Act Ad Infinitum

2012-01-14T21:05:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-14T21:01:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-14T20:57:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-14T20:54:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-07T03:21:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-07T03:19:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-07T03:15:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-07T03:11:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-07T03:08:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-29T08:03:00.000-08:00

Shadows of the Mind

The first installment taught the audience to stick to deductive reasoning and not to be carried away by the (seemingly) occult. I am not sure what the second installment did, other than remind the audience of the theatrical elements so successfully used in the first installment. The predictive action sequences were hackneyed. The Europe-wide intrigue was anything but menacing. The incursion into Germany and chase sequences distinctly smelt steampunk way before WWI let alone WWII. In the end, we got a reasonably watchable thriller circa 1900, where the deductive reasoning element seemed to have headed to Brighton on holiday (or, case in point, shown in certain hurried sequences). Am not sure if Sherlock Holmes – A Game of Shadows reeked of Cossacks, but it surely smacked of a light-touch and un-originality. And that too from Guy Ritchie. Tch

11.5/20

2011-12-29T01:39:00.000-08:00

The Longest of leaps

The ever so predictable Adam Sandler deviates ever so slightly from the familiar canned humor to produce a surprisingly balanced movie in The Longest Yard. On the face of it, the script does not sound particularly exciting – Paul Crewe (Adam Sandler) the ex-football star, disgraced for shaving points in a big game, finds himself serving a three year prison sentence for theft and drunk driving. Riled by the domineering practices of the prison guards, Paul decides to make a football team out of the inmates that will be more than pushovers for the prison guards’ tune up game. With a small core team, and on the way, picks up a coach in Nate Scarborough (Burt Reynolds), and some valuable players on account of some personal bravado vis-à-vis the theatrically aggressive prison guards. And as the movie progresses towards the predictable climax in the nature of all sports movies, you realize that this is one movie that does balance humor, and old-fashioned inspiration, rather well

13/20

2011-12-29T01:35:00.000-08:00

Change the Game

It takes a lot of conviction to bring a new technique – in this case, hardcode quantitative analysis to major league baseball – and then to stick by it. And what does “sticking by” really entail? Well, for a start, being a one-man proponent of a technique that requires the coach replaced, and many star players traded out for unknowns or perceived also-rans. It also means taking hard decisions all too often. So when Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) takes on the unenviable task of resurrecting the Oakland A’s, in the capacity of General Manager, his odds, to say the least, are pretty limited. And, in the tradition of sports movies, Billy makes something significant of that nothing – in his words, he makes a difference and leaves his very own indelible mark on the game – Moneyball. While the movie is generally tipped to go the way of the likes of The Blind Side and Invictus come Oscar night, unlike these predecessors, Moneyball does require a baseball gene to be appreciated, and does not resound with universal appeal

12/20

2011-12-29T01:32:00.000-08:00

No one in Nome

For those not on a weekly diet of spooky movies, The Fourth Kind is reasonably creepy – i.e. reasonable enough to qualify as a science fiction horror movie without further qualification, while not quite spooky enough to make hairs stand on end, especially on a 21 inch screen. The premise is simple enough. A mockumentary (in the style of the Blair Witch Project) shows one Dr Abigail Tyler (Charlotte Milchard, and her younger avatar, Milla Jovovich) being interviewed on television, recounting her research into unexplained disappearances in Nome, Alaska. The movie weaves its way through pseudo-real footage, ancient languages (Sumerian!) making inexplicable appearances in Nome, and other reasonably copybook alien abduction routine. However, where the movie succeeds is (as mentioned earlier, if you are not brought up on a one-horror-movie-a-day routine) showing some disturbing footage that appears real, and makes you mildly curious about the strange goings-on in remote Alaskan towns

11/20

2011-12-29T01:29:00.000-08:00

Blaze a Trail

In a movie that bears little resemblance to the eponymous TV series, Burn Notice – The Fall of Sam Axe finds US Marine Commander Sam Axe (Bruce Campbell) shipped off to a dangerous mission in the jungles of Colombia. However, his mission to unearth the dangerous guerilla group Espada Ardiente (The Flaming Sword) does not quite lead to expected outcomes? How above-board is the outfit that he is working with? And how much of a terrorist group is the Flaming Sword, actually? While the skeletons tumble out of the closet one after another, the admittedly low-intensity action keeps the movie humming along. Truly unremarkable, even in respect of the surprises, and only redeemed by the periodic mild comic turns brought in by Sam Axe

10/20

2011-12-22T18:36:00.000-08:00

Puncturing Lives

A needle stick is a regular occurrence across US hospitals – health workers getting accidentally pricked with patient needles – and diseases like AIDS and Hepatitis B spreading as a result. In addition, continued use of plastic, as opposed to glass, syringes, meant that re-use without sterilization was also leading to a large number of needless deaths especially in the poorer countries. So when Mike Weiss (Chris Evans) and Paul Danziger (Mark Kassen) and their small Texas-based personal-liability focused law firm take up the cause of scientist Jefferey Dancort (Marshall Bell) and his safety needle, their case, at the outset, seems to be quite in the clear. What the duo and their client have not reckoned with are the brute forces of the organized healthcare industry, and their deep reach into both the political and legal systems. With their law firm virtually on the brink of bankruptcy, and a somewhat wearied Paul increasingly pitted against an unrelenting Mike, does the duo actually manage to pull off a David-vs-Goliath? Post The Lincoln Lawyer, Puncture is the best law movie that I have come across, and in the nature of those (movies) that suffer without an exalted cast and special effects, vastly under-rated

14/20

2011-12-22T18:33:00.000-08:00

Con the Con

A procurement of clothes in Lucknow for a trader, that’s entirely fictitious. A building sold in Delhi that is not even owned by the seller. A painting (Husain, no less) sold in Mumbai that is, well, not genuine. In all cases, there are (admittedly gullible) women and their entourages wronged, by con artist Ricky Behl (Ranveer Singh). Now three wronged and extremely dangerous women from three cities get together and field their trump – one delectable and persuasive salesgirl Ishika Desai (Anushka Sharma) to con the conman, in sunny Goa. However, as expected, things do not quite fall according to plan. The conman has oodles of experience and all the smarts required to outwit his avengers. However, in the nature of Bollywood heroes, he also has a heart of gooey mush. On the whole, Ladies vs Ricky Bahl is entertaining, while it admittedly defies logic in (many) parts

11.5/20

2011-12-21T23:31:00.000-08:00

Another Mission Possible

Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) begins Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol with a little help from his friends in getting out of a Russian prison. However, on a subsequent routine if difficult assignment in Russia, things go awry, and the IMF suddenly finds itself under Ghost Protocol – disavowed at the best of times, they are now on their own and behind enemy lines. Under the circumstances, the prospect of thwarting a warmonger’s evil plans to trigger a nuclear apocalypse seem remote indeed. Something that will necessitate a trip to Dubai and – hold your breath – Mumbai – to get things moving. This MI edition will stick in your memory for two distinct reasons. One is the Burj Khalifa – the tallest building in the world – and some rather unforgettable feats related to the same. The other is our very own Anil Kapoor in a meaningful if comic role. Overall, in the copybook thriller mould, Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol does not disappoint, but does not attempt any transmogrification of the genre either 13.5/20

2011-12-21T23:28:00.000-08:00

Clean Distant and Accurate

Whether it be the clinical kills of Vassili Zaitsev (Jude Law) in Enemy at the Gates, or Private Jackson’s (Barry Pepper) Biblical utterations prior to every shot in Saving Private Ryan, or a terrified Stu Shephard (Colin Farrel) frozen in a Phone Booth, the sniper has always held a special place in our psyche inasmuch action movies are concerned. So when Chad Michael Collins (Marine Brandon Beckett) receives a summons to rescue a stranded European farmer in the midst of the wilderness of the Democratic republic of Congo, in Sniper - Reloaded, things do not quite go according to plan as an unknown – guess what – sniper – turns on the rescuers. Poorly reviewed and possibly a misdirected watch for most, I, on the other hand, shall rate this movie way higher given the genre is close to my heart. Expecting the general movie-going crowd to celebrate a sniper movie is – well – a long shot

12/20

2011-12-15T17:02:00.000-08:00

Heart of a Warrior

Tommy Conlon (Tom Hardy) is a deserter turned war hero, goes by his mother’s maiden name – Riordan - for a surname, and takes after his once-alcoholic father Paddy (Nick Nolte) as a natural born wrestler. Brother Brendan Conlon (Joel Edgerton) is a family man and schoolteacher, who needs to get into the mixed martial arts (MMA) ring to prevent being dispossessed of his home. Warrior begins with a family wholly estranged, with members blaming each other for past wrongs suffered. And what better arena to bring out the family dirty linen in public than the fighting arena. And after they are through with a bevy of prize-fighters, the brothers – somewhat expectedly – go for each other. With emoting that is of hardly the highest standards, Warrior would have been a damp squib if the fight scenes were not so good, and with a generous dose of help from the unlikely combination of Captain Ahab and Beethoven. This is in some respects an un-missable movie, where in spite of a limp storyline, the sheer execution sets this movie apart

16/20

2011-12-15T16:59:00.000-08:00

A Demon Wronged

Johnny Depp's triumphs never end. A coldblooded avenger in 19th century London? No sweat! Benjamin Barker (Johnny Depp) is a man wronged - charged of a crime he did not commit and thereafter exiled, by the near-theaterically evil Judge Turpin, who then abuses his wife Lucy (Laura Michelle Kelly) and even drives her to suicide. Benjamin returns to London under the alias Sweeney Todd, determined to seek the revenge owed to him. Sweeney Todd proceeds to partner with Nellie Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter) and work as a barber at her meat pie shop on Fleet Street, and extract his pound of flesh - some would say literally - from those that have wronged him. Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street - is a retake on a character much depicted on multiple media - the version herein is possibly a reasonably faithful adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim musical. Like most of the protagonist's work, the sheer brilliance of the protagonist's acting abilities takes this adaptation to a different level

15.5/20

2011-12-15T16:57:00.000-08:00

Running Forward

When an African-American boy learns to outrun older white boys with his trophy of scavenged bottle-caps, one would hardly imagine that the same skill-set would lead to the emergence of none other than the great Ernie Davis (Rob Brown), one of the greatest running backs of all time in college football. Ernie plays for Syracuse, and (in the natural drift of great sports movies) leads Syracause to the Heisman Trophy and becomes a figure of great inspiration. The Express is not the no-holds-barred realism of Any Given Sunday, but rather the poetic inspiration of Remember the Titans. While a good watch, as sports movies go, it is not particularly differentiated

13/20

2011-12-15T16:54:00.000-08:00

After Life and Death

Is Arcadia a place in Alaska that is the last human refuge in a planet over-run by zombies? And where does the omnipresent big brother – the Umbrella Corporation – fit into all of this? Maybe none of it matters. Resident Evil – Afterlife takes off from where the previous editions of the successful franchise have left off – i.e. killing zombies – to more zombie mauling. On to the (thin) storyline. Alice (Mila Jovovich) sets off on a search for Arcadia – and the search leads away from Alaska to Seattle – where she finds a bunch of human survivors, up against – you guessed it – hordes of zombies. But is that all that they are up against, or are they also on the periphery of another great Umbrella Corporation setup. A movie that delivers on its promise of being identical to all its previous editions, and wholesome if not quite family fun

12/20

2011-12-09T20:38:00.000-08:00

How Horrible

Nick (Jason Bateman) has a psychotic boss in Dave Harley (Kevin Spacey) – the latter promotes himself into a post that he has been holding up to his subordinate as a carrot all the while. Dental assistant (!) Dale (Charlie Day) has a man-eater of a boss in dentist Julia (Jennifer Aniston) who is out to “deflower” him and end his relationship. Lastly, Kurt (Jason Sudeikis) has an unworthy inheritor in Bobby (Colin Farrell) for a boss, who is all out to run Kurt and the business to the ground. All the three, in a fit of frustration, decide to kill their bosses. But our protagonists here are hardly the experts when it comes to crime. So while they roll out their grand plans, beginning with surveillance and moving on to actual execution, almost everything that can go wrong does. The outcome, however, is reasonably logical, while surprising. With an all-star cast (of bosses), Horrible Bosses is a lighthearted take at the all-too-familiar reality of utterly intolerable workplaces

13/20

2011-12-09T20:22:00.000-08:00

Conan the Second

The Cimmerian is back, in a significantly watered down version that sank – some would say unfairly – with very little trace, at the box office. Such is the punishment for those that take on the Governator and his cult movies, even after close to 30 years! On to the story of Conan the Barbarian. Born in the midst of a war where he loses both parents even as arch-enemy Khalar Zym (Stephen Lang) appropriates the last piece of a mask of power that will help him rule the world, the next few (say 20-odd) years of Conan’s (Jason Momoa) life are a blur. Post this, in a serendipitious encounter, Conan finally picks up the trail of the perpetrators. The rest of the movie is a series of skirmishes and minor battles as Conan and his pirates friends hack and cleave through the enemy in their quest to destroy Khalar Zym and rescue the pure-blood Tamara (Rachel Nichols). A decent watch in its own right, but just an action movie nevertheless – till the aura of the predecessor fades, there is no room for a new Conan

11.5/20

2011-12-09T20:20:00.000-08:00

Bad Use of Time

Elizabeth Halsey (Cameron Diaz) of the John Adams Middle School is not what you would call the quintessence of virtue. When she is not smoking pot in the car or getting wasted in the classroom even as the class is on an overdose of movies, Elizabeth is working assiduously towards all that is required to be done – fair and foul – to land herself a rich husband. When new teacher Scott Delacorte (Justin Timberlake) becomes the competing object of affection between Elizabeth and fellow-teacher Amy Squirrel (Lucy Punch), it does not take long for the latter to figure out the nether depths that competition would stoop to. However, is this a morality tale, or does evil prevail… or does Elizabeth metamorphose – at least partially – into a better person? Bad Teacher is a marginal movie at best, only redeemed somewhat by the thespian abilities of Cameron Diaz

10.5/20

2011-12-09T20:17:00.000-08:00

Live by the Sword

Its been a while since the Wolverine was a lanky young hacker in Swordfish. Gabriel Shear (John Travolta) wants a job done – and the incentives for down-and-out Stanley Jobson (Hugh Jackman) are many – but, primarily, the possibility of reunion with his daughter. So Stanley gets called in – with cyber-crime enforcers hot on his trail, but never quite there – as Gabriel like his idol Houdini continues to keep one ahead of his pursuers, for most of the movie. However, is this yet another morality tale or do Gabriel and Ginger (Halle Berry) and the crew eventally pull off one of the largest cyber-robberies in history? Swordfish is a guns-and-chases copybook old school thriller that, while not quite edge-of-the-seat, is not a throwaway movie either

11/20

2011-12-09T20:13:00.000-08:00

30*3 Minutes of Capers

Down-in-the dumps pizza delivery boy Dwayne (Jesse Eisenberg) and friend Chet (Aziz Ansari) lead a humdrum smalltown existence. Till fate decides to come knocking their way. A chance kidnapping by two small time crooks, and Dwayne and Chet, under fear of death, find themselves out to rob a bank for $ 100 grand. With a bomb strapped to Dwayne’s chest, no less. The movie turns to a series of mildly hilarious escapades with the very occasional touch of the outstandingly comic. With a few over-the-top characters, and rank amateur criminals playing their parts rather well, 30 Minutes or Less is about getting your life back in 10 hours or less, and having a few laughs along the way

11.5/20

2011-11-12T10:10:00.000-08:00

Tintin’s Back!

When an animated Herge holds up a sketch of the old and familiar Tintin to his new-age avatar, the comparison between two eras of amination could not be more pronounced. First things first. The Adventures of Tintin will be an unadulterated commercial and critical success. This movie leverages off today’s animation capabilities to resurrect an iconic character. The story is a loose adaptation of The Secret of the Unicorn and while much is familiar –including the story of Red Rachkam vs Sir Francis Haddock, there is a lot else that has been introduced or tweaked in the plot including the introduction of much of the unforgettable cast of characters of the series (with the possible exception of Professor Calculus). Diehard Tintin fans will also have a field day spotting the many references and trivia in the movie in relation to other books of the series. The incendiary combination of Spielberg and Peter Jackson combine for a masterpiece, and you will relive the unabashed adventure that is the Tintin comic. Suffice to say – do not miss this one

16.5/20

2011-11-11T19:28:00.000-08:00

The Human Detective

A tragedy in the family, many years ago, leaves Adrian Monk (Tony Shaloub) bereft of family, with OCD, and out of the police detective force, but not shorn of his one-in-a-million detective faculties. With no pretensions to physicality – or even normalcy – Monk uncannily makes connections that no one can, with information that everyone has, and solves cases that befuddle one and all. One of the most successful TV Series of all time, Monk (the protagonist) is aided in no small measure by doting nurse Sharona (Bitty Schram) and the grudgingly admiring detective Leland Stottmeyer (Ted Levine). Monk is one of the best TV series you could possibly watch – and in its genre, while it misses the “analytical intensity” of say a CSI, its not-infrequent dark overtones steer it clear of the frivolity of other successful crime series’ such as Castle and Psych

16/20

2011-11-11T19:24:00.000-08:00

Eagle One

Marcus Aquila (Channing Tatum) has clearly not seen movies of the likes of Centurion. Hence when his father disappears with the Roman Ninth Legion in a Britain infested with Celtic hordes, Marcus sets out to redeem the family’s honour, into a territory so hostile that, beyond Hadrian's Wall, it marks the end of the Roman Empire. Marcus sets out into North Britain with the fiercely clannish local slave Esca (Jamie Bell) and manages to connect with the past – however, it is utterly uncertain whether he will manage to achieve his objective of recovering the Roman Eagle from an unrelentingly hostile territory. This is a reasonable watch but in all fairness outclassed in its genre. Watch this when you have run out of period movies, including (the Pict-infested) Centurion

12/20

2011-11-11T19:21:00.000-08:00

He Knows no Fear. He Knows No Danger. He Knows Nothing

Could not help inserting the catchy movie caption in the subject line. Johnny English Reborn carries on from where the previous edition had left off (and mercifully without any overtly emoting-challenged cast). The movie opens in Tibet, where English’s penance for an earlier failed mission is interrupted by an MI7 summons, to the great joy of fellow inmates at the monastery. The mission this time around – to protect the Chinese Premier. Expectedly, the story traverses many locales with the copybook laugh-a-minute slapstick humor firmly in place. Rowan Atkinson is clearly a niche by himself, and Mr Bean of the TV series has metamorphosed into a full-blown nearing-cult comedy personality

14.5/20

2011-11-06T03:28:00.000-08:00

Tower of Righteous Actions

When investment manager and scamster Arthur Shaw (Alan Alda)’s Ponzi scheme goes down, so do the life’s savings of all the staff at his residential tower. Determined to get back what is rightfully owed to them, building manager Josh Kovacs (Ben Stiller) forms a team with a mission to steal back what is rightfully owed to them, in a Tower Heist. Given their complete lack of criminal experience, the team also hires one out-on-bail Slide (Eddie Murphy). An elaborately planned heist unearths unexpected findings, but not before some improvisation and brushes with danger. In the end all ends well, in a regular light entertainer that does not disappoint nor overly succeed either

12.5/20

2011-11-05T08:29:00.000-07:00

Selling at the Margin

In a not-so-irregular round of bloodletting in an unnamed Wall Street investment bank, Chief Risk Officer Eric Dale (Staley Tucci) is let go. While leaving the bank premises, he asks associate Peter Sullivan (Zachary Quinto) to look at a model that he was working on – with the parting words – “Be Careful”. Peter passes up a night with the boys and completes the model – and realizes its catastrophic and immediate implications on the bank’s own risk positions. The rest of the night is an effort at assembling the bank’s top management and deciding on a de-risking strategy – nothing more than a “sell it all” diktat - and deliberating upon the consequences of the same on both the book and the bank’s reputation for years to come. Margin Call is an all-star, accurate, gripping insight into the cold-blooded world of investment banking, and the eventual dispensability of all those that are in it

15.5/20

2011-11-05T08:25:00.000-07:00

On Benefits...

Headhunter Jamie (Mila Kunis) closes an assignment with Dylan (Justin Timberlake) that sees the latter relocating to New York. The duo decide to try out intimacy without commitment, that works for a while, but eventually they decode to go their own separate ways. And expectedly, not for long, for in the world of the romantic comedy genre, sex without feelings is an obvious impossibility. Like any other romantic comedy with an apology for a plot, Friends with Benefits hinges on the chemistry between the lead pair – and there is plenty of that. Worth a watch, if you care about the genre, that is

13.5/20

2011-10-23T08:54:00.000-07:00

Real Motivation

It is hard going to create something relatively original in the action genre. And that is why Shawn Levy should be particularly proud. Real Steel showcases the cult of the fighting robot – from the third tier robots in bullfights, to global celebrity Zeus and its marketing and technology machine, the movie breaks something close to new ground in creating an action sub-genre. And the cast helps in no small measure – especially the now-on now-off father-son duo of Charlie (Hugh Jackman) and Max Kenton (Dakota Goyo). Charlie’s best days as a boxer – robot or otherwise – appear firmly behind him. Till Max comes back into his life, and shows him once again what it is to fight for what one believes in. Real Steel is about the old adages of how it is never too late to try, and why one should never ever give up

15.5/20

2011-10-23T08:52:00.000-07:00

Blow the Right Whistle

The distressing reality of the “war whores” - women trafficked from their homelands into war torn Bosnia, as a part of a trade that tears into the heart of the establishment – is showcased in The Whistleblower. The unfolding starts the newly promoted Kathryn Bolkovac (Rachel Weisz) unearthing the heinous nexus between the people who are purported to be liberated, and those ostensibly sent to liberate them. With generous doses of the emotive, Kathryn goes about her mission, is duly sidelined the establishment right up to the topmost brass, and eventually has her say - but not before she has lost much in the process. As depicted many times in movies and real life, the road to hell (for do-gooders) is indeed paved with good intentions (that are shared with but a few)

14.5/20

2011-09-13T09:09:00.000-07:00

Law with (some) Heart

Ten minutes into The Lincoln Lawyer, with Mick Haller (Matthew McConnaughey’s) Southern drawl and some mildly interesting small town goings-on, I was wondering if this was a movie worth watching till the end. And how! This is the movie of the classical twist. Mick is not exactly the epitome of virtue – making a living from defending small town criminals in court, while operating out of a Lincoln car. But even he draws the line at the marginally criminal, and Louis Roulet (Ryan Phillippe) crosses that threshold - or does he? An unabashed treat to watch, and in the spirit of competition among lawyer movies as it were, perhaps leaves the entire Grisham bandwagon high and dry

16/20

2011-09-12T10:45:00.000-07:00

Old Wine

Vincent Brazil (Jean Claude Van Damme) still has the mojo. He looks his age but he hunts and kills like a man half his age. Assassination Games begins profiling Vincent - the killer that is done with a life of violence – living with his now paralyzed wife in a quiet corner of the world. And what could motivate Vincent to one last assignment than getting rid of the scourge called Polo Yakur (Ivan Kaye), who has just been released from prison, and was the inflictor of much wrong upon the Brazil family. In comes the copybook assassination attempt – and fails – with the revelation of one more assassin - Ronald Flint (Scott Atkins) - in contention. Flint and Brazil team up, but it takes more than the assassination skill-set to track down and eliminate the common target. Expectedly quite clichéd, but in the end reckoning a fast paced action movie that can definitely hold its own

12.5/20

2011-09-12T10:39:00.000-07:00

The Peoples Princess.. er, President

For a nation that prides itself on being the guiding light for egalite', the realityis that there has been no female (US) President till date. Commander in Chief seeks to undo that inequity, albeit only in a TV series. The talented Mackenzie Allen (Geena Davis), who is everything that a copybook woman politician should be except overtly political, finds herself holding the highest office in the land in rather fortuitous circumstances. And immediately upon taking office, she has to toe the line on several issues of global import that her feminine charm helps handle with more than a little elan. Strictly for casual viewing, and kid-gloves approach to realpolitik not recommended for dealing with real life crises

11/20

2011-09-12T10:24:00.000-07:00

Rudy Little

Sean Astin, later to become the eponymous Samwise Gamjee, is the large-hearted but diminutive Daniel E Ruettiger aka Rudy in the movie of the same name. Never the one with great grades, Rudy is the quintessential underdog, a worker in a steel mill, with a continuing dream of studying in the University of Notre Dame and playing for The Irish - the football team of the same college, that is #1 ranked in the country. Unbelievably, with a bit of a helping hand from various well-wishers, Rudy makes his way to Notre Dame, and does all but actually play for its football team. And then that, too, comes to pass. Rudy is often quoted as a testament to what a single man’s tenacity can accomplish, and no one can take away from the protagonist's achievements. The only exception - actually playing for the team for a fleeting few minutes - that wee bit smacked more than a little of patronage.

13/20

2011-08-30T13:23:00.000-07:00

A Minor Primate Uprising

Gen-Sys, a pharma company based in San Francisco, is developing a new drug that offers a possible cure to Alzheimer’s. However, plans to move to human testing are abruptly cut short on account of a (misinterpreted) act of animal violence. The testing specimens are put to rest – except one baby chimpanzee – Caesar – adopted by scientist Will Rodman (James Franco). A violent episode against a neighbor consigns Caesar to an animal sanctuary, where he gets a first taste of human cruelty. Eventually, Caesar manages to break free from confinement and empower his primate fellow-inmates, with more than just the average drug. So far so good. What follows is acts of wanton ape vandalism that belies all expectations from a drug that apparently enhances intelligence. And that is where the movie falls apart. Far from getting to anything dystopian or ominous, Rise of the Planet of the Apes ends as a minor skirmish between man and a few slighted apes. Similarly shallow is the role of Caroline Aranha (Frieda Pinto), who manages to duly express affection and consternation in measured doses without attempting anything remarkable

11/20

2011-08-27T21:50:00.000-07:00

Tell me no Lies

The irrepressible and egoistical Cal Lightman (Tim Roth) challenges the world at large to Lie to Me (TV Series), as the Lightman Group uses visual clues to uncover human deception. With a team consisting of partner Gillian Foster (Kelli Williams), Eli Loker (Brendan Hines), Ria Torres (Monica Raymund), and the occasional appearances of Lightman’s ex-wife Zoe (Jennifer Beals), Lightman uses natural talent at interpreting microexpressions, and applied psychology, to solve anything from hostage situations and other national crises, to marital disputes. Cal’s character is loosely based upon the character of pre-eminent applied psychologist Paul Ekman, and the series widely uses the Facial Action Coding System and other branches of applied psychology. I was hooked by the first few episodes – which was the general reaction to the series, as well. On the other hand, Lie to Me does begin to flag into the third season, with a marked paucity of ideas for underlying cases, and a hackneyed cast

16/20

2011-08-27T11:36:00.000-07:00

Punishment and (then) Crime

Good guy Henry (Keanu Reeves) finds himself framed by “friends” – a fall guy for a bank robbery he did not commit, in Henry's Crime. Losing his wife, and three years of his life in jail, Henry returns to attempt the robbery he did not commit. His accomplices – fellow convict Max (James Caan), buddy Joe (Eddie Hoch), security guard Frank (Bill Duke), and the charming Julie (Vera Farmiga) who becomes the object of Henry’s affection. The plot is straightforward, with the attempt at drawing analogies to Chekov’s The Cherry Orchard’s themes of loss and moving on being applied to situations that are not entirely contextual. Reasonable fare with moments of genuine humor, and of thespian brilliance from the mercurial Julie

12/20

2011-06-18T00:39:00.000-07:00

Change of Heart

The despicable Gru (Steve Carell) is fast losing ground among the panoply of the world’s most despicable criminals. The likes of Vector (Jason Segel), young and aggressive, are the new poster boys of the financing giant The Bank of Evil. So Gru – along with the aid of evil genius scientist Dr. Nefario (Russell Brand), and the minions, sets out on an audacious project – to shrink the moon and bring it back to Earth. Even as Vector threatens to steal a march over Gru, the latter adopts three orphaned children – ostensibly to help in the accomplishment of his nefarious objective – with unexpected consequences. With sharply defined characters, especially the Scrooge-meets-The Grinch Gru, and the young and scheming Vector, Despicable Me is a treat to watch and one of the underrated animation movies of 2010

14/20

2011-06-18T00:34:00.000-07:00

Insuring your Moral Compass

Tim (Ed Helms) is a nondescript insurance agent for Brown Valley Insurance, the latter being an unlikely winner of the prestigious winner of the Two Diamonds awards for four years running. When the untimely demise of a colleague elevates Tim to the position of representative for his company at the ASMI convention in Cedar Rapids where these awards are given out, Tim is naturally overwhelmed – he has never even flown before! Enter the trio of the irrepressible Dean Ziegler (John C Reilly), Joan Ostrowshi-Fox (Anne Heche) and Ronald Wilkes (Isiah Whitlock Jr) and lessons in life and the real world abound for Tim. Even as he breaks off a meaningless relationship with his former schoolteacher Macy (Sigourney Weaver), Tim learns the dark secrets of his company’s unlikely previous wins, and has to do his own figuring out between right and wrong. While Tim will inevitably make his companions friends for life, will he be able to stick up for his True North? A feisty little movie for the heart and casual no-frills viewing

12/20

2011-06-15T00:15:00.000-07:00

Of Staring Down Goats and Other Warfare

Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor), a reporter with the Ann Arbor Daily Telegram is devastated when his wife leaves him for the newspaper's editor. A chance meeting in Kuwait with retired Special Forces member Lyn Cassidy (George Clooney) introduces Bob to the world of psychic warfare, and a story of their antecedents that sounds too ludicrous to be true. Started by US Army officer Bill Django (Jeff Bridges) during the Vietnam war on the aftermath of a curious event on the battlefield, the New Earth Movement soon had an equally strong and opposed proponent in the form of Bill’s student Larry Hooper (Kevin Spacey) – the latter not a proponent of the non-violent ways of Bill and fellow-student Lyn. While some experiences are harder to believe than others, Bob and Lyn eventually find themselves in a psychic warfare camp run by Larry, where Bill is a mere depressive inmate. With predictive abilities on coin tosses, splitting clouds, and apparently killing goats by staring at them, The Men Who Stare at Goats is a now-you-believe-it-now-you-don’t expose on psychic warfare that is tailored more for humour than for serious consumption. With deft touches, director Grant Heslov leaves you with just the facts, and your own interpretations

12.5/20

2011-06-15T00:12:00.000-07:00

Crying Wolf.. and Again

In a village so isolated that its whereabouts itself are uncertain, the villagers have kept up a tradition of making offerings to the predatory wolf from the nearby forest, to keep the peace between man and wolf. When the peace is broken by the wolf itself, the villagers resolve to kill it – and ostensibly succeed. Enter Father Solomon (Gary Oldman), apparently a returnee to the village – with his little band of warriors, his torture device and cruel tactics – and a chilling revelation – that the village is up against more than it believes it is. But even as the needle of suspicion swings between protagonist Valerie (Red Riding Hood) (Amanda Seyfried), her grandmother who lives in the forest (Julie Christie), and her two suitors – Cesaire (Billy Burke) and Peter (Shiloh Fernandez), among others, the villagers must suffer multiple times at the hands of both the tyrant and the wolf, before the chilling truth is revealed. A movie released a while back to which critics have been unduly harsh, Red Riding Hood is a twisted and somewhat dark take on the eponymous children’s fairytale

12/20

2011-06-15T00:08:00.000-07:00

Mega Skirmishes

Evil Megamind (Will Ferrell) and the city’s superhero Metro Man (Brad Pitt) battle for control over Metro City. While the latter seems to invariably have the upper hand, in one final skirmish, Megamind destroys (?) Metroman. Unexpectedly, the same is just the beginning of Megamind’s life sinking into purposelessness, even as Metro Man’s former flame Roxanne Ritchi (Tina Fey) first falls for him and then falls out. Megamind needs a hero to match his evil – and proceeds to create one – with markedly unexpected consequences. Well, all is well that ends well, and some of the moral leanings of the cast are somewhat altered in the end. While a decent watch, the quality of animation – especially the emoting or lack of it, and the poor soundtrack, make Megamind pale to the releases from the Pixar and even the DreamWorks stable (How to Train Your Dragon, Madagascar Series, Kung Fu Panda series) of late

12/20

2011-06-15T00:02:00.000-07:00

Future Readjusted

Concurrent with the total collapse of his electoral campaign on the expose of some relatively trivial college event, Congressman David Norris (Matt Damon) falls for Elisa Sellas (Emily Blunt), a new York-based aspiring dancer. But, there are those who are determined that their union does not happen. As the movie progresses, the antecedents of The Adjustment Bureau come to light. But does the mere fact of the existence of a master plan mean the death of free will? And what does it mean for the potential tradeoff between career and love for David and Elisa? While the topics dealt with are deep and existential, the lack of any meaningful chemistry between the lead pair, and the rather offhand treatment of patently deep subjects means that this strange cross between sci fi and romance just scratches the surface of what it could have been

11/20

2011-06-11T04:31:00.000-07:00

The Simple Class

After the tightly scripted introduction to Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) in 2009, the X men franchise proceeds to provide a smorgsabord account of the history of several key characters. Set in the 1940 – 1960’s cusp, X Men – First Class is inevitably intertwined with several key (mostly American) historical events of its time. The whole routine of the contemplative Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik Lensherr/ Magneto (Michael Fassbender) being shaped by their experiences is rather hackneyed, and the easy re-rendition of historical facts threatens to sink this installment into the Marvel comics rather than Marvel graphic novels-genre. But there is enough going for the movie by way of straight entertainment. The highly adaptive prequel, like some of this mutant cast, swings between death camps and Nazi hunts, and the Oxford life and missile crises. Touching? No. Noir? Definitely not. This is the cookie cutter entertainer without the hint of a shade of grey. And previous installments have done enough for this one to be a natural commercial hit. All said, I preferred Wolverine

12/20

2011-06-09T06:56:00.000-07:00

Binge East

Stu (Ed Helms) is getting married in beautiful Thailand, and the wolfpack – Phil (Bradley Cooper), the reluctantly invited Alan (Zach Galifianakis), and new addition – Teddy (Mason Lee), the wife’s brother, find themselves on the beachside with an innocuous catch-up meal of beer and marshmallows. Next morning, they wake up in a seedy Bangkok apartment – well, almost all of them - and the real party starts. The Hangover II will give more than a passing flavor of the city, with tuktuks and river cruises evenly matched with ladyboys, gangsters and monks with a vow of silence, among much else. While bursting crime rackets may be a fringe benefit of the wolfpack’s fact-finding mission on what happened the night before, the trio have the deadly serious agenda of figuring out the whereabouts of Teddy and returning in time for Stu’s wedding. While the night-before-amnesia is now par for the course for the series, Bangkok throws in enough colour if its own to rival Las Vegas. And much of it is strictly over-18 fare – no surprises there

14.5/20

2011-06-09T06:51:00.000-07:00

More Panda More King Fu

In Kung Fu Panda II, The Kung Fu Panda quintet (Po the Panda (Jack Black), with the tigress (Angelina Jolie), monkey (Jackie Chan, viper (Lucy Liu) and mantis (Seth Rogen)) are at peace, and Po is in nostalgia mode with the goose father. In the meantime, Lord Shen (Gary Oldman), the ambitious peafowl, has a new weapon at hand, and seeks to take over China. Not if Po can help it. What starts off as a rescue mission for a single village soon erupts into an action-sequence-a-minute all out battle between good and evil. And it remains to be seen whether the sheep oracle’s (Michelle Yeoh) prophecy of the black and white warrior defeating Lord Shen will come to pass. With a galaxy of stars providing the voice-overs, Po the high-energy lovable fighting panda, can effortlessly chop and kick his way through many more sequels to come

14/20

2011-05-21T23:57:00.000-07:00

The Tide Keeps Rising

In the world of teen myth, Narnia gives Harry Potter and the wizards a run for their money, with many others in their wake. In the world of superheroes, any of Spiderman, Iron Man, The Dark Knight and a dozen others have their own cult followings. And while Pixar redefines animation, the likes of Nickelodeon are not far behind. In the world of pirates and treasure hunts, however, Jack Sparrow reigns supreme. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides while being a fourth installment will do nothing to distract. The plot is simple – a search for the Fountain of Youth – with the face-off of two great pirate egos –Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) and Blackbeard (Ian Mc Shane). The movie also introduces Angelica (Penelope Cruz) as Jack Sparrow’s love interest, to the mix. A clean-cut adventure with the usual feisty fight scenes and Jack Sparrow’s comic turns, Pirates' fourth coming is a predictable entertainer, worth your weekend movie outing

13/20

2011-05-21T23:52:00.000-07:00

Outside the Company

The demise of the American shipbuilding industry spells the demise of the careers of three men – The Company Men - all long-timers with the $ 11 bn turnover GTX. Bobby Walker (Ben Affleck), regional head of sales, is perhaps the most affected. More than letting go of what he once considered life’s essentials, it is letting go of one’s pride what hurts Bobby the most. Phil Woodward (Chris Cooper) rose from the shop-floor to become one of the seniormost executives of GTX. Pushing 60 and not in the best of health, a fresh job search is likely to be the toughest on him. Gene Mc Clary (Tommy Lee Jones), an ex board member with millions in stock upon severance, has enough going for him to not feel the pinch economically, but has an uncertain future nevertheless. Jack Dolan (Kevin Costner) is doing all that he can to keep the company afloat. With consequences ranging from the tragic to those that promise hope for the future, the movie is a timely one that focuses on the psychological impact of unemployment

13.5/20

2011-05-09T09:53:00.000-07:00

Inside the Catastrophe

Matt Damon – yes, the man who slammed Sarah Palin, and went all-out in the search for the truth behind the war on terror in Green Zone (albeit only on celluloid) continues his exposes on the issues that matter, slamming the investment banking fraternity in Inside Job. The opening scene on the economic fall of Iceland is successfully attention-grabbing. The documentary moves on to a five-part series on capitalism gone berserk. While the facts are well-known, the squirming economists with their ill-founded thought leadership on the free markets accompanied by their obvious conflicts of interest, and the lobbyists, and the long line of individuals who refused to be interviewed for the film – are a telltale reminder of what has come to pass as the adverse consequences of deregulation. Collectively, the all-star cast (largely politicians, bankers, academics, and thought leaders) reinforce the rationale behind the title of the film. For those with no time (or patience) for Too Big To Fail (book) or its likes, this is one of the more comprehensive snapshots of the Great Economic Crisis of 2008

15.5/20

2011-05-08T08:44:00.000-07:00

Time Stands Still

The smartly up-and-coming Jake Gyllenhaal, as Colter Stevens, has his work cut out shuttling back and forth between an indeterminate living state, and “projection” into the last eight minutes of the existence of a Chicago-bound train. Over successive rounds of moral suation, exhaustion, and growing attachment to one fellow passenger Christina Warren (Michelle Monaghan), Colter Stevens is tracking down his quarry – the erstwhile bomber on the train, who currently has larger targets on his mind. However, if Colter Stevens succeeds at this novel form of time-travel detective work, does it mean eventual commercialization of the technology behind Source Code, or an ending that would be closer to the audience’s heart? The movie adds nothing extraordinary or illuminating to the sci-fi genre, but is well-executed and quite a watch. In the meantime, Jake Gyllenhaal awaits his train to the next level in Hollywood to fully exploit his rather obvious thespian talent

14.5/20

2011-05-08T08:40:00.000-07:00

Honor among Wolves

The ruthless salesmen of Morgan Brothers, led by Baker (Colin Egglesfield), have a newbie in their midst – Daniel Seaver (Brian Greenberg), an ex military man, a self-confessed introvert, and an incongruous reader of Dickens and Tolstoy in the world of cut-throat investment banking. But, in a world where “everybody has an angle”, it is not easy to figure out who, if anyone, is The Good Guy. While Baker’s latest girlfriend Beth (Alexis Biedel) clearly has a growing fondness for Daniel, there is much more to the lives of some of the protagonists than meets the eye. A reasonably exciting drama, which I particularly liked because of the fairly accurate descriptions of investment bankers, and their psyche

12.5/20

2011-04-29T08:28:00.000-07:00

Norse Gods – An Approachable Bunch

Scientist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), assistant Darcy (Kat Dennings) and mentor Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard) are confronted with a strange weather phenomenon – an unexpectedly intense storm - and crash their vehicle into a man in its midst. The man turns out to be the god Thor (Chris Hemsworth) – banished from Asgard by father Odin (Anthony Hopkins) on account of needlessly waging war upon the Frost Giants of Jotunheim. Thor needs to confront his scheming brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston), get back to his ailing father and end his banishment, and deal with his growing fondness for Jane. While the movie begins with much promise, it concludes squarely as light entertainment. The casual banter of Thor and the gods with humans, and the easy transformation of Thor from arrogance to an empathetic self, are but a few pointers to the fact that this movie will be one of the really light interpretations of the Norse Gods and totally in line with the Marvel Comics character. Worth noting in passing that even the Gods seem to fall in love with Natalie Portman these days

11.5/20

2011-04-27T04:39:00.000-07:00

Birds Beasts and Beastly People

The eponymous Rio plays out the story of Blu (Jesse Eisenberg) and Jewel (Anne Hathaway), two Spix’s Macaws, the former a pampered pet from Minnesota, the latter a wild bird kept in captivity, in the city of the same name. The two are the last of their species and have been brought together to (hopefully) mate. Stolen by smugglers, the duo manage to escape into the rainforest, but are constantly constrained by the fact that Blu cannot fly, and also that the two are chained to each other. With the help of Rafael (George Lopez), the two birds get to Luiz (Tracy Morgan), but danger is not far behind, and the owners Linda and Tulio are also hot on the trail in their search for the missing birds. A riot of colour – an outstanding visual spectacle, and an entertaining children’s adventure. In the inevitable comparison, Rio does not capture the wry humour of Rango, but nor does it seek to – it is intended for a simpler audience, child or adult

13/20

2011-04-22T09:07:00.000-07:00

True Colours

Pet chameleon Rango falls off his owner’s vehicle in the middle of the desert, and finds his thespian skills – well, all skills – tested to the hilt in the obscure desert town of Dirt. A series of serendipitous circumstances make the denizens of Dirt believe that they have a hero in Rango, who will solve their water problem and save the town. However, while Rango’s first few lucky exploits reinforce his reputation, luck soon runs out and he has to find his true calling – aided by the Spirit of the West – a Man with No Name (a spoof on Clint Eastwood and the likes and a moment of much hilarity among many in the movie), Rango returns to much distrust. But will Rango help provide not just water, but unravel the machinations of the unscrupulous as well? An all-star cast (albeit only in voice-over), hilarious characters (with the piece de resistance being the out-of-the-world hombre owl band - see above pix), laugh-a-minute jokes, and some serious storytelling included – this one is quite the exceptional animation movie. Too bad it is trailing Rio in the 2011 summer animation release sweepstakes

14.5/20

2011-04-22T09:03:00.000-07:00

The Beast Cometh

Longtime train engineer Frank Barnes (Denzel Washington) is training newly recruited conductor Will Colson (Chris Pine) in the town of Fuller in northern Philadelphia. In the meantime, a combination of carelessness and unforeseen circumstance puts one freight train # 777 on a collision course with several others. A few other facts come to light as the situation unravels – the runaway train has no air brakes on, it is on full power, and – hold your breath – it has four containers of molten phenol – a highly inflammable and toxic substance that could decimate one of the many towns on its way. Will the Unstoppable train finally yield to the elaborate attempts to get marines on board to cut the power, or some old-school thinking and brave execution by the protagonists? Veers on edge-of-the-seat, appears technically sound without too much artistic license, and opens up the train-related adventure genre after a long spell of myriad Hollywood vehicular misadventures

13.5/20

2011-04-22T08:59:00.000-07:00

Morning Crusade

Morning TV is kitschy, perk-you-up content that is not to the liking of much decorated veteran-of-many-Pulitzers-and-warzones journalist Mike Pomeroy (Harrison Ford) – once a star, the IBS (channel) veteran now likes to keep his talent and his thoughts mostly to himself. So, in the tussle between Mike and Becky Fuller (Rachel McAdams), the latter being the rookie IBS producer of morning show Daybreak trying to find her footing with a disillusioned team and a bottom-of-the-barrel show to manage, the expected outcome is somewhat foregone. Er.. not quite. Never underestimate the power of positive energy, which Becky carries to a superhuman degree, in rousing up the workplace and soporific old-timers. No wonder Becky rises to Morning Glory in her morning show fraternity, but will she eschew great offers for her new-found family? A charming and uplifting tale, albeit a slightly tall one.

12/20

2011-04-22T08:53:00.000-07:00

Darjeeling?? Never mind.

This is not a 2010/ 2011 movie, but thought I would put in a little note in any case. A train that looks suspiciously like the Palace on Wheels, and travels entirely through scrubland and desert, incongruously named The Darjeeling Limited, is the focal point of the movie by the same name. The train is the meeting point of brothers Francis (Owen Wilson), Peter (Adrien Brody) and Jack (Jason Schwartzmann). With misunderstandings of the past, including events related to their estranged and semi-ascetic mother, and their father’s funeral, on their minds, the trio spend a few days on the Indian subcontinent, in seeking bonding and certain inner realizations available in the Indian Subcontinent to occidentals. One can watch it as an apt precursor to Slumdog Millionaire, a movie made with equally amazingly miniscule empathy with India (with due leeway for the fact that the movie in question is principally intended to be a comedy), but one that nevertheless strikes a chord with an audience that is equally ignorant

7.5/10

2011-04-15T09:05:00.000-07:00

No Way Out

Is there a way out of a lifetime of crime? Not in Charlestown, Boston, it appears. DougMacRay (Ben Affleck), longtime crook, leads a successful heist on a local bank, and then another, in The Town. But, life gets complicated as Doug gets romantically involved with one former heist hostage - bank manager Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall). An uncertain relationship with an imprisoned father who never quite reveals the truth about why his mother left, and then the ghost of old relationships with people with whom he would rather not associate with any longer, further complicate Doug’s existence. In the meantime, the FBI have their quarry, but continually want for evidence. Unremarkable fare albeit well-executed, with fairly standard treatment of the subject matter

12/20

2011-04-13T01:44:00.000-07:00

The King Speaks

The King’s Speech is a much-reviewed and much-awarded movie, and the toast of the awards season just past. A discussion as to whether it is deserving of such sweeping accolades is somewhat academic. What offsets the rather narrow subject matter is two aspects of the movie that make it absolutely memorable. The first is Colin Firth (King George VI) playing a King-elect and then a King with a stammering disability, his battle against it, and the tribulations and setbacks along the way. The second is the remarkable relationship between the King and his speech instructor Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) – born out of necessity and occasionally showing the consequences of a large class divide, with the (inevitable?) results and conviction eventually following. Forget the awards, it is these two reasons alone that make this movie eminently watchable. As to whether the movie is broad enough in scope to be a Best Picture Academy Award winner? Why does it matter anyway – you can watch Black Swan and The Fighter as well!

14.5/20

2011-04-13T01:40:00.000-07:00

Dead Genre

Mary Shaw breathed life and unspeakable horror into inanimate ventriloquist's dolls. Dead Silence seeks, with the help of the long-dead Mary Shaw and her dolls of small-town Ravens fair, to breathe life into the near-dead horror genre. When wife Ella Ashen (Amber Valetta) is brutally murdered, husband Jamie Ashen (Ryan Kwanten) embarks on a fact-finding mission that delves into local lore, and is punctuated by much copybook horror sequences at motels, graveyards (!), and abandoned theatres. What could set this movie a bare notch above the mindless horror flick, is a few reasonably unexpected twists in the tale. A recommended movie only for those hellbent on picking on the last vestiges of an idea-starved genre

11.5/20

2011-04-13T01:35:00.000-07:00

Such a Long Journey!

At long last, an adventure movie to crow about, in the copybook inspirational adventure genre. How far would you walk to escape the dreaded Siberian Gulag? To India?! In 1941, Polish prisoner of war Janusz (Jim Sturgess), hardened resident criminal Valka (Colin Farell), American actor Mr Smith (Ed Harris), and three other Gulag inmates – Voss (Gustaf Skarsgård), Tomasz (Alexandru Potocean), and Kazik (Sebastian Urzendowsky) – escape imprisonment in a labour camp in the Siberian Gulag, in The Way Back. The first step in a great southward journey is to reach Lake Baikal – a journey of months and hundreds of kilometers. On the verge of death by starvation and exposure, most of the escapees manage to reach the lake, where they are joined by Irena (Saoirse Ronan). Irene has a questionable alibi, but brings much needed morale to the team with her effervescent personality. In an unbelievable trek across snow, the plains, the desert and again the snow, will any of this unlikely band survive? The movie is based on a novel by Slawomir Rawicz, a Polish POW in the Siberian Gulag, and has the twin challenges of making an excruciating ordeal believable to an audience, as well as depicting emotional connect between a diverse group of individuals bound by the same challenge. It succeeds commendably on the former count, but falters somewhat in the latter – in the end, creating a striking end-product nevertheless, that is at the very least inspiring. Director Peter Weir (The Truman Show, Master and Commander, Dead Poets Society) does not do any injustice to his specialization of depicting the inspirational, across multiple settings

15.5/20

2011-04-13T00:28:00.000-07:00

Gambling the Nation

Welcome to the workday of super-lobbyist Jack Abramoff (Kevin Spacey) – that starts with explaining to himself – in the mirror as part of the morning ablutions – as to just why he is the hardnosed gut that he is, in Casino Jack. As a super-lobbyist Jack was willing to walk the fine line between justifiable promotion of others’ quasi-legitimate interest, and serving himself and his ego – and was to be found very often on the wrong side of it. Questionable advocacy of US offshoring circumventing minimum wage laws, and mispricing deals with American Indians for lobbying for the latter’s gambling rights on grounds of highly dubious benefits, were but some of Jack’s transgressions. The act comes to a halt in late 2004, and in 2006 Jack pleads guilty and the law takes over. While arguably not the best-made of movies, this one will strike a resonance with the anti-corruption crusade that seems to have taken over as our current national obsession at the time of writing, as an effective example of justice served even in the case of powerful defendants 13/20

2011-04-03T04:55:00.000-07:00

Punched Down

If I interpret Sucker Punch as the generally mindless action entertainment genre, full of innuendo and game-like action sequences, the movie is a pretty solid achievement. On the other hand, if the movie was meant to be an insight into the overly imaginative workings of a girl’s mind, who is the victim of just about all the abuse and mis-accusations that a human can bear, this movie makes a mockery of Baby Doll’s (Emily Browning’s) condition. So, staying on middle ground, if the movie is simply an uncomplicated meshing of erotic action genre meets loosely scripted morality tale, this movie is a reasonably entertaining watch. Babydoll is institutionalized by her stepfather, in a mental institution. While in real life she mesmerizes audiences with a particularly erotic dance routine, behind the scenes she and a small band of fellow inmates plot an escape. Every stage of the execution of the plan is depicted as a clichéd action sequence played out in Babydoll’s overly active imagination. Zack Snyder unfortunately does not quite pull off this one into 300 and Watchmen-class exceptional category 12/20

2011-04-03T04:50:00.000-07:00

Song and Dance

The appeal of the Great Indian Wedding to.. well.. Indians is obvious. What is unexpected is finding a different angle into a hackneyed topic. Enter the new age wedding planner – a class of noveau entrepreneur that aspires to take their businesses from the couple-of-lakhs weddings to the multicrore palatial affairs that are the fodder for the Page 3 mill. In Band Baaja Baraat, Bittoo (Ranveer Singh) falls for Shruti (Anoushka Sharma) and the two start off a wedding planning venture. While success comes rather quickly, given a pretty potent blend of charisma, hard work and organizational skills, the personal soon starts getting in the way of the professional, and it remains to be seen if the dynamic duo can find some middle ground and get back on track for professional success. Smartly executed, and with a fresh and bubbly lead pair, watch this one for why the latter have become the talk of the town

12/20

2011-03-24T10:56:00.000-07:00

Cat out of the Bag

Mendacity. Politely, lies and then damned lies. Brick Pollitt, favored heir of the Pollitt empire, lies to himself about why he is an alcoholic, and why he resists the affections of his beautiful wife Maggie (Elizabeth Taylor). Big Daddy Pollitt (Burl Ives) lies to himself about loving the family, as opposed to, well, owning them. And other son and daughter-in law Gooper and Mae (Jack Carson and Madeline Sherwood) are the very picture of pretentiousness as they make their rather obvious moves for the Pollitt empire. Cat on A Hot Tin Roof is set on Big Daddy’s 65th birthday, and, unknown to him but to the knowledge of his family – his impending demise. One by one, through intense bursts of dialogue, all the truth comes tumbling out of the closet. Brick’s self-loathing and guilt on account of blaming himself for the death of a friend, is revealed only through the dialogue with Big Daddy. In the meantime, the relationship between Brick and Maggie move towards the mend, even as the brother and his wife’s true intentions are glaringly revealed. The emoting is generations from what modern audiences would expect, but the story in no way appears theatrical - it is a fairly believable account of what can befall a family if each member is clouded by his or her own self-seeking goals. And Maggie pulls off an understated and brilliant performance as one who has her heart, her past and her little white prevarications all in the right place

14/20

2011-03-24T10:51:00.000-07:00

Freeze this

Let me tell you about a movie, newly released, called Frozen, wherein three young adults get stuck in a ski lift in the bitter cold. A series of improbable circumstances mean that their predicament is not known, and they are likely to be frozen stiff over the next week or so. After much conjecture the truth hits them that they are not about to be rescued. Braving the height (of the ski lift from the ground) and looking for rescue, the most intrepid of the trio jumps – and breaks both his legs. He meets a gruesome fate (thanks to the natural predators that abound ski slopes), and is not the only one to end thus. In the end, the only survivor is rescued, and will possibly never end up on a ski slope again. Nor me, with this movie. And yes, I do get the message about being duty-bound to be scared of ski lifts and black swan events on my next ski trip

9/20

2011-03-22T20:10:00.000-07:00

Spectacular.

I watch hundreds of movies a year. Most rate a bit above 10, simply because all the movies pass through some degree of pre-selection. A rare movie makes it past 15. Only occasionally there comes a movie that reminds us of all that is great about movies per se – so brilliant is the theme, so perfect the execution, and so absorbed and perfect the key characters in their roles. It is in this vein that I shall desist from a lengthy review of Black Swan. It is Nina Sayers’ (Natalie Portman’s) role of a lifetime, but only because she has the canvas for the same in this surreal movie. So, a brief. Nina is the quintessential White Swan in “Swan Lake” her New York ballet troupe, but can she make a Black Swan too? Enter Lily (Mila Kunis), the natural Black Swan – a night of debauchery and hallucinations ensues – and Nina finds herself teetering at the edge of being the Swan Queen. Further hallucinations and a magnificent and tragic performance round off this spectacle. Like many great movies, this one is hard to put into words. Darren Aronofsky uses elements of melodrama, split personalities, and incredibly difficult character portraits to put together this once-in-a-lifetime movie

18/20

2011-03-22T20:06:00.000-07:00

Test of Nerves

It is the ultimate test for the ultimate contestants. All eight of them, packed into a room with pencil and paper, and not knowing what the test could possibly be. Exam is not so much about decoding what the content of a particular evaluation process is, as it is about personalities. It is a test of how different people react to a specific circumstance – quiet resignation, logical thinking, violence, anger – and how such a process can be used to select winners from losers. For a movie that is shot in a single room and has an ever-decreasing cast of characters, this one comes through rather nicely

14/20

2011-03-22T20:02:00.000-07:00

Spit on it

Why do I even bother reviewing such movies?! I Spit on Your Grave is a 2010 remake of a 1978 movie – suffice to say that the latter ranks in the Top 10 Ridiculously Violent Movies by Time Magazine. Jennifer Hills (Sarah Butler) finds herself a quiet corner in the woods to finish writing her book. Her paths cross with a bunch of depraved locals including a crooked sheriff, and what follows can only be described as gorno – graphic rape followed by graphic revenge. It would perhaps be for the best if such movies were banned – the kind of taste that this kind of movie implies cannot possibly be healthy

7.5/20

2011-03-22T19:59:00.000-07:00

A Case of old wine..

Someone please step out there and re-invent the horror movie genre. Case 39 is a case in point that totally lacks any new inspiration. Social worker Emily Jenkins (Renée Zellweger) takes a personal interest in Lillith Sullivan (Jodie Ferland), and the interest turns into alarmed near-adoption as Emily finds that Lillith’s parents were actually trying to kill her. Living under the same roof has unexpected (?) consequences however – a number of people close to Emily start dying, and the linkages to Lilith become irrefutable. And then the attempts to destroy the evil presence follow. Once you have the Omen meets Exorcist feeling about halfway through the movie, you will rapidly lose interest and wonder whether there is anything unexpected around the corner – there isn’t

10/20

2011-03-22T19:51:00.000-07:00

After the Flood

Among the various better-documented paranormal phenomena would be near-death experiences, and the subsequent connectivity that people with such experiences supposedly have with the dead. At the heart of Hereafter there are just three characters (and I don’t mean director Clint Eastwood, producer Steven Spielberg and writer Peter Morgan). Marie Lelay (Cecile de France) almost dies as the tsunami hits Thailand – and the subsequent changes in her have profound consequences upon her work and relationships, as she embarks to write a book about her experience. George Lonegan (Matt Damon) is a San Francisco based reluctant psychic, a man running away from his gift and the psychological consequences of communicating with the dead, even as he is not quite stably employed. Marcus (Frankie McLaren and George McLaren) cannot cope with the death of brother Jason and looks for ways and means to communicate. The paths of all three cross unexpectedly in London – with the hope of positive outcomes all round. Well-executed like all Clint Eastwood fare, sensitive and touching in parts, and a good watch all round, though never crossing into exceptional territory as Eastwood has done so often

13.5/20

2011-03-19T10:49:00.000-07:00

Better than a Life of Despair..

Deadbeat professor John Brennan (Russell Crowe) steps out for dinner with wife Lara (Elizabeth Banks), where the latter has a face-off with her boss. The next thing he knows – the boss is found murdered, and all the evidence points to his wife. Facing life imprisonment with stoic acceptance, Lara has not reckoned with the resourcefulness of her husband. After failing with lawyers and the right side of the law, John obsesses with getting Lara out of prison – and the country – by any means possible. The next few months are a blur of delirious effort, the horror of near-misses coupled with near-penury, and finally - when something is required by The Next Three Days, a breakthrough. But breaking out of prison is one matter – will the couple be able to re-unite with their child and find their way out of the United States? The extraordinary movie slows towards the middle to let the viewer soak in the consequences upon a family of justice denied, and then switches to a dramatic conclusion. Paul Haggis of Crash, Million Dollar Baby and Casino Royale fame pulls off an extraordinary movie –the extent of improbability of the escape cannot be better captured than by the quote from Don Quixote used in the movie – “'If we choose to exist in our own reality, are we insane? And if we are, isn't that better than a life of despair?'”. And Russell Crowe on his part shows all of the quiet resolve that made the likes of Cinderella Man and A Beautiful Mind such extraordinary movies

16.5/20

2011-03-19T10:34:00.000-07:00

The Siege of LA

Yes, (at the time of writing), it’s in the multiplex and yes you will not go wrong on this one! So this is another alien invasion, and the aliens have taken over Los Angeles. Battle Los Angeles swings between Skyline-style terrifying, to Independence Day style melodrama, and lots of action in between. Where the movie does not go wrong are the Black Hawk Down-meets The Hurt Locker style urban battle sequences. With Ssgt. Michael Nantz (Aaron Eckhart) well-supported by his multi-ethnic company including the spunky action heroine Elena Santos (Michelle Rodriguez), this movie will keep you occupied with excellent action cuts interspersed by reasonably convincing stock-taking on the futility of it all, and other similar clichés

13.5/20

2011-03-19T10:29:00.000-07:00

Monsters (?)

No matter how hackneyed the theme, an effort at an authentic rendition of a situation, and the people affected by the situation, has an appeal all of its own. First, the context. A probe to detect extraterrestrial life crashes over Mexico. Six years later, the whole of northern Mexico is a dangerous quarantine zone, infested by Monsters, with barbed wire fencing to the south and The Wall protecting the United States to the North. It is against this backdrop that cynical journalist Scoot McNairy (Andrew Kaulder) is given the task of escorting beautiful American tourist Samantha Wynden (Whitney Able) to the safety of the USA. A plan to take the ferry to the States goes all wrong, and the trip across the Infected Zone has unexpected consequences for the duo, and their perception of the persecuted monsters. The distinguishing feature of the movie is the effort at authentic scenes of Mexican life affected by the infestation – a cart carrying off a jet engine, monsters in graffiti and children’s drawings, children wearing gas masks as a way of life. Touching in parts, and engaging in full, this is not your average alien-buster Hollywood flick

13.5/20

2011-03-19T10:12:00.000-07:00

Heist with Twists

Generous brushstrokes of noir and well-chosen sepia tinted scenes and soft lighting are an unexpected canvas for The Hessen Conspiracy, a World War II whodunit. Jack Durant(Billy Zane) and Lt. Kathleen Nash (Lyne Renee) fall for each other, and for the crown jewels of Princess Sophie of Germany. While the extrication of these jewels to the United States is rather cleanly orchestrated, how does the couple get legitimacy over the jewels and get the wartime police off their backs? And are they truly with one another, or is it that they are looking to double cross each other? The movie manages to generate a surprising degree of suspense even as it maintains its retro feel.

13/20

2010-11-21T08:39:00.000-08:00

The (Hopefully) Last Airbender

The irrepressible M Night Shyamalan will not be kept from bringing fables to the big screen, that somehow do not seem to click, as far as all recent attempts have gone. Aang (Noah Ringer) of the Air people, is The Last Airbender, preserved for a hundred years in ice even as his people have been decimated by the Fire People. It takes two intrepid Water People – Katara (Nicola Peltz) and Sokka (Jackson Rathbone) to discover Aang from under the ice, and then embark on a journey to unite the peoples, and in particular manage the military onslaught from the martial Fire People. Where the movie seems to have failed is execution. A cast that does not click as far as pretty much any and every role is concerned. Hideous acting with uninspiring central characters that chokes off any upside potential from the above-average special effects. While the Director has made no secret of seeking sequels herein, it remains to be seen whether, with this combination of cast and crew, the audience is likely to bite

10/20

2010-11-20T09:50:00.000-08:00

Scott’s Noisy Adventures

For a movie that is somewhat hard to describe – I shall keep my review of this one brief. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is the movie adaptation of a graphic novel, and a popular game as well. Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) is a reasonably average Toronto dude, whose claim to fame is being bass guitarist for the band Sex bom-omb (!) and whose concurrent claim to infamy is dating Chinese high-school student Knives Chau. The romance gets interrupted by the entry of one Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), with whom Scott falls head-over-heels in love. Not so fast – Ramona has seven evil exes (ex-dates) in her life – and through a series of adventures, some verging on the sensible but others downright garish, but all superhuman, Scott takes on Indian dudes, vegan obsessives, popular movie stars, two Japanese brothers – and a woman – in his bid to win over Ramona. The final challenge however proves the most daunting – do all the elements of Scott’s life – the elusive record deal, the prospective girlfriend and the spurned one – come together? Watch this one for the “game” experience – but as far as graphic novel adaptations go, I found this movie a sensory overload rather than thought-provoking or nuanced
11.5/20

2010-11-20T09:46:00.000-08:00

D’uh Border

“Stone Cold” Steve Austin hits the movies again as Jim Rhodes, an US Border Patrol Agent who keeps watch over a point proximate to the Canadian border, and one daughter Kim (Marie Avgeropoulos) who does not think too much of him, in Hunt to Kill. An unrelated heist gone wrong in a different city has the quintessential posse of villains enter Jim and Kim’s life, and take them hostage in their quest for a way across the border. Much violence (surprised?) and general cleaning-up of the riffraff expectedly ensue. Clearly not a movie to step into with exalted expectations, and nothing unexpectedly exalted to take away either . Notably, the movie re-unites Steve Austin, Gary Daniels and Eric Roberts for the first time since The Expendables

10/20

2010-11-20T09:41:00.000-08:00

Another End of the World

Skyline is freakier than reviews have generally given it credit for. An idyllic LA party setting reminiscent of Cloverfield is suddenly turned into the hotspot for an alien attack. Elaine (Scottie Thompson) and Jarrod (Eric Balfour) have flown in to LA for friend Terry's (Donald Faison) birthday party. The night of the party, a strange alien attack – lights that draw people like moths to a flame – and then absorb them whole in spaceships – decimates the group. An attempt to escape to the boats proves futile – the group endeavors to survive in the building but does not last long. Well, almost all. The movie has a District 9 – style ending with Jarrod (or more accurately Jarrod’s brain) still retaining “human” characteristics – in particular, his protective instincts for Elaine. The movie borrows liberally – too liberally – from anything and everything from War of the Worlds (probes drawing in humans) to Independence Day (multiple-city alien landings, aerial attacks including survival of a nuclear attack) to The Matrix (intelligent probes searching for humans) – but in the end the Strause Brothers do manage to leave a sense of near-unmitigated hopelessness that is all its own

11.5/20

2010-11-13T21:29:00.000-08:00

Dream Merchants

Welcome to the hard-driving sales culture the way only Americana can! Steve and Kate Jones (David Duchovny and Demi Moore), and children Jenn and Mick (Amber Heard and Ben Hollingsworth) form a family “unit” – the Jone$es – planted in an upmarket suburban neighborhood by their employer, a marketing company – to peddle the wares of the latter’s clients through their lifestyle. Out come the trendy furniture and designer clothes, and perfumes and cereal and golf clubs – and the sales keep rolling. But beneath all this is the undercurrent of the unit continuously questioning their vacuous existence, and the possibilities of the unit actually behaving like an actual family – spurred by the strains of a growing attachment between “husband” and “wife”. The sales culture has its casualties on both sides, and in the end, something in the cold culture does give. An entertaining if marginally over-the-top look at ways and means to create demand where none existed, and simultaneously questioning the ethics of it all

13/20

2010-11-13T21:16:00.000-08:00

The Overseas Proposal

Anna Brady (Amy Adams) “stages apartments” in Boston – a career typical of a hard-driven city – that consists of decking up apartments that appeal to potential buyers’ fantasies, and then taking away the frills on the eve of a purchase. The ubiquitous boyfriend Jeremy (Adam Scott) is a cardiologist, who has been deferring the “M” plan for – 4 years and counting. Up comes a business trip to Ireland, and, drawn to a tradition of proposals on February 29th (only possible in a Leap Year) that apparently never get spurned, Anna lands up in Ireland. Ireland, not Dublin, because inclement weather and a series of mishaps to follow land her in faraway Dingle, two days’ journey from Dublin, that need to be necessarily traversed with a rickety car and one Declan (Matthew Goode) for company. The countryside is breathtaking, the unfortunate delays come thick and fast, and the stranger and his country grow on Anna. So how does it all end, then? Set against the backdrop of a country that is, refreshingly, not sepia-tinted-beautiful but rugged-beautiful, watch this movie if only to get an up close look at Hibernia, and have a comely romance playing along to boot

13.5/20

2010-11-01T09:59:00.000-07:00

INTRODUCING RITU

MY CO AUTHOR...

ON TO HER FIRST POST...

2010-10-02T10:37:00.000-07:00

Species #2

Elsa (Sarah Polley) and Clive (Adrien Brody) are two brilliant genetic engineers who have created a mutant animal – product of a Splice between the DNA of two animals. Rather than being sequestered into mundane research and protein extraction from the said animal, as is the diktat of their firm, the two scientists – who are also in a relationship – go for the kill – trying to generate the product of spliced human DNA. They succeed, but the product – which carries Elsa’s DNA – is not quite what they had envisaged. Dren (Delphine Chaneac) – the product - is a highly intelligent semi-human creature, that is amphibious and carries a toxic sting. Dren evokes maternal love from Elsa, and, given her genetic antecedents, a very different kind of love from Clive, even as the two scientists struggle to conceal the results of their experiment from their company and the world at large. Eventually Dren metamorphoses into something else altogether – and the same has tragic consequences for the couple, but is an extremely profitable outcome for their company. Yet another horror story of mutation gone wrong, and not a particularly well-made story, at that

12/20

2010-10-02T10:33:00.000-07:00

Until Lambs become Lions

The latest edition of Robin Hood is about how Robin Hood, the outlaw, came to be. Robin Longstride (Russell Crowe), later Robin Hood, fought alongside King Richard the Lionheart (Danny Huston) in the Crusades. When King Richard dies in battle, Robin and a small band of fellow-soldiers end up in custody of the royal crown, and Robin, in the guise of Sir Robert Loxley of Nottingham, a knight killed in the same battle, maes the journey to Nottingham. Robin soon brings back life to the hamlet and wins the affections of Robert’s widowed wife Marion Loxley (Cate Blanchett). The peace is not to last, however – renegade English knight Godfrey (Mark Strong) is planning a French invasion of England even as he pillages English towns in succession for the collection of taxes for the royal coffers. The paths of Robin and Godfrey cross, with tragic consequences for Godfrey and his nefarious plans. But, the subsequent adulation of Robin Longstride, and his views on empowerment of the people of England, are taken none too kindly by newly crowned Prince John (Oscar Isaac). This is an under-rated movie, the reception of which was marred by expectations from the Robin Hood mush camp.

15.5/20

2010-09-25T23:51:00.000-07:00

Eventful Marriage

Undercover agent Spencer Aimes (Ashton Kutcher) falls in love with a recently out-of-a-relationship Jen Kornfeldt (Katherine Heigl) who’s holidaying in Nice with her parents. Three years on, and to the blissful unawareness of Jen about her husband’s past, it takes a sudden attempt on Spencer’s life by what seemed to be a neighbor, to bring home the truth – Sepncer’s old organization wants him out. And dovetailing into this script is the family life of Spencer and Jen – with a baby on the way and a trust-no-one policy in respect of what they thought to be neighbors being potential Killers, the couple has an amusing whirlwind time and finally find peace with family – well, almost. An unusually good comedy that actually holds together quite nicely, and definitely recommended among the recent movies in its genre

12/20

2010-09-25T10:12:00.000-07:00

Oh, Politics!

Adapted from the British comedy TV series The Thick of It, In the Loop features the UK Minister for International Development Simon Foster (Tom Hollander) making successive faux-pas in public office – first noting that war in Iraq is “unforseeable” (not quite the official line, for which he is duly berated), and then blurting out to journalists that he may need to “climb the mountain of conflict”. Out comes a summons to Washington, and Simon Foster soon becomes roadkill in a political game where the endgame was to take the countries – UK and USA - to war. When you are done with likes of The Green Zone and Body of Lies, watch this movie for a hilarious take on how UK (ostensibly) managed to bungle its way into the Iraq conflict. Exceptionally entertaining, as only the circus of politics can be

14/20

2010-09-25T10:08:00.000-07:00

Bringing Kung Fu to Beijing

Within the genre of sports movies, no sports seem to be more evocative than football, and martial arts. While the former is about relentless pursuit of personal excellence coupled with teamwork, the latter is about technical brilliance honed to a startling degree at an individual level. When Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) makes his way to Beiging with single mom Sherry, leaving behind the wasteland of Detroit’s auto industry, he has to contend with physical aggression and hostility from his peer group. Enter Mr Han (Jackie Chan), the repairman with a history and no ordinary skills in kung fu. With training that encompasses chi, the art of learning through repetition, and a healthy dose on Chinese culture and values, The Karate Kid (2010) shows how a physically weak American kid uses kung fu (and not karate, which really is a serious turn-off) to find his way in his new world. Strictly a family entertainer, with action to entertain and truisms to ponder over

12/20

2010-09-25T10:00:00.000-07:00

This Series Hereby Sleeps

Wall Street – Money Never Sleeps – has the tough task of measuring up to its legendary predecessor that was anchored by two extremely strong leads – Charlie Sheen (featured in the current movie in a cameo is a shockingly aged incarnation) and Michael Douglas (not quite his former self in this edition, as an out-of-prison Gordon Gekko). Lead Jake Moore (Shia LaBeouf) is a level-headed investment banker, with a reasonably modest existence (by IB standards of course) and a penchant for the ethical and for clean technology. Jake works through the meltdown and the collateral damage of looking to marry Gordon Gekko’s daughter – is Gekko now a changed man or the same marauder that he was in the 80’s? With strong overtones of the fall of Bear Stearns and the continued survival of the likes of Charles Schwab, this movie is a bit of a mishmash between high street finance parleys, and good old family values. Generally entertaining without being edge-of-the-seat, and marred by shoddy cinematography and editing in some degree, this is an entertaining movie but cannot hold even the merest hint of a candle to the original

11.5/20

2010-09-19T11:11:00.000-07:00

To Err (repeatedly) is Human

Newly out of work Travis (Adrien Brody) finds himself volunteering for a paid experiment, with the promise of $ 1000/ day of compensation, for a period of 14 days. The study – to play the role of one of the prisoners as part of an experiment, wherein other volunteers, notably Barris (Forest Whittaker) act as the guards. In an experiment where the only restrictions on prisoners include never speaking to guards unless spoken to, and finishing all of their food, simple transgressions take an ugly turn as the prisoners led by Travis grapple with one diabetic in their midst, the uncertain food, et al, while the guards led by Barris take increasingly violent and regressive steps to address what they see as a growing challenge to their authority. In an experiment that would ostensibly terminate on the first hint of violence, much blood is shed before the same comes to an abrupt halt, and the movie trails off with a call to justice. With overtones of America’s reality of Guantanomo Bay, and movies such as Blindness, The Experiment shows just how degenerate a regular group of humans can become in a setting that has the slightest hint of an imbalance of power. A good movie that makes for some really heavy viewing

13.5/20

2010-09-18T09:33:00.000-07:00

Please Go Away

There are movies that seem stuck in a time-warp – no matter how much times change, there does not seem to be any respite for the audience from the tearjerker content. When Kajol, Kareena, and Arjun Rampal start exploring the touchy topic of a broken family and new relationships, and the effects of the same on children, with the further angle of all of the said people being Indian diaspora, We Are Family seems to be a movie with a lot of promise. When Kajol gets detected with cancer, and the audience gets treated to a tsunami of melodrama, you are left with your head reeling from the senselessness of the portrayal and the sheer torment of the audience experience. This is a movie that takes on a topic of note, then goes out there and shoots itself. ‘nuff said

6.5/20

2010-09-18T09:31:00.000-07:00

A Bit Incendiary, a Lot of fizz

Like the giant explosions in the second half of the movie, there are moments in Dabangg that are – well – explosive firsts in Hindi cinema in the action genre. What is not quite as catchy is the storyline, which gets caught in an uncertain zone between being the oh-so-familiar Bollywood melodrama, and being a loose vehicle for some over-the-top action sequences. With one-man action capers reminiscent of the likes of Desperado and Shoot ‘em Up, and liberal doses of inspiration from several other Hollywood flicks, this movie is on the one hand quite enough to be a popular hit, but could have gone much further in the over-the-top action genre. And then there is the issue of the never-ending careers of our Bollywood stars and whether it would have been really difficult to find a better lead than Salman Khan. In any case, watch this movie for the action, but you will not miss much if you snooze off whatever’s in between

10/20

2010-08-21T21:42:00.000-07:00

Abandoned or Alone?

Mary (Brittany Murphy) heads to the hospital for her boyfriend Kevin’s (Dean Cain) orthopaedic surgery. Directed to a wing that’s under renovation, she leaves him off for the operation – and hours later, is unable to find any trace of him. A frantic series of enquiries with nurses, the reception, and the hospital authorities as to his whereabouts is to no avail. Eventually her searches draw the wrong kind of attention – her behavioral patterns are questioned, and she is on the verge of being labeled as depressive and her behavior hallucinatory. But is that the truth? Or is something much more sinister at play? While you will not be surprised at the overall outcome in Abandoned, you may well be at the degree of depravity that it portrays. A strictly B Grader and timepass movie, good for home DVD, not quite the stuff you will want a full blown outing around. The movie trails off with a tribute to Brittany Murphy, who died tragically last year at the tender age of 32

10/20

2010-08-21T21:20:00.000-07:00

Of Ghosts and Political Intrigue

Never expected an ordinary movie from Roman Polanski. Got as close to one as he has ever made. Based on the novel by Robert Harris, The Ghost Writer (Ewan McGregor) picks up an assignment to write the memoirs of the former British Prime Minister Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan), a character based, by Robert Harris’ self-admission, on Tony Blair. The Ghost, though somewhat shaken by the fact that his predecessor on the assignment died under somewhat mysterious circumstances, embarks on his intrepid enquires to get to the bottom of the mysteries in Adam Lang’s life. The search for the truth is made more intriguing by the Ghost’s possession of his predecessor’s manuscript – and the several obvious attempts that unknown people are making to dispossess him of the same. Adam Lang, in terms of political affiliation, was indistinguishable from the US in terms of political ideology – but was there more to that aspect than met the eye? And who else was involved in the same? Travel bleak landscapes and sinister people in the Ghost’s search for the truth

12/20

2010-08-13T12:43:00.000-07:00

Lights Camera and All Action

If The Expendables were to be renamed, An Ode to Action may well suit. Sylvester Stallone pulls together a panoply of stars – some current (Jason Statham) others of yesteryears (Dolph Lundgren) – all from the world of action. The overlay is a deliberately loose storyline – opening with a quick sequence on nailing a band of Somali pirates, and then getting down to the business of ending a dictatorship and the dealings of a rogue CIA agent, in an island country in South America. While Barney Ross (Stallone) and Lee Christmas (Statham) form the lead pair, the cast and crew of good guys – Yang (Jet Li), Toll Road (Randy Couture), tattooman Tool (Mickey Rourke) and cameos from Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger – is only matched by the evil bunch of Gunner (Dolph Lundgren), James Munroe (Eric Roberts) and Paine (Steve Austin). Fans will remember the movie for the one-man (or few-man) army sequences that have been missing since Rambo took a breather in Afghanistan. Sharp action, wholesome entertainment, and largely interesting dialogue – while Mickey Rourke is not quite his impactful self, Dolph Lundgren with “Insect..” was interesting. Don’t miss this little milestone in action movie history from a living legend

13.5/20