The Movies I Liked

[Rupam]

Watched The Conjuring

If you like Horror , Thriller, then its a must watch:

The Conjuring (2013) - IMDb

I have seen my fair share of horror movies; but the only one in recent memory that i actually consider to be scary is Sinister. For a movie of its genre, The Conjuring is VERY creepy and while it may not scare some of you right away, the thought of this movie increases its scare factor tremendously.
The Conjuring stars a relatively well-rounded cast that consists of: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Lili Taylor, Ron Livingston, Joey King and the adorable Mackenzie Foy(who played Renesmee in Breaking Dawn Pt. 2). Without giving away the character names or any major details on the characters, I gotta say this: This movie has some REALLY good acting. The moments where these actors are scared; you feel scared right along with them.

I will not say if i do or don't believe in demonic possession, but I have to say............The Conjuring makes you not want to say you don't believe in it.

Storyline

In 1971, Carolyn and Roger Perron move their family into a dilapidated Rhode Island farm house and soon strange things start happening around it with escalating nightmarish terror. In desperation, Carolyn contacts the noted paranormal investigators, Ed and Lorraine Warren, to examine the house. What the Warrens discover is a whole area steeped in a satanic haunting that is now targeting the Perron family wherever they go. To stop this evil, the Warrens will have to call upon all their skills and spiritual strength to defeat this spectral menace at its source that threatens to destroy everyone involved.

 

[RMCWS]

I watched The Conjuring last week. Al though I found it kind of predictable in terms of the story, but it is a very good horror movie considering the 'crap horror' movies that we get these days.

Plan to watch "The Shining" over this weekend.

 

[gauthamnaidu]

I watched The Conjuring last week. Al though I found it kind of predictable in terms of the story, but it is a very good horror movie considering the 'crap horror' movies that we get these days.

Plan to watch "The Shining" over this weekend.

In my opinion.. The conjuring was over hyped...
I went in expecting a stomach gripping screenplay.. Disappointed.. The shining is awesome.. Cheers...

 

[Rupam]

Watched on Thursday "Monsters University"

Monsters University (2013) - IMDb

In this story we find a very young Mike Wazowski going off to college after being inspired as a young kid during a field trip by a scarer of Monsters Inc. After his experience he is determined to become a great scarer despite of peer pressure by those who think he doesn't have a chance. Upon arriving he meets Randall Boggs (before being evil) and they become friends. Later during his first class he first encounters Sulley who appears as a lazy, and slacker type who only bases his purpose of being there on sentiment as his own father was a famous scarer. He only thinks that he can get by, just roaring, but scaring is much more complex than just roaring according to the movie. While not going into great detail this leads to a bitter rivalry. But eventually they would become best friends.

Overall it may not be the best PIXAR film, but a better one by far (in my opinion). The characters are funny to laugh at and there are some moments that leave you at the edge of seat. Also this film is about learning to accept fear and failure, while remaining hopeful about change and growth through our different skills. Good for a family viewing with kids around.

 

[aneelr]

Ain't Them Bodies Saints [2013]

Ain't Them Bodies Saints (2013) - IMDb


A good Crime/Drama movie. A slow, love-on-the-run story. Nice emotion in the story. Good cinematography. Nice performance by Rooney Mara and Casey Affleck.




Blackfish [2013]

Blackfish (2013) - IMDb


A very good Documentary movie about killer whales in captivation at Theme Parks and using them in performance shows. Good one, worth a watch.




What Maisie Knew [2012]

What Maisie Knew (2012) - IMDb


A very good Drama movie. Story is about a dysfunctional family, where a samll girl is stuck between the egos/fights for her parents and how other people associated with her and her parents make her feel happy. Wonderful performance by Onata Aprile as the small gilr Maisie. Good performance by Julianne Moore and Steve Coogan too as parents of Maisie, Alexander Skarsgrd and Joanna Vanderham in the supporting role. Very good Cinematography and Background score.




White House Down [2013]

White House Down (2013) - IMDb


A good Action/Drama movie. Story is about attack on White House, and is way better than Olympus Has Fallen. Story is good, nice performance by Channing Tatum. Jamie Foxx is okay as the President. Action scenes are well done with good sound mixing.





Cheers.

 

[musicbee]

White House Down (2013) - IMDb - An ok movie as far as story and performances go. The sound FX though are excellent if you have a good HT setup. Decent action entertainer that will satisfy most action fans.

Dead Man Down (2013) - IMDb - An entertaining crime thriller in which a woman hires one of the mob's bosses top men to kill the mob boss. The guy himself has scores to settle with the mob boss. Good action, performances are good though we have seen Noomi Rapace do better... Colin Farrell well is still searching for that blockbuster hit (which this movie isn't).

Oblivion (2013) - IMDb - A good sci-fi entertainer from Tom Cruise. Morgan Freeman stands out in a small role, Olga Kurylenko is pretty but ok performance wise, however the movie belongs to Tom Cruise and the SFX in a future earth devastated by an alien invasion and natural calamities. Tom Cruise does not play a superhero or even a leader but a lowly tech support who job is to repair drones that keep falling out of the sky. Starting from this premise the hero has to unravel the real mystery of what really took place on earth and how he has to piece together everything based on fragments of memory and what he learns from others. The climax is unexpected and definitely scores in bringing together everything to complete the puzzle. Yet again an excellent though understated performance from Tom Cruise who is well supported by Morgan Freeman, Olga Kurylenko, Andrea Riseborough and some excellent special effects.

 

[umapati]

Last night watched...
Captain Phillips

Plot: The true story of Captain Richard Phillips and the 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama, the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years.

an awesome movie...Must watch

 

[Rupam]

Thanks Umapati, will watch it.

 

[aneelr]

1 [2013]

1 (2013) - IMDb


A very good Documentary movie that tells the story of the golden age of Formula 1 racing. Good narration by Michael Fassbender. A very nice insight into the history of formula 1 where safety wasn't even an issue. Worth a watch for all F1 fans.




The Lone Ranger [2013]

The Lone Ranger (2013) - IMDb


A good Action/Drama movie. Johnny Depp and Gore Verbinski combo, i just enjoy them. The story is good, but the Lone Range character itself could have been a little better characterized. Depp was cool in his performance. Very good cinematography and background score. Worth a watch.




Cheers.

 

[musicbee]

Dredd (2012) - IMDb - Good action movie with a premise similar to The Raid: Redemption i.e. a couple of cops/peacekeepers (Judges actually) are locked inside an apartment complex having to face gangs who want them dead. Outnumbered and running low on ammunition the Judges have to fight their way out and bring the criminals to justice along the way.

Dredd is a vast improvement over Sylvester Stallone's Judge Dredd (both movies based on a comic book hero). Karl Urban does a better job and is helped by a better story/plot. Lena Headey plays an interesting (read that vicious) character Ma-Ma, the rest of the cast is ok.

Special mention for the LFE... it simply rocks on the home theater and the gun fights, explosions are spot on and the "throw" of the sound FX can be traced physically in a linear arc in a couple of instances... definitely recommended in DTS-HD Master Audio or at the very least in DTS.

 

[musicbee]

Contagion (2011) - IMDb - A viral outbreak on a global scale that kills millions and how the CDC, WHO, etc. race against time to find the cure. A serious thriller that outlines the outbreak of a deadly virus that threatens humanity, the breakdown of government, and finally the fabric of humanity where man turns on man and will go to any lengths to protect himself.

If you like Steven Soderbergh then you will enjoy this movie, others might find it too slow and disjointed but nonetheless a good movie with some excellent performances and an all star cast of some of the biggest names in Hollywood.

Highly recommended if you want some serious fun or are tired of the inane explosive action thrillers/superhero movies that Hollywood puts out with regularity.

 

[TaureanBull]

Miller's Crossing

Miller's Crossing (1990) - IMDb

 

[esanthosh]

Lot of horror movies of late!

I would put both The Conjuring (2013) and Insidious (2010) under the same category. They employ so much of sound induced jump scares that the difference between them being good or bad depends heavily on how good the sound system is and how much you use your brain while watching them. There is nothing new in either of them as both mix up a few classic horror movies in order to make up their 'story'. There are not many surprising elements, nothing very unpredictable, yet effective provided sound reproduction is good (The originals may not be as scary, but worth a watch as well).

Insidious was set up nicely for the first half of the movie, but it meanders on once the paranormal investigators drop in. I watched Poltergeist (1982) recently yet again and I'd say that was a damn good movie, even after accounting for dated special effects. Insidious on the other hand, tries to be scary, but the orange face was more funny than scary. Should have kept him in the shadows.

Conjuring was much better (I watched it before Insidious). The acting is good, the jump scares work and it did 'get' me in some places ('The thing behind the door' was very effective). I am glad that the camera is steady without shaking the hell out of it (and hurting our eyes in the process) and CGI was not overshadowing everything. The sound department in Conjuring deserves a special pat on the back, so do not do injustice by watching it with poor audio quality. James Wan's redemption for starting torture-porn with 'Saw' with 'scare' replacing gore? Probably! A horror classic? Hardly. A well made movie? yes!

The freshest (though may not be the best) film I have watched during this horror marathon (so far) is Ginger Snaps (2000), a different treatment of the werewolf genre peppered with teenage comedy. It is not scary (Make-up FX can be funny) and lost it's way a bit during the last half an hour. It is still worth a watch.

 

[musicbee]

R.I.P.D. (2013) - IMDb - Ryan Reynolds continues his long list of bad movies/choices. Another wannabe superhero/comic hero movie that's so bad you want to turn it off in the middle. Marisa Miller is the only good thing in this movie and that's saying a lot since she is onscreen only in bits and parts.

Do stay away!

 

[aneelr]

Bless Me, Ultima [2013]

Bless Me, Ultima (2013) - IMDb


A good Drama movie. Story is okay, but very good performance by this small kid Luke Ganalon. Good Cinematography and Background score.




Best Man Down [2012]

Best Man Down (2012) - IMDb


A good Comedy/Drama movie. Story is good. Good emotions brought about in the last 2 acts. A very good performance by Addison Timlin, specially the in the emotion part of the story. Also good performance by Justin Long, Tyler Labine and Jess Weixler. Very good background score to support the story telling. Good watch.




Cheers.

 

[musicbee]

Empire State (2013) - IMDb - Bad and not even worth one sitting. Dwayne Johnson is wasted, Liam Hemsworth is ok in parts and Michael Angarano gets on your nerves.

 

[Rupam]

Hunting Season

Av mevsimi (2010) - IMDb

The lives of three homicide detectives are turned upside-down during a murder investigation.

A good Turkish drama film.

 

[musicbee]

The Last Stand (2013) - IMDb - Good action flick with Arnold Schwarzenegger back in action after T3. He plays the sheriff of a small town near the Mexican border and its up to him and his staff of 3 to stop a fugitive who is making a run for Mexico in a really fast sports car.

Sounds like fun and it is. The action will entertain most action fans... even if you are not a fan of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Special mention again for the sound FX on the home theater... lots of good to great sounds that makes for a unique experience on its own.

 

[Rupam]

A Must watch >

Prisoners (2013)

Prisoners (2013) - IMDb

Story: A Bible-reading, deer hunting survivalist who takes the law into his own hands after his 6-year-old daughter and her friend are kidnapped and feels failed by a young, brash detective in charge of the investigation who cannot prove that the man he believes is responsible is guilty.

This, despite not being a horror movie, was maybe the scariest movie I've seen in years. Uncompromisingly intense and haunting, as well as creepy as well as brutal very often. It also gets so thrilling at times that I almost jumped out of my seat. Needless to say, I thought it was brilliant. For three particular reasons. One is the directing and the cinematography- this is one of the best shot movies I've seen in years (bravo Deakins.) Two is the acting, which is just a masterclass. Jackman is better than ever. Howard and Davis are way, way underpraised in reviews. But Jake G runs away with it. And I say that as someone who hasn't been too fond of his acting in the past in most movies. He was superbly brilliant. But what really set it apart was how REAL it felt- Keller's beat up pick up truck didn't feel like a prop, it felt lived in. The way the two families open the door and greet each other and hang out on this felt REAL, it didn't seem like famous actors playing a part. Gyllenhal's tattoos and twitches didn't feel like things just tacked on- they felt like they were really apart of him. That stuff is hard to achieve. And this movie does it in droves.
Best Movie of the YEAR so far IMO.

 

[Adi30]

Watchout for 2guns and the heat both food movies.