S: Josh Hartnett; D: Michael Lehmann; MC: Universal

The movie's plot makes for a good comedy - 40 days and 40 nights without sex. Bring it on! But I'm not quite sure whether it makes for a good romance story though. There were moments in the movie when the scenes were a bit of an overkill. But it was fun to see Josh Hartnett, a favorite, do comedy.

S: Josh Hartnett; D: Paul McGuigan; MC: MGM

How do you separate love from obsession? This movie showcases deception at its finest. And the wonderful thing is, it delivers edge-of-your-seat suspense without really trying. It's even more suspenseful than any of the movies claiming to be suspense thrillers, with all their screams and blood and gore. And the way the mystery unfolded was just so brilliant - illuminating and captivating.

Josh Hartnett was wonderfully convincing in this movie - showing hurt and confusion where they really counted. Too bad Diane Kruger wasn't able to match his intensity as she remains stolid, scene after scene. It was Rose Bryne who really shone in this movie. Is it just me or does she look eerily similar to Natalie Portman?

S: John Travolta, Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Don Cheadle; D: Dominic Sena; MC: Warner Bros.

What does it take to protect the American way of life? Operation Swordfish has the answer. The movie presents a intriguing plot that involves big time hacking and jaw-dropping deception.

'Misdirection, Stan'. And that, my friends, is what makes this movie a top-notch watch.

S: Val Kilmer, Elizabeth Shue; D: Phillip Noyce; MC: Paramount

Despite its espionage feel, at the end of the day, this movie is still a love story. Love in the midst of a spy chase seems to be its central theme. I don't mind though. I liked the cloak-and-dagger bit; I liked the romance bit even better.

S: Matt Damon, Heath Ledger; D: Terry Gilliam; MC: Miramax

You can see bits and pieces of your well-loved fairy tale woven into one enchanting tale about a forest, a queen, and 12 lost girls. The plot may not be that catchy, the set-up may be a bit scary even, but it is the antics of lead actors Matt Damon and Heath Ledger that you want to see in this movie. They make a rather dreary story entertaining and brimming with humor.

S: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks; D: Steven Spielberg; MC: Dreamworks

Frank William Abagnale, Jr. is a pilot, pediatrician, and lawyer for the State of Louisiana. Oh, and he's barely 21.

This movie, based on a true story, is quite entertaining with a good performance thrown in by Leonardo DiCaprio. His character was featured in such a way that you can't help but root for him, bad deeds notwithstanding.

movie images courtesy: http://movies.yahoo.com

Dumbledore is dead. The Ministry of Magic has fallen. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is in the hands of Death Eaters. Still, Harry Potter and his friends relentlessly search for Horcruxes in the hope that when Harry finally faces Lord Voldemort, it will truly be the end of the Dark Lord.

In the search for Horcruxes, however, Harry and his friends find themselves besieged with yet another quest, this time, for the Deathly Hallows. The Deathly Hallows are said to make their possessor the Master of Death.

But is this just legend?

The phenomenon that was Harry Potter has finally come to an end. And what an end it was. This final installment in the series by J.K. Rowling closes doors to mysteries left unsolved by the previous books but manages to open yet another door, albeit a small one, regarding the Deathly Hallows. And it is this quest for the Hallows, coupled with Harry's close brushes with death, that got me rooted to the pages of the seventh book.

True loyalties are revealed; Dumbledore's weakness is exposed; death of allies bring a tear or two...but the seventh and final book gave the series an appropriate and well-deserved end to the boy who stole our hearts and our imagination.

All books in the series are given 10 chocolate frogs out of 10.

book image courtesy: http://www.scholastic.com/harrypotter/books/hallows/

Harry Potter has to go on with his life - it is what his godfather would have wanted him to do. And so he returns to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, with the Wizarding community now alerted to the return of the Dark Lord.

While the war against Voldemort is being waged outside the walls of Hogwarts, life goes on inside it. Harry and his friends learn to Apparate; classes are tougher than ever, though Harry finds himself a sudden Potion sensation, thanks to the Half-Blood Prince. But the most important lesson of all is that which he is taking with Albus Dumbledore.

Harry is being plunged into memory after memory, transporting him into Voldemort's intriguing and dark past, learning the Dark Lord's secrets, and acquiring that crucial information that could be Voldermort's downfall.

The anticipation to discover what happens to Harry and his friends in the last installment of the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling intensifies after reading this sixth book.

While there is not much action, unlike its two predecessors, the plot surrounding this series is as spellbinding as the others, probably the most. Voldemort's past is as enchanting as the mysteries surrounding Harry's scar. For the first time ever, we see Voldemort for the wizard that he is.

Dark as the times may be, and tragic as this book may have ended, the author has not discarded the humor and normalcy that I have so associated with the Harry Potter series. However profound the magic had been in this installment, particularly the chapter titled The Cave, it is still a delight to see that anything as normal as falling in love can happen.

book image courtesy: http://www.scholastic.com/harrypotter/books/prince/

What secret does Harry Potter's scar hold? This question and a lot more are answered in this fifth installment of the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling.

Harry Potter dreams of passing his O.W.L.s, exams fifth years are required to take. He dreams of being alone with Cho Chang and having cheerful conversations together. He also dreams of long corridors and locked doors. And it is this dream, more than anything, that peaks his curiosity. What lies beyond the doors?

In the waking world, Harry finds himself wishing, for the first time ever, that he is anywhere but at Hogwarts, as unpleasant things befall him on his fifth year. He is banned from Quidditch, and flanked by the two people he hates the most - Snape, whose anger at Harry has surmounted even more than is possible; and Umbridge, Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, who wants Hogwarts under the control of the Ministry of Magic.

But all the miserableness that is descending upon Harry pales in comparison to that which must be done for the destruction of the Dark Lord...the ultimate sacrifice...

Did I say the fourth book was the most action-packed of the series? I was wrong. The fifth installment surpasses its predecessor by a mile - page numbers and all.

And so we finally learn the reason for the scar. But more than the unfolding of the mystery behind it, it is the way the author can evoke such emotion in her readers that has made this fifth book the most captivating so far. I can feel Harry's anger spring from the pages, his sadness drip from the prints. As I turn the last page of the book, watching Harry leave with the Dursleys from King's Cross station, I wait, my heart aching, for what will happen in this new chapter of his life.

The second war begins...

book image courtesy: http://www.scholastic.com/harrypotter/books/phoenix/