febinphilip Reviews

Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

You know, it's something different..

[7/10 · 15 November 2014]

Let's establish two things before I review this title:

1. Yes I'm watching the movie two years after it released worldwide

2. No I did not know its based on a novel until I saw the credits roll and I still haven't read the book

Well now that we've established this much (and you've decided whether reading this review is worth your time or not), let's jump right in.

Silver Linings Playbook is about a former teacher Pat Solitano who moves back in with his parents after a brief stint in a mental institution, and tries to reconcile things with his ex-wife. Tiffany comes in somewhere along the way and things get complicated for good ol' Pat. You know if you're reading the summary for the first time and you haven't seen the movie, I guess you'll have pretty much the same reaction as I did; what's so great about this movie? It just sounds too bland! Is it the power cast that fuels such a rating or can there actually be a good story here?

The answer is a bit of both. Bradley Cooper doesn't quite fit into his role so easily like how I do into my 40 inch waistline pajamas but he still does a good job. You want to see his character evolve because he comes out of the institution in a certain mental state and you expect that to change naturally in some way but then he overdoes it towards the end and that can be putting off; you don't radically change overnight, it's not quite possible. The more finer tuned performances were Robert De Niro and Jackie Weaver who do a splendid job as Pat's folks. Their roles don't work best together but apart in those singular scenes as father to son or mom to son; that's beautiful drama right there. Moving on to Jennifer Lawrence, I really enjoyed her character in the movie and I found she played her role quite brilliantly. The rest of the supporting cast did a wonderful job as well especially Dash Mihok (read the wacko brother from Ray Donovan) who sort of just made me laugh every time he came on scene.

On to the story line, I did find it to be something different. I mean the outcome is sort of realized mid-way and/or after, but the movie is shot in such a way that it leaves you guessing as to how things might turn out for Pat. It's that beautiful combination of comedy and drama which leads to this sort of thinking. However I did find the story line to drag a bit every now and then; it could have been to lay more ground work and give us more insight as to how Pat thinks and reacts in situations. But again the simplicity of the story makes it a good movie to just sit back, relax and enjoy. It's for those quiet nights when you're by yourself or with that special someone and you just want to watch a simple yet beautiful drama.

So go on ahead and rent this one, I'm sure you'll enjoy it!

Eden (I) (2012)

A movie that fails to capture you the way it should have...

[5/10 · 1 May 2013]

When I read the storyline behind Eden, I was eager to watch it so as to have a glimpse of perhaps what Chong Kim (the person on whom this movie is based) would have gone through when she was kidnapped and forced into prostitution. Sadly, the movie fails to deliver.

Now I can understand that bringing this real life story to the big screen cannot be an easy task, considering they have take into account the sensitive nature of the same; but the movie does a botched up job of trying to grip its audience of the grueling ordeal that Chong Kim had to go through and frankly speaking its quite disappointing.

Let's begin with the screenplay, the movie starts on a good note and just when you think its going somewhere; it totally skips ahead! Its as though the director just cut out a ton of scenes in between and jumped ahead, and that's where you totally lose interest in the movie. It starts to look like a puzzle that lacks all the pieces to turn it into something that makes sense and that's where the movie just starts to drag terribly. I don't know if the director was even making an attempt towards establishing a strong base for the protagonist as a character. To me, it was as though Jamie Chung was just doing her lines and some form of movements which I certainly would not call as acting. Again, Matt O'Leary's and Beau's performance too was just ordinary.

So there you have it folks, I would not recommend this for even a one time watch and that truly is a shame because I do feel Chong Kim's story needs to be heard by everyone in order for us to know what's really going on out there in the world. The world gets a little darker every day as we lose sight of our humanity and I think that there are plenty of good media out there for letting the people know the real story of not just Chong Kim but the millions more like her. I give this movie a 5 on 10 only because I read a few articles of her story and the tough times she went through, and that has sort of influenced my rating here; so in terms of film making as a whole, I'd say the crew involved have done a shoddy job.

Jack Reacher (2012)

A sheer disappointment!

[5/10 · 27 April 2013]

Lee Child's One Shot comes to the big screen with Tom Cruise playing the retired military police, Jack Reacher. Before I go any further, I have to mention that I have not read the book but believe me when I tell you that it ought to be ten fold better than what the movie was.

As with every other blockbuster Hollywood movie, I most certainly was looking forward to Jack Reacher and of course Tom Cruise's portrayal of the character. The storyline begins with the deaths of five people and the police zeroing in on Barr in what seems to be an open and shut case till the accused asks for Jack Reacher who turns up in the city not to save the guy, but bury him and get on with his (Reacher's) life. But things start to seem out of place and Jack decides to investigate further to find himself uncovering an intricate plot of 'epic proportions' (Read sarcasm).

Needless to say, Tom does his part. He blends into his character smoothly and does the job quite well. However everything else in the movie, to put in two words is; simply average. The plot stood thin and predictable coupled with some terrible acting performances and while our heroine/damsel in distress Pike's performance was nothing stellar, I cannot help but imagine how could the director go so wrong with this movie after having being involved in hits such as The Usual Suspects and Valkyrie.

To conclude, Jack Reacher did not live up to its hype and certainly did not meet the high expectations I had of the same. Don't get me wrong, Tom's a great fit for Jack Reacher but everything else is just too poorly crafted for my taste and those who find themselves in agreement with me.

Battleship (2012)

One for the action loving young-lings

[5/10 · 10 April 2013]

Personally, I am yet to play the Battleship board game so let me just stick to the movie. It stars Taylor Kitsch at the helm with a bunch of other folks whose faces we are more likely to remember rather than their names but god forbid if we forget Hollywood veteran Liam Neeson and not to mention Alexander Skarsgard from True Blood fame. There's also Rihanna playing the role of Petty Officer Raikes and till this day I have no idea what the director was thinking when he signed her on for the film.

Anyways, as the plot line clearly states this is another one of those alien invasion movies with a whole bunch of graphics and; well and nothing more! The story line is bland and predictable and while Taylor carries the character of Alex Hooper in the first half quite well, I fail to see how the second half is quite described as acting; for I assure you the second half leaves little room for it with all the guns blazing canon-exploding mayhem. Liam's screen space is practically little to none and if I was not a fan, I would have gone like 'who's this old timer playing Admiral Shane?' The movie was a waste of his talent and I sincerely hope he does not make the same mistake again. However, a welcome addition to the movie was Stellan Skarsgard and I found him to be a very good blend into his character.

All in all, Battleship is just another one for the young-lings who enjoy a good action movie with all the CGI graphics, a sappy love story and some popcorn on a Friday night.

The King's Speech (2010)

A must watch!

[8/10 · 9 May 2011]

Based on the true story of the ascension of King George VI to the throne, The King's Speech is a beautifully crafted docudrama that is bound to touch the average drama loving population with its simplicity in the making and some stellar performances by veteran actors Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter.

Lets start off with Helen who plays the queen slipping into her role quite perfectly as the loving mother and wife who is ever more patient and understanding of her husband's problems. She also brings a rare, occasional comical aspect to the movie that makes it more than just some arbitrary movie with a lot of uncontrollable emotions in it.

Well if you're not a fan of Geoffrey and Helen then I would suggest watching the movie just to catch Colin's performance as the stuttering Duke of York. I have seen him only in a couple of movies(Bridget Jones Diary not being one of them!) and didn't think of him to be Oscar material till his performance here. Truly there is no one else who could have played the role better with such flair and certainty. It was not just in the stutter but also in his demeanor as a man of royalty that captivated me. As for his on-screen chemistry with Geoffrey Rush, you would enjoy the slow culmination of friendship that takes place between the king and his speech therapist.

Lastly, watch it for its originality and subtlety in bringing out the concerns and dangers that Britain faced at the time and showing the crises that the crown had to go through in such difficult times.