Tag: robert de niro
The Irishman is a masterpiece, De Niro is mesmerizing
TThe expectations were high but Martin Scorsese’s new film has exceeded them with a magnum opus summing up his life’s work. An account of the circumstances that led to the disappearance of infamous Teamsters Union boss Jimmy Hoffa, The Irishman might best be summed up as elegiac. It is elegiac, not only because the story…
Hollywood Parking in The Intern: A Sweet Tune Undermined by False Notes
There’s a cliché in American movies and television known as “Hollywood parking.” You know the drill. Middle of New York City. Hero drives up to some swanky spot and parallel parks in front of the door. It’s the kind of thing that never actually happens if you are not in a movie. It’s the kind…
Dilip Kumar: The Chekhovian amateur who redefined acting
Anton Chekhov revolutionised modern playwriting and short stories. And he is one my favorite writers. Thus, I remember being confused when I first read that Hemingway had said the following about him: “Chekhov wrote about 6 good stories. But he was an amateur writer”. I have never quite been able to understand why Hemingway called…
Shattered Masculinities: Muscular pulp and feminine tears
There is something incredibly fascinating about images of shattered masculinity on the big screen. The notion of testosterone fuelled hyper-men imploding into impotent puddles of muscular pulp and feminine tears seems to have fuelled the popular imagination of filmgoers since the medium’s earliest beginnings – most especially in the United States. It seems that, even…