Two Line Reviews - #464

Movie: The Adjustment Bureau (2011)

Plot: A congressman losing his election to New York Senate lets his loser's speech get altered thanks to the inspiration he draws from his 'love-at-first-sight'. He sees her later once, misses her many times again. It takes some time for him to realise nothing at all was mere coincidence that he is just a part of a mesh of guys working on a much bigger and stranger plan! He tries to unshackle himself off their chain, follow his free-will in pursuit of his love. Will his efforts go in vain?!

What Works?

• This creation of George Nolfi is quite strange in the sense that you get to know where it is heading only half-way through the film! In spite of that, the film doesn't sag anywhere and keeps one engrossed - All credits to the convincing answers at the end!
• Matt Damon and Emily Blunt share a charming chemistry and that plays its part in making the film tick.
• The very concept that is the core of the film is brought out pretty decently thanks to some nice action sequences, CG work,camerawork,music & a classy group of Bureau members (The Afro-American lad being the most prominent of the lot!)

A nice mockery of the limitations of human ability to pursue free-will!

Two Line Reviews - #337

Movie: Contagion (2011)

Plot: A virus breakdown spreads across continents killing millions in the process. A speculating blogger on the social network has a field day compounding the headache of WHO and Disease control officials in the U.S.A. accusing them of striking deals with pharmaceutical cos. to delay the release of a vaccine. How the virus spreads, shaking the human instincts of people making them turn barbaric in a demand supply imbalance forms the rest of the plot!

Positives:

• This bio-medical sci-fi film from Soderbergh is pulsating, even a tad better than 28 Days Later, and what makes this click well is the different angles from which the situation is depicted.
• There are big names in the cast right from Kate Winslet to Matt Damon to Fishburne to Jude Law to Cotillard, all playing small and neat roles.
• The background score by adds to the momentum the film's screenplay carries.
• The scenes explaining the spread of the contagion (especially the final scene) is worrisome for it can happen anytime for real!

Contagious film indeed! (Couldn't avoid the cliche)

Two Line Reviews - #307

Movie: Inside Job (Documentary,2010)
Plot: The film traces the roots of the Global Economic Recession of 2008 and how leading U.S. Banks and Financial Cos. like Lehmann Bros.,Goldman Sachs, Merill Lynch etc. got trapped in the web created by their own selves in an attempt to find ways to create wealth.

Highlights:

• The Iceland prologue sets up the base wonderfully for this Ferguson directed, Matt Damon narrated documentary.
• The way things such as the securitisation food chain are explained make it an easy and understandable watch even for the uninformed.
• The kind of research done is quite evident from the footages shown & the digs taken at the leading Executives of the major banks by mentioning they denied speaking for the film are worth a mention.

Learning the '08 Recession made easy.

Two Line Reviews - #212

Movie: Hereafter (2010)

Plot: A french TV editor miraculously escapes from the jaws of death by surviving a Tsunami; In UK, a kid loses his twin brother in an accident; A man in San Francisco has the unimaginable gift (or curse) of connecting with dead ones. The first two seek the truth behind the existence of a life after death and their problems get solved when the third comes their way.

Highlights:

• An endearingly made film on a gloomy & hitherto untouched subject. Clint Eastwood takes all that is necessary to give the right amount of emotions, suspense and content to it.
• Matt Damon, the kid and the french woman - the pivotal characters are perfectly sketched and they play their roles with aplomb. Matt Damon especially; The pride he shows as a Dickens fan is natural action at its best.
• The graphics showing the Tsunami is of lofty standards!
• The way the incidents are connected, though seen before, is apt for a subject like this.

Melancholic & Memorable; Ignored for no reasons for the Oscars last year..

Two Line Reviews - #165

Movie: True Grit (2011)

Plot: A girl whose father gets murdered wants to avenge the loss. She takes the help of a field Marshall and a Texas ranger who are at loggerheads and the three are in pursuit of the killer ; the girl for her father & the other two for the money.

Highlights:

• Once again, a film with a simple story scores with the narration of the Coen Brothers.
• The lazy action of the giant like Jeff Bridges & the supporting roles played by Matt Damon & the girl.
• The night shooting sequence & the climax.

A watch-worthy cowboy film which ,for a change, is less on adventure.

Two line Reviews - #47

Movie: Green Zone (2010)



Claps:
The gutsy dig at the USA's claim on the Saddam governed Iraq's possession of WMD.
Matt Damon - The guy definitely has an aura about him.
The honest dialogues of the local who plays Freddy.
Art work.

Blips:
How I wish the climax chase sequences were shot in broad daylight!
Was the real conspiracy this big>? or was it a reel justice? I am not sure..

Overall Score: 9.1/10