Cloverfield(2008) May 24, 2009
Posted by Afrozy Ara in Movie Reviews, Sci-Fi.Tags: cloverfield, monster movie, new york, suspense, thriller
1 comment so far
We live in a society that constantly feels the need to be in touch with our past and present – through mobile phones and instant cameras. We film, record and photograph everything, not willing to let go of any bit of our life undocumented. So, what if you are in the middle of a heady celebration, happily recording and then something suddenly goes terribly wrong??… You are caught documenting something catastrophic, and inadvertently – the last moments of your life!!!
Cloverfield is one movie that preys on these innermost subconscious fears, and terrorizes you with the shocking realism with which it has been portrayed. Completely presented through the perspective of a camcorder, it begins with the recording of a farewell party for Robert “Rob” Hawkins. Amidst cheerful flirtations and celebrations, Hudson “Hud” Platt goes around the gathering recording farewell messages for Rob, who is moving to Tokyo for a new job.The upbeat party atmosphere is suddenly shattered by an earthquake rocking the building. Merriment swiftly transforms into paranoia and then panic as we realise that a monster has struck downtown Manhattan, wreaking havoc and “eating people” everywhere. As the military swings into action, it announces a mandatory evacuation of the city, and thousands are seen fleeing the streets. In the middle of all this, Rob realizes that his girlfriend Elizabeth “Beth” McIntyre is stuck in her collapsed apartment, located in the neighborhood where the monster is causing destruction. He is faced with an impossible choice – whether to evacuate to safety or go back and rescue his love. Rob and his friends decide to risk their lives and rescue Beth.This is the turning point of the story – and a beginning of the shock and drama which is about to unfold.
Giant monster movies tend to be usually stereotypical. It will either be a Godzilla or a Frankenstein let loose in a city or some mutated aliens descending from space to annihilate the Earth. There will be gory pictures of the slimy creatures destroying buildings, killing people and crushing cars as they go around spreading mayhem wherever they go. Cloverfield is also a monster movie, but the treatment is different. You don’t see the monster much, but you can feel it there throughout the movie – in the fear it generates in the protagonists of the movie. It strikes you in-the-face, and you feel like you are in the skin of characters, and actually running for your own life!! The suspense is spine chilling, and keeps you frozen to your seat while your mind screams - “Run.. run.. RUN!!”
Overall, it is a one-of-a-kind thriller with an uncommon experience. To watch the trailer, link here: http://www.cloverfieldmovie.com/
Death du jour May 10, 2009
Posted by Afrozy Ara in Book Reviews.Tags: book review, death du jour, kathy reichs, mystery, thriller
add a comment
![n56795[1]](http://intenseopinions.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/n5679512.jpg?w=460 "n56795[1]")
This is one book that I just stumbled upon and didn’t know what to expect from the content. Apart from the cryptic name which sounded pretty ominous, and a back cover description full of adjectives like “thrilling”, “chilling”, “startling” and “nerve-shattering”, I had never heard of the book or the author before. So, I decided to attack it with an open and investigative mind 
– a search on Google explained “du jour” is a French phrase for “fashionable, currently for the day”. It turned out that the story revolves around a chain of murders which happened around the same time, but were discovered throughout the narration of the whole story. Hence the name – Death du jour.
The book begins in the bitter cold of a church graveyard where Tempe Brennan, an anthropologist, and the author’s heroine is working on exhuming the bones of a burial which took place 200 years ago. This sombre and dark beginning sets the tone of the chain of events to follow, in which Brennan is involved in the discovery of burnt, mutilated and decomposed bodies in separate incidents throughout the state. Death seems to follow her wherever she goes. She makes startling discoveries and unearths evidence which point to the involvement of a Cult group, which has turned violent and horribly wrong. Incidentally, the dark happenings of her professional life invade her personal space, when she finds that her sister is involved with this dubious “Inner Life Development” group too!. Many tense and nerve wracking moments await the reader as he wonders – “Can she or can she not?”.
The beginning of the book is a bit awkward, and it takes some time to get a hang of the plot. Kathy Reichs uses abrupt sentences and bits of phrases, which tend to confuse. However, a few incidents and fifty pages later, you are completely immersed in the story. The perpetual question at the end of every chapter is “What Next?” The author is aptly able to hold the attention of her readers, because there are so many clues and bits of the puzzle floating around, so it’s almost irresistible to stop until it ends!
Overall, it is an “unexpected” good read. And, if you are in the mood of some experimental reading, then it’s definitely a “worth it” try!!
The novel’s brief excerpt is here:
Rear Window (1954) April 26, 2009
Posted by Afrozy Ara in Classics, Movie Reviews.Tags: alfred hitchcock, neighbor, thriller, window
add a comment
A magazine photographer recuperating with broken bones after an accident.. His pretty and perfectionist girlfriend who he feels is too perfect for him.. A bustling neighbourhood in which an array of rear windows open into the lives of all the people living there… This is the setting of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1995 thriller “Rear windows” starring James Stewart as Mr Jeffery and Grace Kelly as Lisa Fremont.
Loneliness, love, lust, anger, desperation – all shades of emotions are available for Mr Jeffery to contemplate upon as he sits whiling away his boredom and waiting for his broken leg to heal. This row of windows becomes his lifeline, and amidst this ennui, he comes across a startling discovery of strange going-ons in the window across his. But haven’t we heard the saying – “Curiosity killed the cat”, and truly enough it landed Jeff in trouble too!!. The sudden disappearance of the wife of his across-the-window neighbour piques his curiosity, and make him suspect that the neighbour has murdered his wife. Jeff briefly toys with the ethical dilemma of “Should we spy at our neighbours?” , but as the plot unravels, he finally vindicates his stand. The rest of the story is a roller coaster ride of how he finally does it.
The main protagonist is a witty young man, with a la Sherlock Holmes kind of detective instinct, and a thirst for excitement that fully engages the audience throughout the film. Grace Kelly as Lisa startles us in the end with her pluck and audacity, making Jeff finally rediscover his lover through this adventure. The movie has its own share of whodunnit moments, and that’s what keeps you riveted to it till the end.The dialogues are crisp, the screenplay commendable, and you can feel a distinct old world charm throughout. Definitely a worth watch film!
