Best Bengali Films 2012 – 2014 (10+1list)

Best Bengali Films 2012 – 2014.

written by Souranath Banerjee.

We the Bengalis! The self-proclaimed intellectuals!

We have to watch films, especially Bengali Films and then give a detailed analytical review of them. Yes, we have to!

In our infamous ‘adda’ sessions, along with politics and football we Bengalis are also keen to show off our critical knowledge of Cinema. We proudly rate our favourite movies and passionately defend our preferred directors – believe me, these loud yet friendly squabbles can go on for months!

Mostly we time travel to the memorable glorious past of Bengali Cinema – the days of Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen and Ritwik Ghatak and then coming back to the present we proudly allude to the likes of Rituparno Ghosh, Buddhadev Dasgupta, Gautam GhoseAparna Sen.

Such legendary directors and their invaluable contribution to World Cinema make us feel honoured and content, and why not?

However this current list is of more recent times, the last three years to be exact (2012 – 2014), a list of the best Bengali films from exceptionally talented directors who are very much the present and the future of Bengali Film Industry!

Let the countdown begin!

10. Ramdhonu (2014)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AV5ipEs1_zk

Ramdhanu-poster

A fun-filled story of a 5-year old kid’s struggle or rather his parent’s struggle to get him admitted in a decent school.

The director duo Shiboprosad MukherjeeNandita Roy has done it again. Brilliant acting by Shiboprosad and Gargi Roy Chowdhury.

A serious issue addressed with a comic touch. Entertaining.

9. Hrid Majhare: Live in my Heart! (2014)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrcoSaBZsl0

Hrid-Majharey-Poster

With the perfect essence of a Shakespearean tragedy this is a film that weaves a beautiful tale of love, jealousy and destiny.

(click for the review)

Writer-director Ranjan Ghosh creates a terrific psychological drama; very well supported by Abir Chatterjee and Raima Sen.

This film will make you think twice before falling in love.

8. Hemlock Society (2012)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9KCaYzHYG0

Hemlock-Society-poster

Is there such a society that teaches the right techniques to commit suicide?!

The concept itself is unique enough and on top of that brilliant performance by Parambrata Chatterjee and Koyel Mallick.

Writer-Director Srijit Mukherji is one of the best in this business and he proves it time and again.

7. Apur Panchali (2014)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxKylESYoa0

apur-panchali-poster

Hat’s off to Kaushik Ganguly for this brilliant theme; the film is based on the child actor who played the iconic role of Apu in Satyajit Ray’s  Pather Panchali. 

(click for the review)

Inspired by Subir Banerjee’s real life story, Parambrata ChatterjeeArdhendu Banerjee and Parno Mitra gives their best. And then the in-between montages from Pather Panchali makes us nostalgic.

6. Aparajita Tumi (2012)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aerJCfbckGw

Aparajita-Tumi-poster

Director Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury creates another enticing drama, a plot that involves both love and betrayal, loneliness and friendship.   

Prasenjit Chatterjee utilized to his full potential, PadmapriyaKamalinee Mukherjee perfectly suited in their respective roles. 

A slow paced film that absorbs you into the story, beautiful camera work and edited.

5. Chotuskone (2014)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uNrGCBIgo0

chotushkone-poster

The latest from director Srijit Mukherji, a perfect mystery, four directors, four stories, all blending in at the end! 

(click for the review)

When old friends reunite and discuss their stories – four stories but with a common theme – death. Outstanding performances by Parambrata ChatterjeeChiranjitGoutam Ghose and Aparna Sen

4. Phoring (2013)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TWCydqcJ7w

Phoring-Poster

A relatively less known film but one of the best i have recently seen.

Indranil Roychowdhury has successfully created the world of an adolescent boy, his thoughts, his dreams, his innocence and his lust. 

Both Akash Adhikari and Sohini Sarkar did great. Phoring has received many international awards  and believe me the film deserves all the applause.

3. Bhooter Bhabishyat (2012)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hg7OYuc7a5I

Bhooter-bhabishyat-poster

Probably the most popular film of recent times, a superb comedy, uniquely crafted and built up.

Swastika Mukherjee, Sabyasachi ChakrabortySamadarshi DuttaMumtaz SorcarParan BanerjeeMir Afsar AliKharaj Mukherjee and many more.

A variety of characters and intelligent dialogues – director Anik Dutta gives us a super hit.

2. Shabdo (2013)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miTB-lIAwQ4

Shobdo-poster

A professional foley artist – who creates sound effects for films seems to be too engrossed in his world of background sounds.

Not only the concept is unique but also the execution is superlative. Brilliant acting by Ritwick Chakraborty (his best till date) and also well supported by Churni Ganguly and Raima Sen.

Kaushik Ganguly‘s best till date.

1. Meghe Dhaka Tara (2013)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZT5UEzQeDGg

meghe-dhaka-tara-poster

Director Kamaleswar Mukherjee teamed up with talented actor Saswata Chatterjee to create a masterpiece; a film on the life of acclaimed Bengali film director Ritwik Ghatak.

Shot in black and white, a film so well crafted and executed, it gives us a new perspective on the life of the legendary filmmaker.

One of the best film of the last decade – a must watch!

and (The ‘+1′ film is not necessarily the best but certainly the most innovative one. A must watch)

+1. Chitrangada (2012)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7prDTZhwA8U

chitrangada-poster

A tribute to the master director Rituparno Ghosh who unfortunately passed away last year. 

The film won the Silver Lotus Awards in the National Film Awards.  It is the story of a dancer and his wishes, his unfulfilled dreams.

Rituparno himself acted as the lead, supported by Jishu SenguptaAnjan Dutt and Dipankar Dey.

The Equalizer (2014)

My Ratings: 2.5/5.

Training Day was the film for which Denzel Washington bagged his best actor Oscar in 2002. The film was directed by Antoine Fuqua.

The director-actor duo waited for more than a decade to again work together and now it’s time for The Equalizer.

This film is based on a television series with the same title. It’s about an ex-CIA operative who helps ordinary people in trouble by using his special CIA-training skills. 

The film The Equalizer maintains the same basic plot and i must say the first half, at least the first 30-40 minutes of the film is simply awesome.

It starts slow, develops the character of Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) in style. A widower with a mysterious past, a present steady job and a smiling face – always trying to be out of trouble.

But then he befriends a young Russian girl named Teri a.k.a Alina (Chloë Grace Moretz) and soon enough she gets into trouble and Robert McCall is out to avenge her and also to save her from further trouble.

What follows is a chain of gruesome, bloody action; the Russian heavily-tattooed gang versus the one-man-army Robert McCall. And it just goes on and on till there is nobody left to fight with, absolutely no surprises, a very predictable ending.  It’s so predictable that in a way it kind of surprises you!

The characters loose their purpose and it’s all about an endless series of fights and vicious deaths. Denzel’s character turns out to be a superhero and looses it’s believability.

Beyond interval the film looses all it’s charm; it simply stretches on, goes from bad to worse and by the end of the film you are happy just to get out of the cinema hall alive.

Denzel Washington’s acting skills are your only hope, even the Russian Mafia head Teddy is superbly played by Marton Csokas.

Good cinematography by Mauro Fiore.

The Equalizer could have been much more interesting if the protagonist was a bit more human; and if the editor wouldn’t have slept during his working hours.

If you are an action freak then only you will enjoy The Equalizer. Because at the end of the day the whole film is a blur except a few well shot action sequences.

Horrible Bosses 2 (2014)

My Ratings: 3.3/5

Horrible Bosses 2 is the second take on the lives of the three tormented employees who now want to open their own company and be their own bosses; none other than the amusing trio Nick (Jason Bateman), Kurt (Jason Sudeikis), and Dale (Charlie Day).

But then again there are bosses everywhere who wants to bully them, trick them, betray them and take over their company.

So the real question is how far or how funny can they go in order to save their company?

Well, funny enough but may be not as hilarious as their first installment three years back, Horrible Bosses.

The new players in this sequel are Bert Hanson (underutilized Christoph Waltz) who tries to steal their company and Hanson’s son Rex (superb performance by Chris Pine) who is more twisted than you can imagine.

horrible-bosses-2-poster2So for Nick, Kurt and Dale the initial plan was simple – to kidnap Rex and ask for ransom from his rich father and ultimately regain control over their company.

But the execution was difficult beyond their imagination.

Horrible Bosses 2 has a handful of real humorous scenes and dialogues tossed here and there that WILL make you laugh. But then again most of the time it’s purely slapstick and the overall the script could have been much more witty and entertaining.

Only the incredible chemistry between the three main characters has saved the film.

Ever sexy Dr. Julia Harris (Jennifer Aniston) and ever abusive Dave Harken (Kevin Spacey) seems to enjoy their parts as much as they did in the first round.

And don’t forget “Motherfucker” Jones (Jamie Foxx) who gives the stupidest ideas but then again is always ready to help out. 

Horrible Bosses 2 director Sean Anders has done a decent job, or at least tried his best to make us laugh. But i insist, he along with his scriptwriters should have tried a little harder. May be they have reserved their best jokes for the third installment!

Colin Farrell as Bobby Pellitt – we miss you.

Khad (2014)

My Ratings – 2/5.

I have experienced this many times before and yet i fall in the same khad again – too much of expectation from a film and by the end of the show you are heart broken.

Khad, the latest Bengali release in Mumbai – I liked the trailer, the casting and of course the director but unfortunately not the movie.

After making such amazingly artistic films like Shabdo and Apur Panchali director Kaushik Ganguly seemed to have taken a fall or rather made his latest film about a fall, a bus full of passengers reeling down deep into the Khad (the valley in-between the mountains).

The aftereffects: a wide range of characters forced to stay together in uncomfortably close proximity; a night out in the dangerous forest after they seem to have survived a disastrous bus accident.

Characters are often stereotype and predictable – a family including their daughter and a kid (with lot of family problems), a honeymoon couple (always fighting), a man with his sick mother (to add the Bangladeshi accent), a trekker who seems to know the area (always gives the right suggestions), a doctor and his muse (a scandalous relation), one actress and her abnormal brother (fame and sympathy), a school teacher (some hindi speaking), a happy go lucky bus conductor and a priest to calm things down.

Rudranil Ghosh, Kamaleswar Mukherjee, Mimi Chakraborty, Saheb Bhattacherjee, Tanusree Chakraborty, Gargee Roy Choudhury, Ardhendu Banerjee, Lily Chakraborty, Pallavi Chatterjee, Tridha Chowdhury, Kaushik Ganguly himself and many others. 

But none of these actors were that exceptional to be especially mentioned except may be Kaushik Ganguly. He did a great job as an actor, i wish i could say the same thing about his direction for this film.

No particular story as such; Khad is about all these people’s emotions, their past lives and their present interactions in between themselves.

Dialogues are too pretentious, and by the end of the film most of the characters seem to confess their deepest secrets in front of complete strangers. Alcohol and a Father (priest) being their only influences.

The dangerous forest where they are trapped for the night seems to be the  safest place on earth till the sun comes down and the truth is revealed; the only good twist in the film in the end but by the time it comes you are too stressed out to enjoy it.

The music tries it’s best to uplift the film, especially the track by Arijit Singh ‘Ami Achi’ is a good one.

I would not suggest you to go for this one unless you are a big fan of Kaushik Ganguly’s films like me and is daring enough to take the plunge into the Khad.

Best Psychological Thrillers of all times (20+1list)

Best Psychological Thrillers of all times

written by Souranath Banerjee

Before we hunt down the Best Psychological Thrillers of our times, let’s find out what exactly do we mean by a ‘psychological’ thriller? And how is it different from a regular suspense thriller?

Well, in any ordinary thriller, you either have to guess the killer or Psychological-Thrillersexperience a tense cat and mouse chase sequence, or reveal a conspiracy – but whatever excitement happens, it happen in real time, with real people in real situations.

But in case of the twisted genre of psychological thrillers, these films maneuver the facts in such a way that they make you believe into something/someone that/who actually may not exist at all! These movies deliberately play tricks with the audience’s imagination and successfully blurs their perception of reality.

And finally, here are some of the Best Psychological Thrillers ever made in the history of Cinema.

Let the countdown begin!

20. Frailty (2001)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mW6TlPMHXgk

Psychological-ThrillersThis film is all about a man’s confession of a series of murders that his religious fanatic father forced him and his brother to be a part of.

Directed by Bill Paxton, a thriller at its best, with a few unexpected plot twists.

Superb performances, specially by the child actors, Bill Paxton himself and Matthew McConaughey.

19. The Skin I Live In (2011)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EolQSTTTpI4

Psychological-ThrillersA weird tale of a plastic surgeon and his muse, a scientist and his experiment, an inventor and his creation.

Brilliant performances by Antonio Banderas and Elena Anaya and a twisted tale of passion and revenge.

Directed by renowned Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar, this is one of the best psychological thrillers that will keep you guessing till the end.

18. Goodnight Mommy (2014)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hisSd7qyY40

Psychological-ThrillersIn an isolated countryside, nine-year-old twins wait for their mother’s return, but when she finally comes back she seems to be a completely different person.

Her face bandaged due to some surgery, it’s hard to tell if she is indeed their mother or are they both really her children!

Directed by Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz, this is one disturbing thriller for sure.

17. The Sixth Sense (1999)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VG9AGf66tXM

Psychological-ThrillersA child psychologist (Bruce Willis) meets a boy (Haley Joel Osment) who has a sixth sense, who can communicate with spirits and claims to ‘see dead people’ all around him!

A film that is as impressive as the twist in the plot.

Directed by M. Night Shyamalan, a film that successfully fools the audience from the very beginning!

16. Lost Highway (1997) 

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nKjO9QCSic

Psychological-ThrillersA world owned by David Lynch, who is the master of psychological thrillers.

Framed for the murder of his wife a man mysteriously escapes from the jail being morphed into another person – yes, one of the most weird story plot ever in film history.

And the best part is that the film (according to me) has no specific ending that explains it all!

15. Angel Heart (1987)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vp0LXxkx7yA

Psychological-Thrillers

Alan Parker directed this intense thriller starring Mickey Rourke and Robert De Niro.

A private investigator is hired by a mysterious man who wants him to track down a particular singer.

Though at first it all seemed like regular business but soon things turn nasty and people keep dying in strange circumstances. A mystery that holds up till the end.

14. A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anF5XiN8QY8

Psychological-Thrillers

As the title suggests, it’s the story of two sisters who returns home from the mental institution and desperately struggles to cope up with their lives.

A superbly intense film by Kim Jee-woon – suspense, horror or simply a nail-biting thriller, this one serves all your cravings.

This South Korean film will creep you out for sure.

13. Rosemary’s Baby (1968)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PewtQsgN5uo

Psychological-Thrillers

Be aware: a new apartment always comes with mysterious neighbors.

A young couple moves to a new place and soon the wife becomes pregnant. Though the neighbors seem to be too caring, but the mother (Mia Farrow) fears about the safety of her unborn child.

Extreme paranoia that only a director of Roman Polanski‘s calibre can deliver!

12. Hour of the Wolf (1968)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7PWFiLkKG4

Psychological-ThrillersIngmar Bergman‘s one and only psychological horror film, and undoubtedly a classic.

An artist shares his deepest desires and the most painful nightmares with his wife at the darkest hours of the night – ‘the hour of the wolf’.

His life turns out to be drowning in the very brink of dreams and reality, a state so surreal and dangerous and bizarre. A must watch.

11. The Shining (1980)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Cb3ik6zP2I

Psychological-Thrillers

Welcome Stanley Kubrick and that too on the first spot!

A film that set new bar in this genre, the chilling transformation of a hotel-caretaker (Jack Nicholson‘s character), the haunting isolation of the palatial hotel and the eerie never-ending maze. And also a kid who has the special talent of ‘Shining’!

Unique and scary, psychotic and intense, a film you will never forget.

10. Videodrome (1983)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFHey3utk0I

Psychological-Thrillers

One sleazy cable-TV programmer (James Woods) discovers a sick TV show and soon enough his life turns upside down.

He soon finds out that the show may look like an ordinary one but it is a clue to some sinister global conspiracy.

Director David Cronenberg is the master of psychologically twisted films but this particular one really takes the cake!

9. The Wicker Man (1973)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FdV-O8o7ok

Psychological-Thrillers

The story revolves around a police sergeant (Edward Woodward) who lands on a Scottish Island village in search of a missing girl.

He soon realizes that the village people doesn’t want him to investigate and more to his surprise they deny the very existence of such a missing girl!

Directed by Robin Hardy, a superb psychological thriller.

8. The Machinist (2004)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRoYCwUvBPc

Psychological-ThrillersArguably Christian Bale‘s best performance and undoubtedly his best physical transformation for a role till date.

A film so twisted and insane that I bet you won’t sleep for a year, well, the super-slim version of Bale convinces you that it is possible!

Gripping, disturbing and mind boggling; director Brad Anderson‘s brilliant thriller is a must watch!

7. Don’t Look Now (1973)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUWB-Kw4FiM

Psychological-Thrillers

Nicolas Roeg‘s innovative, nerve wrecking film, this one is considered as one of the most horrifying thrillers made till date.

A grieving couple (Julie Christie  and Donald Sutherland), visits Venice for a change of mood but soon things get more complicated than they could ever imagined!

Chilling suspense and exceptional plot twists that makes the film so special.

6. The Tenant (1976)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmhIMbdecEU

Psychological-ThrillersRoman Polanski and his endless list of psychological thrillers grabs the attention of every film buff.

And in this particular one, he himself is THE tenant who shifts to a new apartment that earlier belonged to a girl who died.

In Polanski’s apartment trilogy this one is my favorite; psychotic paranoias, obsessions and delusions get a new definition in this film.

5. Open Your Eyes (1997)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBtnPuB0x3U

Psychological-Thrillers

Love finds a handsome man but soon luck disfigures his face in a tragic accident. He tries surgery in a quest to rebuilt his face but finds out that he has lost his sanity too.

Brilliant performance by Eduardo Noriega, and Penélope Cruz is simply gorgeous! 

A Spanish film from the acclaimed director Alejandro Amenábar that will trip your mind for sure.

4. Black Swan (2010)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jaI1XOB-bs

Psychological-Thrillers

One of the best thrillers of recent times, which won Natalie Portman an Oscar in the ‘Actress in a Leading Role’ category.

Master director Darren Aronofsky creates this disturbing psychological drama based on the famous play ‘The Black Swan’.

What is real and what’s not – the whole film has a bizarre feel that keeps you guessing till the end!

3. Memento (2000)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vS0E9bBSL0

Psychological-Thrillers

We can never complete this list without mentioning Christopher Nolan‘s Memento.

A guy (Guy Pearce) in search of the murderer of his wife but short-term memory-loss makes him doubt everybody and everything around him.

Never sure whom to trust other than a few notes and some polaroids, and of course his unique tattoos!

2. Fight Club (1999)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUXWAEX2jlg

Psychological-Thrillers

Brad Pitt and Edward Norton and their infamous creation of a ‘fight club’.

An underground club that channels primal male aggression but it soon grows and evolves into something much more than its original purpose.

Acclaimed director David Fincher‘s unique film, definitely the most popular psychological thriller of recent times.

1. Psycho (1960)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NG3-GlvKPcg

Psychological-Thrillers

Alfred Hitchcock demands the first position on this list.

His other films Vertigo, Rebecca, Rear Window, Rope also could have been included here but then it would be a separate Hitchcock list altogether!

But the sinister Bates Motel, the iconic shower scene, the stuffed birds, the final confrontation with ‘mother’ – yes, that’s enough for this movie to become the best psychological thriller of all times. Please nod if you agree with me.

and (The ‘+1′ film is not necessarily the best but certainly the most innovative one. A must watch)

+1. Mulholland Drive (2001)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2_a5_BlM5k

Psychological-Thrillers

Hollywood being the backdrop, this one is a spooky tale of two women (Naomi Watts and Laura Harring) who tries to solve the weird mysteries in their lives.

Director David Lynch in his unique way blurs the lines between dreams and reality, often entering the world of surreal.

A complex film to comprehend, here are at least ten ways to interpret the film. Take a pick!

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Poster courtesy: www.impawards.com,www.imdb.com.

Big Hero 6 (2014)

My Ratings: 3.5/5.

Get ready to welcome a whole new bunch of Superheroes – the Big Hero 6 team, straight from the pages of another Marvel Comic Book series.

Big Hero 6 is the latest Disney feature, surprisingly refreshing with no songs and magical creatures; instead you got Baymax – a blown up over-sized robot who walks funny and talks healthy!

big-hero-6-poster12Hiro Hamada, the young science genius is leading the team, then we have Baymax and the company of four nerdy friends, each one with their own unique super talents (but remember their super-talents are not magical but all based on science).

As we all know, a Hero’s journey is never an easy one.

In this film Hiro Hamada, our hero, so young and talented goes through a severe crisis in his life when he looses his loving elder brother Tadashi.

But then with the help of Baymax (his brother’s invention), and his cool friends he sets out in a dangerous mission to unravel the mysterious masked man who seems to be responsible for his brother’s death.

From the kids point of view the basic story plot is simple enough – there is a bad guy who seems to be doing some bad things and the 6 Big Heroes are going to literally unmask him by the end of the film.

And the kids simply love it.

Unlike other animated films Big Hero 6 doesn’t try too hard to please the over-aged kids (adults) in the theatre (though they seem to enjoy as well). The film’s target audience is specifically the kids and it totally focuses on them.

big-hero-6-posterDirected by Don Hall and Chris Williams Big Hero 6 is undoubtedly the best kid-film of this season. Awesome level of animation and extremely detailed CG work.

I bet by the end of the film Baymax, the super adorable, funny, cute and fluffy robot will surely win your heart.

Big Hero 6, a film that is so different from the general trend of Disney Animated films – the likes of Frozen and Tangled. But as long as the kids enjoy and kick their front seats in excitement, who are we to complain.

Interstellar (2014)

My Ratings: 4/5.

Interstellar is the latest by the acclaimed director Christopher Nolan.

Nolan is a genius, the guy who has been entertaining us with a string of amazing films like Memento, The Prestige, The Dark Night, Inception; he is undoubtedly one of the best directors of our times.

And over the years we, the audience have put such immense faith in him that we believe Nolan can never go wrong, he can never make anything less than a masterpiece. Though he tried to prove us wrong a couple of years back by making The Dark Night Rises but we still insist on claiming it as yet another Nolan-classic!

Well, now it’s Interstellar’s turn to take a dip in the Holy waters.

Don’t get me wrong here – honestly I liked Interstellar very much. It’s a great concept (writers Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan) – such level of imagination and so well executed.

interstellar 1A Sci-Fi starring Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathway and Jessica Chastain, Interstellar is a film about space and black holes, about dimensions and relativity; and then again it’s also about love and betrayal.

A town covered with dirt straight from the pages of John Steinbeck’s famous novel The Grapes Of Wrath, the film starts off growing on the general idea that our beloved planet may not be the permanent residence for us. The earth-resources all used up we need to find a new place, a new planet to survive.

And soon the expedition begins.

The first half of Interstellar is intense and full of adventure and then Matt Damon joins the party and make things even more interesting.

But the final Bollywood-touch of a father-daughter connection that miraculously solves all the mysteries of the universe is well a bit something to chew on.

But after all it’s Nolan and no one dares to complain.

interstellar-2Excellent acting by Mathew McConaughey (Cooper) and especial mention for Mackenzie Foy, a truly talented young actor playing Murph (Cooper’s daughter).

Great musical score by none other than Hans Zimmer and awesome visuals by Hoyte Van Hoytema.

Interstellar is a good film, actually a great film but the tremendous effort  to make it the ultimate classic – the best-space film ever existed – even better than Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey or Tarkovsky’s Solaris does make you fully aware of such dimensions like time and gravity and it’s a good thing they exist.

A must see especially for the Sci-Fi lovers. A lot of interesting and weird takes on relativity that will make you think and discuss about the film long after you are out of the cinema hall.

Even I am a Nolan-fan myself but a request to all you fellow film-lovers – please don’t judge a particular film by keeping in mind the past films of the filmmaker. That may bias your judgments a little.

Fury (2014)

My Ratings: 2.5/5

Fury is Hollywood’s latest take on World War II and as expected, it is a vivid depiction of how the Americans whooped the Nazi asses big time.

Fury-Poster-3With none other than Brad Pitt leading the attack with his hard-jawed and typically protruded lower-lip expressions that gives him the stubborn and determined army attitude, let’s face it – the poor Germans doesn’t stand a chance.

One to fifty is the average killing ratio i.e. one American kills at least 50 ‘bloody Nazis’ before dying a heroic death or moving on to the next killing spree.

Often these German soldiers seemed to develop severe suicidal tendencies clubbed with absolutely no army instincts and knowledge on war tactics; so much so that instead of walking round the back these stupid Nazis attacked a disabled Tank from the front (repeatedly) until a whole SS battalion (fully armed) got wiped out by a handful of brave Americans hiding inside the tank.

This disabled Sherman tank named ‘Fury’ happens to be under the command of Don ‘Wardaddy’ Collier (Brad Pitt).

fury4He along with his team – the religious Shia LaBeouf, the inexperienced Logan Lerman, and the not so sophisticated Michael Pena and Jon Bernthal manages to take down innumerable German soldiers before facing the inevitable; courage, team-spirit and a-moment-of-doubt-before-facing-death still intact.

Nobody to mention especially in the acting department, everyone did their part.

With graphic gory visuals director David Ayer didn’t let a single bullet effect go unnoticed and epic dialogues like ‘Ideals are peaceful. History is violent’ tricks the audience into believing that they are watching a classic!

Fury-Poster-2Who said there was only violence with no emotional content to support?

What about the new recruitment in the team who seems not ready yet for this cruel war, but then of course with the proper guidance of the team leader he eventually proves his worth!

You find it a bit clichéd huh. Ok then how about this one?

A soldier falls in love with a girl from the enemy side but moments after, the girl dies a tragic death. The soldier is devastated but the cruel war isn’t over yet remember – so he finally toughens up and deals with his emotions!

I hope this was original enough for you.

Fury1What if I tell you that all the enemy soldiers are not bad at heart, that one of them will show mercy when the perfect opportunity comes in the story!

Overall Fury is a violent war film; may be not very original with the content but then again I guess it’s difficult to show Americans killing Nazis in a very innovative way.

Tanks being the focus of the film but I must say that Wolfgang Perterson did a hundred times better job with a submarine in 1981. (if you know what i mean).

Tank You.

Nightcrawler (2014)

My Ratings: 4/5.

Interstellar is no doubt the most anticipated release of this week; Nolan ready to take control of our imagination and lead us somewhere awesome far beyond our planet, our reality.

But Nightcrawler on the other hand is very much based on our own planet, a dangerously realistic, gritty tale based on the concept of our unconscious satisfaction in watching other people’s loss and tragedy. Thanks to the news channels.

Recently Gone Girl has depicted the hyper-realistic approach of media and to what extent these people can go to sell their story.

Now Nightcrawler pushes the envelope further and explores how these TV network channels are selling fear by showcasing violence and blood, stories of accidents, murders and gory deaths.

And to increase their TRP they want exclusive video footage, the more bloody and morbid the better the shock value.

And Louis Bloom (Lou) is their man.

The film revolves around Louis Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal) who wants to make a name for him in the media racket, so he gets a camera and start selling footage. For him this is business and in business there is no ethics and morals.

Who is really this Louis Bloom – a scavenger or a survivor, a psychopath or a potential businessman, a cold-hearted predator or an insane professional?

Well, all I can say is Lou is Jake Gyllenhaal’s best performance till date.

nightcrawler-posterJake Gyllenhaal, if you remember him as Donnie Darko has come a long way since then, been part of films like The Day after Tomorrow, Brokeback Mountain, Jarhead, Zodiac, Brothers, Prince of Persia, End of watch, Prisoners.

But as the lean and ruthless night-crawler, his overall body language, his business talk and especially the way he communicates, his cool and calculative gaze is enough to give you the creeps.

Rene Russo as the channel producer and Riz Ahmed as Lou’s partner/employee have been impressive enough.

Written and directed by Dan Gilroy (his first film as a director), Nightcrawler is a film that will engulf you into its corrupt, sadistic world but the real problem is that you will enjoy the experience and eventually feel guilty about it.

It’s something special, don’t you miss it.