The Tourist (2010) Review

Article first published as Review: The Tourist (2010) on Technorati.

Movie: The Tourist

Cast: Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie
Rating: 2.5/5

I was shocked at seeing The Tourist featured in the Golden Globes 2010. In my opinion it was one of the most disappointing movies of the year especially considering the hype that was created for it. The movie was stale, clichéd and lacked the suspense, thrill and wit required to pull it off.

The Tourist centers around wanted criminal Alexander Pearce. He is wanted for stealing 744 million pounds from a gangster. His case is assigned to Elise Clifton-Ward (Angelina Jolie) who falls in love with him and hence deceives the agency she works for.

Elise now follows Alexander's orders to solve their predicament and evade Scotland Yard. She is asked to choose a random man on a train and lead the police to think he was Pearce. Here enters Frank Tupelo (Johnny Depp), a math teacher from USA. He is chased by the police and the mafia who think he is Pearce following his lunch with Elise in the train. What follows is a love story which sees Elise fall deeply in love for Frank while harboring a strong and passionate affinity for Pearce. The rest is better seen than told so I will keep it to myself!

What bothers me the most about the film is Johnny Depp's character Frank Tupelo. We know that Depp is in preparation for the next Pirates of the Caribbean and unfortunately you can tell that from the shape and mannerisms of Frank Tupelo. It seems that Depp is too pre-occupied with Jack Sparrow as Frank's hair, facial expressions and even his wayward gait reminds you of Jack Sparrow through out the film. Even though it lacks substance, the film was big enough for Johnny Depp to have crafted the character in a better way.

The positive of the film is Angelina Jolie. She has looked her prettiest and sexiest best. Her proper body language and great makeup, especially the red lipstick is very refreshing. She has acted very well and tried to lift the film on her own. Her body charms and enchants the audience and makes you wanna keep looking at her. It is however not enough to make the film a must see.

All in all, the film is overrated and could be passed if you have a better film in possession like The King's Speech or Black Swan. Gone are the days when putting in heavy weights would mean that they would lift the film themselves, a great script is now necessary for a gripping flick.

13 (2010) Review

Article first published as Review: 13 (2010) on Technorati.

Movie: 13 (2010)

Cast: Jason Statham, Mickey Rourke and Emmanuelle Chirique
Rating: 4/5

I was amazed to see that Jason Statham/Mickey Rourke starrer 13 had only 7 external reviews on IMDB. The film to me is right up there with The Fighter and The Kings Speech in terms of production and acting. It is after a long, long time that a film has touched me so intensely and made me ponder over how precious life is. It made me realize that no amount of money can ever match the value of life.

A young man assumes the identity of a dead man in his greed and need for money and gets involved in an underground business where men bet on others' lives in a game of Russian roulette. He encounters fellow players, their handlers and the rich betters and discovers the importance of life in the process.

The film is beautifully presented with life being the main subject of the story. Jason Statham and Mickey Rourke have given great performances in roles that arguably seemed a little thin for stars like them. The fact however is that their presence in the film is just about as much as the script requires and that is the genius of casting in this film.

For shock value and grip the film is a 10/10. It keeps you interested for the whole trip and the end is also well conceived. Punctuated with brilliance, the film gives you the jitters with thrilling scenes and strong used of sound and dialog.

I urge all film lovers to see this one. It is a different film with a deep message and deserves all the accolades it can get!

I Spit On Your Grave (2010) Review

Article first published as Review: I Spit On Your Grave (2010) on Technorati.

Movie: I Spit On Your Grave (2010)

Cast: Sarah Butler, Jeff Branson, Andrew Howard
Rating: 3/5

I love a film where a nude woman doesn't necessarily give you a boner. I Spit on Your Grave is one such movie. As sexy and well developed as Sarah Butler is, she really doesn't make your eyes ogle and lock onto her stark naked body.

The film is an eye-opener to all who think that narrow-mindedness and brutality are only associated with a specific group or nation. It shows that even in a country like the USA there are people and communities that consider a progressive woman as an open target and term her a "city whore".

It is the story of Jennifer Hills, a writer who goes to a secluded small town in the woods and occupies a cabin there. She is in search of a story and hence chooses the quiet of the far away town. Her presence in the town creates a ripple in the narrow-minded natives of the area. She encounters a group of renegade, filthy men at the gas station and that makes her a topic of discussion amongst them. She innocently gives one of them a peck and that, combined with her short dresses, gives her a "whorish" repute in the view of the group. They finally make a plan to pay her back for all the "attraction" that she had gathered. She is assaulted by the gang, and when she runs to escape them, she finds the sheriff. The sheriff is also in for the fun and hence mauls, ridicules and gang rapes the innocent writer.

Jennifer Hills is one of the best characters to have emerged recently and her transformation from a naive rape victim to a furious avenger has been brilliantly performed by Sarah Butler. The gore in the film is authentic and gut wrenching but you don't for a second feel sympathy for the recipients of pain. Some scenes are especially brilliantly choreographed and are artistically brutal.

Intelligent horror like Buried has always inspired me and I really enjoyed I Spit on Your Grave and would strongly recommend everyone to have a watch. It has something for everyone: nudity, gore and tragedy.

Sanctum (2011) Review

Article first published as Review: Sanctum (2011) on Technorati.

Movie: Sanctum (2011)

Cast: Rhys Wakefield, Allison Cratchley and Christopher Baker

Rating: 3/5

Deep within the strangling vegetation of a South Pacific island, a massive hole stands out like a missing section of the world. At the bottom of the hole, the mostly underwater Esa-ala cave system begins, and a group of explorers is determined to lay their eyes on sights that no human being has ever seen before. After months of exploration, the caves remain a labyrinthine mystery and the elusive outlet to the ocean remains hidden, suggesting that the caves are far more massive than anyone originally suspected.

For the most part, the cast is decent, but all the characters are thin, and if it weren’t for the deliberate repetition, odds are you wouldn’t know a single character’s name until late in the movie at best. Richard Roxburgh (Moulin Rouge!, Rake) takes the bulk of the screen time as Frank McGuire, a gruff cave diver who has nearly preternatural instincts when it comes to exploring underwater caves. It is his passion in life, and as a result, his son Josh, played by Rhys Wakefield (Broken Hill, The Black Balloon) is estranged from the old man.

Sanctum is a movie built entirely around the use of 3D combined with the specific cinematography used to show off the cave diving that takes center stage in the film. As a result, the film is beautiful at times, bordering on stunning, and the 3D really does make it worth the price of admission. The weak plot, mediocre acting and paper-thin characterizations will likely make it a quickly forgotten movie, but the visuals almost make it worth seeing in the theaters.