darkspace ... where truth is revealed (well, sometimes)

300

2007-07-28T17:44:00.000+05:30

Do not look for some brilliant plot here.

This is pure visual feast with some great camera work and editing. Frank Miller did not direct this one but the same unique visual style that separated Sin City from the rest of Hollywood releases can be witnessed a bit differently in 300.

The film has some powerful performances though Xerxes seemed a bit over the top to me.

The story has some reference to actual historic events but whether the interpretation is accurate or not is of no concern here.

What matters is the amount of detail that goes into every single frame of the movie.

Unlike War of the Worlds that was shot in record time and then filled in with CGI but still felt empty 300 is solid through and through.

Right from the opening scene you get the same feeling as Sin City, that you are not going to see anything routine and 300 does not disappoint.

You might feel squirmy if you are over sensitive to body parts flying around and blood spurting freely. Apart from that the movie is a blast from start to finish.

Just sit back and enjoy this wild ride.

The Fountain

2007-06-02T11:32:00.000+05:30

The Fountain is a movie to be seen again and again.

I am not one of those viewers that seeks deep meaning in a movie. For example Pan's Labyrinth did nothing for me. It was boring and gory.

The Fountain requires multiple views before you will "get it".

There are three eras represented in the movie with two common characters.

In the 16th Century, Hugh Jackman plays a Spanish Conquistador while Rachel Weisz is the queen of Spain.

In the 21st Century (2005), Hugh Jackman plays a doctor desperately seeking a cure for tumors because Rachel Weisz, his wife, is dying from one.

In the 26th Century, Hugh Jackman is a bald chap enclosed in a bubble traveling through space. Also in the bubble is a tree that represents Rachel Weisz.

I cannot say more without revealing the telling links between these three stories (this is not about some reincarnation nonsense).

Suffice to say that the movie keeps you hooked and the performances are simply brilliant.

After a long time there is a movie that uses music with the right touch of subtlety combined with an awesome power that explodes in the climactic sequence. The musical score of The Fountain is alone worth the price of admission. Just pop-in the DVD, close your eyes, and you have instant bliss.

I do not know what kind of idiots visit the Cannes Film Festival but apparently there were boos when The Fountain was shown. It is a safe assumption that people used to typical Hollywood action or romance fare will have trouble with this movie because it actually requires you to do something human beings are increasingly incapable of doing - it requires you to think.

An absolutely stunning cinematic experience.

Rocky Balboa

2007-03-30T12:21:00.000+05:30

I was just a kid when Rocky was released and well, it did not do much for me. The whole thing snowballed when I was into my teens and I saw Rocky 1, 2, and 3.

The movies made me want to go out and get some muscle into my biceps and put on boxing gloves.

Say what you will but the classic story of the unknown underdog taking the World Boxing Championship was just great. Then in the 3rd part his success leads him to failure and he comes back with a vengeance (and that awesome "Eye of the Tiger" song).

Rocky IV was a sort of boxing perspective of the cold war. Rocky V was a mess.

When Sylvester Stallone announced Rocky Balboa I had one of those squirmy moments.

Rocky 6? With Stallone boxing? Or was he going to put his son in this time?

Well Stallone does fight in Rocky Balboa but not like he fought in the earlier Rocky episodes.

This is a movie that must be viewed as the graceful, albeit bloodied, exit of a warrior.

It is difficult not to feel inspiration stirring inside when the famous Rocky tune sounds that our man is about to get ready for his last bow.

Blood Diamond

2007-03-26T11:23:00.000+05:30

For a jaded chappie like me watching war torn landscapes and people makes no difference.

Blood Diamond does not dwell on the war per se but rather on an indirect cause of the war that led to the term "conflict diamond" or "blood diamond".

It is not a documentary but it is quite thoroughly plausible and it should not be surprising if something very similar does not happen even today.

The most brutal aspect of this movie is the conversion of children into AK47 wielding killing machines. The second most disturbing aspect, and the more disgusting, is a view of the diamond trade and of course how it panders to human vanity at the expense of human life elsewhere.

This is the first movie where I give Leonardo DiCaprio the title of "man" and revoke his former title of "pretty boy". I have seen his other movies where he tried to come out of that ridiculous Titanic image but it just did not work.

However, in Blood Diamond DiCaprio finally and actually acts. Perhaps it is the negativity and selfishness in his character that does it but something gives him an edge that would rob any male of his boyhood.

Jennifer Connelly is there looking as pretty as ever and marvelously portrays a frustrated journalist trying to nail the diamond trade but constantly being left with maimed bodies or bullet-ridden corpses.

But it is Djimon Hounsou that puts the soul into this movie. Right from the opening scene he puts on a powerful performance that is beyond the rest of the cast.

Personally, I think Blood Diamond is more worthy of an Academy Award than The Departed.

Casino Royale

2007-03-13T10:49:00.000+05:30

If you had asked me about Daniel Craig in the pre-James Bond era I would have said something about a nasty little chap in Road to Perdition.

At the risk of offending his fans, I agreed with those who said that Craig was too rough to be Bond. However, since at this point in his career (Bond not Craig), just becomes a 00 and Ian Fleming had described him as gritty and lacking in polish, I must say Craig is brilliant.

Craig does not have Sean Connery's famous swagger, Roger Moore's old-world British demeanor (never mind good ol' Timothy Dalton), or the spiffy side of Pierce Brosnan. What he has is intensity and in copious amounts.

If you like your James Bond smooth and stylish then you are likely to find faults in Casino Royale but if you want the man as he was intended to be (at least by Ian Fleming) then Bond's received the best shot of realism yet.

As for Eva Green, sigh, a beautiful woman and a good actor but ... those eyes of hers are totally wasted here. The only time I wanted to look at her is when Bond is tying the bow knot and she laughs at him.

M (Judi Dench) was still there doing her best, as always, but there was no Q and no fancy gadgets, no gimmicks, no out of control megalomaniacs wanting to change the world. The story is just another action staple but it works.

The trademark Bond-seen-walking-through-the-gun-barrel is missing at the start along with the trademark Bond-score but these only highlight the fact that - at least I hope - marks a different and better route for the James Bond franchise.

With the 21st movie in the series James Bond has been rebooted, so to speak, let's hope we do not end up with a Hollywood version of the Blue Screen of Death.

Stranger Than Fiction

2007-02-25T14:44:00.000+05:30

First off, I do not like romantic comedies. They are the epitome of sick entertainment as far as I am concerned. No, I have not seen Notting Hill and I do not intend to.

Fortunately, Stranger Than Fiction is not a romantic comedy and I thank the producers for it.

Will Ferrell is an IRS agent who lives by numbers and calculations. His life follows a strict routine for more than a decade until he begins to hear a female narrator giving live commentary on what he is doing.

It turns out that the narrator is a real author, Emma Thompson, facing a writer's block because she does not know how to kill the hero of her latest book. The hero's identity should be obvious.

Along the way our IRS agent has to audit a baker, Maggie Gyllenhaal, whom he eventually falls for. That part was a bit predictable but the way it happens in this movie it is too funny to complain.

After a while the author announces that the hero, Harold Crick, is facing imminent death and things go into top gear.

Harold now has to race to find the author and ask her not to kill him because he is real and whatever she writes is actually happening to him.

Among the hilarious events of the movie are the over-the-top attempts by Emma Thompson to discover a way to kill off Harold Crick.

This is a very pleasant comedy that is not to be missed and is filled with witty one-liners that will make you smile.

Do not try to work out the connection between a fictional character and a real life man. Enjoy the experience.

"I may already be dead, just not typed," Harold Crick.

The Prestige

2007-02-21T10:28:00.000+05:30

Wow!

And I jolly well mean it.

This movie is entertaining in a very non-Hollywood type of way.

First, hats off to Christopher Nolan for a brilliant bit of direction. The Batman Begins director does a wonderful job of creating the right atmosphere required for such a movie.

The cast is impeccable. I have appreciated Hugh Jackman for a long time (and especially after listening to him in Flushed Away) and Christian Bale portrays his character admirably.

Michael Caine is his usual self, that is to say, untouchable as always. Sadly and strangely Scarlett Johansson simply did not fit in this movie. Do not ask me why. I think she is beautiful and acts well but some women just do not look good in Victorian dresses.

I will not go too much into the story because unlike The Illusionist, The Prestige is unpredictable and has an ending that is not illusion, magic, science, or fantasy but a mixture of everything.

The only quibble, if I may, I found that every time any of our two heroes picked a volunteer from the audience the other hero would always show up on stage to do some mischief. This was a bit odd.

An absolute must have.

Flushed Away

2007-02-18T13:02:00.000+05:30

I had never heard of Aardman before Wallace & Gromit - The Curse of the Were-Rabbit and I was quite thoroughly impressed with that movie.

So when it was declared that the next Aardman movie would not be claymation but a 3d animation coming out of Dreamworks I was like, "Ouch! There goes another creative team down the digital toilet." (Pardon the pun :))

Flushed Away is absolutely brilliant.

Yet again I fail to see why critics have a problem with this movie. It is quite thoroughly entertaining.

The voice acting is simply awesome.

While Hugh Jackman and Kate Winslet are good the real fun comes in with Ian McKellen and Jean Reno. Bill Nighy and Andy Serkis provide the right evil-and-dumb villain combo.

The plot has a certain icky feel to it and I guess we should thank the creators they did not go for ultra realism. Our hero gets flushed down his own toilet (well, the toilet of the humans that keep him) and we get to see him travel down what is probably the cleanest route to the sewer.

Down in the sewer is a whole city populated by rodents, for the most part with a toad and some frogs.

The animation is good but it is the character design that really got me.

Roddy looks perfect and Rita is the most beautiful she-mouse you have seen. I have never been much a Mickey Mouse fan as I found the shape and looks somehow off but Rita works for me ;)

The British accent also works wonders for me. Like Chicken Run and Curse of the Were-Rabbit the British sense of humor is always there and it is very, very refreshing for those overburdened with Hollywood.

Hugh Jackman slips up once in a while but otherwise the voice acting is perfect.

If you like animation then do not miss out on this. Flushed Away actually manages to be funnier than Curse of the Were-Rabbit and Chicken Run.

Terminator 3 - Rise of the Machines (2003)

2007-02-07T12:38:00.000+05:30

When The Terminator (1984) was released I was not really impressed.

I am a sci-fi junkie and will gladly watch anything with a spaceship or a robot but the science in The Terminator was too bizarre for me. At that time I was not much into time travel :P

Then Terminator 2 - Judgment Day (1991) was released and well, it just knocked all my time travel prejudices sideways and I was entertained to the very limit.

The announcement of Terminator 3 - Rise of the Machines (2003) came with the news that James Cameron was not going to direct. I instantly regretted the decision to make T3.

I could not imagine what new story they would come up with or what the characters would be like. Most importantly I did not want John Connor to be all grown up. He would interfere with the two competing terminators.

But T3 turned out just perfect. Director Jonathan Mostow stays true to the spirit of the first two terminator movies.

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Kristanna Loken are perfect as the two terminators.

The subtle humor that often references the previous two movies, especially T2, is simple awesome.

The story sticks together and brings everything to a wonderful conclusion finally leading to SkyNet taking over the world.

The special effects are satisfactory though after the first two movies there is a remarkable lack of freshness.

Fortunately the story and direction keep things from running down to same old, same old, routine.

Your Terminator collection is incomplete without T3. Highly recommended.

Sin City

2007-02-06T11:16:00.000+05:30

When you consider movies like the Matrix Trilogy you have to confess that they did not do anything new.

What they did was to overload the entire concept with style (at least the first movie did).

Style is not something Hollywood manages to do very often.

It either bogs down into hopeless emotional mishmash that might as well be produced in Bollywood or it will go overboard in its cold bloodedness.

The middle ground is not easy to find and it often takes a different sort of personality to kick Hollywood's dying embers and rekindle the fire.

Ladies and gentlemen, introducing Frank Miller.

Sin City is rather old, released in 2005, but I still cherish my copy and watch it about once a month.

The movie has a very engaging way of presenting old stories. Like the Matrix Trilogy it does not tell any new tale but it simply tells them in a unique way.

It is Frank Miller's style of putting the former comic book on to the big screen that makes all the difference.

Right from the opening credits you know that you are in for something different.

Sin City presents its content in a very gripping way and all the characters are portrayed beautifully.

Some people might complain of the needless violence and gory details often depicted (limbs torn apart, decapitation, and so on) but I did not find it all that disturbing and I have very low tolerance to gore.

Perhaps the director's trick of using black and white tones and not show the red color blood does the trick but nevertheless the gore is somehow acceptable.

Coming back to style, there is too much of it, and in this case too much is just right.

The movie covers three stories from the comic book so it is essential three different "parts" in a single movie but it does not matter. You never feel your focus jarringly switched from one spot to another. The entire movie just flows through.

The visuals in Sin City are impressive. Though the movie makes use of CGI the inherent comic-book look generated makes it all justified. You know that this is exactly what to expect and that makes it even more satisfying.

A wonderful movie and a must have for everyone.

Sin City dares to be different and completely succeeds.

V for Vendetta

2007-02-03T13:17:00.001+05:30

"Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin van-guarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition.

The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous.

Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it's my very good honor to meet you and you may call me V."

Some movies do not entertain you. They reach out of the screen, grab you by the throat, and warn that you better watch or you are going to miss something good.

V for Vendetta is more than a movie to me.

When V (Hugo Weaving) says, "People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people" it was almost a direct remark on today's politics that has only one means of ruling - fear.

Fear is the ultimate tool of all governments. They like to keep us scared in order to keep us compliant and driving on the left side of the road (or right).

Apart from being so close to reality, V for Vendetta gives a neat outlet to all the frustration of modern life, at least as long as the movie lasts.

The movie has some really good dialog, a truly well-chosen bit of vocabulary that is often astounding. From V's conversations with Evey (Natalie Portman), to the longer speeches, and sprinklings of Shakespeare, everything is just beautiful to hear.

The emotional link between V and Evey was perhaps not true to the books that inspired the movie but then Hollywood seems incapable of doing anything without a romantic angle.

The V in books would tell Evey to fix her own damn buttered-toast and tea.

There are very few objections to this movie. I have seen it more than a dozen times and have most of the dialog memorized :)

Absolute must have.

Superman Returns

2007-01-25T17:33:00.000+05:30

I was just a kid when the first Superman movie was released starring Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder. The movie wowed me to no end.

Then came Superman II and I was even more impressed. The next two episodes with the same cast were a disappointment and the franchise then went into Hollywood limbo with all sorts of directors and plots being thrown around.

It finally fell to Bryan Singer to do Superman Returns and he did a not-so-bad job of it.

Like Batman Begins, Superman Returns takes a lot of time getting to where Superman actually shows up.

What I found most charming was the cast. Brandon Routh has a stunning similarity to Christopher Reeve and Kate Bosworth admirably replicated the impatience and impulsiveness displayed by Margot Kidder while Kevin Spacey is perfect as Lex Luthor.

The story is the most disappointing of the lot because it jumps horribly. Though the movie begins after Superman II the characters behave as if they have never met before.

The one thing that real perplexed me is that how can anyone just walk into the Fortress of Solitude. Does "advanced alien technology" mean there are no locks on the doors because everyone is so downright honest?

How come Lex Luthor always manages to find some kryptonite?

Why did Lois Lane hide from Superman that Jason is actually his son and not her boyfriend's?

There are some strange happenings in the movie and Superman has only two worthwhile appearances. The first is when he saves an airplane from crashing and the second is when he is preventing a city from catastrophe.

Apart from that the whole thing is an emotional mush.

The thing is that despite all those problems I still cannot help but watch it repeatedly :)

The movie could have been a lot better but it is still good the way it is.

Superman Ultimate Collector's Edition (Superman - The Movie/ Superman II/ Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut/ Superman III/ Superman IV - The Quest for Peace/ Superman Returns)

Serenity

2007-01-25T17:10:00.000+05:30

If you like spaceships and stuff then this is a good movie to pass the time.

Though I did not know the back story and the early episodes from the television show I never faced any problem. The movie may not offer anything new but it does deliver everything with a dose of freshness and fun.

There are some weird things going on here. For example, in the days of space colonization people are still using matter based weapons. Those wonderful energy weapons from Star Wars and Star Trek are nowhere to be found. Apparently this one was meant to be the Wild West meets Star Trek but it never struck me that way.

Further, the physics is all awry, how do you find one solar system with dozens of planets (and hundreds of moons) that you can make habitable via terraforming? Huh, not done. Then there are psychics being trained as weapons.

Ignoring these minor quibbles the plot is simplistic and the characters are stereotyped but there is a strange energy in the movie as it plods along familiar lines that makes you want to watch it.

There were fewer space battles (actually, only one) than I would have liked but it doesn't interfere with the movie as such.

A good go over all if you don't mind the quirks but a little too routine to be outstanding.

As a twist, there is no one villain that is revealed. Guess there will be sequels.

Lord of War

2007-01-25T13:21:00.000+05:30

I always considered Nicholas Cage to be a bit of an ass after having seen him in Face/Off and the likes. Then he silently sneaked in 8MM and I was blown away. There was a serious guy here who could do more than fly in slow motion under John Woo's direction.

Lord of War is difficult to characterize. At times it feels like a comedy, then without notice it detours into tragedy, political satire, crime drama, love story.

Cage is consistent, from the opening scene (the movie has the best opening credits casting I have seen in some time) where he speaks in a tired voice to the very end. He is compelling.

At heart it is just the story of a man's life (producers say it's based on real events) who might have made other choices but didn't.

His decisions will seem wrong to us but just like our decisions seldom seem at fault Yuri Orlov (Cage) never sees the flaw. He always has a perfect justification for everything he does.

Bridget Moynahan was hardly recognizable she looks so beautiful after seeming emaciated in I, Robot.

Interestingly, in one sequence the music is a snip from the soundtrack of Bombay (done by A. R. Rehman).

Hello Hollywood? Running out of music composers?

If you have never liked Nicholas Cage before then you must see him in this movie. A brilliant piece of work that offers more substance than all his other efforts.

King Kong

2007-01-24T14:11:00.000+05:30

It is good.

Though, like Superman - The Movie, it spends more time establishing the foundation to the story than it should, once things get going it's a juggernaut.

Finally a movie that I cannot really find too much fault with. Naomi Watts is wonderful and Adrien Brody and Jack Black do the job equally well.

Andy Serkis (same guy who did Gollum in The Lord of the Rings) who has done a wonderful job of providing the CGI team with a life like King Kong. Apparently, when Andy asked Peter Jackson for permission to go watch gorillas in their natural habitat Peter refused. Later when Peter called for Andy he was told that Andy had gone off to see the gorillas. Peter was like, "That sonofabitch!" :] How's that for dedication?

The only gripe that I can find is that Peter Jackson seems to have repeated himself. The scene where Brody is climbing the rocks was very similar to the scene where Frodo, Sam, and Gollum are climbing the secret stairs next to the Dead City in LOTR: Return of the King. Ditto the running between the dinosaur legs (the elephants from RoTK). Ditto the camera sweeps across Skull Island (Minastirith).

Towards the end - after the car chase - there is a strange scene. One moment Kong is racing in the streets of New York tossing vehicles with people screaming around him. Then after a car chase suddenly there is no one around and Naomi is there, cho chweet! But what happened to the screaming mob? Oh well, it's no biggie.

The fight with the dinosaurs is simply awesome. The part with the bugs is enough to make you retch! Ugh! :]

Harry Potter

2007-01-22T14:13:00.000+05:30

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (November 2001)
Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) moves out of the tiny chamber and attends the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on his 11th birthday. He learns the truth about his parents and the nature of their death.

At the school he meets Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) and Ron Weasely (Rupert Grint) and the three of them set out on an exciting adventure.

The first movie was a charming introduction to the characters and the world of magic.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (November 2002)
In the 2nd year at Hogwart's, Harry is visited by an elf that tells him not to return to the school. Harry returns to discover some strange happenings and experiences voices inside his head and something about a Chamber of Secrets.

Someone has opened the Chamber of Secrets but the suspicion falls on Harry and once again he and his friends must discover the truth and contend with Voldemort while discovering the terrible secret in this chamber.

The second installment lacked some of the freshness and suffers from sequel trouble but is still quite enjoyable.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (June 2004)
The 3rd year at Hogwarts sees many changes. There is a new threat against Harry as Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) has escaped from Azkaban and seeks to murder him.

Sirius is supposed to have betrayed Harry's parents to Voldemort and Harry is ready for the face-off.

This episode was more action-oriented and a fun to watch. Third time lucky you may almost say

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (November 2005)
The 4th year at Hogwarts begins with the Triwizard tournament and Harry finds himself as an unwilling participant.

Harry and his friends are growing up and new passions are stirring. Trouble brews outside and within and Harry, Ron, and Hermione try to cope with new feelings associated with growing up. As Harry says to Ron about girls, "Why do they travel in packs?"

However, this installment was less humorous and more brooding. Of the four episodes released so far, this one has the lowest re-watchable value. The story is a little too simple and that makes the length of the movie seem ridiculous.

And quite frankly, the Quidditch matches are getting tiresome.

We finally get to see Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) return to flesh and the first direct skirmish between him and Harry Potter.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

2007-01-22T11:00:00.000+05:30

I am not politically correct. In fact, I despise the entire movement as it stifles certain freedoms and forces a sacrifice in the name of faux politeness.

Anyway. There seemed to be a certain niche in Hollywood that made completely tongue-in-cheek humor with complete disregard for the norms of politeness. This was an art that was difficult to master because too little and it came off as shallow pretense and too much and it fell into downright vulgarity.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is a type of movie that has not been released in a long time.

It is a wicked comedy if you are as fed up as me with the current Hollywood trend of sugaring up everything and going politically correct with every exhalation.

The movie has some really funny moments and a sharp dialogue exchange that makes it a fucking pleasure to watch. Val Kilmer is especially great and Robert Downey Jr. portrays his character wonderfully.

Michelle Monaghan looked to-die-for, absolutely stunning and perfect in her role. I first saw her in Mission - Impossible III and was thoroughly disappointed. Not every woman looks good in an action flick and Michelle signifies glamor and beauty that I have certainly missed in Hollywood productions.

If you wish your language clean and your humor coming out of Sunday School then you best avoid this movie.

As Val Kilmer says at the end, "And for all of you good people in the mid-west, sorry we said fuck so much."

Love this movie.

Indiana Jones

2007-01-21T16:35:00.000+05:30

There was a time when there was only George Lucas on my adventure horizon along with Star Wars.

That was before Steven Spielberg and George Lucas came along with Indiana Jones.

Indy is one of those characters you just have to like and Harrison Ford is plays him perfectly.

If you have been plagued with modern Hollywood productions that get more and more hollow every year while being pumped with CGI then you need to see these three movies to understand what it was like when Steven Spielberg did more than just bring dinosaurs back from the dead.

This is truly worth enjoying.

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (June 1981)
When Nazis go after the Ark of the Covenant renowned archeologist Dr. Indiana Jones, is hired by the U.S. Government to reach and secure it before they do. The Ark is believed to contain the original ten commandments. Hitler has other agents who are also after the Ark and the race begins in this roller-coaster adventure that will have you at the edge of your seat repeatedly with brilliant acting, direction, and of course the trademark Spielberg special effects.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (May 1984)
After narrowly escaping death in China, Indy lands (crashes more like) into India along with a night club singer and a sidekick named Short Round. The villagers believe Indy has been sent by God to deliver them from evil. Though skeptical, Indy and his companions soon find themselves caught in a world of occult magic and devil worship as they try to recover the sacred stones of Shiva from Mona Ram, a worshiper of the Goddess Kali. This movie is a thrill-ride that you are not likely to encounter again along with a good dose of laughter.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (May 1989)
The Nazis are at it again. This time their quest is the Holy Grail itself. Though Indy, again, does not believe in all this he is forced to enter the fray when he discovers that his father, brilliantly played by Sean Connery, is missing in action. Indy tracks down Dr. Jones Sr. and from there on the adventure takes on a whole new dimension as father and son begin a joint journey to the Canyon of the Crescent Moon, the last resting place of the Holy Grail. A good tale well told.

The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy

2007-01-20T22:04:00.000+05:30

It's an important and popular fact that things are not always what they seem. For instance, on the planet Earth, Man had always assumed that he was the most intelligent species occupying the planet.

It's also an important and popular fact that critics are not always right though that often goes ignored.

Those who have read The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy know that the book is impossible to read without laughing out loud.

Most of us who read books also know the abysmal reputation of Hollywood when it comes to adapting such books to the big screen. There might be the occasional Les Miserables but for the most part it is all so much disappointment.

So when The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy started on the screen I was already bracing myself for some stinker.

Fortunately, right from the opening sequence (narrated by Stephen Fry) through the bumbling of Arthur Dent (Martin Freeman), the antics of Zaphod Beeblebrox (Sam Rockwell), the depression of Marvin (Alan Rickman), to the mesmerizing beauty of Tricia McMillan (Zooey Deschanel, yes I loved her in this movie) everything is just perfect.

The movie does deviate slightly from the book but then considering that The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is more of a collection of stories with simply too much happening I guess this was the best that could be done without resorting to a bunch of sequels.

For the most part The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy sticks to the main plot points (Kirkit and some other parts are totally missing though) and delivers the right ingredients to make this movie enjoyable.

Of course, you do not need to have read the book in order to understand the movie or enjoy it but it does add a certain extra bit to the entertainment if you have.

Cars

2007-01-20T14:11:00.000+05:30

It seems that Pixar and John Lasseter can do no wrong if their track record is anything to go by.

After dazzling us with Toy Story, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, and The Incredibles it seemed that everything they could do was done but no, here they go again with another brilliant release.

The story of Cars follows the usual theme of friendship, loneliness, losing track of the important things in the quest for fame and money, the importance of team work, trust, abandonment.

Honestly, this is the only gripe I find with Pixar, in that they seem stuck in an emotional loop where nothing new is ever felt. Consequently, they need higher praise because despite this they manage to churn out remarkably creative material.

Cars is about a famous race car Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) that ends up in a small town by mistake and is sentenced to community service by the local judge Doc Hudson (Paul Newman).

In this small town the big time dreamer finds friendship and love while gaining a new perspective on life.

The animation is top-notch and the cars are given a real human expression that makes you think of them as characters instead of machines.

No such animation can be worthy of praise without also tipping your hat to the voice actors who give life to characters and the entire cast here is outstanding.

John Ratzenberger makes a return in yet another Pixar movie and the credits include a nice joke that made me laugh out loud.

Regardless of whether you are a Pixar fan or not this is one animation flick that you simply have to include in your DVD collection.

Corpse Bride

2007-01-20T13:47:00.000+05:30

If I touch a burning candle I can feel no pain
In the ice or in the sun it's all the same
Yet I feel my heart is aching
Though it doesn't beat it's breaking
And the pain here that I feel
Try and tell me it's not real
I know that I am dead
Yet it seems that I still have some tears to shed

I feel overwhelmed (I don't know if that is the right word for what I feel) after having seen the Corpse Bride.

Victor (Johnny Depp) is the main protagonist along with Emily (Helena Bonham Carter), and while Emily's story is just a hangover to get the movie going it is precisely Emily's emotions that give substance to this movie as far as I am concerned.

I was almost moved to tears when Emily sang the above, it hit so close to home. And the scene in the church (before the climax) with Emily, Victor, and Victoria might seem a repeat from some B movie it's still touching if you keep in mind what Emily must feel like when she does what she does.

Like The Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride uses stop-motion animation with stick like characters, there is also a similarity in plot as to the interaction between the world of the living and the world of the dead.

The story however is much darker and adult oriented. Tim Burton uses the same dark shades in most scenes to portray the world under. I found this annoying. He could have tried something different.

Other than that the animation is wonderful, the voice acting is brilliant, and Tim Burton's direction is impeccable (he should stay away from doing Planet of the Apes).

The music and songs were much, much superior in The Nightmare Before Christmas.

See both movies if you haven't and see it either in the hall or DVD. The beauty of the animation is in the details. If you miss the details you have missed everything besides the emotional overwash.

Remember, Emily is dead, it is her animation and voice that bring her to life - so to speak.

Batman Begins

2007-01-20T11:24:00.001+05:30

I first saw Christian Bale in Shaft and well the whole movie was horrible. Besides a murdering racist is not exactly something impressive, no matter how well played.

After that Mr. Bale was completely forgotten and though he received much praise for The Machinist, I skipped the movie.

When the first trailer for Batman Begins appeared on Apple.com I was like, "What? Another Batman movie?" I was terrified of another Batman & Robin type fiasco.

That is why I approached Christopher Nolan's version of Batman with my hopes pretty much scraping the ocean floor, in a manner of speaking. But then I am a sucker for these comic book superhero movies :)

Batman Begins drags in the early half, focusing so strongly on how exactly a Bruce Wayne full of impotent vengeance and guilt is made powerful and set free by the very organization that is indirectly responsible for the death of his parents and the conversion from Bruce Wayne to Batman.

There are some plot-holes like Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman) apparently never figuring out that Bruce Wayne and Batman drive the same Batmobile (tumbler) and Rachel Dawes (Katie Holmes) recovering from a concentrated dose of poison much faster than Batman but I guess I am nitpicking.

Despite getting boring at times and not having a flashy villain Batman Begins is a pleasure to watch.

Liam Neeson seems cursed ever since the played Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. All the characters he portrays end up as wash-outs.

Batman Begins is a good Batman movie in the end and all minor complaints notwithstanding it is a definitely a keeper, especially if you are a comic book junkie or superhero crazy like me.

A Scanner Darkly

2007-01-19T21:21:00.000+05:30

There is a tendency among Hollywood critics (and the general viewers) that often rankles me.

It seems that when something different happens, audiences and critics alike have lost the ability to just grasp the difference and perhaps enjoy it for a change instead of griping about it.

I am not going to go into what Linklater wished to convey through this movie. So the story is nothing new, the characters are disappointing, and there is always that lack of direction in the proceedings. So <beep>ing what?

It is a good movie. At least for me when a movie tries to do something different, even if that difference is merely technological, it is a good thing.

A Scanner Darkly makes use of interpolated rotoscoping that makes a regular movie look like a cel animation. The results are remarkable.

It is said that 500 hours worth of effort was required to get 1 minute of movie screen time. That is a lot of hard work and it is appreciated.

More than that it is beautiful.

This is one of those movies that fall into the animation genre and remain faithful to adult audiences. Indeed, this movie is not for the kids at all.

Though the plot is nothing that will win Academy Awards it was sufficient to keep me engrossed during the entire movie.

The acting is superb and though there is something wanting in the characters they nevertheless touch you.

Especially at the end when the whole mess is finally revealed.

Since the movie actually shot real people instead of directly animating through the drawing board the expressions are caught wonderfully. Every move is spectacular and I wanted to watch several segments all over again just to watch the small animation tricks included in this brilliant piece of work.

A Scanner Darkly is good movie and certainly worthy of a place in any DVD collection.

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2007-01-19T21:15:00.000+05:30

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