Good 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.Listed below are films which are quite good...but not quite good enough that i felt like watching them again.These films can be watched once,some exceptions can be watched twice at the most....good entertainment value included :)

-- GOOD ENTERTAINERS 2 --

MOVIE COUNT :: 4
Click on the Titles below to read the corresponding review directly(no scrolling hassles) in this page::
The Host
Black Hawk Down
The Bourne Supremacy
Fracture



The Host:
A korean smash-hit which has been translated into various languages the world-over to rake in the moolah.Sadly,the film was a flop in India,Chennai at least(South Indian City).And I can understand why there were varied results in Box-Office profits.

The films opens with a presumably American Doctor asking his junior Korean Doctor to empty the contents of all the old Formaldehyde bottles(read Toxic waste).Two years later, we are introduced to the protagonist and his family.The general public comes into contact with The Host,which causes panic and chaos in the area surrounding Bridge ??? .The protagonist's daughter Sey Mayuo becomes a victim of the creature and the rest is all about her family's attempts to rescue her,when she is found to be alive.

The initial 25 minutes are interesting where we are introduced to the vicious creature,which resembles a badly cloned fish-tadpole cross breed.Acting-wise,am not sure how to put it across.At times,the acting looked funny and otherwise it was good enough to watch.Maybe there is the confusion due to not-so-perfect dubbing into English.There is more focus on the interactions between the protagonist and his family members.There is also the stress on the limits to which,people could go to save their loved one's.This aspect of the film deserves credit,as never in the film does this point vanish into oblivion.

I would rather not mention the actors reel-names as well as their real-names(no offence meant of course),because the names are a bit complicated.However,commenting on a film without mentioning the lead actors names is a bit tough.The main events revolve around the main protagonist's daughter Hyun-Seo(Ah-Sung Ko) who uses the best of her wits to escape her doomed death.Her reel dad is Park Gang-Du(Kang-Ho Song) who brings out the best performance amongst others.He is funny in certain places which evoke laughter from the audience and in scenes requiring emotions,he brings them on quite aptly.Nam-ju(Du-na Bae) is Gang-Du's sister who's problem in archery(yes,she is national medalist archer) is overcome at the most crucial period of the film.Nam-Il(Hae-il Parl),Gang-Du's brother is a college graduate who hasn’t made anything worthwhile out of his life.Park-Hie Bong(Hie-Bong Byeon) is the father of the siblings mentioned above and he brings in a spirited performance as well.

I loved many scenes in the film and they help 'The Host' stand out as a strikingly-good film.Some of the Best scenes I like from the film are::

>Gang-Du's attempted attacks on the creature early on in the film.
>Gang-Du's shock when he realizes he had grabbed the wrong girl's hand while escaping.
>The awesome scene of the creature grabbing Hyun-Seo with its tail and jumping into the Han river.
>The Park family's escape from the Hospital.
>Park-Hie Bong's surprised look after firing a shot at the creature.
>All the scenes involving Hyun-Seo in the creature's hideous lair.
>The Park family's attempts to kill the monster.

Another notable factor in the film is the Background score.It varies as per the different situations,ranging from funny to melodramatic and adventurous to dead-serious.The closing scene of the film hints at a sequel.Will there be one???I will be waiting...

My rating: 8/10
Links: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0468492/
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/host/
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THE BOURNE SUPREMACY:
Coming as the obivous sequel to 'The Bourne Identity', a lot of expectations were riding on Supremacy.Directed by famous Director Paul Greengas('United 93' fame),the film comes third in the series after The Bourne Ultimatum and The Bourne Identity respectively.

Jason Bourne(Matt Damon) is now settled in Goa,India with his girlfriend Marie(Frank Potente).Just when the two think they have been left alone for good,an attempt on Bourne's life takes Marie's by accident.An enraged and amnesic Bourne leaves for Naples to find some answers.Meanwhile,he has already been framed for the murder of two CIA agents.So Bourne is tried to be arrested as soon as he arrives in Naples,but he escapes and continues his search for answers,attempting to clear his name of the murder frame-up.

Matt Damon is top-notch as the amnesic multi-skilled man,who is having trouble remembering his past life.He excels in all the fight scenes,but those would have been visually better had they been captured in a better way.Frank Potente as Bourne's girlfriend has a very short on-screen time and she is quite okay.Hogging most of the screen time is CIA Deputy Director Pamela Landy(Joan Allen) who is after Bourne,when all the evidence point towards Bourne for the murder of her agents.Brian Cox as Ward Abott,tells us more about Operation Treadstone in this film and he is quite adequate in his role.Karl Urban as Kirill is the assassin against whom Bourne is set-up in this part of the franchise.Urban shows us his excellent driving skills in the very well made climatic car-chase scene.The less said about the other actors,the better.The same goes for the film as well....

As I have read all the books in the Bourne Series,I did'nt take much liking to The Bourne Ultimatum.Of course,'The Bourne Identity' was a much better adaptation in my opinion.Ultimatum has taken a lot of liberty in not following the book to much detail and that is the main reason I did not like it much.But still,film goers who have not read the books will enjoy the silver-screen versions of Jason Bourne's adventures.I hope the readers of the Series do agree with my opinion....ironically, 'The Bourne Identity' & 'The Bourne Supremacy' share the same rating on IMDB.Check it out....

A well made film,which could have better!!

My Rating: 7/10
Links: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0372183/
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BLACK HAWK DOWN:

::coming soon::

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FRACTURE:
I was interested in this film after my friend suggested it to me.The premise is quite interesting,as one can see from the tagline "I shot my wife,prove it!".And so with a high expectation,i watched the film.It was'nt a mind-bending experience I would say,but still, a well made Legal thriller.

Ted Crawford(Anthony Hopkins) is a higly skilled Aeronautical Engineer.His wife Jennifer Crawford(Embeth Davidtz) is has an affair with Detective Rob Nunally (Billy Burke).So Ted kills his wife with a masterplan in mind and confesses to his crime.A hot-shot District Attorney Willy Beachum (Ryan Gosling) handles the case,taking things lightly.But Ted's masterplan has different things set for Beachum as well as for himself.

I had a lot of expectations prior to watching the film and that makes perfect sense why I did'nt like it much.But if one does'nt have much expectations,I think 'Fracture' will be a good outing.

The screenplay was quite good and the trick behind Ted's masterplan in unvieled only during the end,so the suspense is maintained throughout.But the pace of the film is a tad too slow and the Director has thrown in a lot of Legal terms,which I had a toough time following.Of course,the same may not be the case with you.

Anthony Hopkins is good in his performance as the mastermind.But it comes across as a very restrained performance which he pulls off with utter ease and style.His role in this film deals more with mind games rather than biting off people's cheeks(remember Hannibal?? ;) ).And I felt pity for Beachum who is chosen by Ted to fight the case against him.Ryan Gosling(Beachum)shows a variety of emotions..those being arrogance,confidence,failure,struggle to unravel the knots of Ted's masterplan and more.Ryan Gosling is an apt foil to the ever-calm Ted Crawford.The other characters play out their small roles well and I need not mention them here,as Ted & Beachum occupy most of the screen time with their battle of wits.

My Rating: 6/10
Links: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0488120/
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