Reviews

Before I start, I agree that I have been going a bit overboard with anti reviews related to Facebook and social networking in general. However, I guess this one would complete the trilogy and is supposedly a true-life example of the dark-side of excess (shall we say) – Facebooking!

According to the movie summary, filmmakers Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost document a story involving Ariel's brother, Nev, a 24-year-old New York-based photographer, and Abby, from rural Michigan who contacts Nev via Facebook, asking for permission to make a painting from one of his photographs. Then starts the online romance between Megan (Abby's older sister) and Nev, which leads to shocking revelation finally.

I don't want to discuss much about this film, as it would become a major spoiler otherwise. I have no idea how true this documentary is, but it does give a good feeler into the power of social networking and the influence it is having on people's lives in modern times. The ending also indicates why the documentary is called as "Catfish", and it is quite an interesting one.

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Its been a long time since I have seen a movie that felt so real or genuine. The film moves at a rather slow pace (so not meant for action junkies), but is a very good and deep character study. Most of the scenes in the film felt really believable; even the one in which the lead character takes an 'Ecstasy' pill, given to him by his friends in a disco, and then starts to dance wildly & peculiarly on his own, without a care in the world.

The story revolves around a young ex-con Jack, newly released from serving a prison sentence for a murder he committed as a child. It portrays the guilt and remorse that he feels for his age old crime very well, and how he is trying to adjust to normal life again (things that he has never experienced). The film also raises a good question around the topic of whether a heinous crime is ever forgivable. The lead character in the movie, Andrew Garfield has done a brilliant job and I am wondering why he never won an Oscar for this role. The other actors too have done a rather good job, particularly his mentor, Peter Mullan.

This is one of those good flicks that somehow missed the limelight. Worth a catch on a lazy afternoon.

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I gotta confess that the idea of starting this blog came across to me while watching this flick or piece of hogwash, as I would call it. I felt that there was a need for some medium to distinguish between flicks that claim to be masterpieces (but are actually artsy-farsty trash), and the genuine works of art. Of course we also need to put in some fun (hic) element into the movies as well; hence the name of the blog .

Anyways moving on to the movie (Mr. Nobobody); it came across initially as genuine art-house fare (because of its stunning visual elements), but later rambled on to be a boring waste of time, and almost totally incomprehensible to the human mind. This was actually one of the movies that I stopped watching mid-way, even though I had some time to waste that evening. Now don't blame me if the second half of the movie turned out to dramatically good, or somehow explained all the loss of brain cells that I endured while watching the movie during the first half.

Now don't take me to be a person who hates movies that need you to exercise your intellect. I have enjoyed my share of intellectual or film noir kind of movies (like Mulholland Drive, Memento, Vanilla Sky etc.). However, there is a big line between those movies that are the genuine stuff and those that are the pretentious types, and Mr. Nobody appears to be qualifying in the latter segment.

In a nutshell, avoid this one, unless you are the artsy-fartsy type who likes pretentious fare.

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I had a feeling from the first scene of this movie, that this would be a good one, and it actually turned out to be a delectable watch. The director and the lead character of this movie is Zach Braff, better known as the lead character from the hit sitcom "Scrubs". He is presently about 35 years of age, so that would make him about 28 or 29 years old when this film was made. That's very impressive, considering that the movie seems to have been directed by a much more mature and seasoned professional.

The female lead character in this movie is Natalie Portman, who has done some amazing acting and appears to be the sweetest (cutest) ideal girlfriend, which any guy would dream to have. The soundtrack of the movie is enchanting and also won a Grammy award for the Best Compilation Soundtrack for a Motion Picture. I particularly like the tracks, "Let Go" by Frou Frou, "Lebanese Blonde" by Thievery Corporation and "New Slang" by The Shins.

In a nutshell this movie put me in a great mood after watching it. The actors are are very natural in the movie, which makes them very relatable to. A must watch!

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After seeing quite a few doozies this year, I went for this movie with low expectations. However, it turned out to be quite enjoyable, fast – paced, and kept me glued for most of the run time. Of course this flick did have its fair share of popcorn elements , and cheesy scenes, but all-in-all this one turned out to be quite an entertaining watch. Angelina Jolie delivered a fine enough performance, but I can't help but observe that she seems to be getting thinner by the day (and thus unattractive as well). Anyways, from the ending of the movie it looks like Salt will have a part 2 soon, and I hope that the sequel should also be as good….. and hopefully Ms. Jolie would have put on some weight by then :)

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I watched this movie a long time back, when I was still in school. At that time I used to hate anything romantic, and would avoid it like the plague. So when my elder cousin bro and his wife booked tickets for this movie, I was thoroughly disappointed. To make things even worse, they had booked the late night show, where all the couples usually turn up. Now you know how much I would have wanted to hate this flick :p. However, as luck would have it, I actually ended up liking the movie quite a bit. In fact I remember feeling a bit guilty admitting that I actually enjoyed the movie.

Twelve or maybe thirteen years down the line, I caught the movie once again a few days back, and I still enjoy this one as much as before. This is not your standard romantic comedies types. It is quite surreal, relatable and oh so cute! Perfect movie to watch or snuggle to, with that special someone. Either that, or I have managed to read the fairer sex very wrongly . Anyways let me know if you think otherwise :)

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I went with high expectations for this movie, knowing that this was directed by Christopher Nolan (of Memento and Dark Knight fame), and on seeing the 9 plus (out of 10) rating that the movie got on IMDb website. 'Memento' was also a intellectual movie that required the viewer's 100% attention and maybe difficult for some to digest on their first sitting. However, the ending of Memento, and the way all the dots connected were worth the enduring sit. In case of 'Inception', I felt clearly otherwise. Not only during half time did my head started hurting, but I also started to get irritated by the end of it and didn't give a damn on the final revelation (which frankly was quite limp).

I remember coming out of the movie hall with my friends, feeling like I had just given a 3 hour exam, and demanded a smoke from one of my friends to drowse the headache that I developed during the 2.5 hours sit. However, I gotta admit that the visuals and the background score were quite impressive, and so was the basic premise of the story (although it could have been developed much more). That is the only reason I would give this flick a "Wine" rating (3 out of 5 score), otherwise it merited an even lower rating.

In a nutshell, watch only if you are a big Christopher Nolan fan and if you are willing to kill some brain cells. Otherwise pass this one.

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I missed this movie when it was released in the theaters many years back, but managed to catch it on DVD a few years ago. This movie should only be seen by people who have actually worked in an office environment, as they will be the ones who will connect with it the most. The added bonus will be for those who work in the IT field .

The movie is blatantly truthful and helps to explain the dynamics of an office environment well. In fact I had used this an example during a case study (during my MBA days), to explain the key highlights of a dysfunctional work environment. Without spoiling the movie, one of the dysfunctional things is that the main character in the movie reports to 5 bosses (or managers). Thus, he feels that if he does anything wrong, his mistake gets pointed out 5 times. Besides that there is an amazing printer bashing scene in the movie, which i think many of us will be able to connect to again.

In a nutshell, this one is a hilarious catch, especially for the working class who think that their job is mundane. Watch this one with your friends from work, and I guarantee that you will have a heck of a time.

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I happened to watch this film a while back, since it was nominated for the 2007 academy awards. It is a true life story based on the life of Christopher Mc Candless, a college graduate from the prestigious Emory University, who left his materialist and conventional life to foray into the wild in remote Alaska. The director of this movie is Sean Pean, who I admire as an actor, but he could not impress as much while directing his previous film viz. The Pledge. However, this movie clearly turned out to be a jewel in his crown.

The cinematography and visuals of the film is stunning and breath- taking, capturing the beauty of the wilderness in Alaska and a nomadic life. When I first read about this film, I thought it might be a waste of time. After all it was based on the life of some guy, who wandered off into the wilderness, and finally died due to starvation. But as I saw more of the film, I connected with the character, and started to digest the story he was trying to tell. The music is also enchanting and provided by Eddie Vedder (of the band Pearl Jam).

All in all, a must watch, especially if you are feeling tied down in life or going through a rough patch. You will come out refreshed and with a whole new perspective on life.

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I am a big fan of the director of this movie, David Fincher. I have seen his earlier flicks viz. Seven and The Game, and was awed by the gritty & surreal but yet classy direction style of Fincher. This flick too came across as a hard – hitting, in-your-face kind of movie, with an ending that will blow your mind. I especially liked the fighting scenes, accompanied by its thumping music, that immediately put you into the mood to take a blow at someone . So I guess this movie won't be the ideal one to watch (or snuggle to) with your girl friend. Rather watch it with your buddies and have a wild time.

This flick is ideally suited for those who want to de-stress from their busy work lives. Its in your face and gritty, so not suited for the pretentious types. So watch it and get all CHARGED UP …… Wooo – Hoooo!

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'Four Lions' is a spoof flick on four so-called jihadis, who plan to carry out a suicide bombing mission. The suicide mission is still not decided, and they think of various (hilarious) alternatives to put them themselves to lets say – good use. I have seen a lot of films centered around the theme of terrorism and jihad, but this film is the first one that puts a comedy twist to that theme.

The movie is laugh-out-loud funny in the good parts, and handles the rather sensitive topic quite well. After all its a comedy film. But I am sure the movie will raise some ire from some factions of the Muslim community. However, since its a British film, I personally felt that the accent is a tad bit difficult to follow sometimes. It would be better to see this movie with subtitles (if you can find them). In a nutshell, the movie is definitely worth a watch. Gives a 'lighter' perspective of this ever growing issue, and also shows the futileness of it. To get a better idea about the movie, you can watch the trailer on Youtube given below.

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After seeing the "Twilight" series of films I guess any movie will look Oscar-worthy. After the first Twilight film (which was not all that bad), the second one was a torture by any standard, and I actually could not muster the courage to see the third installment. However, this Swedish vampire flick was a very pleasant surprise to this genre of films, and also had a unique twist to it.

Without giving away too much away, this movie captures the romance between a young boy and a young girl (who is actually a vampire) quite well. The relationship between this so – called young couple is captured in quite a unique, and at the same time – a tasteful manner. The cinematography and visuals are very good, although the film may seem to be a bit slow at times.

In a nutshell, this one is definitely worth a watch (if you don't mind watching movies with subtitles). Have a look and save yourself from one more "Twilight" series debacle. You have been warned … hahahaha .

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It's been a while since I have seen a good comedy flick. "The Other Guys" turned out to be a good surprise and quite a hilarious watch, after a string of crappy comedy flicks that I have seen this year. The chemistry between Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg was also good and unique at the same time. There have been a quite a few "cop-duo" comedy films in recent years like 'Rush Hour' and 'Starsky & Hutch', and this movie is another good one to add to the lot, if you enjoyed the previous two mentioned flicks.

Go see it, and have fun.

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This documentary film won the Oscar in the 2010 Academy Awards for the best documentary feature. It is made extremely well, and gets your attention from the very first frame. Moreover, it is also quite a moving film and definitely arouses the viewers attention about the subject matter of the film (which is about dolphin fishing in Japan). And not that I am some great fish-lover or something, but this did also have an impact on me.

The documentary is shot in true journalistic style, and the background score is apt and very engaging as well. The film-maker built in a personal touch to the story, which will allow the viewer to relate to the movie, even if he/she has never interacted with dolphins before. The narrative is also quite good and the research done for the movie seems to be very detailed and exhaustive.

If you are moved by the film and want to do something you can visit their website here. http://www.takepart.com/thecove

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I have been eagerly awaiting the release of this film, and it actually turned out to be quite a good and engaging watch. First off, this movie hardly has any action or special affects. Its more of a deep character study. So if you are more of the action loving or special affects seeking guy / gal then this may not interest you as much. Even without that, the story kept me quite engaged throughout the length of the film. The director of the film, viz. David Fincher is one of my fav directors, and it looks like in this movie he chose to concentrate more on the story rather than showing off his cinematic and camera skills.

Anyways, the story revolves around Facebook and its origins, and focuses on its now billionaire founder Mark Zuckerberg (who is also the youngest billionaire in the world). As expected by me, the origin of facebook and its concept was motivated by 'women'. Here is a guy (the founder) who found it difficult to get invited to "cool" parties in college and also found it hard to get girls and keep a relationship. And he managed to create a portal and attract guys (who could easily get girls otherwise) to get to sign up on. That in my mind is plain — brilliant! He first made facebook exclusive to only those students who had a 'harvard.edu' email id, under the notion that girls think high of guys from Harvard. Then he slowly made the service available in other prestigious colleges …. and finally to the world.

Also, at the time facebook originated, there were similar services already available like MySpace and Friendster. Then why was it that Facebook did so ridiculously better. I don't want to give away too much, but after seeing the movie you will realize that they built the service by giving detailed thought to basic human behaviour and action. And yeah … a small thing like "Relationship Status" on facebook was one of those seemingly petty but at the same time crucial things.

Btw, the ending of the film is a classic example of the power & gritty addiction of facebook (which most people will not admit).