Interstellar

The most difficult movies to review are the good ones.  That is the only excuse I can offer (and I will use this in the near future as well) for this late review of Interstellar.  The critic in you finds it extremely difficult to focus on the good in the movie and is constantly looking for what was missed out – inadvertently or otherwise.

The Monuments Men

In all the years of movies about World War II, we have never ever heard about The Monuments Men.  It is indeed surprising that such a wonderful story was the world’s best kept secret till September 2009 when Robert M Edsel published his book - The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History (http://www.monumentsmen.com).

Elysium

District 9 was one of THE most critically acclaimed motion pictures of 2009.  It received 4 nominations including Best Motion Picture at the Academy Awards in 2010.  Why are we taking a few lines to mention District 9? Because, South African director Neill Blomkamp is back with yet another science fiction movie that may not get the best of points for story but will definitely make a mark on visual effects & editing.

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.

We Bought a Zoo

This is another movie that I missed during my trip down under earlier this year. For some reason or the other, I just could not get around to it. Either due to lack of time or because the screen was actually in the ass end of nowhere or once when I was out of cash and the establishment didn’t accept a credit card :S. Had to wait for Kaushik (my brother) to come in with cash for the rest of the day.

Just one of those jinxed movies I guess. However, I can assure you it was worth every rupee of the five hundred and ninety nine that I eventually spent on getting the DVD. It came highly recommended by those who had actually downloaded the movie earlier. And I was added to that list of people who loved “We Bought a Zoo”. The fact that it is based on a true story is just one of the reasons for loving it.

You will love We Bought a Zoo because it is based on the real life story of Benjamin Mee (Matt Damon) – who also wrote the book (Mee not Damon in case you are confused) of the same name – and his family of a 7 year old daughter Rosie (Maggie Elizabeth Jones) and teenage son Dylan (Colin Ford). The family is coming to terms with the loss of the lady of the house – Katherine (Stephanie Szostak).

Benjamin is just not able to forget any of the places that are associated with Katherine. And money was never really a worry for the Mee family. Especially after they inherit quite a bit from their family. Finally, Benjamin decides that it is time for the family to move out of the house that they made into a home. It was time to start afresh.

But the house hunt doesn’t really look positive till the last place in the day – a 16 acre property which used to be the Dartmoor Zoo. Maggie falls in love instantly and after some thought and enough resistance from his Brother Duncan (Thomas Haden Church), Benjamin decides to take the plunge and buy themselves a Zoo. All the adventures he has experienced in his life such as flying into the eye of an actual storm would start to pale in comparison to the one that the Mee’s are about to embark on.

As mentioned earlier, the endearing nature of the story is probably the best part about the movie but lets not forget that it is backed by some really good direction from Cameron Crowe (Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous). And of course the performances are just right. Whether it is from the ever dependable Matt Damon or the extremely pretty Maggie Jones. And then of course there is Hollywood’s hottest Scarlett Johansson :p

Jokes apart – very sweet movie and a must watch with the family if you can. You will love it for certain. 7 on 10.

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi592747545/

Oceans Thirteen

Willy Banks (Al Pacino) has no idea who he picked up to mess around with. It is indeed important and a mandatory trait for any casino owner to have – ruthlessness. But then one can definitely pick and choose the kind of people one messes around with right? But Banks couldn’t care less. He however, doesn’t realize that his biggest strength – his money – is his biggest weakness. He is about to taste what it feels like to be the recipient of a revenge plan. Little did he know that when he was conning Reuben Tishkoff (Elliot Gould), he was about to rub a few other people the wrong way. These people are led by a suave, slick and extremely talented conman who goes by the name of Daniel Ocean (George Clooney). And whats more, Willy Banks is so cocky that he doesn’t take the request that he receives from Ocean, seriously at all. In fact, he brushes it off only to incense Ocean a bit more. And as the trailer will tell you, Willy Banks is about to experience what it is like to lose $500 million in less than 15 minutes.

Steven Soderbergh continues to charm young and old alike with his signature style of direction which is a summation of several cuts stitched together rather brilliantly in a sepia hue which is so typically of Soderbergh. The classic jazz riffs continue to create an aura of mystique and suspense around what our team of 11 extremely talented con men are upto this time around. Once you know what the idea is i.e. rob Banks of $500 million, the intrigue builds up yet again on how they are going to manage it this time with the challenge of more “state of the art” security systems especially one that teaches itself what to expect. It is just so much fun.

By this time, the cast of the Ocean’s series has immersed itself into the characters they are supposed to play. And one thing that stands out over all 3 movies is the time and effort that Soderbergh takes to flesh out his characters in as detailed a manner as possible. Right from Ocean’s 11, he has given the correct importance to each one of his characters. Even if they are present only for one movie of the series. Like the stunning Ellen Barkin in this one who is given such a meaty role that she really cannot complain. Not to mention that Ellen Barkin is shown in the truest possible light that she can be shown in –stiff upper lip assistant who is probably the sexiest woman alive – heat personified I say.

Some people believe that Ocean’s Thirteen is the best of the 3 parts. I would be inclined to agree purely due to the way Soderbergh has made it contemporary – a fact that most directors forget by the time they are in the 3rd part of a hugely successful series. They tend to get a bit over confident but with people like Soderbergh one can be quite certain that the guard will not be let down. Quite certainly, there is enough appetite that people have for Ocean’s Fourteen but I guess we may not get it. I for one am game but only if it is the same cast and crew. 7.5 on 10 for Thirteen.

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi1654522137/

Cast                 George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Bernie Mac, Elliott Gould, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Eddie Jemison, Shaobo Qin, Carl Reiner, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Andy Garcia, Julia Roberts, Al Pacino, Ellen Barkin, Eddie Izzard

Oceans Twleve

Although Steven Soderbergh didn’t make it very obvious that there was a sequel in the offing when he closed Ocean’s Eleven, it is the sheer method of making the movie that left all options open for the makers. And why just a sequel? Why not sequels would have been a thought always. I for one believe that the contract was signed with the cast and crew for 3 movies irrespective of whether 3 were made or not. It was then just a matter of time to get the right idea in place to maximize what can be generated from a bunch of nearly twenty immensely talented actors. Can anyone confirm this minor conspiracy theory?
Ocean’s Eleven had about 13 very well known faces. Ocean’s Twelve sees the addition of a fantastic face. One of favouritest (if there is a term like that) faces of a lot of people. One who can easily pass off as a South American beauty but is actually Welsh!!! Now how much of a campaign can that be for welsh women!!! We are – for the record – talking about Catherine Zeta Jones, who plays the role of the Interpol officer, Isabel Lahiri. OK now she pulls off being Turkish as well.

We also see the introduction of the charismatic (as if there wasn’t enough of it) and the extremely talented (as if there wasn’t enough of that either) Vincent Cassel. A little bit of French never hurt anyone right. Only makes things more exotic – maybe sultry. Cassel plays the wily François Toulour aka The Night Fox whose only ambition in life is to be known as the best thief ever to have lived. So when his mentor Jaspar LeMarque arguably the best thief to have ever lived doesn’t object to a claim that Daniel Ocean and his team pulled off the biggest heist ever @ the Bellagio, his ego gets the better of him. And he breaks the #1 rule – never rant on a fellow thief.

Ocean’s Twelve takes off pretty much from where Ocean’s Eleven left in terms of all aspects of film making. Soderbergh lends the consistency to the fabric of the movie with his inimitable style and at the same time ensures that he has kept in touch with the times to ensure that the movie looks and feels contemporary. The signature editing and the superb music seem to be blend in beautifully into the final product – the benchmark for which was set in the previous part itself.

Does it live upto the billing of Eleven? Probably falls a tad short but mind you – only a tad. Not terribly short in any manner. A well balanced effort overall which unlike reglar sequels, retains the essence of the first part and adds value in terms of movie making to the 2nd part. It is probably the freshness of the story which falls just a bit short and hence my rating of 7 on 10. Where Eleven was something most people in the audience were watching for the first time as a concept, Twelve didn’t have the novelty. Definitely worth watching despite this gap. Playing on WB TV – Channel 353 on Tata Sky

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi1989804313/

Cast                 George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Bernie Mac, Elliott Gould, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Eddie Jemison, Shaobo Qin, Carl Reiner, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Andy Garcia, Julia Roberts, Michael Delano, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Robbie Coltrane, Vincent Cassel, Eddie Izzard, Albert Finney

Oceans Eleven

I have always wondered what the original Ocean’s Eleven would be like. From what I hear, it was stunning to say the least. From what I hear as well, Steven Soderbergh’s tribute, 40 years since the release of the original was equally brilliant, if not better. I haven’t seen the original and for my money’s worth, the 2001 version is one of the better movies made in the past decade. It is fast paced, slick, super funny, extremely stylish, with loads of eye candy for both genders, contemporary, believable and yet totally edge of the seat – kind of like the James Bond of thievery – for lack of any other words to describe what I had seen. Considering that I had the great fortune of watching both Ocean’s Eleven and Twelve back to back last night, I thought it would be great to begin 2012 with the review of 2 classics. Old but evergreen.


For those who are unfamiliar with the concept and story (and believe me there would be quite a few out there who haven’t seen Ocean’s Eleven) of Ocean’s Eleven, the story revolves around Daniel Ocean (George Clooney) a conman par excellence who decides to rob three casino’s in one night. Did we mention that this was immediately after his release from prison? Danny doesn’t waste much time in rounding up his old cronies and I will not take up space here by calling out their names – suffice to say that each one of them is a great conman in his own right. And once they find a sponsor for their little adventure, it is only a matter of time before they really get down to executing their daring but as mentioned before – very believable plan.

Ocean’s Eleven is a fantastic story independent of any originals. The casting is simply superb. I am quite certain that there has been a tremendous amount of effort put into ensuring that the right people were picked up for each role. Maybe it was decided well in advance that there would be a trilogy and the cast was signed up for all of them put together. Smart idea I must say. Goes a long way in achieving consistency. Needless to say, the performances are simply superb. Each member of the cast has been given just the right amount of screen time irrespective of the stature of the star. And each one has delivered – no questions asked. Soderbergh can really take a course on how to manage multiple stars at one go – seems to have become his specialty of sorts after Ocean’s Eleven.

One of the hallmarks of Ocean’s Eleven would be the editing. The number of cuts in the first 10 minutes would make your head reel just that little bit but Soderbergh has stitched it all up so beautifully that it adds significantly to the intrigue. I am certain that if I would have paid more attention, there would be quite a few consistency errors but I can also vouch for the fact that it would not be visible to the human eye. And then there is the music which I have been searching for since I first saw the movie. It is one of the finest soundtracks used in a movie to date for my money’s worth.

Is Ocean’s Eleven Oscar material? Not by a country mile for any category. But is it an outright entertainer? No questions there for sure. I call it as 7.5 on 10. Playing on WB TV – Channel 353 on Tata Sky

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1822294297/

Cast                 George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Bernie Mac, Elliott Gould, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Eddie Jemison, Shaobo Qin, Carl Reiner, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Andy Garcia, Julia Roberts, Michael Delano,

Contagion

Back to back movies after a really long time and I had no clue about what was in store for me when I walked in to watch Contagion. My super hectic schedules ensured that I had not seen even the hint of a poster and had no idea about the “Power-Packed” cast that was waiting for me. Starting with Beth Emhoff (Gwenyth Paltrow) who is somewhere in Hong Kong apparently having a super duper time in the casinos. But little does she know that she is going to live for only the next 48 hours. She comes back to her home in Minnesota and her husband Mitch Emhoff (Matt Damon) – only to collapse in a heap like an epileptic would but for no apparent reason. The only thing worrisome was the high fever she had by the time she got back home from Hong Kong. She is rushed to the hospital but survives only for a few minutes more before the docs give up. They request for an autopsy so that they can find what actually happened.

Meanwhile, several such cases are being reported across the globe for the same kind of illness. A Japanese businessman on his way home. A girl in London. A waiter from a casino in Kowloon, Hong Kong. Someone in San Francisco. And the chain reaction has just about started. In what seems to be an Outbreak (Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo) kind of movie, Steven Soderbergh uses the power of his star cast to weave a story line that is littered with exceptionally heavy medical terms. Most of which go flying past you like a jet plane would. But the star cast does manage to hold the movie together for what its worth. Ignore the unpronounceable and you can watch Contagion purely on the merit of performances. Matt Damon has the biggest role other than Laurence Fishburne and both get out the intensity of their characters beautifully. Damon is in the role of a father whose only objective is to save his daughter after the loss of his wife and son to the “Contagion”. Fishburne plays the role of a committed doctor at the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and is torn between a commitment to his role and that towards his wife to be. And then there is probably the most beautiful woman in Hollywood today – the ethereal and immensely talented Marion Cotillard in the role of a French doctor who is kidnapped and develops a case of Stockholm Syndrome. Jude Law as the over obsesses blogger is also very good. And Kate Winslet – what can I say – effortless is the word that always comes to mind. Superb all round performances in short.

Cannot say the same thing about Soderbergh though. For a director as superb as Soderbergh, he is unable to hold the movie together. The trademark cinematography, music and cuts are conspicuously missing for no apparent reason. The story seems to meander around endlessly around some random population figures across unrelated cities. Soderbergh is unable to build the suspense factor too well – another talent that he has always had but seems to have suddenly taken a leave of absence. Also, the fact that there are too many stories within a story doesn’t help. Worth a dekko for certain but don’t expect too much. 6 on 10 is what I would give.

The trailer can be viewed on http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3924270105/

The Adjustment Bureau

Ever get the feeling that you are continuously being watched by someone or something? That the way things turn out in your life are not because you wanted them to turn out that way but because some external force or external person is actually doing things that take you down that path day in day out. I first got that feeling when I was watching Truman Show. I was completely convinced that my life is actually a television show. Especially because it is never short of masala at any given point of time. I should seriously consider the prospect of writing a book about my life which will eventually be made into a movie. As if there wasn’t enough of me to bother people already. High hopes I say. And after all that rambling, coming back to the point under consideration – you are being watched. After watching The Adjustment Bureau, you would get the same feeling for certain thanks to the more than convincing manner in which the story has been told and more importantly presented.

The youngest congressman in the history of the United States is one David Norris (Matt Damon). He gets his desire to get into politics at a very early age when he loses his drug addict brother and his mother in a very short span of time and his father takes him to Washington to get away from the pain. He is young, exuberant and different. People like him. People love him. All polls show that he is the front runner for the position of the Senator for the state of New York. And by a comfortable margin. But like most wannabe politicians, David has a past and that comes back to haunt him. A photograph from his college days that shows him “Mooning” and a bar brawl incident come crawling back and the voters suddenly want someone who is mature. No points for guessing who wins the election.

It is at this time that Elise Sellas (Emily Blunt) waltzes into his life or should I say the men’s room and gives him a perspective about how his wild ways make him a solid choice for the senate. An inspired David decides to change his closing speech and just wings it in much to the excitement of the crowd. But before he can make his move to catch up with Elise she is gone. As luck would have it, she does bump into him the next morning in the bus. And that’s where M/s Harry (Anthony Mackie), Richardson (John Slattery), Donaldson (Donnie Keshawarz) and Thompson (Terence Stamp) intervene as per the directions given by The Chairman (keep guessing). They are THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU. People who make slight changes in your life, without causing too many ripples (doubts in the human mind to know of their existence) in order to achieve a greater good.

Philip K Dick, author of the likes of Total Recall and Terminator, has one more book that gets made into a movie. His book is titled The Adjustment Team. Directed by George Nolfi – first time director but known for writing Ocean’s Twelve and Bourne Ultimatum – The Adjustment Bureau is a well made movie that keeps you pretty much riveted to the screen for the better part of 100 minutes. It is compact and well made. But the story is a bit soppy for my taste and the hints towards the man upstairs are a little too obvious. Matt Damon has come up with yet another solid performance and so has Emily Blunt who has acted within her limitations, is beautiful and very obviously British. Nolfi has the courage to make the right cuts as well and the final product is worth a watch. One of the better movies released over the weekend. 6.5 on 10 is my verdict.

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2215418393/

Hereafter

Over a conversation with a friend, we kind of came to the conclusion that there are very few people (actors and directors specifically) in this world who can visualize the final product while shooting for a movie. More directors can do this (I mean it is their job right) and a few actors can. That’s probably what separates the great actors / directors from the good ones. One such former actor and a phenomenal director who was born way back on the 31st May 1930 goes by the name of Clinton Eastwood Jr. or Clint for short. A man who most of us admire immensely for his more known Spaghetti Westerns and not as much for his directorial ventures that came in much later. Surprisingly so since his best works in the field of entertainment have been after he turned director. And I am at no point of time saying that the Westerns were not good or not watchable. But as a director, he has moved into a different plane altogether. Having said that, Hereafter isn’t one of his best works to date.


It isn’t surprising when people have a gift which seems more like a curse to them. What if you could actually speak to the dead and be that bridge between what they want their loved ones to actually know after they have passed? Kinda gory aint it? That’s the predicament faced by George Lonegan (Matt Damon) who stopped reading because he thinks it is nothing to be thrilled about. His brother, Billy (Jay Mohr) cannot quite understand George’s aversion but resigns himself to it. That doesn’t however stop him from continuously trying to change George’s mind. Simultaneously there are two other lives that are the other dots in the puzzle that need to be connected. Marie Lelay (Cecile de France), an extremely successful French (and it is just coincidence that her last name is France) television anchor is on vacation somewhere in Indonesia with her producer boyfriend Didier (Thierry Neuvic). The year is 2004 and the tsunami hits the island really hard. The near death experience leaves Marie heavily shaken and she is not quite able to focus on her work thanks to the visions that she keeps seeing. And then there is Marcus (George McLaren) who loses his elder twin brother Jason (Frankie McLaren) in a freak accident involving some young dopeys. Their mother is a junkie herself and therefore the twins support each other. A distraught Marcus is sent to a foster home where he begins his search for someone who can help him speak to his brother.

Although the end product has Clint Eastwood written all over it, right from the first frame, it is a bit disappointingly stretched out and not really finished as well. That it was nominated for Best Visual Effects came as a surprise to me even more as the effects were nothing too great honestly. In fact the scene that shows the impact of the tsunami seems very green screen. The strong performances from Damon and France along with the McLarens don’t quite make up for the extremely slow pace of the movie. And you may be wondering now as to why I was waxing eloquent about Eastwood earlier in this review. It is simply because with the exception of the weak SFX in the first sequence, every single frame is as real as possible – exactly the way he visualized it to be. This one is a must watch if you are a fan of the Eastwood genre of movies. I give it 7 on 10. Hoping to see a 9 from your end Mr. Eastwood. Lets have another one as good as Changeling. Sooner the better.

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1485637913/

True Grit

Its been quite a while since I have seen an authentic western. And after Jeff Bridges got his 2nd nomination for the Oscars in as many years, I was even more keen to watch True Grit. Add to it the fact that it has been directed by Joel & Ethan Coen who have very rarely put a foot wrong in most of the movies that they have given us. The combination was sufficient to get me up @ 7 am on a Saturday morning and make it to the 9 am show @ PVR Phoenix (no they are not paying me for this…. Although I do wish they would). I have to confess that I owe all of you an apology for not having posted a review in a while. Have been bitten by the cricket bug myself and didn’t go the distance to make time for putting my thoughts down for the past 4 days. Having said that, I have finally managed to and intend to get it back on track.


It is 1880 in the WWW – Wild Wild West for the un-initiated . Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) is a fourteen year old who finds herself in a position that most of us would not want to. Her father has just been murdered and she has to collect the body. She may be fourteen, but she is extremely strong minded and not willing to go back till she gets to the bottom of all of this. She packs her father’s body off back home on the train with a message to her mother that she will be back soon. On finding out that her father was killed over a petty fight by a wanted outlaw Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin) who is out scott free, she decides to seek justice. And justice in the WWW follows only one pattern – an eye for an eye. But she also knows that the law will take its own course. If she needs a quick decision, then she needs to find a bounty hunter or a marshall who would do it for some more money (structured corruption makes it legal ). But she doesn’t have any money left with her and so has to use her intelligent ways to wriggle her late father out of a deal that he had made with a local business man and gets enough to hire the services of Reuben J “Rooster” Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) who is said to be a marshall who has “True Grit”. Someone who really doesn’t care much about Outlaws and would rather the world is rid of them. He has to date taken care of 23 of them and is coincidentally being tried for them in a court of law – the WWW version of dealing with Human Rights Violation. He is quite surprised when a spirited fourteen year old approaches him with an offer of a princely sum of $50 – a lot of money at that time – and reluctantly agrees to take up the search for Tom Chaney. The kid wants to join but Rooster gives her the slip and takes off with a Texas Ranger La Beouf (Matt Damon) who is also on the lookout for Chaney for shooting a senator in Texas.

True Grit is about strong performances. You would need to listen to the dialogues extremely closely since they are all in an extremely Southern accent – any further south and it would be Spanish. For most of us, it would be extremely difficult to pick up the heavily accented speech. So listen very carefully or better still watch it somewhere that has sub titles. That however doesn’t change the fact that Jeff Bridges, Matt Daman and Hailee Steinfeld have all come up with scintillating performances to say the least. And most of all Steinfeld, who with an Oscar nomination for her performance as Mattie Ross has come into Hollywood with a bang to say the least. The confidence with which she holds her own in front of two of the best actors of our time is eerie to say the least. What a way to debut I say!!! Jeff Bridges would have picked up the Oscar this time if not for one Colin Firth and another Javier Bardem. That True Grit returned home empty handed from the Oscars can be only explained by the fact that it is a damn good movie but not the best in the 10 categories that it was nominated in. But 7.5 on 10 it is an absolutely must watch.  Just watch out for the accents and the pace that could be perceived as slow by some of us.

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1984862489/

Inside Job

I have never reviewed a documentary before. I know there is always a first time for everything but I am a wee bit circumspect about how to go about doing this. There is no cast you can credit for acting or bringing the concept to life in a manner that blows your pants off. It’s actually representation of fact right? And therefore even more difficult to leave the audience with a feeling of actually having watched a movie. The capability of using factors such as editing should be even more in case of a documentary than a feature film is what I would assume. Do let me know your inputs. Would be more than glad to hear them out. Now, I wasn’t going to let my thoughts prevent me from watching “Inside Job” because I like documentaries anyways. And if it was about the Financial Meltdown that the world faced in 2008 then I am even more interested. So there was no option actually in the matter. I guess I will figure out how to get better at reviewing them as time goes by.

Narrated beautifully by Matt Damon in the ice cold, sarcastic style that he uses in most of his movies, Inside Job (IJ) takes a hard look at not just the time that the bubble burst around the 15th September 2008 with the Lehman Brothers collapse but also at the entire process that led upto it and more importantly what next? The documentary is divided into 5 parts. “How did we get here” – that covers the period from the Great Depression (1929) all the way upto the dot com bubble bursting (Y2K) – which talks about how the guys in power actually went about setting laws that were bound to fail sooner than later. “The Bubble” is Part 2 which covers the period of FY 2001 – ’07 and deals with how the entire concept of a the boom in the economy was a figment of people’s imagination. Part 3 is aptly titled “The Crisis” which covers FY 2008 and how one by one the big guys who were all in cohorts with each other slowly but surely started disintegrating. What gives IJ the edge over a lot of documentaries that I have seen in the past is that it doesn’t stop at this. It goes ahead into Part 4 which deals with “Accountability” and how the people who were responsible for the entire shit that we are in have actually gotten away scott free. And most importantly, it goes into Part 5 titled “Where are we Now”. Here the makers of the documentary give a clear call to action to almost everyone concerned by showing that despite the meltdown there is almost nothing that has been done about Financial Crimes. Shocking to say the least.

Inside Job clearly touches a chord within you that I have come to associate with good documentaries such as Farenheit 9/11. The extent of research done to come up with this Oscar nominee from last year is superb to say the least. And the makers have also managed to connect the dots to aspects such as how the education system is being influenced to move us in the wrong direction with respect to Financial / Corporate Governance. An aspect that has probably never been covered before. Even for the financially challenged like this amateur critic, IJ does a fantastic job of breaking down the complications of the industy into smaller understandable units through use of graphical and figurative representation. Excellent use of music enhances the overall feel as well.  At the end of 120 minutes, my respect for the United States (which was always low) has gone down even further. The part that’s worse is that nothing has been ever done about penalizing politicians in any part of the world. And sadly enough nothing will ever be done. Sad but True. But a must watch definitely. 7.5 on 10 definitely. Whether it would win an Oscar or not I am not sure coz I haven’t see the other ones. Definitely a front runner.

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi751502873/