20s Movie Review - Poison

Director: Wes Anderson
Genre: Comedy/ Drama
Runtime: 17 minutes
Year: 2023
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Dev Patel, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes
Description: When a poisonous snake slithers onto an Englishman's (Benedict Cumberbatch) stomach in India, his associate (Dev Patel) and a doctor (Ben Kinglsey) race to save him.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2025 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 36: A FILM WITH BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH
 
Review: “Poison” is a short film by Wes Anderson and an adaptation of a short story by Roald Dahl. We follow Harry Woods, who is lying in bed with a snake on his stomach. His associate and doctor are the ones that need to save him.

“Poison” has the signature Anderson aesthetic and masterful cinematography that we got to know from him. It’s a suspenseful adaptation, with a strong focus in the claustrophobic feel. And Benedict Cumberbatch’s intense and powerful performance makes you feel this even more. Because his characters needs to lay still almost the entire runtime, all he can use is his voice and facial expressions.

Anderson is known for his unique visual style, with an eye for detail and color. This short film ins no different. The explanatory narrative style, done by Dev Patel here, might reduce the tension a bit and might be a bit too much at times. But it does fit Anderson’s style.

“Poison” is a strong example of Wes Anderson’s ability to film the oppression and political undertones of a story, resulting in a visually stunning and suspenseful short film. Fans of his work will appreciate it.

Rating: 4/ 5

Movie Review - Monkey Man

Director: Dev Patel
Genre: Comedy/ Romance
Runtime: 121 minutes
Year: 2024
Starring: Dev Patel, Sharlto Copely, Pitobash, Sikandir Kher, Sobhita Dhulipala, Ashwini Kalsekar
 
I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2024 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 41: A FILM THAT’S PART OF A FILM FESTIVAL’S OFFICIAL SELECTION
 
Description: An anonymous young man (Dev Patel) unleashes a campaign of vengeance against the corrupt leaders who murdered his mother and continue to systematically victimize the poor and powerless.

Review: The directorial debut of Dev Patel, who obviously already has a number of gems to his name as an actor, opts for a surprising genre: the action film. Patel hasn’t kicked a lot of ass in his films yet, but if anything becomes clear, it’s that he can do it very well. A film that doesn’t hide its inspiration without becoming a copycat. Incredibly brutal action mixed with plenty of personality and sentiment.

“Monkey Man” follows the story of an anonymous young man sometimes called Kid. In the slums of India, he makes money  with street fights. He gets a job at a loca restaurant, where shady things happen behind the scenes. He is out for revenge on various figures in positions of power who have personally made his life miserable in the past.

The story is simple, yet effective. Its build-up and sufficient sentiment set it apart from other action films. The pace and flow of the film are perfectly matched.

The inspirations are obvious and Patel doesn’t try to hide them either. He is clearly a fan of films like “John Wick”, “The Raid” and “Oldboy”. “Monkey Man” excels in its action scenes. They are gruesome, raw and hugely original. The choreography is thoughtful and fast-paced.

The only downside is the somewhat messy second half. But as a whole, the film is stylish, exciting and rock solid. Well done Dev Patel.

Rating: 4/ 5

20s Movie Review - The Wonderfull Story of Henry Sugar

Director: Wes Anderson
Genre: Comedy/ Drama
Runtime: 40 minutes
Year: 2023
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Ben Kingsley, Dev Patel, Richard Ayoade, Ralph Fiennes

Description: Chronicles a variety of stories, but the main one follows Henry Sugar, who is able to see through objects and predict the future with the help of a book he stole.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2024 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 36: A FILM FROM A DIRECTOR KNOWN FOR THEIR VISUAL STYLE
 
Review: “Fantastic Mr. Fox” from 2009 didn’t only mark Wes Anderson’s first full-length stop-motion animation, but also his first adaptation of a story of Roald Dahl. Initially, “The Wonderful Story of henry Sugar” was intended to be a full-length feature film. Anderson backtracked on that by making it part of a four-part series of short Dahl adaptation.

We first meet a storyteller, played by Ralph Fiennes, telling us about the wealthy Henry Sugar, who finds in a book about a man from india who can see without his eyes. He acquired this technique, refined over many years, from a Yogi. So, a story within a story within a story withing a story. But Anderson manages to let these complex artifices sink in surprisingly smoothly.

“The Wonderful Story of henry Sugar” has few dialogues and consists almost entirely of renowned actors addressing the camera to tell the story.

It’s a ludicrous story, which we are used to from Roald Dahl and makes perfect material for Wes Anderson. I loved how this story was told, with backgrounds changing rapidly, making it almost magical. There are three more films on Netflix, that are based on Dahl’s stories and directed by Anderson. Them being : “The Swan”, “Poison” and “The Ratcatcher” and I will most definitely watch them all.

Rating: 4/ 5

90s Movie Review - Only Yesterday

Director: Isao Takahato
Genre: Animation/ Drama/ Romance
Runtime: 118 minutes
Year: 1991
Starring: Daisy Ridley, Dev Patel

Description: A twenty-seven-year-old office worker travels to the countryside while reminiscing about her childhood in Tokyo.
 
I WATHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2022 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 24: AN ANIMATED MOVIE THAT IS NOT DISNEY
 
Review: Within the acclaimed animation studio Studio Ghibli are the best known and most acclaimed films of director Hayao Miyazaki. Lesser known films are the often more experimental films of celebrated filmmaker Isao Takahata. Of these, “Only Yesterday” is a fascinating examination of memories of the past and their impact on the future.

1982 and 27 years old, office worker Taeko Okajima spends her vacation ways from the noise of Tokyo to help harvest safflower crops on rural Yamagata. Such a pilgrimage reminds her of her 10-year-old self, who longed for the excitement of getting out of the city. During her journey, she develops a close relationship with Toshio, a serious young man who loves his farm life. However, Taeko remembers and relives special moments from her childhood, such as: discovering that a boy liked her, dealing with a mother who couldn’t see through her academic shortcomings, and the time her father beat her.

For the first half of this almost two-hour film, most of the running time is taken up with flashbacks of Taeko’s childhood. In the second half, the flashbacks are contextualized by Taeko’s current experiences and are relatable to any of us who have memories of what our youthful selves thought we would become.  
 
The 1982 setting is animated with deep hues and detailed facial animations that intentionally contrast with the faded color palette of the flashbacks. Two distinctive styles in one film. The approach of director Takahata’s is much more mature and thoughtful. We go on a very realistic journey with Taeko, who grew up with distand parents, chattering sisters and crushed dreams. In adulthood she unknowingly settled for an unfulfilled life.

It's a beautiful film.

Rating: 4/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 117: Lion

Director: Garth Davis
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 118 minutes
Year: 2016
Starring: Dev Patel, Rooney Mara, Nicole Kidman, David Wenham

Description: A five-year-old Indian boy gets lost on the streets of Calcutta, thousands of kilometers from home. He survives many challenges before being adopted by a couple in Australia. 25 years later, he (Dev Patel) sets out to find his lost family.

Review: Image you’re a five year old kid and you get lost from home in India. A country with over a billion citizens and 400 languages. It happened to Saroo, who accidentally got onto the wrong train and ended up on the other side of the country. When he ends up in an orphanage, he is adopted by an Australian couple. Years later, Saroo is determined to find his lost family.
“Lion” is split up in two parts. In the first part, we meet five year old Saroo. Together with his older brother Guddu he steals stones from a train, so they can sell them to provide for their mother and sister. When Saroo is seperated from his family, we see that India isn’t the perfect place for kids on the street. The kids are simply ignored or scared away. And sometimes prey for people with wrong intentions.
In the second part of the film, we jump 20 years in tie and see adult Saroo, adopted by loving parents and leading a happy and fortunate life. Where the first half was about physical survival, the second part is more about the psychological effects of this all. Even though Saroo had a good life in Australia, but memories from his short time in India keep coming back. This leads him to an obsessive search for his biological family.
“Lion” could have easily become a melodramatic, based-on-a-true-story, Oscar material. But director Garth Davis made this movie with lots of integrity and nuance. Of course there is enough emotion involved and you probably will use some tissues here and there, but it’s not overly sentimental. The cast is really strong, especially leading man Dev Patel and his adoption mother played by Nicole Kidman.

Rating: 4/ 5

In the Picture: The Characters from "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel"

A movie filled with experienced Brittish actors and actresses, a perfect mix of drama and comedy. And also full of great characters worth talking about. Here are the characters from “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”.

Evelyn Greenslade
Played by: Judi Dench
Evelyn is a housewife who just lost her husband. She has to sell her house to pay off her husband’s debt. Evelyn’s son wants her to stay with him so he can take care of her, but instead she starts writing a blog and travels to India.

Douglas Ainslee
Played by Bill Nighy
Douglas is an optimist. He wants to see more of the world and likes to explore. Douglas is very loyal and that’s how he kept his wife for 39 years. He invested all of his lifesavings in his daughter’s internet business, so they can only afford a small beige bungalow.

Jean Ainslee
Played by: Penelope Wilton
Married to Douglas, Jean is the opposite. She is a pessimist. Jean hates everything about India, the poverty, smell, food, noise. Instead of exploring like Douglas, she stays inside the intire stay and just wants to return to England.

Muriel Donnelly
Played by: Maggie Smith
Muriel is an ex-housekeeper. She needs a new hip and although she is a bitter racist she decides to travel to India for a quick treatment. There Muriel discovers a different life and also learns to respect the culture.

Graham Dashwood
Played by: Tom Wilkinson
Graham is a retired High court judge. He’s been to India before and he finally returns. And he returns for a reason, because he had found love there the first time around. He is determined to find the man he loved for so many years.

Norman Cousins
Played by: Ronald Pickup
Norman is a womanizer, he likes his girls young. He can’t accept his own age, so he decides to make a new start in India.

Madge Hardcastle
Played by: Celia Imrie
Madge has been married several times and isn’t going to stop. She thinks she won’t find a man in England so she decides to travel to India to find fun, adventure and a new husband.

Sonny Kapoor
Played by: Dev Patel
Sonny is the owner of the Marigold hotel. Although it doesn’t look like a succeful business, Sonny is very ambitious and he sees his future in the hotel. His determination makes him unwilling to ask for help.

Favorite Character: Douglas Ainslee