Laughter at the rate of 100 laughs per minute.

The Big Lebowski (1998) directed by Joel Coen

Coen brothers are famous for their inventiveness as they never repeat the themes of their films.The same thing can be said about their erratic choice of actors.In "The Big Lebowski",we see some of the best talented actors of Hollywood doing highly unconventional roles.The beauty with a brain Julianne Moore plays a hard to believe adult movie star,Jeff Bridges is nice as a bum.John Goodman and Steve Buscemi are good too as a bunch of good for nothings.Regarding "The Big Lebowski" the best comment should concentrate on the film's raison d'être.It is about creating funny episodes out of nothing.Sometimes it is a nice feeling when while watching a film people decide not to bother about plot,camera etc and start enjoying the poetry of nothingness.It is this senseless yet charming session of mirth that has been created by Coen brothers.A different yet unusually similar film comes to my mind "A Fish called Wanda".Those who have seen both the films will not hesitate in declaring that both of them provide a century of laughs.

Hard to digest : John Travolta as a villain beating Slater to pulp !!!

Broken Arrow (1996) directed by John Woo

My admiration for John Woo grew leaps and bounds with this particular film.To my mind,Broken Arrow has set a trend of taking lead players as villains.No one could have imagined even in wildest dreams that a professional airline Pilot that is John Travolta would be playing the part of a recalcitrant baddie hell bent on achieving universal destruction.He is the only one who steals the show gradually and it is towards the end of the film that his wickedness is at the summit of its annihilating powers.The success of this film is also due to
tightly controlled actions scenes.After Broken Arrow,there were hardly any good action films whose intensity matched those of this elegant action thriller.There is no doubt that Travolta steals the show.Sad but true other actors appear as
dimwits whether it is Christian Slater or Samantha Mathis.It would be nice if a sequel of this film is made by John Woo.If Die hard can be a big grosser than Broken Arrow is equally capable of replicating its previous success.

Chaplin knew how to act.

Monsieur Verdoux (1947) directed by Charlie Chaplin

This film was a big eye opener for me.I had always held the belief that Charlie Chaplin was just a highly acclaimed clown indeed buffoon who did nothing but just jump around in order to make people laugh.I think that Monsieur Verdoux is the only serious film which Chaplin ever made in his life.Although the film's topic is touching as it is tragic there is still scope for comedy as the title character Verdoux fools people as he is aware of their vulnerability.The film is based on sociological reasons as many men died during the two world wars and there was an acute shortage of men in Europe.This is where a trickster named Verdoux comes in picture as he had no other decent job but to fool innocent women by making them believe that they loved him and finally kill them.The film is based on a real life character called Landru.A similar film was also made by Claude Chabrol called Landru which starred Charles Denner.Both the versions are OK as they highlight the same notion of human weakness,greed and crime.

So this film was made as it had got to be made ! ! !

The Pianist (2002) directed by Roman Polanski

It is a rather strange Jewish tradition that willingly or unwillingly all Jewish film makers direct films about the holocaust experience. This may be an easy way to get close to Jewish heritage,legacy and repay the debt owned to the community but what is more important to know is that a Jewish person making a film about holocaust would guarantee immediate success.So whether it is Spielberg or Polanski, Jewish filmmakers have made films about the terrible Jewish experience during holocaust days.In the case of both these directors they have made their respective holocaust films after having found money and popularity with other films.So more than a matter of creative task,it was more of a communal obligation for them to make an holocaust film. It is only in this context that one must consider The Pianist.This film is just plain OK nothing great or spectacular as everything can be foretold beforehand such as atrocities,suffering and ultimately liberation.The choice of Adrien Brody as the pianist is a good one as he carries the film single handedly on his shoulders.There is no other good reason which can justify the goodness of this film.

Average film about the superstar of smut made by a veteran European film director.

The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996) directed by Milos Forman

Milos Forman has always had a good career both in his native land and outside it.When he was in the former Czechoslovakia he made films which terrified the communist regime.He has always had a good career in USA and even enjoyed greater creative freedom. This is evident through his choice of films which he has made.Who in the world can ever imagine that a Czech film director would go on to direct a film about one of America's most notorious person.People versus Larry Flint is a highly subjective film as to some it might appear that it glorifies Larry Flynt.In reality, this is not so as it is devoid of any objectionable material.What we see are good performances by all actors especially by Woody Harrelson.He is the veritable life and soul of our main protagonist.Courtney Love is OK as his muse as her performance is just above average.Wathcing this film one would easily make out that all the uproar by the church about its poster was just a silly hogwash.

Not sure whether this must be termed as the best film directed by David Lynch.

Mulholland Drive (2001) directed by David Lynch

In any manner whatsoever,I don't want to offend any of the admirers of David Lynch who are present all over the world.However I would like to mention that I purchased a DVD of this film in order to fathom what made it so famous that it won the best foreign language film at the French Cesar awards ceremony. However my first viewing session of this film was deceptive as it left me numb and I could not make head nor tail of this film.As in the past I had seen only one film from our American master in question called "The Elephant Man" and as I was not much too satisfied with the film,my expectations with Mullholland Drive were high and sorry to say unfortunately they came to a cropper. First of all I found it hard to understand why so many events were happening and that too in quick succession.There was no coherence and it appeared to me that the innocent viewers were bombarded with a volley of jumbled scenes.Yeah it is a good thing that some of those scenes were shrouded into mystery while some were suffused with sensuality.So thanks to these elements I was able to contend myself with this film. The two leading actress are worth mentioning as their coming together might be a healing for some haplessly sore eyes.

How does it feel to be in a mental institution.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) directed by Milos Forman

The making of this film is a miracle of sorts.It all started when influenced by Czech new wave Kirk Douglas decided to visit Prague.He approached Milos Forman to direct this film.It took Milos Forman some 6 years before he could move out of Czechoslovakia (as it was known that time) Rest all is history.This film wins all the viewer's sympathy as it has shown a very mature, challenging subject:condition of inmates at a mental institution.The theme of human freedom is deftly handled.Apart from the usual sad elements there are certain comic elements too.This is one of the most restrained performances by Jack Nicholson.Louise Fletcher is great too even though she has played the role of a cruel,strict and authoritarian person.As far as the comparison with Ken Kesey's novel is concerned, it is no big deal to compare.When one can enjoy this film, who would bother to read the original novel.It is best to say : watch the film and leave the novel for the book lovers to follow.

Both Black and White can live together peacefully.

Mississippi Burning (1988) directed by Alan Parker

Last year,I was appalled to read in an issue of Film Comment magazine that "Mississippi Burning" had been judged as the worst American film based on real life events.This is not only shocking but highly unbelievable too.What dismays is the fact that how can anyone categorize such a brilliant film as one of the worst political films.I am of the opinion that this is a big error on the part of a respectable film magazine."Mississippi Burning" is a superb rendition of the events which took lives of civil rights workers.Apart from the actors'efforts,the real credit of its success must go to Alan Parker's taut,skillful direction.With this film he has proved that he is at his creative best when he makes films based on real life events.No doubt people do remember "Midnight Express" and also the fact that hardly a week passes without the television screening of this film.William Defoe is a kind soul in this film.It was after this film that he decided to play various kind of bad guy roles.Gene Hackman is good too and his anger,frustration and obstinacy are a joy to watch.Frances McDormand is nice as the helpless soul trying to wriggle out of an unhappy marriage.Message of the film :nothing can be achieved through violence.PS: Live and let others live happily.

Meaningful film with Jeremy Irons and Robert de Niro.

The Mission (1986) directed by Roland Joffe

The Mission directed by Roland Joffe cannot be termed as a film which can masquerade as some kind of populist entertainment stuff. It is not at all a film which entertains in the manner most of the films do. It is a film which makes us think as to what our past history was. The important message the film gives us is the reminder that numerous wars were fought in order to attain the religious supremacy of a particular religion. Now for those who think that The Mission is not a slice of history but a movie, I would say that both the leading actors are absolutely impressive. However it is Jeremy Irons who is in full command of his acting capabilities as the priest. Robert de Niro is good too as the man who repents after killing his brother out of revenge. The amazing thing is the manner in which South American native people have acted. Watching them perform alongside Hollywood bigwigs one wonders how they have not been influenced by them. The sad part of this film is its end which might appear as pessimistic to certain viewers.

Divorce,custody of the kid seen through Hoffman and Streep's acting talents

Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) directed by Robert Benton

I have seen this film on 3 different occasions.On the first occasion,I was bowled over by this film.It appeared as a very kind film to me.I hated this film as a sentimental garbage on my second viewing.However my third viewing reasserted my belief that it is a good film.There is a lot of emotional power in this film especially scenes of emotional confrontation between Mr Kramer and Madam Kramer.There are some scenes in which Meryl Streep appears a cruel person despite the fact that she is a beauty in real life.Dustin Hoffman appears as a lost hero unable to grapple with the recent task of his child's custody.There was even a controversy on the sets of this film.According to the master cameraman Nestor Almendros there was a shot in which he just escaped getting hurt as the character of Mr.Kramer,in order to show the intensity of his anger,decides to break a glass hard.Luckily nothing happened to Nestor.Kramer versus Kramer shows the destruction of a family structure.It also tells how family must be maintained if there are kids involved.

No one is safe in USA. Why did Mr. Klutter have to talk so long ?

In Cold Blood (1967) directed by Richard Brooks

"In cold blood" proffers a multiplicity of interpretations. To those aware of black and white era, it will surely remain a perfect crime drama, humanist movie and a truthful statement about the American rural society which was very closely knit. All this might not be same for today's viewers whoever they might be, wherever they might live because they have only a brief inkling of that bygone era. This is not unusual as these folks are more used to today's films with explicit gore, mayhem, violence and bloodbath. So compared to all this the meaningless multiple homicide depicted in "In cold blood" might appear as childish or may be laughable to them. For its 134 minutes duration, "In cold blood" is a very gripping film. One genuine reason to watch it is its masterful original soundtrack by Quincy Jones. Apart from these factors there are many aspects of this film which have become old due to the passage of time. For example-an offhand viewer might get the idea that there is a lot of blood, gore and horrible violence in this film. However it is more of a psychological portrait of a senseless crime which was perpetuated by two highly irresponsible young criminals. In short it is a must for those people who appreciated Psycho by Mr A H. This film is in no way Psycho's poor cousin.

A true story about today's kids.

Ken Park (2002) directed by Larry Clark

Ken Park is a true story about what today's kids have been doing all through their lives.Although the film is controversial,there is no denying the fact that it is highly useful for parents to find for themselves what they have not been providing to their children.In this particular film we have been shown kids who are engaging themselves in what some parents would call objectionable activities.This may be a topic of discussion but it is important to know who these children are and why their parents are not taking proper care of them. Kenpark is not so bad to watch as it has been made by some reviewers and critics but someone from a prudish family cannot show this film to his or her parents.The shocking thing about this film is that by banning it in some countries an effort has been made to smother creative freedom. This is not good for anyone especially not at all for a creative filmmaker like Larry Clark.A word of warning:Kenpark is not a film for people seeking solace in filmed images as it hits you hard on your brain.

Why Elephant ? It could have been some other animal.

Elephant (2003) directed by Gus Van sant

In American films,there is a general tendency to shoot violence in rather gruesome manner.Despite its scenes of gun rampage (young boys going amok),Elephant cannot be classified as a violent film.It is more of a frank statement on the state of affairs in contemporary high school world.One close look at the film will reveal that Gus Vant Sant chose to give a puzzling look to the film's characters.It is for this reason that there are too many hidden references,symbols.This claim is further supported by the use of innovative manner in which the film has been shot.One word about the characters is that they are all nice, talented guys involving themselves in their daily chores.Whether it is a boy busy clicking pictures or students answering question posed by their teachers there is a hint of quietness of their behavior.However the film does not give any hint as to how some of them decided to lead the path of violence.Both the beginning and end of the film are convincing.All in all, a very different film from what is made these days.

This is not about a Las Vegas gambling house.

Casino (1995) directed by Martin Scorcese

I have never been a great follower of Martin Scorcese and I have never bothered to find out the reasons for which his films are admired both by critics as well as cinema lovers.All that I know is that the themes of his films are different and that he gives a so called specific Martin Scorcese touch to them.Casino is a bit long film for its 180 minutes duration.Sometimes it seems like a documentary about gambling industry.Acting performances by Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci are OK.Sharon Stone's acting performances are plain bad and sometimes it appears as if she is having a tough time giving a decent acting performance.Message of the film is still not clear to me as Scorcese has neither painted a glorious portray of casino industry nor does he appear to have a critical stance against gambling as a vice ? This film is good from a sociological point for those people who would like to catch a glimpse of the rise and fall of a powerful gambling boss.

Good theme but the muddled script does enormous harm to this film.

The Skulls (2000) directed by Rob Cohen

There are no so many films made about secret societies.So from that yardstick the filming of "The Skulls" could have been hailed as a watershed event.However this was not to be as this film suffers from too many narrative inaccuracies.It
appears that this film's team has not done its homework properly.The director and screen writer did not bother to concentrate on the single most important theme of the film : Secret Socities.No one can doubt that ample academic research was done before even the commencement of the actual filming.Instead of an overall development of this theme unsuspecting viewers were bombarded with an erratic array of out of topic themes like murder,blossoming of love,realization of personal guilt etc.The film appears as a distressed soul due to poor acting.Should any one wants to know what led a young boy to join a secret society ? Find out by watching The Skulls-a film that will not please you. In
any case, I am sure that it did not please me even for its first thirty minutes.