Reviews by Rihan

Far Cry isn't just a stunning technical accomplishment. It's quite possibly the best single-player first-person shooter experience for the PC since Half-Life.

Black Ops is a first-person shooter. The player assumes the role of a foot soldier and thus has access to various firearms, of which two can be carried, as well as explosives such as grenades and other equipment to fight enemies. When players are close enough to an enemy, they can perform a melee attack which ensures a one-hit-kill.

A character can be positioned in one of the three stances: standing, crouching, or prone; each affecting the character's rate of movement, accuracy, and stealth. The player can directly dive prone from a standing position. The player can momentarily run faster before getting tired. When the character has taken damage, the screen glows red. Health regenerates by avoiding damage. When the character is within the blast radius of a live grenade, a marker indicates the direction of the grenade, helping the player to either flee or throw it back.
Newly introduced crossbow.

The game features weapons like crossbows (with alternative explosive ammunition), Dragon's Breath rounds and ballistic knives.

Brutality and gore are present, with a dismemberment feature.

Isn't it about time we saw something that wasn't a sequel? Bring on the Pirates! Disney is returning to Hollywood's
most underused genre, with a gun blazing, sword swinging, adventure epic based on of all things, a theme park ride.

I'm not sure why Disney has started making movies out of their theme park rides. An origin like that makes this endeavor instantly suspect. But, "Pirates of the Caribbean" was a good ride and if Disney wants to use movies as a weird way to market it, that's fine by me as long as all the movies turn out to be as good as this one.

Director Gore Verbinski takes a playful approach to the pirate genre, mixing in all the usual scallywag elements with a sharp-witted sense of humor and fun. He anchors what could have been a movie with nothing but big effects not on his ships, but on his stars, who carry us through a film that looks to have been every bit as wild to make as it is to watch.

What happens when you realize whatever you know and believe in, is nothing but a figment of your imagination? What happens when the difference between surreal and real starts diminishing? What happens when you find yourself stuck in a mental asylum located on a deserted island with no where to go and no one to trust, not even your own instincts!

Oscar winning filmmaker Martin Scorsese reteams with his muse Leonardo DiCaprio in one of the most pulsating and mind-boggling suspense thrillers of all time ‘Shutter Island’.

Two U.S. marshals, Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) are summoned to a remote island ‘Shutter Island’, meant for the criminally insane, to investigate the mysterious disappearance of one of the patients who also happens to be a murderer. Dr Cawley (Ben Kingsley) head psychiatrist of the mental asylum lends a helping hand to the two in their investigation.

As Teddy and Chuck begin their investigation, they realize there’s more to the island and its inhabitants than meets the eye. Every step the two take towards solving the mystery that grips the shutter island, they find themselves tangled in a dangerous and twisted tale of shock and despair that seems far from real. How the two unleash the appalling truth and struggle to stay alive in a hope that they would manage to get out of the horrifying ‘Shutter Island’ one day, forms the story.

Shutter Island will remind you a lot of Memento, in terms of its treatment and story progression. Shutter Island too keeps shuttling between past and present and thus real and unreal. Scorsese brilliantly plays his cards when it comes to story telling as he unravels the plot in a way which forces a viewer to sub consciously strive hard to solve the mystery himself as he sees the events unfold onscreen. The way Scorsese orchestrates each character in the film is brilliant, no one is quite who they seem. The film sends chills down your spine with every scene and can well be tagged as Scorsese’s brand of psychological horror.

The open ended climax is baffling and one of the most ambiguous endings you might see in ages but it’s totally worth the build-up. This very reason elevates the film to a different league when compared to films from the same genre.

Writer Laeta Kalogridis deserves a standing ovation for penning a nail-biting tight screenplay, full of double-crossing twists & turns, revelations and thrills that will not let you bat an eyelid even once.

A superb background score perfectly maintains the sombre & haunting mood of the film. Scorsese’s film manages to keep you on the edge of your seat, thanks to an intense performance by a brooding Leonardo DiCaprio and a faintly wicked Sir Ben Kingsley. Leonardo DiCaprio essays the complex role of a man, who is haunted by the ghosts of his past while he is forced to live yet another nightmare in the form of Shutter Island. Your heart reaches out for his character and his dilemmas. Mark Ruffalo plays his part well.

If you are intrigued by gripping and intense psychological thrillers, Shutter Island is an absolute must watch. Martin Scrosese, once again proves he is a master of his craft. Ironically, this one’s way scarier than another horror release of this week, ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’!

Prince of Persia is a popcorn film which can be enjoyed if not taken too seriously. The film seems to have made especially for the teen audience in mind as it boasts of an ample amount of mindless action, magical escapades, running, jumping, hiding & chasing around. Two hours of timepass is guaranteed if you don’t give much thought to where the film is heading.The film has a strong Arabian flavour to it, thanks to its colourful exotic outfits, bronzed star cast and the beautiful picturisation of the sandstorm and deserts. The action scenes comprising of the sword fighting, snake fighting, horse riding and Ostrich riding is entertaining too. The special effects are not ground breaking but are decent enough to keep you hooked.