Am I complex being with split personality? Coming to think of it I might be and might not be. Well, thats not the point is.

The point is I have spoil myself rotten watching movies of all types/genres in last one year. I am talking of world cinema here. Asian, Eurpoean, Latin American, movies from lesser known countries are few which I explored though I cannot say I am even 10% done with them. And I am enjoying them. But, thats not the point.

The point is whenever I gave a quick reviews of these firang movies, the comment which I always got from Smita was "*yawn* What kind of movies do u watch :P". So, I would like to tell her that I am not done with Bollywood. In fact, I can never be done with it and even if I have to, my family won't let me. Cuz we are all filmy, too Bollywoodish. We talk films given any chance. I was brought up in a family that knows more of Bollywood and its intriguing souls than their own relatives. And we don't just talk of Stars/Music/Directors, everything from editing to screenplay to script to cinematography goes under the scanner. We have huge stock of all possible magazines that remotely smells Bollywood since '92. However, thats not the point.

The point is writing on it comes easy to me and I kinda enjoying ranting about/on/of it. So, I came up with a separate blog as I see Bollywood. Hence, the name Oxys-Bolly-Eyes.

http://oxys-bolly-eyes.blogspot.com/

Check it out guys.

Every once in a while, we are confronted with something so large, so magnificent, so ridiculous, that it changes our life forever. Every once in a while, we are shocked into silence (in some cases sexual excitement) by the sheer being of an object, a person, a sentence. It has happened many times to me. Now, that could be ironical. How can be life changed ‘forever’ many times. Get into habit of reading books and you will know. Thelast it happened was when I finished “The Kite Runner” and now it’s again knocking on my heaven’s door with Orhan Pamuk’s magnificent piece of work, “Snow”.

Every once in a while you might have felt that everything has come to a standstill, when you come across something so stupendous, so awe-inspiring that gives the phrase “It can’t get better than this” a whole new meaning. A writer is someone who spends years patiently trying to discover the second being inside him, and the world that makes him who he is. And Orhan is the living example of such writer of discovering that second being inside him.

And I say so based on the fact that the narrator is talking of himself but not as himself but an unnamed alias which could be a friend or anything, something like talking in third person. And as you progress you feel the author has taken a mean to talk of him.

It snows only once in our dreams:
Ka, forty-two years old poet after being exiled for twelve years in Germany returns to a small city Kars (Turkey). Having been raised lavishly in Istanbul Ka knows nothing of poverty and is intrigued to cover the recent events in this city apart from attending his mother’s funeral. At one hand, Kars had fallen into destitution given the political mayhem and on the other hand young Muslim girls were committing suicide.

Ka, as portrayed is one of those moralists who believe that the greatest happiness comes from never doing anything for the sake of personal happiness. But that was not so. The reason to come back was not as mentioned above. He secretly was hoping to find and get married to his old love, Ipek. As he landed, the snow was falling thick and fast than ever before he experienced twelve years before and he remembered a poem he had written long back – It snows only once in our dreams.

Love, Religion and Poetry
Ka meets Ipek. The snow made him lonelier than ever. Ipek was with him but it took some effort for them to strike up a conversation. The only thing they could discuss with ease in those uncomfortable silences was the ‘snow’. Ka told her how he was suffering from writer block and hasn’t written anything in long time. He wants to love her, aspiring of an inspiration from her to write.

Ka meets Muhtar (Ipek’s husband) and the sheikh and fears that the country will sooner than later see the ultimate nail in its coffin being prepared by the fundamentalists. They fear he is an atheist and wondered whether he is apologetic of that.

Ka meets Necip. Necip, who was member of Islamic group and who wanted to become a science fiction writer found a friend in Ka and discussed poetry, religion at length. Ka saw his youth in Necip.

Covered girls committed suicide
Ka also was intrigued about the recent increase in the number of Muslim girls committing suicide. The education institute banned girls from covering their head/hair with scarf and this was not well received by the fundamentalists and also by few girls themselves who willingly wanted to wear the scarves including Ipek’s sister Kadife. Those who did not agree to shedding the scarves were thrown out of school and purportedly committed suicide.

‘Suicide is a terrible sin in Islam’, Blue (Islamic extremist) conveyed this message to Ka while rationalizing the suicides to love affair and not to them being thrown out.

How beautiful the snow was falling?
Amidst all this happening, there was a snow everywhere to accompany Ka. He was given a heroic welcome upon his arrival but soon he found himself in police headquarters for being present at a scene of murder of the director of the educational institute and later catching up with fundamentalists. Yet, nothing bothered him. He was devoid of the silences inside him and felt noises piling up inside which made him write. Poems started coming to him. There was despair in him for girls yet a happiness to see the falling snow around and the ultimate melting of them. There was hatred for the fundamentalists who had brought this country to such poverty yet a love for Ipek and longing for her embrace.

The verdict
Orhan, Nobel Prize Winner, is a master story-teller and here he dishes out the facets of a wandering mind in form of Ka in a restrained manner. You feel sorry for Ka and his state. But he is not for himself. He has nothing but he has nothing to loose either. Ka is shown as an unapologetic person of his behavior and thoughts despite him at times giving in to his head rather than to heart. Nevertheless he has a pure soul who loves the small things around him. The sight of snow elates him and makes him think how short life is as soon that snow will melt. He believed snow can draw people closer by casting a veil over hatreds, grieves, and greed.

Orhan has etched out each and every character in a very emotional way in this 400 pages plus book. You feel getting attached to each of them no matter whether they are idol or criminal in the whole act. Every character has some reference to the snow and showing its connotation by paralleling it to their lives.

As you near end the lives of each of the characters take a leap from the usual and you get to know the real reason the girls were committing suicides. The story delves in aspect (while nearing end) of differentiating between the love and the agony of waiting for your lover, the pain and loneliness which Ka and Ipek endowed to each other, the joy of weeping together with your lover after a long-drawn-out reunion, and the silent gazes at the snow after zealous act of lovemaking that followed.

I warn those who might pick this that the story is somewhat multifaceted and the readability gets complex at times and you need to shun all the noises (both inside and outside ones) to understand the intricacies of this piece.

It was quite an exhaustive read. Anyways, pick it up if you like books of these kinds.

You can hardly find me in a fix. I have been reasonably unambiguous with respect to matters pertaining to me. But last few days surprised me too. For, I have been feeling very sturdy about few things.

Why ‘being yourself’ is absolute no-no?
How come speaking your mind is not welcomed and acknowledged?
How important is it to be courteous all the time?
Is it REALLY worth having certain people in your life who claim to love you and know you the most, which in its totality isn't so?

People whom I love and like have often made mistakes. I agree I am no saint. I made mistakes too. But how often can we allow them to do so? But how long can we tolerate? Can we still love and like someone even if they did something you loathe. I can’t. Is love all about ignoring each other’s mistakes and trying to be almond-coated all the time? Is there ‘Love’ in the first place?

Which takes me to territory called 'Marriage'

Nobody can guarantee that two persons will always be happy together, because people change. When you meet someone, she is one person, and you are one person. One year, two years, or five years down the line, she will be another person, and you will be another person. Now you have two alternatives, if you want you can cling on for the sake of promise you made to each other, though you both know very well you are not happy together. Or you can let go of each other.

The real understanding is when you do not promise for tomorrow. Who knows about tomorrow? Tomorrow may come, may not come. I am against marriage. But never sure till today why was I against it? Now I know why? How can I promise to be with her all the time? Tomorrow I may change, tomorrow she might change. I might find someone else with whom I fit more deeply. She might find somebody with whom she goes more sweetly. The world is vast. There are many alternatives. There are many doors to choose from. Then why exhaust all your options with one person. It is marriage that creates problems. It is marriage that has become very ugly. The most ugly institution in the world is marriage, because it forces people to be false. People change, but they go on pretending that they are same.

How do one define self? Shucks, what kind of question is that? Let me rephrase it. Everyone describes self as they perceive themselves. Aah, not happening. Anyways, the point is considering the current SNS, Blog, and sites of every kinds wherein first thing anyone asked is to fill in the 'About Me' section. My reasoning here is if I know 'About Me', why should I say it there? Doesn't it make sense if you join, interact and let others say 'About Me'? Makes sense. But then virtual realization could be diametrically opposite to that person's real self. So, doesn't it make sense if I fill that section? Makes sense to me. Didn't I just contradict myself. Well, I am Oxymoronic for nothing. So, There I go and rant 'About Me'.

BIRTH

This creature Oxymoronic a.k.a Oxy was born on February 16, 1411 as Eros Adonis. He was born special. Cuz he was born in an ordeal!!!! Satan came all the way from hell to sanctify the baby and took him in his hands. When Satan lovingly pinched the baby’s cheek, the baby slipped from his hands. Every one was about to scream in horror but screams got stuck in their throats with eyes and mouth wide open when they witnessed baby landing safely on the ground on his feet. They all then knew he was special.

POST-BIRTH

It was few days after his birth that he began showing evidences of supernatural powers. He began to walk when he was 7 days old and could talk after 12 days. People already started fearing him. Who wouldn’t, if an infant called you a fat, stinking idiot.

4 days after he started talking he wandered around like a nomad and there on the top of hill he saw a beautiful person. He smiled first time since his birth for that exquisite sight of that beautiful person making a drink with aphrodisiac (for beginners, it is a drink or food that makes people want to have sex). He came within reach of that beautiful person and asked her name. She coyly said Aphrodite with a glance that depicted she was waiting only for him all this while. She offered him half the drink and drank herself the further half. And then they got strangled with the hands of lust. In those moments of definitive bliss, he grasped she was not born as ordinary women were; but tied with silver splendor of foam. Blazed in starry skies; raised from the depths of sapphire seas.

Oblivious to the marching steps of some human, they remained entangled in each other’s arms. That ‘some human’ was Zeus, father of her. He saw Zeus raising his right hand with a sword caught in it. And before he could do anything, he saw her head separated from her torso. All her bright golden hair tarnished with rust; She that was beautiful and fair, fallen to dust. Lily-like, white as snow she hardly knew; She was a woman, so sweetly she grew. He laid the heavy stones on her breast and vexed his heart alone; She was at rest. Peace, peace, she could not hear. All his life is buried there; heaped earth upon her.

Nothing interested him. He departed this life before he could grow up. He devoted most of his time in his dingy study room. He started making things that were of no use for him. He called them his inventions. He first made metallic girl – which much to his annoyance did nothing but spit. Then he made sword made of plastic to kill that metallic girl and fire made of snow to melt the sword made of plastic.

And then he made his biggest mistake. He made a time machine…

THE DEATH

He made the time machine when he was 16 years old and the year was 1427. He called that his best invention ever. He loved going back into the time and meddling with history. He pulled the only leaf, which was covering Eve’s private part. He tickled Dussashan in his armpits whilst he was trying to pull off Draupadi’s saree. He slapped one of Ravana’s face and plucked hair out of his nose from the other face. He drank the Jesus’s wine at his supposedly last supper.

He decided to go into the future only once and that day he died.

He leapfrogged to 1981. He was been born again. Satan was bespectacled wearing some white apron this time and there were few girls who surrounded Satan in white hats. He guessed they were Satan’s secretaries. He took more than usual to walk and talk this time. However, wandering stayed put. Everything was diverse and new-fangled to him. People were rotten pieces of scum in this life as well. His soul was filled with gloomy heaviness. He had no joy in nature, in its people, in their activities.

He knew nothing and wished not to know anything at all. With his machine he could easily go into past and come back to present as Eros, but now he was in future and could not go to past as Eros. Cuz he knew it’s effortless to go into past and come back to present but even more complex to come into future and go to past.

That one day a bee sang out a tune for him and mocked his heart. That it stung him to anguish, so there he placed; self-tortured, self-tormented. And that day he died….

From Hollywood:

Rain Man: (1988)

Protagonists: Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman. Tom Cruise is self-centered man dealing with automobiles and is at loggerheads with his father. When his father dies, he gets just a car in will whereas 3 Million Dollars goes to some guy called Raymond. Tom gets into this matter only to realize that this Raymond (Dustin Hoffman) is his own brother. Raymond is autistic who lives in his own world and has no idea what money means? Tom is not willing to let go 3 Million Dollars to some autistic person (so what if the guy is his brother) and kidnaps him. They start a road trip and the rest of the movie is how Tom has change of heart. This Oscar winner (4 in total) movie is a light watch. Watch it on a lazy afternoon.

Rating – 4

From Here To Eternity: (1953)

Protagonists: Montgomery Clift, Frank Sinatra, Burt Lancaster, Donna Reed and Deborah Kerr. Director of movies like ‘The Day Of The Jackal’ and ‘Julia’, Fred Zinnemann who has personally won many Oscars hit the maximum with FHTE (8 Oscars). The movie is about Army man ‘Prewitt’ who is been transferred to Hawaii. An ex-boxing champion refuses to Box anymore (citing the reason he injured his friend badly in eye when last he boxed). However, his Captain makes no stone unturned in convincing him and in turns makes his life living hell. Meanwhile, Sergeant Warden is seeing Captain’s lonely wife and Prewitt’s friend Maggio (Frank Sinatra) gets into trouble with another sergeant. The movie has some interesting dialogues and cinematography.

Rating – 4

The Seven Year Itch: (1955)

Protagonists: Marilyn Monroe and Tom Ewell. Tom after sending his wife and son for vacation gets into conversing/flirting with his upstairs neighbor Marilyn. He is a professional proof reader and is currently reading a book which talks of ‘The Seven Year Itch’ (that most married men get into extra-marital affair after seven years of marriage). He is highly imaginative and sometimes over imagines things. It’s funny and it’s refreshing. Watch out for famous skirt raising sequence of Marilyn’s.

Rating – 3

From Bollywood:

Love Story 2050: (2008)

Protagonists: Harman Baweja and Priyanka Chopra. My brain was r@ped brutally. The movie is utter trash since ‘Hindustan Ki Kasam’ in late 90s. There were many that came and went but HKK stood its ground. Watch it if you want to have the best laugh. And now shaking the ground firmly held till now by HKK is LS 2050. I have nothing to say about the movie. Please do not watch.

Rating – ZERO

My Predictions:

3 Hindi movies are releasing tomorrow simultaneously.

Mission Istanbul – Flop to Average

Money Hai Toh Honey Hai – Flop, no doubt about that

Ugly Aur Pagli – A sleeper hit.

I was in Pune last weekend. I had been to this city many number of times, but my stint were always confined to my night outs with friends and I usually stayed put for couple of days (at the max 3) and roamed around in nights, late nights and early mornings (whilst slept whole day). However, this time I did step out as my ears pained to hear from people around asking me to check out the babes of Pune (supposedly "too good", a fren had said once drooling, another one added, "yo man, just check them out, better than your B'lore ones"). So, there the night vampire stepped out of his coffin and ventured out to explore the city and its dames in broad daylight risking his life. And what I saw was beyond my comprehension. If I go by the statistics (I did calculate in mind), 8 out of every 10 girl had covered her face FULLY. Just two eyes were visible. How was I then supposed to do that "yo-man-checking-out" thing?

The new police commissioner of Pune called Pune girls "Terrorist". Wondering why? Because Pune girls of all sorts and assortments wear their duppatta, shawl or any blah blah stuff around their face showing just the eyes, a look a Muslim women can identify with. (See the pic of one such girl). But are all these girls muslim? Not possible. The reason they are clad in such attire is to protect them from the pollution. Haha. Can you beat that? And I was thinking protection of your head is more important than the skin. They attribute the covering of their face to the pollution of Pune city. I say 'Haha' again. Ok, I agree your skin, face is very important to you, but then that sounds irrational enough to me. Going by that, you mean other city girls are not pretty or they are not concerned of their skin or is it your city highly polluted or whatever.

Whatever be the reason, I agree with the commissioner totally. The guy was stationed in Nagpur first and seemed he faced the similar situation there, upon which he banned girls from covering their faces which definitely used to give them terrorist look. After initial hungama and protest over it, the rule indeed is in practice and helmets have replaced the mask. Now, isn't that a novel idea? To use helmet instead of cloth mask.

My two days in Pune and I heard/read hue n cry everywhere from these girls. They are on a protest against this new police guy and they are calling him 'intruder in their private lives'. And who is supporting them? Raj Thackeray. 'Haha' again. Of all people, him. :) Hello? Excuse me? Intruder? The guy is trying to bring in the helmet rule. He is trying to save your head and you call him intruder in your private lives. You are taking resort of 'India is democracy and every one has right to blah blah blah' stuff but just think rationally for once. B'lore faced similar protest when it came to bring in the helmet rule and it took 3 years for the rule to be operational in its totality. But now we know it was for good. Helmet rule can never be for wrong reasons.

Moreover, if you girls are so well known around the country for your beauty, why the eff you need to hide it? Beauty is to flaunt. Show it. Get rid of those masks. And for that police guy I would say, "All the best".

S tagged me to write a poem, haha. That was enough to laugh. I warned her but she was ready to bear the onslaught. What I had to loose, but I hope RJ doesn't lose his senses after this. Go on, get murdered.

Jack and Jill,
Came up to Me,
Said Jill, "Give me a Pill",
Else I'll be a Mommy.

The Other day I met RGV,
And we discussed his 'Aag',
So rotten felt He,
But I told, Please don't Nag.

Harman came crying, "Why Me"?,
You make faces as if u have to Pee,
He continued, "But we tried so hard,
Wonder where the surgery went wrong",
I said, cuz your dad is not bald,
And you should clear your bowels before you break into song.

PS The poet has tried his best to rhyme. Isn't poetry all about that?

Vimmuuu and RJ, they both tagged me and there was no escape.

Shelling out at least 200 bucks for a movie left with me no choice but to catch one on DVD and other in theater of the two releases this Friday. I wasn’t even half confused about which one to watch in theater. Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na was in my mind and JTYJN was the one I went for, though I wasn’t keen on catching this on first day. Anyways, saw it and here it is what I have to say.

Jay and Aditi (Imran and Genelia) are friends for five years surrounded with four other friends. Jay is basically a fattoo (rats) whereas Aditi is fearless one (meow) and then others are referred bounce, roltu and what not. Jay and Aditi are just friends (according to them), friends and parents think they are in love. Jay and Aditi deny that with an eeeww-eeeww-how-can-you-possibly-think-that act and set onto look for a marriageable partner for each other only to realize they indeed are in love with each other whilst Jay proposing to her at done-to-death-clichéd -airport climax.

Jay and Aditi are friends for five years and never realize or get attracted to each other (of course sexually I mean).

Now, how could that be possible? Have we forgotten the golden lines of Maine Pyaar Kiya “Ladka ladki kabhi dost nahi ho sakte” which I modified to “unless one of them is gay/lesbian” and which our leads are not (at least that’s what it is shown). Before you jump guns, let me tell you a guy and girl are bound to feel something if thrown together for so long. Period.

Just passed out college students are keener on looking for marriageable partners than looking for a job.

Those rich kids I tell you have their priorities set already. Or is it that the makers have high Yash Raj films and K-Jo films hangover where all that matters is how good you look and how soon you get into lust-love-sex-dump-next act.

Supporting casts are some strange weirdos I tell you.

Aditi’s parents are super cool to start with. All they do is leave the place for their kids to arrange parties and they themselves are also interested in getting their kids married as soon as they passed out.

Jay’s mom (Ratna Shah) is twenty-first century mom whose dead husband, Jay’s dad (Naseer) speaks from the huge painting. How silly!!!

Meghna’s (Jay’s catch) folks are of twisted minds and Meghna herself believes in living in illusion and what is strange is she herself knows she lives in illusion. I mean, how silly. How can you possibly be in illusion intentionally when you know you are in illusion? Sushant (Aditi’s catch) is MCP. Well, you might say what’s so weird about that? I tell you, yes nothing weird about that, but then nothing weird in showing a real-life situation either.

Amit (Aditi’s bro) who in real life is known as Prateik Babbar (Raj Babbar’s son) is another item. He doesn’t work, never goes out. All he does is paints, read books and gives gyaan on life. Dude, if you know so much, get your life on track first and don’t be such a loser just cuz your only friend (your sis) has got another friends (ain’t we supposed to have friends out of family?) and all you are left with is a white mice as friend. It really got to my nerve him ranting to his sis, “Why did you go away from me sis? You were the only friend I ever had”? Come on, you not doing bad after all. You got white mice. Now, that’s rare catch I tell you dude. Not many people get to have white mice as friend.

Finally, the four common friends. Like U, Me aur Hum, they interfere in lead’s life but unlike UMAH, I loved them. Yes, each of them. They were cute and adorable. But then what’s weird in that? Well, nothing weird. Maybe the weird is why ain’t they leads?

Arbaaz and Sohail Khan: duo brought in for some comedy irritated with their typical Khandaan style dance, acting and expressions.

Original song “Jaane tu ya jaane na”, yes that one too is a supporting cast. Almost throughout you are forced with this song. “Tera mujhse hai pehle ka naata koi, yun hi nahi dil lubhaata koi” is like the anthem of the movie. Everyone seems to have a thing going for them with this song including the airport inspector in the end who sings this to his superior over phone. Eeeww. No, that wasn’t cute AT ALL. You know why? Cuz despite having some good numbers thrown in by AR Rehman, all you end up doing after coming out is hum the original JTYJN song. WHY? Cuz you do not seem to register any other song of the film (yes, including Kabhi Kabhi Aditi one) at the end of the film. Why don’t I buy the CD of original and play it then? AR Rehman did some good work which gets waste.

Script and the climax. Now get real. Why should I be told before watching any Bolly flick that it ain’t Einstein movie so watch it with a pinch of salt. I ask, why it isn’t Einstein then? When will it be for us? U ask, why should it be? I ask, why shouldn’t it be? Many say I seem to run down all Bolly flicks, I say, No, I did like Black Friday, Socha Na Tha, Jab We Met, Dil Dosti Etc and No Smoking of late. JTYJN is a bad take on Socha Na Tha. There can’t be another Socha Na Tha. The writer-director (yeah, both are same) Abbas Tyrewala has punctured his inflated ego himself after writing gems like Maqbool and Munna Bhai.

And why that airport-climax once again? You know why JWM was hit cuz they shown the train and platform and not airport and planes cuz huge Indian middle class survives, I mean depends on trains. Is that a bad analogy? Oh, I guess it is. Why can’t I give such bad analogies when the makers can give much weirder ones?

Is there any silver-lining after all this mess? Surprise!!! Yes, there is. Genelia it is. She is the sole-savior of this sinking ship. She is the STAR of this. Whenever she is on screen, she puts in her best acting. Her dialogues, acting, haav-bhaav, ada-style are just too good. She should be seen more. Imran, well I won’t run him down now (poor boy’s first movie), so let’s give him another chance. But hey, I think I should run him down (cuz I just remembered Refugee). Wasn’t Abhishek written off after that debut? Ok, here I go. Imran can’t dance/act/emote saala. That’s it.

Go for Genelia.

P.S. I am still not repenting for choosing this over LS 2050 for a big screen watch. Cuz I know LS 2050 is not even worth half watch. I will watch it though and bug you all with my take on that. Ciao.

A Quickie is a Quickie is a Quickie.

Last ten days and I watched some of the best movies. Here's some Quickie Recommendations in Movies you should definitely watch: My list is in order of my recommendations (from highly recommended to somewhat highly recommended, there is nothing in this list which is least recommended).

From Hollywood:

1)Breakfast at Tiffany's: (1961)
Protagonists: Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard. Based on the novel of same name written by Truman Capote (Oh, he is so good), the movie also was written by him (Oh, he is so good). Audrey as Holly Golightly is now my all time fav character (amongst actresses) on screen. The story revolves around her and her histrionics in this 1961 Drama movie which won an Oscar for Audrey (undoubtedly) and another for the beautiful song 'Moon River'.
Rating – 5 Stars

2)How Green was My Valley: (1941)
Protagonists: Roddy McDowall and Maureen O'Hara. Based on the novel of same name written by Richard Llewellyn, the movie is about the Morgan family: the story narrated by Huw Morgan, youngest of all amongst six brothers and one sister. Huw is the black sheep of the family (possessing academic inclination in the family of miners). However, he too becomes a miner like them and narrates this story when he is leaving the city he grew up in.
Rating – 4 Stars

3)JFK: (1991)
Protagonists: Kevin Costner, Gary Oldman and Tommy Lee Jones. This controversial movie directed by Oliver Stone is not about JF Kennedy but the follow-up to the murder of President. Kevin Costner as Jim Garrison re-opens the JFK’s assassination case, trying to prove that The President was not killed by Lee Oswald but was a victim of conspiracy plotted by the secret services, FBI, CIA, Vice-President and a Businessman Clay Shaw.
Rating – 31/2 Stars

4)A Streetcar named Desire: (1951)
Protagonists: Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh. Blanche (Vivien) takes refuge at her sister’s place. Her brother-in-law Stanley (Marlon) labels her as a melodramatic and tortures her (both mentally and eventually physically) in hope that she speaks the truth about her past. The major highlight of this flick is the dialogues.
Rating – 31/2 Stars

From Across the Globe:

5)The Lives of Others: German (2006)
Protagonists: Ulrich Muhe, Ulrich Tukur, Sebastian Koch and Martina Gedeck. Winner of Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, movie is of time when Germany was divided into East and West. Before the fall of Berlin Wall, East Germany secret police Stasi bugged the homes of all those whom they suspected are with the west part of Germany. And in this film, famous playwright and his actress lover became the victim. How this political drama and thriller unfolds is something to watch out for. A superb storyline with an awesome climax makes this film a classic in times to come.
Rating – 5 Stars

6)Lust, Caution: Chinese (2007)
Protagonists: Tony Wai and Wei Tang. Remember Ang Lee, famous director of Crouching Tiger and Brokeback Mountain. Ang comes with a spying thriller set during World War-II. A young woman (Wei) befriends a political figure (Tony) on behest of her revolutionary friends. The movie has multi-layer themes running parallel to the plot of assassinating the political figure. There is love, lust, sex, romance, drama, and suspense. This can be related closely to our own RDB including the climax where the revolutionaries die but unlike RDB, here they fail in their attempt to kill the politician and are shot and thrown from the cliff. A gut-wrenching film.
Rating – 4 Stars

7)Caramel: Lebanese (2007)
Protagonists: Nadine Labaki (also, the director of this film). Layale (Nadine) runs a beauty parlor and is supposedly seeing a very much married, a high profile figure. The story revolves around her and four other women (3 of them work with her) and one who visits their parlor. The basic plot is that of romantic comedy. All ladies are going to love this as they would be able to relate to the parlor talks. They share their married life, sex life, mid-life crisis and in turn support each other. All men would love seeing this film where each one of the girl is more gorgeous than the other. A light-hearted film which will make you realize the importance of being content with less.
Rating – 31/2 Stars

Please do share your opinion, If you have seen any of these?