16 films in February

16. Y Tu Mamá También (Spanish) (7.5/10)
This movie is an excellent movie watching experience just because of the sheer rawness and the acting of the 2 main leads. Irrespective of your culture and background, you will find yourself somewhere in both of them and it will take you back to your teenage years. The film is about two teenage boys and an attractive older woman, who embark on a road trip and learn a thing or two about life, friendship, sex, and each other.

15. A Dangerous Method (UK) (3/10)
This is a very very wordy film. It relies completely on the acting abilities of the 3 protagonists. I personally feel that Keira Knightley was a wrong choice for this role. The films shows the complex relationships and the friendship and subsequent hatred between Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud and how the whole concept of psychoanalysis was born. The film is for lovers of artsy kind of cinema, which I am, but this film was a little too heavy.

14. Martha Marcy May Marlene (4.5/10)
One of the most complicated film names to remember, this film leaves you with a thought and depression and makes you think that yes such cults still do exist in middle America. The story is about this girl who initially gets sucked into a cult, how her life changes and when she finally manages to escape, how she finds it hard to readjust in the normal life. The film also focuses on how difficult it is even for people around her to deal with this situation. The lead actress has done a fantastic job in acting.

13. Mahek Mirza (Hindi) (5/10)
An NFCD production, this is a children's film about a girl called Mahek Mirza, who wants to do big in life but hasn't yet founder strengths yet. Everything she wants to do right ends up being a disaster. Mahek finally realizes how her power lies within the fact that she dreams big about everything an dhow she can use this same strength to achieve something big in life and change her future and make her parents proud. A sweet innocent film for kids.

12. Lilkee (Hindi) (5.5/10)
Ten year old lilkee comes to Mumbai to work in Bela's house. She gradually settles down to a routine of taking care of Bela's baby but misses the mountains of Nainital. Soon she also finds new friends who take her to be an apartment resident, just like themselves. But when they realize that she is a 'maid', they are not sure they want to be her friend anymore. Can friendship blossom across class divides? This was a very very well directed and acted film. Definitely recommended for kids.

11. Today's Special (Indian US English) (4.5/10)
In this feel good foodie comedy, young Manhattan chef Samir rediscovers his heritage and his passion for life through the enchanting art of cooking Indian food. This is one of those Indian American films that do want to cross over the boundaries but alas the basic plot and feel of all these films somehow all remains the same.

10. Cooking With Stella (Canada Hindi/English) (4/10)
Stella has been a cook with Canadian Embassy in India for 30 years. Over years, she has used all she can to make extra money from the perks that the ambassadors get. But her life changes when a new couple arrives where the wife is the ambassador and husband is a wannabe cook. But Stella has her own plans and she does manage to make the best plot of her life to make all the money that she can never do in small installments. Seema Biswas is so different in this film from her usual self. The film is worth just for her.

9. Certified Copy (English/French/Italian) (2/10)
Having read brilliant reviews all over about this film, it could not have disappointed me more. If a film leaves you with more questions than answers, I am not too sure if that was worth the viewers time. There can be so many interpretations of the relationship between the 2 leads. The actors are pretty popular and act well but some sort of background on the 2 characters would help. Another one of those wordy films that are low on entertainment.

8. Hayat (Iran/Hindi dubbed) (5/10)
Its a very innocent and sweet children's film about a girl called Hayaat. When her father gets ill and the mother has to go with him, how she handles everything before she has to go give a very important exam that will determine her future examination. She needs to take care of her younger brother and infant sister. The direction is very realistic and you do feel a part of the whole story of Hayat.

7. Take Shelter (7/10)
Plagued by a series of apocalyptic visions, a young husband and father questions whether to shelter his family from a coming storm, or from himself. This is a film that moves so slowly and builds so dramatically that one begins to wonder if we're every getting to the end. It's an incredibly quiet and sincerely somber film. It's smart, engaging, fascinating, and brutally sincere. Be patient with the film but it will definitely reward you. Good performances from the principal characters as well.

6. Pappu Can't Dance Saala (Hindi) (5/10)
I did not expect to see alive story when i saw this film. I have seen more satire or comedy from the combination on Neha Dhupia, Vinay Pathak & Saurabh Shukla and was completely surprised to see them present something so different. This could partly be the reason for a little low ratings for this film in addition to a very unusual love pairing. It is still decent watch , nevertheless.

5. Players (Hindi) (5/10)
If you haven't seen Italian Job , you might like this better but having seen that film very recently, I just could not forget that. Even if I forget that, my problem was with the choice of actors. No one seemed to fit the part. Abhishek Bachchan is just horrible. Bipasha did not suit the seductress and Sonam also did not fit the part. In fact , the entire team did not look like someone who could pull of a heist of such a nature. The only saving grace is Neil Nitin Mukesh. The music is also pretty pathetic.

4. Jo Hum Chahein (Hindi) (4.5/10)
Some other time, this film would have done decent business. It does have a novel concept in the love story and surprisingly the 2 newcomers do a very decent job considering it is their first film. No one over acted and the story was pretty grounded and real but the chemistry and that speak was missing that one usually expects from a love story. With good publicity and more awareness, this film could have done a little better.

3. The Song Of Sparrows (Iran) (7.5/10)
How I wish, our lives were still so simple and uncomplicated as shown in the film. All of us who were growing up in 80s, 90s know about simple pleasures with little TV, no computers etc where family members used to spend time with each other. When an ostrich-rancher focuses on replacing his daughter's hearing aid, which breaks right before crucial exams, everything changes for a struggling rural family in Iran. Directed by Majid Majidi, it is another excellent portrayal of vast cultural and economic gaps between a village an a thriving city. Excellent.

2. Moneyball (6/10)
I did not want to see this film. Sports films are not my type but this film was pretty decent. I do not understand the details of Baseball but even otherwise the film made sense. Brad Pitt did act really well in the film. The film is based on a true story of Billy Beane's successful attempt to put together a baseball club on a budget by employing computer-generated analysis to acquire new players.

1. Never Let Me Go (3/10)
As children, Ruth, Kathy and Tommy, spend their childhood at a seemingly idyllic English boarding school. As they grow into young adults, they find that they have to come to terms with the strength of the love they feel for each other, while preparing themselves for the haunting reality that awaits them. This was a weird futuristic (if you can call it that) movie. Disappointing.