Yanda Kartavya Aahe (2006) (6/10)

A non-farcical non-serious, non-moralizing, but with-a-moral comedy. Slow at times, but mostly acted out very naturally. Perhaps not worth spending a lot of money to go watch it in a movie hall where you can not chat in order to let others enjoy it. A newly wed pair finds itself honeymooning in rather strange environs. Getting to know each other as well as trying to mix in the culture surrounding them makes for some interesting if at times a little far-fetched scenarios. Use is nicely made of ignorance and a private urge to keep private things private. Marathi.

Yanda Kartavya Aahe (2006) (6/10)

Manchurian candidate (2004) (7/10)

Sci-fi on steroids. Good theme and storyline, and acting if you ignore the rather fantastic matching of "memories" depicted across a whole group. in some sense the fantasy goes even beyond James Bond's devices, only that it is not fast.

Manchurian candidate (2004) (7/10)

Bheja Fry aka Dinner Party (2007) (6/10)

This is a well made copy of the French movie Le Dîner de cons (1998). I guess no matter how well made, a copy is a copy. May be they should at least pick old forgotten ones?

The acting is good except for Asif (Ranvir) who just seems to make faces instead of acting. There are only 5 actors in this 90 minute movie anyway. There is a bit of tastelessness where they discover what is actually happening at the Juhu flat. But the plot does not stray (though it meanders) and a light vein is kept almost throughout. The 'phone and the ritual of the scrapbook are the epitome and not to be missed. Most of the work needed would have been to do the songs.

Bheja Fry aka Dinner Party (2007) (6/10)

Millions (2004) (7/10)

An interesting movie about the adults in children. Two children find a lot of cash and they want to help the needy. Until they discover the source of the money. Can they go back. The invocation of various saints is cute. And our mum is dead. Could religion be like that? Giving you strength at the expense of something else? The premise of Britain going Euro can be an evergreen one until the British economy gets bogged down. Will it herald an even more commoner currency? But we are digressing ...

Millions (2004) (7/10)

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)

Finestra di fronte, La aka Facing Windows (2003) (4/10)

The character development is rather jumpy. As a result you do not start connecting much, and many events seem rather mundane. Even if the premise seems good - about how we can learn of our own life from others and our interactions with them - it is rather trivialised by finding all the right components close by.

Finestra di fronte, La aka Facing Windows (2003) (4/10)

The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942) (5/10)

This was a movie with great potential, good plot, twists and acting wasted by being a bit too verbose. Many of the dialogues and tongue in cheek remarks are excellent, but at times it seems as if it is just strung together from such remarks. Too many characters are inserted and their character built rather rapidly for specific short roles, and some people are too receptive.

The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942) (5/10)

Shakespeare in Love (1998) (6/10)

Was only half-watching this movie and it seemed good. Full of good acting. Reasonably good plot. A little over-doing of the Victorian era which was inherent to that time and which I have never been able to really understand.

Shakespeare in Love (1998) (6/10)

Christmas in July (1940) (7/10)

This is a delightful 67 minute package. Very positive throughout in all its aspects. A drama that unravels following a big prize announced for a slogan contest and a false telegram notification about the actual prize. What is most wonderful is that even people who have lost or are losing something or the other are shown to take it very gracefully. So gracefully that even today you do feel that it is possible to do so.

Christmas in July (1940) (7/10)

Auberge espagnole, L' aka The Spanish Apartment (2002) (5/10)

A movie about a French student moving to Madrid and spending an year there living with other students from other countries and also with two people he has met at the time of his arrival. His journey through the year and ups and downs are depicted.

Auberge espagnole, L' aka The Spanish Apartment (2002) (5/10)

Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du Coran aka Monsieur Ibrahim (2003) (6/10)

A fairly straightforward plot (if you can call it that) and a triumph of nurture over nature with a bit of sex thrown in for taste. A French boy is groomed by a moslem and told that he gets all his answers from the Koran. What the answers are is never revealed, of course. It is really about love and people power than any religion. Or, in fact, it is the common denominator of all that is good in religions. Without the biased, selfish, oneupmanshipish part.

Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du Coran aka Monsieur Ibrahim (2003) (6/10)

The Namesake (2006) (6/10)

Well made, well acted, fast paced. Shows cultural diversities and borderlines of intermixing and problems thereof quiet well. Where it fails is that too much is crammed in to it, The character of the namesake is not developed at all. It can be anyone's story. The reason for that particular name does not really come out. Most Kolkata images are a backdrop and not clear why those particular ones were there. In general not enough time is spent on different parts of the movie and is abrupt much of the time. May be this is typical of books adapted to movies.

The Namesake (2006) (6/10)

The killing (1956) (5/10)

Must have been a very good movie when it was made. It is good. The planning and all. But ends up seeming slow compared to any movie these days. Perhaps because of the details. Some art movies get tolerated even if they are slow because they are not supposed to convey anything. But this movie is a bit slow because it is precise. But it is not a Hitchcock. A perfect plan to rob a race-course. But then the cookie crumbles.

The killing (1956) (5/10)

The future of food (2004) (7/10)

This is a documentary and worth a watch. I was not sure of the exact dangers posed by genetically modified foods. It is now amply clear that much of the threat if from greedy people rather than the inherent biological aspect of it. It is big corporations which lobby, patent and drive farmers out of a livelihood. The second generation sterility is artificially imposed. Strongly recommended.

The future of food (2004) (7/10)

Chess fever (1930) (7/10)

Directed by Aleksandr Dovzhenko, this 30 minute gem is about the passion of Russia for chess, and especially of the hero whose marriage is in jeopardy because of it. It is interesting to see who all plays chess, where and how. And what happens to our young otherwise romantic couple.

Chess fever (1930) (7/10)