Green Lantern (2011)

Whaaaaaaaaaat ?

Well I am a big fan of DC Comics and yes of course the Green Lantern. The recent animated movies (and by that I mean First Flight) and not to mention the comics have always managed to keep me riveted. 

When I heard that there is going to be a movie on him, I was so excited that I wanted to watch the movie real bad. The trailer seemed so promising. I was elated when I found great names served in the same bowl – Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Tim Robbins, Mark Strong and Peter Sarsgaard. I had high expectations. (Don’t have that!)

I was so much disappointed by the flick I couldn’t believe the director Martin Campbell (can't believe he is the guy who directed awesome movies like Casino Royale, Goldeneye and The mask of Zorro)got all clumsy mid-way. The story was almost the same. It went actually pretty good albeit with some lame acting. Parallax had affected Peter and had metamorphosed him into a diabolical psychic who seemed so promising that I wanted a fair fight against him and Hal. But it got over so quickly that I didn’t have a chance to even root for him. The training part trained Ryan so fast and well that I was like What the…..?? When the Parallax invaded earth I wanted it to be goddamn destructive. I wanted to see maximum annihilation and some breathtaking scenes in the end but I was surprised by the fact that Ryan had the blob in his platter with a simple thought which he had learned during his training. Before the adrenaline could even pump, it was pacified by the last scene. Sinestro played by Mark Strong said that he would try vanquishing Parallax with his fearless army of green lanterns but goes out on the battlefield with only a couple of green lanterns who get their ass kicked big time. The Guardians prepared a yellow ring which was never used. I was like …. then why go for all the trouble bro! I felt deceived, duped and cheated big time. 

However the story was really great, had it been directed by the likes of Nolan, Slade, Vaughn, Cameron, Snyder or any other thoughtful directors it would have been a huge hit.

Blake Lively tried her best but I didn’t expect much from her either. Tim Robbins had such a small onscreen role that it makes one wonder - Was he even there? While Ryan tries to hover around hither and thither in the movie there are only a few scenes that had great 3D effects and which had me drooling, the rest was pretty lame. I kept on watching Sinestro eventually as I wanted to be hinted how he turns foul but that never happened either.

The green was not enough, should have tried another because it was all god-damn colorless.

X-Men: First Class (2011)

Matthew, the mighty, Vaughn. I've seen all four of his movies and I must say he has never disappointed me so far. Layer Cake is still the most mind-boggling movie of all times. I can't get rid of Stardust from my mind and Kick-ass is the finest flick I've ever come across and my collection still retains it(Waiting for the sequel Kick-Ass 2: Balls to the Wall, keeping my fingers crossed for that). Matthew Vaughn was definitely the guy I'd go for, that was the first reason why I wanted to go watch the flick.

Actually, there were a couple of more reasons why I wanted to see this movie real bad.

James McAvoy, reason no.2, with awesome movies like Wanted and Atonement to his name, 'him in the boots of Charles' - I was a bit inquisitive.

Reason no. 3 - Magneto, My favourite character in the X-men saga (with Cyclops sharing the same position in the list) I was not sure whether Michael Fassbender was the right person for it(But you know what? He was impeccable as Erik.) 

Reason no. 4 - The awesome trailer and the trailer's music. I couldn't help humming the music every now and then. 

Reason no. 5 - Kurt's(Nightcrawler's) father Azazel, I was looking forward for this guy because Marvel Comics had manifested him as one of the most powerful mutant(teleporting in a different dimension even in the Mutant Chronicles is no joke, Right?) Although they modify the story every now and then (Geez !!! what about the part where Mystique falls in love with Azazel in Germany and conceives Nightcrawler?)

Reason no. 6 - The Oscar nominated actress Jennifer Lawrence(for Winter's Bone) had bagged the role for Raven? "CURIOUS"...........!!!

Reason no. 7 - Rose Byrne, I am watching her movies ever since I saw her in Troy and Wicker Park. Was looking forward to watch her as the famous Moira MacTaggert.

Reason no. 8 - Kevin Bacon, Although the trailer 'hardly' showed him hither and thither, I was looking forward for his role as Shaw and guess what he proved to be the finest of all! Reason no. 8 - A big fan of Marvel Comics and the X-men saga. So no questions there.

Some great acting by the entire crew with the HellFire Club's lead Kevin Bacon as Shaw, Riptide(he never spoke, dumb-ass! What up), Jason Flemyng as Azazel(now that's called skillful), January Jones as Emma Frost and of course the X team as well with Nicholas Hoult as Beast, James McAvoy as Charles, Fassbender as Magneto, Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique etc. The movie was kick-ass and worth watching. The screenplay was brilliant. Vaughn, no words to express his direction and Kevin Bacon along with Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy stole the show.

Heat (1995)

I’m a big fan of Michael Mann. Public Enemies, Collateral and The insider are still my favourite flicks.

Man-o-man Too bad I saw this movie too late in the 21st century….. Had I known somehow about it I wouldn’t have wasted a single moment to watch this flick.

Boy these are the actors, the real grim Robert De Niro and the coolest Al Pacino. What a combination awesome rivalry, finest actors ever in the same bowl.

While Robert De Niro plays a thief who is the boss of a group which had guys like Val Kilmer, Tom Sizemore, Danny Trejo in it, he keeps his head low and has rarely ever caught heat until this time with Al Pacino in the driving seat as a detective handling his team of cops, who is merciless yet cool and has never failed to nail any case. Al Pacino is keen on catching Robert De Niro whilst a robbery is being performed as it would mean a big sentence for De Niro but blunders on his end causes De Niro to flee more than once. A failed attempt to execute a fellow member of his group costs De Niro’s group a lot as he leaves one end of the cut thread open which leads Al Pacino’s team to slowly crawl over their necks.
While the movie went on I developed a soft corner for De Niro albeit he was a robber in the movie he was good at heart. He never gave precedence to love ever but eventually falls in love with a girl played by Amy Brenneman but things get ugly when she comes to know about his real identity. Al Pacino’s personal life is a mess too with two divorces and an attempt to rectify the third he keeps on trailing De Niro till the end. If it weren’t for his diligence in his work he would have been a good husband as well but not a genius at his job.
The screenplay was amazing. De Niro had one maxim that he always followed – ‘Never have anything in your life that you can't walk out on in thirty seconds flat, if you spot the heat coming around the corner' However he disobeys his own adage which costs him in the end.

The movie ends with a sad note although it was the most apposite ending to such a movie. Great direction by Michael Mann, great story …… Hats off to him…… Excellent choice (when he chose Al Pacino and Robert De Niro for the lead roles). The movie could have gone unnoticed or called as a clichéd one if it weren’t for the superb performances by the two veteran actors.

Priest (2011)

Man I was thrilled for this one when I saw the trailer for the first time. Karl Urban looked like the finest, meanest and the coolest nemesis but I was duped when I actually saw the movie. Paul Bettany, famous for his lovely speech-acting had only a few things to say in the flick while Cam Gigandet was 'all words and no action'. Maggie Q provided with few great action moves but eventually when I needed a climax in the movie there was none. The story wasn't well woven....The action scenes were limited unlike what the trailer suggested.

87 min flick, I thought it would have its twists and turns but I was deceived by the trailer big time. The movie finished in a jiffy albeit indicative of the next part but that hardly mattered as they failed to deliver the MOJO in this one. It could have been much much better if only it wasn't directed by Scott Charles Stewart. I know the guy worked wonders in the visual effects department but didn't his earlier venture include Legion ??? What can I say !!! I wanted it to be like Van

Helsing, if only Richard Roxburgh was given the role of The Hat, I kept on saying, but alas the director had the strings in his hands. The screenplay was already set. Poor editing as well I must say when they couldn't manifest the quintessential part of the flick, they could have come up with a psychotic twist in the end, the trio could've fought with an entire army of vampires ... or something like that....or

anything like that !!! It was all lame bro... I was left with a sour taste eventually !!!

The Painted Veil (2006)

Now that is called a movie. Wonderful chemistry! So apparent in today’s scenario and yet been depicted in a subtle manner.

Strange how Naomi Watts wanted a guy who would sweep her off her feet, ends up with Edward Norton who loves her beyond limit and marries her (although she doesn’t love him and does that in order to escape her mundane family life). Pretty soon he discovers his wife cheating on him falling for Liev Schreiber behind his back. She gets involved with Liev Schreiber although when the topic for a divorce is raised she gets baffled by an agreement of Edward after Liev flatly rejects her. However she follows Edward to a camp in China (as his agreement demanded) where the disease of Cholera was widespread like an epidemic. Edward being a doctor tries to help the people while she realizes how stupid she had been to betray a guy like Edward. She realizes her mistake and jumps in to assist him in every possible way.

The movie is wonderfully directed which apparently involved a great storyline. The flick is a worth watch as it toys with human emotions and elucidates both sides of the coin in a subtle manner. You have to sympathize with Norton and Watts sometimes although you would want everything to end happily.

The credit entirely goes to Edward Norton and Naomi Watts because of their joint venture and the magic that they created together. Although the director John Curran did some great directing here the writer W. Somerset Maugham’s novel shouldn’t be forgotten which deserves more kudos than anything else. Cinematography was brilliant. The story was well portrayed with an apt screenplay.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)

Jason Segel is trying to forget his girlfriend who breaks up with him at the very beginning of the flick and forgetting her is what he actually endeavours in the entire movie. Although it isn’t as easy as it seems. Every time he tries to get away from her he deliberately ends up getting close to her.

The movie is a comedy and of course a romantic one with a great star cast (most of them are my favourites). Who doesn’t love Russell Brand and wait he shows up as Aldous Snow the psychotic singer who is the current boyfriend of Kristen Bell. Mila Kunis is a receptionist at Hawaii where Jason Segel goes to mend his broken heart and ends up finding his girlfriend with Aldous Snow, (although I’m pretty sure that was an intentional attempt too). Mila Kunis aids him at the time of need which grabs the attention of Jason who finds her attractive and caring. She dates him (so he says) and starts liking her although he isn’t able to move on as Sarah shows up every now and then. This however causes some tension between Mila and Jason which leaves a miffed Mila eventually. Now it is the job of Jason to move on, stop thinking about his ex and make matters straight with Mila Kunis who is in deeply in love with him.

The movie has some great characters like Jonah Hill, Paul Rudd etc. who added flavour to the comedy.

I personally like Jason Segel for his acting and he happens to be one of my favourite actors for the character Marshall Eriksen the one he plays in ‘How I met your mother’. I have seen him act in a couple of movies and I must say I am pretty impressed with his comedy. He came up with such a wonderful story (yep he wrote it) and that in itself is a bravado.

Forgetting Sarah Marshal wouldn’t disappoint you at all. It is a real good movie and you wouldn’t stop laughing as the entire movie rolls on with fun written in every clip.

Cold mountain (2003)

Kudos to Jude Law and Nicole Kidman ( and how can I not mention the mouthy and boisterous Renée Zellweger). They were bloody brilliant in the movie. Albeit the story moulded itself in a predictable fashion, it was exceptionally well directed by Anthony Minghella. Love was what bound them together (Jude and Nicole), although the moments were brief and the talks were tacit, Nicole kept on waiting patiently for Law while he eagerly wanted to return for her. A great love story, I'd say,
hardly possible in today's scenario. While we always want things to end up happily, the movie ends up with a sad note. While I watched the flick I had a premonition that something bad was going to happen eventually.

Natalie Portman's role was brief although very well portrayed as a widow. Giovanni Ribisi and Philip Seymour Hoffman performed their part very well. Renée Zellweger surely deserved an Oscar for her performance. She was brilliant and fluent with her accent. Nicole Kidman was amazing in the flick. While the whole world crumbled upon
her and the wicked self proclaimed sheriff Ray Winstone kept on coming at her house asking her to give up but she wouldn't. She kept on patiently waiting for Law to come back as he had promised her. The war had separated them and that war demanded every man from the Cold Mountain to show up while the crude Ray Winstone didn't allow anyone who absconded from the war to live as he hunted them down wherever he
found a runner.

Jude Law had to return for her. She had to wait for him. That is the basis of the entire story. It was a well written story by Charles Frazier with a brilliant screenplay by Anthony himself. A wonderful love story with marvellous dialogues and great acting by the actors in the flick. I would rate this movie a 7 on 10. Albeit the story went on in a predictable fashion it was brilliantly directed and well produced eventually. It managed to wet the cheeks of the viewers and that is
what acting and directing is all about.