Movie Marathon Theme: Most Shocking Movies

Few days back I asked my friends that ‘Which was the most shocking movie they’ve seen ?‘  and most of them didn’t know the answer, few replied ‘Srpski film‘. Here are some unrated Shocking Movies with less violence.

 

Incendies (2010)

Rotten Tomatoes Critics Rating: 92%

Director: Denis Villeneuve

 

Incendies was nominated for an Oscar for ‘Best Foreign Language Film of the Year‘ in 2011. Story was about siblings Jeanne and Simon explore the past of their mother, Nawal, who had fled in the Middle East in the safe west before the war. Nawal’s last will gives the twins the task of conveying two letters: one to their dead believed father, the other to an unknown brother. The two of them reluctantly take the journey to their mother’s home. The search for their own roots leads them back into the collective tragedy of the war.

It’s  very intense, gripping and absolutely wonderful drama that  feels like inspired by ‘True Events‘ due to its geological settings. The journey Nawal takes her children on from beginning to end is terrifying and heart wrenching. The ending of the movie really shocked me. It left me speechless and kept me up late several nights.

 

Compliance (2012)

Rotten Tomatoes Critics Rating: 89%

Director: Craig  Zobel

 

This movie could be the most shockingly terrifying underrated Indie Movie  about a fast-food worker who’s accused of theft is put through the wringer as her boss, at the direction of a phone caller who says he’s a cop, subjects her to increasingly harsh forms of interrogation.

The entire story takes place within the confines of the restaurants back room. Compliance is not an easy ride. It is not an easy subject to handle and although it’s not graphic, it is gruesome. The fact that this is a true story and 70 cases were reported in 30 U.S. states, until an incident in 2004  is just insane and will make you research the internet.

 

We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)

Rotten Tomatoes Critics Rating: 76%

Director: Lynne Ramsay

 

This is a movie that every parent should watch. It explored the factious relationship between a mother and her son and gained  a lot of praise at the Cannes Film Festival and attempts to explore the themes of society, parenting and psychology. There is a permanent, chilling sense throughout the film thanks Ramsay’s low key direction and the power of the performance. This is a film that should stick in your head.

The story is just incredible, and the movie will leave you holding your breath many times. We Need To Talk About Kevin may even be too emotionally overwhelming for some, but by in large it is one of the hardest hitting and most realistic dramas you may ever find.

 

Here are few other my favorite shocking movies that you should watch…

The Secret in Their Eyes (2009)

A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)

 

Baby Driver – Most Original and Unique film of 2017

Title: Baby Driver

Director: Edgar Wright

Rotten Tomatoes: 97%

On Eid day 2 (28th Jun.) I’ve seen the most original and unique film of 2017. I bought two tickets a week before and after a friend ditched me I watched it with a tweep. The story was about a getaway driver named Baby  who relies on the beat of his personal soundtrack to be the best in the game.

 

If you’ve seen  Scott Pilgrim vs. the World  or Shaun of the Dead you’ll know that Edgar Wright he is master of Visual Comedy and loves to synchronized action with music. He found comedy where others can’t. Opening scene reminds me of Deadpool opening  scene with funny credits where camera keeps zooming out cos it’s a single take shot with perfectly synchronized music and graffiti. Guess what director didn’t use any Green Screen during shooting car chase scenes.

A perfect blend of Oscar winning actors with the new ones. I cannot think of one character or actor who was misplaced or a weak link within the film. Baby Driver was paced well, was never boring, and made me want sit back down in my seat and watch it over again.

Wright directed the hell out of this movie. Every shot is masterfully crafted. Every edit is specifically chosen and targeted. The color pallet is bright and bold and artistically captivating. There is a reason why Rotten Tomatoes critics rating is 97%.

This movie has not just seven or twelve tracks but 30 tracks. One thing that you’ll definitely be doing after watching the movie is updating your playlist.

My Rating: 10/10

Movie Marathon Theme: Love

I love movies and I take them very seriously. If you watch an average movie at the cinema it will become something extraordinary. My friend is a movie freak like me and I’ve been watching movies with him for 10yrs  in his basement, first he has 5.1 surround sound and recently he upgraded to 7.1 Dolby Surround sound system with cinema seats.

Basement Home Cinema

So after seeing this upgrade I decided to do theme based movie marathon  followed by one or two Youtube  video and one song. For March I selected ‘Love‘. Movies I’ve selected are In the Mood for Love, Her and Amour.

In the Mood for Love

It’s a masterpiece directed by Wong Kar-wai. His movies has been admired by Martin Scorsese & Quentin Tarantino.  What makes this film distinct and unique when compared to most romantic movies is that it deals with a relationship that is never going to happen, but nevertheless, a great loss is experienced. Love the way Wong Kar-wai handles his characters. This movie has a Prequel titled ‘Days of Being Wild‘ and a sequel titled ‘2046‘.

Her

Her is about one man’s relationship with an electronic device that has a female voice. Far from being an alarming tale, it highlights how technology itself cannot only fulfill our emotional needs, but also clarify our relationships with the people it’s meant to connect us with. This is something that can be possible in the future. Stunning Production & AHmazing performance by Joaquin Phoenix.

Hoyte Van Hoytema has done stunning cinematography. I knew that  Spike Jonze will win an Oscar for Best original screenplay and on 16th feb. I tweeted my prediction.

@quratulain_s Spike Jonze will win an Oscar for original screenplay @safiurazi @chamakpatti @pharhansuhail

— Farman (@farmans_) February 16, 2014

Amour

Amour is a 2012 French-language romantic drama film written and directed by the Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke. It honors the resilience of love in the face of old age and sickness. Amour is emotionally powerful, but attains its power through a spare, non-manipulative chronicle of events in the lives of an elderly couple. Although predominantly a tragedy about the end of life, Amour also makes a profound statement about what constitutes true love at one word might lead you to believe.

 

In the end

 

one song

#OYEKuchkarGuzar Review

Few days ago #OyeKuchkarGuzar started as hashtag for city wars on Twitter triggered by Mangobaaz and it ended  up with Pakistan’s first online film released on Youtube produced by Djuice Pakistan starring Ali Safina, Ushna Shah and Uzair Jaswal.

Here is the teaser of the movie.

Story

The story was about Sherry who wants to follow his passion and become a singer. He was traveling to Karachi in a train where he was joined by Uzair Jaswal, Ushna Shah and Mahjabeen Habib  and after that the most unforgettable  adventure begins.

What’s New

This is the first Pakistani movie that has been released on Youtube with a unique interactive experience.  It has been released in 5 episodes with alternate endings, at the end of each episode you have to select the option to continue the story. They also added comic style animation to make it more interesting.

Most hilarious thing about the movie was Taher Shah guest appearance, a man who needs no introduction.

Overall it was unique and refreshing experience and Youtube interactive option at the end of episodes gives it  all new twist. Humorous punchlines will keep you entertained till the end of the movie.

Rating 8/10

 

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Review

2016 is all about the new Harry Potter books or should I say screenplays, back in July J. K. Rowling released the 8th Harry Potter book titled ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child‘ which I finished in just 2.5hrs. Now there is new a screenplay  available at the book stores titled Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find.

Its a prequel to the Harry Potter Book Series. I bought the book to read it before watching the movie. So first I’ll be reviewing the book and then the movie.

Story

It was a story of Newton Scamander, a Magizoologist who arrives in New York in 1926, to stay for a brief time following a journey around the world to research creatures for his book.

Book Review

First thing I like about this book was its cover, it has almost every creature mentioned in the book. Some creatures are hidden in the design. This book marks the screenwriting debut of J.K. Rowling. Unlike the Cursed Child, this screenplay has more details like the Harry Potter books. Placing the story in New York City during the 1920’s was brilliant, evoking an era that has its own special flavor.  I like the way it links to what we already know and even Dumbledore everyone’s favorite headmaster gets a brief mention.

The ending has a great twist and it definitely stands up alongside the Potter books. For those who don’t know a lot about stage direction etc, there is a dictionary of the terms they use in the back.

Caution: If you didn’t like Harry Potter and the Cursed Child then please don’t read this cos both books followed the same format.

My Rating: 4/5

Movie Review

It is the first of a planned five  prequel movie series. The movie was great and reading the screenplay allowed the details to swim in my mind. I love how faithful the movie director was to the book. The characters are good, the dialog is subtle, the descriptions are vivid.

The very talented  Oscar winning actor Eddie Redmayne shines throughout the movie. He plays an endearing and slightly awkward Newton Scamander. Excellent visual effects and a screenplay which includes more than a few lighthearted moments.  The standout, however, is the Niffler. A dragon-like obsession with treasure makes for some hilarious slapstick comedy where the adorable little creature, like a mix between a dog and a mole, rampages through a bank and collects a veritable trove of trinkets.

It  was more like a spellbinding adventure sets in the amazing magical world created by J. K. Rowling and David Yates.

Worth watching at a cinema in 3D

My Rating: 8.5/10

Ciao! Till the next Fantastic Beasts movie which will be released on November 16, 2018.

Inferno – Worst Movie of 2016

Yesterday I have seen the last screening of ‘Inferno‘ at the Atrium Cinemas  in Karachi. I wonder why they showed this movie just for 6 days but I got my answer when I walked out of the cinema. Movie is based on the Dan Brown’s novel with the same title. I don’t know what Ron Howard was thinking when he was making this movie. They’ve missed ‘The Lost Symbol’.  The novel  was very  fast paced intriguing,  filled with many  twisted mysteries but in the  movie they messed up the story and ended it in a Hollywood style which was very disappointing. 

Irfan Khan was wasted.  The love story between Langdon and Sinskey wasn’t needed. Too much shame on Ron Howard for being such a poor director and for Dan Brown for allowing it.  Movie lacks in mystery and history,  worst  adaptation of  Dan  Brown’s book. It was a total waste of time and money.

My Rating: 1/5

Dollars Trilogy Review

My Movie Reviews

I don’t like Western movies but recently I re-watched iconic The Dollars Trilogy to relive the charisma of spaghetti western movies. The Dollars Trilogy also known as the ‘Man with No Name Trilogy’ is a film series consisting of three Spaghetti Western films directed by Sergio Leone. He is known for his extreme close-up shots with lengthy long shots. The films are titled as A Fistful of Dollars (1964), For a Few Dollars More (1965) and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966). These are the iconic Western movies by a legendary Italian director Sergio Leone who introduced a new hero with no name played by Clint Eastwood.

A Fistful of Dollars 1964

A Fistful of Dollars is a story about of a The Man With No Name (Clint Eastwood) who enters the Mexican village of San Miguel in the midst of a power struggle among the three Rojo…

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Tamasha Review

My Movie Reviews

Film: Tamasha
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Piyush Mishra
Director: Imtiaz Ali
MyRating: 4.5/5

Watched ‪first day first show‬ of ‪‎Tamasha‬ yesterday at Atrium Cinemas. It was a story of Ved (Ranbir Kapoor) who is a gifted young man weighed down by the pressures of expectations. He wants to be a story teller but his father wants him to excel in studies and become a normal man. First half is visually stunning while 2nd half is an emotional ride. Ranbir Kapoor steals the show with his superb performance.

Tamasha Tickets

Music was composed by A.R. Rahman, who doesn’t need any introduction. After a very long time I’ve listened the voices of Lucky Ali and Alka Yagnik while Mohit Chauhan does his magic in ‘Matargashti’. Matargashti was very well choreographed with funny lyrics. Safarnama by Lucky Ali is about self-exploration. My favorite song is ‘Tum Saath Ho’ by…

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A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night Review

My Movie Reviews

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night is a first Iranian Vampire Western movie directed by Ana Lily Amirpour. It is her debut feature film. The story is about the Iranian ghost-town Bad City, a place that reeks of death and loneliness, the townspeople are unaware they are being stalked by a lonesome vampire. It’s a very unique movie in this genre cos I haven’t seen anything like this before. As it is a graphic novel Amirpour shot it in black and white which makes it more impressive. Movie is inspired by Sergio Leone’s classic western movies, he is known for his extreme close-up shots with lengthy long shots, Amirpour used the same technique. As Amirpour is also a singer and DJ she has done her best to keep the audience on their toes with amazing soundtrack, for the first time I’ve listened to the Indie Iranian rock music…

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Moor & Manto Review

In past two months I’ve seen two beautiful Pakistani movies which I can say really is a revival of Pakistani Cinema. So here are my reviews of both movies.

Moor Review:

Moor is directed by Jami who needs no introduction. Started as a music video director, he has won numerous awards for his music videos. He studied film at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena in the United States. In 1998 returned to his home, Karachi and formed the production company Azadfilm.

Jami on the right at the Press Meetup of the Moor

Moor (pronounced as More, meaning Mother) is the story of Wahid, played by Hameed Sheikh, who is a railway station master at a small town in Balochistan. He is under political pressure agrees to sell the railway infrastructure under his supervision. The process may not be a win-lose situation because Wahid is also promised monetary benefits to do so.

On the other hand, Ahsan, played by Shaz Khan, who is Wahid’s son, is caught in a moral dilemma. Ahsan, who migrated to Karachi at a young age, finds himself battling against his future.

First half of the movie might be confusing cos things are happening at different time periods, at different places, at same pace while in 2nd half everything gets cleared and become interesting for the viewer. Jami captured breathtaking visuals of Balochistan. Stunning cinematography and superb performances by all actors including Hameed Sheikh, Shaz Khan, Samiya Mumtaz, Sonia Hussain and Ayaz Samoo. 

Jami has worked really hard on script, casting, cinematography, soundtrack and direction.

This movie has seven tracks and all of them are produced by Strings and lyrics by Anwer Maqsood. Javed Bashir, Meesha Shafi, Rahim Shah, Strings has sung the songs for this movie and all of them are perfectly embed in the movie.

Eva by Meesha Shafi

Moor is not for masala movie fans but its a treat for alternate cinema lovers and will leave its audience in awe struck with its powerful story and brilliant cinematography by Jami.

Rating: 5/5

Recently Pakistan enters ‘Moor’ in Foreign-Language category for the Oscars.

 

Manto Review:

I watched Manto on 17th Sep. (Thu.) at Atrium Cinemas. The show starts at 4.15pm usually young people are coming with their parents, hall was almost full. Film starts with introductory song ‘Kon Hai Yeh Gustakh‘ by Javed Bashir.

Movie begins with the post partition era back in 1951 which covers his constant struggle with his life. He was disillusioned by the recent partition and bloodshed. Sarmad Khoosat who played Manto has done total justice with his character. His body language, accent, emotions… everything was perfectly crafted. In between his biography they’ve included some of his short stories ‘Khol Do‘, ‘Thanda Gosht‘. ‘Hatak‘, ‘Toba Tek Singh‘ and ‘License‘ which will give you goosebumps. The only adaptation which will make you smile is ‘Peshawar Se Lahore Tak‘ starring Mahira Khan and Azfar Rehman.

Peshawar se Lahore tak

And the song ‘Kia Hoga‘ sung by Zeb Bangash and Ali Sethi makes it more beautiful.

The whole cast of the Manto was brilliant including Saba Qamar as Madam Noor Jahan, Sania Saeed as Manto’s wife, Nimra Bucha as Manto’s alter-ego, Mahira Khan & Azfar Rehman both played a very unique role where there was no dialogue.

Overall Manto is a visual treat for all the Manto fans. During all the adaptations it build up the tension as the narrative goes on and reaches up to the climatic ending which will leave the audience in shock. And that is the beauty of this movie.

Before watching this movie try to read some of the Manto’s work like Thanda Gosht, Hattak or Khol Do. So you’ll know how he writes and how much justice Sarmad Khoosat did to his adaptations.

Rating: 5/5