Two Line Reviews - #416

Movie: The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Plot: Eight years after Harvey Dent's death, search is On for the Batman. Bruce Wayne comes out of his self-imposed exile to take on Bane, a forceful opponent who operates from underground who has an eye on the Nuclear energy project of the Wayne Enterprise and a hand on the 'truth' behind Batman.

What Works?

• After the superhero films that came this year, Christopher Nolan's efforts to idolise the Batman for a third time comes as a relief and offers what superhero films are expected to offer - sensible and intense entertainment!
• Tom Hardy, as Bane, has a brilliant role and his rugged portrayal with his one-liners and ruthless vengeance is terrific! He comes quite close to Joker and that is a big enough compliment!
• Christian Bale carries off the Wayne and Batman parts as expected, Gordon Levitt promises to keep the saga going, and both the lead ladies in the film have neatly fitting roles.
• Bringing in Ra's Al Ghul from part I and tying it up with a gripping portion in this part has worked superbly.
• Hans Zimmer's prolific background score is pulsating!

What Doesn't?

• A particular casting decision makes a thing or two predictable.
• The police going into the dungeon are made to look like fools!

Entertainment Guaranteed; Honestly, not any less & not much more!

Two Line Reviews - #409

Movie: The Next Three Days (2010)

 

Plot: A family is devastated when the wife gets charged for the murder of her boss. After a suicide attempt by her, the husband decides on a plan to let her free and works meticulously for three years to make the 3 day execution successful. Amidst all this he has to take care of their kid and the watch-dog policemen!

 

What Works?

• The film has a crooked plot but not something a common man made to face an uncommon situation cannot relate to! So, there gets established the connection.
• Russell Crowe's stoic expressions are apt for the role he plays here and the family form a good threesome.
• The background music helps; the twists in the chase are enjoyable & action blocks(specifically the scene where the wife tries to get off the car!) are gripping.

What Doesn't?
The very idea on which Crowe works based on the inputs from Liam Neeson who plays a cameo is a bit impractical!

 

A racy serving of uncommon action.

Two Line Reviews - #272

Movie: Husbands & Wives (1992)

 

Plot: A husband-wife duo announce the break-up. This shocks their close-friends couple but a dramatic turn around sees the former pair re-uniting and the latter pair splitting!

 

Highlights:

• The idiosyncracies (a term Allen so often uses) are quite evident with the flow of this Woody Allen flick.
• The ironic tale is narrated in a nice and interesting fashion with classy dialogues and scene segments.
• With Allen leading the way, Mia Farrow plays another good role & the young Liam Neeson supports well.

Ironies brought to life on-screen!