SAVING MR. BANKS: A fairly good film about a good fairytale on screen! [3.5/5]

Disney is celebrating its glorious 90 years in the magical world of entertainment. And to make this celebration even more endearing and rewarding, there could never be a better legend than the almost impossible unification of Walt Disney- the man himself & the old grumpy complaining writer of the famous ‘Mary Poppins’ stories Mrs. Travers; in order to bring the character alive on screen. John Lee Hancock’s SAVING MR. BANKS revisits the trying times in the acquaintance between the both. It is historical, humane, emotional, inspirational & much more to cinema-lovers than being just an enjoyable ride.

Mr. Walt Disney [deliciously played by Tom Hanks] has been trying to attain Mrs. Travers’ [marvelous Emma Thompson with a showsteeler performance] approval on the screen-rights to convert her most-loved novel in a live-animation motion picture from last 20 years. This year, Mrs. Travers has decided to reconsider her snubbing behavior and confirms to meet the team working on it but not without her never-ending list of objections in apprehension. Film narrates the plot in two parallel storylines, one being the present with Mrs. Travers’ annoying inhibitions in each & every developments in every aspect of film-making techniques and the other being the childhood memories of her relationship with her extremely caring but alcoholic father.

The more you spend time in the film you get to know the reasons why Mrs. Travers has been so anxious about little things mentioned and need to be altered in the writing for screen. We also identify the unsaid links between the essentials in Mary Poppins story and its bricks in the foundation from her emotionally shaken past. Though you always have it in the back of your mind that this association is going to happen at the end, the strongly unpredictable nature of proceedings makes you keep speculating how this would get materialized.

In the starcast, Colin Ferrell as Mrs. Travers’ alcoholic father who sure knows how to pamper his young daughters but not the money-driven world gives a moving performance. Paul Giamatti plays a good-humored chauffeur to Mrs. Travers and keeps the expectations fulfilled. Watch him where he explains why he is always excited with sudden change in weather. Tom Hanks as Walt Disney brings sheer energy in the air. It is a delightful portrayal of a nervous filmmaker who despite being a powerful name in the business, is forced to do compromises. But the film belongs solely to Emma Thompson. As an uncompromising stubborn old lady, she delivers an all praiseworthy performance. She makes an impression that could irritate you, make you laugh at her strange behavior but also stays with you long after leaving the theater.

Overall, John Lee Hancock’s SAVING MR. BANKS is a film for people who don’t restrict themselves from what only appears on big screen but also carry zeal & enthusiasm to know more about cinema and stories connected to each of them. Watch it to cherish the rock solid efforts behind the making of 1964’s classic fairytale MARY POPPINS! [3.5/5]

CAPTAIN PHILLIPS: A nail-biting thriller with lead’s towering performance as cherry on the top! [4/5]

Cinema creates drama. Drama that drives you to cry when a couple in love gets separated, to laugh at someone’s idiotic misery, to amaze with the power of imagination, to get transported in to a world full of dreams or to be in situation that is just a recreation of a real life event but carries same share of intensity and anxiety characters might have experienced it in real.

Based on a true story, CAPTAIN PHILLIPS by notable filmmaker Paul Greengrass [the man behind ‘Bourne’ movies] throws you in a ‘pressure cooker’ situation where every passing minute escalates the tension in same manner the crew of American Cargo ship MV Maersk Alabama could feel, when Somali pirates invade to hijack.

With an implicit fear of the same, the cool-calm-composed but aging Captain Rich Phillips [played by the enormously gifted Tom Hanks] starts his sailing but soon in the middle of a mock-drill session, smells the alarming possibility of getting hijacked by pirates. Sadly, he fails to stop them from getting on board but never lets go the string of hope and courage for even an iota of a second, to come out of this misery of his lifetime.

10-12 minutes in the film and you know what is going to happen next but the way Greengrass unfolds the story with an intimidating sense of ‘what is coming after’ and the smartly edited intercuts between the ship and the pirate-group, you would always find yourself on edge of the seat with nails between your teeth. The camerawork effectively roams around for shaky close-up shots to give the narration an anxious-panicky-edgy feel and does a brilliant job while capturing the hijacking event. Though in the second part, film falls into being restricted & repetitive with the location of the story getting narrowed to one small life-boat, the anxiety-angst & intensity never go for the toss.

As other but very prominent strength of the film, the casting and the performances excite you the most. Barkhad Abdi as the gruesome-ghastly leader of the pirate-group plays mostly an underdog in the first part. With his regulated look, you actually never recall his first appearance in the film but later when he arises as the spearhead of the group, he shocks you with his performance. So does Mr. Tom Hanks, his calculated act as a captain determined to save and safe his crew is remarkable. Watch him in the last act where he is rescued by the armed forces and is now dealing with the trauma he’s been in. A performance that deserves appreciation!

CAPTAIN PHILLIPS is easily the year’s one of the best thrillers coming from Hollywood. It’s a well-directed, intensely acted, smartly written inspiring tale of survival that keep you engaged and involved for the most part. A must-watch! [4/5]