Once (3 stars) - Once is an amateur shot, Oscar winning (2008) musical shot in Dublin. If you've ever visited Dublin you’ll easily recognise most of the spots where the film was shot. I think the film portrays life as a young immigrant in Dublin quite well. Apart from that though there aren't many other reasons to watch the movie. The music is kind of ok, but it's enough if hear the Oscar winning song on myspace. I found the plot a bit lame and quite anti-romantic, but then the movie wasn't plot oriented.

Ratatouille (4 stars) - A cute relaxing Pixar movie about a rat who likes cooking. Apart from the usual high standard Pixar got us used to, the story can be enjoyed by kids at a simple level, and by adults at a higher level.

My neighbour totoro (4.5 stars) - Brilliant anime. This is probably the equivalent of beauty and beast, or the lion king for Asians, everyone saw it. The movie is directed by Japan’s most famous animator Hayao Miyazaki (who also did Lupin III, Spirited). The movie is about 2 young sisters who find a strange new world, similar to Alice in Wonderland, with cute furry magical creatures. Great stuff!

Lost in translation (2.5 stars) - I had very high expectations for this movie, but was left disappointed by the story. I liked the portrayal of Japanese culture and customs in the film, which was very evident and consistent with what I read about Japan till now. The film is about culture shock, which admittedly is very difficult to capture on film. However, I think that this aspect was dampened by the subplot of potential romance between Scarlet Johansson and Bill Murray. This might be an Oscar worthy movie, but maybe not an enjoyable one.

The Dark Knight (5 stars) - I honestly can't remember the last time I gave 5 stars to a movie, but probably it was fight club. This movie is just fantastic. Class! Perfect! I can keep going on and on with superlatives, but I think you got the drift. If you're unsure about it because it's a batman movie, don't be. True batman can fly just a bit, but his super powers are very limited compared to other superheroes. This could have easily been a fast paced, high tech, highly polished action movie with no super powers. Not entirely unlike a James Bond on steroids. There are super cars, super bikes, great action sequences, plot twists, ethical dilemmas, what more can you pack in 2.5 hrs of film. Probably nothing!