Friday 20 March 2009
The curious case of Benjamin Button
I saw TCCOBB last night and I must say it caught me by surprise. It is a surprise because I normally post on IMDB and on that board I had heard some pretty negative reviews. Most posters have complained that apparently it dragged on for too long but I didn't feel it drag on at all and I have a relatively short attention span so if it was too dragged out I would have probably would have been the first person to fall asleep. I will not go into too much details about the plot but basically all I will say is that it tells the story of a man who has a rare disorder which causes him to grow backwards, he is born old and then he gets younger and the dilemmas he faces in his life. It truly is a heartwarming and rewarding movie complimented by some good performances from Pitt and Blanchett. Highly reccomended by me.
Thursday 12 March 2009
Frasier
Let me start off by saying I love watching Frasier. In fact I only started watching it after it ended but I became addicted to it straight away. What I love about the show is that unlike most sitcoms, the humour is so refined. Each and every one of the characters are just so loveable but my favourites are either Frasier or Martin.
My favourite Frasier episode is the one in which Martin pretends to be gay to avoid going out with a man and Niles has to pretend to be his boyfriend. My favourite Frasier quote comes from the episodes where Daphne had gained a lot of weight. She accidentally falls over and Martin tries to pick her up but fails, then Niles tries and then Frasier after which Martin wittily remarks"You know what's funny, it took three Cranes to pick you up.
I would like nothing more to say that Frasier was consistently funny but unfortunately I can't, the last season was franky abysmal and really let down what would have a consistently funny show. In particular an episode called Coots and Ladders where Frasier stuck in a rut decides to steal something valuable from a neighbour. The finale I thought was excellent. Frasier is a breath of fresh air and highly reccomended to people who are looking for a change from juvenile sitcoms like Friends for instance.
My favourite Frasier episode is the one in which Martin pretends to be gay to avoid going out with a man and Niles has to pretend to be his boyfriend. My favourite Frasier quote comes from the episodes where Daphne had gained a lot of weight. She accidentally falls over and Martin tries to pick her up but fails, then Niles tries and then Frasier after which Martin wittily remarks"You know what's funny, it took three Cranes to pick you up.
I would like nothing more to say that Frasier was consistently funny but unfortunately I can't, the last season was franky abysmal and really let down what would have a consistently funny show. In particular an episode called Coots and Ladders where Frasier stuck in a rut decides to steal something valuable from a neighbour. The finale I thought was excellent. Frasier is a breath of fresh air and highly reccomended to people who are looking for a change from juvenile sitcoms like Friends for instance.
Saturday 7 March 2009
Sholay(Bollywood)
It's no secret that I am a huge fan of Bollywood movies and Sholay is my favourite Bollywood movie of all time. When released Sholay became the highest grossing Bollywood movie of all time, the fact it did so well is pretty remarkable if you take into accounts that apart from Sholay most of the record breakers have been love stories. Everything about Sholay is just so masterful, whether it's the script, the wonderful action sequences, the great songs, the great characters, I can go on and on.
The movie tells the story of two small time bandits Jai and Veeru who are employed by a man called Thakur to capture a bandit called Gabbar Singh and bring Gabbar to him. Now Gabbar is not ordinary bandit, in fact he is probably one of Bollywood's most despicable villian.
There are truly wonderful action sequences, my favourite being at the start when Jai,Veeru and Thakur are travelling by train and they are attacked by bandits. There are also some really well etched out characters, whether it's the vengeful Thakur or the notorious bandit Gabbar Singh.
Despite having seen the movie over 300 times there are moments that still send a shiver down my spine, For instance in the scene in which Gabbar cuts off Thakur's arm.
Despite being over 3 hours long Sholay is just so fun and enthralling that I don't even notice the time fly by. Highly reccomended to all by me.
The movie tells the story of two small time bandits Jai and Veeru who are employed by a man called Thakur to capture a bandit called Gabbar Singh and bring Gabbar to him. Now Gabbar is not ordinary bandit, in fact he is probably one of Bollywood's most despicable villian.
There are truly wonderful action sequences, my favourite being at the start when Jai,Veeru and Thakur are travelling by train and they are attacked by bandits. There are also some really well etched out characters, whether it's the vengeful Thakur or the notorious bandit Gabbar Singh.
Despite having seen the movie over 300 times there are moments that still send a shiver down my spine, For instance in the scene in which Gabbar cuts off Thakur's arm.
Despite being over 3 hours long Sholay is just so fun and enthralling that I don't even notice the time fly by. Highly reccomended to all by me.
Friday 6 March 2009
I told you I'd be back soon..lol. I am a huge huge Bond fan and I thought I'll post my reviews for them.
Dr No- The movie that kickstarted the longest ever running franchise and even from the first movie you could glimpses of brilliance. For those who don't know it was adapted from the Ian Flemming Bond novels and the first movie introduced us to Bond as he is assigned the task of finding out what happened to one of their spies. Me being a guy the main highlight was off course Ursula Andress's bikini sequence, not even Halle Berry in DAD could top that.
My rating 7/10
From Russia with love- This was the first Bond movie to have a pre credit sequence and a mighty fine one at that. We are lead to believe that Bond has been killed but it turns out to be a villian in disguise. In my opinion it was an improvement on Dr No and the novel on which it is based is also superb. My rating for FRWL: 7.5/10
Goldfinger- Without a doubt my most favourite Bond movie which boasts of a superb theme song,great Bond villians,great action and some great dialogue. My favourite dialogue being when Bond is being tortured and Bond says"Do you expect me to talk" to which Goldfinger replies
"No Mr Bond I expect you to die. Goldfinger is one of those rare Bond movies that actually improves on the book it is based on. My rating for GF: 9/10
Thunderball- Not bad but the weakest of the first four. The theme tune sung by Tom Jones in my opinion was pretty awful. Still not bad. My rating for TB: 5/10
You only live twice- This was the most amibitious Bond of the 60's and it is pretty good, though not nearly as good as the first three. Still the theme tune by Nancy Sinatra is sublime. Also Donald Pleasance is surprisingly good as Blofeld. My rating for YOLT: 5.5/10.
On Her Majesty's secret service- I used to loathe this Bond movie until I rewatched it last year and realised how unbelievably wrong I was. OHMSS showed a far more human side to Bond that none of the previous movies had acheived. Connery refused to come back again as Bond and George Lazenby stepped, in my opinion he is a unfairly maligned Bond actor. Teddy Savalas is one of my favourite actors to have played Blofeld. The snow sequences are beautifully shot. The theme song "What a wonderful world" by Louis Armstrong(which was one of his last recorded songs)is simply phonomenal. If that wasn't enough it also boasts of one of the finest ending to a Bond movie in my opinion. My rating for OHMSS 8.5/10
Diamonds are forever- Connery's return is nothing but a damp squid. The hard edged tone of the Bond movies is traded in for a more comical one and that is a big no no in my books. Then there is Charles Gray hamming it up as Blofeld(coincidentally he also made a cameo in YOLT). The moonbuggy sequence however was very good. My rating for DAF: 4/10.
Live and let die: After the debacle that was DAF Connery quit Bond again and Roger Moore stepped into his well worn shoes. For a movie that is short on plot it is very entertaning. The action sequences are just so marvellous I could very gladly gloss over the weak plot. In particular the scene with Bond attempting to go under a low bridge in a double decker bus. My rating for LALD: 6/10
The Man with the Golden Gun- A real dissapointment for me. The theme song for some inexplicable reason reminded me too much of the Goldfinger theme tune. Christopher Lee as Scaramanga was pretty poor given what a talented actor he is. A real debacle. My rating for TMWTGG:4/10.
The Spy Who loved me-Finally Moore got it right,this is my favourite Moore Bond. The opening scene is breathtaking and has been copied many times since. Then there was two great villians, Curt Jurgen as Stromberg but more importantly Richard Kiel as Jaws. The theme tune by Carly Simon is one of my favourites. My rating for TSWLM:7.5/10
Moonraker-Regarded by Bond fans as the worst Bond movie ever, I too used to loathe this outing. That was until I brought the DVD and my amazement quite liked it. Moonraker is just one breathtaking sequence after another, there is hardly a dull moment. Moonraker has some of my favourite Bond moments, for instance in the scene where Drax and Bond are pigeon shooting and Bond shoots the person that was meant to shoot him. A real treat for Bond fans. My rating for Moonraker:6.5/10
For your eyes only- This Bond entry is pretty much loved my Bond fans for being more but I have mixed feelings about this one. I usually hate a Bond movie or love it but this one splits me right in the middle. Still at least it has that wonderfull Sheena Easton soundtrack, which is one of my favourite Bond songs. My rating for FYEO:5.5/10
Octopussy: Or as I like to call it Diamonds are forever part 2 with Moore in the role instead of Connery. Like DAF, Octopussy plays it just for laughs, it is just one corny joke after another. Not even a great actor like Louis Jordon can save his dire mess. My rating for Octopussy: 3/10
A View to a kill- A slight improvement of Octopussy but pretty dire. The only saving grace is a wonderful turn by Christopher Walken as Max Zorin. My rating for AVTAK:4/10
The Living Daylights- Finally a Bond movie from the 80's I actually love, Moore stepped out of Bond's shoes making way for Timothy Dalton. TLD feels like a breath of fresh air after some appaling Roger Moore Bond movies. My rating for TLD:7/10
Licence to kill- One of the worst performing Bond's at the box office, in my opinion it is woefully underrated. It is a far more brutal Bond compared to the Moore outings but that works in it's favour. The action scenes are simply spectacular, particularly in the finale. My rating for LTK: 9/10
Goldeneye- After a six year hiatus Bond came back with a bang. In fact this was a very special Bond for me, it was the first one I saw in the cinema. The action sequences were simply great, in particular the tank sequence. My rating for GE: 8/10
Tommorow never dies: A real step down from Goldeneye. Whilst GE had a pretty good Sean Bean is a villian, in TND we have to settle for Jonathan Pryce hamming it up as Elliott Carver. It starts of pretty well but then it becomes over reliant on action sequences, which is a real turn off for me. My rating for TND: 5/10
The World is not enough- I am almost tempted to give TWINE a 10/10 simply because of the gorgeous Sophie Marceau and the equally sexy Denise Richards alone. I am almost tempted but not quite enough, TWINE actually deserves a 5/10. The ooening sequence is probably the most wonderful one for quite a while but it's all downhill from there. My rating for TWINE 5/10
Die Another Day- I think it's reputation speaks pretty much for itself, it is a dire Bond movie which eventually lead to Brosnan quitting Bond and Daniel Craig stepping. Honestly I can't find a redeeming feature about it, dire script, dire theme song, dire villians, the list can go on and on. It is also "famous"for having the worst Bond gadget, the invisible car. My rating for DAD:2/10
Casino Royale- After the debacle of DAD, I had completely given up on Bond until this entry hit me. It is the best Bond movie to come out in over twenty years. Martin Campbell, who previously directed GE returned to direct this entry and his experience really shows. The action sequences were simply great, the airport scene blew me away. Like OHMSS, this Bond entry shows a more personal side to Bond. My rating for CR: 9/10
Quantam of solace- I knew this would happen, deep down inside I knew they would follow up the wonderful CR with a poor follow up. However I had no idea it was going to be this bad. Truly despicable. My rating for QOS:3/10
Dr No- The movie that kickstarted the longest ever running franchise and even from the first movie you could glimpses of brilliance. For those who don't know it was adapted from the Ian Flemming Bond novels and the first movie introduced us to Bond as he is assigned the task of finding out what happened to one of their spies. Me being a guy the main highlight was off course Ursula Andress's bikini sequence, not even Halle Berry in DAD could top that.
My rating 7/10
From Russia with love- This was the first Bond movie to have a pre credit sequence and a mighty fine one at that. We are lead to believe that Bond has been killed but it turns out to be a villian in disguise. In my opinion it was an improvement on Dr No and the novel on which it is based is also superb. My rating for FRWL: 7.5/10
Goldfinger- Without a doubt my most favourite Bond movie which boasts of a superb theme song,great Bond villians,great action and some great dialogue. My favourite dialogue being when Bond is being tortured and Bond says"Do you expect me to talk" to which Goldfinger replies
"No Mr Bond I expect you to die. Goldfinger is one of those rare Bond movies that actually improves on the book it is based on. My rating for GF: 9/10
Thunderball- Not bad but the weakest of the first four. The theme tune sung by Tom Jones in my opinion was pretty awful. Still not bad. My rating for TB: 5/10
You only live twice- This was the most amibitious Bond of the 60's and it is pretty good, though not nearly as good as the first three. Still the theme tune by Nancy Sinatra is sublime. Also Donald Pleasance is surprisingly good as Blofeld. My rating for YOLT: 5.5/10.
On Her Majesty's secret service- I used to loathe this Bond movie until I rewatched it last year and realised how unbelievably wrong I was. OHMSS showed a far more human side to Bond that none of the previous movies had acheived. Connery refused to come back again as Bond and George Lazenby stepped, in my opinion he is a unfairly maligned Bond actor. Teddy Savalas is one of my favourite actors to have played Blofeld. The snow sequences are beautifully shot. The theme song "What a wonderful world" by Louis Armstrong(which was one of his last recorded songs)is simply phonomenal. If that wasn't enough it also boasts of one of the finest ending to a Bond movie in my opinion. My rating for OHMSS 8.5/10
Diamonds are forever- Connery's return is nothing but a damp squid. The hard edged tone of the Bond movies is traded in for a more comical one and that is a big no no in my books. Then there is Charles Gray hamming it up as Blofeld(coincidentally he also made a cameo in YOLT). The moonbuggy sequence however was very good. My rating for DAF: 4/10.
Live and let die: After the debacle that was DAF Connery quit Bond again and Roger Moore stepped into his well worn shoes. For a movie that is short on plot it is very entertaning. The action sequences are just so marvellous I could very gladly gloss over the weak plot. In particular the scene with Bond attempting to go under a low bridge in a double decker bus. My rating for LALD: 6/10
The Man with the Golden Gun- A real dissapointment for me. The theme song for some inexplicable reason reminded me too much of the Goldfinger theme tune. Christopher Lee as Scaramanga was pretty poor given what a talented actor he is. A real debacle. My rating for TMWTGG:4/10.
The Spy Who loved me-Finally Moore got it right,this is my favourite Moore Bond. The opening scene is breathtaking and has been copied many times since. Then there was two great villians, Curt Jurgen as Stromberg but more importantly Richard Kiel as Jaws. The theme tune by Carly Simon is one of my favourites. My rating for TSWLM:7.5/10
Moonraker-Regarded by Bond fans as the worst Bond movie ever, I too used to loathe this outing. That was until I brought the DVD and my amazement quite liked it. Moonraker is just one breathtaking sequence after another, there is hardly a dull moment. Moonraker has some of my favourite Bond moments, for instance in the scene where Drax and Bond are pigeon shooting and Bond shoots the person that was meant to shoot him. A real treat for Bond fans. My rating for Moonraker:6.5/10
For your eyes only- This Bond entry is pretty much loved my Bond fans for being more but I have mixed feelings about this one. I usually hate a Bond movie or love it but this one splits me right in the middle. Still at least it has that wonderfull Sheena Easton soundtrack, which is one of my favourite Bond songs. My rating for FYEO:5.5/10
Octopussy: Or as I like to call it Diamonds are forever part 2 with Moore in the role instead of Connery. Like DAF, Octopussy plays it just for laughs, it is just one corny joke after another. Not even a great actor like Louis Jordon can save his dire mess. My rating for Octopussy: 3/10
A View to a kill- A slight improvement of Octopussy but pretty dire. The only saving grace is a wonderful turn by Christopher Walken as Max Zorin. My rating for AVTAK:4/10
The Living Daylights- Finally a Bond movie from the 80's I actually love, Moore stepped out of Bond's shoes making way for Timothy Dalton. TLD feels like a breath of fresh air after some appaling Roger Moore Bond movies. My rating for TLD:7/10
Licence to kill- One of the worst performing Bond's at the box office, in my opinion it is woefully underrated. It is a far more brutal Bond compared to the Moore outings but that works in it's favour. The action scenes are simply spectacular, particularly in the finale. My rating for LTK: 9/10
Goldeneye- After a six year hiatus Bond came back with a bang. In fact this was a very special Bond for me, it was the first one I saw in the cinema. The action sequences were simply great, in particular the tank sequence. My rating for GE: 8/10
Tommorow never dies: A real step down from Goldeneye. Whilst GE had a pretty good Sean Bean is a villian, in TND we have to settle for Jonathan Pryce hamming it up as Elliott Carver. It starts of pretty well but then it becomes over reliant on action sequences, which is a real turn off for me. My rating for TND: 5/10
The World is not enough- I am almost tempted to give TWINE a 10/10 simply because of the gorgeous Sophie Marceau and the equally sexy Denise Richards alone. I am almost tempted but not quite enough, TWINE actually deserves a 5/10. The ooening sequence is probably the most wonderful one for quite a while but it's all downhill from there. My rating for TWINE 5/10
Die Another Day- I think it's reputation speaks pretty much for itself, it is a dire Bond movie which eventually lead to Brosnan quitting Bond and Daniel Craig stepping. Honestly I can't find a redeeming feature about it, dire script, dire theme song, dire villians, the list can go on and on. It is also "famous"for having the worst Bond gadget, the invisible car. My rating for DAD:2/10
Casino Royale- After the debacle of DAD, I had completely given up on Bond until this entry hit me. It is the best Bond movie to come out in over twenty years. Martin Campbell, who previously directed GE returned to direct this entry and his experience really shows. The action sequences were simply great, the airport scene blew me away. Like OHMSS, this Bond entry shows a more personal side to Bond. My rating for CR: 9/10
Quantam of solace- I knew this would happen, deep down inside I knew they would follow up the wonderful CR with a poor follow up. However I had no idea it was going to be this bad. Truly despicable. My rating for QOS:3/10
Hello there
This is my first blog and I am so excited. I think my niche will be my fond love for Bollywood movies and my new found love for Hollywood movies. Hope you enjoy reading my posts. Will start posting my reviews of some of my favourite movies very very soon. Hope you enjoy reading them.
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