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Highly commendable effort by the writer, director and especially the actors (the main protagonist of this show has some serious serious acting chops, I hope she does even better in her career).

A story revolving vampires (although for some reason this term is never used in any episode) in modern day Kolkata, portrayed in a clever, engaging manner. Unique, entertaining experience when one considers the general scarcity of genres in Indian cinema/TV shows.

Just please don't frikkin' cancel this, Netflix. You will discourage whatever creativity is left in our Indian film/TV industry. Fingers crossed.

Previously, I had never really disliked Ben Affleck but I didn't think too highly of him either, as an actor. Then just recently I noticed his brilliant writing and decent performance in Good Will Hunting, and I grew to respect him a little…until a few hours ago when that respect drastically shot up to a much, much higher level than before.

Gone Baby Gone is definitely a triumphant win for Ben Affleck, considering it was his very first directorial venture (not counting the short film he had made years ago as a student). It is a maturely handled, realistic film which continuously shifts between telling a simple story and portraying some truly devastating moral dilemmas. What I like even more about this film is the way it presents the situations (which are again, very human and plausible); it takes to trouble to show both sides of the coin, and leaves the audience to make their own judgment without brainwashing/preaching them in any sort of way. This is especially significant in regards to the climax, when Patrick Kenzie (Casey Affleck) has to make an important decision. The latter is not made out to be "the only way out", and nor are the consequences shown to be miraculously fitting to what Kenzie might have had in mind. Just like any real-life decision, the whole situation is portrayed with a hint of neutrality and uncertainty - because after all, we know absolutely nothing about what's going to happen in the future. We can only make our choices and hope we are right.

…Looks like I went on a bit of a tangent there so, er, sorry. Anyway, back to the movie. I have to admit that initially, I had been a little disappointed because I wasn't finding the movie as…thrilling, as I may have been expecting. But then I realised – the fault had not been the filmmaker's, but my own. Or rather, my upbringing of having seen so many mainstream 'thrillers' that I came to expect nothing but hollow, low-on-substance entertainment every time I heard the words "detective movie" or "mystery thriller". This movie, may not have the traditional "in-your-face" moments but it has something even more special – a heart. Not many filmmakers are able to achieve something like this…Affleck has all the right to feel proud of his work. Oh and of course, my comments would be incomplete if I don't mention the excellent performances by – well, the whole cast. Casey Affleck definitely stood out from the rest but even with their rather short screen times, people like Michelle Monaghan, Ed Harris and Amy Ryan certainly made their presence felt.

All in all this is an immensely well made, impactful movie. I'll be very much looking forward to Ben Affleck's next film as a director.

My Final Rating: 8.5/10.

Wow…this movie is a true work of art. The main story was rather straightforward, but the characterization, the intensely poetic visuals, the soulful score and the brilliant direction made it one of the most hauntingly unique cinematic experiences I've ever had.

First of all, the performances were all top-notch. Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck obviously dominated the screen most of the time, but quite a few secondary actors (Sam Rockwell, for instance) stood out as well. Casey Affleck's performance was widely acclaimed, and I was very impressed with him as well but personally I thought that Brad Pitt stole the show, especially in the last hour of the movie. The character of Jesse James was just as complex and layered as Robert Ford, and Pitt pulled off this multi-faceted personality very nicely in my opinion. It's a real shame he wasn't nominated for the Oscars.

Another major victim of an Oscar snub was Roger Deakins. I had liked his work in The Shawshank Redemption and Fargo (it had been one of the few redeeming features of the latter), but this time he really outdid himself. His style was strongly reminiscent of the cinematography in Terrence Malick's films, with the wonderful landscapes and the most interesting camera angles. Moreover the visuals blended effortlessly with the background score…every technical aspect of this movie seemed to fit right in place.

As far as the actual assassination of Jesse James is concerned, I thought it was brilliantly portrayed. The fact that the title itself was throwing such a huge spoiler at the audience even before they had seen the movie, must have made it very tough for the director/screenwriter to maintain the significance of that particular scene. However, the spoiler was very cleverly used by Andrew Dominik to provide some strong dramatic irony to the plot, and this made the assassination scene all the more impactful.

…There are quite a few more themes and interesting aspects that I noticed in the movie (e.g. the possible homosexual tension, the whole "novel-like" atmosphere) but no matter how much I write about it, it would all amount to a single fact – that I loved every minute of this film. As of now, it is definitely my favourite of the year.

My Final Rating: 9/10.

This film works well with children…but works wonders with adults. Much like "Alice In Wonderland", it revolves around a world which appears to be extraordinary – but at the same time reflects many aspects of our own society, and the human nature. Miyazaki's quality of animation is brilliant as usual, much like his vision to create something so creatively profound, entertaining and intensely symbolic. A perfect example of the latter is an appropriately named character called No-Face. To me he appeared to be a reference to the many socially insecure people out there, who stay in the shadows but secretly crave for friendship. When Chihiro behaves in a warm manner with him, he is so overwhelmed that he becomes desperate to seek her attention and to make her happy in any way possible. Another symbolic aspect I found towards the end of the movie, was when Haku strictly told Chihiro not to "look back", until she had come out of the cave. This instantly reminded me of a Greek myth I had read as a child, - whereby a man who had gone to depths of Hell to bring back his dead wife, was instructed to do the same, but failed to comply due to his doubtful nature. Perhaps Miyazaki wanted to imply that by "looking back", Chihiro would have unknowingly expressed a hint of regret and this might have enabled Yu-Baba to seize her back into the magical land. Of course, there is also the rather abrupt ending – which I had found a bit weird at first but when I thought about it I realised that it was most probably done on purpose, to maintain an element of mystery in the viewer's mind, as to whether Chihiro and Haku were ever able to meet again or not. All said and done, I did have one complaint with the movie…considering the story involved an extraordinary, magical land there was an enormous amount of scope and although I found the movie to be very intriguing – I feel that it could have been even more adventurous and exciting. That's just me. On the whole though, I can't deny the fact that this is one of the most unique, enthralling animation experiences I've ever had.

My Final Rating: 8.5/10.

A finely crafted little gem of a movie - one of the best Indian films of 2006. I firmly believe that this film could give quite a few critical acclaimed American movies from the same year, a run for their money. Director Nagesh Kukunoor was already known for presenting the most well-etched and relatable characters on screen - but with this movie he has also clearly established that he can transform a very ordinary, simple story to a most engaging, extraordinary movie experience. I do have a few complaints about the script and the dialogues, which tend to be a bit clichéd and sometimes ineffective - but other than that the technical aspects are more than satisfactory with the beautiful cinematography of the locales and the brilliantly soothing score.

My Final Rating: 8.5/10.

The Skeleton Key

My rating: 6/10

The plot: Caroline, a nurse (Kate Hudson) takes up a job in a desolate, somewhat mysterious village, to tend to a dying man (John Hurt) who is unable to speak or walk properly. As she tries her best to save him, she starts discovering all sorts of secrets about the man himself, the villagers' weird superstitions and about the house of her employers itself. The troubles begin when Caroline ---discovers a horrifying truth…

This isn't a scary movie at all, so if you're hesitating to watch it because you hate frightening movies then relax, there isn't a lot of freaky material in here at all. I wasn't very keen on watching this movie either, but not because it is supposedly a horror movie (I'd rather call it a "thriller"), but simply because I was convinced that it would be a complete bore, - after watching the trailer and reading the plot summary. I decided to rent it when some of my friends recommended it to me, - and as there was no other movie I could find. I have to say, it really wasn't as bad as I thought. The movie is indeed quite dull and sluggish at first, but it garners interest as the story slowly builds up. The ending though, is the best part; I NEVER saw it coming. As I was watching the movie, I kept thinking, "Boy, if the director doesn't come up with a decent ending to this, I'm going to throw this DVD out the window." Thankfully, I didn't have to resort to such "violence" after all, since I was more than satisfied with the climax.

I gave this movie an average rating only because a major part of the movie was quite dull and unappealing, and had the director put in a little more effort, this flick would have done quite well. So if you really like watching movies with unimaginable twists at the end, then try bear with the first half of the movie, trust me it'll be worth it when it's finished.

R.V

My rating: 6.5/10

I went to see this movie with extremely low expectations, thanks to all the negative predictions which had been circulating for the past few weeks, and I have only one thing to say; DO NOT avoid this movie only because your favourite critic has said that it is an unprecedented flop, or because you think the title is unappealing – watch the movie for yourself first, and be the judge yourself without being influenced by any other guy who probably hasn't even seen the film. Only then you will realise the true significance of this movie.

First off, it's a great movie to watch with the whole family, which is saying something since most of the comedy movie nowadays are filled with raunchy jokes from start to finish (not that I don't enjoy those movies, but it's cool to watch a nice simple family movie every now and then – "The Pink Panther" is a good example of the latter). Contrary to rumours, Robin Williams does NOT let us down, in fact I think he is just as funny as he was in his previous flicks – and if some obsessively observant viewers do notice a change in his performance, then give the guy a break, he's getting older he isn't what he used to be 10 years ago!

I think it's a pretty good movie– mind, it isn't a piece of genius but as I said, if you wipe out all biased thoughts from your mind before watching this flick and without the skeptical attitude, there's a good chance you will enjoy this movie as much as I did, just give it a try.

Underworld Evolution

My rating: 8/10

The plot: We find out more about the history of the long-time war between lycans (werewolves) and vampires, while Selene and Michael are still on the run –now being tracked down by a new enemy; the recently "awakened" Marcus, who, incidentally was the very first vampire.

Only one word to describe it; Wow! The first Underworld was a great movie, but this one surpasses all of my expectations, especially since there are more action sequences, more characters, more background information about the whole "werewolves v/s vampires" saga and in my opinion, this movie is more gripping than the previous venture. The additional benefit is that the movie starts off with a short summary of the events that occurred in the first installment, which means that anyone can easily understand what's happening without getting too confused (whether they have seen the first movie or not). However, the storyline is a bit weak, compared to that of "Underworld" 1 (which seems to be the case for many sequels, so I don't blame the director). So if you are a big-time "Underworld" fan, and don't care much about having an absolutely flawless plot, then this movie is a MUST-SEE for you. On the other hand if you don't like "dark" movies involving creatures like vampires, werewolves etc, and which are somewhat violent, then you'd better stay away from this one.

Envy

My rating: 4/10

Ben Stiller and Jack Black; quite an unusual pairing, but they're both very talented so I thought I'd rent this movie, just to check it out. I mean, after all, the trailer looked OK, so what can go wrong with this movie? ...Well, quite a lot, as I realised afterwards.

The plot: There are 2 guys, who are very close friends – they live opposite each other, their families have dinner with each other, they drive to work together…well you get the picture. One of them (Jack Black) is always coming up with weird, eccentric inventions and ideas, which are ridiculously put down by his friend (Ben Stiller). As luck would have it, one of Jack Black's inventions actually works, and he becomes filthy rich, right from having a huge mansion for a house to owning his own golf course. The troubles start when Ben Stiller starts to feel jealous of his buddy's new-found wealth.

I found the plot mildly interesting, and I expected a good job from the director's part, since he is an Oscar winner (I can't remember his name but he made "Rain Man"), good performances, and lots of laughs. Everything I hoped for was fulfilled except for the "lots of laughs" part. That's the main drawback for this film. I did chuckle a few times, but that was about it, and if that's what I get from a "comedy" film it's very disappointing. I mean, the direction (in terms of the pace of the movie, performances, cinematography, all the technical stuff) is good, and had this been classified in the "drama" genre, I would have given it a 6 or a 7, because it delivers its message well but as far as comedy is concerned…well, maybe the director should stop dreaming about making people laugh, and concentrate on other genres.

Transporter 2

My rating: 7/10

The plot is simple; the guy who played the "transporter", Frank, is back in this flick – only at the moment he works as a driver/bodyguard to a rich family. Now things get messed up when the kid (whose protection is Frank's main job) gets kidnapped. And soon enough, we figure out that kidnappers might have bigger plans than just recovering the ransom…

If you're in the mood to see a very thought-provoking movie with high-quality performances, then don't even bother watching Transporter 2. However if you enjoyed the first one, and don't give a damn whether a movie is realistic enough for you, or of Oscar quality and just want to spend that free Saturday afternoon relaxing with some good entertainment, then you'll be very satisfied. Entertainment is what Transporter 2 will give you, with around an hour and a half's worth of non-stop action and incredible stunts – sure, many critics' reviews might have called all them unbelievable, cheap and god knows what not, but WHO CARES? Not every movie has to have a "social message" in it. So unless you're one of the jury members of the Oscars, or someone who doesn't like watching action movies at all, or a hermit who's dedicated his/her life to endless meditation, I don't see why you wouldn't enjoy this flick…of course, every has their own preferences, but I just wanted to prove that the movie isn't as bad as people say. Give it a try!