Men of Honor

This movie is good because it was made for a good man. It is not easy to understand the hardships blacks have faced in this country. This movie does not exactly help us there but is nonetheless a good view.

Cuba Gooding portraying the real life hero Carl Brashear would have been better had he not been so Denzel Washington.

Robert DeNiro plays a cynical navy chief who hates and then begins to like Carl. We are not very sure why. He has Charlize Theron as his wife. What she is doing in this movie is a big secret.

The movie is worth watching if only as a source of information about deep sea diving. Apart from that it is melodramatic and over heroic.

It's a wonderful life

This 1946, post depression, classic is probably as good as movie making gets. It has all the essential elements to make it one of the great all time films.

James Stewart is a small town bumpkin in search of validation -- to bring some meaning to his seemingly disappointing life.

The movie is basically about how hope survives in the worst of situations and goodness is paid sometimes.

Can't think of anybody who would have played George Bailley other than James Steward. Excellent performance.

Frank Kapra's direction is minimal -- you hardly feel it because you are too busy with the movie.

Nurse Betty

Renee Zellweger is Betty from Kansas, the Dorothy, of this unusually warm and cohesive movie from the hetherto morbid Neil LeBute. Betty lives in her own sweet world which is shaken when a horrible accident (storm) takes her away like in a dream to LA (Oz). Morgan Freeman and Chris Rock, hopelessly miscast, are the gunmen chasing her.

Betty is nice yet discomforting -- pretty much like the movie.

Renee Zellweger would have been much better had she not reminded you so avidly of Melanie Griffith.

High Fidelity

John Cusack vehicles himself into this gem of a little movie that revolves around his record store and loss of love. He is obsessed with making the top n lists of either his favorite records or his worst break-ups. This movie works well beccause of some genuinely funny and some surprisingly romantic moments.

Jack Black, as his eccentric record store partner is unbelievably funny.

This movie is a must see.

Your Friends and Neighbours

Neil LeBute ( Company of Men, Nurse Betty ) and Jason Patrick are together in this disturbing tale of two sexually dysfunctional couples and their friends. Wry humor and some honest dialog make this film worth watching. Word of caution though -- it gets disgusting at times. Ben stiller is hilarious as a typical man who wants to keep talking and trying to rationalize and reason everything with almost complete lack of success. LeBute and Patrick are again very cruel to the women. They are mean yet crushed by their overpowering or simply ridiculous male companions.

Kasoor

The original : 'Jagged Edge' was not much to begin with. Tight movie but highly improbable. This hindi version has a similar effect because it is the same movie really. In a way, this is good, because it is different from the other hindi movie out there. However, do watch this movie. Lisa Ray is stunning -- as long as she does not open her mouth and try to act. The hero needs a shave and a bath. Nothing much to say about anyone else.

Contender

A good film with excellent dialogue and very good acting. About the nomination of the first US woman Vice President and its aftermath. Political mudslinging and groping at whatever one can. Joan Allen as the nominee ( was nominated as best actress ) did an excellent job I thought. Very strong character. Good portrayel.

However, Jeff Bridges as the conniving President steals the show. Often playing a confused or lost man, this time he is anything but that.

Gary Oldman is also very good as the the opponent, a true politician, who will go to any lengths to bring someone down.

Bladerunner

Readly Scott -- the celebrated director of Gladiator and Hannibal, directed this movie way back in 1982. A good but complex and confusing movie -- that leaves much for the viewer to decide.

Sometime in the future 'Replicants' are man made human machines that rebel against slavery. 'Bladerunners' are the policemen that fight the replicants.

Readly Scott films the movie in a grand visual style that he is known for. Very brutal at times.

The movie succeeds in making the audience feel sympathetic toward the replicants.

Astitva

This movie about the uncovering of shocking past and its after effects on a happy family is definitely worth watching. Good story and good acting keeps the movie going, though a bit slowly. Good dialogue at times helps.

It would have been even more interesting had the hero not been so compromised himself. However, Saching Khedekar from the marathon weeper TV show ( I cant see to remember the name ), manages to play the worst character, not a bad guy, in movies in recent times. Tabu is good -- as a tired and utterly bored housewife bidding her time. There are some characters in the movie which nobody can explain the reason for.

Zubaida

I would probably have called it a good movie had it not been directed by Shyam Benegal.

This is the story about a woman who has very little idea about what she wants to do with her life however she is the protaganist of our story.

She wants to make noise and her father wants her to be quiet.

The movie tries to bring the 'problems' of the princely estates in India during independence. Problems like how to live with multiple wives, how to improve your polo skills and of course how to fly or private jet well enough not to crash it.

Biggest problem is of course the music and the setup. The movie is supposed to be set during the late 1940s. However Rehman ( in probably his worst score ever ) keeps strumming away on his electronic synthesizer. Hair styles, clothes, speech, you name it -- an absolute anachronism.

Karishma Kapoor is okay and so is Manoj Bajpai. I guess the problem is the story is so poor that characterization has badly suffered. The director tries his best to make you feel sympathetic toward the heroin but you feel nothing.

The pseudo narrator is so shallow that you wonder why this form was chosen at all.