Monsters,Inc. (2001) IMDB- 8.0 (Top 250: #240) Rotten Tomatoes- 95 RJG Rating- 100 Mike & Sully have their lives turned upside down when someone crosses over to their world.
Starring- John Goodman ,Billy Crystal Director- Pete Docter ,Lee Unkrich
Monsters Inc to me is Pixar's entry into their most glorious era.Their
animation has reached perfection and where they tackle more diverse
stories.Its their 4th movie , and the first to be not directed by Pixar
head, John Lasseter.
MI's animation is just brilliant.The
various characters are colorful and the amount of details on them are
just superb.Pixar creates another detailed world in MI and its called
Monstropolis.The entire concept behind its working and how it affects
the lives of the characters are very much thought into.
The
story explores the concept about monsters that hide in childrens
closet.Pixar weaved a beautiful yet fun story out of this.The movie is
one for all ages.Like most Pixar movies,MI has well developed
characters.Every single monster catches our eyes,they are just too fun
and lovable to be missed out.
Another strong point for MI is
its big heart.Compared to the first 3 Pixar movies,MI is more
emotionally charged.The relationship formed between Boo & Sulley and
the friendship between Mike & Sulley will surely touch your
hearts.The comedy is non-stop and clean.
Pete Docter has
managed to create a classic movie.Its high on imagination as well as
genuine story telling.Its a colorful adventure for all ages.A must
watch.
On release,MI opened in top spot and gained mass critical acclaim.
Anna Karenina is directed by Joe Wright (director of Atonement) and stars Keira Knightley in the title role,joining her will be Jude Law & Aaron Johnson.
Prometheus (2012) IMDB- 7.7 Rotten Tomatoes- 74 RJG Rating- 90 2 scientists lead a team of explorers into space to find human origins.
Starring- Noomi Rapace,Michael Fassbender, Idris Elba,Charlize Director- Ridley Scott
Prometheus is Ridley Scott's foray into sci fi after almost 30
years.Scott's movies such as Alien & Blade Runner are legendary
movies in sci-fi history.Prometheus is a prequel to the Alien series,but
its much of a stand alone movie.You dont have to watch any of the Alien
movies to understand Prometheus.But for people who have watched
them,watching the movie will be more fun and enlightening.
The
cast is a very strong group of actors.Its led by Noomi Rapace (from Girl
with the Dragon Tattoo) ,Michael Fassbender (Magneto from First Class)
,Idris Elba ,Logan Marshall & Charlize Theron.Everyone gives a solid
performance with the exception of Charlize.Fassbender & Noomi are
the power horses.This is easily one of Fassbender's best roles.Charlize
gives a one dimensional performance,she never breaks out of the rut.But
fortunately this doesnt derail our attention.
The story is
another strong point of the movie.Its concept and presentation is just
outstanding.Its a radical idea and many may not buy into it,but its sci
fi at its best.
Ridley Scott's Prometheus is a wonderful tale
and its an interesting watch.Every scene has its importance and if you
miss or let slip a dialogue,it can lead to some confusion later on.The
movie deserves your full attention at all times.
Prometheus has
some truly magnificent visuals.The movie takes place entirely in space
,and the visual department has given an outstanding job creating the
environment.The other visual creations are also great.Hats off for
creating "The Engineer".
The movie isnt a fast paced action
flick,nor is it a complete horror movie.Its more of a philosophical
movie with a mixture of great action & gruesome horror. Many a
times the movie slumps a bit after an exciting scene ,and this sort of
dulls the viewer a bit.But if you are truly interested in its concept,
this wont be much of a problem. Many have issues with the questions
raised by Prometheus ,but a bit of common sense and imagination is
enough to bridge any gaps.
Prometheus doesnt depend on the
stable pillar of the Alien Series,but manages to not only stand
apart,but has enough potential to spawn its own series.Its a must watch
for sci fi lovers,and is a refreshing tale of space exploration.But if
you expect non-stop action and a complete horror package ,this is not
your type.
Even though the Transformers series have been
heavily criticized ,it did make a tonne of cash at the box office (the
3rd part made a solid $1billion plus).
So Micheal Bay is back to
reboot the series ,and present to us a much more darker & grittier
version. Heres the first Teaser Poster for the reboot.
The reboot is said to focus more on the robots and less on the humans.Its set to release on June 27 2014.
Toy Story 2 (1999) IMDB- 8.0 RottenTomatoes- 100 RJG Rating- 100
Woody is kidnapped by a toy collector.
Starring- Tom Hanks ,Tim Allen ,Joan Cusack Direction- John Lasseter ,Lee Unkrich and Ash Brannon
Toy Story 2 continues the tale of Andy's toys and is Pixar's 3rd
movie.John Lasseter returns to direct as well as the entire star cast
of the first part.
Animation is much improved than last
time.This time the story takes place in a much larger environment,and
the background is beautiful.
Toy Story2 has a much larger
concept for the story and brought on board more fully fledged
characters.Still ,Pixar gives #1 priority to the character development
of every toy we see.The friendship between Woody & Buzz are one of
the main highlights of the movie.
The fun is doubled and the
comedy is spot on.Just like the first part we have some iconic scenes
from major hollywood classics spoofed toy story style.
Another
Pixar trademark is that its story and animation will touch your
hearts.And Toy Story 2 has plenty of such scenes,the best one being
Jessie's flashback.
Direction by Lasseter is flawless.He once
again is able to create a well knit movie that never loses focus for
even one frame.From start to finish its a complete adventure.
Pixar's devotion to bringing the finest movies can be seen in the
movie's production.Disney as usual wanted a sequel for the hit Toy Story
,but just as a direct to video version.But due to the strong opposition
from the Pixar team this was thankfully averted.Yet more problems faced
the team.During production, Lasseter was unhappy on how the movie was
turning out,and decided to redo the whole movie.But Disney was against
this and wanted the movie at its proposed date.At extreme pressure the
team worked non stop.Thus Toy Story 2 was made in 9 months.
On
release ,the Pixar magic worked wonders.It was the second
highest-grossing animated film of all-time , behind Disney's The Lion
King (as on 1999).