FEBRUARY MUSINGS:THE JOY OF DISCOVERING FILMS IN RANDOMNESS!

Hi Friends,

Are you on with your resolutions?

How are you doing? Trust all's well at your end.Hope you're still holding firm with the resolutions you've made for the year rather than hanging up in the first month itself!Well,when it comes to me... I don't make any! Surprised?Though as a child I loved making a 'To-do' list pasted on the wall of my room to remind me of the goals I had set for myself and behold what joy it gave me when I'd strike off tasks that were successfully accomplished! Sadly,I don't make them any more!Much as there's lot to do...may be,I need to surprise myself this time around on what I'm capable of achieving!Perhaps,at the end of this post...I might just draw up a list once again with some realistic,achievable and short-term goals!I think that's the problem with most of us including me that we set unrealistic goals in the first place!Like someone rightly put it -"Inch by inch life's a cinch; yard by yard life is hard!" I guess,the place for the power of the unrealistic lies in the realm of our dreams some that we see with closed eyes and some that we see while we are wide awake!But like they say, dreams do come true! So hold on to them!

Alright friends,that was a little pep up from me to boost your spirits (i.e. if that works!) :)

So,then let's begin with this month's post right away!

Some time towards the end of last year I tried an unusually different approach towards watching films.Generally,the trend so far in my case has been that when I decide to watch a film,I like to do a little research.I sketchily read the plot, reviews,ratings(Courtesy:IMDb of course!),the cast,director and perhaps even a recommendation from a friend which according to them is a 'must-watch'!.So,this was generally how I'd go about picking up a week-end film or at the cinemas!Many a times,this yardstick has worked and many a times it hasn't.So,this time around at least for once I decided no more of that.And believe me it was a refreshing change for I discovered some lovely films which I'd never have known till date.And I just thought of sharing some of the films I watched by this methodology with all of you!

**********Spoilers Ahead **********

Macaulay Culkin is the bad son!

The first film that I recommend is 'The Good Son'...what an outstanding performance by Macaulay Culkin and what a bundle of talent this boy is!With ease he can play a brat in 'Home Alone',melt the cockles of your heart with his innocence in 'My Girl' and transform into a sociopath in 'The Good Son'! Awesome!!That's the hallmark of an actor-if he gets you involved and absorbed into the layers of the character he/she portrays that for a moment you even forget the actor,it means he has succeeded in his task!Kudos to Macaulay!And here's a special mention for the true 'good son',Elijah Wood who bowled me over with his innocence! 

Role reversal:Would Elijah have convincingly pulled it off?

Among the child actors of the 90's,I thought Macaulay was the cutest, thanks to his soaring popularity in the Home Alone series... but now Elijah too figures in that list!I was just pondering that suppose if their roles were swapped,would Elijah have convinced the audience playing the bad son?Nah Nah...but you never know,these child artistes could give any actor a run for their money!Just imagine,the whole film was on the shoulders of two child actors-Macaulay Culkin and Elijah Wood.Macaulay surely deserved a nomination for the Supporting Actor category... it's a pity that this film was overlooked!I wonder where is he these days?With the right director on board,this boy can surely go places!I am so glad to have watched,The Good Son because no doubt it was a simple film about family, friendship, values, innocence and evil.But in this film,I also witnessed the graph of an actor whose picture in my mind was etched out as that of a naughty boy who was 'Home Alone'....I guess I'll have to erase that and fill that space with the lunatic image of Henry (yes,that's the name of his character in the film) each time I remember Macaulay Culkin in a conversation when discussing his movies! 

Worth a one-time watch!

The next film on the list is 'The Hand That Rocks The Cradle'. With the exception of Julianne Moore,there was none familiar to me from the cast nor had I priorly watched any of the director's earlier films nor had read reviews about it.So when I was casually browsing through the list of thrillers,the by-line of the film just got me hooked,it read-"Trust is her weapon,Innocence her opportunity,Revenge her only desire." Just as the maxim goes - "The hand that rocks the cradle, rules the world",so this is was indeed a clever title for a film because the director leaves much to the imagination of the audience as he keeps us guessing on who 'rules the world' which of course is revealed within the first thirty minutes of the film...so you don't have much guessing to do there!And yes,you can expect the title of the film to be taken quite literally because there's a baby and a part of the drama unfolding around it as well! 

Watch out for Rebecca De Mornay's performance!

For starters,the title may appear a little subdued though the subject of the film is clearly not.In fact quite the contrary, the film gradually builds up to be a thriller centered around pain, revenge and destruction but I strongly felt that it could have been slick with lots of action,drama and revenge sequences packed into it to make it more engaging and powerful. However,it is only towards the climax that it picks up pace but that is not enough to hold the overall film.I strongly felt that the sequences meant to plant the seeds of doubt, turmoil and disharmony were far too less as it somewhere got wasted in the bonding of characters.In simple words,it should have been diabolical where the climax should have been-riveting,jaw-dropping and shocking.Remember Fatal Attraction?Unlawful Entry?Also,the character of Solomon was very sketchy...I thought the director wasted and under-utilized the potential of either making a hero or martyr of the man.So,if you have to just draw the character bio of Solomon,it'd plainly read as-'The lovable mentally disabled man who gains employment at the Bartel's family,does their errands of painting,putting up the fences etc. and gets along very well with everyone.And at the end not after a stoic silence and prolonged absence from the scene,he suddenly pops up only to take a little blow from the antagonist to save the Bartels whom he considers his friends. Full stop.'  Now, come to think of it,I thought Solomon had a larger part to play in the narrative.It looked somewhat evident from the start with the way the director introduced his character and made him integral both to the family and the plot.I particularly thought that after being dismissed from work on account of false charges of misconduct he would put his bicycle to good use and try to relay pieces of information that would just spice up the drama and bring in an element of suspicion in Claire's mind about Peyton.At one point in time,I also thought that Solomon would get killed by Peyton and he too would leave a clue of the killer which Claire would find and piece together the jigsaw puzzle...but nothing as such happened.The only best scene in the film was Marlene's death where the trap was originally set for Claire but Marlene steps in.It was only after Marlene's death that suddenly Claire begins to doubt Peyton.But,I strongly felt that these dosages of death and clues should have been dropped in at regular intervals to heighten the impact of an explosive climax in the reckoning!But nothing as such happened!Overall,what I liked about the film was the story which of course could have been fleshed out even more.Secondly,from a film makers point of view I thought it was technically good storytelling.So,tomorrow if I had to make a film,I'd like to take a cue from here.The logistics that I observed in the film were very much contained as most of the drama unfolds in the house and in the green-house with just fewer characters.I would definitely like to have a smaller set-up,focus more on my characters rather than scouting exotic locales.From that point of view,this film is a reference.

Amazing Grace is truly amazing!

Finally,now coming to the last film on this month's post. Sometime in 2012 when films on slavery like Lincoln and Django Unchained were released,I was quite curious to explore more about revolutions that took place in other countries on the subject of slavery.And that's when I stumbled upon the name, William Wilberforce.So,as I read his wiki,I gained some precious insights on this great man-an idealist and a politician who worked tirelessly to abolish transatlantic slave trade in England.Gradually,I was led to a film that was made on his shadow which brilliantly encapsulated his ups and downs,challenges and triumphs- all this in a feature film sans the documentary format and while yet keeping you engrossed. 

O, by the way the suave Cumberbatch also stars in the film!

Naturally,I thought that this film aptly deserved to be here in this list because firstly I discovered it by happenstance and was impelled to watch it immediately.Secondly,as the film progressed I felt that the director did not lose focus and ground while bringing alive a chapter of history.And what I particularly liked was the narrative of how the events unfolded. Generally,when the film is based on a real person in history the tendency is to go about in a chronological order,but in Amazing Grace it takes a unique approach by way of flashbacks to take you back and forth in time while highlighting important events in the timeline.This historical period piece that I've kept you guessing so long which would even remind you of Amistad is Amazing Grace(2006) starring Ioan Gruffudd,Benedict Cumberbatch and Romola Garai.Definitely watch it! 

Hope you enjoyed reading this month's post?Do you have any suggestions?Then do write in!I shall be eagerly looking forward to reading your comments!

Love,

Sonyaa