Wednesday, October 24, 2012

To the Wonder (2012)



Director: Terrence Malick
Writer:    Terrence Malick
Cast:       Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Javier Bardem
New film from Terrence Malick and will be releasing soon to wide audience.

Ran (1985)

Director:   Akira Kurosawa
Writers:    Akira Kurosawa, Hideo Oguni, Masato Ide
Language: Japanese
Set in feudal Japan, an elderly lord abdicates to his three sons, and the two corrupt ones turn against him.

The story is based on legends of the daimyo Mori Motonari and the Shakespearean tragedy 'King Lear'. The word 'Ran' in Japanese mean chaos. It is filmed in a soap operatic way with 'Big Fuck Off' battle sequences that uses none of the CGI shit that we are used to. At the time of making Ran was the most expensively made Japanese film.

Rating: 4.5/5

Saturday, October 13, 2012

28 Days Later... (2002)

Director: Danny Boyle
Writers:  Alex Garland
Cast:      Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Christopher Eccleston
Four weeks after a mysterious incurable virus spreads throughout the UK, a handful of survivors try to find sanctuary.

It is a very nicely made film which doesn't take itself too seriously. Very stylishly shot and another solid film from Danny Boyle.

Rating: 3.5/5

Friday, October 12, 2012

Prometheus (2012)

Director: Ridley Scott
Writers:  Jon Spaihts, Damon Lindelof
Cast:      Michael Fassbender, Noomi Rapace, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce, Idris Elba
A team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a journey to the darkest corners of the universe. There, they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of mankind.

Good things first-fantastic visuals and great performance from Fassbender as usual. Bad things-basic plot is laughable. The film tries to be cheesy as well as ambiguous at the same time and doesn't come out well. Overall a decent watch and we have to see if they make a sequel to this.

Rating: 3/5

Monday, October 8, 2012

Bez konca (No End) (1985)

Director: Krzysztof Kieslowski
Writers:  Krzysztof KieslowskiKrzysztof Piesiewicz
Language: Polish
It's 1982: Poland is under martial law, and Solidarity is banned. Ulla, a translator working on Orwell, suddenly loses her husband, Antek, an attorney. She is possessed by her grief, and Antek continues to appear to her. She seeks to free herself in her work, in her relationship with her son, in sex, and in hypnosis. In a subplot, Ulla refers the wife of one of her husband's clients Darek, a jailed Solidarity strike organizer to Labrador, a world-weary, aging attorney, who works to free Darek by various political manipulations and psychological ploys.

Its similar in theme to the first installment in the 'Three Colours' trilogy-Blue. It is also the first collaboration of Kieslowski with the writer Krzysztof Piesiewicz. Its more than a good film with an excellent performance from Grazyna Szapolowska.

Rating: 3.5/5

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

Director: Wes Anderson
Writers:  Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola
Cast:      Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton
A pair of  young lovers flee their New England town , which cause a local search party to fan out and find them.
Wes Anderson is back to form with Moonrise Kingdom after couple of underwhelming efforts in 'Life Aquatic' and 'Darjeeling Limited' (I know he did the fantastic 'Fantastic Mr.Fox). Those who like his films would certainly love it and it won't convert those who usually don't. The two kids who are making their debut are excellent and the seniors do their small parts well.

Rating: 4/5