Reviews by Reno

Well made and quite surprising, a perfect B movie. Except Tony Todd none were familiar to me. I was not expecting anything, I knew the limit of B movie's budget so no disappointment with second stream actors and production quality. All I needed was something new that big star and big budget movie won't offer in such a style. And got it.

The story begins with a man being released after completing his 6 year term in the prison who was in for a robbery. He was picked by his gangmates who are arranged to celebrate it in a sorta Japanese hotel. So the real story begins there when they started to dig the 6 years old robbery incident that went wrong. They all wanted to know where is the robbed items and of course the equal share. They talk then it turns into torture and later the chaos situation brings them who and what to believe.

The movie was all about that particular incident and about the missing robbed items. So the 80% of the movie has been just the investigation to reveal its flashback in pieces. And then the twist came, I really did not know it was coming, it surprised me a little. That turn in the story made whole movie look better than what one can expect from a mystery movie. It was not a QT's movie or Alfie's and all the above it was not a masterpiece but a simple, low budget's wonder. There are many amazing B movies and it is one of it and never compare those with A movies.

I saw 'Yes or No' couple of years ago and liked it very much. I never thought there will be a second installment but they did one. So here it is, called 'Yes or No: Come back to me', pretty nice sequel though.

This story follows up from where the first movie ended. After the graduation, the young lesbian couple goes different ways to achieve their dream. But still they love each others, the only thing kept them apart were the time and distance. They talk to each other every day through phone, it is the only way to keep in touch other than visiting in holidays. Then comes the problem when a third character enters into the frame which seriously affects this young lesbian couple's relationship.



Well, pretty much intense and easy to predict the story like you already know it. But our concern is how they are going to end the story, what solution fits perfect for it. The story had really a nice ending, yeah, I liked it the way it happened. Except that, the movie characters also deliver some interesting and proverb lines related to love. Especially there's one about caterpillar comparing it to the triangular love. Not only the dialogues the chicks are also the hot and sexy.

If you are already seen the first and liked a lot, then you will like it as well but a little less than that. You know there are many lesbian movies in the world and only fewer are cuter like this one which are not given its main preferences to bedroom scenes. So that makes a family friendly lesbian movie only if they are not against gay concept. Youngsters especially teenage girls would definitely like this duology.

The story opens with a robbery in a casino and soon after the car chase begins between cops and the robbers. It reminds us like the game we played 'nfs most wanted' which was long lost for around 15 minutes. As it was a 70s movie those car stunts were stunning. As like the beginning 15 minutes last 15 minutes too had similar car stunts, so it opens and ends like a bang!

There's an arrogant cop who challenges the driver to catch him red hand in next robbery. So the story turns from robbery concept to a game... a challenge... a chase to the death between the driver and the detective. Now its between them and other characters surrounded them.

The weirdest was the movie characters had no names, the wheelman is called 'the driver', the cop is called 'the detective', money launderer is called 'the player' and one who help from outside is called 'the connection'. Sorta it was referred like saying in the background voice to a narrate the tale.

The movie looked fine to me but thought it should have been little more better. Well written script except 'the detectives' portion. As he was a tough he should have got more or equal scope to 'the driver' and that is where the movie was a bit held back. Other than that it was a quite awesome movie like the Ryan Gosling movie 'Drive'. After 38 years later still those car stunts were breathtaking compared to today's stunts which strongly depend on CGI.

Quite nicely created characters, the detective role was kinda diversion to what happens within the robbers. So it was a good movie to be watched once. Like I said those two car chases were mind blowing, particularly those two makes us worth for a watch without any regrets especially if you are a fan of those stuffs. Definitely this movie deserves to be remade with a couple of changes to suit present era.

'Four minutes' is a 2006 German movie about a young woman prisoner Jenny and her old piano teacher Kruger. While the music class part by part the past stories of these women reveal to us. The flashback reveals that this prison used to be a hospital where the old piano teacher worked and her affair with another nurse. And another flashback about Jenny and her difficulty earlier life she went through. As a talented, Jenny is also the rough and tough with her inmates. Like all the prison story here too there be a trouble giving enemy and a tough warden who always eye on her. Their's target is Jenny, to stop her from taking piano lessons and entering the competition.

Jenny was a musical prodigy and her initial portions of the story were portrayed as she's sorta some rebellion. There were many scenes I just don't get it like the security provided for Jenny during she was taken for the contest on the outside. And I don't know why the story had some racism remarks on Afro-European music in a couple of scenes and it never explained anywhere later. I guess those days are like that especially in Nazi Germany.

Still I felt both the two main characters were not explained well especially Jenny's past were mostly told as a story than what we are expected to see as the actual one. In Kruger case it was different it showed the main portions of her flashbacks to match it with preset of her. The last four minutes of the movie are what represents the title before the credit rolls up. That was a grand finale for a movie with a story like this. The end scene was kinda good like the movies 'Sound of Noise' or 'August Rush'.

Okay the movie begins with an old friends gang meets together after the several years of gap in a mountain cabin. They talk and remember the old days they spent together, seems they still have something for each other until that strange night. As they are now far from the human density, they are unable to contact the rest of the world to ask help from the weird situation happening around them. So the journey begins with these old friends in search of safe place near.

Yeah the movie was too soft for apocalypse theme, more like a drama which suit all age groups. There were no strong graphics, everything was simple as some family drama with few thrilling scenes now and then comes to put us on the edge of the seat. I think I liked the director's approach on presenting it in an unusual way and avoiding building collapse, landslides and all the disaster that represents in the pre apocalyptic process.

The movie had a minimal cast with around 9 except opening few minutes which shot in the city. Suspenseful story but fails to reveal itself at any stage of its story penetration which might annoy the audience to dump it into underrated category. It will be a nice adventure-drama if you are not expecting something like '2012' or a similar movie. As it was adapted from a novel it looked we are reading it while watching. Kinda more suitable for family audience except one nude scene from beginning of the story.

There was nothing any special compared to modern apocalypse movies but it was pure artistic with avoided violence even in the deaths of the movie characters. That makes even children can be allowed to watch it if they are interested in this movie. Overall it was not worse like everyone says, some people disappointed because they expected high-end stunts and graphics which were lacking in this story. So keep your expectations low and remember you are watching sci-fi drama not action thriller.

The fun continues, is it! yeah, kinda. This third Hangover was a different one to the other two movies. There were no more bachelor parties, looked like have they (movie characters) learnt the lessons so. But still the movie had a similar track jokes like pursuing something to get away from another thing. So there's no short for fun but the story was not greater like earlier two.

Yes I enjoyed the movie from comedy aspect but the roles played by the cast, I was little not favour to it. I mean the Bradley Cooper now a big star than what he was when the first hangover movie came. Whenever I see him in this movie I though he was forced to do the role in the movie as he was part of the earlier installments. So there's no surprise this movie is going to end with this third part.

Everyone performed equally good in all the three movies. But Zach Galifianakis was the highlight in all the three while Justin Bartha was the disappointment. No doubt, it is now one of a best comedy trilogy and I can recommend it to anyone if somebody asks for a good dude's comedy theme in near future. Sad that they decided to end the franchise with this but in another angle it feels that was the best option than dragging it to nowhere and making audiences especially 'The hangover' series fans to sloppy.

Like I said the story was told in not the usual stream but we know the trademark of hangover movies so the movie ends with a style. Still I am curious about the fourth from the bean it spelled during the middle of the credit and I am hungry for that as a detailed explanation in a movie. I know you won't love it as much those you loved first two but still worth a watch as it was the grand finale to the trilogy.

Kinda decent science fiction but failed box office movie. It was not another 'Avatar' or 'Oblivion' as per those who hated it, for a theme like this they expect strong and powerful protagonist who fights aliens and victorious. But this movie was quite calm and silent, lot like a novel for everyone with the two characters and one simple quest to accomplish. Yes I agree the movie was resemble the quality of some television mini series and I believe it should have been one.

For me it was two time better than the 'Hunger Games', 'Hanger Games' had few fine stunts and people loves it. I feel there's no wrong in giving an artistic touch to a movie with a concept like this. I am not saying it was an art movie. Yes there were a few scenes where the movie had unacceptable portions which are not fitting properly into the story. Especially the boy rescued by a giant bird and in the first place why they are transporting the S'krell, better they should have killed it in Nova Prime. The unexplanation was the main damage to the movie, they might thought to brief now and it brought in its sequel.

Finally I agree it was not an awesome but an average movie, definitely not worth to try it on a big screen but to rent it or to see on cable it is not that bad. Another drawback was to see Will sitting in one place throughout the movie, more like he agreed to do it to introduce his son Jade in advanced matured role and also to boost movie's hype with his star value. In few parts I fell on the boredom because the movie had no serious lines like yellings and shoutings and gun fights. Overall, not liked it much neither hated.

The name Alcatraz is pretty much known to everyone especially those who watch Hollywood movies and television series. 'Birdman of Alcatraz' is the story of the Robert Stroud which begins in 1912 who is being transferred from an Alaskan prison facility to Leavenworth correction facility with other prisoners. To spend his 12 year term in prison which given him for a murder he committed. The movie won't tell us the story before the sentence but everything after till he leave the Alcatraz.

Stroud is a tough guy who listens to no one and loves his mother a lot. He won't leave who teases his mother when his mother was not allowed to see him he commits an another crime which adds extra more years to his sentence. Now he got to spend his whole life behind the bars. One day he rescues a lost baby bird and soon after he becomes an expert on birds which leads him to find the cure for the bird diseases. When a man becomes at his best there will always be an enemy to oppose it, well here the warden Harvey stand against him with a reason behind. He could not take it what Stroud becoming, so there comes his transfer to another maximum security prison, Alcatraz.

This might be a story of a convict but it was lovable and inspiring about what he does during the sentence. I love animals, of course it includes birds as well. After the 2nd millennium the man came too far from the actual world he used to share with other species. The man invented and discovered many stuffs that helped the human world to run smoothly such as automobiles, cure for the diseases, giant buildings and the fancy lifestyle. But this man, Stroud built a bridge to connect us from animal (bird) kingdom. He studied about birds' behaviour and discovered the cure for the bird diseases during the time science becoming modern.

Well I got some doubts about this story. When Stroud was in Leavenworth facility he had permission to have birds in his cell so he raised hundreds of canaries during his stay. But after he transferred to Alcatraz the permission was denied due to new rules initiation throughout the country in all the prison facilities. So that is what I wonder how the name 'Birdman of Alcatraz' came. Is it because he had birds and studied about it while he was in Leavenworth or because he spent his most of day in Alcatraz which was also called birds island. I don't know much about this man other than this movie. It looked kinda coincident to me, after he got the name 'Brdman' in Leavenworth he flew like a bird to the birds island (Alcatraz).

This movie was nominated for the four academy awards during 1963 Oscar ceremony. There were already fighting for trophies within other top nominees so this movie did not get any. I felt this movie deserved some appreciation but experts say it had few flaws and inaccuracy in the story that mean largely fictional. I really don't know how much it borrowed the original story of Robert Stroud or from a book but I liked this movie a lot. It delivers the message about to do or discover something new or find ourselves our strength. Most of the great biographies I know are not from the real criminals so this story tells us from the different perspective. There are few bad stuffs from Strouds' life to forget and many good stuffs to learn from it. There are many movies about prison theme this movie was a little different to those. You can have it to enjoy or to know the real Robert Stroud, left up to you but I say go for it with a thumbs' up.

So far the best animation of 2013. After 'Ice Age' now it's time to explore into another world 'Stone Age'. It was the story of a caveman family that is set in the time of the stone age. I never thought the Nicolas Case suit for an animation character, I am surprised, he was the best and his voice perfectly synced with one.

According to the movie everything were not logic in the movie and one should not be bothered about it. The species that comes in the movie were fused with each other and kinda worked for the story. The movie was simply enjoyable, I had so much fun, the Crood family was awesome. The story was very simple, it was all about adventurous journey of a family to escape the disaster.

You know teenage daughter and her over caring father never compromise for anything in life. In this movie they always fight each others, one of parenting rights and other for the freedom to experience new stuffs. Like most of the story, boy meets girl here too two young people meet but kinda fairly avoided the romance. Of course there will be always one geek brother and a annoying little sister and a disgusting granny and a mother who always listens to her hubby.

In those I have seen 2013s animated movies it was the best pick, many are yet to release. A movie can be enjoyed with family and kids. A must see for animation movie fans and I highly recommend it.

It was a kinda sequel to 'Stand by me' from the two boys' perspective but McConaughey character do's all the differences in this story. I hated his role in 'Killer Joe' and liked him in here. The places where movie was shot were the highlight, it was beautiful, feels like happening in the Amazon river basin.

The story had many diversions from the main character, Ellis, his connection with a stranger, his parents fight, his best friend and his typical teenager love affair. It won't just explores, it makes us to scratch our head to think where the characters are heading especially of course Matthew McConaughey's mysterious one. The character developments were very detailed which won't take us to any flashbacks but explains as the way it stream.

The third fine art material from the Jeff Nichols after 'Take Shelter' and 'Shotgun Stories'. I feel Matthew McConaughey is at his very best, he and the two boys given an outstanding performance and well supported by Reese Witherspoon. A nice movie which had ability to create a scenario that you are not expecting. Overall it will make your time worth spending for.