Posted by Bell Mattew
Posted on 10:16 AM
Genre: Action/Crime
Starring: Michael Caine, Noel Coward, Raf Vallone
A British thief, Charlie Crocker (Caine) is released from prison and learns that his good friend has been killed by the Italian mafia over the Alps. His friends widowed wife gives Charlie the tapes of a plan that her husband was going to undertake until he got killed by the Mafia. A Turin-based automobile manufacturing company, Fiat, regularly transfers large stash of money from Turin airport to various destinations. The plan is to isolate this convoy in the middle of Turin and steal the stash. For this assignment he needs a gang of people and he breaks into prison to meet his ex-warden, Mr. Bridger (Coward) to ask him to arrange this for him. Mr. Bridger learns that the Chinese are heavily investing in Fiat towards the setting up of a new factory and agrees to help Charlie. The only reason this movie is iconic or has a cult following is for the Mini Cooper cars that are featured in this. The movie is famous amongst car fanatics for displaying an array of fast cars from the '60s and showcasing their raw power and ability. Lamborghini Miura, Aston Martin DB4, Jaguar E-type, Mini Coopers and what not, they all make their own respective appearances winding through the twisted and flat roads of the alps. The only drawback of the movie is the crime itself which seems to be hugely skewed in favour of movies main protagonist. Can you steal a stash of gold from a heavily armed convoy with bats and sticks? Does an armoured truck take 10 tries to smash open a wooden door? And no matter how many times Mr. Crocker manages to shake off the cops in a heavily modified Mini they always seem to come back right on his tail. And what is with the awkward ending? The movie is a love or hate kinds where action and car fans might enjoy it simply since it fulfills their desires but a more average audience would probably shake it off as being nothing very different.
Thumbs up: The beautiful cars!
Thumbs down: Laughable crime plot
Rating: 6.5/10
Action,
Crime,
Good Movies,
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Posted by Bell Mattew
Posted on 12:57 AM
Genre: Crime/Drama/Biography
Starring: Jim Sturgess, Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth, Laurence Fishburne, Aaron Yoo, Liza Lapira, Jacob Pitts, Josh Gad
Casino movies seem to have always been loved by the larger audience. The thrill of winning and the emotions of big losses has traditionally gone down well with audiences. The
game of Blackjack is largely based on math and fast calculations, apart from just pure luck. An MIT professor, Micky Rosa (Spacey) has trained a team of players who are skilled in calculations and who would play in Blackjack in Vegas every weekend. The idea is to
count cards, which is not illegal but simply looked down upon by casinos, and win a whole lot of money. Ben Campbell (Sturgees) is a top-grade MIT student who has got admission in Harvard Med but cannot afford the $300,000 fees. Micky sees a potential player in Ben and manages to convince him to join the team in lure of being able to pay off his Harvard fees. The movie has managed to garner a huge fan following, mostly since it has showcased a lot of casinos and gambling.
21 has a very interesting climax to it but what actually pulls it down is the slow segments that the movie keeps having. The movie is good fun to watch, especially for someone who loves the game. Maybe some more interesting performances and a more consistent plot throughout would have helped in making this movie even better.
Thumbs up: Great story
Thumbs down: Slow segments in-between
Rating: 6.8/10
Biography,
Crime,
Drama,
Good Movies,
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Posted by Bell Mattew
Posted on 9:00 AM
Genre: Action/Crime
Starring: Robert De Niro, Jean Reno, Jonathan Pryce, Natascha McElhone, Stellan Skarsgard
A group of people from various backgrounds have come together to perform a high-value crime. Seamus O'Rourke (Pryce) is an Irish terrorist who has employed Deirdre (McElhone) to assemble a team of operatives who can attack a convoy and steal a briefcase. Sam (De Niro) an ex-CIA agent who is on the run is part of the team along with Frenchman Vincent (Reno) and a polish computer specialist Gregor (Skarsgard) amongst others. The contents of the case is never revealed and what ensues for the rest of the movie is an action-packed wild goose chase across France for the briefcase with a lot of twists and turns. The movie is based on a tested storyline but it has a very entertaining second half. The first 30 minutes appear to be slow and dragged but once the action kicks in, its a blast of a movie to watch. The crime or the performances are not something to watch and the only thing that might appeal to the audience is the raw '90s action without any special effects or over-dramatic sequences.A great entertainer and a good one-time watch.
Thumbs up: Fabulous car chases and action sequences
Thumbs down: Un-original crime plot
Rating: 7.0/10
Action,
Crime,
Good Movies,
{[['
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Posted by Bell Mattew
Posted on 9:03 AM
Genre: Action/Adventure/Crime/Fantasy
Starring: Craig Sheffer, Eric Roberts, Sonia Couling, Gary Daniels
A security guard of a biometrics facility gets implanted with a unique device with the power to change the world. Chad Turner (Sheffer) must now travel to Berlin from Bangkok along with the chip in order to bring it to safety. In order to ensure Chad's safety, Cooper (Roberts) the head of security of Avanti, the maker of the chip, travels with him from Bangkok to Berlin. A rival company wants to get hold of this chip and hires a hitman, Joseph Pike (Daniels) to trace down the chip and bring it back at any cost. Joseph learns that the chip is traveling with Chad and decides to hijack the aircraft and obtain it.Coming from a Christian movie making company, the movie has a lot of Christianity infused into it and most of it seems to be done rather forcefully. Nowhere in the movie is the consequences of the chip explained, the action is horrible and plot is overall very boring. The unwanted religious preachings that seem to have no connect with the actual movie does not actually add any value to it. The makers seemed to want to drive a point and somehow that objective got built around an action movie storyline. Highly avoidable and only to be watched by the religious.
Thumbs up: Nah
Thumbs down: Lame action, boring, forced Christianity preachings every now and then
Rating: 2.0/10
Action,
Adventure,
Crime,
Fantasy,
Pathetic Movies,
{[['
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Posted by Bell Mattew
Posted on 1:47 AM
Genre: Action/Crime/Adventure
Starring: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Judi Dench, Ralph Fiennes, Naomi Harris
Celebrating 50 years of James Bond on film, Skyfall is the twenty-third movie in the franchisee and Daniel Craig's third. 007 (Bond) is on a mission in Turkey where a mercenary killed several MI6 agents and has stolen a hard drive that contains the information of several NATO operatives who are hiding undercover in various terrorist organisations throughout the world. If this information gets revealed, several operatives would be compromised. When Bond and Eve (Harris) fail to recover the hard drive from the mercenary, M (Dench) comes under political pressure for failing to save the lives of so many agents and is asked to take up voluntary retirement. The MI6 headquarters comes under a terrorist attack which causes further damage to M and her image. 007 was assumed to have been shot dead in Turkey but who actually survives. He enjoys death and decides to retire for good when the troubles back home convince him that he is needed once more. An old, unfit and alcohol addicted James Bond returns to duty with a huge question mark slapped on his head on whether he can continue the job or not. The movie is very different from the usual Bond movies where we are accustomed to seeing Bond romance several beauties, have a gadget loaded car and have blistering action sequences. There was no 'Bond girl' in this movie, there were hardly any awesome gadgets that 007 used and save for the first 20 minutes there was absolutely no other captivating action sequence the movie could bring up. Javier Bardem was a saving grace to some extent but somehow he too does not feel like the right villain that Bond would usually fight. The movie was disappointing and although I haven't seen each and every Bond movie, I will go as far as claiming this to be one of the worst I have come across.
Thumbs up: Good action at the start, shows a different side of Bond
Thumbs down: Does not feel Bond-like. A lot of the necessary Bond elements are missing
Rating: 5.8/10
Action,
Adventure,
Average Movies,
Crime,
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Posted by Bell Mattew
Posted on 9:17 AM
Genre: Comedy/Drama/Adventure
Starring: Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Bill Hader, Seth Rogen, Martha MacIsaac, Emma Stone
When three underage teenagers are out to have a crazy night of revelry, things go wrong, way too wrong. Seth (Hill) is a fat kid who is obsessed with sex and is a little too eager about getting laid. Evan (Cera) is a bit more practical and although he too shares the same desires as Seth, he wants love rather than lust. Fogell (Mintz-Plasse) tries very hard to be tough and project a bad boy attitude but fails almost every time. Seth and Evan are very close friends who have been doing almost everything together since they were a kid. People call them inseparable which might be true. Jules (Stone) is throwing a party and the three guys offer to somehow arrange for the alcohol. Evan has a crush on Becca (MacIsaac) who too agrees to come to the party if Evan can get for her her favourite alcohol. All three of them intend to get their lady loves drunk enough to get lucky with them. When Fogell gets a fake Hawaii drivers license with his name as 'McLovin' and age 25, when he clearly doesn't look that old, and whilst trying to buy the alcohol the shop gets robbed and cops come down to inspect, things seem to be getting very messed up. The movie builds on a not-so-genuine concept of a crazy night out but it still manages to entertain to a certain degree. The run time of the movie is too long (almost 2 hours), the humour is lacking in most areas and it just somehow doesn't seem to be complete. The movie probably needed a good humour touch up and that would make it an awesome entertainer. Good story, but could have had more.
Thumbs up: Nice plot, entertaining to a certain degree
Thumbs down: Too long, needs more humour
Rating: 6.2.10
Adventure,
Average Movies,
Comedy,
Drama,
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Posted by Bell Mattew
Posted on 1:14 AM
Genre: Science-fiction/Action/Crime/Fantasy
Starring: Michael Keaton, Michelle Pfeiffer, Danny DeVito, Christopher Walken, Michael Gough
The second movie of the very famous Batman comic series. A deformed baby is born in Gotham city who is thrown away by his parents due to his deformity. The young child gets raised by penguins in the city zoo and lives within the sewers. Years later, this child emerges as the Penguin (DeVito) and announces that he wants to trace back his identity and discover himself. Max Shreck (Walken) is Gotham city's biggest industrialist and wants to install more power plants within the city. Although the city currently generates a surplus, Max is trying to convince investors and the mayor that Gotham would soon need more power and he is investing for the future. In reality, power plant would actually drain power from the cities power grid and this is discovered by Max's secretary, Selina Kyle (Pfeiffer). Selina, originally an introvert, survives a murder attempt by Max and converts herself into the Catwoman and hatches a plan of revenge against Max. Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne aka Batman (Keaton) smells a rat when The Penguin decides to run for mayor and starts to get down and discover what the actual reason is. The movie is quite similar to the earlier movie with only the villain changing and the addition of The Catwoman. What makes this movie very desirable is Danny DeVito and his fabulous performance of The Penguin. Somehow, Batman's villains have always had good performances, including the new and old versions. The movie is a very normal super-hero entertainer but is worth that entertainment value and is enjoyable.
Thumbs up: Danny DeVito's stupendous performance
Thumbs down: Nothing in particular, its very well rounded
Rating: 7.2/10
Action,
Crime,
Fantasy,
Good Movies,
Science-fiction,
{[['
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Posted by Bell Mattew
Posted on 1:33 AM
Genre: Romance/Drama
Starring: Channing Tatum, Amanda Seyfried, Richard Jenkins, Henry Thomas
Most romantic movies are too good to be true. Most movies have a twist towards the end due to which the relationship does not work out and its this very twist that determines the fate of the movie. A young soldier John Tyree (Tatum) is home on vacation and falls in love with a college student Savannah (Seyfried) over the summer. Savannah has to return to college and John needs to report to duty and they both promise to meet after a year. 9/11 happens and John is compelled to extend his duty and cancel leave and to serve his country. The young romance that happened over a year ago just over a couple of weeks, has blossomed to large levels over the regular exchange of letters. However, everything is too good to be true and disaster strikes. Like I send before, there always is a twist that determines the outcome of the movie. In this case, the twist was just simply lame. In fact the whole climax goes mostly unexplained and makes you wonder how that even happened and why would anyone do that. It comes across as stupid and irrational and kills the otherwise steady movie. Most of the movie is the normal blossoming of love between the two without getting too boring or too interesting. What entirely kills the movie is the final outcome. The movie is watchable for romance fans but it really wont touch you or make you go 'awwww...' towards the end.
Thumbs up: Good romance, easy watch
Thumbs down: Horrible climax
Rating: 5.2/10
Average Movies,
Drama,
Romance,
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Posted by Bell Mattew
Posted on 10:10 AM
Genre: Comedy/Drama/Fantasy
Starring: Paresh Rawal, Akshay Kumar, Om Puri, Mithun Chakraborthy, Mahesh Manjrekar, Poonam Jhawer, Lubna Salim, Govind Namdeo, Murli Sharma
The world is divided into two parts, those who believe in god and those who don't. God holds a strong sentimental value within most of us and we blindly follow the faith without thinking twice about why we are doing something and what is the meaning behind it. Kanjibhai (Rawal) is a middle-class atheist residing in the bustling city of Mumbai. He makes a living by running an antiques shop where he sells religious idols by faking its history and value. Its a profession people look down upon, he mocks people who believe in idol worship and those who celebrate festivals. One day, after insulting the high priest of a temple, Siddheshwar Maharaj (Namdeo), Kanjibhai finds his shop destroyed in an earthquake. The insurance companies refuse to settle his claim since earthquakes are classified as 'an act of god' and society tells him that he is being punished for not worshipping the lord above. Frustrated, he decides to take God to court and sue him for damages caused due to the loss of his business. Enter Krishna Vasudev Yadav (Kumar) who is the modern incarnation of Lord Krishna and shows Kanjibhai the right path from the wrong. The movie is indeed an eye-opener and shows how people around the world do something in the name of religion where practicality and common sense gets simply thrown out of the window. Although the movie tries to create awareness about correct religion, its message is still a bit jumbled and unclear. The message somehow doesn't get conveyed with the clarity that it should have been and seems very lost and vague. Apart from that, Paresh Rawal has done a good job which is different from his usual slap-stick comedy that we are so used to seeing him in. A great entertainer and a must watch with the entire family.
Thumbs up: Paresh Rawal at his best
Thumbs down: A very confused and vague delivery of the ultimate message that the movie wants to put forth.
Rating: 7.4/10
Bollywood,
Comedy,
Drama,
Fantasy,
Good Movies,
{[['
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Posted by Bell Mattew
Posted on 9:57 AM
Genre: Thriller/Crime/Drama
Starring: Kevin Costner, William Hurt, Demi Moore, Dane Cook, Danielle Panabaker
Everybody has some or the other hobby that we all like to regularly practice. The reason why we have a hobby is because it gives us fun, enjoyment and a lot of satisfaction. Mr. Earl Brooks (Costner), the Man of the Year and a successful and rich businessman, too has a hobby that he regularly practices. He loves killing people. He is known as the 'Thumbprint Killer' since he leaves a thumbprint of the victims after the murder. He has no motive, no pattern and has no connection with the victims whatsoever, pure pleasure. Mr. Brooks has abstained from his sadistic hobby for two years by curbing his desires, but his alter-ego and id, Walter (Hurt) keeps playing with his mind and convinces him to return once more. The movie is a sensational thriller that he keeps you glued for a very long time. Although this may not be a true murder mystery or the kind of crime movie that we are generally accustomed to, its still very different and interesting. What the movie lacks are some sensational twists or some eye-popping scenes, which its simple and consistent plot line seems to be missing, Kevin Costner has done a phenomenal performance of a wealthy man with a wicked and dark side and he seems to be tailor made for the role. A great watch but it has scope for improvement.
Thumbs up: Kevin Costner, interesting story
Thumbs down: Lack of good twists and an engaging climax
Rating: 7.6/10
Crime,
Drama,
Good Movies,
Thriller,
{[['
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Posted by Bell Mattew
Posted on 10:00 AM
Genre: Comedy/Drama/Romance
Starring: Brendan Sexton III, Dan Fogler, Zoe Lister Jones, Jon Polito
Also known as: Wedding Bros. Two brothers who are completely opposite of each other, find themselves in an identically similar situation. Anthony Marconi (Sexton III) is the first person in his family to graduate from college and intends to use his knowledge in improving the family business. Carmine Marconi (Fogler) is a good-for-nothing and uneducated man who works in the family business because he has nothing better to do. The Marconi families business is in selling carpets and Anthony's father is not interested in applying any of Anthony's fancy marketing ideas to increase business. Whilst carrying out a carpet laying assignment, Anthony and Carmine meet Lou Burns (Polito) who is a wedding videographer and is looking for two assistants to help during the next wedding assignment. Sensing an opportunity, the two brothers decide to quit the family business and start a whole new life with Burns and his videography business. The movie is quite uninteresting and seems to based on a very lame idea. Although the plot does somehow manage to blend a lot of elements together, it just gets very dragged and boring after a while. Lack of decent humour or enjoyable romance leaves it with nothing very interesting. An average movie that is watchable but not very enjoyable.
Thumbs up: An average entertainer
Thumbs down: Not very funny or interesting, a bit boring
Rating: 5.0/10
Average Movies,
Comedy,
Drama,
Romance,
{[['
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Posted by Bell Mattew
Posted on 10:27 AM
Genre: Spoof/Comedy/Drama/Musical
Starring: Shoshana Bush, Damon Wayans Jr., Essence Atkins, Affion Crockett. Shawn Wayans, Amy Sedaris
Spoof movies are usually the kinds that you would want to watch once and forget for the rest of your lives. A sudden out-break of dance movies (
High School Musical, Step Up, You Got Served) has prompted this hilarious break dance that intends to laugh at every other musical movie there is. Megan White (Bush) is an amateur ballet dancer who moves to the inner-city from the suburbs. She finds it difficult to adjust to the new life and has a lot of misadventures. She befriends Charity Uncles (Atkins) who is a single mother with very bad parenting skills. Her boyfriend and the father of the child, Baby Daddy (Wayans) has abandoned the child and spends very little time with him. Thomas Uncles (Wayans Jr.) the younger brother of Charity, is stuck for a street gang lord to whom he owns a lot of money. Thomas and Megan fall in love with each other and Thomas intends to teach her how to dance on the street and forget about ballet. This review itself might sound outrageous but that is because the movie is just like it. Stupid humour and a plot that can harldy be called a plot forms the basis and foundation of this movie. If you have seen one spoof movie, you have seen them all. It would be good fun for those who have seen the movies in question and can do with a bit of humour, but everyone else might feel a bit out of place.
Thumbs up: Good spoof
Thumbs down: Random scenes that are only created to spoof some movie
Rating: 5.0/10
Comedy,
Drama,
Musical,
Pathetic Movies,
Spoof,
{[['
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Posted by Bell Mattew
Posted on 11:21 AM
Genre: Fantasy/Comedy/Drama
Starring: Adam Sandler, Guy Pearce, Courteney Cox, Laura Ann Kesling, Jonathan Morgan Heit, Keri Russell, Teresa Palmer, Russell Brand, Richard Griffiths
Every movie need not necessarily blow your mind away. There can be some that simply keep you entertained and that's all. Skeeter Bronson (Sandler) works in a ultra-luxurious hotel as a handyman. His father once owned that very hotel but due to financial troubles he had to sell it to a friend who gave him a verbal promise of eventually allowing Skeeter to run the hotel. Barry Nottingham (Griffiths) has decided to not live up to his word that he gave to his friend and Skeeter continues to remain as the handyman, hoping that his hard work would eventually pay off some day. When Skeeter's sister Wendt (Cox) asks him to babysit her two children whilst she was out of a town for a few days, Skeeter doesn't realise that this would change his life forever. The bedtime stories that he used to narrate to the children every night, started coming true in reality and he realised that he could probably use these stories to make his life much better. The movie is very typically made for the young and could only possibly appeal to their mindset. Adam Sandler is funny, but not all and out funny. It is good enough for the audience it is conceived for and is a decent family entertainer.
Thumbs up: Great entertainer
Thumbs down: Sandler could be more funny
Rating: 6.2/10
Average Movies,
Comedy,
Drama,
Fantasy,
{[['
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Posted by Bell Mattew
Posted on 12:21 AM
Genre: Comedy/Drama/Fantasy/Action
Starring: Simon Pegg, Kate Ashfield, Nick Frost, Lucy Davis, Dylan Moran, Penelope Wilton, Bill Nighy
When a group of worthless and objectiveless friends suddenly find themselves surrounded by zombies all over, their life takes a turn. Shaun (Pegg) and his childhood buddy (Ed) share an apartment where Shaun works at an electronics store and Ed does nothing. Whilst Shaun hates his job and life, Ed sits at home playing video games all day long. Liz (Ashfield) Shaun's girlfriend is tried of Shaun and his hopeless attitude and his love for the pub called Winchester. Liz feels that Shaun is being held back because of Ed and is not able to progress in life because Ed cannot support himself. One fine morning, the group find themselves facing a zombie catastrophe and Shaun decides that he needs to rescue Liz and his mum and take them to safety. His amazing plan is to pick up Liz, her friends, his mum, her husband and take them all to good old Winchester until the zombie situation dies down. The movie is quite funny and is a good mix of comedy and action with the casual thrills and chills thrown here and there. Its a good mixed pot but lacks any one of the elements to really stand out. Its not all that funny, the action is not all that great and the plot is way too simple. Pegg and Frost have appeared in many movies together and the duo make a solid humour pair and are virtually unbeatable. A good entertainer but nothing too exceptional.
Thumbs up: Pegg and Frost duo is amazing, good mixture of everything
Thumbs down: Nothing really stands out
Rating: 6.7/10
Action,
Comedy,
Drama,
Fantasy,
Good Movies,
{[['
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Posted by Bell Mattew
Posted on 10:03 AM
Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Matthew Broderick, Chris Klein, Jessica Campbell, Delaney Driscoll
A high school student body election turns out to be very eventful, apart from being extremely hilarious. Tracy Flick (Witherspoon) has regularly come first in class, been a part of almost all student body departments, is extremely clever and, has a lot ego about herself. Her intelligence is her pride and she considers herself to be perfect in everything. After spending years in establishing a reputation for herself in school she finally decides to run for student body president, a post she is vying to take up for years. The school history teach, Mr. Jim McAllister (Broderick) is like the teacher counterpart of Tracy who too has won numerous 'Teacher of the Year' awards and is respected a lot by the school management. Jim holds a grudge against Tracy, from past events and due to Tracy's smug look and 'know-it-all' attitude. In order to give Tracy some competition, he decides to convince the school's football captain who is now injured and cannot plat. He hopes that is his popularity would work in his favour to topple Tracy from winning the title. The movie is a fun watch with a lot going for almost everybody. Its not hilariously funny but its still good enough to watch and enjoy. Reese Witherspoon has put on a good show for her part and fits the role that she was supposed to fulfill. A good and enjoyable one-timer.
Thumbs up: Reese Witherspoon
Thumbs down: Not all that funny
Rating: 6.4/10
Average Movies,
Comedy,
Drama,
{[['
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Posted by Bell Mattew
Posted on 2:42 AM
Starring: Rachel Blanchard, Scott Speedman, Devon Bostick, Arsinee Khanjian, Noam Jenkins
A young university student, Simon (Bostick) gets a brainwave during his French class, a thought whose future repercussions he would never ever have been able to imagine. When Simon's French teacher, Sabine (Khanjian) is narrating a past newspaper story report where a Palestinian terrorist plants a bomb in his pregnant fiancees bag without her knowing it and tries to put her on a flight to Israel, it prompts Simon to try and envisages his own Palestinian father Sami (Jenkins) to be the terrorist, his mother Rachel (Blanchard) to be the pregnant lady and he was the yet unborn child. Sabine is impressed with Simon's creativity and tries to get him to draft a play for the drama theatre and convinces him to believe the story to be true. In reality, Simon's father and mother died in a car accident which Simon always feared to be untrue. Simon's grandfather was always of the notion that Simon's father, killed them both on purpose and it was not an accident. The movie is very slow to pick up and can appear to be a tad confusing at first. Give it time, and the story slowly takes shape and starts to make a whole lot more sense. The unique story is well drafted and executed which makes it a good watch, although a bit slow at times. An interesting movie but be prepared to be forced to use your brains a bit.
Thumbs up: Fabulous story, good plot execution
Thumbs down: A bit slow and too confusing
Rating: 7.0/10
Drama,
Good Movies,
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