MOVIE REVIEW – WE’RE THE MILLERS

RATING – 7.1/10

GENRE – Comedy, Crime

DIRECTOR – Rawson Marshall Thurber

Spoiler Alert: Parts of the story may be revealed.

PLOT – David Clark, played by Jason Sudeikis is a small time drug dealer. Due to one of his neighbor, Kenny (played by Will Poulter), David finds himself in a street fight trying to protect a teenage girl (Casey, portrayed by Emma Roberts) from a group of thugs. Soon enough, the thugs are after David and rob him off his weekly earnings and the remaining pot.

David now owes a lot of money to his boss, Brad Gurdlinger, played by the famous Ed Helms who shot to fame with the Hangover series. Brad wants David to go to Mexico and bring a truck load of Marijuana (literally).

In order to improve his chances of bringing pot to the country from across the border without getting noticed, David hires a broke stripper, Rose, played by Jennifer Aniston as his wife, Kenny as his son and Casey as his daughter. Are they able to do the job or is there a twist in the tale?

REVIEW – Well this movie is definitely a onetime watch. Despite the fact that the movie doesn’t have much going on in the story department, the actors and the director have done a good job at keeping the interest of the viewers.

Jennifer Aniston though old looks hot in the role of a stripper and does complete justice to her role. Jason shows that acting comes naturally to him and he looks perfect for the role of a pot dealer and later on as the man of the house.

FUN FACT – During one of the scenes, the RV in which the Millers are travelling requires to turn on the radio. The crew set up the FM to play the opening credit song (I’ll Be There for You – The Rembrandts) from the hit 90’s sitcom, FRIENDS. This sure brought back a lot of memories for Jennifer Aniston who was a big part of the sitcom.

DISCLAIMER: This review is ONLY a personal opinion about the movie. It is NOT a paid (cash or kind) review of the movie, OR endorsed by any person (living or dead) associated to the movie in any way.

The promotional poster image is a property of its respective owner(s). Image has been used only for illustrative purposes and I do not claim ownership of the content of the image.

MOVIE REVIEW - INSIDE MAN

MOVIE REVIEW – INSIDE MAN

RATING – 7.6/10

GENRE – Drama, Suspense, Crime, Thriller

DIRECTOR – Spike Lee

Spoiler Alert: Parts of the story may be revealed.

PLOT – Dalton Russell played by Clive Owen plans the perfect bank robbery; a robbery in a Manhattan Bank that belongs to Arthur Case, played by Christopher Plummer. As soon as Dalton and his associates enter the bank, they shut the door and take the bank employees and other present in the bank as hostage. Keith Frazier, portrayed by the famous Denzel Washington is sent in to negotiate with the robbers. However, his mind is preoccupied by corruption charges levied against him.

Between all this, the chairman/owner of the bank (Arthur) has something very close to his heart that needs to be protected at all costs. To do so, he ropes in a broker, played by Jodie Foster, who has links with even the mayor of the city. What happens between the robbers, detective and the broker when they enter high stake negotiations? What is of such high value that Arthur is willing to protect at all costs? Does the robbery plan work out perfectly or are the cops/detectives able to spoil their party?

REVIEW – First off, this movie probably has the funniest and most inappropriate credit music! But once you get past the opening credits, the story by first timer Russell Gewirtz is gripping and does a brilliant job at unfolding the plot at the correct time. At no point could you predict what is going to happen next. The movie does complete justice to its genre.

Spike Lee has done a commendable job at capturing the essence of the script and has brought out the best of each and every actor, no matter how small their role is.

My verdict, this movie is a must watch for its brilliant story line that is clever, cunning and keeps tossing surprises every now and then. 

DISCLAIMER: This review is ONLY a personal opinion about the movie. It is NOT a paid (cash or kind) review of the movie, OR endorsed by any person (living or dead) associated to the movie in any way.

The promotional poster image is a property of its respective owner(s). Image has been used only for illustrative purposes and I do not claim ownership of the content of the image.

MOVIE REVIEW – DRINKING BUDDIES

RATING – 4/10

GENRE – Drama, Romance

DIRECTOR – Joe Swanberg

Spoiler Alert: Parts of the story may be revealed.

PLOT – Kate, played by Olivia Wilde and Luke, portrayed by Jake Johnson are co-workers in a Chicago based brewery, where Kate makes a few random calls every now and then, Luke does seem to do some work at times but mostly the ‘work’ is limited to drinking and flirting which carries on to the wee hours in the night.

MOVIE REVIEW – SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK

Promotional poster of Silver Linings Playbook

RATING – 8.5/10

GENRE – Romance, Drama, Comedy

DIRECTOR – David O’Russell

Spoiler Alert: Parts of the story may be revealed.

PLOT – Pat (Bradley Cooper), a teacher by profession, is sent to a mental institution after he nearly beat a guy to death, who his wife is cheating with.

After an 8 month mandatory stint in the mental institute, he has lost his home, his job and his wife. He now lives with his parents, portrayed by Robert De Niro and Jacki Weaver, and finds it difficult to cope with this lifestyle. However, he is determined to get his act together and set his life back on track.

In between all these emotions, another story woven into the main script is about Pat’s relationship with his parents. Pat Sr. always yearns for some time with his son to catch a game of baseball as he is extremely superstitious and considers his son’s presence as his lucky charm whenever his favorite team is playing.

Seeking ways to get back with his wife Nikki (Brea Bee), he meets one of her friends – Tiffany, played by Jennifer Lawrence, at a dinner hosted by Ronnie (John Ortiz), Pat’s neighborhood friend back in those days when everything was fine and Pat’s life was not in doldrums. Tiffany, who is recently widowed, and a recovering sex addict, starts falling for Pat. Predictably, he rejects her as he is married. Nikki and Tiffany are still friends, so she agrees to help Pat on a condition of returning the favor.

REVIEW – Just when you thought Bradley Cooper had carved a niche for himself in comic roles owing to his work in the Hangover series, here is another brilliant performance by 2012’s sexiest man alive, as per the people’s magazine; but this time in a serious role. Credit goes to Jennifer Lawrence as well for her brilliant acting and scintillating performance in certain scenes, which seem to bring her character to life. For example, the scene in which she challenges Pat Sr. as to who really is his lucky charm, when he bets on a baseball match against his friend. As for the legends Robert Di Niro and Jacki Weaver, they have given a class act, owing to their immense talent.

Director David O’Russell, from The Fighter (2010) fame, has done a brilliant job with the story and screenplay; and everything seems to fall in place just at the right moment. He has made Bradley Cooper come out of his comfort zone to deliver an ingenious performance as the lead role, accompanied by equally talented Jennifer Lawrence. A romantic comedy between a recovering sex addict and a guy suffering from Bi-polar disorder seems rather bizarre, but the director seems to have pulled it off exceptionally well.

One thing that seemed to be rather vague was how casually the restraining order on Pat, by his separated wife Nikki is taken. Breaking a restraining order by any means is quite a serious offence. However, little attention seems to be given to that aspect to maintain the realism in the film.

The story connects with its audience brilliantly and teaches them that they do not need to run after happiness. It is always around the corner, they just need to venture out a bit. The movie is predictable but at the same time, it keeps you on the edge of your seat, wishing for a happy ending.

Feel free to share your thoughts about this movie by leaving a comment below. I would love to hear from you.

DISCLAIMER: This review is ONLY a personal opinion about the movie. It is NOT a paid (cash or kind) review of the movie, OR endorsed by any person (living or dead) associated to the movie in any way.

The promotional poster image is a property of its respective owner(s). Image has been used only for illustrative purposes and I do not claim ownership of the content of the image.

MOVIE REVIEW - 21 JUMP STREET

21 Jump Street Official Promotional Poster

RATING – 6/10

GENRE – Action, Comedy

DIRECTOR – Phil Lord, Chris Miller

Spoiler Alert: Parts of the story may be revealed.

PLOT – In high school, Schmidt, played by Jonah Hill, is portrayed as a loser in life, but a geek when it comes to academics. On the other hand, Jenko, played by Channing Tatum, is the super cool kid in the same school. 7 years later, in 2012, Schmidt and Jenko apply for the post of police officers. Being the geek, Schmidt aces his written exams but performs poorly in physical training. However, Jenko is extremely fit but poor in academics. For personal gains, both decide to be friends and train each other in the respective fields that they lack in.

They end up being rookie cops and partners to each other on bike (cycle) patrol, coveted to make their 1^st arrest as police officers. Being amateur cops, they mess up their 1^st attempt of catching criminals and are transferred to a police department at 21 Jump Street, which is responsible for busting drug dealers.

They are sent undercover back to High School, where they are expected to infiltrate the suppliers’ gang and find the dealer. Reminiscing their past, they plan to be the cool kids, only to realize that times have changed. Adjusting to the new environment, Jenko ends up punching a kid and is instantly given a final warning by the principal.

After another goof up in their names, they end up switching their undercover identity. Jenko ends up with a bunch of geeks in AP classes and Schmidt finds himself auditioning for the role of Peter Pan for a school show. While the auditions and practices are taking place, Schmidt falls in love with Molly, played by Brie Larson, who to be honest, looks a tad old to be attending high school.

During their classes and practices, they close in on the supplier, played by Dave Franco. Schmidt infiltrates the suppliers’ gang as Jenko taps the main supplier’s phone to find out more about the deals that are going down and the people involved.

REVIEW – Being a remake of the 21 Jump Street TV series that aired in the late 80’s and early 90’s, the movie does not have a strong storyline. However, it does have its fair share of comedy. With recent comedy movies (and sitcoms) being a shame more than anything else, the comedy scenes will not fail to give you a good laugh; thereby maintaining your interest. The movie is a bit of a disappointment when it comes to the ridiculously inappropriate action scenes (final chase sequence in limousines). Jonah and Channing do not look convincing when they go to high school as undercover cops. In fact, Channing, with his ripped body, fails to convince as a high school student before going undercover, in 2005, during his actual schooling days as depicted in the movie.

Not to forget, the drug around which the whole story revolves looks like a candy that probably a 5 year old would be eating.

The direction has been just average as the movie has a lot of goof ups. In the chase sequence, when the heroes are making a run for their life on a busy highway, you can see that the cars are just parked for the sake of shooting the scene. Another instance in the same scene is when one of the members of the biker gang is revving up his bike to accelerate and at the same time, holding the pistol in his right hand, which is impossible; as technically, all bikes are right hand drive. As directors (Chris and Phil), this is their 1^st real movie after Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, which was an animated flick. Hopefully, they will improve with time, adding a bit for of realism to the plot.

The movie does bring out a social message about friendship and the softer side of cops; but that’s about it. Don’t expect too much from the story and watch it for the sake of comedy scenes, which will crack you up and it is at least a onetime watch.

Let me know what you thought of it in the comments below.

DISCLAIMER: This review is ONLY a personal opinion about the movie. It is NOT a paid (cash or kind) review of the movie, OR any person (living or dead) associated to the movie in any way.

The promotional poster image is a property of its respective owner(s). Image has been used only for illustrative purposes and I do not claim ownership of the content of the image.