84. PI (1998)

PI (1998)

Language               -       English (United States)

Genre                     -       Psychological Thriller, Drama

Director                 -       Darren Aronofsky

*ing                 -       Max Cohen (Sean Gullette), Mark Margolis (Sol)

IMDB Score           -       7.4/10

PLOT    

                                                Max Cohen is a mathematician who thinks that each and everything in the universe is an arrangement of numbers, so he tries to decode the pattern behind the stock market. His only friend is his former professor (Sol), who also tried and failed in this attempt. He constantly tries to pull Max from his current work, but Max is so obsessed with his work. This new project of Max attracts others from Wall Street and Religious sects who have their own interests in Max’s work. But as he became close to making a breakthrough discovery, he finds that he is dealing with something deadly and which can put his life to death.

 MY VIEW     

                                                Pi is the first work of the genius director Darren Aronofsky who later came with masterpiece works like “Requiem for Dream”, “Black Swan”, “mother”. I would like to call Aronofsky as a ‘genius’ rather than a ‘legend’ because most of his work raises opposing and supporting comments from everywhere. This is my first experience of a black-white movie, I never thought that I would ever watch this kind of movies because in my opinion cinematic experience can be completed only by colourful stunning visuals. This movie proved that I’ am wrong because even though it’s a black & white it can be so engaging, it goes through the various concepts of Mathematics and the illusions of Max. It is explaining many fictitious types of stories throughout the movie like predicting the stock market, Judaism’s numerology but still it will keep the audience in seats. This is a mix of religion and science. Just like many brain twisting movies, it has an ambiguous ending and many plots are available regarding its explanation.

VERDICT             

                                           The film cost only $60,000 to make, most of which was raised in the form of individual $100 contributions from director Darren Aronofsky's friends and family. When it was later bought by Artisan Entertainment for 1 million, each contributor got back a $150 return on their investment. It was a financial hit earning 3 million in the collection along with a lot of critical praises. It was the first ever film to be legally made available for download on the internet. This can’t be a suggestion to everyone but if you like to enjoy some thinking concepts and the science behind it, then it’s a very good pick.

Movie Trailer- https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0138704/videoplayer/vi1904214297?ref_=tt_ov_vi

83. RED SPARROW (2018)

RED SPARROW

Language               -       English (United States)

Genre                     -       Drama, Spy, Thriller

Director                 -       Francis Lawrence

*ing                        -       Jennifer Lawrence (Dominika Egorova), Joel Edgerton (Nate Nash)
IMDB Score           -      6.6/10

PLOT

                                       Dominika is a professional Ballet dancer but an accident in her life changes the entire world of that pretty girl. This moment gives her uncle, who works with the Russian intelligence, a chance to involve in her life. The only option in her life to survive is by taking the role of a seductive spy to steal the most important information from an American spy.

MY VIEW

                                       Red Sparrow is a spy thriller movie which is based on a 2013 novel of the same name by retired CIA operative Jason Matthews. The movie is not filled with high octane action scenes instead it is filled with violent fights and nudity. But most of the violence and nude scenes are placed according to the pace of the movie. This is one of the best performances of Jenifer Lawrence, she had a different type of character in this movie, a complete survivor who will do anything to survive. I even doubted whether she belongs to good or bad side. Even though Joel Edgerton is there, it seems to be that he is shadowed by Jennifer’s performance. She did ballet and practiced a Russian accent for four months, but I didn’t felt authenticity in her Russian accents. The movie was going to end as a normal spy thriller drama, but the climax gave it a complete feel and will satisfy the viewers.

VERDICT

                                             The author of the novel himself suggested that there were schools in the Soviet Union Era which train young women the art of entrapment, the art of seduction for blackmailing intelligence targets. So, this is based on his experience as a result you will not feel this as a dystopian story. This is a thriller, it's not action, it's not gadgetry. It's a hard-R. It’s a different kind of spy film there is violence, suspense and a lot of intrigue.

Movie Trailer- https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2873282/videoplayer/vi4237277209?ref_=tt_ov_vi

82. INSIDE (2007)

INSIDE (2007)

Language              -       French (France)

Genre                     -       Brutal, Horror

Director                 -       Julien Maury, Alexandre Bustillo

*ing                        -       Béatrice Dalle (La Femme), Alysson Paradis (Sarah)

IMDB Score           -       6.8/10

PLOT

                                                                          After four months from the tragic accident Sarah is preparing for her delivery. She lost her boyfriend Mathew in the car crash, of which Sarah and her unborn baby were the only survivors. As she is preparing to give birth to her baby, a lady knocks on her door. She states that she wants to make a phone call because her phone battery dies out. But when Sarah refuses, the woman reveals that she knows Sarah and tries to force her way in. She calls the police and the strange women vanishes. The cops couldn’t find any trace of the woman, but she returns, and a bloody night starts for Sarah, a razor-sharp nightmare where the pregnant lady must fight the women single handedly.

MY VIEW

                                                                              Inside is a 2007 French movie which can be categorized as brutal, horror or home invasion according to the taste of the viewer. It’s a movie from two unknown guys from France. But It’s really filled with extreme violence and blood splatters, and not meant for the faint hearted. The movie keeps its horror and thriller mood till the end with some scenes are so scary to accept. Though there are some scenes which questions our brain as well as the logic in its nature, we may not consider it as a flow due to its edge of the seat thriller nature. A Hollywood remake had been recently released in 2018 on Video on Demand.

VERDICT

                                                                                I had watched many brutal movies like Serbian Film, Salo, Human Centipede and many more. But still I can say that this one also deserves a position among such kind of movies. It faced restriction in Spain for 9 years even in the US only a R rated version was released. So, if you like to see cuts, kills, blood and every possible way of ruthlessness then this is the perfect choice.

Trailer- https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0856288/videoplayer/vi157221401?ref_=tt_ov_vi