THE RAID 2 ("KICK ASS")

June 13, 2014.

Cast: Iko Uwais, Arifin Putra, Oka Antara .

Director: Gareth Evans.

Rama and his wounded colleague are out of the Serbaun Matt now, that is where Raid 2 starts off. The Police chief is killed by his rescuers and they make him an offer to go to undercover which will help wipe out the menace that is ruining the city, as a bonus he is made to know that the person who killed his brother is part of the menace that he is going to fix. Hesitantly though, he takes it up and ends up in a jail where one of the gang members’ son is imprisoned. Rama earns his goodwill and joins the  gang after his release.

Raid 2 has a complex screenplay unlike the first part, and Evans tries to establish a lotta characters with a little bit of background of everyone including family at times. This takes up a considerable amount of time in the first half to the extent that we almost forget the really cool fights that were there in between, apart from testing your patience at times. This is in stark contrast to the super fast paced first part where it was all bang bang kill kill. 

Let us hope that we find justification for all this build up in the 3^rd and final part of the series, which is rumoured to have some overlapping scenes with this part.

But then that is all the fault that you can find, for, the rest of the film is just kick ass action. Though the fighting style is similar to the first part the action choreography is really fresh different and exciting. Gareth has  added BGM to a few fight scenes and that pays off really well providing a new dimension to the brutal combat going on. Even otherwise the BGM throughout is really nice and fresh.

Just like the first part Gareth has proven his expertise when it comes to action scenes with impeccable camera placements and slick editing. This time he has given us a few slo mo shots as well mainly in the first half, actually you do not really have anything slow in the second, it is just a mad rush of adrenaline which reaches it’s peak in the brilliant and brutal climax fight. It would not be a surprise if the theatre is filled with shrieks and whistles from the audience as the energy that gets transferred to you, specially during the fights, is incredible.

Iko Uwais is slowly rising up to the stature of a bankable star who can fight and act, and with the 3^rd instalment scheduled to arrive soon it would not be shocking to find him in Hollywood; may be through a cameo in Expendables 4, let’s wait and watch!

I am giving a 3.25 for The Raid 2. It is a tad lengthy but you have enough brutal action to compensate for that!

IMDB Rating

Rating Scale (Out of 5)

Less than 2                   -           Unwatchable.

2    to 2.25                   -           Below average.

2.5 to 2.75                   -           Average.

       

3    to 3.25                   -           Good.

3.5 to 3.75                   -           Really Good.

4    to 4.25                   -           Great.

4.5 and above               -          Extraordinary.

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2 ("YOU NEVER CEASE TO AMAZE ME BUD!!")

June 12, 2014.

Cast: Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler.

Director: Dean DeBlois.

The dragons and the people of Burk are having a wonderful time together and very much happy with their usual festivals and games. One day when Hiccup and Astrid go out for a ride with their beloved dragons, they come to know of someone called Draco who is taking dragons captive to build an army. Against his father’s advice Hiccup sets out along with Toothless to convince Draco of the futility of war and bloodshed, followed obviously by Astrid and the rest of the gang. Things unexpected start happening on their journey.

There is not much of training here in the second part as compared to the first; you see more of a camaraderie between Hiccup and Toothless who are having the time of their lives having fun in each other’s company. The screenplay has tried to maintain the novelty which was the main attracting factor of the first part but it does not succeed as much as the makers would have wanted it to. Still there is a lot of fun in the film but you only get it in parts unlike the earlier edition.

You get to see a lot more dragons here some really big ones too but one might form an opinion that there is a lot less excitement during the action scenes especially when you take into account the newer and bigger dragons at play. Except for a few minutes in the climax where Toothless takes on a whole new image the feel seems to be missing, the feel to get the audience hooked on!

It may be a bit unfair to compare this with the first part but sadly that is so hard especially if you are a fan of the latter. Images and scenes keep coming to your mind no matter what you do and for the same reason comparison becomes inevitable. But if you take this as a standalone movie it may be almost as enjoyable as the first one.

All said and done it is obviously the amazing adorable Toothless who is the show stealer just like earlier. He just drills into you forcing even the stone hearted to fall in love with him with his usual antics and “Yeah it’s me.....the Great Toothless” kinda expressions. He will just sweep you off your feet!

I am giving a 3.5 for How to Train Your Dragon 2 (which includes marks for Toothless as well). He just never ceases to amaze you!

IMDB Rating

Rating Scale (Out of 5)

Less than 2                   -           Unwatchable.

2    to 2.25                   -           Below average.

2.5 to 2.75                   -           Average.

       

3    to 3.25                   -           Good.

3.5 to 3.75                   -           Really Good.

4    to 4.25                   -           Great.

4.5 and above               -          Extraordinary.

EDGE OF TOMORROW ("EDGE OF THE SEAT")

June 6, 2014.

Cast: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt.

Director: Doug Liman.

Edge of Tomorrow comes with a heavy budget of 175 million dollars bringing together a star director and a superstar.

Adapted from the Japanese novel “All you need is kill”, Edge of Tomorrow is set in a world invaded by aliens where a united human front is trying to save the planet. And to his surprise the cowardly Major Bill Cage (Tom Cruise) who cannot stand even a paper cut as he himself exclaims is ordered to be at the battle front in an all out battle against the aliens. When he refuses he is knocked out and railroaded to the military camp.

At the battle when he accidentally kills an “Alpha” alien with it’s blood spilling all over him he shockingly gets the power to reset time and is made to live the same day again and again and again, literally caught in a time loop. He finds Rita Vratavski (Emily Blunt) who has gone through the same experience in an earlier battle and together they make a plan to end the war.

As it is more of a rerun of the same time frame it inevitably brings to mind the low profile Source Code that came out a few years ago, but this is a way better written, acted and directed movie providing entertainment and thrill all the way upto the climax.

The most noticeable element in the film is the cleverly written screenplay offering a lotta humor and thrill at the same time without compromising the basic premise even for a second. The training part in the first half offers a lotta laughs while the second part heading upto the climax keeps you at the edge of your seat.

This is a very different and refreshing role for Tom Cruise as it’s not a familiar sight to see a petrified Tom hesitating to take up action. The metamorphosis later on is also handled really well by Cruise who yet again proves that when he is on screen you are just glued on just because of his sheer screen presence and charisma. Emily Blunt has also gotten a noteworthy role that she seems to have enjoyed doing.

With a runtime of just 113 minutes loaded with almost everything that you can possibly want from a movie this one is a must watch!

I am giving a 4 for Edge of Tomorrow. It’s the coming together of two greats of Hollywood; a master director and a legendary actor. Go have fun!!!

IMDB Rating

Rating Scale (Out of 5)

Less than 2                   -           Unwatchable.

2    to 2.25                   -           Below average.

2.5 to 2.75                   -           Average.

       

3    to 3.25                   -           Good.

3.5 to 3.75                   -           Really Good.

4    to 4.25                   -           Great.

4.5 and above               -          Extraordinary.

300 RISE OF AN EMPIRE ("THIS IS NOOT SPARTA...STILL")

March 6, 2014.

Cast: Sullivan Stapleton, Rodrigo Santoro, Eva Green.

Director: Noam Murro.

A sequel to the Spartan storm at the box office should have come a long time back but, rather late than never, it has finally hit the screens this time though with Zack Snyder donning the producer’s hat leaving the direction department to the relatively unknown Nuam Murro.

The story of the sequel happens almost parallel to the first part’s events with the Athenian General Themistokles (Sullivan) trying to unite the whole of Greece to go to war against Xerxes who wants to avenge his father’s death which happened at the battle of Marathon ten years earlier at the hands of Themistokles. Xerxes’ army is led by Armitesia (Eva Green) who is a Greek by birth but Persian at heart having raised by Persians after the atrocious killing of her family by the Greeks. While Leonidas and his 300 Spartans are guarding the Hot Gates, Themistokles and the Athenians are forced to face off the Persian Navy led by Artimesia.

The screenplay here is more layered and wide in it’s approach bringing a lot of events together and for the same reason it’s a bit of a slow start for the movie, not boring though on any account. Once the fighting starts you get loads of action at regular intervals with some good entertainment keeping you occupied.

The CG and visual effects are outstanding making this one of the best movies you have ever seen looks wise. The battle at the sea is much better than what you had in The Pirates of the Caribbean Series and it is done with such mastery that it would not be a surprise if the film gets a repeat audience just for that!

But the one main drawback of the film is that there is no Gerard Butler here, his super mighty intimidating presence is sorely missed throughout the film and Sullivan Stapleton’s Themistokles seems to come nowhere near King Leonidas.

The dialogues are nice but then it’s the same problem again, what you get is lousy delivery most of the time, the fire breathing stuff that was the trademark of 300 is really missing here. And for the same reason you have deafening cheer from the audience during the mere blink of an eye appearance by Leonidas in two scenes compared to the claps and whistles for Sullivan and his fleet.

Eva Green seems to enjoy her role as the cruel and wicked Artimesia with some cheesy dialogues and hers is the only character that will stay in your mind. Other than that there are the unavoidable resemblances to the first part; the dance like fights, the father son fighting together sequence and the trademark “This is Spartaaaa” kick too just to name a few.

Compared to the subdued first half things start heating up in the second with the best fight sequences saved up for the climax which no doubt raises the expectations for the sequel, especially with the Spartans entering the scene!

I am giving a 3 for 300 Rise of an Empire. This is NOOT Sparta....but still it’s Greece! Go watch it if you love action.

IMDB Rating

Rating Scale (Out of 5)

Less than 2                   -           Unwatchable.

2    to 2.25                   -           Below average.

2.5 to 2.75                   -           Average.

       

3    to 3.25                   -           Good.

3.5 to 3.75                   -           Really Good.

4    to 4.25                   -           Great.

4.5 and above               -          Extraordinary.

NEBRASKA ("WHO WANTS A MILLION DOLLARS?")

February 28, 2014.

Cast: Bruce Dern, June Squibb, Will Forte.

Director: Alexander Payne.

The Descendants, About Schmidt, Sideways; now add one more to the list of great experiences that Alexander Payne has offered us; Nebraska.

Woody Grant (Bruce Dern) is an old man with drinking problems who has come to believe that he has won a Million dollars as part of a Mega Sweepstakes Marketing Prize. His everyday routine, or antic as his wife Kate (June Squibb) calls it, is to sneak out of his house to go to Nebraska where the office of the concerned company is located. As a result it’s his son David’s routine to go to pick him up from wherever Woody has reached by foot on his so called trip to Nebraska.

When this keeps happening no matter how they try to make Woody understand that it’s just a fraudulent marketing campaign David decides to take Woody to Nebraska against his mother’s and elder brother’s wishes.

Most certainly you will hear sighs of disappointment once the film starts rolling out as it’s in black and white. But as if someone has worked magic the whole audience would start laughing just a few minutes into the film completely oblivious of that fact; courtesy the brilliant writing by Bob Nelson.

The screenplay is top class with a lot of humor, a bit of drama and a lot of other elements, though unsaid, will surely go into the hearts of majority of the audience to ponder once they get out of the theatre.

Payne gives his best as usual and has managed to use small wonderful pieces of BGM just wherever necessary ending up making the already good scenes so much better.

This is undoubtedly one of the best characters that has come Bruce Dern’s way and he is outstanding as the hapless disillusioned Woody who has no sense of what’s happening around him. Almost equally good is June Squibb who simply goes on a rampage whenever she is on screen, particularly during the cemetery scene. Will Forte does a decent job as the caring son who really starts understanding his father towards the end of the film.

Though high on humor it is the simple but moving climax that will linger on even after you have left the theatre as it all boils down to a beautiful father son relationship.

I am giving a 3.75 for Nebraska. It is beautiful, go watch it with your father if you want to treasure it!

IMDB Rating

Rating Scale (Out of 5)

Less than 2                   -           Unwatchable.

2    to 2.25                   -           Below average.

2.5 to 2.75                   -           Average.

       

3    to 3.25                   -           Good.

3.5 to 3.75                   -           Really Good.

4    to 4.25                   -           Great.

4.5 and above               -          Extraordinary.

DALLAS BUYERS CLUB ("SCREW THE FDA")

February 28, 2014.

Cast: Matthew Mcaunaghey, Jennifer Garner, Jared Leto.

Director: Jean Marc Vallee.

READ THE REVIEW HERE......!

THE MONUMENTS MEN ("NOT TO BE REMEMBERED?")

February 21, 2014.

Cast: Matt Damon, George Clooney, Cate Blanchett, Bill Murray, John Goodman.

Director: George Clooney.

The Monuments Men was touted to be this year’s ARGO and the trailers promised us just that with a stellar cast and able handed Clooney donning the Director’s hat.

Frank Stokes (Clooney) is permitted by the US President during the 2^nd World War to form a team of his choice to recover the arts stolen by Hitler from all over the world, mainly Europe, for his Fuhrer Museum. He assembles a team comprising of several people including James Granger (Damon), Richard Campbell (Murray) and Walter Garfield (Goodman).

Though the premise sounds pretty adventurous and interesting enough the screenplay is too too lacklustre and when combined with the silly BGM that comes every now and then the scenes that are already bland are made much more stupid and funny in a bad way.

You have a laugh or two once in a while in the film but those are the only scenes that are entertaining in the film. Inspite of being of such historic importance and inspite of the protagonists being in the middle of the World War the film is pretty relaxed in terms of writing, acting and direction!! There is not a single scene in the film that could be called tense.

What’s even worse is that even the dialogues that are supposed to evoke some sort of feelings, because they are so direct to the extent that the characters tell that you are supposed to be sad, fall flat on their face mainly owing to the lack of energy altogether!! It is really really sad to see such a terrible film from the man who has given us the likes of Good Night and Good Luck, The Ides of March etc.

The first half of the film is dead slow and comparatively, the second offers something better as we atleast get to see the events that are relatively unknown to the majority, which in no sense of the word means the film is watchable unless you have a lot of free time to spare.

The film ends with the President of the United States asking Stokes if all the efforts, money and loss of people was really worth it, whether all this will be remembered in History. Though Stokes replies in the affirmative and historically it is impossible to overlook such a noble mission, now that most people in the world are aware of it, the film sadly has been taken in such a shabby manner posing a big question to the audience whether it is something worth remembering?....I guess not!

I am giving a 2.25 for The Monuments Men. It is not a Clooney film, it’s way too lousy!!

IMDB Rating

Rating Scale (Out of 5)

Less than 2                   -           Unwatchable.

2    to 2.25                   -           Below average.

2.5 to 2.75                   -           Average.

       

3    to 3.25                   -           Good.

3.5 to 3.75                   -           Really Good.

4    to 4.25                   -           Great.

4.5 and above               -          Extraordinary.

HER ("LOVE IS IN THE AIR")

February 14, 2014.

Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlette Johansson, Amy Adams, Rooney Mara.

Director: Spike Jonze.

A futuristic society where technology is at a level which cannot be imagined as of now with gadgets performing almost everything, a human being should be doing physically, just by voice command. That is where the story of Her is set.

Theodore (Joaquin) is a lonely to be divorced guy who leads a life without any excitement or fun. He is yet to let go of his wife (Rooney Mara), mentally and is very much in need of love. That is when a new operating system OS1 is launched which is based on Artificial Intelligence. It is evolved to such an extent that it is actually a human being without a physical body.

As expected Theo wants the OS1 to have a female voice and the OS names herself Samantha (voiced by Scarlette Johansson), and from there begins a different but genuine love story. The way Theo falls for Samantha has been written and directed so well that very soon you forget that Samantha is just an OS and not a human being. The first time Theo and Samantha have sex, yeah you read it right they DO have sex!!, is one of the best scenes in the film with magical music playing in the background. You realise the genius of Spike Jonze with just that scene alone in the way he has shot it never allowing it to be vulgar even for nano second, what you experience is pure love!!

The conversations that Theo and Sam have might remind you of the Before Midnight Series but then Her is at an altogether different level especially because of the brilliant writing by Spike Jonze. He so effortlessly manages to portray the relationship just like a normal relationship that two humans could have.

Though it is basically a love story there is a lot of humor in the film, many of which come at the most unexpected time that increases the level of laughter you have. The kid like thing from the videogame and the Mommy game are two such really creative and funny scenes.

Her is a bit of a wonderful paradox in the sense that it shows that love is the basis of all that is, and yet it is not really possible for a human to have a real relationship with an OS. Top notch direction ensures that this so very delicate of a plot finds an even better depiction on screen, leading the film to an inevitable yet beautiful climax that will linger on even after you have left the theatre.

The screenplay is a bit slow in the middle but it may be argued that it was something deliberate on the part of Jonze to allow some time for introspection and contemplation for the audience, may be as an aid for a better perspective!

Her is a total package scoring full marks in all the departments mainly direction, writing, cinematography, editing and music. But what stands out is the terrific acting by Joaquin and an even better one from Scarlett; if there was an Oscar award for lending your voice to a character it would surely go to Scarlette. She has taken Samantha beyond compare and this would surely be one of her most cherished roles, if I could say so.

I am giving a 4 for Her. Go fall in love!

IMDB Rating

Rating Scale (Out of 5)

Less than 2                   -           Unwatchable.

2    to 2.25                   -           Below average.

2.5 to 2.75                   -           Average.

       

3    to 3.25                   -           Good.

3.5 to 3.75                   -           Really Good.

4    to 4.25                   -           Great.

4.5 and above               -          Extraordinary.

LONE SURVIVOR ("GUTSY")

February 7, 2014.

Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Ben Foster, Eric Bana.

Director: Peter Berg.

READ THE REVIEW HERE

SAVING MR.BANKS ("EMMA THOMPSON SHOW")

February 7, 2014.

Cast: Tom Hanks, Emma Thompson.

Director: John Lee Hancock.

READ THE REVIEW HERE

12 YEARS A SLAVE (" OH NO DICAPRIO!!!")

January 31, 2014.

Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano.

Director: Steve Mcqueen.

“I don’t think I have seen a story like that of Solomon Northup on film and I wanted to make damn sure if it was on film it was going to be done well”. This is the statement that Steve Mcqueen made when asked about 12 Years a Slave.

Nothing defines the film better than the above statement. The film starts off in New York in 1841 where Solomon (Chiwetel) is a very well respected musician who has a wife and two children. He is trapped and sold into slavery by his acquaintances.

From then on the director takes us on a 12 year journey in the life of Solomon. Solomon is first bought by Mr.Ford (Cumberbatch) who is a very decent man and at a level empathises with Solomon, yet helpless. When Solomon gets into a fight with one of Ford’s employees he is forced to move under the ownership of the cruel and abusive Edwin Epps (Fassbender).

The film takes on a realistic approach to the whole incident right from the beginning and violence and abuse have been portrayed in a very effective way that really disturbs the audience most of the time. Two such scenes that stand out and really give you an idea of the plight of the slaves are; when Solomon is left hanging from a branch for a whole day barely able to ground his feet so that he could stay alive and Patsy getting stripped and whiplashed brutally just because she wanted to use a bar of soap to stay clean. These two, especially the latter, appeal to anyone having a conscience when you watch it on screen, courtesy Mcqueen.

Though you can find traces of Inception in the BGM (which was also scored by Zimmer), along with sensible cinematography employing a variety of shots Mcqueen succeeds in capturing the essence of it all.

The cast, top league actors and newbies alike, offers a stellar performance. Though it’s difficult to rate the performances, it has to be admitted that the stand-outs are Chiwetel, Fassbender and the actor playing Patsy to an extent. Chiwetel portrays the pain, helplessness and uncertainty of Solomon in a probable Oscar Winning performance, with moments of beauty conveyed through facial expressions alone. Another point worth mentioning is the grit and hope that Solomon embodies making 12 Years a Slave much more than just a sympathising film on slavery.

One cannot feel nothing but sad for Leonardo Dicaprio; everytime he comes close to the Best Actor Oscar someone else swiftly comes along to claim the prize, this time being no different. With the looks of it the contest for the Best Actor should be between Chiwetel for 12 years a slave and Mathew Mcaunaghey for Dallas Buyers Club. Let’s wait and watch!

I am giving a 4 for 12 Years a Slave. It is a gritty film that you do not wanna miss!

IMDB Rating

Rating Scale (Out of 5)

Less than 2                   -           Unwatchable.

2    to 2.25                   -           Below average.

2.5 to 2.75                   -           Average.

       

3    to 3.25                   -           Good.

3.5 to 3.75                   -           Really Good.

4    to 4.25                   -           Great.

4.5 and above               -          Extraordinary.

THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY ("BEAUTIFUL THINGS NEVER ASK FOR ATTENTION")

January 3, 2014.

Cast: Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig, Sean Penn.

Director: Ben Stiller.

Jim Carrey had “The eternal sunshine of the spotless mind” and “The Truman Show” which cleared the doubts of anyone who thought Jim Carrey is more of a Jim Caricature. Ben Stiller, who can be equated a bit with the likes of Jim Carrey, though multi talented as opposed to Carrey had only given us comedy mainly. Walter Mitty is amazingly fresh and pure that gives an altogether different image for Stiller.

Walter Mitty (Stiller) is a middle aged bachelor who has been working in Life Magazine negative assets section for the past 16 years. He has a secret crush on Cheryl (Kristen Wiig) and even manages to get the subscription of an online dating program just because the recently divorced Cheryl happens to be a member. He keeps “zoning out” every now and then when he travels into his own fantasy land where anything is possible and he is the superstar adored and respected by everyone. When one of the negatives sent by the famous photographer Sean ‘O Connell to be used as the Cover Page of the last edition of Life Magazine goes missing, Walter is forced to travel the world in search of Sean to retrieve the negative.

If you go in expecting this to be somewhat like “Bed time stories” where it’s all about a fantasy world and a lot of graphics you are in for one helluva surprise. About a few minutes into the film it gets quite clear that the tone the director (Stiller) has in mind for Walter Mitty is something much more, much beyond the usual fantasy stuff meant for the kids.

This also carries the distinction of coming from the studio that brought us Life of Pi and it does not disappoint! In whatever scenes the CG work is required it is delivered top class offering sort of a surreal experience; something which will delight the kids and adults alike.

Another fascinating element in the film is it’s soulful music that is transcendental, it’s truly magical and touches your heart. While some tracks are inspiring others are moving and the rest are just fall into their rightful place in the movie.

The execution has a lot of freshness where the text messages are shown on the side of mountains, the titles roll onto the buildings and roads and then there are some real fine moments; the one where Mitty talks about Papa John’s to Cheryl and when Sean tells Mitty how he likes to stay focused in the moment when he sees something spectacular.

The humor  of course is there just like you have in any other Ben Stiller movies but this cannot entirely be called a comedy movie it has got a message for you if you are tuned in right, it has got a soul to it.

But still this movie is meant for target audience and could only be enjoyed if you are empathetic towards Walter Mitty. And arguably this is the best directorial yet from Stiller.

I am giving a 3.75 for The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Beautiful things never ask for attention!!

IMDB Rating

Rating Scale (Out of 5)

Less than 2                   -           Unwatchable.

2    to 2.25                   -           Below average.

2.5 to 2.75                   -           Average.

       

3    to 3.25                   -           Good.

3.5 to 3.75                   -           Really Good.

4    to 4.25                   -           Great.

4.5 and above               -          Extraordinary.

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET ("SALESMAN OF THE YEAR")

January 3, 2014.

Cast: Leonardo Di caprio, Jonah Hill, P.J Byrne, Jon Favreau, Mathew Mccaunaghey.

Director: Martin Scorcese.

“Sell me this pen”, this is what Jordan Belfort asks each of his initial team members to do if he should select them. This one scene sets the tone of the film so beautifully; courtesy the outstanding writing and direction.

Jordan Belfort (Dicaprio) starts off as a rookie stockbroker taken under the wings of Mark Hanna (Mccaunaghey). With no beating around the bush Hanna gives Belfort a clear picture of the life that he should be willing to lead filled with sleaze, cheating and drugs, if he wants to make it big in Wall street. But soon afterwards Wall Street crashes and Belfort is forced to join a third grade stockbroking firm that deals only in Penny Stocks. That becomes the turning point in Belfort’s life when he is shown an innovative way to cheat customers without them having a clue about it  yet making it all look legal and convincing. Donnie (Jonah Hill) joins him shortly when they bump into each other in the food stall where Donnie works and there starts a long time partnership of fraud, drugs, obscenity and money!

Terence Winter has a written a top class screenplay, taken of course from Jordan Belfort’s autobiography, fictionalising things wherever required. But right from the start the screenplay does not have any qualms in the kind of language or actions that it contains. It is highly relieving that the CBFC has not edited any of the scenes, except for the explicit physical content, may be because of the reason that 90% of the film would have been required to be censored that way.

It is an intoxicating mixture of lack of control, drug abuse, verbal abuse and some really good humor. There are particularly two to three scenes that stand out from the rest due to the sheer acting prowess of Dicaprio, and freshness and natural humor of the situations; the first one is when Belfort makes the first call from Stratton Oakmont teaching the others how to manipulate a client; the second is the scene where he repeatedly gets splashed with water on his face by his wife; and the last is when the “Lemmon 714 effect” comes forth rather lately than expected by Belfort and Donnie. The second one may be voted the best among the three because of the way Dicaprio portrays a man quite different from the roles he has done so far.

Jonah Hill has done quite a mature character, though it has a mild resemblance to the kind of characters he generally plays. His combination scenes with Dicaprio are truly magical especially the “Lemmon 714 effect” scene. This is undoubtedly his best role till date and he has used the opportunity given to him so fabulously well. The other characters in the film are equally good and make up Jordan Belfort’s team really well.

Wolf is an adventurous ride filled with a lot of emotions and a film of this stature was pending for quite sometime from the Scorcese stable. But ultimately Wolf belongs to Leonardo Dicaprio. This may very well bring him the elusive Oscar!!!

I am giving a 4 for The Wolf of Wall Street. Sell me this pen!!

IMDB Rating

Rating Scale (Out of 5)

Less than 2                   -           Unwatchable.

2    to 2.25                   -           Below average.

2.5 to 2.75                   -           Average.
       
3    to 3.25                   -           Good.

3.5 to 3.75                   -           Really Good.

4    to 4.25                   -           Great.


4.5 and above               -          Extraordinary.