Cinema Cinema

Ten 'til Noon

2008-04-19T03:34:00.000-07:00

Movie: Ten 'til Noon
Language: English
Genre: Thriller
Director: Scott Storm
Year: 2006
Watched on: 12 April 2008
Rating: *** and half (3.5/5)

Batman Begins

2008-04-13T12:57:00.000-07:00

Movie: Batman Begins
Language: English
Genre: Action
Director: Christopher Nolan
Year: 2005
Watched on: 05 April 2008
Rating: *** (3/5)

Before Sunset

2008-03-28T20:39:00.000-07:00

Movie: Before Sunset
Language: English
Genre: Drama/Romance
Director: Richard Linklater
Year: 2004
Watched on: 28 March 2008
Rating: **** (4/5)
Review: Brilliant stuff. Deep and profound and yet romantic and touching.

Swimming Pool

2008-03-28T20:31:00.000-07:00

Movie: Swimming Pool
Language: English/French
Genre: Drama/Thriller
Director: François Ozon
Year: 2003
Watched on: 22 March 2008
Rating: *** (2/5)
Review: Leisuerly paced mindbender. Intelligent but erotic stuff. In the genere of Mullholland Drive.

Jersey Girl

2008-03-28T20:25:00.000-07:00

Movie: Jersey Girl
Language: English
Genre: Drama/Romance
Director: Kevin Smith
Year: 2004
Watched on: 14 March 2008
Rating: *** (3/5)
Review: A good watch but not very satisfying. After watching Clerks and Chasing Amy, This kind of looks bleak.

The Prestige

2007-10-26T13:01:00.000-07:00

Movie: The Prestige
Language: English
Genre: Drama/Thriller
Director: Christopher Nolan
Year: 2006
Watched on: 14 October 2007
Rating: **** (4/5)
Review:

Thank You for Smoking

2007-10-26T13:00:00.000-07:00

Movie: Thank You for Smoking
Language: English
Genre: Comedy
Director: Jason Reitman
Year: 2005
Watched on: 13 October 2007
Rating: **** (4/5)
Review:

The Bourne Ultimatum

2007-10-26T12:45:00.000-07:00

Movie: The Bourne Ultimatum
Language: English
Genre: Thriller/Action
Director: Paul Greengrass
Year: 2007
Watched on: 07 October 2007
Rating: **** (4/5)
Review:

Glengarry Glen Ross

2007-10-14T02:14:00.002-07:00

Movie: Glengarry Glen Ross
Language: English
Genre: Drama
Director: James Foley
Year: 1992
Watched on: September 2007
Rating: **** (4/5)
Review:

Delicatessen

2007-10-14T02:14:00.001-07:00

Movie: Delicatessen
Language: French
Genre: Comedy/Drama/Fantasy
Director: Marc Caro & Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Year: 1965
Watched on: September 1991
Rating: ***1/2 (3.5/5)
Review:

How to Murder Your Wife

2007-10-14T02:07:00.000-07:00

Movie: How to Murder Your Wife
Language: English
Genre: Comedy
Director: Richard Quine
Year: 1965
Watched on: September 2007
Rating: **1/2 (2.5/5)
Review:

The Pursuit of Happyness

2007-10-14T02:03:00.000-07:00

Movie: The Pursuit of Happyness
Language: English
Genre: Drama
Director: Gabriele Muccino
Year: 2006
Watched on: July 2007
Rating: ***1/2 (3.5/5)
Review:

Petit lieutenant, Le

2007-10-14T02:02:00.001-07:00

Movie: Petit lieutenant, Le
Language: French
Genre: Drama/Crime
Director: Xavier Beauvois
Year: 2005
Watched on: July 2007
Rating: ***1/2 (3.5/5)
Review:

Lost in America

2007-10-14T01:54:00.000-07:00

Movie: Lost in America
Language: English
Genre: Comedy
Director: Albert Brooks
Year: 1985
Watched on: July 2007
Rating: *** (3/5)
Review:

Blood Diamond

2007-06-25T01:16:00.000-07:00

Movie: Blood Diamond
Language: English
Genre: Adventure/War/Drama
Director: Edward Zwick
Year: 2006
Watched on: 24 June 2007
Rating: ***1/2 (3.5/5)
Review:

The Corporation

2007-06-25T01:13:00.000-07:00

Movie:The Corporation
Language: English
Genre: Documentary
Director: Mark Achbar & Jennifer Abbott
Year: 2003
Watched on: 24 June 2007
Rating: **** (4/5)
Review:

Letters from Iwo Jima

2007-06-12T10:24:00.000-07:00

Movie:Letters from Iwo Jima
Language: English
Genre: War/Drama
Director: Clint Eastwood
Year: 2006
Watched on: 03 June 2007
Rating: **** (4/5)
Review:

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

2007-06-12T10:21:00.000-07:00

Movie:Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Language: English
Genre: Comedy/Thriller
Director: Shane Black
Year: 2005
Watched on: 02 June 2007
Rating: ***1/2 (3.5/5)
Review:

Garden State

2007-06-12T10:18:00.000-07:00

Movie:Garden State
Language: English
Genre: Comedy
Director: Zach Braff
Year: 2004
Watched on: 29 April 2007
Rating: ***1/2 (3.5/5)
Review:

Clerks II

2007-06-12T10:13:00.000-07:00

Movie:Clerks II
Language: English
Genre: Comedy
Director: Kevin Smith
Year: 2006
Watched on: 28 April 2007
Rating: ***1/2 (3.5/5)
Review:

Babel

2007-04-16T04:40:00.000-07:00

Movie:Babel
Language: English / Spanish / Arabic / Japanese
Genre: : Drama / Thriller
Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Year: 2006
Watched on: 14 April 2007
Rating: ****(4/5)
Review:

Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan

2007-04-16T04:33:00.000-07:00

Movie:Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
Language: English /Romanian etc.
Genre: : Comedy
Director: Larry Charles
Year: 2006
Watched on: 14 April 2007
Rating: **** (4/5)
Review:

Sex and Lucia

2006-08-18T02:08:00.000-07:00

Movie:Sex and Lucia (Lucía y el sexo)
Language: Spanish
Genre: : Romance / Drama
Director: Julio Medem
Year: 2001
Watched on: 30 July 2006
Rating: *** (3/5)
Review:

Wedding Crashers

2006-08-18T02:00:00.000-07:00

Movie:Wedding Crashers
Language: English
Genre: : Romance / Comedy
Director: David Dobkin
Year: 2005
Watched on: 29 July 2006
Rating: *** (3/5)
Review:

V for Vendetta

2006-08-18T01:57:00.000-07:00

Movie:V for Vendetta
Language: English
Genre: : Action / Drama / Sci-Fi / Thriller
Director: James McTeigue
Year: 2005
Watched on: 28 July 2006
Rating: ***1/2 (3.5/5)
Review:

House of Sand and Fog

2006-07-27T05:35:00.000-07:00

Movie:House of Sand and Fog
Language: English
Genre: : Drama
Director: Vadim Perelman
Year: 2003
Watched on: 24 July 2006
Rating: ***1/2 (3.5/5)
Review:

Cache'

2006-07-27T05:26:00.000-07:00

Movie:Cache' (Hidden)
Language: French
Genre: : Drama / Thriller
Director: Michael Haneke
Year: 2005
Watched on: 22 July 2006
Rating: **** (4/5)
Review:

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

2006-07-27T05:22:00.000-07:00

Movie:Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Language: English
Genre: : Adventure / Comedy / Crime / Drama
Director: Terry Gilliam
Year: 1998
Watched on: 16 July 2006
Rating: *** (3/5)
Review:

Layer Cake

2006-07-27T05:20:00.000-07:00

Movie:Layer Cake
Language: English
Genre: Crime / Drama / Thriller
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Year: 2004
Watched on: 15 July 2006
Rating: *** (3/5)
Review:

Before Sunrise

2006-07-27T05:16:00.000-07:00

Movie:Before Sunrise
Language: English
Genre: Drama / Romance
Director: Richard Linklater
Year: 1995
Watched on: 14 July 2006
Rating: **** (4/5)
Review:

Falling Down

2006-07-10T05:45:00.000-07:00

Movie:Falling Down
Language: English
Genre: Horror / Drama / Thriller
Director: Joel Schumacher
Year: 1993
Watched on: 17 Jun 2006
Rating: ***1/2 (3.5/5)
Review:

Funny Games

2006-07-10T05:39:00.000-07:00

Movie:Funny Games
Language: German
Genre: Horror / Drama / Thriller
Director: Michael Haneke
Year: 1997
Watched on: 16 Jun 2006
Rating: *** (3/5)
Review:

Broken Flowers

2006-07-10T05:36:00.000-07:00

Movie:Broken Flowers
Language: English
Genre: Comedy / Drama
Director: Jim Jarmusch
Year: 2005
Watched on: 16 Jun 2006
Rating: ***1/2 (3.5/5)
Review:

Withnail & I

2006-06-14T23:52:00.000-07:00

Movie:Withnail & I
Language: English
Genre: Comedy
Directors: Bruce Robinson
Year: 1987
Watched on: 11 Jun 2006
Rating: *** (3/5)
Review:

Europa

2006-06-14T23:49:00.000-07:00

Movie:Hard Europa (Zentropa)
Language: English / German
Genre: Thriller / Drama
Directors: Lars von Trier
Year: 1991
Watched on: 11 Jun 2006
Rating: **** (4/5)
Review:

Hard Eight

2006-06-14T23:47:00.000-07:00

Movie:Hard Eight
Language: English
Genre: Crime / Drama / Thriller
Directors: Paul Thomas Anderson
Year: 1996
Watched on: 10 Jun 2006
Rating: **** (4/5)
Review:

Crimson Tide

2006-06-09T01:50:00.000-07:00

Movie: Crimson Tide
Language: English
Genre: Action / Drama / Thriller
Directors: Tony Scott
Year: 1995
Watched on: 04 Jun 2006
Rating: *** (3/5)
Review:

The Celebration

2006-06-09T01:45:00.000-07:00

Movie:The Celebration (Festen)
Language: Danish
Genre: Drama
Directors: Thomas Vinterberg
Year: 1998
Watched on: 03 Jun 2006
Rating: **** (4/5)
Review:

Punch-Drunk Love

2006-06-09T01:42:00.000-07:00

Movie:Punch-Drunk Love
Language: English
Genre: Comedy / Drama / Romance
Directors: Paul Thomas Anderson
Year: 2002
Watched on: 03 Jun 2006
Rating: **** (4/5)
Review:

Man on Fire

2006-05-31T21:52:00.000-07:00

Movie:Man on Fire
Language: English
Genre: Action / Crime / Drama / Thriller
Directors: Tony Scott
Year: 2004
Watched on: 28 May 2006
Rating: ***1/2 (3.5/5)
Review:

The 40 Year Old Virgin

2006-05-31T21:49:00.000-07:00

Movie: The 40 Year Old Virgin
Language: English
Genre: Comedy / Romance
Directors: Judd Apatow
Year: 2005
Watched on: 26 May 2006
Rating: **** (4/5)
Review:

True Romance

2006-05-31T21:46:00.000-07:00

Movie: True Romance
Language: English
Genre: Action / Crime / Drama / Romance / Thriller
Directors: Tony Scott
Year: 1993
Watched on: 25 May 2006
Rating: *** (3/5)
Review:

Collateral

2006-05-31T21:44:00.000-07:00

Movie: Collateral
Language: English
Genre: Crime / Drama / Thriller
Directors: Michael Mann
Year: 2004
Watched on: 21 May 2006
Rating: ***1/2 (3.5/5)
Review:

About Schmidt

2006-05-31T21:42:00.000-07:00

Movie: About Schmidt
Language: English
Genre: Comedy / Drama
Directors: Alexander Payne
Year: 2002
Watched on: 20 May 2006
Rating: ***1/2 (3.5/5)
Review:

A History of Violence

2006-05-31T21:40:00.000-07:00

Movie: A History of Violence
Language: English
Genre: Crime / Drama / Thriller
Directors: David Cronenberg
Year: 2005
Watched on: 19 May 2006
Rating: ***1/2 (3.5/5)
Review:

Das Boot

2006-05-14T22:34:00.000-07:00

Movie: Das Boot
Language: German
Genre: War / Drama
Directors: Wolfgang Petersen
Year: 1981
Watched on: 14 May 2006
Rating: **** (4/5)
Review:

American Splendor

2006-05-14T22:31:00.000-07:00

Movie: American Splendor
Language: English
Genre: Biography / Comedy / Drama
Directors: Shari Springer Berman & Robert Pulcini
Year: 2003
Watched on: 14 May 2006
Rating: **** (4/5)
Review:

Murder in Mesopotamia

2006-05-14T22:27:00.000-07:00

Movie: Murder in Mesopotamia
Language: English
Genre: Crime / Drama / Mystery
Director: Tom Clegg
Year: 2001
Watched on: 12 May 2006
Rating: ***1/2 (3.5/5)
Review:

This is the celluloid version of Agatha Christie’s Novel featuring legendary fictional detective Hercule Poirot (David Suchet). Poirit lands in Iraq on request of Countess Vera Rosakoff but after reaching Baghdad, he finds her missing and joins his friend Hastings (Hugh Fraser) at an excavation site instead. Erik Leidner (Ron Berglas) is the Chief archaeologist at the site with a charming wife Louise (Barbara Barnes) and team of fellow archeologists. Louise finds herself terrorized and traumatized by a person from her past that eventually results in her murder and reluctantly Poirot picks up the threads of investigation. David Suchet as the immaculate Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot is outstanding. This whodunit murder mystery is high on entertainment quotient.

Yi Yi

2006-05-09T22:15:00.000-07:00

Movie: Yi Yi
Language: Mandarin / English
Genre: Drama
Director: Edward Yang
Year: 2000
Watched on: 07 May 2006
Rating: **** (4/5)
Review:

“Yi Yi” by Edward Yang is a drama that portrays the life of three generations of Taiwanese family. NJ (Nien-Jen Wu) is a partner in a somewhat successful but presently loss making firm dealing in electronics and computers. He lives with his wife Min-Min, mother-in-law, (Elaine Jin), daughter Tin-Tin (Kelly Lee) and son Yan-Yan (Jonathan Chang). NJ accidentally runs into his ex lover Sherry (Su-Yun Ko) during the wedding of his brother-in-law. The same day his mother in law meets with an accident and gets into a coma. This incident has tremendous affect on each of the family members. The movie explores the world of ensemble of characters and beautifully depicts their struggles, worries, triumphs and failures. It is a profound, thoughtful and realistic movie with life as theme. Edward Yang has skillfully directed and the performances add on to that. Though the movie is leisurely paced, it doesn’t disappoint instead leaves one deeply touched.

Nine Queens

2006-05-09T22:12:00.000-07:00

Movie: Nine Queens (Nueve reinas)
Language: Spanish
Genre: Crime / Drama / Mystery
Director: Fabián Bielinsky
Year: 2000
Watched on: 06 May 2006
Rating: ***1/2 (3.5/5)
Review:

Nine Queens is an interesting con movie from Argentina where nothing is the way it appears on surface. Marcos a con saves another con Juan from a possible trouble. Marcos reveals his true identity and invites Juan to be his partner in crime for a day. As the day progresses they get into a once in a lifetime con job opportunity which can bring in a fortune. They have to pull off a big con job of selling fake stamps to a millionaire philatelist. While taking job to its end, the duo has to negotiate with suspicious characters, maneuver through tricky situations, avoid being conned more importantly trust each other. As the plot thickens one wonders who is duping whom? This is a well written and lively paced entertainer.

Shaun of the Dead

2006-05-09T21:55:00.000-07:00

Movie: Shaun of the Dead
Language: English
Genre: Comedy / Horror / Romance
Director: Edgar Wright
Year: 2004
Watched on: 05 May 2006
Rating: *** (3/5)
Review:

Shaun of the Dead is a British horror comedy. Shaun (Simon Pegg) is a 29 year old electronics shop sales man whose life is going nowhere. He has no real goals and ambitions and he just amuses himself by making daily trip to his favorite pub Winchester, playing console games and watching TV with his childhood lazy bum friend Ed (Nick Frost). His girlfriend of many years Liz (Kate Ashfield) who is somewhat ambitious and sane decides to dump him after realizing Shaun’s hopeless condition. At this juncture, the city of London is under Zombie attack. As the dead wake up, Shaun too wakes up and realizes that he has to race against the time and save his mother and girlfriend. With his childhood pal Ed by his side, Shaun makes the expedition of his life to his favorite pub Winchester, but with his loved ones. Despite gore and blood the movie is not scary but is funny. Positives of the movie are its well shot, edited and the performances of leading characters are good. The many negatives include clichés, unfunny scenes (like people trying to walk like zombies etc), lack of wit etc which one might find tiring. After going through several positive reviews and a desperate wait, I found this movie quite disappointing.

Dark City

2006-04-24T00:03:00.000-07:00

Movie: Dark City
Language: English
Genre: Fantasy / Mystery / Sci-Fi / Thriller
Director: Alex Proyas
Year: 1998
Watched on: 23 April 2006
Rating: ***1/2 (3.5/5)
Review:

Dark City is an interesting as well as engrossing Sci-fi movie. A guy wakes up in a hotel room with out memories and finds his name is John Murdoch who is accused of murdering six prostitutes. While trying to figure out his past, he figures out the things in the city are not the way they seem; a strange race is controlling the lives of people in the city, sun never raises and he possesses a strange ability to change his physical surroundings. Great camerawork, brilliant sets and style of narration make this film quite engrossing. Overall it is a good science fiction.

Paradise Now

2006-04-23T23:59:00.000-07:00

Movie: Paradise Now
Language: Arabic
Genre: Crime / Drama
Director: Hany Abu-Assad
Year: 2005
Watched on: 22 April 2006
Rating: **** (4/5)
Review:

“Paradise Now” is a brilliant, thought provoking and dispassionate film by Palestinian director Hany Abu-Assad. Said (Kais Nashef) and Khaled (Ali Suliman) are two childhood friends and garage mechanics living with their families in the West bank area which is under Israeli occupation. They get chosen to be the martyrs who would blow themselves up after infiltrating to Israel. As the two nominated Palestinian terrorists with bomb packs strapped around their belly try to go about their tasks, doubts, internal conflicts and personal trauma surfaces. This Oscar nominated and Golden Globe award winning film is a superb thriller which depicts human side of the terrorists and gives viewers an unbiased view of the situation. This gripping movie is well shot and has some great performances.

Infernal Affairs

2006-04-23T23:42:00.000-07:00

Movie: Infernal Affairs (Mou gaan dou)
Language: Cantonese
Genre: Crime / Drama / Thriller
Director: Wai Keung Lau and Siu Fai Mak
Year: 2003
Watched on: 20 April 2006
Rating: **** (4/5)
Review:

This one is an intense and gripping thriller from Hong Kong with a very interesting storyline. Surprisingly this is a great movie from Hong Kong, that neither has martial arts nor too much of fireworks. Drug lord and Crime Boss Sam (Eric Tsang) plants a mole in the Police force and at the same time Police places an undercover cop among gangsters. Both the moles climb up the ladders in their respective fields and become key members as they secretly go accomplishing their respective missions. After an intense and disastrous encounter with each other, both the parties i.e. Police and Gangsters come to know of existence of a mole in their respective forces. Inspector Lau (Andy Lau), the mole in police and the Yan (Tony Leung Chiu Wai), the undercover cop are on hot pursuit of each other. Both are suffering from their false identities and are desperate to find a way out of this. Things take a big turn when Superintendent Wong (Anthony Wong Chau-Sang), the only person who knew about the undercover cop gets killed by gangsters leading way for shocking tragic circumstances. This is a well directed and photographed movie intense and gritty right from the beginning. The narration, performances, editing and music are good. This is a super entertainer that shouldn’t be missed.

Taxi 2

2006-04-20T03:12:00.000-07:00

Movie: Taxi 2
Language: French
Genre: Comedy / Action
Director: Gérard Krawczyk
Year: 2000
Watched on: 19 April 2006
Rating: ** (2/5)
Review:

This is a sequel of the French movie Taxi. The Japanese ambassador visits the city of Marseilles to inspect the anti-mafia skills of the local police. While the display is on, a team owing allegiance to a Japanese Yakuza kidnaps the ambassador along with a French lady cop Petra. Fellow cop Emilien who has fallen for Petra takes assistance of dare-devil and wizard Taxi driver Daniel’s help to secure the release. One can afford to skip this flick which has too much of nonsensical stunts and chases, dumb cops and silly characters. Though a cult of movie goers might find it entreating, it barely managed to bring couple of chuckles for me.

Rang De Basanti

2006-04-20T03:08:00.000-07:00

Movie: Rang De Basanti
Language: Hindi
Genre: Comedy / Drama / History / Romance
Director: Rakesh Omprakash Mehra
Year: 2006
Watched on: 16 April 2006
Rating: *** (3/5)
Review:

Rang De Basanti by Rakesh Omprakash Mehra is a film made with sincere and noble intention of injecting the current generation of India with a dose of patriotism and respect towards people who sacrificed their lives for the freedom of their country. Sue (Alice Patten) inspired by the entries in her grandfather's (a police officer during colonial rule) aspires to make a film on revolutionaries like Chandrashekar Azad, Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and their associates. Due to lack of funds, she lands up in Delhi University looking for volunteer actors for her docudrama. There she happens to acquaint with a group of friends lost in their own careless and carefree world. With DJ (Aamir Khan), Sukhi (Sharman Joshi), Karan (Siddharth), Aslam (Kunal Kapoor), Sonia (Soha Ali Khan) and their enemy Laxman Pandey (Atul Kulkarni) in the cast, Sue starts the film that redefines their lives. The film is a mixed bag. It pricks one's conscience at times but appears preachy and jingoistic at places. Though the film is watchable, it has its own rough edges. Performances, music cinematography are above average. Direction could have been more tight and intense, screenplay lacks the punch. Overall it is a good movie by bollywood standards. It entertains audience but does not move as the message gets diluted.

Son of the Bride

2006-04-10T05:13:00.000-07:00

Movie: Son of the Bride(Hijo de la novia, El)
Language: Spanish (Argentina)
Genre: Comedy / Drama
Director: Juan José Campanella
Year: 2001
Watched on: 09 April 2006
Rating: *** (3/5)
Review:

Son of a Bride by Argentine director Juan José Campanella is a family drama with a bit of humor. Rafael Belvedere (Ricardo Darín) is a 40 something restaurateur in Buenos Aires and his life is in a terrible mess. He is running a restaurant with great difficulty that he inherited from his father, he is in financial trouble, he is divorced and not able to carry out his duties towards his daughter, he doesn’t visit his aging mother suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and he can not commit himself to his girlfriend. Rafael suffers a mild heart attack and gets hospitalized and there he takes a hard look at his life. With help of childhood friend Juan Carlos (Eduardo Blanco) he resurrects himself out of the mess. Performances are good and some scenes are moving otherwise there is nothing exceptional about this movie. There seem to be a conscious effort to stay away from melodrama which is a plus but still few might find this to be a tear jerker.

Amélie

2006-04-10T05:00:00.000-07:00

Movie: Amélie(Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain, Le)
Language: French
Genre: Comedy / Drama / Romance
Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Year: 2001
Watched on: 09 April 2006
Rating: **** (4/5)
Review:

Amélie is a gem of a movie directed brilliantly by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. I first watched it in a film festival and fell in love with it immediately. Despite watching it in parts on TV recently, I decided to watch it again and I swear I was not bored even for a minute. Amélie (Audrey Tautou) is a lonely, shy and innocent girl in Paris. She works in a cafe and loves to indulge in small pleasures like skipping pebbles on water, burying her hands in grain, day dreaming etc. One fine day in her apartment she accidentally finds a small box full of toys and photographs probably hidden by some old occupant. Amélie decides to find the owner and return the box back She also decides if the owner is moved by her gesture, she will continue to be a good Samaritan else its too bad. Seeing the owner of the box being moved on finding his childhood treasure, Amélie decides to do good to people around her and from that juncture, her life changes forever. Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet sketches a beautiful portrait of Amélie and people around her with a unique and endering style which is a blend of small subplots, clever humor, superb characterization, funny narration and brilliant visuals. Performances, Photography, Screenplay, Sound, Editing and Costumes are exceptionally good. This movie was nominated for five academy awards. It is a movie not to be missed.

Oldboy

2006-04-10T01:39:00.000-07:00

Movie: Oldboy
Language: Korean
Genre: Action / Drama / Mystery / Thriller
Director: Chan-wook Park
Year: 2003
Watched on: 08 April 2006
Rating: **** (4/5)
Review:

Oldboy is the second movie of the famed "revenge" trilogy by Chan-wook Park. This is a visually stylish ultra violent movie is in the same genre of Tarantino's Pulp Fiction. After a round of heavy drinking and a trip to police station on the day of his daughter's birthday Oh De-Su (Choi Min-shik) on his way back home disappears mysteriously. He finds himself kidnapped and held prisoner in a cell by some strangers for reasons not known to him. One fine day after being held captive for 15 years, Oh De-Su is released with clothes money and a mobile phone along with the charge of murdering his wife. As he sets out to find his captor and take revenge Oh De-Su meets a Japanese chef Mi-do (Hye-jeong Kang). He soon finds his captor has released him only to subject him to more torture. The story takes lots of twists and turns to take us to disturbing and exhausting finale. The script, photography, editing and music are brilliant, so are the performances. Chan-wook Park ‘s style of story telling is brilliant and hip. This movie is not for everyone and many might find it hard to digest the story line.
Note: The latest Hindi flick Zinda it seems was loosely based on this movie but it might take decades for someone to come up with exact remake of such a bold movie in India.

Apocalypse Now

2006-01-24T01:30:00.000-08:00

Movie: Apocalypse Now Redux
Language: English / French / Vietnamese / Khmer
Genre: Action / Adventure / Drama / War
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Year: 1979
Watched on: 23 January 2006
Rating: **** (4/5)
Review:

Master of Cinema Francis Ford Coppola has produced and directed this movie considered as one of the greatest movie ever made on Vietnam War. The movie starts off in Saigon at the height of Vietnam War where the troubled and burnt out US Captain Benjamin L. Willard (Martin Sheen) is summoned for a mission. The mission is to eliminate the command of a renegade and insane former Colonel in US Army Walter E. Kurtz (Marlon Brando) who has installed himself as god among Cambodian tribal groups and is working against the interests of US Government by staging attacks. Willard with a handful crew sails up the Nung River on a Navy patrol boat and discovers his target is one of the most decorated and smartest officers of United States Army. The journey to reach Kurtz’s world is a though and trouble looms large at every nook and corner. This is a masterpiece with a brilliant screenplay, breathtaking photography and inspired performances. The mood this stunningly shot movie creates is mind blowing and watching this movie is an experience in itself. Coppola won Golden Palm at Cannes for this in 1979. Performances by Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando and Robert Dvuall are absolutely fantastic. The music is brilliant. Vittorio Storaro’s Cinematography is a treat to watch. Highly recommended for serious movie buffs.

To Live and Die in L.A

2006-01-23T23:19:00.000-08:00

Movie: To Live And Die In L.A.
Language: English
Genre: Crime / Thriller / Drama / Action
Director: William Friedkin
Year: 1985
Watched on: 22 January 2006
Rating: **1/2 (2.5/5)
Review:

William Friedkin who made famous Hollywood flicks like "French Connection" and "Exorcist" directs this stylish film with a heavy 80ish feel. This is a story of a LA cop Richard Chance (William L. Petersen) who is on a hot pursuit of counterfeit kingpin Rick Masters (Willem Dafoe) who has killed his partner Jim Hart (Michael Greene) just few days before his retirement. Chance decides to go all out to bust Masters even if it means risking his and others lives. Movie is a mixture of a very ordinary and clichéd storyline and some twists and turns. Acting is mediocre. Characterization is just about ok. Cinematography and music are a plus so is the lengthy and well choreographed car chasing scene. Somehow it appeared to me as all style and no substance kind of movie.

The Conversation

2006-01-10T06:37:00.000-08:00

Movie: The Conversation
Language: English
Genre: Crime / Thriller / Drama / Mystery
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Year: 1974
Watched on: 08 January 2006
Rating: **** (4/5)
Review:

This highly rated movie by director Francis Ford Coppola was made in between his two greatest works The Godfather and The Godfather: Part II. Coppola has also written script of this movie that tells a story of a surveillance expert Harry Caul (Gene Hackman). Harry is hired by a boss of a big organization to spy on two of his employees. A man and woman seemingly in love. Harry smartly records their conversation and prepares tapes but the conversation starts slowly consuming his life. Harry haunted by the fact that his activities earlier had resulted in three murders, this time breaks his professional ethics and gets in to thick of the action to prevent an impending murder(s) but with devastating results. This is a slow paced suspense thriller that will surprise one in the end. This is the movie when Coppola had this magic touch that turned everything into gold. The characterization of Harry Caul is absolutely meticulous and the character’s fears, moral concerns, budding responsibility towards his actions, loneliness and guilt are very well displayed. Gene Hackmen is brilliant but Coppola’s direction is the highlight of the movie. This one is an absolutely brilliant suspense thriller. Probably one of the best.

The Vanishing

2006-01-10T05:45:00.000-08:00

Movie: The Vanishing (Spoorloos)
Language: French/Dutch
Genre: Mystery / Thriller / Drama
Director: George Sluizer
Year: 1988
Watched on: 07 January 2006
Rating: **** (4/5)
Review:

Spoorloos by George Sluizer is a psychological thriller based on the novel “The Golden Egg” by writer Tim Krabbé. Rex Hoffmann (Gene Bervoets) and Saskia (Saskia Wagter), a couple in love travel to France for a vacation from Amsterdam. On their way at a gas station, Saskia gets into a café to buy drinks and disappears mysteriously without any trace. Even after three years of her mysterious disappearance, Rex spares no effort to trace her. Raymond Lemorne (Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu) a normal looking professor in chemistry is the abductor who while abducting believed that he had to commit an evil deed to balance the act of kindness he demonstrated by saving a life of a drowning child. He approaches the abduction with utmost sincerity even practicing several times before the real act. Raymond amused by the curiosity shown by Rex to know the truth behind Saskia’s disappearance, contacts Rex and assures to reveal the truth. Will Rex’s curiosity land him in the hands of a psychopath? What has Raymond in his mind when he decides to reveal all? is the rest of the story. This is a well made thriller and the portrayal of the character Raymond Lemorne is absolutely chilling. What disturbs the audience is the clinical precession with which a normal looking family man without any sex related motive or hatred approaches the crime. The movie is not a fast paced thriller but a slow detailed study of one man’s passion to find the truth and another man’s methodical and steady steps towards crime. Good direction and good performances especially by Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu as Raymond.

Sleuth

2006-01-10T05:43:00.000-08:00

Movie: Sleuth
Language: English
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Year: 1972
Watched on: 06 January 2006
Rating: **** (4/5)
Review:

Sleuth is the cinematic adaptation of popular and award winning play from Anthony Shaffer by the same name. This more than two hour movie by director Joseph L. Mankiewicz actually just has two actors. Andrew Wyke (Laurence Oliver) an eccentric but a wealthy writer invites his estranged wife’s paramour Milo Tindel (Michael Caine), a Hair Dresser by professor in her absence for a talk. During the course of the conversation, Andrew lures Milo into a money making scheme that benefits both. Andrew suggests Milo to steal jewels from his house and make money from it and he in turn will claim money insured against the jewelry. The suggestion appears reasonable to Milo but is it? The story takes interesting twists and turns into a battle of wits while thrilling the audience throughout. Screenplay by Anthony Shaffer is mind-blowing and director Joseph L. Mankiewicz has ensured movie is never dull. The brilliance of art direction can be seen from the very first scene. But the thing that stands out the most in the movie is the outstanding performances by the lead actors Laurence Oliver and Michael Caine. Both of them were nominated for best actor Academy awards in 1973 (Eventually Marlon Brando won best actor award for The Godfather). This is a terrific movie that delights your mind.

The Apartment

2006-01-02T05:16:00.000-08:00

Movie: The Apartment
Language: English
Genre: Comedy / Romance
Director: Billy Wilder
Year: 1960
Watched on: 31 December 2005
Rating: **** (4/5)
Review:
Apartment is a real "golden oldie". This crisp and delightful romantic comedy directed by Billy Wilder is A1 entertainer. CC Baxter a.k.a Buddy boy (Jack Lemmon) is an upwardly mobile executive of an insurance firm who lends his apartment to his superiors for their romantic trysts to be in their good books. Baxter ends up doing an uncomfortable tightrope walk of pleasing everyone to go up the ladder. Baxter has a soft spot for the lift girl in his office Fran Kubelik (Shirley MacLaine). Things get sad for Baxter when he discovers that the mistress of his boss Mr. Sheldrake (Fred MacMurray) and his flame are one and the same. Things get even worse when Baxter is pushed to tight corner by an attempted suicide by Fran Kubelik at his apartment. Jack Lemmon is absolutely brilliant and so is Fred MacMurray. Performances, screenplay and direction are the highlights of the movie. This is a true blue vintage stuff not to be missed.

Intimacy

2006-01-02T04:27:00.000-08:00

Movie: Intimacy
Language: English
Genre: Drama
Director: Patrice Chéreau
Year: 2001
Watched on: 30 December 2005
Rating: ***1/2 (3.5/5)
Review:
Intimacy is a strange story of Jay (Mark Rylance), a failed musician, a divorcee, father of two kids and a bartender. Every Wednesday a woman comes to his house and they have passionate sex without any tenderness or friendship. They don't talk much and they do not even try to know each other's names. Jay discovers that the woman gives him the pleasure which he had not sought and she is so selfless that she doesn’t demand to be given the same or some pleasure. Slowly Jay is intrigued by this woman and starts to spy on her. He learns her name is Claire (Kerry Fox), who is a stage artist married to a taxi Andy (Timothy Spall), a taxi driver and mother of a boy. Their strange relationship heads towards a breakup as Claire discovers that Jay knows her identity. Patrice Chéreau weaves a very complex but a subtle story about human behavior, relationships and loneliness that makes us yearn for intimacy. This movie is neither a pornographic/erotic by any standards despite some graphical sex scenes nor a fast paced thriller for mass consumption but a dark and disturbing study of human relationships.

Midnight Cowboy

2005-12-30T02:07:00.000-08:00

Movie: Midnight Cowboy
Language: English
Genre: Drama
Director: John Schlesinger
Year: 1969
Watched on: 29 December 2005
Rating: **** (4/5)
Review:
Some movies are timeless (E.g. Bicycle Thief) and Midnight Cowboy is one among them. This movie is a more than thirty-five year old but it appears so contemporary that one can easily establish a connection with the story and characters. Don't get fooled by the title, this is not a western where gun totting cowboys on their neighing wild horses shoot at drop of a hat but a realistic as well as a tragic story of great bonding between two losers and is situated mostly in the very urban New York. This film was nominated for seven Academy awards (1970) and won three Academy awards (Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay), the first X-rated film to do so. Joe Buck (John Voight), a Texan dish washer bids adieu to his small home town as well as his job to pursue the dream of making big bucks by becoming a hustler in New York. Naïve and dimwitted Joe becomes an easy fleecing target in the big, bad and apathetic world of New York. It soon becomes evident to Joe that things aren't that rosy the way he figured. After getting conned by crippled fraudster Enrico Salvatore 'Ratso' Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman), Joe finds himself thrown out of his hotel room for non payment of rent. Furious and shelter less Joe who is now hell bent on getting his money back somehow manages to track Rizzo who is homeless and sick. A friendship develops between the conman and his victim as Joe moves into Rizzo's room in an abandoned building. The two misfits optimistically try to make it big in the seemingly difficult world. Director John Schlesinger beautifully unravels this story and masterfully controls the flow. Editing by Hugh A. Robertson is ahead of its time and music is used quite well. I was forced to listen to the title song "Everybody's Talkin'" (sung by Harry Nilsson) many times, which is a melodious country song. The highlight of the movie is brilliant performances by Jon Voight as naïve and small town boy Joe Buck and legendary Dustin Hoffman as crippled and sick Rizzo.

I Love Huckabees

2005-12-26T00:12:00.000-08:00

Movie: I Love Huckabees
Language: English
Genre: Comedy
Director: David O. Russell
Year: 2004
Watched on: 24 December 2005
Reviews:

Chandrakanth: **** (4/5)
I Heart (Love) Huckabees is an amazing comedy full of witty dialogs, unique visuals, great characterization and brilliant performances. Albert Markovski (Jason Schwartzman), an environmental activist and a poet hires a detective couple Bernard and Vivian (Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin) to help him out understand a coincidence and the very existence. The detectives’ unorthodox way of doing things includes spying on their subject to understand his psyche. As the movie as well as detectives make some progress we get to meet the Brad Stand (Jude Law) a Sales Manager at Huckabees and his model girlfriend Dawn (Naomi Watts). Brad, a smooth operator manipulates to depose Albert from directorship of the environmental group and get some protected land for Huckabees. Albert gets to meet fellow client Tommy, a fireman with a strong concern for exploitation of petroleum by human race. As they get disillusioned together with the detectives, Tommy introduces Albert to French nemesis of detective pair Caterine Vauban who seeks to help out the pair in her own way. This brilliant controlled chaos movie by writer and director David O. Russell reminds the style of the writer Charlie Kaufman (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Adaptation, Being John Malkovich…. ). Overall it is a brilliant comedy worth watching.

Scarlet Diva

2005-12-26T00:08:00.000-08:00

Movie: Scarlet Diva
Language: French/Italian/English
Genre: Drama
Director: Asia Argento
Year: 2000
Watched on: 24 December 2005
Reviews:

Chandrakanth: **** (4/5)
Asia Argento’s semi-autobiographical movie tells a disastrous tale of a budding Italian actress Anna Batista (potrayed by Asia Argento herself) who is mired in loneliness, drugs, predating friends and acquaintances. This film doesn’t have much of a story but is an energetic expression of pain and sadness suffered by the main protagonist. The movie is shot quite well to go with the gloomy mood of the film and the script too helps the cause. Asia Argento’s style of direction is very stark and realistic and some scenes are very disturbing. Overall it is a good movie but it is not for everyone.

The Hound of the Baskervilles

2005-12-25T22:57:00.000-08:00

Movie: The Hound of the Baskervilles
Language: English
Genre: Crime/ Mystery / Horror
Director: Terence Fisher
Year: 1959
Watched on: 22 December 2005
Reviews:

Chandrakanth: ***1/2 (3.5/5)

This one is a vintage Sherlock Holmes stuff. Peter Cushing dons role of the ultimate detective Sherlock Holmes and André Morell plays his sidekick Dr. Watson who go on a mission to unravel mysterious curse thrown upon the Baskerville family. Though the movie has its rough edges, it turns out to be a thoroughly enjoyable fare. Good performances and tight direction are the highlights of the movie. Though Cushing has done a good job, I find it difficult to accept anyone other than the great Jermy Brett as Sherlock Holmes.

Appartement, L'

2005-12-20T01:15:00.000-08:00

Movie: Appartement, L'
Language: French
Genre: Drama / Mystery / Romance
Director: Gilles Mimouni
Year: 1996
Watched on: 17 December 2005
Reviews:

Chandrakanth: **** (4/5)

25th Hour

2005-12-20T01:12:00.000-08:00

Movie: 25th Hour
Language: English
Genre: Crime / Drama
Director: Spike Lee
Year: 2002
Watched on: 16 December 2005
Reviews:

Chandrakanth: **** (4/5)

Baise-moi

2005-12-20T01:07:00.000-08:00

Movie: Baise-moi
Language: French
Genre: Drama / Thriller
Director: Virginie Despentes and Coralie
Year: 2000
Watched on: 15 December 2005
Reviews:

Chandrakanth: ** (2/5)

Before Night Falls

2005-12-05T02:21:00.000-08:00

Movie: Before Night Falls
Language: English / Spanish / Russian / French
Genre: Biography / Drama
Director: Julian Schnabel
Year: 2000
Watched on: 4 December 2005
Reviews:

Chandrakanth: **** (4/5)

The Cry of the Owl

2005-12-05T02:18:00.000-08:00

Movie: The Cry of the Owl (Cri du hibou, Le )
Language: French
Genre: Drama / Thriller
Director: Claude Chabrol
Year: 1987
Watched on: 3 December 2005
Reviews:

Chandrakanth: *** (3/5)

Annie Hall

2005-12-05T02:14:00.000-08:00

Movie: Annie Hall
Language: English
Genre: Comedy / Romance /Drama
Director: Woody Allen
Year: 1977
Watched on: 2 December 2005
Reviews:

Chandrakanth: **** (4/5)

The Star Maker

2005-12-02T01:31:00.000-08:00

Movie: The Star Maker (Uomo delle stelle, L')
Language: Italian
Genre: Comedy / Drama
Director: Giuseppe Tornatore
Year: 1995
Watched on: 27 November 2005
Reviews:

Chandrakanth: **** (4/5)

A Clockwork Orange

2005-12-02T01:24:00.000-08:00

Movie: A Clockwork Orange
Language: English
Genre: Crime / Drama / Sci-Fi / Thriller
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Year: 1971
Watched on: 26 November 2005
Reviews:

Chandrakanth: **** (4/5)

Raging Bull

2005-12-02T01:20:00.000-08:00

Movie: Raging Bull
Language: English
Genre: Drama / Biography
Director: Martin Scorsese
Year: 1980
Watched on: 25 November 2005
Reviews:

Chandrakanth: **** (4/5)

Ed Wood

2005-11-21T03:03:00.000-08:00

Movie: Ed Wood
Language: English
Genre: Drama / Comedy/ Biography
Director: Tim Burton
Year: 1994
Watched on: 20 November 2005
Reviews:

Chandrakanth: **** (4/5)

Brazil

2005-11-21T03:02:00.000-08:00

Movie: Brazil
Language: English
Genre: Comedy / Fantasy / Sci-Fi
Director: Terry Gilliam
Year: 1985
Watched on: 19 November 2005
Reviews:

Chandrakanth: *** (3/5)

Baraka

2005-11-21T02:54:00.000-08:00

Movie: Baraka
Language: None
Genre: Documentary
Director: Ron Frickie
Year: 1992
Watched on: 17 November 2005
Reviews:

Chandrakanth: **** (4/5)

This movie is similar to Koyaanisqatsi and is a documentary photographed on six continents in 24 countries including India. Like Koyaanisqatsi it has no story and dialogs, but probably still gives one an experience which he/she never had. This thought provoking movie sorrounds us with lots of questions about ourselves, our evolution and our existence. We get to see some breathtaking scenes which we might never see in our lives through our naked eyes. Ron Frickie, the genius cinematographer's brilliance can be seen in every frame.

Quiz Show

2005-11-14T02:54:00.000-08:00

Movie: Quiz Show
Language: English
Genre: Drama / History
Director: Robert Redford
Year: 1994
Watched on: 13 November 2005
Reviews:

Chandrakanth: **** (4/5)

Koyaanisqatsi

2005-11-14T02:26:00.001-08:00

Movie: Koyaanisqatsi
Language: None
Genre: Documentary
Director:Godfrey Reggio
Year: 1983
Watched on: 12 November 2005
Reviews:

Chandrakanth: **** (4/5)
A beautiful film without any conventional plot. Its just a collection of well photographed scenes. Film has brillaint photography by Ron Frickie and excellent music by Philip Glass. Director Godfrey Reggio has created Cinematic masterpiece without even a single line of dialog. It is very profound and deeply moving piece of work.

Thesis

2005-11-14T02:25:00.000-08:00

Movie: Thesis (Tesis)
Language: Spanish
Genre: Thriller / Horror / Drama
Director:Alejandro Amenábar
Year: 1996
Watched on: 11 November 2005
Reviews:

Chandrakanth: ***1/2 (3.5/5)

Hero

2005-10-24T02:44:00.000-07:00

Movie: Hero (Ying xiong)
Language: Mandarin
Genre: Action / Adventure / Drama
Director:Yimou Zhang
Year: 2002
Watched on: 23 October 2005
Reviews:

Chandrakanth: **** (4/5)

Stand by Me

2005-10-24T02:43:00.001-07:00

Movie: Stand by Me
Language: English
Genre: Adventure / Comedy / Drama
Director:Rob Reiner
Year: 1986
Watched on: 23 October 2005
Reviews:

Chandrakanth: **** (4/5)

Mulholland Dr

2005-10-24T02:43:00.000-07:00

Movie: Mulholland Dr
Language: English
Genre: Drama / Mystery / Thriller
Director:David Lynch
Year: 2001
Watched on: 21 October 2005
Reviews:

Chandrakanth: **** (4/5)

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring

2005-10-18T06:11:00.002-07:00

Movie: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (Bom yeoreum gaeul gyeoul geurigo bom)
Language: Korean
Genre: Drama
Director: Ki-duk Kim
Year: 2003
Watched on: 16 October 2005
Reviews:

Chandrakanth: **** (4/5)

With a Friend Like Harry...

2005-10-18T06:11:00.001-07:00

Movie: With a Friend Like Harry... (Harry, un ami qui vous veut du bien)
Language: French
Genre: Drama / Thriller
Director: Dominik Moll
Year: 2000
Watched on: 15 October 2005
Reviews:

Chandrakanth: **** (4/5)

Blues Brothers

2005-10-18T06:11:00.000-07:00

Movie: Blues Brothers
Language: English
Genre: Action / Comedy / Musical
Director: John Landis
Year: 1980
Watched on: 14 October 2005
Reviews:

Chandrakanth: **1/2 (2.5/5)

Hana-Bi

2005-10-10T02:52:00.000-07:00

Movie: Hana-Bi (Fireworks)
Language: Japanese
Genre: Comedy / Crime / Drama / Thriller
Director: Takeshi Kitano
Year: 1997
Watched on: 9 October 2005
Reviews:

Chandrakanth: **** (4/5)

Almost Famous

2005-10-10T02:51:00.000-07:00

Movie: Almost Famous
Language: English
Genre: Comedy / Adventure / Drama
Director: Cameron Crowe
Year: 2000
Watched on: 8 October 2005
Reviews:

Chandrakanth: **** (4/5)

Mystic River

2005-10-10T02:49:00.000-07:00

Movie: Mystic River
Language: English
Genre: Drama / Crime / Mystery
Director: Clint Eastwood
Year: 2003
Watched on: 8 October 2005
Reviews:

Chandrakanth: **** (4/5)

Being John Malkovich

2005-10-06T04:38:00.001-07:00

Movie: Being John Malkovich
Language: English
Genre: Comedy / Fantasy / Drama
Director: Spike Jonze
Year: 1999
Watched on: 1 October 2005
Reviews:

Chandrakanth: ***1/2 (3.5/5)

A very Long Engagement

2005-10-06T04:38:00.000-07:00

Movie: A very Long Engagement (Un long dimanche de fiançailles)
Language: French
Genre: Comedy/War/Drama
Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Year: 2004
Watched on: 31 September 2005
Reviews:

Chandrakanth: **** (4/5)

Crash

2005-09-28T03:53:00.000-07:00

Movie: Crash
Language: English
Genre: Drama/Thriller
Director: Paul Haggis
Year: 200t
Watched on: 27 September 2005
Reviews:

Chandrakanth: **** (4/5)

All About My Mother

2005-09-28T03:52:00.000-07:00

Movie: All About My Mother(Todo sobre mi madre)
Language: Spanish
Genre: Drama
Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Year: 1999
Watched on: 25 September 2005
Reviews:

Chandrakanth: ***1/2 (3.5/5)

12 Monkeys

2005-09-28T03:51:00.001-07:00

Movie: 12 Monkeys
Language: Terry Gilliam
Genre: Sci-Fi/Drama
Director: Terry Gilliam
Year: 1995
Watched on: 25 September 2005
Reviews:

Chandrakanth: ***1/3 (3.5/5)

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

2005-09-28T03:51:00.000-07:00

Movie: Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Language: English
Genre: Comedy
Director: John Hughes
Year: 1986
Watched on: 24 September 2005
Reviews:

Chandrakanth: *** (3/5)