Unbroken

We have seen our fair share of WW II war movies, but Prisoner-Of-War movies are very far and very few between them.. 

This is an incredible true story of how a rebellious boy became an Olympian athlete who joined WW II as a bomber crew and survived a plane wreck out in the pacific ocean only to be picked up by the enemy and finally, ended up as a POW. 

This film is about true resilience. Resilience of the body, of the mind. The resilience of the human spirit never to give up even when all is lost and the odds are turned against you.

I only found out writing this that the film was directed by Angelina Jolie and as her second film as director, she absolutely aced it.
This film is beautifully shot and its execution was simply perfect.
It is so her to use literally unknown actors to deliver her story-telling because this movie definitely made them shine especially the English lead Jack O'Connell who started as a fit and muscular athlete to a skinny and empty POW.

I was lucky to have caught it on the big screen just as it was coming off because "Unbroken" belongs up there with POW classics like "Bridge on the River Kwai" and "Empire of the Sun" although I am a little disappointed it did not make the nomination for Best Picture Award.

Louis "Louie" Zamperini

1917 ~ 2014

Whiplash

This movie did not interest me at all initially but after chancing upon the trailer on YouTube, I made it a point to catch it and boy, am I glad I did!

Films we know little or nothing of sometimes turns out to be much better than we think. 
This film totally aced that category of films for me.

The story is linear and a little boring to be honest. It talks about a drum student who would do anything to make a name for himself and in order to do that he auditioned for the best conductor in his school.

Getting in was the easy part...

The film wasted no time and started to shine right after the first lesson where it was no longer about music.
Its tackles the believe that the path to greatness lies in constantly pushing one's limits by any means necessary and how much such extreme methods change a person on the receiving end.
At one point, it felt like watching Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket all over again!
The film ended on a totally unexpected high note which is the absolute climax of the show.

This movie definitely put Miles Teller on the map if he was not as noticeable before. It is also quite rare that actors plays the subject instrument so well.
Perhaps that was the basis why he got picked for the role in the first place.

J.K. Simmons is an on-screen veteran most remembered for his role in the Spiderman franchise and Juno (and a million other shows actually).
His role in this film got him a Best Supporting nomination. 'Nuff said.

If the foul-mouthed drill instructor from Full Metal Jacket, R.Lee Ermey had an evil twin, it has got to be J.K. Simmons...

Gone Girl (on Blu-Ray)

My Wife is not a movie person but when she says she wish to see one, I hold indefinitely for her. That is the rule.
Still we missed it on the big screen and had to turn to the next best thing...

Every now and then, a seemingly unknown film jumps out and surprise us. We hope and pray for such experiences every time we buy a ticket but very few are able to match that kinda of expectations. With David Finch at the helm, this one did more than that.

I am really on thin ice here trying to relay the calibre of the story without betraying its plot. I have to try...

The film starts out slow, building the characters and their relationship with one another.
However, no time is wasted after that is established and one thing soon turns into something absolutely sinister as the plot unfolds and more details of the case come to light.
Halfway into the story, we are already hooked and cannot wait to get to the bottom of this can of worms.
Just when you do not think the story could not possibly get any better (or worse). The film drops you yet again.
Ben Affleck is well, Ben Affleck. But his counter-part Rosamund Pike is such an unforgettable face who has been starring in very forgettable roles... 
Not anymore.  

This film questions how much we truly know our spouse and when pushed, the unimaginable things they are capable of.

My Wife is not a movie person but she is a scary pick on films...

American Sniper

Titles like these grip me and fluff me full of expectations. 

Even though this film was directed by one of my heroes who casted a very versatile actor who has deservingly been nominated consecutively for the last three years.

I held back still... Just a little...

This one is not nearly as good or as intense as Black Hawk Down or Lone Survivor, all of which are based on true stories by the way. 

It is MORE intense as it also involves a sad, lonely and screaming wife and two crying babies (the second one is a doll).

Even so, I cannot remember watching a better made war movie that dissected a Warrior's psyche on and off the field of his craft.

The difference about this portrayal when he was back Home other than dealing with the battle-stress, was not about how he dealt with the lives of the enemy he took during his tour but rather the American lives he should be still saving if he was still over there.

It is very inspirational.

The at Home scenes are short and very concise. Expect lots of fire-fights and body-counts but the attempt to hunt down a very elusive and apt enemy sniper, was the cherry on top of this cake.

Although I stay as far away from reviews and critics as I can, word has it there are much controversial surrounding this movie base on his book...

I do not know if what he did was right or wrong but this quote from another movie (I forgot which one) pretty much sums it up:"Anyone can be pick up a gun and be a soldier but it takes a real Warrior to do the things they do..."

American Sniper is definitely my pick for Best Picture and could we please give Bradley Cooper an Oscar already (sorry Benedict Cumberbatch...)!

The Imitation Game

Movies that receive Oscar nominations (8 actually...) may not always win them all but I am quite sure this one will at least bag the Best Actor Award for Benedict Cumberbatch's (last heard as the voice of Smaug) amazing portrayal of the mathematical genuis, Alan Turing.

This is the movie I thought Beautiful Mind was going to be which involves a mathematical genuis breaking a set of unbreakable German codes thereby winning the War. Turns out that mathematician genius was crazy...

This movie, based on a true story is very well-paced and brings you back and forth in time purposefully dissecting the circumstances of Alan Turing's awkward Life.
It also tactfully dealt with the fact that he was homosexual but only by mention and retained the dignity of his character by his accomplishments rather than his sexuality.

It gets a little slow at the end but the 114 mins did not feel at all lengthy which in my experience is a big plus.

Although I have never been a fan of Keira Knightly but that really has nothing to do with her excellent acting skills which surprises me time and time again.

Fourth time Norwegian director Morten Tyldum (1st Hollywood Production) nails it with this one proving that even geniuses needs Friends...

Let Me In

Having caught its Swedish predecessor but not exactly remembering the finer details almost made watching this Hollywood version feels like a new experience.

However, the lack of pace and slow moving story-telling shadows the beauty and dreaminess of the story.

While sitting through the film I was reminded of the original version and it seems that the Hollywood version is an exact xerox copy of it.

The only plus about this version are perhaps the performances of the two child leads. How the nocturnally Evil are being seen through the eyes of innocence and naivety. The potrayal of loneliness for someone trapped in the body of a 12 year-old but has lived through many ages.

And most distinctly, the timelessness of Love...

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...

Nobody to Watch Over Me (誰も守ってくれない)

Even for someone like me, who is used to the eccentricity of Japanese movies. I still find this film quite painful to sit through.

The movie kicks off to a pretty exciting start portraying extremities of media pressure at its ugliest surrounding the family of a juvenile murderer case which in turn cause a chain of events but very soon flatlines after the first quarter.

Efforts of resusitation later in the movie was felt but insufficient to keep me awake.

The name of this film should seriously be changed to "Nobody Should Watch Me" instead...

Duplicity

This movie may be just about the only corporate espionage movie as far back as I could remember which reveals the cloak and daggers behind major multi-national-brands and how far they might have gone in order to outdo one another.

Not only does the film display much wit, humour, charm and romance. It has all those elements in spades. Being surprisingly easy to understand despite the fact that the time-line in the story skips back and forth would be a huge plus.
Although the subject matter may not have been meant to be all that serious. One cannot ignore the fact that it is indeed a very clever movie with an intelligently charming script to match.

If there be an Elizabeth Taylor or Audrey Hepburn of our generation. That title will undoubtedly go to Julia Roberts. The kind of class that she carries with her on-screen is truly unmatched.

It is funny how Clive Owen whom, with his oozing English charms caught his big break as a lead starring next to Julia Roberts a few years ago once again teams up with her. The chemistry between the two is simply incendiary.

If you are not someone who favours big guns and even bigger explosions. This is a movie you will not want to be missing.

The Brothers Bloom

This was the only other pick for the weekend next to the mad rush for perhaps one of the biggest robotic block-buster of this Summer. It played out kinda funny, kinda weird but all in a very colourful kinda way.

Films involving cons, scams and swindles have always been playing between the fine line of the grand scheme of the con and not getting emotionally involved. That which is real versus that which is not. This film is no different but yet unique in an indie kind of way.

The movie kicks off interestingly well and does a great job keeping its audiences entertained with the colourful characters constantly injecting humour of all kinds both in the fore and background. The tempo two-thirds into the film suffers a slight slowdown but continues to steamroll till the end. One other area where this movie scores points is in its costumes.

With a cast of Rachel Weisz, Adrien Brody, Mark Ruffalo and muted Rinko Kikuchi (yet again). What could go wrong?

The Taking of Pelham 123

If there be a hall of fame for action film makers. The Scott family would have scored two easy hits on its A-list.

Although the pull factor was not exactly felt in the trailer which may not always be a bad thing. The film manages to deliver the under-promised and more in full effects.

The story is your usual hostage-negotiator-ransom-deadline action. However, it draws plenty of references to the Heroes of everyday Life. In fact, it reminds us that there are no such thing as Heroes. Only normal people with the gallantry to take that step forward in order to preserve Lives of others in distress even if it means putting their own in harm's way.

The ride is packed with action at every turn and the thrill is really intense. Even the humour injected are pretty dark too.

I had no idea that this was a remake of an earlier film until after, but anything that bears Denzel Washington's mark is reason enough not to be missed. I have never been a big fan of John Travolta but that does not dispose the fact that he is still regarded as an on-screen heavy weight with sensational acting skill and even more amazing chemistry to match his title.

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past

Although I have had my fair share of chick flicks. I have all but given up as the plots are largely identical and gets pretty mundane after a while.
Needless to say, I was dragged into this one but what a hilarious surprise it turns out to be indeed.

Cocky-funny would sound just about right for this one. Although we all know how such flicks ends but the course it takes getting there is quite worth the trouble.
It would have a field day for your Girlfriends but at the same time has much to offer us guys too.

This may have been the funniest romantic comedy I have seen this year yet and would be the perfect date movie of this season.