Sullivan's Travels (1941) (7/10)

A Hollywood director wants to make a movie with a message, perhaps teach people about morals and all that so they can appreciate what the world is going through with wars and all. He is reminded that he knows nothing about poverty. So he sets out to learn about it first hand, to find trouble. But its not easy, at least not the way he had hoped. But then he manages to find it, learn everything he wants to learn, is happy, and then suddently things turn really sour. It is only then he learns what reality is like. Will he survive? Its not so much a suspense as the juxtaposition of wanting to make a movie with a message, and learning that may be not all movies should be that. A little bit slow in the middle, but wonderfully done overall.

Sullivan's Travels (1941) (7/10)

The Hills Have Eyes (2006) (5/10)

The bad effects of nuclear testing in a remote place are shown in a horrorific way. Mutated people left with nothing stoop to very low levels to keep alive. Good atmosphere generation early on, but then it goes down the hill a bit as you are not given a chance to ask questions like how did they survive until now etc. Some good starts, many rather gory scenes.

The Hills Have Eyes (2006) (5/10)

Amistad (1997) (7/10)

Amistad starts off being unintelligible while neither English nor subtitles are seen - though the action does speak a lot. Slaves on a ship escape and the battle to claim them starts. It is in the courts that they find a determined anti-slavery advocate and his battle against the establishment to get them freedom. The hypocracy in the civilised world as well as the elements of good are brought out well.

Amistad (1997) (7/10)

Psycho (1960) (8/10)

Revisited psycho after a couple of decades. Its equally pleasing. Hitchcock's handling of even murders shows how intricate and at the same time devoid of what people think would be the common motives.

Psycho (1960) (8/10)

Millions (2004) (6/10)

How will different people react when they come in contact with lots of money, and how does the nature or source of that money affect them? This question is dealt with in a lighter, yet somewhat thought provoking, vein in this futuristic but may be not too much in the future (because England is shown to join EU) setting. The use of saints is interesting and the child in me loved the cardboard house.

Millions (2004) (6/10)

Casino Royale (1967) (5/10)

Despite the fact that the likes of Peter Sellers and Woody Allen are in the cast, this spoof of spy movies doesn't fly. Its dogged by being too slow much of the time. Some of the parallels are too literal, and the genuinely different ones are not too original in terms of appeal.

Casino Royale (1967) (5/10)