Oscar Run #2: Whiplash

This movie is great for a lot of reasons. There are a lot of movies that show a protagonist trying to make a career in music, getting antagonised by people that he/she comes across and then with a tremendous talent or will power that refuses to fade, they emerge victorious and shine.

But Whiplash is different, because it is not another sellout to the popular culture and trend of making movies with similar trajectory. The movie doesn't end with the stereotypical cheers from a crowd, or tears of joy, or a family standing behind you proud. It doesn't even have a parallel romantic plot that takes equal prominence. It's just not your everyday mass-manufactured film.

So it isn't a surprise to see Whiplash getting five nominations, out of which three are for the technical and ideological genius behind the screen and only one is for great acting. This is not to say that the work of the actors is secondary. They are every bit of outstanding. However, the subtlety of the movie is what steals the show and that is because of the vision of the people sitting behind the camera.

On a side note, I have to say I could not believe that so many expletives could come together and still qualify as a proper sentence. Really.

What makes it a strong contender to win best movie?

Everything in the movie- genre of music, gigs of the band, screenplay- is very real. I think it works quite well to have chosen jazz music. The film doesn't bore you at any point of time even when the music is not your run-off-the-mill choice. Jazz isn't everyone's cup of tea but the movie makes you keep watching and keep listening. The music and the relentless practice is finely balanced with the struggle and the journey that Neiman makes as a student and as a person. From simply reacting to what's being thrown at him, he learns to act.

The movie's attempt is not to expect an emotional investment from the audience. It instead gives you a great deal to watch, contemplate and then feel blown away. I was glued to the movie and I wasn't particularly sympathizing or empathizing with Neiman. The good bit is that I didn't have to do that and I still loved the movie. The story is a great piece of work without or without my emotional connect. My emotional connect to the movie does not come from the hardships that the boy faced, or despising the cruel attitude of Fletcher. It comes from the extraordinary movie that Whiplash is. Watch it, you'll know what I am talking about.

The movie's editing makes it a decently paced movie which makes it an easy watch. However, I wouldn't place my bets on Whiplash taking the award in this arena.

Sound Effects:

I really like how the music pieces are independent in themselves and make for a such a good element in the movie. While it perfectly blends with the story, it doesn't necessarily change to tell the story itself. Unlike other movies, they don't work to heighten the sense of urgency or anything for that matter. Despite that, the sound goes with you and grows on you.

Is JK Simmons the Best Supporting Actor?

He just may be. The cold and absolutely ruthless character that he portrays may not so much embody the word supporting which makes me laugh a little (the irony in the literal sense of words is extremely funny) but he is a strong omnipresent and ever-present character in the movie. He is meant to never leave you even when he is not on screen and Simmons does that. He is like a haunting presence since the very first time you see him and then he disappears. What I find remarkable about him is how he managed to portray a character that completely bothered and unsettled me, but somehow I never hated him. For me, he was a fascinating puzzle that I couldn't solve and I just had to watch the movie to get a clue.

In the end, I would say that while I would absolutely recommend the movie, I would also admit that it may not be everyone's cup of tea. It has been made with a certain taste of vision, which makes the movie different from your regular watch to the extent of a different set lighting and presentation. If you can appreciate a bit of difference and variation, you would love the movie!

Oscar Run #1 : The Theory of Everything

It's the season for Oscars again! And since we have time, I shall review all the movies nominated for the best film award in terms of the awards they have been chosen for.

The Theory of Everything was on my watch-list even before it released. So I'm elated that it made to the nomination.

I was earlier a little confused about why but now I know why it made the final nomination. The movie is a phenomenal viewing experience. It moves you, the acting is brilliant, the story is outstanding and the direction is quite good, too. It's a fine balance between ambition and modesty.

The movie finds the ambition in plot and the modesty in execution which makes it a wholesome package.

Nomination for Best Film:

Apart from what I have already stated, the film captures how anti-climactic life is. With life-halting news coming to Hawking about his disease, you'd expect the movie to pause to build a sympathetic narrative around him and give him a moment, but when does life do that? The doctor informs him and walks away, he has to get back, Jane has to be dealt with (or not), decisions have to be made, college has to continue. Simple. It's as if you have received the news, the carpet has been taken away from under your feet (it's not your news so it couldn't have been the floor) and you are told to move on. But you do, because Hawking does. This makes for a beautiful movie also because it captures the essence of Hawking's life. It isn't suspended in a moment of time. It isn't a particular episode from his life. It's life; and despite the fact that it is predisposed to an uncertainty more grave than ours, it goes on. It goes on as long as it isn't over. The movie is just that. It goes on. It doesn't dwell too much on anything.

Nomination for Best Score:

I know I should talk about the actor and actress first but the score complements what I say about the anti-climactic nature of life and similarly, the movie. There are no major crests and troughs in the music from the base line. It gives one the spontaneity to enjoy the lives of the characters and yet, helps them absorb the reality which won't stop life. It is one continued of subtle and beautiful sound. There is also growth in the music. It starts with gentle footsteps, then grows up to match the problems that are revealed to be beginning and then grows to somehow try and contain the magnitude of how the problem hits life. The music is apt. That is best thing that music can be for a film, and for life.

Nomination for Best Actor:

There's a lot said about Eddie Redmayne already. Indeed, he has done a remarkable job in illustrating the common knowledge that Hawking has had a tough life. The acting is not reductive, which this common knowledge often becomes. He portrays the role of the stubborn authoritarian very well, and the gratitude for Jane comes shining through. It is never said, it is never narrated but the theory that Jane was who made Stephen pull through, would not be too far off the mark. Redmayne allows this to come through in not so many words, and not so many expressions but just the chemistry. That counts for a lot.

Nomination for Best Actress:

So how does a timid girl find courage to go on? How does she become the rock, the pillar of support and go on to live through abandoned individual dreams, lack of sympathy, help and falling in love again, pushing it away and getting back to live a life where she is continually sidelined? Ask Felicity Jones. With every deep breath she takes to pull herself back up, with every absence of sign  of strength in her eyes compensated by her relentless will, love and support, Felicity Jones stunned me. The way things dawn on her and her anger well concealed, how could the Hawkings forget Stephen's condition and take a house that needs a steep staircase climbed? How intricately has she played the part! She deserves this!

Nomination for Best Screenplay:

The screenplay is not ambitious at all, and therein lies its beauty. It dabbles with flashbacks of shaky tapes of Stephen and Jane's wedding, the improved technology that lets the camera show Stephen with his kids around, and goes on to set the tone of Stephen's mind's dwellings in the lab where Rutherford and others worked and found legendary success. It's not the weather that shows tranquillity when Stephens is at work, it's the silent company of the apparatus kept in the lab. The screenplay allows freedom to the actors to breathe life into the characters that are looking for narrative, and it allows the director to pin the actors to his vision that brings the narrative alive. The screenplay is an independently complete part that cohesively settles into this beautiful movie.

The Theory of Everything is a must watch. Once or twice may be enough for a memory but you want to get back. It may be a story of real people, but the film gives you enough to hold on to.