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The Great Wall (2016)
Like a Biryani or a Double Burger at the end of a hard day
I mean what's not to like. It's like pizza. You've had it countless times. It's got all the toppings you always order. The seasoning is perfect. And you love it as always. And you're getting exactly what is advertised. I found all the elements of the movie upto mark. I had to get up during the movie to get dinner and found myself eager to get back to it. Good CGI plus action direction. You can see everyone pulled their weight. My actual score would be close to 8. Damon does feel like he didn't fit quite well in here. Pedro however was a joy to watch. I don't understand the hate. Maybe it's a pack thing like the Tao Tei. Give this movie a chance. It will have you entertained. Like a Biryani or Double Burger at the end of hard day.
Justice League: Throne of Atlantis (2015)
This better not be the beginning of the end of DC Animated features
This is ludicrously bad. It is almost as if DC/WB did not want to make it. The biggest pitfall of DC's newest venture is the story. What the heck is going on in there? It is as if it was belched out of some story idea app that puts together clichéd tropes.
Foreign queen sires earthling and abandons him, check. Megalomaniac villain without no motivation, check. Hero who swallows up lengthy exposition about who he is supposed to be without raising an eyebrow, check. (Speaking of eyebrows, hey DC, if you're tuned in, can you please do away with those horrendous eyebrows you slap on every character?) Oh, and the Queen must wear revealing, flowing clothes and must be murdered by her own son to provide our hero, her other son, who by the way never knew her and couldn't possibly have an deep attachment to her with a revenge story arc. Also, Mera, well classic Trinity syndrome if I ever saw one. She falls for the guy on bandaging his very first cut. Like, puhh....leeeezzzz. The doctor recommends an Anita Sarkeesian video every night for a week.
On the plus side, I geeked out on the amped up gore, Green Lantern's vacuum cleaner and Superman/ Wonder Woman romance. Also, the video analysis scene where every team member puts forth collective input was nicely done. The voice work is good. Animation is good but falls short of epic. DC stalwarts definitely need to pull their socks up.
And, can anyone explain why Orm created that huge tidal wave and used it merely as a stage curtain?
Boyhood (2014)
An evocative mirror
The thing that struck me about how 'Boyhood' is how much we humans like stories. Mason grows up, is the artsy type, lives through parents' divorces, has hits and misses in his love life, is maybe a bit entitled, graduates from high school and goes to college. For some reason you wanna watch this for 2 hours and 45 minutes.
There have been in depth documentaries that follow people through their lives. People lap up life nuggets served up by HONY. I rarely find myself disappointed at others life choices even when I find mine quite lacking. The thing Boyhood nails on the head is our need to identify with others. Brought to finesse by maintaining a cast for 12 years. The success of Boyhood is in the film-making as much as it is in the film itself.
People would be justified in saying nothing really happens in the movie. They'd be right. Nothing does happen in the movie in the way of a true plot what with not having a conflict, a climax, a resolution and what have you. See, that's the thing about our lives. All of us are maybe just a one big collective inconsequential nothing. But personally, to you, your life is all that really matters.
Which is why you spend all your time trying to make it worthwhile. A life lived is thing of beauty in itself just because YOU are living it. Linklater deserves praise for executing his cinematic experiment beautifully, though I doubt another 'insert label'-hood will elicit same magic. I think it can pass for genius only once. Much like James Cameron's imaginative opulence in formulaic Avatar or Stephanie Meyer's super-gooey ( it worked for me) portrayal of Miss-I-won't-really-miss-my-father-and-best-friend Bella's addiction of Edward.
Boyhood is a remembrance, a metaphor, sometimes a lesson, sometimes an anecdote and says things we just mumble inside our heads because they are little too inane to say out loud. It is a first and will probably be the only one of its kind. Watch it for its pure ability to be a evocative reflecting mirror.
Machete Kills (2013)
How to do a campy movie like a Boss!!
I loved MK. I think it graduated from Lone Ranger to Sci-Fi pretty nicely. The women are beautiful and if the Oscars ever really pulled their head out of their collective ass, Demian Bichir (whom I loved in A Better Life) would qualify for one.
I also felt the humor worked. If you don't like this movie, try seeing it after having a shitty day at work. I thought Machete second foray was breezier than the first one, which I liked. All the cleavage in the movie definitely needs a special mention. I liked Machete and I thought this one was a improvement on every count.
Since IMDb is insisting, I elucidate what I like about the movie more, I mentioning that I liked the color palette of the movie. I read this colorist's article in Creative Cow about the cinematography work in the movie I must admit it works beautifully.
I do wonder, why can't they do more sophisticated action choreography since they are doing it anyway, rather than just having a bunch of people spraying madly at the camera, when the camera zippy cuts to the bad guy taking a bunch of hits and crumpling to the floor in a bout of bad acting. Other than that, they are nailing it.
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Finally saw The Dark Knight Rises. Bah!
About the rating. I'd rather it got 6, but plenty of unwarranted 10/10 to bump the rating superficially.
Okay, 'bah' is a emotional response. But if you Bat-hards hadn't hyped the movie like you did. If Gordon Ramsey serves you charred or straight-up raw meat and calls it well-done or rare, would you eat it, praising this new revolutionary culinary trend? Sure, don the cowl, but not the greatness visors while watching something. How come you guys aren't asking for a better movie if you're such fans? Batman effing rocks. I love the dude more than Supes. But that movie was not great. Just because Nolan did Inception doesn't mean all his movies will be great. I'm gonna have to watch The Dark Knight Returns I & II to remedy this loss of serenity.
Movie - Too damn long. Climax - bland and cold. Enjoyed The Dark Knight and Batman Begins more than this one. Off the tangent, TDK owes it's success more to a dead actor than a director.
The scene where the doorman drags a teen girl he must have smiled at, chatted to, helped with luggage, maybe even known for a very long time, by her hair on to the sidewalk was specially off putting. So Batman and the good Commissioner cleaned up the city. Before that hardened criminals had good left in them (the big scary looking guy throwing away the detonator in TDK). And eight years of not getting mugged on the street taught the Gothamites to mug each other? They do not stand up to a maniac? Maybe not stand up but how don't they fear the monster enough, not to corral under his psychotic ideas no matter how fantastically spiteful otherwise? It's a complete misrepresentation of the Other 99%. Which by the way is hailed as writing of the century by people who trust in Nolan. Blindly.
The Day (2011)
This movie needs defending.
The only thing that I think hamstrings this movie is poor production quality. They shoulda just burn the house down rather using VFX that says it is present in the movie. Otherwise, the screenplay was taut. People who confuse action for fast, abstruse editing cuts, a-la Michael Bay maybe disappointed but action that forwards the script will delight true movie connoisseurs. Good indies are hard to come by. Finding one is like finding a treasure. For me 'The Day' is to zombie/apocalypse what 'According to Greta' is to coming of age and 'City island' is to family dramedy.
The kills are good and guns don't don't have unlimited ammo. I'd say it does flag a bit in the second act but the climax delivers. But I'd also say that this movie is not for everybody. Save it for a day when not in the mood rom-coms are brain investing movies. Put your eyes on auto-pilot, grab a cold one, and viola! That's a decent 90 minutes right there.
24 (2001)
Relieved of a two week sentence...
2 out of 10 because this wasn't half as good as some of the average stuff I like which end up getting no more than 5 point something on IMDb. I am owl by nature and I just spend the whole night watching episode 9 to 16 of the very first season. Perps hit by a sudden wave of conscience, plot points conveniently falling through the cracks, or the sheer number of bodies falling to make the audience forget about the said cracks and keep them on the 'edge' of the seats is fine. But amnesia? You play that card this early in the show? In the very first season? Now, that show done jumped the shark.
Anyway, I decided it was enough and went to bed. But then this thought struck me. Why go through with it? Why endure it? I mean the thought of getting back some of the precious real estate on my choking hard drive and saving over 120 hours was so exciting that I could not sleep. I just had to get up, hit 'Shift+Delete' and write this review (which is something I do quite rarely).
Okay, the actual review. I admit the 24-hours-real-time thing is a brainwave but it might just be the very thing that did the show in. To continue a story arc, over an elongated season of 24 episodes and all that happening within 24 hours is a big ask. (What did these writers have against insomniacs to lampoon them so?) I feel like I have been saved from a 2 weeks sentence. The problems last for only one hour so you really couldn't worry about them. All the tech they throw at you is bull-crap. Characters come as go, not staying long enough for an emotional connect. Ah well, I would write more, but now I could use that sleep.
Death Race 2 (2010)
Worse movies have had theatrical releases
This movie was more of a prequel to 'Death Race' than 'MI3' was a sequel to 'MI2'. But some of the reviewers are right. The title is misleading. They should have called it 'Origins' or something. And what is this hullabaloo over acting. The writers gave the characters depth and the actors did their job well. People comment as if they have sat through 'Inside The Actors Studio' sessions. Surely one the most recommendable direct to DVD fair.
The director has managed to pull through with whatever smaller budget he had to work with. Only flaw if you are looking for one is that, the characters are too similar looking to that of Death race. The makers should have been brave enough to break the mold and bring a little bit of freshness.
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)
I guess 8 would do it justice.
Being a hardcore PoP fan I could have found many flaws, but judging the movie on its own merit I guess its very much recommendable. So 8.
The movie scores home run with the sets and costumes. As any one familiar with the series will tell you the movie makers have incorporated elements from almost all the games in the series. 1.Nizam was the villain in the very first 3d plat-former. 2.The name of course is taken of from the first installment of the Sands of Time trilogy. 3.Dastan's battle armor is from Warrior Within. 4.Dastan's later wardrobe (white shirt, blue and red scarf) is inspired from the 2008's non-canon game. 5.Almut's look is based upon that of Babylon in The Two Thrones.
Easily the best video game adaptation.
The only problem with it is the saccharine sweet ending. There's no loss , no difficult choices, no trade offs. No body is killed. Only the villain dies and guy gets the girl. The games were about triumph which always came at a price. The games had more layers to it. And there's no tangible tail left for a sequel.