Swimming Pool (2003) movie review

Starring: Charlotte Rampling, Ludivine Sagnier,

Directed by: Francois Ozon

It is a blind pick from library. Movie start with a tired successful crime fiction British writer, Charlotte Rampling as Sarah Morton , going off to sunny France , it is an her close publisher's offer, to try and work on the new novel. However after reaching there, she gets a surprise by an insolent, sexually wild young girl, Julie, show up unannounced (the daughter of her publisher) and the two of them try to share the same space while the Sarah tries to work on her new novel. Movie has all great premises however for various reasons, it will not engage you. One big reason is it movie runs with very slow pace. A surprise ending causes you to reexamine, rewind parts of movie scenes. My big concern is she was famous a writer & at the end she comes with a her best plot?? Pretty average erotic thriller with good ending.

The Odd Couple (1968) movie review

Starring: Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau

Directed by: Gene Saks

Movie opens with Jack Lemmon, plays as Felix Ungar, is trying to kill himself after his recent split from his wife. Walter Matthau, plays Oscar, his friend & long time poker pal, fun loving slob, an unreliable sports-reporter who lives in divorce from his ex-wife in a bachelor apartment. He offers his distressed friend Felix, an ultra neat guy, a new home in his apartment. Rest of the movie revolves around how two such contrary characters can't share eight room apartment. The premise becomes little tiresome with little room to grow. As far as living together is concerned, it is doomed right from the start. However coming to Comedy, this movie really delivers & totally hilarious. The chemistry between Lemmon and Matthau is simply great. You will see lot’s of great scenes when both men invite their two female neighbors for supper, Flex call to Oscar about dinner plans, asking Oscar about 7’c clock time etc.
If you've never seen this movie you owe it to yourself. So rent it as soon as possible.

Last weekend movies

The odd couple (1968): [9/10] Superb comedy. Totally hilarious.

Closer (2004): [7/10] {Yet another movie about love, jealousy and betrayal. This movie is not for everyone. Some of the performances were good but you may not like the characters.)

Swimming pool(2003): [7/10] Another erotic thriller with open ending. Ending left to viewer imagination.

When Harry Met Sally (1989) movie review

I watched "When Harry Met Sally..." nearly a decade back. Last weekend, I got a chance to watch it again. Just picked the DVD from library. Brief plot is about the friendship between a man and a woman. As story kicks in, we will see Harry (Billy Crystal) and Sally (Meg Ryan) move from their college years into their early thirties. They are good friends; however, the question is whether or not a man and woman can be friends. As story goes on both fall in love and the two are often left in the dust looking at each other. Perfect comedy timing & good chemistry between Billy and Meg & fine dialogs keeps viewer attention till the end. Not in-depth but movie offers cute insights in to men and women relationships. Very enjoyable romantic comedy and well made.

Few good one liner dialogs

When a woman is not attractive, you always say she has a great personality.

A man can never be friends with a woman whom he finds attractive. The sex part always gets on the way.

The Painted Veil (2006) movie review

Starring & produced by : Naomi Watts, Edward Norton
Directed by: John Curran

The Painted Veil is directed by John Curran (We Don't Live Here Anymore) based on W. Somerset Maugham's novel. This is simply a great love story set in China during its colonial period with a cholera epidemic as a backdrop. Brief plot is a Shanghai based English Doctor Walter (Norton), who marries a lovely Kitty (Watts) in the 1920s, before shortly returning to Shanghai. ( it is kind of arranged marriage. i.e. they both don’t each other until the marriage.) During this time Watts, develops an affair with another person. After knowing this Walter volunteers to a remote village suffering from a severe Cholera epidemic. In fact he threaten Kitty either take divorce on the grounds of adultery or come with him. With no other options, Kitty go to remote village. Rest of the movie revolves around how these two disappointed married individuals’ couple comes together under dangerous environment. Film ends with upbeat note but leaves bitter sadness behind. The whole atmosphere of the film is very haunting and realistic. Beautiful locations and brilliant cinematography, amazing score, fantastic character development, and outstanding acting. The Painted Veil is easily one of the top ten movies for year 2006. May be it is time to update my top ten 2006 list?

Last weekend movies

The painted veil (8.5/10) {another interesting love story of a disconnected married couple.}

When Harry Met Sally... (8/10) {after 10 years second time I watched this movie.
One of the best romantic comedies ever made.}
Snakes on a Plane(7/10) {start fine but falls a part. Another formula based Hollywood thriller}

Mission Impossible 3 {7/10} {so so movie after one & two. Entertains bit & pieces but over all simple action story. }

I will write my review(‘s) later this week.

My Top Ten movies of 2005

I am working on compiling my top 10 movies for year 2005.
Still I have to watch few important foreign movies.
Right now following are top lists

1) Crash
2) Capote
3) Cinderella Man
4) Brokeback Mountain
5) A history of violence
6) Broken flowers
7) V for Vendetta
8) Munich
9) Batman Begins
10) King Kong

Honorable Mentions:

Walk the Line

Brick Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

Grizzly Man

Hwal aka The Bow by Ki-duk Kim

Lady in the Water (2006) movie review

After lot of warnings, low meter ratings, I watched Lady in the Water few days back. I don't understand why this movie got such hostility from all. I see problems in the movie that people could object to, but people are calling this the worst movie in years is completely out of proportion. Brief plot is, an apartment complex filled with eccentric people, each with a slight oddity that sets them apart from the rest of the world. Cleveland Heep (Giamatti) is the apartment superintendent. One day Heep discovers a woman named Story swimming in the complex's swimming pool after 10P.M. & Cleveland soon learns that she is a "Narf," a Chinese fairytale, who comes from the other world and has a message for humanity. {One problem is since Narf from a Chinese fairytale, people are expecting Chinese surroundings?) As Heep tries to help her & discovers, each person in the apartment complex becomes an important player in this fairy tale that unfolds. While people have claimed the story is slow, I thought it was well paced. The acting was very good in particular Giamatti performance was awesome. James Newton Howard's score for this movie is truly amazing & camera work also great.

Following are few problems with the picture
Shaymalan in the major role {future’s intellectual savior?)
One minute animation at the beginning {too much story?}
Asian girl & mom were annoying {few times}

Despite with above the problems, one can watch this solid movie. If you are Shyamalan fan then it is must. My rating 7/10.

My top Ten 70's movies

Still I am watching many 70’s movies. As of today, following are my top 10 movies from 1970’s.

1. Taxi Driver
2. The Godfather II
3. Annie Hall
4. Killer of sheep
5. A Clockwork Orange
6. Apocalypse Now
7. Chinatown
8. Jaws
9. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
10. Aguirre, the Wrath of God

Few honorable movies

The Elephant Man
Network
Star Wars
Enter the Dragon
Drunken Master
& Rocky

If I find some time, I will add my small reviews for above movie.
I watched most of them on DVD except "Killer of sheep". I watched it on screen during the recent re-release.

My small review of Two for the Money (2005) movie

Movie opens with background narration by Brandon (Matthew McConaughey), a little kid showing lots of interest for sports & in the initial scenes, he gets injured in the collage football game. After his knee injury, he becomes Vegas odds maker & still trying to get in to shape & in to NFL sport. Al Pacino plays Walter, who runs a sports betting hotline & identifies the talent of Brandon & imports him to New York, to work for hotline & show. Brandon’s initial picks were great success (i.e. at some point he beats with 12-0 wins.) As story goes further, we will see Brandon’s & Walter fallout & heart felt ending. Al Pacino's performance is simply marvelous & Matthew McConaughey & Rene Russo also wonderful too. Movie was very engaging in its understanding what gambling is, how it works and how pervasive it is in America. (Matter of fact it is pervasive across the globe) Plot mainly focuses on the lives people involved in it & its consequences. Plot runs little slow at times & but over all it is OK movie. Don’t watch with great expectations & if you are Al Pacino fan, then it is must for his performance & very few Hollywood movies deals with this rare subject of sports betting.

My small review of Sleuth (1972) movie

"Sleuth" proves that a great screenplay & good action is sufficient to make good thriller with minim cost. This entire movie was made in an old mansion & plot consists of only three characters & yet engages the viewer for whole two plus hours.

Cast: Laurence Olivier, Michael Caine
Directed by: Joseph Mankiewicz
Written by: Anthony Shaffer

Brief plot is about a rich detective novelist named Andrew Wyke (Olivier), who invites Milo Tindle (Caine) an owner of a chain of hair salons to his country side home to discuss Milo's affair with Wyke's wife. As they start talking, they quickly earths a robbery scheme which beneficial to the both i.e. jewelry money to Tindle & insurance money to Wyke. Rest of the plot revolve around these two strangeness does not stop with robbery but two men each have personal motives and the twists and turns. The dialogue were terrific & action by both lead cast was very commendable. {However I never felt Mr.Caine character acting as simple working class man.}
Except few minor problem's movie really rocks. Twists & turns are good.
If you have even slight interest towards mind game thrillers, then this film fits in you bill.

Last weekend movies

The Shawshank Redemption
{An innocent man convicted of life in prison but He never gives up the idea of freedom & hope)
{9.5/10}

Sleuth
{An intelligent psychological mind game thriller. I will write my short review later}
{8.5/10}


Two for the Money (2005)
{A little lengthy drama about what gambling is how it works, its pervasive it is in America Matter of fact, and it was pervasive across the globe. This movie focuses gambling around NLF games.)
{7/10}

Rear Window (1954)
Recent Disturbia original. A wheel chaired bound photo grapher starts spying on neighbor across the building & its consequences.
{9/10}

My small review of Double Indemnity (1944) movie

Director: Billy Wilder
Starring: Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck

"Double Indemnity" is one of my favorite Film Noir classic.

Brief plot: A married cunning women, Dietrichson(Barbara Stanwyck), plans to murder her husband for insurance money. Plot looks plain simple however she pulls the insurance guy, Neff (Fred MacMurray), who sold the policy in to her plan. There are some great scenes between Dietrichson and Neff & he explains that working for an insurance company inevitably gives him ideas about scamming the company. They both plans & commits a perfect murder until one of Neff's fellow employees, an insurance investigator, Edward G. Robinson, starts to unravel this seemingly perfect murder. Action by lead cast is quiet perfect for this murder mystery. If you have even slight interest towards classic film noir movies, then this film should be on the top of your list.
My rating 9/10

Favorite scene: The observation deck on the slow running train.
Theme: Greed kills you faster than a bullet.

My small review of The Promise (2006) Movie aka Wu ji

Following combination made me to rent The Promise (2006) DVD.
Also Known as the most expensive Chinese movie & Written and directed by Chen Kaige & Music by Klaus Badelt (PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN) & Cinematography and production design are by Peter Pau and Tom Yip {Academy Award winners for CROUCHING TIGER,}

Coming to brief plot, movie starts with a slave girl picking up bread from dead soldier hands & later she loses the bread in the water. At that moment, a Goddess offers the crying girl a deal - she will lead a pampered life as a celebrated beauty in return of love. (i.e. every man she loves, she will lose.) This is a solid premise for fairy tail. This epic set in China's mythical past & rest of the plot revolves around three very differentbrave men - a powerful Duke, a brave general and a lowly powerful slave fight the beautiful women in the back drop of war. Every frame is visually stunning & amazing battle scenes & decent action are plus points for the movie whereas week script & predictable ending are little negative for this expensive film. Whole movie will not stick to your mind but some parts are simply marvelous & stunning. My rating {7.5/10}

My small review of Clerks II Movie

Before going in to the details, this movie is a must for Clerks 1 fans. Now coming to the plot, movie start out in a bang i.e. fire in convenience store trashes everything. After a year, this movie captures a day’s life of our old friends Randal and Dante, who are in their mid 30s, working for a fast food place Mooby's. As usual Jay and Silent bob are just standing outside, selling same old stuff, listening & dancing to music, just like they used to. However this is the last day for Dante’s life in NJ & plans to leave with his bride. Randal thinks he need's to give some special kind of sendoff party & he plans a donkey show. Plot is good and a series of funny, bizarre and uncalled incidents makes Dante’s have to make chose i.e. his boss and bride. Jokes on What is the Lord of the Rings are about? star wars? Why teenagers can't have sex etc bring's lot of laughs. Often you will feel overdoes of foul language. As I mentioned, if you enjoyed part1 or over dose of foul language, then you will enjoy the second one too. Casts amazing chemistry & very good background scores, abrupt plot shifts & great jokes a brings lot of laughs. My rating 8/10.
Theme of the movie: Time can't change a thing.

Last weekend movies

Coffee and Cigarettes (1986) by Jim Jarmusch {2ed time 8/10}
Funny & yet serious short films in black & white like coffee.

The promise(2005) aka Wu ji by Kaige Chen {7.5/10}
Epic fairy tail story in Chinese way. There are few spectacular scenes & stunning visuals.

Clerks II (2006) (8/10)
A must for Clerks 1 fan. Solid entertainment & looks in to the lives of Randal and Dante after decade.

Sleuth (1972) (8.5/10) very good thriller movie with minimal cast.

My small review of The Apartment Movie

The apartment comes under the category of one of the intelligent, dark drama, comedy, ever created. Brief plot is Jack Lemmon plays an office worker in a big insurance company in New York City, who desires to climb the corporate ladder. He trades his apartment (soul) for favor of promotions & his apartment becomes a love-nest for his married executives. He falls in love with his elevator operator girl & she has affair with his boss. Things get complicated when she attempts suicide in his apartment etc. As I stated before, the characters development was exceptional, little unclear, casts performances (Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine) was awesome. Another specialty of this movie is it was shot three simple sets yet it holds viewers interest until the end.

My small review of Bringing Up Baby Movie

Bringing up Baby is class screwball comedy with extreme absolutely absurd characters cracking faster dialogues & made for depression era audience only? This movie is about a paleontologist (Cary Grant) who is waiting for his new dinosaur bone to be delivered to him. With one million dollar donation to his museum in air, he goes to the golf course on a mission. Just coincidently, he meets this woman (Katharine Hepburn) and everything just seems to go wrong with him. Afterwards Katharine makes the situation such that he needs to travel with her to Connecticut with leopard namely Baby. After reaching, he loses his intercostals clavicle bone to a dog named George & rest of plot revolves around a leopard, a million dollars, a bone, a dog, a bad circus leopard with Cary, Katharine. Many scenes involving Cary, Katharine are hilarious. Grant saying "My future wife has always regarded me as a man of some dignity", "I am not myself today", "I am victim of your unbridled imagination" etc brings very good laugh’s. You will feel very funny half way but once very possible character starts doing the same thing, I felt it was annoying. Definitely a good movie but this is a classic? I don’t agree on this one. I will write more about dialogs & few favorite scenes later. Definitely it is good movie but it never sticks to your memory. May be I need to watch this movie again?

My small review of Memoirs of a Geisha Movie

gei·sha [gey-shuh, gee-]
–noun, plural -sha, -shas. a Japanese woman trained as a professional singer, dancer, and companion for men.

With late 1930’s Japanese setup, brief plot is about a long journey of a nine-year old Japanese girl, Chiyo, who is sold by her desperate father into slavery along with her older sister Satsu, in to world of geishas. As plot progresses we will see her struggle to unite with her sister by escaping from boardinghouse, simple incidents turns her empty life to life with hope and events leading to professional geisha etc. Plot wise really nothing really interests except some understanding about geisha's culture, their life styles. However with good acting & stunning visuals & very good background score, this movie engages you until the end. Again if you like good movies, you may like this one with following big mistakes. Despite good theme, maker made very big mistakes like casting popular Chinese actors for this Japanese movie & characters talks English instead of Japanese. {Japanese dialogs with English subtitles are most appropriate for this kind of movie.} Also like Last Samurai, Japanese cast is more appropriate for this kind of culture context movie. DVD comes with rich set of additional futures, in particular this movie is based on novel by Doug Wright, once she was a first American geisha & her guidance to this movie making & music composition & director Rob Marshall thought's etc.

Dialogs are very good in few scenes, One good scene.

Man: What’s you name?
Girl: No response
Man: Don’t be afraid to looks at me. Someone has been cruel to you or
Perhaps life has been cruel?
Girl: I don’t know
Man: None of us find much kindness in this world as we should
Do you like sweet plum?
Girl: You mean to eat?

Last weekend movies

Memoirs of a Geisha (8/10) {a nine year’s girls journey in to geisha world with great acting & stunning visuals & very good background score. Big mistake is usage of English language & using popular Chinese actress instead of local talent.}

Bringing Up Baby (8/10) {definitely entertains with its screwball comedy for first viewing but never creates any long lasting impact like city of Lights etc. A classic movie? Oh no. Solid time pass movie only.)


The Apartment (8.5/10) { Avoided for long time thinking it contains same old annoying battle of the sexes things but surprise to find very funny and superb charter study and nice little surprise ending.}

Brave one (7.5/10 Same old plot but engages you until the end. Good time pass thriller. Don’t expect too much.)