Election

When Alexander Payne released his The Descendants(2011) last December, there was a lot of buzz around him finally getting a movie made 7 years after Sideways(2004). I understand the excitement and all, especially because a notable director coming back from long hiatus, but I just couldn't get on bandwagon only since I had never seen an Alexander Payne movie by then. Even this year, similar scenario occurred for Moonrise Kingdom(2012) - Oh Yeah, Just kill me already !! I have never seen a Wes Anderson movie and even though based on the trailer alone, I still think it is a nice premise and from the early buzz, it might be worth checking out which I am sure I will eventually, but the point is I did not feel the heat for it. Getting back to Alexander Payne - So, The Descendants was my first Payne and I loved it, I even put it in my Top 10 of the year and since then, I have been trying to see his movies whenever I can. I saw About Schmidt(2002) couple of months ago and thought it really was a heartfelt movie and loved seeing Jack Nicholson in little different role. I still haven't seen Sideways even though I own it - believe me it is one of the 3 incidents ever, other two being Dawn of the Dead(2004) which I finally saw last month after having it for over a year and Judgement at Nuremberg(1961) which I bought because I really wanted to see it for longest of times and still haven't seen for whatever reason but I promise I will see it this month.

So, the other day I saw Election(1999), another one of Alexander Payne movies and to tell you the truth, even though I enjoyed both The Descendants and About Schmidt, this definitely is his best yet !! I am almost sure that I am one of the last few unfortunate souls to watch it. So, I will not waste a lot of time and space giving the plot. But, if you are one of us - unfortunate souls, first of all, thanks for the company and second of all, I intend to discuss almost every aspect of the movie. So, move forward at your own risk. So, Written and Directed by Alexander Payne, just like the other two movies I have seen, if there is one aspect of the movie that does stand out in all three movies it's his writing. He definitely is a great director and I will get to that as well, but what makes Alexander Payne movies to stand out for me is his characters are always very authentic, very genuine. They always walk, talk, behave like normal people like us would and still somehow he makes them different. I might be stretching it out a little but for the fact that his writing always comes before his direction, I feel like comparing him to Billy Wilder - always a writer first. Look at the characters in Election. Now, look at Tracy Flick - she is our leading lady, so-called heroine we are suppose to root for but she isn't really a likable character, Jim McAllister is a real good teacher, even a decent fellow who also has a decent life off course until he tries to sleep with his best friend's divorced wife and tries to stop an ambitious student from taking over school just because he doesn't like her. And more importantly, I am sure that we have seen such characters in our own school life - an over-achiever, rather dumb but a popular guy who gets everything easily and a rebel without cause and they are pretty much exactly as they are portrayed here.

Based on Tom Perrota novel by same name, Election is a satirical comedy and is somehow supposed to reflect the contemporary state of politics as well. Now I won't get into Politics here. But, even if you take this allied association out of equation, you are still left with a story of how normally rational people can get on to the path of self destruction because of stupid grudges. Alexander Payne makes sure that each character gets his own arc properly. He takes his time to develop them, introduce them to us so that by the time they reach their eventual end, we not only enjoy this journey together but more often than not, agree to their destiny. Look at Paul Metzler here. He really isn't a bright guy, he definitely isn't Student President material. He is just a football player with a broken leg and a real nice heart, who loves his sister. He is really in this race because of only one reason - his teacher thinks Tracy is taking over the whole school and needs to be stopped and he is probably the only one who can stand any chance against her. All his characteristics are maintained throughout the movie, even when his own sister jumps in the ring against him, even in his prayers the night before election and even after he is taken down from the President's post in the end. Payne's characters are never under-developed nor do they take over all the time. Now for example take look at Tammy Metzler. This is a character which I think can be taken out from the film completely without doing a minimal damage to the whole story. But, not only is she added in the story to make it even more hilarious, she gets her own, complete arc - with Jennifer, she even gets a closure - and off course, she also has a sub-plot with her sexuality in question. Sid's character in The Descendants is another excellent example here.

Now let us talk about acting here as there are few amazing performances here !! Starting with Matthew Broderick. I haven't seen him in much except Ferris Bueller's Day off(1986) where also he gives a great performance. I have seen Glory(1989) but that was so long ago that I don't even remember half the actors in it. He does a great job here as Jim McAllister from his initial very affable, devoted teacher with a nice little family to someone who keeps on gathering dirt on his downward roll. And it is hilarious to see how he always convinces himself to think that he is doing the right thing, even right at the end. Chris Kline is perfect as Paul Metzler as slightly goofy but straight forward guy who gives Tracy a run for her money - he would have won if he voted for himself you know and so is Jessica Campbell in Tammy's role. However, pick of the cast has to be Reese Witherspoon as Tracy Flick. She was just PERFECT!! in every aspect of that role. Way she talks, way she walks, her flacial expressions, her body language - just everything about her was perfect. Will you believe me, if I said that I immediately put Walk the Line(2005) on just to see if she usually walks the way she does in Election or did she do that for the role ? It wouldn't be an over statement if I say that she actually lived that role. There is very little to laugh at this little Miss Perfect who gets up at 5 AM to bake cup-cakes to influence students on the day of Student Council elections but the way she does it, you got to !!

Of all the three Alexander Payne movies I have seen, this might be the most original, most subtle and most complete film. However, unfortunately out of his 3 nominations for Adapted Screenplay Oscar, this is the only Oscar he did not win. I have no idea why I waited for so long even though I have heard nothing but praise for this movie. However, I am certainly glad I can check this this hilarious movie off of my watchlist.

Rating(out of 5):

Happy Birthday U, Me and Films !!

About 13 months ago from today, I saw an article in now extinct IMDb Hitlist on Hitchcock and his movies that took me to a blog Riku Writes (now Streams of Unconsciousness). At that time, I was completely oblivious to the concept of a movie blog even though by then, I was already turned into a film buff for quite some time. My friends were referring me as a 'movie guy', they had stopped asking me 'Hey dude, what are you doing ?', it turned into 'So, what are you watching now ?', they were asking me for movie recommendations and my opinion on whether should they watch certain movie or not. But, personally this particular habit of mine was kinda stagnant, going nowhere. So, I was looking for something different to do with it. On personal front, I was done with all the course work for my masters with 3 months of summer just around the corner. Even when the semester would start in the Fall, only thing I had to worry about was my Master's Project which meant that I can pretty much have my own time-table for the whole week except one weekly meeting on Friday. 

With all this in mind, me stumbling onto this blog was quite serendipitous. Wheels started to turn inside my head, contemplating the idea of starting my own blog. I spent some time going through contents of that blog. In the matter of few days, I discovered that there is a whole world of movie bloggers out there which was encouraging. However, not only that I did not have any prior experience of writing anything, much less of writing it in English, I didn't have any formal film education neither to help me. For those who do not know, English is not my second but third language. Up until I was 10 years old, only thing I knew about English was A-Z. My 4 year old niece knows more nursery rhymes than me as no one read them to me when I was kid. So, I took my time not only to decide whether to go ahead or not but also to try and see if I can really write something worth putting out there. I spent a little over a month deliberating, practicing before I finally published my first article exactly year ago from today on 13 June 2011. And that is how U, Me and Films came into existence !!

Journey in this year has been fulfilling to say the least. I would like to believe that my writing has evolved over this year, but to tell you the truth I have no way of judging this. What I do know is my movie tastes have evolved a lot, what I do know is my knowledge, my horizons have widened for certain. I still don't get a lot of pop culture references but even then I at least know what people are talking about. I know that I have written only around 60 posts, but with me being a master procrastinator and with an extremely limited vocabulary that I have, it still takes quite some time for me to write it. I also took it little slow till I graduated at the end of January. I have doubled my speed since then but even then it comes to around 6-7 posts/month. I am still doing my best. However, the most fulfilling experience has been how welcoming and friendly this whole blogging community has been and that has been true especially since I joined LAMB in March. Anywhere you go, first blogging advice you will receive is always blog for yourself, not for anyone else and even though I agree with it completely, it is always great to know few people around you that you can look up to, that can inspire you, that can set example for you. Over this one year, I have been lucky enough to get acquainted with quite a few bloggers through different channels. So, let me take this chance to raise my glass to some of these phenomenal film bloggers that I have come across in last year who have done exactly this to me...

Richard Hourula@Stream of Unconsciousness: Unfortunately, I haven't had any communication with him over the year. But, as I previously stated, his blog has played an instrumental part in conception of this blog and he deserves due credit for it.

Alex@And So It Begins: For being an inspiration to almost half of the posts on this blog with his encyclopedic knowledge of movies, and more than that for being such a great patron with a lot of encouragement. We are eagerly waiting for your film, Earrings !!

Ruth@...Let's be Splendid about This...:  For our mutual Ghibli love and for all the lovely comments over the time and 7x7 Link award which ungratefully I didn't reply to. So, maybe she will forgive me for that.

Scott@Front Room Cinema: For his persistence of commenting on almost every single post. He is being missed in this part of blogosphere but since he is enjoying a rare family time(or that's what he told me), I can't really complain.

Stevee@Cinematic Paradox: For giving U, Me and Films it's 1st ever Blogging award and for maintaining an awesome blog and for her rating system and for her running features. I am sure she will win quite a few Lammies this time around.

Tyler@Southern Vision: For being a great point of reference as far as foreign or art house movies are considered - I have always been in awe of his passion for it and For being go-to guy to find movies on YouTube :D

Nikhat@Being Norma Jeane: A fellow Indian movie blogger, who also writes about English movies in English(unfortunately, I haven't found many of us) and who also has a colorful and beautiful blog.

Sati@Cinematic Corner: For...Have you seen her blog ? You wouldn't ask why if you have. She has Best Design Lammy in her pocket and then she writes something stunning like this as well.

Chris@moviesandsongs365: Even though he hasn't done them in last couple of months due to the health reasons, I loved his eclectic reviews with much more information than just a normal review and his song suggestions are always awesome.

Mette@Lime Reviews and Strawberry Confessions: For being passionate about Indian movies more than lot of us, Indians are. If you look at her site, you will notice she has a lot more Bollywood stuff than me.

Never Too Early for Movie Predictions: He was one of those people who were extremely supportive and welcoming immediately after I joined LAMB and off course, all of us are in awe of his round the year Oscar predictions. You can count on my vote for this !! 

CS@Big Thoughts from a Small Mind: For all the blogging love shared.

Murtaza@A Potpurri of Vestiges: Another fellow Indian movie-blogger who writes a great blog with very detailed reviews.

Some of my favorite pod-casters Reel Insight, Matineecast, French Toast Sunday and off course LAMBCast and they all have phenomenal blogs that I am in constant awe of.

LAMB: Last but probably the most important, for giving the platform to come and talk with fellow movie geeks without feeling like the only person on the earth who cares about something like this.

And in the end, let me raise it to anyone and everyone, who has ever visited this blog or commented on it or who has ever tweeted with me sharing their opinions about movies, please come and join me on this festive occasion. There is a lot of room for you all !! I really do not know how long will I keep blogging. But with such an encouragement, I can only hope I will go on and on !!

HERE IS TO FIRST COMPLETE YEAR AND HOPEFULLY MORE TO COME !!

Notorious and use of Camera in it

Disclaimer: I have discussed almost every single aspect of this movie I think worth discussing in detail, including most of plot and its ending. If you haven't seen this movie(WHAT ??), maybe you want to see it first.

Last month was a little peculiar in the sense that I know at least half a dozen people who saw Notorious(1946) for the first time. I felt like I was talking about it with many different people for almost all the month. It might just be coincidence that I also read quite a few articles on it too and all this from completely different people who to the best of my knowledge did not influence each other to either watch it or write about it. Notorious(1946) is not only my favorite Hitchcock but one of my all time favorite movies, #5 in my Favorite 100 list. However, neither have I written anything about it, nor have I seen it since I saw it for the first time and fell in love instantly with it. So, with it being in the back of my mind for almost whole month, I decided to take this chance to make up for both this anomalies. Incidentally, I have never written anything about most of my favorite movies. So, maybe I can even make this a recurring feature like Profile of a Director and talk about few of them. Let us see where it goes from here because I am not really good at following plans.

There are 3 main reasons why I love Notorious. First Hitchcock's impeccable direction which throughout this movie keeps the tension palpable, secondly almost perfect pairing of Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman in an unconventional romance but they are so amazing in their respective roles that it almost hurts to see them together in single frame. There are quite a few exceptional pairings in Hitchcock's films itself, I for one can make a strong case for Kim Novak and Jimmy Stewart in Vertigo(1958) or Grace Kelly and Jimmy Stewart in Rear Window(1950). But, none of them has ever come closer to this unfortunate couple. But, most of all, it's the Camerawork in this movie that impresses me. Now, I am not the person who understands much about the technical aspect of the movie-making. I have never learned anything in school or college about it nor have I attended any lectures on it. So, it takes something special for someone like me to notice anything beyond what you see on surface. If you have seen The Wire, this is almost as surprising as D'angelo Barksdale summarizing The Great Gatsby in most perfect sense ever. But Hitchcock's camera is such an integral part of this story that it feels more like another character in the movie. And I also love the fact that these 3 aspects are so well blended together that they compliment each other perfectly to take it on completely another level. The fact that neither Hitchcock nor any of the leads or at least this exemplary work behind the camera was even nominated to the Oscars that year has failed to make any sense to me.

Hitchcock uses a lot of techniques with his camera to impress us. Right from using close-ups all the time to give it much personal, much closer look to using point of view shots like rolling the camera around as Alicia rolls on to her bed while looking at Devlin or 'That's your hair in your eyes' shot, he keeps on pulling different techniques out of his sleeve. Hitchcock opens his shop very early in the movie. After the very first shot in the courtroom where we see Alicia i.e. Ingrid Bergman's father get convicted, we go to her house where she is seen with some friends and a stranger she doesn't know. This stranger is Cary Grant but we are not privy to this information right away as most part of this conversation takes place with camera behind Grant, just showing the back of his head casting shadow on the whole frame, kind of suggestive of some kind of sinister motive of the person but then after everyone leaves, we see him to be Grant i.e. Devlin. It is really interesting to me that Devlin, Cary Grant's characters keeps on making this good to bad and back again transition throughout the movie. I have always said that Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant in Notorious is my favorite pairing. Funny thing is they spend most of this movie away from each other, trying not to fall for each other, even hating each other. There are hardly couple of scenes in the beginning to link them romantically - Alicia flirting with Devlin initially, Devlin trying to keep it business and then Devlin giving it up and embracing her with all the passion he can muster. But the beauty of Hitchcock's direction is these mere couple of scenes are more than enough to keep us wanting to bring them back together, making their whole journey as painful to the viewer as to characters themselves. Once Devlin is been detailed about Alicia's assignment and he returns to romantic rendezvous Alicia is planning at home, there is a deliberate attempt he makes to push her away, to make her hate him so that the whole thing can be easy for her. He even takes initiative to set her up with their Alex Sebastian, their target - Claude Rains in another exquisite supporting role.

Story moves ahead swiftly with every scene where two leads are in frame together is like clashing of two knights ready to cut each others throats, only difference here is there only weapon is their words. Bergman and Grant both work wonders portraying almost suffocating air of personal deception with an amazing control of their body language. Hitchcock plays one more stroke of genius by adding a scene with Devlin's bosses questioning Alicia's past after she has practically put her hand in Lion's mouth for them. Devlin apparently troubled by it tries to put meager defense of it but backs out at the slightest notion to give this already troubled relationship much required depth. Alex soon asks Alicia to marry her despite his mother's disinterest. By this time, there has been a kind of role reversal in the movie. With all his apparent passiveness to defend Alicia and completely closing out to her, Devlin has temporarily assumed the role of a villain whereas standing against the will of his own mother and openly portraying his desire for Alicia, Alex is in hero's chair. This again is perfectly planned out so as to achieve little more impact with apparent climax. Here, however, Hitchcock plays one more of his tricks with the camera now as a matter of key to the wine cellar is at hand - that of a tracking shot, probably the best I have seen. Alicia has arranged for Devlin to come home in party so that he can have a look at something suspicious in their wine cellar. She has also sneaked that key from Alex's bunch. Shot opens with camera completely zoomed out and little out of focus, seemingly trying to find something to focus at. It follows the spiral of the staircase, with some guests on it, until it finds Alex and Alicia standing at the foot of the staircase. It starts to zoom-in on them but seems little skewed and it keeps zooming-in until comes into focus with a close-up shot of Alicia hand holding the key in it. There is also one more short tracking shot of a Coffee cup in the end as well after she is been found of spying, poisoned to get rid of her, slowly but surely.

Hitchcock was Master of Thrillers. Almost all the movies he did dealt with it in some kind. However, thing with Notorious that makes it worth for me personally is thriller aspect of the story takes a backseat to the romance narrated in the most unconventional fashion or character study of it's two leads. Probably, also the reason why Vertigo(1958) works much better for me. This is also evident in the final minutes of the movie as Devlin worried that Alicia lied to him about falling back to her drinking ways goes to see her and finds out she is being poisoned. These last minutes concentrate on Alicia and Devlin finally getting together and making their way out safely than her blowing the cover of the Nazi leaders gathered in the room downstairs. However, Hitchcock not only concentrates on the two leads but also makes the side characters interesting and rich. Claude Rains as Alex is the third corner of this love triangle, visibly older than the other two leads but I have seen far too Audrey Hepburn movies to be troubled by this. More importantly, Hitchcock plays his card very carefully, not trying to force this difference on us. Another character that leaves an impression in even a smaller role is Leopoldine Constantine is role of Alex's Mother, as evil and calculating as you can get. Visibily unhappy with her son's increasing proximity with Alicia from start, she almost seems elated after heartbroken Alex goes to tell her the truth about Alicia. Quick to point out the fact that 'They are being saved by the enormity of her son's stupidity', she even concocts plan to get rid of her almost immediately, as if she is been waiting for the moment for quite some time.

Notorious isn't the only movie that Hitchcock has played with his camera in. Psycho(1960) is one more example of equally masterful, if not better, display of his technique. Even his direction is usually the most notable aspect in the movie. However, there is something delicate, right from those beautifully constrained performances from the leading pair, in the way this whole movie is presented that touches somewhere deep inside me. I have seen close to dozen movies that Hitchcock did and I like almost every single one of them. All the movies I mentioned in this post are definitely some of my all-time favorites. However, Notorious has always occupied a place close to my heart and with the recent re-viewing I can assure you that it still does.

Rating(out of 5):

Love Crime

Couple of weeks ago, some of the first photos and a poster for a movie called Passion(2013) were released. Passion is going to be directed by Brian De Palma and stars Rachel McAdams and Noomi Rapace. This is going to be an American adaptation of a French thriller called Love Crime(2010) directed by Alain Corneau. This actually wasn't the first time I heard either Love Crime or Passion being mentioned somewhere since a fellow blogger, Alex Withrow @And So It Begins gave it a glowing review few months back and had been raving about it for quite some time now. Since it was available to stream on Netflix, it has been lying in my queue since I read Alex's review but like many other films in my queue, I did not get around to see it for whatever reason. However, after the smoking hot photos released couple of weeks ago, I finally sat down to watch it and Boy! Was I glad I did !!

I want to give as little of the story as possible because I think that it is best that you see it on screen and judge for yourself. So, Christine is a top executive in a company and has hired Isabelle, a competent young woman to assist her. Isabelle is actually really good at her job and she has proven her worth time and again by providing brilliant ideas that have helped them seal many business deals. However, she is quite naive for her own good and moreover Christine is extremely good at exploiting people, rather that is how she has reached where she is today. Isabelle is quite devoted to Christine, even though everyone who knows Christine at all describes her as selfish and cold-hearted and even chooses to ignore certain occasions in the past where she wasn't given credit for her own work. Film opens with a certain deal their company closes because of an idea Isabelle thinks of in the middle of night. However, Christine not only blatantly takes all the credit for it but also defends her doing so. ("You would have done the same in my position. At least I hope so" She says). Even though Isabelle is not really happy with her idea being used as Christine's, she is ready to let this one pass as Christine tries to convince her that she is trying to school her for making it big. However, couple of things happen at around the same time that make Isabelle change her decision and go for her own play. Unfortunately, things don't work as perfectly as she would have wanted and as a result obviously spite Christine. Christine, not the one to let go, uses every single opportunity to humiliate her, publicly and in person, professionally and personally. She even threatens Isabelle - "One little mistake in your work and I will use it to fire you". What happens in the remaining hour or so of the movie is something I will keep for you to see.

Most of the initial part of second half, Isabelle spends in doing presumably unrelated and weird things. We see her pruning her garden, visiting her doctor, walking to her office when it is pouring out and going to the movies. I was actually confused myself as to what exactly are they are trying to sell us here, apparently working their way towards climax but with no notion to viewer. At one point I even thought it is going in a direction I did not expect at all. But when it all comes together, and believe me It Does !!, it was worth all the wait. What I liked most about Love Crime is it is almost never clear what is going to happen next. Sometimes it even fools you to believe something you did not expect but then again it takes another turn and keeps going in different direction, keeping you glued to the screen at all times. There is also one climatic moment that appears at around hour mark and I was surprised to see 40 more minutes of movie. However, those 40 final minutes are easily most remarkable in the whole movie. Ludivine Sagnier was a revelation for me in this movie, especially brilliant in those last 40 minutes. She was perfect playing initial Isabelle almost worshiping Christine but she was even better as a psychotic Isabelle in the second half. Sagnier is just brilliant in this period. Kristin Scott Thomas is equally brilliant in her cold and heartless role of Christine. One of the very important things that make this movie work is their chemistry with each other. Right from the very first scene, there is a palpable tension and awkwardness in the frame and it just keeps on increasing with every turn of events and both these actresses deserve equal credit for that.

Without getting into the debate of whether a remake this early is warranted or not(I am usually of the opinion that it is not) or does this mean Hollywood is devoid of any originality anymore(an obvious exaggeration but something they need to think about), I am going to say that I am definitely interested in Passion. Association of Rachel McAdams and Noomi Rapace only adds to that. Rachel McAdams will be playing the role of Isabelle to Rapace's Christine. I am fairly confident that Rapace can be just as bad-ass as Kristin Scott-Thomas and hopefully just as nuanced. In case of McAdams, I can almost see her in initial dedicated but submissive protege. If only she can pull off cold, calculating Isabelle in second half, she can make this movie her's. I have always admired Rachel McAdams, and not just because she is really beautiful but because I do consider her to be quite good actress. Even though she is mostly known for her romantic roles, she has done quite a variety of roles in her career. And I know it is extremely premature to call anything yet, but from stills released, she looks right into the role which is always a good sign. However, none of them is my real concern. My only concern really is Brian De Palma 'Scarfacing' it, if only he can keep his flamboyance in check a little. As far as cinematography and camerawork is concerned, though lush, it is mostly very plain with no flairs in it. So, De Palma has a chance to try his hand and as long as he usually does, he doesn't overdo it, I think we will be fine.

Rating(out of 5):

Wrapping it Up: May

One more month is now behind us, a month in which I became a year older. However, before I get into what happened with my movie watching over the month, let me start with congratulating all those who got nominated for Lammy 2012 Awards last week. I am happy that I voted for quite a few of those and little sad that some of whom I really wanted to be noticed weren't. But, not everyone can be nominated so let us turn the page and move on. So, this is what I saw in the last month.

MAY

Dawn of the Dead(2004): I have no idea how but I own it(I have a sneaky suspicion that one of my room-mates left it behind). So, I finally saw it after keeping for well over a year and for a zombie apocalypse movie, it isn't too bad and I love Sarah Polley. So, I can see pretty much anything with her in it.

My Man Godfrey(1936): I haven't laughed so hard in a long time. Great slapstick supported by some great acting and assisted by spot-on dialogue delivery. My detail review here.

The Avengers(2012):And the Summer Blockbusters are here !! To tell you the truth, I do not expect any super hero movie that is not directed by Christopher Nolan to do anything other than entertain me and The Avengers did exactly that. I enjoyed watching it immensely. So, I am calling it a success.

Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf(1966): I have been told that 1966 was a very good year. Now, I don't remember watching anything else from the year, but if this is any taste, I am more than in for it. And Elizabeth Taylor, oh Elizabeth Taylor !! I simply do not have any words.

Stalag 17(1953): Second prison escape movie right after The Great Escape(1963) I saw last month. One thing that I appreciated the most about it is Wilder incorporated a lot of comic elements in it, without loosing seriousness of it for a minute.

The Lost Weekend(1945): I have been meaning to watch this for a long time and after watching Shame(2011) last month, it piqued my interest even more and I finally saw this for Billy Wilder's profile I did last month. Both the movies portray addiction at its worst and have done wonderful job of it.

The Seven Year Itch(1955): Probably the last major Billy Wilder I hadn't seen which I had to get out of the way, for my profile on him. I have said this before and will say it again - If ever Marilyn Monroe was at her best in acting, it was with Billy Wilder.

The Way Back(2010): Story of how 4 people after escaping from Siberian prison walked 4000 miles, all the way through Siberia and it's ice, then Mangolia and Gobi desert in it and eventually crossing Tibet to finally reach India. Based on a true story, it is an epic tale of human survival and will power but unfortunately it didn't go too far beyond that.

Chronicle(2012): I actually quite enjoyed it for first hour or so and it would have been really good if not for little too much over the top finale and off course, I wasn't sold on the found footage nature of the movie as well. But, it wasn't all too bad either. 

Vicky Donor(2012)(Hindi): Going in I was extremely apprehensive of it being just another failed attempt to do something going on lines of American Pie and the trailer rather confirmed by belief. However, I was pleasantly surprised by it especially since it wasn't a sex-comedy that trailer made me believe.

The Hire(2001-02): I saw this after Alex wrote a post on it - 8 shorts, each around 8-10 minutes long with one common thread, The Driver. Some of them were really good, some were kinda OK but I loved this concept of putting together loosely connected shorts as a series. Having Clive Owen at helm and some quite well-known names to direct them helps as well. 

Office Space(1999): I actually enjoyed it quite a bit but for 1999 movie, for some reason it feels extremely dated, maybe because it uses a lot of technological things which are pretty much extinct now.

Love Crime(2010): I finally saw this after recent poster release for De Palma's Passion(2010). And I am actually really glad that I did as it was nice to see a compelling thriller after quite a while and Ludivine Sagnier was a revelation. Look forward to my full review sometime next week.

The Good, The Bad, The Weird(2008): I was kind of tired of watching slashy, revenge Korean stories so I tried out a little different tone here. Ridiculously over the top but even then not completely trashy, it was quite enjoyable. But this is from the guy who also enjoys DOA: Dead or Alive(2006) in 'it is soo bad it is good' kinda way. So, judge for yourself.

How to Steal a Million(1966): One more for Audrey Hepburn. I finally gave in to her looking at me from the Netflix queue - I like her a little bit too much to keep ignoring that stare. But, as expected, even though it is not bad at all, nothing to talk about it except Audrey Hepburn either. 

Ghost Busters(1984): One more 80s classic off the list. Traditionally, me and 80s don't go too well. However, in this case, I enjoyed Ghost Busters quite a bit, especially because of Bill Murray off course but the whole 'making fun of itself' aspect of it worked really well for me.

This Film is Not Yet Rated(2006): I have heard a lot about this documentary especially during all the Bully(2011) controversy. However, even though I do agree that there are lot of flaws in the rating system and it definitely needs more transparency, I thought it was extremely one sided affair like Michael Moore docs.

Gods Must Be Crazy(1970): I was not aware of this movie until couple of days ago. The other day, my roommate casually mentioned it and when I checked it up, it was available on IMDb. So, I gave it a go and believe me, I was laughing so hard and for so long that my roommates were really concerned for me that I will choke and die.

Away From Her(2006): Sarah Polley has a way to portray relationships without being too melodramatic - the fact that was further established by this wonderful and heartfelt movie with tremendous performance from Julie Christie.

Total Count:19. 19 First Time Watches and 0 Re-watches.

2012 YTD Count 

Total Count:127. 122 First Time Watches and 5 Re-watches.

I have done it again - 0 Re-watches this month as well. 7 classics and 12 new. Only 3 Foreign, 15 English and 1 Hindi. Very few classics but I promise to make up for them next month.

Not a big month but as I said in the previous wrap-up posts, I do not expect them to be as big as February and March where I was almost on par with movie/day. June might not be too different as well. I am also quite satisfied quality-wise as there are some really good movies I saw this month. It is also a great coincidence that I started and ended my month with Sarah Polley movie - as I have already stated, one of my favorites.

One more reason May was not big on numbers was 6 serials that I am following. For the first time, this whole year all 6 were running simultaneously in May. With Game of Thrones next week, everything will quite down for summer and I have also finished The Wire now(finally !!). But then I usually go through old serials over summer and this time I have got The Sopranos lined up as I am working through the 5 serials that I have been meaning to see(The Shield, The West Wing and Boardwalk Empire will round it up).

So, how was your month ? Did you see anything interesting ? what do you think of the movies I saw ? Any favorites ?