Lawrence of Arabia
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056172/
A pedigree of class and indulgence, this Academy de noir was a spectacular voyage. More than half a decade later, it still ranks high amidst world heritage stuff. Gloriously shot, it captures the glitz of sand and vivacity of the deserts with enormous thirst. The lengthy golden traits, the exquisite sights of crawling camels under divine sunsets, the marauding Arab camps and the ever pretentious Whites in their game of philandering supremacy. The wit versus hoard through bilateral landscapes unfold in a fashion of a classic entrepreneur wielding his own fortunes. A hungry and a dramatic adventure, LoA reminds me of the vintage era that basked in sumptuous glory and plethora of elegance.
Iruvar
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119385/
Perhaps, Mani’s finest yet. The cinematic hordes within a gamut of political and devious velvets, it brings the sliver screen in a breathing grasp of the mammoth Gulliver. Though the tag line of ‘not a true story’ is almost a paradoxical hunch, the script is so evidently intense. Aided by brilliant performances and a powerhouse background score, this sweltering script often acknowledges applause and awe in the same planet. Though panned by critics for obvious reasons within the territorial hinges, this remains to be a gutsy product in the world of Tamil and Indian cinema.
The Lunchbox
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2350496/
Human relationships are probably the most intriguing of all, you can write and talk all day but the sensibilities continue to elude you.
This AK production mystifies the age old enigma with a touch of nostalgia and a heart of gold. The backdrop is the quintessential Mumbai dabbawalas who become the messengers of a strange interlock that wields in to a fountain of deceit and redemption. Extracting terrific performances from it’s lead actors (Irrfan Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui), it governs your senses through heart wrenching moments. It takes away less, but returns a galore of humane traces that guilds through kettle drops.
Jatishwar
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3365690/
Post Ritu da’s departure, I felt that a vacuum was fielding Bengali cinema that has survived generations through a fierce conjunction of story telling through poetry and literature. I can see an evolution, Jatishwar took my vibes seriously.
Sreejit’s baby, it has loads to garland upon. Manoeuvring between traditional folklore and contemporary compositions, it manages to stitch the legacy with it’s tame shadows. Though the characters have earlier references and script itself is no stunner, the treatment is quite engaging. For a musical, the scores and rendition could have been a notch higher but couple of soundtracks continue to sing around me. Performances stand out. Prasenjit delivers another scorcher (doesn’t surpass his Baishey Shrabon jigs though!) and Jishu gives a terrain performance. Some valuable actors have been wasted and the leading lady was a frown. Yet, I will take this one with the yolk and the egg for the class-o-vein.
@Lifeoholic 