The Godfather (1972)

'The Godfather' is a saga of the Italian - American mafia scene with the rise of the Corleone family, in particular. Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando), comes from humble beginnings in Sicily and he had to escape with his life to the Americas. He gradually grew to be one of the most feared, respected and powerful mob bosses. Covert dealings leading to betrayal and deception, leave much death in its wake. Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) had long since turned his back on the family business to fight in the World War, returning home a decorated war hero. Once an attempt is made on his father's life and Michael's oldest brother is savagely massacred, Michael is forced to take the reins from his father and he is sucked into the vicious circle of mistrust and revenge. But all this power must come at a price! Fearing for her life and that of her children, Michael's wife - Kay (Diane Keaton) must make a difficult choice - can she risk the life of her children or must she leave the man she has trusted and loved for practically half her life?

I have searched for similar movies but there is none like The Godfather. It's one-of-a-kind! Extremely riveting and based on the book by the same name, authored by Mario Puzo, this movie must definitely go down on your  'must watch' list of movies. And believe me, you will not be disappointed.

Word for the day :-
nebbish - a pitifully ineffectual, luckless and timid person

36 Chowringhee Lane (1981)

36 Chowringhee Lane, Calcutta. The tinkle of a bell announces the arrival of an rickshaw  that comes to get Ms. Violet Stoneham (Jennifer Kendal) to school. A teacher by profession, Violet resides alone in a cozy flat. At the end of her day she goes home, prepares a cup of tea and sits down to read and write replies to the letters she receives. She owns a beautiful gramophone, a decent collection of records and a cat for company.

Her predictable routine is soon broken when she happens to meet the vivacious Nandita Roy (Debashree Roy), an old student. Nandita and her boyfriend, Samaresh Moitra (Dhritiman Chatterjee) need a place where they can spend some time alone. They love the solitude of Ms. Stoneham's flat and to alleviate her loneliness Ms. Stoneham is only too willing to accommodate them. They spend many a happy afternoon together. Soon Nandita and Samaresh get married and one Christmas Ms. Stoneham bakes her Christmas cake and decides to  surprise the newly weds. But who will be surprised instead?

Deeply moving and thought provoking.

Word for the day :-
dalliance - a period of brief or casual involvement with something

Ratatouille (2007)

This is the first animated movie that I'm writing about.

"Anyone can cook!" - Says chef Gusteau. That holds especially true for Remy.

Remy (Patton Oswalt) is a resident of Paris - the culinary capital of the world. His refined sense of taste and smell, however, have no outlet. After all Remy is a rat, who is dying to cook!

He happens to meet Linguini who is employed as a garbage boy at Gusteau's Restaurant. Hidden under Linguini's (Ian Holm) toque blanche, Remy finds the medium through which he can showcase his talent and his uncanny love for food. After running through the sewers of Paris and trying to break away, Remy and Linguini become proud owners of the French Bistro -  "La Ratatouille".
I detest rats and who doesn't! All furry, scurrying around and nasty .... But after this movie, I do not think these hairy little creatures are that bad after all ...

Word for the day :-
diurnal - of or during the day; non-nocturnal

To rats and cheese! ↴

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