The Personal History of David Copperfield (2019)

MOVIE REVIEW

This is a joyous imagining of the Dickens classic that spotlights its less-talked-about humour, layers it with more, and adds a bit of tasteful theatricality and lots of colour.

For those who have read the book, the very first scene of the movie gives you a sense of what to expect, with a tongue-in-cheek depiction of the protagonist presenting observations surrounding his birth.  To be clear, you don’t need to have read the book to enjoy the movie but it’ll be a lot more fun for those who remember the characters and the lines.

That is made all the more delightful, thanks to a glorious ensemble cast that gives wonderful performances all around.  Dev Patel is terrific in the lead but for my money, Peter Capaldi (as Mr. Micawber) is the standout.

It’s hard for me to find fault with anything that director and co-writer Armando Iannucci has ever written or directed but going into this, I admit that I wasn’t sure of what to expect.  I’ve unashamedly relished his razor sharp wit and I couldn’t see room for that in this.  I shouldn’t have had any doubts: it’s an outstanding movie.

Link to trailer

Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom (2019)

MOVIE REVIEW

This is a heart-warming and beguiling movie in a way that would be hard to believe, unless you actually watch it. 

On the face of it, there is nothing that might give a clue as to the movie’s charm.  It is from a country- Bhutan- not known for its cinematic output.  The plot is straightforward, familiar and predictable.  It centres on a young primary school teacher who reluctantly takes on an assignment in a remote village that eventually changes his perspective on life.  There are no extraordinary stylistic choices made.  Add to that, most of the roles are portrayed by non-actors.  There is also the fact that yaks- not the most cinematically appealing of creatures- are frequently referenced, and one yak in particular- though not particularly interesting- has a fair bit of screen time. 

The reason the movie works is because, at its heart, it taps into the fundamental power of cinema to transform what is simple and sincere into something magical.  It is a movie that is so much more than the sum of its parts.

Link to the trailer

Dead Bang (1989)

MOVIE REVIEW

This is an enjoyable but undeniably strange movie, with an inexplicable title. 

Don Johnson plays a detective who, early on, is seen on the hunt for a cop killer.  Over the first thirty minutes or so, the movie goes into great detail to establish how joyless and messed up his personal life is.  During that time, two of the top billed cast- Penelope Ann Miller and Bob Balaban- also make impressionable appearances. 

What then happens is that the movie gets transformed into a cross-country pursuit of a group of trigger-happy, well-funded neo-Nazis.  More to the point of strangeness, none of what we are painstakingly told about Johnson’s character’s personal life is ever again referenced, and neither of the said top-billed cast is seen again. 

Fortunately, from that point onwards, the movie makes for a gripping, if formulaic action thriller that is elevated by Johnson’s charisma, director John Frankenheimer’s craftsmanship, and some witty dialogue.  The highlight for me, though, was a series of creatively constructed scenes that are as odd as they are astonishing and- to me, at least- hilarious as well.  Here’s a link to one such scene where Johnson’s character sees a police shrink, whose evaluation of him is going to decide if he will be on the case and, maybe, on the police force as well.

Harry and Tonto (1974)

MOVIE REVIEW

Art Carney plays the titular Harry, a 70-plus widower, who lives in New York with his cat, Tonto, as his only permanent companion.  Circumstances force him to look for another place to stay.  One thing leads to another, and he ends up taking a road trip across America. 

That pretty much sums up the plot of this movie.  The story is told via slice-of-life snapshots.  What is most remarkable about it is the way that relatively ordinary people, and episodes, come across as interesting, amusing, and involving.  It is a triumph of writing and acting.

Director and co-writer Paul Mazursky was known for his masterful ability to blend the funny and the serious into crafting intimate portraits of everyday people.  This ranks among the best of his work.  Aided by a splendid supporting cast, he surrounds Harry with a bevy of captivating characters.  But, without a doubt, the star of the show is Carney who gives an impeccable performance.  As it happens, he won the Best Actor Oscar that year against an impressive line-up that included Jack Nicholson (Chinatown) and Al Pacino (The Godfather: Part II).

Here’s a link to a clip of an early scene from the movie.

Year of the Gun (1991)

MOVIE REVIEW

With a current IMDb rating of 5.6 from around 2,400 users, it would seem that this movie has neither been widely seen, nor has it been much appreciated.  I’d like to suggest that it deserves a much higher rating.  Notably, Roger Ebert gave it 3 stars.

To be clear, it is a flawed, pulpy thriller- but it is taut and gripping.  Then there is the setting- Rome, 1978- a time when Italy was rocked by an unprecedented level of violent political unrest.  It presents a fictional story that is tied to one of the most shocking events in the modern political history of Italy.  If you don’t know what I’m referring to, chances are that you might find the movie a bit more suspenseful. What is especially remarkable about the movie is the way it transports you into that world- in large part, due to the splendid camerawork, and the manner in which the demonstrations and the violence are choreographed.

In case you feel like checking it out, I’d suggest you avoid watching the trailer.

Eteros ego (2016)

MOVIE REVIEW

Also known as ‘The Other Me’, this Greek movie is a character study intertwined with a murder mystery.  It centres on a socially-challenged professor of criminology who is roped in by the police to help solve a series of murders.  While the resolution of the murders is what largely drives the narrative, the movie’s primary focus is on the professor.  Personal circumstances have led him to suffer a crisis of faith.  He ends up seeing the investigation as an opportunity to introspect. 

My quick take: it is a gently-paced, beautifully-crafted movie with a sterling central performance.  I found it riveting. 

In Greece, the movie was widely applauded, and has spawned a couple of mini-series.  However, outside Greece, it appears to be little known, even among critics.

The movie can be freely viewed on YouTube.  Here’s the link.

Jack Irish (Movies, Seasons 1-2)

Jack Irish is the creation of Australian crime writer, Peter Temple, and the lead character of four of his novels.  He is a lawyer turned debt collector who moonlights as a private investigator.  I haven’t read the novels but I got around to watching the televisual rendering of his adventures.  So far there have been 3 made-for-television movies and one six-parter, directly based on the novels, and another six-parter with original content around the character. 

It is a distinctly Australian drama in its setting, characters and humour.  Where it stands out is that despite brutal murders and a high body count, there is a lot to smile about, thanks to the colourful characters, running gags, and witty dialogue.  The ace in the pack, though, is Guy Pearce as the title character, in a role that some say, he was born to play. In the words of one reviewer, he exhibits a “world-weary charm exemplifying the best of the Australian character –getting on with the job at hand with a minimum of fuss and bother, always with the aim of doing the right thing by the underdog.”

On the downside, the plotting, while engrossing, is twisted to the point of being convoluted, especially in Season 2.  Or as one character puts it to Mr. Irish: “It's never just straightforward with you, is it, Jack?  You know, never a meat and three veg murder.”  Nevertheless, I enjoyed this a lot.

Here’s a link to a clip that captures some of the flavour of the movies and the series.

Here’s a link to the aired order of the movies and the series.  On some streaming services, the season categorisation is as shown here.

A Man Called Ove (2015)

This is a movie that is out to push your emotional buttons hard.  It’s a crowd-pleaser that is funny, tragic, and heartwarming.  If you look closely, though, it has its heart in the right place.

It has the makings of a familiar story: a grumpy, old man whose life is turned upside down by new neighbours.  You think you know where this will go: that we will get to see that he has a heart of gold.  Sure, there is a lot that you will get right about this movie.  Yet there’s equally a lot that will likely catch you by surprise, and which makes it absolutely worth checking out. 

In fact, for that reason, it’s best not to read any reviews. In my opinion, most of them give away plot points that are best discovered by the viewer.  For that same reason, I advise not watching the US trailer.  The UK trailer, on the other hand, is just perfect.

ffolkes (1980)

In case you’re wondering, that’s the name of the lead character in this movie, and we are told that he prefers to write it in lower case.  He’s played by Roger Moore, in-between his Bond outings, but looking nothing like James Bond.  He sports a frizzy goatee and has a questionable taste in clothes.  What’s more, he is moody, eccentric, loves cats, despises women, and has a liking for scotch- neat, and anytime after breakfast.  He also happens to be a former naval commando who is called upon to lead an operation against a group of hijackers, who are threatening to blow up an oil rig. 

The movie is a nicely paced, run-of-the-mill thriller that ends up being very entertaining, thanks to Roger Moore and his bantering.  This is one of his finest performances.  James Mason, as a crusty admiral, provides an excellent foil for Moore’s character.  The movie also stars Anthony Perkins.

Here is a link to a scene from the movie.

In researching about the movie, I came to know that critics Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel listed this as one of the worst movies that they had seen that year.  From their comments, it is clear that they got some of their facts wrong about the movie.  In addition, it seems to me that they were prejudiced against the movie.

I also came to know that the movie was released under quite a few different titles.  Apart from the title above, in the English speaking world itself, it was also released as ‘North Sea Hijack’ and ‘Assault Force’.  My understanding is that there was no consensus among the people behind the marketing campaign on how to pitch the movie. 

The Wilby Conspiracy (1975)

If this movie had been set in any other time and place, it would be indisputably regarded as a fun adventure road movie.  As it happens, the movie is set in apartheid South Africa, and takes an unmistakably anti-apartheid stance.   Moreover, the setting is what drives the plot.  Depending on how you feel about that, can complicate your viewing experience.  Scenes that would otherwise  play out for laughs, may strike you as being in poor taste.   Verbal exchanges that would be considered witty, might lose some of their impact.  However, if you can separate the message from the entertainment value of the movie, there is a lot to enjoy, and there is a lot to think about.  Be warned: there are quite a few racial slurs thrown around that some viewers will find inappropriate/ offensive.

The movie stars Sidney Poitier and Michael Caine as a mismatched duo on the run from the police.  They can’t stand each other, yet they need each other. There’s nothing exceptional about their performances but they play off each other quite well.  The real scene-stealer, though, is Nicol Williamson as the brutal, intelligent police officer on their chase.  Also in the supporting cast is Saeed Jaffrey as a “politically committed dentist”.  Rutger Hauer has a bit role that is his first appearance in a major English language movie.

Here’s a link to the trailer: I’d advise caution in relying upon how it pitches the movie.

The Reincarnation of Peter Proud (1975)

The movie’s tagline sums up the premise pretty well:

Suppose you knew who you had been in your previous life. Where you had lived...whom you had loved and how you had died. What then?

In this instance, the protagonist, a professor who becomes aware of aspects of his immediately previous life, decides to find out what happened.

The movie is based on a best-selling novel of the same name.  But unlike the novel which found a balance between thought provoking concepts and the elements of mystery and intrigue, the movie tilts towards the latter.  Nonetheless, it retains plot points with unmissable psychosexual connotations that some may find creepy or unsettling.

It’s a well shot movie with a haunting score.  But it is slow paced, particularly in the second half.  The real draw, though, is the plot.  That is, if you find it intriguing enough.

Here’s a link to the trailer.

Local Hero (1983)

Charming, sweet, magical, whimsy -  it’s all that and more.  It is an ode to the tranquility of idyllic existence.  It is one of the most feel-good movies I have seen. 

The story follows a Houston-based oil executive who lands up in a Scottish seaside village to negotiate a land deal.  What follows are a few twists and turns, some predictable, some not, some subtle, some not so much.  What stays with you are the memorable, quirky characters, the breathtaking scenery, and Mark Knopfler’s mesmerizing score.  For those who dig deeper, and pause to think, there is also a lot to mull over.

Here’s a link to a clip from the movie.

The Flight of the Phoenix (1965)

Watching it after many years, my most striking observation was that despite its gentle pace and a running time of well over 2 hours, I found it riveting.  That’s something I can’t say for its 2004 remake, which is 30 minutes shorter.

Doubtless, some of the credit for that should go to Robert Aldrich, for his inspired direction, and some to the amazing star cast.  It isn’t often that you have names such as James Stewart, Richard Attenborough, Peter Finch, Ernest Borgnine, and George Kennedy in a single movie.  Add to that, you have memorable performances from Hardy Krüger, Ronald Fraser, and Ian Bannen (who is outstanding).  Yet, I couldn’t help thinking that a lot of the impact was due to the depth and quality of the writing.

It has the contours of a survival thriller- how a group of survivors from a plane crash in the Sahara take an audacious, if implausible, approach to finding their way back to civilization. But it has been brilliantly fashioned as a character drama that milks tension from inter-personal conflict in the course of accomplishing an urgent, common objective. It is noteworthy that there are practically no sub-plots, or fillers or distractions of any real consequence. 

This may seem odd but the more I thought about the writing, I found myself also thinking of that much revered movie, 12 Angry Men.  Apart from some of the things mentioned above being similar, both movies have an all-male cast, and are set within a single location.  Both movies have something to say about leadership and teamwork.  Whether a comparison is justified or not, it certainly enhanced my appreciation for The Flight of the Phoenix.

Here’s a link to the trailer.

Bullet to Beijing (1995)

This is a movie worth checking out only if you are a die-hard Michael Caine fan, or are open to watching something that is laughable in its silliness. 

In the 1960s, Caine played the role of the spy Harry Palmer in a series of movies based on novels by Len Deighton.  Palmer was projected as the antithesis of James Bond.  He had a working class background, he wore glasses, and was bland to a fault.  There were enough takers for the idea, the movies were a success, and the character built up its own fan following.

Bullet to Beijing was an attempt to revive the character.  It was conceived as the first of two back-to-back movies with Caine reprising the role of Palmer, now as a retired spy.  That wouldn’t have been a bad thing except that the movie is a mess.  The Palmer here is nothing like the Palmer of the earlier movies.  He could have been any old, out-of-work has-been, short on cash.  The movie itself is tonally over the place: it’s hard to make out if it wants to be taken seriously, or as a spoof.

Still, I must admit that I wasn’t bored.  There is a fair bit to be amused about the plot contrivances, and the portrayal of post-USSR Russia.  Most of all, it is the ever-reliable Caine who makes it worthwhile.  He is fun to watch as he embraces the absurdities that keep on piling up, while mouthing lines such as a toast to “market economy and big tits”.

The Mechanic (1972)

This was the second of six collaborations between director Michael Winner and actor Charles Bronson, the most well-known of which is the 1974 Death Wish.  It was the basis for the 2011 Jason Statham starrer of the same name.  Knowing either of these facts can lead one to  assume that this is an action thriller.  I’d suggest caution in making such an assumption.

Unlike the 2011 movie, in this movie, the action sequences are fewer, and primarily intended to liven up what otherwise comes across as a brooding, measured character study.  Though the broad strokes of the storyline are similar, there are notable differences in plot points and character motivations that might surprise anyone who has seen the 2011 movie. 

Bronson plays the title role: a contract killer, whose methodical, painstaking approach and icy exterior is introduced to us via a remarkable 15 minute dialogue-free opening scene.  But there’s another side to him that slowly unfolds.  He suffers from pangs of loneliness and anxiety attacks.  Somewhere along the way, he takes on a cocky young apprentice (played by Jan-Michael Vincent), with a cold-blooded demeanour and a penchant for  mind games.  It is their relationship that becomes the focus of the movie from that point onwards.

Personally, I found it fascinating- largely on account of its themes and the writing.  For my money, this is better than the 2011 movie.  It may not be as slick, but it is certainly more thoughtfully crafted. 

Here is a link to a clip from the movie.

Juggernaut (1974)

It has a well-worn premise: a race against time to defuse a bomb aboard a transatlantic ocean liner.  The craftmanship elevates it to being tense and entertaining.  With a bit more of polish, this could have been a great movie.  Still, it’s a very satisfying, suspenseful thriller that, all these years later, holds up rather well.

The cinematography, the editing, and the action sequences are all noteworthy.  So is the way it keeps a sharp focus on the bomb-squad.  It has a star-studded cast that includes Richard Harris, Omar Sharif, Anthony Hopkins, and Ian Holm.  But it is Harris who is the absolute standout.  As the pipe-smoking, scotch-swilling leader of the bomb squad who mixes courage and discipline with sardonic philosophy, he gets the most screen time as well as the best lines.

Here is a link to a clip.

Dark Waters (2019)

Dark Waters tells the story of lawyer Rob Bilott’s multi-decade fight with DuPont over dumping toxic waste in water supplies across the United States.  If you’re not familiar with the case, I suggest first seeing the 2018 documentary, The Devil We Know.  While Dark Waters covers the same events over roughly the same timeline, I think it works better as a companion piece: a character study of the lead lawyer on the case, someone who the New York Times described as “DuPont’s worst nightmare”.

Here’s a link to the trailer of The Devil We Know.

Here’s a link to a trailer of Dark Waters.

Ordinary Love (2019)

In the words of one of the directors of the movie, this is a “love story about the small moments and big challenges that go to make up the journey of a long time love”.  Liam Neeson and Lesley Manville play a couple who have been a long time together, and have seen a number of ups and downs together.  Now, as they face one more big challenge, the movie opens a window to their day to day existence.  As one would expect in real life, there is a lot that is routine and mundane about their interactions and conversations. There are moments of joy and sadness and everything in between.  But through it all, the movie presents a portrait of comfortable intimacy that can only come with deep rooted love that doesn’t have to be demonstrated to be acknowledged and understood.

Here’s a clip from the movie.

When Eight Bells Toll (1971)

Anthony Hopkins as an action hero?  Unless you are an old-timer or a movie buff, that might be hard to imagine.  It might be harder still to believe that, in this movie, his character was pitched as a James Bond alternative, and at one time, an entire franchise around him was envisaged.  From fisticuffs to gunfights, from wielding a crossbow to weaponising a welding torch underwater, he gets to show off his action hero skills to the hilt.

The curiosity value of that aside, Hopkins is fun to watch, but never more than when he throws around witty one-liners, or gets into waggish verbal exchanges.  And there are plenty of those.  We also get a glimpse of some traits that would become central to his Hannibal Lecter portrayal, twenty years later- the glint in the eye, the effortless switch from charming to ruthless.  In fact, one reviewer made the comparison thus:

Use some imagination, and perhaps this is Hannibal Lecter in an earlier vocation, before he went back to medical school.

Just don’t expect the plot to make much sense.

Here’s a link to the trailer.

Official Secrets (2019)

Official Secrets tells the story of British whistleblower, Katharine Gun, who leaked a document that showed an attempt by the US and the UK to rig a UN Security Council vote in favour of launching an attack on Iraq in 2003.  As we know, that attack still happened.  But her effort was probably unique in that it attempted to stop a war before it actually happened.  And it stopped the US and UK from getting a justifiable reason for the war. 

What makes the movie stand out is not just the importance of the story (which, by the way, didn’t get as widespread a coverage as it deserved) but the way it is structured, presenting multiple perspectives.  Among other things, it gives the viewer a bone-chilling look at the legal challenge that she faced.  It also lays bare the obstacles faced by The Observer in putting out the story.  The performances are uniformly excellent.  Keira Knightley shines in the lead role.  The superb supporting cast includes Matt Smith, Matthew Goode, Rhys Ifans, and Ralph Fiennes.

Here’s a link to the trailer.