sriramsrinivasan91-314-830752's Reviews

Primer (2004)

10/10

6 July 2014

I did not get this the first... nor for most of the second time as most of the people who view this movie would be. But, once you understand what is happening, it certainly blows you away. The movie does sometimes feel like a snuff film, substance lighting and unclear images.. but i kinda adds to the mystique.

Not for people who wanna lay back and watch a movie. This one wants you to pay attention and discuss it afterwards. So, If you are looking for a movie that asks you questions, wants to second guess the logic and takes you down a rabbit hole that is so convoluted you loss your way.. this one is for you!!!

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Escape Plan (2013)

9/10

Prison break movie that is different from the norm!!!

16 February 2014

Everyone one of us has seen a lot of prison break movies. I mean every season there is at least a show on TV or a movie that involves jail breaks that it is kind of difficult to make you sit up and take notice of this genre of late. but, wow!! does not this one make you do that.

Stallone is a jail break artist who breaks out of prisons for his paycheck. He shows prison systems their flaws so that they can make it better. He gets can job to break out of a high security prison for the baddest of bad ass people who people just wanna see disappear. A prison so secret even its location is not disclosed to him, and as all heroes are Stallone agrees (We would not have movies if these have some sense). What follows is action packed, engrossing and just the right of twists that make this one a worth while watch. Not to mention that it also has Schwarzenegger in it!!!

A great movie which more or less as a plot line that is similar to many jail break movies, A lot of stereotypes but is interesting and the performances and the screenplay are great for me to rate this one 9/10. Kudos for making a neat twist to the tried and tested jail break plot.

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The Fifth Estate (2013)

4/10

Promised a lot!! but did not deliver

9 February 2014

Don't you we all remember those movies that just start off with all the wonderful promises that we are in for one hell of a ride but we reach the denouement, we are somehow left with the feeling of disappointment and being letdown. This one similar to that.

The story starts with the stunning expose of the Afghanistan war logs that was released by wikileaks. The screenplay is commendable with all the shifting from place to place. The play Julian goes from airport to airport and seems to be all around of the world sometimes is well played out. Benedict Cumberbatch does a very good job as Julian Asange with his white hair and laid back Aussie assent but it does not quite seem natural at times. Daniel Bruhl also carries his role with aplomb. I would rarely fault the cast for that incomplete taste I had in my mind after the movie got more. They did a great job.

The screenplay did seemed a little off color to me. It seemed there were digressing in unfruitful tangents without having any idea why or who is the reason for exploring certain avenues. It seemed it was a bit all over the place. It is all too evident that they tried to get the story from everyone's point of view and all which is great, but it could have been better brought together which would have been this one a more complete movie then it turned out.

Bottom line, it was a movie that started off well, lost its way in the middle and finally ambled to a finish when it had the potential to be so much more.

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Prisoners (2013)

6/10

A little bit of trimming and we would have a masterpiece!!!

8 February 2014

153 minutes just seemed a little too long right from the offset and I was not mistaken. Don't get me wrong, this movie is not boring or dragging like stereotype long movies that we all are too painfully aware of. It is engaging and even nail biting at times. But, if the editors had trimmed a few rough edges, we would have been looking at a real gem.

A the performances in this movie are power packed. Hugh Jackman in his determined, hell bent role of a father looking his lost daughter portrays the pain and the loss that a family will face at such trying times. His emotions and the actions he performs, even though it seemed a little over the top at times, was really well brought forth. Jack Gyllehaal in his eccentric detective who is married to his job cliché also produces a performance of note although at times it just felt a little forced than natural. The rest of the cast played around well to the central characters, although in essence had so little to do, to produce a good ensemble performance.

Bottom line, a good movie which had all the potential of being a really fantastic and brilliant one but fell short due to (in my opinion) a screenplay that could have been helped if it was tad bit faster.

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Furious 6 (2013)

9/10

Fast cars!! Girls!!! Total Chaos!!! Y do we luv this franchise again??

27 December 2013

If there was any doubts as to why Fast and Furious has a cult following in the box office, here is your answer. It had everything that you associate with this franchise. Even they part where the throw physics out the window!!!

It starts out with Dom and O'Connor in there retreat in Spain when Hobbs come to ask Dom for help in bringing down a bunch of highly coordinated street races cum thieves. He also shows Dom a recent photo of Letty so that he just cant turn down the offer. From the streets of London to an army base in Spain. Its one roller coaster ride of fast cars.. incredible action sequences... A couple of girl on girl fights which were pretty awesome by the way.

Total entertainment guaranteed.

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Delivery Man (2013)

7/10

Funny but Deep

4 December 2013

Don't believe the genre and go into this one thinking its a comedy. Yes, the premise that a person could actually donate sperm so many times and the number of kids to whom he now is the biological father is kinda funny. But, apart from a few scenes that are really funny, it felt to me at least a more deep movie.

The story is pretty basic, a guy (Vince Vaughan) who has donated his sperm some 690 times discovers that he is now the biological father of 593 kids who are suing in order to obtain the identify of the man who goes by the pseudonym "Starbucks". In the midst of all this, Starbucks' girlfriend (Cobie Smulders) is pregnant and wants to know if he can actually make a commitment to a family. The story then revolves around the emotional decision that Vince Vaughan has to make and what makes him make those decisions.

Bottomline, a good movie which will be entertaining, but not a comedy at any level.

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Gravity (2013)

9/10

Engrossing!!! Epic!!!

18 November 2013

Nobody told that a movie can be so engrossing and yet have so little dialogues or characters. In time a time when directors are trying to burden movie goers with twisted, convoluted plots and zillions of characters that many people feel the need to go the movies with notebooks comes a game changer from Alfonso Cuaron.

The story starts with a space walk where Sandra Bullock in a professor who has developed a prototype which is being funded by NASA. She is accompanied by George Clooney on a space mission to check her prototype's functionality when catastrophe strikes. A sharpen storm of satellite debris destroys there shuttle and leaves them abandoned in space. The story them depicts the struggle she faces to get herself back to a pod and get herself back to Earth.

Words cannot express the performance of Sandra Bullock, the way she shows her emotions, her inner demons and her struggles as she fights alone thousands of miles above Earth is really a performance to watch. A special tribute should also be given to the camera work and all the special effects that more than make up for the lack of dialogues in this movie.

Overall, a game changer of a movie that was worth the wait for me. I really wanted to catch on 3D in a theater and abstained myself from renting this one earlier and the worth was totally worth it!!!!

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Ted (2012)

6/10

Wanna hav 90 mins of fun?? You are the right place

10 November 2013

Warning: Spoilers

Seth Macfarlane really know how to make people laugh!! that is really well established, and he does not disappoint you with this one as well. Ted is one movie you should definitely watch if you are in the mood for some laid back fun on a Friday night.

Its about a little lonely kid, John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg) without any true friends who on one magical Christmas night wishes to have his teddy bear come alive, and unexpectedly the wish comes true. The narration goes that the Teddy (Voice by Seth himself) and John become really close and remain each other true friends forever as promised. Fast Forward 30 years, John is now a grown man of 35 years and is in a relationship with a beautiful philly girl, Lori Collins (Mila Kunis) and the story really starts.

I am not gonna sit here and talk about the story, its not something we have not seen, its boy meets girl.. boy screws up... friends comes to the rescue and the girl and boy end up happily ever after. If you want to see something new and thoughtful, you are in the wrong place. The thing that sets this movie apart is the dialogues, the one liners. I already told you, this for the laid back fun mood movie and it does not disappoint you one little bit in that regard. Go and watch it if you need your mind off things and party!!!

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Man of Steel (2013)

3/10

Blinded by the special effects...

30 October 2013

I seriously cant understand the reviews for this movie on this website. Or any other website for that matter, I mean, yes its action packed, brilliant special effects, blah blah blah. But where is the acting, were is the character building, where is anything else that people actually used to care about in movies.

The casting for a huge catastrophe, Henry Cavill as Superman was not working, his acting was so forced that sometimes I actually sad for him, I mean the effort he had to put to get the emotion out. All the other characters also felt out of place, not natural. I seemed like its was all forced, I don't how to articulate this better, but that is the way i felt, unnatural.

As for the screenplay, well one thing is for sure, Mr. Nolan does not like chronology, it works, it cools, keeps the audience attentive. But it did not this time, the story for so fast paced that with the added non chronology, It felt broken, disconnected. I couldn't get any connection with the characters, understand them. The option was never given. Throughout the movie you distanced from the screen.

Bottom line.. worth watching for the special effects and some really crash bang make everything blow up and come crashing down scenes. But not a movie to write home about.

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The Conjuring (2013)

8/10

Scary!! Scary!!! Scary!!!

29 October 2013

I really really really wanted to watch this movie as soon it was out, any horror movie with the tag "Based on a True story" really gets me bent on watching it. But, unfortunately due to many circumstances I will not explain here, it got delayed. I finally got around to watching it a few days back and boy was the wait worth it!!!

Lets be honest, some times these movies can get really predictable, If the light goes out you know when it comes back there is gonna be something in the room, A face is gonna appear in the mirror etc. Well, no body can help want else can you do in horror movies eh!! well.. these people got the answer and I am not kidding, the camera work, the way the worked the angles, the unpredictability of the movie was commendable. I actually watch a lot of horror and pride myself on not having sudden jumps in these movies, but this one made me jump sometimes!!!!

All the protagonists did there part brilliantly. Vera Farmiga performance as Lorraine was off the charts fantastic. She carried out here role with aplomb. All all the kids also deserve special mentions. The acting was always natural. I mean, I actually felt that they were really scared, not just for the camera.

Overall, a complete horror package for every horror aficionados to watch. Easily one of the scariest movies I have seen for some time. Don't watch it alone at night though, that was a stupid decision on my part!!!!!

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White House Down (2013)

2/10

Well!!! Somebody please bring him back to reality

26 October 2013

Warning: Spoilers

Yes... you are making a work of fiction.. but you have to keep it at least a little credible!!!! I wanted this movie after a few of my friends that its a superb action and guns galore, so I thought "lets see it" and oh boy... I have stopped those friends for movie suggestions after this debacle.

The story is about a guy who is having trouble in his life.. He leads a mediocre life always failing to produce results though we all know that he is capable (Can you get anymore clichéd). He is estranged from his political crazy daughter, who now calls him by his first name and not even father, but to patch things up he asks a friend to hook him up with a pass for his daughter to see the White House, on the same day a group of militants plan on taking the White House under siege. From there on its a struggle for life and death has Channing Tatum battles every militant all most single handed to save both the President (Jamie Foxx) and his daughter.

The above story will sound interesting... the things that happen in the movie are at most laughable. Half the time was going like "Come on, Seriously"... I don't know much about political systems, but one thing is you don't change presidents like changing clothes. But, in this movie.. well its one after the other. I was half expecting that Tatum will be sworn in as president in between. The scene were they call in the air strike with thousands of civilians still in the area. I mean at least make be want to believe. Either Roland Emmerich thinks the audience are so gullible that we will believe what ever is throw at us on the screen or that the only thing that matters is to blow up everything in site and make the good guy win the day and people will be happy.

Lets on even talk about the casting. Jamie Foxx as the president just did not sit well with me. You expect the president of the United States to be a strong personality, not a comedian. Ya, I know that they did not want to make a serious movie. But, it just does not sit well with me. You decide want you wanna make, weather its comedy or serious. You shouldn't go about trying to make everything fit into one movie.

Bottom line, anyone who chooses his movies carefully and wants something other than just 90 mins of rubbish throw at you. Please don't watch this movie

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The Hangover Part III (2013)

3/10

Too much of anything makes you feel sick

26 October 2013

The summary actually sums it up. Too much of the same kind of lewd one liners which the same expressions and actions gets too suffocation to the point of cloying. The first part was fantastic, the second was a little lower in standard and that is when you know you stop the franchise, but unfortunately everyone in Hollywood is so bent on continuing franchises and this is the result.

Throughout the movie, you could see similarities to previous ones, similar situations, similar dialogues, one liners. The movie lacked creativity, it did not seem like a different movie. It was more of a modified version of the previous editions.

Not saying it was totally bad. Some of the scenes really did make me crack up, its just they were not enough. Please stop now and don't continue the franchise coz it will only end in disaster.

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Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

5/10

What is all the hype about

20 October 2013

When this movie released, there was so much hype about it and all that..Then with all the nominations for the Oscars made me really wanna watch this and when I finally got around to watch, I was disappointed. The acting was so artificial at times... the scenes that were meant to get your heart pumping faster were not doing there jobs... I was just going through the motions.. some scenes were so clichéd.. the dialogues so banal and trite. Overall, I felt that it was a let down. I don't know if it was the hype or over expectations...But this movie was a let down in every way, I went in expecting to see a fast paced thriller about one the greatest events of our generation and came out disappointed.

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Now You See Me (I) (2013)

8/10

Its Magic!!!!!

13 October 2013

Wow!!.. The only word I had after watching this movie was that... Wow!!!.. Beautifully acted.. wonderfully scripted... fast paced... It had everything you want in a movie..

Its about 4 street magicians who get called for a meeting and one year along the road, the become the "The Four Horsemen" performing to full house audiences in Vegas, where the end the show by actually robbing a bank. This sets of a roller coaster ride of magically moments with an FBI agent and Interpol trying to uncover how they actually pulled it off.

Its a movie worth watching....

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