pizzazzman2000 Reviews

127 Hours (2010)

The Boyle-Rahman bandwagon goes beyond expectations!

[9/10 · 18 February 2011]

Ever since we jumped onto the Boyle-Rahman bandwagon 2 years ago with Slumdog Millionaire, even back then, at least for me, it was hard to fathom the combined strength of this duo. Which brings me back to an amazing concept pointed out by Napoleon Hill called the "mastermind group"....which literally states that the combined mind powers of a group can generate enough energy and force which is greater than the individual strengths of any single mind. And this is one work by the master duo of Boyle and Rahman which establishes a vibrant and dominant punch,just like Slumdog. The directorial ingenuity of Boyle, added to the musical grace of Rahman, throws them into the ring of other brilliant contemporary directors.

A nicely directed film with a prefect plot which reverts close to the actual reality. Sure, Boyle by himself is a maestro in his entirety, and for the heck of it I'm being repetitive here, but Rahman has also always been worth more than his salt, but a killer combination or fusion of the Boyle-ian and Rahman-ian elements generated a power worth more than the common mind could fathom. As far as I was affected, I haven't come across a movie like this which not only grabs you by the throat right into its heart, but dials-up your emotions that you begin to experience something on the likes of anxiety, panic attacks, fear, and all those essential feelings which make it almost impossible for you to stick to your seats and watch with the normal relaxation you would expect. Definitely I would not recommend this movie for the weak-hearted.

But how does the Boyle-Rahman formula actually come into play? Sure, we could have removed Rahman and had still a gripping tale which makes our eyes pop out when we see the challenging and grueling battle against the natural elements of isolation, heat , plus the addition of a dwindling water supply and food supply, which Aron has to play out. But the brilliance of the genius in a director combo is truly evaluated by its ability to hide your mind from the reality - the reality that this is acting and not fact. The true brilliance is felt when it draws you under its covers so much, that you begin to feel the powerful emotions which the main protagonist goes through. So much so, that the viewer is drawn into a totally new "reality", a reality non-existent. In other words, for those few minutes, the mind cannot even realise that none of this is real. I, for starters, during those "gory" moments, found myself unable to keep still, and kept moving around in my seat, wondering how anyone could actually carry that out! Of course, on closer analysis, it's evident that it's not just what is projected on the screen which triggers this adrenalin rush, and makes one register on the emotional richter scale, but also the music eclat which really helps manifest the true plight, emotions, agony, challenge, despair,faced by Aron Ralston, and even more, bring all these beyond the big screen and actually inject these feelings into us! A brilliant job by Rahman........kudos to you!All it takes is your musical genius to give this movie a white-knuckle finish and make us actually "live" it!

A truly daedal killer scheme for direction and music.

Of course, the 127 Hours effect wouldn't be complete without giving true commendation to James Franco's brilliant acting. Thorughout the film, his professional brilliance and dexterous acting never let up which themselves contribute to creating a riveting appeal for the film. This becomes particularly eminent when the climax of the film begins to surface, that is, from the moment Aron gets trapped in the canyon unable to free his arm. The novelty of the portrayal of his flashback memories becomes clear when it becomes hard to decipher exactly the points when Aron drifts from reality into flashback and back. Being part of the audience, it was very difficult for my mind to get a handle on what was reality and what was hallucination. This is the combined work of the direction and cinematography which go hand in hand to create such an effect on the mind that the line between the reality and imagination on the screen gets totally blurred!

I can positively say, beyond the shadow of doubt, that Boyle and Rahman provide a holistic approach towards their own creation or rather genre which helps stir up those emotions that put our minds right in the heart of the film and make us live those powerful moments. And nice work, which has generated enough Oscar buzz that it remains to be seen how well it can compete against the other potential candidates. This is one film which speaks of novelty on all fronts - direction, cinematography, music, and last but not least, star acting!

And if we thought Slumdog Millionaire was gung-ho enough, we now realise that Boyle and Rahman are crossing over towards the pinnacle of their success as a duo.

Due Date (2010)

Nice work....And let's hope to see more of Todd Williams's work in future!

[9/10 · 13 February 2011]

The Hangover was surely some shameless advertising for Todd Williams way back in 2009....

That was one flick which surely rooted his DNA-cum signature into the minds of audiences across the globe last year...........so much so, that all that was needed was to see the line "from the director of The hangover", and in New York Minute, there you are, staring at the big screen, in time for "Due Date'. If you want to compare it with the Hangover, the first is, that this film is in no way different from The Hangover, in that the key to both their plots comes from the recipe unexpected + crazy. Sure, Due Date does take you again down a seemingly familiar road of laughs, just like The Hangover, but this is somewhat funnier and crazier. For starters,we the real humour comes from the conflict of characters, or shall i say, personalities. Peter Highman, played by Robert Downey Jr. is of a serious nature, which becomes engaged with the goofy, crazy nature of Ethan Chase , played by Zach Galifianakis

To start, one flaw which plagues this movie, is the shallowness of plot. A storyline which of course didn't take too much thinking, and after a while, especially after both Peter and Ethan end up in the car together, it's predictably obvious what's going to come. But then again, one can undoubtedly say, that any comedy flick can get away with such aspects as shallowness of plot, low-star acting, as long as they keep the audience stocked with a bellyful of laughs! A sure test of the market's appetite!

Now that I've shared the mistakes, here's the next piece of the puzzle: This director surely knows how to create a record of sorts by making two successive films which both share their common element, namely humour And what really drives the show is Ethans goofiness.....The actual character is the soul of true comedy....sure, even in real life, Ethan is a comedian, and those who are already familiar with him, tend to find most things which he does as comic, simply because of the image he has projected in their minds....in other words, his prior-created impression in the minds of so many viewers itself perpetuates the humour we see......and that is one major area this movie plays on. In fact, evident it is that this movie paints Ethan in exactly the same colours he puts himself in in real life. So should we say that Zack fits the bill of Ethan, or Ethan fits the bill of Zack?

And best of all, what really draws its strands together, and keeps it from plummeting down to the bottom of the scale is Ethans simplicity perpetuating his folly, giving rise to a killer recipe for humorous disaster....which we clearly get to taste throughout. And you can clearly see that even though they have run out of ideas, it still provides room for a bellyfull of laughs... This film hits all the right comedy beats!

Ethans side, intertwined with Peter's frustration and desperation gives the plot its real foothold, and hence allowing the director to lace the plot with some brilliant ideas he comes up with.

Stripping it down to its bare elements, we see Ethan as a major contributor.....Ethan, standing alone, contributes no solid value to the storyline...interestingly enough, he is one comedian in this film who, without a character as the object of his comedy, would simply stagnate, and create a quagmire of some sort. Peter becomes the "unfortunate" victim of Ethan, and the duo make for a killer subject-object combination. This is the true appeal of the show.....the fact that the comic person has an object for all his foolish contrivances......which we really get a taste of on two occasions: At the Western Union counter (the money-transfer incident) when the wheelchair-bound Western Union employee attacks Peter, and later on when we see that in such a massive car crash, Ethan not only escapes unhurt, but he manages to sleep through it. What we witness is what the director really wants us to know: that foolish and wacky he may be, but Ethan is really the "driving star" of the show. Escapes he, unhurt, and in fact, he only wakes up after the car is turned to shambles, while his guest has a broken arm and three cracked ribs.

It is this star duo which prevents Due Date from completely misfiring. Sure it doesn't achieve the same status and appeal as The Hangover, but it injects enough adrenalin into Peter, and enough innocent folly into Ethan, to create a mojo effect which leaves us jonesing for more from the director Todd Williams.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010)

Captivating and very entertaining!

[10/10 · 21 December 2010]

We could combine a wonderful mix of fantasy, illusions, alluding to what we've seen in fairy tales, and what we used to be told when we were young by our grannies to get us to sleep..... But none....I mean nothing, which the common man could conjure up, would be a parallel to this 4 part series. Sure there have been many fiction works on the big screen which live up to the expectations of the masses, and The Chronicles of Narnia seems to go beyond that. For one, C.S.Lewis seems, in a bid to accommodate the various facets of imagination and fantasy, has spread the various faces of them across four parts. Sure, imagination is truly potent, for imagination has no reins to slow it down, or pull it to a standstill. And true, fantasy has a bazillion ways of finding its way into the outside, and I can find many authors, movie directors, and the like, try to exploit its true potential.

But the true potential of fantasy is hard to fathom, for I can see, that whenever we come across a work which seems to have finally reached the edge, another truly eye-opening image of fantasy springs up, waiting in the wings, to take us further to another realm and spatter our minds with the instant awe.

I digress, but back to the chorus: C.S. Lewis takes us into another dimension of illusions, spiced up with his own fantasy. Following these three parts released so far, the story unfolds slowly, slow enough so that our imaginations are given a breath of fresh air. His imagination deviates from the imagination which comes to our minds naturally, for if we see all three parts, it's amazing how in each part, the pevensie children find a different way back to the magical land of Narnia.

Another interesting perspective is how in the first part (The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe), we see an equal mix of good and bad protagonists. Equal, in terms of the combined strengths of good and evil, or to make things clearer, we have the four "good" children, against the powerful "evil" white witch. And although we always expect the good to prevail, for those of us who already have not read the book, we are left wondering how much derring-do it'll take to really bring the Witch down. And the talking animals, which seems to go along with what we ourselves imagined when we were small. And sure, we all imagined princes, kings, queens, which Lewis nicely covered in the first part.

In the second part, Lewis focuses on a different but related plot. The talking animals, evil witches, and so on, seem to have faded into the background. Or we can say that Lewis has already given them their share of importance, and seems to want to incorporate a different "less magic-intensive" storyline, while still adding a touch of fantasy which he gave in his first part. Sure, there are talking animals, and magic, but not so much this time.

This third part, we can clearly see, was born to handover the reins from the last of the Pevensie children, to Eustace. Along that note, we get to see a laudable performance of a new protagonist, who enters as a stuck-up brat-cum-cousin, and as the third part unrolls, he gets plummeted into full focus with his dragon role, which accelerates his role to paladin. Sure, we get to have a performance which solidly engraved itself into our memories, and paved the way for our next hero, which will become evident in another couple of years with the next installment, which will hopefully set the cash registers ringing. The performance of Eustace smacks of the "I'm-the-next-in-line", and keeps alive the captivating spell which was woven and cast by the first part. Or better still, he blows away the dust which was slowly descending on the plot. For with the same Pevensies, and Caspian fighting evil, things would ideally have taken a very predictable pattern, if Eustace had not come along. Hats off to him!

But as a whole, as the story gradually unfolds, on a sad note, as it passes from one phase to another, or, to be more precise, from one plot to another, we get the distinct feeling of the plot becoming drier, similar to the phenomenon of trade winds which, are moisture-laden when they hit the shore, but gradually lose their potential as they travel across land, until there is nothing left in them when they reach the desert. Still, as I watched it, and even reminisced the very first part, I could not but help feel relieved that the long wait ( after the second part) was finally over. The Chronicles of Narnia is one series which, no matter what, manages to slip you under its captivating spell, for it is all about the evocative transformational power of fantasy and imagination. The same way we sit with a rubix cube for hours, and get absorbed with its many faces, fantasy is able to absorb us into it. I personally believe that the entire series so far, just takes advantage of the charged-up-with-imagination mind of the audience,and then just takes it into another realm. That is its true power. And now let's wait another couple of years for "The Silver Chair".

Unstoppable (2010)

Fiction front; Could've been better; Real-life; Commendable

[7/10 · 4 December 2010]

OK let me spell it out in layman's language.......... When you have a star cast member-cum-hero, he needs to be given the reins in the very beginning.....I don't mean to come across as harsh here, but these are the basic grass-roots of an action flick category in which a star cast like Denzel Washington has been granted room, should have.. I am a bit disappointed on that front, so to speak........ Perhaps if Denzel had been given the drivers seat and been allowed to guide the action and plot in his own connoisseur style, then we would have had a plot which would not only have been unpredictable, but also touched nicely on all the action beats. Too predictable.....right from the very start! The plot picks up speed within the first 25 minutes (I actually looked at my watch, for this!) That is another point where the plot falters..... We could expect, after seeing such an eye-stimulating trailer, that the film would be directed in the manner that we would expect.........the likes of movies like Speed.....where time is more precious than all the wealth we could imagine....where time determines the destiny of many things.....Such factors contribute toward the "awe" effect, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats, and wondering who was going to make it, who would not make it..... Unstoppable is nowhere near the genre of Speed ( this is one movie which deserves my heartiest commendation). It fails to drag the general mind under the actual mojo of thrill. Sure there were a few intense mind-gripping moments, like when the train full of kids narrowly avoided a head-on collision with the runaway train,

But for movies like speed, which set the genre for edge-of-the-seat movies, I can hardly say that this movie really deserves to be on such ranks. When time, speed, and accuracy play such a pivotal role in the plot, we would expect some nerve-shredding action, with some commendable derring-do from Denzel's character. Sure, in its individuality, we can say that Tony Scott did a commendable job, but a star cast needs to be given full rein as early as possible, to live up to the expectation of all.

On the other hand, let's not forget the basic premise: That this is based on a true story or rather, sequence of events. That is where the basic difference between real-life and fiction sets in.......for in fiction, a director is given free play to beef up the plot, create all sorts of chemistry between the cast, create animosity and tension between rivals, and so forth. In real-life, a director like Tony Scott is constrained within the boundaries of what really came out on the front page way back in 2001 ( i'm referring to the CSX 8888), rather than live up to the reputation of the star cast. This film stresses on the fact, that everyday heroes don't need to be persons like Superman, or a person with remarkable ability. In fact, everyday heroes walk among us, and have to risk themselves in the course of their professions. This movie, on that front, scores well...for it clearly shows two common, newly hired railroad workers, struggling with their own personal issues, suddenly take a jump and try to stop a runaway train which could jeopardise the lives of thousands....... This movie revolves around one crucial point, namely, that everyday heroes can be those who work in the most unhealthy, unhygienic circumstances, circumstances which can, at times, lead to danger. Sure it can be hard to really imagine all this as it happens in real life, but Tony Scott does make a commendable effort in generating enough pulsating thrill and action potential, to try and pump up our adrenalin, and make us feel exactly what the people concerned, particularly the two heroes, were going through. In going with the real-life sequence, I find that Scott is able to touch nicely upon several areas ( the common lives of the railroad workers, the disproportionate danger which a simple minor error can cause,the fact that heroes are simply people like us, etc), and giving them all equal importance. On the real-life front, Scott really scores full marks from the beginning of the movie, until its abrupt end.

Predators (2010)

Shallow plot which anchors deep into your longing for more!

[9/10 · 19 September 2010]

"Predators" footprint: Predictability Shallow plot Fight for survival Lost in the middle of nowhere.

Sure no two films are alike. And each flick we see has its own DNA interwoven with its own footprint.

20 years of suspense, and anticipation, and die-hard fans of the Aleins, and Predators series, are suddenly faced with the next installment out of the blue.

Sure, "Predators deserves full credit for having a very commonly shared footprint, that miraculously keeps the common viewer glued to the chair, with his eyes fixed to the screen.

10 minutes is all it takes - it is evident what the plot will be: a strange planet/jungle, with seven stranded people, fighting off strange aliens, and obviously, only one, or at most two, will make it out alive.

And 1 second is all it takes for the common viewer to forgot his popcorn, drink, or any other comfort nibble which he may have taken with him in front of the big screen.

Yet, the intense action, fighting, the initial mystery of where the protagonists were, the mystery of who/what they were up against - These were all the ingredients needed to make for an action-packed alien experience, which refused to dumb down its story. One by one, we saw them ( the protagonists) fall.

Who's next? One question which would keep flashing across the screen of my mind, for every second I was there in front of the real screen.

Incredibly, towards the end, we see the unusual twist, which having been incorporated at the end, made viewers like me, wonder: is this on-the-spot insanity?: The doctor, turning out to be a murderer, could see that unity was the best strategy….so what was he after? What could he possibly gain, by intercepting the other 2 survivors, especially at a time when they needed to escape? A movie truly worth its salt.

The Butcher (1970)

mystery,intrigue, fantasy,lust,love,..perfect ingredients for Chabrol's theme!

[7/10 · 19 May 2010]

It is common for the simple untrained mind to easily interpret the "murderer", or rather, the guilty one, as the protagonist actually committing the murder....

But this is one brilliant piece of work by Chabrol, that actually plays with the thoughts and dogmas of the typical mindset, and constantly leaves us trying to grasp the most crucial aspect, namely: what are we failing to see? For starters, we have Popaul, a seemingly perfect sophisticated gentleman, falling for Helene. And Chabrol gives hints that perhaps he is the one behind the murders which suddenly start occurring shortly after he meets Helene. But we cannot be sure. All we are exposed to are hints. For the sharp eye, it is clear that deep inside, he is deprived. That is revealed when he meets Helene in the woods and directly asks her why she was still single. One of the crucial turning points was when Helene presented him with a lighter.

It is then that the real theme, and motives of this flick begin to emerge and take shape in the eyes of the audience/ viewers. In my opinion, Popaul wanted helene to realise that he was the actual "human" butcher, when he "accidentally" left behind his lighter at the scene. Possibly a deliberate attempt by popaul to make Helene understand that his lack of her, or her resentment, was what was behind his acts.

Immediately the plot gets enshrouded in an air of shock, confusion, mystery, which drags our minds towards the "Popaul - killer", "Helene - unfortunate bystander-cum-would-be-lover" idea. A close analysis later makes us really wonder whether Helene is as innocent as she believes herself to be. After all, Popaul represents some of our most innate desires - the desire to be recognised, and loved.

On a more interesting note, his opportunity to kill Helene, in the last few minutes of the film, and his attempted suicide instead - show clearly that he was driven to such heinous crimes not because of any passion towards murder, but rather helene's denying him the love he craved for.

The intense shots of Helene's blond hair...............a clear glimpse into Helene's darker sinister side................Chabrol subtly hints to us that she is the "real" criminal, who brings out the monster in Popaul,.................in contrast to her opening image of being the kind caring school teacher, dedicated to the happiness of the younger generation.

A film which truly plays with our minds, and in a way, drifts away from the common mainstream thought and idea of how a murderer, victim, etc should be portrayed, and playing further with the idea of innocence. A truly noteworthy attempt by Chabrol to place before us Helene, an "epitome of innocence", who later became the real culprit of all the murders. Chabrol has created a flick with a mesh of intrigue,contradiction,mystery, with an outer "typical" surface plot for the common mindset, with an inner subtle twist which surfaces later on.

Fiddler on the Roof (1971)

Breaking free from cultural dogmas

[9/10 · 10 July 2009]

We could count the years on our fingertips and realise that even only 38 years ago, we, the masses were oblivious to the beliefs, customs, and the like of the Jews. True, our knowledge of them goes back to the Old testament, and Christ, and Jews, but this musical pulls our minds out of the quagmire that holds them down, and relights our minds to see what we should have understood a long time ago. Anyone with a "limited-understanding" mind would have been given a solid jolt and wakening in a New York minute.

Truly this movie is worth more than its salt, brought to it by the 3 Oscars added graciously to its portfolio.

For starters, the feeling of antisemitism that prevailed against the Jews in Russia at the dawn of the 20th Cenntury. Here we have Tevye spelling out for us the strict orthodox values which we non-Jews are possibly, or were not possibly, aware of. The "matchmaker" concept gives birth to a strong turning point, early on in this film, for the concept of "love" affairs had not even seen the light of day in the Jewish universe. And the Jews themselves could not comprehend a marriage not arranged by the parents. We see that this sleaze is given a solid blow in this film, when 3 love marriages take place.

And with each marriage of the daughters of Tevye, we see the binding chains of the orthodox beliefs surrounding the Jews, given more weakening blows which eventually break them completely.

Breaking away from the dogmatic society. We see three daughters of Tevye burn it into their minds that only true love, as opposed to the choices of the matchmaker/parents, can really bring happiness on its wings - wings which could also signal hardship, ostracism from the family. Crucial elements that helped reshape our idea/ignorance about the Jews. Elements that were worth the bargain with sacrificing your beliefs/dogmas for a more liberal practical approach.

This success, won by this film, flies against the flow of Jewish conventionalism. This is one comedy romantic flick which nicely plays up the dogmatic side of the Jewish conventions, and simultaneously juxtaposes it with the practical side of the Christian beliefs, and shows determination at breaking out of that shell of thought.

A truly touching film for all to see.

Blood of My Blood (2007)

A wonderful eye-opener which leaves us all touched

[8/10 · 14 June 2009]

I went to see this movie, with a view to getting a grip on the behind-the-scenes real-life struggles in the realm of the rampant illegal immigration. To sum it up, I left the big-screen room, with an embedded emblem in my mind which had inscribed on it "poverty,hunger, and desperation can trigger the barbaric side of us".

Some brilliant acting from the four principal characters: Diego, Juan, Pedro, and Magda. In fact, it was their virtuoso contribution that gave the flick its unfolding narrative, which nicely touches upon the dogfight arena that we rarely get to hear about even today. A movie which surely keeps you glued to the screen till the very last second it leaves the screen. Definitely worth its salt.

A good job by Christopher Zalla.. From the very beginning, we could see that Juan, innocent as he was deep inside, could not resist the madness inside him that was triggered by his struggle, desperation, hunger, etc, similar to the spontaneous effects of gravity in this universe. Each man for himself. No friendship. If anything similar to friendship, then conditions for cooperation. A nice rule/formula, played out nicely not only in this movie, but also within the real-life framework of the illegal immigrant society, facing deportation the moment they are in the hands of the cops. For them, they know only one language : "struggle", with it's only words :"food","money","shelter".

I'd recommend this film to anyone who either has not woken up to the reality of cruelty and hardships which illegal immigrants in the US face, or who questions it in any way. A nice eye-opener for us.

Razzle Dazzle (2007)

Pretty fun viewing, even for those with not very high hopes

[7/10 · 30 April 2009]

Few is the correct adjective which describes my viewing and experience with mockumentaries. Next in line is the fact that you don't get too many highly acclaimed Australian movies which literally dazzle all us couch-spectators. Such were the facts, experiences up my sleeve with this section of flicks, which propelled my mindset into the "must-see" mode. And there I was, curiously seated in front of the big screen.

In a matter of a few minutes, it was apparent that the movie was so cleverly pre-wired to drag us into the sea of illusion that we were dealing with actual facts and figures that go behind the scenes in the Australian dance hype. It was only because of my high alert mode, that I kept on reminding myself that this was not real....only FICTION! For starters, this flick smacks of the determination, both mutual and individual, which the key characters subject themselves to, in order to play a role in the everyday competition saga which, it goes without saying, regularly repeats itself. Three categories of key-players in this game: the teachers, the students, and the parents, warrant themselves a lot of merit. For instance, not only do the children get on board, but their parents, pro-actively, push them towards the dance floor. It's an amazing game of desperation, commitment,effort by all parties involved.

An eye-catching performance which steals the majority of the show is Mr. Jonathan. Crude? Clandestine? Do or die? Or determination verging on hysteria? Amazing how he tries to mold the mindset of his students in the bud, by asking them to imagine all sorts of shocking/horrific scenes, and making them fill in the action/reaction gaps through their dance steps.

Good job Darren Ashton. We need more from you coming. And thanks for spicing up the scenes with such great tracks!

Æon Flux (2005)

Pretty good viewing to see some nice reflexes, and sci-fi plot

[6/10 · 31 January 2009]

A movie of this category is bound to generate mixed feelings. For one, it is bound to generate a whole new wave of analysis and critical views of science fiction. And for another, it really raises questions as to our ability to comprehend the intermingling and amalgamation of modern-day science, with the evolution of our thought processes along the lines of the ever-changing world.

For those of you who are eagerly waiting for an action-packed normal science fiction story, with the typical plot line, which, in simple terms, would be easy for our intellects to digest, there's bound to be a disappointment. While it's easy to expect a lot of action, this is one film which keeps in line with the growing trend of bionics – an idea which we all are bound to take heart in the idea- and keeps us hip to the fact that failures or shortcomings of mankind are a ceaseless sequence of events that may convert our surreal dreams into a reality in the future.

For those of you who expect a superb plot line, especially since it's based on a science-fiction comic series, you may be a bit disappointed. While I personally did not find much in the plot, yet the superb incorporation of the genetic engineering and bionics angle, lifts the plot way out of the confines of its planes, and gives way for lightning-fast action, and leaves us thanking our lucky stars that these elements allow this flick to hit all the right action beats.

As a side note, I haven't seen that many charlize theron movies, yet this one kept on reminiscing me of "Hancock", because of her lightning-fast reflexes. Seems to be developing into one of her on-screen trademarks. And pretty soon, this will become as much a talking point as the way we gape at the quality of her acting.

The things which really struck me about this movie was that the main character Aeon seemed to have one personality, which resembled a superficial layer, hiding beneath it hibernating personas, which only emerged when the plot-turns summoned them. For one look at Aeon, and you could never guess the versatility of her movements, her determination, her willpower, and her rationality.

In all this, is one flick which I would recommend, simply for the sake of seeing the incorporation of different whims of the audience, in terms of quality and plot richness, which are gradually made to surface in a kind of cryptic way.

Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008)

Not enough to dazzle our minds, and engulf us with its plot

[6/10 · 17 September 2008]

If imagination and necessity, spurn the evolution of action-adventure flicks within the 3D movie genre, then movies like Jurassic Park, added their contribution to make the movement a success. "Journey to the Center of the Earth" on one hand, makes you understand that it cannot even hold a candle to the likes of 3D, fiction, prehistoric era, etc,even though it tries its best to embow our minds towards thinking that we're about to see another Jurassic movie.

Here we have Brendan Fraser as a professor Trevor Anderson, very determined, but somehow no-one seems to dig into his exploits, and toils,.. his lab faces closure, and just when things seem to be going way too downhill for him, he discovers what could possibly be the missing link with his brothers disappearance a decade earlier. With high spirits, we find Trevor, and his nephew, off to Iceland , where they meet spot-on with their new Icelandic tour-guide Hannah, and then to the turning-point of this flick, which commences when they all get trapped in an underground abandoned mine. One share of kudos, and a prompting for me to give this flick some éclat, is the "rollercoaster" ride in the mine.....some enthralling 3D effects, that makes the audience part of the scene, and you can almost feel the ups and downs, in the most realistic of ways.

For a moment, My actual reality was enveloped in a blanket, and i was feeling the pangs of Trevor and Hannah, when the slightest mistake could lead to the thread to which their lives held on to, being cut.

Perhaps they should have given a different name to this film. The very name made us subconsciously expect a prehistoric fantasy, locked underground, and shattered by the presence of Dinosaurs, ready to gulp you down in one mouthful. A pity that the producers were unable to live up to the high standards, which were standardised by Jurassic Park. Another parallel is "Aliens", in which the line between reality and fiction, becomes buried, and we are all made subconsciously a part of it. Sorry to say, that this flick was nothing on the likes of this standard.

A flick full of adventure scenes, and uncertainty, and the unknown, yet not too realistic either. We could attribute this to our clinging on to the reminiscence of Jurassic Park, and our craving for a worthy sequel, or better still, an even worthier title-holder. And after his mind-blowing performance in The Mummy series, we could consider this child's play from Brendan.

Wanted (2008)

Worthy of leaving anyone marveled

[8/10 · 9 September 2008]

Wanted leaves you marveled by the fine web of its deception,encapsulating charm, so much so, that for most of its plot, it takes viewers to the height of the plane of believing that they have seen it all and heard it all. We have some excellent stunts, a hard-nosed hero who doesn't believe in the seemingly-impossible, special effects and an endless list of assets which make this flick deserve its share of kudos, and leave us gaping in awe. We get to see how the boring life of a slacker, plagued by tormenting from his boss, and other problems, help unlock his dormant powers, giving way to lightning-fast reflexes and phenomenal agility, which are made to blossom by FOX. Plot twists, and turns moreover, are another facet of the synopsis, which allow us to get partial wind of the underlying twist, present since the very beginning under our very noses, for instance, when Cross tries to rescue our hero when he's on the verge of plummeting to his death from the train.

In all, a worth-watching action packed film, with brilliant acting by Jolie, which makes it deserve plenty of éclat.

The Silence (1963)

A nice attempt to fuse erotica,solitude,anxiety, while still maintaining his originality

[8/10 · 20 August 2008]

A nice change by bergman over several years. I have seen a few of his films, and this film was markedly different, as well as similar to his previous films. One theme which Bergman always harps upon is how human traits, which are normally suppressed by our ability to think straight, get manifested when schizophrenic frenzies take control and maneuver our minds.

Here, we have 2 sisters and a young boy, visiting a foreign land on the brink of war, and unconsciously, all three are striving for a way out of this turmoil. Such Striving gives way to a search for a way to stop this quagmire of loneliness, communication gap etc, which acts as the driving force for all three. We see three different sub-stories-one for the little boy, and one each for the two sisters, which become intertwined and clash. The boy,wanders round the hotel with his toy revolver,coming across a group of dwarfs, an old man, etc. One sister is constantly gripped by states of frenzy, which cause her to become at times delirious, with plenty of tripe,and most of the time couped up in her little chamber. The other sister, ventures beyond the four walls, and goes outside, and we get to witness sexual acts, as well as her badmouthing her sister.

Overall, a good source of entertainment, and a must-see.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)

A truly satisfying pot of gold at the end of an almost 2 decade-long rainbow

[9/10 · 7 June 2008]

When we have to wait 1 day for something we cherish, or something we know we'll cherish, that 1 day becomes synonymous to an eternity, And a 19 year long wait accordingly, has no definition in our dictionary. All I can say is that, after almost 2 decades, I was more than satisfied. For those who are so intent on comparing the quality and lust of this film, with the echoes from the 3 predecessors, all I can say is that the best way to judge any film, is by looking at it's individuality. This movie has the elements of the typical Spielberg-Indiana aura which we've all become familiar with, and this movie, in turn, does not fail to hit on all the right action beats, which drive up the thrill, and desire for the unventured realm, dotted here and there with spices of humour, mystery, and even history. The movie starts off in the typical Indiana way, with Jones being presented on a gold platter, a challenge of an unexplained artifact/information/something to peak everyone's curiosity,…and this in turn spells the beginning of a chase, not only by Indy, but also by the bad guys……….. The unexplained riddles, drawings on walls, journey to south America, and the occasional spice of humour, allow the audience to relish the typical Indiana legacy which has been around for almost 3 decades. If you haven't already seen it, well, you're really missing something unique!