Movie Geek's Blog

Cast: Ulrich Mühe, Martina Gedeck, Sebastian Koch

Directed by: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck

Genre: Drama, Thriller

A Guest Review by Nafees Ahmed

Reviewer's Rating: ★★★★½

The plot of 'The Lives of others' at its outset, may seem very familiar to psychological surveillance drama , "The Conversation" directed by Francis Ford Coppola, where lead protagonist of both the movies sit around the clock with headset clamped over their ears, stone faced, expressionless and surveying a romantic couple.  But the similarity ends here, and 'The Lives of Others' slips into psyche of three principle characters who are struggling to live a normal life and honestly peruse their career and aspiration with no restriction, midst of all the chaos during 1984 Cold War, at Berlin Wall.

This dark and gloomy drama about three struggling souls, written and directed by first-timer Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, was a deserving winner of 2006 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. The Lives of others tries to examine the human nature and subtle love that somewhere beneath never blossoms, during the tragic struggling phase of exploiters and exploited people. The Stasi, the GDR's secret police, whose had vast network of informants( 2% of the entire civilian population was on the payroll during 1984), were sinister exploiters who never shy to bug the house of suspects and exploit their personal life.

Minister of Culture Bruno Hempf seizes an opportunity to take an undue advantage of vulnerable Actress Christa-Maria Sieland whose Playwright boyfriend Dreyman is under suspicion after he escaped state scrutiny due to his pro-Communist views and international recognition. While Stasi Captain, Gerd Wiesler, starts his surveillance by bugging Dreyman's apartment, sooner he realizes that he himself is a part of more sinister plan that involves  personal gain.

Film is about two honest individual who are disillusioned at the way they see their society and their own personal life .One of the focal points here deals with the issue of an honest man who takes his job religiously, but how possibly he reacts to circumstances that ask him to deflect his own path of an honest and righteous being.

But sooner Wiesler sympathizes with Dreyman and Christa's exploited artistic and personal life, and ultimately he jeopardizes his own career. At the other end, handsome Dreyman is passionate about his work and passionately in love with his beautiful girlfriend; oblivious to the fact that his apartment is under surveillance. Character of Dreyman is flawed but good guy who has earned himself name among theater people & GDR, and seeks removal of culpable theatrical colleagues from the blacklist, and who ends up writing a sensational article for the western press.

The Lives Of Others is highly compelling political thriller that horrifically thrives on backdrop of Berlin Wall, East Germany; it is profoundly emotional film that has ability to shatter you. It is powerful film that is perfectly constructed blending human drama, romance and thriller that is devoid of any ho-hums and cliché, twists are unpredictable and never seem forced while climax will definitely give lump in your throat.

Cast:  Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo, John Goodman

Directed by: Michel Hazanavicius

The Artist works for an audience that have never experienced a silent movie before and is fascinated by knowing the facts that Hollywood was once Hollywood land. The Artist is a fairy tale for people who wonders about silent movies, instead of exploring them.

I have watched more than 200 films from the period of 1900-1930, so I can say, I have a fair understanding of the silent film era and the body language, they used to have, and this film over-stylized the whole environment of the silent era. This is one reason, we love Singin' in the Rain, because it was realistic. 

I really appreciate their effort and I also have an unsaid soft spot for movies about movies but I was disappointed with this movie.

Jean Dujardin was charming but was extremely one-dimensional. I really wanted to see how different George Valentin is off screen than On-Screen but he was shallow, he was given just one face to wear. On the other hand, Berenice Bejo, was really good at her role, she understood the ascent her character's life taken more than Jean Dujardin's understood his descent. It was definitely a good performance, but he won an undeserving Oscar.

The Artist is a good film, a kind that people remembers from a certain year but winning an Oscar for Best Picture is over rating it. Academy does this every time, they don't give the Oscar to a movie, they give it to a cause. Well then if it was for a cause I support the cause called "The Artist" and another cause "Argo".

Movie Geek's Rating: ★★★

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Cast: Michael Keaton, Edward Norton, Zach Galifianakis, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts

Directed by: Alejandro González Iñárritu

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Movie Geek's Rating: ★★★★★

Also featured in IMDb Critic Reviews

Spectacular, breathtaking, an exhibition of surrealism and a thousand other things. Birdman is a great piece of Cinema.

Michael Keaton stars as an ageing Riggan Thomson, once popular for playing a superhero called Birdman, a superhero franchise which had its last film in 1992, [which interestingly is also the year Michael Keaton’s 2nd batman film released] and is now desperately looking for a comeback by appearing in a Broadway play. It is metaphorically a film on Michael Keaton’s career. [Although Keaton believes that the character Riggan Thomson is the most dissimilar to his real life personality.] 

22 years after Tim Burton made his last Batman film with Michael Keaton, who would have thought that the near extinct Keaton will return in such a hauntingly beautiful fashion and deliver the greatest performance of his career. Michael Keaton is also the most deserving candidate for this year's Academy Award for the Best Actor.

I wonder, if director Alejandro González Iñárritu wanted to cast a washed out super hero actor to play the lead character in Birdman or he always wanted to make a film on Michael Keaton’s life after Batman Returns. Whatever the case may be, there is no one I can imagine who could play the leading character in Birdman better than Michael Keaton.

Birdman is a satire on Hollywood and the actors who played these characters. It’s a satire on Michael Keaton because the character’s story does resemble his career and a parody on Edward Norton because like his character, he is also a famously annoying co-star to work with.

As the film starts, we see Riggan Thomson meditating, floating mid air in a lotus pose and we hear a voice saying “how did we end up here?” That voice is Birdman’s which sounds like the famous Batman growl. Right from the first scene, Keaton looked intense and a completely new guy you may never have seen before. It was from that very moment you knew that both Riggan Thomson and Michael Keaton are going to change the saddening reality of their careers.

Riggan Thomson reminds one of Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard in a completely different way. Unlike Norma, Riggan doesn't confine himself to a life that doesn't really exist anymore, he has an unpleasant reality but somewhere he is still weaved in that alter ego of his. He wants the voice to shut up but he also embraces the superhero mannerism of Birdman when he puts the television off or moves random objects or opens a door using his mind [or he believes he does all those things]. It is left for how we interpret it individually, like we interpreted differently what the briefcase contained in Pulp Fiction.

Emmanuel Lubezki received the 7th nomination of his career for Best Achievement in Cinematography. He has done another master work and this time he created an illusion that the whole film was shot all in one long take. This is something he mastered in this great scene from Children of Men.

It is one of the best ensemble casts I have seen in many years. Each and everyone played their parts to perfection.

Michael Keaton’s performance was intense and hard hitting as if somewhere in the back of his head he knew that this might be his last big chance to score. Edward Norton as Mike is a self proclaimed perfectionist who plays a mysteriously selfish but there is something really fishy about him that you never totally love or hate him.

Zach Galifianakis was unbelievably good as the producer cum best friend of Keaton’s character; he can really do serious black comedy, bringing out the humor without actually doing a funny scene. There are 4 strong and significant woman characters and one just can’t imagine Birdman without anyone of them. Emma Stones, Naomi Watts, Amy Ryan and Andrea Riseborough play these characters. Each one of them had a different equation with Riggan Thomson. Emma Stones outshines the rest of the 3 and deservingly received an Oscar nomination for her portrayal as the messed up back from rehab daughter.

In an interesting scene, Riggan Thomson tells her ex-wife of an incident:

“The last time I flew here from LA, George Clooney was sitting two seats in front of me. With those cuff links, and that chin. We ended up flying through this really bad storm. The plane started to rattle and shake, and everyone on board was crying and praying. And I just sat there-- Sat there thinking that when Sam opened that paper it was going to be Clooney's face on the front page. Not mine. Did you know that Farrah Fawcett died on the same day as Michael Jackson?”

Ironically both Michael Keaton and George Clooney played Batman and even though we hated Clooney as Batman, we have seen his career flourish but Keaton never graduated from a mediocre filmography. This perhaps justifies the question the voice of Birdman asks Riggan: “how did we end up here”.

Birdman is poetic, hallucinating and extremely illusive. It has an environment that resembles that of an art-house cinema. It is a passionate work of art that leaves you craving for more. 

As Riggan Thomson tries to regain his lost stardom, Michael Keaton redeemed himself in the process. Birdman is one of the best films of this decade. 

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Charlie Chaplin and Harry Myers in a scene from Citylights [1931]

If there is something called magic, I would say, it’s right here in movie business. Why?? The prime reason is – You are in your world of imagination. I was not that avid movie watcher until the summer of 2010, when I saw, Good Will Hunting (1997), I just simply fell in love with the movie for its simple message, of hunting yourself within the sea of competition. Ever since, I have followed and watched movies, every single day of my existence so far. Now, I say, we learn many things from movies. Below is my list of life lessons that we learn from Hollywood movie. 

The Tale of the fox is a 1930 stop motion animation film by Wladyslaw Starewicz. It is based on the classic stories of  the clever fox which all of us must have read/heard as a kid. It is the story of one such clever fox Reynard who outwits every other animal and make a fool out of them time and again. Almost every other animal in the kingdom became the victim of his Shenanigans. After every new complain,  the king [Lion] sent one of his agents to bring the fox in front of him but when all of them failed to do so, King himself leads an army to attack the fox’s castle.

Starewicz had previously done short animations such as the cameraman’s revenge and the Insect’s Christmas but collaborating with Irene, his daughter, he made his first and only feature length animated film.

Wladyslaw Starewicz was one of the pioneers of animation cinema; he used dead insects to create puppet animation and successfully made “the cameraman’s revenge”. The Tale of the fox was a development in his craft where he made use of extremely expressive puppets, using voiceovers and a soundtrack. There are details which is admirable even after 7 decades. If you liked Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox, you would understand the effort and brilliance of this film. 

Starewicz was among the ranks of Walt Disney, his career started a decade earlier than Walt Disney and the influence of his work can be seen in some of the earlier works of Terry Gilliam and Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox. Sometimes his puppets looked creepy and insane that resembled the mannerism of Zombies. 

Starewicz did complete justice with the film; he understood the innocence of the story and never made it appear too evil but humorous. The fox is sharp, sly but at the same time adorably entertaining. There is also a twist ending which many of us won’t expect from a fairy tale, but here we have an interesting ending to the story.

It is a pioneer work of animation and it is surprisingly fun to watch. It was only the sixth feature length animation in history. It is a true classic of cinema which didn’t receive its deserving larger audience. 

Movie Geek's Rating: ★★★½

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Fictional Computers Good vs Evil

-David Eaves

10. Kya Dilli Kya Lahore

This film is an ironic conversation between a pair of soldiers, one from each side of the Indo-Pak border. The story is set in 1948 and it is expressed beautifully how their heart still lies with the United India but they are bound to speak for and represent their country against the other. Kya Dilli Kya Lahore is a fantastic blend of emotions and what stands out is the writing, it is poignant and poetic.

9. Finding Fanny

Finding Fanny isn't your typical Bollywood film. It is an adorable film, which has nothing our mainstream movies usually offer. Finding Fanny is a film about finding lost love, this is not a new idea for a plot but the presentation is unique and sweet. It is good to see veteran actors like Naseeruddin Shah and Pankaj Kapur taking break from the usual intense role they do and come together in a light hearted romantic comedy. Finding Fanny sometimes also reminded me of Kundan Shah's Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa.

8. Dedh Ishqiya

Dedh Ishqiya is an important film, for it is a film on the lost "Genre" of  the "Nawabs and Shayaris and it's a great film. While the first film of the franchise is basically a bold crime film, Dedh Ishqiya is eloquent and classy and suave in its nature. Dedh Ishqiya is romance portrayed in bundles of poetry and what a treat it has been to see the beautiful Madhuri Dixit pair with the elegant Naseeruddin Shah.

7. Sulemani Keeda

Sulemani Keeda is the story of two aspiring screenwriters Mainak and Dulal, looking for a producer to make an entry into the film industry. They are as hilarious as their name suggests. It is an indie made on a shoestring budget. It received great reviews from the people within the industry and outside of it. One that stands apart is a thumbs up from Pulp Fiction's Screen Writer Roger Avary. Sulemani Keeda has a lot of dark humor and it is incredibly fresh. I'd definitely look for the next film from the TVF Inbox.

6. Filmistaan 

An out of shape wannabe actor who is also an avid Movie Buff is kidnapped by terrorists near the Indo-Pak Border and taken to the other side of the border. During the time he was a hostage in Pakistan, he bonds with another Movie Buff from Pakistan and discovers how the food and the people and the love for movies and cricket in Pakistan is exactly like his own country. Filmistaan is a beautiful depiction of the fact that Love, Friendship and Passion are beyond borders.

5. Highway

With Highway, Imtiaz Ali has now 5 films in his filmography as director and I have to say, he hasn't disappointed yet. Highway is a road movie which has self discovery as its main element. Alia Bhatt has delivered an intense performance in only her 2nd film that many of her seniors are yet to give. Great Music, A visual treat and a performance that shakes you to the core.

3. Haider

Haider is the third and final film of Vishal Bhardwaj's Shakespearean Trilogy and what a closure it has been to the Trilogy. Haider is Hamlet set in Kashmir in the 1990s. This revenge saga character study comes out as an acting galore, as almost everyone in the cast given a performance worth talking about, but apart from the great performances, what stands apart is Kashmir itself. Haider is another Masterpiece by Vishal Bhardwaj and arguably his best film. With such great music, Vishal confirms yet again that he is as great a musician as he is a film maker.

Commercially, 2014 was just like any other year for Hindi Cinema, films with the greatest stars made all the money and things happened the way we expected. However, this year there were few changes that we saw in the industry. Films rich in its content received more mentions than ever. Films like Ugly would have never got this much attention if it was made 3-4 years ago. Filmfare Awards giving Best Film [Critic] to Ankhon Dekhi speak volumes of how the industry itself has changed their perspective towards quality cinema or films of substance. 

Here are 20 'Good Enough' to 'Really Good' to 'Great Films' of 2014:

20. Miss Lovely 

Miss Lovely follows the life of two brothers who used to make sleazy horror adult films at the Bombay C Grade film industry during the 80s. The film is too dark and can be boring even if you are into realistic cinema. But Watch it for Nawazuddin Siddiqui's acting, his power to get lost in the crowd and still stand apart simultaneously is commendable.

19. Hasee Toh Phasee 

Nikhil and Meeta are considered the "Weirdos" in their respective families, however they aren't really weird but unconventional. Hasee Toh Phasee is a romantic comedy about an unorthodox pair, who are re-introduced after a decade when they first met. It looks like a film you have seen before, it is a certainly a lot of things but cliché isn't one of them. It is surprisingly fresh.
18. Rang Rasiya
Rang Rasiya is a biopic on the controversial life of Raja Ravi Varma. He is the man who gave images to Hindu mythological stories through his paintings. He toured the whole country to understand the Hindu mythology and then painted them using his imagination and provided the common man an access to gods and mythological tales. Rang Rasiya is a well intentioned film on the freedom of expression, but it isn't well made as far as details are concerned. Amidst all its flaws, this film has an engaging storyline and significant references to the history of India.
17. 2 States
2 States is typical Bollywood which I like, what I mean to say is, Bollywood is not as shitty as the films with flying Scorpios and it isn't as classy as The Lunchbox. We are still somewhere in between where we make sensible films and have a few unnecessary songs and melodramatic sequences. In simpler terms, if you want to truly explain someone what an average Bollywood film is like, ask them to watch 2 States. Moreover, making a good enough film using a mediocre book is an achievement in itself.
16. PK
PK is absolutely funny right from the first scene, it makes you laugh while you agree to everything PK points out. I don't remember when was the last time I had a laugh like that in a movie theatre. It goes into typical Raju Hirani's style of films after the interval and lacked the standards of 3 idiots but the good thing is that PK is still an eye opener and delivers the message clearly that Gods must not objectified or quantified or classified.
15. Manjunath
Manjunath tells the story of IIM Student Shanmugam Manjunath, who was killed in 2005 for being a whistle blower against the oil adulteration scam run by petrol pump owners in UP. It is a well intentioned film about a man whose story deserved to be told but at the same time the film lacked a polished screenplay and is not up to the mark as a film.
14. Hawaa Hawaai
After Stanley Ka Dabba, Amole Gupte made Hawaa Hawaai and proved yet again, how beautifully he understands children and their little world. Amol Gupte isn't a Satyajit Ray or an Abbas Kiarostami, but he is certainly an intelligent film maker who can make good films with Kids at the centre. Hawaa Hawaai is a coming of age tale of a poor kid who excels at skating. It was definitely one of the better films of 2014.
13. City Lights
City Lights is about a poor family which moves to Mumbai in financially desperate times. City Lights is devastating in nature, the family is hit by poverty left, right and centre but the good thing is that the film never walks into the depression alley. The great acting performances by Rajkumar Rao and Patralekhaa makes it one of the better films of last year.
12. Humpty Sharma ki Dulhania
Yes, it's a tribute to Cult Bollywood film Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, but even if you aren't one of those religious fans of DDLJ {like me}, there are enough reasons for you to truly enjoy this movie. Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania is a "fresh cliché". Now that literally is a contradictory term, but throughout the film, you feel like "Ok I have seen this before but boy they are cute". I love this film and I think it's more than just a guilty pleasure.
11. Children of War
A little polishing here and there and Children of War could become one of the great films of this decade. If not that, it is still one of the better films of the year 2014. Children of War is a ruthless tale of the 1971 genocides happened in Bangladesh [then East Pakistan]. The brutality done by the Pakistani Army reminds one of what Nazi Germany did during the 2nd World War. It is tough to believe that it's a work of a first time director. I will definitely keep an eye open to see where Director Mritunjay Devvrat heads from here.

Best Picture Drama

Boyhood

Best Picture Musical or Comedy

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Actor Drama

Eddie Redmayne for The Theory of Everything 

Best Actor Musical or Comedy

Michael Keaton for Birdman

Best Actress Drama

Best Actress Musical or Comedy

Best Supporting Actor

Best Supporting Actress

Best Director

Best Screenplay

Best Foreign Film

Best Animated Film

Cast:  Om Puri, Tabu, Chandrachur Singh

Directed by: Gulzar


Maachis is a 1996 film written and directed by Gulzar. Now Gulzar's name is enough to attract anyone to watch this film and this is just what happened in my case.

Maachis or matchbox is very apt title for this movie. Let me explain why, just like,  to fire a matchstick you have to rub it with the box, a person become an assassin or terrorist when there is a bebasi n bekasi (compulsion and helplessness). But that is not all, once the matchstick is lit; it burns itself and everything that comes in contact with it. Gulzar being the master of words chooses it ably.

Maachis is a journey of a man Kripaal from a caring friend and responsible husband-to-be to a terrorist. He ain’t uneducated, brainwashed religious naïf rather a victim of the corrupted system. After 1984 riots there has been a huge violence against Sikhs, it’s no more a hidden truth. Whose love & care for his friend and soon to be brother-in-law, forces him to revenge the atrocities faced by his friend. In the process of avenging he turns into a terrorist. He shoots Vohra(the inspector responsible for his friend’s misery) in the head and then heads back home only to leave forever and join the group that helped him shoot Vohra. The next mission of this group is a secret but it involves missile launcher and they are waiting for the person who could do that. This person turns out to be Veeran who was Kripaal’s fiancée. What is their mission? Will they succeed in their mission?

Shyam Bengal once said, “It’s this ability of great work to make you see the particular in general and general in particular.” This movie does that, it encapsulates the loopholes within the system, its hypocrisy that provides the breeding ground for people like Sanatan and Bali, also, the turbulent struggle within the hearts and minds of these people along with the physical and emotional struggle of their families. Above all it pose the accountability and sanctity of legislature and their obligation to the people who choose them. It is all of the above and has a soul of Romeo+Juliet. 

To add to this great cinematic experience are the songs. "Chhod aye hum wo galiyan" the visuals of this video are as amazing as this melody. I have reasons to believe that while making Highway Imtiaz was searching the place shown in this song. Then there’s Chappa chappa charka chale which is more or less in the similar lines. Paani paani this song is the most melodious of it all, Tabu’s expressions in the song makes it more soulful.

The performances of the actors are cherry on top, Tabu never disappoints, nor does Om puri as far as their acting capabilities are concerned it’s impeccable and unmatched. Chandrachurna singh as the lead  Kripaal  does his part responsibly, Jasjiet Shergill who I think is Jimmi Shergill shows the signs being of good actor that he is now. The rest of the supporting casts too doesn’t disappoints for a minute.

I’m a nobody to say anything about Gulzaar capabilities other than that I’m in awe with his works, be it the lyrics, writing or direction.

This movie is highly recommended!

Author: Pallavi Tripathi
Author's Rating: ★★★★

IMDb is world's busiest movie site, a film listed on that gets more attention than any other medium. 

So, I opened the list of films of 2014 [sorted by rating]. I saw Queen on the top 3, felt happy for our industry, then I looked for another great film we made this year, Ankhon Dekhi. 

I couldn't find Ankhon Dekhi on the 50 best movies of 2014.

HERE IS WHY:

A film only needs 1000 votes [ratings] to be listed in Best films of that year, and failing which the film fails to get the attention of close to 2 billion monthly visitors on the internet. 

Popular films [read mediocre] receives an average of 30k to 40k votes but of no use because they receive bad ratings, but the ones which can be on the top, fails to receive a mere 1000 votes.

Think about the difference IMDb alone making in the marketing of "Queen" and "Ankhon Dekhi". Since Queen attained the 1000 vote criteria, an IMDb user in countries like Bolivia, Vatican City, Chile, Colombia or any other lesser important place on the map, knows about a film called QUEEN, while they have no freaking idea what is "ANKHON DEKHI"

Same goes for Bimal Roy's Madhumati, Do Bigha Zameen and Bandini. They are timeless classic, but the internet savvy movie enthusiast, aren't getting the means to reach these great movies, just because of the fact that they are not receiving a meagre 1000 votes.

Let's vote, let's endorse our better films. The World needs to know what really defines Indian films, the perception has to change.

This isn't only about Indian films but many great films made in Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine are still not known to movie lovers out there. Let us use IMDb's power to highlight the deserving movies. Great Art must get its deserving audience and we have to make sure that it happens.