FILM: Everest
CAST: Jake Gyllenhaal, Jason Clarke, John Hawkes, Josh Brolin, Robin Wright, Keira Knightley
DIRECTION: Baltasar Kormakur
A man-versus-nature conflict, Everest is based on a true story that occurred on May 10, 1996, on the world’s highest peak.
The film is a magnificently mounted drama of survival.
The narration begins from March 30, 1996, when Rob Hall (Jason Clarke) an entrepreneur whose company, Adventure Consultants, helped popularise mountaineering, bids farewell to his wife Caroline at a US airport.
And soon a motely group of climbers assemble in Nepal 40 days before the final act to train and acclimatise themselves before their final ascent.
The group includes; Guy Cotter (Sam Wothington), a guide and friend of Hall’s, John Krakauer (Michael Kelly) a travel and outdoors feature writer, Beck Weathers (Josh Brolin), an enthusiast Texan pathologist, Yasuko Namba (Naoko Mori), an experienced Japanese mountaineer who had already scaled six of the world’s seven highest peaks and Doug Hansen (John Hawkes), a mail man who narrowly failed in his previous attempts.
“It is the competition between every person (who is attempting to scale the peak) and the mountain and the last word always belongs to the mountain,” states one of the guides. This gives us a sneak preview into what to expect.
The journey that starts on an upbeat note, soon becomes unnecessarily challenging thanks to the large numbers causing delays, lack of cumulative experience, not adhering to enough precautions and the questionable quality of some of the ropes and ladders in use. The film delivers on pre-built expectations with little room for surprise.
Since the film is narrated from Rob Hall’s perspective, we see him much longer on screen. And Jason Clarke as Hall convincingly captures the anxiety of a businessman balancing excellent customer service and rigorous safety measures. Being responsible, conscientious and something of a control freak, he is the kind of person you’d put your trust in when heading to one of the most dangerous places on earth.
But it is when Scott Fisher (Jake Gyllenhaal) the other expert guide and Hall’s competitor very bashfully says, “It is not the altitude, but it’s the attitude that matters,” that you realise would bring him in direct conflict with Hall. You expect some fireworks or clash of interests, but the duo soon sign a peace treaty. Yet, the underlying tension still prevails.
Among the adventurers, it is Josh Brolin and John Hawkes who get prominence over the rest. And at the base camp it is Emily Watson who plays Helen, the co-ordinator and “mother at the camp.”
In a smaller but significant roles, we have Keira Knightley as Rob’s pregnant wife and Robin Wright who plays Beck’s wife. They add the emotional baggage to the already heavily-laden film.
Overall, Everest is a frighteningly immersive film that transports you to the peak and leaves you stranded there,
hours after you have left the auditorium. — IANS
Gripping act
By Troy Ribeiro
FILM: The Walk
CAST: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Charlotte Le Bon, Ben Kinsley
DIRECTION: Robert Zemeckis
A biographical drama of Frenchman Philippe Petit, The Walk is about his “surprise, illegal, high-wire walk”, between the twin towers of the World Trade Center in August 1974.
The film begins on a fantasy note — light and frivolous — till reality dawns, where the insanity of the artist, his art and the risk merge together, leaving you mesmerised and awestruck.
Based on Petit’s book, To Reach the Clouds, the film is narrated in a non-linear manner which reveals his ambition and finer nuances of his character, effortlessly.
It begins with Petit, a wire-walker, magician, unicyclist and street performer, speaking to the audience from atop the Statue of Liberty with the iconic buildings as its backdrop.
He throws at you the same questions, you are certain to ask him at the end of the film. Questions like, “Why do you tempt fate? Why would you risk your life?”
Packed with lessons of fulfilling his dreams and ambition, he tells us how his fascination for walking the wire began; his baby-steps in wire walking, his inciting moment at the dentist’s clinic when he saw the picture of the proposed towers that attracted him like a magnet.
He also speaks about his inspiration and accomplices; his mentor Papa Rudy (Ben Kingsley), his girl-friend Annie Allix (Charlotte Le Bon) and his unlikely cadre of helpers who aided him to carry out the coup.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, with his slightly impish and arrogant demeanour, is a perfect fit for Zemecki’s vision of Philippe. His blatant, “It’s impossible, but I’ll do it” reeks of an impulsive platitude and dubious ambition which makes his act gripping and performance appealing.
Charlotte Le Bon as the street singer Annie is more humane and realistic. It is her encouraging words, “If you dream it, you should do it” is what propels Philippe to take the plunge.
The Walk keeps you on the edge during its show-stopping sequence. —IANS
A pleasant job
By Moira Macdonald
FILM: The Intern
CAST: Robert De Niro, Anne Hathaway, Rene Russo, Anders Holm
DIRECTION: Nancy Meyers.
Slight but charming, Nancy Meyers’ The Intern almost goes terribly wrong in its first minutes, but quickly rights itself. We meet Ben Whittaker (Robert De Niro), a genial 70-year-old Brooklyn widower who, weary of retirement, has applied for a senior internship programme at a startup fashion website. His neighbour (Linda Lavin), of similar age, expresses dismay that he would want to work in “e-commerce ... whatever that is”, and wonders how it’s possible to sell clothes online. I stifled a sigh ... was this going to be two hours of Isn’t It Funny How Old People Don’t Know What the Internet Is?
Nope: Ben, though he carries a flip phone and no laptop in his old-school briefcase, turns out to be extremely good at his job and quick to learn, and Jules (Anne Hathaway), the overworked boss who’s half his age, rapidly comes to realise his worth. Soon, Ben’s calling his millennial co-workers “dude” and helping them dress to impress (“You’re saying you shave every day?” asks one, in wonder), while befriending Jules and her picture-perfect husband (Anders Holm) and daughter (JoJo Kushner).
That’s pretty much the extent of it; everything unfolds pleasantly, full of the lavish interiors and perpetual niceness that Meyers (Something’s Gotta Give, It’s Complicated) is known for. (Jules’ company is the prettiest startup you’ll ever see.)
There’s a blandness to the writing that makes you wish for a little spikiness somewhere but De Niro brings a sweetness to his underwritten role that’s irresistible, particularly in a wordless moment where Ben’s remembering his late wife.
The Intern doesn’t have much to do with real life (Jules’ kid, for example, is less a child than an adorable prop). But sometimes, well-dressed fantasy plus popcorn is just the thing. — The Seattle Times/TNS
DVDs courtesy:
Saqr Entertainment Stores, Doha
..
