ARGO

Flight

Flight is a movie that is saved by its performances. Director Robert Zemeckis’ makes an earnest attempt to make good out of a weak screenplay but there’s only so much that the director of Forrest Gump can do.

Denzel Washington pulls off yet another brilliant performance as the alcoholic pilot, Whip Whitaker whose world comes crashing just as the plane he's flying goes down. Whip wakes up in the hospital realising that he has just steered a doomed plane in a manner no other pilot could, possibly. Suddenly thrust into the limelight, he finds this new found attention hard to deal with, pushing him further into the abyss of alcoholism.

 

The scene in the hospital where Whip meets Nicole Maggen, a young woman who is dealing with drug addiction is understated yet powerful and sets the tone for their friendship and dependence on each other. Whitakers problems get further compounded when he realises that a full blown investigation into the crash being conducted by the National Transportation and Safety Board would reveal alcohol and drugs in his system at the time of his flight.  

In steps Don Cheadle as Whitakers attorney who in one intense scene states with conviction that his clients don’t ever go to jail. Cheadle essays the role with the panache that one has, over the past few years, come to associate him with.

However, my biggest problem with the movie is with the fact that it promises more than it delivers. The climax scene at the courtroom trial with Whitaker under the scanner is inadequate as it falls flat in the face of all the hype that has led up to it. 

All in all the movie just about works, riding on the back of Denzel Washington’s sheer brilliance.   

I rate this movie a 3/5.

Next up: A review of the Ben Affleck movie - Argo

Skyfall

Definitely the best of the Daniel Craig Bond series, Skyfall takes us back to the roots of the Bond mythos.

As has become the norm, the movie starts with a brilliant chase sequence over the streets of Istanbul. Without giving too much away, Bond disappears for a while, only to return when MI6 and M’s ability to lead MI6 are called into question. The movie tests Bond’s loyalty towards his mentor and towards his Nation.

Not only does the movie show figments of the old bond mythology, casually nodding to its predecessors, but it also goes on to create the world of MI6 as we know it. It progresses in terms of story and development and pays homage to Sir Ian Fleming himself.

With a star cast that comprises the likes of Oscar winners Judi Dench, Ralph Fiennes, Javier Bardem apart from being directed by another Oscar winner Sam Mendes, the movie lives up to all the hype created by the fact that this is the 50^th Anniversary of the Bond franchise. However, the show is stolen by Daniel Craig who takes the character to a whole new level. Just like his predecessors, Craig makes the character completely his and then some more. This version of Bond is more blunt and just as suave. Not only does he incorporate every Bond character from before, but also dominates as the persona that we have come to know over the three movies.

Craig’s Bond is the most human and the most identifiable, with a real world approach to the character and an all too familiar aggressiveness breathing new life from how the franchise was previously leaning towards. The movie also goes in-depth to Bond’s past, his relationships and his appreciation for the world he is now a part of, and it is here that one feels that the franchise is actually moving forward collectively.  

Another reason why the movie works is the reintroduction of the Aston Martin DB5. Its appearance in Skyfall marks the sixth time the car has been featured in the Bond franchise. All in all, the movie though low on the typical Bond gadgetry and action, works with its rustic appeal. And to think that the movie was almost shelved due to financial troubles encountered by MGM... 

I rate this movie a solid 4/5.

Next up: A review of the Denzel Washington starrer - Flight

"Why should people pay good money to go out and see bad films when they can stay home and see bad television for nothing?" – Goldwyn, Samuel

How many times have you gone for a movie and ended up wishing you simply hadn’t? Well if you’re one of the lucky few who haven’t, then you’ve never quite felt the agony that many (including me) have endured by sitting through a crappy movie in the theatre. This blog is my attempt at saving all those poor souls from ever sitting through another bad movie again.

Now I realise that this means I’m going to have to put myself in the line of fire, but I think of it as a responsibility. As the iconic line from our friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man goes – “with great power comes great responsibility!”

All jokes aside, this blog will showcase my personal opinions on the movies that are in the limelight currently.  I watch movies, as many as possible and as often as possible. There’s something magical about sitting in that movie theatre with the big screen and watching a movie that can’t be experienced at home. I want to reach out to people with a common interest in movies and through my blog; I will review all the latest movies making news worldwide.

So here it is folks.... The first blog post of my life!!

Coming up next: A review on the Movie Skyfall