Changeling (2008)

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Changeling (2008)

Genre:  Drama | History | Mystery | Thriller

Starring:  Angelina Jolie, Jeffrey Donovan, John Malkovich, Jason Butler Harner, Colm Feore

Directed by: Clint Eastwood

Rated: US: R, UK: 15

Running Time: 141 minutes 

Movie Review:
Some stories come and go and some some stays with you forever, Changeling is one of those stories. The agonizing pain of a mother who can go to any extent to find her own son and to fight for the truth that the child the police found did not belong to her when the police itself is trying to prove that the child is hers and that she is delusional. And what makes it more heart touching is - it is based on a true story.

The power packed performance by Angelina Jolie and beautifully crafted by Clint Eastwood himself, Changeling is a story of love, grief, belief, faith, hope, strength and what not. When you start believing that it is in fact a true story, you automatically find yourself connected to it. It feels like Clint Eastwood has put his heart and soul to create this heart touching film, even, to my surprise, the background score is done by Eastwood himself who, along with Ron Howard, Brian Grazer and Robert Lorenz, is also a producer of the film. J. Michael Straczynski, the writer of Changeling has done some deep research, according to him - he drew 95% of the script from around 6,000 pages of documentation and it took him years to research the historical records. And his hard work has been paid of really well as the script is really a strong part of this film.

Changeling is based on real life incident connected to "Wineville Chicken Coop Murders" in 1928 where, about 20 children were slain by a barbaric psycopath killer Gordon Stewart Northcott. A mother in Los Angeles, comes home one day and finds her boy missing. She files missing report and after few months she is informed by the LAPD that the boy has been found. On the day of reunion she realizes that the boy they found is not her child but is an imposter. She tries to prove that the boy is not hers to city officials who surprisingly turns their back and prove that she is delusional. But her fight does not stop here and does she moves heaven & earth to prove herself right or is she really delusional and what it has to do with  Wineville Chicken Coop Murders makes the story so interesting that you would not want to leave your couch until you know what is going to happen next.

Changeling probes womanhood, motherhood, corruption, trauma, and much more. Angelina Jolie's emotional appearance is heart melting, cast ensemble is good and the story is strong. All in all it is a film that will impact your mind and will make you ponder over it.

My Verdict: Changeling teaches a lesson - 'You never start a fight, but you always finish it.' No, no, do not learn that lesson from the film...lol. It actually teaches that no matter what, if you believe that what you believe is the real truth, than no matter, if the whole world is against you, you fight for it and prove that you are right. The emotional outcome of Changeling and powerful performance by Angelina Jolie makes this movie a must to see. And when you know that this is a true story, it will come to you as a surprise that 1928 was a turmoil for Los Angeles. The only drawback of this film is its slow pace - as a Clint Eastwood directed movie use to be. Maybe it is because Eastwood did not want to miss the emotional thread this movie carries. But Changeling is for me, one of the finest movie of 2008. Its a Keeper.

Why See?: True story, strong plot, well acted, surprising elements.

Why Not?: Nothing particular but it has a slow pace.

Rating: 8/10

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Lincoln (2012)

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Lincoln (2012)

Genre:  Biography | Drama | History | War

Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, David Strathairn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, James Spader, Hal Holbrook, Tommy Lee Jones

Directed by: Steven Spielberg

Rated: US: PG-13, UK: 12A, India: U

Movie Review:

Lincoln, a plethora of acting, directing and screenplay finesse', is a splendid film made so well that no one could have made this movie better than the one of the finest director Spielberg himself.

Lincoln has been outstandingly directed, beautifully acted and effectively written and is going to be in the hall of fame for one of the finest movies ever made on Abraham Lincoln and also one of the finest film of 2012. Tony Kushner, the man behind its screenplay shall be widely applauded for his mesmeric dialogues and astonishing writing skills. Daniel Day-Lewis aka Lincon, Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones along with other ensembles have set a milestone of acting geniuses with this film.

Based on some parts the biographic book 'Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln' by Doris Kearns Goodwin, Lincoln depicts the last four months of Abraham Lincoln's life focusing mostly on Lincoln's effort to abolish slavery in United States by achieving the passage through the constitutional amendment. But the task is tougher than it looks, as the American Civil War is winding up to a conclusion and peace is going to prevail soon, and if the peace comes before the amendment is passed, the amendment will not get the chance to become a law. How did Lincoln managed to pass it, what cost he had to pay for it, is all you would love to see.

Lincoln has shown how difficult it was to get the equality for humanity in United States and teaches a lessson to respect the freedom at any cost. Daniel Day-Lewis is an actor that will be remembered for his role as Abraham Lincoln for a long long time and Tony Kushner's writing skill along with Spielberg's direction has made a film that is a Great Tribute to a Great Man ie., Abraham Lincoln.

This film is more of a political drama than being a biopic which can be difficult to understand for people who are not into politics much. Also it does not explains history much so you may have to do a bit of homework if you are unaware of political terms and history behind the 13th amendment.  But this film unfolds few stories which were not known to people that happened during that period which can make you ponder over the situations of that time.

My Verdict: Lincoln is an exploration of the era when the 16th President of United States of America aka Abraham Lincoln was fighting his own war to abolish slavery by adding a law into the constitution. This film is an acting, direction, writing gem. The only drawback is that its more of a political drama than being a biopic which, though a demand of the film, can be confusing for people who are not into politics or history that follows.

Why See?: Well written, beautifully directed and well acted film which unfolds many aspects that should be known to the people who are interested to know about the abolishment of slavery in United States of America.

Why Not?: Only if you totally hate politics or you are not familiar with political terms and way it works.

Rating: 8/10

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Argo (2012)

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Argo (2012)

Genre: Drama | History | Thriller

Starring: Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin, John Goodman

Directed by: Ben Affleck

Rated: US: R, UK: 15, India: A

Movie Review:
Boy! Has not this film created ripples all over the world not only for being among the best directed films of 2012, but also for its historical inaccuracies. Argo is one spine chilling, fascinating film that will make you to stick-on-your-couch-with-the-tub-of-popcorn until it gets over. You can guess what may happen in the next scene, you know that practically it's not possible what has been shown, but then, you also want to see that is it going to happen like you guessed? Or is it the other way round? It has the potential to make you involve with the plot so much that you may start feeling that you are a part of this movie, and with each sequence your heart may pound and blood can gush. But from the start to the end you have to keep one thing in mind, and I quote it - "Do not get your history corrected from this film." Because this film, though worth watching in every expect, is not completely true to what actually happened, though base story is correct.

Argo, dramatized adaptation from The Master of Disguise by Antonio J. Mendez (ex. CIA)  & The Great Escape, the article by Joshuah Bearman, portrays a true incident of 1979 Iran hostage crisis, in which Mendez himself led the rescue of six U.S. diplomats from Tehran, Iran. Ben Affleck has been splendid as Mendez, and his directing skills, which has been impressive in his previous films too, will surely give him a seat among the best directors hollywood has with this drama thriller.Though historically discrepant, this film promises a strong impact on your mind about the situation that was being faced by the hostages during that period.

Argo is astonishingly funny, with some brilliant dialogues that will be quoted year after years. This film won't let you down in any aspect which it promises, unless you don't like histories getting manipulated for the benefit of the film. The movie does not lose its focus for a single second. But sometimes, you can easily guess that the film is unnecessarily trying to create intense which could have been avoided. This is the only point where it lets you down.


My Verdict: Argo is a well crafted, finely acted film whose intriguing plot makes it entertaining from the beginning till the end. And when you know that its a true story, the fun and excitement doubles. I was spellbound with tense, heart pounded when the van with U.S. diplomats was in between the Iranian Procession on the street who were outrageously banging the van and shouting. Gosh! So scary! And many more scenes that will make you glare the screen without a blink.  The only drawback is, sometimes, it looks like, that the intensifying scenes has been intentionally added and were redundant, maybe they were added just to enhance the length of the film.

Why See?: Well plotted, well acted, well narrated and well portrayed film and when it ends, you will feel like a winner and that's guaranteed!

Why Not?: Historically discrepant and few intensifying scenes which looks superfluous. 

Rating: 7/10

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