Skip to main content

Posts

The American: A Carefully Crafted Assassin Film

The opening sequence of George Clooney ’s 2010 assassin film The American is shocking but interesting. We see a couple, Clooney and Irina Bjorklund , relaxing after a love-making session. The brooding Clooney is sitting on the floor; a naked Irina Bjorklund caresses his body while laying on the bed.  This set-up is interesting as it leaves no clue about the genre of the film. An ordinary moviegoer would easily guess it as a romantic movie, provided he or she hasn’t googled The American. The couple goes out and gets attacked by two snipers, whom the beautiful Irina confuses as hunters. Clooney’s girlfriend gets shocked when he kills two of his attackers with his gun. While killing his attackers Clooney’s character Jack displays the adeptness of a seasoned contract killer. It is only at this moment that we realise that The American is an assassin film. After killing the hunters, Jack kills his girlfriend, maybe to protect his identity as a gunsmith and a professional assassin. A gr...
Recent posts

Everything You Wanted to Know about James Cameron’s Spider-Man Movie

By Sreejith Kamalanayanan  I am a huge fan of the original Spider-Man franchise helmed by legendary horror maestro Sam Raimi. But little did I know that the idea for the Spider-verse was first born in the creative mind of Avatar director James Cameron. The Titanic director was not only the first one to pitch the idea to turn the Spiderman comic into a Hollywood feature, but he crafted a script treatment for the movie which is now known as the James Cameron’s Spider-Man Scriptment. James Cameron’s Spiderman Scriptment never got made into a Hollywood movie, but some key elements of the treatment got into Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man movie, which hit the screens in 2002. Here is everything you need to know about Jame’s Cameron’s Spider-Man movie that was never made... Cameron’s Spider-Man was pitched to Terminator 2 Makers James Cameron had pitched his version of Spider-Man movie to Carolco, the company that produced his blockbuster film Terminator 2. This means we would have got to see Ja...

Rewatching Goodfellas: What makes it one of Hollywood's best gangster movies?

  Amid the chaos of Covid-19 pandemic and a busy work schedule, I found some spare time to rewatch one of my favourite movies from the 90s. I'm talking about Goodfellas, a 90s Classic often hailed by critics as one of the best gangster movies Hollywood has ever produced.   Goodfellas, director Martin Scorsese’s all-time Classic, has stood the test of time and succeeded in maintaining its unique place among other best Hollywood gangster movies such as Godfather, Scarface, Casino, The Irishman etc. Even after 30 years, the movie still holds my interest and presents to me some interesting details which I missed in my previous viewings.  Unlike many other Hollywood gangster movies from the 90s, Goodfellas has aged like fine wine. The movie definitely lifted my spirits and I just want to share with you why I love Goodfellas and consider it as one of the best gangster movies Hollywood has ever made.  Clever Use Voiceover Narration  The movie opens up with the ...

How did James Franco's viral 'First Time? Meme' originate?

Those who are yet to see Coen Brothers' ' The Ballad of Buster Scruggs ' must be the ones who Google to know from where did the 'First Time?' meme featuring James Franco come from. The meme features James Franco as a cowboy outlaw about to be hanged. He has a noose around his neck. He's not alone there are other convicts in similar fate. An old guy who also has a noose around his neck starts crying. Franco goes to a bank to rob it Franco asks him casually : "First Time, huh?" This is because Franco had been convicted for hanging earlier in the bank for attempting to rob a bank. At the time of his execution, Comanche warriors storm into the place and kill his executioners and Franco escapes. Read a review of The Ballad of Buster Scruggs here: Netflix's The Ballad of Buster Scruggs: Coen Brothers laugh at Death in this little classic

Bull Durham (1988): A baseball classic that boasts of one of the best movie love triangles

By Sreejith Kamalanayanan Bull Durham is a 1988 movie that I first watched in 2018. This Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins movie has aged beautifully.  The movie begins with the voice of Annie Savoy, the lead character played by Susan Sarandon. She is kind of a spiritual person who considers baseball as her religion. " I believe in the church of baseball," she says. Savoy picks a baseball guy every year as her lover. Savoy says she makes these boys feel confident and they make her feel safe. She chose baseball as her religion as there's no guilt in it, unlike Christianity. Thus she doesn't feel guilty for sleeping with the baseball boys. Ebby Cavin Laloosh is the guy Savoy has chosen as her lover the current baseball season.  Tim Robbibns as Ebby But there's another guy who she is attracted to as well: "Crash" Davis played by Kevin Costner.  Savoy would have chosen Crash had not he walked out on her after deliver...

Marvel to make Doctor Strange 2, Scott Derrickson signs on to direct the sequel

Fans of Marvel and Benedict Cumberbatch can rejoice as the magical combo is coming back to take to you into other dimensions again. The Hollywood Reporter has reported that Marvel is bringing back the wizard in a sequel. The sequel now titled as Doctor Strange 2 will see Cumberbatch, Rachel McAdams and Benedict Wong reprising their roles. Another big news is that Scot Derrickson will come back to direct the sequel as well. Rachel McAdams The sequel news is important to the Marvel fans as they saw the Doctor getting dusted by Thanos along with other major superheroes in Avengers: Infinity War. The news Doctor Strange 2 has boosted speculation that Strange might have survived the 'Superhero-Apocalypse' unleashed by Thanos. Doctor Strange being dusted off by Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War This news is sure to make more fans curious enough to watch the Avengers 4 or Avengers: Endgame. The trailer of the much awaited sequel to Infinity War was released las...

Netflix's The Ballad of Buster Scruggs: Coen Brothers laugh at Death in this little classic

By Sreejith Kamalanayanan The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is an important movie because it marks the transition of the Coen Brothers to streaming platform. The duo is one of the most important filmmakers working today and the news of their transition to Netflix has made everyone eager and curious. It's an anthology Western movie with every segment bearing the signature of the Coen Brothers. Coens picked death as the theme for their foray into Netflix and infused in it their unique and bizarre sense of humor. Almost every central character in each segment have to confront death at a crucial point in the movie. Death pulls curtain on almost all the episodes in The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. The first episode is titled The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. The central character is a wanted outlaw called Buster Scruggs. He's fearless, but not a stiff, weathered gunslinger that we are familiar with through Western films.  Related Reading:   MCCABE&MRS MILLER: ROBERT ALTMAN...