The Book of Eli doesn’t disappoint the targeted audience. The post apocalyptic western film is as advertised. The plot isn’t really original. It’s your standard post nuclear war movie where civilization has taken a giant step back into chaos and anarchy. Small pockets of communities exist with warlords controlling the population. Murder and rape is rampant and food and water shortages persist throughout the World. This is the setting where Eli is on a mission to deliver a book to the western part of the United States. It is the year 2043 he is nearing his goal of reaching California. However, there is mad warlord in a town that is searching for a specific book. It wouldn’t be a big spoiler to mention that the book is in fact the Bible. There is not very subtle hint about the war and the cause. It seems that Bible was burned along with other books in the aftermath of the war.

The movie’s strong point isn’t the philosophical ideals. Instead, it is the action that makes the movie enjoyable. There is a deeper meaning the directors are trying convey. But, it is very thin and overly employed in other movies. It feels like they tried to thrown in religious angle where it was not needed. This isn’t to say that it detracts from the film. In fact, it does have the uplifting feeling once the credits roll. All that aside, the action is very slick and well choreographed. If you are a fan of the post apocalypse genre, you will be right at home with this film.

Danzel Washington is perfect as Eli, the wandering warrior with mission. Gary Oldman once again plays the villain. It seems like Gary Oldman was made to be a villain in most movies. Perhaps it’s because he does it so well. You really can’t argue with Oldman playing a villain. The Mila Kunis character seems to be an afterthought. Her character isn’t really needed or serves any purpose except to have attractive female cast. Even so, she is a terrific actress and does her role without any problem. Overall, the film was enjoyable and well worth the purchase.

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James Cameron’s last film, Titanic, was the highest grossing film in the history. Cameron’s latest film eclipsed Titanic at the box office. Taking in over 2 billion dollars, Avatar has become the highest grossing movie of all time. Like Titanic, the big budget and overly hyped, Avatar had some worried that it might bomb at the box office. However, like Titanic, Avatar raked in massive amounts of money across the globe. James Cameron waited over 10 years since his last film to work on Avatar. As soon as you watch Avatar, you understand why he waited so long. 10 years ago, technology didn’t exist to create all the effects shown in Avatar. More than half of the movie is done purely on computer generated form. In the past, you could tell CG from reality in distinct form. Watching Avatar, you forget that you are watching CG.

In terms of plot, there isn’t too much to distinguish itself in originality. A lot of people have compared to Dances with Wolves and rightly so. The plot is not much different from Kevin Costner’s epic western movie. The story opens up with Jake Sully taking on a mission previously assigned to his twin brother. His twin brother was to go to Pandora on a project to get to know the natives through the usage of avatar. The natives, Navi, are resisting the mining company that intends to mine for a highly valuable ore. The avatars are made to look like the native Navi. The controllers are connected to their avatars and are able to control them. While getting to know the Navi, Jake Sully come to respect and love them. Thus, he sides with Navi to fight the evil corporation.

While not completely derivative, Avatar does borrow heavily from other movies. But, in terms of technical achievement, there is no equal. Even with known plot line, Cameron does excellent job of telling the story. The movie’s appeal is not just aesthetic, the story as well as the actors all make for a great entertainment. James Cameron’s patience has paid off. While we have seen some great CG effects in the past movies, none have come close to what Avatar has achieved. Avatar has blurred the line between real actors and computer generated actors. While real actors provide the basis, Avatar is one step closer to a completely generated actors on big screen.

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Released back in 2002, Minority Report is perhaps the second best movie based on Philip K. Dick’s novel or stories. I’m not sure if any movie can compete with the greatness of the Blade Runner. But, Minority Report gives it a good run as far as the overall story and acting. Combine great story, acting, and a legendary director in Steven Spielberg makes this a must watch for any science fiction fan. Like most of Philip K Dick’s stories, the movie makes you think long after the end of the movie. Also, like other Philip K Dick’s stories, the story involves the advancement of technology and how humans interact with the new technology. However, the story also involves little bit of super natural element outside of pure science.

In the year 2054 A.D. all of the crime is eliminated with the formation of Precrime unit. Precrime unit is able to see any crimes before they happen. Anyone caught by the Precrime unit are sentenced according to the crime they will have committed. To foresee the crimes, Precrime units use genetically altered humans called Pre-Cogs that have special power to see crimes in the future. Leading the Precrime unit is the John Anderton. The real story begins when Anderton is seen committing a crime in the future. Anderton goes on the lam and tries to figure out a way of his predicament.

The morality of predestination is the main theme of the movie. The movie asks question whether we have power to change the future if we know the one outcome. We see how John Anderton follows the trail of minority report and figure out the real purpose of his supposed murder. The trail leads to John’s sad past as well as the future of Precrime. This is one of the best science fiction films of the decade. Few science fiction films can match the action and plot. Steven Spielberg does masterful job of converting the short story into a very watchable and though provoking film. This is a must for any Blu ray movie collector.

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Produced by Wachowski brother and Joel Silver, Ninja Assassin is predictably an action packed movie. This isn’t to denigrate the movie or downgrade it compared to other cinema. Instead, we know what to expect from the people involved in this movie. While this movie won’t make you think long after the movie is over, it will give you a very satisfying and entertaining 100 minutes. If you grew up watching anime, you will most likely love any movie involving ninjas. The iconic anime movie Ninja Scroll could have been the inspiration behind the bloody Ninja Assassin. Like the anime, Ninja Assassin is very violent and action packed. While the setting and characters aren’t carried over from the anime movie, the overall tone and feel of the movie is generally accurate.

The plot is not overly complicated. Razio is trained to be a deadly assassin since his childhood. As an orphan, Razio was trained by the Ozunu clan. He endures his friend being murdered at the hand of Ozunu clan. But, once he is asked to murder a young girl, he turns on Ozunu clan. Through mutual hatred of Ozunu clan, Razio teams up with Europol investigator named Mika. Both of them end of fighting for their lives in order to bring down Ozunu clan.

The straight forward plot is nothing to be excited about. It’s not really original or inventive. However, it’s not the plot that drives this film. Instead, it is the action and the gore. The over the top action sequence and the way body parts fly around the screen is simply entertaining. And, the whole ninja fighting against other ninja in modern setting is incredibly fun to watch. The Korean entertainer Rain does well as the vengeful Razio seeking revenge on Ozunu clan. While he won’t win any plaudits for his acting chops, he does display good skills in martial arts. Overall, this is really a fun movie to watch if you can stomach weak plot.

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Only thing you need to know about 2012 is that it was directed by Roland Emmerich. You get the entire Roland Emmerich experience in the movie 2012. That is to say, you get exciting CGI, End of the World scenario, shallow character development, shallow plots, and things blowing up every other minute. If you have watched Independence Day and Day After Tomorrow, you will have good idea of what to expect from 2012. This isn’t to totally disparage Roland Emmerich’s film. He does good job with the End of the World scenarios with the help of heavy CGI. What he fails to achieve is good plot and good character development. You watch The Day After Tomorrow or 2012 and you realize you’ve just watched bunch of explosions and catastrophes in epic proportion. But, you fail to sympathize or get a good sense of each character’s development.

The plot of 2012 is fairly similar to The Day After Tomorrow. Like The Day After Tomorrow, we witness the beginning of epic disaster at the start of the movie. You watch cities get razed and massive number of people dying within short span of time. The 2012 takes this to next level compared to The Day After Tomorrow. Somehow, the Earth gets “cooked” and the disasters start with earthquakes and massive volcanoes. We primarily follow a writer named Jackson Curtis as he stumbles across some information and sees the impending doom. He desperately tries to save his family including his ex-wife’s husband. What he fails to recognize is the fact that the governments have known about the impending doom and have started creating massive ships akin to Noah’s ark to save the humanity. Curtis must race against the time to reach the ships to save his family.

The overall premise sounds very exciting. And, the trailers and sneak peeks were all amazing. Until you watch the actual film. You go from one disaster to another with very little character development. Also, the trailers and sneak peeks are half of the movie. You can just watch them without having to miss too much of the plot. However, the movie does boast impressive CGI and great casts. John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Thandie Newton, Oliver Platt, Woody Harrelson, Danny Glover and Chhiwetel Ejiofor are all excellent actors. If there was some better character development and little better plot, the movie could have surpassed The Day After Tomorrow in every aspect. Instead, we get a shallow sequel to that movie.

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There have been countless movies and television series about Robin Hood, the legendary figure in British lore. While I have not watched every single Robin Hood movie, I can safely say that Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is easily the best version in my opinion. This isn’t to say that the movie is Oscar worthy masterpiece. However, as an adventure/action film, this is a very satisfying movie regardless of its subject. This is the kind of movie you will almost always re watch when it is on a cable station on a lazy Saturday afternoon. You will just flip through channels and settle on watching this film again because it is still satisfying watch after all these years.

Almost everyone should be familiar with the Robin Hood story. While the exact facts and details are not known, it is generally understood that there was in fact a person who is associated with Robin Hood. The general premise is that he stole from the rich and gave it to poor peasants. This was accomplished with the help of his gang known as the “Merry Men.” As with other Robin Hood movie or television series, Prince of Thieves adds its own little twists and story to the overall lore. The story starts with Robin Hood captured by the Turks during the Crusades. He manages to escape with a Moor anmed Azeem and return to England. Upon his return, he learns of his father’s murder by Sheriff of Nottingham. He vows to avenge his father with the help of Azeem and his new friends.

Even if you know the story of Robin Hood, you will enjoy this version’s story. Kevin Costner as Robin Hood is pretty convincing even without the British accent. And, Morgan Freeman as Azeem can’t possibly be bad in any role he plays. Mary Elizabeht Mastrantonio as Maid Marian is the best movie she has done along with Abyss. With the impending release of the new version by Ridley Scott, this version will seem outdated and somewhat tame. Even so, you should be able to enjoy and appreciate this version that’s now available in high definition. Overall, this is an excellent and enjoyable film.

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I’ve always enjoyed Kathryn Bigelow’s movies including the not so great K-19: The Widowmaker. She has great sense for action movies and it shows in her films. The Hurt Locker is no exception. She takes a very sensitive subject in Iraq war and makes a non political film. This is particularly refreshing as the liberal Hollywood tends to have very strong anti war messages in most of the war films. Instead, Kathryn Bigelow focuses on the character and the job he is entrusted to carry out. There is no political message on why we invaded Iraq or whether it was right or wrong.

The story is about soldiers who have to disarm bombs. This military job is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. Imagine walking toward the bomb when everyone else is running away from it. On a job to disarm a roadside bomb, the soldier assign to disarm it dies when the bomb goes off. Sergeant James is brought in as replacement. James has reputation for being reckless and wild. His approach is not appreciated by his subordinates at the beginning. The two subordinates think James is borderline suicidal. They go from one incident to another and face some incredibly dangerous situations.

Unlike some other movies, there is no one true evil villain in this movie. The movie portrays the dangerous job and the men who undertake the job. It’s part character study and part action movie. At the end of the movie, we don’t get the satisfaction of watching a cruel villain die or captured. Instead, we see the heroic efforts of our soldiers doing their best to survive and complete their jobs. While this might sound boring, the movie is anything but boring. The scenes are packed with suspense and action. There is not a single boring minute in the movie. I can honestly say this is one of the best war film I’ve ever watched in my life.

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The overall premise of Gamer is similar to Death Race or Japanese classic Battle Royale. Gamer is not the first movie to deal with “prisoner sport“ genre. You can even trace the idea back to The Running Man starting the current California governor. While the overall concept is nothing new, Gamer does manage to add little twist. In Gamer, the prisoner/combatants are controlled by other humans who control them like video game. This little twist does little to update the overall plot or story line from the Running Man or other similar movies.

Like The Running Man, the protagonist is wrongly accused and convicted. Kable, played by Gerald Butler, is wrongly accused of killing his friend. Sent to jail, he has little choice but to participate in a real life combat sport called Slayer. In Slayer, each combatant is controlled by other human via an interface implanted on the combatants. Once they reach certain number of games, they are released from the prison. However, none has managed to survive the game.

The plot is rather simple and predictable. You have the evil guy who put Kable into the prison for his purpose. And, you can tell that Kable will eventually get out and kill this evil guy. There’s nothing surprising about the plot. The action sequences are pretty good as expected from a polished Hollywood production. You can tell that the movie is geared toward the gaming generation who like to play the first person shooter games like Doom or Modern Warfare. While it’s not as bad as some video game movies, Gamer doesn’t stand out particularly well as a thriller or even action movie. It’s 100 minutes of mindless diversion at best.

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As a big fan of Quentin Tarantino, I was little bit disappointed with his last two films. Kill Bill and Death Proof was a letdown compared to his earlier movies like Jackie Brown, Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs. Nevertheless, I was excited to watch his latest film, Inglorious Basterds. Tarantino takes his shot at a World War 2 film in Inglorious Basterds. Inglorious Basterds is a different type of war movie. It is dark, violent, funny, and has tint of alternative fiction element. You really would not expect a conventional film from Tarantino. The overall premise borrows from previous war films for over all framework. However, Tarantino adds his own flavor to the movie.

The movie takes place in Nazi occupied France. The Nazis track down any French that harbor the Jews in order to exterminate them. In one such occurance, Jewish family harbored by their neighbor is slaughtered in the opening scene. Shosanna is the only survivor who runs away from Colnel Hans Landa’s atrocity. Years later, Shosanna plots her revenge when her theater is selected to show a film featuring a German hero. The high ranking Nazi officers and the Hitler himself is announced to attend the event. Meanwhile, Lt. Aldo Raine assembles a group of Jewish-American guerilla force to harass the German forces in France. They hear of the movie event and decide to take down Hitler and his officers.

The plot doesn’t sound like much. However, it’s Tarantino’s dark humor and style that makes the movie such a great experience. There are only small numbers of violent scenes. But, the scenes are funny and cringe worthy at the same time. The violent bar scene is one of the best action sequences in a war movie. The scene contains no CG or crazy explosion. Instead, the comical build up right before the violence and subsequent mayhem is pure Tarantino. Brad Pitt deserves some award for his portrayal of redneck Lt. Hell bent on killing Hitler. Overall, any fan of Tarantino should not miss this film.

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The combination of John Dillinger and Michael Mann should have produced a blockbuster film. Michael Mann has consistently delivered satisfying action movie like Heat and Miami Vice. You can argue few can match Mann’s action flicks. While other directors like Bay are known for action movies as well, they can’t match the story telling and superior directing evident in Michael Mann’s movies. This is why I was very excited to watch his latest film about John Dillinger. On the surface, John Dillinger’s biography sounds like a perfect match for Michael Mann. However, that is not the case for me. While the movie undoubtedly polished and slick, it’s about 30 minutes too long too little action for my taste.

John Dillinger was a famous bank robber in the 1930s. The movie picks up with the prison escape orchestrated by John Dillinger. After the escape, he goes back to bank robbing without the fear of authorities. He openly robs bank and laughs in the face of FBI and local law enforcement agency. During all the mayhem, he manages to meet and date Billie Frechette. To bring down the outlaws, FBI turns to Melvin Purvis. He is charge of tracking down Dillinger and his gang. Purvis is directed by the J. Edgar Hoover himself to uphold FBI’s image and reputation. Most of us are familiar with John Dillinger story and know how it all ends.

Christian Bale, Johnny Depp, and Marion Cotillard round out the top notch cast. You can’t find and fault in their acting as they are all top notch actors. The movie itself is very polished and have high production look. But, the overall pace and the story didn’t hold my attention throughout the movie like other Michael Mann movies. The action sequence seemed tame compared to other movies. I know the movie is set in 1930s. However, the action scenes were rather sedate and boring for most part. Also, the story could have been shortened by 30 minutes or more. There were some scenes and story line that were not particularly relevant or needed in the film. Overall, this is my least favorite Michael Mann film. If you want good old school gangster film, watch Road to Perdition.

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