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Reviews
Dune: Part Two (2024)
The best sci-fi series ever made
Dune Part One was amazing, I watched it at least 10 times. So, my expectation for Part Two was sky high and now, having watched it 5 times on IMAX, I was just blown away every single time and I am still thinking about it, appreciating it. People are hailing this movie as the Series of our generation, and I can see why.
Part Two is so ambitious, juggling multiple threads, introducing new characters, and setting up set pieces - it all comes together in glorious balance. While the action is breath-taking, the visuals dazzling, the score out of this world - it is ultimately the love between Paul and Chani, and the idea of a Messiah, and its religious undertones that make this movie one of the best, if not the best I've watched. Should any faction embrace the idea of a Messiah, should one step into that role if you have a choice, no matter how good your intentions are, would it have the power to corrupt, and how does this affect people closest to you are all questions that director, Denis Villeneuve challenges us to ponder.
We experience all these not just from the protagonist perspective, but Chani. We see her playing that angel on Paul's shoulder, and through her eyes, we see Paul's transformation, perhaps not for the better. Denis said in one of his interviews, that Frank Herbert never intended Paul to be hailed as a hero, and this transformation is paying homage to that. Is he slowly turning into the very people he hates (he has the bloodline), and with every glare and icy stare from Chani, and Hans Zimmer's fantastic score that alternates between hopeful and dark, we start to question that. All these decisions which are different than the books, elevate the story to another level.
Movies are a visual storytelling medium and how Denis played off the feelings of different characters to make the audience feel torn about what's right or wrong - is just brilliant film-making. And of course the action is just LOTR-level epic. The harvester attack, the ornithopter attack, the sandworm riding, the battle of Arrakeen are all shot and choreographed beautifully. The cinematography, well it was award winning and Denis had a lot of "iconic shots" in the movie, these are just snapshots that stays in your mind and just looks cool af, like Paul running on that mound towards the sandworm, Paul and Chani's first kiss, Paul shouting Long Live the Fighters with his cape flowing behind him, Stilgar crouched waiting for the Battle to begin, the 3 sandworms in the screen ready to attack the Sardaukar - just too many to list here.
Hans Zimmer also goes apeshit on this one with industrial clangs, guitars, throaty sounds and that all too famous "waaaa-ah-ah-aaaah-ahhhhh". I mean, he got his team to create instruments because "they wouldn't have pianos in planets in the future". Dune is that special project that everybody pours their heart into, and we the audience see it on the screen and feel it in our hearts. One movie critic once said "the greatness of a movie is measured with how long you were thinking about the movie once you left the cinema" - I love that quote and I can say, I am still thinking about the masterpiece I watched and still reading the stories of the Mahdi and the lore of Dune. This is a movie of epic proportions, watch it on IMAX the way Denis intended it to be experienced, it will change your life.
Se7en (1995)
superb!!!
Alright,I want to make something clear here...this is a movie which probably showcases the sickest and most gruesome deaths ever! And I loved it. David Fincher has a way of pulling the audience in,making them think...if you're looking for a movie to relax your mind and just be entertained,then don't watch this movie. But if,like me...you are planning to watch something intelligent,something which will make you ponder and think about,something different...this movie is what you're looking for.
The basic plot of this movie is that there is a serial killer on the loose. He is a mastermind,carefully planning his murders for years and executing them perfectly...he does his murders according to the 7 deadly sins which are--gluttony,greed,lust,sloth,pride,envy and wrath. He feels that the world is messed up and he thinks that by committing these murders,he will be preaching to the people. 2 detectives are on the case,Det. Somerset and Det. Mills. Somerset is about to retire,but this case holds him back. He has had years of experience and is thoughtful of every case he handles.Mills is a newly posted detective and is very impatient when it comes to identifying clues and analyzing problems. To tell you more would be grave injustice...you have to watch it to understand more and form opinions of your own.
The acting is done superbly by the 2 leads,Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt. Freeman plays Det. Somerset flawlessly and seems born to do the role. The ever-knowing Freeman is truly a character to be praised. Pitt is also fantastic,fitting perfectly in the role of Det. Mills. His acting is just the way you would expect a young detective to be. Pitt is fast gaining my respect as a high caliber actor. Although he has made stupid decisions before (Legends Of The Fall and Meet Joe Black), it's roles like this and Tyler Durden (Fight Club) that he truly shines. I really hope to see him more in movies of the same class. With these 2 brilliant actors helming the movie,how could it go wrong. Gwyneth Paltrow plays Mills' wife in the movie, a sweet,kind hearted soul just looking for a quiet and nice home with a loving family. The killer,who is uncredited...and I will leave it at that, also gives a superb performance.
The directing is really something to appreciate. Fincher creates the same bleak and dark atmosphere throughout the movie. It never stops raining and people get killed,mugged and raped at every corner of the street. It is really hard to believe,that Fincher was directing music videos once...his transition seems to be flawless. I have watched every movie of his and found each of them intriguing (except Alien 3). The storyline is amazing and it is just haunting to see the details of each murder potrayed so realistically in the movie.
In the end, you will realize something.A message should hit you. If it doesn't...then obviously,you didn't understand the movie. Watch this movie! You won't regret it.
Dead Man on Campus (1998)
ENTERTAINING !
I've seen some of the bad comments that the users gave and was quite surprised.Seriously folks,this is one REALLY entertaining movie.I was laughing throughout the movie. I believe that Mark and Tom really played their parts superbly.Being a university student,I really could relate with what was happening and I think that made it funnier to watch Cooper and Josh make plans only to find that it fails :-) Obviously,this is not some kind of serious,thinking movie....and thank God,it doesn't try to be.Full of humor and sarcastic jokes,I am sure you'll enjoy this movie especially if you're a college/university student....I've watched it 3 times and still laugh when watching it! The music is also superb,considering the fact that it was produced by THE dust brothers...so.....sit back,relax....after a hard day's of studying/whatever the hell u do in college....and watch Dead Man On Campus! Satisfaction guaranteed.
Jurassic Park III (2001)
disappointing
What is Jurassic Park? It is a theme park created to showcase genetically engineered dinosaurs. It is not something bad,just something good which went wrong. The whole concept of Jurassic Park was falsely displayed in JP2 and the same thing can be once again seen in JP3. I really enjoyed Jurassic Park....it was really fun to watch the characters, and the dinosaurs were superbly displayed,blending peaceful herbivores with the terrorizing carnivores...but, all this can't be seen in Jurassic Park 3. Here,all you get to see are savage dinosaurs attacking the group of humans time after time. The beauty of watching dinosaurs interact are no more there. And believe it or not,the dinosaurs are smarter this time around having learnt such skills as using bait to trap the troublesome humans AND use satellite phones. (seriously)! Sam Neill is back as Dr. Alan Grant and he plays his part quite well having done it before in the first movie. The others are merely characters for the dinosaurs to chase and eat...you cannot connect to their suffering or terror. Which actually makes you root the dinosaurs than the humans! There is ONE young boy...something I think is a requirement from the producers...you know,to excite the children, but here the guy is so 2 dimensional,you'd wish he was just eaten up by the dinosaurs. The storyline is nothing to shout about,in fact it's just about 10-15 minutes of story backed by the endless chase of dinosaurs. The movie itself is very short,about 1 and a half hours. I was really expecting more from JP3...it was a good thing Spielberg stayed away from this movie...it would've been one of the few pitfalls in his superb career. However, the dinosaurs are really awesome...they never fail to impress you and were very realistic,but then again...it's not something you haven't seen before.I really don't see the Jurassic Park franchise going anywhere... and I pray to God there is no Jurassic Park 4. In short,this is a flick where you won't regret if you miss it...but like me...all those who loved Jurassic Park,there is a nagging feeling to go watch it no matter how bad it is. Just don't expect much,because there really isn't.