The Young Victoria (2009)

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

 

VERDICT – 2/5

 

 
PROS –
1) High production value as required in any period movie.
2) Paul Bettany played the meaty role of Lord Melbourne.

 
CONS –
1) An unsought average movie chronicling the uneventful life of young Victoria. Apart from the Bedchamber crisis, and the assassination attempt the movie got no compelling plot points.
2) The supposedly prime villain (Mark Strong as Sir John Conroy) is a feeble character.

 

 
QUOTE –
Queen Adelaide: You are confusing stubbornness with strength, my dear.

The Girl on the Train (2016)

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

Verdict – 2/5

 
Pros –
1) Martha’s revelation – from this point onward the cat was out of the bag.
2) A good ensemble of actors.

 
Cons –
1) Average murder-mystery with one plot-twist.
2) 30 minutes too long. Too much time taken in establishing that Rachel got some psychological illness to confuse the audiences.
3) Tate Taylor was clearly trying to recreate the magic of “Gone Girl” but not everyone is as good as David Fincher.

 

Quote –
Facebook and drunk ex-wives do not make good friends.

A Quiet Place (2018)

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

Verdict – 3/5

 

Pros –
1) A post-apocalyptic world where a Predator-like creature with hypersensitive hearing is ruling earth.
2) The grain-silo scene; the childbirth scene
3) The “silence” factor.

 

 

Cons –
1) While the primary concept is very intriguing, I’ll wait for a sequel to know more about this world.
2) While the plot is established in the first few minutes, an entire hour is wasted for built-up.

 

Quote –
Evelyn: Your father will protect you. Your father will always protect you.

Charlie Wilson’s War (2007)

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

VERDICT – 3/5

 

Pros –
1) Philip Seymour Hoffman as Gust Avrakotos: Superb character
2) Explained Birth Of The Mujaheddin
3) Om Puri as Zia-ul-Haq
4) Another great war black-comedy from Mike Nichols after Catch-22 (1970)

 

Cons –
1) Emily Blunt: What was she doing there?
2) Trivializing the history

 

Quote –
Charlie Wilson: What is the U.S. strategy?
Gust Avrakotos: Well, strictly speaking, we don’t have one. But we’re working hard on that.
Charlie Wilson: Who’s ‘we’?
Gust Avrakotos: Me and three other guys.

Sicario (2015)

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

 

Verdict – 2/5

 

Pros –

1) Cinematography
2) Journey to “Juárez”
3) Benicio del Toro & Josh Brolin

 

 

Cons –

1) Emily Blunt is projected as the main protagonist but she’s nothing more than a third-wheel.
2) Unnecessary Silvio plot; wannabe Iñárritu
3) A boring film with no memorable action scenes.

 

 

Quote –

Alejandro: You should move to a small town, somewhere the rule of law still exists. You will not survive here. You are not a wolf, and this is a land of wolves now.

Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

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

Verdict – 4/5

 

Pros –
1) The concept and story
2) Angel Of Verdun and Her Sword
3) Mimics; A new look for aliens (best since District 9)
4) The boss battle in the Louvre Pyramid.
5) After “Oblivion”, another defining Sci-Fi for Tom Cruise
6) Europe as the battleground ; The Beach Invasion (a nod to Normandy Landings)

 

Cons –
1) Bad choice for the movie title. (Just like Oblivion)

 

Quote –
“Master Sergeant Farell: Battle is the Great Redeemer. It is the fiery crucible in which true heroes are forged. The one place where all men truly share the same rank, regardless of what kind of parasitic scum they were going in.”

The Adjustment Bureau

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

Verdict – 4/5

Pros –
1) The Sci-Fi angle
2) Emily Blunt
3) The Romance
4) The final Door-Hat-Chase Scene

 

Cons –
1) The story got too many loose ends like “The Chairman”
2) Romantic angle supersedes the sci-fi angle.

 

Quote –
“People who realize free will is a gift that you’ll never know how to use until you fight for it. “