prepared for 'Batman' or Mr.Christopher Nolan chose him, as Mr.Bale kind of displaying those hard and humble traits!.. I personally felt this guy had all those in him.. Absolutely there is no doubt about his effort.. But the point i want to make is that He is natural.. as well as, a lead role in a CN's epic attempt is not a joke !!! 

If I compare Matrix with this movie... Then it would sound very cliche. But i feel this has been made with the inspiration of Matrix. If the producers are offended by this statement then my answer would be - "Gentlemen you should have visually presented this in a new canvas so that i would have not mentioned what i just mentioned !" ( At least the dressing and the role over gun fights reminds me of something ! and the CG was far more superior in the Matrix ) !

Having said that this movie offers a lot of suspense which for me is the ticket to the game ! It kind of kept me guessing what's the next move and always proved me wrong which I loved the most. Kudos to the screenwriters !

There are couple of scenes which deserves mentioning -

1. Saving the dog episode - followed by the BLOODY exhibition of Gun Kata skills which inadvertently makes you say ' That's what I wanted.' You really cant help that 'Aawwww' moment when you see the puppy in the screen making that difference in emotion for the protagonist !

2. Polygraph episode in the underground.. the dialogue is so twined with the pain which was needed for the meat of the screen, A real litmus test !

BGM was not THE best.. But it was definitely not spoiling ! I sort of disappointed with the cinematography. Because considering the scope provided by the story line.. A new approach towards making would have elevated this to the elite league of.. you know what i mean right.. yeahh 'The Inception' benchmark..!

The story is clear.. No flaw / disconnect in logic of flow.. The twists by the closure makes it almost there ! But I will not recommend this as a 'MUST WATCH MOVIE BEFORE YOU DIE'. But, definitely it will not disappoint you if you are en-route London from Chennai and you have nothing to do in your flight. Then this will definitely kill some of your time with ease !

This one is not a mach winner but for sure an effective participant !

"...I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;Tread softly because you tread on my dreams." 

P.S  I still don't get the logic of how an organisation which opposes the artifacts from the past is decorated with a huge sculpture of a man lifting our mother earth ! #Doubt#

Try for yourself and let me know ! 

SEVEN YEARS IN TIBET

How often you search for the complete filmography of a director and ensure you are not missing any of his creativity ? Not very often right ? This happened to me when I saw ' Enemy at the gates '. I made sure that I have to watch ' Seven years in Tibet ' directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud. A director with class in my humble opinion.

The movie is about how the life journey of a mountaineer and of a monk intertwines and founds expression and purpose. This happens in the backdrop of WW2 ! I found it very interesting as it is often very difficult to manage an engaging screenplay without love, action and humour ! Interluding all these elements in this gripping emotional story of 2 hours and 16 minutes really portrays the thirst of the director in the realistic cinema.

This movie is about friendship, patriotism, renunciation, culture and last but not the least the dominative approach of the stronger countries over the weaker nations ! Brad Pitt lived the character of Heinrich Harrer. Dalai Lama's dialogues were very intriguing leaving the audience to a open space of thoughts. Very well enacted by Jamyang Jamtsho Wangchuk. 

Some of the conversations were so admirable..

[meeting with the Chinese generals]

Dalai Lama: "Until I attain my majority, the regent is the political leader of Tibet. You should have requested an audience with him to discuss these important matters of the world. My experience of such things is limited. I am a simple Buddhist monk. All I know is the scripture and the words of Lord Buddha. He said, "All beings tremble before danger and death. Life is dear to all. When a man considers this, he does not kill, or cause to kill." You must understand, these words are ingrained in the heart of every Tibetan. It is why we are a peaceful people who reject violence on principle. I pray you will see this as our greatest strength, not our weakness. I thank you for your visit."

In another moment..
Pema Lhaki: This is another great difference between our civilization and yours. You admire the man who pushes his way to the top in any walk of life, while we admire the man who abandons his ego.

Robert Fraisse's cinematography was poetic. Conveys the most complication of the emotions with a single frame. For example, When Heinrich decides to leave Tibet, He visits his friends' home where he was served a cup of butter tea and it was insisted by his friend that Heinrich should be served with another cup of tea.. When Heinrich intends to drink the tea, his friend stops him saying " A fresh cup of tea is poured for the loved ones' departure. It sits untouched waiting for his return ! " - This scene which closes with a frame of the tea cup on focus with Heinrich leaving the plains with his backpack on the backdrop.

Also to mention Robert's spell bounding efforts to capture the initial nail biting mountaineering scenes. I always feel the movie should have a contagious element to it. It should linger in your thoughts at least for a couple of days. Either it can be the story, conversations or cinematography - But it should mark an impact among the audience - irrespective of the blockbuster quotient.. 

This one is surely an underrated gem which was the need of the hour portraying the ugly side of the politics at that time.

Verdict : Must watch