Classic Revisited: A Beautiful Mind (2001)

The film chronicles the life and times of John Nash, a Nobel laureate in Economics. He is a brilliant mathematician but has troubles with the mind. He has schizophrenia and suffers from delusions - 3 in particular, an imaginary room mate Charles Herman and his niece Marcee and one William Parcher assumed to be working for the US Army in finding a nuke device.  

He is helped by his wife in overcoming all the trauma of medications and hospital treatment. He learns to ignore the delusions beyond a point of time. But, his journey to the Nobel prize takes him through the physical, metaphysical and delusional limits of human possibility. A fascinating true life story

Review

• Russell Crowe delivers one of the most complex roles with myriad emotions, with an ease of the pro that he is. Shame that he missed the Oscar for this. 
• Jenifer Connelly deservingly won the Oscar for her role of the supporting wife who goes through emotional hell. 
• Paul Bettany as Charles, a delusion is so emotive. It is a pity that he is unreal. The actors who come as Sol, Bender and Hanson also have small yet solid roles. 
• James Horner's musical pieces are mesmerizing and give goose bumps. The title track in particular. Another deserving Oscar.
• The prosthetic makeup as the lead pair and other characters age, is very authentic. 
• The screenplay is so gripping that it draws you in from the start. When John gets his delusions and starts messing it up, it is pretty sad and chaotic. That moment when we realize that the 3 characters are delusions, is scary

VERDICT

A psychological classic. All the elements of film making work magic.

Classic Revisited - Blood Diamond (2006)

Whats it about:
Sierra Leone is the scene of action. A plethora of characters and issues. Danny Archer is a smuggler who is looking to get out of the African continent by exporting one last diamond, which happens to be a big pink one uncovered by a fisherman named Solomon Vandy who is forced to work at a mine by the RUF, a rebel unit fighting against the Govt.

The RUF employs many slaves at the diamond mines, creates numerous child soldiers, brainwashes them and makes them commit heinous acts. Dia Vandy, son of Solomon is one such child soldier. Solomon is also separated from his family.

Maddy Bowen is a journalist who is looking to expose the atrocious activities that take place behind the export of these conflict diamonds. She needs authentic facts, figures and someone who would go on record.

Does Danny manage to find the diamond in an increasingly frantic environment, does Solomon get back his son, family and does Maddy muster enough evidence to expose the dark diamond underbelly? Watch this intense flick to find out.
                                                                     
Hits

• LEONARDO. With his dashing looks and supreme screen presence, he is a treat to watch. His performance, during his final moments on his last phone call with Maddy, is truly emotional. The tan in his skin, the colored hair and the accent are all in sync with his Zimbabwean origin. 
• Djimon Hounsou as Solomon Vandy is composed and desperate at the apt moments. A solid show. 
• Jennifer Connelly as Maddy Bowen is absolutely charming and is glorious with her expressions. Her romance with Leonardo, though not the conventional one, shines through thanks to Jennifer's longing and passionate eyes. The scene when she leaves Leo and walks towards the aircraft is unforgettable. 
• Kagiso Kuypers as Dia makes a mark in the scene where he emotionally reunites with his father. 
• The bonding between Danny and Solomon. Though initially strictly on a task basis, their final moments on top of the hill are touching
• A novel attempt to touch upon conflict diamonds and their impact on Africa. Child soldiers, the refugee crisis, the black - white conundrum etc etc. TIA as they say. "This is Africa"
• Marvelous African touch be it the locations or the BGM. 
• Frenetic action sequences with guns, bombs, explosions et all. 
• Touching BGM particularly in the climax. 
• Awe-inspiring top angle shots. Class camera work. There are in fact so many nature shots peppered across the movie. 

VERDICT

One of a kind. MUST WATCH. Leonardo leads a long list of highlights. 

Requiem for a Dream (2000)

Whats it about:
It centers around 4 individuals and their obsessive dreams and how they put themselves through hell to fulfill their respective dreams.
      Sara Goldfarb is obsessed with appearing on TV. She imagines that she has got a call to appear on her favorite show and then starts getting obsessed in looking good for the show. She starts taking steroid pills to lose weight, to fit into her favorite dress that she plans to wear for the show.
      Harry Goldfarb and his friend Tyrone want to make a quick buck by selling drugs. They themselves are drug addicts. Harry's girl friend Marione is another drug addict. She wants to set up her own clothes showroom and she too is after money.
      In the end, all the 4 go through unimaginable hell just to survive.

                                                                              

Hits

• Clint Mansell's BGM is haunting, rocking etc etc. So suited to the mood of the film
• Editing, sound design and camera work are top class. The close ups are high impact stuff. The fast forwards & slow motions at appropriate places, the intricate sound effects. This is just pure cinema.
• Ellen Burstyn as Sara has acted like a dream. Her conversation at the dinner table with Harry where she feels about being lonely, her scary expressions after becoming addicted to drugs are all goose bumps inducing stuff. 
• All the other 3 lead artistes too have done brilliantly. Each of them has their poignant moments as well as shocking moments in the film. Apt expressions. 

Misses

• Unimaginably hard hitting visuals. Definitely not for the weak hearted. 

VERDICT

One of the very best films. Darren Aronofsky ... Take a bow for such a daringly different concept.