Review: Wanted (2008)

This is me, Thisath, taking on my first film review. In the film review world, I'm as ordinary as you can get; I don't watch many films- but if I do I will probably enjoy it. I don't dig too deep or expect too much and I am always easy on the creators. That said, I know a bad film from a great one when I see one, just so you can know my recommendations aren't absolutely rubbish.

So, on with the review:

The film is absolutely blastedly amazing!
( I wrote this sentence as I watched the film)

No Spoilers ahead!

I love the action, the tension and the non stop gunfights with slip second timing- absolutely unreal, but who cares? The intense, fast paced action really, really makes this film for me. I love action in any form and this film is just that. It's just really great to watch. Think of it as a quality adrenaline rush. It keeps you on edge all the time, and twists and turns in the direction of the plot every 10 minutes it seemed! Never gets old to me if executed nicely. You can't go wrong with curving a bullet, can you?

The filming is really nice, with great angles and camera trails, and the sets look absolutely fabulous! Great editing and good direction, in my opinion. I've seen better, but it was good enough to not distract me in any way as some films have. The CGI was surprisingly good, there were multiple places where I couldn't actually figure out whether it was graphics or reality.

The acting is also on point. It has a great cast, with Morgan Freeman taking up Sloane, a powerful and godly leader of a key group called the Fraternity, and James McAvoy taking up the young, desperate but 'magically'  (superhuman almost) talented young Wesley. Angelina Jolie is Fox, an elusive and very able assassin, and Thomas Kretschmann is the seeming bad guy. 

Their main goal is to be cool characters and they have achieved that. I mean, the joy of hearing a swear word through the mouth of our film god, Morgan Freeman, itself makes it up for anything bad in the film. They work very well for their parts. I was hooked from the moment I started watching. The biggest fault if I had to point one out is the lack of character development, but I'll be honest, I never really cared about character development (I saw you cringe back there)...

The music also, I loved. It was well assembled! It fitted in perfectly with the scenes and served to enhance the experience. The main score is so good, it's definitely going on my play list.

The story line isn't too complex, but it's got a big twist and so it follows the traditional action film script; I can't really complain. It is a bit ridiculous- sometimes funny- and there are many holes to the plot and basic logic, but again, you don't expect amazing on a summer blockbuster- I don't say this as a bad thing. If you want amazing story, very realistic scripts and "exquisite cinematography" you're better off with some film that won a Cannes award.

I totally recommend this film to anyone looking for an action film that isn't all that horrible. It's not that long, has a great cast, easy storyline and nonstop, almost stupidly crazy, awesome action. Great for a Friday night movie spree. I rate it a B- (which is NOT bad-an A on my scale is tough to get). So go ahead and bung this on your list and enjoy it.

Interest Concentrated (Thisath) rates this film 8/10

Review: The Pursuit of Happyness (2009)

No that is not a typo *sigh*. Just watch the film, then you'll get it.

The Pursuit of Happiness, a film that is amazing (and I'm not saying that cause I watched it at 2am when I clearly should've been sleeping) and "heart string tugging" at the same time, inspired by a true story the plot of the film in a nutshell is about a man, Chris Gardner (Will Smith) who fights to become an employee of a business firm after landing an internship after impressing a man, with a Rubix cube.

(Spoiler alert)

Chris goes on to show his worth to the company but is left distraught when he can't afford a good life for his son  (Jaden Smith) and almost rejects the internship. Nevertheless, thanks to Chris's dedication and compassion for his son he manages to get the job.

(End of spoiler)

As you've been reading this (assuming you read through the spoiler and haven't watched the film) you might feel like this movie is pretty boring and generic.

HOWEVER, have you ever heard the saying ,"It's about the journey and not the destination"?
That's pretty much what this film is; the lengths that Chris goes to and the emotional backlash that comes with it is what makes this film a superb watch.

The film really makes you think about what you've taken for granted in your life (and what the hell happened to Jaden Smith as well) and leaves you "feeling" after watching it.

                              

                                        Interested Concentrated (Yasaru) rates this film: 8.5/10

Review: Into the Wild (2007)

Yasaru here with first installment in our movie reviews section and I feel like we're opening with a strong one.

Sean Penn's beautifully directed movie with amazing cinematography fully equipped with a story that is thought provoking in more ways than most pop culture films today. The movie revolves around Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch) and his struggles to experience life with the hardships that come along with it. At the risk of spoiling the film, it is , in a nutshell, a story about a man who refuses to live in a world that is built upon what society tells him to and as the name suggests forces him into the wild to be "who he always wanted to be".

Whenever I talk about this film the first thing that comes to mind is it is emotional, very emotional. The messages that this story implants in it's viewers as the movie progresses is what really makes this film what it is, along with the interesting characters that help Christopher with his journey. With that comes my first nitpick (proceed with caution, spoiler alert) the characters aren't given that much of time to be embraced and understood by the viewers and to see how their relationship with him really means anything to the viewer.

However the movie certainly does have ideas that are wonderfully implemented into the storyline. The whole idea of how man must be one with nature is evident throughout the film. But the emotional trip that Penn elegantly takes the reader through is one that will stick around for a while. Penn does an absolute work of art of capturing the essence of the true story the film was written upon and does little to change the authenticity of it. The film is paced well enough with a certain lackluster scenes occasionally but nevertheless it manages to keep the viewers engaged.

This movie truly is a great watch; IMDb wouldn't have put it on their "list of films to watch before you die" for no reason, to be fair.  If you want something more than the rather stagnated films that rarely ever affect your life in by even the simplest of ways, Into the Wild is an absolutely phenomenal film.

                                Interest Concentrated (Yasaru) rates this film: 8.5/10