J Edgar (2011)

Directed By - Clint Eastwood

Starring - Leonardo Di Caprio, Naomi Watts, Armie Hammer, Judi Dench, Jeffrey Donovan, Ed Westwick

Having read and researched about the American presidency for over two years, i came to realise how powerful a 5ft 6' man named Hoover was. The founder-director of one of the most enigmatic organisations in the world (FBI), Hoover was a man who got his ways by downright threatening Presidents and other elected officials and his private files( considered the most important artifact after the Holy Grail by many) is said to have contained incriminating evidence about their 'misconducts'. Why i am saying this is because to understand Eastwood's biopic one has to know a bit about Hoover. Strong Suggestion - read up on wikipedia about him and you are sure to enjoy this one.

J Edgar is about John Edgar Hoover (Di Caprio) one of the most feared and respected man during early Cold War period (1920's-1960's). A man who was behind great innovations like the social security number, centralised fingerprint database and Investigative Forensics department. A man who frequently bent the laws of the land and that of ethics for 'the greater good'. Most knew him as the man who stuck through 9 presidents and shamelessly and fearlessly acquired personal files on them and subsequently blackmailed them. But Eastwood's film takes a deeper look at the man. Behind the facade Hoover was a man who suffered from inferiority issues, was insecure about his standing and was paranoid about his nation's security. Eastwood potrays the vulnerability of Hoover, his dependence on his Mother (Dench). His unique relationship with his secretary of 50 years Helen Gandy (Watts)  (who was the only other person to have access to his private files other than he and Tolson) and his close and possibly homosexual (as the film suggests) relationship with his second in command Clyde Tolson (Hammer of social network fame).

You get to see the typical style of Eastwood. The lingering stares, the suggestive relationships, The secluded monologues and back voices(Remember Sean Penn in Mystic River). Eastwood clearly has a lot of respect for Hoover and certainly a lot of regret about the fact that he had a largely negative image despite his Bureau being hailed as 'the good guys'. That is why you see he tries to portray his sympathy towards Hoover . For Example the scenes where a young (and old) Hoover goes out to his balcony and sees people screaming out praises for the president while his motorcade passes. You see Hoover smiling but immediately goes back in with a long face realizing that its not him that the public is cheering for. While it is completely Eastwood's opinion about Hoover, cinematically it is a superbly written scene. Eastwood also uses a smart device of storytelling. The entire film is actually Hoover telling his biographer (Ed Westwick)  about his rise. This serves two very important things - One, it is different from other 'flashback' techniques we have seen and secondly it further shows the Egoistic and proud side of Hoover (that he was so famous for).

Of the cast. Ed Westwick as Agent Smith, Hoover's Biographer, shows us exactly how rookie agents sucked up to Hoover, how they stroked his ego  and tried to get in his good books. Judi Dench as Hoover's sweet but sometimes dominating mother is fantastic. Many believe that Hoover discussed work with his mother and was largely influenced by her opinions. Eastwood plays on that belief. The scene in which she dies is possibly the most intense scene of the film. Armie Hammer as Clyde Tolson, Hoover's second in command, underplays a lot of times but in the end comes out with a convincing performance. Tolson was one of the few who intimately understood Hoover and it is rumored that he shared a romantic relationship with him ( Eastwood subtly plays along with this too!) . Naomi Watts as Helen Gandy gives what is possibly the most restrained performance by a female actor in a long time. Helen Gandy was Hoover's secretary of 50 years and was the only other person(apart from Tolson) to have known the contents of his private life. She was also known to have exercised a lot of influence on him. While most would play Gandy in a dominating fashion, Watts chooses to play her very subtly giving her a calm demeanor. It is this that makes Watts' performance outstanding. Although i cant assure a sweep she definitely should feature high on the nominations list. 

 The best performance is delivered by Caprio. One must have expected that to be the case, but what Di Caprio delivers is possibly the best performance of his career. He brings out the nuances in his character like his obsession with neatness and sophistication in attire. In one scene Hoover is seen reprimanding an agent who is wearing a suit which looks like 'he has come to party'.What Leo excels in is bringing out the childish ego in Hoover. Watch how flustered he gets at the slightest of criticism.The contradictions in his character are also well brought out. Like how he enjoys dominating politicians but at the same time cant bring himself to terms with the criticism he faces. It is a role that has been researched well. While technically Leonardo gets it bang on. The southern accent and hunched walking style. Theatrically he is able to bring Hoover to life and even portrays convincingly many aspects of  Hoovers life that were not publicly known. This act is a serious contender for the Oscar.

The basic flaws of the film lies in it half baked story structure. While Hoover's career is shown from the Palmer Raids right till the Lindebergh Kidnapping case a lot of important career achievements are left out (a fact that i came to know during my research) once again if one hasn't read much about Hoover, that should not be a problem. Also, the screenplay shifts very insignificantly from past to present and back to past, and very good moments are lost. This definitely is not Eastwood's best but surely his most ambitious.

In all, J Edgar is a fine film which has its share of flaws. But one of the most talked about subjects, a host of amazing performances and career best delivery from Leonardo Di caprio make it must watch 

Rating - 8.0/10

Rockstar (2011)

Directed By - Imtiaz Ali

Starring - Ranbir Kapoor, Nargis Fakhri, Shernaz Patel, Aditi Rao Hyderai, Late Shammi Kapoor.

After reading a number of reviews criticizing the movie, i thought i will have the same opinion. But i am surprised that i agree with them on certain things and disagree on a LOT more. 

Rockstar is about Janardhan Jakhar (Ranbir Kapoor) a run of the mill Delhi guy with a inborn knack for music. Its about his exploding rise to stardom and his complex relationship with Heer (Nargis Fakhri) which moulds his personality, his 'image' and most importantly his music. I would not like to go into a detailed synopsis because this is a film which is essentially made of moments.

The film does have a number of problems. For one, it is a tad too long and drags a bit towards its end. Number two, Nargis Fakhri. To call her acting pathetic, is an understatement. Heer is essentially a character one should start sympathizing with in the latter half of the movie. But Ms Fakhri's 'acting' totally spoils the character depth. Number three, the script is confused in the sense that it doesn't seem to know whether it wants to be a film on the life of a musician-his passion, his pain or whether it wants to a be a film which analyses in depth the complexity of  an unique relationship that the protagonists share. It is this ambiguity in writing that Oliver Stone used to his advantage on his biopic 'The Doors (1991)' and it totally goes against Rockstar.  

But Rockstar's greatest strength lies in the fact that it has honesty and depth that is missing in Hindi movies nowadays.  The films character sketches are top notch. You don't see too many conventional ones. Imtiaz ali yet again blends his characteristic romantic setup but this time he makes a little more complex. Ali understands understands his characters intimately but somehow his execution falters at times. You see moments of brilliance like when Jordan goes and kisses Heer backstage ( a la Black Swan) and then is quickly pushed onto the stage where the entire crowd gives him a standing ovation and you see Heer slowly putting her head down. Personally, that's what i call character graphing!. Another gem of a scene is where Jordan starts shouting at Heer and subsequently at the reporters after she quits the affair.

The film has a fun first half (characteristic of Ali) but suffers from major hiccups post intermission.The basic fault in the film is that it tries to justify Jordan for the way he is and doesn't come up with a satisfactory reason. Again ill have to draw comparisons with Oliver Stone's film. The high point of that film was it never tried to justify or provide a reason for the way Morrison was. 

Of the cast the lesser that is said of Nargis Fakhri the better. Shernaz patel puts in an endearing act as the mother of Heer. The elegance that she brings to her role tells us why she is an actor of such great repute.Shammi Kapoor in his last film appearance totally rocks it. With a screen time of around five minutes, he manages to bring a nostalgic charm while at the same a critical character angle to the film. Aditi Rao stars as Sheena,  her character is very badly written but she manages to do pretty well despite that (not to mention she looks gorgeous). But the film solely belongs to Ranbir Kapoor. He deserves to be proud of what he has done in the film. Its a standout performance right from the Delhi dimwit Janardhan to the wild and unpredictable Jordan. If you ask me he should sweep all the best actor awards. Its a performance that works towards overshadowing the negatives of the film. 

The second high point about the film is its soundtrack and the way the song sequences have been short. You have to see it to understand it. Moreover the non-linear story writing although unnecessary is not too bad.

Rockstar is nowhere close to being a fantastic film but has Honesty and depth and frankly is way better than the other 'biggies' that have released this year.

In all, although Imtiaz Ali disappoints despite a great effort, Watch this one for Rahman and Ranbir

Rating - 7.3/10   

The Adventures of Tintin (2011)

Directed By - Steven Spielberg 

Cast - Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Nick Frost, Simon Pegg, Daniel Craig

Considering the fact that for nearly 3 decades Spielberg has been 'acing' the adventure genre with his Indiana Jones franchise, it would not have been too much of a surprise if his latest Tintin flick would be fantastic. But what surprises after the roughly 110 minute film is that he delivers a 'strictly one time watch'.

Spielberg merges three Tintin comics  - The crab with the golden claws, The secret of the unicorn and Red Rackham's Treasure - which is a smart thing to do because then all the famous Tintin characters can be accommodated. The film starts with Tintin buying a model of an old ship known as Unicorn and in no time the bad guys, headed by Shakharine (Craig), are after him and the ship . Few gags later he finds out that there are multiple such models (3 to be precise) which together hold different scrolls hidden in its mast which in turn are a pointer to one of the 'greatest lost treasures'. En route to solving the mystery he gets kidnapped and teams up with Captain Haddock, an eternally drunk ' master of the seas', who happens to be the Grandson of the captain of the sunken Unicorn. More gags and more action later it is found out that Shakharine not only wants the treasure but holds a personal grudge against the Haddocks because his grandfather lost a battle to Haddock Sr (!). In the end the mystery is solved and very conveniently a little plot gap is left for the sequel.In the middle of all this a little subplot involving a kleptomaniac who steals wallets and Thompson and Thomson is also incorporated. 

To start with the good parts - this film is made using the increasingly popular performance-capture technology , that integrates live action performances by actors into an animated universe.Doing the film in animation allows the characters and landscapes to look exactly like the comic strips, which explains the stunning texture of the film. The gags are genuinely funny my favorite ones being on the ship (which include the famous 'whisky' incidents by Haddock). Spielberg uses some smart tactics to exploit the 3D aspect.From throwing items right at your face, ferocious dogs running at you to using simple things like character overlap. Tintin is a treat for 3D lovers.

But that's where most of the brilliance lies. Story wise Spielberg tries to incorporate too many things into one. While most nondescript characters are given meaty roles, the more important ones (like Thompson and Thomson) are neglected. There are a lot of liberties taken by the makers which might annoy Tintin purists. 

Tintin is about the adventure but Spielberg's version is more about the breathtaking action which although brilliantly shot is an overkill. The storyline is perfectly serviceable but the execution seems very languid and stodgy like its stumbling along from one eye catching setpiece to another. 

Of the cast Jamie Bell as Tintin does fairly well as the baby-faced detective. Snowy is cuter than ever. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost infuse life into the famous cop pair but are sadly given very less screen time. The disappointment of the film is Andy Serkis as Captain Archibald Haddock. Haddock can, quite easily, be considered the most enjoyable character of the series but Serkis fails at times to bring to life this legendary character. At the start though he is very good and delivers the gags but as the end film races towards the end you are dissatisfied with his performance. The best performance is delivered by Daniel Craig as Shakharine. He brings the perfect dose of calm and evil which is so famous with most Tintin villains.

Tintin entertains sporadically and the feel of adventure seems lost. In all the film works due to some spectacular set pieces and brilliant use of performance capture technology.

Spielberg has had his share of brilliant, spectacular films ( Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan, Munich, The Terminal, The Color Purple etc) and his share of pathetic ones ( War of the Worlds, Minority Report, AI etc)

This one does not feature in any of these extremes but is sadly stuck somewhere in the average region.

Rating - 7.2/10