Reviews

Death at a Funeral has a distinct Four Weddings and a Funeral feel. This movie is more amusing that many so-called American comedies at their peaks. Director Frank Oz's credentials as the helmsman of funny movies are well established - he steered such productions as What About Bob?, In & Out, and Bowfinger. Improbably, this is a perfect choice for him, and the result ends up being a fusion of his off-kilter style and screenwriter Dean Craig's zaniness. Embarrassment may be the soil of British comedy, but the cringe-inducing fertilizer is all American. Death at a Funeral is flawed, but I'm willing to forgive a lot of flaws when a movie makes me laugh as much as this one. Despite being directed by a Yank, Death at a Funeral has a very British flavour. In fact, at times it reminded me of nothing less than an extended episode of Fawlty Towers, minus the manic genius of John Cleese. The film begins slowly, with occasional low-key laughs widely spread. However, it then does something too few comedies achieve: it builds momentum. The closer we get to the end credits, the faster and more furious the jokes come, until they're tumbling all over one another. The film's climax is nothing short of hilarious.

Apparently AI was a project Stanley Kubrick wanted to work on desperately but could not, and eventually the entire project was helmed by Steven Spielberg. And herein lies the problem- Both their visions are different. Whilst Kubrick was a notoriously pessimistic (or nihilistic) filmmaker Spielberg is a child at heart, the always optimist. And the film doesn't know which theme to adapt. Haley Joel Osment- fresh off the success of The Sixth Sense is quite good as the main lead who happens to be a robot and the visuals are exciting. But the result is just meh.

Saw this one as it lay on my hard drive and there isn't much to recommend. As a matter of fact I don't remember much of this movie except that the lead actress is gorgeous and it has some notable faces that became future stars. The story is basic: A teen dies and comes back as a zombie expect not the menacing killing kind, but the lovelorn, afraid one. There's not much that I recollect and the film was barely noticed all these years. It however stars Mathew Mcchounghey, Renee Zellwegger, Mathew Fox and Phillip Seymour Hoffman.

The Descent is as close to a masterpiece as they come, and in my humble opinion it certainly qualifies among the top ten finest horror film of the past twenty years or so. It is claustrophobic, visceral- there are bone splitting, blood oozing and vomit inducing scenes, certainly not for the fainthearted. But apart from all this the Descent contains something that every horror film should utilize- a good screenplay and characters one can relate to/side with. This is a tight film(literally and figuratively) and the characters are well drawn out. The acting is top notch and the fact that Neil Marshall went for quality but unknown faces works in the favor of the film. 8/10 (One of the greatest horror films of all time-incredibly effective).

Overboard follows the grand old trope of a mismatched couple from different circumstances coming together where one learns the ways of life from the other which is so different from their own background. Overboard has Goldie Hawn play a rich heiress who loses her memory in an accident and ends up with regular joe Kurt Russell and his four boys. It's a nice movie with a genuine charm. Hawn is adept at playing bubbly characters whom you enjoy watching and Russell is her perfect partner here. Garry Marshall's films tend to be light hearted family affairs and Overboard is just that. The location used for filming is Fort Bragg(California) which adds to the breezy charm. Nothing unexpected but still enjoyable, and better than the R driven crap out nowadays. Watch this one to spend a few hours getting lost in the days when life seemed as breezy as this movie.

Taylor Hackford has created a melodramatic film focusing on blue collared people trying to find their meaning. Richard Gere enrolls in an air academy where he finds love and understand the importance of discipline and etiquette from a stern drill instructor. The characters are well developed, and the acting is superb all round from Richard Gere and Debra Winger to Louis Gossett(who won a best supporting academy award). I would not classify this film as a romantic one per-se, but more like a sweeping drama with a romantic ending. The locations are good- a different background rather than the usual Los Angeles or New York story is always welcome and the airbase scenes are well shot. An Officer and A Gentleman is a very good film buoyed by a fine story and some great acting.

David Lynch's Mulholland Drive is a unique movie. Unique because regardless of what you consider- if you liked the film or not- you will think about what you just saw. It is a reactionary film in ways because it toys with your perception. Naomi Watts arrives in Los Angeles as a wide-eyed starlet who finds a mysterious woman, shaken and damaged in her apartment. With her career not going as desired she teams with this woman to solve the mystery of who she really is and how did she come to be in that situation. This is a psychological film with multiple layers and themes which might confuse you. Lynch is an auteur and all his films reek of atmosphere and this one is no different. You should try Mulholland Drive- I enjoyed it and will see it many times in time to come.

Lars Von Trier is a risky filmmaker and with Melancholia he has channeled all that risqué factor into a good story with some fantastic visuals. The oddly beautiful Kirsten Dunst leads the film and is pretty much the main character whose wedding takes place amidst an apocalypse event(Earth is about to be hit by another planet!!). The acting is uniform throughout and the pacing is very good. Melancholia is a film that should be seen even if you don't like art movies. This one just might change your perspective.

Aliens of the Deep is what a science documentary ought to be: visually awe inspiring with an amalgamation of real and rendered scenes and perhaps most importantly- narrated or explained by someone who knows what they are saying and not just reading their lines to cash in a cheque. James Cameron is the narrator, diver and director of this amazing documentary that juxtaposes a deep ocean dive with a space mission to one of the Galilean moons. The banter between the scientists aboard the Russian mission ship and Cameron's enthusiasm is a joy to watch.

Knowing is a strange film to review. On the one hand it contains some genuinely creepy scenes including a plane crash that is convincing and a scene in the woods that is eerie but the story about a professor who goes out to prevent catastrophes based on a list contained in an unearthed time capsule falls flat. This is probably the film when Nicholas Cage started going nuts and acting in every film that was probably thrown his way, though this cannot be faulted at the film. Alex Proyas could have done a better job but it is a decent effort containing some great isolated sequences.