Two Line Reviews - #411

Movie: Torn Curtain(1966)

Plot: An American scientist goes to East Germany to get details on the revelations a German scientist has done on Nuclear power before the Russians buy him out. He goes into the iron curtain posing as an impostor but before he gets out, his true intentions are known making it difficult for him to come out of the curtain.

What Works?

• An Alfred Hitchcock film, it seems, never fails to impress with the suspense it promises to deliver.
• Paul Newman faithfully follows the Hitchcock hero grace earlier shown by the likes of Cary Grant & Stewart.
• The iron-will of his girl aide Sarah is another winner; The beautiful Julie Andrews is adorable.
• Characters such as Lindt, Kromer & the Polish lady stay in memory for long.

Super Suspense!

Two Line Reviews - #263

Movie: The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)

Plot: When the President of a company who holds 87% of its stock commits suicide, his heir-to-be miscalculates, brings in an imbecile as the new president to let the stocks nosedive so that he could buy all the stakes and rule! Only the imbecile was unbelievably crazy that his ideas clicked big time!

Highlights:

• This film would be right on top among the most craziest comedy films I have seen & every second of this piece of 'Coens' stamped eccentric fun was cherish-able.
• Tim Robbins - After seeing him in serious roles in films like Shawshank Redemption,Jacob's Ladder & Mystic River, it was such a pleasure to see him do this crazy role at ease; Giving him wonderful company were Paul Newman & Jenifer Jason Leigh
• Music, dialogues & the rib-tickling Hula Hoop idea in this film were top quality stuff - Dialogue-oriented comedy was unbelievably good! Crazy Coens - they write their films which is another huge thing to praise them on.

Comedy, Craziness, Classic!

Two Line Reviews - #236

Movie: The Verdict (1982)

Plot: A lawyer whose career is on the wane chooses a medical mishap case to resurrect his career and fame thereby taking on the big head doctors who happen to be defended by some of the strong founder members of the hospital. He goes to the extent of refusing a handsome amount offered as a settlement and attempts the case on court!

Highlights:

• Sidney Lumet has been known for some of the other famous films but this one is no inferior. It's right up there; the calmness so visible in his films is present in this one too.
• Paul Newman is mighty impressive in his role as the out-of-touch lawyer who desperately seeks justice. His subtle reactions are the highlights of his style of action.
• The way the defense attorney trains his cadre to a case and such scenes are new and interesting.

A compelling watch of a case on trial/

Two Line Reviews - #225

Movie: Cool Hand Luke (1967)

Plot: A pretty cool petty thief gets caught for stealing municipal property and gets to serve a term in a penitentiary. With the 'nothing' that he has and a sheer cool attitude, he makes life better for the rest of his inmates and tries escaping from the place time and again only to get caught.

Highlights:

• This one is a different film in the sense that it tries to show the lighter side of men in jail. To mix fun with emotions is quite difficult and the makers pull that off with ease.
• Paul Newman as the 'Cool' Luke is brilliant. He's definitely one of the legendary actors Hollywood has produced. 
• The boxing, tarring, egg-eating sequences are especially delightful.
• The music is pleasant, the visuals are nice and the dialogues are perfect.

Lowlights:
Luke's attempted escapades are unbelievable though.

An extraordinarily ordinary film.

Two Line Reviews - #195

Movie: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)

 Plot: They are two horse-bound bandits. They rob banks and run riot in the USA. After being relentlessly chased by an affected victim, they move base to Bolivia. Their robbing stint there is limited to a short time after the chaser reaches Bolivia too. Will they escape this time too?

Highlights:

• The fun-filled and stylishly shot chase and robbing sequences make this a pretty good entertainer.
• The duo of Paul Newman & Robert Redford is deadly! As Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid, they run the show with terrific ease.
• The background song & Ilayaraja type music that comes in the Bolivia scene are other highlights.

Another awesome 'west-genre' Entertainer.

Two Line Reviews - #152

Movie: The Sting (1973)

Plot: A small-time conman wants to avenge the murder of his partner by conning the person behind his friend's killing who happens to be a rich banker. For his revenge, he seeks help from a big-time conman and with their immaculate planning calls for an interesting viewing.

Highlights:

• An enthralling screenplay explaining in detail the con-work of the con-men, the way they set the trap for their target!
• Paul Newman's effortless acting and the Brad Pitt-like Robert Redford's supporting role.
• Some interesting twists thrown around here and there.

Lowlights:
The reason for taking such a huge risk seems not worthy enough.

My Rating: 9.2/10