REVIEW: THE GRAND HEIST-I MEAN-INCEPTION

Sorry for that uber-lame title, but INCEPTION could be interchangeable with THE GRAND HEIST easily. I never expected the 10 hour mission to be longer than 30 minutes, let alone much of the movie. In fact, my brain will never be the same again. Just like the pretty Ellen Page said: "It's pure creation."
In this movie, Leonardo DiCaprio plays a thief. In fact, a dream thief. He knows the tricks to navigate one's mind. To perform a heist, he prepares an awesome team. He is the EXTRACTOR. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays the POINT MAN. Ellen Page plays the ARCHITECT. Ken Watanabe is the TOURIST. Marion Cotillard is the SHADE. Cillian Murphy is the MARK. Tom Hardy does a James Bond when playing the FORGER, and Micheal Caine is there for a bit. :)
Now that you know the actors, how did they perform. My goodness, they are first-rate. Best ensemble of the year. Leo is simply awesome. The whole movie rests on his shoulders. Joseph is great; he plays a likable guy and is badass in one of the most amazing fights I've seen. Page and Cotillard look great and act really well. Caine is there for a bit and does a great job. Ken i s great, Murphy is solid and Berenger is good.
Like BLADE RUNNER, this movie shows us completely new ideas and never bores. The talky parts are vital to the story. In fact, just like BR, people will question where the story lies. There is a story in all that visual glamor, and a beautiful one. I knew what to expect of it and got a huge surprise. The story is powerful and touching.
Now to the technical parts. The visuals are beautiful and used well. Not over-the-top at all; realistic as hell. The action sequences are hard-boiled and fast paced. Unlike other movies, you can't count how many there are. It's just so many put together. Since I'm an action-movie fan, the fact that there were so many in one sequence made me cry with happiness. Well, it almost did.
There will also be people that will say it is original, but in years, we'll get better movies that use their ideas to full potential. I say:this movie is way ahead of our time, just like BLADE RUNNER was in 1982. To wrap it all up, INCEPTION is BRILLIANT. Christopher Nolan never disappoints. Through his career he has given us a masterpiece after masterpiece. His fans know his true masterpiece will be the one with the intelligent script of MEMENTO and the scale of DARK KNIGHT. INCEPTION is exactly this, but God knows how many times better.
WATCH IT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MOVIES LIKE THIS ARE RARE!!!
Rating:10/10(WOW)

I N C E P T I O N TOMORROW

Well, tomorrow's the day. Whether you go at 12:01 midnight or 11:30 at morning, tomorrow is when we all enter the mind of CHRISTOPHER NOLAN. The movie seemingly will avenge the horrible box office of the amazing BLADE RUNNER. The movie probably won't reach DARK KNIGHT numbers, but it might be better. So far, it has a 85% on Rottentomatoes.com, but I don't care. BATMAN BEGINS has a 85% and I'd give it a perfect 10/10. PRESTIGE has a 75% but I'd give it a 10/10. The third highest rated Nolan film, INSOMNIA, has a 92%, but from me it gets a 9.5/10. So the fact that INCEPTION has great reviews but not as many as DARK KNIGHT doesn't matter to me. Roger Ebert gave it a 4/4 and Richard Roeper gave it an A+. This is enough for me. In fact, the final score will range from a 85%-95%, with most likely a 91%.

For me and many others, INCEPTION is a movie anticipated for its originality and the director. Chris Nolan has never disappointed. Why should he start now? Even if INCEPTION doesn't get a 10/10 from me, the least you can expect is a 8.8(that's how good Nolan is). Still, I know I will give it a 10/10. For MEMENTO, my rating would be 10/10. For DARK KNIGHT, I would give a 10/10. So four of his films are already masterpieces, while INSOMNIA is still brilliant. INCEPTION is Nolan's passion, so this should be incredible. Plus, most of the good reviews say it's a masterpiece. The negative reviews are because Nolan always gives a chill instead of any kind of warmth. That's why people love him, and he shouldn't change that.
GO WATCH I N C E P T I O N!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"ONE SIMPLE IDEA"
"YOU TAUGHT ME TO NAVIGATE THE MIND"
"I AM IMPRESSED"
"WAKE ME UP! WAKE ME UP!!"
"NEVER RECREATE FROM YOUR MEMORY. ALWAYS IMAGINE NEW PLACES."
"What's the most resilient parasite? An Idea. A single idea from the human mind can build cities. An idea can transform the world and rewrite all the rules. Which is why I have to steal it."
"Dreams feel real while we're in them. It's only when we wake up that we realize something was actually strange."
"I think I found a way home. And this last job, that's how I get there."

Random Blu Ray Review of the Week: BLOOD DIAMOND

Movie Rating: 9.6/10
BLOOD DIAMOND-for me-is the third best movie of 2006 after DEPARTED and CASINO ROYALE. The thing is, those movies are perfect. I found no flaws at all in them. BD, though intelligent and powerful, has its flaws, but more on to them later.
The pace here is intense and great. The story isn't amazing but powerful. I liked the script; it was intelligent. Also, the action here is heart-pounding. I especially liked the air strike sequence near the end, the brief car chase, the rebel fight with the army, and when Leo took down the soldiers on the mountain. These scenes are very remarkable. The violence here is realistic and gritty. Also, what really made me love this movie was Leonardo's performance. The whole movie was on his shoulders. His one-liners and expressions,as well as development, are outstanding. Djimon Hounsou also did a solid job. He contributed greatly to the drama of the story. Jennifer Connelly makes for alright enough eye candy and gave a great job here.
The movie has many genres:action-adventure, human drama, and political thriller. All three work fine and are effective. The thing is, they are not fit together perfectly. The movie is overall an adventure, and that works fine. The human drama here is moving but comes a bit too late in the flick. As for the political thriller, that comes in some parts and the slightly far-fetched ending. Also, the movie preaches itself too much.
Overall, besides some flaws, BLOOD DIAMOND is a moving, smart, and action-packed thriller that never ceased to entertain.
Video Quality: At times I felt that the grain structure here sometimes covered the details and quality. However, that was mainly in the night sequences. It's a good thing that the movie was mainly shot in the day, so the print there looks amazing. 8.5/10
Audio Quality: I didn't find to many hindrances in the audio. The movie sounds great, especially during the action. Still, the audio could have had better detail, and the dialogue is a bit louder than usual. Overall, the audio is good. 8.9/10
Special Features: I didn't check them, but here's the list-
FOCUS POINTS
BLOOD ON THE STONE
BECOMING ARCHER
JOURNALISM ON THE FRONT LINE
INSIDE THE SIEGE OF FREETOWN
NAS SHINE ON 'EM MUSIC VIDEO

In the end, BLOOD DIAMOND is a great movie that has some problems, but I didn't mind them too much. The leads are amazing, and Leo's performance here made me his fan. The action is great and the story is solid, with an impressively smart script. The picture isn't up to par with new Blu Rays but still looks awesome, the audio is fine, and the additional features will let you pass time. I highly recommend BLOOD DIAMOND.
Overall Rating: 9.5/10 :)
:)

Top Blu Rays of this week

Coming out to Blu Ray today is Christopher Nolan's psychological drama INSOMNIA, which was loved by critics and the audience alike. The movie had great performances by Al Pacino and Robin Williams, as well as Hillary Swank. The movie will look awesome in this new format(9.7/10).
Coming in second place IN BRUGES, the 2008 surprise starring Colin Farrel, Ralph Fiennes and Brendan Gleeson(9/10).
Other movies are: the average CHLOE(4/10), the horrible BOUNTY HUNTER(1/10), and the decent GREENBERG(7/10).

BOX OFFICE REPORT

DESPICABLE ME had a great opening with an estimated $56,397,125 at 3,476 theaters, which topped the box office. Though not much compared to Toy Story 3 and Shrek 4, the movie did great considering it isn't a sequel or a part of any franchise. In fact, it was the third biggest-grossing opening ever for a non-sequel, non-adaptation, non-Pixar animated movie behind Kung Fu Panda and Monsters Vs. Aliens. Nearly 45% of the movie's earnings came from 1,551 premium 3D screens. Though still comparatively low, it wasn't shown in 3D screens as much as other films.

In its second weekend, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse was off 51 percent to $31.7 million. This was much better than Twilight and New Moon , which dropped 62 and 70 percent, respectively. With Eclipse burning off a lot of demand with its Wednesday opening and then spreading out its first weekend over four days, this lighter drop was expected. Through its first 12 days, Eclipse has grossed $235.4 million, which was a bit behind New Moon through the same point.

In third place comes Predators. The movie gained a $24,760,882 at 2,669 theaters. It has the second highest opening for a Predator movie behind AVP, but that had the help of the Alien franchise. Though it brought solid numbers, it probably won't do much to improve 20th Century Fox's rather mediocre summer.

Review:DESPICABLE ME

DESPICABLE ME is one of those movies you just know will be good. In this year, the animated flicks TOY STORY 3 and HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON are the only perfect films of the year. Though I guessed this might not be as good, it would still be decent.
The result is a charming and smart kiddie flick, though it's a bit too light-weight. You'll see what I mean.
Basically, a Bond-style villain (Gru) wants to steal the moon. That's all there is. No taking over the world. For this, Gru needs the Shrink Ray. His yellow Minions are there to basically cheer him. Gru doesn't even do anything real bad; all he does is take over the news channel. Then, he is given the responsibility of 3 orphan girls. From here on, the story is fun and light.
The problem is, unlike TS3 OR DRAGON, this doesn't try to act like a kid's movie for adults. It acts like it's just for the targeted audience:children. Adults will find it amusing, sure, but they wouldn't like it as much as the other two movies, since they were mature.\
Still, this movie is plain fun with no serious problems. That's why I love it. The character Gru is great and he is well-written. The voice acting of Carrel is great. The three girls are funny and the most adorable kid is the smallest one("It's. So. FLUFFY!!!"). Their scenes with Gru are well-penned.
In the end, I can't say anything too bad about this flick. It's light, but it's a great watch. I recommend it.
Rating:9.1/10

Review: PREDATORS

It's been years, and not one sequel to 1987's PREDATOR was worthy. PREDATOR 2, ALEIN vs PREDATOR, and AVP 2:REQUIEM all were pretty much below average films. They weren't successful in the box office and with the critics. So when people found out Robert Rodriguez was producing the next sequel(some people say it's a reboot), hope in fans were revived. The cast is also efficient, even though it's hard to believe Adrien Brody can be an action hero.
What's the final verdict? Is it as epic as people have wanted it to be or as bad as the sequels?
The answer i s that it's nothing great, but a fairly entertaining ride. The energy in the movie is great, and the visual feel of the first movie is there. The actors are great, but Adrien Brody and Alice Braga make the bigger impacts. Don't expect great one-liners, because the dialogue is just tolerable(there was some bad dialogue, but I wouldn't focus on that too much).
The plot is basic, a group of killers have to destroy the Predators. Before I get into the real criticism here, I have to point out the flaw in the design of the classic Predator. I have to agree with Robert:how would it eat anything if the big horns/fangs are there?? Back then, it was alright for the design to be like that. Now, they should have been much smarter.
Now for the real problems. The plot is very formulaic and the action sequences could have been more well-shot, as well as less repetitive. Even so. they were still fun to watch. The culmination was the real problem, and it should have been simpler and not so overdone. Sadly, Antal went too far. Even the thrills weren't genuine. It just didn't have the suspense.
I would like to point out that this isn't a bad film, not at all. It's packed with energy and I was fairly entertained.
Overall, PREDATORS is much better than the sequels, and pretty entertaining. Still, it needed to be much more.
Rating:5.8/10

PBN Crowd Pleaser Review: The HIT MAKER Is Back

Ever since last year's HOMEGROWN(with smash hits like Dancefloor, Sohni Lagdi and Aashiq), the fans couldn't wait for Punjabi By Nature's next. You would've expected a 2 year gap, but one year seemed enough for him. Even so, we get a different and simply superb Punjabi album in PBN's CROWD PLEASER.
The first track unleashed is basically the Jaan Punjabi of the album, KAUN NEE JAANDAH. This song has a different backdrop to hit, as well as unique beats and a great vocalist(Daljit Mattu). The lyrics are great(Punjabiya nu Kaun Nee Jaandah!!?!). Overall, this is an awesome start to PBN's soundtrack.
The next song features H Dhami, one of my favorite Punjabi singers. His debut album SADKE JAVA was great, and PBN was featured in Nachdi Vekhna. This time, PBN and Dhami bring together a great song. It has freshness to it in the antara, and brings back the fun old bhangra times in the punchline. It's a genuinely fun song.
BOLI has PBN and Ms. Pooja again(last time they worked together was Aashiq). That song was a super chartbuster, and this will be no less. The track is very energetic, and Ms. Pooja's vocals bring the house down. The use of the tabla is fantastic. PBN is at the peak of the album here, as it would seem. The remix is pretty decent, too.
That would be wrong. HAI SONIYE(featuring Master Rakesh from Dr Zeus's Kangana) is actually my favorite PBN song to date. The opening strings and the nice beats are soothing. Then the song becomes simply brilliant. The voice of Master Rakesh is just too good. I haven't heard a voice quite like it. The beats, guitar, rap, and chorus are nicely fit together. The song is amazing, to put it simply.
Crowd Pleaser goes down to the Homegrown alley this time, which had a song like this(Jagoo). Basically, this type of song isn't too different but great to put on repeat as well as parties. The song is LAK HILDAA. The song is quite basic, and the sync and percussion are well used here. Still, the vocals make this strong great. The pairing of the two singers(including Heera) is awesome. The song is good, no doubt.
The next number, PYAAR is a melancholic track and a beautiful one at that. The use of the singer Liyakat Ali and strings(as well as the metronome) well done. Also, this song is very different from PBN's usual efforts. In fact, the whole album is unique for a Punjabi soundtrack. This proves it more. PBN always has one great soft number in his soundtrack(Vas Challeh, Banere Utte), but this is something else. Hai Soniye and Pyaar are so far the high points of Crowd Pleaser.
The final track KAUN NACHDI is a grand culmination for PBN's soundtrack. This time, PBN himself is at the helm of the mike and his voice is filled with masti. This is his second singing attempt, last time being Sohni Lagdi, and he's already on my top 10 singers. This song is the ultimate bhangra number, this song is simply EPIC in the antara. This track will make you jump with joy. And a few pegs. ;)
Overall, this soundtrack is amazing, PBN.s best. It's a unique album, one to be cherished. All songs are great, and 7 of them are amazing. Why not get this track???
Rating: 10/10(rare)
Tracks best to least:
1.Hai Soniyeh
2.Pyaar
3.Kaun Nachdi
4..Kaun Nee Jaandah
5..Boli
6..Gereh Kad Dee
7.Lak Hildaa

This Week's Releases...PREDATORS and DESPICABLE ME

On July 9, two well-anticipated movies are releasing. First, let's talk about the adult one: Robert Rodriguez's PREDATORS. All the way back in June 12, 1987, came a movie with a top billed actor: ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER. The movie PREDATOR had a moderate budget of $15 million and had gained hype. This was another movie about a team against a creature, so the similarity to James Cameron's ALIENS was quite clear. PREDATOR had an opening weekend of $12,031,638, and domestically went on to $59,735,548. The foreign numbers were good, too. The added foreign gross($38,532,010) gave the movie a total of $98,267,558 . However, the sequel tanked at the box office(domestic:$30,669,413 and worldwide $57,120,318). The crossover films(Alien vs. Predator, Alien vs. Predator:Requiem) are both hated and also failed to make profits. Still, the popularity of Robert Rodriguez and Adrien Brody(and the fact that the visual feel is the same as the first's) just might make PREDATORS a success. The decent budget and early word of mouth will help it, too.
PREDATORS Box Office Predictions:
BO Domestic: $80,000,000-$100,000,000
BO Worldwide: $140,000,000-$200,000,000
Now for DESPICABLE ME. The movie has positive reviews(82$ Rt.com as I type) and has gained popularity through the promotion. Though some critics didn't like it for not being as "dark" as Pixar's films(Toy Story 3 especially). others found it entertaining and good fun. Movies like these get lapped up by the families. The 3D will help the movie's BO.
DESPICABLE ME Box Office Predictions:
BO Domestic: $250,000,000-$290,000,000
BO Worldwide: $430,000,000-$480,000,000

The work of Christopher Nolan.

Christopher Nolan is probably the only director to have made only good movies in his career. Not only this, but all of his flicks have been superbly made. Nolan made his debut as a director in 1998 with his independent drama FOLLOWING. It was well-received by critics, but it was not the picture that gained him fans.
His next picture was released in 2001 and even that was not mainstream-his outstanding MEMENTO. Rottentomatoes.com gave it a 93/100. The audience lapped it up, but a little more than the critics, because the RT Community gave it a 97%. That is no easy feat. This flick was noted for the use of black-and-white sequences. The movie intelligently separated story from plot. Due to its unique chronological structure, the audience needed to know why it happened, rather than how.
Next up, Chris Nolan went on to direct INSOMNIA. This was a psychological drama that was driven by Al Pacino and Robin Williams' performances. Hillary Swank also did a great job. The movie was again loved by critics(92%), and the audience(now fans of Nolan) liked it, too. Still, they say it's is weakest flick because of its slow pace. Insomnia did well at the BO.
Nolan's next picture came 3 years later. This time he went mainstream. Warner Brothers was still with him and Legendary Pictures came in. The movie BATMAN BEGINS gained Nolan the potential to be able to direct big films. This time, the critics liked it but not as much as his others (85%), but that was because some people didn't like the dark feel and depressing mood. Primarily, the critics loved it for its action, the emotional grip, performances and realistically strong story. The set up for the sequel gained more devotion to Christopher Nolan. Batman Begins had a budget of approx. 150 million dollars. It fared well domestically with $205,197,285 and worldwide with $167,366,241, having a total of $372,710,015 .Though not exactly a blockbuster, the fan following and acclaim was great enough for it to deserve a sequel.
In 2006, Nolan didn't exactly make a big picture, but still a well-hyped one. THE PRESTIGE was a fantasy-thriller about rival stage magicians, with one trying to find out the other one's tricks. The Prestige is loved by the fans. Most say it's his best movie to date. The use of subtle imagery and the fact that it never stopped challenging the audience made it brilliant. The performances of Christian Bale(also in Nolan's previous picture) and Hugh Jackman, as well as Micheal Caine were liked by all. Still, some critics felt it was a tad too ridiculous. Others said it was brilliance. The Prestige also did okay at the BO (domestically it made $53,002,677).
In 2008, Nolan created a movie that is said to be one of the greatest crime dramas ever made: THE DARK KNIGHT. Of course there are people that say it's overrated-but they are a minority. People can't get enough of Heath Ledger's striking performance as The Joker-one the best written characters many have ever seen. The rest of the cast was great, too. The nearly non-stop action and intelligent writing made this movie amazing, and it was intensely directed by the great Christopher Nolan. It didn't do "okay" or "decent"- The Dark Knight turned out to be a blockbuster. Domestically it made $533,316,061. At first it didn't break a billion overall(about $952 million) but with the IMAX re-release, it had a total of $1,001,921,825.
Now, I N C E P TI O N is said to be Nolan's greatest film ever if you read the early reviews. The fact that it wants you to think hard and the unique characters(as well as superb visuals) might just make it a blockbuster like TDK. Even if it doesn't have a great BO, it still will have great critical acclaim.
I N C E P T I O N predictions
My BO prediction domestic: approx $496,000,000-$520,000,000
My BO prediction overall: approx $940,000,000-$1,300,000,000
RT Tomatometer Critics- 97%(cough Armond White and 3 other haters cough)
RT Tomatometer Top Critics- 100%
RT Tomatometer Community- 96%
Metacritic-89-94(weighted score)