Hellboy movie review

Starring: Ron Perlman, Selma Blair

Directed by: Guillermo del Toro

---Spoilers included-------

This is another movie based on famous comics like Spiderman, Hulk. The plot in the movie is good & interesting & convoluted at times. The story begins in 1944, near the end of World War II, with the Nazis attempting to open a channel between earth and a hell where seven evil deities have been lying in wait for just such an opportunity to come in and take over the world. Nazis attempt was thwarted but one youngboy manages to come to Earth & that young boy was adopted by an American expert & names him Hellboy. This young baby becomes a superhero who can do battle with all the supernatural creatures. Movie makers were very clear in making some of these movies characters believable in both his physical and psychological. By adding complex personality (i.e. ego, loyalty, good sense of humor and a good heart.) they made Hellboy character very interesting. Perlman makes an awesome Hellboy & Hellboy's "father" role(Albert Einstein shades) also very good. Ret of cast also did fine job. All-in-all this is a solid movie. As I said in my earlier posts this my second film of Del Toro after Pan's Labyrinth & seems be Del Toro was already proven that he can direct a fantasy in an interesting way. Seems be his earlier works are sound foundations for his latest flawless Pan's Labyrinth. I will watch his earlier movies in particular Blade II.

The Story of the Weeping Camel movie review

Directed by: Byambasuren Davaa, Luigi Falorni

---Spoilers included-------

An excellent documentary about camel and goat herders & a weeping camel in the desolate and beautiful Gobi Desert in Mongolia. Basically plot revolve around a young mother camel who refuses to nurse her baby after very difficult delivery. After so many attempts finally camel owners send their two children to the city (nearly 50 kilometers in desert) in order to get a violinist to convince the camel through music. In the rest of the movie we will see those two boys journey & mother Camel feeds the young or not. Well written & direction was charming & priceless. In particular this movie takes to totally different & real world & their simple daily life. I did enjoy it very much since I spent my early life in very rural areas. A must watch. A++++++

Note: Available in netflix online

Last weekend movies

The Story of the Weeping Camel: An excellent documentary about camel and goat herders & a weeping camel in the desolate and beautiful Gobi Desert in Mongolia.

Hellboy: This my second film of Del Toro after Pan's Labyrinth. Very fun movie with cool characters & solid action & Good story. Very good comic book adaptation.

Rome Season-1 first two DVDs.

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre movie review

Directed by John Huston

Starring: Humphrey Bogart
---Spoilers included-------
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is an awesome film and offers in depth analysis of greed, friendship, loyalty, trust and betrayal. Coming to movie, it tells the story of an American drifter Fred C. Dobbs, played by Humphrey Bogart, begging for pesos in Tampico, Mexico and searching for work. As story progresses, he meets another drifter like him Curtin, played by Tim Holt & friendship between them. Accidentally both meats old prospector Howard, played by Walter Huston, who excites & inflects Gold fever. Even before going, old timer warns both Fred and Curtin about that if they find gold, it has the potential to ruin their lifes. Eventually all three men go in to the hills for finding fortune. As plot unfolds we will see characters changes after finding the fortune. All actors did a terrific job & in particular Bogart's last scenes were memorable. This is a wonderful movie for character analysis and almost everything about it is extraordinary. Recommended to all & one of the finest movies ever made.

The Man Who Wasn't There movie review

Directed by: Joel Coen
Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Frances McDormand

---Spoilers included-------

I am a huge fan of the Coen-brothers. Shot in glorious black and white to bring old style film noir look. Coming to the movie, With late 40’s setup, plot deals with Edward Crane , played by Billy-Bob Thornton, is a barber in a small town in California & very much bored of what he was doing & dissatisfied & unhappy with his life. He has a beautiful wife, working at a department store & an affair with her boss. Suddenly an opportunity comes Ed's lap. If he can get hold of 10K, then it will change his fortunes and his life. So he plans a blackmail plot & rest of the story we will see unexpected twists and turns becase of his actions. As an inner plot we will see beautiful Scarlett Johansson. Story run slowly in few occasions. All of the actors did a terrific job & dialogs were good. Visually, It was one of the best black and white movies after Jim Jarmusch’s Dead man. Story & script & direction was perfect & overall I enjoyed movie. I recommend it to any fan of the Coen brothers and of film noir/neo-noir. I will watch it again.

Last weekend movies

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead: [9/10] interesting drama with Fargo shades
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre: [9.5/10] interesting story with superb characterization. loved it.
Death proof: [8.5/10] This movie is perfect homage to 70’s grind house movie. Tarantino's use of camera, sexual exploitation perfectly blended with energetic actors, characters and story.

Death Proof Movie Review

Written & Directed by: Quentin Tarantino

---Spoilers included-------

In one of earlier post I have mentioned that Grind House is one of the top ten films of 2007. Still I am watching many 2007 movies. But I like the overall experience. I think I wrote small review after watching the same in this blog. I watched Tarantino Death Proof movie part again. {Available in Netflix instance watch category) }Basically this movie is perfect homage to 70’s grind house movies. Tarantino's use of camera, sexual exploitation perfectly blended with energetic actors, characters and story. I personally absolutely loved it. DVD contains lot of extra scenes in particular lap dance part etc. {if you really enjoyed the movies on the screen, then definitely you will enjoy the DVD also) I think the music is the best part & QT dialogs are lengthy but worthy and the movie pace was little slow compared some of QT’s hit movies. Kurt Russell performance was solid & much talked car chase real fun to watch. My rating 8.5/10 alone for movie.

Water movie Review

Written & Directed by Deepa Mehta
---Spoilers included-------




This is my second Deepa Mehta movie and I would rate her as one of Indian cinema's sensible movie directors. Set in late 30’s of pre independence time Indian society, Water chronicles the lives of several widows (primarily focusing three different widows of different ages groups which includes eight year old girl played by Sarala, Sri Lankan actress. Movie opening scene was shocker. Father asking his eight year old daughter "Do you remember getting married? Your husband is dead, you're a widow now”. And later she was sent by her family to a house for widows. Rest of the plot revolves her life around the strange world of windows & where she meets, develops friendship with Kalyani (Lisa Ray) & Shakuntala (Seem Biswas). As an inner plot we will see Kalyani fall in love with young man & her story ends with unfortunate consequences. Story lacks depth however cinematography, fine performances & good background score engages the viewer. Seema Biswas, Young Salara has done excellent job carrying the movie towards the end. Strictly for art house fans.
Black and white color sets even the better mood for this kind of film. I don’t like the color aspect. this is only my major negative from my side.

Last weekend movies

Dark Days (9/10) An excellent documentary about homeless people of New York City. Simply awesome from debut maker.
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (8.5/10)
The Man Who Wasn't There (8.5/10)

Lost In Translation movie review

Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Bill Murray

Directed by: Sofia Coppola

---Spoilers included-------

In brief the plot revolves around two married people, one is young confused charlotte, played by Scarlett Johansson, and the other one is Bob Harris, played by Bill Murray, who was on short trip to Tokyo for a commercial shooting. Both are isolated not only from other people who speak English but isolated in their own marriages to some extent. Most of the he movie takes place in a rich hotel in Tokyo & on the Tokyo streets. Their common loneliness leads them to some kind of strange emotional rapport, they spends whole night on unknown Tokyo streets and one have to see the final ending on the big screen. The performances are solid, genuine and natural. Another major strength of this movie is appropriate dialogs & less dialog scenes in which actors eye contact, and body language tells lot of things. I liked the visuals - I loved seeing a bit of Tokyo. In particular the giant dinosaur display in the background scene, simply awesome. If you are looking for Bill Murray comedy, then this is not a movie for you.

Last weekend movies

The Host: Feels like a loosely inspired by “Godzilla”, this Bong's action thriller about a mysterious creature & a family struggle get their girl struck in Monster nest. I liked the director approach of showing some personality to the monster& its introduction scenes etc. Few scenes are original & fine performances & realistic CGI engages the viewer. It will not have long sticking power like Bong earlier movie. 8/10

The water: This movie is not for everyone. In brief the plot is about pre independence time Indian society & their treatment of fellow widows & story revolves around three widows of different age groups. Story lacks depth however cinematography, fine performances & good background score engages the viewer. (8/10)

Lost in Translation: Yet another movie on the subject of loneliness. This film follows the two lonely American souls in Tokyo (A middle-aged man and young house wife). Good meaningful character study of two identical people has drawn each other in an unknown country. If you are looking for Murray comedy, then this is not a movie for you. Both Bill Murray and Charlotte Johansson acting were solid. 8/10

Last weekend movies

Down by Law by Jim Jarmusch
During late 90’s, I first saw Down by Law and enjoyed a lot. I watched it again over weekend. After two decades, Still it hasn't aged at all. In fact, it has gotten even better.
Simple story, nice visuals, wonderfully written dialogues, better acted , Cinematography is perfectly done & background soundtrack is very very big plus point.
Film opens with amazing opening scene of the seedy streets of New Orleans as we listen to Tom Waits' "Jockey full of Bourbon." Every shot in that opening scene could be a fine piece of art hanging on a wall. 10 out of 10. Another fine DVD from Criterion Collection.

Secret things

A complex movie that showcases the violence and the decay that is just under the surface of high society life & questions morality and finally pushes the limits. In brief this movie is about two young women, a stripper and barmaids, who were unemployed and decide to use their sex appeal as a tool to get on the fast track to success in the corporate world. Things go as planned for them for a while until they meet a more cunning, evil man and rest of story revolves around three people lives. The film is well cast, and the all three leads gave strong performances. The story ok. As I said it pushed the limits at the end. Some of the scenes with nudity are pretty erotic but they're present with great style. Cinematography was simply amazing in few scenes. 7 out of 10. For mature audience only

The Bank Dick

I watch and love many old films and the reason I watched this one too. For some reasons, I did not like content & Field’s jokes. Whatever the final car chase was pure fun & original.

Battleship Potemkin (1925) Movie Review

Directed by: Sergei M. Eisenstein
---Spoilers included-------
"Battleship Potemkin", was on many critics' all time top ten movie lists & I have heard of Battleship Potemkin for sometime and finally got time to view it. (Big thanks to Netflix for unlimited free streamed movie feature. Watched the same movie twice in a 10 hour gap.)

In brief this movie plot revolves around the mutiny on the Battleship Potemkin that helped ignite a populist revolt in Odessa, subsequnt massacre at the hands of Cossack troops and the final encounter with a Russian fleet. I was surprised & stunned for the content. The cinematography, especially the high black and white contrast, the glint of light on the sea at night, is fascinating & this alone worth viewing. Also much talked Odessa Steps sequence was stunning and I can see how this film influenced many of the movies that I enjoy today. The innovation offered by Eisenstein is incredible & truly a classic film. No wonder it finds top place in many critics list. Anyone who loves old films should see this one. 10 out of 10.

Last weekend movies

North by Northwest:
My favorite classic Hitchcock movie.
The casting, acting is top notch & the sets in this movie are truly memorable.
The UN building, crop dusting and Mount Rushmore scenes are breathtaking both visually and for raw tension. 10 out of 10.

The Giant Buddha’s:

Smart, thoughtful, convoluted documentary (for its many inner stories.)
It never tells the history of the giant Buddha’s instead maker Christian Frei’s treats the Buddha’s as symbols of Afghanistan's devastated cultural heritage. The most surprising and fascinating question in the film is this: why did the world care so much about these statues but not to the living people in Afghanistan?

Last weekend movies

1) Trudell: Independent Lens(8/10)

I had never heard of Trudell before this film.
The documentary is an extraordinary look back on the life of John Trudell and the struggles of his life that he has taken on as a Native American activist, poet, musician, actor, lecturer etc. Basically most of the this documentary content came from different smaller documentaries, TV interviews and old pictures. If you never heard of Trudell, then documentary offers a good overview about a special man. I need to listen his music now.

2) Killer of sheep(10/10)

A hidden gem from 70’s movies. Basically you will not see any big plot & surprises & whole movie centered on Stan, who works at a local meat factory, and his wife and children. The scenes of daily life are pure, original and simple. {whether children throwing rocks at each other, trains, climbing on houses, the innocence of a young girl singing to doll, spending a day in dog mask etc.)
Simply a brilliant movie. DVD comes with three additional short movies by Burnett’s.

3) Phone Booth: (7.5/10)

This movie about a New York publicist played by Colin Farrell's, who is using the last phone booth in Manhattan when he's pinned down by a sniper. You will see so many plot holes and yet still hold viewer interest till the end & the ending was boring. Colin performance was good. Another good aspect of this movie was it takes place around a single phone booth except first 15 minutes.

Few worst movies from 2007

At this moment, following are the top worst movies for year 2007.
Still I have to watch many 2007 movies.

1) Spider man-3

Remember all the action & thrills & comedy in the first two parts.
(Not only Spider man, I don’t like Pirates 3, Shrek 3 & Ocean's 13 too.
I was so surprise that these movies are finding a place in top 10 movies of 2007.)

2) The Brothers Solomon
Comedy? Plan stupid & horrible

3) Catch and Release
In one word "terrible"

My last movies of 2007

1) The Black Dahlia
Solid premise for good murder mystery however it was long and unengaging & poor character development spoiled the show. {I will write my take later.}

2) Short films: The 2006 Academy Award Nominated Shorts

by Magnolia

Ended year 2007 with above short movies DVD.

A breaf list of short movies were

1) WEST BANK STORY (Oscar winner)
With West Bank as a background, this short film is a musical comedy set in the fast-paced, fast-food world of competing falafel stands. Perfect satire on the West bank tragedies. Everything balanced correctly i.e. action, music, funny yet effective positive story.

2) HELMER & SON
A son is called to the nursing home, where his father has recently been admitted, who has locked himself inside his closet. Conversion alone shocking & done very well. My second favorite in the list.

3) BINTA AND THE GREAT IDEA
With poor African nation as a background, this short film tracks the story of a girl, Binta, a 7-year-old girl, sets out to change the life of her young cousin; she was not allowed to go to school by her stupid father. Story was convoluted but Background music alone worth the watch.

4) ONE TOO MANY
When his wife leaves him, Joaquin and his young son turn to her mother for help with the cooking and cleaning. Very good one.

5) THE SAVIOUR

A door to door evangelist has an affair with a married housewife. Movie ending was very funny.

The rest of the shorts on the DVD were excellent and worth viewing.
A must for short films lovers. Completely satisfied with shorts collections.

Living in Oblivion Movie Review

Starring: Steve Buscemi, Catherine Keener

Directed by: Tom DiCillo

---Spoilers included-------

This is one of the funniest films I have ever seen for a while.
Nick Reve, played by Steve Buscemi, is a low budget independent film director. Film opens with two dream sequences and both convey the same message i.e. many things can go wrong on shoot. After a restless night of dreaming of various problems that will plague him, he wakes up to go to the set. With a relatively easy shot due for the day, we will see how much can go wrong. Script was well written, well-acted, funny and very smart. The acting in this movie is superb, especially by Steve Buscemi and Catherine Keener. A must movie for independent movie lovers, especially if you can relate to film making, acting or directing. Director did awesome job. I need to watch more Tom movies.

Seom aka The Isle Movie Review

Starring: Jung Suh
Directed by: Kim Ki Duk

---Spoilers included-------

“The Isle", is a another good film by Kim Ki Duk, tells the story of mysterious young woman, played by Jung Suh, who operates a small boat & fishing huts on a vast lake from her old cabin providing transportation, delivery services, food and even sex for the men who rent the huts. As the plot unfolds we will see peculiar attraction developed between this young woman and a calm suicidal guy, played by Yoosuk Kim, who watches each across the misty waters & their love & lust & envy & anger etc. This beautiful cinematographed movie pace was very slow and you will see minimal dialogs & virtually no background music & top notch acting by Jung. However this movie is not for everyone in particular if you can not see explicit animal torture, scenes of self-mutilation. {warning: There are some really unwatchable scenes involving fishing hooks, very painful to watch & sit through.} The film explores a different depth of loneliness & mostly symbolic. A must movie for Kim Ki Duk fans & for art house fans.

Last weekend movies

Living in Oblivion(9/10)
A satiric & realistic look at independent film making. it’s well-done, well-acted, funny and very smart. As usual, Steve Buscemi (Mr. Pink) was wonderful.

First blood(2ed time)(8/10)

About a troubled Vietnam Special Forces commando gets plenty even with small town Americans for not appreciating his service to his country?

10 Questions for the Dalai Lama (7.5/10)
Good documentary about spiritual leader Dalai Lama & disappearing country & a culture.

Super Size Me (2004) (5/10)
Entertaining yet one of the ridiculous documentary movies I have seen in a while.