Nada+ is “Cuba’s answer to Amelie”, commented Miami Herald, and that’s the best way to sum up the movie from a review point of view. So what’s common between Amelie and Nada+ – they are both stories about girls on a mission to straighten up people’s lives when their own lives are a bit chaotic. But to think of Nada+ as a replica of Amelie would be a mistake. Every film has its own soul, even though it may appear similar to another on the surface, and Nada+ has its own…

There are some films that perhaps may not be of much value in terms of contribution to the evolution of cinema, but they are simply great because they make the writing on the wall more prominent than ever before. A Wednesday is one such thought provoking film that is bound to make the common man think – to purge ourselves of the habits of making compromises, surrendering to our fates and giving up on ourselves as the initiators or drivers of a change badly needed.

The land of China is ruled by six different dynasties that are embroiled in never ending conflicts with each other. Out of these the Qin dynasty, ruled by Emperor Qin Shi Huang, is the most powerful. However, constant attempts are made to assassinate Qin, who is spending sleepless nights fretting over his life. Among all the assassins, Qin is particularly mortified of Broken Sword, Flying Snow and Long Sky (Cheesy names, I know!), who are supposedly the best warriors (and I really mean best – they are oblivious to concept of gravity or physical constraints)…

Caroline Link’s Nowhere in Africa is a journey of hearts as they first struggle to get over their homes, and later, fall in love with their adopted home - an alien country of semi-clad men and women, mystifying customs, different languages and personal conflicts…A country that they seek refuge in, driven away from their home land to hold on their most valuable possessions – their lives. A vicarious experience for someone like me, who practically got transported to a land called Africa, and into the minds of three characters struggling…

For hot blooded youth, lack of a sense of identity and respect stokes the dormant fire raging within, leading to an explosion that reverberates for years before it dies down. And before it does, it consumes thousand others in internecine conflicts of revenge, hatred and isolation. Places like West Bank (Israel-Palestine), and Kashmir are breeding grounds for such disgruntled youth, who, disillusioned by the bloody conflicts and lured by the promise of heaven and redemption, seek glory and respect in martyrdom. Said and Khaled are two such disgruntled youth …

Anjali Purohit is a reclusive artist working from Mumbai (Bombay) who has been articulating her sensibility with paper, paint and canvas. She has studied at the Sir J J School of Art. She held her first solo show in Bombay in 1995 and has been exhibiting her work since in the city as well as outside. She believes that art, like language or music, is a medium of communication whereby the artist attempts to express her reaction to the world - nature, people, events, emotions, memories and situations. Something in each of these experiences strikes the artist as significant, poignant, moving, curious or in some way worthy of note or observation

To the uninitiated it must be told that Michel Gondry is obsessed with that intricate maze of thoughts and illusions that resides within the layer of subconscious or the unexplored part of the human psyche. His own mind is capable of concocting the most unimaginable tales, and presenting them in a potpourri of images where the real cannot be distinguished from the surreal. And honestly, it’s refreshing because unlike other directors (barring few exceptional ones like the legendary Luis Bunuel)

Jazz can be described in many ways – a JAZZY musical extravaganza with sterling performances and mellifluous music, a musical paean to the unsung musicians in Bollywood who work behind the scenes to compose some of the most memorable songs, or simply, a musical journey of an old man taking a trip down the memory lane. Whatever the description may go like, it will certainly appeal to the fastidious ears of a theatre critic or a music connoisseur, with its satirical wit, uncompromising conviction, and alluring music score.

Alp Bora has been strumming his guitar and humming Turkish tunes since the age of 12. It’s been over 2 decades but his affair with music only seems to get stronger and more passionate. Calling themselves Nim Sofyan, (which took 3 years to put together), Alp and his colleagues have been busy travelling to countries from India to Syria, enthralling audience with their spectacular skills and innovative music – Music that refuses itself to be bound to any conventional style, rhythm or beat. Stunning music…

Writers often cannot reproduce the brilliance they exhibit in their masterpieces that give them a demigod-like stature in the literary world; a perfect case in point would be J.D Salinger, who went though an unenviable phase after his most famous creation became a worldwide phenomenon. After a book as revolutionary as Catcher in the rye, he probably tried too hard with his novella Franny and Zooey, but failed on most accounts –But all’s not lost. There are pleasant reminders for those of us who believe we have come too far too soon.