Casino

Any movie with Robert Deniro and directed by Martin Scorsese is a must-see and I stumbled across this movie glad to see that Mr. Wise guy Joe Pesci was in it too. But surprisingly, more than these movie stalwarts, I was pleasantly surprised to see Sharon Stone's performance who puts up a very good performance which shows the trajectory of her character from independent, self- confident card dealer to a dependent, unsure moll with a whole bunch of neuroses.

The plot itself is fairly simple and shows you how many businesses are used as a front for the flow of money but the actors in it make it come alive. Although Deniro was muted while Stone was simply superb. Her charisma and appeal, her temper tantrums, her confidence but her dependence on a worthless boyfriend- quite a mix of contradictions and very believable

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is Unbuttoned here...

Righteous kill

Rating- 3 stars
Two reasons why I saw this movie and they are Robert Deniro and Al Pacino. Need I say more?
Anyway, despite disappointing reviews, the movie was not so bad. In fact, Deniro's acting grows upon you. He is really a fantastic actor and the nuances in his expression pack a powerful message. DeNiro brings this restless energy to the screen. Contrastingly, Pacino's performance was surprisingly subdued. I guess most film reviewers wanted to see the clash of their personalities but too bad that they were more on the same side of the fence and there wasn't much tension between the two cop characters. Oh, by the way, 50Cent was quite good in his performance too.

I found the story predictable and if it wasn't for these two powerhouse actors that I got to see on the big screen, I wouldn't have bothered!

Wall-E Phooey!

Rating- 2 stars

I had a lot of expectations for this movie but the reality didnt match up. I usually go by the Rotten Tomatoes rating before I see a movie but I think 90 odd % for this long winded spiel was not deserving. The movie seemed more like a documentary film on man's destructiveness, giant corporate greed, yada, yada, yada and oh yeah, two robots hitting it off which somehow doesn't do it for me!!

The first half was very drab with a derelict Earth with mounds of trash fashioned into skyscrapers. There is only one waste compactor robot who functions on this deserted terrain and that is Wall- E who has developed sensitivities and feelings, although how or why, nobody knows. He collects human oddities and unusual objects. The reason Earth has become toxic for life is because all us wasteful humans generated so much trash that we start living on giant spaceships since Earth becomes toxic for living beings. Needless to say, the movie didnt have much of an impact on the movie-goers judging by the trash in the cinema hall, strewn around after the movie :-)

The second half shows us a glimpse of how humans live as glorified couch potatoes zipping along on chaise lounges and sipping all their meals in a plastic glass, which just makes me think "How American!!"

The rest of the movie is about which will triumph- wanting to return to Earth and nurture it or continue to live in obese splendour. You can guess the rest of it.

Sure- the message was great but it doesnt need 90 minutes to get the point across.
The movie might have been more interesting if it was more tightly scripted. I could have drifted off to sleep and woken up for the last half hour to have understood the whole scenario.

The Dark Knight

Rating- 4 stars

It's a difficult time to make superhero movies at a time when realism rules and "being super" is not so super after all. But of all the comic characters, the Batman has been different and is more contemporary with all his self-doubts.
He is more often brooding about something or other. Why can't movie directors make a movie about someone as fun as Flash?

Anyway, personally, I have always felt Batman's inner conflicts to be painfully soap-opera-ish and he is very self- absorbed. That's why I sat up when this movie came out. Because the Dark Knight is not so much about Batman but more about his villains, and we have not one but two villains (if you dont count the fleeting Scarecrow appearance)

There has been a lot of hype about Heath Ledger as the Joker and no doubt his performance was good although I felt that he wasn't "funny enough" to be a Joker. But the true story here that captured my attention and really made me take notice was the metamorphosis of Harvey Dent, District Attorney to the villainous Two-Face. Can you imagine something like that? A good guy who believed in ideals turns completely or rather quasi-evil. I am sure if Ledger had not died, the spotlight would have alighted on Aaron Eckhart who gives a very powerful understated performance. Behind the backdrop of the tussle between Joker and Batman, the true story is the arc of how Harvey Dent falls in his ideals to become TwoFace. That makes him more believable than Batman.

Other than this intriguing story (I hope Nolan brings back Two Face in the sequel which there will be, since superheroes are money making machines for studios), it's the same ho-hum bash-'em burn-'em action stunt sequences. Christian Bale is wooden-faced as Bruce Wayne and Exorcist-voiced as Batman, going through scenes with a lethargic torpor, putting us to sleep in his scenes until the Joker or Dent comes along to wake us up. Maggie Gyllenhaul is eminently forgettable.

Questions for the director
1) What's with the masticating motions of the Joker?

2) Does being the romantic interest of Batman automatically mean that you don't smile or laugh? This goes for both Maggie Gyllenhaul or Katie Holmes. Compare that to Kim Basinger as Vickie Vale in Batman. Over the years, Batman has passed on his brooding boredom to his girlfriends as well. Do you expect me to reconcile Christian Bale's stoic performance to Bruce Wayne's playboy persona?

3) What's the deal with the horrible voice of Batman? Everytime he spoke, I winced.

4) You can't keep dusting off the old Batsuit everytime you make a Batman movie. This suit just makes him look fat nowadays. When even the cartoons have experimented with more aesthetic designs, please stop falling back on the old staple and be a bit more adventurous!

Eastern Promises- A must-see

Rating- Five Stars

The acting itself is so brilliant that it is worth it to go and see how the masters do it. Viggo Mortenson as the self-effacing driver, as the chilling gangster, as a man of enigmas was perfect for this role. He gave this role so many dimensions. His contained and dynamic presence really infused the film with a new energy.

The story starts off with a girl who collapses at a chemist's shop. Rushed to a hospital, she gives birth to a girl child and immediately dies. Her only legacy to the world was a diary in Russian. The nurse (Naomi Watts) takes the diary and tries to decipher it. What follows is a chilling look into how Russian mafia operates through the front of a restaurant.

The mafia boss is played chillingly by Armin Mueller- Stahl who can be benevolent and charming, as well as terror-striking at the same time. His son is played by Vincent Cassel and the nurse's uncle is played by the Polish director, Jerzy Skolimowski. Both their performances were stellar.

Watching movies like "Eastern Promises" really gives hope to the fact that good movies can still be made. All the actors on screen are so contained and the script is tightly knit so there is so much of energy and impact. This movie is worth watching!!