Film Review - Rio 2

Song Sung Blues

 

Film: Rio 2

Voices of: Jesse Eisenberg, Amy Adams, Andy Garcia

Directed by: Carlos Saldanha

Duration: 1 hr 41 mins

Rating: * * 1 / 2

There have been some fantastic animation films lately that have been off the beaten track like Mr. Peabody and Shearman, Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs and The Lego Movie. From that point of view, Rio 2 is a disappointment because the script is as bland as vegetables boiled in hot water. The first part was enjoyable but this is just an effort to cash in on the success of the previous film.

Blu (voice of Jesse Eisenberg), Jewel (Amy Adams) and their family move to the Amazon where his father in law (Andy Garcia) doesn’t accept him easily in the clan in a Meet the Parents like scenario. Adding bit of a spark to the other dull proceedings is Nigel (Jemaine Clement) who is hunting Blu to seek revenge. Linda and Tulio Blu’s human friends are also around in the jungle when they encounter a villain who wants to cuts down the trees and bring an environmental destruction. 

Gabi, a poisonous frog in love with Nigel is another interesting character but the story of the main protagonist itself is the weakest link. The film only gets going in the last quarter, till then there are more songs and less of a story, this is Rio 2 – The Musical.

The colorful animation is appealing and kids usually enjoy just about anything in the name of animation, but the same cannot be said about adults. There is the obligatory message about saving the environment but till it gets to that point, there isn’t a lot to write home about. 

Published in  The Navhind Times on 13th Apr 2014

www.twitter.com/sachinchatte

Film Review - Her

Relationship Manager 

Film: Her

Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams

Directed by: Spike Jonze

Duration: 2 hrs

Rating: * * * *

For millions of years, mankind lived just like the animals. 

Then something happened which unleashed the power of our imagination.

We learned to talk and we learned to listen – Stephen Hawking

However ludicrous it may sound, imagine falling in love with a computer operating system who talks and reacts just like a human being. Relationships between man and machine or inanimate objects have been explored before but not to this degree. You can trust director Spike Jonze to deliver something extraordinary. 

Can machines become a substitute for humans even when it comes to love affection and relationships? After all, love makes us feel good about ourselves and who we are, perhaps it doesn’t matter whether it is a person at the other end or, just a voice that acts like one.

Set in an unspecified but not so distant future we have Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) who writes letters as a profession.  All he has to do is sit dictate and voila- the computer will produce a hand written letter. His skill of course lies in dictating the right words and feelings.

Theodore himself is a rather lonely man who is in the process of separating from his wife (Rooney Mara). His only friends are his neighbors in the building, Amy (Amy Adams) and her partner Charles.  Life changes when he installs a new operating system who can talk (voice of Scarlett Johansson) and interact with him.  Apart from being a ‘personal assistant’, Samantha as she christens herself, can talk about everything under the sun, including her feelings. Considering that his interaction with the female species has had limited success, he falls in love with Samantha. Moreover, the feeling is mutual.

As it happens in the first phase of any relationship, they both help each other grow, although his contribution is more on that count.  At least, that is what she acknowledges. Even though Samantha is just a voice and doesn’t exist in flesh and blood, everything else about her is as real as it can get. At one stage, she even comes up with idea of using a ‘substitute’ as a go-between.

Jonze narrates it in a remarkable way – when Theodore goes out on a blind date and after a bit of necking when he refutes her advances, she says “You’re one creepy dude.”

But the story is set in a time when Theodore is not the only one in a relationship with an O/S, there are many others. And as it happens with relationships there is the burden of expectation and other notions including elements of jealousy. Jonze doesn’t pass judgment on his characters either, there is no right or wrong. That is how all relationships work, that is the nature of mankind – happy endings are largely restricted to fairy tales.

The music score, the cinematography the production design and even the retro costume (he wears red and yellow shirts and unconventional trousers, and they look good) add to the mood. Scarlett Johansson as the voice of Samantha has done an incredible job- she makes her character real. Joaquin Phoenix lends so much credibility; he has got all his emotions and mannerisms in the absolute right measure. 

It will be wonderful to have this film as an audio to listen to over and over again. But while it is showing at a theatre near you, do go and watch it. 

Published in The Navhind Times on 16th Feb 2014

www.twitter.com/sachinchatte

Film Review - American Hustle

The Con Job

Film: American Hustle

Cast: Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper

Directed by: David O Russell

Duration: 2 hrs 28 mins

Rating: * * * 1 / 2

The release of American Hustle coincides with the Oscar nominations that were announced earlier this week and this film directed by David O Russell manage to garner ten nominations including four in the acting department. The film has already won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical.

Winning a lot of accolades can be a double edged sword for a film. It gets publicity but then it also raises expectations.

Director David O Russell has always been making interesting films, from Three Kings to The Fighter and Silver Linings Playbook. Inspired by the real life Abscam where several senators were arrested on corruption charges, this time he takes you back to circa 1978. An almost unrecognizable Christian Bale plays Irving Rosenfeld, a talker who is as smooth as they get. He has a well to do dry-cleaning business but ambition and his hustling talents get the better of him when he meets Sydney (Amy Adams) who makes his perfect partner in business. If the wolf on Wall Street made money by selling penny stocks, this hustler promises people a loan and takes a commission in advance which he gets to keep even if the loan never materializes. Sydney pretends to be a Brit with banking connections and uses the alias, Lady Edith Greensley.

Irving meanwhile has a wife (Jennifer Lawrence) who is bored at home and she also has a son, whom Irving treats as his own. The FBI led by Richie (Bradley Cooper) clamps down on his business and arrests him and Sydney but they also make an offer to help them nab other offenders. After careful consideration and with no other choice, they decide to join hands with the Feds.

With their conning skills, they are expected to help the officials catch some big fish and when the net is cast, the catch is indeed a big one. But not before a few complex situations arise for Irving on the personal and professional front.

While the pacing of the film is leisurely, it is with the characters that Russell keeps you involved in the proceedings. You sympathize with all of them especially Irving who wants to eat his cake and have it too. Robert De Niro plays a cameo and a terrific one as the big boss of the mob.  Jeremy Renner plays the mayor of the town who gets caught in the cross fire. 

The soundtrack is effective using retro songs from Donna Summer (I feel love), Elton John (Goodbye Yellow Brick Road) to Duke Ellington and Paul McCartney (Live and let die).

The cast has given a remarkable performance. The ladies Amy Adams and Jennifer Lawrence are among the most sought after actresses in Hollywood and for a good reason. Bale adds yet another feather to his hat, from the lean and mean brother in The Fighter to this paunchy character, the physical transformation and the portrayal is amazing.

American Hustle may not a classic as the awards and nominations suggest but it is still an entertaining enterprise.

(Published in The Navhind Times on 19th Jan 2014)

www.twitter.com/sachinchatte