Catch-22

Director - Mike Nichols

Genre - Comedy/War

A surrealistic commentary about the privatisation and increasingly business-like nature of America's military. Mike Nichols of 'The Graduate' fame might have been quite indulgent with his direction here but we still enjoyed it. A feeling of a lost, treasured time is felt when viewing this because a cast consisting of so many stars and elaborate sets will never get the green light now. The salaries of a cast like this would be too enormous for any studio to fork over. Alan Arkin plays an air force pilot who wants to be grounded because he is made to fly way too many missions. All around him, the world in which he fights for is becoming more inane and unworthy of his life on the line. With bizarre situations abound, a wonderful cameo by larger than life legend Orson Welles and cinematography done to detailed perfection, this will be seen and talked about for a long time to come.

4 STARS!

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The Lovely Bones

Director - Peter Jackson

Genre - Drama/Fantasy/Thriller

Susie Salmon is in the 'In-Between', a place sandwiched in the middle of heaven and the living. It is through here that she narrates her hauntingly short, bittersweet existence to us and what caused her to be taken so cruelly from her loving family. Based on a bestselling novel, the story is an engaging one because it is told in such a unique angle. The use of computer-generated images by director Peter Jackson infused the landscape of 'In-Between' with a sense of wonderment and it is done accordingly without being crassly overdone (Avatar comes to mind). Its highlights also include Stanley Tucci playing one of the creepiest suburban monsters in celluloid. We're not over the moon about this film because some parts were quite by the numbers and there weren't that many surprises as we thought there would be. Nevertheless, make no bones about it, this is worth your time.

3 STARS!

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Valkyrie

Director - Bryan Singer

Genre - Drama/History/Thriller/War

Tom Cruise teams up with Bryan Singer to play the mastermind of a plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler. Realizing that Hitler is destroying his beloved German, Cruise's one eyed character with a stump for a hand (he was injured in an explosion) decides to join a rebellion group which has had enough of Hitler's evil ways. The film takes a bit of getting used to because everyone's supposed to be in Germany but nobody's speaking German. Cruise speaks the language he uses towards Katie and Suri everyday. He doesn't even bother with putting on an accent. The suspense in most scenes are also halved as we know Hitler would remain safe. Overall, we get this movie. We know it tried to show how not every German is bad. Many have actually tried to stop this mad dictator, but were dealt a terrible fate instead. That doesn't equate it being a good movie. Watchable history lesson made with flair? Heil yes!

2.5 STARS!

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Funny People

Director - Judd Apatow

Genre - Comedy/Drama

This is a curious film. It doesn't really fit together with what Apatow has produced or directed before. It is more like a case study on the struggles and effort which goes into being a stand-up. We think it wouldn't be too far out to say this is quite similar to what Scorsese's 'Raging Bull' had done for the profession of boxers. At more running time than what we're used to seeing in a typical comedy, this is like an arthouse treatment of the genre. The jokes have more bite and meaning as Sandler plays a dying comedian who reevaluates what his life has been despite his success. Seth Rogen who plays his earnest student and later the friend he never had, provides the emotional glue lacking in most comedies. Serious thespian Eric Bana also proved how adapt he is at eliciting guffaws. A comedy with more heart than the tin man would ever hope for. Ironically, this is the one element sorely lacking in Sandler's other films.

4 STARS!

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YAM Issue 010

There you go, Amy's Yet Another Magazine (YAM) June 2010 edition (Issue 10). Check out her reviews on 'Prince of Persia', 'Robin Hood', 'Iron Man 2', 'Kick-Ass' and many more!

District 9

Director - Neill Blomkamp

Genre - Action/Sci-Fi/Thriller

We were told that this is special. That it is different from other movies which have dabbled in science fiction. We're glad to report to you out there that these praises that have been sung upon the movie are indeed justified. One highly crucial factor most science fiction pictures lack is the human element. Many have failed to recognize that to have us immerse ourselves into the story, we have to first feel for the hero. If not, nobody would care if the characters live or turn into liver ramen. The 'Alien' franchise gave us Sigourney Weaver's Ripley, a character we could identify with and cared about. 'District 9''s hero is one of us. He is flesh and blood. There are many surprises in this film, one of which we realized is that it is also a love story. And for once, the CGI didn't take precedence over the story. James Cameron could learn a thing or two from this young upstart.

4.5 STARS!

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Avatar

Director - James Cameron

Genre - Action/Adventure/Fantasy/Sci-Fi

Movies like 'Avatar' pander to the average,entertainment deprived audience. It tweaks the joy buttons of those who like their pictures served loud, with plenty of action and a healthy dose of "WTF, that was CGI?" scenes. There are a good many of these viewers around as witnessed by this newly crowned most profitable film of all time. Set in the future, the script takes us like kids on a brand new carnival ride to Pandora, a planet knee-deep in an energy source much coveted by the U.S. government. A voluntary marine is called upon to infiltrate the home of the alien creatures, using an avatar to do so. When the hero falls in love with a local beauty, their happiness is shortlived as war looms in the horizon. Cue half-hearted attempt in getting us on the alien's side ('District 9' was way better in this aspect), chest thumpin' speeches and macho army talk. If you scrape away all the gloss and shine, what's left is a weak story propping up a grand show of expensive computer graphics. In short, it was everything 'District 9' wasn't.

2.5 STARS!

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