KRAMER VS. KRAMER (1979)

Director:
Robert Benton

Writer:

Robert Benton

Starring:
Dustin Hoffman
Meryl Streep
Jane Alexander and others

Kramer vs. Kramer is a stunning movie. Now my job out here would be to try and find mistakes with this movie and the only thing it can be faulted of is being spectacular in all walks of film making. The writing is sensational and the performances, well I don't have words in my limited dictionary to describe them.

The story starts with Streep (Joanna Kramer) leaving Hoffman (Ted Kramer) and going away. Hoffman buckles up and looks after their only son, Billy (played exceptionally well by Justin Henry). A year and a half later Joanna realises that she cannot live without her son so she fights for his custody. The end of the movie is not the most unpredictable but it is an icing on the cake.

This movie makes you smile, not because the scene is funny but the directors light handedness when it comes to showing emotional scenes. He does not shy away from manipulating our emotions but what he does is that he brings them out in the most sincere way possible and I truly respect him for that. Kudos to this movie, watch it for an unforgivable cinematic experience.

Pranit’s Rating: 8.5/10

                            

BAD EDUCATION (2004)

Director:
Pedro Almodovar

Writer:

Pedro Almodovar

Starring:
Gael Gracia Bernal 
Fele Martinez
Javier Camara and others

Bad Education is another Almodovar movie made for giving audience the creeps. Yes the movie is based on an interestingly disturbing concept but the inept execution along with Almodovar's love for graphic portrayal of scenes one wouldn't dare to imagine, let alone watch makes this a 'cum'bersome experience (the pun is totally intended). This movie consists of the heavy dosage of sex that Almodovar is so well known for bringing out in his movies. One of the problems I had with the script was that every single person in the movie was either a transvestite or gay. The other was Almodovar's fascination with being overly melodramatic when the scene required to be subtle. All this aside Gael Gracia Bernal gives an Oscar worthy performance playing numerous characters in this movie. The scenes with the child actors are amazing but unfortunately not much else is. I was a fan of Almodovar's style of film-making but this and The Skin I Live In just put me off. I wouldn't recommend this, not in a million years.

Pranit’s Rating: 4/10

CHILDREN OF MEN (2006)

Director:
Alfonso Cuaron

Writer:

Alfonso Cuaron
Timothy J. Sexton and others

Starring:
Clive Owen
Julianne Moore
Michael Caine and others

Children Of Men is an engaging watch courtesy the brilliance of Cuaron (better known for directing Harry Potter and The Prisoner Of Azkaban and Y Tu Mama Tambien ). The script is well paced but what really stood out for me was the direction. Cuaron expertly incorporates small nuances to make it evident that the world is no longer like it is in the present times. Gorgeously disturbing cinematography adds another dimension to the movie, which is set in London in 2027, in a time when humans cannot reproduce. Clive Owen is very good and the supporting cast does pitch in efficiently. Do watch this movie especially for its stunning direction and screenplay.

Pranit’s Rating: 8/10

SPECIAL CHABBIS (2013)

Director:
Neeraj Pandey

Writer:

Neeraj Pandey

Starring:
Akshay Kumar 
Anupam Kher
Manoj Bajpayee and others

Special Chabbis is a deliciously taunt thriller. Aided by a more than able cast this movie is extremely engaging. Brilliantly directed this movie is director-writer Neeraj Pandey's second movie (his follow up to the sensational A Wednesday). The story involves a gang of four con men who pretend to be CBI and IT agents and conduct raids. As they target people with truckloads of black money they are never reported and therefore never caught till the "real" CBI decides to investigate.

As proven by his earlier film, he is more than capable of pulling of a tense thriller, but unlike A Wednesday this movie suffers from one flaw, namely Kajal Agarwal. I am sure that even she does not know as to what her role in the movie is and is therefore delivers a confused and uninspired performance. Pandey could have trimmed the movie by fifteen minutes just by doing away with her character.

Kajal Agarwal aside the movie is perfect and the humour infused into tense scenes works in favour of this movie. The dialogue writing is sharp and the characters are well drawn out. Anupam Kher is truly memorable as Sharma, a con man who is quintessentially a nervous train wreck in real life. Manoj Bajpayee has a perpetual scorn etched to his face and Akshay Kumar delivers a good performance. At the end, after mixing all these ingredients, we have a movie which makes us root for the bad guys in their battle of wits against the good.

Pranit’s Rating: 7.5/10

SUNSET BLVD. (1950)

Director:
Billy Wilder

Writer:

Billy Wilder
Charles Brackett

Starring:
William Holden
Gloria Sawnson
Erich von Stroheim and others

To call Billy Wilder a great storyteller would be an insult to truly the pioneer of the thriller genre. There is one thing common to all Wilder movies, the end of the movie is shown and then the movie progresses to describe as to how one reached that particular ending. Sensationally written this story is about a yesteryear's silent movie actress (Gloria Sawnson) who hires a young screenplay writer (William Holden) to compile a movie she has been writing for years. Swanson is mesmerizing and Holden is charming while the performances of the supporting actors especially Erich von Stroheim and Nancy Olsen are worthy of the Oscar nominations they received.

The screenplay is phenomenal and so is Wilder's direction. The climax sequence is exceptionally executed. One other thing I admire about Wilder is the dialogue writing in his movies. This movie too boasts of great dialogues and the banter between William Holden and Nancy Olsen at a New Years Eve party is truly memorable. This movie does miss the frantic pace of Double Indemnity but it is more than memorable in its own way.

Pranit’s Rating: 7/10

ALMOST FAMOUS (2000)

Director:

Cameron Crowe

Writer:

Cameron Crowe

Starring:
Billy Crudup
Francis McDormand
Kate Hudson and others

Almost Famous is a movie where the saying 'Don't judge a book by its cover' would apply. On the face of it, it seems to be just another movie about a rock band and its ultimate fall from grace but what the viewers actually get is more than they could have asked for. It is a sensationally written coming of age story. It is funny, quirky and easily boasts of one of the best written scripts of all time. Hats off Cameron Crowe.

Now the story revolves about a 15 year old boy who is given the chance of a lifetime to write about an upcoming rock band for Rolling Stone. The movie navigates expertly through all the various places and the characterisation is truly memorable. Kate Hudson gives one of my favourite performances of all time. She plays Penny Lane with cultured class and her charm makes it impossible for a person to hate her. This movie is definitely worth your time, even if that time borders on the 160 minutes mark.

Pranit’s Rating: 8/10

THE MASTER (2012)

Director:

Paul Thomas Anderson

Writer:

Paul Thomas Anderson

Starring:
Joaquin Phoenix
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Amy Adams and others

The Master is a film I am sure most of the audience didn't understand. What is the purpose of all that is being showing? Well this question passed my mind also, many a time but then I realized that the best way to enjoy this movie is not to try and interpret the contents on the screen but to view them an unbiased and open mind. Well you may ask whether this actually did help me or not. To be frank I am not sure. I still consider it to be a character study and it definitely works as that.

The Master for all its incongruity is a movie blessed with one of the most amazing performances in recent times. Joaquin Phoenix is surely my pick for the Oscar's this year. He alters his way of enunciation and walk, which adds depth to his potentially tricky character. Philip Hoffman Seymour is also very good and the scene in which he is calm in the prison while Phoenix is breaking stuff in his prison cell, is brilliantly shot and enacted. Don't go into the movie expecting anything and you will end up enjoying it.

Pranit’s Rating: 7/10