The Seaside Motel

Movie Name: The Seaside Motel
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Slice-of-life
Language: Japanese

I watched this movie yesterday. I wanted to watch some interesting movie after the disastrous Friday movie. I preferred it over others as I am confident with Japanese directors when it comes to Slice of life dramas.

The story is of occupants of four rooms in a hotel named The Seaside Hotel, so is the movie name. The hotel is surrounded by hills without any real view of sea. The occupants vary in their nature and profession widely. There is a gambler, his girlfriend, a department store owner with his wife, a cosmetics sales man, a call girl, a female escort and her client. The plot develops as the different characters are introduced and their stories are carried further. All the stories end with a twist.

The acting was great so were the dialogues. The development of the plot keeps one bound to his seat as to expect what is going to happen next. There are all the flavors of cinema available in the script whether it is love, hate, tragedy, action, drama. The characters leave a lasting impression and easily recognized as the people around us.

The movie is around 105 minutes long, yet it succeeds in keeping the person bound to the movie. There are no side tracks or deviation from the main plot.

My rating is 4.0/5.0.

The Tourist

Movie Name: The Tourist
Genre: Drama, Action, Romance
Language: English

I watched this movie last Friday night. I am a fan of Johnny Depp movies so I went with great expectations.

The story of the movie is about an American tourist visiting Europe. A suave lady meets him in the train and his whole life is turned upside down. He is entangled with Russian Mafia, Interpol and Italian Police. The story has a nice predictable twist in the end. The story drags a lot and most of the time it is predictable. There is no freshness in the dialogues or the script.

As for acting, Depp has done well as innocent and clueless tourist as well as hopeless lover. Jolie is looking charming and gracious in her role as a lover. There is nothing exceptional in the acting as such.

The movie is definitely a disaster for Depp and Jolie fans. It does not reach the standards of other dramas by Depp or action thrillers by Jolie.

My rating is 2.5/5.0.

Life As We Know It

Movie Name: Life as we know it
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Romance
Language: English
I watched this movie today only as I was in a mood to watch some light drama on weekend morning.
The plot is not complicated. Two persons with entirely different personality are given the custody of one year old child. The story dwells in managing the child care, arranging their lives accordingly and finally mitigate their differences to make a happy family.
The movie enforces the fact that for any child, the foremost requirement is loving and caring parents. The family is more important than the individuals. There are some nice moments when the protagonists are trying to manage the child care. There are not much highly dramatic scenes as the movie tries to be on the lighter side. The ending is a cliched one.
Acting wise both Heigi and Josh has done well in a role of clueless parents. The chemistry between them is subtle. The child is adorable. The background music is soothing and conveys the feeling of the drama being unfolded.
My rating is 3.5/5.0

Yamla Pagla Deewana

Movie Name: Yamla Pagla Deewana
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Language: Hindi

I recently watched this movie as there were not many others and I was not in a mood to watch any heavy drama.

The plot was simple about an NRI gentleman who comes to India to find his long lost brother and father. How he solves their problems and manages to win their hearts in order to take them back to his mother is the story all about. There is a subplot which involves the love story of his con brother. There are many funny characters which are given small screen space and they are able to maintain freshness in their characters. Movie does not give any message in particular. It is a fun ride. The chemistry between two brothers and Dharam-pa is something to look out for.

This movie is not a tear jerking drama or story full of twists and conceit people but it aims to make you laugh and it is successful in doing the same. There is not much to do for anyone from acting per say. Dharmendra has done well as a loving father and aged con artist. Bobby has done well in his good for nothing role. But the real shining star is Sunny who makes us laugh with his dialogues, action and expressions. Action sequences are way beyond comprehension, so just enjoy them without giving trouble to brain cells. Sunny has made spoof of action sequences from his previous films which make a person to burst in laughter. Music is not particularly melodious but one or two songs will make your feet move.

The only negative point with the movie is its length. The movie could have been much better with lesser number of songs and some editing. If you like Deol-family then go and watch the movie for their superb chemistry. My rating is 3.0/5.0.

Primal Fear

Movie Name: Primal Fear
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Language: English

I watched this movie as I like to watch Edward Norton act. I was thrilled with the acting, music score and direction of the movie.
The movie tells the story of defense attorney who believes in the righteousness of humankind. He gives his all to defend his clients. He takes it to defend a 19 something kid who is charged with the gruesome murder of the archbishop. He finds that the kid is suffering from split personality and pleads for insanity. The climax is a twist to the age old tale of good winning over bad.
The movie is a let down if you want a feel good from the movie. There are two people on the opposite end of the truth. One believes in goodness and humanity and the other one uses the belief of former to his benefit.
The acting is superb whether it is Richard Gere, Norton or Laura Linney. Gere has suited his role of a good lawyer. But Norton steals the show with his "Aaron" act. He looks so innocent that viewer is bound to have faith in his innocence.
The dialogues are good. Being a court room drama it has all the essentials to keep the plot from deviating from main story. The background music is good and goes well with the scenes with violence. The movie is worth two hours spending on a leisurely Saturday.
My rating s are 4.5/5.0.

Time of Eve

Movie Name: Time of Eve
Genre: Drama, Sci Fi
Language: Japanese

Being an avid animation fan, I started to watch this movie even when I was not much aware about the movie itself.

The story of the movie is from the futuristic world where androids are common place. The movie deals with the relations of human and androids. Besides the plot emphasizes that the androids can have their own feelings and desires. The story set up is simple and very few and realistic characters are used who mostly are in the age group of 15 to 25. There are various movies with the similar plots but it is can not be considered as another run of the mill movie.

The movie successfully attempts to show the emotions of human towards the androids/ robots they are living with. Besides it also shows that androids are capable of thinking of their own and behave according to their emotions within the scope of “Three laws of Robotics”.

Voice actors are able to bring forth the emotions of the characters (I am not in a situation to comment on the dialogues as I watched with English subtitles). Music was good and the pace of the movie was exquisite.

This movie is one of the many which deals with human – robots relations. It does not prove to be anew Turing stone but with a simple story and characters it compels us to thinking a whole new light. My rating is 3.0/5.0.

Megamind

Movie Name: Megamind
Genre: Action, Comedy
Language: English

I watched this movie on last Saturday night. I wanted to watch this movie for a long time.

The story of the movie is pretty simple. There is a villain who feels aimless due to the death of the Hero. He creates another Hero to get himself busy. The creation turns sour and now the responsibility to save the people lies with the villain. Story indicates some philosophical points strongly. One of them is that balance is the key to the existence. Balance between good and evil, balance between work and life, balance. An interesting finding was that why should a person renounce all his personal desires to become a super hero and public figure.

As for the voice acting, Will Farrell and Tina Fey were superb as the main cast. Other actors also did justice to their roles. Animation was superb. I saw the movie in 2D but realized that 3D version will be a treat for eyes. There are some good fighting sequences also.

Overall this movie gives a much needed break from all busy life. Being a avid fan of animation my rating is 4.0/5.0.

My Amnesia Girl

Movie Name: My Amnesia Girl
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Language: Filipino

I choose to watch this movie to lighten up my mood after a hectic work day. I expected it to be simple and sweet rom-com (as other Filipino rom-coms are). The movie was up to the mark to fulfill my expectations and made me laugh with its witty dialogues.

The movie has a simple plot. Boy leaves the girl on the marriage-alter due to cold feet. After 2-3 years they met again and girl pretends to be amnesiac. How the boy wins her heart back makes the complete storyline. There are not much twists or turns in the movie. The story keeps on developing according to the viewer's expectations.

The main actor and actress has done well as this movie centers around them only. There is not much to do for other cast. The girl looks lovely and boy is able to express his feelings well with his eyes.

The best part of the script are one liners between main protagonists. The pick up lines used are cheesy and provide freshness. Overall it is a good movie to spend time without any sad or hard feelings.

My ratings are 3.5/5.0

The Man from Nowhere

Movie Name: The Man from Nowhere / Ajusshi
Genre: Action, Drama
Language: Korean

I came across this movie one week ago. I found out that this movie was on the top of list in Korea so I went ahead with my decision to watch it. And I am happy to say that the decision was well taken.
The movie is story of man who has left behind his past and is living a secluded from society which robbed him of his everything. But a small kid is able to break through the walls he built around himself. There are circumstances in which kid is face to face with mortal danger. The person goes back to his old ways of blood and violence to save the kid. The movie ends with a hope of better life for everyone.
From the story point of view we have seen the similar master piece like "Leon: The professional", yet I can say that this movie has something more to give to the viewer. It offers hope, it offers salvation, and above all it offers a place for everyone in the society.
I liked the action sequence much. Being a fan of action movies, I can vouch for the authentic way the main protagonist fights. It would have been better if more fight scenes were included.
For a total time of two hours, its worth to watch. You never feel to let it go. It is fast paced movie with good action and drama.
My ratings are 4.0/5.0