Dark City

Two budding American internet entrepreneurs – Sean (Emile Hirsch) and Ben (Max Minghella) - find themselves swindled of their business idea in Moscow. Frustrated and hanging out in a discotheque, they hook up with two female American tourists – Natalie (Olivia Thirlby) and Anne (Rachael Taylor). Things begin to turn really strange at the discotheque, when a power surge takes out the lights. Certain strange electrical beings are descending from space, and annihilating the human race (yawn). What makes The Darkest Hour mildly interesting is the form (or lack of it) of the aliens, and the mildly interesting pseudoscience consisting of Faraday cages, microwave bursts and whatnot. Even as the last remnants of the human race fight back, this is a movie which barely leaves a trace as you leave the theatre
10.5/20

Monkey Business

Having a young one in the house keeps us in touch with old favorites. When the Hotel Majestic in New York has Lord Rutledge (Rupert Everett) and Dunston the trained-thief orang-utang over, the scene is set for hilarious escapades with a truly comic cast. Dunston and his young friend Kyle (Eric lloyd), son of hotel manager and late convert Robert Grant (Jason Alexander), must navigate a path around a quirky set of characters, particularly the authoritarian hotel heiress Mrs Dublow (Faye Dunaway), and not lose their heads – or their lives – while solving the ever-increasing list of strange goings-on at their majestic property. Needless to say, Dunston Checks In is an all-time favorite

14/20

Tucker and Dale vs Stupidity

Tucker and Dale Vs Evil is a truly unmemorable movie. Director Eli Craig wants to take a potshot at the urban myth of the slasher hillybilly, and the potshot leaves much gore in its wake. The movie begins innocuously enough somewhere in the Appalachians. Hillybilly protagonists Tucker (Alan Tudyk) and Dale (Tyler Lable) run into a bunch of college kids at a gas station, and try to strike up a conversation, and the first signs of frat pack prejudice are all too clear. And when the duo rescue the fetching Allison (Katrina Bowden) from what was a potentially fatal diving accident, the incident precipitates a chain of events where most or all of the cast is accidentally killed, in incidents that are possibly intended to be hilarious. Eventually, this movie is one for the hillybilly, though not one that the latter may want to be associated with

9.5/20

Only as the Chinese Can

Shaolin is set in the early years of the Republic of China, when warlords ruled the provinces and people lived in abject terror. Warlord Hou Jie (Andy Lau) slays his enemy in a Shaolin temple, and schemes to kill sworn brother Song Hu. In a plot that goes horribly wrong, Hou Jie finds himself losing his most precious earthly possession of all – Shengnan (Xiaoliuna) - his daughter. Distraught, Hou Jie finds his way to a Shaolin temple and rescinds his martial life. Converting to a Shaolin monk, Hou Jie finds penance in alleviating some of the suffering that he and his ilk have caused to the populace. But the winds of change – mostly negative – upon the fledgling republic are too hard to bear. Taking the incredulous action sequences that are typical of the genre to a whole new level, Shaolin is a must-watch, with one caveat - the unabashed tragedy will leave the viewer somewhat depressed

14/20

Take it Out

The life of Joel (Jason Bateman) is one of running his humdrum Extract manufacturing and packaging business, with its excruciatingly boring workforce with their excruciatingly trivial problems, a drink with longtime buddy Dean (Ben Affleck), dealing with obnoxious neighbors, and the wife who has virtually shut off conjugal bliss. On the advice of the old pal, Joel lines himself up for one on the side with hot intern Cindy (Mila Kunis), while hooking his wife up with a gigolo Step (Clifton Collins Jr). With several comic turns, this rather simply concocted movie manages to maintain the atmospheric drabness endemic to the central product and its founder, while being a mild low-key entertainer

12/20

In Hell

Why are London-based hit-men Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson) stuck for two days in the cold medieval Belgian town of Bruges? They do not know, and neither does the audience. In the meantime, the architectural magnificence around him holds no charm for Ray, haunted as he is by his accidental murder of a child. What the duo do not know is kingpin Harry (Ralph Fiennes) has sent them to Bruges for a dark purpose, that will not be known till later. Against the backdrop of the beautiful and relatively unknown town, three cold-blooded murderers play out a dark comedy In Bruges. Hard-to-forget movie because of the deliberate incongruousness of it all

13.5/20

Spread Out

Contagion is a well-paced and largely gripping thriller on the spread of a highly contagious and lethal virus. The movie has one distinctive feature – somehow it manages to hold your attention in spite of every element in it being a cliché. A deadly disease that has its origins in livestock and wild animals in – where else – China. Finds its way to the top of the food chain, to none other than the travelling businesswoman Beth (Gwyneth Paltrow) and her son, but miraculously skips husband Mitch (Matt Damon). Kills millions before the desperate search for a vaccine is finally successful, thanks to the tireless efforts of Dr Orantes (Marion Cottilard) and Dr Cheever (Lawrence Fishburne). In the meantime, notable martyrs include Dr Mears (Kate Winslet), the early health worker, tireless and felled by the disease in the line of duty. The one non-cliched character is the profiteering and rumor-mongering freelancer Alan (Jude Law) – about the only character in the movie who is not a rank stereotype. In the meantime, chew a few fingernails as director Soderbergh (Solaris, Ocean’s Eleven) spreads disease and paranoia all around

13.5/20

Far Below the Belt

Stephen Myers (Ryan Gosling), Junior Campaign Manager for the sitting Governor Mike Morris (George Clooney), for the Democrat Presidential primaries, learns to be beware of The Ides of March and much else besides. So what is Steve up against, really? For a start, Steve needs to understand the priorities of Senior Campaign Manager Paul (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and his respective right and wrong sides. And then there is the campaign manager on the other side – Tom Duffy (Paul Giamatti) and the latter’s machinations. Throw in a beautiful intern – Molly (Evan Rachel Wood) and her dark secrets, a single senator – Senator Thompson (Jeffrey Wright) who could be solely holding the key to the campaign, and cut-throat journalist Ida (Marisa Tomei), and Steve may be down to his very last card in surviving the political game. And no matter who the winners and losers are in this cat-and-mouse political game, what is certain through the movie is that Steve’s brand of passion and idealism will meet a terminal end

14.5/20

Monstrous, Relatively Speaking

In the not-too-distant future, the northern half of Mexico is cordoned off on account of an alien outbreak. While army patrols and enormous military defences struggle to “hold the line” as it were, photo-journalist Andrew Kaulder (Scoot McNairy) takes on an assignment to escort wealthy Samantha Wynden (Whitney Able) across to the safety of the United States. Post a river-boat journey followed by a convoy through the jungle, overnight, Andrew and Samantha find themselves the only survivors of an alien attack. As they make their way towards the safety of the US, certain facts of the ostensibly dangerous infestation never cease to amaze. Monsters is an interesting treatment on alien infestations, and brings noveau to a hackneyed genre

13/20