Movies You Watched This Month – December 2013

Prisoners Official Synopsis:
Your child is missing. Every second counts. How far would you go? When his six year old daughter Anna goes missing along with her friend Joy, Keller Dover faces every parent’s worst nightmare. The only lead is a dilapidated RV that had been spotted earlier on the street. Detective Loki is put in charge of the investigation and immediately arrests the driver of the RV, Alex Jones, however a lack of physical evidence forces them to release him. With the police pursuing different leads to no avail and his family life disintegrating, a desperate Keller decides to take matters into his own hands. But just how far will he go to save his daughter?

The cop struggling to solve the case part reminded of Memories of Murder. The father torturing the suspect is similar to the movie Seven Days (Les 7 Jours du Talion; 7 Days). The movie also reminded of Zodiac specially with the same lead Jake Gyllenhaal. The movie is very leisurely paced but it is very engrossing. It has the whole mood or ambiance set up very well. The background music is very good.

Some scenes are very good like the one where Loki goes to that priest’s house or the one where he goes to Bob Taylor’s house. The scene where Keller confronts Alex was good. Bob Taylor breaking into houses scene is very chilling. Loki chasing the suspect scene was excellent.

Start of Spoiler Alerts
However there are a lot of plot holes or questions left unanswered by the movie. Now if someone is waging a war against God why would he/she go to a priest to confess? And why would they not kill the kids immediately rather than kidnap them and hold them for so long and then kill them? And we do know that a couple of kids did escape and they did not kill one. So why would they take the risk of getting caught? And why would they ask the kids to solve some maze and offer them hope? And how come the cops don’t have dogs search the kidnapper/killer’s whole apartment and surrounding area? And why does the cop not call backup and the paramedics and instead decide to drive while shot?
End of Spoiler Alerts

Hugh Jackman was very good as the desperate father who tortures the suspect. Jake Gyllenhaal was good but he usually does the weird roles and he looked somewhat miscast as the cop. His repeated blinking of eyes also made his character weird. Viola Davis and Maria Bello were good in a small roles. Terrence Howard was bad. Melissa Leo was good and Paul Dano was excellent.

The movie is directed by Denis Villeneuve of Incendies fame and this also has some plot holes or implausible stuff just like Incendies. But the movie is still very good and those who watch it will have it playing in their mind for a while. They will have questions about what happened and also why some characters behave the way they do.

——————–

bulletraja Official Synopsis
This is the story of a common man, Raja Mishra, who transforms into a dreaded gangster of the Hindi heartland. A victim of the system and chained by it, Raja’s life changes as he takes on those that rule and shakes the very foundations of the nexus of the police, the government, and the industrialists. As he rises and revolts against the system becoming an outlaw, Bullett sets ablaze the nexus and changes the landscape forever. The powers that be, fight back in a compelling struggle for power and money against the backdrop of personal ambitions, greed and revenge. Redefining love, friendship and loyalty, Bullett Raja creates a world, where a common man, tests his endurance and fortitude against the very system he once obediently followed and then declared a war on it!

The movie has no real story or plot whatsoever. Its just anything goes. The U.P setting excuse is used to just show gangsters and violence. The movie looked like a mishmash of Tigmanshu’s earlier movies Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster Returns and Haasil. The movie drags like anything. It tries to be funny at times with some one liners and scenes.

Suddenly out of nowhere there is a political scene where Jimmy tells the room service guy that there are lot of Marathis living very happily in UP. There are dialogues like Raja is supported by Brahmins and Muslims and that to kill Raavan they need a Thakur and so on. Though the movie never really shows why but we are told that Raja is very popular among youth.

Saif Ali Khan looked old and it seemed like he was trying to play a 25 year old. Same with Jimmy. And their male bonding which may have been good in some 70s movies looked totally out of place in the modern setting. It was really bad/corny seeing Jimmy giving sex advices to Saif. Sonakshi once again plays the same dumb bimbo role that she played in OUTIMD. She just meets these gangsters and decides to just go and stay with them. Raj Babbar plays a role similar to the one he played in SBAGR. Vipin Handa is good in a small role. Vidyut has a small 15 minute cameo. His initial entry scene is very good but then he has to lose to Saif the hero/star of the movie in a fight scene. Ravi Kishen was usual.

The movie reminded of those old 70s movies starring Vinod Khanna/Randhir Kapoor that used to come on DD Metro. Tigmanshu just tries to make a hit movie by rehashing his old movies with a star this time and giving him the hero role with some seeti maar dialogues which unfortunately turn out to be mostly wannabe. Its not worth a watch unless one has nothing better to do.

Tags:
263 Comments
  1. FS 10 years ago

    Gladiator – When I had watched this movie during its release, it was my All Time Favorite then. But now after watching Spartacus it looks pale. The Gladiators fights looked kiddish compared to Spartacus, the Colosseum in Spartacus was better than Gladiator, Actors played far more convincing role than Russel Crowe and the impact was much more visible. Only great thing about film Gladiator is the emotional content that bonds the film together. For its time Gladiator was the Epic film and no doubt it has inspired Spartacus and other multiple films and series to outclass its predecessor.

    • narad_muni 10 years ago

      FS- Gladiator is still one of my all time favorites.
      So, if there is something better, I should see it even if it is inspired by Gladiator

      Can you please provide me a link to the movie you mentioned? I googled and found a 1960 movie named Spartacus which is NOT what you refer to.

      • cr7 10 years ago

        Spartacus is a TV series . Its very entertaining .

        • narad_muni 10 years ago

          I dont think comparing a movie to a TV series is correct. Anyways, I am not much interested in TV series. So will skip it

          • cr7 10 years ago

            “Anyways, I am not much interested in TV series” You don’t know what are u missing 😛

          • cr7 10 years ago

            Game of thrones ,Breaking Bad, Sherlock these series are as good as any film made in last 5-6 years . I have named just three because they are my favorite .But same can be said about Shows like Dexter,house of cards,Newsroom and many more .And the good sitcoms are better than most comedy movies made these days. You should definitely check out some of them .I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.

          • FS 10 years ago

            If you have watched Walking Dead then you may not even like World War Z. when I watched the movie, i liked it very much but after watching the series i lost interest on World War Z, same is the case with Gladiator.

  2. FS 10 years ago

    Good review Sputnik. was never interested in Bullet Raja and may watch it only in dvd if time permits

    • Author
      sputnik 10 years ago

      Thanks.

      I mentioned about the questions left unanswered or plot holes of Prisoners. I know you and cr7 have watched it so what do you guys think about that?

      • FS 10 years ago

        “Now if someone is waging a war against God why would he/she go to a priest to confess? And why would they not kill the kids immediately rather than kidnap them and hold them for so long and then kill them?”
        —– About Confession to a Father of the Church you better ask the person from the same faith. I don’t have much knowledge about it except that in some cases when a person confesses his crimes or wrong deeds to Father (priest) in the church it is absolved by the priest. Movie has not disclosed the exact rituals of killings because I learned that psychopaths have their own sets of rules and conduct rituals on their will.

        ‘And we do know that a couple of kids did escape and they did not kill one. So why would they take the risk of getting caught? And why would they ask the kids to solve some maze and offer them hope? ”
        — This whole thing is not important and that’s why the director cut it short. If he had to show each and everything then the movie would have dragged a lot.

        “And how come the cops don’t have dogs search the kidnapper/killer’s whole apartment and surrounding area?”
        — they need the evidence and they had none, that’s why the Alex was out after questioning. There was not enough evidence against him and obviously they can’t search the home/apartment which belongs to his caretaker (which had nothing to do with the case itself)

        “And why does the cop not call backup and the paramedics and instead decide to drive while shot?”
        —- She gave her poison that could have killed her in minutes and that’s why he risked his life to save the girl which can be called as decision based on instincts (or a miracle if it happened in real life)

        • Author
          sputnik 10 years ago

          I know that Catholics have the whole confession thing where they go to a priest and confess their sins and the sins get absolved. She clearly tells that they were waging a war against God by making the kids disappear because that makes people lose faith in God. So why would that guy try to confess to a priest and try to absolve his sins when he has a beef with God. So it is a plot hole.

          I think the second point is also a plot hole. If they had kidnapped the kids and were trying to raise them as their own because they had lost their son it would make sense but having kidnapped kids in captivity when they are just killing them (16 according to the priest) does not make sense. I think their not killing the kids is there just so that the little girls are found safe later on in the movie but they should have come up with better explanation. The movie already dragged a lot at two and a half hours and they were a lot of other scenes that could have been edited out without taking away anything from the movie. The movie made a big deal of the maze thing so it did need some explanation at the end.

          I am not talking about cops not searching the place the first time after questioning ALex where they did not find any physical evidence. I am talking about the last scene. Once the cop rescued the girl from that place and he already knows that the guy who confessed to the priest was her husband and the 16 kids thing. They will use dogs to search the whole area to find any other kids killed or in captivity. That’s why the last scene is just filmy.

          The last one is not a plot hole as such but a bit filmy to make it more interesting.

          • FS 10 years ago

            they raised Alex isn’t it? The other guy who was caught and died after drawing maze is also the adopted one?

          • cr7 10 years ago

            I actually don’t know how this confessions work . But the father clearly said he(killer) would continue .There is no point in confessing if you’re gonna continue committing sins . So more than confessions I think the killer wanted father to know that he is waging a war against God.

  3. cr7 10 years ago

    The Broken Circle Breakdown – Its a Belgian movie .I really liked the non-linear storytelling. its terribly sad movie about a couple and their cancer patient kid. I absolutely loved the performance of the leading pair .Liked the kid too,mostly because she did act like a kid .The music and songs adds so much life that this can be a example of how to use songs in a movie. For some reasons the movie looked very realistic. Now the negatives, after the first hour the movie dragged. But to compensate it has some of the best scenes after first hour. But Definitely Worth a watch . Recommended .

  4. vidhi 10 years ago

    10 famous Indian filmmakers and still from their first movies:

    Check them out over here: https://homegrown.co.in/retrospect-vol-ii-10-famous-indian-filmmakers-stills-from-their-first-films/

  5. dwnpiyush 10 years ago

    Hardly anyone is liking Bullet Raja. Wonder why such ‘cold’ projects are even promoted. Saif’s strength is the Salaam Namastey/ Cocktail/ LAK/ genre.

    Watched the animated film ‘Cloudy with a chance of meatballs’. Decent fun… was loving it till the last act which was too ridiculous. The animation was good and the writing was smart for most parts. I think kids would love it.

  6. cr7 10 years ago

    Watched Se7en .What a fantastic film ! Loved it . One of the finest thrillers of all time IMO.

    • narad_muni 10 years ago

      Yes, it is indeed one of the best thriller ever made. It’s a movie which is almost perfect in all respects. Nail-biting spine-chilling aswesum stuff!

  7. Author
    sputnik 10 years ago

    @FS,

    Yes Alex is the first kid they kidnapped and he had got messed up mentally and had a low IQ. He is the kid Billy whose mother the cop goes and speaks to.

    The other guy who was caught and died after drawing maze (Bob Taylor) had escaped from their captivity but got messed up mentally too.

  8. Author
    sputnik 10 years ago

    @cr7,

    The Father/Priest says he said he came for a confession saying he killed 16 kids. He says that the guy bragged about it and said that he would kill more. The Father/Priest says that he convinced him to come back the next day. Why would he go back to the Father/Priest next day if he was just trying to tell him that they are waging a war against God? Would he not worry that the Father/Priest might inform the cops?

    He does not call the cops but instead decides to kill him because he cares about the kids? He himself was a Level 3 (high risk of repeat offense and a threat to public safety exists) sex offender meaning he was a pedophile.

  9. cr7 10 years ago

    Watched 40 year old virgin & Dictator . Both of them have some really hilarious moments . But too many boring moments too .And a comedy can’t be enjoyable with that . Liked dictator more . Also tried to watch Raam leela .Didn’t like it all .The movie was a mix of Saawariya and Ishaqzade . But Unfortunately it took the worst parts from both movies .

    • Author
      sputnik 10 years ago

      Agree with you on The 40 year old virgin & The Dictator. My view on Ram Leela was similar (Link).

      My comment on The Dictator

      “The first 15-20 minutes till he comes to New York were absolutely hilarious but then the movie was hilarious at places but not so at many places. The humor was offensive, crude and politically incorrect and If one does not mind that they can enjoy the movie.

      Its basically a satire of all the dictators and there are some sarcastic dialogues about the US. Some of the dialogues are very funny.

      Sacha Baron Cohen was excellent. Anna Faris was a bit annoying. She was doing her usual dumb role in Scary Movie series. Ben Kingsley has a small role. Jason Mantzoukas as Nadal the scientist was good too.”

      https://tanqeed.com/movies-you-watched-this-month-april-2013/#comment-120920

      I just watched this movie Coming to America starring Eddie Murphy and The Dictator looked heavily inspired from it. Synopsis: Discontented with his pampered life, an African prince heads to America to find someone who will fall for him, not his riches. Joined by his trusty sidekick, the prince plunges into a job at a fast-food chain — and romance with the boss’s daughter.

      Its a 1988 movie so the humor/comedy did not seem that funny now.

      Found this interview where the interviewer brings up the comparison to Coming to America.

      ‘TA: You worked with Arsenio Hall on his show before you went to “Seinfeld.” It seems like “The Dictator” recalls Hall’s African-prince-in-America comedy with Eddie Murphy, “Coming to America.”

      LC: I think we would be remiss as comedic historians if we weren’t conscious of the long lineage of stories about doubles, foreign leaders coming to the U.S. These are plot lines that date back long before movies and TV. We were aware of that, and hoped that we could take the next logical step and reinvent it. We tried, like Mark Twain, to reflect this world we live in right now.’

      Link

      • cr7 10 years ago

        Agree with you on Dictator.Sacha Baron Cohen was fantastic . Forgot to mention it . Have you seen Borat ?

        • Author
          sputnik 10 years ago

          Yes. I liked that one in parts too. Some of it was hilarious and some of it very gross.

          The Borat character is from his TV Show – Da Ali G Show. I used to watch that show and he used to ask the most absurd questions to senators and astronauts and so on. Try watching that show you might like it.

  10. cr7 10 years ago

    Watched Juno .It is one of those movies when I can’t think of a single reason to dislike it . Liked it a lot . Such a simple and sweet movie . And the first think I did after watching the movie is put the soundtrack on download .Awesome Soundtrack .Making a feel good comedy on a issue like teenage pregnancy and most importantly without being preachy is sheer genius. Definitely worth a watch . I don’t know everyone else will like it or not . But as i am a fan of this genre simply loved it

  11. dwnpiyush 10 years ago

    Your Sister’s Sister: It has a duration of just 85 minutes, and that’s why I chose to watch it yesterday. It is a boring romantic drama with three principal characters, and most of the action confined to a idyllic island home and its picture perfect surroundings. The characters were all full of themselves, and talked way too much… in that sense it was a true ‘talkie’ film, but the substance was so superficial… didn’t connect at all. Highly avoidable.

  12. cr7 10 years ago

    Borat- Average movie .pretty much like Dictator.Some hilarious scenes,some unfunny scenes and some way too absurd jokes . Sacha Baron Cohen was very good .

  13. Author
    sputnik 10 years ago

    Vertigo A retired San Francisco detective suffering from acrophobia investigates the strange activities of an old friend’s wife, all the while becoming dangerously obsessed with her.

    I had watched this movie way back in 2000/2001 and liked it back then. But this time it just could not hold my attention no matter how hard I tried. It was too slow paced and it went on and on.

    The movie did not do well upon its initial release and the reviews seem to have been correct about the movie being “too long and slow”. I think the movie has been overrated by some modern critics and that Sight and Sound poll Link about this being the greatest movie of all time is total BS.

    James Stewart’s acting was bad in scenes where he is supposedly scared or having these bouts of Vertigo. Kim Novak looked very weird and her acting was no good either.

    • Author
      sputnik 10 years ago

      While watching Vertigo some of the scenes like James Stewart following Kim in a car in California reminded me of Basic Instinct. I think there are more similarities – both the cops are flawed characters (one is afraid of heights and the other a “shooter”) and there are two women (one is the mysterious blonde and the other is the spectacles wearing ex-girlfriend).

      Googled and found this article which shows that the costumes of Kim Novak and Sharon Stone are similar too.

      Link

      And it turns out that the director Paul Verhoeven was indeed influenced by Vertigo. Here is his interview.

      “My best friend saw Vertigo before I did, and pointed it out to me. He said, “I saw this film that people think is a thriller, but it’s absolutely art. You must see it.” I was 18 or 19, and I went to see it in a cinema called Passage, which doesn’t exist anymore, in the Hague, where I lived then. It was a big film theatre, with very high ceilings and enormous balconies. I saw the film and realised my friend was right.

      At that time I had seen a lot of Hitchcock movies without thinking too much about Hitchcock himself, but when I saw this movie I really studied it. For weeks I went to the cinema every two or three days to see it again. The movie meant so much to me that I began to study all of Hitchcock’s work. I still do. I often pull out his movies on DVD and laserdisc and look at them again, to see how certain elements work -the editing, the camera moves, the psychology of the camera versus the characters. I’ve copied a lot of that stuff in my movies.

      I didn’t look at Vertigo when I was making Basic Instinct because I knew it by heart. Filming in San Francisco, I tried to make my movie in a different way while acknowledging that I had studied Vertigo. I changed the bridges -1 didn’t use the Golden Gate Bridge, I used the next one – and I used different streets. But there are a lot of similarities and, of course, there’s a reference to Rear Window, with the women who are seen dancing outside the window of Jeanne Tripplehorn’s apartment. I used it for identification,”

      Link

      • FS 10 years ago

        Even I felt it was too slow for first half of the hour.

        Here is my take one ti.

        Vertigo – First Hitchcock movie to begin with and rightly so. Once you are adapted to fast paced thrillers it gets hard on you to sit through slow paced thrillers if there is nothing exciting happening in between and Vertigo is one such film that today’s generation may feel reluctant to try such movies with such pace.

        Although it was slow like hell but, it still managed to catch me by surprise right before the interval because so many recent thrillers have been inspired from Vertigo’s plot and so many similarities lead to predictability in a suspense drama/thriller. I guess it is a “Classic Thriller” of its time and an inspiration for so many recent thrillers as well.

        Movies You Watched This Month – July 2013

  14. Author
    sputnik 10 years ago

    Robot & Frank Worried about their aging father living alone, Frank’s kids give him a humanoid robot that’s programmed to be his caretaker. Reluctant Frank — a retired cat burglar — soon warms up to his new helper and begins to treat it as a partner in crime.

    Liked it though it was quite slow paced. It was funny in a subtle way and the relationship between Frank and the Robot was nicely developed.

    Frank Langella was good as the burglar suffering from dementia. James Marsden was good too as the caring son. Liv Tyler and Susan Sarandon were ok.

  15. Author
    sputnik 10 years ago

    Roman Holiday Princess Ann leaves her guardians, and while in Rome, she’s taken under the wing of tabloid writer Joe and his photographer sidekick. She thinks the boys don’t know who she really is, but they’re onto her — and sense a sensational story.

    This is the third time I watched this movie. Its a 1953 Black & White movie but it is still watchable and still enjoyable. If this was shot in color I think it would have looked even better but I read that they could not afford to shoot in color as they were shooting on real locations in Rome. Love the Mouth of Truth scene from the movie for which the director and Gregory Peck played a trick on Audrey Hepburn and her reaction was all real. There is some slapstick kind of action too. The story is similar to It Happened One Night except that there is a Princess here instead of a heiress.

    Gregory Peck was very good and charming as the reporter looking for the story. Audrey Hepburn looked gorgeous and was excellent in her debut role and she deservedly won the Oscar for Best Actress. Eddie Albert was very good too as the photographer.

    The movie was nominated for 10 Oscars and won three including Best Actress, Best Costume Design and Writing (Motion Picture Story).

    —————————-

    Indecent Proposal For one million dollars, a handsome billionaire proposes to Diana that they spend a single night together. Her husband is a cash-strapped architect who could use the cash. Will she do it?

    Watched this movie too for the third time. Love this movie. It has a very bold or almost implausible concept but is handled very well.

    Robert Redford was excellent as the charming billionaire. Demi Moore was excellent and don’t think she has looked more gorgeous than this in any other movie. Woody Harrelson was good as the insecure husband.

    Had posted some scenes from the movie as Scene of the Week.

    Link

    Like “Even a brick wants to be something” scene a lot and just posted it as a comment in that post.

  16. cr7 10 years ago

    Thank You for smoking – Decent movie. Some really funny and interesting dialogues .Performance is good.
    Knocked up – Only watched first half an hour .Started to look very predictable . Seth rogen acts exactly same in every single movie .He has become so boring .

    Also Watched Director’s cut of Donnie Darko .Didn’t help much .

  17. narad_muni 10 years ago

    Baraka – An absolute treat for the senses both audio and visual. I don’t have words to describe the movie but it should not be missed. Just ensure you watch it a good silent envioronment with HDTV and good audio system and you will be tranposed to a different world = one of trance, meditation. Thanks FS for recommending it. This is such a stunning movie and one of a kind. Keen to watch Samsara – the next installment. Hope it is equally good.

    Leon The profession – A superb action drama with a strong emotional quotient. Loved the movie. Great screenplay, superb performances. Highly recommended.

    • FS 10 years ago

      Shilac – have u seen bichhu? Boby deol & rani mukherji. Its a remake of leon the professional.

  18. dwnpiyush 10 years ago

    Baran: My first brush with Iranian cinema. Sad yet beautiful film. Totally loved it.

    • Author
      sputnik 10 years ago

      Would recommend Children of Heaven by the same director and also A Separation.

      • dwnpiyush 10 years ago

        Thanks for the recommendations sputnik- I have both of them downloaded- will try to watch them ASAP

        • cr7 10 years ago

          Some more -White balloon,The past,About Elly . if I have to pick one “The past” . Absolutely Brilliant movie .

  19. Reddemon 10 years ago

    The Prestige – Liked everything about the movie except the climax. The climax was a bit underwhelming. Expected much more than ‘ Hath me ka-taura , Gaon me dhindora’ type climax.

    Now You See Me – a very weak attempt and a messy one. I think the movie was made just to show the ending. If the writer had given some time on developing characters than the movie could have been more fun than it is. Still it has its moments.

    The Illusionists – The best among all the three movies and probably the best i have seen in this journey. Liked everything about this movie.

    • cr7 10 years ago

      Among the three I liked The Prestige most . Now you see me was going great till the climax . I didn’t like Illusionist .It was very slow and there was no ecitement in the movie . I know it is a very highly rated movie .But didn’t work for me . Although I loved Edward Norton’s performance .

  20. cr7 10 years ago

    Mother -Its a Korean movie . Excellent Film . A thriller with perfect dose of emotion . Performance and BGM is excellent . Ending was not what I hoped .But I think it is the most realistic ending the movie could have . Thanks FS for the recommendation .

  21. hithere 10 years ago

    Saw R..Rajkumar – If I talk relatively, it is a well made masala movie of similar genre. It is other matter that I don’t like that genre much. But based on what I was hearing it was suppose to be worst movie. If this is bad then Dabangg, Rowdy Rathore all are bad.
    ps – Songs are good.

  22. I.One 10 years ago

    The Strangers Saw it yesterday night and the movie haunted me like no other horror/crime/suspense movie could. The movie’s name should have been Dumb, Dumber & Dumbest because of the 3 dumbest victims you could have come across in reel/real life. This self-inflicted torture ran for over 1 hour and it screwed my love for cinema.

    Sherlock both seasons. Being a big fan of Sherlock cases and Sherlock movies, I was little skeptical about the treatment to the cases in 21st century given that both the movies were retro, but the series din’t let me down. It was sharp and engaging with commendable performances from the lead. They guy who played Jim Moriarty was brilliant too. Though I would not rate the television series on par with the two movies, it was a good one time watch. 3.5/5

  23. FS 10 years ago

    Glory Road – very good movie based on basketball inspired from true story. Thanks Sputnik, liked it very much but I prefer Coach Carter & Remember the titans ove Glory Road. 42 is also on par with Glory Road. Recommended!!!

    A league of their own – Its totally a fun ride and never seen Tom Hanks in such a role. Enjoyed it a lot & thanks for recomending again Sputnik. Must watch guys Highly Recommended!!!

    Two brothers – you and ritz were discussing something about movies on Animals right? Watch this movie, such a wonderful engrossing movie, a tale of two brothers & shot brilliantly with real tigers. Highly Recommended!!!

    Shadow of the Darkness – I had seen this movie a long time back & had loved it back thn. Had forgotten its name, so thanks for recommending last week. Watched it again & loved it. Highly Recommended!!!

    21 & over – kinda Cr type movies, feel good chick movies with bit of romance, bit of humor, bit of Gross & bit of youth. Recommended!!!

    Indecent Proposal – agree with every word you said Sputnik. Demi More never looked so Gorgeous in any other film and redford as charming as a billionaire can get. Loved the movie & thanks for recommending it. IMDB has rated it 5.4 or something WTF. Highly Recommended!!!

    • Author
      sputnik 10 years ago

      I think Coach Carter and Glory Road are different movies even though both are basketball movies. Coach Carter emphasized on education and grades whereas Glory Road was about how a coach fielded a all-black starting lineup, a first in NCAA history during the 60s when racism was still rampant in the US. Yes 42 is similar to Glory Road except that it is about one Black baseball player.

      You meant The Ghost and the Darkness – I googled for Shadow of the Darkness 🙂

      Glad you liked Glory Road, A league of their own, The Ghost and the Darkness and Indecent Proposal.

      I don’t care much for IMDB ratings. There are lot of good movies which are rated low on IMDB and some very weird movies which are rated very highly and which I am sure many will not like.

      • FS 10 years ago

        Yeah The Ghost and the Darkness.

        • cr7 10 years ago

          “21 & over – kinda Cr type movies, feel good chick movies with bit of romance, bit of humor, bit of Gross & bit of youth. Recommended!!!”

          Kinda Cr type movie 😛 .LOL .Thanks for the reco .I’m also downloading Indecent proposal .

  24. Author
    sputnik 10 years ago

    12 Monkeys (Twelve Monkeys) In the year 2035, convict James Cole volunteers reluctantly to be sent back in time to discover the origin of a virus that nearly wiped out civilization. But when Cole is mistakenly sent to 1990 instead of 1996, he’s locked up in a mental hospital.

    Wanted to watch this movie for a long time and FS’s recco a few months back made me decide to watch it soon. Its a very weird movie and I thought of stopping many times but forced myself to watch this movie in full. After watching the whole movie I thought it was ok. It had all the cliches – of time travel, impending disaster and underground army. But I think the director made it very weird by setting some of it in a mental asylum and having even the doctors behave very weirdly.

    Bruce Willis was ok in a weird role. Madeleine Stowe was good as the psychiatrist. Brad Pitt was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role but I did not like him much. Liked him initially in the mental asylum scenes but his character became very irritating later.

    ——————————

    My Week with Marilyn While filming a movie in England, Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe slips away with a young Brit for a week of self-discovery and frivolity. The story that ensues is based on the real-life memoirs of Colin Clark, once assistant to Sir Laurence Olivier.

    The movie is supposedly a true story based on the real-life memoirs of Colin Clark, an assistant to Sir Laurence Olivier but it felt all fake to me. I think its just a fantasy of a low level assistant giving too much importance to his character and portraying himself as having had some romantic relationship with Marilyn Monroe.

    I think its hard for any actress to portray an icon like Marilyn Monroe who was so sexy and beautiful. And Michelle Williams is neither sexy nor beautiful like Marilyn Monroe no matter how hard she tries. In fact the movie and her character made her look like she was a pathetic actress and a vain person with a lot of issues. Eddie Redmayne was ok. Kenneth Branagh was excellent as Sir Laurence Olivier. Emma Watson looked cute in a small role. Judi Dench was good but her role seemed unnecessary.

    ——————————

    Certified Copy (Copie Conforme) In Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami’s captivating meditation on art and love, British writer James Miller meets a beautiful gallery owner in Tuscany and begins — or possibly continues — a romance with her.

    This is another weird movie. It is another of those movies where two characters meet and are just yapping for the rest of the movie. And at the halfway stage the characters suddenly start acting as if they are a married couple and you don’t know whether they are pretending or are actually a married couple who got estranged. The movie also felt like it was shot with a camcorder.

    Juliette Binoche was irritating and William Shimell was ok.

  25. FS 10 years ago

    Chak De India – Wanted to watch this movie again so watched this week. This time I liked the emotions in the film and Srk’s expressions more than the direction & screenplay.

    Project X – Based on the real incident where a normal birthday party turned into riot over night damaging neighboring properties and breaking down the host’s own property. The film was shot in such a way to make it real but it was half filmy. The party in the movie was just like another party in other movies except that it had more no of peoples, good use of music with some good moments in the movie. It was ok to average sort of movie.

  26. FS 10 years ago

    Gegen Die Wand – It’s a Turkish movie and first of its kind for me. This is nothing different to abstract movies of hollywood. The film is weird and totally different. Some parts you will love it and for some parts you feel like what’s the use of it. First half was engrossing and really entertaining. Second half was totally drag and movie headed for a pointless end. Overall it was totally different kind of experience watching it. I would recommend to try it.

  27. FS 10 years ago

    Moulin Rouge 2001 – Wanted to watch this movie for a long time but somehow kept it delaying. Nichol Kidman looked such a beauty in this movie just like the phrase they use to quote her in the movie as “Sparkling Diamond”. The film is musical and the choreography in each song is awesome and award worthy. Each and every song in the movie is melodious and addictive. The chemistry between the leads was good but I use to get irritated with the protagonists yellow color teeth whenever he use to open his mouth to sing. Highly Recommended only for Nichol Kidman.

  28. narad_muni 10 years ago

    watched R.. Rajkumar.
    I was thinking it is the worst movie ever made. But, turned out to be watchable.
    I don’t like the genre as such… Wanted was the only one I enjoyed. This movie is as good or bad as Rowdy Rathore. Shahid gives a great performance. He has put his everything in the movie.
    The main problem with the movie is that is stretched. It could have been 30 mins shorter. The action scenes though well executed continued for too long which reduces the impact. And there are quite a few unnecessary comedy scenes and other stuff which spoils the tempo of the movie.

    But, overall, it is decent masala movie. For people who have enjoyed Dabang, Rwody types of movies, I see no reason why they won’t enjoy this one.

    The South masal genre is on the decline and Shahid has had a string of flops in the last few years. Plus, Shahid is not established among the mass audience. Otherwise, this movie had the potential to be a 100 cr grosser. Still, I think it can do 65-70 crores which will be good result for Shahid.

    • hithere 10 years ago

      Exactly but you liked Kaminey also 😉

      • narad_muni 10 years ago

        Just 2 b clear – I dint really like this movie but I could just sit through it. 😀
        Kaminey – I liked n parts but VB cudn;t bring it all together. The music was wonderful . I somehow feel Vishal B is a better music director than a director

  29. FS 10 years ago

    Big Lebowski – watched half of the movie, got bored and stopped. Heard it was good but was disappointed.

    • John Galt 10 years ago

      same thing happened to me when I saw it first…never managed to give it a second chance.

  30. FS 10 years ago

    Pride & Prejudice – Most Beautiful & Pure Romantic Movie I Ever Saw. Keira looked so stunningly beautiful and charming as though she is a princess among ordinary women. She was charming & beautiful in POC, BIB & Attonment but in this she was absolutely at her best

    • narad_muni 10 years ago

      have put it for download. Long time since I saw a good romantic movie. Hope i like it

    • Author
      sputnik 10 years ago

      Had read the book in school. I think I watched the movie a few years back and did not like it.

      Have watched Pride and Prejudice TV series starring Colin Firth twice (once in 90s on Star TV and again a few years back) and liked it a lot. It followed the book completely and is considered to be the best version of Pride and Prejudice.

      • FS 10 years ago

        I have also put it to download the TV series coz i knew it is adopted from a book. It is a BBC series, isn’t it?

        In film they had to skip many parts to make it short but it was worth it. Keira has become my fav actress now.

        Will watch her “Anna Karenina” soon which I had delayed it for a long time now.

        • cr7 10 years ago

          I always liked Keira Knightly .She is gorgeous .Have u seen “seeking a friend for the end of the world ” ?

          • cr7 10 years ago

            Seen Anna karenina in a waiting room recently .Had to wait there for 4-5 hours . They played two movies .Another one was a Chinese/hongkong movie of Jackie chan .Didn’t like any of them .

        • Author
          sputnik 10 years ago

          Yes its a BBC series.

          Actually I am not entirely sure if I watched this 2005 version. I do remember watching parts of Bride and Prejudice which was an adaptation of the same novel and hated it. Aishwarya was so annoying in it.

          • FS 10 years ago

            Thats Bride and Prejudice. & yeah it was annoying. Iam talking abt pride & prejudice

  31. cr7 10 years ago

    Changeling – A very well made but depressing movie .I feel so sad after watching it. About te movie – Liked almost everything . The best thing is in spite of being bit too long it never gets boring .First hour of the movie is perfect .2nd part could have been little better . Jolie was very good but little inconsistent .I think she was fantastic in some scenes and average in some .Other supporting actions were excellentI hated the police officer so much . And that was the purpose of his character .That means he was excellent .Liked the way it ended . The film has so many high points that I thought it could have ended anywhere of them with almost similar impact. The film contains amazing production values with perfect portrayal of 30’s .Didn’t like the music much, It deserved better BGM.

    • FS 10 years ago

      It evokes a lot of reaction from the audience. Yes its bit too long and only thing tht keeps you hooked is the hope whether she’l recover her loss. I think its based on true story, isn’t it? The child artist that helps jolie has done a fantastic job as well

  32. Author
    sputnik 10 years ago

    Jude With intensity and resolve, stonemason Jude Fawley (Christopher Eccleston) aspires to get a college education, but circumstances work against his bookish ambitions in director Michael Winterbottom’s haunting adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s final novel, Jude the Obscure. Kate Winslet co-stars as the lovely liberated cousin Jude falls in love with, and Rachel Griffiths plays the farmer’s daughter who tricks him into matrimony.

    Movie was very slow paced and dragged a lot. From a taboo love story between cousins it then became a story of rebellion against marriage and the ordeals they face. There is a very disturbing scene in the movie involving kids which seemed a bit too much for a kid to do.

    Christopher Eccleston was ok but looked bad in scenes where he was crying. Kate Winslet looked very pretty and acted well. Some may have already watched a scene of hers from this movie 🙂 Did not like Rachel Griffiths. She looked bad.

  33. FS 10 years ago

    Roman Holiday – liked the movie Sputnik, thanks. Ending was perfect with no regrets. There are too many movies that have been inspired from this movie in recent past.

    The fight at the party was only the disappointing thing in the film.

    • Author
      sputnik 10 years ago

      Agree that the ending was perfect. The fight at the party was OTT and did not not fit it in the movie. Even the scooter scene was a bit OTT and unnecessary.

      —————

      @cr7,

      Try Platoon and The Hurt Locker.

  34. cr7 10 years ago

    Captain Phillips – WOW. Best of the year .Perfect .

    Can someone suggest me some army movies .But Not the world war movies .Something like Black Hawk Down ? or like the rescue operation of Captain Phillips ? Thanks

    • FS 10 years ago

      Rescue Dawn, Behind the enemy lines, zero dark thirty & green zone

      • cr7 10 years ago

        Thanks for the reco .I’ve seen ZDT and absolutely loved it . Heard good things about Green zone but didn’t watch it because of Matt demon .For some unknown reason I don’t like him. Delayed watching Bourne series,elysium only because of him 😛 .

        • Author
          sputnik 10 years ago

          Ha Ha. Always found him a bit weird. May be its because the first movie of his that I watched was The Talented Mr. Ripley and his character was very creepy in it. It had Jude Law too and I don’t like him either.

        • FS 10 years ago

          I became fan of Matt Damon immediately after watching Bourne Ultimatum. Then I watched all its prequel. Then came to know he was one of the actor in Ocean Eleven which I didn’t like that much when I had watched it. But then after watching Good Will Hunting, I try not miss his any movies.

          • cr7 10 years ago

            Another thing is ,He looks a bit like John Cena & I hate him .that could be a reason. I liked Good will hunting a lot . I think he does good movies and a very talented artist . If I’m not wrong he wrote the screenplay of Good will hunting .That was indeed a great film.

  35. FS 10 years ago

    Anna Karneina – Kiera is so old in this movie. She has lost her beauty & charm in this film & movie itself is so wierd that first half an hour will bore u 2 death.

    Second half is good because of her performance but direction has ruined it. Totally wierd movie

  36. Serenzy 10 years ago

    VERTIGO is Colin Needham [IMDb’s founder & CEO], most favourite movie of “all-time”.
    Alfred Hitchcock is his favourite director.

    Read articles about him and the evolution of IMDb since the early 90’s to date, last week… Was super interesting to read how he turned his ‘hobby’ into a ‘profession’.

    Super movie buff/geek he is, with having seen nearly 8500 movies(In a particular year in the 90’s, he saw around 1000 movies in a calendar year).!

  37. cr7 10 years ago

    Groundhog Day- What a charming movie ! Enjoyed it .

    • Author
      sputnik 10 years ago

      I saw the movie around ten years ago and I did not like it. I got annoyed after a while with the repetitive scenes more so because the whole objective of the repetition is nothing but to get to a happy ending.

      50 First Dates starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore is inspired from Groundhog Day in that Drew’s character has short term memory loss and she can’t remember more than a day and Adam has to start over with her every day. You might like it if you have not already seen it.

      • dwnpiyush 10 years ago

        I liked 50 first dates more than Groundhog Day. Both are feel-good. But the former is more feel-good than the latter.

  38. Baba 10 years ago

    just saw the ful dance of gandi baat while skiming through r rajkumar. shahid kapor is outstanding. his best dance to date

  39. dwnpiyush 10 years ago

    Seeking a friend for the end of the world: LOVED it. A really heartwarming film that is smart, witty, and incredibly feel-good despite being set in the last three weeks of an impending disaster. The acting is fabulous, especially Kiera Knightly, who is really sweet and charming and cuddle-worthy. The dialogue and writing in general is very sharp.

    Oldboy (Korean): Finally saw it. I can see why it became such a cult film. For me though, it was too dark and had too much shock value and gore. And it was mightily depressing and morbid with the drama centered around incestuos relationships, making it an extremely uncomfortable watch. Somehow I think Zinda is a far better watch for the uninitiated, as it is as powerful and thrilling and not as uncomfortable. Not that one can give credit to Zinda, as it is really a copy. But I will say one thing for Sanjay Gupta, he has made it a lot more palatable for general audiences by changing the plot twist slightly and doing away with the incest angles quite admirably.

    • cr7 10 years ago

      Agreed about Seeking a friend for the end of the world . Feel good movie with fantastic performance from the leading pair. I am a huge fan of this type of movies.Sweet,simple and heartwarming .

  40. Author
    sputnik 10 years ago

    Frances Ha Determined to make it as a modern dancer in New York, Frances pursues her unlikely goal with more enthusiasm than natural talent. The rest of the time, she and her sardonic best friend, Sophie, put off growing up for as long as they can.

    Watched this movie because I heard some people praise it on twitter and because the lead actress Greta Gerwig has been nominated for a Best Actress at the Golden Globe Awards.

    Its partly good but its partly weird movie. Its shot in Black & White. There are some scenes in the movie which just feel weird/implausible.

    Greta Gerwig was good but her character is that of a socially inept person who goes on rambling and talking inappropriately. So she was annoying. Also her constantly talking about her best friend Sophie and missing her made it feel like she was a lesbian or that she was in love with her. For someone who was playing a dancer/dance teacher she was bad in whatever little she had to dance. It seemed like she had two left feet.

    Mickey Sumner was ok as her friend Sophie. Michael Zegen was good as her roommate.

    ————————-

    Newlyweds The honeymoon is short-lived for newlyweds Buzzy and Katy. His wild younger sister drops in unannounced, and her ex keeps asking to borrow money. Meanwhile, they watch helplessly as their best friends’ marriage of 19 years starts to come undone.

    Ok movie. The movie has Woody Allenish scenes of actors talking to the camera after each scene. May be married people will like it more as they might find some scenes/dialogues relatable.

    Edward Burns was good but I think he plays same/similar characters in his movies. He is also the director of these movies. I think I may have seen both or may be one of his movies (The Brothers McMullen, She’s the One) and liked it/them.

    Caitlin Fitzgerald was gorgeous and I think the movie can be watched just for her. Kerry Bishé was not that good looking but acted ok. Marsha Dietlein was good as the annoying/bitchy sister-in-law.

  41. narad_muni 10 years ago

    Watched Mother (Korean)
    Absolutely fabulous movie. This is directed by Bong Joon-ho of ‘Memories of Murder’ fame. and I think this is his best work till date. It is much more than a murder mystery – it has elements of tragedy, emotions,satire and much more. The storyline is unpredictable and engaging, the performances awesome, some of the shots are taken so expertly that it gives the movie some sort of a poetic artistry. The background music is not loud and also appears intermittently not throughout but very effective. Also, the movie compels you to keep thinking about the relations and the happenings even after it’s over. This movie is not to be missed.

    This is the 5th Korean movie I really liked. The other ones being – Memories of Murder, Oldboy, Chaser, Sassy girl.

    A couple of Other Korean movies which I found decent but not gr8 are – A moment to remember and The man from nowhere.

    • cr7 10 years ago

      I also watched it this month . Agree with you .Here is my comment on Mother .

      Mother -Its a Korean movie . Excellent Film . A thriller with perfect dose of emotion . Performance and BGM is excellent . Ending was not what I hoped .But I think it is the most realistic ending the movie could have . Thanks FS for the recommendation .

      • narad_muni 10 years ago

        Actually, I should thank you for your comment. Though FS has recommended earlier, I forgot about it. I watched it after reading your comment only.

        The cinematography of the movie is a work of art. Some of the shots stay in your mind long after the movie is over. I felt this movie is more complex than Memories of Murder – it has many facets where Memories of Murder is a pure thriller. Both great movies in their own rights

        • cr7 10 years ago

          Agree about cinematography . Forgot to mention it in my comment.

          • FS 10 years ago

            the actor played as an “immature” is the same person from the movie “the man from nowhere”. The two performances are totally different and you much give him a lot of credit as well.

          • narad_muni 10 years ago

            FS, I too noticed that.
            Amazing versatility in totally contrasting roles. when will bollywood and our heroes grow up?

  42. FS 10 years ago

    Pride and Prejudice 1995 TV series: As I had loved the movie “Pride and Prejudice 2005”, I was desperate to watch the series and it propelled me more when Sputnik had liked the series and happened to watch it twice.

    I can’t make much difference between the film and the series. I can’t even make out whether the movie is based on novel or is it remake of the series itself. Dialogues are same in most, the settings too are quite same except the series was more convincing than the movie, the performers acted similarly except the leads.

    I liked Keira more because she was definitely the most beautiful woman in the movie and as described by the novel compared to Jennifer of the series where as Collin Firth from the series was better in delivering dialogues and Mathew was better in expressing his emotions. Since series has 6 episodes, it is much detailed but if you have seen the movie first, then you won’t feel you have missed anything much. But when you watch the series after movie, it will take to at least 2 episodes to settle down and acquaint those faces for the next few episodes. Overall I liked the series very much but I watched the movie again immediately after the series and planning watch it one more time today. Loved both and all I have to do is read the novel again 😛 Highly Recommended!!!

    • Author
      sputnik 10 years ago

      As far as I remember from the novel Elizabeth is not that beautiful. So Keira is kind of wrong choice for that role. Its her elder sister Jane who is supposed to be very beautiful.

      ——

      I reverted back the changes so don’t know why it would be slow.

      • FS 10 years ago

        In the description Jane is more beautiful and more so coz she is blonde but on the other hand Elizabeth is more talked about. As they say, Beauty is not just the appearance and Keira is more suitable than any other in this character. Even in the film, Jane looks more attractive and promising in first few appearances but the character that Keira plays makes her appear more beautiful and gorgeous than the blonde.

  43. FS 10 years ago

    Sputnik – After your recent changes in the configuration, scrolling down in mobile version has become very slow or the changes have effected the mobile version. It takes ages to scroll down on thread such as this. Please try to solve the issue.

  44. dwnpiyush 10 years ago

    The constant Gardener: A very interesting, slightly slow paced, drama film set mostly in Africa. Well acted and superbly shot. Engaging and thought provoking. Very good overall.

  45. narad_muni 10 years ago

    Pride and Prejudice – watched it on FS’ rec..and absolutely loved it.
    The ambience is so superbly created and from the word go, you are transported in the bygone era. The drama is engaging and superb performances. And yes, I too found Elizabeth more attractive than her sister… may be its more to with Jane being blonde and more traditional looking beauty – so people in general find her more beautiful. Will watch it one more time after a while.
    Highly recommended.

    • FS 10 years ago

      Glad you liked it… I have already seen it thrice now and not sure how many times more i will watch again. Absolutely love the last 3 episodes of the series as well. Have watched the series twice as well. I think after Happy Days, this movie may end up my most viewed movie ever.

    • FS 10 years ago

      I also think those who have watched the series first may not like the movie as much as I and you have liked.

  46. Author
    sputnik 10 years ago

    The French Connection Tough-as-nails narcotics detective “Popeye” Doyle and his partner, Russo, are in hot pursuit of a suave French drug dealer who may be the key to a multimillion-dollar heroin-smuggling operation in this classic crime thriller inspired by true events.

    The movie was nominated for 8 Oscars and won 5 including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay and Film Editing. It is considered to be one of the one of the greatest American films. Its based on a true story.

    Now it may have been good for its time but I don’t think it has aged well. It was very slow paced for most of it. There is a scene in the movie where they rip apart a car but don’t rip apart one thing and there is a dialogue where they realize that they did not rip apart one thing and then rip that apart to find drugs. It was filmy. And what was worse is after totally ripping the car off they give back the car to the owner supposedly in the condition that it was in just a few minutes later. There’s no way that can happen.

    The final scene was somewhat different/unexpected and there was also an open ending kind of scene. But then the director tells us with placards what happened. Why would you put an open ending kind of scene and then explain what happened with placards? The placards tell an anti climax kind of story.

    There is a car chase scene which is considered to be one of the best car chases ever. I think it was only good in parts. It was too long and had too many filmy accident stunts.

    Gene Hackman was good as the cop but I am not sure if he deserved an Oscar for Best Actor. Fernando Rey was good as the villain. Roy Scheider was ok.

    —————————

    21 & Over Jeff’s straight-and-narrow life changes abruptly when his buddies take him out for a 21st birthday bash designed to make up for lost time — the night before a crucial med school interview.

    Some scenes were hilarious and some were gross. It was funny in part but they stretched it a lot. It was partly similar to American Pie series and partly similar to Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle.

    Miles Teller was ok but felt like a poor imitation of Stifler from the American Pie series. Skylar Astin was ok. Justin Chon was hilarious in some scenes but then his character felt like Harold’s character from Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle. Sarah Wright was ok.

    Would recommend Eurotrip for those who like this genre of movies.

  47. Anjanpur685Miles 10 years ago

    Saw Lekin again
    What a film , what a film.

    Talaash is the only film like this after 20 years or so. So emotional ..so subtle..so enigmatic…

  48. narad_muni 10 years ago

    Tried to watch Dog Day afternoon – it is supposedly one of Al Pacino’s best works. But did not work for me..its about a bank robbery which goes bad. Actually, halfway through the movie I got bored and did not have the energy to finish it.

  49. FS 10 years ago

    Seeking a friend for the end of the world – The movie is slow in the beginning but once they hit the road, movie gets interesting. I liked the second half of the movie but first 20 minutes or so were dragging and it started from nowhere aiming to end at somewhere. loved Kiera’s acting and it was good to see steve in the formal avatar. If you try to find the logic in the movie better avoid it. Its a sweet, heartwarming, feel good movie like piyush described. Thanks Cr for the recommendation

  50. FS 10 years ago

    Shilac – Watch Attonment if you haven’t watched it yet, another excellent movie which you may definitely love it. Performance is fab and the climax is different, unexpected and executed brilliantly.

  51. Baba 10 years ago

    saw r rajkumar.it is not a south remake but the film is structured like one. some of the humour is good.but the screenplay and story is bad even for south masala stds and its a shame bcos shahid kapoor deserved better. he is in good form be it dancing or acting. he is outstanding in the two songs gandi baat and saree ke fall. if only he got a better script , this may well have been his best performance to date.the serious dialogues in the film are regressive. action is ridiculous and climax is pathetic. sonu sood almost ruined the film by the end.

  52. FS 10 years ago

    Sputnik – but there was one beautiful song in “Bride & Prejudice”. The english version of that song was also beautiful. I am talking about “tumse kahein hum ya na kahein”

    • Author
      sputnik 10 years ago

      Did not remember the song but checked it now. Looks good. Actually remembered only that bad Cobra dance from the movie.

      I was talking about being traditionally more beautiful and Jane is supposed to be very beautiful. Darcy slights Elizabeth saying she is just tolerable and even her mother says she is half as beautiful as Jane. One can’t say that Keira is just tolerable. She is very beautiful and I like Rosamund Pike too from Die Another Day who has played Jane. Elizabeth is obviously the lead character of the novel and she is supposed to be intelligent and smart and by the end of it she comes off across as more beautiful with the inner beauty of her character. Jane’s character is supposed to be very good too but she comes across as just the suffering type later on.

  53. narad_muni 10 years ago

    Watched Prisoners – by far, the best movie of the year for me. Nail biting suspense thriller with excellent performances from Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal. It will take some beating. Don;t miss it.

  54. cr7 10 years ago

    Moon – Beautiful movie . I like this type of sci-fi .Based on an excellent concept. When most of the sci-fi this days tries to stylish with high quality CGI and action , Moon instead has a deep emotional content .The movie was literally a one man show and Sam Rockwell couldn’t do any batter .He was excellent.The movie was little dull in term of mystery and tension in later part but emotionally that was the high point . This is a must watch.

    • Author
      sputnik 10 years ago

      Will check it out. Had not heard of the movie before. I don’t know if you have watched Contact starring Jodie Foster but I would recommend that.

      And have you seen the American Pie series, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle and Eurotrip?

      • cr7 10 years ago

        Yeah I’ve seen Contact and liked it .Contact was almost flawless in term of storytelling and scientifically . But Moon has some loose points and may raise some questions. Also moon is made on a much smaller canvas compared to contact. I enjoyed moon more because I think Its simplicity . But If u like this type of movies you’ll surely like it .

        • cr7 10 years ago

          I’ve seen the first american pie and liked it .American pie has become like a cult movie. But I think there are many similar but better movies made . . I have downloaded Eurotrip, will watch it within few days.Haven’t seen any harold & kumar movie yet .

          • Author
            sputnik 10 years ago

            American Pie 2 is good. The third one is ok. Harold and Kumar first one is very silly but fun. May be I enjoyed it more coz I watched it with a bunch of friends. I have not watched the sequels. Had liked Say It Isn’t So too which is very gross in parts.

            There is Road Trip too which I liked a lot back in 2000 but it did not seem that funny when I re watched it sometime back.

          • cr7 10 years ago

            Among the road trip movies I liked due date and little miss sunshine most . Recently released we’re the millers were fun .But It was pure comedy. There was another movie Interstate 60 which was weird but very enjoyable.

  55. FS 10 years ago

    Sputnik – in the film both jane and elizabeth are good looking & beautiful but in series elizabeth is far more beautiful & handsome than jane without any second thoughts. In the movie there is more justification & given somewhat equal importance & screen space for jane but not in case of series. Having said tht i loved both the movie & series.

    Cr – moon is a wonderful film. If I remember correctly it was Ihab who promoted it a lot on sb both Warrior & Moon. I too liked the movie very much. You may like Oblivion very much as well as it is somewhat similar for most part of the film revolving around just two characters for a while but this has also similar amount of rmotional quotient but with better CGI.

  56. FS 10 years ago

    Harold and Kumar first two parts are hillarious but didnt like the third part. Less humor & more gross

    • hithere 10 years ago

      First one was cult but IMO second was better than first. In second, there are subtle (and also overt) political comments (very relevant to US context).

      Third one was below par. You can see it if you have nothing to do.

  57. FS 10 years ago

    London Boulevard – Starring Collin Farell and Keira, could have been a classic movie if it had a better screenplay. The movie starts abruptly and end abruptly. In between too many thinks happen that you don’t expect and too many things do not happen that you eagerly await to happen. It is hot well and Collin Farell looks dashing, very handsome so is Keira and their chemistry if had been explored more, they could have ended as beautiful couples. However, there is too little in every account and that makes this film pretty average to above average.

  58. dwnpiyush 10 years ago

    Mr Nobody: What was that? Simply surreal. So many moments of brilliance. Abstract. Philosophical. Sci-fi. Romance. Mumbo-jumbo. Psycho-babble. Had lots of physics too. I couldn’t get a lot of it. But yet it seemed cohesive. And beautiful. Spectacularly shot. A genius’s creative masturbation. I will watch it again. And maybe again. Till I get what was the exact idea.

    • cr7 10 years ago

      When I first watched it I had similar feelings .Impressed but confused.Agree about about the cinematography .Exquisite and pleasant to eyes.

      Have u seen Butterfly effect ?

      • dwnpiyush 10 years ago

        Yes I have seen Butterfly effect, just the first one though. As compared to Mr. Nobody it is hardly abstract at all. It has a beginning and an end and everything is connected as per the concept. It even has very good alternative endings (on youtube).

        • cr7 10 years ago

          “As compared to Mr. Nobody it is hardly abstract at all”

          Agreed.

          The concept is similar so i thought you might like it too .I loved butterfly effect.

    • FS 10 years ago

      I agree with you Piyush for some extent. Mr. Nobody is totally abstract and has many moments of brilliance. I especially liked the romantic angle in the movie but I couldn’t complete the film because I could not understand it at all. So thought of watching again carefully so as to know whether I had missed anything that’s not helping me understand it but have delayed it till now. Movie still is with me and will try to complete this time.

  59. cr7 10 years ago

    Blow -The rise and fall of a drug smuggler.Loved it .Super entertaining movie . never got boring.Not a big fan of Depp but he was flawless . His mannerism,dialogue delivery and the voice over was fantastic.

    • FS 10 years ago

      I liked the performance of Depp more than the film. here is my comment;

      Blow 2001 – Based on true story of one of the drug lord who lost his fortunes 3 times serving imprisonment up till 2015 is one of the better movies in which Jonny Depp has given an excellent performance. However, the movie could have been edited better to make it tight and gripping. Recommended!!!

  60. cr7 10 years ago

    Gravity – Its a typical survival movie . Nothing new about the premise . But the execution,vision and visuals are very good . Sandra bullock and Clooney both performed very well .Overall Its a good movie overall but I’m surprised that it is getting nominated in so many categories . I will be really surprised if it wins in categories like best story,screenplay or direction .

    • narad_muni 10 years ago

      CR,
      I already told you that Gravity is a movie you have to watch it in theatre just for the effects. Apart from that, there is nothing else which stands out

      • cr7 10 years ago

        Yeah , I knew . But there is no way I could see it in theater .So had no choice but watch it in PC . I agree with u that except for the effects nothing else stands out . Its like Avatar .

  61. cr7 10 years ago

    Matrubhoomi – Words can hardly describe the movie . This devastatingly sad movie is probably the boldest Hindi film ever made . Highly Recommended

      • cr7 10 years ago

        Yes

        • FS 10 years ago

          Watched Mathrubhoomi – I had heard the similar story and I don’t remember it was a sms or story or an email or what but when you watch such films either you get shocked, numb or quit, unbearable to watch further (as it happened to me with Firaaq) and it was not the case in me as the narration was exactly the same as I heard before.

          I would definitely second Cr’s take, It is definitely by far, one of the boldest movie in hindi cinema. The film never looks filmy nor abstract. A film with a message that needs to be spread for awareness and educate the mortal sinners. Salute Manish Jha for such a bold attempt.

          • cr7 10 years ago

            You are really fast 😀

            Agree with your take on the movie .At some points I felt really uncomfortable during the movie ,Such was the impact . Respect for the makers .

    • saurabh 10 years ago

      Its a good movie and I liked it, especially the romantic relation.. I loved the heroine and the ending…

      It was really a bold movie and the start of the movie is quite bold..
      like the scene in which they kill a child and then someone fucking a animal..(do not remember exactly).

      I liked the acting too of all the character back then especially of father in law and sushant singh..

      I also want to Salute Manish Jha for the attempt as it is not a commercial movie..

      Just watched 1 time, want to watch again..

  62. Author
    sputnik 10 years ago

    The Untouchables Federal Agent Eliot Ness sets out to stop Al Capone; because of rampant corruption, he assembles a small, hand-picked team.

    This may be the third time I watched this movie. It a fictionalized/masala version of a true story. Movie is good but it drags at places.

    Brian De Palma’s movies always have style and here he uses too much style at times in this movie. There is a cradle on stairs scenes which is a homage/tribute to a similar scene from this old movie called Battleship Potemkin (1926) but the scene goes on for so long and is so deliberately set up that it becomes annoying. That scene was copied in Tezaab. Similarly there are some scenes like Kevin Costner chasing this villain which is very filmy and so is another shooting scene on the bridge. Cinematography is good and art direction is excellent recreating 1930s Chicago.

    Never really liked Kevin Costner. He acts the same way in all his movies whether this or JFK or Field of Dreams. He has such cheesy dialogues at places and is so bad in some scenes like the scene where he says something to Al Capone at the end or the scene where he says something to a guy he just killed. Robert De Niro was very good as Al Capone. I think he should have had more screen time and should have been nominated for Best Supporting Actor.

    Sean Connery was good and he won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for this but I am not sure if his accent was right. He was talking in his usual Scottish accent. Andy Garcia and Charles Martin Smith were ok.

    The movie was deservedly nominated for Oscars for Best Art Direction – Set Decoration and Best Costume Design. It was also nominated for Best Score but I did not like the background score much.

  63. FS 10 years ago

    I don’t knw what’s wrong with me or are there any other members like me who have done things such as this;

    It started with Happy Days – I watched Happy Days without subtitles first and then repeatedly watched it more than 5-7 times in a week and 3-4 times in the following week. Later I have watched it at least 1 or 2 times in a week for several weeks. Then whenever I felt lonely, I use put Happy Days and watch it. It reminded me of college days. This film would be my most viewed movie ever.

    Then I was desperate to watch Swadesh after people praising it on NG like crazy because when I first saw it, I couldn’t bear it, so couldn’t complete it i believe. I even use to laugh at people who use to praise Swadesh. But one fine day I decided to watch and it not only changed my opinion, I watched it many times in that week even though it was pretty long film. It struck a chord in me and started watching frequently whenever I had an opportunity. My craving for this film didn’t last long but I like everything about this film. I can watch it at any given day or time.

    But this film “Pride and Prejudice”, I am watching it every day since the day I watched it first and if I am not satisfied (I feel like I wanted to see more of it especially the romantic angle), I watch the last 4 episodes of its series. Today also after watching Mathrubhoomi, I watched the movie again. Then I am tempted to watch the series. Even though this film is nothing spectacular or grandeur nor never seen before kind of movie but still I am fascinated and drawn towards watching it everyday. It would definitely be my second most viewed movie ever or could end up first. Sometimes I feel I have gone crazy yet I tend to behave crazily. I know this is awkward to share but I can’t help it 🙁

    PS: To my surprise, I can’t recall any other movie apart from these three to have watched more than 10 times in my lifetime. May be 4-5 movies above 5 times (including the ones I saw on TV)

    • Anjanpur685Miles 10 years ago

      Nothing is wrong with you 🙂 It happens when one doesn’t have anything good to do in real life. (Not pulling leg etc) ..and find solace in film world. I had watched many stupid films like that .. many times 😉

      Regarding Swadesh I always felt – its liked more by ppl who are NRI or live outside of India. They miss their own country and hence like the movie. I found it pretty foolish and ordinary.

      • Baba 10 years ago

        swades was aimed at NRIs only i think. it was BB in overseas and flop in india.there was this trend in India since 2000 (there still is) to do MS from aboard after graduating from here and then pursue a job there only for better career opportunities.there is also an alternate viewpoint that most of them dont land a god job here so they venture out.most of the ones i know miss their families and freedom to express.so may be they will relate to the film more than us. that said, the much talked about train scene is a bit overdone .a person who has lived in India for so many years wil hardy be moved to that extent by the poverty.that kids condition was still pretty respectable compared to what one can commanly see with the poor in india!

        • shan 10 years ago

          I watched Swades when it released and I used to live in India at that time. At the first viewing, I did not like the movie much, especially since we had gone as a gang of 15 friends, expecting something fun like Lagaan, and were thoroughly disappointed when the movie turned out to be much different. It was one of those I-expected-this-to-be-Sholay-but-it-is-Drohkaal things. Mind you, both movies are good, but expectations can totally ruin your experience. Saw Swades again a year later and found it very intriguing. Loved the subtle messages and the conversations in the movie. Still found some parts corny – like the character of the postman, how SRK is shown playing kushti at the end after he has moved to the village for good, the way the village “Weatherman” predicts weather – but those were few and far between some very poignant scenes. In the third watch, I had begun to wonder why I had not liked the movie in the first place. There a few flaws in the movie – the length is a major one, as is the confusion shown between Mohan’s desire to return to India for Kaveri amma at first, then for helping his people out and finally because of his love for Geeta. The first two parts are believable and fit in with Mohan’s character. The third one comes across as odd. Nevertheless, it is an honest movie by Gowariker and one of his better directorial attempts. I too find the railway scene slightly overrated. It is a good scene (meant to draw the tears out of you) and I did feel it when I saw the scene at first, but it did not come across as THE scene of the movie to me.

        • Author
          sputnik 10 years ago

          I don’t think Swades did well abroad either at least not in US. Link I think most of the discussion on the train scene already happened in this thread here.

          Link

          The train scene is subtle and there are no corny/cheesy dialogues in the scene. And yes people who lived all their life in India and went to a country where kids don’t sell water might be moved by it if there is any humanity still left in them.

          • FS 10 years ago

            I don’t think Any one who has travelled in local trains or trains connecting to cities within state might feel so much abt that water scene in train. Even i didn’t feel anything special abt tht scene except awareness of scarcity of water & poverty within below poverty line population of India.

            There are much better scenes then tht.

          • Baba 10 years ago

            i have been a part of that debate spuntik 😀 on that thread you said the guy sitting next to srk was insensitive. i dont agree. you are not able to see his perspective. that guy himself has a hand to mouth life. he didnt hv the “luxury” , unlike srk,to feel sensitive about that kid who makes somemoney by selling water.he has probably seen worse than what the kid is going through. that kid is selling water for 1 rupee on platforms. there are kids who beg for pennies on the streets by slashing themselves with hunters commonly seen in big cities ,forget villages! even this is is not the worse of poverty.chek below

            about swades and in particularly about that train scene, i am always reminded of famous quote

            ““I cried because I had no shoes. Then I met a man who had no feet.”

            swades was superhit in US https://boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=339&catName=TiBBbWVyaWNhIExpZmV0aW1l

          • hithere 10 years ago

            That is exactly my objection to the movie. I have debated with all most everyone in past. If you have lived in India you will most likely encounter all these in some variation. Think of it if you are living in delhi and travelling in car and at red light some kid is selling flowers or paper. It is no different from that scene.

            ps – In spite of criticism it is one of the better movies and its heart is in right place.

  64. cr7 10 years ago

    The Hurt Locker -A very engrossing,suspenseful movie .Liked it .Jeremmy Renner was excellent.But I would prefer ZDT over hurt locker .

    • FS 10 years ago

      do you prefer hurt locker or jab tak hai jaan 😛

  65. saurabh 10 years ago

    I watched Swades more than 7-8 time and every time i didn’t get bore.. it affected me very much… and the kid selling water and srk’s reaction is totally worth watching…
    though I am not NRI… and i used to think only people like taran adarsh find it ridiculous.. but i was wrong completely..

    @babji srk was NRI and was kid till he was in india… and a rich kid… and he moved emotionally because he was seeing a kid who is selling water for first time.. (or that was the intention)..

    now on moving emotionally, I myself feel very emotional and always talsk to kid who are working abt their education and try to give some money and tell them to study… may be I am over sensitive, and may Mohan too…

  66. Author
    sputnik 10 years ago

    Dhoom With few clues to go on, no-nonsense detective Jai is tracking a gang of suave, motorbike-riding robbers who are sweeping through Mumbai. Jai’s investigation leads him to a slacker mechanic whose riding skills may help bring the crooks to justice.

    Finally watched the movie. It was entertaining and fun though many scenes were illogical like John suddenly stopping his bike and throwing a helmet which crashes the police jeep or John and his gang escaping from that charity show specially John escaping unhurt when Abhishek is shooting from the front.

    Also John is supposed to be this master thief/planner and he does not even disable the security cameras or wear masks while stealing? Also the casino/vault scenes were inspired/copied from Oceans Eleven.

    Art direction especially the garage scenes was so bad. You could clearly tell that it was Yash Raj studios.

    John Abraham was very good as the cool villain and he definitely exuded style. Abhishek acted just like he did in Dhoom 2 except that he did not have a paunch. He was also overacting in some scenes. Uday was ok in some scenes and irritating in some in a comic role. Esha Deol tried so hard to be sexy but couldn’t. Rimi Sen was ok.

  67. Author
    sputnik 10 years ago

    @Baba,

    Yes people in India see worse things than a kid selling water and they get desensitized to it. Its a everyday occurrence for them. They see so much poverty around that they think we can’t help them all and as a result most do not help anyone. I have seen a guy eating from trash when I had not gone abroad. I felt bad but me and my friends did nothing. I have seen guy hitting with that hunter too to earn money.

    Yes that quote is very apt – “I cried because I had no shoes. Then I met a man who had no feet.” People are always thinking about themselves. If someone who is earning well and is living comfortably and feels guilty looking at the plight of the poor and does something – may be help a poor person/kid get a better life than its worth something.

    If you compare Swades collections with SRK’s own movies like Devdas, MHN, VZ it did less.

  68. jj 10 years ago

    Dont think that its the kid selling water which moved SRK’s character. It was a culmination of all that he had been experiencing in the village, including the jus previous haridas scene. Its from this point that his character decides to take things to his own hand, and voicing his own thought(school scene follows). Till then he was jus bouncing off Geetha’s thoughts and his actions had other motives. There is a dhoti tying the scene in between, which is against the flow of the movie, though well shot. That shud have been edited out. Gowariker needs a sharp editor.

  69. Tulmul 10 years ago

    Honestly, W/o being labelled names Can someone really tell me what’s great about that kid water/tea scene??? I have seen Srk fans holding that scene so dear to their hearts… I think its straw-man.

    Sawdes is v good movie with high repeat value but fell short of greatness coz of the last 45 minutes of movie where director is completely confused what to do as far as change is concerned and end up with electricity non sense ( it seems we have traveled zilch from naya daur to now). I love sawdes, seen it multiple times save those last 45 minute nonsense…

    Sawdes has much more profound powerful scene which ppl miss but which has historical narrative but as usual kid scene has become pivotal to Sawdes without any sound reason or just a heck to prop up movie to high esteem???

    • Author
      sputnik 10 years ago

      You dont want to be labelled names but you are naming everyone who likes that scene as srk fan? I have said “Now some may get bored with its slow pace or feel that it is preachy or think it is some DD telefilm – that is another thing.” on that scene thread. I also have said many times that I liked Lagaan more than Swades.

      And you want others to explain what was so great about that scene? What’s so great about The Shawshank Redemption which was also a flop? Many will say that is long and boring too. And it also ripped off plot, scenes and characters from Escape from Alcatraz.

      Already mentioned in that thread that the direction, cinematography, background score, acting is all top notch. Many NRIs usually drink mineral water and I think even SRK in the movie keeps drinking mineral water and that scene has him drinking water from a earthen vessel. And as jj said its the scene before too which has affected him and he is introspecting. Without any dialogues the scene makes its point about how he is feeling guilty about not doing anything to help the country and its poor. Its the scene of transformation in him. One can also question what so was so great that Buddha saw when he ventured out and saw those old man, diseased man….

      Electricity nonsense? May be you should read up on the people whom Swades was based on. They did the same electricity nonsense.

      “She was raised in the US. He was a PhD in particle Physics from the University of Maryland. In 1998, the two NRIs quit their lives in the US and moved back to India, to work for the cause of rural development and people’s movement.

      They have been acknowledged as one of the inspirations behind Ashutosh Gowariker’s “Swades”. Aravinda Pillalamarri and Ravi Kuchimanchi’s journey from the US to the Adivasi heartland of the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) has been reflected in the movie, where NASA engineer Mohan Bhargav, played by Shahrukh Khan, goes back to the interiors of rural India, in search of his roots.

      Gowariker read Rajni Bakshi’s book ‘Bapu Kuti’, through which he got to know about Aravinda and Ravi, and the Bilgaon project. He was interested in meeting the two NRIs and the idea of lighting a village appealed to him. After spending considerable time with Aravinda and Ravi, both dedicated Association for India’s Development (AID) volunteers, Gowarikar visited Bilgaon, an adivasi village in the Narmada valley, which is the back drop of the NBA movement. The people of Bilgaon are credited with doing 2000 person-days of ‘shramdaan’ to make their village energy self-sufficient. The Bilgaon project is recognized as a model for replication by the Government of Maharshtra.

      “Ashutosh was interested in knowing things like the costs and whether that was something Shah Rukh Khan could withdraw out of the ATM machine, the size and space of something that would be needed to light a village so he could visualize the sets, how fast something like this could be built and also about suggestions for the story and the script that he read out,” says Aravinda. “He took contacts so that he could get the turbine replicated.”
      But the conflict and with it the people power that comes to ascertain the right to water resource and local decision making is not brought out in the movie though that was discussed as well, say the duo.

      When Aravinda and Ravi first went to the Narmada valley in 1998, it was totally dark. Then the first lights came through the pedal generator that they helped design whereby lighting up the schools (jeevanshalas) and the Satyagraha center with people taking turns pedaling- one hour of pedaling gave three hours of light to a room. Today, Bilgaon is energy-self sufficient. They hope the day is not far when every house in the Narmada valley has lights. Ravi and Aravinda believe that this can happen soon if the issue is raised, since the Sardar Sarovar Dam is nearby and is reported to be already generating power. “But where is this power going to?” they question.

      It has been an enlightening journey for Aravinda and Ravi, who decided to plunge headlong into India’s development and people’s issues through AID. Ravi is one of the founding members of AID at College Park, Maryland. He was a PhD student in particle Physics, when he decided in 1998 that he wanted to return to India to work for the cause of the villages. “ It was not an easy decision to quit formal research in Physics which I love. However with scientific papers accessible on the Internet nowadays, I manage to keep up with the developments in the field and even publish something once in a while,” he says. “If you believe life is not compartmentalized, then you don’t have to get out of one compartment (Physics) to get into another compartment- grassroots.”

      Link

      • saurabh 10 years ago

        Thanks sputnik for sharing this info, I was not aware of this.

  70. cr7 10 years ago

    Don Jon – Its entertaining unlike some of the recent sex comedies . Scarlet was hot. Movie ended suddenly .In a way its good that they didn’t stretch it . JGL was decent. Juliana moore was good in the short role . Overall decent movie , One time watch. Expected better from JGL .

  71. cr7 10 years ago

    The Station agent – Watched this movie only because of Peter Dinklage , The God of tits and wine (GOT fans will get it 😛 ) and it was worth it . Liked the movie .Its actually very simple and have no real serious story going on .Its actually kind of pointless .But I liked it .The performance is pinch perfect. Will only recommend if you have enough time to spare .

  72. narad_muni 10 years ago

    Beasts of the Southern Wild

    WOW – what a movie! Should have seen it long back.
    Anyways, what blew me away is the amazing atmosphere created by the director of sheer rawness, the superb screenplay which osciallates between harsh realities,metaphors and imagination, fantastic performances and great background music.
    I felt the movie has many facets and various messages it tries to convey – the sheer never-say-die attitude of human beings, the ability to find joy among the harshest of environments, the rapid urbanisation of the world which disturbs the natural equilibrium, the mechanical and disciplined life of the so-called cultured society etc etc.
    This movie got 4 Oscar nominations including best picture and best actess – the kid Hushpuppy played by Quvenzhané Walli. I believe she is 10 times more deserving than Jennifer Lawrence in Silver Linings playbook.
    I am surprised that this movie is not talked about much. IMDB says is won 65 awards, worth it in my opinion.

    P.S – This movie is not everyone’s cup of tea in the way it shows filth and stuff like dead animals n stuff. But, for me, it is a visual delight. Also, this movie uses handheld camera in many scenes which gives it a more realistic feel and adds to the rawness.. not sure if others like it or not

    • Author
      sputnik 10 years ago

      Did not like the movie much. My comment on it.

      “Watched Beasts of the Southern Wild Its basically about a little girl and her relationship with her father. Even though its just one a half hour in length it felt really long and it was quite boring at places. Did not know what to make of the movie. Part of it is reality and part of it is fantasy like a children’s movie. Some people are taking some scenes which are supposed to be metaphors literally. Went to IMDB after watching the movie and people are fighting over it. Some are overpraising it and some are bashing it coz the father hits the child and they think he is abusive to the daughter. There is basically a Black and White divide over it.

      The little girl burns down the house because her father yelled at him and I don’t know how people can be sympathetic to her act. The father’s character is not what it seems and he wants her to be tough and to learn to survive. He is a flawed character. Liked the actor Dwight Henry who played the father’s character.

      Quvenzhané Wallis, the girl was good but I don’t think she deserves an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. I don’t think the direction was that good to deserve a nomination over Kathryn Bigelow and Ben Affleck. I think the Oscar nominations are due to the movie being supportive of Global Warming which is a favorite thing for the liberals and the Academy members. Obama praised the movie so that could also be a reason for the nominations.”

      Link

      • narad_muni 10 years ago

        Sputnik – You are free to dislike any movie but this comments is just your assumption – ” I think the Oscar nominations are due to the movie being supportive of Global Warming which is a favorite thing for the liberals and the Academy members.

        Similar thing when I said about Slumdog millionaire, you almost waged a war against me. 😛

        • Author
          sputnik 10 years ago

          In that very thread I said “If you want to watch poverty in the west watch Beasts of the Southern Wild.” 🙂 May be it got nominated because it showed poverty 😉

          Oscars are political some times.

          “In 2007, the annual Academy Awards ceremony turned green for the first time.

          Not only did An Inconvenient Truth, a documentary film about global warming, win two Oscars, but the telecast itself was designed to be carbon-neutral and environmentally friendly.”

          Link

          March 2012 was Black History Month Link and

          “Denzel Washington was named Best Actor (for “Training Day” and Halle Berry Best Actress (for “Monster’s Ball”) in an evening hosted by Whoopi Goldberg and featuring an Irving J. Thalberg honorary statue to Sidney Poitier.”

          Link

    • hithere 10 years ago

      Sometime back :
      I saw it but don’t know what to say (embedded symbolism) 🙂 Liked the acting and movie has certain pace.

  73. Author
    sputnik 10 years ago

    @hithere,

    Its not that people have not seen worse while living in India. Its a everyday occurrence and why would you feel moved/concerned over something that you watch every day? They have convinced themselves that its completely normal for kids to beg on streets forget working in hotels/dhabas. Moreover they might be just students who are not earning anything. But once they are earning and living a relatively comfortable life then they might feel more guilty about their plight.

    I myself used to sit in a hotels with friends just for gupshup and there used to be kids working there. I never bought anything from there because I did not smoke or drink tea/coffee but my friends would call out the kid Chotu and order something. Sometimes the kid would hold the cup with fingers inside or would bring a cup which is dirty and my friends would sarcastically admonish him and I used to tell them to let it go as he was just a kid. I read that its illegal to hire kids under 12 years of age but for me and everyone else it was completely normal for him to work there. Why? Because we did not know anything better in real life in India. Its only when you go out and see something better in real/practical world (no underage kids working in hotel) that you would feel more bad about that stuff.

    And as jj above said the train scene is the high point – the scene where his character has major transformation and the impact on his character is there because of the previous scenes.

    • hithere 10 years ago

      People view points may change as they gain experience but I like to believe a person who has not seen such thing (foreigner) is more likely to get affected than say an Indian who has seen it for long time.

      • Author
        sputnik 10 years ago

        Its not that foreigners might not get affected or they don’t do good stuff in India or elsewhere but most foreigners might view it as exotic or something strange and go back to his country to escape it.

        And its not that every Indian who went abroad or who is living a luxurious life in India will get affected by it but I think a Indian might get affected more because this is his country and these are his countrymen. I mean they are people living in even worse situations in some African countries but I don’t think we get affected by it the same way if he see something similar in India.

        God forbid if there is a major earthquake/flood or terrorist attack in some other country do we get affected by it as much as we would have if the same thing happened in India?

  74. Tulmul 10 years ago

    Sputnik :

    “you are naming everyone who likes that scene as srk fan?” Where and How or by saying “I have seen Srk fans…. ” That doesnt mean naming everyone as SRK fan it means specific to srk fans.

    Losing argument leads to comparing apple with oranges :

    “And you want others to explain what was so great about that scene? What’s so great about The Shawshank Redemption which was also a flop?

    I flagged One scene not whole movie. Read my comment on Movie…

    “Electricity nonsense” is right even if its based on true story… I can point many revolutionary real NGO ideas that has happened in India. Changing at very deep surface level… Its my POV on that… One has to understand NGO and NGO’s in India.

    Thanks for your explanation of scene why you think its great, which I think its not, just normal scene. Btw, Buddha saw 3 things/stages of life and he went to change world at deep surface level not at superficial level 😀

    • Baba 10 years ago

      the whole sequence of that swades scene is meant to make the NRI srk feel guilty which was kaveri’s plan all the way. and the water scene is supposed to be the final big moment to make srk completely emotional after facing the guilt of having food at poor farmers house. and that is where the issue of the scene is. it doesnt have the impact or merit to be that big final moment to transform his perspective. infact the interaction with the farmer was more worthy of moving someone.the scenes could have been in reverse order

    • Author
      sputnik 10 years ago

      Its the same thing – . Saying only certain fans like that scene.

      They might be thousands of revolutionary NGO ideas but the movie will obviously show the idea that the real life NGOs did.

      Yeah and we are supposed to believe that Buddha never saw anybody old among his relatives – his own parents/grand parents never got old. Nobody ever got sick or had any disease and nobody died in his extended family. If that is not BS then I don’t know what is. Yeah he created one more religion when they are so many. He almost denied that there is a God or said God’s existence or not did not matter and people turned him into a God. What a great way to change the world.

      I would rather have the superficial level of generating electricity and providing light to a village with no light.

  75. Tulmul 10 years ago

    Sputnik :

    Why only ideas that you endorse are real and rest are not ?? I am talking real practical ideas :). Lot of those ideas happen in Rajasthan and Guj ( mostly by NRI’s).

    For entire para on Buddha you better read buddha story how he was shielded from all this ( true or false should not be selective) and Buddha was Agnostic not atheist. He never confirmed or denied existence of so called God, Nirvana… His simple philosophy was why to waste time on that instead find way and be Buddha’s.. 🙂

    • Author
      sputnik 10 years ago

      Which real practical idea did I deny? I think I know why you are against that Aravinda and Ravi’s electricity generation thing 🙂 but I don’t want to go into that discussion.

      I don’t see how Buddha can be shielded from all those things completely – how would his parents/grandparents/relatives and workers in the palace not age? May be they can hide death by telling him they went somewhere. All religions have some legends associated with them. One has to apply some common sense/logic to understand what actually must have happened.

      I know he was agnostic. That’s why I said “He almost denied that there is a God or said God’s existence or not did not matter” with almost being the keyword. A few days back a atheist friend was telling me that a agnostic is just a conservative atheist 🙂

      Yes his philosophy was good but the problem with people is that they convert preachers who were agnostic (Buddha) or atheist (Mahavira) into Gods which was shown nicely in the way Paresh Rawal’s character was turned into God in OMG.

  76. Author
    sputnik 10 years ago

    Léon: The Professional Léon (Jean Reno), the top hit man in New York, has earned a rep as an effective “cleaner.” But when his next-door neighbors are wiped out by a loose-cannon DEA agent (Gary Oldman), he becomes the unwilling custodian of 12-year-old Mathilda (Natalie Portman). Before long, Mathilda’s thoughts turn to revenge, and she considers following in Léon’s footsteps.

    I watched the extended version which is 22:28 minutes longer than the original version. And from what I read the original version which is supposed to be the Director’s Cut is better. The extended version has scenes between Leon and Mathilda bordering on pedophilia.

    Movie is entertaining but has some illogical stuff like Mathilda being able to walk into the crime scene and getting stuff from there or her being able to take weapons into a Federal building or Leon so easily knocking off the guards over there.

    Jean Reno was good as the hitman with a heart. Natalie Portman was very good. Gary Oldman was good but he overacted in those pill popping scenes with the body contortions. His performance in True Romance was very similar to this one which came earlier.

    This link from IMDB lists all the different inspirations/tributes/references in the movie.

    Link

    ————————-

    Along Came a Spider When a girl is kidnapped from a prestigious prep school, homicide detective Alex Cross takes the case, teaming up with young security agent Jezzie Flannigan in hopes of finding the girl and stopping the brutal psychopath before it’s too late.

    Good thriller. Had watched it a few years back but had completely forgot everything except the last scene 🙂

    Morgan Freeman was good as the detective. Monica Potter was ok. Michael Wincott was good as the kidnapper.

    • hithere 10 years ago

      Have you seen “Jade”? It is rated low but try it.
      ps – I like its theme song – Mystic’s Dream

      • Author
        sputnik 10 years ago

        No have not seen that. Will check it out.

  77. narad_muni 10 years ago

    Watched Insider

    When you have Russel Crowe and Al Pacino in the leading roles, half the job is already done. Absolutely enjoyed the movie. It is based on a true story..about an insider from the tobacco industry who is fired and he reveals the dirty tactics employed by the tobacco industry through a televsion program produced by Al Pacino. The strong points of the movie is the strong emotional undercurrent as it focusses on the emotional turmoil the protagonists undergoes though the extraordinary turn of events. The screenplay is realistic and the performances are superb. The director is the same person Michael Mann who directed the classic ‘HEAT’ one of my all time favortie movies. The movie received 7 Oscar nominations but sadly din’t even win one. Must watch!

    • Author
      sputnik 10 years ago

      Liked The Insider a lot. Have watched it twice. Here is my comment.

      “Excellent movie based on a true story. Russell Crowe was excellent and I saw the original guy Wigand’s interview and he is spot on with his impression of him. His acting is similar to his acting from Beautiful Mind which came after this. Al Pacino was excellent and he should have been nominated for Best Supporting Actor. Christopher Plummer was also good as Mike Wallace.

      Michael Mann’s direction was excellent – taking a story like this and turning into a interesting thriller requires some talent.”

      Link

  78. Baba 10 years ago

    revisited race 2 recently. had liked it back then and enjoyed it again. the narration by anil in the beginning is hilarious even if cheesy

    armaan malik ke ek kamzori bhi hai ….. the F word.. female aur inhi females ne use diya hai the big O… Omisha

    armaan malik ko jeetna bahut pasand hai lekin use kisi ki ye baat bahut achi lagi thi ki zindagi ki yahi eet hai, haar ke baad hi jeet hai”

    vikram thapar – 5 casinos ka maalik…. ye unme se hain jo aaj bhi phenke hue paise khushi se uthata hai

    😀

  79. FS 10 years ago

    Sense and Sensibility 1995 – this is another movie based on Jane Austen’s novel of the same name. It is also set in 18th century kind of set up but I should say, although movie had some very interesting plot with little twists, I didn’t like it very much. Liked the performance of Kate Winslet & her elder sister but I thought if Hugh Grant had a little meatier role then the movie would have been little more interesting than it is. Good one time watch.

  80. narad_muni 10 years ago

    Just finished watching THE GREEN MILE.
    What a movie! This goes in my list of all time favorite movies. I feel like kicking myself for not watching it earlier.
    There are few movies which managed to hold your attention for more than 3 hours… its just such a strong emotional roller coaster ride..Man, I felt like crying quite a few times and that’s a very rare occurrence for me. The performances by Michael Clarke Duncan and Tom Hanks and all the other supporting cast are superb.
    This movie might not be as great as Schindler’s list which I consider one of the greatest movies ever made, but this comes close.

    Must Must Must watch

    • FS 10 years ago

      After Watching Forrest Gump, I watched Tom Hank’s 4-5 movies in a stretch and that included Green Mile. I liked the movie very much but I would rate it among Tom Hank’s good works rather than the best ones. If I have to rate it then it would be as follows;

      Forrest Gump
      Terminal
      Captain Philips
      Road to Perdition
      Philadelphia
      Catch Me If You Can
      Saving Private Ryan
      Cast Away
      Green Mile
      A League of their own
      You’ve got a Mail
      Sleepless In Seattle
      Da Vinci Code
      Larry Crowne
      Angels and Demons

      and At Last “Cloud Atlas”. Watched it twice still couldn’t connect with the movie although I loved the symphony. It was one of The Best symphony I heard. Sadly I cannot find it on YouTube.

      • narad_muni 10 years ago

        have watched all of the above except Captain Philips n Larry Crowne.

        Liked most except Angels n Demmons,Sleepless in seattle.
        Best ones
        Forrest Gump
        Green Mile
        Catch me if u can
        Philadephia
        Terminal

      • hithere 10 years ago

        Cloud Atlas needs to be seen with subtitles and that too first time.

        • FS 10 years ago

          Both the times I watched it with subtitles, if it were not subtitles I could have hardly understood Tom Hank’s conversing with Berry.

    • Author
      sputnik 10 years ago

      Love The Green Mile. Had watched it in a theater in India back when it released.

      Michael Clarke Duncan was excellent and sad that he is no more.

      Among Tom Hanks movies love Forrest Gump, Philadelphia and The Green Mile.

      Liked Road to Perdition and A League of their own. Liked Apollo 13 too which I watched in a theater in India back when it released. Want to revisit it.

      Found Catch Me If You Can and Da Vinci Code ok.

      Had watched Saving Private Ryan in India but I need to revisit it.

      Watched Cast Away in theater and hated it. Felt like I was watching a documentary on stone age men.

      Sleepless In Seattle and You’ve got a Mail were too chick flick for me.

      • cr7 10 years ago

        Downloaded a very good print of this movie . Delayed watching it only because of the length . Will surely watch it after hearing such great feedback .

    • cr7 10 years ago

      Watched The Green Mile . Completely agree with you . Truly a masterpiece . Thanks for the reco.

  81. FS 10 years ago

    The Young Victoria 2009 – It depicts the romantic affairs of the Queen Victoria with Prince Albert and how she handles the power bestowed upon her as Queen of England during her initial years. Its a sweet romantic film with very good performance from Emily Blunt and Rupert Friend. It also throws some light on the misuse of powers within the leadership of Queen and ignorance of public anger against the Queen for the carelessness of the government and the Queen herself towards the condition of the people of England. Politics within their relatives, suffocation of Queen under her mom guidance until the coronation and the change of heart after the marriage. Recommended!!!

  82. Prashant 10 years ago

    A Royal Affair- Synopsis – A young queen, who is married to an
    insane king, falls secretly in love with her
    physician – and together they start a
    revolution that changes a nation forever.

    Beautiful movie. ….Its Entertaining and brilliantly acted. ….Mends Mikklesen is one of my fav actor. …..Must watch

    • Author
      sputnik 10 years ago

      Had liked the movie. My comment on it.

      “Watched A Royal Affair A young queen, who is married to an insane king, falls secretly in love with her physician – and together they start a revolution that changes a nation forever.

      Its based on the true story of King Christian VII of Denmark, his wife Caroline Matilda and the royal physician Struensee. It was nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language film this year.

      The movie took a bit of time to get started – the initial 20 odd minutes were a bit slow but it gradually got interesting. Movie was good – its part love story and part political thriller.

      Mikkel Boe Følsgaard was excellent as the partially insane King who’s taken for a ride by everyone. Though he initially comes off as obnoxious one ends up feeling sorry for him in the end. Alicia Vikander was good as the Queen. Mads Mikkelsen was very good as the Physician who wants to bring a change and who becomes the actual ruler for a while.”

      Link

  83. Prashant 10 years ago

    Watched Hannibal (Tv series)- One of the best tv series I have seen….Mends Mikklesen as Hannibal is awesome. ….final 3 episode are ultimate. …
    btw I love tv series like Prison break,Arrested Development, Dexter, Homeland, Breaking bad and Sherlock holmes…..

    haven’t seen Game of thrones

    @CR7- Hey bro even I like feel good movies …Please recommend your fav…..

    • cr7 10 years ago

      @prashant – I liked all the TV series you mentioned except Homeland . Hannibal is definitely the best new TV series of this year . Dexter I’m only in the 3rd season now .But till now liked it a lot.
      Do watch Game of thrones .It is super entertaining . You can try walking dead too . Its one of my favorite running tv series . Among comedies u can try big bang theory . And friends is the best sitcom ever IMO. Watch it if u haven’t yet . 😀

      About feel good movies , I love watching this genre . My favorites are- Little miss sunshine,Its kind of a funny story,Juno,About a boy,Due date,The way way back ,The perks of being a wallflower,Love actually , seeking a friend for the end of the world ,Midnight in Paris,The Terminal.

  84. Prashant 10 years ago

    Thanks for the reply Cr7……..I loved Friends. …didn’t liked big bang. ……have you seen Coupling and House of cards? …

    have seen TPOBW,About a boy, Juno,little miss sunshine,love actually, the terminal and Due date from ur list will catch others soon. ……thx alot. ..

    I will recommend you The breakfast club, Stand by me, Garden state, liberal affairs,Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, High Fidelity, Say anything. …

    • cr7 10 years ago

      You’re welcome .

      Yet to see House of cards .Heard really good things about it .You know Most tv series are so addictive that i can’t stop before finishing whole season. And sometime season ends in cliffhanger leaves no choice but start the next season 😛 .So watching them is very time consuming . Waiting for a break to start House of cards and the wire .Have seen Coupling .It was hilarious .Didn’t like the last season though .

      Thanks for the recos .Have only seen garden state from your list .Will watch the others .

  85. Prashant 10 years ago

    Its Liberal Arts not liberal affairs. …sorry

  86. Author
    sputnik 10 years ago

    Capote The toast of New York City society after penning “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” flamboyant writer Truman Capote finds himself in a dance with the devil while researching the Clutter family murders for his masterwork, “In Cold Blood.”

    Good movie but very slow paced though. It has Capote (writer of Breakfast at Tiffany’s) researching the Clutter murders for writing a book and his friend is Harper Lee (writer of To Kill a Mockingbird). The movie shows Capote as a whiny, opportunistic, lying writer who just wants to write the biggest story.

    The movie was nominated for 5 Oscars including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Philip Seymour Hoffman), Best Supporting Actress (Catherine Keener) and Best Adapted Screenplay.

    Philip Seymour Hoffman won the Oscar for Best Actor for his performance but I think Joaquin Phoenix deserved it for playing Johnny Cash in Walk the Line. Found his performance too deliberate. Many will find his nasal, whiny voice and gay mannerisms annoying. Watched some of Capote’s real interviews and he talks the same way.

    Catherine Keener was ok as Harper Lee – don’t know what was so great in her performance that she was nominated. Clifton Collins Jr. was good as the murderer and may be he should have been nominated as Supporting Actor. Chris Cooper has a very small role.

  87. narad_muni 10 years ago

    Just back from Hobbit 2: Desolation of Smaug

    Terrible long boring movie. Gave me headache. Was praying for the movie to end but it just went on and on. As a huge fan of Lord of the Rings, it really pains me to see what they have done with the prequels. I dont think there is enough meat to make 3 prequels.. They just wanted to milk some money using the LOTR brand name and popularity.

    Given that I only watch 5-6 movies in theater over an year, this was really a disappointing way to celebrate Christmas

  88. zacked 10 years ago

    Watching Person of Interest.. finished 17 episodes of season 1.. quit interesting and entertaining.

    P.S: cr7 Arsenal on 2nd spot.. need a clinical striker and I think we will win the league. Giroud is not bad but we need better. Great season until now hope we get the striker we need so much.

    • cr7 10 years ago

      Hi Zacked. A striker is badly needed .Won’t win anything with Giroud .if we could sign Suarez last window we would be 10 points clear at the top. I think we should go for someone like world class. No more just a decent player who have good future. Ozil proved what a world class player can bring.But I’m so happy with our defense ,Rock solid .Verm,merta,kos,sagna,gibbs . All of them are fantastic .Till now great season but the real test begins now. Btw tough luck in Cl draw 🙁

  89. zacked 10 years ago

    Cr7 you should definitely watch wire. You wont be dissapointed. Starts slow but once you get to know the characters it is one hell of a show. If breaking bad is godfather then wire is shawshank redemption.

    • cr7 10 years ago

      Really want to watch this show.But I’ve a feeling that it will be so addictive that I won’t be able to restrain myself from watching all seasons at one go .So waiting for a long break . It is on top of my watchlist now 😀

  90. I.One 10 years ago

    Watched following movies in last 2 days –

    Dhoom 3 – Without going in details about the storyline, let me put some positives & negatives of the movie –

    Positives –
    Chase scenes during the climax

    Negatives –
    Aamir Khan
    Some OTT action sequences, especially in the 1st half
    Romance between Aamir & Katrina
    Abhishek Bachchan & Uday Chopra
    Story & Screenplay

    As evident, the positives for me are very few from this movie. Would have given 1.5 ratings, but the chase scenes in the climax were so brilliantly shot that I have to increase it by another 0.5. Hence, my rating for the movie – 2/5.

    Insidious – Chapter 2 – Had liked the first part of Insidious and liked it. The second part is no different, liked it too. Especially, the flashback thing was well engaging. There would be 3rd installment in the series for sure (from the closing scene can sense it) – 3/5

    Mama – A decent horror movie. Nothing spectacular, but a good one time watch. I thought the climax was underwhelming. Could have been better. 2.5/5

    Devil’s Pass – Based on an 9 Russian’s expedition in the North Russia, where they mysteriously disappeared. A group of 5 students reprise the expedition in search of truth. Movie is displayed via handheld cameras. Again a decent watch. 2.5/5

    Donnie Darko – Din’t liked it. Don’t want to elaborate more – 1/5

  91. alfa.one 10 years ago

    Doom 3 – Last Wednesday. Already given my views. Not in line with KRK !!!

  92. alfa.one 10 years ago

    sorry Typo – Dhoom 3

  93. cr7 10 years ago

    Dhoom 3 – I was expecting a very pathetic movie . But it didn’t turn out to be that bad . But too many cheesy scenes and the stupid revenge angle spoiled the movie . Aamir was good . Katrina did what she was supposed to do almost flawlessly . But thank God I had the option of fast forwarding . Skipped most scenes of abhisek and uday .They were pathetic.

    • narad_muni 10 years ago

      Cr7, I did not find it pathetic but it is below average for me.
      The OTT and ;oooooooooooooooooong action scenes spoiled the mood for me.
      I also had to fast forward Abhishek and Uday’s entry scene which was below pathetic.

      I found the 2nd half better. But again, climax I did not like..it was so predictable.

      The movie defies all logic and there are too many flaws. But the problem is with the screenplay which is not gripping enough so that people overlook the flaws.

      Overall rating would be 2.5 or so

      • cr7 10 years ago

        Agree .Second half was better . Action scenes were a shame . I would go for 2.25-2-5/5 .

  94. I.One 10 years ago

    Lunchbox – Yes, it is shot as if a documentary without characters speaking to cameras, yes it shows the Mumbai dabbawala system very closely, the local trains, the BST buses, yes the exchange of love letters through dabba is unique and looks innocent, but after so many yes, what the heck the movie aimed for? The climax was like “guess whatever you wanna”. Obviously, when you have Irrfan and Nawaz in the movies, the expectations from their performances increases and they do deliver it, but we expect a good movie too. IMO, I found Lunchbox Dhobi Ghat part 2. Din’t liked Dhobi Ghat and neither this one. Ratings – 1/5

    • narad_muni 10 years ago

      did not like the movie at all.
      What the movie does well is it depicts mumbai and its dabba system nicely..and there are a few really nice techniques for some of the shots.

      But, the basic premise of the love story is filmsy. I never every understood how they fall in love. And in a love story, if you dont feel for the lovers, you can’t enjoy it. Yes, the ending was WTF types…its as if the director wanted to show something artistic/intellectual whatever

  95. I.One 10 years ago

    The Informant – Cast Al Pacino & Russel Crowe. So you would expect something fabulous, but it turned out to be just an OK movie. It is about an ex-senior officer of a Tobacco Company, who takes on the giant tobacco companies with the help of a reporter. The story looked promising, but I was looking forward to some more drama than it actually came in pictures. Ratings – 2.5/5

    • narad_muni 10 years ago

      It is insider I suppose

      I liked the movie a lot

      • I.One 10 years ago

        Yap, my mistake. The Informant had Al Pacino too. It was regarding Al Pacino recruiting candidates for CIA operation and his undercover agent. It was an ok movie – 2.5/5

  96. I.One 10 years ago

    The Last King of Scotland – A very good movie about how a Scottish student travels to Uganda just to escape the Scottish society and how he allies with the President and General of Uganda. This movie has brilliant performances from the lead. James Mcavoy was the hero of the movie but the real hero and believable performance I thought came from Kerry Washington as General. Overall a very good movie. Ratings – 3.5/5

    • sputnik 10 years ago

      You mean Forest Whitaker. He was excellent as General Idi Amin and deserved the Oscar that he won for Best Actor. Kerry Washington was the one who played his wife 🙂

      He was excellent in another movie The Experiment too.

      “The Experiment In this gripping thriller, a group of men volunteers to take on the roles of guards and inmates at a mock prison as part of a controversial psychological study. But when the guards abuse their power in alarming ways, the prisoners stage a revolt.

      The movie’s plot is inspired from the famous Stanford Prison Experiment of 1971. Movie was very engrossing but also very disturbing. Its basically a study of how power can corrupt people.

      Adrien Brody was very good. Forest Whitaker was excellent as the crazy psychotic guy acting as the prison guard. At one point in the movie I wanted Adrien Brody’s character to hit him – this is the second time I have hated a character so much after Nurse Fletcher in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.”

      Link

      • cr7 10 years ago

        Movie was fine .The general was excellent .

      • I.One 10 years ago

        Sputnik, dint knew the actor, just googled it and quoted a wrong name 🙂 The guy as General Amin was awesome. Din’t knew that he won best actor award in the Oscars. So I was not a bad judge of performance there 🙂

  97. Author
    sputnik 10 years ago

    Don Jon Jon Martello’s buddies call him Don Jon due to his ability to “pull” a different woman every weekend, but even the finest fling doesn’t compare to the bliss he finds alone in front of the computer watching pornography. Barbara is a beautiful, good old fashioned girl. Raised on romantic Hollywood movies, she’s determined to find her Prince Charming. Jon and Barbara struggle to try and find true intimacy in this unexpected comedy written and directed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

    Movie was ok. Agree with cr7 that it felt like the movie ended suddenly after building it up. May be I expected more.

    Joseph Gordon-Levitt was good. Scarlett Johansson was good in a dominating role. Julianne Moore was ok.

    ————————–

    The Score Ready-to-retire safecracker Nick, flamboyant fence Max and talented but volatile thief Jackie team up to rob the Montreal Customs House. The score could put them all on easy street, but Nick is growing increasingly uncomfortable with the operation.

    Its a heist thriller. Had watched this a few years back and liked it back then but it could not hold my attention much this time. May be its just a one time watch. The stealing scene and the twist at the end is good.

    Robert De Niro was good as usual. Edward Norton pretends to be this retarded janitor and he was annoying when he was trying to act retarded.

    —————————-

    Cop Land Following a controversial shooting involving a police officer, a small-town sheriff teams up with a New York City internal affairs investigator and uncovers a possible connection to the mob.

    Movie was ok – a bit slow paced and typical cop drama revolving around corruption and Intelligence Bureau.

    Sylvester Stallone plays the Sheriff but its quite bold/brave for him to play such a loser role for the whole movie till the final scene. Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta and Robert De Niro were good.

  98. I.One 10 years ago

    Watched the best Hindi movie of 2013. Though it released in August this year, never got an opportunity to watch it. Downloaded a HD version of it and it turned out to be the best Indian cinema experience of 2013. Madras Cafe. John has won in the role of producer. Last year it was Vicky Donor & this year the fantastic Madras Cafe. It was original and that is most important part of it, along with being engaging. It beats Kahani in this regard because Kahani had many chapters picked up from some Hollywood movies and hence I never found Kahani very good, as the lifting felt quite apparent, though the movie was engaging but was not original. Madras Cafe has such an brilliant screenplay and a very good script, kept me glued for more than 2 hours. Surprisingly found John good in terms of performance, other supporting casts were brilliant too. I thought my year will end with a not so good Dhoom 3, but luckily watched this movie, the best of the year.

    • narad_muni 10 years ago

      Yes this is the best movie of the year for me as well. In fact many in tanqeed have said it to be their best of 2013

    • Baba 10 years ago

      its a briliant movie. even though you know the end, you are still engaged till the end.shoojit sircar is a talent. john abrahams script sense is reliable

      • Anjanpur685Miles 10 years ago

        Yes, he is learning from Aamir 😛

    • shan 10 years ago

      Absolutely agree. For me, it was the top Hindi movie of the year along with Kai Po Che. John has his ups and downs when acting (he is mostly wooden), but you have got to hand it to this guy for trying out different stuff. Shoojit Sircar deserves credit for his handling of the story, even though the movie is decidedly pro-Congress.

  99. FS 10 years ago

    Fortunately I was able to watch some great movies at the end of this year and I hope you too like these movies;


    Senna (2010) – Made a Separate post on it as it deserves it, here is the link à https://tanqeed.com/senna-2010-must-must-watch/. This documentary is pure from all evils of filmmaking such as CGI effects, artificial melodrama, manufactured and manipulated point of views, one sided arguments etc… and totally an emotional joyride that sets your heart pumping and feel the rush of adrenalin whenever he is seen driving on the track. Highly Recommended!!!


    Rush (2013) – This movie is also based on Formula 1 drivers James Hunt and Niki Lauda and rivalry between them. You will notice the real difference between a fantastic movie and the Gem of a documentary with raw footage if you watch the above two movies.

    The movie is just not about rivalry between the two but also off track drama in their life, their perspective on life and their passion for the sports F1. Movie has some great visuals, fantastic background score, awesome cinematography and fantastic performance from both the leads especially James Hunt as this movie is more about him than about Niki Lauda. The F1 races have been shot brilliantly and the chemistry between these two drivers is very good too. Highly Recommended!!!  


    Felon (2008) – A business man gets convicted on the murder charges for killing a thief who broke into his house unintentionally with a baseball bat in one swing just outside his house while trying to stop him from running away. He gets into more trouble inside the jail as he tries to survive his remaining days of 3 years of imprisonment. Things go out of control within the jail as well as outside walls.

    Movie is outstanding in direction and performances are great. This can happen with anyone and the life could turn upside down even if you not willing to do it. It is also about patience, survival instincts and love that keep your fragile life from getting vulnerable to dark instincts. Highly Recommended!!!


    Full Metal Jacket (1987) – Had this on my computer disk for a long time. I also saw Shilac had liked this movie. The movie is good but I don’t really understand why some movies are so highly rated on IMDB. Are they director struck? Do they like movies that have no vision at all? I really didn’t understand what was so special about this film as well. I liked the beginning part most, about the trainings, about the sufferings of these poor lads from the begotten general who is full of abuses, also the songs they sing while running (really hillarious) etc… but the movie slows down in second half with nothing show at all. It was an Ok movie or one time watch.


    The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013) – I watched this movie forcefully with my friend’s pressure and as it turns out I had a lot to handle on my shoulders that day L I knew from the promos itself that the movie is not so exciting but something about meditation or road trip etc… and it is somewhat something like that. There are some really funny and hilarious scenes in between and some exciting thoughtful messages along with fantastic cinematography but these ingredients were not enough to keep you hooked or hold your attention for a long time. You pass out in between as Ben Stiller pass out in the movie. By the end of the movie my friends wife quoted the whole summary of the film in one line that was freaking hilarious than the whole movie itself. These types of movies have its own audience and general people may like it or may not. I didn’t like it at all. It was an ok kind of movie where you can play around with your phone while watching the movie.

    • narad_muni 10 years ago

      will download the rush and senna immediately.

      I agree about Full metal jacket..not sure why it is rated so highly.
      Stanley Kubrick is regarded as one of the greatest directors..but I have not really loved any of his movies except THE Shining.
      I could not sit through ClockWork Orange

      • Author
        sputnik 10 years ago

        You can also try Days of Thunder starring Tom Cruise. My comment on the movie which I watched a few months back.

        “Days of Thunder Talented but unproven stock car driver Cole Trickle turns heads on the track. The young hotshot develops a rivalry with a fellow racer that leads to an accident. But with the help of his doctor, Cole just might overcome his injuries — and his fears.

        Liked it – a typical feel good sports movie. Its Top Gun with race cars instead and the racing scenes were really good. Its not based on a true story but its characters are based on some real race car drivers and some real incidents are referenced in the movie.

        Tom Cruise looked very good and acted very well too. Nicole Kidman looked very pretty. Robert Duvall, Randy Quaid, Cary Elwes and Michael Rooker were very good too.”

        Movies You Watched This Month – August 2013

    • Author
      sputnik 10 years ago

      Watched the movie Rush. Excellent movie and one of the best movies this year. If you watched Senna it will feel like a repeat of the rivalry between Senna and Alain Prost. There are some similarities in that James Hunt was more like Senna and Nikki Lauda was more like Alain Prost but this on field rivalry was before them.

      But the off field rivalry is more made up in this case as the drivers were friends in real. This link gives detailed differences between the real and the reel story and one can see that they spiced it up a lot. The movie makes it seem that a newly married Niki was afraid of racing at Nürburgring but by then there were 50 people killed on that track and the vote was not one sided but won by just one vote. Must say that the casting was very good if you go by the looks.

      Link

      While this movie is more about James Hunt and Nikki Lauda is supposed to be the bad guy the movie still focuses a lot on Nikki Lauda. Making a comeback so soon after being burnt so horribly and getting disfigured in a car crash is heroic and Nikki won the championship next year. James Hunt never won a championship again whereas Nikki won two more.

      Chris Hemsworth was very good as the playboy car racer who enjoyed life. Daniel Brühl was excellent as Nikki Lauda and I think he will be nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Watched the real interviews of theirs and I think both did a very good job at playing them. Alexandra Maria Lara was good as Niki’s wife and Olivia Wilde looked pretty.

      Liked the way they used the It Happened One Night lift scene and turned it around.

      Thanks to Shan, @saurabh and @fearlesssoul for the recco.

      • FS 10 years ago

        Sputnik- Ayrton Senna’s death was the last death on the F1 race track. His manager took over security in charge I guess.

        • Author
          sputnik 10 years ago

          Yes. And Niki Lauda’s crash marked the end of the old Nürburgring for Formula One. It never hosted another F1 race again, as the German Grand Prix was moved to the Hockenheimring for 1977.

  100. Baba 10 years ago

    Had heard a lot about IPman. Finally got a chance to see it. it literally blows you away! Read that is semi biographical martial arts film very loosely based on the life of Yip Man, a grandmaster of the martial art Wing Chun and master of Bruce Lee. The film focuses on events in Ip’s life that supposedly took place in the city of Foshan during the Sino-Japanese War. Brilliantly directed, acted. Oustanding BGM.The action choreography is right among the best. To say that Donnie Yen is brilliant is an understatement. He is a legend, right up there with the top martial artist actors ever. The 10 men fight in the dojo , you have to see it to believe how great Donnie yen is. Kisi ko wing chun ki asli taakat dekhni hai to yeh movie dekho

    will only say – Donnie yen ko judge karne ki meri aukaat nahi. I can only stand up and applaud his talent.

    • Baba 10 years ago

      Some karate practioners and japanese may find the film objectionable. 😀
      Karate is shown weaker compared to wing chun. But then thats true for any martial arts film from the country to which it belongs. Nevertheless its among my all time fav films

    • sputnik 10 years ago

      Watched IP Man. As a movie its very good and the fight scenes are excellent. It has very good performances too. Donnie Yen was excellent. Lynn Hung was good as his wife. Hiroyuki Ikeuchi was very good as the villain.

      As a historical/biographical movie though it is totally made up. I think they just tried to ride on Bruce Lee’s master’s name which was not necessary.

      “The film, however, does not hesitate to sacrifice the truth to the demands of dramatic entertainment. The real Ip Man was never, despite the film’s assertions to the contrary, forced from bourgeois idleness into work by the hardships of the Second Sino-Japanese War, nor was he ever employed as a coolie in a colliery – rather he chose of his own accord to work as a policeman (a profession lightly ridiculed within the film) before the Japanese invasion, and he continued in this line for several years after the war until Communist disapproval of his wealth and political affiliations drove him into voluntary exile in Hong Kong (an inconvenient truth that the film elides as tactfully as Ip Man mitigates the impact of his own victories). While, during the war, Ip Man did indeed refuse to teach his martial arts to the military police of the occupying Japanese – a decision which eventually forced him to flee Foshan – he certainly never had, let alone won, a duel with a Japanese general (played in the film by Hiroyuki Ikeuchi).

      In other words, Ip Man occupies that strange no-man’s-land between history’s facts and cinema’s fictions, and while the film ends before its protagonist’s migration in 1939 to Hong Kong and his meeting, many years later, with Bruce Lee, nonetheless many of its incidents seem to have been inspired less by Ip Man’s actual life as by set-pieces from the movies of his most famous student. The cotton mill fight, for example, is modelled on the factory mêlées in The Big Boss (1971) – the first kung fu movie that Wilson Yip ever saw – while the anti-Japanese sentiment and wushu-on-karate action could have come straight out of Fist Of Fury (1972).”

      Link

      • Ipman 10 years ago

        good to know you liked the film. as its written in wiki, its loosely based on yip man. and thats what is it.yes i agree, even the acting was brilliant from all, let alone the fight scenes. The BGM was brilliant and there is a serious and epic kind of atmosphere right througout the film. I loved its ending too

  101. FS 10 years ago

    I doubt anyone has seen IP man series here because before I made Sports list , I asked again and again that can we add movies like IP man but none answered. I would highly recommend to watch both the parts IP man 1&2 as there may be 3rd installment in the making. Other makers have made films on IP man and some have termed it as third part which is not. Those films stars some other actors as well.

  102. Ipman 10 years ago

    the film is a masterpiece but i literally “ejaculated” at this scene! Donnie yen and to the director :hatsoff: felt like this about a movie after a long time

    https://youtube.com/watch?v=JO_Mu6znx3I

  103. narad_muni 10 years ago

    Fargo

    I have heard many people recommending this movie and it’s rated very high on IMDB ..won 2 Oscars. After watching the movie, I can’t figure out its greatness. May be bcoz the movie is based on real life incidents.I liked the movie, it’s a decent watch for sure. The story is about a father who plans kidnapping of his wife to get money from his father-in-law and how it all goes bad resulting into series of murders. The basic plot is nothing new. The movie is fairly engaging and it’s short – less than 1 hour and 40 mins. So, that’s a plus point. But, I have problems with the screenplay. I mean the screenplay kind of tries to be cool with an underlying tone of humour but I don’t think it succeeds. Also in doing so,it fails to build anu kind of suspense or edge-of-the-seat feeling. Rating – 2.5/5

    Rain Man This movie has been on my list since SRK did his act in MNIK.
    It’s about an autistic guy and his interaction with his brother after their father’s death. The movie is a very good one and Dustin Hoffman’s performance as the autistic guy is exemplary. I also liked Tom Cruise’s performance as the brother and his metamorphosis from a greedy, ruthless guy to a compassionate one is shown nicely. If you compare Hoffman’s performance with SRK, he is miles ahead and beyond comparison. Because, Hoffman acted and SRK hammed. It might also be due to Karan Johar’s treatment or Indian Cinema in general where we generally like OTT expressions.There are a few light moments in the movie which are sure to make you smile. My only complain with the movie is that though it strikes you emotionally, it fails to really pull your heart strings. I expected a little stronger emotional current. May be, the West likes to underplay emotions whereas we,Indians, love a little exaggerated expression. So, a little stronger emotional quotient without going OTT would have made it even better.But, definitely recommended. Rating 3.5/5

  104. cr7 10 years ago

    Shahid -This is a sad but inspiring story of Shahid Azmi .Excellent movie .The original story is so fascinating that it is a ready-made material for film .The courtroom scenes were fantastic. .Dialogues are good . Director could have worked little more on detailing specially on the initial scenes like why & how shahid joined terrorist camp. Other than that It is a very well made film .Rajkumar Yadav is perfect as Shahid . One of the best movies of the year .

    • Author
      sputnik 10 years ago

      Glad that you liked Shahid. My views were similar to yours. Had written a review.

      Link

      • cr7 10 years ago

        Very good review @sputnik .

        • Author
          sputnik 10 years ago

          Thanks.

          Looks like everyone who watched Rush so far has liked it.

    • FS 10 years ago

      Watched Shahid & agree with everything u said Cr. Loved it. Thanks @cr @sputnik & @sanket for the recommendation

  105. narad_muni 10 years ago

    @baba-ji

    Which one u liked more bwtween IPman and Raid redemption. though they belong to slightly different genres.

    It will be great if you make a post abt the best martial arts/hand-to-hand combat movies

    • Ipman 10 years ago

      both are great movies shilac highlighting different martial arts disciplines of their countries. but if i have to choose one – ipman bcos its based on true events and it can almost inspire the viewer to take up wing chun as a hobby, its like ong bak of tony jaa which popularised muay thai in the world & ‘Only the strong’ of mark dacascos which popularised Capoeira.its the ultimate service any film can do for its country – making ppl note something about their art/culture.but nothing to take away from raid redemption, its a masterpiece as well in action genre.even its sequel is looking like a brilliant film, if you have seen the promo.for me both are 10/10

      I hope to make one soon 😀

  106. cr7 10 years ago

    Rush -Enough has been said about it in this thread already .So won’t say more .Agree with FS and sputnik . Excellent movie . One of the best of this year . Unparalleled thrill,excitement .I was literally on the edge of my seat during the last race Brilliant performance by the leads .This is the time of movies based on true stories .Last year Argo,ZDT and this year Captain Phillips,rush . All best movies are based on true events .

    • shan 10 years ago

      Like cr7 said, a lot has been said about Rush already. Loved it so much, watched it twice in the theatre. It is one of the finest sports movies I have seen. Brilliant direction, excellent performances, and some great cinematography and bgm. Nowhere has the director compromised with the story or treatment to make it more palatable for a larger section of the audience – an approach Bhaag Milkha Bhaag would have benefited from (although if their purpose was to make pots of money, they managed it already!). Daniel Bruhl is just fabulous as the caustic but focused Niki Lauda, while Chris Hemsworth gives a charming performance as James Hunt. Their rivarly and relationship has been portrayed very realistically, without sugar-coating even when they feel for each other.

  107. cr7 10 years ago

    Saving Mr.Banks – Not as good as I expected but impressive. It fails to make any real impact but a delightful watch .Has few emotional high points. Not a very exciting plot but elevated by fantastic performance of the accomplished cast . All of them are perfect .Emma Thompson should be a front runner for oscar . The girl who played young Emma thompson was brilliant. Liked the parallel story her childhood a lot.

  108. cr7 10 years ago

    Watched Kick ass 2 .Don’t understand why it got so many bad reviews . Definitely not as good as the first part (which was a masterpiece IMO) . but entertaining movie. .Liked it

  109. narad_muni 10 years ago

    Rush

    What to say! An amazing movie. As a formula 1 buff for the last 15 years,I felt absolutely ecstatic after watching it.

    The movie focusses a lot on building the contrasting characters of the 2 main protagonists which makes the rivalry so interesting. The race scenes are also shot amazingly well. All the credit goes to Ron Howard for the excellent direction and screenplay writer Peter Morgan. Right from the word go, the viewer gets hooked into it and it keeps you absorbed throughout the movie. It literally kept me at the edge-of-the seat all through.

    Chris Hemsworth plays the flamboyant James Hunt with a lot of flair. Daniel Bruhl also does full justice to the focussed, calculative, somewhat unsocial Niki Lauda. Also, the background music by Hans Zimmer elevates the overall feel of the movie.

    Overall, this movie is a masterpiece and one of the best sports based movies ever made. Even if you are not a F1 fan, I am sure you will enjoy it. And for F1 fans like me, it is pure Orgasm 😛

    Rating – 4.5/5 (must watch).
    So, if you haven’t seen the movie, Rush for RUSH ASAP.

    PS – This is the best movie of 2013 for me followed by prisoners.
    Yet to see Captain Philips and some other ones

    • FS 10 years ago

      I need to rewrite the whole post on best sports movie now 🙁

  110. Author
    sputnik 10 years ago

    Groundhog Day Director Harold Ramis Dies at 69 Had liked Analyze This directed by him. RIP

    Harold Ramis, who co-wrote Meatballs, Animal House, and Ghostbusters, and who wrote and directed Caddyshack and Groundhog Day in addition to many other directorial achievements, has died at age 69, according to the Chicago Tribune.

    Despite those achievements, Ramis is best known for playing Egon Spengler in Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II, where he provided the essential and exaggerated straight-man character to anchor the team that also included Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd. Those two could be as looney as they wanted to be, and Ramis was there to anchor them, weird as Egon might have been.

    Ramis died as a result of complications of autoimmune inflammatory vasculitis, a rare disease that involves swelling of the blood vessels. He had been struggling with health issues since 2010.

    Ramis had a unique touch that combined ridiculous comic elements with grounded, relatable characters and humanistic concepts. Groundhog Day remains a huge draw for audiences not only because of Bill Murray’s performance, but because the film treats the growth of Murray’s character seriously, and with compassion. Ramis wasn’t afraid to go big or weird, but he always remained empathetic.

    Ramis got his start as a writer and performer at Chicago’s Second City (along with Murray, Akyroyd, Gilda Radner, and John Belushi) and moved back to Chicago in the mid-’90s, and lived out the rest of his life working there rather than in Hollywood. He spoke with pride of representing the city, and was noted for being a generous and enthusiastic collaborator.

    Link

  111. Author
    sputnik 9 years ago

    Jake Gyllenhaal looks completely unrecognizable in his upcoming movie Southpaw.

    Jake Gyllenhaal won fans for his dedication and commitment in losing 25 pounds to play the sociopathic nocturnal adrenaline junkie and camera man Lou Bloom in Nightcrawler. He’s remade himself in a whole different physical fashion to play a championship prize fighter next year in Southpaw, putting Gyllenhaal in the company of past actors who’ve trained to turn in memorable ring performances; a list that includes Raging Bull’s Robert De Niro, The Boxer’s Daniel Day-Lewis, The Fighter’s Mark Wahlberg and The Hurricane’s Denzel Washington.

    Here, Deadline exclusively reveals the first image of Gyllenhaal from the Antoine Fuqua-directed Kurt Sutter-scripted Southpaw; it is clear Gyllenhaal has turned himself into a jacked, ripped beast, gaining 15 pounds of pure muscle. Gyllenhaal plays Junior Middleweight Champion Billy “The Great” Hope, a lefty champ who loses everything in a personal tragedy and is forced to fight his way to redemption.

    Jake Gyllenhaal Southpaw watermarked
    There is a proud tradition of actors putting themselves through grueling preparation for their roles.

    Gyllenhaal’s back-to-back shape-shifting in Nightcrawler and Southpaw seems the most radical since the weight shed that Matthew McConaughey went through going from Magic Mike to his Oscar-winning turn in Dallas Buyers Club and Emmy-nominated role in True Detective.

    Gyllenhaal, who puts the Southpaw physique on display next year when The Weinstein Company releases the film, just received a Spirit Award nomination for Best Actor this past week for Nightcrawler.

    When I interviewed Fuqua about his work with Denzel Washington in The Equalizer, he couldn’t hide his enthusiasm for how much he feels Gyllenhaal will change perception of himself as a leading man (they’ve since agreed to re-team on The Man Who Made It Snow).

    “I’m so pumped, man,” Fuqua said. “Jake is going to change how people see him. I had him training twice a day in the boxing ring, he did two-a-days seven days a week. I pretty much had him with me and my trainer every day. I took him to almost every fight. I had him train at Floyd Mayweather’s gym in Vegas and we watched Floyd’s fights, and the Manny Pacquiao fight. He trained in New York at Church Gym with real fighters. We literally turned him into a beast… Jake, my god, he’s a very electric, powerful fighter in this movie, and a guy who fights for his daughter. I’m confident that this will change how people see Jake, as a leading man.

    “He sure has grown up. I love this guy. I met Jake years ago before he did End of Watch, and I saw something in him. I told him he needed to do more masculine films because I could see he had this power in him, and good size, and great expressive eyes. When I met him I said, ‘You’ve got to start doing that.’ And I watched him start. Working with him was a great experience because he’s so committed and gives his heart. You’re going to see in this movie, how far he has come. I asked this guy from day one, ‘I need you in the gym every day. I need you to train every day.’ And I said, ‘The word is sacrifice.’

    “Literally. I think he broke up with his girlfriend because he was just in the gym every day,” Fuqua said. “He was training like a fighter. I had him sparring, really getting hit. I put him in situations where I wanted to see what he was made of. No one but fighters understand the sacrifice it takes to be a fighter.”

    Looks from the first image like Gyllenhaal understands.

    Link

    • cr7 9 years ago

      Great .He is like Bale .Highly dedicated actor . He is been very impressive lately . Hearing a lot of praise for Nightcrawler too .

Leave a reply to Anjanpur685Miles Click here to cancel the reply

Log in with your credentials

Forgot your details?