The business parts of the biopic were sometimes a little slow for me, but the romance!! And the MUSIC!!

I could have watched an entire movie just on the love story of Guru and his wife. I felt like I did watching Mr. & Mrs. Smith (Angelina and Brad) -- you're watching real people actually fall in love on screen and the chemistry just leaps out. At least that's what it felt like to me. Googled what I thought I remembered later, and yup, Abhishek proposed after the Guru premiere and with the very ring from the movie! Awwww.

My favorite scenes were the little slap fight in bed and then when they were cuddling and dreaming of their future big house swinging on that indoor swing in the little apartment. It's because they felt real, not filmi real -- but really real to a married couple, if you get what I'm trying to say.

The Vidya romance subplot was also very nice, too.

Abhishek was very good, but didn't quite have the magnetism for me to carry off some of the slower business parts. But then, I'm not sure who would in the Bollywood sphere, maybe his father, I guess. Maybe I'm setting the bar too high -- but someone who commands the screen the way the Guru character was supposed to command the business sphere.

On the spur of the moment I went to see the last showing of Badlapur last night before the end of its run, and my neighbor Nish came along.

Man is this movie DARK! Raghu played by Varun Dhawan is a loving husband and father that embarks on a years long quest for revenge after his wife and child are brutally killed.

My neighbor pointed out something interesting about the name of the movie. Badla can mean revenge so revenge - place (City) OR it can also have the meaning of Change. The double meaning of the word applies to both main characters. (It's also a real place, named for where people used' to change horses.)

To me what was interesting was the parallel track of the two characters, as we don't often get almost equal time for the criminal's POV. Here LIak, one of bank robber/car jackers is the criminal from the beginning that you're supposed to hate, you see have this long lasting love with Jhimli the prostitute and he does something selfless in the end. He truly changes.

I had read about the misogyny in the film, but I think particularly the first rape scene shows that Raghu, the grieving husband and father who should be our hero, is now a monster. We are not really rooting for Raghu at that point. He is not Liam Neeson killing all the bad guys, while remaining good. He doesn't remain good. We are shown that his quest for revenge has made HIM the bigger monster (and Liak points that out to him.)

I also thought about that recent rape case in India where an entire town just chased down and lynched the guy. No trial, no jail, just mob justice. In a country where those things can happen, this filmmaker is showing how one criminal was changed and reformed after years, and that "pure" revenge type justice makes someone a monster. A true monster, not just someone who pressed the trigger of of a gun in the heat of a crazy moment.

But, to the point of those who criticize the misogyny in the film, the only woman who escapes Raghu's wrath is the mother of Liak. Because she comes right to Raghu with information. Anyone who shows sympathy with the two criminals becomes the enemy of Raghu. There is a twist where I really thought that he had killed another woman character, too, but he metes out his own version of justice on her.

Badlapur is not a movie I'd sit through again, but I truly admire the acting. I looked up the amazing guy who plays Liak, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, and he's been in so many things that I've seen! He was the young guy in The Lunchbox, and I think the Intelligence agent in Kahaani. What a great character actor. It was worth it just to see him act. And Varun! This is the darling boy from Humpty Sharma and Student of the Year? What a transformation, and my hat's off to him for being willing to go this dark to show his range as an actor.

Nish's reaction was interesting because she said, "Indian movies aren't supposed to be like that. This is something really new. The hero always remains the hero. If he does something bad, a surprise is revealed that justifies his actions." She seemed even more shocked because it really subverted her expectations of what an Indian film would show and be. Frankly, it's interesting to see a film that subverts your expectations and shows people with shades of gray. It reminded me of Baazigar in a way --- another revenge film where our view of the "hero" keeps flipping, Yes, SRK had reason for revenge, but who was the bigger monster in the end?

Meh. It was lovely visiting with these actors again, but there just wasn't a lot to it. Didn't pack the delight or the punch of the first film.

Very nice to see Lillette Dubrey up against Richard Gere. I wish the movie had been more developed about their romance. Dev Patel's jealous rants were more than a little shrill.

Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (From Doom to Doom or From one Disaster to the next) is a Romeo and Juliet type of romantic film.

This was the debut film for stars Aamir Khan and Juhi Chawla and they are both amazing in it. Such a trip to see them both so young and innocent looking.

The two families hate each other, we learn in a prologue, because a son of one house gets a girl of the other family pregnant, but refuses to marry her. She commits suicide, which spurs her brother to kill her lover on his wedding day.

Aamir Khan plays Raj, son of the shooter who has been in jail most of his life. Aamir meets Rashi by chance when he visits the ancestral village for a court matter. He knows the back story of why he should stay far away from her, but the two fall in love when they meet again at a vacation spot.

Rashi( (Juhi) has no idea why Raj (Aamir) would not want to be with her at first. When he saves her from some ruffians and they must spend the night alone in the woods, he finally gives in to his love for her.

Their families find out about the lovers' relationship and try to keep the pair apart, leading to a dramatic climax scene with a tragic ending.

The acting in this film is particularly strong, including the supporting actors playing the parents. I can see why this shot Aamir Khan and Juhi Chawla into stardom, as they are both wonderful and have great chemistry together. There are some sweet songs, but not the intense dance numbers that they are known for in their later careers.

Tragic sad ending, but a true Bollywood classic to see.

What a delight seeing Chiwetel Ojiofor and Audrey Tautou acting together in this drama thriller about organ harvesting and the underground lives of illegal immigrants in London.

Chiwetel plays a Nigerian doctor working the night shift at a hotel and also as a cab driver. He rents the couch of Tautou hotel chanbermaid during the day while she works. Late one night he unpllugs a blocked toilet in the hotel finding a human heart.

I loved his friendship with ma Chinese morgue worker.

The film works well exposing the desperate lives of these immigrants on the fringe. Chiwetel can't call the police to report the heart, because then he might be deported.

It works less as a really taut thriller. I should have seen the final twist coming, but didn't. Still well worth watching for the performances and unusual story.

Decent sports film with an Indian flavor. I liked Jon Hamm as the down on his luck sports agent JB, but I wished the film had been more about the two kids in the film from Lucknow who went to on in real life to be signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Loved the baseball obsessed translator guy the best.

1. Rani is a goddess. I just love her. Full stop.

2. Ajay Devgn really was a handsome dude a decade ago. I have succumb to his strong silent aura. Kajol, you're a lucky woman.

3. This movie is adorable. Starting your relationship to make the horrible ex jealous, but then falling in love for reals? All the yes.

4. Ajay isn't showing off any dancing moves here, and the music isn't the tip top.

5. But that kiss!!!

6. Cried buckets. Really got to me. Reminded me of While You Were Sleeping except everyone's awake. Rani as Kushi both makes everyone's life better and craves Ranvir's loving family as much as she does him.

Had to watch this in pieces on Dailymotion videos as it's not on any normal streaming service. Still worth it.

Really loved the first half with the rivalry between SRK and Juhi as TV reporters for different stations. The banter and tricks they played on each other were very fun. It had a sort of old fashioned Tracy/Hepburn feel to it.

The second half when the assassination takes place veered wildly in tone with violence exploding and riots. I wasn't prepared for the film to change that much. I'm not sure the director pulled off the wild swings back and forth from horrific chaos to teasing love story.

The film description talks about how the two reporters band together to save a man from hanging -- but he did mete out vigilante justice and kill a guy in cold blood. The film sort of glorifies that, even though it highlights political corruption, and the rise up of the people's voice. It got a bit preachy at the end there.

Still, very enjoyable film overall, and I do love the Juhi SRK pairing here. Great dance numbers, too.

Very well crafted film, and well acted by Bradley Cooper.

Intense film that leaves you wrung out by the end.

My main issue is how the people of Iraq are seen as nothing more than targets. I wish there was even one character that wasn't a caricature.

I don't think that this film necessarily glorifies the Iraq war -- it more tells the toll on the soldiers.

I'm not sure why this film has resonated so much with the American public and become a lightning rod. The Hurt Locker dealt with many of the same themes, but maybe we're ready to see it now.

Love triangle with Rani, Kareena and Hrithik.

They are all friends as children and Hrithik's Raj's family moves to London. Pooja (Rani) has a 15 year email conversation with Raj, but signs her emails Tina (Kareena). When Raj returns to India, he is in love with Tina who he thinks has been writing to him all this time. He walks right by Pooja at the train station, not seeing her.

He becomes engaged with Tina, and then returns to London.

On Pooja's visit to London, he realizes that she is the one who knows him so well, and must be the real author of all those letters,

They return to India to tell their families that they want to get married, but Tina's father has just passed away, so they decide that they can't tell her the truth.

Much melodrama as Raj vows he won't marry Tina unless Pooja also marries on the same day to another man, and introduces her to Uday Chopra. (his least annoying role to date!)

All is finally resolved at the wedding itself,

Solid performances by all, and some nice dances by Hrithik. My favorite is the montage of wedding songs at the engagement party.