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All reviews - Movies (206) - TV Shows (1) - Music (24)

Matchstick Men review

Posted : 12 years, 11 months ago on 21 January 2012 11:39 (A review of Matchstick Men)

Aliens in outer space. Replicants loose in a rainy city. Two women against the world. Gladiators fighting each other to death and now, an obsessive-compulsive personality disorder con man conning people with his partner and a daughter he never knew he ever had. Boy, Sir Ridley Scott has really covered all bases from from space to earth, ancient times to modern times! Matchstick Men, referring to their jobs, is quite an excellent, funny, fast-moving film with a rather great screenplay. I don't usually write about screenplays but this one deserves it. Sir Ridley Scott is one of the reasons why many of the actors and actresses have made some of their greatest movies (Harrison Ford - Blade Runner, Russell Crowe - Gladiator, Susan Sarandon & Geena Davis - Thelma & Louise just to name a very few and now, Nicolas Cage) From the late 80's till early 2000's, Nicolas Cage gave some of the best movie performances and, same his characters may seem, managed to entertain us with performances no other actor could possibly play. Hate him or like him but you're bound to be glued to the screen when you watch this movie and Cage's surefire Oscar role which he didn't get - a shame really!

Well, my history is a little shaky at the moment but, correct me if I'm wrong, Sir Ridley Scott has probably never used this many use of the cut-shot technique as he has done in this movie. It's perfectly well-timed and done all in the right number of times; Reminded me of a similar move in Hellraiser: Hellseeker. Also, it has two of the best tropes I enjoy: 1) A father gets a visit from a child (in this case, a daughter) he never knew he had (although the ending may shock you) and 2) having a star play a role half their age (Alison Lohman was 24 and she played a 14 yr. old). Chemistry-wise, I enjoyed Cage & Lohman the best with Cage & Rockwell a close second.

Watch this movie if you're in the mood for something light, yet intriguing, and/or something that after when you finish the film you would be like "now that was worth of my time"

8.5/10


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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 review

Posted : 12 years, 11 months ago on 21 January 2012 11:21 (A review of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2)

Seriously, this movie received a 96% approval at RottenTomatos? Sir Roger Ebert gave it 3-1/2 stars out of 4? I don't wanna sound like a stinker or anything but Part 2 wasn't satisfying or interesting at all. There were many flaws and they unnecessarily altered or removed many dialogues from the book, thus giving us another reason not to watch movies based on books, especially popular ones. Don't get me wrong but I really enjoyed all Harry Potter installments and I believe that it really started the whole fantasy bug which Hollywood is currently suffering from but Deathly Hallows pt. 2, just like SAW 3D, wasn't at all satisfying or finishing off the franchise in a memorable way. Let's break this review in two parts:

Downfalls: For a very brief period of time, Daniel Radcliffe finally connected himself to this titular character and, in turn, connected with the audience, or at least to me (Goblet of Fire, Prisoner of Azkaban, second half of Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows pt. 1) but something seriously went wrong here. He wasn't up to his usual self and I wouldn't say it was sub-par, it was nearly there. Other than that, they cut out many scenes from the book, especially the whole Pensieve segment, which was a disappointment as I was really looking forward to it. Also, the death scenes of Bellatrix Lestrange and Voldemort. The former explodes and the latter departs in a puff of 'butterflies': WTF?? Thank god the cry of Molly Weasley "not my daughter you bitch" was amazing! Other than all this, they added funny dialogues and moments in otherwise inappropriate times. But on the other hand

Redeeming features: Rupert Grint and Emma Watson as Ron & Hermione, respectively, were great as usual. From Goblet of Fire onwards, their peformances greatly increased and they really showed their full potential in this film. No complains on their side. As usual, the effects were gorgeous and I also liked the 19 years later epilogue. I don't why but it was exactly the way I had imagined it to be and it gave. Good performances by supporting cast and quite good cinematography too. It shows what you want to see but at the same time, usues a-lot of close-ups and slow zoom-ins.

Continuing with my habit of recognizing one actor/actress from a Harry Potter installment, I would like to label out Matthew Lewis as Neville Longbottom from this one. If he was funny in Chamber of Secrets and surprisingly good in Goblet of Fire, then he was the best in Deathly Hallows pt. 2 and he really made full use of his screen-time, delivering a good mix of comedy and heroism which reminded me of a nice, less-swearing version of John McClane or to be more specific, Rocky Balboa without the gloves and cheesy dialogues. His speech near the end of the film is one of the best movie-speeches I've seen. A very impressive performance. All in all, in conclusion, this film was quite bearable and those who still haven't read the books will find it interesting but those you have read it at least 5 times, like me, will kinda find it boring and will notice that it strays too far from the original. Watch if you will but if you're not in the mood for disappointment, then pass off this one and watch it only when you're ready!

5.5/10


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Dog Day Afternoon review

Posted : 12 years, 11 months ago on 14 January 2012 04:42 (A review of Dog Day Afternoon)

Writing a song or directing a film based on real-life incidents is one of the many tropes they use and we actually have many great examples: Music (Smoke on the Water, 18 & Life, Jeremy) and Movies (Raging Bull, Monster, Schindler's List) Dog Day Afternoon took inspiration from an article from Life magazine reading "Boys in the Bank" and they also described the lead robber, John Wojtowicz as "similar to Dustin Hoffman or Al Pacino", so Ol' Sidney did the best thing and recruited Al Pacino after working with him on Serpico

Anyway, I consider Dog Day Afternoon to be the third in what I named Sidney Lumet's Painfully Realistic Trilogy, the first two are 12 Angry Men (his debut) and Serpico (another film starring Al Pacino). The reason for labeling them painfully realistic is because of the heavy realism, scene-wise and dialogues-wise, not found in many films. No special effects, deux ex machina, cliche storyline or wasted scenes or subplots: everyone acts and talks just like how they would do in real life. The emotions, stress and reactions to certain things are brilliantly captured in this film and I don't think anyone else could ever pull it off this convincingly. I mean, in other "bank" or "action" movies, the characters all adopt the "blast here, blast there, I just don't care" attitude and believe me, that's not how it goes. The pressure of firing one shot, just one, is tremendous and, like I said, is brilliantly showcased here. Just a side note, there are like 250 police officers and the running time is more than 2 hours and only 2 shots are fired. Can you believe it? Have you ever seen any other movie in which every character has a gun and yet only fire 2 shots? No, not me either!

I've always been a fan of Sidney Lumet (come on, who isn't?) and this film is one of the top 3 best. A very powerful, fast-paced storyline which really captures the culture of the 70's with excellent cinematography and Al Pacino's energetic, flawless performance. In the supporting, I really enjoyed Charles Durning's performance as Eugene Moretti. I really enjoy social-realism movies like these and this one is highly recommended. In conclusion, just like Easy Rider is the best counter-culture movie of the 60's, Dog Day Afternoon is the perfect counter-culture movie of the 70's and, performance-wise, Al Pacino's second best movie!

10/10


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Hercules review

Posted : 12 years, 11 months ago on 9 January 2012 03:32 (A review of Hercules)

Hercules, released near the end of the 20th century, was directed by John Musker and Ron Clements, two of the best driving forces in Disney. However, seeing as how brilliant The Great Mouse Detective, Aladdin and The Little Mermaid were, Hercules was a bit of a disappointment. Even though it had all the qualities from their previous works, Hercules lacked in that certain charm which is reeling the audience to the characters and the scenes. The animation is gorgeous and the voice-over, just like in their other works, was simply top-notch. Seriously, James Woods as Hades was as crucial to this movie as Robin Williams was to Aladdin. I really enjoyed all V.O's but I thoroughly enjoyed Danny DeVito's V.O. as Phil. If you're familiar with DeVito's works then you will see that Phil is just Danny DeVito in cartoon form, with horns and I think that his line "Come on Kid, concentrate" to be one of the immortal lines in Disney-history!

Anyway, the film opens with Charlton Heston narrating which I think was the perfect way to open a feature (come on, he was known as Mr. Epic, right?) and then the Muses step in. They play a semi-important role in the film and I loved their screen-time. Although mythologically it's not 100% correct, it's near there. However I do like the fact that they made Hercules a very human character, not the typical cliche-filled who gets high with power and popularity. Despite the fame and popularity, he is still missing something from the inside. That was a good thing right there and he had a perfect balance of humor, anger, disappointment, happiness etc... all rolled in one.

All in all in conclusion I would like to say is that if you haven't seen many Disney productions, then you will end up liking this but, if like me, you have seen almost all, you will agree with me that it's not better than the ones that predecessed this one. I mean, the Musker/Clements team is legendary and I was expecting a little more better than this!

7.7/10


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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince review

Posted : 13 years ago on 23 December 2011 02:39 (A review of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince)

The Half-Blood Prince is the sixth installment in the Harry Potter franchise and, overall, the third greatest installment. Now, if I were to recognize just one actor from this film, I would chose Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy. He went through some serious growing up phrase and it brilliantly showed in this movie. He perfectly captured the reluctant-villain persona down pat, whereas what the in name of hell happened to Daniel Radcliffe? I mean, he is an OK actor and all, but seriously, can't he act shocked or surprised? Watch the scene where Ron is suffocating due to the poison and when Harry attacks Draco with the Sectumsempra spell. He was to achingly wooden. Come on, he could've done better that. On the other hand, Rupert Grint & Emma Watson as Ron & Hermione, respectively, were great as usual but the main factor was Jim Broadbent as Horace Slughorn. Granted, Slughorn wasn't my favourite character when I read the book but Mr. Broadbent bought a unique cheeriness to him and quickly became the best character in the film. Other than that, I really enjoyed the cameo appearances of David Thewlis as Remus Lupin & Mark Williams as Arthur Weasley. Continuing, I think this is the only film which is mostly Dumbledore-centric and Sir Michael Gambon really gave full potential and watching him die, Dumbledore I mean, was a very sad scene. The music really is tantalizing and brings you closer!

On to the film. To be honest, I didn't like the film when I saw it the first time and I likened it to like eating a breakfast in awfully hurry but watching it the second time, it really is one of the best installment. David Yates did a fantastic job and I think that, after Mike Newell and Alfonso Cuaron, he was the best man for the job. Visually and cinematography, the film is stunning and quite beautiful however there is not too much focus on details and little things and that was a downfall. In conclusion, the film had a mature and more friendly atmosphere but lacked in the little details. If you're a major Potter fan, then this is not to miss but don't get your expectations high!

8.2/10


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Donnie Darko review

Posted : 13 years ago on 19 December 2011 04:50 (A review of Donnie Darko)

High-school movies have changed a-lot. From the rebellious teens from the 80's to the air-heads and watery-eyed teens of the 90's, Donnie Darko, in the 2000's, bought forward previously uncovered topics in a high-school themed film. Time-travel, the end of the world, surreal imagery and one freakin' large bunny. Most films like these either run on cliche scenes or unbelievable exploits of a certain teenager or a group but that's not the case in Donnie Darko. This film perfectly captures the emotions and behaviors of certain cliques and stock characters.

Well, the film opens with the title character cycling and eventually ending up in his home and in that title sequence, you realize that this is not your average family and this is confirmed by the dinner scene right after. The Darko family is a semi-functional normal-income family with a troubled son. Jake Gyllenhaal, for a newcomer, wasn't at all bad for his role. His excellent performance as the title character really connects with the audience and it makes us think whether is the character crazy or us or both? What really impressed me was his way of juxapositing two personalities, one sane and the other disturbed, at the same time. Following him are Holmes Osborne, the cranky father, Mary McDonnell as the used-to-but-not-given-up mother, Daveigh Chase as the minor of the family and real-life Jake's sister, Maggie as Donnie's sister. Rather great performances by almost everyone here.

Then we have the school. This chapter opens with the song Head Over Heels by Tears For Fears in the background while showing the school life in the halls. Not the typical ones they show in other movies. All I can say is that Richard Kelly really captured the mood, the atmosphere and the behaviors of the students convincingly whenever necessary. All in all, it reminded me of a similar move made by Metallica: Both were tackling unconventional and uncovered topics in their songs / movie. If you're tired of watching the same of cliche-filled teen movies, then give this a shot as you will be surprised by the authenticity of it and by the end of the movie, will leave you with questions:

Who is Frank? What does Donnie Darko mean by his last words? Did he imagine Frank? Was Frank an alter-ego of some sorts? Was Donnie crazy by nature or by nurture? Go ahead and watch the movie and let's see how many questions can you answer!

9.3/10


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Rogue review

Posted : 13 years ago on 11 December 2011 03:39 (A review of Rogue)

Australian horror marches to it's own beat and we've many examples like Dying Breed, Wolf Creek, The Ruins etc... and Rogue is yet another successful entry. Based on a true story of a killer croc named Sweetheart between 1974 & 1979. Since I'd seen Greg McLean's other movie, Wolf Creek, I decided to give this a try, as this looked promising and with a couple of my friends, we went to see it in the cinema. For days we talked nothing but this movie and the best quote said by Neil (Sam Worthington) "Like I said, now is the best time to move because the fucker is busy."

On to the film: Rogue opens in a very National Geographic documentary sort of a way with Radha Mitchell explaining all the birds and the bees and the crocodiles with rather impressive wide shots of the Australian Outback. The film is 1 hour 30 minutes and for the first half-hour it's all just dialogues and wandering around and then the flare happens. Within that 1 hour left, the action and suspense is so well scripted and well shown, that it keeps you on the edge of your seat with anticipation and sweat. Almost everyone gave a rather convincing performance in their respective characters but I really enjoyed Radha Mitchell's performance as Kate and Michael Vartan's performance as Pete and also Sam Worthington, who in his short screen appearance, managed to play a quite likable hero and a memorable character.

Overall, the mood of this film is very intense and surprisingly realistic and none of that cliche-stuff. The way the crocodile leaps up gets me every-time and on top of that, add the spine-chillingly music that only elevates the suspense and unpredictable atmosphere of the film. If you're a fan of 'animal-themed' movies, then Rogue is a must-watch and even though the crocodile itself hardly appears onscreen, it's absence only makes it feel like as if it is! The ending was very "well, that had to happen" and even in that, manages to end on a somewhat good note. A movie not to be missed!

9.1/10


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The Terminator review

Posted : 13 years ago on 6 December 2011 06:20 (A review of The Terminator)

The 80's had a unique culture of it's own. While many decided to dish out the permy-hairs and leather clothing in many high-school movies, some went violent and dark, bringing some of the most beloved action movies of all time. The Terminator lies somewhere in-between. It mixes the permy-hairstyle, the leather-clothing, nail-biting scenes and extreme graphic violence and brings us the most classic action movie of all time with an intricate storyline and a unique household name.

After the disappointing results of Piranha 2: The Spawning, director James Cameron took upon him to direct The Terminator, earning him the title "Mr. Heartless" along the way. Never has a film so closely followed the rules in the action book: Full brutal, no remorse, violent, nail-biting scenes and a beautiful theme song. It was also quite-unique because amist all the chaos, the bloodshed, there was a love storyline between Reese & Connor and that gave a more human touch to the movie or otherwise it would've been just one-sided! To the modern eye the effects are kinda kinky and glitchy but remember, it was the 80's and no CGI. Speaking of effects, we gotta thank Stan Winston for making an icon out of the titular character. Stan Winston is a legend among movie-goers and one cannot fail to see why. Arnold Schwarzenegger may have played The Terminator in it's human form, which would go on to become his most closely-related role, but it's actually the frozen-smiled endoskeleton that we see in the end is actually more iconic. A fantastically-terrifying job on that one.

On the other hand we have Linda Hamilton as the iconic Sarah Connor and would go on to reprise the role in the sequel. Accompanying her from the future is Michael Biehn as Kyle Reese. This is one of the three films he appears directed by James Cameron that he dies (the other two are Aliens & The Abyss). Boy, Cameron must've hated this guy LOL! Joke! Anyways, James Cameron, always the big thinker, has created immortal icons out of this movie and really gave something for the masses!

A true classic that requires a revisit!


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Blazing Saddles (1974) review

Posted : 13 years ago on 5 December 2011 02:00 (A review of Blazing Saddles (1974))

I've always admired Mel Brooks' movies. The spoofs / parodies / references are very spot-on and, in some cases, very subtle and one requires sharp eyes or ears to spot that reference. They're also not sick or tasteless and one feels safe while watching his movies. Blazing Saddles is considered by many to be his greatest work and I couldn't agree more. Filled with amazingly funny scenes that require more than 5 rewinds and a well-chosen cast, Blazing Saddles could very well be a great love you or thank you letter to all the movies it has spoofed.

Leading the way is Cleavon Little as Sheriff Bart, a "black in an all white small town". A rather great performance by him. Following him are 3 of Mel Brooks' main fixtures: Gene Wilder as The Waco Kid, who befriends Bart, Madeline Kahn as Lili Von Shtupp in one of her greatest performances and last, but not the least, Harvey Korman as Hedley "Hedy" Lamarr in one of his best screen credits. His performance single out was the best. Excellent comedic timing and expressions. The other supporting cast were great too.

Blazing Saddles also has the trademark "we know we're in a movie" technique and the ending, to some, may seem long and dull but 85% of the best funny scenes happen in that section. All in all, enjoy if you're a Mel Brooks fan!


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The Truman Show review

Posted : 13 years ago on 2 December 2011 12:14 (A review of The Truman Show)

How can i just say NO! to a Jim Carrey movie? I just can't! Even if i do, i will somehow end up watching them this way or another!

I got introduced to this film in a rather strange way: Quite a while ago i was reading an article called 'The Truman Show Delusion' and how that particular film made hundreds of people paranoid worldwide! I became quite fascinated and decided to watch the film and play with my own sanity!

Well, i hooked it up and just the opening line 'Good Morning and in case if i don't see ya, Good Afternoon, Good Evening & Good Night' truly won me over. I mean, it's the way he says it! I swear i can watch that 4 seconds whole day if i want to!

This film - lead by a very colourful cast - is one of the very few films that made me cry and it made me think on the evilness one person can hold within himself & how he can use his influence to bring harm to others!

I don't know what you think but i think of Christof (the Truman Show creator) as a evil person of a new kind. I mean, he literally made Truman Burbank's life a complete joke and it made me wanna see human beings - and life - from a whole different perspective!

A very brilliant, moving & touchy movie that I've seen in a long time and it also has that 'i-wanna-watch-it-again' factor all over it!

9.0/10


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