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

22 Jump Street [2014]

Language - English
Director - Phil Lord and Christopher Miller
Run Time - 1 hour, 52 minutes
Genre - Comedy/Action
Starring - Jonal Hill, Channing Tatum

The team of 21 Jump Street is back, and it is back with a bang. The dynamic duo of Phil Lord and Christopher Lord are back with another blockbuster, and yes, this is their second one in the year after the hilarious 'Lego Movie'. Honestly I've loved every movie directed by them uptil now. They are among my 'To look out for' directors.

With 21 Jump Street, Hill and Tatum proved their amazing chemistry, and here yet again they rock that chemistry. While portraying Schmidt and Jenko, they gel remarkably as the two characters are so different yet so similar. Lord and Miller have been geniuses not to meddle with the characters and the pattern of the first movie. In short, it is a clever sequel and a great way to build up the franchise; yes its been confirmed of a third sequel releasing soon.

Scmidt and Jenko, as in the first movie play undercover cops who have now been sent to college to INFILTRATE THE DEALER, FIND THE SUPPLIER! and we follow the same plot as of 21 Jump Street, though we don't mind it. Two stupid cops working undercover to catch drugs is still funny. We again go through the same cycle of one of them getting too involved in college, and the other feeling left out but then coming together to save they day. Yes, it may sound mundane and repetitive, I assure you that it is one of the best comedies to come out this year. Jonah and Tatum have brilliant chemistry, the jokes are fresh and thhe soundtrack is exciting.

Go for the movie! My Rating - 8/10

Haider [2014]

Language - Hindi
Director - Vishal Bharadwaj
Run Time - 2 hours, 40 minutes
Genre - Action/Drama
Starring - Shahid Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Tabu, Irrfan Khan, Kay Kay Menon

Haider is an exceptional film. It is probably the only Hindi movie this year which shall receive my heartiest appreciation. Vishal Bharadwaj has struck gold this time, and he seems to be one of the few directors  who can get a good performance out of Shahid Kapoor [Kaminey also]. After watching this movie, I'd like to say that Shahid Kapoor can actually act well, when he does not over-act. His monologue scene was nothing less than remarkable. He essays a multitude of emotions in this film, and does so with extreme ease. I am amazed by this wonderful performance.

Add to that, the brilliant acting of all the supporting actors, be it Tabu as the caring, loving mother who uses emotional torture to get her son to listen to her, or Kay Kay Menon as the conniving uncle; we get an exciting movie. But what blew me away was the entry of Irrfan Khan. The majority of audience [me included] was not expecting him to be in the film, and the director shows his entry with such class, and swagger; we are left awestruck. Shraddha Kapoor's performance, as always, seems very mediocre.

WARNING - A SPOILER AHEAD. READ IT THOUGH, IF YOU KNOW HAMLET'S PLOT

This film is a remake of the play Hamlet, written by Shakespeare, and Vishal Bharadwaj perfectly presents it to the Indian audience. What would be more intriguing to the Indian audience than a story revolving around terrorism and revenge? Yes, a case could be for nonsensical comedies made year round, but lets leave it at that. The plot of Hamlet has been perfectly replicated here with Haider [Shahid] looking for vengeance against his Uncle [Menon], who has had Haider's father killed and also started a romance with his wife [Tabu].

Such is the complexity of Haider's character that at time we wonder if he has actually gone nutty due to trauma or it all a farce. Bharadwaj also adds a touch of comedy to take off the seriousness of the film by the introduction of the characters of Salman and Salman, who love the 'Bhai', and spend their time watching movies of him, and also try to behave like him, one of them being quite successful in doing so. Also, the scene where Irrfan Khan points out how the psyche of the people living in the state has become that they feel the need to be checked at every point is quite sardonic.

Another element I really liked about the film was the filmmakers ability to mix the present and flashback scenes perfectly.

Also the soundtrack as well as the background score are quite brilliant. Loved how aptly the song Bismil plays into the sequence of the movie. And again, what a performance by Shahid during that song.

One point that bothered me was the song 'So Jao'. Yes the song is quite good, but I cant comprehend the dancing/enacting of the song in the movie. It was quite absurd.

Don't miss this gem of a movie. My Rating - 8.5/10

Maze Runner [2014]

Language -English
Director - Wes Ball
Run Time - 1 hour, 53 minutes
Genre - Action/Sci-Fi
Starring - Dylan O'Brien, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Will Poulter

Maze Runner is as riveting as its trailer was. As any brilliant Sci-fi movie, it keeps you enthralled till the end, wanting to seek answers. This young fresh cast, provided with a fresh, unique storyline (based on the bestseller of the same name) is stunning. We all might have seen these actors playing teensy bit roles here and there, but here, when all put together, click really well.

For the first half hour we are very confused as to what is happening and that mystery keeps us wanting for more. And the plot develops with a perfect pace i.e not too fast neither too slow. This is something new, this is something that we wanted. The film builds up a good platform for the series.
This dark, gritty theme is quite welcoming.

The movie opens up with Thomas [O'Brien] waking up in an elevator which takes him upto a grassy plain called the Glades. He soon realizes that he has no memory, but is assured as the leader of the Glades, Alby said that it happened to anyone who has come up. We also see a wall which is situated at the end of the Glades, which is called the maze, where only the Runners are allowed. Runners being the strongest, ablest Gladers. While the rest of the Gladers have accepted their life here, Thomas is curious to know whats is out there and breaks all rules that the Gladers abide by. Is he successful?

Although I felt the climax was a bit disappointing, it leaves the space for a good sequel ahead. The performance of the huge cast is applaudable, so is the dark approach taken up by the director Wes Ball. Also, I felt the character of Gally [Pouter] could have been given more importance as he is a such a tremendous actor who can portray various kinds of roles with ease; as we can see him essaying completely different roles in 'We're The Millers' and here.

Gripping and entertaining. Go for it. Especially fans of Sci-Fi.

My Rating - 7.2/10

Lawless [2012]

Language - English
Director - John Hillcoat
Run Time - 1 hour, 56 minutes
Genre - Crime/Drama/Western
Starring - Tom Hardy, Shia LaBeouf

With such a star cast, and with Tom Hardy, one could never go wrong, and John Hillcoat certainly does not go wrong. Lawless, is simply marvelous. I'm not a big fan of westerns, but this movie did manege to grip me, and kept me enthralled thoughout.  This movie is based on a true story which focuses upon the so-believed immortal 'Bondurant Boys' fight against prohibition in the 1930's in the US State of Virginia. All actors have been cast perfectly and the movie is a smooth sail. Though I do think the character of Floyd Banner [Gary Oldman] could have been given a little bit more coverage.
That would be the only part of the movie I could criticize.

Forrest [Tom Hardy], Howard [Jason Clarke] and Jack [Shia Labeouf] are three brothers who earn their living through selling whiskey in the times of prohibition in Franklin County, Virginia. The business is successful, with them having a cooperation with the local police. But everything can't be smooth sailing and enter Special Deputy Charlie Rakes [Guy Pearce] who shows up demanding a cut from the profits too, which the Bondurants aren't willing to give him. What ensues is a bloody battle between the two parties. Through out the movie, we get to see an amazing character evolution of Jack. who tries to step out of his brothers shadows.

The supporting characters are all very good, be it Jessica Chastain as Maggie or Mia Wasikowski as Bertha, the various love interests of Forrest and Jack. Some credit is due to Jason Clarke for portraying the always drunk, but always tough brother for his small role. Guy Pearce as Special Deputy Charlie Rakes is just splendid. The conviction with which he rendered his role was amazing. Even though Charlie Rakes might not have had that much screen time as the leading characters of our movies, he will be the one character that truly strikes out, and will be remembered for his peculiarity.

The soundtrack for the movie is well made, with contributions from leading country singers like Nick Cave and Emmylou Harris.

In all, I really enjoyed the movie. Though it is quite gritty. Soft-hearted people should look away.

My Rating - 7.5/10

Olympus Has Fallen [2013]

Language - English
Director - Antoine Fuqua
Run Time - 1 hour, 59 minutes
Genre - Action/Drama
Starring - Gerrard Butler, Aaron Eckhart and Morgan Freeman

As the name suggests, this movie is about an attack on the White House. The movie has been made neatly, but it kind of thwarts reality. In this world, in 2013, could the White House really be treated to such an extensive attack? And to top it off, it seems like Mike Banning [Butler] is the only person who is capable of defeating the terrorists. To be frank, it seemed more like a Chuck Norris movie going by the way it has been presented. I like Gerrard Butler, and do consider him to be up there with the top men of the industry, but he never really takes on good projects. Haven't seen a good performance from him since 2009 - Law Abiding Citizen. Eckhart also gives a very weak performance.  Fuqua makes a good film 2/10 times, and sadly, it was not supposed to be this time.

So, Mike Banning is a disgraced ex-Presidential Guard, who is tired of his new Desk job and is wanting to get on some action. It is perfect timing that a terrorist attack happens to befall on the capitol and everybody - the secret service, the presidential guard, the police and the army fail to protect the President who has been kidnapped by Korean terrorists in a bid to unify Korea. Enter Banning into the picture again. Apparently, he is the only security personnel who was not harmed and is able to defeat multiple enemies without being in practice of even wielding a gun for months.

Morgan Freeman's presence is of the only saving grace for the movie, which is devoid of common sense and berates logic. This movie tries to hard to be a Die Hard, but does not even remotely come to being at that level.

I would suggest to avoid this movie.

My Rating - 6/10

World War Z [2013]

Language - English
Director - Marc Foster
Run Time - 1 hour, 56 minutes
Genre - Action
Starring - Brad Pitt

What seems to start off as a 'run of the mill' zombie movie, World War Z turns out to be a lot more. It tries to bring in a little bit of mystery and a bit of drama in which it is successful. Yet it lacks that outstanding approach. The movie is well made, with some amazing special effects, and Brad Pitt's acting deserves no lesser praise. Yet, this movie did not strike to me as extraordinary. The audience is tired of the same perpetual plot line of a zombie movie, and it craves for something new. Yes, World War Z does take a somewhat new approach, but it is not able to conclude what it started.
And that is where it falls short of being truly a classic.

The movie starts off with a 'OH YOU GUESSED IT' endemic disease spreading throughout the world which turns them into zombies. Since Gerry Lane [Pitt] has an exemplary track record as a UN Investigator, he is called upon by them to take a team to find out the source/cause of it. Thereon, he embarks upon a trip around the world trying to find a solution, as one would solve a mystery, step by step. Does he succeed?

The movie is really good to watch. Brad Pitt is phenomenal and also the acting of Daniella Kertesz who plays the young Israeli girl Segen is also commendable. The movie is exciting and it does keep you waiting to see what would happen next. But, it could have been something much more.

Watch if if you're a
1.Zombie Movie Lover
2.Brad Pitt Fan
3.Action Junkie

My Rating - 7/10