Bridge of Spies

Movie Review (English)

If you haven't seen it yet, What Are You Waiting For?? The electric combination of Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg gave us this fast paced movie set in the 1950s. It's the time of the Cold War, something that we really cannot think of today.

 An American lawyer, James Donovan (Tom Hanks) takes on major powers like Russia and Germany singlehandedly. The Berlin wall rises and divides. A Russian spy is caught and then defended by the American lawyer. Now the lawyer is targeted by his own countrymen for defending an enemy. 

The movie revolves around the exchange of two prisoners and with characteristic cleverness, Donovan converts a one for one exchange to one for two exchange. 

Loved the character of the Russian spy Abel (Rylance). Donovan asks, " Aren't you worried about the trial?" Abel's reply: "Would it help?" Quite a simple matter of fact answer really. 

The best part -- the movie is based on real events.

Movie Review (English)

Saving Mr Banks

When I was a kid I believed that if a fairy godmother did exist, her name should be Mary Poppins. So when I saw Saving Mr Banks, I was fascinated learning about the origin of my fairy godmother. The writer of the Mary Poppins stories, P.L. Travers played by Emma Thompson struggles with her traumatic past. The film weaves beautifully through her past and present and the entire mystery of why Mary Poppins appears in the Banks' household unfurls. 
Pamela (P.L Travers) shows total disdain for everything American including Walt Disney, played by Tom Hanks. The gradual transition from a crotchety old lady with rigid ideas to a warm, creative person is so masterfully achieved by Emma. Tom Hanks is, as usual, at his best as the one and only Disney who gets what he wants and he wants the rights to Travers' Mary Poppins. For 20 long years he has cajoled Pamela to grant him this wish (for his daughters) but in vain. This time things are a little different. In the end, the two do get to save Mr Banks.

Movies: To see or not to see???

The Help:
 A heart wrenching and a heart warming tale of the 'coloured' help in the 1960s in Southern America (here, Jackson) and their fight for dignity. Viola Davis is amazingly convincing. Definitely a must watch.

Extremely Loud Incredibly Close:
Sandra Bullock and Tom Hanks - Could it have gotten any better? Yes, we can put in Thomas Horn who plays their 'special' child and you have a winner. The story revolves around the boy's search for a connection with his father who is a victim of the 9/11 disaster. The boy reminded me so much of Christopher in the book, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon, who is also out on a mission. This movie is also a definite watch.
There is link between the two movies -  The Help and ELIC, and that is Viola Davis.