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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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