Watchmen Smiley

Superheroes become a marginalized minority in this satirical take on the concept of super beings. Based on the comic strip by the same name, the movie is a treat to watch – a parody of the expectations we have from a superhero movie.  This is a superhero movie not for the adrenaline charged teenagers – this is a superhero movie for the 60 plus “old guy” who has seen most of this world and doesn’t have too much hope for the salvation of humanity.

The characters are defined almost in a different dimension. Traditionally on the one hand we have the realistic movies – like The Godfather – true depictions of men and their follies and redeeming qualities. On the other we have Spiderman , Batman etc which strive to show people who are larger than life, living out the dreams of power and control of the helpless downtrodden – the saviors of the “world”. And somewhere in the middle is the Watchmen.

This movie is about looking at the world from the “real” perspective of the superhero. The fallen angels – retired and living without their masks – accustomed to the callousness of human behavior. These guys were doing the stuff that the law could not achieve – not so much powerful as brave – facing adversity with nothing but rubber masks and loads of attitude. This movie is about the pressures one would feel, if one could imagine one of these men in complete correctness.

One of the characters called the Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) is a mix of the Joker and Batman. He does things one cannot be proud of, and yet he is a savior also. He is a parody of the our inner contrasts of good and evil. He is the middle ground where the good guys and the bad guys mix and share stories ! His character reminded me of two generals from either side of the border enjoying a quite drink in the night joking about how the next day they will have to face each other in battle.

Then there is Doctor Manhattan (Billy Crudup) – a blue form of energy – with immense powers. He is portrayed as the classic “weapon of the American masses”. Only he doesn’t care much about Americans in particular and humanity in general. He is so far ahead in terms of understanding time and our position in this universe – that he finds the human trails and tribulations, petty and unnecessary. He no longer wants to solve our problems.

Night Owl II (Patrick Wilson) is a take on batman – only he has a paunch and is no longer interested in saving the crap on the streets of New York. He has his little gadgets for amusement and dreams of the glorious past while pontificating on the bleak future. He is also in love with the lady in the group – Silk Spectre II.

Silk Spectre

Played by Malin Akerman – Silk Spectre is the love interest of Manhattan and Night Owl. She is them “human” part of them all. The fragile statement of life against the brutal onslaught of the human greed for power. She is following the in the footsteps of her mother – Silk Spectre I. The character has a history which is mired in acts of infidelity and misplaced expectations. Towards the end of the movie, her history sheds more light on the Comedian and sadness of his life.

Ozymandias (Matthew Goode) is the ex-hero with a billionaire background. Although initially in the wraps about his real intentions – the character gets more definition as the movie progresses. We see a clear thinking individual, who decides ( with no one’s permission) that the world needs to be set straight before the end is upon us. He goes about it in methodical fashion – uncluttered by emotions. He is an emblem of the ruthless change that is sometimes necessary to correct a situation which is beyond repair.

And finally we have Rosharch played by Jackie Earle Haley. A masked guy with inkblots on his canvas face – changing forever with time. Rosharch is a moralist like no other, and his fearlessness outstrips his powers. A mortal human who has pledged to defy all odds – to save whatever is left of the “humanness” in us. His character made me feel invulnerable on the inside. A person who is beyond harm because he chooses to be so – deep down inside. No pain can get to him, no force except death can stop him in his tracks.

Excellently directed with amazing special effects – the movie never tries to be a display of CGI graphics. Instead it uses generous measures of gore and special effects in understated tones – more to  outline the characters than to tell the “story”. Zack Snyder has been a revelation in the past couple of years. His style is fresh as well as Noir. The title theme by the Smashing Pumpkins makes a statement in itself. Taken from a previous Batman movie – the score is dark and depressing – foretelling the bleakness of the outcomes.

The movie uses an “old-world” color scheme – bright plasticky and devoid of the brushed metal finish of the uber modern textures. The comic strip element is enhanced and the satire is magnified because of this. In effect you first suspend your disbelief and then realize you didn’t really have to ! The movie is about real people and real emotions – told through the medium of an imagined world.

I loved the movie for its ambiguities and fallacies. It strives to make one think about how we behave and where we are headed. Although its an imaginary world – the events are heavily metaphorical of our lives today. This movie like its comic strip origin – is going to be one of  the classics in the line of “V for Vendetta” and “Sin City”. Do not watch it with superhero expectations – rather suspend your expectations and live out the lives of the average super-hero in graphic detail. This movie is the stuff of coffee table discussions !

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1. Tricky tricky traitor !

Another question that needs to be asked is, how in gods name could he take a brilliant movie like Memento and convert it to such trash ? If Christopher Nolan sees this version, he will probably tear his hair out in one nice curvaceous line !

I always have high expectations from an Amir Khan movie. Something in his acting makes me feel good about watching him. His eyes are evocative and his manners on screen are honed and perfected to suit the role. And I must say even in this movie he tries his best to be guy defined by the story. Only the story got too contorted by this imbecile director form the south of India.

The movie begins well and shows an ultra angry Amir Khan whooping some really bad asses. Phenomenal strength is depicted in his small body ! We see Amir thowing this monster like he was a bag of cotton ! The tap dripping blood at the end of the plumbing inside his stomach is something to watch out for. At this point I was getting heated up for some in your face action !

Jiah Khan is the bimbette doctor who looks like in need of psychiatric help more than Amir. She seems to have such a vacuum in her upper chamber that the average grey matter in the scenes containing her drop to near zero. She wants to pursue this case of the curious man with the line across his ahead !

Her meeting with Amir is well depicted and was the last part o the movie that I felt interested enough to watch. After this the “tamil movie onslaught” started in full force. The heroine is a plump girl who over acts all the time ! I felt I had suddenly started watching a street play ! Even more hilarious was the scene where Amir walks out of a private plane with his half sleeves rolled up to reveal his newly acquired biceps.

After a few moments of overacting from Asin (or whatever her name is) I was sure that this was a movie that I did not want to watch. The next best option was to go out and get drunk with my cousin who had hosted a party that night. (I should thank god for having mercy for my soul). After a few drinks I had almost forgotten the one hour of torture that I had to endure before walking out ! By today its almost a blurry memory and hopefully by next week I will be rid of all memories of this most abysmal Amitr movie in recent times !

My advice – If you like Rajnikant style fantasies – then go watch Rajnikant ! The guy has built his reputation in this genre. Amir on the other hand looks like a petulant child with some brawn thrown in. What a waste of talent. I wish that our directors can copy movies better in the future …I never expect them to be original anyway !

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1. Tricky tricky traitor !

However once in a while we come across a genre rejuvenating movie. Traitor takes the theme of a spy and his affiliations to a new level. Don Cheadle as the Traitor is one of the best and honest depictions of a spy I have ever seen. The movie is not about the black or the white. Its about the gray area in the middle.

The reason for the word honest (above) are many. For once we get to see the childhood of a traitor (albeit briefly). We also see the day to day mental torment which a spy has to suffer to reach his goals. The villains are not really the “bad guys” – they are a shade darker than the good guys. In fact one of the “bad guys” actually turns out to be an ironic hero in the end. There is a sort of dark realistic satire in this movie. As if the scriptwriter/director wanted to tell you something more than just the story.

The cinematography is stark and real – no frills but the straight scenes with a little bit of the excellent camera placement. The settings are well depicted – especially the ones in the open dessert prison. The characters are filmed with stabilized shoulder mounted cameras. So there’s a feel of you actually being there in the scene along with the other characters !

The sound track is a little techno sometimes – but pleasantly so. Inter spaced with this is a little bit of the old world Arabic, Egyptian and African riffs. A very pleasant sort of throbbing music that never distracts from the scene but manages to set the pace of the movie all the while.

Don Cheadle turns out a performance of a lifetime. A Muslim spy who is by his nationality (US) forced to side with the Americans. He is torn between his allegiance to his country and the sympathy he feels for the “terrorists”. A true believer in Islam – he depicts the picture of a man with a conscience, who knows what his actions amount to and is willing to take the responsibility arising of it.

Guy Pearce ( from Memento) plays the tenacious but suave FBI agent. He knows his job and in typical American style wants to do things Now ! Throughout the movie their characters follow parallel paths, crossing each other only thrice – and in very brief but telling fashion.

The other notable character is the good “bad guy” (played by Said Taghmaoui) with whom Don Cheadle has to hang around. This character (as with all the characters…) is excellently defined – showing the heart of a terrorist who has an inkling that his path is not about true Islam. To be honest the audience might feel like sympathising with him in the end ( if they are not careful …) .

Alyy Khan (oh yes ! There are two Indian actors here ! Maybe more – but I could identify two ..) is exceptionally believable as the suave plotter who his determined to cause a dent to the American psyche. He portrays a devious man who has got a logical mind with an evil heart.

And finally the plot. Its got a dose of the twists and turns ( which is not at all unusual for a spy movie). But the this time the plot follows the characters and their different trysts rather than the hard facts. Quite the opposite of a documentary … the director concentrates on the soul rather than the “truth”. As i said before – the movie and the plot is about the gray area between black and white. The plot is nonetheless riveting – never bogged down with any overtly emotional scenes.

Overall a commendable movie from Jeffrey Nachmanoff ( who also does the screenplay and script – well almost the guy who is trying to talk to the audience through this movie !). Ashok Amritraj also has his finger in this pie. Somehow I like the movies that have his name in the credit roll at the end. The only downside I could find were the two dimensional depictions of the terrorist “bombers”.

I suggest not wasting this movie with your beer soaked buddies. Head out to the theater with some contemplative company and enjoy this very immaculate depiction of a spy and his exciting but miserable life …

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2. Liam Neeson takes it ALL
3. Watchmen

The story begins slowly with scenes of an estranged father trying to come to terms with this alienation from his daughter. Liam Neeson is an ex-CIA agent whose specialty was “prevention”. While “preventing” he lost his family to some rich bloke who pays more attention and money to his ex-wife and daughter. Having established the relationships, the audience is shown some absurd trip that his daughter has planned and which he squarely objects to. As our luck would have it – the daughter takes the trip, and we get to see an awesome trip of gore and bloodshed.

The movie has an absurd quality at times – scenes like some stalker attacking a singer back stage is quite a cliché. Also the bad guys seem to have all the guns but no shooting skills. They miss Liam all the time ! Famke as the high profile mother does her bit but is barely convincing – not because of her acting which is okay, but because the script fails to give a solid feel to her character. For most of the movie she looks like an extra. Also the image of the “crooked arab sheikh wanting to fornicate with kidnapped white girls” is a bit over used already to give any extra fillip to the storyline.

The best part about the movie is Liam – and he does a good job of showing a concerned father who will go to any lengths to get his daughter back. He doesn’t look like he is “acting” at all. Its some times so real that you feel sorry for the guy when he gets knocked down once. Liam also has this very earthy quality about him – a raw screen presence that does not need glamorous settings to grip your attention. For his age he does the action sequences exceptionally well !

About the action sequences – they were a revelation really. Jason Bourne could take a few tips from Liam. The pace is fast and the action is filmed in constricted places. All manner of props are used to take down the bad guys. It almost feels like you are in the same room and the next piece of furniture is gonna hit you square on the jaw. Liam shows off his reflexes and presence of mind – and makes it quite believable at that.

Maggie Grace as the bird-brained daughter (its not surprising that she wants to be a singer !) is average at best. She shows fright well on her face but the other emotions seem pasted on. Also her character in the movie is like that of her screen mother – extra. Somehow I wished they had shown a more gritty daughter given the fact that the father shows such presence of mind – perhaps a lesson in genetics might do the script -writer some good. Or maybe she got it all from her mom – who knows !

The movie shows a multitude of decrepit rooms filled with drugged (American ?) teenagers waiting to get auctioned off. In reality I guess any criminal activity of such proportions would get the attention of George Bush who would order a “nucalear” strike ! The sheikh at the end is a little comical – holding a knife to ward off a guy who just beat the s**t out of twenty or more hardcore thugs with UZIs. The cinematography is great – no rolling hills and valleys – but well placed cameras and good editing. The script is a little shallow to begin with but is a non-issue towards the end. Paris is not shown as the land of art – but rather full of refugees waiting to kidnap and sell single nubile women from the US of A. The music is non-intrusive and complements the action well.

To sum up – a great action flick to watch from the unlikliest of actors – Liam Neeson ( yeah the same guy from Schindlers List !). The story never bores you and in the end you do feel that his daughter’s freedom is hard won. If you can excuse the american arrogance of treating all non-americans as vile insects, and the lack of satire or irony (except a small interrogation scene) – you will fully enjoy watching the “baap” of Jason Bourne !

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However this fact has apparently escaped the most unexpected of people – the makers of the latest Bond flick. No doubt its very real and you can almost feel the shrapnel in your face, but some of the unreal magic is lost in the process. Its like a very real story waiting for the bit of the magic that usually came packaged with the previous line of movies.

Casino Royale still remains a high point in the franchise. And for good reason also. Firstly there was the new Bond. So we got to see the “new” grimace of pain. We saw the “new” passion to follow people in the French style of parkour. We saw a “new” love story involving our man and a very “modern” depiction of a Bond woman. But apart from the “newness” there was a sense of realism in the movie. A subtle moving away from the gadgets to the raw sex-appeal of sweat, blood and devious espionage.

Quantum of Solace moves on the same trajectory but the story is not as tight and the music is a little frayed. Although we see a return to some “advanced” gadgetry, the effort to retain the isolation of Bond from technical excesses is evident in the movie. We usually see Bond in the thick of things with just a high-tech cellphone. While most of the funky stuff remains in M’s office.

It begins a little too fast and stays that way for most of the movie. Alicia Keys is a letdown with the opening song – trying to pull out octaves like Sheryl Crow or Shirley Bassey, but only managing a weak croak in the end. And the opening car chase (although filmed in great realism) is just too arduous to begin with. Well we all know that espionage is hard work – but we like to see our Bond using a bit of his noodle to get things done. Realism doesn’t have to mean bone-headedness.

The rest of the story is a little “unexplained” but still bearable. The famous Bond Villain is also more real – like our hero. He doesn’t have a facial tick or a funky island with lasers all around. He is an everyday weasel who made it big by selling his friends on the way. Well so much for that ultimate villain we keep waiting to see every time.

The movie saver is Olga as the new Bond girl … no wait … the she-Bond. She is not a sex kitten or some lethal arm candy for the Bond Villain. Shes just a woman who wants to get some personal joy in killing a parallel character in the movie. I say parallel because the character of the General (wanting to become the Ruler) is exactly like that. I cannot really understand why he was very important in the scheme of things and I presume the director also felt the same way. That is probably the reason why he put in a two dimentional character to complement the main villain.

To come back to the character of Olga – it is at the least very refreshing to see a Bond girl having an obsession other than Bond. And she does justice to the role as well, painting the nuanced picture of a determined woman who doesn’t mind being vulnerable. For his part, Craig also has immense screen presence and those beady expressive eyes. He is more like a reluctant hero, carrying out the dirty work in spite of his personal loss. And as usual he is good at the “physicals” – running and jumping around so much that I was having difficulty imagining how he “could not sleep” in that bar room scene with another parallel character. This guy gets murdered in the end, but not before giving a good “the last words before dying” routine. The audience is shown a soft Bond who hugs a close friend (wasn’t he responsible for his love’s death in the previous flick ?) as he is dying on a deserted city street. Aint that sweet ?

All in all an average Bond movie. Not because Craig is unbelievable. Or Olga in the new she-Bond avatar. But because the action set pieces seem to have been added only for effect and the music fails to impress. A realistic story which like reality seems quite boring in the end.

Lets applaud Craig and Olga and throw out the script writer. Also the crew needs to do some magic to get Bond’s mojo back into him. Alicia Keys singing symbolises the movie – tried hard but failed to impress !

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