Changeling (2008)

*Poster Courtesy (www.impawards.com)

Changeling (2008)

Genre:  Drama | History | Mystery | Thriller

Starring:  Angelina Jolie, Jeffrey Donovan, John Malkovich, Jason Butler Harner, Colm Feore

Directed by: Clint Eastwood

Rated: US: R, UK: 15

Running Time: 141 minutes 

Movie Review:
Some stories come and go and some some stays with you forever, Changeling is one of those stories. The agonizing pain of a mother who can go to any extent to find her own son and to fight for the truth that the child the police found did not belong to her when the police itself is trying to prove that the child is hers and that she is delusional. And what makes it more heart touching is - it is based on a true story.

The power packed performance by Angelina Jolie and beautifully crafted by Clint Eastwood himself, Changeling is a story of love, grief, belief, faith, hope, strength and what not. When you start believing that it is in fact a true story, you automatically find yourself connected to it. It feels like Clint Eastwood has put his heart and soul to create this heart touching film, even, to my surprise, the background score is done by Eastwood himself who, along with Ron Howard, Brian Grazer and Robert Lorenz, is also a producer of the film. J. Michael Straczynski, the writer of Changeling has done some deep research, according to him - he drew 95% of the script from around 6,000 pages of documentation and it took him years to research the historical records. And his hard work has been paid of really well as the script is really a strong part of this film.

Changeling is based on real life incident connected to "Wineville Chicken Coop Murders" in 1928 where, about 20 children were slain by a barbaric psycopath killer Gordon Stewart Northcott. A mother in Los Angeles, comes home one day and finds her boy missing. She files missing report and after few months she is informed by the LAPD that the boy has been found. On the day of reunion she realizes that the boy they found is not her child but is an imposter. She tries to prove that the boy is not hers to city officials who surprisingly turns their back and prove that she is delusional. But her fight does not stop here and does she moves heaven & earth to prove herself right or is she really delusional and what it has to do with  Wineville Chicken Coop Murders makes the story so interesting that you would not want to leave your couch until you know what is going to happen next.

Changeling probes womanhood, motherhood, corruption, trauma, and much more. Angelina Jolie's emotional appearance is heart melting, cast ensemble is good and the story is strong. All in all it is a film that will impact your mind and will make you ponder over it.

My Verdict: Changeling teaches a lesson - 'You never start a fight, but you always finish it.' No, no, do not learn that lesson from the film...lol. It actually teaches that no matter what, if you believe that what you believe is the real truth, than no matter, if the whole world is against you, you fight for it and prove that you are right. The emotional outcome of Changeling and powerful performance by Angelina Jolie makes this movie a must to see. And when you know that this is a true story, it will come to you as a surprise that 1928 was a turmoil for Los Angeles. The only drawback of this film is its slow pace - as a Clint Eastwood directed movie use to be. Maybe it is because Eastwood did not want to miss the emotional thread this movie carries. But Changeling is for me, one of the finest movie of 2008. Its a Keeper.

Why See?: True story, strong plot, well acted, surprising elements.

Why Not?: Nothing particular but it has a slow pace.

Rating: 8/10

Watch Trailer:
 
*Courtesy TrailersPlayground

Read More...

Limitless (2011)

*Poster Courtesy (www.impawards.com)

Limitless (2011)

Genre: Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Starring: Bradley Cooper, Abbie Cornish, Robert De Niro

Directed by: Neil Burger

Rated: US: PG-13, UK: 15

Movie Review:
What will you do if you find a pill that can make you super brainy? How much can you think to go beyond your limit and be limitless? But wait... what if it is super deadly at the same time? Sounds intriguing? Well this film promises you more than that.

Limitless is an intelligent film based on 2011 techno-thriller novel 'The Dark Fields' by Alan Glynn and probably is one of the best sci-fi thriller of the year 2011. The whole credit goes to Bradley Cooper for making it captivating till the end. The story narration style of the film is astounding and cinematography is impressive. I must say that Neil Burger has done a good job here.

The film has enjoyable humors and impressive storyline. The plot is intelligent and dialogues are well placed. The film, though entertaining, has more potential to be, than what it is. The execution is a bit slipshod but when this movie ends, you won't be having any complain regarding that.

All in all, though this movie has a far fetched concept, but, is brilliant in many aspects and is entertaining and thoughtful.

My Recommendation: Bradley Cooper, sci-fi, thriller, if any of them clicks your mind, well this film is for you then. Its an intelligent film which would be liked by people of any genre.

Why Should I See?: Intelligent plot, good acting, impressive cinematography

Why Should I Not?: sloppy execution at times.

Rating: 7.5/10

Watch Trailer:
  
 
*Courtesy VISO Trailers

Read More...

Cloud Atlas (2012)

Cloud Atlas (2012)

Genre: Drama/Mystery/ Sci-fi

 Starring:  Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Bae Doona, Ben Whishaw, James D'Arcy, Zhou Xun, Keith David, David Gyasi, Susan Sarandon, Hugh Grant

Directed by: Lana Wachowski, Andy Wachowski, Tom Tykwer

Rated: US: R, UK: 15, India: A

Movie Review:

Lengthy, confusing yet intriguing plot that will get you involved in the movie all the time. And if you cannot grasp all the six stories moving in different timelines, you will certainly be lost in it, which may give you the feeling that it is getting boring. But if you do grasp them, this certainly is a fresh, interesting and thought provoking film that should be appreciated for the efforts the directors and actors have put in it.

Cloud Atlas is adapted from 2004 novel (of the same name) written by David Mitchell. And the Watchowski Brothers (of The Matrix Trilogy fame) along with Tom Tykwer have tried their best to convert this bestseller into a film. This film has some strong Vfx, applausable cinematography and nicely laid plots which will get you involved in the film.

The only drawback is, it is so haphazard that sometimes it confuses the viewer as many of the characters have been repeated in different stories. Well maybe it was necessary (due to budget most probably) so one should keep in mind that the they does not have to relate the character's repetition to be having some link between the stories. The only links are what has been shown. All characters are unique in their own stories.

See, if making you understand is so complicated, you can imagine the complications of the stories...lol. Tom Hanks has been brilliant throughout the film and cast ensemble is good.

The film is intriguing and it won't let you guess what it has in the next scene. Well sometimes you can, but most of the time, you just would like to see what it has in the next scene rather than guessing (unless you have read the book of course). 

But I felt that the movie lacked in making understand its motive properly (which was suppose to be reincarnation and relation between every story).

My Recommendation: It has some brilliant Vfx. I will recommend to Rent it only when you have heart to watch such films that are more than just entertainment. I mean, this movie needs lot of brains to be poured in it (you also may need to rewind the film to grasp what you saw or heard at that moment). So if you are ready to watch some difficult sci-fi

Why Should I See?: for its freshness, brilliant plot, vfx, good acting

Why Should I Not?: Lengthy, confusing at times (only if you do not get yourself involve with the story)

Rating: 6.5/10

Watch Trailer:
  
 
*Courtesy VISO Trailers

Read More...

Gone Baby Gone (2007)

*Poster Courtesy (www.impawards.com)

Gone Baby Gone (2007)

Genre: Crime/Drama/Mystery/Thriller

Starring: Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris, Amy Ryan, John Ashton

Directed by: Ben Affleck

Rated: US: R, UK: 15

Movie Review:
Based on the novel by Dennis Lehane, Gone Baby Gone is the feature length directorial debut for Ben Affleck. But in the entire movie, I did not find any aspect that showed that this has been directed by a novice director. Instead, hats off to Affleck that he directed one fine movie which, in turn, shows his bright future in the movie direction. 

Gone Baby Gone has some very fine actors like Morgan Freeman and Ed Harris. Harris has been brilliant in all of the movie. Ben's brother Affleck need to learn to act more subtly because he seemed just okay. Beautiful Michelle Monaghan has done a pretty nice job.


It's a mystery thriller about a girl who has been abducted by someone (I won't tell you who - no spoilers, remember (;  ) and a private detective Casey Affleck is investigating the case with Michelle Monhaghan as his 'better half' and two policemen Ed Harris And John Ashton. All Casey cares about is finding the girl and get her safely to her mother but when he digs deep down, he comes to know some truths that were better hidden and some lies that are sweeter than the truth. But what will Casey do after knowing the truth is the biggest question.

The strongest part of this movie is its brilliant plot that will keep you intrigued (of course only if you have not read the novel, as I haven't). And when you will know what it has in the end, it will leave you questioning about what you saw. It will make you think what was right and what was wrong and that what has been done was the thing that should be done. Confused? Curious? Well watch this movie and you will know what I am talking about (and no this ain't a psychological thriller lol).

My Recommendation: Watch it for Ben Affleck whose hard work in direction has made the movie worth a watch.

Why Should I See?: Brilliant plot, some fine acting.

Why Should I Not?: Nothing specific, a bit slow but that too is manageable.

Rating: 7/10

Watch Trailer:
 

*Courtesy Movie Trailers Playground

Read More...