Annabelle

Annabelle is the newest horror movie in cinemas now, and let me tell you, it is scary. Its about a doll who gets possessed by a demonic creature and then starts to haunt a woman and her new daughter. It probably sounds like a clichéd plot, but get this: it's based on a true story! There is a real doll called Annabelle, though it looks nothing like the one in the movie, that was possessed and caused a rather unfortunate series of events.

When Mia receives a doll that she's been hunting for from her husband John for her expected baby, she is overjoyed. But that's just a sure sign that something bad is going to happen. During the night, Mia hears a murder taking place at their neighbors' home. A report shows that the assailants were Annabelle Higgins and her boyfriend and were part of a satanic cult. Mia is attacked by them, but they are subdued. A drop of Annabelle's blood falls onto the doll's eye. As expected, strange activity begins to torment Mia and her baby. Through some research and help from an old woman who is knowledgeable about superstitions, Mia determines that the spirit haunting her wants a soul. It doesn't want her soul; it wants her baby's soul instead.

I'm not a huge fan of horror movies. Horror ranks about 8th out of my top 10 favorite genres. In fact, the only reason I went for it was because my friends were there as well. Now, I've only watched a few horror movies (3 of them), but I really thought Annabelle was a scary movie. I was absolutely freaked in the cinema. I'll admit it; I screamed twice during the film. The background music was great at raising suspense and fright wherever needed. It told me when to cover my eyes... (I'm joking. No, seriously). Another great thing in the film were all the camera angles. I've never seen so many different camera angles in just one movie. That made it easier the see the looks of abject terror on the characters' faces. I don't know if you guys liked it or not, but I personally thought it was a satisfying film. The trailer, however, spoiled most of the scares in the movie. Not something I like.

• Genre- Horror and mystery 
• Director- John R. Leonetti
• Producers- Peter Safran and James Wan
• Starring- Annabelle Wallis (Coincidence? I think not!), Ward Horton and Alfre Woodard

My rating

4/5

The Maze Runner

Before I start my review for The Maze Runner, let me just say that the books by James Dashner were fantastic. Each of the three books were well-written and the story was gripping too. So obviously, I was excited to watch the movie.

When Thomas wakes up in the Glade with a group of other boys inside the Maze, he has no memory at all. No recollection of any memories. But he soon starts dreaming about a mysterious organization known as WCKD (known as WICKED in the book). There is one rule that all the Gladers follow: do not enter the Maze. Nobody knows about the Maze. Every night, the maze doors close, and the Grievers come out to play. The Grievers are basically half machine and half animal. They are programmed to kill any Glader in the Maze. But when Thomas kills one, everything starts to change. When Teresa, the first girl to be sent to the Maze, seems to recognize Thomas, everything changes. By piecing together clues he finds in the Maze and the things he learns from his dreams about WCKD, he begins to discern the real purpose he was sent to the Maze for and a way for all the Gladers from the Maze to escape.

While The Maze Runner was not an exceptional movie, it was satisfactory, like all other movies that are based on books. However, Dylan O'Brien carried his role as Thomas strongly. He carries along both the story and the emotions. From the beginning of the movie until the end, it was considerably accurate, with just a few tweaks to the story. The special effects made everything authentic. The Maze walls looked realistic, and I felt that this was important for the movie. Everything from the way the walls moved to the puddles on the floor made the whole setting seem as if it was original. However, in the book, Thomas and Teresa could speak to each other telepathically. I felt that they should have included that in the movie as well because it was an important part. The Grievers also looked different from what I'd imagined. Dashner described them as half-slug and half-machine, so I imagined a brown slug-like thing with metal spikes and appendages sticking out. In the film, they were more 'spidery', with jagged metal legs. My final verdict? A good movie, but it could have been much better.

• Genre- Sci-fi, action, mystery
• Director- Wes Ball
• Producers- Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Wyck Godfrey, Marty Bowen, Lee Stollman  
• Starring- Dylan O'Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Thomas Brodie-Sangster and Ki Hong Lee

My rating

4/5

The Hundred-Foot Journey

Most of you may have noticed that all the movies that I've reviewed so far have one thing in common- they are all either action or adventure or science-fiction. But not today. Today, I'm reviewing The Hundred-Foot Journey, a heartwarming story about a young Indian chef in France as he struggles to prove his competence in cookery.

When Hasan and his family end up in a tiny French village with a dream of opening an Indian restaurant, they aren't discouraged by the fact that just a hundred feet across their door is an acclaimed Michelin-starred French restaurant that's so popular that even the President of France dines there. But when Hasan and his family open their restaurant, the owner of the restaurant opposite, Madame Mallory, will do anything to get their restaurant shut down. The French and Indian cultures clash, and what was first a small rivalry, becomes all-out war. However, when Madame Mallory discovers Hasan's prowess and passion for cooking, she immediately takes note of his potential to earn her restaurant one more Michelin star. This, along with the budding friendship developing between Hasan and Marguerite, Madame Mallory's sous chef, brings the two cultures together. 

This movie was beautiful. Along with Guardians of the Galaxy and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, it was one of the best movies I've seen this year. The acting was first-rate and the story was a perfect mixture of comedy and seriousness. Another thing I really liked about the film was that there were no random clashes or out-of-nowhere surprises. You guys remember Disney's Ratatouille? Ratatouille is one of my favorite movies, and The Hundred-Foot Journey reminded me of it, especially the similarities between Remy and Hasan. The movie was about food, and it did just what food should do: it satisfied me. I would recommend this movie to everyone, but I guarantee that you're going to leave the cinema hungry! 

• Genre- Comedy and drama
• Director- Lasse Hallstöm 
• Producers- Steven Spielberg, Oprah Winfrey and Juliet Blake 
• Starring- Helen Mirren, Manish Dayal, Om Puri and Charlotte Le Bon 

My rating

5/5

Guardians of the Galaxy

"All heroes start somewhere."

Marvel has finally made a movie starring some of it's lesser-known, but still amazing, characters. The Guardians of the Galaxy include a thief, an assassin, a genetically modified big-mouthed raccoon, a plant-humanoid who can speak only three words and a powerful prisoner. Together, they are the most unlikely of superheroes to save the day.

When Peter Quill steals a stone with powerful properties, he is made a target by Ronan, the obsessive Kree who wants to destroy the planet Xandar. He forms an uneasy alliance with a bunch of extraterrestrial misfits: Gamora (the assassin), Rocket (the raccoon), Groot (the plant-humanoid) and Drax (the powerful one). From here on, they embark on a thrilling journey across the galaxy to restrict Ronan from getting his hands on the stone and destroying the entire galaxy. 

I'll give it to you guys straight: Guardians of the Galaxy was one of the finest Marvel movies. Better than Iron Man 2. Better than Iron Man 3. Better than Thor: The Dark World. The action and comedy were great too. It's not only got the markings of an amazing movie, but you can also empathize with the characters and get to know about them. Everyone acted really well throughout. While I was watching, I couldn't decide on which character was my favourite. Peter? Groot? Rocket? I couldn't choose. I guess I liked Peter because he reminded me of Han Solo from Star Wars. The resemblance between those two was uncanny. Meanwhile, everyone at DC is probably scratching their heads and wondering how in the world did a movie starring a talking raccoon and a tree-humanoid who can only say one sentence is at the top of the charts. All in all, an amazing movie and a movie that everyone, and I mean everyone, should watch. And one more thing, Groot was awesome!

• Genre- Sci-fi, action, adventure
• Director- James Gunn
• Producer- Kevin Feige
• Starring- Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel and Lee Pace

My rating

5/5

Transformers 4: Age of Extinction

"This is not war, it's extinction"

This is the fourth and definitely not final movie in the explosive Transformers franchise. I'm pretty sure that all of you know what happens in the other movies, or at least have a basic idea, but if you don't, here's a quick 101: a bunch of Decepticons attack, everyone goes crazy deploying soldiers and weaponry, and then the Autobots along with a few humans save the day. There's one small difference in Age of Extinction- there aren't any soldiers, and the final battle is in China, not some city in the USA.

When struggling inventor Cade Yeager finds an old truck that just happens to be Optimus Prime, he is targeted by CIA agent Harold Attinger, who is bent upon finding and destroying all remaining Transformers on Earth. But when businessman/inventor Joshua Joyce, one of Attinger's allies, ventures to learn more about the Transformers, he crosses the line and pushes technology to it's limits, trying to learn as much as he can; all while an ancient Transformer menace threatens Earth once again. 

To be honest with everyone of you, I thought that this movie was one of the worst in the franchise. It was way too long for an action movie (2.5 hours!!) and they didn't even try to develop the plot. Remember the slo-mo scenes in the first three movies, like when Ironhide jumps up and shoots missiles while a woman screams underneath, and Devastator in the second movie and how Bumblebee transforms with Sam still inside him during the third one? Well, there were none of those in Age of Extinction. There was slo-mo, but not the memorable kind. Then there's the humor. There's only one word for it- sad. I'm not sure, but I think it was supposed to be funny, not make you sigh with annoyance. I've been a Transformers fan for a very long time, but this was an all time low. You know, there should be a new law passed that makes it illegal to make a bad movie if the trailers are so good. The trailers made the movie seem better than they actually were. The only good thing I have to say about this disappointment is that the CGI and graphics were amazing. It looked fantastic. Mark Wahlberg did a good job, but he was the only one. The lone spark in a gigantic cloud of smoke. 

• Genre- Action, sci-fi and adventure
• Director- Michael Bay
• Producers- Don Murphy, Tom DeSanto, Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Ian Bryce
• Starring- Mark Wahlberg, Nicola Peltz and Stanley Tucci

My rating

2/5

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

"The one last chance for peace."

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. What a dramatic name for an amazing movie. If any of you have no idea what this movie is about, its name tells you all you need to know. So what's it about? Yes, you guessed it: Apes. In this sequel to Rise of the Planet of the Apes, the very same virus that made Caeser as intelligent as a human has killed most of mankind and led to the downfall of all the countries in the world.

For ten years, the apes have lived peacefully in the Muir Woods in California, while the rest of the world is chaotic and full of confusion. When a band of humans are encountered by a few apes, a fragile peace is reached, but it is only momentary. Within a few days, the two sides reach the brink of war. When Caeser is shot, but not killed, by Koba, everything depends on Malcolm to avert a terrible war that will determine who becomes the supreme species on Earth.

I have one word for Dawn of the Apes: stunning. Everything was stunning about this film. The special effects were fantastic. If you weren't told that real apes were not trained for the movie, you wouldn't be able to make out that the apes were just special effects. There were actually actors who were portraying the apes. Now, to the plot. The story was pretty good; way better than its prequel's. I also liked that the apes could speak proper English. That was a nice touch by the writers. The fight scenes were quite impressive. Overall, one of the best movies this summer.

• Genre- Adventure, action and sci-fi
• Director- Matt Reeves
• Producers- Peter Chernin, Dylan Clark, Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver
• Starring- Andy Serkis, Jason Clarke, Toby Kebbell and Gary Oldman

My rating

5/5

Be Patient!!

Hey everyone. Sorry I've not been updating my blog, but I've been busy with school and other things. So just be patient and look forward to my next review, which will be on Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Cheers!