Cloud Atlas (2012)

[a large and thought proving movie]

Cloud Atlas (2012)
IMDB- 8.0
Rottentomatoes- 64%
RJG Rating- 90

6 different tales which take place in different eras have an impact on each other.

Starring- Tom Hanks,Halle Berry,Jim Broadbent,Hugo Weaving,Jim Sturgess,Doona Bae,Ben Whishaw,James D'Arcy,Huge Grant
Directors-Lana Wachowski,Tom Tykwer,Andy Wachowski

Based on the novel of the same name by David Mitchell ,it was believed that adapting the novel into a movie was impossible.But, like the successful adaptations of unfilmable works like Watchmen ,Life Of Pi ,Cloud atlas was brought to the big screen by the Wachowskis & Tykwer.

The acting of the cast is the major selling point.A-List stars such as Tom Hanks & Halle Berry not only play the lead and supporting actors in the stories ,they also look completely different in each story.The cast has been arranged in such a way that no actor can be said to be the lead actor .One might play the hero in one story ,the supporting actor in another ,the villain in another ,or just a cameo in another.This gives everyone an equal stage to perform and showcase their abilities,and all of them have done excellently.Hugo Weaving plays a villain in almost all 6 ,and hes truly excellent in all of them.Tom ,Halle ,Jim Broadbent ,Doona,Ben Whishaw all shine in their respective stories as well.

The story is the true core of this entire film.Although it is 3hrs long ,it carries 6,totally different stories.The movie requires your strict attention ,and with 6 stories taking place at the same time ,its a bit difficult to truly understand each ones depth.But on the first watch ,all 6 are beautiful tales ,that deal with different topics and range from friendship,love,mystery,comedy,revolution and survival.The movie requires a 2nd viewing to truly appreciate the depth of each story and to understand the link between each one of them.

Direction by the Wachowskis (Matrix Trilogy) & Tom Tykwer (Perfume) is just brilliant.Their devotion to the source material is admirable and the film is a very honest adaptation of the novel.The pacing of the movie is fast and doesnt lag at all during the entire 3hrs.The movie isnt just mixed together but ,thanks to some excellent editing ,the links between each story is highlighted.

The action sequences and the visual effects are just awesome and the cinematography is very beautiful as well.The makeup on the actors is just superb,at times its hard to even recognize some of them!

But on the downside ,Cloud Atlas isnt for everyone.For some, keeping track of the the 6 stories will prove to be too much to handle.If you like movies that are straight forward , Cloud Atlas isnt for you.Plenty of names will be thrown around, and getting confused as to who is who is understandable.So keeping a piece of paper and pencil at hand is recommended.

Overall ,Cloud Atlas is a definitely one of the grandest work of film making.Fans of the Wachowskis wont be disappointed.Although its a must watch ,its not a movie that most can handle.

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

Skyfall (2012)

[one of the best spy movies ever]

Skyfall (2012)
IMDB- 8.1 (Top 250 #219)
RottenTomatoes- 91%
RJG Rating - 99

A mysterious person wrecks havoc across MI6 ,forcing Bond to return to service.

Starring- Daniel Craig ,Javier Bardem,Judi Dench
Director- Sam Mendes

Skyfall is the 3rd movie with Daniel Craig as James Bond.This is also the 23rd movie in the 50year old series James Bond.

Daniel once again nails it as Bond.He gives the character a very matured personality.With Skyfall ,Craig gives one of his best performances to date and proves that he is the best Bond.However the Bond girls fail to match upto the performances of Eva Green or Olga K from the previous 2 movies.Berenice gives a stunning role ,but it is a short role.Naomie too is pretty much sidelined throughout the movie and doesnt offer much.Judi Dench as 'M' gives a good performance.But the person who gives a tight competition to Daniel is Javier Bardem,as the villain Silva.Javier's performance will certainly go down as one of the James Bond series' best villains.What severely lacked in both Casino & Quantum was a strong villain and that is accomplished in Skyfall.Javier's entrance is almost at the halfway mark of the movie ,but once he enters ,he steals the show.Daniel isnt an actor who is easy to overshadow ,but Javier equals him.

The story is the best amongst the Daniel Craig-Bond movies.Unlike Quantum, it gives the story top priority and this gives Skyfall a very strong pillar to lean upon.But it stumbles in the end a bit ,but for the majority of the movie the story is first class.The way it digs deep into Bond's & M's past is neatly unfolded.

Sam Mendes gives Skyfall an intense makeover.He doesnt litter the movie with various action sequences ,like Quantum, but drives the movie with the performances of Daniel & Javier.The pacing of the movie is intense for the most part but it runs slow towards the end (Daniel reaching Skyfall).Mendes has said he drew inspiration from Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight for Skyfall and this can be clearly seen on screen.It helps Skyfall set the standard for future James Bond movies (a tough task to follow through).

The various action sequences are top notch ,the opening chase sequence will keep you at the edge of your seat!The cinematography is another plus point.The beauty of the various locations are caught on screen and will definitely catch your breath.The climax is a beautifully shot sequence too.

Another tradition of a James Bond movie is the theme song & the accompanying credits video.All i can say is - Wow!
I was completely floored by the song when i first heard it ,but seeing how it plays out in the movie was just amazing!The video is just fabulous and is again a series high for James Bond.

The movie was hyped before release ,saying its the Best Bond movie of all time,now after seeing Skyfall ,i completely disagree ,not only is it the best Bond movie ,its the best spy/agent movie of all time.Its a must watch!

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

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

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)

IMDB-7.5
RottenTomato-84
RJG Rating-85


At the heights of the Cold War ,British Spy George Smiley (Gary O) is rehired to find a mole within the British Secret Intelligence..

Starring - Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, John Hurt, Mark Strong, Benedict Cumberbatch
Director - Tomas Alfredson

Based on the novel by John le Carré ,TTSS is a classic spy movie..Not the James Bond type ,but more of a reality based spies...The movie is an intelligent and quite a beautiful work of art...

The cast comprises entirely of remarkable actors...And they dont let you down..Acting is of top-notch...
Direction is brilliant and the cinematography is amazing..

It may bore the casual viewers but will appeal to audience that love classic spy and artistic movies..


Acting-5/5
Direction-5/5
Story-4/5
Thriller-4/5
Drama-4/5