Three Colors

Had to slip in this post first. The three films that I have seen over the last two days are such gems that I could not keep myself from writing about them. The first two were movies that were surprisingly not written or talked about much when they came out last year. Both have high ratings on IMDb, but that's not the same thing. The third was definitely a much more publicised film, but almost all reviews called it a flawed classic, with the film's 2.5 hours running time earning a lot of criticism. As it happens, depite the restless person I am, I did not feel the length at all, and loved the slow, painful movement to the inevitable climax.

The first film I saw was Across The Universe. Featuring 30-odd singles by The Beatles, the film is a brilliant musical. I like several Beatles songs, but am not a huge fan. After having seen the film though, I have been listening to Come Together, Hey Jude and I Wanna Hold Your Hand for a good part of the day. The film has an interesting story, and it's unbelievable how well some of the songs are placed in the film. And how well most of them have been shot. The first thing that came to my mind on watching some of the amazing shots is how confident the director seems to have been in her style and technique. Easily one of my favorite 2007 films.

The next one was Surf's Up. It is one of the three animated features nominated in that category at the Oscars this year (the other two are Ratatouille and Persepolis) and it's a rare year where all three are really really good films. Surf's Up is a behind the scenes look at a surfing championship with penguins (who for some reason have become the most popular animals to be featured in animated films). I cannot really describe how smartly this film spoofs behind-the-scene videos, but I strongly recommend this one too.



And the third film that I just got done watching is The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Quite a mouthful. Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck match each other expression for expression in this film about betrayal. I find films that explore love relationships other than the 'normal' man-woman-of-the-same-age ones extremely interesting. This relationship is a curious one between the charismatic outlaw Jesse James and the young, under-confident Robert Ford who wants to be like Jesse. He loves, for want of any other word that describes the longing in his eyes better, Jesse James and James seems to understand this too. And no this is not homosexuality I am talking about, as far as my understanding of such things goes. But Ford's attempts at befriending James and finding a place in the latter's life are snubbed and made fun of. I don't think any desire to hurt another person can be as intense as one when it is borne out of a snubbed attempt to get close to that person. The film slowly spirals towards the end, which is hardly a suspense given the title of the movie as well as the famous legend of Jesse James, the outlaw. But the film does not end immediately after James dies, and the pain this betrayal brings to Ford is even more intriguing than the act itself. A very beautiful film about how complicated our feelings are and how at times completely beyond our control.