Deadpool

Deadpool is perhaps not a game changer but it lived up to the hype for me.

The awesome action during the first act including the great opening credits sets the bar really high, thus the third act (thanks to budget cut) feels a little short on action, though overall it's paced well. Also enjoyed the characters of Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead, especially how Colossus and the X-Men were depicted in the story line.

Despite its A rating here the was movie toned down a little with its depiction of gore and language. Damn Censor Board of India. Not sure how many scenes were affected, but the one scene in particular which got cut short was the triple head shot which was prominent in the red band trailer.

The humor really elevates the movie from being just another violent action movie. Wade and Vanessa with their messed up past are ideal for each other. And it's their love story which makes the stakes all the more personal in Deadpool rather than any other catastrophe.

Though there were some prominent songs in the movie, Deadpool himself didn't seem to have a distinct theme music or at least I didn't recognize it during the movie.

Deadpool is hilarious, entertaining, and a refreshing change in the genre of superhero movies. And Ryan Reynolds has plenty of charm to keep this franchise thriving for few more sequels. Bring on Cable!

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Star Wars: The Force Awakens release was delayed in India for a week, so I went offline pretty much completely to avoid spoilers after its worldwide premiere last week.

It's getting released here on Dec 25 Friday but they had a early Thursday night screening. And having a packed enthusiastic fan crowd just made the movie experience even better.

The movie has its problems especially with some of the story elements being a retread of the original trilogy, but the characters really hold up the movie for me.

Though it may not be the contender for my most favourite movie of the year, I enjoyed it very much and I'm hoping to watch it again next week.

The movie was fun, exciting and emotional. Couple of great goosebumps inducing moments. I was happy to see the familiar characters but even more glad to see the new characters blending so well in the existing mythology. The new characters are compelling and I am really looking forward to seeing their further adventures and to explore their backstories.

JJ Abrams was under so much pressure with this enormous task of delivering a sequel that would be embraced by the majority of Star Wars fans. And though the movie will always have its share of fans who were genuinely disappointed with the movie, I feel most would agree that he did a good job with it.

Jurassic World

The self awareness in Jurassic World has characters questioning the park's existence and corporate direction thus mirroring some of the doubts of the audience in regards to this franchise.

I liked the early pacing of the movie with its gradual build up, as it then kicks into gear and it stays that way for a while. And though I liked hearing John Williams' Jurassic Park theme music through the course of the film, I wasn't too pleased when they introduced it early on without it being part of a momentous occasion; even though I know I can't expect them to replicate the revealing awe moment like in the first film.

The characters aren't really all memorable and some of their actions and motives seems dubious, but they didn't make me cringe and Chris Pratt is a delight to watch even though he toned down his usual charm for most parts.

The movie was overall fun, delivered plenty of good dino action with some genuine scary moments along with few surprises. I definitely wouldn't mind seeing another sequel exploring the fallout from this movie.

Marvel's Daredevil Series on Netflix

After watching 13 hours of good entertainment like Daredevil, I now want to see more of the other Marvel comic characters get similar series treatment, allowing for richer story arcs and more fleshed out characters. It would definitely work for Spider-Man and his vast number of supporting characters, who will end up with only brief appearances in the movies.

Daredevil series is bloody and violent, perhaps little more than I expected and I am glad they went with that approach. And in the midst of all the grittiness, the show still manages to instill some humor from time to time. Besides the reference to Iron Man and Thor I was glad to see my favourite Avenger being given a shout out as well. The opening credits is cool and elegant, also liked the soundtrack including the different tracks played during the ending credits of each episode.

Jack Murdock had a short early appearance, but still managed to make a strong impact, almost making me want to see more scenes of him and Young Matt. Considering how much of pivotal role the character Karen plays later in the comics, it was good to see her being prominent through this series. But I kept wanting to see more scenes of Claire, also I liked her chemistry with Matt. Foggy is a delight to watch, especially when he is bouncing words with Matt. Since they are only a start up law firm, we got only one instance of Matt being a lawyer in the courtroom, I want to see some more of that.

The series has so many great action moments but the hallway fight in the end of episode 2 was fantastic and is one of my favourites. The way they shot and edited that scene made it seems quite seamless. By the time episode 6 rolls out, the levels of escalation in the story almost feels like a season finale. There is plenty of action after that, but the series comparatively slows down allowing for more drama and character conflicts. The action and pacing does pick up eventually.

Fisk is a villain who like many villains doesn't believe that he is actually a villain. He continues to justify his actions for building a better tomorrow. Maybe he will really embrace his true nature when he takes on the mantle of Kingpin.

As for the costume, the black version really worked well and was able to even highlight Matt's strong muscles and upper body without any additional padding, or at least it appeared that way. As for the red costume I wish they went with a darker shade of maroon instead of the black parts. But I think we will definitely see a better costume upgrade in season 2.

Big Hero 6

I laughed, I cried and I was wowed by Big Hero 6. Such a fun movie and I liked the cool & colorful designs.

Big Hero 6 is one of the best pro-science movies of 2014. And gazing through San Fransokyo is a delight.

Also digged the music by Henry Jackman and the song Immortals.

I now want figures of all the characters and I have to buy the art book.

Interstellar

Interstellar exceeded my expectations on many levels despite my minor issues with certain plot points. The movie is obviously awe-inspiring with its visuals and I was very happy with the direction of the story and the surprises it offered, along with some emotional moments that had me choked up (no surprise there either). I might watch it again in the theatre next week.

I don't know if Interstellar will become the movie I want it to be, which will inspire the masses about space exploration; maybe no movie can do that for the majority of the population.

But if Interstellar even manages to breathe new life into the conversation about space exploration, if it makes some people ponder about space like they never imagined before, if it makes a new generation of people including the youth look up in the sky and wonder what if...?

Then I am thankful to Christopher Nolan for making Interstellar, as it would have served its purpose beyond just great entertainment.

Guardians of the Galaxy

Loved every aspect of  Guardians of the Galaxy. The movie is visually beautiful and colorful, also it's a welcoming change in aesthetics that I hope continues the trend of movies going with bold colors.

Every character of the team is a badass and you end up wanting to see more of them as the movie draws to a close. There was no doubt that Guardians of the Galaxy was going to be hilarious and a fun action packed space adventure movie, but it had so much heart which surprised me the most. Rocket is awesome and he is a big highlight of the movie, but Peter Quill is my absolute favourite.

The movie features a fantastic soundtrack with songs you want to listen to again and again, accompanied by a good exciting score by Tyler Bates.

Though the movie ties into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it's a great standalone film even for those who aren't familiar with any of the prior Marvel movies.

Thanks to my friend Shaneez, who ensured that we got to see it in a true IMAX 3D theatre (70 mm) at AMC Universal City Walk during my stay in LA. It was one of my best theatrical movie experiences ever.

 

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a powerful and worthy sequel

One of the biggest strengths of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is its invoking sense of realism which results in an immersive experience.

The visuals effects by Weta Digital in the movie are so great and seamless that one would forget they are CGI apes and early on it pretty much gets taken for granted that they are inhabiting the world.

Leading the charge is Andy Serkis as Caesar. He has many moments of verbal dialogue and sign language (shown with subtitles), but even during scenes where he doesn't even speak a word he is able to display such range of emotions, it's a fine example of his staggering performance. His collaboration with the visual effects team along with the rest of the performance capture team is leaps ahead of the first film.

Michael Giacchino has given the movie an audacious musical score and I look foward to listening to the whole score when it gets released.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a much darker film than Rise of the Planet of the Apes. And it doesn't really have any lighthearted moments. The movie demands your attention and it's gripping till the end as the events unfold. 

Snowpiercer

Snowpiercer is gruesome and unpredictable where the stakes keep rising. Chris Evans gives a solid performance along with a great supporting cast.

The movie isn't necessarily cerebral, yet some of the moments and ideas in it are thought provoking. It's a refreshing science fiction film, jam packed with intense action.

Edge of Tomorrow

Edge of Tomorrow is great, so funny and for a movie that repeats itself it's still full of surprises & extremely entertaining.

I am heading out of town for few days and I can't wait to see it again when I return next week :).

X-Men: Days of Future Past

Bryan Singer could probably retire from making X-Men films, cause I don't know if he will be able to top his latest film. Not only is X-Men: Days of Future Past his best film, but it's at par with First Class as the best X-Men film to date.

It doesn't really try to fix the continuity so as to synch with the timelines of all the other films, but at this point it didn't really matter anymore. The movie is entertaining and doesn't have any dull moments, but at the same time it isn't an all out CGI action fest either.

Wolverine is obviously a central character to the story, yet his role didn't take precedence over other characters; in fact he comparatively has lesser big action scenes than the rest, while still binding the narrative with some great emotional resonance along with the rest of the cast..

I was glad to hear John Ottman's X2 theme playing during the opening credits. Lot of great mutant action sequences especially in the future, which are not only very cool but quite brutal as well. Yet, just like First Class what was lacking for me was the rest of the core X-Men team.

After X-Men: Apocalypse, they should definitely consider rebooting the franchise after about 5 years or so.

Godzilla

I enjoyed Godzilla. The movie isn't over the top monster action all the way through, as it has a more grounded and serious approach. There is mayhem and destruction early on but there is lot of tease and anticipation on the monster end, which makes it more effective when Godzilla comes into play.

The more human story elements of the movie might disappoint some viewers, but I think it works and is in line with the original Japanese film. Also really liked Alexandre Desplat's bombastic musical score.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Captain America: The Winter Soldier was fantastic. In midst of all the exhilarating action, mystery and humor, the movie is also infused with emotional moments.

It was such a well crafted story, along with some terrific fight sequences and great visuals. Many of the supporting characters including the villains get their moments to shine.

It's the best Marvel Phase Two film so far and probably my favourite Marvel film right above Avengers. I plan to see it again soon.

Update:

Saw the movie again yesterday (Apr 05) and it was even better during the second time.

And I just can't get enough of the score by Henry Jackman, which is so energetic and at times eerie.

I love the main Captain America theme which runs through the score right from the opening track 'Lemurian Star' and especially in the ending credits 9 mins track titled Captain America.

The Captain America theme almost makes me want to start exercising and working out. Almost.

 

Gravity Is Movie Magic At Its Finest

Gravity was stunning and gripping as I had hoped for. I made the 16 hours round trip to Bangalore to see it at PVR IMAX in 3D, not true IMAX but still the best picture quality I have seen.

Sandra Bullock gives a great and endearing performance, while George Clooney is charming as he balances out some of the tension. Plotwise the film is akin to a bottle episode but high on visual spectacle and the short 90 minutes duration of the film helps with its pacing.

Most of the film is CGI blending with live action, which was seamless including some stellar transition between different perspective shots.

Thanks to director Alfonso Cuaron, cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki  and the rest of the Gravity cast and crew who have delivered one of the most immersive cinema experiences of 2013.

Gravity Soundtrack Preview

The Wolverine finds the balance of berserk and heart

The Wolverine was good and surprisingly so grounded with its approach to the story and characters for a major portion of the film. Though it's not exactly an faithful adaptation, the movie gives nods to the 1982 Wolverine comic by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller, while borrowing certain elements from it and expands on them.

This is Hugh Jackman's 6th time (5 movies and a cameo) portraying the character of Logan and he still brings something fresh to the character along with his badass charm to it. Both Mariko and Yukio played by Tao Okamoto and Rila Fukushima were good supporting characters, especially with Mariko I was secretly hoping they would go with the comic ending panel.

The story is pretty straightforward but still manages to bring in some intrigue and moments of suspense in midst of the action. For most parts at least until the end, director James Mangold made sure that it doesn't feel like the action is driving the story, thus the action played out quite organic to the story.

The Wolverine is a solid and worthy entry into the X-Men saga and the mid credits scene just builds up the excitement for the next chapter.

Review: Pacific Rim is Awesome and that is an understatement

Pacific Rim isn't short on action and visual treats. The scenes where the awe inducing scale of the mighty Jagers fighting the nasty Kaijus are indeed the main highlights of the film. But I was quite pleased how the rest of the film managed to keep me entertained with the story.

Though there are some hokey dialogues during few parts of the movie, it didn't put me off in any way.  The human characters in Pacific Rim aren't iconic, but their acts are heroic and they serve the story well. We know their past, their prior battles, so everytime they are out fighting while being inside the mecha, it brings the sense of real danger and anticipation as we are quite emotionally vested in those characters; while marveling at the beauty of the Jagers kicking serious Kaiju ass.

Many seem to have been irked by the characters of the scientists, I for one really liked the character of Newton played by Charlie Day, (maybe cause he plays my favourite character on the hilarious series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia). Also I really enjoyed the scenes and banter between Newton and Hannibal Chau played by Ron Perlman. Idris Elba manages to express his role with great gravitas and authority.

While most seem to identify the lead actor Charlie Hunnam from Sons of Anarchy, I only knew him as Lloyd, the charming British guy on Undeclared and now quite enjoyed his performance as Raleigh Becket.  Rinko Kikuchi (who was great in both Babel and The Brothers Bloom) as Mako Mori was bit awkward during the initial scenes or are atleast they seem to have been written her character that way, but quickly becomes an admirable character as the story continues. Both made a good team. Mako Mori's younger self played by Mana Ashida gives a remarkable performance in a quite a memorable sequence.

As wonderful as the Jagers vs Kaijus fight scenes were, I wanted to see more in the daylight. Cause there is so much detailed work that went into those designs of creatures and suits, that most of it would go unnoticed. Some of the footage of Kaiju attacking cities were shown in daylight and looked great, but were short in duration. But since many of the creatures had that glowing effect from their bodies, it's understandable that they would look better in the dark.

I liked the score by Ramin Djawadi especially the fantastic main theme of Pacific Rim which also featured music by Tom Morello, the track "Go Big or Go Extinct" which is a variation of the main theme is another one of my favourites. 

I will be buying the NECA figures for sure, at least the Gipsy Danger ones in both 7" and the upcoming 18" version. I really want to own a human scale head bust or helmet mask of Gipsy Danger, hope NECA or somebody else makes them.

Warner Bros. and Legendary took a chance with this film and I hope it really pays off for them.

Thanks to Guillermo del Toro and all the artists involved for crafting this gorgeous chapter in entertainment and thanks to screenwriter Travis Beacham for birthing this story and world of Pacific Rim to fruition.

Pacific Rim is the most fun I had at the theatre in 2013 and is my favourite movie of this summer so far. I can't wait to see it again.

 

 

The Amazing Spider-Man Review

Every movie reboot has the burden of being compared to its predecessor and it's hard not to do so especially when its previous movies are relatively fresh in the minds of the audience. For some fans Amazing Spider-Man needs to not only stack-up to the Sam Raimi films but also to the Spider-Man comics.

Review for Prometheus

When Ridley Scott chose to go with a new mythology and story for Prometheus (based on writer Damon Lidelof's suggestions), it would have been much better if they had gone all the way and completely distanced their movie from Alien. No matter how good of a script they would have weaved, Prometheus could still never match up to Ridley Scott's original Alien. And for sometime during pre-production the movie supposedly didn't have anything to do with Alien. But the Alien brand is too big to ignore, so things from Alien ended up being shoehorned into Prometheus.

Men In Black 3

I love the first MIB film and seen it numerous times, second film had its moments but was barely memorable for me. Men In Black 3 is great fun where the story keeps getting interesting and good amount of focus is given to the characters, along with all the cool action and many laugh out moments.

I liked Men In Black 3 but some speculate if it's as good as the first one and I would say no. The first one really has that charm of discovering all things in the MIB universe for the first time, like J the audience is also experiencing all these cool surprises at the same time. But this movie had its own mystery elements that I enjoyed, including the time travel bits and theories.

Gotta say the alien makeup and creature effects were also a real treat to watch. Loved some of the new weapons and gadgets, my only complain would be some of them didn't get enough screen time. I wanted to see more of that Shotgun.