Confessions (告白)

Of all the abstract Japanese films that I have seen to date. This is by far the most alluring one.

Most part of the show is shot in monochrome colours with slow frames aplenty which gives its dark story an even darker tint.

Good Japanese cult films are notorious for their violent nature and warped innuendos.

But non has been quite as beautifully shot as this one. The camera angles, the monochronic colours, the cinematography and the soundtracks makes you feel as though you are watching a well paced 107 minutes long commercial about exacting revenge with an unlikely composure and more.

The best thing about this film is that the story actually makes sense and ties up in the end.

I have always associated the multi-talented Matsu Takako with cheerful words but her acting prowess in this film totally convinced me otherwise...

Brace yourself for a ride on the wild side from this calm psychotic thriller bursting with juvenile adolesence.

The Next Three Days

The story revolves around how far a Loving husband was willing to go in order to keep his family together as he was pushed to break his wife out of jail for a crime he believes she did not commit without any questions nor doubt.

The movie starts off slow and stays that way throughout for most part of the film. It take its time to built the case about how the wife was incarcerated and the pains the husband went through to proof her innocence legally. Driven to desperation and off the edge, he starts thinking outside the box and devises a clever plot for her rescue.

The pace between the last 30 minutes and the rest of the movie is very contrastic. Once set in motion, the film steamrolls until the end keeping audiences clinging on to their seats.

Even with the excellent acting of Russell Crowe. The film felt slightly sluggish but he definitely made all the difference to the story telling.

We sometimes sit through a crappy movie waiting for either the climax or some kind of saving grace. Even if there really are such moments, they rarely occur timely enough to save the show as a whole. However, thanks to the final leg of this movie which is reason enough to have made the audiences sat through the film without the feeling of being short changed.

Unstoppable

Of all the action movies in the Scott brothers' portfolio. This may well be the shortest one. However, despite of its length (or lack of it), the intensity did not suffer one bit.

The fact that this story of heroism was inspired by true events makes it all the more exciting to watch although most of the time we tend to blindside the fact that there may be some degree of exaggeration involved too.

The pace of the story-telling is very much like subject of the movie. Slightly slow moving at first but gets to full steam very promptly. At times, one may find themselves holding their breaths in the course of the film as the excitement cuts really close.

This film draws fantastic references between experience against theory. Practicality over untested countermeasures. The grunts working the bolts and nuts versus management.

Even when Denzel Washington spends most of his screen time in the driver's seat. His presence reliterates the obvious reasons why he has been starring consecutively in Tony Scott's last few films.

It has always been a treat for movie-goers to catch a Scott Free production film mainly because they have all lived up to their expectations and more. This one is no different at all.

Flowers (フラワーズ)

A series of short stories from a family of ladies spanning three generations beautifully woven together depicting the different lives they lead during those changing times. The focus of this piece mainly potrays the different qualities in each of them overcoming Life's many trials.

The squential story-telling takes audiences back and forth into time linking the three generations. The pace, like all Japanese films, is on the slow side but somehow all the stories are cleverly tied to the different seasons depicting the various emotions of the human heart.

Japanese films are known for being able to bring alot of Heart and subjective Humour (sometimes Horror too) to its audiences which can either be very good, very flat or very exagerrated. This film, however, manages to strike a very good balance between the two through the stellar casting and the time devoted to each of their stories.

This movie, in some ways, also celebrates the change in the status of women and how differently a male-predominant society sees them as compared to the roles they use to play.

RED

A screwball spy action comedy adapted from a mini-series comic book where a motley ensemble of retired CIA operatives was hunted down for their involvement in a major cover up during the top of their time with the clandestine agency. They soon find themselves working closely together again to uncover the plot of their assassinations.

This movie is not exactly like most espionage films where the audiences have to work their minds throughout the film. In fact, the story line is pretty linear but it sure as hell is a blast to watch.

Never would I imagine that we will get to see a concerto of Hollywood veterans working together in a film let alone something this hysterical. One would be more than safe to assume that nothing could possibly go wrong seeing how more than two generations of on-screen experiences are all at the same place.

Special attention goes out to one of my favourite actors of all time, John Malkovich who plays the paranoid conspiracy theorist who made the film so much more enjoyable to watch.

And Helen 'Elizabeth' Mirren, who have been acting long before many of us even started watching movies (or spell our own names) certainly made this movie classier although one would have never imagined actually seeing her get involved in a fire-fight meticulously emptying clip after clip nor unleashing the full onslaught of a 50 calibre M2 machine gun with such composure.

This movie, like most action films, is probably not going to win any awards but I am pretty sure the actors themselves could not care less even if it does. They probably did this film for the sheer fun of it which, in doing so, prove a simple point: Actors come and go. Real stars just keep on shining. So 'old man my ass' indeed.

Jackass 3D

Love them or hate them. The boys are BACK (and in 3D too)! True to their crazy and somewhat innovative culture in everyway since they were first featured as a segment on MTV back in 2000.

Ever since a friend made the introduction some many years back. I have been a vivid follower of the Jackass franchise , simply because they are ridiculously entertaining and well, a bunch of jackasses. But if you think it is easy being one of these guys.

You cannot be more wrong.

You need unbreakable nerves and balls of steel (literally) to even contemplate attempting the stunts they perform.

In fact, they are the ballsiest entertainers I know as all the stunts or pranks they perform are freshly engineered and almost always involves voluntarily inflicting either pain or invoking a sense of disgust amongst themselves.

I would not have the mettle for even a quarter of that which they do and they seem to enjoy doing it just for the fun of it.

The 3D effects in this film is actually quite good and must have hit everyone as a big surprise. Also to have the film introduced by two of my favourite animated dumbasses also from MTV was definitely a plus.

Those with weak stomaches and a strong sense of normality should stay as far away from this movie as possible. You will definitely NOT stomach some of the revolting and crude stunts in this one. Even I felt some of the performances in this installment was downright repulsive, but only in a funny kind of way...

Due Date

Movies on the subject of cross country road trips due to the most unlikely circumstances is nothing new to us but this is by far one of the most hilarious mis-matched duo that did it.

A suave, well-heeled, no-nonsense architect and a good-hearted, gay looking, nothing-BUT-nonsense Hollywood actor-wanna-be making their way to Los Angeles for different reasons takes you on this hysterical roller coaster journey of Love and Hate. Nearly everything that could go wrong did went wrong... At least for just one of them.

Veteran actor Robert Downey Jr. who re-made himself as the Man in the Iron suit needs no further introduction.

Zach Galifianakis who seems to be always starring in minor parts previously caught his big break in this film where he lives up to his expectations as a full-on comedian.

If you are into comedies (I cannot imagine who does not) then you are definitely in for a treat as this film re-defines the funny things that makes us roar with laughter.

The Social Network

One powerful website, which has redefined privacy in this time and age has never failed to consistently sap our (not-so) precious time be it at work or at Home. It has gone beyond the point where blocking this specific website in fear of lowered productivity has become a standard IT protocol in the corporate world.

The Social Network would strike one as more of a documentary film made titilating for the silver screens than just any other ordinary geek flick.

Whatever it is or claims to be, the touch of David Fincher at the helm definitely made all the difference from the mandane storytelling of two teenagers to re-visiting the history of two sincere friends.

Jessie Eisenberg, most remembered for his many survival rules when dealing with zombies, plays the serious 'CEO' whom ceaselessly exudes that strong sense of geekly brilliance in the form of sharp wit and intelligent retorts throughout the 120 minutes.

Recognising and complimenting the founder's brilliance is Andrew Garfield who plays his best friend, soul mate and CFO.

Perhaps, some of us did actually wondered how the whole 'I'm CEO Bitch' story came to be. Or maybe, nobody really bothered asking as we are all sucked into the infinite wormhole of status updates and checking out what is new in our friends' lives to actually care about who made it possible for us to do all these things in the first place.

The Town

The movie industry in the recent years has seen little or very few full fledged robbery movies. And of those which have been made in the last 10 or so years. Few has been nearly as impactful as the hallmark of robbery movies which involves a pack of surfers robbing banks in ex-presidents masks.

The Town is exactly one such movie matching, if not better than, those high standards. It is an exceptional gem that looks slightly unpolished at first glance but the fact that it balances tense action scenes, cool emotions and crackling wit with a slight pinch of dark humour so very well that audiences are kept on the edge of their seats at every turn not exactly knowing how the game of cat and mouse will eventually play out.

Ben Affleck has definitely placed himself on the A-list of action movies being the brains in the movie and behind it. He gives a most convincing performance proving that gentlemanly behaviour is not only a choice, but also a state of mind regardless of one's chosen profession.

Jeremy Renner once again plays the high octane, violent character and all in spades too. But only this time, he does so on the other side of the law.

Rebecca Hall, the victim, ironically clueless of it all gravitates with her sense of goodness and that which is normal admist the chaos.

Seeing this movie is very much like catching a shooting star. Always hoping to see one as such and wishing that there are more like it after...