Valkyrie

Went to see this one with the other half. First impressions after leaving the theater is .. everything is factually correct but Singer must have forgotten to imbue it with a heart. Everything seems correct ... well as accurate far as one can tell from it's wikipedia entry. However Singer in this outing has missed the most important ingredient of the movie for me. The heart. Devoid of emotions this was just like one of those stuffy afternoons I spent try to chow down historical facts from my Sejarah text book for future regurgitation. This movie strangely mirrors those days perfectly where after each session, I would feel fascinated with history as I wondered how the people involved felt.

This brings up the point to ponder. How far should a film maker go to give heart to cold historical facts? Some turkeys have surfaced in the past because they went over board with the emotions to the point of almost changing history. Pearl Harbour comes to mind. I am still harboring a plump and delicious little hatred for this turd of a movie that re-interpreted the American tragedy to be almost a victory for them! Valkyrie is on the other extreme of the scale and most of the time remains true to the facts. To this I would say history needs a person to interpreted the going ons to see it from the eyes of the protagonist to try and decipher how they must of felt, for if not it would just ultimately end up like how both of us felt at the end when the supposedly tear-jerker-cum-emotionally-driven-moment when Tommy bit the dust.. we were dried eyed and unmoved. That being said, I would like to give special mention to Bill Nighly who did a commendable job given the circumstances putting across the conflicted feelings of General Olbricht. Personally looking forward to his next outing.

My final conclusion ... thanks for the history lesson Bryan, just wished it was a tad more memorable ... 4/10

Trailer ...

Stuck on you 2003

Actually the only reason why I downloaded this movie is because I really enjoyed Greg's acting in Ghost Town opposite Ricky Gervais. I enjoyed his acting so much I had to find some other stuff the guy has been in! I searched around and saw this movie with him and Matt Damon in. Damon is not usually my pick for a night with a movie except for his tower of strength in the Bourne trilogy ... in which he doesn't do speak much ... Another comedy starring Damon? Do I really want to put myself up on that again? Well I am glad I did.

As I have told my friends many times before, Hollywood is able to make a movie of anything (some even turn out okay!). 2003's Stuck on You starring Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear as a pair of co-joined twins proves just that. Did the movie turn out okay? Well for me it did.

The two actors strength compliment each other well such an awkward and strange subject matter actually held me entertained for the better half of it. The script is breezy and light, never taking itself too seriously was just what a movie like this needs. Cher's role in this movie which is at places totally making fun of herself is also enjoyable to watch taken in small doses. Actually in some scenes she is actually quite merciless on her own life! Greg and Matt chemistry is crucial for this movie to pull through and they do it really well in this movie. This is no Oscar grabbing material but it probably just be great to chase those 45 mins blues away and that is sometimes better than Oscar material which ever way you look at it!

Have a look at the trailer below.



After watching the real thing, check the bloopers below for some laughs ...

Shoot em up - 2008

I heard some mixed reviews regarding this one starring Clive Owen. Some said it worked while others said it was not so good and seem overly crass. So, I gave this movie a whirl just to see which group I fell into. Well I guess I fall into the second group of people. I was out looking for a few good laughs unfortunately I did not find any and in fact sad to say I fell asleep a few times during the movie! I could hardly force a laugh out! Take a lesson from some Stephen Chow's movies please Mr Davis. Somehow the supposedly funny scenes did not work for me and what I was left with was this dis-engaged feeling from the whole proceedings.

Well, let me just get some of Mr Davis's earlier efforts later and I will see if his earlier efforts are better than this doozer.

The whole thing felt false to me and even the combined forces of both the movie's leads, Clive Owen and Monica Belluci failed to raise me from my mid way movie slumber. Hubba Hubba though for Monica Belluci. If you are forced to watch this movie at gun point, just forward to the love making scene between Owen and Belluci and get it done with. The words "Rolling around like a Bollywood movie" will never have the same meaning anymore after that.

Trailer :



Imdb Page:

Shootem up

So, only watch this one if you are having a really slow afternoon or you are a die hard Clive Owen fan.

Before the devil knows you are dead

Since last week I did an old Sidney Lumet gem, I thought this week I would do one of his newer ones. It's Sidney's 2008 effort, Before the devil knows you are dead. BTDKYAD stars Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Albert Finney and Marisa Tomei just to mention a few. This movie is a testament of how a simple plot can be lifted into realms of greatness deftly in the masterful hands of director such as Lumet.

It examines the downward spiral of two brothers life after a foiled robbery attempt on their parents jewelery shop in which their mother gets shot. What I like here is the Vantage-Point style story telling where the story is seen through the eyes of everyone involved. What to notice here is Sidney's great camera angle and how each character seems to play out differently just from a different camera angle. Well done! This one point alone lifts it above the garden variety thriller to a classic! I am also a sucker for those Fight Club story rewind scenes which is kinetically done here which really helps to tighten up the story line. I LIKE!

Editing and directing aside the acting here is top notch! Philip and Ethan carry their roles really well and their fear and sense of loss is conveyed well on screen. Albert Finney's character as their father although a bit understated is also very well done. Shades of Miller Crossing's Albert Finney here still shines through and he can still carry that tough guy persona well as he proceeds to open up a can of whoop ass on his sons.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one and have no problems giving it a 9.5/10. One of the better movies I a have seen this year!

Imdb

Torrent

A trailer:

12 Angry Men (1973)

When it comes to new movies and old ones, I am in between. I like oldies because of the generally better acting and move developed plot while on the other hand I like the newer releases for the tighter editing.

12 angry men is the latest golden oldie that I came across. This one is directed by the venerable Sidney Lumet. For those who haven't heard of Mr Lumet, he is the director behind the great "Before the devil knows you are dead".

This is a really good show and unlike some older movies I have seen, this movie does not suffer any dated feel to it. The mix of 12 men are a concoction interesting mix. Henry Fonda plays the cool analytical head while Lee J. Cobb plays the hurting hot head with his own personal motivation for calling the guilty card. Both actors are outstanding in this movie and play their parts very well. Henry Ford's character gives Grissom from CSI a run for his money any time of the day. The contradiction to their temperament and their interaction makes for a interesting and carries the movie along. Talking about older actors, this is the first time I am lucky enough to come across the work of Ed Beagley instead of his son. He carries off his role as the cynical old man convincingly and he is very believable.

About the only weak scene I can pick out of this movie is the scene where all the jurors boycott Ed Beagley character displaying a personal bias. This did not work so much for me and seems a bit heavy handed followed by the personal bias speech by Henry Fonda.

12 angry men also shows how personal biases of jurors colors the decision they make. Personal biases and assumptions are brought into the decision making. On another side, this movie also explores the seriousness jurors are supposed to put into their decision making especially those involving the death penalty, rather than coming up with a decision that brings them home the fastest, here shown by Jack Warden's character, trying to catch the ball game, nicely put in his place in the duration of the movie.

I think this movie is really really good and heartily recommend it. 10/10 !

Hmm ... digging a bit deeper, I found from imdb there is actually a remake for TV movie of 12 angry men starring people like Tony Danza, William Petersen and Jack Lemmon standing in for Henry Fonda! Well ... thanks but I shall politely decline.

A preview for you here:

Glengary Glenn Ross

All I can say for this one is wow oh wow oh wow and wow!

Great performances all round by a capable ensemble of a cast! Spirited performances by all the "lead" roles the two most memorable for me being Jack Lemmon's Shelly Levene and Al Pacino's Roma. They could have easily stole the whole show just with the tour de force showcase of the ingenious acting in the last 30 mins of the show. This however is not to sneeze at the performances of the rest of the group ... sorry I seemed to have been carried away espousing my love for this show that I forgot to give a proper introduction to the movie ... tsk tsk tsk.

This movie is a snapshot of a not so typical day in the lives of a few real estate salesmen trying to making their quota. In the span of the 100 minutes or so of the movie, the plot thickens. There is a robbery, who is responsible?! The plot is forwarded just by the sheer performances of the leads here. While Al and Jack have the lion share of screen time here, the supporting cast are not push over either. The likes of Kevin Spacey (trust me ... tolerably good here), Alec Baldwin, Alan Arkin all hold their own with their wonderful performances. The feel is not entirely unlike the feeling one would get watching something like Reservoir Dogs where in the movie the atmosphere is taut and tight riding on the performances of the actors alone.

If I could give this movie an alternate title I would give it "Shut up and just act". All the actors turn up an artistic notch in their acting without relying on cgi or special effects to further the plot. I don need no steekin' special effects!!! Good job guys. A special mention about Alec Baldwin's acting here... it is at least at par or even better than what Tom Cruise did in Magnolia. Watch out for it.

This is definitely a must watch for all aspiring directors!

Score: 9/10

Check this out for Alec Baldwin's almost oscar performance here:



The good news is ... you are fired! Oh? Did I get your attention now? :) Good stuff!

Wall-E

This is what animation is all about. Able to tell a story that otherwise the human beings can't. This movie is simply put- SUPERB.

We all go to movies wanting to forget any problems that we may encounter in our real life.. and watching this movie was able to transport me to another world. My problem seems so miniscule compared to the title Character, Wall-E,

There was hardly any dialogues uttered in the first 30 minutes of the movie. Yet as the saying goes Actions speak louder than words.

Pixar is back at their very best, after last year's success with Ratatoutie

Being a cross between Short Circuit's robot and Spielberg's ET, Wall E will charm your heart with his innocence and Love and Devotion for Eve. Trust me, this movie is just not for the kids. It's truly one that need to be watched to be believed.

Also check out the beginning where there is shorts on a funny magician with his rabbit which would certainly get you in the mood of the main story.

8/10

A bit on how Pixar evolved so far.