A teacher (Cage) opens a time capsule that has been dug up at his son’s elementary school; in it are some chilling predictions — some that have already occurred and others that are about to — that lead him to believe his family plays a role in the events that are about to unfold. The Star Cast in the movie are Anna Anderson, Sally Anne Arnott, Giovanni Bartuccio, Jake Bradley, Rose Byrne, Nicolas Cage, Terry Camilleri, Chandler Canterbury, Danielle Carter.

Insp. Jacques Clouseau teams up with a squad of International detectives who are just as bumbling as he is. Their mission: Stop a globe-trotting thief who specializes in stealing historical artifacts. The Star Cast in the movie are Steve Martin, Jean Reno, Emily Mortimer, Andy Garcia, Yuki Matsuzaki, Alfred Molina, John Cleese, Aishwarya Rai.

Tells the story of Benjamin Button, a man who starts aging backwards with bizarre consequences. The Stars in the movie are Cate Blanchett, Julia Ormond, Faune A. Chambers, Elias Koteas, Donna DuPlantier, Jacob Wood, Ed Metzger, Jason Flemyng, Danny Vinson, David Jensen, Joeanna Sayler, Taraji P. Henson, Mahershalalhashbaz Ali

A challenge for any filmmaker to translate a popular TV series onto the big screen is fraught with danger. There is the need to satisfy hard core fans of the show and to lure the not so familiar film goers.

Film: The X-Files: I Want To Believe
Cast: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Amanda Peet, Xzibit, Billy Connolly
Director: Chris Carter
Rating: 3/5

“The X-Files: I want To Believe” does away with some of the aspects of the TV show that might have satisfied the more serious fans and goes for a more streamlined straight-forward thriller.

Gone are the sometimes far-fetched notions of alien abductions and sinister government cover-up plots. Instead, we have a story centring around bad guys engaged in nasty illegal human organ experimentation and trade.

The TV show was popular in the 90s and even then its fan base was split. Most casual fans preferred the straightforward, not too paranormal stories that were truly griping. The movie actually seems to want to get as far away from the show as possible. None of the supporting characters from the show appear in the movie. Even the central tenet of having a male-female pairing, which is not romantic, has been changed.

At times there are extended shots of helicopters, cars driving in the snow and crime scene investigation that linger just a little bit too long. But the principal actors David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson along with the director Chris Carter do a commendable job in creating a taunt thriller that dares to ask more philosophical questions of faith. Even the complexities of commitment in a relationship are maturely handled.

Mulder (Duchovny) and Scully (Anderson) are now a couple living together and have new lives. Mulder is still bitter with his former employer, the FBI, and Scully has now become a doctor at a Catholic hospital.

Scully encourages to Mulder to return to the FBI to help in the case of a missing female agent. He takes on the case, but it soon causes a strain in their relationship as Scully battles some internal questions at her work while trying to support Mulder with the case.

The script tries to tell a simple story well. The supporting actors Amanda Peet, Billy Connolly and rapper Xzibit all fill in their roles well. Connolly does a commendable job as a former paedophile Catholic father trying to redeem himself by helping out in the case through the visions he has of the victims.

The story develops at a good pace. The evil and dangers of human experimentation depicted are scary and gripping. But in the real world where the main threats seem to be terrorism and now the financial crisis, a plot revolving around illegal human organ trade might seem a bit distant and low impact.

The movie may not be good enough to draw the reluctant viewers to the theatres. This also might be the last “X-Files” movie made before the interest from fans in completely drained. But for those looking for a good thriller with some decent exploration of human relationships, this movie is worth the watch.

Film: RIGHTEOUS KILL
Director: Jon Avnet
Cast: Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, Carla Gugino, Brian Dennehy, Donnie Wahlberg
Rating: 2/5

Almost no one would care about “Righteous Kill” as a movie. It is formulaic, the twists are not too exciting and the movie overall is just not interesting. It’s the pairing of DeNiro and Pacino that makes it worth anything at all.

The actors at times look like they are in cruise control and yet there are times where they click and the chemistry is good. There are no attempts at upstaging, and the respect these two legends have for each other is evident.

DeNiro is a workaholic and at times he appears in some real stinkers like “The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle”. Pacino hasn’t fared much better either by doing some major scene-chewing work and shouting out “hoo-wah” every once in a while.

They are not aiming for any great acting here but the movie is served well with them reining in. The performances are subtle and in each scene it is clear they are working on complimenting each other.

The genre of the cop thriller, in which this movie so dutifully fits, brings with it some inescapable baggage. And in “Righteous Kill” we cant help but notice the actors are playing caricatures that they themselves in their past have played.

Watching any other actors in these roles would have been a tremendous bore. DeNiro and Pacino lift the material to a whole new level while saving it from the obvious doom of clichés.

The supporting cast all do a fine job as no one tries to do more than what is expected from them. A pleasant find here is Donnie Wahlberg. He used to be in the boy band New Kids On the Block and he does a fine job of holding himself in good stead in the face of such legends.

Action movie fans will not find much to be happy with since there are no car chases or explosions. Even those expecting a thriller might be disappointed by the almost predictable twists and the end.

But for those looking for a chance to watch two legends sparkle on screen and rescue a mediocre movie, “Righteous Kill” delivers.

– By Sevanand Gaddala

Batman may be the dark knight, but it is the late Heath Ledger as Joker who truly haunts this movie. Director Christopher Nolan returns with star Christian Bale as Batman and by having the late Aussie actor Ledger act in “The Dark Knight” they have allowed the movie to be hijacked by what is clearly one of the finest performances of the year.

Film: The Dark Knight
Cast: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Gary Odlman
Director: Christopher Nolan
Rating: 3.5/5

“The Dark Knight” continues where “Batman Begins” left off. If “Batman Begins” was dark and brooding, “The Dark Knight” is gothic and philosophical. But the filmmakers haven’t allowed themselves to forget that they are making a summer blockbuster based on a comic book hero and have peppered the movie with some punchy and explosive action sequences.

The brawls between Batman and the bad guys are too up close and dizzying, but the chase sequences unfold more gracefully. Ledger might have stolen the show as the Joker but the other actors do a very impressive job.

Aaron Eckhart does a brilliant job as Harvey Dent and his character clearly evokes the empathy of most of the audience. Maggie Gyllehnaal’s performance as Rachel Dawes is not going to make any one pine for Tom Cruise’s wife Katie Holmes who played the same character in the original.

Michael Caine brings in that air of dignity and warmth playing the butler Alfred. Bale is again solid as Batman, but he still seems a bit too distant in his bat costume and sounds like he is labouring to annunciate his lines.

The true genius of Ledger’s performance is his ability to play an out of control psychopath and pulling back just in time to avoid being a caricature. His Joker is a manic intellect, who won’t flinch at killing anyone. His ability to keep us under the threat of his unpredictability is as viscerally powerful as any action scene worth millions of dollars.

His performance is electric and admiring and that makes it even more tragic because his death has robbed us of more such performances.

The movie begins with a bank robbery and introduces us to Joker. The District Attorney Harvey Dent is leading a crusade against the underworld and has won the heart of Bruce Wayne’s love, Rachel Dawes. Batman wants to leave the life of crime fighting and wants to support Dent to take up the cause of fighting crime in Gotham City.

But Joker proves to be too much and it requires the power of all the good folks in Gotham, even the ordinary citizens, to finally overcome the evil of the Joker.

Nolan maturely handles some pretty heavy themes. The conflict between good and evil, fate and choice, action and consequence are all properly explored. The interior conflict in every character is evident and we readily connect with them. The Joker may be the only character that seems to be most pure in his motives, albeit evil, but the tragic death of the actor playing him brings in that outside extra dimension of complexity.

“The Dark Knight” is one of those rare films that manages to deliver on almost all levels. It may not be appropriate fare for young children, but with its adult themes and its numerous action sequences, it should please the teens too. It just might be a bit too dark to be a date movie.

– By Sevanand Gaddala

Rating: 3/5

Very glad to say that the skeptical me had to bow down to this very refreshing and thrilling movie because The Bourne Ultimatum can easily be described as the best of the lot. The film picks up right where its predecessor-The Bourne Supremacy left off. From there, through long dialogues, a pace is set and we move into Jason Bourne’s quest for the truth. The story, to be very honest, is not too different from the first two parts. But then again, the fun is not in the story, but how it’s told, isn’t it? Though Bourne has picked up some clues about his past, he is just as clueless as before. Only, now he is much more frustrated and hence more determined to get to the root of it all. The film shows him escaping from the bad guys in ingenious ways and tracking down leads in the most vicious. As he skips from one country to another, the viewers get to see a lot of action happening all over the world, but in the end, he comes back to good old America for the climax. This includes a cold, calculating and vicious kingpin (David Strathairn) and it is a fight to remember.

Matt Damon, Julia Stiles in The Bourne Ultimatum

This film is a total treat for all action lovers. Kudos to the action director because everything shown is way off the beaten track and highlights Jason Bourne’s creativity as a master fighter. One of the more memorable ones is when Bourne is in a bad spot surrounded by men trying to kill him. He throws the battered police car he is driving into reverse and speeds the hell out of there; it takes your breath away! Plus, just when you exhale, there is another mother of a scene waiting for you. Action wise, this film absolutely rocks!

Matt Damon keeps Jason Bourne alive. What I mean to say is that even after doing two movies as him, Damon has not let the character slip away and gives a very convincing performance as the confused and lost Bourne. He is aptly supported by David Strathairn, who plays his character to the tee. The rest of cast is also competent, but my one grouse was Julia Stiles who was wasted.

Matt Damon in The Bourne Ultimatum

Paul Greengrass has done an amazing job with this film. He has gone out and explored new realms of camera work. Though he is known for his love for hand held cameras, this time he has shown it to us by shooting almost the entire film this way. Experimental and realistic, it works for most of it, but some portions did need the prop of a tripod. Nonetheless, beautifully shot and wonderfully presented.

My verdict? It is a totally adrenalin pumping film and deserves to be seen.

Rating: 3/5