Reviews

When I was watching this film, I was at first,a bit confused and in a way I still am which is why I would recommend this film to anyone who is interested in political thrillers. Since I found this movie a tad bit confusing, it would be worth a second viewing. Academy Award winner George Clooney stars as CIA agent Bob Barnes who is assigned on a mission to assassinate a "rogue" prince named Nasir Al-Subaai( Alexander Siddig) as well as all the politics about oil companies occurring simultaneously. Since there is a plethora of well-known faces in this movie,you would think that it is hard to pick out the best performances because you have a mix of leading men such as George Clooney, Matt Damon and William Hurt mixed with character actors such as Mark Strong, Tim Blake Nelson,Jeffrey Wright,Christopher Plummer, Chris Cooper as well as some unrecognisable faces such as Alexander Siddig, Mazhar Munir and Kayvan Novak,etc.If I had to choose five top performances, it would include George Clooney, Alexander Siddig, Matt Damon, Mazhar Munir as a Pakistani migrant worker and Christopher Plummer.

Surprisingly,this is the first film of Quentin Tarantino's that I have had the privilege of watching. A couple of reasons led me to watch Inglorious Basterds which include the hype the film received, admiration for Tarantino's films despite never watching one previous to this one and other movies or directors using a similar style(eg. Coen Brothers-No Country for Old Men),etc.Having watched this film twice, I would have to say in my opinion, I see a strong chance for this film to win a Best Picture Oscar as well as a Best Director Oscar for Mr. Tarantino. I thought it should also be given a chance in the Screen writing category.With films that have such a good ensemble such as this one, it is sometimes hard to choose who was the best. Even with the star power of Brad Pitt, I think it is Christoph Waltz who steals the show as Colonel Hans Landa. From the first moment I saw him on screen, I said to myself"this guy is going to steal the show and could possibly snare an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor,even a win if possible."Also starring in the ensemble cast is Melanie Laurent,Diane Kruger,Michael Fassbender,Eli Roth,Til Schweiger and Daniel Bruhl.

The title says it all. Four Weddings and a Funeral is basically what it is. It is an example of what you see is what you get. Hugh Grant plays the lead role of Charles in typical Grant fashion,charming,lovely,well dressed gentleman,etc. It was basically the film that put him on the map as well as getting a Golden Globe and BAFTA Award along the way. The film also has an alright supporting cast including a few well known faces such as Andie MacDowell,Kristin Scott Thomas and Rowan Atkinson. However,the film could have improved in a few ways by developing the story further, not have too many random characters and further development of the characters.

I haven't watched a movie for a while that is as captivating as The Lovely Bones. The film revolves around how the Salmon family deal with the loss of their relative Susie(Saoirse Ronan-Atonement), a 14 year old girl who is murdered. Mark Wahlberg,Rachel Weisz,Susan Sarandon,Michael Imperioli and Stanley Tucci co-star. Though Mark Wahlberg and Michael Imperioli's roles in this film are above-average, Susan Sarandon and Rachel Weisz's could have been better. But the roles that I thought stole the show were Saoirse Ronan's and Stanley Tucci's especially because I predict an Oscar nomination for Stanley Tucci who plays the creepy neighbour George Harvey to perfection. At times, this film doesn't feel like a Peter Jackson film but at times it does. Overall, an above-average drama-thriller with a fantasy-like plot.

After watching this film, I thought it was one of the best comedies of not just 2009 but of the entire decade( the 2000's). The Hangover is about four friends,Phil Wenneck,Stu Price, Alan Garner and Doug Billings(Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis and Justin Bartha respectively) who travel to Las Vegas for a bachelor party but end up staying longer as they wake up the morning after not remembering much. The reason why I found this to be one of the funniest films of the decade as well as one of my favorite comedies is because of the film's plot, the main actors in the film(listed above) as well as some of the supporting actors(namely Ken Jeong and Heather Graham) and one or two of the cameos. Overall,it is an hilarious ride from start to finish.

If there is one action-thriller that is under the definition of "underrated action-thrillers", this is one that is certain to top the list. Liam Neeson stars as Bryan Mills, an ex-CIA paramilitary operative who has to track down a group of slave traders who take his daughter Kim(Maggie Grace). I won't give away too many details but I will say it is a strong film that blends action, suspense and drama in a nicely concocted cocktail. The support cast such as Famke Janssen, Xander Berkeley, Katie Cassidy and Maggie Grace all played their parts well. The film was directed and written well and it's a throwback to films like the Bourne movies and the Bond movies.

Finally, it is good to see Robin Williams do a decent comedy after the blunders known as Man of the Year and License to Wed but it's still not going to beat Mrs Doubtfire which in my opinion is Williams' best. Williams and his co-star John Travolta play two middle-aged men( Dan and Charlie respectively) who are best friends as well as co-workers who have to take care of Dan's kids as the mother,Vicky(Kelly Preston) cannot. Some hilarity ensues but could have been executed better. The supporting cast includes the likes of the late Bernie Mac, Seth Green, Matt Dillon, Justin Long and Rita Wilson but only Bernie Mac and Seth Green could manage to give a satisfactory performance.

Out of all of the movies I have seen over the last few years, I can't remember hearing about a movie that has been so hyped up by various forms of the media and a movie that I have been anxiously waiting to see. Let me tell you that in my opinion that this movie meets up to the hype surrounding it.For those who like a bit of suspense and romance in movies, this is one for you to watch.Before this movie came out, I had never even heard of it or the novel that it is based on. The movie is a different sort of romance movie as it concerns a human-vampire relationship. Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart display the right amount of on-screen chemistry as Edward Cullen and Bella Swan respectively to be an effective on-screen duo; in other words,their roles were well cast.Other cast members such as Taylor Lautner, Cam Gigandet,Peter Facinelli,Nikki Reed and Billy Burke among others performed well in the supporting cast.

Gattaca is one of those movies that has a mix of everything,several interesting sub-plots,good directing,editing and acting as well as character development,a good story mixed with some thrills,drama and a bit of romance thrown in there.Ethan Hawke,Uma Thurman and Jude Law lead a stellar cast that includes the likes of Loren Dean,Alan Arkin,Ernest Borgnine,Elias Koteas,Xander Berkeley and Gore Vidal.The story was well written by Andrew Niccol who also wrote the script for The Truman Show and directed Gattaca which was also his directional debut.The film was edited well as in some cases it was easy to understand why certain things were in certain places.Overall,well done.

This version of The Pink Panther is loosely based on the original 1963 version that starred Peter Sellers.Steve Martin plays the title character,Inspector Jacques Clouseau who is investigating the mysterious disappearance of the Pink Panther diamond.Though the film is aimed for those a bit younger,it is still satisfying for adults who possibly grew up watching the original Pink Panther series.Besides Steve Martin,Jean Reno,Kevin Kline,Emily Mortimer and Beyonce Knowles also add to the humour equation of this movie.Overall,it was OK-good but it wasn't a classic but enough to satisfy me for the time being after watching the movie.

There have been some good comedies in the years but this is probably the most intelligent and witty one that I have ever seen as it picks on certain groups such as celebrities,The Academy Awards which ironically enough got Robert Downey Jr. an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor this year,drug abuse and more.The main cast is brilliantly handled as Ben Stiller,Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr deliver their roles good especially Robert Downey Jr having battled problems of his own and making an incredible comeback.The other members of the main cast who also performed well include Jay Baruchel,Brandon T Jackson,Nick Nolte,Danny McBride,Steve Coogan,Matthew McConaughey and Tom Cruise.In short,casting is brilliant and I am surprised that the film was nominated for Golden Globes(Best Supporting Actor for Tom Cruise and Robert Downey Jr.),SAG award,BAFTA award and the Academy Award.But the praise mostly goes to Ben Stiller in terms of the amount of work he had done in this production such as writing,producing,directing and even acting in this.A great film overall.

Back in the year 2003,if there was one movie not to be missed,it is this one.Mystic River has all the basic qualities about a film that makes it better-than-good such as a good cast,good directing as well as a good script and storyline.Sean Penn,Tim Robbins and Kevin Bacon star as three friends(Jimmy Markum,Dave Boyle and Sean Devine respectively) who grow up in suburban,working-class Boston who each have a falling out after an incident but then years later,they are reconnected through certain events.Sean Penn and Tim Robbins act their parts well considering they won the Academy Awards for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor respectively but other cast members that were also impressive include Kevin Bacon and Marcia Gay Harden whilst Laura Linney and Laurence Fishburne were OK at best.Clint Eastwood directs this movie good as well.The big shock here is that this film didn't win Best Picture which after watching this found that outrageous.It should have won but either way,it was a good film for 2003.

Eddie Murphy returns again as the always lovable Axel Foley who returns to Beverly Hills on a roller coaster ride of thrills at Wonderworld amusement park.The casting of this film in some ways isn't as strong as the previous two but in some ways just as good.Either way,I found this movie to be the funniest of the Beverly Hills Cop trilogy.Another main reason why I thought this was the funniest of the three was because Judge Reinhold is in perfect form as Axel's best friend,Detective Billy Rosewood.The rest of the cast was also well placed and I thought the directing by John Landis was good for a movie like this.I am hoping that if they make a fourth one that it can live up to the likes of the previous three including this one.

Eddie Murphy returns as the always lovable and quite humorous street smart cop from Detroit,Axel Foley along with Judge Reinhold and John Ashton who play Billy Rosewood and John Taggart respectively.This time,Axel has a tougher challenge ahead of him;to track down a group of international munition smugglers who were responsible for a friend of Axel's being injured.Without spoiling too much,the film was OK but not as good as the original in my view as there was just something missing from this film that was there in the original.The casting was also OK as it included the likes of Bridgette Nielsen and Academy Award nominee Dean Stockwell.It was directed by Tony Scott.

The first of a hilarious trilogy of films,Beverly Hills Cops stars Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley who is a street-smart cop from Detroit who is looking for a dish of justice to be served as he intends on tracking down his best friends killer in Beverly Hills.Judge Reinhold and John Ashton play Detective William'Billy' Rosewood and Detective Seargant John Taggart respectively played with humour and quick wit.In my view,overall the film deserves some good pointers such as the action sequences,the humour and quick wit and humour by Eddie Murphy,Judge Reinhold and John Ashton plus Steven Berkoff and Lisa Eilbacher as Victor Maitland and Jeanette'Jenny'Summers respectively play their parts well as well as some wonderful directing by Martin Brest.Overall,it is a comedy that won't be forgotten anytime soon.

There are many who give this film favorable ratings whilst others dismiss it as a flop.In terms of what I think,I agree with the former.Body of Lies combines a cocktail of different qualities such as good on screen chemistry between some of the main cast,good casting and ensemble,good directing and the list goes on.Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe star as Roger Ferris and Ed Hoffman respectively in which Ferris is trying to find a wanted terrorist in the Middle East whilst Hoffman idly watches from the sidelines.The on screen chemistry factor mostly affects Leonardo DiCaprio as he has good chemistry with Mark Strong who plays Hani Salaam,Golshifteh Farahani who plays Aisha and Australian actor Vince Colosimo who plays Skip.All in all,great job by Leonardo DiCaprio and great directing by Ridley Scott who in my view should get an Oscar nomination for Best Director and William Monahan(Oscar winner for Best Adapted Screenplay-The Departed) who should get an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.One slight improvement without giving much away should be Russell Crowe's character.But otherwise,a good enjoyable film that sends a strong message to those who know about the storyline.

Another generic action film in my books,xXx is an average action film that some might enjoy and others might not,it isn't really special or anything so I wouldn't be in a big rush to watch it.Vin Diesel stars as Xander Cage who is a thrill-seeker until a few things happen which result in him doing something different.On to the scene comes Augustus Gibbons(Samuel L.Jackson) who is an NSA agent who gives Xander two choices:(a)work for him or (b)go to jail and serve a prison term.The casting was OK but could have better as in a way,Vin Diesel and Samuel L.Jackson carry the movie on their shoulders but Asia Argento and Marton Csokas do an OK job as supporting but the rest of the cast is a bit of a let down.The directing by Rob Cohen was abit average and could have been abit better but there is always next time,isn't there?

In what could possibly be one of the best films of the year,The Visitor does not fail to deliver strong performances and a good film to us,the paying audience.Richard Jenkins stars as Professor Walter Vale who befriends a young couple who are squatting in his apartment,Tarek (Haaz Sleiman) and his girlfriend,Zainab.Through this,they form a friendship which later involves Tarek's mother after a certain incident that occurs.Without spoiling anything,I think the film doesn't necessarily give us what we want but the truth in terms of everyday living.When it comes time to the Academy Awards in February 2009,it should get a couple of nominations including Best Actor-Richard Jenkins,Best Original Screenplay and Best Directing for Thomas McCarthy as well as even a possible Best Picture nod.Even though the cast wasn't a typical Hollywood one because it didn't boast any big names,it still performs just as good if not better than a standard Hollywood one.The number one standout performance in this film would have to be Richard Jenkins as he is perhaps best known to date for character roles rather than for a leading role such as this.Overall,a good job and a film to watch out for when it comes time for the Oscars.

I have waited for this film for so long and now I have had the privilege of watching it.Most of this movie came to me as a surprise.The Dark Knight is one of,if not,the best film of the year and probably ever made.It is one of my favorite films.It was more than a action film to me,it was an epic like Heat,The Godfather saga and Scarface among others.Christopher Nolan was brilliant at directing this so in my view,he should be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Director as well as the film as a whole being nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay as well as the Academy Award for Best Picture.

Christian Bale stars as Batman/Bruce Wayne who proves that he is just as good as he was in Batman Begins,if not better.The cast also includes Gary Oldman(Jim Gordon),Michael Caine(Alfred),Morgan Freeman(Lucius) as well as William Fichtner,Eric Roberts,Aaron Eckhart(Harvey Dent),Maggie Gyllenhaal(Rachel Dawes) and the late,great Heath Ledger as the Joker.

The cast was magnificent but I think it was Heath Ledger who made me feel proud to watch this film.His performance is worthy of an Academy Award win for Best Actor as he gave it his all and more than 100% of an effort for his role as The Joker.We will all miss you,Heath and your character who you made iconic.Rest in Peace.Heath Ledger-1979-2008.

It is the first Batman movie I have watched and I must say,I was hugely impressed.Though I have not watched other Batman movies,I can tell that this looks better than those made in the 90's.In a reboot of the franchise,the story starts at the beginning,hence the name of the title.Christian Bale stars as the titular character,Batman as well as his alter ego,Bruce Wayne.After certain issues in Gotham City that occur to Bruce,he leaves and travels the world in search of looking for something.He encounters a mysterious man by the name of Henri Ducard(Oscar nominee Liam Neeson in one of his best roles) among others.The cast was great including the likes of Christian Bale,Liam Neeson,Michael Caine,Gary Oldman,Morgan Freeman and even Katie Holmes.What was also good is the film focused on character and storyline development instead of on just the action and Christopher Nolan is the man to thank for that as he directed the film and written the screenplay for the film.Watching this today has made me even more excited for the next Batman film,The Dark Knight.Well done to everyone who worked to make this film a great film.