Monday 31 July 2017

Girl House (2014) - 100 min

Girl House is a Canadian slasher film directed by Trevor Matthews.
Starring Ali Cobrin, Adam DiMarco & Slaine.
Kylie Atkins desperately needs money for her studies. So she decides to join a Girl House, where girls do x-rated kind of stuffs for a website that streams 24×7 live actions of whatever things girls do in the house. A psycho who called himself Loverboy is a daily visitor of this website decides to visit this place.
The story was predictable and seen this kinds of movies minimum hundred times in the screen. The psycho character reminds me of Michael Myers from the Halloween movies and To be precise, after getting bored of doing all kinds of killings Michael Myers decides to watch some x-rated videos. Overall, if you like slasher movies you can watch this one and it contains some nude scenes.
Verdict: Mediocre

Friday 28 July 2017

Shot Caller (2017) - 120 min

Shot Caller is an American crime thriller film directed by Ric Roman Waugh.
Starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Omari Hardwick, Lake Bell, Jon Bernthal & Emory Cohen.
Jacob, a family man is arrested for a DUI accident and sent to a prison where tattooed gangs rule. The only way to survive in that prison is to obey them or ends up being dead.
The writer-director of the movie Felon is back with another prison movie. Waugh follows the same principle of Felon movie and this time he shows how a family man survive in a maximum security prison situation. Coster-Waldau puts forward an instinctive performance with his longish hair and killer mustache. The underrated role was given to daredevil tv series fame Jon Bernthal. Overall, It's a watchable prison movie and the buildup given to the final act doesn't favors the story.
Verdict: Average

Monday 24 July 2017

The Ladykillers (2004) - 104 min

The Ladykillers is an American black comedy thriller film directed by Joel and Ethan Coen.
Starring Tom Hanks, Irma P. Hall, Marlon Wayans, J. K. Simmons, Tzi Ma & Ryan Hurst.
Professor Dorr convinces Mrs. Munson to rent him a room to practice music with his band members. Their main intention was to rob a casino through the tunnel of Mrs. Munson's house.
It's a remake of 1955 classic movie 'Ladykillers' with a popular cast. Tom Hanks funny expressions and his fellow teammates conversation favors the story very well. The Coen brothers have a unique style of molding a black comedy and this film also contains some laugh out loud situations. Still my favorite black comedy movie from Coen brothers is 'Burn After Reading'. Overall, if you like dark comedies then this movie will be as enjoyable as it looks.
Verdict: Average

Saturday 22 July 2017

Vikram Vedha (2017) - 147 min

Vikram Vedha is a Tamil crime thriller film directed by Pushkar and Gayathri.
Starring R. Madhavan, Vijay Sethupathi, Kathir, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Shraddha Srinath & Prem.
A cat and mouse game between an encounter specialist Vikram and a gangster Vedha. The film opens with an encounter situation created by Vikram to get information about Vedha whereabouts.
It follows an interesting way of narrative style which is quiet impressive and reminds me of old bedtime stories. The combination scenes between Madhavan and Vijay sethupathi were the main highlight of this movie. You can't predict what's going to happen next, that's the way it is made by Pushkar-Gayatri combo. The theme is simple, it's a clash between good and evil which is evident from the costumes of the lead characters. Maddy shows his classic style of acting, while sethupati owns each scene with his devil's swag. Cinematographer PS Vinod captures the thrilling moments of battle between Vikram and Vedha beautifully. Overall, it's a nicely executed crime movie and must watch from theaters.
Verdict: Good

Saturday 15 July 2017

War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) - 140 min

War for the Planet of the Apes is an American science fiction film directed by Matt Reeves.
Starring Andy Serkis, Woody Harrelson, Amiah Miller & Steve Zahn.
After a few years, Caesar and his fellow followers are looking for a new place to stay due to the continuous attack by a Colonel and his soldiers. The war between the two troops gets complicated when Colonel decides to kill Caeser.
Andy Serkis needs full appreciation for his dedication in portraying the character of Caesar. Among the new addition of characters, the one who actually captivates each scene is Bad Ape. The most intense scenes were between Caesar and the colonel, their personal vendettas were evident in their face. Amiah Miller, the kind girl will definitely catch your attention for sure. The narrative style follows a slow burn method with a pure classic background touch makes the final act magnificent. Overall, it's a nice ending to the apes rebooted trilogy, Still my favorite among the three is 'Rise of the planet of the apes'.
Verdict: Good

Friday 14 July 2017

Clue (1985) - 97 min

Clue is an American mystery comedy film directed by Jonathan Lynn.
Starring Eileen Brennan, Tim Curry, Madeline Kahn, Christopher Lloyd, Michael McKean, Martin Mull & Lesley Ann Warren.
It tells the story of six strangers who were invited to a hill house by a butler and he shares the information of they all have been blackmailed by a mysterious guy. Later, they all became murder suspects when someone kills a guy in the room.
It's an experimental movie, with a slight touch of humor makes its 97 minutes running time very much enjoyable. This film has three alternate endings which were compiled together within the dvd/blu-ray version. On it's theatrical release, one of the three ending was shown to the audiences according to the theaters. Overall, it's a good movie that definitely forces you to keep guessing who the killer is.
Verdict: Good

Tuesday 11 July 2017

Upstream Color (2013) - 96 min

Upstream Color is an American sci-fi drama film directed by Shane Carruth.
Starring Amy Seimetz, Shane Carruth, Andrew Sensenig & Thiago Martins.
It's about a three cycle process which director called as worm-pig-orchid life cycle. Kris was drugged by a criminal and it's a powerful drug that actually hypnotizes her. Later, she meets a guy who also shows these symptoms. They start to share an intimate relationship that can help them to unfold the mystery behind all this.
(N.B - The below WPO life cycle contains spoilers and at the same it's very helpful for those who don't want to spend 90minutes without knowing anything)
WPO life cycle:  
Stage 1: In this stage worm is used as a drug by a criminal. He infects victims and steal their money. So, the criminal starts the cycle and He is the one who gains most from this cycle.
Stage 2: Now, worm is inside the victim's body. The sampler(the guy who records music in the movie) helps the victims to transfer the worms present in their body into pigs. So, Sampler is the one who advances the worm to the second stage. 
Stage 3: The sampler throws selected pigs into a river. The worm from the pig, then transfer into white orchids presented in the shore and turns the white orchid to blue orchid. Those orchids are collected by two orchid farmers and they sell those orchids to people.
Another complicated movie from the director of Primer, Shane Carruth. The basic logic of the movie is explained in the above paragraphs which will definitely help the one who is going to watch this movie. It's not that complicated when you compare this movie with his previous work. Still, it's an enlightening experience to encounter with and highly recommended to those who like confusing movies.
Verdict: Good

Monday 10 July 2017

Primer (2004) - 77 min

Primer is an American independent science fiction film directed by Shane Carruth.
Starring Shane Carruth, David Sullivan & Casey Gooden.
Basic Plot: Aaron and Abe accidentally invent a machine that helps them to travel through time. They decide to make this opportunity for their own personal benefits.
Time Machine Working: The working principle is simple. First switch on the machine and you need to wait the exact amount of time outside the box that you want to travel back. After that you can go inside the box and you will effectively travel back in time.
The important things to remember: 
1) They made an extra time machine which is called as a 'Failsafe Machine'. If something goes wrong in the future, they need to return back before they even started thinking about time traveling idea.
2) Time traveling starts from the scene where Abe looks from a top roof.
3) The scene in which Aaron wears a headset and the scene Aaron discusses about the difficulty to write using his hands is also important.
4) Aaron attends the phone call of his wife at the hotel and outside the restaurant.
5) The name Thomas Granger and a night party incident also play an important role in the story.
First of all, I spent my 77 minutes without knowing what the hell is going on out there. It can be easily considered as one of the best confusing time traveler movie I have ever seen. The budget of the movie is $7000 and shot almost every scene in a particular location.  Overall, it's a fantastic movie to watch and one of the toughest science movie to get into.
Verdict: Great

Sunday 9 July 2017

Mel Gibson Films

1) Mad Max (1979)
A criminal steals a cop car and gave trouble to law enforcement agents. Police officers Max and his partner, Goose joins the chase and they eventually take him down. Due to that incident some gang members threaten Max and burns Goose alive.
2) Braveheart (1995)
The story is based on an epic poem by Blind Harry. William's secret bride is executed for assaulting an English soldier who tried to rape her. Frustrated William Wallace starts a revolt against King Edward I of England.
3) Ransom (1996)
Tom Mullen's son was kidnapped by a gang and demands a ransom of two million dollars. Tom was not convinced about their deals, If he gives them money, there is a big chance of not seeing his kid again. So Tom has other plans in his mind to get back his son.
4) Conspiracy Theory (1997)
It's the story of a New York cabbie who makes strange conspiracies and sent those theories to five recipients. What happens when one of his conspiracy theories may indeed be true.
5) Payback (1999)
Porter stoles a huge money from a Chinese gang and he was betrayed by his wife Lynn and friend Val Resnick who shot him and left for dead. Porter recovers from the incident and Now it's time for Payback.
6) The Patriot (2000)
Benjamin Martin was a hero during the French and Indian war. Now, He lives a normal life with his children's. Until, his son was killed by a British soldier.
7) What Women Want (2000)
It was all going well for Nick, until a lighting gives him a power to hear what women thinks. He tries his best to get rid of it, sadly all goes vein. At last he decides to use this power for his own personal advantages.
8) Signs (2002)
A recent widower Graham Hess, who lost his wife in an accident is now living with his two children on a farm in Pennsylvania. One day, they discover a gigantic crop circle in the farm and it's like a pattern, something big is going to happen.
9) Get the Gringo (2012)
In order to escape from American police, A criminal drives his car into Mexican border and ends up in a notorious prison called El Pueblito. It's like a town which is run by ruthless criminals.
10) Blood Father (2016)
Lydia accidentally shots her boyfriend Jonah, a member of a drug cartel. Jonah's gang members are looking for Lydia to hunt her down. With limited options to survive, She contacts her father, John an ex-con for help.

Saturday 8 July 2017

The Innkeepers (2011) - 101 min

The Innkeepers is an American horror film directed by Ti West.
Starring Sara Paxton, Pat Healy & Kelly McGillis.
The Hotel Yankee Pedlar Inn is moving towards to its last weekend open and only two employees are working in their right now. They believe the spirit of Madeline O'Malley still hides in the hotel and That's why they use their free time in ghost hunting to capture her on tape.
A simple horror movie that needs some appreciation. The working style of Paxton & Healy looks realistic to me with their cute distraction techniques and How they interact with the guests also reminds me of real life personalities. I really liked Ti West's presentation of the story, keeping most of the times silent and sometimes background scores does the scaring scenes effective. The ending was not that impressive, But it still ends with an interesting note. Overall, it's an entirely different approach towards the horror genre movies and I enjoyed it.
Verdict: Average

Friday 7 July 2017

Under Suspicion (2000) - 110 min

Under Suspicion is an American Mystery thriller film directed by Stephen Hopkins.
Starring Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, Thomas Jane & Monica Bellucci.
Captain Victor Benezet and Detective Felix handle the case of a local teenage girl whose body was found recently. Due to some inconsistencies, they called Henry Hearst, a rich lawyer to the police station to ask about his witness report about that case.
It's based on the Claude Miller's 1981 French thriller film 'Garde a Vue'. The two powerhouse actors Freeman and Hackman's one-on-one interrogation scenes will definitely keep you in the game. Watching Monica Bellucci on the screen always fascinates me as a viewer. Hopkins made flashback sequences in a unique perspective style, which adds extra points to the whole storytelling method. Overall, it's a good psychological thriller movie that contains some powerful performances and beautiful Monica Bellucci in it.
Verdict: Good

Wednesday 5 July 2017

2:22 (2017) - 98 min

2:22 is an American thriller film directed by Paul Currie.
Starring Michiel Huisman, Teresa Palmer, Sam Reid, Simone Kessell & Maeve Dermody.
Dylan works as an air traffic controller and he is the best. Due to a minor mistake, he gets suspended from his job. Next day onwards Dylan starts to notice the same patterns of events happening in his life and it all ends at 2:22pm.
The concept of the movie and promising trailer gaves me a feeling of a good movie. Unfortunately, Watching Teresa Palmer in the screen was the only good thing that happened to me in the movie. There is nothing new to offer you as a time oriented science fiction. Still, it works as a timepass movie and Before Dylan you can easily figure out what's going to happen next. Overall, Just watch this movie if you like this kind of movies.
Verdict: Mediocre

Monday 3 July 2017

Wonder Woman (2017) - 141 min

Wonder Woman is an American superhero film directed by Patty Jenkins.
Starring Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Robin Wright, Danny Huston & David Thewlis.
The origin story of Wonder Woman. Diana lives in the Amazon island of Themyscira and Her aunt trains her hard, in order to make her the strongest warrior on that island. One day an airplane crash into their sea and she saves the pilot. From the pilot, She finds out about the great war that happening in the world and She realizes it's her duty to stop the war.
Gadot delivers a rocking performance as Diana and Her chemistry with Pine was also lovely to see. Like any other superhero movies, Wonder Woman's duty is also to save the world from the evil. Apart from saving, She shows interest in helping humanity while telling some cute jokes. The fight sequences were good, But special effects and background scores miss fires the story. The theme music by Hans Zimmer was very good in BVS and When it comes to this movie the music by Rupert was way below the line. The pacing of the movie also lacks in the third act and the film falls into the average zone. Overall, it's a watchable superhero movie and Am not that impressed with this film.
Verdict: Average

Sunday 2 July 2017

Master (2016) - 143 min

Master is a South Korean crime-action directed by Cho Ui-seok.
Starring Lee Byung-hun, Kang Dong-won & Kim Woo-bin.
Kim's investigation team is looking for evidence to take down a financial company called One Network and The chairman of the company, Jin is accused of money laundering case. They need someone from the inside and Without proof, Kim and his team cannot move against Jin.
Cho Ui-Seok crafts a story that revolves around three characters - The good criminal investigator, A mastermind bait and The cold blooded fraud. The bait plays a major role in the movie and He is a valuable asset for both sides. The performances of the lead trio and how they play out each other makes the movie very exciting to watch. Overall, it's a good action thriller movie and one of the highest grossing films in South Korea.
(N.B - There are two post credit scenes in the movie) 
Verdict: Good