Movie Confessions Blogathon

It's blogathon time and this one was suggested by my good fellow film blogger Nostra whose blog www.myfilmviews.com is one of the few blogs I read frequently. Thankfully Nostra didn't go too deep into the confessional part, maybe because he has some deep-dark secrets of his own, but reading my answers will likely raise a few eyebrows, especially the fact that I am yet to see the Godfather trilogy.

Which classic movie don't you like/can't enjoy and why?   

I honestly can't think of any film that I have seen and don't like from the classics. I usually like them for one reason for another. But for the movies I have not seen, Gone with the Wind for some reason has never intrigued me enough to want to watch it. In other words, frankly my dear I don't give a damn!

Which ten classic movies haven't you seen yet?  

8 1/2

Some Like it Hot

Roman Holiday

It's a Wonderful Life

Citizen Kane

On the waterfront

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The Godfather Trilogy

Raging Bull

Have you ever sneaked into another movie at the cinema?

Thought about it many times, but no I have been a chicken when it finally comes to that. Also in India the tickets are checked at the entrance of each screen. Although, once a friend knew some people at the theater and they let us in for free to watch a film.  

Which actor/actress do you think is overrated?

Oh! there are many and now that you have asked I can't seem to remember. Adam Sandler comes to mind. I also think some of the actors get typecast in a specific role (action, comedy) and spend most of their lives doing similar films and eventually it gets boring and that irritates me.

From which big director have you never seen any movie (and why)?  

Again I can't think of anyone off my mind, but on Twitter I come across people discussing movies and directors I have never heard of, so I know there are quite a few, especially ones who made film before the 70s. Also my world cinema viewing has been limited to newer releases and more pop-culture films.

Which movie do you love, but is generally hated?

That would be Transformers and all three of them. I grew up watching the cartoons and Transformers:The Movie (animation) has always been one of my favourite films, so I cannot help but love them. I did however initially not like Transformers 3, but then when I viewed it again at home, enjoyed it a lot more.Also, and I know this will get me in trouble, Michael Bay as a director doesn't bother me as much as he does a number of people. 

Have you ever been "one of those annoying people" at the cinema?

I want to say no, but i'm sure as a school kid when we would go for movies in large groups we were obnoxious. It's the typical group mentality, so i'm sure I was one of the annoying ones during those times. I did however once spoil The Usual Suspects for a couple of friends of mine, so I was definitely one of those annoying people "outside" the cinema.  

Did you ever watch a movie, which you knew in advance would be bad, just because of a specific actor/actress was in it? Which one and why?   

Most of Adam Sandler movies that have come out in the last 3-4 years. I've never seen them in the theater but sometimes when it will come on TV, even knowing it will be bad, i'll sit through it. Examples would be First 50 Dates, Click and other unmemorable films of his.

The other person would be Jim Carey who again have done a number of duds off late, but then again watching Mr. Popper's Penguins I quite enjoyed it, so in the back of my mind that is the reason I watch movies I think I will not like, because there is always a little hope that I might like it instead.

Did you ever not watch a specific movie because it had subtitles?

Yes and No. Yes in the sense that I am extremely moody when it comes to watching films (and other aspects of my life), and for a subtitled movie I just have to be in the right frame of mind. So I am sure I have skipped a film because of that reason at some point. Having said that I have never skipped a film just because it is subtitled.     

Are there any movies in your collection that you have had for more than five years and never watched?

Five years is too long a time so the answer to that would be no. But, I do have movies like 8 1/2, La Haine, The Outsiders, and No Direction Home which I have had for a considerable amount of time and I am yet to see them.

Which are the worst movies in your collection and why do you still own them?

That would be a number of films, especially Hindi films which I have bought at one time or another just to spend time or out of curiosity not knowing they would be this bad. I think Mission Istanbul (Hindi) would top that chart as being one of the most ridicules films ever in my collection. Why do I still have it you ask, well because no one is dumb enough to buy it off my eBay shop... honestly (and I hate to just throw films away).

Do you have any confessions about your movie watching setup at home?

I am lucky to have a nice little room dedicated to movie watching, a sort of a mini-home theater. The only confession worthy aspect of the room would be that when our house was being built it was one of the first few rooms that was completed, even before most of the bedrooms were ready. Other than that the fact that at my age I have to sneak in small film memorabilia to "decorate" the room from time to time as my family thinks that most of it is a waste of money.

Any other confessions you want to make?

Not really. I don't know if it's a confession, but I prefer to watch movies late at night and alone partly because I hate to be disturbed and at night everyone is asleep so no disturbances from phone calls either, and secondly it saves the embarrassment if an adult scene were to come up.   

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

When I think about my childhood toys, the Transformers are probably the ones that really stand out. I remember buying and playing with them on my summer vacation trips to the UK, as at that time not many had heard of them in India. Transformers: The Movie (animation) still remains one of my all time favourites.

When there is a strong connection between a series it's quite understandable that I enjoyed the live action Transformers that have graced the screens over the past few years. While most people critiqued the movies, I have always enjoyed them as no brainers. So my expectation from Transformers: Dark of the Moon was not much. All I wanted was popcorn entertainment (I love that phrase by the way, so I use it a lot), but unfortunately that is not what I got.



Yes! the action is all there. Yes! the transformers are all there. Yes! it's a no brainer. We have already had that in the past two installations of the franchise and to be honest I don't mind that it was all there in this one too. What I do mind is that not much was done beyond that.

For starters when you have such a strong supporting cast with John Turturro, Frances McDormand, and Patrick Dempsey, you really milk them out and not just play hide and seek with their characters. Give them something stronger to work with. Use them.

I also hope that after this movie we all can agree that pretty a face does not necessarily make a good actor, even in an action movie. I'm no fan of Megan Fox, but I strongly feel that she brought a certain WOW factor to the character of Sam Witwicky's (Shia LeBeouf) girlfriend-in-distress. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley just looked and acted all confused and although her character demanded exactly that from her the whole act was simply awkward.



Comic elements in an action movie are important. They provide a break from all the mayhem that is going on. But, just like too many cooks spoils the broth (or something on those lines), too many comic acts spoil the fun. We had Ken Jeong playing Wang (seriously from Chang in Community that is all they could think of). John Turturro's Simmons has been the geekish over-the-top comic guy since the first movie, but this time we had to have his man-friday called Dutch who further added to the comic elements. Lastly we have the two tiny Autobots who further try their level best to crack up the audience. So yes, way too many sub-par comic acts.

There has been a new trend in movies lately, specially the sic-fi types where events in the history of earth are linked to aliens etc. Similar to that we have a number of events from history (primarily the lunar landing) that are linked to Autobots and Decepticons being part of our history. Personally, I always feel a bit confused about the entire situation. At times I feel they make for an interesting storyline, but there are times when I feel that it was completely unnecessary and maybe another path could have been taken.



The P-Factor was one of the points where the movie was a real disappointment for me. What is that you ask me? Simple, it is the time I have to hold on from going to the toilet. It simply tells me that the movie was way too long and that maybe shortening it a bit would have made the experience more entertaining. Anyhow, the P-Factor of the movie was a pretty high 45 minutes. Oh yes, I did hold on for that long. I would also like to remind you that in India we have 3 hour movies, but then that is why we also have an interval.

Lastly, some small points that irritated me personally during the movie; The action seemed repetitive. I'm not mentioning the now much talked about scenes that were rehashed from earlier movies, but in general the fights seemed a lot familiar to the earlier ones. The Decepticons all seemed similar to me (leaving aside a few). I think in my book SoundWave died like three times. Also more importantly the story lacked structure and just jumped from one action sequence to another.

There you have it. A movie that I went into expecting only entertainment, but one which left me wanting much more. A disappointing 2 stars out of 5.

Location:Gurgaon, India

TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON

Written by Ehren Kruger

Directed by Michael Bay

Starring Shia LaBeouf, Josh Duhamel, John Turturro, Frances McDormand, Patrick Dempsey and Rosie Huntingdon-Whiteley

Simmons: Years from now, they’re going to ask, “Where were you when they took over the planet?” We’re going to say, “We just stood by and watched.”

Before today, I would never have equated Michael Bay’s directorial style with the soothing effect of a lullaby but that was before seeing TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON. It’s not that the barrage of intergalactic explosions of metal and mayhem that make up the majority of the third entry in the franchise would necessarily put you to sleep; it’s just that after sitting through Bay’s interpretation of the TRANSFORMERS universe three times now has lulled me into a state of semi-acceptance. I’ve never loved his vision for their world, which was a favorite of mine growing up, but I’ve now recognized that it is what it is and it isn’t about to change either. This shift allowed for me to see the latest installment as also the greatest.

Keep in mind that being called the best TRANSFORMERS movie to date is hardly a compliment given the history. Many of the essentials from the past make their inevitable returns this time out. Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) is back as friend to the Autobots and general all-around neurotic player with a giant chip in his shoulder. He now feels, like most of his youthful colleagues coming out of college, that he is entitled to great things right now with no dues to pay. Of course, he already has great things like doting parents (Kevin Dunn and Julie White) and an impossibly attractive new girlfriend, Carly (model, Rosie Huntingdon-Whitely, in her first and hopefully last acting role) but if he doesn’t have the fancy car and hot shot job to go with, then he might as well announce to the world that he is in fact not an actual man. Having saved the world twice already only serves to exacerbate his ego driven anxiety. Sam is stunted but that isn’t surprising given who the direction is coming from.

Part of the reason TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON works better is because it is more solidly grounded in reality from the start. Writer, Ehren Kruger (who also co-wrote REVENGE OF THE FALLEN) integrates Cybertronian lore into actual human history, having an Autobot vessel crash on the moon in the early 1960’s. The space race is then rewritten as a means to get to that ship first, which of course the Americans do. He then follows that up with some reasonably compelling betrayals amongst the Transformer ranks that will certainly appeal to longtime fans. Unfortunately, he fills the rest of the space with the usual misogynistic boyhood fantasies that Bay gets off on so bad. What you’re left with is a slightly more elevated and enjoyable experience that stems from a simple numbing of the senses. And when you wake from the dream, you may still long for what it could have been.

Like, since when is Shockwave not a clunker of a boom box?

A Weekend of Movie Viewing

I enjoyed a four-day weekend last week, which allowed me to catch up on a few movies. In two cases, films I had remembered turned out differently from my old memory.

Since my most recent blog was about “The Sundowners” I thought I would watch another 1960 release, “Home from the Hill”, a piece of Southern-fried soap opera also starring Robert Mitchum, though as a very different kind of father from the loving one presented in “The Sundowners.” In this one, Mitchum plays a wealthy landowner with two sons, one legitimate (George Hamilton) and one illegitimate (George Peppard). I was going to be clever and point out the differences between Mitchum’s father portrayals in the same year. I’d only seen “Home from the Hill” once before, but I remember it as being a pretty good movie, with Mitchum terrifying his role as the Southern patriarch who pits his two sons against each other.

Well, it’s nothing like that. He’s actually a sympathetic father to Hamilton, who is shy and in awe of his father. He takes him hunting and prepares him on the road to manhood. He admits he’s made mistakes, and is anxious to forge a strong relationship with his son. Circumstances prove otherwise.

It’s not very good. It’s long (150 minutes) and the character’s motivations seem contrived and confused. It’s adapted from a long novel but in adapting it all the I’s weren’t dotted and all the T’s weren’t crossed. Even Mitchum’s character seems to change depending on the scene. He’s fine in the individual scenes, but when it was over I never got a grasp of the character or where he was coming from. Still, Mitchum remains supremely watchable as ever. There’s also a nice score by Bronislau Kaper, with a majestic main theme that makes one wish one could live in a soap opera with a dysfunctional family, only if such a melody were present in the background.

Rating for “Home from the Hill”: A disappointing two and a half stars.

From TCM I watched “The Black Knight” (1954), starring, of all people, Alan Ladd, in the title role and set during the time of Camelot. I hadn’t seen it since grade school when it appeared on the 3:30 movie and the only thing I remembered about it was a scene where some Druids (or some other pagan representatives) were holding a human sacrifice outdoors at a Stonehenge-like temple. There were these giant wicker cages suspended in the air by ropes where Druid dancers were writhing around, kind of a like a medieval disco. It made quite an impression on me.

Unfortunately my memory was slightly skewed, as the wicker cages contained monks and priests, who are shown praying as the pagans practice their idolatrous ways. Oh, there’s still a sacrifice scene, and there are Druid dancing girls but they are on the ground and not up in the air as a precursor to the sacrifice. I admit to being somewhat disappointed that I didn’t see those Druid women writhing about in those cages. No doubt a psychiatrist can explain why.

The rest of “The Black Knight” is pretty clunky, and Alan Ladd looks as out of place in medieval England as Keanu Reeves would, but it’s entertaining enough, and boasts a nice villainous turn by Peter Cushing and a tuneful score by John Addison.

Rating for “The Black Knight”: Two and a half stars.

One of the worst movies I’ve ever seen, and easily the worst of the year, is “Transformers”, a monument to stupidity the likes of which we haven’t seen in years. There’s a cliché that director Michael Bay is the Antichrist of Hollywood, and represents everything wrong with contemporary Hollywood cinema and I’m afraid this is one cliché that is correct. Everyone connected with this pile of garbage should be ashamed of themselves. (And its, gasp, 144 minutes!)

Rating for “Transformers”: One star.

The most enjoyable movie I watched all weekend was “The Black Camel” (1931) found on Vol. 3 of the new Charlie Chan DVD set. Out of the first five Charlie Chan movies to star Warner Oland, only “The Black Camel” survives. It’s a good one, with Charlie investigating the murder of a movie star on location in Honolulu. There’s a colorful cast of suspects, including “Dracula” stars Bela Lugosi (as a swami) and Dwight Frye, an impossibly youthful looking Robert Young and beady-eyed C. Henry Gordon, who nine years later would be a suspect in “Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum.” Oland, in his second turn as the famous sleuth, has the mannerisms down pat, and he’s an absolute delight in the role, especially in his gentle put downs of an over-zealous assistant.

Fox took added expense to film on location in Honolulu, a rare occurrence at the time, and the scenes of 1931 Honolulu have an added charm. All this and a running time of only 71 minutes.

For years, “The Black Camel” was only available on bad looking black markets tapes, so I’m thrilled Fox put this out on DVD. It’s probably the DVD release of the year so far.

Rating for “The Black Camel”: Three stars. Thank you so much.