Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Cast: Karthik Sivakumar, Andrea, Reema Sen, Parthiban, Prathap K. Pothan

Director: K. Selvaraghavan

Music: G.V. Prakash Kumar

Reasons to watch: The pre – release hype and the efforts poured in by the technicians.

Reasons not to watch: Too long and amazingly CONFUSING!!!

Storyline: An archaeologist (Prathap K. Pothan) goes missing on a solitary mission to find the ghost town of the long lost Cholas. His daughter Lavanya (Andrea) is devastated by this news. Enter – Anitha Pandian (Reema Sen) and her bandwagon of military lads led by Ravi (Azhagamperumal) who offers to help Lavanya find her missing father; of course they have ulterior motives behind the offer. Funded by the Government and manpower provided by Muthu (Karthik Sivakumar), a churlish, rustic, bad-mannered guy with prowling eyes and his co - laborers, the entire team sets sail on a journey marred by greed, revenge and utter chaos that eventually has a deeper meaning at the end with a realization of destinies and the unexplainable links between them and one of the world’s earliest civilizations. With a clash of destinies, history is about to repeat itself — and the consequences will be far worse and disastrous than they ever imagined. The first half is awesome with a terrific combination of fanatical violence with dark and gloomy mysticism.

The second half is where the director seems to have gone bonkers along with the movie’s script. Parthiban as the Chola King is all guns in the second half and his intro scene makes you jostle in your seats. The first 45 minutes of the second half tests your patience. It looks like Selvaraghavan wanted to show us ‘more’ and I guess in the end he has shown more than what the audience can take; too much of anything can also be a problem.

Taking cue from Tamil history, Selvaraghavan’s epic movie gives us something totally uncalled for by breaking away from the shackles of stereotypical Tamil cinema and finally confuses us so much that we wonder if we actually liked the movie or not.

Climax Handling: 3 hours of watching this movie and you get this logical but irritating climax that leaves you completely dissatisfied.

Points: Karthik hasn’t shed his Paruthi Veeran look and continues in the same manner. No scope for acting as such in this movie, but a lot of hard work has been put in by the technicians and that is evident. Parthiban’s intro does not allow you to blink, but he is reduced to a caricature as the movie progresses. The songs are a real headache and add to the on-screen confusion. The movie would have been more comprehensible had there been sub-titles in the second half.

Rating: 6/10

Comments: Brush up your history before watching this complex brain-racking movie.

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 – Where the Wild Things Are

Director: Spike Jonze

Cast: Paul Dano, Forest Whitaker, Mark Ruffalo, Catherine Keener

Points: Moving sleekly from being splendorous to farcical, it creates a profoundly simple cohesion between the  two worlds of fantasy and reality. But having been adapted from a book that was enthralling, it needed to be better.

9 – A Serious Man

Director: Joel Coen & Ethan Coen

Cast: Michael Stuhlbarg, Fred Melamed, Richard Kind, Aaron Wolf

Points: The Coen brothers hit the deck again with their fleckless film-making and Roger Deakins’ editing gave way to fabulous cinematography.  But this movie missed in shades due to a lack of modicum of empathy and humanity.

8 – Up in the Air

Director: Jason Reitman

Cast: George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick

Points: This movie proved to be a capper for Clooney who has had a great year. Up in the Air is a movie of immense etiquette and unobtrusive aspirations. For a dry comedy flick, it had an essence of unfortunate exigency in it. It was worth a watch, but I doubt if it deserved the price of a ticket.

7 - (500) Days of Summer

Director: Marc Webb

Cast: Zooey Deschanel, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Clark Gregg, Minka Kelly

Points: (500) Days of Summer struck a chord with a male skewed audience by redefining the romantic comedy genre. Substantial performances by the lead characters with entertaining musings.

6 – District 9

Director: Neill Blomkamp

Cast: Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, David James, Mandla Gaduka

Points: District 9 is an inhumane and rapacious tale. With a powerful and captivating script, it is a figment of modern day fiction with a contemporary theme. District 9 came out with all guns blazing – tyranny, avarice, hegemony and a conflict of cultures at odds.

5 – Fantastic Mr. Fox

Director: WesAnderson

Cast: George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray

Points: Absolutely ‘Fantastic’. This puppet fantasy movie is filled with hilarious and delightful moments that will make your hearts reach out to heaven. The best animation movie this year after Up.

4 – The Hangover

Director: Todd Phillips

Cast: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Justin Bartha

Points: It is totally insipid, stupid, unweaned and definitely that sort of movie which would lead to your mother spanking your ass for watching it. But that is exactly what worked for the movie. Defines the word ‘hilarious’.

3 – The Hurt Locker

Director: Kathryn Bigelow

Cast: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Bryan Geraghty, Evangeline Lilly

Points: The Hurt Locker is full of cutting-edge realistic action and visceral human drama thats all in all makes it a gripping film. A true to reality depiction of modern day warfare that silently questions the purpose of war.

2 – Up

Director: Peter Docter

Cast: Ed Asner, Jordan Nagai, Christopher Plummer, John Ratzenberger

Points: How does Pixar continue to do it? Previously it was Wall-E, now it is Up. Coming from a collaboration of Disney and Pixar, Up has raised the standards of film-making (both animated and ordinary) in Hollywood. I never thought I would relate myself to this movie because it was about an old man who ties balloons to his house. But, within less than five minutes into the movie, something in me told me, ” NO, I don’t want this movie to end.”

1- Inglourious Basterds

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Cast: Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Michael Fassbender, Eli Roth

Points: Quentin Tarantino seems to be hanging on to a lost world of movie-making and setting his own standards which he matches every time he comes up with a  wonderfully complex story such as this. Tarantino gives life to this intriguing and absorbing World War II drama by adding a touch of fantasy and signature Tarantino-style visualization.

Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Romance, Thriller

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

Director: Chris Weitz

Music: Alex Patsavas

Reasons to watch: Taylor Lautner (whistles)!! This movie is only for hormonal twi-hard tween girls and for people who are suckers for romance.

Reasons not to watch: Rob Pattinson (bearable) and Kristen Stewart (totally unbearable)

Storyline: New Moon is the second installment of the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer.

Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) is back! She seems to have this rare and inane ability to attract all forms of life other than humans (Wow) . Bella delves deep into the dangerous and supernatural world of vampires and werewolves, with an undying love for Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) that gives her nightmares (God, I thought she was only in need of acting lessons; looks like someone needs to teach her to scream too). Edward dumps Bella for reasons which the director doesn’t care to explain and remains known only to the readers of Stephanie Meyer’s book. Bella then realizes that any sort of adrenaline rush (finally she seems to have taken Edward’s advice and Googled it) brings Edward’s image to her…. rescue I guess. So, she decides to go on a self-jeopardizing spree for which she ‘uses’ Jacob Black’s (Taylor Lautner) ‘friendship’. Their relationship in the movie has been depicted with less intensity in comparison to the book which showcased a highly intense Jacob-Bella relationship. Alice Cullen gets a vision of Bella dying and comes pronto to see her. Then follows a mis-interpreted phone call, Edward’s suicidal beeline to Volturi and Bella’s effort to save her love from death.

Climax Handling: The movie literally just… stops; with a lot of unanswered questions that I assume will be answered in the next edition of The Twilight Saga – Eclipse.

Points: Getting Pattinson and Lautner to bare their chests in the same movie was a terribly bad idea! In fact, Pattinson baring his chest was unbearable to watch. Thanks to Lautner the movie survives the apocalyptic pre-release predicaments.

Rating: 6/10

Comments: Bella’s mopings continue. “Don’t leave me. I can’t live without you. Make me a vampire.”

Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Romance

Cast: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Billy Burke, Peter Facinelli

Director: Catherine Hardwicke

Music: Carter Burwell

Reasons to watch: Watch it if you have all the time in the world to waste.

Reasons not to watch: DO NOT watch this movie if you have already read the book.

Storyline: For Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) life has always been different at Phoenix high school. Her mother re-marries and Bella goes to live with her father at Forks (a pluvial little town in Washington) not expecting any change in life. Just when she thinks that life at Forks High School is not going to be much different to that in Phoenix, she meets this amazingly dazzling, yet mysterious Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) and is instantly enthralled by his razzle-dazzle looks. But what she doesn’t know is, Edward (chill girls, he doesn’t have fangs) is a vampire and the moment his gaze fell on Bella, he had already seen straight into her soul. Edward’s family of slick and svelte vampires are unique in a way that they abstain from drinking human blood. Edward soon realizes that he has fallen in love- a feeling that has eluded him for the past 90 years. What ensues is a  sensuous, thrilling and out-of-the-box romance plagued by problems Edward faces in resisting Bella’s scent which could flare him up with uncontrollable hysteria. But this is not the only obstacle in Edward’s path (never mind the fact that he flies sometimes). What is  a love story without bad guys? With a typical cheap-stake intro, a different clan of vampires, James (Cam Gigandet), Laurent (Edi Gathegi) and Victoria (Rachelle Lefevre) come into the scene with attempts to disrupt the Cullens’ way of life. What will Edward do to save Bella from this nomadic trio of human hunting vampires??

Poor Stephanie Meyer – she put her heart and soul into writing an amazing book and looks like Catherine Hardwicke hasn’t done enough homework before adapting the story to her script-pad.

Climax Handling: Don’t bother. You would either be asleep or would have walked off half-way through the movie.

Points:

Bella Swan: Are you going to tell me how you stopped the van?
Edward Cullen: Yeah. Um… I had an adrenaline rush. It’s very common. You can Google it.

Rating: 6/10

Comments: You heard Edward. Google it.

Followed by: The Twilight Saga: New Moon

Genre: Fiction, Abstract, Weird, Rotoscoped

Cast: Trevor Jack Brooks, Lorelei Linklater, Wiley Wiggins

Direction:Richard Linklater

Music: Glover Gill

Reasons to watch: Waking Life is a digitally enhanced live action rotoscoped film. It is a think-bag. And it has Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy in small roles And Richard Linklater himself. And the film is T-y-p-i-c-a-l-l-y Linklater~!

Reasons not to: If you don’t understand it. If you get bored by recursive hellical ideologies.

Story: It starts with a young man going off to somewhere, doing something on his own, until he realizes he is dreaming. Whenever he thinks he has woken up, or as soon as he realizes he is dreaming, the situation and characters around him change. The scope changes. Everything is now new. The characters around him are discussing aspects of dreams, afterlife, relationships,existentialism, situationist politics, posthumanity and so many other things. The character discovers that he is not being able to wake up at all. These characters are telling him so many things… The young man eventually comes to realize the possibility that the reason he is unable to wake up is because he is dead. The film ends quite vaguely, typically Linklatered It’s a beauty to watch. The rotoscope works amazingly well for this script!

Climax Handling: There’s no climax as such.  All the other handlings are Awesome~!~!

Points:

Soap Opera Woman: Excuse me.
Wiley: Excuse me.
Soap Opera Woman: Hey. Could we do that again? I know we haven’t met, but I don’t want to be an ant. You know? I mean, it’s like we go through life with our antennas bouncing off one another, continously on ant autopilot, with nothing really human required of us. Stop. Go. Walk here. Drive there. All action basically for survival. All communication simply to keep this ant colony buzzing along in an efficient, polite manner. “Here’s your change.” “Paper or plastic?’ “Credit or debit?” “You want ketchup with that?” I don’t want a straw. I want real human moments. I want to see you. I want you to see me. I don’t want to give that up. I don’t want to be ant, you know?

Rating: 8.5/10

Comment: Again, one of those ‘perspective’ movies. Watch it to gain direction, perspective, or simply, a train of thought.

Language:

Genre: Sci-fi, Drama, Fiction

Cast: Haley Joel Osment, Jude Law

Direction: Steven Spielberg

Music: John Williams,

Reasons to watch: It is one of the most spine-chilling sci-fi stories. It is unbearable and the worst part is, that the horror does not come because the setting is horriffic. It comes from the minute probability that all this might, one day just happen to our world. The movie is just too beautiful.

Reasons not to: If you don’t like far-sighted movies etc..

Story: The story is set in a year far away from now, when the world identifies itself as an ‘orga’ or a ‘mecha’. They have managed to synthesize a robot which can feel love. Which can respond to human emotion. David is the first of this kind. He is sent to a family that promises to take care of him, because their own child has been put into suspended animation. But as soon as the child is cured, and the whole setup is too unnatural to be functioning smoothly, David is given up by his mother. One fine day. He, with all his attachment to home, and love for his family, out in the real world. Where he’s neither completely an orga nor a mecha. He has read The Adventures of Pinocchio. He thinks there would be a blue fairy that would turn him into a real boy. Then he would be able to gain his mother’s love. His search for the Blue Fairy goes on.

He never turns into a real boy. But he does find a way to rest in peace. With his mom telling him a bedtime story. Them lying in bed, ages after his search for the fairy even started. And he finally finds that moment which takes him to the place “where dreams are born”.

Climax Handling: This is not just a projection of technology into the future. This is also a very grotesque but real picture of what will become of the world. The eyes with which this picture has been shown to you, are real. David’s love is real. But he is not. The climax unsettles you. It makes you tremble. All in pursuit of The greatest single human gift – the ability to chase down our dreams.

Points:

Professor Hobby (The scientist who made David) : You are a real boy. At least as real as I’ve ever made one.

David: Mommy? Will you die?
Monica: Well, one day, David, yes, I will.
David: I’ll be alone.
Monica: Don’t worry yourself so.
David: How long will you live?
Monica: For ages. For 50 years.
David: I love you, Mommy. I hope you never die. Never.

Rating: 9.5/10

Comment: Please watch the movie when you’re ready for it. AI is even more relatable than other science fiction projections into future societies. Indeed – The brave New World it is.

Genre: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Action, Adventure

Cast: Kurt Russel, James Spader, Jaye Davidson, Viveca Lindfors, Alexis Cruz

Direction: Roland Emmerich

Music: David Arnold composes a great sci-fi soundtrack – rich and ominous

Reasons to watch: Vintage sci-fi, Jaye Davidson as Ra..! Excellent graphics considering a pre – CGI era movie.

Reasons not to: Poor characterization, the movie suffers from the poor second-half syndrome

Story: Something was unearthed in Egpyt, something much more than just an artifact – a gate to another dimension – The Stargate. But how does it work? Enter Daniel Jackson – a nerdy genius – who reveals the truth of the Stargate and discovers how to use it. Now the Stargate must be utilized – but who’ll dare to discover the hidden truths of another world? Enter Colonel Jack O’Neil and his team of soldiers, all set to take a journey across time and space.

But what is a Sci-fi movie without a villain? Enter Ra – the demi-god, the leader of an alien race, who has enslaved humans and uses their bodies to rejuvenate his youth. And thus begins the conflict between Slaves and Masters, Good and Evil and the fate of a civilization, and Earth itself hangs in balance as Ra plans to send a nuclear bomb via the Stargate.

Jackson and O’Neil must fight Ra and his army of warriors, and find the symbol, the symbol to control the Stargate.

Climax Handling: Confusing and predictable.

Points: A movie which was a forerunner to two popular TV series, Stargate begins on a promising note but disappoints later. A movie that could have been.

Rating: 6.5/10

Comment: Worth a lazy look, maybe more than that for a science fiction enthusiast.

Language:

Genre: Drama, Romance, Fantasy

Cast: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy

Direction: Richard Linklater

Reasons to watch: This movie is a sequel to Before Sunrise. The guy on that train, and that french girl in Vienna meet up again. 9 years have passed since that one night. The events are in real time.

Reasons not to: If you didn’t like Before Sunrise.

Story: Jesse and Celine meet. 9 years have passed. He is a successful author of a book. The book is going to be released in Paris. The book is the story of Celine and Jesse 9 years ago. This one night in Vienna. Jesse goes to Paris for his book. Enter Celine. Jesse is now married with kids. Celine has a boyfriend who is a photographer. Jesse has to go back by evening. Only if he would. You don’t want him to go back. They haven’t been able to get over that one night in Vienna. They would never be able to grow out of it. You have never been able to grow out of it. Because 9 years have actually passed, even for the actors, the script this time is far more mature, far more real, far more painful than the last. They talk, through boatrides, through parks, and finally at Celine’s home. She sings him a song. You don’t want him to get back to his flight at all.

Climax Handling: Let me sing you a waltz - Out of nowhere, out of my thoughts - Let me sing you a waltz – About this one night stand – You were, for me, that night – Everything I always dreamt of in life – But now you’re gone - You are far gone – All the way to your island of rain - It was for you just a one night thing - But you were much more to me, just so you know - I don’t care what they say - I know what you meant for me that day - I just want another try, I just want another night - Even if it doesn’t seem quite right - You meant for me much more than anyone I’ve met before - One single night with you, little Jesse, is worth a thousand with anybody – I have no bitterness, my sweet - I’ll never forget this one night thing - Even tomorrow in other arms, my heart will stay yours until I die - Let me sing you a waltz - Out of nowhere, out of my blues - Let me sing you a waltz - About this lovely one night stand

Points: In none of these movies has anybody told the other that they loved them. I envy all the travelers of the world who, at any point in their life would have had anything even remotely similar to this amazing encounter.

Rating: 9.5/10

Comment: You must watch it. Oh My God.

Language:

Genre: Drama, Romance, Fantasy

Cast: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy

Direction: Richard Linklater

Reasons to watch: Better dialogues have never been written. The characters don’t act. They just are. Incredible direction, and marvelous script. It brings out your little mushy corner. Ever so subtly.

Reasons not to: Could be monotony if you don’t identify with the concept of the movie.

Story: Jesse and Celine are two strangers on a European train going from Budapest to Vienna. Their meeting follows a conversation that is free flowing - about the television, about european trains, travel and such other things. She is a French student, and he is an American on vacation. Soon then, it is time for him to get down the train in Vienna. He will change trains there so he can get back to America after. He asks her to get down with him. Just for this night. His argument is so elaborately humorous, but so honest, that she is somehow convinced. Their journey through Vienna is one huge enticing conversation. There are games, and questions, and lies, and honest accounts of their lives. She is an intelligent, passionate, beautiful young lady, but she is proud to be with this guy who talks really really well. He knows just what to say and just when to say it. More than anything else, he understands what she really means. He is as weary as she is about relationships, and people. The movie is a gigantic dialogue, and they have made it very engaging throughout.

Can you really fall in love when you know somebody only so much? Can you still walk away from that person?

Jesse goes away in the morning. They plan to meet right at the same station exactly a year later. You will never forget this movie.

Climax Handling: The climax is almost the ending of the movie. While you are watching, you don’t want Jesse to go away either. You don’t want there to be any morning. You don’t want them to go ahead and go to their own lives miles and miles away. But you know. That is exactly what must happen.

Points: There has never been a more intriguing dialogue line-up. Richard Linklater has Everything.

Celine: Well, who says relationships have to last forever?

Rating: 9.5/10

Comment: You must watch it. I don’t care about where and in what mood. There is a sequel to the movie. Oh My God.

P.S. Check out the review of the sequel – Before Sunset