Zoom (2006)

Genre: Comedy/Drama/Science-fiction/Fantasy/Adventure/Action

Starring: Tim Allen, Courteney Cox, Chevy Chase, Spencer Breslin, Kate Mara, Michael Cassidy, Ryan Newman

The Zenith Team was a team of super-heroes led by Zoom (Allen) many years ago. The team collapsed when the government tried to artificially enhance their powers which turned Zoom's brother Concussion onto the evil side who subsequently killed all the team members except Zoom, who simply lost his powers. Concussion was presumed dead and now the government has information that he will return in less than 10 days. Zoom is now a demoralised aging man who doesn't believe in super-heroes anymore and is recruited by the government to initiate a training programme where people with unique powers are to be recruited and trained by Zoom. A new team is formed consisting of Tucker aka Mega-Boy (Breslin) who can inflate any part of his body, Summer aka Wonder (Mara) who can control objects with her mind, Dylan aka Houdini (Cassidy) who can become invisible and Cindy aka Princess (Newman) who has super-strength. Time is slowly ticking by and the new team is far from ready. With Zoom not having any amount of faith in the children, his demoralising and uninterested attitude don't help things too much. The movie tries to blend every possible genre known to movie-making and makes a big mess of things. Multiple lose strings, scenes added without having anything to do with the storyline and unexplained parts plague the entire movie. The movie might just vaguely appeal to the average 7-year-old but still needs a lot to work on. Highly avoidable.

Thumbs up: Nothing at all

Thumbs down: Bad story, poor acting

Rating: 4.9/10

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Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Pathetic Movies, Science-fiction,

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Freedom Writers (2007)

Genre: Drama/Biogrpahy/History

Starring: Hillary Swank, Patrick Dempsey, Scott Glenn, Imelda Staunton, April L. Hernandez, Mario, Jason Finn

The 1992 Los Angeles riots and gang wars created a deeper racist divide amongst people than it already was. The city got divided into territories and young teenagers who should be in school were instead carrying guns and were thirsty for the blood of rival gang members. Erin Gruwell (Swank) is newly appointed English teacher at the Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach. The school was once a very prestigious institute which has now been downgraded because of the recent integration. Teenagers who come from criminal backgrounds and from juvenile jails are forced to attend school or face going back to prison. Erin realises that teaching them is not as easy as she thought it would be, especially when the students are not interested in learning from her and fights break out every now and then. The head of department Margaret Campbell (Staunton) refuses to allocate school resources to her because she thinks it would be a waste and the students would get nothing out of it. Gruwell goes against the tide to give her students a better life and tries to teach them beyond what she set out to teach in the classroom. Hillary Swank has always been known to put on a fabulous performance and this movie is no different. Along with a very good support cast, the movie shines out tremendously and keeps you gripped in your seat for a very long time. A highly recommended watch for everyone.

Thumbs up: Brilliant performances

Thumbs down: Flawless

Rating: 8.4/10

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Amazing Movies, Biography, Drama,

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The Kings Speech (2010)

 

Genre: Biography/History/Drama

Starring: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce

Britain, 1925, King George V is on his death-bed and the evaluation of the heirs begins. David, The Prince of Wales (Pearce) is the obvious choice for the throne since he is the elder son. However, David has never involved himself in assisting his father in political administration and has hence learnt nothing. He wishes to marry an American socialite who is twice divorced, an act prohibited for the King. Prince Albert (Firth) David's younger brother is more suitable for the throne but the only thorn being that he suffers from a stammering problem. With the growth of wireless radio technology, the number of speeches given by the King are increasing and if the King cant talk, he cant be King. Princess Elizabeth (Carter) Prince Albert's wife, introduces him to a speech therapist Lionel Logue (Rush) whose unconventional and crazy methods of therapy don't go down well with the Prince. However, after much convincing, Logue becomes the Prince's speech therapist who helps him in perfecting his speech and be made ready to become king. Its not everyday that a movie that seems to have a bland and uninspiring outlook manages to entice audiences to such a level. Colin Firth puts on a marvelous performance, something which everybody cant do for such a difficult role. A very gripping and inspiring story and each and every one of those Academy Awards are well-deserved.

Thumbs up: Colin Firth and other performances

Thumbs down: None

Rating: 8.4/10

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Amazing Movies, Biography, Drama, Historical Event,

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How to Lose Friends & Alienate People (2008)

Genre: Comedy/Drama/Romance

Starring: Simon Pegg, Megan Fox, Kirsten Dunst, Jeff Bridges

A good-for-nothing British journalist, Sydney Young (Pegg) is trying desperately to get into the lives of celebrities and run his own gossip magazine, The Post Modern Review. He ends up making a joke of himself in a post-BAFTA party, posing with a pig whom he claims played the role of Babe. The editor of the internationally renowned Sharps magazine, Clayton Harding (Bridges) is amused by Young's stupidity and decides to recruit him to work with Sharps. He meets Alison (Dunst) who works with him in the same department, who tries very hard to teach him the tricks of the trade. Sophie Maes (Fox) is the new upcoming hot starlet whom Young cant seem to get his eyes off. Just when things seem to be going down for him, his life changes, but is it for the good? The first thing about the movie that would spark your interest to watch it would be the title itself. The second aspect of the movie that is appealing is Simon Pegg and his sense of humour. He managed to put up a good performance, enough to make you laugh now and then but nothing that you would roll over on the floor. A decent comedy to watch and enjoy once without having any serious expectations.

Thumbs up: Simon Pegg

Thumbs down: Cliched ending

Rating: 7.0/10

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Comedy, Drama, Good Movies, Romance,

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