Two Line Reviews - #243

Movie: Catch Me If You Can (2002)

Plot: Financial misfortunes and parents' divorce make a confused teenager carve himself a path of felony,fraudulence and impersonation. When his cheque forgeries cross limits, the FBI is after him. He gives his FBI agent a tough time outwitting him on every occassion but finally the agent gets the better of him and gives him an opportunity to earn some solace for his misdeeds

Highlights:

• Leonardo DiCaprio plays the major role - and as a forger and a flirt master, the guy is at his best providing moments to enjoy.
• As the dutiful FBI agent who gets pissed off with his culprit's ways Tom Hanks plays a super foil and shows his class time and again.
• Spielberg, as usual, is out with a different plot and succeeds (not spectacularly though) in giving a comical chase story aided well by John Williams' jazz chase sound tracks.

Lowlights:
Some scenes are serious but the depiction of the police is very comical and that's inconsistent.

A Different & Enjoyable ride! But, I expected more from a film that boasts of Spielberg,Hanks,DiCaprio.

Two Line Reviews - #242

Movie: Cinderella Man (2005)

Plot: A promising boxer James.J.Braddock is among the thousands hit by the Great Economic depression of the 30s and to make ends meet, plays petty matches and takes up wager work thereby deepening his financial crisis. Opportunity knocks his door after 4 years and he makes a highly inspiring comeback that gives hope for a financially stuttering New Jersey populace.


Highlights:

• This one joins the Rocky 1,2,3,4 league for its wonderful making and the stress on the financial angle shown makes it different from the Stallone series.
• Russell Crowe lives the role of a pugilist and he is damn convincing with his antics on the ring; Off it, his scenes with his wife and manager (both being his unshakably supportive pillars and wonderful characterisations at that!) are emotionally touching and brilliant.
• The way he fights on and off the ring for his family/his kids makes the character a true inspiration. The truely believable boxing matches show the quality of the stunt co-ordinators' efforts.

Highly Inspiring stuff; Take a bow,Russell Crowe.

Two Line Reviews - #241

Movie: A Good Year (2006)

Plot: A busily rich London bureaucrat gets back to the French Vineyard where he spent his childhood with his long-forgotten Uncle to take care of the sale of the place due to his Uncle's death. The 'grand' memories of the place pleasantly haunt him and so does a petite French damselle. He rues on the years he ignored writing back to his Uncle and decides that is the place where he needs to be.
Highlights:

• This Ridley Scott film (a probable inspiration to the thamizh flick Jeyamkondaan) is a piece of poetry; I didn't know what genre it was set in and what I saw surprised me. Memories are always special and so is this film on the same.
• Russell Crowe plays his role to perfection; He does comedy exceedingly well and acting comes naturally to him.
• The others in the cast are apt and the old man Uncle with his occasional words of wisdom earns 'respect'
• The music is brilliant and so is the quiet comedy that flows through the run of the film

An unheralded gem - As good as the priceless vineyard shown in it!

Two Line Reviews - #240

Movie: 21 (2008)

Plot: A brainy MIT graduate fulfils his childhood dream of getting an admission at Harvard Med School but what stands between him and his seat is money (or) a 'lifetime' experience. He is noted by his professor who has his league of students turned card counters and gets trained on Blackjack for a calculated plundering off of casinos. When he gets more money, he gets over ambitious and that's when trouble pops its head out!

Highlights:

• The film is racy and takes some unpredictable interesting turns at times; Kevin Spacey and his crew of looters do a fine job
• The angle of the nerdish friends of the hero and their strained times with him are depicted nicely
• The climactic twist is enjoyably good

Lowlights:
The jealous guy in the group, the make-up act - are stereotypes

An 'OK' Timepass ride

Book Look - #18

THE DAY OF THE JACKAL by Frederick Forsyth

Plot: 6 attempts of an agency within France, adversely against the policies and the rule of the french President, to kill him flop and that's when they hire a professional assassin code-named The Jackal. The meticulous planner leaves no stone unturned in his bid to kill the President and in his way stands a determined French detective who keeps tracing all the marvelous moves of The Jackal. The death of the president, to be or not to be, is what makes the grand finale .

Highlights:

• The book split into three 'Anatomy' parts is aptly named. The three parts literally dissect and show all that there is to assassinate a big shot.
• The 1 st part, about the Jackal and his plans to the minute details is riveting to say the least
• The 2nd part, about the commisaire's tracing of his killer suspect gives an idea of the intelligence that deals with big scale crimes
• The 3rd part, in comparison with the first two, is a tad low on what it offers but it paves the way for a thrilling finish!

Two Line Reviews - #239

Movie: 21 Grams (2003)

Plot: A single event - an accident - connects three people and alters each one's pattern of life and in the process, some serious questions on context based human judgments are posed effortlessly! Watch it to know more because what it explains is inexplicable through words alone.


Highlights:

• Films with the south american flavour have something unique in them and it took me the climax scene to realise this one could be from the brilliant maker of Amores Perros and Babel. The film's jigsaw style makes the watch a super experience.
• Apart from that the film's storyline is only ordinarily - but the fact that 'what is right and what is wrong depends on the 'when' factor' is emphasised wonderfully well
• Performances of Sean Penn, Del Toro and Naomi Watts are admirable and so is the mellifluous musical score of maestro Gustava Santaolalla.

Carries much more weight than what the title suggests!

Two Line Reviews - #238

Movie: Source Code (2011)

Plot: Without his own knowledge, a dead soldier's brain is coded (?) into that of a passenger in a train that had been bombed to find out who bombed it and how serious the bombing issue is for the city of Chicago. When the first attempt fails, he is sent on the mission again...and again and again.


Highlights:

• Not exactly unfamiliar territory for a hollywood sci-fi film but this one was slightly different from quite a number of other such films probably because of the director's idea of bringing in less action into it.
• Jake Gyllenhaal is aptly cast, for, his show of confusion is convincing
• The final anti-climax was interesting!

Lowlights:
The iterations were a few too many bogging down the interest factor.

Sci-fi halwah; Interesting nevertheless!

Two Line Reviews - #237

Movie: An American Crime (2007)

Plot: The parents make a two month caretaking arrangement for their two daughters and unfortunately the caretaking family devoid of any male support is stressed to the core that everybody in it becomes a psycho and they inflict their cruelty on one of the visiting girls by locking her in the basement and their degrees of cruelty only increase as days pass by. This one is based on a cold true story!

Highlights:

• The fact that the film is based on a true event makes one feel disturbed on watching it. The way things are shown isn't crude but the seriousness of whatever had happened hasn't been missed in the filming.
• Ellen Page , with her unfortunate sorry-faced performance , earns the sympathy of the viewer.
• The psycho family's characters have all been aptly cast; I felt angry looking at them - Not sure if it was because of what they do to the girl or of just having a look at their faces!

A cold disturbing true tale; Shows how cruel humans can get!

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 - #235

Movie: Mirrors (2008)

Plot: A suspended policeman assumes the role of a night-watchman in a building that underwent a massive fire accident 5 years ago. During his night visits, he finds weird and unbelievable activities in the mirrors in the dilapidated building; Later, he gets to know that the former watchmen were all obsessed with the mirrors there and committed suicide. To save himself and his family, he tries to find answers to the question that the mirrors often ask - "Where is Esseker?"

Highlights:

• The film's first scene and the creative title card makes one sit up and it is quite an interesting ride, though not astonishing.
• The hero Sutherland, a Bruce Willis look-alike, delivers a solid performance. The girl who plays his wife shows the frills in the climax.
• The Esseker part of the suspense was held up which was good.

Lowlights:
After 30 mins or so, the events seem held up and not till the vital clue does the film pick up pace.

Watchable, but doesn't offer so much thrills