Movie Review: The Guest

I have always had a personal liking towards action thrillers as compared to other movies. The reason for this maybe that such movies are usually gripping and intense. Due to the intensity, it is possible that not enough stress is placed on the story and the performances of individuals. However when we talk about The Guest, it would not be wrong to say that the movie is driven by some brilliant performances.

The Guest is directed by Adam Wingard and stars Dan Stevens as the main lead character. For those who are fans of the TV series Downton Abbey, would know Dan Stevens as Matthew Crawley. Dan plays the role of a soldier named David in the movie. He ends up at the doorstep of the Peterson family claiming to be a friend of a deceased son of the family. 

Source: First Row Filmed Entertainment

The other main characters from the movie are members of the Peterson family itself. Maika Monroe plays Anna Peterson (the sister of the deceased soldier), Brendan Meyer plays Luke Peterson (the brother), Sheila Kelley plays Laura Peterson (the Mother) and Leland Orser plays Spencer Peterson (the Father). Each character is different from the other and they blend in well with the storyline.

Dan Stevens in a shot from the movie (Source: First Row Filmed Entertainment)

David slowly settles into the family but some accidental deaths in the neighborhood somehow link to his presence and raise concerns about his identity. The story of the movie is decent and might not be over the top but the performances of a few individuals is worth mentioning. Dan Stevens is as cool as a cucumber in his role and is by far the standout performance. Leland Orser and Maika Monroe contribute to the movie through their good performances while Lance Reddick plays a small cameo in the movie.

Maika Monroe and Lance Reddick in a shot from the movie (Source: First Row Filmed Entertainment)

There are a few light moments in the movie, that have been executed brilliantly while the intense moments go with the flow and are pretty smooth. The action scenes are not over the top and it is good to see some regular action with guns and knives. The only concern is that there isn't too much focus on a background story and everything seems to unfold as the story progresses. Adding more depth to the story would have surely helped in character development.

The movie is a quick watch with the runtime of under 100 minutes. The movie is surely worth a watch, especially for the performance of Dan Stevens. The movie is set to release in U.A.E. and the Middle East on October 9.

Rating:    7.5/10
Runtime: 99 minutes
Trailer:    http://youtu.be/y0E2Qh6wLS4

Movie Review: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

With limited releases during the month of Ramadan, it was a long wait before Dawn of the Planet of the Apes released in the cinemas. The movie is a sequel to the Rise of the Planet of the Apes that released in 2011.

The movie opens with a quick recap of the the previous instalment and the focus is on the spread of a virus. The virus infected the human race all around the world, killing millions.

(Source: bloscars.files.wordpress.com)

The previous installment showed scientists performing tests on Apes. Given that the Apes have been through a lot at the hands of human (especially Koba - Toby Kebbell), it is not difficult to guess that the Apes want the humans to stay as far as they can. Caesar (Andy Serkis) has now become the leader of the Apes. He is the most intelligent and reasonable Ape at the same time. He wants to keep his community safe and does not prefer violence against humans unless it is necessary.

Caesar, strong and powerful (Source: Wallpapersak.com)

The Apes have found a home in the forest and have been living in it for sometime but it is obvious that their paths will cross the paths of human beings somewhere along the road. It is not long before that this happens when accidentally humans pass by the forest. The humans come across the Apes and so begins the story.

The Apes warn the humans to stay away and let them go, however the humans led by Malcom (played by Jason Clarke) come back to the forest for something they want. What follows is an emotional story with a few twists to the plot. The movie becomes more and more interesting as it progresses.

Malcom and Caesar share a moment (Source: discovermagazine.com)

The characters of Malcom, Koba and Caesar are the main characters. All the characters have strong charateristics and have been developed very well. Supporting characters namely Alexander (Kodi Smit-McPhee), Ellie (Keri Russell) and other Apes play their parts well. The story is emotional but interesting at the same time. There is no hurrying into scenes or instances; everything happens at a decent pace. The climax is exciting and has a good amount of action.

The end is set in a way that would surely lead to another sequel. The movie is worth a watch.

Rating:    7.5/10
Runtime: 130 minutes
Trailer:    http://youtu.be/3sHMCRaS3ao

Movie Review: The Grand Budapest Hotel

After the brilliance Wes Anderson portrayed in Moonrise Kingdom, he is back with yet another gem "The Grand Budapest Hotel". The movie involves smartly written dialogues along with a simple yet intriguing script. 

Source: sameliasmum.com

The movie revolves around two main characters namely Zero, the Lobby Boy (played by Tony Revolori) and M. Gustave (played by Ralph Fiennes). M.Gustave manages The Grand Budapest Hotel and is a unique character for whom the reputation of the hotel is everything. On the other hand Zero is a Lobby Boy who would go to any extent to help his boss M.Gustave.

All the Characters in the Movie (Source: sameliasmum.com)

The movie is about the character Mr. Moustafa (F. Murray Abraham) narrating the story of M. Gustave. Gustave being a famous and attractive man (atleast to the older women) uses his charismatic persona on the women he meets and ends up making a lot of friends.

The story develops when Madame D. (Tilda Swinton), who loves Gustave dies and it is believed that her death is not out of natural circumstances but someone has murdered her. As the blame falls on Gustave, it is upto him and the Lobby boy Zero to prove his innocence and to find out who the murderer is. What follows is a ride filled with laughter.

The best scene of the movie (Source: oneroomwithaview)

The beauty of the movie lies in the fact that nothing is overdone. The director and the actors have made sure that they have kept it simple. The scenarios and situations that develop throughout the movie bring out humor. The acting is brilliant with outstanding performances by Ralph Fiennes and Tony Revolori. They are well supported by the likes of 20 year old Saoirse Ronan, who plays Agatha, Zero's love interest.

Other actors such as Adrein Brody (playing the character of Dmitri) and Willem Dafoe (playing the character of Jopling) handle their parts well too. The scenes where Ralph and Tony share the screen are hilarious and the chemistry between them will make you fall in love with their characters.

Ralph and Tony in a scene from the movie (Source: emertainmentmonthly)

Plenty of times we come across movies that are not promoted too well but when you watch these movies you are so impressed with them that you wonder why the promotion fell short. The Grand Budapest Hotel is one such movie that might not have received too much TV time but it will surely receive its share of critical acclaim. A movie that is totally worth watching. The movie is set to release in UAE on May 8, 2014.

Rating:     9/10
Runtime: 100 minutes
Trailer:     http://youtu.be/1Fg5iWmQjwk

Movie Review: The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty

Walter Mitty is a larger than life movie with Ben Stiller playing the main lead. The movie revolves around the character of Walter Mitty, an individual who wants to achieve a lot in life but has failed to do so. He lives a simple life and keeps disappearing into a fantasy world where he dreams of himself as a hero.

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Walter works as a photo negative archiver at Life Magazine. He is head over heels for Cheryl Melhoff (played by Kristen Wig), a colleague from office but he is too scared to tell this to her. The only time he manages to share these feelings with her is in his world of fantasy.

Source: Amazon Web Services

The story starts to develop when Ted Hendricks (played by Adam Scott) steps in. Ted, called in for restructuring informs the staff that Life Magazine would be publishing its last magazine. Ted tells the staff that he would be firing plenty of individuals as a part of restructuring. From his few meetings, Ted forms an opinion of Walter as a day dreamer. Things get worse as Walter loses Sean O'Connell (played by Sean Penn), a famous photographer's negative which would be the cover of Life Magazine's final issue.

Walter Mitty in His Fantasy World (Source: Youtube.com)

In order to solve the issue, Walter decides to go looking for Sean. As known to the world, Sean is no easy man to trace. It is during this trip from the vicious oceans to an active volcano to the Himalayas that Walter discovers his true self. Does he find the negative? Go watch the movie and find it out for yourself.

There are plenty of adventurous scenes in the movie along with moments that one can relate to as an individual. Ben Stiller is excellent in his role as Walter Mitty and the scenes from his fantasy world are pretty hilarious. Kristen Wig has a small part to play in the movie and she does justice to her role.

Time for Some Adventure (Source: MSN)

Kathryn Hahn as Odessa Mitty (Walter's sister) and Shirley MacLaine as Odessa Mitty (Walter's mother) are good too. When with Ben Stiller on screen, they do feel like a close knit family who care for each other. Other supporting cast is good too without anyone having to try extra hard to please the audience. The story does have it lows but those parts are minimal.

The movie is a larger than life movie which makes every individual to believe in their dreams once again. It is one of those movies from which you will come out with a smile on your face.

Rating:    7.5/10
Runtime: 114 minutes
Trailer:     http://youtu.be/kGWO2w0H2V8

Movie Review: Runner Runner

Ben Affleck has been all over the news recently due to the possibility of him playing Batman. Ever since the news was out confirming him to play Batman, there was an outrage on Social Media platforms justifying why Ben might not be the correct choice. Under such circumstances, Runner Runner doesn't seem like the best pick for Ben.

In addition to this, one should not forget that Affleck's previous movie Argo was a blockbuster hit and landed up with 3 Oscar wins. It is always difficult for an actor to follow up after such a huge success.

(Source: Ace Showbiz)

Runner Runner starring Justin Timberlake, Gemma Artherton and Ben Affleck is a thriller involving crime and a lot of gambling. Justin Timberlake plays Richie Furst, a youngster struggling with finances in order to complete his degree. Due to his financial issues, Richie is drawn towards gambling. After he loses everything online due to cheating, he makes it a point to get to Ivan Block (played by Ben Affleck) the owner of the gambling site.

The road from New Jersey to Costa Rica for Richie isn't easy but being a smart chap, he manages to eventually track down Ivan with some help from Rebecca Shafran (played by Gemma Artherton). Richie confronts Ivan and tells him how he was cheated on his website. Ivan thanks Richie but does not say anymore till their next meeting.

Ben Affleck and Justin Timberlake meet at The House (Source: ChercaBulas Mindbox)

It is during their next meeting that Ivan offers Richie a job that would pay him a lot of money. Richie readily accepts the offer at the thought of earning a lot of money. The rest of the movie focuses on the corrupt political system and the trouble one has to go through in order to keep the gambling business running.

The movie is a bit on the slower side and there are limited number of scenes that might be counted as action scenes. The scenes with Justin Timberlake and Ben Affleck are the best ones in the movie. The romantic scenes between Justin and Gemma fail to impress and their chemistry is passable.

A shot from the movie (Source: Blog CDN)

Ben Affleck playing Ivan Block has a decent role but there is not much he could have done with the character. It is the strongest character in the script but not strong enough to lift the movie. Justin Timberlake's perform is second only to Ben Affleck. However his role includes a lot of running around. Gemma Artherton is present only to add a beauty factor to the movie. She has been given very few dialogues and can be seen just walking around in a lot of scenes.

The movie is by no means bad, the only issue is that it is not good enough to keep you interested. There are no exciting moments in the movie that develop the audiences interest. The best scenes of the movie have already been revealed in the trailer. On the whole, the movie is an average one.

Rating:    5.5/10
Runtime: 91 minutes
Trailer:    http://youtu.be/dyboDr1e2xI

Movie Review: We're The Millers

Get ready to laugh your hearts out as Jason Sudeikis teams up with Jennifer Aniston once again after the success of Horrible Bosses. However this time around, they also have Emma Roberts and Will Poulter as a part of their team. We're the Millers is a 15+ comedy movie directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber, who is known for his 2004 success Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story.

Source: Rope of Silicon

David Clark (Jason Sudeikis) is a small pot dealer who goes around town selling weed with the weirdest names one can think of. He keeps a low profile to stay away from trouble and has some morality if you may say when it comes to drug dealing. He does not deal with kids. Jeniffer Aniston plays the character of Rose'O Reilly, a neighbour of David Clark. Rose works as a stripper and has a problematic life when it comes to finances.

Will Poulter plays Kenny Rossmore, a kid who resides in the same building as David. Will's problem is his behaviour with girls. Will gets nervous whenever he comes in front of girls and does not know how to react. Casey Mathis (played by Emma Roberts) is a homeless girl who has presumably runaway from her house. She roams the streets during day time and crashes at her friends' houses at nights.

A shot from the movie with all four leads (Source: Madison Movie)

Things go wrong when Casey encounters thugs and Will jumps in to save her. Will not being the strongest of kids is no match for the thugs. Eventually David steps in to save both Casey and Will. It is due to this encounter that David's apartment is raided and all his cash and drugs are taken away.

The stolen money belongs to Brad Gurdlinger (played by Ed Helms) who gives David a chance to save his life by smuggling drugs from Mexico to USA. David being in a tight spot accepts the offer. What follows is a crazy plan for smuggling the drugs. David, Rose, Kenny and Casey come together to act as the Miller family in order to make the plan a success and get their cut.

The Millers run into a Mexican Cop (Source: Ace Showbiz)

During the course of the trip, various characters are introduced and the Millers go through lots of ups and downs. Some of the characters that make their mark include Nick Offerman as Don Fitzgerald and Matthew Willig as One-Eye. It is during the trip that the four main characters start bonding and caring for each other.

The trip is fun and with the involvement of a spider, another family on a trip to Mexico and a Mexican mafia who is out to get his drug stock back, it just gets crazier. There are plenty of hilarious scenes in the movie and most of the jokes are adult jokes, which is pretty much expected given the movie's rating.

Reacting to an accident (Source: Black Film)

Jason Sudeikis and Jennifer Aniston do justice to their resepective roles. Emma Roberts has also managed to give a good performance in the movie. However, English actor Will Poulter steals the show. The character of Will is a well written one and he has ensured to give his best.

With a runtime of just under 2 hours, the movie is just about the correct length. We're The Millers is recommended if you are looking to release some stress and have a good laugh.

Rating:    8/10
Runtime: 110 minutes
Trailer:    http://youtu.be/0Vsy5KzsieQ

Movie Review: The Wolverine

Enough of these crazy Sci-fi and action movies; these are the thoughts that came to my mind when I sat down to watch the Wolverine. It wasn't long before I realised that there is a lot of good quality action that was yet to be seen. X-Men and Marvel are back with their second instalment on the Wolverine, by far the favourite mutant of many.

(Source: Carycitizen)

This very instalment of the Wolverine is linked to a few of the previous X-men movies and it wouldn't harm one to be up to date with the previous movies. The Wolverine takes us to the life of Logan post the Last stand. Given the fact that Logan cannot die (something we learnt in X-Men Origins: Wolverine), he has been forced to live a lonely life, away from friends and love. To add to the pain, Logan has regular nightmares with Jean Grey (played by Famke Janessen) in it. Logan blames himself for the death of Jean and every passing day for him brings nothing but pain.

All set to attack (Source: Cloudfront.net)

As the story moves forward, new characters are revealed. Logan had saved the life of a soldier named Yashida (played by Hal Yamanouchi), a number of years ago whose last wish is to meet Logan before he dies. Yukio (played by Rila Fukushima) meets Logan and convinces him to come to Japan with her, in order to meet Yashida.

The remainder of the movie is based in Japan itself. Yashida, thanks Logan for saving his life and offers to help him out. Yashida tells Logan that he understands the pain of living alone and he could help Logan. Yashida offers to take away Logan's powers and make him mortal. Will Logan accept this offer? This is something you will have to find out for yourself. 

It is in Japan that Logan meets Mariko (played by Tao Okamoto), the grand daughter of Yashida. Yashida tells Logan that he is concerned for his grand daughter. Being the superhero he is, Logan steps up to protect Mariko. As the story progresses, Logan and Mariko get closer to each other. He goes to the extreme in order to protect Mariko without caring for his own self. 

Yukio and Logan (Source: TheAge)

The movie introduces us to another mutant Viper (played by Svetlana Khodchenkova). Viper being a mutant herself has plans in mind to destroy Wolverine but she isn't the only one behind him. The movie moves from action sequences on the streets of Japan to a high speed bullet train and eventually to the Yashida's residence protected by Ninjas. 

The good thing about this movie is the focus on the storyline and the no nonsense action. There are no buildings blowing up due to alien attacks or missiles creating havoc and destroying cities. Yes, we are back to gold old fist fight (or claw fight since its The Wolverine) action with a bit of sci fi flavour added to it. The action sequence shot on top of the bullet train is worth watching. So is the scene where the Wolverine takes on a number of Ninjas alone.

Viper and the Wolverine (Source: Edgecastcdn.net)

Hugh Jackman as Wolverine is good as usual, while Tao Okamoto as Mariko manages her part well. As far as the supporting cast is concerned, the best performance is by Rila Fukushima. Svetlana Khodchenkova as Viper fails to impress, while Hiroyuki Sanada as Shingen and Will Yun Lee as Harada are just about fine. Famke Janssen appears in different parts of the movie as Jean Grey but does not have any major contribution whatsoever. 

On the whole, this X-Men movie is different from any of its predecessors. The storyline is decent, so are the performances. As mentioned earlier, the best part of the movie for me are the raw action sequences. All you need to do is sit back and enjoy the movie. Make sure to stay on your seats till the credits get over (remember its a Marvel movie); there is something post credits that you will not want to miss.

Rating:    7/10

Runtime: 126 mins.
Trailer:    http://youtu.be/Rh1LdTFkm7I 

Movie Review: The Heat

What happens when you put a rule abiding individual with one who has no respect for the rulebook whatsoever together? Well if you say chaos, loads of fun and definitely craziness, you are correct. The Heat has all this and lots more. 

(Source: Huffington Post)

Starring Sandra Bullock as FBI Agent Sarah Ashburn and Melissa McCarthy as Boston Cop Shannon Mullins, The Heat is an R-Rated comedy movie with some amount of action and a lot of wacky dialogues. Sarah Ashburn is a smart FBI Agent who loves to follow the rule book but knows little about making friends. On the other hand, Shannon Mullins is a crazy cop who doesn't mind breaking the law herself in order to protect the neighbourhood she lives in.

As a drug dealer hits the streets of Boston, Sarah is transferred to Boston to solve the case. The case is important to Sarah as solving it could be her only chance to get promoted. As she reaches Boston and starts working on it, she realizes that it would not be an easy task. Since Shannon is in love with her neighbourhood, it means that she stands in the way of Sarah.

(Source: Digital Journal)

At first, Sarah and Shannon don't go along well, their personalities being the obvious reason. As they realize that things would be better working together, they somehow manage to put their differences aside for a bit.

The case which seems simple at the start, gets complicated as things unfold. The series of events that follow are fun to watch. The small fights between Sarah and Shannon are hilarious and the dialogues are crazy. Since the movie is R-Rated, let me tell you the language used in certain portions of the movie are vulgar. The bar scene where both the characters go wild and crazy is fun to watch.

Drunk and tired (Source: Inside Movies)

The storyline might not be the strongest but the dialogues are good. Sandra Bullock proves yet again why she is a wonderful actress. Melissa McCarthy however steals the show here. Not only is her comic timing amazing but her dialogue delivery and acting skills must be praised. 

Marlon Wayans has a short supporting role in the movie and plays his part well. Dan Bakkedahl as the Albino undercover cop is hilarious and his scenes with Sandra and Melissa will leave you at the edge of your seat. Demian Bitchir, Michael Rapaport and Thomas F. Wilson have done justice to their role as supporting actors in the movie.

Overall the movie is worth a watch, especially if you haven't laughed your hearts out for a while.

Rating:    8/10
Runtime: 117 mins.

Trailer:    http://youtu.be/ST16k80bDYE

Movie Review: White House Down

Anyone who has watched Roland Emmerich's previous movies will surely know that he loves blowing up stuff all around USA, with Washington being his favourite. Right from Independence Day, followed by The Day After Tomorrow and 2012, Roland has shown us multiple ways of how the world would go down. In this movie however it is just the White House.

(Source: Rope of Silicon)

The movie stars Channing Tatum as Cale, and Jamie Foxx as the President of the USA. Cale portrays the character of a bodyguard. He ends up at the White House for an interview to be part of the secret services. However his past haunts him and he does not make it through. His career isn't the only thing that Cale has been unsuccessful at. Cale's daughter Emily (played by Joey King) isn't fond of her dad either and calls her dad with his first name. 

Cale brings his daughter along to the White House to fix up things with her, given that she is a big fan of the President. As the interview gets over, Cale and Emily hang around for a tour of the White House. Little do they know that things would get ugly in sometime. As Cale and Emily are still on the tour, a group of individuals with a not so common motive attack the White House. 

Tatum and Foxx in action (Source: Washington Times)

The terrorists might not have a common motive but they are ready to kill and do have a well sought out plan. As things start getting difficult and the terrorists take control of the White House, Cale steps up to protect the President. With this huge responsibility at hand, Cale has to also ensure that he gets his daughter out of the place safely. What follows is a series of action scenes from shooting and killing to helicopter crashes and blowing up parts of the White House. Yes, we have all seen this type of action before. However, the chemistry between Tatum and Foxx is interesting to watch. The scenes with both of them together lift up the movie.

Jamie Foxx pulls of his role with ease and adds some humor to the character. I haven't watched a President be part of the action and be humorous at the same time ever before. Channing Tatum is impressive, while Joey King manages to handle her parts pretty well. Tatum steals most of the screen space in the movie. Maggie Gyllenhall as Finnerty is passable and does not have a lot of say in the movie. Lance Reddick as General Caulfield has not been given enough screen space but impresses whenever he is on screen. Other supporting cast including Richard Jenkins and Jason Clarke do a decent job.

Tatum and Foxx prepare to shoot down some terrorists (Source: Collider)

The story of the movie is good but there is nothing special about it. Most of the action scenes in the movie are well done, especially with the part with the Limo and the Air Force One. However, there are a few over the top ones that are hard to believe even with amazing graphics. Overall, the movie has a lot of action and pretty less space for anything else. Go for it if you are looking for a good action movie and if you are a fan of Foxx or Tatum.

Rating:    6.5/10

Runtime: 131 mins.

Trailer:    http://youtu.be/Kkoor7Z6aeE 

Movie Review: World War Z

How many zombie movies have we seen? The answer would be plenty. I have always been a fan of the zombie genre and on behalf of any zombie genre fan, I would like to add that with the commencement of The Walking Dead, the bar was raised. World War Z is yet another zombie movie with its own take of what a zombie would be like. 

(Source: Fansided)

Brad Pitt plays the character of Gerry Lane, an ex-United Nations employee. Even though Gerry is no longer with the UN, he has to take up this job (of finding a solution to the apocalypse) in exchange of his family's security. Even though Pitt pulls out a good performance, the movie fails to impress. 

What doesn't go down well is the fact that the concept of zombies has been changed. Zombies are no longer slow moving ones that drag themselves across the streets in search of human flesh. I somehow find the agility of the zombies unconvincing, since agility has always been linked to vampires.

Taking his family to safety (Source: Philly)

Leaving aside the fact that zombies have been portrayed differently, the movie has little or no gore at all. C'mon a zombie movie without gore, what were you thinking? What irritates you is the fact that Pitt survives through unrealistic situations. I know he is the hero, but don't make him a super hero. 

Brad Pitt looks on as zombies attack the city (Source: Time Inc)

However the movie does have some high points. The scenes shot in Jerusalem are totally amazing with zombies jumping over each other to form a tower. The camera work used throughout the movie is excellent.  Another positive side to the movie is that the zombie apocalypse has not been restricted to USA itself. The phenomena is a worldwide one and the movie takes you to the different parts of the world in search of answers to the problem.

The second half of the movie is much better as compared to the first half. There are some funny zombie moments in the movie (not sure if they were meant to be this way). 

Zombies form a tower (Source: Business Insider)

The use of scientific knowledge in order to come up with a solution to the zombie apocalypse is impressive and it seems that the writers did use some research on this. Yes, the movie is based on the novel by Max Brooks so the storyline, be it good or bad has to be credited to Brooks itself.

On the whole, the movie is an average one but does not do justice to the zombie genre.

Rating:     5.5/10
Runtime:  116 mins.
Trailer:     http://youtu.be/4EC7P5WdUko 

Movie Review: Monsters University

If you have watched Monsters Inc., you would know that Mike Wazowski (voice by Billy Crystal) and James P. "Sulley" Sullivan (voice by John Goodman) are best friends. They work together at Monsters Inc. and are the best employees. The question is was it always like this? Were they always best friends? Well Monsters University (MU) gives you the answers to all these questions.

(Source: Schmoesknow)

The first 20 minutes of the movie focus on Mike and his dream. Mike is a hardworking monster who has a dream to make it to Monsters Inc., however being a cute looking monster he faces a lot of difficulties right from school days. He is teased for small size and his non-scary looks.

All this however does not dishearten Mike but only pushes him to become more focused, dedicated and work towards his only goal in life, the goal to be a Scarer. The dedication and hard work eventually pays off and Mike makes it to the Monsters University.

Mike is excited to be at Monsters University (Source: Writingderrick)

Mike is excited to be at the Monsters University since it means that he is one step closer to his dreams. What he doesn't know though is that things for him at the University are not different to school. He has to struggle to build an image but what is more annoying for him is Sulley, a monster with a scary look and a family history of scary monsters.

What Mike had to work for, Sulley got without any efforts whatsoever. Since Sulley doesn't value this and is arrogant, Mike and Sulley start off on bad terms. The fights seem to continue between the two and the dislike for each other keeps growing. There a number of scenes in the movie which show a face-off between the two lead characters.

Mike and Sulley face off (Source: Pixartimes)

Finally there comes a time when Mike and Sulley have to work together in a team for the Scare Games. The team Mike and Sulley form with a few other "non-scary" monsters is nothing but a team of misfits called Oozma Kappa (reminded me of The Internship). What follows are the Scare Games.

The Scare Games teaches each of the members a lot about themselves and about other team members thereby strengthening the bond between them. How the games unfold and how things eventually fall into place is something you would like to see for yourself.

Mike at the Scare Games Competition Counter (Source: Thesevensees)

The Monsters University introduces a number of new monsters, each having their own style and abilities. The way each of them has been distinguished just amazes you. Pixar has put a lot of effort in designing each of these characters. The flow of the story is good and it is difficult to find any loose ends. There is humor, emotions and a lot of fun moments. There are a few slow parts but they don't hurt the movie or the plot.

What Monsters University manages to do is give enough space to each of the characters without losing its focus from the main characters. The end of the movie ensures that it links to the start of the Monsters Inc., thus ensuring that its purpose of being a prequel is served. Monsters University might not be at the same level as its predecessor but is not a movie to be missed if you like animated movies.

Rating:     7/10
Runtime:  110 mins.
Trailer:     http://youtu.be/xBzPioph8CI 

Movie Review: The Internship

The last time Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn came together, they created a fun flick called Wedding Crashers. I don't think anyone can forget that. Owen and Vince get back together once again after 8 years for The Internship.

(Source: Screeninvasion)

The story begins with Nick (Owen Wilson) and Billy (Vince Vaughn) finding out that their company is shutting down and they have no jobs. Being experienced sales personnel, both begin to look for jobs. While Nick gets his hands on one, Billy has other ideas.

Billy convinces Nick to join him for an interview for an internship with Google. As they manage to get through it, not being tech savvy is just one of the challenges that they have to face.

A shot from the movie (Source: GooglePlus)

The story revolves around how Billy and Nick manage their time at Google and the challenges they face during this time. Not only do they have to overcome these obstacles, they have to even win a competition in order to get a permanent job at Google. Being a bit too old for the young crowd, all they manage is to become a part of a "team of misfits" (for the competition).

Do they manage to overcome these challenges? Do the other team members accept them? Do they manage to get the jobs? Well, that is something for you to find out. 

Billy and Nick play the Google version of Quidditch (Source: Timeinc)

From the internship interview to questions like "Should you have a beer with your boss?" and Google's own version of Quidditch; the movie has several funny bits.

One would think that a movie with Google would be an over the top, technological based one. However this is not the case with the Internship. It is a light hearted, fun movie with more focus on human relationships than technology. The movie also focusses on the culture at Google. We get to see how the Google office looks, with a number of scenes shot in different areas of the office.

Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn, pull off good performances as always. The storyline and dialogues lift the movie. Tia Sircar, Rose Byrne, Tobit Raphael, Max Minghella, Aasif Mandvi and a few other actors have been used aptly in supporting roles. There are a few romantic moments in the movie, along with some good jokes that make you laugh out loud. 

On the whole, The Internship is a good package. Totally worth a watch.

Rating:    7.5/10

Runtime: 119 mins.

Trailer:    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdnoqCViqUo