The third of the samurai trilogy directed by Yoji Yamada. All about love and honor. A professional taster at the castle, Shinnojo Mimura (Takuya Kimura) falls victim to food posion and loses his eyesight. But slowly he realises, that he has lost more than that. Yet again, a beauty from Yoji Yamada, that has some fantastic performances. Very slick.
William H Macy, playing Bernie Lootz, is the cooler at the Shangri-la Casino, Las Vegas. Ever indebted to his boss played by Alec Baldwin, Bernie is the man who brings ill-luck to the tables. An important quality for the smooth running of a Casino, but finds himself in the depths of despair at a personal level. Having had enough he decides to leave, when trouble in the form of a co-worker at the Casino and his son appears. Alec Baldwin's quality shines through, while Will Macy delivers a solid performance.
A disappointg Hong Kong thriller about a triad gang that decides to elect their new leader; which rips the group apart. And your senses too.
Cops and robbers with unlimited ammunition is the story of this mindless and hilarious action flick set in Hong Kong. Though I think the director meant this is to be a serious and thought provoking film.
Another opportunity to kick Steven Soderbergh's teeth in. Along with another from his circle of 'you scratch mine, i yours', comes this spectacularly dull movie. A big disappointment. Apart from 'Traffic', all others have been just focussed on style. 
Jacky Zucker is a player. He plays his wife, his children... in fact his whole life is a big playground for him. Now he has to play his dead mother and estranged brother for his inheritance. Thoroughly enjoyable and orey funny flick.
Steven Soderbergh has taken a different tack in this murder mystery set in a sleepy little American town. Using unknown actors plus a digital camera to capture the footage he tries to show what the monotony of small town life can do to people. Unfortunately in spite of some realistic performances it falls flat on its face.
A friend mentioned in passing about the BBC adaptation of John Le Carre's "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy". I was skeptical at first since I firmly believed that Le Carre's books are hard to dramatize on screen. But on hearing that Sir Alec Guinness plays the role of George Smiley I took the plunge. So I re-entered Smiley's world and his hunt for the the mole in the British secret service. I soon found myself whispering, "Control always said that there were three of them and Alleline" as I walked the company corridors :).
People start disappearing in Japan and reappearing as digital images on the Internet and cell phones. A horror movie that tries to philosophize about death and bores you to death.
Kate (Debbie Brown) runs an animal shelter home in Good Hope, South Africa. She is ably helped by Sharifa (Quanita Adams) a Muslim and Jean Claude (Eriq Ebouaney), a Congo immigrant. Kate's shelter is open to animals of all shapes, sizes and temperaments. The only issue is that she extends the same principle to her love life. Coupling her problems with those of her co-workers the director explores the race and class issues still running rampant in post Apartheid South Africa with a touch of humor.
Love is the theme in the three disconnected vignettes that make up this film. The only thing common is that Chen Chang and Qi Shu plays lovers in all three. Set in 1911, 1966 and 2005, music of different eras play an important role in conveying the mood of the lovers..jpg)
Another one thats worth forgetting, but clearly havent been able to. As we (K Kuppuswamy and I) were cheated by the Singaporean publicity machinery and the picture of Harvey Keitel on the poster. Not the last time K Kuppuswamy was fooled by a poster. 
A hilarious take on the world of 'spin' and its impact on modern day. Nicely made, and with a fine performance from Aaron Eckhart as the unscrupulous spokesperson for the Academy of Tobacco Studies - an outfit put in place by the big tobacco firms to research the links between smoking cigarettes and health. He is here to defend the smokers rights and in the process offends everyone. A good watch.
Slightly disturbing "imaginary" biography - kind of the movie makers to make it clear. The movie attempts to depict in an imaginative way the reason behind the legendary photographer Diane Arbus' passion for freaks - a word that epitomises Arbus' style. Nicole Kidman as Diane Arbus gets drawn to her strange neighbour and away from the mundane routine of home. Slowly as she realises her interest in the fringes, she falls in love with someone who belongs there. 
The last installment of the superbly crafted series - makes me scoff at the hype that surrounds James Bond. Ore the enjoyed Jason Bourne's final escapades - with some real outstanding action footage. The moroccan one especially made me think its the best I've seen since Die Hard I. As mentioned previously, Matt Damon is most certainly a rising star. Feel that I have missed out by not having read the series - but I fully intend to. 
French existential (as always) drama about a few characters who are all looking out for something that seems out of grasp - but doesnt stop any of them putting fight & hoping. Vainly? may be. As often mentioned before about french movies, there is nothing that can be clearly attributed on what makes it good. Funny in large parts that brings out the irony, makes it an enjoyable watch.
Slickly made movie about how a few characters in Cayman Island get caught in a mix of deceit, hatred and money laundering. The story draws various characters together - a father who is desperately trying to make his money white but unaware of the middle man's intentions, while his daughter gets involved with the local sleaze. In the meantime, a hardworking fisher boy loses his love & face to racial issues and is desperate to do something. Though the Island is well captured in camera and reasonably scripted, there is something amiss which makes it rather ordinary.
Its like 2 movies in one - the first being the existential part at a South Carolina training academy, the second less idealistic bit in vietnam. I liked the first part as it was documentary like, while I have seen so many Vietnam movies that the 2nd part didnt register anything. In my mind, one of the lesser movies by Stanley Kubrick. 
Every now and then you see a movie that has been viewed by more than 100000 people and you think there is hope for humanity. But then again maybe they didn't like it.
Bachata is the music from the streets of the Dominican Republic. Looked down upon by the elite Dominicans, the genre has shot to the fore front of the public eye thanks to musicians like Luis Vargas. The documentary follows the birth of the music and the wake left behind by its practitioners. I just wish it dwelt more on the history and origin of the art form rather than following Vargas around. But the contagious rhythm and unique sound keeps your ears glued to the speakers.
Tomokawa (Eiji Okuda who also is the director) is a perverted cop who roams the streets of his small town sleeping with married woman and playing the fool with the mildly retarded Sakesuma (Akira Shoji). But all this changes when the teenage Yuko (Mayu Ozawa), Sakesuma's sister, seduces him and they discover an innate connection. A version of Lolita with a much more optimistic turn and bizzare twists that only the Japanese can provide.
Cupids arrow finds it mark with two 11 year olds in the streets of Manhattan. Rosemary (Charlie Ray) is Gabe's (Josh Hutcherson) sparring partner at karate. Soon she becomes much much more. A funny snippet from a boy and a girl's first tryst with love. The most hilarious parts being his inner dialog. Sad to say the confusion the two of them face does not change even when involving adults. We just use bigger words.
