5 Seconds Review

THE ARTIST

2012-01-28T11:09:00.005+05:30

Year: 2011

Genre: Drama/Comedy/Romance

Language: Silent/English

Runtime: 1 hour 36 minutes

It's a heartfelt homage to the silent era of charming black & white movies made in Hollywood. A beautiful amalgamation of drama, comedy, heartbreak, and romance held together by the gripping music by Ludovic Bource and the engaging performances by Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo. A delightful, heartwarming, visually soothing, and refreshing treat.

Rating: 4.5/5

Links:

imdb

rotten tomatoes

metacritic

flixster

Trailer:

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3

2012-01-21T21:07:00.010+05:30

                 
Year: 2011

                         Genre: Horror

                          Language: English

                     Runtime: 1 hour 34 minutes

It's a good addition to the Paranormal Activity series and quite reminiscent of the first film - minimal, tense, scary, and atmospheric with few new creepy tweaks. It definitely succeeds in delivering the scares, but it's difficult to find something astonishingly new and unique in this.

                           Rating: 3.25/5

Links:

                         
imdb

                          rotten tomatoes

                             metacritic

                              flixster

                              Trailer:

A SEPERATION a.k.a JODAEIYE NADER AZ SIMIN

2011-12-19T12:27:00.004+05:30

Year: 2011

Genre: Drama/Suspense

Language: Persian

Runtime: 1 hour 57 minutes

A fast paced & suspenseful marital drama set in the present day Iran about two couples trapped in a legal tangle and their attempts to tackle the situation, where it's difficult to sympathize with just one character as the story unfolds. A hard hitting & an emotional film that fearlessly explores fractured relationships, gender politics, social injustice, and religious fanaticism.

Rating: 4.5/5

Links:

imdb

rotten tomatoes

metacritic

flixster

Trailer:

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN

2011-12-12T15:43:00.009+05:30

Year: 2011

Genre: Drama/Crime

Language: English

Runtime: 1 hour 52 minutes

A slow-paced dysfunctional family drama centered around a destructive mother-son relationship, which almost works as a grim horror film. Unsettling yet gripping.

Rating: 3.5/5

Links:

imdb

rotten tomatoes

metacritic

flixster

Trailer:

50/50

2011-11-28T19:09:00.007+05:30

Year: 2011
Genre: Drama/Comedy
Language: English
Runtime: 1 hour 39 minutes

An engaging and poignant drama about friendship, love, and life sprinkled with heartwarming humor, which is subtly funny makes it an endearing watch. The pleasant & moving performances by each & everyone uplifts the film to deliver an emotional and a refreshing experience.

Rating: 4.5/5

Links:

imdb
rotten tomatoes
metacritic
flixster
official website

Trailer:

GANDU a.k.a ASSHOLE

2011-10-29T20:43:00.008+05:30

Year: 2011
Genre: Drama/Musical
Language: Bangla
Runtime: 1 hour 25 minutes

A slice of life story about a young man's angst, despair, and frustration laced with rap, drugs, friendship, sex, and social commentary. Transgressive, rebellious, poetic, moody, and hallucinatory. Recommended.

Rating: 3.5/5

Links:

imdb
rotten tomatoes
twitchfilm
flixster

Trailer:

GANDU TRAILER BERLINALE from Overdose Joint on Vimeo.

Harmony 'Enfant Terrible' Korine

2011-10-02T15:41:00.046+05:30

“I never cared so much about making perfect sense. I wanted to make perfect nonsense. I wanted to tell jokes, but I didn't give a fuck about the punchline.” - Harmony Korine, Filmmaker.

Harmony Korine is a prominent Independent American filmmaker who kicked off his career by writing the highly controversial 'Kids' directed by Larry Clark (Bully, Ken Park).

The first word that comes to my mind when I think of Harmony Korine is What! followed by 'the fuck'. His films are unintentionally unconventional, disturbing, avant-garde yet charming with underlying tones of dark humor & conflicting human emotions

Harmony Korine's films demand complete submission in order to experience it. You will either hate or love his films, but you can't ignore them. His filmography may not be the most extensive or known, but he definitely knows how to surprise the audience with his every new offering.

My personal favorites have to be Gummo, Julien Donkey-Boy, and Umshini Wam.

He usually points out in most of his interviews stating, “What I remember myself from films, and what I love about films, are specific scenes and characters.” and that's what he delivers in his debut feature film - Gummo released in 1997.

Gummo really isn't a film, in the conventional sense, but more of an uneven collage of the (fucked up) lives of different people in an alienated tornado-hit town.

Gummo primarily works as a bleak & weirdly hilarious slice-of-life film accompanied by a soundtrack that evokes a sense of melancholy & anger.

It's comprised of various photographically placed poignant, haunting, bizarre, and emotional scenes that are not only effective, but also affective.

It's the 6th film to be made under Dogme 95 & Harmony's second feature film. Julien Donkey-Boy released in 1999 featured a solid cast starring Ewen Bremner who plays Julien, Werner Herzog, and Chloë Sevigny who raised this film to a whole new level by their stellar performances.

The other strong points of the film lie in the schizophrenically heady, trippy, and disoriented visuals that paint a distressing yet quirky picture of dysfunctional family relationships.

I would describe this film as a result of mixing one color after another on a water color palette until you are exhausted & left with no choice, but to go with the final color on the palette - Good or bad, doesn't matter anymore.

Umshini Wam is one of Korine's many shorts, which released in 2011 featuring Yo Landi & Ninja with kickass & filthy beats by DJ Hi-Tek of the popular South African Hip-Hop/Rap group Die Antwoord.

It's a delightful tale about two wheelchair ridden wannabe gangsters whose daily activities include rummaging through garbage in search of treasure, smoking pot, playing, and spraying bullets.

The South African English accent & the zany performances by Ninja & Yo-Landi makes this film a pleasing & emotional watch. A 'Gangsta' film with a heart & soul!

DRIVE

2011-10-01T21:29:00.004+05:30

Year: 2011
Genre: Crime/Noir
Language: English
Runtime: 1 hour 39 minutes

A captivating slow-burner, which is intensely calm yet tense waiting to explode in violence. The cinematography & music beautifully compliment each other by creating an atmosphere that is intoxicating, tense, stylishly retro, suspenseful, and brutal. A dizzying & sublime cocktail of heist, love, and murder.

Rating: 4/5

Links:

imdb
rotten tomatoes
metacritic
flixster

Trailer:

FOUR LIONS

2011-09-17T16:02:00.006+05:30

Year: 2010

Genre: Dark Comedy
Language: English
Runtime: 1 hour 37 minutes

A hilarious yet horrifying black comedy that takes the satirical route to portray a group of British Jihadists & their aim to achieve glory through terror. The hand-held cinematography along with the night vision sequences makes the whole absurdity & madness seem real, gritty, tense, and thrilling. Kudos to the Director Christopher Morris, the screenwriters & the brilliant cast for this ludicrous treat.

Rating: 4.5/5

Links:

imdb
rotten tomatoes
metacritic
flixster

Trailer:

GRIZZLY MAN

2011-08-23T21:46:00.004+05:30

Year: 2005
Genre: Documentary
Language: English
Runtime: 1 hour 44 minutes

Compassionate, affectionate, poignant, playful, confessional, exhilarating, delusional, and disturbing. This is way beyond a wildlife documentary film. A must watch!

Rating: 4/5

Links:
imdb
rotten tomatoes
metacritic
flixster

Trailer:

THE TREE OF LIFE

2011-08-02T11:09:00.008+05:30

Year: 2011
Genre: Drama
Language: English
Runtime: 2 hours 18 minutes

An eccentric drama that explores the microcosm and macrocosm of life narrated with stimulating & soul-melting visuals. Immersive, meditative, introspective, and relaxing. Cleanse your soul with the Tree Of Life.

Rating: 4/5

Links:
imdb
rotten tomatoes
metacritic

Trailer:

COLD FISH a.k.a TSUMETAI NETTAIGYO

2011-07-12T19:45:00.007+05:30

Year: 2010
Genre: Psychological/Thriller
Language: Japanese
Runtime: 2 hours 26 minutes

A twisted psychopathic thriller fuelled by dysfunctional relationships, murders, femme fatale, and sex. It's psychologically disturbing & hilarious at times. The perfectly timed twists keep you glued to the screen till the very end. One brilliant mindfuck of a movie!

Rating: 4/5

Links:

imdb
rotten tomatoes
horrorphilia review

Trailer:

INCENDIES

2011-05-12T22:17:00.000+05:30

Year: 2010
Genre: Drama/Mystery/War
Language: French/Arabic
Runtime: 2 hours 10 minutes

A thrillingly told story that mixes the haunting flashback sequences with the present to deliver a traumatizing yet hopeful result. Engrossing, shocking, and cathartic. An essential watch!

Rating: 5/5

Links:

imdb
flixster
metacritic
rotten tomatoes

Trailer:

CONFESSIONS a.k.a KOKUHAKU

2011-05-12T21:58:00.000+05:30

Year: 2010
Genre: Crime/Drama/Thriller/Revenge
Language: Japanese
Runtime: 1 hour 46 minutes

A beautiful & dark showcase of series of confessions that spark off with a murder and end with a perplexing finale. The spellbinding cinematography & the primary showcase of grimly beautiful slo-mo visuals wrapped around a very interesting soundtrack make it an engrossing watch. Revenge has never looked so sinisterly beautiful on celluloid before. Highly Recommended

Rating: 4.5/5

Links:

imdb
flixster
rotten tomatoes

Trailer:

KINATAY a.k.a THE EXECUTION OF P

2011-05-09T21:01:00.004+05:30

Year: 2009
Genre: Crime/Handycam
Language: Filipino, Tagalog
Runtime: 1 hour 44 minutes

A haunting & grim road journey into the dark underworld of kidnap, torture, and brutal execution. The bleak & tense atmosphere are brilliantly captured by the handheld cameras delivering a grisly taste of voyeurism.

Rating: 3.5/5

Links:

imdb
flixster
rotten tomatoes

Trailer:

A SERBIAN FILM a.k.a SRPSKI FILM

2011-05-08T21:38:00.004+05:30

Year: 2010
Genre: Horror/Avant-Garde Porn/Thriller
Language: Serbian
Runtime: 1 hour 44 minutes

A brutal, heady, and an enduring low budget-indie 'gornographic' film that will leave you psychologically raped, sickened, and numb by the time you witness the finale.

Rating: 3/5

Links:

imdb
rotten tomatoes
twitchfilm

Trailer:

RABBIT HOLE

2011-05-01T23:57:00.005+05:30

Year: 2010
Genre: Romance/Drama
Language: English
Runtime: 1 hour 54 minutes

A beautiful & emotional rollercoaster tale of loss, grief, hope, change, and a new beginning presented in its own unique & subtle way without going melodramatic or overboard. The heart-wrenching & natural performances by Aaron Eckhart & Nicole Kidman make this a wonderful watch.

Rating: 4/5

Links:

imdb
metacritic
rotten tomatoes
flixster

Trailer:

THE FIGHTER

2011-05-01T23:22:00.005+05:30

Year: 2010
Genre: Action/Biography
Language: English
Runtime: 1 hour 54 minutes

A gritty brotherhood-boxing-drama with thunderous & live-wire performances by Mellisa Leo, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, and Mark Wahlberg. A captivating, realistic, authentic and emotional watch!

Rating: 4/5

Links:

imdb
metacritic
rotten tomatoes
flixster

Trailer:

ALEXANDRA'S PROJECT

2011-05-01T22:15:00.004+05:30

Year: 2003
Genre: Psychological/Handycam/Thriller
Language: English
Runtime: 1 hour 43 minutes

A low-budget, unusual and a mystifying femme fatale revenge thriller having a brilliant premise which after a certain point completely loses track & spirals down to nothingness. Watch it for the bizarre oddities & some fine performances.

Rating: 3/5

Links:

imdb
metacritic
rotten tomatoes
flixster

Trailer:

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2

2011-02-24T19:54:00.003+05:30

Year: 2010
Genre: Horror/Handycam
Language: English
Runtime: 1 hour 31 minutes

A very fitting & an almost perfect prequel that goes by the rules & at par with the first part with the usual unnerving showcase of built up tension, freakouts, door slamming, howling, and body pulling.

Rating: 3/5

Links:

imdb
metacritic
flixster

Trailer:

CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST

2011-02-23T22:56:00.005+05:30

Year: 1980
Genre: Horror/Gore/Black Comedy
Language: English/Spanish
Runtime: 1 hour 35 minutes

A grisly & a disgustingly delicious satire on media sensationalism. A near perfect realistic display of guts, brutal animal & sexual torture, horror, sex, castration, and cannibalism. Go get your brains annihilated!

Rating: 3.5/5

Links:

imdb
rotten tomatoes
flixster

Trailer:

THE KING'S SPEECH

2011-02-13T19:44:00.004+05:30

Year: 2010
Genre: Drama
Language: English
Runtime: 1 hour 51 minutes

A compelling period film about friendship, duty, and persistence seasoned with warm & quippy humor. The final speech is ought to send a shiver down your spine and make you feel elevated at the end. Majestic performances by Colin Firth & Geoffrey Rush.

Rating: 4.5/5

Links:

imdb
metacritic
flixster

Trailer:

BLUE VALENTINE

2011-02-09T23:26:00.006+05:30

Year: 2010
Genre: Drama/Romance
Language: English
Runtime: 1 hour 51 minutes

A progressively crushing & a fresh take on a contemporary relationship - Natural, realistic, poignant, sensitive, heartwrenching, unsettling, and absolutely riveting. The seamless transition between the past & the present effortlessly pushes the film forward making it an engrossing watch. Kudos to the director Derek Cianfrance & the lead actors Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams for their tremendous & sincere efforts.

Rating: 4/5

Links:

imdb
metacritic
flixster

Trailer:

DOGTOOTH

2011-01-31T22:34:00.006+05:30

Year: 2009
Genre: Drama/Black Comedy
Language: Greek
Runtime: 1 hour 34 minutes

A delirious family drama that is bizarre, ridiculously gibberish, demented, perverse, dysfunctional, and weirdly humorous in the truest sense. Go experience this exhilaratingly heady mindfuck of a movie!

Rating: 4/5

Links:

imdb
metacritic
flixster

Trailer:

NEVER LET ME GO

2011-01-30T22:26:00.009+05:30

Year: 2010
Genre: Sci-Fi/Drama/Romance
Language: English
Runtime: 1 hour 44 minutes

A triangular relationship having layers of romance, jealousy, heartbreak, and death set in a dystopian future, which is atmospherically picturized with a sense of poignancy throughout.

Rating: 3.5/5

Links:

imdb
metacritic
flixster

Trailer:

127 HOURS

2011-01-23T23:11:00.004+05:30

Year: 2010
Genre: Adventure/Thriller/Memoir/Handycam
Language: English
Runtime: 1 hour 33 minutes

A delusional nightmare that is visceral, surrealistic, gut-wrenching, and absolutely poignant with an underlying sense of hope & conviction. A special mention to the impeccable screenplay, direction, acting, and above all the breathtaking cinematography.

Rating: 4.5/5

Links:

imdb
metacritic
flixster

Trailer:

BLACK SWAN

2011-01-17T21:12:00.004+05:30

Year: 2010
Genre: Horror/Musical/Drama/Thriller
Language: English
Runtime: 1 hour 47 minutes

A phantasmagorical fairytale that is dark, erotic, hallucinating, thrilling, twisted, schizophrenic and unequivocally enchanting. A special mention to Natalie Portman for her very earnest performance and Darren Aronofsky for his impeccable direction.

Rating: 4/5

Links:

imdb
metacritic
flixster
official website

Trailer:

LAST TRAIN HOME

2011-01-13T22:12:00.005+05:30

Year: 2009
Genre: Documentary/Drama
Language: Mandarin Chinese
Runtime: 1 hour 30 minutes

An exceptional documentary about a long distant family relationship & their efforts to sustain it. Lixin Fan, the director & cinematographer of the film creates a spellbinding panorama & imagery, which is breathtakingly absorbing, natural, earthy, intense, moving, heart-aching, and mesmerizing. Highly recommended.

Rating: 4.5/5

Links:

imdb
metacritic
flixster

Trailer:

SCOTT PILGRIM V/S THE WORLD

2011-01-03T00:08:00.004+05:30

Year: 2010
Genre: Action/Romance
Language: English
Runtime: 1 hour 53 minutes

A ridiculously tantalizing cocktail of sugarcoated romance and mind-blastingly stylized arcade videogame like action. Here style is miles ahead of substance, but it is awesomely done nonetheless!

Rating: 3.5/5

Links:

imdb
flixster
metacritic

Trailer:

CATFISH

2010-12-31T18:02:00.009+05:30

Year: 2010
Genre: Documentary/Handycam/Mystery
Language: English
Runtime: 1 hour 27 minutes

A docu-style filmed, twisted tale of two people who meet on Facebook & eventually what happens when the two worlds finally collide. Mildly disturbing, original, suspenseful, and thought provoking

Rating: 3.5/5

Links:

imdb
metacritic
flixster


Trailer:

HARISHCHANDRACHI FACTORY

2010-10-08T11:17:00.003+05:30

Year: 2009
Genre: Comedy/Biopic/Drama
Language: Marathi
Runtime: 1 hour 37 minutes

A slice of life story of the early days of Dadasaheb Phalke, the pioneer  of Indian Cinema & his foray into the art of film making. A very  light hearted, economical, and a refreshing film tossed with witty  dialogues & delightful humor sans any account of the turbulent reality  of those days. 

Rating: 4/5

Links:
imdb
mid-day
wogma
official website

Trailer:

REPRISE

2010-09-28T18:15:00.005+05:30

Year: 2006
Genre: Drama/Romance
Language: Norwegian
Runtime: 1 hour 45 minutes

A captivating film with a thrilling screenplay, exuberant cinematography, and brilliant editing & direction. The overtone of gloominess blends seamlessly with the aggressiveness, angst, & the passion shown in the film.

Rating: 4/5

Links:
imdb
flixster
metacritic

Trailer:

FUNNY GAMES

2010-09-25T21:09:00.008+05:30

Year: 1997
Genre: Horror/Crime/Thriller
Language: German
Runtime: 1 hour 43 minutes

A very seemingly simple yet compelling torture drama that is bizarre, eerily funny,  emotional, unconventional, and really entertaining.

Rating: 4/5

Links:
imdb
flixster
rotten tomatoes

Trailer:

BULLET BALLET

2010-09-25T17:16:00.003+05:30

Year: 1998
Genre: Action/Thriller/Crime
Language: Japanese
Runtime: 1 hour 26 minutes

An avantgarde, obscure, gritty, hallucinatory, and a cerebral hammering neo-noir thriller.

Rating: 3.5/5
for cinematography, direction, and art.

Links:

imdb
dvd verdict
snowblood apple

Trailer:

MAREBITO a.k.a THE STRANGER FROM AFAR

2010-09-24T17:18:00.003+05:30

Year: 2004
Genre: Horror/Mystery/Handycam
Language: Japanese
Runtime: 1 hour 31 minutes

Throws the viewer into a labyrinth of psychological madness & claustrophobia. Quite a creepy and a somber film that will leave one with a lot of questions at the end.

Rating: 3.5/5

Links:

imdb
rotten tomatoes
snowblood apple

Trailer:

TRASH HUMPERS

2010-09-22T19:13:00.005+05:30

Year: 2010
Genre: Documentary/Horror
Language: English
Runtime: 1 hour 14 minutes

A vandalistic & an uneven mockumentary that is funny, disturbing, boring, irritating, and exhausting to watch. A transgressive piece of trash that deserves to be watched atleast once.

Rating: 2.5/5

Links:

imdb
flixster
official website

Trailer:

AJAMI

2010-09-22T08:48:00.006+05:30

Year: 2009
Genre: Drama/Crime/Thriller
Language: Arabic/Hebrew
Runtime: 2 hours

A very thought provoking modern day drama about violence, love, brotherhood, and despair centered around Israeli-Arabs, Israeli-Jews, Israeli-Christians, and Palestinians. Magnificently shot, directed, written, and edited. A sensational & an important film.

Rating: 3.5/5

Links:
imdb
flixster
rotten tomatoes
official website

Trailer:

JACK KETCHUM'S THE GIRL NEXT DOOR

2010-09-21T16:48:00.003+05:30

Year: 2007
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Language: English
Runtime: 1 hour 31 minutes

A psychotic & a disquieting film based on a true story with a  wafer-thin plot that mainly focuses on extreme physical torture without  being too graphic.

Rating: 3/5

Links:
imdb
flixster
official website

Trailer:

2LDK

2010-09-17T22:02:00.004+05:30

Year: 2003
Genre: Drama/Thriller
Language: Japanese
Runtime: 1 hour 9 minutes

2 Women in an apartment - Expect fireworks! Bitchy, violent, neurotic, intense, and outrageously entertaining.

Rating: 3.5/5

Links:

imdb
mandiapple
flixster
rotten tomatoes

Trailer:

RELIGULOUS

2010-09-01T17:50:00.002+05:30

Year: 2008

Genre: Documentary/Comedy
Language: English
Runtime: 1 hour 41 minutes

Entertaining, hilarious, and an outrageous documentary that sarcastically dissects religious beliefs and gives rise to new thoughts and questions for debate. An atheist's treat.

Rating: 3.5/5

Links:
imdb
flixster
metacritic

Trailer:

GO

2010-08-31T13:09:00.003+05:30

Year: 1999

Genre: Crime/Thriller/Comedy
Language: English
Runtime: 1 hour 42 minutes

3 intertwining stories embellished with drugs, sex, rave, thrills, and crime. Pretty Tarantino-ish.

Rating: 3/5

Links:
imdb
metacritic
rotten tomatoes

Trailer:

PEEPLI LIVE

2010-08-18T20:33:00.017+05:30

Year: 2010

Genre: Drama/Comedy
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 1 hour 40 minutes

Anusha Rizvi makes a good satirical social commentary on the farmers' suicides in India with her debut film that never goes overboard. A little gem of a movie spiced with sarcastic dialogues & an appropriate background score.

Rating: 3.5/5

Links:

imdb
wogma
metacritic
official website

Trailer:

THE RULES OF ATTRACTION

2010-08-11T02:06:00.005+05:30

Year: 2002
Genre: Romance/Drama/College
Language: English
Runtime: 1 hour 35 minutes

A dark college drama that mainly centers around 3 individuals seeking "true" love. Few scenes are incredibly shot especially Victor's intro scene, the suicide scene, and the rewound scenes & that's that.

Rating: 3/5

Links:

imdb
flixster
metacritic

Trailer:

FALLEN ANGELS

2010-08-02T11:59:00.005+05:30

Year: 1995

Genre: Romance/Crime
Language: Cantonese
Runtime: 1 hour 35 minutes

A psychedelic collage of intoxicating & hallucinating visuals full of violence, zaniness, sensuality, and passion.

Rating: 4/5

Links:
imdb
flixster
rotten tomatoes

Trailer:

VANILLA SKY

2010-07-27T22:58:00.005+05:30

Year: 2001
Genre: Thriller/Crime/Romance/Mystery
Language: English
Runtime: 2 hours 14 minutes

Gripping, mysterious, and expository to some extent. The Lynchian vibes could be felt throughout the second half of the film except for the fact that Lynch's films are ought to rape your senses more. Good film nonetheless.

Rating: 3/5

Links:

imdb
metacritic
flixster

Trailer:

INCEPTION

2010-07-16T14:37:00.005+05:30

Year: 2010
Genre: Thriller/Crime/Action
Language: English
Runtime: 2 hours 28 minutes

A brain scrambling, visually engrossing, and a horrifyingly absorbing lucid dream that you can't easily escape.

The film leaves a deep impression on you and your heart still racing even when you have left the theatre.

Impeccable screenplay, cast, cinematography, music and direction.

Rating: 4.5/5

Links:

imdb
flixster
metacritic
official website

Trailer:

DANCER IN THE DARK

2010-06-22T21:29:00.006+05:30

Year: 2000
Genre: Musical/Drama/Crime
Language: English
Runtime: 2 hours 17 minutes

A beautifully shot, choreographed, and a heart wrenching surreal musical/drama. Every characters are believable in their parts, especially Björk who is just phenomenal. A very moving & depressing piece of cinema.

Rating: 4.5/5

Links:
imdb
flixster
metacritic

Trailer:

THE GIRL ON THE BRIDGE a.k.a LA FILLE SUR LE PONT

2010-06-14T21:50:00.005+05:30

Year: 1999
Genre: Romance/Drama
Language: French
Runtime: 1 hour 28 minutes

An absorbing tale of two strangers who are bound by luck and direct each other amidst all the knife-throwing stunts, gambles, and moments of passion. Vanessa Paradis as a hopeless romantic and Daniel Auteuil as a self controlled hopeless lover are simply amazing in their parts. It's like a dark fantasy packaged with engrossing visual treats, music, and witty dialogues.

Rating: 4/5

Links:

imdb
flixster
rotten tomatoes

Trailer:

BLUE SPRING a.k.a AOI HARU

2010-06-12T22:23:00.006+05:30

Year: 2001
Genre: Action/Drama
Language: Japanese
Runtime: 1 hour 26 minutes

An unsettling film about the students, their desires, and their race to conquer their dreams against the backdrop of violence & friendship.

Rating: 3.5/5
for the beautiful cinematography, the rocking soundtrack by the TMGE, and the befittingly shocking climax.

Links:

imdb
midnight eye
snowblood apple

Trailer:

AIR DOLL

2010-04-24T17:08:00.006+05:30

Year: 2009
Genre: Drama/Fantasy/Romance
Language: Japanese
Runtime: 1 hour 56 minutes

A story about loneliness, isolation, and love dealt in a really subtle way. The poignant visuals and the mesmerizing score by the World's End Girlfriend make this film a treat to watch.

Rating: 3.5/5

Links:

imdb
flixster
tiff
fortissimo

Trailer:

SHUTTER ISLAND

2010-04-20T20:13:00.006+05:30

Year: 2010

Genre: Suspense/Mystery/Thriller
Language: English
Runtime: 2 hours 18 minutes

A psychotically atmospheric thriller laced with suspense, surrealism, chills, and some really good performances. It tends to get a little boring because of its drawn-out climax, but most of the portions are ought to keep you on the edge of your seats.

Rating: 3.5/5

Links:

imdb
flixster
metacritic
official website

Trailer:

AUGUST UNDERGROUND'S MORDUM

2010-04-19T00:06:00.007+05:30

Year: 2003
Genre: Horror/Torture Porn
Language: English
Runtime: 1 hour 21 minutes 

A compilation of  "disturbing, boner-inducing, boner-killing, grotesque, maniacal, and nauseating" vignettes of mindless torture & rampage that will disgust you to the core.

Rating: 3/5
for some good mindless sick fun!

Links:

imdb
flixster
toetag pictures

A scene from the film:

PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL PUSH BY SAPPHIRE

2010-04-15T21:09:00.006+05:30

Year: 2009
Genre: Drama/Fantasy
Language: English
Runtime: 1 hour 49 minutes

A harsh & an inspirational journey of a teenage girl having her fantasies, aspirations, and the brutal reality of life to deal with. A very sincere attempt by the entire team who have worked on this film and it shows on the screen.

Rating: 4/5
for the mindblowingly touching performance by Mo'Nique as Precious' mother and of course Gabourey Sidibe in the role of Precious.

Links:

imdb
flixster
metacritic
official website

Trailer:

RACHEL GETTING MARRIED

2010-04-15T20:01:00.006+05:30

Year: 2008
Genre: Drama/Romance
Language: English
Runtime: 1 hour 56 minutes

This film gives a slice of human emotions: gray, sentimental, cheery, and heartbreaking amidst all the joy and festivities in a wedding. The docu-style cinematography creates a very realistic, gripping, and quite a fun filled wedding atmosphere.

Rating: 4/5
for the terrific cast and acting.

Links:

imdb
flixster
metacritic

Trailer:

LOVE, SEX aur DHOKHA a.k.a LSD

2010-03-21T01:00:00.011+05:30

Year: 2010
Genre: Romance/Handycam
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 1 hour 38 minutes

3 voyeuristic tales of romance laced with love, sex, and dhokha(betrayal). The hand-held cameras and the hidden cameras used in the film give it a stylishly realistic touch that'll leave you shocked, entertained, and high.

Superhit Pyaar
A sweet cliché love story that'll make you laugh, smile, and will leave you deeply disturbed. This story will be etched in your mind even after you leave the theatre.

Paap Ki Dukaan
Hypocritical, Amoral, Emotional, Distressful. You just can't ignore the powerful performances by the male and the female protagonists in this vignette.

Badnaam Shohrat
A little less satisfying among the other tales, but still the sharp dialogues & gradually how the entire acid trip comes to an end is to watch out for.

Rating: 4/5
for the tight cinematography, direction, witty dialogues, screenplay, cast, and acting.


Links:

imdb
wogma
official website

Trailer:

[REC] 2

2010-03-21T00:04:00.008+05:30

Year: 2009

Genre: Horror/Handycam
Language: Spanish
Runtime: 1 hour 25 minutes

Not as powerful as its predecessor, but it doesn't fail to guarantee you the chills, some flinching moments, and the necessary heart palpitating action.

Rating: 3.5/5
for cinematography, acting, and some brilliantly executed scenes.

Links:

i mdb
flixster
official website

Trailer:

THE VIRGIN SUICIDES

2010-03-20T22:58:00.003+05:30

Year: 1999

Genre: Drama/Fantasy/Romance
Language: English
Runtime: 1 hour 37 minutes

The film unfolds like a mysterious poetry that is engrossing, suspenseful, and surrealistic, filled with desire, passion and desolation. A very haunting and atmospheric film.

Rating: 3.5/5
for director Sofia Coppola & the lovely cast.

Links:
imdb
metacritic
flixster

Trailer:

KIDS

2010-03-20T22:41:00.002+05:30

Year: 1995
Genre: Drama
Language: English
Runtime: 1 hour 35 minutes

It deals with drug abuse, carelessness, violence, and hormonal rage all involving teens. The story takes place within 24 hours and the proceedings in the film get disturbing one scene after the another until you come face to face with the unsettling climax. A very well-written screenplay by Harmony Korine.

Rating: 3.5/5

Links:

imdb
flixster
Reel Review

Trailer:

BULLY

2010-03-20T10:44:00.005+05:30

Year: 2001
Genre: Crime/Drama
Language: English
Runtime: 1 hour 40 minutes

A sexually charged teen crime drama based on a true story that is realistic, shocking, absorbing, and eye opening. Terrific performances by all the actors in their roles of wild, blunt, and feckless teens. Definitely one of the best Larry Clark films.

Rating: 3.5/5

Links:
imdb
metacritic
flixster

Trailer:

KARTHIK CALLING KARTHIK

2010-03-03T19:27:00.001+05:30

Year: 2010
Genre: Romance/Mystery/Thriller
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 2 hours 15 minutes

A nice little romantic thriller spiked with a good amount of mystery & suspense. Watch it for Farhan Akhtar's acting & the awesomely appropriate background score.

Rating: 3.5/5
for Farhan Akhtar & the debutant director Vijay Lalwani

Links:
imdb
ndtv
official website

Trailer:

DU LEVANDE a.k.a YOU, THE LIVING

2010-03-01T23:17:00.004+05:30

Year: 2007
Genre: Drama/Dark Comedy
Language: Swedish
Runtime: 1 hour 29 minutes

A bleak portrayal of different lives dealing with their helplessness, despair, loneliness, anger, fear, and dreams seasoned with some stark humor & march music. The camera is mostly static in every vignette presented in the film making it a somewhat tiresome watch. An unconventional & original film.

Rating: 3/5
for Anna's dream sequence and some of the other sketches.

Links:

imdb
flixster
metacritic
variety

Trailer:

[REC]

2010-02-25T21:25:00.005+05:30

Year: 2007
Genre: Horror/Mystery/Handycam
Language: Spanish
Runtime: 1 hour 15 minutes

Intense, gripping, tense, chilling, adrenaline pumping and a spine tingling experience. What makes this film even more effective are the believable acting & the shaky camera work. The last 15 minutes of the film are ought to make your heart pop out

Rating: 4/5

Links:

imdb
flixster
twitch

Trailer:

MARIA FULL OF GRACE

2010-02-16T20:44:00.004+05:30

Year: 2004
Genre: Drama/Crime
Language: Spanish
Runtime: 1 hour 41 minutes

Rebellious, realistic, shocking, original, and absorbing. A very natural and deeply moving performance by Catalina Sandino Moreno as Maria. A very sincere & mature effort by director Joshua Marston who made a debut with this film. A must watch film.

Rating: 4/5

Links:

imdb
metacritic
flixster
newline

Trailer:

MOON

2010-02-15T22:31:00.004+05:30

Year: 2009
Genre: Sci-Fi/Horror/Mystery
Language: English
Runtime: 1 hour 37 minutes

A cool little indie sci-fi/thriller that'll keep you on the edge of your seats. Very impressive acting by Sam Rockwell who is the only prime character in the film. Director "Duncan Jones" presents an old school sci-fi inspired plot in a really efficacious way. The beautifully haunting score by Clint Mansell just elevates the mysterious atmosphere of the film.

Rating: 3.5/5

Links:

imdb
metacritic
flixster
official website

Trailer:

NEW YORK, I LOVE YOU

2010-02-15T08:53:00.005+05:30

Year: 2009
Genre: Romance/Drama/Short Stories
Language: English
Runtime: 1 hour 43 minutes

An anthology of short romantic stories that doesn't get too emotional, dramatic, or complex. A straightforward, pleasant, and a nice breezy entertainer.

Rating: 3.5/5
for segments directed by Shekar Kapur, Faith Akin, Yvan Attal, Joshua Marston, and Natalie Portman.

Links:

imdb
metacritic
flixster
official website

Trailer:

GUMMO

2010-02-14T23:17:00.006+05:30

Year: 1997
Genre: Drama
Language: English
Runtime: 1 hour 29 minutes

An uneven collage of the (fucked up) lives of different people in a tornado-hit town. Alienated, disturbing, abstract, twisted, and bizarre. I sincerely thank Harmony Korine for this film.

Rating: 3/5

Links:

imdb
flixster
rotten tomatoes
pic

Trailer:

TOKYO!

2010-02-11T21:18:00.005+05:30

Year: 2008
Genre: Drama/Triptych/Short Stories
Language: Japanese
Runtime: 1 hour 52 minutes

Splendid, surreal, and a nice cocktail of 3 completely different stories.

INTERIOR DESIGN: 4/5 for Detachment, Screenplay, Acting, Camera work, and Surrealism.

MERDE: 2.5/5 for Explosions, Riot, Pointlessness, and the overdone gibberish dialogues which make it a somewhat irriating watch.

SHAKING TOKYO: 4/5 for Lonliness, Love, and "Touch-skin".

Average Rating: 3.5/5

Links:
imdb
metacritic
official website

Trailer:

THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES

2010-02-10T19:12:00.004+05:30

Year: 2009
Genre: Crime/Romance/Mystery
Language: Spanish
Runtime: 2 hours 7 minutes

An enthralling tale of crime & mystery with a good blend of romance, passion, and witty dialogues. Awesome cinematography(especially in the soccer stadium sequence and the aftermath). Brilliant screenplay, direction, and cast.

Rating: 4/5

Links:

imdb
flixster
variety
twitch
official website

Trailer:

LOVE EXPOSURE

2010-02-08T19:20:00.005+05:30

Year: 2008
Genre: Romance/Drama/Action/Comedy
Language: Japanese
Runtime: 3 hours 57 minutes

"Shocking" 237 minutes of bible, perversity, raunchy humor, pure madness, and "extreme" love. An unusual date movie I would say. Kudos to the director Sion Sono and the brilliant cast.

Rating: 4/5

Links:

imdb
flixster
twitch

Trailer:

HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH

2010-02-06T18:37:00.004+05:30

Year: 2001
Genre: Musical/Drama
Language: English/German
Runtime: 1 hour 35 minutes

The film is like a surreal poetry with eccentric visuals. Trippy animation and art direction. A very unique and unusual rock odyssey.

Rating: 3.5/5

Links:
imdb
metacritic
flixster
official website

Trailer:

ELEPHANT

2010-02-05T22:51:00.011+05:30

Year: 2003
Genre: Crime/Drama/College
Language: English
Runtime: 1 hour 21 minutes

Sometimes even less is more: A simple story told in a very effective way. The revelation of each character and how they are loosely connected to each other is brilliantly executed. Awesome direction, cinematography, and editing. A very chilling film.

Rating: 3.5/5

Links:

imdb
metacritic
flixster

Trailer:

THE DOUBLE LIFE OF VERONIQUE

2010-02-05T16:25:00.013+05:30

Year: 1991
Genre: Drama/Fantasy
Language: French/Polish
Runtime: 1 hour 38 minutes

Visually stunning, heavenly, and poetic. Loved the green-yellow filter used in the film. I couldn't believe it was a film made in the early 90s. Brilliant acting by Irène Jacob as Weronika / Véronique. Hauntingly beautiful score by Zbigniew Preisner. Loved it.

Rating: 4/5

Links:

imdb
flixster
criterion
dvdbeaver

A scene from the film - Les Marionettes by Zbigniew Preisner:

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY

2010-02-04T18:33:00.006+05:30

Year: 2009
Genre: Horror/Handycam
Language: English
Runtime: 1 hour 39 minutes

A little disappointing. With so much hype surrounding this movie, I was expecting to get scared to death! Still the movie freaked me out in certain scenes. Overall, the atmosphere of the movie is creepy & tense, that made me feel uneasy, but still it failed to give me a real heart attack!
P.S. Do not miss the original ending!

Rating: 3/5
for something different with a handycam & zero C.G.I.

Links:

imdb
metacritic
flixster
official website

Trailer:

PAANCH

2010-02-03T22:45:00.003+05:30

Year: Unreleased
Genre: Crime/Thriller
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 2 hour 39 minutes

Kay Kay Menon as Luke is so fuckin' brilliantly crazy in this film! The rest of the cast is awesome too(except for Tejaswini Kolhapure who is below par). A very hard hitting film indeed! For a film that was made around 10 or 12 years back, dealing with such a great subject is really refreshing to see.

Rating: 3.5/5

Links:
imdb
passion for cinema

"Mai Khuda" from Paanch:

ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD

2010-02-03T21:42:00.003+05:30

Year: 2007
Genre: Documentary/Environment
Language: English
Runtime: 1 hour 39 minutes

It's such a beautiful documentary about the life in Antarctica. The best thing is it is not another documentary about cute penguins and seals. The underwater sequences are stunning and filled with pure bliss. The film is a pure visual treat & very dreamy.

Rating: 4/5

Links:
imdb
metacritic
official website

Trailer:

BAISE-MOI a.k.a FUCK/RAPE ME

2010-02-03T21:14:00.003+05:30

Year: 2000
Genre: Thriller/Experimental Porn
Language: French
Runtime: 1 hour 17 minutes

This film is more of a porn flick mixed with violence and some cheesy acting. Hmm, it's not that bad actually.
Just think of it as an unconventional porn flick and you may sit through it.

Rating: 2/5

Links:

imdb
metacritic
flixster
official website

Trailer:

THE CHASER

2010-02-03T18:40:00.003+05:30

Year: 2008
Genre: Crime/Thriller
Language: Korean
Runtime: 2 hour 3 minutes

This flick has a suspenseful atmosphere throughout. A very engaging thriller & the minimal background score gave me the chills! Tremendous effort by a debutant director.

Rating: 4/5

Links:

imdb
flixster
official website

Trailer:

I STAND ALONE

2010-02-03T18:09:00.004+05:30

Year: 1998
Genre: Crime/Obscure/Drama
Language: French
Runtime: 1 hour 33 minutes

Mind-fuckery of a lonely butcher! Brilliant camera work & direction. The last 20 minutes of the film will drive you crazy. Definitely one of the best climaxes I've ever seen in a film.

Rating: 3.5/5

Links:

imdb
plume-noire

Trailer:

ANTICHRIST

2010-02-03T00:10:00.004+05:30

Year: 2009
Genre: Horror/Experimental/Drama
Language: English
Runtime: 1 hour 48 minutes

It is visually splendid. I just wish the runtime was a little shorter. I was hoping for much more intense psychological fuck ups. Still, it's a good & a simple flick in my opinion that hides under the "artistic/experimental" cloak.

Rating: 3/5

Links:

imdb
metacritic
official website

Trailer:

JULIEN DONKEY-BOY

2010-02-02T23:43:00.003+05:30

Year: 1999
Genre: Experimental/Drama
Language: English
Runtime: 1 hour 34 minutes

Crazy & trippy visuals. Loved the entire cast especially Werner Herzog & Ewen Bremner as "Julien" who is brilliant. A very disoriented film watching experience.

Rating: 3.5/5

Links:
imdb
metacritic

Trailer:

DER BAADER MEINHOF KOMPLEX

2010-02-02T23:02:00.003+05:30

Year: 2008
Genre: Action/Biography
Language: German
Runtime: 2 hours 30 minutes

Pluses: Fantastic cast & direction. The movie has a slick & urban feel to it. Awesome movie!

Minuses if any: Lack of character development(may be because I didn't know anything about the RAF prior to watching this film), but that's alright.

Rating: 4/5

Links:
imdb
metacritic
official website

Trailer: