Gamb-le

A heist with a simple little twist in the tale. Harry Deane (Colin Firth) is seeking to take revenge on his former boss Lord Lionel Shabandar (Alan Rickman) by stealing (or is it substituting?) a painting. He is helped by a free spirited girl from Texas PJ Puznowski (Cameron Diaz). You will not see the last twist coming – not, however, that that makes Gambit particularly remarkable

12/20

The King Speaks

The King’s Speech is a much-reviewed and much-awarded movie, and the toast of the awards season just past. A discussion as to whether it is deserving of such sweeping accolades is somewhat academic. What offsets the rather narrow subject matter is two aspects of the movie that make it absolutely memorable. The first is Colin Firth (King George VI) playing a King-elect and then a King with a stammering disability, his battle against it, and the tribulations and setbacks along the way. The second is the remarkable relationship between the King and his speech instructor Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) – born out of necessity and occasionally showing the consequences of a large class divide, with the (inevitable?) results and conviction eventually following. Forget the awards, it is these two reasons alone that make this movie eminently watchable. As to whether the movie is broad enough in scope to be a Best Picture Academy Award winner? Why does it matter anyway – you can watch Black Swan and The Fighter as well!

14.5/20

Play it Again Donna!

I was singing on my way to Mamma Mia. I was singing for hours and hours after. The music is timely and brilliantly intertwined into, well, the musical. For us in crummy Mumbai, the elegance of opera is a far cry. But a good English movie with a high quality cast and great music is truly uplifting. Who would think that the dapper Pierce Brosnan used to be Bond till not too long ago? I guess the mantle of promiscuity went to Meryl Streep (Donna) here, hands down. And what fun it was.