The Missing (2014) – TV Series

Honored to be one of the best 5 mini series of 2015 in the Golden Globes, The Missing is truly a brilliant TV show in the making. Though Fargo (2014) was more popular and grabbed the award, for me The Missing was more heart felt and sensitive to the core. If I call The Missing as the most hauntingly emotional television experience I had recently that would be correct. 

When the English couple Tony (James Nesbitt) and Emily (Frances O'Connor) goes to France for a vacation their small boy goes missing. Devastated by their loss the couple seeks every angle to find their son but fails. After 8 years Tony obsessed with the idea that his son is still alive returns to France to find him pursuing a lead. There he discovers some unbearable truths about his sons disappearance. 

The Missing’s’ plot and set up is very powerful. It takes place in a small French town where the atmosphere screams of a certain emptiness that creates a mind boggling mood overall. This atmosphere mixed with the disturbingly emotional plot the viewer gets dragged in to the investigation of this small boy. And right from the first episode things becomes really tense and for the next 7 episodes its nothing but beautiful expression of cinematic quality television drama. James Nesbitt and Frances O'Connor deliver commanding performances in this show and they are supported by another set of very talented international cast. Everything about The Missing is well planned and well executed and they apply to even the sub plots that make strong sense at the end. 

To return to the shows emotional brilliance I believe The Missing makes a child abduction plot to go beyond the usual detective or crime stories and makes it feel so dearly. The plot run in 3 parallel timelines where the most significant events related to the investigation takes place and each timeline is given equal importance. This is where the beauty of writing comes to play and the job is very well done. Even at the time of the ending the viewer will be left with so many things in their minds and arguments to fight.  And just like the father of the boy the viewer will be doing a silent struggle in their minds to understand the events more clearly. Being so The Missing offers a strikingly good ending. 

If you are a parent you will certainly feel disturbed by this show and will shed tears more than few times along the way. But it’s certain that The Missing is one of the most brilliantly told story of parents love. 

Genre: Crime | Drama | Mystery

Director: Tom Shankland

Rating:  4.5/5

Fury (2014)

Coming from David Ayer who made some memorable movies in his career (Training Day 2001 and U571 2000 to be my favorites) and Brad Pitt in the cast I had high hopes of Fury. But it seems like Ayer was attempting to make a Saving Private Ryan but ended up losing the game. Don’t get me wrong Fury of course is not entirely a bad movie. But it is not what you call great. Comparing with Clooneys’ recent mega failure Monument Men this looks like its way ahead. But not really so. Monument Men at least spoke of true events and the plot was digestible. But this is more like Star Wars and quite far from reality.

Fury is a heroic tale based on the ending period of the WW2. Army Sergeant Don 'Wardaddy' Collier (Pitt) leading a group of tanks undertakes a deadly mission in the heart of Germany. When they become hopelessly outnumbered and outgunned this single crew must show utmost courage and bravery to face the enemy.

To speak of the good of Fury I believe the action sequences take the crown. When those bullets starts flying all hell breaks lose and for that few minutes the volume of adrenaline pumped is furious. And then comes acting. Dearly no complaints there as well. But I believe they could have done lot better. Maybe It’s something with the script that didn’t let them. Very good cinematography and set creation as well. The detailing is wonderful and it is in par with most of the high-ranking WW2 movies from the past. And for a movie of this genre the humor was quite good too.

But then why Fury doesn’t really make the cut to be great? I believe there is no true justice given for its run time. The movie goes from place to place with the tank crew but takes a long time to come to a point where the viewer should hang on to or have hopes of. The last battle is the moment of truth but the rest seems like some bitter justification to the fact that war is cruel. We already know that the war is cruel and we have seeing enough movies that proves the fact from the past. We want something more right now and Fury does not deliver that. And even the last battle seems too far-fetched and looks more Expendables than WW2 drama. These mistakes make this big production looks feeble and no matter how good it looks it doesn’t feel right in the mind.

Genre: Action | Drama | War

Director: David Ayer

Ratings: Genre 2.5/5, Overall 3/5

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

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

Cold in July (2014) – Ratings: Genre 4/5, Overall 3.5/5

This is the second time I’m seeing a thriller which has control in this year. After Blue Ruin, 2014 throws this movie which comes with a strong theme and elements of surprises written all over it. Cold in July has perfect flow, good performances and power to keep the viewer gazing till the end.

When a common man shoots and kills an intruder in his house the police quickly files for self-defense and close the case. But when the dead criminal’s father seeks revenge things takes a different route all together.  However the shooter and the criminals father discover some shocking truth about the whole trail of events that has taken place and realizes that the plot is deeper than what it seems.

What I like about Cold in July is its rapid evolving story line. The story moves from phase to phase fairly fast and with each step it brings in new bends to the story along with new characters. With each step the plot becomes stronger and makes the viewer guessing more for things to come. The surprising fact is that all these phases has a strength of its own and for the viewer its pretty much looks like its gonna be the ending phase. But the movie surprises the viewer yet again and moves another step towards a darker and unknown territory effectively.

I like Michael C. Halls performance quite much. We don’t see him often in movies to be honest but made some real mark with his striking TV performances as the gay funeral director in Six Feet Under and the serial killer with a code in Dexter. Here he plays a normal family man character who is calm and not heroic eventually turns in to someone who is driven by right emotions to take heavy risks. This is where I see the similarity between Blue Ruin (2014) and Cold in July. Both these movies have normal people characters in them yet come out with powerful story all together.

The weakness I see in Cold in July is its far-fetched action sequences especially in places where the main character appears. The phase where he goes from nobody to a killer seems to be too fast. But this fact does not weaken the movie too much as the other elements holds the plot strong enough.

-Priyantha Bandara

A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014) – Ratings : Genre 3.5/5 Overall 2/5

Hay the American West was bad and we know it. But I never knew it was this hilariously bad. This movie picks up some obvious facts from the 18’s USA and sums it up to be a predictable yet a very funny comedy. With cocky dirty humor without limits and sarcasm written all over it the people who can digest this will certainly like it.

Albert (Seth MacFarlane) who is a cowardly sheep farmer and a man with a big broken heart after his girlfriend dumped him decides that it’s finally time to leave the pathetic small town he was living in the West. But soon he is touched by the mysterious Anna (Charlize Theron) who happens to arrive in the town. But he is yet to realize that Anna is full of surprises and most of them will get him killed.

A Millions Ways to Die in the West is a very straight forward comedy and I take it to be positive. Comedies should be light weighted and should have little surprises. All the fans want is to have a good time watching it and get back to their not so hilarious lives in a jiffy. This movie does its job well though it may not be crowned as the best comedy ever produced. Scene after scene it throws in some really hilarious lines and some of them are so funny that you might lose the next few lines while laughing.

Acting wise there is plenty to laugh about and definitely Theron proves that she is a stunner even in vintage clothing and natural looking makeup. There are quite a few surprising appearances of guest casts who are well known who are capable of raising a brow. All in all this movie packs some real funny goodies and some of them might taste like horse shit. But it’s okay!!

Genre: Comedy

Director: Seth MacFarlane

Edge of Tomorrow (2014) – Ratings: Overall 3/5 | Genre 4.5/5

Tom Cruise movies sell. I mean they really sell. But when the movie is equally good as Tom himself and it can pull some really mind blowing stunts without making the viewers to worry about the huge plot holes it is definitely a blockbuster. Edge of Tomorrow is a fresh look at the age old sci fi genre that based on alien invasions and courage’s humans who defeat them. And it’s the modern day Independence Day movie and it seriously rocks the foundations of sci fi that came out lately. Huge production, staggering CG and awesome acting makes Edge of Tomorrow one of the best action sci fi’s lately. I wish I can say the same about the plot but though it is amazing at a glance there are plenty of places it fails. But it doesn’t matter when you start to watch because it’s so entertaining that some of your senses get instantly freeze. 

In not so distant future the world is invaded by an alien race known as Mimics. The world is at war and seems like the humans are capable of defeating them. Major Cage (Tom Cruise) who is a publicity agent for the ARMY than a real soldier is sent to the front line of the crucial battle against Mimics without his will. Cage finds himself terrified and helpless when the battle becomes bloodier and a massacre of humans than expected. But coincidentally he discovers a way to manipulate time and relive the same battle and perfect it to realize that the aliens can be defeated using a different strategy. Rita (Emily Blunt) a fellow soldier joins him for the ride. 

The plot here is very creative. When the real time travel or time loop hits the center stage the whole phase and the feel of the movie quickly changes. This is where it gets the true edge against other similar alien invasion movies and the tight grip remains till the very end. While some viewers can be utterly confused by the fact of this time loop and the repeating scenes I’m sure no one would lose interest of the movie because of it. The element of surprise is very good and movie throws in some real candy for the viewers without delays. The flow and the phase is indeed appealing and the peaks and off peaks are well balanced. However as mentioned earlier the plot has many weak points and as a sci fi that makes sense Edge of Tomorrow is far behind. 

Tom has a history of alien invasion movies such as War of the Worlds (2005) and one of my personal favorite Oblivion (2013). Edge of Tomorrow is another jewel for his collection proving that he is still hot as he used to be decades back. Emily Blunt is sharp and very well fit for her role. The duo does a perfect job on the set and they spark while the aliens bleed. 

What makes Edge of Tomorrow is so good is its action and animation. They hit you very unexpectedly and some scenes are so majestic and detailed that you might feel that one viewing is not good enough. Starting from the production to the finishing touch of sound this movie is a true action flick and no one can say otherwise. 

Genre: Action | Sci Fi

Director: Doug Liman

Generation Iron (2014)

When it comes to sports I guess Bodybuilding is the most underrated and misunderstood sport out there. The true fact is that even majority of the people who are involved in it has no idea what it really is but only the true professional bodybuilders does. And that community is very small and they strive day in and day out in the name of sport, dedication, victory and glory. The road to success of professional bodybuilding is not paved with anything soft but with amazing amounts of hard work, mind striking volumes of dedication and could be the most enduring self-discipline and control than any other sport. In fact it is not just a sport but a lifestyle which means there are no breaks, no holidays or no shortcuts. Generation Iron is a rare documentary that follow few of the best bodybuilders of our time on their way to compete on 2012 Mr. Olympia title which is the prime honor a bodyduilder can receive.

Generation Iron follows its 1977 golden classic Pumping Iron stared by Arnold Schwarzenegger and no doubt the most seeing and most talked about bodybuilding documentary ever made. Both these documentaries are made by Vlad Yudin and from 70s to now comparatively there are massive differences in movie making yet the same volume of passion for the sport is visible. The real success of Generation Iron and Pumping Iron is that it directly applies to the hearts and minds of the people who are truly faithful to the sport.

This time Generation Iron follows 3 times Mr. Olympia Phil Heath and his direct rival Kai Greene, Branch Warren, Dennis Wolf, Victor Martinez, Hidetada Yamagishi as well as ambitious newcomer Ben Pakulski and European sensation Roelly Winklaar. For fans of the sport these are very familiar names and the movie gives lot of insight to their lifestyles and backgrounds. The movie does a fair job at giving decent and equal coverage to the story of each and it is one reason as a documentary it is a bit too long than most other of same genre. But in my opinion the length was required and it does not work negatively.

Generation Iron tries to provide important background information about the sport and the athletes for anyone who does not understand the sport. However there is always a limitation of what can be shown and how it can be understood. Maybe for anyone who does not follow this sport Generation Iron could be a bit too much to handle. And it may not change their misconceptions but fuel them a bit more. However it is understood that Generation Iron is not only a documentary about bodybuilding but it was paving its way for a certain objective which is the final show down of Mr. Olympia contest.

As a fan of the sport I certainly loved this documentary. There are only very few material of such can be found anywhere and this goes beyond a training video or just self-boosting bodybuilder movie. 

Godzilla (2014) Ratings: Genre 3/5 | Overall 2.5/5

Gareth Edwards who is the director of the latest edition of well-known Godzilla seems to be building his career with monsters, aliens and atomic bombs. His previous works give ample evidence for that fact and this time Godzilla comes with a combo of all of those. There are plenty of humongous monster action and earth shattering destruction. Seems to be like demolishing crew has hit the big city and they don’t know where to start or where to end.

I have mixed reactions toward this movie. On one side it is very good with CG and cinematography but on the other side there is nothing much to gain from the plot overall. Though the movie is supposedly centered on Godzilla in most scenes the monster takes a backseat. But that’s not entirely negative as maybe we are to see it in action in movies yet to be made. But for anyone who wanted to see lot of Godzilla in Godzilla will be somewhat disappointed. Maybe this time the movie is more concentrated on creating a Godzilla image in a different way and find its routes with the legendary Godzilla movie character  unless for hardcore fans of the comics and the previous movies for the rest it’s making little sense.

The story goes through several phases and they are not stitched perfectly to have the smoothest of flow. The movie is long and there are plenty of things happening yet we all see where it’s headed. It starts to build a solid plot concentrating on one character but suddenly the batten is handed over to someone else who seems to be less competent and enthusiastic. All of these little things make Godzilla this time quite different than previous ones. It is obvious that the director wanted to build a solid foundation from the point of humans than from the point of the monster itself. But the message will be communicated to different fans differently.

I’m not going to compare the previous Godzilla movies with this one as obviously at this age the industry has evolved quickly and more can be done on the screen. But to answer the question if the Godzilla 2014 has the same amount of heart as previous ones are up to the fans.

Genre: Action | Sci-fi | Thriller

Director: Gareth Edwards

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) Ratings: Genre 4.5/5 | Overall 3/5

By the time I sat down to watch this I have already heard quite a lot from the comic fans that this is beyond what they actually hoped to see. Captain America being sort of a side roll in the Avengers and the first movie being somewhat less attractive than many other Marvel flicks I had mixed feelings. But Captain America: The Winter Soldier bitch slapped me and caught me at the first punch.  And it’s simply overwhelming to witness that this has being one of the best super hero movies up to date and for over two long hours it’s just intense and gripping as its first 10 minutes. And Chris Evans just climbed my favorite super hero ladder a few notches with a Ka-Boooom.

I don’t want to waste my words explain the plot a lot. It does what super hero movies supposed to do and it’s heroic, adventures etc with lots and lots of plot holes. But hay no one expect top notch script from a superhero movie so it doesn’t matter. But what it really matters is that Captain America: The Winter Soldier pulls off all the unimaginable and farfetched stunts so easily and the viewers are kept on the edge of their seats and it gives no time to relax. The sheer amount of mind blowing action that appears within short intervals are just awesome. And the interesting thing is one after the other they become stronger and better and has its unique twists to make them differentiate from the previous.

What make Captain America: The Winter Soldier so good is that it’s brilliant flow. There is no second wasted and no punches thrown in vain. And there is awesome sense of tense and unrest steadily built without putting too much pressure or indigestible acceleration of events. And visually the movie delivers a feast with super good CG combined with live action.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier is an unexpectedly good super hero movie. And it’s being a while since we have witnessed one. And it can be simply enjoyed even if anyone does not have a thorough knowledge about the previous movie or the Avengers at all. So it’s a very good standalone entertainer. Though I have no high hopes for a better Captain America in the next movie as Hollywood has this certain trend of bigger action and poor movie as the franchisees grow I have truly enjoyed this one.

Genre: Action | Adventure

Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

Transcendence (2014) Ratings: Genre 1/5 | Overall 2.5/5

The irony about Transcendence is that it’s all about artificial intelligence but it lacks even the most natural of intelligence completely. Though it starts with a big promise of strong things to come it falls weak and on its knees so fast that once it’s done you realize that Depp has taken you on a joy ride. I cannot exactly say if it’s an entire waste of 120 minutes of your life but it sure does not add any more value to it. Transcendence looks like the big budget disaster of 2014 so far which the crown held by After Earth last year. For some it’s would be ok to argue that the movie was too complicated and it’s only for the thinkers but in my point of view thinking too much about this would only makes you feel sorry for doing it.

When Will Caster (Johnny Depp) who is a renowned scientist in artificial intelligence dies his wife uploads his consciousness to a program expecting that his great knowledge can be harvested for future. As expected Wills consciousness perform brilliantly but evolves in to a greater power and a threat than being an asset. And when he breaks the barriers of nano technology he starts to play god.

The plot clearly has lot of potential. But it’s not something groundbreaking or never heard of before. Therefore Transcendence is already decades late but tries hard to be futuristic. But still it could have being save it if didn’t have some obvious mistakes. There are so many plot holes that make it completely unjustifiable and qualify to be an effective science fiction or a drama. If wish to continue to the end you have to completely withdraw yourself from them and go along. But it’s something not very easy to do. I don’t want to give out any spoilers but keeping the AI part and the nano part aside as they are fictional the stuff that actually happens right now are depicted in a complete bogus manner here. How the story flows and the events taken place is far from its narrative and you can’t really forgive it.

Seems like the cast is a way to salvage it but to be honest nor Depp or Morgan has a strong part to perform so their appearance is a waste. The fans of both will only end up disappointed. And there are some poor looking action scenes that pop up time to time and even that make little sense. The CG is not brilliant and cinematography is mundane. But the hope of the big cast and the plot I somehow went through the whole movie.

Genre: Science Fiction | Drama

Director: Wally Pfister