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...