Sunday, 21 September 2014

Movie Review: The Giver 2014 *Knowing Can Change Everything*

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Intriguing title… I just wondered what this would be about. (I get that curious most times). So I decided to check this movie out. The trailer I had seen before going to watch this movie was quite….should I say boring or not promising. Either which way i was still willing to spend 97mins of my time to see this Sci-Fi Drama with an intriguing title…… Here are views on it.

The Giver…plays out a story based on a book by Lois Lowry, about a perfect world were everyone is happy without war, pain, suffering, differences or choice. A young boy is chosen to learn from an elderly man (who happens to be the community’s holder of memories) about the true pain and pleasure of the "real" world that includes sadness, war and all the unhappy truths of human nature. Confronted by this new reality this boy is introduced to, he faces difficult choices about his own life and the future of the entire community.

I know you are bored already…..Yes, I agree the whole story sounds boring and almost clearly something most people wouldn't be interested in. Unless you are a Movie freak like me. 

This title starred Jeff Bridges, Meryl Steep, Alexandar Skarsgård, Katie Holmes and Brenton Thwaites(Oculus & Maleficent).Not the usual widely known cast or fan favorites that most people look out for when they go see a movie. But they did deliver and I can’t think of anything bad about the way they embodied the characters they played. Oh…how could I forget the small cameo role from one of my sweethearts Taylor Swift. 


For something that was based on a book I feel it was too cliché making a movie like this… especially at this time when there are already a few Science Fiction franchises building ground. Yes… from the start of the movie all I could think about was The Hunger games and Divergent. The first few scenes with the narrative from the lead role Jonas (Brenton Thwaites) had so much of feel of those two movies I mentioned. It exuded another futuristic perspective very quiet similar to those two movies. Then I was beginning to wish I wasn't going to watch this movie…. but then I had already started and I just had to see my self through…. hoping for something unexpected to make The whole experience worthwhile.


I noticed that the movie started in black and white… confusing. A future in black and white? I thought it was a technical error or something of that sort…. But later on as I followed the story I got to understand the reason for this “Futuristic” story starting in black and white. Yes, the use of black and white with color later on did add a layer of depth to this story. In my books that was well played. But sadly enough those who might not be paying attention to the movie as it unfolds might not get this. The main story line of the movie or should I say the book itself is not something easy to figure out. (Paying attention makes everything simple). It wouldn't be a good Scifi if it was plain and easy to understand. 

Yes… I said GOOD. To my own surprise I ended up enjoying this movie more than I anticipated I would after the first few minutes in. Think about all the human emotions and imagine life without them. You would only understand me better after you have watched this movie. That is why I would rate it an average 5/10 which I think is fair. 



I didn't like the romance that was fused with the story though… not that I have so much disdain for love stories… but this one seemed too awkward for me. As much as I agree it also added some depth to the story I just didn't like it. Evidently this movie can’t be compared to The Hunger games and Divergent and can’t even stand toe to toe with them… but it did pack a little smidge of action to climax it which I feel was a thumbs up considering how otherwise boring my 97mins would have been without it. Everyone likes a bit of action. I In this case too much of it would have been unnecessary. I would love to read the book this movie was based on someday though.

I would certainly recommend this movie for anyone who wants to kill sometime provided that they are willing and ready to pay attention (Otherwise what’s the need) as the story unfolds. 

If you don’t like to pay attention this one is most definitely not for you.

You would love this movie….. Regardless of how boring it might seem. Take my word for it. 

Besides … I feel this title gives off a very thought provoking message…. 


We need the bad to be able to enjoy the good. 


You should go see this movie…. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.



[Click Here to Watch Trailer]


Wednesday, 10 September 2014

Movie Review: Lucy 2014 *Power of The Brain*

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Ok so I finally got the chance to go watch Lucy. I know my review is late anyways but I am still going to share my thoughts on it.

I had seen a couple of pre –release date trailers and behind the scenes and nothing wowed me enough to make me so interested and eager in seeing this title. Well… I was curious about how this story would be told but I wasn't really interested. I had no expectations going to watch this movie.

Lucy tells the story of a woman, accidentally caught in a dark deal that turns the tables on her captors and transforms into a merciless warrior evolved beyond human logic. 

One of my girlfriends (I wish) Scarllet Johansson plays Lucy. It also stars Morgan Freeman and a host of Asian and French cast.

I must say I was impressed with the story line of this movie….what I would describe as lovely cocktail of Sci-Fiction and thrill garnished with some Action. 

The story reminded me of one the hits of 2011, Limitless which starred Bradley Cooper. Just like Lucy they both talk about how a mysterious drug/pill that unlocks the full potential of the human brain. Apparently, us humans are only able to utilize up to 10% of the capabilities of our brains and anything beyond that is super human. (According to science… me I don’t know). Might sound silly to most people but it is quite informative… A movie that is informative is enough to keep me seated from start to finish. In this case… for 89mins. Another short movie by my standards… 89mins… is that all? Come on!!!

Either which way I would say the movie was OK. My girlfriend (Scarllet Johansson) played a role quite different yet a bit similar to her most famous role of Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff from the Avengers… and she best suited the character. No other person comes to mind that could have done a much better job. (Innocent yet lethal). 

It wasn't much of a big budget movie (40,000,000 USD) but it did deliver in terms of location setting and visual effects. Nothing too fancy/outrageous or minimal/mediocre….just right in between. We have seen movies that worked on a much bigger budget but still flopped as a result of outrageous visual effects. 

I just didn't like that I had seen a movie with a similar story and the repetition to me was almost a huge turn off. The biggest down side for this movie was the huge absence of action sequences. Well there were a few but…. they were not enough for me. I was expecting to see more gun fights and Scarllet kicking some ass. I didn't see enough of these to impress me on that side. That explains why it was that short. The ending too… (some way bi)… just left me asking “What happens next?”. I don’t think there would be a sequel to this movie (I would be surprised if there is)….But I feel the climax was a bit too more like….”figure it out for yourself” kind of. 

That is why I would rate this movie 5/10. Obviously, because I might have learnt a thing or two from it. Its’s certainly not one of those Sci-Fi movies that is more lies than facts.

If you haven’t seen Lucy yet ……You should… Good movie to de-stress with and certainly worth 89mins of your time. It still showing in cinemas.


Lucy: We've codified our existence to bring it down to human size, to make it comprehensible, we've created a scale so we can forget its unfathomable scale.




[Click Here To Watch Trailer]









Saturday, 6 September 2014

Top Five: Favorite Horror Movies of All Time

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New job so I am still trying to adjust to my new schedule…. (Yh right)… But another blog post is finally here, Enjoy.


Horror…. This is one of the many genres for classifying movies. I had always wondered what qualifies a movie to fall under this genre and I have always guessed… “If it scares you enough, then it’s Horror”. 

These movies most often play around our hidden fears, nightmares, fear of the unknown or the unexpected to give you a thrill. Movie writers most often just infuse the idea of an evil force or supernatural entity, event, personality or situations into other wise everyday scenarios to achieve this.

I have seen many titles under this genre….the kinds that just leave you scared and afraid to sleep with your lights turned off, the kinds that just mess with your head and confuses you, those that make you know you are not supposed to trust anyone no matter the circumstances (my favorite) and the strange kinds that leave you asking “Can this really happen?”. 

Ok so in no particular order (Well except release years)…. these are my TOP Five Horror Movies of all time. 



1. Child’s Play [1988] 87mins


A serial killer on the escape from cops takes his soul and buries it into playful, seemingly good guy doll, Chucky. A single mother gives her son a beloved doll for his birthday, only to discover that it is possessed only after it has committed numerous murders. Once the adults accept boy’s story as truth, it's too late.






I remember first watching this when I was quiet little on VHS … but I never forgot it…. It scared some sense into me. There are several equally good sequels (five) to this (the writers did build quite a franchise) and I have seen them all but the first one can’t seem to get out of my head. If you like dolls … you should see this movie. (You might just change your mind about them). I really want to watch this one again.

My name is Chucky, Do you wanna play?






2. Final Destination [2000] 98mins


A group of students board a plane to France on a school trip, when suddenly one of them gets a premonition that the plane will explode. They are thrown off the plane before it takes off, to their horror, the plane does in fact explode. Death now hunts them, as each of the surviving students fall victim and dies in some strange circumstances one by one. 





Honestly, I don’t know how this movie manages to scare this much…. Maybe it is the fear of death by unknown circumstances. All the other four installments that follow this one are indeed intriguing. It sure does mess with your mind a bit if you let. You might have seen one or two of the Final Destination movies but to get a better thrill of the whole series you have to see this one as well as all the others you might have not seen.







3. Jeepers Creepers [2001] 90mins


A brother and sister driving home witness a mysterious person dumping something down a tunnel. Deciding to discover what was dumped down there; they discover a huge disturbing hideout full of modified bodies and set off to get help, unaware that the individual is now aware of who has been down the tunnel. They soon realize that their pursuer is not just a mysterious person, but something even more horrifying, who has more in store than they could possibly imagine.




I really loved this movie even though it did its job of scaring me (the idea of horror flick). The creature’s looks are definitely impressive. There was a follow up sequel to this one that I liked also… and that soundtrack Jeepers Creepers would definitely give you the chills each time you hear it after watching this movie.







4. Saw [2004] 103mins


Two men wake up to find out that they are chained to pipes set facing each other in a dirty bathroom in the secure lair of a serial killer who's been nicknamed "Jigsaw". The men must follow various rules and objectives if they wish to survive and win the deadly game set for them.







This movie has seven installments and there are already rumors about an eighth. The first saw was definitely a flick you can’t forget, unfortunately, for me, follow up sequels seemed to have diluted the adrenaline that the first two or three packed. But either which way…..once you get to understand the whole idea of the movie you are sure going to love it. It packs some gory scenes so be prepared for it… that is if you haven’t seen this one or any of the others in the series. There are so many twists to the story so doesn't just scare you but keeps you interested as well.








5. The Hills Have Eyes [2006] 107min


A family travelling through the great American southwest but their trip takes a detour into an area originally used by the U.S. Government for nuclear testing that was intended to be empty...or so they thought? They are stranded and the family soon realize that what seemed like a car casually breaking down, might actually be a trap. This trap might be perpetrated by the inhabitants of the site who aren't pulling a prank, but are out to set up a gruesome massacre.



 This is one of those “Run for your life and try to Survive” kind of horror flick. It is actually the remake of 1977’s The Hills Have Eyes which I haven’t seen. Would love to though….considering how much I enjoyed the scare and thrill of this one. There is also a follow up sequel to this that I enjoyed as much. It’s the disturbing type of gruesome killings but definitely provides some adrenaline rush….well it did that for me. If you don’t have the stomach for bloody scenes this isn't for you.










Ok so... there you are…. My Top five Horror Movies of all time. 

They might not do it for you as much as they did for me but these are certainly some good horror titles that I have enjoyed and would recommend for any one who loves the genre but hasn't yet seen these. Other equally good movies that narrowly made it to my Top Five include, Drag me To Hell, Mama, The Conjuring, The Last Exorcism, Orphan, Insidious, Chernobyl Diaries and Hostel. 





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