Tanner (Ben Foster) and Tobey (Chris Pine) drink beer on their ranch.
This is (most likely) the “dark horse” in the Best Picture category in the Oscars, BUT if you like fine films, you need to check it out! I heard great reviews of it on 2 different podcasts, BUT finally saw it tonight (thanks to Redbox). This film takes you on a journey (not TOO long or short); it has interesting characters (including the bit players); and Jeff Bridges is in it (so what’s NOT to like!?)
Deputy Marcus Hamilton (Jeff Bridges) and his partner.
Deputy Marcus Hamilton (Bridges- one of my faves) is 3 weeks from retirement when he gets VERY interested in a curious case. Two men have been robbing branches of a particular West Texas bank for moderate sums of cash. These men are our main protagonists- brothers Tanner (Ben Foster) and Tobey (Chris Pine) Howard. Tanner is a loud-mouthed ex-con ONLY out of jail for a year; he enjoys robbing banks. Tobey is more quiet, and his reluctant partner. Though they are VERY different men, they love and protect each other.
Tobey Howard (Chris Pine) has his eyes on the future.
This is labeled as a crime drama and a Western, BUT I feel it defies genre conventions. There is much humor, thanks in part to Bridges and his Native American/Mexican partner, Alberto (Gil Birmingham). There is easy chemistry between Foster (a bundle of energy and volatility) and Pine (somber, scraggly haired, and unglamorous). I NEVER saw what the fuss was about Pine until this film! The music and cinematography (by Giles Nuttgens, who has worked w/ BOTH Deepa Mehta and Mira Nair- two of my fave directors) are VERY well-done; too bad I didn’t see it earlier on the big screen.
Piku (Deepika Padukone) gets ready to clean the house; the maid was fired by her father.
I heard about this film from MANY young (20s/30s) desi people. It was released in the Spring of 2015; it’s NOT a typical Bollywood film, though the stars hail from mainstream Indian cinema. Amitabh Bachchan (Bhashkor Banerjee) and Deepika Padukone (Piku) play Delhi-based Bengali father and daughter respectively. One of my favorite actors- Irrfan Khan (Rana) plays the driver who takes them from Delhi to Calcutta.
Father (Amitabh Bachchan) and daughter (Deepika Padkone) share a hug.
General Thoughts about the Film:
‘Piku’ is about relationships and responsibility. You feel for the characters & that kind of connect, is a huge bonus for any film.
…what is wrong with movies that are mostly dialogue and the interactions of close knit families? I found it realistic and I am not from India. Seemed kind of representative of one of the elements of the universal human experiences to me.
–Excerpts from IMDB reviews
If you’re a sensitive viewer who takes offense to toilet humor, this is film is NOT for you! In fact, there is NOT much to the story, aside from the road trip that this trio (along w/ a loyal manservant) go on. Piku is a very concerned, stressed-out young architect who lives w/ her 70 y.o. cranky and constipatedfather. She is a partner in a small architecture firm w/ her friend, Syed (Jishu Sengupta). Though Piku is nearing 30 and not yet married, her father isn’t concerned. Syed sets her up w/ a single guy he knows, BUT Piku has nothing in common w/ him.
Marriage without purpose is for the low IQ. -Bhaskor’s philosophy on marraige
Rana (Irrfan Khan) and Piku (Deepika Padukone) share a snack on the road
Opinions re: Irrfan Khan’s performance
Irrfan is fabulous. He’s given some of the film’s best moments and the talented actor only elevates those moments with his superior act.
Irrfan Khan is known for his gifted talent of never disappointing his viewers. With this film, once again, he proves how worthy his presence is.
Rana (Irrfan Khan) and Piku (Deepika Padukone) seeing the sights of Kolkata.
The MAIN reason I wanted to see this film (now streaming on Netflix) was Irrfan Khan. Though Rana now runs his family’s car rental business, he had planned for in a different life. He is a decent, hardworking man w/ family obligations of his own. Rana has a LOT of patience- he’ll need that on the road w/ Piku and her father!
This movie centers on three brilliant African-American women (referred to as “human computers”) working at NASA in the 1960s. The three leads are Taraji P. Henson (Empire), Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monae (who is also a singer). They are joined by Kevin Costner, Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory), Kristen Dunst, and Mahershala Ali (House of Cards; Luke Cage). Before Col. John Glenn (up-and-coming actor Glen Powell) went into space, Henson’s character (Katharine Johnson) had to “check the math” behind the mission. I learned that Johnson is still alive in small-town Virginia- wow! Check out the trailer below.
Lion
Critics have raved re: Dev Patel in this film, as well as the boy who plays Indian adoptee to Australia (Saroo Brierley) as a child. In case you’re NOT a big fan yet of the British-Indian actor, know that Patel is transformed for this role (hair, body, and accent). I’ll be seeing it next weekend.
See the trailer below; the cast includes Nicole Kidman, Rooney Mara, and David Wenham.
Singin’ in the Rain (in select theaters: SUN, 1/15 & WED, 1/18)
TCM and Fathom Events is co-presenting this musical at select theaters for two days ONLY. This movie premiered 65 years ago (1952) and stars Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds (who recently passed away at age 84), and Donald O’Conner. I heard about it on TCM, then checked online for details (see link below).
One of the most famed/respected dancers/choreographers of her time, Cyd Charisse, has a supporting role. Checking IMDB, I found that Rita Moreno is part of the ensemble (VERY cool). I’ve never seen this film before, but it’s available on YouTube for ONLY $2.99!
The Salesman (AFI Silver Theatre: SUN, 1/22 at 5:15PM)
This film is part of the 21st Annual Iranian American Film Festival which was previously held at the Freer Gallery (now undergoing renovations). It is directed by Asghar Farhadi (A Separation), who is NOT afraid to realistically tackle subjects which are still taboo in his native Iran. While A Separation was about impending divorce, this film deals w/ the assault of a young wife and her husband’s subsequent emotional turmoil and drive for revenge. I got my ticket already.
Follow the link below for tickets and see the trailer.
As You Like It: Folger Shakespeare Theatre(Pay-What-You-Will: TUES, 1/24 at 7:30PM)
This adaptation of The Bard’s comedy will run from JAN 24th – MAR 5th starring actors from Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival. I’m interested in this b/c I’ve only seen one movie re: this play. I haven’t read the play (it’s rarely taught/studied in schools/universities).
Caroline, or Change: Round House Theatre (UPDATED: Pay-What-You-Can on THURS, 1/26 at 7:30PM & WED, 2/1 at 7:30PM)
This is a musical written (book and lyrics) by the renowned Tony Kushner; it contains aspects from his own life as a boy growing up in the South. The play centers on Caroline, an African-America maid for the Gellmans, a Jewish family in 1960s Louisiana. It combines different types of music: spirituals (gospel), blues, Motown, classical, and Jewish klezmer and folk.
Indian superstar Aamir Khan is known as a perfectionist, even when it comes to posters. When I lived in NYC, I used to regularly attend monthly meetings of SAWCC (South Asian Women’s Creative Collective); though I wasn’t an artist (like most of the women), I wanted to meet interesting desis. One night, we had a presentation by the young lady who’d worked as the main graphic artist on Lagaan (before moving to the U.S.)She was working late in her Mumbai studio, when Aamir Khan called her up re: a small change to one of the poster designs. Wow, talk about attention to detail!
Young Mahavir (Aamir Khan) gets ready for a wrestling match.
This film will definitely hold the viewers’ attention, even more so than Lagaan, thanks in part to its exciting/tense action sequences. But this isn’t a historical epic, it’s a (real-life) family story, which MAY be even more compelling to some of you who regularly read this blog. I didn’t know anything about the story before going to see it last week, aside from the fact that Aamir had gained and lost a LOT of weight for his role. I later learned that three out of the four (VERY natural) young actresses in the film hadn’t acted before! I esp. liked the chemistry between the two girls who played the sisters as pre-teens, as well as the charm of their older teen boy cousin.
Life is sink or swim- a lesson that Mahavir wants his daughters to learn.
Mahavir Singh Phogat (Aamir Khan), a former national wrestling champion, wins medals and respect in the ’80s. Unfortunately, he never gets the opportunity to prove himself on the world stage; there is NOT enough money/resources dedicated to his sport. He loves wresting, so he spends time training other men in the mud pits of his village. After a time, Mahavir settles into married life (w/ his wife Daya, played by Shakshi Tanwar) and a desk job in his home region of Hariyana. He has high hopes for a son, whom he plans to teach to be an even better wrestler than himself, and win gold for India.
Young Geeta is cheered by surprised locals after winning matches.
His wife gives birth to four daughters though the years. Mahavir’s family and his small community is disappointed, thinking that the dream for wrestling glory is dead. But after his two eldest girls, Geeta (Zaira Wasim) and Babita (Suhani Bhatnager), beat up two local boys who insulted them, Mahavir is spurred into action. His daughters will become wrestlers under his coaching! Gold is still gold, Mahavir is bold enough to think, and who’s to say that a girl can’t win one!? Watch the trailer below.
We know there are a set of Star Wars superfans who simply CANNOT take criticism of their beloved franchise. However, I’m NOT one of those viewers! This prequel has a female lead in Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) as we saw in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Jones does the best she can w/ the material given.There is a LOT of racial diversity among Jones’ male co-starts. However, this film sorely lacks character development! Sorry, BUT it’s rather tough to care about characters if we don’t get to know their much re: personalities, motivations, histories, etc.
The Death Star was built by a team of engineers headed by Galen Erso (Jyn’s father)
I wanted to see a BIT more of Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelson) and his wife; we don’t how/why they got on the wrong track of working for The Empire. Also, why does Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) have such a big chip on this shoulder? I wanted to know a LOT more re: his past, aside from the (obvious) fact that he’s been fighting for a long time. It was cool to see Luna after MANY years! He still has that youthful face and slim body. There is a new droid working w/ Andor, K-2SO (Alan Tudyk), who provides some snarky humor.
Bodhi Rook (Riz Ahmed)- the pilot who defects from The Empire
Social media (as well as a FEW people I personally know) were esp. excited to see Riz Ahmed, a British-Pakistani/Muslim actor on the big screen. Sure, he’s part of the rag-tag Rebel band, BUT doesn’t get to do much! Donnie Yen’s character (the blind/deeply spiritual warrior) was more effective, thanks in part to his badass martial arts skills. Guess we STILL have to wait for a desi brother to get a (bigger) break…
Orson Krennic (Ben Mendolsohn) oversaw the building of The Death Star
The new baddie, Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn), is pretty interesting; I think it’s b/c the Aussie actor takes relish in being a villain (check him out on Season 1 of the Netflix drama Bloodline). I esp. liked the scene where he got called to meet w/ Darth Vader, then got (painfully) put in his place.
Darth Vader (still voiced by James Earl Jones) meets with Krennic
I was impressed by the scenery, action sequences, and the “bringing back to life” of several actors from George Lucas’ original Star Wars films (thanks to technology). Speaking of the original films… This film’s last scene (featuring the young Princess Leia) has taken on a special/poignant significance following the sudden death of actress Carrie Fisher.
Knightleyemma 