vijayarya Reviews

Arrival (II) (2016)

Magical Sci-Fi

[10/10 · 26 January 2017]

"I had my head tilted towards regular cinema for as long as I can remember. But guess what surprised me the most - it wasn't seeing them, it was seeing this movie about aliens" :)

Whoever wrote the story and directed this movie is a genius. If you thought 'Sixth Sense', 'Shutter Island', and 'The Others' had clever ways of deceiving the audience, then you'll definitely enjoy this one with aliens!

The concept, story, and production quality are above par. This is probably going to become one of those favorite ever-green movies that we watch again and again from time to time. The movie has a superb background score, one of the best I've heard in a long time. The first and the last 10 minutes are absolutely magical.

So should you see this movie irrespective of whether you are a Sci-Fi fan or not. The answer is - yes. You'll probably love every moment of it and may be life even more.

Brooklyn (2015)

Simple, beautiful.

[10/10 · 18 December 2015]

After you watch Brooklyn, you wonder how a story so simple, can be made into such a beautiful & touching film, which makes you appreciate life even more.

Its a joy to watch Brooklyn, most of which is conveyed through the eyes of Eilis's character. The deep connection felt by two human beings in a relationship(Tony & Eilis) is something to watch out for, nothing that Hollywood can offer. A natural hug instead of a kiss is a welcome change to reality.

If Eilis-h's girlish nature as portrayed by Saoirse is indeed the true nature of an Irish girl, man who wouldn't fall in love with Irish girls :-)

The Householder (1963)

A gem! go watch it

[10/10 · 5 September 2014]

A English language Indian film thats simply superb!

A sweet story of a newly married couple set around 60's India. The movie makes you nostalgic, Shashi Kapoor is fantastic. The film is shot in the old delhi and I think the essence of it hasn't changed since then. The movie reminds you of a well made play. The film is very honest in terms of portraying the normal (yet interesting) life of a newly married couple.

I wish there were more Indian movies made like this. Its amazing, a film this old is actually so much more much better, funny, and enjoyable than a lot of the Bollywood movies made today.

Go watch it and relish life.

12 Years a Slave (2013)

Emotional Blackmail

[1/10 · 15 November 2013]

Go watch this movie if you want to see a bad copycat of Django unchained.

Go watch this movie if you want to feel miserable, helpless & restless for 134 minutes.

Go watch this movie if you want to feel like beating the s**t out of everything after watching it.

Go watch this movie if you would like to see a Bollywood version of a Hollywood movie, where the worst thing on earth has to happen to the Hero.

Go watch this movie if you want to celebrate a director whose aim is to make money out of oppressed people.

Go watch this movie if you would like to know what Cinema was not meant to be.

Safe Haven (I) (2013)

Need a safe haven from Julianne Hough

[2/10 · 27 July 2013]

Technically a decent movie - However the worst possibly acting by Julianne Hough - 101 on how to be a blonde bland plastic doll and get everything wrong. Perhaps she needs some lessons from the little girl who does a great job.

The Jo ghost becomes an unexplained flop show at the end which lets the viewer down again - I am wondering who writes such stories in 2013. Too much sugary stuff thrown in at various places (you know you are going to roll in sugar as soon as you listen to the number playing in the beginning) A few tiny moments here and there in an otherwise small beach town cliché plastic concoction.

A Few Good Men (1992)

10/10

[10/10 · 5 March 2012]

This movie is certainly much better than a regular 7.6, the currently running rating. I think it deserves an overall rating closer to 9, its one of the best movies of all times.

There are actually very few evergreen movies that one likes to see again and again, this is one of them, you always feel great after watching it.

The final court room scene between Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson is electrifying. Without a single kiss, the chemistry between cruise and Moore is simply delicious, all characters are well developed, attention has been payed to every single detail.

One of my favorite scene is the one between Sam and Daniel after Downey's testimony where Cruise gets drunk - a really beautiful scene about how what our parents think about us, matters.

Worth collecting.

50/50 (2011)

Good movie, but at times unrealistic

[8/10 · 25 November 2011]

Cancer is a difficult topic, this is a sweet film somewhat on the same lines as Juno, worth watching.

A conservative style of film making is good, especially when you want to show violence, pain etc. But when you are dealing with topics like cancer, it could also get a bit misleading or unrealistic. Getting the right balance is tough. People who haven't seen cancer close enough may get it all wrong.

Having said that most of the film works quite well, Kendrick is simply great as Katherine (she's also done a fabulous job in 'up in the air') and the magic between Gordon-Levitt & Kendrik comes across beautifully.

Carnage (2011)

Good attempt

[18 November 2011]

The film stars off very well, looks promising but about half way through or so, looses air.

There are several great french films and also some old Hollywood films which show that conversation can be extremely interesting and entertaining to watch, compared to those, I think this one is a good attempt.

After a while Jodie foster's character seems a bit excessive, same with reactions of Kate winslet's character. The men's characters and dialogues remain interesting till the end.

An enjoyable movie to watch, does make you smile.

Warrior (2011)

Not quite there

[18 November 2011]

To start with, there are some decent fighting scenes in the movie which are nice, Brendan's underdog style of fighting comes across quite well.

Unfortunately the movie attempts to deceive the audience into crying at various times with things like background music soaring without reason - e.g. person walking out of the room or a boxer out of cage with music reaching the crescendo, you wonder what the glorification is all about? Typical things we associate with a soap opera or Hollywood superficiality. Nothing honest and real, more contrived.

What one really misses in the last fight is two players giving their best and fighting out like two competitors, in the end acknowledging the best performance.

A Separation (2011)

Masterpiece, go watch it

[10/10 · 6 November 2011]

I think our day to day life has more than enough material for a good movie. 'A separation' engrosses you into the life of a small Persian family and shows you what happens there. You get to watch this very closely and the final result is a superbly simple and beautiful film. The story is so real, this could have happened anywhere.

There is also another nice movie by the same director - 'About Elly (2009)', but I think I liked this one more.

The movie lingers, makes you think, but its not heavy on your mind, you relish the thinking, it might probably remind you of the events in your own life and what you may have done in those circumstances. In some sense, you actually cherish the fact that well - this is life. There are too many beautiful moments in this film to list, go watch it, satisfaction assured.

Remember Me (I) (2010)

Good but Sad

[5 November 2011]

After seeing this movie, one feels like going back to the black and white era where movies were made to make people laugh, feel happy, show the brighter side of life, this one made me feel a bit sad and depressed at the end.

The movie is good, it draws you in and affects you. The story does have a few flaws, the ending is kind of unexpected and not sure if it really fits in with the rest.

But you kind of like lot of things which are nice about this movie, like the romance between the lead characters is really sweet.

Don't watch it when you are feeling sad.

Real Steel (2011)

Its real, this steel can entertain you

[8/10 · 1 November 2011]

Just like the robot Atom, this movie is kind of an underdog - while you are just thinking well....this is alright, it sweeps you off your feet and delivers a nice final punch.

Good movie, watch out for the last fight scene, made well, the suspense builds quite well and ends realistically.

I really didn't expect anything much when I started watching the movie but found it amazing how a movie about a fight between two steel robots can move you to tears, this is real entertaining steel indeed.

In the end you actually fall in love with Atom the robot :) Go watch it, satisfaction guaranteed.

The Last of the Mohicans (1992)

Go watch it !

[8/10 · 28 August 2010]

Action, adventure, uncertainty, romance...set in 1757 America

Under the soaring sound of waterfalls, with a magnificent background score, when Daniel-day Lewis say to Miss Stowe -

"...You stay alive no matter what occurs...I will find you, no matter how long it takes, no matter how far...I will find you"

• your heart soars and you feel like believing in the impossible. Few movies are able to capture genuine passion and determination of a man for his love as is captured in this scene, the movie is worth the watch for this scene alone.

The movie easily grabs your attention, easily takes you in, besides the music is great. Enjoy it with your loved ones.

Taking Chance (2009 TV Movie)

A must see

[10/10 · 13 April 2009]

A beautiful film that shows the importance of treating people who are no longer with us with respect and dignity that they deserve and how this should be done.

This film is based on a true story and narrates the series of experiences of an escort who carries a deceased soldier back home. There is nothing political about the movie even though it involves an American soldier in Iraq. The actual event of death itself is never shown in detail and until the very end we don't see the soldier who has passed away. Yet we feel very close to him. We are so deeply touched by gestures shown by different people.

Few of us have actual experience of dealing with the remains of a deceased before being hit by a real life event that snatches away a loved one. As this film rightly shows, at that point a lot of it is left to interpretation, there are no rules, just our own values, will and motivation. I think every person must watch this film to see an example of how this is done right.

Defiance (I) (2008)

Artificial concoction - Failed attempt

[5/10 · 3 January 2009]

A bad movie despite a different story. The audience is deceived and forced into tears by haunting melodramatic music. Looks like the director's view of a holocaust movie is one where the audience is sent home sobbing.

Too much drama with clichéd, inciting, commercial, and confusing dialogs that simply don't make any rational or logical sense, and are sprinkled rather generously all over to create sensation. Sometimes its also ridiculous to hear malformed English dialogs with Russian accent, the film would have probably been better off in native Russian with English subtitles.

In the end its simply boring, long, and artificial - doesn't click. The only thing thats good about this movie is a different (true) story about the holocaust in which the Jews actually fight back.

Rosetta (1999)

Beautiful film (Not sad)

[10/10 · 27 May 2007]

Like in Dardenne brothers films, in this one we witness how the main character makes a mistake because of hardships of life or because he/she is naive, then realizes the mistake and corrects it, eventually doing the right thing. No frills, no drama, yet so moving.

When we watch this whole process with the kind of fantastic and unconventional closeness - the engrossing & realistic Dardenne-style of close up shots - we actually fall in love and sympathize with the main character - the girl Rosetta.

This isn't a sad movie at all (like some people have commented), its a lovely movie that celebrates the spirit of being a normal human being, a must see for any cinema buff.

Unlike ambiguous Hollywood films, Dardenne movies are simple and focused, the audience precisely and naturally sees what the directors want to say.