istanbul

armageddon time does what the fablemans cant; give an authentic coming of age story true to the bone. no escapes, ribbons and bows here, everything is messy, real, and thought provoking.

I hate to say this but this movie would not be in anybody's radar, let alone the oscars, had it not been for its director. This tells you two things, first is that the movie is directed well. Second is, even with that direction, it is forgettable, formulaic, and unoriginal. Much like Seth Rogen's character.

if you loved rangarok, if you are into the guardians, there is nothing nothing not to like about this latest installment. yes, it isnt original, the pacing is off and the plot is weak at best but it is still a guns n roses filled summer blockbuster, big screen super hero palooza. i dont really see that the fuss is about.

american honey. into the wild. La Loi du marché. - a kind combination of all those great movies of the last decade. McDormand is a star, yet the semi-pro cast supporting her is the real driver of the movie.

better than the prequel. great writing. cant believe i am saying this but i could watch a dozen more of these, if he can keep up the writing.

it is not the sexiest spy movie ever done. nor is it the smartest - (latter for sure!) yet it still holds its own, mostly thanks to an experienced and awfully underused supporting cast. It is mostly a vehicle for Jennifer Lawrence, and she bares her body more so than her soul in an underwhelming role that is not serving her well. Side note - Interesting to see that Hollywood began using the binary morality codes of the cold war era once again. Corrupt and ruthless comrades versus the humanitarian yet jaded Americans. I guess Cold War is not over after all.

a taste of the south, bot not enough flavor. the movie drags on even after it has nothing new to say. i m not sure what hillary swank, katie holmes and the rest of the great supporting cast is doing in this movie. even the adorable, charming Farah mackenzie is nothing more than a weak plot device. daniel craig is a miscast yet watchable nonetheless.

this is a well choreographed movie that has a ton of style and character. unfortunately though the last hour of the movie tries too hard to be a box office success, taking some of the swag out of this exceptional film. I also though Kevin Spacey was used poorly throughout.

feels like a two-hour homeland special without the fun. didactic, boring and in the end, extremely predictable. kate hudson and sutherland are immensely miscast, although Riz Ahmed and his parents do a decent job.

Demolition isn't as smart, deep or meaningful as it pretends to be. at times, the movie feels like a patch up of bunch of unrelated ideas that the writers mused about pre-production, yet somehow forgot to leave out of the movie. And yes, there is a bit of cheesiness, perhaps even unsolicited melodrama. nonetheless, demolition is intriguing. Emptiness of the lead character does not necessarily need to lead up to a critic worthy resolution to ring true with the viewers, it is still effective in its own way. Acting is fine and soundtrack is electrifying - this movie deserves a better treatment.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

uneven pace, and patchy emotional fluency of the movie prevent the characters to be taken seriously. beautiful cinematography, yet the movie lacks the same detailed, exquisite work in character development.

Some Girl(s) is neither a solid adaptation of the play, nor a truly unique movie that stands on its own feels like it has been stuck in no man's land, and that s not necessarily bad. I personally thought the play wasnt all that great to begin with, yet the core idea and the relationship dynamics had been intriguing, the movie does best to explore those with a few yet major tweaks. Lead character's almost complete apathy is (discerning yet) fun to watch and Adam Brody does a fine job yet I am not sure this role is the vehicle he is looking for to get out of his stereotype. It still feels as if he just rolled out of his bed in the OC. Emily Watson truly stands out, even though the latter's story line is rather ridiculous. Zoe Kazan is the true star of the movie, does a great job portraying a broken character, brings out the best in Adam as well.

I wish I could have graded 2 and 1/8ths because "nine" the movie is exactly that, the original 8 1/2 turned into a musical, then turned into a movie again, losing half of its potency with every transformation. too bad that marion cotillard's elegance is wasted on "nine".

blue valentine is too much; too real, too close to the heart, too close for comfort. it not sterilized and the rawness of the movie - fueled by great acting and cinematography - may be more than what audiences can take, especially if they can relate on a personal level to the inexplicable demise of the bonds that bind and define us.

Hall Pass offers no surprises or deviations from a typical Farrelly movie - juvenile sense of humor, outrageous plot lines and an overblown finales. It's a commodity. If you are into the farrelly formula, you ll have a few laughs, simple as that. Hall Pass could have been a great vehicle for Sudeikis. He is given the best set-ups and lines yet seems to make little out of it, whereas Christina Applegate shines in her limited screen time.

this movie is not what it seems to be. this is not a brat pack summer hit, slapstick comedy or a second rate romcom. yet the problem, or the dilemma I should say (ouch! sorry!) is that it looks and feels too much like the things that it is not!

If I had watched this movie a year later than it was set, 1997, I would have probably liked it a bit more as the viagra jokes and the fat IT geek brother comedic relief (or something like that!) would have probably fared a tad bit better. just a tad bit. However today it is simply tiresome, tasteless even. Hatheway-Gylenhall scenes feel contrived, scenes where one of them is missing feel even worse, Platt and Azaria's talents inelegantly wasted in brainless monologues with what looks like Gylenhall's life-size cardboard cutout right next to them throughout. All of these traits of weak movie making is attempted to be masked by uncalled nudity which really doesn't add anything, except to maybe appreciate two young actors in their physical prime. I really couldn't figure out why those two would agree to walk around in the nude in a movie where the script already leaves their characters naked and barren of any insight or originality.

the romantics fares better as an in-flight entertainment or an hour long season finale to dawson's creek rather than the indie flick it tries hard to portray itself as. Akerman & Brody scenes create the only spark throughout the movie even though their characters are also as predictable and shallow as the rest.

Watching "I am Love" feels like flipping through magazines; a splash of 80s "Architectural Digest", forever missed "Gourmet" and as many italian fashion magazines as you can think of. Within all its glam and glum there is a plausible story line, one that feels real and moving if Tilda Swinton is in the scene. However whenever she is not around, especially when the movie strays into the Recchi family business, the weak male casting makes the movie feel outdated, and somewhat generic - a pile of old "newsweek"s you wish to get rid of! cliches unfortunately do not end there, some of the side plots simply dilute the impeccable work Tilda Swinton (TS) has done throughout the movie. Special note for two actresses playing Tilda Swinton's servant and mother in law. Both were phenomenal, they helped both TS and the movie to excel.

This is one of those rare movies where I will have to disagree with the metacritic score. As far as romantic comedies go this is a solid one, jason bateman does a great job, especially in his scenes with the kid, and jennifer aniston's presence in a romantic comedy doesn't hurt as usual, although it also doesn't add much in this particular movie. Special praises to Jeff Goldblum, whose character may seem superficial unless you actually lived in nyc and worked in a firm like the one JBateman's character works.

this movie may suffer from being too "fabulous" and sleek, but its heart is in the right place and Firth makes sure that nobody loses sight of that. undoubtedly a great debut for any first-time director.

although there is a relaxed, unforced feel to the movie which allows you to enjoy the great cast, after awhile the supposed tension between JCR and JH just wears thin and the directors seem reluctant to add any depth to it.