Paradise now & RONIN.

RUSH Films.
Endorphin rush - PARADISE NOW.

Of late, I came across the term 'Endorphin rush', which is induced by physical exercise and it leads to the state 'sense of accomplishment'. Why do I attach endorphin rush to a film ? [ ippadi dhideernu kettaa eppadinga.. Eppadiyum link panniduven :) ].

Though I am film freak, I used to know about history/life. more through films. 'Hotel Rwanda' showed me the recent Rwandan genocide [ 1994 ], the fights between Hutu and tsotsi. 'Road to Guantanamo' documentary helped me to understand the way Gitmo works. 'The Pianist' painfully registered the holocaust in Poland. Similarly, we have this 'Israel-Palestine' conflict. If a film can get a bit of pain, what they undergo there, I think it's the success of the creator.

Paradise now - 2005/Arab
Written & Directed by : Hany Abu-Assad

Said and Khalid are friends working in a Palestinian city Nablus. Said has a girl friend 'Suha' and her father was a martyr. Said and Khalid are selected as suicide bombers to plan an attack in Tel Aviv, by their friend Jamal. Before that night, Said meets Suha to return her car keys, and has a chat with her about her father's religious death, and what options the Palestinians have in their handling with Israel.

Next day, they speak about their mission to their family and gets the bombs strapped to their body. Either they have to die or come back to the camp to defuse the bombs by the expert. They get into Israel.. What happens then is the emotional story of these 2 'human' bombs. I used the word 'human' because they think about the impact and their act.

The film easily conveys the message of the story. The characters are very few in the movie and it shows the bigger picture of the missions they carry out.

I was touched by the final speech given by the victims. He says after the speech to his mother to buy something, revealing beyond country, religion and others, they love the family.

The arguments made by Suha are worthy to watch. Of course, her dialogue justifies the title. 'Paradise is myth.. it's here.. it's now and there's no paradise up in the sky'.

The film ends with a shot leaving the imagination to the audience.. What happened is up to the audience. I remember 'Terrorist by Santhosh Sivan and 'Uyire' by Manirathnam Sir are of the same category.

This is the first Palestinian film nominated for the academy award. There are around 40 other films made on this Arab Israeli conflict. [ Remember Spielberg's MUNICH ]. This film gave the sense of satisfaction that I didn't miss a nice drama.

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RONIN

We come across one more rush called 'Adrenaline rush' in life reacting to stress. It secretes when we are excited, riding in roller coaster etc., I watch action movies to change the mood from the classics - I appreciate any good movie of any genre.

Seven Samurai - a Japanese movie came in 1954 and this movie made an tremendous impact in the west [Magnificent seven, etc., are based on 7 samurai]. Ronin is one such movie. Different talented and unrelated guys form a team for a common mission. Ronin means a Samurai without lord or master. The interesting thing in this film is the body language of the ronin - they don't get into action just for heroism. The masters do it with less words spoken.

Film : RONIN [ 1998/Action ]

Cast : Robert de niro, Jean Reno, Natascha McElhone

Direction : John Frankenheimer

- The story is simple. A team of different experts formed to steal a mysterious suitcase from another gang with all possible twists and turns [ both in story and in locations :) ]. The first 25 mins prepares you for the 'adrenaline rush' later.

- This movie is meant for the deadly car chases in the narrow roads of Europe [ Paris, Nice, Arles ].

- The other important characters are the cars.. Audi S8, Peugeot 406, a Citroën Xantia, a BMW M5 and Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9 . :)

- Robert de niro is like Kamalhassan - he justifies whatever the role he plays. You believe him as an ex agent ; that's the power of his performance. For his best, watch 'RAGING BULL'.

Just chill out with RONIN. Action oriented entertainment guaranteed.

-Toto.