Greenberg (2010) is Noah Baumbach's return to form. Ben Stiller and Rhys Ifans are terrific and the film leaves you with plenty of happy things to think about. It seems slow but its not - infact, it is downright entertaining - the dialogues are snappy, the screenplay leaves enough space for the characters to develop and the music is just great - it has Galaxie 500's
Strange playing twice in the film! Just the fact that Noah likes Galaxie 500 puts a smile on me everytime I think about it.
Imdb Link here
Death Race 2000 (1975) Imaginative and intelligent, great pace for a 70s film and a flimsy and unconvincing climax. This one falls right in the center of my
cult movie definition. About a car race where points are scored for running over and killing people and about a world that has gone so wrong that this happens to be the national sport of the most powerful nation on earth. This film predicted the vulgarity, grotesqueness and impact of reality TV much before it actually became real. There's something here which appeals to the violence within you; and lays bare our innate perversity which we are so afraid to otherwise accept.
Imdb Link here
The King's Speech (2010) Its already won the oscar for Colin Firth and Tom Hooper (director). The stuttering king and his friendship with the man who helps him overcome this disability together with the backdrop of a looming world war makes for a compelling film. It might be too sugary at times and may not be accurate in its take on history but its a good story and that's what we need.
Imdb link here
Pleasantville (1998) Two present day teenagers end up in a 50s TV show and their presence changes the lives of the characters in the show forever. This is a modern day parable and has a lot to teach if one watches and listens carefully. The film does drag at times but what it does more than redeems - the concept is unique and provides a great platform for the actors and the director to explore, enliven and transform; the director's vision of the Pleasantville world is flawless and challenges your imagination to go beyond; and the soundtrack is terrific.
Imdb Link here
It's Kind of a Funny Story (2010) This is a Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden directed film. Ryan is the one who made
Half Nelson and hence I was expecting this to be very good. It is very good. The best thing about this film - its a story of ordinary people - of a teenager with normal problems (not getting a girl he feels he loves, not sure if he would be able to live up to his dad's definition of success) who ends up in an adult psychiatric ward - which is pleasantly unlike films where invariably the kid would be some unrecognised genius artist forced by his parents to write SAT. This doesn't mean the film is sad - far from it - it tickles the funny bone and by the end makes you feel like buying a bicycle and cycling through your hometown once again. By the way, if you do watch it, please let me know if Bobby is still alive.
Imdb Link here
Machete (2010) This is Robert Rodriguez's follow up to his classic
Planet Terror. Another wonderful take on 1970's American B-grade cinema. Fun, fun, fun, fun and lots of people dying in the process. Here's your chance to embrace absurdity and violence, as one of the characters in the movie puts it -
We didn't cross the border. The border crossed us. I too didn't watch this film, the film actually watched me as I grinned at the blood and the gore. The ugly gangsters were killed one by one by the great Machete and that's the way it should be in a just world! Yes!
Imdb link here
Greenberg (2010) is Noah Baumbach's return to form. Ben Stiller and Rhys Ifans are terrific and the film leaves you with plenty of happy things to think about. It seems slow but its not - infact, it is downright entertaining - the dialogues are snappy, the screenplay leaves enough space for the characters to develop and the music is just great - it has Galaxie 500's Strange playing twice in the film! Just the fact that Noah likes Galaxie 500 puts a smile on me everytime I think about it. Imdb Link here 
Pleasantville (1998) Two present day teenagers end up in a 50s TV show and their presence changes the lives of the characters in the show forever. This is a modern day parable and has a lot to teach if one watches and listens carefully. The film does drag at times but what it does more than redeems - the concept is unique and provides a great platform for the actors and the director to explore, enliven and transform; the director's vision of the Pleasantville world is flawless and challenges your imagination to go beyond; and the soundtrack is terrific. Imdb Link here
It's Kind of a Funny Story (2010) This is a Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden directed film. Ryan is the one who made Half Nelson and hence I was expecting this to be very good. It is very good. The best thing about this film - its a story of ordinary people - of a teenager with normal problems (not getting a girl he feels he loves, not sure if he would be able to live up to his dad's definition of success) who ends up in an adult psychiatric ward - which is pleasantly unlike films where invariably the kid would be some unrecognised genius artist forced by his parents to write SAT. This doesn't mean the film is sad - far from it - it tickles the funny bone and by the end makes you feel like buying a bicycle and cycling through your hometown once again. By the way, if you do watch it, please let me know if Bobby is still alive. Imdb Link here
Machete (2010) This is Robert Rodriguez's follow up to his classic Planet Terror. Another wonderful take on 1970's American B-grade cinema. Fun, fun, fun, fun and lots of people dying in the process. Here's your chance to embrace absurdity and violence, as one of the characters in the movie puts it -We didn't cross the border. The border crossed us. I too didn't watch this film, the film actually watched me as I grinned at the blood and the gore. The ugly gangsters were killed one by one by the great Machete and that's the way it should be in a just world! Yes! Imdb link here
hmm... decided 3 out of 5 anna.
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