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Reviews
Bad Boys II (2003)
Great Popcorn Flick
Bad Boys II is one of those films you can watch with a bunch of friends and be thoroughly entertained, because you really don't have to pay much attention to the story because there really is none. This film works because Micahel Bay & Jerry Bruikheimer know how to make fun movies. What makes this film great, is mainly the on screen chemistry of Will Smith & Martin Lawrence, who are great together. Superb action sequences, especially the freeway scene (makes the Matrix Reloaded look like a puppy). With Smith & Lawrence you can expect big laughs (especially the scene where they scare the crap out of a young teenager). Overall I highly recommend this film, not for kids or young teenagers.
Jhankaar Beats (2003)
Superb Bollywood product
Before actually seeing this film, I had little to no expectations, but after viewing it remains one of my favorite films. The story is quite simple, its about these two RD Burman obsessed musicians who are trying to win the musical competition, and the funny circumstances they run into along the way. Excellently written & directed by first timer Sujoy Ghosh, with awesome music by Vishal & Shekar, and great performances from the entire cast. This film will have you laughing so hard. The film also contains its messages about life and friendships along the way. This film shows Bollywood's potential in making great films if it pays more attention to script and character development. Though the film does not carry any huge superstars (Except for Juhi Chawla), this film is a must see. A++
Dus (2005)
A lot of style but no substance
Dus had a lot of things going for it, good action, big star cast, chart topping music, and great production values. But it had no story and a very bad screenplay that led to its downfall. This is sad because it had a lot of potential to be great. The title song, Dus Bahane, is the best part of the movie, fast paced song by Vishal-Shekar, pictured well on Abhishek and Zayed is arguably one of the best Hindi film songs in history. The plot is too ridiculous, basically the India anti-terrorist group must stop a plot in Canada. Of the actors only four actors are worth watching; Abhishek Bachchan, Shilpa Shetty, Sanjay Dutt and Pankaj Kapur in that order. I don't even think this film is a decent time pass film.
Batman & Robin (1997)
This is what happens when you let studios make movies
A clear example to any film maker of how not to make a comic book film, or any type of film, period. I forgave Joel Shumacher for "Batman Forever" because it was mildly entertaining, but still lacked the genius of Tim Burton & Chritophere Nolan's brilliant films. All the actors are horrible with the exception of Michael Gough who portrays Alfred, he was the only one trying. There are some many examples in this film where Shumacher tries to insult our intelligence for example; the Batsuits w/ nipples and weird gizmos that pop out of nowhere, the credit card, the car, the cheesy dialouges, lack of plot of character development. DO NOT SEE THIS FILM EVER!!!
Sarkar (2005)
Ramu & Amitabh are the new Dream team
Ram Gopal Verma's adaptation of the classic "Godfather", works for many reasons, first for Ramu's excellent direction, brilliant performances from the whole cast (in particular Amitabh Bachchan, which I think is his best performance ever), great background score. The film does not really have a gripping story, so it mostly relies on its strong characters and stylish execution. The story is basically Amitabh Bachchan known as Sarkar, distributes justice to the common man who has been wronged, he is very respected by his people and family, except for one of his sons. One day a man asks permission from Sarkar to have a shipment delivered to a village in Sarkar's area, and Sarkar refuses knowing that this man is up to no good, this starts a chain events that leads Sarkar's youngest son (Abhishek) to take matters into his own hands. No songs to interrupt the narrative. Very strong violence and language. One of the best films of 2005.
The Rock (1996)
Definitely, one of the greatest action movies ever made
This in my opinion is the second best action movie ever made, number one being John Woo's "Face/Off". This film has everything I look for when going to the movies. It has a good story, interesting characters (excellently portrayed by Cage, Connery, and Harris), superb action sequences, and great comedy. This is textbook Bruickheimer movie, and Michael Bay's best film (and probably the only one film of his to actually get good reviews). Premise is simple a revered war hero (Harris) decides to get revenge on the US government for their poor treatment of his soldiers who died in the Gulf, by holding hostage hundreds of tourists at the legendary Alcatraz (The Rock) prison, along the VX gas rockets, that have devastating effects. FBI recruit their top chemical weapons specialist Goodsped (Cage) to help defuse the rockets. They also seek the help of Mason (Connery), a prisoned spy who knows all the government's dirty secrets. Mason is chosen because he is the only one who has escaped the rock alive, and they need him to get into the prison. A must see for all action lovers!
War of the Worlds (2005)
Not Spielberg's best alien movie, but still good
After watching the brilliant Minority Report, I couldn't wait to see the next collaboration by Spielberg & Cruise, hoping for an even better film. War of the Worlds is good, but nowhere near Minority Report. The premise is pretty simple, Cruise plays a divorced dad who gets his kids for a couple of days while his ex-wife visits her parents. Couldn't have picked a worse time, as this is when the martians decide to attack us and take over the world, and plumage our resources. Cruise, who is not a very responsible dad, must grow up and protect his kids while they try to make their way to Boston, to their Mother. This film is not really about aliens and their takeover, but about family. The film which is masked to really resemble the 9/11 attacks a couple years ago. This film is more about family relationships then sci-fi action pix. But the flick does contain some the greatest special effects ever witnessed on film. A must see!
House of Wax (2005)
Good horror flick after a long time.
I have not seen the original Vincent Price version, so I can't tell whether or not this one is better or not. But overall this film is very good. The story is pretty simple a group of college kids go on a road trip, and through a series of events end up in some weird town, featuring the main attraction, The House of Wax. Added into the mix are the psychotic caretakers who want to add them to their collection. This film is filled with a lot thrills and scary moments that should keep you on the edge of your seat from 90 minutes. Of the actors, Chad Michael Murray and Elisha Chubert are tops. This is a good popcorn movie, so don't expect a masterpiece in the tradition of Hitchcock.