Life Of Pi(2012)

Cast:Irrfan Khan,Suraj Sharma,Tabu

Director:Ang Lee

Language:English

Run Time:127 minutes

Plot:Its a story of a teenage boy named "Pi" & his survival in the dangerous pacific ocean on a life boat with the ferrocious Bengal Tiger for days.

Review:The first surprise of the movie is that the entire plot of the movie is around an Indian family & post portugal era of pondichery.I went with the thought that just like other hollywood movies even this will have some Indian characters.But to my surprise this is a start to finish Indian movie.Good to see such big bucks being spent on Indian stories & characters.I can imagine being a non Indian how much research Ang Lee would've done to make an Indian film & that shows in the first 30 minutes of the movie where he has portrayed a modern Indian family who owns a zoo in Pondichery.Loved the message on religion through 5 year old's point of view.Strongly recommend if you have a 5-10 year old at home & he has questions about religion.Due to some financial crisis,the family decides to shift to canada & sell zoo animals in north America.The movie(special effects) start once the ship is wrecked in a terrible storm in Marina trench.What follows is a spectacular survival saga of a young vegetarian boy on a life boat with a Bengal tiger who both have survived the rough weather & now are on the same boat.

Ang Lee has shown marine life like we've never seen before.The scale & vision of the director is so grand.Giant whales,octopus,flying fishes,carnivorous island,sparkling gelly fish all are there like we've seen never before.The night scenes of the ocean are really breathtaking. But the biggest attraction is the Bengal Tiger.Its hard to tell if its a real tiger or the special effects.The countless encounters of the tiger & a boy in a tiny lifeboat are a thing to watch.The expressions of the tiger & his anger are something you can't forget.I wonder how Lee managed this.If there's one movie whose making I would want to see will be this.People compare this movie with Avtar.But let me warn you that this one is different.Action is in parts.But the movie is not about special effects.Its about this boy & his childhood learnings & his parents' upbringing helping him survive.

I am happy that it has not been promoted as special effects film.Infact i found the quality of 3-D quite ordinary.Infact in the second half I hardly could make out 3-D effects.Some panoramic scenes of the ocean are so evidently unnatural that you can make out that its shot in a studio.At times scenes of water splashes & waves are repeatative.Somehow the philosophical climax is confusing & was not needed.

As per the cast,Suraj Sharma is extraordinary for a newcomer.Tabu has done her job well.Nothing much in her role.Irrfan as grown up "Pi" telling his tale of survival is good.But the character that got stuck in my mind was "Adil Hussain" playing father of "Pi'.Some of you must've seen him in "ENGLISH VINGLISH" as Sridevi's husband.He is the one to look out for in the future.Overall a good movie.Kids would love it.I wonder why it has not been promoted as kid's movie?Some really scary encounters,may not be good for small children.

Don't mind watching it again.But this time in IMAX 3-D I guess.Such movies don't come very often.

My Rating:3.5/5,Must watch (with family).Take your parents also even if they don't understand English as this one is the visual treat.

Anuradha(1960)

Cast: Abhi Bhattacharya, Leela Naidu, Balraj Sahni Language: Hindi Running Time: 133 mins Director:Hrishikesh Mukherjee Music:Pt.Ravi Shankar Censor certificate:U Genre:Family,Drama My Review:First of all let me tell you the lead actress Leena

naidu is no madhubala,but there's something in her eyes & accent which makes her stunning.I never knew who Leena Naidu is before this movie.But after this movie I am wanting to watch more of her work.You can not expect anything less than a timeless classic from Hrishikesh Mukherjee & this one is precisely the one.The plot may seem boring,but considering the settings of 1960 this was surely a futuristic movie.The best part is that eventhough the movie is about sacrifices of a woman for her family,at no point you feel story to indulge in melodrama or sulking characters.Husband's character played by Balraj Sahni is so real.He loves his wife,child.He also is a dedicated doctor.The director at no point tried to portray a right or wrong character.As an audience you feel for Anuradha,but at no point you feel that the husband is responsible for it.I was impressed by few mature behaviours of the lead characters which was not expected out of 1960s characters.Infact even in so called modern cinema you see a melodrama when wife tell the husband that she wants to seperate after 10years of marriage.Top class performances & top class direction. Plot:Dr.Nirmal ,a young,dedicated,selfless doctor who sets up his practice in a small village(Nandgaon)to help patients who are unable to travel great distance to see medical professional.He meets with Anuradha Roy, a well-known Radio Singer and stage dancer, and falls in love with her, he treats her injured ankle, both fall in love, and get married, without the blessings of Anuradha's wealthy dad, Brijeshwar Prasad Roy. Both re-locate to Nandgaon where Anuradha gives up her singing and becomes a housewife. She soon gives birth to a daughter, Ranu. Then 10 years later, her apologetic dad comes to visit her, and takes Ranu away for a holiday with him. Shortly thereafter, Anuradha's former beau, Deepak, the England-returned man her dad had wanted her to marry, re-enters her life. He witnesses that she is being neglected by her overly busy husband, asks her to return back to singing, and go and live with her dad. At first she refuses and asks him to leave, then relents when she sees that Nirmal has indeed been neglecting her, even on their wedding anniversary. She then informs Deepak she is ready to move out. That night when Nirmal returns home, Anuradha informs him about her decision to leave him. Watch what impact this has on Nirmal, and what he does, if anything, in order to keep this marriage intact. My Ratings:4/5,A MUST WATCH IF YOU LOVE CLASSICS

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara(2011)

Directed By:Zoya Akhtar

Produced By:Farhan Akhtar,Ritesh Sidwani

Music:Shankar,Ehsan,Loy

Running time:135min.

Language:Hinglish(Hindi,English)

Plot:3 friends Kabir(Abhay Deol),Imran(Farhaan Akhtar)&Arjun(Hritik) plan a bachelor road trip in Spain 2 months before Kabir’s wedding.The intention is to have fun & relive goodold college days.Imran has hidden agenda for choosing Spain which the other two are not aware of.Arjun has no time for such stupid trips.His only goal is to earn loads of money & retire at the age of 40.The only reason he decides to come is to make Kabir happy & he himself is going through an emotional breakdown due to break-up with his GF.Kabir is getting married to to his childhood buddy in two months.He is the most desperate of three for this trip.The reason is obvious for any guy who’s getting married soon.This road trip turns out to be the one where they overcome their fears literally & unknowingly emotionally.like Arjun overcomes his fear of water while attemting deep sea diving & Imran overcomes fear of height while jumping off the plane for sky diving.Kabir’s fear is the most interesting which he comes over in the climax during bull-run while almost getting stamped by a raging bull.

My Review:You can’t expect anything less from one of the most talented families of bollywood,”The Akhtars”.Zoya Akhtar’s direction is flawless.The conversations between 3friends are as natural as realtime friends sitting in a bar.No loud jokes or funny faces.Simple conversations between them also make you laugh just because as an audience you feel as if its you sitting with your friends in a bar.The topics are as natural as remembering an old school teacher with an accent,singing school anthems(My favourite is “Diamond biscuit “jingle by Hritik),bathroom pranks etc… The best part between three is the “My Buoy” jokes with an accent.The max fun is made at the cost of Arjun’s character as since beginning he has been a serious character.In real life also we make fun of the friend who’s poker faced.Imran is the most lively character & most lovable also in the film.In this regard I must say its sisterly love of the director to make this character most lovable plus the dialogues are written by Farhaan himself.So best of the lines are for his character.Its good to see a mature,non- stary act by Hritik.His lovestory with driving instructor(Katrina Kaif) is boring at times.Diving instructor ,that too Indian in Spain,going for drink with the boys after first session,sharing their bathrooms etc looked un-natural.Plus it didn’t add any value to the movie.Comparisons with Dil Chahta hain is inevitable.Even though DCH was more fun,this has its moments of fun in a mature sense.As if Sid,Akash & Sameer have grown up.Its like a sequel of DCH.The symbolic Bullrun in the climax puts Zoya Akhtar in the league of Anurag Kashyap & Vishal Bharadwaj.In all I really enjoyed the movie.

My Ratings:3.5/5,watch it.highly recommended.(I've a feeling that DVD watch might not be as much fun)

Shaitan(2011)

Director:Bijoy Nambiar

Producer:Anurag Kashyap

Music Director:Ranjit Barot,Prashant Pillai,Amar Mohite,Anupam Roy

My Review:Daughter of a diplomat Amy (Kalki Koechlin) shifts to Mumbai and makes friends with a bunch of urban brats who believe in living life on the edge. The gang includes KC (Gulshan Devaiya), a drug-peddler Dash (Shiv Pandit), model-cum-aspiring actress Tanya (Kirti Kulhari) and the idler Zubin (Neil Bhoopalam). A random hit-and-run episode on a dopey night lands them into trouble when a cop tracks them down and blackmails for huge ransom.

The gang mutually decides to fake Amy's kidnapping and ask for money from her father. Suspended Inspector Arvind (Rajeev Khandelwal) is asked to investigate the abduction case.

The rest of the movie is about how their imperfect plan starts failing at every stage till the filmi climax in Vasai church.

The first half an hour of the movie when Amy meets the rest of the gang is quite good with few innovative dialogues & scenes never seen before in Indian cinema mainly because of its bold content.Especially the first scene when KC meets Amy for the first time & asks her if she is interested in opening the joint account?refering to the joint in his hand.Terrace holi party has few good moments.The movie has been projected to be about today’s youth & everything in the first half really gives you the idea of today’s youth.The way they talk,party,loose language,No morality etc…but that’s it.The novelty ends there.Once their Hummer hits a scooter & kills two men,the movie becomes a typical commercial film with corrupt cop asking for ransom to hush up the case,they planning Amy’s kidnap to get 25lakhs from her father,angry young suspended cop getting the case off records,the gang finding a hideout in some lodge in Bhindi bazaar ,the news of kidnap reaching media& many more stories which we’ve seen hundreds of times in Indian cinema.

Over the years Anurag Kashyap has developed a reputation of a bold film maker.But in this case he chose the good subject but the bad director(Bejoy Nambiar).Actually bad is not the right word for him.Its just when u compare Anurag & Bijoy you find him bad.Bijoy as a director is good in parts.I congratulate him for few sequences in the movie which were top class.One of them was the shoot-out scene of Rajiv Khandelwal in slow motion with techno version of “Khoya Khoya Chand” playing in the background.Also the final chase scene Marathi song “Pintya gela” playing in the background.really good,I must say.But over all the whole movie does not do justice to the title Shaitan.There was hardly any shaitani in the second half.No double cross,No plans,Nothing.Just friends fighting with each other,arguing regarding the next step ,running around from one place to other etc..

For me there were two reasons to go for this movie.One was Anurag Kashyap & the other was soundtrack of the movie.The soundtrack is mindblowing.Songs like Nasha,Pintya gela,Farida are top notch.Ranjit Barot is a talented music director with few others.But unfortunately it has not been used well in the movie.

They have tried to show the short temper & impulsive behavior of today’s youth.But frankly I don’t think today’s youth is that dumb to plan self kidnapping or almost kill a friend in a bout of anger .I can understand the accident after a doping session.But killing a friend,asking for ransom from all the parents not only Amy’s but everybody’s,Not surrendering inspite of knowing that police is behind them & their kidnapping is on all the news channels.All these when they are not under the influence of alcohol or dope.We’ve seen the story of imperfect self kidnapping in Khiladi(Akshay Kumar)many years back.I expected something more sensible from Anurag.After this I feel like giving one more star to Anurag’s most ridiculous movie “NO SMOKING”.Atleast it was different.This one is not.My sincere advice to Anurag is to stop giving his name to any idiot like his previous boss Ram Gopal Verma.Otherwise he’ll spoil his own image.Still not much damage is done.This was not as bad as Ramu’s movies as producer.He better come up with a better movie under his direction.

My Ratings:2/5,Watch it on DVD

Matrubhoomi(2003)

Cast: Pankaj Jha,Piyush Mishra,Tulip Joshi

Language:Hindi

Running Time: 89 mins

Director:Manish Jha

Censor Certificate: A

Genre: Drama

Plot: A woman, attended by two midwives, is giving birth in a small village in India. When the child's cry rings, the father bangs on a steel plate to attract the attention of all the villagers, who assemble, eager to hear the good news. But when the midwife announces that the child is a daughter, the banging stops, followed by a stunned silence. Shortly thereafter the father takes the baby and drowns it in a Calderon of milk. This practice continues on and as a result, many years later there are men and boys everywhere and no women. A widowed man, Ramsharan, ponders his plight and that of his two grown son, who he is unable to get married. No marriage has taken in this village for 15 years, save for one, which was annulled as the young 14-year old bride turned out to be a 14 year old boy. But there is hope when a friend informs Ramsharan that he has located a bride for his eldest, a beautiful young woman named Kalki, who lives nearby, sheltered by her father. Ramsharan pays a substantial dowry for Kalki and gets her married to his eldest - or so he hopes - for every male in the village, including his younger son, Sooraj, and he himself wants a piece of Kalki - for himself - and are willing to do anything to satiate their non-existent sex-life.

My Review:The title of the movie "Matrubhoomi:A nation without women" explains the hypothetical plot behind it.Director Manish Jha has made an India specific movie.The nation where the sex ratio is declining,where females are almost 20% less than males will have to face the catastrophic fate as shown in this movie.The village shown in the movie has no girl.The desperation of village men,their plight is shown quite realistic.The money is no more a commodity.Having girl child means you are a millionaire.There is one girl in the neighbouring village whom no one has seen as her father has kept her confined to the house throughout her childhood to save her from the vultures & wolves around.He locks the door from outside when out.The priest of the village accidentally sees her & then starts the negotiations of boy's parents with girl's father.What follows is something which might give goosebumps to many.At times while watching the movie you actually feel the need to go out & educate those idiots who wish for the boy child.The animal instinct in men comes out when the desperation crosses threshold till the point that riots start in the village to take charge of the only woman alive. The only negative aspect of the movie are the repeatative scenes.

In all a brave effort.A must see.I just wish rest of the world don't misjudge India after watching this movie.

My Ratings:3/5

Smokin' Aces (2006)

Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Ray Liotta, Alex Rocco, Wayne Newton,Ben Afflek,Alicia Keys,Andy Garcia
Language: English
Running Time: 109 mins
Director: Joe Carnahan
Censor Certificate: V/A
Genre: Action, Crime,Suspense

Plot: Mob boss Primo Sparazza has taken out a hefty contract on Buddy "Aces" Israel, a sleazy magician who has agreed to turn state's evidence against the Vegas mob. The FBI, sensing a chance to use this small-time con to bring down big-target Sparazza, places Aces into protective custody-under the supervision of two agents dispatched to Aces' Lake Tahoe hideout. When the word of the price on Aces' head spreads into the community of ex-cons and cons-to-be, it entices bounty hunters, thugs-for-hire, deadly vixens and double-crossing mobsters to join in the hunt. With all eyes on Tahoe, this rogues' gallery collides in a comic race to hit the jackpot and rub out Aces.

My Review:One target on the top floor of 7star,casino hotel penthouse.Seven deadly stylish assasins from all over the world each with distinct method of killing.FBI protecting the target to make him the state witness.Huge starcast,great background score(especially the gunfight scenes),one of best quality gunfights of all times.This one is a typical movie any guy would love to watch.Which guy would miss to see Alicia Keys as a deady assasin?If this was not enough for an action thriller,there's a wicked suspense in the end.Really good stuff.Can't wait to watch it again with friends.

My Ratings:4/5(invite your friends & watch it on saturday night house party)

No Man's Land(2001)

Director:Danis Tanovic
Genre:Comedy,Drama,War
Running time:98 minutes
Language:Bosnia(English subtitles )
Best Foreign Language Film(2002), 74th Academy Awards
Best Foreign Language Film(2001 ),Golden Globe Awards
(Best Screenplay)
Plot:Two wounded soldiers, ciki (Bosniak)and Nino(Bosniak Serb) are caught between their lines in the no man's land, in a struggle for survival. The two soldiers confront each other in a trench, where they wait for dark. They trade insults and even find some common ground. Confounding the situation is another wounded Bosniak soldier,Cera who wakes from unconsciousness. A land mine had been buried beneath him by the Bosnian Serbs; should he make any move, it would be fatal.
A French sergeant ,Marchand, of the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR), gets involved in effort to help the three trapped soldiers. UNPROFOR's mission in Bosnia was to guard the humanitarian aid convoys, to remain neutral and act as a mere bystander. Luckily, an English reporter arrives on scene, bringing media pressure to bear that moves the United Nations high command to swing in to action to try to save the soldiers.
My Review:I watched this movie just for the novel plot.When i read about the situation of 3 soldiers trapped in a trench between two enemy lines,I got curious.Quite an interesting situation.The other fact that this movie won the Academy Award in 2002(remember Lagaan also was contesting)made me see this movie.From the viewer point of view Lagaan was much entertaining.But as a critic this movie is far more superior in terms of plot,acting & direction.Out of 3 soldiers one is lying wounded on a landmine.Other two are from opposite camps.The constant fight between the these two is the highlight of the movie.It ranges from simple verbal arguments to fist fights in between to gun fight.As an audience you at times feel like laughing at their silly,child like fights.The dialogues are funny even though the situation is serious.This is where the direction scores.The movie has not been made with any intention of making it funny.In the second half the story takes an unexpected turn when the news channels come.Infact after watching the second half of this movie my respect for Aamir Khan has gone down a little.The whole concept of "Peepli Live" looks like being liflted from this movie.The whole situation is now in the world news with millions of viewers.The UN has to solve the problem as they are the peace keepers.The only problem is the soldier on the mine.There is no way the mine can be diffused.The bomb disposal specialists also fail to diffuse the mine.Climax is unexpected & abrupt.Overall a good movie & a well deserving for the Oscar.
My Ratings:4/5(watch it for the good world cinema)

peepli Live(2010)

Director:Anusha Rizvi
Writer:Anusha Rizvi
Producer:AAmir Khan,Kiran Rao,S.Shrinivas Rao
Starring:Raghuvir Yadav,Omkardas Manikpuri
Music:Indian Ocean
Language:Hindi
Duration:104 minutes
My Review:Over the years Aamir Khan has earned the reputation of an entertainer because of his choice of movies & subjects.The subject of this movie is also quite an interesting one.Ofcourse its not the new one,but one can say that its new for the big screen.A farmer announcing his suicide & that becoming a breaking news on T.V channels.The movie is a satire on Indian news channels & their sensationalism.In a comic way it shows how news channels compete with each other to grab the eyeballs of the viewer & inturn get the TRPs. It also shows how politicians at different levels local,state & central use the media & the issue for their benefit .All through this madness the central character Nattha makes you feel sorry for him as he himself is not interested in suicide.Nattha also has one elder brother (Raghuvir Yadav)who wants him to commit suicide so that he can claim one lakh rupees from the government.His ever nagging wife & bed ridden foul language mother.This is it.I think such satires on Indian media have been tried many times on various comedy shows on different channels on television.And we’ve had good laughs also.So the same kind of laughter show on big screen doesn’t entertain you much.Atleast there’s no novelty.Ofcourse there are few instances which are quite funny.But rest of the gags are old.The village language used in the movie is quite natural with lots of typical village foul language.Thats the reason this movie has `A’ certificate.The first half is quite dull & has many yawning moments.The fun begins in the second half when the whole village is flooded with news channel reporters & politicians.Every comic gag is followed by some serious thought provoking scene with the message.Imagine you are still laughing on the joke of the previous scene & suddenly you see an emaciated farmer digging the soil day-night to earn some extra penny.This is what I found uninteresting.It seems Aamir Khan tried to make a superhit formula out of his last two big hits “Taare Zameen Par”(serious subject)&”3Idiots”(out & out comedy).In this movie the director has tried to mix the two.But for me this mix genre didn’t work.Even though TZP was serious it entertained us.But this one does that in parts.The end is abrupt & exaggerated.As for the acting all the characters have done their job well.Special mention of the character of Nattha’s wife.She is a real good find by Aamir camp.The reporter from one hindi news channel has some good comic scenes.The hero of the movie is its language.The cinematography,screenplay,direction are up to the mark.Music by Indian ocean lifts the dull scenes in the movie.Overall a good movie,but not an entertainer.
My Ratings:3/5,I just hope this movie does not go to many international festivals.It shows quite an exaggerated state of Indian villages,media & politics.Anyways we are called the country of snake charmers even today In the western world.

RAAVAN(2010)

Cast: Abhishek Bachchan,Aishwarya Rai,Vikram,Govinda
Language: Hindi
Running Time: 2 hour 19 minutes

Director: Mani Ratnam

Music Director: A. R. Rahman

Censor Certificate: U

Genre: Drama,Action

Plot:The film is a modern-day version and a loose adaptation of the Indian epic Ramayana, in which Sita, the wife of Lord Rama, was abducted by the demon king of Lanka, Ravana.
Abhishek Bachchan as Beera (Raavana),
Aishwarya Rai as Ragini Sharma (Sita),Vikram as Dev Pratap Sharma (Lord Rama),Govinda as Sanjeevani Kumar(Hanuman) ,Ravi Kishan as Siddharth(Indrajit),
Nikhil Dwivedi as laxman prasad(Rama's brother laxman),
Ashish Vidyarthi as Dev’s Father (Dashratha) (removed in final version)Bipasha Basu in guest appearance (Wife of Raavan) (removed in the final version)
Dev falls in love with Ragini who is a spunky classical . They get married and he takes up his new post in Lal Maati, a small town in northern India. In this town, the word of law is not the police but Beera. Dev supervises to rip open Beera’s word in one stroke, and set in motion a chain of events which will claim lives, change fortunes. At that time, Beera injured but he engaged hits back starting a battle that draws Dev, Beera and Ragini into the jungle, which is dense, confusing, and scary. In this journey, they must face up to their own truth as a journey which will test their beliefs, convictions and emotions. The forest becomes the battleground between good and evil, between Dev and Beera, between Ram and Raavan.

My Review:The parallel between Ramayan & the story of today is quite convincing.None of the characters seem useless.Raavan’s brothers,Hanuman,Raam,Sita all have their contemporaries in this modern day Ramayan.One good thing about Mani Ratnam movies is the quality of cinema.No matter what I’ve never found any compromise in music,costumes,locations,actors,cinematography,direction.Even in this you see the same dedication.The whole movie is in the rain forest with great locations shot with exceptional skills of Santosh Sivan’s lens.Every frame is like a portrait.This combined with background score and music by A.R.Rehman throughout the movie makes it an experience in itself.Make sure you watch it in good quality theatre(PVR,FAME).
Inspite of all this Raavan doesn’t entertain you.That’s where the problem is.The dialogues most of the times are short & not in proper hindi.At times you struggle to understand a typical northindian accent.The biggest confusion of the movie was its geography.The characters looked like from north where as the set up & rainforests looked typical of south.Inspite of good quality of music it did not fit well.Again how can there be a Punjabi song in the typical north tribal wedding?one of the song is rajasthani.Complete misfit. “Behne De” & “Beera Beera” are good.
Aishwarya is same as always, nothing new.Abhishek has tried his best to look evil.But not convincing enough.Infact sometimes his supposedly evilish gestures make you laugh.Rest of the cast has done a good job.The climax may not go well with the Indian audience.Imagine Sita going back to Raavan because Ram had a doubt & wanted her to go through agnipariksha(polygraph test in here).Thats what happens here.Anyways, even though Mani Ratnam did not entertain me this time my respect for him is still intact.He’s a good story teller with a great vision.

My Ratings:2.5/5,Watch it for cinematography on big screen

Main azaad hoon(1989)

Director:Tinnu Anand
Writer:Javed Akhtar
Starring:Amitabh Bachchan,Shabana Azmi

My Review:A thought provoking movie way ahead of its time.".VERY MUCH DISHEARTENED TO KNOW THAT AAMIR KHAN HAS COPIED THE THE WHOLE CONCEPT IN "PEEPLI LIVE".THE STORY IS DITTO.FARMER ANNOUNCES THE DATE OF COMMITING SUICIDE WHICH BECOMES THE BREAKING NEWS ON ALL T.V CHANNELS, WITH DIFFERENT POLITICAL PARTIES WANTING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE SITUATION.IN MAIN AZAAD HOON AMITABH'S CHARACTER COMES TO A CITY FOR JOB & AGREES TO BE A PART OF BREAKING NEWS FOR MONEY WITH FAKE NAME CALLED "AZAAD".SHABANA AAZMI IS THE REPORTER WHO MAKES HIM DO THAT.THE NEWS APPEARS IN PAPERS THAT "AZAAD" WILL COMMIT SUICIDE ON 26TH JANUARY AS A PROTEST AGAINST THE RULING PARTY.THE NEWS SPREADS LIKE A WILD FIRE & AZAAD BECOMES AN OVERNIGHT HERO.OPPOSITION PARTY TRIES TO GET AZAAD ON THEIR SIDE.THE OWNER OF THE NEWS PAPER HAS ALL THE RIGHTS OVER AZAAD & HAS HIS OWN POLITICAL AMBITIONS. NOW THE QUESTION IS WILL HE OR WON'T HE COMMIT SUICIDE?THE RULING PARTY ANNOUNCES CURFEW ON 26TH JANUARY TO PREVENT AZAAD FROM COMMITTING SUICIDE.THE CLIMAX IS GREAT.THIS IS UNDOUBTEDLY ONE OF AMITABH'S BEST FILMS IN MY LIST.UNFORTUNATELY DIDN'T DO WELL.BUT I WAS SHOCKED TO SEE AAMIR COPY HIM.

My Ratings:4/5(watch it.The whole movie is on youtube in parts)

I HATE LUV STORYS(2010)

Director:Punit Malhotra
Producer:C. Ashwini Dutt,Karan Johar
Starring:Imran Khan,Sonam Kapoor
Music:Vishal-Shekhar
Duration:Approx150min.
Plot:Jay (Imran Khan) is an assistant to a director who is famous for his love story films.however, Jay hates love stories, and is a young,hot casanova. He believes love is nothing but a "sickness" which must be cured. On the other side of the story, Simran (Sonam Kapoor) loves love stories and has a fiancé named Raj. She is living a perfect life until Jay enters with his cynical opinions on love.
My Review:First of all let me tell you that i hate to put up this movie review on my blog.Sometimes good promotions make you go for such kind of movies.I went to see this movie with the mindset that this looks like modern 21st centuary flick with no typical bollywood lovestories.The irony is that in the whole movie every few minutes there is one scene making fun of typical bollywood love stories.Nothing we are not aware of.Infact we've grown up watching typical lovestories with songs,red roses,pink saris,rich boy-poor gal etc,etc...The same things have been made to look stupid in this movie.Karan has made maximum fun of his own movies like kabhi khushi,kuch kuch hota hein & Yash Raj movies like mohabbatein etc..
The lovestory of the movie is infact the most typical bollywood lovestory of all times.A gal who is engaged falls for a guy who is not interested in her as he is more interested in being a freelancer telling people "I hate Luv Stories".This is the first half.Second half the Guy who all his life hated love stories realises his mistake & startes loving.This is it happy ending.Nothing more.The dialogues are without any spark,very dull.Acting of both the characters is natural.There is one character which stands out is the character of Jay's friend.This guy has some pretty good scenes & funny too.The second half is too long with some useless song sequences(one more typical thing of bollywood luv stories).Much hyped dressing of lead characters by Manish Malhotra is nothing great.In all my suggestion is to to stay home & wait till your friend buys its DVD.So you can borrow from them.Don't bother to buy it yourself.
My Ratings:1.5/5

Maverick (1994)

Cast: James Garner, Jodie Foster, Mel Gibson
Language: English
Running Time: 127 mins
Director: Richard Donner
Censor Certificate: U/A
Genre: Western, Comedy, Adventure

Plot: Maverick is recreated from the character James Garner created in the 1950s TV program. Maverick is a gambler who would rather con someone than fight them. He needs an additional three thousand dollars in order to enter a Winner Take All poker game that begins in a few days. He tries to win some, tries to collect a few debts, and recover a little loot for the reward, all with a light hearted air. He joins forces with a woman gambler with a marvelous, though fake, southern accent as the two both try and enter the game.

My Review:The movie is about a big poker game to be played in the middle of the sea with participants from all over the world with great tricks up their sleeves.Mel Gibson & Jodie Foster team up to participate in the tournament.But the journey to the ship is full of cons,robberies,chases & lots of double crosses all for the money.Not a sigle character in the movie can be described straight.Even though i don't know how the game of poker is played,i throughly enjoyed watching this movie.This is a perfect example of western comedy.The final game in the climax is quite entertaining with a surprising suspense getting revealed.This movie will stay with you for a long time.A definite must watch.

My Ratings:4/5,must watch if you love gambling themes.

Extraordinary Measures (2010)

Cast: Harrison Ford, Brendan Fraser
Language: English
Running Time: 105 mins
Director: Tom Vaughan
Censor Certificate: NA
Genre: Drama
Plot: Inspired by an incredible true story, this docudrama portrays one father's desperate quest to save his children from succumbing to a rare life-threatening genetic disorder. Working-class father John Crowley (Brendan Fraser) is finally on the fast track to corporate success when his two young children, Megan and Patrick, are diagnosed with Pompe disease -- a condition that prevents the body from breaking down sugar. In time, it disables the heart and the muscles, ultimately resulting in death. With the support of his wife, Aileen (Keri Russell), John ditches his career and teams with unconventional specialist Dr. Robert Stonehill (Harrison Ford) to found a bio-tech company and develop a cure in time to save the lives of Megan and Patrick. As Dr. Stonehill works tirelessly to prove the theories that made him the black sheep of the medical community, a powerful bond is forged between the two unlikely allies. Still, their greatest struggle is yet to come.
My Review:How a Father, John Crowley, Raised $100 Million - and Bucked the Medical Establishment - In a Quest to Save His Children.This movie is based on a true story which was penned by Geeta Anand in her book with the title "The Cure".Its an inspiring real life story well put on celluloid by Harrison Ford & Brenden Fraser.The movie is a little slow.The screenplay is not that powerful for the medical drama.I believe background score for such emotional dramas should be strong.but here also this movie lacks.The acting is just passable,nothing great to mention about.Still I would recommend this movie for the simple reason that it brings such issues to the masses & gives a very positive signals to the audience.So watch it for all those unfortunate children suffering from "Pompe's Disease".
My Ratings:2/5,Here is the link of the website of real life Crowley family on whom this movie is based.http://www.crowleyfamily5.com/

kites(2010)

Directer:Anurag Basu
Producer:Rakesh Roshan,Sharan Kapoor
Starring:Hrithik Roshan,Barbara Mori,Kangana Ranaut
Music:Rajesh Roshan
Running time:130 minutes (Hindi version)
90 minutes (English version)
Plot:"J"(Hrithik Roshan) is a Bollywood dance teacher in Las Vegas, Nevada. For extra income he marries immigrant women to get them green cards. When Gina (Kangana Ranaut), the rich daughter of a powerful casino owner (Kabir Bedi), falls for him, J. goes along in order to marry into money. He discovers that his future brother-in-law, the vicious, homicidal Tony, is about to marry a beautiful Mexican woman named Natasha (Barbara Mori), whom J. knows as Linda, the last of the immigrant women he married. On the night before "Natasha" and Tony's wedding, Linda and J. spend a romantic but chaste night, humorously agreeing to a "divorce." A jealous, gun-wielding Tony, however, arrives at her apartment while J. is there, and after he hits her, Linda impulsively knocks him out with a heavy object while he tussles with J. Linda and J. go on the run toward Mexico, with Tony and police chasing them.
My Review:The movie begins with the shot of 2kites flying in the sky with Hrithik Roshan in the back ground saying that "these kites flirt with each other for some time without knowing that if they stay togather for long one of them is bound to get cut."A very good way of conveying the message of the title "Kites".Infact this initial description itself gives us the hint of the climax.The movie begins with the end i.e hrithik is shot & unconcious in the train found by some mexican people.They remove the bullet & then he recovers only to go back to las vegas to find his love Linda.the rest of the movie is a flashback of previous 3months.The flashback narrative has been used in so many movies that it has lost its impact.infact in this movie you know since beginning that someone has shot Hrithik & he has lost his love.In next ten minutes you also come to know probably who must've shot him.Ofcourse,Tony.Hrithik flirted with his sister(Kangana)&romanced his fiancee.Tony being the son of powerfull casino owner would use all his powers to kill this couple on the run.So,now you start hoping for some great hollywood style car chases,bike chases,superb stunts?Even I thought so.Sorry guys,all these are there,but believe me you've seen better in some B-grade english movies.Typical Indian hero type fist fighting is missing.Just car,bike chases on mexican highways.Infact none of the stunts,car crashes remain with you even till the end of the movie.I remember the chase in DHOOM-2.The sequence was shot so well with all those gadgets,skates,below the truck scene.But here, nothing of that sort.Just some mindless car crashes on the highway.Let's come back to love story part.Hero speaks English,Hindi.Heroine speaks&understands only Spanish.Most of the dialogues are in English & Spanish with English sub-titles.Obviously Rakesh Roshan has not made this film for the masses.When it comes to sub-titles Anurag Basu has conveniently given sub-titles to only those important conversations.Rest of the time you are left with spanish dialogues & your great interpreter:Indian Mind.I wonder why the english version of this movie is 90min. & hindi version is 130min.Imagine we will be tortured for 40more minutes as compared to foreign audience.To me this was a complete non-entertainer.A few comic sequences would've made a lot of difference.But they were missing.The comedy of language created in "Ek Duje Ke Liye" was completely missing here.I don't think anytime the whole audience laughed togather for any of the comic scenes in those 2hours.This movie is a typical money making machine from the Roshans & I congratulate them for succeeding in that.Its meant for selling in foreign territory where the money is good.Not for the thinking,Indian audience.Relience Big pictures have put money in it & will earn huge by ring tones,selling t.v rights,pay per view on relience Big TV etc....I won't be surprised if you are able to watch this movie on Relience Big TV at your home in a month's time.Even then make sure you don't miss your "Indian Idol" episode,as it is more entertaining than this 130minutes.
A few things which I liked.The "chase song".That's the name given by me.Its a chase sequence with the song running in the background.Something New.Barbara Mori was definitely good as Linda.She acted really well.She also looked great.A definite treat to watch.Two songs "Zindagi"&"Dil kyun ye mara" are good & shot well.Kangana looks great.But she has no role to even mention about.Kabir Bedi just for few scenes with no use in the story.totally useless character.In all a movie with great marketing,great star power,high expectations but a poor strory,bad direction,lack of novelty.
My Ratings:2/5,watch Badmash Company instead,you'll enjoy it.

The Kite Runner (2007)

Nominations
65th Golden Globe Awards
Best Foreign Language Film
Best Original Score - Motion Picture
80th Academy Awards
Best Original Score
Cast: Khalid Abdalla, Atossa Leoni
Language: English,afghanese
Running Time: 126 mins
Director: Marc Forster
Censor Certificate: V/A
Genre: Drama/war
Plot: In the 70's in Afghanistan, the Pushtun boy Amir and the Hazara boy Hassan, who is his loyal friend and son of their Hazara servant Ali, are raised together in Amir's father house, playing and kitting on the streets of a peaceful Kabul. Amir feels that his father loves and prefers Hassan to him. In return, Amir feels a great respect for his father's best friend Rahim Khan, who supports his intention to become a writer. After Amir winning a competition of kitting, Hassan runs to bring a kite to Amir, but he is beaten and raped by the brutal Assef in an empty street to protect Amir's kite; the coward Amir witness the assault but does not help the loyal Hassam. On the day after his birthday party, Amir hides his new watch in Hassam's bed to frame the boy as a thief and force his father to fire Ali, releasing his conscience from recalling his cowardice and betrayal. In 1979, the Russians invade Afghanistan and Baba and Amir escape to Pakistan. In 1988, they have a simple life in California, when Amir graduates in a public college for the pride and joy of Baba. Later Amir meets his countrywoman Soraya and they get married. In 2000, after the death of Baba, Amir is a famous novelist and receives a phone call from the terminal Rahim Khan, who discloses secrets about his family, forcing Amir to return to Peshawar, in Pakistan,& then to dangerous streets of Kabul,in a journey of redemption.
My Review:The cinematography is out of this world.Director has created Kabul of 1970s so well.If not for the war this country would've been a great tourist destination.The story of two friends,one street smart,illiterate,poor& the other coward,literate & rich.The kite flying scenes are just superb.I've never seen kite flying scenes shot so well.The best part is they are shot from above down!!!!!!!!The Afghan government has banned the film from movie theaters and DVD stores because of the rape scene and the ethnic tensions and class struggles that the film highlights.Based on the novel of the same name by Khaled Hosseini.A bold movie & very true to the ground reality.An interesting climax.
My Ratings:4/5,an absolute delight

Alfred Hitchcock: North By Northwest (1959)

Cast: James Mason, Cary Grant
Language: English
Running Time: 131 mins
Director(s): Alfred Hitchcock
Censor Certificate: U/A
Genre: Thriller, Suspense, Action

Plot: New York advertising executive Roger Thornhill is kidnapped by a gang of spies led by Philip Vandamm, who believe Thornhill is CIA agent George Kaplan. Thornhill escapes, but must find Kaplan in order to clear himself of a murder it is believed he committed. Following Kaplan to Chicago as a fugitive from justice, Thornhill is helped by beautiful Eve Kendall. In Chicago, she delivers a message to Kaplan that almost costs Thornhill his life when he is chased across a cornfield by a crop-dusting plane.

My Review:First 10minutes are enough to get you hooked to this supersuspense thriller by Alfred Hithcock.Imagine a guy is having his business meeting in a restaurant & suddenly two guys with gun kidnap him & take him to a house where a very sophisticated man asks him to give all the secrets he is holding.They are damn sure that he is the CIA agent.This is where the story starts with ample of twists.The only thing I didn't like about the movie is that the suspense gets revealed very soon(almost by halftime).Afterthat its a simple hero vs villain.Still its an absolute entertainer.

My Ratings:3.5/5,You can't miss this if you love suspense thrillers

Caramel (2007)

Cast: Nadine Labaki, Yasmine Elmasri
Language: Arabic
Running Time: 95 mins
Director: Nadine Labaki
Censor Certificate: U/A
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Plot: Six women in Beirut seek love, marriage, and companionship and find duty, friendship, and possibility. Four work at a salon: Nisrine, engaged to Bassam, with a secret she shares with her co-workers; Jamale, a divorced mother of teens, a part-time model, fearing the encroachment of time; Rima, always in pants, attracted to Siham, a client who smiles back; Layale, in love with a married man, willing to drop everything at a honk of his horn. There's also Rose, a middle-aged lady, who cares for Lili, old and facing dementia. Rose has a suitor; Layale has an admirer on the police force. Is delight a possibility? Is caramel a sweet or an instrument of pain?
My Review:Caramel?Till I saw this movie I knew only one thing about caramel.It's a sweet.But here in this movie I got to know that it's used for epilation(waxing) in salons in many countries.The title caramel then makes sense as it can be used as sweet or may be painful.The story revolves around these four friends running a salon & their lives.Its a typical girly movie with nothing we haven't seen before.I watched it only for the director Nadine Labaki.She co-wrote, directed, and starred in her feature-film debut, Caramel, which became an international sensation at film festivals and went on to achieve box office success.A romantic comedy that deals with five Beirut women who gather at a beauty salon and deal with love, sexuality, tradition, disappointment, and everyday ups and downs.Knowing the conservative nature of arab countries,this movie shows a totally different side of arab women.
My Rating:2.5/5,Watch it with your partner

Persepolis (2007)

Nominations:Oscar,BAFTA Film Award,Golden Globe
Winner:Cannes Film Festival(Jury Prize)
Cast: Catherine Deneuve, Chiara Mastroianni
Language: English
Running Time: 96 mins
Director:vincent Paronnaud
Censor Certificate: U/A
Genre: Animation, Biography, Drama, War
Plot: In 1970s Iran, Marjane 'Marji' Statrapi watches events through her young eyes and her idealistic family of a long dream being fulfilled of the hated Shah's defeat in the Iranian Revolution of 1979. However as Marji grows up, she witnesses first hand how the new Iran, now ruled by Islamic fundamentalists, has become a repressive tyranny on its own. With Marji dangerously refusing to remain silent at this injustice, her parents send her abroad to Vienna to study for a better life. However, this change proves an equally difficult trial with the young woman finding herself in a different culture loaded with abrasive characters and profound disappointments that deeply trouble her. Even when she returns home, Marji finds that both she and homeland have changed too much and the young woman and her loving family must decide where she truly belongs.
My Review:The plot may seem a little difficult especially for the people who have no clue about history of Iran.This is an unique form of movie.A mature political/war drama in the form of animation.The whole movie is from the perspective of the lead character "Marji".Its about marji's life from 10years of age to 20years which coincides with internal conflict of Iran & external conflict with Iraq.Definitely a good lesson in history in animation form.The dialogues are smart.Overall a good watch.
My Rating:3/5,Recommended if you like serious political dramas

The Ghost And The Darkness (1996)

Cast: Michael Douglas, Val Kilmer,Om Puri
Language: English
Running Time: 109 mins
Director(s): Stephen Hopkins
Censor Certificate: A
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Thriller
Plot:In 1896 Lt. Col. John Paterson was sent to East Africa to build a railway bridge. He had a deadline to meet but was confident he and his large workforce of Africans and Indians can get the job done in time. John's was a man of his word and got things done - which he demonstrated on his first day by killing a lion that had been pestering the workforce. This earned John respect, but it didn't last very long because a few weeks later 2 new lions began visiting and they're man-eaters. The film is based on a true story and during the construction of the bridge, the lions would enter the workers camp to kill. Believing them not to be real lions, the locals name them 'The Ghost' and 'The Darkness'. After losing dozens of workers to the lions, the railroad company brought in Remington, an American 'great white hunter', to kill them, but even his reputation for being the best could not prevent yet more carnage. It is believed that over 130 people were killed by the two lions in just a few months.
My Review:This one one of those few nicely made movies based on true stories.The bridge mentioned in the movie still exists in Africa & the man eater lions killing around 130 people during the construction of the bridge is also the fact.Michael Douglas fits to perfection in the role of a professional hunter.Though his entry is much later in the movie.Om Puri has a substantial role in this big budget 1996 hollywood movie as a leader of the workers.The lion attack scenes are shot great.Nowhere in the movie they've used dummy lions.Two huge lions have been shot in all the scenes of attack.The climax is gripping.Bollywood movie "KAAL"has taken huge inspiration from this movie.
My Ratings:4/5.Definitely not for weak hearted.

From Here To Eternity (1953)

Winner of 8 Oscars(1953)
Cast: Montgomery Clift, Burt Lancaster
Language: English
Running Time: 138 mins
Director: Fred Zinnemann
Censor Certificate: U
Genre: Drama, War
Plot: It's 1941. Robert E. Lee Prewitt has requested Army transfer and has ended up at Schofield in Hawaii. His new captain, Dana Holmes, has heard of his boxing skills and is keen to get him to represent the company. However, 'Prew' is adamant that he doesn't box anymore, so Captain Holmes gets his subordinates to make his life a living hell. Meanwhile Sergeant Warden starts seeing the captain's wife, who has a history of seeking external relief from a troubled marriage. Prew's friend Maggio has a few altercations with the sadistic stockade Sergeant 'Fatso' Judson, and Prew begins falling in love with social club employee Lorene. The Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor looms in the distance
My Review:Its not a war movie.Its about troubled relationships of soldiers.One can call it an old classic.Personally I didn't find it worthy of 8 oscars.Its a good movie,no doubt.But may be I am biased to thrillers,so this kind of lovestories generates a little interest.Plus the length of 138minutes makes it a little drag.Acting is good but the stories are not that interesting.watch it if you like talkative old classic lovestories.
My Ratings:2/5,Okay

Natasamrat (1974)

Natasamrat (1974)
Language: Marathi
Actor:Shreeram Lagoo
Running Time: 125 mins
Director: Vijay Kenkre
Writer: V V Shirwadkar
Censor Certificate: NA
Genre: Drama
Plot:Shreeram Lagoo was the first protagonist of the famous Marathi play Natasamrat written by Kusumagraj (Vishnu Vaman Shirwadkar) and is best remembered for that role. This is a marathi play about an actor who has just retired from active acting life & been honoured by the prestigeous "NATASAMRAT" award by the highest authority for his contribution in theatre.The story begins with his speech at an awards function & goes through many stages of his life(retired) after that.
My Review:Too good.Heads off to Dr.Shreeram Lagoo for the mammooth performance.He & only he could've done this.Dialogues so well written that you get involved & feel for the lead character.If there's any forum to showcase Indian theatre on world forum,I would surely recommend this one.Its a journey of a genius.I am happy that I had Marathi as my 3rd language in school & could understand the heavyduty dialogues without subtitles.
My Ratings:5/5,A must watch,feel proud

Absence Of Malice

Absence Of Malice (1981)
Cast: Paul Newman, Sally Field
Language: English
Running Time: 116 mins
Director(s): Sydney Pollack
Censor Certificate: U/A
Genre: Drama
Plot: Paul Newman plays the son of a long dead Mafia boss who is a simple liquor warehouse owner. A prosecutor leaks a false story that Newman is a target of the investigation, hoping that he will tell them something for protection. As his life begins to unravel, others are hurt by the story. Sally Field, the reporter, is in the clear under the Absence of Malice rule in slander and libel cases. Knowing nothing to trade to the prosecutors, Newman must regain control of his life on different ground.
My Review:In America,can a man be guilty until proven innocent?Suppose you picked up this morning's newspaper & your life was a front page headline.....& everything they said was accurate but not true.This is the dilema that must be faced in this drama about incredible power of press.I am not a big fan of Paul Newman.He has no expressions almost throughout the movie.The subject & story is good.Absence of Malice fails in my review due to Absence of background score.This drama could've been powerful either with great background score or dramatic,high pitched dialogues.But all the characters in this movie are so calm & composed.Even the climax is so dull.Certainly not my kind,even though I love political thrillers.But I am certain that I would've loved it in 1981.
My Rating:3/5,Worth it,watch it once

oscar(1991)

Oscar (1991)
Starring: Sylvester Stallone
Director: John Landis
Runtime: 1 hr 49 mins
Censor Certificate:U
Genre: Comedy
Plot: In this remake of a french farce, Sylvester Stallone stars as notorious 1930s mobster Angelo "Snaps" Provolone. When Angelo promises his dying father that he will give up the gang life for a respectable career, his plans go haywire in this witty comedy of errors. The minute Angelo begins his attempt to go straight, family emergencies overtake his household. His accountant, admits to robbing the family at the same time that he asks for Snaps's daughter Lisa's hand in marriage. Lisa lies to Angelo and tells him she's pregnant by the now-defunct family chauffeur, Oscar . Anthony soon discovers that his true love is actually the maid, Theresa , who pretended to be Lisa Provolone to impress her money-grubbing boyfriend. And this series of misunderstandings is just the beginning as the house is overrun with madcap cops, hit men, rival gangsters, henchmen, long-lost loves, elocution teachers, and much more, all while Angelo is trying to make sense of his new life.
My Review:I had seen this movie when I was in school.Its been 20 years but I am yet to see a better comedy.This is unarguably one of the best family entertainer i've ever seen.Stallone in a completely opposite image is too good to be true as a gangster who has just promised his dying father that he would give up gang life.The best part of this movie is that all the events happen in the span of 24hours in one house only.The entire film is shot in one house.Grab the dvd & without fail watch it with your family & kids.
My Ratings:5/5.Best Comedy

Spy Game

Spy Game (2001)
Cast: Robert Redford, Brad Pitt
Language: English
Running Time: 121 mins
Director: Tony Scott
Censor Certificate: U/A
Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller
Plot: CIA operative Nathan Muir (Redford) is on the brink of retirement when he finds out that his protege Tom Bishop (Pitt) has been arrested in China for espionage. No stranger to the machinations of the CIA's top echelon, Muir hones all his skills and irreverent manner in order to find a way to free Bishop. As he embarks on his mission to free Bishop, Muir recalls how he recruited and trained the young rookie, at that time a sergeant in Vietnam, their turbulent times together as operatives and the woman who threatened their friendship.
My Review:I consider this one as one of the best Spy movies I must've ever seen The best Tony Scott has ever made.The witty dialogues & the cinematography are the highlight of the movie.I regret not been able to watch this one on big screen.The plot of one CIA operative resqueing his protege from chinese prison without the knowledge of the top government officials sitting in front of them without even going to China is just amazing & quite believable.I've lost the count how many times i've watched this movie.Even today if I invite friends at home & if they've not watched this movie then I play this on my projector.If you haven't watched it,just grab the dvd & watch it.Brad Pitt & Robert Redford at their best
My Ratings:5/5 An absolute class movie

Kundun

Cast: Tenzin Thuthob Tsarong, Gyurme Tethong
Language: English
Running Time: 134 mins
Director(s): Martin Scorsese
Censor Certificate: V/U
Genre: Biography, Drama
Plot: The Tibetans refer to the Dalai Lama as 'Kundun', which means 'The Presence'. He was forced to escape from his native home, Tibet,China invaded and enforced an oppressive regime upon the peaceful nation of Tibet. The Dalai Lama escaped to India in 1959 and has been living in exile in Dharamsala ever since. In 1937, in a remote area of Tibet close to the Chinese border, a two year old child is identified as the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, the compassionate Buddha. Two years later, the child is brought to Lhasa where he is schooled as a monk and as head of state amidst the color and pageantry of Tibetan culture. The film follows him into adulthood: when he is 14, the Chinese invade Tibet and he is forced into a shaky coalition government; he travels to China to meet with a cynical Mao and finally, in 1959, ill and under siege, he flees to India. Throughout, he has visions of his people's slaughter under Chinese rule.
My Review:I would rate this as one of the most controvercial &equally entertaining biography i've ever seen.Martin Scorsese has got guts to make this one.Although the slow pace & the length(more than 2hours) of this movie makes it a little repeatative & boring.
My Ratings:3/5,Watch it for your History lesson

Amores perros

Amores perros(2000)(love's A Bitch)
Director:Alejandro González Iñárritu
Language:Spanish with English subtitles
Nominated
Oscars for best foreign language film
Running time:153min
Censor certificate:A
Plot:Three interconnected stories about the different strata of life in Mexico City all resolve with a fatal car accident. Octavio is trying to raise enough money to run away with his sister-in-law, and decides to enter his dog Cofi into the world of dogfighting. After a dogfight goes bad, Octavio flees in his car, running a red light and causing the accident. Daniel and Valeria's new-found bliss is prematurely ended when she loses her leg in the accident. El Chivo is a homeless man who cares for stray dogs and is there to witness the collision.
My Review:Even though i don't prefer to watch movies with sub-titles,I thought of watching this one simply because I had heard a lot about this movie.The direction in this movie is unique in the vision of combining unrelated stories in one incident.I've seen many movies in the recent past with the same theme of combining few stories in the climax.Many of them were good too.But this movie released in 2000 makes all of them look like copy cats.That includes noted Indian director Mani Ratnam who made "Yuva"(hindi film)in 2004 with the same theme.Infact in "Yuva" also all the stories connect in an accident happening on the bridge just like "Ameros Perros".A word of caution for animal lovers.This movie has many gruesome dog fight scenes.In all a great movie.Its a pity that this movie didn't win the Oscar even though it was nominated in 2000.This brings me to next logical question.Who won the oscar in 2000 in the same category?Will have to watch that movie soon.
My Ratings:5/5 a must watch for lovers of serious cinema.

The Weight Of Water(2000)

Cast: Sarah Polley,Sean Penn,Elizabeth Hurley

Language: English
Running Time: 113 mins
Director: Kathryn Bigelow

Censor Certificate: V/A
Genre: Suspense, Thriller

Plot: Two stories unravel simultaneously in this dark and suspenseful film. The first story, set in the present day, concerns a photographer, Jean (Catherine McCormack). She is working on an article for a magazine about bloody murders that happened 200 years before on the Isle of Shoals, just off the coast of New Hampshire. To get the pictures she must visit the location of the murders.Her husband, Thomas (Sean Penn), arranges a yachting trip with his brother, Rich (Josh Lucas), and Rich's girlfriend, Adaline (Elizabeth Hurley). The foursome pal around, enjoying the sea and the sun, while Adaline shamelessly seduces Thomas. Meanwhile, Jean is reliving the Isle of Shoals murders in her head, which is where the second story comes in. Maren (Sarah Polley) is a Norwegian woman who has recently immigrated to America with her husband. When her sister (Katrin Cartlidge) and sister-in-law (Vinessa Shaw) are brutally murdered to death with an axe, she is the sole survivor, and thus the only one who knows the truth about what happened. THE WEIGHT OF WATER draws a parallel between these two tense episodes, as the surf swirls menacingly, foretelling imminent disaster.

My Review:Frankly I am a big fan of Sean Penn.So I am Bound to like this movie.The genre of this movie is a combination of courtroom drama,suspense & seduction.The director has drawn a nice parallel between two stories 200years apart.The very fact that the mystry of 200years old murders gets solved in the present is quite an interesting watch.

My Ratings:3.5/5,Good Watch

It Happened One Night

It Happened One Night(1934)
Winner Of 5 Oscars
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Picture
Best Director
Best Screenplay
Cast: Clark Gable, Claudette Corbet
Language: English
Running Time: 105 mins
Director(s): Frank Capra

Plot: Ellie Andrews has just tied the knot with society aviator King Westley when she is taken away to her father's yacht and out of King's clutches. Ellie jumps ship and eventually ends up on a bus to reach New-York to see her husband King Westley. Reluctantly she must accept the help of out-of- work reporter Peter Warne. Actually, Warne doesn't give her any choice. Either she sticks with him until he gets her back to her husband, or he'll blow the whistle on Ellie to her father. Either way, Peter gets what (he thinks!) he wants a really juicy newspaper story.
My Review:A great entertainer with great dialogues & acting that make you laugh.Aperfect weekend watch.The moment I saw the first scene I figured out that 1991 blockbuster Hindi Movie " Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin" directed by Mahesh Bhatt,starring Aamir Khan & Puja Bhatt is the exact copy of this 1934 classic,from first scene to last scene(except that the hindi version had songs).This makes us believe that the real talented people were there only in those days with original ideas.Clark Gable in totally opposite kind of character as compared to his "Gone with the Wind' character.
My Ratings:5/5 Go...Treat yourself & family

Little Terrorist

Director: Ashvin Kumar

Language:Hindi(India)

NOMINATED

ACADEMY AWARDS OSCAR 2005
EUROPEAN ACADEMY AWARDS 2005
WINNER - GRAND PRIZE Tehran Intl Short Film Festival
WINNER - Best Film Flanders Intl Film Festival
WINNER - 1st prize Montreal World Film Festival
WINNER - Best FilmManhattan Intl Short Film Festival
AUDIENCE FAVOURITE Sao Paulo Intl Short Film Festival
Plot: Jamal, a 10-year-old Pakistani Muslim, mistakenly crosses the border between India and Pakistan and finds an unusual ally in a Hindu Brahmin, Bhola. Indian soldiers descend on Bhola's village searching for the so-called terrorist who crossed over. Bhola's neice, Rani, insists they can't let a Muslim into their Hindu home. With Bhola and Rani grappling with the consequences of harboring a Pakistani and their deep-set prejudice against Muslims, Jamal's only hope is the humanity shared by a people separated by artificial boundaries a long time ago.

My Review:The message in the movie is good.The setting although is artificial.The real borders don't have such easy access as shown in the film.The last scene when the boy returns back home to pakistan & the indian family watches from indian side is a bit unnatural.

My Ratings:2/5

Road to Ladakh

Cast: Koel Purie, Irrfan Khan
Language: English
Director(s): Ashvin Kumar
Writer(s): Ashvin Kumar
Censor Certificate: A
Genre: Drama, Thriller/short film

PLOT : Irrfan Khan (The Warrior) and Koel Purie (Everybody Says I'm Fine) lead this surreal rites of passage encounter between a dysfunctional, coke-snorting fashion model and an ultra-focussed, strong-silent stranger who are thrown together by chance. Set in the magnificent wilderness moon-scape of Ladakh, India, the road journey and the strange encounters that follow provide a dramatic backdrop for the relationship that develops.Both are outsiders, both are lonely, both crave the human contact that their roles in society deny them. Tentatively they search each other out in a film that is poised between elusiveness and engagement, suspicion and tenderness - at once hilarious and sinister, bizarre and moving, psychedelic and intensely real.

MY REVIEW:Frankly not my kind of movie.Somehow the idea of a drug addict fasion model roaming in her SUV alone in the remote,difficult terrain of Ladakh is not very convincing.Irfan Khan doesn't have to do anything to look mentally deranged terrorist.The only reason i saw this movie was the fact that the this is Ashvin Kumar's first short film(up to best of my knowledge).Who Ashvin Kumar???He's the same guy who's short film

"LITTLE TERRORIST" was nominated for best live action short film category at 2005 OSCARS.My next review is of the same.But before that I thought of watching Ashvin Kumar's previous work.Plus the fact that he made "ROAD TO LADAKH" using internet in2003 to gather the crew from all over the world to work for free .This fact makes the movie interesting & one feels compelled to congratulate Ashvin Kumar for the effort.

MY RATINGS:2/5

The life of David Gale

Cast: Kevin Specey, Kate Winslet
Language: English
Running Time: 130 mins
Director(s): Alan Parkar
Censor Certificate: V/A
Genre:Crime/thriller





Plot: Dr. David Gale, an advocate of eliminating the death penalty, is falsely accused of rape and murder. Once convicted, he ends up on death row in Texas himself, telling his story to a reporter through a series of flashbacks.
This is one of my all time favourite movies.The climax is just unpredictable & shocking.Great theme.
My ratings:5/5 & two thumbs up