Her

The sheer ingenuity of the concept of someone falling in love with his Operating System should be enough to draw you to watch HER.  If that is not sufficient then I am hoping that by the end of this review, you will be compelled to at least consider a watch.  Because if you don’t catch up with the movie, you are missing some really great cinema.

Red 2

I just realized a few minutes ago that I haven’t published my review of Red.  I would have thought that I had seen the movie after I started putting down my thoughts in cyberspace but I guess it would have been a little before that.  Red was an action movie par excellence.  Standard espionage story but great dialogues and fabulous performances.

The Bourne Supremacy

Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) wakes up yet another day from what can only be described as a nightmare for him – flashes from the past. While this is not new to Jason, he does find some comfort in the fact that he is not alone. He has Marie (Franka Potente) who he caught up with towards the end of Identity.

The Bourne Identity

A great Espionage novel can be best described by the word “unputdownable”. Yeah I know it is a made up word and doesn’t exist. But how else would you explain the feeling of wanting to continue reading non-stop. How else would you explain the feeling of desperately wanting to turn the pages over, faster than you would normally do because you are that desperate to find out what happens in the end.

The Campaign

I will not lie about it. The only Will Ferrell movie that I have really enjoyed is Stranger Than Fiction. And Zach whatshisname hasn’t inspired any confidence in me since Hangover. In fact, even in Hangover, I wasn’t really thrilled about his performance. Like seriously folks – irritation and humour are not synonyms by any stretch of imagination. However, I am quite certain that there are millions out there who love both of them.

Cam Brady (Will Ferrell) is a hugely successful Democrat who has won from his constituency for four consecutive terms. And the fifth term is only a matter of completing a formality. One would have assumed that he will coast into yet another unopposed win with the least of worries.

But his promoters – the Motch Brothers – Wade (Dan Aykroyd) and Glenn (John Lithgow) have other ideas. Primarily to ensure that their selfish motives of moving a huge plant for toys from China to the US. That would need a bill to be passed in the Senate and therefore a puppet who will do as s/he has been told. Enter – Marty Huggins (Galifianakis) s/o Raymond Huggins (Brian Cox).

Marty runs a not so successful domestic tour business. And he doesn’t have his father’s favour – rightfully so – thanks to his weird ways that inspire no confidence. But the Motch brothers need a fall guy – a scapegoat. So instead of Junior Huggins who would be the normal choice, they pick Marty. And what follows is an attempted comedy that falls sorely flat on its nose.

If you are a Ferrell / Zach fan – and by that I mean that you really enjoyed movies such as Due Date (Zach) or The Other Guys (Ferrell) – then The Campaign should be on your must watch list. Even the director – Jay Roach – comes from the slapstick genre. His previous exploits include the Austin Powers series and that painful series involving the most over rated actor in Hollywood who goes by the name of Ben Stiller.

There is nothing different that The Campaign has to offer in terms of entertainment. You may see Hollywood stoop to lower levels of degrading people in the name of comedy but nothing that compares or holds a candle to good healthy entertainment. Crass dialogues, really sad twists in the story and slapstick humour are all you can look forward to in this one. I didn’t quite enjoy it too much. But then it is much better than some of the other trash that’s playing these days. 5 on 10.

Watch the trailer on http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi277390617/

Coriolanus

Ralph Fiennes’ first movie as a director leaves a lot to be desired to say the least. First of all, I have no clue to why he would experiment with his first movie in a language that is not really up everyone’s comfort level. I mean it is English alright but why Shakespearean English????? And that too in verse????

And the morons who seem to be running the movie houses in India could not think of adding subtitles to the movie? Else they should have sold 2/3rds of the tickets and kept a translator for every 2 patrons walking into the hall. Not a feasible solution right? SUBTITLES YOU MORONS!!!! As it is, we aren’t the largest market for Hollywood in the world. Your rank stupidity is not helping the cause. Surely Ralph Fiennes had his reasons to convert a lesser know Shakespearean play in Shakespearean but what is your excuse darlings? And then there is PVR who super intelligently decides to play J Edgar in Juhu and Phoenix but decide to release Coriolanus across all PVRs in the city. I cannot begin to imagine the plight of the Gujju Bens and Bhais (Sisters and Brothers) in Mulund and Goregaon wondering how to pronounce the movie – leave alone walk into the hall and try to understand it. Weird people have infested this industry I tell you.

Coriolanus is about this Roman general called Marcus Caius (Ralph Fiennes) whose arch enemies, the Volscians are led by Tulius Aufidius (Gerard Butler). Marcus Caius has fought several wars for Rome and has successfully defended its pride and honour not just by leading from the front but also by ensuring that orders are followed to the T. So much so that the people of Rome do not quite like him much. But a few wise people in the right places appreciate his efforts and would like to annoit him as Counsellor (the highest authority) in Rome. His closest friend, confidante and Senator of Rome – Menenius Agrippa (Brian Cox) lobbies really hard for his case. However, as luck would have it, he faces severe opposition from not just some of the common people of Rome but also the Tribunes (Paul Jesson & James Nesbitt) who not only oppose him but also get him embroiled in a serious scam which questions his integrity and also get him banished from Rome. Incensed, Marcus Caius Coriolanus, approaches the Volscians and joins hands with them to conquer Rome.

In terms of acting talent and execution, the movie doesn’t leave too much to be desired. It takes great courage to use a dialect of English that may not be best accepted by the people. And even more to get the likes of Gerard Butler and Vanessa Redgrave to narrate with consummate ease. So hats off to Ralph Fiennes for the same. He has also converted the story into a modern day setting with the use of costumes which is equally good. But watch it only if you have subtitles or else you will definitely be left groping in the dark for what was said. OK to watch on DVD. 6 on 10.

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2877398553/

R.E.D

In most of my movie reviews to date, I have given you a link to the trailer at the end of the review. Just in case you need to glance at it once after reading the review to make up your mind completely before taking the plunge. Or maybe change your mind despite a scathing review from my side. In the case of R.E.D., I am breaking from practice and slotting this first up. Watch the trailer first before reading any more of my review. Especially the last 15-20 seconds of the trailer.
http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2156856857/

Rajani Saar – I am really sorry. I did not mean to offend you. This John Malkovich fellow didn’t know about your existence. If I had known about the sequence, I would have seriously filed court case. But then, I thought, if John Malkovich needs a bullet to blow a bazooka bomb, Rajani Saar can turn the bomb around by just looking at it. No worries Thalaivar – John is about 45 years behind on the growth curve.

Directed by Robert Schwentke is a definite watch for those who love action flicks and performances put together. With the exception of a couple of sequences where they try to emulate God, the movie is a non stop riot from the first sequence. Frank Moses is a 50 something oldie who keeps calling up the number of the insurance company to speak to Sarah Ross under the pretext of a pension cheque that he claims to have never received despite them sending it over 40 times. But a sudden attack on his life by a bunch of guys who look like a SWAT team sends him and the movie and the audiences into a complete tizzy. 5 minutes into the movie and you are holding onto your seats for dear life.

After watching the trailer, if you do not want to watch the movie then I suggest you get yourself seriously looked at for a case of “I don’t like entertainment and would like to spend the rest of my life sulking” syndrome. R.E.D combines the best action sequences that you could have thought of. What do you want from an action movie? A combination of A Team, Expendables, Terminator, Predator, Commando, Die Hard? Well you asked for it and you will get all of it and more in R.E.D. And add to it exceptional performers who go by the names of Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, Richard Dreyfuss & Bruce Willis. The rest of the cast just went pale in comparison. Now why would such a bunch of super stars indulge in inane action is a question I guess only they are best equipped to answer. And who are we but lowly mortals to comment on the choices made by them. Lets just recline back (or lay back on your sofas like I did) and enjoy the ride because they are truly Retired & Extremely Dangerous. No clue how or why I missed the movie earlier this year. 5 on 10 for story. 8 on 10 on entertainment. So lets make this an average of 6.5 on 10. Playing on one of the movie channels these days. Make an effort to catch up with it. Thou shall not regret.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

And yes the rumours are true – The Rise of the Planet of the Apes has nothing to do with The Planet of the Apes starring Mark Wahlberg which released in 2001 OR for that matter the Charlton Heston version 33 years before its remake. This one works the other way round actually. The previous two spoke about how the lead cast find themselves in a planet where the Apes are way ahead in terms of civilization and how homo sapiens sapiens come to terms with the existence of such a race. However, this one is far more normal to begin with but over the course of the movie kind of morphs itself into yet another one of those sci fi movies which you take at face value and assume that it is possible. Don’t watch TROTPOTA (that acronym itself is so long one would forget the movie before it starts) unless you would go to the movies to watch something totally real (which would make you someone who doesn’t like James Bond).
Will Rodman (James Franco) is a scientist who is working on a cure for Alzhiemers through Genetic Engineering. He has been working on it for quite a while (I could have been fooled considering that he hasn’t aged one bit in his job – would have started quite early in life). He works for an organization called Gen Sys and he boss, Steven Jacobs (David Oyelowo) like any average business man is clear that he is willing to invest more money in the project provided there is some progress. Will thinks that they has been a lot of progress made thanks to a chimp which the project fondly calls Bright Eyes shows loads of improvement. However, hell breaks lose for no apparent reason and Bright Eyes goes on a Gen Sys destruction spree only to lose her life. Jacobs orders all the other chimps to be put down. However, Bright Eyes has left a baby just before she died. Turns out she was only trying to be protective. But she has passed on the strain to Ceaser.

One would find it quite obvious that loads of scenes in the movie have actually used the “green screen” or in other words appear pasted. It is quite surprising in this day and age considering the extent of technology that we have access to. And then there is James Franco who continues to be just about average. I am totally convinced that Franco got his nomination for 127 Hours purely on sympathy. I mean he is good alright but doesn’t seem to get under the skin of his character like a lot of actors from his age do like Leo DiCaprio if I were to name one. Freida Pinto is just part of the furniture and nothing more. The movie pretty much belongs to Ceaser and no one else – in terms of focus that is. The transition from just average intelligence to one that yearns to lead a pack of apes and does it successfully is shown quite well. One of the few good things about TROTPOTA. Not too great or too bad actually. 5 on 10 is what I would give it. The hall was full however, so I guess the world would beg to differ.

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1615502617/

25th Hour

Montgomery Brogan (Edward Norton) has lived his life with his name thanks to his mother being a huge fan of Montgomery Clift. His father James (Brian Cox) wasn’t too pleased with it but doesn’t really bother with a debate with the wife. Monty loses his mother when he is 11 years old and his dad goes into a depression that drives him to alcohol. However, Monty gets into a prestigious school on a scholarship thanks to his above average intelligence. Now it is the same above average intelligence that gets him started very early in life with drugs. We are not talking about consumption – Monty is way too smart for that. We are talking about dealing. Pressures at home are increasing continuously with Dad getting into a financial mess and Monty wants to help him out. So he chooses the easiest way out that he sees at that time. Marks the beginning of a hugely successful and profitably career as a drug dealer which gets him thrown out of school but gets him into the company of Uncle Nikolai (Levan Uchaneishvili) a Russian Drug dealer who has made New York his home and Nikolai’s henchman Kostya Novotny (Tony Siragusa).


Monty seems to be doing quite well for himself not only monetarily but also on the personal front with a very hot Puerto Rican girlfriend with an exotic name – Naturelle Riviera (Rosario Dawson – who of late hasn’t been looking too hot but was quite sizzling in 2002 I guess). He continues to be close to his bum chums Frank Xavier Slaughtery (Barry Pepper) and Jacob Elinsky (Philip Seymour Hoffman). Frank is a successful broker on wall street and Jacob is a high school teacher who is lusting for a 17 year old Mary D'Annunzio (Anna Paquin). Yep its quite a warped bunch I guess. But the story is still due. Monty gets squealed upon to the DEA who raid his house only to find a kilo of narcotics and loads of cash. They try to set him up to compromise Nikolai which Monty wriggles out of. He gets 7 years in the pound in return (surprising coz he should have got 15 for a first offence with so much of narc). He is spending his last day as a free man (didn’t know you could plan your dates for going to prison but I trust Spike Lee to have done his research. Damn convenient arrangement right?) and is tearing his hair apart to figure out who gave him away.

Spike Lee weaves a slow but intriguing story primarily focused on the emotions that Monty seems to be going through and the emotions of people who are closest to him. The fear of being beaten up in prison, being degraded to the level of someone’s bitch and a host of other worries. His doubt about Naturelle being the one who gave him away. His best friends who are caught in the conflict of being there for him through the seven years or just moving on. And most of all his dad who in the hypothetical 25th hour convinces him to run away from all of this into some remote place where he cannot be traced back to ever in his life. 25th Hour is a mélange of emotions which could have been pulled off only by a director as talented and under rated as Spike Lee. Other than the fact that it was very slow, I for one could not find out any errors in the movie per se. Maybe I wasn’t looking hard enough. The acting performances were all above par making it into a movie that more than made the cut but wasn’t too brilliant over all. I give it a 6.5 on 10. Worth a dekko when u find the time.

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi3350397209/