Several Movies

Hey friends,

Couple of new movies I saw recently.

Happy Feet
Don't watch this one, unless you wanna a penguin move his feet happily throughout the movie. While its technically brilliant, with great animations, the story line was very weak with quick jump in the plot. I thought it would be a similair movie to Ice Age but I was very wrong. With a stellar voice cast, including Robin Williams, Nicole Kidman, Elijah Wood among other, I am disappointed in this movie, despite all the critical acclaims and praise.

Hard Candy
Saw this on DVD. One amazing movie. A man in his mid 30s has an internet chat with a 14yr old. The 14yr old girl thinks the man is a peadophile who stalked and killed her good friend. She accepts his invitation to his place under the pretense that he will take modelling pictures of her. While that happens, she drugs him and when he wakes up, he is tied and bound while the girl looks for evidence. A cat and mouse game ensues, with every second full of tension as to whether who is innocent, who is guilty and one long scene will have all gusy cross their legs in anxiety.

Casino Royale
James Bond latest one. I thought the new actor Daniel Craig was all right. Being blue eyed blond hair didn't make a drastic change from the previous bonds, and Craig's acting abilities were adept. The movie opens up in black and white and it became obvious they were trying to transition the old bond to the new one so the blond hair blue eyes don't come as a shock. While there are amazing action set pieces (namely the construction site chase, sinking of building in Venice) the rest of the movie faltered here and there. The torture scene was a shocking one, all the more so as I was sitting with my dad watching the naked Bond getting his balls whacked.

Mansur

Movie:: Apocolypto

Hey friends,

If you watch one movie this winter, make sure its Mel Gibson's Apocolypto. I took interest in this movie after Gibson announced his new movie after completing The Passion of the Christ. Apocolytpo is based on the Mayan/ Incan civilization. Like who would watch a movie based on a dead civilization. I tell you, when I was watching this movie, I didn't feel like I was watching a movie, but ratehr felt like as I was transported to the Mayan civilzation and that all that happens on screen happened in reality.

The entire movie is shot in the local Mayan dialect with English subtitles, which is actually very effective, just like it was in The Passion of the Christ. Because everyone were speakig the local dialect, it made the film all the more realistic.

The movie follows the life of one man, who is separated from his pregnant wife and son as a rival tribe take the men and women hostage to their own territory. Where there are taken we don't know, but once we find out what their fate is, it's horrifying, so much so, four people left the cinema as their stomachs could probably not digest what was unfolding on the screen. While the captives are being faced with their new destiny, fate intercedes and sets our hero free from his destiny. He manages to escape all the while his enemies are after him. The rest of the movie is a ticking time bomb as he has to make it in time to save his family all the while escaping his enemies, and in the process realizes what his ultimate destiny in life is.

It's an amazing movie. It's a very provocative movie. You are forced to express your feelings, whether you are in awe, in shock, in suspence, in tears, in laughter, whatever it is, you are provoked. The suspense is very high. The reality factor is high. Not once do you think you are watching actors, but are immersed in the Mayan civilization. Check out the passion and energy of Jaguar Paw. Check out the determination of the mother seeking to save her sons. Check the young son giving hope to his mother. If you shed away the language, the culture, the customs, you see a love story at heart, and indeed a very touching one.

And with this movie, I am a huge Mel Gibson fan now!

Mansur

(Warning to those with weak of heart: the violence in this movie is ultra-realistic and gruesome, just like it was in The Passion of the Christ.)