1. L.A. Confidential
2. Goodfellas
3. Gangs of New York
4. Porco Rosso
   
5. Schindler’ List
6. A.I. Artificial Intelligence
7. Fargo
8. Carlito’s Way
9. Toy Story 2
   
10. Spirited Away
11. Minority Report
    
12. City of God
    
13. Bowling for Columbine
    
14. The Godfather Part III
15. Finding Nemo

(Niels Bohr)

(Bohr - Heisenberg - Pauli)

Pauli Applies Quantum Mechanics to Hydrogen
Wolfgang Pauli, with much difficulity successfully applied it to the Hydrogen atom. He derived Balmer's equation as well as Rydberg's constant using quantum mechanics instead of numerical manipulation. Bohr did the same thing in 1913, but he did it with incosistencies between Classical Mechanics and Quantum Mechanics - he was very happy that his theories were supported by Quantum Mechanics alone.

Pauli's Exclusion Priniciple
From the Bohr model of the atom, the first quantum number specified was the principal quantum no , n, the second quantum number was the angular momentum number, l, and the third was the magnetic quantum number, m.

Pauli used these and came up with another quantum number. In 1925, Pauli's fourth quantum number - the spin number was introduced. This he felt could explain the maximum number of electrons in each shell. The maximum number of electrons coresponded to the number of different sets of quantum numbers available for each shell. Pauli's exclusion principle states that no two electrons can have the same set of quantum numbers.

The exclusion principle provided the reason for electrons in atoms being arranged in shells with the maximum number of electrons being 2, 8, 18, 32, 18, 8 from the first to the sixth shell.

Schrodinger Thinks Different:
Einstein's involvement ensured that De Broglie's work on the wave nature of particles was understood and appreciated by many, having read this work, Erwin Schrodinger in 1925 read a comment of Einstein's about the De Broglie theory. Schrodinger was certain that the comment which Einstein made was much more than just an analogy of De Broglie's work. Schrodinger set to work upon restoring concepts of waves to quantum theory. He derived equations that were similar to equations which explained real waves. It seemed that Schrodinger's work had brought Quantum closer theory to a much more palatable area - Classical Mechanics.

However, it was not long until scientists, including themselves, discovered that Heisenberg's and Schrodinger's approaches were very much the same thing - only different versions. Schrodinger was very dissapointed that his "waves" were not waves at all, they were just theoretical analysis given to the electron orbits. Max Born found a way to interpret Schrodinger's waves; he related them to the probability of finding an electron at a particular location.

Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle:
Heisenberg after seeing Born's work set out to continue the idea of an electron's location further. In 1926, Heisenberg showed that uncertainty was an inherent property of all quantum mechanics. He showed that if the velocity of an electron is accurately found, then the position of it cannot be and vice versa. This of course led to his famous equation:



Although he did not realise at the time, this breakthrough has laid the foundations for all quantum mechanics.

(Fermi - Dirac - Heisenberg)

I think it is safe to say that no one understands quantum mechanics.
- Richard Feynman

Michael Mann's Heat is a seismic semaphore, a conjunction of the best available, a saga of crime involving the two greatest actors of the last 30 years. Indeed, epic is perhaps the most unlikely word for a film that runs some 2hrs and 40mins long. As much as it is about crime, Mann's masterpiece is about the consequences of crime and the repercussions on the families of those involved in crime, on both sides of the law.

As McCauley (De Niro) sets up his next major score, Hanna (Pacino) traces his footsteps with unrelenting passion “I've got three dead bodies on the street, I'm sorry if the damn chicken got overcooked” he says to his wife. Unlike many of the noirish thrillers both actors have been involved, Heat provides the viewer with a rather likeable depiction of Los Angeles. The sprawling metropolis is captured in its glory; the seedy underbelly is laid to rest. Mann's film thrives on the sonic and visual indulgence he creates.

Much has been said of the standoff between the two giants, Pacino and De Niro. Mann cleverly makes us wait and wait and wait. Half way into the film, the titans come head on, in the most unlikely of places – a coffee shop. Mann only did one take on this scene to get the full flavour of the Pacino vs De Niro effect and it comes off wonderfully. The scene buzzes with electricity on every level, from the dialogue to the finest of nuances on the faces of Pacino and De Niro, it is indeed a true testament to the acting calibre of the two.

As the investigation proceeds, both Hanna's and McCauley's worlds start falling apart. Hanna's third marriage comes to a precipice and topples. McCauley's new found love finds her self betrayed to and both the protagonists are torn between their profession and their personal lives. Indeed, the ultimate message of Mann's film is that robbers and cops are much the same. He wonderfully exemplifies this with the final stages of the film where Hanna and McCauley hunt shadows and almost end up shooting themselves – one is the shadow of the other, Mann seems to prophesise.

The operatic shooting in the streets of CBD Los Angeles has a deft touch to it. Nothing is solved and the denouement doesn’t occur straight after, Mann’s directorial vision comes to the fore and unlike so many he doesn’t slip into the tempting waters of mediocrity. Much of his character studies seem typical, yet they work so convincingly and are meticulously crafted that this is a forgivable flaw.

Pacino and De Niro only see each other twice, once in the coffee shop and once later on, both these meetings are on a placid note, yet both these meetings are extremely powerful. Needless to say, they both act with cold precision. Cops and robbers are bread and butter to these men, but they bring home another distinctive outing. De Niro, is chillingly wonderful as Neil McCauley and this is perhaps his last definitive role in the last 10 years. Seeing De Niro relegate himself to prankish comedies is an exercise in mediocrity for a man who along with Pacino defined a generation.

Pacino also shines in this film but the viewer will appreciate that this isn’t his best outing, he has done better work. Regardless, a slightly above average Pacino is still heads and shoulders above the rest of Hollywood with a few notable exceptions. Pacino, unlike De Niro, in the last 10 year (after Heat) has brought to his resume a deliciously exciting body of work and more is to come.

Mann’s film brings the best of opera, cinema, theatre and music into a mix that is socially alert as it is vigilant. This is among the best films of the 1990s.