Omkara

Very rarely u come out feeling stunned n totally breathless after watchin a Hindi flick...This is one such gem...Vishal Bhardwaj's adaptation of Othello is indeed dark, dangerous and stunningly effective...It also gives Hindi cinema one of the most canny villains...Saif Ali Khan will forever be remembered as 'Langda Tyagi' regardless of the umteen trashy movies that he's since done...Background score and the music adds to the puzzle and the atmosphere...A must watch

Paranoid Park

Well...Different dish...not meant for everyone's palate...I just watched it coz of Gus Van Sant...Basically the story revolves around a skateboarder who accidentally is responsible for a guys' death.. How he copes with that guilt & some insight into he skateboarding community..Brilliant cinematography though

The Shawshank Redemption

A man wrongly accused of a crime plots to break out jail and he eventually does...Sounds so simple..doesn't it! But Shawshank Redemption is much much more than a prison break movie. It's a movie about redemption, introspection, corruption, friendship and absolute faith. It teaches one how to never give up despite insurmountable odds. It teaches one humility. The movie brings powerful emotions to the fore and makes you pine for the underdog like never before. It's also a movie about courage. Powerful, poignant, thought-provoking & finally irresistibly uplifting. Tim Robbins & Morgan Freeman brings their characters to life & takes you, the viewer, on an unforgettable ride.

Good Will Hunting

Even though I have watched this movie at least 25 times, I never tire of it. Matt Damon & Ben Affleck's academy award winning screenplay is just so refreshing & timeless even today. Matt Damon is bloody brilliant as the young prodigious protagonist Will. Ben & Minnie too support him flawlessly. But the cherry on top of this multi-layered cake is Robin Williams. His mentoring the troubled young genius is awe-inspiring & deservedly he won the supporting Actor academy award. The music score remains peppy n fresh and the bonds of friendship tugs at your heart.

Drive

Wow...It's gonna take your breath away & punch you in the gut...Ryan Gosling stars as a professional stuntman who also has a shady other side... His restraint throughout the movie is admirable... And you never ever imagine the violent turn the movie takes.. Though not the perfect ending but it leaves the plot open for a sequel (I hope they do make a sequel :) ) Superbly edited & all other supporting cast is top notch...A must watch

The Cider House Rules

Brilliant adaptation from a great novel.."In other parts of the world..." and "Good night princes of Maine, kings of new England" forever remain immortal...Sir Michael Cain in an academy award winning role and Tobey Maguire equally stellar...A movie to savor like an aged wine..Gets better with each sip ;)

We Need to Talk About Kevin

Lionel Shriver's powerful message in her brilliant novel completely gets lost in this movie adaptation...Though Tilda Swinton does a commendable job of portraying Eva & Ezra Miller chillingly plays 'Kevin', viewers who have not read the novel will come away feeling clueless and directionless...The novel leaves you breathless in the end, knocking all sense of propriety and sense of right & wrong in the wind....Wish the movie makers had focused on the mother-son relationship a whole lot...

Before Sunset

Brilliant sequel to Before Sunrise...And what is astonishing is that the movie was filmed almost a decade later...Both Ethan & Julie have grown themselves & of course the movie is that much more believable & authentic...Once again one is reminded that real life doesnt, as a rule, follow 99% of celluloid romantic movies....I so much wanted them to meet at the railway station 6 months after that initial meeting in Before Sunrise but then life is not fair...is it?

Before Sunrise

How often have you had meaningful conversation for hours and that too with a stranger? And your entire life from there on is defined by that conversation or meeting. Both Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy are perfectly cast & you, as a viewer, cant help not reminisce on your own life altering such moments...Beautiful indeed..

Half Nelson

Just when I thought I have seen everything Ryan Gosling is capable of, I have been surprised by this amazing teacher-student relationship drama...The depth of the characterization, the various nuances of portraying anguish & eventually a ray of optimism...Brilliantly edited & acted

Blue Valentine

Wow...Love has many facets indeed...The chemistry between Ryan Gosling & Michelle Williams is crackling...Very contemporary...very "in"...Though u cant help having a sense of deja vu as to where it's leading you...Poignant, brilliant & devastatingly honest...U cry along with Ryan...U feel for him...Wish this movie also had gone the way majority of the romantic movies do these days...Happily together for ever...but life & real people rarely feel that & it's a true reflection of our times

The Believer

What does it mean to be a Jew? How do you comprehend the holocaust? How do you embrace your religion while being completely opposed to its teachings? Or more importantly how do you embrace its teachings & philosophy while discarding the core being of it? 'The Believer' is a disturbing albeit brilliant drama surrounding these questions. The viewer will have to face the fascist & antisemitic traits in themselves. Ryan Gosling stars as the protagonist who is a "Jewish" Nazi completely at odds with his religion & who now believes in the Nazi propaganda of wiping the Jews off the face of this planet. But can he also be at odds with his own beliefs? Fascinating too say the least!!!

Just finished watching 'Blue Valentine' & 'Half Nelson' and am amazed at the versatility of this brilliant young actor.

On my list next is 'Fracture' and 'The Place Beyond the Pines'.