Oscar Jubis:
Two of the most interesting and enjoyable movies I have seen recently are AGORA and RAAVAN. Their combined box office is just over $1 million nationwide.

AGORA is the new film by Alejandro Amenabar (The Others, The Sea Inside) with Rachel Weisz as a 4th century philosopher and astronomer struggling against the righteous power of the emergent Christians. The recreation of ancient Alexandria and a well-cast Weisz are reason enough to check it out. RAAVAN is an artful, re-imagining of "The Ramayana" by director Mani Ratman (Dil Se, Guru). There are some set pieces in this film that have to be seen to be believed.
These new Hindi/Bollywood movies have been shown locally (in the East Bay) this year that I have seen:

3 Idiots (Rajkumar Hirani 2010) R
Khatta Meetha (Priyadarshan 2010) NR
Kites (Anurag Basu 2010) NR
Raavan (Mani Ratnam 2010) NR
Rajneeti (Prakash Jha 2010) NR

Of these, and I think this is by general consent among Indians, only 3 IDIOTS is really an unqualified success and seemed worthy of review. Actually some sequences in RAAVAN are extraordinary but they are not to be believed when they are seen. It is a travesty on the Ramayana. Its attempt to update the classic legend isn't successful. KITES is an attempt at crossover with US sequences and dialogue in Spanish and English. It's terrible, and so is KHATTA MEETHA, a remake of the same director's 1988 film, which purports to be a comedy but is not; the reviews in India are generally unfavorable also. RAJNEETI is about political corruption, as KHATTA MEETHA is about corruption in city government and the construction trade. RAJNEETI is a sort of Hidi GODFATHER. It is confoluted and extremely violent. Parts of it are memorable but it is ultimately incomprehensible and a mess. I recommend 3 IDIOTS to any Bollywood fan or person who wants to try its latest manifestations. I saw only a part of AGORA and it seems interesting, good as Oscar says as a role for the rather earnest Weisz, if a bit stilted. Nice to have a film in theaters that is about ideas.