Hobbit falls, but remains on top

[Dec 21-23]
Hobbit falls, but remains on top

1-The Hobbit fought of 5 new releases on its second week to remain on the top spot.But the movie had a sharp fall and made only $36.7million (57% drop).So far the LOTR prequel has made $149.8million domestically and it looks like the movie wont break any of the Lord of The Rings collections (the lowest of which is Fellowship's $313million domestic and $869million worldwide).

The Hobbit is going strong overseas too ,but its decline is noticeable.The movie made another $91million overseas to bring its overseas total to $284million.Hobbit has made a worldwide total of $433million so far.With movies like Les Miserables & Django coming up ,Hobbit's collection will fall even further in the coming weeks.

2-Tom Cruise's new movie Jack Reacher made a disappointing $15.6million.Jack Reacher is an adaptation of Lee Child's 2005 novel One Shot.The action movie has been getting above average reviews and is currently rated at 63%. Jack Reacher is expected to linger in The Top 10 as long as possible to atleast cover its budget of $60million.

3-The second new movie was Judd Apatow's This is 40 with a disappointing debut of $12million.This is 40 is a spin off Knocked Up.The comedy movie has been getting average reviews and is currently rated at 50%.The movie has a small budget of $35million ,and so its expected to recover through the Christmas season.but for a Judd Apatow movie its disappointing ,although its better than his previous movie ,Funny People.

4-Rise of the Guardians managed to hold on to the Top 5 for its 5th week earning $5.9million.So far the animated movie has made $222million.

5-At 5th place ,Lincoln continued its surprising run by making $5.6million.Even after 6 weeks ,the biopic has exceeded expectations by staying within the Top 5.So far the movie has made $116million in the domestic market.The movie is yet to release worldwide.

The 3rd new release was Guilt Trip.The movie starring Seth Rogen & Barbra Streisand flopped.Debuting at #6 ,the movie managed to make just $5.4million in the weekend.The movie which is about a mother & son, has been getting negative reviews and is currently at 37%.Although critics liked the actors ,the story was the main culprit.Made at a budget of $40million,Guilt Trip will be crushed by the upcoming releases.

The 4th new release ,isnt exactly new.Mosters Inc. was re-released after 10 years ,this time in 3D.Though the movie is a classic ,it failed to garner interest this time.The movie made just $5million and turned out to be the worst debut for a Disney 3D re-release.They should have learnt their lesson with the backlash they received when Finding Nemo 3D crashed.Monsters Inc 3D is nothing but a cash grab ,and theres nothing special in the 3D version.

The 5th new release , Cirque Du Soleil: Worlds Away opened at #11 earning just $2.1million.The movie which is a 3D concert movie ,opened to limited audiences.The movie has got mixed reviews and is currently rated at 56%.

Even though Skyfall & Life of Pi were pushed out of the top 5, both are making strong collections worldwide.Skyfall made $4.7million domestically and $9million overseas to bring its worldwide total to $974million.Skyfall is bound to hit the $1billion milestone once it opens in China in January.

Life of Pi made $23.2million worldwide to push its total to $235million.

This week we have 2 BIG releases! Tom Hooper's emotional drama ,Les Miserables & Quentin Tarantino's Western action movie, Django Unchained.

Both are strong movies and have A list actors boosting the movie with great performances ,but my pick of the week is....

Django Unchained

Im not a die hard fan of Quentin ,but his movies are always packed with fun and bloody action sequences.With Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds) ,Jamie Foxx (Ray) and Leonardo DiCaprio (Inception) ,the acting department has been widely praised with Leonardo stealing much of the praise.And on Christmas Week ,i would prefer some action drama than emotional drama.Django is currently rated a solid 91%.

Les Miserables

Tom Hooper's next after the motivational The King's Speech ,is Les Miserables which is based on the French historical novel of the same name by Victor Hugo.The movie is a musical and stars Hugh Jackman (X-Men) ,Russell Crowe (Gladiator) ,Anne Hathaway (Dark Knight Rises).Anne has been praised for her performance in this movie and is currently the front runner for Best Actress awards of 2013.The movie is currently rated at 71%

But who will come on top, Django or Miserables ? Or will the Hobbit come on top? Wait and watch

Dabangg2 blasts off

Dabangg 2 [going to be superhit]

Although Dabangg2 couldnt register the biggest single day gross (Ek tha Tiger Record -Rs.31cr opening) ,it did break the record for first weekend collection with a solid Rs.63.6cr (previous record- Ek tha Tiger-Rs.57.8cr).

Powered by Salman Khan ,the movie is charging forward towards Rs.100cr ,which is quite easy for it at this stage.

The reviews have been average.The main issue being the story and how its just a remake of the first part,which wasnt so great either (Dabangg 2010).The over the top action scenes and dialogues may only satisfy Salman fans.

[One Time Watch/ Skip It]

Khiladi 786 [Hit]

Khiladi 786 is close to winding up its run.So far the movie has made Rs.70cr

Talaash [Super Hit]

Talaash too wont be hanging around much longer.It might not have made it to 100cr club ,but making Rs.90cr is a good collection for a small budget movie.

End Of Watch (2012)

[a good cop thriller]

End Of Watch (2012)
IMDB- 7.7
RottenTomatoes- 85%
RJG Ratings- 65

A recording of 2 cops adventures on the streets Los Angeles.

Starring- Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Pena
Director- David Ayer

Both Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena give good performances.At times it does go a bit over the top but its passable considering the type of characters they are playing.Anna Kendrick does a very cute and lovely performance.

the story for End Of Watch is average but has some good twists.The story is about a series of brave deeds and some long talks by the lead characters.While the missions are exciting ,the talks and discussions does start to bore you after a while.

Direction was good but Ayer's idea for handheld style was a failed experiment.The unique feature of the movie is its handheld footage (like Cloverfield,Paranormal Activity etc).While Jake's character explain his reasons for recording with his hand cam ,it starts to get ridiculous towards the second half.In the second half ,many scenes arent even shot through handheld.The climax scenes are even more idiotic when the villains run around carrying camcorders during gun battles.The addition of camera footage just adds to more problems and drags the movie in various scenes.Add to the fact that theres plenty of shaky scenes,it becomes a bit troublesome watching EOW.The movies climax was excellent.The movie has plenty of plot holes too.

Nevertheless EOW is an exciting cop thriller-drama and worth a watch.

Acting- 4/5
Story- 3.5/5
Direction- 3.5/5
Action- 4/5
Thriller- 4.5/5

Chennai Express First Pic

First official pic from Rohit Shetty's Chennai Express, featuring Shahrukh Khan & Deepika Padukone.The movie is set for release in 2013

TDKR FYC Video

Warner Bros have released a 'Dark Knight Rises' Behind the scenes compilation video ,check it out!

http://batman-news.com/2012/12/22/for-your-consideration-behind-the-scenes-of-the-dark-knight-rises-video/

Nolan really deserves some major praise for his work on the Trilogy.Just amazing & beautiful.The more i watch TDKR ,the more i see how much work Nolan has done to close the trilogy into perfection.Nolan ,you are too good :)

Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

[a sweet and charming tale about young love]

Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
IMDB- 8.0
Rottentomatoes- 94%
RJG Ratings- 100

Sam & Suzy run away from their homes ,causing their caretakers to make a search party.

Starring- Jared Gilman,Kara Hayward,Bruce Willis ,Edward Norton
Director- Wes Anderson

The cast for Moonrise Kingdom is solid.The leads are played by Jared Gilman & Kara Hayward who play Sam & Suzy.Both do a wonderful job and give their characters the unique style often seen in Wes Anderson movies.The supporting cast includes all A listers ,such as Bruce Willis ,Edward Norton ,Bill Murray and Frances McDormand ,and they all do excellently.Bruce W & Edward N were just great.

The story is excellent.Its short but it holds a much deeper & meaningful tale.The subtle humour and Anderson's usual themes are ever present.The story doesnt rush off ,but slowly reveals its layers.Although the concept of young love ,has been tried plenty of times ,i think Wes Anderson's story is the one that really stands out from the rest.

Direction from Wes Anderson is brilliant.He brings to Moonrise Kingdom his trademark themes and visual styles that we end up loving.His presentation is wonderful and the simplicity of the entire movie ,is a heart warming experience.He once again brings the best out of his cast.The movie has a wacky setting but its all done in good taste.

Overall ,Moonrise Kingdom is a sweet romantic movie.A must watch if you are a Wes Anderson fan.

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

This Is The End trailer & Poster

Trailer for This Is The End

Trailer #1

This movie about 6 real life friends ,who are trapped in a house during the end of the world.Dont know how the movie will turn out ,but its great watching these guys !

Best Foreign Movie Contenders

he 9 Movies being considered for Best Foreign Movie Oscar:

Amour
War Witch
No
A Royal Affair
The Intouchables
The Deep
Kon-Tiki
Beyond the Hills
Sister

The main competition will be between Intouchables & Amour
Its great to know India's "copy paste" movie Barfi didnt make it through.

Looper (2012)

[an excellent mind teaser]

Looper (2012)
IMDB- 7.8
Rottentomatoes- 94%
RJG Rating -100

In a futuristic world ,Loopers are people who kill off victims sent from the future.

Starring -Joseph Gordon ,Bruce Willis
Director- Rian Johnson

The movie is powered by Joseph Gordon's performance.He has easily given yet another superb role of 2012 with Looper (the others being Premium Rush,TDKR,Lincoln).Joseph's acting is excellent and joining him is action star Bruce Willis.Bruce Willis plays the older version of Joseph's character.While hes pushed off to a supporting role character ,Bruce still leaves a strong impact on the movie.Emily Blunt's acting was good too but as long as Joseph's onscreen ,no one can or does overtake him.

The story for Looper is its unique factor.it deals with time travel which can be a very messy subject if not dealt with utmost care.But Looper does it with ease.The last movie that made me as intrigued and left me trying to fit the pieces together,as Looper , was Nolan's masterpiece Inception.And being compared to Inception is no small compliment.The story reveals itself layer by layer and gives the audience enough pointers for them to figure out whats happening.On the downside ,the rules arent exactly laid out which could lead to some doubts and confusion while seeing the movie.
Another excellent point was how well it portrayed the 'hero' 'villain' roles.Neither Joseph nor Bruce are the exact heroes ,but their characters are so dark & twisted, that at times we are left considering them as the real villains.All in all ,writing is solid.

Rian Johnson has done an excellent job as the director.Giving Earth's future a bleak look with just the right amount of technology made Looper well balanced in the reality scales.The pacing of the movie was intense from start to finish.And this might be a very minor point ,but i just loved how the title was shown.

How on earth can you envision Joseph Gordon as being Bruce Willis younger self?Well that was something you have to see the movie for.Rian Johnson aptly uses CGI for the transformation.But at times it sort of stands out too much and we are left with 2 Joseph's.One that looks like the real Joseph ,and the one with too much special effects on.But it doesnt matter,since Joseph from the start to finish mimics the famous grins and talking style of Bruce Willis to an A.

Overall ,Looper is not for the weak minded.Its an action movie with a very twisted yet sensible plot,and quite bloody too.Fans of movies like Inception ,Matrix will find Looper to be a quite wonderful ride.

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

The Great Gatsby Trailer #2

The Great Gatsby Trailer #2

Starring A list stars such as Leonardo ,Carey ,Tobey ,Great Gatsby looks amazing.Although it might just turn out to be an overdose of drama.

Kai Po Che! trailer

Trailer for Kai Po Che!

Kai Po Che! Trailer #1

Directed by Abhishek Kapoor (Rock On) ,and based on Chetan Bhagat's hit novel - 3 Mistakes of my Life!

Guest Review-The Hobbit (2012)

Special review by Arnab Goswami

The Hobbit (2012)

Peter Jackson's long awaited cinematic adaptation of JRR Tolkien's 'The Hobbit'.

AG Rating : 100

The film

After a really long time, we see middle earth back on the big screen and how ??!! Seeing middle earth in 3d made me really wanting more and wishing if The Lord of the Rings trilogy had come out in 3d too !! Peter Jackson's trademark helicopter shots, sweeping camera work and his epic cinematic grandeur were back with a BANG !!

While the LOTR trilogy was for the most part filled with doom and gloom ( and still amazingly immersive no doubt), this film adds the merriment and joy one encounters while reading Tolkien's books, especially 'The Hobbit'. The result is a delight to see as the dwarves are hilarious and even old Gandalf adds in a joke or two !!

While the pacing may appear to be an issue for some, nonetheless for Tolkien fans like me, it didn't seem to be an issue at all as it appropriately built up the anticipation and excitement for the adventure !!

The visual effects

3d seems to have improved a lot lately as this is the second film I have watched in which the 3d was amazingly immersive with the appropriate depths at the required places. The visual effects were even more vivid, realistic, spot on and coming from Weta, had an element of grandeur to them.

The background score

John Howard has used almost all of the cues of the previous trilogy and places appropriately to great effect. The score compliments Jackson's camera work excellently. Watch out for the lonely mountain song sung by the dwarves ! As in the trailer, this particular sequence was absolutely spell binding and soul stirring and literally gave me goosebumps !!

The direction

I feel that only Peter Jackson truly understands the vision of JRR Tolkien and no one can ever translate his book to the big screen better than he can !!

His camerawork is filled with to the brim with so much grandeur and energy that the viewer gets pulled in by him and I for one was fully energized throughout and not for once did I feel bored. Despite having seen several breathtaking sequences in his films before, I was still awed by many of the sequences he has filmed here : watch out for the battle of the stone giants in the 3rd half ! Now that was jaw dropping !!!

Though I didn't watch it so, I felt the film was made for 48 fps and hopefully in its next version, it will have resolved all of its current problems and will herald in the next generation of cinema !!

The acting

Martin freeman was born to play Bilbo Baggins ! There is absolutely nothing more that once can say. I cannot imagine anyone else on earth playing that role !! Richard Armitage excelled as Thorin Oakenshield. Gandalf was a delight as always. Hugo weaving as Elrond and Cate Blanchett as Galadriel were a delight too in their short roles. All the dwarves were excellent in their roles too !!

The AG verdict

A fitting and worthy addition to the middle earth universe envisioned by Tolkien though it will be enjoyed fully only by Tolkien fans !! A visual delight and a cinematic masterpiece !! I liked it even better than the LOTR trilogy !! ( though that might be because I was seeing a middle earth after a long time but I still feel I liked it much better !!)

Pain & Gain Trailer

And HES BACK ! MICHEAL BAY ! Trailer for the awesome Pain & GAIN ,starring Mark Wahlberg & The ROCK
Trailer1 Link #1

Trailer1 Link #2

just kidding about the excitement,the movie looks like another Trademark Bay flick- Explosions,Hot Chicks ,Male obsession (Last time transformer toys ,this time muscles),some running etc.
But this just might turn out to be a decent flick ,judging by the trailer.And Rock & Mark look great!

Lawless (2012)

[excellent acting powers this bloody movie]

Lawless (2012)
IMDB- 7.4
Rottentomatoes- 68%
RJG Rating- 100

The Bondurant brothers' illegal business is threatened by the new corrupt Deputy.

Starring- Tom Hardy, Shia LaBeouf, Jessica Chastain,Guy Pearce
Director- John Hillcoat

Lawless has one of the best casting of 2012.The cast was just amazing and all give superb performances.Shia LaBeouf as Jack Bondurant was great.But the real show stealer was Tom Hardy as the Eldest brother ,Forrest Bondurant.Tom gives hardly a few lines but he gives off an amazing performance.Guy Pearce plays the villain, Charlie Rakes.Guy like the rest of the cast blends in perfectly and gives a menacing performance.Jessica Chastain is one of the best upcoming actresses of the recent years ,and once again she delivers an excellent performance.Supporting cast members ,Gary Oldman,Mia W,Jason Clarke were all noteworthy.

The story of Lawless is based on the novel " The Wettest County in the World " ,written by Matt Bondurant who was the grandson of teh lead character ,Jack Bondurant.Although the movie is much more violent than the book ,i felt it to be amazing and more apt.The movie could have been another one of those dull 'illegal smugglers' movie ,but the writers mix the legends with the real story giving off a pretty intense screenplay.

Direction was excellent.The start was a bit slow ,but we never expect it to suddenly turn into an intense crime war.Even at the halfway mark ,the movie glided smoothly without a hitch leaving a trail of blood and violence.Add to the fact the actors are just amazing ,you have in your hands a very interesting movie.

Overall ,Lawless will surprise you on how well its crafted and by the amazing cast.A must watch.

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

Looper (2012) [Guest Review ]

Special Guest Review by Arnab Goswami

Looper (2012) (Spoilers ahead)
AG rating : 100

A mind bending tale about time travel in the near future and the highly intriguing prospect of a man meeting his future self whom he has to kill. What happens now ??!!

The film

After a long time, we at last see a film that can have the 'inception' effect on you as you watch it. With a strong emphasis on parallel timelines, it beautifully illustrates the cause and effect scenarios......that is if there is an effect, then there has to be a cause. As simple as it sounds, it can lead to some very paradoxical situations as is shown in a key sequence involving Joseph Gordon Levitt and Bruce Willis.

The direction
Time travel is an extremely difficult topic to begin with and the director deserves applause for the way he has tackled it. He has managed to give us the 'inception' effect which is no small feat. The ending though wasn't so inception like.

The acting

With the help of a little CGI, JGL completely transforms himself into the younger Bruce Willis though this wouldn't have been possible without some terrific acting on his part. Bruce Willis was good too though I felt JGL outshone him.

The AG verdict

Despite the fact that the pace slows down significantly when the character of Emily blunt is introduced, it picks up again spectacularly in a jaw dropping sequence and the ending, though not totally unpredictable, still leaves you awestruck. All in all, one of the best sci-fi films ever !!! A must watch for all sci-fi fans !!!!