Antz (Released in 1998) - An animation movie with the voices of Woody Allen, Sharon Stone, Jennifer Lopez, Sylvester Stallone, Dan Aykroyd, Anne Bancroft, Gene Hackman

This is a story about Z-1495 (voice of Woody Allen), an ant who displays neurotic traits in his behavior and lives in a colony in Central Park NYC. Z is a workaholic who is typically individualistic and has few friends, the two closest to him are Azteca (Jennifer Lopez) and Weaver (Sylvester Stallone). Z is surprised that he has survived in NYC, given his apprehensions regarding crowds, claustrophobia - he owes it all to the fact that he had a ‘very anxious childhood’, he lies on a leafy couch pouring his heart out to an ant shrink, cribbing that handling dirt is not his idea of a career. He feels insignificant - to which the shrink says he’s finally made a breakthrough for he has hit the nail on the head - he is indeed insignificant!
So Z goes back to join the five million socially adept formicidae, a larvae recruitment drive is on - each ant larva is equipped with either a shovel or soldier’s helmet. In the workshop, all that the little ants do is work, work and more work - they are almost indefatigable!
In the mega tunnel, as the rest of his clan toils tirelessly, Z is giving himself a pep talk about keeping a good attitude, ‘insignificant but with attitude.’ His friend Azteca tells him he’s finally getting it, because ants are all about team work, she tells him he thinks too much. He should be happy and just enjoy building them a better colony.



On the other hand, General Mandible (Gene Hackman) is hatching a sinister plan to use the ants to build a tunnel, after which the poor ants and their queen shall perish, and the colony will be inhabited by more powerful ants. However, before his dream is realized, he must send his troops to fight against an army of termites; Colonel Cutter (Christopher Walken) tells him that the mission is doomed from the start - ants cannot hold up against termites, it would be suicide! Mandible has just the plan to deal with this niggling problem - he decides to send the units loyal to the Queen, into the termite colony.
The Queen (Anne Bancroft) is surprised that things have reached this extent - after all, they’ve been friends with that colony for years! Mandible convinces her that the termites are greedy and want to expand their foraging territory. The Queen wants to deal with the problem through diplomatic channels, she suggests sending and ambassador to negotiate on their behalf - Mandible however tells the Queen that it is imperative they strike first to have an advantage. The Queen agrees grudgingly and the General praises her for her decision.
On his way out, Princess Bala (Sharon Stone) who is betrothed to General Mandible, requests that they spend some time getting to know each other before they marry. Mandible agrees quickly, although their conversation is cut short because time has run out and he has more important business to attend to. Bala complains to her mother the Queen, who says she knows that the General is high handed and overbearing, however, she thinks he loves her. She intones to her daughter that things aren’t all that bad - after all, she is a princess, and not a worker. Bala however, envies the workers for having a life!
Weaver and Z are at a bar, and the soldier is telling his friend how lucky he is because the worker girls are all around him, Z tells him that there focus is different - they’re persistent diggers! Z thinks his prospects with regard to meeting the love of his life are really bleak and this when he meets Princess Bala. Antz is based on the video game by the same name, directed by Eric Darnell and Tim Johnson, the film received critical acclaim, opening the door to a fresh genre of animated computer films. Worth a watch for the message as well as the evolving technology!

The conversation (released in 1974) - starring Gene Hackman, Harrison Ford, Cindy Williams and Robert Duvall, dealing with wire-tapping

This movie is directed by Francis Coppola, staring the legendary, Gene Hackman, Harrison Ford, Cindy Williams and Robert Duvall. This deals with the pitfalls of phone tapping and communication surveillance. This movie was released right after the Watergate scandal and has used the same equipment used by the Nixon Administration to spy on his opponents.
Harry Caul is a talented Surveillance expert who undertakes communication surveillance for a fee. He taps and listens to others conversation and is a much sought after person in this field. Caul a devout catholic has no emotional quotient within him. He avoids real contact with people and keeps away from crowds. He is paranoid about security that his apartment has a triple lock door and he himself works behind a wire mesh. Very shabbily dressed and distant, Caul has alienated his colleague and girl friend completely. But among all this paranoia we see Caul as an vulnerable person who is tormented by guilt of his profession.
He gets an assignment of listening and recording the conversation of two people who are having an affair. Ann and Marc are being listened to on the instructions of Ann's husband who is identified as the director. While listening to the conversation, Caul hears them saying “he would have killed us if he had a chance” . He thinks that the director would have the couple killed.



His earlier assignment in the East coast had ended up in deaths and Caul tormented by that incident, fears for the couple's life. He refuses to hand over the tape to the directors aide. While attending a convention he finds that the tapes are stolen and rushes to confront the director. He is paid his due and is curtly dismissed. A scared Caul reaches the hotel where Ann and Marc had agreed to meet and takes up the adjoining room eagerly listening through the wall with his equipment. Suddenly he hears screams and on rushing to the room he finds blood prints on the glass panes. A distraught Caul faints and is revived by the police.
Caul reaches the directors office to confront him and to his surprise finds Ann and Marc alive and well. He hears from the secretary that the director was killed in an accident. The truth finally dawns on him that Ann's sentence was a result of her rationalizing the directors murder.
Caul watches Ann and Marc along with the aide rushing from the press conference asking for an inquiry in to the directors death. Caul's presence unnerves the murderers.
Caul is called by the aide who now works for Ann. He warns him that his apartment is bugged and warns him not to tell the truth. Caul ransacks his apartment for the bug and cannot find any. In the last enduring scene Caul slumps defeated and lost while the Saxophone plays on. This movie is considered a classic and was nominated for 3 Academy Awards. The highpoint was when it was awarded the Palm d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1974. The Conversation was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant"