MOVIE REVIEW
DAS BOOT (1981)
Director: Wolfgang Petersen
Writers: Wolfgang Petersen, Lothar G. Buchheim
Stars: Jürgen Prochnow, Herbert Grönemeyer, Klaus Wennemann
Runtime: 293 mins (Uncut Version)
Strength: Cinematography, Music & sound
Weakness: On-surface scenes felt unnecessary
Showbiz Rating: 4.5/5
Plot: The claustrophobic world of a WWII German U-boat; boredom, filth, and sheer terror.
Review: It is hard to say that a movie about the Nazis is a great one. But, to stay honest at profession, no film critic would ever dare say that Das Boot doesn't deserve to be in the list of greatest movies of all time. The movie never tries to be sympathetic to a bunch of Nazi German soldiers. In fact, although the story is built around them, what the movie is really about is human beings of all sorts. Highly trained Nazi submarine crew were human beings too. Living in the confined space of a U-boat (submarine) for months on end would shake the soul of any human being. The constant fear of enemy attach from water surface, the crunching sound of 10 feet thick submarine skin cracking under water pressure would move any viewer with fear. Leading character and captain of the submarine, Jürgen Prochnow takes the movie through a treacherous journey through the Atlantic Ocean swarming with enemies. We do feel sympathy for the captain and the marines working in the boat. But at one point, it feels as if the movie is not even about the characters, it is about the boat itself. Making it a German submarine, the director cleverly removes any element of patriotism – it also removes the possibility of a happy ending. It is a long movie, yet each and every second of the movie makes the viewer feel like they themselves are stuck in that submarine. Klaus Doldinger's eerie soundtrack works both during fearful moments and moments of a winning battle. It is a movie one must watch with patience, and surely, it will consume one's mind and body.
Reviewed by Zia Nazmul Islam
***
RUPKATHA NOY NOT A FAIRY TALE
Director: Atanu Ghosh
Writers: Suchandra Chowdhury (lyrics), Atanu Ghosh
Cast: Soumitra Chatterjee, Radhika Apte, Koushik Sen, Sohini Sarkar
Strength: Strong acting, good story
Weakness: Confusing plotlines, abrupt climax
Showbiz Rating: 3/5
Plot: Sisir Roy (Soumitra Chatterjee) is a retired government employee. His wife died long ago. Now the 72-year-old has a spoilt brat and his wife as family at home. In the outside world, he has a sprawling family, whom he talks to on a park bench and gets to know who they are from the inside. Five disconnected human beings become acquainted with him over time and a connection builds between them.
Review: Ahana (Sohini Sarkar) is a newly married girl, restless and immature. Her husband Prasit (Gourab Chakrabarty) has been taken by surprise by the unexpected behaviour of the new bride. Saswata (Koushik Sen) has been a mathematics teacher for the last nine years and is now searching for excitement as stability has made him feel lifeless. Sananda (Radhika Apte), a 30-year-old IT engineer, is a single mother, who is engulfed in vengeance for her saddest loss of life by far. Biswanath (Rahul), a typist, is quite aware that he has a handful of customers because more people now prefer the use of computer. Reena (Nina Chakrabarty) is a young girl working at a petrol pump. All these five characters think of Sisir as a man with special power, who can solve their problems. In our busy city life, we have hardly any time to listen to others' happiness, agony and suffering. The bustling streets of Kolkata never seem to fall asleep. People are always aware of the social and political happenings. But amid these noisy crowds, some yearn to be secluded; only to be with someone, who would have patience and time to hear their personal stories, look into the knots and strive to undo them. Here in the movie, the veteran actor Soumitra Chatterjee plays that role. He often sits on a park bench and listens to complete strangers and becomes part of their lives. Sisir is the main role, who connects all the dots in the storyline, that has several sub-plots. While his social life is quite intriguing, his family life is similar to that of any other common man.
Reviewed by Bishakha Devnath
***
The Secret Life of Walter MITTY
Director: Ben Stiller
Writer: Steve Conrad
Cast: Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig, Jon Daly, Adam Scott, Sean Penn
Runtime: 114 minutes
Strength: Fantastic story, script, cast and acting
Weakness: A bit slow at times, could have been a 90 minute film
Showbiz Rating: 3.5/5
Plot: A day-dreamer escapes his anonymous life by disappearing into a world of fantasies filled with heroism, romance and action.
Review: “To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each other, and to feel. That is the purpose of life.” And although Walter Mitty (Ben Stiller) really believes in the motto of LIFE magazine, he doesn't find the courage to live by it. Here, Walter is a picture researcher at Life magazine in New York, who spends his days gazing at other people's thrilling lives through a loupe and dreams up reveries of his own, which makes him appear somewhat 'slow' to those around him. But to the people who really know Walter, including those he finds difficult to open up to. He loves his mother and sister, and is dedicated to his job. When a company decision threatens Mitty's own job at LIFE magazine and the job of his colleagues, he does what he's never done before and shocks his actions into dramatic turn of events, and ends up learning more about himself that he thought existed. He finds the will to take risks next to a drunken helicopter pilot, discovers courage as he rushes towards an erupting volcano, and finally speaks his mind when he sees a chance to interact with the one woman whose affection he covets… all in the search of the quintessence of life. This movie is pleasantly heart-warming, a work of art even, and left me with the same feeling of a soulful song sung by 'passenger'. This is Ben Stiller at his best, in a role completely different from his usual slapstick roles. He's funny, thought provoking, touching at times and startling at others. He's entertaining throughout, and takes you to depths of human desperation and discovery difficult for a movie to reach. It's a must watch.
Reviewed by Zakir Mushtaque
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