The Perks Of Being A Wallflower (2012)

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower

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Director : Stephen Chbosky

Adapted from : The Perks Of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Actors : Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller, Paul Rudd and others...

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Overall : 8.5/10

Direction : 8.5/10

Acting : 8.0/10

Cinematography : 8.0/10

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I haven't read the book this flick's adapted from. What I have done is watched the movie, directed by the writer of the book - and for a newcomer, Stephen Chbosky has nailed it. Well, almost.

It is a story of innocence lost, found, and lost again, till it is finally regained for good at the end of the movie. Charlie (Logan Lerman) is a high school freshman, who is too introverted; his deep-seated insecurities are a source of his shyness. Unable to make friends easily, he ends up meeting Patrick, a senior, played beautifully by Ezra Miller, in his workshop class. Later they even run into each other during a football game. Patrick introduces Charlie to his step-sister, Sam (Emma Watson) and Charlie is smitten by her. Obviously, he keeps his feelings to himself, as per his nature.

Meanwhile, a "Oh Captain, My Captain" kind of relation is forged between Charlie and his English teacher (Paul Rudd), with the latter trying his best to bring out the writer in the talented boy. Even Charlie holds his educator in high esteem.

Charlie, as time progresses, develops quite the social reputation, although he sulks quietly in the harsh reality that Sam was with someone else. To add to his difficulties, he even learns that Patrick is gay, and proudly so. There is a lot of psychological drama that goes on till the very end - something unexpected about Charlie's past is also revealed. 

The acting is quite good. Undoubtedly, Ezra Miller is the star of the movie. The problem with acting gay is that actors tend to go quite over the top - acting homosexual often turns into a charade. But, with Ezra, it is a smooth flow. His character is the highlight of the movie.

There is a scene in the movie where Charlie says, "We accept the love we think we deserve." I think this movie deserves a lot.

To all my fellow Wallflowers out there, don't dare miss this!



PS : I'll read the book as soon as I can! You should do the same.

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Official Trailer

Argo (2012)

Argo

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Director : Ben Affleck

Adapted from : The Master of Disguise by Antonio J. Mendez and The Great Escape by Joshuah Bearman

Actors : Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin, John Goodman and others...

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Overall : 8.0/10

Direction : 8.0/10

Acting : 7.5/10

Cinematography : 9.0/10

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Ben Affleck is the man of the moment. Argo is has been nominated for a whooping 7 Oscars this year, including the Best Picture and Film Editing. The movie has already brought Affleck a Golden Globe for Best Director (Motion Picture).

Argo is not your simple edge-of-the-seat thriller. It is much more than that. It is a case study of nationalism, extremism and last, but not the least, the power of cinema (howsoever fake it gets). No wonder the Oscar committee loved it.

The movie revolves around the very famous escape of 6 American diplomats stuck in Iran and the out-of-the-freaking-world thinking behind the successful operation to rescue those six souls. For those of you who don't know much about this crisis, the gist is as follows : Iran overthrew the puppet Prince installed by the States, there was a revolution, the mob attacked the US Embassy in Iran and an unprecedented number of Americans were held hostage there. Only the six mentioned above could manage to escape to the Canadian Ambassador's house in Iran, living in fear and the constant threat of bloody deaths.

Affleck directs with honesty, capturing the tension between the two countries (America and Iran) in a very matter-of-fact way. There is something darkly comic about the entire movie - the shift from the extravagance of Hollywood to the public hanging of Americans in Iran is sudden; almost as if it's thrust in your face, to put you out of your comfort zone. The sweet contradiction between the two faces of the US, one, all shining and bright, and the other, at the mercy of revolutionaries, is smartly depicted.

The acting lets down the movie a bit. I can think of a number of actors who could have been perfect for some of the roles.

However, I won't be shocked if Argo ends up winning 'THE' Oscar. It's good enough for that coveted statuette.

Maybe that's how Affleck is compensated for not getting the much deserved Best Director nod by the judges. 

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Official Trailer

Bose IE 2 Earphones

BOSE IE 2 EARPHONES

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Rating : 8.5/10

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The Bose IE 2's are the cheapest Bose product available in the market. But this should not let you down. Their quality is top-notch and the sound is amazing. It has a perfect balance of the high's, the mid's and the low's. Also, it packs in an ample bass punch. The design of the earphones is unique but once you wear it, you'll understand how comfortable they are and how much important the ear supports are in the earphones. The earphones don't have active noise cancelling but cut out a huge chunk of background environment noise due the amazing in-ear design. A high quality leather carry pouch also comes in the box which is a good necessity for carrying around your earphones. Retailing at a price of Rs 5,175 in India, it is a great start to owning Bose products.

It's Kind Of A Funny Story (2010)

It's Kind Of A Funny Story

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Directors : Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck

Adapted from : It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

Actors : Keir Gilchrist, Emma Roberts, Viola Davis, Zach Galifianakis others...

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Overall : 8.0/10

Direction : 9.0/10

Acting : 8.0/10

Cinematography : 8.5/10

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Okay, I have a confession to make. I had watched this movie a year ago. I had started at 4 in the night, and despite the fact that I was dead tired, I couldn't stop.
You should also know that I was to take a very important science paper the following morning.

It's Kind Of A Funny Story is a feel-good movie. There is something here that every teenager can connect to : be it the pressure of the school assessments and projects, the suppressed feelings for your best friend's girlfriend (believe me, it happens to many) or the need to be the center of attention - this flick has it all.

People who love Zach, The Comedian, will be blown away by his performance in this movie. He plays the role of a depressed husband so well, that at times you feel he is catching emotions out of thin air. Really, he is THAT good. There is nothing but honesty to his performance.

Emma Roberts is quite the splitting image of her aunt. She is as raunchy as the Pretty Woman and as cute as the Runaway Bride. Emma's natural charm is a constant reminder of her talented gene pool. In a nutshell, she's a young Julia Roberts in the making.

But, it is Keir Gilchrist who steals the show with his solemn depiction of a troubled teenager.

The gist of the story is this : Craig Gilner (Keir) is a 16 year old boy, who feels like the all the weight of the world is upon his shoulders. Suffocated to the very core, this suicidal teen checks himself into a hospital, before he ends up doing something stupid. There, he meets Bobby (Zach) and Noelle (Emma), and the trio have some of the most normal experiences of their life in the most unorthodox of places.

The end to this story is sublimely filmed. Kudos to the directors for putting forward their best work since Half Nelson.


PS : This is more of a DISCLAIMER kind of thing. If you are a student, you might not wanna study for a long, long time after watching this movie. So, don't watch it just before you're about to take any exam. I had learnt it the hard way. 

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Official Trailer

Arrested Development

Arrested Development

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Created By : Mitchell Hurwitz

Genre : Comedy

Running Time : 22 minutes

Actors : Jason Bateman, Portia de Rossi, Will Arnett, Michael Cera, Alia Shawkat, Tony Hale, David Cross, Jeffrey Tambor, Jessica Walter and others...

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Overall : 8.0/10

Story : 8.5/10

Acting : 8.5/10

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A dysfunctional family, a screwed-up family business and under-currents of disturbing romantic fantasies.

That's how I would sum up Arrested Development.

This sitcom will not be everyone's cup of tea - I can vouch for that. Perhaps, that may be an explanation as to why, inspite of collecting all the critical approval that the cast and crew of this show possibly could, it didn't go down well with the public.

From what I've noticed, people either love the show or hate it.

I, for one, loved it. This is nothing like your usual sitcom - starting from the characters and the idea behind the individual episodes, right upto the satirical narration of the story, this show changes your perception of comedy. It makes you laugh. Quietly.

Arrested Development is the story of the extravagant Bluth family, and the endeavours of the good son Michael Bluth (Jason Bateman) to prevent the household from falling apart, especially after his father (Jeffrey Tambor) is put behind bars for committing fraud and using the money from his construction enterprise for unethical personal use. The mother, Lucille Bluth (Jessica Walter), ends up becoming the CEO, and is just about to drive the company into the ground, when Michael comes around to save it.

Michael's sister (Portia de Rossi), his sister's husband (David Cross) and their daughter (Alia Shawkat) make a wonderful trio of misfit clowns - they comprise the hilarious Fünke portion of the family tree . Michael's own son (Michael Cera) ends up having feelings for his cousin Maeby. The other two brothers in the family provide quite a lot of laughs as well - G.O.B. (Will Arnett) is a super-cheeky magician and Buster (Tony Hale) is a mamma's boy, whose pretentious stint at the army is a LOL moment. Charlize Theron also makes an appearance on the show as Michael's love interest.

Those who can't wrap their head around the Bermuda Triangle disappearances, should employ their mental faculties to figure out why this show lasted just the 3 seasons.

Three amazing seasons, at that!

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Sneak Peak