Change Your Image
shez_ziauddin
Reviews
Dangal (2016)
Really enjoyable, even for non-Bollywood fans
I'm not a Bollywood fan, so I went along expecting to have a nap. But wow! I really enjoyed this movie. It's well paced, very enjoyable and totally non-Bollywood.
No music scores to slow the pace down; no love interest; no ridiculous fighting scenes; no shrieking female singing voice. Just a good story that keeps you guessing to the end. I enjoyed the humour, and surprisingly, it pulled on my heart strings. The music score was enjoyable and not a distraction. It was limited to incidental music that played during the montages.
The 'fight scenes' were limited to wrestling matches, which were really amazingly choreographed. These were realistic and believable, and the hero didn't always win because she was the hero.
Enjoyed this thoroughly, more than all the (Hollywood) movies I watched this year.
Arrival (2016)
Great setup, lots of potential, disappointing end
Don't believe the sparkling reviews. This is a fairly enjoyable sci-fi movie but it'll be forgotten in 5 years. I enjoyed this movie up until the very end. The setup to the story is excellent, but ultimately there's weak or no conclusion/climax.
There's a strong sense of realism to this movie. The visitors looked real, our communication problems with them seemed real, and the public's response to them felt believable. One scene of the military complex looked like a video game, but otherwise the CGI and effects were enjoyable.
I don't understand why, but suddenly there's a crisis and just as suddenly the crisis is averted. Movie over. This is what I found disappointing -- up until that point the story had lots of potential.
Shame.
Family Guy: It's a Trap! (2011)
Not even as funny as a regular episode
Oh dear. In Peter's own words, "For crying out loud, somebody throw a pie!"
This third entry is joke-lite. The recipe seems to have been: copy-and-paste some clips directly from the Star Wars movie, manipulate them to look cartoonish, and then look for places to put jokes. Then look harder because Fox is pressuring you, then give up.
In the "scrolling-up text" at the start, it even says this is a poor show. They're basically saying "sorry this one's not funny. But you've just parted with $30 and that's the important thing". If I'd paid for this I would be seriously upset.
There's a 'head-nodding' skit which is the least funny thing I've ever seen on a Family Guy episode. It feels like it lasts 10 minutes. It doesn't work at all, and it feels like filler.
Don't bother buying this DVD. Wait a month or two until this is on some comedy channel. Or find it in a bargain bin. Or just find it in someone's bin.
The Departed (2006)
The best film of the year?
I *really* enjoyed this movie. The first time I've been wowed at the cinema this year.
The acting is excellent, aided by a fantastic storyline. Each character is given substance and life, and you become aware of unspoken relationships between them. Special mention should go to Jack Nicholson, who really brings depth and life to the bad guy.
The backdrops are gritty and real, the language coarse and vulgar. The police offices are just as dark and sinister as the gang hangouts. If you stop paying attention for a moment, you'll miss the pithy dialogues. And the plot is deep and twisted, definitely not an after-work relaxation flick.
My only complaint (and I might be alone here) is that Leo DiCaprio and Matt Damon look too much like one another. I initially got very confused because I couldn't tell the two characters apart. Fortunately DiCaprio's tortured character quickly develops facial hair, and it was easy to follow after that.
The way the story ended was also a little disappointing, but it was faithful to the original film.
Thoroughly recommended.
World Trade Center (2006)
This film is a tragedy!
There were hoots of laughter in the auditorium during this film. This movie simply fails to connect the watcher to the terrible events of September 11th. This film is slow, dull, and ultimately a bit vomit-inducing.
The movie tries hard to 'humanise' the heroes of the day, so that we can really feel for them as the events unfold. We spend too much time learning about their lives, wives, children, family, pets etc. And for nothing: the cardboard acting ensures we develop no empathy with the fallen heroes.
The result is two-and-a-bit hours of mind-numbing boredom, with a few hysterical moments of panic that were never meant to be funny. This should have been as emotionally stirring as Schindler's List: I should have left the auditorium weeping into my popcorn. Instead, I couldn't care less whether the heroes lived or died -- I just wanted this awful movie to end.