Tomboy

France 2011

Details IMDB

Seen 18 May 2013

Ratings from other sources

IMDB 7.4/10

Rotten tomatoes 7.8/10

A 10-year-old girl, settling into her new neighborhood outside Paris, is mistaken for a boy and has to live up to this new identity since it's too late for the mistake to be clarified

My Ratings .8.0/10

My impressions

That awkward age

When you feel you don't belong

Feeling uncomfortable in your own skin

How do you resolve this nagging question

Who am I

This body of mine

Do I change or remain

True to myself

Others seem to accept

That side of you

But is it really you

Or just a phase

Protektor

Czech Republic 2009

Details IMDB

Seen 18 May 2013

Ratings from other sources

IMDB 7.2/10

A Czech journalist joins a Prague radio station that broadcasts Nazi propaganda in order to protect his Jewish wife

My Ratings .7.0/10

My impressions

The plot centers on how a couple goes through the German occupation of.Czechoslovakia. The wife, a budding actress and a Jew is compared to the husband, a supposedly straight laced radio personality. Looks deceive.

No one could even imagine that the unassuming husband has more gumption than what can be seen all along. The difficult period brings out the best and worst in oneself. That is the time when one knows who are the true friends and those plotting your downfall.

Frozen Silence (Silencio en la nieve)

Spain 2011

Details cineuropa

Seen 18 May 2013

Ratings from other sources

IMDB 5.7/10

How do you find a murderer amidst the chaos, death and destruction of the Second World War?

My Ratings .6.0/10

My impressions

A murder mystery amidst the war. A body discovered in the snow with markings on his chest sets in motion an investigation into the incident. Played against the backdrop of Spaniards in sympathy with Germany against the Russians during the Second World War. Will we see a closure to the question of who and why the murder occurred? That is still debatable as the snow continues to fall and an answer seems non existent.

The Place Beyond The Pines

USA 2012

Details IMDB

Seen 17 May 2013

Ratings from other sources

IMDB 7.4/10

Rotten tomatoes Average Rating 7.3/10

A motorcycle stunt rider turns to robbing banks as a way to provide for his lover and their newborn child, a decision that puts him on a collision course with an ambitious rookie cop navigating a department ruled by a corrupt detective

My Ratings .7.5/10

My impressions

Events in the past haunt the present. Who would have thought that the split second decision between life and death still have repercussions as time goes by.

The story might take some time to get to its conclusion but it is worth the wait as the actors managed to flesh out the characters. The line between the good and bad is never clear cut as both sides have their nemesis.

3

Germany 2010

Details IMDB

Seen 16 May 2013

Ratings from other sources

IMDB 6.8/10

Rotten tomatoes Average Rating 5.8/10

A Berlin-set drama centered on a 40-something couple who, separately, fall in love with the same man.

My Ratings .7.0/10

My impressions

A German manage a trois.. Despite all the angst and familiarity in a relationship, the presence of a third party disrupts the equilibrium. We are privy to that journey. A happy ending?

The Great Gatsby

USA 2013

Details IMDB

Seen 16 May 2013

Ratings from other sources

IMDB 7.3/10

Rotten tomatoes Average Rating 5.8/10

A Midwestern war veteran finds himself drawn to the past and lifestyle of his millionaire neighbour

My Ratings .7.0/10

My impressions

I was skeptical seeing the 3D version but went into the cinema without any further thought. I was curious to see how different it might be from the Robert Redford, Mia Farrow version. I must acknowledge that the director Baz Luhrmann, who also helmed Romeo and.Juliet as well as Moulin Rouge has succeeded in bringing forth the heady days of the 1920s to life. A more current interpretation of the music of that era gelled well with the 3D effect. The quiet moments when the focus was on the actors gave a good balance to the whole story.

Promised Land

USA 2012

Details IMDB

Seen 16 May 2013

Ratings from other sources

IMDB 6.6/10

Rotten tomatoes Average Rating 5.9/10

A salesman for a natural gas company experiences life-changing events after arriving in a small town, where his corporation wants to tap into the available resources

My Ratings .6.0/10

My impressions

The big guys against the small guys

Someone is caught in between

There is always a line when

A word, an action pricks your conscience

Pushing, encouraging us to do the right thing

Money has always been such a powerful aphrodisiac

Many have succumbed to its allure

Yes, of course money helps in so many areas

But there comes a time when the price is too high

The benefits promised

May not be what we were hoping for

99 Kali Rindu

Malaysia 2013

Details GSC

Seen 12 May 2013

My Ratings .5.0/10

My impressions

The loved one lost

The journey continues

In the hopes another will be

In your life

As the replacement

As the one who will be with you

Forever

Will that quest succeed

As there are many obstacles

Along the way

Predicaments, decisions

Which path should be taken

That will lead to ever lasting happiness

Star Trek Into Darkness

USA 2013

Details IMDB

Seen 11 May 2013

Ratings from other sources

IMDB 7.9/10

Rotten tomatoes Average Rating 7.6/10

After the crew of the Enterprise find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one-man weapon of mass destruction

My Ratings .7.5/10

My impressions

The journey continues

Exploring the outer limits of the universe

The crew dedicated as ever

Would this adventure be any different

More thrills and spills

More pyrotechnics

Dazzling, exhilarating

A roller coaster journey

To be enjoyed as it is

A fable extraordinaire

Iron Man 3

USA 2013

Details IMDB

Seen 27 April 2013

Ratings from other sources

IMDB 7.4/10

Rotten tomatoes Average Rating 6.9/10

When Tony Stark's world is torn apart by a formidable terrorist called the Mandarin, he starts an odyssey of rebuilding and retribution

My Ratings .7.0/10

My impressions

The good guys versus the evil ones

An eternal struggle between the two

A struggle that never ends

A permanent cycle

Ups and downs

Super powers you may have

The other side has it too and

The race continues to ensure

Who will triumph

Be they good or evil

Definitely and ultimately

A fight to the end

With twists and turns

Our hero will triumph

Oblivion

USA 2013

Details IMDB

Seen 12 April 2013

Ratings from other sources

IMDB 7.0/10

Rotten tomatoes Average Rating 5.9/10

A veteran assigned to extract Earth's remaining resources begins to question what he knows about his mission and himself.

My Ratings .6.0/10

My impressions

What is seen may not be

What is known may not be

Doubts begin

Questions asked

But no definite answers

Curiosity, seeking the reasons

Behind the facade

A quest to find something that can satisfy

Begins

That longing for truth

Might lead to unpleasant truths

It is truth nevertheless

Hidden

Oz the Great and Powerful

USA 2013

Details IMDB

Seen 25 January 2013

Ratings from other sources

IMDB 6.4/10

Rotten tomatoes Average Rating 6.0/10

A small-time magician is swept away to an enchanted land and is forced into a power struggle between three witches

My Ratings .6.0/10

My impressions

Bumbling, clumsy, getting by on wit's end

A man with no scruples

Maybe a good heart

Events throw him into the deep end

Will he survive using the same old tricks

Or does he have something deeper

Hidden inside his being

That shows his true character

That he is more than the shining veneer

Tests aplenty awaiting

Success or otherwise

He has to decide

Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters

USA 2013

Details IMDB

Seen 25 January 2013

Ratings from other sources

IMDB 6.1/10

Rotten tomatoes Average Rating 4.0/10

Bounty hunters who track and kill witches all over the world.

My Ratings .5.0/10

My impressions

The past experience helps

But new demons and evils

Will always try to overpower

Whoever comes across their paths

The fights, duels and schemes continues

Each against the other

Trying to outdo, outwit the other

Will the siblings succeed

They do have an advantage

Endowed with goodness but

There is always a twist

As they continue in efforts to uphold what is right

Trying to save as many as possible

Your Sister's Sister

USA 2011

Details IMDB

Seen 4 January 2013

Ratings from other sources

IMDB 6.7/10

Rotten tomatoes Average Rating 7.0/10

Iris invites her friend Jack to stay at her family's island getaway after the death of his brother. At their remote cabin, Jack's drunken encounter with Hannah, Iris' sister, kicks off a revealing stretch of days.

My Ratings 7.0/10

My impressions

The unexpected, comes to you without any warning

The unknown, delicious, captivating

The known, the one that you desire seems so elusive

Which path should be taken

Both seem fraught with so many uncertainties

Are those feelings just flutters of the moment

Conveniently filling the void

Or are they a precursor

To something much more substantial

Questions, more questions

Risks to be taken

A decision has to be made

The Master

USA 2012

Details IMDB

Seen 3 January 2013

Ratings from other sources

IMDB 7.1/10

Rotten tomatoes Average Rating 8.1/10

A Naval veteran arrives home from war unsettled and uncertain of his future - until he is tantalized by The Cause and its charismatic leader

My Ratings 7.5/10

My impressions

Two individuals, linked by a bond

Dependent on each other

One might seem superior to the other

That is not quite true

They are of the same mould

Hosting demons lurking deep inside

Kindred spirits that recognise each other

Others are unable to see

They acknowledge each other

The strength and weaknesses

Inherent in the character

Unable, unwilling to change

Let the demons linger

Cloud Atlas

USA 2012

Details IMDB

Seen 31 December 2012

Ratings from other sources

IMDB 7.6/10

Rotten tomatoes Average Rating 6.6/10

An exploration of how the actions of individual lives impact one another in the past, present and future, as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero, and an act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution

My Ratings 7.0/10

My impressions

Our life is not what it seems

Our lives are interrelated

The past, present and future

All events linked

All in a continuing circle

Past, present and future influencing each other

Today effects tomorrow

That has always been the case

Alas we tend to forget the threads

The ongoing fight between good and evil

It never ends but good must always prevail

That is the eternal hope

Life of Pi

USA 2012

Details IMDB

Seen 30 December 2012

Ratings from other sources

IMDB 8.1/10

Rotten tomatoes Average Rating 7.9/10

A young man who survives a disaster at sea is hurtled into an epic journey of adventure and discovery. While cast away, he forms an unexpected connection with another survivor: a fearsome Bengal tiger

My Ratings 8.0/10

My impressions

Fanciful, unbelievable

Too good to be true

Too far fetched

How did it happen

Did it happen as told

Or was it just dreams

Hallucinations

The benefit of the doubt

Has to be given

He did survive

Despite all odds

A miracle

Triumph over adversity