MODERN FAMILY (SEASON 3)

Creators:
Steven Levitan
Christopher Lloyd

Starring:
Ed O Neil
Sofia Vergara
Julie Bowen
Ty Burrell
Jesse Tyler Ferguson
Eric Stonestreet and others

Well, how do I start reviewing the third season season of essentially one of my favourite TV shows of recent past ( the show is behind Suits but is well ahead of the rest). This season is by far my favourite. Ok I agree that it is no longer as funny as the previous seasons but some of the one liners are simply amazing.

This season like the previous one focuses on the behaviour and the ideals each character stands for. This season had the expected good performances laced with quite a few memorable episodes so it is hard for me pick out an episode and label it the best of the season.

One off the main reasons as to why I preferred this season was because of the addition of a new character Lily. Yes, the same cute baby Lily in the previous seasons, so you make think as to how exactly is she new. Well first of all she has dialogues which add a new layer to the show and makes it even more exciting, because she is a quite a handful, as she has a never ending barrage of senseless tantrums.

Do watch this show, you will not regret it.

Pranit's Rating: 8.5/10

NOTES ON A SCANDAL (2006)

Director:

Richard Eyre

Writer:

Patrick Marber

Starring:
Judi Dench
Cate Blanchett

Andrew Simpson and others

Notes On A Scandal is a well meaning movie but I didn't really enjoy it completely. The last thirty minutes are tense and very good but otherwise the movie takes too long to build up. Judi Dench is truly sensational as  a disturbed woman, adding an extra bit of crazy by using her wealth of experience for the good. Blanchett is memorable and frankly these two performances are what keeps one interested in this affair. The writing is tight though the voice overs that Dench had were a little to philosophical for their own good. 

Pranit’s Rating: 6/10

THE GRADUATE (1967)

Director:

Mike Nichols

Writer:

Buck Henry
Calder Willingham

Starring:

Dustin Hoffman
Anne Bancroft
Katharine Ross and others

The Graduate is an extremely engaging watch. The only problem I had with this movie was its climax, which was overly melodramatic for my liking. Dustin Hoffman is a revelation and he delivers his best performance (according to me). Anne Bancroft is the main stand out as she brings a sense of lust and vulnerability in her role of Mrs. Robinson. The script is very good but the best part of this movie is Nichols direction which is truly stunning.

He brings raw sensuality into his characters without being graphic (something modern filmmakers ought to learn). From the fiery lust to the realization of true love, the transition is seamless and the emotions are captured wonderfully. The scene in which Anne Bancroft and Hoffman have a conversation, in bed and he gets angry and almost leaves leaves is the best directed one, as Nichols has his camera focused on Hoffman while Bancroft pulls her fishnet stocking and all he does is stare. This movie is a definite one time watch.

Pranit’s Rating: 7.5/10

CITIZEN KANE (1941)

Director:

Orson Welles

Writer:

Orson Welles
Herman J. Mankiewicz

Starring:

Orson Welles
Joseph Cotten
Dorothy Comingore and others

Citizen Kane is a very good movie. Released in 1941 when sound in pictures was very new this movie added a new dimension to film-making. Orson Welles is truly sensational as Charlie Kane. This vision in the direction of this movie was path breaking. The script, layered with sensational dialogues, is deliciously taunt and the end truly memorable signifying the fact that we hold on to our cherished childhood memories even when we are lying on our death bed. The final scene and the opening credits are very well shot.This movie was revolutionary for its time though now there are many amazing movies with similar impact therefore one may not like it as much.

Pranit’s Rating: 7/10

THE RAID: REDEMPTION (2011)

Director:

Gareth Evans

Writer:

Gareth Evans

Starring:

Iko Uwais
Ananda George
Ray Sahetapy and others

The Raid: Redemption is high octane stuff. The direction of the action sequences is very good but what this movie sorely misses is a script. The plot-line can be summarised as A SWAT teams goes into a compound and bham bham boom, crash and a cacophony of similar noises. The movie has ten dialogues but that works.   Iko Uwais is actually a saving grace and his action sequences are extremely well performed by him. If you are an action junkie then you will love this no holds bar flick but if you are not I would recommend you to stay away from this script-less fare.

Pranit’s Rating: 6/10

YOUR SISTER'S SISTER (2011)

Director:

Lynn Shelton

Writer:

Lynn Shelton

Starring:

Mark Duplass
Emily Blunt
Rosemarie DeWitt and others

Your Sister's Sister is a charming tale. It involves Jack(Mark Duplass) who has just lost his brother and is going to his best friend Iris's (Emily Blunt) remote cabin. There he meets Hannah (Rosemarie DeWitt) who is Iris's sister. The tale involves an in depth study of relationships. The direction is stunning and Shelton's writing really impressed me. Emily Blunt yet again delivers a good performance and I feel she deserves much more credit than she receives. This is a refreshing movie as it does not plunge into typical stereotypes. Watch out for Lynn Shelton's new movie Touchy Feely which is debuting at Sundance right now.

Pranit’s Rating: 7/10

MODERN FAMILY (SEASON 2)

Creators:
Steven Levitan
Christopher Lloyd

Starring:
Ed O Neil
Sofia Vergara
Julie Bowen
Ty Burrell
Jesse Tyler Ferguson
Eric Stonestreet and others

The second season of this show is good (I preferred the first one). This season has plenty of jokes and fun but the amount of jokes present in the episodes significantly reduce towards the latter half of the season. Ty Burrell is his usual fantastic self and probably has the best dialogues. The chemistry between Mitch and Cam (Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet respectively) is a significant improvement on the first season.

One of my favourite opening sequence was in the second episode of this season in which Claire (Julie Bowen) asks Phil as to why the number of lids and containers are never the same, to which he replies that maybe heblew his lid when she tried to contain him. This made me reminisce about the times my mother faced the same problem and how she would also get frustrated.

The characters are much better written and the emotions are well captured in this season. This family is a perfect example of how families are never perfect but each person makes up for the deficiencies of the other.

PS: My favourite episode of this season was the thirteenth one. Its a laugh riot.

Pranit's Rating: 8/10

PRIMER (2004)

Director:

Shane Carruth

Writer:

Shane Carruth

Starring:

Shane Carruth
David Sullivan
Casey Gooden and others

Firstly let me start by saying that I don't consider myself to be a smart ass but I ain't dumb either. Very rarely (if ever!) do movies come along which lead me to stare at the screen with admiration at the sheer incongruity the writer infuses into the screenplay. Well this is one of them. Primer makes essentially complex and ambiguous movies (read Inception and Shutter Island) seem like the creations of two year old's. This movie is geek and nerd nirvana as it is highly improbable that normal people actually understood as to what Carruth is trying to show. I do not know whether this movie requires multiple viewings or is just frankly above my level of understanding. I enjoyed the movie without really understanding the small nuances of the film. Watch it because a movie made on a 7000 dollar budget, winning the grand jury prize of Sundance 2004 definitely is a movie worth your time.

Pranit’s Rating: 6/10

GAME OF THRONES (SEASON 1)

Creators:
David Benioff
D.B. Weiss

Starring:
Lena Headey
Peter Dinklage
Michelle Fairley
Sean Bean and many many many more

Game of Thrones is not bad but labeling it as the best ever seems over than mildly overrating this series.

The top three things about this season:
1. The Characterisation: Even though the characters are adapted from the book, the writers have remained true to the original story-line and thus it has lead to believable characters and dirty politics even though the dialogue writing is not memorable.

2. The Direction: Each episode is directed with panache and charm which makes this show interesting.

3. PETER DINKLAGE: He is truly mesmerising in this show. I am pretty positive that I would not have been able to sit through the show without him.

The unbearable parts about this show:
1. The Writing: Okay this show maybe true to the book but the writers fascination with showing every character in each episode is irritating and unnecessary as some of them don't have anything to contribute to that particular episode.

2. The actors other than Dinklage, Lena Headey and Sean Bean (to some extent): It is a multicast show but the acting of some of the actors is amateurish. I personally don't like Kit Harington (John Snow) and John Bradley (Sam) one bit. The actors who are not amateurish are forgettable.

Well I am not a big fan of medieval fantasy adaptions so my review might be a little biased. This is a good show (I especially enjoyed the twist towards the end of the season!), there is no denying that but there are far better shows available as well. 

Pranit's Rating: 6.5/10

MODERN FAMILY (SEASON 1)

Creators:
Steven Levitan
Christopher Lloyd

Starring:
Ed O Neil
Sofia Vergara
Julie Bowen
Ty Burrell
Jesse Tyler Ferguson
Eric Stonestreet and others

Modern Family is a charming show that shows the problems faced by a family. Now one would wonder as to why this age old, tried and tested formula works out here. Well it is not only the exceptional performances of the cast but the sensational characterisation as well.

The main characters include Ed O'Neil playing Jay Pritchett a man in his early sixties married to Gloria Delgado-Pritchett (Sofia Vergara) who is much younger to him. Jay has two kids from a previous marriage Claire(Julie Bowen) and Mitchel(Jesse Tyler Ferguson). Claire is married to Phil Dunphy (Ty Burrell) and they have 3 kids namely Luke, Haley and Alex. Mitchel is gay and adopts a Vietnamese baby along with his partner Cameroon (Eric Stonestreet). Gloria has Manny from a previous marriage.

The thing that makes this show an entertainer are the dialogues and its different direction (it is known as mockumentory style where the actors speak into the camera). The narrative is brisk and is filled with truckloads of humour. Even though I would love to mention some of my favourite moments from the first season, I won't do that because I would end up writing down about the whole episodes. Watch this whimsical show about the values of family and accepting them for who they really are.

Pranit's Rating: 8.5/10

ANGER MANAGEMENT (SEASON 1)

Creator:

Bruce Helford

Starring:

Charlie Sheen
Selma Blair
Shawnee Smith
Daniela Bobadilla 
Noureen DeWolf and others

Anger Management is the show Charlie Sheen joined after being booted out of Two and A Half  Men. First things first, I maybe one of the very few people in this planet who preferred this over Two and A Half  Men. The first episode was kind of a shock because after playing Uncle Charlie, in this show he is a smart and well informed psychologist. That takes a little getting used to but once you do, a laugh riot follows.

The first season is short and sweet and the characters are likable. The stand out performer is Daniela Bobadilla who is very good as Charlie Sheen's(who plays Charlie Goodson) daughter Sam, who is suffering from OCD. Selma Blair is decent but one person whose performance didn't impress me was Shawnee Smith as Jennifer Goodson (Charlie Goodson's ex-wife).

The jokes are good though the making is a little monotonous but still the overall effect is there and the show is worth a look. The second season has just started.

Pranit’s Rating: 7/10

WAR WITCH (2012)

Director:

Kim Nguyen

Writer:

Kim Nguyen

Starring:

Rachael Mwanza
Serge Kanyinda
Ralph Prosper and others

War Witch is a brutal and saddening tale of a young 12 year old who is forced to go to war against the government by joining the rebel forces. It is a touching story because the main character Komona is telling her story for struggle over two years to her unborn child.

With this being said War Witch promises to be great but ends up somewhere in the middle ground. Rachael Mwanza is very good as Komona but the movie somehow didn't completely grip me. The parts in which she sees ghosts is tastefully done but other than that nothing in this movie kept me totally interested till the end. Still not a bad attempt but not Oscar nomination worthy according to me.

Pranit’s Rating: 6/10

PREDICTIONS: OSCARS 2013

BEST PICTURE :

Nominees :                                                                                            

                                                    

Amour     

                                                                                                                      Life Of Pi

       

                                                      

                                                                                

Lincoln                                                                                                            Argo 

                                                                                                                                                                   

                                       

Beasts Of The Southern Wild                                             Silver Linings Playbook

                                                 


Django Unchained
                                                                            
                                                                                                        Zero Dark Thirty
                                                                            

                                                       
                                                        Les Miserables

Pranit : Django Unchained                                                                                                                                          

The Way Oscar might go: Argo   

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE :

Nominees :

                                                                                 

Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook)                       Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)

                                                                 

                 


         




Hugh Jackman ( Les Miserables)                                Joaquin Phoenix (The Master)                                                     

                                                 Denzel Washington (Flight)

Pranit :  Joaquin Phoenix (The Master)                                                     

The Way Oscar might go: Hugh Jackman ( Les Miserables)/ Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE :

Nominees :

                  Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty)                                                                                                    
                                                              Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook)



                            

Emmanuelle Riva (Amour)                    Quvenzhane Wallis (Beasts Of The Southern Wild)

                                                        

                                                Naomi Watts (The Impossible)

Pranit : Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty)

The Way Oscar might go: Emmanuelle Riva (Amour)

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE :

Nominees:

Alan Arkin (Argo)                                             Robert De Niro (Silver Linings Playbook)

                         




Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Master)                              Tommy Lee Jones (Lincoln)

                                                           

                                      Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained)

Pranit : Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained)

The Way Oscar might go: Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained)

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE :

Nominees:

Amy Adams (The Master)                                                          Sally Field (Lincoln)

Anne Hathaway ( Les Miserables)                                   Helen Hunt (The Sessions)

                                                                                                                                 

                                       Jacki Weaver (Silver Linings Playbook) 

Pranit : Anne Hathaway ( Les Miserables)   

The Way Oscar might go:  Anne Hathaway ( Les Miserables)

DIRECTING :

Nominees:

Michael Haneke (Amour)                                         
                                                                   Behn Zeitlin (Beasts Of The Southern Wild)

Ang Lee  (Life Of Pi)

                                                                                                                                                                        Stephen Speilberg (Lincoln)

                                    David O' Russell (Silver Linings Playbook)

Pranit : Ang Lee (Life Of Pi)

The Way Oscar might go: Ang Lee  (Life Of Pi)

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM :

Nominees:

Amour                                                                                                  Kon-Tiki

                                                                                                                                              

         No

                                                                                                         A Royal Affair

                                                                      

                                                           War Witch

Pranit :  A Royal Affair

The Way Oscar might go: Amour 

MUSIC - Original Song :

Nominees:

                                              "Before My Time" - Chasing Ice

                                         "Everybody Needs A Best Friend" - Ted

                                                   "Pi's Lullaby" - Life Of Pi

                                                        "Skyfall" - Skyfall

                                                 "Suddenly" -  Les Miserables

Pranit : Skyfall

The Way Oscar might go: Skyfall