The Movies I Liked

Extraction ... Oh Boy this was a surprise. I was not expecting this to be any different than a usual typical Hollywood action. But I could'nt be wrong. This a very reminiscent to John Wick, style and boy it delivered. The close combat scenes and the shootout is the highlight of the movie. The plot is bare bone and is exactly like the title says. "Extraction" nothing less nothing more. Not sure why they choose Dhaka as the backdrop but guess Hollywood knows how imp Indian audiences are there days for a blockbuster. But it kind of backfired as well. This movie would have touched an 8 on IMDB probably had it not been Dhaka, as 30-40% of people gave it a 1 or 3 max just coz they got Dhaka absolutely incorrect, which for me was kinda ok as Hollywood mostly gets India incorrect as well. But keeping that aspect aside this is one HELL OF an action thriller.

Now coming to the performance. Chris Hemsworth is superb and looks stud, BUT what stood out for me was Randeep Hooda. Man O Man, his screen presence was as good as Hemsworth if not better. He nailed the character as ex-special ops. There is one hand to hand combat scene between Him and Hemsworth and its been done fantastically. Randeep was flawless. Overall just watch this movie for brutal action and tightly choreographed hand to hand combat scenes............ 6.8/10 ... I would have given it a complete 7 which is rare. But 0.2 deducted coz of Dhaka :) just as respect as they do get these Asian countries totally wrong....lol

Available on Netflix in HDR
 
Extraction ... Oh Boy this was a surprise. I was not expecting this to be any different than a usual typical Hollywood action. But I could'nt be wrong. This a very reminiscent to John Wick, style and boy it delivered. The close combat scenes and the shootout is the highlight of the movie. The plot is bare bone and is exactly like the title says. "Extraction" nothing less nothing more. Not sure why they choose Dhaka as the backdrop but guess Hollywood knows how imp Indian audiences are there days for a blockbuster. But it kind of backfired as well. This movie would have touched an 8 on IMDB probably had it not been Dhaka, as 30-40% of people gave it a 1 or 3 max just coz they got Dhaka absolutely incorrect, which for me was kinda ok as Hollywood mostly gets India incorrect as well. But keeping that aspect aside this is one HELL OF an action thriller.

Now coming to the performance. Chris Hemsworth is superb and looks stud, BUT what stood out for me was Randeep Hooda. Man O Man, his screen presence was as good as Hemsworth if not better. He nailed the character as ex-special ops. There is one hand to hand combat scene between Him and Hemsworth and its been done fantastically. Randeep was flawless. Overall just watch this movie for brutal action and tightly choreographed hand to hand combat scenes............ 6.8/10 ... I would have given it a complete 7 which is rare. But 0.2 deducted coz of Dhaka :) just as respect as they do get these Asian countries totally wrong....lol

Available on Netflix in HDR

Extraction is getting mixed reviews! What I guess from all is it's good for action scenes, rest is patchy at best. I will have see it for sure for it's action! :)
 
Some of my recent watched movies :

The Invisible Man - Good one time watch.
Parasite - Overrated for sure. But, can be watched once.
Memories Of Murder (2003) Korean - Excellent. Don't Miss kinda stuff.
The Hunt aka Jagten (2013) - Dark, Unsetlling. Slow Burner. Don't Miss kinda stuff. Your heart go outs for Michelson and you fell like slapping a couple of character. The girl is Superb.
The Knives Out - Vastly overrated. No real suspense or twist. Predictable. Craig is occasionally and mildly amusing.
I saw the Devil (2010) Korean - Don't Miss kinda stuff.
The wailing (2016) Korean - Must Watch. Cringing. Creeps you out.
Spartacus (1960) - A Kubrick Classic. Must Watch. Laurence Olivier delivers a worthy performance.
Eyes Wide Shut 1999 - Much bashed but, a truly Kubrick. Watch with open mind.
Paths of Glory 1657 - Again a Kubrick classic. Great war drama. Again Greek tragedy like script.
Birds of Prey - Strictly for Margot Robbie. You won't get bored though.


Also, Talking of Korean, The Good, the Bad, the Weird (2008) - Rollicking Korean take on The Good, the Bad and the ugly. Tremendous background score to boot.
 
movies about robberies, ransoms going wrong are always funny. Here are couple of them. (1) Quick Change (2) Ruthless People
Do post if any of you remember any from that period.



Regards
 
Amour (2012) - IMDb

There are zillions of films out there. With most, you see but don't feel. With some, you watch in admiration because it tickles your thinking. Then there are a handful of films which are personal. Others may watch it, appreciate it, but only a few can understand it inside out. While watching it, I felt that it was hard to make something like this without going through it.



Michael Haneke's film details the life of an aged couple. The wife suffers a stroke and the husband takes care of her. Seems like a recipe for a tear jerking plot with all the terrible cliche' one liners thrown in. It would have been in Hollywood. But, what I loved about the film is that it is realistic. There is little sentimentality. Excellent acting by both Emmanuelle Riva (some scenes felt very real) and Jean-Louis Trintignant.

It is exactly what I've gone through and am going through - just as a son. You can't take away their pain, there are various issues that come with old age that people do not comprehend, there are ups and downs - bad days and worse days, you wake up every day and feel happy that they are alive while you fondly hope that nothing happens to you before their time's up, people rationally analyze your situation but all they can offer is kind words or advice - all my personal experiences captured in this film in one form or another.

Don't think this will affect others the same way. So, it could end up on the "Must Not watch" thread for you.
I saw Haneke’s Amour in 70mm screen in Kolkata international film festival. It was one of the most emotional movie experiences of my life.
 
Roger Ebert had reviewed Amour in Jan-2013, a couple of months before his own death. Reading between the lines, we can see how close he knew he was to his own end and his peaceful acceptance of the inevitable. His words appear more poignant now.

Movies involving old people are few and far between, especially in mainstream movies. The older folks remain in the background of any story, just as in their own lives. The world seems to have no need for them. Only the art-house and Independent films will dare to venture into these murky waters.

Watching this movie was an unsettling experience, as I have a little experience of my own watching a close relative die. This movie is as close as it can get to the real thing. For folks who have not experienced it first hand, or for those who just want don't want to face the inconvenient truth of their own old age and decay, this movie mayn't be of interest.

Both Jean-Louise Trintignant and Emmanuelle Riva were excellent. Riva's transition to the bed-ridden invalid was superb. Isabelle Huppert was good though she had a minor appearance and William Schimell as her husband was cut short even before he started. This movie is about the old couple, Anne and Georges, the rest are just background noise.

This was a movie, while watching I thought "Haneke wouldn't pull his usual violent stunts here (when we are least expecting them)". But, he never misses an opportunity and caught me unawares here too!. His manner of camera placement can polarize the audience. Personally, I like a camera in a long-take scene to move a bit; showing activity, have more close-ups of face to show the emotion and variations rather than have it placed farther away to cover both the parties. As with his other movies, the camera has the viewpoint of a "disembodied soul" watching the proceedings. Also, as with the ending scene in Cache (which I didn't understand fully), here too he goes for a shot of the audience and their reaction (scene 2 at the piano concert) and Georges and Anne are one among the crowd (someone new to his way of filming would've missed them in the audience).
 
Haneke likes to tease his audience , and asks them to be actively complicit in their guilt trip of violence-filled voyeurism. Lots of directors do so , but Haneke does this especially malevolent-ly. This is most apparent in Funny Games , but also , as you rightly mentioned -in Cache (which , in a sense , is about voyeurism ), Benny’s Video , Seventh Continent (in my opinion his most difficult - to - watch film ).
 
Jon Stewart of "Daily Show" on comedy central has written and directed "Irresistible" a political satire about a small Wisconsin town that becomes engulfed in a political spectacle when a Democratic strategist and his Republican counterpart become fixated on the larger symbolic value and bellwether potential of the local mayoral race. It is an enjoyable film, with laughs, but does remain a bit safe! Worth a watch.

Irresistible (2020) R | 1h 41min | Comedy, Drama | 26 June 2020 (USA)
 
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