Salaam Namaste

I have heard all sorts of review on Salaam Namaste, don't know about others, I did enjoy this movie, Saif definitely has exceeded a lot of expectations, Prity Zinta fits the character, ( she is getting slotted more & more as a upmarket, urbane, party girl image.Siddharth Raj Anand's ( If you don't know, he is Tinu Anand's son, if you are asking who's Tinu, well he is I think the most famous buck teethed actor/director on Indian screen, directed Shahenshah ) take on Nine Months, may not be a comparable product, but was a decent entertainer. Javed Jaffry as the Austrailian is class. I the like this Movie, Exactly. You may the want to see this movie::

Main Meri Biwi aur Woh

Chandan Arora's debut "main madhuri banna chahti hoon" was a feather in his cap, I have to give full marks to him for coming out with a equally good product. A movie about a average looking suspicious middle class librarian, and how his marriage to a beautiful dame leads him into trouble. Barring few glitches in the script and the length, this one is a pleasant watch. Rajpal Yadav is stellar and Rituparna Sengupta is convincing.

Garam Masala

Rip roaring comedy, a laugh riot, this movie is bound to make you split. I have been a big Priyadarshan fan, right from the days of "Muskurahat" starring Jay Mehta, Anu Kapoor, Revati and Amrish Puri). And since then he has not looked back, one after another he has given "comic gems" to Bollywood. Akshay rocks, Paresh Rawaal is the best back up, John Abraham and Rajpal Yadav completes this comic caper. Pritam gives a fitting & spicy background score with few of the numbers climbing the charts fast. Chori Chori is my personal favorite. A Must Watch

Usual Suspects

Let me just say that this movie was not only an inspiration but a poor copy of the recent bollywood multistarrer "Choclate". This one is a cult movie with Kevin Spacey taking all the credits. A must watch.

Nina's tragedy

An Israely flick about a 13 year old boy and the love of his life , his own aunt. Reminds of another Italian winner "Malena". Nina's tragedy is a A dark comedy, and a pure insight to the minds of teen age boy. Nice One.

Born into brothels

An amazin documentary on children who are born to prostitutes, pro photographer, Zana Brisky's attempt to not only showcase the talent these children have but to completely give her life for these kids is exemplary. The documentary shows how her relentless efforts to teach these kids photography has resulted in showing few of them the light of education and a better life. A winner.

Inner and Outer world of Shahrukh Khan

If you are a star curious fan, this dvd gives you a glimpse to the life of Shahrukh, have to say, i was pretty taken aback by seeing how lonely Shahrukh is. If you are a Shahrukh fan, this one is a keepsake.

James

James is not worth a review. All Ram Gopal Varma movies started to look like a serial, same charachter actors, same ghisa pita, underworld or violence. Dude, its time to produce some good fresh cinema. Rohit Jugraj's attempt to recreate Shiva goes down the ruins of bollywood.

Dil jo Bhi Kahey

DJBK is added to the failed attempt at launching half baked actors who think they have the potential, with due respect to the father/son duo, If Romesh/Karan would have stuck to production, I think they would have got some returns. This one is a washout but Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy did manage to get some attention for their breezy poppish compositions, captured to fame by Vinod Pradhan. Avoid

Chocolate

"Chocolate" is a slickly shot movie about 5 guys who plans and execute a loot & how they manipuate the police and the lawyer. The movie weakens towards the middle, being a thriller this could have been a classic but guess it didn't had much room for the actors to showcase their talent. Except Tanushree Dutta ( the unbearable new bong on the block ), the rest of the cast does their job fairly. The saver is the twist towards the end. In all a movie you can watch once on DVD.

Mangal Pandey

Ketan Mehta's magnum opus is a big screen bonanza that could have been stellar minus the songs and the love angle. Its a product that has international flair and has top notch performances by Aamir and the British counterpart. Exceptional camera work and fitting score by Rahman, this movie is sure worth seeing once.
Mangal Pandey's character tends to lose its grip on the movie proably due to unavailability of "content". Surely a brillant effort by Mehta.

Talk to her - Spanish

A heartwarming beautiful movie, Talk to her is another feather in the cap for Pedro Almodovar, a complex lovestory, Pedro delves into the depth of human emotion and narrates this sensitive subject of a guy's persistence to bring back his lovers life from coma. This movie is a "sumptous meal" for a movie buff. Without telling the story I want to recommend this movie for lovers of good cinema.
Just Brilliant!

Ramji Londonwale

Remake of a South Indian movie, Ramji is a "pleasant" flick with few hilarious moments. Madhavan as the bihari simpleton does a fair job, Harsh Chaya, Raj Zutshi and the nous comers were good, for a change the British actors seemed like actors, a much relief from the "tourist turned actors" bollywood take refuge on. The end could have been a more convincing one, but Big B comes to the rescue there. In all, a nice time pass.

Ashi Banaya Apne

Get the audio instead.
Not worth a review.

Matrubhoomi

Director Manish Jha fictional representation on the fallout of female infanticide will take you by surprise on the content and narration of the story, the extreme realism shown and crudeness in the way its depicted, may make you pause in disbelief. A subject rarely seen, a attempt rarely taken Matrubhoomi has brilliant performances by Piyush Jha, Tulip Joshi, Sushant Singh and Sudhir Pandey.
Caution: Be prepared for a heavy dose perverse sexual sentiment as the movie explores the "astitva" of men without women.

No entry

Anees Bazmee's earlier claim to fame was "pyar to hona hi tha" and he came back with a bang with "no entry". With a series of flops the kapoor family ( Surinder/Boney/Sridevi and Anil ) made a entry to the box office with "no entry". A movie about philandering, "no entry" will make you split in spurts, in all a decent entertainer, worth a watch one. Anil Kapoor and Salman shines with their tickles, Lara was good, Bipasha sizzles, Esha is passable, Celina is not worth a mention, Fardeen is Ok. Some real funny moments. Watch it.

Leila - Iranian

My first iranian movie, its my curiosity to get a glimpse of the world unknown that makes me pick up foreign flicks. There's another reason, Its the best use of the free rental coupon i get from Blockbuster.

Leila is the story of girl who forces her husband to get into another matrimony because of her inability to conceive a child. A warm movie, has a real feel to it.Watch it only if you are into serious cinema.

Virrudh

What should I say? Amitabh baffles me with his histrionics again, another big feather in Amitabh's cap, worth mentioning,the scene when Amitabh tries to raise his hand to join the laughter club after his sons demise, will make your spine chill.

Movies are like blank canvas, its a directors medium to express and add color and flavor. Mahesh Manjrekar is an accomplished technician when it comes to subject like Virrudh, his previous attempts like Astitva has earned critical acclaim. Virudh will be another medal for him to wear. It may not achieve commercial success as it should but it will remain as a "fine" product of the "nous" bollywood.

Sharmila Tagore's spontaniety and flawless performance will bowl you, John and Sanjay does their part with conviction. Debutant Anusha played her role with ease. Overall a movie I will highly recommend.

Negative : The end, it had a great flow but somehow the climax couldn't hold the weight of the movie.

My Wife's murder

Hmmm, honestly this movie gets over when you think its catching your attention. In my opinion the shortest commercial movie to hit the theatre in bollywood history. Anil Kapoor is as always great, Boman Irani and Nandana Sen ( Trivia - Do you know she is the daughter of Nobel Laurette Amartya Sen) fills in the other space of the screen, Suchitra Krishnamoorthy has more time on the promos then the real cinema.

Wait for the TV run. This wait will be a short one. Jijy Phillip should have chosen a meatier subject for the debut.

Hanan

I still have to find out the meaning of the "title", the only and only reason for me to rent this flick was my curiosity to check what Makarand Deshpande made. Honestly I couldn't gather strength to complete this movie, like the name, this movie will have people wonder "what this was all about"

Stay Away!

Yakeen

Lets play trivia, how many twist and turn can we possibly have in a movie? Can't guess, Watch Yakeen, new breed of indian movies that will not let you guess the end....bottomline ::: a crapy product.

India Fish in American Waters

I don't know what to say about such "genre" of movies, same stories new directors. IFAW is a passable flick and one more addition to the legacy of American Desi, I think budding directors should move out of the hangover created by American Desi and look at mainstream themes.

Yahaan

The new awakening in Bollywood with latest infusion of talented technicians and directors has started to give us a "variety". Creative production units are looking at catering to specific strata of the moviegoing public. Shoojit Sircar's debut effort called "Yahaan" although is a reminiscence of "roja" on the theme and treatment, is a commmendable offering to the multiplex crowd in India.

"Yahaan" is definitely worth one watch, Barring the "overuse " of the blue filter which got on my nerves, "Yahaan" scores on the treatment and the overall "real" feel , it also has pleasant performances by the lead, Jimmy and Nimisha.

In my opinion Indian producers/directors now should look at revenue collection from DVD/VCD sales, since most cinegoers will never throng the theatres minus a strong star cast and the associated paraphernalia, creating movies that compell a strong buy for repeated home viewing will at least address part cost of production.

"Yahaan" will not be a box office success, but will remain as one good debutant offering.

Parineeta

Parineeta has been my most anticipated DVD release yet. I have to say, this movie is a sincere and an honest attempt to show us the Sarat Chandra classic.After getting beaten up at the box office with his directorial releases, Vidhu V Chopra has found talent in Raj Kumar Hirani and now Pradeep Sarkar. Parineeta is a visual treat, and a beautifully crafted period film. Saif,Vidya balan and Sanjay has done a commendable job enacting their roles.Hummable tunes by Shantanu Moitra and excellent lens work gave a lift to this debutant effort by Pradeep Sarkar.

Minus: The climax of the movie was created to symbolise Saif's liberation from his father's shackles but it gave a "humorous" touch.

Watch It!!

Love or lot like it

It was a Ashton Kuthcher back2back for me, "Love or a lot like it " is feel good 60% romance/40% comedy flick with Amanda Peet and AK. Good for a one time view.

Guess Who

Bernie Mac, Ashton Kutcher's "Guess Who" will make you smile through the movie. Its about a balck father's persistent effort to ensure his daughter stay away from his white boyfriend after he finds out on his 25th wedding anniversarry that his darling daughter is courting a white guy.
Both Ashton and Bernie provides the comic relief to this movie making it a pleasant watch.

Sare Saat Phere ( 7.5 phere )

Plot: A TV channel looking to increase the TRP rating decides to do a reality program on a wedding, ( saat phere ), what they get out of it is much more, hence the name ( Sare Saat phere )

Few pleasing moments, Juhi Chawla and Irrfan Khan, this movie is like a TV soap. You may not want to borrow if you aren't a Juhi or Irrfan fan. Passable.

Sehar

Filmmaking is an art, it is also a statement you make to the audience, few film makers use this medium to convey issues we as a society face. Kabir Kaushik's debut effort, Sehar is a beautifully narrated story of organised crime in UP, more precisely Lukhnow. Sehar shows the political nexus with criminals and depicts the story of Gajaraj ( played aptly by Sushant Singh) his ruthless and bloody rise to crime supremacy and how under the guide and lead of SSP Ajay Singh ( Played naturally and brilliantly by Arshad Warsi ) destabilizes and destroys their reign thru a STF, he created with the support of his senior.

Sehar is Excellent. If you aren't into serious cinema and doesn't enjoy realism, this movie may not suit your moods.

DUS

DUS had sentimental attachement to Sanjay Dutt, post Mukul Anand's untimely demise, SD attempted at reviving this production several times. It was Nitin Manmohan who revisited the name with a different star cast and story line and gave the directorial hat to one time lucky Anubhav Sinha ( of Tum Bin fame). DUS is a slick thriller, the director tried to gave a hollywoodish look to this movie. With a winning soundtrack by Vishal - Sekhar and a hot shots like Sanjay, Sunil, Abhisekh, Zaayed, Pankaj Kapoor, Shilpa Shetty .....DUS will please you in spurts. Could have been a much better movie, lacks continuity and losses its pace. In all a OK movie.

Sin dejar huella ( Without a Trace) - Spanish

A road movie that treats your eyes to Mexican countryside. The movie surrounds the life of two women, both on a car, one running from customs, the other from her boyfriend and what happens thereafter. In all a good movie, but passable.

Pacifier

Couldn't complete the movie, I think its passable, Disney should stick to what they do best, animation. No more words.

Finding Neverland

Johnny Depp, Kate Winslett, Dustin Hoffman, Julie Christie - Finding Neverland is the story of a playwright (Sir James Matthew Barrie) who's friendship with a family inspires him to create Peter Pan.
In all a good movie, didn't impress me much though.

Miss Congeniality 2

Not worth a review.
Unless you are a die hard fan of Sandra Bullock, you may not want to try this one.

Million Dollar Baby

"what a movie", this Clint Eastwood directed movie will remain as one of my all time favorite."Million Dollar Baby" roped in tons of Oscar last year with best director, best film, actress ( Hillary Swank) and Supporting actor ( Morgan Freeman). A movie based on hope, struggle, dreams, Million Dollar Baby is the story of ( Frankie played by Clint) and a determined boxer ( Maggie played by Hillary ), how Frankie helps position her as a Pro.

Excellent, but tragic, just in case.

Life Aquatic

Hmmm, may be a good one, I did not enjoy it much. So guess leave my thoughts for another one.

Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya

This is a "leave your brain at home" movie, David Dhawan and Salman is a good team in comedy, however in this one, David pulled in couple others, Sohail, Arshad and Rajpal to create comic havoc. MPKK has spurts of slapsticks and Street comic,if you can relate to such comic, this movie will make you laugh.Sushmita Sen provides the glamor with Katrina Kaif and Himesh Reshamiya delivers with " Just Chill" and "Laga Laga". In all, a breezy entertainer.

Waqt

Warning: "This is a kercief caper"
Waqt is all about a father-son relationship that will make you laugh and cry through the movie, great performances by all the actors, Rajpal Yadav shines as the moron and take you to splits. Amitabh is riding tall on the high tides of his career with great performances and movies.
Stay away : if you aren't able to take drama.
Definitely a Good Watch

"D"

RGV once during an interview post "satya" talked about how he could take one character and weave a movie based on it. "D" seems to be just that, although the movie is by one of his prodigy Vishram Sawant,it has a heavy RGV flavor. D is about Deshu or ( rumors are that this movie is loosely based on Dawood). First things first, "D" introduces one more talented actor to look out for,Randeep Hooda (earlier popular as Sushmita Sen's ex Boyfriend ), Randeep carries this movie on his shoulders and does a marvelous job. I sometime wonder when will the RGV camp run out of ideas to churn underworld movies. From a cinematic value point " D" is too good to be made by a debutant director. Its the story of the rise and rise of deshu in the underworld and has a great cast, Chunky Pandey is the only other "non factory" cast, the rest are from the same talent pool from where RGV picks his team.
The film may leave u with a question though, are we hero worshipping these people?

Sarkar

Ram Gopal Varma recently claimed "Sarkar" to be his best effort till date,I am a big realism fan, and RGV is the contemporary pioneer in this category, "Sarkar" his tribute to Godfather is definitely one of his best. His movies specially on underworld have always come out as a hard hitting products, probably because of his curiosity and obession on the "goings on" with these people. He seems to understand their world so much that his movies looks to be a reflection of that world. "Sarkar" rocks, and you will see Amitabh in one of his best best forms. His strong charachterisation and his ability to gather an ensemble of "actors" is mindblowing, "Sarkar" boast of few of the finest actors in town, Of the main protagonist, KK menon is one to watch out for, superb acting, Abhisekh is getting there. Evry one is stellar in their roles. Amar Mohile has given a fitting background score to this movie.
Excellent! Must Watch

Paheli

Paheli is a sincere effort to showcase "stories" we grew up with, the grandma stories of ghosts and kingdoms etc. Little unusual for a production house to bank their top monies for such a flick, but given the current "trend" in movie making, wasn't that surprising, Paheli is the tale of a ghost falling in love with a (human ) girl, the highlight of the movie is "story" and the special effects, Shahrukh minus his hamming is good, Rani is effortless, Anupam Kher leaves a mark as the stingy father, Rajpal Yadav makes you laugh with one act and Amitabh is stellar even on a 5 minute stint.
Paheli is colorful/vibrant and a simple story telling on screen by veteran simpleton Amol Palekar. Definitely worth a watch

Irreversible

Irreversible is by far the most raw, brutal, groase and gore movie I have ever seen in my life. Although cinematically or in narrative context this movie has much more to offer, CAUTION, Watch it only you have a tolerance for "brutal" violence. This movie made me nauseatic and sick in my stomach.
Its a story of how two friends vows to kill the other's rape victim

Auberge espagnole - French / Spanish / English / Danish / German

Auberge espagnole, is the story of a French student who decides to go to spain to complete his studies and moves into an apartment in Barcelona with six other characters from all over Europe. The movie depicts the stories of each of the roomies thru the eyes of the main protagonist Xavier along with a taste of his own life.
I liked it.

Ocean's 12

I found this movie a big letdown, it didn't have any meat to write about. The Plot was made to look and sound complicated, the fact is the script did not have a punch. With such a ensemble of actors, this movie is a off the track sequel of Ocean's Eleven.

Hitch

Hitch is a "nice" movie, the main protagonist Will Smith is a date doctor who uses his skills to help "unsmart" guys find the their girl of dreams. The movie also stars Eva Mendes and Kevin James ( the king of the hill guy ). Has few hilarious moments..A good summer flick.

Invasions barbares, Les (2003) ( Canada-France)

Academy Award Winner for Best Foreign Language Film, 2004 ,Barbarian Invasion ( Invasions barbares, Les) is the story of a dying man's last few days and his son's uncompromising effort to fill the last days with family, friends, love and Humor. Barbarian Invasion is a beautiful movie by writer/director -Denys Arcand. Excellent performances, poetic locales, realistic on screen narration makes this movie a must watch.

No Mans Land - Serbo-Croatian

Backdrop: Bosnia and Herzegovina
Two Bosnian soldiers in no-man's land and become victims of bombing. This movie is STELLAR. I haven't seen many WAR Humor , this stands out in script, story, direction and in realism, practical humor that makes you think. SUPERB movie.
Director/Writer - Danis Tanovic deserves the much needed nomination. Academy Winner for the best Foreign Language film 2002, NO MAN's Land is a MUST SEE.

Spanglish

Once in a while you see a movie and feel like telling others " you know, I saw this movie, really liked it", Spanglish is just that, a simple heartwarming movie about a illegal mexican immigrant and her daughter and how their experience of living with an american family helps find her identity. Spanglish has beautiful comic situations and touches you with the practicality of the subject.
Adam Sandler as John Clasky is brilliant, Tea Leoni as Deborah Clasky just looks a hyper and insecure wife , Paz Vega is gorgeous as Flor and Shelbie Bruce as Christina is just too good. In all I loved this movie.
Grab it!

Main Aisa Hi Hoon

Rumored to be based on "I am Sam" Main Aisa hi Hoon is the story of an autistic father's legal battle to gain custody of his daughter from her Grandfather. A kerchief caper, MAHH will move you with its simplicity. Ajay Devgan does a great job but is a mismatch for such a role. The movie starts slow and grows on you. Its good to see producers banking their money on such flicks because the chances of these movies clicking is rare.
All in all a good movie, be prepared to shed couple tears.

Kinsey

Kinsey is a reel adaption on the life of Alfred Kinsey , a pioneer in the area of human sexuality research. Kinsey is bold cinema and has great performances by Liam Neeson ( Kinsey/"prok"), Laura Linney ( Clara Mcmillen), Peter Saarsgard ( Clyde Martin) and Chris O Donnel ( Wardell). Its a stark revelation on human sexuality,the 1940 research is a eye opener as it unearths insights into sexuality that has relevance today as well. Remarkable movie.

Hazaron Khwahishe Aisi

The theme song of the movie is One of my alltime favorite Ghazal by Jagjit Singh, Hazaron Khwahishe Aisi is pure good sensible cinema, Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi tells the story through three protagonists – Siddharth (Kaykay Menon), Geeta (Chitrangada Singh) and Vikram (Shiny Ahuja), their tryst with communism and love and the path they chose for themselves in the backdrop of 70's and political turmoil India went thru at that time. A unique political fiction, HKA will win your heart with excepional performances by the leads, Chitrangada is stellar and reminds you of a great actor - Smita Patil.Sudhir Misra deserves a pat on his back along with Pritish Nandy for bringing meaningful cinema to the fore.
This one DESERVE a watch!

Bunty aur Bubli

After years Yashraj bannner has delved into something new, reminiscent of 70's manmohan desai, B&B is a comic caper from director Shaad Ali Sahgal, who first gave us a replica of Mani Ratnam's Alaye Payudhe ( Sathiya in Hindi ).B&B has spurts of humor ( the taj mahal sale ) and could have been much much better without a few songs and sequences. B&B is nothing new but may score at the box office for the fun element it enamates, the production looks half baked and could have been more slicker, since its from Yash Raj you do expect much more. Songs, except for Kajra Re ( with a sultry Aishwarya Special gig ) other are very forgettable. All in all, its a good afternoon home view. Theatres ...hmmm not sure.

Jo Bole So Nihal

Curiosity drove me to rent this flick.
Not worth a review/time.
I am sure you have better things to do in life.

Kaal

Kaal, takes a u turn towards the end and saves Karan of his first major flop, although the movie is flawed throughout and tends to lose its pace and interest, KAAL gets you hooked and re imagine the movie with just one twist.Kaal is a winner because of the concept and steady direction by debutant Soham, with a melange of stars KAAL is a package worth one watch, the ad numbers specially created to draw the crowds deserve applause, credits goes to Salim-Suleiman and Farah Khan.
The Urban Legend theme will appeal to cinegoers as such movies are a rare on bollywood screen.

Watch it!

Kya Kool Hain Hum

Well this movie packs some laugh, Finally after a strings of misses, Ekta Kapoor the Baroness of small screen comes out with a sex comedy to pull out a HIT. Kya Kool hain hum is based on mistaken identities and has witty and double meaning one liners and manage to engage you through the movie. Surprising revelation was Isha Koppikar, I thought she was the funniest of the lot, the movie stars Tusshar, Riteish, Ishaa Koppikar & Neha Dhupia, side roles bu Anupam Kher, Razak Khan and Rajpal Yadav.

If you are looking for a no brainer sunday afternoon flick, this one will fit the bill. Btw, KKHH also has the Jay Sean song " Dil Mera " with Juggy D, Rishi Rich and Veronica, a winner all the way.

late Marriage - Israeli

A 31 year-old bachelor is pressured by his traditional jewish parents to get married.
Late Marriage is realism at its best, excellent performances, strong characters, a true to life portrayal of love and life's compromises.
Late Marriage is rated R for nudity and sexuality.

A good watch

Sideways

Sideways is deep yet funny.
Its the story of two friends diametrically opposite in taste and personalities (both middle aged, one a struggling author + a wine connosiuer,the other a sex obsessed former TV actor) spends a week of bachelorhood driving through the vineyards of California in a funny and self discovering journey.

The film stars Paul Giamatti as Miles Raymond,Thomas Haden Church as Jack,Virginia Madsen as Maya and Sandra Oh as Stephanie.

Great movie, Watch it!

Racing Stripes

Once in a while I like watching movies that think beyond the normal, I have enjoyed Babe and same genre of movies that have voice over for animals, somehow I find it funny. Racing Stripes belong to the same category and tells a story of a Zebra who thinks he's a racehorse and how with the help of his friends and caretaker wins the kentucky derby. RS has voice over by Dustin Hoffman, Whoopi Goldberg, nice and cool afternoon flick, a movie that the whole family can watch.

Morning Raaga

Morning Raaga is pleasant and moving. Its a tale of how a son fulfils a mothers dream by chasing his dream of creating music. Morning Raaga is fresh and is a feather in the cap of the recent Englo bollywood flicks. Beautiful movie - Deserve a watch.

Breads & Tulips - Italian

Breads and Tulips is the tale of a married woman who decides to take a personal vacation after being stranded by her family during one of their vacation trips to Venice. Breads and Tulip is a heart warmer and has sensitive portrayal by the lead stars of the movie.
If you are looking for a nice foreign flick, this one may be one.

Humdum

Humdum kinda took me by surprise, guess when you don't expect much out of a movie you end up liking it. That's what happened with Humdum, its a movie aimed at the youth, its a comic flick about a boy and a girl who gets randomly selected to participate in a love game show from a TV channel who has pinned all hopes on the show to rake in the TRP ratings to take them to the top spot.
Its a pleasant no brainer movie, watch it if you aren't doing anything important.

Meet the Fockers

Funny and Hilarious, Meet the Fockers have more laugh than its prequel Meet the parents, Dustin Hoffman and Barbara Streisand is stellar, MTF is packed with laughter, will make your afternoon a worthwhile.

Must Watch!

Kuch Meetha Ho Jaye

Samar Khan, NDTV alumni who turned a freelancer conceptualised this movie,very honestly I could not sit through this movie, had to turn it off before the movie got to the intermission.

Avoid it!

Control Room

Control Room looks at how the Arab World, more specifically how Al Zazeera views the Iraq War, Control Room relooks at war journalism and how media is used as a propoganda to control information.

Another angle. Excellent debate and a Must Watch!

Mumbai Express

Mumbai Express is fun and will make you smile throughout the movie. It has a great line up of actors, Vijay Raaz is stellar, the scene stealer however is Thambi - the southie guy, the kiddo and Om Puri makes their presence felt,Kamal Hasan and Ms.Koirala is easily forgetable.
Mumbai Express is losely based on comedy of errors, ME is Kamal Hasan and how he gets involved with couple petty slum dwellers attempt to abduct their unsettlers son from Dharavi.Well written , fresh direction and defintely worth a Watch.

Grab It!

Motorcycle Diaries - Spanish

SPECTACULAR !!
Motorcycle Diaries is autobiographical adaptation from Ernesto Che Guevara's self discovery travelogue of his 1952 tour de latin america with his friend Alberto Granado on their motorocycle "the mighty one". Motorcycle Diaries takes you on a wonderful life changin journey of the south americas thru the eyes of Ernesto ( Gael Garcia' Barnel ) and Alberto ( Rodrigo De la Serna), superb performance by the leads, direction par excellence by Walter Salles, this movie will touch your heart and will capture your imagination.

I was swayed by the strong characterisation,Ernesto's honesty and his life altering experience and this work of art.

A must watch!

Sins

Sins caught my attention with the recent furore it created in India. Also I remember Vinod Pandey from my earlier TV days, although I do not recollect his claim to fame.
Sin is a story of a young catholic priest and his obsession for a girl which led to his prosecution. Sins can be classified as a soft porn because of the overuse of bold bedroom scenes throughout the movie, although it had a story, after a point you somehow think if the intention was to come out with a sex flick to titilate the audience.

Sins is passable and joins the recent bandwagon of Indian movies trying to use sex as their USP.

Saatchya Aat Gharat

Saatchya Aat Gharat - means home before 7.00 pm, is a preachy yet hard hitting Marathi cinema.
Its the tale of a cosmo group of college goers in Pune at the crossroads of their lives, and how a rape within their group girls impact them and bring out their true charachters. Saatchya Aat Gharat raises questions on values and the 'casualness' of today's generation and also uses "Sita's" agni pariksha as a metaphor to exemplify our society's permanance of view on issues such as rape and male chauvinism.

SAG gives a new dimension to meaningful cinema, it will have you rethink/relook at parenting and get nostalgic. This movie immediately connects and keep you hooked to the end.

Excellent narration and direction. A Must Watch for all of us.

Fog of War

Winner of the ACADEMY Award for the Best Documentary Feature 2003 . This documentary is built around over 20 hours of interviews that director Errol Morris conducted with Robert McNamara (1916-), which is supplemented by archival footage and supplementary interviews. This documentary covers McNamara's entire life, but the topic covered most in the conversations with McNamara is the Vietnam War.

A inside to the minds of leaders. A great documentary and must watch.

Ridicule

A french flick, a movie about a young engineer who travels to the court of Louix XVI and encounters fine art of wit and ridicule. This movie was nominated for the best foreign language Film for OSCARS.

Ridicule didn't impress me as much.

Zeher

Ram Gopal Varma and Bhatt camp has one thing in common, churn low budget movies with good actors, catchy tunes or alopathic tunes - (music that instantly works and catches the attention of the moviegoers)and heavy promotion. The difference however lies mostly with how the product is offered on screen, its presentation. Where Varma takes realism to a new level, Bhatt uses glamor with mainstream formula to capture attention.

Zeher has Imran Hashmi, Ninad Kamat, Udita Goswami and Shamita Shetty as the lead of the cast. The movie starts slow and then takes you on and somehow losses its pace after intermission. In Zeher you will hear some good music and rendition by Anu Malik, Mithun Sarma and Atif and very nice performances by Ninad Kamat.

Again this movie may fill in your sunday afternoon slot if you have nuthing better to do.

Jurm

Thrillers need special tact, it needs the adhesive to bind you on the edge of your seat, that's the trait which makes thrillers special. Off late Indian cinema found solace in thrillers as a success formula with Aitraaz and Murder. Then followed a series of twist and turns with flicks such as Vaada , which turned out to be one such unsuccesful venture.
Jurm,a Vikram Bhatt movie with Bobby, Lara and Milind Soman in the lead, couple good songs,a trademark of Bhatt camp minus nuthing much to offer. Well with thrillers its for you to guess and check so I suggest this movie only if you have nuthing else to do.

Shwas - A Breath

Shwas is a breath of fresh air, this Marathi movie has redefined Marathi cinema, Sandeep Sawant the director of the movie deserve much accolades. This was also the entry to last years OSCARS which failed to get to the nomination.

Shwas is a beautiful movie, Grab it.

Black

BLACK is Beautiful,
BLACK is Sanjay Leela Bhansali's best gift to Indian cinema, Black is spotless and takes indian cinema couple notches above. Black is the tale of a deaf blind girl ( played by Ayesha Kapoor & Rani Mukherjee ) and her teacher's ( Amitabh Bachchan ) persistence in instilling words and colors to her dark and silent world.

Exceptional performances by Rani and Amitabh, Brilliant direction by Bhansali picture perfect camera work by Ravi Chandran, a product par excellence.

BLACK is a triumph!
You cannot to miss this Bollywood Jewel in the crown.

Roger & Me

After the successful Farenheit 9/11, Michael Moore re released one of his earlier critically acclaimed documentary on General Motors layoffs in the 80's in Flint, MI orchestrated by Roger Smith, the then CEO, GM. Roger & Me is a stark reality shown in the crudest fashion, it will make you think and question Capitalism. Roger & Me is Moore's quest to confront Smith on what his take was on what he did to Flint, Michigan. An eye opener.

Socha Na Tha

A breezy and refreshing romantic comedy from a debutant director Imtiaz Punjabi, Socha Na tha introduces Abhay Deol to bollywood, Socha Na tha is a heart warmer and has beautiful performance by Ayesha Takia, Its a fresh, real, pleasant and easygoing love story that will make you smile all the way..
Grab it.!

In The Bedroom

In the bedroom depicts how two parents Matt(Tom Wilkinson) & Ruth (Sissy Spacek) cope with their son's Frank (Nick Stahl) murder. Background - Frank and Natalie love each other, Natalie (Marisa Tomei)- a older woman with two kids is in the middle of a domestic violence as her ex husband, Richard tries to get back together, Frank finds himself as a part of one such incidence which results in his death by Richard.

In the bedroom had 5 Academy Award nominations, and reminded me of Ordinary People on the way the movie was crafted. Tom Wilkinson and Sissy Spacek's performance is out the world, In all In the bedroom is good cinema.

Grab it if you are in the mood for realism.

Nowhere in Africa

The 2002 Academy Award Winner for the best foreign language film, Nowhere in Africa is a tale of a Jewish family who flees Germany from the Nazi regime to a remote farm in Kenya.

This was the movie that took the OSCARS frm our very own LAGAAN, Nowhere in Africa is brilliantly directed and is a visual treat.

Don't miss it!

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

ESOTSM, is a bizzare but cinematically satisfyin movie, Eternal.....Mind is the story of Jim Carey( Joel Barish ) and Kate Winslet ( Clementine ), who fall in love ,then went on to erase themselves from each other's memory and how both realise their love in the process. This movie is a off track comedy and may be hard to comprehend.

Watch it!

The Notebook

The Notebook” in short is the story of a poor boy falling in love for a beautiful, rich girl and their eternal love.
The movie stars Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams, James Marsden, Gena Rowlands, and James Garner based on a best selling novel by Nicholas Sparks.
I have to say, "the Notebook" is a story well adapted on screen by director Nick Cassavetes. Notebook is a beautiful lovestory sewed with poetic visuals and excellent performances by Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams.

Grab it!

Shark Tale

Very Funny and a Must Watch , Shark Tale features the voice of Will Smith, Robert De Niro, Renee Zellweger, Angelina Jolie, Jack Black and Martin Scorsese.

I bet you will have a good time watching this movie.
Enjoy

Winged Migration

Breathtakingly Beautiful - Winged Migration is a documentary on migratory birds - 5 film crews follow these migratory birds thru 40 countries and come with this visual treat.
Absolutely amazing.

Veer Zaara - A love legend

"Mohabbat mauka dekhke nahin hota", for me this sums up Veer Zaara, the Chopra's take on recreatng an eternal love story, VZ is he story of Veer Pratap Singh, an Indian Air Wing commander( played by Shahrukh Khan ) and Zaara Hayat Khan, a rich pakistani heer ( played by Priety Zinta ), their love & sacrifice, and a debutant attorney Samiya's ( played by Rani Mukherjee ) fight to give back Veer's his name/honor and his country along with his lost love.

Romance & Love are Chopra's forte and they rule this domain,Yash and Aditya chopra are a lethal combination and Veer Zaara shows that loud and clear. Beautiful dialogues, restrained performances,excellent work by Divya Dutta, Kiron Kher, AB and Hema Malini, slick graphics, pleasant cinematography, well written characters, strong script,Madan Mohan's classic tunes and superb direction, Veer Zaara is a 3 hour of pleasant cinema.

One Observation,Shahrukh and Priety were made to look at their 70's after 22 years of separation, and somehow you wonder what their age was when it all started.
All in all, Veer Zaara is another great love product from the romantic Yashraj banner and definitely worth a watch.

Kisna - The Warrior Poet

A Question for you Mr.Ghai, what's a warrior poet? Neither I saw a poet in Kisna nor any relevance. Kisna fails to deliver the goods. A Blockbuster does not guarantee a success on inspirations, Kisna's prequel as I would like to call them ( You will see spurts of Lagaan, Devdas , Braveheart, Titanic .....)were either first's or a production par excellence, take Lagaan for example, it's a first of its kind movie making,cinema par excellence, barring its length."Kisna" unfortunately is devoid of creativity and serves as a mere remind of those epics.


Kisna has its moments of glory as well, it is visually stimulating, thanks to Ashok Mehta's eye for beauty. Antonia Bernatt as Katherine is brilliant and Darbar's score specially "Chilman uthegi nahin" is a treat. The music has a heavy Ghai stamp otherwise & neither Vivek nor any other in the cast is noteworthy of a mention, Isha Sharvani and her character, looks to be an INSERT in the movie, her acrobatics needs another platform for a showcase, her portrayal like her rope tricks is a waste and bear no relavance to situations, emotions and the movie in total.

I am still haunted by "Yaadein" of Mr.Ghai's last production ironically by the same name "Yaadein", and "Kisna" proved that Mr.Ghai needs a makeover. Mukta Arts will probably have better investor confidence without Ghai at the hot seat, his earlier non-directorial & non -interferal productions ( Joggers Park & Aitraaz) have either received critical acclaim or Box office returns and proves a point. He's lost it.

Kisna has nothing new to offer, you will need the much needed remote, so watch it at leisure.

Swadesh

Ashutosh Gowarikar has matured with his movies, I remember watching his debut effort "Pehla Nasha" and the very forgettable "Baazi". It wasn't extraordinary or worth a mention till "Lagaan" happened. Aamir had a inkling he would make it big, gave him the reins of his first home production, rest we all know.

Swadesh had to go beyond Lagaan, way too much expectation post Lagaan success and that's where it got beaten up. Swadesh has a touch docu film style, slow paced yet hooks you to its simplistic presentation.Its also a first in many years,when Shahrukh's charisma failed to draw crowds to the theater's, its sad coz, for a change he did a very "real" role, minus "shahrukhism" & his instant teary eyes. Viewers couldn't accept him without the Chopras, Johars, Malhotras and Mirjas.

Swadesh talks of reverse brain drain and may make you nostalgic, more so if you are abroad, Swadesh has a refreshing Shahrukh, a simple story, a beautiful Gayatri Joshi, his repeat cast of selected lagaan actors , and few very good numbers by Rahman, specially the theme song.

Swadesh lacked pace, a well weaved script,cinematography and the punch. You would need the remote, so I would recommend the DVD strongly.

Open Water

I thought this movie is amazing for a husband & wife team to pull it off, Open Water is a true story of a couple that got stranded in the middle of an ocean because of a scuba tour operator's mistake.

Its an inde movie which was shortisted by Lions Gate at the Sundance festival for a nationwide release as it had a strong commercialisation potential.

What bowled me, was finding that a hubby & wife team shot this movie in entireity with their own funds during vacation and weekends.

Open Water deserves a watch, I thnk its a genuine production and showcases a tragic tale of a couple that became shark baits for no fault of theirs.

Grab it!

Kumar and Harold goes to white castle

What a waste of time & money, I wished I used my free coupon somewhere else, Felt like checking Kal Pen, the indo guy - had liked his earlier performance in American Desi. This one has nuthing to offer except few fem farts.

Trash it!

Page 3

I liked Madhur Bhandarkar's previous attempts (barring one ) , his movies are mostly spoof's of real life incidences, he uses sarcasm just about correctly to showcase his views which tends to strike a chord with the masses. Chandni Bar and Satta broke the "box office" mentality and gave the cinegoers with sensible, true to life work and in a way challenged classes/masses to come out thinking of the theatres. Altough, Aan was close to a disaster, I think Madhur knew Page3 would bring him back to where he left with Chandni Bar.

Page3 is a two hour of good cinema, Its a work of art that has a strong commercialisation potential, a fine balance we hardly see nowadays. Page 3 has an ensemble of a actors and everyone seems to make their impact on the movie.The main film protaginists, Konkona Sen and Sandya Mridul does justice to their roles,Atul Kulkarni always does a good job- somehow I felt this was one of his forgettable roles. Page 3 depicts the harsh behind the glamor world, the pseudo and phoney starry lives, the elite paedophiles, the bomgay lives - Page 3 in short is a journalist's journey of life,love, betrayal thru her experience at work.
Finally, Its ironical for the same Madhur to be in middle of a Rape scandal, I guess he needs to look at his own movies for self education.
He sure scores with Page3.

Grab it if you are in the mood to spend a good evening.

Elling

my visits to blockbuster has at least one round of the foreign section, I wish they had a better collection, anyways I happened to treat myself this weekend with a Norweigian movie which happened to be nominated for the best foreign language film at the ACADEMY AWARDS.
Its a movie about two roomates ( Elling & Kjell Barne ) recently released from Mental insitution and their time with life after. A triumph of human spirit, a creative capture of innocence and a true narration of what I call cinema.

Grab it! if you want to watch good cinema.

fry day

Stars are created/cremated on this day, for many, its a day to unwind,for Stars & wannabe stars - its showtime. If I manage to squeeze time, its 'the' day I use my self proclaimed "critique" status and use my limited/unlimited gyan to disect a group effort of skilled craftsmen and their gamble on a story they felt could entertain us. Friday - (read Fry-day ) is the make/break day for these craftsmen, the stars, gamblers under the guise of a production team. Its the day they dread the most, its the day cine goers will either love or loathe their product.

Movie making isn't a lemonade,behind the glamor of the Posters that adorn billboards lie broken marriages, insomniacs, bankrupt production houses, star tantrums, sweat and determination of a creative unit.

There's a pool of talent in the nation, still we are left to watch and critique sub standards productions. I wish they could say TGIFriday, then having to wait anxiously to get fried on that day.