Did You Hear About the Morgans?

This looked like a fun movie when I first heard of it, and I subsequently downloaded the high-def trailer, watched it and was convinced I should see it when it was out. The Morgan’s are a married but separated couple living in New York. Professionally they are both very successful and the movie starts out with Meryl Morgan being in the midst of a whole lot of media coverage. A few months after their separation, on Paul’s request they go out for a dinner, and on their way after witness a murder. The murderer notices them, and they are forced into the witness protection program. As part of this they are required to relocate together temporarily to a quiet town in Wyoming. The killer is on their trail, and life in Wyoming takes some getting used to. The question is, what impact will this have on their failing marriage?


From seeing the trailer, what made this romantic comedy (RoCo) different for the several others of its kind, was its seemingly different setting, and its few additional twists to the usual RoCo formula. Having watched the movie, I’ll have to admit that the trailer was true to the movie. While some components of Did You Hear About the Morgans? was in keeping with the usual RoCo method, some of it presented a slight change. Taking the core of the story out of a busy town and putting in Wyoming, added both a nice change as well as a leisurely pace to the movie. That said, if you’re looking to be rolling on the ground, laughing hysterically all through, you’ll probably find Did You Hear About the Morgans? a little laid back. Though the happy ending and predictable silly murderer seemed a tad cliché, at the end of the day it was a RoCo and things were light, funny and entertaining. Give this one a whirl and you’ll find it pleasantly refreshing.

Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker were perfect, and the entire movie pretty much depended on their performances. Considering the movie turned out pretty good, it’s obvious that they did a fine job. There were a lot of other supporting characters, especially the town folk of Cody, Wyoming, who helped set the pace/mood and keep it real. Hugh Grant as Paul Morgan was brilliant in his usual not so obvious yet comical way. The completely natural way in which he presents his humor is probably what makes him one of the most unique and impressive RoCo actors. Over the years, irrespective of the success of the individual movies, I’d have to say that it’s been hard to ever fault Hugh Grant’s performance. While I wouldn’t quite put them in the same league, Sarah Jessica Parker was also wonderful as Meryl Morgan. Her character had some situational wackiness that she pulled off very well. Additionally she balanced the romantic yet quarrelsome component of her character’s personality very well. Overall, both of their performances were splendid.

I watched this movie as part of the in-flight entertainment on Qatar airways. The quality seemed equivalent to that of a commercial DivX (ripped from DVD). Giving it some thought, from a practicality stand point, that made sense for airline entertainment. While the video was good for most part, it suffered from the usual reduced color vibrancy, that can be associated with DivX rips. Additionally, the individual LCD screens seemed average at best, with extreme impact caused by minimal adjustment in viewing angle. Being a new movie, I’d expect the DVD release to be clear and flawless, with natural colors. The aural experience was obviously limited to 2 channel stereo. The head phones provided were average, though adequate for non audiophiles. Again, I’d expect the DVD soundtrack to be good, and there’s room for impressive ambience owing to the unique setting of the movie.

My Recommendation: Watch It (A cut above the regular RoCo barrage)

The Spirit - Thoughts

When I first heard of this movie and that Frank Miller was directing it, I knew that I had to see it. Subsequently I watched the trailer and it reminded me of Sin City immediately. The Spirit is based on a comic by Will Eisner. Denny Colt is a rookie cop who comes back from the dead as the Spirit; his mission being to rid central city off the vermin that plague it. Though The Spirit follows a similar style to Sin City it's not to be confused with Sin City 2; that's a project that Frank Miller is working on independently.


After having watched the movie I have some mixed feelings. Frank Miller's film noir style, emphasized with high contrast black-and-white and a single prominent color was incredible as always. Accompanied with powerful narration and a solid soundtrack the movie came alive scene by scene like the comic strip. In terms of presentation The Spirit was simply brilliant. While Sin City was serious all through, The Spirit had a humor component to it which I guess is accurate considering that Will Eisner’s comic strip did have a comedy element to it. That said, the plot in itself was a little weaker than what I would've expected; while it was good, it wasn't great. Don't watch this one when you're tired, or when you’ve left your brain at work. It takes some focused watching to understand properly. It could be just me, but I did get the feeling that the movie was a little all over the place from time to time. If you're one for highly stylized movies, then this one is surely for you; but even otherwise I'd still say it's worth the watch.

Gabriel Macht plays the role of Denny Colt / The Spirit. I was looking through some of his past work and nothing really stood out. I'm guessing that The Spirit was one of his first leading roles. His performance here was pretty decent, but no awards to be handed out just yet. Coupled with the heavily stylized filmmaking, and the dark setting, the emphasis on his performance wasn’t as high as would have normally been. Samuel L Jackson as The Octopus, the nemesis of The Spirit, was convincing as a crazy psycho villain overwhelmed with world domination. Eva Mendes was spot on in her depiction of Sand Saref. She was hot, seductive, obsessive, in-control, and portrayed the required levels of emotion. Lastly, Scarlett Johansson plays Silken Floss, who works closely with The Octopus, supporting his diabolic needs. Silken Floss is an emotionless, cold, and robotic character, who is seemingly very intelligent. Scarlett’s portrayal was faultless.

The DVD I was watching was a Region 1 US DVD. The picture was flawless, and video quality was excellent. The dark scenes were good, and the definition in black and white was very good. Especially for a movie such as this, that so immensely depended on its stylized presentation, I’d emphasize the importance of watching a superior quality transfer. Watching a DivX or a pirated DVD would be pointless. Sound as in most cases nowadays was presented by means of a Dolby Digital 5.1 surround soundtrack. Audio again had a very important role in the overall scheme of things, emphasizing specific scenes in the movie. The use of narration throughout added to the comic book feel, and made understanding clear thanks to center channel delivery. Surround usage was noticeable and ample. Overall the soundtrack was sharp and powerful, working very well for The Spirit.

My Recommendation: Watch It (incredibly stylized and presented brilliantly)

War - Thoughts

I remember seeing the trailer for this one way back in 2007. Sadly looking back now, I must say the trailer lacked sufficient appeal. So many good movies come out every month, and they all vie for our time. If the trailer fails to make an impression, it’s very likely the movie will get missed. Though I subsequently saw the DVD at the video store, I always put this one off for later. I always thought of it as just another Jet Li martial arts action movie. In War, 2 FBI agents Crawford and Tom are in the midst of an Asian crime spree between the Chang’s of the Triads and the legendary Yakuza. Their involvement leads to the brutal death of Tom and his family. Crawford consumed by this makes it his personal vendetta to find and kill the assassin Rogue, hired to kill his partner and family. This obsession takes him over 2 years and costs him his marriage.


When I finally got around to seeing it about a month ago, my initial reasons for appeal were more to do with the format I was watching the movie on, and the tech elements of the home theatre. Needless to say my expectations of the movie were limited. That said, I was surprisingly intrigued and impressed by War. The plot and story were not as seemingly straight forward as I’d imagined. Similarly I found it gripping, and interesting right until the end, though the pace of the movie slowed down at various points. If you’re looking for a mindless over the top action movie, this isn’t for you. Invest some time and thought, and you’ll find that War is pleasantly interesting, and comparatively different. It’s a decently well thought out plot, with a good mix of elements. Overall a pretty good movie.

If you like Jason Statham and Jet Li, you’ll appreciate this one more. Statham plays Jack Crawford, the lead role in War. His portrayal of an FBI agent is good, and his character and personality are comparable to that of his other action movies. He has a routine formula that he works with, and you’ll find that its similar in pretty much all the action roles he plays. It’s not bad, but lacks in creative diversity. Jet Li starring as Rogue, the super assassin for hire is convincingly cold and efficient. Again a role that Jet Li is good at, and has employed successfully several times before. Devon Aoki of Tokyo Drift fame is also worth mention. Though initially skeptical I’ll have to admit that she manages to successfully pull of the role of the daughter of the Yakuza boss Shiro. Don’t go into War expecting stellar character development and moving performances, and you won’t be disappointed. Let’s keep in mind that such is not the focus of a movie like War.

This was my first ever Blueray experience. The TV I was watching it on was an exceptionally high-rated Samsung 46” LCD. Needless to say the full 1080p HD experience was exquisite. Video was beyond flawless, dark definition was exceptional, and even the simplest of living room scenes were clear and sharp. The sound was presented in Dolby HD 7.1; the home-theatre being a 5.1, there was a down mix applied. Sound again was remarkable. The 3D positional audio was excellent, and all the action sequences sounded great. Even at a medium volume sound was crisp and dialog was audible. Technically speaking Blueray coupled with good full HD supporting equipment makes for a wonderful and pleasurable movie watching experience; invest in it and you will not be disappointed!

My Recommendation: Watch It (A good plot, sufficiently intriguing with believable action)

The Love Guru - Thoughts

Released in 2008 I recall some hilarious trailers and wonder why I waited as long to see it. Based on the guru / learned Indian holy man stereotype, Love Guru entails the pursuits of Guru Pitka to solve the relationship issues of the star player of a hockey team and in turn help the professional and commercial needs of his solicitors. But what comes as a surprise to the guru himself are the life’s lessons he learns and the possible self conflicts to do with love.


I just got done watching the Love Guru; pretty fun movie. Except for one rather gross scene (the stink mop challenge), most of it was quite light and funny. It’s what you could typically expect from a Mike Myers movie. It’s probably the first I’m seeing since the Austin Powers series, so I’d say it’s quite in the same parallel. Surely worth the watch, especially with all the Indian parodies.

The movie was pretty much about Guru Pitka (played by Mike Myers), and all the other characters got very little screen time. Justin Timberlake played the antagonist, and did a decently fun job. I’ve only seen him in one movie before, Black Snake Moan, and I personally feel he fits the comedy bill better. Jessica Alba’s role was limited, and she did her usual romantic comedy stereotype routine. Meagan Good as Prudence the hot Afro-American women... was, well, hot!

Technically the quality was excellent. The colors were vivid and lively on the Plasma, and the aspect ratio was quite convenient. Though it didn’t exactly fit the screen, not too much was lost in terms of widescreen letterboxing. What stood out was the soundtrack; I was listening to the English Dolby Digital 5.1 surround and it came alive. The center channel was crisp, clear and set the mood, while effect and ambient sound was well captured on the surround channels. Thanks to the sound the various environments in the different scenes had a lot of pep. FYI – I was watching the Region 1 US release version of the DVD.

My Recommendation: Watch It (if you love Mike Myers, this is a given)


(This was the very first movie I shared my thoughts on. This version on the blog has been partially edited subsequently.)

Terminator Salvation - Thoughts

Considering Terminator 2 – The Judgment Day is probably my all time favorite movie, it’s no surprise that Terminator Salvation was probably the movie I most wanted to check out this Summer. Though the 3rd installation in the Terminator franchise wasn’t very well received, with mixed thoughts, I quite enjoyed it. The trailers of Salvation I’ve seen over the past months have been nothing short of amazing, and I was quite looking forward to the movie.


The first thing that stood out about the movie was the feel of desolation and vast nothingness. Unlike the vivid color of the Terminator 3 – Rise Of The Machines, Terminator Salvation had a feeling of dry, and barren lands. The feeling of an almost lost war, and the near extinction of the human race, came through well. There were no neon lights or bright colors, just the beige of the desert and dust. While the movie had its slower deeper moments, it maintained a constant pulse that was gripping and kept all keenly focused. The action sequences were excellent, but not overdone or unbelievable. The plot and narrative deep and solid (certainly not a movie built around the action and effects). Seeing that the franchise seemed complete with the previous installation, it was a beautifully woven story that fit in well, and answered many questions of the overall Terminator timeline; a sequel and a prequel all in one. In short an excellent addition to the Terminator franchise.

Though Christian Bale played the lead role as John Conner, Sam Worthington as Marcus Wright had a stronger and more binding role. The female co-stars had very passable lackluster parts to play; needless to say the story was strong enough to carry itself without hot skimpily clad women. Bryce Dallas Howard as Kate Conner was well cast in the sense that she did seem like an older version of Claire Danes who played Kate in T3. Michael Ironside as General Ashdown reminded me of his similar role in Starship Troopers. If anything, id have probably liked to see Skynet portrayed more menacingly, but perhaps the completely autopilot mode is what truly best signifies a machine world of the future. For those who love bikes and slick intense bike action, the Moto-Terminators will satisfy in a dreamy unreal sorta way.

From a technical elements standpoint, this is gonna be a little different as I watched this movie in the theatre and not on DVD. The presentation was in the form of digital data from HDD, projected via digital video projector. Video quality was very good, with detail being consistently sharp. There were a lot of daytime scenes, and thus shadows were kept to a minimum. As mentioned, colors were not vibrant, but this was intentional. The ambience was well created, with the sense of despondency being so imminent. Sound was also impressive, with the 3D space being used well, but not overdone. The elements all came together well, creating the post apocalyptic earth of 2018 well.

My Recommendation: Kick Ass (For anyone who loves Terminator as much as me, this was a given even before they started work on the movie)

Edit (Added in July 2015): After recently watching this movie again, its worth adding that what makes the Terminator Salvation narrative work so well, is the unique new plot/story that's added to the existing Terminator saga.  The Marcus character, his background, and his role is central to the overall premise, and makes for an interesting new dimension to the otherwise ongoing humanity-Skynet battle.

Air Force One - Thoughts

I’m not quite sure why I missed out on watching this movie sooner. It was quite popular at the time of release, was quite well received by the general public, and certainly is my kinda movie. So all that said I’m puzzled. Anyways, it’s one of the movies I picked up when I went to the video store recently. I was looking forward to seeing it as it promised to be a good action flick, and also featured a DTS soundtrack. What’s the big deal about DTS you might ask? Well, most commercially released DVD’s almost always have a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, but DTS 5.1 is less common. DTS in comparison to Dolby is usually of a higher bitrate, and thus should theoretically mean better quality (though usually not discernable). Lastly, and this is something most who have watched DTS soundtracks will be able to verify, the overall volume levels are significantly higher than Dolby.


It’s no surprise that the movie was quite good; the plot was impressive, the acting was excellent, and the action well planned and showcased. While the story was pretty straight forward and didn’t leave much to ponder, it was pretty good in all. Almost the entire 2 hours were gripping, with very few slow moments. The plot twists were realistic and not farfetched. Special effects were good for most part, though there were a few obviously dated effects (the scene where the plane crashed into the sea).

Harrison Ford as always put in an exceptional performance, satisfying all needs, including that of the president of the United States, and that of the loving father. His role was such that it would be hard not to like him. A man focused on doing the right thing, placing ideals in front of personal benefit, a loving family man, with a warm fun personality, and the honor & courage of a soldier. Gary Oldman as the leader of the terrorist group came across convincingly as a terrorist extremist. Glen Close was the perfect fit for the power role of Vice President. William H Macy was also worth mentioning.

Video quality was good, but didn’t have the vibrance of more recent films. Considering the movie was made in 1997, perhaps that’s excusable. Acceptable overall, but nothing over the top. The base colors were warm tones of red and brown. Certain scenes had considerable shadows, but nothing to complain about. Video was presented in 16:9 widescreen, and was a better fit to widescreen home TV sets that most theatrical presentations (minimal widescreen letterboxing was present). Sound was quite good and it fit the requirements of the movie well. While the use of 3 dimensional space was limited, when required it was used well. The scene where the F-15 fighter jets were flying around Air Force One was captured in surround very well. The DVD I was watching was a standard region 1 US DVD.

My Recommendation: Kick Ass (I would assume that replay value is pretty good)

Transporter 2 - Thoughts

I stopped by the video store a couple of days ago and told myself as I walked in, no more comedy, time for some action or thriller flicks. Transporter 2, though not recent, wasn’t something I’d seen as of yet. I only saw Transporter 1 recently, and having quite enjoyed it, Transporter 2 made sense. Action and cars, what’s not to like?


The plot was average, and without much thought it was obvious that the story was built around the action and not the other way around. But keeping in mind that the action was the focus, the movie was pretty solid. Both the car action sequences, and Franks action sequences were well depicted. Special Effect were average, and in some scenes did look dated or low budget; the police chopper being blown up was one of them. What didn’t work were a few of the action sequences in the car that were obviously unrealistic and exaggerated. This is probably where the first succeeded better, as most of what was depicted came across as on the edge yet believable.

Jason Statham played his regular ‘don’t mess with the suit, and I won’t smile’ role. While it was predictable, it was what most people expected and wanted, so there wasn’t much to complain about. Amber Valletta (What Lies Beneath) did a very good job, and honestly I was pleasantly surprised. While my expectation of her portrayal of the kidnapped boy’s mother wasn’t very high, she far surpassed it, and that too quite convincingly for a mainstream American model. Alessandro Gassman played the stereotype rich Latin American drug lord sorts; nothing to write home about though. Kate Nauta was his lead henchman, lover who had a sense of cold ruthlessness to her that was very convincing. François Berléand who was also in the first part served as the comic relief.

Video quality was pretty good, and the black Audi glistened brilliantly throughout. Yellow seemed to be slightly overemphasized, especially in skin tones. Sound was good, and the Dolby Digital 5.1 English soundtrack did perfect justice to the movie. The movie was presented in 16:9 widescreen. Though unable to decipher the exact region code, it’s safe to say that the DVD was meant for APAC (Asia Pacific) circulation, and could have probably been region free or multi-region compatible.

My Recommendation: Watch It – (if you haven’t already and love a good action flick; replay value is questionable though)