Gratifying feel of dread and an outstanding ‘Gift’ from Edgerton

A family moves into a quaint locality in Los Angeles. As they get accustomed to their new life in the dainty new house, a malevolent entity from the past sets its destructive gaze on family’s happily cultivated life. Joel Edgerton’s self directed ‘The Gift’ is a piece of authentic psychological thrill that gives you a sense of terror and chill.

Simon (Jason Bateman) and wife Robyn (Rebecca Hall) move into a lavishly looking house in L.A from Chicago. While they are shopping for the new house supplies, Simon meets Gordo (Joel Edgerton), who he was in high school with. Gordo looks polite and generous but you can’t help notice the profane and danger concealed beneath his gifts and his apparently selfless visits.

The first half promises a gratifying feel of dread. Jason Bateman as Simon is attentive and passionate husband to Robyn (Rebecca) who is emotionally fragile and sympathetic. Following the unwanted visits to Robyn when she is usually home alone, Simon tells Gordo that he can no longer see the couple only to invite more peril in their lives.  The dog vanishes, the fishes in pond are poisoned and Robyn is always looked at secretly and with immense voyeur.

The Gift is not about an ideal theme of good triumphing over evil. Infact it has a slight flavour of retribution to it.  The second half is less of scares but more of the fact on who is right and who is wrong.

The Gift has feel of Hitchcock coupled with a genuine story of how far a person can go to prove his might and how it can scar your soul for lifetime.

7 on 10 stars

Rain Man is fascinating, poignant and beautiful; undoubtedly the best movie of late 80's

An autistic victim has certain bounds. There lie limitations beyond which they cannot verge as a world lies above their understanding & imagination. They are simple, creative and extremely dedicated to their beloved.

Reprising the role of an autistic savant, Dustin Hoffman as Raymond Babbit displays innocence that lie beneath the layers of mental & emotional handicap. Head titled to one side, blank look on his face & speaking in a lunatic accent, Raymond Babbit has captivated immensely over the essence of Barry Levinson’s Rain Man.

Rain Man’s incunabula shows Tom Cruise as Charlie Babbit desperately striking car deals with the clients. He learns that his father who he had not seen since a noticeably long time has passed away leaving him with rose bushes and a 1949 convertible Roadmaster whereas the 3 million dollar property is left to his brother Raymond whose existence Charlie was completely unaware of. With a clumsy plan and a girlfriend, he takes off with Raymond to Los Angeles to prove himself as his sole guardian so as to acquire his half.

Raymond Babbit may appear as a simpleton but trust me he is one of rarest and sharpest know-it-all to be ever witnessed in the real world. He can count square roots of gigantic numbers in a jiffy, he can large number of toothpicks fallen on ground in a flash of light and also he can memorize half of phone directory overnight. There is a vast distinction in the way he approaches life. He doesn’t care about how much wealth he is left with but he does get perturbed if his daily routine suffers a nebulous drift.

Charlie, however, shows indignation to Raymond’s different behaviour. The movie takes you on a road trip which gradually changes his impertinence to a refined attitude and caring for his brother, unveiling a compelling story of love & affection.

Barry Levinson’s Rain Man has a credible storyline which is decorated by the adept screenplay and effective acting by the lead. Rain Man is a fascinating tale of two brother magnetically opposite to each other but bounded together by destiny. One of the best movie from the late 80’s.

7 on 10 stars

Replete with thrills and chills, Mission Impossible 5 makes you crave for more....

The latest instalment of Mission impossible franchise celebrates Tom Cruise (Ethan Hunt) as an action hero more than the story which itself provides a structure to Ethan Hunt’s ways of working with fictional organization IMF( Impossible Mission Force). Directed by the screenwriter of ‘The Usual Suspects’, it is hard to believe that Christopher McQuarrie ever had some brilliant ideas. Honestly as a viewer I was dissatisfied with the screenplay. However the edge-of-the-seat action sequences acted as a savior in disguise.

The story involves a wicked replica of the IMF called ‘The Syndicate’, a criminal organization trained to bring down the IMF, as they stealthily go on killing leaders in bombings and assassinations to bring about the ‘change’ in the world. A Senate committee meanwhile dissolves the IMF, availing the efforts of William Brandt and granting the leftover assets to the CIA with Ethan Hunt on their prime target list. Now Hunt is left with only one job that is to prove that The Syndicate falls within the bounds of realism and is not merely the creation of his own. The Syndicate controlled by bespectacled and spooky Solomon Lane who is pursued by Ethan with his old sidekick tech-expert Benji and gorgeous Ilsa Faust to bring The Syndicate to ground.

Mission Impossible: The Rogue Nation provides the viewers with a glitzy appeal taking on a tour to Vienna, Casablanca and London and some promisingly heart-wrenching stunts and fights. Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt faces more serious and complicated obstacles to reach his coveted aim. He keeps you startled as he holds to a flying plane and his dear life waiting for Benji to open its door. He jumps in thousands of gallons of pressurized water to change to break into the data facility; he pursues on bike in high speed chase sequences and really keeps you engaged till the very end.

MI 5 was pure adrenaline as McQuarrie succeeded brilliantly in keeping the weak script concealed behind the nail-biting thrills that gratify the action-movie lovers to the extent that they certainly crave for the sixth installment. I personally think it should have connected well to the past ventures apart from the characters. However the film takes care of everything that MI series has boasted of in the past including flashy tech gadgets and stunts. And lastly, the credit to MI5 being an unarguably successful installment goes to Tom Cruise who has defied age and fueled the execution of the screenplay brilliantly.  

6 on 10 stars