Hunger (2008)

Storyline:
Hunger follows life in the Maze Prison, Northerns Ireland with an interpretation of the highly emotive events surrounding the 1981 IRA Hunger Strike, led by Bobby Sands.
The final months of Bobby, the Irish Republican Army activist who protested his treatment at the hands of British prison guards with a hunger strike, are chronicled in this historical drama.
Like most of the IRA volunteers behind bars, Gillen and Campbell are subjected to frequent violence by the guards, who in turn live with the constant threat of assassination at the hands of Republicans during the off-hours.
Gillen and Campbell are taking part in a protest in which they and their fellow IRA inmates are refusing to wear standard prison-issue uniforms as a protest against Britain's refusal to recognize them as political prisoners.
As the protest fails to get results, Bobby decides to take a different tack and begins a hunger strike.

Director: Steve McQueen
Writers: Enda Walsh, Steve McQueen
Stars: Stuart Graham, Laine Megaw, Brian Milligan
IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0986233/

Year: 2008
Genre: Biography, Drama, History
Country: united kingdom, Ireland

Trailer:


Review:
Hunger is a daunting and powerful work. Sensorial in ways that become viscerally disturbing, this is a movie of shocking silences that tracks Bobby and his fellow IRA prisoners through the soul-crushing regimens of prison life.
Hunger is not about the rights and wrongs of the British in Northern Ireland, but about the inhumane prison conditions, the steeled determination of IRA members like Bobby Sands. The extended sequence of dialogue punctuates the heart of the film, as Bobby discusses his stance with a sympathetic priest Father Dominic Moran. Both men sit at a table with their respective political and religious beliefs, and the verbal duel is utterly compelling.
An engaging and active movie, with an amazing work by the director and the main character, Hunger will leave you feeling emotionally battered and bruised.

Personal Rating: 8/10

Read more »

Wild Bill (2011)

Storyline:
Bill Hayward returns home on parole after being in prison for 8 years, to find his now 11 and 15 year old sons abandoned by their mother and fending themselves.
Unhwilling to play Dad, uncaring Bill is determined to move on. Although Dean, the older boy, has found a job and is doing his best to be a father to his younger brother Jimmy, the arrival of Bill has brought them to the attention of social services.
With the danger of being put into care looming, Dean forces his father to stay by threatening to grass him for dealing. Bill agrees to stay for a week to fool social services that the boys are being taken care of.
After helping them, Bill starts to bound with his children and realizes what he's been missing.

Director: Dexter Fletcher
Writers: Dexter Fletcher, Danny King
Stars: Charlie Creed-Miles, Will Poulter, Liz White
IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1795702/

Year: 2011
Genre: Drama
Country: United Kingdom

Trailer:


Review:
The unoriginal story of an uncaring father sudenly bounding with his children is compensated by the actors' superb performances amidst a growing unnerving atmosphere.
Do not get fooled by the movie's title, the story does not evolve around a badass Bill. Instead, the director puts most of his efforts into creating a believable dynamic between the father and both sons, and it's in this tangled skein of shyness, suspicion, loyalty and love that the movies' heart lies.
One particular thing that i also liked was the fact that there was sometimes a subtle comedy on the movie, perfectly fitting between the drama scenes.
Definitely a must watch movie, makes you wish that all British dramas were so well writen and well acted as this one.

Personal Rating: 8/10

Read more »

Udaan (2010)

Storyline:
After being abandoned by his father for eight straight years in boarding school, Rohan returns home in this smal industrial town of Jamshedpur, finding himself closeted with his authoritarian father and a younger half brother who he didn't even know existed.
Forced to work in his father's steel factory and study against his wishes, he strives to forge his own life out of his given circumstances and pursue his dream of being a writter.

Director: Vikramaditya Motwane
Writers: Vikramaditya Motwane, Anurag Kashyap
Stars: Sanjay Gandhi, Manjot Singh, Rajat Barmecha
IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1639426

Year: 2010
Genre: Drama
Country: India

Trailer:


Review:
Udaan is a heart-warming tale with a great storytelling.
The movie has its own moment, particularly the evolution of the relantionship between the two brothers. All the main actors made a superb job on acting their own characters.
The director has an ability to present melodramatic material without the Bollywood-style melodrama. He shrewdly has his actors underplay, especially Aayan Boradia, the adorable little boy who portrays Arjun.
Udaan looks authentic and is easy to relate to and yet it has an impressive larger-than-life quality to it that makes wonders.
In some scenes, you too will have the need of "flying out of the cage" and pursue your dreams. It's filled with those moments that will be with you for some time to come.

Personal Rating: 8/10

Read more »

Paradise Now (2005)

Storyline:
The story is about two Palestinian close friends, Said and Khaled, who were recruited by an extremist group to perpetrate a terrorist attack in Tel-Aviv, blowing up themselves with bombs attached to their bodies.
However, things do no go as expected and both friends must separate from each other in the border.
One of them maintains his purpose of carrying the attack to the end, and the other will have his doubts about it.

Director: Hany Abu-Assad
Writers: Hany Abu-Assad
Stars: Ali Sulman, Hamza Abu-Aiaash, Lotuf Neusser
IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0445620

Year: 2005
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Palestine

Trailer:


Review:
A powerful and remarkable movie among a tragedy story.
As this movie is about Palestinian terrorists, it is expected for it to be hated by palestinians. But as the director explained, he doesn't justify the bombers' actions but does take a hard look at their motivations. Though many view their actions as mindless and repugnant, the characters in Paradise Now have their doubts.
It's a risky proposition for any artist to humanize a terrorist in an era when the word "terrorist" has become synonymous with "evil". The director did a great job at keeping us away from the stereotypes and explains why two seemingly ordinary men would be willing to sacrifice themselves in such actions of terrorism.
The movie offers food for thought and reminds us that, in any, war, one who understands the mindset of his opponent gains an important tactical advantage.
Terrific movie, a ticking clock thriller with moral exercise. Also, it says more about Middle Eastern politics from the Palestinian side than any other movie.

Personal Rating: 8/10

Read more »