Showing posts with label mature. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mature. Show all posts

Monday, June 25, 2018

WITHOUT A PADDLE (2004)

I saw this many, many years ago. It has been that long and somehow the film and its characters stuck with me, unfortunately, I didn't remember the name at all. 

And then some time ago I came across it and I remembered, this is what I was looking for - Without A Paddle!

Hilarious, it was, but not very highly rated by reviewers. But if you like Harold & Kumar Go To Whitecastle and mad, crazy movies like those (stoner comedies I think they are called) then you can check this out. It is quite over the top and non-stop nonsense about three friends who go on an adventure. 

The basic story is of four friends, one of whom dies and the
other 3 assemble for his funeral. They head to a treehouse where they used to hang out and find a map that shows them how to get their hands on some dirty money. So leaving everything else in their lives, like any normal youngster would have done, they decide to find the money, little knowing that they are going to have the most horrendous time of their lives. And while going through this torture, we, the audience can laugh at their antics, and the crazy people they encounter on this silly adventure. 

Not as good as Harold & Kumar, but certainly good enough. Surely worth a watch if you in the mood for some madness.


Sunday, June 24, 2018

Mr. Right

A girl who has just broken up from her cheating boyfriend meets seemingly this perfect guy and everything seems to fall into place. There's only one problem - Mr. Right is an assassin and kills people even when he is not paid to do it.

If you are looking for a crazy movie with quirky characters then this is probably the movie to watch. But be warned there is not an ounce of reality here. Suspend disbelief and go for the ride. Highly recommended purely for the 2 crazy stars in the lead.

  

Sunday, February 12, 2017

The Autopsy Of Jane Doe

The most disgusting and one of the scariest films seen by me.

When I say disgusting I mean there are shots of a body being cut open and body parts being taken out so this one is certainly not for the squeamish or the pukish. 

I found myself looking away more times than I would care to accept.

And this is what makes the scary parts more frightening than usual because you know that there is a chopped up body somewhere nearby which is going to come alive and scare the
living daylights out of you. The performances are top-notch, the story is unique, but the climax could have been better. You kind of know what's going to happen.

Reminds me a bit of 1408 which too was a unique horror film both about people trapped in terrifying places with no way out and the mind playing frightening games. What's real and what's not, difficult to judge.

The Autopsy Of Jane Doe



1408 


Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

DARK MATTER

This started off with a bang, right from the first page it zipped along at a brisk pace... But then around 20% into the novel, it started to lose momentum when the long descriptions started and the situations began repeating themselves. The protagonist takes more time to understand his predicament than the reader. I found myself saying, don't you understand where you are, and what's happening you simple, weak man? 

Frankly, the lead character was a bit of a sap, there are earthshattering events happening, different options, can lead to different outcomes. There is danger to many, maybe even to humanity itself, but the poor protagonist only wants to go to his home to his lovely wife and his kid. Boo hoo. In spite of everything, the only thing at stake here for him is his family life! Boo hoo. 

And then the story starts to go into bizarre territory as if the writer didn't know how to drag it along, he too had no idea what was happening. Remember Inception? 

The story had left the reader behind, and it didn't make sense at all. Quite frankly it was highly stupid if it didn't seem so highly scientific and intelligent. This is something that Hollywood does very well, it makes even the stupid seem intelligent by throwing a lot of science at you, and we the poor reader and audience feel, ohh boy, that scientific, then it's bound to be so clever that I can't understand it, so let me just accept it as a fact. But then they do go overboard, leaving logical readers like me way, way behind.

And in the end I didn't really care about it. Yawn. Well begun is half done, but that's just about it, it's just half done. Yet, it is an interesting read because of the concept and the broad storyline. Could have been much, much better.

DARK MATTER


Tuesday, November 22, 2016

A Perfect Day

Don’t get fooled by the title, it’s not actually about a perfect day. Quiet far from it. You could say it is about a typical day in a hellish but totally real world. A world that we may have heard about, read and ignored but have never seen. A Perfect Day shows this world to you in all its brutal, frightening glory. 

This is a moving, real story about aid workers and their typical day as they go about helping the common people who have been ruined by war. 

The plot, in short, is this (I can bet my hat you haven't seen or heard anything like this before) - a human dead body has fallen in a fresh water well that's the only drinking water source for miles around. The aid workers have to get the body out so that the locals can get some water to drink, but to get the body out they need rope, and there is no rope around, so the aid workers go around looking for a long rope in the war ravaged land! How's that for a plot! 

This is an absolutely stunning film to watch. Visually spectacular, bizarre, quirky and some of the bravest on screen characters. Truly, these aid workers are more gutsy that even the soldiers, as they have nothing to fight back with! They don't have guns or grenades, and I wondered why are they doing this? Why are they there instead of being in their comfortable homes watching a movie like me? Why? Why? But that's how humans are. Some people sit in front of a laptop and recommend films to watch, while some other go out there and save lives while putting themselves in danger. How's that for a career choice! Crazy guys, no?      

This movie shows a world that seems more fantasy than real and and it has some of the best actors of today together - Benicio Del Toro and Tim Robbins Watch this unique film if you want to watch an almost perfect film.

Frightening and moving and exciting and humorous and suspenseful and inspiring... go ahead, watch it and make your day perfect.

A Perfect Day




  

Saturday, October 29, 2016

Fido (With full movie link here)

What would you say if I told you that a time will come when you can buy a zombie! You can keep him/her in your home with your family and your little ones and make the zombie the servant/slave who does everything you want. No more paying through the nose to get your house cleaned and other daily chores. Everything done by your own zombie butler/servant/slave! 

Whatsmore, it won't eat you in return too! Now how's that for an idea. 

After watching this I wish this zombie world was true. Sigh. Well that's what Fido is all about. It's also about emotional bonding between the domesticated zombie (Fido) and his masters, specially the kid who loves Fido more than just a pet.

This film is set in an alternate, maybe even a better world where an innovative company called Zomcon provides zombie collars along with remote controls that can be used to control your own zombie, thus rendering them useful as household workers. Rest and Relax, your zombie will do everything for you. 

This is an entirely unseen world, and quite frankly an amazing set-up. The movie is emotional, funny and very different from any other film I've seen. There are no parallels to this one. 


And yesterday I saw the grossly overrated and quite boring Train To Busan and I almost fell asleep at the sheer stupidity of the movie and the emotional manipulation that the Korean movie has managed to accomplish. It's setting was interesting, a zombie outbreak across the land while some people are trapped on a running train. But then the story was so full of cliches and typical characters that it became an irritating film for me. 

Now compare the writing of Train To Busan with this unknown zombie flick and you will see how different they are in terms of idea, execution, twists and turns and novelty. 

So here's my verdict, if you liked Train To Busan then watch this one. It's way, way better. In comparison to other zombie films it's way, way out there, It's the next level of writing. Quite like another zombie romance film Warm Bodies

Fido and Warm Bodies are the next level of zombie entertainment. They push the writing further, are more imaginative, more fantastic, yet more believable and emotional. Wicked, Witty, Wild, Wacky, Wonderful and Wabulous!   

Unfortunately, it's big budget rehashes like Train To Busan that rake in the moolah. Quite frankly I too wish I had a zombie of my own to do all this tedious writing for me, or atleast be able to proof read what I write, because proof reading is the worst part of writing, and I'm sure any zombie could do it with a bit of training (if one were to watch me proof reading, I do resemble a zombie, grunts, groans, gnashes, drool, glazed eyes, stiff body!). But it's movies like Fido that make me come alive again, become half resembling a human being and make me continue to write and more importantly proof read. 

Fido




Fido - the full movie



Sunday, October 23, 2016

Bait

 This one is about sharks in a mall. Yes, you read it right. Sharks in a mall! 

No, they are not in some large aquarium, in fact they are swimming around the entire length and breadth of the mall like any normal shopper. Just hanging around, not really buying anything, like you and I like to do. 

Now, you might just laugh at me and this movie and say that there is no way on hell or earth that sharks can swim around in a large mall and eat up humans like snacks without even heading to the mall's food court, or paying through their noses for the refreshments.

Well, that's what I felt when I saw what this movie was about. But trust me, there's a very logical reason why the sharks are having a picnic in the mall. 

You see, there's been a tsunami and the sea water has entered the mainland and this mall is right next to the sea and hence most of the mall is underwater and therefore the sharks have as much as right to be there as you and me.

Like the film Snakes On A Plane where you know that there are snakes slithering away in a plane, here we have sharks terrorising the shoppers in a mall. 

The story is quite simple - a group of shoppers are caught in a mall during the tsunami. They climb the high shelves and as the water level rises they realise that that there are sharks in the water around them, and they don't have too much time till the water reaches them and they become sharks attack and they become shark snack. 

Like in a film of this kind, there are an assortment of characters - the good heroic ones, the ones in distress, the bad, evil guys, the horny youngsters, the old, the young, the macho and the stupid... 

This may not seem like a high quality film but it's quite entertaining actually. Because of the super one line concept - sharks in a mall!

I hope they come up with a sequel where they have sharks in the parliament (any country's parliament will do). Well, there actually are sharks in the parliament, but those are human sharks, I wish to see them get trapped and hunted by the sea sharks who like to chomp on a human or two. Now that would be some movie. 

Anyway, this is not a movie that will make you a better, wiser, more mature human being. But it may certainly may make you an entertained one. I recommend watching this. Good fun.   

Bait


The full movie on youtube (with lots of Russian translation, I think)



Friday, October 21, 2016

Barefoot

This is romantic movie about a rich, spoilt, directionless man and a woman who is a patient in a psychiatric hospital and has been raised in isolation. And yes she remains barefoot, symbolic of her being naive, innocent, bare, untouched by corruption, greed, hatred, betrayal. In a way, it is a film about two opposites who come together to make magic. Well, if not magic, they do at least cast a pleasant spell on the world-hardened, stone-hearted audience like your's truly. This did come as a pleasant experience especially
because of the novel characters. Here the characters are the movie. Nothing else matters as much.     

The protagonist here is a down on his luck debt ridden guy (yes, he's got rich parents and owes a lot of money to the wrong kind of people). He works as a janitor in a loony bin where he supplies the patients with porn, booze etc. to make some additional income. One night, he saves the barefoot girl from being raped and she follows him outside as she doesn't want to stay in the hospital. She has been brought up in isolation and doesn't know the ways of the world and to her he is a nice man. 

So the protagonist comes up with a plan and takes her with him to his brother's wedding. He plans to convince his family that he is now a changed man and is going steady in life. At the wedding, the barefoot woman manages to charm everyone with her bare innocence and everyone starts to like her. The End.

Well, not exactly, the end, for it's here that the movie really begins. 

This is a sweet, romantic charmer of a story with extremely likeable lead characters and it's because these characters are so different that the film itself becomes better than the others. It rises beyond the average and turns into a memorable experience. 

It's also a light, fluffy comedy in parts, like a light pastry, quite enjoyable. It's a remake of a German film Barfuss. 

Barefoot




Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Stolen Hearts - Synopsis of a novel written by Rohit Gahlowt

Stolen Hearts
By Rohit Gahlowt

Retired Colonel Shamsher Singh’s only daughter Sonia is about to get married to a rich playboy and a Casanova who is known as the bad boy of town. Drugs, drunken driving, affairs, he has had his share of it all.

The Colonel is desperate to stop the marriage and his friend-cum-Secretary suggests something called Stockholm syndrome where a hostage befriends the nice kidnapper.

The Colonel is shocked and initially refuses but then he does a bit of research to find out that Stockholm syndrome is the real deal. If he gets his daughter kidnapped by the boy he has chosen for her to marry and then sends them off to his cottage in the Himalayas then she might start to like her abductor and maybe even cool down about her fiancé!

Two young souls, in the beautiful environs of the mountains, alone in a secluded cottage. The man, a perfect gentleman. And the girl suffering from infatuation with the biggest idiot in the world. Soon she will surely realize the folly of her ways and will not be able to resist the charms of the man who has abducted her. And moreover, the kidnapping will be a fake one. So no one but the daughter will know she has been ‘kidnapped’! If anyone asks he will tell them that she has gone on a vacation somewhere!

The Colonel finally agrees and the operation is given a title - Stolen Hearts! The Colonel is sure, even if his daughter does not fall in love with her kidnapper, she will atleast be kept away from her crazy fiancé’s spell which messes up her thinking.

So Aryan, who is the Colonel's Godson is contacted. Aryan works for the Colonel in his company called the TraWell group (life is a journey, travel well!). He is a boot camp Instructor and is trained in disciplining wayward youngsters. Once he is explained everything he too agrees to ‘fake’ kidnap Sonia as he is indebted to Colonel and will do anything for him. Also, Sonia and Aryan are childhood friends so she may not be as scared of him because she knew him well once. After all, it is a fake kidnapping, how bad can get!

But as Aryan is carrying out this fake kidnapping someone witnesses it and mistakes it for real. Soon cops arrive at the shocked Colonel’s place and set up their tracking equipment to wait for the kidnapper’s call. The government goes a step head and announces a reward for the saviour of the kidnapped girl and all hell breaks loose as a countrywide manhunt begins. The goons of the city also jump in wanting to re-kidnap the girl and get her ransom for themselves.

Meanwhile Aryan and the kidnapped Sonia make their way to the beautiful hills in the Himalayas little knowing that the world knows about the kidnapping. As hordes of saviours, cops and goons hunt the couple, the fake kidnapper Aryan slowly starts to become Sonia’s protector and the couple start to fall in love.

Stolen hearts is a fun, romantic, chaotic, madcap story with tons of chaos, tons of characters and tons of confusion.



Safety Not Guaranteed

I am sure we've all seen crazy ads in the paper. Ads promising the fulfilling of all wishes - money, hair growth, becoming taller, handsomer, smarter, more confidence, etc.
All of them are mostly crazy, fake ads that play on people's insecurities to make a quick buck.

But imagine seeing an ad, that seems really serious asking for companions to join a time travel journey. And in this ad is this catchy line - Safety Not Guaranteed during this expedition!

Won't this ad grab your attention? Won't you start thinking about who this loony guy is? What's wrong with his brain? Shouldn't he be in some mental institution instead of roaming amongst us giving such stupid ads. Such an ad would certainly make people curious.

This movie starts with such an ad seeking a companion for a time travel journey. This ad is spotted by some bored magazine writers who want to do a story about this loony guy. And they form or team and head over to meet this guy, one of them, a woman, pretending to be the perfect companion for this time travel journey.

The intention is obviously to expose this fake guy and have a bit of fun at his expense.

But as the woman goes undercover and contacts the time
travel guy she starts to believe that the Time Traveler may not be as loony as the world thinks, there may be some substance to his claim. There may be a real fire behind all the smoke.

And what makes this stand out it that the film isn't about the time travel bit (like many other time travel movies). Instead, it's about whether the guy is lying about having a time travel machine, or has he really managed to do something that no one else has ever done other than in books, comics and movies, or is he just a mad man who thinks he has a time travel machine. It's not about time travel but more about the time traveller.

This is a very different film, right from the concept, to the characters to the execution, and to the fantastic climax. This one cooks slowly, yet is highly gripping. The story is actually secondary here, it takes a back seat to the highly interesting characters, especially the Time Traveler and his relationship with the fake time travel companion.

In such a film there are only two options - either the Time Traveler is genuine, or he's a fake. And audience start off being sure that the Time Traveller is fake, but along with the lead character we do start to doubt ourselves. Is he a fake? Or isn't? Or is he just a sincere guy who really thinks he can travel in time?

Inspite of the foregone conclusion, the ending is really something good, and does manage to surprise.

This is humorous, unexpected, romantic and a bit of a thriller as well. 
This, in my humble opinion, is a must watch. I can safely say - Entertainment is guaranteed.



Sunday, October 2, 2016

Sex Drive

The title is a bit misleading. Sex Drive is a pun. It is a tiny bit about the sex drive of youngsters, but it's more about a drive that these youngsters with sex drive take to get some sex, and the loony adventures that happen on the way. 

People who are looking for some raunchy sex, well, move along folks, this isn't for you (although their is nudity and sex in this one).

In short, it is a road movie about a group of youngsters who eventually come of age after the journey of their lives. Remember SuperBad

This sex drive is quirky, outrageous, over the top, with ridiculous situations in which crazy characters are thrown and the overall result is absurd and hilarious. It's also a bit about emotions, friendship and romance, if you like that sort of thing.

The plot? This is broadly it - a goofy, virgin  meets a girl on the net with whom he pretends to be a stud, exaggerates his physical qualities a lot and impressing her pants off. So she invites him to drive to her town that's some distance away to have sex with her, 

The virgin plans with his best friend and takes him alone. For the ride, he steals his older bully brother's beloved car and travels out of town to get some tail.

But soon, like many other road movies, they have trouble with their car and they meet an Amish guy and things start to happen thick and fast. 

Remember Harold and Kumar go to White Castle, Road Trip, Euro Trip? Well this is somewhat like those, It too has many funny guys making brief cameos as crazy characters leading to sheer absurdity. 

If you are in the mood for some light hearted brainless fun, go for this Sex Drive.  

Sex Drive



Friday, September 23, 2016

Hector And The Search For Happiness

This is a significant book and a decent movie starring Simon Pegg. It's about Hector, a successful psychiatrist who treats patients well, listening to them patiently and trying to make them better till one day one patient turns around and asks him an important question - Is Hector himself happy?

This makes Hector take a close look at his own life and start thinking about what makes him happy. Does he really do anything that makes him happy? Does he even know what makes him happy? Is he happy in his life? Can he be happier? 

For a person who is solving other people’s lives, Hector realises that he isn’t really all that happy!

Thus the psychiatrist in Hector starts brooding, the more he thinks the more obsessed he becomes with the question – what makes people happy!

He's so hung up with this question that he decides find the answer. And for that he decides to take a trip to far flung locations to find out what makes there people. It's a subject of research for him, and a personal journey as well.

The two places that he chooses to go to are China and Africa where he has some minor adventures, and one more major near death experience. He meets interesting people... a prostitute, businessmen, drug lord, killers, gay doctors, ex girlfriend, and a happiness researcher... and after all this he becomes a better, more wiser man.

Hector And The Search For Happiness is about Hector’s journey and the people he means he meets and the things he
learns from them. As the story progresses Hector starts a list of things that make people happy and keeps on adding to it after each adventure. And he, and we, realise that happiness and its causes are universal the world over.

Slowly Hector grows more and more mature, learned, and happier. At the end of the journey he is a better psychiatrist and a more contented man, and he does the one thing that he should have done a long time ago, and that makes him truly happy.

This may sound like a cliche but the book is better than the movie because while reading you can linger on the list that Hector makes and see if any of those points make you happy as well.

I would suggest, if you can, do read the book first, then watch the movie.

Speaking only for the movie, it’s quite alright as Simon Pegg plays a decent Hector, but some of the cliched characterizations didn't work so well, specially how the black family in Africa are shown to party and instantly become friends with Hector.

But still, despite its flaws, this is a significant creation and one should read the book and then watch the movie as I did.
Because I am happier person than I was after reading Hector's list.

Hector And The Search For Happiness


Sunday, September 11, 2016

Cedar Rapids


Ed Helms lives is a sleepy town in Wisconsin and is an insurance agent. He's pre-engaged to his 7th grade teacher and is a good, god fearing man. He sells insurance to protect other people's dreams and feels he's doing a great job and life is quite satisfactory. He's a small man with little dreams. Quite dull, boring and simple actually. He's a goldfish comfortable in his small bowl. 

But here comes the the real shake up, because as the regular representative from his company dies accidentally and hence cannot represent the company at a major Insurance convention, Ed Helms is chosen as a replacement. 

So now the goldfish is headed to the deep, dark, dangerous ocean. Ed helms is headed to a big town called Cedar Rapids where he will be representing his company in a do or die convention. If he fails to win the coveted 2-Diamond Award at the convention presented by an industry legend then his company goes belly up and shuts shop. 


Now this small goldfish doesn't know how the big sea works and he meets three dolphins and has to start learning the rules of the world from them before he's gobbled up by the circling sharks.

Cedar Rapids has a nerdy, simple minded character who is thrown in one ridiculous situation after another and he continually evolves, turning from a goldfish into a good hearted whale who's not afraid of doing the right thing, even if it means going against the sharks.

This is an earnest film with lively characters and a few absurd situations treated in a very real manner. 

Cedar Rapids













Thursday, September 1, 2016

The Marrying Man

This stars Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger who keep on getting married and then separated again and again and again and again. Hence the title. The first time they get married is not by choice, they are forced to get married by a bad ass gangster, but after that they are squarely to blame.

Alec Baldwin (Charley) is rich and is engaged to the daughter of the owner of movie studio. Just before marriage he and his pals go to Las Vegas for his bachelor party.

At a bar they come across a gorgeous singer named Vicky (Kim Basinger) and Charley is stunned. He can't keep his eyes off her, and he wants to one last hurrah before he bites the dust! 

Charley sends his friends away and goes after Vicky and one thing leads to another and they end up jumping into bed where they are caught by gangster Bugsy Siegel and now it comes out that the doll Vicky is his moll. 

Of course, this is where the gangster Siegel is supposed to chop Charley into a hundred pieces and feed him to the hogs, but no, he has a more innovative punishment. He forces rich boy Charley to marry Vicky!

The next day Charley heads back home thinking it was quite a wild night but no harm done. 

But Siegel has gone a step ahead and announced to the whole world that Charley and Vicky are married. 

And thus begins the downfall of Charley as his engagement goes for a toss and he and Vicky get divorced and married again and again. 

They can't stay away from each other and so get married, and then they realize they can't stay together so grow apart. 

This movie was a flop for some reason, but I remember watching and enjoying it a lot. 

And well, the story is so different, definitely worth checking out I say. 

Unfortunately I couldn't find a trailer for this movie on the net, so here's a clip. 

The Marrying Man


Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Titus

Titus is the name of the show and the lead character and it was created by its star, Christopher Titus, and is based on Titus' stand-up comedy act which in turn was based on his real family. 

In the show, Titus owns a custom car shop and hangs out with his dumb step-brother Dave. The two seem 'normal' when compared to their loony real father. This psycho father is the most unique character in this series who smokes, drinks, abuses, cheats and gets married multiple times. Moreover, he pulls nasty, mean pranks on his two sons to prevent them from becoming what he calls 'wussies'. He wants to toughen then up by making life miserable for them. He was married and divorced five times, with all of his ex-wives cleaning him out every time. So Titus has a lot of mothers and a father who is equal to a lot of crazy fathers. 

The more normal characters are the beautiful girlfriend who has a dysfunctional family of her own but pretends that everything is normal, and a nice goody-goody pansy friend called Tommy who seems to be gay, but is not.

And Titus' real mother is deranged schizophrenic woman... So much for the family.  

The show has plots that deal with the serious problems in life like alcoholism, suicide, child molestation, murder and many other and laughs at each of them. Inspite of all the serious
issues, it's still a very funny show. 

In fact a few episodes were censored, banned and never telecast, so problematic they seemed to moral authorities at the network.

Luckily all the episodes are on youtube to be watched. Warning, this is no Friends or Everybody Loves Raymond, or like any other sitcom (maybe a bit like Arrested Development?). 

Titus   



Thursday, August 25, 2016

Best Man Down

This is a sweet film. At first glance it seems like a comedy, but it's really not. It's starts with a marriage and ends with a funeral. 

The plot is quite unique. During the marriage celebrations of the protagonist (Justin Long) the best man gets drunk and behaves in a most obnoxious manner embarrassing the groom and his bride.

The best man seems like a nutcase as he continues his drunken shenanigans in his hotel room long after the marriage party is over. And then, all of a sudden he dies! I was like WTF did just happen? How can he suddenly die? He was the life of the film so far! 

Well, anyway, he does die, and then Justin Long and his understanding bride, who were just going to head out to their honeymoon have to cancel their plans. They reluctantly decide to go to the best man's home town and organize a funeral instead of honeymooning and get in touch with his family. The problem is they know nothing about the best man. No idea about his background, family, history. In fact Justin realizes he didn't know anything about his best friend!

And as they travel to where the best friend lived they start to discover a lot about the best man who went down. And a lot about love and life.       

This is a movie about discovering a man's real worth after the person is gone. It's an emotional movie with positive vibes, not depressing at all. 

Yes, it's about a death and a funeral but deep down it's also about celebrating the life of a loved one who has left us. 

This is really an unknown movie with depth.

Best Man Down 


Saturday, August 13, 2016

Bored To Death

Slow but funny. It's about a bored writer who starts to pretend to be a detective and picks up jobs from craigslist. He's read some good detective novels and thinks that's training enough to be a good dick, or atleast pretend to be one. 

Quirky humour, crazy scenes, absurd situations, unique plots and loony characters (Zach Galifianakis is there, what can you expect? Add to that Ted Danson and Jason Schwartzman and you've got a good thing going)! 

Unfortunately not many episodes exist as it was cancelled because of low ratings. But that doesn't mean it was bad. It just means people either didn't get it, or don't know about it, or maybe the title put them off, or maybe the ratings system sucks. 

Whatever be the case, it's worth a watch. I bet you won't be bored to death.

Bored To Death


Friday, August 12, 2016

Cemetery Junction

Written and Directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, this is a film about coming of age of three youngsters in an old fashioned laid back town called Cemetery Junction.

The three friends spend their days hanging out, drinking, chasing girls and just doing nothing at all. One of them wants to escape starts to want to escape from the place and explore the outside world. But his friends are happy with life and don't think too much about what will happen. In short, they lack ambition. But as they grow up and a girl comes in between they are forced to grow up and make choices at they realize they can't be young and carefree forever. Life has to change, they have to become adults and move on. In a way, this a slice of life story, something that everyone has experienced or will experience once in a lifetime. It reminded me of a time when I just watched films and didn't have to think, analyze about them too much. But then I too grew up. Sigh.

Considering the Ricky Gervais is more of a funny guy I was
expecting a pure comedy but this one had depth in it. A lot of depth and wasn't really a comedy at all but more about coming to terms with growing up.
In terms of genre this was a bit similar to Superbad, frankly Superbad had much more going for it, but this wasn't bad either.  

Watch it if you want to watch a realistic story about growing up sprinkled with a few funny moments. 



Friday, August 5, 2016

Vanishing Act

This is a mystery like no other, and I mean it. In story and suspense it is a class apart. 

A newly married couple goes on a vacation to a heavenly spot and the wife goes missing. The husband goes to the cops and informs them about the missing better half. 

The cop doesn't take it seriously as the couple had had a tiff on the previous night, he is sure she will return soon after her anger dies down.

And sure enough the husband gets a call from a priest saying that his wife has come to meet him at the church. The husband goes to meet his wife and sees that there is an imposter there pretending to be his wife. 

He tries to explain to everyone that the woman is not his wife, but she knows so much about him, and she goes on to prove to the cop and the others that she is the original wife, and not a duplicate like the husband claims. 

What's more, it seems that she is right! And everyone believes that she is who she says she is. 

But then why is the husband lying? What is happening? Because only one of them can be right. If the husband is right, then the woman who claims to be his wife is an imposter and his wife's life might be in danger!

But if the woman is right, then why is the husband lying? 

Or is there another, more deadly option between these two? Something more sinister, more lethal, more mysterious...

As this is a film which is a mystery, suspense from the get go there is a humongous twist in the end. One does know that in a film like this there will be a twist, and the climax does not disappoint!

The actor from Mash (Mike Farrel) plays the distraught husband here. I saw this film solely because he was the lead in it. It was Mike Farrel film, but I remember it now as a superb film which had Mike Farrel is one of the actors in it. The film is way greater than the sum of its characters.

Unfortunately, this film was remade in Bollywood once again, blatantly copied, slaughtered, murdered, killed, butchered... it was shamelessly called Khoj (Bollywood, I tell you!).       


The Trailer


Full Movie