Deliverance (1972)

STORY – 1
DIRECTOR – 1
ACTOR – 1
MUSIC – 1
CULT – 1

 

VERDICT – 5/5

 
PROS –
1) A canoeing adventure gone wrong for 4 friends.
2) The fascinating anti-establishmentarian character of Lewis played by Burt Reynolds primarily in the first half of the movie.
3) The male-rape scene was shocking and disturbing. There is some serious amount of body-horror in this thriller. Drew’s badly twisted corpse, Lewis’s broken femur sticking out was one unbearable sight to see.
4) Dueling Banjos

 
CONS –
N/A

 

 

QUOTE –
Lewis: Machines are gonna fail. And the system’s gonna fail. Then…
Ed: And then what?
Lewis: Then survival. Who has the ability to survive. That’s the game: Survive.
Ed: And you can’t wait for it to happen, can you?

The African Queen (1951)

STORY – 0
DIRECTOR – 1
ACTOR – 1
MUSIC – 0
CULT – 1

Verdict – 3/5

Pros –
1) An African Safari with 2 greatest Hollywood stars at the beginning of World War I.

 

Cons –
1) An ordinary romantic movie with very few memorable moments and an abrupt ending.

 

Quote –
Charlie Allnut: “A man takes a drop too much once in a while, it’s only human nature.”
Rose Sayer: “‘Nature,’ Mr. Allnut, is what we are put into this world to rise above.”

Ivanhoe (1952)

STORY – 1
DIRECTOR – 1
ACTOR – 1
MUSIC – 0
CULT – 0

Verdict – 3/5

 

Pros –
1) Castle-siege battle sequence – uncanny similarity to the Battle of Helm’s Deep.
2) Fast paced screenplay with less melodrama
3) Presence of RobinHood as a minor character.
4) Elizabeth Taylor as Rebecca – mesmerizing beauty

 

Cons –
1) King Richard the Lionhearted is only a side-show.

 
Quote –
“King Richard the Lionhearted: Before me kneels a nation divided – rise as one man, and that one, for England!”

Ready Player One (2018)

STORY – 0
DIRECTOR – 0
ACTOR – 1
MUSIC – 0
CULT – 1

Verdict – 2/5

 

PROS –
1) Behind the neon lights, pop-culture references, and future gaming – this is a Huxley’s nightmare. A dystopian movie with dark undertones.
2) Prominent tributes include Back To The Future, a revisit to “Hotel Overlook” and Iron Giant returning for one more sacrifice.
3) I-R0k – Best character from the movie.

 

CONS –
1) Over-stretched and mediocre 3rd act.
2) Spielberg chooses another cliched plot to direct. This movie reminds us again that Hollywood has milked the 80s enough.No doubt the 80s was the most important decade for the technological advancements which we have today but now there’s clearly an over-kill.

 

QUOTE –
It’s fucking Chucky!

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)

STORY – 0
DIRECTOR – 1
ACTOR – 1
MUSIC – 0
CULT – 0

 

Verdict – 2/5

 

Pros –
1) Kevin Hart: he got the best lines in the movie
2) Alan Parish nod to complete the sequel connection

 

Cons –
1) Jack Black – great talent but still under-utilized
2) Generic Hollywood blockbuster
3) Every funny scene is already in the trailer
4) Mediocre boss & boss fight

 

Quote –
Finbar: I got a backpack on! You don’t get in water with a backpack, everybody knows that.

Princess Mononoke (1997)

STORY – 1
DIRECTOR – 1
ACTOR – N/A
MUSIC – 0
CULT – 1

 

Verdict – 3/4

 

Pros –

 

1) The trademark multi-layered fantasy story-line from Studio Ghibli.
2) Ashitaka – Atticus Finch of this story
3) Lady Eboshi – character who deserves her own film.

 

 

Cons –

 

1) Misleading title – Mononoke is definitely not the central character here.

 

 

 

Quote –

 

 

Jigo: So you say you’re under a curse? So what? So’s the whole damn world.

The Man Who Would Be King (1975)

STORY – 1
DIRECTOR – 1
ACTOR – 1
MUSIC – 0
CULT – 1

Verdict – 4/5

 

Pros –
1) Good old moral story by Rudyard Kipling exploring greed and its repercussions.
2) Sean Connery & Michael Caine: 2 British stalwarts in a comedic adventure with a tragic climax
3) Saeed Jaffrey as Billy Fish – stole the show

 

Cons –
N/A

 

Quote –
Daniel Dravot: Now listen to me you benighted muckers. We’re going to teach you soldiering. The world’s noblest profession. When we’re done with you, you’ll be able to slaughter your enemies like civilized men.