Rush (2013)

James Hunt: I feel responsible for what happened.
Niki Lauda: You are... but trust me: watching you win those races, while I was fighting for my life, you were equally responsible for getting me back in the car.

In the last few weeks I hadn't updated my blog, I've seen a few good movies, but not good enough to raise me back from my laziness of updating this blog. I guess this is just what I was waiting for. To be honest, I had my doubts about the 8.3 IMDb rating when I didn't know much about the F-1 drivers in question here. Though as I progressed through the two hours, it took me back to the October of 2007, when Raikonnen (Ferrari) pulled off something similar against Hamilton (McLaren), though not as dramatic. I can still remember my brother messaging me the live updates of the game as I was travelling with colleagues on an official holiday in Goa.

Rush tells the story of the rivalry in the 1976 F-1 championship between James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth)- a carefree, brash driver for whom there is no tomorrow and Nicki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl)- a disciplined, arrogant genius who calculates the risk-return trade-off behind every move just like the businessman that his father so wanted him to be. While Hunt loves his women, champagne and living life on the edge, Lauda is the less expressive one who believes happiness can be your biggest enemy, since "suddenly you have something to lose".

The movie focuses on the character conflict that manifests itself in the form of open rivalry on the racing tracks. While they start off as bitter enemies, they still had respect for each other and one's win in the absence of the other was not something either of them would have cherished. What we get in the end is a thrilling, racy capturing of the story of two legends that doesn't just depend on the camera work but also delves deep into the characters to let the audience see where the rivalry is coming from. Although Daniel Bruhl is amazing in the role of Nicki Lauda while suppressing the demons inside his head, I never really thought Chris Hemsworth can act so well. Hemsworth does a brilliant job of the playboy act while fighting his insecurities after being deserted by the model Suzy Miller (Olivia Wilde).

One has to watch this to believe it. I don't know how I missed it on the big screen!

Rating: 8/10

50/50 (2011)

Adam: Look..thank you...but you're not trying to cheer me up. I'm actually really okay with it. Ok, I'm gonna die. You're gonna die..hopefully a lot later than I'm....that's what just happens and doesn't really mean anything anyway.
Katherine: .....I have to tell you what you're going through is completely normal for someone in your situation...
Adam: Sorry, I just have to call you on this...that's just bullshit. That's just what everybody has been saying, "you'll feel better", "don't worry, this is all fine"...I don't why everybody is just fucking scared to say, "you know, you're dying dude"...it makes it worse that no one will just say it
Katherine: Adam, I'm just trying to help you...I'm just trying...
Adam: Why? So thirty years from now you can say at a cocktail party how you helped your third patient feel normal right before he died?

Adam (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is diagnosed with a rare form of spinal cancer at the young age of 27 and his life seems to fall apart. When the news is disclosed to him by his doctor, the background number, High & Dry by Radiohead seems apt and gets one instantly hooked. He doesn't want his mother's (Angelica Houston) constant advice when she suggests she wants to move in with him. Nor does he like his best buddy Kyle's (Seth Rogen) casual outward appearance. He gives his girlfriend Rachael (Bryce Dallas-Howard) the chance to bail out, yet deep inside he wants her to stay. And she says she wants to fight it out with him.

As time passes, Rachael has second thoughts about "mixing the two worlds" - the cheerful world outside and the grim world in a hospital that stinks of death. Kyle wants to cheer him up and gives an example of the actor Patrick Swayze, who apparently died of cancer. When Adam points that out, the best Kyle can do is ask him to look at the bright side. "What's the bright side here?", asks Adam. Kyle loves the new opportunity of hitting on gullible ladies who fall for a sad story where he has to live with a friend who'll eventually die of cancer. Rachael has already started cheating on him. And the fact that his counselor, Katherine (Anna Kendricks) is actually an intern on her third case, doesn't help to do things better either. He manages to make a few friends at the hospital who are all diagnosed with cancer. When Adam finally breaks up with Rachael, he yearns for someone to love when he watches his cancer-mate, Mitch, still going strong with his wife at one of their family meet-ups. Only to know the same evening that Mitch died too. His interactions with his counselor, Katherine, who is 3 years younger than him, starts off with the usual non-acceptance and moves on to one of trust and friendship.

The story is based on the real-life account of Will Reiser. The movie is well-balanced when it comes to comedy and drama, with a slight inclination towards the former - something that should be expected with Seth Rogen around. Director Jonathan Levine never lets the movie go haywire and it seems he has absolutely no confusion on how things should end, as is usually the case with movies on such topics. A great feel-good movie that is supported by great acting by everyone in the cast. The background songs selection for this movie is awesome too.

Rating - 7.5/10

Frozen River (2008)

Ray: I didn't know any other way to keep us together.....I mean he is a good dad...when he is not gambling
T.J.: Yeah...awesome Dad...robs us and takes off a week before Christmas.

So you want that last time to make some quick cash and promise to straighten up after that? Chances are Murphy's laws will catch up with you. Frozen River is a sad tale about two women's struggles set in the Mohawk reservation, an area in upstate New York and partly in Canada from where illegal aliens are smuggled into the territory.

When Ray Eddy's (Melissa Leo) husband disappears leaving her with her two kids, she finds herself strapped for cash to pay off her bills and keep her home. The promotion at the Yankee Dollar Store that has been due since two years also isn't going to happen. She doesn't want her 15 year old elder son to give up his studies and help in earning some income and so it's all left to her to find a way. When she meets Lila (Misty Upham), a native Indian who helps in smuggling people across the border, they partner up to get themselves out of their miseries.  The police wouldn't question Ray "since she is white" and they can carry people in the trunk of Ray's car. The relations between the native Indians and the whites become evident as Ray and Lila start off with mutual mistrust and slowly get to help each other out of their desperation. Even though Ray has her own opinions about the Chinese and the Pakistanis trying to smuggle across the border, she is just another embittered woman hardened by her struggles and poverty.

Courtney Hunt's movie on the lives of two women works brilliantly to show us many facets of the lives of people after the crisis and she is helped by some excellent performances from the two lead actors and the rest of the cast too. The weathered face, the creases on her forehead yet the resilience that doesn't want to give a hint of self-pity makes Ray's character as real as the people you'll find in the United States whose lives have been destroyed in recent times. A must-watch.

Rating: 7.5/10