Riddick (2013) Rating 2.5/5

After nearly 9 years of absence Riddick shows his face to his fans again and this time it feels and looks like Riddick himself. The last installment ‘Chronicles of Riddick’ did not have the true flavor or Riddick but this one is yet again touching some roots. Though this is far-fetched from anything to be truly scientific it is very much real when it comes to standards of Riddick.

The story starts partially relating to the end of the last movie. But after a brief introduction to how Riddick ended up in a lethal lonely planet once again it quickly jumps to its notorious Riddick style. The first half it’s almost him and some strange creatures and the suspenseful set of battles that actually makes a solid base to what’s coming. Once the unfriendly bounty hunters enter the scene everything begins to heat up and when the boiling point hits the viewer has seeing quite a lot of blood spill. You can’t really blame Riddick for that because no one wants to leave him alone, dead or alive.

Though Riddick gives a feeling of déjà vu it’s still a movie that you can watch at one breath. But if you have no idea who Riddick is you might get a little bored at some point. So I strongly recommend to catch the earlier two movies being first one is still the best. Maybe Vin is a bit too old to do this now (or bit out of shape) but he still has lot of juice left. The graphics and set departments do the majority of the work I’m sure as almost every scene is unreal and when it comes to CG it’s truly good. This has always being a strong point of this movie series. Finally, if you’re ready for some violent sci fi movie that has a character that’s impossible to kill this is the movie to watch.

Blow Up (1966) Rating 4/5

There is lot of interest and controversy dragging behind fashion photographers from the day they started to exist. To live a profoundly different life style surrounded with beautiful women and be involved with their passion seems like a kind of living a dream to the observer. However behind all that the main character of Blow Up seems to be packing more things to worry about. Other than the back to back photo shoots in his studio and rushing for property and investment opportunities in his little free time, Thomas pursue his passion of photography in streets and public parks alike. But one day while discretely shooting a couple in a park he must have caught something unexpected on the reel. Events that unfold after this incident instantly change the mood of the movie and the viewer begins a journey of seeking in the dark for a potential murder.

Other than spending time solely on coming to the point, Blow Up spends an enormous portion of the movie to introduce Thomas to the viewer. His behaviors (professionally and privately), his connections and friends, his life style and attitudes are some amongst them. And along with the story line it portrays the urban life style of the 60s that includes rock culture; University culture of the white faced ‘rag’ groups that play havoc on the streets and then some of the night life where young fades away in to cannabis. All of this package comes with mild show of nudity and could have being a very controversial subject at the time a brief threesome. All this creates a mood to the movie and strongly places it in the artistic side of cinema than being commercial.

For me Blow Up was a satisfying movie experience. It has good acting and script coupled with a fare phase to keep me involved. Perhaps it takes too long to enter the real intention of the plot but that phase of emptiness is what creates the real ripples in the viewer’s brain. And the use of signs and expressions is at a good level. Blow Up is a movie that I can visit again after sometime. 

The Intouchables (2011) (French) Rating 3.5/5

What can a young careless but street smart ex con and a disabled millionaire with a luxurious life style has in common? Watch this movie to find out. It looks like a miracle but actually these two get along and change their lives to better than many of us would predict. And the wonderful thing is this movie is based on real life events and people who actually exist. Now that’s what I call as the real miracle.

From start to end The Intouclables will not bore you with unnecessary drama or tears though the whole movie is based on troubles of life and pain. It runs with a joyful spirit end to end and elevates the viewer in to a whole new level of bliss. For a moment you might actually wonder how people can live a life full of laughter amidst all the problems they live with. And this is proof of it. And underneath all that humor runs the warm story of friendship and trust.

There is no other way to explain this movie in one word than saying brilliant. This indeed is one of the most heartwarming cinema that leaves the audience with a great cheer when it ends. The last time I felt the same joy was at the end of We Bought a Zoo back in 2011.

400 Blows (1959) (French) Rating 3.5/5

Movies those days always had a way of saying things straight. They are like old people. They hardly care what the society would think of their opinion. They just let it out. 400 Blows is such movie that speaks to the point where it applies to this age of time just as it was back then.

The story of this movie is not at all about the beauty of life. It’s the opposite of it. And the lead is a young boy who is neglected by his parents and forced to survive in the big city by committing petty crimes. Yet the society fails to find his true soul but shamelessly punish him for what he had become. Still under that entire misunderstood overcoat lies a kid’s heart and mind yearning for love and protection. While the viewer’s gets to feel it the boy travels his rigid path in solitude.               

   

Directing a kid to do a big man’s role must have being a real challenge for the director. Yet he flawlessly accomplishes it. And being made in the 50s the beauty of a classical movie is completely intact. Beyond that technical and production beauty lays the heart melting story line and talented performances from the cast. As I mentioned before this story will never become old but only becomes new with the direction of current society is heading. This is a must watch for classic movie lovers. 

The Butler (2013) Rating 3.5/5

Easily falling to place as one of the good movies based on true events and biography The Butler is a story about freedom. That’s all there is to it. But the interesting fact is that this shows the American history from the viewpoint of a black man who lived a life being almost a slave in a free country not many centuries ago as we might instantly imagine. His life starts from 1920s where there is already freedom granted for the colored community but it’s evident that the racist mind sets of the people still remain very much unchanged.

The story follows the true character of Cecil Gaines a small town black man becoming a butler and ending up in white house serving 8 presidents in his long tenure , wonderfully played by Forest Whitaker which easily could be the best role he has played to date. As years go by we get to witness changing presidents and the events that take place from assassinations to wars where the American history rapidly changes. But one thing remains unchanged for Cecil and for their black community, the freedom and their rights to be treated equally.

The strongest point in this movie is the emotions it portray boiling out from people in distress. It’s quite hard to fathom the struggle they had to put on to get what they deserve and that is nothing but equal treatment. Cecil’s character in all of this becomes helpless pulled by his roots from one end and by his son who becomes a freedom fighter from the other end. Coupled with many powerful performances and brilliant make up and wardrobe department The Butler does not fail. However the only minor concern I might mention is that this being a true story do not expect to see anything extraordinary or nothing you have not seeing before. There has being plenty of other powerful fictions made in similar themes. 

At Five in the Afternoon (2003) "Panj é asr" (original title)(Iran) Rating 4/5

For some of you who have witnessed the great Iranian and Far Eastern cinema for some time this movie might feel a bit familiar. But there is nothing familiar about its story and the very emotional approach of it. This speaks of a family who is struck by poverty and the cruelness of the bitter politics which is currently faced by the people of Afghanistan. And it strongly portrays the mighty thrust the religious beliefs force upon them and the traditional thinking following it. The first half of the movie strongly portrays the fate of women in the region where man dominates their life start from thinking to dressing. In this part a the movie concentrates on a woman who is the member of this homeless family moving from place to place to find their solace as the key character. We find her secretly going to school where as her father believes that school is not for woman. And then she dreams of becoming the president someday to end the cruel regime and mistreating the people, especially woman.

On the latter part the story becomes more centered upon the father an old man beaten up by life still struggling to keep his daughters and the new born grandchild alive. Clearly he fails at many times and finds his peace by speaking to his only friend a horse. The one sided conversations between this man and the horse shows the bitterness the man feels about everything he wants to fix.

Amidst all this drama the viewer feels the harsh reality of a set of people face day in and day out in a region still caught in between power, religion and politics. While million dollar air crafts are sent to bombard them by the richer they remain empty at heart and stomach. Death seems to be the only certain thing beyond the life they never go to live fully. This movie is a strong drama no doubt. Before conclusion I wish there was more profound acting done here. The acting is raw and quite good but I don’t find it to be truly emotional. Most of the time actors look numb and muttering lines without feelings. I don’t know if that’s how the director wanted it but for most of us a tear or two from the characters would have made lot of sense. 

Don Jon (2013) Rating 2.5/5

Guys, if your thinking about watching a romantic movie with your partner then this is a must avoid. Unless your partner is super cool and can take man jokes like a real woman. Yes, this is that kind of movie which can put you in a very uncomfortable situation at times. Many times actually. Keeping all of that aside this has a kind of a unique plot and a smooth flow. Though it is clearly predictable at one point still the joy ride is really joyful. There is ample amount of hot bodies and skin show in this but most of them are in flash speeds. Ehem! Coming back to the plot it is somewhat similar to Shame. But it’s the funnier and light weighted version. Overall, a movie that can apply to the average guy in a not so average way. 

Don Jon (2013) Rating 2.5/5

Scenic Route (2013) Rating 3/5

Once in a while comes a movie where I find it difficult to rate. This is one of them. I cannot fathom to say if it’s great, normal or poor. For sure it is not a poor movie but there is a moment where you might wanna give it up. Or think that nothing really happening in the plot and you don’t see it going anywhere either. Almost the entire time is spent on a desert alongside a broken down vehicle and only the two main leads appears in it. Once in a blue moon (soft of) someone else appears on the scene and they don’t spend more than a minute or two. This is a drama which is filled with lot of dialogue. And those dialogues are well written and well expressed by the characters. There are some lines that might sink right in to your brain and heart which some of us might find them to be our own experiences. There is ample amount of thrill and frustration also in it. But the thing is you have to live through all of that to realize that there is something which will grab you by the neck at the end. It’s not a twist but it’s a feeling. There is something that confuses the viewer and makes them think. I can call this a weird piece of movie as well. And it is.

Scenic Route (2013) Rating 3/5

Red 2 (2013) Rating 2/5

Red 1 was never a masterpiece neither its seconds installment. But it delivers what it’s supposed to. That’s action and comedy. However action and comedy both has some mildness towards it. There are few car chases, hand to hand combats that pop the mind but other than that it’s not bouncy enough. Same goes with the humor. Sometimes there is nothing to laugh about. The cast is cool though there is heavy under utilization of talent. Red 2 is good for casual watching when you feel like you need something to keep the brain stimulated. 

Red 2 (2013) Rating 2/5

Rosemary’s Baby (1968) Rating 4/5

Without two words this movie gave me the chills. And hardly I can say that loud when it comes to any movie. Being a classic made decades back where visual effects were not the strongest suit in horror movies it proves that fear and thrills is made by the plot and acting but not by make up or other tricks. I’m quite certain that the strong performance delivered by Mia Farrow is not only one of the best performances of the year but many more years ahead. Speaking of the plot there is no guarantee that it solves any puzzle completely. It just builds from scratch and evolves in to a mind boggling experience where the viewer gets to decide between sanity and insanity of the characters. Yet at one point things become clear and anyway that’s how we feel it so. However it does not guarantee anything. When the screen fades and the end titles role the viewer it stuck in between many dilemmas and conclusions in mind. This certainly is one of the best psychological thrillers with a flavor of horror no doubt. 

Rosemary’s Baby (1968) Rating 4/5

Prisoners (2013) Rating 3/5

Though there were big cast in the mix most movies that came out recently were not up to any good standards. But Prisoners is one of the best thrillers witnessed recently and the big cast is an added bonus for the viewers. Hugh Jackman plays the determined and optimistic father of a lost child who is willing to go to any extend to find her and Jake Gyllenhaal is an undefeated cop faced by the obstacles of law and order perusing the same child. While these two takes drastically different approaches in their methods and often collides on the way the story flawlessly flaws keeping viewer on the edge with every scene. If there was a movie that has curiosity intact minute after minute this is one of those best ones. While Jackman delivers a staggering performance which is almost tear jerking for the viewers Jake on the other hand portrays one of the coolest of cop character in a thriller. We all feel his experience and talent in solving cases and we feel the pressure he gulps without showing to the face of the upset father.  For me this is the best thriller relating missing children after Mystic River. It has everything a good thriller movie should be made of, including a thumping twist that you will never see coming..

Prisoners (2013) Rating 3/5