Casino Royale (2006)

[the best James Bond movie in ages]

Casino Royale (2006)
IMDB- 7.9
Rottentomatoes- 94%
RJG Rating- 99

James Bond takes up his first mission ,to thwart a terrorist plot by playing in a high stakes poker game.

Starring- Daniel Craig ,Eva Green
Director- Martin Campbell

After about 40 years since the first Bond movie ,it was decided that the 21st James Bond movie would reboot the entire franchise.Thus came Casino Royale ,with a new Bond in the form of Daniel Craig and directed by Martin Campbell ,and it indeed breathe new life into the James Bond series.

When Daniel was first cast as the replacement of Pierce Bronson in the reboot ,he was met with mixed reaction from the fans.But once they had seen Casino Royale ,there was no mixed opinion ,Daniel Craig was not only better than Pierce, but many claimed he was one of the best Bond ,second only to Sean Connery (the first Bond).In my opinion Craig is the Best!From the very start to the end Daniel gives Bond his trademark charm but also some realistic human nature ,something that sorely lacked in the previous movies.Eva Green as Vesper gives one of her best performances onscreen.She blends her beauty and charm and gives a strong support to Daniel Craig's Bond.Mads Mikkelsen plays the villain and he gives a good performance.Although he isnt quite as menacing as a villain usually is ,he does his best.

The story of Casino Royale takes the viewers to the very beginning of how James Bond became a 007.The story plays out smoothly and has some great twists and turns as it proceeds.A vital point of the tale was making James Bond more human in nature rather than the over the top spy character ,the previous Bond movies lead us to believe.The story is deep and gives ample opportunity for Craig to flesh out James Bond nature.As usual we have the extra hi-tech gadgets ,but they too are simple in nature and doesnt seem out of this world type.A slight issue was that the climax tried too hard to bring in various twists ,but this isnt much of a problem since the movie powers through with splendid action sequences and gives Casino Royale an excellent end.

Martin Cambell (Goldeneye,Mask of Zorro) returns to direct yet another Bond movie.His approach to the material is straight forward and he gives the viewers pure thrills that had been missing in recent Bond movies.The fabulous action pieces are just superb and all are superbly shot.It never gets tiring or doesnt lose pace throughout the 2.30hr duration of the movie.The chase sequences are just incredible and are one of the best of ALL TIME !

On release Casino Royale was universally praised and the fans accepted Daniel as the new Bond.As of 2011 ,Casino Royale is the highest grossing movie in the James Bond series

Overall ,Casino Royale is another successful reboot ,and one of the Best James Bond movies.A must watch if you love spy thrillers.

Acting- 5/5
Story- 4.5/5
Direction- 4.5/5
Action- 5/5
Drama- 5/5
Thriller- 4.5/5
Romance- 4/5

V for Vendetta (2006)

[a brilliant and thought provoking movie]

V for Vendetta (2006)
IMDB- 8.8 (Top 250 - #166)
Rottentomatoes- 73%
RJG Rating- 100

A terrorist by the name of V,threatens to bring down the dictatorship rule of Britain.

Starring- Hugo Weaving,Natalie Portman
Director- James McTeigue

Adapted from Alan Moore's graphic novel ,V for Vendetta was directed James McTeigue and written for the big screen by the Wachowski Bros. (Matrix Trilogy).

The main character of the movie is V ,but being a masked character from the start to the end ,its hard to judge Hugo Weaving's acting.But Hugo's dialogue presentation is top notch.He ranges his voice perfectly from light hearted to terrifying.But this doesnt mean the movie falls back on its acting department.With the main lead under a mask,Natalie Portman as Evey is a strong acting role.Natalie is just superb in the role and she delivers one of her best acting performances of her career.The supporting cast doesnt disappoint either,all give very good performances.

V for Vendetta can be easily mistaken for an all out action movie on the outside but its clearly much more that.The story of VFV is a strong pillar on which it stands.The various ideologies presented by the lead characters , the stories of various individuals , and ofcourse V's grand plan are all blended in a manner that wont confuse or bore the audience.
The dialogues also are a very important factor for the movie.The hard hitting dialogues from V will definitely send a chill up your spine.

Direction by debutant, James McTeigue ,is excellent.The pacing of the movie is perfect and he nicely blends the action scenes with the drama ones making the movie a satisfying feature for all.Every scene of VFV has a particular message to convey and all hit the bulls eye.James had previously worked on the Matrix Trilogy, and considering the Wachowski's have written the screenplay ,theres the particular tone that is similar with The Matrix.

The action scenes from VFV is just excellent.The climax fighting sequence is just jaw dropping!The special effects have been used moderately and not been overdone.

On release VFV ,was a moderate success.Alan Moore ,the writer distanced himself from the movie as he did for other movie adaptations of his comics (From Hell,League of Extraordinary Gentlemen ,and later on Watchmen).But the movie over time achieved cult status and made the Guy Fawkes mask (the one V wears) infamous for issues that related to peoples freedom of speech etc.

Overall ,V for Vendetta is a great movie ,a must watch.

Acting - 5/5
Story- 5/5
Direction- 5/5
Drama- 4.5/5
Action- 5/5

Cars (2006)

[cheesy and disappointing]

Cars (2006)
IMDB- 7.3
Rotten Tomatoes- 74
RJG Rating- 35

A race car is forced to repair a road in the remote town of Radiator Springs,just days before the final of the Piston Cup.

Starring- Owen Wilson, Paul Newman,Bonnie Hunt
Director- John Lasseter

Cars was Pixar's 7th movie and directed by John Lasseter.This was John's 4th directorial venture ,the previous one being Toy Story 2.

Animation from Pixar once again holds up to its top notch standard.Cars takes place in a fictional universe where everything are vehicles (even bugs are shown as tiny cars with wings). Even though its absurd ,Pixar manages to pull it off.

But animation is the only worthwhile factor about this movie,the rest disappoints.Considering Pixar has made such classics such as the Toy Story series,Monsters,Nemo ,Incredibles ,its hard not to criticize Pixar for making a dull movie like Cars.

Story has nothing new to offer.Its a cliche ride all the way to the end.Other than a particular scene at the end (Lightning McQueen helping out a contestant), the rest of the movie is cheesy and at times unbearable.

Every Pixar movie has a host of excellent characters.Unfortunately Cars has close to none.Lightning ,the main lead ,has no likable factors.Mater ,is one of the most irritating characters ive ever seen.

John Lasseter disappoints with his work.Cars is made exclusively catered for the kids and wont interest older viewers.

On release Cars opened at #1 ,but it failed to get universal praise.Cars did succeed in making huge merchandise sales ,close to a billion dollars worth.

Overall,Cars is cheesy and is unlike the rest of the Pixar movies,give it a miss.

Animation- 4.5/5
Story- 2/5
Direction- 2/5
Action- 3.5/5
Comedy- 2/5
Drama- 2/5

OSCARS
Nominated--2
Best Animated Film
Best Original Song for the song "Our Town" -Randy Newman

RECAP :The Prestige (2006) Review

We are now down to mere days now--3 WEEKS MORE FOR NOLAN'S TDKR. Heres my review for Nolan's 5th movie--The Prestige

The Prestige (2006)

The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

IMDB-7.8
RottenTomatoes-67
RJG Rating-100


An unemployed father tries to make ends meet as his life hit rock bottom....

Starring- Will Smith ,Jaden Smith ,Thandie Newton
Director- Gabriele Muccino

Pursuit of Happyness is a kind of movie that inspires & motivates you.Its based upon the true story of Chris Gardner.

The whole movie is carried off by Will Smith..An actor known for his comic and action based roles ,Will Smith suprised everyone with his emotionally powerful role as Chris Gardner..
The story is heart warming and never enters a dull phase thanks to the charismatic Will Smith..
The second half is extremely note-worthy as it rockets Will Smith into his best performances till date..
A must watch...

Acting-5/5
Story-4.5/5
Direction-4.5/5
Drama-5/5


Academy Award Nominations--1

Academy Award for Best Actor