6.5/10
A thrilling film with a decent twist. The film tried to use slow-mo action sequences to set itself from other action films, which was effective. However, this film still kept many cliche gun fights and car chases that somehow ends in the hero surviving the madness.
Bit slow at times but superb performance from James Mcavoy and Mark Strong makes it worthwhile.
Looking for an exciting drama/thriller/crime with twists and curve balls?
Plot: A thriller set in London, in which a politician's life becomes increasingly complex as his research assistant is found dead on the London Underground and, in a seemingly unrelated incident, a teenage pickpocket is shot dead.
State of Play mini-series is probably one of the best mini-drama series I've seen. It was so successful that a movie (by the same name) was made starring Russel Crowe and Ben Affleck. If you're debating to either watch the movie or the series, I would advise you to spend the extra bit of time with the original British series over the film. Here's why:
Even with Crowe and Affleck, the film did not have the same effect as the cast in the series. John Simm and David Morrissey was a better match as Cal and Colin. With guest stars James McAvoy and Bill Nighy, this series does stand apart from its successor.
The 6 episodes mini allotted more time to develop the stories and characters better than the film. When the story is really rich with many characters interwoven, like State of Play a 2 plus hour film just doesn't do it justice.
The only difficulty I found was the heavy accented dialogue, but I did not mind rewatching bits throughout.
I highly recommend this series. It is smart, sophisticated and really explores journalism and politics. I encourage everyone to open up their minds and give this series a spin. Until you've seen it, I will not talk further about the ending or my thoughts on the 'curve ball'.
The Door (Die Tur) 2009 is about a successful artist who loses control of his life after his young daughter's death. A chance for a new start appears, but all is not what it seems.
Intriguing idea that is well shot but with some loop holes.
The movie begins in what appears to be an innocent/peaceful residential street, which gives this film a very spooky feeling as it is nothing near innocent. The film's most important event, the death of the child, occurs in the first 10 minutes of the film, which sets the tone for the rest of the film.
Mads Mikkelsen was fantastic in the lead role as the father, who took his life for granted and wants to redeem himself. Mikkelsen is great playing a role that is fairly dynamic.
There are a few events in the film that brought up more questions than answers, but the overall effect of the film is fairly good as it keeps you pondering. I would recommend you to check it out and judge for yourself.
Plot:Set in 1944 France, an American Intelligence Squad locates a German Platoon wishing to surrender rather than die in Germany's final war offensive. The two groups of men, isolated from the war at present, put aside their differences and spend Christmas together before the surrender plan turns bad and both sides are forced to fight the other.
What I loved about this film:
The unique start of the film, that drops you right into the world of the soldiers. The way this film present each character gives me instant connection with them.
Superb acting! Ethan Hawke, Kevin Dillon, Frank Whaley, Arye Gross are amazing together. Their dialogue and emotions compliment each other perfectly and . I felt drawn to each character and the mission they drew for themselves. If I had to be in that forest, I just hope Will Knot (Ethan Hawke),Cpl. Mel Avakian( Dillon), Paul 'Father' Mundy (Whaley), Bud Miller(Peter Berg) and Stan Shutzer (Arye Gross) has my back.
A story that captures. At no point of this film did I think about any behind the scenes or filming technique. I was so engrossed by the dialogue, story and engulfed by the decisions the squad took. (spoilers follows) Though the ultimate occurrence made me sad, as I direly wanted it all to have worked out.
Very believable filming locations and acting. Like I mention before, the story and approach at presenting this story is so unique and compelling that I might need to rewatch it again, just so I can observe the filming technique.
A Midnight Clear is probably on my top 5 favourite war movies, beating Saving Private Ryan
Typical crime film that is predictable throughout.
Mark Wahlberg, Joaquin Phoenix and Charlize Theron teams up in this simple crime drama about the politics and corruption behind the city's subway repair contractors. The plot line sounds exciting with Leo (played by Wahlberg), newly released from jail, gets caught up in the messy back drop of subway contracting with his friend Willie (played by Phoenix).
This film is not as exciting towards the first quater as the story started becoming more predictable and slow. There were no surprises and not much suspense as the film rolled to its climax. I saw the final conclusion coming long before the mid point of the film and spent majority of the time studying the use of lighting and colour grading, as both were splendid and well done, losing interest in the actual story. Cinematography was well done by Harris Savides , giving the film a very film noir appearance. The acting by Phoenix, Theron and Ellen Burstyn are all worth mentioning.
My more preferred film by Wahlberg and Phoenix collaboration still would have to be We Own the Night. Wahlberg and Theron teamed film would have to be Italian Job. As for this film, nice try...thanks for playing but The Yards missed at being a more memorable movie.
I started this film with absolutely no expectations, and walked out with a smile. 3 Idiots is a sheer brilliant, heartfelt, laugh-out-loud hilarious, and, most importantly, uplifting.
It's 4am, and I just finished; though I should really sleep, I also really need to get this review out. This bollywood film is absolutely an experience you must partake.
There are a few tiers that makes a film excellent.
A) Great characters; meaning all characters from protagonist to all the supporting members, are well rounded and support each other.
B) excellently intertwined storyline that uses multiple points of view, keeps you guessing and full of twists.
C) a well mixture of emotions (be it joy, fear, tears, anger, disappoint, love, hate, sorrow, confusion, thrill...)
D) Underlining message that will be left with the audience. Since the audience has invested their time, money, patience and effort. A sense of accomplishment after the film ends, something that the viewer can learn, experience, think about, use in their lives. Not just be left with regret that they started watching the film or just a mere memory of having watched a film.
E) Good cinematography, editing, direction, art work that can fully put together the screen play. Some times a film could be such an amazing idea, but fails to be put together nicely.
I can say 3 Idiots has succeeded all these tiers. It just rose onto my list of top favourite films. This is what true friendship is about...
Don't say you didn't watch this film because you couldn't find it! For your viewing pleasure, here's the entire film on the Tube:
Plot: Epic tale of three brothers and their father living in the remote wilderness of 1900s USA and how their lives are affected by nature, history, war, and love.
Tight knit story surrounding the lives of three brothers, and their stories of war, love and pain. Well acted, great cinematography, splendid sceneries and very detailed character study. Also, the 1994 Oscar winner for Best Cinematography.
This film is a fine piece of work, HOWEVER I am very against the way the film glorifies killing and death. It makes revenge and killing to be almost heroic.
A film worth seeing for it's cinematography and characters, but not a good role model film
Plot: Shot documentary-style, this film follows the daily grind of two young police officers in LA who are partners and friends, and what happens when they meet criminal forces greater than themselves.
A film about friendship, family, trust and love
The cinematography and shooting method is done in style of handheld cameras, much like in Cloverfield or Blaire Witch Project. The film is filled with many ''Amercian's Funniest Home Videos home camera footages that can be fairly shaky and blurry at times. BUT this shakiness worked in favour to tell the story as it gave the film a personal appeal, that it may not have been able to achieve if it went with a very block buster grand cinematic shooting style. Thus, I applaud the choice of handheld camera.
I don't think there could be a better choice of a cast for this film: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Peña, Anna Kendrick were top notch in driving the emotions of End of Watch. The chemistry between the characters were believable and real. Every time something happened to one of the characters, you could see it in the eyes of their supports.
A nice piece of artwork that has some disturbing contents but extremely heartfelt and well done.
Witty, funny with a fairly good acting from a fair fresh cast.
Plot: Beca, a freshman at Barden University, is cajoled into joining The Bellas, her school's all-girls singing group. Injecting some much needed energy into their repertoire, The Bellas take on their male rivals in a campus competition.
When I started watching this, I didn't expect to have liked it so much. I am not a fan of Glee, with the poor storyline and horrid dialogue, so I didn't have much expectations for Pitch Perfect. However, I was truly surprised by Pitch Perfect and its perfect package with the hilarious scenarios, witty dialogue and fairly decent acting.
The many FANTASTIC one liners, love those to pieces! Hats off to the writers ( Kay Cannon for screenplay and Mickey Rapkin for the book) and the cast for the perfect delivery. Here's a sample of some of my favourite lines:
I ate my twin in the womb.
I set fires to feel joy.
Thank god I asked to go to the bathroom 3 hours ago.
Lesbi-honest
Im going to pip slap you so hard your man-boobs will concave.
At least its not herpes or do you have that as well.
Its probably just god punishing you for being a ginger. - watch this in the credits
Sisters before misters.
Anna Kendrick, was awesome. She includes many small gestures and expressions in every scene to give the film dynamic, allowing this film to shine and escape the flatness that entraps many of these Cinderella type stories. and Brittany Snow, I fairly enjoyed her performance as well.
The ending is very predictable, but what was really classy about Pitch Perfect was the fact that the film recognizes its predictable ending.
Plot: In 1941, the inhabitants of a small Jewish village in Central Europe organize a fake deportation train so that they can escape the Nazis and flee to Palestine.
Similar to Life is Beautiful, Train of Life is a comedy drama war film about Jews attempting to survive during World War II terror from Nazi Germany.
Despite the subject matter, this film uses humor and some outrageous situations to look at the horrors of the holocaust through new dimensions. This and Life Is Beautiful are worth viewing.
The complete each other, bromance before it was popular
Plot: Conjoined twins from Martha's Vineyard move to Los Angeles so that one of them can pursue an acting career.
Acting is superb. I love Matt Damon, and it was nice to see him paired up with Greg Kinnear. With cameo from Cher and Meryl Streep as themselves made this film fairly unique.
Stuck On You didn't over do its use of humor. The subtleness and odd romance relationship makes this film sappy yet sweet.
Nothing overly epic or spectacular, but a good light comedy to enjoy on friday night.
Has some goofs in the age casting, but a good film with some thought. And despite the title, film is not about accounting.
Plot: Tale of a former Nazi executioner who becomes a target of hit men and Police investigators.
Even though it is labeled 'thriller' The Statement is fairly slow paced with slight edge of suspense of what the ending will be like. There are very little chase scenes and gun fights.
A Woman in Berlin, as its title says, is about a woman living in Berlin at the end of world war II. This film is her account of having to survive and the terror that she faces. The idea of safety and protection will never again be felt. Idea of love will never be the same.
All the ugliness, complexity and horrors of war are all laid out in this raw and harsh film.
The subject matter is difficult to handle, and there are some disturbing ....not recommended for everyone. Good but intense film.
I strongly advise against watching "Come And See (Idi i Smotri)" along with this film on the same day. Very hard hitting.
Plot: Based on a true story a group of East Berliners escaping to the West. Harry Melchior was a champion East German swimmer at odds with the system under which he has already been imprisoned
Fairly decent made for TV movie that revolves around the effects of the building of the Berlin wall. What this film does the well is that it takes many true incidents that occurred and dramatized it to fit the story. For example, the famous photo of the NVA soldier Conrad Schumann defecting to West Berlin, and Peter Fechter's defecting but slightly changed with the character Heiner.
Lead actor is mediocre, and almost felt he had the same facial expression in the entire film.
This film is not easy to explain, It is raw and blunt– a punch in the gut, yet it is also a film of intelligence and sensitivity. Plot: Put in charge of his young son, Ali leaves Belgium for Antibes to live with his sister and her husband as a family. Ali's bond with Stephanie, a killer whale trainer, grows deeper after Stephanie suffers a horrible accident
Fantastic cinematography, with great editing, quirky cast and overall a wacky film.
Plot: Post-apocalyptic surrealist black comedy about the landlord of an apartment building who occasionally prepares a delicacy for his odd tenants.
I knew I was in for a treat when the beginning credits started. Instead of your typical text on screen fading in and out, Delicatessen used credits that was attached to pieces of labels on rubbish. This initial credits alone was inspiring and very creative.
This French film is an art piece, with many themes embedded and is not afraid to push the limit.
Not one character in this film is not quirky, thus coming together to form a very wacky film.
A masterpiece by Agatha Christie that many other films got its inspirations from but it was predictable and not very suspenseful.
Plot: Based on a novel and subsequent stage play by Agatha Christie; ten people are invited to an isolated island, only to be killed one-by-one. Could one of them be the killer?
Nicely plotted, but not a very exciting film. During the film I kept thinking about Harper's Island (mini-series) and Clue (film), both of which I watched prior to this adaptation of Agatha Christie's novel. Having seen both of them first, i came into And Then There Were None with different expectations.
You want murder, suspense, thriller and twists upon twists?!? Well then strap yourself in and watch this gripping courtroom drama written by Agatha Christie.
Plot: It's Britain, 1953. Upon his return to work following a heart attack, irrepressible barrister Sir Wilfrid Robarts, known as a barrister for the hopeless, takes on a murder case, much to the exasperation of his medical team
From moment one of this movie, my mind was moving and attempting to figure out what the possible ending might be like. Leave it to Agatha Christie to write crime thriller full of twists and leaves the reader/viewer completely in suspense. The ending will blow you away, and I am sworn not to give away this ending and I stand by it.
This film consists of mostly dialogue that is very detailed, witty and sophisticated, which requires the viewers to pay close to attention. The case starts off very slow but picks up pace like a cheetah spotting its prey around minute 30 and continues its run until the ultimate twist filled conclusion.
I HIGHLY recommending this film to anyone who enjoys a murder mystery, courtroom/crime drama...as Witness for Prosecution will not disappoint!!
Holy awesomeness batman!! Such a good mini-series!!
Plot: On the surface William Travers is a picture of success. An accomplished criminal barrister happily living with his wife in rural Suffolk. However, Travers is still recovering from a traumatic series of events that have shaken his belief in the legal system
Hats off to the writers of Injustice, who created a complex masterpiece through flashbacks, multiple intersecting story lines from different characters and many twists.
The series starts off a bit slow, but give this mini a chance and sit through the first half of episode one; You'll be thankful that you did. This 6 episodes 300minutes long mini-series is filled with unexpected twists, clever dialoge, interwoven stories, suspense and great acting. I was truly amazed by suspenseful and thrilling adventure that was Injustice.
James Purefoy (from TV series Rome) and Charlie Creed-Miles both gave superb performances in the lead roles, giving an edge to this mini that otherwise wouldn't have been as great.
The rating on IMDB.com must have been the result people who can't tell the difference between great television programming and jersey shore.
Recommended to those who enjoys Law and Order, Sherlock Holmes, Mr.Brooks (movie) or just a great police/court/character-driven film.
