There is just no way to adequately describe this film. The idea of the head of a skinhead group being a Jew is just so incredible that you can hardly believe that it is based on a real person.

How could someone hate himself so much to lead a group that advocates his annihilation? Yet, at the same time, he is respectful of the practices and customs of his people. What demons inside this person cause such turmoil? We see his conflict as a student when he argues theology, and then we next see him as a man beating up a another Jew. It is later we find that he is a skinhead.

It just defies any explanation, and has to be seen to understand. Gosling was great in the role and I certainly learned more about Jews than I every had known.

Written and directed by T.V. Chandran, starring Dilip, Jyothirmayi, Indrans and Vijayaraghavan.

Music: M. Jayachandran and Issac Thomas Kottukapally (BGM)
Cinematography : K.G. Jayan
Editing: Venugopal

http://varnachitram.com/2006/07/07/review-kathavaseshan/

Samurai films tend to lean toward either overly talkative and boring or hyper-stylized to the point that credibility comes into question. Striking that middle ground, however, can lead to greatness, or rather — great honor. Takashi Miike’s “13 Assassins” might not match the great Akira Kurosawa films, but boy does it come close, and it does so with themes and blades of equal sharpness.

If swords-and-sandals flick “300″ had been less concerned about abs and Gerard Butler screaming war hyperbole, it would have looked and felt like this film. Anyone who hails Zack Snyder’s 2006 film as a masterpiece should pull up a seat with this film for two-plus hours and see how it’s really done.

Both the aforementioned film to which comparison is inescapable and “13 Assassins” tell a story about how the number of men indicated in their titles fought against an army numerous times the size. In this film, the reasons for fighting a battle most certain to result in death are less glossy and brash, as well as guided by some consideration for historical relevance.

The story takes place at nearly the end of feudal era Japan, when samurai have become nothing but show thanks to a lengthy time of peace. Yet one lord seems to undermine this peace with acts of cold-blooded violence: the shogun’s half brother, Lord Naritsugu (Gorô Inagaki). It is expected, however, that when he returns from Edo, he will have a place on the shogun’s council and have political influence to go with with warmongering ways. After a respected samurai commits harakiri in protest, the elder of the shogun council charges a samurai named Shinzaemon (Kôji Yakusho) with putting together a squad of samurai to kill Naritsugu before there’s widespread unrest.

The beginning of the film shows us Naritsugu’s cold and horrifying ways with enough brutal imagery to make anyone want to pick up a sword against this guy. The story then continues with the assembling of the 12 assassins (the 13th comes later) and their strategy for accomplishing the task. Yet on the other side is Hanbei Kitou (Masachika Ichimura), the samurai sworn to obey and protect Naritsugu who must develop counter-strategy to foil Shinzaemon, an old classmate of his from the dojo.

The game of strategy boils toward a 45-minute climactic battle in which the 13 assassins use everything from trickery to explosives to straight-up sword hackery against an army of 200 men from Naritsugu’s clan. The delivery of these sequences rivals any modern action film, and that includes battle cries, little humorous lines tossed in for fun and especially creativity. One samurai takes out 30-plus guys in a narrow corridor that he prepped ahead of time with several swords carefully stationed throughout.

But most impressively, “13 Assassins” never loses sight of what its whole conflict is about. The plot doesn’t exist merely as a formula guaranteed to produce an unforgettable culminating battle. Throughout the entire film, characters are questioning the values passed down to them for hundreds of years of honor and duty. Having essentially stood their whole lives as symbols of a fading age, they take on this quest in search of finally fulfilling that purpose of total commitment and servitude, yet this battle will teach them what it truly means.

Essentially, this is not the same movie if set in another time or another place, which sets it apart as a truly great action film. As replicable as a story of a small band of skilled warriors taking on the impossible is (it possesses a great number of similarities to what’s considered the best of its kind, Kurosawa’s “Seven Samurai,” for one), writers Kaneo Ikegami and Daisuke Tengan give “13 Assassins” its own thumbprint with the context.

Miike then delivers the full impact of all the tones from pure syrupy action to dark, shocking drama. He knows exactly how to take a high-tension scene to a whole other level by creating a full spectrum of what we see versus what is kept from us, especially in terms of violence. As soon as he wants to export those talents to Hollywood, someone better answer. We could use more action films like “13 Assassins.”

How far can the revenge thriller genre go? Well when you have a film of this genre helmed by twisted Korean director Jee-woon Kim it can go pretty far. I Saw the Devil is about a secret agent who blurs the line between good and evil as he hunts down his fiancée’s killer to enact some particularly gruesome revenge. His lust for revenge sends him to the brink of insanity as he begins to become a more despicable human being than the serial killer he is chasing down. The film is brutal, intense, and haunting. It is unapologetically graphic from start to finish and is absolutely not for the faint of heart. But, for anyone who can stomach its brutality, I Saw the Devil is quite the movie.

It seems this film’s primary goal is to shock and disgust. It more than excels in this area, but it also works very well as a psychological thriller. There is this constant struggle of what is good and what is evil throughout the film. The distinction grows more and more faint as Kim Soo-hyeon grows more and more obsessed with catching and defeating Kyung-chul, the serial killer. He is disturbingly brutal and endlessly vicious in his revenge against Kyung-chul. The film has a somewhat repetitive nature once it gets going. Kyung-chul hides somewhere, is about to torture a victim, but then Soo-hyeon stops him and beats the hell out of him before leaving him in misery and pain so that he may track him down and torture him once again. But the repetitiveness works because it is a constant escalation in brutality and a loss of humanity. Plus every fight between Soo-hyeon and Kyung-chul is incredible.

Jee-woon Kim shoots this film with a brutally precise eye for visual integrity. His camera-work allows the film to succeed as a haunting drama as well as a fast paced action thriller. The fights are choreographed excellently and the violence in each duel only increases. This isn’t a film for the squeamish as Kim finds every possible way to disgust his audience with the bloodiest and most malicious forms of torture possible. It is all shot so intensely that you just want to scream in pain and disgust at the horrors you are witnessing. And yet at the same time there are calmer and more subtle scenes of the film which are shot with haunting beauty in the framing and camera movement. Plus the film has a disturbingly beautiful score that will leave you mystified as well as terrified. I wouldn’t go as far as to call this an art house film but it certainly has some qualities that might lead it to that.

I Saw the Devil is a fantastic film in all of its bloody glory. It is the kind of film that will only appeal to those with an appetite for maliciousness and a stomach for horrific amounts of blood and gore. This film is so disturbed and yet so excellent in its execution that if you can handle it you will be treated to a very worthwhile film. Expect the unexpected with this film and be prepared to look away in horrified disgust.

While I have given “Hugo” a well-deserved 10, I am don’t think this film is for everyone. Despite the advertising campaign which made it look like a kids’ movie, it is NOT. Now I am NOT saying it had adult content. Despite being directed by Martin Scorsese (“Taxi Driver”, “Goodfellas” and “Raging Bull”), it is very family-friendly–without cursing, sex or violence. But, I also think younger kids would be totally bored to tears by the film–particularly late in the movie. Don’t bring kids younger than about 10–they will most likely feel restless the longer the film progresses.

For folks like me, “Hugo” is an absolute must-see. I adore silent films and of the early silents, Georges Méliès is like a god. I have reviewed at least a hundred and have seen just about every existing film the man made…because they are THAT good. He was a brilliant early filmmaker who introduced lots of camera tricks and made extremely fanciful films. I could try to describe them further, but it’s best you just see a few yourself. And, in addition to a plot that eventually turns to a homage of Méliès, it features clips from some of the great silents that I have long loved. In particular, a nice chunk of Harold Lloyd’s “Safety Last” is included…as well as clips and posters from “The General”, “The Kid”, “Judex”, “Fantome”, “The Great Train Robbery” and many other seminal films any cinephile worth his salt would have seen and loved.

Despite EVENTUALLY being all about the wonderful Georges Méliès, you would not know this through at least half the film. I knew–because I know his films and instantly recognized Ben Kingsley as Méliès–the makeup was dead on the mark. Otherwise, it’s an intriguing film about a strange orphan–an orphan that literally lives within the ductwork and walls of a train station in Paris! He has a bizarre obsession to complete the restoration of an amazingly complex automaton that was begun by his father–before the man’s untimely death. Yet, despite being anchored by a boy, it is NOT a film strictly for the kids. I’d say more about the plot, but frankly you just need to see it for yourself.

Why I loved this film is not just because it’s a delightful homage to silent films (which, by the way, has made Scorsese practically a god among filmmakers to me). It’s also because I have never seen a better use of 3-D and the film just looks exquisite–and it seems to have a lock on the Oscars for cinematography and art direction. Now I am NOT just talking about incorporating wonderful 3-D tricks into the film (like they did so well with “How to Train Your Dragon” with all the great flying sequences)–but integrating them in a more artistic manner that is not distracting but enhances the film throughout and makes you admire all the wonderful eye candy. I also loved the great use of computers to colorize flashback scenes to make them appear to be a nice homage to the early hand-colored films of Méliès. And, when it’s not in flashbacks, the film simply looks like you are in early 1930s Paris.

I also loved the film because of the nice performances. Sacha Baron Cohen is more subtle and likable here than usual and I loved the performances by the kids in the film. Ben Kingsly was great–but he’s nearly always great.

Finally, perhaps the best thing about the film is that it is so different. Watch the film and then try to think of another film that reminds you of “Hugo”–I seriously doubt if you’ll be able to do this–the film is THAT unique!

Vidya Balan seems to be riding the crest these days. After pulling off three movies, Ishqiya, No One Killed Jessica and ‘The Dirty Picture’ almost as the sole lead, and winning a national award for her last entrée, she has hit the sweet spot yet again with this week’s release ‘Kahaani’, a suspense thriller set in Kolkata.

Just as the trailers suggest, the story is about a heavily pregnant Bidya err Vidya Bagchi (Vidya Balan) who arrives in Kolkata looking for her husband who had arrived there on work and gone missing. Given the predicament, there is enough scope for drama. But, more interestingly, there is an undercurrent of an espionage thriller.

The pre-title sequence opens with a chemical attack in Kolkata Metro. Cut to two years later, Vidya arrives in town for her quest and approaches the city police. Rana, newbie cop (Parambrata Chatterjee) has a soft corner for her and accompanies her in her hunt. Vidya seems to hit a dead-end in her search as nobody seems to know her husband Arnab Bagchi. But as they dig deeper, they uncover darker secrets.

Okay! The discussion about the film’s story has to stop here. It’s a suspense flick after all. So, knowing anything more can spoil your experience. In fact, one can describe ‘Kahaani’ as an interesting multi- layered package that is unwrapped slowly, one layer at a time. Although it can seem slightly lengthy at some point, carefully planned twists will keep you glued to the screen. Also, notice the attention to detail in every scene.

Many have been raving about Vidya Balan’s performance. Full marks to her! But, what holds ‘Kahaani’ together is writer-director Sujoy Ghosh’s watertight screenplay. The film is much unlike the regular bollywood thrillers that rely on stylish European locations, slick stunts, fast cars and scantily-clad women. Truly commendable!

Among other goodies is Parambrata Chatterjee’s has acted well along with some powerful performances by Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Khan, Saswata Chatterjee as Bob Biswas with Indraneil Sengupta in a brief role. Vishal-Shekhar’s music has nothing striking, but flows with the film. Camera-work and editing is also neat.

Filmmakers exploring cities other than Mumbai is relatively a recent phenomenon. While Delhi-based flicks gave the audience respite from tiresome Mumbai-based stuff, Kolkata is an interesting choice. The director effectively portrays the city’s warmth, comfortable in its own time-warp while also providing the perfect setting for a thriller. Set around the time of Durga Puja, the film showcases the city’s culture too.

My advice: don’t Google or ask-a-friend to know what the suspense is. Go to your nearest screen and catch the movie. Trust me, it’s totally worth it!

One of the best films of 2011! Great cinematography of LA by Newton Thomas Sigel. A thrilling film that spins your heart every minute. Gosling was excellent in his role. He has come a long way since the early 2000s when he was just a TV actor in a kids show.
Nicolas Winding Ref has done an excellent job.