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Caught up with a few movies in the past weeks.

The Grand Budapest Hotel - 8/10
Saw it with moderate expectations, but loved it. Crazy and eccentric comedy, bordering on over the top. Visually it was a treat to watch and the story kept me engaged till the end.

Predestination - 7/10
Fine acting and good story. But I thought the plot was over complicated towards the end. Too much time travel to tie up.

Lucy - 6/10
Starts out well but the ending was disappointing. Scarlett Johansson looks believable as she evolves from one level to the next.

New Year movie marathon

The November Man - Pierce Brosnan - dated retired CIA spy theme - one time watch

The Rover - Weird Aussie movie - startling scenery from down under is the only positive

Snowpiercer - dumb movie about last known survivors of the human race, living aboard a moving train based on a class system

The Drop - Chechen mob movie background - good watch

Calvary - Irish movie dealing with the abuse of kids by the church - good watch

Movie: The Woman in Black 2

Review: This is a 90 minute horror movie with a 6/10 rating on IMDB. Please avoid this movie at all costs. There is no story or connection between various scenes throughout the movie. There are literally no scenes which will scare you. Another irritating thing is the picture quality – I felt that the intensity of light used in the movie is just too low – we could hardly see things clearly on the screen – you might think this is probably a fault of the theatre but I doubt it. We went for this movie because we had already seen P.K and there were no other options. In case that is the scene with you, do not make the mistake of going for this movie. Better to just sit at home and relax.

Rating: 0/5

Lucy - 6/10
Action starts right from the moment go. Kind off veers off towards the end.

Locke - Did not like it at all. It's a movie that keeps you somewhat interested in guessing what will happen next, but nothing really happens.

2 stars

The Imitation Game - Loved it. Highly recommended

Based on Alan Turing, the father of computer science, the genius whose work saved an estimated 14 million lives and shortened the WWII by 2 years. A true unsung hero

The movie also covers the appalling way he was treated leading to his eventual death. Shame on us, mankind.

If you liked this, you should also try castles in the sky, with Izzard. It follows Watson watt ,and the development of the radar in the war.

I have now completed the entire Hobbit and LOTR series from end to end.

1) Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey
2) Hobbit - Desolation of the Smaug
3) Hobbit - Battel of five armies
4) LOTR - Fellowship of the ring
5) LOTR - The Two Towers
6) LOTR - Return of the king

I am completely bowled over by the sheer scale of the entire series. The entire series is a truly an epic and nothing less than a masterpiece. I know its too late to talk about LOTR, but those who have not yet watched it, you have to watch it before you die.:D

I salute Peter Jackson and the entire team for mind-blowing presentation of the already fantastic book series. :thumbs up

P.S. I bought the entire LOTR trilogy DVD pack with the extended edition. The extended edition has 30, 42 and 48 minutes of footage which was deleted from the theatrical version.

I was a big fan of the Harry Potter series, but Hobbit / LOTR beats Harry Potter series left and right.

After a long time saw "Dune" based on a novel of the same name by Frank Herbert.
I like the novel a lot and the movie as well. The movie today may seem very outdated but the I have always thought that the idea and the universe it is set in was way ahead of its time. A must see for die-hard sci-fi fans and in the same league of movies like "The Forbidden Planet"

Dune - 8/10

I haven't seen any of the above. Will give these a shot.

Are they listed in the order that they should be seen ?

Yes Eddy. That is the exact order. Even though LOTR came before the Hobbit series, the Hobbit series is supposed to be the prequel to LOTR.

It's a good series but make sure you have a lot of time - they're long (@3 to 3-1/2 hrs each), even without the Extended Edition.

I'd watch them in the order they were released as the multiple characters are easier to get familiar with if for someone not acquainted with the books.

Watched 'Yes Man' last night. A must watch movie for everyone in my humble opinion.

Watched A Cry in the Dark (1988) - based on true story of this case. The plot is a mother convicted of killing her 9 week old daughter, based on circumstantial evidence. Highly debated & controversial case in Australia in the 80s.

Rating: 4/5

From the books perspective, the Hobbit comes before the LOTR.

However from the movie perspective, the LOTR would make sense to be watched first and then the Hobbit series. The Hobbit series makes a lot of assumptions as well as doesn't introduce a lot of main characters assuming that you have watched the LOTR series. Infact the LOTR has a decent opening piece on the origin of the ring and past history context (of Sauron vs the rest)