Night Moves (2013) – Ratings: Genre 4/5 | Overall 3.5/5

Soon as you start watching Night Moves the first things you will realize that it’s very slow. It takes a painful amount of time to get in to the plot and keeps the viewer guessing forever. By the time it hits a certain point where the plot starts to form solidly most viewers could have left the place. But if you manage to wait till that certain point the rest of the movie will be a delighting one. The thing is Night Moves doesn’t have a proper start or a proper ending. It is the mid section of a long story and we are left to decide on the way it started and how it would have ended. That’s a kind of risky movie making. 

Josh, Dena and Harmon (Jesse Eisenberg, Dakota Fanning, Peter Sarsgaard) are three radical environmentalists. They believe that an extreme action would change the minds of others and send a strong message to the people who they want their voice heard. The trio carefully plans a certain activity which puts them in a tight situation and at the end of it they find out that they are not the only people who got affected by it. Post stress starts to build and they begin to lose the grip.

Though how slow Night Moves could be it is stitched with a very prominent and informative sequel of carefully chosen scenes. Once you’re done with the movie you will realize that every scene makes good sense and the viewer has become a part of the trio’s journey. There is good cinematography, effective score and dark mood all over the place, and definitely very good performances by all three main casts. 

Regarding the plot it is sound and extraordinary. Come to think of it it’s very simple in a way but deep and complicated on the other hand. Night Moves deserves the recognition it had got from the critics and fans alike. It’s a fine piece of dramatic cinema that’s woven wonderfully and powerfully character driven. 

Genre: Drama | Thriller

Director: Peter Sarsgaard

Coldwater (2013) - Ratings: Genre 3.5/5 | Overall 3/5

Just as the name goes Coldwater is a stone cold story about abuse and survival. But it’s a different kind than we often see on the movies. The story moves out of the abusive culture which exists in the common society and explores a certain layer of systematic abuse which exists in a more controlled environment which is governed by the authorities in the name of rehabilitation. 

Brad (P.J. Boudousqué) is sent to a juvenile reform facility by his parents following his history of troubles with the law.  Soon after he arrives at the location he realizes that this place is much worse than the detention centers he has served time earlier. While the techniques and routine takes a toll on the detainees Brad struggles to get out of the place. After a failed attempt and severe punishment his goals change to fight against the system than freeing himself. 

Coldwater is a slow moving yet applying drama. It is quite horrific and painful to get through as well. But the violence is done up to a certain point where it delivers the message and nothing else. The drama and the characters and their struggle overcome the violence element and due to this Coldwater become one of the few movies which positively get away with it. There is a good flow and mostly the story bounce between two timelines of Brad’s life. While the movie creates a good interest of things to come it delivers certain element of surprises as well. However, for some reason I wish that the ending was different and we could witness a Brad who stood up for his beliefs than becoming a victim of it. 

Though for some viewers Coldwater could be a painful memory, as a movie it is different and effective. There is good acting from many less known talents and decent cinematography to get by. 

Genre: Drama

Director: Vincent Grashaw

Locke (2013) Ratings: Genre 4/5 | Overall 3.5/5

Though every director takes a challenge when they decide to do their movie project even how big or small it is, some scripts vastly differ from the majority and they pose a stronger challenge of some sort. This is a fact for most movies that are script driven and even tougher when it comes to movies that has only one actor in them. In recent past Buried (2010) and All is Lost (2013) were fine examples of such films. And 2013 brings another fine completely script driven movie from UK which is Locke. It sure is a very different movie and maybe even if you kept the whole movie thing apart and listened to it over radio there is a fair chance that you will still get the whole thing right and enjoy it. The reason why I say so is because the only probable cause this script makes a movie because there is acting and cinematography. But it will be equally promising as a sound act only.

Tom Hardy who is the one and only actor in this movie plays the character of Ivan Locke who is a construction engineer. In the brink of a historical construction event he decides to ditch it and go somewhere else to fix a mistake he have made. When he gets in to his car and starts driving he realize that there will be many challenges he have to complete to save the day and none of them will be easy as they sound.

Tom does a brilliant performance here no doubt. As he is the only living thing the viewers will see he has to be compelling to keep the show going. Ivan’s character is strong, intelligent, brave and calm. All these characteristics are portrayed while Ivan is seated in one place and only by talking to other people over the phone. It is too hard for me to explain how this is even possible in a movie but imagine how it could have being for Tom Hardy and Steven Knight (director/screenwriter) to make it happen. But the wonderful thing is as a movie it truly works and the viewer is anchored in one place giving only hints to imagine the things that must be going on in another place. It’s kind of unfair too for us as viewers as we always expect to see what’s going on but Locke doesn’t give us that luxury. But it truly makes the viewer to become this character and synch in to his situation like no other movie does.

Locke is a beautiful drama that tells a strong story about accepting responsibility in the most daring of times and parenthood. And it does is staying in one place using one actor. How fascinatingly fantastic!

Genre: Drama
Director: Steven Knight

Oculus (2013) Ratings: Genre 3.5/5 | Overall 2.5/5

 Oculus has a very clever and well laid out flow. And it does a decent job at being creepy. But it’s good stops at those and the rest is not very appealing. Especially the plot which has ample amount of spaces to slip makes it an unstructured piece of old school horror and nothing ground breaking.

The movie is based on two young siblings Tim and Kaylie who get together after 11 years to solve a mystery which they have left unsolved when they were kids. After their mother was brutally killed by their father and the father was murdered by the Tim in self-defense he has spent the next ten years in a mental institution. But Tim and Kaylie both knew that the story behind the horrible incident which took place in their home was guided by a mysterious supernatural force. And this time they hope to defeat it in its own playground.

Oculus starts with a strong promising grip. And up until a certain point the story line develops well and the viewer is left with terror that pops up very effectively in short intervals. There is no lagging nor any time wasted away from the main plot. Everything is neatly explained via the script and by the time the big showdown comes the viewer is well equipped to come to their own conclusions. But the twists are well thought out and they effectively prove that most of the viewer’s assumptions are wrong. But all this ends towards the latter part of the movie and the plot falls week. And the ending is quite sudden and kind of unfulfilling. It sure has potential to become another horror franchise but I’m not positive if it would really be eagerly awaited by the fans.

Almost the entire movie takes place in closed atmospheres. Which of course is not a problem as it doesn’t look cheap in anyway. There is nothing extraordinary about the cinematography or the props and the horror. On a final note Oculus is a good horror film. But it can be easily forgotten.

Genre: Horror | Thriller

Director: Mike Flanagan

Blue Ruin (2013) Ratings: Genre 4.5/5 | Overall 4/5

Blue Ruin runs on one of the most tested and classic movie plots in the history of mankind, revenge. But it is quite amazing to realize that this straightforward story of a man taking revenge from a bunch of people who have made wrong to his family in the past can be this well done. Everything goes by the book and there is no mind breaking twists or puzzles to be sorted at all. But still as a viewer I was struck and glued to the screen wondering what will happen next. Yet at times it was very predictable most of the time it took me by surprise.

Dwight (Macon Blair) seems to be a loner who’s living in an almost junk of a car and eating out of dumpsters. But his life makes a sudden turn when he realizes that the murderer who was responsible of making his life a nightmare will be a free man soon. Dwight decides that it’s time to go home and take care of business himself.

Macon Blair does a wonderful job portraying this amateur assassin. Through his eyes the viewer can feel his anger and the fear both at the same time. He is nothing closer to a criminal by looks and he has no skills of combat other than ambition and that ambition drives his adrenaline to deal with some very lethal situations. He gets beaten up pretty badly, gets physically injured and emotionally stressed yet maintain his balance and wits going against a family of criminals. This character is an everyday Joe who has nothing to lose but has everything to save.

Director Jeremy Saulnier keeps a very good flow the whole time. The movies brilliant cinematography creates a mood that builds the plot strongly surrounding the key character. There are very few words spoken and lot of acting that matters. Until things starts to become clear very slowly half way through the movie the whole plot remains a big mystery with only few hints to hang on to. But having such a simple plot to start with the directory has made a brilliant piece of cinema that viewers would talk about for years to come.

This is by far the best thriller of same sort I have seeing after the Swedish Headhunters (2011). And it’s not a movie to be missed thought it has quite a bit of excessive gore.

Genre: Thriller| Drama | Crime

Director: Jeremy Saulnier

The Selfish Giant (2013) Ratings Genre: 4/5 | Overall 4.5/5

Based on a tale surrounding two suburban kids who tries to make a quid selling scrap The Selfish Giant is a brilliant and a heart moving film. Beautifully filmed portraying the landscape beauty of urban lifestyle and very powerfully performed by the young actors this sure is great cinema from Great Britain.

Arbor and Swifty are 13 year olds who come from the working class families. Though best friends they have very different perspective of childhood and life. Arbor is a troubled kid with disrespect towards the elders and does not believe that the education system can do him any good. While Swifty is a silent and an obedient kid who has some skills and empathy towards his senseless friend. While both of them influence each other for good and the bad they find selling scrap to a dealer in the town can get them some cash to help their difficulties at home. But the strategy they use to find the scrap puts them in tragic circumstances.

The Selfish Giant is a character driven movie. Both Arbor’s and Swifty’s characters are complex and has deeper meanings which were shapes up by the society they live in. Partially ignored by their parents and mistreated by the people surrounding them pushes their quest for independence which ultimately leads them down a dark abyss. The movie portrays how a child can become easily misguided when they lack proper guidance from their elders. It’s not a matter of lack of love but lack of interaction and care to be precise. And the movie speaks loudly about the ill society that the children grow up in as well.

The real strength of the movie is the performance by Conner Chapman who plays Arbor. He does a fine job at portraying this very challenging character and as viewers we are left to decide if to punish him or to care for him. Maybe that’s the decision the people who interact with Arbor have to live with day in and day out. And that’s not something comfortable to deal with. The other characters also are well acted. When it comes to the plot it’s different and unpredictable. And it’s certainly very dark and gloomy.  The cinematography blend in all the elements well and the viewer’s get lost in Arbors world.

Genre: Drama

Director: Clio Barnard

The Armstrong Lie (2013) : Rating 4/5

The Armstrong Lie is a documentary that takes a deep look at one of the most horrendous best kept lies of the sports history, the rise and fall of Lance Armstrong after being disgracefully accused for doping. He was once known as the greatest cyclist the world has ever seeing who won 7 Tour De France titles from 1999-2005 after battling and recovering from cancer.

After winning 7 titles and being away for 4 years in retirement Armstrong makes a surprise come back in 2009 with hopes of winning another title and raising funds for cancer patients. The director of this documentary Alex Gibney was hired to make a documentary of the comeback of Armstrong and he has being covering Armstrong’s sports history for quite some time. But as the doping scandal came to light the original project was never finished. But in 2013 Gibney decided that he needs a proper ending to his documentary and re-opened it after Armstrong makes a confession on Oprah Winfrey show.

This documentary is quite easy and interesting to follow. For someone with even a mild knowledge about professional cycling and Armstrong it can be digested without much effort. While having a deep look at Armstrong’s sporting career and the doping dilemma the documentary effectively provides important background information about the sport itself that fuels the main plot. And it manages to tell the story from several perspectives than being biased in to one point of view, the intention being the viewer to have their own conclusion of what had really happened. There ample amount of historical footage of practice runs, races, press conferences, court trials and other video that builds a strong case relating to each other. Obviously for being someone like Armstrong most of his well-known part of his entire life is on film somewhere. The challenge which the director goes through is to filter the most relevant and create a flow that doesn’t over hype or dull to the viewer. In my opinion the job was well done.

The Armstrong Lie is a powerful piece of documentary film making. And it would give you new perspective of what really went on with Lance Armstrong. Maybe you have followed his case eagerly while it was hot but now since things have gone a bit cold a relook would be ideal. Just as Armstrong phrase many times it felt ok at the time.

Genre: Sport| Documentary

Director: Alex Gibney

Enemy (2013) Ratings: Genre 5/5 | Overall 4/5

In my opinion a good psychological thriller has to have 3 strong elements. 1. It should be a story that’s close to everyday situations where most viewers can relate to. 2. It should have the capacity to grab the viewer from the throat and squeeze in to their brains without much effort. 3. It should have and ending without an ending that’s so mysterious that different viewers should have different opinions about it. In short a good psychological thriller is a movie that some would despise and some would break their brains to get right. And Enemy has all those qualities and I was stricken by its force. After many days of watching it and reading ample material on the net about what it really is still I don’t know if I got it right or not.

Abad Bell (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a history professor who lives a mundane and a very routine life. He teaches in day time and has no interests of anything else as such. He has a girlfriend but her visits and time spent also part of his dull routine. But one day after recommended by someone he goes out of his routine and rents a movie. After watching the movie he realizes that there was a minor character actor that just looks exactly like him. Abad get obsessed with meeting this look alike actor.

Though the plot sounds neat and tidy the representation of it is mind scattering. There are skeptical twists that wraps the whole story and deeper it goes complicated it becomes. As there are only few words spoken and it seems like every line has its contribution towards a twisted meaning. And the peculiar cinematography always concentrates on cityscapes and shapes which are most of the time have less people and seemed isolated just like our main character. And when it’s combined with the eerie music the movie creates a mysterious atmosphere amongst the vastly seeing urban landscapes. All in all the look and feel of Enemy itself is a psychological mystery.

Performance wise Jake brings back his Donny Darko (2001) mood and it’s very good. His facial expressions contributes to his powerful character (or should I say characters) and his confusion over his own behavior is clearly shown. Jake makes Enemy even better. Enemy is directed by Denis Villeneuve who was recently well known for Incendies (2010) and Prisoners (2013). Being a big fan of both, Enemy is another valued addition to Denis’s high marks in my book.

Sadly the irony of writing a review about a psychologically thriller is that very less can be told about its plot unless you tend to reveal lot and spoil it for many. Therefore, other than saying Enemy is a piece of cinema that fried my brain cells more than ones and has one of the most twisted “WTF” endings I will not say anything further.

p.s If you have seeing this movie already and looking for some explanation this is a good place to look

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9AWkqRwd1I

Genre: Thriller | Mystery

Director: Denis Villeneuve

Jobs (2013) Ratings: Genre 2.5/5 | Overall 3/5

Just like for many people out there Steve Jobs is a hero for me as well. This was the number one reason why I was eager to watch “Jobs”. Though I have not read his biography I have ready many different news, articles, comments made by others about Jobs. And here was the golden opportunity for me to witness the rise of this great man on silver screen. Was it what I expected? Let’s find out. 

I don’t think that I need to introduce Steve Jobs to you or have to write about what’s this movie is about as it’s obvious that you know. But it’s important to understand that the on screen Jobs here is quite different to the Jobs you often used to see on TV and on famous Apple product launches. The CEO who always had a smile and some exciting information about some mind blowing machine which the world most of the time has never experienced before. Jobs here is an ambitious man and severely portrayed to be a hard headed guy with steam blowing out of his ears. Most of the time that steam is anger filled frustration of not converting his ultimate objective of creating amazing technology dreams in to reality. There are many reasons that points out to Steve’s anger and attitude. Yet the key reason seems to be is his ego. Especially for a fan who has high regard for Steve as a role model this can turn out to be quite disappointing and wearisome. But it is important to understand that there are always two sides of a person and most of the time we get to witness only one side of it. Observing in that perspective maybe Jobs is a powerful representation of the unknown Jobs. But overall I don’t think that it’s entirely successful. 

Keeping the different path the movie takes trying to vaguely include Steve’s personal life in to his corporate domination the real question is if the viewer actually feels his enthusiasm and his dreams. Up to a certain extent, yes. Maybe the first half is the most interesting as it is where the Apple was discovered. But it quickly skips many years and suddenly Steve is the owner of a large organization that plays in the same field with some big corporate names. It seems like at this point the movies soul was lost (Just as Steve loses his down the line) and a different mood sets in. Personally for me the movie from there onward was more like a documentary. It failed to reach the climax I was hoping for and it failed to connect to the old Jobs who was shown at the opening scene of the movie. Thus it looks a bit disconnected within. 

It seems like the real interesting thing about Jobs is Ashton Kutcher. It was certain that he have done some deep study about Jobs and he sure kicks in some life to his role. For an actor who is known for feather weight characters his whole career this was a game changer. If it was not for Kutcher I’m failing to find a direction where this movie would head. But still overall it didn’t impress me nor it didn’t make me have some deep respect towards Steve Jobs than I already have. In that case what purpose does this biography serves is a good question to think about. 

Genre: Biography | Drama

Director: Joshua Michael Stern