Kicking and Screaming - Snapshot

I got to hear of Kicking and Screaming thanks to my movie research, and pursuit of off-beat and not so popular movies. Every now and then you find something that’s a diamond in the rough, and more often than not, you come across some very lackluster and forgettable movies. Without making it seem like more than it is, let me be frank and tell you that Kicking and Screaming clearly is a case of the latter. There is a reason it isn’t popular, and that’s cause there is very little about it, that makes it worth watching.  The post-graduation, high-school premise doesn’t really stand out, and it just feels like yet another high-school movie, that sadly isn’t even funny. Add to that, the central character Grover played by Josh Hamilton is yawn inducing. While the performances are good, pretty much all round, the characters fail to create interest. The nail on the coffin is that though it’s a 1995 movie, its feels terribly dated. The humor though noticeable is weak, all the characters are boring, and it’s hard to really connect with anyone, except for being left with the feeling that they’re all annoying. Jane as a character, played by Olivia d'Abo of Wonder Years fame is about okay, but her screen time is minimal. Overall the plot doesn’t really go anywhere, and the more you watch the movie, you’re left with the feeling of futility. Considering the barrage of movies that are out there vying for your time, it’s fair to say that this one deserves a miss.

My Recommendation: Skip It (A boring bunch of high-school kids that don’t make for good entertainment)

Felon - Snapshot

I got to know of Felon thanks to my usual movie research, which depicts an almost tragic tale of a family man who gets convicted of murder, while trying to protect his family from an intruder. From there on it’s just all downhill, with the lead character Wade Porter played by Stephen Dorff, being consistently in the wrong place at the wrong time; starting with the incident in his home, his bus ride to prison, the twisted prison security guards, and the financial troubles suffered by his family. Stephen Dorff does splendidly in his role, strikingly displaying the emotions of surprise, dealing with harsh change, attempting to run with things, suffering intense anguish, and utter desperation.  His wife Laura Porter is played by Marisol Nichols whom I remember seeing last in Vegas Vacation, playing a teenage girl. Considering the stark difference in characters played, it’s evident that she has good range, and does very well in the role of the young confused mother in Felon. Porter’s cellmate, John Smith, played by Val Kilmer came as a surprise, as I could barely recognize him in the older, bulky avatar. In the movie he serves as a friend and mentor to Porter, and perhaps a hope of sorts. Last but not least is Harold Perrineau of Lost fame, who plays Lt. Jackson. His character is interesting, in the sense that he is a normal man, with a family, and deep love and affection for his son. At the same time, there is also a twisted frustrated side to him, which is a classic case of a people not necessarily being bad, but letting morals slide and giving into the corrupt ways of the world. Credit goes to writer and director Ric Roman Waugh, for a movie that serves as a reality check. Though what it depicts is far from extraordinary, it touches upon some interesting values, through the narrative, and strong characterization. While I doubt its deep drama setting will work for everyone, Felon is worth the watch, unless you’re looking for something light and entertaining.

My Recommendation: Watch It (A drama that reminds us of the harsh realities of life)

Maximum Risk - Snapshot

Maximum Risk was released in 1996, and I recall hearing about it at the time. Having been on my watch list, I finally got around to watching it today, 18 years after its release. Though the plot on IMDB sounded weak, something to do with a cop taking over his brother’s life and having to deal with the troubles that come with it, the movie was surprisingly interesting. The plot is actually quite intriguing, and the discovery process along the way should hold audience attention sufficiently. The Russian mob, the FBI, and the hot cocktail waitress help build suspense, and keep you trying to figure out stuff. Also, the opening sequences in South France provide for a nice window into the locales. The movie does feel a little dated though, especially the part shot in the United States. Performances were about average, including lead actor Van Damme’s. The fight sequences were good though, and unlike some of his other movies, his character comes across as normal, versus being somewhat super-human and unbelievable; that meshed into the plot particularly well. Natasha Henstridge did a good job, probably being the best act of the lot. The version I sampled was an HD rip from a BlueRay source. Picture was clear and crisp; color was good, though not overly vibrant. Sound was presented by means of a 6 channel DTS track, and it was quite impressive. Ambient sounds were excellent, examples including the market place and the train station. There was some positional audio noticeable as well.

My Recommendation: Watch It (An intriguing Van Damme and Natasha Henstridge suspense flick from the 90’s)

Murder at 1600 - Snapshot

I remember Murder at 1600 being released when I was in high school, but I didn’t get to catch it then. Since its been on my mind to, I finally watched it last night, 16 years after its release. The plot revolves around a homicide at the white house, and stars Wesley Snipes and Diane Lane in the leading roles. Something that I felt was very obvious was the dated feel of the movie. Both the narrative process and the technical elements were clearly not from current day. From a suspense perspective the movie was pretty good, and it did remain intriguing throughout, though it did drag owing to its very slow pace. Performances were good, with both Snipes and Lane doing a solid job of their characters. The plot interestingly did not romantically link the two, which was a pleasant change. There wasn’t even the slightest sexual tension, and it was clearly a working relationship turned partnership, which was portrayed well. If you’re in the mood for a Suspense/Crime genre flick, with a twist of politics, you’ll find Murder at 1600, worth your while. Be warned though that it’s slow, and the picture especially looks dated, even with original DVD content. Stretch it on a modern large screen HD TV, and you’ll miss the crystal clear picture and vibrant colors even more. Sound was presented by means of a 6 channel Dolby Digital AC3 audio stream, which did a good job with dialog and ambiance. Positional sound was limited but noticeable, especially in the gunfight scene in the underground tunnels.

My Recommendation: Watch It (An old school White House crime drama)

The Expendables - Thoughts

I don’t get how I missed The Expendables, but I did, and with the teaser trailer of the third installment becoming available recently, I decided that I would watch the first two movies, in time to check out the third movie when it releases. What makes The Expendables stand out from other action movies is that its Sylvester Stallone’s brainchild; and part of his grand plan was assembling a team of action heroes, to create a larger than life blockbuster experience. In The Expendables, a team of mercenaries are hired to take down a villainous dictator and bring down his regime, responsible for a large scale drug operation.

Though this movie failed to enamor me at the time of its release in 2010, by the time I got around to watching it in early 2014, I was particularly eager to see it. Add to that, this was also the inauguration of my new Bluray powered home theatre. With all those expectations, it’s fair to say that the movie had its work cut out for it. Thankfully, Stallone and his crew of combatants managed to bring home an entertaining action flick. True to old school Rambo style action, use of CGI was limited, and a good deal of the onscreen action was created and performed by the cast, stunt men, and actually blowing stuff up. The plot, though more or less straight forward, is decent, and remains interesting throughout. There are many impressive action sequences, with ‘Ride & Die’ at the 40 minute mark, aboard the plane being one of the most standout. Pace is okay, and the movie never gets boringly slow. As expected there is a damsel in distress in need of saving, a twist within the enemy camp, and some traitors, all of which make for a slightly predictable, yet enjoyable action movie. If you’re in the mood for a good action movie, and would like to see several big names in the industry side by side, The Expendables is totally worth checking out.

If you’ve ever wanted to see Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin, Terry Crews (former NFL player and actor – Arrested Development), and Mickey Rourke in a movie together, this is your chance. And add to that mix, short appearances from Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis! If there ever were a star cast of leading men, this is it. It makes little sense to speak of their performances, with most of the popular action stars playing their usual action personas, and doing-so well. Randy Couture and Steve Austin are perhaps the only two amateurs to movies, and they did a good job too; fitting in well into the group.

The Bluray I was sampling was a Region C disc, purchased in India. The video was good, as expected with a Bluray, definition staying consistently sharp, even in the dark scenes. Blacks were rich, and the entire presentation was impressive. Note that the visual quality really shows on a big screen TV, and also that the difference isn’t as stark as moving from VCD to DVD. The sound was presented by means of a DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track, which complemented the actions sequences well. Positional sound was noticeable in some of the scenes. The extras on the disc included a Comicon conference with Stallone and several of the other lead actors. It was quite interesting, with the teams respect for Stallone being quite evident, with several of them speaking of film studies being a distant second to working with Stallone, who practically created and defined the action genre.

My Recommendation: Watch It (The ultimate all-star action cast)

Captain America: The Winter Soldier - Thoughts

The first Captain America movie I watched was the 1990 release, and it was on VHS. I don’t recall it being very memorable. It’s also possible that I was too young to appreciate it. Following that, in my run up to The Avengers, I watched the 2011 release, Captain America: The First Avenger, and liked it, but felt it was weaker when compared to the other individual character movies that led up to The Avengers. So I wasn't overly thrilled or expecting much when Captain America: The Winter Soldier was announced; that said, the trailer looked pretty impressive. In this installment, Steve Rogers, a.k.a. Captain America, is a little lost, and rethinks his purpose and direction in life. Amidst that, he also questions the new plans of SHIELD, and is introduced to a new mystery villain.

If the trailer looked impressive, it’s safe to say that the movie is even more impressive. I entered the theater with modest expectations, and left the cinema hall quite satisfied. In The Winter Soldier the plot is well laid out, addressing various narrative components, each adequately satisfying the multitude of requirements that an audience base would look for. The action was visually appealing, with several gripping sequences, the plot was exciting, and maintained a sense of mystery and suspense to keep audiences enthralled. The character development was interesting, and the camaraderie between the Black Widow and Captain America ran a lot deeper this time around. If that wasn't good enough, the mammoth SHIELD facilities and the Helicarriers will blow you away, in terms of cool tech that’s drool worthy. In the final sequences of the movie, there are impressive air battles to the scale of Independence Day. The editing and camera work is also impressive, with some scenes including the initial assault on the ship being quite cool. Watch the scenes in 3D, and it’s even more fun. Captain America: The Winter Soldier clearly works at multiples levels, as even the not so inclined, non-action movie buffs found it to be entertaining. That credits goes to the well managed balance between action and tech, vs. characters and deep story. If you've asked yourself the question what exactly constitutes a solid action movie, the answer is, Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

Though I’m not a big fan of Chris Evans, and found his over energetic portrayal of The Torch in the Fantastic Four movies bordering obnoxious, he performs admirably as Captain America. He comes across as older, wiser, calmer, and what you’d expect of Superhero and a leader.  His performance is plausible, leaving the audiences with a character whom they can look up to. To balance his seemingly ‘all that is right’ demeanor, is Black Widow, played by Scarlett Johansson. She does splendidly in bringing the opposite of ‘by the book’ to the Black Widow character, and is convincing as a female action star who can seriously kick some ass. Samuel L Jackson as Nick Fury has a memorable action sequence in the SHIELD Chevy SUV, though I’d expect for people to be blown away by the coolness of the smart ride. An interesting addition to the cast is Cobie Smulders of How I Met Your Mother fame; after a while on screen I was like hey, is that Robin?

I caught this one in the theater and in 3D. The visual presentation was really nice, with a large part of it being in broad daylight, looking quite brilliant. Many of the shots are wide and pretty big in terms of scale; quite reminded me of Michael Bay’s work. Sound was also about perfect, with all the action sequences just seeming amazing. Needless to say the special effects, especially the Helicarriers were just magnificent. Clearly two thumbs up for the technical elements.

My Recommendation: Kick Ass (The best rendition of Captain America to date)

Idhu Kathirvelan Kadhal - Snapshot

Honestly I hadn't heard about this movie until a couple of hours before seeing it. My friends were in the mood for a movie, and they felt like Tamil, so Idhu Kathirvelan Kadhal was the pick of the day. The plot is fairly straight forward, being largely light, with a few serious sentiments such as old school traditional values, and love/relationship myths being touched upon. There is also a family feud, for which the main characters in the movie come up with a creative and humorous solution, possible only in romantic comedies.  Performances are decent, with Udhayanidhi Stalin and Nayantara doing a good job. The standout character is Mayil played by Santhanam; his non-stop comedy being the true entertainer in the flick. Supporting characters Vineethra (Chaya Singh) and her husband Shanmugham (Dr. Bharath Reddy) a Coimbatore-based mill owner, also perform admirably. Overall Idhu Kathirvelan Kadhal is a decent movie if you’re looking for something light and have some time to kill. It’s not very deep and doesn't require much thought. There are a few song and dance sequences, and those are a little boring as expected; thankfully they aren't distasteful or bordering vulgar. The long 2 hour 45 minute run-time of the movie was a bit much, but thankfully director S. R. Prabhakaran did a good job in ensuring there aren't any overly slow or dull moments.

My Recommendation: Watch it – (A light, fun, casual, no brainer, ro-co movie)