Game of Thrones is a medieval drama-fantasy series based on the series of books- 'A Song of Ice and Fire' by George R.R. Martin,the first of which is called 'A Game of Thrones'. The main theme of the book/series is,as the title suggests the royal battle between seven fictional kingdoms for gaining authority over the 'iron throne'. The series acutely shows the medieval pattern of life,ethics and royal politics-the shrewd means of war,the stereotypes of society,the hierarchical patterns and behavior and is very intriguing in its portrayal of distinct and powerful characters. Not the first of its kind,but certainly different in its thrilling content and perfect presentation,Game of Thrones has become the new favorite in prime-time television,despite being criticized for the gory war-scenes,vulgar deaths and overtly sexual contents,
The first season shows the benevolent king of the north,Eddard Stark getting entangled in a murder and the family brawl of power-struggle between the Baratheons and the Lannisters. We see the carefree Baratheon ruler being killed and subsequently the conspiracy of the Lannisters makes Eddard Stark get all the more embroiled in the grim world of treachery and murder and is beheaded. This is the climax of the first season,post which the power conflict between royal families and ministers take a new turn. New relationships are etched and more and more tragic betrayals take place. Newer families get entangled in the conflicts creating greater confusion. The quintessential human greed for power is depicted through these conflicts,gruesome battles and unexpected tragedies that these lead to,make the storyline terse with suspense,horror,tantalizing action and unpredictable twists. Human nature is also explored in its most nascent,uncivilized state-the medieval world the storyline is based,it is neither status nor education decides one's future,rather it is the power and self-aggrandizing politics that ensures one's survival. But there are mysterious creatures as well,whose identity cannot be justified and they make the whole concept of human survival and death,a farce. Hence the world of Game of Thrones is a bit of politics,and myth,and history,and mystery all of which combine to form a racy,and thrilling plot which has been running successfully since four seasons.
With a brilliant set,screenplay and cast Game of Thrones is the series to watch out for.

A princess tries to become a common man. She meets a common man. They fall in love. Princess returns to being a princess. Common man remains a common man. A very very feel-good story with a realistic ending and a brilliant visual of Rome,Roman Holiday is the classic,all of us love. A vivacious Audrey Hepburn as the Princess Anne who feels suffocated in her royal lifestyle and Gregory Peck as the shrewd journalist who turns into a possessive lover,are heart-melting. A beautiful Cinderella-story told the opposite way,the realistic ending is laudable and makes the storyline all the more convincing. A must-watch classic for that warm,fuzzy feeling and the brilliant lead duo.

Based on the real lie of mathematician Tomas Nash whose genius was overshadowed by bouts of paranoia and schizophrenia. The movie tracks his development from a student to a patient and finally to a recuperated person who wins a Nobel prize for his contribution which redeems his stature. Though slammed by critics for only dealing with the good and the praiseworthy while tactically hiding the shameful events of Nash's life,the performance by Russel Crowe is so overwhelming that however much we praise him,words fall short.

The short stories by O Henry have always amused us and they are specially lauded for their unexpected endings. One of the most renowned short stories on the theme of life and living, 'The Last Leaf' has been translated on screen by 'Udaan'-maker Vikramaditya Motwane. The basic plot has been changed to focus on the active character and based on his actions the film has been titled,'Lootera'. Severely slammed for being slow and unappealing,Lootera is a beautiful movie once you consider the shots and sensations that has been captured in the limited screen-time.
The story is set in Bengal of late 1950s,while the Zamindari system was gradually receding into oblivion. Pakhi(Sonakshi) is the daughter of a Zamindar who is distraught at the sudden loss of possessions with the act of abolishment of Zamindari system. Pakhi is well educated and a modern woman who is not shy to drive a car or have tea with strangers. Sonakshi pulls the role off with confidence and elan. It is surprising how beautifully convincing she appears,playing a bengali woman . Pakhi suffers from frequent asthma attacks.And once while tremendous suffering,she finds her love,Varun(Ranveer). Varun Shrivasta enters their village,disguised as an archaeologist with hidden intentions. Romance brews between the young people. But Varun,due to the illicit nature of his job cannot afford to settle down and flees on the day of their wedding,after stealing the family possessions. Ranveer makes us go spellbound with his serious act. It is hard to imagine Ranveer expressing himself with just a twitch of few facial muscles and scanty dialogues. But he performs it perfectly. Without a doubt,he will be seen as a powerful actor henceforth.
The story takes a major leap post the treachery, and we find Pakhi as a lonely woman,suffering from Tuberculosis,residing in Dalhousie where Varun happens to reach on a purpose. The police is after Varun and he seeks refuge in Pakhi's property. The chase becomes a dangerous one and Pakhi is torn between her love and her duty. She tells Varun how she is going to die and she has invested all her remaining breaths on the few remaining leaves of a tree beside the window. The most complex emotional turbulence occurs when Pakhi refuses to inform the police about Varun and then they confront each-other and talk about the past. Without letting too much melodrama dilute the narrative,the emotions on their faces do the talking and how! One of the most brilliant scenes recently filmed in Bollywood! The camerawork,the minimum usage of dialogues and capturing every little flutter of the eye and flaring of the nostrils,the film tells it all through emotions and expressions. The pace is slow,but definitely engaging. The simple background score,the pale palette of colors,the sound of respiration and the dominance of silence makes it a different kind of movie-watching experience. Vikramaditya wows us in his second venture.

Atonement,as the title suggests is the making up for a mistake committed. In this novel,it is primarily about the guilt and the faint attempts to channelize the guilt.Briony Tallis,daughter of a rich aristocrat,develops feelings for Robbie Turner and is filled with vicious rage when she finds out Robbie and her elder sister,Cecilia making love in the library. A certain mishap occurs that night and the capricious Briony, in an attempt to avenge her disappointment,transfers the entire blame on Robbie leading to his imprisonment. Later ,a bigger catastrophe strikes-the second World War, where Robbie has to serve the army and Cecilia takes up the duty of a nurse. It is revealed that Cecilia and Robbie renew their romance before Robbie leaves for duty. We get to know about a different life of Cecilia,where she is married to Robbie,yet the myth is punctured as we find an old Briony struggling with vascular dementia,attempting to release the burden of guilt through her fiction.
McEwan's novel is a different experience altogether-the period of war,disillusionment-the breaking up of a family,the harrowing experience of the shattering of hopes in the final portions of the novel. The film however fails to create a strong connection within the characters and their surroundings. The story is carefully told but it lacks a soul. However,there are some pulsating images of historical events which keeps our attention intact.

In the flat and featureless town of Iowa, resides a family where the internal tensions lie suppressed as a dormant volcano,where lava might spew out if the sole breadwinner,Gilbert(Depp) loses his cool. Gilbert's family includes a morbidly-obese Momma,a retarded brother Arnie(Di Caprio) and two sisters who undertakes household duties and constantly fight with each other. With a dead father, depressed mother and retarded brother,Arnie's life is burdened with responsibilities which has made him an impassive,indifferent person. When the funky and effervescent Becky(Lewis) comes to town and takes some burden off Arnie by motivating him to think for his own good as well. This somewhat meddles with Arnie's earlier priorities,creates friction in family.
Depp is stunning with his soulful performance and Lewis as the outsider who is amused at the life in Endora and the beliefs of Arnie,is pretty convincing. She has a flirtatious grin in her eyes which matches seamlessly with her character. But the major surprise comes from Di Caprio's performance which is sure to make jaws drop.

Different people have different views regarding Margaret Thatcher,the first female Prime Minister of Britain. Some adore her political decisions and her rise to power under the Conservative party while others despise it. The film,however creates a very judgmental approach to Thatcher's life and work by the juxtaposition of her rise from the meek and young student at Oxford, and her fall from prime of power to a harrowing condition of senility. We admire her rise and sympathize with her at her fall. The film shows, in flashbacks,her rise to glory,the strong political involvements and her authority and position as a resident of 10,Downing Street. The opening scenes shows her as a withered old lady-distracted and fragile taking with the ghost of her husband,Denis. The ghost of Denis at once shows her dependence on her husband which would have seemed absurd while she was an independent lady, at the helm of power. In her old age,she is a widowed old woman,not looked at by her children,who seeks for the ghost of her husband to keep her company. The ghost of Denis is sly,witty but compassionate who represents what her family could have been if she would have taken some thoughtful decisions for her family as well. Battling the bouts of senile dementia,Margaret travels through the days of past glory by fidgeting through pictures and conversations with Denis. The film ends in a note where Margaret finally discards her dependence on Denis-whose ghost disappears after fortifying her spirits-and she is seen to indulge in washing teacups-a household chore she despised. Thus the film alternates between what was and what has become of the Iron Lady. Her power and her fall,her fight and her family,her popularity and her loneliness. By strong contrasts we get a full image of Margaret's life! Meryl Streep is almost unearthly in her imoeccable portrayal. The juxtapositions make the focus of the film dubitable-yet the performance hides all flaws in direction

A couple much-in-love get married and start a family in Connecticut. After a few years and two children they struggle to escape the mundane life. Whatever promises they made,all those dreams they shared have fallen apart-what lies is a coexistence of compromise where the core of the family where love and trust has been replaces by row and disgust. Frank Wheeler(Di Caprio) and April(Winslet) appear to be a perfect couple and the Wheelers are admired by the neighbours for their marital bliss. Frank and April have fall out at every little aspect- Frank wants to escape his job and April aspires to be an actress. they decide to move to Paris to pursue their dreams and bring back sanity to their family life. But fate does not allow it. Frank gets a promotion and April conceives her third child. They repeatedly fall out regarding their final decisions where April's ideas appear to be selfish and ambitious-while Frank is more concerned about the family. A friendly couple,wants their son,who is just out of an asylum to spend time with the apparently peaceful Wheelers,but the apparently insane person lashes out at their dysfunctional marital life with his caustic but pragmatic remarks and widens the crack between them.
What appears to be sane is not and the ones society marks as insane are the truthful ones. The hollowness of the American dream,the deceit in marriages,the dysfunctional modern family every issue of modern life is dealt in a heart-rending manner. Both Winslet and Di Caprio deliver absolutely touching performances. One of the most path-breaking scenes in the movie of the scene where April performs her abortion while Frank happily goes for work . Thomas Newman's haunting music produces gosebumps as we see April shattering our hopes of a happy reconciliation.