Category: Motion Pictures

The abolition of slavery, also known as The Emancipation, in nineteenth century American history was a few hundred years too late in its coming.  And when it did come, so brutal and battered was the psyche of the emancipated, and so grudging and insincere was the psyche of the emancipator – particularly those of many in the South – that it would take several generations over several centuries, to truly make sense of it all.  Of how the white man who stumbled onto the North American continent could adopt this new land as his own, engage in the purchase and sale of other human beings from another continent, live off the fat of the land he owned, do with his cattle and chattel just as his heart pleased, and all the while claim a divine “manifest destiny” that proclaimed the special virtues of the American people.

But since it would take some time and contemplation to achieve such an analysis, I shall limit myself to offering a more succinct review of this thoughtful motion-picture titled Free State of Jones.  Set in the year 1862, immediately prior to the Emancipation Proclamation, the story tracks the lives of slaves who have run away from their grudging masters even as the Confederate Armies of the South ruthlessly tax and steal from every man in the county under their jurisdiction to fill the coffers of the treasury that would finance the duration of the Civil War – that disgraceful and shameful chapter of American history.

Caught in the milieu of this moment in time, is Newton Knight, an ordinary farmer from Mississippi, who is radicalized by his circumstances, and soon evolves as a champion of the runaway slaves.  Portrayed by Matthew McConaughey, we see a man with a zealous temperament and yet one in whose eyes and actions we see brilliant strokes of decency and compassion for the suffering.  One of the most memorable lines that he utters is, “You can own a mule or an ox, but you cannot own a child of God.” How much more simpler could the rationale for human freedom be?

This is not just another offering by Hollywood about a white savior sacrificing himself on behalf of the enslaved. Nor is it the story of the white man redeemed by the gracious selflessness of black people.  This is a story that is careful not to suggest that the conditions endured by disenfranchised whites and enslaved blacks were identical. The system may be rigged against both, but in different ways. Especially after the war, the alliance proves fragile, as white supremacy in the likes of the KKK asserts itself with renewed brutality.

And if all this isn’t shocking enough, there’s another subplot that takes place 85 years after the war in a Mississippi courtroom, where a young man, a descendant of Newton’s, is on trial for breaking the state’s law against interracial marriage.

Goodbye, Slavery; Hello, Segregation!

Free State of Jones ought to be mandatory viewing for every person on this planet, at least every American.  Think you know your American History?  Think again!  This is one harrowing adventure that reveals the sordid truth about the so-called Reconstruction Era and the many evils inflicted upon and borne by ordinary white and black citizens of the day – who remind us of who our ancestors are and how far we have come.  Or have we?

High marks all-around for directing, acting, costumes, cinematography, story-telling, and history-lesson.

Saturday Matineé: Lovely Saturday Indulgence 

I thought this was a bold film which should be applauded for telling it like it is. I had read about the drug epidemic in Punjab in a TIME magazine story a few years ago, but it was somewhat shocking to see it portrayed in so relevant and realistic a way.

Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor go out of their usual stereotypical roles to adapt to this thoughtful story, and Alia Bhatt plays a very convincing young laborer woman from across the country in poverty-stricken Bihar who comes to the Punjab to improve her lot and realizes she is caught up in a bizarre twist of circumstances that threaten to make her amazingly rich and powerful whilst leaving her on the verge of losing her life and everything that gives meaning to life – all at once.

Four parallel stories that revolve around the sad but vicious evil of drugs that have all but destroyed the young and the old, the urban and the rural citizen of this lush and fertile land in the northwest part of the country, is a thoughtful story of how a corrupt state administration and police force in cahoots with Big Pharma has made a lucrative industry of manufacturing and peddling death and destruction in the most systematic way.

I’d say this to be one of the more serious and well-made movies to come out of Bollywood this year.

 

Udta Punjab: And We’ll Know in a Couple of Hours (or more!)

I’m afraid I am embarking on composing yet another movie review that was not quite so stellar as to stand out in my mind and memory as something so moving and spectacular that a) I rushed to write a review for it soon after watching it, and b) having nothing too earth-shattering to say or urge my readers to run out and watch it, I wonder if this is even worthy of my time or your attention.

Nonetheless, I plough on to gather up some thoughts, if only for my personal satisfaction of having documented the viewing for purposes of being true to the mission of the “motion pictures” section of my blog, and also for the sake of posterity – that may judge me harshly in case I don’t – and finally, perhaps for the small amusement of my friends and foes.  I do hope and trust that you are taking all this in with a small modicum of salt…

And so my two cents are as follows: the magnificent visual effects of the film seem to be the only thing that makes this new version worth watching – and the 3D option, unfortunately, didn’t change my mind about this fundamental opinion.  Given how everything else was so by the book (no pun intended) and played a bit too safe to be memorable – my one significantly loud gripe is this:  why did the ending not follow the original story line?  If anything, it was that one thing that always made the connection of Mowgli, the animal-boy into Mowgli, the human-boy.  If you take away that one truth, there is something deeply unsatisfying, nay, there is no satisfaction at all!

So, if you’d just like to pull out that original Disney animated movie from the Sixties and pop a bag of popcorn, why, I’d say you’d be the better off for it.

When you put off writing a review for so long and then can’t seem to remember too much of the movie to write one when you’re ready, well, what does that say about the movie? Or perhaps it says more about my capacity for remembering… either way, it doesn’t help me much in this exercise of documenting my thoughts and views about this latest offering from the Marvel Comics franchise.

My scattered recollections are along these lines: the first half is little more than an overlong political drama and the second half is filled with huge action.  The one big thing which is… how do I say this without spoiling things…”Captain America: Civil War” has perhaps gotten the attention it has is because it contains the epic Iron Man vs. Captain America confrontation; a confrontation which has been at least four films in the making, and that settles on a resolution that can only be described as “civil”.

With that I have most undoubtedly exhausted my ability to recollect anything more to speak any more intelligently – not that I have done too grand a job here – but insofar as to maintain some small semblance of a respectable effort, it is best I cease to ramble right here and right now.

I suppose I ought to compose a review – if I can collect my thoughts, that is – almost a month after having seen this movie – and before I see another Hindi one.  So, what’s the verdict, you say?  Thumbs-up or thumbs-down?  Well, I’ll give it a thumbs-up, fine.  And that’s not necessarily half-heartedly so, even though it might sound like that.  The thumbs-up is for a well-crafted story that examines the dynamics of a multi-generational Indian family in post-modern India – and the undertone of disappointment, if any, is owing to a personal dissonance with the way that the drama in this family-drama is addressed by individual family members.

So, what’s the drama, you ask?  Well, it does cover a wide gamut of universal human emotions that range from jealousy and infidelity, to sibling rivalry, revenge, and the many “dysfunctions” of a family unit in which good intentions do not always translate to good actions.  And in the midst of all this, there is some small relief in the romantic pursuits of two young people trying to find themselves even as they try to find each other.

For a Hindi film, there are some unchartered waters that the story treads – ever so lightly, and in this, perhaps the portrayal of the characters involved isn’t too far from the truth of how such sticky matters are most likely addressed in this day and age, back in the old country (I refer to my motherland, India, of course).

As for other elements of the film that bear note, there is the lovely topography and landscapes of the lovely hill-station Coonoor, a sleepy town in the hills of Tamil Nadu, but it must be noted that the family and related friends of family here do not appear – in physical appearance or manner – to be natives of the region, i.e., Tamil.   Nonetheless, this minor detail doesn’t detract too much from the engaging style of the characters and the plot, although, I would question if the portrayal of the young woman is anything even remotely similar to a young woman in that situation.  Perhaps it is, but then again, perhaps I’ve been away from the motherland for far too long to know any different.

As for the personal dissonance to some of the themes of the movie that I have mentioned earlier, I do look forward to a continued evolving of Bollywood boldness that will perhaps make small forays into the difficult trails of the human mind and heart even while attempting to frame it all within the amazingly diverse cultural context of the country.