Cinema Paradiso- All about Cinema: Mid-day

Showing posts with label Mid-day. Show all posts

Saturday, July 19, 2014

Planes:fire&Rescue, Hollywood English Film Movie Review, Johnson Thomas, Rating: * * 1/2

#Planes:Fire&Rescue Rating: * * ½ A fairly effective animated salute to America’s firefighter heroes. #WaltDisneyStudios #BobsGannaway #DaneCook, #Ed Harris, #Julie Bowen

English Film review

Johnson Thomas

Film: Planes: Fire & Rescue (Disney UTV)

Cast(Voices) : Dane Cook, Ed Harris, Julie Bowen, Curtis Armstrong, John Michael Higgins, Hal Holbrook, Wes Studi, Brad Garrett, Teri Hatcher, Stacy Keach, Cedric the Entertainer, Danny Mann, Barry Corbin, Regina King, Anne Meara, Jerry Stiller, Fred Willard.

Director: Bobs Gannaway

Rating: * * 1/2

Synopsis:This sequel finds championship air-racer Dusty Crophopper (voice of Dane Cook) beginning an exciting new career fighting forest fires. In the wake of another successful racing season, Dusty returns home to Propwash Junction to resume his training. But a debilitating injury forces Rusty to consider a new career path. Before long Rusty is training with the Aerial Fire Fighters at Piston Peak Air Attack Base. Becoming a Single Engine Air Tanker (SEAT) is no simple task for an injured plane, but with the guidance of seasoned fire-and-rescue helicopter Blade Ranger (voice of Ed Harris), fearless leader of the Piston Peak Air Attack team, Rusty is soon soaring through the clouds once again.

Review:

Small minded and kiddish, this adventure is nothing more than a rehash of Disney’s earlier forays into auto-mated territory. The character dynamics are familiar but effective. The visuals are beautiful, the aerial acrobatics are thrilling and the voice performances add gravitas to the entire show.

Script writer and director Bobs Gannaway (a longtime Disney TV helmer making his feature debut) and returning “Planes” scribe Jeffrey M. Howard were inspired by the fact that crop dusters were in fact used in wildfire air attacks which becomes the basis for heavy dramatics in this picture accompanied by impressively staged setpieces. The animation here is nearly flawless in its detailed rendering of natural settings. The fire is also rendered flawlessly, which makes the rescue acts even more thrilling. And that’s the most unique and impressive feature of this otherwise standardized production.

In other words, this is nothing much more than a simple elevated tale- of fire fighting planes to the rescue with Dusty, experiencing trouble and therefore reinventing himself for a far more noble cinematic sojourn.

Best suited for the below 10 age group. Their wards will have to bear-up with it , of course!

Johnsont307@gmail.com

Begin Again, Hollywood English Film Movie Review, Johnson Thomas, Rating: * * * 1/2

#Begin Again(English) Rating: * * * ½ previously titled ‘#CanASongSaveYourLife?’, this musical romcom about what happens when lost souls meet and make beautiful music together, gradually gets you in the mood for music and love. And #KeiraKnightley can sing soulfully too! #JohnCarney #AdamLevine #MarkRuffalo #PVRDirectorsRare #catherineKeener #WeinsteinCo

English Film review

Johnson Thomas

Singing Romcom

Film: Begin Again

Cast: Keira Knightley, Adam Levine, Mark Ruffalo,

Director: John Carney

Rating: * * * 1/2

Running Time: 101 min.

Synopsis:An ambitious young female singer moves to New York City in search of stardom, but finds only disappointment until falling for a struggling record producer who helps her down the road to fame.

Review:

This showbiz based drama written and directed by John Carney(Once, Zonad), toplining Keira Knightley, Mark Ruffalo and maroon 5 lead singer Adam Levine in his debut movie, is about lost souls meeting and making beautiful music together after experiencing some tough personal issues. College sweethearts, songwriting duo and long-term couple Greta(Keira Knightley) and Dave(Adam Levine)move to New York when Dave is offered a deal with a major music label. Dave, given the sudden and varied opportunity, strays and leaves a lovelorn Greta bereft and alone. Soon enough she meets a disgraced record label exec, Dan(Mark Ruffalo) who stumbles upon her talent while she is performing at an East Village stage. Captivated by her talent he sets out to help her achieve fame and fortune and in the process of course they fall in love. And then Dave comes back begging to get taken back into Gretta’s life…

John Carney’s treatment of romance is a little asexual. There’s a lot of sweetness and compatibility in the relationship between the two but the passion and sex are missing…or it’s not in sight- at least for the viewer. But that’s not a bad thing altogether because you get to see the two Greta and Dan coming to terms with their past and blending together for a stronger more secure future.

The narrative recounts both points of view. Dan tells his story from his point of view and then it’s Gretta’s turn, So ‘Begin Again’ does appear to be an appropriate moniker. Separated from his music journo wife Miriam (Catherine Keener), Dan has problems dealing with their petulant teenage daughter Violet (Hailee Steinfeld) and he’s also out of touch with the current music set-up. Since he hasn’t brought in a bankable new act in years, he gets kicked out of his job by Saul (Yasiin Bey, aka Mos Def). Then it’s Gretta’s recount of her own shaky hurtful past with Dave.

Thereafter, Carney’s narrative does the couple thing. A drunken Dan and an interested Gretta decide to make a demo album along with some seed money received from Rap artiste(Ceelo Green) who owes his career to Dan. So off they go, recording everything differently- outdoors, the natural way!What follows is not predictable so the interest remains kindled.

The film is of course powered by music, sentiments, performances and involving treatment. The love ballads have an evocative refrain that lends attachment. The performances are perfectly keyed. Keira Knightly sings soulfully and performs with an assurance of a thespian. Mark Ruffalo, does a food take on cash-strapped boozard. While Catherine Keener, as his estranged and bitter wife looks suited to the role. Both Ruffalo and Keener have essayed these sort of roles before so their familiarity with the nuances makes them look perfect. Adam Levine in his debut, does a solid act. Bery much the egoistic teen idol whose values go for a toss when fame and popularity pummel into his life! There’s no doubt that the Irish director of ‘Once’ has remodeled this take on the same story , albeit on a bigger and better scale, riding on waves of humor, pain and romance. And he has pulled it off beautifully!

Johnsont307@gmail.com

Friday, July 18, 2014

Riyasat, Hindi Bollywood film Movie review,Johnson Thomas, Rating: *

#Riyasat(Hindi) Rating: * The last&worst #RajeshKhanna Starrer, this #Godfather wannabe is inept, slack and unremitting in all the departments! #AshwaniShukla #Altairmedia #AshokTyagi #AryemanRamsay #AryanVaid

Hindi film review

Johnson Thomas

Can’t get worse than this!

Film: Riyasat

Cast: Rajesh Khanna, Raza Murad, Aeyeman Ramsay, Aryan Vaid, Vishwajeet Pradhan

Director: Ashok Tyagi

Rating: *

As a film that attempts to resurrect the forgotten charm of Bollywood’s first superstar, this one , ‘Riyasat’ a desi ‘Godfather’ wannabe, is miserably blasé. It is being hailed as Khanna’s last film, made at a time when he was weakened by a severe debilitating illness and it shows. Khanna’s scenes as a Saheb/Godfather clone are done so artlessly and without energy that it cripples the film completely.

The patchy story of a benevolent Don and his two sons who run a parallel kingdom divining justice to those who seek them out, is old hat. One of his son’s, Vijay (Aryeman Ramsay)is an aspiring actor while the other, Shakti(Aryan Vaid) helps him in his underworld dealings. The plot includes a corrupt deshdrohi Minister(Raza Murad) and the routine terrorist angle.

The narrative is hapless, very amateurishly executed. There’s not enough content or emotive drama to spark interest. The directionless performances and Kakaji’s emancipated state makes it all look pitiful. The technical glitches are innumerable. A clueless Ashok Tyagi, can do little to improve matters. This is definitely one of Rajesh Khanna’s worst outings as an actor. In trying to redress the imbalance between his and bête noir Amitabh Bachchan’s career highs, he has done grave disservice to memories of his own momentous past!

Johnsont307@gmail.com