These are my reviews of movies from 2006. Sorry for the space wastage, but I wanted it in one place, so I can link to it in another thread I plan to strart!

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Inside Man *
The theme is bank robbery. Clive owen and Denzel Washington do a good job, but the movie has nothinggreat to offer.


MI-3
I have not watched the first two parts and on my friend's recommendation, I decided to watch this on DLP screen which has an amazing video quality. But the movie turned out to be total crap, full of usual car chases, explosions and gun fight sequences. My $8.5 down the drain


16 blocks *
I had absolutely zero expectation from the movie and watched it because the ticket was just 50 cents It was pretty decent in fact, though not exceesively loaded with action or twists, as one expects the movies of this type to be. Bruce willis is good as the honest cop, but Mos Def really acts well.


Da Vinci Code **
I saw this today. I haven't read the book and I am still not very clear about certain details. Overall, interesting movie, but nothing mind-blowing. Certainly I expected more from the movie going by the trailer, so it leaves me a little dis-satisfied.


Over the Hedge **
Animated movie about a racoon and a bunch of hibernating animals. The racoon destroys the stored food of a large bear and has to replenish it in a week. It teams together with a bunch of animals fresh out of hibernation who have no idea about outside (human) world, to gather food by stealing from the humans. It is not all that funny in the beginning, but towards the end it is hilarious. I have a minor complaint with children's movies including this - they often have some preachy dialogue about the importance of family etc, which I find a little annoying and out of place. However these movies are specifically targetted towards kids and not someone like me, so I dont know, maybe the kids do enjoy that kind of stuff!


Sentinel *
Routine hollywood FBI/CIA traitor plot with a minor difference - it is president's security in the place of FBI/CIA. Usual car chases, helicopters, shooting sequences, good man framed, proves his innocence finally. $1 (dollar theater), 2 hours, no complaints BTW stars Michael Douglas, not that it makes any difference...


X-Men **
X-Men 3 **
Both movies are entertaining for the 2 hours or so that you watch them. And safely forget them afterwards.


Scoop **
Woody Allen movie, supposed to be a romantic comedy. It was neither quite romantic, nor was it much of a comedy. Woody Allen acts really well though, while Scarlet Johanson manages to look cute all the while.


Miami Vice **
Great visuals and music. Otherwise, a generic FBI narcotics drama/thriller that hollywood churns out every now and then.


The illusionist ***
Cast: Edward norton, Jessica Biel. This is a romantic story involving a magician and a soon-to-be princess. Ed Norton doesn't have lengthy dialogues to speak, but he steals the show every minute of his screen presence. The movie itself was very interesting contrary to my apprehensions about the period setting. Do watch it, you will like it.


Black Dahlia ***
Very interesting murder mystery directed by Brian De Palma. The music is good and the acting from everyone is great. There are a lot of similarities with LA Confidential. So in terms of freshness in theme, it doesn't offer a lot. Still I liked it.


Hollywoodland ***
This is set in 50's and is about the murder of Superman. The director creates a nice atmosphere and the music is excellent. This is somewhat like Black Dahlia in terms of mood and pace. I liked it a lot.


The Descent **
An above average horror movie - it has a few nice ideas and the scenes are shot well, mostly inside a cave. Worth watching once.


Prestige ***
Interesting throughout, but way too complex. This is similar to Illusionist in theme which I liked more. Acting wise, both Jackman and Bale do a good job. One funny thing was the characters of Tesla and Edison. My school text books only showed their scientific achievements, little did I know that they were doing some rather nasty things


Borat **
Politically incorrect and crude humor has been used effectively to make this movie quite hilarious. In fact, most of the crowd in the theater was laughing all of the time. There is a scene that borders on porn, and too long to be funny. Other than that, it is a funny movie, provided one can laugh at one's own cultural quirks.


Snakes on a plane*
Some of the snakes look fake, though for the most part they are convincing. Lot of gore and slime, FBI, cop drama, sentimentality and other routine hollywood cliches. You can skip this one, unless you paid 50 cents for the ticket, like I did


All the kings men ***
Excellent acting from Sean Penn. I think he deserves an oscar for his performance as a very convincing politician. Overall story and plot are ok, with some good performances from a recognizable
star cast.


Casino Royale **
Hardly any gadgets and the Bond is not shy of violence. International locations, bad villains and a great looking woman... all in all, nice entertainment.


The Fountain ****
Darren Afronsky is a genius. He made Requiem for a Dream and now he comes up with this stunning masterpiece. The concept, visuals and the excellent sound track by the same composer, Clint Mansel
and acting are all excellent. The whole experience was just amazing. Go and watch it immediately.


Grudge 2**
An average horror movie. The problem was that every time you expect something scary to show up on the screen, it actually does. Being predictable, it fails to scare the audience after a while. I was waiting for it to end after a while.

Departed(Forgot to rate)
Just saw the movie. It is not one of his best movies, but it is interesting on its own. The cast is great and DiCaprio is excellent. The ending is very good. Overall good, but I will not rewatch this anytime soon.

Babel **
3 Parallel story lines, two tragedies and one positive. I would have rated it high, had there been some real connection among them. The camera work was good sometimes with very wide shots, but many times had unnecessary closeups.