sahan-c-fernando Reviews

The Shining (1980)

True horror

[8/10 · 19 September 2012]

What is true horror? a temporary shock delivered by a horrifying image of a split second? or a more menacing sense of claustrophobia and isolation? if to you it is the latter - then you will love this film.

The Shining is a reminder that what is more frightening or dangerous is not a supernatural being trying to harm or scare someone for no apparent reason- but it is the menacing psyche of a deranged soul.

In physical appearance this film does deal with the supernatural, but in depth it deals with themes far darker than that.

Perhaps what is outstanding about this film is of course Jack Nicholson's performance, who as usual delivers something worthy to remember, and the unique cinematic style.

A horror film that will give you the buzz of horror and a bit to ponder about...

K-PAX (2001)

Subtlety at its finest

[9/10 · 9 August 2012]

It's amazing how much can be accomplished with subtlety and nuances rather than loudness and extravagance.

The vast universe carries within itself a vast number of secrets, mysteries and possibilities. Why do we just ignore any concept beyond human perception? What is really insanity? Is it merely perceiving energies outside the norm of "normal" human perceptions? Our legal systems, concept of family and the narrowness of human comprehension - all of this is subtly questioned through "K-Pax"

A meticulously written story coupled with magnificent performances from Jeff Bridges and Kevin Spacey along with great cinematography delivers a quiet yet powerful film. It is not "dumbed down" for Hollywood's sake. It remains complex, mysterious and ambiguous to deliver a gem of a film.

Watch this film not merely for the story line - but follow this film by paying attention to the quietly insinuated messages, and you will find yourself liberated to a wider world. It is what Prot would have wanted...

Get the Gringo (2012)

Mel Gibson delivers - again!

[7/10 · 8 August 2012]

Mel Gibson is back - and back with a bang! This fast paced, action-drama delivers the perfect stage for his return

"Get the Gringo" is gritty, witty and down right dirty. It reminded me a lot of Mel Gibson's "Payback" - but this of course is an entirely different premise; that of a world closing in on an American criminal trapped in a Mexican prison.

The action and violence is intense. The acting is superb. The characters are engaging and the story is gripping. And the whole movie screams "Mel Gibson" - he is written all over it!

A must see...

Warrior (2011)

Perfect blend of testosterone and oestrogen

[8/10 · 8 August 2012]

"Warrior" is not a movie for adrenaline junkies who prefer everything to blow up every 5 seconds. Its not a movie for cynical sports movie buffs who want every second of the movie covered with what happens inside the ring, or for those die hard Rocky fans who want every fighting movie to be Rocky. BUT this IS a movie for those who love the perfect mix of emotion and adrenaline inducing action. For those who like good story- telling mixed with stellar acting.

Perhaps the premise of this movie is a bit familiar, two estranged brothers enter a competition which offer a big prize (each wanting the winnings for their own private issues) - its no surprise that they would meet in the finals. But the icing on the cake of this movie is the level of emotion it brings to the table. The connection the characters make with the viewing public is amazing.

A major part of this level of engagement is due to the acting. Especially due to the stellar performances of Tom Hardy and Nick Nolte. The scene with drunk Nolte and Tom Hardy is among the most emotional scenes I have ever seen in a film. Also the final battle between the two brothers is a grand cinematic moment.

The action is gritty and engaging. The fighting sequences are well executed - thrilling and almost edge of the seat. But I believe it was not the intention of the director to focus heavily on the fights - he was more obsessed with portraying the lives of these characters. To portray why a physics teacher and a father of two would go in to a ring fighting ruthless competitors, or what strives an ex-marine who went AWOL to risk exposure. And to portray a father who desperately tries to right past wrongs.

Some may argue that this movie is cliché, some die hard fans of rocky or those who call themselves street fighters and what not may call this movie something not worth seeing. But I don't mind some clichés if they are executed well - just as warrior does...

Batman & Robin (1997)

So bad that it is actually not bad...

[3/10 · 6 August 2012]

If that makes sense... I understand what Joel Schumacher tried to do with this film. I really do. Only that he tried to do it with the wrong character and the wrong setting and went overboard with the concept.

What he tried to do, to my perception, is to deconstruct a character which is dark at its core and add a jovial twist to him. In the process he made Batman a light-hearted skinny wimp in a latex costume; Robin an egocentric wannabe teenager; Bane, originally the man who broke the bat - who with his intellectual and physical prowess out matches the batman, into a brainless goof of a henchman with a gimp mask who idiotically grunts and goes "Baaaane" all the time.

This approach works until it doesn't, which is to say the entire length of the movie. Had it been another character (Daredevil for example) or had this been an entirely new hero ensemble, or had this been a purely children's movie like the spy-kids; this movie would have worked with its ridiculous amounts of puns and juvenile action sequences.

But this is the Dark Knight. A character through the course of time has evolved in to a character with immense depth, one of the darkest and most intriguing characters of all time. He is an anti-hero who is tormented by his past and struggles to keep the beast within him at bay. Joel Schumacher's attempt to make him in to a "Light Knight" means that he has to betray the very essence and the very core of the "Dark Knight". And in this process he destroys the Batman and all his surrounding characters.

On a closing note, I believe Joel Schumacher did an experiment. Granted an experiment which failed miserably, but then again that is how experiments work...

Platoon (1986)

A powerful war movie

[8/10 · 28 March 2012]

Platoon is a gritty, unadulterated war film without the usual Hollywood sugar-coating or patriotic banter. It is wonderfully impartial- showing the brutalities of war from both sides. It does not stop to white wash the soldiers or get distracted of its special effects. The frustration, the confusion, the helplessness and the rage that springs through it is captured brilliantly by the director.

The characters are intricately woven. Although I felt that the lead, played by Charlie Sheen, was a tad weakly portrayed. Not to say that he was bad, but the character could have brought to life better. Tim Brener and William Dafoe delivered stellar performances as the two rival sergeants. The whole cast was brilliantly picked to complement the intelligent storyline.

I shall not get in to the plot as this is a movie that is better watched than said.

If you are keen on watching a war movie that is intelligent, gritty and powerful- there is none better

The Adventures of Tintin (2011)

I marvel at what could have been...

[8/10 · 4 March 2012]

"The adventures of Tintin" was destined to be a 10/10 with its sublime graphics & animations (it is simply staggering) which sets a new visual benchmark for all animated movies to come. The characters are very well researched, Spielberg has captured each and every character's traits to the most minute detail. From the main protagonist Tintin down to even the secondary thugs and goons are in keeping with the main franchise. Thomson & Thompson are exceptionally hilarious & Captain Haddock is captured perfectly from "the crab with the golden claws". The direction is superb, as we have grown to expect from Mr. Spielberg, and so is the voice acting (Jamie Bell in my opinion is the only human being alive who can bring life to the beloved character of Tintin). The movie was made with an obvious love for Tintin and all the magic it wove over the years.

That being said I gave this movie a 8/10, simply because of the story line and the love-hate relationship it gave me. Do not get me wrong it is by no means sloppy, but I just wished that Mr. Spielberg would have stayed a little bit truer to the original franchise rather than trying to mesh "the secret of the unicorn" & "the crab with the golden claws" together. Doing so they have omitted key aspects of both stories (for example the Bird brothers are nowhere to be seen except in the opening sequence, there is no mention of the drug smuggling ring) & have created loopholes in the story (since he hasn't met Captain yet Tintin buys the model Unicorn for himself but the problem is he immediately knows there is a story behind it just because 2 more people were interested in buying it - sounds a bit ridiculous to me) & sequences where the lovers of the original franchise go "Oh! no". However there are modifications to the story that I loved. The move to make Mr. Sakharine the villain and a descendant of Red Rackham was in my opinion a genius move. I also loved all the new action sequences. However I just wished that the creators just picked one story and stuck with it.

I grew up with Tintin books by my side. I know each and every story by Herge like the back of my hand. So I maybe a little bit prejudiced and may sound like an old fart when I say that "The adventures of Tintin" could have been a masterpiece but sadly falls short.

However I am grateful for Mr. Spielberg for giving a fading hero a beginning he deserves...

Real Steel (2011)

Fantastic!

[7/10 · 24 January 2012]

I wont for a minute pretend that "Real Steel" is anything more than a weekend popcorn movie, but it delivers what it should- a fantastic ride.

Its an adrenaline pumping, emotionally tangling fun fest coupled with decent acting and very engaging characters. From Charlie and Max to even the CGI bots the characters are so engaging that even the corny moments feel very tolerable.

The story follows a self-centered bot fighter named Charlie and his reconciliation with his son Max, through a robot named Atom. I know, nothing new right? But its the execution of it that matters. Besides its robots- boxing! how can anybody not like that? I will leave you with this, if you're in the mood for an action movie with a good story and some bot fights, look no further...

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

A classic!!!!

[9/10 · 11 January 2012]

So few films are made that makes you stare at the credits amazed, confused, awestruck. 2001: A Space Odyssey is a movie that accomplishes just that. Based on the story by Arthur C. Clarke, 2001 tells the story of man's attempts to uncover an ancient monolith buried in space with the aid of an AI named HAL.

The script, the sound-track, the backdrops, the special effects of this film are just amazing. But in my opinion perhaps the directors got a tad carried away with the scale of the special effects that there were many minutes of unnecessary screen time deployed on them. That being said the special effects were in fact way ahead of it's time.

The script written by Arthur C. Clarke himself (along with director Kubrick) is just brilliant. 2001 deals with mankind's obsession on exploration and its over-dependence on machinery. When watching this movie I couldn't help but notice the similarities between the technology portrayed in the film and the technology we use now- more evidence of the indisputable brilliance of the coalition of Clarke and Kubrick.

On a closing note: this film is a must watch and an evident classic. It will keep you glued to the spot up until its unique albeit confusing end...

Moon (2009)

The dark side of the moon

[8/10 · 9 January 2012]

Moon is a movie that rides that fine line between sci-fi cliché and pure originality. It is by no means a game changer in the sci-fi genre but it accomplishes everything it intends to commendably.

Sam Rockwell gives out an excellent performance as the lead Sam Bell, a lunar astronaut stationed on the far side of the moon to mine Helium. He is accompanied by an AI named GERTY (voiced by Kevin Spacey) who reminds the viewer of HAL in Space Odyssey. The story revolves around the emotions of a man yearning to return home after years of service and the crushing feeling that he just might not.

The cinematography is excellent and the director manages to hide its low budget brilliantly. Moon is an enjoyable sci-fi experience that does not overwhelm the viewer with needless amount of CGI but relies more on the script and the acting prowess of Sam Rockwell, and leaves the viewer to discern their own ending with the voice-cuts at the end

Moneyball (2011)

Top of its game

[8/10 · 9 January 2012]

Im not the biggest baseball fan, but Moneyball is a movie that transcends the normal player centric, underdog takes the win- sports movie. It follows more the path set by the 2009 movie "Invictus". Coupled with a stellar performance from the lead Brad Pitt ( Jonah Hill does a great job as well) and a well written script Moneyball takes the viewer through a thoroughly enjoyable journey through the behind-the-scenes of major league baseball.

This movie is all about the emotions, the clashes between the innovators and the conventional thinkers, and of the love for the game. Now this might sound all too boring but it isn't. Its presented in a way that captures the heart, with audio bits of commentary coming in at times giving it the feel of a documentary. There are no dramatic one-liners or flamboyant takes for mere effect, the movie flows in a way that shows the viewer exactly how things would have happened.

Overall in my opinion Moneyball is an excellent movie and will be definitely worth your money...