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AnandBlaster
Reviews
How I Met Your Mother: Slapsgiving (2007)
Episodes with slaps are the worst
I don't understand what is so funny about slapping someone in the face. And to keep that as a recurring thing is one of the worst things about how I met your mother.
Just because Neil Patrick Harris acts brilliantly in all these kind of episodes doesn't mean it is enjoyable.
Major and general salutes are nice, otherwise pretty ordinary episode. To those who have seen Friends, this definitely doesn't meet the standard a Thanksgiving episode deserves. Season 3 was going great for me until this episode, that too coming after a top episode like Spoiler Alert, it is a major let down. Hope the next episode gets back on track.
Se7en (1995)
A mind-numbing experience
One thing I knew about the movie Se7en before watching is that it has a great climax. Might be one of the greatest twists. Having that in mind I started watching this movie. The atmosphere is terrific, the visuals brilliant and the lead actors with the gore of the deaths all pull us into the movie within few minutes.
The tracking of the killer seemed to have gone very easy and in beginning of the second half we already get to know the name and the house of the killer. His house, the collections he keeps, the way it was shot in dark and disturbing red still lingers in mind, which seem to have inspired so many movies in future.
If the killer is identified and only have to be tracked it has to be just a thriller, right? Where is the mystery? Well, you got to watch the movie to experience that. Once Kevin Spacey appears on the screen the movie goes altogether to another level. Despite having him arrested, his unique demand and his cold face with undisturbed composure make us feel unsettled.
The last twenty minutes of the movie is the best part. The conversation in the car, the final location, the shots from helicopter, Morgan Freeman's and Brad Pitt's fantastic acting, the score, just the silent presence of Kevin Spacey and above all the incomprehensible ending.. Oh man, I can just watch it again and again!
While the innocent wife's death doesn't exactly fit into the seven sins, there is no point in trying to find complete rationality in a psychopath's idea. Despite few such minor things, Se7en is an extraordinary movie that shouldn't be missed.
Knives Out (2019)
As enjoyable as an Agatha Christie's novel
Having read a lot of Agatha Christie's mysteries, it is not very difficult to guess the direction where the movie heads. Even many of the scenes are predictable. But why it is rated good is the fact that the movie has been enjoyable to watch. As fun as reading a Christie's novel on a lazy weekend.
I also enjoyed the performances of both Daniel Craig and Ana de Armas. I haven't watched any of Hercule Poirot on-screen adaptations, hence the detective Benoit Blanc entertained and seemed very likeable for me. Ana as Martha gives a very realistic performance.
If predictability is a problem, casting a big star as the killer doesn't help either. Yet lots of witty one-liners, a dysfunctional family setup and the lead stars all make this movie an enjoyable one.
Gone Girl (2014)
Fantastic first-half and Intense second-half
I haven't read the book so started watching the movie without any expectations. It was mind-blowing in the first half itself, and it went another level in the second half inspite of a genre shift from mystery to drama/thriller. By the time the movie ends one would definitely place oneself at Nick's position atleast for a moment and feel the chill.
Rosamund Pike as Amy gives an extraordinary performance in the second half and especially in the last fifteen minutes just the way she looks is enough to make one feel vulnerable. Ben Affleck is apt to the role, and the supporting cast is equally good, be it the twin sister or the lawyer or the stalking boyfriend (our favourite NPH).
Director David Fincher succeeds in taking a strong plot and presenting us on screen switching back and forth in the timeline and making us to switch sides in supporting the characters. The ending leaves us wondering with few questions, but after some thinking it feels to be the only way it could end.
Cidade de Deus (2002)
Technically brilliant though brutal and Shocking
The movie pulls you in within a few minutes thanks to the realistic writing, locations and a fantastic cinematography. The runtime which is around 2 hours flies just like that. So many sequences, for instance the story of the apartment, stay in the mind mainly because of the cinematography and a unique style of editing. Some of the scenes are violent and disturbing to watch, especially when there are kids involved. Even more difficult to fathom is when the end credits rolled as based on a true story.
Watching the movie 20 years after its release makes one realise how many other movies it had inspired in the past two decades.
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Extraordinary making but tough to watch
The first 20 minutes of this movie is the toughest I have ever felt to watch. The way the Omaha beach battle scene has been filmed and the sound effects make you feel like you are really in the battle. It is gut-wrenching.
The camera work makes the movie feel like almost a documentary with videos from a real war zone. Tom Hanks totally earned that Oscar nomination for this role. All the characters stay in mind even after the movie ends.
My most favourite part in the movie is the one before final fight. The silence in those 10 to 15 mins is the perfect calm before storm, even though you know what is coming.
Succession: Argestes (2019)
Terrific episode
The way tension builds from the beginning of this episode makes it a terrific episode. That end-credit score is wow. Kendall vs Shiv has been one of my favourite thing to watch so far in this season.
Seinfeld: The Tape (1991)
Laugh riot
Terrific comedy throughout the episode. Julia as Elaine and Jason as George just nailed it. Each and every scene is funny. Best episode of the series thus far.
Succession: Nobody Is Ever Missing (2018)
Jeremy Strong
What an actor this guy is! He knocks it out of the park, throughout the season, especially this season 1 finale.
The Green Mile (1999)
Gem of a movie
Loved this intense magical-realism drama. Every character will be etched into your memory after watching the movie. Stellar performance by Michael Clarke, can't stop welling up in most of the scenes he comes on screen. He deserved an Oscar.