Twilight - Thoughts

Twilight is perhaps one movie that requires little introduction, having become today’s icon of pop culture, not to mention having brought vampires to the forefront of conversation again. The movie is based on the vampire themed fantasy romance novels written by  Stephenie Meyer; Twilight being the first, finding its way onto the big screen in 2008. The premise being very simple, a teenage girl’s discovery and love for a vampire, and the events that ensue.

After a rather slow 2 hours and 2 minutes, you will realize that there is very little to the plot above and beyond what the synopsis indicates. What makes Twilight special is the detail with which its content is portrayed. Though set in a small town, with key characters being very few, the sincerity of the narrative coupled with the beautiful photography adds value to the otherwise dragged out runtime. Some scenes are particularly simple, yet take up a good deal of screen time, as the camera pans and rotates and does its thing. What most audiences will relate to is the pursuit for that which is unique and different, but yet in our everyday, and by means of Bella’s narrative, will feel one with her in her pursuit. That said, the most obvious success of Twilight being its hopelessly romantic and needless to say obviously lop-sided perspective of life, which will perhaps only work in a movie. If you are impatient and are looking for more, Twilight will most probably leave you feeling shortchanged, otherwise if teenage romance sounds like your sorta thing, give it a whirl. Personally I don’t see myself watching any of the follow-up Twilight movies.

The success of Twilight beyond its buzz I would say largely rests on the brilliance of Kristen Stewart’s extremely believable portrayal of Bella. The narrative starts out strong but is carried through in large part thanks to Bella’s drive of adolescent discovery, fuelled by curiosity that inevitably grows into love. Never confused or deterred in her journey, by fear and surrounding circumstances. This is perhaps the movies strongest success, which most female teenagers will be able to readily relate to. Robert Pattinson plays Edward Cullen, the dreamy Vampire boy, who is initially strange, and later likable. He does a good job of seeming extremely awkward, and developing with the course of the movie into the warm and caring lover.

The DVD I was sampling was a US Region 1 Release. Picture was clear, and image remained exceptional, never getting too dark or shadowy. There were several outdoor shots and the Greens of the forests looking lush, providing a wonderful sense of nature in the quiet town of Forks. The overall color palette favored cool colors, and visibility remained strong throughout. Sound was presented by means of a Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtrack. Dialogue delivery was perfect, and was key considering a large part of the movie is narrated from Bella’s perspective. Ambience was pretty decent, and set the tone for the little town of Forks well. Surround usage and positional sound was limited but noticeable, fitting in well with the plot as necessary.

My Recommendation: Watch It – (A very simplistic teenage vampire romance) 

White Collar: Season 1 - Thoughts

I’d read about White Collar a couple of times, and to be fair it sounded interesting, but didn’t come across as the kinda show that I had to watch as soon as I could. In the months that followed a couple of friends mentioned it and said it was worth checking out. As part of my effort to try out new shows and not just watch follow-up seasons of existing shows I finally decided to give it a watch. In White Collar, a convicted white collar criminal Neal Caffrey, comes up with a plan to work with the FBI, and more particularly the agent responsible for his capture,  in exchange for the use of his abilities in apprehending other white collar criminals. 

While the premise sounds pretty straight forward, what makes White Collar special is the emphasis on ‘White Collar Crime’. Look up your TV guide and you’ll see a barrage of crime-drama TV serials. Amidst the existing onslaught, White Collar manages to come out seeming fresh, thanks in large part to Neal Caffrey’s energy. Add to that the standout performance of the remaining cast, and the new to television white collar crime aspect; lo and behold we have a winner! From the very first episode of Season 1, White Collar is engaging, and never does the pace slow down so much that it gets boring. Even the sub-lying family dynamic aspects are crafted well and executed to perfection, tying in fittingly into the overall plot, and the long running continuity and character development of the show. Focus is managed well, balancing the weekly plots with the long term story line. Unlike some other crime dram’s that are hard hitting, White Collar is light and largely entertaining, thus making it suitable for a larger audience spectrum, not just the serious and hardcore few. If you’re on the lookout for a fresh, fun drama, with a touch of intrigue and crime, look no further, as White Collar will certainly impress.

Matthew Bomer plays the pivotal role of Neal Caffrey, and after watching a season of the show, I can’t think of anyone else who could replace him. Giving it some thought, it’s not just the mere acting performance that makes Neal Caffrey, but the entire ensemble of the blue eyes, the way he wears his hat, the way he dresses, carries himself, and manages to think out of the box, finding slick solutions to talk through any situation with flamboyance and panache. As much as he’s a smooth operator, and while that comes with some diplomacy, there is a genuine and trustable side to his character. It would be hard for the audience to resent or dislike him. Tim DeKay plays FBI Agent Peter Burke, and does so phenomenally. Though all the talk thus far has been about Neal Caffrey, White Collar would fall flat without the Neal – Peter dynamic. Peter is truly the embodiment of everything good, and is smart and well accomplished in his own way. As brilliant as Caffrey is, Agent Burke is never overshadowed, giving White Collar and interesting dual lead formula. Tiffani Thiessen plays Elizabeth Burke, Agent Peter Burke’s wife. Tiffani Thiessen is perhaps better known for her several smaller appearances in movies from the 90’s, and a few leading roles in TV movies also from the 90’s. She has appeared in a good deal of TV serials, in supporting roles, and was the female lead in Fastlane in 2002-2003. After several years of seeing her play the hot young thing, it was nice to see her play an older character, and a loving wife no less. Frankly speaking, Elizabeth Burke is perhaps the best I’ve ever seen Tiffani Thiessen, and leads me to believe that she is a wonderfully capable actress. She is fun in a mature evolved way, and supporting and warm with just the right amount of emotional depth. Needless to say a perfect fit into the Neal – Peter dynamic, facilitating the duo to work even better. Without running through the entire cast list, it’s easy to realize that the success of the show rests solely on the brilliant performances of the cast, making the plot almost seem incidental.

The content I was sampling was an HD DivX, probably ripped from HD TV telecast. Though I’m not a fan of any form of lossy content, the high resolution helped keep away pixilation for most part, though color vibrancy was just below ideal. Video was good overall and was formatted for a 16:9 widescreen television set. Audio was presented by means of a 5.1, 6 channel surround. Dialog was thus very clear, and ambience was always right on the money. While there might have been some surround stage usage, it wasn’t really noticeable.

My Recommendation: Watch It + (A fresh fun entrant to an otherwise crime drama saturated television lineup)

Wild Things: Foursome - Thoughts

If you’ve been following the movie industry long enough, you probably know that certain movie franchises keep going at it, on and on and on, up until there’s no more money to make marketing the same formula. The Wild Things franchise is a perfect example of one such theme that has been mostly replicated substituting different characters/actors, in more or less similar situations. Key elements being twisted scheming plans to squander money, and sultry hot women, set in a sub-urban towns. In this installment of Wild Things, it starts with the mysterious death of a racing legend and tycoon, following which the sole heir his son, his girlfriend, and friends come under suspicion.


While some rehashes are quite enjoyable, like the Fast and Furious franchise, some others tend to deteriorate with every additional installment. The original Wild Things from 1998 was a pretty decent movie, employing a proficient cast and what was at the time a relatively intriguing plot. Sadly Wild Things: Foursome a good 12 years later, is far less noteworthy. Though the twists in the plot far outweigh the original, and up the ante, at some point it all becomes very predictable. To add to this, the amateur cast accompanied with weak portrayals of stereotype characters tend to result in a borderline cheesy movie. As all of this comes together in an almost laughable fashion, the movie fails to grip and hold audience attention. Being a made for TV movie, rest assured that if you switched channels while watching this movie, you wouldn’t miss too much. If you’re looking for something random to watch to pass the evening, or appreciate the Wild Things franchise and are looking forward to more of the same, then Wild Things: Foursome maybe worth your time; otherwise be warned that there is a lot better to watch available.

If blame was to be shared, it would be a combination of the somewhat questionable silly plot, and the extremely sub-par performances. The bulk of the cast was made up of amateurs, who were often overacting, to try and portray their extremely stereotype characters. Ashley Parker who played Carson Wheetly the male lead,  put on an extremely fake performance. The only point worth mentioning being that his character was a silly rich boy who did not really have any substance to his character. So maybe that somehow worked. His girlfriend Rachel Thomas played by Marnette Patterson rode solely on her hot body, which needless to say worked only for a few scenes. The rest of the time it feel flat and her performance seemed largely disconnected. Jillian Murray who played Brandi Cox was relatively better, but was by no means great. She managed to come of convincingly in a few scenes, and was relatively acceptable. John Schneider who played Detective Frank Walker was perhaps the one exception to the cast, who seemed on point for most part. Again, nothing stellar but sufficient per se.

The DVD I sampled was a region 1 US DVD; that said video quality was still just okay. Considering this was a 2010 release it was surprising, as nowadays most video releases are stunningly crisp and clear. While there was no pixilation or obvious issues, the video was dull and slightly lacked vibrancy. Warm tones such as skin colors and sunsets were favored, but again just slightly. Being a TV movie, picture was formatted to perfectly fit a 16:9 widescreen home television set with no letterboxing. Sound was presented by means of a Dolby Digital 5.1 surround soundtrack, which resulted in good dialog delivery from the center channel. Surround stage usage was pretty average, but scene ambience was decent. 

My Recommendation: Dicey (Younger women, putting on poorer performances, in a sillier plot!)

Fast Five - Thoughts

After 4 Fast & Furious movies, it’s safe to say that anyone who loves fast cars and action will love the franchise. While some have complained over the years of lackluster storylines, general audiences worldwide have enjoyed everything the franchise has thrown at them so far. Fast Five premiered in Brazil on April 15th, 2011, and subsequently released in theatres worldwide. Starting-off exactly where the 4th movie ended, Vin Diesel and Paul Walker are again on the run from the law. While in hiding in Rio, a seemingly simple job goes wrong, and they need to get back into action to thwart a drug lord named Reyes, while evading federal agent and tracker played by Dwayne Johnson (aka The Rock).


Being a fan of the franchise and having seen the trailer, I was pretty sure that I was gonna enjoy Fast Five. To that end, Fast Five not only managed to impress, but to be fair took it up a few notches and outshined the 4th installment from 2009. In true Fast & Furious fashion, there was action and impressive car stunt sequences from the get go. Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and the rest of the team kept things entertaining, and fun. Though there were a few slower story/drama moments, never was there a dull moment. The Rock proved to be a very welcome addition to the plot; his clash with Vin Diesel’s character Dominic Toretto being iconic. In Fast Five there was very little focus on street racing, with the plot and its serious elements being at the core. The action sequences were hard hitting and intense, and enjoyed with the right theatre surround sound setup, it was amazing. While the overall narrative was in keeping with the usual design of Fast & Furious plots, it didn’t come across as boring or repetitive. If you love fast cars and action (aka the Fast & Furious franchise), you’ll probably love Fast Five. Only avoid it if action movies are totally not your thing.

While Paul Walker has been in more Fast & Furious movies than Vin Diesel, his character Brian O'Conner is at best an evolved sidekick of Dominic Toretto. Vin Diesel is perfectly at home in his anti-hero role as Dominic Toretto. Owing to his larger than life presence, it’s not surprising that Paul Walker is easily overshadowed. For the first time there is a seemingly challenging adversary in Luke Hobbs played by Dwayne Johnson (aka The Rock). The Rock performs admirably as the massive Hobbs. His relentless nature added to his solid brick wall sorta image makes him a perfect fit in Fast Five. Jordana Brewster plays Mia Toretto, who is a little less hardcore in this installment. With the exception of the first few minutes wherein she gets her hands dirty, she mostly acts as a coordinator/control station. This works well in keeping with the plot.

Owing to various circumstances I never got to see this movie in the theatre, though I’d originally planned to. So I patiently waited for the original DVD to be released, and then sampled it. As always it was a Region 1 US DVD, which has just under 8 GB of data including extras and trailers. Video was clear and favored warm tones; having a dark yellowish color to it. Due to this, the color vibrancy of primary colors were subdued. Sound was presented by means of a Dolby Digital 5.1 surround soundtrack and was amazing. The cars roared as they passed by, and there were resonating thuds during the high impact action sequences. Surround sound stage usage was ample, and the positional audio added to the realism of Fast Five. Anyone who either succumbed to watching a poor DivX rip, or watched this movie with a stereo soundtrack on an old school TV or portable media device, certainly missed out on the best parts of Fast Five.

My Recommendation: Watch It + (Turning on the cool in Rio de Janeiro)

Modern Family: Season 1 - Thoughts

Modern Family is one of those shows I hadn’t heard of up until recently when a friend brought it to my attention. Over time, and repeated suggestions from my friend to check it out, I finally decided to. From what I was told it looked to be a drama comedy; my limited reading online indicated that the story revolved around 3 couples, 1 being gay, 1 being straight with 3 children, and 1 senior remarried man and his hot younger Latino wife.


Frankly, it’s hard to make a fresh start and impress when it comes to television entertainment; especially with the barrage of new entrants, most of them being lackluster, and the many impressive long running shows. To make matters worse, details on Modern Family seemed sketchy and not overly compelling. To be fair I had hardly any expectations going into it. Just a mere 1 episode later, my opinion was greatly altered. Not only was the show entertaining and funny, but it wasn’t overly casual and superficial like several other sitcoms. It had a gripping sense to it that made me want to watch every single episode in the season. All the characters added something to the mix, and though some were stereotypes, it all worked together wonderfully. The constant family values theme looming atop was pleasant, and put everything in a very positive light. As simple and straight forward as Modern Family seems, I will go out on a limb and say it’s different, as it stands out and does come across as a unique show. Unless drama and comedy is something of a bore, it’s hard not to appreciate Modern Family and its brilliant easy nature.

One of the big pros for me was Julie Bowen’s addition to the cast of Modern Family. Episode 1 of season 1 opened with a scene with Ms. Bowen, and aided in the shows instant appeal. In Modern Family she plays Claire Dunphy, bringing to her role the upbeat vivacity that was noticeable, only in a different form in her role in Seasons 3 and 4 of Boston Legal. Ty Burrell plays Phil Dunphy, her husband and father of 3 kids. He plays the stereotype “I’m the coolest dad” sorts, in a lame and laughable fashion that adds immense comedy to the show. His character in many ways is similar to that of Michael Scott from The Office. Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet play the characters of Mitchell Pritchett and Cameron Tucker, who are introduced as the gay couple who have just adopted a baby. They manage to portray the gay couple dynamic in a humorous and affirmative light, giving a very constructive outlook to modern families today. They both have their feminine traits, while one is overly dramatic and the other is a somewhat stuck-up sissy. The last couple is Jay Pritchett and Gloria Delgado-Pritchett, played by Ed O'Neill and Sofia Vergara. Jay is the older rich well settled man, with a comfortable life. He is a hardcore American at heart, and that makes things interesting, as his wife Gloria is an attractive younger lady of Hispanic descent. What makes Modern Family most enjoyable is how all these differences come together and form the tight family unit. Overall, Modern Family succeeds thanks to its efficient and optimistic exploitation of stereotypes.

The content I was sampling was a regular DivX of standard DVD/TV rip quality. As with all lossy content, there was mild pixilation and rich color vibrancy was lost. That said, picture was acceptable, and color tones seemed regular and unmodified in post production. Sound was presented by means of a 2.0 stereo mp3 soundtrack. Since ambience was minimal and the bulk of the sound was dialog, it was acceptable even without a dedicated Center channel for voice.

My Recommendation: Watch It + (Family values at its entertaining best)

Shrek 4D (The Universal Studios Experience) - Thoughts

I’ve watched the first two Shrek movies from 2001 and 2004, though I haven’t seen the more recent 3rd and 4th installments. While it was fun and I quite enjoyed them, with so many new movies vying for limited free time, the Shrek movies have taken a back seat over the years. In Shrek 4D, audiences are treated to content and presentation that is custom and specific to Universal Studios theme parks. The story continues where the first movie ended, and is independent of the following movies with no bearing on them. Lord Farquaad who was successfully defeated makes a return as a ghost, and tries to capture Princess Fiona yet again. Shrek along with the witty Donkey are left with the task of saving Fiona and foiling Farquaad’s plans.


Being a special attraction at a theme park the runtime of the movie was quite short. The initial 10 minute introduction summarized the first Shrek movie from 2001. The presentation was a combination of video, animatronics, and voice acting. The main feature was a 15 to 20 minutes 4D presentation on the big screen. In addition to having to wear the 3D glasses, the 4th dimension of realism is brought about by mean of audience interactive effects such as water sprays, wobbling seats, and various such tactile effects. The plot is built keeping in mind the 4th dimension, and is short, funny, and crisp. Getting sprayed when Donkey sneezes and feeling creepy crawlies in the scene with spiders, creates for an immersive entertainment experience second to none. Thanks to the intro provided and the easy nature of the Shrek franchise, newcomers will not have a problem getting sucked into the presentation. Anyone who loves Shrek and enjoys a good laugh will love Shrek 4D. Add to that the novelty of the 4D experience and what you have is a sure winner.

Being an expansion of the original Shrek, the key characters of Shrek 4D are Shrek, Donkey, Lord Farquaad, Princess Fiona and Thelonious (Lord Farquaad’s henchman). Voice acting is provided by the same cast of the original Shrek movie, and I was able to quickly relate to the characters. While Mike Myers and the rest of the cast are enjoyable, the star of Shrek is and has always been Eddie Murphy who provides the voice of Donkey. Donkey’s wit alone has been the USP of the Shrek franchise for me.

Shrek 4D is unique to the Universal Studios theme parks and cannot be viewed on DVD. The video is similar to most 3D presentations that require 3D glasses; video is not very sharp and clear, but this is needed for the 3D effect. Colors tend to be a little darker with more shadows than normal. Sound was pretty impressive, with the surround stage being used very actively. The 4th dimension of realism was very impressive, and served the comedic theme of Shrek well. With no other reference point it’s hard to make a comparison, but it’s safe to say that it was a solid well rounded experience.

My Recommendation: Watch It + (A one of a kind Shrek experience)

Hall Pass - Thoughts

My first memory of Hall Pass was from my routine HD trailer review; but subsequently I recall plenty of commercials on the radio. Both the HD trailer as well as the radio commercials seemed super funny, and thus Hall Pass came to be on my ‘to watch’ list. Starring Owen Wilson as the married man who is given a one week Hall Pass, which is a one week ticket from having to deal with the responsibilities that come with being married; he gets the opportunity to experience life as a bachelor again.


First off, this movie like several others suffers from the trailer misrepresenting it. The trailer makes it seem like a hilarious thrill ride, more along the lines of The Hangover, while in reality the movie is a lot more tame. That said, the movie is by no means bad; go into it with the right expectations and you’ll find it quite enjoyable. Aside from the obvious comedy theme, there is a surprisingly hefty importance given to the romantic couple relationship element. Values and wants in everyday scenarios are tested and rediscovered. There are several slower moments, and pace is mostly calm. The plot is largely predictable and stereotype, but there are a few bits which are unexpected and pleasant. While the trailer makes it seem like a ‘fun for the boys’ sorta movie, female audiences will be able to relate to it as well, owing to the strong romantic sentiment. If you’re looking to get drunk with the boys and watch an animated comedy flick, Hall Pass isn’t the best suited, but on most other counts you’ll find it to be entertaining and fun.

Owen Wilson plays Rick, the lead character in Hall Pass. Expect his performance to be in keeping with similar performances from his past romantic comedy efforts. It’s safe to say that his roles are more or less repetitive. Thankfully, though repetitive it’s pretty decent and entertaining. Jenna Fischer (of The Office US fame) plays his wife Maggie. While her contribution to the comedy is limited, she brings in the serious binding aspects of a relationship to the movie. Her performance was pretty impressive, and it’s nice to see her get into mainstream movies. Jason Sudeikis plays Fred, Rick’s wingman. His character is pretty extreme and crazy, and brings the maximum humor to the table, in a totally laughable lame fashion. Finally, Christina Applegate plays Grace, Fred’s wife and Maggie’s friend. She comes across as a little more assertive and edgy as compared to Maggie’s character. It’s also possibly the first time I’m seeing her in a slightly older role, having seen her mostly in young single roles. All 4 characters and performances do justice to the script and make the cumulative blend work together very well.

I was watching Hall Pass as part of in-flight entertainment while flying with Jet Airways. The video was a lossy DivX presented on an average quality LCD screen with a limited viewing angle. Color vibrancy was poor as with most DivX, but picture remained acceptably clear. I’d expect for the DVD to be pretty decent, and colors to be favoring warm. Sound was presented by means of a 2.0 stereo soundtrack. While it served the purpose, it left a lot to be desired for the discerning audiophile. Being a recent release it’s safe to assume that both video and audio should be pretty good. Lastly, it seemed as if certain sections of the movie were edited/chopped, in keeping with restrictive mass audience viewing compliance norms. Owing to this I’d expect that my viewing was devoid of any moderately risqué content

My Recommendation: Watch It (A comedy at heart that leans towards the romantic side)