CINDERELLA

There are stories that we can listen to once, there are stories that we can listen to a few times, then there are stories that we can listen to over and over again without ever feeling tired or bored. What makes a story belong to that rarefied category? Maybe goodness, cheer and a happy ending. We will never know for sure what it is. Cinderella is one such story that has lived on for decades and still continues to be loved. We have read it when we were children, seen it as a cartoon, seen it in comics and now we see it as a movie. The greatest challenge while handling such a universally loved story is to give the audience a new experience while retaining the soul. And that is easier said than done.

Cinderella does leave the soul of the story untouched. It is about a girl who never changes the way she sees the world. No matter how badly the world treats her or how cruel destiny is, she remains kind and believes that there will be light. So, what is new this time in Cinderella? I must admit that I have not seen any full length features on Cinderella, nor do I know that if any were made at all. But, the visual tone and language adapted by Walt Disney this time seems to be one that wants to keep things as real as possible and give just that small hint of magic and splendor when required. That is not to say that frames of Cinderella are plain and unjoyful. They are serene and beautiful without ever being over the top. It is not like watching a giant unpainted canvas, but like looking at a canvas that has been gently touched upon by shades of mild colors. The visual tones of Cinderella are very much in tune with the moods of the protagonist itself. It moves from bright and happy to a bit mellow, but never depressing, showing just how much faith this girl has in her heart. It moves across to grandeur, splendor only when her life takes that decisive turn. It is this beautiful visual language that is one of the best things about Cinderella.

The other great thing about this movie is the casting. No big names, except Cate Blanchett, and that goes a long way in making the characters even more relatable. Lily James is just about the perfect choice for Cinderella, because she looks simple, innocent and is also able to look haloed when the time comes for it. It is her serene presence that forms the canvas on which this beautiful story is painted with gentle brushstrokes. Cinderella is a story of contrasts, no holds barred. There are people who are good at heart, and there are people who aren’t. There is no one in between. That contrast is exemplified none better than by Lady Tremaine (Cate Blanchett) who thinks every moment only of ways to work things out to her advantage. The only doubt one has is whether she was always like this or became this way because of the hand life had dealt her. There might have been a temptation to tone down the meanness of her character in interest of contemporary tastes because current cinema deals in grey more than it does in black. But, the makers of Cinderella have kept her as mean as she was made to be in the original story. And, Cate Blanchett has played it with calculated coldness. Drisella and Ansatasia, similarly, are portrayed as nothing less than irritating bimbos, which makes us feel even more sorry for Cinderella. And, the Prince has to look charming and warm, and Richard Madden does so with consummate ease.

The best and the most wonderful part of the movie is also the one we all have loved over the years – the ball and the magic that makes Cinderella able to go to it. That scene has been perfected by the makers. Helena Bonham Carter proves that when it comes to certain roles, there is absolutely no one that can take her place. She is Cinderella’s ‘hairy dogfather’ or ‘fairy godmother’! And the transformation of the goose and the mice (who by the way are endearing presences throughout the film), and the lizards into her driver, horses and footmen is wonderful to watch, not to mention the beautiful carriage that emerges from the pumpkin. You could watch the movie just for this scene and the ‘first dance’ at the ball which is nothing short of being uncomplicatedly magical.

That is what Cinderella is all about! An age old much loved story that has been made into an uncomplicated, simple, visually wonderful film that does nothing to change the story. In the end it is about being kind, having courage and believing in just that little bit of magic. Relive your childhood, and introduce your children to one of the most beautiful stories of all time.

Sweetness and goodness redefined.

3.5/5

CHAPPIE

It is not a subject that has much of novelty in it when you see the trailers and teasers. Chappie, right from the start, seems to deal with the concept of machines developing a brain and taking control of earth from human beings. That has been the premise of many films starting from Terminator and it no longer holds surprises because we know that humanity ultimately wins! That is where Chappie surprises you. What starts out as a routine human vs. machine stuff turns out ultimately as something else. When we saw the tagline of the movie that said ‘Humanity’s last hope is not human’, I bet no one would have guessed the way the movie would ultimately pan out.

Chappie has all the trademark stamps that the director has created over his last two movies. He has a liking for dry and arid places, almost bereft of any greenery. It puts us in a frame of mind where we think that the earth is fast dying and that the machines might actually take over. The idea (spoiler alert) of one life form metamorphosing into another also continues here. And he also creates very distinguish looks for his good and bad guys! The good guys are shaven with neat haircuts, and the bad guys have funky hairdos and strange mannerisms. It is as ‘black and white’ as it can get. But, the director wants to make black look like white towards the end!

The idea is no doubt interesting! But, the script doesn’t spend enough time on the central idea around which the film is built. You feel almost as if the writers were torn between two possible ways in which the story could have progressed and decided on one only after more than half the script had been written. The bottom line is, no matter how interesting a ‘one-line concept’ is, the script should successfully build up towards it. Here, it is as if Chappie abruptly changes track during the middle, turning a human vs. machine story into the biography of a machine. At first you are lead to believe that the central conflict is between humans and machines, next you think that it is between two machines, but finally you realize that there is no conflict at all, just survival. There are one too many knots in Chappie for it to fully do justice to any one of them.

 The best thing about Chappie is Chappie himself. The makers have managed to make a police robot appear cute and innocent, and those portions are very well written. The dialogues in many of those scenes are really top notch, ranging from hilarious to emotional. The progression of the robot from being a child to a self-aware individual is shown pretty convincingly. Sharlto Copley plays Chappie and definitely deserves an ovation for being able to convey emotions purely through body language, which not even for a second appears to be ‘un-machine like’. That is a good enough reason to watch Chappie. Hard core action fanatics might however feel a bit let down by the relative low dose of action. In fact there is just one action set piece close to the end, but that too is a bit predictable.

One big surprise in Chappie is Hugh Jackman. We never expected him in the kind of role that he does. To be fair, the role does not demand Hugh Jackman. His presence only serves to keep you guessing about the motives of the character, not because of the way the script is written, but because it is Hugh Jackman. And, his Wolverine persona is so attached to him that even when he is getting beaten to pulp you sometimes catch yourself expecting him to sprout the adamantium nails. Dev Patel though is a very good choice because he looks every bit the nerd who is willing to risk anything to see his new experiment getting a fair trial. Among others, Yolandi manages to create an emotional connect as ‘Mommy’.

Chappie does touch your heart because it gives a human touch to a robot without giving him a face. That is a first since Wall E. But, it is not all about that right from the start, which makes things a bit dilute overall.

Chappie the guy’s great! Chappie the movie is not so great!

2.5/5

Focus Movie Review

The first thing a movie needs is a clear intent of what it wants to be. The Focus on a story, a premise or a character. When Focus is strewn all over the place you get a movie that is a bit of everything, but not fulfilling any single promise. That is the fundamental flaw with Focus. Then it is left to the cast, the writers who can come up with interesting scenes and the director to make things as interesting as possible.

A con man who believes in volume more than the big time ropes in an intern and teaches her the tricks of the trade over a week long harvest. Then they part ways and their paths cross years later when he is on another job. Is she on the other side now? Can she be dangerous because she knows all his tricks?

Focus could have been that! An exciting con flick where everyone is out double crossing

everyone. But it takes the easier route. The movie is not so much about the heist as it is about the hot and cold relationship between the con man and his protege. What can we say
about a con movie where the major heist is told at the fag end through a voice over and we didn't even know that was the plan. It doesn't help matters that the protagonist (Will Smith) is shown to be the only smart man around. He doesn't have an adversary or a cop who can foil his plans. He just walks through them as if it was his destiny. Really
low on excitement!

That is not to say that Focus is not interesting. There are some parts that will make you sit up. The gambling scene at the stadium is easily the best and really sets you thinking about the possible ways in which the story would go. But the script springs it's biggest surprise right there! Sadly, we are just about halfway into the movie at this stage and we are left looking for similar moments right through the rest of the film which don't arrive. The revelations right at the end are interesting but we have had too much plain sailing by then.

Focus rides on Will Smith's screen presence. Honestly, this is not the kind of role that he excels in. Underplay is not one of his strengths. But he makes a fair fist of it, even though we can think of quite a few others who could carried off this mastermind con man thing with
much more ease. But, this one does need a shade of vulnerability that Will brings. There is no trademark loud mouthed dry humor that he does so well, though there are moments of fun. Margot Robbie matches up quite well and manages to keep us guessing about the motives of her character.

One just can't help think that if the writers had let go of the wish to delve into the romance o

f Will and Margot, this would have been a good heist/con flick. Instead we get one that is somewhere between a heist and a romance. And by the way, the romance doesn't seem too deep either. Focus has its moments, but they don't build up into anything substantial. Will Smith carries Focus through, but for once we have to say that the sum is lesser than the parts. It’s not exciting, it’s not  a whole lot of fun, but it’s amusing and will keep you in good spirits. At any rate, it is much better than After Earth! 

Verdict: Amusing, easy-going con

2/5