18 films in January

18. Band Baaja Baaraat (Hindi) (9/10)
What a fantastic film. Ranveer Singh and Anushka Sharma have done such a brilliant job. Yet another film with total Delhi flavour and it makes it o much fun to watch. I think Habib Faisal (the dialogue write of the film) is a man to watch out for. Please watch this one for sure.

17. The King's Speech (UK) (8.5/10)
Arguabley, one of the best films to come out in 2010 and almost perfect acting by Colin Firth. The story of King George VI of Britain, his impromptu ascension to the throne and the speech therapist who helped the unsure monarch become worthy of it. This one is a must watch. Through a set of unexpected techniques, and as a result of an unlikely friendship, the king is able to find his voice and boldly lead the country through war.

16. Manon Of The Spring (French) (7/10)
COntinuing the story from Jean de Florette, the daughter is now grown up. As she discovers the truth of what happened to her father as a result of the scheming of their neighbour (Yves Montand), who took the land for himself, she vows revenge, realising that the neighbour's deeds have irrevocably shaped the course of her life. Her moves toward avenging her father's demise provide an ironic twist to this harsh and thought-provoking saga.

15. Jean de Florette (French) (6.5/10)
Two 1920's farmers engage in a bitter rivalry as one tries to tend to a plot of land and the other deviously undermines his efforts in order to conceal a valuable spring. The peasant farmer (Gérard Depardieu) who comes to the countryside to tend the land he has inherited is a naive and trusting soul seeking only to provide for his wife and daughter, while his neighbour (Yves Montand) is intent on doing whatever he can to discourage and demoralise the farmer so that he can take the land for himself. This simple tale unfolds in a wrenching fashion to a tragic conclusion, bringing forth questions about human nature and the prevalence and price of greed.

14. The Fighter (4/10)
The Fighter, is a drama about boxer "Irish" Micky Ward's unlikely road to the world light welterweight title. His Rocky-like rise was shepherded by half-brother Dicky, a boxer-turned-trainer who rebounded in life after nearly being KO'd by drugs and crime. The film is just ok but brilliant acting by Christian Bale and the girl who played the mother.

13. Phas Gaye Re Obama (Hindi) (7/10)
This is called a black comedy with a very very intelligent script. This film proves once again that if the script is right, you can make a wonderful film with lesser known stars and low budget and still come up with a great product. US returned Rajat Kapoor gets kidnapped hoping that since he is american, kidnappers can make good money. But due to recession, he is broke. How he comes up with a brilliant plan to escape the kidnappers and also make some money from this makes the film very interesting.

12. How To Train Your Dragon (8/10)
Normally I dont watch animated films unless I get strong recommendations and this film definitely surprised me. This is a great great film specially after watching it with such nil expectations. Excellent story, direction, connection with audience and everything else. I think I might finally be getting into watching more and more animation movies.

11. Alles is liefde (Dutch) [Love Is All] (2.5/10)
Heavily inspired from British film 'Love Actually'. The film again shows various couples , which I think again here it was 6, and what is going on with their love life around St. Nicolas day. Every couple is unique in their problems and love. While "Love Actually" was a great movie to watch, this was hardly bearable. The characters were very poorly sketched and I thought that the acting was also pretty bad.

10. Rakht Charitra-2 (Hindi) (7/10)
An excellent follow-up to part 1. The story moves forward and now Vivek Oberoi finally has an enemy (in form o south start Suriya). The film is high on emotion, dialogue and acting rather than plain bloodshots like in first part. I think Ram Gopal Verma re-invented himself with this 2 part series. Sad that it all went unnoticed by critics and audience alike.

9. Rita (Marathi) (6/10)
Interesting debut from Renuka Shahane as a director. The story was regular, a little hatke and modern but brilliant acting by Pallavi Joshi. One of the actresses, who never got her due as an actress. It gets a little draggy towards the end and confusing but i think the story was the heart of the film and how Rita deals with people around her (her parents, siblings and lover)

8. No One Killed Jessica (Hindi) (6.5/10)
I am glad that bollywood is still coming up with some good films and some really terrific acting specially by leading ladies. based on the true story Jessica Lal murder case, this film never moves out of where the heart of the film lies and focuses on nothing but just the realities of the case. Excellent acting by Vidya Balan. It was also good to see rani in form after a long time.

7. Butterfly on a Wheel (5/10)
Pierce Brosnan and Maria Bello star in this tense thriller about a couple whose daughter goes missing. Bello plays the grieving mother alongside Gerard Butler. Brosnan appears as a mysterious gunman who tortures his victims through a series of sadistic mind games. Now this one was interesting and with a perfect twist which no one saw coming.

6. The American (4/10)
There were all good things being said about this movie in reviews etc. but this movie was so super slow, that it tested my patience. George Clooney is an assasin who is now hiding in Italy to complete one of his final assignments. Surprising himself, Jack seeks out the friendship of local priest Father Benedetto and pursues romance with local woman Clara. But by stepping out of the shadows, Jack may be tempting fate.

5. No Problem (Hindi) (1/10)
Wow!! This film was nothing short of torture. You would have expected at least a decent affair from Sanjay Dutt, Anil Kappor, Akshaye, Kangana, Sushmita but let me tell you, watching this movie was a very very painful experience. Over the top acting, loud dialogues, no comedy and a very forced script. TERRIBLE !!

4. The Extra Man (3/10)
A man who escorts wealthy widows in New York's Upper East Side takes a young aspiring playwright under his wing. Sounds interesting but it wasn't. Acting was good but after a point, I really didn't care either for actors or the characters and if a film fails to sustain someone's attention, then its just not worth it.

3. Alpha Dogs (4.5/10)
Based on a true story (Jesse James Hollywood), this film brings out some very fine acting from Emile Hirsch, Timberlake, Stone, and a host of first class actors. This is edge of the seat stuff when you can see the terrible consequences unfold - you want to warn the characters to make different choices. But it doesn't happen, up to the tragic end which was very very sad to see> the only reason I am giving low rating is because of the loud nature and no repeat value of the film.

2. Aakrosh (Hindi) (5.5/10)
Although this one is a copy of some foreign film, but I had not seen the original, so I actually thought that film was pretty decent. There was not much to talk about honor killing but that sure was the basic premise of the film. Paresh Rawal was the best thing about the film. And Akshaye, please stop wearing those hideous wigs.

1. Revanche (German/Austria) (7/10)
Very well paced, mostly very quiet and tense. The ending was surprising, but rang true, life can be just like that! When a bank robbery goes wrong, Alex starts living in the country with his grandfather. He wants to take revenge on the police officer who ended up killing his prostitute girlfriend while chasing them. Very interesting twists and turn of events and how he takes the control of his enemy's life and events.