Wrapping It Up: October

Another month, another wrap-up post full of this month's viewings. Let us get on to the movies of this month...

October

Saving Private Ryan(1998)(Re-watch): I have seen this one quite a few times already but this was probably the longest between my two watches. It is one of those movies that every time I see, I find someone knew I didn't know was in this film. This time it was Paul Giamatti who I completely forgot was in it. But it still awes me as much it did the first time I saw it. Yes, it's little too on the nose sometimes, like that ending, but that's Spielberg for you. And there is more than enough pathos in it to help me turn a blind eye towards such moments. And it makes me want to see The Thin Red Line(1998) again even more.



Haider(2014)(Hindi): Third installment of Vishal Bharadwaj's Shakespeare adaptations trilogy. What Bharadwaj has succeeded in doing in this trilogy is translate these stories beautifully to Indian backgrounds while keeping Shakespearean core of each intact. Bismil song in this film which replaces play in Hamlet, re-enacting his father's death, is prime example of this. He has achieved same effect with something intrinsically Indian and, if you ask me, that was easily the best part of the whole film. Bharadwaj has always been one of my favorite Indian directors and he once again demonstrates why.

Infernal Affairs(2002): The Departed(2006) is one of my favourite films. If I am not wrong, it was my first Scorsese film and still remains to be the best piece of ensemble acting I have seen. Infernal Affairs had been on my watch list since knowing Scorsese adapted his film from this one. Now I can see that The Departed had a solid base to build on. This one here is very smart film. It is relentless and equally well acted. However, best thing I can say about it is it's still an exhilarating watch despite knowing what's coming next.

La Haine(1995): Have you ever had a lingering feeling that something terrible is going to happen? You keep on thinking it's about to for a long time and it never does and then you let your guard fall for a second and it hits you right then. That was me watching La Haine. Given the way it starts, at every turn I kept expecting something terrible to befall. It never did, not really and just when I thought nothing would happen now - BOOM! It's such a beautiful film though - B&W, episodic, great flow, very natural acting, little abstract but always palpable.

Nowhere in Africa(2001): This is one of those films that if it had not won Foreign film Oscar, forget about watching it, I wouldn't have even known about this. I don't know about how it was received in 2001 but if feels like a kind of movie that not many people would know about. My first impression of this film was this is sort of Out of Africa(1985), because it is based in Africa, + Days of Heaven(1978) because of look and feel of this film. Only difference is I was indifferent at best towards either of these films and I liked this one quite a bit.

City Lights(2014)(Hindi): Not to be confused with Chaplin classic, this is a Hindi movie released earlier this year with same name. I saw this after watching Shahid(2012) last month which was first collaboration of actor-director combo of Rajkumar Rao and Hansal Mehta and was very much revered critically as well. It reminded me of Babel(2006) because just like it, nothing remotely nice happens to anyone in this film. As a movie lover, I can appreciate it on many levels but it really gets overbearing after a while. I don't think I'll came back to it anytime soon.

Dracula(1931): As has been my tradition, if you can call something I have done twice in a row a tradition, I chose a classic horror as this month's blind spot entry in honor of Halloween. This might come as a surprise but I have been mostly uninitialized to this piece of classic literature. There must be countless versions of it now but I have seen Nosferatu(1922) and that is as far as my initiation to this world goes. And what could be better place to start than this classic. What I can say is for a film made in 1931, it works remarkably well today.

A Most Wanted Man(2014): Since last year, I was very interested in watching this film just based on political nature of its plot and I am very glad that it didn't disappoint. If you don't like political thrillers you might find this one sleep inducing because this is a sort of film that runs on single speed, never picks up except in the end. But they have always interested me. And it still hurts to see PSH on screen, even more so because he is amazing in this film. The way he just lets it go in the last seen is really something, especially since he is so controlled otherwise.

The Last Temptation of Christ(1988): This was first of 3 films almost three hour long films I saw in a week. Other two were 2 films right below. Curious thing with Last Temptation is on one hand, I am really intrigued by the path it takes after Jesus' crucifixion(I am guessing that is where all the controversy surrounding it was). And on the other, other biblical aspects of his life - him turning water into wine, resurrecting dead person - really turned me off. And at the risk of starting another controversy, I don't think I would've like him at that time. He was too ostentatious.

Spartacus(1960): This was another example of a film that I would be much more in love with had it been about an hour less in run time. I was never bored while watching it, on the other hand I appreciate quite a few things in it, but I seriously cannot comprehend why does it had to be as long as it was. There really was not enough content in it to justify that length. I know Kubrick was just a for-hire vehicle here but I have this problem with some of his most acclaimed works as well - they are almost twice as long as they have any business to be.

Heaven's Gate(1980): One of the notoriously famous film for all the wrong reasons. I didn't really like it much but I found it to be better than I expected based on its status as one of the worst flops of cinema. I might sound like a broken record here but my biggest problem with this was it's run time. Any film with a run time 0f over 200 minutes will have its dull period but in this case, it was almost first full hour where I was never sure of what the hell is happening. It sort of picks up later on but damage is already done. 

King Kong(1933): Just like Dracula above, I think this also works remarkably well for a film made in 31. Early in the film King Kong looks like created from animations we did as kids - flipping through pages a of book very fast but it settled as movie went along. I had seen Peter Jackson version before so I had some idea of what whole thing was. However, King Kong here is much more plain villain. You feel quite sad for him in Jackson version. Plus, Denham is much more of an asshole in that version. Here I can defend him pretty much all the way through.

Nightmare on Elm Street(1984): For the past three years, I have been making some effort to acquaint myself with some of the horror films prevalent in pop culture. You can safely assume that I don't watch horror films for the rest of the year. So in October, I spend some time with them for Halloween. This was my first exposure to Freddy's world and I have to say that despite being very '80s, which in my case is not the best thing you want to be, I quite enjoyed this. I may not run to it but I think I'll be down for another trip down this lane.

Thor 2: The Dark World(2013): I always feel that Thor is the most neglected superhero of Marvel universe. Maybe that goes somewhere in the back of my mind as well because I had very less expectations of this one despite Thor(2011) being one of the better superhero films of recent years. Thor 2 exceeded my expectations as well. Now, it's not doing anything extra ordinary here. I guess rather than what it does, more important is what it does not do. It doesn't overdo anything and that made it very enjoyable to me.

The Great Beauty(2013): It could be the time and place I saw this film at but I went through a lot of conflicting emotions while watching this film. On one hand, there were moments in this film that I could really connect with while on the other I felt it too opulent, too frivolous and vacuous. But Jep Gambardella knows this very well; in fact showing how empty their lives are is the main point of this film and it does so eloquently. Knowing all this I should appreciate it a lot but then again, I had to fight to keep my eyes open the whole time.

Night Moves(2014): I think I can take slow movies. Or maybe I should say they don't bore me just because they are slow. I have seen and enjoyed a few to confirm. I understand that keeping your patience with it and still be able to appreciate it can be difficult but I can appreciate a movie taking its time to say what it wants to say. In this case, however, I wasn't sure what it was trying to say or it lost somewhere in the way that I didn't really care where was it going. Either way, not a movie I can say I liked for what it is. 

Army of Darkness(1992): Last of the horror movies I saw this month and unfortunately the worst one. I can appreciate self deprecating aspects of it because it would have been almost impossible to take it seriously but it was little too out there; too much of rolling the eyes. The way it makes fun of itself or jabs at many horror tropes etc. kept it interesting but there was only so much of it I could bare. I think I would have liked this more as a pure comedy than horror+comedy. Still, not the worst horror film I have seen.

A Christmas Story(1983): This is one of those movies I never would've seen, forget seeing - I never would've known, had it not been in IMDb top 250 list(Spare me your highbrow frown. Yes, I still do watch films just because they are in this list. I only have 6 more to see and I would like to say I've seen them all soon). If I had seen it a child, I think this has all the ingredients to be my favourite film. It's really sweet and cute but to tell you the truth now, with its language and looks and stupid voice-over throughout, it is too kiddies stuff.

Lucy(2014): I heard so many good things about this film that one of my major regrets in the past few months was I missed this film during its theatrical run. By luck, I got a chance to correct that but now I so wish I hadn't. This was a colossal waste of time, money and anything else that I cared to invest in it. I didn't expect much from Besson anyways but this is one of the stupidest, consistently over the top films I have seen in a long time. Even just 90 minutes of this film felt like an eternity.

Total Count: 19. 18 First Time Watches and 1 Re-watch .

2014 YTD Count

Total Count: 170. 160 First Time Watches and 10 Re-watches.

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

June Blind Spot: The Breakfast Club

Without any real intention or even a reason, past two weeks have turned into a mini-break from this blog. I even promised I am not going anywhere in the last post. Sometimes you have to concentrate on your other life. I do have it you know, at least some of it. It wasn't like I didn't have any time to see anything at all in last two weeks but I used most of what I had watching The Story of Film: An Odyssey(2011). However I wasn't going to give up on two of my monthly features. That will cover the next two posts and I will try and see if I can squeeze in a review in between them. Starting off with the Blind Spot entry for this month, John Hughes' The Breakfast Club(1985).

First and foremost, what makes this a Blind Spot movie? In other words, why is this film essential?
80s never was a decade I get excited about. In fact, I have often said that it is my least favourite decade for the movies and still stick to it. I know there are a lot of iconic films made in '80s which people still praise a lot(Indiana Jones, Blade Runner(1982)) but unfortunately, a lot of them don't really work for me. The problem is they aren't bad movies, it's just that they are too 80s if you know what I mean. However in a true spirit of a movie buff, I constantly challenge my own perception of it in hope of finding something that will stick with me and a good thing is I have found few films that I really like. Take Paris, Texas(1984) for example, which I saw just last month. So when I made this list back in December, this is exactly what I had in mind - I was looking for a typical '80s movie which is almost universally praised. Hughes' teenage drama The Breakfast Club which many people consider to be 'the best teenage movie ever' took the cake.

So, what is the story about?
Five High school students have been summoned in a library on Saturday for a detention by their principal. All he wants them to do is write in no less than 1000 words who they think they are and what they have done to deserve this Saturday detention. Off course, the 5 people that have to spend 8 hours together, doing pretty much nothing, are from 5 completely different factions in school. You will probably not find a more diverse group in a typical American high school even if you try. In their own words, they are a Brain or a geek, an athlete, a criminal or a habitual trouble maker, a basket case or a socially outcast and a a Princess or a rich, pretty snob. It starts off as you would expect it to start off, with calling each other names, trying to show others how bad they are. However as they spend more time with each other and even get to know each other, they realize how similar they are. As they slowly open up to each other and tell their stories, they realize what people perceive them are the masks they have put on but deep down inside, they are pretty much the same. They have similar likes, similar dislikes. Most importantly, they all try really hard to keep their respective masks on even though they are all suffocating inside them.

In ways that I don't think any of them would have imagined before coming in, this detention helps them see real themselves, brings out a side of them that they wouldn't be necessarily comfortable with otherwise and also see beyond what naked eye can see in other person and respect them for what they are. In the end, 5 of them ask Brian or brain to write the letter Mr. Vernon asked them to write on their behalf. We see two versions of this letter, one at the start and another at the end. These two versions or the way second version changes from the initial one is the real indication of what they all taught each other during the 8 hours they spent together, unwillingly and on a Saturday detention.

What did I think of it? What did I like the most about it and what didn't I like?
A little over year ago, I spent couple of weeks watching only '80s movies. I had just realized that not only was the amount of movies from the decade I had seen was abysmally low, I didn't care for much of what I had seen. That was the start of my 80s aversion. First film that reassured me there is still some hope for me was Ferris Bueller's Day Off(1986); another teenage movie by John Hughes. Having heard a lot of praise about Sixteen Candles(1984), I would say that one thing John Hughes can do really well is teenage drama. He really gets the pulse of this movie right, grabs it very early and never lets it go. What works best is not only all the 5 lead characters are interesting, each of them has a distinct and well drawn arch. They have their own identities and despite they all change by the end, they don't assume each others roles. They are still the same person they were at the start; maybe just like the better version of themselves. Another thing a non-American me appreciated about this film was being able to see people I went to high school with, in them. Off course, in our case, there would be a little different stereotypes but being able to identify with them, something that I can not say about some of the other teenage films I have seen, makes The Breakfast Club a little more universal.

I did have couple of small problems with it like once John is locked up in a closet, he comes back to library through vent but afterwards Claire comes in through the door? How did she even know where was he? Another thing is, I probably can attribute this to my Bollywood honed instincts, after first 15 minutes or so I knew that if there are any couples by the end, they will be Claire-John and Andrew-Allison. So that part didn't surprise me. But I know that I am really nitpicking here. None of these points hamper your enjoyment of the movie in any way. So, I wouldn't worry much about them. I have no idea what the titles refers to though. What am I missing?

After having seen it, do I agree with its 'essential' status? And why?
What will essentially decide if this film is... essential is if I agree with those who call this 'Best teenage movie ever'. I think it is a good film. I think it is one of the best teenage movies I have seen and is worth every minute of its time. Is it essential? Time will decide. I have seen it just this weekend and I will have some mulling to do before answering this question with any certainty but it does have the potential to be. Another problem with calling it an essential is I am not entirely sure what makes a good teenage film? Dazed and Confused(1993) was something I had very lukewarm reaction to but apparently it gets a lot of things right about kids that age. Not being the product of American school system, my relation or response as an outsider looking in is distant at best. As I have stated before, The Breakfast Club definitely gets bonus points for making the characters relatable to even an outsider like me but that also makes choosing what is right and wrong little bit tricky. If I can answer that, deciding whether it is essential or not will be lot easier.

Does it open few new doors for me? Does this inspire to watch any other movies?
Well, it does a couple of things good for me. First and foremost, it keeps my faith alive that despite being my least favourite decade '80s still can surprise me. It can still have movies that I will like. That will help me keep exploring for more titles. It also reassures John Hughes' status as 'King of Teens' and gives me couple of more titles from his repertoire that I can look forward to.