Zero Dark Thirty review

 Number 865 on the top 1000 films of all time is Kathryn Bigelow's 2012 historical-drama-thriller film Zero Dark Thirty.

On the ninth of September 2001, America bore witness to its worst terrorist attack in history. And so started the war on terror as well as the man-hunt for the leader of Al-Qaeda Osama Bin Laden. Jessica Chastain stars as Maya, a CIA intelligence analyst who is in charge of the operation to bring OBL to justice. The huge ensemble cast includes Joel Edgerton, Jason Clarke, Mark Strong, James Gandolfini, Chris Pratt, Harold Perrineau and John Barrowman.

In creating this film, Bigelow and writer Marc Boal wanted to highlight the efforts that women played in the catching of OBL. Maya was reportedly a composite of several female CIA analysts who spear-headed the operation. Of course the CIA have never formally acknowledged the existence of these analysts out of fears for their safety. But, either way, Bigelow and Boal did these women justice. It was a great way to showcase female representation on the screen especially because of all the obstacles Maya faces. I'm not even talking about Al Qaeda, but her male superiors constantly undermining her ideas.

Jessica Chastain received an Oscar nod for her performance. It was well-earned. She played the role of Maya with a quiet confidence. And she was very convincing. I think it was a powerful portrayal of a character who despite being constantly set back never loses faith in herself, her abilities or her mission. As for the rest of the cast, I may argue it was bloated. There were a lot of characters that blended into each other. I don't think there was need for all of them. And, unfortunately, that led to some brilliant actors being absolutely squandered e.g Mark Strong, John Barrowman or James Gandolfini. The cast could have definitely be trimmed.

Zero Dark Thirty did receive some criticism for glorifying the use of torture as an interrogation method. This refers to the opening sequence where CIA officer Dan Fuller (Jason Clarke) waterboards and otherwise brutally tortures a terrorist. Torture not being an effective method to gain information aside, I would not agree that this sequence was glorified at all. Granted, it makes for unpleasant viewing, but you can see that Dan is not a sadist. He doesn't enjoy doing what he's doing, but he has a job to do. Later on, he laments on his actions.

But I think Bigelow's direction excelled in the final half-hour of the film where we see a Navy Seal team infiltrate OBL's compound. This was a brilliantly-directed sequence that always kept the tension high. It was gripping to watch. A lesser director may have added on a cheesy and grandiose score, but Bigelow made the excellent decision to not have an incidental music at all. And that was a great way to keep me on the edge of my seat.

Yes, Zero Dark Thirty has a bloated cast - Maya was a composite of many characters, why couldn't they have done that for the other characters - but Chastain gave an Oscar-worthy performance and the final sequence was fantastic film-making.

The Illusionist review

 Number 657 on the top 1000 films of all time is the 2006 romantic mystery film 'The Illusionist.'

Set in turn-of-the-century Vienna, Eisenhelm (Edward Norton) is a well-renowned magician and illusionist who was separated from his love Sophie (Jessica Biel) when they were only teenagers. Now adults, he discovers she is betrothed to Crown-prince Leopold, (Rufus Sewell) heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. He starts plotting to win her back all while he is being pursued by Leopold's chief of police Walter Uhl (Paul Giamatti.)

For a romance film, I thought the romance element was surprisingly weak. Even as teenagers, I don't think Eisenhelm and Sophie had much chemistry. And this was only exemplified when the two grew up. There was a severe lack of chemistry between Norton and Biel. I didn't really believe either of them being together. And considering the film is a romance, that was a major problem. Their performances weren't convincing at all. It was boring to watch. Thankfully, the film didn't linger on the tepid romance.

Instead, it focussed on the cat-and-mouse game between Leopold and Eisenhelm. This was far more interesting. When Leopold hears of Eisenhelm's prowess, he invites him to perform at the royal palace. But when Eisenhelm discovers that the animalistic Leopold is betrothed to Sophie, the illusionist humiliates the crown prince in front of all his peers. This kicks us off a bitter rivalry between the two, as Eisenhelm and Sophie plot to leave the country.

Sewell was convincing as the spoiled, petulant prince who was always determined to have his way. He was a dangerous villain and the perfect foil to Eisenhelm's outspoken arrogance. But I think the best actor was Paul Giamatti in the supporting role of Chief Inspector Walter Uhl. Initially, starting out as an unwitting pawn of Leopold's plans, he finds himself questioning everything as Leopold becomes increasingly more unstable. Giamatti played this fine balancing act with finesse.

Also despite being about magic, I wasn't convinced about any of the magic tricks shown within the film. Compared to other films like the Prestige, the magic wasn't very impressive at all. It certainly wasn't what I would expect from a well-renowned illusionist like Eisenhelm.

Overall, while it had some good performances, the Illusionist was a largely uneven watch with an extremely weak romance. And considering the film IS a romance, that isn't the best.

The Help review

 Number 247 on the top 1000 films of all time is the 2011 period comedy-drama 'The Help.' 

Based on Kathryn's Stockett's book of the same name, the Help follows aspiring writer Eugenia 'Skeeter' Phelan (Emma Stone) in 1960's Mississippi. Skeeter, inspired by the horrific racism inflicted upon African American maids, decides to write a book telling their side of the story. Two of the maids she interviews are Aibileen Clark (Viola Davis) and Minerva 'Minny' Jackson (Octavia Spencer.) Aibileen has the misfortune of serving the vile and racist Hillary "Hilly" Walters Holbrook (Bryce Dallas Howard) while Minny serves the ditzy but kind-hearted Celia Foote (Jessica Chastain.)

In modern cinema, representation remains a divisive issue. However, I would argue that the Help is representation done right. It There is constant outrage over characters who are historically white being recast with POC actors in the name of diversity i.e the Little Mermaid. The outrage isn't focussed on seeing POC characters represented on screen, but rather with how they're represented. It's argued that instead of taking stories and replacing the white character with a black actor, film makers should be more creative and think of an original story or instead adapt a story with historically black characters. Hidden Figures, Green Book and Twelve years a Slave are all great examples of representation done right. And I would add the Help to that list.

It is a film that takes the challenging topic of race relations and tells it through the perspective of its victims. The stories of the African-American maids are put front-and-centre. Aibileen and Minny both retell the horrific abuse they've experienced - Minny is fired from her job for using the guest bathroom, which she is forbidden from because she's black. Meanwhile, Aibileen reveals that her son died after an accident at works leads to him being dumped at the "coloured hospital." Maybe if he was white, he would have received the medical attention he deserved. Davis and Spencer worked brilliantly together, playing the comedic and dramatic roles with a great sensitivity.

Inevitably, the film has been accused of a white saviour narrative, as although it is recounting the stories of African-American maids, it is doing so through a white voice i.e Skeeter's book. But I wouldn't agree with this. Minny initially refuses to help Skeeter, because she has neither asked or wanted Skeeter's help to tell her story. When Minny relents and agrees to tell her story, she stresses that it is on her terms. In some ways, the Help is acknowledging and dispelling the accusations of white savourism in one fell swoop. Furthermore, this isn't some non-issue that's been blown out of proportion, these are serious issues that need to be told.

Unlike Twelve Years a Slave which is brutal and unflinching in its portrayal of race relations, The Help is far more subtle and understated. It shows the insidious nature of racism. Hilly is a socialite who is campaigning for there to be segregated toilets in the household - one for the white people and one for the black people. And of course the toilets for black people are in a far worse condition. In her misguided way, she thinks she is doing this for the benefit of everybody, white and black, when her actions, of course, only benefit white people.

But, moreover, the Help is also nuanced in its portrayal of African-American households. After Minny loses her job, she is beaten by her husband. And it is obvious that this isn't the first time. We don't see this play out on screen, but rather hear it, as Aibileen is phoning her friend at the same time. Hearing the beating and seeing its aftermath will always be more effective than seeing it for real.

If anything, I would say that the white characters were badly represented. They all dressed and looked very similar which, at first, made it very hard to delineate one from the other.  This wasn't just the case for Emma Stone, Bryce Dallas Howard and Jessica, but all of the older white women. I kept getting everybody mixed up.

It was refreshing to see a film that not only had good representation of race, but also gender. It was very refreshing to see a predominantly female cast. And it shows that if representation and diversity are done right, films can be all the more better for it.