Black Swan - Thoughts

I came across the trailer for Black Swan a couple of months ago; it caught my attention thanks to Natalie Portman’s involvement in it. I wasn't overly enamored by it though, as I didn't see a ballet themed movie gripping my interest. It caught my attention again after the 2011 Oscar’s, wherein it won the award for best actress, not to mention several other nominations. In Black Swan Natalie Portman is a ballerina who has a dream of playing the Swan Queen in a ballet theatre production; her journey there being troubled, as she battles her inner self and is on the verge of losing her mind.


Going into it I knew that the Black Swan would have a lot of ballet and theatre; I was also aware that it was billed as a thriller, which was indeed promising. Right from the opening sequences Black Swan is dark; the entire movie is viewed from the perspective of Natalie Portman, and comes across as disturbed. Camera angles, lighting, and editing are perfect, and every minute of this psychological thriller comes across as troubled; as is Portman’s perspective of life. The pace consistently maintains the suspense, leaving the audience constantly questioning reality, paranoia and the outcome. Overall Darren Aronofsky has achieved near perfection in the Black Swan; leaving no doubt as to why it has had as many nominations. Besides its artistic value, commercially too Black Swan has been extremely successful, grossing over 8 times its production budget by the beginning of March 2011, in the United States alone. If you enjoy thrillers, ballet, theatre or Natalie Portman, the Black Swan should be numero uno on your must watch list. Give it a miss if dark and mildly disturbing movies are not your thing. Don't be mistaken… there's no casual entertainment value here!

Natalie Portman plays Nina, the lead role in the Black Swan. After watching the movie, there's no doubt as to why she was awarded the Oscar. The myriad of emotions that her character experiences during the course of the movie are embodied astoundingly; be it confusion, euphoria, sadness, or self-doubt. Mila Kunis plays Lily, whose personality is a perfect contrast to Nina’s. She's bold, outgoing, and comes across like a gal who knows how to have a good time. Watch her for a bit and you'll be left with a feeling of wanting to have her as a friend. Vincent Cassel plays Thomas Leroy, the master tutor and head of the theatre production team; a passionate and intense Frenchman. One of Black Swan’s key strengths is its strong performances.

I watched this one in the theatre, and the video had a noticeably dark mood to it. Lighting was always just enough, with no overly bright moments. Colors again were never too vivid; in keeping with the dark theme of the movie. Some of the scenes were noticeably grainy, but I'm guessing that this was also intentional. Sound was good, and dialog was clear throughout. Surround separation was noticeable, and used appropriately to enhance the suspense element.

My Recommendation: Watch It + (A gripping murky psychological thriller; prepare to be swept away by Natalie Portman!)

CSI: Season 7 - Thoughts

CSI (Crime Scene Investigation) is a show that needs no introduction. Since the airing of the very first episode in Oct 2000, the show was recognized as a smash hit. In the months and years that followed, CSI was arguably the most watched TV show in the world. The show was created by Anthony E Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer; worldwide audience was estimated to be in excess of 73 million in 2009. While I had personally watched Season 1 of both the newer CSI shows, Miami and New York first, I decided I should sample the original CSI, a.k.a. CSI: Las Vegas. Having started way before, Season 1 was hard to source, and thus my decision to start with Season 7, which was readily available. The series follows crime scene forensic experts who use evidence and modern technology to solve gruesome and unimaginable murders.


It’s fair to say that after 2 full seasons of CSI (CSI Miami – Season 1, and CSI NY – Season 1), that I was amazed by the show and had grown to know what to expect. That said, Season 7 of CSI Las Vegas, just blew me away. The show was flawlessly planned, keeping in mind the short term, and the long term. As most are probably aware, plots are usually solved within the 40 to 45 minute weekly episode timeframe. While there were episode specific plots with subsequent solutions, there was also the slow but intense buildup for the long running and unsolved ‘Miniature Killer’ case. This ensured that people would stay tuned till the end of the season and perhaps longer to figure stuff out. Character development again was well crafted, with no obvious bits that warranted dwelling upon, but worked out well in the scheme of things, adding value to future episodes. Viewers don’t watch CSI for the inter-office character drama, and this is thankfully kept to a minimum, while having just enough to keep it gripping in the long term. Shows like CSI that have a weekly format with the solution being made available at the end of the weekly viewing experience, usually struggle when it comes to sustained interest and continued viewership through the season. Thanks to considerable effort made in view of the long term, CSI Season 7 succeeds where very few have been able to. The plots themselves are interesting and are guaranteed to hold viewer attention. Pace is balanced well, with slower intellectually stimulating moments of science and analysis, and faster law enforcement related action sequences. Overall, CSI Season 7 will not disappoint; unless you don’t have the stomach for blood and murder, this one’s sure to be blow your mind

One of the successes of the CSI series is the excellently well cast actors, and their unassuming yet perfect performances. All the characters come off as very everyday, while not seeming boring; each having their unique virtues, which play into their overall characters skills and strengths. William Petersen as Gil Grissom is the head of the team, and brings wisdom and composure to the group. While not too obvious, he takes on a sorta father figure role to the unit. Marg Helgenberger succeeds in seeming credible and senior, while being a single mom. Jorja Fox who plays the role of Sara Sidle seems rather plain at first but will grow onto viewers before the end of the season; to the point of making the show feel somewhat incomplete without her. Other portrayals are also notable, but the list being extensive I will curtail myself at this juncture

The content I was watching was a regular lossy DivX; the sorts that are shared online quite popularly. All of the episodes weighed in at about 350MB each, and video quality was acceptable. Pixilation with stretching was apparent, but not too much to the point of being bothersome. Colors were good, but there was degradation owing to the DivX compression. I’m guessing that the DVD should be quite good. No post production color tone addition was noticeable. All the episodes were accompanied by 2.0 Stereo soundtracks. Dialogs were sufficiently clear, but nowhere near 5.1 separation standards. Similarly action sequences and other effects were aided by the sound track and seemed sufficient. Surround wasn’t tested owing to content limitations.

My Recommendation: Kick Ass (Television entertainment at its very best)

Jumper - Thoughts

Released in 2008, Jumper had minimal promo activity, and thus wasn’t widely hyped. Post release, public response was mostly lackluster. Outside of Hayden Christensen’s female fan following, reactions were mostly uninspiring. Having seen the trailer, which had some decent special effects, and explored a new sci-fi concept of instant teleportation, I was moderately enamored. In Jumper, Hayden Christensen plays a boy with a genetic ability to instantly teleport anywhere across the world. Also eminent is a hunt for people of his kind.


The movie is relatively short, weighing in at 88 minutes. The plot and back story are similarly bare and minimalistic. While there is a little more insight into the pursuit for the gifted few, there is no additional background provided to the two factions, and their past. The way the plot was setup, I believe that there was room for additional narrative development, to perhaps have made the movie a little more complex and gripping. That said, the special effects were good, and the sci-fi teleportation piece was original. If you’re looking for a fun, entertaining, extremely light movie, Jumper will certainly not disappoint. Also thrown into the plot mix was his reconnecting with his crush from school, and their romantic development. That added positively to the overall effort.

Performances were good, with Rachel Bilson’s portrayal of Millie being noteworthy. This was one of her first movies I’m seeing and I think her spontaneity and personality came through really well. What was outstanding was that most of her scenes seemed extremely natural and genuine. Hayden Christensen did an adequate job, his portrayal of David Rice being believable while not over the top. The fact that he was portraying a conscientious jumper did seem justified. Samuel L Jackson with his rather intense hair style played bad guy Roland convincingly. Diane Lane’s role was very minimal, but was on the mark; expression and emotion was apt.

The DVD I was watching was a regular Region 1 US DVD. Video was good for most part, and picture was clear. Most scenes has a gold-ish sun-ray sorta glow/tone to it. I’m guessing this was intentionally done during post production. Sound was by means of a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, which served the movie and its effects well. Dialog was clear, and teleportation sequences sounded good with the supporting sound effects.

My Recommendation: Watch It - (A Simple Superficial Sci-Fi Entertainer!)

Crank 2: High Voltage - Thoughts

The first I heard of the Crank series was from a friend in London, who was telling me that if I liked Jason Statham action movies I should check-out Crank sometime. While I made a mental note to, I never really got around to it. During a recent long distance luxury cab ride, we decided to watch a movie while in transit and it so happened that the pick of the lot was Crank 2: High Voltage. In the sequel Statham falls out of a plane, survives, and then proceeds to hunts down gang members who harvested his organs while he was delirious. All of this off course is while he is using a temp artificial heart that needs electric recharging periodically to keep him going.


A frantic 96 minutes later, I had some mixed feelings about Crank 2. First off, its paced in a non-stop action sorta way, with no real break or slowdown. It’s certainly for a mature audience, as there’s plenty of violence, loads of abusive language, and a good measure of nudity. While not obvious, there is a humor element which adds to the mix well, and helps balance things out. Crank 2 succeeds at being entertaining, and turns a deaf year to reality. Though there are references to the first movie, and reappearing characters, entering the Crank franchise directly at part 2, a.k.a. High Voltage is quite fine. If you’re in the mood for almost mindless entertainment, with very little realism Crank 2 is worth the watch, but if you’re looking to be gripped with an intense plot and something that will make you think, rest assured Crank 2 will be disappointing.

Jason Statham plays Chev Chelios, a very charged and aggressive anti-hero style protagonist. He comes across as driven with very little concerns for the world around him. I’m guessing that shoot first, think later was how the character was written out to be, and Statham succeeds at that. Amy Smart plays Eve Lydon, Chev Chelios’s stripper girlfriend. She too comes off as crazy and edgy, and a convincing partner to Chelios. Having only seen her in Road Trip previously, where she plays a very typical teenager, Amy Smart shows good range in the kind of characters she can play. Art Hsu plays one of the nut-job villains Johnny Vang; while not the most intimidating, he does make for a moderately worthy adversary. Besides, he is only 1 of many villains. Efren Ramirez plays Venus, a questionable and somewhat feminine man. Suffering from Tourette’s, he too is extreme in his portrayal. Pretty much all the characters in Crank 2 are over the top and bordering crazy.

I watched Crank 2 on a mini LCD display while travelling in a luxury cab. Thus the test medium wasn’t great, but that said picture quality seemed pretty decent. The DVD was a copy made from an original Asian Multi Region DVD. There was no pixilation or obvious deterioration in video. As expected with Multi Region DVD’s, there was very minimal loss in color vibrancy. The sound system in use was a standard stereo speaker setup. The audio experience was excessively limited, and the soundtrack could not be analyzed much. For most part dialogue was clear, and the action sequences were complemented with good supporting sound effects.

My Recommendation: Dicey (You may enjoy it, or be left with the feeling of wanting to throw your television out the window)

Tekken - Thoughts

I don’t remember any promo activity for this movie, at least not in my region. Having been slightly familiar with the combat video game Tekken, when I came across something about this movie online, I decided to read up on it. Being someone who’d watched the Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, and Fatal Fury movies and cartoons, it should come as no surprise that I decided to source and watch this movie. In Tekken, a young boy living in the slums of the new corporate world, witnesses the shooting of his mother, and decides to use an annual tournament for professional warriors as a means to seek vengeance on the corrupt corporation that was responsible for her death.


While the plot is simplistic, and leaves very little to imagination, the fight sequences are pretty impressive. Considering that Tekken is about the fighting, I guess it succeeds. My knowledge of the games’ story is limited, and thus it’s hard to say if the movie is in keeping with the original game storyline. The twist regarding the lead characters lineage is interesting, but not all together shocking. The runtime is short and the overall pace is quick, with just a few acceptable slower moments. The character mix is well suited for a movie of this sort, and brings the action together well. Though the lead character has a girlfriend and also seemingly hits it off well with a fellow female combatant, there is no real romantic piece to the plot; be warned if you’re expecting one. If you’re a videogame fan looking for a martial arts movie remake, you’ll love the action and enjoy Tekken. On the other hand if you don’t really care for such amateur low to medium budget action productions, you will be bored.

Most of the cast in Tekken is amateur, with the only readily recognizable face being that of Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, who plays Heihachi Mishima, the head of the Tekken organization. Incidentally he played Shang Tsung in the legendary Mortal Kombat movie from 1995. He did well in his role in Tekken, coming across as the dominant head of the organization, being both commanding, and authoritative. The lead role of Jin Kazama is played by Jon Foo, who was admirable in his portrayal of the bold young teenager. Blended well was his representation of the rash and passionate adolescent out to seek vengeance, yet having good moral values and learning quickly from his well-wishers. His friend and fellow participant whom he had a noticeable connection with was Christie Monteiro, played by Kelly Overton; a young woman who was smart, sassy, and very capable of kicking ass. She did justice to her role, coming across as dependable and loyal. Overall an amateur cast with pretty decent performances all round.

As sourcing the movie was relatively difficult, I ended up watching a downloaded DVD5 version of the movie. While picture and the overall presentation were far superior to a lossy DivX, I do believe that some transcoding might have been done that marginally degraded quality. Video was clear and pixel free for most part, but wasn’t flawless. Definition was pretty much acceptable all through. Most of the scenes in the movie are at night or indoors in artificial light. Sound was presented by means of a Dolby Digital 5.1 surround audio track. It complemented the fight sequences well, and made the action enjoyable. Surround stage usage was quite minimal overall.

My Recommendation: Watch It – (A must watch for those who enjoy video game movies)

Over Her Dead Body - Thoughts

After having seen the trailer for Over Her Dead Body, I decided to give the movie a watch as it came across as funny and entertaining. In the cast was Lake Bell, whom I had previously seen only in TV serials, and in relatively more serious roles. So that made for additional reason. Following an accident and the death of his fiancée on their wedding day, Henry remains detached and to himself for over a year. His sister in an effort to set things right talks him into meeting a psychic, Ashley, who would help him reach out to his dead fiancée, and talk through unresolved matters, thus helping him achieve closure. What she does not intend for is the attraction between Henry and Ashley. Also unplanned is the resurfacing of his dead fiancée who isn’t overly keen on this new union.


Overall a good movie to watch, keeping in mind that you’re looking for 95 minutes of light fun and not something outstanding or novel. The movie had all the usual bits that you’d expect from a romantic comedy, girl and guy meet and unexpectedly fall in love. There are obstacles they have to overcome to keep things up, and eventually one feels betrayed by the other who should have come clean on a certain secret. They break things off, miss each other plenty, and eventually the last minute dash, to get the girl at the airport moments before she leaves. The interesting twist here being that the obstacle is the spirit of the guy’s ex-girlfriend who died on the day of their wedding. If like me you’ve seen the trailer you’ll be a little let down, as the trailer presents the movie as being a lot more up-beat and fast paced. The movie is in actuality moderately paced, with several slower moments.

Playing the role of the nice guy who’s sad and not willing to move on was Paul Rudd (knocked Up / Forgetting Sarah Marshall). His love interest, the fun, casual, not so successful psychic played by Lake Bell (Boston Legal – Season 1). Eva Longoria was Kate, his crazy, bossy, totally hyper ex-girlfriend (of Desperate Housewives fame). The chemistry between the three made for some entertaining moments.

Technically the quality was pretty decent. The colors seemed lively in certain scenes like the grocery store with the backdrop of peppers of various colors. Otherwise it was just about acceptable overall, with skin tones seeming a little flat. The aspect ratio was standard widescreen with the usual widescreen letterboxing. The soundtrack was sufficient, with the English Dolby Digital 5.1 surround ensuring that all dialogues were clear and audible. The pace was moderate to slow, and set the mood for the movie. Again, the DVD I was watching was a Region 1 US release.

My Recommendation: Watch It (An entertaining flick, if you have 95 minutes to spare)

Resident Evil: Apocalypse - Thoughts

Released in 2004, 2 years after the first Resident Evil movie, Apocalypse follows the spread of the deadly T-Virus, and Alice’s struggle against the infected undead. Not only has the virus which was thought to be contained in the secret underground Umbrella Corp. facility spread into Raccoon city, but Alice wakes to realize that she is part of the Umbrella Corp’s bio military experiments. Being an avid fan of the franchise this was something I deemed as a must watch, early on into hearing about it. I subsequently watched this movie in the theatre in 2004, and also rented the DVD and watched it a few months later. I decided to revisit it as part of a Resident Evil marathon prior to watching the all new Resident Evil: Afterlife movie; which btw started playing in theaters a week prior to me writing this review.


Resident Evil: Apocalypse is billed as a Sci-Fi, Action, Horror, Thriller. From having seen the original, I wouldn't categorize it as Horror anymore. While it still has several intense thrill elements, it isn't as dark or grim as the first part. What it has maximized on is the Action element. All the fight sequences are bigger, more hard hitting, and closer to extreme. Alice looks more toned, tough and showcases super human ability in this installment. Plot and story progression is ample, with the spread of the T-Virus, development of Alice, and other long term franchise story elements being nurtured carefully. All the gore and expectedly disgusting zombie ghastliness is very much present; be warned if you're not into that sorta thing. If you're into Sci-Fi, or just plain loathe the Resident Evil series, you'll love the almost mindless and casual action that Apocalypse has to offer. If you're looking for something new and gripping, keep in mind that Apocalypse is more an expansion and less an innovation.

Resident Evil wouldn’t be Resident Evil if it didn't have Milla Jovovich. If she came across as cold and intense in the first installment as Alice, she does so even better here. While a little lost in the first movie, here Alice is coming to terms with what is happening to her and around her. She is more in control of herself and what she is becoming. As an action star Milla is increasingly convincing in Apocalypse; she certainly seems to have the art of kicking ass while looking good at it, down. True to Resident Evil form, Alice has a supporting female action costar. In Apocalypse this comes in the form of Jill Valentine, an elite special forces cop, played by Sienna Guillory. While unfamiliar with her past work, she does a fine job in this sequel, keeping up with Alice, though obviously more human and not as invincible. Oded Fehr stars as Carlos Olivera, one of the Umbrella Corp’s hired guns who later joins forces with Alice and her brigade. Though character development is limited, Oded is convincing as an anti-hero and a team player. Thomas Kretschmann plays Major Cain, the Umbrella Corp. suit, and the face of all things commercial, uncaring, and sinister. His portrayal was average at best, and came off as amateurish often enough. Thankfully this inadequacy didn't impact the overall movie too much, as Major Cain was sufficiently dis-likable.

The DVD I was watching was a Region 1 US release. Video was pretty good, with not much that I can think of in terms of being sub-par. There were a lot of dark scenes, and definition was sometimes average in those sections. Sound was good, and complimented the action very well. There was a lot of gunfire, breaking glass, and special effects all through; needless to say sound and special effects were the main driving forces behind Apocalypse. The audio track I was sampling was a Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track. Surround stage usage was acceptable, but nothing over the top. The soundtrack was pretty good, and special mention must be made of the track The Outsider (Resident Renholder Mix) by A Perfect Circle.

My Recommendation: Watch It – (Can’t get enough of Resident Evil? Here you go….. the sequel)