Tuesday, November 3, 2015

crimson peak (2015). directed by guillermo del toro.


i am disappointed with this film. i adored del toro's previous film - pan's labyrinth (2006) - so my expectations are high that the master of horror will outdo himself. but that's not what he sets out to do with this one. while the set and atmosphere of horror is atmospheric, and the costume is nice too - i am afraid that's all that is good about the film. i feel like they all go to waste because it's all surface but not enough story - character development is so so that i don't find any of them believable. 

recently i watched the woman in black 2 (2014) - it's unfortunate that del toro's is an expensive version of this film. 

Monday, November 2, 2015

pawn sacrifice (2014). directed by edward zwick.


my brother said the thing that he doesn't like about director edward zwick is that he doesn't deliver a punch line. that may well be true - but the story of bobby fischer and his paranoia is like slipping on big slope down hill to a black hole. the guy is obviously unstable - but so many interested parties propped him up to serve their agenda while conveniently sacrificing his need for mental health.  i like the cold war atmosphere depicted in this film, and i think the actors are excellent. it's always good to see tobey maguire doing something outside of his spiderman suit.  

and yes - chess is very intense. 

the visit (2015). directed by m. night shyamalan.


two siblings went to visit their grandparents for the first time as they are estranged from their mother who had run away from home when she was younger. the kids are excited and decided they will film the whole event as a way to reconcile their mother with her parents. at the first the old folks seems pretty regular - but it didn't take long for them to be not so regular for shyamalan to employ his suspense here and there. what i like about this film is that it doesn't take itself seriously - there are some funny moments when it is scary at the same time. word of advice - don't let your kids travel alone to visit someone you hardly know. 

the voices (2014). directed by marjane satrapi.


the tragedy of human life is that we are borned alone, and for some of us it is a persistent condition with no escape. yes, ryan reynolds character is most likely schizophrenic who refused to take this medications because he wants what we all take for granted - friends, companionship, someone to talk to - which he could not get through regular means of interaction due to trauma that he experienced in the past. he's likable, but very alienated at the same time. you feel sorry for him and empathize with his burden of pain - never trust a sunny disposition that could be hiding a world of hurt. 

ps: i think marjane satrapi wrote that delightful book - persepolis. 

big eyes (2014). directed by tim burton.


it's a delight to watch a tim burton film - i like the contrasts he employed by having bright colours in the film despite the fact that it is about a talented painter - a woman being exploited by her husband for fame and riches. the upbeat mood of the film is well conveyed by christoph waltz - abuser, manipulator, always too fond of the limelight.  he doesn't care that he's putting his wife on a regular basis - and this is not just about the money, it's also about feeding his fragile ego. it's very satisfying that the film ends with him losing rights to the big eyes painting - when he all but forget how to paint, because it's never his work in the first place. 

self/less (2015). directed by tarsem singh


a miss from tarsem singh. i couldn't even finished it even though i usually enjoy watching matthew goode and ryan reynolds - the both of them can't save a film lacking in, a believeable plot, i guess - that quality in christopher nolan films that gets you to suspend reality voluntarily. watching self/less, i am constantly reminded of how silly the whole story is, and it is a tired regurgitation of tried and tested action movies plots that it doesn't have anything new to offer the viewer.  

Sunday, September 20, 2015

the man from U.N.C.L.E (2015). directed by guy ritchie.


departing from my usual dislike of action films, i come to like the man from U.N.C.L.E very much. it doesn't take itself seriously, at least the two main characters try to have fun with all the pretensions that they need to carry. it has a little bit of the early steven soderbergh's ocean films, which is fun. i read some other reviews and a lot of critics don't enjoy this movie as much - calling it plot-less and such, but i've been watching too many cartoons on the big screen that despite the colour attack, i find the film lightheartedness really nice. to give credit to guy ritchie's style of direction, i wouldn't have watched this on the basis of armie hammer and henry cavill alone. 

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

avengers: age of ultron (2015). directed by joss whedon.


i find this movie so tiring to watch. despite the explosions and hyperactivity of all sorts, special effects where suspension of disbelief is meaningless, i find myself yawning and thinking when is this monstrosity is going to end. didn't help that i was seated 2 seats away from the screen. 

Monday, September 7, 2015

child 44 (2015). directed by daniel espinosa.


been a long time indeed! i vow i must starting writing about films again. 

this movie has the hallmark of a could be better film, but it sort of got stuck somewhere, like the story telling could not grow further. the actors are fine, very watchable, in fact the subject matter at hand about murdered children could be expanded into something more in the hands of a more capable director or writer. the background of the story is ukraine after the second world war, when the country suffered greatly under the iron fist of joseph stalin who imposed holodomor (man made famine) on the population leaving many dead and children, parentless. great background, and then the uneasy relationship between married couple leo (tom hardy) and raisa (noomi rapace) who had just got to know the truth about each other went on an investigative adventure to unmask the killer who preyed on children - which is all well - but somehow failed to hit the note. 

the film is littered with known names, but i feel something is missing.