Edge of Tomorrow [2014]

Language - English
Director - Doug Liman
Run Time - 1 hour, 53 minutes
Genre - Sci-Fi/Action
Starring - Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt

World uniting to fight away an alien invasion is now a highly used and saturated plot. But Doug Liman brings a new dimension to this theme by introduction of the time loop phenomena. Add to that the charisma of Cruise and some good acting from Emily Blunt, and we have a winner. Edge of Tomorrow mixes raw action with some smartness, and we have a good sci-fi flick on our hands. This movie is gripping, well paced, intriguing and clever. Tom Cruise proves that at the age of 52, he can still charm us as well as kick-ass.

Although the concept of time loop is not new (Groundhog Day, Source Code, Prince of Persia to name a few), it's introduction into a genre which was facing a scarcity of ideas was well executed. Like his other movies - Bourne Identity and Jumper, Liman manages to keep us enthralled and captivated by the movie.

The plot follows as aliens termed 'Mimics' have invaded central Europe and forced the countries of the world to join in an all out attack. Major William Cage [Cruise], a PR officer is forced to lead the army onto the beaches of France to fight against the aliens. When he declines, he is arrested, labelled a deserter, stripped of his rank and forced to fight. During his fight, he dies, and is born again, and the start of the day. He must then meets Sargent Rita Vrataski, the Full Metal Bitch [Blunt], who has had same experiences as Cage in an earlier battle. From there on, we follow the battle Cage and Rita face against the mimics, their comrades and their superiors in a bid to salvage the world.

Overall, the movie was shot wonderfully, the action sequences being quite good. Also one thing that gave the movie a plus point was the subtle comedy provided by the character of Nicholas Cage, which adds a little deviation from all the seriousness of the movie.

I would say this is one of the better films of the year, and one must craving sci-fi and/or action must definitely watch it.

My Rating - 8.2/10

Locke [2014]

Language - English
Director - Steven Knight
Run Time - 1 hour, 25 minutes
Genre - Drama
Starring - Tom Hardy

Tom Hardy is an exemplary actor, among the finest of our times. This movie is nothing without him, he certainly defines the movie. It takes a great actor to pull off a movie all by himself, rest a successful one.

This movie is about Ivan Locke [Hardy] and his drive to London where he is about to become a father to a child, thanks to an extra marital affair. Meanwhile, he also has his biggest 'work' day the next day as his company is about to have the biggest concrete pour in Europe aside from nuclear and military sites. The other angle is his wife and children, who are waiting for him to come home and enjoy a great derby.

The entire movie is shot within a BMW X5, Locke's car and the movie centers around his trip driving from Birmingham to London, while talking to his boss (who is on his ass), his assistant (who he guides for completion of the pour), his children (who are anxiously waiting for him to come home), his wife (who is distraught at learning of his infidelity) and the mother of his to be born child (who is lonely and afraid).

This is a different film from what we usually see, and although not thrilling, it is compelling. The Oscar nominated Steven Knight has quite impressively managed to capture us for an hour and a half.

But I must say, this movie is not for all. I doubt that audiences will warmly respond to this movie, especially the ones who watch movies to get entertained. I admit, even I was left longing for more of the background, and a better ending, because we generally don't come across such strange movies.

Nonetheless, see it for Tom Hardy, and his exquisite performance. And see it if you are patient enough.

My Rating - 7.4/10

Interstellar [2014]

Language - English
Director - Christopher Nolan
Run Time - 2 hours, 49 minutes
Genre - Science Fiction
Starring - Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine, Jessica Chastain and Casey Affleck

WOAH! That was my  reaction after watching Interstellar. Yet another masterpiece from the one and only, Christopher Nolan. This guy never fails. We could though exclude 'Insomnia' though. The concept of the movie is far above an average human's intellect, and that is why Christopher Nolan is GOD. And the fact that he was able to complete this movie in just an upwards of a year just shows us how good he is. What Christopher Nolan's movies do is that they make you think - They make you think a lot, they baffle you, they confuse you until you watch it again, and again, and yet again.

There has been a serious dearth of sci-fi movies in recent times, and this has led to the success of this film even further. But that being said, such a movie deserves the praise, not just because of the lack of science fiction movies, but because of its content too. Even after 2 hours and 49 minutes, not a single moment seems like a drag which one generally experiences in such long movies. Nolan is one director who is able to make a highly critical/cult film as well as commercially successful movie as one. A person who is not interested in sci-fi too gets enthralled by the movie because of Nolan's ability to mix up the emotional and the technological quotient amazingly. This makes the movie interesting to geeks as well as drama craving movie-goers. That is although possible majorly due to the brilliant acting of our leads McConaughey and Hathaway. Other actors such as Michael Caine, Jessica Chastain and Casey Affleck also do not disappoint. The introduction of Matt Damon as Dr. Mann through mid-way was an interesting twist as Damon was nowhere named in any publicity of the movie.
Also worth mentioning was the character of TARS, which added the witty quotient in an otherwise serious movie.

The film delves into the future where living on Earth is not viable anymore and new sustainable planets must be discovered by Earth's finest - Cooper [McConaughey], Dr. Brand [Hathaway] and two other astronauts. This journey makes us go from Earth to Saturn, via a wormhole to a new galaxy where everything is unknown. Our heroes must succeed so that humanity can survive in the future. Amidst our journey, we see strange planets with huge tidal waves and frozen clouds. Yes, the possibilities in space are limitless, and that is what this movie makes us experience.

What this film does is, that is goes where no movie has ever gone before. It interests us into the actualities and possibilities inside a black hole - a topic in 'space' which is fairly unknown to majority of the mankind. And the logic, yes I cannot get over the logic which Nolan uses to give us the explanation of it all. It is just brilliant and we have his brother Jonathan Nolan to thank for the screenplay.

Of course in a science fiction movie there are always loopholes and the desire of people to know more and to criticize anything. Well, that desire exists in me too and I think that we should have been given more details, origins  about the 'Blight' which was making it unacceptable to live in earth and as to who rescued Cooper and how. But that is what Nolan does, leaves us with questions, always.

The movie gives us a brilliant story, with such extraordinary visuals and exemplary acting to give us a masterpiece, which would no doubt achieve cult status in the coming years. This movie is up there, comparable with the likes of 2001: A Space Odyssey, Blade Runner, Alien and Star Wars franchise.
The best of the best.

Not to forget the legendary Hans Zimmer, who's background score never fails to disappoint and keeps us even more engrossed in the movie.

Lastly I would just like to mention how amazingly McConaughey has evolved from doing rom-coms to films like Lincoln Lawyer, Dallas Buyers Club, Mud and the classic first season of True Detective. Phenomenal talent, which was just willing to show itself.

My Rating 9/10

Gone Girl [2014]

Language - English
Director - David Fincher
Run Time - 2 hours, 29 minutes
Genre - Thriller/Drama
Starring - Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris

SPOILER ALERT!

David Fincher, one of my favourite directors, has struck gold again. With his masterful art of delivering suspensful thrillers to us, he manages to keep us enthralled, yet again. Be it Fight Club, Se7en or even Zodiac, we are always intrigued by the plot and are wanting to know what happens further. Same is the case here. Considering 'Gone Girl', I was fascinated from the trailer itself, and the movie definitely delivers, keeping you on the hook. Ben Affleck has evolved highly from the days of winning 'Razzies' to being considered one of the finest in Hollywood. The rest of the cast is also well chosen, Rosamund and NPH delivering brilliantly for their respective characters.

What I adore most about Fincher is how he builds up the suspense right from the start, and after the first scene itself he gives us an opinion of our leads Nick Dunne [Affleck]. We start making our assumptions and perceptions about him, and everything that we notice and process further is a biased judgement. Is Nick Dunne capable of killing his wife? It does seem so.

But then, BOOM!, midway across the movie, we witness a surprising turn of events. We discover the actual psychopath, that is the oh-so-perfect-little-scared-but-no-the-oh-so-manipulative-conniving-bitch the 'Amazing Amy'. Fincher's tactic is to introduce a radical twist in the middle of the movie, and this tactic definitely works for him. This strategy makes the viewers even more interested.

The movie goes on as Nick Dunne fighting to prove his innocence against the police, media, neighbours and his in-laws, all who doubt him; so compelling is the plot set up that each member of the audience also seems to bend their thought that way, although as always, we want our protagonist to be innocent.

A dark, captivating story, that is a masterpiece with the amazing plot and incredible acting of Affleck. Neil Patrick Harris offers to be an interesting character and even he performs terrifically.

My Only area of concern was the odd ending. I guess Fincher could have given us a better climax than the one we saw. I do not know if he has tried to emulate the book or not, but a different climax would have given the film more depth I feel.

With the amazing background score provided by Trent Raznor and Atticus Ross, it is even more a delight; them continuing their succesfull work from The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo and The Social Network.

If you love a thriller, you should definitely go for this movie.
My Rating - 8.4/10