ATOMIC BLONDE
Who doesn’t like a woman kicking serious ass in a film? And I for one, have watched everything from Kick-Ass to Resident Evil to Ghost in a Shell. But Atomic Blonde Blew My Mind. Because Charlize Theron wasn’t doing ballet while fighting. She was fighting. I would have been happier to have understood the plot better — a) it was (unnecessarily) complicated, and b) our damn censor board went snipping and bleeping — but it doesn’t matter because I went for the action and got more than expected.
What worked: Charlize Theron, Charlize Theron, Charlize Theron. The way she looked, the way she walked, the way she talked, the way she punched, kicked, stabbed and shot, and of course the way she steamed up the screen doing nothing more than a debriefing in an interrogation room. Her chemistry with James McAvoy helped as did the sparks between her and Sofia Boutella. The film scores what it does just because of CT and the action. #CeeTee
Rating: 7
LOGAN
It isn’t often that a superhero film comes along and veers so far from the formula that it leaves you shaken, and yes, even in tears. Logan, Hugh Jackman’s swansong as the Wolverine, was That Film. More a dystopian-Western than a X-Men movie, it focused more on looking at the characters than creating a spectacle. The older Wolverine, whose powers are waning, is living under the radar with an ailing Professor X, when he comes across X-23, a young girl who has powers similar to his.
What worked: Incredible acting from Hugh Jackman who brought out the pain, not just physical but also emotional, that the Wolverine has to live with. He is supported by equally exceptional acting by Patrick Stewart and young Laura Keene.
For the first time, the movie keeps it real, not just in terms of the characters but also in terms of the violence and we see Logan lop of limbs and stab people through the skull. But the violence is not just for the sake of violence, it drives home the price he has to pay for every kill.
Rating: 9
JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 2
If John Wick, a movie about a secret world of assassins, suprised the heck out of me when it came out in 2014, John Wick 2 (nearly) blew my mind. Keanu Reeves is back as Baba Yaga or the Boogeyman, the man “who killed three men in a bar with a pencil”, and he is stylish, elegant and violent as ever. Now I can’t wait for John Wick 3!
What worked: First, of course, the poetic fight sequences, whether in the Roman baths, a New York subway or a hall of mirrors in a museum. The body count is higher this time, but while the headshots are still the most popular, there is enough mixing up of weapons and ways to kill to keep it interesting.
John Wick 2 took the concept of the first film and built a world around it, which I wouldn’t mind seeing more of. And there is also some excellent acting from Reeves, Ian McShane and Laurence Fishburne (yes, Neo and Morpheus reunited).
Rating: 7.5
KONG: SKULL ISLAND
King Kong (the biggest ever in cinema history), Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson. There is no way I wasn’t watching this one. Set in a post-Vietnam world, this almost seemed like a homage to Apocalypse Now except with a giant ape and other monsters as the enemy. The hoomans in the movie, with the exception of John C. Reilly, felt superfluous. Even Brie Larson’s purpose in the film is difficult to understand. Hiddleston was excellent eye candy but there wasn’t much expected from him.
What worked: Every scene that Kong was part of, whether he was swatting helicopters out of the sky or getting some monster-vs-monster action, especially with that giant octopus.
Also, Reilly as the World War II pilot who stole the show and never gave it back.
Rating: 6
WONDER WOMAN
Years. I had been waiting for years to see Wonder Woman on the big screen and Gal Gadot as Diana Prince in the horrible Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice film left me hopeful. The trailers were great too, but nothing could have prepared me for how awesome the film was. I came out of the hall with a little bit of a girl-crush on Gadot and hope in my heart that the DCEU wasn’t doomed. And yay, girl power!
What worked: Everything. The spectacular visuals; the beautiful fight sequences in Themyscira; the humour, which though it comes from Diana’s fish-out-of-water moments, is never at the expense of her; the way she is put front and centre. Of course, there is Gadot bringing out Diana’s strength, kindness, naivete, love, leadership flawlessly.
Rating: 10
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
The “Tale As Old As Time” in live action! Seeing Mrs Potts and Lumiere, watching Chip blow bubbles, hearing the beloved songs, took me back to my childhood. But this Disney live-action translation fell short of the wow factor of The Jungle Book. Also it is a story we’ve heard, and seen, numerous times.
What worked: The film got a feminist upgrade, with a more take-charge Belle who fends for herself, teaches others to read, and gets angry instead of upset. The fact that this Beast has had an “expensive education” makes it a little more easy to understand why Belle would fall for him, instead of the whole Stockholm Syndrome thing of the actual tale. Oh and we can’t forget the brilliant Luke Evans as the narcissistic Gaston.
Rating: 7
DUNKIRK
Will Christopher Nolan ever let his fans down? Unlikely, if Dunkirk is any proof. For this Nolan fan, The Prestige has just been replaced by Dunkirk as favourite. How do you keep people on the edge of the seat without out-and-out conflict? How do you not give people backstories and still get audiences invested in their plight? How do you make an impact in a war film without blood and gore? Dunkirk shows you how.
What worked: For me, everything. From the tightly woven tale told from three different POVs and over three different timelines that slip from one to the other seamlessly, to Hans Zimmer’s background score, to some superior acting from the likes of Mark Rylance, Tom Hardy’s eyes (that’s all you can see and it is all you need) and Kenneth Branagh.
Rating: 9.5
THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE
This film had me at the trailers. And while the movie didn’t quite live up to the original The Lego Movie, it was 129 minutes of stomach-hurting fun. I mean when a movie starts with a black screen and Batman’s voice saying, “Black. All important movies start with a black screen. And music, edgy scary music”, while The Dark Knight music plays, you know this is going to be worth every rupee. The story? Batman is a lonely guy who adopts a son and learns to be a team player.
What worked: The wry and sarcastic wit, that made Will Arnett’s Batman from The Lego Movie the standout character, is back. The way the film rips into the Batman films of old is nerd gold — the plane captain referring to the ways Batman has stopped the Joker, Alfred telling Batman he’s known him since “the weird one in 1965”. And the different take on the Joker-Batman relationship where the Joker craves Batman’s attention and is hurt when he is made to feel part
of the bad guy crowd.
Rating: 6.5
WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES
When a war movie with apes makes you root for the apes against the humans, you know that the film has done its job. The third film in the reboot series sees Caesar take the war to the humans, not because he wants to win, but because he wants to save his people. “Apes together strong!”
What worked: The fact that a film with apes is so topical, touching on refugee crisis, a megalomaniac building a wall and more. Absolutely top-notch acting from Andy Serkis and, of course, Steve Zahn as Bad Ape.
Rating: 8
BABY DRIVER
Edgar Wright is an exceptional filmmaker, and a dab hand at making genre films. So it isn’t surprising that he kicked the hell out of this high-octane heist musical. With signature Wright touches and some exceptional acting, this turned out to be one of the most fun films I’ve watched this year.
What worked: The film had me at the first scene of the heist where Baby is sitting in the getaway car moving to Bellbottoms. The script, as tight as it is witty. The memorable characters, whether Buddy, or Darling or Bats or Griff.
Rating: 8.5
THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS
If you are not a fan of the Fast and Furious franchise then this film definitely wasn’t for you. Thankfully I am, so “more of the same” is never a problem. A growling Vin Diesel who is now faced off against “the family” he loves so much, a Dwayne Johnson back to facing off against Vin, insane car chases and even more insane stunts. What’s not to like? Well they could dial down the Letty-Dom love story. And forget Scott Eastwood ever working as a Paul Walker stand-in.
What worked: Without doubt the Jason Statham-Dwayne Johnson chemistry. In fact, anything Statham works for me.
Rating: 6
COLOSSAL
I went in to watch what looked like a fun kaiju movie with a woman mysteriously controlling a monster that attacks a far-off city. I walked out stumped by what I had actually watched: a story about alcoholism and domestic abuse. What a way to tell that story!
What worked: Anne Hathaway, who poured her heart and soul into her character of a disturbed alcoholic. Jason Sudeikis, who went from being the nice guy to the entitled bastard who felt people owed him because he was nice and veered into abuse. The allegory of the kaiju killing people in Seoul standing in for the consequences of Hathaway’s irresponsible behaviour. As one of the characters in the film says, “Do you ever notice how it keeps destroying everything in its path, but it never looks down?” And while it is not a kaiju movie per say, it has enough kaiju action to make the monster-movie-buff okay with spending the money.
Rating: 7.5
Chandreyee Chatterjee
Which is your favourite Holly movie from 2017 and why? Tell t2@abp.in
