Immortals (2011)

Release Date: 11 November 2011 (India) Runtime: USA: 110 min
Genre: Action | Drama | Fantasy Tagline: The Gods Need a Hero

Theseus is a mortal man chosen by Zeus to lead the fight against the ruthless King Hyperion, who is on a rampage across Greece to obtain a weapon that can destroy humanity.

Director:  Tarsem Singh

Writers (WGA):  Charley Parlapanides &  Vlas Parlapanides

Cast : 

Henry Cavill, Mickey Rourke, Stephen Dorff, Freida Pinto, Luke Evans, John Hurt, Joseph Morgan, Anne Day-Jones , Greg Bryk, Alan Van Sprang, Peter Stebbings, Daniel Sharman, Isabel Lucas, Kellan Lutz

Storyline

Eons after the Gods won their mythic struggle against the Titans, a new evil threatens the land. Mad with power, King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke) has declared war against humanity. Amassing a bloodthirsty army of soldiers disfigured by his own hand, Hyperion has scorched Greece in search of the legendary Epirus Bow, a weapon of unimaginable power forged in the heavens by Ares. Only he who possesses this bow can unleash the Titans, who have been imprisoned deep within the walls of Mount Tartaros since the dawn of time and thirst for revenge. In the king's hands, the bow would rain destruction upon mankind and annihilate the Gods. But ancient law dictates the Gods must not intervene in man's conflict. They remain powerless to stop Hyperion...until a peasant named Theseus (Henry Cavill) comes forth as their only hope. Secretly chosen by Zeus, Theseus must save his people from Hyperion and his hordes..

Sound Mix: Dolby Digital  | SDDS  | DTS
Original Music by Trevor Morris       
Cinematography by Brendan Galvin
Film Editing by Wyatt Jones & Stuart Levy            
Production Design by Tom Foden       
Filming Locations:  Cité du Cinéma, Montréal, Québec, Canada
Budget: $75,000,000 (estimated)
Production Co:  Relativity Media, Atmosphere Entertainment MM, Hollywood Gang Productions

Review

Let's put the theme at the beginning, the 9000+ reviews that put this movie above a 7, are one of the three: a hired hand who's likely never seen this movie to begin with (otherwise may conscience haunt him/her immortally), someone who's NEVER seen another movie, or a downright blind man. This is another one of those movies for which seeing the trailer more than suffices and any more irrational desire to see the ACTUAL movie is better suppressed. Be warned, go see the actual thing and regret every cent of your money and every minute of the abysmal performance.
Okok, the movie has to be somewhat decent if some rich boss poured 75 mil on it right? Not so quick. I don't know how much cash the high flying movie stars were paid for this simple gig, but CG alone couldn't have costed that much. Seriously, no plot made any sense, no character was developed even superficially. Those who claim this is a 300 equivalent... are just unethically drawing indiscrete and action-seeking movie goers, whom like myself will be sorely disappointed.
However, on the bright side, if you somehow end up seeing this, do me a favour and watch how Theseus rallies his "troops" at the big battle, and tell me if you just wasted 2 hours of your life.

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The Son of No One (2011)/Movie Review

Taglines: Serve. Protect. Lie.
Genres: Action | Crime | Thriller
Release Date: 4 November 2011 (USA) Runtime: 90 min

A young cop is assigned to a precinct in the working class neighborhood where he grew up, and an old secret threatens to destroy his life and his family.

Director: Dito Montiel
Writer: Dito Montiel
Stars:    Al Pacino, Channing Tatum, James Ransone, Ray Liotta,     Katie Holmes, Ursula Parker     Brian Gilbert, Tracy Morgan, Jake Cherry, Juliette Binoche

Storyline
A rookie cop is assigned to the 118 Precinct in the same district where he grew up. The Precinct Captain starts receiving letters about two unsolved murders that happened many years ago in the housing projects when the rookie cop was just a kid. These letters bring back bad memories and old secrets that begin to threaten his career and break up his family.

Review

This movie is about a cop Jonathon white (channing Tatum) who when he was a young boy accidentally killed two men. it was an accident and Vinny (Tracy Morgan) johns friend helps cover it up by not saying anything. then comes detective Charles Stanford (Al pacino) who knows Jonathon because Jonathon's father was Stanford's partner. johns father had died a while back and john lives with his grandmother. to help Jonathon Stanford covers the murder by not giving a piece of evidence to point john and Vinny to the murder. that took place in 1986. fast forward 16 years to 2002. Jonathon becomes a cop for a crooked police department led by captain Marion mathers (ray liotta). then the letter start coming in talking about the covered up murder, and worse things come of that. this movie has a predictable plot, but great actors who gave fantastic performances. what led me to this film is mainly Al pacino. he is my favorite actor. but when i saw the movie i was surprised of how it was not as bad as i thought it would be. canning Tatum who has been accused of being an untalented actor gave a very mystic performance. Tracy Morgan in his first serious role also gave a brilliant performance as a mentally retarded Vinny. ray liotta who hasn't been in movie theaters for quite some time gives us that crazy short tempered character that we love, much like his other characters in cop land and goodfellas. Katie Holmes plays the wife of Jonathon Kerry white and Katie Holmes brings in a strong performance as a tough wife who will stand up for herself whenever needed. great performance by Katie Holmes. and of course one of the greatest actors of all time and my favorite actor Al pacino brings in the shining performance in the film as he does in every film hes in playing a cop. i wish pacino was in it a little more but the scenes he was in he is the Guy you look at because he is Al pacino. and maybe it works out for the best because the less he is in this film the more you cherish the scenes he is in. this movie is currently limited release, and i say its worth going to see in theaters. its a fun movie to watch. great actors, and great acting, and good story. see it 

MORE DETAILS

Filming Locations: Astoria, Queens, New York City, New York, USA
Production Co: Hannibal Pictures, Millennium Films, Nu Image Films, SONO Production
Original Music by Jonathan Elias     & David Wittman       
Cinematography by Benoît Delhomme       
Film Editing by Jake Pushinsky         
Art Direction by Michael Ahern       
Costume Design by Sandra Hernandez         

Movie Trailer

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In Time (2011)

Release Date: 28 October 2011 (USA) Runtime: 109 min
Taglines: Time Is Money Genre: Action | Sci-Fi | Thriller

In a future where people stop aging at 25, but are engineered to live only one more year, having the means to buy your way out of the situation is a shot at immortal youth. Here, Will Salas finds himself accused of murder and on the run with a hostage - a connection that becomes an important part of the way against the system.

Directed by  Andrew Niccol       
Writing credits:  Andrew Niccol    
Cast overview: Cillian Murphy, Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried , Shyloh Oostwald, Johnny Galecki , Colin McGurk, Olivia Wilde, Will Harris, Michael William Freeman
Storyline
In the not-too-distant future the aging gene has been switched off. To avoid overpopulation, time has become the currency and the way people pay for luxuries and necessities. The rich can live forever, while the rest try to negotiate for their immortality. A poor young man who comes into a fortune of time, though too late to help his mother from dying. He ends up on the run from a police force known as 'time keepers'.
Review
A great film that sadly many will not be able to follow
Author: Ed Carden from United States

IN TIME is a modern day spin on ROBIN HOOD in Orwells 1984. Director Andrew Niccol shows a future society in which literal time is the commodity of the age, used to pay for anything and everything. Want a cup of coffee, that will be 5 minutes; it was only 4 minutes just a few days ago.
IN TIME shows us just what our world might look like if everyone stopped aging at 25 and was able to live forever so long as they could afford it. For those with great wealth, time is a valued and guarded surplus; something to allow the lessers in society to have in small controllable amounts. For those in the ghetto who live day by day time is life and most would do anything get just a little more time.
While the acting is on par with what you'd expect there are a few let downs but mostly due to the direction of the character and not by any fault on the part of the actor. Cillian Murphy is awesome as a Timekeeper, the 'IN TIME' verse-esque equivalent of the current day detective. His job, to keep track of time and when necessary , re-posses it.
Justim Timberlake, the protagonist of the story does a wonderful job of portraying the "live one day at a time" Will Sallas. A 2 time 25 year old (will make sense when you seethe film) who lives life one day at a time literally. He also represents what we all would like to believe we would be if we were in his shoes, alway6s willing to give others a little more time, even those who would do harm.
In the end IN TIME makes one ask What is wealth? What is living? Do we miss life in the pursuit of wealth? Some will find IN TIME unbearable because its not the Mid-fall, mindless SciFi action flick they were hoping for. Others will find it offensive and preachy since the rich and wealthy are shown to be selfish and uncaring.
What IN TIME does, it does well and thats giving us a glimpse at just how precious time really is because in the real world you don;t know how much time you do have but you do know with certainty that you will not get any more if it so you better spend it wisely.
If your still in doubt about IN TIME then catch an early morning showing or the matinée and save your self a few bucks.

Other Details
Original Music by Craig Armstrong       
Cinematography by Roger Deakins       
Film Editing by Zach Staenberg       
Casting by  Denise Chamian       
Production Design by  Alex McDowell       
Costume Design by Colleen Atwood  
Filming Locations: 1100 S Hope St, Los Angeles, California, USA
Box Office
Opening Weekend: $12,050,368 (USA) (30 October 2011) (3122 Screens)
Gross: $12,050,368 (USA) (30 October 2011)
Production Co: Regency Enterprises, New Regency Pictures, Strike Entertainment
Sound Mix: Dolby

TRAILER WATCH

   

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Survivors: A Novel of the Coming Collapse /Book Review

James Wesley Rawles (Author)
Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: Atria Books; 1St Edition edition (October 4, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1439172803
ISBN-13: 978-1439172803
Genre:Literature & Fiction, Action & Adventure,  Mystery & Thrillers

Description

WHAT IF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT ENDED TOMORROW?
The America we are accustomed to is no more. Practically overnight the stock market has plummeted, hyperinflation has crippled commerce, and the fragile chains of supply and high-technology infrastructure have fallen. The power grids are down. Brutal rioting and looting grip every major city. The volatile era known as “the Crunch” has begun, and this new period in our history will leave no one untouched. In this unfamiliar environment, only a handful of individuals are equipped to survive.
Andrew Laine, a resourceful young U.S. Army officer stationed overseas in Afghanistan, wants nothing more than to return home to Bloomfield, New Mexico. With the world in turmoil and all air and sea traffic to America suspended, Laine must rely on his own ingenuity and the help of good Samaritans to reach his family. Andrew will do whatever it takes to make it home to his fiancée, no matter how difficult the circumstances.
Major Ian Doyle is a U.S. Air Force pilot sta-tioned in Arizona with his wife, Blanca. Their young daughter, Linda, is trapped in the North- eastern riots. Three teenage orphans, Shadrach, Reuben, and Matthew Phelps, have no choice but to set out on their own when their orphanage closes at the beginning of the Crunch. Then there is Ignacio Garcia, the ruthless leader of the criminal gang called La Fuerza, who will stop at nothing to amass an army capable of razing the countryside. And over everything looms the threat of a provisional government, determined to take over America and destroy the freedoms upon which it was built. The world of Survivors is a terrifyingly familiar one. Rawles has written a novel so close to the truth, readers will forget it’s fiction. If everything you thought you knew suddenly fell apart, would you survive?
About the Author
Former U.S. Army intelligence officer and survivalist James Wesley, Rawles is a well-known survival lecturer and author. Rawles is the editor of SurvivalBlog.com—the nation's most popular blog on family preparedness. He lives in an undisclosed location west of the Rockies. He is the author of the bestselling Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse and a nonfiction survival guide, How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It.

Review
I'm a Survivor,   By  F. Harrison

If Patriots was a great survival manual in novel format, Survivors is a great novel with a survivalist theme. If you read his first successful novel, you'll be glad to hear that author John Wesley Rawles has made dramatic improvement from the standpoint of fiction writing. The latest (not really a sequel, but based on the same setting of a post collapse world), has a much more fluid story and much more interesting characters. I couldn't tell you one thing about the characters from Patriots, but there are some memorable ones in Survivors.
The lead character, Anders, is a soldier in Afghanistan, who gets stuck after the US cuts off fuel supplies during the collapse. He has to make it back to his wife and brother back in America and uses his technical and survival skills to do so.
Other story lines intersect as Rawles showcases how people in different parts of the country try to cope with the shocking collapse of the economic system. While all of the protagonists in Patriots were survivalists, some of the characters in Survivors aren't, making for a compelling plot. Not only do they have to deal with a shattered economy, but the entire country has turned into a Mad-Max-esque free for all with roving gangs becoming dominant.
If you enjoy dystopian or political fiction like Orwell or the excellent Gods of Ruin, you must read this book!

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The Three Musketeers (2011)/Review

Release Date: 21 October 2011 (USA) Runtime: Germany: 110 min
Genres: Action | Adventure | Romance

The hot-headed young D'Artagnan along with three former legendary but now down on their luck Musketeers must unite and defeat a beautiful double agent and her villainous employer from seizing the French throne and engulfing Europe in war.

Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
Writing credits (WGA): Alex Litvak , Andrew Davies & Alexandre Dumas père     (novel "Les Trois Mousquetaires")
Cast overview:
Matthew Macfadyen, Milla Jovovich, Luke Evans, Helen George, Christian Oliver     , Ray Stevenson Til Schweiger, Markus Brandl , Orlando Bloom, Logan Lerman, Dexter Fletcher, Jane Perry Mads Mikkelsen, Andy Gathergood , Ben Moor
Original Music by Paul Haslinger       
Cinematography by Glen MacPherson       
Film Editing by Alexander Berner       
Casting by  Suzanne Smith       
Filming Locations: Bamberg, Bavaria, Germany
Budget: $75,000,000 (estimated)
Production Co: Constantin Film Produktion, Nouvelles Éditions de Films (NEF), New Legacy Show
Sound Mix: Dolby

Review
Leave your sensible head in the foyer
Author: imbigmo from Bristol

I've read other reviews lambasting the historical inaccuracies, the deviation from the original book and the technological impossibilities.....get a grip guys it's a fantasy/adventure movie and I loved it. It's beautifully stylised, the 3D works well and the action sequences are extremely well choreographed. I didn't give a "stuff" that there were a combination of accents that bore no relation to the geography, that the dialogue was campy and that it strayed well away from the original novel, which in fairness has been done to death anyway. It was fun, well made and rattling good entertainment. I read a gazillion reviews telling me how good "Drive" was........that really did bore the pants off me!

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Ranger's Apprentice: The Lost Stories by John Flanagan/Review

 

John Flanagan (Author

Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Philomel (October 4, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0399256180
ISBN-13: 978-0399256189
Genre : Science Fiction, Fantasy , Horror , Magic, Action & Adventure

Amazon Price    
Kindle Edition     $10.54 / Hardcover     $8.99      

Description

The secret history of the New York Times bestselling Ranger's Apprentice

Unconfirmed accounts of a group of Araluen warriors - tales of adventure, battle, and triumph over evil - have spread for centuries throughout the known world. Most notable is a clan shrouded in mystery, phantom warriors known as the Rangers.

Two names pass the lips of every storyteller: Halt, and his apprentice, Will. They and their comrades in arms are said to have traveled throughout the kingdom and beyond its borders, protecting those who needed it most. If true, these rumors can be only part of the story.

Only now, centuries after these men and women walked the earth, do we have confirmation of their existence. Behold The Lost Stories.

Inspired by questions and letters his loyal readers have sent over the years, John Flanagan offers a gift in response: a collection of "lost" tales that fill in the gaps between Ranger's Apprentice novels. For the first time, readers can learn the truth behind how Will came to be orphaned and what his real relationship to Halt is, or watch Alyss in action as the young Araluen diplomat disguises herself and becomes the perfect spy.

Review

By  Dadinator (Wisconsin)

The story behind this book are that these are stories that have been found while historians are exploring the ruins of Castle Redmont and its nearby village. The book is a collection of short stories that fills in some of the blanks that didn't fit into the original books. eg. Gilan hunting down Foldor who is mentioned as Halt is banished from Araluen).

The ton of the book is different; some parts are more sad/somber and others are just shortened adventure stories. I think some younger readers may be bothered by the thought of a time when Castle Redmont lies in ruins and they realize this world has moved on.

As a stand alone book, I still prefer the full stories to a collection of short stories. Still this is a very fun read and for fans of the series, I think you will love it. If you haven't read the entire series, there will be a name or two you may not recognize, but it won't be a big deal. I, for one, am not ready for this world to move on.

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Real Steel (2011)/ Movie Review

Release Date:  7 October 2011 (India) Runtime: 127 min

Genres: Action | Drama | Sci-Fi 

Taglines: If you get one shot, make it real.

Set in the near future, where robot boxing is a top sport, a struggling promoter feels he's found a champion in a discarded robot. During his hopeful rise to the top, he discovers he has an 11-year-old son who wants to know his father.

Cast overview Hugh Jackman, Dakota Goyo, Evangeline Lilly, Anthony Mackie, Kevin Durand, Hope Davis, James Rebhorn, Marco Ruggeri, Karl Yune, Olga Fonda, John Gatins     , Sophie Levy Tess Levy, Charlie Levy , Gregory Sims   
Storyline:
A future-set story where robot boxing is a popular sport and centered on a struggling promoter (Jackman) who thinks he's found a champion in a discarded robot. During his hopeful rise to the top, he also discovers he has an 11-year-old son who wants to know his father.

Director: Shawn Levy
Writing credits  John Gatins, Dan Gilroy & Jeremy Leven
Original Music by  Danny Elfman       
Cinematography by  Mauro Fiore       
Film Editing by  Dean Zimmerman       
Casting by  Richard Hicks & David Rubin       
Production Design by Tom Meyer

Filming Locations: 341 N Jefferson St, Mason, Michigan, USA
Budget:  $80,000,000
Production Co: Touchstone Pictures, DreamWorks SKG, 21 Laps Entertainment
Sound Mix: SDDS  | Dolby Digital  | DTS (as Datasat Digital Sound)

Review from IMDB
'Real Steel' is Real Fun with Rocky Robots
by changmoh (Malaysia)

THE BIG DEAL in this Disney movie set in the 2020s is robot-boxing. The idea is adapted from Richard Matheson's 1956 short story "Steel" previously shown on TV as an episode of "The Twilight Zone." Just think of "Rocky" being played by a robot and you are as close to what Real Steel is about as you can get. Besides the novelty of Robot Rocky, there is only the usual estranged dad-and-son storyline with a little uncanny romance thrown in. Considering that this is a Disney film, you can expect to have your heartstrings tugged - and other predictable stuff.

Charlie Kenton (Hugh Jackman) is a has-been boxer who now travels the country promoting his tin-can fighter robot. He owes a lot of people money and he finds a way out of his predicament when he gets news that his ex-wife has died in an accident, and he must attend the custody hearing of his son Max (Dakota Goyo, who was last seen in "Thor"). Charlie practically "sells" his son off to his ex-wife's sister (Hope Davis) and her filthy-rich hubby (James Rebhorn) for adoption.
For the time being, however, Charlie is stuck with Max who also happens to be a fan of video games and robot boxing. Together, and with the help of Charlie's girlfriend Bailey (Evangeline Lilly), they patch up used robots for tournaments. When they come across an obsolete sparing 'bot named Atom, Max sees potential in it as an underdog droid capable of taking on the top robots in the Real Steel matches.
"Real Steel" holds thrills for boxing fans because the action is as gruelling and crunching as the human matches. Top that up with realistic-looking effects, we even feel for those boxing machines - just as we have felt for droids like R2D2 and C3PO in the "Star Wars" sagas. Among the human cast, Jackman is in top form as the debt-ridden hustler of a dad who finds a match in his own flesh-and-blood. Indeed, Goyo steals the show as the Dr Pepper-guzzling kid who is highly confident in himself and his abilities. Together, Jackman and Goyo exude fantastic screen chemistry.
Lilly (of TV's "Lost") provides the requisite feminine presence as Charlie's long-suffering girlfriend but the relationship poses some disturbing questions for viewers: like, what is a pretty girl like her doing, waiting for a loser like Charlie when she can have any guy she wants? And as can be expected, another winning performance comes from Atom the cute 'junkyard dog' that dances like a butterfly and takes heavy beatings without flinching. Another entertaining family treat from Disney

TRAILER WATCH  'Real Steel' Trailer HD

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Abduction (2011)/Movie Review

 Release Date: 23 September 2011 (India) Runtime: 106 min

Genres: Action | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Taglines: The fight for the truth will be the fight of his life.

A thriller centered on a young man who sets out to uncover the truth about his life after finding his baby photo on a missing persons website.

Director: John Singleton
Writer: Shawn Christensen
Cast: Lily Collins, Jake Andolin, Oriah Acima Andrews,     Ken Arnold, Maria Bello    , Steve Blass, Derek Burnell, Benjamin J. Cain Jr., Holly Scott Cavanuagh, Radick Cembrzynski, Richard Cetrone, Mike Clark  

Original Music by Ed Shearmur
Cinematography by Peter Menzies Jr.
Film Editing by Bruce Cannon       
Casting by Alan Lee Joseph Middleton       
Production Design by Keith Brian Burns       
Production Companies: Gotham Group  Lionsgate  Quick Six Entertainment  Tailor Made Vertigo Entertainment
Filming locations:  Brownsville, Pennsylvania, USA Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA Sutersville, Pennsylvania, USA
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
REVIEW

The premise for this story is that Nathan (Lautner) is living a wonderful life with his two parents. However, one fateful day a group of men kill his parents and destroy his home sending he and his girlfriend Karen (Lily Collins) on an adventure, as they try to avoid the CIA and the Russian Intelligence. This is really all I can say without ruining any major aspects in this tried and true plot.
I'll start this review by saying that trailer was more action packed then the actual movie. Rather than seeing Lautner wield a gun and do some awesome martial arts, a majority of the action involves the teenage couple mainly eluding the henchmen. Various chase scenes, both car and on foot, are shown throughout the movie, and are interspersed with repetitive dialog and occasional, albeit brief combat scenes. As a result, action lovers or even semi action lovers will be disappointed with what this movie has to offer.
So you may be asking, "Robbie if the story was bad and the action was not very good, what was good about it?" Well the two biggest strengths of this movie were the soundtrack and the suggestion of a plot twist. The soundtrack for the most part provided more of an adrenaline rush than anything interlacing fast paced techno tones with hard core guitar. The combination of the two styles gave half of the chase scenes their character. Perhaps the biggest reason I stayed though was that the film kept suggesting there was going to be some plot twist, or underlying motif to the reason Nathan was being chased. Although they told you the reason he was being hunted, the acting and plethora of shady moves kept hinting there was something more. I'm here to tell you that there is a very minor twist that really wasn't worth the long wait.
The only other things I can say about this movie are the following. First Taylor Lautner fans are going to go gaga over watching their favorite werewolf smolder and pout throughout the whole movie. He still delivers the same monotone dialog that he made famous in his teenybopper career, but this time keeps his shirt on to actually act. Regardless teenage girls and other big fans will not mind as they scream in delight, while those who don't will enjoy watching him get owned in a few scenes. Guys will be happy to see the cute Lilly Collins throughout the movie, and may even enjoy her acting as much as I did. I have to applaud the camera work as well as they do a nice job of capturing what little detail was in this movie. Finally fans may have seen Sigourney Weaver in the trailer, but like so many cameos these days, her star appearance is few and far in between.
Lautner may have finally escaped his werewolf days of Twilight, but he hasn't really traveled that far outside of the role. The promise Abduction had shown in the trailers was grossly overrated. A shallow plot, overabundance of chase scenes, and lack of twist really disappointed me.

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Killer Elite (2011)/Movie Review

Release Date: 23 September 2011 (USA)
Runtime: USA: 105 min  | Germany: 116 min  | UK: 100 min
Genres: Action | Thriller   Taglines: May the Best Man Live

When his mentor is taken captive, a retired member of Britain's Elite Special Air Service is forced into action. His mission: kill three assassins dispatched by their cunning leader.

Cast overview:
Jason Statham, Clive Owen, Robert De Niro, Dominic Purcell, Aden Young, Yvonne Strahovski, Ben Mendelsohn, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, David Whiteley, Matthew Nable, Lachy Hulme, Firass Dirani, Nick Tate, Bille Brown, Stewart Morritt
   
Director: Gary McKendry
Writers: Matt Sherring (screenplay), Ranulph Fiennes(book "The Feather Men")
Original Music by  Reinhold Heil     & Johnny Klimek        
Cinematography by Simon Duggan & Alain Duplantier
Film Editing by John Gilbert        
Casting by Leigh Pickford        
Production Design by Michelle McGahey        

Storyline

Based on a true story, Killer Elite pits two of the worlds' most elite operatives - Danny, an ex-special ops agent (Jason Statham) and Hunter, his longtime mentor (Robert De Niro) - against the cunning leader of a secret military society ('Clive Owen' ). Covering the globe from Australia to Paris, London and the Middle East, Danny and Hunter are plunged into a highly dangerous game of cat and mouse - where the predators become the prey.

Production Companies :  Omnilab Media|   Ambience Entertainment|   Current Entertainment
Film Victoria |  International Traders |  Open Road Films |  Palomar Pictures (II)  | Sighvatsson Films | Wales Creative IP Fund
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital  | DTS (as Datasat Digital Sound) | SDDS

Filming Locations:  Cardiff, South Glamorgan, Wales, UK| Central City Studios, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia (studio)| Dandenong, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia| Footscray, Victoria, Australia| Frankston, Victoria, Australia| Hawthorn, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia|

Review

The Killer Elite is saddled with a vague and forgettable title but at least it sounds more lethal than the book it is based on by Sir Ranulph Fiennes, "The Feather Men". An evil cabal known as the Feather Men does not inspire too much fear. These ex-SAS (Special Air Service) members, and now business leaders, chose the name themselves to signify their light touch on situations which concern them. Shady characters are starting to ask around about an old mission in Oman involving SAS men and this falls right in the wheelhouse of issues the Feather Men are watching out for.
The Feather Men novel is allegedly based on a true story but none of the facts have ever been verified. Sir Fiennes described the book as 'factional' which does not bode well for the story's authenticity. However, the plot is intriguing, especially for a shoot 'em up first, ask questions later action fest. The background and set up are complicated enough which makes you want to follow it closely. I do not want to provide an exact plot synopsis but essentially Danny Bryce (Jason Statham) must kill some ex-SAS men to save his assassin mentor (Robert De Niro) from some Omani oil sheiks. Spike Logan (Clive Owen), also an ex-SAS man but not one of the marked men, has his sixth sense kick into overdrive and tries to save his mates from Danny's bullets as a good Feather Man would. Sir Fiennes actually claims to be one of those marked SAS men.
The script portrays Danny as an assassin who has lost his taste for killing and vows after every trigger pull that "this is my last job". He is supposedly from Australia but oddly maintains a thick and native British accent. Since every assassin must have someone to come home to, his girlfriend Anne (Yvonne Strahovski) waits impatiently for him as he disappears on his missions. Strahovski is a real life Australian and has a matching accent to prove it. She has been outstanding in the Chuck series so it is enjoyable to see her finally cross over into mainstream film.
The overall look to the Killer Elite is good however. Even though it was mainly shot in Melbourne, the skies are usually England gray and the Brecon Beacons mountain range sequence is shot well. This film is right in that middle range where I am unsure still at this point rather to recommend it or not. It is much better than the garbage in its genre such as The Expendables but fails to reach up to the higher level of Crank or The Bank Job. I suppose I marginally recommend the Killer Elite for its absorbing plot and intricate assassination sequences, but be warned, this film is not anything more than average.

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Drive (2011) /Movie Review

Release Date: 16 September 2011 (USA)  Runtime: 100 min

Genres: Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Official Sites: http://www.drive-movie.com
Taglines: Get in. Get out. Get away.

A Hollywood stunt performer who moonlights as a wheelman discovers that a contract has been put on him after a heist gone wrong.

Director:  Nicolas Winding Refn

Writers:  Hossein Maine (screenplay), James Sallis (book)

Original Music by Cliff Martinez

Cinematography by Newton Thomas Sigel

Film Editing by Matthew Newman

Cast

Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Albert Brooks, Oscar Isaac, Christina Hendricks,

Ron Perlman, Kaden Leos, Jeff Wolfe, James Biberi, Russ Tamblyn, Joe Bucaro III, Tiara Parker

Budget:  $13,000,000 (estimated)

Production Co: Bold Films, Odd Lot Entertainment, Marc Platt Productions

Sound Mix: DTS  | Dolby Digital  | SDDS

Filming Locations: Los Angeles, California, USA

Review 

A Tense and Often Beautiful Masterpiece.

by evansweet1214 (United States)

You might hear one comparing this to a Tarantino film, but leave all worries at the door, this is an absorbing and tremendously unique piece of cinema from Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn. The reason it works so exquisitely well is because the film grabs hold of you and takes you inside this often dark and dream-like LA setting. So, when the end of the film hits, you feel apart of this film, and it's there to stay.

This film also offers a Ryan Gosling like you've never seen him, speaking only when necessary, with tension and fury in his eyes. He's silent, caring, and ridiculously tough. Every line is delivered perfectly and every gesture is natural.  The music only makes this film more unique. It is catchy and synchronized perfectly with the TRULY beautiful cinematography.

This film is the BEST of its genre. I honestly cannot compare it to any other film, for it is truly that different. "Drive" is already the best of the year, because I'm POSITIVE no other film will haunt and invade me quite like this film has. This is not just a classic for its genre, but a beautiful and bold classic in general.

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Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)/Movie Review

 Release Date: 26 May 2011 (India)  Runtime: 91 min

Genres: Animation | Action | Adventure | Comedy | Family

 Sound Mix: SDDS  | DTS  | Dolby Digital (Dolby Surround 7.1)

Official Sites: http://www.kungfupanda.com/

Po joins forces with a group of new kung-fu masters to take on an old enemy with a deadly new weapon.

Director: Jennifer Yuh

Writers: Jonathan Aibel|Glenn Berger

Executive Producer Guillermo del Toro

Original Music byJohn Powell | Hans Zimmer

Film Editing by Maryann Brandon| Clare De Chenu

Cast

Jack Black|Angelina Jolie|Dustin Hoffman|Gary Oldman|Jackie Chan|Seth Rogen|Lucy Liu|Jean-Claude Van Damme|Danny McBride|Michelle Yeoh|David Cross|James Hong|Dennis Haysbert|

Victor Garber

Box Office

Budget: $150,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend: $47,835,000 (USA) (29 May 2011) (3925 Screens)

Gross: $163,942,842 (USA) (21 August 2011)

Production Co: DreamWorks Animation
Review

The question that has been floating around about Kung Fu Panda 2 is if it is Shrek 2 or Toy Story 2 of animated sequels? It's Toy Story 2 kind of animated sequel - a genuine good movie that takes risks and succeeds rather than rehashing the first movie.

Po isn't as much of a gastro-kung-fu fighter and fanboi from the first movie but has grown in his personality; he's less the Jack Black as a panda and more of a character that stands on it's own. However, Po is now the tragic hero in a Greek style prophecy which foretells of a warrior in black and white who would defeat a certain Lord Shen who has invented a new weapon that could spell the end of kung-fu. As Po learns that he is adopted, he struggles to find out about his past and the strange symbol from his nightmares. The heavy subject matter doesn't weight down the movie and is continually and cleverly able to escape into funny moments without losing gravitas. It successfully weaves the topics of fatherhood, friendship and family into a colorful story that even though we know how it will end, it gets there very very emphatically.

 Kung Fu Panda 2 didn't go the route of being a purely children's movie and didn't go the route of being built on jokes of Po's eating and Po's weight.The fortune cookie philosophy of master Shifu is slightly missed but purely a small quibble in a good movie. Highly recommended movie.

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The Race (Isaac Bell) by Clive Cussler & Justin Scott/Book Review

Clive Cussler (Author) & Justin Scott (Author)

Hardcover: 416 pages

Publisher: Putnam Adult (September 6, 2011)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0399157816

ISBN-13: 978-0399157813

Description

Detective Isaac Bell returns, in the remarkable new adventure from the #1 New York Times-bestselling author.

It is 1910, the age of flying machines is still in its infancy, and newspaper publisher Preston Whiteway is offering $50,000 for the first daring aviator to cross America in less than fifty days. He is even sponsoring one of the prime candidates-an intrepid woman named Josephine Frost-and that's where Bell, chief investigator for the Van Dorn Detective Agency, comes in.

Frost's violent-tempered husband has just killed her lover and tried to kill her, and he is bound to make another attempt. Bell has tangled with Harry Frost before; he knows that the man has made his millions leading gangs of thieves, murderers, and thugs in every city across the country. He also knows that Frost won't be only after his wife, but after Whiteway as well. And if Bell takes the case . . . Frost will be after him, too.

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Conan the Barbarian (2011) / Movie Review

Release Date: 19 August 2011 (USA)   Runtime:  113 min

Genres: Action | Adventure | Fantasy

Filming Locations:  Bistriza, Bulgaria
Production Co: Nu Image Films, Millennium Films, Paradox Entertainment

Storyline

A quest that begins as a personal vendetta for the fierce Cimmerian warrior soon turns into an epic battle against hulking rivals, horrific monsters, and impossible odds, as Conan realizes he is the only hope of saving the great nations of Hyboria from an encroaching reign of supernatural evil. 

Directed by Marcus Nispel

Writing credits(WGA): Thomas Dean Donnelly,  Joshua Oppenheimer, Sean Hood, Robert E. Howard

Original Music by Tyler Bates

Cinematography by  Thomas Kloss

Casts

JasonMomoa , Stephen Lang, Rachel Nichols , Ron Perlman,  Rose McGowan , Bob Sapp , Leo Howard , Steven O'Donnell , Nonso Anozie , Raad Rawi , Laila Rouass , Nathan Jones,  Saïd Taghmaoui , Milton Welsh , Borislav Iliev

Top Review

The first Conan is one of my favorite movies of all time. The Destroyer sucks although I did like it when I was a kid. The new one sucks too. There are too many battle scenes and they are all dull. There is absolutely nothing new here. What made the first movie so great was the poetry of it all. The land felt barren. Conan was not another cookie cooker hero on a cookie cutter George Lucas hero quest but a true nomad...a man who wanders from one encounter to the next...a witch...a snake cult...getting drunk and laid...punching a camel...happening upon the man who murdered his father...killing him...the epistemological space in which the first Conan takes place is that of a senseless premodern universe in which magical events succeed each other without ever truly fusing into one overarching narrative. Meaning is always somewhere over the horizon and the gods never deign to show themselves. The movie is filmed, scripted and scored in such a way that we feel the radical foreignness of Conan's universe. In the new film, however, there is no alterity at all, no imagination, no sense of being transported, no attempt to depart from the vaguely ideological boilerplate superhero narrative in even the slightest way...no mythical resonance...the new Conan struts and smirks like something out of the Fast and the Furious and has none of the cruel charisma of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Although the movie is incredibly violent and gory, the pat coziness of the narrative renders all of this violence absolutely sterile. Nothing real is ever at stake and the movie has nothing to say about anything. It practically evaporates off the screen it is so ephemeral. Don't waste your time with this one...watch the first one again.

By the way, I am not one of those people who dislikes remakes and "reboots" on principle...I actually really enjoyed Marcus Nispel's reboot of Friday the 13th...but he's out of his depth here.

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Cowboys & Aliens (2011)/Movie Review

Release Date:  29 July 2011 (India)   Runtime:  USA:118 min

Genre:    Action | Sci-Fi | Thriller | Western

Plot:A spaceship arrives in Arizona, 1873, to take over the Earth, starting with the Wild West region. A posse of cowboys and natives are all that stand in their way.

The Old West.. where a lone cowboy leads an uprising against a terror from beyond our world. 1873. Arizona Territory. A stranger with no memory of his past stumbles into the hard desert town of Absolution. The only hint to his history is a mysterious shackle that encircles one wrist. What he discovers is that the people of Absolution don't welcome strangers, and nobody makes a move on its streets unless ordered to do so by the iron-fisted Colonel Dolarhyde (Ford). It's a town that lives in fear. But Absolution is about to experience fear it can scarcely comprehend as the desolate city is attacked by marauders from the sky. Screaming down with breathtaking velocity and blinding lights to abduct the helpless one by one, these monsters challenge everything the residents have ever known. Now, the stranger they rejected is their only hope for salvation. As this gunslinger slowly starts to remember who he is and where he's been, he realizes he holds a secret that could give the town a fighting chance against the alien force. With the help of the elusive traveler Ella (Olivia Wilde), he pulls together a posse comprised of former opponents-townsfolk, Dolarhyde and his boys, outlaws and Apache warriors-all in danger of annihilation. United against a common enemy, they will prepare for an epic showdown for survival. Written by Universal Pictures

Director: Jon Favreau

Writers (WGA): Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman

Original Music by  Harry Gregson-Williams

Cinematography by Matthew Libatique

Filming Locations:  Abiquiu, New Mexico, USA

Company:  Universal Pictures

Casts  : Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Abigail Spencer, Buck Taylor, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, Matthew Taylor, Cooper Taylor, Clancy Brown, Paul Dano, Chris Browning, Adam Beach

1873. Arizona Territory. A stranger (Daniel Craig), Jake Lonergan, with no memory of his past stumbles into the hard desert town of Absolution. The only hint to his history is a mysterious shackle that encircles one wrist. What he discovers is that the people of Absolution don't welcome strangers, and nobody makes a move on its streets unless ordered to do so by the iron-fisted Colonel Woodrow Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford). Its a town that lives in fear.

But Absolution is about to experience fear it can scarcely comprehend as the desolate city is attacked by marauders from the sky. Screaming down with breathtaking velocity and blinding lights to abduct the helpless one by one, these monsters challenge everything the residents have ever known.

Now, the stranger they rejected is their only hope for salvation. As this gunslinger slowly starts to remember who he is and where he's been, he realizes he holds a secret that could give the town a fighting chance against the alien force. With the help of the elusive traveler Ella (Olivia Wilde), he pulls together a posse comprised of former opponents, townsfolk, Dolarhyde and his boys, outlaws and Apache warriors - all in danger of annihilation. United against a common enemy, they will prepare for an epic showdown for survival.

What happens when you overvalue a movie concept and undervalue the story,

The answer to the obvious question hovering around Jon Favreau's latest action blockbuster is yes, "Cowboys & Aliens" is as ridiculous as the title sounds. Yet blame doesn't quite belong on Favreau's shoulders or that of star Daniel Craig or the rest of the cast; rather, the failure of this alien-infested Western results from the domino effect of the countless studios and producers who put their faith (and money) in a concept rather than a story.

To be fair, I know nothing of the Platinum Studios comic by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, but it couldn't have been all that good if all the hottest screenwriters in Hollywood couldn't whip together a plot worth a damn. The duos behind "Iron Man" and "Star Trek" along with "Lost" writer Damon Lindelof all took cracks at the screenplay and an earlier treatment from another pair of "it" writers who wrote next month's "Conan the Barbarian" was discarded. Frankly, criticism of "Cowboys & Aliens" all stems from a story with lackluster characters equipped with cliché motivations. Despite some cool aliens, the action doesn't offer anything unique enough to counter that we've no reason to care.

Craig stars as Jake Lonergan, a stoic outlaw in Arizona sometime in the late 19th Century who wakes up with no memory and some metal device on his wrist. When he arrives in the town of Absolution, the sheriff discovers he's wanted and attempts to ship him off for a reward. That's when the aliens attack, bombing the town and roping up locals before flying off into the night. Lonergan's bracelet activates as a weapon and suddenly he's the only one capable of defeating these things. He joins a rescue party led by a grumpy Civil War vet named Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford) and they all set off to find out what happened to their loved ones.

The script introduces characters willy-nilly and provides little satisfactory explanation for anything that happens. The story paints Lonergan as a quiet badass, but one who has flashes of some woman he loved. Because his past slowly unravels with nothing revelatory to show for it as the film wears on, it's tough to care much or even see him as capable of romantic feelings. Regardless, a woman named Ella (Olivia Wilde) keeps approaching him with questions he doesn't have the answers to and she evolves into a love interest for nothing but the sake of it. Sam Rockwell has little to no bearing on the film other than serving an example of an otherwise peaceful man who will do whatever it takes to get his wife back. He's a waste in the role. As for Ford, he just gets on screen and acts grumpy and impatient. We've seen everyone on board do so much better

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Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)

Release Date: 20 May 2011 (India)

Genre: Action | Adventure | Fantasy

Plot:

Jack Sparrow and Barbossa embark on a quest to find the elusive fountain of youth, only to discover that Blackbeard and his daughter are after it too.

Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp) crosses paths with a woman from his past (Cruz), and he's not sure if it's love -- or if she's a ruthless con artist who's using him to find the fabled Fountain of Youth. When she forces him aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge, the ship of the formidable pirate Blackbeard (McShane), Jack finds himself on an unexpected adventure in which he doesn't know who to fear more: Blackbeard or the woman from his past. Written by Walt Disney Pictures

Directed by

Rob Marshall

Writing credits Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Stuart Beattie, Jay Wolpert, Tim Powers

(WGA)

Original Music by Hans Zimmer

Cinematography by Dariusz Wolski

Additional Details

USA:136 min | Argentina:137 min

Shooting location: Fajardo, Puerto RicoSee more 

Company:  Walt Disney PicturesSee more 

SYNOPSIS-

Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) travels to London to locate the person who has been impersonating him. The impostor has reportedly been recruiting a crew to search for the legendary Fountain of Youth. First Sparrow rescues his former first mate, Joshamee Gibbs (Kevin McNally), who is about to be hanged, though the two are captured. Jack is brought before King George II (Richard Griffiths), who wants him to guide an expedition to the Fountain before the Spanish find it. Heading the expedition is Jack's old nemesis, Captain Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), now a privateer in service to the British Navy after having lost Jack's ship, the Black Pearl, as well as his leg.

Jack escapes, and is found by his father, Captain Teague (Keith Richards), who warns Jack about the Fountain's tests. Jack soon discovers that the impostor is Angelica (Penélope Cruz), his former lover and daughter of the ruthless pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane), who possesses supernatural powers and practices voodoo magic. Jack is forced to join Blackbeard's crew and to lead them to the Fountain. Meanwhile, Gibbs, who memorized, then destroyed, Sparrow's map, barters with Barbossa to lead him and his crew to the Fountain.

Aboard Blackbeard's ship, the Queen Anne's Revenge, Jack learns that the Fountain's water must be drunk simultaneously from two silver chalices once belonging to Juan Ponce de León. The person drinking from the chalice containing a mermaid's tear has their life extended, while the other person dies, their years of life drained from their body. Blackbeard intends to use the Fountain's power to circumvent his fated fatal encounter with a one-legged man, and sets a course for Whitecap Bay. There he traps a mermaid that Philip Swift (Sam Claflin), a captive missionary, falls in love with and names Syrena (Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey). Blackbeard then sends Sparrow to retrieve the chalices from de León's grounded ship. Sparrow arrives finding only Barbossa: the Spanish have already taken the chalices.

Casts:

Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Geoffrey Rush, Ian McShane, Kevin McNally,

Sam Claflin, Astrid Berges-Frisbey, Stephen Graham, Keith Richards, Richard Griffiths,

Greg Ellis, Damian O'Hare

Top Review-
Jack Sparrow, You ROCK!, 14 May 2011

What Rob Marshall did with Pirates series, no one else could have done with such finesse and panache. Dropping out two key protagonists without explanations and instead of picking on famous novels, he opted for rather under-rated Tim Power's On Stranger Tides to fit the characters.

Similarly, what Johnny Depp has been doing in all Pirates movies and what he did in this movie, no one else could have done it with such perfection. That's Johnny Depp(Jack Sparrow) for you.

Most of you must have seen Indian Jones and the Last Crusade, I guess. You're gonna have a feel of Deja Vu in many of the scenes. Following an appropriately pulpy prologue, the film opens on erstwhile Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp) as he's marooned in London in search of a ship, and pursued by local authorities who he makes little serious effort to avoid. Hearing that an impostor Sparrow is auditioning pirate recruits at a seaside bar, he seeks out the interloper only to discover his spitfire former lover Angelica (Penelope Cruz), disguised as him After some requisite sword-clashing, Angelica kidnaps Sparrow and ferries him aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge, lorded over by Angelica's (maybe) father, Captain Blackbeard (Ian McShane). Commanding a crew comprised of equal parts stray pirates and hulking zombies -- why he needs the former when he has the latter is never explained -- Blackbeard enlists Sparrow to help him locate the fountain of youth, which becomes an especially urgent task after a prophecy foretells Blackbeard's imminent death at the hands of a one-legged man.

Meanwhile, Sparrow's rival Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), now conveniently one-legged, has bid farewell to his pirate's life, and seeks the fountain on behalf of the king of England, who is keen to find it before a rival crew sent by the king of Spain can claim it for themselves. As the three parties converge on the fountain's jungle location, they must also deal with a ravenous horde of vampiric mermaids, from whom a single tear must be procured to drink the fountain's waters.

In case any one of you haven't seen the previous movies, frequent recaps are provided through out and it doesn't matter too much anyway. Depp remains the face of the film. But a majority of his thunder is co-opted by an on-point Rush, who not only gets the funniest lines and reaction shots, but also starts to siphon away much of the roguish charm that used to be Depp's stock and trade. McShane, on the other hand, is underwhelming. Never appearing comfortable in his heavy pirate get-up, his tired Blackbeard is only menacing via other characters' testimonials to his evil, and his one on screen atrocity seems tossed in merely to stress that he is, in fact, the bad guy.

Cruz is a reliably welcome, gorgeous presence, though she too often falls back on the "feisty Latina" signifiers that have been the crutch of so much of her English-language work. Sam Claflin supplies some semi- risible gallantry as a super-studly priest, and Astrid Berges-Frisbey looks effectively terrified as a captive mermaid.

All in all, it is must watch for everybody who is a fan of Pirates series and Johnny Depp. Go for it and chances are less of you being disappointed.

Thanks & Regards,

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