Reviews by Reno

The latest British prison movie, which was partially based on the true story. The whole movie was shot inside a prison evolving into depicting the prison life. When a young, but a violent crime offender, Eric been transformed into an adult penitentiary, he meets his compeer. His strength will be tested against his counterparts who are two times older than him. The young fellow all prepared to face the most dangerous criminals from the country. Thus his restless days begin to fight for survival. He signs for therapy meet which is forced by his father who is also an inmate. Like all the father, the story describes his role as a protector. Definitely not a melodrama, but deliberately aggressive and he can do anything to defend his son.

Starred up means you are leader.

Impressive tricks by the felons who hide their weapons and other stuffs which can be useful for their defense. There is no exact story, scene by scene, it just replicates the real prison's daily activities and experiences that one can go through. It is not a greatest prison story ever told, but the contents were so powerful, like, as I said it was kind of inspired by a real person's. Jack O'Connell was unbelievably good in his role. He's having a wonderful time right now and I am eager for his next venture 'Unbroken'. The other characters were not that exposed as he was, but given equal good performances. I have not seen any prison related movie recently and this movie surprisingly met above my expectation.

7.5/10

A biographical movie of princess Diana. It tells the story of her last two years of life, especially the romance side. A better movie than I anticipated. I think Jessica Chastain would have been also a good choice to play the role princess Diana, anyway Naomi Watts excelled in her opportunity. The movie did not fail because of the cast, characters and performances, the thing is I really don't know why, different people say different reason, but I enjoyed it. This real incident was happened when I was a little kid, I did not know the whole story then till I watch it now.

After all Diana was also a human like everybody else and I did not find anything wrong with her romantic affair in her final days. In fact, as a cinematic it chronicles on the sufficient amount of limited characters. Lots of the big names were just left out. That's great because the movie had all the time to concentrate on the particular relationship. Except that I waited for the end tragedy scene which never came. I assumed, that could have been the highlight of the movie, which might have brought the tears. So I believe it is a great let down, the movie did not have the car crash scene. Especially the real reason behind it remains fishy and mystery. Naveen Andrews was great, but he was no way near to Hasnat Khan in appearance.

There's about 5 billion people on this planet who can say they love me!
But is there one who can stay with me?

There might be some flaws in the movie, because in the biopics people often complain about many things. Those who observed all this incident closely at that time when it happened may recognize errors. But I feel modification sometimes need while transforming a real life to cinematic. Like any romantic movie it can be enjoyed by everyone who love biography. I did and liked it, certainly not a class movie like it should have been.

Frankly, I never knew what the movie is about. What I expected was a beautiful romantic drama and I got a movie that defined someone's struggle over her passion and its reality. After seeing opening scene I thought it would be another movie about war similar to the '5 Days of War'. I am glad it was so distinct which was partially based on the director own experiential story when he served as a photojournalist in the '80s. It is a jointly produced movie by Ireland and Norway in English language.

Rebecca is a passionate war zone photojournalist and her daring attitude make her one of the finest on the field. Like always her latest journey takes place in the war torn city of Kabul, Afghanistan. She follows a suicide bomber to cover up the story where she gets injured. After the accident the whole story flips back to her home in Ireland where it chronicles the worried husband and the two children who are very affectionate of her. This is the time where she has to choose the side, the professional? Or the family? The stay at home during recovery makes her realize the worth of her life. So the movie's end strikes with the path she opts to travel forth.

Sometimes it's hard to stay at home. I mean, the one
who stays at home has the hardest job.

Well, it served a message with the touch of melodrama. The story demonstrated family value on the right amount of each others love and care. The opening and the end scenes that take place in Afghanistan was so brutal and there's another one that takes place in Kenya. But bringing the reality on the screen as it happening some places of the world must be appreciated. It kind of makes you realize that someone is sacrificing their life to bring light on what's happening in the war zones. Like always, Juliette Binoche was good. It was her movie, her side of the story told when she was caught between the family who loves and the war that calls her.

One of the fascinating thematic movie. Regarding the main role, you may think why she's not stopping the tragedy from happening. That's the journalism, when you have no power to act, just expose to the rest of the world. The combination of family drama and the conflict zone are like two different genres that brought together awesomely. The director's own experience helped to shape the movie well. Almost all the combat related scenes were so realistic as what he had seen is now letting us know through this film. I think this movie is a must see. The end scene makes us go speechless, woefully.

Lately I have been watching lots of movies from the book adaptation and here it comes another one. This time an English language novel transformed into an Italian movie. But what I heard is that a few changes were made to bring the Italian flavor. Well, what could I say more, if you know the director you will say he's the right person to make it happen and he did excellently. Recruited the best cast and extracted best out of them.

The story of the two families narrated in the different streams when a cyclist got hit by a car on the Christmas eve. So the question has been asked, how did it happen? And who did it? The characters from two families begin to expose their role on that accident night revealing who did what. Dino, a realtor sees an opportunity to get into a big earning league so he decides to invest a large amount on it. Followed by the recession he has to face the reality of business that puts his life on a stake. Carla, the wife of a multimillionaire gives a financial support for the struggling company. Later she has to let it go when her husband's business begins to fall apart. Serena, the daughter of Dino and Massimiliano, son of Carla are the close friends. Their story follows where one of them finds their true love and another one get into sadness for some reason. When all these three episodes concludes the final chapter begins to unveil the truth with a twist.

I know it does not look much like you,
I tend to make things uglier.

The story was told in layers which were divided into the four chapters. The story that happened between the particular timeline was repeated again and again with another character's perspective and with different camera angles till truth reveals in the final chapter. As it's still developing the opening was confusing which was the first chapter. Without holding-up in development, it straight goes with the main intention of the theme. If you pass that then the following segments interest you to make you guess the possibilities the suspense it hold. Kind of impossible to predict because of the introduction of the related characters to the particular incident consumed by the three quarters of the film. Which mean twist comes at the latter part which was really a good one. Each character that comes in the different episodes were incredible. Like, for a moment it was unhooked from the rest and centralizes that specific story stream, but the common event holds the story all together. I liked all the main characters, but the character Serena steals the final show. The role who played it was a new face and I kind see a great career ahead of her. (God, she's kind of attractive, hope its not me the only one to say that.) This was one of the recent best neo-noir. If somebody asks, I definitely recommend it.

First of all, this movie is nothing to do with Empire State Building. When I saw the movie poster with that building the background, I thought the movie would be something like 'White House Down' which will be defended against the terrorist takeover/attack. Poster also misleads that the movie is a complete action pack, but it was not. It was a crime-thriller which was based on the real story.

The sudden variation in scenes and the character behaviors kind of incompetence to keep balanced everything in the story progress. Inspired by a real event is what kept my interest all the way. Suppose it was fictional that was written for the movie I would have said the writer was confused between character to build and story development.

On the other side the performances promised to conclude the movie on a high note and it does. One of it was Dwayne Johnson, actually it was not his movie, but his part was a highlight alongside Liam Hemsworth and Michael Angarano. Could have done a little better in few parts for the best outcome. Anyway, it will entertain you, but cannot remain in your memory for so long.

'Family drama' meets 'Teen party'. An awesome concept that was wasted with the bad casting. I never enjoyed Zac Efron's presence in any movie. I consider him one of the worst, according to my taste in actors and their performances. And again this movie crashed down because of him, otherwise somehow it could have been an enjoyable flick, especially with the stars like Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne in it.

These two guys tried to lift it up, but the other side of the story failed. The two unmatched set of the cast that did not pay off as one as what the audience wanted, the fun. So it is kind of mixed feeling to me about the movie like half enjoyed. The end wide opens for a sequel, if there's one I hope the couple would retain their place, but the rest needs a fresh start, especially not Zac again please.

Not expected this from the director. For a title called 'Sabotage' which had one of our times greatest action hero in it the story drags with lots of drama than stunts. Arnold Schwarzenegger is not young anymore and he's not capable of heavy stunts, but still he handled well those crucial parts. No doubt he was good, and also the direction, but the story was not well written. Especially the twist was so pale and the supporting characters were hyped better than the Arnie's, but failed to hold and deliver when the story needed them.

Due to create the suspense some of the assassins were kept undisplayed for the viewers and that is another let down. Because in the whole movie action sequences were the weakest except the opening scene and those murders were somehow produced expectancy. This movie was not bad, but an average. It can be watched once though it may not fulfill your thirst for fine enjoyment. You may like what I did not, so I can't put it to discardable list.


6½/10

The main concept was borrowed from 'Wizard of the Oz', but a modernized with the three episode tale. The director is not a stranger to me, because I liked his previous television mini series 'Neverland'. That was another reason why ended up watching this one. As far my observations, this director is very creative because he just takes the original concept as an inspiration and improvises it. Those were really the good work to build something around the original idea and somewhere he overlaps between the two to make a connection. In an understandable way to say, his TV mini series all were kind of unofficial prequels or sequels to the original classic fantasy tales.

DG is a small town waitress that she's not happy to spend her rest of the life there. She always dreamt to escape it in search of a cheerful life. Like a wish come true, one night a storm take her to a land called OZ. It is a paradise, but affected by a magical spell cast by the evil force. She meets the people who suffered from the evil queen's outrage. Later she comes to know the reason she was brought there and her involvement in the ongoing issues in OZ. The present and the past both were simultaneously narrated about what happened and is happening and what should be done to stop the bad things. So the Dg's journey commences accompanied by a few men who help her to travel safe.

I'd shoot you in the heart if I thought you had one.

The film had lots of upgrading items, like it was set in the modern world still the main character hop into the magical world called OZ. Here the OZ is abbreviated from 'Outer Zone'. All the three episodes were so good, each of them had twists at the end. The story was unexpectedly good, the fan of the original tale will definitely love it. The concept of protagonist and antagonist was built on a reasonable plan that will probably satisfy most of us at the end. It can be viewed by all ages. No silly costumes for the characters like from the storybooks. As it was a television product the quality was normal standard.

Of course the technology and other options were easily fetchable, but the filmmaker used all the computer related resources in a limit. It's not like that they can't offer it, but to keep everything simple. I loved everyone's performances. In fact, Kathleen Robertson, who was in a negative role impressed a lot than the Zooey Deschanel. No one had the tough stunts in the movie, but felt that Zooey Deschanel had not comfortable with them. The guest appearance of the original tale was a surprise. Overall, it is the movie, a must see by the 'Wizard of the Oz' fans. A few things you must remember before giving it a try. It was kind of an sci-fi-fantasy, but the story and twists were the highlights.

You might remember a few months ago I reviewed a title about the summer camp prank. The movie was called 'Standing Up' that I loved a lot. This movie is kind of similar, but deals on a different issue. Absolutely an important movie that discloses the most common trouble faced by the physically weak students, especially loners who were targeted by the bully boys. It was based on the book 'Regret!'. That is why we need more novel adaptation that deliver the messages to the younger generation.

The story was narrated from the perspective of a high school student David. He also a member of the band called 'Point Out!'. David in not a boy who interfere with others affairs, like a quiet one he's focused on his studies and other activities. He has a crush on his classmate Vera, and so she's on him, but they never expressed to each others. In between their secret affection, a fellow mate called Jochem comes into the scene. He's fat and have no friends, which mean an easy prey for the tyrant of the class. As the school days progress Jochem makes friends with David and Vera, individually. He begins to spend some time with them, but that does not solve his problems. With a little misunderstanding between the three, the story reveals what they had failed to recognize, the seriousness of the situation.

You should drink water instead. It's healthy.
And it doesn't stain.

Recently kind of I'm attracted to the Dutch movies. Saw some of the best movies and every time with the new movies my interest and expectations on them are growing. So that is how I came up with this movie, an awesome movie. Well, this movie theme was good, a very good movie to educate school and college students about what is right and wrong. Like you know by now it was about bullying, the movie displays what had to be shown. With the blend of little hide-and-seek romance track and music in few parts.

Bullying is fun for some, but it is a crime, especially if it ends in an unexpected way. To create such trouble the story takes time to advance that kind of looks a drag in the tale. Well written screenplay, which concentrated around three characters. Each of them were so good in their respective roles. This kind of message movie is what I expect from Hollywood, because Hollywood movies can reach all the corner of the earth. I hope dubbed or remake version will do justice to the truth the movie tried to tell. A movie not to be missed, especially if you a parent to the teenagers.

It was a remake of the Israeli movie 'Mar Baum'. Kind of incorrect to call it a comedy movie when it is a dark comedy. Enjoyments from both the genres are different. You know it was one of the last movies of the legendary actor Robin Williams. That was not the reason for me to like it. The story begins to build on a silly reason, but it was a partially unique concept. Opens like a regular comedy and then turn over to the actual meaning for the contents it deals. Like the cancer theme movies it gets emotional in the later parts. There's no twists, but convinces the effort they had tried to end it on a high note. Sadly, it kind of depicts the actual life incident of Robin Williams. It is a great loss, I grew up watching 'Jumanji' and 'Flubber' and definitely he's going to live forever through his movies.

Henry Altman is a man of impatient. He always angry at everyone for everything. It was no different one day when he decides to go see a doctor. He gets his turn after the long wait. As usual, he shows his anger at the lady doctor who just had a bad day. With a tension arise in an argument, a mistake will be made. So the adventure begins that takes us along all over the city which takes place in a 90 minutes. Like all the story, after realizing the what she had done was wrong, how it was brought into the sense for who affected by her mistake is the remaining.

Anger is the only thing they left me.
Anger is my refuge, it's my shield. Anger is my birthright!

The trailer itself said everything about the movie. Going for the movie without the trailer watch would be a great move, at least you will get something to enjoy. The cast was good, I mean everyone, including who came in short roles. It mainly focused on Robin Williams and Mila Kunis roles. These two characters take an adventure throughout the Brooklyn before the story comes to the conclusion. The movie was a lot better than I thought and what others said about it. It is kind of tearjerker movie. With the loss of Robin Williams in the real life, I got a little emotional to the end part. But the story was a bit let down. In the middle when the second half starts to undertake it really slows down and nothing happens in an exciting way. Frankly to say, it was an hour movie, but stretched for extra few more minutes to make comfortable for the theatre release. So that caused it to fall to a moderate pace. It should have been a short movie, though, as a feature film it kind of satisfied me. Somehow, with the nice direction and performances and places it was shot, all combined together gives an overall decent movie watching experience.

7.5/10