Hotel Mumbai

First Hit: It was interesting enough from a historical perspective but didn’t engage because it was a predictable and a known story.

When this attack happened, India was caught off guard. The real-life consequences of not having the type of policing or counterterrorism task force required to deal with the this coordinated assault was that it caused at least 174 deaths.

In November of 2008, ten members of Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist group executed a coordinated attack on Hindus in twelve locations throughout Mumbai, the financial center of India. The attack lasted four days. This film shows brief scenes of the shootings from some of the other locations, however the main target was The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. This is a five-star hotel where the guest is king, and this is where most of scenes are filmed.

The terrorists are coaxed on, and being guided by, a voice on the phone through the headsets worn by the men. He encourages them to kill anyone they see without mercy. However, he’s also looking for these men to take western prisoners for “negotiating purposes.” The audience knows there won’t be real negotiations and the captured will die.

Among the captured are David (Armie Hammer) who is married to Zahra (Nazanin Boniadi). The are traveling with their young baby who’s being taken care of by their nanny, Sally (Tilda Cobham-Hervey).

The film makes an emphatic point of the ruthlessness of the machine gun armed terrorists by having them coldly shoot anyone they see. They attempt kill anyone who moves, except for the few they want to capture and hold to gain additional publicity because they are prominent or wealthy figures.

One of the captured is Vasili (Jason Isaacs) who is a former Russian special forces specialist. His redeeming scene is when he ferociously bites the achilleas of one of the terrorists.

However, the main star of this film is Arjun (Dev Patel) who works in the hotel as a waiter. He’s a Sikh which comes into play later in the story. He and the head chef Oberol (Anupam Kher) attempt to save some of the hotel’s guest from being killed by hiding them in a exclusive room with only one public way in. The story is about how these people were saved.

Overall, Patel was good in this role. One outstanding scene was the way he explained his Sikh hair covering to one of the concerned and ill-informed guests. Kher was excellent as the Head Chef in holding to his belief that the hotel’s “guests are god.” Hammer was good as the American who was married to a Muslim woman. His desire to protect his family was spot on. Boniadi was wonderful as Hammer’s wife. When she starts saying prayers in front of the terrorists, it becomes very tense — one of the best scenes in the film. Cobham-Hervey was outstanding as the nanny. She felt very genuine in her desire to protect the child from harm. Isaacs was very good as the overindulgent selfish Russian operative who finally does something for someone else. The entire cadre of actors playing the terrorists did a sublime job of making sure they were cold hearted and unrelenting in their role of killing people for a golden ticket to heaven. John Collee and Anthony Maras wrote a interesting script. Maras directed this film which included actual scenes from the actual attack.

Overall: I wasn’t as captured or engaged as I thought I might be.

The Wedding Guest

First Hit: This is a good dark thriller, but it was the sites where this film was shot, New Delhi, Jaipur, Goa and other cities and towns in India and Pakistan, that made me smile.

The main character Jay (Dev Patel) is introduced while he systematically packs a suitcase and then heads to London Heathrow airport. We know nothing about him, except he looks very stern and on a mission. What we do know is that he’s packing his suitcase he packs several passports. This creates suspicion.

Where is he going? Why does he have multiple passports?

Landing in New Delhi seems to fit and makes it easy to buy into the trip because the actor is Indian. But we soon learn he only speaks English, he’s not from India. Because many Indians speak English, this isn’t an issue. His first order of business is to rent a car, and tells the agent he’ll return it in two weeks.

He spends a short period in New Delhi, but then heads north to Pakistan. Crossing the border, he rents another car and eventually finds a small town where he spies a young lady getting out of a Range Rover.

Adding to the mystery, he then buys two handguns and duct tape. When he is looking at the guns, he seems knowledgeable, and that’s he’s experienced with handguns. In case the audience didn’t know by his demeanor when he was leaving London, we understand now, this isn’t a happy wedding movie. Practicing his shooting skills, we note that he’s serious about what he is about to do and that is, steal the bride.

The bride to be, Samira (Radhika Apte), is marrying someone we never meet. All we know is that Jay seems intent on abducting Samira.

We learn that he’s under contract to do this for someone he’s never met, a wealthy Londoner, played by Jim Sarbh.

Later we find out that Samira and Jim were lovers before her being required to marry a Pakistani man by her family. We think, and it is confirmed later, she hates the idea of marrying this man, so when Jay steals into her room at the groom’s home, gags and handcuffs her, and takes her, she goes along with it.

That all happens in the first half of the film. The remaining half is about how do Jay and Samira find their way back to London? This becomes an issue because, during their escape from the compound, Jay has to kill a guard.

 The unusual depth in this film is that the audience never gets any picture about who Jay is and why he’s doing this. Yes, it seems for the money, but what drove him to do this kind of work – we never know. We do learn more about Samira because she tells Jay how she ended up in Pakistan ready to marry a man she didn’t know or like. And Jim is someone we only know as wanting Samira back in his life; had enough money to hire Jay to do this, and in the end, wasn’t really committed to Samira. Both Samira and Jay are somewhat lost souls finding their way through life, which makes their chemistry work really well.

However, having spent months traveling in India carrying my backpack, I loved the scenes in the streets of Delhi, Jaipur, and on the trains and busses. I intensely experienced all of them, and not only did the director get it right, but it also brought up fond memories of my travels.

Patel was strangely excellent in this role. I liked that he took this role which is generally out of character from his previous film characters. He did an excellent job of making me buy into his purpose and intent. Apte was divine as Samira. She came across as deeply mischievous, beguiling, secretive, and having her own agenda. As she said about her family’s description of her, she is a little “crazy.” Sarbh was strong as the wealthy playboy type guy who was willing to pay for his wish to get Samira back, but there was another agenda that made it compelling in a different way. Michael Winterbottom wrote a deviously dark script and his adept view of how to integrate India was outstanding.

Overall: I really enjoyed this film in both story and visual scenes.

Academy Awards - The Oscars

Once again it is time to celebrate a year of film watching. Here are my choices for the following awards along with thoughts about the selections and non-selections the Academy made.

• Best Actor - Nominees are:  Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea), Andrew Garfield (Hacksaw Ridge), Ryan Gosling (La La Land), Viggo Mortensen (Captain Fantastic), and Denzel Washington (Fences). There are strong performances in this group of actors. For me the obvious missing actor is Tom Hanks in Sully because it was so well made and gave me a real sense of a man who saved 155 lives. Given the Academy's choices, Affleck was sublime. You felt him and what he was going through from beginning to end. I loved this performance. I thought Garfield was very strong in this career defining role for him. He brought heart to this role. Gosling was amazing. His charm, piano playing, and dancing brought life to this dream like film. I loved the film Captain Fantastic and Mortensen was the key. His wide eyed brilliance made this film work. Lastly, Washington was simply a nuclear charged bit of energy bottled up and ready to pounce. Great performance, however it felt too much like a play like for me to like it in film. My choice is Affleck.

• Best Actress  - Nominees are:  Isabelle Hubert (Elle), Ruth Negga (Loving), Natalie Portman (Jackie), Emma Stone (La La Land), and Meryl Streep (Florence Foster Jenkins). Granted I did not see Florence Foster Jenkins because I saw a film about the same story a year earlier and didn't want to see the same story again. Missing from this nominee list is Amy Adams. She gave two powerful performances this past year; Arrival which is a film I adored (see below) and Nocturnal Animals where her cool intelligent nature amazingly unfolded on the screen. Given the choices, Hubert was absolutely fantastic in this role. Her ability to be both vulnerable and strong in the same breath expressed her greatness. Negga was very strong and I loved her role as she grows from a timid somewhat subservient person to a woman of strength and grit. I loved this story. Portman is an interesting choice. I found the character to be so different than my perception of Jackie that I was taken aback. This performance made me wonder about the real person and that's important in filmmaking. Stone was so fun and divine in this role. Her chemistry with Gosling is noticeable and helps her to elevate this role to amazing and grace like. Loved her in this film. My selection is Hubert as because she really brought a fully bodied and interesting character to life.

• Best Supporting Actress  - Nominees are:  Viola Davis (Fences), Naomie Harris (Moonlight), Nicole Kidman (Lion), Octavia Spencer (Hidden Figures), and Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea).  One of the amazing things about these choices is that a couple of these actors had very limited screen time to make an impact. The most striking was Williams. Davis gave an amazing performance as Washington's wife in Fences. It takes a lot to hold your own against Washington and here Davis shows everyone how. Watching Harris in Moonlight is like taking a very long road to forgiveness. I was amazed at this performance. Kidman in Lion was very strong. There is one scene when she's talking about how she came to adopt her Indian son, that was so deep and heartfelt I cried. Spencer was great in Hidden Figures. As a strong black woman wanting her due, she was fantastic. Williams, as I have said, had a small role but the scene where she is asking for forgiveness from Affleck was the most powerful 2 minute scene on film this year. I've got a close tie, with Williams and Davis, but in the end, I'll go with Davis.

• Best Supporting Actor  - Nominees are:  Mahershala Ali (Moonlight), Jeff Bridges (Hell or High Water), Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea), Dev Patel (Lion), and Michael Shannon (Nocturnal Animals). I was a little taken back by the inclusion of Patel as a supporting actor. It felt more like a lead actor role to me. Ali in Moonlight is such a powerful integral character and he made it work so well. Loved his compassion. Bridges was wonderful in Hell or High Water. He made this character heart filled as well as having an distinct edge of sarcasm. Hedges in Manchester by the Sea was good. However, it wasn't enough for me to give him a good chance. Patel, as I previously stated, seemed nominated in the wrong category. Although he was really good, it just doesn't fit here. Shannon in Nocturnal Animals is beyond great. I loved his intensity and persistence of character. I was entranced when he was on the screen. I've got two front runners, Shannon and Ali. Upon reflection as to how they impacted the story, I'll go with Ali.

• Best Cinematography  - Nominees are:   Arrival, La La Land, Lion, Moonlight, and Silence. I will admit I did not see Silence as I just couldn't get motivated to see this film. Given this, Arrival was amazing with the visualizations of the ships, the anti-gravity sections of inside the ship and how they displayed and handled the aliens.  La La Land was gorgeous. Whether is was in or outside the Observatory, on the streets of LA, or in an apartment. There was care in how the colors and sets looked on the screen. Lion had wonderful accurate feeling scenes of India, especially the railway stations. I didn't quite buy the butterfly scenes as they seemed slightly over the top. However, the rest of the sets were amazingly done. Moonlight reflected just this, moonlight on the ocean. The shifts from scenes in school, on the beach, and cities in South Florida were luxurious. As I previously said I've no information about Silence because I didn't see it. From what I saw, I would have to select Arrival as my favorite with La La Land and Moonlight a very close second.

• Best Adapted Screenplay  - Nominees are:   Eric Heisserer (Arrival), August Wilson (Fences), Allison Schroder and Theodore Melfi (Hidden Figures), Luke Davies (Lion), and Barry Jenkins (Moonlight). All of them are wonderful stories. I loved the story and meaning behind Moonlight, Arrival, and Hidden Figures. Each of these stories were very impactful. Moonlight because it shared the somewhat hidden story of a black gay community. Arrival because it was one of the most amazing ways to share the concept of non-linear time. Hidden Figures was so powerful as to how the segregation of blacks almost hurt our chances to be successful in the space race with Russia. It is difficult to choose from such diverse stories, however in the end I'll select Moonlight.

• Best Original Screenplay  - Nominees are:  Taylor Sheridan (Hell or High Water), Damien Chazelle (La La Land), Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthymis Filippou (The Lobster), Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea), Mike Mills (20th Century Women). Great list. The depth of friendship as expressed in Hell or High Water, the stories of love and growth as expressed in La La Land, The Lobster, and 20th Century Women, and humbling forgiveness as expressed in Manchester by the Sea - all were amazing. As an original story I am tossed between Manchester by the Sea and La La Land. Either winning would be accepted.

• Best Director  - Nominees are:  Denis Villeneuve (Arrival), Mel Gibson (Hacksaw Ridge), Damien Chazelle (La La Land), Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea), and Barry Jenkins (Moonlight). Interesting that Lonergan, Jenkins, and Chazelle wrote the films they directed and it shows the importance of knowing what it is you want to portray/express. What is missing? For me the missing directors are Tom Ford (Nocturnal Animals) and Theodore Melfi (Hidden Figures), both of these films had great vision and execution. Choosing from this strong list is difficult. However, for the impact it had on me I'm down to two: Villeneuve and Chazelle because of how they eloquently told their stories. However, if Gibson, Lonergan, or Jenkins were to win, I wouldn't be upset.

• Best Picture  - Nominees are:   Arrival, Fences, Hacksaw Ridge, Hell or High Water, Hidden Figures, La La Land, Lion, Manchester by the Sea, and Moonlight. This is a full and dynamic list. I liked all these films. However, if I had to start separating these nominees, I'd pull out these three as my top contenders: Arrival, La La Land, and Manchester by the Sea. Each tells a story and tells their story very well. Each film was fully engaging and opens the heart in a new and different way. I cannot pick a winner because I loved watching these three films.

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Lion

First Hit:  A very dramatic and heartfelt story about a young man finding his original home and family.

This was almost like watching two films, each with their own engagement. The first film is about a young Indian boy Saroo (Sunny Pawar) whose life of poverty is documented here by how he helps his mom Kamla (Priyanka Bose) carry rocks, or stealing coal from a train with his older brother Guddu (Abhishek Bharate), or by carrying watermelons for a town vendor. They live in a small one room place in a small-town many hundred miles west of Calcutta.

One night he gets separated from his brother, falls asleep on a train and wakes up in Calcutta. Lost without food or water and the inability to speak the main language of Calcutta, Bengali; he finds himself living on the street. A woman who speaks Hindi finds him and realizes that this boy has no idea where he is and that his family probably won’t find him. This engagement teaches him to trust his inner guide as she ends up not being as trustworthy as she appeared to be.

This part of the film has a particular flow and feeling of wonder and impoverishment, even when he’s adopted by John and Sue Brierley (David Wenham and Nicole Kidman respectively), a couple from Tasmania, Australia.

The second half of the film has Saroo (Dev Patel), now age twenty, being well ensconced in his life with his adoptive caring parents. He heads off to hotel management school where he meets Lucy (Rooney Mara). At a gathering of their mutual friends, he begins to share what he knows of his past after which he begins to have visions of his past life as a small boy in India.

This part of the film has a very different feeling. It’s a feeling of having questions, creating a quest, and finding answers. The wonder of young innocence is gone. It isn’t that this isn’t good, however it requires the audience to tie the two films together.

There are really wonderful scenes in both sections, but I found the scene with Saroo and Sue, when she tells him why she adopted him to be the most powerful. Kidman shows why she’s had such an amazing career. The impact of this scene was closely followed by the impact of a couple other scenes when the adult Saroo goes back to India to find his past.

Pawar was amazing as young Saroo. His wonder while holding his fear in check was amazing. Bose was really good as Saroo’s natural mother. Wenham was OK as Saroo’s adoptive father. I would have liked a stronger role for him as a male mentor. Kidman was amazing. The scene where she tells her story as to why she wanted to adopt Saroo was sublime. Patel as the older Saroo was very good and cements him as adult actor in a major role with the ability to carry a film. Mara was very good in this supportive role. Luke Davies wrote an effective screen play from the real Saroo Brierley book called “A Long Way Home”. Garth Davis did an excellent job of showing the communities in India in all it amazingness. Having traveled quite a bit on the trains of India, I really loved the scene in Calcutta when Saroo wanted off the train and throngs of riders were attempting to get on board.

Overall:  This was an engaging story although the two different sections of film require the audience to make the shift to stay engaged.

The Man Who Knew Infinity

First Hit:  An interesting film about a fascinating individual whom I knew nothing about.

I knew nothing about and had never heard about Srinivasa Ramanujan (Dev Patel) a young Indian man who, without any formal mathematical education, spewed out amazing mathematical theorems.

For him they were intuitive. natural and were derived directly from God. Being Hindu, vegetarian, and supremely focused on the formulas that came to him through long sessions that were combined with praying, he was an anomaly in the world of mathematics.

Being buried in the poorest sections of Madras, unable to get a job so that he could have a home with this wife Janaki (Devika Bhise), and no one believing what he was creating as valid, he thought his work would die with him. On this third letter to scholar mathematicians in England, G. H. Hardy (Jeremy Irons), a Fellow at Trinity College in Cambridge, saw potential greatness and sponsored Ramanujan to visit him in England.

Upon his arrival Hardy and Fellow mathematician Littlewood (Toby Jones) began to work with Ramanujan to learn how to prove and publish his theorems. As this was during the time of WWI, Cambridge was bombed and Ramanujan became ill with tuberculosis.

The film takes the audience through, his battle to prove his work, his loneliness of missing his wife, and finding a way to be seen as an equal to his mathematical peers.

Patel is excellent as Ramanujan. I believed his character and got an idea of the struggle Ramanujan must have had. Additionally, he looks a lot like the real person. Irons was strong as the socially awkward, atheist mathematician who believed in Ramanujan but also wanted this new mathematician to have the same scientific rigor that all mathematicians are held to. Bhise had a small role but her love, angst and loyalty to her husband was sincerely palpable. Jones was great as Hardy’s friend and mathematician side-kick. Matt Brown both wrote and directed this film and it was obvious that he cared about sharing this story.

Overall:  It was more of a learning lesson to me about this amazing mathematician whose work is still being used and explored.