The Movie Review Thread

[quan chi]

*moviecultists.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/The-Avengers-logo.jpg​

Running time:-2hrs 22mins.
genre:-Action.

Theme,story & plot:- If you really want to know then please go and read some comic books.Then you dont need to ask the story..It is plain and simple.
Anyways some of the superheroes from marvel comics team up with Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D to defend earth from loki.The villain from THOR.

Character development:-Characters were already developed. Anyways there was not much room for character development and if you still want to know more.Read the first line of the above paragraph.

Honestly speaking you should not search for stories when you are watching a film like this.What you should be looking for is direction,execution of the story and lastly the VFX,and this movie fares well in all of these.

Direction:-Joss Whedon did a great job both as a co-writer and a director.This movie never loses its pace.I found no part of the movie boring.It shows the director was clear with his ideas.His vision about the characters. How will they interact among themselves and with the enemy etc really needs a praise.

Screenplay:-The script is immaculate,funny and tender.

Cast:-No doubt in the cast and their performance.

Overall entertainment value.:-If you are a marvel comics fan and loves superhero movies then this is surely for you.It keeps you glued to your seat till you see the end of loki.But yeah the climax could have been better but still theres nothing much to complain about.
In the end you can go for it.

 

[Vyom]

Prometheus

Plot (from IMDb): "A team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a journey to the darkest corners of the universe. There, they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race."

Let me begin by saying that I haven't watched the original movies of the Alien franchise, to which Prometheus is being regarded as the prequel too. So I didn't have any expectations or pre notions about the movie. But I was aware of the basic plot of the previous movies, which involved gruesome ways of their attacks.

The genre of the movie says, it's an Action, Sci-fi and Horror. Sadly to me, it seemed to fit in neither of the three perfectly.

The movie begins slowly. Too slowly. And it's not a complaint. I have seen good movies with slow start. But this one just keeps on dragging.

There was no character development so to speak. Except that of Noomi Rapace (Elizabeth Shaw, in movie) and maybe of Michael Fassbender (David, in movie).

I didn't felt the story either. And I won't say screenplay was any good either.

Speaking of horror, there was maybe just a couple of time where I was spooked but overall, saying Prometheus a horror movie will be injustice. And that is coming from someone who is not a fan of horror movies just because they scare the sh!t out of me.

The built up which is developed in the first half of the movie just doesn't justify the climax. Almost everyone who will watch the movie will agree that the climax could have been a lot better. The way it ended it looked like I was watching the first episode of a series.

Something which is good and which was apparent from the trailer was the cinematography. It was good. But again not something we haven't seen before.

Maybe these kinds of movies are just not my type. Maybe the ones who like "Alien" and its sequels may relate something to it... but for me, Prometheus was one movie I could have easily skipped if I haven't got the chance to get the premiere passes.

Rating: 2.5 / 5.

 

[rhitwick]

Hemlock Society (Bengali, Drama) 8.5/10

Concept: I'm really amazed by the concept of the movie. I have never seen such a movie in any language. Read one story in my childhood in similar concept and happened to come by an article few days ago. But, I could never imagine someone would ever dare to make a movie on this topic.
Topic? If summarized its "Assisted Suicide"!
To make it more clear, let me translate the tagline of the movie i.e. "Morbe moro chorio na" (Die if you want but don't embarrass).
So there is private organization which helps people to commit suicide successfully! Provides a 3 days crash course to enlighten the participants about various methods to suicide. What not to do and what to do etc.
Meghna(Koel Mallik) recently has broken up with her bf. She's very upset after breaking up a 14yrs long relationship and wants to end herself. Enter Ananda Kar(Parambrata) the CEO of "Hemlock Society". He asks her to join the course so she could die properly without embarrassing everyone including herself. Rest you need to see.

Character development: Only two characters come into focus since the movie begins. Meghna and Ananda, even though I would say its Koel's movie. She first time got the chance to break out of her usual happy, bubbly, naughty characters. Her d-glam representation is also something she tried first time. And, I love her so I liked her anyway
Supporting characters are also very strong actors but not much explored.

Direction: So Srijit Mukherjee made a hat-trick with his 3rd movie. Another totally different subject executed very well.
A very beautifully crafted movie. Well executed first half and not so well executed second half.
But, I've a question to Srijit, what is this obsession of him to explain everything, every character getting justice. Life is boring, zero dramatic. Why not keep that way. Would have really loved it if the "6 months later" part was not there.

Screenplay: Slow but steady. At a length of 2 and half hours its too much. Movies on such concept should be crisp and short. Which has the scope to impact to audience. Last few minutes just dilutes everything, breaks the quirky environment it created from start.

Cinematography: Good but not great.

Songs and background score: Few are already hit. Nice mix of pop and normal filmy music.
Background music is apt to situations.

Editing: Poor job with editing. The movie should have been 30 minutes shorter.

Verdict: Even with few downside this movie wins (or would win) hearts because of its subject and great acting. Watch it even if you have to watch it with subs.

Poster
*www.bangaliaana.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Hemlock-Society.jpg

Trailer:-
[YOUTUBE]G_EXx5detmY[/YOUTUBE]

Something that you should know,
*en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemlock_Society

 

[Vyom]

The Amazing Spiderman

*ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTkwNjA4NzUwM15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMzY1NDM5Nw@@._V1._SY317_CR1,0,214,317_.jpg

Watched The Amazing Spiderman today morning.

It was amazing. Despite that it was a reboot, I thoroughly enjoyed it. There were various aspects which made this movie less dramatic but more closer to reality. I got to know a lot about Spiderman then the previous franchise ever told. Since the movie covered some aspects of the Peter Parker's parents, it felt more involving. From the childhood to how he managed to become Spiderman, the character development seemed phenomenal. But the role of Irrfan Khan totally looked like it was for namesake.

Whoever saying it contains less action is disillusioned, or maybe skipped some scenes while buying popcorn or something I think the action was justified. Granted not a lot of action sequences were done in broad day light like it did in the former trilogy, but that played a little role in making the movie a little dark and grim.

One of the things that I missed in this version of the Spiderman was the quote, "With great power, comes great responsibility". But I totally loved the humorous side of Peter Parker. The appearance of Stan Lee was also funny! And Gwen Stacy (played by Emma Stone) was a welcome change. She was cute!

Also, I would like to say that it's better not to compare it with the original Spiderman. Both have their places. Personally I won't be able to tell which of them is better until the end of the trilogy (if it's done). But the after credit scenes guaranteed a sequel that seems worth waiting for.

Totally worth the watch for me. Might also go for a second time, with a friend. Rating: 4/5.

 

[ssk_the_gr8]

Gangs of Wasseypur (2012) - IMDb

It is the story of a son seeking revenge for his fathers death killed by a coal miner

this is a movie which takes no prisoners. It's crude and real. You cannot watch it with family.

It has been conceptualised well and the characterisation is very good.
good movies have great character actors and it can be seen in this movie.
The female actors of this movie have especially been cast well. Each of them are perfect for their roles.Each woman is a firebrand.
Manoj has played the lead character well. Kudos to him. He has let go of the bihari in him.

The direction is good but i believe it could have been slightly better. People will feel I am being a little critical, but still it is a well directed movie.

Editing is not good. Movie could have been shorter. At times it feels like it drags. Some of the slow scenes feel like they are actually slowing down the movie's pace, instead of adding aesthetic value.

Cinematography is top notch. The atmosphere the cameraman creates, the panning, the angles... good job.

Background score and the music are simply perfect. the music is also very different to standard bollywood stuff. It's a good change. I could say a new genre.

the dialogues are well written and for some one who belongs to that part of India, I can vouch that they are authentic Some of them are so hard hitting that they bring a big grin to your face.

This is a two part movie and it has created a good backdrop for the 2nd part.
The 2nd part comes out in august and i'm waiting for it.

Now talking about the 1st part
Even though the story could have been a little tighter, the movie is good in all other facets , so this can be easily ignored.

This movie gives you a feel of the lawlessness of bihar before the 2000. And my elders have actually experienced this. Another point for it's authenticity.

Good action, dialogues, music, Background score, characterisation,good camerawork and esp. it's real authentic feel makes it a must watch for me.

4/5

 

[Anorion]

TDF members can save time/money from being wasted on useless movies

here is the chance, don't watch
*i.imgur.com/DhaGa.jpg

1. Theme : another encounter squad movie

2. Plot : this one tries to show the longer picture of the rise, fall, and change in the policing of the city (1990-2010), instead of other movies that focused on individual careers or specific incidents, but you will only see this if you already know the full story.

3. Character development : the chars are fully developed already, established in many movies. This movie does not flesh them out any more, and it's impossible for the audience to connect with anyone on screen. You have to see the same actors in overlapping roles, (Mohan Agashe is in both Maximum and Ab Tak Chappan).

4. Story and direction : guess the movie tried to show the internal dynamics between diff cop squads in charge of protecting the city. The ATS and whatever the official name of the encounter department is are chosen here, shown as competing for the number of kills and credit for cleaning up mumbai... and made to fight each other in the finale as if it was just another gang shoot out. This, obvsly never happened, so the movie no longer has a point despite being fact for most of the screen time.
The movie is very anachronistic, some obvious mistakes are the period of time where dance bars were stopped, newer mobile phones used in the older time frame, how railway stations looked etc... it's all jarring. Also there is a five year jump in the story from 2003-2008, this is where a lot of untold things could have been told, but the opportunity was missed.

5. Screenplay : heavily used for dramatic effect, a lot of the story is told off-camera, a lot is left to the imagination, if anyone is watching this movie just for screenplay, take notes, good technique would have been nice to watch in a better movie

6. Overall entertainment value : zero, it's painful to sit through, if it comes on TV there is no chance anyone is going to sit through it.

7. Music : bring earmuffs. There is an item number, use it as a second Intermission. Go out, breathe some fresh air (you will need that).

Don't know why the censor board didnt throw this one out.

 

[quan chi]

*www.musicperk.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Kyaa-Superkool-Hain-Hum-Movie-Poster-211x300.jpg

Kya super kool hai hum
Running time:- 140 mins approx
Genre:-comedy (A)

Right now i wont say much but full review will be updated soon.

>Dont watch this movie in a theater if you are a fan of the first movie.Instead wait for dicks release..i mean disk release.
>The second half is quite good.But for me the first half was boring.
>Still the movie has more mature content than the previous one.
_____________________________________________________________

UPDATED COMPLETE REVIEW​

Before i begin i must tell you that generally i love to watch these kind of movies in my home than in a theatre.
But if you are planning to watch this movie in a theatre then make sure you have a coterie.Otherwise you may not enjoy it.

Now lets get to the topic.


THEME

If you know what "kya kool hai hum" was,then you definitely know what KSKHH is all about.It as stated is a ludicrous entertainer
filled with sexual innuendos.It is no different than its progenitor but its performance is lower when compared.

PLOT

To be honest this film has a very thin plot.I can even say it has no plot at all.Borrowed many contents from KKHH.
The movie starts with adi(tusshar kapoor) dreaming about himself being a super star of bollywood.This sequence has some nice movie spoofs.
But in reality he does some despicable and funny home tv ads.But as you must have guessed he is a struggling actor.Then we are introduced to
sid(Riteish Deshmukh) his roommate.Dj by profession but a pervert with sexual obsession. But wait we have another character called suckro a canine.
But he is not an ordinary mutt.Infact he surpasses his owner with "those" good qualities.Therefore sid utilizes those qualities of his pet to ern some
easy bucks.Yeah spoof of vicky donor.On the other hand our looser hero adi goes to an astrologer who tells him to find a girl with name starting with "s"who will change
his life.Enters our heroin Simran (Neha Sharma).Yeah you can smell KKHH very easily.Anu (Sarah Jane Dias) is a model whos modelling days got over due to our Dj.
and rest of the strory continues with "sexual comedy of errors".

DIRECTION

The movie is fast and never slows down.Which is good for movies of this genre.Therefore cannot blame much on the direction.The only thing that this movie lacks is content.
There is not much in the story.I found first half of the film ok and the second half better.This time the film looks more like the indian version of the "american pie"

SCREENPLAY

They are quite good.But there are some lame "inbox clearing" jokes too.A lot more double meaning words than the previous film.Even the "tut" seller popatlal makes an appearence here.Yeah cliche + deja vu.
Some famous words "Mr marlow","Rosmary Marlow","lahore dhaba" and some funny gay jokes.If you are still scratching your head for those first few words then pls dont watch this its above 18.

CINEMATOGRAPHY

Nothing outstanding but its good.


BACKGROUND SCORES

except "dil garden" i dont think you will remember any other song when you leave the theatre.

OVERALL ENTERTAINTMENT VALUE

If you are a hardcore KKHH fan and is expecting too much then it will dissappoint.But if you are going
just for the sake that the films name is KSKHH.Then you wont.Most importantly it depends on your taste.
Rating:-2/5

 

[rhitwick]

Barfi 8.5/10

I was not actually very keen to watch Barfi. The trailers intrigued me enough to go for it but till the last time I was unsure if it would be any good. And then on a boring Friday I found myself waiting in queue for a 3.05PM show. And I do not regret my decision.

Story/Theme: I'm not sure how to tell the story without giving anything. Let me then take the help of IMDB here.

Three young people learn that love can neither be defined nor contained by society's norms of normal and abnormal

Actually, giving any more would spoil the movie for you.

Character Development: Once in a while there comes a movie which consists of characters not stars. But, it takes a master to make his puppets grow in the short span of 2hrs and 33mins and make people feel the change. Barfi is such a movie where you could observe the characters changing with time, maturing, being tolerant to each other with passing time.
Though Barfi is the central character of the movie still, Jhilmil, Shruti and Inspector are well crafted and given ample scope to go through changes. Anurag basu gets full marks from me here.

Direction: Day by day directors are understanding the value of freedom and Anurag Basu once again proved that. Even though having powerful stars and big banner for his last movie Kites various restrictions took away the artistic freedom from him and we got a flop movie. This time he showed what a master director he is.
Look at the character of Barfi. How beautifully its crafted. His mannerisms, gestures, postures all are shot with utmost care.
Then take Jhilmil's character. An autistic girl. Who gets tangled in the Barfi's life. They fall in love and discover love in their own way. It had the risk of being a "Koshish" anyday. A lucrative trap for making a tearjerker, emotional serious drama but Anurag Basu took the risk of walking on rope here. He subtly showed the pain of the characters through comedy. And there he wins hands down.
Then there is Shruti and confused normal person. Who gets lost in the world of few 'abnormal' persons and never survived fully.
And, hats off for choosing Saurav Shukla as Inspector. He's a revelation in this movie.
Other supporting casts are also good but coming out of theater I bet you would remember only these.
And, the subtle touch of live background score...an intelligent touch

Screenplay: The movie narration does not go in linear motion. We get jump cuts, flashback within flashbacks and stories from different key characters. I don't know if many would appreciate such story telling. Screenplay is neat, dialogues are few and far between. Silence plays a bigger role in this movie.

Acting: I'm speechless here. Every actor seemed to be acted in this movie considering this is their last chance to prove themselves. Ranbir proved his level in Rockstar already...but Priyanaka just took reinvented herself. A very strong but sidelined character she played here. The focus was never on her but whenever she got scope she just marveled it. Kudos to her and Kudos to Anurag Basu to show us what Priyanka could do. Barfi for Priyanka is going to be what "Jab we Met" is to Kareena. Mark my words, one day newcomers would say their dream role is to play "Jhilmil" of "Barfi" !
Then, the next gem of the movie is Saurabh Shukla. Another brilliant performance.
Ileana as Shruti also did well.

Cinematography: The movie is a visual poetry. Every frame is such beautiful that reminded me "Raavan" by Santosh Shivan. After a few searches I found out the man behind this poetry and he is Mr. Ravi Varman. Just remember this name. Because if you watch the movie you are obvious to search who was the man behind camera.

Songs and background score: Songs are good, specially "Main Kaya Karoon". And, nice melodic background score. Best thing is the story does not stop when the songs happen. The songs just help enrich the moment on-screen.

Editing: In theater few were complaining about the length of the movie. I on the other hand think its the way it was meant to be. Such movies are best told in slowly, like a poetry. Such that every scene, every dialogue leaves mark in your mind.

Verdict: Reading this far it might seem its nothing but a romance between two invalids and Anurag Basu emotionally blackmailed you in the movie to love it. But what I've not told you is how much laugh riot it is, how this is even a thriller or how beautiful this movie is. All in all, a movie that gives the pleasure of listening a complete story. A movie to watch with your family. A movie where if you take your girlfriend does not stop saying "how cute!"

Go watch Barfi!. Watch the best movie of 2012.

 

[rhitwick]

Jab Tak Hai Jaan
Fan rating 8/10
Critics rating 7/10

It’s a Shahrukh Khan movie along with directed by my favourite Yash Chopra. It was a must watch for me but the only question was if I would be able to catch the “First Day First Show” (FDFS). Those who have never worshiped cine-stars would not understand the sentiment or romanticism behind this ‘stupid’ act.
Coming to movie review task.

Story: From IMDB

After finding and losing his true love in London, Samar Anand defies death by becoming a bomb disposal expert for the Indian Army. Returning to London after 10 years, he suffers amnesia after an accident. Will he be reunited with his love?

I understand Yash Chopra was keen to show the old fashioned love the way he always did. Undying, unconditional and pure but while trying to do this he forgot a very important part. A good story, a convincing one if I may say. The movie looked like a collage of few well acted and beautiful but unrelated scenes. I would say while telling love stories there is no better man today than “Imtiaz Ali”

Character Development: If only the movie had a good story then discussing on this section would mean something. Well, if we want to discuss on the things that we have on hand…Major Samar’s character is well developed. Meera’s changing into Devdas mode is unconvincing but the really striking character morphing is to be seen in Akira’s character. There are few other characters who seem to be doing guest appearance in a 3hr. long movie.

Direction: He made Katrina Kaif cry and you did not laugh in that scene!!! Yes! Who but Yash Chopra can do this? But I found few shots very similar to "Rockstar". Pardon me but "Rockstar" is so engraved in my heart that whenever I see a scene where the leading lady is running across a bridge to meet her boyfriend and that shot starts on a top view and ends in long shot to close-up...I remember 'Imtiaz Ali'. Yashji could have avoided such cliches if he wanted but he stuck to his tried and tested formula of love and film-making.

Screenplay: A sentimental, undying, “true love” story was tried to write here but ended up creating a story of forcefully created scenarios based on some childish logic. Well, it sure seems convoluted story but not a boring one.

Acting: Whoa! After a long time I’m going to write a review on an SRK’s movie I can freely claim he still has it. This movie is solely depended on SRK. He acted in a true blue romantic movie since “Veer-Zara” and I would say he surpassed “Veer” here. Since “Veer-Zara” everytime I went for an SRK movie and secretly hoped he would not overact this time…and he failed me (well if I exclude few like ‘Chak De India’ and ‘Suri’ character of ‘Rab ne bana di jodi’). BUT, I’m proud to say this time he just proved why he’s called the king of romance. Showed the love he’s famous for and showed the pain he has cashed in his hit movies.
He actually underacted here! A very calm, sure and comfortable SRK is ready for you this time. Watch this movie only for him.
Katrina looked beautiful at times (I don’t believe myself saying this! I never liked her.) She still can’t act and Deepika Padukone is better actor than her any day. But, Yash Chopra at least made her look convincing in few scenes. And she danced! OMG! She danced and I hope it was not a body double.
Anushka acted very well. She’s the next big thing in Bollywood. She’s well comfortable in all kind of scenes and can change into different emotions in snap of finger.

Cinematography: The movie is very beautiful in your eyes. Specially Ladakh and Kashmir scenes. Then few scenes of London. If you are an avid movie viewer…the name you are looking for is Anil Mehta.

Songs and background score: Rehman’s music is good to ears but something that would live for ages. I would be surprised if some is hearing it after 4-5 months. BUT, but not all is waste “Saans” song is very well composed then my fav. “Jab Tak Hai Jaan” poem and the accompanying music. I was listening to it in loop for half an hour. And obviously the background score. I would say the background score is even better than main songs.

Editing: 3hr. long movie in these days are rare but not alien. Even big budget Hollywood movies tend to have a length of 2+ hrs and we are talking about a hindi movie where even 5 years back having a length of 2.5 hrs was mandatory. Still a bit editing could have been done. On second thought…nah. Sab thik hai (everything is alright about its length)

Verdict: A good love story, SRK brand love I say, after a long time. Watch it if you have not personal vendetta against SRK.

 

[quan chi]

*s21.postimg.org/rkn1dwepz/iron_man_3.jpg
*postimage.org/app.php​

Title :- IRONMAN 3
Genre :- Action
Running time :- 2hrs 10 mins
Review Method :- Q & A.

This time instead of following the conventional review method i am choosing another short and simple process where everyone will find what they want to know in a jiffy!

Q> How was the movie?
A> For me it was just above average. I & II were better.

Q> Why do you feel so?
A> Because i got tired of many things in this movie or i may not have understood some of the subtle meanings in this movie.

Q> what things?
A> 1.Continuous repetition of some cheesy jokes. starks suit misses him, stark's suit collides with many things(with a bus,wall,window,glass...etc etc.), starks suit again misses him while he is falling,jumping tied...I need a break!
2.Wastage of Ben Kingsley's character they coud have chosen anyone besides him.That was one worst twist.(cant reveal any further otherwise it will act as a spoiler)
3.Forced 3D.
4.The movie seemed rushed.Or the editing was bad.
5.Not enough drama.

Q>What about the acting department.
A> Everyone was good but Robert downey jr & Guy Pearce owns the movie.Especially the later.

Q> Dialogues?
A> Okay with some funny one liners.

Q> Story
A> As mentioned before lacked the punch,was rushed or bad editing.

Q> How are the action sequences?
A> Well good. Yes they are good.

Q> How is the cinematography
A> Yow have seen the best ones in the trailer. Yes not bad.

Q > How much will you rate the movie.
A> I don't like ratings but still for the simplicity 6.5/10.

 

[rajatGod512]

*i.imgur.com/bsp5tOL.jpg

Iron Man 3 (3D) (PG-13/ U/A)
Genre : Action/ Sci-Fi / Thriller
Running Time - 2 Hr 10 Mins
Release Date: 26 April 2013​

The Following Review contains very mild spoilers , if you have watched the two theatrical trailers you wont be spoiled anything much more than that .


Theme.
Mostly Everyone now knows who Iron Man is , and he needs no introduction . The story in Iron Man 3 takes place one year after the events of New York (Avengers) . Stark has become obsessed with building newer and better suits or armor, and spends most of his time trying to improve his weaponry. He also suffers from panic attacks every time he's reminded of the battle with Loki's forces and his fall from the wormhole (a nice touch though never fully explored). The movie also gives hints that this may be the end of the Iron Man series for now .

Plot
The plot is quite simple and seen in many other movies - A man comes back from the heroes past and tries to destroy his world , the hero looses almost everything but gets back up for retribution. Here in Iron Man 3 Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) is a scientist who wanted to work with Tony but after getting stranded on his own and he tries to create a form of virus "Extremis" which heightens the capabilities of a normal human beings , Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall) helps him to create the virus but there is a defect in the virus which does certain things to the subject of the virus . Like

Spoiler

Turning them into big explosive bombs and very significant increase in temperature .

Aldrich Killian works with Terrorist "Mandarin" to decimate the United States of America , Tony Stark gives him open challenge and his world is then thrown upside down . Tony Stark has to get back up and this time he is alone , and has to get out of this situation through his intelligence and mind.

Character development
Now this is a point in the movie which bugged me , as we were not made entirely clear from where Aldrich Killian came and what was he all about and what was he trying to achieve . I was also dissapointed by the character of Maya Hansen and I thought she was underused and could have made a more impact in the film . What they did to The Mandarin was very distinct and I think they wasted him quite a bit. Now the main character Tony Stark has good character development , not only we see a different stark after new york but a more obsessed with technology one too . We also see how Pepper Potts is again managing Stark Industries and a change of roles for Happy Hogan .

Direction/Acting/Screenplay

Robert Downey Jr. gives another superb performance as Tony Stark (maybe his best in an Iron Man movie, though he hasn't topped The Avengers for me) and he is helped by an excellent supporting cast. Both Paltrow and Don Cheadle get much more to do as Pepper and Rhodey and step up to their roles admirably. Jon Favreau also makes a big impression as a returning Happy Hogan, and gets some of the biggest laughs. Guy Pearce is his usual dependable self as Aldrich Killian, though his villainous motivations are a little generic. Then there's the mighty Sir Ben Kinglsey as The Madarin. A truly chilling, unsettling performance gives rise to something else entirely . Rebeca Black was quite average but I think thats largely due to her character.

The story rockets along with never a dull moment I didnt even notice how quickly the 2 hours went by .The script also allows Shane Black ample opportunity to indulge his flair for action, and there are some spectacular set pieces on display. The Mid air rescue stands out according to me , although the destruction of Mansion and the final battle have to be given their share of awesomeness. There's also a very welcome buddy-movie vibe introduced between Stark and Rhodey near the end that's so successful. I wished there were more scenes of them together.

Cinematography/Background Score/Dialogue
Many scenes stand out especially the Mid-Air rescue and the Destruction of mansion , the way the final battle was presented was a bit let down though . The Score was okay , honestly I don't remember much of it but the intro song "Eiffel 65's Blue" looked good with the Marvel logo.Many of the Dialoges were witty and most of them were by Stark , Happy Hogan and Mandarin were also given quite good Dialogues and the deliveries by both of them especially Sir Ben Kingsley stand out.

Verdict
I found the movie quite entertaining , there were some good performances by RDJ , Guy Pearce and Sir Ben Kinsley although the script could have been a bit better but the editing was crisp and to me there was never a dull moment in the film. The Action was superb , even though not touching the heights of Avengers it was still quite good and innovative. I could not understand the motive of the villain properly and it felt quite generic to me , which is a big minus point for me . The "twist" was done in a funny and unexpected way and caught me by surprise . Talking about 3D , it was pretty non-existent and there were only a very handful amount of shots that had depth . So, While it does not reach the height of Iron Man / Avengers , this Shane Black 's film is a definitive improvement over the dull Iron Man 2 , It has good amounts of comedy and one-liners but I think it was under the margin for me. I also expected it to expand the MCU and introduce or hint new characters and other films but it didn't happen . It is a very good, if not quite great start to Marvel's Phase 2.

Rating - 7.5/10


EDIT: After watching it a couple more times , I think 7.5 rating is more suitable than 8 .

 

[rhitwick]

Go Goa Gone 8/10
*upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/5e/Go_Goa_Gone_poster.jpg/220px-Go_Goa_Gone_poster.jpg
Cast: Vir Das, Kunal Khemu, Anand Tiwari, Saif Ali Khan and Pooja Gupta
Director: Krishna D.K. and Raj Nidimoru
Runtime : ~110 mins

Long back (actually 2 years back) there was a rumor that Bollywood was on its way to make movies on Zombies. Two unnamed films were heard to be in making. Two years after one movie is already released "Rise of the Zombie" (released and flopped) another released today "GoGoa Gone". The name is whacky and trailers are not that interesting but the songs...the songs were its USP. Remember "Delhi Belly", how its whacky songs created the curiosity around it and turned it into a smash hit?....I hope the same thing clicks for it. Now the main business, the review.

Theme: Three friends goes Goa for different reason. Two guys to just chill out and one for office presentation. They join a rave party and things turn bad there. People suddenly start turning into zombies. What now? (Well Zombie movies were always about two things either its a horror or its a comedy. Its a comedy and that's the maximum you need to know about it)

Character Development: There is hardly any chance of any character development. And this being a "piece-of-life" movie its unjust to ask any from it too. So, leaving this topic.

Direction: Was going through the filmography of both the directors. A very impressive catalog : "Shor in the city", "99" to be mentionable. In case of "Go Goa Gone" I would say they have nailed it. The big hit that everyone waits for is here, they can enjoy the success. Its not easy to make offbeat movies in India specially if you want to make profits too from ticket sales. But I guess this is gonna be hit among young viewers.
The direction is very much to the point, gives very less focus to individual characters so less time to commit mistakes. You would get almost 100% dialogs rather any monologue. This ensures a creative input of comic timing and surprise element to audience. Just imagine you won't be seeing Saif doing overacting! That's an achievement on its own!
On second thought, actually Saif actually did over the top acting. And that blends to the tone of the movie. Crazy characters! Every single one was created with utmost care and then was given some intelligent lines. The chemistry between Vir Das and Kunal Khemu to be mentioned here for this.
Then the intelligent film-making by including inspired scenes from "Zombieland" and "Shaun of the dead". Well, you know what is intelligent here? They not only copied scenes but took a dig on it! Bollywood making fun of Hollywood movies is a remarkable scene for sure. Another intelligent aspect is how they handled Clichés. They touched every Cliché that is related to such zombie flicks and made fun of those. Then they made fun of themselves too. Too many things in a movie?! Yeah and you would enjoy it for these things.
Hats off to the director duo. Hope they bring a sequel too.

Cinematography: Though the movie takes place in Goa they have cautiously escaped showing the scenery of Goa. That was unnecessary for this movie and it was avoided. Rather collage of a rented room of bachelors, office room and a zombie infested island is well crafted. No special mention here. You get to see just what is there, no artsy-fartsy bullsh1t.

Songs and background score: The songs are already popular. Specially "Slowly slowly" and "Khoon choos le". Whacky lyrics along with party themed music. Apt to the mood with movie. Two of the songs are used as title credit scene and end credit scene and others are as background score. The dedicated background score is average though.

Editing: The editing is superb till intermission but the movie slows down its pace in the second half and this happens mostly due to lack of ideas in screenplay. Still a very good job.

Entertainment value: After a long time laughed out loud in theatre. Full entertainment (provided profanity does not bother you!). Kunal Khemu and Vir Das runs havoc and Saif's crazy Russian accent is fun...trust me!

Verdict: Since "Delhi Belly" this is the only movie which can shake the former's stature of intelligent. tongue-in-cheek comedy movie. Beware of profanity though. IF you have problem with profanity, this movie is not for you. Rest all assured you would enjoy.

 

[digitfan]

*www.freeimagehosting.net/t/5354y.jpg

IRON MAN :3 (4/10)
Genre:-Action,comedy,Nonsense.
Main cast :- Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle,Guy Pearce,Ben Kingsley.
Director:- Shane Black

If you have seen ironman cartoons or if you are an ironman fan. Keep distance from this movie.In one word this is the worst ironman movie ever.
The rest of the essay explains why this movie is a waste.

Theme: The director himself doesn't knows wtf is the theme then how am i supposed to know? cretinism is its theme.

Character Development: If i combine IM 1,2 & 3 then yes it is good. Infact this is the strong point of this movie. In each movies we see a different kind of stark based on the effect of the suit on his body.His psychological transition,His relationships.The evolution of the suit too!

Writing/ Direction: Screenplay credits goes to Shane black & Drew Pearce. Drew pearce... sorry i dont know much about him. But Shane black? Do i know him....Well i do know one shane black who had directed Kiss kiss bang bang. But i am not sure if this is the same guy.
Direction and writing are gimpy.They were just focussing on action and nothing else. Some lines may be funny but rest were all just lamentable. They tried very had to make it a action comedy but cliches and unnecessary jokes just pinches you instead of tickling.
There is no story. It becomes quite clear after watching the film that they focused on the action sequences first and tried to fit them in a half baked story.Which was made later at a drug fueled party. Then they thought of doing something with the already rushed story to make it interesting,and they screwed it by adding one of the worst twist in any superhero movie.But they did not rest and went on making it a 3D.
I was thinking of not wasting the time discussing the numerous flaws in this film. But still i would like to give few examples. During the end of the movie stark suddenly decides to remove the shrapnels from his body through surgery. Now wtf does that means? He was enjoying having those shrapnels inside his
body all the time through IM1,IM2,The avengers & till the end of IM 3! I know about movie logic but that too has some decency. Another funny fact is that the third armor and the second arc reactor which stark makes in the first film can fly to the middle east but the 42nd can't fly to Tennessee?
The movie also shows that the war machine is re-branded as Iron patriot which is used by the same guy.In actual they are NOT.Both are different. Iron Patriot appears in the Dark avengers and was developed by Norman Osborne. But still this change is bearable than what they did to mandarin.


Acting:- Everyone was good at their roles.

Background score :- Effective and fits the situation.

Verdict :- school kids,kids & ironman illiterates may enjoy this movie.For others its just a nonsense. 4/10

 

[Vyom]

Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani

I agree on points about "non existent story" given by rhitwick on "must not watch thread". But I didn't feel the movie long, despite of its run time of 160 min. My take:

I had low expectations from the movie before I went to watch it on Friday night with 3 of my friends. Owning to the title of the movie and Bunny (Ranbir), I thought this will be another cheesy bollywood rom-com film. First half of the film was right upto what I was expecting. Typical masala type movie with a dance number and awesome larger than life "Hero" character. But the humor didn't disappointed, and there were many instances were we got the opportunity to laugh. Specially the tomboyish character Aditi (Kalki Koechlin, I like her), and his dialogues.

Second part of the movie is where the movie changed its pace a bit. And we get to see some of the emotional side of Bunny and his friend Avi (Aditya Roy Kapoor), his battle for Naina (Deepika Padukone) against his dreams, and even his discombobulation for his family. Second part is also where we get to see some good songs like, "ilahi mera jee aaye" and Ranbir's dance on "Badtameez Dil".

Well, to me who don't usually watch Bollywood, it was a movie which entertained me and my friends a lot. One good thing about the movie was spectacular locations, and cinematography. To an extent that it can be fairly compared to ZMND.

Tl;dr:
What I liked:
Cinematography at spectacular locations
Songs and Music (specially, "Illahi")
Kalki Koechlin
Ranbir's dance
Climax which (and I don't get a chance to say it much) didn't feel over dramatic.
In fact, whole second part felt much grounded to reality.

What I didn't like so much:
Non existent story
Stereotyped characters

Watch this movie with friends or family for its entertainment value. Watch this movie for songs and for its youthful energy. But don't expect to be awe with story or hidden meanings.

PS: Cant give rating.
My blog review link: www.vineetkumar.me/2013/06/yeh-jawaani-hai-deewani/

 

[Vyom]

After Earth

Genre: Action | Adventure | Mystery | Sci-Fi

*i.minus.com/ioMNADazELw6f.jpg

*** This review may contain a little Spoiler ***

After Earth is a Sci Fi survival story of a boy named, “Kitai Raige” (Jaden Smith) who crash landed on a planet along with his father “Cypher Raige” (Will Smith), and have to survive various kinds of dangers that Earth greets the crash landers with.

I have to admit that the trailer when I saw it months ago, did get me excited. But fortunately I saw today that it was directed by M. Night Shyamalan, and all my hopes were out. It was this low expectation that made the movie worth a watch.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate Mr. Night, but he have a knack of making movies too boring sometimes. But fortunately his last movie “The Last Airbender” wasn’t his last movie as a director. So when I say After Earth wasn’t a total disappointment, I mean it.

Story wise movie doesn’t give much to offer. Except the basic premise of survival and some flashbacks there isn’t much to say. Visual effects were also just acceptable. Certainly not that what is expected of this age. The pace of movie was rather acceptable, and father son combo was the selling point.

But what I think lacked much in After Earth, was the fact that Earth didn’t seem much dangerous to me. Mr. Night failed to get more dangers for the actor to fight against. And it felt like movie was cut short due to budget constraints at a later stage of production. This is why the time is took to built the pace seemed long, but the actual time devoted to Earth felt short and rushed.

Talking about performance of Jaden, real son of Will Smith, I have to say he needs much to learn. He is shown to be a boy who gets scared easily. But is later shown to gather courage to do what he sought out to. Its not like this is his fist cameo with Will Smith. He first worked with his father in “The Pursuit of Happyness”. But unlike that film After Earth wasn’t a Will Smith movie. After Earth can be said as Jaden’s role as a first billed star cast.

One thing I liked about this movie was the Soundtrack. It felt immersive enough. After all the music was created by James Newton, the man behind soundtrack of Batman Begins, along with Hans Zimmer.

Overall, movie didn’t feel something to drool over. But is worth a watch. Maybe when it comes out on DVD, or TV. But I liked it. It’s not a lot of times when you get to see a father and son movie that are father and son in real life.

Rating: 6 / 10.

My blog review link: *vineetkumar.me/2013/06/after-earth/

 

[rhitwick]

*datastore01.rediff.com/h450-w670/thumb/69586A645B6D2A2E3131/p5iw5jb4fq8gz9jp.D.0.Sonam-Kapoor-And-Dhanush-Raanjhanaa-Movie--Latest-Poster.jpg

Raanjhanaa 8/10
Cast:
Dhanush
Sonam Kapoor
Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub as Murari
Swara Bhaskar as Bindiya

Director :
Aanand Rai

Srory and screenplay:
Himanshu Sharma

Music : A.R.Rehman

Run time:
140 minutes

Initially I was sceptic about this movie. I assumed a different story from the trailer. A story full of romance and clichés. A story which was bound to have a good first half and boring second half. Well, I am right about the second half. Post interval the movie slows down very much, at times drags then after few minutes beating around the bushes it concludes with a good ending.

Theme: “The pundit's son Kundan (Dhanush) has fallen for the girl at first sight. That they're both kids makes us dismiss it as a meaningless crush. But a few years later, the boy is still in love with the girl, Zoya (Sonam Kapoor). When she's in school, he follows her around holding her hand and getting slapped in the process. Finally, she relents because of his "consistency". The film shifts cities when Zoya gets into JNU (Jawaharlal Nehru University), and through her, we are introduced to the idealistic and political culture of the place. She discovers a long-lost strength as she confronts and then falls for student leader Abhay Deol. The film takes a turn when Zoya returns to her hometown after eight long years only to find some things changed, and others surprisingly the same” [Source IMDB]

Character development: This movie is stands on the shoulder of two leads Sonam as Zoya and Dhanush as Kundan. But, mainly zoya’s character goes through any development. Say it mentality, expectation from life, treating situations. Dhanush kind of stops growing emotionally. Most of the time he learns that things have changed in and around Zoya and impacts him momentarily but does not change him or his mentality towards Zoya. I would say Dhanush’s character in this regards does not go through much changes in the movie.

Direction: The movie has a very unconventional script and putting that to frame could not have been easy but Anand Rai did a marvellous job. If only he thought about anything about post interval scenes.
Dhanush is used to the fullest and he proves he’s here to stay. But more praise goes to Anand Rai for bringing out a convincing performance from Sonam Kapoor. This movie won’t win her any awrd but might help her land some good roles. And if she stick around like Deepika, she might improve.
Next praise of the direction is the scene construction. There are few gems in the movie. Specially mentioned would be the gas cylinder scene, scooter into Ganges and Dhanush vomiting scene.
Anand Rai got an excellent script and did a marvellous job portraying it into movie.

Cinematography: Cinematography is apt to the situations.

Acting:Dhanush is superb. This is a tailor made role from him and him only. His looks and his physique complements the movie. Then add his brilliant acting talent, the way he speaks, his body language is brilliant.
People talk about chemistry between lead pairs but here Kundan(Dhanush) and Murari’s chemistry surpassed everything. Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub as Murari did a solid job and at times shadowed Dhanush.
Sonam here dared to do a very tough role. Her role was the most strong role in the movie and even tougher than the Priyanka’s role in Barfi. Her character goes through various changes in the movie, jealousy, love, revenge, guilt, passion everything comes into her role. We are grateful that she pulled that off somehow, else it would have been a torture to tolerate her in a movie like that.
Swara Bhaskar as Bindiya did a very good job. I really liked the scenes where Murari, Kundan Bindiya fight with each other.
Rest of the characters are average does not require a special mention here.

Songs and background score: Only one song i.e. ‘Tum Tak’ I found apt to the situation rest do not contribute to the movie. I would appreciate the background score here more than actual songs.

Editing: Can’t have mercy on the editor for the bad second half. Few un-necessary scenes could have been avoided.

Entertainment value: Till first half this movie would entertain you later you might get bored but the ending is good.

Verdict: This movie has something for everyone. This movie has layers that only people who are looking for it would get to see. Different people would be entertained by different aspects of the movie. Some would love Dhanush, some Murari, some Zoya, few songs…but there is a chance that you would like this movie for whatever the reason is.

 

[quan chi]

*comicbook.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/the-conjuring-poster-202x300.jpg

The conjuring​

Run time : 140 mins(approx)
Director: James Wan
Writers: Chad Hayes, Carey Hayes

Its a long time since i have seen a horror movie in a theater. Generally i don't like watching horror movies in a theater until and unless someone accompanies me or if the film is good enough.

The conjuring claims to be based on real life events.More precisely on one of the warrens's cases.
Well lets not get into the story because it is not something you are not aware of. Instead lets get into the other aspects of the film.

Direction : I have only seen saw I and liked it. Dead silence is another notable work of this man.James Wan. The first half is slow and builds the tension which creates the right sense of ambiance for the second half. In the second half the film tries its best to define what horror is!
The movie is clean,simple & straight forward.Which of course is a plus point. This time wan shied away from gore and tried to give chills without them and succeeded too!
The situations are a bit tricky sometimes you may not guess what is going to happen next even if you have seen a lot of other horror stuffs.

Acting: Patrick Wilson & Vera Farmiga did a good job. There wasn't much room for Lili Taylor & Ron Livingston However there is nothing to complain about.

Cinematography: The lush green countryside of rhode island was captured and shown beautifully.

Sound effects: Really good. Fits the atmosphere almost perfectly.

No complains against the Editing and Writing departments too.

Perhaps the main question would be does it scare?
The answer is its subjective. As a general answer it may not scare you that much but is good enough to justify the price of your ticket.

Rating: As usual i dont like ratings but for the sake of understanding the review properly consider it as 3.5/5

 

[rhitwick]

[On demand ]

Dhoom 3 5/10

Small review (Too tired from the exhausting movie viewing to write a full one)

D1 and D2 had a story. The heists were planned well and and the most exciting part were the execution of the plans. Heists were the USP of for the thieves along with the awesome bikes.

Somehow the new director while taking over the D3 project remembered only the bike stunts and forgot about the story part altogether. As a result we get a long movie having extended chase sequences.

Action scenes (bike chase scenes) are well executed though. They had shown some impossible stunts but I would overlook them saying the director took liberty of artistic imagination.

Aamir overacts (he did in previous few movies too but you really had to be looking for it to see them but in D3 its easily noticeable)
They took Katrina for 4 item songs.
Abhishek seemed to be in default mode.
Uday Chopra...I did not know I would say that but seems to be improving. In previous installments he used to take himself seriously but not any more.
And, oh...Aamir tried to dance and Katrina did throw her limbs here and there too. Many would call that dancing.

Songs are forgettable. And they spent 5 crores for that Malang song?!!!
(And, I've not touched the loopholes, yet)

Why you should watch:-
>Its holiday season. You have monies to spend.
>If movies are your only getaway, go for it.
>If you love bikes and bike stunts, go for it.
>4 item songs of Katrina...dancing
>One scene between Aamir and his brother. Proves how good actor he is. But, only one scene of 5 mins in a 172 mins movie.
If not even that motivates you to watch this movie, IDK if you should watch this movie.

 

[rhitwick]

Chander Pahar 7/10

*www.indifilmz.com/files/FilmPhoto/635200327669264419_Chander%20Pahar.jpg

Cast :

Dev as Shankar
Gerard Rudolf as Deigo Alavarez

Director :

Kamaleswar Mukherjee

Story/Screenpaly:
Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay (original story), Kamaleswar Mukherjee(screenplay)

Music :
Indraadip Das Gupta provided some good background score for the movie. Blends beautifully with the situations.

Run time:
148 minutes

Theme:
Its an adventure movie. 90% of the movie is shot in either wild or desert.
Chander Pahar is the story of a young Bengali man's adventures in Africa in the years 1909-1910. Shankar Roy Chowdhury, the protagonist, is a 20-year old man, recently completed his FA(graduation) and about to take up a job in a jute mill, a prospect he absolutely loathes.
He yearns for adventure, wild lands, forests and animals. He wants to follow the footsteps of famous explorers like Livingstone, Mungo Park, Marco Polo, all of whom he has read about and idolizes. By a stroke of luck, he secures a job as a clerk in Uganda Railway through a fellow villager already working there and goes to Africa without a second thought.

Character development:
The character of Shankar is drawn very well. His transformation from a bengali village boy to a wanderer is drawn very carefully. Two things made it possible i.e. make-up and Dev's somewhat mature acting.

Direction:
The director first gets a nod for daring to make such a movie. Then he again gets a nod to make Dev act. Non-linear narration was used to tell the story. He took artistic liberty to tweak few story points. At times actors took time to react to their environment which should have been taken care of. Man vs. Wild scenes are very well captured and they are a treat to your eyes. The thrill and excitement is very well built and executed. He gets nod for creating few edge-on-ther seat action scenes. Still more work should have done Dev's expressions. Why is he smiling in almost all scenes?

Cinematography:
This and this only makes all sins made by Dev go away. Beauty of Africa, wild animals, chase scenes are very well executed.Hats off to the DOP Soumik Haldar.

Acting:
Dev tries and tries very hard. Till he's accompanied by Alvarez he poses an immature look on his face and casual approach to situations around him. May be its intentional to make his character feel more out-of-place without Alvarez or its his weakness. Still, till Alvarez is alive he at times appears annoying. Gerard Rudolf as Deigo Alavarez did a very commendable job. Very good acting by this gentleman. Kudos to him.

Songs and background score:
Only one song and I did not like it. Background score was apt to the mood of the scenes and never overwhelms the scene.

Editing: The dialog parts are too slow for the high paced movie like this. Editing could have been more good. Few unnecessary scenes are kept which can be removed. Specially the scene where Shankar Alvarez gets to meet three Masai tribe members in wild. This is an important part of the book but when pictured this scene does not add any value to the move. One or two more scenes like this could have been edited.

Entertainment value:
Apart from the occasional slowness this a very good adventure movie. Full of African wild animals and edge-on-seat thrill. I would recommend this.

Verdict:
Tollywood never did an adventure movie. Did not do in India and leave alone Africa. But the director and more-over the producers took the risk to do the impossible. The risks were great. What if it tanks, what if it does not live up to the expectation of people. Making movie from a classic is always a risky business. Still they braved this and we get a very good Christmas present in the form of a movie. Should you watch it? Why not? Most of us had read the book and imagined the locations in our mind. This is a dream-come-true for all of us. The director does not cheat us here. If not 100% but I would say 80% of your thirst would be quenched. Yes Dev hams at the beginning of the movie but later he throws a good acting example. Ask me, I liked what I had seen. A warning, don't expect much as VFX from a movie whose total budget was 15 crore.

 

[quan chi]

*1.bp.blogspot.com/-X_qvRn9EodI/Us3ytAgnVKI/AAAAAAAAAdo/sen8AQZXs6c/s1600/Highway+(2014).jpg​

Film : Highway (2014)
Ticket cost : Big cinemas: Rs 160
Running time: 2hrs 30mins approx

Cast : Randeep Hooda, Alia Bhatt (main leads)
Director, writer : Imtiaz Ali

Music: A.R. Rahman
Cinematography : Anil Mehta

Plot: Actually highway is journey & emotions of life seen through the eyes of two different type of people! Anyways one night soon too be wed Veera (Alia Bhatt) the daughter of a big industrialist gets accidentally kidnapped by a gang of criminals. As the time passes an undefined bond starts to develop between Veera & Mahabir Bhati (randeep hooda) the leader of that gang. Now she feels free & not a captive anymore. For her him & this journey is all what she wants. In short she rediscovered her life.

Direction : The film is slow but the direction is intelligent at some places. For instance as the relationship between the characters changes, the location, weather & time also changes. (From night, rough,dilapidated shelters to bright sunny snow clad mountains.) The movie has very less dialogues and relies heavily on expressions & emotions. Which were captured well by the director. Though there are some loose ends in the plot especially at the kidnapping part but you can overlook that.

Cinematography: Awesome shots (mostly in the second half) especially of himachal prasesh & jammu & kashmir areas. Really good work by Anil Mehta.

Acting: Honestly alia bhatt looks like a kid to get married. Casting was not proper here.They should have casted someone else instead. Anyways she didn't disappoint and also did a good job. Randeep hooda like his previous films was good too. Here the director failed to capture something.

Spoiler

Mahabir Bhati (randeep hooda) is a (strong) character whose absence should have been felt by the audience towards the end. Unfortunately we feel almost nothing. Maybe the character needed some more treatment. Most of the focus was on Veera (Alia Bhatt)

Editing: The film could have been a bit shorter. The end was dragged too much.

Entertainment value: If you want a relaxing movie with lots of scenery & a bit artistic in nature then it is for you otherwise you will be very much bored & frustrated. I suspect you may even leave before the film ends.

Verdict:: A very bold attempt by imtiaz ali. Though he may not have pulled it successfully but its worth a watch, at least for those who loves to travel in countryside.