jullashanghavi Reviews

Hanna (2011)

The Good and the Bad

[6/10 · 10 April 2011]

I was excited when I saw the trailer for 'Hanna'. It seemed like a fresh departure from the norm.

THE GOOD: This film had wonderful cinematography. The lighting was just beautiful, and many of the scenes were a joy to watch...for myself, it was eye candy. The acting of lead actress, Saoirse Ronan, was just excellent. At her age, she was able to capture a sense of innocence, ruthlessness and confidence flawlessly. And of course, I could never forget the brilliant soundtrack. The Chemical Brothers did for 'Hanna', what I felt Daft Punk did for 'Tron:Legacy' - they enhanced the atmosphere of the film as a whole

THE BAD: While I absolutely loved many aspects of this film, I just cannot get over the numerous plot holes. Firstly, why did Hanna need to signal to Blanchett's character that she was alive and coming out of hiding? Knowing the power of Hanna, why didn't Blanchett use her common sense and get more police or get the government involved in capturing her and putting her in a place that she couldn't actually escape from? The idiot hooligan killers seemed unnecessary, and i didn't quite understand who they were and where they came from (or how they were qualified). By the end, the lack of answers to my questions just left me agitated. Moreover, while I guess Blanchett and Bana acted well in their roles, they seemed rather forgettable to me. Lastly, I wish there were more action sequences. The trailer set it up to be very Tarentino-esque (almost like 'The Bride' in Kill Bill), but I have to say, this film fell short.

While I loved certain aspects of this film, I feel like I cannot forgive the underdeveloped plot. It had so much potential...I really really wanted to love this film. Perhaps my expectations going into the film were way too high.

Black Swan (2010)

The Good and The Bad

[9/10 · 14 September 2010]

I was very lucky to snag tickets to see Black Swan at the the Toronto International Film Festival.

THE GOOD: Natalie Portman's acting was perfection - definitely an Oscar worthy performance. Mila Kunis's performance was surprising in a good way, it is clear that she stepped out of her comfort zone. The film's musical score was superb. Of course, much of it was taken from 'Swan Lake', but I loved that they were able to incorporate that music throughout the entire film and not just in the ballet scenes. Of course, it was beautifully shot and the plot was riveting - I was drawn in from beginning to end. The audience saw a new side of ballet/ theatre that is not often shown in popular films - the struggle the performer faces in committing to and perfecting a role. The struggle between 'good' vs. 'evil' was presented in a methodical and intriguing way.

THE BAD: Many parts of this film felt like it belonged in the horror Genre. Some parts definitely made me jump or cringe (which I was not expecting). The film was also an emotional roller-coaster, which was fine at first, but This 'emotional roller-coaster' sort of dragged on to the point that it almost felt like it was too much. I just feel that it could have been tuned down a notch.

Overall, I thought that most of the film was wonderful, and I highly recommend it.

Sex and the City 2 (2010)

The Good and The Bad

[1/10 · 30 May 2010]

After seeing the first Sex and the City movie, and finding it OKAY, I decided to take a stab at the second film. I am a huge fan of the HBO series, so i was naturally excited...

THE GOOD: Yes, there were some funny moments, and some nice things to look at (clothes, design, men). I liked most of the music choices, and I did enjoy the first 20 minutes or so of the film because it seemed as though it would be building up to something interesting, but just these few things alone could not have made a good enough movie for one of the best shows to ever air on television.

THE BAD: This movie had a lot of downfalls. Lets start with the plot (or lack there of). The audience was treated to four women that constantly complained about their "problems". I am not saying that their issues were not legitimate to regular women, but they did not present these issues in a way that would create an interesting plot..they were just seemingly simple problems that were over dramatized and annoying to listen to (lackluster marriage, boring job, declining hormones, having children...) In the middle of these "problems" we get to see how rich they are with their maids/nannys, change of expensive clothes every 4 minutes and fancy homes. All these things made it hard to sympathize with them. Yes, in the show we saw their lavish lifestyle, but this film was rubbing it in the audience's face, and it was a main part of the "storyline" when it really shouldn't have been. (plus, a lot of the clothing choices were NOT good)

It seemed as though they threw in the idea of going to Abu Dhabi just to make things interesting, but it just made things worse. I felt as though there was a mocking/ undermining quality to the way they portrayed middle eastern customs... But more importantly (to me) is the fact that when i think of the show and its title "Sex in the CITY" I think of that city as NYC, NOT Abu Dhabi (really, what were they thinking?)

Overall, i felt like this was a poorly executed film that had little resemblance to the show... I feel cheated.

Shutter Island (2010)

The Good and The Bad

[1/10 · 20 March 2010]

After coming on this usually reliable site and seeing the high rating for Shutter Island, I decided to check the movie out. I was HIGHLY disappointed… so much so, that it frustrates me to even give it enough attention to write this review.

THE GOOD: The cinematography made this film somewhat tolerable. The opening scene was great, but then it went downhill from there…

THE BAD: Whoever wrote this film should be ashamed. There was no originality to this plot whatsoever, and the overacting almost made this film unbearable. The ending was so frustrating that I wondered if I actually missed something. I kept waiting for the movie to get better, but it never did. I just kept thinking that this couldn't have been one of those "it was all a dream" clichés, but sadly it was. The entire film was so redundant that all I could say at the end of the film was: "seriously?" Do NOT waste your money… it will leave you angry and frustrated.