The Movies I Liked

[moserw]

The Matrix Trilogy in Blu-Ray. Great movies as it is and on SD that too.

On HD the PQ is breathtaking. You really have to watch in HD to understand the scope and vision of the Wachowski brothers. Truly spectacular and must watch trilogy/series on HD even at the expense of having to buy all discs again...

 

[subhash]

TAKEN----total one man show(liam neeson) seemed influenced by a bollywood movie!!!

 

[venkatcr]

I am not sure if this is valid, but yesterday I went to a cinema hall and saw 'Fast & Furious 4'. Total Adrenalin rush from the first scene onwards. If there is a sequel which is as good or even better than the original, this is it. I thought the truck chase in F&F-1 was superb. They have bettered it in F&F-4 by hijacking a fuel truck!

From the gawky kid that he was in F&F-1, Paul Walker, as Brian O'Connor, has matured into a confident young man who walks the corridors of FBI like a man who knows what is he is upto. Vin Diesel looks exactly the same after 5 years. All muscle and speaking from the bottom of his throat. In this movie, he also tries to show a bit of emotion on his face and fails miserably, poor chap. In spite of the fact that his face is always impassive, his acting is good enough for you to guess what he is going to do next. Full synopsis is available at Fast & Furious (2009) - Synopsis.

A must for all fans of F&F. For those of you who have not seen this series, please see Fast & Furious-1 first before seeing this sequel. There are lots of connections to the old movie, and you may not understand many of the dialogues.

Cinematography is very good. Fortunately, the cinema hall kept the volume low, and I could enjoy the sound effects to the full. The only hitch was that Sathyam decided to freeze us all, and it was like sitting in the Antartica. I literally had my 'you know what' clinking when I came out. Imagine looking forward to the heat of the sun in May in India? It was that bad.

This is one DVD I am going to get ASAP. Will be a good test of HT system both for video and for sound.

Cheers

 

[Rem]

Guys,

I am going to put down some movies I have liked over the years not sure whether they have been mentioned in this thread before. I dont really watch that many movies but the ones I have liked over the years are as follows

Enemy At the Gates :- Absolutely superb movie Jude Law as the Russian Sniper and Ed Harris as the German sniper were awesome.

Saving Private Ryan(Good test Disc for testing your HT)

Schindlers List :- An Epic if ever there was one

Dances with Wolves:- Do not remember it that well but I loved it at the time of watching Kevin costner won some academy awards for this one.

Gladiator :- Russell Crowe as General Maximus, need I say more

Jurassic park:- It was a marvel at the time of its launch and I can still remember being absolutely stunned to see for the first time the dinosaurs being so realistic. Unforgettable experience it was. Sequels where pathetic.


Forrest Gump:- The movie which made Tom Hanks my all time favorite actor.

Body of Lies :- Russell Crowe , Di Caprio a little confusing with all the double crossing going on in the movie. Did not even know who was helping who and whom to trust that added to the beauty of the movie. Still confused


Thin Red Line :- Another oscar winner I saw many yrs back

Green Mile:- Tom Hanks, Michael Clarke Duncan was superb in this one.

Will come up with more as and when I remember them.

 

[moserw]

@Rem - The only movie I've not seen (surprisingly since I'm a Costner fan) is Dances With Wolves. I enjoyed all of them, but thought Gladiator and Jurassic Park (parts 2 and 3) to be overrated. Going to watch Enemy At The Gates with the wife this weekend (been planning for long, but now for sure since you've brought it up).

Guys,

I am going to put down some movies I have liked over the years not sure whether they have been mentioned in this thread before. I dont really watch that many movies but the ones I have liked over the years are as follows

Enemy At the Gates :- Absolutely superb movie Jude Law as the Russian Sniper and Ed Harris as the German sniper were awesome.

Saving Private Ryan(Good test Disc for testing your HT)

Schindlers List :- An Epic if ever there was one

Dances with Wolves:- Do not remember it that well but I loved it at the time of watching Kevin costner won some academy awards for this one.

Gladiator :- Russell Crowe as General Maximus, need I say more

Jurassic park:- It was a marvel at the time of its launch and I can still remember being absolutely stunned to see for the first time the dinosaurs being so realistic. Unforgettable experience it was. Sequels where pathetic.


Forrest Gump:- The movie which made Tom Hanks my all time favorite actor.

Body of Lies :- Russell Crowe , Di Caprio a little confusing with all the double crossing going on in the movie. Did not even know who was helping who and whom to trust that added to the beauty of the movie. Still confused


Thin Red Line :- Another oscar winner I saw many yrs back

Green Mile:- Tom Hanks, Michael Clarke Duncan was superb in this one.

Will come up with more as and when I remember them.

 

[Rem]

@Rem - The only movie I've not seen (surprisingly since I'm a Costner fan) is Dances With Wolves. I enjoyed all of them, but thought Gladiator and Jurassic Park (parts 2 and 3) to be overrated. Going to watch Enemy At The Gates with the wife this weekend (been planning for long, but now for sure since you've brought it up).

Jurassic Park Sequels where sick I liked only the first part.

About Gladiator I guess I would have also contributed to its overratedness since I absolutely loved the movie so much so that I must have seen it atleast 8 times.

You will love enemy at the gates, not sure your wife wud also share the same opinion about the movie as you after the movie . Its an out n out war movie very realistic.

Btw I did not mention any Comedy movies in that list.

I love the Naked Gun series. I love most Leslie Nielsen movies.

American Pie
Scary Movie- I
Young Einstein

More to come..............

 

[unleash_me]

About Gladiator I guess I would have also contributed to its overratedness since I absolutely loved the movie so much so that I must have seen it atleast 8 times.

Second that. I have watched the movie on DVD many times and yet tent to follow it even when its playing on cable. Over rated or not, I simply love that movie. Another one to add in this category of mine would be Braveheart.

 

[bhaskie]

A few movies I watched this weekend (including my ratings!). I would recommend them all provided you are interested in the genre. Some of these are slow paced but pretty good nonetheless.

Zwartboek (2006) (Black Book) - War Drama
In the Nazi-occupied Netherlands during World War II, a Jewish singer infiltrates the regional Gestapo headquarters for the Dutch resistance.
Rating: 8/10

Two Lovers (2008) - Romantic Drama
A Brooklyn-set romantic drama about a bachelor (Joaquin Phoenix) torn between the family friend his parents wish he would marry and his beautiful but volatile new neighbor Gwyneth Paltrow.
Rating: 7/10

Janghwa, Hongryeon (2003) - A Tale of Two Sisters (South Korea) - Horror
A family is haunted by the tragedies of deaths within the family.
Rating: 7/10

What Doesn't Kill You (2008) - Crime Drama
Two childhood friends from South Boston (Mark Ruffalo and Ethan Hawke) turn to crime as a way to get by, ultimately causing a strain in their personal lives and their friendship.
Rating: 7/10

The Burning Plain (2008) -
A drama with a two-tiered storyline concerning a mother (Kim Basinger) and daughter (Charlize Theron) who try to form a bond after the young woman's difficult childhood.
Rating: 7/10

 

[prasen_b]

Some low profile (mostly not released in indian theatres) but good movies

- Gran Turino (Clint Eastwood the 80 yr old hero)
- Pan's Labyrinth (must watch)
- Birthday Girl (Thriller)
- Sunshine (Science fiction)
- The clearing (Thriller starring william dafoe)

 

[renjithvakkayil]

Hi Guyzzzz,

A movie review from me....this time it is a hollywood film co-produced by an Indian production house (UTV - RonnieScrewala) and directed by one of the most famous Indian in Hollywood (No..not the Amritaraj and not Jag Mundra).For those who havent guessed the name till now...it is none other than Manoj Night Shyamalan,who stormed the Hollywood with his SIXTH SENSE.SIXTH SENSE was a huge hit and Manoj became an overnight celebrity and he became the highest paid script writer in Hollywood.The films which came after Sixth Sense couldnt repeat the success (Unbreakable,Signs,Village and Lady in the Water) and he also ran into trouble with his Production house over creative freedom.I think he considers himself as a visionary and he believes that the mass also thinks likes him (Same thing happened to our own ULAGANAYAKAN) and the result is two consecutive flops.


Manoj's latest film is THE HAPPENING and it is about how nature can end this world if it feels threatened.The films has MARK WAHLBERG (I became his fan after watching SHOOTER & FOUR BROTHERS) in the lead role (As a highschool science teacher) and few other stars whose name I am not familiar with.The film opens with a scene from THE CENTRAL PARK (NY) where all of a sudden people starts acting wierd and they start killing themselves (mass suicide) and at the same time in a construction site nearby people start jumping from the roof top and killing themselves in that process.Within no time this phenomenon spreads to the entire North-East of the United States.These incidents were first considered as the result of bio-toxic attack by the terrorists but later it was concluded that this is an Act of nature which is beyond the comprehension of science.This is one of the point which Shyamalan wants to emphasize as this dialogue "ACT OF NATURE BEYOND THE COMPREHENSION OF SCIENCE/REASONING" is repeated twice in the movie (In the beginning and in the end).


Mark Wahlberg,his Girlfriend and a kid (Frnds kid) will start a journey with a bunch of others trying to findout a place which isnt affected by the outbreak.Many among them will perish during that journey and they soon finds out that it is the trees and the bushes (Not the DAD/SON BUSH) which is spreading the toxin which causes neurotic-disroder and which leads to suicide mania.So the best way to stay safe is to stay away from the bushes.Also they finds out that the plants are talking to each other and they are concentrating on the bigger groups leaving the small groups (It started in populated cities and then slowly spread to less populated areas in that order...).Atlast Mark and his Girlfried will decide that there is no point in running scared forever so they decide to come out of hiding and nothing happens to them even after being in contact with the bushes or the wind...and the next scene happens after 3 months and thus we will come to know that everything is normal.All the incidents happens within a span of 24 hrs.In the end we are shown a television interview and the interviwee says that the incidents was a warning (A violent warning just like the TSUNAMI)by the nature to the ignorant human beings who are crossing their limit.Then the interviewer says that he is skeptical and wont believe that theory unless similar kind of thing happens in other part of the world.....then we see it happening in another part of the world...and the film ends there....


The movie is average and can be watched once.When you start thinking about such a scenario you will get scared coz if such a thing happens there is no escape....


Highlights

1) A beautiful shot of CENTRAL PARK!!!
2) A scene where 2 of the boys are getting shot for trying to enter into a house is really terrifying...
3) A scene inside a ZOO where a man is offering him as food for hungry Lions are also disturbing...
4) No demons,no vampires,no werewolves still Manoj manages to create chill

 

[subhash]

Hi Guyzzzz,

A movie review from me....this time it is a hollywood film co-produced by an Indian production house (UTV - RonnieScrewala) and directed by one of the most famous Indian in Hollywood (No..not the Amritaraj and not Jag Mundra).For those who havent guessed the name till now...it is none other than Manoj Night Shyamalan,who stormed the Hollywood with his SIXTH SENSE.SIXTH SENSE was a huge hit and Manoj became an overnight celebrity and he became the highest paid script writer in Hollywood.The films which came after Sixth Sense couldnt repeat the success (Unbreakable,Signs,Village and Lady in the Water) and he also ran into trouble with his Production house over creative freedom.I think he considers himself as a visionary and he believes that the mass also thinks likes him (Same thing happened to our own ULAGANAYAKAN) and the result is two consecutive flops.


Manoj's latest film is THE HAPPENING and it is about how nature can end this world if it feels threatened.The films has MARK WAHLBERG (I became his fan after watching SHOOTER & FOUR BROTHERS) in the lead role (As a highschool science teacher) and few other stars whose name I am not familiar with.The film opens with a scene from THE CENTRAL PARK (NY) where all of a sudden people starts acting wierd and they start killing themselves (mass suicide) and at the same time in a construction site nearby people start jumping from the roof top and killing themselves in that process.Within no time this phenomenon spreads to the entire North-East of the United States.These incidents were first considered as the result of bio-toxic attack by the terrorists but later it was concluded that this is an Act of nature which is beyond the comprehension of science.This is one of the point which Shyamalan wants to emphasize as this dialogue "ACT OF NATURE BEYOND THE COMPREHENSION OF SCIENCE/REASONING" is repeated twice in the movie (In the beginning and in the end).


Mark Wahlberg,his Girlfriend and a kid (Frnds kid) will start a journey with a bunch of others trying to findout a place which isnt affected by the outbreak.Many among them will perish during that journey and they soon finds out that it is the trees and the bushes (Not the DAD/SON BUSH) which is spreading the toxin which causes neurotic-disroder and which leads to suicide mania.So the best way to stay safe is to stay away from the bushes.Also they finds out that the plants are talking to each other and they are concentrating on the bigger groups leaving the small groups (It started in populated cities and then slowly spread to less populated areas in that order...).Atlast Mark and his Girlfried will decide that there is no point in running scared forever so they decide to come out of hiding and nothing happens to them even after being in contact with the bushes or the wind...and the next scene happens after 3 months and thus we will come to know that everything is normal.All the incidents happens within a span of 24 hrs.In the end we are shown a television interview and the interviwee says that the incidents was a warning (A violent warning just like the TSUNAMI)by the nature to the ignorant human beings who are crossing their limit.Then the interviewer says that he is skeptical and wont believe that theory unless similar kind of thing happens in other part of the world.....then we see it happening in another part of the world...and the film ends there....


The movie is average and can be watched once.When you start thinking about such a scenario you will get scared coz if such a thing happens there is no escape....


Highlights

1) A beautiful shot of CENTRAL PARK!!!
2) A scene where 2 of the boys are getting shot for trying to enter into a house is really terrifying...
3) A scene inside a ZOO where a man is offering him as food for hungry Lions are also disturbing...
4) No demons,no vampires,no werewolves still Manoj manages to create chill

[/QUOTE

 

[subhash]

Hi Guyzzzz,

A movie review from me....this time it is a hollywood film co-produced by an Indian production house (UTV - RonnieScrewala) and directed by one of the most famous Indian in Hollywood (No..not the Amritaraj and not Jag Mundra).For those who havent guessed the name till now...it is none other than Manoj Night Shyamalan,who stormed the Hollywood with his SIXTH SENSE.SIXTH SENSE was a huge hit and Manoj became an overnight celebrity and he became the highest paid script writer in Hollywood.The films which came after Sixth Sense couldnt repeat the success (Unbreakable,Signs,Village and Lady in the Water) and he also ran into trouble with his Production house over creative freedom.I think he considers himself as a visionary and he believes that the mass also thinks likes him (Same thing happened to our own ULAGANAYAKAN) and the result is two consecutive flops.


Manoj's latest film is THE HAPPENING and it is about how nature can end this world if it feels threatened.The films has MARK WAHLBERG (I became his fan after watching SHOOTER & FOUR BROTHERS) in the lead role (As a highschool science teacher) and few other stars whose name I am not familiar with.The film opens with a scene from THE CENTRAL PARK (NY) where all of a sudden people starts acting wierd and they start killing themselves (mass suicide) and at the same time in a construction site nearby people start jumping from the roof top and killing themselves in that process.Within no time this phenomenon spreads to the entire North-East of the United States.These incidents were first considered as the result of bio-toxic attack by the terrorists but later it was concluded that this is an Act of nature which is beyond the comprehension of science.This is one of the point which Shyamalan wants to emphasize as this dialogue "ACT OF NATURE BEYOND THE COMPREHENSION OF SCIENCE/REASONING" is repeated twice in the movie (In the beginning and in the end).


Mark Wahlberg,his Girlfriend and a kid (Frnds kid) will start a journey with a bunch of others trying to findout a place which isnt affected by the outbreak.Many among them will perish during that journey and they soon finds out that it is the trees and the bushes (Not the DAD/SON BUSH) which is spreading the toxin which causes neurotic-disroder and which leads to suicide mania.So the best way to stay safe is to stay away from the bushes.Also they finds out that the plants are talking to each other and they are concentrating on the bigger groups leaving the small groups (It started in populated cities and then slowly spread to less populated areas in that order...).Atlast Mark and his Girlfried will decide that there is no point in running scared forever so they decide to come out of hiding and nothing happens to them even after being in contact with the bushes or the wind...and the next scene happens after 3 months and thus we will come to know that everything is normal.All the incidents happens within a span of 24 hrs.In the end we are shown a television interview and the interviwee says that the incidents was a warning (A violent warning just like the TSUNAMI)by the nature to the ignorant human beings who are crossing their limit.Then the interviewer says that he is skeptical and wont believe that theory unless similar kind of thing happens in other part of the world.....then we see it happening in another part of the world...and the film ends there....


The movie is average and can be watched once.When you start thinking about such a scenario you will get scared coz if such a thing happens there is no escape....


Highlights

1) A beautiful shot of CENTRAL PARK!!!
2) A scene where 2 of the boys are getting shot for trying to enter into a house is really terrifying...
3) A scene inside a ZOO where a man is offering him as food for hungry Lions are also disturbing...
4) No demons,no vampires,no werewolves still Manoj manages to create chill

hi, found this movie(happening) to be one of the most boring ,cudnt sit thro it for even 15 mins

 

[moserw]

hi, found this movie(happening) to be one of the most boring ,cudnt sit thro it for even 15 mins

+1! M. Night Shyamalan is on a downward spiral. He should not have stopped making movies with Bruce Willis.

 

[venkatcr]

Just finished seeing the 2008 release of Valkyrie.

Valkyrie is a film on the last attempt on Hitler's life just before WWII ended. Though I have seen many films on the same theme, there is something different about this movie. For one Tom Cruise has acted very well as have his main supporting cast including Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Thomas Kretschmann, and Terence Stamp. The photography is superb though dialogues get lost sometimes in the background noise.

The expression of guilt and fear as Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg (Tom Cruise) and others plan the assassination and take over of Germany is very evident on each one's face. As Claus is the one who actually places the bomb, he faces the maximum danger. After an aborted first attempt when they back out as Himmler was absent, Clause decides to take matter in his own hands, and sets the bomb off without anyone's permission. By the time he returns to Berlin from the Wolf's Lair, he had already lost 3 precious hours. Even then, he moves forward to take control of the takeover of Germany arresting SS Officers and sealing off government buildings. It actually would have worked excepting for one Major who hears Hitler's voice in Goebbels office and reverses the trend. And of course the fact that the process has already lost 3 hours. Goebbels himself does not how the Major will behave, so he keeps a poison tablet in his mouth ready to bite it if needed.

I particularly liked Terence Stamp acting as General Beck, In civies most of the time, the importance of General Beck and his link to politicians is very clearly depicted by Terence.

Though the plan is good, it finally fails because of fear, and the non-decisive nature of politicians.

A good movie to watch if you like historical movies. This DVD goes into my collection.

Cheers

 

[thevortex]

+1! M. Night Shyamalan is on a downward spiral. He should not have stopped making movies with Bruce Willis.

Agree! Happening was one of his worst movies to date. I am now very doubtful about watching his 'Lady in the Water' now. Any recommendations for that movie?

 

[moserw]

Agree! Happening was one of his worst movies to date. I am now very doubtful about watching his 'Lady in the Water' now. Any recommendations for that movie?

No way! The only good ones were Sixth Sense (brilliant even today), Unbreakable, Signs and The Village to some extent. You can give the rest a miss. But I do have to agree he is a master at creating fear/tension without any special FX, monsters, aliens, etc. He really knows how to create fear of the unknown without showing anything. Too bad the bad stories/scripts are letting him down.

 

[bhaskie]

Agree! Happening was one of his worst movies to date. I am now very doubtful about watching his 'Lady in the Water' now. Any recommendations for that movie?

I'd watched 'Lady in the Water' couple of years back but I do remember that I found it weird but nice. Not so bad as ratings and probably not razzie deserving. People just keep comparing his every movie to "the Sixth Sense" and expect the crazy twists but I think his intentions are different. I didn't like several of his movies, but I do like the stories and the way they unfold. I think his stories are really different. My personal favourites are Sixth Sense and Unbreakable. THe happening was something of a disaster the way it was executed but I think the story could have made a really cool movie otherwise. 'Lady in the Water' was nice if you like strange stories. JUst dont try too hard to analyse plotholes and expect some great twists!

 

[subhash]

VALKYRIE-----slow paced but has its intense moments, SQ/PQ is top class, i really had to duck down in the opening scene of the movie , the bombings from the fighter planes and the tanks are really hard hitting!! --------performances are very good ,highly recomended though a little slow

 

[subhash]

ONG BAK 2 ---saw this on a pirated dvd ,SQ/PQ was not too good (a lot of compression), watchable on smaller displays, but the movie was very entertaining , the fight choreography is something u have to watch ,its jst awesome ,the movie is shot in thailand and in thier language so have to watch with subtitles

 

[vinay]

Blow (Based on a true story)

The movie is on the lines of Scarface.

The story is about the high-speed rise and fall, how the main lead becomes the largest importer of cocaine to the united states.

Vinay.

Amazing Fact: The present population of 5 billion plus people of the world is predicted to become 15 billion by 2080.