INTERSTELLAR Review: We've just forgotten that we are still pioneers. And we've barely begun.

“Man’s grasp exceeds his imagination…..”

                                                             - The Prestige, 2006

How rightfully so, ain’t it? And when it is Christopher Nolan I’m talking about, I couldn’t rope in another more fitting line to begin describing his inconceivable genius which yet again resurfaced in full glory through his latest and most awaited directorial, Interstellar.…So here I begin quoting his film to him.. Not only has he proved to be one of the most imaginative auteurs living, but also a prodigious filmmaker whose unbending determination to achieve the best results exceeds his passionate imagination.  It’s been over a couple of days since I watched Interstellar and those who have embarked on this extravagant intergalactic journey of a lifetime, will nod with me in unison that it is not quite like anything we have experienced before on silver screen. It was indeed a journey- an inexplicable, colossal, celestial yet very humane one… To jot down in words how it must have felt watching it is like asking about the experience on the roller coaster to a person who has never been on one.

[Blogger’s Note: Contains no spoilers.. ]

While the World Wide Web is flooding with mechanical reviews that are solely concerned with the science and technicalities of Interstellar, I won’t deny myself any opportunity of lauding the film that was even beyond the definition of a cinematic masterpiece. This is not exactly a generic review cause I don’t think a film like Interstellar which does not resemble the conventional designation of being called a film, can be even reviewed. Or better to put it that I don’t think I am competent enough to assess it. Instead consider this is as a memo of a person who has been fortunate enough to watch this epic by Nolan and this is merely a modest attempt to vocalize her feels with those souls who have also shared the analogous “Interstellar” experience.

This shouldn't come as a disclaimer that I am a huge Nolanite, i.e. a devout fanatic of Christopher Nolan’s works and as far as my memory serves, I have spent a greater phase of my life as a movie-enthusiast simply being in absolute awe with the films he makes. Even though I am not a sucker for sci-fis, but since Day 1 (some 2 and a half years ago) that production of Interstellar was announced, my excitement knew no bounds. As the countdown came dwindling and the release date came closer, all I could think and do was to make myriad of assumptions and theories of how exactly is Interstellar gonna be? How is it gonna be any further brilliant than “The Dark Knight” “Inception” or “Memento” or how is it gonna blow our minds in ways that no adventure film ever has. But I was wholly contended when all my inquisitiveness met its closure as this space epic progressed. I could feel the adrenaline racing, jaws dropping involuntarily and the mind being blown to distant lands and I continued feeling so after the end credits rolled. Somehow a part of me got chipped into the film that refused to come back even long after the film ended. I was left speechless. I was dumb-struck. LITERALLY. It felt like I was having a revelation which seemed subtle at first and before it can be realized fully, it hit me like a speeding truck. Fast and hard. I have never been zoned out like this before after seeing a movie and I was teared down between two emotions- inestimable wonder and overwhelming praise.

This intergalactic expedition that Interstellar takes us into comprises of black holes, worm holes, alternate galaxies, time dilution but more than all of that it is the subtexts of love, relationships, compassion and bonding that truly makes the film so incomparably remarkable. Below the surface of advanced space science and time loops, there’s a deep bedrock humanity that drives the thematic flow of the film. The film begins as a desperate father’s pursuit to save an apocalyptic world and be reunited with his daughter and ends on a note that rightfully underlines that how individual bonds can bring together an entire species and when pushed to the most catastrophic and extraordinary situations, that we can truly evolve. Interstellar advocates, like almost all other Nolan movies that hope no matter how unlikely it is, can never be futile. It reflects the very core of Nolan’s definitive vision- his undying optimism. With a robust screenplay, visually stunning execution, topnotch narrative and a fitting star cast, Interstellar is a portal to an avant-garde and never-seen-before style of film-making that will be hailed even fifty years from now. Nolan, who strongly detests digital filmmaking and especially 3D format, goes to undreamed of  lengths to makes sure that the real locations resemble anything but worldly. It’s not surprising if you too have exclaimed, “Is this even shot on earth!” quite a few times while watching the film. The director seems to be a man of the next century living in the existing one. His thinking is too legendary and refined for everyone to grasp it. As harsh it might sound, but bottom-line, “A Christopher Nolan film” is just quite not the forte for everyone’ brain.

Not since Kubrick’s 2001, A Space Odyssey that a space saga has been so breathtakingly beautiful as Nolan’s Interstellar has. It is an ode to the human mettle which is indestructible even at the face of an extreme crisis.. Not only does it establishes that love transcends time and space but also heralds that it is only when we are compelled to fight the inevitable, that we realize that we are stronger than we ever thought ourselves to be. It beautifully recounts the notion that Science when advances beyond its potential, can be identical to magic and be something so mammoth in extent that it no longer resembles science. And that is when we are taken by surprise, and think beyond the ‘earthly’ definition of all things. The climax shoves a massive blow in the gut but simultaneously we are also filled with a greater sense of belief in our existence and ‘the world as we know it’. We are the miracle, and we can realize it only when we stopped looking for one. It is this strong psychological, philosophical and emotive footing that truly puts Interstellar galaxies ahead of its contemporary science-fiction.

A prodigious directing by Nolan is justly complimented by breathtaking cinematography, outstanding performances by a dazzling cast ensemble, especially Matthew McConaughey who inarguably takes the cookie away. He breathes so much conviction in portraying Cooper that all throughout the runtime, he is inseparable from his character. Michael Caine, Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain also execute considerable justice to their respective characters and it is again commendable of Nolan and the casting director for using actors like Wes Bentley, Casey Affleck and Matt Damon in brief but significant roles. And last but not the least; it is the soul-lifting and towering music of Hans Zimmer which serves as a devoted companion to intensifying the feels of the film.

Interstellar is the ultimate out-of-body experience that can only be felt and realized but rarely vocalized. It is not just a must-watch, but worth a dozen rewatches. Nothing we ever knew will ever be the same once you are done watching.. It pumps up your heartbeat, disbands the mind, leaves you speechless and goosebumped, overturns the conservative order of things, ideas and fallacies but at the same time sustains our faith, and gears us up to believe in the good. So to sum it up, I will quote a friend who described her Interstellar experience as, “It’s like we went into a black hole and came back wiser and happier…” Exactly that.

It’s been an honor watching Interstellar, the most surreal cinematic affair of probably this century and to actually live in a world where Nolan makes movies.

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night......

‘Gone Girl’ Review: An Enthralling, Unsettling and Unorthodox Thriller

There’s this thing about being happily married and that is, there ain’t a thing as such. You’re either happy or you’re married...

 And the Dark Lord of Thrillers, David Fincher establishes exactly this notion in his latest directorial, though in a much more disconcerting, dreadful and pragmatic way. Gone Girl is nothing close to being a run-of-the-mill thriller where your only obligation attached with the film is to stick with it till the end, find out ‘who dunnit’ and be happy with whatever sense of closure you got. Gone Girl, a cinematic adaptation of American writer Gillian Flynn’s novel of the same name, takes you on a ride through the insides of a ruthless, dark and demented world of humanity where you question not only your existence but also you’re surroundings which is not much different than that portrayed in the film.

Do not shrink back from going further into the review cause there ain’t any massive spoilers that is gonna ruin your enthusiasm for this movie. And like all of my reviews, I am not commenting on the story. The premise of Gone Girl is one which is not alien to that of Fincher’s earlier ventures. Be it Fight Club, Zodiac, Se7en and now Gone Girl- he always make sure to adjust the audience’s psyche with a dark, claustrophobic setting where societal degradation and obscurity of human minds is undeniably apparent. While most of the contemporary thrillers establish the inception of evil only after the manifestation of it or rather after a “crime” is committed, Gone Girl pursues a “road less taken” and conveys the underlying message that “evil” was there all the way through, with and within people whom you will usually pass off as “innocent”. A seemingly happy couple might be the most distressed one, a seemingly “okay” relationship must be going through its worst phase and the most regular and harmless looking person was letting all hell break loose.

The film begins with Nick (played by Ben Affleck) discovering that his wife Amy (played by Rosamund Pike) has GONE missing on the very day of their fifth marriage anniversary (why is tragedy so pathetically ironic all the friggin time!). No wait.. Specifically, that is not how it begins. The film begins with Nick asking some primal questions of marriages in a narration that is going to leave you goosebumped by the time it ends. Then Fincher applies his signature non-linear narrative style to transport our minds back and forth through the 149 minutes of adrenaline ride of flashbacks and “a day gone”and what unfolds in that time leaves us speechless and incredibly mystified.

As the girl is gone, the husband’s life is anything but normal. And as the pursuit for his missing wife begins, there also begins a new form of mourning- i.e- media sensationalism. The film provides an extremely commendable dark mockery of the current functioning of the media magnets who doesn’t take much longer before transforming anything or anyone into a sensation. Still Gone Girl is not a film about the perils of media publicity, or the overwhelming woes of a man whose wife went missing but it’s rather a retrospective of how people can give way to their inner demons and fall prey to their own Hamartia, a tragic flaw that does not even differentiate between genders.

The film unfolds not as grippingly as other David Fincher thrillers usually do, but its steadiness is only to prepare you for a head-turning mid-climax which does not lose its brilliance because it is predictable but rather contains it because it is unpredictably executed. And throughout its entire run time, the film gets darker, deeper and long-winded -hardly giving you a space to breathe. The cinematography is topnotch and especially the juxtaposition of scenes with rapidly changing camera angles intensifies the feel.

What Gone Girl lacks in the suspense front, is made up by convincingly stunning performances by the lead and the supporting cast alike. Affleck does a decent job in portraying the oblivious, troubled husband but it is Rosamund Pike who is truly the “Amazing Amy” of this film. (You’ll get the reference when you see the film). She is bold and spontaneous in essaying the razor-sharp wit and impious charm of her character. Amy forces you to admire her guts even when you should be feeling nothing but revulsion for her. She is the Gone Girl who actually saves the film.

From a realistic and rudimentary handling of the true societal horrors, falling economy, diminishing fidelity and increasing differences of marriages- Gone Girl shows it all and not necessarily in ways that are pleasant to the eye. That every human is flawed is not lost on any of us, but when flaws give way to ambition that in turn leads to inescapable darkness- that is when things get messed up beyond repair and that is where Gone Girl leads you. It makes you confront the fact that even the mighty can fall, even the best of the smiles can hide daggers beneath and that nothing ever truly is incorruptible.

The Film did not utterly blow my mind or greatly disheartened me, but it just loses its grasp on the story flow at times and that it is the only eyesore to an otherwise perfect production. Too many censored scenes also spoil the broth to an extent. The director has given us more impressive take on the narrative and dialogues in his earlier films and me as a devout David Flincher fan couldn’t help but compare. However barring that, Gone Girl is a classy, fulfilling meal that does more than justice to the palate.

To conclude, the best part of this classic adaptation of a page-turner is that it makes you fall for its tag line “You don't know what you've got 'til it's...  (gone)”, but it actually goes steps ahead to establish this unpleasant, unorthodox truth that sometimes when something is gone, is it really worth bringing back??

Just go and watch if you haven’t already. I am vouching for this film!