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Movies I want to see in 2014
MIFF 2014
Reviews
The Babadook (2014)
The Babadook: Promising but ultimately let down by the ending (SPOILERS)
Contains SPOILERS.
First off, props to Jennifer Kent for crafting a pretty good Australian horror film. Amazing use of sound design to portray the mindset of Essie Davis character and her mental state. The kid was annoying and I guess he was meant to be but overdid it in the first 30 minutes but thankfully settled in and overall did a great job. Essie Davis was amazing and went from being helpless and out of her wits to borderline psychotic and handled the shift really well. The set design, music and the cinematography all combined to create a sense of foreboding and dread very effectively. A tight, taut thriller that goes BOOM in the last 30 minutes but then unfortunately I think is let down by the last 5 minutes to come to the weird ending. While I am OK with the ending being ambiguous, it seemed like the film-makers were going for the usual clichéd happy ending which given the events transpired before seemed almost too easy for Essie Davis character. I'm not sure what the whole toothache and her pulling her tooth out in the climax signified either?
Overall, an effective thriller with some amazing use of sound design to create a chilling atmosphere with some great acting by the two leads but let down by a weak ending that just didn't quite know where it wanted to go. In saying that, Jennifer Kent did a fantastic job for a first feature and it will be interesting to see what she does next..
Oblivion (2013)
Great story, amazing visuals, but not the polished article
I really wanted to like this. An intelligent story that despite the sic-fi setting would be welcomed by even non-fans of the genre. The production design and the visuals, particularly on the wide, landscape shots are just breath-taking and the future Earth is also well-depicted. Cinematography by Claudio Miranda was just gorgeous (had to look up afterwards who shot it, it was that good)! Alas, the final product felt a bit cold and empty for me and despite really wanting to like it, I wasn't as emotionally drawn to it as I would have liked. The issues for me stemmed from the choice of actors.
Tom Cruise was really good, but I felt I was watching Tom Cruise, the star, not the actor who has worked on projects before where you believed the character was doing all the stuff, not Tom Cruise, the star e.g.. Tropic Thunder, Magnolia, Jerry Maguire etc. As much as I wanted to believe his role and his character, it left me slightly cold. When you are not invested in your central character all the way, that becomes a huge problem.
Olga Kurylenko was an absolute waste for me. Not for a second did I believe that if that was me, I would be ready to give up my life for her! Her character was well-written, she was gorgeous and had that vulnerability about her, but her acting chops let her down big time.
Andrea Riseborough, take a bow. Probably the strongest performance for me. In her small screen time, you totally invested in her character and her motivations. An absolute revelation and I would love to see more of her in future projects.
Morgan Freeman and Nikolaj Coaster-Waldau could have been combined into the one single character and that would have been much better. Didn't really see the point of two separate characters for these two.
Overall, a great story. Could have been something special e.g.. Gattaca, Moon etc. but unfortunately not quite for me. Kudos to Kosinski and Tom Cruise for giving it a go. Great to see a refreshingly different take on the sic-fi genre. This, despite its flaws, is still worthy of 2 hours of your time.
Prometheus (2012)
Profound! Intelligent! Thought-provoking! Thank you Sir Ridley!
Having only just seen this at IMAX Melbourne in 3D, my head is spinning! In a very good way :-) I wanted to put my thoughts down ASAP and I am happy to report (to a true cinephile), Prometheus doesn't disappoint. It delivers in spades and much more, BUT only if you walk in with a open mind, not expecting Alien, Aliens or a hybrid of both. Why would Sir Ridley try and do that when he made what is probably the best sci-fi/horror film of all time way back in 1979? No..it had to be this way. More profound and intelligent and forcing us to really closely follow the action on screen. The visuals are just "died and gone to LV-223" pretty! The scale of the scenes and the landscape is something only Sir Ridley would attempt and be able to pull of (without the CGI and aiding the storyline and action rather than taking over it). Sure there are some issues regarding character development, but I was willing to forgive, given we will never have another Ripleyesque type character.
Mark my words. This is hands down the most intelligent sci-fi film in a long, long time and after the foul taste of Aliens3 (had the right mix, just didn't cook properly) and Alien: Resurrection (DOA), this glorious spectacle, in 3D nonetheless, is a fitting and proper tie-up of all the questions you ever had from the first Alien. Prometheus won't be liked by all, it won't achieve the fame of Alien/Aliens (not straight away anyway), but over time, as you ponder it's existence, watch it a few times and realize what it set out to achieve (and indeed, achieved), you will thank Sir Ridley like I did tonight. After 33 years, the master delivered a fitting conclusion to his original masterpiece
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)
Watch the 1979 BBC series instead with Sir Alec Guiness!!
Seen both the Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy versions (recent movie & 1979 BBC series) and this movie is a prime example of how a movie version can completely ruin a story. Watch the series, it's absolutely amazing! Slow, methodical, characters evolve much better and the payoff in the end is so damn good. The movie just left me cold. Couldn't really connect with any of the characters except Peter Guillam played by Benedict Cumberbatch. If you watch the series (7 episodes), I loved Jim Prideaux's character, Ricky Tarr's character, even Control! Each one of them was properly fleshed out and felt real. And the pace & the slow expose of the mole within MI6 felt just perfect..
So, overall: The BBC 1979 series with Alec Guiness **** out of ***** The 2011 movie with Gary Oldman **1/2 out of *****
Buried (2010)
Terrific concept, brilliant execution
Take 1 coffin, one man and 90 minutes and try and keep your audience to buy into the character and the premise without giving up..Sounds like Mission Impossible, but Rodrigo Cortes pulls it off with amazing results. In terms of suspense and edge of the seat thrills, this is right up there! I would hate to give away the plot of this amazing movie, but it's possibly one of the best of 2010! Well worth it, for the amazing setting and the fact that it maintains the intensity and suspense for the entire 90 minutes. Without knowing it, I realized I was holding my breath right up to the end when I exhaled slowly! Ryan Reynolds does a competent job, he's convincing as the desperate man, but the kudos clearly belong to Rodrigo Cortes for pulling off a difficult premise with amazing success..One to watch for in the future with his next project..These are the kind of movies that energize me and make me believe that Hollywood can unearth some gems amongst the huge chunk of garbage it produces every year. I rate this highly! 9 out of 10
Predators (2010)
It's OK, but it's definitely not a patch on the original
Good sequel, but it certainly isn't the 7.9 rating it has currently. I loved the original, could watch it again now and absolutely feel the tension and then love the carnage unleashed in the 2nd half of the movie. Predators does do justice to the original, in re-creating a tense first half as the group is hunted and toyed with..
So, here are my thoughts. The acting, overall, is good, but some weak points..especially Topher Grace!! Useless! Laurence Fishburne, mate! What on earth happened? You used to be such a great actor..see Deep Cover, Boyz N the Hood..Brody, Braga and the others are good and believable. The Meican character played by Danny Trejo could as well have been non- existent..Why was he even in the movie, I don't know. Same with the African character...
The action was good, but sporadic and the scene with the hunting dogs looked so fake..They should have paid more attention to creative hunting by the predators rather than using the arc with the dogs..I for one, hated that scene!
The Predators and their cloaking wasn't explored enough. And Brody gets beat up by the Predator at the end and has no bruising, no broken bones at all and then gets up and finishes off the last Predator! Sorry, not believable. The original had Arnie using some ingenious methods to try and kill the Predator and even in the end, he actually blows himself up. Arnie's character knows he's lucky to survive. Predators has Braga and Brody surviving?!! Sorry, not plausible at all..For all their good work in the first 45 minutes, the second half was a copout. But's it's the studios running the show coz I guess they need a sequel, right? Would never have happened in the 80's where it was gritty and realistic.
So, after all that, it's worth watching for re-creating memories of the original and listening to the music and seeing the Predators again but I came home and put on the original and then went to bed satisfied..Predator is still #1. The hallmark of a great movie? It still stands the test of time after many years and countless watchings and still seems believable..
Cloverfield (2008)
Well made and better than you believe
I actually liked this even the 2nd time around..Watched it at the movies when it first came out and was blown away by it and definitely needed to be seen on the big screen to experience the devastation and the disaster that they portray..Some really intense scenes, including the one in the tunnel..Sure, we've seen some this in other movies, but this is hyper-realistic, right down to the choice of the shaky-cam (or whatever it is you wanna call it). Personally, I prefer this type of cinematography for this movie as it fits well and adds to the chaos surrounding the characters.
So, overall, I liked that you didn't know a lot. Imagine yourself in that scenario and think how you would react and behave? You would know squat, you'd run and if you had a loved one, all rationality would go out through the door and you would try to get to them. Obviously, Clovervield is not trying to be hyper-realistic, so take it as it it is and enjoy the movie as it it's trim, taut and terrific 81 minutes will have you holding your breath and ducking for cover at the destruction taking place on screen. ***1/2 out of *****
Das weiße Band - Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte (2009)
A masterpiece most will not understand
Just finished watching this at Melbourne International Film Festival 2009 with the girlfriend..She rated it a 2 out of 5, I gave it a out of 5..Both of us also saw a fantastic documentary called The Cove on the weekend which we both rated 5 out of 5..Just goes to show that anything that we emotionally and visually connect with is going to inherently going to rate better..
The White Ribbon deals with our hypocritical society and really exposes how little we have progressed..Sins are committed by elders in the name of religion or parenting and the children bear the scars..Are we any better today in our behaviour? I think not..Haneke doesn't bother ramming it down our throats..Indeed, the black and white cinematography is exquisite and a major reason I felt why we couldn't connect with on a emotional scale..Perhaps Haneke meant that to be so?
None of the characters overshadow each other and things move at a deliberate pace..Things unfold slowly so we may understand what is happening here..Elders committing atrocities, going unpunished for their behaviour, but the sins are being punished by crimes against the children, and in an interesting turn of events, questions are raised by the central character, The Teacher, that the crimes may indeed be the handiwork of the children themselves, punishing the parents for their repulsive behaviour...
As per usual, nothing is laid out on a platter, not even the ending..remember Hidden(Cache)? A lot of quizzical looks around, muted applause and a lot of ppl like my girlfriend will forget about it by tomorrow..But as a lesson on what animals and monsters we hide and ignore behind the safe curtain of society's rules of hypocrisy, this is a monumental expose by Michael Haneke..
Brilliant, thought-provoking, sublime cinematography and a movie-maker self-assured to let the movie slowly unfold and at the top of his game, yet another important addition to his existing body of work.. **** out of *****
Samson & Delilah (2009)
Rare Beauty
Saw this at Cinema Nova in Carlton this afternoon..There was a lineup of 100 deep to get into the cinema, something I have never experienced before at Cinema Nova..The movie started and there was silence..around us and in the movie! Words weren't needed..Things we have read, things we have been told about, we watch unfold in front our eyes..Unflinching in in it's portrayal of a culture and people abandoned and victimized by us Australians..The movie itself is brilliant, but what message will we take away from it? Go to work tomorrow and discuss with people how brilliant it is? Have lunch/dinner with friends and rave on about it's searing truth? We were ready to help the people affected by "Black Saturday" so generously, but what about these people who need such a huge helping hand and who have been truly abandoned by us even though they are the original bearers of this great land of ours? Such fantastic pictures we paint of Australia, mate! Sunny, beaches, seafood, Opera House, the Harbour bridge etc..but for these people the reality is painfully far from all that..
Deeply affecting for me, I hope that everyone at the cinema today felt the same..As a nation, we need to galvanize ourselves so that we may save this important heritage from becoming completely extinct..But I fear many of us will shy away at the magnitude of the task ahead..It's a race of people we have hardly ever understood and so different that we steer clear..Yes, I have been one of those people who have looked at them with suspicion in stores, in super-markets, in restaurants and cafés etc..I have learned a few things today and hope I can help in some way..
Watch this please, it's an important movie with huge social implications for our society and for us as Australians..Too beautiful for words, Samson and Delilah will take your breath away
Hunger (2008)
Searing and harrowing depiction of prison life
I was meant to go see this with my girlfriend but she pulled out at the last minute..As angry as I was at her then, I was mightily relived that she had in fact missed this because there are scenes and imagery in this movie that she would not have coped with at all..I was glued to the seat and my eyes couldn't believe what I was seeing because if the imagery on screen was an indicator, then the real life would have been 10 times worse, I would think..
Unflinching in it's portrayal of prison life and torture and beatings and the behavior of the prisoners to gain attention, most of the movie was just quiet scenes of this hard to take in treatment of the prisoners..I found myself quietly exhaling most of the movie as unbeknown to me, I would find myself holding my breath for long periods of time..
It's a sad, sad tale of things that we do to each other and to think we are human? When I open up the paper, most days I think to myself, we stopped being humane a long, long time ago..There are moments where some random act of kindness or self-sacrifice or bravery makes u believe in humanity, but it's far and few in between..
Michael Fassbinder's physical transformation during the time of the hunger strike was shocking to behold..The last scene of him with eyes open and the gaunt face and the white skin and hollow cheeks is something I hope no human being has to ever endure to get their point across..And the scene in the mess hall with the priest was a revelation in how not to mess with the structure of a scene, but just let the drama unfold in it's own time and develop a quiet power of its own
Overall, a moving tale and there are some graphic and strong scenes which are not for everyone to behold..But do yourself a favor, if you do go to see this movie..Do not for one second turn your eyes away from the screen..Watch all of it so that you are so sickened by it that you and I can realize that there are people still dying of hunger and atrocities are still being committed on innocent people even today..
Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
Re: Danny Boyle reinvents himself
Just saw this at Cinema Nova and I was blown away..Love Danny's early work such as Shallow Grave and Trainspotting but wasn't the biggest fan of Sunshine or 28 days Later..This, however, was amazing..So rich in characterization..I'm Indian myself from Mumbai so watching this was nostalgia and also a sense of how much we have it good and we don't even it know it sometimes :-)
The early childhood sequences with the two kids were awesome..Funny, poignant and sad..However, as is life in Mumbai, the kids were always smiling and they just get on with life..Because there just isn't any other alternative..All you can do is dream, and for some, their dreams do come true..
Well realized movie and the cutting back and forth between the quiz show and the way Jamal knew the answers kept the suspense and the momentum going..The sights and the colors of Mumbai were amazing and the two leads, Dev Patel and Freida Pinto excelled, in particular, Dev Patel, who I thought was an absolute revelation
Is this the best movie of the year come Oscar time as a lot of people are claiming it to be? One thing is for sure..This is absolutely the FEEL-GOOD movie of the holiday season..Take your friends or your partner or watch it with the whole family and you will come out feeling good about life and love and dare to dream :-)
Le scaphandre et le papillon (2007)
Re: Stunning, visually and emotionally
I watched this today and I was utterly mesmerized from the opening sequence right to the end..What a heartbreakingly, poignant story..We should be so lucky to be able to share in this man's thoughts and memories and loves and likes and dislikes. A huge credit to the people who made this movie and to the acting/production team as well..in particular, Julian Schnabel(Director), Matthew Amalric(actor portraying Jean-Do), Janusz Kaminsky(cinematography) and Paul Cantelon(Original Music)..That this movie was not nominated for a best film Oscar or for best Foreign film leaves me utterly speechless..It's rated as #200 on the IMDb charts but is The Dark Knight (#1) a better film than this moving experience?
If u haven't watched this movie, please do yourself a favor and go and watch it..I know that I will never look at a handicapped person the same way again..Things we take for granted and things we ignore..sometimes, there is beauty all around us and we don't even notice, we don't even care..
The Butterfly Effect (2004)
Better than average
Read some of the reviews for this movie and it has got some awful reviews! However, I'm guessing that over 12,000 IMDb voters + myself cannot be wrong that this was an intriguing, interesting movie that was a welcome change from the slick, media driven over-hyped, big budget trash that Hollywood normally wants us to go see
Ashton Kutcher did a decent job with his acting limitations, I thought. Obviously, the fact that he is more appealing as a comedic actor didn't help him, but at least he's trying to grow as an actor. Who would have thought Bill Murray capable of Rushmore or Lost in Translation?
The best thing the movie had going for itself was the story involving time travel, the supernatural, the butterfly effect etc...It was handled well and nothing was too over the top or unbelievable
I would recommend this movie to everyone and would give it ***1/2 stars out of *****
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
Depp the legend
Johnny Depp. How good can this man get? As an actor, his range of roles are just unbelievable and to think that he has been doing this for so long? It's a shame Hollywood took so long to realize this man's worth, but I'm glad that he's finally getting the recognition that he deserves:-) The movie itself was ok, nothing great. Saved by Depp and Geoffrey Rush(fellow aussie, thanks mate!) in their roles. Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley were merely adequate. Thankfully, the effects didn't take over the movie, merely helped it look better. A swashbuckling adventure and dare I say I smell a sequel?
Predator (1987)
Still a great movie!
Wow! I have obviously seen this ages ago when I was a teen(whole different story). Seen it on TV a few times but finally got the DVD today. Best damn 20 bucks I ever spent, I tell ya. What amazes me about these movies(Die Hard, Lethal Weapon, The Terminator, The Abyss) is the fact that the SFX still look so real compared by today's standards. If anything, SFX nowadays don't look real and take away from the realism factor which is what draws an audience to a movie The best part has to be the nearly 20 min finale scene with hardly any dialogue, but just man Vs. predator. The music, the stalking, the concept, the action(Mac with the big-ass gun), the cinematography, the director(what was he doing making Rollerball?!!) are all top-notch. This ranks right up there amongst action/science-fiction flicks Predator 2 didn't even come close to matching the original...
The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
Loved it!
Ok! So Matrix Reloaded is finally out and the general consensus seems to be that as always, it isn't better than its predecessor. While this may be true overall, Reloaded is still a fabulous film in its own right. I was afraid I might not enjoy it, having heard negative reports about it from friends who had rushed to see it but were a tad bit disappointed. Without giving too much away, the Zion gathering scene just left me scratching my head..I mean, it didn't need to be in the movie at all! Other aspects of the movie were awesome. The fight sequences looked a bit animated at times, but did not take away from the sheer breathtaking quality of the sequences. The twins, the Oracle, the Architect and Agent Smith were all minor players, but pretty convincing. I actually liked the fact that rather than being too heavy on the action, Reloaded deals with Neo's attempts to understand his role in the prophecy and his powers. As Agent Smith tells Neo, he's using all the muscles except the one in his head, coz he is yet to understand the full extent of his powers..The scenes with the Architect and the Oracle deal with this as well, and I was slightly taken aback by a certain revealation by the Architect in his talk with Neo..you'll know what I mean when you watch the movie. The ending as everyone will tell you leaves you hanging! Could have been done better but then again, what better way to whet audiences appetites than to leave them wanting more of the Matrix? Overall, I rate Reloaded 8 out of 10 or ***1/2 out of *****
Blade II (2002)
Not a patch on the Original
Whereas the original Blade was an edgy, dark thriller with awesome, real, action sequences, the sequel is almost comic-like, with enhanced special effects and well-choreographed fight sequences. However, the plot and the characters are wafer-thin and the Reapers, the new bad guys, are hardly given any substance to. Wesley Snipes is about the only thing that carries the movie as he really suits the character. Unfortunately, every other character has only a few moments to establish themselves before we move into another extended fight sequence. Overall, an average sequel, but do watch it if you liked the original Blade
Donnie Darko (2001)
Exceptional movie making!
Watching this movie, I was reminded of a line from another fabulous movie..."Sometimes, there is so much beauty in this world, I just can't take it"(hope I got that right?) An exceptional movie from all aspects. The acting, from the lead (Jake Gyllenhall-Donnie Darko) to the supporting cast, is remarkable. The direction, the production and the soundtrack are all so incredibly perfect, that I am baffled that this movie did not recieve any award nominations during last year's awards run-in to the Oscars?? Seen a few user comments here on IMdb that compare this film to being the worst film of all time? Wow! Cannot understand if they saw the same film that I and thousands of others saw and loved so much that it is now in the top #100 of all time? I am guessing they were expecting either a Scream/Final Destination kinda slasher flick.. Not sure if I understood all aspects of the storyline, though...It will probably require a couple of viewings before I can finally relish this truly delightful, dark, funny, poignant movie. Something that will remain with me for a long, long time. The DVD version in Australia has the extended/deleted scenes package. In one of the deleted scenes, Donnie and his father Eddie are having a chat and Eddie tells Donnie to be true to what he sees and feels coz the rest of the world who laughs at him are fools, bulls*** artists...Man, I better stop coz there are so many things in this brilliant movie that I could rave on about..non-stop!! This is a must-see for any intelligent individual. A true, modern masterpiece of our times.
10 out of 10, 5 stars out of 5, 100 out of 100..U get the picture, right?
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)
Better, but still a poor cousin to the original!
I know that this is not what Star Wars fans would want to read, but it happens to be the truth! I am a huge Star Wars fan (like the rest of you!) and I wish Attack of the Clones would have been better, but it just isn't..unfortunately. Saying that, I'm not bagging it entirely!! It's got some great sfx, fabulous fight sequences and some really interesting characters, except for the two main leads, that is!! Hayden Christansen is as wooden as they come!! Truly, the force is not strong in him:-) Natalie Portman sleepwalks through her role, the romance between the two is cheesy, B-grade stuff. George, if you're out there, mate! leave the directing to people who know their craft! I saw this at the midnight screening in Newcastle's Showcase City Cinemas..great turnout, the theatre was packed out and plenty of applause all-around and for one particular scene in the climax..You gotta watch it and you'll love it too!! Overall, like I said in the title, a better effort than The Phantom Menace, and some really good stuff in between the bad cheesy stuff that the main leads put on! George, you have one more chance to redeem yourself, mate! I know the force is strong with you! You can definitely do better!! Of course, it will make a ton of money, but if you are a Star Wars fan, you will be trying to hide your disappointment as you walk out, just like I was..Of course, you still have to go see it, ok? Don't give in to the dark side:-)
Cheers Rahul Prasad
A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
Superlative Masterpiece that Kubrick would be proud of!
It appalls me that there are people out there who have voted this movie as a 1 ie truly awful on the IMDb scale!! Sigh...
This is an astonishing movie that had me in tears by the end. It was gut-wrenching at times and the whole movie for me was perfect. Yes, it was long, but it didn't register to me for a second, so engrossed was I in the scenario unfolding on the screen. And boy! what a talent Haley Joel Osment is!! It makes me jealous that he can act with such great skill!! Kudos to the young lad! The dark mood of the movie, the music score and even the SFX were marvelous... A touching movie for me...I was trying to hold back the tears at the end..
Watch it and realize that we aren't as "human" as we are made out to be!
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
A Flawless Masterpiece
To be quite honest, I wasn't too keen on watching this movie coz of all the hype surrounding it..don't get me wrong! It's just that too many movies of late have failed to live up to my expectations after generating heaps of buzz. So, at the end of the movie tonight, I was just taken aback by the flawless masterpiece that Peter Jackson has created! With credible actors, superb locations and a great visual style, the fantasy truly springs to life! It is everything that I imagined it would be like and even more so. The acting, the costumes, the sound, the action, the music, were all perfect. Even the three hour length didn't bother me! I simply cannot wait for the next instalment in the trilogy. Knowing that Peter Jackson has already filmed all three movies, I am consumed with curiousity for him to release it sooner than Christmas 2002:-) I do hope this wins a heap of Oscars, coz it truly is the best fantasy film I have seen to date and my faith in movies has been restored again..at least for the present time being!
Cheers Rahul Prasad
Memento (2000)
You won't forget this movie!
About a couple of months ago, I read with curious interest, a review of a movie called Memento on Mr. Showbiz. It caught my eye coz of my fellow Aussie, Guy Pearce(LA Confidential, Ravenous) starring in it. Since then, I have waited and waited and waited...until finally a couple of days ago, I saw it in my local video library. I knew it was a thriller about a guy out for revenge, but the pace, the acting, the plot and the structure of this movie totally astounded me. My girlfriend wasn't too keen on watching it initially, but in the end she was so hooked on to the movie, that she missed her bus to work and had to catch a cab! I won't ruin this picture for you other than letting you know what a gem of a movie this is!! A noirish thriller with superb pacing, directing and competent acting by the ensemble cast, especially from Guy Pearce as the insurance investigator/detective Leonard Shelby. Glad to see the Aussies doing so well and making quality pics rather than just mindless, brain-numbing blockbusters...Do not miss this movie for any reason!!! I have rated this 9 out of 10 simply because I never rate any movie as being perfect. But this one is right up there..after all 15,000 voters and a top 10 rank from IMDb users can't go wrong, can it?
Cheers Rahul Prasad
Cast Away (2000)
A Superlative Performance
After seeing Cast Away, you realize just why Tom Hanks is our generation's finest actor! To be able to carry off a movie on his own with liitle or no dialogue for major sections of the movie is quite the achievement, not to mention the difficult conditions that the movie was shot under and the physical demands of the role as well. Although, there are parts of the movie that feel rather stunted, it is a movie about a man stranded on an island and trying to cope with loneliness and survival on his own. What I loved was the middle part, when he's on his own, but there is no music, no drama, just Tom Hanks, and the sights and sounds of the island around him..Ahhh..I lust after that tranquility..don't get me wrong!! I don't ever wanna be stranded..I think I'd die within days:-)) The Academy chose Russell Crowe instead for Best Actor. Now, I am an Aussie myself(well, Indian born, but true blue at heart) and I was glad for Russell, he's a gem of an actor, but it truly did belong to one guy who wasn't even nominated!!! Michael Douglas for Wonder Boys was my clear choice for Best Actor. But after his non-nomination, I was firmly behind Tom Hanks making it three in a row. Do not watch this movie on a Saturday night with friends!! Watch it all alone and rejoice in the fact that we have an actor of Tom's calibre for our entertainment:-))
Cheers Rahul Prasad
Hollow Man (2000)
Great premise, shockingly bad treatment!
Well, Paul Verhoeven has had a mixed bag of films in the last couple of years...for every Basic Instinct and Starship Troopers(this was such a kick-ass movie) he has done a Showgirls(pathetic) and now Hollow Man. He chooses interesting stories to tell and is a stylish director visually, but his treatment of the subject matter leaves a bitter taste. With Hollow Man, the concept of a man finding his powers after becoming invisible had such great potential, but by limiting the movie's protagonist(Kevin Bacon/Dr. Sebastian Caine) to a one-dimensional negative character, he has let us all down. Instead of focusing on the potential hell that the main character could unleash on the outside world, the director goes for the sex and gore overkill by focusing on violence and needless scenes of women being groped and pawed at. Pitiful to say the least, despite some awesome sfx sequences involving an invisible gorilla being made visible again and Kevin Bacon literally going invisible in front of our eyes, bit by bit!! Rent it out on video if you've had an awesomely tiring day at work and are in the mood for a no-brainer:-) Cheerio, folks
Rahul Prasad