7 Boxes -- A Thriller with a Powerful Subtext

                                 ‘Mistaken identity and plan gone awry’ – these were the famous narratives, constructed by the Master of suspense ‘Alfred Hitchcock.’ These suspense thrillers didn’t just feature soulless stories punctuated by money-grabbing effects. It had a powerful subtext, where all the themes traveled a full circle. ‘Wrong time, wrong place’ scenario of Hitchcock was used wonderfully in the recent Paraguay ‘chase’ movie, “7 Boxes” (2013). Some of the film’s energetic overtones take us within the Quentin Tarantino arena too. It has both the art house and Hollywood appeal. Directors Juan Carlos Maneglia and Tana Schembori have set the movie in a place, unknown to global viewers -- jam-packed, poverty- filled marketplace in Asuncion, Paraguay. 

                                It is 2005 and 17 year old Victor (Celso Franco) catches his first glimpse of a cell phone featuring a camera. He seems fascinated by the idea watching his own self on video. Victor pictures of being a heartthrob on TV. He decides, no matter what, he must buy a cell phone. But, Victor is a wheel-barrow pusher and cell phones are very expensive in 2005. Paraguay’s Ascuncion marketplace is the central hub for trade in all manner of goods. Victor only earns a meager fee for hustling the wheelbarrow, full of goods, through heavy crowds. Victor’s world revolves around two girls: an enthusiastic, pushy friend Liz (Lali Gonzalez) and Sister Tamara (Nelly Davalos). Tamara works with her pregnant friend Leti (Katia Garcia) in the kitchen of a Chinese restaurant. Leti is ready to sell her camera cell phone for $100. The owner blabbers in Mandarin and his young son has a crush on Tamara.

                            Victor, desperate for money, grabs an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity when it comes in the guise of Gus (Roberto Cardozo). Gus works in a butcher shop and the place is crawling with cops. Gus’ boss Dario (Paletita) wants to take seven mysterious, sealed boxes out of his butcher's shop. Gus chooses Victor and gives him a cell phone, asks him to keep pushing the boxes throughout the market until he gets information about destination place. The pay will be $100, if he didn’t get caught by police. Victor happily takes away the boxes, but a rival push carter Nelson (Victor Sosa) arrives at the scene. Dario often uses Nelson for this kind of job. After learning that the boxes were taken by some other boy, both Dario and Nelson gets enraged.  Nelson, who needs to pay for meds for his sick child pursues Victor, while Dario and his pal are afraid about the things that would happen if the box gets into the hands of police. What’s in the box? Soon, Victor sees what’s inside it and Nelson wrongly hears what’s inside, which makes varied group of people, crooks and cops alike, to intensely look for the boxes.

                             Time-lapse photography, long tracking shots through the mazes of shops, pulsating music, stylized camerawork and acrobatic stunts doesn’t upstage the human element of the story. Co-director/writer Magnelia’s script has enclosed top-notch thriller ingredients along with cohesive storytelling elements. Dark humor, social observation and affecting emotions are the additional parts of the script too. The Chinese restaurant subplot and characters like that of Liz seems pointless at first, but in the end, we could feel that everything is in there for a reason. There are some distractions in the name of comedy and the dialogues at times are pedestrian (may be the English subtitles are bad), but still the film surges, thanks to the surprises.

                           Even though the film is set in 2005, a pre-smart phone era, we could understand the boy’s manic fascination with gadgets. The film’s final referential scene and many of Victor’s antics stresses how we are all consumed or seduced by our own projected image. Nelson and his buddies mentality showcases how greed facilitates to form a misguided sense of opportunity that keeps the working class downtrodden. Victor pushing the wheelbarrow is itself can be viewed as a metaphor: the interests of various parties revolves like a wheel and at every corner hits back at Victor, who is pushing himself against all odds. The direction moves the story with a dizzying speed, making us recalling the spirit of “Run Lola Run.” They use Hollywood type of outrageous twists and black humor, but never forgets to demonstrate the South American poverty, where less fortunate souls are trying to make their lives a little brighter.

                         “7 Boxes” (105 minutes) uses a simple scenario to build a structured complex thriller. The twists, the terrific ensemble of actors (mostly first-timers) and a slick script make this film an excellent escapist fare. 

 Trailer

7 Boxes (7 cajas) -- IMDb 

Kill List -- An Evil Lurching Beyond

                                 There are two kinds of horror movies: one that lays out a concise and neatly tailored ending; the other kind fascinate and frighten us ceaselessly without offering any explanations for the evil. The first kind would provide a popcorn entertainment; the second kind gets under your skin and leaves the reason behind the events on-screen, for you to decide. British director Ben Wheatley’s twisted piece of domestic drama, “Kill List” (2011) belongs to second kind. This ‘what-the-hell-just happened’, small-budgeted, unhurried nightmare of a movie might divide viewers, who might either feel that they have wasted their time or have seen a good Brit horror.

                               The economy has hit the bottom. Jay (Neil Maskell), aged 35, has been out of work for eight months. He is an ex-soldier having a breakdown and blowing all the family’s holiday money on a Jacuzzi. He drinks too much and has screaming matches with his Swedish wife, Shel (MyAnna Buring). Jay and Shel’s young son, Sam looks concerned about his parents’ disconnection. Another volatile fight ensues about the groceries which seem to come out of nowhere as they're hosting another couple for dinner. The couples are Gal (Michael Smiley) and his new girlfriend Fiona (Emma Fryer). The Irishman Gal is Jay’s best friend and looks dryly funny and relatively calm. The booze-fueled confrontations on the dinner table once again flare up Jay’s temper and the evening turns into a disaster. Later, Gal corners Jay with a business proposition. Except for Fiona’s strange little mark on a mirror, it just looks like a film about a dysfunctional family.

                             Slowly, the family crisis builds into something else as Jay and Gal accept the job. Actually, the two guys are former contract killers. Their last job in Kiev has gone wrong. Shel knows about her husband’s profession and wants him to take this job. Now a creepy old man (Struan Rodger) gives them three assassination contracts. The two men set out with professionalism and kill their first target easily: a priest. The priest before getting killed says, ‘Thank you.’ The second target is a librarian. In their target’s den, Jay and Gal find a cache of snuff films. The horrified Jay transforms into a moral avenger. He takes a hammer and bludgeons the librarian to death, then later goes on a crusade to kill everyone behind this abominable man. Gal feels that this has become more personal. From there, the plot takes a huge shift and things get stranger and make us ask what Jay and Gal have signed up for.

                          The atmosphere behind the movie makes it more than conventional scary film. Many might hate ‘Kill List’ for the lack of overall logic or for not tucking in every plot strand into place, but I felt that the surprise doesn’t quite come out of nowhere, since certain hints are strewn here and there. The cheap gores (hammer scene) and thrills (tunnel scene) works both and against the film. What’s impressive of Wheatley’s direction is that, despite all these cheapness, you could still feel the dread that the situation is lurching steadily beyond the control of its characters. “Kill List’s” main appeal lies in the way Wheatley fills it with details -- naturalistic banter between the partners; the surprising affectionate moments between Jay and Shel or Jay and Sam.

                       “The Wicker Man” territory in the third act might seem unbelievable but was audaciously pulled by the director. When it becomes from domestic melodrama to psychological horror, you could see the coherence between an unconventional script, intense cinematography and idiosyncratic editing. As Jay, Neil Maskell creates a convincing family man as well as a brutal killer. He carries the irony of his character that a ruthlessly efficient hit man also happens to be a henpecked husband.

                       “Kill List” is definitely not for the squeamish (as there are at least one or two ultra-violent moments). It leaves a big chunk of the horror story for you to figure out, which you can consider as this movie’s strength or weakness. 

Trailer

Kill List -- IMDb 

R for graphic brutal sadistic violence, pervasive language, graphic nudity, and sexual material.

Aftermath (Poklosie) -- A Vehement State of Denial

                                     Jan T. Gross’s 200 book “Neighbors” is about the real life story of 1941 ruthless pogroms that took place in the Jewish-populated Jedwabne, in Poland. The mass murders detailed in the book unearthed the shameful past of Poland. Few years before the release of the book, a documentary titled ‘Shetl’ (1996) also talked about antisemitism, in which a Polish historian stumbles upon Jewish gravestones used to pave town roads. Both the book and documentary stirred controversies when it came out, forcing the Polish to confront their country long history of antisemitism. Władysław Pasikowski’s “Aftermath” (2012) takes all these real accounts and weaves a story that deals with the crime's present-day reverberations. However, this devastating historical fiction doesn’t have a single Jewish character on-screen. Its film-maker frames the Holocaust atrocities into the genre of quasi-horror film, without ever taking a polemic view.

                                  Franciszek Kalina (Ireneusz Czop) returns from Chicago to his native place in Poland. The year is 2001 and he left the place in 1980, after getting disgusted with Poland government’s implementation of martial law. He was not happy in America, since he is bitter about running lowly asbestos work for for greedy ‘Yids.’ He is also not glad about being back. Franek hasn’t attended his parents' funerals, and the family farm has suffered in his absence. Now he hasn’t returned with regret. His only job there to visit his estranged younger brother, Josef (Maciej Stuhr), whose wife and children have left him behind in Poland and moved to Chicago.

                               Franek finds that there’s been a great personality shift with Josef. His brother is treated with widespread hostility across the town. Some unknown perpetrators seem to have thrown a rock smashing his window, and was also confronted and beaten up at a bar. Franek finds these were the reasons for Josef wife’s resettlement. Josef is at first reluctant to explain the towns people’s hostility but eventually confesses about his mission to collect the town's Jewish gravestones. A recent flood reveals that the foundations of local roads are looted from a Jewish cemetery. Though he was not a Jewish, Josef couldn't stand the idea of the dead being disrespected in this way. He lugs most of the gravestones to his Wheat-field and reconstructs a symbolic graveyard. Threats escalate into more dangerous behavior as the villagers fear that their role in Jewish massacre will get uncovered. 

                          Director Wladyslaw Pasikowski is mostly known for making thriller and war flicks. So, he turns “Aftermath” into a conventional thriller with plot points like naive stranger, suspicious locals and mysterious past. Certain mystery elements turn out to trappings that the film doesn’t need. He shows complexity in retelling the past events, but the townsfolk are only portrayed as mobsters screaming defamatory phrases. There is no nuanced character development, and only focuses on the murderous actions, which rallies a vision out of a cult horror film. Nonetheless, the film-makers have got one thing right: they have avoided Josef to be presented as a noble tragic figure. When Franek asks Josef to explain about his actions, he just says, "I kind of figured it wasn't right." The script has clearly made him as misguided guy, whose sudden obsession seems rooted more in narcissism than a affinity for the Jews.

                       “Aftermath” is not a polite apology for mass killings. It is a part of that country's ongoing process of wrestling with its demons. If the film had overcome its clumsiest narrative device, it would have given us a more weighted account of Holocaust. Bust, still it’s a powerful historical lesson. 

Trailer

Aftermath (Poklosie) -- IMDb 

Inside Llewyn Davis -- A Lyrical and Transcendental Character Study

                                      Coen brothers (Joel and Ethan) have always had the penchant for off-beat stories and they never do anything that is called conventional. Their world view isn’t stuck to a particular time or place. Whether it is 1980’s American heartland, 1960’s or the contemporary era, their films present the point that life is harsh, absurd and sometimes funny to look it from a third person’s point of view. “Inside Llewyn Davis” (2013), the new film, comes with the Coens’ typical quirkiness and is a music-centered flick that goes back to a very specific cultural moment. Even though the narrative is straightforward, and the characters accessible, the film will look grim and meandering for mainstream viewers.

                                    Like a number of Coens’ films, ‘Inside Llewyn Davis’ is also a winter's tale, brushed with pale whites and granite grays. The tale is set in 1961, around New York’s Greenwich Village. This is the time before the advent of Bob Dylan and the explosion of folk music. The unkempt, folk-purist Llewyn Davis (Oscar Isaac) is a talented singer, but lacks the charisma and matinee idol looks. When the film begins in a smoky night club, Llewyn hunches his shoulders and sings his traditional final number. The response is fantastic, but there’s not much satisfaction in Llweyn’s face, since he is thinking that will he get paid for this gig or is there anybody’s couch available to sleep.

                                As a gifted artist, Davis deserves good things from life, but soon gets punched by a guy. Llweyn doesn’t have a place to stay and so he bounces from place-to-place with his guitar. We follow Llewyn for a week’s time how he interacts with his friends and various other peoples. He disregards his friendship with fellow folk singer Jim (Justin Timberlake) by knocking up Jean (Carrey Mulligan) – Jim’s wife. Jim helps him land a solid gig; Llewyn plays guitar for the recording session of a novelty song about the 60’s space program. But, unfortunately, he signs away his royalty rights in the session in order to get paid $200 upfront. He takes bizarre trips, confronts more problems and continues to pursue his current vocation or get a more stable job.

                              Many might complain that the couch-surfing, arrogant Llweyn is too unlikeable to spend 100 minutes in his company. But, Coens’ movies are not about likeable protagonists. They should be watched for witty dialogues, elegant pacing, and meticulous portrayal of an era and for a satirical terrain. In that way, “Inside Llewyn Davis” has all the richer elements of Coen brothers’ flicks. It also has colorful supporting characters with hilarious bits of business. They dig into every character’s psyches. Coens’ don’t seem to have any interest in recreating the folk-era, but at the same time they don’t mock the people involved in this era. The directors constantly flout mainstream expectations, especially in the scene, when he closes the car door on the cat and when he sees a important highway sign then proceeds to ignore that location altogether. Another highlight of the flick is that all of folk songs were performed live as they were filmed. Bruno Delbonnel's gorgeous blue-grey light cinematography, filtered through snow clouds and frosted windows gives us an urge to never tear away our eyes.

                            

                           

                           Although the narrative is pretty much straightforward, there are plenty of excellent moments that bear their hallmarks: For example, John Goodman’s weird, manipulative Roland Turner, his macho driver Johnny Five (Garrett Hedlund) and the antics with cats are pure Joel & Ethan tropes. The director duos also like to leave their good stories unfinished. Except for Miller’s Crossing, True Grit and few others, most of their notable works have loose ends: bag full of money; Barton’s box; bowling tournament. There’s always something to make us think about a tantalizing uncertain future for the protagonist.

                        Oscar Isaac, who had supported roles in “Drive”, “Robin Hood”, finally gets his well deserved leading role and makes full use of it. As a self-destructive, arrogant character, Oscar never allows Llewyn to lose his bitterness and manages to convey enough humanity to make him totally dis-likeable. He gracefully portrays a man, who won't deign to connect with others and is also incapable to function as solo act. His solo songs ache with a depth of feeling and look very pure. Carey Mulligan abandons her usual on-screen persona to play foul-mouthed, embittered Jean. The romantic yearning she shows during the singing of “500 Miles” is a moment that is worth than most of the full-length rom-coms. Justin Timberlake is earnest as Jim and has immersed himself very well into the character.

                     “Inside Llewyn Davis” is a wisely crafted melancholic film, which finely displays the crushing beauty that can be wrested from a song. If you can travel along with its unlovable but suffering hero, then you might experience one of the most beautiful and most tragic work of art. It will definitely be remembered alongside the siblings' great endeavors.

Trailer

Inside Llewyn Davis -- IMDb 

Rated R for language including some sexual references

We Are What We Are -- Elegantly Restrained Horror Flick

                                    Ever since the release of micro-budgeted indie horror, “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”, movies about cannibalism came in abundant quantity, showing us some deformed faces with a penchant for making masks and lampshades out of human skin. All these stories more or less has the same story line: unwitting teenagers go into the woods, camp near a lake or someplace, get trapped by hillbillies look-alike, gets killed and later are cooked. So, in that case, Jim Mickle’s “We Are What We Are” (2013) is different, since there is nothing formulaic here. It also doesn’t offer the mundane horror-movie jolts and doesn’t get too bloody until the last part of the film. The movie is loosely based on the Mexican horror film “Somos Lo Que Hay" -- a story about family dynamics and cannibalism. Jim Mickle rather than making a carbon copy out of the original has chosen to create chills with his own moody, atmospheric stamp.

                                 The story is set in a rural American town infested with dead-end religions abandoned theology. It is a town that is still reeling in the past. It is a Friday and the ritual is set for Sunday. The matriarch (Kassie DePaiva) of the Parker family drives to town, amidst the torrential rainstorm, to buy groceries, ahead of the ritual. She collapses in the road and dies. The cause of her death is some unspecified illness. Frank Parker (Bill Sage) and the daughters -- Iris (Ambyr Childers), Rose (Julia Garner), and little son -- Rory (Jack Gore) look devastated due to the loss. Despite the loss of his wife, Frank is reluctant to cancel their annual feast. The feast is called ‘Lamb’s Day’ and the family seems to be in fasting. The job of preparing the meal for the feast now falls in the hands of two daughters.

                              In the meantime, family physician, Doc Barrow (Michael Parks) performs an autopsy on Mrs. Parker and finds some shocking truth behind her illness. In another instance, the doctor finds out a human bone washed up in the creek. The doctor’s daughter has disappeared, earlier, and soon another woman goes missing too. The town sheriff mostly ignores doctor’s findings. Barrow with the help of Deputy Anders (Wyatt Russell) tries to get to the bottom of these things. Anders pokes around the Parker house to get acquainted with his high school crush, Iris. Iris, withholding some horrific secrets, yearns to live as some ordinary teenager with Anders.  However, the lovely young women cannot seem to escape from the brooding eyes of Frank.

                              Unlike most of the movie human flesh eaters, the Parker family a part of the community and not seen as the isolated weirdos. Nothing could be suspected, looking at the angelic faces of the two girls. Director Mickle improves certain things from the original film. He adds a back story to the family’s annual ritual, which has the influences of American Gothic tales. Mickle also adds genuine ‘what-the-hell’ scares rather than giving the startling jumps. He doesn’t hurry things, gives time to take note of every detail, and slowly builds things to the inevitable showdown. Except for the climatic carnage (definitely not for the squeamish), the director keeps the bloody detours to a minimum level. The gorgeous cinematography gives a hint of Terrence Malick movies, casting a grayish gloom over the exteriors.

                            Bill Sage doesn’t make Frank into a fire-breathing religious fanatic. His low-key performance plunges deep into this somber and menacing character. Childers and Garner as the two daughters gives an absolutely mesmerizing performance. The desolate expression and the empty gracefulness of the girls elicit some sympathy for them.

 

                          Restrained direction, lush look and excellent acting make this film, a cut above the typical horror-film. “We Are What We Are” sublimely confronts the crackpot religious beliefs passed on like a disease from one generation to another.

 Trailer

We Are What We Are -- IMDb

Rated R for disturbing violence, bloody images, some sexuality, and nudity

The Decade that Made a Star -- Leonardo DiCaprio in the 2000's

                                        It’s been twenty five years, since Leonardo DiCaprio got his first gig in a television show named “The New Lassie” (1989). He became a teen heartthrob at the age of 17. Two years later he was an Oscar nominee. By the age of 22, he was the most prettiest and profitable young man in Hollywood. And, ever since ‘Titanic’ sank on-screen, DiCaprio’s career rose gradually to stardom. Yeah, he has basked in the benefits of stardom – dates supermodel girls and remains as ‘Highest paid actor.’ However, he didn’t rise to this position without making any artistic compromises and not by playing superheroes, pirates or space ship captains. The 2000’s was the decade, where DiCaprio went on to do unparalleled list of films that were both critically and financially successful. No other actor could probably dream about choosing projects like this in such a short span. In this particular decade, he escaped from the pigeonhole characters and dwelled into ever-more dark and layered characters. 

The Beginnings

Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio was born in L.A. in November 11, 1974. His parents were of Italian and German descent and divorced before DiCaprio was 2. At the age of five, he performed in a children Television show and was shown the door because of disruptive behavior. Apart from his embarrassing involvement in “Critters 3”, he gave one stunning performance after another. As an abused stepson in “This Boy’s Life” he surprised his co-actor Robert De Niro. In the same year, he earned an Oscar nomination for playing a mentally challenged brother alongside Johnny Depp. “Quick and the Dead”, Basketball Diaries”, “Romeo + Juliet” and “Titanic” erupted his status into a pop culture idol. Following James Cameron’s epic, DiCaprio’s career stumbled a little. He appeared in Woody Allen’s forgettable movie, “Celebrity.” “Man in the Iron Mask” and Danny Boyle’s “The Beach” earned him an nomination for Razzie Awards. While both these were hits, in terms of box-office numbers, they indicated a closure of his teen idol wave. It is good that he made these movies because from there onwards he managed to complete the seemingly impossible transition from child actor to adult star.

A Conman and a Gangster

The transition phase DiCaprio underwent in the early 2000’s was largely successful due to his collaboration with legendary Martin Scorsese. He let go his boyish-good looks and turned into a ruggedly good-looking guy in Scorsese’s 19^th century crime saga, “Gangs of New York.” He played the role of Irish-American immigrant Amsterdam Vallon and starred against the fierce performer Daniel Day Lewis. He next landed in the role of Frank Abagnale Jr – real life conman – in Steven Spielberg’s “Catch Me if You Can.” It was a slightly conventional, relentlessly entertaining caper movie. DiCaprio effortless played this intelligent character amidst Hollywood’s greatest talents like Tom Hanks, Martin Sheen. 

Morally Ambivalent Men

In 2004, DiCaprio re-teamed with Scorsese on a biopic project, “The Aviator”, which focused on the prime years of the famous American billionaire Howard Hughes. Awarded with Golden Globe, DiCaprio brought Hughes’ multifaceted characteristics into his performance: a young-mogul; ladies man; pioneer of aviation; and a paranoid, obsessive maverick, who went on in a mission to take on the US government. DiCaprio’s burrowed himself into this isolationist character – a character which later defined most of his roles. “Aviator” was also the film, which made critics to draw comparisons to the Scorsese’s previous collaboration with Robert De Niro. The third collaboration with Scorsese turned out to be one of the best films of their respective careers.

“The Departed” (inspired from Hong Kong movie “Infernal Affairs”) had an all-star cast that included Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Martin Sheen, Mark Wahlberg, Ray Winstone and Alec Baldwin. Unlike Hughes, DiCaprio’s ‘Frank Costigan’ in Departed was a low-level guy – an undercover cop assigned to a notorious Irish-American gang. But, it is another morally ambivalent character, where the inner demons try to bring him down.

African Jungles and Environmentalism

Edward Zwick’s sweeping moral drama “Blood Diamond” had DiCaprio playing Danny Archer – an arms dealer and diamond smuggler, who is at odds with his past behavior. This film earned both Golden Globe and Academy Award nomination, but eventually lost to Forest Whitaker’s portrayal of ruthless dictator Idi Amin. A year later, DiCaprio released an eye-opening documentary “11^th Hour”, which was warmly received by both environmentalists and critics. He became a committed environmentalist and lived up to his opinions by driving a hybrid vehicle and installing solar panels in his house. Although, Dicaprio’s detractors find his environmentalist role as a PR gloss on a hard-partying image, over the years, he has proven that he is genuinely frightened at the prospect of post-peak-oil apocalypse and ravaged oceans. He also attended December 2009 UN climate change conference.

A CIA Operative and a Reunion

In 2008, DiCaprio collaborated with another legendary director, Ridley Scott for “Body of Lies.” He played the role of CIA agent, hunting down a terrorist in Jordan. This film pitted him against Ridley’s favorite actor Russell Crowe, who played DiCaprio’s distrustful boss. Although the reactions to this movie were mixed, he once proved his mettle by giving a layered performance. The next project “Revolutionary Road” was a long-awaited reunion with Titanic Co-star Kate Winslet. The story (adapted from Richard Yates novel) tracked a couple in the 1950’s American suburbia, whose relationship slowly deteriorates over the years. DiCaprio’s role Frank Wheeler truly brought the post-World War mind set of a white male. However, it turned out to be one of his most under-rated (only gained an Golden Globe nod). 

What’s Real?

The next two isolationist characters in Scorsese’s “Shutter Island” and “Nolan’s “Inception” garnered lot of attention, both commercially and critically. In the mystery/thriller and heist/thriller, DiCaprio played roles that question its own sanity. DiCaprio’s Teddy Daniels embodied certain characteristics that require a lot of subtle touches to underscore. “Inception”, praised unanimously for its originality and mind-bending intelligence, was mostly a character-driven film and through DiCaprio’s Cobb, we dwelled into a tarnished guy’s psyche. He once gain maintained his status as top box-office earner, without taking an easy route of superhero franchises.

The Beginnings of yet another Promising Decade

 “Inception” completed a circle, which started a decade back on Danny Boyle’s “The Beach.” From charming guy roles he transformed himself to play paranoid, drug-addicted, insane, widowed roles. This decade of magical work was made possible because of his layered performances rather than his impeccable looks. He stood out from the Hollywood crowd by making ambitious R-rated projects and still came out unscarred as a block-buster hero. Yeah, he played Oscar bait roles like Edgar Hoover in “J.Edgar” (2011), but at the same time he fearlessly played as a ruthless antagonist in Tarantino’s “Django Unchained.” He appeared in two grandiose roles, in 2013 – Baz Luhrman’s “The Great Gatsby” and Scorsese’s “Wolf of Wall Street” – biopic of a moral reprehensible guy. By playing a drug-fueled Jordan Belfort, DiCaprio proved his flair of comic acting. 

‘No Oscar’ Leonardo

DiCaprio has been nominated four times for Oscar. The social media sites, makes fun of Leo’s bad luck, whenever the award season arrives. It’s repeatedly asked that when will he hold that Golden statue. He may lose the statue once again (this year), this time to Matthew McConaughey (who is choosing an excellent range of roles), but I think it’s just a minor milestone in what is going to be a legendary career. Oscars or not, we can be sure that he is going to turn out more earth-shattering roles in the following years. 

The Wicker Man -- The Things Humans do in the Name of Religion

                                   The British film industry was the repressed lot of the European cinema. The 1903’s “Frankenstein” and “Dracula” caused a stir and so a new H certificate was introduced. Later, in the 50’s to 70’s, exploitation or horror movies centered on adolescent viewers were slapped with X rating and in the 80’s Margaret Thatcher continued to wage war on horror movies. But, the British have still managed to make some cult horror classics. “Peeping Tom”, “The Devils”, “and "A Clockwork Orange” were some of the movies that conjured up enough rancor to attain the cult status. These horror films didn’t rely on ghosts or monsters to make its viewers jump. It was rather interested in the horrific elements lurking inside the human conscious and so delivered more psychologically troubling horror. Robin Hardy’s genre-bending movie “The Wicker Man” (1973) is an essential part of these horror classics, although it was critically neglected upon its release.

                                  The events that unfolded in the making of “The Wicker Man” is just as compelling as the movie’s on-screen story. Producer Snell made this film under the British Lion Film Corporation. Few changes in the production’s house management led to Snell’s removal and the new organization decided that “The Wicker Man” was unlikely to bring in much money at the box office. It was cast into virtual oblivion. Later, the 100 minute version was trimmed by 12 minutes for the theatrical release and as a further addition to the troubles, the master negative was lost. But, thanks to actor Christopher Lee and Roger Corman’s persistence, the film has survived and since then developed a cult following to appear on BFI's list of the 100 Best British Film list. The film has also spawned three documentaries and two books.

                                 Writer Anthony Schaffer was influenced by the 1967 novel Ritual to write this movie’s script. He wanted to create a horror movie that was devoid of the blood and gore -- the characterized notions of the genre. Folk music fills our ears in the title sequence, where a small plane flies over the desolated Scottish Isles. Sgt. Neil Howie (Edward Woodward) is the man, who had traveled in this small plane and he has come from the Scottish main land to investigate about the disappearance of a child. The remote island is named summer isle. Neil Howie is an uptight policeman and a devout, straight Christian. He has the photo of the missing girl – named Rowan Morrison. Surprisingly, everyone he meets denies the existence of such a girl. Even May Morrison – the girl’s alleged mother – doesn’t remember Rowan. Howie, feeling exhausted, decides to stay the night. He rents a room on top of the bar. The pub is crowded and everyone seems to be dancing and singing. Later that night, what he sees shocks him.

                                The lubricious barmaid, Willow (Brit Ekland) cavorts around her bedroom stark naked and outside of the pub, couples copulate openly. In the morning, he goes to the school to continue his investigation. There, Howie finds children dancing around maypole. He encounters a teacher (Diane Cliento) instructing her adolescent female students about the phallic symbolism. Outraged by this, Howie waltzes inside the classroom and finds a register, where Rowan Morrison’s name is entered and there is an empty desk. Howie’s persistent questions make the teacher to report that the girl –Rowan – is dead and has been buried in churchyard. Immensely troubled by the lack of Christianity and the townspeople nature, he finally decides to meet the much talked about Lord of Summer isle (Christopher Lee). On his way to meet the Lord, Howie is appalled to see the sight of young girls dancing naked around the fire. Howie confronts the civilized-looking Lord about all these sinister religious practices. The Lord explains how this island community reborn based on the pagan worship (“God had his chance – and in modern parlance – he blew it” Says the Lord). As Howie gradually uncovers the mystery about the missing girl, he also stumbles upon the possibility of a terrifying ritual.    

                                Script writer Schaffer brings out the druidic and Celtic folklore, and at the same time makes it an evenhanded dialectical allegory of the culture war between free love and establishmentarianism. Schaffer plots a religion based upon fertility and sensuality against the repression of Christianity. He also warns us about the outcomes of religious zeal. At first, we see Howie as an uncompromising member of his faith and gradually we also come to realize the zeal of the residents of summer isle, who in an attempt to appease their gods are ready to do anything. If you are watching it for the first time, you might catch many moments, providing unintentional laughs: Shocks seen in the face of Howie, the merry singing of Old men and villagers, skipping around in animal costumes may create smirks, but the ending makes us realize that nothing was a laughing matter.

                               Director Robin Hardy, without any sensationalism, emphasizes upon the surreal nature of the whole situation. He aptly chooses, at times, to move the story along through song rather than dialogue. The songs are perfectly not the humming kind, but are a little eerie to fit the film’s atmosphere. Edward Woodward and Christopher give an acting of a high caliber. All the viewers ought to feel safe in taking the side of Howie, even though we could foresee that his dogged persistence is going to be his curse. Edward’s broken cries and hysterical appeals make the last scene more unsettling. Lee (Saruman in “Lord of the Rings”) is perfect as the Lord, since his easy smile and baritone voice makes us remember a person that we don’t entirely trust. His presentation of religious dogma with Howie is the movie’s excellent sequence.

 

                           

                          Director Neil LaBute made an American remake with Nicolas Cage in 2006. It was a perfect example that portrayed Hollywood studio’s ability to ruin a classic (recently they also ruined “Straw Dogs”). The PG-13 rated remake had all the theatrical and cheap tricks, the original tried to avoid.

                           The uneasy and weird tone of “The Wicker Man” (1973) doesn’t look dated. It ponders over the undeniable nature of humans, who are not willing to see the world from another perspective.

Trailer

The Wicker Man -- IMDb 

The Dish -- A Comedy with a Feel-Good Spirit

                               The images of man setting foot on moon infiltrated the world’s consciousness and set off many conspiracy theories that are still persisted today. The significance of Apollo 11 images is considered as one of the greatest achievement of mankind. We might have heard about names like Neil Armstrong and those others, who gained the spotlight during this historical moment. However, we don’t know much about unseen people doing their jobs in the background that help these land mark moments triumphant. The semi-factual, Australian feel-good movie “The Dish” (2000) takes a look at the part played by a small town in Australia during the 1969 Apollo 11 moon landing. It has a simple story, good-natured characters, which for an exception, sees the moon landing from a different vantage point.

                              It is the third week of July, in 1969, as the world’s eyes are set on our nearest celestial neighbor. While Armstrong and his crew are getting ready for their journey, a small crew in the Australian town of Parkes is also getting ready to get into the action. The midsized town, Parkes has the Southern Hemisphere’s largest radio telescope – 1,000 ton, a football-field-wide and situated amidst sheep paddocks. The whole town gets exuberant, when they learn that their dish is the backup to NASA's primary space-signal receiver in Goldstone, California. The moon walking footage are expected to be handled primarily by the Goldstone.

                             The dish is operated by quietly reflective scientist Cliff Buxton (Sam Neil). He is a very knowledgeable man and has lost his wife recently. His two assistants are the smart-aleck technician, Mitch (Kevin Harrington) and the brainy, nerdy Glenn (Tom Long). Mitch is troubled and expresses contempt over the attitude of know-it-all NASA consultant Al Burnett (Patrick Warburton). Nonetheless, Al acquaints himself well with the group and exhibits firm hand in the proceedings. Mayor McIntyre (Roy Billing), responsible for setting up the dish, is a bit overwhelmed by all this fuss. His VIP visitors include media-loving Australian Prime Minister (Bille Brown) and genteel U.S. ambassador (John McMartin). We know nothing goes wrong with the mission, but various mishaps and tensions show us that the crew has walked over a tightrope. Eventually and most importantly, the Aussies were only able to transmit mankind’s first steps on the moon to global TV audiences.

                             Director/co-writer Rob Stitch (“The Castle”) does an incredible job brings exhilaration f the moon landing to life. Relying on charm, he draws most of the film’s energy from the cultural conflict between an intrusive NASA and the Underlings. Like in an effective fictionalized based on a true story drama, Stitch has chosen to focus on the characters rather than on the great moment. At time, the story gets sluggish, especially, when it gets nostalgic – often citing the heyday of the Space Age and the innocence of the era. Towards the end, the film struck a Hollywoodized note, blatantly trying to get everyone teary-eyed. Apart from these few notable flaws, for the most part, “The Dish” generates good-hearted humor from the warm inter-play between the main characters.  The characters are dangerously close to become caricatures, however, the well-rounded cast never lapse into mere stereotypes. The unforced, subtle performance of Sam Neil tops the production. Cliff’ is also the fully realized character that shows a hint of sadness, but never dwells on it for a melodramatic moment.

                           “The Dish” (101 minutes) is not a comedy classic. It is a feel-good movie that perfectly re-creates a place and time with gentle humor and will leave all but the most cynical of viewers quivering with delight. 

 Trailer

The Dish -- IMDb 

True Detective -- Bold and Challening Hard-Boiled Fiction

                                    In the recent years, every time when I browse through Facebook or IMDb, someone is insisting that I really should be watching this new must-see television series: “Homeland”, “Walking Dead”, American Horror Story”, the list goes on. Yet, there’s three TV series, above all, that keeps on springing up in my mind, when I think about American TV series: “The Wire”, “Game of Thrones” and “Breaking Bad” (still haven’t watched “OZ” and “Sopranos”)  All sorts of people are confessing that they are or were addicted to these series. Well, if you ask what’s the secret behind this huge success? I have to say that they are breaking most fundamental rules of Television. For example, “Game of Thrones” maturely explores the political power, and the horrible things people do in pursuit of it; Vince Gilligan’s “Breaking Bad” embarked on a larger-than-life journey, tracing an arc, which was previously reserved only for iconic characters of literature and cinema; “The Wire” showed us that cop/justice/politics system   were too robust to be brought down by few angry citizens. Most importantly, all these TV series have largely avoided spoon-fed-black-and-white characters. Well, now, we have yet another ground-breaking TV show titled “True Detective” (2014 -- ) -- created by novelist Nic Pizzolatto – which is taking the procedural dramas to another level.

                                 “Bones”, “CSI”, “Criminal Minds” were some of the successful police procedural TV shows. Each episode has a self-contained narrative with a beginning and end, satiating the viewers’ needs for whodunit mysteries. Even last year we had “Hannibal”, which made us think that the murder mysteries are going to exhaust the viewers. However, “True Detective” has set broader themes and goals that are so innovative than most others. FX’s “American Horror Story” took the direct anthology approach: each season of the show has a fresh start with new setting. Now, “True Detective” has taken this same approach to a step further.  American Horror Story used the same cast members to portray the different characters in each season, whereas True Detective only has plans to use its actors for the eight episode airing. Another brave attempt is that “True Detective” has only one writer (Pizzolatto) and one director (Cary Fukunaga). Usually, in a TV series, writing is done by a group of talented guys and directors are never tied to the identity of a show. This TV series has also attracted high profile Hollywood actors: Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey. These excellent character artists, with their strong artistic focus are slowly changing the perception that the ‘TV actors’ belong to a lower circle than movie actors.

                                This eight-episode anthology also moves like a big movie: it is filmed on excellent locations and the imagery is haunting as well as beautiful. Recently, the season’s 4^th episode created lot of buzz on the internet: it is said to have used single six minute track shot – traversing over fences and gunshots – to create a first-person experience for the viewer. When was the last time we have seen such experiments in a TV series? Before exploring the shows’ themes, let me explain the story briefly. The series begins in Louisana, simultaneously, in 1995 and 2012. In 2012, the detectives Marty Hart (Harrelson) and Rust Cohle (McConaughey) are separately interviewed by the officers regarding a murder case they both work together in 95.

                              The story flashes back to the past, in 95, where a young girl slashed, drugged, tortured was placed in a field, wearing a crown of antlers. Rust is a burned-out former undercover narcotics cop. He is a mystical figure, carrying some harrowing memories. To Hart’s dismay, Rust often spouts some existential philosophy. Hart is the typical macho cop, a family man (with two kids) and has a sex life outside marriage. The case, which looks like an occult crime, gets more and more complicated as do the relationship between these two men.

                             “True Detective” is definitely not fun entertainment (lacks the black comedic notes of, say, “Breaking Bad”). A chilling darkness lurks around each corner of the narrative and McConaughey’s character embraces the pessimism. He says, “I think human consciousness is a misstep in evolution. We are things that labor under the illusion of having a self, programmed with total assurance that we are somebody, when in fact we are nobody.” He also holds many ideas that are bleak and hard to swallow, but at the same time, most of his rambling are thought-provoking and has been uncharted territory in popular TV shows. The show has a unique approach to religion. One scene takes place inside a tent revival meeting and Rust belittles the IQ of everyone assembled there. The debate with Marty leads to a point asking, whether religion controls bad behavior. Rust coolly says, “If the only thing keeping a person decent is the expectation of divine reward, then brother that person is a piece of shit and I’d like to get as many of them out in the open as possible.” Another persisting theme is the interrogation. Rust is famous for his interrogation technique. When the two detectives, in 2012, ask him about his methods, he gives back a rattling response, “Everybody knows there’s something wrong with them. They just don’t know what it is.”

                              Each frame is filled with paranoia and anxiety, but it is never quite depressing, taking into account the nature of the story. It is an enlivening experience to watch these detectives searching for the truth: maybe it’s the details or the performances or the perfect realization of the mystery genre. Whatever is the reason, “True Detective” perfectly incorporates big ideas within a whodunit tale. I have watched the relayed five episodes and think that the show will get more complicated, since our narrators unreliable, divulging far from the real events (Five hours with these characters, you will also feel that they more mysterious than ever). Whoever turns out to be the killer or whatever is the reason, “True Detective” will definitely be one of the best  psychologically scary drama. 

 Trailer

True Detective (TV series) -- IMDb