members
Ratings and Reviews
-
Slumdog Millionaire: Same old same old...but with a twist
- by: KC | Sunday, Jan. 4, 2009
-
So is this yet another movie to show the sad and deplorable conditions of India- the run down slums, the corrupt ethics, the god forsaken state of the poor, the discrimination towards people of (what Indians would call) the “lower class”- or is this a movie about fighting for the one you love, never giving up hope no matter how down you are on your luck? As an Indian, the bias is bound to creep in and you wonder if you really want to be shown the sad state of affairs that you are already aware of. But putting that aside the first half of the movie is nothing short of brilliant covering all kinds of issues from religious turmoil, to the conditions of children in slums, to kids forced into becoming beggars. The second half of the movie, however, gives way to Bollywood melodrama and almost feels a little redundant, but that doesn’t mean that Dev Patel and Freida Pinto fail to deliver- they even outshone Anil Kapoor. Both Irfan Khan and Anil Kapoor are at their usual best, but as an audience, it sometimes becomes a little difficult to listen to Dev Patel’s (the boy from the slum’s) perfectly spoken English versus Anil Kapoor and Irfan Khan’s (the educated bunch’s) very ‘Indian’ English accent. What could have been a different ending, seems to have given way to poetic justice. The director (Danny Boyle) seems to have given up the charm of realism for a “happier” ending. So barring the stretched out second half- Slumdog Millionaire is definitely worth the watch for its great actors, its gripping first half, its sense of realism and its ability to captivate audiences irrespective of where they are from- truly a movie for world cinema- and its entry into the Oscars and it’s Audience Award win are proof of that.
-
1 out of 1 found this helpful.
-
Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince: Is it just me or are they getting worse!? (SPOILER WARNING)
- by: KC | Thursday, July 30, 2009
-
So is it just me or are the Harry Potter movies just getting worse by the sequel. Ok first of all what is the title of the movie...come on...sat it with me...Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince....and how many times do we actually hear about the Half Blood Prince -once. What is the story behind the Half Blood Prince - god only knows Second of all, the romance (if I can call it that)between Giny and Harry is so pointless. As a matter of fact whatever is brewing between Hermione and Ron seems far more believable. Third, the plot...what plot. How has this part moved us any farther ahead in the Harry Potter storyline other than telling us how Voldemort has preserved his soul and ofcourse that Harry now is no longer blanketed by Dumbledore's security. Fourth (and the most common complaint I hear from the avid HP book readers)- why is the movie so different from the book. Why are some parts which should be so much more maganimousl portrayed (like Dumbeldore's death or the revelation of the Half Blood Prince) are sidelined while ridiculous scenes (like Giny tying Harry's shoelaces) seem to tbe the highlight. Even Malfoy's character, who seems to be going through an important transition, seems to have been pushed to the side. Overall, the movie is a disappointment. I did not like the fifth part either, but after watching this one, I went back to see the Order of the Phoenix and actually liked it. I only have one request. PLEASE DO NOT BRING BACK DAVID YATES FOR THE LAST TWO INSTALLMENTS- he clearly can't direct!
-
1 out of 1 found this helpful.
-
District 9: Go watch this movie now!
- by: KC | Monday, Aug. 17, 2009
-
Stop what you are doing right now (which I guess is reading this review). Get up. Get ready. Get out and go watch this movie! It is sheer cinematic genius! I don't even know whether the movie should be classified as a sci-fi genre because at times it almost seems so believable. You almost feel like you are gonna walk out of the cinema and bump into a "prawn". The aliens clearly are analagous to every and all races that have been through any form of racial discrimination and the director manages to make you sympathise with the aliens. He does such a good balance of convention and originality. He uses a language which the lay man understands (that is big fat UFO with ugly looking aliens) and twists it to send out a meaningful message (that we are all equals on this planet). He presents both sides of the sotry- the frustrations that both "races" face. The opening scene is AMAZING- simple, witty and a slap on the face to every sci-fi director who has caved into conventional storylines. The movie does not rely on any snazzy overdone special effects to draw in the audience (again making it more "realistic"). The transition from documentary style filmmaking to a normal film is also well done. At no point do you feel bored. The plot is very simple-but that's what makes it so much more believable. This movie strikes the perfect balance between 'social-agenda' based cinema and 'commercially-viable' movies. A MUST watch for everyone!!
-
2 out of 2 found this helpful.
-
The Final Destination: A dissapointing finale
- by: KC | Friday, Sept. 4, 2009
-
Being a fan of the other three Final Destinations (which were nicely linked to one another), I was expecting an awesome finale to the series. Unfortunately, this last part was corny, cheesy and highly uninteresting. The script is badly written and feels amteurish, but I can't decide if it's better or worse than the acting. The death scenes are, as usual, pretty imaginative (ad don't lack the gore value at all), but are not as intense as they were in the other three parts. Also the lack of any plot connection to the first parts left me slightly disappointed and the very last scene in the mall could have been a lot better. Overall, ok for the die hard Final Destination fans, otherwise a pretty brain dead film. So expect nothing.
-
1 out of 1 found this helpful.
