Armageddon
Michael Bay
After New York is damaged by hundreds of small meteorites, NASA discovers that an asteroid the size of Texas is on a collision course with Earth. They recruit the best deep core driller in the world, Harry Stamper, to train astronauts who will go to the asteroid, drill into the centre and detonate a nuclear warhead. Harry says he can’t train men how to drill in ten days, so he brings in his own team of roughnecks to learn to become astronauts and get the job done.
The Firm
Sydney Pollack
Based on a novel by John Grisham that sold seven million copies this fabulous film has Tom Cruise playing Mitchell Y. McDeere, a lawyer who joins a prestigious law firm only to discover that it has a sinister side to it. Pressurised on both sides by the “firm” and the FBI he cautiously tackles the situation. An anthology of character performances and action it combines well to form a beautiful film.
Wasabi
Gérard Krawczyk
Hubert Fiorentini (Jean Reno) is a French policeman with very sharp investigative methods. After being forced to take two months off by his boss, he goes to Japan, where he used to work 19 years ago, to settle the probate of his girlfriend who left him shortly after marriage without a trace. There he meets his former colleague Momo (Michel Muller) and his daughter Yumi who he did not know was ever born. Hubert eventually finds out why his girlfriend left him and the reason becomes his and his new daughter’s problem. Watch it for the extraordinary performance of Jean and the action sequences.
Catch Me if You Can
Steven Spielberg
Catch Me If You Can is based on the life of Frank Abagnale, Jr., who before his 19th birthday, successfully conned people out of millions of dollars by posing as a Pan American World Airways pilot, a Georgia doctor, and a Louisiana parish prosecutor. His primary crime was cheque fraud; he became so skillful that the FBI eventually turned to him for help in catching other forgers. Frank today works on the side of the law as a top consultant on preventing forgery and designing secure checking systems. Watch it for Steven Spielberg’s direction and Leonardo Di Caprio’s stunning acting.
K-PAX
Iain Softley
The screenplay is based on the novel K-PAX by Brewer about a psychiatric patient who claims to be an alien from the planet K-PAX. During his treatment, the patient demonstrates an outlook on life that ultimately proves inspirational for his fellow patients and especially for his psychiatrist. In the end Kevin Spacey explains how the universe works and how we repeat the same mistakes.
Those that almost made it
12 Rounds: Renny Harlin
Mission Impossible 1: Brian De Palma
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: Michael Gondry
Memento: Christopher Nolan
Angels and Demons: Ron Howard
Die Hard 4: Len Wiseman
The Rocky Series: John G. Avildsen and Sylvester Stallone
Lokeswaran is a student of engineering based in Chennai.
