Movie Reviews - Ranting

Everything is so quick nowadays huh? So fast, "Here he is, there he's now and woah, off he went. Did you get time to see that?" and what about the movie reviews nowadays huh? Okay reviewing movies have always been a conversation starter for the world before the online coup detat. Now you ask people how a movie was and all you get is "Nice."

Back in the day at least you ask people about a movie and they'd be ready out with their opinions, recommendations or dismissals. They'd recite the plot to you like they'd written it themselves.

Now, I go up to this random dude and ask him about a movie. because apparently I'm going up to random people and asking them about their opinions on movies:

"How was 'Cannibal Holocaust'?"
"Animal violence yes, hmm. Didn't you read the reviews? There was a big fuss."
"What fuss?"
"Ooh, you really didn't read the reviews? How should I put it, I don't really remember."
"Wasn't it really a film about how a group of documentary filmmakers were stupid enough to put their lives in danger despite their conclusive research?"
"They were documentary filmmakers?! God, I couldn't see past the tortoise."
"So how was the movie?"
"Nice."

Not to worry though, we've got 'wikipedia links'.

When's the last time you saw that poster and wondered what that movie's all about.

"Shrewd, deception, and a load of crap."
"YAY! MY FAVORITE!"

Dredd: Review

Yes folks, it's time for another McNuggets Review. This time we take on a more cunning, a more violent, a more... disturbing-yet-laudable movie, Dredd adapted from strips off of the sci-fi comic anthology 2000 AD.

The premise is one we're almost familiar with so much that we can spell it out word to word to any passerby who's got the doubt.
The future, a semi-post-apocalyptic wasteland that is, United States of America (Cursed Earth) with only one organisation that fighting for justice going by the name The Hall of Judgement, the operatives termed Judges. The story focuses on Mega-City-One where a circulation of a drug called Slo-Mo that alters the user's perception of reality i.e. it makes everything go in slow-motion. Violence prevails all over with crime rates smashing the roof. One of the Judges (Dredd played by Karl Urban) takes responsibility into his own hands to take down the gang-lord Madelaine Madrigal, nicknamed "Ma-Ma" (Lena Headey), along with an attractive lady side-kick Cassandra Anderson (Olivia Thirlby) of course.

Dredd is incredible on the visuals, be it the fight sequences to even the gruesome murdering of innocent slum-dwellers of the 200-storey Peach Trees block. Dredd takes note of the effects of the drug and uses it to its advantage with unexpected panache.

The recreation of the infamous Mega-City-One and Peach Trees block was brilliant. The amount of work that would have gone into bringing that monument to life.

However aside from that, the story or the way it is told isn't anything new or original (well it is an adaptation after all, but they could've gone with something that isn't as lackluster). Just your average superhero movie, glorifying the lead only following the more recent trend of using excessive blood and violence (not that I mind, I loved both of them). It almost seems as though they made the entire movie, JUST so they could show off their incredible SLO-MO, which however, is used in balance and is a delight to watch. I mean, WHO doesn't love a good extreme-slow-motion sequence!

The dialogues aren't very special (you can't go expecting something like Django from a rather lo-fi movie such as this). It doesn't provide you with memorable quotes that one would hope for like the "nigga moment" on The Boondocks. But, that doesn't mean that it was bad, they weren't special but it was enough, it sufficed.

The cast was brilliant, Karl Urban takes the cake on this one. He was meticulous and precise in portraying a "The Mirror" (Sylvia Plath)-esque character with Dredd. Judging all evil for what it is without any bias, true to the original. I could literally see the counterpart, the comic's Dredd in him. The rest of the cast well, they weren't as stand-out-ish enough, they were there and they did what they had to do. But as the title suggests, the movie is more a one-man show than anything.

All in all, Dredd is an excellent entertainer if that's what you're looking for. It will definitely leave you sitting with your mouth open and drooling in awe at the delicacies that it has to offer. Some parts of it might even remind you of the 2010 comedy-gore-fest Kick-Ass. If you liked that, then you will definitely be pleased with what you see on this movie.

7.9/10

Unnaipol Oruvan: The Review

First off, when I went to watch this movie, I didn't expect more than what was to be but an exact copy of a Hindi movie called A Wednesday!. However, to my surprise, the movie - though the plot-line being the exact same, was executed way better than it's counterpart. However this may just be my voice (a common man's voice) out of the thousands of others who seem to think this movie has no difference and was purely for commercial purpose.

Heh, speaking of common men this common man, a man who tried to revolutionize Indian, no, Tamil on-screen entertainment really deserves a toast (do it if you have a glass of wine or any other drink in your hand right now!). Kamal Hassan has come in and really has owned the room. Of course not at all forgetting the Malayalam superstar Mohanlal, he was extremely powerful and witty in delivering his dialogues. Lakshmi, well... she gave a somewhat considerable contribution to the film (in showing the real truth behind what a secretary of the CM thinks when it comes to handling a situation that is a threat to the State).

The momentary pauses in the film during Mohanlal's and Lakshmi's arguments were well planned and executed and gave the right time for the audience to laugh (and recover too).

The actors who played the role of the policemen did a very nice job, and matched their Hindi counterparts. The terrorists looked a tad more sly and cunning than the Hindi version's (although I did not approve of using a comedian as one of the terrorists but his position didn't seem to dawdle).

I would again like to mention that the reaction of adding the element of Kamal-Mohanlal to this compound of A Wednesday!'s remake really made the force within the plot effervesce.

The music also fitted the parts where it was added to. Although, a considerable number of scenes were deprived of it. Nevertheless, the music (the bass especially) aided in providing the force intended in the movie. Not bad, Shruthi, not bad at all.

In conclusion, the movie when being compared to its Hindi counterpart had a way better execution and force (though Kamal being very subtle in this, but nevertheless). I would also like to mention that the news reporter in this version was far better than her counterpart as the latter's 'stylish' speaking really got on my nerves and based on the fact that she was really annoying because of said 'stylish' speaking.

However, props to the Hindi guys for coming up with this awesome plot. And of course props to all the actors of the Tamil version of the movie, especially the Dastardly-Duo Kamal Hassan and Mohanlal.

Up 'A film you can really look-UP to'

Finally! Up has hit the theater in my hometown at last, after all the waiting and checking out the schedules to see if it was in fact, showing. It's all paid off... and now to the review:

Stunning, awesome! Really, the movie was thousands of times better than I expected, Disney Pixar (more PIXAR to be honest) has really got the power to scrape your mind from all those little things that bother you everyday.

The story (in short) is about how a guy (Carl Fredricksen) tries to fulfill his wife's (and his) dream to set up a house in this exotic place, Paradise Falls - a small peak in South America, and all the trouble he goes through to get this to happen.

I for one, was glued to the seat and didn't want to get up at all. The high-views really made my feet tremble. The effects were stunning and of course very real. Another fact that made this visit to the theater 'funny' was that my younger brother was there with us (usually we just leave him at grammy's).

And there was also a time when he broke his 3-D glasses, there was a tussle to fix that. Pretty intense a ship with my kid brother there, but I've gotta admit, it was pretty funny. There were also moments when he would just stand on his seat and yell 'GOOGLY' at the screen. The audience burst out laughing for that.

All in all, I recommend UP to each and every person who reads this, which is probably the best animated feature I have ever seen. PIXAR has redefined entertainment and visual effects in this movie and it was worth all the money I paid for.

However I feel rather sad that, I wasted my money on this movie called Kanthaswamy which was long, boring and pointless.

I really didn't want to cost my Dad all that money I did for UP and the latter (which was definitely not worth the cost. It sucked!).

Anyway, as long as Pixar is alive and continues to make these 'different' movies with a splendid crew like the one they have now, I think no other animation company can compete.