The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)

[a big improvement over the first part]

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)

IMDB- 9.1 (Initial rating.To be updated later)

RottenTomatoes- 74%

RJG Ratings- 94

Bilbo and the dwarves continue their trek towards the misty mountains.

Starring- Martin Freeman,Richard Armitage,Luke Evans ,Ian McKellan

Director- Peter Jackson

Hobbit 2 is not a standalone movie at any cost.You HAVE to see the first part before seeing this one.

The cast do a wonderful job once again.Although its still very difficult for much focus to be given to the less prominent dwarves ,Peter Jackson does his best to get each one a good scene to shine.Martin Freeman does a good job as Bilbo.His character is slowly developed through the course of the movie ,giving him more opportunity to break free from the naive role he showed in the first movie.

Ian Mckellan has a very reduced role in the movie comparatively ,similar to his role in Two Towers.At times his role feels too stretched and unnecessary.Richard as Thorin once again gives a good performance.Orlando Bloom returns to the trilogy after a decade as Legolas.His role as a younger and more rash Legolas was great.Evangeline Lilly shines in the sole female role.Luke Evans as Barde was another excellent addition. 

The story is once again stretched to the point of breaking.It doesnt have the smoothness of the earlier Lord of the Rings.Its quite easy to notice these stretch points ,and it sort of ruins the pace.But unlike the first part ,Jackson has tried his best to cover these points.A lot could have been edited out, and the 160min movie could have been reduced by 10-15min.

Another major issue was the abrupt ending.It was a complete cliffhanger situation.And once again the stretching issue plays a major part here.Hobbit 2's finale, will now only be taking place in Hobbit 3's starting.Its predictable though.

The character development was good ,and all the characters were well fleshed out.The real surprise ,was the love story that Jackson has tried to infuse into the story.

The visual effects once again take the center stage.The beautiful background and the exciting action sequences will leave you spellbound.But the real winner was kept for last!And yes ,its SMAUG.The dragon's grand reveal was hidden for months ,and getting to see Smaug in his full form ,with all the effects ,was definitely worth the wait!Every scene with him was intense and thrilling.

The action sequences were brilliant.Most noteworthy was the barrel sequence ,which was hilarious and exciting at the same time!The final portion (Laketown) was beautifully shot.

The fight choreography was awesome and hilarious at times!

Direction by Jackson was great ,but not upto his potential.While he successfully manages to capture the magic of Middle Earth with his eye for detail and lavish doses of visual beauty ,he stumbles with the story telling.The climax for example kept switching to multiple stories that reduced the impact of the exciting Bilbo-Smaug meeting.He wasnt really able to juggle the Gandalf story ,the Laketown story and the Bilbo story smoothly.

But Jackson did fix much of the pacing issues that hogged the first part.The second part was more focused on action sequences and the story, and it didnt let the excitement level drop at any point.

I might have sounded a bit harsh with the movie ,but you have to remember that its in the shadows of one of the greatest trilogies of all time-Lord of the Rings ,which at this point Hobbit will never outshine.

Overall Hobbit 2 was a GIANT improvement over the first part ,but it still isnt without its faults.A must watch whether you liked the first movie or not.

Acting- 4/5

Story- 4/5

Direction- 4/5

Action- 5/5

Visual Effects -5/5

Drama- 4.5/5

Thriller -5/5

#hobbit #DesolationofSmaug #smaug

Despicable Me 2 (2013)

[a pale sequel]

Despicable Me 2 (2013)

IMDB- 7.5

RottenTomatoes- 75%

RJG Ratings- 65

Gru is asked to find out a dangerous villain ,by the anti villain league.

Starring- Steve Carell,Kristen Wiig

Director- Pierre Coffin ,Chris Renaud

Steve Carrel returns as Gru and once again he does a great job.The cast for Despicable Me 2 is great and everyone does a fine job. 

Animation was pretty good.The colourful world of gru and gang is once again beautifully recreated by Dreamworks.But if you have to compare it with the top guys in todays market,Pixar, then Dreamworks still have plenty to catch up.While the minions were great ,there were still many other parts which could have been improved.For some reason i found the climax a bit lazy in the animation department.

Back in 2010 , Despicable Me surprised everyone by presenting a story that even though tailored for kids ,captured the attention of adults as well.So how does the sequel stand up?Not too great.The story tried to bring in something new but kept falling short of delivering a satisfying end for each scene.It raises hopes but then just gives up lazily.

Even though its a kids movie theres still some very huge plot holes and clichés which keep pulling us out of the movie.Easy solutions and coincidences run aplenty in Despicable Me 2.

Direction was good but it doesnt match up to their previous work.They dont exactly raise the bar with the sequel.They underperform.The pacing was good at the beginning but starts to drag in the second half.A lack of a strong central message is missing ,and this makes the sequel not too memorable.

The comedy was good ,but all are at kids level.The minions were good ,but minions alone dont guarantee a good movie.The movie isnt bad but its way below the high expectations.

Overall,Despicable Me2 is a colourful movie with plenty of minions and fun....for kids.Grown ups might find this pretty average.

Animation -4/5

Story -2.5/5

Direction -3/5

Comedy -3/5

Action -4/5

Romance -3.5/5

Oblivion (2013)

[a good sci fi timepass]

Oblivion (2013)

IMDB- 7

RottenTomatoes- 54%

RJG Ratings- 55

after defeating an invading alien army ,a lone soldier is left guarding the Earth. 

Starring- Tom Cruise ,Andrea R ,Olga K ,Morgan Freeman

Director- Joseph Kosinski

Tom cruise is the main pillar of this movie and he gives a good performance.His youthful looks and years of experience allows him to breeze through this movie without any issues.His charisma and screen presence ,completely overshadows everyone else.Morgan,Olga and Andrea give good supporting roles.Andrea, a comparatively  a new actress, stood out among the supporting cast.

Chemistry between Tom and Olga never actually took off as the movie expected ,it was weak.

The story had a good concept ,but somehow fell apart towards the end.It didnt have a proper finishing touch and doesnt tie up the loose ends.While the climax had a pretty great twist ,the movie stumbles plenty of time prior ,that you dont get the expected punch.The first half left me wanting to see more of the aliens but the movie changes tracks to a more disappointing alternative in the second half.Also the trailers were all pretty spoilerish. 

Direction by Joseph is good.While he has a good eye for the setting and the visuals, he lets the story part slide.But Oblivion was a much better attempt by him compared to his previous movie, Tron Legacy,which had all visuals and a boring story.The pacing of the movie was good.

The visual effects were perfect ,blending naturally into the background.But it would have been great if the story had little more scope to compliment the visuals.

Overall, Oblivion is an time pass movie.Tom Cruise fans wont be disappointed.But the movie doesnt leave a memorable mark on your minds like other sci-fi movies.

Acting- 3.5/5

Story- 3/5

Direction- 3/5

Action- 4/5

Visual Effects- 4.5/5

Thriller- 3.5/5

Drama- 2.5/5

Romance- 2.5/5

#oblivion #tomcruise #scifi

Kick-Ass 2 (2013)

[a gritty but imperfect sequel]

Kick-Ass 2 (2013)

IMDB- 6.9

Rottentomatoes- 29%

RJG Rating- 70

Dave and Mindy try to live life after quitting being superheroes ,but are drawn back in by a new wave of vigilantes and villains.

Starring- Aaron Taylor-Johnson,Chloë Grace,Christopher Mintz

Director- Jeff Wadlow

Aaron Taylor once again gives a good performance as Kick Ass.It might not be as charming as the first but its still enough to get you hooked to the movie.Chloe ,who was a big hit with her Hit Girl role, gives another excellent performance but it doesnt reach the heights she set with the first movie.Christopher Mintz as the villain ,improves upon his earlier role and is quite evil in his performance.Jim Carrey has a very good role in the movie and hes a surprising addition to the movie.But he still rocks it and his final scene is pretty emotional.The supporting cast were all satisfactory.A bit disappointing part of the cast was cutting off Lyndsy Fonseca's role in a matter of 5sec.

The story is where the movie falters a bit.While the movie does expand the universe of the first movie ,it misses quite a beat when trying to tie things up.Theres a poor character development situation running in the movie.Although theres more characters ,there stories are left untold and they're involvement in the happenings of the movie are at many times downplayed.

The ending itself was a mixture of confusion as to how the storylines were wrapped up.

One thing the movie does boast is of a more darker and more grittier type of story telling.This is pretty much presented nicely but the writers force in jokes at such times and it reduces the effect considerably.Kick Ass 2's comedy doesnt reach upto the first ones levels and the sequel loses its way in approaching the movie in a more grittier nature.While romance was a second fiddle in the first one ,the sequel is pretty muddled in that category.Its just not properly presented.

The action was pretty good but pales in comparison to the smoothness of the first movie.

Direction by Wadlow is good.While he manages to put together another tale of inexperienced superheroes ,he fails in finding the perfect blend,which Mathew Vaughn had in Kick Ass 1.The pacing of the movie was great.The story just keeps on rolling without entering into dull spots or dragging sequences.

Overall Kick-Ass2 is a mixed bag.This sequel cant match upto the original but its still a good movie of this year.

Acting- 4/5

Story- 3/5

Direction- 3/5

Action- 4.5/5

Suspense- 4/5

Comedy- 3/5

#kickass #kickass2

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Grown Ups 2 (2013)

[one of the worst movie ive seen in years] 

Grown Ups 2 (2013)

IMDB- 5.2

Rottentomatoes- 08%

RJG Ratings- 0

story - (empty)

Starring- Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade

Director- Dennis Dugan

[A small disclaimer before i start:I sort of enjoyed Grown Ups 1.If a guy who thinks GU1 was ok ,and considers GU2 terrible ,you can just imagine how bad GU2 truly is.Back to the review...]

Grown Ups 2 is just terrible.Ive never seen such an idiotic movie with so many A-list actors.Everyone sucks.Be it Adam Sandler ,who just walks through this movie without a sense of character or anything.Its just him being him ,but with added stupidity.Its also strange that this is his first sequel in his 20+ long career.

Kevin James proves once again he doesnt know anything ,when it comes to acting.Its pathetic to watch anyone from this movie show their face on screen.Out of work actress ,Salma Hayek ,doesnt manage to add anything into this mess.Chris Rock has some moments ,but its all wasted effort.

The story! I kid you not ,theres NOTHING!Its so blank ,that i forgot i watched this movie the next day!The movie just rambles on with mini skits which are utter lame.Whatever main plot the writers think they had in mind is nothing but stuff that lasts for just 5-10min of screentime.Its interesting it took 3 people to write this half page story.Theres no driving force that warrants a sequel.Each character is given some small dilemma ,and with that in the background ,they add all sorts of lame jokes.From start to finish ,its plain STUPID.

The comedy is pathetic and are at the heights of lameness.There is no excuse for this sort of crap.The first scene is of a deer who urinates on Adam.I hope it happens to him in real life.Theres absolutely nothing even remotely funny in GU2.Stuff like 'Burp Snart' (burp-sneeze-fart) and other toilet humour is the only type jokes you can expect from this movie.

Dennis Dugan ,the director who keeps Adam Sandler's career alive, is one terrible director.GU2 is even worse than his previous bomb ,Jack and Jill!The movie doesnt even have one link between it that connects the story.I have seen 20min TV shows that have more story than this movie.

This is one of the most obvious cash grabbing movies ive ever seen.Just take a look at that poster!Its as if Sandler himself made it.The movie reaks of cheapness.

Overall ,GU2 is terrible.Even if you liked movies such as GU1 or Zohan or any other usual crap from Adam Sandler ,GU2 is worse than all of them.Its that bad!

Acting- 0/5

Story- 0/5

Direction- 0/5

Comedy- 0/5

The World's End (2013)

[Edgar wright deliver another gem!]

The World's End (2013)

IMDB- 7.5

RottenTomatoes- 89%

RJG Rating- 100

5 friends reunite to visit their hometown and complete a task they had left incomplete 23years back

Starring- Simon Pegg,Nick Frost,Paddy Considine,Martin Freeman,Eddie Marsan

Director- Edgar Wright

World's End is the finale of the Cornetto Trilogy ,of which the first two parts were Shaun Of the Dead & Hot Fuzz.To the uninformed ,the 3 movies arent about one continuous storyline but are 3 stand-alone movies.But all 3 are connected by a series of jokes and similarities.More than that they are about friendship.Simon Pegg & Nick Frost play the lead in all 3 movies.

Simon and Nick once again deliver brilliant chemistry and performances.This gives the movie a solid boost.Both of them have roles that are very different from their usual ones.Simon gets a total wacko role while Nick plays a serious character.Both are truly fantastic in comedy and can really hold the fort down with their dramatic scenes as well.Joining them are a backup of supporting actors, all of whom give strong performances.Be it Marin Freeman ,who plays a sort of similar character to the ones he usually plays , or be it Eddie Marsan and Paddy Considine who are comparatively lesser known actors.Both Eddie and Paddy do excellent and adds to the strong cast power rather than be just background actors.They all are given scenes to shine and they make full use of such moments.

The story for Worlds End is excellent.Its brimmed with wit and humour and contains loads of references to the other two movies of the series.The story has a strong core which is the reason why a wacky concept like World's End can run smoothly.Speaking of concept ,it also has a nice twist that will leave you thinking.World's End succeeds in presenting an alien invasion that has plenty of layers to it.The characters were very well developed and some might even remind you of your own friends.

While most movies would have ended at a particular point,World's End goes a bit beyond.Giving a small epilogue as well.All i all it was a perfect way to end such a tale!

Edgar Wright proves once again that hes a brilliant director!With Worlds End he wraps up his Cornetto trilogy with a fond farewell.With another tale of friendship in the midst of madness, Edgar pleases the fans of the series.From start to finish the movie was a fun ride thanks to the actors and the comedy.There wasnt a single dull moment in the movie.Edgar brings the best out of his cast and utilizes each and everyone to the max.

The dialogues were excellent.The end conversation between Gary King and the villain was simply amazing.Certainly a unique way to wrap things up.

Another fun part of the movie was the action scenes which were hilarious as well as fantastic.The camera captures the madness all too well!The music choices were apt and brings the audience into the late 80's world.The comedy was fresh and witty as well.

This year we had another movie sort of similar to Worlds End, and that was This is the End.If i had to compare the two, Worlds End beats the latter in every department!

Overall Worlds End is a brilliant comedy movie.A must watch with your close friends!

Acting- 5/5

Story- 5/5

Direction- 5/5

Comedy- 5/5

Action-5/5

Drama- 5/5

PS:My ranking of the Cornetto Trilogy

1-World's End (100)

2-Hot Fuzz (100)

3-Shaun of the Dead (90)

This Is the End (2013)

[comedians in midst of apocalypse]

This Is the End (2013)

IMDB- 7.2

RottenTomatoes- 84%

RJG Rating- 80

6 movie stars lock themselves in James Franco's house as the apocalypse begins.

Starring- James Franco,Jonah Hill,Seth Rogen,Jay Baruchel,Danny McBride,Craig Robinson

Directors-  Evan Goldberg , Seth Rogen 

The movie stars the current generation of top comedians ,and they dont disappoint one bit.

The actors manage to bring in their real life chemistry into the movie thus giving This Is the End its major selling point.Jay,Seth,James,Jonah,Danny,Craig all give excellent performance and they are at complete ease playing an over the top version of their real lives.

The actors performance does a great job in hiding the not so strong story.Without the combination of the main stars the story would have definitely fell apart.The story has its twists and turns but is mainly a collection of skits on what comedians would do in an apocalypse.The story does a good job blending in the actors role and gives everyone importance.

Direction by Seth and Evan was very good.Realizing the story wasnt too strong they utilize the comic talents of the actors to the max.Helping the cause are the numerous cameos which keep the audience interest at a high point.The pacing of the movie was good but it wasnt very even.Some jokes ran for a bit too long.The comedy was great but would have been better had the story given it more potential.While the jokes were funny it depends on how well you know the actors.

Surprisingly the movie takes a turn into the thriller genre in the second half ,a good decision by the directors once again.

The visual effects werent of any high standards, but for a movie of this kind it was enough.

Overall,This is the End is a hilarious movie, if you are a fan of the stars earlier  works.

Acting- 4/5

Story- 3/5

Direction- 4/5

Comedy- 4/5

Suspense- 4/5

After Earth (2013)

[a totally worthless movie]

After Earth (2013)

IMDB- 4.8

RottenTomatoes- 11%

RJG Ratings- 10

A father and son crash land into a deserted Earth along with a man hunting alien.

Starring- Will Smith ,Jaden Smith

Director- M. Night Shyamalan

Within 5min of watching this movie i found it to be quite unbearable.Jaden Smith's slurred narration made the movie feel even more dull than it was.But this was just the start of a torturous 100min.Real life father-son duo, Will and Jaden Smith are the central characters of After Earth.They last appeared together in the brilliant   The Pursuit of Happyness.Their reunion on the big screen ,made expectations soar, but every hope crashed within the opening scenes of After Earth.

Jaden Smith proves to be a horrible actor with his performance.Along with the poorly written character he has to portray ,his acting skills are almost non existent.At times its hard to figure out what hes even mumbling about.

Next comes, Will Smith.The actor usually never disappoints ,but this is not such a movie.His performance can be compared to that of a wooden doll.He portrays a person without fear ,which he thinks also means is a person devoid of any other emotion.For atleast 80% of his role his main objective is to stare directly at the camera while giving his orders to his son.

Over acting is a major flaw which both the Smiths show in this movie.There is a lack of chemistry between them and they fail to lift the movie at any point.

The story for After Earth looks good as a 3-line story.But as a full fledged movie?Nope.The movie quickly rushes past a large chunk of the prologue.Logic is given the backseat throughout the duration of the movie.Characters are one sided and have no relatable or likeable qualities.The entire story is dull and just fails in every single department.

Manoj Night Shyamalan was one of my favorite directors ,with movies such as Sixth Sense ,Unbreakable and Signs.But today i wonder why hes even allowed to direct any movie.His direction is pure crass.The pacing is dull and never picks up ,even during the action scenes.Theres plenty of long and over drawn scenes which drags the movie needlessly.

The only ,and i mean the only thing thats good in this movie are the scenery and some visual effects.

Overall ,After Earth is one of the worst movies ive seen this year.Skip this crap.

Acting- 0/5

Story- 0.25/5

Direction- 0.5/5

Action- 1/5

Drama- 0.25/5

Thriller- 1/5

Visual Effects- 1.5/5

World War Z (2013)

[a so-so zombie movie]

World War Z (2013)

IMDB- 7.1

RottenTomatoes- 67%

RJG Ratings- 55

A deadly new virus comes close to wiping out the human population.

Starring- Brad Pitt

Director- Marc Forster

World War Z is Brad Pitt's first all out action movie in years.And he does sort of shine in it.The problem is that sometimes he goes over and beyond for this sort of movie.The supporting cast stays for just a short period of time ,giving Brad the entire stage to shine.He utilities this and does give a good performance, but i felt he may have overdone some drama scenes.Mireille Enos plays Brad's wife ,and shes pretty irritating at times along with the 2kids with her.None of the supporting actors make a good impact.All are one sided and are more than happy to die for Brad Pitt.

The story for World War Z is adapted from the novel with the same name.While the start is interesting ,it slowly starts to get monotonous after a while.Brad Pitt jumping from country to country in search of a cure ,start to resemble video game levels after a while.What started of as a movie that set out to show a different look into a zombie apocalypse , falls into the same predictable routine as other movies.Poor characters were another demerit for this movie.The so called 'solution' was not too clever either.

Direction by Marc was good.The making of the movie had a lot of controversy and delays but the end result shows no sign of such issues.The visual effects were great and did give the zombies a more lethal shade of danger.The world he has showed is pretty realistic and grounds this movie much more.But the pacing is an issue ,as the movie goes into a loop of similarity and drags in a few section.

The action scenes were good but they werent enough to pull this movie out from its faults.

Overall ,fans of Brad Pitt will like this movie ,but if you are expecting some fast paced thriller it might disappoint.

Acting- 3/5

Story- 2.5/5

Direction- 3.5/5

Drama- 2.5/5

Thriller- 3/5

Fast & the Furious 7 Cast gets Bigger

The 7th part of the successful Fast & the Furious franchise is expanding as each day goes by.The latest addition is Lucas Black.

Who is he? Well he was the main hero of Tokyo Drift! With the end of Fast Furious 6 ,we were promised to be finally connected to the 3rd movie of the franchise Tokyo Drift.

Although Tokyo Drift was the 3rd entry ,the 4th,5th and 6th parts were about events that happened before it.Tokyo Drift had Han killed ,and the final scene was how Sean (Shane Black) decides to race against Dom (Vin Diesel).

Fast 6 revealed the addition of Jason Statham in the next movie ,as the person who killed Han.Jason who is well known for his action movies such as Transporter,Death Race,Crank will play Ian Shaw ,brother of the villain of Fast 6.

Djimon Hounsou who is famous for his role in Blood Diamond also joined the cast.

Another famous addition ,is Kurt Russel ,who last appeared in Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof.

Next up ,is Tony Jaa.This martial art superstar is most famous for his Ong-Bak series.

And just like Gina Carano joined for Fast 6 ,another UFC fighter will join Fast 7.And thats Ronda Rousey.

The original cast will return (except the dead characters) ,no news on whether Eva Mendes will be back (who is the only cast member of the earlier films, yet to return).

Fast 7 will be directed by James Wan (Conjuring,Insidious1,2,Saw) and will be released on July 11 ,2014.

Insidious2 makes a victorious start

Insidious2 makes a victorious start

[Sept13-15]

#1- It was yet another solid victory for director James Wan ,as his second movie of the year opened to $41million.This is the 3rd highest debut for a horror movie ,the others being James's own Conjuring & Paranormal Activity 3.This is also just the 2nd time in movie history that a director has released 2 movies in a year, that have both debuted to over $40million (the first being the Wachowski for Matrix 2&3).

Insidious 2 had the advantage of being released on Friday the 13th ,and carried the goodwill of Insidious 1 and The Conjuring.The movie was made for just $5million ,and you can imagine what kind of profit its already reaped!

But unfortunately it wasnt a clean sweep for James Wan.Insidious 2 has got below average reviews ,and is currently rated 38%. Critics complained the movie while having strong performances ,was low on scares and the story was poor.

#2- Luc Besson's action-comedy ,The Family (aka Malavita) ,opened with $14.5million.This is within expectations of the studios considering its a slow period for movies during September.The movie starred Robert DeNiro as a mafia head who goes into witness protection after he betrays his crime partners.Unfortunately the movie hasnt got much of critical attention.Scoring just 33% ,critics said it was just another bland and predictable movie.On top of that audience too weren't too happy with the movie either.

#3- Riddick had an expected steep fall ,as it made just $7million.The movie is struggling to recover its budget and has so far just scored $53million from worldwide collections.

#4- Butler continued to hang in the Top5 ,making $5.5million in its 5th weekend.With this the movie has made $100million just from its domestic markets ,a grand success indeed.

#5- Another grand success was the comedy We're the Millers,which made $5.5million.Making a worldwide total of $201million ,the movie is certainly one of the biggest surprise hits of the year.

2013 Top 10

#10-Pacific Rim-$406million

#9-Star Trek 2- $465million

#8-Oz -$493million

#7-World War Z-$563million

#6-Croods- $585million

#5-Man Of Steel -$661million

#4-Monsters University -$730million

#3-Fast & Furious 6- $788million

#2-Despicable Me 2-$840million

#1-Iron Man 3 -$1.214 billion (#5 on all time grossing list)

This week we primarily have one new movie ,Prisoners.Theres another dance movie called Battle of the Year ,which i havnt heard about until just now.Thats going to flop anyways.

As for Prisoners ,its my PICK OF THE WEEK

Prisoners is directed by Denis Villeneuve who earlier made the critically acclaimed Incendies.Prisoners has been getting excellent reviews and most critics are saying its an amazing thriller.It has a powerful cast in the form of Huge Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal.

The story is about 2 children who go missing ,causing a frantic search by their parents.

Remember to check out my 2013 Movie Guide

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Grant Gustin to play The FLASH !

It has been confirmed that Grant would play the superfast superhero ,in the TV show ARROW (which is about another superhero ,Green Arrow).

DC and Warner had earlier announced their plans to debut Flash in the TV show before he gets his own movie in 2016 ,which would later result in the Justice League movie in 2017.
Grant is most famous for his role in Glee ,in which he played as Sebastian Smythe ,a rival of the Glee Club.He did a great job in that ,and he definitely is talented.
But it has to be seen whether he can hook the audience attention with his Flash role.

The Conjuring (2013)

[one of the best horror movies]

The Conjuring (2013)

IMDB- 7.7

RottenTomatoes- 87%

RJG Ratings- 90

A family call upon famous paranormal investigators ,The Warrens ,after they notice strange occurrences in their new home.

Starring- Patrick Wilson ,Vera Farmiga ,Lili Taylor

Director- James Wan

The cast is pretty solid.Led by Patrick Wilson ,Vera Farminga and Lili Taylor ,they are able to shoulder the movie effectively equally amongst them.They give excellent performances and really help deliver this movie.Supporting the lead are the talented youngsters who play the 5 daughters.All manage to shine in their respective scenes.

The movie is based on the true story of the Perrons & the Warrens.The characters are well developed and its easy for the audience to connect or relate with the various characters.The story does its best to divert itself from the usual cliches and thus presents a horror movie that is fresh from the usual stale pile of movies we are treated to.

James Wan's direction is mainly based upon extracting the best from his cast.Especially in the very first stages ,when he uses absolutely no horror techniques ,he uses his cast to effectively scare you with their performances.A best example being the child who sees someone standing behind the door.Its pitch black but we do end up believing theres someone behind the door.James' has utilized his cast to their best!

The horror methods used is excellent and keeps the audience soaked in the the thrilling atmosphere.

The camera work is perfect and theres plenty of perfect scenes captured by the cinematographer,John R. Leonetti.The music by Joseph Bishara ,is a perfect choice and delivers the chills effectively.

Overall ,Conjuring is easily one of the best horror movies of all time ,and deserves multiple viewings.

Acting- 4.5/5

Story- 4.5/5

Direction- 5/5

Horror- 4.5/5

Drama- 4/5

Pirates ,Dinosaurs ,and superheroes

1- The 4th movie of the Jurassic Park series will be called JURASSIC WORLD.Set to release on June 12 ,2015 ,the movie will be directed Colin Trevorrow.As of now theres no news on who has been cast.

The plot that is rumored for the movie is as follows:

In present day Isla Nublar, where Jurassic Park is now an actual theme park , as originally intended by John Hammond. It garners 10 million visitors per year and is completely safe ....or so we thought.

2-Edgar Wright's Antman which starts the Marvel Phase 3 series (after Avengers 2) has been bumped to July 31 ,2015 ,which is 3 months ahead of the earlier planned November release.

3-But it was not a happy day for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales ,aka POTC5.The 5th part of the series has been postponed from its summer 2015 date ,and is now eyeing for a release sometime in 2016.The reason are said to be delay in production and the tight competition in summer 2015.

Riddick tops on a silent weekend

Riddick tops on a silent weekend

[Sept 6-8]

#1-Riddick was the only new release and it had no problem debuting at the top spot with $18.6million.The third part of the Riddick series (preceded by Pitch Black (2000) and The Chronicles of Riddick (2004)),Riddick follows the tale of an humanoid alien who gets hunted down by bounty hunters.The reviews were mixed but critics said the movie was better than the second movie and would be interesting to the fans of the series.Riddick has a rating of 60% ,which is currently the highest of the 3 movies.

#2-The Butler continued its foothold as it made $9million on its 4th week ,bringing its domestic total to $91million.

#3-The Spanish comedy ,Instructions Not Included ,continued to surprise as it raked in another $8.1million ,bringing the total domestic collection to $20million.The movie had one of the highest debuts for a foreign movie ,and is expected to reap much more in the coming weeks.

Critically the movie has been getting average reviews and is currently rated at 60%.

#4-The surprise comedy hit ,We're the Millers made another $7.9million.The movie has so far made $179million worldwide and has blown away all expectations.

#5-Planes continued to linger on in the Top 5 ,with $4.2million coming in this week.The movie has already made $121million worldwide and is making full use of the lack of any competition.

Last weeks #1 One Direction ,crashed down by 74%.This is the steepest fall for a movie in 2013!Luckily 1D being a small budget movie ($10million) ,it has already recovered its cost.

This is The End made a re-release collecting $2million ,edging closer to the domestic $100million mark.Its currently made a solid $98million and $17million overseas.

2013 Top 10

#10-Pacific Rim-$404million

#9-Star Trek 2- $462million

#8-Oz -$493million

#7-World War Z-$563million

#6-Croods- $585million

#5-Man Of Steel -$657million

#4-Monsters University -$724million

#3-Fast & Furious 6- $788million

#2-Despicable Me 2-$832million

#1-Iron Man 3 -$1.214 billion (#5 on all time grossing list)

This week we have 2 new movies ,both of which look great.

The Family (aka Malavita)

Directed by Luc Besson (Taken) ,this action comedy is about a mafia family who lives under witness protection in a quiet neighbourhood.Starring acting heavyweight ,Robert DeNiro ,the trailers looked very interesting.But theres a slight chance it could just be a timepass watch.

My anticipated movie of the week is

Insidious Chapter 2- SEPT13

story- This movie continues from the events of Insidious.

+ Part 1 was great and the director is returning for this one too.James Wan tasted success with Conjuring ,and he seems to be in great form.

- sequels are always a dangerous territory,theres a huge chance that the story is subdued.

Remember to check out my 2013 Movie Guide

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=597324636961131

Posters & Trailers

First let me clarify beforehand itself that this IS NOT the trailer for Jurassic World.Its a rough draft that was "said to be used" to sell the idea of Jurassic World.Check it out
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZL_5xh4pjc
Looks pretty good,and a nice idea of how the Pterosaurs "feeds" in the modern day ,hehe.

WOW! A stylish and intense new trailer for the remake of RoboCop!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuVphAuRo7Q
Starring Joel Kinnaman,Gary Oldman ,Micheal Keaton ,Samuel Jackson ,Robocop will release on February 7 ,2014.
Can it surprise everyone like Dredd did last year?

Another beautiful Trailer for Gravity
Gravity has been getting some fantastic reviews ,with some comparing it to Kuberick's classic 2001:Space Odyssey.This is one movie that has become a certain must watch for this year!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiTiKOy59o4
This trailer shows quite a bit of new footage ,which might drain some of the excitement.So skip this one for now ,and watch it later.
Check out these trailers instead:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=654798851213709
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=696000143760246

It took almost 9 years for this moment! Ted and his wife ,from How I Met Your Mother!
Season 9 premiers on September 23 ,2013.

4 New posters for Thor:The Dark World !

The Eye of Smaug! New promo pic from Hobbit 2 ,shows Bilbo's reflection on the dragon's eye.
Reminded me of Frodo & Sauron from Lord of the Rings

First Trailer for Neighbors ,starring Seth Rogen & Zac Efron!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6a96ELbUeHA
The movie is about a family who gets a new neighbor in the form of a fraternity house.
The trailer looks great with a whole bunch of comic cast led by Seth Rogen.But its directed by Nicholas Stoller ,who according to me has not made a great movie since Forgetting Sarah Marshall.Get Him To Greek ,Muppets and 5year Engagement were all below par.Lets hope Neighbors turns out to be good.
The movie releases on May 9th, 2014

Transformers: Age of Extinction

Transformers 4 gets an official title & Teaser Poster!!

The 4th part to the Transformers series ,will be called......Transformers: Age of Extinction!
This is also a clear indication that Micheal Bay is planning to bring in the Dinobots.The dinobots are Autobots who transform into ...well,into a dinosaur.The story is said to be taking place 4 years after where Transformers3 abruptly ended,and will feature a new set of characters.

Anyone looking forward to this?The movie releases next year on June 27th, 2014 ,and stars Mark Wahlberg.

1D Scores on yet another dull week

1D Scores on yet another dull week

[Aug30-Sept1]

#1-The concert movie of the British boy band ,One Direction ,scored the top place ,with $17million.This is a good debut and is above expectations ,considering many such concert movies have flopped recently (Katy Perry ,Glee). Directed by Morgan Spurlock (famous documentary director of Super Size Me) ,critics have given the movie 68% ,commenting that the movie is just for fans and wont be interesting to the others.

#2-The Butler finally stepped down from the top spot earning $14.7million in its 3 weekend.The Butler has become a big hit for the Weinstein Company ,and has so far made $74million from the domestic market alone.

#3-Another movie that has benefited from the dull movie period ,is We're the Millers ,which continued to reap success.With $12.6million in its 4th weekend ,the movie crossed the $100million domestic milestone.Currently the movie has made $149million worldwide and with not much competition in the comedy genre in the coming weeks ,it can still run smoothly.

#4-Disney's Planes proved to be a mild success as it made another $7.5million on its 4th weekend.So far the movie has made $102million worldwide ,which is not bad for a movie that was supposed to be a straight to DVD movie.

#5-Instructions Not Included made a fantastic debut with $7.5million.The reason its great is because it made that much from just 347 screens ,at an average of $21613 per screen (on comparison 1D made $17million from 2735 screens ,average $6215).On top of that ,its a Spanish movie!The movie is a comedy about a father and daughter relationship.

Meanwhile ,the other new release of the week ,Getaway bombed at the boxoffice.Making just $4.5million and getting panned by critics worldwide.The movie got just 2% ,and will find it very hard to recover its small budget of $18million.

2013 Top 5

#5-Man Of Steel -$657million

#4-Monsters University -$714million

#3-Fast & Furious 6- $787million

#2-Despicable Me 2-$822million

#1-Iron Man 3 -$1.214 billion (#5 on all time grossing list)

On the top 5, Monsters crossed the $700million milestone ,the movie is currently the 4th highest grossing Pixar movie.

This week we have just one main new release, and thats Riddick.

Riddick -SEPT6

story-the 3rd film from the Riddick series,follows Riddick as he is abandoned on a planet on which lethal predators hunt him down.

+seems to be satisfying for fans of the previous 2

-the Riddick series isnt too great.The first was average,the second was worse.And i dont have much hope for this one.The cheap visuals didnt seem to attracting judging by the teaser trailer.

3 BIGGIES OF September

3 BIGGIES OF September

August couldnt shine ,with just Worlds End managing to impress critics.September and October will be dull months with just a couple interesting movies.Here are the 3 anticipated movies of September!

Riddick -SEPT6

story-the 3rd film from the Riddick series,follows Riddick as he is abandoned on a planet on which lethal predators hunt him down.

+seems to be satisfying for fans of the previous 2

-the Riddick series isnt too great.The first was average,the second was worse.And i dont have much hope for this one.The cheap visuals didnt seem to attracting judging by the teaser trailer.

Insidious Chapter 2- SEPT13

story- This movie continues from the events of Insidious.

+ Part 1 was great and the director is returning for this one too.James Wan tasted success with Conjuring ,and he seems to be in great form.

- sequels are always a dangerous territory,theres a huge chance that the story is subdued.

Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2- SEPT27 (lack of details)

story- Flint discovers that his machine is still working and is now making food-animals. (animation)

+

-Marketing for Cloudy is really low ,and theres zero buzz about it.

If i had to pick one ,i would say im most excited for Insidious 2

The Wolverine (2013)

[the wolverine movie you all have been waiting for]

The Wolverine (2013)

IMDB- 7.1

Rottentomatoes- 68%

RJG Rating- 80

The immortal mutant ,Wolverine ,is invited by a soldier who he had rescued in World War 2.

Starring- Huge Jackman

Director- James Mangold

First of all ,The Wolverine is a sequel to 2006's XMen:The Last Stand (aka XMen3).

Huge Jackman is the heart and sole of this movie.He was born to play Wolverine and it doesnt matter even if everything fails ,Jackman would still be able to shine as Wolverine.But fortunately ,this isnt like XMen Origins (which was a colossal failure).Jackman gives one of his best performances as Wolverine.The movie has some good supporting actresses,Rila Fukushima (Yukio) and Tao Okamoto (Mariko) help keep the story running.

The story tries to pack enough drama and action into its 2hr duration.While this is a good approach ,i felt there was a bit too much drama that dragged a bit.The story focuses entirely on Wolverine and theres little time wasted on anyone else.The concept behind making him a mortal was a bit fuzzy ,but thanks to Jackman ,this isnt a big deal for the audience.From start to finish Jackman carries the movie with style and total power.

The villains were a bit of a disappointment.Viper, the Ninjas nor the Silver Samurai were of the same league as Wolverine and just seemed way too inferior.

Having Jackman go topless for majority of the movie was a clever trick by director,James Mangold.He knew exactly what the fans want and delivers it.Direction was good.Pacing was a bit slow generally ,but it picks up with the brilliant action scenes.All the action scenes were fast and intense and gave the movie the much needed adrenaline.The dramatic scenes are not meaningless and do have some depth in them.

Setting the movie in Japan was another great idea to infuse fresh blood into the superhero franchise.Since the movie is a standalone chapter in the XMen franchise ,not much memory of the previous movies are needed.Watching the movie was like reading a comic book, and at the end of the day ,thats what matters.

And do watch out for the end credits scene ! It does send a chill up your spine!

Overall ,fans wont be disappointed with Wolverine.Its one of the best superhero movies of this year.A must watch!

Acting- 4/5

Story- 3.5/5

Direction- 3.5/5

Action- 4.5/5

Drama- 4/5

Thriller- 4/5

PS:My ranking of the XMen series

1-First Class

2-Wolverine

3-XMen

4-XMen2

5-Origins:Wolverine

6-XMen3

Now You See Me (2013)

[over the top , empty vessel]

Now You See Me (2013) 

IMDB- 7.3

Rottentomatoes- 49%

RJG Rating- 20

4 magicians use their audience to rob a bank.Is it real or just a trick?

Starring- Mark Ruffalo,Jesse Eisenberg,Woody Harrelson

Director- Louis Leterrier

Now You See Me has one of the best cast of recent times.Mark Ruffalo (Hulk from Avengers) ,Jesse Eisenberg & Woody Harrelson (Social Network and Zombieland),Morgan Freeman & Michael Caine (Dark Knight) ,Mélanie Laurent (Inglourious Basterds) ,Isla Fisher and Dave Franco. And what happens when you pile up so many good actors? You fall flat on your face.

All these actors go so over the top ,that at a point its unbearable to watch the movie.Jesse was the most annoying.His only talent here was to talk fast and thats all he does.Its time he selects more diverse roles.Woody & Mark play characters that are so poorly drawn up that they just end up acting below par.Morgan & Caine can be excused for sleep walking their way through this movie.Isla Fisher is another wasted actress in this movie.The only one that is worth watching is Dave Franco.

The story is one that fills up the crazy plot with really fantastical magic tricks.The problem here is that the writers dont know what the difference between magic tricks and actual magic are.Much of the plot is progressed with the help of real magic ,which is quite baffling since this is a movie about 4 street magicians.Well one of them atleast is a hypnotist who seems to have actual powers at times.

The story has trouble defining what it really is.At times its about magic ,at others its about a heist.And its better we dont talk about the heist, because thats another totally lame idea.Character development is utterly pathetic.While focusing on the 4 magicians at the start of the movie,it leaves them all of a sudden and focuses on the cop played by Mark Ruffalo.

The logic behind actions is completely missing and its extremely hard to connect with any of these low IQ characters.The movie tries so hard to act like a very intelligent magic movie ,without doubt it fails!

Direction was poor.Louis Leterrier does make a stylish movie with a well established cast, but the poor story and direction wastes the potential.On a positive note ,the action sequences were fun and the fight/chase scene between Ruffalo and Franco is a big highlight.

My frustration with the movie reached a peak with the finale and the twist.Both which were completely idiotic.The entire movie leaves you with plenty of questions ,for which finding answers will be a vain attempt.

Overall ,Now You See Me is plain nonsense and crap ,but its a timepass watch if you can switch your brains off.

Acting- 1/5

Story- 0.5/5

Direction- 1/5

Action- 3/5

Drama- 1.5/5

Suspense- 2/5

BEN AFFLECK IS BATMAN!!

Well this is definitely one of the biggest news items of the year.After being considered to direct a Justice League Movie, Ben Affleck has been CONFIRMED to play BATMAN in 2015's highly anticipated Man Of Steel sequel.

Early speculations had actors from Josh Brolin ,Ryan Gosling for the coveted role after Christian Bale stepped down from the mantle.

Ben's not new to the superhero gig ,and has played Daredevil in 2003.He was an upcoming star ,with movies like Armageddon, Shakespeare in Love, Good Will Hunting.But after a series of movies that brought down his career in 2003-06 period ,he made a strong comeback as a director with 2007's Gone Baby Gone and 2010's Town.He later on swept the awards for Best Director this year with his movie ,Argo.
So it has to be seen how well he can shine in a movie like Batman/Superman.The sequel will pair him up with Henry Cavill and director Zack Snyder ,and the movie is set to be released on July 17, 2015.

Ben's selection is a good one but i still have my doubts on his ability to play Batman.Lets wait and watch

My opinion on Affleck being Batman.

Heres a pic showing the comments posted after it was announced that Heath Ledger would play the Joker.Yep! Its quite shocking how much stuff was told ,before Heath immortalized himself as the Joker!

As for Christian Bale ,as much as i love him to play Batman again ,its better if he doesnt return.Its bittersweet ,but thats what needs to happen.

What Nolan & Bale have created is one of the BEST movie trilogy in the history of cinema.I really dont want Zack Snyder to come up and continue telling the tale of Nolan's Batman.
Its quite admirable to see both ,Nolan & Bale ,refusing to return to the series even when they have been offered so much money!That shows their integrity to the the TDK trilogy.

This brings us to Affleck.While i was equally shocked and disappointed as the rest of the world with his casting ,we mustnt just write him off before the cameras even have started rolling.

Even though he attained quite a star status in the start,majority of his movies were below average stuff.He then hit rock bottom ,when his mindless movies failed to get the cash registers running.

But he rose up once again with 3 amazing directorial ventures ,a good selection of movies to act in,and now hes finally ready to be in a big budget movie once again.He isnt a bad actor ,and his performances has improved 10 fold in recent years.

So lets just give this guy a chance to show that he can redeem himself once again.

Madras Café (2013) Guest Review

Guest Review-

Madras Café (2013)

AG Rating : 100

Plot one liner:

Set in the 1980s , 'Madras Café ' is an intelligent political thriller that tells the story of an assassination which has never ever been told before in any cinema.

The AG analysis:

First off, the makers of this film need to be saluted by every Indian for the courage they had to make such a film in India. And believe me when I say that such films don't get made in India. It is a miracle therefore that this film even got to see the light of day.

Let me get to the film now. 'Madras Café' tells the story behind the alleged conspiracy of the assassination of a very prominent personality. It is fictional of course but the viewer will immediately get to know what it is actually about after first laying eyes on the screen. It tells the story of how despite doing everything we can we still lose out to those elusive and powerful tycoons who pulls the strings and rule the world. It tells the story of how a man, despite losing everything he has, never loses faith in the system and keeps on trying to do his job. It gives a very rare insight into how the way things work in real life covert operations which, I am sorry to say to Salman Khan fans, does not involve Salman Khan blasting away cars as a RAW agent!!

The Film:

It is an intelligent and fast paced film with a tad slow first half but the second half more than compensates. It begins with John Abraham (in a standout performance) narrating his tale to the church priest in a confession and gives a chilling effect when he says, “Its’ all a big conspiracy. Its’ all a big game to them!” And then film doesn’t waste any time and gets on with the proceedings and shows us a world in which no one can really be trusted, a world where everyone is a potential double crosser. To say the least, ‘Madras Café ‘ is the boldest film in the history of Indian cinema and is at par or even better than the best of Hollywood in such genre, for example ‘Argo’.

The Direction:

Shoojit Sircar handles the camera very competently and is utterly fearless in his portrayal of the shadowy world of conspiracies. He needs to be commended simply for his utter fearlessness. Other than that, he does a stupendous job and the result is spell binding!!

The Acting:

John Abraham is the man!!! He stretches himself as an actor tremendously and uses his intensity and physical presence to great effect. He makes a damn good RAW agent and please, Salman Khan as a RAW agent was one big JOKE!!

Nargis Fakhri gave an okay performance but special mention must go to Siddharta Basu who played the role of Robin Dutta and to Prakash Belwadai who played John’s superior in Jaffna.

The background score:

Shantanu Maitra creates a very compelling score and even seems to be slightly inspired from Hans Zimmers ‘Inception’ towards the end but that’s all right!!

The AG Verdict:

“Madras Café “ is a film that must be watched by every Indian just because of the fact that they are Indian!!

Butler dominates on slow week ,JURASSIC PARK enters the BILLION CLUB!

Butler dominates on slow week ,JURASSIC PARK enters the BILLION CLUB!

#1- Even with 3 new entries this week ,Butler had no issue on staying on top.With $17million ,the movie continued its good run and has now earned $52million from domestic markets alone.This is similir to 2011's Help ,which we nt on to become a huge success.

#2- One of the biggest surprises of August ,We're the Millers ,came second for the 3rd week in a row!Making $13.5million this weekend ,the movie has now made a world wide gross of $114million ,80% of which is solely from domestic ,which in turn shows that the movie has enough potential to hit huge once it opens to more markets overseas.

#3- The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones ,the latest teenage romance/fantasy ,opened to just $14million.The Twilight wannabe crashed hard as it failed to draw in the fans of the novel its adapted on.Not helping its cause was the horrible reviews it racked up.Scoring 13% ,critics thrashed the movie for being unimaginative ,and ridiculous.With a budget of $60million ,Mortal Instruments better pray the overseas helps it or else its another huge flop.

#4- World's End too didnt find a grand debut ,but its predecessors (Shaun & Hot Fuzz) didnt have big debuts as well.So an opening of just $8.9million is a high for the series.Worlds End is undoubtedly one of the best comedies of this year ,and critics have been praising it all week.With a score of 90% ,its a must watch.

With a small budget of $20million Worlds End had no issue in recovering it ,as it already has made a worldwide total of $25million.

#5- Planes made a decent $8.5million.The animated movie recovered its budget of $50million ,with a worldwide gross of $77million.

Youre Next ,the 3rd new release of the week ,missed the Top 5 ,even though it was widely thought it would debut at #1.The horror thriller has been tagged as one of the best horror movies of this year ,and critics have given it 80% as well.Being a small budget movie its sure to recover soon.

The big news of the week was the new entry to the BILLION DOLLAR CLUB!It took it around 20 years to do so ,but Jurassic Park has finally made it! With $1.004 billion ,its now the 17th highest grossing movie of all time.Thanks to the 3D release back in April ,Jurassic Park needed around $80million to reach the milestone,and in 4months it did.

2013 Top 5

#5-Man Of Steel -$649million

#4-Monsters University -$686million

#3-Fast & Furious 6- $786million

#2-Despicable Me 2-$805million

#1-Iron Man 3 -$1.213 billion (#5 on all time grossing list)

On the Top5 ,Despicable Me2 finally overtook Fast6 to become the #2 movie of the year!Meanwhile Monsters is a $100short of Fast 6 ,can it beat it?

This is another slow week for movie goers.Opening this week are 2 movies that dont look any good.

One Direction- The movie that takes a look at the teenage band's instant rise to success is definitely just for fans.Others can SKIP IT.

Getaway- Starring Ethan Hawke and Selena Gomez ,this movie seems to be a rip off other time based thrillers.But chances of it being truly good is very  very low.Skip it till you get some reviews.

Remember to check out my 2013 Movie Guide

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Chennai Records

SRK has finally made his way back to the top!! After smashing records in its opening week ,Chennai Express has now become the HIGHEST GROSSING DOMESTIC MOVIE (India) beating 3 Idiots' 4 year record.Making Rs.203.3cr Chennai is now on top ,and still going strong despite new releases.

At this rate ,its just a matter of days ,before Chennai takes down 3 Idiots in the matter of worldwide gross too.

Pirates of the Caribbean 5 Title

Title for Pirates of the Caribbean 5 announced!The movie is currently titled.....Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.

POTC5 will release on July 15, 2015.

Arkham Origins Trailer

Amazing new trailer for Arkham Origins! Must Watch!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ks4tY8dXaVU

Pic from XMen Days of future Past

Nicholas Hoult (Hank/Beast) ,James McAvoy (Professor X) and Hugh Jackman (Wolverine)

Butler kicks Ass and others

Butler kicks Ass and others

[AUG16-18]

#1- Lee Daniels' The Butler ,made a good debut with $25million.The dramatic movie about the African-Americans during 1960's.The true story got positive reviews and was praised mostly for its star cast ,which includes ,Forest Whitaker,Oprah Winfrey,Terrence Howard and more.The acting was able to cover up the uneven story.The movie currently has a rating of 72%.

With a budget of just $30million ,Butler is already clear from danger.

#2- We're the Millers ,made a strong hold ,falling just by 35% ,making $17.7million.The movie has so far made $69.5million ,which is double its budget of just #37million.

#3- Elysium had a bad week crashing by 55% ,to making just $13.6million.This is not too good for the movie as its way short of its budget of $115million even with the overseas collection.So far the movie has made $93.6million ,and with new releases piling up ,Elysium will find it hard to recover.

#4- Kick-Ass 2 had a good first day ,but crashed immediately.The movie struggled with just $13.5million ,and with a budget of $28million ,Kick Ass 2 will have to really rise up in order to avert another disaster.

The first movie was a near flop ,but somehow managed to recover its costs.The good reviews helped it attain a cult status which later led to the sequel.

But now the sequel is performing poorer than the first part ,and with negative reviews pouring in ,its possible that this could be the end of the Kick Ass series.The movie is currently rated 28%.

#5- Planes braved through the tough week and managed to stay within the Top 5 ,making $13.1million.The animated movie managed to recover its $50million budget this week.

The rest of the movies on the Top 10 ,all suffered as well.Percy Jackson 2 continued to fall ,and is still $15million off from its budget.

Jobs ,the hyped Steve Jobs biopic ,failed to rally enthusiasm ,making just $6.7million.The movie was met with negative reviews ,and is rated 25%.Complains ranged from over the top scenes to poor direction.

The 4th release of the week ,Paranoia bombed at the box office ,barely managing to make #3.5million.The movie was universally panned getting just 04%.The surprising thing is its powerful cast which includes Gary Oldman & Harrison Ford.

2013 Top 5

#5-Man Of Steel -$648million

#4-Monsters University -$658million

#3-Despicable Me 2-$781million

#2-Fast & Furious 6- $785million

#1-Iron Man 3 -$1.212 billion (#5 on all time grossing list)

The animated movies are making a huge takeover on the Top5!While Monsters University overtook Man Of Steel for #4 ,Despicable is just a couple million away from overtaking Fast 6 to become the #2 movie of the year!

This week we have one teen movie ,one horror ,and one comedy.....

Youre Next- This horror movie has been gaining a lot of hype since its release it movie festivals some years back.The movie is about a house invasion.The movie has gotten good reviews ,and is currently rated 87%

RJG says WATCH IT ,if you like horror movies with plenty of gore and torture.

The Mortal Instruments:City of Bones- This is a teen fantasy movie, about a girl who finds she is a descends from a line of magical warriors.Although reviews arent out ,i dont think this is worth a watch unless you are a fan of the novels its based upon.

RJG says SKIP IT

And that brings us to RJG PICK OF THE WEEK----

The World's End- AUG23

story- 5 childhood friends have a reunion and go on a long pub run.

+ The brilliant team of Edgar Wright ,Simon Pegg & Nick Frost are back after Hot Fuzz & Shaun Of the Dead.The movie has got really good reviews and is rated at 93%.

So whats your pick of the week?

Remember to check out my 2013 Movie Guide

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Pacific Rim (2013)

[a monstrous movie of gigantic proportions]

Pacific Rim (2013)

IMDB- 7.6

RottenTomatoes- 71%

RJG Rating- 95

As monsters rise up from the pacific floor ,humans build robots to defend themselves.

Starring- Charlie Hunnam,Idris Elba,Rinko Kikuchi

Director- Guillermo del Toro

The cast is led by Charlie Hunnam ,who plays the lead role.He is most famous for his Sons of Anarchy TV show role.Charlie does a good job and is convincing enough to carry the movie forward.Idris Elba delivers a solid supporting role.His dialogues are powerful and it raises the level of certain scenes.Rinko Kikuchi as Mako is another great addition.It takes some getting used to with the lead actors ,as they werent easy to connect to in the beginning.But over the duration of the movie ,every single character ends up impressing you.

The story for Pacific Rim is wild.Its one thats deeply rooted into the stereotypical Hollywood monster movies.Large Monsters vs Robots sounds something so kiddish.But thats where you have to wake up and actually see whats being served.This isnt one of the usual crap CGI movies.This is something really really great.The concept is one thats pretty heavy.In the span of 5-10 min ,a prologue is given.The prologue is so interesting that in my opinion they can easily make 2 prequels to Pacific Rim.The story for Pacific Rim is like the closing chapter of the futuristic world Toro has created.

Guillermo Del Toro does a fantastic job with Pacific Rim.The movie was intense from start to finish and literally had me at the edge of my seat.The world he created is amazing.He brings the best out of the cast ,giving everyone a chance to shine.The pacing of the movie was fast from start to finish.Toro is well known for creating monsters and his work on Pacific Rim is another feather to his cap.

The visual effects were...MIND BLOWING! This is how you should create monster movies.Wow! The sight of these HUGE creatures and the equally large Robots were visually stunning.And when you have them fight each other?Jaw Dropping!The action sequences were truly superb.Supported by a solid score by Ramin Djawadi and the excellent cinematography ,every scene creates an impact.

Pacific Rim isnt a movie that has some big message or will change the way you think.Its not that type of movie.Its the type of movie thats all about satisfying you with action packed scenes ,this is the core pillar of a summer blockbuster.But still ,it has a very good story to support these epic fights and it gives you a sense of wonder ,watching all this.

Overall ,Pacific Rim is a MUST WATCH ,for action lovers.Its definitely one of my favorite movies of this year!

Acting- 4/5

Story- 4.5/5

Direction- 5/5

Action- 5/5

Visual Effects- 5/5

Thriller- 5/5

Pain & Gain (2013)

[a dark ,dark comedy]

Pain & Gain (2013)

IMDB- 6.7

Rottentomatoes- 45%

RJG Rating- 70

3 bodybuilders get tangled up with some truly unbelivable stuff as they enter a world of drugs and kidnapping.

Starring- Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Rock Johnson, Anthony Mackie

Director- Michael Bay

Mark Wahlberg leads the trio ,and hes pretty much good at what he does.Dwayne ROCK Johnson ,continues his streak of action roles ,and he once again delivers ,this time with his "strong body-soft heart" type role.Anthony Mackie gives a good balancing act to the two stars and manages to find a place amongst Mark & Dwayne.The acting here isnt anything exceptional ,the main requirement here was to build up their bodies ,which the trio have done quite remarkably.But they step up in the final part of the movie ,where things get really wacky.

Pain & Gain is based on a true story ,which in Hollywood means it has around 10% resemblance to the actual event.Pain & Gain is one heck of a story.The story completely goes nuts towards the end ,and at times its really unbelievable thats its true.Its a wild movie ,which could have been a thrilling dramatic movie ,but somehow is presented as a comedy.And thats where P&G succeeds.The story at start might not get a grip on you ,but once it does ,you are hooked on till the end.

Another highlight are the characters.None are heroes or good guys.They are all bad.And this isnt one of those movies that make the bad guys look so cool that you end up supporting them.P&G's strange sense of humour helps with the transition from "boring" to "likeable" to "wtf".

Ill admit it,Michael Bay has finally come out with something good.Or atleast something thats better than all his previous movies.The pacing was a bit slow at the start ,but it catches up towards the middle and goes steady towards the end ,reaching a high with the climax.The music ,and action scenes were well implemented.With P&G ,Bay actually delivers a good movie.It could have become just another crime drama ,but the way Bay handles the material ,the story is given one heck of a presentation that so easily covers up the gruesome stuff thats actually happening.

Overall ,Pain & Gain is a fun movie if you dont mind some violence.And you shouldnt miss this ,just because its directed by Bay.Its actually his best movie so far.

Acting- 2.5/5

Story- 3/5

Direction- 3.5/5

Comedy- 3.5/5

Action- 3.5/5

Drama- 3/5