Fifty Shades of Grey

Fifty Shades of Grey
R
Running time: 2 hours 5 minutes
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Director: Sam Taylor-Johnson
Cast: Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan, Eloise Mumford, Jennifer Ehle, Marcia Gay Harden, Victor Rasuk, Luke Grimes, Rita Ora, Max Martini, Callum Keith Rennie, Andrew Airlie, Dylan Neal, Anthony Konechny, Emily Fonda, Rachel Skarsten.

Synopsis
Fifty Shades of Grey is the hotly anticipated film adaptation of the bestselling book that has become a global phenomenon. Since its release, the “Fifty Shades” trilogy has been translated into 51 languages worldwide and sold more than 100 million copies in e-book and print—making it one of the biggest and fastest-selling book series ever.

Review
Strictly a sexploitation flick, 'Fifty Shades of Grey' sugarcoats its underlying theme of sexual abuse against women with effective Valentines Day marketing stunt that's romantic for a certain middle-aged ladies out there. Based upon E.L. James' Twilight fan-fiction/mummy porn, critics were raving about how good the film is compared to the atrociously written worldwide best-seller. Well, I beg to differ as both versions are equally sick and distasteful. Dornan's dominantly fucked-up portrayal of Christian Grey draws revulsion for its sick BDSM fetish, an obsession deemed sexy by the book's target audiences (you know who you are, wink, wink..), while Johnson's Anastasia Steele is as Bella Swan as she could be, sigh. Regardless of how languid the chemistry between Johnson and Dornan gets, there's still a few funny WTF moments around. The sex scenes border on R-rated material and porn, with lots of close-ups on skins and movements, bold nudity with glimpses of full-frontal bits. It's a shame seeing how voracious Johnson's Ana seems during the intercourse, as opposed to Dornan's cool, robotic performance. All in all, 'Fifty Shades of Grey' is a pretty wrong flick for the right occasion (Valentine's Day).

Rating
1/5 Stars

Kingsman: The Secret Service

Kingsman: The Secret Service
R
Running time: 2 hours 9 minutes
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Cast: Colin Firth, Taron Egerton, Alex Nikolov, Samuel L. Jackson, Mark Strong, Michael Caine, Sophie Cookson, Sofia Boutella, Mark Hamill, Jack Davenport, Samantha Womack, Geoff Bell, Edward Holcroft, Nicholas Banks, Jack Cutmore-Scott, Tom Prior, Fiona Hampton, Hanna Alström, Bjørn Floberg, Richard Brake.

Synopsis
Based upon the acclaimed comic book and directed by Matthew Vaughn, Kingsman: The Secret Service tells the story of a super-secret spy organization that recruits an unrefined but promising street kid into the agency's ultra-competitive training program just as a global threat emerges from a twisted tech genius.

Review
A genre-bending flick that turns James Bond on its head, 'Kingsman' injects violent kinetics, comic-book humour and suave gentlemanliness into the mix of a fun, twisted world of spy cliches. Vaughn's distinguishably exciting style in helming comic-book movie is one of a kind, as most of his comic book features are universally gory and fashionably fun. Enter Taron Egerton, a newbie who is poised to be Britain's next cool import. Apart from that, Colin Firth steals the spotlight with his uber-cool personality and debonair manner (No one says the word 'fuck' as charming as he does). Apart from that, expect countless WTF moments seamlessly threaded here and there within the action sequences. The only downside to this flick is the feeling of wanting more at the end. A guaranteed great time at the cinemas from the usual dark, broodingly serious kind of comic-book movie.

Rating
4/5 Stars

Jupiter Ascending

Jupiter Ascending
PG-13
Running time: 2 hours 7 minutes
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Directors: The Wachowskis
Cast: Channing Tatum, Mila Kunis, Sean Bean, Eddie Redmayne, Douglas Booth, Tuppence Middleton, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Terry Gilliam, David Ajala, Ariyon Bakare, James D'Arcy, Kick Gurry, Bae Doona, Charlotte Beaumont, Tim Pigott-Smith, Edward Hogg, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Vanessa Kirby, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Christina Cole.

Synopsis
From the streets of Chicago to the far-flung galaxies whirling through space, "Jupiter Ascending" tells the story of Jupiter Jones, who was born under a night sky, with signs predicting she was destined for great things. Now grown, Jupiter dreams of the stars but wakes up to the cold reality of a job cleaning other people's houses and an endless run of bad breaks. Only when Caine, a genetically engineered ex-military hunter, arrives on Earth to track her down does Jupiter begin to glimpse the fate that has been waiting for her all along-her genetic signature marks her as next in line for an extraordinary inheritance that could alter the balance of the cosmos.

Review
Wachowski's return to sci-fi action is an eccentric mess of dizzying visual effects and mumbo jumbos that did very little in producing a fascinating, if not cohesive world of strange creatures and quirky characters. Poorly written with a few cringe-worthy moments (I love dogs), 'Jupiter Ascending' deliver dazzling action sequences, flashy special effects and grandeur production design that's extraordinary in its own right. However, that's just 'bout it. The lengthy film suffers from a bland storyline that emphasised more on style than substance. While Tatum and Kunis have little to no chemistry together, Kunis' character, Jupiter Jones, is a one-dimensional character that serves no purpose but being a damsel in distress, hence cue Tatum's biceps-sporting action chops to save the day. Eddie Redmayne's performance hinges between light chuckles and respectful professionalism. Although the effort to introduce a certain conceptual ideology is obvious, the impression is not even close to their paramount success that is 'The Matrix'

Rating
1/5 Stars

Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
R
Running time: 1 hour 59 minutes
Distributor: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Cast: Michael Keaton, Edward Norton, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts, Zach Galifianakis, Andrea Riseborough, Amy Ryan, Lindsay Duncan, Merritt Wever, Jeremy Shamos, Akira Ito.

Synopsis
A black comedy that tells the story of an actor - famous for portraying an iconic superhero - as he struggles to mount a Broadway play. In the days leading up to opening night, he battles his ego and attempts to recover his family, his career, and himself.

Review
A direct mirror to Michael Keaton’s post-‘Batman’ career, Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Birdman is a masterpiece in its own right. Edited in the form of one long continuous take, the film explores all the behind-the-scenes drama of a Broadway production. Enter Riggan Thompson, a washed-up blockbuster superstar who wants to be taken seriously in show business. Keaton, a veteran actor who’s now a buzzing Oscar’s contender, has provided his character that raw nature of being on the brink of failure, making Thompson a tragic character struggling with his inner ego and artistic manner. Taking time off from dealing with his demonic self, sanity and family problems, Keaton’s Thompson has to fend off the pressure exerted by famous method actor Mike Shiner, who is excellently portrayed by Edward Norton. The scenes between Keaton and Norton is pure spellbinding, with each hurling dialogue at one another with so much passion and energy and all that showmanship, the chemistry is undeniably the best within the already solid bunch of ensemble cast. The visuals are fantastically forward-driven and engaging, particularly the ones involving Thompson’s delusional alter-ego Birdman. The score, mainly composed of detuned drum beats, echo the grim repercussion of what the protagonist’s ignorant attidude may bring. Above all the theatrical mayhem and abstract madness, ‘Birdman’ is the reason why originality is sucha pivotal need of modern cinema, a product of pure cinematic fascination and pasisonately induced creative instinct.

Rating
Full 5 Stars

American Sniper

American Sniper
R
Running time: 2 hours 13 minutes
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Director: Clint Eastwood
Cast: Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Max Charles, Luke Grimes, Kyle Gallner, Sam Jaeger, Jake McDorman, Cory Hardrict, Navid Negahban, Eric Close, Eric Ladin, Joel Lambert, Rey Gallegos, Kevin Lacz, Brian Hallisay, Jonathan Groff, Ben Reed, Elise Robertson, Keir O'Donnell, Marnette Patterson, Jason Hall, Leonard Roberts, Sugar Shane.

Synopsis
U.S. Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle is sent to Iraq with only one mission: to protect his brothers-in-arms. His pinpoint accuracy saves countless lives on the battlefield and, as stories of his courageous exploits spread, he earns the nickname "Legend." However, his reputation is also growing behind enemy lines, putting a price on his head and making him a prime target of insurgents. Despite the danger, as well as the toll on his family at home, Chris serves through four harrowing tours of duty in Iraq, becoming emblematic of the SEAL creed to "leave no man behind." But upon returning home, Chris finds that it is the war he can't leave behind.

Review
Based on the autobiography of the most lethal sniper in American military history, Clint Eastwood’s ‘American Sniper’ chronicles the ups-and-downs and personal conflicts of Texan sniper legend Chris Kyle. Heavilly dubbed as this year’s Hurt Locker, here we see a buffed-up Bradley Cooper delivering one of his best roles yet as the eponymous protagonist. Although the late Kyle has been celebrated as a respectable national hero, the film has managed to ignore or avoid a few darker personas bound to the legend himself, thus raising controversial uproars regarding his questionable on-screen portrayal. Story-wise, Cooper’s exceptionally well-acted part has breathed a damaging sense of psychological breakdown to Kyle’s personal lives, while Sienna Miller’s presence brings back the grounded humanity (or is it sanity?) and ordinariness to Kyle’s traumatically troublesome adjustment to civilization. With so much going on at the Iraq warzone, the line between heroism and patriotism is blurred by moral ambiguity and call-of-duty-or-conscience judgement, taking such concepts to places of unsettled effects. Moreover, the firefights are raw and gritty. Eastwood’s direction is rapid-paced, the humor is no where to be seen and is as dry as the battle wasteland the Navy troops fought in, and serves as a compendiously condensed biopic of of the most intriguing American figures.

Rating
4/5 Stars

Penguins of Madagascar

Penguins of Madagascar
PG
Running time: 1 hour 32 minutes
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Directors: Simon J. Smith, Eric Darnell.
Cast: Tom McGrath, Chris Miller, Conrad Vernon, Christopher Knights, Benedict Cumberbatch, John Malkovich, Ken Jeong, Annet Mahendru, Peter Stormare, Werner Herzog.

Synopsis
In the Penguins of Madagascar, audiences will discover the secrets of the most entertainingly mysterious birds in the global espionage game. Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private now must join forces with the chic spy organization, the North Wind, led by Agent Classified (we could tell you his name, but then… you know) to stop the cunning villain Dr. Octavius Brine from taking over the world.

Review
Adapting the Madagascar formula, the spin-off involving the very cute but tactical penguins is all colours and fun. Despite being a close resemblance to 'Despicable Me 2', the Penguins never fail to provide funny, cuteness overload moments. It's boisterous, it's out of this world, it's kinda unnecessary, but it works at an appreciable level by long-time fans of the franchise. And the story's the weakest too in the franchise, adapting the usual action-adventure route filled with nonsensical humor and crisp, colourful animated visuals. That's 'bout it.

Rating
3/5 Stars

Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted

Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted
PG
Running time: 1 hour 33 minutes
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Directors: Eric Darnell, Conrad Vernon, Tom McGrath.
Cast: Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Tom McGrath, Chris Miller, Sacha Baron Cohen, Bryan Cranston, Jessica Chastain, Martin Short, Frances McDormand Cedric the Entertainer, Andy Richter, Sherri Shepherd, Alec Baldwin, Elisa Gabrielli, John DiMaggio, Christopher Knights, Conrad Vernon, Fred Tatasciore, Frank Welker, Paz Vega, Eric Darnell, Vinnie Jones, Steve Jones, Nick Fletcher, Danny Jacobs, Daniel O'Connor.

Synopsis
Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Gloria the Hippo, and Melman the Giraffe are still fighting to get home to their beloved Big Apple and of course, King Julien, Maurice and the Penguins are all along for the comedic adventure. Their journey takes them through Europe where they find the perfect cover: a traveling circus, which they reinvent – Madagascar style.

Review
Madagascar 3 continues the bombastic tradition by moving to a much funnier, energetic premise - action-filled game of cat and mouse. Hunted by a psychotic French animal control lady, Alex and his cliques have no choice but to join a cross-country circus. With new character additions and much refined animated sequences, this outing may be the franchise's most vibrant yet. Expect plenty of laughs and a colourfully entertaining third-act as the movie dabs on the action-adventure genre.

Rating
4/5 Stars