Mean Girls (2004)iMDB Rating: 6.9 Date Released : 30 April 2004 Genre : Comedy Stars : Lindsay Lohan, Jonathan Bennett, Rachel McAdams, Tina Fey Movie Quality : HDrip Format : MKV Size : 850 MB
Raised in African bush country by her zoologist parents, Cady Heron thinks she knows about survival of the fittest. But the law of the jungle takes on a whole new meaning when the home-schooled 16-year-old enters public high school for the first time and encounters psychological warfare and unwritten social rules that teenage girls face today.
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Review :
Best Teen Movie Ever
Lindsay Lohan plays a teen girl trying to get along at a new high school. This time, she plays a girl home schooled in Africa, whose first experience at a public school is marred by a clique of nasty girls called the Plastics, who use gossip and other torture techniques to try to ruin her social life.
The story makes it sound like another generic teen film but this one is actually quite funny and realistic. The most cynical person will point out that this is a cheap rip off of Heathers and they are similar. While Heathers is a good movie, mean Girls is an even better movie. I think Mean Girls is very good for a number of reasons. First, the script is actually creative and smart. Tina Fey seems to understand that teens want comedies they can relate to and she did that with Mean Girls. Of course, there were a few lame scenes but nothing that kills the film. Tina Fey should leave SNL and focus on her career in movies.
Second, the acting is very good and convincing. Rachel McAdams offers the best and funniest performance as Regina. Her character is very mean (hence the title) yet I found it so hard to actually hate her. She has this charm that sucks the audience in on her and its so hard to hate her. Lindsay Lohan also gives a good performance as Cady. Her best scenes are with Rachel. They have very good chemistry together. The other plastics are played by Lacey Chabert and Amanda Seyfried. They also give good performances and the scenes that have all the plastics together are very entertaining. The rest of the supporting cast are pretty good and Tina Fey also has a small role as Cady's math teacher.
Another reason why Mean Girls is so good is because it's actually funny for people over the age of 21. It's not just for teens but also for adults. Mark Waters is proving to be very good at directing harmless comedies like Freaky Friday and this one. He keeps the film short yet enormously entertaining. I really don't understand how someone could actually give this movie a one. I understand some people finding it over the top or stupid but it doesn't deserve a one. In the end, this smart and funny teen movie deserves to be seen. Rating 8/10
The Muppets (2011)iMDB Rating: 7.2 Date Released : 23 November 2011 Genre : Comedy, Family, Musical Stars : Amy Adams, Jason Segel, Chris Cooper, Rashida Jones Movie Quality : BRrip Format : MKV Size : 870 MB
When 3 Muppet fans learn that Tex Richman wants to drill under the Muppet Theater for oil, Gary, Mary and Walter set out to find the Muppets who have been split up for years so that they can put on one last show and save the Muppet Theater. Kermit the Frog now lives in his own mansion depressed in Hollywood, 'The Great Gonzo' is a high class plumber at Gonzo's Royal Flush, Fozzie Bear performs with a tribute band called The Moopets, Miss Piggy is the plus-size fashion editor at Vogue Paris, and Animal is at a celebrity anger management rehab center in Santa Barbara.
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Review :
See it.
I wasn't raised on Barbie dolls, or cartoons. I wasn't in love with Duck Tales or The Secret of Nimh (in fact it scared me senseless), but I was raised to love The Muppets. Fozzie the Bear was a safe old friend who always cheered me up, Kermit was my sense of justice and reason, Miss Piggy was an exercise in the unrestrained Id, Gonzo was something I didn't and still don't understand, but he's blue and adorable! The Muppets are incredibly precious to me. And I just LUCKED out, because the newest Muppet movie was made by a fan who took all of that into account and made a film that just celebrated the glory of the Muppets. Sure there were moments of overkill, sure it sometimes got ridiculous, but The Muppets is about more than just the Muppets. It's about yearning for something pure; something innocent without patronizing its audience. This film was really clever, self aware with a great sense of humor with a giant heart. Definitely see it!
Since Dom (Diesel) and Brian's (Walker) Rio heist toppled a kingpin's empire and left their crew with $100 million, our heroes have scattered across the globe. But their inability to return home and living forever on the lam have left their lives incomplete. Meanwhile, Hobbs (Johnson) has been tracking an organization of lethally skilled mercenary drivers across 12 countries, whose mastermind (Evans) is aided by a ruthless second-in-command revealed to be the love Dom thought was dead, Letty (Rodriguez). The only way to stop the criminal outfit is to outmatch them at street level, so Hobbs asks Dom to assemble his elite team in London. Payment? Full pardons for all of them so they can return home and make their families whole again.
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Review :
This is an opinion review
I walked into the cinema expecting to write something about this being the must see film for the weekend, remembering the nostalgia of the original and the progressively worse but still kinda cool sequels (except for that abortion Tokyo Drift we'd all like to forget we saw) and the redeeming previous installment Fast Five that somehow redeemed and reinvented the franchise introducing 'The Rock' as a kick-ass anti-hero and started the franchise on a remarkably cool path with fast paced action that was grounded with a great balance of realism and "plausible" suspension of belief.
What I walked away with was having my mind raped by the worse script (CENSORED) It is near impossible to believe this is the same writer and director duo from Fast Five - but then they were also responsible for Tokyo Drift.
Firstly, for some reason they have dropped all of the iconic moments that we have come to love and expect. There is no action packed opening scene filled with car chases and metal carnage. Instead we are treated to being teased with a quick race where nothing happens and shown the aftermath of what must've been an incredible heist, and then, when we eventually do get to see some car chase scenes we quickly realize that they have also done away with those camera shots that weave in and out of the cars putting you in the center of the action.
Gone is the great balance of realism and "plausible" suspension of belief and instead Furious 6 was written with absolutely no regard to physics or common sense. It's one thing to have cars flipped over by driving head first into them with a ramp attached to the car, its another thing entirely to have bobbies keeping pace with a super fast custom F1 type of thing and almost overtaking it. But that's small compared to the crap they actually came up with for this movie. Think super fast chase scenes with a tank (oxymoronic) and people flying through the air superman style like neo catching a damsel in distress mid air after being flung from... I'm just gonna stop there. Have your eyes raped spoiler free but don't blame me for the loss of reasoning skills as you're trying to forget to think all together just so you can soak up the visual aspects of this redonculous spectacle.
It's actually infuriating to watch a movie with some cool bits while realizing the absurdity of what you are expected to swallow.
At one point there's this huge cargo plane landing on a runway but keeps cruising so it can take off again and this 20min action scene develops with cars driving into the cargo hold of the plane and fighting erupting everywhere, in the plane, around the plane and it never runs out of runway, for over 20 minutes. Now call me crazy but at some point everyone in the cinema turned to each other and said this is ridiculous, we all as a unit got up and refused to have our intelligence mocked while expecting to sit through this crap and we burned the place to the ground.
Here's some math: a typical airliner cruises at about 160mph for takeoff. 160 ÷ 60 x 20 = a 53.3 mile long runway.
The best thing about the movie was the fighting between the female characters. That's probably because they cast MMA star Gina Carano opposite Michelle Rodriguez.
Will this be one of those movies you love to hate or is it simply too mind numbingly $#*&?
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)Date Released : 11 July 2014 Genre : Action, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller Stars : Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, Andy Serkis, Kodi Smit-McPhee Movie Quality : HDrip Format : MKV Size : 850 MB
A growing nation of genetically evolved apes led by Caesar is threatened by a band of human survivors of the devastating virus unleashed a decade earlier. They reach a fragile peace, but it proves short-lived, as both sides are brought to the brink of a war that will determine who will emerge as Earth's dominant species.
The Expendables 3 (2014)Date Released : 15 August 2014 Genre : Action, Adventure, Thriller Stars : Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Antonio Banderas. Barney (Stallone), Christmas (Statham) and the rest of the team comes face-to-face with Conrad Stonebanks (Gibson), who years ago co-founded The Expendables with Barney. Stonebanks subsequently became a ruthless arms trader and someone who Barney was forced to kill... or so he thought. Stonebanks, who eluded death once before, now is making it his mission to end The Expendables -- but Barney has ..." /> Movie Quality : HDrip Format : MKV Size : 850 MB
Barney (Stallone), Christmas (Statham) and the rest of the team comes face-to-face with Conrad Stonebanks (Gibson), who years ago co-founded The Expendables with Barney. Stonebanks subsequently became a ruthless arms trader and someone who Barney was forced to kill... or so he thought. Stonebanks, who eluded death once before, now is making it his mission to end The Expendables -- but Barney has other plans. Barney decides that he has to fight old blood with new blood, and brings in a new era of Expendables team members, recruiting individuals who are younger, faster and more tech-savvy. The latest mission becomes a clash of classic old-school style versus high-tech expertise in the Expendables' most personal battle yet.
The Raid 2 (2014)iMDB Rating: 8.8 Date Released : 28 March 2014 Genre : Action, Crime, Thriller Stars : Iko Uwais, Yayan Ruhian, Arifin Putra, Oka Antara Movie Quality : HDrip Format : MKV Size : 700 MB
He thought it was over. After fighting his way out of a building filled with gangsters and madmen - a fight that left the bodies of police and gangsters alike piled in the halls - rookie Jakarta cop Rama thought it was done and he could resume a normal life. He couldn't have been more wrong. Formidable though they may have been, Rama's opponents in that fateful building were nothing more than small fish swimming in a pond much larger than he ever dreamed possible. And his triumph over the small fry has attracted the attention of the predators farther up the food chain. His family at risk, Rama has only one choice to protect his infant son and wife: He must go undercover to enter the criminal underworld himself and climb through the hierarchy of competing forces until it leads him to the corrupt politicians and police pulling the strings at the top of the heap. And so Rama begins a new odyssey of violence, a journey that will force him to set aside his own life and history and take on ...
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Review :
The perfect sequel
This sequel is better in every conceivable way.
The action might take up a little less screen time percentage wise, but is more brutal (way more), even better choreographed, varied and memorable. I think this movie has the greatest overall collection of fight scenes in the history of action cinema, and a fantastic car chase too. Obviously I haven't seen every movie in existence, but I have never seen anything with such a collection of incredibly well done and brutal fights.
Characters have depth to them, even if on a comic book level, and are well cast and well played. Story is fairly intelligent, and more than services the action.
Everything else; filming, editing, sound design, stunts, special effects are stellar. There are quite a few "how the hell did they do that?!?" moments.
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014)Date Released : 22 August 2014 Genre : Action, Crime, Thriller Stars : Jessica Alba, Mickey Rourke, Rosario Dawson, Eva Green Movie Quality : HDrip Format : MKV Size : 700 MB
The Incredibles (2004)iMDB Rating: 8.0 Date Released : 5 November 2004 Genre : Animation, Action, Adventure, Family Stars : Craig T. Nelson, Samuel L. Jackson, Holly Hunter, Jason Lee Movie Quality : BRrip Format : MKV Size : 700 MB
Bob Parr (A.K.A. Mr. Incredible), and his wife Helen (A.K.A. Elastigirl), are the world's greatest famous crime-fighting superheroes in Metroville. Always saving lives and battling evil on a daily basis. But fifteen years later, they have been forced to adopt civilian identities and retreat to the suburbs where they have no choice but to retire of being a superhero and force to live a "normal life" with their three children Violet, Dash and Jack-Jack (who were secretly born with superpowers). Itching to get back into action, Bob gets his chance when a mysterious communication summons him to a remote island for a top secret assignment. He soon discovers that it will take a super family effort to rescue the world from total destruction.
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Review :
My favorite film from Pixar in over five years- Bird and company produce a triumph of a family film
Writer-director Brad Bird here has something that I was caught off-guard by just a bit. I always expect Pixar films to be above-par, family entertainment, the kinds of films that can have an appeal to adults on a satirical, jab-in-the-side effect by having the characters reacting to each other as they would on a film with a higher rating, whilst giving the bright colors, action, and silliness that appeals to kids. Watching The Incredibles, their sixth feature-length offering, I wasn't so entertained and amused since their 98 film A Bug's Life, and it almost brought me back to the emotional impact I felt when in the theater for the first time getting Toy Story into my system.
It's a film that takes on a type in society that we all know well (in the past they've done toys, bugs, monsters, undersea life, and now comic book archetypes) and transforms it superbly to the imaginative computer-animated landscape. This is also in credit due to Brad Bird, who proved five years ago with his sleeper The Iron Giant that he could transcend the genre and appeal with heart and vigor for almost every age bracket.
So what little touches make The Incredibles so appealing? How it starts to deconstruct the idea of a superhero, perhaps, as well as how the family unit is shown in the usual conventions under unusual and funny circumstances. As an example, one of our heroes Mr. Incredible, a.k.a. Bob Parr (voiced wonderfully by Craig T. Nelson), goes to visit a woman who fixes and creates the uniforms of superheroes. In one scene she explains why a cape is not a good idea. This is the kind of scene that might not make it into most Hollywood movies, and would sometimes if not often be discredited as being too 'smart' for kids to get. But by appealing to a kind of level late teens and adults can relate to, it reaches a higher, far more intelligent plane. In fact, many of the best scenes in the film take on what we all know in films displaying the 'family unit' and morph it with the power and imagination of superheroes.
I won't go too much into the plot as some may already have, except to say that what makes the story in and of itself appealing is how it is a fully formed story, and doesn't try and sell itself short like other animated films (i.e. Sharktale for example). It also uses it's PG-rating perimeter wisely, and Bird and company create action sequences that are as exciting, if not more so, than in the action films that have been released this year (in fact, some of the scenes in the climax, for my money, could rival a couple of those in Spider-Man 2). By setting up the right emotional bases with the characters- Bob, his wife Elasti-girl (Holly Hunter), their kids, and with supporting characters voiced finitely by the likes of Samuel L. Jackson and Jason Lee, by the time the high-charged, internally fantasy scenes take off, they take off with great conviction and excitement.
Overall, The Incredibles is a film that is, in a way, what audiences wish they could get and rarely do- it's a film with wit and observance, a kind of video-game where the results are not as expectable as can be. Some kids may not get it as much as adults might, which is just as well, as it sometimes operates on a level like Antz did, only through the sphere of Disney. In other words, if you say the teaser trailer, which involved the out-of-shape Mr. Incredible trying with all his might to buckle his tights, you'll know what the film could bring. Personally, I can't wait to see it again.
World War Z (2013)iMDB Rating: 7.1 Date Released : 21 June 2013 Genre : Action, Adventure, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller Stars : Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, Daniella Kertesz, James Badge Dale Movie Quality : HDrip Format : MKV Size : 700 MB
Life for former United Nations investigator Gerry Lane and his family seems content. Suddenly, the world is plagued by a mysterious infection turning whole human populations into rampaging mindless zombies. After barely escaping the chaos, Lane is persuaded to go on a mission to investigate this disease. What follows is a perilous trek around the world where Lane must brave horrific dangers and long odds to find answers before human civilization falls.
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Review :
A zombie film that lacks bite
It seems unfair to criticise the film for not being like its source material given that it obviously didn't try to be but I'm going to start by bringing that up anyway. The book had so many sequences that could have been turned into amazing set-pieces in a film and yet not one of them were used. The book also had some neat ideas about how a global outbreak and response play out. What might work? What would catastrophically fail? What would the cost be? Not one of these ideas were explored or even alluded to and there seems absolutely no reason why this was the case.
It might have been okay to abandon these ideas if the film had some ideas of its own to explore or at least play out but it doesn't. Instead we follow Brad Pitt and Brad Pitt's baggage through a few set-pieces as he first escapes from and then looks into an outbreak of zombies. There's little else to say about it than that.
The first major problem came down to the zombies themselves. For a zombie film to get that right is critical and World War Z stumbled pretty badly here. The physical appearance of the zombies is a clear problem. Given the film's penchant for shying away from blood and gore to keep its rating audience-friendly, the only things that separates these zombies from regular people are milky eyes, grey skin, and a tendency to bare and snap their teeth. They're not the bloodthirsty creatures at various stages of decay and ruin that feature in most zombie films. This is generally fine in close-ups but at a distance it's impossible to tell the zombies apart from regular people. And when most of your action scenes involve panicking people running away from what are allegedly zombies, having them pretty much indistinct from each other means you never get much of an inclination about the level of the threat or even what's going on.
A possible solution would have been for the film to opt for the shambling moaning Romero-esque zombies of the book. Instead of running and tackling, having a slowly ever-advancing tide of danger would have turned the zombies into something to be feared rather than something to try and spot in a crowd.
But even later when the film displays zombies in their 'docile' state its shown how little the film-makers understand how zombies are supposed to work. The jerking around and screeches were meant to be threatening and they are anything but. They are borderline slapstick and certainly comical judging by the outbreaks of laughter in the audience at my screening. They clicked their teeth together as if they enjoyed the sound. They repeatedly hit their heads against the wall in a way that was meant to seem deranged but just came across as silly. They spun and jerked around leading to a hilarious sequence of Pitt and two others essentially playing "Red Light/Green Light" with a snarling zombie. Nothing about these zombies seemed to work as intended.
The second major problem came down to the complete lack of weight or tension. Brad Pitt isn't the type of actor anyone expects to be in danger, at least not when he's in an action film, so already there's the knowledge that he's fairly safe. But added to that, his character is a practically invulnerable bad-ass UN investigator whose field knowledge and ingenuity makes him able to adapt to any situation. His 'baggage', as I referred to them earlier, is played at first by his wife and two daughters as well as an orphan boy - far too cute to ever come into real harm in a film like this. The baggage is then played by a doctor and a team of soldiers who are so bereft of personality and character that there is no reason to care about them. He then teams up with a young Israeli soldier who is the closest person aside from Pitt to qualify to be called a character but unfortunately she doesn't seem to serve any purpose. His final baggage comes in the form of a team of WHO doctors. I won't say anything about them aside from pointing out that all four are named in the credits as "W.H.O. Doctor" despite being a key part of around a quarter of the film.
Though I wouldn't recommend the film, to its credit it managed to attain a level of being entertaining and it never embarrassed itself, (despite a squeamish bit of product placement.) It was clearly let down by a few core problems and while certainly not a good film I'd feel a bit mean if I were to label it 'bad'. I'm disappointed that it painted itself as a zombie film for zombie fans while clearly being a toothless blockbuster to appeal to a broader audience, (however understandable that move may be from a film studio's perspective given the production problems and cost blow-out.) For this reason maybe the film tripped up and fell flat on its face but as it dragged itself to the finish line I'm willing to applaud it for that at least.
I suppose all I can do it sit here and try to imagine what might have been...
Sabotage (2014)iMDB Rating: 6.7 Date Released : 28 March 2014 Genre : Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller Stars : Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sam Worthington, Terrence Howard, Olivia Williams Movie Quality : HDrip Format : MKV Size : 750 MB
Members of an elite DEA task force find themselves being taken down one by one after they rob a drug cartel safe house.
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Review :
Schwarzenegger's comeback continues with this generic 80s action plot ruined and retooled as a 'gritty' violent thriller
Sabotage is a gritty crime action thriller. It is also, on the surface, an unusual film for Schwarzenegger who, despite a slate of upcoming sequels to his former big hits or franchises, is in the middle of a really interesting comeback. The criminally underrated Last Stand saw him try a little bit of an Eastwoodish turn as the old, tired, grizzled sheriff of a small town, Escape Plan saw him having tremendous fun and stealing the film in his supporting role and in the upcoming Maggie he will be dipping his toe into the bloody and crowded waters of zombie films but with Sabotage it appears to be a first for Arnold: a, mostly, dramatic, serious performance, leading an ensemble cast, with, comparatively minimal action.
Arnie plays a tough as nails but quietly haunted and lost DEA Agent, whose special team of hard training, hard fighting, hard drinking and hard talking undercover agents are divided by an incident and investigation surrounding a missing ten million dollars. This fills the team full of mistrust, which only grows as they, individually, start showing up dead in a series of brutal, unflinching and hard R murders. Schwarzenegger must team up with Fed Olivia Williams and work out just what the hell is going on.
Sabotage is a film that is all about appearances. It appears to be a grainy, dark, violent and adult crime film which pulls no punches with language, nudity and gore but aspects of the plot are as generic as your favourite 80s or 90s revenge action film. It's, also, a film that appears to be taking clichés from the past and turning them on their head and a film that appears to be clever, full of twists and reveals but, a few minutes out of the cinema, you have more questions than answers and any logic the script has falls away pretty quickly. This, normally, in a wham bam, 80s throwback, action film wouldn't matter but structuring it the way they have and presenting it the way they have, demands you look into it a little closer and, when you do, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
One of the good things about the movie was definitely the fact that, from the trailer, I thought it would have that shaky-cam, grainy-video style cinematography that sadly passes for so-called "realism" these days and is meant to signal you're watching something edgy and serious but it didn't. The cinematography was pretty good and the action scenes, particularly, were clear, pleasing and watchable. There were a couple of moments where the camera would suddenly and needlessly be mounted on top of a gun or something silly but apart from that, very cool. Another thing was Arnie and Olivia Williams performances, while the chemistry between them never really materialised like maybe the script called for it to, he has the presence and she has the acting chops, so that you were always pleased when the film followed them. Lastly it's violence and gore is joyously hard R, in your face, unflinching and even shocking. I just wish it was attached to more enthusiastic and pleasing action sequences.
Sadly though the movie has a lot of faults and I hate to write or report this as I really do think Arnie fans, action fans and thriller fans should go and see it, if for no other reasons but to make your own mind up and to see the Austrian oak do something very different in tone at least, if not in story. However, a couple of hours detached from the movie now and I just wish they'd told the story differently or it had been a different story. While I applaud anyone trying to come at generic material a different and new way, I don't think this did it successfully. There's a reason this kind of story has been told differently in the past, it's more satisfactory that way. Also it's full of plot holes which are covered only by the fact that, because we are meant to suspect everyone in the film, no one really has any kind of character to speak of. Their motives aren't quantified, explained or examined beyond very basic assumed reasons. The second reason Sabotage is not the film I hoped it would be, is that the team around Arnie are all horrible people and while Sam Worthington's character displays a little sensitivity and tragedy, quite well I might add, most of the time they are all obnoxious, swearing, bickering imbeciles. I couldn't believe one of them had any more elite training than a mall security guard and even if they did, not one of them seems to respect it. I understand the team in the film is meant to be divided by mistrust and devastated by the deaths of their team mates but there are more scenes of them visiting strip clubs and drinking booze than there are scenes of them kicking ass and taking names, which annoying and grating. Lastly, the film is also horribly misogynist. I can't, exactly, go into all the reasons why here but there aren't many glowing representations of women in the film, most of them are drug addled, whores or strippers. Not that the men are likable and perfect either but they don't get anywhere near the bad representation that women do in the film. It thinks it combats this claim by having Olivia Williams' seemingly strong, intelligent character in there but it really doesn't once you see what happens.
Despite all this stuff, I did enjoy the movie for what it was and it's definitely an interesting film for Arnie to have in his come-back cannon. It's nothing like I was lead to believe from the trailer though and it's not as clever as it thinks it is but disengage your brain and just go with it and there's a ton to enjoy. It's my least favourite of his films since 2010 though.
The Earth was ravaged by the Formics, an alien race seemingly determined to destroy humanity. Seventy years later, the people of Earth remain banded together to prevent their own annihilation from this technologically superior alien species. Ender Wiggin, a quiet but brilliant boy, may become the savior of the human race. He is separated from his beloved sister and his terrifying brother and brought to battle school in orbit around earth. He will be tested and honed into an empathetic killer who begins to despise what he does as he learns to fight in hopes of saving Earth and his family.
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Review :
A rushed sound-bite movie - a disappointment
I have no problem with movies based on books if they are done well.
For me, doing them badly involves quoting a couple of pages near verbatim then tearing out and ignoring the next twenty. In my view, this is what has been done in adapting Ender's Game, the remnants have been stacked together as a bunch of sound-bites and run at fast forward speed, leaving no time for character progression and the growth of friendships that is the mainstay to the original story.
It may be that, like Philip Pullman's Dark Materials Trilogy, this was an unmakeable film so we should perhaps thank them for their brave effort that didn't quite make it.
In failing, the film is a testament to the writing of Card that he could cram so much story into just 350 paperback pages that it couldn't been captured in 2 hours on the screen.
And finally, Ben Kingsley's performance, what a shocker! Think we'll see more of Asa Butterfield though.
Snowpiercer (2013)iMDB Rating: 7.3 Date Released : 27 June 2014 Genre : Action, Drama, Sci-Fi Stars : Chris Evans, Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell, Luke Pasqualino Movie Quality : BRrip Format : MKV Size : 750 MB
In a future where a failed global-warming experiment kills off most life on the planet, a class system evolves aboard the Snowpiercer, a train that travels around the globe via a perpetual-motion engine.
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Review :
About as believable as the Total Recall remake...
Okay, so I get this movie had some things to say about class and privilege and the lengths people will go to in extremis. However, in wanting to tell a story that makes points, you simply cannot ignore common sense and physics in order to produce your setting.
In Snowpiercer, the world has frozen due to scientists meddling with the climate in order to stop global warming. This I can buy, given the explanation at the very start of the movie.
What I can't buy into, however, is the fact that all of what is left of humanity is crammed onto a single, gigantic train, that runs in a year-long loop around much of the world.
For one thing, the creator of the train has, apparently, invented a perpetual motion machine. Never mind the impossibility of this, let's just think about it for a moment. A machine that runs forever and, presumably, produces more output than it requires to run it. So he puts it in a train? Give me the proverbial effing break! An engine such as that would easily power a small community which could then produce more such engines and so on... until there is plenty of power to keep the world running.
But, I guess a train allows for the video-game like linearity of the story's progression, so to hell with common sense, right? There are plenty of plot holes to mention as well.
The disgust shown by Chris Evans' character when he learns that the protein bars they've been eating for years are made of insects. I was expecting him to open the container and find dead bodies being churned into food, a la Soylent Green, but it was just bugs. You know... insects, those things that a considerable part of the world consider a part of their diet without issue. This unexplainable disgust is compounded later when Evans reveals his character actually used to eat people in the early days. What Chris? Eating people is less disgusting than bugs! Say it ain't so! Another stupidity is the length of the train. We see a good number of train carriages during the hero's journey, but there are far, far more when you see the ludicrous corner scene, where the train goes around a long bend just so that good guys and bad guys can shoot at each other across a huge gulf. But the bad guy was only about three carriages behind the good guy? Terrible continuity for the sake of a pointless action scene.
We also see chicken and other animal carcasses hanging from hooks in a cold car, but nowhere do our heroes ever come across the live animals that they must have somewhere in order to provide the meat.
It's also supposed to be so cold outside that flesh freezes solid in a matter of minutes, yet at the end, all that is needed to offset this absolute zero effect is a fur coat. (Apparently they also have furry animals somewhere on the train too...) In short, this movie is so full of holes. Some so big you could drive a train through.
As I said at the beginning, by all means use sci-fi to tell a story, but don't make the setting so ridiculous that it invites scrutiny. And if you do, then be prepared for people to point the flaws out.
This film had a number of things to say, but the setting and plot holes detract heavily from it, leaving you frowning at the foolishness of it all.
SUMMARY: Setting invented by a small child. Plot has more holes than a sieve. Unrealistic fantasy marred by incompetent attention to detail. Try it at your peril!
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)Date Released : 1 May 2015 Genre : Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi Stars : Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Cobie Smulders Movie Quality : HDrip Format : MKV Size : 700 MB
Bill Marks is a former cop who after dealing with his daughter's death by drinking, is now an air marshal. While on a flight from London to New York, Marks gets a text telling him that unless 150 million dollars is deposited to an off shore account within 20 minutes someone will die. He tries to tell the other air marshal, Hammond but Hammond doesn't believe him.
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Review :
Keeps You Guessing
This surprised me. A thriller on a plane that has you thinking you know all the answers (because we're such expert movie watches), then flips it. Yes, it's a contrived subplot. And the reasoning behind this terrorist act is goofy, BUT...it is a lot of fun. It interweaves a really elaborate set-up that you have to focus on to understand.
Also, for people who think they're sophisticated in camera motion. Think about that space. The camera moves in (perceived) 360 degrees without a) seeing camera shadow b) camera angle is near impossible with the movements they had. This is visually sophistication that most won't see or care. But it adds a ton to the claustrophobia.
Julianne Moore is great, as always. Neeson is perfect for this role, but one has to wonder how this behemoth of a guy fits in a airplane bathroom.
RoboCop (2014)iMDB Rating: 6.7 Date Released : 12 February 2014 Genre : Action, Crime, Sci-Fi, Thriller Stars : Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton, Abbie Cornish Movie Quality : BRrip Format : MKV Size : 850 MB
In RoboCop, the year is 2028 and multinational conglomerate OmniCorp is at the center of robot technology. Overseas, their drones have been used by the military for years - and it's meant billions for OmniCorp's bottom line. Now OmniCorp wants to bring their controversial technology to the home front, and they see a golden opportunity to do it. When Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman) - a loving husband, father and good cop doing his best to stem the tide of crime and corruption in Detroit - is critically injured in the line of duty, OmniCorp sees their chance for a part-man, part-robot police officer. OmniCorp envisions a RoboCop in every city and even more billions for their shareholders, but they never counted on one thing: there is still a man inside the machine pursuing justice.
Watch RoboCop Trailer :
Review :
Comparing with Paul Verhoeven's 1987 original version is unfair, but the new ROBOCOP here manages to stand on its own as a reasonably engaging effort.
In 2010, acclaimed director Darren Aronofsky (THE WRESTLER, BLACK SWAN) was originally attached to direct the ROBOCOP reboot. Frankly, I thought he was the right choice to reboot the once-popular franchise back in the late '80s. Unfortunately, he quits the project and Brazilian director Jose Padilha (ELITE SQUAD, ELITE SQUAD: THE ENEMY WITHIN) was brought in as his replacement.
WHAT IS IT ALL ABOUT?
When police detective Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman) is critically injured during a car explosion in front of his home, CEO of OmniCorp Raymond Sellars (Michael Keaton) sees him as a golden opportunity to make him feel alive again by turning him into "Robocop" -- a cyborg police officer which is touted as the future of law enforcement in America. However, OmniCorp doesn't realize that Murphy still has a personal vengeance in his mind to pursue the criminals who nearly caused him dead.
THE GOOD STUFF
Like the first two ELITE SQUAD movies, director Jose Padilha delivers the same raw intensity that gives ROBOCOP a quasi-documentary feel to the action sequences. Even though Padilha utilizes shaky camera-work, at least he doesn't make the scene so wobbly until the viewers unable to see what's really going on. The special effects are spectacular, while the costume design for the all-new Robocop in a black tactical body actually looks quite nifty.
Swedish-American actor Joel Kinnaman (best known in the US for TV's The Killing) delivers an emotionally engaging performance as Alex Murphy and Robocop, while Michael Keaton steals most of the spotlight as the slimy CEO of OmniCorp Raymond Sellars and Gary Oldman gives a perfectly restrained performance as the sympathetic Dr. Dennett Norton. Other minor roles -- including Abbie Cornish as Murphy's wife, Clara; Jackie Earle Haley as the military tactician Mattox; and Samuel L. Jackson as the media host Pat Novak -- are all equally impressive.
MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT(S)
The brief but intense battle between Robocop and a small army of ED-209 during the climactic finale.
THE BAD STUFF
The biggest weakness in this ROBOCOP reboot is Joshua Zetumer's captivating but bloated screenplay. First of all, the story drags too much with Murphy's personal family matter with his estranged wife Clara (Abbie Cornish) and son David (John Paul Ruttan). Then there's the underwritten plot involving Murphy's personal vengeance against Antoine Vallon (Patrick Garrow), who is responsible for the car explosion. Even the so-called social commentary involving the "robo-phobic" issue quoted by Samuel L. Jackson's Pat Novak doesn't really say much that worth a debate.
FINAL WORDS
While the new ROBOCOP is far from a genre classic by any means, at least Jose Padilha's version isn't as bad as most people might have expected. Just put your mindset of the Paul Verhoeven's original 1987 version aside, and treat this as an entirely new movie altogether.
The Maze Runner (2014)Date Released : 19 September 2014 Genre : Action, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller Stars : Dylan O'Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Will Poulter, Thomas Brodie-Sangster Movie Quality : HDrip Format : MKV Size : 870 MB
Thomas wakes up in an elevator, remembering nothing but his own name. He emerges into a world of about 60 teen boys who have learned to survive in a completely enclosed environment, subsisting on their own agriculture and supplies. A new boy arrives every 30 days. The original group has been in "The Glade" for two years, trying to find a way to escape through the Maze that surrounds their living space. They have begun to give up hope. Then a comatose girl arrives with a strange note, and their world begins to change. There are some great, fast-paced action scenes, particularly those involving the nightmarish Grievers who plague the boys.
The story of an unlikely friendship between a bear, Ernest, and a young mouse named Celestine.
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Review :
A bear and a mouse fall in love, despite everyone around telling them it is impossible
A beautifully drawn and told story for children, with a pretty deep message for adults. Almost everything about it is near perfection and probably its only true imperfection is that it is too close to perfection. Up and down, individual and gregarious, social and spiritual, almost all the fundamental symbols of humanity are so nicely put together into the cutest story ever that you might feel it's too simple. It is in the end, after all, just a children story and for some of the people watching it the message will maybe not go through. It's like saying to someone that the secret to happiness is to think positive. They'll dismiss it as a total nonsense. That's how I came to the conclusion this movie is a straight 10 - the secret to a good movie is almost childlike simplicity and sincerity.
Fifty Shades of Grey (2015)Date Released : 13 February 2015 Genre : Drama, Romance Stars : Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan, Jennifer Ehle, Max Martini Movie Quality : HDrip Format : MKV Size : 850 MB
When Anastasia Steele, a literature student, goes to interview the wealthy Christian Grey, as a favor to her roommate Kate Kavanagh, she encounters a beautiful, brilliant and intimidating man. The innocent and naive Ana startled to realize she wants him, despite his enigmatic reserve and advice, she finds herself desperate to get close to him. Not able to resist Ana's beauty and independent spirit, Christian Grey admits he wants her too, but in his own terms. Ana hesitates as she discovers the singular tastes of Christian Grey- despite of the embellishments of success - his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving family - Grey is consumed by the need to control everything. As they get close Ana starts to discover Christian Grey's secrets and explores her own desires.
In 1946, Jackie Robinson is a Negro League baseball player who never takes racism lying down. Branch Rickey is a Major League team executive with a bold idea. To that end, Rickey recruits Robinson to break the unspoken color line as the first modern African American Major League player. As both anticipate, this proves a major challenge for Robinson and his family as they endure unrelenting racist hostility on and off the field, from player and fan alike. As Jackie struggles against his nature to endure such abuse without complaint, he finds allies and hope where he least expects it.
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Review :
Very Well Done
You probably think this film is completely focused on the story of Jackie Robinson. That is definitely not the case, as this film finds balance between the story of Robinson, baseball, and segregation. And this film succeeds in depicting all three aspects to bring a powerful, heartwarming, humorous film. The casting is great. Every actor fits his or her character perfectly. Harrison Ford does an amazing job portraying his character with his no- nonsense humorous attitude. He has a good chance of grabbing an academy award nomination for this roll. This is one of those movies that takes you for an emotional thrill ride. You feel for the Robinson. You want him to win. And you rejoice when he does. So sit back and let the film drag you in; it's worth your time.
Magic Mike (2012)iMDB Rating: 6.1 Date Released : 29 June 2012 Genre : Comedy, Drama Stars : Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer, Olivia Munn, Matthew McConaughey Movie Quality : BRrip Format : MKV Size : 870 MB
Mike Lane is a thirty-year old living in Tampa,Florida. By day he works as a roofer whilst at night, as Magic Mike, he is the star attraction of the Kings of Tampa, a group of male strippers. Secretly he wants out in order to further a projected furniture-making business but his credit rating precludes a bank loan for this despite his considerable savings. One night Adam, a teen-aged work-mate of Mike, follows him to the club and, when one of the acts is unable to go on,he is prevailed upon to strip - becoming a huge hit. However success goes to his head and his foolish actions not only threaten to jeopardize his sister Brooke's relationship with Mike but Mike's ambitions as well.
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Review :
Magic Mike: Needed More Magic and Less Mike
Magic Mike is one of those many films that I could guess the plot exactly before I saw it. I don't know if its because its super predictable or if I've seen too many movies. Anyways, here is how I predicted how the film would go down before I saw it: Popular guy with pretty good life turns into a Disney princess because he wants "something more" in his life than what he's use to. He meets girl, falls in love with girl but is torn between his life and girl. He (shockingly) picks girl with limited personality instead of pretty good life and they all live happily ever after. That was my prediction BEFORE I saw the movie.
I won't spoiler the actual film but here's what its about: Magic Mike (Channing Tatum) is a construction worker by day and male stripper by night. He meets pretty boy Adam (Alex Pettyfer) who lives with his sister, Brooke (Cody Horn) at work and gets Adam a stripping job at the strip joint owned by Dallas ("I see a lot of law breakers"...must a say HIS name?). Romantic fireworks explode between characters and Adam gets into trouble along the way.
Here's how I'm going to analyze:
Story: All I can about the story is that it is your typical romantic 21st century Hollywood film. You can predict the whole movie and ending very easily.
Characters: These characters were walking cardboards. Mike, Adam, Brooke, Joanna, Norah, even Tarzan, etc HAD NO PERSONALITY! The character that was somewhat interesting was Dallas and he stripped the least (sorry ladies). I could've cared less what happened to these characters because there was no depth to them and I didn't feel attached to them at all. We've seen these clichéd characters a million times.
Acting: I hated to judge this part because there isn't much to judge. The acting is...mediocre at best. Channing Tatum plays the role he plays in every film of his: the good guy with little personality. I feel Tatum CAN really act but he needs to expand his range like Johnny Depp does or Heath Ledger use to. Adam Pettyfer has tried to expand his range (like in "Beastly")but the kid, as good looking as he is, just can't act. Cody Horn was the weakest link. She'll probably be the next Julia Stiles, meaning she'll be cast in the same role in every film (good films probably) next to good looking guys even though she can't act.
These are the only things to critique on. The directing, music, editing, etc are not focused on at all. The only song in the film I could remember was "Its Raining Men". The directing had some shaky camera. I remember that. The visuals were...okay. If you like naked men.
Overall, the film was..."eh". I was bored through most of it and I left the theater with no intentions to ever see it again. I gave the film three stars out of ten. The film needed more "magic" in storytelling and originality then "Mike" just being your typical Hollywood dream guy that doesn't really exist.
Crazy, Stupid, Love. (2011)iMDB Rating: 7.5 Date Released : 29 July 2011 Genre : Comedy, Drama, Romance Stars : Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone Movie Quality : HDrip Format : MKV Size : 850 MB
Cal (Steve Carell) and Emily (Julianne Moore) have the perfect life together living the American dream... until Emily asks for a divorce. Now Cal, Mr Husband, has to navigate the single scene with a little help from his professional bachelor friend Jacob Palmer (Ryan Gosling). Make that a lot of help...
Watch Crazy, Stupid, Love. Trailer :
Review :
Predictable, but still one of those rare, good romantic comedies.
There isn't anything particularly groundbreaking or "Oscar worthy" in 'Crazy, Stupid, Love', but what there is is a good deal of heart, some genuine laughs, and a great chemistry-laden cast working together on a very high level.
Fair warning though, this movie doesn't fit in with the current comedy trends all that well -- that is, if you're all about 'Hangover II'-esque humor, this is not the film for you. While it doesn't quite get to the same level, it's very much in the same vein as 'Love Actually'.
I wish we could give half points, because this was definite 8.5/10.
Scheming Bruce Robertson (James McAvoy), a bigoted and corrupt policeman, is in line for a promotion and will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Enlisted to solve a brutal murder and threatened by the aspirations of his colleagues, including Ray Lennox (Jamie Bell), Bruce sets about ensuring their ruin, right under the nose of unwitting Chief Inspector Toal. As he turns his colleagues against one another by stealing their wives and exposing their secrets, Bruce starts to lose himself in a web of deceit that he can no longer control. His past is slowly catching up with him, and a missing wife, a crippling drug habit and suspicious colleagues start to take their toll on his sanity. The question is: can he keep his grip on reality long enough to disentangle himself from the filth?
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Review :
Absolute brilliance, it was utter Filth & I loved it.
I had such high hopes for this movie after seeing some of the most intriguing trailers I've ever seen. I was not disappointed what so ever.
I liked this title so much I would actually fit it into my top 10 of all time.
Without spoiling much for anyone, it really is filth. The movie definitely earns its 18 rating because at times, it is quite literally hardcore pornography.
Bruce is one of the most complex characters I've ever seen in a movie. It took a while to decipher exactly what was going wrong with him, but it because clear by the end.
I want to make it clear to people going into this movie what they should expect. Expect a lot of violence, a lot of swearing, pornography & masturbation, depression and mental illness. It's a movie for those who don't get offended very easily.
In summary, this movie will make you laugh, it'll make you cringe & it'll make you happy. The overall feeling at the end though, is that you're watching a man lose his mind, & you see his depression take over his body in many different ways.
I'm giving it 10/10 because I thought everything about it was so perfectly done. It achieved exactly what it set out to do, it achieved utter filth.
Noah (2014)Date Released : 28 March 2014 Genre : Adventure, Drama Stars : Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Anthony Hopkins, Emma Watson Movie Quality : HDrip Format : MKV Size : 700 MB
The Fault in Our Stars (2014)Date Released : 6 June 2014 Genre : Drama Stars : Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Laura Dern, Nat Wolff Movie Quality : BRrip Format : MKV Size : 750 MB
Hazel and Gus are two teenagers who share an acerbic wit, a disdain for the conventional, and a love that sweeps them on a journey. Their relationship is all the more miraculous, given that Hazel's other constant companion is an oxygen tank, Gus jokes about his prosthetic leg, and they met and fell in love at a cancer support group.
Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)iMDB Rating: 7.7 Date Released : 11 April 2014 Genre : Drama, Horror, Romance Stars : Tom Hiddleston, Tilda Swinton, Mia Wasikowska, John Hurt Movie Quality : BRrip Format : MKV Size : 700 MB
Adam ('Tom Hiddleston (I)'), an underground musician reunites with his lover for centuries (Tilda Swinton) after he becomes depressed and tired with the direction human society has taken. Their love is interrupted and tested by her wild and uncontrollable little sister (Mia Wasikowska).
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Review :
Into the depths of boringness
On a scale from 1 to 10 this movie is a solid ZERO. I have no idea how it got a 89% fresh rating on rotten tomatoes or 7.7 on IMDb. Maybe it was rated based on past accomplishments of the director. Maybe it was rated solely by the stupid fraction of the highly pretentious hipster crowd. The fact of the matter is: This movie did NOTHING right. It is literally a waste of 2 hours of your life. For the first 60 or so minutes nothing happens. You're (poorly) introduced to the two main characters and watch them do absolutely nothing. If the movie ended here one could claim that it's an atmospheric movie made to evoke emotions not through a story, but through visually and auditory stimulating your senses. The problem with this is that the (admittedly really good) soundtrack lasts for only about a minute out of those 60 and that relayed atmosphere is far beyond melancholic and well into the area of making you feel like cutting yourself. If it had ended there the movie might qualify for about 2/10 points. However, the director decided that 60 minutes of boringness are not enough, so he throws in a story. The story itself is plain stupid (not to mention boring) and the characters act and talk so unrealistically that it makes you wonder if they are supposed to be brain damaged. Additionally, the director decided to add some more "substance" to his movie and throws in some "social criticism". This however, is done in a completely lackluster way. The "criticism" basically consists of two short sentences and calling humans zombies half a dozen times randomly during the 122 painful minutes of this colossal monstrosity. The whole movie felt like the director had no idea what he wanted to make. Do not watch this piece of trash!
The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)iMDB Rating: 8.2 Date Released : 7 March 2014 Genre : Comedy, Drama Stars : Ralph Fiennes, F. Murray Abraham, Edward Norton, Mathieu Amalric Movie Quality : BRrip Format : MKV Size : 850 MB
GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL recounts the adventures of Gustave H, a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars, and Zero Moustafa, the lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend. The story involves the theft and recovery of a priceless Renaissance painting and the battle for an enormous family fortune -- all against the back-drop of a suddenly and dramatically changing Continent.
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Review :
A Grand Adventure
Wes Anderson is one of the most original film makers working today. None of his films can be categorized into any particular genre. His latest, The Grand Budapest Hotel, which opened the Berlin Film Festival, continues that trend. It is a tale within a tale within another tale. Whilst every shot has been meticulously arranged as though a work of Art hanging in a museum, story wise Anderson has let his imagination run wild. Though the tale (with Tom Wilkinson) and the tale within the tale (with Jude Law & F Murray Abraham) have straightforward narratives, the tale within the tale within the tale, which comprises the bulk of the film, is a wild uproarious train ride of story telling. It also boasts the cast of a life time: Ralph Fiennes, Tilda Swinton, Edward Norton, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Harvey Keitel, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Murray, Owen Wilson & countless cameos. It will delight Anderson fans but is more likely destined for Art house cinemas as it is too off center for mainstream audiences. The production design and music are outstanding and even the end credits are imaginatively done (and received another ovation from the audience).
The Counselor (2013)iMDB Rating: 5.5 Date Released : 25 October 2013 Genre : Crime, Drama, Thriller Stars : Michael Fassbender, Penélope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Javier Bardem Movie Quality : HDrip Format : MKV Size : 870 MB
A rich and successful lawyer, the Counselor, is about to get married to his fiancée but soon becomes entangled in a complex drug plot with a middle-man known as Westray. The plan ends up taking a horrible twist and he must protect himself and his soon to be bride as the truth of the drug business is uncovered and targets are eliminated.
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Review :
Felt like a two hour ad for Calvin Klein, but a really good one
The Counselor is the work of a fantastic director, an incredible writer and an A+ cast but sadly it just wasn't put together well enough to be an effective movie. It was written by the talented Cormac McCarthy, this is his screenplay debut and his lack of experience shows, he seems to forget that he is writing the script of a modern film and not a novel or a play. Many of the scenes are lengthy, one on one exchanges between two characters who speak in long extended monologues. The dialog itself is sharp, cryptic and original, I loved hearing the characters' philosophical banter about death, religion, sex, acceptance etc. The simple yet tragic story however is muffled by the heavy abstract dialog, which seems to be trying to be as far from expository as possible. It's hard to make out the details of what's actually happening and you constantly find yourself asking, what's the point? I did however enjoy the writing, it was dark and beautiful and I'd love to see McCarthy return to this style in another, perhaps more illustrative script.
The characters, who are portrayed by some of the most talented actors out there, are all ambiguous, intellectual, bad-asses. It's fun to see slick, eccentric characters like these, but there is no variety, everyone is simply a beautiful and sadistic human being and it becomes very boring to watch. Nobody is lovable, or realistic, or funny or imperfect. It is also impossible to become invested in the characters or the story line. Just a bunch of cool people wearing expensive sunglasses saying and doing cool things, which is enjoyable, but not for a solid two hours.
The cinematography is exceptional, each shot has the aesthetic quality of a well thought out photograph. There was clearly a lot of thought put into camera angles, and where characters and objects were placed within the frame. I was never bored admiring the exotic, luxurious locations captured with such skill.
All in all, the ambitious dialog, the beautiful cinematography and the very capable cast, coupled with a very intense soundtrack made for a film that successfully created a very dark, poignant tone. Unfortunately the story was unclear, despite being very basic. The characters did not contrast each other at all, and it was hard to give a damn about any of it. I'd recommend it to anyone interested in film since I did have a good time and I think there's a lot to take away from it. As a film maker, it's interesting to see a group of people who are all masters of their craft, sincerely try there best, and make something that is so completely ineffective.
Breathe In (2013)iMDB Rating: 6.5 Date Released : 28 March 2014 Genre : Drama, Romance Stars : Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Mackenzie Davis, Amy Ryan Movie Quality : HDrip Format : MKV Size : 870 MB
When a foreign exchange student arrives in a small upstate New York town, she challenges the dynamics of her host family's relationships and alters their lives forever.
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Review :
Such an intricate study of a few people
This film manages to capture so much in so little time. Rarely do I think about a movie long after it's over, but I will be thinking about this for days. I could go on and on about the acting, or the direction, but that would do a disservice to what was actually presented. This is an in-depth study of a family and how their relationships change as they welcome an exchange student into their home.
Everything works together so beautifully here, almost too well. In a very profound way, these people manage to represent a struggle which has been done over and over, yet is captivating.
I'll be honest. This was hard for me to finish. The emotions running through the course of the movie were much too strong for what I thought I was getting myself into. Most classical musicians would have a difficult time with this film. In a single word, "beautiful." And if it had to be two words, the second would be "wrenching." I think we all long for this type of connection, but how to maintain it is the question that is asked of us. This was an honest and obtrusive peek into the way we live our lives. That's what separates film from art. There are many painters, many musicians, but few artists. Art is all about pulling things from people they didn't know they had, and I think anyone could gain something from this, if one can only manage to think past the here and now.
Set in 79 A.D., POMPEII tells the epic story of Milo (Kit Harington), a slave turned invincible gladiator who finds himself in a race against time to save his true love Cassia (Emily Browning), the beautiful daughter of a wealthy merchant who has been unwillingly betrothed to a corrupt Roman Senator. As Mount Vesuvius erupts in a torrent of blazing lava, Milo must fight his way out of the arena in order to save his beloved as the once magnificent Pompeii crumbles around him.
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Review :
Minor flaws throughout, but otherwise a solid thrill...
I would want to say that this film feels different, yet somehow it felt familiar. The film felt different thanks to the climactic volcanic eruption, which added an extra dimension to the final act, yet in every other minor plot detail, it felt as if I've seen the act many times before. Overall, though, it is a joy to watch, despite the minor flaws throughout the film.
One strong point in which I enjoy the film were the action sequences, which mostly are very practical sword fights, that turns out to be quite fun and enjoyable with the fast & swift hits. And then throughout the end, the suspense of the danger can be felt, which I attribute mostly to the decent soundtrack. Soundtracks which are supportive towards the appropriate situation is always a great thing to have. And while the visual effects were not perfect, it didn't really matter in terms of the overall experience.
Yet the film is dragged down by minor flaws along the way. There was no humour in the mix, and while there is no deep emotional drama as well, at least I can still feel for the character. There are times where I felt that the scenes were not supposed to happen yet, although in the end, I could at least care about what's going to happen to these characters. And the closing scenes were too abrupt, where they could instead have added some finishing lines/quotes or maybe give some aftermath/future scenes. These minor details kind of let down what would otherwise be a solid thrilling disaster film.
VERDICT:
Good: Great action sequences, Decent soundtrack & suspense
Bad: No humour, Lack of emotional touches, Abrupt ending, (Minor flaws)
Winter's Tale (2014)iMDB Rating: 6.0 Date Released : 14 February 2014 Genre : Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance Stars : Colin Farrell, Jessica Brown Findlay, Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly Movie Quality : BRrip Format : MKV Size : 870 MB
New York City is subsumed in arctic winds, dark nights, and white lights, its life unfolds, for it is an extraordinary hive of the imagination, the greatest house ever built, and nothing exists that can check its vitality. One night in winter, Peter Lake (Colin Farrell), orphan and master-mechanic, attempts to rob a fortress-like mansion on the Upper West Side. Though he thinks the house is empty, the daughter of the house is home. Thus begins the love between Peter, a middle-aged Irish burglar, and Beverly Penn (Jessica Brown Findlay), a young girl, who is dying.
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Review :
Not as bad as many make it out to be
First some background, I'm a guy, a shoot 'em, blow 'em up, Clint Eastwood luvin dude. I do appreciate however a good romantic story. Also, I have NOT read the book, heck, never even heard of it until now.
So that said, here is my take. The haters seem to fall into three major categories.
First, there are the "loved the book, hate the movie" types. Since I never read the book, I can't speak to this, other than to say, "Sorry, it's not the book, it's a movie". I always tell my kids that the medium of film is radically different than that of pulp and what "works" in one doesn't necessarily work in the other. Given that, one should go into a movie with an open mind, even if you've read the book.
Second, there are the "I never read the book, the movie didn't make sense". Now that I can talk to. I never did find myself all that confused. I think falls in large part to the fact that I never assumed the movie was supposed to be based on reality. I mean come on, given the rather obviously "fantastic" aspects of the story, it's not meant to be taken seriously. You're given an overarching concept (basically the power of love to do amazing things) and if you buy in, then the particulars are not really all that important. If you can't get beyond that, or simply don't buy into the central conceit, then you won't like the movie because it rides that wave for all it's worth.
Third are the folks who thought the movie was too schmaltzy. Now that I would at least partially agree with. That said, again, the movie doesn't try to hide the fact that it wears it's heart on it's sleeve. It's fair that if one does not go for that kind of thing, then you won't like this film.
All that said, I thought it was a "good" romantic film. My personal criticisms fall mainly on the somewhat wooden acting and the overall lack of "feel". That's right, despite all I said above there was just something about the film that just never really drew me into the characters. For some reason I never really felt truly emotionally invested in the characters. I didn't hate them, I did care, just not nearly as much as I thought I should. I also thought some of the acting was a bit forced and this might have contributed to not being able to lose myself in the characters. Almost like the actors did a good job of "acting" like the characters but never quite crossed into "being" the characters.
So if you're willing to accept the movie for what it is, an unabashedly romantic film that weaves religion as an integral part of the story, then I think that you will enjoy the film. It's not perfect by any sense of the imagination, but IMHO it's not nearly as bad as some folks are making it out to be.
Endless Love (2014)iMDB Rating: 6.0 Date Released : 14 February 2014 Genre : Drama, Romance Stars : Gabriella Wilde, Alex Pettyfer, Bruce Greenwood, Robert Patrick Movie Quality : HDrip Format : MKV Size : 870 MB
The story of a privileged girl and a charismatic boy whose instant desire sparks a love affair made only more reckless by parents trying to keep them apart.
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Review :
This film is perfect
6.0? You must be joking me! This film deserves a 10? It's not just a romantic chick flick, the amount of tension in this film makes you want to scream, there's parts that make you want to cry, there's also parts where you want to rip, jades dads' head off, but yeah, there is the amazing love between David and Jade, it's not the typical teenage love story, it truly is amazing, it looks at love from a completely different perspective. The adventures they go on, the things they do, it's lovely to watch. This film is incredibly made, the music matches every moment perfectly, the way they show everything is amazing. The build up to things is spot-on, I watched this at the cinema on valentines, and I am 100% going to buy in on DVD! I'm still debating going to see it at the cinema again. :)
