Watching Instantly
By Vijay Kumar
July 20, 2010
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Went Looking For…
Believe it or not, I sometimes do have a predetermined playlist while browsing for movie titles. Generally, there is a week between my adding them to the playlist and actually watching them. The movies under “Went Looking For…” are typically the movies that I had slotted as “Ended up with…” the previous week.
Zombieland
Zombieland is a zombie road movie that culminates in an amusement park. Jesse Eisenberg is a pioneer in the new genre of amusement park movies. He kicked off these efforts with Adventureland, an angst fueled movie set in an amusement park of the same name. Adventureland was initially meant to be just a teen comedy, but took an angsty turn after Kristen Stewart was cast. I digress. Zombieland is more of a fun ride despite having a gory premise. The few non-zombies left in the American Continent are trying to find their way to utopia.
The exact location changes from character to character but they do end up traveling together. Columbus (Eisenberg) is trying to find his way back to his home town with the aid of 32 rules and the occasional firearm. Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) is a trigger happy zombie hunter with a side quest for Twinkies. Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) are sisters intent on duping zombies and non-zombies alike. Bill Murray throws in a great cameo for good measure. This is a black comedy in the sense that the comedy comes through blood spewing violence. We are talking about situations involving the undead and the live ones who try to stay out of their way. Shaun of the Dead is getting to be a great influence on moviemakers.
Surrogates
Surrogates turned out to be a rather decent thriller. The premise is the same as I, Robot. A few more common elements with the Will Smith movie are available through casting and plot points.
As humans continue to lead lives of seclusion, their robotic surrogates go about performing their physical activities. The surrogates themselves are good looking versions of the humans. Their job is to ensure that the real people are not exposed to any physical harm. They are in contact with their owners through a network monitored by a corporate entity. I couldn’t help wondering if it would be easier to harm a semi-sedated person locked up in an apartment than someone out and about in the real world. That would deny us a story. So, let’s assume that they are safer in their apartments.
This assumption is put to the test through surrogate induced murders. Bruce Willis and Radha Mitchell (through their surrogates actually) are the FBI agents investigating these murders. The latent technophobe in Willis’ character gets out in more ways than one. The result is a decent whodunit with some red herrings along for the ride. The chase sequences are top notch, complimented by competent special effects. This movie could have performed better at the box office had they named it Avatars. Just saying…
New York
Khudha Ke Liye (In the name of God), a Pakistani movie, had at its core a wrongfully accused Muslim man tortured for alleged involvement in the 9/11 attacks. The story enveloping those scenes was one of two brothers with radically different religious views. Bollywood being Bollywood took the same core and built a love triangle around it. To be honest, it is not as bad as it sounds. The screenplay is quite engaging and time is not lost in typical Bollywood distractions such as musical numbers and non-linear comedy tracks. The letdowns are the main leads, who are models first and actors later. John Abraham has a character arc to trace and ends up having the best scope for performance. Neil Nithin Mukesh and Katrina Kaif do not have that luxury. Irfaan Khan (Mira Nair’s Namesake) plays a CIA agent and has the best lines in the movie. The movie proceeds well right up to the melodramatic end which has too many loopholes to contend with. Pritam’s music is non-intrusive while Aseem Mishra’s cinematography is one of the main contributors for a great looking movie.
Ended up with…
Whilst checking out the above movies, I invariably end up fattening my instant watch queue with some new additions. These go into my “Ended up with…” list and the plan is to watch them during the week ahead. NetFlix keeps tempting me to move each one of them to the top of the queue but I resist. These are movies that I plan to check out in the days ahead.
Munyurangabo
Carried over from last week. I am blaming this tardiness on Inception.
After Tsotsi, I refuse to take movies from Africa lightly. Munyurangabo has an eclectic team behind and in front of the camera. It keeps popping up in my NetFlix recommendations and I dare not ignore it. I also plan to practice pronouncing the title before and during the movie.
Paper Clips
The documentary that uses a unique method to educate a new generation on the holocaust, Paper Clips, is a must see as it promises to put perspective on love and hate.
Harold and Maude
A teenager with a keen interest in funerals befriends an old lady full of life. This classic is supposed to be a quirky movie laced with black humor. This is a must see.
Two Lovers
Joaquin Phoenix’ supposed swansong, he got rave reviews for his portrayal of man involved in a variety of complex romantic relationships. The movie also got noted for its script and cinematography.