The Shawshank Redemption (1994) “I have to remind myself that some birds aren't meant to be caged”

“Every mind has billions of ideas and each one of us do things that no one expects us to do, some of those things are visible, some not…
 but still one of those things that make our life worth living is FREEDOM”



Tim Robbins stars as Andy Dufresne, a young man who faces a long, long time in prison after he is wrongfully found guilty of murdering his wife and her lover. While inside he learns an awful lot about what a man can hold onto and let himself be put through if there is still an ounce of hope in his soul.
Bottles of cool drink on a hot rooftop, a slowly building library collection, the moment of musical joy that sees Dufresne severely punished for his overstepping of the mark and many other scenes spring to mind as classic moments in a movie almost chock full of classic moments.
Andy quickly gets befriended by "Red" (Morgan Freeman), actually the narrator of the story, both soon prove that even in the worst circumstances, within the "hell on earth" they can maintain human dignity and strive on their own way to freedom...
Morgan Freeman is the film's secret strength, playing "the guy who can get it for you" with a note of welcome ambiguity. Watching him in an early scene, when a fat, new convict (fresh fish) is being beaten by cruel head guard Captain Hadley (Clancy Brown), you don't know whether Red looks so crestfallen for the victim or for the packs of cigarettes he just lost betting the guy wouldn't break before Dufresne
James Whitmore was equally memorable as a prisoner who was unable to adjust to the outside after his parole following a 50 year stint. This shows that people who have been incarcerated for such a long period, need some sort of readjustment training before they rejoin society. For Whitmore, freedom meant ultimate doom, making the scene one of my all-time favorite displaying the ultimate dark side and a certain fear in freedom.
Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman alongwith James Whitmore etched unforgettable performances as prisoners charged with crime. The film shows what prison life is all about. Subjects dealing with prison survival, brutality, corruption and ultimate redemption are well shown.
An outstanding film dealing with prisons as seen by several prisoners. Many social problems are discussed here. The picture earned a well-deserved best picture Oscar nomination. It certainly should have tied with the winner, the equally good "Forrest Gump."

My Rating - 10/10
 

When Harry Met Sally (1989)

Director : Rob Reiner

Starcast : Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan
Highlight : Went on to be a Trend Setter among Romantic Comedies

"When Harry Met Sally..." is one of those rare, one in a million motion pictures that becomes a cultural icon. It's been needlessly ripped off, and endlessly spoofed since its release in 1989.
There have been romantic comedies that don't quite appeal to me, but When Harry Met Sally is just wonderful. It is for me everything a romantic comedy should be, funny, witty and charming. The screenplay from Nora Ephron got nominated for an Oscar, and so it should have done. There were times when I laughed out loud (I'll have what she's having), and other times when I was like "that's really sweet". The direction is wonderfully astute and detailed, as is often the case with Rob Reiner ( Director of The Bucket List and A Few Good Men). It’s a wonderful romantic comedy about a man and a woman who struggles to keep their relationship afloat after the threat of sex endangers it. Two perfectly cast stars benefit from a sharp script that deeply explores friendship, romance, and the differences between men and women.

The New York locations are really beautiful, and the soundtrack is awesome. The lovely story argues the question of whether men and women can ever have a friendship without sex, and there are so many funny and charming scenes, particularly the fake-orgasm set piece. And of course the acting is outstanding. Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan(at her prettiest I think, though she was stunning in Sleepless in Seattle as well) are perfect together, while Carrie Fisher and Bruno Kirby give a real sense of edge to their supporting performances.
Overall, a delightful romantic comedy. Highly Recommended!!
My Rating - 9/10

Milk (2008)

Going through Harvey Milk's story was sad but extremely inspirational and looking at what people said about him, he seemed like the most lovable guy in the world. He was funny, charming, and just a wonderful person to be around, it was extremely sad to find out how his life ended and over something so stupid. Milk was made with great taste and Sean Penn delivers the performance of a lifetime playing Harvey Milk

Unsatisfied with his life and in need of a change, Harvey Milk decides to move to San Francisco with his boyfriend in hoping of a better acceptance. They open Castro Camera in the heart of Eureka Valley, a working class neighborhood in the process of evolving into a predominantly gay neighborhood known as The Castro. Frustrated by the opposition they encounter in the once Irish-Catholic neighborhood, Milk utilizes his background as a businessman to become a gay activist, eventually becoming a mentor for Cleve Jones. After two unsuccessful political campaigns in 1973 and 1975 to become a city supervisor and a third in 1976 for the California State Assembly, Milk finally wins a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977 for District 5. His victory makes him the first openly gay man to be voted into major public office in the United States. Milk subsequently meets fellow Supervisor Dan White, a Vietnam veteran and former police officer and firefighter. White, who is politically and socially conservative, has a difficult relationship with Milk.

He faces more problems as Proposition 6 is about to be passed. It's only a matter of time until someone gets angry with Milk and decides to deal with the matter themselves. It is not all that surprising when we discover who kills Milk and Mayor George Moscone, but it is all the more thought-provoking.
  I highly recommend anyone to watch Milk, as the film was extremely moving and really makes you think before you say something stupid because someone else is different from you, not just sexually, but in general. It really breaks your heart to see how hard it must be for people who are different to express themselves and to be rejected by society. Sean plays Harvey with the love and compassion that the real Harvey would respect.

Sean Penn's performance as Harvey could not be bettered by any actor living today, so we owe him a great debt for making this movie, and giving his heart and soul to the role. I believe it is Penn's most mature yet also most lovable role ever. I wanted the movie to go on and on, because I felt like I was actually there in San Francisco in 1978-79. Gus Van Sant recreated that world perfectly, and Sean Penn showed us the potential of this very real man with this unique ability to inspire and transform us. Van Sant and Sean Penn each earned a very special chamber in Heaven for giving us this beautiful tribute.

This was a phenomenal look into politics and equality among all men, and was very inspirational and moving from the opening scene to the closing credits.

My Rating -9/10

Raging Bull (1980): The rise and fall of Destructive Boxing Sensation

"Raging Bull" clearly ranks as one of the better films of all-time due to it's compelling story of the rise but yet human tragedy downfall at the end. At it's time when done in 1980 the cinematography was fabulous the film's black and white take was a neat and nice concept. Plus the Martin Scorsese does a fine job with the directing as his theme of character study and development into downfall is perfectly done.

One could say "Raging Bull" is about boxing, but it's really about how boxing for one particular boxer shaped and affected his life in positive and ultimately demising ways. Being cautious to call this a sports drama, boxing does play an integral role in the movie without question. It simply goes to show the deeper human stories behind some of the world's greatest athletes and how it's not simply all about hard work and overcoming the odds. There are more themes in the world of sports than just that. It doesn't have to come down to who is going to triumph in the end. In "Raging Bull," you couldn't care less if he wins or loses, you just want to see how it affects the rest of life of DeNiro.

Robert DeNiro gives a tough and fired up performance as former real life and ex boxer middleweight Jake LaMotta, the film showcases Jake's life and career from the early 1940's till his washed up downfall as a low rent club owning stand up comedian in the early 1960's. The scenes are memorable not just the boxing ones but, the scenes of rage and blow ups from the LaMotta character. Joe Pesci gives a strong performance as LaMotta's brother Joey, he always gives encouragement and advice in an aggressive and upbeat manner, really one of the better supporting roles ever done by him.

This movie is a great character study of rage, anger, and obsession just wanting to make your dream happen, but it proves many times that a downfall in the end happens can be sad and tragic. Overall good work from all involved especially Scorsese and DeNiro with a great supporting turn from Joe Pesci.

What I liked most about the movie was the depiction of a person who did not hit the deserving note in life even though he carried enormous talent just because of the work ethics he carried. Definitely among Scorsese’s best and still don’t understand why it did not won an Oscar and losing to Ordinary people is beyond my imagination.

My Rating - 10/10

Before Sunset

I think most people will find this movie more intersting than Before Sunset (the prequel) because 

the characters are "more mature" in this movie. It plays out in real time as the characters spend one afternoon together in Paris.

It has been nine years since events of  Before Sunrise happened. Now Jesse has written a novel named “This Time” accounting the happenings of his time with Celine as per the prequel of the movie. To promote his sales in Europe, Jesse on his last stop at Paris happens to met Celine,  though this time it was not accidental and Jesse has to leave Before Sunset  to catch his flight back home.  Jesse is now married and has become a writer. Celine is there with boyfriend  of hers ,who is a photojournalist. CONVERSATION continuing from the last movie has gone a level or two ahead and maturity is pretty much visible

First it appears that both leads are leading a pretty happy life. In fact it is not. It becomes clear in the course of their talk that both are dissatisfied to varying degrees with their lives. Jesse reveals that he only stays with his wife out of love for his son. Celine says that she does not see her boyfriend very much because of his comittment towards his work.

A meaningful personal talk at wonderful locations of Paris and great shots of steadicam followed by awesome Screenplay says enough in itself.
Life is unpredictable. If Jesse and Celine exchanged some contact information with each other, the story would be different. But there were not so many "ifs" in life. You must grasp the opportunity or regretting is unavoidable. The themes in their conversation have a universality to them, and the connection between the characters makes the viewer forget that there is a clash of cultures, for she is French while he is American. The film manages to isolate bits and pieces of what it is that truly connects two strangers - soul mates in a once or twice opportunity in a lifetime. Personally to me,Before Sunset is better than its prequel because the characters Hawke and Delpy wrote the dialogue themselves inspired from their respective personal lives & conveys message of many unsaid things regarding LIFE in a pretty convincing way.

My Rating -10/10

L.A. Confidential

                                 

People seem to feel the need to compare this remarkable film with the film noir genre as well as with the time honored classic Chinatown. Although they are not wrong in their comparisons, LA Confidential should be taken as a great film in its own right.

A movie like this has a plot so well woven, with acting to support, and a cast that will blow you away, that it can't help but stand out. Everything from the great acting to the fantastic direction to the remarkable screenplay (which contains some truly great lines... "Go back to Jersey..."), is so perfectly executed that I find it amazing how studios consistently release such mediocre junk these days when they could elect to finance films like this.

Gritty homage to film noir about three detectives, Spacey, a big hotshot T.V. police advisor, Crowe, a defender of women against abusers and Pearce, an ambitious yet naive detective are involved in a complex case of sex, scandal, and murder. Strange, fascinating mystery in the best Hammett/Chandler tradition is vivid and atmospheric, all thanks to the superb cast including Bassinger, who richly won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar as the Veronica Lake-ish fem me fatale who's surrounded by her Oscar-worthy costars including Cromwell as the police captain who's more important than you think. Directed by Hanson, who with Brian Helgeland won a well deserving Best Adapted Screeplay Oscar. A modern masterpiece of film-making based on James Ellroy’s novel. The movie plays out like a series of events that seem to be separate but is eerily connected, and a plot like that holds the most commendment I can award a film with. 

This movie totally kicks Titanic's butt! This should have won best picture (just my personal view). It had an excellent story, acting, and set design. All in all it has something for everybody, action, romance, comedy, suspense, mystery, crime, drama and anything you name it.
My Rating 9/10