Classic: Cinderella Man (2005)

Inspired by the true life story of James Braddock aka The Cinderella Man, this movie is extra-ordinary to say the least. The human emotions, the struggles during the Great Depression, the subsequent rags to riches story and some of the most brutal boxing fights shown on the cinema screen make this Ron Howard movie a once-in-a-lifetime experience

Russell Crowe teams up with Ron Howard for another classic after 'A Beautiful Mind'. That both these movies are inspired by true life heroes, is more than a mere coincidence. He is top class to say the least. His talents need no further explanation. Another milestone for the Australian superstar

There are solid support roles for Renee Zellweger as the wife of James, Paul Giamatti as the manager/ringside coach of James and Paddy Considine as James' friend at the dock

Some of the dialogs induce goose-bumps particularly, the dialog that Mae tells James before the final bout. For more such dialogs check this out http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0352248/quotes

The fights are all real, particularly the Lasky fight and the final Baer fight. Such intensity and such detailing that they suck you into them. The final bout gives you the same feeling as watching a Federer-Nadal grand-slam final.

More than the fights, it's the human interest element that makes this movie a classic, be it the relationship between the father and his 3 young kids or the lovely mature husband-wife relationship or the entire community looking up to the Bulldog of Bergen / The Pride of New Jersey for hope and courage during the Great Depression.

VERDICT: Must watch for any movie buff and more so for sports movie buffs.   

Classic: Scent of a Woman (1992)

The Plot

Charlie Simms takes up a weekend job to be Colonel Frank Slade’s aide for the Thanksgiving weekend. He takes time to warm up to the real nature of the Colonel. The Colonel also starts taking a liking for Simms gradually and takes him along to New York City for an adventurous couple of days that includes staying in a gorgeous hotel, some great food, never ending booze, beautiful ladies and a Ferrari car ride. The Colonel plans to blow himself out at the end of these couple of days because he has no support from his family and he feels lonely. But Simms talks him out of this and convinces him to fight on in life.

Simms also has a problem in his school as he is witness to a notorious act of vandalism by a group of rich brats. Just when his future is about to be brushed off by the disciplinary committee of the Baird school, Colonel Slade steps in as his guardian and delivers a knockout speech that salvages young Simms’ life. The Colonel starts feeling full of life and looks forward to spending time with his grand kids in the end as Simms looks on in glee. 

                                                                         

Hits

• Al Pacino’s Oscar winning show. Such a different portrayal of the blind man. No exaggerated expressions to prove that he is blind. But, his aggressive voice that mouths expressions like “Whoo ha”, “Ha” and dialogs like “I am just getting warmed up”, “I am feeling super, superior, superfluous” stay with us. The scene where he attempts to shoot himself, the scene where he describes the woman’s body, the climax committee scene, the way he dances a tango with a young girl Donna, the way he eats paper etc. etc. are moments that prove Al Pac’s powerhouse talent. 
• Chris O'Donnell as Charlie Simms, the young, decent Baird student who never loses his temper and is so calm and collected is the perfect foil to the aggressive and lively Al Pac. The intense emotional scene where he convinces Colonel Slade to live on and not kill himself and the way he abuses him as a “blind motherfucker” is one rare moment when he loses his composure. 
• Thomas Newman’s music is mild and soothing. Perfect for such a humane drama. 
• Philip Seymour Hoffman as one of the students George proves his childishness and restlessness in the final committee scene. 

VERDICT

A different sort of male bonding movie that moves at a leisurely pace. But, Al Pacino’s out of the world performance is worth a look-in, any number of times. 

Classic Revisited - The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Whats it about:
It traces the life of jail inmates at The Shawshank prison, New England.
        Andy is a banker who comes into the jail for a crime he hasn't committed. He starts developing the prison library and also is a tax expert for the warden and all the jailers. Red is a long timer at the jail who has the knack of getting things that jail inmates need. Red's parole keeps on getting rejected. Tommy comes in at a later point. He is a young punk. Brooks, the library in-charge is the longest surviving inmate with over 50 yrs of jail time.
        Many more such characters. Add to this, a cold blooded corrupt warden who keeps earning illegal money.
        Finally, after a terrific painstaking escape act by Andy and a successful parole for Red, Andy and Red get close to each other and form a life long bond. Andy has everything perfectly planned out, he exposes the dirty prison activities, gets his money and welcomes his friend with lot of hope ...
                                                                 
Hits

• Such beautiful dialogs which give so much hope
• Tim Robbins dazzles. Egs: his look at his prison friends enjoying beer, the scene where he plays out Mozart to the entire prison through the loudspeaker, when he talks with so much hope about Zihuatanejo to Red just before his escape, his relief at finally escaping .... Many many more
• Morgan Freeman proves his legacy again. His base voice, his walk, his grace and his expressions during his repeated parole rejections are pure class.
• The characterization of Brooks, the long timer. His bonding with the jail, his crow Jake, his struggles in the outer world and his final letter revealing his decision to end his life sure leave a lump in the throat.
• Tommy the young punk. His attempts to clear his high school exam in the jail and his sorry killing for supporting Andy, make a major impact.
• Sweet, simple BGM by Thomas Newman that haunts at places
• There hasn't been a more intricate and detailed portrayal of jail life in the movies. The way 'new fish' are ragged verbally by the old timers and how they struggle to get used to the first night at the jail, are brutally frankly portrayed. 

VERDICT

Deserves all the top places it has in all the ratings. A movie that emphasizes hope, the joy of living, belief, friendship and all other positive emotions ... A ROYAL SALUTE