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sandeepamar
Reviews
The Full Monty (2023)
Beautiful for the fans! Some amazing sequences
The Full Monty Series 2023, amazing and beautiful, for us fans! May not be for everyone - but what a cracking series from the movie. Loved Gaz n gang come back again, beautifully shot, and some amazing sequences. The story may be on and off....but some of the sequences, superb! For us fans of the movie, mindblowing! Acting is really top notch, when it started It looked like going nowhere, but charaterwise there is development over time. There is a lot of low quality series made these days, this is miles ahead, this kept me motivated to go through the whole series in 3 days. Some of the critical reviews, may be correct in terms of storyline, but note the beautiful scenes, the cinematography, the attempt to bring up human values n emotions! Maybe I am fan!
The King's Speech (2010)
Each of us has his struggle
A very well made movie: pace, acting, characterization and sets. What I liked the most is the fact that all of us have our own challenges in life. Being a King or royal family is no different and we have to fight them out in our own way.
Great cinema, Mr. Rush takes the cake in terms of acting performance for me and the key contender for Oscar. Colin Firth was also really good and so was Helena Bonham Carter, both looking good for Oscars.
Another great thing which was highlighted in the movie was dealing with fear. And how that becomes the core evil for most of our problems.
A must watch for all cinema lovers.
Black Swan (2010)
Brilliant one on second thoughts
As soon as I finished this movie, I got up and thought just another "psycho pi" stuff from Aronofsky. My next thought was why doesn't he make something like wrestler again. And then it just hit me "quest of perfection", the mathematician chasing the meaning of Pi, and the wrestler who has to wrestle, as that is what is wants to do, even if he risks his life. There was a magical moment and I found the movie suddenly brilliant, and appreciated Aronofsky for his genius.
I do not believe in extreme emotions, rather one has to take nothing so seriously which human being has created. And here is the brilliance of Aronofsky, he portrays the extreme and psychotic nature of human emotion, ambition and quest. At the end the movies communicate that this extreme nature is a labyrinth created by self, which is delusional in so many ways.
The movie is about a young girl trying to a perfect ballerina, and everything should be perfect around it. She hallucinates and falls pray to her ambition. The acting is superb, the hard work in direction on ballet scenes and developing of movie is great. A must watch and I guess a high chance of Oscar for Natalie Portman.
I still feel its time Aronofsky makes a different movie, rather than the extreme emotions. I think Pi was his greatest movie, it is like how Wrestler and Crazy Heart are similar movies, but Crazy Heart has a neutral/positive spin at the end. I am not looking for a positive ending, just a different kind of brilliance from him.
Mission London (2010)
IMDb ratings rarely go this wrong
There should be some sanity in a rating system. I think this movie can deserve a 4 or 5, but running a 9 and now 8.2, is seriously wrong. There is no need to talk about the movie, It does not get anywhere. Please do not get mislead and waste time on thinking this is a great movie...It is a regular flick, with actually nothing at the end.
I saw this movie in IMDb ratings, right next to inception, and was looking forward to see it. Got a decent print and subtitles, and waited till more than half of the movie for some magic to happen, but by the end it was nothing. Nothing happened, or maybe something which I didn't find funny.
The American (2010)
Worth a watch, not brilliant
I wanted to give it a 5, but 2010 releases have been disappointing, and this one is a bit better. The pace is good but a little forced, the slow pace has to beautifully managed, like Jim Jarmush or some of the non- Hollywood cinema, like Italian series, "The best of youth". There is no doubt that this is an attempt to reproduce that kind of cinema.
It was not the best, but did have class in the middle, although the message was missing. The beauty of brilliant cinema is the message and the built up in "slow pace" movies. This was building many times, but it didn't get anywhere. 10/10 on cinematography, and very good performance by George Clooney and other actors. Screenplay and story was weak, ending was seriously weak and killed the movie.
With the way 2010 cinema has gone, one can give this movie a shot.
The Ghost Writer (2010)
Great Direction, Average closure
Polansky's brilliance it truly visible in the movie, pace is the key to judge a director in my opinion, it was very good. Great story built-up, scenes leading into suspense, although a few disjoints, but great none the less.
End was average, although lot of great revelations, and suspense worth waiting for, but there was no need for the last scene, I guess here someone tried to be arty..
The reference to America and CIA, as someone who tried to control the world, the British and the big corporate leading the war, is good enough conspiracy theory, but it could have been lesser.
Kick-Ass (2010)
Good Watch for its a Fantasy Movie
OK, it is not an 8.3, and could be at best a 4, but I have given it a 7, and have my reasons. It is like when movies business started, people went to "talkies" to see some entertainment, something unreal with which they can relate their fantasies and dreams. I generally watch serious movies with characters, story and the way the movie builds, and the message. It is like in a discussion between Scorsese and Spielberg, Scorsese said, I try to start from the very atom and then keep pulling my camera up to 30,000 feet to get a broader picture, the micro to the macro and vice versa.
This is not that kind of movie, this is a movie for fun, fantasy and a laugh, if you can. It doesn't develop, its storyline is weak, and has no continuity, but its fun, and at some level captures modern world with internet, people not helping each other, rather filming them and so on.
Our Superhero Kick-ass is a lovable character, and he gets lost all the time, and tries to get simple things in life, for example once he finds love in life, he forgets about the Superhero dreams. The movie has its moments, and becomes like the spy kids thing with the 11 year old hitting out all the bad guys.
But here is my problem beyond just enjoying the movie, it can be a bad influence, especially the scene wherein Nick Cage tries out bullets on his 11 year old, and some of the gun fight scenes.
Overall, if you can take a movie as a fantasy, you can give it a shot, fun at best, good 2 hrs spend, but it is no "watchmen", which is my favorite superhero movie.
Adventureland (2009)
Brilliant, Beautiful, 80s Rock!
It is one of the most beautiful movies I saw in some time, It somehow reminded of Broken Flowers(Jim Jarmusch film), Now Jim Jarmusch fans should not hate me, but its the pace which Jim sets in every movie, and lets the emotions, the feelings, the overall scene come out in a slow beautiful manner. I was able to see that magic in this movie.
I was looking for a comedy, but this movie is not a comedy, it is a flowing journey. Greg Mottola showed his class, after Superbad, I think he followed his heart on this. Jesse Eisenberg, acted great, so did most of the cast.
The 80s music connect was tremendous, songs really were fitted well.
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Brilliance, pace and style
Entertaining feature films is sign of Tarantino, and this is it. But the brilliance comes from christoph waltz, what amazing actor, the De Nero looks, and equal to the task, deserves the best actor at Cannes, and I guess should get an Oscar nomination.
The movie's pace, cinematography, sets, different languages in different scenes and overall screenplay is very good. To start off, I felt the movie had a bit of drag with Jew and German hatred for each other gets cruel and the part with "bear jew" and "jew hunter". But Tarantino was fast to bring changes as chapters went along, and was able to close the loop well in the end. Again the vindication part in question, is settled by different objectives to kill Hitler in the movie, which made it brilliant in my opinion.
My favorite scene is where I guess Tarantino is a magician, when the British officer gets caught with a "not so great" German accent, and then he starts speaking English, super stylish, hats off to Tarantino, style is his middle name.
The only little not so favorable thing about the movie was German hair getting scalped and carving the swastika sign, and all. I somehow feel Hate begets hate, what Hitler did was atrocious, that doesn't mean he should be followed back.
The King of Kong (2007)
Great one!!
This was amazing, I saw it four months back, saw it again today, its just great. There is not much story, or revelation(like the moore films), but somehow you love the characters, they are real and exciting. Steve is a true champ, doesn't matter if it is any great sport, or donkey kong, the spirit of winning is the same. Billy mitchell is projected as a cocky guy, but I did some research, apparently he is not, and some of the facts in the documentary are not correct, around the relationship of steve and billy. A must see for all documentary buffs, and sports fans.The best part of the movie is the pace and originality of it. Although Steve takes the record in 2006, billy I checked has won it back and rivalry goes on, which is even more exciting.
Dream for an Insomniac (1996)
Just Wow
OK fine, it is not absolutely great direction and closure, But what a wow film, really 10 out of 10 on an effort. It a an amazingly great film, especially for a lot of people who were young in the 90s, The thoughts, the changes, the culture, the alternative rock, the next way of life. The lead lady, cannot sleep, does her laundry in the night, has a cool set of friends, finds love in her life, and the movie turns color, till then it is black and white. The love piece is complicated, but everyone keeps it simple, nothing melodramatic at all.......It is like some wise men say, accept life as it is, everyone in the movie does that n till the end. Its really about how life should be lived, and taken on....A must watch for every movie buff, lots to take home....Enjoy
Michael Clayton (2007)
Wow..cinema at its best
I have been a cinema buff, and 2007 has been really great, with "there will be blood", "no country for old men", "American Gangster" and now "michael Clayton".
I think leaving "american gangster" all the other movies are indicative of the great future and movement of cinema. THe other movies do not very strong plots, even if they do, like in "Michael Clayton", the focus on plot is very real, not sensational or in a thriller way of the Mission impossible types. Wow.. its amazing the pace of these movies and the reality of life they reflect.
On to Michael Clayton, Nothing big new on the plot, and the truth that personal guilt will make you change and will not let you do the wrong thing. One amazing dialog is of Arthur in the movie, "someone comes like a lens and you are able to see the world in a different manner through it". The pace again is phenomenal, the characterization, the acting all amazing. Although I don't drink, but this movie has to be savoured, do not wait for things to happen, the right vs. wrong or anything, just float with it. It will be a joyride, Enjoy!!!!
Drugstore Cowboy (1989)
Fantastic, Real and full of impact
What an amazing movie, I saw it 15 years back and Just saw it again. It is so beautiful and dreamy with powerful quotes. The story is about a group of drug addicts, who procure the drugs by stealing from drugstores and hospitals. Now for me, the movie is great, since I could relate to what Bob "Matt Dillon" keeps quoting throughout the film. The pace is just great, and the movie is quietly hard hitting, somehow each time I saw it, for few days it was top of my mind.
To sum up, it talks about how for some people the normal life could be a pain, but even the dreamy state under the influence of drugs does not work out. Taking more meaning out of it, it indicates, how day to day life can push you into something stupid, like drugs, alcohol and so on. Somehow it is not critical of being a drug addict either, it does not even advocate normal life. The feeling at the end is that there is no solace either ways therefore everyone keeps doing something stupid to live by the "Life".