Pretty Woman (1990)

'Pretty Woman' is the ultimate fairytale.

Edward (Richard Gere)  is a successful and ruthless, albeit handsome, businessman. He is in LA on business and finds himself lost on his way to the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel. So he picks up a prostitute, Vivian (Julia Roberts) who is only too happy to help him find his way for a fee. What starts out as one night in a swanky hotel penthouse suite turns into a week of romance. Under a tough exterior forced on by difficult circumstances, Vivian is like any other girl. Does Vivian's dream come true and does the knight she has always dreamed of arrive on a white horse to rescue her from the tower? 

Escape into the world of shopping sprees on Rodeo Drive, take a flight on a private jet with the gorgeous red-head dressed to the nine to watch the opera, catch a game of polo with the elite of LA ...

Feast your eyes on the drop-dead gorgeous Edward and beautiful Vivian as their story unfolds!



Word for the day : -
afebrile - not feverish

Parineeta (2005)

The movie is an adaptation of a 1914 Bengali novel by Sarat Candra Chattopadhyay.

Calcutta, 1962. There are three families living next to each other. Lolita (Vidya Balan), who was adopted by her maternal uncle and Shekhar (Saif Ali Khan), Navinchandra's son, have grown up together - the best of friends. As time passes and having fallen in love with each other they get married on the quiet. Meanwhile Lolita's uncle is under duress to pay off a long-standing loan for which he was forced to mortgage his house with his wealthy neighbor, Navinchandra, a ruthless businessman. Navinchandra has impressive plans for the property, hoping to convert it into a hotel. When Lolita gets wind of Navichandra's plans she seeks help from their neighbor whose brother  Girish (Sanjay Dutt) is visiting from the UK. Seeing Girish and Lolita together and unsure of her intentions, Shekhar's jealousy drives them apart. 

The quintessential Bengali woman in her white and red-bordered saree, kohl-lined eyes, vermilion adorned forehead cast in lamplight is just beautiful beyond words; tea at Flurys, dinner at Moulin Rouge and golgappas in front of the majestic Victoria Garden. For someone like me, who has never been to Calcutta, it's a treat to watch.

Visually appealing, great music with an enthralling storyline. I love, love, love this movie.

All the songs are beautiful in this movie, but this is a favorite.


Word for the day :-
truculent - eager or quick to argue or fight

Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

Now this is a movie that I can most relate to.

A dysfunctional family makes a road-trip from New Mexico to California. The youngest member, Olive (Abigail Breslin), is taking part in the Little Miss Sunshine contest to be held in Redondo Beach. The VW Bus making the journey has on board father (Greg Kinnear), a struggling motivational speaker and life coach, color blind brother (Paul Dano) who has taken a vow of silence, suicidal maternal uncle (Steve Carell), paternal grandfather (Alan Arkin) who is Olive's pageant talent coach and last but not the least is mother (Toni Collette) who is trying, albeit unsuccessfully,  to somehow keep it all together.
Tragedy strikes when grandpa "gives up his ghost" enroute and the family has to lug him around till the funeral arrangements can be made. And the showstopper - Olive's little bawdy dance number that steals the show! An absolute hoot!

Word for the day:-

troubadour - a French medieval lyric poet composing and singing especially on the theme of courtly love

The Sound of Music (1965)

A musical film based on the life of the Von Trapp Family against the backdrop of the German takeover, before the second World War. 
Vivacious and tomboyish Maria (Julie Andrews) is a postulant in an abbey in Salzburg. Her services are requested by a widowed naval captain (Christopher Plummer)  seeking a governess for his seven children. Soon Maria yodels her way into the hearts and lives of the Von Trapp Family.
Tough times call for tough measures! Captain Von Trapp's pride and love for a motherland so dear  will soon be put to the  test. Austria is to be lost to the Third Reich and that compels the Captain to take a drastic step.
Mellifluous numbers like - Maria, Sixteen going on Seventeen, my favorite things, Do-Re-Mi, The Sound of Music, The Lonely Goatherd, Edelweiss, So Long, farewell, Climb every mountain, will leave you humming. 
One of the best songs ever: -



If you've not watched the movie yet, which I'm sure you have, then you simply must. I've don't known anyone who has and who hasn't fallen in love with it.

Word for the day :-

postulant - a candidate for admission to a religious order

Indecent Proposal (1993)

Diana (Demi Moore), a successful realtor and her husband, David (Woody Harrelson), a noted architect, dream of building a home in Santa Monica someday. It will be a home that is an eclectic mix of what David knows and loves about architecture. However, the recession rears its ugly head and the couple fear the bank will repossess their land. Down and out on their luck and not left with much choice they head out to Vegas hoping lady luck smiles down on them.

Fate intervenes when billionaire John Gage (Robert Redford) sets eyes on the beautiful Diana. He is rich, suave and he always gets what he wants. So he has an offer that is hard to resist - he offers David a million dollars for a night with his beautiful wife. Will they heed the voice of reason or give in to temptation! Can Gage put a price tag on love?

This is a test of Diana's and David's love and here is to hoping they will stand the test of time!
Slip into this love story and watch Demi Moore and Robert Redford light up the screen.




Word for the day :-
equine - of, relating to, or characteristic of a horse

Runaway Bride (1999)

And I'm in love with Julia Roberts! 
I did play hooky from school to watch this movie.

Maggie Carpenter (Julia Roberts) from Hale, Maryland, is notorious for making a quick escape just as she is set to walk down the aisle. And she is soon planning her fourth wedding. Ike Graham (Richard Gere) a New York columnist, writes a report on the 'Runaway Bride' that contains a number of errors that costs him his job. Seeking vindication he is determined to get to the bottom of things and he is sure Maggie will stay true to her reputation and she will flee for the fourth time as well. He is not prepared to when he faces the beautiful Maggie and the sheer possibility of falling head-over-heels in love.

The movie has some amazing soundtracks with one of my favorites - 'Blue Eyes Blue' by Eric Clapton.


Word for the day:-
loquacious - tending to talk a great deal

Leap Year (2010)

Hidden among the rolling hills of the beautiful Emerald Isle is a lore - a man has to accept a wedding proposal that has been made on Leap Day. Anna (Amy Adams) has to be in Ireland, come hell or high water on the 29th. Having reached a little Irish village she now has to find her way to Dublin. So "Anna from Boston" hires an innkeeper (Matthew Goode) to drive her and her trusted Louis (her Louis Vuitton, in case you're wondering) to her fiancé. Her journey is not an easy one, her path being wrought with obstacles like storms, superstitions, thieves, stubborn cows, hailstones and even gate-crashing a wedding. As she traipses through the picturesque country of bubbling brooks, ancient cemeteries, picturesque hills and valleys  she hesitates as she nears her destination. The eventful journey has her at a crossroad! A tough choice is hers to make- to marry the cardiologist she has travelled over 3000 miles for or the charming Irish innkeeper?

To be honest, it's not one of the greatest movies I've seen, but I could still watch it a few times since I like Amy Adams.

Word for the day :-
eschewed - deliberately avoid using; abstain from

Jab We Met (2007)

What would you do if the train you're trying to catch seems to be out of reach, picking up speed but leaving you behind with an unknown and paralyzing fear. It is the fear of losing the one chance you have in life of making the right choice!

'Jab we Met' is a warm love story of a Punjabi girl, Geet (Kareena Kapoor) who runs away from home to be with the man she loves. On the train to Shimla, she meets a handsome but depressed businessman, Aditya (Shahid Kapoor) who has been dumped by his girlfriend and who has walked out on his family business. What ensues is a beautiful movie of finding love amide the lush fields of Punjab and the majestic hills and gushing streams of Shimla. The music is warm and mellifluous and will have you tapping your feet to some great Punjabi music.

What better way to enjoy this movie but to dig in to hot parathas laden with ghee and accompanied with a Patiala lassi!
And something to hum along to -


Word for the day:-
asterism - a prominent pattern or a group of stars that is smaller than a constellation

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

The year is 1947. Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) is a banker by profession leading a normal, peaceful life. But it all changes when he is convicted of murdering his wife and her lover. Despite his claims of innocence he is sentenced to two life terms at Shawshank. It is here that Andy meets and befriends Ellis Boyd Redding (Morgan Freeman) and they forge a bond of friendship that will last them a lifetime. 
During his 19 year stint in prison, Andy helps fellow inmates graduate high school, he opens a library, he assists the prison employees with their financial matters and helps the warden in his money laundering scheme.

Ellis aptly describes Andy when he says, "Some birds aren't meant to be caged, their feathers are just too bright".
So how long can Andy stay in prison and risk losing his sanity for a crime he hasn't committed? Can he escape to freedom and to a life on the golden sands of a beach in Mexico that fondly beckon?
The movie is slow but surely ends with a bang. A must watch!

Word for the day :-
Fragonard - French artist whose rococo paintings typified the frivolity of life in the royal court