Ink (2009)

cool start to the movie; the blurry haze for the father-daughter scene did confuse me initially; but the dream-bringers raise a lot more questions. then comes the nightmare-inducers .... but that's not all! Enter the big-nosed boogie-man called Ink!?

Did the costume-designer for this feature get fired?? But I must add, there were some really nice low-budget SFX for a low-budget movie. I was just about to grapple with all the supernaturality of these 3 groups when the flickering of John's business colleague threw me off the plank. I gave up trying to figure out this movie on my own in its 20th minute. For the remaining 80 mins, I'm gonna just sit back and admire the amazing visuals that the cinematographer dared to capture. Every individual scene was coloured imaculately. The wakeup scene in blue; the office in beige; the kids-in-the-woods in golden-hue, etcetra.

The audience is still awaiting a hero to root for; & Jacob the path-finder gets thrown into the mix. I was already thinking that this film can have an entire tv-series spinoff to cater for the stoned crowds hungry for some 3am sci-fi. When Ink bowed to the Nightmare-inducer I wrinkled my brow. & the quest for assembly-codes <$#!% enter your favourite expression of bedazzlement here> was clearly written by someone who had bumped his head really hard while reading Lewis Caroll's books.

They're all reactions. A man has a weakness, he's flawed. That flaw leads him to guilt. That guilt leads him to shame. The shame he compensates with pride and vanity. & when pride fails, despair takes over & they all lead to his destruction. which will become his fate.

First Viewed: Alone at Harborne in Parramatta.

Rating-3*

Arthur (2011)

As the tagline reads 'Meet the world's only lovable billionaire', it seemed quite a bold statement. Arthur comes across as quite a underachiever if he really was a lovable billionaire.

He's got movie-collectable cars & a hover-bed; cleared out a train station for a date; trains with Evander Hollyfield; buys a publishing company for his sweetheart. All this doesn't showcase any of Arthur; it merely projects Russel Brand and his flair.

The movie has its good moments; and it does manage to entertain without making things gross or crass. This must be to cater to a wider family audience. But it also has moments which were disconnected. There are unexplained gaps which don't justify actions. Nick Nolte's character was a waste. Jennifer Garner's character did not draw any gasps from the audience.

There were chuckles to appreciate the witty writing (like the MTWTFSS question); but it was Dame Mirren's Hobson who was the most believable on screen. Everything else seemed either syrupy-sour or toffee-sweet.

As Executive Producer, Brand made sure he had plenty to emote. & thankfully the ending wasn't too sappy.

First Viewed: Alone at cinema in Parramatta.

Rating-2*

The American (2010)

The movie starts off with a cute bare bum & then an immediate scene introduces us to Jack's cold psyche. After watching the movie I felt that the entire movie's a stretched out short-film.

Setting it in a sleepy town in rural Italy made me think that it was another 'In Bruges'. The entire movie was shot beautifully; every scene was photogenic. But trust George Clooney to stand-out as the most gorgeous. (aaw, he's sold his soul to look like that at 50!)

It's a very simple story, but it's the execution that grows on. The blatant nudity does seem unnecessary; but who am I to object? My lower jaw hit the floor when Clooney was doing his pushups & pullups. I liked the way the lighting & music was used in the movie. I don't know if the director was aiming for a sense of restlessness amongst the audience; I certainly was getting anxious as to what cul-de-sac was I heading toward. It's a tricky film to critique. I liked it, but I know most won't.


Fav scenes: Edward's face after Clara leaves asking him out on a date; the booby-trapped gun; the end of desperation.

First Viewed: Alone at Harborne in Parramatta.

Rating-2.5*

Short cuts (1993)

The movie is a very simple humanistic view of people cohabiting a community. & it's almost like a double-feature at the drive-in because of its 180+ minute duration. I'm a sucker for interwoven tales (& I've always admited that). 9 families; & they all share the ecological complaints & geographical turbulences.

It's a very existential movie where grief and humour taste the same. & because of the range of social-substrata explored (albeit white & good-looking) it allows the audience to be judgemental & prejudiced. It allows the audience to disapprove of actions that they themselves have never encountered. I felt the hypocritic elements within me get slapped multiple times throughout the movie.

I see why the director chose to interweave the stories; because the context changes each time the scale of involvement changes. I didn't have to dissect each of the characters, because every single one of them is humane. All the human emotions possible were crammed up in this script; & thankfully potrayed by different vessels.


Fav scene: 2 couples at the bbq dinner with clown-makeup; mother's grief vented on the baker; cuckolded husband's frustration; estranged husband's wrath; the exchange of death pictures and the hypocrisy expressed.

First Viewed: Alone at Harborne in Parramatta.

Rating-3*

Capricorn One (1977)

Conspiracy theories have always intrigued a section of movie-goers. Many movies have used the wild rumours as fodder for interweaving a good story. Capricorn One does just that. Moon landing conspiracies have been rebundled with a political edge & journalistic passion. This time the setting is for Man to land on Mars. & there's no beating round the bush. The movie dives straight into the plot & uses the available resources to a good potential.

It's not a wonderful script; & there are loopholes aplenty. But the unravelling of the story is brilliant, because the audience gets to root for the protagonists. The ending seems a bit rushed, but the jubilant dash through the cemetery felt appropriate enough to tie up the tale.

Alternate ending: The exageration of the plot makes it slightly chunky to gulp. NASA operatives seem to have way too much access; & a lot gets swept under the carpet very conveniently. The fate of the captured astronauts was left unanswered. I'd want some definitive closure.

Fav moments: The commentary at the start; The "Go jump yourself" conversation between the journalists; The reporter's brake-failure accident; dead-cat joke

First Viewed: Alone at Harborne in Parramatta.

Rating-2.5*

The Terminator (1984)

The movie begins with lightning & 2 naked men appearing out of nowhere. & Both are after the same girl, Sarah Connor.

One equips himself with autoloader guns & 9mm UZIs; & his onscreen presence leaves no doubt in our mind that he is THE TERMINATOR; & it's not good if he's out to get you. The other's flashback paints us a very bleak dark picture, with gigantic machines trampling human skulls & airborne jets shooting pink laserbeams at the footsoldiers. The ominous background music keeps the audience engaged, knowing the phone-book killer is in hot pursuit of his target. & then there is the night-club shootout; where we see him come back to life; & then the iconic words 'Come with me if you wanna live'.


A metal exoskeleton covered with living tissue, travelling through time in a time-displacement-facility. Cybernetic systems model 101; a cyborg sent from the future to kill you. & the fire singes away his eyebrows making him look even more menacing. Highly intelligent & unpredictable story; I had goose-bumps for most of the chase scenes. It made me question how open I would be to the idea of believing Kyle Reese's wild tales. Linda Hamilton (Sarah) potrays her role superbly. The story takes sci-fi imagination to a new level; & its got great action. The writers took good care to keep the plot intact with all the time-travel loopholes. But with zero CGI effects (purely animatronix and stop-motion graphics) it makes a wonderful viewing.

Fav scenes: The psychiatrist analysis; the car chases; The concept of alternate realities & possible futures; The photo in the end.

Alternate ending: Reese's end was a well-thought scene, making Sarah's grit more palpable. I'd want a introduction to Cyberdyne as a more befitting reference to the oncoming storm.

First viewed: Alone at home on TV in Nerul.

POTC3: At World's End (2007)

The movie starts of with a lot of singing; pirates at death-row humming at the gallows.. & LizzySwan too sings the same tunes while she rows to meet Singaporean pirate-lord . The initial premise is continuing the promise from the previous movie; find Capt. Jack Sparrow & bring him back from Davy Jones' locker.

I think the music was better used in this one...or maybe there was a much better scope for music other than the usual theme-song. 25 mins into the movie, & there's no Depp on screen! & then we get to see about 25 of him in the same scene. Whoever thought of this scene (including the crab-conveyor-belt) must be congratulated. It indeed is a visual treat. & so's the up-is-down rock-the-boat madness.

This isn't the kind of movies you can critique without contradicting your previous reviews. it's a theme-park ride, don't try to make any more of it.

I had several questions regarding Tia Dalma/Calypso, but I'll let it rest. & the unexplained dead Kracken?? They had too many loose ends to tie.. & there were so many ppl trying to kiss Lizzy. I thought Calyspo's 50-ft woman would a game-changer, but all she did was create a 20min whirlpool for the climactic battle. But you do get to see what Jack does best, swing acrobatically from ropes & well-choreographed sword-fights.

First Viewed: With friends at cinema in Reading.

Rating-3*

Primer (2004)

I rank it reasonably high as a good sci-fi movie; but I still haven't been able to unravel the complex plot-twist.

Abe & Aaron; manage to build themselves a time-machine. In fact if you haven't given up on the movie in the first 20 minutes, without scratching your head, then you really are a sci-fi geek. The fundamentals are clearly expressed; although there's no mind-boggling quantum physics, it's all quantum mechanics, they've put human morality into the equation. Time-travel's longterm side-effects include bleeding earlobes & ugly handwriting. It's a kind of movie which you have to watch atleast twice just to get a timeline on a mental map. Then you have to watch it again, to map other coordinates on this map. Then, while the map is fresh in your mind, you need to have a intense discussion with someone else who has watched the movie & can sleep soundly only if the movie makes sense.

Alas, I've only managed to have that discussion with myself. I was silently screaming at myself, trying to bring Schrodinger's cat into the argument to justify many of the unexplained occurances. I had even conceded into accepting an altered reality for Thomas Granger's unshaven appearance. I had a tight grasp on the movie until the fail-safe device is mentioned. How many failsafe devices are there !!?? No, cross that. I had everything clearly mapped out in my mind, till the airport scene; until I see Abe crawling on the toilet floor. I had to pause & rewind several times to make sure it was Abe & not Aaron. & I have no explanation for that.

Morally, Abe tries to correct his doings. But Aaron's deep voice-over suggests otherwise. Some of it just does not compute.
I put my hands together for Shane Carruth's attempt as writer, director, producer & actor (there are also credits for music & editing)

Fav scenes: Abe's explanation to Aaron, regarding his accidental discovery of timetravel through protein-creating fungus on the weeble. The last scene with Aaron building a much larger machine.

Alternate Ending: Why was Aaron trying to be the hero, to make a stand against Rachel's ex? it clearly needed some explanation. & I couldn't figure out the intentions of Abe outside Aaron's home in the last scene. It's left to interpretations, but the open-ending is so wide, that the whole premise can collapse.

First viewed: Alone at home in Mumbai.

The Matrix (1999)

I bunked college with Abhishek & Zaryab, shared a autorickshaw & went to Basant cinema to watch a new release. This was a very rare occasion, since bunking class is a once-in-a-blue-moon scenario for me. I didn't know anything about what the movie was about. I was just hoping it wasn't about matrices & differential calculus; I was just skiving a lecture to avoid that! Ah, it was a such a wonderful time; when I would watch movies without having any prior expectations from them at all. Nowadays, I can watch a trailer or teaser for a flick & cancel it off my list.
We were slightly late for the movie, & when we entered the cinema-hall the first scene I saw on the screen was Trinity running... & then leaping off a building & landing on one across the street. This was certainly not a Maths class!

What is the Matrix? The iconic green digital rain; bringing to life imaginations from cyberpunk and distopian fiction. The Greenish-Yellow lens filter gave it a very eerie effect, something that I had never seen before. & that was not the only first for this movie. There were so many influences for this movie; hardline phone teleportation, virtual reality, Alice in Wonderland, Buddhism, perpertual dreams, hairless rebirth in a gooey pod.
FedEx delivery with a Nokia mobile-phone. I still remember the Morpheus phone-call scene each time I see window-cleaners outside a skyscraper. The scenes are so memorable; Follow the white-rabbit; What good is a phone-call if you are unable to speak; The choice between the pills; Kansas is going byebye; I know KungFu !; there is no spoon!

I liked the seriousness of the movie; & I'm glad for the wonderful casting (Extremely happy that it's not Will Smith or Nicolas Cage playing Neo). & I liked the story being revealed through the eyes of Thomas A Anderson. It allows the viewers to connect better. I find Everything about this movie cool. Everything. the deep meaningful dialogues, the cool sunglasses, the push-button mobilephone, the Red chairs, the way Morpheus cross his arms behind his back, the structural designs adopted by the sentient machines, the Nebuchadnezzar (there's tonnes of biblical & religious references for hardcore fans) & its assorted crew. The Wachowski brothers made sure that people who really wanted to enjoy this movie would watch it repeatedly & hang onto each of it dialogues. I did. Multiple viewings later I'm still enjoying every single bit. The movie takes sci-fi to a different level; & provides tonnes of fodder for intellectually stimulating conversations. This was the first time when a director's imagination made me question the laws of physics and the self-induced handicap where humans limit ourselves to five senses. Bullet-time! fully-destructable-environments! there really is no spoon...

Alternate Ending: I have several grievances against the sequels; that's a different story. But only thing I didn't like in The Matrix is how little credit is given to Agent Brown and Agent Jones. That's a real pity.

First viewed: With friends at a cinema in Mumbai.

Die Hard (1988)

Take Roderick Thorp's novel about a single man's defiant stand in a hostage situation.
John McLane, a NY cop, out to visit his estranged wife & kids in LA, gets invited to her office Xmas party at Nakatomi Plaza. Trivia: Fox Towers (offices of the production company) was used as Nakatomi Plaza. & there are Xmas jingles playing at all the the right moments to remind us of the holiday setting.

Cue the entry for german-speaking bad-guys... Big courier truck filled with armed criminals (alongwith a computer-systems genius) party-crash to steal bearer bonds worth 640 million.

Walter Bruce Willis fresh from the success of witty Moonlighting TV series, fits into character perfectly. The witty one-liners, easy-to-understand plot, plenty of gun-fire'n'exploxions & a really die-hard hero to root for. That makes me rank Die Hard very high on my list. "Call me Roy", John McLane's manly sense of humour makes multiple viewings enjoyable each time. Personally, I'm terrified of crawling inside air-duct shafts. My heart palpitates each time I view those scenes. John's sole friend on the outside, Sergeant Al Powell, an LAPD officer provides the much needed appreciative moral support in desperate times.

The other deterent characters are just as important; the callous news-reporter, the oversmart office-colleague, the Deputy Chief of Police, Johnsons the FBI agents; all played vital memorable parts. I haven't read the book, but I have to commend director's John McTiernan ability to keep the thrills coming.

Fav scenes: Argyle's analysis of McLane's relationship; John talking to himself; all of John's interaction with Al; terrorist stealing a Nestle Crunch chocolate; the bazooka attack on the LAPD RV & the c4 explosion in the elevator shaft; Hans' demands; John & Hans' interaction; the music playing when the vault opens; the fist-fight with Karl; the roof explosion; Hans' face when he falls; song in the end.

Alternate Ending: No changes at all. It's the ideal guy-movie. Only things that didn't add up was the amount of ammunition John had; & how did Karl survive the choking & explosion? I have several grievances against all the sequels; that's a different story.

First viewed: Alone on TV at home in Mumbai.

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)

It starts off in the year 2688, San Dimas California, setting the base for this excellent adventure. & quickly, travelling 700 years back, we are introduced to our handsome head-banging heroes. Baby-faced, charming and failing their History class.

It's very clear from the very start that there isn't a bone of seriousness in this flick. & there's no surprise why it grew on to become such a cult classic. The Telephone booth timemachine was clearly a reference to the TARDIS. The scale, the wit, the air-guitar... everything's 'Excellent!' The movie doesn't waste anytime in setting the premise; it's all about an excellent history report. Napoleon, Billy the kid, Socrates, historical babes, Sigmund Freud, Beethoven, Joan-of-arc, Genghis Khan, Abraham Lincoln they're all there. & Napoleon actually enjoyed Waterloo! The director's vision to let loose a bunch of historical figures in a suburban mall is unique. & the time-travel aspect of the movie is brilliantly witty. Predictability goes out of the window.

This is exactly the kind of script a dazed out teenager would come up with, when asked to combine timetravel & 2 goofy musicians. It made me smile, & that's where it earned all its points. But from a realistic scientific time-travel aspect, this movie very cleverly handles self-consistency & paradoxs; somethings that other alleged time-travel movies don't. The 'Wind up your watch' comment & the 'Duck!' note may seem trivial at first glance; but if you really think hard about it, it'll put all your gears into a spin!

Be excellent to each other &... Party on, dudes! Its a fun film; later dudes.

Favourite scenes include: The air guitaring; So crates; the mall-sequence; the prison-escape, the history presentation.

Alternate Ending: I'd give the princesses a bit more screen-time as they are going to be part of Wyld Stallyons ultimately; & I'd make Rufus a bit more fun, he came across very dull.

First viewed: Alone on StarMovies at home.
Rating-3.5*

CJ7 (2008)

I was watching the annoying English-dubbed version of the movie, since I couldn't get the original Cantonese one. It did take some fun out of the movie, as dialogues lose their original intent when subjected to the boundaries of lip-sync. I liked the father's intro scene with him atop a really high skyscrapper eating his lunch. Since this is essentially a kids movie, I didn't mind the cringeworthy bullying-at-school scenes. & I liked the first interaction between the boy & CJ7. & that doesn't happen for the first 30 minutes. So the initial 30 minutes is spent on building up characters & scenarios & plotlines. Even Iron-Man would be envious of Dicky's new sneakers. I loved how the little boy's imagination run wild; & what really happens.

For a kids movie, the potrayal of death & the subsequent revival is a very strong point. But it also made sure that CJ7 was not shown to be a wish-granting genie.

Favourite scenes include: roach-killing while dinner; Dicky's dream; the final summer-picnic scene

Alternate Ending: CJ7 used up all his Chi & turned into a rag-toy, he can't come back !! the bunch coming in at the end should be depicted as a whole new group called in by CJ7 to aid Dicky.

First Viewed: Alone at Harborne in Parramatta.

Rating-2.5*

What's Up, Doc? (1972)

Frankly, the only reason I gave this movie a shot was because of Barbara Streisand. She's really cute & a delight to watch & she's got the most amazing blue eyes. They distracted me from the craziness happening with 4 identical bags. I couldn't figure out who was after which bag & what was happening in the background. The chemistry between Howard (Ryan ONeal) & Judy (Barbara) overshadowed everything.

I had never seen Frisco like the way shown in the car chase; culminating with 4 cars jumping off the pier. & then there's the ridiculous court scene.

Favourite scenes include: her pounding heart; Eunice's heel-marks as she's dragged out of the banquet; "I hope it's not your coccyx"; the uphill-downhill car-chase;

Alternate Ending: There was never any other way it could have ended. But what's the explanation for Howard's improved eyesight?

First Viewed: Alone at Harborne in Parramatta.

Rating-2.5

A perfect murder (1998)

I was told this was based on the Hitchcockian 'Dial M for murder'; basically a retelling of the story. 15 minutes into the movie I knew exactly what was gonna happen. Every scene played out into the next one & there was no thrill at all in this thriller. For a moment I did imagine a slightly more cheerful ending, but the director stole that from me.

Ok, the wife knows several languages... so what? Why have an interesting detective character when you have no use for him? The wife's emotions are a joke. & lover seemed very confused about his own intentions; is he conning her or not? The title of the movie was completely misleading. I wish I had seen 'Dial M for murder' instead. I guess I'll end up avoiding a much better movie because of this one.

Favourite scenes include: There wasn't a single moment in the movie which is worth a mention.

Alternate Ending: A 3-way confrontation would have been better; atleast would have kept some thrill going. That ending was colder than frostbitten toes falling off.

First Viewed: Alone at Harborne in Parramatta.

Rating-1*

Jackie Brown (1997)

It's very hard to forget this is a QT movie. I like the familiar disjointedness in all his flicks. The guy's built up the expectations sky-high & it makes it difficult to rate any movie of his independently without referencing his other skilled masterpieces. But I'll try. The gun commercials at the start of the movie; they mock so well. As always, there is never any hurry to get anywhere.

I knew what I was getting into. I was ready for a convoluted story which will string together bit by bit. But that's not what unfolded. I was scratching my head after the dressing-room exchange, wondering what was happening. Why was everything so plain !! It felt like I was watching the super-extended Director's cut version of this story. The chewing gum was soon losing its flavour & my jaws were beginning to hurt. I couldn't understand why QT let the story overspill over 140 mins.

Favourite scenes include: "Serious as a heart-attack"; Mel & Louis in the car-park; "your ass used to be beautiful... "; "My ass maybe dumb; but I ain't no dumbass"; Jackie practicing with the revolver;

Alternate Ending: I felt saddened to see Max watch Jackie walk out of his office; & I even half-expected Ray (from ATF) to swoop in on Jackie as she flew to Madrid. I'd like to change that; give either one of the guys a chance.

First Viewed: Alone at Harborne in Parramatta.

Rating-2.5*

JCVD (2008)

I've winghed watching some of his movies . But I began watching JCVD with some hope. I liked the trailer. JVCD playing JCVD, or a poorer version of himself. The movie begins off with JCVD single-handedly destroying a battalion of soldiers in a long uncut sequence. & huffing and complaining about his age. & then, we get to see him taking hostages & robbing a postoffice. Or so it seems...

The movie is a very clever take on the impression JCVD has imprinted on the minds of people who loathe his adrenaline-pumped cinema. My sister hates him even without having watched any of his movies! Some very clever person saw that there was a good story to tell; involving JCVD's personal ghosts. & his name Jean-Claude Van Varenberg. Damme!!
There's six minute 4th wall scene, in which JCVV talks directly to the audience crying his heart out & lays out his story.
There not much action in this movie & it solely relies on JCVD's acting skills to carry it to the end. Infact there's no other plotline other than the pitch of the movie.

Favourite scenes include: The starting scene; the candid-camera scene; the joke about Steven Seagal's ponytail; the outer-body monolgue; the dream-sequence with the flying kick

Alternate Ending: It was a very sober ending; & kudos to the director for choosing it. But it left the feeling that something was amiss. It defeated the heroics...& I would change it to a more rewarding end.

First Viewed: Alone at Harborne in Parramatta.

Rating-2

3-Iron [Bin Jip] (2004)

The first thing I noticed was the BMW motorbike (& then the BMW car). Then I understood the neat trick involving the fastfood flyers. I liked how he fixed things. I liked the way the movie progressed; & I loved the last tagline of the movie. I loved that the hero/heroine don't speak at all; & the only words she says in the end made it special. The last bit of him haunting the other homes was unnecessary; but logical. There is so much metaphorical stuff in this movie that it's awesome. The photographs embodied stagnancy & chains; while the invisibility of the house-breakers depicted free-spiritedness.

It is a very slow movie; but brilliant.

Favourite scenes include: Golf in the park; When she joins the photoshoot; when the boxer returns home; the first kiss; the total weight being zero.

Alternate Ending: The golf-ball car-accident seemed sour; but it showcased his remorse. & her being a glamour-model didn't make any sense. I'd redo those bits.

First Viewed: Alone at Harborne in Parramatta.

Rating-3.5

Winter's bone (2010)

Never ask for what you ought to be offered. The movie has some very touching emotions about family ties and the dreadfulness of life. Jennifer Lawrence puts on such a wonderful performance that she overshadows everything in this movie. It felt like a one-person-show. There was a good amount of suspense, but it was a drama all along. The Missouri wilderness had a chilling effect in the movie. There were several moments where I felt the movie dragged, and stories like this don't have much repeat value.

Favourite scenes include: Squirrel hunting; the pond scene;

Alternate Ending: I don't know how the book ended, but when Teardrop said 'I know who', I got a sinking feeling that there was more pain coming this girl's way. I'd have dropped that bit.

First Viewed: Alone at Harborne in Parramatta.

Rating-2.5*

Moon (2009)

The movie starts off as a normal thriller; i.e. the audience is provided with some questions that keep them engrossed in the story. However the tale unravels quite quick & soon I'm wondering if all thats said in 45mins; whats left in the other 45mins?? There were scenes which reminded me of 'The 13th floor'. Then the film turns into a psychological drama of conscienceness. The point where Sam sets the new coordinates had me scratching my noggin. But it was the only thing to be done. All in all, I felt the writing was good & Rockwell did a fine job. But it could have been much much shorter.

I grade it higher than 2* just to appreciate the psychosis involved.

Favourite scenes include: The pingpong scene; the log-review realization;

Alternate Ending: Why was Sam hallucinating (the girl in the chair)? Was it part of the 3 year shelf-life? How could LI Control speak to Gerty if the jammers were in place? How did Gerty know when to activate a new Sam? unanswered questions galore. I knew what was gonna happen from halfway thru the movie. But I wouldn't include Gerty's disobedience in my version.

First Viewed: Alone at Harborne in Parramatta.

Rating-2.5*

Zombieland (2009)

Columbus, Tallahassey, Wichita & Little Rock fight Zombies !! A set of well-researched rules gave them the survival edge over the mutilated cannibals. It could have been wounded up as a short film; but they explored the human side to things. & it turned out to be a decent flick. The makers kept the content light & made it a point to 'enjoy the little things'.

Favourite scenes include: Opening credits; Neighbour from 406; the con-girls; Indian shop destruction; bad-boy-type; Garfield maybe?; the final showdown at Pacific playground.

Alternate Ending: It's good that they left an open ending; but I'd leave it as is & not try for a sequel.

First Viewed: Alone at Harborne in Parramatta.

Rating-2.5

Weekend at Bernie's (1989)

The movie starts off with a peppy Jamaican tune to a hot summer, with 2 over-worked insurance employees, Richard & Larry skiving off to the beach (on a NY rooftop with the tar melting off). & Bernie, their boss, calls them over to his beach-house in Hampton Island over the weekend with the intent to knock them off. Cath Stewert is Gwen, the hot summer intern at the office. I liked the dialogues; & there wasn't a dull moment.

Favourite scenes include: 'I don't even have an aunt'; 'you have a butler!?'; I loved Bernie's beach-house; the suicide note; the boat scenes; possibility open for a sequel

Alternate Ending: I liked the ending... but didn't like the part that the police knew Bernie was dead; that would mess up the sequel.

First Viewed: Alone at Harborne in Parramatta.

Rating-2.5*

Love and other drugs (2010)

The pitch was that of Sweet November; with some added elements. It was meant to be another sappy emotional love-story with highs & lows, it was exactly that... & boring. I liked the leads, & as a bonus they looked good both with their clothes on & off. But the former scences seemed a bit overdone & repetitive. Basically, there wasn't anything new on the screen. Every scene was predictable & yawn-worthy. & I'm surprised that it took them 110 mins to get nowhere. there were some cheesy smiles thrown in; but it didn't gather any momentum.
The brother's presence was annoying & unnecessary; a friend would been more plausible.

Favourite scenes include: The Pfizer training program; Maggie's spider-bite; Thai-curious

Alternate Ending: I think the entire bus-chase is cliched & damp. A more realistic ending would have been them never meeting each other after the restaurant bump-in; with her moving off to Canada/Europe & him working on Parkinson's research study. & then after several years, him contacting her to be a trial subject; & getting back together.

First Viewed: Alone at Harborne in Parramatta.

Rating-2