Kick-Ass review

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Kick-Ass is a realistic superhero film that is hilarious, disturbing and realistic all at the same time whilst maintaining a sense of fun throughout. When I think of movies that I underestimated prior to watching, Kickass pops into my mind.

Kick-Ass is visually exciting, has amazing action sequences, great character development, a fine story, solid performances and a good script that adds further power to an already powerful film. If I had any issue with the film, it was a portion in the middle that felt somewhat cliched in comparison to everything else that happened before that. Nonetheless, the sense of fun and adventure is present by the end of the film. Another little issue I had, was the villain and his scheme. For a movie so original in characters and themes, it felt like the villain didn't have as interesting and original a story to work with.

That said, Kick-Ass, when ranking superhero films of the modern day, ranks in the same region that Batman Begins ranks at in the sense that both are rock-solid first films that lay the foundations for something bigger and better. The Dark Knight topped this off masterfully, I can only hope that Kick-Ass 2 does the same.

Monsters University (2013) review

Death Proof (2007) review

Quentin Tarantino is my all-time favourite film-maker for his brilliant dialogue, his creative stories and his fantastic casting choices which all fuse together to often create a cinematic masterpiece. "Pulp Fiction", "Reservoir Dogs" and "Django Unchained" hold a spot in my personal top 20 for its incredibly entertaining dialogue, often humorous violence, endearing characters and the brilliant pacing. Going into Death Proof, I knew that this would be my least favourite Tarantino film but what I didn't know was that nothing I loved about Tarantino would be in this film.

The film focuses around a stuntman who has a "death proof" car that he uses for stunts in films. Going by the name of Stuntman Mike, he comes to the position in which he decides to use this car to chase after drunk and idiotic women and kill them.

One of the biggest mistakes made by Tarantino is the idea to kill our supposed protagonists an hour into the film. Unlike in Psycho (1960), in which the second hour picks up from the events of the first, here the story is in almost no way affected by what has happened and we as an audience are forced to take it in. What should’ve happened was having Zoe Bell and her friends being killed off early in the film and then established our main characters (who we saw in the opening hour of the film)

The first hour builds up using various dialogue sequences that unfortunately cannot capture the magic of previous Tarantino scripts. A sequence ensues with our supposed main character and her friends talking to Stuntman Mike but a few minutes later, they are dispatched. This half of the film should’ve come second, especially seeing how the events of the second half are hardly focused on. Stuntman Mike pops up and chases after another bunch of girls who eventually take him down. The film should’ve had these group of girls being taken out fairly early in the film, especially seeing how there were roles by Zoe Bell and a few others. This should’ve been a cameo role in which she and her friends are taken out by Stuntman Mike, who then proceeds to kill another group of girls after meeting them at a restaurant. This would’ve created a bit more tension seeing how our main character does have any sort of connection to Stuntman Mike. 

Tarantino’s strength has always been his dialogue which is always entertaining. He has created some of my all-time favourite dialogue but here, none of his dialogue is slightly entertaining. In previous films, we are able to follow his dialogue such as when Jules and Vincent are talking about “royale with cheese” but here, we are forced to painfully swallow 90 minutes of girls gossiping about sex and boyfriends which is neither humorous nor clever. The group of girls come off as nothing but gossip girls and in that way, doesn’t resemble Tarantino’s earlier brilliance. 

The performances itself were very disappointing, especially seeing how Tarantino is able to get the best performances out of his cast such as with Samuel L Jackson, John Travolta, Uma Thurman and Christoph Waltz. In fact, the only worthwhile performance is Kurt Russel as Stuntman Mike but the supporting performances are weak.

The pacing too is horrendous as each dialogue sequence takes forever to move on. In other Tarantino flicks, we are engaged with the dialogue that we lose track of time however horrible acting, terrible writing and poor directing is exposed making us simply feel the need to check out our watch. 

The only positive aspect I could say about the film is the absurd car chase sequences which definitely boost up the overall score of the film. They are long, somewhat funny and surprisingly entertaining. Though some of the most illogical decisions are made, which furiates me, the chase sequences itself were more entertaining than every other aspect of the film combined. The first entertaining scene was about 45 minutes into the film where this girl gets a ride from Mike, who brutally dispatches her. This scene brought the first energetic smile out of me for the whole film. That brought back what Catwoman said in The Dark Knight Rises. “My mother warned me about getting into cars with strange men!”

Earlier, I suggested a different way in which the story should be structured which immediately reveals Tarantino's poor directing. The dialogue itself, which Tarantino is a master of, is absolutely horrendous and the only way in which the film is somewhat enjoyable is through absurd car chases. That said, the end to the film was about as anti-climatic as a film could get and made me laugh. 

Grade- 3.5/10

Double Indemnity (1944) review

Hailed by many as the greatest Film-Noir of all time, I was definitely in need of checking out Double Indemnity. As someone who is growing a love for classic films, I decided not to have any sort of high expectations and thankfully, Double Indemnity is not only an intriguing film but it is a film as close to perfect as possible. It does something interesting that most films at the time of its release would never have done, which is reveal the big “secret” within the opening minutes hence allowing the audience to be fully invested within the characters and in order for them to effectively enjoy the film that much more.

Fred MacMurray plays a salesman named Walter Neff who recounts the events leading to the death of Mr Dietrichson, as he meets Ms Dietrichson and forms a strange affair with her. The strange affair leads to the seductive Phyllis Dietrichson persuading Walter to join her in a scheme to kill her husband and in order to receive an indemnity. Realizing that there is indeed ‘a double indemnity’ if killed on a train, they agree to do so but an insurance manager, Keyes, shows his suspicion about the death of Mr Dietrichson and attempts to solve the crime.

Billy Wilder’s Double Indemnity is one of the greatest films from the Golden Age of cinema, featuring fantastic performances by Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck, who resemble and embody the characters. Barbara is shown as a rather lifeless woman, yet seductive especially how she initially acts around Neff. Walter is portrayed as a rather wise and cunning man, as portrayed at the end of the film. Keyes, played by Edward Robinson was truly fantastic in his role as he truly embodies every bit of characterization of Keyes. He outsmarts those around him, his determination to solve the death is evident and his inability to be fooled is quite easily evident.

The story is fantastic, complex and deeply layered giving each character enough depth, even Mr Dietrichson’s daughter. Each character is still easy to understand and their motivations are clear. The story telling structure is very clever and how the story unfolds is even better. The cinematography is gorgeous, the lighting often stands out.

It isn’t just a crime/drama tale. It has all the essentials for a masterpiece with an ability to mix in various genres such as thriller and romance. With this, Wilder accomplishes far more than he otherwise would have. A near perfect film that exceeds in every department of film making. 

Grade- 10/10

Man of Steel (2013) review

Man of Steel was a movie that I hyped more than anything else in my life. I was one of the hundreds of thousands of people who believed this to be the Dark Knight for Superman films. The trailers hinted such depth and exploration into the fascinating character of Kal-El and we were exposed to some of Synder’s killer action sequences. The music was something I was worried and the more I was exposed to Zack Snyder’s films- “300”, “Watchmen”, “Legend of the Guardians” and “Dawn of the Dead”, the more I was worried about the quality of the film. However, Nolan’s touch in the film kept my hopes high.

As everyone knows, ‘Man of Steel’ tells us the story of Kal-El, the last son of Krypton, and his coming to Earth and him becoming a godlike protector for humans. General Zod and his men, the few other Kryptonians to have escaped, are in search for Kal-El as they attempt to retrieve something that was taken from them. Something which would lead Earth to a terrible fate and something which would lead Krypton to a glorious fate.

The first hour of this film is pure brilliance, even if flawed. Some questions are still left unanswered such as why the council sentenced Zod and his men to the Phantom Zone if they were in anyway aware of their ability to escape following the destruction of Krypton. However, the first hour generally displays Nolan’s touch into the film, providing some emotionally powerful sequences of Kal-El being an outcast, throughout his early days of high school to his adulthood. Generally kept very quiet, this hour truly helped us get a better understanding of the character especially as he wanders off into the North Arctic, where he confronts a spiritual creation of his biological father, Jor-El, played by Russel Crowe. Here, he becomes Superman and here he comes to learn of his whereabouts and the reasons behind being sent here. Thankfully, we are emotionally invested in various characters. Others such as Perry White and Lois Lane are also presented nicely, though we yet to know much about them asides from Lois attempting to track down Kal-El. The point is, this hour is quiet, emotional and a very realistic take on Kal-El, unlike previous Superman films.

The next hour is generally, action packed. This is where much of the critics have argued about the film, stating that there is simply too much action sequences to comprehend. Whilst it is action packed, it generally does have a story behind it except for one elongated sequence with Kal-El fighting part of the World Machine, unleashed by Zod, as he plans to terraform Earth into Krypton. This sequence proved tensionless, dull and an attempt to visually engage its audience. The idea of Zod and his men terraforming Earth is an incredibly clever plot and the best thing here is, Zod’s motivation. He is presented as a genetically bred and engineered man, assigned with the duty of keeping his people safe. Christopher Reeve as Superman was patriotic to America as Zod is to Krypton. His motivations are made clear, not by dialogue, but by facial expressions and actions committed. However, despite having a motivation behind him, he proves to be a rather underwhelming villain for the film, seeing as how he doesn’t pose much of a threat but rather, his right hand man, Faora does. She was more intimidating than Zod simply was and Antje Traue portrayed her perfectly.

Most of the performances in the film are great. Crowe, Costner, Cavill and Fishburne are fantastic in their roles. Costner and Crowe give such great advice throughout the course of the film and are portrayed as such loving parents as is Diane Lane, who portrays Martha Kent. This was one of the film’s strongest aspects and that is the loving relationship between a mother and a son. When Zod finally threatens her in search for the Codex (which would revive Krypton), it was such a delight to see Superman attack Zod in anger. The scene featuring a young Kal-El unable to control his overwhelming power is now related here as Zod is temporarily weakened by his inability to control his senses. This is the brilliance of telling the flashbacks in a non-linear structure as they each provide emotionally impact to what is happening to Kal-El in the present day. 

However, there were a few performances that could have been better, most notably Michael Shannon (who was surprisingly underwhelming) and Amy Adams, who despite doing a decent job, often shows no chemistry around Cavill. It was revealed in an interview that she hardly acted with Cavill, and green screen was instead used.

The first hour was perfectly paced, keeping things nice and quiet as well as relatively slow. However, the last hour feels a bit too rushed in the process of creating larger than life action sequences, which was a delight to finally see in a Superman film. The final confrontation between Zod and Kal-El was proving incredibly exciting but was over too quick in the most controversial way. I personally loved it.

John Williams’ iconic Superman theme is one that I listen to everyday, regardless of where I am. I just love it so much. Whilst I do understand how such a theme would not fit in this universe created, I personally had a bit of trouble with Zimmer’s score, which was somewhat distracting at times. It generally proved to overpower scenes, especially one where Kal-El is launched into Earth.

Whilst I had numerous issues with the film, there was so much to enjoy about the film and is a unique and exciting take on Superman that unfortunately does lose most of the charm of the previous. The action, visuals, storytelling and performances are generally fantastic making ‘Man of Steel’ an enjoyable summer blockbuster, even if its overall a disappointment. 

Grade- 7.5/10

Jaws (1975) review

Jaws was the first major blockbuster to ever be released and hence it is a revolutionary piece of cinema. To think that by now, all Speilberg had to do was create a simplistic story about a killer shark and only show it very briefly in order to gain a masterpiece. Indeed one of his best films, I’d rank it his second finest next to Raiders of the Lost Ark.

During shooting of the film, there was much production problems especially with creating a larger than life shark and make it convincing. Eventually they settled into using the shark only at the most desperate moments and hence, created a film so extraordinarily brilliant that all it took was glimpses of the shark and one of the most simplistic premises. A police chief named Brody, a shark hunter named Quint and a scientist must work together to catch and kill this shark before further mayhem is ensued.

A very simplistic premise and incredibly effective, Jaws heavily relies on fantastic characters which it masterfully achieves. Quint is clearly shown, from the moment where he scrapes his fingers on a chalkboard, to be a troubled man. His hate for sharks is evident throughout the film in one of the best scenes, where he recounts a story about a killer shark wiping out the majority of passengers on an expedition. Hooper is the comedic relief character and whilst the least interesting of the trio, is provided with fantastic sequences. Brody is a guilt stricken man who feels heavily responsible for the death of a young boy and girl, thus convincing him that he must head out to kill the shark. His character is given fantastic depth, especially a fantastic scene at the dinner table with his young son as they imitate one another. This shows that whilst he is guilt stricken, he is still and he is only human. Quint is introduced in one of the greatest and most memorable ways as he scrapes his fingers on a chalkboard. The sound alone is irritating and attention grabbing and the scene, whilst definitely not annoying is most definitely memorable. He proves later to be the best character of the film.

Speilberg’s directing is absolutely brilliant perfectly allowing the story to unfold smoothly. His brilliant use of the shark and the effective characters and simplistic story gives extra layers to an otherwise fascinating story. Despite no shark present for the majority of the film, its presence is felt the entire way through as a result of fantastic directing. The script too, is extremely engaging and John Williams’ memorable score makes the film all the better. Speilberg has revealed that half of the success of Jaws is due to the score, which has become one of the most identifiable pieces of music ever put to film, right up there with various other John Williams classic tunes. The cinematography and the various tricks used to enlarge the shark is brilliant seeing as how much production problems rose with the film.

The pacing to the film is perfect. The first hour masterfully builds up mystery and suspense and the second half completely delivers, providing some incredible suspense and humor in the mix. The chemistry between Roy Schneider, Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss was amazing as the three resembled the ideal movie trio. Thankfully, the production problems were overlooked by the cast and crew and what we have now is one of the all time greatest films and one of the most unforgettable movie scores. 

Grade- 10/10

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) review

Many consider it the best of the Indiana Jones films, praising the addition of Sean Connery as one of the best casting choices. Many praise the story and action sequences as being superior to the great Raiders of the Lost Ark, but I for one, prefer the first two instalments over the conclusion to such a fantastic trilogy.

Indiana Jones’ father, Henry Jones Sr, goes missing whilst on his life long quest for the Holy Grail. Leaving to Indy, his diary which contains all his research of the Holy Grail, Indiana Jones realizes that the Nazis are once more after the Holy Grail and will stop at nothing to retrieve it. Realizing that immortality is a powerful and corruptive thing that the Nazis cannot get their hands on, Indy goes on a quest to retrieve his father and ensure the Nazis don’t get caught up with Henry’s diary, which has disappeared.

Once more, the story is very powerful and truly entertaining however I didn’t see it surpass the previous two instalments. The addition of Henry Jones is the wisest choice made in this entire franchise. The goofiness and fun he brings cannot truly be described in words. Sean Connery absolutely perfects that role and gives one of the most entertaining performances I’ve ever seen. Unfortunately, it does take a fair bit of time for his character to truly make an entrance in one of the greatest ways. His immediate reaction to smashing Indy with a bottle followed by proving that the bottle is a fake is timeless comedy. Not just funny, but it is simply able to define his character through his first few minutes. The relationship that builds throughout the film between Indy and Henry is one of the funniest yet most realistic ever in some ways.

Supporting characters include Ilsa, who I didn’t particularly care about in the film. She just wasn’t as memorable as Marion or Willie from the first two instalments and her character was someone that I wasn’t attached to. It is, however a pleasing sight to see Marcus Brody return for a bigger role in this film. He is surely one of the best aspects of this film. He is hilarious, lost and is basically one of us being on this great adventure. The best sequence of the film is one involving a lost Marcus Brody attempting to communicate with locals, but is incredibly lost! This scene was comedic perfection for the film, especially realizing that this followed Indiana Jones telling the Nazis about Brody’s whereabouts! Sallah too returns in the film, in possibly a shorter role than Raiders of the Lost Ark but he too is placed perfectly in the story.

Much like Ilsa, there is another forgettable character and he is the main antagonist, Donovan. Belloq is one of the most memorable villains put to film. He was perfect for Raiders of the Lost Ark, Mona Ram was perfect for Temple of Doom however Donovan doesn’t strike out any real threat or motivation with this film. Thankfully, this is laid aside by some fantastic entertainment thanks to Sean Connery and Harrison Ford, who shared such amazing chemistry. Just like the previous two films, the entertainment is sky high and makes this a fantastic conclusion to a great trilogy…until 2008 came!

Grade- 9/10