Movie Review: Hanna

This movie appears to have been created by a visionary who decided to show the dark side of fairy tales, add a graphic element of gore to the fairy tale, and then modernize the fairy tale. This combination leads to a more surreal action movie that is soulful and draws in the audience.

But does the audience really want to be drawn in to pay full attention to a movie that is so gory and sad? A viewer that prefers violent movies like action movies can handle the darkness of this movie because this movie seems too unreal to impact the viewer's emotions more than it does. Also, Hanna does not have too much gore for a PG-13 rating.

The movie also appears unreal and modern because of its action movie format and cutting edge soundtrack. This movie is not modern in any ways that could make it seem more familiar to the audience. It just happens to have contemporary settings and modern Hollywood methods of telling the story. Hanna's modernity just adds to its surreality.

The film's modernity also makes it seem even more otherworldly, and this other worldliness creates the feelings and state of mind that come with fairy tales even more than fairy tales can do that for an audience. At times, the modern qualities of the film create a sense that Hanna is like someone in the viewer's world. This makes viewing the movie more of a soulful experience than a fairy tale.

Hanna just has storybook qualities too much to be like a storybook film. It is too dark, soulful, and otherworldly to be like a fairytale. This movie creates the wonder, sadness, and fear in the viewer that an overly sensitve child may feel after seeing and hearing a fairy tale without hearing the happy ending.

Hanna herself represents the merging of an action movie with the fairytale. She is both the innocent fairy tale heroine and the noble storybook warrior with magical powers. Since this is also a modern action movie, this warrior has powers from the scientific magic of manipulated DNA instead of powers from unexplained magical forces or a wizard.

The amazing warrior powers inside the waify teenage girl make the film cartoonish and depressing at certain points. The action sequences with Hanna are needed to accommodate every modern movie goer's short attention span, but the action sequences also make the movie seem cartoonish or silly. The silly action sequences also make it painfully clear that a childlike teenage girl has to fend for herself until she triumphs at the end of this film. That is a depressing realization.

There is also something else that seems silly in this movie. The villain has a syrupy Texan accent that is either her real accent or the accent that she may have used to convince others that she is someone else. The Texan accent seems silly because there is no explanation for it in the film. It is a distraction that seems like a poor acting choice by Cate Blanchett, the actress portraying the villain. It could be a poor choice made by the screenwriter or the director instead of the actress.

Cate Blanchett appears to be a brilliant actor apart from her confusing and distracting southern accent. All of the other actors in Hanna outperform her. Saoirse Ronan portrays Hanna using a limited range of personal expression. However, the flat portrayal of Hanna seems more realistic for the character and it is a better fit for the character.

There is one outstanding acting performance in Hanna. Eric Bana deserves a best actor nomination at the Academy Awards and the Golden Globes for his portrayal of Hanna's father. He portrays a complicated and potentially insane character who is multifaceted. That combination of traits makes Eric Bana's character incredibly difficult to portray accurately onscreen. Eric Bana brings his character to the movie screen perfectly.

The most outstanding aspect of this film is its artistic direction. Hanna's scenery is not only beautiful, it is also fantastic because it is avant garde. The artistic direction is not just captivating, it also helps to illustrate the story line. This film deserves the 2012 Academy Award for best direction. It is impossible for another film to outperform Hanna in that category this year.

Hanna is not a perfect film, but it might be the movie of this year. Hanna is comparable to Inception because it is an action film that has too much depth to be like other action films.

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Movie Review: Unknown - Dive Into the Unknown

Unknown Plot

Dr. Martin Thomas (Liam Neeson) arrives in Berlin with his wife Elizabeth (January Jones) for a Bio Tech summit but before he can check into his hotel he remembers that he forget his briefcase at the airport. He hails a cab and dashes back without telling his wife who's checking in. Martin's cab meets with an accident but his life is saved by Gina (Diane Kruger), an illegal immigrant who doubles up as a cab driver. Martin wakes up from coma and is shocked to see that someone else (Aidan Quinn) has taken not only his identity but his entire life and even his wife is convinced that Martin's an imposter.

Martin would have given up had it not been for an unknown assailant who tries to kill him. He meets a retired East German spy, Jurgen (Bruno Ganz) who helps him retrace his steps. Aided by Gina, Martin meets his wife who discloses that she knows the truth but can't come out with it for their lives are in danger. On her instructions Martin retrieves his lost briefcase and starts puts together pieces of his life together. But with every step he takes towards establishing his identity Martin is shocked to learn horrible secrets from his past that make it difficult for him to even look in the mirror.

Good Points in Unknown

There are traces of Roman Polanski's Frantic and John Woo's Paycheck in Unknown but that doesn't take anything from Unknown. A very solid thriller, Unknown is well crafted film that gets you hooked on right from the initial stages. Towards the end when things fall into place, irrespective of how you take to revelations in thrillers, you are bound to feel a little letdown but that can be forgiven.

Final Words on Unknown

Based on a book called Out of My Head, by Didier van Cauwelaert, the film has a very intriguing premise thanks to the inversion of a traditional way of looking at a spy thriller. Like Jason Bourne, Martin, too, retraces his steps but instead of finding out who he really is the thrust is often towards who he isn't. In addition to an engaging plot Unknown becomes better thanks to Liam Neeson who gives Martin a right mix of emotions and an impressive Bruno Ganz as the private detective who misses the olden days.

Unknown Rating: 3 out of 5

Unknown Cast: Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger, January Jones, Aidan Quinn, Frank Langella, and Bruno Ganz

Unknown Screenplay by: Oliver Butcher, Stephen Cornwell bases on Out of My Head, by Didier van Cauwelaert

Unknown Directed by: Jaume Collet-Serra

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Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2

The 1987 horror movie Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 is distributed by Silent Night Releasing Corporation. It stars Eric Freeman as Ricky Caldwell, James L. Newman as Dr. Henry Bloom, Elizabeth Cayton as Jennifer Statson, Jean Miller as Mother Superior, and Darrel Guilbeau as Ricky Chapman (age 15). The producer is Lawrence Appelbaum (The Alchemist) and the director is Lee Harry (Steet Soldiers).

The movie opens with Ricky Caldwell, Billy Chapman's little brother, sitting in an interrogation room. He waits for shrink Dr. Henry Bloom. After giving the doctor attitude, he begins telling the story of what happened, starting with the murder of Billy and Ricky's parents. He goes on to essentially tell the entire saga of what happened in Silent Night, Deadly Night. This takes up the first 40 minutes of the film. Soon after Billy's death, his younger brother is adopted to a good family. However, young Ricky is never counseled. After his foster father dies, the boy begins to commit a series of random killings related to people misbehaving. He meets a beautiful girl named Jennifer and begins to date her.

Things are seemingly falling into place for Ricky until he encounters Jennifer's obnoxious ex-boyfriend Chip, who is still hung up on her. He ends up killing Chip. Jennifer is furious, so he kills her, as well. A police car stops in front of the scene, but, before the officer can arrest him, Ricky grabs his gun and begins to shoot everyone he sees, except for a little girl who happened to accidentally hit him with her bike. A short time later, he is arrested. Back to the present day, Ricky escapes the jail and goes after he and Billy's old nemesis, Mother Superior.

Although brothers Billy and Ricky do have similarities as killers, they appear quite different in their attitudes towards killing people. Billy believes he is doing what he's supposed to do as Santa Claus and shows little emotion while he's doing it. He thinks it's right for Santa to punish bad people by killing them because of what he endured as a child with his senile grandfather and bearing witness to his parents' brutal murder. Ricky, on the other hand, seems to enjoy killing people. His shooting spree is strong evidence of his pleasure. He seemingly doesn't have a conscience and, therefore, has no remorse for what he does. Ricky is purely evil while Billy thinks he's doing what's expected of him.

The thing about this particular sequel is that viewers could watch it without having seen the first film and not be lost at all in the storyline. As stated earlier, the first 40 minutes of this film is literally a summary of its predecessor. I do understand that the budget for Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 is less than a typical movie would be but one has to look at successful movies of the past, like Rocky. Their budget was so small, those involved in the film actually had to borrow some of the things needed for production. Look what was the result!

One of the most inspiring and successful movies of all time, a true classic. Getting back to Silent Night 2, the small budget was the reason very little new footage was shown in the first 40 minutes but the filmmakers could have at least made an effort! I heard that some wanted to have the sequel be a simple re-editing of the first movie. In a way, it is a little insulting to the fanbase not to attempt to make a decent sequel to Silent Night, Deadly Night.

To wrap, Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 will mainly appeal to those of you who like slasher films or are devoted fans of the first film.

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Movie Reviews: Inglourious Basterds (2009)

"You haven't seen war until you've seen it through the eyes of Quentin Tarantino." The tagline for Inglourious Basterds is certainly fitting, as Quentin Tarantino's take on the battles waged during World War II is definitely unlike anything you've ever seen. Sadly, when you disrupt the events and ideas many know as being historically accurate, you add even one more concept that works against the already arduous struggle for the suspension of disbelief. But it wouldn't be Tarantino without these brazen storytelling techniques, and fans of his elaborate style of movie making will find plenty to love with the ample servings of clever dialogue, spatterings of brutal violence, and a revenge story built for a truly explosive conclusion.

Once upon a time in Nazi occupied France, young Jewish refugee Shosanna Dreyfus (Melanie Laurent) witnesses the slaughter of her family by Colonel Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz). Narrowly escaping with her life, she plots her revenge several years later when German war hero Fredrick Zoller (Daniel Bruhl) takes a rapid interest in her and arranges an illustrious movie premiere at the theater she now runs. With the promise of every major Nazi officer in attendance, the event catches the attention of the "Basterds", a group of Jewish-American guerrilla soldiers led by the ruthless Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt). As the relentless executioners advance and the conspiring young girl's plans are set in motion, their paths will cross for a fateful evening that will shake the very annals of history.

Tarantino's style of film making hasn't changed much between his last few films; fortunately he has a fairly unique approach to storytelling that works well, so the repetition is forgivable. Inglourious Basterds is typical Tarantino: drawn out, musing, thought-provoking and witty dialogue, an excessive attention to detail, chapters and flashing character name/title notifications, and a sarcastic, darkly humorous angle on over-the-top violence. "The Germans will be sickened by us!" yells fanatical, compassionless leader Raine. Some scenes drag noticeably with beefed up dialogue that never quite bores, but the culmination of events, the crossing paths of characters, and the outrageous climax more than makes up for the extra time Tarantino has the audience seated in a theater chair. It's unexpected, historically inaccurate, and no-holds-barred entertaining. And Christoph Waltz turns in an absolutely show-stealing performance as the calculating villain.

A slow-motion zap to the senses, with the Basterds turning the tables on history and the Nazis, Tarantino's obvious love of manipulation and movies finds its way into this offbeat war picture, along with in-depth conversations on Linder vs. Chaplin, strudels, milk and the expected racial remarks. He demonstrates his ability to toy with the audience through great musical selections, uneasy laughs to break up tension, a proficient arrangement of coincidences, and extreme anticipation - at times the suspense is delightfully overbearing. Considering Tarantino's sizable pop culture grasp on cinephiles and teenagers everywhere, it's safe to assume that for years to come people will be misspelling "inglorious" and "bastards" and will be unable to accurately retell key events of World War II.

- The Massie Twins (Mike and Joel Massie)

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Reviewed: Grizzly Rage [2007]

N/A - 86mins - Horror/Thriller - TV Release

This 'epic' follows four students who decide to go on a road trip after recently graduating. They trespass into a gated off park for some off road fun but early into their adventure things start to go wrong as they crash their Jeep into a tree accidentally hitting a bear cub in the process.

Now as we all know grizzly bears tend to stick close by to their cubs and so it is not long before momma bear shows up and starts hunting them down (in your standard bear with a blood vendetta scenario) as they flee the scene of the crime. And just to make it all that better, this is no ordinary bear, O no, but rather a mutated super grizzly bear from all the toxic waste that has been dumped into the lake nearby.

The acting is poor with weak performances not doing much for the script that would have needed some world class Hollywood stars to make me even think about evoking some emotions. The award for the best performance has to go to the bear who most of the time did look genuinely p*ssed off, as would I if I had to take part in this movie.

I wouldn't say it was a redeeming feature by a long shot but the cinematography isn't half as bad as it could have been (for one of the scenes at least) when compared to what the rest of the movie was offering.

Even better though is the fact that the movie is trying to take itself seriously but fails on every level to do so. Call me cold hearted but I was laughing all the way through the 'horrifying bear scenes' as the graduates were outsmarted again and again. It doesn't take long before you end up siding with the bear and are egging it on to get the next one. I was going to give you the trailer but this is so much better...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMxtO7u4EgQ

Quote from video- "When you see the animal roar, he's smiling. He wants marshmallows" If only our poor students had known!

Whoever thought that a grizzly would make for a good terrifying enemy in a movie certainly didn't think long and hard about it- being a massive and potentially dangerous animal in real life, there is not one point in the entire movie when bear and actor are in the same shot. This leads to some quite appalling and certainly comical scenes where the film makers use obviously fake props, stock footage and shockingly bad blood CGI (I'm talking PlayStation 1 standard here) to bring the bear to life. My favourite scene had to be the guy in a bear costume; and you could tell, jumping on their Jeep while they are trapped inside!

Apart from those moments of unintentional comic brilliance I would rather take my chances in the movie along with the bear as then I would one, not have to watch it and two, could hope to be killed off nice and early so I didn't have to ever think about this again. Why not a zero rating you ask? I've seen worse.

Rating: 1.3/10

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George Romero's Creepshow (1982): Five Fear Fests

By Ray Crowe Ray Crowe
Level: Basic PLUS

I'm a typical Virgo to the extreme, superattentive to details, obsessive/compulsive, intelligent, underconfident in social situations, creative, resourceful, organized, ADD, introverted, very interested in natural/alternative ...

George Romero's 1982 horror omnibus Creepshow brings the Hammer style horror anthology format to America. By the time it was made there was a plethora of popular British horror anthologies like Tales from the Crypt, Vault of Horror, Asylum, and the all-time classic Dead of Night, but this subgenre was strangely rare for American films at the time, and Creepshow opened the door for the format and gave US audiences a taste of the horror anthology. It made a respectable $19,000,000 in box office revenue alone, more than doubling its very hefty $8,000,000 budget, and has since remained a cult favorite and is still one of horror master Romero's best and most colorful films. The five condensed stories in Creepshow represent tales from a fictional 1950s EC-style comic book of the same name, hosted by a creepy character called "The Creep", and indeed the film as a whole is a tribute to scary comics from that era, which would have been when Stephen King and George Romero were at their most impressionable.

The first tale is "Father's Day" and revolves around a family gathering at a long-deceased patriarch's enormous country estate on the dreaded day. It turns out that batty Aunt Bedelia (Viveca Lindfors) murdered her venomous father on the very same day seven years before, just before the old man was to dig into his massive cake. And when the troubled alcoholic Bedelia drinks and swears at her father's tombstone in the present, guess who comes lumbering out from within the grave and strangles her to death with vengeful fury -- dear dead Daddy, now a rotten corpse moaning "I want my cake!" with a deep, raspy throat full of earth. The dessicated zombie then treks his way back to his home where the other family members are waiting, and in the end Papa does indeed get his cherished cake... it just happens to be adorned with the severed head of the old man's niece!

Our next tale "The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill" is more humorous and stars horror author Stephen King himself (who also wrote the screenplay and gives an amazing performance) as Jordy Verrill, a middle-of-nowhere hermit -- complete with overalls and unshaven face -- who has a meteor strike earth on his land and envisions himself selling it in town for some much-needed extra cash. He's excited with his discovery at first, but after pouring cold water on the smoldering meteor it breaks apart, dashing Jordy's money-filled dreams. He picks up the cooled remains of the fallen star, trashes it and goes about his way watching television and having a brew when he discovers something even more astonishing: A patch of green moss has formed on his hands where he touched the meteor, and it's spreading rapidly over his entire body and onto everything he touches! Before long, Jordy's house is a virtual jungle of moss, grass and foliage, and the hermit -- now completely consumed by the mossy stuff inside and out and barely able to breathe -- knows he has to make a difficult decision to stop his suffering.

Our third story is "Something to Tide You Over," a fun revenge yarn that has sociopathic creep Richard (the late Leslie Nielsen in a very atypical role) murdering his wife Becky (Dawn of the Dead's Gaylen Ross) and her lover Harry (Ted Danson) by burying them up to their necks in the beach sand and leaving them to be slowly drowned by the steadily rising tide. After completing his dreadful deeds, Richard returns to Harry's seaside condo and lounges around the swank living quarters remorselessly... until he's visited by the water-logged corpses of Becky and Harry, who want to give Harry a taste of his own medicine. This is probably tied with "Father's Day" as my favorite thanks to the inventive concept and engaging performances by Nielsen and Danson.

The fourth and longest segment "The Crate" introduces us to the depressing world of Henry Northrup (Hal Holbrook), a college professor whose only pleasure in life comes from imagining the death of his drunken, controlling, loudmouth wife Wilma (Adrienne Barbeau) at his own hands with by gunshot to the head, strangulation, et cetera. One day Henry's pal, fellow professor Dexter Stanley (Fritz Weaver), discovers a 200-year-old unopened crate in the crawlspace under some stairs in the college. It turns out that living within the crate is an ancient ape-like beast that hasn't eaten in 200 years and is hungry for human flesh, and after the creature's home is disturbed by Stanley and school janitor Mike (Don Keefer), it springs to life, pulls the custodian into the crate and eats him right in front of Stanley's horrified eyes. Stanley runs to Henry's side and half-babbles the gruesome story to his best friend, who believes him and in a flashing lightbulb moment hatches a plan to lure his bitchy wife into the school and into the mouth of the beast, ridding him of his heavy burden. Holbrook is perfect as the pussy-whipped Stanley; wonderful Barbeau gloriously chews the scenery and spits it out as alcoholic bitch Wilma; and Demon Seed's Weaver is equally impressive as the haunted Dexter Stanley who knows he's responsible for the beast ever getting out in the first place.

If you're squeamish about bugs, you may want to steer clear of the fifth segment "They're Creeping Up On You". Interestingly, this story is often completely omitted when the film airs on commercial television for time constraints and stars veteran EG Marshall in a vivid role as the cruel and ruthless Upson Pratt, an obsessive-compulsive company bigwig (with an intense phobia of germs and insects) who lives in a hospital-like penthouse and treats everyone he encounters with the utmost disgust... until one night he begins spotting cockroaches in his sanitary haven, finding them in his food, blender, vents, coming through the faucets and power outlets. He tries calling for help, but soon there's a city-wide blackout and Pratt is left alone in the dark with hundreds of hungry roaches that end up making a home of his corpse.

There's also a cool wrap-around story that loosely connects the five comic book tales and features horror pro Tom Atkins as an abusive father who discovers his son Billy (Stephen King's son Joe) has been reading Creepshow and cruelly seizes the magazine from the boy one Halloween night, crumpling it up and tossing it in the garbage can outside the house. But Billy won't let his old man get away with destroying his beloved Creepshow, and the next morning he begins sticking pins through the neck of a voodoo doll (which the boy's secretly ordered from an ad in the comic) symbolizing his bastard of a dad. Suffice to say the doll works, and Dad will be a pain in the neck for Billy no longer!

Creepshow is a good-humored celebration of the macabre that is fast-paced (even at two hours in length), gory, fun and stylishly directed by Romero. It also has an unforgettable John Harrison piano score that remains one of the best ever in a horror film IMO. It's spawned two sequels to date and set the standard for films like Cat's Eye and Tales From the Darkside: The Movie, and for me is the very best American horror anthology ever made, so I give it a 9 of 10.

I'm a typical Virgo to the extreme, superattentive to details, obsessive/compulsive, intelligent, underconfident in social situations, creative, resourceful, organized, ADD, introverted, very interested in natural/alternative health. I'm a published content writer on Yahoo at http://contributor.yahoo.com/user/1041294/ray_crowe.html, and I also sell rare videos and books as Vintage Vendors at http://www.vendio.com/stores/VintageVendors.

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The Runaways (2010)

Director: Floria Sigismondi
Release Date: 2010 March 19
Starring: Dakota Fanning, Kristin Stewart, Michael Shannon

What Worked:
Most bio-pics follow a by-the-books routine, and The Runaways is no different; however, the performances save the film from being mundane. The musical rise, the hard crash because of some vice, usually drugs, and the redemption are the typical ground this type of film covers. However, Director Floria Sigismondi fills the screen with enough flash and gloss to keep most of the audience from cringing at the predictability of it all. The three main actors, Dakota Fanning, Kristen Stewart and Michael Shannon, give fully-invested performances that make for an interesting watch.

Dakota Fanning once again proves that she is a force to reckon with, as she extends her already impressive range here playing Cherrie Currie: the sexy kitten with sharp claws, a taste for poison and the heart of a rocker. Fanning shows her sex appeal for the first time, and convincingly belts out Cherrie's lyrics. She transitions well from a conservatively shy dreamer to a glamorous rock sensation. Where Fanning shines the most are the scenes where she's at home with her jealous sister and sickly father,as well as when she eventually buckles under the pressures of stardom and leaves. We can sense the anguish in her eyes, and feel the question tattooed in her mind: what if?

Kristen Stewart shows that she is more talented than the "one note actress" that those vampire films make her out to be. Stewart impressively plays Joan Jett with a slouched, rebellious attitude, and aggression. The hair-flipping and lip-biting are surprisingly absent, and her voice as Jett is a wonder. Completing the amazing acting tri-pod is Michael Shannon as Kim Fowley, the band's manager. Shannon is deliciously quirky and raw, stealing every single scene he's in.

Besides the performances, the film also projects the complexity of self-empowerment for females. The all female band was legendary for rocking out at the level of men, and the screen is filled with scenes that ooze girl power. Clashing with those scenes is the band's interaction with Kim Fowley, who is an aggressively dominant male figure.

Potential Drawbacks:
Like I've mentioned before, this bio-pic is nothing too special, as it plays it safe, tweaking aspects of the band members lives to make it more accessible. There are also inaccuracies that fill the screen to make the film more digestible.

Yes, the film is called The Runaways, but the film is lopsided, favoring the story of Cherrie Currie. Cherrie's book is what the film is based on, but there could've been more of a back-story for Joan Jett, at the very least.

The relationship between Cherrie and Joan Jett seems as if it only happened because it was in the script. Individually, Fanning and Stewart are gorgeously sharp as Cherrie and Jett, but the relationship between Cherrie and Jett seemed tacked on. There was simply no time for build-up or authenticity. Maybe that's just the way it happened.

Overall, the film is wild enough; however, enough just doesn't cut it. It rolls more than it rocks.

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Bridesmaids - Movie Review

Directed by Paul Feig, Universal Pictures, 2011. Starring Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, and Melissa McCarthy.

Genre: Comedy.

Question: Have you had that time in your life (I suppose I am speaking to all the women now) and your best friend has acquired some new friends and you just aren't that happy about it? We all have -- admit it! Well, that is what Bridesmaids is basically about. Yes, we women can do some strange things when we feel threatened by new, beautiful girls. However, someone forgot to tell the storytellers of this film: don't take the joke so far and so long or you will lose your audience (well, you will lose me). We can take funny even if it is a bit on the vulgar side but please don't patronize us with tons of awkwardly dramatic parts just so you think we will keep watching.

I have basically been alive a few years shorter than Saturday Night Live has been on the air. For decades that show has showcased some of the most brilliant comedic minds on the planet, but in the last few years something has happened on that program that basically keeps me away from watching it: telling a joke for too long. And with Bridesmaids, co-written by Kristen Wiig, I should have had some sort of inkling that could happen here.

I was so looking forward to this movie. Lots of great reviews popped up on Twitter and other movie sources, so when my friend asked me to go again to the movies with her I was game. The first thirty minutes or so I will admit I laughed and I laughed out-loud. Then the story took a turn. My first clue that the rest of the movie wasn't going to work happened during a scene where giving speeches turned into a competition. It went on too long and it lost me.

Then the title threw me because I realized the mood of the film wasn't so much about the bridesmaids but the maid of honor, played by Kristen Wiig, who was having the worst time of her life during her best friend's happiest time. No real problem with that but the story went on the dramatic side, which I was not expecting. And again, no problem with that except that someone forgot to edit the scenes and either the funny or awkwardly dramatic ones went on forever. I got bored.

From time to time some moments looked like the movie was on an upswing but then took too long to get there and I was lost yet again. I did actually see two people walk out of the theater, which were mostly filled with men and us two women. (I found that ratio odd.) Perhaps Bridesmaids was going for The Office and Park & Recreation type of awkward comedy, which I like a lot, but I don't think it worked well here. I did have some Oh-My-God moments where I put my hand to my mouth and thought: 'They didn't just go there.' Yes, those are the moments of hilarity where it can border on offensive. I didn't mind those moments, at all.

From the previews I thought we, gals, were going to finally have our Hangover or Wedding Crashers movie (it tried) but it is not a film that I liked right off the bat. However, this is just one reviewer's point-of-view. (I should tell you that my friend felt the same way I did about Bridesmaids.)

I do think Kristen Wiig can play funny or dramatic (and I can't wait to see her in something else) but I just didn't think Bridesmaids is all that or what people think it is. I did enjoy Melissa McCarthy's character and she could be one of the funniest actresses not many know about. Her character in Bridesmaids was a little over-the-top but at least one character was a treat to watch throughout. Although during the credits there is a bonus scene you might want to divert your eyes -- that attempt at humor was short but very powerful -- whoa!

I am usually not way off from a lot of other reviewers but this time we don't see eye to eye. Perhaps they need to really think about the film in its entirety, and maybe I need to see it again to see if I missed something. It can happen. I remember seeing Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and not liking it the first time and now I find it one of the funniest movies of that decade.

My favorite part: The scene with the bridesmaids trying on dresses was pretty darn hysterical.

My least favorite: The airplane scene -- too long and not humorous.

Did the previews ruin it? No, but they did show a much funnier movie than what I saw.

Random thought: Regarding Melissa McCarthy: Back in 1999, I saw her in Go and had a feeling she would do well -- just from that giggle in a very short scene. I even enjoyed her in Gilmore Girls.

Rating: R
Length: 125 minutes

Review: 5 out of 10

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Patiala House - Punjabi in the Queen's Land

A good family catch with entertainment, comedy, few tears, not well shown cricket and the evergreen Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia.

The movie starts with a very serious Akshay kumar - well after Tees Maar khan I think he needed to be a bit quiet - he needs to re establish himself as the Tees maar kumar and I think he proved it in Patiala house.

A different character without cricket skills but hey even Sharukh khan never played hockey much.

Akshay was charming, quiet and he did allow other actors to rule over him and at the end everyone turned out to be a winner.

Rishi Kapoor was the main character, the angry young punjabi turning into the FATHER OF SOUTHALL for Punjabi's living in the UK.

Dimple kapadia was silent throughout the movie until finally she spoke just like old times " I am his mother this time and not your Wife" and In reality "I am also his Mother in Law" so let me watch him getting the cup for England.

The character I like the most was Anushka Sharma, she reminds me of a younger Kajol of Kuch kuch hota Hai always happy, cheerful and even sexy. She plays a next door neighbor and comes into Akshay's life with full of positive therapies of changing him from a loser to a Man that she can fall in Love. Well she did a good job.

The Story was simple, had some cut and past of the 93 world cups and the focus fight of Andrew Simmons and Akshay Kumar - I wonder how Andrew would feel watching this film. Although I would personally rate the movie 3.5 out of 5 as it was plain and nice.

You know nowadays Hindi Movies need a few non complicated movies for people to just say " It Was Nice" and walk out of the theaters simply smiling - am sure all the Punjabi's felt the same in UK. Nikhil Advani does a good job with his direction.

Cheers.

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Never Let Me Go - Starring Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley and Andrew Garfield

Directed by Mark Romanek, DNA Films, 2010. Starring Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield, and Keira Knightley.

Genre: Drama, Romance

Question: Have you ever started watching a movie thinking it is going to be about one thing and then it turns out to be about something completely different? Well, that is what happened to me while I was watching "Never Let Me Go."

It is an adaptation from a novel by Kazuo Ishiguro. The same writer of Remains of the Day. I didn't know that going in but from the previews it seemed like one of those types of movie - a romance set in an idyllic British countryside in a time not too long ago. However, about 20 minutes in I realized the movie had a second plot interwoven into the romance plot, and it made it so much more intriguing.

Once the second story-line was revealed, I knew I was watching a unique tale wrapped in a facade. So surprising but emotional - at least for me. Again, I won't tell you what it is about but I really enjoyed this film and the 2 story-lines.

The three main actors all did a stunning job: Carey Mulligan, who has the most mature sounding voice as she narrates the film, was brilliant. Keira Knightley pulled off a character unlike any she has played before, and Andrew Garfield (from "The Social Network" and soon to be released "Spider-Man") had one of the most heart wrenching scenes that I may have ever watched on film.

I recommend that you rent "Never Let Me Go" - it will make you think; it will make you shudder; and it should make you grateful for you own life. Now knowing there is a novel, I might have to read this one, slowly, because I have a feeling more is explained.

My favorite thing: That I was surprised. Something that rarely happens to me when I watch a movie these days.

My least favorite thing: The thought of the reality of the second story. Sent shivers down my spine.

Possibility of a sequel? No.

Did the previews show too much? Not one bit. They made me want to see it and it didn't reveal - only hinted - at the second story line.

The soundtrack to "Never Let Me Go" is available on iTunes or Amazon.com.

Rating: R
Length: 103 minutes

Review: 8 out of 10

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Technofiction Review of Limitless (2011)

"Limitless" is the story of how a new designer drug can affect peoples' lives. The drug provides a lot of benefit but it does have some hazards. The story unfolds these pluses and minuses well, and avoids a lot of clich? about Mephistophelean deals and "Reefer Madness"-style descents into madness and tragedy. (It avoids a lot of them, but not all.)

It also deals with a fairly interesting mix of characters and moves them through the story without getting too stereotypical. And the special effects are well employed to enhance the story, rather than the much too common other way around.

So it came out better than I expected and I enjoyed it. It was internally consistent which made it a nice exploration of what a new technology can mean to people. I like it when I see a movie that does that.

Here are the technofiction points that I saw:

o First, it is based on the enduring urban legend that humans use only ten percent of their brain. In this movie for some reason that figure is upped to twenty percent. (I guess that the reality that we use one hundred percent of our brain is slowly creeping into urban legend consciousness.) I can suspend belief on that, if the story stays consistent with its premise, and this one did. ("Inception", which I also enjoyed and reviewed, used this same concept, but did not.)

o The story was not consistent about where this brain power enhancing wonder drug, NZT, comes from. In spite of its power and potential, we first see it in the hands of a burn-out pusher, who is giving a sample to his burn-out ex-brother-in-law, Eddie Morra, our protagonist. Ummm... not a likely pair to run across a drug with such potential while the rest of the world is essentially clueless about it. Even more plot deviceish the brother-in-law then gets a mob hit job done on him. How much NZT the Eddie recovers, and if he ever got more before the movie end, are never clear.

o The movie does a pretty good job of showing off what a person with a lot of heightened thinking ability would do. For example, his friends change and he gets into complex business deals to make fast money, not simple gambling deals.

o This drug has side effects, which is fine, and one of them is to make the user a bit maniac -- up -- Eddie does a lot and talks a lot as well as thinking a lot. The movie does a good job of exploring overdosing and cutting off on the drug.

o In spite of his super thinking Eddie -- and thus the story -- makes some stupid mistakes. His dealings with the ruthless loan shark are all plot deviceish, not smart. He borrows money from this ruthless loan shark he doesn't know, he doesn't pay the money back on time, the loan shark takes an NZT pill from him during a confrontation and tries it. Umm... when's the last time you popped an unknown pill you just took off a loser who had stiffed you? Bad karma, man!

o Through most of the movie there is a mysterious man trailing Eddie. At one point Eddie is making calls to other NZT users from the dead pusher's little black address book and discovering their horrible fates when he calls a number, and it's the mysterious man... who's sitting on the park bench next to him! It's a neat scene! But instead of talking to this guy face-to-face, he runs and the movie goes thriller on us. Too bad, it was a stilly choice for Eddie and the movie.

o The ending is good. Eddie gets smart again and outwits those who are trying to bring him down, including himself. He has learned to use this new tool and it's making his life much better. I liked that. It's a good technofiction ending.

In sum, the movie was better than I expected. The story is good and both the acting and effects are there to help the story along, and they do so well. If you like science fiction that's really about a potential future of ours, not just a space opera or movie formula rehash, you'll like Limitless.

Roger Bourke White Jr. has been around. He was a soldier in Vietnam in the '60's, an engineering student at MIT in '70's, a computer networking pioneer in the '80's, and a teacher in Korea in the '90's. He loves writing science fiction and has many works posted at White World.

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Shaun of the Dead (2004)

Director: Edgar Wright
Genres: Comedy, Horror
Rating: R
Release Date: 2004 September 24
Screenwriter: Kate Ashfield, Nick Frost, Simon Pegg
Starring: Dylan Moran, Kate Ashfield, Lucy Davis, Nick Frost, Simon Pegg

What Worked?

A rom-com with zom(bies), Shaun of the Dead perfectly marries comedy and horror, making for a bulletproof film sporting a vest made of fried gold. Edgar Wright is one of the few amazing young directors working in the film-making business today, and with the few films he's done, Shaun of the Dead still stands as his masterpiece. The comedy is quotable, hilarious and satirical, the direction is quick and clever with its share of bloody-grand zombie effects, and the slacker duo played by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are perfect comedy cult icons.

Edgar Wright spins the story on film at a comfortable pace, and makes the film work on so many levels. The editing and direction reflects the witty comedy; for example, Wright has Shaun flipping through different channels, and the portions of dialogue we hear from each channel spits out the expository dialogue as a whole. The montages hit fast and hard, making the standard everyday lives of Shaun and Ed a visual ride. In short, Wright can film someone making coffee exciting. The film oozes with clever, witty humor and Wright delivers it in the perfect spotlight. Also on point are the gore effects, and in this film they're incredibly accurate, and delivered in chunky, curdling splashes.

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost play Shaun and Ed, and they knock it out the park onto the moon. Simon Pegg plays Shaun, the slacker wasting away in a dead-end job at an electronics store who's trying to get his ex-girlfriend back. Pegg plays Shaun to perfection, with pin-point comedic timing and a natural likability with an under-dog pull on the audience. Pegg, as Shaun, displays his talents by projecting the everyday slacker who is naturally funny, but is also a well-rounded character, as we see him straightening out his life via zombie apocalypse. The second spotlight belongs to Nick Frost playing Ed, a slacker that's comfortable with being unimpressive. Frost, as Ed, just doesn't care about anything but kicking back and beering the day away. He's got two modes: party and kick-back. Together, Pegg and Frost have better chemistry than the best duos in any rom-com. The bromance, along with the romance, horror and the comedy, work better because of these two British gents.

Shaun of the Dead should be put on everyone's list of films to bring on a deserted island. It never feels stale, it mixes three genres (Comedy, Horror, and a pinch of Drama), and the dialogue is endlessly quotable. From Shaun and Ed selectively flinging Shaun's record collection at a couple of zombies, to the pool-stick beat-down at the Winchester to Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now," this film is an offbeat, quirky masterpiece that draws laughs, elicits scares, and even surprises viewers with endearing moments.

Potential Drawbacks:

Don't like satire, dry humor, zombies or British people? I guess this isn't for you.

One more thing - for adults only should be stamped onto this bad-boy.

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Bob Clark's Black Christmas (1974): A Killer Classic

By Ray Crowe Ray Crowe
Level: Basic PLUS

I'm a typical Virgo to the extreme, superattentive to details, obsessive/compulsive, intelligent, underconfident in social situations, creative, resourceful, organized, ADD, introverted, very interested in natural/alternative ...

It might seem hard to believe to many that the director of the beloved A Christmas Story could craft a truly frightening, downright disturbing film such as Black Christmas (also originally released under the titles Silent Night, Evil Night and Stranger In Our House) around the same wintry holiday, but here it is -- the original sorority slasher and one of the first horror films to deal exclusively with Christmas (only one segment of 1972's Tales From the Crypt was set at Christmas), except it has much more style and substance than the average sorority slasher that "borrowed" its formula.

There's a talented all-star cast on hand here also, which we know is ridiculously rare in typical sorority slashers. We've got Juliet herself, gorgeous Olivia Hussey, as our tragic heroine Jess, with solid support from John Saxon as the concerned Lieutenant Fuller, Andrea Martin as Phil, Keir Dullea (2001, David and Lisa) as Jess's troubled boyfriend Peter, and standout performances by a young Margot Kidder as the alcoholic, occasionally ill-tempered and always entertaining Barb and veteran Canadian stage actress Marian Waldman as the equally alcoholic (and even more so) house mother Mrs. Mack, who appears respectable and polite but secretly has a mouth as nasty as Barb's and a wicked sense of humor. These two characters provide the majority of the film's comedy relief, of which there is plenty. Frankly I think the comedy has aged shockingly well in this film compared with comedy that was often clumsily thrown into horror films of the same era, that being 1974, and enhances rather than weakens the suspenseful scenes -- of which there are certainly plenty also. Black Christmas can and does frequently switch between pitch black comedy and unrelenting terror and creepiness, and it does it effortlessly.

In fact, I think Black Christmas has aged beautifully in many ways. Even 37 years after it was made, it's still extremely unsettling due to those CREEPY, inhuman, rambling phone calls the demented killer makes which come from a world of their own and reflect a twisted mind fixated on a childhood trauma involving "Billy" and "Agnes"... from what can be gathered, one is to assume that Billy killed Agnes -- possibly his younger sister -- as a child. Part of the film's creepiness is that the identity of the killer is never revealed and the mystery remains unsolved, leaving to the imagination of the viewer the identity and history of the psychopath.

Black Christmas does not rely on jump effects to creep the viewer out like the films that followed it, but nonetheless there is one incredible jump scare that is surprisingly effective today and must have rely had audiences pissing their pants in the theatres when it first came out. It features enormously talented Canadian actress Lynn Carlin (who was also great in a total 180-degree reversal of this role in 1983's Curtains) as the sweet-faced Claire being grappled suddenly and brutally about the throat by the hands of an unseen assailant from behind a plastic curtain in a closet. A simple but stylishly directed and unnerving scene, way ahead of its time and no doubt enormously influential to many filmmakers that followed, so much so that the slashers came to rely on the "jump scare" and repeated it ad nauseum. Black Christmas has just what it needs to be terrifying and doesn't need anything extra -- in fact, anything extra, such as more gore, more shocks or more plot exposition would only detract from the film. As with the best horror films, the film prods and activates the viewer's imagination rather than showing every gory detail of every murder and laying out every piece of the puzzle in clockwork order.

A slasher classic of the highest order, I rate Black Christmas a 10 of 10 and cite it as essential viewing for all film buffs, period.

I'm a typical Virgo to the extreme, superattentive to details, obsessive/compulsive, intelligent, underconfident in social situations, creative, resourceful, organized, ADD, introverted, very interested in natural/alternative health. I'm a published content writer on Yahoo at http://contributor.yahoo.com/user/1041294/ray_crowe.html, and I also sell rare videos and books as Vintage Vendors at http://www.vendio.com/stores/VintageVendors.

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Article Submitted On: April 22, 2011

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Best Horse Movies of All Times

Horses are one of the people's favorite animals. They are so sweet, but in the same time so intelligent and so powerful. People love to ride them, but even those who have never went up on a horse like to watch them, like to fondle them, like to watch horse races, or to bet on them... Here are also the horse games, favorite to people from all ages and of course the horse movies that certainly know how to warm up your heart. If you like to see a great horse movie, we offer you a list of the best horse movies ever. This list will help you to avoid long hours of searching on the net and to enjoy more hours watching.

We could start with "The Black Stallion". This is a timeless classic based on the Walter Farley children's book. It's a movie for the whole family and speaks about powerful bonding between the horse and a boy that leads to race against and beat the fastest horses in the country. The movie is very touching, in some moments happy but in some moments thrilling and breathtaking.

"National Velvet" is an amazing movie that speaks about accomplishment of a childish dream - to win a horse on a lottery and make him a great winner. It's another family classic in which we could see Liz Taylor winning England's famous Grand National steeplechase, disguised as a boy. Besides Liz in this movie could be seen Mickey Rooney, Donald Crisp, Anne Revere and Angela Lansbury.?

There are few movie adaptations of Anna Sewell's classic book "Black Beauty". It's another touching movie, told from the horses' perspective. It can be pretty upsetting for little children because the horse retells his life story. He was forced to leave his wonderful first home?and after that he passed through indifferent and abusive owners. At the end Beauty finally finds again his boy.

"The Horse Whisperer" is en excellent movie but contains scenes that are not so appropriated for young children. It is actually a romance that speaks about the relationship between a workaholic mother and her injured daughter. Here is the horse that is very frightened and the "horse whisperer" that makes changes in their lives, not just for the horse. Robert Redford is the director of this movie and besides him we could see Kristin Scott Thomas, Scarlette Johannson, Sam Neill and Diane Wiest.

"Dreamer" is a great happy ending movie, greatly filmed. Young Dakota Fanning plays Cale Crane, a girl that catalyzes the rescue and the rehabilitation of a race horse with a broken leg. Great family movie, recommended for ages 6 and older.

The list will be ended with "Secretariat", the last horse movie released by Walt Disney Pictures. It's a fabulous movie, beautifully filmed that involves great cast - we could see Diane Lane and John Malkovich in the main roles. This movie is simply beautiful and suitable for all ages. The story is very interesting and it does not include tragedy, abuse and other heart wrenching content.

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Buying The Pacific DVD Set For The Best Price Could Not Be Easier

I have heard and read so much amazing stuff about the Pacific DVD set so, finding it for a good deal is just fantastic and you really can pay less than the recommended retail price very easily if you know where to look. Luckily I have some great advice to help you get yours for the best price.

Having looked at reviews it is no wonder why so many other people are looking to get this fantastic miniseries for a bargain and with accolades as big as greatest World War 2 drama ever being mentioned then you have a pretty good indication that you are not going to be disappointed in your viewing.

The Pacific DVD collection is a compilation that covers not only the story of 3 specific marines using their own accounts and experiences throughout the conflict but with further compelling behind the scenes special features added you really get a sense of how horrific this conflict really was.

The collaboration of the genius minds of Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg really have propelled the war in the Pacific into the limelight for all of the right reasons with their breathtaking production and have sent this DVD set soaring up the viewing charts.

To buy yours online is the best way to get a bargain and by using a site that has done the hard work for you in tracking down the best discounts, coupons or sales is definitely one of the easiest things ever to ensure a real steal, no problem.

I cannot think of anything more satisfying than settling down to watch some awesome TV drama knowing that you have paid a lot less than just about everybody else.

With free shipping being offered in some cases too you can easily keep even more cash in your purse or wallet and let us be honest every dollar saved is always a bonus.

It seems that whether you are a follower of World War 2 drama or not, you will be very hard pushed not to become totally immersed in the storylines and with the characters involved such is the power of the imagery that unfolds. It has been said on more than one occasion that some scenes stay with you for a long time afterwards.

So, enjoying the Pacific DVD set really is easy, not just for the brilliant savings that you can make online but, by paying tribute to those heroic guys who sacrificed so much for us all, by watching their great achievements time after time.

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Black Swan - Sinks In Its Own Shallow Lake

Black Swan has to be one of the most talked-about films of 2010. You might enjoy this film, but it may be for different reasons than you expect. I give director Darren Aronofsky credit for creating such a provocative and alluring spectacle; it's all his doing. I don't think the ballet is any more popular than it was before; the subject matter doesn't seem to be catching any sort of momentum in pop culture, so why does this film seem to find its way into the middle of so many film conversations?

Aronofsky is known for his psychologically damaged characters, from Max Cohen (Sean Gullette) in Pi (1998) to Randy "The Ram" Robinson (Mickey Rourke) in The Wrestler (2008), these characters equally recognize their faults and fight to regain their sense of importance as much as they fail and self-destruct. Aronofsky has become the leading director of character destructive descent, but with his latest doomed protagonist, he's stepped away from the reasonable situations that lead people into their own destruction and settled for pure insanity.Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) is an up-and-coming ballerina, but she is unstable. Nina's self-destruction is apparent from the very beginning, from the opening frame of the film, when she is in the midst of a hallucinatory dream. Nina is like part of a train being taken along for the ride; she makes no important decisions in the film and it may have even been the choice of her mother, Erica (Barbara Hershey), that Nina get involved with the ballet in the first place. Nina anticipates she will be featured more this year, but she is still a star in waiting. She finally gets her chance when her director, Thomas (Vincent Cassel), replaces his star performer, Beth Macintyre (Winona Ryder), with someone "fresh." After fumbling her audition and her plea for the lead role, she has a good cry, eats a finger smudge of cake and concedes her defeat to her rival. When she finds out she has, in fact, been picked for the lead role, nothing in her changes. She is still crying at every emotional turn, too afraid to touch herself, to go out and meet boys, to tell her mom off, and still hallucinating. What is wrong with Nina? Is she schizophrenic? Is she manic-depressive?

If you compare Randy from The Wrestler, Aronosky's previous film, to Nina in Black Swan, there is much character development missing in the latter. We understand Randy's faults and weaknesses as he recognizes them in himself; he yearns for attention, he needs love, and the only place he feels he can have it is in the ring, where it may cost him everything. He makes that choice willingly. Nina yearns for perfection, but crumbles when she is rejected by her peers; she needs approval, but coils into her own paranoia and accuses the people around her of sabotage. It appears as though this is her own doing, but she is led by strong external forces. Nothing is clear.

At its most basic level, Aronofsky violates the rules of his own story world. We are never sure what is reality with Nina - is she dreaming, hallucinating, or drugged? This gives Aronofsky the ability to introduce any device to advance the story, without his characters finding their own way to resolution. This way he can end the film however he wants without having to submit to pesky logic. At the end I was waiting for Nina to wake up yet again to find herself still in her room, having never left for her grand performance. Her mother has locked her in. She would say something like "It was for your own good," then the door would burst open and the men in white coats would drag her off, having discovered that it was she who had killed her alternate, Lily (Mila Kunis). But that would be the typical ending to a horror film; this is an art film, remember?

Portman has certainly arrived as a top actress, but her performance in this film is a little overstated. She's fragile, but it's only when CGI intervenes that her character truly changes. Nina is a victim from beginning to end, and after a flood of tears she implodes, on cue, but my problem isn't with Portman's performance - it's with Nina. At times I felt I identified with the sleazy director: "Stop apologizing!" Because Black Swan is protected by a shield of pretentiousness, it's hard to criticize it with out being labeled a philistine, but at the same time the human emotions explored by this film are fairly one-sided. Obsession, abuse of power, and paranoia are things we all feel, but it's not us all the time.

There was no one for me to identify with in this film because everyone is so depraved. Among the choices to guide us through this story are the arrogant slime ball director, the overbearing daughter-fetish mother, and the slut Lily. All we have left is Nina, who is experiencing paranormal activity. I couldn't connect with her because I didn't understand the connection between her paranoia and her delusions. I could understand her suspicion of the people around her, not knowing if they were trying to help her out of admiration or hurt her out of jealousy, but nothing in the film explained the visual phenomena she was experiencing. The scene in which Nina makes her transformation into the black swan was dazzling and obviously a delusion, but the effect of these delusions seem to play on the type of thrills one gets from a slasher flick. Many of the techniques here reminded me more of Wes Craven than Federico Fellini. Aronofsky has created a horror film dressed in an artsy veil; people expecting an art film will probably leave the cinema confused. Instead of a high-art piece about the pressures of greatness, we end up with a soapy, melodrama-laden horror film.

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Timeless Classics: World Cinema - The Message (1977)

The Message (1977)

Director: Moustapha Akkad

Cast: Anthony Quinn, Irene Papas and Michael Ansara

This movie raised a lot of controversy while being made and after being released. Director Moustapha Akkad had to hire 4-5 Islamic clergymen to make it correctly. In the end movie came out as a definite winner. Personally, I don't follow any particular religion.Just try to absorb the correctly intrepretted, justified things in them. Which are more or less similar in all the religions! The Message shows you the way to a correct and higher living like Ten Commandments, Bible, Ramayan etc. The movie depicts the birth of Islam and why the world needed the guidance of Quran. At a materialistic level it focuses on circumstances that led to Islams origin viz. idol worship, pitiful state of women and poor in 600 A.D.

If you always wonder why Prophet Mohammed is never given a physical form, then watch this movie carefully and interpret it correctly - You will have the answer. My interpretation is as follows:

"Prophet Mohammed received the Message of God through Gabriel.He wanted the world to know the message but wasn't willing that his physical form be worshiped directly. In the time of Prophet idol worship was at its zenith and was being used by rich people in society inappropriately, like it was by Roman empire before arrival of Jesus. So if Prophet was also idolized then his mission would have proven to be futile.Instead, he preferred the message be given in form of Quran, sans any idol worship."

Best part about the movie was direction. Director gave the exact message in such an intact manner. For example, he showed in a scene how a mother/woman starts believing in Prophet. That was simply perfect and covered the need of showing how and why others start following the Prophet. Genius of the director. It was a marvelous feeling to witness first Mecca-Medina Hujh through the medium of a movie. The origin of Islamic prayer-call has been explained beautifully in the movie.Some praying places use bell, some trumpet but here it was decided that a strong human voice would be used to call-on followers for offering their prayers. This scene is awesome as well.You actually feel like praying! There was also a battle scene and Prophet also took part in it, which was the need of the hour and hence justified. Lord Krishna, Guru Nanak and many others approved such a justified battle. Some spiritual figures used battle and some used miracles, like Jesus Christ and Lord Buddha to make men realize the extent of ultimate supreme power. (One reason I adore Mahatma Gandhi he used neither!!) Choreography, according to time-period and technology, is good Acting is nothing spectacular but precise. Though Anthony Quinn is a revelation as always! It's a director's movie.He has succeeded in saying what he wanted.

A must watch 8.2/10

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The Best Movies Of 2010 - Drama

Every year, we have a handful of movies, which have that rare power to move the audiences and stir them emotionally. The movie could be simple and low-key and may still knock you out with its emotions and sentiments. Even a simple moment of smiles and happiness can be stirring and soulful.

In fact, the entire process of making a movie is dramatic and surreal. Getting the actors to behave rather than act, setting up the cameras and sets and so on requires patience, skill and courage. A similar struggle is in store for writers and technicians. However, the effort is worthy if the painstakingly made film receives praise and fanfare. So, let's cast a glance at the best drama movies of 2010.

The Fighter- Drawing inspiration from the 'Rocky' movies, David Russell (Three Kings) has now helmed an encouraging and persuasive story of how a local boxing talent becomes the crowd favorite prizefighter, with his skill and determination. And, while some of this is predictable, it is nevertheless the stuff of guts and glory.

The movie is centered on Micky, an amateur boxer who aspires to reach the heights. On his side are his family, his drug addict brother Dicky (A mind blowing Christian Bale) and his true love, who have sacrificed their passions and have shoved aside troubles to guide and inspire for victory. As Micky struggles, to be the best inside the ring, the movie assumes the scale of a timeless legend of real determination.

The Social Network- Kudos to David Fincher for making the movie on the paradigm altering American brainchild- Facebook. The Social Network is a buoyant and poignant story of how one student's free will and ingenuity resulted in one of the greatest revolutions, for better or for worse.

Impressively, Fincher chooses to focus on the ragtag creators of the social networking site, rather than the actual process behind Facebook's creation. As the Harvard underdog Mark Zuckerberg and others go step by step towards making history, the movie portrays the exact milieu of a generation that is linked by superficial ties. It can't get any more precise and personal than this.

Hereafter- Clint Eastwood's mastery over introspective drama has been witnessed in many films, such as Unforgiven, Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby and so on. With this tale of the supernatural and human despair, he has once gain scored a bull's-eye.

A troubled soothsayer, a lonely teenager bothered with his sibling's tragic demise and a free spirited journalist, bound by her near death experience, are the characters of this timeless drama. Hereafter questions the purpose of death, the entity of afterlife and through it all, Eastwood tells the story with panache and poignancy.

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Movie Reviews: Ponyo (2009)

The works of Hayao Miyazaki are always populated by unique characters and unbridled creativity in fantastically magical worlds. Ponyo is no different. However, where his other films like Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle play upon more adult themes and oftentimes truly terrifying villains, Ponyo remains very safely in the realm of whimsical childhood adventure, and sadly abandons the heavy adversity found in previous efforts. Still mildly entertaining, gorgeously picturesque, and wonderfully perceptive to the subtleties of childish innocence that evoke poignant humor, Ponyo clearly targets a very young audience.

The son of a sailor, 5-year old Sosuke lives a quiet life on an oceanside cliff with his mother Lisa (Tina Fey). One fateful day, he finds a beautiful goldfish trapped in a bottle on the beach and upon rescuing her, names her Ponyo. But she is no ordinary goldfish. The daughter of a masterful wizard (Liam Neeson) and a sea goddess (Cate Blanchett), Ponyo uses her father's magic to transform herself into a young girl and quickly falls in love with Sosuke; but the use of such powerful sorcery causes a dangerous imbalance in the world. As the moon steadily draws nearer to the earth and Ponyo's father sends the ocean's mighty waves to find his daughter, the two children embark on an adventure of a lifetime to save the world and fulfill Ponyo's dreams of becoming human.

Ponyo proves once again that it's very difficult to base a movie around a child main character. And considering the lead is five years old, legendary animation director Miyazaki must overcome an especially large obstacle. Unfortunately he is unable to infuse any reasoning into this imaginative but empty fantasy. Sosuke is given the largest challenge of his life and the formidable task of restoring balance to the universe when a hole in the fabric of reality is opened. Conveniently, he never actually has to deal with difficult trials, tests of his capability or proof of his love for Ponyo. Since he is only five years old, it would be a particular nuisance to demonstrate love as anything beyond a simple spoken phrase.

The biggest problem with the film is the lack of any real conflict. Granted that it's targeting a notably young audience, but Ponyo plays out as little more than a series of events that progressively get weirder as Miyazaki starts to explore the supernatural and unusual fantasy - all without explanations or a basis in popular mythology. Never does believable danger creep into the picture, nor a frightening villain or emotional tribulations. It seems unnecessary to include a single skeptical character (Toki, voiced by Lily Tomlin) for a timid dose of realism, one who actually questions the phenomena taking place - and she's presented as a crotchety old wretch.

At least the animation during the numerous underwater sequences is complex, creative and visually stunning. Apparently so much effort was contributed to these scenes that the human animation is startlingly simple and occasionally ugly. The best part of Ponyo is the music, movingly presiding over the grandest tsunami moments and causing milder segments to briefly become more stirring. Ultimately Ponyo is designed for the smallest of children - what it won't teach them is to avoid talking to elderly strangers with wild orange hair and candy-cane-striped suits who emerge from the sea.

- The Massie Twins (Mike and Joel Massie)

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"Source Code" Movie Review and Thematic Analysis

Let's face it, "Source Code" sounds like a great sci-fi premise. Anyone knows if you can tap into the source code in computer firmware or a program's software, you can control the whole enchilada - or can you? And sci-fi is all about our attempts for control by machines or magic in a universe that seems to be spinning out of control. And like Prometheus who supposedly gave fire to man to allow him some modicum of control over his environment and then was punished by the Greek gods, those who seek control in the sci-fi universe usually pay a heavy price for attempting to play with fire reserved only for the gods themselves.

So, that's to say my expectations were high. It seemed like a lot of fun. Basically, Capt. Colter Stevens finds himself waking up next to a pretty traveling companion on a commuter train only to discover it's not really his body that he is inhabiting but really the body of a school teacher who has similar DNA and body structure (which makes the switch possible), and in fact it is not even the teacher's body, but the teacher's memory network in his brain that is fading from life but yet still retains memories from the previous last eight minutes of his life.

Steven's goal is to explore the teacher's memories to find the one on the train who is the terrorist. This ten would be the person who caused the train to blow up, thus ending the life of the teacher and the lives of all the commuters on the train. If he can identify the bomber he can then communicate it to military scientists in a lab who communicate with the captain, who is in a drug induced coma, via wires into his brain. It's not really "time travel" but "time reassignment". He not actually going back in time but only in the time organized memories in the teacher's brain.

The logic in "Source Code" breaks down a bit, because he is able to act independently of what the teacher might have done during the last eight minutes of his life and do whatever Stevens feels like doing instead to find the bomber. But it's good fun nonetheless. The possibilities seem endless and yet (and I speak as a writer), they don't seem to be explored very well. Getting in a fight with a few commuters, getting caught by a conductor, borrowing someone's cell phone to make a call, all of these seem mundane. The film ups it's game a bit with moments like the dead/comatose soldier calling and speaking to his father. But overall it seems there are a lot of missed opportunities and cliches.

Without giving the ending away, it can be said that the primary climax of "Source Code" happens a good 15 minutes before the end of the film and seems to occur in a very ordinary fashion. And, just when you are expecting to be surprised be a third act that is introduced by some huge plot twist, the end credits begin to roll on the rather short 93 min. film (inc. end credits). Overall, it still was a fun ride. I didn't ask for my money back, but it was disappointing because the film could have delivered so much more. Perhaps there were budget constraints. After all it is being released in that dead zone between the Oscars and the beginning of the big Easter Vacation releases.

In any case, thematically "Source Code" is very interesting. Because it not only implies that Stevens tapped into the source code of the teacher's brain, but also into the source code of some huge collective unconscious where time travel is possible and past events can be changed to affect the future. I'm not sure I buy this, but it's an interesting premise to explore. There is a line from the play "Our Town" where one of the characters is reciting how a friend addressed an envelope sent to post office, "Jane Crofut, the Crofut Farm, Grover's Corner; Sutton Country; New Hampshire; United States of America; continent of North America; Western Hemisphere; the Earth, the Solar System; The Universe; the Mind of God." It's an interesting way to think of life, as if we are all part of some play in the mind of God. Could one possibly tap into the Source Code for this?

Others might refer to some psychics like Edgar Cayce who spoke of getting his cures for diseases when he went into a trance into some huge collective unconscious of all the souls that are living and have ever lived. He certainly came up with some amazing cures that he could have never discovered himself, but where he got that information, aaaahh, that's the question. Some feel there is such a thing as telepathy but perhaps it's not with a collective unconscious but some superior race of beings who are manipulating us. Of course now we're getting into UFO and abduction territory. Or possibly we're venturing into the realm of cross dimensional beings more commonly referred to as evil spirits or in Old English, demons - who influence us and sometimes even communicate with us in ways we do not know. Who knows. I'm not sure that's a source code I'd want to tap into

In any case tapping into some universal source code does seem a very seductive premise for a sci-fi film to explore. What would YOU do with that opportunity? How would it change your life? However, in the film Stevens doesn't seem to pay a price for his playing with the very laws of nature. This was a shortcoming of the film that is usually stock in trade in sci-fi films. For example in "Inception" there was the possibility that a misstep in entering the dream world could lead to the mission team ending out in some perpetual limbo between life and death. There doesn't seem to be any such jeopardy for Stevens or the scientists controlling him. The film implies that there is some huge danger we do not know about, but never pays it off.

Hopefully there will be a Source Code 2 that really does exploit more of the rich possibilities of this movie concept.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0945513/

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The Goonies - Much Worse Than You Remember

You know what I love about the '80s? Public Enemy, NWA, Prince, Guns N' Roses, and the fact that The Toxic Avenger (1984), an unrated film that shows a kid's head getting smashed by a car in graphic, bloody close-up within the first thirty minutes, was inexplicably made into a children's cartoon on broadcast television.

You know what I hate about the '80s? Reaganomics, Reagan, Bush, and now that I've pretty much got you all on my side, let me do a 180 and say that I hate The Goonies (1985).

Okay, so you're probably yelling at your computer screen now, but I defy any of you, to give me any kind of logical argument for why anyone over the age of ten, with an IQ over 100, should like this film, let alone consider it "the greatest adolescent adventure film of all time," as at least one critic has dubbed it.

Now, I'll admit that I am lacking the one and only prerequisite for liking The Goonies: I never saw it as a kid. I know dozens of people who profess to love the film because they grew up with it. Most of them haven't seen it since they were kids, but I guess that's beside the point. The point is, I also never saw Labyrinth (1986) or The Princess Bride (1987) or The Neverending Story (1984) as a kid either, but I still love those movies now, after having seen them as an adult. Why? Because they're actually good films.

The Goonies, on the other hand, has one good thing going for it: Chunk (Jeff Cohen). Perhaps the only worthwhile scene in the whole godforsaken film is Chunk's tearful confession of causing a massive puke-fest, which would have been funnier if it were shown rather than merely described, a la Stand By Me (1986), an infinitely superior "adolescent adventure film." Chunk's other shining moment is, of course, the infamous "truffle shuffle," a cheap joke at the expense of a fat kid that I would still rather watch for three hours than sit through the rest of the movie.

The rest of the characters I couldn't give less of a crap about if I was constipated.

But let's not forget the slight undercurrent of racism to be seen in the character of Data (Ke Huy Quan), the uber-smart Asian kid who's really good at math and science. For some reason, in the '80s, this was the most popular stereotype; remember Sixteen Candles (1984) and "Long Duk Dong" (Gedde Watanabe)? Someone should get their ass kicked by the ghost of Bruce Lee for that one. Or how about A Christmas Story (1983)? A sweet, nostalgic family film that I love through and through, until the end, when it suddenly becomes a bad ethnic joke: "Deck the hars wif boughs of horry!" Isn't it funny? We're better than them.

But, I digress. It's not that The Goonies is a terrible movie; it's just that, like Rocky (1976), TRON (1982),E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Spaceballs (1987), or any number of other so-called "classics" of that approximate era, it is over-rated, and doesn't deserve the cult status it has, which, more than anything, just baffles me. There are adults all over the country who remember this overblown spectacle of mediocrity with fondness, and who have probably never even seen Time Bandits (1981), for example.

And I know this is getting a bit long-winded, and The Goonies really isn't worth 600 words, so let me just conclude by saying that a friend of mine once belittled The Lost Boys (1987), one of my childhood favorites, as nothing more than The Goonies with vampires, and maybe he was right; but in my eyes, that alone makes it a hundred times cooler, and I for one will sleep better tonight dreaming of David (Kiefer Sutherland), Marko (Alex Winter) and Dwayne (Billy Wirth) feasting on every last one of those stupid kids, and preventing them from ever completing their lame adolescent adventure.

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Dil To Baccha Hai Ji (DTBHJ) Movie Review

Dil To Baccha Hai Ji (DTBHJ) isn't a typical 'Madhur Bhandarkar' film. No, it's not bereft of cardboard cutouts masquerading as characters, insensitive portrayals, cheap jokes or jarring background score threatening to tear your eardrums every time something dramatic needs to be conveyed; DTBHJ is a full loaded Bhandarkar film and yet it's different for finally we have a Madhur Bhandarkar film that will not win any National Award!

Dil To Baccha Hai Ji (DTBHJ) Plot

Following its tagline 'Love Grows, Men Don't' DTBHJ is about three men who believe they have found the love of their boring lives but as life isn't a bed of roses our boys will learn that true love will come their way but only at the end of the film. In his late 30's and recently divorced, Naren (Ajay Devgn) shifts back into his parents' house and takes up paying guests in the form of Abhay or Aby (Emraan Hashmi), a local lothario of a gym instructor who beds everything that moves and Milind (Omi Vaidya), a proud virgin who believes in saving himself for that one perfect woman and that one perfect night. The tiresome threesome end up meeting the objects of their affection- a young secretary, June Pinto (Shazahn Padamsee), a trophy wife Anushka Narang (Tisca Chopra, ravishing!) and an RJ who desperately wants to become actor Gungun (Shraddha Das) and go through the motions of love. Naren tries hard to fit into the 22 year old June's friend circle, Aby gets goodies from sugar mama Anushka but ends up falling for her step-daughter Nikki (Shruti Hassan) and Milind is only too happy to run to the cleaners as Gungun uses him for everything from getting drinks in a pub to getting a new portfolio clicked. After much deliberation the three inch closer to winning over their women but things don't go as planned and in the end the three are left high and dry only to bump into the real 'true' loves of their lives.

DTBHJ ushers in a Bandarkar v 2.0 simply because this isn't a dreary tale that the multi National Award winning director has been long associated with. This is a bright and happy film and thanks to Priya Suhas's decent production design and Ravi Walia's neat camerawork DTBHJ even manages to look up-market. And yet DTBHJ is as tacky as most Bhandarkar films end up being.

Piltfalls in Dil To Baccha Hai Ji (DTBHJ)

Replete with crude jokes about homosexuality, aging, caricatured portrayals of just about everyone and insensitive things like a stray dog named Kasab as the mutt was found at VT Station and is a terror, DTBHJ might be funny at places but on the whole is rather tasteless. Like most Bhandarkar films DTBHJ features characters as flat as a three day old cola, shoddy writing with loads of expository dialogues that contain the entire story of some other film and rather strange characterizations- a Radio Jockey whose broke as hell, a business tycoon who looks like a lost child, a Goan granny who talks like some cheap gangster, etc.

Many actors believe that a role in a Madhur Bhandarkar film suddenly puts you in a different league and while this isn't a 'typical' Bhandarkar film no one takes their job seriously. Don't blame them for how different can you play a Hindi film playboy or how challenging can it be to play a business tycoon who mouths inanities like ' There's an economic forum in Geneva....we must go there together....we all will go, great we will go next week' without even bothering to make the obligatory 'dramatic' pauses?

Actors & their Acting in Dil To Baccha Hai Ji (DTBHJ)

Devgn puts in a decent effort and at places he's even fun to watch but Hashmi, a victim of his own 'serial kisser' image looks like a buffoon rolling his eyes and smiling his impish smile. Omi Vaidya's strange accent was perhaps fun in 3 Idiots but here it's annoying and so is the poor poetry he bores us with. Even if Bhandarkar reserves his most insensitive jokes for women in his films, they always have a bigger presence in them but here barring Tisca Chopra, who looks better than everyone else put together, no one else makes a mark. Das is shabby but Padamsee and Hassan are passable. As far as acting goes my pick of the ladies was Naren's lady lawyer- a character called Sunanda Pradhan; hilarious to say the least.

Bhandarkar wastes much of the screen time with absolutely mindless actions and half-way into the film just as you think what the hell is DTBHJ all about he introduces Nikki and makes Aby fall for her in a desperate bid to infuse some semblance of a story. Towards the end Bhandarkar rather conveniently just sums up everything as if he's on speed mode or maybe the release date of the film was staring him in the face. There are some amusing moments and DTBHJ might be Bhandarkar's idea of a fun film but you know sometimes the twain just don't meet.

Dil To Baccha Hai Ji (DTBHJ) Rating: 2.5 / 5

Dil To Baccha Hai Ji (DTBHJ) Genre: Romance / Comedy

Dil To Baccha Hai Ji (DTBHJ) Cast: Ajay Devgn, Emraan Hashmi, Omi Vaidya, Shazahn Padamsee, Shraddha Das, Shruti Haasan, Tisca Chopra

Dil To Baccha Hai Ji (DTBHJ) Director: Madhur Bhandarkar

Dil To Baccha Hai Ji (DTBHJ) Music: Pritam

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Technofiction Review of Source Code (2011)

This story is told through the eyes of Cpt. Colter Stevens, and it is a strange story, indeed. He wakes up in the body of a different man, on a Chicago-bound commuter train, and eight minutes later experiences a bomb blast which blows him and the train to bits. He then repeats this experience, over and over. He discovers his mission is to figure out who set the bomb, and why the Sam Hill he is here in this different body! Before this weirdness began he had been a helicopter pilot flying a combat mission in Afghanistan.

His condition is steadily revealed as he keeps going back into this scenario to try to solve the mystery. In the end he solves both mysteries, falls in love with the beautiful woman on the train, and there's a happy twist at the end.

The director, Duncan Jones, also did "Moon" a movie I quite enjoyed as well. I'm happy to see he's keeping up the good work.

That's the good news. Here are the technofiction flaws I saw:

o The first problem I noticed was that the bomber managed to tote a 50-70 pound bomb made up of dozens of separate parts into the train restroom and smoosh it up the ventilator panel and into a stable place up there above the ceiling without anyone else on the train taking notice. He's a strong, agile boy, indeed!

o The second problem was that as the story unfolds it becomes more and more plot deviceish. We have a bomber who's going to not just blow up this train, but blow up Chicago as well, and somehow the authorities find out that this train bomb is just a prelude....Wow! That's asking a lot.

Asking even more: This is being done by just one person! He's going to build, deposit, and set off both devices. MacGyver on steroids!

All of the above seems to be unfolded just to give some urgency to this story.

o Somehow... out of this devastating carnage of a train wreck. The top-secret military people locate a passenger brain that is still alive enough that they can transfer full sensory images to Cpt. Stevens' mind. And they do this within minutes of the wreck happening because the clock is ticking on "the big one" still coming.

There's never a cop around when you need one, but there's a super-secret military agency johnny-on-the-spot when you need a movie plot device.

o For some reason having Stevens practice a few times, and understand what his condition is, isn't going to work. The story tells us that this top secret outfit has been waiting patiently for a disaster of this sort so they could test their new creation, so there was plenty of time to get Stevens acclimated should they have chosen to do so.

o At one point the military tells Stevens that the blast was deliberately timed to go off when the commuter train was passing a freight train. The military people imply the bomber was watching for this to happen, which implies the bomber was following the train in his car and able to see when this happened.

...Well, he's already strong and agile enough to get a 50-70 pound bomb up the restroom ventilator, and engineer enough to build the bomb all by himself, I guess he can be a NASCAR-class driver as well.

o The second bomb, the one the military is trying desperately to stop, is described as a dirty bomb. A dirty bomb is a conventional bomb with some radioactive stuff mixed in. It's not a nuclear bomb and it's not as powerful as one. It's a run-of-the-mill car bomb plus some radioactive contamination. It is not going to turn Chicago into rubble, the goal the mad bomber says he's aiming for.

o I won't go into detail, but the "who" Cpt. Stevens is affecting as he runs through this scenario again and again is something that takes some serious belief suspension, but I will grant that.

So, all in all, it's a nice thriller to watch. It's well crafted and the acting, pacing and special effects do well at supporting the story. But the story itself is a technofiction head-scratcher.

Roger Bourke White Jr. has been around. He was a soldier in Vietnam in the '60's, an engineering student at MIT in '70's, a computer networking pioneer in the '80's, and a teacher in Korea in the '90's. He loves writing science fiction and has many works posted at White World.

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