EW Movie Review: "Countdown To Zero"

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I’m not sure if this counts as a "rush out and see it" recommendation, but the scary, gripping new documentary "Countdown To Zero" makes old terrors radioactively new again. Lucy Walker, the director of this look at the still "clear and present danger" of nuclear weapons, has her finger on the ultimate hot-button topic, and she doesn’t let go. The film features spine-tingling descriptions of the moments we risked toppling into a nuclear conflagration.

Not just the infamous Cuban Missile Crisis is covered. The film looks at lesser-known incidents in 1977 and even 1995, when a wayward American missile resulted in the Russian nuclear football being opened and placed, for the first time, in front of Boris Yeltsin. The former Russian president had five minutes to decide whether to respond with a full-on counterattack. Fortunately, the film informs us, Yeltsin wasn’t drunk.

Then, of course, there’s the nightmare of our era -- rogue nuclear terrorism. "Countdown To Zero" vividly illustrates how easy it is to buy enriched uranium on the black market. By the time that Walker sets up a hypothetical "what would a bomb blast do to New York" sequence, the movie comes close to turning into nuclear-anxiety porn. 

I would condemn it on that score, if it weren’t for the fact that "Countdown To Zero" is scrupulously full of nuts-and-bolts evidence. It can’t be accused of creating fear in a vacuum.

"Countdown To Zero" doesn’t pretend to have all the answers, but the movie is so sharp in its excavation of up-to-the-minute nuclear terrors that it’s the rare piece of political filmmaking that could unite the left and the right. It makes getting rid of nuclear weapons seem less a “cause,” than an imperative. 

"Countdown To Zero" is in theaters now.

NY1 Movie Review: "Dinner For Schmucks"

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Steve Carell and Paul Rudd star in a new comedy that is based on a 1998 French movie, called "Dinner For Schmucks." 

 

Tim, played by Rudd, is a rising executive who, in order to get ahead at his firm, has to participate in his bosses' cruel game. He literally runs into Barry, played by Carell, who is klutzy, clueless and quite possibly the king of the morons. 

Barry, as stupid as he is, happens to be a very good-natured guy whose intentions and heart are in the right place. He wants to be a great friend to Tim, but unwittingly winds up messing up Tim's entire life. That includes, among other things, destroying Tim's relationship with his beautiful girlfriend and wrecking his nice apartment. 

It's sort of a one-joke premise that's stretched to almost two hours and it feels much longer.

There are sporadic laughs along the way, but too often, "Meet The Parents" director Jay Roach, loads the film with too many slapstick sequences that grow tiring. 

What does work is that both Rudd and Carell are such fine comedic actors that they elevate the level of the mediocre script. The opening and closing sequences are funny, and Zach Galifianakis, who's in the movie briefly, is quite amusing and steals almost all the scenes he's in.

The actual dinner, which is near the end of the film, is decently done, but even that is a bit over the top. If the director reeled that sequence in a bit and also cut down its length, it would have played better. 

There's a certain sweetness to this movie and that's fine, but that might not be the best thing for generating laughs. The original French version, called "The Dinner Game," had a mean-spirited dynamic between the two main characters that made the whole thing funnier.

As for the American version, "Dinner For Schmucks" is the kind of movie that would play perfectly late at night on TV, when nothing else is on and you're looking for some mindless comedy that's free to watch.

Movie Review: Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore

Yeah, that’s Shirley “Goldfinger” Bassey singing over the Bond-ish opening credits of Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore. Kids won’t get it, but parents may chortle at the James Bond pun of the film’s title, of hearing Dame Shirley belt out her version of “Let’s Get This Party Started” to open the sequel to 2001’s spy dogs vs. super-villain cats comedy.

But that’s pretty much the high point of this tedious time-killer of a kiddie comedy.  The original was ahead of the curve in terms of muttering mutt movies. But this chatty 3D spy spoof is as hard-pressed for laughs as Marmaduke, once you get past the novelty of “Hey, the dogs and cats are TALKING.”

An evil hairless cat, Kitty Galore (nicely snarled by Bette Midler) has plans to take down all of dogdom with a high-pitched broadcast that will drive every dog on Earth nuts. “The planet becomes my scratching post,” she screeches, and the dogs believe her.

The canine spies, especially field agent Butch (Nick Nolte) are hot on her trail, pursuing a stool pigeon (Katt Williams) who may have some answers. They need some help from a new recruit, a chronic screw-up of a police dog, Diggs (James Marsden).  They may even need the help of…grrrrrrrrrr…a CAT (Christina Applegate), one of the few non-evil ones.

Dogs and cats in jet packs and bat wings, riding motorcycles with fake humans on the handlebars, the odd gimmicky use of the 3D, Kitty Galore’s inept magician owner — are all potential laughs than never quite land. A better gag? The chase leads everybody to the house of a “cat lady,” filled with stoned kitties, “hopped up on catnip.” Well, this is set in San Francisco

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Parents with a memory of Nick Nolte’s career may get a kick out of his chasing his old Down and Out in Beverly Hills co-star, Midler, or his 48 Hrs. riff –  “I’m too old for this poop!” Adults who know their Bond movies will laugh at the voice of “Tab Lazenby,” head of the cat spy corps (a former Bond).

But talky scenes and sequences spread out before us like spilt bags of kitty litter, with digital animals engaging in generic digital derring do. Putting an America’s Funniest Home Videos-style montage of real cat and dog antics over the closing credits only highlights how plastic the whole affair feels.

The new Wile E. Coyote/Roadrunner 3D cartoon paired with this movie scores almost as many giggles in three minutes as Kitty Galore and her henchmen do in 82 minutes.

See for Yourself
Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore

Cast:  The voices of Bette Midler, James Marsden, Nick Nolte, Christina Applegate, Roger Moore.
Director: Brad Peyton
Running time: 1 hour, 22  minutes
Industry rating: PG for animal action and humor.

Movie Review: Rambo III (Blu-ray)

Reviewed by: Nathan Swank Director: Peter MacDonald Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna, Sasson Gabai Movie: 6/10 Blu-Ray: 6/10 Overall: 6/10

Remember when times were simpler and the U.S. was an ally to Afghanistan while fighting the Russians?  Oh how times have changed.  This is the premise of the third installment simply titled RAMBO III and “Dedicated to the gallant people of Afghanistan” as displayed before the end credits.

We meet John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) first with a shot of him tying on a bandana over his same semi curly locks flexing his shoulder and back muscles.  Then when he is summoned the music crescendos as he looks over his shoulder toward the audience.  A nice dramatic intro to a beloved character to get the crowd cheering.  After winning a highly intense stick-fighting match to make extra money, we see that Rambo is living in Thailand helping out a Buddhist monastery.   After turning down helping his former Vietnam superior, Colonel Samuel Trautman (Richard Crenna), lead the Afghanistan rebels to fight off the Russian invasion, he learns the mission failed and Trautman has been kidnapped.  This information prompts Rambo to join the Afghan forces and rescue Trautman from being tortured by Russian Colonel Zaysen (Marc de Jonge).

Rambo is back to his usual stunts, being pretty much indestructible.  He fights and blows people up in a variety of ways and has stealth like moves being undetectable and unseen while in plain sight breaking into the enemy’s camp.  I’m personally glad he goes to so much trouble to save the guy who seems to continually put him in bad situations just so Colonel Trautman can say, “He’ll find you” when referring to Rambo for the third time in clever new ways, like this exchange:

Colonel Zaysen (Russian):  “Who do you think this man is, God?”

Colonel Trautman (American):  “God would have mercy.  He won’t.”

It’s always a bit funny to me how these battles or wars between nations become so personal between Rambo and the leading commanding officer from the opposing country.  In this case, Colonel Zaysen makes sure he personally is the one flying the helicopter doing the strikes and who is out to get Rambo rather than ordering his soldiers to do so.  I’m not sure this is the right man to be in charge.  As it stands, Rambo and the Russian Colonel’s final confrontation is an epic chicken battle between a helicopter (Zaysen) and a tank (Rambo).  I never understood why the helicopters kept fighting at ground level, hovering just a few feet above.  May the dumber man lose.

What is it with the horrendous overly sappy music at the end of these Rambo films?  “He Ain’t Heavy…He’s My Brother” by Bob Russell & Bobby Scott and performed by Bell Medley is the culprit of the third film.   I have to mention it because it sticks with you on just how awful it is.  The target audience and fans of the Rambo films need a little more push or energy for their film.  Thankfully the original score throughout the picture never changes here or in any of the movies.  Despite all it’s familiar flaws, RAMBO III just barely delivers for another good time.

BLU-RAY REVIEW

Video: (Widescreen 2.35:1) Very nice picture with beautiful visuals of the Afghanistan and Thailand countries.

Audio: (DTS-HD Master Audio) The sound was great for the explosive action movie.

Audio Commentary with director Peter MacDonald: A mediocre flat commentary with uninteresting information.  The director’s speaking pattern has an uninspiring tone, which makes it a hard listen.

Out of the Blu Trivia: If you choose, you can watch pop-up information and tidbits about the film during your viewing.

Afghanistan Land In Crisis (29:48): Like the previous films, this is the best featurette. The filmmakers including Sylvester Stallone discuss how the entire scenario has been switched how it was released right when we became friend with Russia so the film took a lot of heat.  They talk a little about our current War on Terror in Afghanistan and how the Afghans were a big fan of Rambo and the U.S.

Tags: Peter MacDonald, Richard Crenna, Sasson Gabai, sylvester stallone

Thor Trailer – Movie Review

Thor Movie Trailer -The epic adventure “Thor” spans the Marvel Universe from present day Earth to the realm of Asgard. Thor Movie was filmed in these areas: Manhattan Beach, California, USA,Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA,Getty Center, Los Angeles, California, USA.

Directed By: Kenneth Branagh.”Thor”, a powerful but arrogant warrior whose reckless actions reignite an ancient war. Thor is cast down to Earth and forced to live among humans as punishment.

 

Once here, Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth. No official Movie Trailer has been released – You can watch this Fan Made Trailer of Thor – Here : Photo by Marvel Studios/Paramount Pictures / Reviews

Ramona and Beezus

Family comedy. Directed by Elizabeth Allen. Starring Selena Gomez, Joey King and John Corbett. (G. 104 minutes. At Bay Area theaters.)

Alan Markfield / Twentieth Century Fox

Selena Gomez (left) and Joey King are sisters Beezus and Ramona in the film based on Beverly Cleary's books.

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Almost everything poor little Ramona Quimby does leads to unmitigated disaster, whether she's washing a guy's Jeep or rolling a hard-boiled egg against her head. The Jeep receives an accidental paint job and winds up looking like a Jackson Pollock; the egg, not actually boiled, conditions her hair on picture day.
In both cases, she takes the blame and feels humiliated. And in both cases - this is key - it is Not. Her. Fault. She's only a third-grader. She deserves better treatment, fairer justice, than she gets in "Ramona and Beezus," if for no other reason than she's the best thing in it: a rambunctious, bright-eyed mighty mouse with a kaleidoscopic wardrobe and an imagination to match.
Movies about girls are already few and far between; movies about girls who follow their own quirky drumbeats are even scarcer. In the title role, Joey King is pitch-perfect prepubescent charisma, being that rare child actor who comes across as an honest-to-God kid despite being a showbiz veteran since the age of 4. Not rooting for Ramona isn't an option and never was, not since Beverly Cleary first wrote about the denizens of Portland's Klickitat Street - Henry Huggins, Beezus Quimby and her annoying little sister - in the early 1950s.
Adapted for the screen by Laurie Craig and Nick Pustay, this new film ramps up the Ramona humiliation at the expense of the books' light touch. The plot has less to do with 1955's "Beezus and Ramona" than 1977's "Ramona and Her Father," in which our heroine struggles to aid her newly jobless dad (John Corbett). Generally, the 21st century setting is unobtrusive and in tandem with Cleary's novels - which took place in whatever time period she happened to occupy while writing them.
Because this is the time of Disney pop stars, Selena Gomez plays big sis Beezus. Her central role, which she fulfills with gusto, is to express twitchy sibling irritation while simultaneously pining for Henry (fellow Disneyite Hutch Dano). More mature brooding occurs between Ginnifer Goodwin as Aunt Bea and Josh Duhamel as Hobart, the guy with the Jeep, whose share of the script proceeds with alarming rom-com efficiency.
In a nod to the original books, Ramona's dad is a frustrated artist whose elastic and fidgety sketching resembles Alan Tiegreen's classic illustrations. Another cute touch is the use of toyland fantasy sequences - mixing live-action Ramona with animated cutouts and dollhouse figures - to capture a wee girl's outsize imagination. Both the fanciful bits and the Jeep-defacing are brought to us by Elizabeth Allen, a chronicler of mild modish girliness who also directed the teen-mermaid romance "Aquamarine."
With "Ramona and Beezus," she's delivered another innocuous film about another unusual girl, but this time, she's a mistreated imp with an irresistible grin.

Movie Review: "The Girl Who Played with Fire"

Maybe youve heard of the Millennium Trilogy currently sweeping the globe. Or the fatal circumstances in which Swedish author Stieg Larssons three brilliantly detailed crime novels reached mainstream praise without him living to reap the benefits. Either way, as Larssons novels hang atop the New York Times Best Sellers List, the Swedish films are making a name for themselves, too.

 

Noomi Rapace stars as Lisbeth

The producers who acquired the rights to the novels did the smart thing and shot each film at the same time, using the same two leads. "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," the first in the series, was released domestically in March to much critical acclaim and an impressive box office pull. Now comes "The Girl Who Played With Fire," the second, and dare I say, more engrossing installment in the evolving series.

At the close of "Dragon Tattoo" our hero, journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist), had solved a decades-old mystery surrounding the disappearance of a young girl and served his brief prison sentence for libel, but not without the help of a punked-out genius hacker Lisbeth (Noomi Rapace). We last saw Lisbeth walking into the sunset, hidden under a plush blonde wig, with thousands of stolen dollars secured in her bank account. Thankfully, for us, "Played With Fire" takes little time getting to the point.

After hiding out in the Caribbean for several months, Lisbeth is compelled to return home and take care of some business. Within days, much to her surprise, she is the lead suspect in three murders, all linked to a human trafficking ring. Blomkvist, longing for his would-be lover since her departure, immediately throws himself into the case, helping to clear Lisbeths name since the police apparently cannot.

Forgive me for ceasing discussion on plot details, but the fun of these films is discovering them for yourself. Even if youre one of the millions of people who have read the books, the films will give you a fresh perspective. By the movies end, the story will have gone through enough twists and turns and spasms to make Christopher Nolan raise his eyebrows with envy.

As was evident in the first film, Nyqvist is marvelous in his ability to explain very complex topics within a matter of seconds. We actually believe Blomkvist could pull off everything he manages to, simply because Nyqvist convinces us he can.

But, lets be honest, the real star of the show is the petite 110-pound, bisexual little baddie. As the conflicted, damaged Lisbeth, Rapace goes places that could redefine what method acting is. Shes vicious, lean and, perhaps most importantly, smart as all hell. In a role that requires her to say very little, Rapace presents her character with more depth and conviction than most working actors today. Watch how, in the films most thrilling moment, Lisbeth not only takes on two huge biker boys, but she manages to steal one of their choppers before riding off into the sunset, all with the slightest of smirks on her face. Classic controlled acting.

As is often the case with sequels, people want to know if this one is better than the first. For my money, yes, it is. "Dragon Tattoo," was excellent in the Hitchcockian method of presenting a single problem and blowing it wide open. But "Played With Fire," as directed by Daniel Alfredson, taking over for Niels Arden Oplev, is slightly more detailed and technically controlled. The film deserves comparisons to the works of Polanski and Michael Haneke.

"Dragon Tattoo," which is out on DVD, could have survived as its own film; the story could have been considered complete after the credits rolled. But "Played With Fire" leaves a little more open, which, if youre a fan, gives even more reason to anticipate the Oct. 15 release of "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest."

And if that isnt enough for you, David Fincher is currently developing an American version of "Dragon Tattoo," reportedly starring Daniel Craig and Carey Mulligan. Will those capable-enough hands be as good as the original? You be the judge.

MOVIE REVIEW: 'Breathless' remains masterful in restored print

Jean Seberg and Jean-Paul Belmondo in Jean-Luc Godard's 1960 film "Breathless," which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Photo courtesy of Rialto Pictures/StudioCanal

If the world's most accomplished cinematic minds were forced to choose "the only film that matters," under threat of no Junior Mints for life, would "Breathless" end up the consensus choice? Certainly it would get some votes.

And while placing any title under the fluid category of "best film ever" is a no-win game, "Breathless" certainly mattered, when it was released in 1960, and now in its first restored-print edition on the occasion of its 50th birthday.

"Breathless" was the debut from director Jean-Luc Godard, who with Francois Truffaut and Claude Chabrol formed the upper brain trust of the French New Wave, the band of cinema maestros who forever changed the medium with their brash style and disregard for established rules.

Jean-Paul Belmondo plays the small-time hood and Jean Seberg his breezy but crafty love interest in the film set against the backdrop of a barely functional plot. Godard was much more concerned with moments and images than dot-to-dot storytelling, or as he put it loudly in his response to pre-release criticism: "Why do I need a story? I don't make films, I make cinema."

After initial confusion and hubbub, "Breathless" settled in as an acknowledged masterpiece of the most independent sort, all about adoration of style, and influential until ---- well, its influence hasn't stopped and isn't likely to do so soon. "Breathless" opens Friday for one week only at the Ken Cinema in San Diego.

"Breathless"
**** (out of four)
Starring: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Seberg
Director: Jean-Luc Godard
Studio: Rialto Pictures
Not rated
Running time: 90 minutes

Movie review: 'Life During Wartime'

The creator of “Welcome to the Dollhouse” and “Happiness,” two of the most rigorously cruel films in recent memory, changes his tune in his latest film.

“Life During Wartime” is a sequel, Solondz style. The writer/director isn’t content with simply continuing the sad saga of the sisters from “Happiness.”

No, he changes up the entire cast, using the familiar story strains to explore the bounds of forgiveness.

And for anyone who endured the pitch black “Happiness,” there’s plenty that needs to be absolved.

Joy (Shirley Henderson) remains the saddest sack of the three “Happiness” sisters. She’s finally settled down, but her husband (Michael K. Williams) is a recovering pervert outed during the film’s opening sequence.

Sister Trish (Allison Janney) is dating again, finding love in the arms of a heavy-set divorcee (Michael Lerner). Only Helen (Ally Sheedy) appears content, her television writing career blossoming into a mantle stocked with Emmy awards.

Trish’s ex-husband Bill (Ciaran Hinds) is free after a jail term for sexually abusing a young boy – “Happiness’” most disturbing story arc. Can he reconnect with his family, or will his monstrous crimes keep in emotionally imprisoned?

For a while, “Wartime” feels like any other conventional sequel, an unnecessary continuation of characters and themes that banks on our affection for the original.

But the new film
takes shape as Trish’s son, Timmy (Dylan Riley Snyder), starts exploring what it means to have a pedophile for a father. It’s a touching exploration of family ties and the ability to see the good in people – even criminals.

“Wartime” doesn’t excuse the father’s sins, nor does it whitewash them. It dares to ask the audience something more complicated. Should we root for Timmy, and everyone around him, to find peace with his father?

Lerner is a standout here, an older man bludgeoned by a past love but willing to open his heart to another damaged soul. But performances across the board are stellar.

Solondz can still shock us, witness Trish describing to her son how she felt when her new beau touched her.

Yuck.

And it’s painful to hear the sisters tear each other apart with their passive-aggressive conversations.

“Wartime’s” attempts at the supernatural pay small but potent dividends. Paul Reubens plays the ghost of Joy’s suitor we met in the opening scene in “Happiness,” a character originally played by Jon Lovitz.

Solondz awkwardly uses war, terrorism and even Judaism to chip away at his main theme, poking an prodding the characters until deeper truths emerge.

Solondz could have gone the M. Night Shyamalan route, turning his signature tics into an anchor weighing down his work.

“Life During Wartime” reveals an artist in transition, and even those alienated by his previous efforts will be curious to see where he goes next.

Movie Review: Despicable Me

 

INFO:

What Despicable Me lacks in humor it makes up with heart. Universal’s first computer animated feature doesn’t have the ingenuity of Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story 3 or the slapstick pizzazz of Sony’s Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, but it’s just as loveable. It may take a while to get going, but it gets better with each passing scene. By the end, it has won our hearts.

Despite the movie’s prolific ad campaign, I didn’t know what to expect from it. Its story turns surprised me, and even though I could anticipate its final destination, I didn’t know how it was going to get there. This aspect proved refreshing.

Other novel qualities include the character designs, which are mostly caricatures with extreme features. This is especially true for the movie’s hero (or should I say villain?), Gru (voiced by Steve Carell). With his skinny legs, wide frame, bald head and pointy nose, he could pass as the brother of Dr. Evil from Austin Powers.

And, like Dr. Evil, Gru is one of the world’s leading villains, or at least that’s what he thinks and what he tells his staff of little yellow creatures called minions, who have their own unique language and aid Gru in stealing some of the world’s most prized possessions - although the Las Vegas versions of the Statue of Liberty and Eiffel Tower can hardly be considered prized possessions. That’s why Gru is shocked when another villain steals a whole pyramid from Gaza!Because Gru won’t settle for second best or risk the Bank of Evil cutting him off, he sets his heart on shrinking and stealing the moon. All he needs is the shrink ray currently being held by his rival, Vector (Jason Segel), who lets the said pyramid sit idly in his front lawn. To obtain the ray, Gru adopts three girl orphans - Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier) and Agnes (Elsie Fisher) - because they sell cookies and provide Gru a way in to Vector’s impregnable lair. Much to his surprise (but not ours), the girls affect Gru in ways that give him a new outlook on life. Instead of villainy, he comes to realize fatherhood might be a better profession.

The movie’s best scenes show Gru adjusting to parenthood. I liked his smug, confident look as he served the girls lunch in dog bowls; or when he took them to an amusement park and won them stuffed animals; and when he read them a bedtime story. These scenes overshadow the more blatant visual gags like Gru trying to break into Vector’s house or the minions dressing up in hat and wigs to go shopping, all of which played like Saturday morning cartoons. Kids will surely enjoy it, but I wish the screenplay had gone a less traditional route and not made Gru’s obsession with the moon the primary focus of the humor. The villain vs. villain angle is amusing, but Gru’s interaction with the girls is much more interesting and has much bigger payoffs.

Many animated features star high-profile actors simply because they’re popular, but the voice casting of Despicable Me is more inspired. Steve Carell does a surprisingly strong (and funny) foreign accent, and because Gru’s eyes and facial features match Carell’s, it was easier to accept him embodying the character. Carell did more than lend a voice; he provided Gru a certain behavior, and it was a pleasure to watch.

Despicable Me won’t go down in any history books, but it’s sweet and jolly, proving computer animated films can be successful without talking animals or inanimate objects coming to life. It works more on a human level, and had it really played up the familial aspect of the screenplay instead of the routine cartoon stuff, it might have been more memorable. Still, it’s a cute and heartfelt, and like some of the best computer animated features, it can be enjoyed by both kids and adults. 

Kisses Movie Review

Kisses can hold a powerful meaning behind them, based on the context in which they are given. The 2008 Irish drama ‘Kisses,’ written and directed by Lance Daly, is getting ready to jump the Atlantic Ocean to America, and seems to want to prove that people’s intentions transcend culture. Kelly O’Neill and Shane Curry, two inner-city Dublin teens with no acting experience between them, play the two main characters in the movie, adding to the air of innocence and good intentions.

After premiering at the Galway Film Festival in 2008, and later being picked as an official selection at the Locarno, Toronto International, Telluride, Miami and Seattle International Film Festivals, ‘Kisses’ seemed destined from the start to be a popular movie with fans around the world. Even though coming in at a mere 75 minutes, much shorter than most American movies, the advertisements for ‘Kisses’ focuses on how teens can cope with family matters in a short period of time.

‘Kisses’ follows Kylie (played by O’Neill) and her next-door neighbor, Dylan, (portrayed by Curry), who live in the poorer outskirts of Dublin. Neither has friends in the outside world or within their families, as Kylie doesn’t get along with her four siblings, and Dylan is abused by his father after his older brother runs away. 

After Dylan gets in trouble with his father yet again and Kylie saves him, the two decide to runaway themselves. They try to find his brother on the streets of Dublin. While Kylie has no intention of returning home, they come to discover how dangerous the big city is without their families there to protect them.

While Daly strives to prove that children from all walks of life all over the world don’t always get along with their families and sometimes want to run away from home, ‘Kisses’ falls short of portraying teen angst. While both Kylie and Dylan both genuinely seem to dislike their families, their night in Dublin seems more like a first date for two friends who were always afraid to admit their feelings than a real attempt to break free from their home lives.

Dylan also doesn’t seem to know what he wants. While he wants to escape the wrath of his father’s abuse, he seems too eager to change his mind about going back home after he and Kylie get off to a rough start trying to find his brother. Kylie seems to want to stay away from home more so than Dylan. The reason why is questionable, as her home life wasn’t as heavily discussed as Dylan’s, and therefore doesn’t seem as bad.

Despite these fallbacks, Daly redeemed himself by casting newcomer O’Neill as Kylie, who seemed to understand what it meant to live with a down-on-their-luck large family that can’t catch a break. In order to cast the misfit lead actress, Daly told the View Oxford that he went to numerous schools in Dublin and picked out the worst behaved students to audition. Dylan added that he picked O’Neill not only because she was smart, but she also had an “immediate intuitive understanding of what acting really is.” Her instinctive understanding of teen angst resulted in a nomination for Best Actress in a Lead Role in a Film at the 2009 Irish Film and Television Awards.

‘Kisses’ also succeeded in the fact that O’Neill and Curry, two eleven-year-olds, were able to take on the responsibility of being the main characters, as their characters’ families have little screen time. Being so early in their careers and not having the guidance of more experienced actors to show them their craft, and still being able to create instant chemistry on-screen together, proved that both correctly chose their careers. 

The black-and-white to color transition used throughout the movie was also an effective way to show what the young characters were feeling. When both Kylie and Dylan were with their respective families, Daly used a muted black-and-white color scheme, representing the teens’ desolate feelings.  They both felt isolated from their families, as well as other teens, as the only attention they received was negative.

But when Kylie and Dylan came together and started their journey into Dublin, Daly discreetly started adding color. Daly was able to subtly show that the two only felt alive when they were with each other.

With a scheduled release date of July 16 in New York, with other select cities to follow, anyone interested in seeing the sights of Dublin will enjoy ‘Kisses.’ Parents may be hesitant to allow their pre-teens to watch the movie, as there is a brief scene of nudity, some coarse language, themes of family violence and abuse and Dylan and Kylie being given a beer by a Bob Dylan impersonator.  However, the overall theme that all teens, to some degree, want to be with their family, no matter what happened between them.

Movie Review: Lamhaa

The Story:

Lamhaa is a Bollywood thriller written and directed by Rahul Dholakia. Set in Kashmir, the film stars Sanjay Dutt as intelligence officer Vikram and his love interest Aziza played by Bipasha Basu, as well as Anupam Kher and Kunal Kapoor in supporting roles. Lamhaa is an epic portrayal of the corruption and political issues that have plagued Kashmir for years. Kashmir, which was once regarded as a paradise-like place, is now a war ground for corruption and lies. It becomes apparent that a suspicious company is generating millions of dollars that is benefiting the likes of politicians and leaders in the Indian and Pakistani social systems.

When the Military Intelligence hears of a plot that is likely to plunge Kashmir into a deeper state of disruption, intelligence officer Vikram is sent to investigate. The day Vikram lands in the Valley where he is set to start working, a top separatist leader named Haji survives a bomb attack. As Vikram begins to piece the puzzle together, he starts to believe the two events are linked.

Vikram gets help from Haji's co-worker Aziza and together the two embark upon a journey to find the truth. Along the way, as is often the case, they encounter corruption and violence. The intensity of their passion for the truth creates a bond between Aziza and Vikram who fall in love along the path of their mission for justice.

The Cast:

Sanjay Dutt as Vikram
Bipasha Basu as Aziza
Kunal Kapoor as Aatif
Shernaz Patel as Parveena
Anupam Kher as Haji

The Crew:

Producer: Bunty Walia, Jaspreet Singh Walia
Director:  Rahul Dholakia
Lyricist: Sayeed Qadri, Amitabh Varma
Music Director: Mithoon
Art: Wasiq Khan
Screenplay: Rahul Dholakia

What Worked:

Anupam Kher is quite an experienced actor and he was truly a shining star in his role in Lamhaa. Bipasha Basu took on a whole new look and role in Lamhaa and her attempt was commendable.

What Didn't:

The story of Kashmir and the discussion and portrayal of the corruption has been seen and told time and time again. Lamhaa does not bring anything entirely new to the subject. Most characters are poorly written making their roles very ineffective. The story is weak and the scenes do not always flow well with each other. The movie moves a little too quickly leaving the audience confused throughout most of the film. Another disappointment is the cinematography. Kashmir is often referred to as the most beautiful place on earth and we do not see this in Lamhaa.

The Soundtrack:

The music for Lamhaa was relevant to the film. With meaningful lyrics, amazing vocalists, and even some modern vibes, Lamhaa's soundtrack is impressive.

Slated or Rated:

Unfortunately, Lamhaa did no deliver in theaters. A film such as Lamhaa which is supposed to bring forth an emotional reaction whether sympathy, hatred, disgust, we walked away bored. The actors and actresses seemed weak but this is attributed to the half baked screenplay. We wouldn't suggest that you head to the theaters for this flick

John Abraham, Bipasha Basu, Kangana Ranaut and Sophie Choudry all came out for the special screening of their new action thriller Lamhaa at PVR cinemas in Juhu, Mumbai Thursday night and of course our photogs were there to catch a glimpse of the stars!

John and Bips, who sports a Rocky S anarkali

Lamhaa is a Bollywood thriller written and directed by Rahul Dholakia. Set in Kashmir, the film stars Sanjay Dutt as intelligence officer Vikram and his love interest Aziza, played by Bipashu Basu. Lamhaa is an epic portrayal of the corruption and political issues that have plagued Kashmir for years.

Kashmir, which was once regarded as a paradise-like place, is now a war ground for corruption and lies. It becomes apparent that a suspicious company is generating millions of dollars that is benefiting the likes of politicians and leaders in the Indian and Pakistani social systems.

When the Military Intelligence hears of a plot that is likely to plunge Kashmir into a deeper state of disruption, intelligence officer Vikram is sent to investigate. The day Vikram lands in the Valley where he is set to start working, a top separatist leader named Haji survives a bomb attack.

As Vikram begins to piece the puzzle together, he starts to believe the two events are linked. Vikram gets help from Haji's co-worker Aziza and together the two embark upon a journey to find the truth. Along the way, as is often the case, they encounter corruption and violence. The intensity of their passion for the truth creates a bond between Aziza and Vikram who fall in love along the path of their mission for justice.

Sophie Choudry

Kangana Ranaut

The buzz is that Kareena Kapoor's sister, Karisma Kapoor, was first considered for the role but she chose not to do the movie as she was uncomfortable filming in Kashmir. So brave Bips took over and loved the project straight away! The movie hits theaters today, are you planning on seeing it? Drop us a line.

SALT Movie Review

Below Line: A spy thriller more than worth its salt.

 

She never quite says: "The name is Salt. Evelyn Salt." But Angelina Jolie, for all intents and purposes, is James Bond in her new film "Salt," and it's really no surprise that Jolie, the only female action star in Hollywood, more than measures up to Daniel Craig.

Donning several guises while on the run in Columbia's spy thriller, she even -- with the help of considerable facial latex, mind you -- turns up as a guy in one scene. She makes a pretty ugly one, but it makes an amusing gag, a kind of acknowledgment that kick-ass action heroes now come in both genders. In Jolie's case, it's more convincing than ever because in those Lara Croft movies, she looked like an animated creature that popped out of a video game.

While preposterous at every turn, "Salt" is a better Bond movie than most recent Bond movies, as its makers keep the stunts real and severely limit CGI gimmickry. This is a slick, light summer entertainment that should throw considerable coin into Sony's coffers while re-establishing (if it needs re-establishing) Jolie's bona fides as an action star. The film certainly didn't need the assist, but recent news events have erased any objection from critics, tied to laws of plausibility, over the film's key concept that Russian sleeper spies still exist in the U.S. long after the fall of the Soviet Union.

Another talking point here is the similarity between this film, reportedly first developed for Tom Cruise, and the action-spy thriller he chose to do, the lamentable "Knight and Day." There are astonishing similarities: An American spy believed to be a rogue agent gets chased by the CIA, with the protagonist escaping by, among other tricks, leaping from one fast-moving vehicle to another on a major thoroughfare. These similarities only point up how smart "Salt" is in crafting its escapist fare.

Director Phillip Noyce and stunt guru Simon Crane, working from a clever though shallow screenplay by Kurt Wimmer, make sure the stunts in "Salt" look like a dangerous and demanding day at the office. In "Knight and Day," the movie's absurd physicality is played as effortless clowning replete with repartee that is supposed to remind you of 007 but in fact is embarrassingly flat and banal.

There's no joking around here. Jolie's Evelyn Salt is made of sterner stuff, the kind that can survive a North Korean prison without giving up the name of her employer, the CIA. Back in D.C. and married to a nice though naive German arachnologist (August Diehl) -- yes, he studies spiders and, yes, there is a payoff to that -- she is assigned to CIA desk duties when a supposed Russian defector (Daniel Olbrychski) walks in one day.

Nobody is particularly buying his act, especially Salt's superior, Ted Winter (Liev Schreiber), but she accedes to his plea to interrogate the man briefly before she heads home to an anniversary dinner. The Russian talks nonsense about sleeper cells and a plot to assassinate the Russian president on American soil. Then he happens to drop the name of the Russian sleeper spy: Evelyn Salt.

This apparently is enough to turn the Agency's counterintelligence officer, Peabody (Chiwetel Ejiofor), into her instant foe. Nothing that happens after this deserves any serious scrutiny, but it's fun to watch Jolie's Salt seemingly transforms into the Russian sleeper agent she is reputed to be -- escaping from a virtual lockdown, dodging cars and bullets, making her way to New York and through subway tunnels to confront the Russian president, then take on, seemingly, every Russian and CIA op in her way.

All those "seemingly" qualifiers are meant to indicate that no studio is going to cast Jolie as a villain or even an anti-hero. What do you think this is, the '70s? But there's just enough doubt for the ad copy to read: Who is Salt?

You can't say the movie keeps you guessing about this for long since most attentive viewers will figure out the true villain(s) well before the climax. But the chase is the whole point.

Here Noyce and his team excel. Propelled by James Newton Howard's nerve-teasing music and enhanced by Robert Elswit's clear-eyed, smartly positioned cameras, "Salt" moves ever forward -- pushing, pushing, pushing its heroine to greater feats every minute. It doesn't stop for martinis, either shaken or stirred, or any other detours. The movie is lean and muscular, looking for action even in situations where a little sleight of hand might have done the trick.

You do wish that maybe it did slow down to consider the human factor. Salt is married; let's dig into that. A marriage between an agent and a civilian is never explored. In making the husband a problem that needs solving, here -- not to give anything away -- the movie stumbles badly. At the end of the day, "who is Salt" is less a tagline than a criticism. Eventually, you know what Salt is. But who she is isn't satisfactorily resolved.

In story terms, that is. In Hollywood terms, there's never any doubt: Salt is Angelina Jolie.

Opens: Friday, July 23 (Columbia)
Production: Columbia Pictures presents in association with Relativity Media a di Bonaventura Pictures production
Cast: Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Daniel Olbrychski, Andre Braugher, August Diehl
Director: Philip Noyce
Screenwriter: Kurt Wimmer
Producers: Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Sunil Perkash
Executive producers: Ric Kidney, Mark Vahradian, Ryan Kavanaugh
Director of photography: Robert Elswit
Production designer: Scott Chambliss
Music: James Newton Howard
Costume designer: Sarah Edwards
Editors: Stuart Baird, John Gilroy
Rated PG-13, 100 minutes

Mulan 2010 – Review

I was recently on a flight to Hong Kong and in the airline’s collection of Chinese movies, ‘Mulan’ was available. I was curious, obviously because I have known and loved the Disney version for years. It was nominated for a 2010 Best Film award in Hong Kong, and after watching it I can see why. It was an extraordinary film. While I have always loved the Disney’s Mulan, and as I got older, came to appreciate the accuracy with which they tried to convey the original poem, something about it has always bothered me. I did not know what exactly though, until I had watched this adaption of Mulan.

There is something in the Chinese culture in its portrayal of romance that cannot be adapted – and certainly not by an American company, with its need for a happy ending and a final message of ‘good will conquer evil, the guy gets the girl and everyone is a hero’. That does not happen in the Chinese adaption, although the story still comes from the same source material. It is set during the reign of Emperor Xiaowen, wherein the tribe of Rouran has declared war on the nation of Wei. Mulan disguises herself as a man and joins the fight for Wei, in place of her elderly and sick father. The key difference in this adaption though is in how and when she is discovered. At the time she first enlists, her friend from her home village, Tiger, realises who she is right away, but swears to keep her secret. Fellow soldier Wentai discovers her secret not much later, one night when she is bathing and she fights with him in an attempt to keep her from discovering her. In the resulting tussle he can of course feel that she is not a man, and so discretely sets out to discover who this woman is.

It’s not long before Wentai’s suspicions are confirmed. Mulan is set to be severely punished for an unrelated crime, but an unexpected enemy attack sees Wentai rescuing her from certain death at the hands of the attackers. Though she is told to flee, she does not, and actually kills the Commander of the attacking army, altering the battle moral for the enemy and effectively enabling their victory. Her superiors and Wentai are so impressed with her bravery and fighting skills that they promote her, along with Wentai. This continues throughout the next few years, with Mulan and Wentai consistently winning their battles with strength and strategy. Wentai notices however, that Mulan is weakened by her soft heart; her love and compassion for her fellow soldiers impairs her judgement in times of battle. So when Wentai is injured in battle, he takes the opportunity to fake his death, effectively cutting Mulan from her greatest friend in the army. After the resulting depression Mulan falls into, in an attempt to ‘cure’ her, Tiger declares rather abruptly that she must become a better General to protect the remaining soldiers.

It works, and Mulan becomes one of the most renown and feared Generals of the Emperors Army. Wentai continues to watch from the sidelines, pretending to be a regular soldier. At the same time, Rouran’s leadership has passed to the son, who is a ruthless Commander, having killed his father to obtain this leadership. By this point however, everyone else is desperate for a peaceful outcome. In the final battle, Mulan suggests a strategy that will ensure certain victory for the Wei army, defeating the 200,000 strong Rouran army with just 20,000 men of her own. It relies on a supporting General however, who is a coward and betrays her. The army holds out for as long as they can, but in the end they are starving, sick and already dying. So Mulan proposes a martyrs death to her soldiers, which they proudly support. This is when Wentai reveals himself to be a Prince of Wei and exchanges his life for that of the battalion. The trade is accepted by the Rouran leader and they leave with Wentai as their prisoner.

Mulan, now aware that he is still alive, goes to rescue him, alone. She finds and manages to come to an agreement with the Princess of Rouran. They both want peace, and so the Princess will marry Wentai to bring about that peace between the two nations. Even though Mulan is in love with Wentai, she encourages this as a way to stop the fighting. Then she can go back to nursing her father in her village. Their plan works, and when she is brought before the Emperor, he does not punish her for concealing her gender. At the same time, it is announced that Wentai will marry the Princess of Rouran and to form an alliance with the two nations. It is clear that Wentai does not wish to marry her, even though it will bring peace, but he agrees to after some persuasion from Mulan.

This ending is what really struck me, above all else. At the very end, the Prince comes to visit Mulan in her village, and asks that she elope with him. However, she tells him that he must do his duty and return to his betrothed. After all the fighting they had done, this would bring the peace that had craved for so long, therefore they would have to bear the sacrifice. To me, this signifies the Chinese moral of the day – sacrifice yourself if it will mean the prosperity of others. Even though it is very clear they both love each other deeply, Wentai sadly leaves the village to return to the palace. There is no intimacy between the two; no romance is obscenely displayed across the screen. Instead, there are small moments, lingering stares and the promise between the two of them to protect her identity. When she is gravely wounded and suffering a high fever, Wentai risks his own health to cut into his wrist and allow his blood to keep her hydrated. He gives himself over to the enemy to save not just all of his troops, but her life in particular. This transcends beyond romance into something more, something more subtle yet at the same time dynamic. The two actors do an outstanding job of conveying the relationship and companionship of the two Generals. This can also be said for the rest of the cast, all of the soldiers in Mulan’s battalion have distinct personalities, and you become attached to each of these very well developed and loveable characters.

While it may be said that in today’s world, the romantic in all of us craves for the onscreen lovers to have their happy ending, I am still very pleased with this not-quite-happy-ending. It is more realistic, in my opinion. For this reason, I give Mulan a Cool Plus. I guarantee that you will find something you like about this movie, whether it is the main characters or supporting cast, the cinematography or the plot itself.

Ballistica (2010)

INFO:
Director:Gary Jones
Writer:Tony Kandah (story)Sean Rourke (screenplay)
Genre:Action

Cast:
(Credited cast)
Jason Ancona ... CIA Agent
Lori Bender ... CIA Agent
Robert Davi ... Macarthur
Andrew Divoff ... Dragomir
Thomas Downey ... D.O.C.
Max Glotov ... CIA Analyst #2
Elle Goodman ... Damian's Wife
G.B. Jones ... Steckler the Alley Thug
Farah Kandah ... Kevin
Hazuki Kato ... Yei Fei
Lauren Mary Kim ... Fang
Jesse Kove ... CIA Agent
Martin Kove ... Riley
James Lew
Paul Logan ... Damian
Mara Marini ... Veronica
Jeffrey Miller ... CIA Agent
Mark Morris ... Mr. Wilson
Anna Maria Panici ... Tatiana
Mark Phelan ... Vladislav
Simon Rhee
Katie Ryan ... Paige (as Katie Taylor)
Sam Sabbagh ... Russian Terrorist
Sam Saliba ... CIA Analyst #1
Shannon Sauceda ... CIA Secretary
Adam Smith ... CIA Agent
C.B. Spencer ... Alexa
Vera Vanguard ... CIA Agent


Synopsis:
A man has been trained in a deadly form of hand-to-hand combat using ballistics and firearms. He is one of the few Americans who has perfected it, which makes him the CIA's best weapon against International Terrorism.

Screenshot:

Movie Review: Live Animals (2008)

Plot:

This one had me undecided as to whether I liked it or not almost the entire running time.   The opening had me rolling around my eyes; the middle kinda had to hooked; and then the ending … the goddamn ending.  What I thought was gonna end up being a pretty decent and fun entry into the torture-porn sub-genre completely falls apart in the final act.  I was really disappointed that writer-director Jeremy Benson took LIVE ANIMALS in the direction he did in the last 20 minutes.

The film opens with meeting Wayne (John Still); a seemingly salt-of-the-earth, hard working middle America kind of guy who has a big white beard that reminds you of a Santa impersonator at the mall.  But soon after meeting Wayne we follow him as he hunts down and captures a group of 20-somethings as they are having a house party.  With the help of Edgar (a very intimidating Patrick Cox) he locks them up in a barn in individual cages hoping to sell them to the highest bidder.  Yup; it turns out that Wayne is just your typical white slave trader selling the 20-somethings into sexual slavery overseas.  This movie really doesn’t offer anything new to the torture-porn sub-genre and I found myself successfully predicting where the story was gonna go.  But through some pretty well-shot scenes and decent gore, I found myself enjoying this one more than I should have.

What makes this one stand out from the typical shitty torture-porn flick is that the focus isn’t on the captured kids.  Director Jeremy Benson instead decides to focus on the captors (Wayne and Edgar).  Wayne is a matter-of-fact kinda guy who’s married (for 10 years we’re told) and doesn’t take any sadistic pleasure in hurting the kids unnecessarily.  After they’re captured Wayne takes one of the kids and ties him up in front of the others.  He explains, rather rationally, that people are easier to deal with than animals because with people you can “break” one and the others will fall into place (with animals you need to break every one of them).  He then proceeds to “break” the guy as an example.  It was a pretty tense and cringe-inducing scene that worked for me.

The cast of 20-somethings, as a whole, were unfortunately not very good actors.  They of course do the typical whining and crying, but most of them pander to the camera and I was aware I was watching actors the entire time.  The good thing is that Still and Cox both put in solid performances as the captors.  This is a good thing considering the movie was focused more on them than the kids.  And just wait until the slave buyer shows up and “checks out” the merchandise; its a really creepy scene that will make you feel really uncomfortable and dirty (especially how they box up the girl after she is sold).

But more than anything what hurt this film is the slow pace.  There are many scenes where the camera lingers on pretty unimportant things for too long, and we get endless shots of the captured kids with their faces pressed against their cages.  I think 10 minutes of this film could have been shaved off to made a tighter, more engaging film.  There were also way too many convenient plot points that Benson used to further the plot.  It felt as though Benson wrote himself into a corner a few times and simply “created” a way out that didn’t feel natural to what was occurring on screen

And unavoidably we come to the end; the “escape scene” whereby a few of the caged up “product” gets loose.  Aahhh that goddamn ending.  What I thought was gearing up to be an original ending for a torture-porn flick unfortunately becomes a cookie-cutter ending that really pissed me off.  As soon as the three survivors escape it seems they become completely different characters and start doing really stupid and annoying things that make their situation worse.  And just wait until you see the pain threshold of one of the survivors:  he gets stabbed in the stomach, shot in the back with bird shot, gets a really thick drill through his hand, and gets a finger cut off.  This guy’s more tenacious than that fucking Energizer bunny and just keeps on going.  It was really silly.  I can’t imagine why Benson decided to take the ending where he did.  LIVE ANIMALS completely falls apart in the final act … COMPLETELY, and we even get a “twist” at the end that is just retarded.  Blech.

So what I thought was going to revitalize the torture-porn sub-genre by injecting some fresh blood into it (by focusing on the captors instead of the kids captured) ends up going down the same road of cliches.  Now I must admit that I found this one more effective than the HOSTEL flicks.  LIVE ANIMALS doesn’t glorify the violence like HOSTEL 1 & 2 does.  If you’re gonna watch this one anyway, do yourself a favor and don’t watch the final 10 minutes.  This one almost got my recommendation but the ending is just too damn 

 Screenshot:

Inception (2010)

Inception (2010) DVDRip | 700mb | 148 min

INFO:

Genre: Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller
Director: Christopher Nolan
Release Date: 16 July 2010 (USA)
Language: English

PLOT:
In a world where technology exists to enter the human mind through dream invasion, a single idea within one's mind can be the most dangerous weapon or the most valuable asset.

It seems that ever since the first teaser premiered last fall, no film release this year has been more highly anticipated than Christopher Nolan’s Inception. It should be no surprise that both serious film connoisseurs and casual movie-goers alike are both rather excited for the latest from the director of films like Memento, The Prestige and, most importantly, The Dark Knight.
Over the past nine months, a genius advertising campaign – along with some serious buzz on the internet – has built up the hype for Inception to unfathomable heights. With each new trailer, set photo, director interview or studio plot synopsis came a new reason to be excited – stunning visuals, minor story details, a growing cast of all-star actors – but never a clear picture of what this film would actually be like. Expectations have become so high, it seems as though no film could possibly live up to them.

Except one.

Inception’s protagonist, Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio), is a thief – but not just any thief. He and his team of bandits – Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), Ariadne (Ellen Page) and Eames (Tom Hardy) – have the ability to literally enter a person’s dreams and steal thoughts – secrets – from deep within the subconscious. This skill has made Dom highly sought-after in the world of corporate espionage, but has also made him a fugitive.

A wealthy client (Ken Watanabe) offers Dom a chance to clear his name and return home to his family. There’s just one catch: Dom would have to enter a target’s mind and perform a seemingly impossible task. Rather than stealing a thought, he and his team would have to implant one – the act of “inception.”

Obviously there’s more to this – a lot more – but the less one knows boarding this conceptual rollercoaster, the wilder the ride will be.

Nolan’s narrative unfolds slowly. The world he has created is complex beyond description, so time is needed for viewers to become acclimated. Entering dreams is tricky business; there are rules to be followed and risks that must be considered. If, as an audience, we do not fully understand these intricacies, the film would fall apart. Nolan relies heavily on his audience’s ability to comprehend lofty concepts; this is the thinking man’s thriller.
Luckily, no one tells a story quite like Christopher Nolan, and everything is laid out in a way that is both crystal clear and mindblowingly fascinating. As we approach the second act, and Nolan prepares to really unleash his tale, we are properly prepared to face what’s coming next.
The rest of the film plays out at lightning-fast speed. Events, ideas and stunning visuals bombard the screen with unmatched intensity. Viewers are forced to ingest new information just as they are beginning to digest what’s already been seen. The pace and tone build and build in might, never letting up until the credits role.
On a technical level, Inception is a masterpiece. This is the most visually ambitious film to hit theatres in years, and can only be properly experienced on the big screen. Wally Pfister, Nolan’s go-to cinematographer, captures each frame with indescribable precision; his work is beautiful. The CG landscapes used are fantastic and believable; they possess a sense of tangibility and realism I’m not sure I’ve ever seen before. But, as fantastic as the computer work is, it is Nolan’s use of practical effects that really impresses. In an age where set-building seems to be a lost art, the use of brick-and-mortar scenery is astounding. Every penny of Inception’s $200 million dollar budget appears onscreen in its full glory – and then some (check out the rotating-hallway scene – that is not CGI, it’s an actual moving set).
No visual effect is complete without stellar audio work. Nolan’s team of sound editors and mixers pair each visual with sound effects that can’t be described as anything less than perfect. Additionally, Hans Zimmer’s score is flawless and will likely net the veteran composer his eighth Academy Award nomination. Rumor has it Zimmer wasn’t allowed to see the film as he scored it; if true, the man is a god.

Finally, we get to the cast, and what a cast it is. Headliner Leonardo DiCaprio commands the viewer’s full attention for every second he appears onscreen. Despite the grand conceptual and visual scope of Inception, the film is still largely an exploration into the psyche of his character. Dom Cobb is as complex a character as Inception is a film, and, as always, DiCaprio nails it. He just overtook himself (in Scorsese’s Shutter Island) as this year’s awards-season frontrunner.
The supporting cast is composed with enormous talent as well. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is at the top of his game and has secured his position as one of Hollywood’s most talented young-guns. He might just be his generation’s DiCaprio. Ellen Page holds her own here; shedding the snarkiness found in her prior work. For the first time in her career, she plays an adult – a role that suits her surprisingly well.  Watanabe is good; giving a performance that would probably stand out in any other film, but simply stands in this one. The big surprise is Tom Hardy, who I’ve never seen in a film before (though I did hear good things about his performance in Bronson last year). Hardy is great in each of his scenes; especially noteworthy are the moments in which his character is introduced. He engages in an extended dialogue with DiCaprio’s character – their chemistry is fantastic . I can’t wait to see more of this guy.
I know it seems like I’m gushing; I didn’t want to. I tried to think of something to criticize, but nothing came to mind. I can, however, without any hesitation whatsoever, declare that Inception is the best film of Nolan’s career and will likely stand strong as the best of 2010.
See this movie. Bring some friends, preferably intelligent ones. Watch it, and pay attention. Afterwards, grab coffee, maybe even lunch, and talk about it. Analyze it and dissect it – pick it apart until there is nothing left. And then, see it again.

SCREENSHOT:

Movie Review : The Twilight Saga-Eclipse (2010)

INFO:

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010)
[FORMAT]:.......................[ Matroska (MKV)
[GENRE]:........................[ Fantasy | Romance | Thriller
[NO OF CDs].....................[ 1
[FILE SIZE]:....................[ 400 MB
[RESOLUTION]:...................[ 720 x 304
[LANGUAGE ]:....................[ English
[SUBTITLES]:....................[ NO
[ORIGINAL RUNTIME]:.............[ 01:55:09
[RELEASE RUNTIME]:..............[ 01:55:09
[SOURCE]:.......................[ TS-IMAGiNE

Synopsis:

As a string of mysterious killings grips Seattle, Bella, whose high school graduation is fast approaching, is forced to choose between her love for vampire Edward and her friendship with werewolf Jacob. 

Description:
If anyone thought the global fascination (make that obsession) with the Twilight book-turned-blockbuster film series had waned among its Jamaican teen and young adult loyalists, think again. The sight of Taylor Lautner’s excellent pecs and muscular arms alone still elicits deafening rounds of female screams each time they grace the screen. Not so much for Robert Pattinson’s endlessly pallid visage and frequently dowdy demeanour, and Kristen Stewart is still, well, very Bella.
The most noticeable difference about the latest Twilight installment, however, is how appealing the plot points, action, and performances are this time around. Talk about improvement. Twilight (2008) and last year’s New Moon were frustratingly inconsistent productions. Though not quite a stunning success, Eclipse (Summit Entertainment) is the absolutely most thrilling in the series yet. Director David Slade (Hard Candy, 30 Days of Night) and screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg have successfully injected fresh energy, intrigue, and exhilaration into Stephenie Meyer’s beloved vampire-werewolf saga, making for an almost thoroughly entertaining, satisfying film.
Picking up where New Moon left off, the Jacob/Bella/Edward love triangle forms the crux of the story. Werewolf Jacob and bloodsucker Edward are still sworn rivals over mortal Bella’s heart, but when the vengeance-obsessed Victoria (Bryce Dallas Howard) and a newly formed army of famished, vicious vampires pose a threat to Bella’s safety, the boys must cast their grouse aside (if momentarily) to help protect her. What’s more, who will Bella ultimately choose? The handsome, hunky werewolf or the moody, brooding vampire? The intriguing sequence of events heads to a showdown just shy of a spectacle that wondrously brings the production to an emotionally involving crest.
Evenly paced and sufficiently absorbing – with noteworthy leads and a strong supporting cast – Eclipse is worth the trip to the cinema, even if your enjoyment of the movie is sporadically interrupted by deafening screams from wide-eyed teen girls (and grown women!) infatuated with Taylor Lautner’s abs. Nearly a week later my eardrums are just recovering.

 Screenshot: