Review: Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2

Like most adults, I came across Harry Potter when book 3 was released, about two years before the first movie. Kids had been aware of the books since day one. They were an immediate hit, selling millions of copies. However, most adults hadn't heard about them. It was only when a TV station in the US was doing a little research for a small article on kid's reading habits that they realised that these books were outselling videogames and movies without any huge publicity or advertising campaigns. It all boiled down to word of mouth. That, of course, changed almost overnight. Suddenly there was a two month waiting period for the books in the US. An American friend of mine was so stunned that he was able to buy all books (four at the time) in a bookshop in Dublin without any problems that he bought four copies of each and sent them home. He was the best uncle in the world that Christmas.
Anyway, as I said, I came across the books at book 3 and have read them all as they came out. The books, cleverly, grew up at the same rate as the characters and readers; Starting off as a book for kids with magic sweets and happy, fluffy magic. But there was still real danger and excitement in the book and the author never talked down or patronised the readers. As the books went on the books got larger, the characters grew up, the danger and excitement more extreme, favourite characters changed and even died. And the books grew more and more popular. The hysteria surrounding the release of a book would only be matched by the hysteria surrounding the next book.
And then the films came out. Everyone was concerned: How close to the book will they stay? Who will play the teachers? With a big American studio behind them and an American director and market will Harry suddenly become Troy? And who will play the kids? We need not have worried. The movies stuck VERY closely to the books (At times cutting out unnecessary plotlines that actually improves the story). The adult cast was fantastic. The late, great Richard Harris played headmaster Dumbledore (replaced with the equally great Michael Gambon after the death of Harris), Maggie Smith, John Cleese and Ian Hart all played their parts brilliantly. However Robbie Coltrane and Alan Rickman were BORN to play Hagrid and Snape. The kid actors were all pretty good also. Daniel Radcliffe a bit nervous and stilted as Harry (He's to be honest, not the best actor in the world) Rupert Grint as his best friend, Ron was funny and appealing and Emma Watson was perfect as their know-it-all friend Hermione. As the books went on and new characters were introduced the casting was uniformly excellent: Kenneth Brenagh, Ralph Feinnes, Brendan Gleeson, Gary Oldman etc.
So, at last, we get to the last movie. Was it worth the wait? Oh yes! As readers will know, Deathly Hallows Part One covered about more than three quarters of the last book. So Part two was going to be mainly the action packed finale. And it lives up to the challenge. Think the battle of Helms Deep in The Two Towers but with more wands. The action is thick and fast when it needs to be but knows when to calm down when it needs to also. After a five minute build up we are thrown into a daring bank heist with a dramatic and destructive escape. Another few minutes of tense calm and we start the battle of hogwarts. Once bumbling characters are suddenly turn into action heroes and we see other characters in a whole new light. Cool characters get even cooler. Well loved characters rise to the challenge or die without any OTT melodrama, they just die. Most of the actors return even if they don't have a single line of dialogue which is a testament to their respect for the films, books and fans.

The end may leave you wanting more but, sorry, that's it... Until Harry Potter And The Midlife Crises I suppose. It yet to be seen if these actors will be able top break out of their roles in Harry Potter and make a career for themselves in the Film and TV industry. Only times will tell on this really but one thing's for sure, they won't have to queue at the dole office for a while anyway!

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From Comic to TV Cartoon to Big Screen - X-Men: First Class - Review

Normally this is Hollywood's thought and we get more and more diluted sequels until taking dip. Either that or go for the now trendy "Reboot" starring a young, hip cast of up and coming early twenties prettyboys and prettygirls.

They decided, this time to go with the reboot. However, with a twist. Instead of churning out some soulless cash in they decided to make a proper movie, hiring Mathew Vaughan, the director of the excellent Layer Cake and recent critically acclaimed Kick-Ass. A bold choice, as these were serious and adult movies. Not exactly the person you would expect Hollywood to give the reigns of one of their summer tentpole blockbusters. Vaughn then wrote the story with Jane Goldman and Bryan Singer.

They then decided to fill the cast with hot young actors who can actually act! James McAvoy one of the hottest actors in Hollywood after his turns in Atonement, Wanted and The Last King Of Scotland played a young Charles Xavier while the equally hot Irish/German actor Michael Fassbender, fresh from stealing the show in Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds and taking on the challenging role of hunger striker Bobby Sands in Hunger. (Even if he was in Jonah Hex. We won't hold that against him). Kevin Bacon played the bad guy (Which should help in your next round of "Six Degrees Of Kevin Bacon"). Rose Byrne and January Jones and others filled out the younger roles ably.

The story was articulate: Set during the Cuban Missile Crisis it charts the creation of the X-men and Michael Fassbender journey from Nazi concentration camps to his eventual Magneto persona. As a result, Fassbender gets the meatiest role. His character arc is, by far, the most interesting. We see the torture of his youth in concentration camps and his relentless pursuit of revenge afterwards. He is always a charismatic and sympathetic character. Who doesn't want to see Nazis get their just deserts?

He is also the character most at ease with his powers, encouraging his fellow mutants to embrace their differences rather than hide them. If there is one flaw in his performance, it is his accent. For some reason, as the film goes on, his Irish accent becomes more and more apparent. While he never sounds like Jackie Healy Rae (Fassbender's father is from Germany but he was raised in his mother's home of Kerry) by the end of the movie his accent is pretty obvious. At least it is for an Irish audience. It probably isn't so apparent for others.

The action is slow to start as the film really is about the creation of the X-men so we see the introduction of various characters familiar and unfamiliar to viewers of the movies (All will be familiar to the comic readers of course) but once the action starts it comes thick and fast: flying submarines, nuclear missiles, and mutants aplenty.

All in all Fist class is a surprisingly mature comic book to TV to big screen film with a decent cast and director and story. I'm looking forward to checking out the sequel. Oh, and it has the best cameo EVER and it's not even the ubiquitous Stan Lee!

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Yeti: Curse of the Snow Demon Movie Review

Awhile ago, I was channel flipping on the TV and I came across a movie on Sci-Fi (now known as SyFy) channel under its original release called "Yeti: Curse of the Snow Demon." I thought on first glance that it was another film made by The Asylum studios for direct to TV and DVD, but after doing a little digging, I later found out that it was an original in studio film by Sci Fi.

The film cast includes Marc Menard, Carly Pope, Adam O' Byrne, Elfina Luk, Brandon Jay McLaren, and Taras Kostyuk as the monster (Yeti). Upon first appearance viewers may get a sense that this film has a feel to one of those old, campy horror films from the 80's. The kind where you would have the typical group of young kids or adults in a situation where they would have to find a way to survive in the wilderness facing not only the elements, but an unknown monster or force that slowly picks them off one by one, and this is all done in a campy like nature; and this film is no exception.

Our story begins where an American college football team on a plane trip survives a horrific plane crash in the Himalayas. The few remaining survivors are forced to camp out in the wreckage of the plane while waiting for help and relying on whatever they can find to stay alive. As the days past, one of the survivors, Sarah (Pope) notices that the remaining corpses from the wreckage have been mysterious vanishing. As the movie progress, we soon see hope dwindling for the survivors. Food soon runs out as the group may have to resort to cannibalism while the yeti closes in on the group and rescuers are in a frantic search for the wreckage of the down plane.

While this one is of course and in-house film from Sci-Fi and uses some stock plot devices and special effects, this film did however seem to have a feel of just left your mind run with the madness of the situation here. One thumbs up I have to give would be to the costume and make up for the Yeti design as it did look like some work went into designing a scary monster (mainly the head) rather than going straight to a computer to build the monster form wire frame scratch.

While this film was intended as a horror film, this was more of a fun movie where you and a few of your friends would gather around the TV and just have fun with the movie by having a loud conversation on who was going to go next, why would an American college football team would be flying over Tibet, who do you think is going to walk away at the end. In short, if you don't take this film seriously and just have your mind roll with the story, you may get some laughs with this film instead of having trouble getting some sleep after viewing this late at night.

Final Verdict: 2.5 out of 5 stars.

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Source Code - Movie Review

Source Code is a fast paced sci-fi thrilling affair. It appears to test brains but it serves better if they are allowed to rest. It brings a big idea and the idea is interesting enough to keep all glued to screens for an hour and a half. It tries in vain at length to explain the idea through calculus and electromagnetics- is it really important? Avatar, Inception....... no one cared to think.

The Idea: Consciousness remains in body even after death and by using it we can access and even live last eight minutes of someone's life.

Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) wakes up in train sitting next to a beautiful woman named Christina (Michelle Monaghan). He has no idea what he is doing on the train. Christina knows him as Sean but he does not know her. His last memories are of a soldier fighting in Afghanistan. The big thing: When he looks into a mirror he sees a different face. Eight minutes after he wakes up the trains blows up with a deadly bomb and everyone gets killed. Except, Colter, who finds himself in a strange capsule and a woman is talking to him.

She is an air force officer named Coleen Goodwin (Vera Farmiga). She orders him to go back again in that train and locate the bomb and the person who planted that bomb. That train had already been blown but they fear that more such attacks are ahead. He had to accomplish this through a time program, Source Code, which enables to virtually take over some dead person's body and live last eight minute of that person's life. Colter takes over Sean's body (a school teacher that travelled in the train that had blown up). He goes back to that train through Source Code and comes back unsuccessful. Coleen and her boss (Jeffry Wright) keep sending him back and tell to find the planter of the bomb so that future incidents may be avoided. He also learns that in fact he is also dead: died two months prior to this train incident.

He eventually does the job and saves future bombings. Source Code is a success. So what is next with him? Can he also save the passengers that had already died? Can he survive?

Crazy? A little too much? But still it works and because the proceedings are fast and the direction (Dunken Jones) is smart and crafty. Gyllenhaal plays a role which every decent actor should play well. Christina does what she had to: She looks sweet and innocently charming. Jeffry Wright looks the bossy scientist he needs to look. Vera Farmiga does wonderfully well first as a soldier than as a person with a heart.

Source Code is a smart sci-fi thriller with two spoilers: the odd logics given and the end. Just before the end, there was a frozen shot where everyone was happy and the shot was really moving. It could have been a much better ending. But the makers decided to take a step forward and which isn't truly appealing.

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I Movie Review

With the imminent end looming large the clueless trio of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger are running through the woods mostly trying to figure things out and maybe the second part would be better and extravagant but Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I isn't all that great unless you are a Potter maniac. So if someone told you that the first installment of the Harry Potter finale is strictly for fans do believe them and even steer clear of the film if possible for you might not get most of it.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part I Story

Harry Potter's looking for all the Horcruxes and wants to destroy them before Lord Voldermort's secret to immortality is out. For someone who hasn't read a single Harry Potter book or seen a single Harry Potter film this isn't the film to fall in love with the bespectacled boy wizard. After all it's only fair for the filmmakers not to pander to someone who waltzes in the seventh installment of a franchise and expects to be blown away. In that context Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I surely lacks the punch that a second last film of a seven part series should possess. This isn't Rambo or Rocky or even Police Academy that loses its sheen somewhere between part III and IV; on the contrary JK Rowling's successful series has it all figured out.

Apparently even those Potter maniacs who might not dress up as wizards while watching the film agree that this version stands very true to the book. But if looked from a different point of view the entire tension of Harry and Hermione walking around in the woods trying to decipher how to stop the Dark Lord largely consists of scenes that look cyclic. Harry, Hermione and Ron don't look really sad even when they get to learn of the deaths of people close to them. Rather they seem to mature up in a jiffy and move on to some more rambling in the dark.

Final Words on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part I

Does it really make sense to have a full film that acts like a half-hearted and almost soulless prelude to the climax? Maybe it does to be loyal to the spirit book. Could the two Deathly Hallows installments actually be one tight power-packed film? Perhaps yes. But the meditative tension of the book that has been translated on to the screen might just work very well with Potter freaks and set things up for penultimate finale. So what's the pay off for the first time viewers or the greatest of non-believers of Potter? The fantastic animation sequence about the secret of the Deathly Hallows stands out and is brilliant to say the least. Also the sequence of Rupert Grint's Ron finally confronting his worst fears of losing Hermione to his best friend and Dobby's death are good.

With all the talking and the seeking Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I ends on a great note of promise and after spending a better half of their lives playing the leads Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson look set for the final episode.

For someone who remains largely unaffected by Potter mania, this reviewer finds it rather difficult to rate this film.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part I Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Helena Bonham Carter, Ralph Fiennes and Robbie Coltrane

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part I Screenplay by: Steve Kloves based on the book by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part I Directed by: David Yates

I am a Delhi-based author who writes for Buzzintown.com as part of Buzz Bureau team, while I also wear the hat of a documentary film maker. To know about latest English movies Bangalore or English movies Mumbai please visit movies.Buzzintown.com

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Movie Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)

As might be expected of splitting the final Harry Potter novel into two films, "Deathly Hallows Part 2" feels like one giant, climactic conclusion. Yet the abundance of breathtaking action and epic drama creates a fitting end to the legacy that doesn't disappoint in building a sense of escalating excitement. Inevitably, the film falls short when it comes to elements that the book offers far more time to embellish, such as the impact of supporting characters' final confrontations and their poignant tragedies. The pacing does benefit from this necessary truncation, but those not exceedingly familiar with the Potter lore might find themselves pondering where they last saw several of the characters. These minor distractions aside, the boundless imagination and effective theatrics successfully play upon the emotions to result in a cathartic and triumphant finale for the epic journey.

Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) has now acquired the powerful Elder Wand of the Deathly Hallows legend as Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), Hermione Granger (Emma Watson), and Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) frantically search for the final few Horcruxes in an attempt to destroy the evil wizard. Their quest takes them from the treacherous vault of Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter) to Hogsmeade Village and back to Hogwarts School where they must make a desperate final stand against Voldemort and his massive army of Death Eaters.

It needs no introduction, and anyone unaware of what has happened in the first seven films has no excuses. To even watch a movie with the words "Part 2" in the title insists that prior knowledge and familiarity be obtained. It's no mystery that this is the close of a decade-spanning series and that it represents just the final chapters. This is partially why it succeeds over Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, which felt terribly fragmented - although it doesn't have a precise beginning, it definitely has an ending. And thankfully, for those who haven't read the novels, it's largely satisfactory. The showdowns, duels and monumental confrontations are expectedly prodigious, but it's the abundance of long-awaited answers revealed that really hits the spot.

The new locations are vast and mind-boggling, the sets beautifully decorated and detailed, and the creatures more impressively monstrous. Hulking trolls, an enormous scaly dragon and a fiery winged serpent are just a few of the mythical additions. Even the spells have become more creative and saturated with special effects, while the number of notions derived out of nowhere has decreased (there are undeniable comparisons to be made with The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars series, but it's difficult not to borrow from those franchises when dealing with fantasy - especially when it comes to silly names). But perhaps most welcome is the change in tone concerning Harry's ultimate rivalry - for the first time in several movies, he has competent allies beyond Ron and Hermione. Characters such as Neville Longbottom, Cho Chang, Professor McGonagall and Horace Slughorn have been absent for a while and finally show up to aid in their complex quest and defense of Hogwarts. "I'm afraid you really don't stand a chance," comments Ollivander early on, which follows the mood of the previous two films - but his statement is thrillingly proven erroneous by Harry Potter's later, pulse-pounding coup of the castle.

- The Massie Twins (GoneWithTheTwins.com)

The Massie Twins are identical twin film critics who have been professionally reviewing movies full time for over 5 years, appearing on TV, radio, online and in print. They are members of the Phoenix Film Critics Society and the Internet Film Critic Society and their work can be seen at GoneWithTheTwins.com

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Movie Review: Harud - Kashmir Based Film

Known for his impressive acting jobs Aamir Bashir dons the director's mantle with Harud. Born and raised in Kashmir, Bashir has seen the Valley transform into the volatile war zone that it has come to be known as. Keeping his association with the state in mind one expects Bashir's Kashmir based film to rise above the recent mediocre and highly insensitive films that have Kashmir as a backdrop.

Harud Story

Harud is the story of a young Kashmiri man, Rafiq, who has grown up in the war-torn state amidst the looming presence of the gun. Unable to deal with a mother who refuses to believe his missing elder brother might never come back and a policeman father who is far too cautious, Rafiq's life becomes a tightrope walk. He decides to become a militant and also tries to cross the border but doesn't really go the whole hog. Once back he struggles to get along with his life but his brother's disappearance, his mother's optimism and his father's paranoia overwhelm him. Somehow life takes a turn when Rafiq finds his brother's old camera.

Inspired by the roll he discovers in the camera Rafiq dreams of becoming a photojournalist. From delivering newspapers he joins a local news agency but things don't come easily in life yet Rafiq doesn't mind waiting. Suddenly a light shines in all the darkness with the camera in his hands and Rafiq sees some kind of a meaning in his existence. He starts accompanying his mother to the Missing People's family demonstrations; starts helping his father who seems to be losing his mind after a bomb blast. He starts feeling the air in his lungs and is ready to take on the world without trading a piece of his soul but life has other plans in store for him

Final Words on Harud

Bashir handles Harud with all the care and love such a story deserves but the film fails to rise above the bar it decides to set for itself. Shot on location Harud captures the fabric of present day Kashmir and the mood of its young men but never really takes off once it sets up the premise. The film starts off with great promise but once Rafiq returns back to his life as he has known it to be the screenplay fails Harud. This is also the point in the film where the visuals start getting more prominence over the story. While cinematographer Shanker Raman's work aides Harud to a fair length it also seems to take over the reins.

Written by Bashir, Shanker Raman and Mahmood Farooqui Harud's languid pace and the somber mood can be justified to a great extent by the filmmaker who didn't intend his film to preach. Yet this very personal story of a young man ends up losing much of its potential and sheen to the bigger thought of making some kind of subtle statement. Towards the last quarter of the film Harud becomes very riveting and the end deserves all the praise but having said that the film only works at a surface level.

Harud Cast: Reza Naji, Shahnawaz Bhat, Shamim Basharat, Salma Ashai

Harud Written By: Aamir Bashir, Shanker Raman and Mahmood Farooqui

Harud Directed by: Aamir Bashir

I am a Delhi-based author who writes for Buzzintown.com as part of Buzz Bureau team, while I also wear the hat of a documentary film maker. To know about Telugu Movies Mumbai or English movies Mumbai please visit movies.Buzzintown.com

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Mr Nice Blu-Ray Review

The rights to make a film of Mr. Nice were sold to the BBC by Howard Marks when the landmark autobiography of perhaps the most sophisticated drug baron of all time topped the best seller lists in 1996. 15 years later and his vivid memoir has finally been brought to the big screen by the iconic writer/director Bernard Rose (Immortal Beloved) who faithfully captures the rambling, often comic, nature of the original book aided by an outstanding performance from Rhys Ifans in the title role.

In researching this article I have found many prominent discrepancies between the reported facts, their fictionalised account in the original Marks book and the way in which they are presented by Rose in his screenplay. This opaque concept of reality has helped to give "Mr. Nice" his legendary outlaw status with comparisons drawn to Robin Hood and Butch Cassidy to name but two. Whilst this lack of absolute veracity might irritate some, to my mind it only serves to heighten the movie as a work of art in its own right.

In trying to echo the essence of an autobiography Bernard Rose elected to take on most of the important technical roles behind the camera, not content with writing the script and directing the performances, he is also the cinematographer (operating a handheld 35mm camera to capture the requisite period look) as well as being the film's editor. This singular vision provides a necessary counterpoint to the force of nature that is Rhys Ifans who dominates almost every scene in the movie.

Ifans actually got to know Marks back in the day when he was singing with the fledgling Welsh psychedelic rock combo Super Furry Animals, prior to the huge success of the book the two became firm friends and a deal was struck that Rhys should play Howard if a film was ever made of his life. This long standing amicable association provides the movie with a heart that would have most likely been missing with anyone else in the lead role, Ifans admiration for Marks is demonstrable as is his compassion, particularly in the Terre Haute Penitentiary scenes.

The film opens from behind theatrical curtains with Howard Marks addressing a favourable crowd during one of his live shows, after the book's success he became a popular speaker on the raconteur circuit. It then flashes back to his early life in a small Welsh coal-mining village near Bridgend, the black and white film stock shrinks to a 4:3 ratio giving the feeling of a kitchen sink drama of the period, the young Howard is also played by Rhys Ifans; a surreal device recollecting the televised plays of Dennis Potter.

Marks was the first of his family to attend university after earning a scholarship to study at Balliol College, Oxford, in the mid-1960s. Like many of his generation during his undergraduate years he was exposed to a variety of recreational drugs including LSD but his drug of choice was cannabis, in particular hashish; as he takes his first toke the scope of the picture widens and dramatically shifts from monochrome to vivid colour, reminiscent of Dorothy's entrance into Oz.

After Howard graduates from Oxford with a degree in Nuclear Physics, he heads back to Wales, gets married and starts a family, this is the version of events unique to Rose's film as this is not how Marks recalls it in his book nor is it true to documented accounts but it makes perfect dramatic sense. He takes a steady teaching job to make ends meet and for a while leads a sober yet boring existence, until he attends a party thrown by his old college chum Graham (Jack Huston) who seems to be doing incredibly well for himself by selling hash. Howard is readily seduced back into the hippy culture when he meets and shares a joint with Judy (Chloe Sevigny), embarking on a long love affair with her and the weed.

When Graham is arrested while attempting to smuggle a large haul out of Germany, Howard agrees to courier the remaining stash back to the UK where he is quickly baptised into the machinations of big time drug dealing; turning a quick profit and agreeing to collect further shipments from the Pakistani supplier, Saleem Malik (Omid Djalili). This whirlwind period in Howard's life brings him into contact with the colourful character of Jim McCann, the Irish freedom fighter allegedly kicked out of the IRA for drug trafficking played full tilt by David Thewlis. Marks engages McCann's Provo contacts at Shannon Airport to covertly import drugs from the European mainland.

In a surreal twist straight out of the pages of Ian Fleming or John le Carre, Howard is approached by another old chum from Baillol, Hamilton "Mac" McMillan, played by the wonderful Christian McKay (Me and Orson Welles), who now works for MI6 and wishes to recruit Marks as his eyes and ears in various cases relating to narcotics or terrorism in return for a level of protection from the law.

Between the late 70s and early 80s Howard Marks amassed a complex network of connections controlling at one point 10% of the global hashish market and by the mid-80s he had 43 aliases, 89 phone lines, and 25 companies trading throughout the world. True to the book the film tries to suggest that his fateful decision to move into the American market was his ultimate undoing and that Judy, who by this time he had 3 childen with, tried to discourage the US expansion and pull Howard back to reality and the commitment of family life but the temptation to make even greater piles of cash proved too much.

Bernard Rose employs a clever stylistic device to convey the 25 year time period covered in the course of movie, he takes actual filmed stock footage backgrounds and then digitally superimposes Marks over the top matching the grain, whilst the effect is an obvious artifice dismissed by some critics as simply amateurish and cheap it actually serves as a striking visual quirk that reflects Howard's constant state of expanded consciousness. It also reminds me of the back projection shots favoured by Alfred Hitchcock in his golden Hollywood period, notably Marnie in 1964.

The original soundtrack by minimalist composer Philip Glass amounts to nothing more than incidental mood music echoing the sort of thing he did for the Errol Morris documentaries of the 80s starting with The Thin Blue Line, nonetheless it does help to bring about a sense of cohesion to the piece. For this level of attentive detail Rose should be commended, he has managed to make a visually unique movie and a wonderful star vehicle for Rhys Ifans out of a stoned shaggy dog story that will help maintain Howard Marks' mythic stature as he continues his vigorous campaign for the legalisation of recreational drugs.

Steve Exeter is a passionate cinephile and screenwriter, he edits and regularly contributes to the Online-Inquirer blog site.

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The Lord of the Rings Extended Edition Blu-ray Review

Finally, after a highly anticipated waiting period, the Lord of the Rings Extended Edition Blu-ray is available for us rabid Tolkien fans of Middle-earth! If there was ever a trilogy just begging to be upgraded to Blu-ray it would have to be the Lord of the Rings trilogy hands down. The brilliant cinematography of Peter Jackson's films are nothing short of breathtakingly spectacular, and that is without Blu-ray! Viewing them in this fantastic technology is simply a treat that is almost too good to be true.

Why Is the Lord of the Rings Extended Trilogy So Sought After?

With the extended versions of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings movies, comes the greatest trilogy in film history, bar-none. A dearly beloved tale of gutsy determination, undeniable perseverance, undying friendship and eternal love, the Lord of the Rings resonates, in one way or another, with the imagination of the human spirit... and that is what has made it an instant classic since the days the brilliant tale-weaving, high-fantasy, words of J.R.R. Tolkien were published back in 1954. To experience the brilliance of J.R.R. Tolkien's magic story-telling brought to life with the wizardry of Peter Jackson's cinematography, is a wonder to behold, and with the added Blu-ray, it is a fascinating technological delight for the senses! I grew up reading Tolkien and was absolutely blown away when these epics hit the big screen. To now be able to own the Lord of the Rings Blu-ray extended edition is something that absolutely thrills me.

The Lord of the Rings extended edition gives a much fuller element to the entire unfolding of the story by expanding the characters a lot more. After viewing the extended version you will wonder how you were ever even satisfied with the theatrical editions. The characters are developed to such a greater degree where you get to know their background, their "stories", or who they are, and many other scenes that bring such fullness and completeness that you just don't get from the original non-extended versions. After viewing the extended version the story just makes so much more sense. Poor Peter Jackson... he must have fought through anxiety attacks, as he had to cut so many shots out of the films in order for them to fit onto the theatres when they were first released.

The first movie, "The Fellowship of the Ring" has an additional thirty minutes of extra footage included and brings this film to a close after three-an-a-half hours. The second movie, "The Two Towers" is extended by 43 minutes and concludes after 3 hours and 42 minutes. The last and "grand finale" movie, "The Return of the King" is stretched by a mind-boggling fifty minutes and keeps one, literally, spell-bound in their seats for a senses-tingling ending to the much-loved Tolkien trilogy after 4 hours and 11 minutes! Adding it all up you have eleven hours of masterfully created entertainment pleasure and in Blu-ray to boot! This is by no stretch of the imagination and with no other even close competition the greatest trilogy of all time.

But these are the types of epics that you get lost in, and were they to be 5 or 6 hours long, they would still end too quickly and we would be wishing for extended versions of them!

Giving this awe-inspiring trilogy 5 out of 5 stars feels like I am doing it an injustice in some form... it IS simply THAT good!

Here are a few answers to questions that people are asking about the Lord of the Rings extended Blu-ray:

Official release date is June 28, 2011 There are 6 Blu-ray discs with 3 movies. The movies are delivered on 2 discs each. There is an additional "Special Features" disc for each movie. The extended Lord of the Rings Blu-ray edition includes downloadable digital copies for each movie. There are subtitles available in: Croatian, Czech, English, French, German, Hungarian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Slovak, Spanish.

So where can you find this classic Tolkien trilogy?

I know you're probably quivering all over, with anticipation at this point, and wondering how much longer you're going to have to wait to get your hands on the Lord of the Rings Extended Edition Blu-ray. Well, they have just been released! Read on to discover where you can purchase them...

To get an incredible deal on The Lord of the Rings Extended Edition Blu-ray please visit the Lord of the Rings Extended Edition Blog and get this high-fantasy epic trilogy in your movie library today!

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Movie Review: Green Lantern Hits a Red Light

Okay, first things first. I don't like watching films in 3D and the Green Lantern isn't particularly a preferred superhero of mine. Having said that I won't look forward to a second installment of this franchise but won't mind watching it just for the heck of it, but I still don't think highly of 3D.

Green Lantern Story

Martin Campbell, the man who successfully overhauled the James Bond franchise on two occasions (Golden Eye and Casino Royale) looked like the perfect choice to direct Green Lantern but even with an estimated budget of over $150 million this film has precious little to offer. Ryan Reynolds plays Hal Jordan, a test pilot par excellence who comes in contact with a green ring that imparts great powers and makes him a superhero that no evil can escape.

Reynolds brings a certain level of impish charm to the Jordan / Green Lantern character but unlike an Ironman where the script concentrated on exploring Tony Stark more than anything else, Green Lantern wastes fool proofing everything to the level of boredom. The 'yellow energy of fear', the 'emerald energy of willpower' and other such there is a lot of mumbo-jumbo that one expects in a film based on a comic book character but all this talk doesn't really add anything great to the proceedings.

While Jordan tries to figure out what to do with his new mean green steak, far away in the universe in a place called Sector 2814, where millions of years before the Earth was formed The Guardians of the Universe created an evil fighting force called Green Lantern Corps, there is commotion. Their meanest fighter Abin Sur (Temuera Morrison), the one who died and his ring chose Jordan, was killed by Parallax, a former Lantern, who now wants to destroy all the sectors of the universe. The ring, which never makes a mistake in choosing its bearer, bestows Jordan with superhuman powers and works on the premise that if not fearless or responsible, he has it in him to transform; this process of self-realization is only fleetingly explored. It looks as if Reynolds and his leading man good looks are doing the ring a favor and Jordan never really bothers beyond a point. Finally Jordan finds his calling and urges Sinestro (Mark Strong), a Lantern to help him fight Parallax. But Sinestro refuses him as he believes that no human can defeat the bearer of the yellow energy of fear. Finally when Jordan proves him wrong Sinestro, accepts him into the brotherhood.

Final Words on Green Lantern

There is a lot of back-story that Campbell tries to pack in but the manner in which it unfolds doesn't make you want to know more. You are interested in seeing the hero overcome his fears but Reynolds is so self-satisfied that he suddenly decides its time and everything falls into place. Green Lantern is one of the very few superhero tales where the power is shared by a bunch of people and rest assured there will a couple of more sequels where, hopefully, far more interesting sidekicks and partners in crime will fill the screen time.

And also that viewing a film in 3D would become a better experience! There is no denying that more and more films would be released in 3D but something needs to be done about the manner in which the audience is forced to watch it.

Green Lantern Rating: 2/5

Green Lantern Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Strong, Angela Bassett, Tim Robbins

Green Lantern Story by: Greg Berlanti, Michael Green, Marc Guggenheim and Michael Goldenberg

Green Lantern Directed by: Martin Campbell

I am a Delhi-based author who writes for Buzzintown.com as part of Buzz Bureau team, while I also wear the hat of a documentary film maker. To know about Telugu Movies Mumbai or English movies Mumbai please visit movies.Buzzintown.com

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American Psycho Film Review

American Psycho is a 2000 thriller film. It stars Christian Bale, Willem Dafoe, Reese Witherspoon, Samantha Mathis, and Chloe Sevigny. The story is by Bret Easton Ellis. The director is Mary Harron.

The story centers around a Wall Street tycoon named Patrick Bateman. Bateman is a conformist and a perfectionist. He also has a side to him that nobody knows about. At night, he sometimes seeks the company of prostitutes. Bateman has a lust for blood and will kill anybody he feels like killing. He will sometimes kill coworkers simply because they have a better-looking business card than he does. His desire for blood soon slips over into his days and he begins to lose control of his "mask of sanity".

Although many would classify this film as a typical horror movie, I believe it is so much more. Of course it has the makings of one with all the blood and violence, but it also has the psychological aspect. We get to experience what Patrick Bateman is thinking and going through. We see his confusion with what is right and what is wrong. The audience gains an understanding and almost a sympathy for Bateman as he begins to realize what he has done.

One thing I noticed even before I saw the film is the connection between the names of fictional serial killer Norman Bates of Hitchcock's horror classic Psycho and Patrick Bateman of this film, American Psycho. Bates and Bateman, Psycho and American Psycho. Plus, Norman Bates was clearly based on murderer Ed Gein in the 1950's. Likewise, Patrick Bateman is obsessed with well-known murderers, including Gein. He even quotes him in a scene in the middle of the film, catching his friends completely off guard by saying it right out of the blue.

Another feature that caught my eye was Bateman's obsession with fitting in and having the best and most expensive possessions of all his friends. His obsession with conformance may have been what drove him to be so psychologically confused and, somehow, enhanced his blood lust. Bateman was so into being like who he thought his friends were, that he lost track of who he really was. He surrounded himself with all these things that weren't really him at all and it drove him over the edge.

To wrap, American Psycho is a great horror thriller that those who seek a psychological thriller will, I believe, enjoy this film very much!

Kevin T. Dillehay has written nearly a hundred movie reviews from all genres. He provides a unique perspective on the movies you see all the time but may not stop and think about in depth. You are invited to check out his work at http://www.moviefilmreview.com/author/kmonk10.

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Film Review - Delhi Belly The Movie

Released on July 1, Delhi belly is an Indian comedy film shot in English with a little Hindi. It is directed by Abhinay Deo, the son of veteran actors Ramesh and Seema Deo. He is a ad-film maker turned director and has shown a great piece of direction in form of "Delhi Belly".

The Review:

Delhi Belly revolves around Three room-mates, Tashi Dorjee Lhatoo (Imran Khan), Nitin Berry (Kunaal Roy Kapur) and Arup (Vir Das) leading an unkempt and debt-ridden life. Delhi belly has been in news as it is full of adult language, catchy songs and unconventional sex shows. There are sparks of humour and vulger scences throughout the film and this is what makes it a worth watch. I bet that you will not face any boredom while watching this movie.

The film start's with Sonia's arrival into the city where she meets Vladimir Dragonsky and agrees to deliver a packet on behalf of him to the address mentioned by him. Sonia hands over the packet to Tashi who in turn asks Arup to deliver it for him. Arup then hands the packet to Nitin for delivery, But Nitin forgets to do so as he is experiencing 'Delhi Belly' ( stomach issues).

Thus the Package keeps floating around and is finally handed to the recipient, a gangster named Somayajulu by Arup. Apart from the package, Arup also has to deliver another package which contains Nitin's stool sample to Nitin's Doctor. He mixes up the two which makes Somayajulu furious and he starts the investigation by interrogating Vladimir. The film revolves around the chaos created by the interchanging of the packets.

In the meanwhile, Tashi gets attracted towards menaka, a journalist and has to incur the wrath of her ex-husband Rajiv. He starts comtemplating whether he really wants to marry sonia. Here, Vladimir informs Somayajulu that the mix-up must have been caused by Sonia as she didn't know what she was carrying in the package. Somayajulu then calls sonia and tells her about the mix-up of the packets and also asks her to give the address of the person who was to deliver the packets. Somayajulu then goes to the address and finds Arup and makes him stand on the stool whilst his neck is tied with a tie to the ceiling. Tashi arrives at the apartment in the meanwhile to find Arup being tied to the ceiling. On interrogating Tashi, Somayajulu discovers the location of his packets.

Nitin gets the packets from the doctor's clinic and Somayajulu snatches it from him to examine the 30 diamonds which are ought to be there in the packet. After finding them safe, he orders his men to kill all the three friends, Tashi, Arup and Nitin. In the meanwhile, the ceiling to which Arup is tied falls down and injures Somayajulu and his men. Tashi, Arup and nitin escape them along with the diamonds and celebrate their good fortune. They sell the diamonds to a local jewellery shop owner the very next day. But to their dismay and bad luck, Somayajulu kidnaps Sonia and threatens to kill her if they do not hand over the diamonds to him. The trio, feeling disgusted, goes to get the diamonds from the jewellery shop owner, only to be told that they will have to pay him double.

The trio starts worrying when tashi comes up with a plan. Nitin, Arup, Tashi and Menaka disguise themselves in burqa and go to the jewellery shop. They con the owner, take back their diamonds and return his money. Then they go to the hotel where somayajulu has held Sonia. In the meanwhile police also reach there following tashi's car as they chase him for robbing the jewellery store. The trio hands over the diamonds to Somayajulu and tell him to leave sonia. Police enters the room by then and firing takes place in which only Tashi, Nitin, Arup and sonia survive. Tashi then chooses Menaka over Sonia but Menaka refuses to go with him. Later, When Menaka comes over to Tashi's place to hand over his belongings, Tashi jumps over her car in through the open Window and Kisses her hard.

Cast of the film:-

Imran Khan as Tashi Dorji Lhatoo.
Kunal Kapur Roy as Nitin Berry.
Vir Das as Arup.
Poorna Jagganathan as Menaka.
Shenaz Treasurywala as Sonia.
Vijay Raj as Somayajulu.
Kim Bodnia as Vladamir Dragunsky.
Aamir Khan in an Item song ("I hate you, like I love you").
Anushka Dandekar In a Special appearance.

You will not be bored for a minute while watching this film. I did thoroughly enjoy myself while watching this move.
4/5 ratings for a short and a sweet movie.

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Sucker Punch Blu-Ray Review

It infuriates me that Sucker Punch has been universally demonised in the mainstream press for being the one thing that it clearly isn't and anyone with a modicum of intelligence will appreciate that this is not a movie that sets out to further objectify or exploit women. Unfortunately such vehement negative press will undoubtedly put a lot of people off seeing it and drawing their own conclusions and this worrying trend in film criticism is tantamount to censorship in my opinion.

So why was Sucker Punch so reviled? I think the main reason is that people expect a Zack Snyder film to be a throw-away experience, they're not looking for anything other than escapist action and they certainly aren't expecting a frank and disturbing allegory on gender politics. Whilst there are plenty of fantasy battle sequences that can be watched purely as disposable fun there is an overarching subtext that deals with the rape, prostitution and psychological abuse of women that would be more at home in a David Lynch movie.

Despite its popcorn-friendly packaging Sucker Punch is full of unflinching feminist themes depicting the gamut of women's experience throughout the course of the 20th century that the average viewer didn't sign up for and were unprepared to take on-board in this context so they rail against the movie accusing its writer / director of the exploitation they're witnessing, rather than recognise they are part of the society ultimately responsible; Zack Snyder is merely holding a mirror up to it.

The film opens with a montage backed by a new recording of Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) to set up the back story of Babydoll (Emily Browning) the film's protagonist. When her mother dies Babydoll and her younger sister become wards of their stepfather who's physical and sexual abuse escalates to the point where she tries to shoot him but misses accidentally killing her sister for which she is committed to an insane asylum. Sucker Punch takes place in a stylised version of the 1960s, a period where many women were institutionalised usually as the result of an unquestioned accusation of insanity from a significant male relation and, like Babydoll, were threatened with irreversible lobotomy as the final solution to their supposed mental illness.

The resident psychiatrist at Lennox House for the Mentally Insane is Dr. Vera Gorski (Carla Gugino) who practices the methods of Freud and Jung, encouraging her female patients to re-enact the circumstances of their abuse in order to confront their shadow selves. This focus on the subconscious allows the film's layered fantasy structure to emerge, Babydoll retreats into a dreamlike state where the austere asylum is replaced by the image of a louche bordello in which she and her inmates are transformed into dancers in the employ of the club's owner / pimp, Blue Jones (Oscar Isaac) who in reality is the head orderly who accepted a large bribe from Babydoll's stepfather to forge Dr. Gorski signature to authorise her lobotomy.

In the brothel fantasy Vera Gorski is transformed into a choreographer-cum-madam figure that encourages the virginal, porcelain like Babydoll to muster up the courage to express herself through a highly personal erotic dance, this triggers the second layer of fantasy sequences in which she becomes a Warrior Princess who, under the guidance of the Wise Man (Scott Glenn), accepts a quest to retrieve 4 talismans that will lead her to understand the identity of the mysterious 5th object that will secure her freedom.

This mystical scavenger hunt enables Zack Snyder to film 4 equally incredible stylised battle scenes against many disparate foes such as giant Samurai, steam-powered Nazi zombies, a baby dragon and its protective mother, and a horde of killer glass robots. The individual sequences are stunningly rendered and impeccably executed with the precision of a frenetic modern ballet and with each battle the camaraderie between Babydoll and her cohorts, Sweet Pea (Abbie Cornish), her sister Rocket (Jena Malone), Blondie (Vanessa Hudgens) and Amber (Jamie Chung) grows and you get the impression of a genuine bond between the friends as they fight for their lives.

The central conceit of the film is that these women are forced to use their sexuality as the only weapon available to them in order to manipulate the men who control their miserable existences and that this "empowers" them, yet they spend the entire film scantily clad which gives rise to the charges of objectification. The theatrical cut of the film was given a 12 certificate but many critics claimed it ought to have been rated 18, why? There is no nudity, no sex scenes, little bad language, stylised violence and no bloodletting; what seems to upset the largely conservative critics is the implied rape and pervasive subtext which depicts the harsh reality of being a woman in a man's world.

The appalling thing about this attempt to censor Sucker Punch is the outright hypocrisy of it all, as if this film is the only current example of female exploitation and objectification, as if it isn't apparent in every music video shown throughout the day on MTV, as if it's not omnipresent in every reality TV show, not to mention that only recently we've seen the return of Burlesque as an acceptable form of mainstream entertainment. It would appear that the film's critics are saying we're absolutely fine with scantily clad, gun toting girls and we'll even buy into this myth of "empowerment" but don't then ruin it all by making us conscious of the fact that ultimately these women are the victims of deplorable acts of sexual violence.

As the west continues to fight a war against Islamic fundamentalism often in the name of freeing repressed women from the burqa or the yashmak, it seems ironic that the supposed free women on the western world are equally imprisoned behind their fetishized painted faces, parading in hot pants or micro skirts. This irony is not lost on Zack Snyder or the cast of Sucker Punch, the film doesn't degrade women or explicitly claim to be "empowering" them but, along with a recent spate of movies that acknowledge feminism's third wave (Black Swan, the remake of True Grit, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), it shines a light on a dark aspect of the human condition and is clearly one of the most original and challenging movies in recent memory; Babydoll will, in no doubt, eventually emerge as a cult figure in cinema history.

Steve Exeter is a passionate cinephile and screenwriter, he edits and regularly contributes to the Online-Inquirer blog site.

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Cat Caught King's Tongue: A Review of The King's Speech (2010)

When God couldn't save the king, the queen turned to someone who could.

At the 83rd Academy Awards, The King's Speech won the Academy Award for Best Picture, Best Director (Tom Hooper), Best Actor (Colin Firth), and Best Original Screenplay (David Seidler). The film had received twelve Oscar nominations, more than any other film. Besides the four categories it won, the film received nominations for Best Cinematography (Danny Cohen) and two for the supporting actors (Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush), as well as two for its mise-en-scene: Art Direction and Costumes.

I am not sure how strongly the story of a stammering, early twentieth century Duke of York will appeal to audiences in Dhaka, but The King's Speech is a must-see for our local moviemakers. Natoks and non-FDC cinema in Bangladesh are usually similar dialogue-driven dramas. Therefore, a comparative analysis with The King's Speech is pertinent. This film has won the top award at the Producers' Guild and the Directors' Guild of America, the People's choice at the Toronto Film Festival, seven Golden Globes and has been nominated for twelve Oscars. Moreover, according to market data providers, Rentrak, it has grossed near about 100 million dollars and counting, in the US and through international markets.

Of course, the scale of this production is incomparable with the size of Bangladeshi productions, but the subject matter The King's Speech handles is of the nature that Bangladeshi filmmakers feel comfortable dealing in. Presupposing that the wily, know-it-all Bengali filmmaker receives this film positively, there may be many lessons to be learned from The King's Speech. The question I want to pose to them before I go ahead and review the film: Does the success of a drama depend on the bare rudiments? A formidable screenplay, some stellar acting, a picky director and, and: a knowledgeable team? Or, is there some mantra behind it?

The story of the The King's Speech is as thorough a look into the world of a stammerer as ever seen. The three character plot may seem rather linear, but it is perforated with subtext. Director Tom Cooper does a good job of executing the tension that writer David Seidler writes into the relationship between his Royal Highness, or Bertie, (Colin Firth) and his Australian speech therapist, Lionel Louge (Geoffery Rush). My one complaint about the script: the viewer has to suffer through too many of Bertie's excruciatingly agonizing failed orations. To call for empathy is alright, but the repeated pain inflicted on the audience needed to be curtailed.

In his screenplay, writer David Seidler in effect, creates three worlds-the early twentieth century time period; the protocol encrusted world of the Royalty and Lionel's world- where he is king and the Crown becomes a commoner. There is a reason behind his impudence: he supports that his unorthodox and controversial methods will work on the Duke, only if they behave as equals. The discomfort that this situation creates for the Duke, opens up a novel avenue for both textual and subtextual investigations on sociability in the monarchy. Also, as the relationship between patient and "doctor" grows, a unique friendship is explored.

Geoffery Rush, Colin Firth and Helena Bonham Carter's acting does justice to the script. Variety Magazine's Peter Debruge claims, in his September 4, 2010 article, that the big scenes are indisputably the monarch's. Yet, the therapist's stubbornness in choosing his way over the king's, has more onscreen visibility than the monarch's royal perseverance to deliver and finish a speech. The Duke of York does have the more emotional scenes, but, the memorable character sketch and performance is the therapist's. Geoffery Rush gets to play a delightfully independent persona and everything Rush does onscreen enriches the story. His every gesture, every deliberation brings us closer to this period piece.

We are reminded very early into the film that Lionel the therapist is a failed actor. This bit of information foreshadows the later revelation that he is also an actor, somewhat, in real life: he is not a certified practitioner. This foreshadowing illuminates Lionel's inner conflict and gives the goings-on of his mind as much importance as the conflicts in the title character's mind.

The props and sets have a distinct charateristic of their own. Every wall is rich and textured, every room borrows heavily from a particular palette and every character and every staging uses spaces to make them look like lived-in places. Tom Cooper and the director of photography, Danny Cohen, exploit the locations to a point of flaunting their baroque beauty. Actors are shown with ample headroom, they are often short-sided and the close-ups are shot with wide lenses giving the viewer a much wider, almost askew, angle of view behind the actor.

Danny Cohen, in his interview with ARRI News, says they decided to shoot in this manner in order to not lose context, to increase the period piece's authenticity and to increase the story's impact. Cooper and Cohen went with two ARRI Lite cameras, the ARRI Master Prime lens kit and to get the cold look they wanted: Fuji Eterna Vivid 500T film stock.

N. Sakib Ahmed is a writer/director based in Bangladesh. He is currently writing a screenplay.

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The Baader Meinhof Complex Blu-Ray Review

The Baader Meinhof Complex attempts to chronicle in its 150 minute running time the entire decade which saw the rise and fall of the Red Army Faction (RAF), Germany's most notorious terrorist group. The film is produced and co-written by Bernd Eichinger whose Constantin Film company was also responsible for the excellent Downfall the study of Hitler's final days for which he also furnished the screenplay.

Director Uli Edel shares the writing credit although the film is based on the book of the same name by the former Der Spiegel editor-in-chief Stefan Aust, first published in 1985 and now considered to be the definitive text on the subject. Consequently the movie is somewhat of a hybrid and the two styles often seem at odds with each other, whilst striving for documentary realism it also presents a lot of the film's violence in the style of a Hollywood action thriller.

The film opens amidst the much publicised visit of the Shah of Iran, his wife and entourage of goons, to the Deutsche Opera in West Berlin, a large group of left-wing students have turned out to protest against the oppressive Iranian regime and the Shah's henchmen attack the youths with sticks; in the resulting riot one student, Benno Ohnesorg is shot and killed by a German police officer without incitement. This incident became a rallying point for the socialist movement and political journalists like Ulrike Meinhof (Martina Gedeck) were so outraged by the events of 2nd June 1967 that she wrote a condemnatory open letter to the Shah's wife in left-wing Konkret magazine.

11th April 1968 (less than a year later) the assassination attempt on Rudi Dutschke, the leader of the student union who's outspoken protest against West Germany's support of American foreign policy in particular the use of local U.S. Air Force Bases to escalate the carpet bombing of Vietnam, served as a further catalyst for the left-wing youth movement who felt that their parents' generation passively sat back and let Adolf Hitler seize power; keenly aware that many former Nazis held prominent positions in the current western imperialist government.

Whilst Ulrike Meinhof practices the maxim that the pen is mightier than the sword, Andreas Baader (Moritz Bleibtreu) and his girlfriend Gudrun Ensslin (Johanna Wokalek) believe in direct action and retaliate to the Ohnesorg murder by fire-bombing a department store in Frankfurt for which they are prosecuted. Meinhof, who is covering their trial, interviews Ensslin and is impressed by her radical principles and activist zeal. Whilst on parole the couple flee to Italy to avoid a prison sentence but are tracked down by their left-wing lawyer who urges them to return to Germany because he has access to funds that will allow them to start a revolutionary organisation.

In one of the film's less authentic sequences we see Baader and Ensslin seducing a group of youths into joining the fledgling RAF by cruising in stolen cars backed by The Who's My Generation in a sexed-up scene reminiscent of George Lucas' American Graffiti which espouses the very ethos we're supposed to believe they're railing against. However, it's not long before Baader is pulled over for speeding and sent straight to jail.

At this point Ulrike Meinhof has become disillusioned with the power of journalism to bring about real political change and is enticed by Ensslin into a plan to spring Baader from prison; this involves Meinhof pretending to research a book on the RAF and for Ensslin to pose as her publisher to avoid detection. It is in this breakout that the group take their first blood and that Meinhof's fate becomes forever entwined with the Bonnie and Clyde-esque Baader and Ensslin.

Despite some military training arranged for them by their lawyer with Palestinian rebels in Jordan, Baader's approach remains undisciplined his focus seems to be on robbing a series of banks to appropriate funds for the group. In a spectacular Butch and Sundance style shoot-out during one such escapade Baader and fellow RAF member Holger Meins are captured and soon after Ensslin, Meinhof and Jan-Carl Raspe are also arrested and held in custody at the austere, maximum security Stammhein Prison in Stuttgart awaiting a high profile show trial.

The film's tone shifts at this point, the first act strived to show the persuasive charisma that the founding young members of the RAF had in order to recruit both respectable left-wing figures like Ulrike Meinhof as well as radicalising the disenfranchised student movement. The second act is more solemn and introduces the character of Horst Herold, the head of the West German Police Force who has been tasked with eradicating the RAF who along with splinter groups like Black September are conducting various acts of terrorism, including the massacre at the 1972 Munich Olympics and subsequent plane hijacking, in attempts to get the founding members released. Herold (Bruno Ganz) realises the need to psychologically profile the terrorists in order to understand their motivation, there is a danger of the imprisoned members becoming martyrs when Holger Meins dies from hunger strike and Ulrike Meinhof hangs herself in her cell.

The Baader Meinhof Complex is an electrifying film, impeccably performed by a passionate cast and directed with incredible attention to period detail by Uli Edel; for the most part it succeeds in presenting a highly inflammatory period of recent history where heinous atrocities were regularly carried out by people who ostensibly believed they were acting both morally and for the good of the human race but through the escalation of the violent, bloody process tragically lost their own humanity.

Steve Exeter is a passionate cinephile and screenwriter, he edits and regularly contributes to the Online-Inquirer blog site.

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The Green Lantern Movie Review

I never thought in a million years that I would get to see a live action Green Lantern movie. Of all of the members of the Justice League, he was the one character that seemed to be the least familiar and the hardest to develop into a stand-alone film. Add to that the fact that pretty much all of the Green Lantern's powers come out of the ring meaning that the special effects would have to be such that they are believable and that most of the film would be using a ton of effects. Luckily the technology is now available to make this a reality and therefore we now have Green Lantern in his own film. My hope is that this might lead to additional individual films for each member of the Justice League leading up to a Justice League movie, just like Marvel has done with the members of the Avengers leading up to the Avengers movie due out next year. I'll keep my fingers crossed for that, but in the meantime lets discuss their current effort of Green Lantern.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Green Lantern, he is a member of a larger group called the Green Lantern Corps. They are an organization created by the Guardians of the Universe that patrol the entire galaxy to maintain balance and uphold justice throughout the universe. Each Green Lantern is proved a special ring that allows the Lantern to create anything they can imagine. You see, the ring is powered by willpower and the things it constructs are only as powerful as the willpower of the Lantern using it. This film deals primarily with the first human Green Lantern, Hal Jordan, and also gives us a great introduction to the Green Lantern Corps, the Guardians, and their worst enemy Parallax.

For the most part, I was quite pleased by the story they told about the origin of Earth's first Green Lantern. The casting of Ryan Reynolds was just about perfect, however the actor who stole the show for me was Mark Strong as Sinestro. I can't think of anyone else that could have come close to his performance. If only they had made him the villain of the film, however I hope that this one does well enough to warrant a sequel. In fact, the best parts of the entire film were those dealing with the Corps as a whole and all of the scenes filmed on the Lantern home world of Oa. If only they had kept the scenes involving Hal finding Abin Sur and his wrecked space craft and Hal finally accepting the ring, but when he travels to Oa to begin his training and learning about the Corps, the action should have remained there to have Hal and the entire corps battling Parallax then have Hal come back to Earth as it's protector. I just wasn't as impressed by the after Hal comes back from Oa when he decides that he doesn't want to accept the responsibility of becoming the Green Lantern. They could have just as easily created an origin story that took place on Oa and was only on Earth for the beginning and ending of the film. That being said, I was still incredibly impressed by what they did manage to put together and the overall story that they told. This was a good introduction to this amazing character but it is just the tip of the iceberg as to everything the Green Lantern can do and how essential he is to the safety of Earth and the Galaxy he helps to protect.

If you are any fan of Superman or Batman, you should go and check out this film. Keep in mind that Green Lantern is one of the seven founding members of the Justice League that includes Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Aquaman and Martian Manhunter. I can't tell you how much I hope and pray that we will not only get to see individual films for each of these characters, but also see them joined together in a Justice League movie. Give this film a chance, despite any bad reviews you might have seen, and immerse yourself in this incredible world. If this film doesn't do well, our chances of seeing more of these characters in their own films will vanish before they are even given the chance.

J.Chandler: B

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Movie Review: Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)

If you're watching the third film in the Transformers movie franchise for any other reason than to see giant robots smash everything around them into tiny pieces, you'll likely be disappointed. The plot is even more of a convoluted, melodramatic mess than its predecessor and an overabundance of characters, both human and machine, leave the story a confusing mishmash of borrowed ideas - from bad sci-fi flicks. Michael Bay's infamous love of slow-motion and revolving cameras accents an eye-rolling silliness that might not have been as apparent otherwise, and the creators' desires to conjure up increasingly bigger and badder Transformers forces the action to steer towards the realm of unfathomably unrealistic. At least the state-of-the-art special effects complement the colossal automatons - because little else does.

Though a two-time savior of Earth from the threat of the evil, advanced alien race of Decepticons, Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) still finds himself unemployed and unable to contribute to the ongoing efforts to keep the planet safe. When an ancient Cybertronian device is discovered on Earth, the leader of the peacekeeping Autobots, Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen) determines to reactivate their previous leader, Sentinel Prime (Leonard Nimoy) to help protect the technology from the scheming Decepticon Megatron (Hugo Weaving). With the battle once again returning home, Sam, his former military allies, his new girlfriend Carly (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley), and the dauntless Autobots must wage war against insurmountable odds to free their home from total destruction.

Although Megan Fox wasn't the main appeal of the first film (admittedly she was about the only thing left in the second feature worth looking at), surprisingly, her replacement will cause audiences to miss her presence. Model-turned-one-time-actress Rosie Huntington-Whiteley doesn't add anything to the incredibly lengthy project and her role is made visually apparent with repeated shots of form-fitting clothing, slender legs and pouty lips. It's almost as nagging as the leftover characters continually dropped into the storyline from the previous outings: John Turturro, Tyrese Gibson and Josh Duhamel no longer have a purpose, but are brought back for the sake of a larger, recognizable cast (and perhaps contractual obligations).

The new additions are certainly no better. John Malkovich, Alan Tudyk and Ken Jeong are among the most noteworthy, all inserted purely for comic relief - the one element a Transformers movie couldn't possibly use less. Their characters are part of a series of bizarre inclusions that continue to stretch the weirdness boundaries of the Transformers universe - along with puerile presidential footage alterations, Witwicky screaming incessantly, overdramatic slow-motion and ridiculous speeches intended to be rousing. On top of that are the abundant cliches - a female National Intelligence Director insistent on preaching chain of command lingo and barking orders to deaf ears, stagey posing before and after battles, a destructive chase sequence on a highway, an overconfident, impossibly wealthy businessman who interferes with Sam's self esteem, and a final, epic, sustained fight that stretches over 30 minutes.

It's only the third movie and writer Ehren Kruger has completely run out of ideas, while director Michael Bay proves once again that his obsession with slow motion and cameras moving in circles around actors can ruin any moment. The editing remains incredibly annoying while the choreography continues to be overly complex, the robots largely indistinguishable, and the action exhaustive. Transformers just aren't fun anymore.

- The Massie Twins (GoneWithTheTwins.com)

The Massie Twins are identical twin film critics who have been professionally reviewing movies full time for over 5 years, appearing on TV, radio, online and in print. They are members of the Phoenix Film Critics Society and the Internet Film Critic Society and their work can be seen at GoneWithTheTwins.com

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Review: Double Dhamaal

It's the season of sequels! After last week's Bheja Fry 2, which got a thanda response, all eyes were on Double Dhamaal, the sequel to 2007's comedy Dhamaal. With obvious comparisons in tow, Double Dhamaal manages to create just a stir and No Dhamaal, forget it being Double.

The movie is like a circus show, where various artists don different avatars, hit each other, fall down, make funny faces and do other amusing things with the sole aim to make you laugh. Sometimes they hit the Bull's eye, sometimes they don't. Similar is the case with Double Dhamaal, where various characters struggle to perk up the movie, succeed in some scenes but fail on the whole.

Director Indra Kumar, with wacky comedies like Ishq and Dil to his name, which were marked with some beautiful emotional and romantic moments, has tried to meet his fans' sky-high hopes in Double Dhamaal with an ensemble star cast, foreign locales and some mad-cap and adult humour, which definitely makes you giggle but strictly in some parts. Unfortunately, the man ended up making another mindless comedy, which is not at all 'hatke.'

What to say about the writers, must admit that they have done their homework well (read getting inspired by recent Bollywood comedies) as the movie exploits the sexual and adult humour to the core. So, be ready for some 'balls' and 'marbles' rolled at you and don't get zapped if the names of characters sound like popular expletives!

Talking about the story-line, first half looks quite cliched and predictable, in the way Sanjay Dutt plans to fool the four boys and then they decide to take revenge. Post intermission, the plot begins to show some signs of twists in the tale but all that comes to the fore is usual jokes, typical funny situations and over the top scenes, which begin to irritate you after some time. However, the movie can boast of a few scenes that will definitely tickle your funny bone - gorilla scene, coat hanging scene and the spoofs on Guzaarish, Taare Zameen Par and Wanted, deserve a mention here.

Double Dhamaal begins where Dhamaal ends. The four friends of Dhamaal are back with Double Dhamaal - Roy (Riteish Deshmukh), Boman (Ashish Choudhary), Adi (Arshad Warsi) and Manav (Jaaved Jaafrey) are leading a life of paupers after donating all of their money to the orphanage. They meet the supah rich Kabir (Sanjay Dutt) and the two sexy ladies - Kia (Kangana) and Kamini (Mallika Sherawat) and that ignites their desire to lead a luxurious life. And soon, begins the mad race to become rich, richer and richest - a race that's marked with silly ramblings, mistaken identities, disguises and lots of tamasha.

As far as characters are concerned, you can say only they are the saving grace. While, Sanjay Dutt delivers what's expected - nothing more, nothing less, Arshad, is really asardar with his comic timing and dialogue delivery, Riteish once again takes the cake for his performance, specially for his outstanding mimicry. Aashish Choudhary is a revelation as sex-siren Barbara Horie and Do Do, though, he is just 'ok' as Boman. Jaaved Jaffrey will win your heart with his vulnerability, which creates some humorous moments. Mallika Sherawat is just a 'show piece,' a sexy one at that. We're wondering if she was funnier as the Hiss-torical Naagin or Kamini? Even the controversial and 'blink and you miss' bikini act and the anticipated item number 'Jalebi Bai' couldn't save her sinking character. Last but not the least, Kangana's character could have explored a lot more. The girl definitely has some comic sense, which if exploited well can work wonders.

Music (un)wise the film doesn't offer anything remarkable minus the 'Chal Kudiye' number by Mika, which might become a party-anthem for some days. 'Jalebi Bai,' which was being promoted as a competition to 'Shelia' and Munni, doesn't even come close to them. Rest of the songs are forgettable, and you will for sure! Anand Raj Anand has been better in the past.

On the whole, Double Dhamaal is a movie for those, who are in no mood to handle 'heavy duty' stuff and are looking out for just any movie to kill three hours with some under the belt humour. A statutory warning from us - A BIG tub of pop corn is a must! After all you deserve a treat for sitting through the movie!

Rating: 2/5
Star Cast: Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi, Jaaved Jaaferi, Riteish Deshmukh, Ashish Chowdhry, Kangna Ranaut and Mallika Sherawat
Director: Indra Kumar
Writer: Tushar Hiranandani

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Movie Review: Limitless (2011)

Most viewers will go into Limitless with low expectations, thanks to a mediocre trailer and a cast of second-tier regulars. This works to a great advantage, since the film actually possesses a unique plot, fascinating concepts and genuine thrills. There's also a lot of humor mixed into the graveness, lightening the mood for the more shocking material and creating a sense of fun - it's also difficult to take anything Bradley Cooper does too seriously.

Edward Morra (Bradley Cooper) is a failing writer, struggling to type the first sentence of the book he's already taken an advance to pen, frequently turning to booze for inspiration. When he happens upon the brother of his ex-wife, Vernon (Johnny Whitworth), a well-dressed drug dealer convinced that he's a successful businessman, Eddie is given a clear pill known as NZT that promises to expand the usage of the brain from the standard 20% to a whopping 100%. Upon downing the drug, Eddie is suddenly shot with an unprecedented surge of motivation; he's capable of spouting a sparkling cocktail of useless information (which makes him irresistible to the ladies), recalling everything he's ever seen or heard in a remarkably organized manner, learning languages just by listening to people speak, and finishing his novel in a few days.

He returns to Vernon for more of the miracle drug and is able to secure a large bag. It's a limited supply, but enough to boost his mind into transforming $12,000 into $2 million by playing the stock market. Despite terrifying side effects, which he is eventually forced to control, Eddie is all set to become a very powerful man - if only he can keep a murder charge off the record thanks to gaps in memory, prevent a shady loan shark from killing him, and not run out of NZT while trying to impress the Gordon Gekko of investment bankers, Carl Van Loon (Robert De Niro).

Two things make Limitless a lot more entertaining than typical, mindless thrillers: firstly, Eddie's "super powers" aren't actually superhuman, allowing the premise to be much more believable. The fact that it's caused by a drug also dissuades inquiry because it's generally accepted that drugs do crazy things. It's a purely science-fiction idea without the otherworldly disposition of aliens or time travel. His moments of superior intelligence are demonstrated by green-screen work, CGI, a hazy gray world transforming into a vivid golden one, and hyperactive camera tricks. Secondly, our superhero frequently loses his special abilities and must cope in the real world, dealing with adversaries that also don't possess a super weapon or Kryptonite - along with the accompanying downers of addiction and crashing. He's also simply not a clean cut protagonist.

A necessary narration presides over Limitless, smartly filling in what can't be described by actions. The rest is a combination of adventure, suspense, and creatively hilarious violence. The unexpected conclusion might leave you with questions and concerns, but also a certain undeniable degree of satisfaction. If the bewildering nature of the outcome is too much to wrap your head around, just remember that it's only a Bradley Cooper movie.

- The Massie Twins ( http://www.GoneWithTheTwins.com )

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Ghostbusters II Movie Review

Ghostbusters II is a science-fiction comedy released in 1989 by Columbia Pictures. It stars Bill Murray as Peter Venkman, Dan Aykroyd as Ray Stantz, Sigourney Weaver as Dana Barrett, Harold Ramis as Egon Spengler, and Rick Moranis as Louis Tully. The writers are Harold Ramis (Groundhog Day) and Dan Aykroyd (The Blues Brothers). The director is Ivan Reitman (Fathers' Day).

The story picks up five years after the events of Ghostbusters. The Ghostbusters are out of business, having been issued a restraining order forbidding them to bust ghosts. New York City also showed their gratitude for the Ghostbusters' saving their city by suing them for property damage. Dana Barrett, Peter Venkman's ex-girlfriend, now has an eight-month old baby named Oscar. After his carriage rolls over some slime, a supernatural force causes it to run amok until it finally stops in the middle of the street. Dana asks the Ghostbusters to help. They track the slime to the underground and are arrested after having dug a hole in the middle of First Avenue. Louis Tully tries to defend them in court but does a horrible job. The judge finds them guilty but, before he can complete the sentence, two ghosts come out of the slime sample they had brought into court. The judge lifts the restraining order so the Ghostbusters can trap the ghosts destroying his courtroom. They are successful and the Ghostbusters are officially back in business. One night, as Dana and Oscar are preparing for a bath, some of the slime comes out of the drain and tries to grab little Oscar. They escape and go to Peter's apartment where he lets them stay there until everything is straightened out. Ray and Egon learn that the slime is actually created by the negativity of New Yorkers. The Ghostbusters also are investigating an unusual painting that Dana believes is staring at her. They takes some pictures and discover that the same slime that they had found earlier was in that painting with Vigo the Carpathian tyrant. Winston, Ray, and Egon go to investigate the mysterious river of slime underground. After accidentally falling in, they find out that the river of slime flows right to the Manhattan Museum of Art where the Vigo painting is. Later on, a ghost resembling Dana's boss, Janosz, from the museum kidnaps Oscar and takes him to the painting where Vigo will use him to come back to Earth and wreak havoc.

After the first Ghostbusters film, a television cartoon series was developed. It was a huge success, which is why Columbia Pictures practically forced the producers to make Ghostbusters II. Many will have you believe that this film is a simple rehashing of the first film. While that is true in some areas, the sequel does come into its own. It has a great story that could only be set up in New York City. The stereotypical New Yorker, in this particular movie, is miserable and treats everyone else as such. So the storywriters decided to make negative mood slime out of all the bad feelings and have it become strong enough to bring back a cruel Moldavian tyrant named Vigo, who had died at the age of 105 back in the 17th century due to extreme torture and not old age.

During this movie, we can see an incredible historical coincidence. One scene specifically comes to mind: when the Titanic arrives at Pier 34 in New York City. Vigo is a Carpathian tyrant and, as most of us know, it was the Carpathia that picked up the survivors of the Titanic disaster back in 1912. This time instead of picking up survivors, Vigo from Carpathia brought back those that lost their lives on that fateful ship that night. In this scene, one of the men at the dock looks at the other and says, "Well, better late than never." This is unbelievable, though it is doubtful that this was intentional on the part of the writers.

There is another interesting fact about Ghostbusters and Garfield. In Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II, the character of Peter Venkman is portrayed by comedian Bill Murray, who also was the voice of Garfield the cat in the new Garfield movies. In the cartoon The Real Ghostbusters, Peter Venkman's voice comes from the late Lorenzo Music. Music also voiced Garfield in the old Garfield cartoons.

To wrap, Ghostbusters II is a fun and humorous ride from beginning to end!

Written by Kevin Dillehay

http://www.moviefilmreview.com/author/Kmonk10

Kevin T. Dillehay has written nearly a hundred movie reviews from all genres. He provides a unique perspective on the movies you see all the time but may not stop and think about in depth. You are invited to check out his work at http://www.moviefilmreview.com/author/kmonk10.

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