MehulHirani.com » Movie Reviews

Babel (2006) – Review

Mehul — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 12:27:19 +0000

*Contains spoilers

Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu

Babel the third feature film by Director Alejandro González Iñárritu is by far his greatest achievement to date. His first film ‘Amores perros’ (2000) had a similar dimension to Babel with multiple stories interlinking each other in a non-chronological fashion. Babel continues on from ‘Amores perros’ and ‘21 Grams’ his second film, encompassing more than three storylines in multiple locations, which include San Diego, Mexico, Morocco and Japan.

Babel sees Iñárritu reunite with a trusted group of experienced craftsmen that include Writer Guillermo Arriaga, Director of Photography Rodrigo Prieto and Composer Gustavo Santaolalla, in this film his largest film to date in terms of production and budget as well as many other factors.

Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) – Review

Mehul — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 15:55:07 +0000

Directed by Guillermo del Toro

El Laberinto del Fauno aka Pan’s Labyrinth has been one of the highlights of the 2006 film calendar and I hope to explain why in this review.

Directed by Guillermo del Toro (Devil’s Backbone, Blade 2, Hellboy), Pan’s Labyrinth is the story of a young girl, Ofelia, who travels with her pregnant mother to their new home, a military outpost in a rural part of Spain commanded by her new stepfather Captain Vidal set against the time of the Spanish civil war of 1936-39...

Children of Men (2006) – Review

Mehul — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 07:27:06 +0000

Directed by Alfonso Cuarón

From the heart of the independent filmmaking world comes Children of Men starring Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Michael Caine and Chiwetel Ejiofor. Set in 2027, a chaotic society where humans can no longer procreate, a former activist (Owen) helps to escort a pregnant woman to a sanctuary at the sea, her child who will be the future of man kind...

A Scanner Darkly (2006) – Review

Mehul — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

Directed by Richard Linklater

A Scanner Darkly is based on the famous novel written by Philip K. Dick. Based on real-life experiences involving the destructive power of drugs, the book has been a cult classic with many readers...

Harsh Times (2005) – Review

Mehul — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

Directed by David Ayer

Harsh Times is the brainchild of David Ayer, writer of Training Day. This was a similar kind of story that involved crime, drugs and violence. The films main stars are Christian Bale and Freddy Rodriguez who play best friends out to find work in South Central, Los Angeles.

Bale who plays the role of ‘Jim David’, an ex-army ranger who must make a decision that will ultimately change his life forever.
But his fragile and unpredictable personality ultimately takes over revealing the scars of war.

The Machinist (2004) – Review

Mehul — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

Directed by Brad Anderson

I have come to admire Christian Bale and his performances in recent times because of his versatility and determination as an actor. In The Machinist he lost a staggering 63 pounds to play the role of ‘Trevor Reznik’. His diet consisted of a can of tuna and an apple per day. What was more amazing was that he needed to gain the weight back and go through intense training to play the role of Batman in the new legacy.

Miami Vice (2006) – Review

Mehul — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

Directed by Michael Mann

With the success of Miami Vice, the TV series created by Anthony Yerkovich in the 80’s, it was likely that a big screen adaptation of the iconic and trendsetting show would be realised. Michael Mann who had been a part of the show since the beginning seemed the likely choice to take on the role of creative inspiration for the film as writer, producer and director. His sophisticated and detailed storytelling, coupled with a unique visual language has made him a highly respected and inventive filmmaker with over 30 years experience in the film industry...

Superman Returns (2006) – Review

Mehul — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

Directed by Bryan Singer

For more than two decades Superman has been away from the silver screen, and so not surprisingly, Superman Returns has been one of the most eagerly anticipated movies to be produced. Warners Bros. Pictures gave the green light for another movie to be made, offering the role of Director to Bryan Singer, who’d been successful with the X-Men movies...

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006) Review

Mehul — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 07:07:25 +0000

Directed by Gore Verbinski

Being an admirer of the first film with all its adventure, great characters, awesome costumes, sets and cgi, the sequel to Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, was no different and in many ways has evolved from the first film...

X-Men – The Last Stand (2006) – Review

Mehul — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

Directed by Brett Ratner

Having seen the two previous films in the series, and having grown up watching the X-Men cartoons I knew enough about many of the characters. This latest instalment in the popular series sees a continuation from the last film X-Men 2, with all the main characters still present, but accompanied with many new faces including Dr. Hank McCoy aka ‘Beast’, ‘Juggernaut’ and Warren Worthington aka ‘Angel’...