Colombiana

Movie Name: Colombiana
Language: English
Genre: Action, Drama

Watched this movie last week. I was looking for some action flick so opted for Colombiana.

The movie’s story is about a girl named Cataleya whose parents are killed in front of her eyes in the childhood. She escapes from the hands of murderers and goes to his uncle’s place. She becomes an assassin for hire and finally takes revenge from the people who destroyed her life. Plot is pretty much clichéd, yet I was expecting some innovation or freshness. The movie was okay but there have been great movies with assassin as central theme such as Hitman, Taken, and Bourne series.

The main attraction was acting by Amandla Stenberg who played young Cataleya. Zoe Saldana played adult Cataleya but she was not as impressive as Amandla. No other actor has played significant role. The movie had a great starting but was not able to maintain the pace. An unnecessary romantic angle also does not help the pace of the movie. Music is bad and does not sync with the tempo of the movie. This movie was purely made for action lovers. This movie could have been great if the producers/ directors would not have brought some innovation to the script. If you are in mood for another cliched assassin movie, go for it :)

My ratings are 2.5/5.0

Captain America: The First Avenger

Movie Name: Captain America- The First Avenger
Language: English
Genre: Action, Drama, Sci-fi

I watched this movie with many expectations, as it is based on a popular comics character. The movie did well but it cannot be compared to other movies based on comics’ characters.

The movie is about Steve Rogers played by Chris Evans, who solely wants to serve his country. He tries several times to enlist into US Army during World War II yet he fails miserably due to his health problems and weak physical structure. An army scientist sees the potential of good in him and gives him the opportunity to serve the country by being a part of the experiment to create the super soldier. The experiment enhances his physique, strength, and speed thereby converting him into Captain America. Rest of the movie is about Captain America as he finds his place in society and serves his country with his life. The climax leaves the possibilities for future installments in the series.

The movie could have used some editing. Viewer has to wait for a long time to enjoy some action because much time is spent in building up the story until the creation of Captain America. Chris Evans has done well yet he does not have physique as portrayed in comics. Hugo Weaving has played the role of antagonist named Red Skull. He was not able to invent anything for the character and looked very much similar to Agent Smith in Matrix. The movie fails to make its place among various movies that are based on comics. Only hardcore fans of action or comics will appreciate the effort spent on making a movie that introduces a superhero, Captain America.

My ratings are 3.0/5.0

The Three Musketeers

Movie Name: The Three Musketeers
Language: English
Genre: Action, Comedy, Drama

Just finished watching the movie. I was not expecting much from the movie but it was good enough for weekend evening. I like period films in European settings. I watched it in 3D, so experience was even better.

The movie is about three legendary warriors from France named Athos, Porthos and Aramis. There is one young lad who aspires to join the Musketeers. The story is about the conspiracy by Church Carnal in France to create a situation for war between France in England. Musketeers fight to avoid the war and bring peace to the king. Milady de Winter, played by Milla Jovovich has an important role in the movie as a fellow conspirator to Cardinal.

The story is very much predictable. Movie has all the elements of all the genre, be it romance, action, drama or comedy. Milla has done wonderful as "Milady de Winter". The main characters aka The Three Musketeers were not able to leave the impression though they have done their parts satisfactorily. Orlando failed in the role of "Duke of Buckingham". The action sequences, 3D sequences and graphics were good. This movie is for the people who like to enjoy movies, not for the people who seek something greater than fun from the movies. I will recommend the movie for a fun evening, to appreciate the set ups, costumes and dialogues.

My ratings are 3.5/5.0

Real Steel

Movie Name: Real Steel
Language: English
Genre: Action, Drama

Yesterday I watched the movie. I was expecting a great action, drama flick and I was not disappointed :)

The story is set in year 2025 when robot boxing has replaced the regular boxing. Hugh Jackman has played “Charles” who was a boxer in his early days but now he is into robot boxing. He is broke due to his impulsive character, yet he is obsessed with robot boxing. One day he discovers that his girlfriend has died and left him with an 11 year old son, “Max” whom he abandoned in past. He is struck with his son for summer. His son finds an old robot named “Atom” in junkyard and wants it to fight but Charles does not expect anything from the old robot that was made for sparring during boxing practices. Rest of the story is about “Atom” fighting and winning fights, “Charles” realizing his mistakes and connecting with his son again.

This movie is not like other Hugh Jackman movies. This movie is about love, family and passion. The plot is good with adequate amount of humor, action and drama. Hugh has played a careless dad who has abandoned his family in the past. His character has its own faults yet one comes to like him and his passion. Dakota Goyo has played "Max", who is a smart kid and knows the world as it is. Max also displays the character traits of his father. Dakota has played the character very well. Chemistry between Max and Charles produces funny moments. Fighting sequences between robots are great with fine details. These are not complex like Transformers. Music and direction is good. Movie has all the elements necessary for success. I will recommend the movie to all viewers as it has all the elements of a good movie.

My ratings are 4.0/5.0

Flypaper

Movie Name: Flypaper
Language: English
Genre: Comedy, Suspense

I recently watched this movie. Patrick Dempsey has done some good roles in the recent times, therefore I was having high hopes from the movie.

The plot unveils in a bank where two team of bank robbers try to rob the bank at the same time. Protagonist Tripp played by Patrick was getting the change in the bank at that time. He is taken hostage along with the bank staff. He continuously flirts with bank teller Kaitlin played by Ashley Judd, the whole time. There are many twists and turns in the story which captures the attention of viewers. This is not run of the mill comedy. The characters are funny and the plot interesting. Climax was a bit hurried and dull compared to the whole movie, yet the movie is able to make an impression.

The movie starts as a good comedy and slowly turns into a nice suspense flick. The characters are funny. Acting by Patrick was superb, Judd was looking a bit older. Tim Blake Nelson has portrayed a dumb robber which is worth mentioning. Dialogues and music was okay. The only negative part was the ending which was nothing great and left some loose ends. Ending could have be more interesting like the movie "Usual Suspects". Even so, it is worth a watch. I will recommend this movie if you are bored with cliched stories and want some freshness.

My ratings are 4.0/5.0