Few More Good Men

Talking about movie duos, some remember popular icons like Amitabh Bachan and Jaya Bhaduri while others remember under-rated pairs like Sivakumar and Saritha. There is another unclassified lot which remembers Satyaraj and Nameetha. This blog is not about any of them, but tries to acknowledge a few other stellar pairs which don't make omlettes around the other's navel.

5. Dicaprio and Scorsese

I can see the pro-scorsese lobby hinting that there is a typo and the name of the actor is actually spelt D-e-N-i-r-o. I perfectly understand. "Raging Bull", "Cape Fear", "Taxi Driver", "Casino", "Mean Streets", "Good Fellas", "King of Comedy", "New York, New York". Just how could one justify leaving out this celebrated pair from _any_ movie related blog ?? Hmm, maybe by the fact that, in reality, the author of the blog is a charlatan who has just seen only one of the aforesaid works ?? What DeNiro was in the early 80s, DiCaprio is becoming in the 2000s. With performances in "Gangs of New York" and "The Aviator" breaking him out of his candy-boy image he acquired from that movie with a big ship and a bigger iceberg, DiCaprio has definitely broken into the big league. The new Scorsese-DiCaprio movie, "The Departed", has been critically acclaimed (like many other Scorsese movies) and has also been a commercial success (unlike many other Scorsese movies). DiCaprio and Scorsese have already announced their new project, a bio-pic on Ted Roosevelt. The DiCaprio-Scorsese combine might not have achieved what the DeNiro-Scorsese pairing achieved, but it certainly looks good to get there someday.

4. Alfred Hitchcock and James Stewart

Alfred Hitchcock is a man who could make a nail-biting thriller with a cup and saucer set. Such is the immense talent of the man that he made people hesitate even before hitting the shower. When he combines with the everyday-man persona of James Stewart, the movies become startlingly life-like that it could actually happen to you. Their resume reads the under-appreciated "Rope", the slightly-over-the-top "Man Who Knew Too Much" and the classic-for-the-ages "Vertigo". At this point, it is well worth a shot to put forth Cary Grant as Hitchcock's best leading man (North by Northwest, To Catch A Thief). But James Stewart pulls one back with what is probably one of their best works in that gem of a movie called "Rear Window". Grab it first and watch it now.

3. Bhimsingh and Sivaji Ganesan

Whoever says Sivaji Ganesan hammed his way through his movies would probably also say that Charles Babbage was a worthless scientist because he didn't invent the Pentium Chip. Sivaji has had great movies with just about any director, a nod to his versatility. BR Panthulu stakes his claim as probably the best director to have worked with Sivaji. See for yourself : VeerapaaNdiya Kattabomman, Sabaash Meena, Kappalottiya Thamizhan and KarNan. Two biopics, A mythological costume drama and a light-hearted comedy to bring out different facets of the actor that is Sivaji. But with due respect to Panthulu, Bhimsingh beats him at the post with his contemporary, serious social movies. Be it a cripple who longs for acceptance in "Baaga Pirivinai" or a brother who defined the love for his sister in "Paasa Malar" or a disappointed husband who never stops trying in "Padithal Mattum Podhuma", Bhimsingh and Sivaji brought the movies closer to home than ever before.
Note : I have not even mentioned other classics like "Paalum Pazhamum", "Paarthal Pasi Theerum", "Padikkadha Medhai" and "Paava Mannippu".

2. Sergio Leone and Clint Eastwood

An actor/director combination which has been forced to work with each other for a bunch of listless sequels are available by the dozen. Mel Gibson and Richard Donner come to my mind immediately. What Leone and Eastwood did was to make the three movies great enough to be stand-alone movies despite being sequels of a sort. (Nitpickers: Yes, "Good,Bad and The Ugly" is technically a prequel.). For generations of people who have seen their famous super stars deliver a performance of infinite style with limited or no dialogue, The Man With No Name might not come out as someone new. But to imagine that even today the Simbhus and the Vijays rely on what Clint Eastwood did 40 years back speaks for itself. The barren landscape, the steely eastwood and some inventive camera work makes this duo one of the best. With a heavy heart, Steven Spilerberg and Harrison Ford, who combined to make what is possibly the best trilogy to date, take a bow and enter my "All Time Trilogies List" or some such.

1. Tim Burton and Johnny Depp

True they have made only four movies (excluding "Corpse Bride") unlike Chuck and Aaron Norris who have doled them out by the score. True Tim Burton at times makes movie that are so hard to understand. True that Tim Burton has made some great movies with other actors (Michael Keaton, for example). True that Johnny Depp has made other great movies with many other directors. But for the sheer amount of visual enjoyment that the three movies have given me, be it the backdrop or the performances and the colosally varied plots they have, I vote for Burton-Depp as the most entertaining Director-Actor combine that I have ever seen. While you can pin most of the actor-director combines under one broad head, Burton and Depp beg to differ with a dark fairy tale, a failed director's bio-pic, a children's joy ride and a ghoulish thriller. Ranks one in my book definitely.

Burton is no stranger to challenge the limits on visual creativity. His Batman movies stand tribute to that. Hence it is not a surprise when Tim Burton brings his own unique vision to the screen - be it a self-centered american suburb or the 1950s Hollywood or a mysterious chocolate factory or a turn-of-the-century village in upstate New York. Ably complementing this visual brilliance is Depp in his roles as a misunderstood machine-man, a complicated director, an eccentric inventor and an honest, resourceful but bumbling cop. Stand-out movie-fare.

Disclaimers, Other honorable mentions and Plain Lame Excuses:

I notice that hardcore movie fans still cannot believe that they didn't see Akira Kurosawa & Toshiro Mifune (Yojimbo, Sanjuro), arguably one of the greatest pairs to have ever graced filmdom, get a single mention. Hindi movie fans might find it hard not to see Prakash Mehra & Amitabh Bachan (Zanjeer, Muqqadar Ka Sikkandar, Sharabi) in this list. PLE #1: I have did my homework and collected Kurosawa-Mifune DVDs. Just give me some more time. PLE #2: My knowledge of Hindi movies is second only to my knowledge of Organic Chemistry. Next to nothing.

Back home, SP Muthuraman & Rajinikanth have churned out such commercial hits like "Nallavanukku Nallavan", "Guru Sishyan" and the master-kung-fu-master-teach-me-kung-fu inspired "Paayum Puli" while the yester-year combination of K Balachander-Nagesh have some timeless classics in "Neer Kumizhi", "Anubhavi Raja Anubhavi", "Edhir NeechaL", "Bama Vijayam" and "Major Chandrakant". K Balachander also has his share of classics with Kamal Hassan in "AvargaL", "Apoorva RagangaL", "VaRumayin Niram Sivappu" and "Unnal Mudiyum Thambi".

For all card carrying members of the pacifist group "Equality to women in the blogosphere, or else...", Saritha (Achamillai Achamillai, Thanneer Thanneer) and Sowkar Janaki (Iru KodugaL, Edhir Neechal") have had some memorable performances with K Balachander while Savithri has a few with BhimSingh (Paasamalar, Padithal Mattum Podhuma, Paarthal Pasi Theerum). So, there.

If you are planning to fast unto infinity because I missed your greatest movie duo of all time, the Klueless Karan Johar/Shah Rukh Khan combination or the Self-indulgent Selva Raghavan/Dhanush combination, do accept my best wishes for a resounding success in your attempt.