Lion

The real life story might have been more interesting than what the film gave us. Other than an outstanding supporting performance by Nicole Kidman, the rest of the film paled in comparison to the true story behind the fiction.

Garth Davis attempts to emulate Slumdog Millionaire failed, as his version of India lacked the chaotic bustle and confusion to really sell the desperation and despair of a lost boy. There was way too much manufactured drama throughout the 129 minutes run time, such that the emotional climax fell flat. There was not enough exploration into the motivation and mindset of Dev Patel's character to really make us feel that the search was important and the eventual eureka-moment worth celebrating.

Then again, it was also Patel's general flatness and apathetic portrayal of the main character that failed to drive the film. There was an intellectual disconnect between what should be happening and what was happening. He lacked the depth and experience (and age) to dig into the psyche of Saroo.

What actually worked to provide the emotional resonance were the achingly honest sentiments behind the truth. And Kidman and the Indian actors Sunny Pawar, as Young Saroo, and Priyanka Bose, as Saroo's biological mother, Kamla, helped to project these sentiments across.

The varied accents throughout the film were also a misstep by Davis. Hollywood liked to talk so much about whitewashing, but where's the uproar when you have a non-Aussie Patel trying to fake an Aussie accent? Especially when his on-screen adopted brother has such a thick Tassy accent.

Pawar was a great choice to play young Saroo, with his wide-eyes and cherubic innocence. However, Luke Davis' characterisation of him did him no favour and Garth Davis was unable to ellicit deeper complications from the child actor.

Bose and Kidman were truly the heart of  the film and they both did so much with their little screen time. Bose easily exuded the tenderness and unbridled love of a mother, whereas Kidman shone with her honest and naked portrayal of the adopted mother who loves her son unconditionally.

Rooney Mara was just wasted. It could have been any other actress.

Music was by Hauschka and Dustin O'Halloran and was more generic than memorable. A shame they did not adopt a more Indian-influenced score. Greig Fraser lensed the film and there were some really great portraitures and landscape shots.

Lion was based on a fascinating story but unfortunately in this case, the truth seemed a lot more interesting than fiction.

Arrival

Finally! A smart, intelligent, well-written and directed sci-fi film! Denis Villeneuve scored another hit with this tight, suspenseful and intelligent film, led by an achingly stellar Amy Adams, beautifully scored by Jóhann Jóhannsson and intimately lensed by Bradford Young. Possibly one of the best modern sci fi films in a long time! This is what "Prometheus" and "Interstellar" wished they could have been.

Nocturnal Animals

A self-indulgent, vanity project by Tom Ford which is the quintessential definition of style over substance. Even Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Shannon could not save the emotionally hollow, pseudo-noir narrative. But, by golly, it sure was pretty to watch and the main theme by Abel Korzeniowski was on point.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them [IMAX/3D]

A fantastic film! Fun, funny, exciting and wondrous. It's been a long time since a film had me in such childlike awe with its world building. Well done David Yates, J.K. Rowling, James Newton Howard and Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterson, Dan Fogler and Alison Sudol! IMAX, 3D is definitely the way to go!

Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk

I am pissed that we do not get to watch this as Ang Lee had intended it to be (120 fps, 3D 4K HD). You can see that this film was filmed in such a way that flat, 2D just do not do it justice. Nonetheless, this was a good film - just not a great film. It was more Lee's The Ice Storm meets Clint Eastwood's Letters from Iwo Jima  than Kathryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker or Ridley Scott's Black Hawk Down.

Very strong supporting performances by Kristen Stewart and Garret Hedlund and a definite breakthrough role for newcomer Joe Alwyn.

Lee weaved a tight story, based off the script by Jean-Christophe Castelli, who in turn based it off the novel by Ben Fountain. A character driven study, rather than an action piece, the story required the main cast to really sell the emotional and satirical conflict of war and peace, army and civilian, family and comrades. Although Alwyn, Stewart and Hedlund managed to do exactly that, the rest of the cast and the script failed to hold them up. In particular, the ending really had to dumb it down to drill across its point which is insulting to its audience. Then again, this ain't really an indie. Is it?

Castelli focused too much on trying to make this film a satire that he actually missed what the novel was really about. Too many meta, in jokes (which not of it landed) on the film industry and not enough insight into the irony of war.

Lee and cinematographer John Toll obviously shot the film with the intention for the audience to experience the whole technology. Unfortunately, we could not. The POV shots made sense but I can also imagine it to veer towards distracting. Too much panning in the Iraq scenes was a distraction when watched at normal 24 fps frame-rate. And the actual war-scenes lacked viscerality, which may have worked with the POV moments if the audience was really immersed in the scene.

Another odd directorial choice by Lee, especially since you'd think that he would have some clout by now, was the purposeful avoidance of showing Beyonce Knowles, Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland's face. It just became too distracting the longer he focused on the backs of the stand-ins.

Alwyn has a great introduction with this film. The boy has potential but as of now, still limited in range. It will be interesting to see his career trajectory. Will he go the way of Jack O'Connell or Sam Worthington?

Stewart continues on her path to differentiate herself from Bella Thorne, and she is doing a tremendous job thus far. Unfortunately, she was let down by the script although she did her best to elevate it beyond the obvious.

Hedlund was a revelation. Is this really the same guy from Tron: Legacy? Well done to him for making good career choices since then, and he was easily the highlight of the film. If his material was stronger, it would not be hard to actually make a case for him to get a Best Supporting Actor nod.

Vin Diesel was miscast. Steve Martin was miscast. Chris Tucker and Ben Platt filled their roles. Fellow newcomer Makenzie Leigh was unmemorable and lacked chemistry with Alwyn to convincingly sell her character.

This film had so much potential, and buzz, going in, but it failed to fully connect with the audience either intellectually, emotionally or viscerally. Maybe should just go read the book.

Death Note: Light Up The New World

Absolutely over-acted, over-written, over-directed and over-long (scrap the unnecessary prologue and the extended epilogue), this film was unnecessary and utterly tarnished the franchise. It took itself too seriously and the actors tried too hard to emulate the effortless charisma and quirkiness of the original actors. It also lacked the smarts and intelligent to be an effective thriller/whodunit that characterised the originals. There is a germ of potential sowed in its final sequence and the film should have just gone with that idea in the beginning.

君の名は。your name.

A typical Japanese seishun eiga anime that tugs efficiently at the heartstrings. With an atypical sci-fi premise, director Makoto Shinkai tried to be unconventional but ended up still being rather predictable and unsurprising, keeping in line with the genre

What worked was its portrayal of the main characters and the pacing of the story. The two leads were well-liked, albeit the scenarios that they were thrown into were cliched. In addition, the story established the premise quickly and set up the emotional baggage efficiently such that the audience gets involved fast.

Just accept that this is a YA anime and the logic that goes along with it, and it will be easy to escape into the story. The animation was gorgeous and really makes one want to go to the Japan.