The Night of the Hunter (1955)

Director: Charles Laughton
Writers:  David Grubb, James Agee, Charles Laughton
Cast:       Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Billy Chapin

A preacher turned serial killer marries a widow to get to 10000 dollars whose whereabouts is known only by her children.

The film is very dark for its times and it came out much before the likes of Lolita which generated so much controversy. The film didn't do well commercially as well as critically but have gone on to be considered as one of the best films of all time with the daring role taken by Robert Mitchum being the highlight.  It is based on a true story. The acting by other members of the cast are not up to the mark even after considering the time it was made but its still a great watch.

Rating: 4/5

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)

Director: Terry Gilliam
Writers:  Hunter S.Thompson (Book), Terry Gilliam, Tony Grisoni, Tod Davies, Alex Cox
Cast:      Johnny Depp, Benicio Del Toro, Tobey Maguire

An oddball journalist and his psychopathic lawyer travel to Las Vegas for a series of psychedelic escapades.

The film is based on Hunter's novel of the same name and the journalist character is supposed to be him.  Johnny Depp spent around four months with him to get into the character and remained a great friend to the man till his death. He fulfilled Hunter's last wish by firing his ashes out of a cannon shaped in the Gonzo symbol.

It was a project that was trying to get made for more than two decades and the novel was considered unfilmable. They finally got the right people attached with Terry Gilliam at the helm and Depp playing the role of the journalist. Guess it takes us through the experience of drug taking without actually taking any. The narration that is done by Depp excellently conveys the essence of the film in which the journalist is writing nostalgically about the famous 60s and the bitter end to it. A must watch for those who haven't taken any drugs and also especially for those who have.Well, that covers just about everyone I guess.

Just a shame that Depp stopped acting in interesting films at the turn of the century.

Rating: 5/5

Withnail & I (1987)

Director: Bruce Robinson
Writer:    Bruce Robinson
Cast:       Richard E.Grant, Paul McGann, Richard Griffiths

Two unemployed but educated wannabe actors wasting away their lives in London in the late 60s go to countryside for a weekend. A middle aged homosexual uncle of one of them is also there in the mix to complicate the situation.

I had seen the film before and thought it was just good. Recently came across a thread about it in the Liverpool Forum I frequent (RAWK), in which people were again waxing lyrical about the film which shows the cult following it enjoys, I decided to revisit. Enjoyed it much more this time round with me being more familiar with the nature of British comedies. The film is full of quotable lines and the ending is really heartbreaking. Bruce Robinson has just made four films in his career with the latest being 'The Rum Diary'. 

Rating: 4/5

A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)

Director: Steven Spielberg
Writers:  Brian Aldiss, Ian Watson, Steven Spielberg
Cast:      Haley Joel Osment, Jude Law, Frances O'Connor, William Hurt

A highly advanced robotic boy longs to become 'real' so that he can get back to his human mother.

The film was in development from the 70s under Stanley Kubrick. Kubrick was not convinced with the CGI capabilities of the times and thought that he needed a real robot to play the role of protagonist. He then passed on the project to Steven Spielberg who decided to make the film after Kubrick's death. The thing is that the two directors in question couldn't be further apart in the kind of style and themes they usually handle and the film was inevitably going to be skeptically reviewed by the critics. Predictably it didn't do that well both commercially and critically when it came out.

So with a similar mindset I sat down to watch it but was really bowled over by it. The film is really very dark for most parts and it was like watching a horror film. Haley Joel Osment gives another wonderful performance after 'The Sixth Sense' and carries the film on his young shoulders. Spielbergian sensibilities takes over in the latter part of the film with a totally unnecessary last act. Despite that it is a wonderful film and just a shame that Kubrick didn't make it because if he had, it would almost certainly have been one of his best. It certainly wouldn't have been a PG-13 either. As it stands it is a great film slightly spoiled by its last 20 minutes. 

Film came out just before 9-11 and have the twin towers still standing 2000 years from now.

Rating: 4.5/5

Easy A (2010)

Director: Will Gluck
Writer:    Bert V. Royal
Cast:      Emma Stone, Amanda Bynes, Thomas Haden Church, Stanley Tucci

A nerdy high school student inadvertently starts a rumor about her promiscuity which kind of snowballs out of control.

Film is sharply written with plenty of smart lines and a great central performance. It has plenty of references to the novel 'The Scarlet Letter' and Emma Stone plays a Juno like character that is getting quite common in American films. Plenty of laughs in the first half of the film but it kind of loses its steam towards the end. But still a great one time watch.

Rating: 3/5 

Crazy Heart (2009)

Director: Scott Cooper
Writers:  Scott Cooper, Thomas Cobb (Novel)
Cast:      Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Robert Duvall, Colin Farrell

Jeff Bridges plays an alcoholic country musician who is forced to reassess his life after a doomed romantic relationship.

The film I thought was very similar to Aronofsky's 'The Wrestler' but with a redemptive ending. But you root for it and suits the film really well even though it is predictable. Jeff Bridges sung all the songs that he is performing on the stage and deservedly won plenty of awards for his role in this film.

Rating: 4/5 

Casino Royale (2006)

Director: MartinCampbell
Writers:  Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, Paul Haggis
Cast:      Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Judi Dench, Mads Mikkelsen

In a reboot of the franchise, Daniel Craig replaces Pierce Brosnan as James Bond who is more  of a 21st century version  in the mould of Jason Bourne. He has to defeat Mads Mikkelsen's Le Chiffre in a high stakes poker game to prevent him from getting away with $100 million and to bring him in. 

Coming after the Pierce Brosnan shitfest, Casino Royale would have seemed to be an Oscar winning film. Problem with the film is that during the poker game, which is kind of the center-piece of the film, some of the script is so poorly written that you have to cringe your way through the expositions. Then there is the product placement by Sony which is so obvious. Action scenes are well done and Daniel Craig is good as Bond but this is certainly not better than Skyfall. Story-wise Casino Royale had a better one, but Skyfall had the better Director. That ultimately is the difference between the two films.

Rating: 3/5