The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) Rating 3.5/5

Vividly detailed, extravagantly crafted, fast phased and cinematographically wonderful are some of the compliments I can offer for The Wolf of Wall Street on top of great acting. However it’s forcing the viewer to enjoy it light heartedly while being heavy at script and way off base from morality what so ever. This movie is on the fence of being great or utterly disgusting depending on the viewer and for most it can be just an over pumped version of How to be an illegal millionaire.

The Wolf of Wall Street is based on the memoir by Jordon Belfort who was a millionaire stock broker and a CEO of his own stock broking firm which was scrutinized for many accounts of illegal activities and financial frauds in the 90’s. The movie depicts his rise to ultimate wealth in a short period of time using his sharp financial, persuasive and public relations skills and the events take place up to his prosecution and fall from wealth. The events in the movie are exaggerated to fit the cinema yet are based on real events which sometimes quite amusing and terrifying to know. Jordon’s character is crafted skillfully by Leonardo De Caprio which took him inch close to winning the Oscar for best actor this year.  And Caprio like always delivers a performance so powerful and natural.

If you recall Boiler Room back in 2000 starring Ben Afleck it had the same vibe and similarities with The Wolf of Wall Street simply because it was a vague representation of the same book by Jordon. However this time Martin Scorsese in the director seat and cast like Caprio and Jonah Hill on the ship it’s majestic in direction and production value. Still three hours is a long time for a movie to run and without such gripping story and detail fans couldn’t have being bored easily. However the movie goes in few phases and transform from one phase to the next carrying the viewer on a smooth sail.

Though how enjoyable it can be while it last it leaves without providing a strong anchor to hold on to. If the movie provided more insight to the key characters at the end or like in most movies gave some real look back at the history it could have being more complete. Or else the fans that have no idea about the real background might be forever in dark.

If you’re interested to find out what’s fat and what’s fiction check this place http://www.historyvshollywood.com/reelfaces/the-wolf-of-wall-street.php

Frozen (2013) Rating 2.5/5

Animations have come a long way. Year by year we see spectacular works which beats one over the other and most of the time the viewers are struck with amusement and surprises. Being said that it’s sad to say that Frozen is not one of those animations though it’s coming from Disney an expert.

When Queen Elsa leaves her kingdom in eternal winter after she uses her magical abilities, her sister Anna is set to save the day. On her journey she is accompanied by a handsome peasant and a funny snowman.

Frozen is a musical animation which has ample number of tunes in it. However except for one or two the rest sound mundane and just jumps in and out of the movie without adding much value. The animation however is eye pleasing. Though most of the stuff looks white there are certain attractiveness given with vivid details.

Where the movie really let down the viewer is when it comes to the story and characters. It strongly starts as a movie surrounding peasants but quickly transform in to a castle where things starts to move slow and from a certain point it becomes very predictable. Same goes with the characters. Most of them turn out to be pretty plastic. The ones who are interesting in some way are not human. 

The Hobbit: Desolation of the Smaug (2013) Rating 4/5

Oh, misty eye of the mountain below

Keep careful watch of my brothers' souls

And should the sky be filled with fire and smoke

Keep watching over Durin's son….

Till you hear that vocals and closing titles rolling up, The Hobbit: Desolation of the Smaug will tightly put you in a deep trance of an epic journey of fantasy filled with mind boggling atmospheres and characters filled with heroism either they are short or tall or men or not. And this installment of The Hobbit jump right in to the action and it stays that way till the very end. There is little room for conversation and drama and it’s certainly is well evolved from the first movie and steadily on its way to the finale.

In this installment the Dwarfs accompanying Bilbo Baggins the Hobbit and the Gandolf the wizard continues their journey to Erebor to claim it back from the fierce dragon Smaug.  On the way they are hunted by the Ork and the team split in separate directions as circumstances fits. And all of them find challenges to deal with while a so far unseen greater enemy is brewing a war upon middle earth.

When it comes to Peter Jackson on the director seat, a fan will not expect anything less than to feast their eyes with mind blowing details scene by scene filled with fantastic action and animation. And this movie delivers all of them exactly or beyond expected. Some of the stunts you will witness are simply nothing less than anything you have seeing in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. And the sheer amount of simple to most complicated yet extravagant details the sets, costumes, CG delivers ads heavy value to the movies overall success.

Though I have felt that the first movie was a bit too long and some of the scenes could have being done without, this time the timing and the flow is simply great. Thus I have no complaints to express. And it’s certain that many bigger and better things await in the next one. Maybe the only thing I hate is the cliffhanger ending!! And the wait to see what happen next is bloody too long.

Short Term 12 (2013) Rating 4/5

Movies are supposed to make you feel something. It maybe joy or it may be pain but good movies should speak to the minds of the viewer in many forms possible through story, mood and characters. Short Term 12 is a remarkable creation which fits the good movie category in several ways. 

Short Term 12s plot is surrounding several individuals who are working for a home for teens who have identified as risks to themselves and the society. Grace is dedicated and believes that these kids will have a better future. Mason her coworker and her lover understandingly provides the full support to her at office and home alike. Yet the things they experience at work sometimes so overwhelming and it affects their personal lives in unexpected ways.

The beauty of this movie comes as a bundle. It’s powerfully emotional and speaks of a set of people and their struggle to survive and rescue others. On the other hand it covers deep in to the victims of the system as well. Some characters are developed up to a certain level that you may find them close to be true. The performances are well directed and sincerely natural. To add to the mix comes the wonderful cinematography that’s most of the time fills the screen with up close shots of the actors giving more value. All in all Short Term 12 is a powerful drama that binds the viewer with a good plot and solid mood. It starts with a cheer and goes through havoc and surprisingly ends with a familiar place.

Homefront (2013) 2.5/5

 This is gonna be a very short review as I’m not gonna explain the plot or go in to details. 

Do I really have to tell you about Statham movies? You know them well. An undefeated hero, lots of punches and kicks, bullets flying at all directions and the bad men bites the dust at the end pretty much sums it up. And this one is no different. But yet again it feels like something new and makes you watch it till the end. This time Sylvester Stallone teams up by writing the script. So expect some heavy bashing. 

The Book Thief (2013) Rating 2.5/5

Here I’m disappointed after expecting to see a movie that speaks of human courage and hardships of life. What this movie offers is a story of war from the eyes of a child and it’s nearly the feeling of a Disney movie than being an epic story of heroism. 

During the time of World War 2 a young girl named Liesel arrives at her foster parent’s home. Not knowing how to read or write but having a passion for books she soon learns to handle them fluently. Her new found love for reading and writing keeps her hopes high through the distress times of war and the people around her. 

There has being several remarkable movies made of stories from the world wars. Most of them are tragic and utterly heart breaking but in the same time powerful and very emotional. The Book Thief finds its place in the war but it loses itself in the minds of the viewer. For a movie made with such great detail and effort the possibilities could have being endless. Yet the story touches the surface of war and the rest is for the viewer to imagine. Clearly the war part is not the main intention of this plot. But it’s a fact that you cannot ignore it. I expected to see the plot thicken and things get heated up but the expected climax never came. Maybe I had high expectations or this movie is not for serious viewer at all. 

What will keep you going are the beautiful cinematography and the flow. And the cast is great too.  Sophie Nélisse (Liesel) is a cute lead and the rest of the cast does a good job. But once it’s all done, it’s more like a fairy tale.

After the Dark (2013) Rating 3/5

Feels like a mind boggling puzzle than a movie, this one will grab the viewer instantly with its flow and cinematography right from the start. And when the movie starts to evolve it breaks down in to segments of the same puzzle yet solved in different ways. Up until the end the viewer has something to look for throughout. But the ending can be a bit disappointing depending on your expectations. 

20 students who are studying in an international school in Jakarta are given with a final thought experiment by their philosophy teacher. When an imminent nuclear apocalypse happens they must choose which 10 students will go inside a bunker in order to save the human kind from extinction. When the thought process evolves it become realistic and deeper than expected. 

Thought the plot is clearly very convincing and addictive there are some flaws that make After the Dark lag a bit behind. (As it’s not my habit to spoil the plot I will not go in to details) However one can easily enjoy this without taking notice of some of the flaws and tickle their brains. But my honest experience is that After the Dark is a very different and interesting movie experience. Where you get to witness stories in side stories and live in different times and circumstances over and over again yet survive to see the next. And its cinematography brings in the viewer to the thought process and holds tight. That’s all that matters while you watch it. The real though process starts after you finish it.