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88 Minutes (2007)
Well you definitely get a thriller
Is it me or did Al Pacino really look tired in the movie? It seemed it was a struggle for him to be physically in the movie. I wouldn't say that the movie is bad because I actually loved the way the plot kept moving from one ankle to another.
While watching 88 minutes, all I could think was why Al Pacino looked so tired or somewhat disinterested ? Even his makeup and hair, in many scenes are plain bad job. The other thing that may trouble is that the writers tried to put the blame on all the characters that were in the movie including Al Pacino himself at. certain points.
A good murder mystery keeps you guessing as to who the real culprit but you necessarily don't have to forcefully put suspicion on every character to achieve this purpose. Add to it loud background music and that too wrong ones and it can irate you.
Let me be honest, the above points are not that bad enough to make you decide you don't need to watch the movie at all. The movie has its ups and down but in general it is a good thriller and fast paced. Of course its a 2007 movie and if you are watching it in 2020 like me, you won't get the technological advancements you see in the contemporary movies but thriller addicts will get a dose of entertainment.
The Possession (2012)
The exorcism : Jewish Version
Somewhere around, a group of friends must have gathered around and wondered why isn't there a movie around jewish exorcism? VOILA ! let there be light ! And then came the movie The Possession.
So there is nothing wrong with taking a jewish ankle on the classic tale of Exorcism but the problem is when you can't justify it. The jewish culture or religious theme in my opinion is vast and offers a lot to explore. What the movie did was just place a Rabbi instead of a priest. This in my opinion was just doing a half hearted attempt.Have they had weaved a plot around jewish religious practices and beliefs and then created a story out of it, I believe this would have been not only a source to bring light to some of the traditional jewish culture but would have been a really different movie experience.
Well apart from that the movie exhibits a lot of half hearted attempt. Even Jeff Morgan didn't seem to be in his zone. I had trouble with the audio of the movie which was like a ECG chart, toppling and tumbling but not creating the desired effect.
Well technically all in not bad. The Kid, Natasha Calis is amazing and definitely carries the movie forward. The second half is what kind of took the movie down with fast and half hearted attempt but it is definitely worth a try.,
Mubeop Byeonhosa (2018)
Amazing Story line
The story just blew my mind. through the 16 episodes, the way the story arced was definitely that I couldn't anticipate. I would say ending was a hasty one but then again it was something you could foresee.
The series purely takes away with the brilliance of the script. Each character was given us a meaty chunk to perform and work on that every character felt like had a valid reason to be on the screen.
well except the ones who were planted for the comedy purpose (the gang that followed our main character). That is the one thing that I couldn't hoot for in the series.
Clearly the writer of the series was made to write thrillers and action and comedy was not the main forte of the writer. The comedy scenes, if you could count them as, was so forceful and plain to watch but other than that the series is absolutely entertaining and engaging
Nanna Prakara (2019)
Its too tangled to untie
You have to appreciate the cunningness of the basic plot. The underlying story is so twisted and intriguing that it really blows your mind. That is also what led to the downfall of the movie for me. The core story perhaps needed a different type of treatment to keep it impactful.
Performances by Priyamani and Kishore is no doubt justifying but then you could feel that the camera is rolling after an intended scene and the actors on the screen doesn't have a clue about what to do in that time lapse. There are scenes where you could painfully watch this confusion happening
The execution was were the movie couldn't perform. The story required a different technique perhaps and this could have been a massive brain exploding thriller ride.
Somewhere around a bit casual approach towards the narration kind of takes away the full glory. Having said that it isn't to say the movie is bad. Just that a bit of more keen and smart narration and execution of the story could have simply made this a powerful one
Conclusion : It is definitely a one time watch but you have to hold on patiently when the narration takes a dive down only to wait for it all to wrap up quickly
Naegen Neomoo Salangseuleoun Geunyeo (2014)
Mellowed down
Except for the creative pairing in its star cast the series had practically nothing new to offer. The pairing of Rain and krystal was definitely refreshing and a treat for viewers but then an impactful star cast can only work a little against a story that had nothing to it.
The first couple of episodes were undoubtedly impressive enough to make the audience come back to the series but eventually by the fifth episode it was quite evident that the series had no life and no direction to it rather than the usual romance drama trend followed by the Korean drama industry. It is downright predictable. For the sake of watching you can watch it but then you will have to leave all the expectations outside the door while watching the series. There are cute moments and playful banters and of course adorable rain and krystal moments too but then how far can that lure you.
Even if you sit down to watch it with all patience and diligence, you will end up admitting that the finale was the worst and it was more like mocking the viewers. I felt that this 16 episode drama could have easily ended by its 14th episode or at the max 15th episode because seriously the last episode had no sense and was just there for the sake of completing 16 episode time frame. In the end the underlying fact is that there was no story and no purpose to this entire series. It is sad because they had such a beautiful and powerful cast to work with. Each actor had a great presence but unfortunately the story did not
Kurôzu Explode (2014)
Nowhere near the real crows
I am a big fan of this series and in fact have treasured the copies of first two movies as If it is my personal goldmine. I had waited patiently for the third movie for years. The last movie came out in 2009 and now its 2014 so imagine how long has it taken for the movie franchise to come out with a sequel but was it worth waiting this long? Absolutely not
First of all we have to deal with the absence of its original star casts like Shun Oguri as Takiya Genji and Takayuki Yamada as Serizawa Tamao. They had immortalized their characters and the entire franchise with their power packed fists and acting. The new release on the other hand does not have an impressive star cast. The franchise which is known for its action is what is lacking in this movie primarily.
If I am watching a movie from the crows series, I need to see some action but sadly the only action in this movie is right about at the beginning and at the very end and that too for a very brief second and long gone before you can even feast your eyes.
Masahiro Higashide as Kaburagi Kazeo is good with acting but bad with action. He does not impress with his action skills but Yuya Yagira as Goura Toru was still impressive and so was the character black dynamite (only for action). Kento Nagayama as Fujiwara Hajime has a meaty role in the movie but that is what is bothering me. It felt as if the whole plot deviation just took out the essence of the basic movie. A recurring character Rinda man was totally wasted with barely there presence
The movie franchise which entirely sprouted from its action sequences forgot that basic element in its new movie and instead diverted with a somewhat lukewarm performances and plot, totally disappointing the fans who have been dying for the sequel for a really long time.
Bangalore Days (2014)
Bright and shiny
Out of all the new generation movies that are coming out of Malayalam movie industry, I could easily say this one stands far better. Sweet and gentle enough to be watched with the company of your parents and family while also quirky and young for a movie night with your friends. Unlike any other new generation movies, this does not make you squirm in your seat. In fact I think, you should make your parents watch this movie especially if you are a teen. It has got a lot of meaningful facts that can be shared and is definitely a thought provoker
Fahadh Faasil has time and again proved that he is a force to reckon with when it comes to acting and this movie further establishes this fact. The movie is filled with casts that is powerful and true to their characters. Nobody disappoints you in their roles whether it is Dulquer Salmaan as Arjun aka Aju or Nivin Pauly as Krishnan P P aka Kuttan or Nazriya Nazim as Divya Prakash aka Kunju or even Parvathy Menon as RJ Sarah. Even minuscule roles were polished to perfection like that of Isha Talwar as Meenakshi and Nithya Menen as Natasha Francis.
This movie is both a treasure and pleasure worth watching. The messages were strong along with performances and plot. The comic elements are spot on without being forced or cliché. The other bright spot is definitely the music.
In spite of being a new generation movie, it is not "in your face" and has a clean and effective screenplay. No Bawdy jokes or double meaning dialogs that make you run for cover.
Wait till the very end for a mind blowing twist or plot diversion.
Gotham (2014)
impressive
I did not had much expectations from this series as such so maybe that is the reason why i find it impressive enough. But if you are a hardcore Batman fanatic, then you need to step away because this has nothing to do with Batman but everything with detective James Gordon. Batman is present in form of a young Bruce Wayne who has not even considered becoming batman as of now. So if you are comfortable with that, then yes, hop on, this can be fun
The first episode did not quite impress me as everything was just chaotic, but somehow there was a little spark which made me settle for the second episode as well and voila ! i was rewarded as the second episode was much better than the premiere and has actually created a curiosity level in me
The best performance according to me was Jada Pinkett Smith as Fish Mooney. what a mind blowing performance. Another surprise package was Camren Bicondova as Selina "Cat" Kyle. The girl has got some serious skills in her hand and is also a captive face. Ben McKenzie as James Gordon is not bad as the central character even though i think i need time in order to have this character and performance grow on me while Donal Logue as Harvey Bullock is good in performance but his character according to me is the most undefined in the entire series.David Mazouz as young Bruce Wayne is doing really good with the short coverage he has in the entire series.
After watching around 6 episodes
Yes things are coming around and like a wine, the more the episodes are increasing, so is its charm. If you were not impressed by the first episode, stick around a bit and you will see things growing in the series. One character that is emerging strong and impressive is Robin Taylor as Penguin. He is conveniently putting out that weird Psycho effect. oh and by the way Donal Logue as Harvey Bullock is still a big puzzle to me but not enough to lure me out of this show. Ben McKenzie as James Gordon is getting good and impressive. Gotham City is definitely becoming interesting.
Constantine (2014)
Chaos all Over
I must have checked it at least ten times to ensure that i m watching the series from its very first episode. The premiere episode was so chaotic that my head was spinning out of control after watching it. Nothing made sense and everything was being thrown to you at a rapid pace for you to grab any sense out of anything being shown.
It was like the team wanted to squeeze an entire season into one episode. People and their actions along with their dialogues were all cryptic and i don't think even the actors were aware of what was happening. On one side there is the confusion over things happening without no explanation, flow or scheme and then as a fuel to the fire you have an English actor playing the central character whose diction is itself a hard shell to crack and add to that the misery of watching his acting that is like somebody on extreme sugar rush
If you have watched the movie Constantine starring Keanu Reeves, then you will understand the grievances i have towards Matt Ryan. while Keanu reeves successfully portrayed the arrogant, troubled and brooding character of Constantine, Matt was unable to convince of the same.
The graphics on the other hand was pretty impressive and a great visual delight but unfortunately without a solid script , a befitting central character, the series is not much to look forward to
If anything goes like the first episode then this series is a thorough disaster waiting to happen but since it has only been one episode so far, i will try for another chance for the series, even though there is no hope visible as of now.
After Watching Second episode
Yes things have settled down but does that mean it is getting interesting?
sadly No would be an appropriate answer for me. Second episode was more focused if i may say so but the main lead and his accent is still a great concern for me. The episode format more or less reminds me of the series "supernatural". it is failing to grab my attention and i have actually no particular will to follow it as such. BUT NEVER SAY NEVER
Make Your Move (2013)
Lack Luster
Let me start by saying this that I had never heard about this movie before and it was pure coincidental and through the divine intervention of internet browsing that I bumped into it. Followed by watching the trailer and impressed by the dance moves shown, I decided to watch the movie "make your move" or in words "Romeo and Juliet in step up"
Those who loved step up, street dance and all other dance movies would surely love this because, yes the movie has a lot of dance moves that will make your jaw drop but is that enough to make you watch the movie
.hmmm
totally depends on your patience level
The movie story is totally romeo and Juliet (if you have missed my hints in the above two paragraphs) having kids from two rivaling clans falling for each other and surviving through the hatreds and rivalry but sadly the movie does not explore much on the romance quotient which I guess is acceptable considering that this is in whole a dance movie.
The good points is definitely the music and dance routines and having professional dancer (Derek hough) and musician (BOA) for lead characters do actually make it better but can they pull off a story other than dance routines
.sadly ..for me
no..
There is no plot to the movie per say and whatever story is there kind off runs like a marathon and too fast for you to actually cope up
the movie pretty much follows a strict regime which is 5 min story 15 min dance routine and this follows throughout the movie but nevertheless I loved it for being a sweet chick flick and most of all for the dance routines. Its fine unless you are expecting a through and through entertainer
The movie has no plot and whatever plot is actually taken from the usual Disney movies and threaded together to narrate an obvious story. You will predict everything from the moment the titles starts showing up but the movie has some real good dance sequences that kind of is worth the pain
Ouija (2014)
Nothing new. Everything tried and tested in about thousands of other horror movies
Thousands of movie and still these kids do not learn the lesson.
"Thy shall not play Ouija board or mess with the dead. Never. Ever"
Call me psychic or just an experienced movie go-er , that the very first time I heard there was a horror movie for release with the name Ouija, I had predicted the entire plot and even knew who would survive at last. I am happy to announce that I was right to the very last scene.
The plot is way too predictable right from the title screen.
I mean come on! Who could not predict the plot simply by the name Ouija? Bunch of teens trying to play the board and ends up getting caught up in a really twisted fate and meanwhile side characters gets all killed. In the end only the main star stands breathing while everybody else have been killed off brutally. See downright predictable and almost nothing new at least in terms of plot.
The horror in the movie is created by sudden pop of ghosts, shadows and lights. But do they manage to create an effect? Yes. At times. But not always. The plot tried its hand at being a little suspenseful towards the end but I felt it was too hasty and kind of "obvious plot turn"
Character wise, I felt like barging into the screen and beating the central character, (Laine Morris played by Olivia Cooke) till she turned blue or start using brains. You will understand my feeling once you watch the movie.for the time being let's just say that the character is the reason why trouble gets started in the first place.I m talking for the character not the actor. Actors can't be blamed for a plot that had nothing to work around. Everybody kind of did their best to look scared and being chased by ghosts.
While it is not exactly a painful watch it is not that impressive too.
At the end if you want to watch it, you could, as far as you are not expecting to be scared out of your body. You could actually use to it play "guess what happens next". The movie is simple and good except that it does not delivers much on the horror part.
It is an average movie but not essentially a good horror movie.
Warm Bodies (2013)
Short, sweet and crisp
I had skipped on this one expecting it to be another zombie movie and since I had not read the book I was not sure whether I wanted to actually watch it but then I recently read some blogs that carried praises for this movie and that Is why I decided to give it a try.
Warm bodies is a simple and fortunately well paced movie that does not stall or hover around much and thus giving a decent watch. I for one did not find this movie overly exciting or boring. It was good and watchable with certain elements of humor though for some reason I found the plot a bit undercooked. But it is kind of a recurring phenomenon with any movies that is adapted from a book. Usually during the transition from a book to movie, the details get omitted, maybe because of time constraints or for movie sensibilities.
In short it is a sweet romantic comedy that follows the age old story of Romeo and Juliet except in this case our Romeo is a zombie and Juliet a living person.
Review after reading the book
after reading the book, i feel that the book is a much better version though yes certain blanks were filled on reading the book and the movie had kind of left out certain parts but still book was kind of tough to keep track of and movie was much more enjoyable in terms of plot and narration
Non-Stop (2014)
The usual Hi jacking movie with very little spice
Non- stop was my pick for a weekend movie night because of Liam Neeson . I have always loved his style and genre of movie and that is why even though it was quite evident from the trailer that this was a usual hi-jack movie, I still wanted to watch it.
The movie goes in a steady flow keeping it interesting but not enough to call it an edge of a seat thriller. The director tries to divert our attention to various characters to maintain the suspense element which necessarily does not work in the right direction as per my view. It is a bit jerky in terms of plot build up
The movie has all the usual elements that we see in a hi jacking movie, dead pilot, Distressed passengers, survival measures, and eventually lives of people falling into the hands of one man. But then we have seen so many such hostage and hi jacking movies that I don't think anything is left to surprise us but still yes non-stop has its moments , even though with the usual and predictable tactics
I was not a fan of the ending because to me it seemed like a quick wrap up and not a smooth transition like you would expect. The logics used in the end was kind of pointless and incomplete and despite a not so there ending I would still say that for a Liam Neeson fan this still works
may be not In great length
The movie has the usual plots and circumstances tried and tested almost in every other hi jacking movie but still it is kind of watch-able and serves good enough for Liam Neeson fans even though the plot clearly required work.
The Maze Runner (2014)
It's all confusing..
With Every hope that Dylan o' Brien will woo me again with his wit and charm just as he did with the character of Stiles in Teen wolf, I entered the hall to watch The Maze runner, also armed with a confidence that came from having read the book, but the fact is that rather than watching the movie, I spent the entire 113 minutes checking for the discrepancies between the original book and its movie version. So you could say that I was rather going through a check sheet than watching the movie. It is completely different to the book. Yes they have picked up the basics from the book but the narration, details and execution are all totally different.
I can't blame Dylan o' Brien for anything firstly because owing to my crush and secondly he was playing a character that in itself was a confusing one in the original book itself. If you have read the book, you will be confused as to what exactly the character of "Thomas "is and considering that I would say Dylan has actually brought some life and credibility to the character and has given his best with the limited resources he had.
What was pricking me through the whole movie was the casting. Everybody almost seemed to be casted in the wrong roles. For example Thomas Sangster was kind of out of place as Newt and looked more perfect for the role of chuck. Similarly Will Poulter who played the role of Gally, looked more apt for the character of Newt or Alby . Aml Ameen would have suited the description and role of Gally much more than the character of Alby that he played. So half of the time I was finding it difficult to place these actors according to the book description. For me, it was like watching wrong faces in wrong body. But while at it I would say Dylan was convincing as Thomas and Will Poulter though given a wrong character brought out the best in the movie and is definitely one who manages to stand out in the movie.
Struck by Lightning (2012)
Lightening
This "coming -of -age" movie is good especially with the sole effort of its main lead actor Chris Colfer with his comic and sarcastic timings throughout the movie and you would love the guy all over again if you have not done yet from his performance in the hit series Glee.
The movie is a good blend of comedy with lots of food for thought as well and when i say comedy it is not raunchy or sexual ones that pass as comedy these days but most of the movie's comedy comes from intelligent sarcasm and situational ones.
To me, this movie was a good and effective watch that made me laugh and at the end made me reaching for tissues because the movie kind of does that you in the end.
I felt that this is one of those movies which will give you a good time and move you while watching but at the same time will be moved from your memory chambers as soon as you are through with it.
Watch the movie for a good clean sarcastic humour and for a great performance by chris colfer
Horns (2013)
Horns? More like Horny and Puny
So here I am excited with the idea of watching my favorite book turn into a cinematic magic and elated at the thought of seeing some of the strongest characters I have ever read in a book come alive on screen. Five minutes into the movie and I am crying my heart out and not because it emotionally stirred me but because the movie was horrible.
If you haven't watched this movie till now, then don't. You will avoid yourself some pain. Read the book instead and you will survive the torture
The movie is more of a low budget porn movie where the actors are all acting weird probably under the influence of some heavy dope. Bad actors, bad lighting, confusing expressions on everybody's face, bad screen rendition of a perfectly good scripted book and bad graphics
(well I will give it that the horns was pretty impressive but wait till the end and you will realize why I am shouting bad graphics)
Half of the actors in this movie are English and they have been given the roles of core American characters and the whole movie thereon is a struggle from these actors to get rid of their British accent and sound genuinely American fighting their natural instincts. News Flash: Did not work and certainly did not fool me. Watch the trailer and you will realize what I am talking about. The struggle between the accents is stark
Daniel Radcliffe. This guy practically immortalized the character of Harry Potter and now whenever we sit down to read the book, it's probably his face that comes into our mind and to think that the same guy just messed up a perfectly good script and movie is utter disappointment. Almost all the actors including Heather Graham, Juno, and Daniel are all acting like some low paid porn stars.
In the book, one of the most powerful and crucial characters Is that of Lee and sadly in the movie, it's his character that is the most underdeveloped one. Max Minghella, who plays this character, has not been given much to work around and the result is devastating.
The only good part in the movie is where you get to see David Morse, who plays the character Merrin's father. He appears barely in two to three scenes and those are the best. Emotionally strong and captive.
Joe Anderson and Juno Temple are definitely a mismatch for the characters. Juno has one of the strongest role in the whole movie but either she did not have a whole lot of scope or she lacked in her part, either way her role ended up being a wallflower. Joe Anderson was in the movie to come off as a drug junkie
you got to be kidding me
did the crew even read the book?
The movie was more of a spoof of a perfectly good book. A total disaster right from the cast to acting and screen adaptation. It's a porn movie and nothing else to it. The saddest part is that Joe Hill's book was a complete script in itself and this could have been a pretty good movie if it had been treated rightly
Maleficent (2014)
Breathtaking
I refuse to believe that there would be anybody alive who is not aware of this Angelina Jolie movie unless you have been cast away in a far away island and have been spending days cutting your hair and beard with blunt rocks.
Maleficent is undoubtedly one of the best performances by Angelina. Well of course there are so many other movies that shows her brilliance but Maleficent will stand out for so many reasons. First of all the whole look of the character and then the performance, the nuisances of the character and the quirky and the wicked evil act everything just was hundred fold in effect.
If you watch the movie, you will not stray anywhere from Angelina Jolie. Her screen presence is so much powerful that everything else actually fades away in comparison.
Well having said lets discuss other aspects of the movie, Plot is brilliantly developed only to be enhanced with performances by the actors present including Vivienne Jolie-Pitt (Angelina's real life daughter, even if it was for 5 minutes). The visual effects are absolutely breathtaking and dream like and making this movie one of a kind experience.
A truly must watch Disney Experience.