Krs Krishnan Dr.

A good old Agatha Christie mystery tale retold in all conceivable grandeur. Kenneth Branagh has a heady task in both directing this film and acting in the lead role of Hercules Poirot - the mesmeric and invincible (and in his own words, presumably the world's most famous) detective. But unlike Albert Finney's cast in the famous 1974 film version, here we have a physically fit, yet a more sensitive Poirot. And of course, the film continues the legacy of a stellar cast that include Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Michelle Pfieffer, Judi Dench, William Dafoe et al. Though audiovisually more appealing, with breathtaking visuals of snow clad Alps, the old-timers may still draw an unfavorable comparison with the earlier version (nostalgia factor?). But my take is that the film holds the old charm of the murder story in tact - and the youngsters are bound to love it anyway. So happy viewing...

After a harrowing deployment during Iraq war in 2007, young American soldiers Adam (Miles Teller), Solo (Beulah Koale), Michael (Scott Haze) and Billy (Jose Kole) return home to Kansas - only to find themselves victims of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), difficult personal lives and not so convincing help coming from Department of Veteran Affairs. Adam has nightmares and feel of guilt arising from death of Sgt.Doster for which he blames himself. His wife Saskia (Helen Bennett) with her two young kids tries to help and adjust. Out of confusion Solo falls into the trap of drug and weapon peddlers and has delusions, while his wife Alea (Keisha Hughes) gives birth to a baby. Michael must come to terms with hemiplegic body. And Billy shoots himself in front of Bell(Kate Sheil), his fiancée as she wouldn’t go with him. At one level, ‘Thank You’ sends an anti war message, depicting the hollowness of war and its aftermath. At another, the film is a human drama of the battles that must be won within. Based on David Finkel’s book, the soul searching sojourn by Jason Hall in his debut directorial outing, captures the inner solitudes of the war veterans and their dear ones - in an impersonal society for whose safety they had gone to fight, in the first place. To its credit, the film measures up quite well in the face of unfair comparison to its predecessors of the same genre, ‘Best years of our lives’ (1946), ‘Coming Home’ (1978), ‘Born on the Fourth of July’ (1989), thanks to deft handling of the theme. Fine performances by all the lead actors and excellent sound tracks by Thomas Newman that also has a Bruce Springsteen credit song (Freedom Cadence), adds to the overall charm that the film holds.

Just back from Tom Cruise starrer 'American Made', a funny dark comedy based on a true story from Carter-Reagan era. CIA hires Barry Seal (Tom Cruise), a fun loving TWA pilot into its covert operation that include transporting weapons for contras to fight the socialist regime in Nicaragua. His CIA handler convinces Seal that he will be doing all this for the 'good guys' and of course, his country. Seal executes the clandestine ops with great zeal. Also, he brings drugs in his return flights as a favor for the infamous Medellin drug cartel, while making lots of money for himself. In the process runs himself and family into danger and gets himself nearly arrested, but White House (Reagan) intervenes and puts him back into the 'job' (remember, the country needs him). Finally, he gets trapped in his own camera shots, which get exposed to national TV. CIA washes its hands off and divert the ops to Iran (the famous Iran-Contra deal). Seal gets arrested, but gets away with 1000 hours of salvation army service, while his family is secured. But the drug cartel is after his blood. Seal keeps moving from 'motel to motel', while he records on video his past escapades... before he is shot dead. The whole film is reeled through these video narration. The film is presented as a sardonic tale, rather than a thriller, giving enough space for hearty laughs. Carter, Reagan and Bush Sr. make appearances. Plenty of music, cars and landscapes from the 70s and some exciting flight scenes add life to the film. But it's Cruise all the way, in one of his most memorable performances. Must watch for - those who love this genre of films and of course, those Tom Cruise fans!