Sherlock Holmes 2009

Hello everyone,

I was sort of on a writing break, so I didn't post any reviews for about a week. Today I feel like discussing the Sherlock Holmes movie which released in 2009. People are really into the Sherlock TV series going on right now. I really do not wish to comment on the series because surprisingly enough, I haven't watched a single episode of it yet. Anyways, that isn't relevant to the movie I wish to discuss. I loved the original Sherlock Holmes movies in black and white and I feel that no adaptations of Sherlock Holmes will ever be that enticing. One of my favorites of the series is The Hound of Baskerville. Though it has probably been over 10 years since I watched it, I remember the crrepy environment of the black and white movie. The original Sherlock Homes was also awesome. The 2009 adaptation of Sherlock Holmes played by Robert Downey Jr. was also pretty good. It was pretty weird to see him playing Sherlock after watching him in the billionaire-playboy-sarcastic avatar in Iron man, but he gave the role hard-core justice. Being an American, I thought that he played the role of Sherlock pretty well with an acceptable English accent. The humour within the movie was fantastic and Downey Jr. really fit in the role of shabby-messy-sarcastic-egoist Holmes. The bond between Dr. Watson and Sherlock Holmes is also entertaining to watch.

Mysterious deaths start occurring in England, and Sherlock employs himself to the task of finding out the cause of the murders. Accompanied by his doctor friend, he sets out to investigate the truth behind the mysterious deaths. Though appearing to be the result of black magic, Holmes finds out that the happenings are not as they appear and that there is someone planning something very sinister. Lord Blackwood who was presumably incarcerated by Holmes and Watson appeared to have come back from the dead. Sherlock and Watson amidst their constant cycle of fighting with each other and saving each other's asses manage to solve the mystery in the end using Holmes sharp perception and Watson's resourcefulness.

The movie was filmed quite well and the scenery looked accurately like England in the late 1800s. With little bits of humor inserted within the movie, it was quite entertaining. Though not as mysterious as the original movies, this re-adaptation was nicely put together.

The Forbidden Kingdom (2008)

I have always had a certain penchant for watching Kung-fu, be it live, tv shows or movies. In fact if I could change anything in my life, I would have decreased the time I spent in playing sports and reading and would have gave that time away to train in Kung-fu. The art of Kung-fu astonishes me. I love the movements, attitudes fights associates with Kung-fu. I have started to divert from the main topic right now. I have logged in mainly to discuss The Forbidden Kingdom, a Action/Fantasy/Kung-Fu movie. The movie stars Jackie Chan and Jet Li as a Kung-fu master and a monk respectively. A teenager, mostly living in daydream land is dragged into the esoteric world of China on a quest to save the imprisoned Monkey King.

The movie starts out with the introduction of a teenager who is lost in his dreams of Bruce Lee and Kung-fu dreaming that he will one day be a Kung-Fu expert. In reality, the teen is just a wimp, being beat up by bullies and wishing that life may be different for him. He seas an old man injured(who is actually the Jade Emperor) and sick in the Chinatown area and then goes into the nearby coffee-shop. Things take change abruptly from there. He finds himself teleported to a strange land accompanied with the beautiful Sparrow, the same girl he met at the coffee-shop whom he recognized. They then meet Jackie Chan, a homeless scholar, a master in Kung-Fu who teaches him the art of Kung-Fu. Accompanying them is the strange and stubborn monk (Jet Li). The quadruple encounter the villains, the white-haired assassin(I thought she was really cool) and The Jade Warlord. The quadruple then fight the antagonists to free the enslaved Monkey King.

The movie was quite entertaining and a good first time watch. The best part of the movie is probably the fight at the end of the movie. Chan's role however, as not as entertaining as his roles in more prominent movies. I would give this movie a rating of 6.5/10. 

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

The only type of movies I usually like are horror films, thrillers, mysteries, fantasy films, animated films and comedies. I never really liked super hero movies or those action packed movies movies my brother used to watch all the time, though Transformers 1 was an exception. When Mad Max released I was skeptical that I would find the movie enticing so I didn't go to the theater to watch that movie with my family. That was probably the worst movie judgement ever. Not only did I miss watching the amazing movie in the theaters, I misjudged my all time favorite movie, which I regret with great sorrow. A movie needs to pass a lot of my mental tests to become one of my favorites and most of my favorite movies usually belong to the genre of those listed above. When you loved a movie so much, you can't exactly name the things you liked the most about it. After I watched Mad Max, my first reaction was "What a film, what a lovely film". I don't know what triggered my obsession for the movie. Whether it was the post-apocalyptic representation of the world, Imperator Furiosa, the cool ass dialogues, the flame breathing guitars, the war rigs and monster trucks, or whether it was a combination of all these deadly factors.

The plot of the movie is very different and is basically based on the post-apocalyptic world where there are only wastelands and deserts. Immortan Joe, the tyrant of the citadel area has been storing supplies of water and only a limited amount is available to the public. He keeps his wives in a secluded place away from the public. His wives are prized breeders and one of his most important assets. His wives get tired of him and they do not want their children to become war boys so they decide to run away. Imperator Furiosa a strong woman hides the wives and promises to take them to the "green land", the place where she was born and where trees and plants existed. Mad Max is a mysterious man who tried to flee from the war boys with a great effort but instead ended up becoming their blood bag. Max's past troubles hims and destiny leads him to the path of redemption along with Furiosa and they go on a quest to discover the green land away from Immortan Joe and his war boys.

The shooting locations of the movie are amazing and the monster trucks, bikes and war rigs shown were fantastic. All of the characters had been flawlessly portrayed. Imperator Furiosa was the best character of the movie and she just happens to be my new role model. And as for the war boys besides Nux, I don't think any of them are going to be riding the highways of Valhalla for eternity.

Signing off till I encounter another cool movie.
Monica

Ice Age 3 (2009)

Hey readers,

So its winter and some people may be feeling cold in this part of the year so I thought about taking up a cold environment related movie. Ice Age 3 is the third installment of the Ice Age movie series. The series is based on animal characters in the ice age era thousands of years ago. The movies are great and I loved all of the first three parts. The first Ice Age reminded me a lot of Shrek in the sense of the main character with his irritating sidekick.  Anyways, the name of this installment is Dawn of the Dinosaurs, and you many guess, there are dinosaurs in the movie. The thing I loved about this movie was the inclusion of dinosaurs as different roles in the movie. On one hand, Sid the sloth steals dinosaur eggs and becomes the proud father of baby dinosaurs and on the other han
d, the whole lower land is terrorized by the frightening dinosaur monster Rudy, who is pursued by a jack-ass weasel Buck.

The movie starts off with the ice age gang: Manny the mammoth, Ellie his wife, Sid the sloth and Diego the saber tooth. Manny and Ellie are on the verge of being parents and are anxiously waiting for their baby. While Manny was becoming more and more overprotective of his family, Sid, with the desire of becoming a father stole three dinosaur eggs and somehow got separated from the gang. Manny and Ellie then head out on a journey to find Sid in the lower part of the lands where dinosaurs existed. There the gang meets Buck, an adventurous one-eyed weasel who is continuously in pursuit of the fearsome Rudy. Buck decides to help the gang in their journey to find Sid. Buck and Ellie's possum brothers have a great time whereas Manny and Ellie are a bit nervous about their upcoming child. On the other hand, Sid is busy raising his dinosaur children with an unexpected encounter from the dinosaur's actual mother.

The movie shows Scrat the squirrel at regular intervals chasing the acorn like a mirage. In pursuit of the Elysium-like acorn, Scrat seems to fall in love with a girl-squirrel. But does falling in love with a she-squirrel help him forget his eternal love for the acorn or not?

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)

I have always been a Harry Potter fan since I was little. I remember my parents rushing to the bookstores to buy me the latest Harry Potter books. Though I must admit, a really enjoyed only the first two books of Harry Potter. The rest of the books were read on my part only as a compulsion to finish the story of the series, or to compete with my other nerd friends. Even when it came to the movies, I loved the first two parts the most. Somehow, I just loved Harry Potter and his friends when they were kids, without any complications of feelings of love in between them. The used to be the best est of friends in the first three parts and though it could never have stayed that way, it was a complacent yet smug feeling that they would never stop being best friends no matter what. The Chamber of Secrets has to be my favorite movie among all. Some may think, why this movie? Well it offers a mysterious plot and glimpses into the past of an evil wizard's days in Hogwarts. The reason I found the movie enticing was the ambiance of the film. The Chamber and Tom Riddle's diary seemed utterly eerie. The Basilisk was probably the most frightening creature of all the movies.

The movie starts out with Harry at his Uncle Vernon's house. There, Harry receives a visit from Dobby, a house elf, warning him not to go back to Hogwarts. Harry, pretending that he doesn't exist, gets saved by Ron, Fred and George. They are ready for their second year at Hogwarts. Ron and Harry miss the train and go to Hogwarts in Ron's flying car. There at Hogwarts, strange incidents start to happen. Words in blood are written on the wall: "The Chamber of Secrets has been Opened. Enemies of the Heir Beware." Students turn up petrified in odd places and positions. In such a situation, Harry, Hermione and Ron search for answers regarding the Chamber of Secrets and the heir of Hogwarts. While searching for much needed answers, Harry comes across a strange diary which happens to e Tom Riddle's diary. He finds out many horrifying truths from the diary and it leads him to the deadly creature within the chamber.

The most noteworthy parts of the movie:

1. The escape of Harry Potter from Uncle Vermin...sorry Vernon's house.
2. Ron and Harry in the flying car.
3. The scene where Draco pisses of the Mandrake and he bites his finger and then Draco has that vengeful look on his face.
4. The scene where the warning is written in blood on the wall and Mrs. Norris is found petrified on the wall.
5. When Harry talks with Tom Riddle through the diary.
6. When Hermione is shown petrified.
7. When the Chamber of Secrets is opened in the girl's bathroom.
8. The fight between The Basilisk and Harry.
9. The scene where the true identity and intentions of Tom Riddle is revealed.

Bean (1997)

Bean was the first Mr. Bean movie based on the famous Mr. Bean television episodes. We all recognize Bean as a mumbling idiotic freak who has a penchant for getting in trouble and making us laugh. I loved watching Mr. Bean as a kid and I could always relate to him because I also used to get tangled in problems like him. Anyways, Bean is a wonderful movie that depicts the personality of Mr. Bean, or Dr. Bean as in the movie. The movie also shows the friendship between two unlikely pals.(And I am not talking about the friendship between Bean and his teddy bear!) The episodes of Mr. Bean used to be only 25 minutes long and we did not get as much acquainted to Beans nature in the short episodes as we did in the movie.

The plot of the movie though simple has been given a complex experience by Bean. Rowan Atkinson has done an amazing job and he should have been presented with an amazing award for portraying the character of Mr. Bean so flawlessly and for winning the hearts of millions of children worldwide. Anyways, the plot of Bean revolves around Mr. Beans journey to LA to represent an English gallery and to provide his views on the unveiling of the famous painting Whistler's Mother. There Mr. Bean stays at John's house. John has faith in supposed Dr. Bean and believes that he will give the best perception of Whistler's Mother. Once he finds out who Bean really is, he is shocked and scared. Bean, with his indefatigable habit of getting in trouble just happens to ruin the multi-million dollar painting. It is fun seeing how he manages to deal with the mishap and continues living his life Bean-style.

The funniest parts of the movie have to be when Bean poses for his passport photo in the most retarded way anyone can pose and when he is held in the probation room and dances in front of a one way mirror glass. The scene where he ruins the priceless painting can be thought of as one of the scariest scenes in the history of The Bean. Anyways, this movie is pretty awesome watching material for all ages and I would rate it a 8.5/10.

Holes (2003)

Welcome to another review.

Today I will be giving a review of the movie adaptation of one of my favorite books from when I was a kid, Holes. Holes by Louis Sachar is a wonderful story about an unlucky boy named Stanley Yelnats. Stanley is wrongly convicted of theft and sent to Camp Green Lake. The Camp is a place in the deserted area of the country and all the 'bad boys' are sent there for correction. Everyday, each boy has to dig a 5 feet deep and 5 feet wide hole in the desert. The living conditions are also terrible. Stanley has a great deal of trouble in the beginning, adjusting to the harsh conditions and mean boys there. Stanley befriends an unusual kid Zero, not knowing that there is a deep connection between him and Zero regarding the past. Holes is a great mix of the present and past of Stanley's life, his ancestor's lives and the story behind the terrible Camp Green Lake.

The movie stars Shia LaBeouf as Stanley. Though he has acted well, there is some distance between the Stanley we expected from the book and the Stanley shown on reel screen. I guess it is very hard to adjust movie characters exactly as they were described in the book version. Anyways, the shooting location of the movie is on par with what we had visualized from the book. Though, the size of the holes does not look as intimidating as we had pictured in our minds there, the look of the Yellow Spotted Lizards sure covers for that there. The rest of the cast had been chosen adequately according to the characters. Almost all of the dialogues of the movie have been synchronized according to the book. I watched the movie even though I had read the book thrice, so the movie was repetitive and highly predictable to me.

Though the movie is a good watch, the Holes book by Louis Sachar is a better read and anyone not familiar to the story of Holes should read the book first, as watching the movie first will obviously spoil the reading experience of the award winning book.

Van Helsing (2004)

Van Helsing is a fantasy/thriller movie based on the mythical characters of the past. Whether the mythical characters existed is of course only known to god, as with time, knowledge of the past becomes more obscure. While there are many movies made about vampires such as vampire-romance films (which personally I despise) and also vampire-comedy films. I find most of such films a waste of time and effort. Do not misinterpret me, there have been a few vampire-comedy-romance films which I have enjoyed such as Dark Shadows and Vampires Suck. Van Helsing is a marvelous film which depicts the relation between the mythical characters such as Frankenstein, vampires, werewolves, and many more among themselves, with humans and with the notorious Van Helsing, a man who hunted monsters. I loved the direction, cinematography and shooting locations. I don't know whether they have used sets or actual locations, but the scenery is amazing and adds to the eerie ambiance of the movie. Transylvania is shown scarier than ever.

The film starts out with a scene many years ago, showing Dr. Victor Frankenstein and Dracula. Dracula kills the doctor as he wishes to use his reanimation technique for sinister purposes. Centuries later, Van Helsing, a notorious monster hunter, is assigned the task to save Anna and her family from Dracula and his vampire brides in Transylvania. Anna belongs to a family of pure blood kings who were hunted down by Dracula for generations. Van Helsing who suffers from memory loss is clueless about his past, but hopes that he can get information from Transylvania. There he finds out that he had a past connection with Dracula and Transylvania. He accompanies Anna on a quest to kill Dracula and his brides and stop him from reanimating his vampire progeny.

The film is one of the best vampire mythology films along with Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter. I will give a review on the latter in another post as it is a marvelous film. The best parts of Van Helsing is probably the initial fight between Van Helsing and Mr. Hyde. The experiments at Dracula's place are also fascinating. This movie is not recommended for children below 10 years or the faint-hearted viewers, because I assure you, some scenes can be visually upsetting such as Dracula's brides. They are so weird and scary to some extent. When I watched the movie about 10 years ago, I remembers nothing or noone but the female vampire monsters and their disturbing avatar changes. Besides this, the movie is an amazing watch and will provide you a great movie experience.

Regards.

Hangover 2 (2011)

The Hangover series is known as one of the funniest and immoral modern movies. Though there is a unsurprising level of shit within the movie, it provides an unlimited amount of laughs and fun. It's basically based on a made up punchline "What couldn't possibly go wrong in Vegas?" In the case of Hangover 2, the plot summarized in a sentence is exactly the same, the only difference is the location which is Bangkok. The second part of the franchise is made with the same level of notoriety and intelligence regarding the presence of comedy. Though, the plot suffers from complete dependency on the first part. I mean the story is almost the same disregarding the location changes and a few character changes.

So Stu whom we know from the first part as the dentist who did stupid things in the past is finally getting married to a Thai girl with an overly sophisticated family and an obsessive father. Two days before the wedding, the guys (Stu, Phil, Alan, Doug and Ted) go hang out and have a drink or two. No guesses what happens next. Phil, Alan and Stu wake up in a shithole the next morning and cannot remember a single thing that happened after they sat down to have their beer. They find one of their companions, Stanford student Teddy (who is Stu's fiance's kid brother) missing. They also find Teddy's finger in water. Anyways, the Wolfpack desperately roam Bangkok to find Teddy to save Stu's marriage. But Alan's immature behavior and Chow's psychotic antiques pose too many problems to for Phil and Stu to handle.

The smoking drug dealer monkey, the aggressive monks and the treacherous streets of Bangkok are the highlights of the movie. As for the Wolfpack, they surely were fooled by the outrageous city. As for the Wolfpack trio, they sure gave us a few surprises. Stu happens to awaken the devil inside him (which supposedly only awakes when he's drunk or drugged). Alan continues his spree of drugging his friends (this time he spiked the marshmallows). Phil continues to act as the most responsible member of the trio and the 'Pretty Boy'. Anyways, this movie is made for those people who enjoyed the original Hangover or those who enjoy watching buddy films.