The Story of India

An in-depth documentary on India, starting from the very first immigrants to the country thousands of years ago until freedom and Independent India. It is a marathon 6-part 6-hour documentary where the host Michael Wood takes us through this life of India with an ever-smiling face and churns up facts and places (such as the one where Akbar was enthroned, where Mahabharata was fought, where freedom fighters fought against British, Jallianwala Bagh, Taj Mahal, place where Gautam Buddha got enlightenment, etc.) at such quick pace that the audience is hooked all through. There is not a moment of ennui. It is almost a must-see for all Indians - to know our own roots. 

The Hundred-Foot Journey

Not sure why the title. Relatively easy-going movie. Not much humor or suspense or action or drama or anything to keep audience occupied. After 1 hour I thought the movie was over. 15 minutes later again I thought it was over. And it kept on happening until an hour later the movie finally ended! Editing could have been better, dialog too. Acting was good and so was casting and cinematography.
Rating: Average.

The Interview

A nice captivating story with underlying comedy involving international countries and nuclear bombs and what-not! Total time-pass yet hilarious, at times.
Rating: Good

Finding Nemo

A beautiful tale of 'dad' fish losing 'son' fish and how he does all it takes to 'find' him. Very touching yet comical, not to mention beautifully scripted & animated. Has a moral for the father as well as for the son.
Rating: Good

Sixteen Candles

A movie for the wifey. She likes this type - A typical American sixteen-year-old girl madly in love with a guy in her school who doesn't even know her and it's her birthday - and whatnot. Not much of comedy to call a rom-com but comes pretty close to it. Time-pass, watchable.
Rating: Average

Airplane!

Absolutely hilarious! Been a very long time since I saw such kind of a movie where the theme is only comedy and pays no respect to logic! Totally enjoyed!
Rating: Good

Clueless

Time pass movie about teenagers. But surprisingly, a very "clean" and "moralistic" movie. Light romance, light humor and faintly interesting. 
Rating: Average

PK

Nice movie, nice story, nice direction, nice concept, etc. But something lacked to not make it a "Must-see". Maybe the alien concept - literally speaking, and perhaps casting. Otherwise, a classy movie, almost on similar lines as the director Rajkumar Hirani's other movies (Munna Bhai MBBS, etc.). Every scene, every dialog, seemed to be well thought out. Even the humor is rich. Anushka seemed out-of-sort (for casting in this movie, not her acting) at times, maybe because she looked taller than Aamir. Aamir was awesome, as usual.
Rating: Good

The Lion King

I was 14 when this movie hit the screens and I had heard rave comments about it. But being a teenager I wasn't so keen on an animated movie then. Now, after 21 years, for the sake of my daughter, I got this movie from library! It wasn't all that great as I thought it would be although at times the comic and the animation are excellent. The story itself is very thin and predictable. Far too much violence and scary stuff for Kindergarteners. My daughter didn't like it that much. 
Rating: Average

Samsara

Kaleidoscopic images & videos spanning across many different countries with no commentary nor any subtitles. Shows many strange, unknown, unseen videos which are at times cruel and at times beautiful and other times plain boring. A very professional work of videography. Good documentary to see with kids since it doesn't really disturb when they keep asking hundreds of questions! Looking at the mute video, my daughter told the video 'You just have to use your words.' :-) (That's something we parents keep saying to her when she is upset and having temper tantrums!)
Rating: Average

The Lego Movie

Wow, what a movie! Awesome story, great animation, superb humor and even parenting morals. The movie starts off with a bang and rides on a roller-coaster at break-neck speed until the very end. Added to this - we saw it under the stars on Walnut Creek Civic Park. Great ambience despite the chill. Totally, totally enjoyed from beginning till end - including Kurkure and Aloo Paratha! Reminded us of the movie we saw in Irvine Park.
Rating: Good

Inequality for all

An excellent documentary on inequality of wages - where rich become richer and poor become poorer. Robert Reich gives the cause, effect and solution for this economic turmoil in America over the last century. Superb narration, witty and gripping. 
Rating: Good

The Little Mermaid

Another Saturday night movie for the daughter. This time it was her little mermaid Ariel. Very easy-going story and movie about teenage love and "kiss of true love" - but kind of too much for a 4 year old but anyways. Time-pass.
Rating: Average

The Way Back

Nowadays, I am reading the novel and then seeing the movie. This favors the book, I guess, unless the movie is really made well. Just so, since this movie only depicted 50% of what is actually in the book, I felt the book was much better than the movie. Even so, the movie at times runs very thin and doesn't quite capture the attention as much as the novel. Why don't film-makers just take the novel, I don't understand. 
Rating: Average

100 Days of Love

Maybe had high hopes for this movie especially after having seen another Malayalam movie Bangalore Days, or maybe the beginning sounded good. Either way, this movie is too light-weighted and is an absolute time-pass. Although set in Bangalore, it has pretty much no stuff in it but one can just linger till the end just to see it through just for of an occasional laughter here and there. Not even sure about the significance of the title.
Rating: Average

Tanu Weds Manu

Hoping it to be a rom com, we were severely disappointed. The movie has a very thin story line and it goes from good to worse. At the end, we were like 'Oh Please!' The name gives away the ending anyways.
Rating: Average

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Trailer seemed interesting and comical but the movie itself was pretty average. Stories of about a bunch of retirees which intertwine at a retiree home in India. Each of the tales seemed superfluous and one feels - is it all really needed? Nothing comical about it in the end, but good direction, acting and dialog nevertheless.
Rating: Average

Up

It started good but lost its steam after some time. Good imagination but it just went out of bounds when an old man who cannot climb down the stairs on his own tries to hold on to his full house - literally. Total time pass movie for kids.
Rating: Average

12 Years a Slave

So, I read books and see movies. And then I compare which was better. Sometimes the movies are better, sometimes the books. In this case, it was the book. The movie only made me understand parts of the book that I could not comprehend reading but other than that, it did not evoke any other emotions. I felt there were quite a bit of scenes that were quite unnecessary and could have been edited. Also, there seemed to be an escape scene which the author had written in great detail which was missing in the movie. Nevertheless, if you don't want to read a 200-page book and instead know the story in 2 hrs, go for it!
Rating: Good

Enchanted

This is a fun movie that can be welcomed on any weekend. Again, girly, princessy stuff that can make daughters go 'Awww' but it has a twist within 30 minutes of the movie when the animation turns to real human beings and mean adults right on Times Square. Kinda sci-fi jazzy stuff, only it is more for kids! The dramatic ending is very, very sloppy and totally unneeded and could have been edited after the proverbial 'True-love-kiss'.
Rating: Good

The Princess Diaries 2

The prequel was much better. This sequel seemed pretty awful, very boring and at times even ridiculous - all due to a very thin story line. Another weekend, girly movie but highly avoidable. Oh, by the way, if you are wondering why I am into so many girly movies - it is to give company to wifey and daughtery!
Rating: Average

The Princess Diaries

A lazy Sunday time-pass movie about a teenager who suddenly comes to know she is a Princess of a country. A predictable tale and ending.
Rating: Average

This is the End

Truly pathetic. A doomsday picturized for real-life actors. Some comical dialog and scenes but overall quite yucky and heavily avoidable. 

The Namesake

A Bengali-English movie about Indian couples stay in America in 1980s and the radical shift in culture especially for the newlywed brides. Based on Jhumpa Lahiri novel which I later remembered having read. A good movie. Nothing great, nothing bad. 
Rating: Good

Mardaani

Another female-oriented power-punch movie but seemed far-fetched plot at times, especially when villain killed whosoever with ease but spared the cop until too late. Apart from that, story is captivating. It is shocking to know that even a road-side pani puri is dangerous for girls in India.
Rating: Good

Drishyam

Wow. Brilliant. Another movie seen on airplane en route to Abu Dhabi from SFO. Had heard about this  movie a lot and it lived up to it's expectations. A simple story with a simple twist that can happen to any simple middle-class family. Well directed and well acted, its as good as any edge-of-the-seat thriller.
Rating: Must-see

Language seen: Telugu but original Malayalam

Excuse my French

An Arabic movie seen on airplane while coming from SFO to Abu Dhabi. Seemed overly hyped but it was a let down. IMDB states genre as Comedy but I didn't find anything to laugh about. It portrayed a very dark side of life indeed.
Rating: Average

Mary Kom

Wow, what a movie! What a true story! Such unmatched skill, commitment and dedication - and to think I never knew about this person until I heard about this movie (like many other Indians, I am sure). Great acting by Priyanka, and such sad state of affairs to see growth of Boxing as a sport in India, with all its prejudices. But thoroughly enjoyed the movie, nevertheless.
Rating: Must-See

22 Jump Street

Similar to 21 Jump Street. Nice, easy, light-hearted, little bit of action, a touch of romcom, etc. Good for a Lazy Sunday.
Rating: Good

Cha-Cha-Cha

A simple romantic Spanish comedy that gets complicated with lies and spies and devious plans. Quite interesting. 
Rating: Good

Philomena

When I started seeing this movie, I was expecting it to showcase what is written in the book. But I was surprised to see the movie was totally different than the book.While the book concentrated entirely on the child, the movie concentrates more on searching the child and the author's interaction with the mother. Very touching at times, very beautifully taken. Excellent acting. But I wonder why some scenes are so opposite to what is in the book.
Rating: Good

Cars 2

Wow, what an excellent movie! Thoroughly enjoyed it. Had a smile on my face almost the entire movie! It has romance, edge-of-the-seat James-Bond-ish thrill, mystery, drama, sci-fi and loads of comedy. Superb animation with lots of colors and imagination. Awesome dialog too, making it a wholesome entertainer!
Rating: Must-see

The Bicycle Thief

A pretty average-ish movie. The story kind of never moves forward. The title gives away what's gonna happen in the movie anyway. And then pretty much nothing happens! Not sure why all the hype about this movie.

Sleeping Beauty

The Sunday movie for the kiddo. Considering that this movie was made in 1959, it is quite an achievement in animation. Pretty straightforward story about a prince, princess and an evil witch. But nice humor in between. Although the daughter wished there was no evilness in the movie :-)
Rating: Average

The Boy With The Striped Pajamas

A holocaust movie although taken more from the German angle with a childish touch. Edge-of-the-seat at times but ends quite flatly. A nice, short story of the woebegone bygone era.
Rating: Good

Shaadi Ke Side Effects

Nice rom-com after a long time. Some very typical married life conversations, very typical post-child-birth life situations, etc. making it very comical and humorous indeed. Also, the basic characteristics & conversations of a typical male and female. Enjoyable.
Rating: Good

Frozen

A movie for the 4-year-old daughter, but my wife and I enjoyed it more than her. There was too much 'scary/sad' stuff for her to enjoy, with snow monsters and Elsa's hands freezing everything around her and making her (Elsa) cry, etc. In fact, after the movie she went into a shell with no smiles and laughs and started saying 'I don't want Frozen any more'. But later on, she warmed up to the story & now has become a huge fan of this movie - been seeing it forever! And wifey and I enjoyed it anyways! Good catchy story.
Rating: Good

Moneyball

Awesome true story of Billy Beane and how he churned out a bunch of low-key baseball players into a team that won 20 consecutive games, a record of its own. Very inspiring and touching. Brad Pitt is awesome in his role. Although story and movie is good, it kind of lacks a superior touch that could have made the audience go 'wow' as in the movie 42.
Rating: Good

Bangalore Days

Wow, what a fantastic movie! One of the rare Malayalam movies that I saw, and thankfully, this one had subtitles. This movie has sufficient quota of every movie element  - comedy, romance, tragedy, drama, suspense (not much of thrill though). It made me laugh, it made me cry and it made me go 'Wow'. Excellent acting, excellent direction and good intertwining of life-stories of 3 cousins. Almost all characters in the movie have a personality of his or her own and is right in his or her actions, although it brings out different shades of emotions in the others around. Definitely, a must-see.

Earth (1947)

A good movie about India-Pakistan Partition and how friends of different religions become enemies due to Partition-related communal clashes and bloodshed. Simple yet poignant. A triangular romance in the background fueling the story as well. Good acting by one and all and good direction. Not great but good enough.
Rating: Good

Kai Po Che!

Another 3-male-friends' movie (after Dil Chahta Hai and Zindagi Na Milegi Dubara). This one is set in Ahmedabad and weaves through two real tragedies (Latur earthquake in 2011 and Sabarmathi Train burning in 2012) that change the course of friendship. In-between there is a nice captivating story of budding cricketer's rise to fame and a coach's all-encompassing love for the student. A nice story, good tight direction, good acting. 
Rating: Good

Good Night, And Good Luck

True story of 1950s depicted in a 2005 movie in black and white! The "true story" itself is good (about how one TV journalist brought down a senator) but the movie runs thin and some times even gets yawning-ly bore! This could have been made into a good 30 minute documentary than a 93 minute movie.
Rating: Average

Sixteen

Amores Perros (Love's a Bitch) written all over it but a more Indian version of it where the a multitude of lives interconnect at a given point of time with each of them entangled in Love's different forms. While the intention is to convey a message to sixteen year-old Indians living in India (which is not very different compared to Western nations nowadays), it still has a broader message to the metropolitan India where things has changed so much from what it was before - not just with sixteen year-olds in India but even with their parents. Good direction, good story, good acting, good dialog. Very captivating from start to finish and doesn't bore one bit. Definitely worth a watch.
Rating: Good

Ankhon Dekhi

Well, the movie started well enough and promised a lot. But other than its artistic simplicity and showcasing a low-class almost-below-poverty typical family in a Delhi suburb, there was nothing much in the movie. It was not heading anywhere. And it did not seem to be heading anywhere either. In fact, at interval, I was almost sure the movie was over, only to be surprised that there was one more hour left. Much of the scenes seemed unnecessary. But direction, acting, casting - they were all good. So, other than the story, everything else is good. One wonders what the intent of the movie was - other than to show life in its natural form, and ageing. Its not boring and some scenes are even captivating but at the end of the movie, I was thinking why did I see it. I would still say: Watchable when nothing else is there to watch.
Rating: Good

Tangled

A nice animated movie for the kiddo. Enjoyed seeing the movie with daughter. A nice, captivating story. The Maximus horse character was awesome!
Rating: Good

Rush

Wow - unbelievable true story of the rivalry between Niki Lauda and James Hunt (F1 drivers) between 1970 and 1976, captured exceptionally well on the big screen. Each scene lingers on the viewer's mind after the picture ends. Excellent casting, acting, cinematography, dialog and direction. 

Rating: Must-see

OMG! Oh My God!

Nice, thought-provoking movie with powerful dialog that hits out at the fundamental core of theism. Paresh Rawal at his best but Mithun C and his co-priests are annoying.
Rating: Good

Queen

Fantastic movie! Absolutely fascinating. Great acting, great direction, great casting, simple-yet-powerful story. Wholesome entertainer. Kangana's dance sequences were hilarious and wholly enjoyable! 
Rating: Must-see

42

Wow, what a movie! Its even more bone-chilling because it is a true story. To think what Jackie Robinson has gone through is mind-boggling. What a champion! Same regards to Rickey Branch for being the messiah in going against racism. These characters deserve as much respect as Nelson Mandela! A gem of a movie too - excellent narration, direction, acting and absolutely top-of-the-chart stuff!!
Rating: Must-see

2 States

Enjoyed reading the novel better than watching the movie. The hero was quite a depressing character. The heroine was better although she didn't look very much a Tamilian. The parents' casting was good though. The music was very refreshing and song sequences were good and dancey.
Rating: Average

21 Jump Street

A nice comedy movie, seeing after a long time. Enjoyed it quite a bit, although not as great as Hang-over series. Refreshing and entertaining.
Rating: Good

Caillou's Holiday Movie

Sunday movie time for the kiddo. Nice time-pass movie for adults but enjoyable for pre-schoolers.
Rating: Average

Kahaani

An excellent movie. Great direction, good narration, good acting and awesome story. The last few minutes will almost make you to see the movie again. Most of the plot and direction resembles The Bourne series. Kolkatta is depicted more than necessary but there is a tangential reference to the plot as well. The title is very apt. No loose ends or slack, boring sections in the movie but there are loop-holes, of course, which is expected in thriller movies such as these. Nevertheless, a must-see.

The Dirty Picture

Although it is well known that the film is supposedly based on the life of Silk Smitha, whose life is quite sensational in its own way, this movie is very mediocre in its direction, narration, story-telling, screenplay and to an extent even casting. Did not captivate the attention and made me almost feel why I wasted time on it...
Rating: Average

Tinker Bell

A Disney movie for the daughter. Gave company to have fun with the little one. Movie itself was light-hearted and nice. It is excellent imagination and creativity to think of a fairy that paints the bed bugs, gives light to glow-worms, etc.
Rating: Average

Oggarane

Another Prakash Rai movie. Just as good. Pure and simple. The basis of a love story being the love for food is unique and very well picturized. Illayaraja's music is mesmerizing. Conversation is smooth flowing. Although the movie doesn't disinterest, one wonders why the story of tribal folks was dragged into it in the midst. Nevertheless, a refreshing movie.
Rating: Good

Despicable Me

Movie time for Paavani! But she is still too tiny to understand the nitty-gritties of a movie, I guess. She was just fascinated with minions but other than that, she was not really hooked onto it. A nice time-pass movie though. 
Rating: Good

The Wolf of Wall Street

Had very high expectations after having read the novel. But alas, the movie did not live up to the expectations. There are quite a few variations in the movie and it clearly misses Jordan's true narrative style. Still, for those who cannot endure reading books, this is an easy way of getting a glimpse into the life of Jordan Belfort!
Rating: Good

Before Midnight

Very similar to the initial movies (Before Sunrise and Before Sunset) in terms of dialog, direction - signature being plain simple endless conversation between a guy and a gal. Some scenes are simply mind-boggling - such as the one when Julie and Ethan leave the airport and are talking in the car like how a normal husband and a wife do. That scene goes on and on and on without a 'Cut'...it is quite impossible to fathom that the actors memorized the script or maybe they were just to told to talk normally! Quite an entertainer. 
Rating: Good

Race 2

Story line, direction, acting and pretty much follows the same theme and pattern as Race. Same kind of twists and turns, and lot of unexpected twists. Doesn't bore but sometimes it is rather too much to believe. Some scenes easily look bogus and it kind of looks cheap stunt. But watchable with a yawn.
Rating: Good

Naanu Nanna Kanasu

A very touching Prakash Rai movie, very similar to Father of the Bride but that much more hard-hitting taken right from the day of birth of the daughter till the time she gets married. Me, being the father of a 3-year-old daughter, can absolutely relate to it. Some of the scenes were very powerful and some of the scenes very really humorous. A simple story yet with a powerful message. 
Rating: Good

Bhaag Milkha Bhaag

After a long time, went on to see a third movie in the same weekend. This one happened to be the longest and a movie inspired by a true story of one of the finest athletes India has ever produced. It was a nice enough story but at times it becomes too much to take in. Especially how Milkha won an event with both his legs injured. He seems to have lived the life of extremes - almost becoming a dacoit, then a national hero, etc. Anyways, definitely a watchable movie.
Rating: Good

The Lunchbox

Had heard rave reviews about this movie. It started off exceptionally well. In fact, it had the same hall mark of Children of Heaven. But it ended up like A separation. Maybe a little lower than that too. Acting and direction was super and story was captivating but the end kinda fizzed out. It seemed to be going in circles what with 'him' 'starting off', then 'backing out' and again 'wanting'. Some of the side stories seemed irrelevant at the end. In the end, it is just watchable - nothing really great about it. The 'punch' was missing.
Rating: Good

Lifeu Ishtene

After watching Pawan Kumar's Lucia, I had high expectations on this movie. But this is a very simple movie about a young man's life of falling in and out of love with various girls at different points in time. A typical story of current generation. Taken with a light humor and jest all through, it gives various perspectives - both from girl's side and from boy's side. Watchable, not boring. Not too bad, either. 
Rating: Good

Jodhaa Akbar

Was an eye-opener of a movie, in regards to Akbar and Jodha and their stories. Truly fascinating. My admiration for Akbar rose that much more. The last arm-in-arm battle was almost reminiscent of movies such as Troy and Gladiator. A great movie, great acting and great direction.
Rating: Good

Sampaththige Savaal

MIL's recommendation. A nice typical Dr Rajkumar 1970s movie. Excellent dialog especially the arguments between Rajkumar and Manjula.
Rating: Good

Saaransh

Wanted to see this movie for a long time because of excellent reviews I had heard about it as well as Anupam Kher's acting. It pretty much lived up to expectations. The story is captivating. There is always something happening that keeps the audience interested. A simple yet very powerful movie. Excellent acting by all stakeholders. Pure and clean dialog - truly of the 1980s that we miss nowadays.
Rating: Good

Dhoom 3

A James Bond kind of movie with a typical Dhoom-theme of action and adventure with no brains-to-be-used. Good story, good acting by Aamir (as usual) but very thin direction. 
Rating: Average

Parental Guidance

Good dialog, good story and nice humor. The song in the rest room was really hilarious!
Rating: Good

Parijaatha

Pretty poor direction, story, acting. But some comedy scenes were really hilarious.
Rating: Average

Another Cinderella Story

Aptly named as Cinderella Story. But re-fitted into modern teen era. 
Rating: Average

High School Musical - I

Pretty much similar theme as High School Musical - II. Pretty great dance sequences but song sequences were not-so-great. Nice casting. Watchable.
Rating: Average

When Sparks Fly

A simple romantic movie for a lazy Sunday afternoon. Climax predictable within the first 10 minutes of the movie. Nothing great, really, but the story of a rural US girl moving to an urban area and struggling is depicted well.
Rating: Average

Zapped

Nice 'girly' story but very predictable about an app that can control boys. Pretty dubious.
Rating: Average

Daughters of Afghanistan

Documentary about few women of Afghanistan between the years of late 1990 and early 2000. Most of the documentary depicts what most of us already know about the Taliban-ravished streets of Afghanistan. But the story of Dr Samar (widowed) and Lima (orphaned with multiple siblings) squeezes anyone's heart and makes the audience feel so helpless. Here I was thinking the worst happened only during holocaust, but the truth is it is happening even now around the world. And I guess it will keep happening.
Rating: Good

The Greatest Game Ever Played

An amazing true story of 1913 US Open Golf Championship and inspiring story about Francis Ouimet. Even the movie is just about golf, it is as thrilling as any mystery story. Excellently directed and absolutely brilliant cinematography.
Rating: Good

Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure

A simple kiddo movie about value of friendship. Too many things happen in this movie but most of them seem to be futile! Story-line is very simple but means of achieving is way, way long. But good thing about these kiddo animation movies is that they all end happily.
Rating: Average

Spellbound

A real-life documentary on 8 participants of 1999 National Spelling Bee participants and their families, and what they all go through to win this ultimate competition. It is shocking that amongst over 10 million participants, only one person gets the crown. This documentary is as good as any Hollywood thriller movie.
Rating: Good

Nearlyweds

First thing that struck me while watching this movie was the amateurish acting, which is not so obvious to see in any other movies. Story-line is average, some very good dialog and real-life scenarios that can make relationships go sour. Good time pass for a lazy Sunday.
Rating: Average

The Pianist

The unbelievable true story about Szpilman who escaped death by Nazis by sheer luck so many times - it was as if God paves his way of Life through the River of Death wherever he went and lived during World War II. The novel was sometimes hard to understand but the movie makes completes justice to the novel. It is a stunning story that should not be missed. The most touching part for me, as an irony, was the death of the German Officer Captain Wilm Hosenfeld despite seeing so many Jews dying.
Rating: Good

We Bought A Zoo

A remarkable true story about an adventurer Benjamin Mee who decides to buy a zoo, in the hope of owning a dream-come-true-home. A gripping story albeit it being on the family-side. The '20-second insane bravery' theory is very motivational. Good casting, good direction and good acting makes this one almost a must-see.
Rating: Good

ABCD

A very dark movie about the status of American Born Confused Desi (Indian) - Indians being in America not really sure which tradition and custom to follow. By 'dark', I mean both literally and figuratively. The movie could have ended wherever and it still would not have mattered. It neither has a happy ending or a sad ending. Very amateurish, all in all. But, very much the truth of ABCD lives.
Rating: Average

Hachi: A Dog's Tale

A very moving true story about a dog's loyalty to it's owner, that took place in Japan almost a century ago. Despite a thin storyline, the movie is very well picturized. 
Rating: Good

Pancharangi

A comical Kannada movie with good dialog, nice and simple story line. Some scenes really make you laugh, some are ok-ok. Total reality of current times nicely depicted. Setting is very nice - in a quaint village near Mangalore. Although it is still a simple love story, it has a different texture to it. Watchable.
Rating: Good

The Lost Valentine

A nice movie about an old woman and her romance. On similar lines of Titanic but not so grand. Much more simplistic and that much more hard hitting, especially for those who lost their men in the World War. A parallel budding romance story is the only that stops from making it a tearjerker.
Rating: Good

Lucia

UN-BEL-IEV-ABLE!!
This one is a corker of a movie. It has been ages since I had seen a Kannada movie. And then I heard about this movie being one of a kind because of it's funding coming from public. From the start till the finish, it was tightly taut and it had all the right elements - mystery, suspense, romance, humor, with the right touch too. And then, at the end, the movie tipped over and then, I was like, WOW!! Like Barfi, like many other 'WOW' movies I had seen, I started it all over again immediately after it ended to fully soak in each scene with the new understanding. There are some traces of Inception but while Inception gets very complicated, this remains at a human level - and brings joy and sadness and all the emotions out, as should a movie. Then I saw about the director Pawan Kumar and read his blog. The fact that he is a college drop out and that the music director is a software engineer, I was very, very impressed. The music and songs (esp this one) is just mind-blowing! Overall, a FANTASTIC movie, and it made my day!!
Rating: Must-See!!

A Perfect Murder

A weekend with no movie at home. So started searching for some movie available on the cable network given as freebies, and came across this movie. I remember how my friend and I had seen this in a CD about 15 years ago with crappy quality (perhaps copied from a theatre) where we could hardly see nor hear and yet got the content of the movie and how we were impressed by just the story line, and Douglas acting. So just started it again, to experience it and got hooked onto it till the end, although I remembered most of the scenes. The story line and Douglas acting was just as impressive as ever.
Rating: Good

Rangeela

The only movie I have seen twice in a theatre. Wanted to show this movie to wifey. Hence booked the DVD and ended up seeing the movie along with her. As always, enjoyed it thoroughly. This time around though, didn't get that impressed with Urmila's acting but Aamir was as best as the first time I saw him. One of my all time fav Hindi movies.
Rating: Good

The King's Speech

A very good movie about the King and his stuttering problem. The acting is brilliant from the main protagonists. The fact that it was a true story makes it more enthralling. 
Rating: Good

Its a Wonderful Life

Wow! What a movie!
Unbelievable! 2 back-to-back 'must-see' movie weekends! This one is a corker, and I didn't even have to go back and see the movie from the beginning. It is a simple yet profoundly powerful and moving movie about the value of 'being good' and 'leading a valuable life'. A definite must-see!

Talaash

Wow! What a movie! 
Finally, after almost 1.5 years I could say those 4 words! It has been such a long time to have found such a corker of a movie. But I must say it has been a long time since I saw (what seemed to be) a murder mystery movie too. This movie runs on a serious note from the very first scene and it is totally gripping. Aamir's acting is as superb as ever (especially his crying scenes!). Like the last one which made me go like this, even this movie made me see it again (immediately after the first run) from the beginning to fully comprehend the story in its entirety. The dialog is a winner and each of Kareena's words are full of dual meaning that can only be understood if seen the second time around. A winner all-around!

Housefull 2

Considering that the first part had not impressed me much, I had very low expectations from this movie. But it impressed me in few ways. Especially the complicated story line and the catchy dialog going with lies spun all around the story. The movie didn't get boring but the casting could have been better. Some of the scenes were very amateurish and not humorous albeit intended so. The fight scenes could easily be identified that they were staged. Still, a light hearted comedy that can be seen on a light hearted day!
Rating: Good

A Separation

This blog desperately needs a 'Wow! What a movie!' starting line. It has been so long! So, searched for top movies in IMDB and even Oscar winner list. Result? This Persian movie. Alas, it could not provide the 'Wow' factor although it came very close to it. The acting, some of the scenes, the story, the narration, the direction are all supreme but in the end, the audience is left wanting to know more. Becomes more of an anti-climax. A very good movie, though.
Rating: Good

Hasee Toh Phasee

For some reason, I thought this movie to be on similar lines to Shuddh Desi Romance. Unfortunately it was not. It seemed to have a lot of potential at different times throughout the movie but none of them clicked to provide a 'wow' effect. During last stages, it even got to 'When will this end?' thoughts. 
Rating: Average

Grand Masti

"Adult" written all over the movie. Only one (and one only) thing is the main point in the movie. It truly amazes me about Man's creativity and expertise in everything -  in picturization, in 'double-meaning' humor-filled dialog, in 'sizzling' scenes, in acting by the protagonists. Reminded me of the Rani Mukherjee Dreamum song. Worth the watch. Nothing great but nevertheless a no-brainer laugh riot, if seen with the right temperament and ambience.
Rating: Good

Into the Wild

The novel did not evoke much thought in me but the movie really moved me. Much credit goes to Sean Penn's style of direction. He weaves the story from Chris's days in the 'Magic Bus' to how he ended up coming there - back and forth, with sister Carine's further insights in the background. Excellently dramatized, great casting and beautiful cinematography. Much of the movie is based on the novel (which is based on the true story) - sometimes more than what is in the novel (like how he suffered in the bed during his last days) and sometimes lesser than what is documented (like how he hiked through the Yukon territory). Either ways - it is a definite must-see.
Rating: Good

Big Miracle

A true story about rescuing whales from the Arctic Ice in Alaska. Dramatized well enough. The fact that it was a true event makes it all that more interesting.
Rating: Good

Side Note - waiting to see a movie that makes me go 'Wow! What a movie!' It's been so long :-(

The Angrez

An attempted movie of NRIs in India and slapstick Hyderabad comedy that really didn't cause much laughter in me. But it did make me smile at some instances. Watchable, when there is nothing better to do.
Rating: Average

Dasvidaniya

Another Vinay Pathak movie. Another simple yet moving movie about a lower-middle class man trying and wanting to live Life to the fullest. Slow-paced yet not boring. No surprises yet entertaining in it's own innocent way. Very well pictured.
Rating: Good

Chalo Dilli

A mildly entertaining movie. A very short and sweet story-line depicting an ultra-upper class female executive experiencing rural India by chance with a lower-middle class man - taken in a very simple yet effective manner. Vinay Pathak's role and characterization is outstanding and extremely well enacted. The ending is a stunner.
Rating: Good