A Serious Man

Director: Joel & Ethan Coen
Year: 2009

I found it hard to keep up with this film at first, it starts slow, boasts all of the Coen's brand of bland, almost square cinematography, and the story isn't anything that gabs you by the balls, but let me assure you that your balls will be grabbed & twisted, albeit gently, by the time the film ends. It is funny, with the typical Coen brothers' humor, just leaves you with a smirk & maybe shifting uneasily in your seat, and is full of irony. The screenplay is brilliant & the acting is very good, what else do you need. And let me correct myself for saying that the cinematography is all bland, it is not, there will be sudden bursts of almost surreal sequences to just break the monotony. In fact the film starts off with one such sequence, which has practically nothing to do with the rest of the film, apart from maybe act as a pointer towards what to expect. The climax is worth waiting for.

I give it:  7.5 on 10

The Blind Side

Year: 2009
Director: John Lee Hancock

 I give it: 7 on 10

An inspiring & heart warming story. I am not a huge Sandra Bullock fan, neither do i like sports dramas, but this is one film that i loved watching. It will give you hope. Films like this leave you feeling warm & happy, even more so because it is based on a true story. Watch this when you feel low & need a pick me up.

A guide to watching films based on Nicholas Sparks' books

Namely: Message in A Bottle(1999), A Walk to Remember(2002), The Notebook(2004), Nights in Rodanthe(2008), Dear John(2010), Last Song(2010).

 1. Expect love like you will never ever find in your life. All forgiving, all sacrificing love. Love that last forever, till death do they part, blah blah.
2. Expect lots of crying.
3. The couple will break up, at least once. But don't worry they will get back together.
4. If the couple is very happy before too long into the film, one of them will die.
5. If the couple is not happy till nearly the end of the film, there will be a happy ending.
6. There will be a scene with an old couple who have undying love for each other.
7. Expect parents to be super parents, you will wonder why you never had such wonderful parents.
8. One of the protagonists will have a talent, which they will not nurture until the loves of their lives come along & inspire them.
9. Things always happen at the beach.
10. You will wonder for days after you finish watching the films, why you waste time watching stuff like that, but a week later you will watch another one. I guess there's a closet sadist in all o

La Meglio Gioventu (The Best of Youth)

Director- Marco Tullio Giordana
Year- 2003

I give it- 9/10

This is how films should be made, even if they must run almost 6 hours to be made this way, if you make it well people will sit through those six hours & watch it. It is a tale that spans 3 generations of the Carati family, mainly centering around the two brothers, Nicola & Matteo. Several characters are introduced in between & at the end all of them are built so well that you know them almost like you know the real people, you feel for them, you hope for them, you laugh & cry with them. I stayed up till past 2 am on two consecutive nights to finish watching this & it was totally worth it. Wonderful film, must watch for every cinema lover.

The Experiment

Director:  Paul Scheuring
Year: 2010

I give it: 7/10

I should go & throw myself off a bridge because I am commenting on a remake without watching the original. Hollywood is known to make messes out of great films, but this one didn't seem like much of a mess, even though, like I said, I shouldn't comment on it without watching the original first. Forest Whittaker is magnificent. Adrien Brody is okay. The film does look a bit hastily put together, too much happens in too little time. Nothing really sinks in. The soundtrack is pretty bad, makes the film appear very cheap & cheesy. It's an interesting plot though, if you haven't watched the original. But watch it for Forest Whittaker, if not anything else.