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THE GODFATHER
Starring: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Robert Duvall
Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola

Don Vito Corleone(Marlon Brando) is the head of the most powerful Mafia family in New York, but his old-fashioned beliefs, especially his opposition to drugs, ruffles many feathers. When a smart, greedy drug dealer, Sollozzo(Al Lettieri), decides to take the Don out with the help of the rival Tattaglia family, the Corleones find themselves bombarded on all sides. It is upto the Don's youngest son, Michael Corleone(Al Pacino), who had wanted no part in his father's activities earlier, to take charge of the situation.

I loved this movie, almost as much as I loved the book. I have watched the movie once before, but that time I wasn't really able to appreciate the scope of the movie, as I was mostly distracted by Marlon Brando's accent, but not this time. The vast tapestry of characters came together perfectly to create this gem of a movie. The performances are all superb; they brought out the depth and complexity of the characters. But the best was Al Pacino as Michael Corleone. He gave a powerful understated performance, his transformation from a quiet, unassuming war hero into the ruthless, chilling Don was fantastic. Coppola stays true to the essence of the book, but makes the movie his own. I loved how deftly he handled the subject, his compassionate portrayal of the Mafia. The different threads weave together into one thunderous climax, and the depiction of Michael's revenge is splendid. Another highlight of the movie was the music; I loved it. I would say the music played a big role in making the movie the classic it is, as it complemented the story so well. A really awesome movie, one you shouldn't miss for the world.

NATIONAL TREASURE2: BOOK OF SECRETS
Starring: Nicholas Cage, Diane Kruger, Justin Bartha
Directed by: Jon Turteltaub

At a Civil War conference, black market dealer Mitch Wilkinson (Ed Harris) shows a missing page from John Wilkes Booth's diary, which implicates bounty hunter Benjamin Gates'(Cage) ancestor as the architect of Lincoln's assassination. To prove his ancestor's innocence, Gates finds a cipher on the page which leads him from Paris to the Buckingham Palace to the Library of Congress, leading to a treasure hunt in Mount Rushmore.

National Treasure is a campy adventure movie, not much to write home about. It has an average plot and okay acting. There is quite a bit of humour in the movie, which is the only plus point. The scenes between Helen Mirren and Jon Voight are fun to watch; their chemistry is quite crackling. The ending of the movie seemed a little lame to me, a little forced. This is a movie to watch if you have nothing else to do, or you are a big Nicholas Cage fan.