American Gangster : by Ridley Scott

American Gangster comes across as just another Martin Scorcesse / Francis Ford Copolla genre of big bad boys movie based on cult gangster themes.

Ridley Scott gives his best shot into this chartered territory with plethora of talent at his disposal a la' Oscar Winners Denzel Washington and Russel Crowe.

Based on a true story of a Drug Smuggling Empire set up by Frank Lucas played by Denzel during the bloodshed of Vietnam in the 60's , is compelling to say the least.

The smuggling nexus is led by him in tandem help of US Army deployed in Vietnam and it grows into massive proporations , killing thousands due to the addiction of drugs.

The performances are extraordinary in particular Denzel Washington proving his prowess time and again.

Ridley Scott , the director has come a long way since Gladiator , and the audience should appreciate his efforts in putting up a good show to this real life drama.

Rating : 3.5/5.0

The Queen : by Stephen Frears

" Princess Diana was the people's princess " says Tony Blair , the recently elected Prime Minister of England.

Does the Queen agree to the above statement???????????????

The Queen , film by Stephen Frears is a semi-documentary on the hush-hush at the Buckingham Palace post Diana's death .
Dame Helen Mirren plays the title role with unprecendented grace , humility and authority!!!

The resemblance of the characters in the film to the people in flesh is remarkable in particular Tony Blair played by Michael Sheen.

The political game going on at the critical time leaves the audience gasping for more. The Queen adamant on showing any signs of remorse on Diana's death does not go well with the British Masses .

Blair's gimmick and political hand-holding pacifies the situation in the end.

The reel captures the essence of the top monarch in the world , the subtlety in the performances is noteworthy.

Scene of the Movie : Tony Blair meeting the The Queen for the first time after being elected as the PM

Helen is par-excellence as the Queen deserving the coveted Oscar for the same .

Sitting here in UK ... learnt a lot about the governing of this country :) :)

--- Nice watch---

Rating : 4.0/5.0

Zodiac : by David Fincher

"Zodiac" , I was having enormous expectations from this movie , coming from the den of David Fincher a la' Se7en and Fight Club ,

Zodiac is about the notorious crimes in San Francisco during 60's and 70's commited by a serial killer named as Zodiac. These random killings bamboozles the San Francisco Chronicles staff and the Vallejo Detectives .

The Cryptic Letters with blood-soaked shreds puzzles one and all except the over-obssessed Cartoonist at the same newspaper.

The case meanders over the years , stumbling upon evidences and clues and suspects , of no avail , and then the turn of events courtesy Jake Gyllenhaal (the cartoonist) throws light on the facts.

The story picks up in some of the portions , otherwise the screenplay is dull.

It was disappointing . Period .

Rating : 2.5/5.0

The Bourne Ultimatum : by Paul Greengrass

Expectations were huge after seeing the prequel day before yesterday , and I am here writing this review with upmost gleee!!

Matt Damon as Jason Bourne has travelled far and away spanning the 3 films to know his identity and sure he does in the final installment .. it is an absolute privilage to witness such storytelling!

Bourne Ultimatum starts where Bourne Supremacy ended in Moscow... Jason is still at large and operation Blackbriar is at stake!

This time his accomplice is Nicky Parson and both of them travel thru Morocco and London to find answers which Bourne des·per·ate·ly seeks!!!!

Eye-Catching Sequences :

• Street Chase by Bourne in Morocco to save Nicky.
• Master Plan to out-think Noah Vosen , the CIA head of the operation.
• The Culmination of the movie with Jason struck by the truth at the treadstone facility
• The Action throughout the film and the background score by John Powell is superlative.

Matt Damon as "Jason Bourne" for me surpasses James Bond , Indiana Jones and many other cult action characters.

The brainchild of Ludlum has been given full justice ..... AMEN!

Rating : 5.0/5.0

The Bourne Supremacy : by Paul Greengrass

The Bourne Supremacy was the 2nd installment in the trilogy of the novels written by Robert Ludlum , an accomplished fiction author ;

I was lucky enough to watch it yesterday ... better late than never!!!

The film starts 2 years hence where Bourne Identity was left off.

Bourne in India is again haunted by the aftermaths of an assasination executed by him in Berlin ... Treadstone is after him again ...

The film is damn racy and fast-paced to say the least , meandring from Goa to New York to Moscow.

The attempt on his life , takes him into a journey of finding answers to his identity.Meanwhile CIA have trails on him for commiting crimes even after dissolution of Treadstone way back.

The action is slick , the background score is just out of this world , one of the best I have experienced and the skills in acting , what can I say , MATT DAMON is superlative as Jason Bourne .

The best sequence of the movie : Jason Bourne targetting the CIA chief from the rooftop with his sniper and the tête-à-tête that follows!!!!

Super Duper Edge of the Seat Action Thriller!!

Rating : 4.0/5.0

The Notebook : by Nick Cassavetes

Nicolas Sparks wrote his heart out in this fairytale romantic fable.
The movie adapted on the same tome takes the audience on a journey full of dreamy romantic oblivion.

The film is set in the 40's era , where a young country boy woos the girl of his dreams on whom he has fixated his eyes.

The chemistry between the couple ooozes heart felt affection with
deep need for companionship ,friendship and never-to-be-broken bond

...they are inseparable...

The typical bollywoodesque turn of events , keeps you on tenterhooks , culminating to apt finale.

The book as well as the film is predictable to a certain extent and is for people falling in love , are in love , want to be in love !!!

Romance , Love , Charm and Rhapsody sugar coats the movie to the core.

Sweet , Simple love story.

Rating : 3.5/5.0

The Last King of Scotland : by Kevin MacDonald

Forest Whitaker the actor , says " You are my closest advisor " and hell breaks loose in the life of a wannabe scottish Dr Nicolas Garrigon played by James McAvoy.

The Last King of Scotland creates a regime : no fear , all freedom for the common man in Uganda . Promises given under oath by the President (Army Chief ) furnishes a smooth road ahead.

"Food,Infrastructure,Roads and all the common amenities" .

Dr. Garrigon , one fine day saves the life of the President and is caught in a whirpool full of Deceit,Mass Killings,Apartheid and Hidden Propaganda

Forest Whitaker , is one of the finest performances I have witnessed on screen by an actor leave alone black one!!! (Oscar truly deserved)

He is a paradox ,switching between being a mean tyrant to a closest ally.

The last moments of the film keeps you spellbound , too good to be a true story!!!!!!!!

Must Watch for getting into the psyche of an African Nation conglomeration....

Rating : 4.5/5.0

Thank You for Smoking : by Jason Reitman

Argument is the best form of lobbying , not negotiation , right Mr Nick Naylor.

As the President of the Academy of Tobacco Studies , he enjoys his job to the extent of absorbing all the hatred of the masses whilst propagandizing SMOKING!

Team of M.O.D (Merchants of Death) , Nick alongwith a liquor & a firearms entrepreneur , meet over drinks to discuss the numbers added to their respective DEATH TOLL count!

Hilarious to say the least , the movie throws light on the flip side of the lobbyist , winning verbal duels with Talk Show Hosts , Senator of the State , NewsPaper Reporter and even his Boss !

Freedom of choice is what drives Nick Naylor , preaching the same to his son and all.

Film Satire , the genre chartered well by the captain of the ship ... nice comic caper!!

Rating : 4.5/5.0

I am Legend : by Francis Lawrence

Robert Neville is a virologist & the last man on earth : Year 2012

The crazy notion of curing cancer using the measels virus , led to a massive catastrophe wiping over 90 % of the human face on this earth.

Less than 1% were immune to the virus and Will Smith playing Dr. Neville was the last survivor. Each day in broad sunlight , with his pet dog , would go on a search for any survivors.

The film is set in downtown Manhattan , devoid of any life other than non-human species.Even if the human samples were there , they would be infected to the highest degree taking shelter in dark places reactive to UV rays.

Some noteworthy nuances :

• Playing golf on the wing of an airplane.
• Talking to mannequins just to converse.
• Creating AV of his experiment on recorder
• Reciting the dialogues of Shrek memorized to the limit

Will Smith has done it again with a powerhouse performance. He has turned into a sensitive actor post Pursuit of Happyness.

------- Nice Watch --------

Rating : 4.0/5.0

The Italian Job : by F. Gary Gray

Italian Job is yet another heist movie which I have seen lately and it does disappoint a wee bit.

The premise of the movie starts in Venice , where in a team of 5 pull-off a sensational vault robbery planned to perfection!!

The events take a turn when the gold in the vault is snapped up by an avaricious member, Mark WahlBerg taking the plunge of planning out a revenge.

Charlize Theron , plays a vault deciphering specialist with the common goal of taking out the villiany out of Edward Norton.

The planning gone into the robbery in the second half of the reels is incredibly thought of.

Some of the high points of the film were :

1. Use of Mini Coopers as their heist vehicles!!
2. Tracking the truck carrying the gold worth 37 million!!
3. The Climax blows the audience out

The downside of the film : Getting access to the US vehicular traffic control system was far-fetched!!!

No novelty for me after Ocean's Eleven,Twelve,Thirteen and The Inside Man!

Rating : 3.0/5.0

Dor : by Nagesh Kukunoor

Dor is one of the finest stories to be painted on a film canvas.

It is a story of two women coming from different

cultures poles apart in terms of dialect,customs,

traditions,outlook towards life , ideals yet with one common thread in their lives!!

Gul Panag follows the pradigm of listening to your heart rather than the head , going to any extent to save her beloved from exile.

Ayesha Takia (Meera) , a sweet and charming rajashthani wife , full of life and vigour.

Events churns the lives of both women , one having determination in her veins and the notion of living life on her own terms and the other a caged bird craving to spread her wings , uncertainity in her head.

Shreyas Talpade acts as an impostor in the film aka Behroopiya, extending his help to Zeenat ( Gul ) in her search. He is one of the high points of the film giving mimicry artists a run for their money!!!

The storyline is captivating yet slow in parts , music is very much folk to be precise. The final reels are what you expect from a sensitive director like Nagesh.

He is one of the finest story-teller , touching hearts of millions by this poignant fable.

Rating : 4.5/5.0