Zack & Miri Make A Porno (2008)

Kevin Smith’s Zack & Miri Make A Porno can be described as a slapstick romantic comedy, but at the same time it is devoid of the romance in its true core. 

Zack & Miri, enacted by Seth Rogen & Elizabeth Banks are shown as roommates staying together for years at Monroeville, Pennsylvania. From the very beginning it was made clear that their financial condition was in dire strait & with each month circumstances seemed to be worsening. In spite of working at a coffee shop Zack was not always able to pay his utility bills & Miri’s effort for working at local shopping mall also did not make much change.

Prior to attending a high school reunion Miri was caught changing her cloths at Zack’s workplace by two local teenagers, who soon uploads the voyeur video thus making her famous overnight. Taking insight to the viral marketing of the video & talking with one gay porn star at high school reunion, Zack decides to shoot pornography in order to come out from the financial crisis. Miri at first was reluctant to do the video shoot with Zack as they were friends with no physical intimacy & thought that this might put a dent to their friendship. The story thus steps forward as how both of them teams up to progress with their idea of making the movie & gets romantically involved while doing one such intimate video shoot.

Though the overall movie was pleasant, I still find some glitches with the pacing & the character development. It seemed that for most of the part Zack’s character was more toned up while Miri’s part seemed to be rather shortened. Considering this to be a romantic comedy the movie lacked or rather I would say failed to show the bonding in a much deeper level. Rest of the characters were not made much to shine but seemed to rather fill up the gaps within the script. Only one character which I can think of having some extra lines to put up with Zack was ‘Lester’ performed by Jason Mewes as a porn star in the movie.

That being said this movie has some good enough explicit sexuality, no wonder Katie Morgan a retired porn star was taken for the role to ease the tension while filming.

If you are planning to see this don’t expect the story to be as ‘Knocked Up’ or ‘ The 40-Year-Old Virgin’ which I consider to be very good & at the same time highly enjoyable.

Watch this on any lackluster weekend to lighten up the mood.

My Rating : 6/10

Watchmen (2009)

Alan Moore's 'Watchmen' has been one of the unsurpassed graphic novels I have ever read in a long time. Those who have not read the novel, the story of 'Watchmen' exist in an alternate reality where Americans have won the Vietnam War. Nixon had been elected three consecutive times for the successful drive in Vietnam & the  Superheroes/Vigilantes are the part of the Society. This story originated at the peak of the Cold War, & what kept the Russians form launching an aggressive campaign against U.S. was due to the presence of Dr. Manhattan (enacted by Billy Crudup). Due to the violent methods of providing justice, the superheroes had become detested among the public, thus leading to pass of Legislation Act which outlawed them. Though most of the heroes accepted forced retirement, two of them had been kept off the book 'Dr. Manhattan' & 'The Comedian' as they were working on Government's surveillance. Only 'Rorschach' was one of the vigilantes who had not accepted the act & continued his work undercover. 

The story starts with the murder of one of the vigilante followed by an independent investigation taken up by Rorschach; likewise we get introduced to all the other Superheroes who were given the name 'Watchmen'. First half is mostly flashback which introduces us to the characters at the same time it slowly carries the story to the core novel's climax.

Speaking of filming this story I expected this movie could have been way much better. The entire novel was full of intensity; I don't know what really went wrong. None of the characters seemed to have enough time to shine other than Rorschach, which was done marvelously by Jackie Earle Haley. Dr. Manhattan's role looked rather pale compared to the insightful I had while reading the book. Though most of the contents had been taken straightforwardly from the novel still some segment looked consciously altered to mesh with the alternate ending. Even 'Tales Of The Black Freighter' was not included within the movie which I think can be justified with the limitation of the time constraint.

Visually this movie is stunning packed with slow paced action which we have already seen in Zack Snyder's earlier work 300, with some of the musical tracks of the late 80's. Unlike other Comic based movies, this movie had been too brutal for which it got 'R' Rating. 

Ever since the theatrical release came out; couple of different versions streamed later into the market. If any one is planning to put their hands on the Blu-ray or DVD edition I would rather recommend going for the Ultimate Cut of this movie as it is a complete from the books P.O.V.

I would like to consider this movie as a missed glory; still I would respect the attempt of trying to re-create this visually as the fans have waited for almost two decades, hoping that some one would definitely make a movie out of graphic novel 'Watchmen'.

My Rating : 6.5/10

I Am Legend (2007)

Well, I am not a great Fan of Movies which has a story line covering Zombies, any way I Am Legend has taken a different approach. This movie is based on novel by Richard Matheson of the same name.

Note : If you don't like to know the plot details of this story then kindly skip the first three paragraphs.

Synopsis : The Movie starts with a flashback where it is revealed that in 2009 a genetically Re-engineered Measles Virus was created to cure Cancer; later on this Virus undergoes mutation & generates a new lethal airborne based disease which spreads worldwide killing ninety percent of those infected, while the remaining few percent who possessed natural immunity to this virus survived rest turned to a aggressive primal beings who were not able to tolerate Sun Light thus forcing them to hide in the dark till dusk. Slowly most of this immune people where hunted by the infected thus making the central character (Will Smith) as the lone survivor of the holocaust.

Will Smith plays as Dr. Robert Neville a US Army Scientist who posses the natural immunity against this airborne disease. He seems to have decided to stay back in Manhattan & try to find a possible cure. His daily day to day routine includes moving across the lonely Manhattan in the day time for hunting & gathering foods while in the night he works in his Lab trying to find a cure. He also waits every day for a response to his continuous recorded radio broadcasts, where he instructs any uninfected survivors to meet him at midday at the South Street Seaport. The only sanity in him is seemed to be kept alive by his only companion 'Samantha' a canine.

Very soon his survival becomes difficult, as his once fortified home at Washington Square becomes an imminent attack spot by a group of the Infected. Within the course of time Smith teams up with a woman named Anna & a small boy named Ethan who save him from a night road assault. The movie ultimately winds up with the cure resulting from his blood & Neville's (Smith)sacrifice to protect it.

I think the whole movie pulled up well with the extraordinary performance by Will Smith. The movies first forty minutes has been really a riveting experience, it just gave us a haunting look of the lonely Manhattan.

Though CGI created infected looked a little bit annoying, the overall experience was good. This movie is very much similar to Cast Away where Tom Hanks portrays a person marooned in an island. I Am Legend may have received mixed reviews from across the world; after all it can be justified as portrayal of person's psychology against all odds & his belief. So in one way the movie has been able to deliver what it had to offer in the first place. If you are looking for lots of action then this movie may not be the right choice; if you are looking for drama with a dark theme then this just proves to do so.

If there is no solid ground which rationalizes for watching this film, then Will Smith's performance is ample enough to give this movie a chance. 


My Rating : 7/10

Inception (2010)

In the time of remakes, Nolan brings frontward something so original that it's hard to evade.

Let me put this straight; Inception is a kind of mind buster if appropriate attention is given, viewers will be suitably rewarded. It's not the typical popcorn flick which we have got used to so often.

By this time I guess everyone got little bit of idea on the plot; In short

Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a kind of specialist who has the skill to get inside people's dream and steal their ideas for various reasons. During one such assignment the subject (dreamer) being aware of Cobb's real intention jeopardizes the mission. However impressed by Cobb's skill he is offered a new task for self redemption. Instead of stealing a dream he needs to implant one in a key business tycoon's mind which will lead to known repercussion in real world.

That being said lets talk about the casting.

The cast assembled for this movie is more than perfect; DiCaprio's role was well balanced by Ellen Page, Marion Cotillard & Joseph Levitt. In various reviews I came across people tetchy about less character development other than Leo; well I guess that is how Nolan wanted to tell his story. Ultimately it all depends on how we interpret.

Action sequence infused within the movie was simply "amazing" and the pace was very much accelerated by Hans Zimmer's pulsating score.

The essence of the movie can be felt with its beautiful cinematography for which credit should definitely be given to Walter Pfister.

In short this is a masterpiece & should never be missed in the theaters.

Time has come for us to leave behind memoirs of 'The Dark Knight' & move ahead to accept Christopher Nolan's new great work 'Inception'.

This movie will beyond doubt be the theme to lots of movie enthusiast café talk for the months to come. Remember Memento... :)

My Rating : 10/10

How to Train Your Dragon (2010)

How To Train Your Dragon will undeniably become the main contender for the Oscar in the animation genre this year.

The story starts with full intensity & never fails to keep the rhythm. This is a story of Vikings & dragons but said in an entirely extraordinary tone to make the overall experience, spectacular. We shortly tag on to the central character 'Hiccup' whose mythical village on the island of Berk is infested with dragon raid, which comes frequently to take away the sheep. Being the son of the Viking Chief, too many expectation transpire on him to be a worthy dragon slayer & keep up the family legacy. Soon he befriends one of the rare dragons 'Night Fury' in the woods which he had earlier tried to kill. This unlikely friendship makes him to see the world in a different perspective. As the story progress we all get a chance to emerge ourselves into this magical world and take pleasure in the ride with the dragon.

In short, this is an entertaining movie for the whole family. The animation is first-rate and so are the characters, which bring in full life. The vocal casting in general is admirable; Jay Baruchel as 'Hiccup' is perfect as the young perplexed teenage Viking and the transformation into a formidable warrior is truly amazing. Gerard Butler as Viking Chief had been good in the supporting role. This is a kind of movie which can be enjoyed by the kids & the adults alike, since the dragons here are animated in lighter tenor giving it a less fearful look, I guess fewer toddlers will be sobbing in the theaters out of fear.

Even though I have not seen this in 3-D I guess it surly will accelerate the general experience for good.

My Rating : 8.5/10

Kick-Ass (2010)

Amazing is what I think about this movie right now.

If truth be told, Matthew Vaughn's Kick-Ass has given us a new edge in the comic based movies.

Actions are fast & gritty still it has the essence of some comic relief in between to have some light moments.

The story is simple; where a regular teenager round the block decides to be a super hero calling himself as 'Kick-Ass' & faces the reality of what it takes to be a 'Hero'. Circumstances changes when he comes across vigilante father & daughter team who call themselves as 'Big Daddy' & 'Hit Girl'; who clean the streets by killing the men working for powerful drug Lord Frank D'Amico. Well... I will not go into any further details because it surly will give away the plot and I don't wish to do so for those who haven't seen this movie yet.

Aaron Johnson as 'Kick Ass' has really done a great job, but the main lure for this movie is Chloë Moretz as 'Hit Girl'; she is simply awesome. Nicolas Cage as 'Big Daddy' or rather the side kick had been perfect and revived himself in a much better way than what we have seen in his earlier title at Ghost Rider.

Remember Sin City this movie too has lots of profanity and violence; no doubt this got 'R' rating but I will not at all be complaining because this movie has offered us exactly what we wanted to see.

The soundtrack is also soothing & by the time the credit rolls the song 'Kick Ass' by Mika will be lingering in the mind for quite some time. This movie is surly not to be missed. So far 2010 start has offered some good movies, apart from Shutter Island I can say Kick-Ass can too join the league of success.

I don't know whether any sequel will be upcoming or not but as a stand alone title this will unquestionably win the universal movie goers heart and support.

This movie really KICKS ASS!!!! In every literal sense

Well "Shut Up. Kick-Ass" :)

My Rating : 8/10

Clash Of The Titans (2010)

Earlier in 2009 when the first trailers of Clash Of The Titans started to role out I hoped that it might offer us fine story with some mammoth effects.

After watching the movie I can say that it was rather a disappointing experience.

Since I have not seen the earlier make which came out in the early eighties, I really cannot go for a relative study and say which version fared the most.

Given that this movie was based on Greek legends I think there was a great possibility to make this fantasy as large as the 'Lord Of The Rings' franchise. Well I was too optimistic for which I felt so hammered while watching this.

Personally I felt the story way too short and lacked the momentum. Short of character development also made us feel less when any one of them died.

Avatar might have proved an initiation floor for Sam Worthington to fame, but being the main protagonist 'Perseus' did not live up to my anticipation. I can say he fared way too well in the last box office disaster Terminator Salvation.

In one go, it seems that Sam had fewer to spill words rather than flexing muscles.

The story was believed to be an epic journey to prevent the underworld from unleashing hell to earthlings, so definitely there was lot of scope to make this journey a tour de force. I hoped that the story would focus more on the struggle as well on the hardships meshed together with good amount of epic battles. The end result was mediocre.

Whatever actions you might expect from this movie have been mostly relayed in the trailers added with some surprise wow factor.

Overall the special effects had been good, predominantly when 'Kraken' makes its screen presence but the vibrancy of the 'Medusa' was lost because of what I call as bad CGI glitch. Eventually Ramin Djawadi soundtrack gave some life to the movie which otherwise would have been completely lost because of weak narrative.

Either way some will definitely love while others will hate this movie. Going to watch this with less expectation will surly chic the mood.

My Rating : 4/10

Iron Man 2 (2010)

After almost waiting for two years, we finally saw one of the most anticipated movies of 2010.

To begin with, this movie fell short to be a masterpiece if compared to its predecessor. Back in 2008 Iron Man had amazed the critics as well as the movie buffs across the globe because of its sheer story and superlative action; thus raising the super hero genre movies to monumental heights. It was inherent for us to have high hopes of its next title.

For those who are still having doubts on this, I would certainly urge everyone to watch this film in the big screen. Iron Man 2 practically starts after the events we saw in the first edition. Tony Stark's revelation of being Iron Man has prompted the United States government for asking him to surrender the technology for better cause. Here Stark meets his new adversary Ivan Vanko a.k.a 'Whiplash' enacted by Mickey Rourke who seems to have a personal motive for seeking vengeance. Apart from this we are also shown some new developments in Stark's life which I wish not to disclose here.

Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man had been the best choice made by director Jon Favreau; his charisma and acting talent had alone made the first movie such a success. Apart from some of the similar faces we have seen earlier, this time Don Cheadle as Lt. Colonel James Rhodes proved to be a worthy addition to the title. Personally I feel it would have been nice if Rourke's character was given some more attention because being the foremost antagonist of Iron Man his legacy seemed to be too short lived.

Iron Man 2 have concerted more on the drama elements than on the action possibly for making grounds for the future movie on 'The Avengers'. As an advisory note if anyone is planning to watch this movie only for its adrenaline pumped action then it might be little bit disappointing, as the sequel is not having much action so to say like its forerunner; however whatever action was there it was top notch and equally commendable.

To finish with, this movie lives up to its expectation as I had said earlier, only I hope in its next title they balance the story with some more action. This is surly not to be missed in the theaters.

My Rating : 7.5/10

The Matrix (1999)

Writing down the review of The Matrix is itself a sturdy effort. I will try but can't guarantee ... :) 

The Matrix will always remain as a triumph in the genre of Science Fiction. Filled with rich narrative, this movie was triumphant in revolutionizing the thinking process of the viewers. The Wachowski brothers have presented us with some story which we could have never imagined even in our wildest dreams.
Since this movie deals with a complex theme, this will require every attention in order to comprehend the flow of the story. This movie is definitely not for those who just like to see action without willing to appreciate the philosophical approach and the depth of understanding.

When it comes to casting, I think Wachowski brothers have made the perfect choice for putting Keanu Reeves as 'Neo', I don't think any other person could have pulled it so efficiently as him. Of course I don't need to mention that Carrie Moss was perfect as 'Trinity', did I miss some one... well...who will forget Hugo Weaving as 'Agent Smith' & he was simply brilliant.

Action has been the integral part of this movie and will it be very hard to believe that it had become the groundwork of many new movies for the years to come. I think since so much innovative technique was adopted for the visual effects; it was not difficult even for the Academy Awards to be acquainted with and thus aptly awarding this movie for its Sound & Visual effects.

Well I had been the unlucky few to have missed this movie when it came out to the theaters, but I did enjoy when the DVD came out. I must say the DVD transmission was not at all regretful. Sound quality was top notch.

This movie had been the part of the Trilogy and comparing with the other two movies, this had been the best as a stand alone very much similar to the 'Terminator' Franchise.

The Matrix might have received mixed reviews but truthfully this was one of the best science fiction movies which came out in the late nineties. This also had been successful in revitalizing the interest amongst us; after all we go to Movie Theaters expecting to enjoy the show with a mesmeric experience.

My Rating : 9/10

Transformers : Revenge Of The Fallen (2009)

Well in the beginning I was thinking where I should start with. 

Having seen the first part Transformers I knew this movie will of course not be the type where lots of grey cells need to be nurtured.

I have always been a fan of Science Fiction movies, but to consider Michael Bay's Transformers Revenge Of The Fallen is like making fun of some legendary directors like Steven Spielberg, Steven Soderbergh, Stanley Kubrick, George Lucas & of course James Cameron.

Well though I grew up during the time of animated transformers, I had never seen one. So without hurting the feeling of all the hardcore followers of this franchise, my personal outlook on this 2nd sequel is how can we put this title in the shelf of Science Fiction? I enjoyed little bit of the first part only because of the visual effects which was definitely praise worthy. In the beginning of the first movie itself we were told the origin. Whether everyone will agree with me or not, but I feel that the only reason for making Revenge of the Fallen was for the sake of keeping the franchise alive & to milk as much of money it could have extracted from the box office. I feel hardcore faction of Terminator & Alien Series will agree with me to some extent.

Firstly in the 2nd part way too many new characters were included as such I hardly cared for any one of them. May be I saw this just for some computer generated robots & because of hot Megan Fox....:)

The basic plot remains the same, hapless human caught in the war between Autobots & Decepticons. I think by this time almost every one has seen this movie, but for those who have not yet seen, the story in short, its revealed long time back some ancient clan of 'Transformers' moved from universe to universe in search of 'Energon'(Sounded to me like Eragon) sources. In order to do so they used devices called as 'Harvesters' to draw the energy from the stars in order to power "All Spark" which I think every one knows had been the central theme of the prequel. Any way these Transformers were called as "Dynasty of Prime" who had some principle of their own....funny isn't it (they too had philosophers like we human...)) to spare the planets which had life. Naturally some one has to break this, other wise we will not have the 2nd Part...so we learn one of the member (who will be known as 'Fallen') of this special clan makes one of the Harvester on Earth. So in order to hide the key which drives this device rest of the Prime sacrifices their life...rest I think you can pretty well guess what would have followed. Whoa!!! What a story...seems like it will put 'Aliens' even to shame.

When it comes to acting I think there is barely any thing you will notice in CGI Robots who are way too busy kicking each others'ass. Never felt sorry for fallen Autobots because that depth had been missing from the very beginning itself. This movie is simply for those who just like actions without much logic to work on. Though the box office had shown pretty positive market for this sequel, sometimes I feel...have the viewers lost the very essence of Science Fiction Movies...however Cameron's highly anticipated movie 'AVATAR' was able to revive this lost genre. I think Spielberg's presence in the production shoes might have helped in boosting the visual effects to some great extent. So to finish with, if some has missed this movie, you can pretty well skip, otherwise you can rent it or download it but truly this does not deserve to be purchased.

My Rating : 3.5/10

Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds is a tour de force in its own way. 

Like his other works Pulp Fiction this movie has a strong narrative and is performance driven, which is seen from the very beginning.

Though the story is based on fiction, the backdrop is taken from the time of Nazi Occupied France during 1941.

We are presented with two distinctive stories running in parallel. A girl with a fake identity seeking to avenge her family’s murder by Nazi; the other one emphasis on a group of American Jew soldiers led by perky Lt. Aldo Raine called as the “Basterds” for creating havoc within the German Army stationed in France, by brutally killing them and leaving behind their smudge of terror.

As usual Tarantino has achieved to render the violence on screen but restraining from calling this movie too gory. The style is unique and of course praiseworthy. The cast is well chosen, though we have lots of characters to deal with, the one which will linger in the viewers’ mind will be Colonel Hans Landa brilliantly enacted by Christoph Waltz.
We also have Brad Pitt as Lt. Aldo Raine; it would have been pleasant if his screen timing was little bit more, not to forget Mélanie Laurent, whose beauty was equally balanced by her shining act.

After seeing Downfall or Der Untergang I could not imagine anyone could play the role of Hitler other than Bruno Ganz. If you have not seen that movie you need to see to understand my implication, if you have seen then you probably know what I mean. I think this is the only reason why I would downslide the rating to some extent.

This movie is presented in chapters and is well tuned with background score. I think the originality was also achieved for keeping the language not restricted to English but also keeping German, French & Italian giving us a real feel of European atmosphere. Cinematography has also had been one of its strong points which surly will lure the eyes of the Academy Awards Committee. Note this is not a typical World War movie where it’s more action driven; here the drama element also takes a major role.

Overall if you like Tarantino’s movies, then there is a great chance that you may adore this flick.

My Rating : 8/10

Avatar (2009)

James Cameron once again proved that if you have enough funds and imagination there is no limit to creativity. This movie truly has raised the bar of vision for the future cohort movies. 

Avatar deals with a story which we have seen in many forms; the only thing which makes this film so inimitable, is because of its ground breaking way of staging visual effects which is just spectacular to gaze at. Though the narrative had been quite conventional the presence of 3D as the medium for transmission enhanced the involvement further more.

In short, the story takes us to year 2154 on a moon called as Pandora. Here humans are involved for mining valued mineral known as unobtanium. This intrusion threats the way of life of an indigenous humanoid population called Na’vi. ‘Avatar’ deals with the forename of the project which centers bio engineering Na’vi bodies which could be remotely controlled by humans in order to interact with the native inhabitants. The plot centers a paralyzed marine who knowingly volunteers for Avatar project, falls in love with a female na’vi & later questions his loyalty towards humans.

On personal front I never felt the story to be difficult to get on with; it simply could have been much more, if we had an opportunity to see some more character development. This is the reason for which I had reconsidered my rating.

Avatar brings along some impressive cast like Zoe Saldana, Sam Worthington, Stephen Lang & legendary Sigourney Weaver. Saldana’s role as Neytiri is really exemplary which made us to stop think that we were actually watching photo realistic computer generated characters.

Cameron’s ingenuity can be seen through the vast life form he created for his fictional Pandora. This film shows us what to anticipate in future motion capture animation technology.

Overall, this is a must watch in 3D in order to value its credibility.

My Rating : 8/10

District 9 (2009)

Exhilarating!!

I think this is the only word I can think of for describing this movie.

For those who have not yet seen District 9 this is a Science Fiction Action Adventure directed by Neill Blomkamp & produced by Peter Jackson.

As far as I know this was Neill's first project. Without any prior information on this movie, I think I decided to give this movie a shot when I saw that Peter Jackson was also involved. Any way I was not at all thwarted.

To tell the story in a nutshell, we are told that some time back in the '80s a massive alien ship appeared over Johannesburg, SA & it looked to be marooned as its command module got separated some how (which we are not told how...) & fell to earth. After sometime the people from earth formed a probing team who discovers a million unhealthy extraterrestrial species, which are later given refuge on earth. However in a matter of time the initial welcome gets washed out from human community as some of these aliens called as "Prawns" (As they resembled the exoskeleton of prawns) gets involved into unlawful activities. The asylum camp where these aliens were hooked up was called as "District 9". After some time a militarized Private Company called MNU (Multi National United) is given contract to evict the population to a new place. While the on going story we are introduced to the protagonist Wikus Van De Merwe who acts as the operative in charge for eviction. During the process he gets accidentally infected to one alien chemical component which leads to mutation. The story ultimately revolves around the MNU's exploitation on Wikus' newly infection in order to accelerate alien weapon system, which they had been working on for some time without much success. Side by side we are shown the dark side of the human & Wikus' flight to escape from this new nightmare.

Wikus character is intensely performed by Sharlto Copley; I think I will not be forgetting this very soon. Considering the budget to be less than 40 million I think the special effects and the Alien design was simply brilliant. After a long time we are provided with story which has a soul in a literal sense.

This movie is prepared in the way to give it a documentary look, but it never goes beyond overdo. Neill succeeds in steadily converting the light hearted nature of this movie to a fast paced dark action narrative, which is definitely praise worthy. I think every one should see this once to decide its merit.

My Rating : 8.5/10

The Dark Knight (2008)

The Dark Knight will be one of the first Super Hero based movie which was dark not only from its literal point of view but from every aspect compared to its peers like Spider Man, Iron Man etc.

Heath Ledger's performance as 'Joker' has immortalized one of the best screen play Villain in modern times. Unlike 1989's Batman, this will be the best comic book adaptation successfully put to screen and I doubt whether there will be any movie like this unless Christopher breaks his own record with an even more successful sequel.

I have always preferred Christian Bale as Batman rather than Val Kilmer, George Clooney. This time he displayed a much more mature role. If Batman Begins had created the groundwork for the upcoming sequel, then Dark Knight proved to be a superior and more thriving motion picture. It is a real tragedy to miss a prodigy like Heath.

Unlike Jack Nicolson 'Joker'which proved to be a funnier adversary of the Batman, Heath as 'Joker' was Devil's Incarnate, one who would kill with a smile on face and the most challenging nemesis ever to be put up in a Super Hero based movies. Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent/Two Face was an excellent pick & he balanced his role delightfully.

Apart from the brilliant performance by supporting actors like Morgan Freeman, Maggie Gyllenhaal & Gary Oldman as Lt. Gordan, the movie provided us with some of the unforgettable musical score by typical talents James Newton Howard & Hans Zimmer.

My Rating : 10/10

The Hurt Locker (2008)

The Hurt Locker can be described as the most authentic portrayal of post Iraq War. 
For those who have not yet seen, the story centers the special unit in Army whose profession is to defuse roadside bombs in Iraq.
There had been way too many movies based on the Iraq premise, what makes this movie so remarkable is how well the narrative had been put to use.
We get to see the war torn country in an absolute different perspective, adding legitimate elements to make this a stunning success. 
Every effort had been taken to capture the details of the risk involved for disarming live bombs adding to it, the thrill factor. Kathryn Bigelow has successfully given us the true situation out there which we had always been yearning to see.

Apart from the style of infusing edgy moments and realistic action; strength of this movie also had been the cast, even though most of them had shared equal amount of time. Jeremy Renner had been faultless as the untamed "Sergeant William James". Anthony Mackie as "Sergeant Sanborn" had been likewise creditable. Emotion & frustration had been a long time mate of the men and women serving in Iraq and it had been properly justified by Brian Geraghty as "Specialist Eldridge".

Though we will not see senseless gun battles, whatever action had been exposed have been worldly & uncompromising.

Taken as a whole, if anyone is interested to understand the present state of Iraq The Hurt Locker should just be right to feel the heat. It does not carry any biased political message but a true depiction of life under constant threat.

It reminds me with the excerpt shown at the start of the movie.

"The rush of battle is often a potent and lethal addiction, for war is a drug" -- Chris Hedges

Very True...

My Rating : 9/10