Talaash (2012)

Genre: Crime/Drama/Fantasy/Thriller

Starring: Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Rani Mukerji, Nazwazuddin Siddiqui

A mysterious death of a movie star on a sea-side road in Mumbai leads police inspector Surjan Singh Shekhawat (Khan) to investigate and understand what happened and why. On probing further, Surjan finds himself in Mumbai's famous red light district which is teeming with brothels and sex-workers alike. Surjan is having his own set of personal problems in trying to get over his sons death and thus ends up quarreling with his wife, Roshni (Mukerji) much too often. He finds respite in Rosie (Kapoor) a sex-worker who not only gives him some leads in his case but also offers him mental comfort and someone he can talk to. The movie plays upon the mysteries of the mind and the personal vs professional life of a police inspector. Aamir Khan has done his usual outstanding performance with Mukerji being at par with him. The only let down of the movie is the climax which is slightly low-key and not what the audience was expecting. Psychological thrillers are still a relatively new concept for the Indian audience and it be hard to find takers for such a movie. Had the climax been more astounding or twisted, the movie would have been worth the second watch. All that said and done, not a bad movie at all and a decent attempt.

Thumbs up: Aamir Khan and the rest of the star cast

Thumbs down: Not so thrilling climax

Rating: 6.8/10

Movie Review: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Directed by: Peter Jackson.
Written by: Fran Walsh & Philippa Boyens & Peter Jackson & Guillermo del Toro based on the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien.
Starring: Ian McKellen (Gandalf), Martin Freeman (Bilbo), Richard Armitage (Thorin), Ken Stott (Balin), Graham McTavish (Dwalin), William Kircher (Bifur / Tom Troll), James Nesbitt (Bofur), Stephen Hunter (Bombur), Dean O'Gorman (Fili), Aidan Turner (Kili), John Callen (Oin), Peter Hambleton (Gloin / William Troll), Jed Brophy (Nori), Mark Hadlow (Dori / Bert Troll), Adam Brown (Ori), Ian Holm (Old Bilbo), Elijah Wood (Frodo), Hugo Weaving (Elrond), Cate Blanchett (Galadriel), Christopher Lee (Saruman), Andy Serkis (Gollum), Sylvester McCoy (Radagast).

When I first heard that Peter Jackson was planning on splitting The Hobbit into not just two, but three different films I assumed, like many, that it was purely a monetary move – more movies means more box office. But after seeing the first part, I don’t think that’s the case (at least not for Jackson – the studio on the other hand, I’m not sure of). Because the nearly three hours of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey plays like a film where the director is too in love with the material – he doesn’t want to sacrifice a moment of his film. That isn’t to say that it is a bad movie – it is in fact quite good, with wonderful battle sequences, special effects, production design, music and performances – but it sure does feel padded. Cut out an hour of the film, and Jackson may well have had a great film on his hands.

The Hobbit is the story of Bilbo Baggins, a humble hobbit who lives a quiet life in the Shire, and that’s just the way he likes it. Than one day, Gandalf the Grey shows up at his door and invites him to go along on an adventure. Before Bilbo knows it, his hobbit hole is filled with Dwarves, who plan on storming their old home, beneath a mountain, that they were forced out of by a dragon decades before. Gandalf is going along on their quest, and feels they need to add the skills of Bilbo Baggins. What those skills are no one, not even Bilbo, seems to know.

The film was made by pretty much the same team that made The Lord of the Rings films – and it shows. Jackson strikes the same tone in this film as he did in that trilogy, and cast the same actors. Even nine years after the final Lord of the Rings films, it didn’t take long to sink back into the Middle Earth that Jackson and his team have created. The key addition to the cast is obviously Martin Freeman as Bilbo, and he is quite good. His plays the role more quiet and subtle than I expected him to – but this is actually effective, making Bilbo a more believable character. Ian McKellan sinks right back into the role of Gandalf like he never left it. Richard Armitage is excellent as Thorin, the leader of the Dwarves, strong, tough, brave, but also stubborn. The best performance in the film belongs, once again, to Andy Serkis as a slightly younger, but still crazy Gollum. The riddle scene between him and Bilbo is easily the best of the movie.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is a fine movie – not great like The Lord of the Rings films were, but entertaining nonetheless. While I certainly think the film is far too padded – and takes far too long in pretty much every scene – I cannot say I was ever bored by the film. Perhaps it’s just that Jackson has unrealistic expectations to try and meet with The Hobbit – that he already dazzled us with The Lord of the Rings, and now he’s got to return to that world and try to do it again (which is probably why initially, he wasn’t going to direct these movies). And The Hobbit, as good as it is, just isn’t as good as The Lord of the Rings. I have a hard time believing that Tolkien fans won’t enjoy the movie – hell, for perhaps the first time ever, fans of the book cannot complain that things were cut out of the movie version. The Hobbit could have using more editing, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad film by any means.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

Genre: Adventure/Fantasy/Action/War

Starring: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitrage, Ken Scott, Graham McTavish, Aidan Turner, Dean O'Gorman, Mark Hadlow, Jed Brophy, Adam Brown, John Callen, Peter Hambleton, William Kircher, James Nesbitt, Stephen Hunter

The prequel to the iconic Lord of the Rings series of books and movies, this movie narrates the story of Bilbo Baggins (Freeman) and how he came across the ring that led to the story that followed. Bilbo is a peace loving Hobbit who finds himself undertaking an adventure he never thought he would. The dwarfs, led by Thorin (Armitage) are attempting to go back to their land which was besieged by a fearsome dragon that has taken hold of the Dwarf castle and all their gold. Gandalf (McKellen) has agreed to assist the dwarfs and suggests that Mr. Baggins should join them as the burglar. Although Bilbo has never so much as stolen a stone from the ground, he surprises himself by being a part of the 14-member contingent that is out to do the impossible. LOTR was epic in its own way and it is very normal for anyone to expect its prequel to be just as amazing. Sadly, however, the movie is far from its famous siblings. It is slow, very slow, doesn't have the drama or the intensity of LOTR and simply seems to miss that special factor that was required for this movie to be good. It seems the movie was made just to finish the entire franchisee and never really to entertain the audience. I don't know if it was the 3D glasses, the theater or the print of the movie but this has to be by far my worst ever 3D experience ever.

Thumbs up: Stunning graphics and visuals

Thumbs down: Slow, boring and stretched and it yet didn't finish the entire story.

Rating: 7.1/10

Hoteal Transylvania (2012)

Genre: Comedy/Drama/Romance/Fantasy

Starring (voice): Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez, Kevin James, Andy Samberg, CeeLo Green, Steve Buscemi, Molly Shannon, David Spade

Throughout almost all our fairy tales we have always seen big, scary monsters and children hiding under their beds in fear that these monsters would come and eat them up. Ever heard of a story where things happen the other way around? Dracula (Sandler) has built a hotel called Hotel Transylvania where all monsters and beasts can come and feel safe. No scary humans to come and disturb them, only darkness and peace. But when Jonathan (Samberg) a young human bag packer arrives at the castle, Dracula is petrified. Dracula's young daughter Mavis (Gomez) is eager to explore the world outside but her father refuses to let her go into the destructive and dangerous human world. The movie explores a good storyline which is the exact opposite of the stories we usually hear. The movie is light and entertaining but the movie still lacks a lot of humour. Yes it would appeal to a 10-year-old but the movie still needs to give the audience some more reasons to laugh.

Thumbs up: A new and interesting story

Thumbs down: No real climax, needs more humour

Rating: 6.4/10

The Mark (2012)

Genre: Action/Adventure/Crime/Fantasy

Starring: Craig Sheffer, Eric Roberts, Sonia Couling, Gary Daniels

A security guard of a biometrics facility gets implanted with a unique device with the power to change the world. Chad Turner (Sheffer) must now travel to Berlin from Bangkok along with the chip in order to bring it to safety. In order to ensure Chad's safety, Cooper (Roberts) the head of security of Avanti, the maker of the chip, travels with him from Bangkok to Berlin. A rival company wants to get hold of this chip and hires a hitman, Joseph Pike (Daniels) to trace down the chip and bring it back at any cost. Joseph learns that the chip is traveling with Chad and decides to hijack the aircraft and obtain it.Coming from a Christian movie making company, the movie has a lot of Christianity infused into it and most of it seems to be done rather forcefully. Nowhere in the movie is the consequences of the chip explained, the action is horrible and plot is overall very boring. The unwanted religious preachings that seem to have no connect with the actual movie does not actually add any value to it. The makers seemed to want to drive a point and somehow that objective got built around an action movie storyline. Highly avoidable and only to be watched by the religious.

Thumbs up: Nah

Thumbs down: Lame action, boring, forced Christianity preachings every now and then

Rating: 2.0/10

Short Circuit

Number 5 is alive!

If you've seen Short Circuit, there is a good chance you already have a smile on your face. If you saw it as a child, there is an even better chance you are thinking about the time you watched it with friends or maybe played it out in the park. That's the power of cinema.

Struck by lightening, No. 5 (voiced by Tim Blaney), a robot constructed at Nova Technologies, a defense firm, starts behaving like a human. Its hunger for "input" (information) leads it to Stephanie Speck (Ally Sheedy) who initially thinks of it as an alien but eventually takes on the task of protecting it from Nova Technologies who now wants to destroy No.5. Helping her along the way is the creator of Number 5, Newton Crosby (Steve Gutenberg).

Short Circuit is a great film is you want to learn word synonyms for No.5, after going through a dictionary, has a tendency to speak them out every chance he gets.

Stephanie Speck: I thought you were alive, Number 5. I let you tear my house to shreds and you're a ROBOT! You're a machine from that dumb war lab place. God, I'm so stupid!

Number 5: Stupid - foolish, gullible, doltish, dumbell...

Short Circuit is a great film if you want to laugh-out-loud as the team of military men and scientists try their best to catch Number 5 who seems to always be one step ahead of them.  

Skroeder: Maybe it's pissed off.

Newton Crosby: It's a machine, Schroeder. It doesn't get pissed off, it doesn't get happy, it doesn't get sad, it doesn't laugh at your jokes...

Newton Crosby/Ben Jabituya: ...IT JUST RUNS PROGRAMS!

Short Circuit is an essential watch if you want to wipe tears off your eyes from laughing hard at the dialogues of Ben Jabituya (Fisher Stevens), who in all probability is Apu (Simpsons) reincarnated as a scientist helping Newton find Number 5.  

Ben Jabituya: With excitement like this, who is needing enemas?

Howard Marner: Don't tell me its laser is still armed.

Ben Jabituya: Bimbo.

Ben Jabituya: Newton, we are wasting valueless time here.

Ben Jabituya: Bye-bye, goofy woman. I enjoyed repeatedly throwing you to the ground.

Stephanie Speck: ...Where're you taking him?

Ben Jabituya: This is not being a HIM. It's only being wires and several mechanisms and other such machine-type apparatus, for the Pete of sake - the sate of Peeckle...

Short Circuit is a wonderful 1980s comedy that manages to still amuse audiences after almost three decades of its release. It provides a sense of adventure of the most unlikely kind as a robot goes out in the big bad world and learns the importance of life, that of its own and others.

The magic of Short Circuit is that it works on many levels. It's a look at society and its eagerness to destroy anything that is not the norm. The film is great entertainment full of numerous fun filled chase sequences. Most importantly, it is a film for the entire family, especially the kids who are sure to be charmed by Number 5. As for the ladies, one look at Number 5 copying Travolta's moves from Saturday Night Fever, and you are bound to be floored. 

Short Circuit is amongst a group of great children's comedy classics from the 1980s (The Breakfast Club, Flight of the Navigator, Goonies, Herbie Goes Bananas, A Christmas Story, BMX Bandits, ...) that have become essential viewing for the newer generation because even with the passing of time, these films have remained as refreshing and crisp as any new film being released today.

Rating 4.5/5

DVD Information:

Special Features: Original Trailer, The Creation of Number 5, Cast & Crew Interviews, Behind the scenes featurette, Commentary.

UK Release Date - 19 November 2012

Running Time - 95 Minutes

Region Code - Region Free

Certificate - PG

Flight of the Navigator

It was a time of innocence. A time when children’s films where a gateway into imagination. The 1980s and 1990s saw countless films geared towards kids that till this day remain classics and bring a smile, at the mere mention of their titles, on the face of adults who grew up enacting scenes and characters from these films. Flight of the Navigator is a film that, even though I don't remember watching growing up, brought about memories from my wonder years.

Flight of the Navigator is a story about a boy, David (Joey Cramer), who is abducted by an alien, Max (Voiced by Paul Reubens), only to return to Earth 8 years later to find everyone has aged except for him. What follows is an escape and chase movie as the scientists at NASA want to study the boy and the spaceship that crash-landed along with him while the alien in the spaceship needs him for maps that have been stored in his brain. 

The film is full of subtle humor and moments that will warm your heart. Like most kid-centric films of the time there is always a strong moral behind each action and lessons to be learnt. The adventure quotient is good enough to make children run to the nearest enclosure and imagine a spacecraft taking them around the planet at speeds faster than light. Another aspect of the film that really stood out was the dialogue which although is geared towards entertaining the kids has stood the test of time and sounds fresh enough to have made me chuckle quite a few times during the film.

Max: I crashed into electrical towers and my star charts were erased. I need the ones in your head to complete my mission.

David: So you need ME and my INFERIOR brain to fly that thing?

Max:Correction, I need the SUPERIOR information in your INFERIOR brain to fly this... thing.

David:Where do you go next, Max?

Max: Back in time to when I picked up my creatures. By now they're so hungry, they could eat a zigzog.

David:What's a zigzog?

Max: Kind of like a hippo, but with feathers.

For most adults Flight of the Navigatoris a journey back to their childhood, while fans of Sex and the City can find a young Sarah Jessica Parker in a small role sporting pink highlighted hair, something I'm not too sure Carrie Bradshaw would approve of? As for the younger generation, they can enjoy the film for what it is, fun, adventurous, humorous, and a feel good family entertainer that should be in everyone's home collection.

Rating:  4/5

DVD Information:

Special Features - Commentary by director Randal Kleiser & Producer Jonathan Sanger

UK Release Date - 19 November 2012

Running Time - 86 Minutes

Region Code - Region Free

Certificate - U

Batman Returns (1992)

Genre: Science-fiction/Action/Crime/Fantasy

Starring: Michael Keaton, Michelle Pfeiffer, Danny DeVito, Christopher Walken, Michael Gough

The second movie of the very famous Batman comic series. A deformed baby is born in Gotham city who is thrown away by his parents due to his deformity. The young child gets raised by penguins in the city zoo and lives within the sewers. Years later, this child emerges as the Penguin (DeVito) and announces that he wants to trace back his identity and discover himself. Max Shreck (Walken) is Gotham city's biggest industrialist and wants to install more power plants within the city. Although the city currently generates a surplus, Max is trying to convince investors and the mayor that Gotham would soon need more power and he is investing for the future. In reality, power plant would actually drain power from the cities power grid and this is discovered by Max's secretary, Selina Kyle (Pfeiffer). Selina, originally an introvert, survives a murder attempt by Max and converts herself into the Catwoman and hatches a plan of revenge against Max. Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne aka Batman (Keaton) smells a rat when The Penguin decides to run for mayor and starts to get down and discover what the actual reason is. The movie is quite similar to the earlier movie with only the villain changing and the addition of The Catwoman. What makes this movie very desirable is Danny DeVito and his fabulous performance of The Penguin. Somehow, Batman's villains have always had good performances, including the new and old versions. The movie is a very normal super-hero entertainer but is worth that entertainment value and is enjoyable.

Thumbs up: Danny DeVito's stupendous performance

Thumbs down: Nothing in particular, its very well rounded

Rating: 7.2/10

OMG - Oh My God! (2012)

Genre: Comedy/Drama/Fantasy

Starring: Paresh Rawal, Akshay Kumar, Om Puri, Mithun Chakraborthy, Mahesh Manjrekar, Poonam Jhawer, Lubna Salim, Govind Namdeo, Murli Sharma

 The world is divided into two parts, those who believe in god and those who don't. God holds a strong sentimental value within most of us and we blindly follow the faith without thinking twice about why we are doing something and what is the meaning behind it. Kanjibhai (Rawal) is a middle-class atheist residing in the bustling city of Mumbai. He makes a living by running an antiques shop where he sells religious idols by faking its history and value. Its a profession people look down upon, he mocks people who believe in idol worship and those who celebrate festivals. One day, after insulting the high priest of a temple, Siddheshwar Maharaj (Namdeo), Kanjibhai finds his shop destroyed in an earthquake. The insurance companies refuse to settle his claim since earthquakes are classified as 'an act of god' and society tells him that he is being punished for not worshipping the lord above. Frustrated, he decides to take God to court and sue him for damages caused due to the loss of his business. Enter Krishna Vasudev Yadav (Kumar) who is the modern incarnation of Lord Krishna and shows Kanjibhai the right path from the wrong. The movie is indeed an eye-opener and shows how people around the world do something in the name of religion where practicality and common sense gets simply thrown out of the window. Although the movie tries to create awareness about correct religion, its message is still a bit jumbled and unclear. The message somehow doesn't get conveyed with the clarity that it should have been and seems very lost and vague. Apart from that, Paresh Rawal has done a good job which is different from his usual slap-stick comedy that we are so used to seeing him in. A great entertainer and a must watch with the entire family.

Thumbs up: Paresh Rawal at his best

Thumbs down: A very confused and vague delivery of the ultimate message that the movie wants to put forth.

Rating: 7.4/10

Bedtime Stories (2008)

Genre: Fantasy/Comedy/Drama

Starring: Adam Sandler, Guy Pearce, Courteney Cox, Laura Ann Kesling, Jonathan Morgan Heit, Keri Russell, Teresa Palmer, Russell Brand, Richard Griffiths

Every movie need not necessarily blow your mind away. There can be some that simply keep you entertained and that's all. Skeeter Bronson (Sandler) works in a ultra-luxurious hotel as a handyman. His father once owned that very hotel but due to financial troubles he had to sell it to a friend who gave him a verbal promise of eventually allowing Skeeter to run the hotel. Barry Nottingham (Griffiths) has decided to not live up to his word that he gave to his friend and Skeeter continues to remain as the handyman, hoping that his hard work would eventually pay off some day. When Skeeter's sister Wendt (Cox) asks him to babysit her two children whilst she was out of a town for a few days, Skeeter doesn't realise that this would change his life forever. The bedtime stories that he used to narrate to the children every night, started coming true in reality and he realised that he could probably use these stories to make his life much better. The movie is very typically made for the young and could only possibly appeal to their mindset. Adam Sandler is funny, but not all and out funny. It is good enough for the audience it is conceived for and is a decent family entertainer.

Thumbs up: Great entertainer

Thumbs down: Sandler could be more funny

Rating: 6.2/10

Shaun of the Dead (2004)

Genre: Comedy/Drama/Fantasy/Action

Starring: Simon Pegg, Kate Ashfield, Nick Frost, Lucy Davis, Dylan Moran, Penelope Wilton, Bill Nighy

When a group of worthless and objectiveless friends suddenly find themselves surrounded by zombies all over, their life takes a turn. Shaun (Pegg) and his childhood buddy (Ed) share an apartment where Shaun works at an electronics store and Ed does nothing. Whilst Shaun hates his job and life, Ed sits at home playing video games all day long. Liz (Ashfield) Shaun's girlfriend is tried of Shaun and his hopeless attitude and his love for the pub called Winchester. Liz feels that Shaun is being held back because of Ed and is not able to progress in life because Ed cannot support himself. One fine morning, the group find themselves facing a zombie catastrophe and Shaun decides that he needs to rescue Liz and his mum and take them to safety. His amazing plan is to pick up Liz, her friends, his mum, her husband and take them all to good old Winchester until the zombie situation dies down. The movie is quite funny and is a good mix of comedy and action with the casual thrills and chills thrown here and there. Its a good mixed pot but lacks any one of the elements to really stand out. Its not all that funny, the action is not all that great and the plot is way too simple. Pegg and Frost have appeared in many movies together and the duo make a solid humour pair and are virtually unbeatable. A good entertainer but nothing too exceptional.

Thumbs up: Pegg and Frost duo is amazing, good mixture of everything

Thumbs down: Nothing really stands out

Rating: 6.7/10

Push (2009)

Genre: Fantasy/Science-fiction/Action/Adventure/Crime

Starring: Chris Evans, Dakota Fanning, Camilla Belle, Djimon Hounsou, Ming-Na, Cliff Curtis

There have always been movies about another race of human beings on the planet that are unknown to us and posses special powers. What differs within these movies is how outlandish the 'other' human species can be conceived to be. There exists a breed of humans that posses super-human powers and are classified within themselves according to the power they posses. A governmental body to control their kind, called the 'division', is after a suitcase. Everything else in the movie is one big question mark leaving you with a thousand unanswered questions with the biggest one being, why is Nick Grant (Evans) and Cassie (Fanning) even involved in all of this. Although the movie tries to build upon a decent concept and has an above average ending attached to it, most of the story is a complete washout and seems to be glued together in a highly tacky manner. It does a decent job of being a fantasy movie with decent action, but that's all there is to it. Don't try bothering to figure out whats happening cause its not worth it.

Thumbs up: Decent action, a good entertainer

Thumbs down: Horrible story that doesn't make any amount of sense

Rating: 5.6/10

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010)

Genre: Fantasy/Adventure/Action/Drama

Starring: Georgie Henley, Skander Keynes, Will Poulter, Ben Barnes, Simon Pegg (voice)

The Pevensie children are back in England and are leading their normal human lives. Susan and Peter are away to university, leaving Lucy (Henley) and Edmund (Keynes) to live at their cousins residence. Their cousin, Eustace (Poulter) is an extremely annoying, pampered and timid individual who does not make Lucy and Edmund's life easy. When Narnia summons them, Eustace becomes an uninvited guest to the mystery land. The three find themselves aboard the Dawn Treader, a huge ship which is led by none other than Prince Caspian (Barnes) himself. The four find themselves on an adventure to the far corners of unexplored Narnia land where they encounter evil, mysteries and demons they have never ever seen or heard of before. The movie is a huge disconnect from the previous movies with the story like just another adventure with the same cast. It might be appealing to the younger generation, but is no match for the more reputed fantasy and adventure movies known. A big let down for a Narnia fan and an average watch for everyone else.

Thumbs up: Decent adventure

Thumbs down: No link to previous stories

Rating: 5.8/10

The Devil's Advocate (1997)

Genre: Thriller/Crime/Drama/Fantasy

Starring: Keanu Reaves, Charlize Theron, Al Pacino, Jeffrey Jones, Connie Nielsen, Craig T. Nelson

A small-town man captures the eye of a big-city business tycoon who offers him everything in the world. But as so many movies in the past on this plot line have taught us, too much money can cause too much collateral damage. Kevin Lomax (Reaves) is a successful lawyer based in a small town in Florida. Lomax has a record for never losing a case even though he knew his client to be guilty but yet managed to get an acquittal. John Milton (Pacino) a senior partner at Milton, Chadwick and Waters learns of Lomax and his winning streak and offers him a big figure salary in his firm in New York City. A fancy apartment in a prime location and a whole lot of money tempts his wife Mary Ann (Theron) who wants Kevin to accept the offer. However, Kevin's job demands far too much of his time and Mary Ann having no job to spend her time, starts getting increasingly annoyed with staying at home alone day in and day out which starts straining Kevin and Mary Ann's relationship. Although the movie classifies itself as a 'thriller' there isn't too much in it to send chills down your spine. Most of the movie appears to be a rags to riches story and the eventual downfall, but the climax turns out to be surprisingly different. Al Pacino puts on a good performance and there is something about his look in the movie which gives him a very sly and cunning appearance right from his first shot. Theron puts on an outstanding performance, especially in the second half and does every piece of justice to her role. A decent fantasy cum thriller but with a slightly tried and tested story.

Thumbs up: Charlize Theron's fabulous acting

Thumbs down: Stretched, run-of-the-mill story

Rating: 6.2/10

10 Reasons Why I Like Sucker Punch

I have no shame in saying that I liked one of the most disliked films from last year. Since having watched it I have had a few conversations with other cinephiles as to the merits and demerits of the film and eventually I decided to sit and jot down the reasons why I actually enjoyed Sucker Punch, and here they are;

Jenna Malone - One of cinema's most underrated actresses, Jenna Malone shines in the film, despite having a support role, playing Rocket, an inmate in the mental asylum where Emily Browning's Babydoll is institutionalized. A look at her IMDB profile and her multi-talent in the arts can only lead to great things in the future. With news about her getting casted in the sequel of Hunger Games, hopefully we get to see more of her in the future.   

Special Effects - Let's face it, Zack Snyder knows how to visually impress the audience. He did it in 300 and then again in Watchmen (a little bit), and does so again in Sucker Punch which is a feast for the eyes in terms of special effects, colour, and overall picturization.

The Ending - Let's just say I didn't see it coming and I did leave the film with a smile on my face.

The Dumbness Amongst The Complexity - Okay I agree there are aspects of the film that are dumb. Why is the "list" which can easily be memorized written down in an obvious place? Why are some of the names given to the characters so obscure, I mean calling a dark haired Vanessa Hudgens, Blondie? But, there is also enough complexity as the story moves between reality and fantasy that maybe having a bit of simplistic non-reasonable aspects to the story aren't that bad. 

The Interpretations Behind It All - The movie leaves enough space for the audience to derive their own interpretations from the story. I for one didn't understand half of what happened, but that was a good thing. It actually made me wrack my brain a bit. Sometimes, a film has more of an impact when everything is not clear, rather than spoon-feeding the viewers with all the information, and this is one such movie.

The Mystery Of The Dance - Babydoll's dance is one of the most important elements in the story of the film, and we never get to see it. While watching, every time the dance would start, I anticipated that maybe, just maybe this time we will get to experience this mysterious act, but instead we are taken into a world of fantasy on each occasion. At the end of it, I am glad that the dance is left to the imagination of the audience, just as the audience gets a peek into Babydoll's imagination each time she dances.  

The Music - A great soundtrack, especially during the fight sequences. The film's music is amongst a few that I have liked in totality over the past few years.  

The Action - We saw it in 300 and we can see the brilliance of Zack Snyder's action sequences once again in Sucker Punch. OTT and dreamy, Snyder's action is probably the most entertaining aspect of the film. All the girls come across as professional arse-kickers during these action sequences. In fact, everything they do makes for a fun and, in some cases, enticing viewing.  

Over-The-Top Situations - Machine gun wielding samurais, killer robots, gas-masked/powered Nazis, sword fights, Dragons, the fantasy world created by Snyder through the imagination of the Babydoll is definitely over-the-top, but it is fantastical keeping in mind the theme of the film.   

Oh! and one more thing...

The Entertainment Factor - The sum of all the parts, mentioned above, make the film an entertaining watch that never gets boring, nor does it drag. It might have some loose ends, but they can be easily overlooked.

Now, dare I ask what you thought of the film or the points I make? Alright... go ahead and tell me.

The Day The Earth Stood Still (2008)

Genre: Fantasy/Science-fiction/Adventure/Action

Starring: Keanu Reaves, Jennifer Connelly, Kathy Bates, Jadden Smith

A modern remake of the 1951 film with the same title, it is yet another movie that talks about global warming and aliens invading the world. Why is it that of all the 196 countries in the world, every alien invasion and natural calamity to strike Earth must first hit the USA, mostly in New York City and almost always in Manhattan? A strange alien globe lands in Central Park and an alien creature in the form of a human being arises from within it. The alien calls himself Klaatu (Reaves) and wishes to speak to the leaders of the world and bring about an awareness of Earth's climatic condition. Klaatu represents an alien community who believes that human settlement is causing irreversible damage to Earth and they must wipe out the human race to preserve Earth. Dr. Helen Benson (Connelly) believes in Klaatu and his mission and tries to release him from the clutches of the US government who intend to take military action against him and the alien race. The movie is a sad drab with almost nothing being exceptional about it. The story is an age old tried and tested plot and the movie attempted to recreate a legacy and hope that people would once again relate to it. A bad attempt and a movie that never should have happened.

Thumbs up: Special effects

Thumbs down: Tried and tested story, very lame plot outline

Rating: 5.9/10

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)

Genre: Fantasy/Action/War/Adventure

Starring: William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Skander Keynes, Georgie Henley, Ben Barnes, Sergio Castellitto, Pierfrancesco Favino, Damian Alcazar, Liam Neeson (voice), Peter Dinklage

1,300 years in Narnia has passed when the Pevensie siblings were living in the real world for only 1 year. Contrary to their expectations, Narnia has changed a lot from what they last knew it to be. The Telmarines are a non-magical, human race that have put the Narnians on the verge of extinction with most of them assuming that they are already extinct. A Telmarine Lord, Lord Miraz (Castellitto) is the brother of the King of Telmar whom he killed along with all his sons, save Prince Caspian (Barnes). Now that Lord Miraz has a newborn heir, he intends to get rid of Caspian and hence pronounce himself the King of Telmar. Caspian escapes Telmar and in an act of desperation, summons the Queens and Kings of Old, the Pevensie siblings. Aslan (Neeson) has not returned and the Telmarines intend to attack the Narnians and Prince Caspian and wipe them out once and for all. The movie is a large improvement from the previous movie on multiple fronts. There is far more action, adventure and anticipation than before and the useless and immature dialogues have been thrown for something more mature and needful. It's a wholesome, entertaining fantasy- war movie that young and old can enjoy and relate to alike.

Thumbs up: Fabulous special effects

Thumbs down: Being an all-rounder there isn't much one can complain about

Rating: 6.6/10

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

I am actually finding it hard on how to begin the review. Firstly, I haven't read the book the film is based on so you can expect no comparisons. It's also pertinent to know that I have enjoyed Timur Bekmambetov's previous works, Wanted & Night Watch, so although I was not at all impressed by the trailer of this film, I was still excited about it.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is the story about the President of USA who for the sake of fantasy and story and originality also happens to be a vampire hunter, or rather becomes one during the course of the film when his parents are killed by the living dead.

The film in totality was a major disappointment and for a change I decided to list my irritations one point at a time;

The Voiceover- Normally I am a big fan of voiceovers. It's a great way to fast forward a film and more so a technique to showcase a montage without using music, and who doesn't love montages. Unfortunately, the excessive voiceover in this particular film gets annoying around half time and doesn't stop till quite late in the film.

The Story- I am all for a bit of uniqueness in stories and by giving the real life events surrounding the American president an alternate twist is perfectly fine by me. The film however tries to stuff too much in its timeframe. From a revenge film, to saving mankind, to a political piece, to life history, almost all aspects of the real Lincoln's life is made to resemble situations in the film making it more and more disjointed.

Real vs Reel Life & The History - The other aspect of the story mentioned above which really irritated me was that the makers try desperately to link all the real life events with the fantasy aspect which after a while feels forced. Furthermore, due to the lack of America's historical knowledge I was unaware of most of these events and just had to view them as they happened. So while I am aware of the Civil War or the Gettysburg Battle, I had no knowledge about their background, and I understand this might be my own fault, but for me that made the film a bit more oblique. If you do know about American history, I am sure you would appreciate that the film does not go into details of the said events, so this aspect might just divide the audience in half.

The Special Effects- This one is more middle-of-the-road. There are scenes that are beautiful to look at, even though they mostly comprise of people getting axed and blood splattering all over, while there are others that are simply torture. Two important scenes, the horse fight and the climax, are both CGI laden to the amount that they shout FAKE! Both these scenes, the former more so than the latter, were probably the biggest disappointments for me. Well that and the excessive use of slow motion throughout the entire film to the point that I almost wished I had a fast forward remote control to move the character move/kill/splatter/and die faster.

Tim Burton- I would have hoped that having Tim Burton as the producer would have infused a bit of his dark humor in the film, but alas that is not the case. In fact, his style is so absent that had I not known of him having producer credits; I would not have linked him to this film at all.

And now for the good stuff...

I did like the premise of the story with adding the whole vampire element to the president's life. With Pride and Prejudice and Zombies being made, this could be the new trend in books and films and not something that I disapprove of. What the resulting features will be, it’s hard to tell, but after Abraham Lincoln studios might think twice about taking a step in this direction.

The acting was mediocre, but not bad, which in this case is good. The performances might not have been extraordinary, but the actors took their roles seriously and whatever little chance of characterization they are given (especially the supporting cast), they made the most of it.

The films does have enough action throughout that although there were all the above listed reasons why I did not enjoy the film, it still managed to keep me awake.

Oh wait... sorry that would be the large Latte I had during the film that kept me awake and I believe it even burnt my tongue and in fact that was probably more exciting than the film.

Rating 1.5/5

   

        

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

Genre: Fantasy/Drama/Romance/Action/Crime

Starring: Chow Yun-Fat, Cheng Pei-pei, Michelle Yeoh, Zhang Ziyi, Xian Gao, Chang Chen

The moment anyone sees someone who remotely looks like a China man, the words 'Kung Fu' or 'martial arts' quickly appears in ones mind. That also applies to movies which feature many such characters. Li Mu Bai (Yun-Fat) is an accomplished Wudang swordsman, feared throughout the lands and is unbeatable. Li Mu Bai intends to give up being a warrior and asks his friend and secret love, Yu Shie Lien (Yeoh) to deliver his sword, The Green Destiny, as a gift to a friend of his. The sword is more than 400 years old with a blade unmatched in sharpness and can make any warrior extremely agile. Jen (Ziyi) an aristocrats daughter has been secretly learning how to fight from her governess who goes by the name of Jade Fox (Pei-pei). Fox, being illiterate, could not read the secret manuals of Wudang to become a true warrior but those teachings were absorbed by Jen who could read but never shared her learning's with her master. Jen steals The Green Destiny to escape from her family burden of marriage and become a free warrior. Li Mu Bai is impressed with Jen's swordsmanship and desires to train her provided she return the sword, something that Jen is not willing to part with. The movie has enough action and more than enough Kung Fu, but what doesn't seem pleasing is the slightly over-the-top action sequences that seem inhuman to perform. Jumping metres into the air on top of houses, walking on water and hoping over tree tops, it all seems to far fetched and unbelievable. The movie seems to end without any purpose or objective and appears to be extremely aimless. Its entire mid-section is unwanted and is simply present to infuse the angle of Jen's love and could have easily been ignored or cut short. If its Kung Fu action sequences that you seek then this movie prescribes just what you want, otherwise it is pretty much a washout.

Thumbs up: Good action sequences, in number and quality (barring the human flying)

Thumbs down: Unwanted side stories, aimless plot development

Rating: 5.6/10

Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)

Genre: Fantasy/Science-fiction/Action/Adventure/Drama/Romance

Starring: Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, John Alexander, James Dodd, Seth MacFarlane, Luke Goss, Anna Walton, Jeffrey Tambor

In continuation to the previous Hellboy, but at the same time adapting a different storyline, the second movie narrates the story of the legendary Golden Army. King Balor is the ruler of the elves who clashed with the humans and fought long and bloody battles with no result. One of the elves built him a Golden Army, an army of machines that are indestructible and can win any war. With this power he squashed the humans, but the bloodshed gave him a change of heart and he broke the crown that controls the army into three pieces. He made peace with the humans and gave them a piece of the crown and kept two to himself. Only if the three pieces would come together would the Golden Army once again rise. Balor's son, Prince Nuada (Goss) was against his fathers decision and went into exile. He now returns and has decided to awaken the Golden Army and take the Earth as his. Hellboy (Perlman) is still fighting crime and other paranormal beings with his colleagues Abe Sapien (Jones) a psychic human-fish, Liz Sherman (Blair) his lover who can control fire and Johann Krauss (Alexander & Dodd, MacFarlene (voice)) an ectoplasmic creature and the team leader. They must come together and fight Nuada and not allow him to awaken the army as it will squash the Earth and bring doom to all. The movie is an improvement from the previous version on many fronts by making it more lively and entertaining. The romance between Liz and Hellboy and Abe and Princess Nuala (Walton) might seem to alter the stories speed and continuity but it adds character and makes it feel more wholesome. A sure watch for some good action, a huge helping of beasts and demons and the fair bit of drama.

Thumbs up: Good overall package

Thumbs down: Romance kills the flow

Rating: 6.8/10