abhijeet's Movies > Movie reviews by abhijeet

Rounders review

Posted : 6 months, 1 week ago on 6 July 2008 02:26 (A review of Rounders)

Two of the finest actors in Hollywood play off each other in this thriller.Matt Damon plays a card shark trying to stay out of trouble. Edward Norton plays his friend who keeps dragging him back into trouble. The final poker game is so perfectly paced that you can't look away.

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Ring review

Posted : 6 months, 1 week ago on 5 July 2008 04:31 (A review of Ring)

Japanese horror movies don't come much better than this. A mysterious video tape kills people seven days after they watch it. One TV reporter tries to uncover the mystery which leads down several dark paths.

It was re-made into a Hollywood movie that tried to 'improve' it but only resulted in making it un-focused. If you're lucky enough not to have seen the re-make yet, do yourself a favour and grab a DVD of Ringu and get the living daylights scared out of you.

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The Quiet American review

Posted : 6 months, 2 weeks ago on 28 June 2008 10:43 (A review of The Quiet American)

A satisfying, if not extraordinary adaptation of Graham Greene's novel. Two men, one middle aged Britisher, one young American vie for the affections of a young Vietnamese girl against the backdrop of the civil war and subsequent invasion of Vietnam by the Americans. Graham Greene deals in metaphors and irony throughout. The book is brilliant, the movie is merely good.

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Shanghai Dreams review

Posted : 6 months, 2 weeks ago on 27 June 2008 10:29 (A review of Shanghai Dreams)

Set in China in the 1960s, this movie tells the story of Qing Hong, the title character. Her parents disapprove of her boyfriend and want then to keep away from each other. In the backdrop, there is news of the economic growth in the coastal cities, especially Shanghai. This is bitterly resented by the people living in the interior, who are banned from moving away by the communist government. We get to peek inside the lives of young people living in an era of complete cultural repression. Anything related to western culture is considered to be bad, which makes it instantly desirable for these teenagers. The movie moves towards a surprising denouement in the last quarter which leaves you slightly shocked by it's brutality. The director does not shortchange either the personal or political aspects of the storyline and is backed up by excellent acting.

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Open your eyes... and stop dreaming.

Posted : 6 months, 4 weeks ago on 15 June 2008 08:51 (A review of Open Your Eyes)

A man falls in love with the girl of his dreams but his ex-lover doesn't let go so easily and he ends up with a grotesquely disfigured face in the process. The rest of the movie is his quest to overcome his disfigurement. Sounds like a conventional against-all-odds kind of story, doesn't it? Well, it isn't. There are bizarre occurrences, paranoia, violence and murder. The movie examines the nature of memory and our dreams. Finally, it throws in a interesting twist in the drawn out and satisfying climax.

(If anyone cares, this was made into the mediocre 'Vanilla Sky' with Penelope Cruz reprising her role.)

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Chrysalis review

Posted : 6 months, 4 weeks ago on 15 June 2008 06:10 (A review of Chrysalis)

Mediocre sci-fi thriller revolving around a murder investigation. With shades of 'Vanilla Sky' (or the much preferred Spanish original, 'Open Your Eyes'), the movie veers into bizarre territory involving the nature of human memory. The action sequences are intense and the acting is pretty good. Despite all this, the movie lacked any emotional impact though it was interesting.

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Nausicaä of the Valley of the Winds review

Posted : 6 months, 4 weeks ago on 14 June 2008 03:13 (A review of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Winds)

Hayao Miyazaki's environmentalist streak is apparent again in this post-apocaplyptic action adventure. The young Princess Nausicaä searches for the cause of her land's suffering and teaches us a thing or two about saving our planet along the way.

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The best detective drama ever made

Posted : 7 months ago on 13 June 2008 03:50 (A review of L.A. Confidential)

Suspenseful and twisted detective drama movie set in 1960s Los Angeles. I am a big fan of detective movies and this is *the* best movie in this genre. A stellar cast (two of whom - Kevin Spacey and Russell Crowe - would win Best Actor Oscars later in the decade), brilliant direction coupled with outstanding set and costume design make this one the best movies ever made. It got swept aside at the Oscar's by Titanic but is a true masterpiece notwithstanding.

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Orwell's dystopia comes to the screen

Posted : 7 months ago on 13 June 2008 03:46 (A review of 1984)

George Orwell's dark dystopia comes to the big screen. Richard Burton gives a magnificent performance and the rest of the cast isn't shabby either. Shot in the exact time frame Orwell set the book in. The world he imagined might not exist but his ideas and warnings remain as powerful as ever and even more relevant today.

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Clever time travel movie

Posted : 7 months ago on 8 June 2008 02:44 (A review of Timecrimes)

An entertaining movie revolving around time-travel and the trouble one man gets into because of his accidental time traveling. The direction is very very good. If you can accept that the protagonist can travel back in time, the plot and the script are exceedingly clever. There's drama, suspense and a bit of dark humour in there as well.

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