Here is the promised second installation to my series. Before that let me congratulate Infosys for being the ranked 9th in the Wired 40 this year. Infy has been also ranked as 27th in the list of world’s most respected companies, an exhaustive survey conducted by Financial Times and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Lets kick off. Please note that all heading are links to the corresponding IMDB entry.
Sin City
I must admit that Sin City was not initally on the top of my list. But I guess it was my over-expectation to blame. After wading through the 3 graphic novels (or more commonly called “comics” :smile:) of Frank Miller, I cannot praise the director, Robert Rodriguez, enough for taking pains to recreate the grim and dark (literally) world of Sin City. The sparring use of colour and full length digital cinematography brings a unique feel to the movie which is faithful to the graphic novels. SinCity is actually 3 stories which are intervowen into one. Barring a few coincidential meeting points, they are independent stories. Hence, like most Rodriguez movies (eg. Spy Kids series) there is a huge star cast, but this time they are not mere cameos. All the heroes (Bruce Willis, Clive Owen and Mickey Rourke) are the stereotypical toughies with voilent streaks. Their inner turnmoil is brought out so well that these characters leave a strange aftertaste even after movie is over. That, IMHO, is the acid test of a powerful movie. Jessica Alba has done an impressive job as Nancy. However, I was somewhat disappointed by Brittany Murphy who I hoped, from her previous performance in 8 Mile and Girl, Interrupted would steal the show. In fact, Rosario Dawson has given a classy performance as Gail. Rodriguez has certainly made his point by shooting an entire film without film- Digital cinema is the future of cinema, whether the studio guys like it or not. Indie film making is once again possible, heartening news for movie enthusiasts like me :razz:. Conclusion, recommended but not for the weak of heart.
The Girl Next Door
A lil bit of background on why I choose this movie must go here. I used to be a big fan of a Discovery Channel program called PMFK, short for Popular Mechanics for Kids, in my school days (ok, even now :oops:). Though I thoroughly enjoyed the program, it was hard not to eye the elegant hostess, Elisha Cuthberth. Well, it was quite apparent that she is a promising actress and this movie indeed proves that intuituion turned true. The movie starts with a memorable college video-like opening sequence. The main character is Emile (Matthew Kidman) who is an academically brilliant but a bored teenager. The story could be best summarized by the title itself, a really attractive girl moves in next door. From the sound of it, it might appear to be a another typical teen movie. But the plot turns in the most unexpected ways. Alternating between humour, thriller and romance; this movie has it all. I would say if ‘American Pie’ series was made in this way, it would have been a much more wholesome movie. That I guess is a real big complement :wink:. Well… recommended.
Citizen Kane
You must have guessed by now… time for a bit of background. This all time classic is a must see for anyone interested in cinematography (like me, hehehe). The unconventional angles, visual story telling and deep depth of focus:shock: have been effectively used in this black and white movie, made in 1941. But even if you are not interested in all this, ‘Citizen Kane’ is a Orson Welles (who acted the lead and directed this) masterpiece that is still greatest movie of all times in the hearts of many movie lovers.
Coming Soon…. :arrow:Kinsey, Finding Neverland, Constantine
