Movie Review: The Croods

Remember that feeling when you return back home after a hard days work and turn on the air conditioner. You lie on your couch lazily and enjoy that simple moment as the cold air gently touches your skin. Though it’s not a huge thing in your life, you forget all sorts of problems and just lay there like a little baby for that one specific moment. That moment is refreshing and priceless.

Watching The Croods was something similar.

A product of Dreamworks Animation studio and directed by Kirk De Micco and Chris Sanders this 3D animation film(put on your glasses please) comes with one and only one intention. And that is… to entertain you.

Co written by John Cleese (the Monty Python guy..) The Croods is a prehistoric comedy adventure that follows the world's first family as they embark on a journey of a lifetime when the cave that has always shielded them from danger is destroyed. Traveling across a spectacular landscape, the Croods discover an incredible new world filled with fantastic creatures - and their outlook is changed forever.

Full of clever humor, touching moments and delightful animation, it’s a film designed for the kids and adults alike. The 3D here is quite remarkable too. Especially a chase sequence early on in the film that is both funny and thrilling at the same time.

But what I really liked about this film was the imagination put into designing those creatures. The creatures here clearly rival the Avatar animals and I’m not even exaggerating.

The underlying themes about family, friendship and love though superficial are played out well like any other Dreamwork animation films.

What this film lacked though was a powerful third act that would have really turned it into something special. And as a result it felt repetitive in the last few minutes.

But by the time you get there you would have already gotten your money’s worth.

It’s one of those beautiful films that surprise you. Do not miss it.

Conclusion: A perfect way to start off May.. :)

Movie Review: Iron Man 3

So here I am sitting on my couch trying to figure out about a film named Iron Man 3 and the bell rings. And as I answer the door who do I find on the other side?

It’s none other than the great, the genius… Iron Ma.. no wait.. you.. you are not Iron Man.. you look like some piece of crap from the junkyard.. Holy shit.. you are..

“I am Steel. From the 1997 film..?”

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

And I snap out of my sleep! I am still on my couch. I look around and nothing has happened.

“It was a dream.. It was just a dream..  efffinnn clichés!”

Iron Man 3 as the name suggests is the third installment to the Iron Man franchise.

Directed by Shane Black, the film has some “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” humor which is certainly quite refreshing to watch. But is it better than the previous installments?

Well not exactly.

Robert Downy Jr. plays the multimillionaire Tony Stark who this time around faces a threat named Mandarin (terrifically played by Ben Kingsley) who looks like a Chinese version of Bin Laden with a British accent.

Having seen Iron Man 1,2 and The Avengers, my expectations were sky high on this one but sadly this film does not deliver.

Don’t take me wrong here. It has some good enjoyable moments throughout but it’s the lack-luster story and a ‘Joker’-ish villan named Aldrick Killian(played by Guy Pearce) with his team of uninteresting and exploding zombies that really suck the life out of this film.

The visual effects overall are fantastic though. Especially a terrific flight sequence where Iron Man saves eleven people falling off an airplane. But the effects are pretty much what you would expect them to be by now.

Apparently it’s RDJ and his hilarious conversations with Jarvis, with Pepper and with a kid who looked like he dropped in straight from a 'Home Alone' film, that kept me awake till the end, which is not what I was expecting from a film that promised to be so much more.

And about that twist. Oh wait! Don’t worry! I’m not going to reveal it! But here’s a thing. For better or worse, this movie had one of the most deceptive trailers you could ever imagine.

Conclusion: It’s certainly a good film but also an overrated ‘Marvel’. ;)

Movie Review: Django Unchained

“Django Unchained” is one of those movies that gets a release date in India ‘decades’ after it was actually released in the US. So what does that mean? Well piracy for starters but I had to go through this unfortunate experience of dodging off those ‘pirates’ to enjoy a spoiler-free film. :)

Django Unchained is a 2012 american action western drama film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. The film is set somewhere in Texas in 1858, two years before the civil war. It deals with subject of slavery with a nice western tinge to it and with violence so gruesome that it was a bit too much even by the Tarantino standards. (And I mean that in a good way.)

Now chances are you already know Tarantino’s films but If you are unfamiliar with this man and his work than I would highly recommend “Inglorious Bastards”, “Kill Bill” and my personal favorite “Pulp Fiction”.

Sudden gruesome violence, black humor, Odd ball cameos, long witty dialogs, unconventional screenplay and most important of all THE FUN are some familiar troops that make his films so special and his latest offering “Django Unchained” doesn’t fall short on any of those things.

The actors play a vital part in any film and this film has got some excellent cast who rise above their roles.

Jamie Foxx plays Django a free slave who with the help of a German bounty hunter named Dr. King Schultz(terrifically played by Christopher Waltz) sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal Mississippi plantation owner named Calvin Candie (deliciously played out by Leonardo Dicaprio)

Christoph Waltz as the antagonist in Inglorious Bastards had given me chills of a life time and this time around he plays the opposite. But he does it so well that he’s one thing that will remain with you after you leave the theatre. His acting prowess forms the backbone of this film. And the other actors playing smaller roles like Samuel Jackson as Stephen, Keery Washington as Broomhilda have also done justice to their parts.

But it’s the excellent cinematography and sound editing that eats the cake here. When a bartender is pouring wine into the glass or when a man uses a whip-lash to ‘punish’ someone you actually feel that you are there and it’s these little things that make this film so unique and truly involving.

The only one quibble that I have with this film is that the story is not as deep and multi-layered enough as with the directors previous ventures and as a result it feels overlong and exhausting towards the end and you don't get those "Kill Bill" vibes that you were expecting.  But if we set aside the comparisons, this film is unique & still far away from the ‘usual’ and most important of all its FUN!

It’s a lengthy film made for the big screen. Go with an extra large popcorn bucket and have a blast.

But here’s a warning. If you don’t like wit in your cinema, if you hate long conversations and if genuine violence puts you off then I’m really sorry to say that Quentin Tarantino movies are not your cup of tea.

Movie Review: Life Of Pi

First thing’s first. I have not read the book. So there’s nothing that I carried in my head other than an image of a boy stuck on a boat in the middle of an ocean and some animals to watch in 3D.
Frankly speaking I did not know what to expect other than the small description that I read on IMDB which says:

“A young man who survives a disaster at sea is hurtled into an epic journey of adventure and discovery. While cast away, he forms an unexpected connection with another survivor ... a fearsome Bengal tiger.”


“Life of Pi” is a movie which, in my opinion, has been wrongly marketed as a 3D movie. It should be called ‘4D’. Well not because of the jaw-dropping special effects and (certainly not because I am high right now) but it’s for a different reason. I would come to that in a moment :)

From the word GO this movie engulfs you in the beauty of its world subtly. The opening sequence of a zoo slowly lets you settle in as the colorful birds and animals fill the screen and then the wonderful story of “Pissing Patel” begins. (Yes you read the name correctly :) )

For the dummies who seek instant gratification, this movie has plenty of “Oh! Look at that” moments to offer. But at its heart, “Life of Pi” is a beautiful slow brooding movie that grows on you.

The cast includes some of the best names in the industry so it’s practically impossible for anything to go wrong in the acting department. Irrfan Khan, Adil Hussain and Tabu are very good in their respective roles. The newcomer “Suraj Sharma” does an incredible job in spite of the fact that he’s facing the camera for the first time.

But the real stand out performance here is from “Richard Parker” the animated Bengal tiger. Filled with articulate menace and genuine helplessness, the character oozes out true human emotions. And it’s easily one of the best animated characters that I completely fell for. Right from its introduction to the final frame of this movie(probably the best I have seen) the tiger keeps you alert and hooked.

This movie fared “very good” in my cards if not for that final twist towards the end where the director does something spectacular. He adds a fourth dimension to the tale(4D). :)

Instead of being a pseudo-intellectual drivel which it could have so easily become, it sticks to entertaining you and then provides you with a twist that deepens everything that you just saw, making it.. “divine” :)

Conclusion: IT WAS FREAKING AWESOMEEEEE! :D