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samarthan_mahaviran
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Gone Girl (2014)
Wafer-thin plot..
Gone-baby is master movie-maker David Fincher's latest offering. It is an adaptation of a book of the same name where a supposedly happy family is shattered on the day of their 5th anniversary by the disappearance of the wife. The plot dwells on a search hunt for the missing person, character assassinations, mudslinging and "reading between the lines" by the media.
The premise is brilliant, the cast is perfect, the director is a genius, the trailer a real humdinger, but, the movie is a real let- down. I read somewhere that a movie with a bad script is unsalvageable and this film is a perfect example. The number of loopholes in the movie that are left untouched are astonishing and make a mockery of our intelligence. I have no clue how this movie is a hit and how the rating is this high in an intellectual e-society such as the IMDb. The only thing that would make me want to recommend this movie to someone is for the sheer element of surprise that sends your brain into a calamitous frenzy on how conveniently things pan out in the end. But wait, just watch another movie.
Side Effects (2013)
Oh, the side effects!!
Soderbergh's supposed swansong, Side effects is a 'Hitchcockian' look into the world of pharmaceutical medicine. Me, being a physician, was drawn to the film due to the medical aspect of the movie, my personal interest in psychiatry and the medicines, and its side effects. However, Soderbergh casts a fine web entangled in deceit, lawsuits, marital relationship and medical liability.
The movie deals with Emily (Rooney Mara) and her relatively new FDA approved depression medicine, prescribed by Dr Banks (Jude Law) and the perilous effects that it might have on our body even in the face of all the perceived good that it might do.
Talking more about the move gives away the suspense and the review become a spoiler and thus I will conclude with this-the movie is certainly enjoyable, gives away its climax too early, is not at the technical or cinematograpnical level of "Traffic" or "Oceans 11", but has twists, great performances from Mara and Law and is a red flag to our selves during an age of pill-gulping.
Hola Venky! (2014)
Thoroughly enjoyable!
Hola Venky! is intelligent film making. It portrays Venky, short for Venkatesh, divorced, clueless, living a mule's life. Venky is working in IT and cannot make up decisions and carries on living his ultra boring, confused existence. Life offers him a chance at redemption and the movie is an honest, funny and poignant outlook on the way in which he embraces his salvation. It is an experimental indie-comedy feature film which is the second directorial venture by Sandeep Mohan after the critically acclaimed 'Love, Wrinkle-free' . The director offers a low budget movie with strong visuals and a "pay as you wish" concept. I would strongly recommend this movie to anyone ready for some old good hearted comedy, spiced with stunning insight into the Indian psyche.
Trance (2013)
Danny Boyle, I am impressed, but....
Trance is Danny Boyle's foray into the world of psychoanalysis and hypnotism.
James McAvoy plays an art auctioneer who gets robbed by Vincent Cassell. McAvoy pulls one on Cassell and stashes the valuable painting-Goya's "Witches in the Air". McAvoy has a contusion-possible Subdural hemorrhage and when he wakes up cannot remember where he hid it.
Through strong persuasion from Cassell, McAvoy is forced to enlist the help of Rosario Dawson, a hypnotist, to try and locate the painting.
A very enterprising premise, a brilliant director and a wonderful cast. However, the movie that ensues leaves the viewer confused. Boyle goes from extremely poignant imagery to surreal visuals and non linear story telling, which, in the end do not convey a plausible story line.
McAvoy pulls a blinder and is easily the star of the show. Cassell is Cassell as always. Rosario eases into the role and looks beautiful.
A very interesting watch, unfortunately, not a very brilliant one.
1983 (2014)
Homage to the 1983 team and one Mr Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar
1983 is a well crafted, well executed sports movie that led me through an exercise in nostalgia-my childhood in Kerala-playing cricket with "madal" bat(hand-crafted cricket bat from the a coconut tree part), watching cricket and Sachin Tendulkar as if your life depended on it. The movie is humorous, classy and very sincere in its attempt to paint a canvas of 1990-2000s Kerala and maybe India in general. Rameshan, played by Nivin Pauly is a master cricketer in his small town of Brahmamangalam, where he is revered like Sachin Tendulkar is at the national stage. He dedicates his life to Cricket and is addicted to the game. His father and his sweetheart try to change his ways but his passion for the game always came first. The movie follows him through his life and with cricket always in the background, is a genuine entertainer. Nivin Pauly looks good and puts in another excellent performance. The rest of the cast does not disappoint. Final note-we miss those leg glances, SRT!!!
Dummy (2002)
brilliant...
Dummy is a wonderful colorful movie that I just picked up because i really like Adrian Brody and Vera Farmiga. But surprise, surprise....the real star of the show is neither of the two. Milla Jovovich as the incessantly cursing punk rock star steals the show. The movie is essentially about a shy person(Brody) who wants to be a ventriloquist and his tumultuous life. Milla is his only friend who is brash and loud. She tries to help him out when Brody is interested in his employment counselor(Farmiga).
A brilliantly scripted movie with a lot of funny scenes (mostly involving Milla's antics) is the second movie by Greg Pritkin and his best. I would highly recommend this movie to anyone who likes comedies of the Wes Anderson genre, i.e, either of The Darjeeling Limited or The royal Tenenbaums.....