[Movie] True Grit

True Grit... Had picked up the Dvd few weeks back at my regular store and it had sat abandoned in my shelf till yesterday noon... 

The Summary on the DVD: A tough U.S. Marshal helps a stubborn young woman track down her father's murderer. 


Main Stars: Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon- NOw these are names we know.. but the one that caught my attention and had me glued to the movie was Hailee Steinfeld. That little girl sure can act, and she has a voice and grit that stood out through the movie through Mattie Ross!


My Review: 
This little girl walks into town with her head held straight and conviction on her face. She is determined and ready for battle. The motive: She is looking to kill Tom Chaney, the man who killed her father....   She decides to take matter to her hands when the Sheriff just shrugs her off. Standing outside the loo where "the toughest U.S. Marshal "Rooster" Cogburn" sits, she works hard to convince him to take on her case and help her find Chaney.. A smart cookie, she also manages to make a trader part with his money for the ponies her dad had bought and for his saddle... 


Cogburn is an old, one eyed drunk, who does nothing but act as a Bounty hunter, killing scums, and making some money in the process.   He takes on Mattie, promises to help her , and sticks by her side till the mission is accomplished. 


The morning after, she wakes up to find Cogburn gone.. Racing on her horse, she finds that she is refused passage on the  ferry that took Cogburn and LaBoeuf across.. Determined, she crosses the river on her horse.. She  then learns that the two men have agreed to split the Texas reward for Chaney. Accusing him of fraud, Mattie threatens to have Cogburn arrested for breaking their agreement. Cogburn reluctantly agrees to let her come along, but does nothing to make it a comfortable one. 

More than anything, the movie is about how Mattie goes against Cogburn's wishes to stay put in town while he goes on the search, and her determination every step of the way. The trio find themselves battling through heat, unfriendly goons, and nature where their grit is put to test.  


Rate: 4/5 [absolutely amazing watch]
A true blue American Western flick.... 


Infact, this is an adaptation of the movie that was made in 1969 starring John Wayne. Am curious to see the earlier version, to see how different it was!

[Movie] Inglourious Basterds

A name that kept resounding in my ears, a movie i had been wanting to watch but that hadnt hit Chennai theaters then... And finally, one day my uncle walked in home with the DVD in his hand... Aaaah.... *rubbing hands together and sparkle in my eyes, i grabbed it from him* ... what movie you ask -- Need you even ask[err, since i had put it up in the title of the post..hehe] .. it is Inglourious Basterds by Quentin Tarentino....

Infact, i took the dvd with me on my holiday thinking if i find time or am bored, i shall watch.. Alas, that dint happen... managed to watch it day before, here at home!!

Cast: Brad Pitt , Mélanie Laurent,Christoph Waltz
 

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Rating: ****3/4 

Remember, its a Tarantino movie!!! So, watch out for a bit of goryness, full on action and plenty of blod shed... ;) You also need to remember to read the subtitles [since most of the movie is in French and German] and not to miss any of the action, verbal exchanges happening on screen... 

Inglourious Basterds begins in German-occupied France, where Shosanna Dreyfus (Mélanie Laurent) witnesses the execution of her family at the hand of Nazi Colonel Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz). Shosanna narrowly escapes and flees to Paris, where she forges a new identity as the owner and operator of a cinema.

The film, divided into five chapters, begins in Nazi-occupied France. Landa, known as the Jew hunter, waltzes into a quiet farmhouse to flush out hidden Jews. After drinking two glasses of milk, Landa, quietly, chillingly, calls his men in and has them shoot a Jewish family hiding under the floorboards. Only the daughter, Shoshana, escapes, running for her life.

Chapter 2 introduces us to the Basterds --- Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) organizes a group of Jewish soldiers to engage in targeted acts of retribution.  The Basterds pulverize Nazis by killing as many as they can, in the most hideous way possible, and then scalping them. To watch them actually do it has us takes quite a bit of grit...[but luckily these scenes are far and few]  

 

The following Chapters are all about the clashes between the titans.... !! 

 

Lt Aldo, the Apache demands 100 Nazi scalps from each of his dirty dozen.. Must make a mention of the "Bear Jew" played by Hostel movie director Eli Roth. After sneaking into France dressed as civilians to take down the Reich, the Basterds team with British soldier Archie Hicox (Michael Fassbender), a film critic assigned by a British general.. Adding spice to the movie is femme fatal German actress Bridget Von Hammersmark, who is now a spy for the allies. The two revenge plots converge at Shosanna's theater, which will premiere a propaganda film, Nation's Pride, and boast a red carpet walked by the Gestapo elite and the man himself, Herr Hitler (Martin Wuttke). Shosanna along with her Black assitance Marcel is  all set and completely poised to carry out a revenge plan of her own....  :-) 

What happens then is the climax of this gripping movie...

 

Hats off to Waltz, as the "Jew Hunter" of the SS, who dangles his host French farmer over the precipice of revealing what he cannot reveal numerous times, then pulls him back with obsequious lines of friendship and understanding. Every scene where he takes charge is amazing, has us amused at the way he gets the point across -- the opening scene where he switches languages so the Nazi's wont understand him,  How he speaks fluent Italian and stumps the Basterds at the movie premiere or the scene where he has captured and confronts the Basterds trying to make a deal with them... the shot where he calls Bridget aside into the room and shows her he knows she was in the bar and was the one who escaped the killings... Absolutely brilliant acting...

A second sadistic German, well-played by August Diehl, functions as an important actor in the final plot twist. Diehl's Nazi Major, who has an ear for German accents, is almost as good as Waltz...... just about.. almost!!

A movie that i thoroughly enjoyed and wouldnt mind watching again...

[Movie] Prey

I'd been wanting to watch this movie, Prey for some time. and finally it got released in Sathyam cinemas, alas i knew no one would want to come with me for this gory gruesome movie.. SO, went and bought the dvd and watched it last night.. One hellova movie!!!

Directed by: Darrell Roodt
Written by: Darrell Roodt, Beau Bauman and Jeff Wadlow

Starring:
Bridget Moynahan -Amy Newman
Peter Welleras -Tom Newman
Carly Schroeder - Jessica Newman
Conner Dowds - David Newman

Jamie Bartlett - Crawford

Rating  ****1/2

The movie opens with a herd of female lions hunting in the dead of the night and scavenging on zebras and deers... The Newman family come to in Africa; Tom is there on work, and so rest of them decide to take a relaxing safari to see some of the wild animals. Unfortunately, the minute their guide/driver takes them "off the beaten track" do their troubles begin. David wants to take a leak, and the driver accompanies him out when they are attacked by a couple of hungry lions. David manages to rush into the car, while the driver is chewed up..Amy and the kids are now stranded, surrounded by these lions,who see them nothing more than a meal wrapped in a Jeep. As Tom returns, he finds his family missing, and the rangers talking about going for rescue operation in the morning only. He then takes it upon himself to contact this Mr Crawford who's supposedly the only man for the job, convincing him to help out...

A movie that has blood and gruesome scenes around every corner.. With every step, you think "This is it", "Oh God No, what is she doing"... and are left biting your nails, chewing your fingers till the very end... 

Amazing locations... awesome cinematography had me glued to the screen, as i sat through it in the middle of the night...!!! Enjoyed it immensely... For those of you who like such movies, also watch Ghost and the darkness 

Remember... " Out here, you're the endangered species..."

[Movies] Offbeat

I buy dvd's, and yes, some are good, whilst others are bad!! I dont read ahead of the shopping expedition... Infact,very rarely do i know what i am going to Buy..

I BUY ---

If the name looks interesting

If the cover is appealing

If i like one of the actors

If i get a gut feel about the movie

If  its a movie someone has reccomended [ these are few and far between] :)

In the latest batch, i had bought this movie called Funny Games... and went on to watch the movie,..

 Director: Michael Haneke

Writer: Michael Haneke (written by)

Cast
    * Naomi Watts as Ann
    * Tim Roth as George
    * Michael Pitt as Paul
    * Brady Corbet as Peter
    * Devon Gearhart as Georgie
    * Boyd Gaines as Fred

 The movie opens with George, his wife Anna, their son Georgie and  dog Lucky arriving at their lake house. Their next-door neighbor pays a visit, accompanied by two young men, Peter and Paul, whom he introduces as friends. The two men begin imposing themselves by coming over asking for eggs, breaking batch after batch, eventually a frustrated Anna demands that the men leave, asking George to get them out. What happens next is what baffled me... Peter breaks George's leg with George's golf club and the two men take the family hostage. 

They force the family to participate in a number of ugly sadistic games in order to stay alive. When some of the other neighbors arrive for a visit, Anna passes the men off as friends until the visitors leave. How they torture the couple, playing mind games with them has us cringing, wondering what is going to happen next!!! One by one, they kill the members of the family, starting with the dog, the last victim being Anna!!! 

It's a thriller movie but very different from the run of the mill ones. Sort of satire, I think. If you're sick and tired of de'ja`vu film-making this one is just for you. 

 =================************* =================

The 2nd movie- Ghosts of Girlfriends Past we saw at my friend Anita's place post the yummy Potluck lunch.... 

Director: Mark Waters

Cast:
    * Matthew McConaughey as Connor Mead

    * Jennifer Garner as Jenny Perotti

    * Michael Douglas as Wayne Mead aka Uncle Wayne

    * Emma Stone as Allison Vandermeersh, the Ghost of Girlfriends Past

    * Daniel Sunjata as Brad

    * Noureen DeWulf as Melanie, the Ghost of Girlfriends Present and Connor's assistant

    * Breckin Meyer as Paul Mead
    * Lacey Chabert as Sandra Volkom
    * Anne Archer as Vonda Volkom

    * Amanda Walsh as Denice
    * Camille Guaty as Donna

I wouldnt call it a Chick flick.

Nor a romcom.. romantic comedy flick

hmmm.. what can we call it??? i dunno!!! 

Connor Mead, the playboy hops from one woman to the other, leaving behind quite a trail of unhappy women... The day he goes to attend his brother Paul's wedding rehearsal dinner , the complete world comes toppling down... Meeting Jenny [the one woman in his life who has always seemed immune to his considerable charm.] after all this time, trying to keep his lusting thots to himself, he finds he is given one last chance by his late Uncle Wayne [who tells him its not too late to change]... He meets one Ghost after another, who take him thru his life, starting with childhood to the future.... 

Through the journey, Connor realises this is the only chance he is going to get, and finally decides to confess his love to Jenny ... The world is then set right and all are happy!!! 

A movie that would have been fun had it not been stretched so much.. it just goes on and on and on and on............................ watch it if you have NOTHING else to do!!!  :)