Tag Archives: Vin Diesel

Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk (2016)

Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk review

written by Souranath Banerjee

Rather than labelling it as an ‘anti-war film’ let’s say it is an emotional tale of war and the warriors! 

My Ratings: 3.9/5

Crouching Tiger, Hidden DragonBrokeback MountainLust, CautionLife of Pi – there is one man who is behind all these masterpieces, the acclaimed Chinese director Ang Lee!

Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk reviewAnd it’s a war film! Well, actually a more sophisticated version of a war movie where the aftermath of the battle takes up the centre stage.

Based on the novel by Ben Fountain and screenplay by Jean-Christophe Castelli, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk essentially revolves around 19-year-old Billy Lynn, a war hero, retuning home from Iraq on a victory tour with his entire squad (the survivors of the gruesome war). 

His memories and flashbacks of the battlefield, his personal heroic efforts and the lives lost in the combat – these are the crux of the film, put across through a superbly knitted nonlinear storyline.

Through John Toll‘s brilliant visuals and Tim Squyres innovative back and forth editing, no doubt Ang Lee has told his story in style!

Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk reviewBut then again the performances make the 1h 53min film such a delight to watch; especially debutant Joe Alwyn who played Billy Lynn was incredibly natural!

Then of course we have brilliant actors like Garrett HedlundSteve MartinChris TuckerKristen StewartVin DieselBeau Knapp among others who have perfectly balanced the film. 

The only thing that bothered me was that it was a bit too vocal, like every emotion was spoken out in elaborate sentences loud and clear for the audience!

Then again Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk is definitely a Cinema worth your time, highly emotional and also a cinematic achievement since it is the first film to be shot at 120 frame rate!

Poster courtesy: www.impawards.com.

Furious 7 (2015)

My Ratings: 4/5.

‘This time it ain’t just about being fast’

The film Fast & Furious 7 (according to director James Wan it’s titled Furious 7 referencing the Seven Samurai) is exactly what it promises to be – sexy cars, hot girls, wacky action and also a perfect emotional tale of love and friendship.

Fast-and-Furious-7-Poster3Made as a sequel to the last installment (Fast & Furious 6), this time Jason Statham joins the party as the badass big-brother of Luke Evans‘s character and he is all set to take care of his brother’s unfinished business.

Jason Statham later teamed up with Djimon Hounsou are probably the deadliest opponents ever who had a face-off with our usual Fast & Furious gang Vin DieselPaul WalkerDwayne JohnsonMichelle RodriguezLudacrisTyrese Gibson (though Sung Kang didn’t have much scope for action this time).

Nathalie Emmanuel as the sexy hacker, Kurt Russell as the mysterious Mr.Nobody and Iggy Azalea in a cameo – all did hit the right notes. 

Fast-and-Furious-7-Poster1And thus in this twisted, adrenalin pumping ride for revenge we experience some of the best action sequences and i am sure by the end of the film you will be convinced that ‘cars do fly’.

Director James Wan who took a break from the horror genre ( his earlier films being Dead Silence (2007)The Conjuring (2013) and the Insidious series) did an awesome job with this brilliant action pact drama.

Credit goes to the cinematographers Marc Spicer and Stephen F. Windon for the dynamic action shots taken (especially in those hand-to-hand combat sequences) where the camera moves in perfect sync with the actors and enhances the impact of their actions.

Fast-and-Furious-7-Poster2Cool editing and exotic soundtracks to match the pace of the film, Furious 7 is a high-voltage power house of entertainment that keeps you to the very edge of your seat.

A respectful dedication to the beloved actor Paul Walker (who was killed in a car crash on November 30, 2013) while the film was half way in the making.

A must for the F&F fanclub but for those who are not a die-hard fan of the Fast & Furious franchise (like me), even they can enjoy this one as simply a cool action flick.

Fast & Furious 7 – a ride worth taking.

Note: Body doubles, stunt doubles, and CGI were used to complete the film following Paul Walker‘s death.

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

My Ratings: 4/5

Guardians of the Galaxy is the ultimate surprise package for superhero movie lovers!

Director James Gunn has successfully created a very entertaining galaxy where you can completely loose yourself once your 3D glasses are in position.

Peter Quills (Chris Pratt) the self-proclaimed ‘Star Lord’ is our witty protagonist who cruises in his spaceship – a charming thief by profession.

And then we have Gamora the sexy assassin (Zoe Saldana), Drax the destroyer who is hungry for revenge (Dave Bautista), Rocket the gun-crazy talking raccoon (Bradley Cooper) and Groot the humanoid tree with very limited vocabulary (Vin Diesel).

In the process of stealing the Orb that contains mysterious powers Peter Quills meets these other not-so-human characters. Eventually they make a weird but awesome team and try their best to save the galaxy from the evil/powerful Ronan (Lee Pace).

Will they able to protect our planets and be known as the Guardians of the Galaxy?

Watch the film and you will know all the answers – probably the best Sci-Fi films of our times.

Maintaining the humor throughout, Guardians of the Galaxy boasts some of the most amazing space-action sequences. A perfect balance of VFX thrills and emotional story-telling.

Actors like Benicio Del Toro, John C. Reilly and Djimon Hounsou play short but entertaining roles in the film.

Guardians of the Galaxy has a certain uniqueness that sets it apart from the other Marvel comics-adapted films but then again, it also has some of the distinctive features to excite the Marvel fan following.

A film that should be watched only in 3D to get the best look at our galaxy and it’s guardians.

Film trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CqymRQ1uUU

Most anticipated world films of 2014 (Part 1)

Most anticipated world films of 2014 yet to release. The trailers are convincing enough to make us impatient but all in good time.

Here follows a list of Ten films that promises awesome entertainment. Do enjoy the trailers for now and make sure you don’t miss any of these on the big screen.

Let the fun begin.

1. Sin City: A dame to kill for (releasing on 22nd Aug)

Film trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zhu32sdAGbo

Sin_city a dame to kill for

Finally Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez teams up again for the second installment of a tour of the city where it’s permissible to sin.

Sexy and stylized as usual, adopted from the famous graphic novel, and guaranteed out-of-the-world action.

Jessica Alba, Eva Green, Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis just to name a few. A must watch.

2. Exodus: Gods and Kings (releasing on 12th Dec)

Film trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6G1vRbvgiU

Exodus-Gods-and-Kings

Christian Bale and Aaron Paul together in Ridley Scott‘s next – a historic drama.

Seems like the film is based in Egypt, the grandeur of the sets and the detailing of the period looks amazing in the trailer.

It’s the story of Mosses, how he was responsible to lead the Israelite slaves from Egypt. A film to check out for sure.

3. Fury (releasing on 14th Nov)

Film trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OGvZoIrXpg

fury

World War 2 as the backdrop, Brad Pitt in his army-crew-cut hairstyle leads his small team of men to attack Germany against incredible odds.

Focused on tanks as the weapon of choice i am sure this is going to be the best war film of the year.

Directed by David Ayer of ‘End of Watch’ fame – also starring  Shia LaBeouf and Logan Lerman.  

4. Birdman (releasing on 10th Oct)

Film trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-umj5cxtgBA

birdman

The name Alejandro González Iñárritu as a director should be enough to stir up curiosity for a film.

And with a star cast of Michael Keaton, Edward Norton, Zach Galifianakis, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts this film is probably the most awaited release this year.

It’s about how an actor who played the part of a superhero controls his ego in his real life.

5. Horible bosses 2 (releasing on 26th Nov)

Film trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B45XU3v9sPw

Horribel bosses 2

Remember the first time you met the most horrible bosses and what fun you had!

Well, here is an opportunity to meet them again – Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Spacey and a especial addition of Christoph Waltz.

The trailer is hilarious and hopefully the director Sean Anders has done a great job. I am sure it will be an enjoyable laugh riot.

6. Gone girl (releasing on 3rd Oct)

Film trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ym3LB0lOJ0o

gone girl

After ‘The Social Network‘ and ‘The girl with the dragon tattoo‘ my favorite director David Fincher‘s next – a suspense thriller about a girl who’s gone missing.

Ben Affleck, the husband who is also a suspect tries his best to prove his innocence but no body knows what really happened.

Unless of course you watch the film – so wait till it’s released.

7. The Interview (releasing on 10th Oct)

Film trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnalZzJ-XS4

The Interview

A deadly plan to assassinate North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un but unfortunately the least qualified men are chosen by the CIA for the mission.  

Who else but Seth Rogen and James Franco. The more they try to be serious the more they look funny.

The plot seems to be hilarious, I am sure this film will be a perfect political satire to look forward.

8. The Judge (releasing on 10th Oct)

Film trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBvK6ni97W8

the judge

A mystery to be unsolved, a family drama to experience and a father-son relationship to be revived.

Robert Downey JR, a big shot lawyer find his father (Robert Duvall) a judge to be suspected of murder.

The plot sounds interesting enough to become curious and with actors of such caliber it does raises our hopes.

9. Magic in the moonlight (releasing on 25th July)

Film trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MG71z-AP524

magic in the moonlight

Woody Allen is back and this time it’s a romantic comedy casting  Emma StoneColin FirthMarcia Gay Harden.

A girl’s authenticity who seems to possess some special power needs to be verified by an English magician.

The trailer looks as funny and quick-witted as any Woody Allen film promises to be.

10. Guardians of the galaxy (releasing on 1st Aug)

Film trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89q_HH-3ghk

guardians of the galaxy

Bradley Copper, John C. Reilly, Chris Pratt, Vin Diesel, Zoe Saldana – all are part of this entertaining space movie.

Directed by James Gunn; the trailer looks cool and funny, high in visual effects and packed with action.

They call themselves the guardians of the galaxy – now lets wait and watch if they can really keep their words and protect our planets.

For Most anticipated world films of 2014 (Part 2) click the link below: http://www.cinemaforensic.com/most-anticipated-world-films-of-2014-2/