Life of Pi (2012)

4.9/5

The film adaptation of Yann Martel's Life of Pi is one of Ang Lee's best films, and probably my personal favorite. The film hews closely to the book, giving us a story wrapped within a story. We are introduced to Pi (Khan) as he prepares a meal for his guest, a young writer (Spall) who has come to hear about Pi's miraculous tale. After a younger Pi (Sharma) gets shipwrecked while traveling to America, he somehow survives on a lifeboat alone with a tiger named Richard Parker. The writer has been told that the story will make you believe in God, although he has his doubts. But the more Pi recounts, the more we are drawn into his most unbelievable and incredible story.

I found the first 30 minutes of exposition intriguing but not quite fascinating enough given its lack of plot. After the freighter sinks, however, we are completely immersed in the story. And we let the movie take over. The special effects are without equal. I honestly had no idea how any of the scenes were filmed, what was CGI and what was real. Except for two shots with noticeable letterboxing (once vertically and once horizontally), every frame was a beautiful image to enjoy. And the 3D was used to perfection. There is one scene, one brief moment, that brings to mind the joy and exhilaration at the heart of movies, ever since the first film by the Lumière brothers. Everyone in the audience jumped out of their seats.

Irfan Khan is an exquisite actor; his performance is undeniably tender and moving. The rest of the cast, however, was not as impressive. But Khan is the heart of the story, and his telling is what's most important. Since seeing this movie, I have spent many nights pondering its meaning. It encourages and invites discussion. It sticks with you. It provides an open canvas on which you can put your own feelings and beliefs. And it is the best movie of the year so far.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0454876/

The Namesake (2006)

3/5

The Namesake is the sprawling tale of Ashoke and Ashima Ganguli as they move to America and raise a family. The movie was advertised as the story of their son Gogol and the pushes and pulls of both his American upbringing and Indian culture and tradition. He is in fact not the focus; rather it is about their entire family and the compromises that they must make living in two worlds. Sameer seems to have gotten more out of the movie than I did, likely because the story strikes a personal chord with him. Still, if one must be an Indian living in America to like this movie, then its audience pool is severely limited. I think it is a failing of the movie that I did not appreciate it more, as I know such a story can be more universal. Take My Big Fat Greek Wedding as an example; though it was drenched in Greek culture, most non-Westerners could relate to the kind of customs it depicted. Instead, this movie shows numerous Indian traditions without any attempt at explanation for non-Indians to understand or relate to. Oh well, at least there wasn't any song and dance in it.

The editing was a bit of a mixed bag for me. Most of the time I was disappointed by it, as it seemed to pick and choose random events in the lives of the Ganguli family. I never had a solid idea of where or when I was in the story. It would often shift abruptly to a different country or point in time, sometimes ten years in the future. What I did like about the editing was how the flashbacks were shown again in extended versions. It felt like a rite of passage; once we learned more about the family's growth in America, we got to witness more about their past. I liked the acting for the most part--Irfan Khan and Tabu stole the show as the parents Ashoke and Ashima. Kal Penn was decent, but neither complex nor subtle. I wasn't impressed with the writing, cinematography, or directing. I did like the music though. It's not a bad movie, but neither is it a good one ... unless perhaps you're an Indian living in America.

IMDb link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0433416/