Awesome Entertainers,part-2

The earlier post under the label 'Awesome Entertainers' has exceeded the limit of 15 movies i had set!!So here I am,creating a 'sequel' to the 'Awesome Entertainers' label.Films classified under this Label are a notch below 'Classics' but,are mind-bending and worthy enough of Oscar wins!!!

Note: "Awesome Entertainers,Part-1" is preceeded by "The Ocean Series" which is also part of "All Awesome Entertainers" and follow right after this current post labelled "Awesome Entertainers,part-2".

-- AWESOME ENTERTAINERS 2 --

MOVIE COUNT:: 8
Click the desired Title to read the corresponding film's review directly(no scrolling hassles) in this page::
Lucky Number Slevin
V For Vendetta
The Machinist
Goodfellas
The Bourne Ultimatum
The Bourne Identity
Fight Club
L.A.Confidential
Dark City




LUCKY NUMBER SLEVIN:

::coming soon::
Go to top



V For Vendetta:
Set in the 2020's , this film is based on the concept of revolution brought by a single man,to bring down a totalitarian Government.What initially seems to be one man's fight against anarchy,slowly takes the shape of a Vendetta against a single evil entity.The film deserves credit more because of the fact that, the protagonist V's real identity is never shown to the viewer thus maintaining the intrigue factor almost till the very end.

It is the year 2020 and we have the setting in Britain where democracy has slowly taken a beating and Chancellor Sutler(John Hurt) leads a totalitarian Government.This Government is in fact so bad that, people aren’t allowed to talk freely in the comfort of their homes as all their conversations are monitored for security purposes.And in comes the mysterious masked-man known only as V(Hugo Weaving) who inspires the public to stand against the Government.He slowly kills every member of the Chancellor's trusted members.And in the midst of all this,we have Evey who unintentionally becomes the hunted after she saves V from being arrested.Police Inspector Finch(Stephen Rea) thinks there is some connection between the murders and something in the past.Is there?Does V succeed in his Vendetta quest?Will the public arise and bring down the Government??

Although V always has the Guy Fawkes mask on,his acting never comes under question.The rage and energy behind the character is brought out well by .Of course,the mask gives the chance for multiple people playing the same role.But one need not be concerned,because I feel V is just a 'Red-Herring' as Sir Alfred Hitchcock would say.V was not meant to taken as a person,but rather as an ideology of what & why there must be a revolution.My interpretation may not be perfect,but it will suffice to give a basic idea about the films motive.Another important character is that of Evey(Natalie Portman) who kind of represents the general public,people who are afraid to face things/to dare.Her interactions with V bring a change in her,without which she would not have had the courage to face the World.Providing ample support is Inspector Finch,who is initially intrigued by the mystery behind V and the alarming number of coincidences from the past which he unearths.He too plays a small,but pivotal role in helping the people realize V's cause.Other characters are good in their short-enacted roles,but the major screen-space as well as credit goes to the above mentioned people.

Though the film eventually gives the appearance of a boring 'crusade-against-the -government' film,it is NOT.Because,as we move deeper into the film,we get an insight into V's torturous past and the motivation behind his revolutionary plans.Eventually we get to know the full story behind the actual incident that set off the chain of events,moving towards an epic finale.The film is heavily marked with brilliant scenes tempting the viewer to ask for more.And of course,the screenplay by the Wachowski brothers(of Matrix fame of course) is good enough to sustain the viewers interest.A yawn from the viewer could only mean that,he/she would be better off watching commercial potboiler films.The introductory scene of our Hero or rather our Revolutionary is enthralling enough to kick start the proceedings.His opening dialogue consists of five sentences, and contains 49 words that begin with "V",beginning and ending with "V".Another scintillating scene is that of the TV station,where V escapes after broadcasting his message.We have various other brilliant and poignant scenes throughout the film,but the scenes towards the end hit the jacpot.V setting off the dominoes with the parallel narration by the Inspector is really a sight to watch and so is the climatic battle in the tunnels.Whatever feelings we may have had for V till the climax,almost completely changes to that of admiration and awe.The conversation between V and Evey near the end,makes us feel pity for the former because it was none of his fault that lead to this revolution....but he has a change of heart that is sure to win accolades from the audience.

A well made film,though a bit complicated in terms of script...still manages to simplify things.One of the few films I wish had seen in a theatre.

My rating: 9/10
Links: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0434409/
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/v_for_vendetta/
Go to top



The Machinist:
Ever seen a freak,who actually isn’t one???Well,check out 'The Machinist' where Christian Bale lost nearly 60 pounds to breathe life into the character of an insomniac.Bale fits the role like a T and most of the times,the viewer might be scared to look at his physique.My god,he was so thin an infant could have crushed his bones.

Trevor Reznik(Christian Bale) is a lathe operator in a factory.He hasn’t slept in a year and he is extremely tired.Slowly,things in his life turn upside down as he increasingly gets paranoic.A co-worker who others don’t think exists,strange appearances of post-it notes on his refrigerator and more such events.Is someone playing mind-games with him?Or is there something wrong with himself??As things unfold and Reznik desperately tries to unravel the mystery,the viewers are in for a surprise!!

It is Christian Bale all the way and he steals the show with utter ease.Of course,performing in such a role would have taken a heavy toll on his health.The guy lost nearly 60 pounds for Reznik's role and he looks freaky to say the least.But he definitely breathes fire into the character and displays a myriad of expressions.The viewer's own reaction varies between being scared,sympathtetic,angry,amazed and eventually surprised beyond one's imagination.Stevie(Jennifer Jason Leigh) is a prostitute who is Reznik's only friend in whom he confides.Jennifer is good in her role and she obviously gets more footage compared to the other female protagonist Maria (Aitana Sánchez-Gijón).Maria is a waitress in an Airport Diner.She is quite apt in her role,easing of the tension in film a bit at times with some wisecracks.Ivan(Sharian) gives a run for Bale's money,as the former is quite freaky himself.His appearances always cause Reznik to lose his calm(though that rarely exists in him!!) and the situation becomes volatile.The cinematographer must be given credit,because the film's settings are moody & dark throughout except for a few vital scenes.The dark setting adds more to the intrigue factor of the film.

And not to forget the music(the background score),which is chilling to say the least.Soothing at times and otherwise,tends to accelerate the viewers heart-beat forward.Especially in the scenes where Reznik is in the worse possible state of mind.Due credit also goes to Bale's dietician who helped Bale thin down to a wafer.Bale must certainly be applauded for his efforts.He gained weight for his next film "Batman Returns",which is indeed commendable.Of course,he wanted to reduce even more weight for 'The Machinist' ,which never happened because the film's crew got scared for his health.I wouldn’t go much more into the film.It is dark,powerful,stunning and a semi-twist at the end which leads to a realistic and acceptable ending.

Bale before and during the film:
>http://farm1.static.flickr.com/193/1515392399_2e690398c4.jpg
>http://kispad.hu/illustration/2005/04/20050426_machinist.jpg

My rating: 9/10
Links: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0361862/
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/machinist/
Go to top



GOODFELLAS:
The name Martin Scorsese brings a tingling sensation in the movie-goer's mind expecting entertainment and top-class performances.In 'Goodfellas',he manages to satisfy many such expectation of different fans.Right from the word GO,the viewer is hooked on with the innovative screenplay and introduction of each character in the film.

The film starts with the unforgettable openings one can have.Henry Hill(Ray Liotta) starts the proceedings with the famous quote,"As far as I can remember,I always wanted to be a gangster".From here we move to Hill's flashback as a kid,where we see his aspirations for becoming a gangster.The local mob boss is Paul Cicero(paul Sorvino) who has his own style of handling mob deals.Hill meets Jimmy Conway(Robert Di Niro) and as a result,Tommy DeVito(Joe Pesci).Young Hill earns the respect of his neighbourhood Italian Mafia gang.And from here on,Hill goes on to become a well known gangster,teaming up with Jimmy and Tommy.Hill loves and marries a Jewish girl Karen (Lorraine Bracco),who loves Hill more than he could imagine.Hill's life heads deeper and deeper into trouble with problems from the Mafia & Karen creating problems with his mistress Janice Rossi(Gina Mastrogiacomo).

Hill and Jimmy are jailed for a job-gone-bad and here,the former starts his involvement with the drug business.The mob boss Cicero warns Hill aginst drug peddling behind his back and Hill's persistence with the drug business involving Jimmy,Tommy,his wife and mistress leads him into more trouble.A very big heist is successful and Jimmy,who planned it develops a sense of paranoia and he starts 'whacking' the involved gang members.When the submerged troubles erupt,Hill takes a drastic decision out of compulsion which gives him his life but takes away his pleasure.

Based on a true story and a book 'Wiseguys' written by Nicholas Pileggi,'Goodfellas' is a stylishly made masterpiece by Scorsese.The 'Godfather' trilogy showed the rise and fall of a gangster over a period of three fantastic films.'Goodfellas' does almost the same within two and a half hours.Having a huge star cast could have gone astray,but brilliant that he is,Scorsese manages to bring the best out of them.Almost everyone had their presence felt in the film.The film stands out for its innovative camera work,some absolutely great dialogues and a good number of scenes.Of course,there is no need to mention the performance of the artists..which are top-notch.

Joe Pesci,who won an oscar for his role occupies most of the limelight in the film,with his violent and at-times-funny attitude.Ray Liotta in one his few attention-grabbing roles fits his role to a T.The surprising thing is Robert Di Niro's limited scope for acting,but he gives a brilliant and believable performance.Other good performances come from Paul Sorvino,Lorraine Braco.Some memorable scenes include the opening scene,Hill's flashback as a kid,the famous 'steadycam' shot to the restaurant,Hill's sense of paranoia under his drug influence and a few more.A brilliantly made gangster film,based on real events.Worth more than a single watch,but the violence and swearing will be a bit too high.Youngsters beware....

My rating: 9/10
Links: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099685/
Go to top



THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM:
Paul Greengrass returns to direct the third film in the Bourne Series and he manges to maintain his shaky camera-trick in this installment too.Matt Damon and a few others reprise their respective roles from the previous Bourne films.

The film continues from the excellentely shot car-chase scene at the end of 'The Bourne Supremacy'.Jason Bourne(Matt Damon) who is not left alone by the CIA,tracks down the killers sent after him this time and attempts to uncover the rest of his Amneasic-past life.After Bourne tells Marie's brother about her death,he comes across an article about him.A wasted attempt to reach the reporter's source leads Bourne to a CIA chief operative.The CIA is onto the hunt for Bourne again,beause of his interaction with the reporter.CIA Deputy Director Pamela Landy(Joan Allen) is called for help and she helps in the hunt.Landy believes Bourne is not dangerous,contrary to what CIA officer Noah Vosen (David Strathairn) believes.With unexpected help from Landy and Nicky(Julia Stiles),Bourne finally uncovers the dark secrets about his past.

This film should most probably be the last film in the series,I believe.The case is similar to that of the Ocean Series.'Oceans 11' was awesome and it was followed by a weakly recieved 'Oceans 12'.But 'Oceans 13' managed to silence the critics and ended the Ocean Series on a High.But I liked all the three installments of the Ocean Series.Here in this case,a brilliant 'The Bourne Identity' was followed by a dull 'The Bourne Supremacy'.I did'nt like the Supremacy movie at all.To make amends,'The Bourne Ultimatum' makes up for any kind of lapse in the former Bourne films and enthralls fans and critics alike with a fast screenplay dished out with enough twists.

Matt Damon does an excellent job bringing up all the confused emotions of his character and excellent body agility in the stunt sequences.The only sore point in the entire film(my opinion) is the shaky-camera-angle brought in by Director Greengrass.His logic behind using this camera technique is to tell the audience about the turmoil inside Bourne's mind during his run.The audience does get this point,but the fun in the fight scenes are lost a bit.The audience will have no clue as to who is hitting whom until one of the people fighting falls down :( . Other than this point,the film is entertaining and deserves a place in the IMDB Top 250 Movie List .The subtle 'shocker' during the phone conversation between Bourne and Landy,takes time to set in and most people get the subtle 'shocker' on the first go.

Julia Stiles as CIA Field Operative Nicky has more meat in her role here,compared to the previous two Bourne outings.Joan Allen too makes her presence felt,as the CIA Deputy Director who believes in Bourne's innocense.David Straitham as the hard-hearted CIA Director fits the bill.Special mention must be made of the attempted assassination of Bourne & Nicky,by assassin Desh in Tangier.The scene is simply electrifying.To sum,'The Bourne Ultimatum' is an apt ending for the Bourne Series,but future sequels are hinted at in the ending...

My Rating:9/10
Links: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0440963/
Go to top



THE BOURNE IDENTITY:
The first of the three film's featuring Author Robert Ludlum's famous literary spy creation,Jason Bourne.The film deviates from the original book and thus,paves the path for many other deviations in the latter films as well.

An injured man(Matt Damon) is rescued from the ocean who does'nt seem to remember anything about him or his past life.The injured man has a Swiss bank account number in his hip.So,the fisherman who rescued him,urges him to go to Zurich.In a Bank in Zurich,the injured man assumes his name to be Jason Bourne,from the various passports he sees in his safety-deposit box.Bourne also seems to be able to speak multiple languages and disarm people with utter ease.He meets Marie Helena Kreutz(Frank Potente) when evading the Swiss and American authorites in the US consulate.From here on,ensues Bourne and Marie's run for their lives from unknown assassin's and a nationwide search for them.Bourne manages to finally recollect more imformation about his past life which leads him to the 'Treadstone' facility where dark secrets await him

It is a well-known fact that,Matt Damon's name was back on the Hollywood map after this film.And his fame & popularity continued to increase with the other two sequels.The 'Ocean Series' drowned in the presence of the other stars present and in 'The Bourne Identity',Matt Damon manages to establish himself firmly as a top-notch action star.Bourne's confusion about his past continues throughout the film and Matt Damon is able to show the same effectively.He is good in the action scenes as well,performing swift moves which are captured in an easy-to-view manner.This aspect is missing in the other two sequels.Frank Potente as Marie,who manages to be the wrong-girl-at-the-wrong-place is quite apt.Marie manages to help Bourne at some points of time,relieving some pressure.

Other actors who deserve mention are::
Chris Cooper as Alexander Conklin,the Head of Operation Treadstone.
Clive Owen as The Professor,a CIA operative.
Brian Cox as Ward Abbott,the CIA Deputy Director.
Julia Stiles as Nicky,a beautiful CIA Field Operative.

The other actors are apt in their roles...Director Doug Liman deserves applause for having directed a good action thriller which treads the same path as the book,to a certain extent alone.A well made film,suitable for fans of Robert Ludlum,Matt Damon and people who love action films.

My rating: 9/10
Links: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0258463/
Go to top



FIGHT CLUB:
A hard-hitting mindbender of a movie which is difficult to come across frequently.A psychological thriller cum action film from Director David Fincher(Se7en,Panic Room,The Game,...).And what a performance from both the lead actors,hats off.

Edward Norton plays the role of The Narrator,a nameless(or so as we are'nt told) worker at a car company and he has everything materialistic that one could dream of.A condo,a well-paid desk job,sleek furniture,a rapdily-filling wardrobe..but still the Narrator is dissatisfied with his materialistic life and is unable to sleep.He is also disgusted with the level of consumerism in people's life(more so in his own life!!).His Doctor suggests trying out Support-Groups where the Narrator does find peace and is able to sleep after a long long time.But things are thrown into chaos when he finds another pretender,Marla Singer(Helena Carter) who too pretends to be sick like the Narrator.The Narrator strikes a deal with Marla hoping it would bring him peace.On a flight regarding a job,he meets Tyler Durden(Brad Pitt) who seems to be the exact opposite of the Narrator himself.Soon after this meeting,the Narrator finds his expensive condo blown apart and he asks for Durden's help.And soon later,what starts off as a simple wish,blows out of proportion as a 'FIGHT CLUB' whose primary objective is to vent out male aggression(mainly against Consumerism).

But thing's are'nt as normal as they seem,as the Narrator finds out at the end of the film.It is a bit difficult to explain more about the film,as I would run the risk of revealing the major Twist in the film.The film was funny at times,violent at most parts and a major shock during the final minutes.The twist was totally unexpected and it knocked out all the air out of me.After 'Se7en',am sure this is Director David Fincher's greatest masterpiece(my opinion).

Ed Norton is brilliant and simply marvellous as The Narrator.He manages to make the audience laugh,feel pity,confused,twist in their seats quite easily.Brad Pitt as Tyler Durden(??!!) plays an ample foil for the Narrator and his role holds stead even after the shocking twist is revealed ;) ..You will definitely know what I mean once you've seen the film.Each and every scene between Ed Norton and Brad Pitt are throughly enjoyable and the two are able to brilliantly bring out different shades of their character very well.Helena Carter looks weird and spooked out in her role as Marla Singer,a 'nymphomaniac'.

'Fight Club' is one of the very few films one would love to talk about in detail,but for the fear of accidentally revealing the twist one has to control himself.So here I am,finishing my opinion on the brilliantly made 'Fight Club' way before I actually intended to do so.Because the plot of the film is so complicated that it is really difficult to expatiate only to a certain extent :( .

My rating: 9/10
Links: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0137523/
Go to top



L.A.CONFIDENTIAL:
First of all,before I begin,I must confess that I thoroughly enjoyed watching all the stars on-screen in the same screen.The stars here being Russell Crowe,Kevin Spacey,Guy Pearce and others including James Cromwell,Kim Basinger.The story takes place in Los Angeles in the 1950's and the film falls under the Noir-Crime genre.

The film begins with the high-profile arrest of L.A Mobster Mickey Cohen and later on we are introduced to the leads of the film.The first being Officer Bud White(Russell Crowe) who cannot stand injustice being meted out to women.Bud is a hot-headed officer and this lands him in trouble at times.Next comes Officer Ed Exley who wants to outdo his father,a former L.A.P.D Officer.And determined that he is,Ed follows the rules in each and every instance he finds.We then have Sergeant Jack Vincennes(Kevin Spacey),who apart from his Police job,is closely associated with the editor of Hush-Hush magazine and also acts as the Technical Advisor of tele-show Badge Of Honour.We have Captain Dudley Liam Smith who along with the Districy Attorney,wants to portray L.A as a dream spot for living.

Officer Ed testifies against his fellow officers in the 'Bloody Christmas' scandal and earns himself a promotion to Detective status.A while later Officer White's partner is killed brutally in a shootout at the all-night Diner 'Night Owl'.And at this point,the professional and personal lives of all the three Officers(Bud,Ed & Jack) intertwine and their subsequent interrogation into the case brings out the ugly truth lurking beneath all the time.Lynn Bracken(Kim Basinger) is one of the call-girls run by Pearce Patchett who actually runs call-girls made to look like celebrities.And Bracken's story forms a sub-plot to the main story where,the three men may need to join hands to defeat the Lurking corrupt power behind the killings.

The film was brillinat to say the least and its honest look at the positive as well negative sides of the cops is an aspect I loved.The 'Bloody Christmas' scandal at the begining of the film is chilling and one immediately hates Offier Ed for his action after the incident.But as the film progresses,the opinion about Ed is taken back drastically.Kevin Spacey is excellent in his role and one cannot but admire him in the film.Russel Crowe is brilliant and his anger on-screen is well shown.Kim Basinger and James Cromwell are good but the latter gains more leverage as more and more of the mystery is unwrapped by Ed & Jack.

Screenplay is good and the music fits the atmosphere of the film quite well.Special mention must be made of the climatic shootout.The scene was well made and was thrilling.I simply loved the scene.There are a few surprises as the film moves closer to the climax and they add spice to the proceedings.Detective Ed finally realises the fine line between delivering justice and the stark reality of doing so.One really funny scene happens when Ed thinks an actress is a call-girl when in reality,she is a star.That particular scene made me laugh my head off.An awesome film which pays tribute to the cop-thriller genre.

My rating: 9/10
Rating: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119488/
Go to top



DARK CITY:
A man by name John Murdoch(Rufus Sewell) wakes up in a Hotel and realises he is being chased by the Police for a murder he does'nt remember commiting.He is also chased by a group of people who have strange powers.Slowly Murdoch realises his own hidden powers and must use it against his hunters and find the truth about himself,in the strange city which has no Sun.

A search on the net revealed the fact that this film was released 1 year prior to 'The Matrix' and it amazes me very much because of the similarity.Of course I have'nt given away the premise of the film and I will not do it.But i would have to state that 'Dark City' is toned-down version of 'The Matrix' as stated by an IMDB user.I would have to agree with him whole-heartedly.

But I feel 'Dark City' is much better than 'The Matrix' primarily because of a good script and a decent screenplay.'The Matrix' too had a good share of the same,but it relied rather too heavily on Graphics to state the point(which I definitely do not despise!!).'Dark City' on the other hand rather relies more on good acting and a screenplay that maintains the suspense till the very end.The twist(or rather the truth) behind the entire film was unexpected and I really enjoyed the ending.

Being the protaganist of the film,Rufus Sewell as Murdoch is very good.William Hurt as Inspector Bumstead is good in his role and his support to Murdoch towards the end is a welcome sight.All the actors who portrayed The Strangers(Mr.Hand,Mr.Rain,Mr.Sleep,....) are quite okay.The rest of the cast is fine.It is easy to compare this film with the Matrix Trilogy,but I firmly believe that 'Dark City' is a film that stands on its own despite the obivous comparisons with 'The Matrix'.

My rating: 8/10
Links: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118929/
Go to top



.