Movie reviews: Milk(English)& Rajkumari (Kannada)
Cheers to the new wave!
Film: Milk
Cast: Sean Penn, James Franco
Director: Gus Van Sant
Rating: ***1/2
The movie though based on the real life story of Harvey Milk appears as if the role was tailor made for Sean Penn. None could've matched the performance of Penn, who even bagged the Oscars for his role in Milk and has been winning accolades all the way.
The film deals with the rise and fall of the first gay board member in San Francisco, dating back to the late 70s. Harvey Milk, a 40-year-old business man, in The New York city, is secretly in love with Scott Smith (James Franco). He comes out of the closet and declares about his orientation and moves to San Francisco with Smith to open a camera shop on Castro Street. As the emerging Gay Pride movement gains momentum, Milk turns his efforts to politics, campaigning for a position on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors--a quest that will make him the country's first openly gay man to be elected to public office. It takes several tries before Milk finally breaks through the invisible barrier and gets elected as the member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.u00a0 He likes his power may be a little way too much! The ironic elements of the story are driven by his lust for the power. His obsession for power and run for the rights for gay communities make him lose his loyal and committed partner.
The movie takes a different turn, when Anita Brayant, a religious anti-gay rights activist, campaigns against Milk and the gay rights. It's Milk and his persistence that stirs up a revolution among the youngsters. The movie ends with the tragic assassination of Milk by a social outcast. Though depicting real events three decades old that would continue to endear for years to come, its portrayal of the massive revolution for change towards homosexuality's acceptance is more important now than ever.
u00a0u00a0 Milk is indeed a well-crafted movie and above all else, an acting showcase for the raw and great talents of Penn and others in the cast.
-- Sumana B Jayanth
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Rajkumari, a bland fare
Film -Rajkumari
Cast u2013Balaji, Ravichndran,Kannika,Rangayana Raghu and Nikitha
Direction u2013S Govindu
Theatres u2013Santosh, Prasanna and PVR
Rating u2013 **
u00a0
Director S Govindu, who had delivered quite a decent entertainer in his debut venture Joot, dishes out a bland fare with Rajkumari. The plot is hackneyed; the narration is slow, and is hampered by redundant dialogues so much so that stifling a yawn is a challenge.
Rajkumari revolves around Raj (Balaji), a happy-go-lucky guy, who falls in love with his neighbour Kumari (Kannika), a widow (who rather pretends to be a widow). And yes you guessed it right...it turns out to be a one-sided affair. Meanwhile, Bubbly (Nikhita), a daughter of a rich businessman, falls in love head over heels with Raj. Butu00a0Raj doesn't reciprocate. Post interval, the story of how Kumari becomes a 'widow' unspools and is told in a series of flashback.
u00a0u00a0u00a0 Balaji has improved by leaps and bounds in his acting. Leading ladies Kannika and Nikitha too have done justice to their roles. M Joshi's camerawork and Hariskrishna's music form the major highlights of the movie.u00a0 Nothing makes an impact because the flawed screenplay and direction makes watching Rajkumari a tiring exercise. Little else can be said about a film that has neither major gaffes nor unforgettable highlights noteworthy.
-- Manju Shettar
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