And so it got me thinking, it really does make much sense, with power does comes responsibility (won’t use the words great because we are just human, not superheroes)

So as I wait to get bitten by a spider so I can have awesome power (Superman is an alien, Wolverine is a mutant, Batman is too dark and Hulk is stupid, ugly and green, making Spider-man highly probable)
As I was saying in my quest to ob

Pierce Brosnan and Gerard Butler star in this low profile mystery thriller; and not surprisingly, both characters are at loggerheads throughout the movie. The storyline is reasonably well constructed; though the idea might not be an entirely novel one. There are sufficient thrills, twists and surprises in the movie for you to allocate your 95 minutes to it.

Neil and Abby Randall, with their beautiful daughter, are living a perfect life in a perfect world, until today, when Tom Ryan shows up in their car. Throughout the day and into the better half of the night, Ryan puts them through ordeals, the reason for which is not so clear. How far would Neil go to save his family and how far would Ryan go to make his point?

There are scores of other movies that roam along the same storyline but this one has a better cinematography to go with it. Ashley Rowe, who did cinematography for movies like Hope Springs, Calendar Girls and Alfie, has done an excellent work. You cant possibly miss the silky capture of the scenes in Chicago and Vancouver (where the film was pasteurized). You can’t possibly miss the sly camerawork in scenes that involved car interior, mirrored walls and urban panorama.

The acting is good enough. The movie revolves primarily around three characters. Maria Bello showed decent performance as a perplexed wife and a concerned mother in the whirlpool of events. Gerard Butler definitely has the skills to shed fragments of his previous movie characters and play a brand new character every time. Pierce Brosnan, and I am saying this because I am a fan, shouldn’t have taken up this role; it wasn’t strong enough for his powerful presence on screen. Still, it wasn’t a complete disappointment.

There is an element of mystery about the name of the movie as well. Originally titled, Butterfly on a Wheel, the film was renamed to Shattered for USA release, in Europe it was released under the title of Desperate Hours while for the rest of the world they kept the name simple enough to just call it The Butterfly.

For a lazy Sunday afternoon, it’s not a bad watch.

6.5/10

History/Drama
Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)

Those of you interested in history genre and who enjoyed watching Elizabeth (1998), might want to check out the latest installment, Elizabeth: The Golden Age. Cate Blanchett plays Queen Elizabeth I with an impeccable class. The year is 1588 and England is at the verge of war with enemies outside and traitors within. Elizabeth fights the war as well as the battle of the heart as she falls in love with Sir Walter Raleigh. Will she win the war; does rebellious Raleigh really love her, would the fine line between allegiance and treason keep fading away? Shekhar Kapur directs another modern classic.

Action
I Am Legend (2007)

The only unacceptable thing about this movie is that it ends as soon as you would imagine it is about to begin. It leaves you unsatisfied and wanting for more. Yet, as long as it lasts, its an enjoyable movie. Will Smith, it seems, can do no wrong at the box office. He has acted terrifically and has in fact carried the entire movie on his lone shoulders. If you are a Will Smith fan, I am sure you’ve already watched it. If you haven’t; its just about time you do.

Romantic Comedy
Frankie and Johnny (1991)

I am yet to watch No Reservations so I have nothing to say on that. Lately there haven’t been any good romantic comedies. Knocked Up was a good storyline gone wrong in the script so I wouldn’t recommend that. While sifting through my pile of DVDs, I caught sight of a Pacino classic. Unlike Scent of a Woman, this one isn’t very high profiled but if you are looking for a good show all round, this is the movie for you.

Johnny (Al Pacino) is fresh out of prison and finds a job in a café where Frankie (Michelle Pfeiffer) works as a waitress. Both are loners but Frankie is on a dose of melancholy. The persistent pursuit of Johnny is a mix of comedy, irritation, tragedy and most of all, brilliant acting.

Mafia
You Kill Me (2007)

Two things to begin with: first, don’t confuse it with Lidsay Lohan’s substandard I Know Who Killed Me and second, don’t go for the name at all.

I was skeptical of this movie when I started watching it, but it turned out to be a great watch. Ben Kingsley plays a stern-faced alcoholic who is a hit-man for his Polish mob family. How he juggles his life between alcohol, AA meetings, venomous rivals and … aham aham … a love interest, is a treat to watch.

Just in case you cant get your hands on any of these movies or if you have already watched them, here are a few other recommendations:

American Gangster
The Bourne Ultimatum
Ratatouille

Enjoy your weekend.

Of all the pieces of movies kept in memory, ones that clung the most are the funny ones. Get this for instance, remember Analyze This? Of course you do, one of the funniest mafia movies; and remember Paul Vitti and Dr. Sobel’s first meeting? Short and witty; Paul Vitti is a mafia don who walks into a psychiatrist’s office while trying to keep it a secret.

Paul Vitti: You know me?
Dr. Sobel: Yes.
Paul Vitti: No you don’t.
Dr. Sobel: Okay.
Paul Vitti: You see my picture in the paper?
Dr. Sobel: Yes.
Paul Vitti: No you didn’t.
Dr. Sobel: I don’t even get the paper.

And then there’s Ace Ventura telling Melissa “If I’m not back in five minutes… just wait longer” … genuine. While one of the cutest characters in recent cinema experience, the Donkey in Shrek, proudly broadcasts, “You might have seen a housefly, maybe even a superfly, but I bet you ain’t never seen a donkey fly” and that was of course before he was dusted. One of the best part of Shrek movies is the stupendously stupid dialogues between Shrek and the donkey; take a look at this for example how Shrek tries to talk deep about how ogres are and how donkey perceives it.

Shrek: Ogres are like onions.
Donkey: They stink?
Shrek: Yes. No.
Donkey: Oh, they make you cry.
Shrek: No.
Donkey: Oh, you leave em out in the sun, they get all brown, start sproutin’ little white hairs.
Shrek: NO. Layers. Onions have layers. Ogres have layers. Onions have layers. You get it? We both have layers.
[sighs]
Donkey: Oh, you both have layers. Oh. You know, not everybody like onions.

Best thing about humorous dialogues is that they are short and prompt. In Ice Age, an excellent movie, Sid has hardly ignited fire and claims;

Sid: From now on, you’ll have to refer to me as ‘Sid – Lord of the Flame’.
Manfred: Hey, Lord of the Flame, your tail’s on fire.

And Martin Lawrence can’t seem to convince his sister to stay away from dangerous pursuits of criminals;
Marcus: [To his sister, a Miami DEA agent] That was reckless, that was stupid, and that was dangerous. [Pauses] I’m telling Mommy.

And then of course there are dumb moments when Harry and Lloyd meet and greet each other in utmost casual tone;

Harry: Hi Lloyd!
Lloyd: Hi Harry!
Harry: How was your day?
Lloyd: Not bad. Fell off a jet way again.

Amongst all those funny movies and dialogues, there are those serious movies that talk serious business.

No mention of serious movies would be complete without Godfather of course, packed with some great dialogues. Don Corleone advises his son Michael, “Do you spend time with your family? Good. Because a man that doesn’t spend time with his family can never be a real man.” And of course where Michael is asked how he will arrange to buy a hotel from Moe Greene and he says, “I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse.” And in part 2 he recalls one of his father’s advices, “Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.”

Some of my favorite dialogues that have stayed in my memory ever since I first heard them;

“You have to think like a hero merely to behave like a decent human being.” The Russia House.

“Perhaps it is good to have a beautiful mind, but an even greater gift is to discover a beautiful heart.” A Beautiful Mind.

“Your heart is free. Have the courage to follow it.” Braveheart

“Every man dies, not every man really lives.” Braveheart

“What we do in life echoes in eternity.” Gladiator

“Let me tell you something my friend. Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane.” Shawshank Redemption

“Fear can set you prisoner, hope can set you free.” And of course this was the tagline for Shawshank Redemption.

And finally, the dialogues that make you feel like you are falling into that movie and becoming a part of it. I vaguely remember Robin Wright Penn, in the movie Message in a Bottle, suggesting Kevin Costner to visit her in her city and Kevin asks her on the phone, “When do you want me to come?” And Robin Wright says, “Yesterday!” Perfect.

In the same movie, she asks him at some other event, “And you’ll just forget about me, right?” and Costner (playing Garret Blake) says, “Everyday.”

And then of course there is this classic; Jerry Maguire entering the living room looking for his wife says hello and then goes on rumbling all those words.

Jerry Maguire: I love you. You… complete me.
Dorothy: Shut up. Just shut up. You had me at “hello.”

(This was one of my favorite scenes as well and that gives me idea to write an article next time on some of the good movie scenes.)
Anyways, next up in the line is Seth (Nicolas Cage) explaining expressions to Maggie (Meg Ryan) in City of Angels;

Seth: You’re a good doctor.
Maggie: How do you know?
Seth: I have a feeling.
Maggie: Yeah, well that’s pretty flimsy evidence.
Seth: Close your eyes. Just for a second… (touching her hand) what am I doing?
Maggie: You’re… touching me.
Seth: How do you know?
Maggie: Because, I feel it.

And this one’s my favorite when Seth runs into the hospital looking for Maggie while he has fallen from a height to turn a human from an angel (so that he could be with Maggie), and he is all hurt and bleeding. The nurse asks him what happened? And he says, “I fell … (pause) … in love.”

Anna Scott in Notting Hill asks William not to tell anyone about the incident taking place during their first meeting and William in return says, “Of course I wont. I mean I will tell myself sometimes, but I wont believe that.” That was fabulous.
While in the Man in the Iron Mask, D’Artagnan tells Queen Anne, “To love you is treason against France. But not to love you is treason against my heart.” And then Harrison Ford concludes the movie Sabrina as he asks her, “I’ve been following in footsteps all my life. Save me, Sabrina fair, you’re the only one who can.”

To finish this article, there is this cute little dialogue from an Indian movie, don’t remember its name though. Shah Rukh Khan is teasing his lady and she is all irritated and says, “Tum Insaan ho ya Bandar?” And SRK quite innocently asks in return, “Tumhein Kya Pasand hei?” That was prompt.

So here it is then, most probably will follow it up with an article on my favorite movie scenes. Till then, Ciao.