G.I. Joe: Retaliation: Fight, breathe, fight fight!

As a youngster, especially if you are a lad, you would probably have had at least one G.I. Joe action figure. Something given as a gift to you, or maybe something you screamed for at the toy shop. I had been gifted a female action figure that came along with a toy boat, and now when I racked my brains to remember more about her, I am pretty sure I had been given one from the Cobra Command line. The Baroness. I cannot blame my parents for picking up a villain, probably that would have been the last figure available at the toy store. But coming back to the point I was making, G.I. Joe action figures have been around since the 1960's and any mention about them are likely to evoke some childhood memories, which in my case are my memories of Baroness (in a completely child-like unadulterated way!). 

G.I. Joe: Retaliation does not bother with reigniting any of your childhood memories nor does it offer you the space for any sentiments. It is an out and out action packed, bullets whizzing, swords clanging, fists smashing, film. And if you get tired of that then you have some nuclear threats, possibility of Cobra domination and then more of the action repeated all over again. G.I. Joe: Retaliation, which is the sequel to the 2009 movie G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra, takes off from where the previous movie ended. The White House has been infiltrated by Cobra, with Zartan impersonating the President. The Cobra Commander is however locked up in a secret place which Zartan is seeking. The Joes on the other hand have been framed for stealing nuclear warheads and are on the run while also looking for revenge. Quite straightforward, right? Well, the movie never sold itself as something that would make you wonder about the path that humanity is moving on or trigger a debate on the importance of nuclear disarmament. In fact the manner that the world is about to be blown to bits and prices through nukes triggered by single button clicks is so rudimentary that it borders on being comical. And that is why, the action saves the day!

Oh boy, from start to finish, the film is loaded with action sequences. First the Joes are in North Korea (an obsession for America's writers), then in Pakistan, then their base is infiltrated, then a fight scene at the Cobra Commander's prison, and many more, right up till the very end. You get a few dialogues to breathe and sip your Pepsi before they are back at it again. The action sequences have been well directed, with the camera angles changing rapidly which adds to the intensity of the scenes. But the pick of the fights as was the case with the first film, is the clash between Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow. In the times of guns and bombs, it is still the clash of swords that truly entertains. And the director Jon Chu seems to have agreed with me, for this particular fight sequence has been shot in quite a grandiose manner. It begins with the friends turned nemeses battling it out indoors, using all the tools at their disposal to get the better off each other. Once things are taken outside, snow laden mountains cover the backdrop as Snake Eyes with a new apprentice swings hither and tither as ninjas swing after him. Swords clash in the silence of the high altitudes, with only the skies above and the deep valley below. It is a fight scene worthy of being termed poetic and probably the highlight of the movie. 

If you were to keep the fighting aside, G.I. Joe: Retaliation is a Dwayne Johnson movie. Johnson aka The Rock has climbed up in Hollywood with sheer hardwork and despite his bulk, he has an affable charm to him which is again on display in this film. His chemistry with Channing Tatum in the early parts especially give a solid build-up to the film. And he definitely has the persona about him to fit the role of a G.I. Joe, in this case Roadblock. The movie has some of the old cast back, but Joseph Gordon-Levitt does not reprise his role, probably becoming a bit bigger for such a flick post G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra. There is no Dennis Quaid as General Hawk, no Sienna Miller as Baroness, no Marlan Wayans as Ripcord. Bruce Willis enters the fray though, adding a bit more glamour on screen, but his screen time as well as the importance of his role is very subdued, making you really wonder if he is even bothered to read the scripts he picks. G.I. Joe: Retaliation holds better than its previous film though when it comes to the dialogues, with some light humour mixed up in right proportions. 

The disappointment with the movie is rather self-inflicted. You probably are going to enter the theatre expecting an entertaining action film, and in that sense G.I. Joe: Retaliation delivers to quite an extent. But when the movie kicks off, building with a nice pace, mixing the action along with lighter scenes such as the one at Dwayne Johnson's home where he is playing video games with Channing Tatum, you might notch up your expectation. You might seek some character building, some more emotionally intense scenes, some soul-searching within the characters, things like that. And so when none of this happens, a sense of disappointment will hit you. For if the action had been cut in places to spend some more time with the characters and to understand them better, G.I. Joe: Retaliation could have been more than just a popcorn film. It fails on that aspects. Oh, and it does have probably one of the worst villains I have seen who is trying to take over the world, the Cobra Commander who tries a Vader-like attempt, speaking behind the mask and wearing black, but all he seems capable of taking over is the grocery shop next to my house and that too if he offers a fair price. So there it is, the last movie of March. A fun movie, watch it and enjoy, then come back and wait to see Channing Tatum in White House Down, Dwayne Johnson in Fast & Furious 6 and Bruce Willis in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For. 

PS: Snake Eyes is played by Ray Park who has also portrayed Darth Maul in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. Found it interesting that the same guy has played two pretty cool characters. 

An ode to Tarantino!

On March 27 of this year, Quentin Tarantino celebrated his 50th birthday. I, like most of you, have been fascinated by Tarantino's body of work, a compelling story-teller that he is. Tarantino has his own brand of narrating a plot by creating the coolest of characters who appeal to you not by the guns they wield or the dark suits they wear (though those help too!) but by the strength of their dialogues and the depth of the plot in which they are placed. His style of bringing things to life is unique, something which many directors in the future would aspire to achieve, though I doubt how many would actually be able to bring forth the universes he does with the quality of the characters that he creates and mix those two up with the most amazing of background scores that result in movies which deserve the most superlative of eulogies. What more can you say about a man whose first feature film was as stylish and mesmerizing as Reservoir Dogs? I am indeed not surprised that Tarantino's two Oscars have been not for Best Direction but infact for Best Screenplay (written directly for the Screen). 

21 years in the business of direction, 8 full-length feature films directed. Tarantino does take his time to wring out those classics. Which is his best work yet or which is the coolest character he has brought to life; these are the kind of questions that are debated for nights with no definitive answer. That is probably the most definitive stamp of greatness. So here's looking back at some of the great works of an extraordinary writer and director. And here's to 50 more years of Quentin Tarantino!

"You shoot me in a dream, you better wake up and apologize"

"And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who would attempt to poison and destroy My brothers. And you will know My name is the Lord when I lay My vengeance upon thee."

"I am calling you a killer. A natural born killer. You always have been, and you always will be."

"So, gentlemen, let's discuss the prospect of ending the war tonight."

"D-J-A-N-G-O. The D is silent!" 

Amen!

The Claws are out!

"Eternity can be a curse!" That's how it starts! Yay! It's here, it's here... calm, calm! Phew, well before I get excited all over again, I should let you know that the first trailer of The Wolverine has been launched today. If anyone was wondering whether Hugh Jackman as Wolverine still can hold the charm and the persona the way he did in the X-Men series, you bet he can! The trailer starts off with a very ragged looking Logan appearing quite aimless and the background narrative indicating the burden that immortality can hold. A little into the trailer, and out goes the homeless looking man and in steps the suited and hulked up mutant with all his claws intact. And then of course as the trailer picks up tempo, the claws are very much out looking to slash all that comes in their way. This particular movie of course has been built up for the clash between the samurai steel and admantium claws, and boy would that be fun to watch on a bigger screen! And there should be cameos, some flashbacks, maybe hints to future story plots. Lot going on in the X-Men world, keep them coming...

And another of the summer season movies had a trailer release today, White House Down. Right on the heels of Olympus Has Fallen which has quite a similar story. But White House Down is being directed by none other than Roland Emmerich, and if someone knows how to blow up things beyond proportions so that they make the teenage guys and gals (and me!) exclaim with admiration in the theatre halls, it is this director of Independence Day, Godzilla, Day After Tomorrow and 2012. The trailer makes no little effort at displaying this and with Chaning Tatum having the good luck charm sitting quite solidly on his shoulders lately, maybe the White House will not go down after all. Look that one up on Youtube, for this post is for Wolvie alone!

Angry as a Wolverine

Grrr... some people proclaiming that Olympus Has Fallen is a good enough watch. I find that annoying, very annoying! Not that I have anything against the movie. The problem is, I did not watch it. I have ended up watching quite a few average and below-average movies hoping they would turn out to be entertaining popcorn-films only to feel cheated, and now this one movie which I was sure would be just a random shoot-the-bad-guy film with a cheesy line here and there, is being termed as worthy of a watch!? C'mon, have I lost my all-knowing eye that could dig deep into a trailer and pick out where the film was headed to? Apparently so! Hey, GI Joe sequel up next. Grrrr... so that too would be a rather lame duck now, right!? Because I am watching it. And if I don't, then presto it would be at least a 'one-time' watch. Aarggh! Someone is in a foul mood today. Oh yeah, it's me! 

But something to cheer me up. Or if not that then at least something that might teach me how to channelise my anger in such a manner that adamantium claws rip through the gaps between my fingers. You would have understood by now the thing I am talking of, the genius that you are. Wolverine. The movie, Wolverine. Also the mutant Wolverine. The guy who is probably angry enough to take on even the Hulk. Unlike the Hulk though, he does not even try to curb his anger. I like the angry Wolverine. He is so... so... angry and raged up. That is what this little teaser tweeted by director James Mangold displays too. Lot of the angry chiseled Wolverine in a very brief clip, but his claws are there, and one small scene has the claws slashing against the samurai sword. And if you blink, you might miss it, but there is a moment with Jean Grey too which looks to me more like an older memory that Wolverine might have recalled, considering that the storyline of this movie is to be after the events of X-Men: The Last Stand. The trailer is to debut on March 27, so that is not very far away. And if for a couple of days, I can keep a check on my anger, I am bound to reach there all hale and hearty. Then let rip the adamantium, I say!

https://vine.co/v/bDExaiMjJ1F -- go to this link!

A look back...

One more weekend of March remains and yet eyes are already set for the month of April. But before one were to smack their lips in delight over the prizes that await as the summer period beckons, I took a step back to recount what Hollywood had given me so far this year. With nine movies seen in this period, it has not been a very busy opening time of the year for me. And even those have been quite a mixed bag. There have been enough talented actors on display so far and while some made their movies work, others would be wishing that they had opted for a vacation in the Caribbeans instead. Right on top of that list would be Jeremy Renner who would still be wondering whether he was suffering from a severe hangover when he agreed to play any sort of a role in Hansen & Gretel: Witch Hunters. Arnold Schwarzenegger on the other hand would be questioning his star power itself, when his return back to Hollywood in a rather action-packed Arnie-suited movie The Last Stand failed to cause any stir at the box office despite receiving good reviews. It was a poor day for action stars more or less as Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham solo movies turned out duds. I had the misfortune of believing that Bruce Willis would not let his Die Hard series get tarnished in any way but that was not the case with A Good Day to Die Hard turning out to be an action movie unbecoming of this franchise. The franchise though still thrives on the magic of the old movies and A Good Day to Die Hard earned decently well enough in the foreign markets to give you a sad feeling that we have not seen the last of McClane. 

And fables to movies was a theme common in this short span with Bryan Singer's Jack the Giant Slayer expected to build on the age-old story and use the high production budget well. All it did was provide mild entertainment which failed to live upto the promises made and no wonder has been one of the biggest failing in the box-office so far. But when it did seem a bit like doomsday with dejection being the common theme running across most films, Oz the Great and Powerful provided that beacon which made me believe once again in the power of movies. Magical, well-crafted, neatly acted, strong script writing, paying homage to the old movie, and visually appealing, everything was well packed in this Sam Raimi's flick which has been the highlight of 2013 so far! Showcasing the harsh reality as against the magical backdrop of the land of Oz, was the gritty Zero Dark Thirty which had a wide release in January and seemed worthy of its Oscar nomination right from the beginning to the end. In the same month, came the equally gritty Gangster Squad carrying a lot of acting strength and fearless performances that made the gangster story enjoyable. Filled with acting prowess was also Hitchcock though it could have been so much more if the story had been sharper. Little can be said though of Broken City which too carried big acting names and yet failed to evoke any emotion apart from exasperation. 

So there have been moments of thrill and joy, along with moments of annoyance and exasperation, both sets probably sharing equal space in my movie-viewing life so far this year. The priceless moment of sheer ecstasy is still missing though, and maybe it is just there, around the corner, waiting for me to take the turn. Here I come... 

Slow slow slowwwww

Things are pretty sluggish in the Hollywood land, as March inches to a close and grand April to come soon. Then there will be May and June and July and time for the blockbusters to unleash themselves on mankind! Snippets from these blockbusters have started emerging consistently now, notifying our race that things are just getting warmed up. New trailers for Despicable Me 2 and Star Trek Into Darkness have exploded on screen recently. Day in and day out there is always some news on one of the Avengers. Photos from Pacific Rim are becoming larger and larger. And today Riddick, Vin Diesel's third foray in this sci-fi adventure, has showcased a roughly 20-second footage to set things running. The teaser is impressive enough to make you wait for the complete trailer and while I've not seen the previous movies in this series, the initial teaser has gotten me interested enough. So as things rumble at their own pace, I too wait patiently, typing slowly and carefully, for soon enough, I know, things are going to get only big, massively big! With thoughts of those yet unseen times, we wait... 

Deadpool dead for Ryan Reynolds?

Ryan Reynolds is the name that makes quite a few ladies fall into a swoon, and understandably so. He's got tremendous potential as an actor too. He will be seen behind the screen this year, voicing for characters in the animation flicks The Croods and Turbo, and on screen playing a new look zombie in R.I.P.D. But even though his slate is quite full at the moment, his shot to really move a notch or two above in the star category, came and went (at least for the time being) with Green Lantern where he played the famed DC Comics superhero. One cannot fault Ryan Reynolds much with the debacle of the movie when the flimsy script and quite a tiring effort at direction were quite apparent. 

Reynolds has played another character from the comics in the past. In X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Reynolds played the sword yielding Wade Wilson who finally transforms into Deadpool, a deadly assassin, gifted with many mutant powers. For the last three years, a spin-off movie on Deadpool has been openly talked about, but with the project on X-Men: First Class taken up, the spin-offs never really gathered pace. Would things change anytime soon?  

With the next movie in the X-Men world titled Wolverine releasing in a few months' time, the most interesting piece I've recently read about it is Ryan Reyonold's submission about some tidbits on Deadpool emerging in this movie. "In the current iteration of the script, it doesn’t address Wolverine – though it does address Deadpool’s appearance in Wolverine," is what he had to say, referring to the slightly different look of Deadpool in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Well, while things might get clearer on that front, the chances of Reynolds playing  the titular character soon enough may be dim. In his own words, "It’s about a guy who knows he’s in a movie and knows he’s in a comic book who is deeply mentally disturbed and hyper violent, and that’s tough to get by a studio." Point taken, but even then there might come a time not so far away that studios would dare to take on movies on the anti-heroes, the not so angelic beings, and reap rewards on them. Once this shift of thinking does happen, I would like to see Ryan Reynolds take a shot at this role once again. Or else to see him play a comic book character again, one might have to wait for the many times dreamt-of Justice League based movie and hope for the studio to allow him to don the green suit again. Either way round, Reynolds' chances of portraying these roles again do seem bleak! Maybe there's something more interesting for him lying ahead ...