Jupiter Ascending

The biggest selling point for Jupiter Ascending would have been the fact that The Wachowskis (no longer the Wachowski Brothers) are back after a hiatus of nearly 3 years.  The siblings have never given us a disappointing movie to date.  Complicated yes.  Disappointing never.

Seventh Son

Sergey Bodrov is not a very famous director.  He has been around for a while actually.  Over 40 years since his first short film and about 15 full length features with some documentaries thrown in, Bodrov finally gets his first truly big banner kind of movie with Seventh Son

Dracula Untold

I was really really really looking forward to this one because like many out there, I have a fascination with the count.  And like many out there who would have seen the “Untold” story of Dracula by now, I walked out quite – disappointed.

Maleficent

It is the age of Dark Fantasy and the age of setting the record straight in the world of fairy tales.  Or at least that’s what Robert Stromberg begins by saying in his attempt to direct a contemporary version of a classic fairy tale.  This time it is the turn of Princess Aurora or what most of you would better know as – Sleeping Beauty.

I, Frankenstein

Did you know that there are 200 titles with the name “Frankenstein” in them? I am not joking.  Here is the link if you don’t believe me - http://www.imdb.com/find?q=frankenstein&s=tt&ref_=fn_al_tt_mr.  I can tell you I expected 15-20 of them but 200!!! That’s a whole lot.

Hansel & Gretel Witch Hunters 3D

Hansel (Cedric Eich) and Gretel (Alea Sophia Boudodimos) are the children of a poor woodcutter.  Times are tough and the woodcutter’s 2^nd wife decides that it is better to do away with the children and gets the woodcutter to leave them in the jungle.  On the 2^nd attempt, they succeed and the children get captured by a witch who eats children.  The brave kids however, manage to stay alive and in fact kill the witch in her own oven.  They then use the witch’s riches to stay happily ever after.

 

Dark Shadows

There are 2 kinds of people in this world – Tim Burton fans and people who are not Tim Burton fans. How the latter could exist is beyond my comprehension. It would classify as one of the few unexplained, unfathomable mysteries of the world that we live in. How someone can turn a blind eye or not like one of Hollywood's best exponents of dark fantasia is beyond me. I sometimes wonder if I like Burton for his simple stories or more for his creative brilliance.

Both aspects are amply visible in his latest release – Dark Shadows. The simplest of love stories made absolutely fascinating by the fertile Burton imagination. Barnabus Collins (Johnny Depp), Brit born boy moves to the other side of the Atlantic with his parents who come to money with loads of hard work. They build their own mansion – or should I say palace where Barnabus grows up. When he comes of age, he first falls prey to the charms of Angelique (Eva Green) who is stunningly gorgeous alright but is also a serious witchcraft practioner.

As they go along, Barnabus realizes that there is something fishy about Angelique and she is actually obsessed with him. Her obsession causes her to even kill his parents in what would have seemed like an accident. Barnabus’ doubt and the entry of Josette (Bella Heathcote) leads to further desperation with Angelique. Spurned by the love of her life, she curses Josette to suicide and Barnabus to life as a vampire. She also gets the town folk to bury him alive. But Vampires don’t die do they? 2 centuries later – 196 years to be precise – Barnabus has returned to claim his home back.

Dark Shadows – as the name suggests is actually Dark. But then most Burton movies are. So that’s not surprising at all. All elements of a Burton flick are absolutely intact which would be great news for fans. The humour is very understated but very ice cold. And the overall cinematography makes it even more spine chilling. Most of the make up is eerie but with so much attention to detail that one cannot help but admire.

Burton continues to put his trust on his regular star cast. And why not I say. Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter would easily make it to the list of best actors of our time. And with Burton orchestrating things, we see one of Eva Green’s best performances to date. Her essaying of Angelique makes you want to actually get into the screen and strangle her. At the same time, much like Barnabus, you also would find it difficult to keep your hands off her. Michelle Pfeiffer is just right. And Chloë Grace Moretz continues to impress.

I am a Tim Burton fan and Dark Shadows has done nothing to ruin it for me. Loved it totally. 8 on 10. One of the better movies of the year. Definitely in the running for the Oscars for categories such as Art Direction, Set Design, Make Up etc.

Trailer on http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi397582361/