Insidious: Attempting to terrify our non-physical bodies

One of the most fascinating theories of the ancient world is astral projection. Astral projection is an out-of-body experience which involves leaving the physical body behind to travel to higher planes in the form of an ‘astral body’. It is fascinating to think that in the modern world, in spite of science and the requirement of solid facts, there is place for belief in such ideas as astral projection; a form of living beyond the bounds of the physical body to experience more.

The Lambert family has recently shifted into a new house. The family consists of the patriarch, Josh, his wife, Renai, their two sons Dalton and Foster, and their newborn daughter. Dalton is an adventurous boy who likes to play with action figures and imagine new worlds as their battlefields. He does not lose a chance to explore new things and it is this curiosity that brings him to the attic of their new house. In trying to reach the light switch in the attic, Dalton has an accident and suffers a mild concussion. He goes to sleep that night as usual but unfortunately does not wake up the next morning. The doctors reveal that he is in a comatose state but medical science has no reason to explain his grave condition. Renai takes care of him for 3 months but finds it difficult to continue to live in the house which has an ominous presence. The family shifts houses but the hauntings continue. Finally, consulting with a paranormal expert, the family discovers that it wasn’t the house that was haunted but Dalton himself. Josh must take matters in his own hands to make sure his son comes back to his normal state safely.

The film begins with the story of an ordinary family who have just started their new life by welcoming a new member and moving into a new house. From there, the story goes into a tragedy of a mother taking care of her son before turning on its heels to become a horror about a paranormal condition of astral projection. The film starts decently and becomes quite interesting with the theories of astral planes and travelling beyond physical existences. The expectation of watching the characters take on what is called ‘The Further’ in the film, i.e. the astral plane where non-physical persons roam, becomes quite exciting. Unfortunately, the manner in which it has been dealt is quite disappointing. Towards the end of the plot, the horror elements in the film actual become quite ridiculous.

The film is not really terrifying. It does use a few scare tactics with good costume and makeup alongside quick cuts and sound effects, but that is as far as it goes. Overall, the film would have been more interesting if the astral planes were dealt with better and if the film maintained its consistency.

Laura: A murder mystery for the ages

One of the great styles in cinema which is enjoyable and meaningful is the film noir. Even if a person is not a fan of crime, thriller and mystery, it is very easy to appreciate film noir because of its style and execution. A classic in film noir is the 1944 film Laura which was directed by Otto Preminger.

When a young and attractive socialite is found dead, Detective Lieutenant Mark McPherson steps up to solve the case. He meets her close friend, Waldo Lydecker, who is a famous writer/ journalist. In interviewing Lydecker he finds out about her on-the-rocks engagement to Shelby Carpenter, a man who she nurtured both professionally and personally. McPherson is also introduced to Ann Treadwell, a friend of Laura who is secretly in love with Carpenter. From the descriptions he receives, McPherson decides that Laura was an attractive and much loved woman. Slowly and steadily, over the weekend that McPherson investigates the murder, he falls in love with Laura and makes it his mission to figure out who the killer is, to the extent that he spends hours in her home where she was killed. Just as McPherson seems to unlock a few clues, an unexpected occurrence causes him to rethink his findings in the case and spins him around on his heels.

Laura is considered a classic of film noir. It employs quite a few elements which are considered to be indispensible to film noir, including a narration by a character, use of thematic background score which helps create a tension in the scene, use of toned lighting and shadows, characters smoking cigarettes and the general theme of being a film about crime; in this particular case, the crime is murder. It manages to create an air of hopelessness and suffocation which seem to be the conditions of the characters in the film, and it manages to superimpose these same emotions on its audience. It maintains its suspense through the plot and the mystery of the killer is only revealed in the finale of the film.

Laura is considered a classic and rightly so. Its relevance in this day and age may leave it at just above average, but it has a class of its own which cannot be ignored and underrated under any circumstances.

Red White & Blue: One fact to destroy three lives

Sometimes there are simple occurrences which can shape entire destinies. It is hard to believe that the introduction of a single fact into one’s life can cause a spiral into an unforeseen direction, like a butterfly effect which cannot be predicted. Red White & Blue, the 2010 film directed by Simon Rumley, documents this sort of change of a single fact to unleash an untoward story which creates a ripple effect to drastically change the lives of the characters who are involved.

Erica is a slacker who is willing to jump into bed with any man that will have her. Unfortunate instances in her past have left her scarred and numb as she goes through life with no focus apart from having sex with a man only once, never falling in love and staying away from friendships. In this mix, she gets into bed with Franki, a wannabe rock star who is facing emotional turmoil as he helps his mother recover from her cancer while also trying to reconcile with his ex-girlfriend. Erica is forced into getting a job when her landlady demands rent but finds a friend and confidant in Nate, an ex-army veteran from the Iraq war, who has recently moved into the building. As Erica begins to learn how to trust with Nate at her side, Franki steps back into her life with some disturbing news which will adversely affect Erica, Franki and Nate.

The film tends to move slowly but unleashes a long, arduous story along the way. Beginning as a drama and then slowly moving into a thriller with instances of gore as the plot spins on its heels, the film has a unique treatment of its own. The drama is underplayed and many-a-times subtle clues in the story can be missed. It is crafted in a way that every shot of the film can convey a point which is important to the story. However, the film begins as slacker-based drama which has the potential to become a classic before it completely changes into a revenge plot which can be a little hard to follow and digest.

The style of the film borders between amateur and independent which is evident with the minimalistic makeup, bare use of background scoring and ambient sound recordings in certain outdoor scenes. There are plenty of points to be made in this film, and with a different execution it might have made those points more clearly.

Chronicles of Mumbai Film Festival 2012

The best part about attending a film festival, or any other arts and cultural festival, is that you get a package of everything that you love and enjoy tied up together for the space of a week. It usually can be a stressful time where you sacrifice a lot and ignore the rest of the world as you fade into the pleasure of something that you love during the span of the festival.

The most enjoyable part of a film festival is the atmosphere. There is a constant buzz in the air as people rush about from one screen to another trying to catch a film they want to see. The happy faces and eager minds that exit the theatre at the end of a screening are always discussing what happened in the dark hall for the past few hours and explain the whole point of how life can pass us by as we sit down to relax and experience a few films for a few days.

The 14^th Mumbai Film Festival which is underway in 2012 has a stellar line-up. It has probably brought the best films from around the world to this year’s festival, better than any of its previous years. With more segregations and sections of films this year, it covers a wide range of films including the International Competition, Above The Cut, World Cinema, The Real Reel, and more. The selection this year has various films from France, Italy, Afghanistan, South Korea, and many more countries. The Restored Classics also features plenty of loved and acclaimed films from both international and Indian cinema, while there is a celebration of new as well as old directors.

A film festival really manages to cover the best of the best in the world of cinema. This year’s Mumbai Film Festival has managed to become bigger and better, and it isn't over yet.

Introduction

Here lies my individual venture into one of my favourite hobbies that teaches me so much.

With this blog, I hope to keep a steady update of reviews and views about films, documentaries, music concerts, short films and almost anything else that can be captured in video format to provide an enjoyable viewing experience.

I intend my posts to follow no particular chronological pattern since the past and the present are alike of interest to me and the box office holds no special place in my heart.

If you would like me to review any particular film for you or would like to read my views about anything particular, leave me a comment, inbox or anything that works. I will try to get my hands on the film to watch it and put up my views on the same.

Hope you enjoy reading my posts. You are most welcome to leave a comment, negative or positive. If you like my work or would like to show your support, it will be most welcome.

Thanks for reading thus far. My first review will be posted shortly.