Either way you put it the combination of these two separate films make for a good title for another one, dont you think?! Of late, Ive gotten into this groove of moviewatching and thankfully, it has become a jolly routine. Out of maybe 5 movies from last week, these two most definitely stand out.
The Savages written & directed by Tamara Jenkins, is enacted by Phillip Feymour Hoffman & Laura Linney - two actors who stand out in every frame as the entire film is only about them. Playing siblings in the most realistically seen setup ever - the emotions, the jealousies, the wordplay - its all right in front of view! Here is a classic example of how good acting can make you forget you're watching an actor. Good acting, here, makes you relate only to their characters. Such true to life conflict, narrated in the most humorous and non-cinematic fashion - but before we delve deeper into that aspect, lets take a quick glance at The Bucket List.
Written by Justin Zackhman and directed by Rob Reiner, this film has stars doing what they know best. Making the audience relate to situations that happen around them is also an example of good acting. Jack Nicholson & Morgan Freeman complement each other and come off as people,whose traits we all possess - well, I mean in bits n pieces! Some terrific cliches transform into superb onscreen lines when delivered by Nicholson.The fun and fantasy part of the script is provided by him, while Freeman does the rooted in values routine.
Now - it is purely by choice that I picked up these two movies to watch 'em one after another. It is by no means an exercise in improving my patience levels...as there are no snazzy action or slick cuts to keep you glued to the screen. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed the slow pace of both these films which so reflect the non-dramatic existence of everyday life! To translate that humdrum-ness onto film is great screenwriting to begin with. Good direction and editing, specially when all the scenes involve one emotion or another, hence the cuts have to blend with the dialogue or close-up to denote the finishing line of a shot/scene; well thought-out BGM, interspersed with just the right levels of music that characters will probably have in their daily life - I mean this is not music for film, its music for those inside the film, if you get what I mean!
Recreate 'just like life' scenarios, take a journey that is not a cinematic one ending in a crescendo climax, put some wonderful 'isms' for dialogues and cast actors who reflect the characters, pepper it with some apt editing and music - and you have what we call 'the feel good' genre.If this can be called a formula, then both Bucket List and Savages are what your dvd rating will read as Two Thumbs Up!
I miss this kind of cinema here. And wait...thats not all. Jack & Morgan visit Taj Mahal as one of the things they wanna do before they kick their bucket. So there you have the dudes dressed in cotton/linen kurtas, standing by the Shah's tomb, dwelling on the 20,000 odd 'volunteers' as Morgan calls them...the Taj in the background looking more ravishing than the real one! If this Indian connection is not enough, we have Laura Linney place a bronze idol of Ganesha in her dad's hospital room as part of things she picks up to make him happier...! WOW - was what I felt to see India in Hollywood; it certainly is more refreshing than watching Aishwarya Rai doing the Indian bride act in English.
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