My Blueberry Nights

One of those movies which remain hidden. Could easily see this movie again :) Was sincere, painful, sweet and romantic. Once again, the direction stood out. Once again, time was utilized as it should be... slowly. Norah Jones did a pretty good job, wonder if she might take up acting as a career. The best scenes in the movie? Jude Law reaching out across the table towards a sleeping Norah, especially in the last scene of the movie. Indescribable. A must watch scene :)

I enjoyed seeing Norah miserable when her boyfriend decided to cheat on her and dump her. Enjoyed seeing Jude's ex-girlfriend (may be?) come back to him just for a goodbye. Enjoyed the cameos by Natalie Portman and Rachel Weisz (her story). Take chances my friend.

Monster's Ball

Patience is missing too often nowadays... The director did a great job of taking his time with filming each scene. Often times, loosely woven stories and bad actors make movies slow, and in this case, great acting, especially by Halle Berry, combined with a well-knit story made this movie easy to watch. When I say easy, I refer to how quickly the movie passed me by; it was, however, a movie that was subtly grotesque.
There was a guy who was going to be executed, and he liked drawing. He said that he disliked pictures - portraits were better. This statement stood out: "Truly takes a human being to see a human being".
Loved the way the movie tackled racial discrimination in the US, the way sexual satisfaction tends to make humans happy, the way we are forced to think of our plight once we grow old... This movie touched so many nuances. Wouldn't call it one of the best movies I have seen.. Would call it a very good movie. But surely, a must watch.

Million Dollar Baby

I have seen many movies but I have not come across any actress who I have been crazy about, may be because there are very few woman-centric movies.
Never thought I would adore or be in awe of a female actor, but Hillary Swank... I have no better way of saying this. I am terribly attracted to her character in the movie, and on a certain level, to her. Clint Eastwood lends charisma to the movie and Hillary is simply outstanding. The movie does get a bit slow towards the end but certain aspects of human relationships were highlighted so well that it made me smile.
What was the bond that Clint and Swank shared? Why was Swank so loyal to her family? What emotions did Freeman go through the entire movie? Why was Clint such a devout follower of a religion? The movie was made magnificently and I'm not surprised that it won the best movie, best directing and best actress awards at the Oscar.

Before Sunset

A simple movie, a simple plot, complex emotions and a messy history filled with regret. A guy (Ethan Hawke) and a girl (Julie Delpy) met nine years ago, spent an evening and a night together, promised to meet each other six months thence; the guy arrived, the girl did not. They did not see each other for the next 9 years. The guy wrote a book about his life and that night. He comes to Paris (Julie's hometown), and they meet each other at the bookstore where he's signing books.

The movie begins, they walk, they talk. They laugh and they break down (internally, at least). You see the love in their mannerisms and in their eyes; you see that they don't know if they want it, you see that both of them are overjoyed and overwhelmed. One can continually smile through the movie and hope that they end up together. The movie ends rather abruptly but on a positive and joyous note.
There isn't much to describe but it is, by far, one of my all-time favourites.

Serendipity

Predictable, corny, warm, cute and a good watch with one's 'partner' ;) I saw it for the first time with my ex, at which time I really liked it; now, eh...
It's a cute movie and it has one of my favourite looking actresses - Kate Beckinsale. I must say that the concept is quite cool; collides with Coelho's 'The Zahir', something about following signs and following your heart and blah.
What struck me was the fact that the name of the movie which means 'A fortunate accident', not quite what happened during the movie with me but quite amusing nonetheless.
The first few notes of Black Eyed Dog - Nick Drake - played during 2 scenes of the movie; filled me with warmth; the song did not play, only the first few notes :)
Watch the movie if you just want to unwind and relax.

Bavra Mann

Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi: Bavra Mann
Translation by 'Anonymous' and some edition by me:

The bewitched mind is on its way to dream

The bewitched mind, see, has bewitched thoughts
Crazy are its heartbeats, crazy are its breaths
Why does sleep run away from the crazy twisting and turning
The bewitched eyes long to, through the crazy windows, watch bewitching sights

The bewitched mind is on its way to dream

In this crazy world, I wish I had some bewitching company!
With this scheming crowd around, I wish in my hands were your's
Wish there was a bewitching melody and a bewitching composition
My bewitched feet desire to dance to the bewitching tunes of bewitching lyrics

The bewitched mind is on its way to dream

I wish the darkness was bewitching and so were the silences
I wish quivering lips go easy, the intoxication is bewitching!
One bewitched veil, slowly tells us of the break of dawn, wants to slip away from a bewitched face

The bewitched mind is on its way to dream...

Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi

Emotions when hidden, stories when unsaid, and love when unconsummated can create pieces of art that stay engraved.
I cried twice during this movie and was filled with rage once.
The name of the movie means: "A thousand desires such as this..." The literal translation may not be possible as the name implies something and is open to interpretation.
A story that seems to be about ideologies but is in fact about emotions, behaviours, choices, helplessness and unbridled suffering; great work by Shiney Ahuja, Chitrangada Singh (possibly one of the most beautiful women I have seen) and Kay Kay Menon.

Period movies rarely rear their heads from the Indian stable; there are a lot of untold stories from India's past, possibly because Indian film-makers do not have the courage to make them - which is quite understandable.

Technically unsound, weird editing, but the silence spoke and the story was told. A movie that should be seen for there are a lot of things that this movie can make one think of, because art, at times, has rough edges, because pain is difficult to feel - and this movie gets one close to it. I may sound a bit too poetic about this, but such is the movie.

Snatch

Weird accents, intelligent humour, classy cinematography, great editing, semi-convoluted plot.
"You should never underestimate the reliability of stupidity."
An intelligently made movie that stands out. It's as though the ingredients of the movie can be isolated and appreciated, but the movie in its entirety is also awesome.

There is a smart narration that goes on through the narration.
Silly sound effects and flash-back snapshots.
The piker accent.
One liners such as, "In the quiet words of the Virgin Mary, come again?"
Brutal scenes (kind of).
Memorable characters such as Mickey, Boris the Bullet Dodger, Franky Four Fingers, Turkish, Bullet Tooth Tony, Brick Top (Sometimes, the names are more memorable than the characters).
A fitting soundtrack.
And for once, no actor stood out; the movie was bigger than any particular character.

"Speak English to me Tony, I thought this country spun the fuckin' language and so far nobody seems to speak it!"