EXPENDABLES

There were a time not long ago about eight years back, when a genre called action movies were made , a genre which believed in pure action without sentiment , without reason and without hassles of script restrictions. They were movies made for the sole purpose of satisfying man's need for excitement thrill and ad reline . But that genre was long forgetten till stallone came out and bought us the expendables , to remind us of the golden era of the great action stars and their great movies- Commando,Predator,Rambo,Rocky,Lethal weapon,Cobra,Quest,Crank,Die hard ...to name a few . This movie bought back those great images of my childhood where everytime our hero kicked butt on T.V bought joy and a sense of justice to the mind of the youngster

Here's a short synopsis to blow you away-
A group of mercenaries is hired to infiltrate a South American country and overthrow its ruthless dictator. Once the mission begins, the men realize things aren't quite as they appear, finding themselves caught in a dangerous web of deceit and betrayal. With their mission thwarted and an innocent life in danger, the men struggle with an even tougher challenge -- one that threatens to destroy this band of brothers. Barney Ross is a man with nothing to lose. Fearless and void of emotion, he is the leader, the sage and the strategist of this tight-knit band of men who live on the fringe. His only attachment is to his pickup truck, his seaplane and his team of loyal modern-day warriors. His is a true cynic who describes what he does as ¿removing those hard to get at stains.¿ The team behind him is made up of Lee Christmas, former SAS and a savant with anything that has a blade; Yin Yang, a master at close-quarter combat; Hale Caesar, who has known Barney for ten years and is a long-barrel weapons specialist; Toll Road, a skilled demolitions expert and considered the intellect of the group; and Gunnar Jensen, a combat veteran and an expert in precision sniping who struggles with his own demons. When the mysterious Church offers Barney a job no one else would take, Barney and his team embark on what appears to be a routine mission: overthrow General Gaza, the murderous dictator of the small island country of Vilena and end the years of death and destruction inflicted on its people. On a reconnaissance mission to Vilena, Barney and Christmas meet their contact Sandra, a local freedom-fighter with a dark secret. They also come to learn who their true enemy is: rogue ex-CIA operative James Monroe and his henchman Paine. When things go terribly wrong, Barney and Christmas are forced to leave Sandra behind, essentially giving her a death sentence. Haunted by this failure, Barney convinces the team to return to Vilena to rescue the hostage and finish the job he started. And to perhaps save a soul: his own.

This movie as my friend described just bought back a forgotten genre with it. It showed us you don't need Great visual effects and 3D like avatar or a complicated script like inception to make an entertaining movie , all you need is a few good stars with a simple plot and lot of explosives to take the audience for a ride .The expendables movie means a lot to me and am sure a lot to my generation as it bought all the stars of our childhood on the big screen once , to fulfill all our juvenile fantasies we had (especially blowing up one's own school) . Sure to most people , it may seems like a movie which liked a proper plot or direction, but hey you dont go to watch stallone and ,statham , li , bruce willis dramtise and cry , you go to see them kick the shiat outta of the bad guy and have a happy ending

Details
Logline: A team of mercenaries undertake a mission to overthrow a South American dictator.
Genres: Action/Adventure and Crime/Gangster
Running Time: 1 hr. 43 min.
Release Date: August 13th, 2010 (wide)
MPAA Rating: R for strong action and bloody violence throughout, and for some language

Final word-
I only have this to say-" the Ultimate Macho movie" See it or lose your manhood wuss.
Dont like the expendables , Go say that to Stallone , Statham ,Li, Willis , Arnold .....

The DiCaprio special: INCEPTION

Our final stop , the movie that everyone is talking about, literally the whole world is baffled by Christopher Nolan's inception. For me at the beginning when they were shooting for this one , it was nothing more than a movie which delayed the release of the ever expected sequel to the dark knight "GOTHAM" . Been true to myself i thought this movie would bomb at the box office especially with its concept- stealing ideas from peoples minds while they were asleep. I thought to myself another freakish mind bender movie which no one other than a few critics would like. Then the first trailer got released and i was left speechless , then 2nd and third were released and i was left wanting for more . This movie after its release in July have left audiences , movie critics ,film makers and actors alike pondering over the heights to which films can be taken, so much so that it left my idol- film critic Rajeev Masand going on air and asking Aamir khan whether india will ever make a movie like inception . Unlike avatar this movie didn't rely on special effects to capture the audience , it used all the basic elements of movie making to take you on a ride into the world of the Dream.

Here's bit of the story for you to dream about-
Dom Cobb(DiCaprio) is a skilled thief, the absolute best in the dangerous art of extraction, stealing valuable secrets from deep within the subconscious during the dream state when the mind is at its most vulnerable. Cobb's rare ability has made him a coveted player in this treacherous new world of corporate espionage, but it has also made him an international fugitive and cost him everything he has ever loved. Now Cobb is being offered a chance at redemption. One last job could give him his life back but only if he can accomplish the impossible -- inception. Instead of the perfect heist, Cobb and his team of specialists have to pull off the reverse: their task is not to steal an idea but to plant one. If they succeed, it could be the perfect crime. But no amount of careful planning or expertise can prepare the team for the dangerous enemy that seems to predict their every move. An enemy that only Cobb could have seen coming.

Here's the thing about inception for all those of you have seen it , the riddle of the movie cant be solved , that's the secret Nolan's used . He's created such an ending to a movie where each individual can decipher an ending of his choosing . This movie is an idea born from the great mind of Nolan and make no mistake no other director (even Spielberg) could have pulled this off. His concept of dreams within dreams is executed in such a flawless manner, that it puts diamonds to shame . This movie can even be used as an I.Q test for assessing people , if there are people who failed to grab the concept of the movie , bah don't bother with them and for girls don't go out on a date with a guy who doesn't like inception .

Details
Logline: A contemporary science fiction thriller set in the architecture of the human mind.
Genres: Action/Adventure, Drama, Science Fiction/Fantasy and Thriller
Running Time: 2 hr. 28 min.
Release Date: July 16th, 2010 (wide)
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sequences of violence and action throughout.

Final word
I am not sure whether i have the right to judge this movie but here's what i say, watch this movie like you were playing a chess game , watching every move carefully and trying to anticipate the next move each time and even with all your concentration this movie will leave you amazed and searching for answers. The last scene is the masterpiece , the icing on the cake . Well this one was definitely worth the wait and batman 3 "Gotham" can wait , cause we are all still stuck in the Dream created by Nolan.

P.s - please don't download a very bad quality print of this movie from the internet for the sake of watching the movie , either catch this one at your local theater or wait for the DVD release cause this is one movie that you want to see in all of its glory.

The Dicaprio special: Shutter island

The fourth movie in the line up bring back our dear pair of Martin Scorsese and Dicaprio together for what some would say a master piece and others mentally disturbing.But theres no doubting one thing that the movie is one of a kind and will be loved by certain group of people and hated by the others . On high expectations at this years oscars for Martin Scorsese and Caprio the movie captures a world never seen by the common man - the life of the insane .

Heres a short synopsis-
Two U.S. marshals, Teddy Daniels and Chuck Aule, are summoned to a remote and barren island off the coast of Massachusetts to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a murderess from the island's fortress-like hospital for the criminally insane.

The reason why i have chosen to give such a short synopsis is cause the more i reveal , the more i take away from the plot and climax of the story , DiCaprio plays his part of disturbed U.S marshal assigned to investigate shutter island to perfection but its Martin Scorsese direction especially the images he manages to plant in your head that makes the movie truly special . It makes you question the line between sanity and insanity . Who's to judge who's sane and whose not ? These are some questions it leaves you with. Even if you don't wander to such lengths of thought it will definitely leave you shaken and stirred.

Details
Genres: Action/Adventure, Thriller and Adaptation
Running Time: 2 hrs. 18 min.
Release Date: February 19th, 2010 (wide)
MPAA Rating: R for disturbing violent content, language and some nudity.

Final word
Here's one movie which i can think you should watch alone at night and pay attention to every detail of the movie to solve the puzzle of Shutter island before its too late . A movie which left me with a headache but some consider a masterpiece especially my friend Maddy (who in a way should be locked up in shutter island)
This review is dedicated to her and her insane ways ......

The DiCaprio special: Body of lies

Movie number three , Dicaprio's body of lies is different from the previous two, it was released among much hype with the ever classic russel crowe in the lead along with him with the movie having its roots in CIA conspiracy in the middle east you go expecting a ala Jason bourne scenario but thats not what you get.. its a very different movie ....with a more patient build up and more conversations.

Here a bit to get you started with -
A CIA operative, Roger Ferris, uncovers a lead on a major terrorist leader suspected to be operating out of Jordan. When Ferris devises a plan to infiltrate his network, he must first win the backing of cunning CIA veteran Ed Hoffman and the collegial, but perhaps suspect, head of Jordanian intelligence. Although ostensibly his allies, Ferris questions how far he can really trust these men without putting his entire operation--and his life--on the line.

The movie builds itself more on dialogue than action much like tom cruise's Lions for lambs unlike which the body of lies succeds in such story telling. There is not an over all lack of action as there are some high octane action but most of the screen time is gulped up by Caprio and Crowe who are at each others throats from the Start till finish of the movie , its their vibe which keeps the movie going.For all those interseted in middle east scenario might wanna get a look at this.

Genres: Thriller and Adaptation
Running Time: 2 hr. 8 min.
Release Date: October 10th, 2008 (wide)
MPAA Rating: R for strong violence including some torture, and for language throughout.

Final word
A must watch for all Caprio and Crowe fans to see both of them duel it out , See it when your really in the mood of the movie , dont watch for the sake of it and you lose the plot of the movie .

The DiCaprio special:The Departed

Continuing on with the DiCaprio movie series . My next review is Martin Scorsese's oscar winning movie the Departed. Another movie i must say for the macho man or a must see dude movie for all of us action loving freaks out there. The departed incorporates gang violence , immigration issues , police corruption, love , betrayal into a pot boiler of a plot that keeps you on your seat till the end. Even though many debate whether Scorsese should have been given the oscar earlier for raging bull or his other fantastic movie no one would argue this one deserves one....
Heres a little synopsis for you to munch on....

The Departed' is set in South Boston, where the state police force is waging war on organized crime. Young undercover cop Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) is assigned to infiltrate the mob syndicate run by gangland chief Costello (Jack Nicholson). While Billy is quickly gaining Costello's confidence, Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon), a hardened young criminal who has infiltrated the police department as an informer for the syndicate, is rising to a position of power in the Special Investigation Unit. Each man becomes deeply consumed by his double life, gathering information about the plans and counter-plans of the operations he has penetrated. But when it becomes clear to both the gangsters and the police that there's a mole in their midst, Billy and Colin are suddenly in danger of being caught and exposed to the enemy -- and each must race to uncover the identity of the other man in time to save himself.

The movie essentially owes its credibility to the performances put up by Matt damon , Dicaprio , Mark Wahlberg,Jack Nicholson,Alec Baldwin so to speak of all the great names here. But its mark wahlbergs charcter that catches your attention from the start , even though his role is limited , he is the true no holds barred cop and probably the only clean guy in the movie with the movies most memorable moments . Jack Nicholson does justice as the villain of the piece Costello whom you tend to admire as the cool and composed super villain . Alec baldwin puts in some good jokes along the way, and dicaprio and damon both seem to be agonist and antagonist roles played to perfection.

Details
Genres: Action/Adventure, Drama, Thriller, Crime/Gangster and Remake
Running Time: 2 hrs. 30 min.
Release Date: October 6th, 2006 (wide)
MPAA Rating: R for strong brutal violence, pervasive language, some strong sexual content and drug material.

Final word
This ladies and gentleman is the true Guy movie(dont watch it with your girlfriend) with lots of imminent characters who you both love as opposed to whether they are good or bad. In this movie you cant really pin point who the hero is or in the words of costello " when your facing a gun it doesnt matter whether your a cop or criminal " Thumbs up Scorsese .

The DiCaprio special: The blood diamond

This is my first series blog dedicated to a star i have come to admire as well as respect over the years. Its none other than Mr.Leonardo DiCaprio . Yes for some the lovable romantic of titanic, the sacrificial hero of blood diamond and the enigmatic lead of both shutter island and inception with a dark past . Dicaprio is one star that Hollywood can claim to have groomed over the years to perfection in our generation . Sure there were greats , Robert di nerio and AL pa chino in the generation's before us , but out generation lacked a star build in our image . That star is Di caprio so to pay my tribute to the star i am doing a series of reviews of his must watch films


The reason why i start of with the movie blood diamond is cause because this is one movie which has touched my heart . heres a little synopsis to give a fair idea whats it about -
Set against the backdrop of civil war and chaos in 1990's Sierra Leone, Danny Archer, a South African mercenary, and Solomon Vandy, a Mende fisherman are joined in a common quest to recover a rare pink diamond that can transform their lives. While in prison for smuggling, Archer learns that Solomon--who was taken from his family and forced to work in the diamond fields--has found and hidden the extraordinary rough stone. With the help of Maddy Bowen, an American journalist whose idealism is tempered by a deepening connection with Archer, the two men embark on a trek through rebel territory--a journey that could save Solomon's family and give Archer the second chance he thought he would never have.

This movie packed with enough storyline , acting performances by both di caprio, Jennifer Connelly, Djimon Hounsou is an out right entertainer . Backed by a beautiful soundtrack the movie manages to move you and make you part of the fight against the injustice been served to the Africans at the hands of corporate companies and gives a true picture of horrible incidents taking place in the dark continent . I recommend this movie for the weekend with your best buds to be watched on large screen or a projector and Dolby surround sound to get the effect of it .


Genres: Drama, Romance, Thriller and Crime/Gangster
Running Time: 2 hrs. 11 min.
Release Date: December 8th, 2006 (wide)
MPAA Rating: R for strong violence and language.

Final word
This is a movie that not only entertains you but also encourages you to consider the implications of global economy on the smaller man and the price they pay so that we can fulfill each and everyone of our little desires . this movie is a one with a social message and a very important one too.