Reviews
Eden (2013)
A good movie about the bad side of humans
Yes, it is a modern day Lord of the flies... It shows how the best of intentions become disastrous for all while the spineless people end up heroes. In that way, it also depicts the irony of how people who are real heroes end up villains in the eyes of the others because of circumstances. I think Andy was the best of the lot but ended up as a person everyone ends up hating in the end, while the others who were not able to take tough decisions took the worst decision by should how inhuman they really can be in the end. Good movie, good story, excellent acting and a must watch for people who enjoy psychological thrillers. I have already watched it twice :)
Uninhabited (2010)
Hopeless
Waste of time... please avoid. There is nothing suspenseful, horrific or anything. Thanks to the poisonous spiney fish, it finally helps wind up this excruciatingly boring mess of a film. Two people come to lust around on a deserted island. Well, they deserved this kind of ending to their worthless lustful lives. I mean, was this supposed to be snuff film? Or a semi-porn blue lagoon kind of movie? I totally did not get it. In the end the leading lady ends up haunting the island, but why? No one raped or murdered her. She most probably dies of poisoning by that poisonous spiney boney fish she stepped on. The island is lovely, but whats the point, we can watch it on NatGeo/Discovery. You could watch Meerkat Manor instead :)
The White Dog Sacrifice (2005)
Watch it if you have NOTHING else to do...
To start with, the story idea was great, but the movie turned out to be a complete washout. Earlier reviews have already covered its pain areas. The DVD artwork/plot description being attractive enough, I recommend viewers to switch subtitles ON, fast forward it on speed 1 or 2, and you won't miss much and minimize frustration. There is no horror in watching the actors in a continuous loop of talking/bickering, fishing, walking through woods, with random bursts of songs in unrelated scenes, AND not a single white dog throughout this boring marathon. The lovely location (lake/woods) is thoroughly wasted too. The 5 min. appearance of the one night friend was to lead up to the sacrifice. If he hadn't scared Simon into getting lost in the woods (and then found & hypnotized by the Indian), the rest of them wouldn't have been separated and killed off one by one so conveniently. Didn't get the ending though
knowing that your friends are missing, how can these guys sit in the cabin instead of searching for them? And who the heck is Cam - identified as one of the four found dead with Jason, Kim and Kenny. Rob's body is not accounted for and Simon is (as we know) the hypnotized killer. So shouldn't they have searched for Rob/his body? The "surprise twists" and oversimplifications ruined this movie. Handled well, it could have been a worthwhile suspense thriller.
Jaani Dushman: Ek Anokhi Kahani (2002)
Save your time & money. Stay away...
Mish mash of all Hindi and Hollywood action & emotion packed dramas. A complete waste of 3 hours of your precious time! The whole story flows in fits and starts. The only acting that was happening was that all the actors were making weird faces at the camera and screaming most of the time. Due to the number of stars, maybe all the stars were allotted some screen time randomly and the movie was assembled and shown to the public. The SFX were cheap and jarring. Acting was of the poorest quality. Songs were painful, though one was supposedly comical (Javed Bhai So Rele Hai).
All this just to re-launch a star son devoid of any acting talent. It just wasn't a horror movie, it was horrible.
Watch it if you want to see the worst Hindi movie ever made. If not, then steer clear...
The Evil Dead (1981)
Be afraid, be very afraid
I was scared out of my wits the first time I saw TED. I was 14 years old then, yet ended up trembling in fear halfway thru the film. This movie made me understand what "sensing the presence of a supernatural evil force" means. Didn't get over this fright for weeks
And I also missed the humor due to my terror. I never realized that it is a low budget movie. The horror was first rate. The isolated cabin, the deathly silent forest harboring a nerve and ear shattering evil, rushing camera shots as this evil presence races after its victims, the events just before each camper turns into a monster, all are world class. Every horror conceivable can be experienced while watching this movie even though it is devoid of any special FX. Everything is unpredictable - who will turn into a monster, what the evil book can do, what will be found in the underground room - making every moment extremely suspenseful and captivating. Now that I have more guts to watch it, I found it amusing as well. It is well worth the time. Recommend it to all horror fans
Crime + Punishment in Suburbia (2000)
Good plot treatment.
CRIME & PUNISHMENT IN SUBURBIA is a well packaged product. It had a good plot which was handled well and had excellent acting. The plot was credible & absorbing, but, like someone here asked, why was it rated "R"??? I think it is a poignant & relevant movie. You are the one who has to take decisions about your life. You can decide how you want to live and what you want in life. You can not let others decide your state of existence. You must protect yourself but not let an innocent person suffer by your actions. The moral theme about telling the truth is also inspiring in a positive way. She saves her soul by telling the truth and, in a way, attains redemption. She also finds that genuine someone who helps her in finding herself. Vincent was, as always, cool. He is good at roles where everything is so profound. The music was good too. All in all a multi-viewable one...
The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999)
Cool movie
I haven't seen the original Carrie movie, hope to see it someday. This movie was cool and I disagree with "NickL-3" about not killing the so called "innocents". When somebody goes thru hell and has nobody on their side, it doesn't matter. If somebody is humiliated beyond their tolerance, there are no rationalizations. Nobody in the vicinity remains an innocent. If you stand by and watch someone being harassed without coming to their aid, then you end up as a part of the oppressors, a passive one. Only people who are absolutely raging will do such a thing and that is what this movie has tried to depict. Rachel is a troubled teen, not to say, forever taunted and ostracized. As she discovers her extraordinary powers, she hasn't discovered how to control them. To top that, everybody around her is scheming to humiliate her. She loses control and WHAM! Everything is over. If we don't want to be among the innocent dead, I suggest scramming as soon as we sense trouble... If I can't assist someone who is in trouble, I won't stand there and watch the oppression either, I'd call the cops or try to get hold of somebody who can help the person in trouble, or at least put the oppressors in their place. I felt sorry that Rachael died in the end, but well, with someone having powers like hers, she would never be allowed to live a normal life. The movie is good and the cast was perfect too, especially Emily Bergl.
Ju-on (2002)
Awful
A horror movie with scenes strung together of various events that take place in a house where some guy murdered his wife because he figured that his wife's child was not procreated from his sperm (this happens all the time in REAL life). But the movie is badly made, and it has no conclusion. All they have done is paint the cast white & red, and make them scream without reason, it is supposed to be a invisible-visible terror but seems to be more mental (pun intended). People were scared due to the helplessness of the victims to find a way to survive. Awfully made...
The War (1994)
Beg borrow or steal, watch it anyhow...
Beg borrow or steal, watch it anyhow... Everything is great about this film but for the misleading title. I mean, we would have expected a war movie of some kind. But once you start watching it, it takes you away, hook, line and sinker. Has great performances by every member of the cast and the crew has also given it the best look & feel. The story has shades of everything, morals, parent-child relationship, the family values, guidance and love for their kids, of kids who don't have that, rivalry - adult & kiddish, problems, solutions, lowness & greatness, you name it. Watch it to believe it...
Shoestring (1979)
Enjoyable - 9/10
I've always loved detective stories and this is one of my favorites. Unfortunately, I don't remember much of it, because I was only about 6 years old when I saw this serial. I still remember the title music, which, later on I found out was the "Songbird" tune... The private-eye (Trevor eve) was perfect for the "not-normal" character, looked and acted the part well. Quite a thrilling thriller, quite and edge of the seat at the same time! I wish they would re-telecast this series once again so that I could refresh my memory... I'd give it a 9/10.
Skeletons in the Closet (2001)
Thought provoking movie
"Skeletons in the closet" is a movie that is not noisy and action packed like most of the thrillers are. It is quiet and you have to turn up the volume to hear the whisperings of the lead protagonist, Seth, many a time. One thing that I particularly noted in this movie was that there is very little background music interfering with the dialogues, which I really appreciated. In most movies, we can not hear a word of the dialogue due to the background din.
The interesting factor here is the psychoanalysis of this character and how all the other characters relate to him and contributed to his mental status. The movie is based on the theory that a person is severely affected by what s/he experiences as a child. All these emotions are beautifully portrayed by Jonathan Jackson, and you really end up feeling bad for Seth Reed. There are lots of kids being misguided or not guided either-way, within and without their homes, which turn them into confused anti-socials (especially if they already have acquired criminal instincts genetically). These same kids would have had better chances of leading a peaceful existence had they been taken care of and been well-guided. The same way, Seth could have been a successful pianist or anything he wanted to be, had he been saved from what even he himself does not comprehend. This has been portrayed so sensitively and so strikingly that this movie is a must-see for all viewers who like thought provoking stories.
Just like the ambience is quite gloomy throughout the movie, the songs too are melancholic, soulful and beautiful. The theme may not be unique, but the treatment and acting (esp. Treat Williams and Jonathan Jackson) is definitely outstanding and laudable. Excellent movie...
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
Brilliant, fantastic, thrilling (10/10 rating).
`The Mysterious Yearning Secretive Sad Lonely Troubled Confused Loving Musical Gifted Intelligent Beautiful Tender Sensitive Haunted Passionate Talented Mr. Ripley' is too good a movie to explain why its so good. Basically, the feel is fantastic. The ambience and violence subtly concealed in the silence of its emotions is enigmatic. This movie captures the essence of the original novel and every scene in the film justifies its presence.
The screenplay, direction, the cast and location are most appropriate and do full justification to the story. Matt Damon excels in the role of Tom and is able to portray the emotions that Tom goes through in adverse situations extremely well. The adoration of Dickie turning into the desire to be exactly like Dickie, the anger and hurt caused by Dickie's indifference and rejection, the tumult after the realization of his actions, the panic on being discovered by Freddie and Marge, the immediate recovery from panic into the grim resolve to nip the trouble in the bud, the acceptance of the unfortunate but necessary elimination of Peter, everything has been enacted out by Matt Damon beautifully and his is a truly outstanding performance, worthy of the Oscar.
This film is true to the portrayal of Ripley's mind at work. The depiction of the frustrations of being a real nobody in a world which demands lot more than it can give forces people to try to become a fake somebody is brilliantly exhibited in each scene. The human mind is a labyrinth of pleasure and pain and it rationalizes each act of aggression with justifications created and accepted by the mind itself. Even the sense of success and failure in life is controlled by the mind and the illusion is sometimes too great to overcome.
This movie provoked me into reading Patricia Highsmith's book and the later Ripley novels to track the growth of the central character. I have yet to read "Ripley Underwater" though.
Brilliant movie.
Full House (1987)
Cool stuff.
The concept is extremely touching and there is also so much to learn from this hilarious TV series. Every episode addresses at least two problems that the adults or the kids face, and how they solve the problems as a family. Everybody goes through good and bad phases. Everybody can make mistakes. Everybody could be shrewd sometimes and naive at other times. Everybody hurts, and everybody could hurt others too. Look at the bright side. As long as the wrongs are righted, and proper guidance is provided to kids, alls well that ends well. And its not just the kids who may need guidance and support. We need to give that much more importance and priority to being there for each and every member of the family, like they are there for us. If the family has good values, nobody from that family would go bad in their life. Its all about explaining things to kids and making them understand why some things are wrong. When somebody is not willing to change for the better, that is the real problem. We have not right to claim that anything is wrong or right because everything is relative in this world. But there are basic principles that every human being needs to have and these are reflected in their actions. What is right for someone may be wrong for someone else. So live and let live and learn how to do that from this COOL television series.