50th post special : Listless Wednesdays - 4 popular movies which don't get enough credit (Oct 2014)

There are some movies that leave their mark forever on the art of movie-making…some movies which break conventions…some movies which define their own genres…movies which earn their place amongst the truly greatest of the great…these are not the movies am going to talk about.

I mean we all know how invariably any and I mean ANY crime-based movie released after The Godfather carries some sort of influence of it or how every action movie with slow motion Kung-fu was influenced by The Matrix or how any super-hero movie post Batman Begins inevitably tries to ape Chris Nolan’s intense story-telling. But these are all movies which got the credit that was due to them. They are honoured, parodied (which again is paying tribute with a smile) and copied and will be copied for centuries to come. But today am going to talk about such movies which even though they did leave their mark on film-making, they do not get their due credit. At least not as much as they deserve.

And before all you film-school, artsy-types start getting happiness erections, please note that am not talking about some forgotten-nobody-really-gives-a-shit masterpieces of ‘true art’. If you had to believe such hipsters then you would think that ‘real movies’ are made only by French/German/Random European and/or Bengali film makers only. But again am not talking about such undiscovered gems…because there is a reason they were undiscovered- nobody really gives a shit about them. Please again before you get your rage-erections on, note that I am not insulting Goddard or Satyajit Ray or Antonioni etc. Am not even capable of doing so. But their influence upon movie-making is largely known and studied and will be studied for decades.

But I wanna talk about movies which although were loved and appreciated but still don’t get enough credit for changing the way stories were told on-screen. That’s kinda like discovering that Sylvester Stallone loved by all and largely known as a dumb action hero also has an IQ of 160 (not joking)

Anyways, here are 4 movies (in no particular count-down order) which influenced movie-making but don’t get due credit-

4. AVATAR (2009)-

DIRECTOR- JAMES CAMERON

Avatar, just like 98% of action movies that Hollywood puts out, is the story of how a white man ultimately solves all problems…this time its for an exotic tribe which had otherwise been surviving perfectly alright on its own for thousands of years. The concept isn’t particularly original (stolen from the Dances with Wolves and The Last Samurai and 2-3 other movies) neither is the execution full of depth and has interesting plot twists nor are the characters/acting particularly memorable.

But what is memorable, other than the fact that you keep wondering whether being turned on by a 7ft tall alien with a killer figure (and a tail) is right or wrong, are the amazing and actually out-of-this world visuals that enthral you. James Cameron doesn’t just make pop-corn movies. He fucking visualizes them on-screen in such a way that the term game-changing might have been invented just to label what he does. He changed special effects with Terminator 1 and 2, with The Abyss it was the awe-inspiring visualization of a giant sea monster…when the Titanic sailed or sank…you could feel the sheer giant scale of the then biggest ship in the world. It’s now common knowledge that Cameron developed his own technology and waited years for it to be able to capture his vision on screen for Avatar.

Although not merely a visual-director, Cameron does write interesting characters and plotlines as well, but Avatar has to be his lowest effort on that front. It’s a fun movie none-the-less and strictly a one-time theatre watch only for the visual ride.

So, what’s so special about it- Other than the game-changing special effects etc. One thing that makes Avatar a huge influence on modern movies…and let it be taken on record here, your honour that am merely using the term ‘influence’, which can either be good or bad depending on the context…So Avatar’s biggest influence on movie-making is the use of 3D. I never said it was a good thing. 3D has been there since like the last 20 years or so. And 3d movies kinda used to be a separate genre until Avatar came along. It was after the movie released, that money hungry studios realized that you could charge extra for making people wear head-ache inducing googles regardless of whether the movie actually needed to be in 3D or not. And most of these movies, weren’t even the visual treat that Avatar was nor were they even shot in 3D. It was all post-production converted 3D, which is as head-ache inducing and entertaining as drinking two glasses of castor oil and chillies for breakfast.

Chris Nolan literally had to fight with the studios to keep Batman 3D free and he could do it only because he was in a commanding position to do so. But others weren’t so lucky. Almost ALL super-hero movies released after Avatar were 3D and the curse didn’t stop there. Many horror movies (Texas Chainsaw Massacre reboot, Silent Hill, Piranha etc.) ….Almost ALL animation movies (How to train your Dragon, Shrek, Tangled, Frozen etc.) Hollywood even started re-releasing movies in 3D to cash in on the craze. The only up-side to it might be that you got to see Jurassic Park again in a theatre.

And of course how could Bollywood be left behind? The first 3D movie to catch on the post Avatar fad was the Farhan Akhtar directed absolutely disappointing sequel to an absolutely unnecessary remake with an absolutely disgusting casting choice for the main character (gimme a fucking break, SRK!! ) – Don 2 – was released in 3D for no other reason than marketing and charging you extra on the ticket. Many others followed…including Kochadaiyyan and 2-3 movies  probably directed by Vikram Bhatt but am not sure because who gives a shit about his movies these days anyways?

But as always there is a bright side to things and in this case, the ONLY and perhaps I must say the SINGLE MOST GREATEST upside to this trend was the chance to finally make a dream come true…after having worshipped it a million times on TV…finally got to watch THE masterpiece on the big screen- 

3. 300 (2006)-

DIRECTOR- ZACK SNYDER

So, yeah 300 is as much of a guy fest as it can get…with badass sculpted bodies mercilessly hacking off enemies in stylish slow motion while delivering witty come-backs with the occasional story-line and boob show here and there .

Plus, if you really wanna dig deep into it, it is based on an entertaining chapter of greek history when 300 Spartans actually held back a Persian force of 10,000 or more. All the history with added beaheadings, boobs, surreal screen filters and –

Even I don't know what that is...

But it’s just an overtly stylistic yet entertaining take on a historic episode…right?

So, what’s so special about it? - Well, for all you critic-types and/or people who think all good movies should be about people with cancer/history of child abuse/personal tragedy, let’s first delve into the history of the movie.

Well, if you don’t already know, 300 is based on a graphic novel by one of the best and revolutionary comic book artists of all time- Frank Miller. The guy is partly responsible for bringing the gritty aspect back to Batman comics in the 80’s (which would of course later dictate the tone of the TDK trilogy). So, 300 the graphic novel is also based on an old movie called the 300 Spartans…which in turn is a fictionalization of ancient Greek historical accounts which in turn is based on the actual Battle of Thermopylae (Hot Gates).

So even if you put aside all the surreal, stylish aspects of the story, which are nothing but trademarks of Miller’s story-telling style, the movie actually has some base in history. And here is where the fun part comes in, remember all those badass lines about “Fighting in the shade” or “The emperor only asks for earth and water” etc etc. were actually used in the battle according to historical accounts. So they are not just awesome punch-lines written for a dumb action flick, they have some base in history.

But other than that, what’s even more special about the movie is again the way it portrayed its action scenes. Well The Matrix was admittedly the first movie to make Slo-mo cool. But by the time 300 released it had been over-used and people almost lost interest in it. With 300, Zack Snyder showed that using slo-mo can be a really stylish way of portraying action scenes. He used it judiciously and in a really effective way possible. Also, he brought to screen the surreal fairy-tale like setting, shot with the use of innovative modern tech thus achieving a balance between real-time and motion capture technology. Many movies tried to ape that visual style later on-

and many more.

Even Magadheera had a really well executed sequence inspired from 300.

Also, 300 paved the way for history to be portrayed in a badass manner. History Channel (back when it was STILL concerned with History) had a beautiful series called Battles B C which showed historical battles in a 300-like manner. So anytime you see a heavily stylized portrayal of history/mythology with slo-mo action and single-tone screen filters, you know that its 300 which influenced it.

But then what’s so great about the visual style that Zack Snyder immediately became a grade-A director after this movie. The reason is quite simple. In terms of following the source material correctly and interpreting it perfectly on-screen, 300 is in the line of The Godfather or the Fight Club. See, Snyder used the actual panels of the graphic novel as story-boards for the scenes. Meaning the movie was shot EXACTLY like it is in the comic book. 

You have got to appreciate the effort in bringing a book to life this effectively. However, in terms of staying true to original material in style and tone, there was one movie released before 300 that did it in a near-perfect way as well.

2. SIN CITY (2005)-

Most of you who haven’t seen this movie might think of this as some sort of porn movie or some deep melodrama about life in Las Vegas. But look at this-

DIRECTOR- ROBERT RODRIGUEZ/FRANK MILLER

Well, now am sure the same people would think this is just some random sex and action thriller stylistically shot in Black and white. Well…oh boy, you are soo wrong! It is in fact not some random sex and action thriller shot stylistically in B/w, it is THE sex and action thriller shot stylistically in B/w.

This was perhaps one of Miller’s first works to be adapted to the screen. But what Zack Snyder would do for 300 later on, Robert Rodriguez did for Sin City before that. Rodriguez actually used the panels of the comic book as story-boards and shot the movie almost exactly like it is in the book. Also, he first shot a proof of concept scene for Miller to ensure that author was happy that the movie would be keeping in spirit with the book. How many times have you seen Hollywood ever do that?

 Sin City is an adaptation of Frank Miller’s (see 300 above) Sin City graphic novel series. The stories are about characters living in a flamboyantly gritty city, full of sex, violence, revenge and dark twisted characters. The series is a modern tribute to black and white film noir of the 40’s and 50’s and the pulp fiction books of Raymond Chandler and Dashiel Hammett. It has all the traits of fil noir like the characters narrating in first person, the delightful quirky metaphors ­ like –“When it comes to reassuring a traumatized 19-year-old, I'm about as expert as a palsy victim doing brain surgery with a pipe wrench…”-  sexy femme fatales and hardboiled dudes etc. all this in black and white. All in all it’s a fun entertaining movie with a good coherent storyline and refreshing surprising way of story-telling. (At least the first part is)

So what’s so special about it?- But then what sets the book and in turn the movie apart is this – 

The movie/book highlights partial colours (usually red but not limited to it) in the otherwise b/w setting usually to highlight some important character or object or for just stylish effect.

Of course this isn’t the first time we have seen a black white movie with partial colours in it. The first such on-screen use of the technique was of course the amous (and really touching) ‘girl in the red dress sequence’ in Spielberg’s Schindler’s List. But it was limited to that sequence and digital photography and photo-shop hadn’t been invented yet. Sin City’s impact on digital stylistic photography has been so massive and encompassing that just like a disease that spreads (yay! Metaphor!), it might have even affected you without you knowing it.

These days anyone with a digi-cam and an Instagram/facebook account starts thinking of themselves as a photographer. And of course one of the pet effects anyone uses, is highlighting the red (sometimes other colors but mostly red) in an other-wise black and white pic. You have seen it on that annoying friend’s account who shoots pics of sunsets and really close up shots of dew drops/insects on flowers otherwise, to show his ‘artistic’ photography. Hell you might have even used it, either knowingly or unknowingly.

But the ‘Sin city’ effect, isn’t limited to mere amateur photography, many many movies have used it in Hollywood and also Bollywood and count-less ads. It would too long a list to list out completely but recently I have seen the Sin City effect being used in some season of Breaking Bad (I binge-watched it so its ‘recent’ for me, so shut up). Hell Frank Miller himself remade another old comic book into a movie called The Spirit using the same style.

 In Bollywood, the movie Cash –yes that crapfest- had an entire item number with the item in red and all else in b/w.  The Marathi movie Checkmate had flashback sequences with similar effects… many many more. Just that  Sin City because of its graphic comic book violence and overt sexuality (so much sexy  delicious overt sexuality, you guys...you have to watch Eva Green in the recently released sequel to know what am talking about) doesn't get enough credit for being a big fucking influence on modern cinema and photography in general. 

1. OCEAN’S ELEVEN (2001)

DIRECTOR – STEVEN SODERBERGH

Yes even before the most trying-to-be-smart of you tries to point out, Yes I know Ocean’s Eleven is already a remake of an old Frank Sinatra movie. While they share some basic plot elements, the original Ocean’s Eleven in terms of storyline and themes can be more comparable to Reservoir Dogs than the remake.

In case you haven’t still seen it (and the first question you should be asking yourself is -Why the hell haven’t you?), Ocean’s Eleven is a casino heist being pulled off in the most complicated and super-stylish manner (if Brad Pitt and George Clooney are trying to rob Andy Garcia, well they are gonna do it in style) by Danny Ocean (Clooney) and Rusty (Pitt) with the help of 9 other people. There is more to it as to why Ocean tries to rob 150 million dollars out of Vegas’ most secure casino, just when he has completed a sentence. It involves a girl. (Of course it does).

It’s a good movie, most people enjoy watching it. It has 4 stars rating on IMDB and is mostly appreciated by critics and masses alike.

  

So, what’s so special about it?- Well, when was the last time you witnessed a motley crew of suave robbers with their individual skills and expertise coming together to pull off an overtly complicated (yet entertaining) heist that involves using every kind of con, computer technology, illusions/special effects and their wits overall instead of guns …all this with smooth jazz/funky background music and a mind-blowing twist in the end?

Ocean’s Eleven had such an influence on movies that The Italian job, which is a remake of a 1969 film with the same name and 21-which is partly based on a true story involving MIT students and card counting, tried to have the sleek, stylish and witty vibe of Ocean’s series. And am not even counting the Ocean’s sequels themselves which tried to capitalize on the same formula.

And let’s not forget Bollywood- leaving aside the obvious copies- many movies were influenced by Oceans Eleven like Race 2, Players (Official remake of The Italian Job),  Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena, Teen Patti, Raja Natwarlal…etc..hell even the Dhoom series started losing more of its  Fast and Furious/Torque vibe of the first one and moving towards overtly complicated stylish heists  in the subsequent ones.

Copy the style, leave out the plot and logic

But in my mind the only Bollywood movie to successfully and intelligently use the Ocean’s Eleven formula was of course Special 26. It did it in a fun and original way. With the bar now raised for heist movies, I hope somebody will only take it further now-

OH DEAR GOD!...NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

PS- Sorry for not being able to publish review of recently released movies, So here they are in short-

Bang Bang - Didn't care much about the original, less so for the remake. 

Haider -Watched it a week later than it released, Should have ideally been titled 'The Kashmir Apology with a few elements of Hamlet by Vishal Bharadwaj'

Annabelle- saw it only yesterday, watching The Conjuring again would have been more scary.

PS-2- Just some news for you guys, that this blog has crossed 50 posts! and achieved around 4000 views till date. Thank you for all your love and support. Keep reading and commenting!