Movie: The Queen

To be honest, I am not too sure what the hype is all about. Yes, it is a biographical movie about a recent event involving a living (and still ruling) head of state. Yes, Helen Miren had an uncanny resemblance to Elizabeth II. But, while the story does have some interesting points, a lot of witty humour, I would hardly rate it as one of the best movies of the past 12 months!

Movie: Blood Diamond

Blood Diamond has been criticised by some yet another movie exploring a bad white guy's redemption. And on the surface, it is no different to movies such as Tears of the Sun. However, I think the movie does justice in exploring the civil war in Sierra Leone, as well as the fact that wars and corruption in Africa also involves the support of certain people in the West. And the performance of both Leonardo DiCaprio and Djimon Hounsou provide excelent performances. It is a rare occurrence for an action movie to provide both a good plot and good acting performances.