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Kalki 2898-AD (2024)
The last Avatar
I just watched Kalki 2898 AD and it is a great movie in terms of experience and of movie making almost on par with Marvel's Avengers and Rajamouli's Bahubali and RRR. We cannot compare it with anything else as it's a unique film and bends genres though it could fall in Sci-Fi and dystopian genres with a mix of mythology.
There is a strong foundation to the story as the main characters like Ashwathama and Karna are derived from the great epic Mahabharata. It's about a modern-day avatar of Vishnu, in the last of Dashavathara, who is believed to have descended to earth to protect the world from evil forces. The main characters trying to protect the soon-to-be-born Kalki forms the crux of the story. The story is set 800+ years in the future, so dystopian background suits the era. Sky is the limit for the franchise and the large scale is apt.
Story-wise, it's perfect and Nag Ashwin dealt with the story, screenplay and direction very well. There are no romantic songs like most of the Indian movies do and hence no distraction. The narration is non-linear in manner but jumps back and forth to each character at the right time giving equal weight to all characters while moving on with the narration.
There are a lot of cameos including RGV, Rajamouli, Vijay Devarakonda delivering funny and punch dialogue in between which gave the movie some comic relief amidst serious proceedings. Action sequences are composed very well and graphics are top notch.
I thought the story would be concluded, but the characters are not given proper closure, so there are going to be more sequels as it's announced that this movie is a part of Kalki cinematic universe.
In terms of acting, Prabhas, as usual, did very good being him self playing the main protagonist. Amitabh's character Ashwathama spans almost 6000 years and he did extremely well. Deepika plays a crucial role. Kamal's role is brief though the mail antagonist of the movie, living for 200 years, but it would be expanded in the sequels. Background score by Santosh Naryanan is good giving the feel of an epic movie. Especially, the movie watching experience is good on a large format theater with very good sound effects.
I watched the Divergent series and the rebellion groups in divergent, the war-torn cities in insurgent, and the modernization of bureau of genetic welfare in allegiant resemble the dystopian and futuristic elements shown in Kalki but the resemblance stops there as the story of Kalki has a stronger foundation and much more to offer in the upcoming sequels, well, hopefully!
Overall, it's an epic movie watching experience depicting Indian mythology.
Oppenheimer (2023)
Atomic movie making
To begin with, Robert J Oppenheimer, the physicist who led the Manhattan Project, famously quoted the Bhagavad Gita after witnessing the first successful nuclear explosion at the Trinity test site in Los Alamos New Mexico. He said, "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds". Intentionally or unintentionally, he was just doing his karma, but the consequences were enormous as we have encountered in the past and possibly will in the future.
The movie is more about the political affairs of Oppenheimer. The science behind the nuclear fission is not covered in great detail, but moral dilemma experienced by him post invention and aftermath of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and his concern for the planet gives the moves a closure.
Murphy's acting is top notch. Nolan's direction is excellent, as always. This is Nolan's first biopic and he did the best work yet! It's a brilliant movie making, undoubtedly, especially given Nolan's top notch screenplay and direction, coupled with the IMAX cameras that give the viewer the best experience when watched on the biggest screen possible.
There are many references to quantum physics and a brief interaction of Oppenheimer with Einstein. A major part of the movie goes into the investigation of Oppenheimer's involvement in conspiracy to spy, and being a communist, which was more of a political will.
The basic idea and usage of powerful weapons like Brahmastra were mentioned in the Indian scriptures Ramayana and Mahabharatha, which gives the indication that the WMD might have been invented and used since antiquity. They might have already realized the power lying within each atom and used it for the good and seen it as the revelation of divine power then as opposed to the plutonium-239 and uranium-235 isotopes be used for evil purposes in this age.
Overall, it's a must watch for all science and movie buffs!
Adipurush (2023)
Adipurush is the best adaption of Ramayana by far
Adipurush is predominantly an Indian Hindu mythological devotional movie. Taking it as a superhero movie will not work. It's basically about the triumph of good over evil. Seeing it on the big screen, I felt transported to Threthayuga when Rama fought Ravana fought his righteousness. The movie is a retelling of Ramayana from Vanavasa (serving a 14-year exile in the wilderness) to Yuddakanda (ultimate war between Rama and Ravana in Lanka) with computer generated graphics mostly the backdrops and additional characters like vanaras and demons. Because it's a beloved mythological story, we do not need explanations and details which are obviously omitted to fit in the length of the file which is near 3 hours.
The songs by Ajay-Atul are very soulful and fit the mood of the movie and transcending. The characters portrayed by Prabhas as Raghava, Kriti as Janaki, Saif as Ravana and Devdatta as Bhajrang are very befitting. In fact, they make the beloved story much more comprehensible through their expressions. The narration is very simple and yet contains the major incidents and details which are crucial for the viewer to feel the proceedings rather than just watching them but at the same time omit the minor details which are present in the scriptures. Direction mostly focuses on the emotional aspects of the film and tries to enhance the viewing experience rather than making the viewer indulging in the chronological occurrences of that period of time, which are obviously present in the books and TV series.
It has been a controversy causing movie since it offended the sentiments of masses due to the deviation of narration and some dialogue from the source material but what I felt is that it's just an another adaption of Ramayana. We cannot compare it with Ramanand Sagar's 80's TV series Ramayana as it was also an adaption of Tulisidas's Ramcharitmanas. So, there is no truth in any adaption or interpretation of the story as the original story by Valmiki itself was his own interpretation of what happened during the Thretayuga.
Prabhas excels as Raghava and Saif excels as Ravana and Kriti is believable as Janaki. Though there is more focus on Ravana for establishing the fact that the greater the evil the greater the victory of good over it. Music is very soulful especially the title track Ram Siya Ram and background score is apt. Production values are good, though computer generated, considering the fact that it's the most expensive Indian film by far.
Despite some flaws, I just suspended my disbelief during some scenes where there was an exaggeration of dialogue or lack of some precise CGI or over-use of CGI and color tone and it worked for me and could enjoy the movie for what it is. At least, it's much better than the junk shown in marvel movies which are completely factitious comic-based. Ramayana is not factitious as it's proven happened for real by the archeological evidences in Ayodhya time and time again. So, the real legacy of Raghuvamsa is translated on screen with CIG enhancements for the audiences' watching pleasure and taking it that way is the only option or if one is to point out the mistakes in it would simply mean that one cannot enjoy anything that's presented for grasping.
The Ramayana story, no matter how it is told, is timeless and timely - timeless because the story is first of its kind, true and eternal and timely because the values still hold good in modern times. It's not just about the war between Rama and Ravana but the fighting ones inner demons which are much worse than 10-headed Ravanasara and can be applied to ones own complete inner conflicts rather than to external entities, as a takeaway.
Overall, from what I have experienced, Adipurush is the best adaption of Ramayana by far - 11 out of 10 stars!
A Mouthful of Air (2021)
A great movie on postpartum depression
Movie was so good that it gets under your skin. After watching the last scene one would be speechless and as the title says one would be left with a mouthful of air (as a metaphor).
Seriously, all actors did a fabulous job especially Amanda and she deserves an Oscar for a role of a mother suffering from anxiety and depression.
This movie cannot be described in words as the movie itself was based on a novel written by the director. It just got to be watched on screen (big/small) to feel the emotions felt by the actors.
Movie has some simple animations depicting the mood of the main protagonist and also has beautiful poetic moments.
Just go and watch it. My rating is 10/10.
The Last Duel (2021)
A Good Wife in Medieval Times
The movie kicks off with a Knight's tale like duel (affaire d'honneur) scene (battle between two persons over a point of honor) and then slowly goes into oblivion with some typical battle scenes which initially was boring but later in the movie the momentum got caught up.
This is not a typical Ridley Scott movie even though the title suggests it would be on the lines of Gladiator in the Medieval times. However, there is a nice family drama knitted in this 14th century period drama based on real events as they say.
Especially, the story reminded me of Scott's hit TV series "The Good Wife". I liked the different versions told by different people from their perspectives and everyone says they are innocent though ultimately we don't know what actually was felt by whom as it was left for viewer's imagination.
As the duel progressed, I would not know whose side I had to be on as I didn't know who's telling the truth for the truth is relative not absolute. According to the medieval law whoever wins is telling the truth and whoever dies had lied. Those were the harsh laws back then but it was what it was! It's thoroughly satisfying if one sits through the 2 and a half hour long movie.
All the star cast including Matt Damon as the jealous man, Adam Driver as the sinner who committed adultery and feeling guilt, Ben Affleck as prejudiced king and Jodie Comer as the wife who is a victim of rape did a fantastic job. At the end of the movie, I got a lot of thoughts coming back on who's right and who's wrong and who felt what but, without the spoilers, as the end card says the lady has lived with prosperity and happiness - it feels very conclusively satisfying.
Overall, a period drama with spectacular photography (or CGI) depicting 14th century France and a mind-bending ending!
Padmaavat (2018)
Marvelous historical movie.. alas not true to history..
Nice direction.. fantastic acting.. beautiful locales.. amazing story. All in all a very good movie watching experience. As an Indian I am proud of this movie as it represents the courage of Indians as well as the Dharma which is values. This is the film that tells what a serious film making should be. After Baahubali, I was waiting for another movie which is on par with it and here it is. The movie basically depends on heavy emotions which are showed in a slow and subtle sense. Recommend this movie to every movie goer. The sound effects and music are worth mentioning about and they immensely uplift the feel of the movie. Bhansali did a great work and it is his best yet without any doubt. What a performance by lead actors Deepika, Ranvir and Shahid. All the money spent on this movie is shown on the screen. The ticket worth of feel is given to the watcher. I loved the color Red which is the theme of the movie especially symbolizes Raastani state's soil. The movie is appealing to Indians if you don't mind the historical facts like sati imposed on women by men at that period who in fact are glorified in the movie. Go watch it before it for the emotions! 8/10!
Dunkirk (2017)
Dunkirk - Best war movie ever
It was great but my expectations were way too high. There bound to be two kinds of audiences for this movie - absolute lovers & absolute haters, but no in-between'ers.
Christopher Nolan weaves the magic once again after the dark night trilogy, inception, and interstellar, but this time in Dunkirk,he solely focuses of one aspect of emotion - tension/uncertainty!
It's not an epic, just keeping it short for 1 and half hours. The theme I liked is the way Nolan portrayed all the 3 aspects of war ie., land, sea, air intertwined in WW2.
The intense music that keeps us on edge of the seats, brilliant cinematography that keeps us glued to the screens till end, and the battle sequences including air to air combat are just mind blowing.
I can say this is the best war movie I watched after Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan. Nolan's intention was to capture the mood of the WW2 and transport the audiences to that 1940's era right in the middle of war zone and he achieved that 100%.
Movie has almost docu-drama feel to it given the nature of war theme back to back juggling among land, sea, and air combats. Almost no CGI was used in this movie.
Undoubtedly, Nolan is one of the best directors in the world and Dunkirk is one of the best movies Hollywood has ever produced. All the technical aspects, be it sound mixing, editing, effects, or shot-taking.
This one is the best contender for this year's Oscars!
Bãhubali 2: The Conclusion (2017)
Baahubali - The Conclusion :: Visually arresting & Emotionally compelling
First of all, I loved watching Baahubali 2 on big screen with maximum sound effects. Grossing 1000+ crore ($150 million) worldwide and set out to cross 5000 crore collections easily in its entire run, Baahubali is undoubtedly the biggest film ever produced in India. The fact that this movie is embraced by Indians and foreigners alike shows that it's not just a regional Telugu or Indian but a global film as it's purely based on human emotions. The music has has more longevity in BB2's songs and the lyrics are haunting in nature compared to BB1. After completely watching the movie, I was awestruck with no words to describe it. No doubt, SS Rajamouli is a master craftsman as they call him Jakkanna.
If we watch Baahubali 1 & 2 back to back it makes complete sense as both are written in such a way that the beginning is actually the conclusion and vice versa. Also, in the first and second parts of the movie, everything comes full circle, so I watched part 1 again, a day before watching part 2. Since, Baahubali 1 was very good with intense emotions,I highly recommend to watch BB1 again before watching BB2. First scene in BB1 where Sivagami saving her grandson above her over head and and sinking into the river which is very near the end of BB2 and that connection awesome.
Rajamouli made sure that the emotions are taken to epic proportions as he did in his all films but a bit higher in this movie.
The strong female characters Sivagami, Devasena, and Avanthika are the backbones of the film while male characters like Kattappa, Bhallaladeva, Bijjaladeva, and Kumara Varma strongly support the two lead characters Amarendra Bahubali and Mahendra Bahubali (Sividu).
Epic wars and Drama are the two pillars of the movie. The visual effects are stunning but some scenes where Bahubali Jr. and sena jumps off the palm trees on kota and head of Bhallaladeva's statue rolling off the river need fine tuning from VFX team (may be due to lack of time or budget) wherein I suspended my disbelief as compared to overall effect the small detail is not so important. However, these CGI effects would be remastered when the film is released on DVD, I hope.
It has great music, great cinematography, great story.Production values are great too.. special mention to the world-class production designer Saabu Cyril that contributed to the scope and scale and director's ambition to make a international standard movie. Scale of this movie is on par with Lord of the rings. Costumes designed by Rama Rajamouli aptly suit the characters and vivid in colors.
This epic finally has answers to all burning questions including the popular questions asked by everyone after watching the beginning "Why Kattappa killed Amarendra Baahubali?" was answered in the conclusion with complete justification.
Spoiler Alert..
As far as the story line goes, as soon as the next king of Mahishmathi is announced by Sivagami, the conflict starts among Bijjaladeva and Bhallaladeva and that leads to exile of Amarendra Baahubali and his murder there by Mahendra Baahubali's revenge on Bhallaladeva.
Some scenes involving Bijjala and Bhallala show egos and political conspiracies to maximum level of dark side of their characters. Bijjaladeva character is very deceptive and manipulative. On the lighter side, Subbaraju's character shows some comic relief. Devasena's character played by Anushka is very dignified. Bhallaladeva becoming evil even if he resists Bijjaladeva's plan to kill Sivagami in the beginning but goes on to stab Bahubali several times and also tries to kill newborn shows that the character is deliberately designed as evil. Kunthala kingdom is very beautiful with greenery while Mahishmati is more deserty reddish that shows great contrast.Movie has creative war machines like chariot with propellers, weapons, war tactics that have never been seen before in any movies.
The fact that the movie is made in the budget of 35 million dollars and still shows so much grandeur when compared to the big budget Hollywood movies is very commendable.
This is the best thing ever created and is my top 5th movie of all time (Godfather, Shawshank Redemption, Avatar, Titanic, Baahubali). An extremely satisfying conclusion where lot of thing come full circle!
I liked the awesome intro scene with recap of the part 1 with statues story which brings back old memories of BB1 and brought me back into the world of Baahubali in no time.
Movie shows different parts of kingdoms (Mahishmathi and Kunthala) and characters and each of them have their own arcs, their motivations and intentions. It also has lot of Indian cultural references like both Sivagami and Devasena carrying fire .. evil Bhallaladwvas death toward end exciting revenge on evil.
Handling of #WKKB is awe inspiring and the Kattappa's character abiding to law, duty, and obligation is very well defined as he always does what is right.
Pacing is super solid from start to finish, including the prolonged action sequences which never cause any boredom as the characters change the games in the war.
Some of the scenes I like very much are:
Fantastic dream sequence in hamsa nava song is visually great . Every song lyrics are made integral part of the story Over the top action like Hercules is more of mythological. Intro of Devasena portrait as equivalent to sending a selfie in today's time.
Overall, Baahubali - The Conclusion is an entertainingly grand movie. This movie is perfect than perfect. Stunning awesome blockbuster!! My rating is 10 on the scale of 10.. Wish I could give more rating!! :)
Life (2017)
A disturbing look at alien life..
Life is a sci-fi suspense thriller movie on extraterrestrial form of life found on mars in a single cell which is cultivated by scientists on board the ISS (international space station) that might have wiped out the earlier life on mars.
Single cell evolves into an intelligent multicellular organism pretty rapidly and starts to kill each astronaut on board the space shuttle.
Cinematically, the movie resembles alien anthology but conceptually it's original. Spoiler alert.. every character in the movie dies eventually.. Ryan Reynolds is killed almost 30 minutes into the movie and that gives a hint as what you can anticipate.
Actors Ryan Reynolds, Rebecca Ferguson and Jake Gyllenhaal gives mind blowing performances.
All scenes are very intense and brilliant. Not to go into the scientific details of the story, screenplay is sharply written and it keeps the viewer on edge of the seat.
The climax when pod reaches the earth's ocean and the life potentially becomes a threat to humanity, it gives chill down the spine.
I am sure NASA and other astro biologists are gonna rage on it as it gives pessimistic view on SETI (search for extra terrestrial intelligence) which is spending billions of dollars.
There might be sequel to it as there a scope for continuation of the story.
My rating is 9 out of 10. Go watch it!
The Great Wall (2016)
Monster movie at its best
The Great Wall is a movie made with Chinese and Hollywood collaboration.
I expected a regular Chinese martial-arts movie but after 10 minutes into the movie, surprisingly it turned out to be an out-and-out monster/gory/slasher movie. However, the graphics used to create these monsters were brilliant.
Matt Damon as a European mercenary, Tian Jing as Commander-In-General, and Willem Dafoe as Ballard have justified their respective roles. It's Matt Damon's never-seen-before performance in the move that gives it a rugged look and feel.
Story-line is very thin
two European mercenaries travel to china in the quest of black powder (like super gun powder) - that explodes in the air and would instantly kill - and get captured by Chinese soldiers. How they save the northeastern territory of china by fighting the monsters behind one of the greatest wonders of the world - that is 5500 miles long and took 1700 years to build - makes the rest of the story.
The background music has Chinese feel to it. Like any war movie, lot of drums are used to create the war-like feel.
Legend or myth, this movie deserves to be watched for its brilliant action and war sequences with these intelligent monsters. The great wall itself is a character in the movie.
All in all a thoroughly enjoyable historical functional movie. My rating is 8 out of 10.
Silence (2016)
Faith vs Belief
Silence is one of the best pictures directed by Martin Scorsese. It's very well shot in the country side of Japan as well as the city of Nagasaki. The 17th century ambiance is created with great production design values.
Main story of the movie is about the Christianity vs Buddhism. However the spirit of the movie depicts the human triumph of ultimate faith in God.
Screenplay written by Martin and others is gripping and keeps the viewers at the edge of their seats. Though the length of the movie is 2 hour 40 minutes, not a single scene is boring. This time Martin chose a story that he can direct with the best of his capabilities and indeed he delivers the goods with an unflinching dedication.
The lead actor Andrew Garfield has acted profoundly well and the brief but significant appearance by Liam Neeson gives the movie a matured look. The Japanese actors are to be appreciated due to their fantastic support as the 95 percent of the movie is shot in Japan.
The movie is based on a book depicting a real story that took place around 1670 AD in Japan where two Portuguese Catholic missionaries set sail to Japan in search of their mentor who went to Japan for spreading the Catholicism there but got converted to Buddhism by Japanese. After reaching Japanese shores, they find out that the situation in Japan is dangerous for the Christians as the Catholicism was outlawed and the Japanese inquisitor is making all of the Christians in Japan to give up their faith in Jesus by making them stepping on Jesus' idol and surrender themselves or be tortured and die. It's not just about the conflicts between religious beliefs of people belonging to different geographical places, but the testing of the faith itself. How the faith leads the victory makes the crux of the story.
I enjoyed this movie better than Martin Scorsese's previous movies like The Departed, The Aviator, Shutter Island, and old movies like Raging Bull, Casino, Good Fellas. After making a long list of movies with Leonardo DiCaprio, and waiting for 4 years after The Wolf of Wall Street, he comes up with a new star-cast (No Leo!) in this movie which gives a fresh feeling.
As the tagline suggests, sometimes silence is the deadliest sound, one can only hear God in the Silence. Silence makes a great contender at the Oscars this year. Let's wait and see how many awards it will win competing with La La Land, Moon Light, and Hidden Figures!!
xXx: Return of Xander Cage (2017)
Welcome back, Xander!
I remember watching the first XXX movie back in 2002 with my mouth wide-open enjoying the jaw-dropping action sequences. That was my first Vin's movie and I instantly liked him. Almost 15 years later, Xander returns with a triple bang (though there is an insignificant sequel called State of the Union).
Though it is the return of Vin Diesel's character Xander Cage, it's Deepika Padukone as Serena who steals the show all the way. She was given the best lines and actions sequence as opposed to other lady actors in the movie. I would have to confess that her screen presence makes the movie eyes-full. What else to say? - The action is hardcore and mind blowing, the punch dialogues are very catchy and blah blah blah.
The concept is kinda old wine is a new bottle. Movie starts off with a hilarious scene of Samuel L Jackson explaining an X-replacement recruit /trainee on how to save the world and stuff then suddenly boom - a satellite crashes on to earth and blasts off the coffee shop where these two guys are having a nice conversation. The re-introduction of Xander with an awesome action scene followed by another kick-off introduction scene of Deepika's set the right level of expectations for the movie ahead. Back to back bombastic scenes flood the screen leaving the audiences (like me) breathless not to mention the legendary dialogue like "I live for this $#!+" & "X takes care of his own" are bound to cause goosebumps. Final cameo by Ice Cube was awesome.
There is an overdose of adrenaline rush in this movie but I liked the overdose. Above all these emotions, it's the nostalgia of the first XXX that dominates.
Overall, it's a feast for action movie lovers!
Passengers (2016)
Passengers - An interstellar love story
Passengers is by far my favorite sci-fi drama. It's on par with the previously released movies of the genre such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, Interstellar, The Martian etc. Only here, we see a nice love story on the interstellar journey. Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt performed extremely well in the movie. Their chemistry on screen is what makes the audiences connect to the narration of the story. Brief but effective appearances by Lawrence Fishburne as spaceship captain and Michael Sheen as an android bartender leave their mark on the viewers. But it's the journey itself that's makes us glued to the screen till the end.
Coming to the storytelling, there is not much, I would say, a malfunction in the hibernation pod makes the hero awaken prematurely only to learn that there is still 90 years of journey left in the total 120 year journey to reach the earth-like planet. Then how he gets a companion and live a little for the rest of his and her lives is dramatized very well.
From astronomical sense, the interstellar journey is till not available yet to the human kind. But it's possible in near future that we humans may be able to find a habitable planet in our or neighborhood galaxy to colonize. It's already discovered that there is a planet that is orbiting one of the nearest triple-star system Proxima Centauri (orbiting other two stars Alpha Centauri A and B). What we are not capable of now is the means to travel with near speed of light to the nearest star which itself will take hundreds of years to reach there. As the famous astro-futurist Michio Kaku mentioned in one of his speeches, it's the engineering capability that's preventing us from travelling among stars. It's true that NASA did not yet invent other kinds of fuels such as nuclear/laser/gravitation wave riding/ hypothetical wormholes except for the current chemical propulsion which is used by rockets. It's not even confirmed that the planet orbiting Proxima Centauri, a red giant is with in the goldilocks zone with in the right distance from it's parent star making water and atmosphere possible.
Leaving all these theories aside, the movie simply focuses love story between two humans who are alone on the cosmic journey - hence the title "Passengers". It's a very engaging narration from start to finish which cannot be described in mere words. There is not too much science element that would deviate the viewer and not too much love story either, but just the right amount of both which is what makes the movie a fresh. The other movies in this genre focus either too much on science or action or aliens or philosophical aspect.
Though the movie is termed as a popcorn movie, I have thoroughly enjoyed watching it on the big screen. Though the movie becomes dull at times, there are some exciting sequences too such as floating in space out side the ship, gravity loss, slingshot around a red giant etc. Overall it's a very engaging movie. My rating is 9 out of 10.
Doctor Strange (2016)
Doctor Strange - An Out-Of-This-World Experience
First off, Doctor Strange, I believe, is not a regular movie that can be watched in 2D. It must be seen in 3D, preferably in IMAX format. The content and theme of the movie is nothing without its extravagant visual effect that are to be experienced in big screen equipped with 3D/IMAX only.
I would not say such brilliant vfx are done in a Hollywood movie for the first time as Avatar and Avengers movies have already done so. However, the theme itself is like an introduction to movie-goers and it needs such kind of effects to make it understandable to the audiences.
Coming to the main theme of the movie (no spoilers ahead), it's not that nobody is aware of the astronomical theories and philosophies, but it's dramatized visually on screen for the very first time through a fictional character called Doctor Strange via Marvel comics written by Stan Lee (I like his his Cameo describing a mind-bending graphic scene as hilarious) years ago.
Astrophysics is filled with all kinds of marvelous content and theories. If anyone watched these documentaries in Discovery Channel/Netflix would get a good introduction on it. If needed to get realistic (not Sci-Fi) knowledge into this field one can dig-deep into this field by reading the books like A brief history of time by Prof.Hawking.
The famous of all is the Multi-verse theory which explains that parallel to our infinitely expanding universe (consisting of billions of galaxies and nebulae) there are infinitely many other universes. Of course, they are not visible to us as they exist in different dimensions. In all these multiple universes, there are beings exactly like us which do other things which are not done by us in this universe but are left out in the process of choice-making. That's just a theory :)
The main protagonist Dr.Strange (as he calls himself but others weirdly call him Mr.Strange, Dr.Mister), a neurosurgeon, meets with a ghastly road accident and left bed-ridden for several weeks before heading to Nepal for seeking real cure only to find more that what he expected. Apparently, a secret society formed by multi-race individuals in Nepal who call themselves mystical protectors (as opposed to Avengers who protect earth from physical threats) guarding the three nodes (Geometrically formed in a triangular manner in London, New York, and Hong Kong) shielding earth from mystical threats coming from deep- universe in the form of cosmic radiation (appearing in human form) etc. They apparently have metaphysical abilities to maneuver time in terms of freezing, going back-and-forth in it, and bending space-time (as Einstein proposed in his famous general theory of relativity that the all astronomical bodies in universe bend spacetime fabric causing a curvature or dent in it which is nothing but gravity that Newton earlier defined it simply as a force between two bodies of mass) jumping to anywhere in the universe instantaneously (unlike Superman flying), and astro-projecting themselves. Ultimately, how Dr.Strange takes on the evil forces to save our world forms the crux of the story.
Philosophically speaking, there was so much scope to it but apparently is lacking in the story-line. It's said that if the trainee in question surrenders himself completely, then he could project his astro-self into different dimensions and can have infinite perception (that a normal being cannot perceive with his five senses) not to mention the instantaneous spacetime-travel by free-will. This would support the myth of reincarnation that any living being continually lives on even after death but in other dimensions of this multiverse.
Mostly, some mythical and relativity theories with some fiction added to it are dramatized in this fantastic movie.
It's a must-watch for all ages. I am looking forward to its sequels including Avengers -Infinity War in which Dr.Strange will be pitted against Iron Man.
All in all it's a mind-bending experience and the best Marvel movie yet. I would rate it 9.5 out of 10.
The Accountant (2016)
Near masterpiece in its own terms
Without divulging into the story line, I will directly jump to my experience of watching the movie.
Clearly, it's one of the unexpected and underestimated movies I have seen in recent times; unexpected only if you do not read any reviews prior to watching the movie and just get into theater by looking at its poster.
In one sense, the movie can be perceived as how an autistic child, if guided and trained in an overly right direction, can potentially become deadly.
On the other hand, the movie serves the purpose of giving shock value, innocence-turns-to-ruthlessness kinda heroism, more-twists-than-you- think-of experience to the audiences.
If we watch it without analyzing, it's a straight-from-the-he(art) thriller.
Indulging a little bit into the nuances of the movie :)...
Ben Afleck's portrayal as Christian Wolff is calculatingly subtle. His performances after returning home from work only to go through emotional stress is painstakingly brilliant.
Also, the scenes where he utters either no dialog (just by nod after killing the first guy with sniper) and some one-liners are very likable.
The characterization of the main lead as math savant with more affinity for numbers than people is clearly distinguished in the body count ;)
Especially, I liked the scenes where he introduces his weapon-filled RV inside a storage unit to his colleague and shipping the original painting of Jackson Pollock with painting of Dogs-playing-poker.
Ben clearly maintains his physique as seen in his last movie Batman vs Superman that is essential for this character.
On the flip side, there are some scenes, which are draggy and boring like Christian's childhood memories of fighting with bullying kids, the last gun-firing sequence, should have been cut out sharper to make it more focused and taut.
All in all, the movie is watchable at least two times for it's brilliant screenplay and performances from Ben Afleck, Anna Kendrick, and J.K. Simmons and also for subtleties in execution.
I would rate it 9 out of 10.
The Visit (2015)
Take a bow, it's Manoj, again!!
The Visit is an intelligent thriller that uses our senses to disguise the secrets just like the Sixth Sense did.
The whole movie is made out of the footage from what kids have shot with their DSLR cameras. The natural camera angles makes some visual tension.
The acting by the two talented kids is what captures the audience's imagination. And of course, the actors who played grandparents did an excellent job.
Manoj Shyamalan could have cut the final movie as complete comedy or complete horror but he made it as 50% comedy initially and got the horror slowly unfold itself in the rest of the movie. Writing the screenplay is very difficult especially when it deals with the footage from reality-show-kind-of-scenes. But like he managed the same in Sixth Sense without reveling a bit of suspense till the very end, he did the same in this movie.
Without revealing too much about the story, I can say that The Visit can be compared with The Sixth Sense easily. However, instead of serious drama, here the scenes are funny most of the time.
I loved the movie myself along with the audience when I watched it today in the theater. I give it 9 out of 10.
Bãhubali: The Beginning (2015)
Righting excellence in Indian cinema
Bahubali is a comic book story based on life and times of the King Amarendra Bahubali during 9th century AD in India. The comic book story is made into a movie by Rajamouli over the period of 3 years. The attention to details in the movie is great. In the first few minutes of the movie, I was completely into it. But the last war scene is what I was completely engaged.
The technical standards interms of screenplay, editing, background score are on par with any Hollywood movie. This movie can easily be compared with the movies like Gladiator, Spartacus, 300, Ben-Hur.
I must mention the brilliant score given by Keeravani without which the movie would not feel how it is supposed to. I was thinking A.R. Rahman would have been the ideal choice for this movie but after watching the movie, I thought I was wrong. Keeravani is the ideal choice as he can only work closely with the director Rajamouli and spent a lot of time discussing the themes of music for each character & each situation.
Acting wise Prabhas and Rana has done very good job. Anushka appeals in a deglamorized role though she would appear in it's sequel as glamarized role as Thamanna is impressive in both glamarized as well as deglamarized roles at the same time in this part of the move. Director Ramamouli has done a fantastic job in translating the story to screen both realistically and grandly. The use of CGI are very apt.
Mainly, it's the preproduction work that took almost 1 year that mattered when it come to actual execution. The screenplay is written in such a way that the suspense is held in the first part and is going to be revealed in the second part. All in all the movie is an extrordinary experience.
I would give 9 out of 10.
The Theory of Everything (2014)
A typical biography with a visually brilliant display
The theory of everything is a biographic display of the famous physicist Stephen Hawking. Even though it's just a life story which move of us already know, the direction and the visuals make the viewer look into his past life as he lived through it. Also, his surroundings, his professors, his colleagues, his family members and his interaction with them, his genetic disease- all of this is to be seen on the big screen.
As we all know, his main ambition was to invent a single equation that explains everything - the birth of the universe which according to him is the "black hole".
As the physics that we studied, there are two main theories - one the Max Plank's quantum physics that explains about the tiniest particles : atoms, protons, electrons, neutrons etc and two the general theory of relativity invented by Albert Einstein that explains the large bodies in the universe and specifically about the birth of universe which is the expanding state now.
Now, Stephen's aim is to erase the difference or contradictions between these two theories and invent a single mathematical equation that explains it all. It is to be seen on the movies what happens next.
Nightcrawler (2014)
A perfect thriller
Nightcrawler is a movie with a style but done subtly. Right from the scene one, it keeps the tempo until the end. The story is typical crime scene investigation style but the characterization of the main protagonist is what makes the difference to the viewer's experience.
There is not even a dull moment in the movie. The ending is my favorite as it is completely different from what expected it would be. Video production news as the main protagonist of the movie mentions to his boss in a quite subtle jovial manner, it stays true to the story of the movie. There may be so many movies made on the similar concept in the past, but this one is completely new in every aspect.
This may sound a cliché, but acting wise, Jake Gyllenhaal excels in all 360 degrees - acting, dialog delivery, intensity in eyes, you name it!
Without going much into the details of the story, I can just say that watch it in the theater to get the feel of it.
Interstellar (2014)
General theory of relativity comes alive on screen
Interstellar is a movie worth watching only in large format theaters just for the experience. It's loosely based on the Einstein's General Theory of relativity - going into the black-hole travelling with the speed of light and navigating back and forth in time as one of the physical dimensions.
Visually it is interesting to watch the theory of relativity come to reality on screen which is very impressive. It depicts the quantum physics near accurately. The fact that when an object/subject travels with the speed of light, it's original state or age is unaltered/slowed down - is shown convincingly.
Apart from the science, the movie strongly revolves around the different Relationships among human beings especially the father daughter one. Matthew McConaughey's acting is very convincing in every scene.
Graphics is something that is worth mentioning here. A new technique that has apparently been used in this movie. Normally the green screens have been used to shot the dramatic/action scenes with actors and the computer graphics were created later and then were super imposed. Even thought this technique is very effective as the computer graphic designers can design the graphics effectively according to the actors movements and the script, the actors should imagine the backgrounds which is quite difficult at times.
But for this movie shooting, the background graphics were already generated and played in the studio while the actor can feel it and act naturally. The graphics to the viewer may not appeal but in this movie they were apt in the sense that -it's all about the light in the space which may be just white in color or monochromatic theoretically speaking.
Narrative is very good with the age old technique of an old person starting to tell the story and the whole story run as a flashback.
There have been many movies on the Sci-Fi genre released in the past such as Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, Robert Zemeckis' Back to the Future, Steven Spielberg's ET & Close encounters of the third kind, James Cameron's Avatar, Ridley Scott's Alien & Blade Runner, George Lucas's double trilogy Star Wars, and Robert Wise's The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) but Christopher Nolan's Interstellar stands out in many aspects that have not been covered in the previous sci-fi movies that were made over the years.
Personally, I still think Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey is the best Sci-Fi movie ever made as it has some of the gigantic jump cuts starting from Rock ages to Space ages and concluding in a very convincing theory (Star Child) and the whole movie is a pure experience and allowing the viewer to immerse completely into movie and stop thinking about it. I regret not watching it in a theater especially a large format one. I would say my second favorite Sci-Fi movie is Interstellar.
John Wick (2014)
Slick action flick
I happen to watch John Wick in the IMAX and I loved it being a part of the movie. At first, John Wick seems to be an outdated action movie. But then while watching it, it seems to be a never seen before action thriller. Without going much into the story line, I would like to emphasize on the movie's fresh look.
Every rule that was used or created for a gangster or retired gangster movie (Especially, Carlito's way) has been renewed in this movie. The story line is simple on the paper but when it comes to writing screenplay for this movie, every old run must be broken and be redefined. And then the execution must have a lot of improvisations.
Be it the entry of the protagonist, relationship with his murdered wife and the dog, the ending, everything is shown less than what we have already seen enough in previous films. The main focus has been put on the action part and everything else is shown as implicit part of action.
The cause of the revenge is totally funny at times but has a fresh and serious look on the other side.
Without Keanu, the movie would not even be justified. His screen presence makes the movie more than watchable. The screenplay and direction are brilliant. The music is loud at times but suits the theme of the movie.
I would give 9 out of 10.
Fury (2014)
Outstanding WWII film
Fury is an outstanding WWII based film. In fact, I can say that it's on par with the movie "Saving Private Ryan". In terms of movie making and performances, it excels in every which way. Outrageously hardcore, Insanely brilliant .. these are some of the words that can be mentioned to describe this film.
Right from David Ayer's script writing, everything seems to have fallen into place. The direction is totally engaging. I could not take my eyes off the screen for the entire movie. Each and every scenes are very apt for the content / theme of war genre and they are very engaging for the audience.The performance by Brad Pitt, Shia are extraordinary. I personally liked the scenes with Brad and the youth guy who is reluctant to fight or kill.. the scene where they meet with a German family Brad asks the young lady to have fun with the young soldier as they are alive and young and the scene where Brad forces young guy to kill a Nazi soldier, and the scene where Brad says "I am sorry kid" at the end of the movie. All in all, it's a must watch for war movie lovers.
Flight (2012)
One man show all the way
I have watched it 3 times, twice in the movies and once on Netflix. Not the best from Robert Zemeckis but definitely one of the best performances from Denzel Washington. The movie's story line is how a man takes/saves his flight not just the physical commercial flight but also his personal and emotional flight. Though some scenes are clichéd, the rest of the movie has its interesting moments to enjoy. I would recommend this movie to those who are just want to sit back and the go though this emotional ride of the main protagonist of the movie. Do not over expect any high-end CGI or Introspective kind of narrative from Castaway. It's a unique film that deserves 8 out of 10.
The Words (2012)
involving movie.. from start to end
I watched it twice and the second time it was much more involving then the first time. I felt like traversing through those layers one after another. It may not be one of the best works of fiction but it's undoubtedly one of those don't-shift-your-focus kind of movies.
There are so many dialog that are rich in themselves for listening as well as thinking ourselves. For e.g. the author of the book "The Words" defending but still confessing is brilliantly ambiguous.
Not much I have to say about these words but watching them on screen though narrative and characters itself is a more-than-reading-a-book experience.
Subtle yet make-believe performances by Zoe and Denis are unbelievably believable! 9 out of 10 words :)
Raavan (2010)
A Masterpiece
I first saw this movie and was bold over. Completely driven by passion and being more than 2 years in making, the film actually caters to the senses rather than intellect.
Starts on a high pitch, it moves on a roller coaster ride and ends in the shockingly magical movement, a cinematic thrill, it can be called.
If seen as a one piece, not as fragments like performances, music, direction or screenplay, this movie can be the 2 hour 20 minute immersion in the waters from which when u come out feels like ooh..this world still exists!@#$?.
This is the best till date from Mani Ratnam. The second time I saw this movie I felt just the images not the sounds. In the era of Tata-Sky- Plus-record-now-and-watch-later, not many can savor a movie of beauty spontaneously but the times to come, more will surely get the pleasure of watching this movie.