Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol - Kickass action all the way

Theatre: Prasad IMAX, Hyderabad
Show: 17-Dec-2011, 6 PM
Status: Housefull

I saw the movie in IMAX format (30 minutes shot for IMAX) and it was breathtaking. One of the most surreal moments in a movie theatre I have ever witnessed was the Burj Khalifa sequence in the movie. I felt as if I am hanging from the building and nearly had a vertigo. The movie is filled with such visceral sequences both pleasing to the eye and raises the pulse.

Story starts when IMF breaks Hunt out of a Russian prison. Hunt accepts his first mission post jail-break and all hell breaks lose. The US President invokes the Ghost Protocol, which essentially defangs Hunt and his team. Rest of the movie captures how Hunt and his team saves the world from the apocalypse while kicking ass across countries.

Tom Cruise eases back into the role of Ethan Hunt as if the last MI (I haven't bothered to watch 3, so I am talking about 2 here) was yesterday. The looks, charisma, and physique remain the same. Jeremy Renner also did well as Hunt's sidekick. I was a little disappointed that he didn't get more screen space that he truly deserves. Other actors fit into the jigsaw perfectly. Anil Kapoor had a decent cameo, but I was expecting a bit more of him.

Script is well written and tight enough for a blockbuster action movie. The pacing is excellent and the movie leaves you craving for more action. The last MI film I watched certainly didn't leave me with that feeling. Direction is top notch. The Burj Khalifa sequence is probably one of the best shots I have seen in a very long time. Couple of goofups though. The Mumbai cars had "MH" at the end of their number. In the climax scenes (supposedly in Mumbai), some of the doors have Kannada or Telugu written on them instead of Hindi. Cinematography is brilliant aided by a wonderful VFX team. You could feel and smell the outlandish action sequences. They felt that real. Sound editing was good and BGM followed the usual MI path.

Watching a no-nonsense action flick is getting rarer these days and MI gives us exactly that.

TL;DR: MI: Ghost Protocol is essentially a big screen watch. Watch and blow your minds off.

Rating: Terrific!

Puss in Boots - Puss passes with a good grade

Cross-posting my FK review. Visit FK for more discussions.

Theatre: Rex, Bangalore
Show: 10:55 AM, 4-Dec-2011
Status: 10-15 people in stall

I found Puss in Boots to be the most endearing character in the Shrek universe apart from the original cast. A big factor would be Antonio Banderas and the fact that the character is cute, tabby cat. Puss in Boots looks into the life and times of the kittie outside the Shrek univerese. The origin of the Puss and his boots and of course his adventures.

The movie is shouldered by Antonio Banderas and to be frank his remarkable and earnest voicing as Puss practically saves the movie from mediocrity. He excels as the suave "swordscat". The animation is top class and follows the artwork from the Shrek universe. There are a couple of beautiful moments in the film like hitching up the beanstalk (from Jack and Jill) and the dance fight between Puss and Kitty Softpaws (voiced by Salma Hayek).

The story is pretty mediocre to be frank and follows the typical Hollywood animation formula. What makes the movie pleasing is the motley crew of characters like Jack and Jill, Golden Goose, and Humpty Dumpty! The script is stitched to fit the regular convention and the BGM is good.

In hindsight, I was expecting Puss in Boots to have a little more meat. Still its a pretty good watch.

TL;DR: Puss in Boots is a good timepass, especially for those who like the twisted fairy tale characters ala Shrek.

Rating: Good

What ice beneath!

via io9.com

io.com recollects 10 movies in which the evils lurks beneath ice! Click through for all movies. I love John Carpenter's Thing in this list. Get hold of it and watch if you haven't. Very apocalyptic and climax is brilliant!

Posted via web from Pain on the Posterior