Reviews

I decided to watch the first season only because Michael Emerson was added to this project and I had really liked his previous work in "Person of Interest" which in my opinion was a really one of the best SciFi crime drama of last decade. And I am bit late to write this review as world was shaken up the pandemic and everyone was kind of trying to rearrange their lives. But when I started the season 2 and they showed a glimpse of upcoming episodes it really filled me with more excitement as they promised more shocking storyline as the show will progress. But coming back to review part I was shocked to see it was rated very low. I will admit that this show has taken bit longer to shape what sort of show it wanted to be and perhaps that may be the biggest reason why most of people have jumped the ship after first 2-3 episodes or may be after half the season and rated low so do not drop this show because of low ratings. Believe me when you watch the whole season then it sort of starts to show its range and character development. The story line basically deals around Church, faith, Devil and horrific deeds which are being investigated by lead actress still there is a horror tone which I had never seen in a show before and only find unique to this show. There were scenes which sometimes were really scary or uneasy to watch for me. And that is a very commendable for any horror show writer and director. I found the show entertaining and will recommend it to everyone who is into horror genre programs. May be this show took a long time to show what sort of show it wanted to be but perhaps that is how devil works it never lets you guess its main motive and that is in sync with its theme. So it is worth it. Do not be discouraged by low ratings it is far better than shows which have inflated ratings. And once you have watched it you will thank me later.

If you are not familiar with this Anime then My ADVISE IS that you MUST watch the 1st Season. Then you will appreciate this Survival Horror/Action Anime. The Movie starts off where the 1st season has ended. The movie straight away takes you to the journey and action begins. Though the premise is very simple that our Hero Tanjiro boards the train which has monsters on it. But given the length I was not sure how long the action sequences will be and the story part will be there or not. But the way story telling is done you get loads of actions and emotions and character development. The movie does not let you blink eyes for a second as the story and action happen on a pleasant pace and it keeps your interest going. The ending is not all happy go lucky but it does provides a glimpse of what is yet to come. And I am eagerly waiting for the next season to air. This movie is what keeps surprising me about anime and I recommend it for people who never had seen any anime or any movie based on it. If your mind is bored with this MUC & DC and want to watch stories with great characters and plot twists then this is one of those storytelling masterpiece.

First of all you will find all similarities in plot like Superman like Alien is protecting the Earth but has a family and a Son who gained his powers around the middle of 1st episode and then the fun ride begins..it has all the action, twists, gore and a deep storyline of its own which makes it so great. I am glad I landed on this series by accident and boy it has been a pleasure to watch it. And basis episode 8 I can already see what next season or upcoming storyline may bring to table. It is already looking so promising for next season.

Recommended for everyone, this is how you can still leave your mark even if the story has similarities.

This is stupidly shot movie. It is very low budget and camera angles shown seems to be a person who has held camera for the very first time in their life. Suddenly shots are in timelapse and then there is unwanted background Euro metal sort of score playing which instead of setting a tone feels more like a hindrance. The camera then jumps to documentary style i.e. Very up close and personal like you are very close to other person's face while talking. There is nothing much to story. Even movies with POV or shaky camera like Blair Witch or Paranormal Activity were low budget affair but their camera work added flair to subject but not in this case. This is more like an utter failure and movies like this should not be made. A complete waste of money and other time.

Well the reason i tried to watch this movie was only because of Scott Adkins..but i guess you cannot make a movie work only with big names and script and logic also goes hand in hand. And latter was nowhere to be found in this movie.

I apologize to any person if my words here offend any one but my review is only related to the movie, it has nothing to do with any one's belief about their country or society. so here it goes, The acting is nowhere to be found; many scenes in movie do not make any sense and it looks like the director had no clue about how to make a scene work when there is no action taking place. So foolish dialogues and weird logics keep coming up. I did not felt the emotion or intensity behind the voice so acting is not the forte of the main lead. so i thought it's fine because in most of the action packed Chinese movies people expect amazing stunts and that compensates the weak acting skills but such is not the case here.

This movie does not delivers in terms of action as well..only the opening sniper shootout scene was bit creative but i kept hoping for more and realized this scene was the only attraction of the movie..and even the finale fight was not up to the mark..the fight scene looks plain and lacks innovative camera work that made Hong Kong movie industry famous and a recent example would be The Grandmaster (2013) if you know what i mean by that.

The movie is like an instant noodle pack with great packaging but far away from being what it has been advertised as. The movie does not make sense at times and appears like story was written while filming the scenes (Pun Intended). I have seen many Chinese movies over the years and being a non Chinese i still found many flaws with this movie..and recommend to watch it on their own risk as any quality movie fan will not like this. This movie is not a good movie and it can be watched for one time only and would recommend to straight away skip to the climax as only there you will see Scott Adkins in action..rest of it from beginning till end is a pathetic experience.

My rating 4.5/10. Some people may not agree with my review but this movie is also not average. so watch it on your risk because you have been warned.

I got a chance to watch it on Blu Ray. Found the plot interesting...and for some extent was happy with what the movie had to offer after watching it..The movie is about an Undereducated female appraiser or expert in antique jewellery and artifacts who barely manages to pass her high school and a struggling news paper journalist trying to earn respect of his editor and place for himself and how their teamwork brings down a big con involving the MONA LISA.

The movie has its own good and bad points..i am no art expert and i don't know the difference between facts and fiction. But the first half of the movie is very impressive and it builds up lots of hype and suspense and i was hoping it to be like The Prestige kind of suspense but the story after visiting The Louver part goes into some less thrilling kind of dimension. May be the Director wanted the movie to be like suspense thriller but was not able to find good twists or convincing storyline..Although still it is a one time watch and some people may find some interesting facts about the Mona Lisa..as the journey is important then destination...i enjoyed the movie..but the climax of movie is not as great it should have been...the script was not able to create enough boost to storyline..and it was a letdown on such a promising story..but hey it is still good enough and although it is a no brainer and everyone knows who the culprit is but it is thrill of the chase that saves the movie in the end..

Performance wise actors and cast are not very famous names but still delivers their parts convincingly although some scenes of movies are humanly not possible like learning French in a night or two..so better show it in a manner people can be convinced..because if its possible then i can also learn Chinese in a week's time i guess..(Pun Intended)! The score of the movie is also good..some special effects are also good. And the movie production is top notch..like any big budget Hollywood movie.

Go and watch the movie you will not find it terrible it is just that you will know that it just lacked little bit in becoming a satisfying experience..And if it would have gone the distance probably it had all the potential of producing a sequel...overall it is 6/10.

Many a times we have witnessed that a strong script or promising plot needs a good direction else it crumbles down on screen. It can happen to any movie whether Hollywood or any other movie industry globally. Bobby Jasoos is no exception in this case. After a long time in Bollywood where fans of suspense or thriller genre were feeling excited after watching the trailers of this movie. As it promised a very entertaining plot similar to the classic Japanese series of Hibari Torimonocho where a female detective in ancient Japan investigates cases. And those movies were pretty entertaining even if swordplay or action was equally involved in increasing the stakes for characters. I am a great fan of suspense movies as i have been infuenced with the stories of writers like Robert Laudlum, Dan Brown, Greg Iles, Stephen L Cater and less known Indian writers like Ved Prakash Sharma. It does not require one to involve every trick of the trade to make a suspense or thriller it just take a promising plot and to provide enough twists that the audience do not loose interest. But same can not be said about this movie. Vidya Balan is playing the lead female detective who do not possess any academic qualification or skills and experience in solving crimes except following neighborhood adults for spying so that she can break off the engagement of the paying party or whose son has started smoking/drinking. She is obsessed with making it big as a female detective and looking for her big break. She is amidst the family expectations of her father in a traditional middle class Muslim family of southern Indian town. Her father and mother wants her to get settled with Tasawur(Ali Fazal)her client cum source TV Reporter, who hires her every now and then to get rid off marriage proposals sent by his own father. While trying to adjust her personal and professional life one day she gets her big break when a client (Kiran Kumar) mysteriously appears and offers her big amount just to find someone and the silly approaches used by her takes the story further with lots of twists and turns where the intentions of this mysterious client are unknown and suspicion of bobby begins to build up.

On the whole you can put the performance in two parts. the first part is before the interval where it felts like the movie has indeed something good to offer. All the elements of a good story building are here. And expectations gets high. But in post interval any person who has seen even a single suspense movie can tell the climax way before the ending (not exactly but one get the feel what could be the possible scenarios in their gut). So once the movie finished i wished if i could meet the director and can give him couple of my ideas on how to make story better if next time he tries his hands on the suspense again. Vidya Balan played her part and she was fine in her given role. but what makes a detective detective is not relative here. It is just a pain to watch such a promising plot go down the drain. If Indian directors wants to know how a suspense or detective thriller movie should be made just watch this Hong Kong movie The Detective(2007) starring Aaron Kwok. I am mad because this movie could have been a block buster with the kind of plot the director had and still they cannot give a spine chilling or maddening suspense thriller. The male lead has done a good job and he looks comfortable along with Vidya. The Veteran Kiran Kumar had nothing more to do but why stay limited at one bad guy. The one complaint that i had with the movie is why the director did not used his imagination in creating a real Jasoosi story whose tile involves the word Jasoos itself. I believe the producers also are a reason in India as why the promising plots does not turns out to be a good movie. They worry too much and do not allows a new or less known director to give the freedom in experimenting with the story. The Music in the movie was not required at all and is not pleasing. None of the songs will be remembered by any one. So instead of wasting good 20-22 minutes of audience some of the work on story would have been nice. But it is of no use. The movie is a one time watch. It will please to some audience who have not been able to enjoy any good quality suspense movies in recent time. But it is opinion of just one man who has seen movies of every other country and knows the elements of a good suspense story telling.

Characters have worked hard no doubt about it. It is easy to criticize the actors or movie but it takes real hard work in making them as well and i really appreciate all your hard work. but this complaint i am making is just because i know we can make good cinema but sometimes we can do better as we have all the things we require. So keeping my fingers crossed for future as someone in Bollywood may have better talent in making such suspense stories a treat for everyone.

My Rating 5/10.

Danny Boyle has tried his hands on a different genre this time and it is a crime story with background to hypnosis. The whole psychology version of the movie may not be entirely true in the real life but the way Danny has brought it here is somehow ingenious.

James McAvoy playing as Simon, an art auctioneer, becomes involved in the theft of a painting from his own auction house. Simon's colleague Franck played by Vincent Cassel confronts him at gunpoint and takes the painting from him by hitting the butt of shotgun on his temple because Simon deviates from the plan of handing the painting quietly and tries to stun Frank in an effort to save the painting. He looses consciousness and wakes up in hospital. Later it is revealed that the case which frank snatched from the Simon is empty. So, where is the painting only Simon can tell. But when Frank & his goons tortures Simon they came to know that Simon is going through amnesia and decide to send him to a hypnotherapist of Simon's choice to recall the memories of the heist so that he can recover the painting and sell it. But the therapist finds out what trouble Simon is in and demands from Frank that she will help in recovering the memories of Simon only if he lets her be a partner in the profit. Frank Agrees and then the therapy begins and as the new information is revealed by Simon the mystery deepens.

The movie revolves heavily around the concept of trance A half-conscious state characterized by an absence of response to external stimuli, typically as induced by hypnosis or entered by a medium. And also of manipulated behavior and suppressed memories and the desire to fill them with a version of suitable outcome which human mind sees fit to avoid the fear or the reality of the actual events.I remember reading the concept of hypnosis in the novel The Interpretation Of Murder by Jed Rubenfeld and like the novel the therapy sessions in the movie depicts the struggle of human mind and its reaction to grab the reality or even a fraction of it to uncover the truth.

The movie is good and after a long time i enjoyed any psychological thriller. The movie satisfied me and the pace of the story was good. The suspense and mystery was really high and i was not able to guess what happened during the heist and what WERE the actual intentions of the therapist or Simon or Frank.

Everyone played their part perfectly especially Rosario Dawson as Dr. Elizabeth stole the show and as Danny Boyle had rightly said during his interview that this is "the first time I put a woman at the heart of a movie." Her performance will turn your heads and you will admire her work along with James McAvoy. The movie has really hot sex scenes and quite violent sequences and they all make the story more tense and interesting.

The movie is commercially well thought out and has all the material to entertain. Though it is possible that the actual therapists find some of the therapy sessions absurd especially "strawberry" part or electric shocks highly misrepresented it still can be forgiven if we see the larger picture and this movie does deliver.

I enjoyed a lot and a must watch. 8/10

In 2008, the American Carnegie Endowment's Foreign Policy magazine named Russia as "the worst place to be a terrorist" and highlighted especially Russia's willingness to prioritize national security over civil rights.

But this movie represents the other side of the story which is based on the similar life experience of Luke Harding who summed up his Post Cold war Russia Experience in his 2011 book Mafia States. Now most of the people who don't know about him know this-

Luke Daniel Harding (born 1968) is a British political journalist working for 'The Guardian newspaper.' He was the correspondent of 'The Guardian' in Russia from 2007 until he was expelled from the country in 2011 over his critical articles. His 2011 book Mafia State discusses the political system in Russia under Vladimir Putin, which he describes as a mafia state.He is the first foreign journalist to be expelled from Russia since Cold War ended. He is now posted in the London office of 'The Guardian.'

The movie basically depicts his experiences thought with some changes but the basic settings or plot remains the same where a foreigner journalist who is from Germany (and also the son of a deceased political journalist who used to work with the same magazine during the USSR era and post USSR era.)comes to work for a Russian Celebrity Magazine who publishes page three stories for rich and influential Russians as they no longer publish stories which might displease the powerful government and The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation who treat media censorship as a necessity to suppress the things they don't want to go public in dealing with matters of terrorism or national security any way they please to justify here the concept of national security over human rights.

But the movie not only depicts the inhumane methods of tortures developed by stasis in Germany during WW-II days but also the terrifying possibilities of secret services' hand behind some of the domestic terrorist attacks to justify the military warfare in Chechnya. As one character says,"The threat of terror is the only thing which unites the people of a country its a historic fact."

He also says,"Russia was on its Knees..In 1988 Russia was as poor as a third world nation, most reflecting for the country that once was second most powerful in the world; everything collapses..Army, economy, whole society..we were at the abyss. Then the president managed to take us back. Only a fool thinks that it doesn't have its prize."

So the story deals with the question of who being the actual threat is. the main character writes an article of a recently deceased investigation journalist who was found dead in mysterious circumstances completely unaware of the fact that he soon will be involved with psychological war with secret service officials and terrorist attacks and dark and twisted power games who will terrorize him and will test him when his fathers past is also revealed during his investigation for truth.

Overall the movie do raise questions about some serious issues of human rights and social willpower to resist the misuse of power which uses terrorist attacks to make more anti terrorist laws to give more power to military and make the life of common man more difficult. It represent the side of modern day Russia which has been hidden or unseen for masses of outside.

I saw this movie and it do has a similar plot with the book Mafia State though i have not read the book completely yet an on screen view was a treat. It had a gripping plot and twists were in plenty. Every person shown in the movie was not what they claim they were..there were many moments of doubt and suspense and it is entertaining.

On the whole the movie is a decent effort and to show these kind of stories is always a challenge. Screenplay is good and it is fast pace. Acting is also decent and some serious efforts by male lead has been put in some scenes especially in the FSS prison where the inhumane conditions prisoners are kept in.

I was impressed by the movie and it is a great to see a decent political thriller after the Pierce Brosnan starer Ghostwriter and it is commercially entertaining.

My rating is 7.5/10..

Go watch it for things Russia is not famous for!!

The movie tells the story of a honest and caring overseas Chinese Lao Cui who has just returned to china to finalize his divorce with his ex wife with whom he was trying to settle in Cyprus where he runs a small restaurant but even after working so hard he was never been able to afford the place forget about bringing his wife over there and during his frequent trips between his hometown and Cyprus increased his marital problems and his marriage comes to an end.

Movie begins when he comes to china.The moment he lands in China his problems starts, first his wife lefts him in front of his eyes which another man. With breaks his heart and suddenly he receives the news of his shop being sold to some other competitor in Cyprus if he does not reach back there and make a timely paperwork or payment to the actual owner. So he has to rush back to Cyprus asap after finalizing his papers for divorce. He meets with his old friend who is a small time actor who happens to be well connected with directors and star casts given his somehow less known movie appearances. Both guys talk and departs and Cui decides to head back to the airport so that he can catch the return flight to Cyprus and hires a taxi but before jumping into taxi a half drunk girl comes from behind and puts a knife on his throat and threatens the taxi drives to take her somewhere safe so that she can avoid the two men who are pursuing her for something which is of worth something; but the taxi driver refuses so Cui being a nice guy ask the taxi driver to do so. He drops the girl at her apartment but she accidentally leaves him outside and fell asleep. And then things starts to take unexpected turns when after dropping the girl at home he is left outside with all of his luggage left inside the apartment of this girl Xia.

So the things happen after that makes you laugh like hell and also enjoy the bittersweet moments arising out of unusual situations.

I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. The script was tight and swift so i didn't feel bored. Humor factor was also in plenty there more of situational though but a genuine one. Acting was smooth and convincing...all the characters did their part well so no complaint here. Story also was simple yet grasping so overall the movie is a fun to watch despite its small star cast it is one of the best Chinese comedy movie i have seen in recent years. Highly recommended!! My rating 7.5/10

Don't be discouraged with the summary of my review!! i am merely stating the fact that if the studio had been more enthu about the project it would had been a successor to the movies like inception or the prestige!! I saw this movie and i was quite excited about it simply because the plot was somehow familiar yet original..in the sense of their connection with the basic idea of a typical human life's struggle to understand the unexplained phenomena of para or divine potential of human mind which has been never proved or rejected completely in modern science.

The starting of the movie might not appeal to most of the people as i also felt that the initial 10-12 minutes were not a good way to begin which simply never connected with the main theme of the movie...but as i said it was ambiguous yet was connected to the movie within the very first thirty minutes or so..yet most of the audience might go with me on this that it was not a good way to start the movie...may be the writing had to be more experimental or visionary to scout a new scenario to feel more majestic enough to build a sense of connectivity with the modern day conflict to accept or reject the thought of something superior than science.

But never the less the script yet had enough material to keep the interest of mine going..i was dying to know what actually is gonna happen..thought i might like to add that these movies are totally driven from plot or the thought process yet some clever direction and sound effects and nice acting made it possible for me to enjoy this movie..i will not say it is great but it is decent enough to share with people you know...but don't want to compare it with inception or other psychological thriller of recent times...but still i was not happy the way studio has never taken it seriously.

A good budget might have ensured it a more improved run on the predecided media but overall it is still a good watch. I would like to say that Cillian Murphy(Red Eye fame) amazed me with me his performance.

Robert De Nero was typical and Sigourney Weaver also done her part well. There was nothing to do much for others.

Overall movie does have its predictable nature but one had to be smart enough to figure it.

My only complaint is that it had potential but the production house never was excited about it so it is a just one time watch.

Watch it and you will not be disappointed but may not feel entertained like inception or the prestige or the 6th sense.

A brilliant effort despite the production constraints!!! 7/10

As everyone know Edgar Allan Poe (born Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective fiction genre. He is further credited with contributing to the emerging genre of science fiction.[1] He was the first well-known American writer to try to earn a living through writing alone, resulting in a financially difficult life and career.

But as it has been proved time and time again that if you are alive people might not take much interest in your work or life or ideology but if you die in mysterious circumstances they will try to know every thing about you so that they can determine what actually was behind all this. As is the case of this movie. I really didn't knew anything about Poe but after watching this movie i did read some of his stuff mainly His famous poem "THE RAVEN" which made people notice Poe in the first place and eventually the production house decided to borrows its title from the very same poem. Thought this bird had nothing to do with the original movie it somehow brings the required darkness or environmental effect in this movie like The Opera directed by Legendary Dario Argento.

What is Good: Well the historical settings, the suspense and gore, pace of the story and nice blend of fiction and history; a really intelligent mixture of real life character with detective fiction.

What's Bad: Well Cusack did his best but some how weak screenplay let him down in performing his character to perfection, the not so smart climax and somehow predicable storyline(not overall-some places maybe).

Loo Break: Not actually, the fast story and events will not let u leave.

Verdict: The Raven is a good watch for most of its duration but a weak screenplay might disappoint the extreme fans of thrill & suspense.

Script Analysis: The story of Ben Livingston (screenplay) & Hannah Shakespeare gives you historical account of Poe's life, work & his and love interest and tries to mix it with a crime tale to mold the last days of his life into something totally believable and to some extent audience not aware of the legendary Poet's life will fall for it. The treatment of the script is similar to the 1999 novel Archangel by Thomas Harris where former Russian Dictator Stalin is taken as the backdrop and he shows how old KGB spy forms a plot to bring his legacy back in Kremlin and Moscow. Though both novel and movie differs in many angles but overall a real life character is taken here and something fictional is created. And if we look at the script it has weight but some little more effort was required especially in the climax part.

Star Performance: Luke Evans as Detective Fields of Baltimore PD was good in his role and he managed to survive the shortcomings of the script. Alice Eve as Emily Hamilton did OK and there was not much for her to do and i would give her a benefit of doubt due to the limitation of her character but she pleases to eyes. Sam Hazeldine was impressive. And Last but not the least Our John Cusack well also fell prey to the weak characterization;but he was not alone to blame because the director made a lots of physical changes for his on screen appearance and i think if they would have been according to real life photographs of Poe like his mustache and hair style he(Cusack)some how would have appeared more convincing in his role as Poe but he looks more like a wanna be playboy stuck into the thresh hold of his old character and the new one he wants to be; in short, he never fully grasped or penetrated the character. But again you may forgive him once the climax is finished.

Direction: James McTeigue who is known for his work as first unit director of major successful Hollywood block busters especially with Wachowski brothers like The matrix series and V for Vendetta and star wars to name a few has once again shown his knack for tales of fiction and mystery. He overall manages to bring this movie somehow a realistic feel despite the weak narration and twists offered by the writers. He has used the atmospheric elements like fog and lightening and half lit corridors and tunnels to give a much darker theme to the movie which is commendable. The Last Word: The Raven Despite its weak screenplay especially towards the climax is overall a good watch and if one forgets the shortcomings of the script it is a good entertainer. The only complain i have is the way the movie finished was really abrupt. My Rating 7.9/10 because despite its weakness it entertained me.

OK straight to the business-

What's good: The story, the special effects, twists and mysterious appearances of characters, the out of the universe environmental feel and some stunt sequences!!

What's Bad: it differs on intellectual level or how much one can be flexible to accepts the flaws of the script so keeping that in mind i would say..many audience were not convinced out of the science or biologically impossible alien mutations...so no answers how it happened, lots of questions unanswered about the aliens or so called Titans origin and the whole mythology based storyline somehow makes you feel that you have not grasped the whole concept in the first view so most of the people (probably non English) will see it again to understand the basic idea of the movie ultimately hence this movie doesn't suits for every one only people who have seen the alien series and interested in similar movies will definitely enjoy it others may avoid it.

Verdict: A Really Great entertaining movie for Sci-Fi fans and others as well if you don't mind some unexplained phenomena and the whole backdrop of the Titan Mythology. Ridley Scott has yet again created a new kind of unexplored Science and Alien related possibility which we will definitely see more in the future!!

Loo Break??: Well here you will be not able to take your eyes off even for a second so keep staring at the screen otherwise one might miss the whole understanding of the movie!!

Watch or Not?:I would say all the great things in this world were never perfect in their beginning only in later stages of their life they achieved the perfection and greatness..so if you know that sometimes there are loopholes in the script or impossible or unexplained events takes place..give it some time and you might find your answers!! so keeping that in mind i waited till the movie finished and the way it ended it provided an opening for the sequel and as a hopeful enthusiastic person i am; i think in the next part there will be explanation for most of the things which left unanswered in this movie or till the climax. Moreover i also read some reviews where people criticized the Director Ridley Scott that how these mutations can take place or why did not the characters made sure that on the alien soil there can be microbes and other biological threats present which can put their life in danger like insects or bacteria in the soil & air. The characters are behaving like they know this alien planet because their scanners said so. Story is not perfect and it just creates stereotype elements and characters so don't go and watch it blah blah...!!

OK i get it..but on the whole i loved the movie..there can never be a perfect movie or script only a better one...so the movie entertains and it is more enjoyable in 3D!!

Direction & Technical Aspects: Ridley Scott has done a good job and like his alien series he also used really big sets and equipments to make this movie a real deal and the technique used for special effects and 3D effect is mind blowing; i thought that if that kind of CGI techniques would have been available at the time of Alien series that movie would have been much more scarier and yet a treat to watch so no complaints here!! The technical parts, visual and special effects were terrific. Pietro Scalia's editing was perfect. Sonja Klaus's set decoration were amazing and they took us more closer to the possible alien world out there and making it more real then ever before so Hats off!! And yet again Ridley Scott has used large sets and technical facilities to make a terrific movie!!

Star Performances: All the characters were good in their respective roles yet some characters were there only to sacrifice according to the need of the story and moreover it is a sci-fi movie so not much scope for real acting. Noomi Rapace as Elizabeth Shaw once again plays an action role after her much successful native movies of the girl with the dragon tattoo series but this time with a PHD. Michael Fassbender as David was most impressive. The kind of variety of emotions he showed not from his face but from his actions were amazing..otherwise not much to do for others!!The only person not justifying in the cast was the character of Charlize Theron..she never did anything in the movie the whole time so what the casting members were thinking before signing her!!

The Last Word: Prometheus is an entertaining movie and perhaps the best so far in the sci-fi category this year and it brings something new and unexplored material which is worth a watch despite its complexions and loopholes. And this movie perhaps more enjoyable and entertaining in 3D so go and enjoy it!!

Most of people who were unaware of Iko Uwais will follow his every film of the past and future once they end up watching this movie!! This movie relies and is driven only on action and action only.

The movie works because of many reasons. one.. it is pure commercial modern action flick which doesn't give room for any drama or lazy moments where we don't look at screen and stare at the person sitting to our left or right..it simply captures you from the very beginning and till end. Second..The story works in favor of the movie and a damn good screenplay keeps the audience in its grip. I think Hollywood production companies can take some serious money management lessons on how to make decent and entertaining movies without spending too much. As far as i know this movie has been shot in a very small budget not because of the unknown cast but because of the sensible direction and treating the script accordingly and not experimenting with the basic rules of action cinema i.e. you deliver or go make drama...!! The camera-work is great and fighting sequences has been shot beautifully and you don't feel that you have missed anything at all in those fight scenes. Also actors have done a superb job and you will see that the movie overall is better then you contemporary Hollywood action flick...!! Many action scenes will drop your jaw. Though the highlight of the movie is the final clash between Iko Uwais and Yayan Ruhian who stole the show with their stunt choreography but other actors and stunt men have also done a superb job. Mike Shinoda has done a great job with the background score and it add sparks to the whole action sequences.

Gareth Evans has done a good job in Direction as well as in Editing also.There is a lots of scope in Asian cinema..and people who will see this movie they will realize how much more Asian cinema can offer them they just need the right people willing to invest in their projects..it is not just about HK or chines or Japanese cinema there is much more to be explored yet.What Tony Jaa flicks like tom yum goom and ong bak did to Thai Movie Industry..The Raid will do to Indonesian Movie Industry.

I think this is the best action movie i have seen in this year so far and i hope i will see the sequel very soon!! Though there will always be better movies but despite its limitations it delivers So this is a very entertaining movie and a treat for action fans.

my rating 10/10..A Must Watch.

Despite the box office performance and very low scoring on different websites and critical approval i was amazed the way it has been presented.

The story line is not of great but the USP of the movie was never the script in the first place and the director never gave any clue during the whole movie and they never showed the typical weep and scream scenes and stretch a movie close to 3 hours just to satisfy the critics!! I mean why not show it simply you have got orders just go and follow... nobody said one will get easy assignments well every mission is critical and tough it is a duty of a soldier to protect each other during the mission and save the drama later once this is all over..so i am taking an actual quote and read carefully "It's undeniably reverent of the real-life heroes in its cast, but Act of Valor lets them down with a clichéd script, stilted acting, and a jingoistic attitude that ignores the complexities of war." Well if someone don't beat around the bush and says this is your mission boys go and complete it and they go and don't bother the audience with their emotional situations i would say thanks for a simple to the point action flick who shows what actually happened without twisting the actual facts for the sake of some jury award or nomination.

Now what also impressed me that the movie shows the real time military tech and strategies implied by marines and seals..the camera work also impressed me and the first person views actually depicted that how difficult it is to handle a gun and fire acutely...it also reminded me of all the shooter games and brother in arms kind games i had played in the past and was amazed at the graphics and camera angles which i got to saw in the movie and great job.I got to saw a mission from a soldiers point of view and it was..well, thrilling and heart stopping at the same time.

Overall the tight and to the point narration and picture perfect action sequences kept me on the edge of the screen and thank god the climax did not gave me any excuse for loo break. Though i didn't like the voice over (my personal view)and it felt too rough it was like a pain but overall performance of the movie made me forget it.

The movie is a let down from performance point of view..many times you would find that the actors are lacking depth in their characters and merely saying things and it was disappointing. Even the voice over as i mentioned before made it worse..Though the climax was somehow stood against all the bad performance in acting so it was a consolation till some extent.

But go and watch it if you want a swift and quick no nonsense movie who heavily relies on action only and no tears well little bit..this is the real deal..entertaining and real..a good late night watch!! My Rating 7/10.

Well i would like to start with the screenplay..like the previous part the story also somehow remains the same..two guys n one girl..guys fight and girl well she too..but on the other hand...the whole storyline was good but the only thing that was lacking is the climax..could have been much better like the previous one so a total letdown in the end but otherwise the director somehow manages to keep the audience engaged till the end.

I would like to also talk about the cinematography. though HK cinema or any other cinemas are famous for their experimentation in the fight scenes and no matter where you go one will always find that Asian Stunt Directors always does superior jobs compared to Hollywood..but some times too many cooks spoils the broth..that's what happened here..i found that at some places fight scenes were not enough creative for which HK cinema is known for and moreover the camera angles in some fighting sequences were not great and i was not feeling at ease while watching them throw punches and kicks without proper lighting or too much slow motion spoiled the mood. so the action lets you down some where but still good situational stunts keeps the interest alive.

Now the performance part..like previous part the Tony Leung Chiu Wai as Lam steals the show with his comical performance and daring stunts..and QI SHU as JJ stole the show..she was like a fresh air which entertained with her looks and performance and kept the movie entertaining during the whole time..Richie Ren as Owen Lee does OK..though there was nothing much to do for others!!

It was overall a good experience..Tony and Richie Ren's comic scenes keeps the Pace alive so you don't feel the shortcomings of this annoying.. So one time watch but don't expect anything extraordinary..!!

My Rating 7/10.

After missing the special Director's preview this past Thursday i finally got the chance to see it last night with my friend who was not actually willing to go for this flick simply because he is a huge Bollywood movies fan. But as i was planning to see this movie since the teasers started on the you tube & unable to find a ticket for a Bollywood movie which was sold out even for the next morning show i eventually wound up to buy tickets for TINTIN.

Now straight to business.. the movie i saw was in 3D so i liked the technical part & special effects. This movie has some very great 3D effects we all have seen since AVATAR. i was clearly hearing the cheers from crowds & a couple sitting right next to me who were every now & then making a wow! sound. i liked the detailed background picture sequences & every things was so realistic that it does justice with its 3D aspect so i am giving 10/10 on the technical parts including sound effects also.

Now comes the screenplay. Well it can be a 50:50 argument that many people who had been a loyal fan of TINTIN era might find the accounts of the story or the thriller level not up to the mark..but i beg to differ here. I have seen the old Tintin animations and i did not kinda enjoyed them simply because it was so simple i mean no fancy artwork & story was just relied totally on twists & breakneck speed events...but i gotta tell you i loved this movie not because of the story or the amount of the action but the way it has added the technology to represent the right spirit of a TINTIN ADVENTURE. I always wished that a Tintin series should be modified for the taste of our younger generation so that this Gem in the comics industry can regain the place which rightfully belongs to it. So the Director has nicely kept the pace alive during the whole movie & no one felt dull for a moment in the cinema hall so the credit goes to the director & script writers.

Also movie has lots of funny moments which helps the audience to connect with the story in a much positive manner who has not been aware of the TINTIN character especially in Asian subcontinent. While every body coming out of the Cinema hall i remember had a smile on their faces & an expression of satisfaction that they have viewed a fine piece of cinema; so thanks to Steven Spielberg who not only believed in the possibilities of this project but also decided to finance it completely. and his ability to turn simple projects in to a blockbuster can be seen here once again.

SO overall i liked this movie very much..i would also tell you that this is my first animation movie which i have seen inside a Cinema hall..simply because i used to believe that an animation cannot be more entertaining then real actor's performance but i think i need to revisit my old belief.

i thoroughly enjoyed the movie so my rating is 10/10.

Catch it you won't be disappointed..tell your friends & family to see it & don't wait for a pirated copy because some things in life are worth spending money.

Well it has been a really long time since i really felt the urge so strong from inside to actually write a review for a movie. but after viewing this last night i must say i am so excited that i want to share my verdict of this movie with you guys!

well it is a venture of Fox international with a Chinese studio and i must say despite the commercial aspect of the movie overall i liked the movie & perhaps i may again watch it very soon just to enjoy some really entertaining dark humor moments in any Chinese movies so far i have seen.

Well i won't go very far with the plot which every one has read so far on the info page of IMDb but what i want to direct your attention towards is the screenplay narrated is very fluent & keeps the attention & pace intact. once i started with the movie i didn't stopped.

the storyline is mix of humor, sadness, love & above all the Chinese philosophy of wisdom. which not only entertains you but also educates you about how greed & vengeance can be reason of your own pain & demise.

the performance of characters are OK due to the restrictions of the plot as the story is based on Chinese folklore so it doesn't give enough description of characters except their motives so not a really easy job to perform when story itself doesn't provide much about the a character's psychological state except following the mood of the storyline. but even after this The Butcher (Liu Xiaoye) was the main center pillar of the movie who along with his beggar friend every now & then made me laugh even in the serious situations by his silly demeanor or dialogues. and also every now & then appears many enjoyable dark humor moments which made this movie so enjoyable. The plot is really tight & ending is concluded very smartly. every character has played their parts perfectly.

i also would like to add that at the beginning i was not getting the feel of this movie but after 10-14 minutes i started enjoying the movie.. please don't expect any hardcore action stuff from this movie because it is not about the action alone it has a hidden meaning who will force you to think..!!

a very out of league Chinese cinema which i have never imagined existed!! certainly a decent effort from director Wuershan. MY RATING 8/10

SIMPLY BECAUSE IT IS DIFFERENT & FUNNY!!

well i saw the plot and decided to watch simply because i don't remember watching any serial murder movies lately...

i was not expecting anything from the movie because i knew in the first place that it is a low budget project but since the plot was appealing i went ahead and to my surprise i liked this movie in many ways. first the story itself. technically no loopholes in the script. second,characters were totally convincing and it didn't occurred at any point of time that they are unknown or never been in the lime light many times which usually happens in a small budget productions that everything is fine but star cast with poor performance brings the house down. so hats off to the stars of this movie. Third, even without showing much violence the director was able to portray the right scenario of crime scenes. so one dimension of the direction where you don't need a chainsaw or a shotgun to paint the walls with blood and body parts to make it a gore fest. You can look over the present resources and develop a plan to use them in a best possible manner. that's what the director has been able to pulled off. And last but not the least the characters in this movie don't behave in the typical way which we always make fun while watching such movies when we felt that this is the most stupidest thing to do in such a situation like even the most famous movies franchise SAW forced us to think that many times. so showing some things out of league was refreshing to me simply because it makes sense. There is this scene where the female partner of Lotta meets a guy and she refuses to date him simply because his partner is in trouble and she suspects that it is not a coincident that suddenly a guy turns up who seems nice and why he is interested in dating a cop which seems out of ordinary and she suspects that he might be dangerous but it would not have happened in the SAW or any other serial killer movies. so credit goes to director who applied logic with his characters thinking making it more of a thinking character's movie than merely simple performance where character is repeating his lines without bringing feel about his character.

Overall it is a small budget DVD release so i don't want you fellows to expect anything great from this movie but I'd say this technically it is decent film who does OK and has nice performance by stars, also the pace of the story is good so if is a good way to kill time at home and most of you might feel good about it. so given the limitations of the director & producers i would say that it is a nice attempt though screenplay could have been more tight but anyway it is refreshing. upcoming directors might learn something from this movie. My rating 7/10 simply because their hard work entertained me.

WELL I was very excited about the movie when i entered in the theater but it faded away after the 20 minutes duration.. i was hoping that this Conan movie seems different not simply because of involvement of 3D or CGI effects but a lot has been changed in the way movie making works these days. the trailers were nice so everyone was hoping the story is there this time unlike previous installments where only muscles were the center of the story. Hero displays his biceps and holding sword in his both hands..cut, next scene a lovemaking scene...cut... climax..the end.

no wonder why the first two movies never impressed me that they were a genuine effort. they were only made to cash the popularity of Arnold. Well they succeeded but at that time audience were not kept aware of the storyline or screening so that they have a clue of what they are going to see.. they bought ticket just for the sake of star cast.

But current scenario has changed..if the story is good even without an unknown star cast movies works..

This Remake of Conan fails on several levels.. 1. STORY 2. ACTING 3. REPRESENTING SOMETHING WHICH HAS BEEN DONE BETTER WITHOUT THE MODERN TECHNOLOGY IN THE PAST.

I notices many scenes in the 3D version were not getting the feel of 3D. they looked more like 2D quality. I WAS WATCHING many scenes without using my glasses & faced no difficulty at all..I don't know what was in the mind of director during the post production work.

the story was same as the Bollywood directors calls a "MASALA SCRIPT"... i.e. hero is in childhood, his father is on the opposition of villain so villain kills the father of hero to clear his path.. hero runs away or hides himself so that one day he grows up and avenge the death of his family. In India many movies were made on the same theme & they somehow managed to attract the crowd. but this formula has been repeated so many times that even in India people don't go for these films & no wonder filmmakers don't make these kinda films.

But Hollywood audience is way more smarter than this. So how the directors of this movie dared to present this script. where no creativity is present. Because script didn't brought anything new so there was not plenty to do for actors so poor performance in acting. Graphics were good but it cannot holds your interest for the whole 90 minutes or so. My friend was also with me and he doesn't watch many Hollywood movies but even he said that this movie was a crap & waste of money. and i was fully agree with him. I felt that a huge fan base was conned by the filmmakers.

A huge disappointment..!!! 2/10 is my rating.

Finally i got a chance to see this movie. i know it is late for me since the movie has been released 1 and half year earlier. but some negative reviews on IMDb held me back to go for it. But i Got a DVD from a friend and without asking his feedback i came home and started this movie. after 2 hours there was a look of satisfaction on my face. Simply because this movie is so good that it entertained me like Van Helsing & Underworld. One of the greatest movies of this genre. If we leave some technicalities of the movies it is a perfect entertainer for those people who love ware-wolf and vampire stuff. The horror element of the movie is gripping. There are lots of scenes where i almost jumped or shivered due to fear (i usually don't). Though some of you might feel that there is unnecessary gore involved but it goes with the Victorian setting of the story. Plenty of action kept the story's pace alive and suspense kept me at the edge of my seat. Special effect were quite stunning and the transformation scenes are mind blowing. This movie brings you a different version of the ware wolf which we haven't seen in earlier hits. But it works in favor of the movie. I loved everything about the movie. it is a classic piece of cinema. 9/10 would be my rating. I Saw this kind of stuff after a long time and the experience was pleasant.