Oldboy
Chan-wook Park
This mysterious thriller directed by Chan-wook Park is taken from a comic which is based on revenge. It is the second part of the Revenge Trilogy. The story revolves around a man who has been kidnapped and kept captive for 15 years. After his release, he goes on a quest to find his captor. It’s a film filled with great camera work, stunts and an unbelievable plot twist which makes it one of the most unusual revenge theme films.
A Clockwork Orange
Stanley Kubrick
A brilliant science fiction set in future Britain it is about a young charismatic man played by Malcolm McDowell who is jailed and agrees to volunteer for an experimental aversion therapy developed by the government to reduce crime rate. Kubrick packs this film with great screenplay, Beethoven’s symphonies and shows off his other technical expertise which finally reveals a different dimension of science fiction.
Chinatown
Roman Polanski
Written by Robert Towne starring Jack Nicholson as J.J. Gittes, a private detective and Faye Dunaway as Evelyn Mulwray, this film narrates the story of a private detective who is hired to expose an adulterer but later comes across new and unusual developments in the investigation that gets him caught up in a series of lies, corruption and eventually murder. The story unravels at a gradual momentum revealing various deep and dark truths. An outstanding screenplay with great performances the film is a wholesome detective flick.
There Will Be Blood
Paul Thomas Anderson
Based on a novel by Upton Sinclair which takes place in the early 20th Century, the film focusses on a greedy miner turned oilman Daniel Plainview played by Daniel Day-Lewis and a local preacher Eli Sunday played by Paul Dano. This film revolves around a man’s love for his family and business which soon turns into hatred and madness. Paul Thomas Anderson does brilliant work to show this transformation by bringing out strong and convincing performances from the actors.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Michel Gondry
This film is about a couple played by Kate Winslet as Clementine Kruczynski, who undergoes a procedure to erase the memory of her boyfriend Joel Barish (Jim Carrey). He is heartbroken and decides to undergo the same, but as he watches the memories fade away he begins to realise his love for her. Charlie Kaufman’s screenplay is the highlight as the narration takes us through the different stages of the relationship. This film needs a watch or two to completely understand it.
Those that almost made it
Trainspotting : Danny Boyle
Requiem For A Dream : Darren Aronofsky
No Country for Old Men : Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
The Manchurian Candidate : John Frankenheimer
Snatch : Guy Ritchie
Upstream Color : Shane Carruth
M.N. Nirmal is pursuing an M.E. course at College of Engineering, Guindy. He enjoys watching offbeat films.
