Chunking Express (1994): Rating 4.5/5

Maybe the most bewildering thing about Kar Wai Wong movies is that, they seem too normal while you watch it but once done they start to haunt you. And they are overly narrative and sometimes overly expressive in minor elements of the plot yet not so detailed and mysterious about some of the far deep and seem to be important areas. And it seems like the director intentionally hide certain things from the viewers and viewers are left to go through a journey of discovery them selves if they want more answers than the ones are obvious. Yes strikingly more answers we find more things left to ponder. Chunking Express is such mysteriously touching piece of artistic cinema that boils down to a very simple yet very complicated story about everyday people.

The story is woven around two Hong Kong cops. At a glance they both share certain similarities as characters and circumstantially and losing their girl friends is one of the prominent ones. Chunking Express deals with their emotional despair and hope as they struggle to overcome the uncertainty and the loneliness they feel in their post relationship recovery period. The beauty of the script is that these two characters have no intention to overlap yet but only to connect deep down in the observance of the viewer.

Chunking Express expresses it self-using narratives. And these narratives in the form of thoughts of the characters who speaks to them selves are very powerful and strangely unique. When you listen to them closely it opens up a variety of emotions filled pathways in to the characters life. The viewers get to explore these characters who at times are bold but most of the time mysterious in their own ways. And the director builds these characters and their behaviors in to a certain point where they become strangely familiar after sometime but the viewers deep down knows that they are not. But follow their lead in their journey of sorrowful uncertainness.

The director very effectively uses cinematographic elements such at colors, camera movements and angles along with strong symbolism to build the plot. And just like his later work In the Mood for Love (2000) he uses music that is very character centric over and over again until it becomes a habit. Here he uses the classic California Dreaming by The Mamas & The Papas and blend it so well with the story by the time movie the ends it is so prominent as characters them selves. Maybe the most binding component the viewers unknowingly fall for is the ever-natural performances and the chaotic style of story telling. Though how simple the character or the events look at a glance it is not so uncommon for the viewer to struggle moment to moment to realize the depth they represent.

Chunking Express is a well-written and skillfully directed cinema by the renowned moviemaker Kar Wai Wong. His signature style is all over it and for anyone who is brave enough to experience it will discover the world in a unique way. Perhaps one of the most beautiful things about this movie is that you hardly notice that it touched you until you are left alone to ponder about it. And this moment of realization can happen anytime without an early warning. The trick is not to rush it.

Original title: Chung Hing sam lam

Language: Cantonese

Country: Hong Kong

Genre: Drama | Romance

Director: Kar Wai Wong

-Priyantha Bandara

The Purge Anarchy (2014): Ratings – Genre 3.5/5, Overall 2/5

For being a movie based on an utterly dismissible theory it’s something to ponder upon how this is actually pulled off. To be honest thought how dum it sounds I was hanging on to it and wanted to witness it till the end and even at the end it made some sense and it’s crazy. Maybe I should be purged!! And I must say that I have not seeing the predecessor of The Purge Anarchy there for I have no way of comparing it with this one. But strangely bit familiar in the same lines of The Hunger Games, this one does a decent job being more realistic and close to home.

In not so distant future the US government has found a mechanism to keep its population and crime rate in control. The annual purge that last a 12 hour period let the civilians to let out their rage and cleans themselves. And in this period all crimes including murder is accepted by low. The story of a former low enforcement agent looking for revenge from previous years purge and few civilians who he happen to tag alone and their combined effort of surviving through the purge night is what The Purge Anarchy is all about.

Like I mentioned at the start the whole plot seems absurd. Yet the whole time we are left to believe it so strongly and confidently after sometime it will sink right in. And from that point the viewer will go through the horrific journey of survival along with the characters and corner to corner there is some new experience wait. And unexpectedly The Purge Anarchy does not cross its limits with being too gory or violent. It operates within a certain discipline and this makes the journey somewhat pleasant than road paved with flesh and blood. And the good twists that comes out of nowhere does a decent job and spicing things up.

While The Purge Anarchy is a horrific thriller from the surface it does have an underlying message that is well put together. A certain hope of humanity is emerging from the brutal actions of the rulers and the story manages to shine it to give some hope for the god forbidden future.

Director: James DeMonaco

Genre: Horror | Crime | Thriller

-Priyantha Bandara

Two Faces of January (2014): Ratings – Genre 3/5, Overall 2.5/5

Though this movie has a promising plot and really good cinematography and twists built along, the uninteresting climax and the flat ending makes this a mediocre romantic thriller once over. However, due to the fact that it’s interesting point to point the fans will expect bigger things to come and hang on till the end. But the problem is most of those big things does not happen and it kind of leave you with a disappointment than satisfaction.

When an Athens based American tour guide gets to know a travelling couple from his home country he didn’t realize that they are fleeing from sins made back at home. To make things worse his interest towards the wife fuels his desire to help them in their needs and ultimately make him a part of a vicious crime.

The first half of the movie is quite interesting. The viewer is left to ponder often and the events gradually build with good confidence. The face of a thriller is quite well built and amidst of that signs of a romantic tale emerges. However when the movie passes half way it becomes little stagnant and the thrill take different directions. At one point it is hard to determine where the story goes with the romance as there is not enough prominence for it. And with some unexpected turn of events the romantic story is fully blown away and soon after it moves quickly to another zone. However all this is not entirely working against the taste of Two Faces of January, but it certainly ads some bitterness. 

I don’t think there is room for any actor to become exceptionally good here. All of them have a role to play but that role is limited in their scopes and nothing not seeing before. This movie will leave the viewer with certain emptiness.  While some of it is due to the mood the movie express and majority of it is because it let down a classy ending.

Director: Hossein Amini

Genre: Drama | Thriller

-Priyantha Bandara

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014): Ratings – Genre 5/5, Overall 4/5

Matt Reeves’es vision of science fiction is different to many. His movies take emotions in to count than the pure side of the movies scientific nature. This is well proven with his earlier movies like Cloverfield (2008) and Let Me In (2010). And now he teams up with the writers of Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) and brings this much improved and very successful sequel, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and it is magnificent. Right from the very beginning to the last scene this movie will take you through an emotional journey of man and ape alike and puts you in a tight spot as a human to determine the fate of things to come and decide write and wrong.

Ten years after the pandemic decease humans are at the brink of extinction. The apes who have survived lives in the woods formed up massive crowds and a form of civilized living. But when the humans bring war to the Apes door step and Apes leadership is questioned, the battle rages.

The very first thing that will blow the minds of the viewer is how insanely good looking this movie is. Thanks to the astounding works of the computer graphics and set creation the green rainy forest and the abandoned dying city both look absolutely realistic. And when the thought provoking plot is mixed up with ultra-realistic expressions of the apes this movie can sink right down in to you. And speaking of the plot it’s carefully written to give the viewer a very good perception of things occurring and the flow is very good.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes as a story is completely far-fetched and it is amazing how it works this well. But if you’re expecting more and more battles of large scale and less talk (or sigh language) then it might disappoint you a bit. But never forget that battles are never justifiable without the correct amount of emotions. And here the wait for the final battle is worth every bit of drama and once you realize that the world will never be the same again for Apes and Humans both there is slight hope left for both. And amazingly you might wish that apes will find their peace once again. Make your own judgment of who’s to be blamed, us or our ancestors.

Genre: Action | Drama | Sci fi

Director: Matt Reeves

-Priyantha Bandara

Begin Again (2014) – Ratings: Genre 4.5/5, Overall 4/5

John Carney the director who bought us the beautiful musical “Once” back in 2006 has offered a true piece of romantic movie again that touches the senses. And it’s filled with breathtakingly mesmerizing music one after the other and the charmingly graceful performances by Keira Knightley and Mark Rufalo. And when all of those combined with a lovely storyline that sinks right in to fans heart how can a movie like this ever go wrong. And by far this is one of the best musical filled comedy dramas I can recall.

When Dan (Mark) a talented yet beaten up by life music agent desperately looking for new talent to get his life a jump start, accidently meets Gretta (Keira) a beautiful girl with a voice he was looking for. But convincing her to sign up to do an album was challenging enough for Dan as Gretta is about to leave town with a broken heart.

No doubt that pinnacle of Begin Again is its music. Five minutes down the movie it throws out a wonderful track that instantly grabs the viewer. And this moment becomes the central point of Dan meeting Gretta where it is visited couple of times via different storylines making its presence stronger. Starting from this song and the opening sequence the movie quickly yet steadily evolves in to something serenely beautiful and so does its music. The two key roles has their own independent storylines running alongside which fuels the main plot and the director has managed to beautifully blend everything together.

However Begin Again is bit far from reality though it covers its faults with a dramatic cloak and its charming performances and music. But to enjoy this movie the absolute reality factor is not something that’s really required. And honestly compared with often seeing cheesy romantic dramas that pops up like mushrooms these days Begin Again is a modern wonder.

Genre: Drama | Comedy | Romance

Director: John Carney

-Priyantha Bandara 

Boyhood (2014) | Ratings: Genre 5/5, Overall 5/5

If you ask me if I have seeing a movie like Boyhood before I would definitely answer yes. But if you ask me what does Boyhood has in common with all those other similar movies, I would say very little. Because Boyhood is a magnificent creation as life itself than being just another movie.  Boyhood surpasses all movies in same genre and reaches a pinnacle of realism that as viewers we get astonishingly surprised of. It seems as if our own lives has being put on to a movie and some way or the other you feel that this movie is connected to you so deeply and you get so attached to it. The simple reason why it is so is because Boyhood is a project that spans 12 years in the making and us the viewers get to witness the same set of cast age a decade and it is nothing we have ever seeing before in a movie. We have seeing stories span across long time periods but non what so ever was this natural and emotional.

The lead of Boyhood is a 5 year old boy Mason (Ellar Coltrane) who lives with his mother and sister. His father who is separated come to visit occasionally and this routine visits and the phases of Masons’ life as growing up to become a teenager with his mother in control of the household is the story of Boyhood. As a story Boyhood has no heavy surprises or shocking moments just like most dramas of this sort has. It’s very simple yet gradually moving and clearly shows how Masons’ perceptions and attitude towards life evolves as he grows up. Boyhood is nearly three hours long in duration but for me it is still too short. These three hours packs 13 years of a boys’ life and it is so refreshing to witness how his life go through different phases and each of these phase has its own tragedies and beauties.

The other 3 main casts Patricia Arquette (Mom), Lorelei Linklater (Samantha the sister) and Ethan Hawk (Dad) simultaneously adds in to the changing time and their own struggle of survival within this 13 year spanning story which is also very well constructed. In that sense this movie can be easily centered upon any of these 3 characters as well and still will be very much appealing. But still the viewers can follow the story from several angles while engaging with the main story line of Mason and that I think is one of the many strengths of Boyhood over other coming of age movies. Yes, Boyhood is not aggressively centered upon a single storyline.

Boyhood is not cheesy or over dramatic or forces the viewer to get involved with it. But it somehow manages to keep the viewer engaged and when it’s over you wish there were more. Life goes on.

Genre: Drama

Director: Richard Linklater

-Priyantha Bandara

22 Jump Street (2014) Ratings: Genre 4/5, Overall 3/5

I honestly don’t think that this movie requires any introduction to any of you who are fans of Hollywood comedies. This is the second installment of one of the most successful and talked about comedy 21 Jump Street back in 2012. And this is clearly an improvement to the sequel and seldom have we got to witness a comedy that evolves for better. While the story is almost the same to the previous one just as the movie want it to be the clear new addition is the emotional bond that hilarious lead duo fantastically portray.

Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) is back with a new assignment to bust some emerging new drug by going undercover in college. But when Jenko accidently joins the college football team and meets up new guys to hang out with Schmidt finds himself left out. To make things worse his new found college girlfriend’s family becomes hostile.

22 Jump Street is filled with belly tickling humor. And they come in most strange place with most strange disguises and sometimes it takes a while to stop laughing. But for any who have seeing the previous movie this is no surprise and it’s exactly what they would require. This time the movie goes a bit further and brings in some action comedy to fit the bill along with extended college comedy. Clearly the undercover investigation is bigger and the bad guys too that bring in a grand showdown at the end. Jonah and Tatum are just perfect in their roles and it’s quite a surprise how such chemistry exist in between these completely opposite actors.

It is a must that I keep a note of the ending credits as this could be the most creative and clearly the toughest to make ending credits I can recall. It last for some time and will blow the fans away with makeup, CG and surprising guest starring.

Genre: Comedy

Director:  Phil Lord, Christopher Miller

- Priyantha Bandara

Million Dollar Arm (2014): Ratings – Genre 3/5, Overall 2.5/5

Sports movies come in all ages, speeds, throws and color. And most of them are very entertaining and satisfying and more than anything they are emotionally inspirational. Every year at least there is one sports movie that makes big news and I don’t know if Million Dollar Arm is that movie so far. However this movie makes a real mark as it has a different mood and a flavor than any of the previously famous sports themed movies. The reality show and south Asian flavor combo is indeed something beautiful to see on the screen.

JB (Jon Hamm) is a sports contractor who is desperately looking for a talent to sign up as his company is reaching no fruitful businesses for some time. After failing in a raw he comes up with a brilliant idea of seeking for talent in far India. Pushed for unrealistic deadlines from his investors, JB launch his Million Dollar Arm reality show campaign in India seeking for the fastest pitcher for Baseball in a country which Baseball has no  significant value.

The first quarter of the movie looks and feels familiar. A failed agent looking for a strong comeback is not the freshest of ideas out there. But as the story evolves it reaches untested territories and after sometime it reaches a solid peak that holds the movie on a steady state. There is a cool down period somewhere in the middle which builds the stage for the emotionally strong events to take place afterwards. Being a movie which is based on true events the director has put some good effort to keep the fans entertained throughout. I can’t say I was bored at any stage of the movie though there are phases where it falls in to average.

Jon Hamm who is seldom seeing in movies but holds the title for one the most powerful TV characters of all time in Mad Men brings in energy to JB’s character. The movie evolves around JB but the rest of the characters even how important and strong they are is not given enough attention as I feel. This is a bit of a letdown as some characters especially the Indian boys could have being more prominent if they were introduced from the start of the movie which could have bought in more dramatic approach to the whole plot. But Million Dollar Arm is a very entertaining movie which of course the entertainment side is stronger than the sports side at times. So I will not call this as the best sports movie I have seeing but it’s a movies I enjoyed from the start to end. 

Genre: Drama | Sports
Director : Craig Gillespie

- Priyantha Bandara

Let’s be Cops (2014): Ratings – Genre 3/5, Overall 2/5

This common above averagely funny comedy movie is definitely uncommon when it comes to the theme it has chosen. Two 30 year old men who has got nowhere with life accidently realizes that impersonating as cops can gain them the recognition they so desperately required in their life. Though how crazy and fat fetched this idea sound the movie pulls off some crazy stunts keeping aside some obvious plot holes side. But as it is a comedy and all we want is to laugh no idea is a bad idea.

Let’s be Cops is not boring. It starts a little slower than most comedy movies but gradually develop to be crazy funny sometimes. But most of the time it remains normal other than some occasional lines which can make you laugh a bit more than the rest. The reason why I kept going was because I was curious to know where the story will lead and how well the movie can pull off the predictable scenes. And I found them to be quite entertaining but not exceptional.

Regarding the performances they are ok but none of them can really spark the humor as such. Maybe I was expecting 21 Jump Street out of this but the chemistry between those two does not exist here. Maybe it’s a weakness of the script too. But as a comedy for light minded viewing let’s be Cops is not bad at all.

Genre: Comedy

Director: Luke Greenfield

-Priyantha Bandara

Frontera (2014) : Ratings – Genre 3.5/5 , Overall 4/5

Frontera brings a story that more or less equally affects both sides of the US-Mexican border. Loss, lies, betrayal and pain has no borders and it does not favor a single color or a race. When illegal immigrants have reasons of their own to justify their actions the other sides justifies their actions too. This is a conflict and I believe that the movie has done fair for both ends. But the important message that Frontera brings is that humanity is at question and who will take responsibility to correct its path. 

The story evolve around two men one from Mexico who is illegally immigrating to America and the other who owns the land he trespasses through. When certain events take place where the Americans wife is collateral they both cross paths and lives change.  

Ed Harris who play the key role (Roy) in the American side and Michael Pena who is the Mexican end (Miguel) both brings in strong balance to the performances. Along with the acting and the fine cinematography and the flow Frontera brings in a different experience to different borders.

Beautifully acted and wonderfully directed Frontera by all means is a fine thriller with a taste of a drama. It strongly speaks of two sides of a same story and brings in a powerful conclusion yet still not biased. The director seems to have worked hard on the details and the flow as from start to end the movie is well gripping.

Genre: Drama | Thriller

Director: Michael Berry

-Priyantha Bandara

Expendables 3 (2014) : Ratings – Genre 2.5/5, Overall 1.5/5

It would be bold and ok to say that after two consecutively engaging and improving sequels, Expendables has screwed up bad this time. This movie looks like it’s out of place and going nowhere and a huge potential of acting, bullets and explosives are flat out wasted.

The tattooed bad ass underground private soldier gang Expendables is back and they are facing a known enemy from the past. Barney (Stallone) decides to recruit young blood for the last battle saying adios to his old gang and it turns out to be a bad idea. Facing Conrad Stonebanks (Gibson) is trickier and tougher than it seems and Expendables patience and talents tested to the brim.

So why exactly this movie did went wrong? It is definitely not the cast and not the action because both of them have more than enough vibe to pull off some awesome movie. I think where it fails is the poor story line which has many connectivity issues and weak flow compared to the previous movies. It feels like some cast is not given a fair chance to perform and their presence is just a mere hallucination of the fact that Expendables is has many old school heroes in one place. This was common in pervious movies as well but the plot and direction was smooth enough for the fans to positively accept it. The only refreshing addition that worth witnessing is Mel Gibson where he brings in some true spark to the dull story line.

Talking of the good Expendables 3 is a high octane action jump start right from the beginning. The action is almost 90% farfetched but we all know the drill here. So there is nothing I can complain about it. Action sequences, cast and set creations are good. The whole movie sees no lush greens or hope of a blue planet but takes place entirely in dull, harsh environments except for the night club and city scenes. There are enough destructions and explosions corner to corner and some really good witty one liners. And Arnold finally wants everyone to GET TO THE CHOPPAH!

Genre: Action | Adventure

Director: Patrick Hughes

-Priyantha Bandara