Wait Until Dark

This is one gem of a movie. Is quite slow as per my likings, but since i'd heard that its a very nice movie,I held on to my patience and saw the entire movie. Its a movie made in the sixties, so you know what to expect in terms of grandeur of sets or wardrobes or background score.
It stars Audrey Hepburn in a most fascinating role, that of a recently blinded woman. The movie starts on a very slow note, and the plot is not unfolded until after the first one hour or so. But once it starts rolling, there's no option but to sit glued to your chair.
How easy cons feel it is to fool a blind person, but little do they know that even though he/she is blind, he/she has the ability to outsmart those who can see...just you wait until dark! That's the conviction with which Susie(Audrey Hepburn) saves herself from the three thieves.
The performances were unbelievably good, especially Susie's. So simple, elegant and yet so powerful.
This movie is a must watch, on the big screen. But since its impossible to find this movie playing in any multiplex now, I recommend watching it with the room pitch black. The goosebumps you will feel are a much needed part of the experience. So go and enjoy this movie.

Confessions of a Shopaholic

Starts off with a very nice note about credit cards and how handy they are and how we spend so much shopping just because of this magic card...the credit card.
This movie has a very cute lead pair in the form of Isla Fisher and Hugh Dancy. The director P.J Hogan has done full justice to the script, but since the script was a little too predictive, it wasn't that different. However, some scenes are definitely enjoyable like the one when Rebecca and Luke are in a ball dance and Rebecca has no clue about ball dancing. Another one worth mentioning is the one at the meeting of shopaholics to try and cure themselves and Rebecca ends up convincing each and everyone present there that shopping like your addicted to it, is not wrong.
The movie starts off very well, and showing rooms full of clothes and accessories to go with them at the victims house. The after effects of overusing the credit card are also well highlighted. The part where Rebecca is supposed to speak in Finnish when she knows nothing of the language is impractical and can be attributed to luck alone, which is non-existent.
As far as the acting goes, Isla Fisher and Lrysten Ritter have done a fantastic job. The rest of the cast have also played their parts well, but its these two who steal the show.
The trial to fit in a romantic story didn't go very well, as there was not much scope for their love story to develop. It appears as if a usual story was picked up and squeezed through the main plot. The movie would have definitely survived without the love story.
So, as far as the watchability of this movie goes...I would say it is definitely seeable since its a short movie of one and a half hour. But, its definitely not a must watch.

Crash

These days, we don't touch people. That is why we crash into them, to feel human. This line sets the mood for the movie. The theme is racism. Yes, it still exists in the heart of the US of A. There are 6-7 characters whose stories unfold individually. The way each character and his story is built right from the beginning is nice. All these threads get intertwined at some point and thus the director very smartly starts bringing in meaning to each scenario. Some people support racism to the hilt. Some others have been victims and thus mean to harm only the whites. Some whites are so scared of the hatred planted in the hearts of the blacks that they commit regrettable actions.
Innocence is also displayed very well where this father tries to encourage his five year old daughter by giving her an invisible cloak which won't let any bullet penetrate. When the father is held at gunpoint, the daughter believes she can save her father and boom. There are stronger relationships in this world than friendship. A friend does not help her friend when she needs to be rushed to the hospital, just because she was having a massage. Such is the world. Portraying harsh reality in a way that it has the desired positive impact is very difficult. All such scenes have been handled very well.
Fear, hatred, innocence, regret, inabilty of action its all here in one movie. Well put together and well enacted. I would recommend a must see.

The Notebook

That's a movie's name I saw yesterday. Was a recommendation from a friend of mine Hemant, whose choice usually is repelling. But this choice was worth the watching. A very nice, sober, well put story. A hindi flick U Me aur Hum is also based on the same theme. There are minute differences in the way the story proceeds, but overall its the same.

If you've seen both the films, you are bound to appreciate Nick Cassavetes' (Director for 'The Notebook') direction. There is no need to show the lead protagonist yelling and screeching every 10 minutes to generate pity. Overacting doesn't create the much needed impact, which many bollywood movies have proved every now and then, by trying hard to make an "inspired" copy of a well known hollywood flick.

The most difficult part, the part when she has to make "the" choice, is so well portrayed. Compare that to any hindi movie and there is no dearth of all the typical dialogues talking about the true power of a woman and blah blah.

Yes, it is a love story, which i usually don't recommend (except a few like Serendipity, City of angels) but this one is a must watch. N yes, it did mobilize my tear glands, which is very difficult for any movie.