The Great Oscars Race

Resul Pookutty has arrived big time in the world of cinema, with the Oscar win. He understands the significance of the Oscar win - "because it has immense popular appeal" - but at a personal level, he values the Cinema Audio Society (CAS) award for Slumdog Millionaire much more, simply because it is given out by his peers, the best 500 sound technicians of the world. Pookutty, who has worked in quite a few important Indian films till now, speaks his heart out

The Oscar Awards list of winners spurred me to watch “No Country For Old Men” last night, just to understand whether it deserved the statuette.

The film’s a racy thriller for the most part... will have you riveted and chewing your nails... and then suddenly it slows down, the film goes into a philosophical tangent... the ruthless psychopathic killer seems almost vulnerable and ...

If you think that the films nominated for the foreign category Oscars are the best of the world, you’re wrong. Some of the greatest films of this year didn’t even make it to the nominations. Reasons: some weren’t simply sent by their country as their official entry while others were disqualified for various reasons.

Critics allege that the Oscar juries are markedly conservative in their view, declaring only the widely accepted and politically correct films as winners. That allegation may have some substance as many widely acknowledged masterpieces have not been given the Red Carpet treatment. Films like Stanley Kubrick’s Clockwork Orange, or Sam Peckinpah’s Straw Dogs failed to generate Oscar buzz in the 1970s.

Tom Elce reviews Atonement, the winner of BAFTA award for best film and a strong contender for academy award for best motion picture

"Atonement" wants to be an encompassing romantic epic to be mentioned in the same breath as classics like "Gone With the Wind" that ironically doesn't give the centric romance much oxygen to work with. Instead, director Joe Wright's visually brilliant British drama works better as a meditation on guilt and, indeed, atonement than any breed of sweeping loving story. Taking cue from the bestselling Ian McEwan novel, the film adaptation doesn't hold up under the scrutiny that the story on the written page does, posh Cecilia (Keira Knightley) and servant's son Robbie's (James McAvoy) relationship playing second fiddle to an infinitely deeper story about the former's sister, not coming majorly to life whenever it is front and centre, the love interests, however entanged with each other they may be, always seeming at a distance to one another both before and after their worlds are shattered by an immature mistake that dictates the lives of them and another.

The year is 1935 and the setting is the English countryside. An aspiring writer who has recently completed her first play, 13-year-old Briony Tallis (Saoirse Ronan) spots older sister Cecilia fraternising with less highbrow servant's son Robbie Turner. Later, she also happens nosily upon a letter intended for Cecilia that gets her imagination ticking over. One thing leads to another and out of immaturity, boredom and a limited frame of reference, Briony points out Robbie falsely as the man behins a recent sexual assault she has witnessed. As is, Briony's decision - intentional or not - dramatically impacts the lives of herself, Cecilia and Robbie, tearing the lovers tragically apart and leaving Briony (who goes on to become an author) living with guilt for the rest of her life.

In many ways, "Atonement" has the makings of a grand-scale epic, either as a love story or old-fashioned dramatic tale. As told by director Joe Wright (following on from his 2005 "Pride & Prejudice") and screenwriter Christopher Hampton (writing for the screen for the first time in four years), however, the film doesn't adequately cover its intended scope. For all the supposed layers Wright and Hampton attempt to afford it in minimal scenes, the connection between Cecilia and Robbie isn't nearly palpable enough for an audience member to truly feel it when their worlds are shattered through no actual fault of their own. Moreso, the film works at documenting the guilt felt by Briony, the person responsible, as opposed to focusing on the emotional, and physical, struggle faced by the doomed pairing.

Where "Atonement" inarguably succeeds is in the cinematography department. A collection of stunning, picturesque images masterfully conveyed by cinematographer Seamus McGarvey and orchestrated well by director Joe Wright. The gorgeous aesthetic makes viewers long to be overwhelmed by the film as much as the massive hype suggests it will. Alas, it doesn't, the end result still feeling slightly half-hearted despite undeniable visual beauty. Further mention, too, should be given to the non-linear way in which the story is told. As flawed as Christopher Hampton's uneven screenplay is, the way in which events unfold in a way that strays from sequential convention redeems much of it.

For "Atonement" to be a good film, then, the film is reliant on sturdy performances from its ensemble cast. Thankfully, they're up to the cast, each one memorable in whatever amount of time they occupy the frames. James McAvoy plays Robbie Turner as the sort of genuine, sweethearted guy that viewers feel for, especially when things don't go his way. Whether McAvoy's turn is worthy of higher praise is debatable, but he certainly does a good job at the very least. Set against him, Keira Knightley is equally strong as soulmate Cecilia. It is Saoirse Ronan, however, who stands out most in a cast that also boasts the considerable thespian talents of Vanessa Redgrave, Juno Temple and Romola Garai, among others. Oscar-nominated for her efforts, Ronan is getting deserved credit, as she plays the naive, faux wisdomous young Briony perfectly.

Storytelling wheels creak and ice fails to melt in a cynic's heart as the desperately cold "Atonement" only slightly ascends beyond mediocrity. Ultimately it is the wonderful images, complex plot trajectory and exemplary acting that makes forgivable the inadequacies ever-present in Wright's film. Were more time dedicated in the 122-minute running time to the relationship between Cecilia and Robbie, then "Atonement" would have gone further towards justifying the high praise - and big awards - that it has won since release. Compelling though the life story of Briony is, Cecilia and Robbie needed more room for breath for their connection - one that allegedly would have sustained the test of time - to truly be felt. Because Joe Wright and Christopher Hampton neglect this storytelling responsibility, though, "Atonement" comes off a little half-cooked. Still, it is a good film, warts and all.

[Rating:3]

Director: Joe Wright

Cast: Keira Knightley, James McAvoy, Saoirse Ronan, Romola Garai, Vanessa Redgrave, Brenda Blethyn, Juno Temple, Patrick Kennedy, Benedict Cumberbatch, Michelle Duncan, Harriet Walter, Gina McKee, Daniel Mays, Felix von Simson, Charlie von Simson, Alfie Allen, Anthony Minghella

The tagline for "No Country for Old Men" is "there are no clean getaways" and that holds true over the film's 122 minutes, misguided Llewelyn Moss' (Josh Brolin) attempts to escape ruthless assassin Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) becoming an increasingly messy situation from a personal standpoint the further he flees. Lest readers get the wrong idea, then, it should be said up front that "No Country for Old Men" itself is anything but messy. A clean, concise near-masterpiece that gorgeously tells a gritty, dark story without seeming to put a foot wrong, the film is the first film directed by the Coen Brothers since 2004's "The Ladykillers" and their best since 1996's "Fargo."

Justin McGuire reviews "La Vie En Rose", also known as "La Môme", a film on the life of Edith Piaf. The film has been nominated for three Oscars

At 114 minutes long, "La Vie En Rose" is an good film. Unfortunately the total running time is 140 minutes. I know it should have been 114 minutes because that's the first time I checked my watch.

This film is a non-linear movie about the life of France's musical soul, Edith Piaf, played by the excellent Marion Cotillard. Piaf begins life as the daughter of a poor mother and an absentee father. Soon the father returns and moves his daughter to a brothel, and later returns for her once again to take her traveling with his circus. Edith soon discovers her talent in singing, and her singing career, life, and love slowly takes off, from performing on street corners to performing in concert halls across America. she's beautiful

Justin McGuire reviews Juno, a film nominated for Oscars in four categories: Best Motion Picture, Best achievement in directing, Best screenplay and Best performance by an actress in a leading role

In short, girl meets boy, girl meets boy, girl gives resultant baby away to childless couple.

Juno, played by Ellen Page, is the spunky, quirky, 16 year old girl. She's one generation removed from me, which is enough that I can't comment if any of her or her peers' dialog or reactions are realistic. "Are you cool?" "Blizzard." However I suspect not, since she is presented as an unusual outsider even among her peers, so I'd assume that the movie took some liberties with the typical teenager's lifestyle and slang.

The recipient of the Jury Prize at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, "Persepolis" is a compelling, wonderfully told film based on the autobiographical graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi, writes Tom Elce

A vivid and personal account of the years following the 1979 Islamic revolution told from the point-of-view of writer-director Marjane Satrapi as she grew up in Tehran, Iran, during the revolution and, later, as she left her home for Vienna in search of a better life, "Persepolis" is a political film that doesn't sermonize, a coming-of-age tale wherein the sentiment is never phoney and a traditionally animated gem that (albeit in a different way) could rival fellow Oscar contender "Ratatouille" as the year's most veritable animation. Head- to-head at the impending Oscars ceremony, it seems likely that the Pixar fan-favourite will walk away with the year's Best Animated Feature statuette, but whether "Ratatouille" is the better film should surely be up for debate.

Justin McGuire reviews Michael Clayton, a film that has been nominated for 7 Oscars this year

"Michael Clayton" is a movie of three lawyers who lack any connections to the world outside their jobs, and in four days, each are forced to make the familiar choice of wealth or soul.

Arthur Eden, played by Tom Wilkinson, opens the movie with a monologue on his sudden awakening to the essential sum of his life, which in his reckoning is very little. He spends the rest of the movie looking to save his soul from bankruptcy, and upheaving the lives of those around him in the process. He is ultimately seeking forgiveness for his years spent defending uNorth in court, an agribusiness with a poisoned product. It's not an accident that his name is Eden.