LOST IN TRANSLATION (2003)

Director:

Sofia Coppola

Writer:
Sofia Coppola

Starring:

Bill Murray
Scarlett Johansson
Giovanni Ribisi and others

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Pranit’s Rating : 5.5/10

Lost in Translation is a decent movie. Yes it is charming in places and the performances are top notch but the problem I had was the execution of a the very good script. Sofia Coppola does a good job behind the camera.  Some scenes are beautiful and witty which lends weight to the movie but it just doesn't feel enough. Still you can give it a try for Bill Murray's charming performance even though the end result is a movie lost in transition from paper to celluloid.

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Akshansh's Rating : 9.5/10

Talent runs in the Coppola family. There is no doubt about that. None at all.

Lost in Translation is a quietly beautiful movie - challenging in it's implications and yet, it manages to be subdued and relaxed at the same moment. Bill Murray is excellent as Bob Harris - he delivers with ease a performance that sums up his life's regrets, his fading career and a superficial relation with his wife.

Enter Scar-Jo, a psychology graduate, who too has doubts of her own : whether her young marriage was a correct decision? Has she "bound" herself? Where is she to go from here onward? What is she to do in life?

So, it ain't a surprise that these two 'lost' souls hit it off instantly.

The scenes at the hotel bar are some of the best in the movie - Sofia Coppola brilliantly captures the deep-seated insecurities of the central characters. Towards the end of the movie, she even manages to convert the unromantic skyline of Tokyo into something humane. Something that evoked hope.

The Scar-Jo - Murray chemistry is simply amazing. I haven't seen anything better since or prior. The magic of their relationship lies in the fact that it isn't carnal, but just a healthy (and rather rarely found) companionship in a foreign land. When Murray sings "More Than This" in that karaoke bar with his eyes fixed on Jo, it hints at something playful, but nothing creepy that can put the audience off.

Ultimately, Murray has to return to America. His trip is over. And with it, the promise of a budding relationship. This is what makes the last scene all the more special.

As serendipity would have it, they meet again. He comes out of the limo that is to take him to the airport, chases down Jo and kisses her. Then, he whispers something in her ear. Sofia Coppola's stroke of genius is this : whatever he says is overpowered by the buzz of the Asian markets. Jo smiles, Murray returns to his limo, and I'm still left wondering what he could have possibly said to her.

Then, I realise what Coppola has done : I guess she knew that we never wanted to know what had conspired in those few seconds afterall. Like those two, I found it easy to remain suspended in that moment. Neither inquiring nor over-thinking.

This movie is like poetry in motion. It'll be sometime before it can be displaced from my top 10 list.

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TAXI DRIVER (1976)

Director:

Martin Scorsese

Writer:

Paul Schrader

Starring:

Robert De Niro
Jodie Foster
Cybill Shepherd and others

Taxi Driver is vintage Scorsese. Brilliantly directed this movie is a beautiful look into the human's psyche especially when it comes to the moribund urban life. Robert De Niro is in smashing form in this particular film. Though the film labours in places, it still makes a compelling watch.  

    

Pranit’s Rating: 7/10

SE7EN (1995)

Director:

David Fincher

Writer:

Andrew Kevin Walker

Starring:

Morgan Freeman
Brad Pitt
Kevin Spacey and others

Se7en in my opinion is highly overrated. Blessed with a stunning cast and equally stunning performances this movie could have been so much more. The pace of the script is a little too slow for my liking and the direction wasn't very appealing. The climax is amazing but other than that nothing else really is.

 Pranit’s Rating: 5/10

THE USUAL SUSPECTS (1995)

Director:

Byran Singer

Writer:

Christopher McQuairre

Starring:

Kevin Spacey
Gabriel Byrne
Chazz Palminteri and others

The Usual Suspects is one of those rare movies those twist in the end left me speechless. Exceptionally executed and conceptually stirring this movie does full justice to its suspense genre. Kevin Spacey is stunningly brilliant in his portrayal of a cripple. An engaging narrative is the other plus point of this movie.Do not miss this one!      

    

Pranit’s Rating: 8/10

THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991)

Director:

Jonathan Demme

Writer:

Thomas Harris
Ted Tally

Starring:

Jodie Foster
Anthony Hopkins
Lawrence A. Bonney and others

The Silence of The Lambs is the best thriller of all time. Stunning in execution and layered with details this movie is a brilliant one time watch. The script is very well written but the main hero of this movie is Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter. A true masterpiece from Hopkins and no villain (other than Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight) has come remotely close to emulating his performance. Do't miss this one.   

    

Pranit’s Rating: 8/10
Kunal's Rating 9/10

THE GODFATHER (1972)

Director: Francis Ford Coppola 

Starring: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino and James Caan
 

Plot Summary: The aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son.
 

This compelling movie of mafia and family life is superb in every department, writing, acting, directing, a highlight of Coppola's career as well as of New American Cinema. The Godfather introduced a legendary filmmaker and several acting greats in the telling of an Italian American dynasty undone by the tragic circumstances of their criminal exploits.
 

Aarnav’s Rating: 8.5/10

 

MEMENTO

Director:

Christopher Nolan

Writer:

Christopher Nolan

Jonathan Nolan

Starring:

Guy Pearce

Carrie- Anne Moss

Joe Pantoliano and others

Direction wise Memento is Nolan’s best. It takes you a good half an hour to realise so to what is happening in the movie. Guy Pearce is good but the hero of the movie is the exceptional script. The script is so intricately detailed that you uncover new moments each time you watch the film.  

Aarnav's Rating:9/10

Pranit’s Rating: 7.5/10
Kunal's Rating 8/10

INCEPTION

Director:

Christopher Nolan

Writer:

Christopher Nolan

Starring:

Leonardo DiCaprio

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Tom Hardy

Ellen Page

Ken Watanabe and others

Visually breath-taking, intellectually challenging, conceptually detailed, Inception is a true Sci-fi masterpiece. Built on a strong premise the movie doesn’t let the viewers attention divert for even a second. Nolan’s crisp writing and resourceful performance by the leads is what makes this dense movie eminently enjoyable.

Kunal's Rating 9.5/10

Pranit’s Rating: 9/10
Aarnav's Rating:9/10

 

THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS (2006)

Director:

Gabrielle Muccino

Writer:

Steve Conrad

Starring:

Will Smith

Jaden Smith

Thandie Newton and others

Very rarely does a movie come along which makes you want to cry as well as smile at the same time. This movie does that and so much more. Aided by a soulful performance by Will Smith, this movie tugs your heart strings from the very first scene and refuses to let go. The scene you remember long after the movie is done and dusted is the one in which Will Smith convinces his son that they have travelled through time, reaching the age of the dinosaurs and the only way to escape them is to sleep in the bathroom of the subway station. Truly memorable stuff, watch it on that lazy Sunday afternoon when a feel good movie is the need of the hour. 

Pranit’s Rating: 8.5/10
Kunal's Rating: 9/10
Aarnav’s Rating: 7/10

THE DARK KNIGHT (2008)

Director:

Christopher Nolan

Writer:

Christopher Nolan

Jonathan Nolan

Starring:

Christian Bale

Heath Ledger

Gary Oldman

Aaron Eckhart

Michael Caine and others

Well to say this movie is anything less than perfect is an insult to the memory of the exceptional Heath Ledger. Each actor has a movie they are always remembered for and Heath Ledger’s performance will be taken as a benchmark for acting excellence for generations to come. In the capable hands of Nolan this movie starts at a dizzying pace and never let’s goes of that. One of the best movies of all times.

Aarnav’s Rating: 9/10

Pranit’s Rating: 9/10
Kunal's Rating: 9.5/10