I saw The Curious Case of Benjamin Button on Saturday and have been trying to sort it out ever since.
David Fincher and screenwriter Eric Roth (Forrest Gump) have delivered an historic achievement, a masterful piece of cinema, and a moving treatise on death, loss, loneliness and love. As the movie proceeds, and Brad Pitt as Button ages backwards, we know where he is headed: it's where we are all going. But he feels he has to go there by himself, without his loved ones. And nobody wants to die alone. (Here is Todd McCarthy's review.)
So when the movie reaches its climax, it is extraordinarily moving .It may pack a more powerful punch the older you are and the more people you have lost. In that case it will score with the Academy, who will also recognize the skillful filmmaking on display.
The movie marks a seismic shift in terms of what is possible in moviemaking. What Fincher and his team have done is no small technological feat. Button starts off as a CG-aged baby, moves through CG-altered older Pitt faces superimposed on small bodies, and then proceeds to the "real" Pitt wearing makeup and then getting younger and younger. Thus the film's central performance is in great part a visual effect. (Blanchett is also made younger digitally, but aged with makeup.) That accounts in part for the movie's high cost (well above $150 million) but is also its primary limitation.
Thus, while I admire the film's amazing accomplishment--it's hard to imagine that anyone but the digitally sophisticated Fincher, who has become adept at "painting" his digital canvases, could have pulled this off--the movie is not entirely satisfying. But given what it is, it's hard to imagine it being done done any better. The actors are superb, especially Pitt and Cate Blanchett, who should earn Oscar noms. What's missing has partly to do with the limitations of the technology. Button reminds me of Peter Sellers as Chauncey Gardner in Being There. He's oddly passive and restrained, zen-like as he floats through all the decades, watching, listening, learning. He narrates the tale via his diary, along with his dying love Blanchett. We see him engaging with people, but he never says much. We see him from the outside; we never get under his skin, and we never learn the fruits of his wisdom. He stays much the same.
Still, the movie is sadly beautiful, of a piece, as impeccably wrought as its ornate clock that runs counterclockwise. Do Paramount and Warner Bros. have a prayer of making their money back? This movie needs all the help it can get, from anyone who loves movies and wants the studios to take more risky bets like this one.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
MILK review
Sean Penn and Gus Van Sant have a proposition for us: a biopic dedicated to the memory of San Francisco activist and City Supervisor Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California, who was murdered by a fellow supervisor in 1978.
Sean Penn plays San Francisco City Supervisor Harvey Milk in "Milk," directed by Gus Van Sant.
The subject may be a tricky sell, but the timing feels right -- a few weeks late to save Californians' same-sex marriage rights, admittedly, but the need to keep on fighting through adversity may be Milk's most important legacy.
And "Milk" is a powerful movie that will stir more than a few hearts and minds.
An audiotape Milk records "just in case" is screenwriter Dustin Lance Black's convenient structuring device, foregrounding the story's tragic outcome and allowing Milk to narrate his own life story.
In this telling, it's a life that begins at 40 -- when he picks up Scott (James Franco), falls in love, comes out and drops out. The year is 1970, and San Fransisco beckons. Their Castro Street camera store soon becomes a focal point for the booming gay community, and it's not long before Milk makes the first of several unsuccessful runs for district supervisor.
Civic elections might seem like small beer, but the persecution that compelled Milk to run for office is no trivial matter. The gay rights movement's most critical accomplishment, the film suggests, is how it liberated gays to be themselves.
Don't Miss
Academy Awards Spotlight (links you to CNN awards spotlight)
As Milk tries to explain to his heterosexual colleague Dan White (Josh Brolin), this isn't about principles, it's about people's lives -- three of his lovers had threatened suicide. One of them, Jack Lira (Diego Luna), goes through with it. The political can't get more personal than that. Ironically, the devoutly "normal" White is the one who is truly messed up.
Here's another irony: To earn the recognition and validation of the voters, Milk has to shed his reborn hippie uniform and ponytail, put on a suit and get a haircut. Making the same calculation, director Gus Van Sant has axed the long takes and experimentalism that made "Elephant" and "Paranoid Park" arresting but decidedly marginal experiences and turned in his most conventional movie since "Finding Forrester." In other words, he's playing it straight this time.
The strategy is sound; the execution, nearly flawless. Van Sant captures the time and the place with unobtrusive precision, seamlessly mixing in reams of archival news reports. (She may not know it, but Anita Bryant has a co-starring role in this movie.)
Penn is studied and thoughtful, impassioned and immediately sympathetic as Milk. It's easy to see how he attracts so much support -- and how his drive and commitment don't leave enough time for a "real" life. When Penn smiles, there's always pain there -- it's almost a wince -- and he smiles a lot here.
"Milk" may be a little too homogenized for some tastes. Like "Philadelphia" and "Brokeback Mountain," it's careful how it advances its agenda (and it does have one).
But it's not just a single-issue movie. In its conviction that "change" isn't effected through rhetoric alone, but through the hard slog of campaign work, persuasion, inspiration, inclusion and good old, bad old politicking, "Milk" says something about how progress is achieved in America. In that respect, it evokes the best aspirations of the country -- and, for that matter, of filmmaking.
Sean Penn plays San Francisco City Supervisor Harvey Milk in "Milk," directed by Gus Van Sant.
The subject may be a tricky sell, but the timing feels right -- a few weeks late to save Californians' same-sex marriage rights, admittedly, but the need to keep on fighting through adversity may be Milk's most important legacy.
And "Milk" is a powerful movie that will stir more than a few hearts and minds.
An audiotape Milk records "just in case" is screenwriter Dustin Lance Black's convenient structuring device, foregrounding the story's tragic outcome and allowing Milk to narrate his own life story.
In this telling, it's a life that begins at 40 -- when he picks up Scott (James Franco), falls in love, comes out and drops out. The year is 1970, and San Fransisco beckons. Their Castro Street camera store soon becomes a focal point for the booming gay community, and it's not long before Milk makes the first of several unsuccessful runs for district supervisor.
Civic elections might seem like small beer, but the persecution that compelled Milk to run for office is no trivial matter. The gay rights movement's most critical accomplishment, the film suggests, is how it liberated gays to be themselves.
Don't Miss
Academy Awards Spotlight (links you to CNN awards spotlight)
As Milk tries to explain to his heterosexual colleague Dan White (Josh Brolin), this isn't about principles, it's about people's lives -- three of his lovers had threatened suicide. One of them, Jack Lira (Diego Luna), goes through with it. The political can't get more personal than that. Ironically, the devoutly "normal" White is the one who is truly messed up.
Here's another irony: To earn the recognition and validation of the voters, Milk has to shed his reborn hippie uniform and ponytail, put on a suit and get a haircut. Making the same calculation, director Gus Van Sant has axed the long takes and experimentalism that made "Elephant" and "Paranoid Park" arresting but decidedly marginal experiences and turned in his most conventional movie since "Finding Forrester." In other words, he's playing it straight this time.
The strategy is sound; the execution, nearly flawless. Van Sant captures the time and the place with unobtrusive precision, seamlessly mixing in reams of archival news reports. (She may not know it, but Anita Bryant has a co-starring role in this movie.)
Penn is studied and thoughtful, impassioned and immediately sympathetic as Milk. It's easy to see how he attracts so much support -- and how his drive and commitment don't leave enough time for a "real" life. When Penn smiles, there's always pain there -- it's almost a wince -- and he smiles a lot here.
"Milk" may be a little too homogenized for some tastes. Like "Philadelphia" and "Brokeback Mountain," it's careful how it advances its agenda (and it does have one).
But it's not just a single-issue movie. In its conviction that "change" isn't effected through rhetoric alone, but through the hard slog of campaign work, persuasion, inspiration, inclusion and good old, bad old politicking, "Milk" says something about how progress is achieved in America. In that respect, it evokes the best aspirations of the country -- and, for that matter, of filmmaking.
slumdog review
Slumdog Millionaire is a 2008 British drama film directed by Danny Boyle, co-directed by Loveleen Tandan,and written by Simon Beaufoy. It is an adaptation of the Boeke Prize-winning and Commonwealth Writers' Prize-nominated novel Q & A (2005) by Indian author and diplomat Vikas Swarup.
Set and filmed in India, Slumdog Millionaire tells the story of a young man from the slums of Mumbai who appears on the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (Kaun Banega Crorepati, mentioned in the Hindi version) and exceeds people's expectations, arousing the suspicions of the game show host and of law enforcement officials.
After screenings at the Telluride Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival, Slumdog Millionaire initially had a limited North American release on November 12, 2008 by Fox Searchlight Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures, to critical acclaim and awards success. It later had a nationwide release in the United Kingdom on January 9, 2009 and in the United States on January 23, 2009.[3] It premiered in Mumbai on January 22, 2009.[4]
Slumdog Millionaire was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and won eight, the most for any film that year, including Best Picture. It also won five Critics' Choice Awards, four Golden Globes, and seven BAFTA Awards, including Best Film. The film is also the subject of controversy concerning its portrayal of India and Hinduism as well as the welfare of its child actors.
it got total 8 oscars.
oscars 2009 nominiees and winners
Best Picture:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
The Reader
Actor:
Richard Jenkins in The Visitor
Frank Langella in Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn in Milk (Winner)
Brad Pitt, in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler
Actress:
Anne Hathaway in Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie in Changeling
Melissa Leo in Frozen River
Meryl Streep in Doubt
Kate Winslet in The Reader (Winner)
Supporting Actor:
Josh Brolin in Milk
Robert Downey Jr. in Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman in Doubt
Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight (Winner)
Michael Shannon in Revolutionary Road
Supporting Actress:
Amy Adams in Doubt
Penelope Cruz in Vicky Cristina Barcelona (Winner)
Viola Davis in Doubt
Taraji P Henson in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei in The Wrestler
Director:
David Fincher in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard in Frost/Nixon
Gus Van Sant in Milk
Stephen Daldry in The Reader
Danny Boyle in Slumdog Millionaire (Winner)
Foreign Film:
The Baader Meinhof Complex Germany
The Class France
Departures Japan (Winner)
Revanche Austria
Waltz With Bashir Israel
Adapted Screenplay:
Eric Roth and Robin Swicord-The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
John Patrick Shanley-Doubt
Peter Morgan-Frost/Nixon
David Hare-The Reader
Simon Beaufoy-Slumdog Millionaire (Winner)
Original Screenplay:
Courtney Hunt-Frozen River
Mike Leigh-Happy-Go-Lucky
Martin McDonagh-In Bruges
Dustin Lance Black- Milk (Winner)
Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon and Pete Docter-WALL-E
Animated Feature Film:
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
WALL-E (Winner)
Art Direction:
Changeling
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Winner)
The Dark Knight
The Duchess
Revolutionary Road
Cinematography:
Changeling
The Dark Knight
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire (Winner)
Sound Mixing:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Slumdog Millionaire (Winner)
WALL-E
Wanted.
Sound Editing:
The Dark Knight (Winner)
Iron Man
WALL-E
Wanted
Original Score:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button-Alexandre Desplat
Defiance - James Newton Howard
Milk - Danny Elfman
Slumdog Millionaire- AR Rahman (Winner)
WALL-E Thomas Newman
Original Song :
Down to Earth from WALL-E - Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman
Jai Ho from Slumdog Millionaire- AR Rahman and Gulzar (Winner)
O Saya from Slumdog Millionaire- AR Rahman and Maya Arulpragasam
Costume:
Australia
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Duchess (Winner)
Revolutionary Road
Documentary Feature :
The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)
Encounters at the End of the World
The Garden
Man on Wire (Winner)
Trouble the Water
Documentary (short subject):
The Conscience of Nhem En
The Final Inch
Smile Pinki (Winner)
The Witness — From the Balcony of Room 306
Film Editing :
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Frost/Nixon
Slumdog Millionaire (Winner)
Makeup:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Winner)
The Dark Knight
Hellboy II
The Golden Army
Animated Short Film :
La Maison en Petits Cubes (Winner)
Lavatory — Lovestory
Oktapodi
Presto
This Way Up
Live Action Short Film:
Auf der Strecke (On the Line)
Manon on the Asphalt
New Boy
The Pig
Spielzeugland (Toyland) (Winner)
Visual Effects :
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Winner)
The Dark Knight
Iron Man
Friday, February 20, 2009
ARUNDATHI REVIEW
remember shyam prasad reddy?? remember kodi rama krishna?? AMMORU?? the excellent graphical oriented movie which rocked the theatres.it had such an impact that the ammoru idols are placed in each and every theatre.The pair is known for an excellent output. with the hit like ammoru we expected "ANJI" wil be a blockbuster. but due to its long making time and the graphics are already been into some serials of tmail tv industry and so the movie dint work.the movie was not taken care in screenplay part. ofcourse it is good at graphics. and the another main reason for its flop is the story doesnt suit well for the "MEGASTAR". its the history.a mixture of good and bad. now they are back....... the same pair is back again......
"ARUNDATHI" the movie of "sonu sood". yes its the movie of sonu sood.he got an awesome role and its totally justified.The dialogue dubbing excellently suits him.
the dialogues like "AMMA BHAMMAALI" "80 ELLU GA NANNU E SAMADHI LO KULLABETTTINA NINNU VADALA BHAMMAALI VADALA" "VASTA VAST TAPPAKA VASTA" looks simple but when delivered by the dubbing artist and when heard as they are delivered by pasupathi(sonu sood) thye wear a powerful volumes.
ANUSHKA the title role performer in arundathi must have taken more care in dancing steps.the dialogue delivery and the facial expressions are well handled.she showed the matured action as "ARUNDATHI". the way she stands. the way she walks. the way she looks. at this point i have to present u the child artist who played the "ARUNDATHI" role. she had that looks, that tigress appearance. correct emotional expression.
coming to production he is shyam prasad. who never comprimises for a good output. kodi rama krishna who just delivered "EK POLICE" with naga babu which bombed at the theatre the next moment "ARUNDAHTI" kept him on the peaks.
best scenes:
the dialogues like "AMMA BHAMMAALI" "80 ELLU GA NANNU E SAMADHI LO KULLABETTTINA NINNU VADALA BHAMMAALI VADALA" "VASTA VAST TAPPAKA VASTA" looks simple but when delivered by the dubbing artist and when heard as they are delivered by pasupathi(sonu sood) thye wear a powerful volumes.
ANUSHKA the title role performer in arundathi must have taken more care in dancing steps.the dialogue delivery and the facial expressions are well handled.she showed the matured action as "ARUNDATHI". the way she stands. the way she walks. the way she looks. at this point i have to present u the child artist who played the "ARUNDATHI" role. she had that looks, that tigress appearance. correct emotional expression.
coming to production he is shyam prasad. who never comprimises for a good output. kodi rama krishna who just delivered "EK POLICE" with naga babu which bombed at the theatre the next moment "ARUNDAHTI" kept him on the peaks.
best scenes:
1.when she enters the old palace she suddely changes her character to arundathi.
2.the shiyaji shinde sequences are all well handled.
3.the child artist role played by "ARUNDATHI"
4.the death scene of arundathi.
5.the making of weapon from the bones of arundathi.
6.the sonu sood becoming the real "AGHORA'
7.the way arundathi contols pasupathi and fixes him inside.
the following scenes might have been taken care of making
the following scenes might have been taken care of making
1.the dancing sequence of arundathi before pasupathi.
2.the climax graphic sequences.
3.the way the flashback was told.
the song "jejamma" has not got apprisals before the movie. but in the movie it aptly fixed to the arundathi role.
the song "jejamma" has not got apprisals before the movie. but in the movie it aptly fixed to the arundathi role.
The theme taken is presented in trailer which created interest and the same thing is written in the movie when the title appears . it goes like this "paga tho maraninchina manishi pretatma avutundi. adi thana paga therchukune varaku e lokanni vidichi podu"
totally the movie is a nice thrilling experience. its the first hit in 2009.
i rate it 4 out of 5.
i rate it 4 out of 5.
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