OMG Oh My God! (2012)

Today I succumbed to boredom and watched a Hindi movie. Why don't I watch Hindi movies? Before you Hindi speakers start commanding that not only should I know Hindi but I should watch plenty of Hindi movies here are a few reasons (in bullet points):

• I cannot comprehend Hindi completely. I need a friend to translate some of the more difficult (shudh Hindi) words. I am from West Bengal. We speak Bengali there. You know, one of the other 18 official languages of India.
• Hindi films are just not as good as international cinema. Notice here that I said international cinema and not Hollywood. There are many great Hindi films out there. But I found out that it takes me a larger amount of time researching the quality of a newly released Hindi film than to actually watch the film.
• Even films with different concepts and/or new ideas have the same formulaic crowd pleasing shit shovelled into the script.
• Too much plagiarism.
• Too many songs.
• Overall corniness.

As you can see I have my reasons for not watching Hindi films. However, today I went out of tedium and my love of Paresh Rawal.

The film begins like a generic comedy. It generates chuckles from the juxtaposition of a religious background, devout wife and a holy idol and stature shop, against the atheist shop owner Kanji Bhai (Paresh Rawal). I was prepared to walk out of the movie when I heard the Prabhudeva-led item number "Go Govinda". I believed that was the movie subtly telling me and my godly friend Govinda (a.k.a. Krishna) to get the hell out of there as it was going to get painful. 

A few minutes later I was thankful that I'd not left as the movie had swiftly descended into one of my favourites, religious satire. Kanji Bhai disrupts a religious festival and is cursed by a Hindu priest. His shop is destroyed and the insurance company refuses to reimburse him for his losses as the earthquake that destroyed his shop was an "act of God".

It is here that Paresh Rawal gives a marvellous performance as a non-believer. And Mithun Chakraborty proves that he's still got it as he lampoons religious cult leaders with all their quirks and vanities. This film had me hook, line and sinker, the dialogue was funny, thoughtful and logical. 

Suddenly a wild Akshay Kumar appears! 

And I felt that the film had lost me. What could have been a ground breaking film descended into the murky waters of "this is India, so no atheism allowed". You see, in a film that challenged the very existence of God the filmmakers decided to introduce God.

Overall I have to say that I liked the film. It put forward some well written arguments. It challenged Big Religion and all the scams, rackets and insanity that went along with it. But I kept thinking that this film could have been much better without God making an appearance. It could have been a spectacular struggle of man against society and his eventual hard won triumph. It was the struggle of man against society and his eventual hard won triumph. The spectacle was cheapened by God's arrival. This film asks the right questions but it falls short. This is the sort of film that should teach a person to question their beliefs. To think and question instead of blindly following. To offer a different point of view. What it does is question our rituals and our inane practices. It tells us to not fear but love God. It does a good job of that. 

I'd hoped that it would question God too.

IMDB Rating: 8.9/10 (sometimes you shouldn't trust IMDB, this is one of those times)

My Rating: 6.5/10

Should you watch it: Yeah, why not? It is funny. And for the atheists/agnostics who like me had hoped for more, here's a George Carlin routine that never gets old:

Withnail and I (1987)

This film is about two struggling actors whose squalid habitat would make Tyler Durden proud. One looks a bit like Lennon and is poetic, he is the eponymous "I". The other is handsome, upper class, foppish and perpetually drunk, he is the titular Withnail. These two youths take a fun alcohol fuelled journey to the English countryside to holiday in a shack owned by Withnail's uncle Monty. It is a comedy which at some moments will darken your soul.

This is called black humour folks and the only other film I've seen in this league is Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove.

This film is also about two struggling actors whose squalid habitat could be described as truly pitiful. In fact their entire existence seems pathetic as they fail to get work and pass their days drinking themselves into premature liver failure. One is anxiety prone paranoid who lets his friend dictate his life, the other is Withnail, a high-brow alcoholic. They embark on a disruptive journey to the English countryside full of drunken mishaps. It is a tragedy that will at some points make you laugh.

And that is why Withnail and I is a cult British film. The interpretation of the events in the film lies solely in the eyes of the viewer. And despite being billed as one of the greatest examples of black comedy  I believe that was the intention. One of the many stories about its production is about the determination of the director to not use any of the takes that made his crew members laugh. Another story mentions that the film was almost shut down three days into production because one of its producers thought that it had no discernible jokes.

Have you seen Inglourious Basterds? Do you remember the scene where Lt. Aldo Raine asks a German to point out where the Nazi artillery and snipers are located on a map and when he refuses has him beaten to death in front of two other soldiers. Another soldier is shot in the back and the last soldier when as by Lt. Raine immediately divulges the information. This scene is funny. It made me laugh. It made the characters laugh. But if you really think about it this was a very uncomfortable scene and this terrified soldier should not have made us laugh. Withnail and I is like that, there are scenes that are hilarious and instantly quotable, but there are so many moments that make you chuckle which just shouldn't.

In my mind it also raises a question. At what point does amusing become depressing and vice versa? Would this still be a black comedy if the exact same events had taken place but his time the characters were injecting heroin into their bloodstreams?

This film also presents us with some fascinating characters. If you're not looking for character study then you can find the characters make marvelous caricatures. And behind them is great acting and clever writing. Richard Griffiths (Uncle Dursley form the Harry Potter movies) gives a cracking performance as Uncle Monty (hmmm...me thinks a connection there is). And Richard Grant's Withnail is unforgettable. Watch this film. You'll either like it or love it. Don't get fooled by the gloom of my review though, this film will definitely make you laugh.

IMDB Rating: 7.7/10

My Rating: 8.5/10

Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

Moonrise Kingdom was released over two months ago in the United States. I waited in anticipation for a film that was touted to be the best film of the summer. But I'd forgotten that I lived in India. I would be lucky to see a film that did not rely on explosions to fuel its plot forward. I was relieved to find out yesterday that it had finally arrived to cinemas in India and rushed to watch one of the first shows.

The story takes place on an island; a rustic, colourful setting that accentuates the story and its charm. The plot begins with a boy running away from his summer camp and a girl fleeing from her family. We find out that they have been corresponding for a year and this escape has been planned. A rescue party  comprising of the girl's parents, a policeman, the camp's scoutmaster and his scouts fan out and search for them. Hilarity and romance ensue. I do not want to reveal any more of the plot as I'm afraid that it will harm your viewing experience.

The adults are played by a star studded cast, the sort of cast only a summer superhero movie could afford. Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Bruce Willis, Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand and Harvey Keitel. The above line represents millions of dollars worth of acting power and billions of dollars worth of entertainment value. But you'll forget all of those people as soon as you see the young lovers. Played brilliantly by Kara Hayward and Jared Gilman the two young protagonists run the show. Their characters are so well written that you wish to know what happens to them a few years down the line. And the actors playing them are such natural actors that you wish to know what happens to them a few years down the line (and you hope that they don't turn into Lindsay Lohan).

Everything else about this film is as exceptional as the acting and the writing. The camera-work and the director's use of colours and symmetry add a warmth and charm to the film which makes everything seem natural and true. Moments of childishness rather than bringing out the jaded adult bring out the carefree playfulness in us. I even found myself wishing that I had run away with camping equipment as a kid. Sam, the boy scout, puts established badasses like Han Solo to shame by virtue of sheer ballsiness. And the music. It just ties the film together. Quirky and zany, the music is simple and effective. If I had to sum up the film in one word it would be "charming". The charm of the film lies with its story and characters and the way it all flows seamlessly. Seriously, I would not change a single thing about this film. I'm looking forward to viewing more of Wes Anderson's work.

P.S. - My new favourite cinema theatre is PVR Cinemas at Phoenix (Pune). Nine screens and tasty snacks, what more do you need?

IMDB Rating: 8.3/10

My Rating: 9/10

Worth going to the theatre for: Yes, definitely yes!