1. The Book of Eli

Director: Allen Hughes, Albert Hughes

Cast: Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis, Ray Stevenson, Jennifer Beals

Release Date: January 15th 2010

Summary: Denzel Washington is a lone warrior who must fight to bring society the knowledge that could be the key to its redemption. Gary Oldman has been set to portray the autocrat of a small expedient town who’s determined to take possession of the book in Eli’s guarding.

2. Extraordinary Measures

Director: Tom Vaughan

Cast: Harrison Ford, Brendan Fraser, Keri Russell, Courtney B. Vance

Release Date: January 22nd 2010

Summary: This is the story of a biotechnology executive and his wife, who hire a research scientist and defy all odds to pursue a cure for the life threatening Pompe disease in order to save the lives of their affected children.

3. I love you Phillip Morris

Director: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa

Cast: Jim Carrey, Ewan McGregor, Leslie Mann, Rodrigo Santoro

Release Date: February 5th 2010

Summary: I love you Phillip Morris is a fact-based film about Steven Russell, a married father and also a convict in jail. The story is about his mad love for his male cell-mate, who eventually gets freed and Steven’s four time escapades from Texas prisons to meet his love.

4. The Wolfman

Director: Joe Johnston

Cast: Benicio Del Toro, Emily Blunt, Anthony Hopkins, Hugo Weaving, Geraldine Chaplin, Kiran Shah, Art Malik

Release Date: February 12th 2010

Summary: Lawrence Talbot (Benicio Del Toro) is a haunted nobleman and the disappearance of his brother lures him into his family estate. Reunited with his resentful father (Anthony Hopkins), Talbot sets out in search of his brother’s whereabouts which leads him to realize his ghastly destiny. Inspired by a yesteryear horror classic, The Wolfman might just bring the classic definition of ‘haunting’ back.

5. Shutter Island

Director: Martin Scorsese

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Emily Mortimer

Release Date: February 19th 2010

Summary: Easily the biggest and the most expected movie of 2010 – goes into the list of “unmissables”. Martin Scorsese gives life to Dennis Lehane’s psychic thriller with Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo in the lead. The two of them play U.S Marshals investigating the disappearance of a patient from Boston’s Shutter Island Ashecliffe Hospital whose activities later on turn out to be unethical to illegal to downright sinister. As they turn the heat on their trail by amassing clues, they soon begin to lose trust on each other, their memories and their sanity.

6. Alice in Wonderland

Director: Tim Burton

Cast: Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter

Release Date: March 5th 2010

Summary: An imaginary sequel to Lewis Caroll’s classic, Alice returns to Wonderland at 17. As she makes her way through, she realizes that the place has changed since her last visit. A change that she least expected — a sparely haunted, disordered and overrun Wonderland.

7. Green Zone

Director: Paul Greengrass

Cast: Matt Damon, Jason Isaacs, Greg Kinnear, Brendan Gleeson, Amy Ryan

Release Date: March 12th 2010

Summary: The successful duo that gave us two of the three roller coaster hits in The Bourne Series is back. Matt Damon and director Paul Greengrass team up again for Green Zone which depicts the U.S led regime in Iraq. Matt Damon is a warrant officer who stumbles upon an elaborate cover-up by his own people as he goes in search of weapons of mass destruction believed to be hoarded in the Iraqi desert.

8. Clash of the Titans

Director: Louis Leterrier

Cast: Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton

Release Date: March 26th 2010

Summary: Based on the 1981 film bearing the same name, Clash of the Titans is a story about the transcendental encounter over power between men and Gods. With the Gods fighting amongst themselves, darkness and destruction looms large which could very well destroy the world. Perseus (Sam Worthington) who is halfman-halfGod strives hard to save his family from Hades, the bloodthirsty and vindictive God of the underworld.

9. Ironman 2

Director: Jon Favreau

Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Mickey Rourke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Sam Rockwell, Don Cheadle

Release Date: May 7th 2010

Summary: Having disclosed his Iron Man identity to the public, Tony Stark the billionaire inventor is reluctant to share his scientific know-hows with the military. But, forces beyond his control hatch a devious plan against him.

10. Robin Hood

Director: Ridley Scott

Cast: Mark Strong, Russell Crowe, Kate Blanchett, Kevin Durand, Matthew Macfadyen

Release Date: May 14th 2010

Summary: The story of how an archer in the service of King Richard the Lionheart became to be known as Robin Hood, the famous archer and outlaw of English Folklore. Featuring historically accurate characters such as Sir William Marshall and grounded in reality (in a similar way to Gladiator), this is the making of the legend we have come to know him as now.

11. Shrek Forever After

Director: Mike Mitchell

Cast: Cameron Diaz, Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Antonio Banderas, Julie Andrews, Justin Timberlake

Release Date: May 21st 2010

Summary: A sick and tired Shrek (Mike Myers) who seems to have lost his ‘ogre’ self, gets duped by Rumpelstiltskin who promises to restore Shrek’s ‘original’ self. This takes Shrek to an awry and perverse Far Far Away, where Rumpelstiltskin is the King and ogres are the hunted. Moreover, the most disorienting fact is that Shrek and Fiona have never met in that kingdom. So, Shrek begins to materialize his efforts by trying to restore the actual Far Far Away and regain his true love.

12. Prince of Persia: Sands of Time

Director: Mike Newell

Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina

Release Date: May 28th 2010

Summary: Based on the popular video game, Prince of Persia is set in medieval Persia where a bold and daring prince joins hands with an emulous princess to find a time-manipulating dagger which is the only means of stopping an angry Grand Vizier who wishes to destroy the world by unleashing a huge sandstorm.

13. Sex and the City 2

Director: Michael Patrick King

Cast: Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon

Release Date: May 28th 2010

Summary: It is an upcoming sequel to the 2008 movie, Sex and the City. The movie is in production stage right now and is slated for a May 2010 release. It comes with the tag-line “Carrie On” which is a sort of a pun in comparison to the “Get Carried Away” for the previous movie.

14. The A-Team

Director: Joe Carnahan

Cast: Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Sharlto Copley, Quinton Jackson, Jessica Biel

Release Date: June 11th 2010

Summary: Having been framed for a crime that they never committed and now in the U.S military’s most wanted list, four Iraq War veterans look to clear their names with the U.S military. But yet, they are forced to go on a run. The movie is based on a 1980 classic action-comedy TV series that tickled the funny bone of an entire nation.

15. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Director: David Slade

Cast: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Billy Burke, Ashley Greene

Release Date: June 30th 2010

Summary: Victoria is still on the run and is out to avenge James’ death. With the previous movie New Moon just ending in a standstill, Eclispe may just answer all the questions that were left unanswered. Meanwhile Bella’s feelings for Jacob leave her torn apart in this love triangle.

16. The Last Airbender

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Cast: Noah Ringer, Nicola Peltz, Jackson Rathbone, Dev Patel

Release Date: July 2nd 2010

Summary: Based on a Nickelodeon TV series, The Last Airbender is about the dangerous journey of a hesitant young child who strives to bring unity in a war torn world where civilization exists as four mighty empires.

17. Inception

Director: Christopher Nolan

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard

Release Date: July 16th 2010

Summary: After giving us the biggest hit of 2008 in The Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan returns with the story that is said to explore the architecture of the human mind. Leonardo DiCaprio plays a higher up executive who gets himself involved in a blackmailing scandal.

18. The Expendables

Director: Sylvester Stallone

Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Jet Li, Jason Statham, Mickey Rourke, Eric Roberts

Release Date: August 13th 2010

Summary: “The Expendables” is a story that follows a team of mercenaries whose task is to infiltrate and overthrow a dictatorial regime in South America. With an impressive starcast, this movie has already set the verbal “hyperboles” rolling.

19. Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part One

Director: David Yates

Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Helena Bonham Carter

Release Date: November 19th 2010

Summary: With Dumbledore gone and darkness spreading, it is up to Harry, Ron and Hermione to find Voldemort’s remaining horcruxes and destroy his soul completely. In their quest for the horcruxes, they stumble upon the mystical three ‘Deathly Hallows’ which they will need to succeed in their endeavour.

20. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Director: Michael Apted

Cast: Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, Ben Barnes, Will Poulter, Gary Sweet

Release Date: December 10th 2010

Summary: Aboard The Dawn Treader, a wondrous Narnian ship captained by King Caspian; Edmund and Lucy along their irksome cousin Eustace Scrubb find themselves headed for the very edges of the world in a journey encountering dragons, slave traders and merefolk.

10 – New York

Director: Kabir Khan

Cast: John Abraham, Katrina Kaif, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Irrfan Khan

Where it scored: Great individual performances. It turned out to be the meatiest roles ever done by John Abraham and Katrina Kaif.

Where it missed out: Got predictable after the first half. A lot of ‘filmy’ element was involved and the the director pretty much lost a sense of practicality towards the end.

9 – Love Aaj Kal

Director: Imtiaz Ali

Cast: Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone, Rishi Kapoor, Rahul Khanna

Where it score: Two parallel love stories narrated in a unique and wonderful manner. Depiction of modern day relationships without any filmy clichés was commendable.

Where it missed out: Unnecessary interruptions in the form of songs. Failed to meet the expectations the viewers had after Imtiaz Ali’s previous venture - Jab We Met.

8 – Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year

Director: Shimit Amin

Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Manish Chaudhary, Gauhar Khan, Naveen Kaushik, Mukesh Bhatt

Where it scored: A breath of fresh air with restrained melodrama, real-life clogs and sensible character portrayal.

Where it missed out: The movie got a mixed response as it was a seemingly long movie which required a lot of patience to watch. Music by Salim-Sulaiman was a big let down.

7 – Wanted

Director: Prabhu Deva

Cast: Salman Khan, Ayesha Takia, Vinod Khanna, Mahesh Manjrekar, Prakash Raj, Govind Namdeo, Inder Kumar, Aseem Merchant

Where it scored: It was a no brainer. A total commercial ‘masala’ entertainer that kept the audience at the edge of their seats. Half the battle was already won because of the pre-release hype.

Where it missed out: Prabhu Deva could have tightened the script a little more. The songs were absolutely disastrous.

6 – Luck By Chance

Director: Zoya Akhtar

Cast: Farhan Akhtar, Konkona Sen Sharma, Rishi Kapoor, Isha Sharvani, Dimple Kapadia, Hrithik Roshan and others.

Where it scored: It was quality cinema at it’s best. The honest depiction of the way Bollywood works struck a chord with many aspirants who wish to make it big in Hindi cinema. Zoya Akhtar excelled in her directorial debut. Realistic performances by Farhan Akhtar and Konkona Sen Sharma.

Where it missed out: Nothing new in the plot. Very slow – paced first half that makes you feel drowsy.

5 – Three Idiots

Director: Rajkumar Hirani

Cast: Aamir Khan, R. Madhavan, Sharman Joshi, Kareena Kapoor, Boman Irani, Omi Vaidya

Where it scored: Absolute laugh riot with a tinge of emotional moments and a social message – signature Rajkumar Hirani style. A dazzling Rang De Basanti starcast and amazing individual performances by Boman Irani, Kareena Kapoor and Omi Vaidya added to it’s success.

Where it missed out: Much was expected of this movie and it lacked the genuineness and high standards set by Hirani’s Munna Bhai MBBS.

4 – Kaminey

Director: Vishal Bhardwaj

Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Amole Gupte, Tenzing Nima, Chandan Roy Sanyal

Where it scored: With only a normal storyline, Vishal Bhardwaj proved to be a master story-teller. Shahid Kapoor sky-rocketed to stardom with a scintillating performance.

Where it missed out: A violent ending did not find universal acceptance.

3 – Dev D

Director: Anurag Kashyap

Cast: Abhay Deol, Mahi Gill, Kalki Koechlin

Where it scored: Randomness happens often in our newly-experimental cinema, but it’s always great to see a film where no detail is an accident, where the director gets to execute his vision exactly as he wants — and this seemed pretty darned close.

Where it missed out: The critics gave the movie good reviews and this raised the expectations. Even so, this was a rather radical project; a movie that could well have done more but accomplished far more than enough, and I think the only reason we expect even greater things is that it really, really whets our appetite.

2 – Wake Up Sid

Director: Ayan Mukerji

Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Konkona Sen Sharma, Anupam Kher, Supriya Pathak, Rahul Khanna

Where it scored: Rendering flawless performances, Ranbir Kapoor matured as an actor and Konkona Sen Sharma was as elegant as ever. It was an absolute feel-good movie that catered to a wider audience who could relate themselves to the movie and it’s characters. The movie redefined the true meaning of ‘platonic relationship’.

Where it missed out: Did not really miss out on any grounds. It is in the No.2 position only because Paa ended up being a better movie.

1 – Paa

Director: R. Balakrishnan aka R. Balki

Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Vidya Balan

Where it scored: Amitabh Bachchan carries the movie on his shoulders! A different story is always welcome amidst the flurry of hogwash that Bollywood offers every year. Vidya Balan rendered a strong performance.

Where it missed out: Negative aspects of this movie include a weak music section and the length of the movie. But, nevertheless Paa was a ‘one-of-a-kind’ movie.

Genre: Drama, Family

Cast: Anupam Kher, Rohini Hattangadi, Soni Razdan, Madan Jain, Suhas Bhalekar, Nilu Phule

Direction: Mahesh Bhatt

Reasons to watch: Mahesh Bhatt, Anupam Kher, A movie which does justice to all emotions alike.

Reasons not to: If you are against simplicity and realism, and dislike being aroused from a socially-indifferent slumber.

Story: B.V. Pradhan and Parvati are struggling to come to terms with life after the death of their only son who has been killed in New York in a mugging incident. A retired school teacher Pradhan has lost all his faith in life while Parvati takes refuge in religion. Her new-found guru has assured her that her son will be re-born very close to her. In order to overcome their loneliness as well as to supplement Pradhan’s meagre pension, they take in a young aspiring actress Sujata as paying guest. Sujata, an aspiring actress, hopes to marry her lover Vilas, son of the local small-time politician Gajanan Chitre who is against the union.

And when the menacing thoughts of suicide come calling, Pradhan and Parvati are interrupted by a quarrel between Vilas and Sujata, who wants to give birth to his baby irrespective of the threat it poses to his father’s political ambitions. Parvati can see her son returning to her from Sujata’s womb and the Pradhan, now has a reason to live and to fight.

Climax Handling: Intense. “Tumhare chehre ki jhurriyon mein mere jeevan ka saaransh hai – in the wrinkles of your face lies the essence of my life”

Points: A 27 year old guy playing the role of a 60-something man in his first movie, superb art direction, revolting storyline – Saaransh has all ingredients of a classic.

Rating: 9/10

Comment: Corruption, superstition, suicide, the ordeals of age, crime, the silent sufferings of parents of immigrants, re-incarnation, a society sans morals, riots – Saaransh knocks at the innermost confines of your conscience. And liberates it.

]]> http://www.themovieanalyst.com/2008/07/14/saaransh/feed/ 1 http://www.themovieanalyst.com/2008/06/18/born-free/ http://www.themovieanalyst.com/2008/06/18/born-free/#comments Wed, 18 Jun 2008 12:30:43 +0000 Shantanu http://www.themovieanalyst.com/?p=91 Language: English

Genre: Drama/Family/Adventure/Wildlife

Cast: Virginia McKenna, Bill Travers

Direction: James Hill

Music: John Barry, Frederic Talgorn & The Royal Scottish National Orchestra. This movie won 2 Oscars in 1967 for its music, Best Original Score and Best Original Song, for John Barry.

Reasons to watch: Pure family movie, beautiful landscapes and cute lion cubs, a heartwarming story line

Reasons not to: The direction needs a bit to be desired for.

Story: George Adamson (Bill Travers) and Joy Adamson (Virginia McKenna) live in the wilderness in Kenya. One day George kills a lion and his mate only to discover that they were protecting their three cubs. He takes them home and he and his wife decide to raise the orphaned cubs. They give two of them away to zoos, but can’t part with Elsa, a lioness they adore with their heart. But Elsa grows too big for them they realize they can’t keep her and neither do they want to put her in a zoo. There is only one way out. Elsa must return to the wild. But can she survive there? Can they help Elsa return to the wild, or will they have to send her to the zoo? Watch the movie to find out.

Climax Handling: The movie ends on a heart-wrenching and emotional note.

Points: Realistic portrayal of the life in the wild, cute shots of animals, a brilliant title track and a clean and exceedingly simple story with a message for all.

Rating: 8/10

Comment: A must for Animal lovers and non-lovers alike. A perfect movie to watch for the entire family!

Follwed by: Living Free and Forever Free

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