Sunday, February 24, 2013
Friday, February 22, 2013
Les Misérables (2012)
[a depressing 150min]
Les Misérables (2012)
IMDB- 7.9
RottenTomatoes- 70%
RJG Rating- 65
The story of Jean Valjean as he flees a ruthless police-officer hunting him.
Starring- Hugh Jackman,Russell Crowe
Director- Tom Hooper
Les Miserables is spear headed by the acting of Huge Jackman.Hes excellent in every scene and he gives one of his best performances.Playing an officer with a screwed up sense of judgement ,Russel Crowe takes up the part of the villain and blends into the gloomy atmosphere of the movie quite well.Anne Hathaway deserves all the praise shes been showered upon.Her role is one of the best ones shes done till now.But a major letdown is how short her role actually is.Les Miserables boasts of large cast of supporting cast ,and they all are excellent.
Being a musical ,almost all the dialogues are delivered in a musical note.The actors have all done good work here.But the length of some do get a bit out of hand.
The story of Les Miserables is based on the famous novel of the same name written by Victor Hugo and also on the stage musical.While the movie might strike among those who love depression type movies ,it certainly wasnt meant for the rest.The story of Les Miserables stays true to the novel on most parts.A major flaw is how poorly the characters have been developed during the course of the movie.All our one sided and its hard to support or understand the reasoning behind anyone of them.Things happen conveniently throughout, to either deliver more musical numbers or just more depression.
Tom Hooper's direction is excellent.He has easily captured the essence of the novel and even though its generally gloomy ,its still shot in grandeur.Even though the story does push Hooper into one way alleys ,he has extracted the best from his cast.But the movie is gloomy from start to finish and offers no triumph of any sort.The movie enters into over dramatic scenes most of the time.The story of an officer chasing a man who stole bread 25years ago (which includes the 19years he served in prison for it) ,while a revolution is going on is unintentionally hilarious and stupid.The length of the movie is also tiresome.
Dramatic scenes are shot excellently and the actors give it their best but the reasons for which they shout and scream about seems unworthy at most of the times.Romance makes its entry in the 3rd half ,and its poorly conceived.
Overall ,Les Miserables is not for all.Its catered more for the fans of the musical & the novel and will easily bore majority of the casual viewers.People who love hardcore drama and chick-flick romance should give this movie a watch.
Acting- 4.5/5
Story- 2.5/5
Direction- 4/5
Drama- 3/5
Romance- 2/5
Musical- 3.5/5
Oscars - 3
Best Actress in a Supporting Role- Anne Hathaway
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Best Sound Mixing
Oscar Nominations- 5
Best Picture
Best Actor- Hugh Jackman
Best Original Song - "Suddenly"
Best Costume Design
Best Production Design
Monday, February 18, 2013
Lincoln (2012)
[dull and uneventful]
IMDB- 7.7
Rottentomatoes- 89%
RJG Rating- 50
The last few months of one of the greatest presidents of all time ,Abraham Lincoln.
Starring- Daniel Day-Lewis
Director- Steven Spielberg
Daniel Day as Lincoln is spot on.Hes just amazing as the 16th President of USA.He has done complete justification to his role and its just brilliant watching him on screen.The same cant be said for the rest of the cast.Sally Field & Tommy Lee Jones go over the top on one too many occasions.Tommy looks too tired to do anything.Joseph Gordon has a short role as Lincoln's son ,and although he does a good job ,his screen time is awfully short.
The story for Lincoln is as dull as it can get.Although its about Lincoln's fight to end slavery ,it rarely brings up any true sense of achievement in the end.THe long speeches get boring after a while and the various characters introduced every now and then creates confusion as to who is who.Those who have studied the basics of American history and of Lincoln might understand ,but majority of the others will just be waiting for Lincoln to appear on screen.
Steven Speilberg does an average job with Lincoln.This isnt his best.He extracts the best from Daniel and has given much thought into bringing Abraham Lincoln onto screen ,but the rest of the movie is a disappointment.The pacing of the movie is too slow and the movie just drags on forever with its running time of over 150min.Even though the act of abolishing slavery is what Lincoln is remembered for ,he had a very motivational story behind it.Even his assassination isnt directly shown.The only moment Speilberg remembers to add any excitement is the Parliament voting scene ,in which over acting goes to unbelievable lengths. Although educational ,Lincoln misses out the entertainment factor.
Overall ,Lincoln is relevant to American audience than to others.Its a boring and dullish movie ,with only Daniel shining in his role.
Acting- 3.5/5
Story- 2/5
Direction- 3/5
Drama- 3.5/5
Oscars
Won -2
Best Actor -Daniel Day-Lewis
Best Production Design
Other Nominations - 10
Best Film
Best Director -Steven Spielberg
Best Supporting Actor -Tommy Lee Jones
Best Supporting Actress -Sally Field
Best Adapted Screenplay -Tony Kushner
Best Cinematography -Janusz Kaminski
Best Costume Design
Best Editing
Best Original Score -John Williams
Best Sound Mixing
Die Hard wins on a rotten weekend
Die Hard wins on a rotten weekend.
[Feb 15-17]
1-A Good Day to Die Hard manage to win the top spot beating 3 other releases on Valentines weekend.Die Hard 5 made $25million and is going strong.The movie has already recovered its budget of $92million ,with strong overseas performance.Die Hard 5 has so far made $112million worldwide.But other than making money ,Die Hard was a major disappointment for its fans.The movie was panned by the critics and currently has a rotten rating of 16%. Majority of the critics blamed the cliched story.
2-Identity Thief made a surprisingly strong stand.Falling just by 32% ,the comedy movie made $23.4million on week 2 ,bringing its overall domestic total to $70million.Made at a budget of $35million Identity Thief is making quite a huge profit.
3-The romance chick flick ,Safe Haven made a decent debut with $21.4million.This is a good opening for a movie based on a Nicholas Sparks novel.But like most of the movies based on his novels ,this one too failed to keep the critics happy.Scoring just 13% ,the major criticisms were its melodramatic scenes ,idiotic plot twists and the usual cliches found in a Sparks movie.Still the movie has managed to recover its budget of $28million.
4-Escape From Planet Earth made a poor opening with just $16million.The animated movie was dumped by the producers on Valentines Day hoping to reel in the kids and thus they made no attempt at any marketing.Lack of marketing could also be due to the fact that the movie looks poor ,lacking any quality of a good animated movie.The movie was slammed by the critics ,scoring just 24%. Every aspect of the movie has been criticized and the movie ,which has a budget of $40million is heading towards a flop.
5-Warm Bodies made $9million which is just a 20%drop from last week.The zombie comedy has made $67million worldwide but is slowing down.
The 4th new movie ,was Beautiful Creatures which flopped heavily.Made at a budget of $60million ,this teenage fantasy movie made only $7.4million.Although it was much better reviewed than the other 3 releases of the week ,the movie had just average ratings.Currently at 45% ,critics say the cast is good but the story and setting is poor and seems to be just an attraction for the Twilight crowd.
Meanwhile heres updates on worldwide box office collections:-
Lincoln-$235million
Life Of Pi- $575million
Django Unchained- $365million
Hobbit 1- $959.4 million
Skyfall- $1.1billion
This week we have 2 dark movies.But my pick will be:-
Snitch- The movie is about a father whos son has been caught up on some false charges,and in order to rescue him ,he goes undercover in a drug gang.The major selling point here is The Rock ,and though the movie doesnt sound too great ,Rock's charisma will keep the guys hooked on.So ,this will be my pick of the week.
Dark Skies- The movie is about a couple who start experiencing disturbing events within their home.It sounds interesting ,but unlike Snitch theres nobody interesting here.The director has earlier made 2 big horror flops (Legion & Priest) ,and the story doesnt sound too interesting.
Marketing has been on the low for both these movies ,showing that the producers dont believe that much in them either.It looks like another rotten week ahead!
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Iron Man 3 Posters !
 |
| Even Heroes Fall |
 |
| Don Cheadle as Rhodes.He reprises his alter ego ,War Machine from Iron Man 2. The suit hes wearing is called the Iron Patriot ,and in comic book history ,it was made by Norman Osborn aka Green Goblin |
Jurassic Park 3D Poster
Poster for the upcoming Jurassic Park 3D.This Jurassic Park is the 3D version of the first movie that released in 1993 and is part of the 20 year anniversary.
Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
[an intense movie ,with a powerful climax]
Zero Dark Thirty (2012)IMDB- 7.7
RottenTomatoes- 93%
RJG Ratings- 95
The story behind the biggest manhunt in recent history
Starring- Jessica Chastain
Director- Kathryn Bigelow
Jessica Chastain gives a powerful lead in Zero Dark Thirty.The whole movie is carried on her shoulders and she delivers a fantastic performance.Over the last 2 years she has been part of a series of good movies ,ranging from Tree of Life to Lawless ,and its easy to see why Jessica is able to carry Zero Dark Thirty by herself.The supporting cast do a great job as well.The acting is on the spot.
The story of Zero Dark Thirty is a very integral part of this movie.Any mistake here ,and the entire movie would have suffered.But theres no such problem.The story paints a picture thats completely makes the running time of 157min justified.Its smooth and the way it connects with major events is nicely pieced together.Full marks to the writer ,Mark Boal.
One thing that i noticed from Scene 1 of Zero Dark Thirty is how well its directed.Kathryn Bigelow brings in the same realistic setting she had used in Hurt Locker ,and puts Zero Dark Thirty into a higher scale.Her direction is what gives this movie a sense of perfection.The much awaited climax is worth the wait and it puts the viewer right into the midst of the manhunt.
Theres very little to complain about ZDT.This isnt the exact true story ,but it does its utmost best to be as close to the truth as possible.The only downside i felt was that it was too convenient of a clue they found ,which is the core factor that leads to Osama.But this is debatable since ,it could have happened considering its highly based on the real deal.
Overall ,Zero Dark Thirty is an engrossing movie ,and a must watch.It gives you an idea how such missions works and the climax is worth the wait !
Acting- 5/5
Story- 4.5/5
Direction- 5/5
Thriller- 5/5
Action- 4/5
Drama- 4/5
New Poster & Trailer for Oblivion
Oblivion New Trailer - Trailer #2The trailers dont seem to be keeping back much.The concept of Oblivion is starting to look similar to that of Equilibrium .What do you think?
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Monday, February 11, 2013
Identity Thief grabs the spotlight
Identity Thief grabs the spotlight
[Feb 8-10]
#1-Identity Thief debuted at the top spot with a solid collection of
$36.5million.Directed by Seth Gordon of Horrible Bosses ,Identity has
done remarkably well.The only competition the movie faced was the winter
storm,Nemo , in North America.On the other hand the movie hasnt managed
to make the critics happy.Scoring just 24%, only Melissa & Jason's
performance was appreciated while the
story was deemed a rip off other comedies.The movie has already
recovered its $35million budget and considering its good start its
expected to be another big hit ,following last years Ted.
#2-Warm Bodies made $11.5million bringing its worldwide total to
$45.3million.The movie is doing a good business and with its fresh
concept ,its bringing in the crowds.
#3-Acclaimed director
Steven Soderbergh's final movie before retirement ,Side Effects ,turned
out to be a disappointment.The movie just managed to make $10million.The
medical thriller was praised by critics for its twist filled story.The
movie has a fresh rating of 86%.
#4-Silver Linings Playbook had
another good week making $6.9million.The movie is holding strong and is
inching its way to a domestic gross of $100million.Currently the movie
has made a worldwide total of $120million from a budget of $21million.
#5-Hansel and Gretel:Witch Hunters has turned out to be a hit.Making
$5.7million in its 3rd week ,the movie has made a domestic gross of just
$43.8million from a budget of $50million.But its overseas collection
has been strong.The movie has made $84million just from overseas
,putting the worldwide collections to $127.8million.
Tom
Cruises' Top Gun 3D re-release turned out into a bitter
disappointment.The movie made just $1.9million strengthening the notion
that 3D re-releases might not be such a great idea.
Boosted by
its overseas collection ,Skyfall & Hobbit are still making big bucks
in the international market.Skyfall has made $1.094billion (#7 highest
grossing movie all time) and Hobbit Part 1 is at $955million (#18 in the
same list).
With Valentines around the corner ,Hollywood has
lined up 4 interesting movies.One romantic drama ,one teenage fantasy
,one kids movie and one action packed thriller.My pick of the week will
be---
1-Die Hard 5- A Good Day to Die Hard will have a tough
sell this time.Headed by Bruce Willis ,this is a sequel to a series of
tough as nails action movies.But on the down side its director,John
Moore is having a bad run (MaxPayne ,Omen) ,and the Die Hard series
always are at the border of being cliched and amazing.And also to be
considered is the curse of the Expendables.So far all 3 action movies of
the stars who acted in the movie have tanked ,will this effect Die Hard
too? Whatever it is ,Die Hard seems to be the best option this
week.This is MY PICK OF THE WEEK!
2-Beautiful Creatures ,is
based on the novel of the same name ,and is in the same line as of
Twilight series.Whether it will be as bad as the latter is yet to be
seen ,but its undeniable that its catered to the female audience of
below 18 years of age.The story is about 2 teenagers falling in love and
uncovering their families dark secrets.
3-Safe Haven.Now this
is the most standard romantic movie that you can expect to be released
this week.Its based on a Nicholas Sparks novel (his novels have been
made into movies such as Notebook,Walk to Remember,Dear John and so
on).Since its based on his novels ,theres 2 things that are guaranteed -
its going to be a cheesy movie and its going to be a hit among the
female audience.The story is of a young woman who comes into town and
starts a relationship with a store owner ,and dark secrets start to turn
up. (dark secrets seem to be a favorite this week)
4-Escape
From Planet Earth ,is the animated movie of the week ,and this is the
one you MUST miss at all costs.Poorly marketed ,cheesy looks and
animation is not so great either.This is a movie made for just one
reason ,its the only family movie this week.Die Hard is rated R ,and
Safe Haven & Beautiful Creatures are both PG13 ,which leaves Escape
that seems to be the only option for families with little kids.Itll be
worth it if you sit at home rather than watch this.
ABCD & Special strike at Box Office
New Releases make this Week SpecialABCD [HIT]
Prabhudeva's dance movie made an excellent collection of Rs.17cr.The 3D movie has been getting above average reviews.Critics have praised the movie for its dance but the story came up short.It was quite obvious the movie was following on the heels of Step Up and many similarities popped up.Also the various characters were said to be too uninteresting.
But made at a low budget of around Rs.12cr ,the movie is already churning up profits.
[Watch It]
Special Chabbis (26) [HIT]
After a slow start not many expected Special 26 to make an impact at the box office ,but the movie went on to score Rs.24cr which is quite a solid collection.Both critics and audience have given this movie a thumbs up.Critics have praised the actors chemistry and the witty script.This is a heist movie based on a real life con artists that pulled off multiple robberies in the 1980's.Akshay's & Manoj Bajpai's performance has also been praised.
[Must Watch]
Vishwaroop- Hindi [Average]
Kamal Haasan's movie has slowed down at the box office.The movie just managed to make Rs.1.2cr ,for a domestic total of Rs.11cr.
Race 2 [Super Hit]
Race 2 has become the first movie of 2013 to make it into the 100cr club.Race 2 has so far made Rs.101cr.
The major release of this week is Murder 3.Starring Randeep & Aditi Rao ,this will be the first movie of the Murder series to not have Emraan Haashmi.The movie is expected to make a good impact.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Community Season 4 Mini review
The
first episode from Season 4 of Community was below expectations.Sure a
major portion was parodying cheesy TV sitcoms ,but there wasnt much good
comedy in this one.Was firing the creator ,Dan Harmon the reason for
this result? Hopefully the show will soon pick itself up!
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