The Walk – Consummate Cinematic Experience

Director Robert Zemeckis, who is known for making feel-good films, which have inspired millions of people across the globe, has once again provided a wholesome entertainment with his 3D biographical drama, The Walk.

The Walk is all about the real life high-wire artist (Phillip Pettit), who had walked between the Twin Towers of World Trade Center. In short, Robert Zemeckis has authentically captured the joy, agony, thrill and high moments of a man, who believed in his passionate profession and achieved the target in style.

The consummate cinematic experience, which we had seen in Robert Zemecki’s previous films including Forrest Gump, Real Steel and Cast Away is thankfully retained in The Walk too but what makes it more unique is its brilliant visual effects and cinematography, as they have beautifully captured the beauty of Twin Towers.

Perhaps, The Walk is not only a biopic of Phillip Pettit but also a perfect souvenir to The Twin Towers in New York. Although we all know that the protagonist won’t fall down as he is the one, who narrates the story, the visual effects and sound design take us into the film. I would say that The Walk is an edge of the seat, feel-good ride (Yes, you read that right!)

Joseph Gordon Levitt has played the role of Phillip Pettit and has perfectly justified the role of a passionate youngster as he has brilliantly conveyed all the required emotions and takes the film to a different level.  Ben Kingsley as Papa Rudy brings out some comic moments and proves what an ace acting can do for a film!  Charlotte Le Bon, reminds us of Keira Knightley, thanks to the similar look and she has done a phenomenal job as Phillip’s girl friend in the film.

Overall, The Walk is easily one of the best 3D movies you have ever come across. Please do yourself a favor and watch it on a big screen with good projection and effects!

Rating : ****

Everest Movie Review

Director Baltasar Komakur's Everest is based on the real event of 1996 Mount Everest disaster. Generally, audience prefers to see disaster movies because it would provide an edge of the seat ride and most of the times, the execution would be steam-winding with expeditious screenplay and breathtaking visual effects but Everest is an exception.

Yes, Baltasar Kamkur has apparently made Everest as an emotionally charged drama that mainly depicts the euphoria of the climbers as they reach the peak of Mount Everest and their ultimate tribulation, when they come to know that  reaching the base station is almost impossible and all their lives are at stake.

Another interesting aspect of the film is that the mental trauma of families of the climbers have also been registered well. To be precise, Everest is all about two expedition groups and their survival attempts as they subjected grueling climatic conditions that even a wrong step would end up losing their lives.

Jason Clarke has brilliantly played the role of New Zealand expedition group leader, Rob Hall while Jake Gyllenhaal was adequate in the role of another expedition group head, Scott Fischer. Keira Knightley, who was last seen in The Imitation Game and Begin Again, didn't have big scope in Everest as most of the time, she has been filmed in dark angles and offered abstract characterization.

The film indeed has prodigious technical values but wondering why they have opted for 3D, a good old 2D representation would have given the same real film watching experience.

Overall, if you want to know what has exactly happened in 1996 Mount Everest disaster, this film would definitely help but it won't please audience who looks for a roller-coaster ride. The bottom line is, lower your expectations!

Rating: ***

My Okay Kanmani Moment

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All through my life, I always love to observe people. You may call it overhearing and whatever but that's my hobby. Most of the time, I learn many things from these strangers and try to follow the good values from them.

As usual, I went to this favorite restaurant of mine along with a friend. A young couple in their late 20s sat next to us... this girl asks her husband.. "How much is the EMI?"... he shows hand signal "Five". This girl calls someone, later I came to know its one of her parents.

The conversation progressed and she tells her parent that her husband needs 50,000 to pay his EMI bill and it sounds like they agreed. As usual, the usual talk happens and they asks her what she is eating and she replies back...before hanging up "Ithoda pothum verum ethum seiyathinga paa"...

Now the girl tells her husband "50K potruvanga but ithudhaan kadasi, I won't ask my parents again".

This kind of demanding husbands are there in every family. I'm not saying he is bad or ill treating his wife, I'm nobody to judge him, may be he would have financially broken and just asked for her in-laws' support but these kind of things actually diminishing my hope on the institution of marriage.

"How could someone truly love a girl and at the same time, demanding financial assistance from her parents. It's okay to tell them his issue and get the needed amount as loan but squandering the money of his in-laws just because the fact that they would definitely do it for her daughter, can't be a quality of a true man- again not being judgmental about the guy whom I've just seen but this is my humble opinion"...

The couple paid the bill and went off.. cut...

I'm yet to finish my Paneer Biryiani whereas my friend has ordered his butter milk. Opposite to our table, sat a couple who are at their late 60s...

The husband reads the menu louder so that his wife could choose her desired dish.

Husband: "Masala Dosai, Butter Dosai... Ghee roast...Gobi Dosa"...

The wife stops him "Oothapam?"...

Husband smiles, "Oothapam sapdava hotel ku vanthom?"... Wife smiles sheepishly...

He calls the waiter "Mushroom soup one by two kodunga"... wait wait... "oothapam oru plate " (A bright light on the wife's face")...

"Oothapam matum pothuma", asks the husband.. she doesn't have any answer. The husband tells the waiter " Phulka rendu ... panner butter masala vum"...

I was thinking "May be this young couple who had just fought over the EMI bill would someday end up like this lovely 60 year old couple, life could teach them a lot or this old couple would have had heated arguments during their young age"...

I paid my bill and approached the door with a flared up confidence on the institution of marriage...

May be this is my , #MyOkayKanmaniMoment