The Reader  (6/10)

Pros: decent story, good acting. 
Cons: ultra slow.

Did it really have substance for more than 2 hrs of movie? There are numerous questions and perspectives that are touched by the movie. Since I have not read the book, I'm not sure which aspect did the movie want to convey. For one, I am left confused about the initial scenes involving Kate's character. She hides her illiteracy but still behaves quite weird. I thought those scenes were before she became the guard. 
The other aspects of movie were subtle yet very thought provoking. But in the light of recent genocide or mass murders (like Sudan, Rwanda etc), I am not sure we've learnt any lessons from the events of WWII. Just today (19th Mar 09) there were testimonies by Israeli soliders of the atrocities and cold blooded murders conducted during the 3 week exercise in Palestine. 
Well any not a place for "political" discussion. Overall the movie was yet another world war movie; ofcourse you can ponder over various penetrating questions raised by the movie.

Cinematically, good strong performance by Kate Winslet. 

Slumdog Millionaire

Finally got to see the hype and frankly quite disappointed  (5/10) 

Pros: good story line, fast pace, good music, good acting from the child artists

Cons: mediocre acting from majority of the cast, sketchy editing causing very weird flow of the movie, not the best of directions i have seen for an oscar winning movie.

I guess the west just fell in love with what can be referred to "joi de vivre" outlook of lower echelons of Indian life. One of the likable aspect of the movie is that most of the toubled and sad scenes of the movie are directed with indifference of an observer. 
I am not sure what was so good about direction. Although the pace of movie was good I felt the overall flow was patchy at best. 

Music was a saving grace but then again we Rahman and this is a very simple contribution from him. (Consider music for Satya, Bombay, Taal and numerous others which were brilliant) 
Acting was mediocre at best from all characters. 
Among others, Mother India and Salam Bombay, were movies to reach the Oscar pedastal. These movies didn't win anything there. But am sure if they were American Production they would  sweep away. Nevertheless, I hope the movie does good for our nation at large and our movie industry at least. 

3/10 (1 for using a good potential subject. 1 for good casting (esp Kangana Ranawat impressive acting at some of the scenes)) 1 for good music )

To me the opening of movie is very important. That is where it captures my attention and ignites a desire to know further about the film/story. For the first 21 minutes (of a more than 2.5 hrs movie) the only thing that you can conclude is that Priyanka Chopra's character is from Chandigarh and she wants to become a model despite lack of support of family. Talk about bad editing in Hindi movie do you need 21 mins to tell me that?
Probably, the fashion industry is littered with gay man but some of the characters in this movie are so desparately gay that they want to make sure u know they are gay. And by the way every other man is gay in the movie. Was the movie about gay man in fashion industry??
The fate of protagonist is clear and am not sure what I was watching the movie for so I quit half way through...
And talk about struggle which the lead faces, she is frustrated within a week of arriving in Mumbai, but somehow everybody starts helping her and she sky rockets to the cloud 9 of fashion industry. And all this somehow consumed 1.5 hrs of the movie ! disaster.

GHAJNI
2/10 (1 for little acting that Aamir had in the movie and the other for buffing up)
Pros: specified above
Cons:
1. lack of genre of the movie. 3 hrs of hotch potch
2. Pathetic editing as always
3. The fight sequences are shot in a werid south indian style effects where punchs and man-throwing are sped up to create a hazy glazy scene in ur head. (perhaps to induce short-term memory loss)
4. the movie is 3 hrs long where the first half is about this bubbly girl who Aamir wants to revenge for. (think a little bit about Refugee or the remake Criminal and all ur suspense is over) 5. there is no edge of the seat thriller u can relax for the first 1 or 2 hrs and come back in the last hr to find some thrill. (let me know where you found the thrill)

Once again the pathetic condition of Indian cinema makes me sad.
On the happy note 'A Wednesday' is a brilliant movie. (full credit to the newbie writer director Neeraj Pandey)

Latest additions to the something different movie list

1. el Crimen Ferpecto (The perfect Crime) : Rafa the casanova ends up with a weirdo gril-friend and later wife after he accidently murders his competitor and the weirdo hacks the body to dispose of the corps. His elaborate plan to get rid of her and her rise to fame :) it is quite hilarious
2. La Mala Education (Bad Education) : Gael Garcia Barnal fans here is another brilliant performance by this versatile actor. Very deep and twisted plot unravels slowly and couldn't have been at the hands of a better director than Pedro Almodovar.
3. Blue White Red , The tri-color trilogy : At last I got a chance to watch these beautiful stories. You got to see these and preferably in that order. These are all simple stories but with very closer look at the characters and how they behave to the situations they are facing. The slick direction and character building is really excellent.
4. El Bola (pellet) : awesome movie. you got to see this one. the kids performance is just too good.
5. Belle De Jour : weird movie :)

Omkara

Loved this movie. Good performances, nicely directed and good songs/music. The screenplay and adaptation are pretty good.
"Mahabali jo apne baap ki na ho saki woh kisi aur ki kya hogi"
----
"Triya charitra... " to that Konkana's dialogue is somewhat like "... when the holi scriptures themselves have abased the female kind then who are u Mahabali ... "
.... They definitely knew what to take as the base for adaptation and how to blend it fittingly into an Indian context.

Some of the shots are really impressive like the one in the end with ... oo can't give this out :)

Saif seems to be improving with every new role he does. Keep your ears open for the dailogues from the old lady in the village and Konkana Sen.

No downers for this one.

Transamerica

+Felicity Huffman, good performance.

The movie has a light hearted comical mood to it while dealing with some important issues regarding the transgender, their accpetence and existence in the society. The lead (Stanley/Bree) has sort of mania to blend in, partly attributed to her physical difference from the majority of the society and partly attributed to the slightly dysfunctional family she belonged. There is a quest, a search for her own self, and she tries to grope for herself while trying to help her son. She experiences 'falling for someone feeling', she becomes aware that she is capable of hurting someone (her son) ... and a well knit sequence of events which give her more belief into her existence.

If you pour a little bit more you find that being a bit different from the majority around you can be dauntingly difficult. Imagine you are the only man or woman in a totally transgender world.!

The direction is simple, the setting is totally American, spanning from NY to Kansas to texas to new mexico to LA. The story flows at its pace and may be some more editing would have helped.
It is not a shallow movie and it is easy to get bored ... but think of it everyone is unique... so long as u are happy with urself u are 'blended' in.

Good Night, and Good Luck.

+Loved the documentary style, black and white texture of the film.
+Marvellous acting, equally good editing and very well directed by Clooney (the first attempt Confessions of a Dangerous Mind was thumbs down for me)
+ David Strathairn as Ed Murrow is perfect, absolutely fantastic in his dialogues, diction, oration all just perfect. The dialogues in the movie are worth keeping your ears open.
++Overall message of the movie is moral, intellectual and dignified. The immense power of information and the media which delivers them, the bold responsibilities of the people incharge of these and their courage to deliver the truth without fear of loosing corporate funding and more importantly of our duty to demand more than what media bullies and feeds into us.
Inspiring :)

-This is more of my short coming than of the movie, I think some knowledge of the events related to the movie would help to appreciate it better.

Recommended when you are in for some serious thought provoking mood.

Hostel
A saga with lack of everything except ruthless depiction of torture.
Well, what did we expect when we went to see this movie. We had seen the trailer, there was blood n screaming n torture. Yes so that was pretty much what we got in the movie. It was not scary in the manner of Ju-on, Omen or Rosemary's baby, it was just bloody hell gory.

Not sure what mood you should watch this movie, probably before planning a trip to eastern Europe :)

5/10 for English movies.

Rang De Basanti

8/10 on the scale of hindi movies.

+ Very Fresh screenplay, simple yet thoughtful.
+ The juxtaposing of scenes containing events from British Raj with the events in current Corrupt Raj is brilliant. I think the word for that is Cinematography, and finally hindi movie makers seem to be learning it.
+ Good editing, the movie doesn't seem to slack or loose pace at any time. Especially the songs are well timed n blend nicely in the story while adding melody to it.
+ Songs are good.
+ Acting is good. Aamir shows his talent in timing the dialogues. Alice Patten does a fine job. Rest of the cast all have space for their characters and perform brilliantly. All credits to the director for good use of the ensemble cast.

- Second half the events are somewhat propelled and lack the critical character transformation needed to justify the events. The first half builds all the characters as a normal bunch of college boys n girls with love, romance, careless free attitude. In second half, by the time you come to grip u see these jolly bunch turned into assasins and rebellions of the calibre of extremist freedom fighters.

+++ The scene where Agashe is portrayed as General Dyer is probably one of the best scenes from recent hindi movies.

Overall, am sure u wud watch it twice :)

North Country: two thumbs down :)
Usually Hollywood does justice to real life stories, like Erin Brokovich (screw the spelling) or Insider, but this one is slow dull and never gets any grip on the audience.
Screenplay, pretty bad, there are some good scenes towards the end of the movie, if only the adaptation was able to fit in some more good writing from the start.

Charlize Theron, is ok in the role. Creditibility to her inclination to doing roles which go beyond the looks, but still its upto the director and writer to create room for the actors to perform, which surely is missing here.

Frances McDormand is brilliant in the supporting role as fellow mine worker. (hope she gets a oscar nomination)

Rest its just a sluggish movie.