Zero Dark Thirty

Director : Kathryn Bigelow

My Rating : 4/5

Wow!

The chase of Osama-bin-laden…

I was very curious to know how it all happened…why it took soo soo long to locate him…… by what means they could finally do it ….had been wanting to read the book “manhunt” but somehow delayed it.... finally this is the movie to appease my desire….after the film was announced, I somehow knew even before watching the movie that I would like it….n I wasn’t disappointed a bit.

If you watch the movie standalone considering it as a fiction and a mere thriller film, it makes an amazingly thrilling story full of investigations, surprises and passions…..the minute the thought of  reality creeps into mind, it simply gives goose bumps…….I really cant explain what all I felt while watching it, But I can imagine the feeling of triumph for everyone involved and awaiting justice.

The movie is wonderfully made with brilliant acting by everyone esp Jessica Chastain…..Doesn’t feel like a documentary though it does its job of giving a detailed picture of the chase and all procedures involved……The last 30mins of the film is definitely the most gripping part when the navy seals start their flight to raid his residence. The movie on the whole is definitely a must-watch.

It surely brings everyone a feeling of satisfaction and justice.

Hmmm..

Some interrogation scenes seemed very cruel….though they tortured the right guys in the movie, made me feel awful about all the innocent people being interrogated that way in real life

The movie seemed to be revolving more on highlighting Maya (Jessica Chastain) than on the mission and the other officers involved.…probably the director wanted the movie to be more than jus a manhunt….probably its more about a woman’s victory in the most ambitious and awaited chase of the world……I have read about Jen, the real life counterpart of Maya and her deep association with this case…..not sure if she was as responsible for tracking him as portrayed in the movie but she surely deserves a hatsoff for her guts and attitude….

Movie - Looper

Director:  Rian Johnson

My rating : 4/5

Really an enjoyable scifi-thriller. Confusing yet interesting. All time travel movies amuse me….. they have so much to offer to think about….but as always there are loopholes in the plot obviously coz time travel is not invented yet :)

It is based on time travel where the mob in future generation sends people into the past to kill them….the story line by itself is quite interesting…..but few scenes are quite confusing….Inspite of lot of unanswered questions , I still enjoyed it a lot………The minute you start thinking about wt jus happened and the logical reasoning behind it, you are sucked into the plot taking another turn leaving you no time to think about the logic :P…….a very unpredictable movie……..Half way through the movie you will understand that it is not just about the time travel and all the physics around it, it is more about the man and his future self…..the changes in him, his regrets, his love ,how his life changes and how he is ready to do anything to save his love….

Loved it coz it dint seem like a sheer sci-fi movie but had an emotional touch and felt like a completely awesome movie package with most of my fav ingredients :D hehe……n though I predicted it, totally loved the climax.

Book - The immortals of Meluha

Author : Amish Tripathi

My rating : 3/5

Proved yet again that not all amazing ideas become amazing books….

Wow!

+  I had been waiting to get my hands on this book for the sheer audacity of the concept of reimagining Shiva mythology. The refreshingly original idea of what if Shiva was human is amazingly fascinating.  A very fresh storyline and interesting concept. The idea itself of combining the mythological era and mapping it to a contemporary era seemed innovative.  Very appropriate for fast reading. Can just breeze through it and get it don’t in 2-3 sittings. Some concepts illustrated in the book are very thought-provoking. The idea of a society and the two different aspects of a society and a human being was brilliantly described. The book grew more interesting towards the end.

Hmmm..

In spite of the fantastic idea, to me the book was a complete let down due to the terrible writing. I was constantly distracted by the casual writing and so couldn’t enjoy the book as much as I expected. I agree that the idea is innovative but still owing to the writing quality I still feel it is a very over rated book. I felt as if I was reading some movie script or a blog. Conversations are too casual and boring at times. Dint like the casual usage of words like Shit, Damn, Dude, son-of-a-bitch,  which seemed not very appropriate for the historic era it portrayed  (1900 BC). Usage of concepts like antioxidants, terrorism etc also seemed out of placed for that era. There are many other clichés and glitches in the narration/story. Though the story was gripping at few times, it still needed better treatment. Currently reading the sequel. Lets see, if it can change my mind  :).

Movie - Django Unchained

Director : Quentin Tarantino

My rating : 4/5

Wow!

+  Well, The long wait after Inglorious bastards  definitely seemed worth it.  After watching all of Quentin’s movies which are so amazingly interesting and different, I still cannot rank them in a sequence of which I like the most. And Django Unchained joins the list too. Django is a completely gutsy western movie which deals with the slavery days. It is about, slavery, love and revenge. A complete revival of western genre movies. In spite of making his point clear about the atrocities of the slavery times , the movie is a complete fun and entertaining flick. Just what you would expect from him….the stylist scenes, Witty dialogues , lengthy but interesting conversations……The movie is full of violence and blood geysers but Violence is ironically and intentionally taken to a level where it is turned in a complete comedy.  With his irregular screenplay, some scenes totally keep u sitting on the edge of your seat and wondering what ll happen next….. and all through the scene you ll try hard to guess what Quentin is getting at……and finally leaves you completely satisfied by the end of it. Though the slavery concept behind the movie is a touchy one, he adds all his magic and turns it into his genre.

Hmm..

-   Well, as times I felt, the bloodshed was turned into too much of hilarity and so the purpose of revenge and love at times dint seem genuine . Though it was a complete entertainer , I felt there should have been more touch of love/revenge to feel it a lil more. Though I dint get bored at any point of time in the 3 hr long movie, I still feel it could still be a shorter movie with the same effect. I felt some fights were redundant, though they dint bore me.

Marry a movie buff...n yes! you become one too!

“It's not what a movie is about, it's how it is about it.”
―Roger Ebert

Well, Thats what I learnt from my husband....its not about watching a movie, its all about experiencing it.......how intensely you are dragged into the mood of the movie....how involved you get into the plot of it......how real the characters feel....how moved you are with the emotion.....and finally how you are magically transported into its world.....

I guess the following dialogue from the book Demonglass, totally describes my hubby..

“I wish we could go to the movies."
I stared at him. "We're in a creepy dungeon. There's a chance I might die in the next few hours. You are going to die in the next few hours. And if you had one wish, it would be to catch a movie?”

Initially I never understood his deeply crafted interest in movies......."movies are just for timepass right?" I always thought.......but slowly I realized how genuinely passionate he is about them.....I cant help but envy his passion.......the childlike excitement I see in him when discusing movies/books truly makes me jealous, wanting me to experience that passion......frankly, I dont know what I am soo passionate about....anyway I ll stop this para before I start vigorously thinking about what all things I still need explore to discover one :)

So coming back to movies, I have seen many movies with him which othwrise I wouldnt even have though of watching leave alone appreciating/liking them....n to my surprise I truly loved many movies which he also admires......

I became a movie buff myself...but ofcourse to a much much lesser degree....n redbox/netflix became part of our lazy weekends

I understand now that it is not about the story but about how the story is narrated....

And here I am starting this blog to write reviews of the movies/books as part of my new year resolution :P :)

Anyway the picture below is the fondant cake I made for my movie buff hubby on his bday :)

Signing off,
Harika