Film Review: Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

My rating: ★★★★

BEST FILM OF 2012.

A topic of discussion everyone is familiar with, the already known outcome, the dramatization of true events and mixing them altogether in a single film, Zero Dark Thirty is a good film if I look at it from the perspective of filmmaking only. However, it doesn’t offer that much, it has no characterization whatsoever. The main character of the film is Maya (played by Jessica Chastain), a young CIA officer who has done nothing but spent her entire short career on Osama bin Laden. Now, I’m totally okay with that but her life, her character should have been supported by a back-story. There should have been several flashbacks as to why she joined CIA in the first place. I’m still okay if there aren’t any flashbacks or her story, but her character seems unbelievable and uninspiring at times. She doesn’t have any theory to prove why she is right, she just says she is right. And obviously, she is. It doesn’t have to do anything with Chastain’s performance, she has done a brilliant job (especially that motherf***er dialogue which was badass and funny at the same time). All the critic wins and potential nominations in major awards are totally deserving for her.The real problem is how her character has been written by Mark Boal and how the entire screenplay of the film has been dealt with.

The running time is 2 hours and 30 minutes and it really feels that long because the first half of the movie seems ridiculously boring and irritating. I expected the content of a different nature, the real and original content that has been kept away from the public for so many years, not the moulded one. The real truth about the September 11 attacks, all the suicide bombings and finally Osama bin Laden’s killing. It felt like I was watching a documentary at times. Kathryn Bigelow still has been able to do her job pretty well, the direction of the film is somewhere in between good and excellent. And it cannot be ignored that when it comes to films like this, her vision and method of direction are way more than outstanding. Moving on to the screenplay, it is good but definitely not the best. The dialogues should have been more intense rather than simply showing the scenes incorporating torture that is a good way to escape when you know your writing isn’t brilliant enough. Editing and the pacing of the film are kind of good but they don’t feel balanced at times, there is not one way of pacing of the storyline, sometimes it gets fast and sometimes it gets so slow. The supporting cast members such as Jason Clarke (Dan), Joel Edgerton (Patrick) and Mark Strong (George) do the right amount of job that has been assigned to their roles.

The best things about this film are its last 30 minutes of operation which led to Osama bin Laden’s killing; its background score (by Alexandre Desplat) which is pretty intense and proves to be more supportive than screenplay at times; clever cinematography (by Greig Fraser); Bigelow’s direction (a little bit supported by Mark Boal’s writing) and Jessica Chastain’s performance which is downright astonishing. I can call Zero Dark Thirty a great film but it is not better than Bigelow’s previous direction The Hurt Locker, which was more intense, which had plenty of jaw-dropping scenes and which had more characterization.

Every major critic you see would be commenting that ZD30 would win the Best Picture Oscar. This fact is making it so overrated that it would fail to build up to a lot of people’s expectations who haven’t watched it yet. Same thing happened to me. I watched it with the expectation and the mindset that it is the best film of 2012 but it isn’t, it may be one of the best but not the ultimate best film.

A lot of people are associating this movie with the fact that if they are Americans then they should obviously like this movie because it depicts what took America to finally kill bin Laden. If we are going to talk about it from that perspective then I can say that this movie is nothing but a false reality, how America hides the truth and only shows what it wants its public to see. There are a lot of theories about September 11 attacks and some of which are logical and actually make sense but still, people don’t want to believe that because they are afraid of losing the so-called trust in their government. OBL’s killing is also blurry, nobody knows what really happened that day. The US government just made an announcement that they have killed bin Laden. If they actually killed him then why did they not show his face on the television? Anyway, this is not the topic of discussion here. The film should be taken as piece of entertainment rather than taking it as a piece of reality and the same goes to US Senate, ZD30 has given rise to a huge political controversy as according to the Senators, they don’t torture anyone. They should also understand that the incorporation of dramatization and fiction is necessary to build up the tension and give rise to intense moments to keep the film interesting.

The key conclusion is that this film could get all the major awards in Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards and BAFTA Awards because of its genre, Bigelow’s brilliant direction and Chastain’s performance and which, to some extent, is reasonable but I don’t think it should be winning the Best Picture awards but the chances are that it will. Who knows? I’d still be happier it wins the Best Picture awards, but happiest if it goes to any other deserving film.

Film Review: Amour (2012)

My rating: ★★★★★

EXCEPTIONAL.

Everything has to come to an end but what does not end is your inevitable love; this is the lesson that I learned today. Winner of the Golden Palm at 2012 Cannes Film Festival, written and directed by Michael Haneke, Amour is a meticulous, demanding and a delicate psychological drama with a story and narrative beyond your imagination. The beginning is a mere proof that something is going to happen in the end, but how it would, and more importantly, WHY it would, reveals in the film through old memories, poetry and heart-warming conversations. A lot of people may not like this movie and think of it as garbage, which I know would happen but let me put it this way: Not everyone can understand the true meaning of this film. You have to understand what is going on, you have to think of the story from everyone’s perspective which requires your attention, demands your concentration because the real meaning is hidden in those delicate and usual conversations between the old couple, Georges and Anne whom are played by Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Riva respectively. Emmanuelle Riva’s performance is out of this world, and I’m quite disappointed in myself that I had never heard of her before. The way she has carried out her role throughout the film seems ridiculously natural and it makes you feel so bad to see her like that.

The film’s plot is based on an identical situation that happened in Haneke’s family and I think that fact makes this film so close to him and that’s why he was able to turn it into a wonderful piece of love as the title explains itself. This film has a slow-pace and it keeps going at the same pace until the end and is still able to offer so much which is both magical and thought-provoking. Why is it thought-provoking? Because it made me think that God forbid it happens to me, anyone I know (i.e. my family member or a friend) or even anyone I don’t know at all, it would be so hard for them to go through all of this. I felt terrible for the couple at times, as Eva (the couple’s daughter who is married and is also going through a rough phase so she doesn’t get much time to visit her parents) asks Georges about Anne’s worsening condition to which he replies that, “Things will go on as they have done up until now. They’ll go from bad to worse. Things will go on, and then one day it will all be over.” This line moved me especially what Georges did which requires more than courage to do to someone you love more than your own life. How hard it is to lose someone you have loved your whole life but one day, all of a sudden, it all ends and you have no idea what to do with your life anymore because you’re old, you’re tired of everything and you want nothing but your loved one for the rest of your life and that is the only thing you can’t get. How hard it could be to endure this, which I cannot even think of imagining because it is one of the hardest things to do, to be able learn to live without someone you have loved your entire life because you give up eventually and you are not able find any purpose to live any more.

Michael Haneke has done a wonderful job on this film, it really deserves to be appreciated by every film lover and even if you don’t watch films, you still need to watch this, because it has a strong message for everybody including me: A message of love, affection and commitment, which has been delivered properly. Amour has also taught me to love my parents even more, to be there for them at all times because they are an essential part of our lives, they sacrifice their own happiness for us because they want to see us happy but we don’t give them anything in return when the tables are turned which is dreadful. What could be better than this compliment that after watching this film I went downstairs and hugged my parents and told them how much I love them. I thank Michael Haneke for teaching me the true meaning of love. This is an extremely tough film to watch at some points, and it gave me chills on more than one occasions. Amour is easily one of the best and greatest films of the year 2012.

Film Review: Life of Pi (2012)

My rating: ★★★★★

ONE OF THE EPIC AND MOST WONDERFUL EXPERIENCES OF 2012.

A spell-binding, mind-blowing and a wonderful experience with the strong and compelling storytelling and slight innovation of 3D technology, based on the novel of the same name written by Yann Martel and directed by Ang Lee (best known for Sense and Sensibility, universally acclaimed Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon which won the Best Foreign Language film Oscar, Hulk, and Academy Award nominated Brokeback Mountain for which he won an Academy Award for Best Director), Life of Pi is easily one of the best films of this year. I am quite surprised by the fact that a supposedly “unfilmable” novel turned into an epic film and an astounding experience. Hats off to Ang Lee and his team, first of all. As we all know that this film is about a boy named Pi, who survives a disaster at sea where all of his family members get killed and he gets stuck on a life-boat with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker and other animals consisting of a zebra, an orangutan and a hyena, and is set on a unusual adventure and learns so much along the way that his way of thinking changes.

Pi is a very unusual character, who spends all his childhood in finding a right belief and for that, he is introduced to several religions including Islam, Christianity and Judaism. Played by Suraj Sharma (young Pi) and Irrfan Khan (Adult Pi), both of them give strong performances especially Khan, who also narrates throughout the film. His character seems so believable and his younger self is also quite strong. The best things about this film are the direction, incorporation of 3D technology which is way more than brilliant and the way of storytelling. The screenplay is written by David Magee (he previously received an Academy Award nomination for his screenplay of Marc Foster’s Finding Neverland). It may have a simple storyline but it is still so strong and thought-provoking and teaches you a lot about finding your true self and believing in yourself. When you finish watching the film, it all depends upon you that what do you really want to believe. What is your opinion about Pi’s story. What were you beliefs before watching the movie and what are your beliefs now. I believe in God with all my heart and soul, and I know what I want to believe and my faith is strong. It may not touch you spiritually but it really makes you want to believe in inspiring film-making and the real power of cinema and storytelling.

Ang Lee’s vision is so powerful, I have no idea why he picked this novel but I am really glad that he did and he made it so beautiful that every frame of the movie seems worth appreciating and with that, Yann Martel’s imagination, which is really strong and quite fascinating how it is penned into the novel. A few of the scenes in the film are shot so beautifully that you want to feel everything that’s happening in the movie, you feel like touching the water, you want to get on that boat with Pi and continue the epic adventure. It all would have not been possible without the brilliant cinematography by Claudio Miranda (known for his work in Zodiac, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button for which he got an Academy Award nomination and Tron: Legacy) and the beautiful visual effects done by Rhythm and Hues Studios (who have previously won 2 Academy Awards and 1 BAFTA award and their most recent work also includes Snow White and the Huntsman, The Hunger Games and Big Miracle).

Honestly, I’m not a fan of 3D technology but I can proudly say that this is the first film that made me actually believe in the entire 3D experience and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It has actually set a bar for upcoming 3D films. Sadly, I wasn’t able to watch James Cameron’s Avatar in 3D and I’m still upset about that but Life of Pi has impressed me enough that I can stop being sad about not watching Avatar in 3D and quite frankly, the whole 3D technology has finally got a new fan.

Clever cinematography, beautiful background score, freaking brilliant visual effects and 3D experience, compelling, inspiring and spiritual storyline and screenplay, great performances, and outstanding direction. These are all the factors that make this film so wonderful that it turns into an epic experience.

I easily tag Life of Pi as one of the epic and most wonderful experiences of 2012.

Film Review: Premium Rush (2012)

My rating: ★★★★

RIDE LIKE HELL.

Seems like majority of people didn’t like this movie that much. Written and directed by David Koepp, Premium Rush is a fast-paced and a thrilling movie which incorporates the busy streets of New York City as the bicycle messengers ride around all day to make the deliveries on time. What’s good about this movie is that it is made out of a simple concept and a typical storyline but it still feels so different and a bit fresh. I don’t remember watching a bicycle movie and liking it as much as I like Premium Rush. Maybe because the techniques employed in this movie are way better and they work the exactly way they should be working.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Wilee, a bicycle messenger) seems to shine in his role and is supported by other cast members such as Michael Shannon (Bobby Monday, a corrupt cop), Dania Ramirez (Vanessa, Wilee’s ex-girlfriend), Wolé Parks (Manny, Wilee’s rival). Michael Shannon’s character, Bobby Monday is a corrupt and a negative person but his performance is funny, keeps making you laugh because he keeps getting pissed at everything around him and he acts hilariously. This film may not offer much depth into the characterization but you got to look even deeper to get to the bottom like Wilee doesn’t want to do the office jobs wearing suits and sitting in one place but instead he rides around all day and feel free and independent.

Crazy cinematography, more than a dozen stuntmen, efficient CGIs and the slight humor make a huge contribution towards this film. I must say that Koepp is a intelligent guy, he knows how to make a good movie out of a typical plot and a simple concept that revolves around the movie just like the movie begins with an accident and the narration explains everything gradually and it becomes clear that the main plot is more like a mission to make things happen. The execution and direction are superb, which can be justified by the fact that I didn’t get bored, not even for a bit, mainly because of the fast pace and the thrilling bicycle action whcih works perfectly with much imagination, complications and energy. This movie totally worked for me just like I was hoping for.

Film Review: Argo (2012)

My rating: ★★★★★

The movie was fake. The mission was real.

The movie worked. The mission accomplished.

As we all know that majority of the films that are inspired by true events do not work properly, they don’t deliver that charm the audience hopes for. But this isn’t the case here. Directed by Ben Affleck and co-produced by Affleck, George Clooneyand Grant Heslov (known for producing the Academy Award nominated movie Good Night, and Good Luck), Argo is an excellent thriller and maybe one of the best films of 2012. Inspired by true events of 1979 Iran Hostage Crisis and the superb job done by Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) to exfiltrate 6 escaped hostages hiding in Canadian ambassador’s house, this plot incorporates the inclusion of Hollywood to help accomplish the mission suggested by Mendez as they call it in the film their best bad idea. Not highlighting the extreme violence or the use of guns and grenades as we see in the thrillers mostly, this film maybe the prime example given to us that a thriller can be made without the incorporation of extreme violence. I really hope Ben Affleck gets an Academy Award nomination for Best Director, he has done the job quite well this time and has proved that not only he is a great actor, he is also an outstanding director (he previously directed Gone Baby Gone (2007) and The Town (2010), both of them were outstanding movies).

Supporting cast includes Bryan Cranston as Jack O’Donnell (Mendez’s supervisor at the CIA), Alan Arkin as Lester Siegel (A film producer) and John Chambers as John Goodman (A Hollywood make-up artist) and Victor Garber as Ken Taylor (Canadian ambassador), all of them deliver great performances especially Chambers and Arkin, their scenes have that slight incorporation of humor which keeps the plot on the right track and prevents it from losing audiences’ interest in the film which obviously means that the screenplay (by Chris Terrio) is well-written and kept to the point to avoid causing any boredom and increasing the running time of the movie.

What’s good about this film is that how it stays at same pace throughout and goes in the right direction. We all know what is going to be the outcome of the entire storyline but Affleck’s direction still keeps us interested in the movie, especially in the climax which is shot at the airport as Mendez tries to catch the flight to get those 6 hostages out of Iran, and the intense moments caused by Iranian militants, which is worth watching.

Despite the historical inaccuracies, this movie is well-crafted and deserves appreciation because of being not-so-typical thriller. One thing that kept me wondering throughout the film was why did the Iranians not think that the arrival of film producer in the time of crisis is not linked to the hostage crisis itself? Well, maybe nobody did!

Film Review: Skyfall (2012)

My rating: ★★★★★

LET THE SKY FALL. WE WILL STAND TALL, AT SKYFALL.

SKYFALL is a mere proof that a good spy film doesn’t need nonsense action-sequences or incorporation of unrealistic gadgets, it just needs a great screenplay, astounding performances and outstanding direction. I see a lot of people complaining that a James Bond movie without action sequences and gadgets and devices is worthless. What they don’t understand is that everything needs to evolve and get out of its own self-made shell, because, sooner or later, people start demanding for something else, something they never would have expected, something that makes them change their mind about a certain subject.

Same is the case here.

Sam Mendes has proved himself to be an outstanding director once again (he directed American Beauty for which he won an Academy Award in 2000). His sense of imagination is so brilliant that it totally works for the film. Cinematography is done by Roger Deakins, having received nine nominations for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography, he is one of the great cinematographers of the film industry and he continues to prove it in Skyfall with his brilliant camera work.

The important thing about this film is the screenplay, which is, no doubt, different from all the Bond movies made before Skyfall and that’s what makes it so better. Written by Neal Purvis, John Logan and Robert Wade, the screenplay works like a charm because you get to know Bond and above all, the other major character of the movie, M (played by Judi Dench). Daniel Craig continues to shine in his role even more, it seems like he had been practising to improve himself and it becomes really clear when you compare his performance to the previous installment Quantum of Solace. In Skyfall, it feels like Craig has found his lost indenity and he is never going to let go of it.

The other key character of the movie is Raoul Silva (played by Javier Bardem who is perhaps the most famous Spanish actor, having previously won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in ‘No Country for Old Men’), is the film’s main antagonist and he is more than a villain. Bardem’s performance and his character reminds me of the Joker (comparing to Heath Ledger’s performance in The Dark Knight) at cerain points, he has done it so wonderfully and only he could make it happen. Other cast members include Ralph Fiennes (Gareth Mallory, the Chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee), Naomie Harris (Eve Moneypenny), Bérénice Lim Marlohe (Sévérine, the Bond girl), Albert Finney (Kincade, the gamekeeper of the Skyfall estate)and Ben Whinshaw (Q, the MI6 quartermaster) who support the film’s plot and storyline properly.

What I love about this film is that it doesn’t feel like I am watching a Bond movie and that’s exactly what I love. It has a different soul, a darker one, the character-driven plot has been handled in an amazing way. I don’t mind if a spy film doesn’t have more action-sequences because to me, the plot and main theme of the film are more important. People may also say that the plot of the movie is so typical and predictable and it gets boring but if we look closer, we see a rebirth of the entire Bond franchise, just like Christopher Nolan did with the Batman franchise.

…And who could forget Adele’s wonderful voice in a melodious soundtrack to the movie, written by both Adele and Paul Epworth and the way it has been incorporated in the opening sequence is just freaking brilliant. I wouldn’t be surprised if it wins the Academy Award for Original Song.

Am I liking it too much? Am I impressed with this movie too much? Am I being biased? MAYBE. Because SKYFALL is just the right amount of Bond I wanted to see in the 23rd film.