Thursday, July 26, 2007
Where is my leg space?
Flying business class for 10+ hours is tough, the kind of frustration which creeps in knows no bounds at all. The problem with such flights is that you know there are lots of people who are flying with you are trying to be nice to one another and worst the flight attendants are also too helpful. Now, who is going to take the burnt of the bad leg space or hardly any breathing space available or arm place etc., - ah. Yes, it is you and you start grinding the teeth and hope the 10+ hours will end quick. Worst if in the name of flight entertainment, one gets to see sub-standard movies then god help us all!
Zindagi ne Zindagi
Classy song this from the movie 'The Train'. Probably the voice made all the difference, for a moment thought it was Atif Aslam, but it appears that the singer is Mithun. I thought maybe I need to read the lyrics, but the moment I start reading the lyrics I feel I am no longer bothered about deceiphering the meaning/my interpretation of the song, which will immediately make me lose interest over the song. So stopped reading the lyrics and started listening to the song.
Kind of reminds of a Ruskin Bond story 'The train stops at Shamli' in which the protagonist wanted to propose to a beautiful vendor at the railway station. The protagonist finds her beautiful but always worried to go ahead to her and propose to her fearing failure or worst fearing the future. The theme sounds so real !
Hi There
If words can lose any purpose, here it is when you hear a stranger telling you 'Hi There' or 'Are you okay?' or 'You alright?' or 'How are you doing?'. In India, when you hear these words from a stranger the first thing you ask yourself is 'is this person alright?' or 'what is his problem?' cause these greetings sounds so phoney.The problem in such greetings is that they hardly get to the next stage of any intimacy or even to start a simple conversation. Thus, 'Hi There!' sounds terribly absurd cause the person who greeted you is not keen to get on a conversation with you. 'Hi There' is more like a fence or shield i.e now that I told you 'Hi There', you either greet him/her back and then buzz off is probably the likely meaning.Anyway, I guess it takes great courage to still say 'Hi there' to a total stranger, cause there is always the chance of being ignored or worst insulted.
Mistake - whose stake is it anyway ?
There are so many times we volunteer to point out a mistake of someone's of course! And this seems so easy to pass the buck/blame, though it feels like doomsday when you are at the receiving end.
If a person 'A' blames another person 'B', does it make 'A' a hero ?
Hmm.. Listening to A's, 'I told you then,... ' or 'I wish you had done this way .... ' or 'You should have asked my help .. ' is probably one of the most nauseating experiences for 'B'.
I think if B commits an error/mistake 'E' and 'A' is able to point the mistake 'E', then 'A' by default becomes a stake-holder in this mistake 'E'. Thus, the moment 'A' identifies the problem he is also part and parcel of the problem and there is no way 'A' can play the holy ghost by lecturing that 'this could have been done that way'.
If a person 'A' blames another person 'B', does it make 'A' a hero ?
Hmm.. Listening to A's, 'I told you then,... ' or 'I wish you had done this way .... ' or 'You should have asked my help .. ' is probably one of the most nauseating experiences for 'B'.
I think if B commits an error/mistake 'E' and 'A' is able to point the mistake 'E', then 'A' by default becomes a stake-holder in this mistake 'E'. Thus, the moment 'A' identifies the problem he is also part and parcel of the problem and there is no way 'A' can play the holy ghost by lecturing that 'this could have been done that way'.
Movies by Weekends
HotFuzz:
One of those British comedies similar to 'Borat' which kind of fails to understand whether it is going to be an out-and-out spoof movie or an original comedy movie :-( The final product is more of a parody which is just ordinary :-(
Insomnia:
Saw this Al Pacino, Robbie Williams, Hillary Swank what appeared to be a total waste of the talent. Maybe the plot was too weak, though the part on how Al Pacino loses sleep cause of the sun-which-never-sets in Alaska was well thought out!
Notorious:
This Alfred Hitchcock movie was fun to watch, typical story but nothing really special about it though.
Bheja Fry:
Somehow the story does not suit the Indian context, so never really liked this movie.
Hideous Kinky:
The storyline is fascinating i.e how Kate looks all around Morocco for finding herself, but always misses the part that she can never find herself in Morocco cause there is nothing to find. Life just moves on, cause there is no 'destination'.
Stranger than fiction:
Too good a movie. The stars really lift the story and the plot speaks volumes for itself.Must see!
Oceans 13:
Fun movie to watch. Though the screen looks too over-crowded with so many actors (thirteen is too many, cause of that many hardly get a screen presence at all)
Goal and Goal II:
Typical feel-good movies, some of the shots are breathtaking i.e roping in so many football stars and getting some beautiful clips on screen.
The good shepherd:
Decent movie. De Niro's debut into direction. One dialogue between Joe Pesci and Matt Damon was really the pick of the flick in which Matt Damon tells Joe Pesci that his(cuban immigrants views) or Italian-Amerian views or Irish views etc., do not matter in this country(USA), but only views like his(English Protestant) matters cause they are the true patriots. Joe Pesci's role was a good cameo.
Birds:
Really good movie this. Only Hitchcock can scare the viewers with even harmless innocent animals like sea gulls or with other birds. Seagulls seems to have earned enormous respect from me !
A Good year:
Drab movie this, surprising how Russel Crowe picked this role :-(
A Simple Plan:
Creepy movie this, not sure I enjoyed it anyway
Rogue Trader:
The story of Nick Leesing, somehow it appeared to be more of a documentary rather than a movie, not enjoyable of course!
Airplane:
Typical Leslie Nielson movie, enjoyable !
One of those British comedies similar to 'Borat' which kind of fails to understand whether it is going to be an out-and-out spoof movie or an original comedy movie :-( The final product is more of a parody which is just ordinary :-(
Insomnia:
Saw this Al Pacino, Robbie Williams, Hillary Swank what appeared to be a total waste of the talent. Maybe the plot was too weak, though the part on how Al Pacino loses sleep cause of the sun-which-never-sets in Alaska was well thought out!
Notorious:
This Alfred Hitchcock movie was fun to watch, typical story but nothing really special about it though.
Bheja Fry:
Somehow the story does not suit the Indian context, so never really liked this movie.
Hideous Kinky:
The storyline is fascinating i.e how Kate looks all around Morocco for finding herself, but always misses the part that she can never find herself in Morocco cause there is nothing to find. Life just moves on, cause there is no 'destination'.
Stranger than fiction:
Too good a movie. The stars really lift the story and the plot speaks volumes for itself.Must see!
Oceans 13:
Fun movie to watch. Though the screen looks too over-crowded with so many actors (thirteen is too many, cause of that many hardly get a screen presence at all)
Goal and Goal II:
Typical feel-good movies, some of the shots are breathtaking i.e roping in so many football stars and getting some beautiful clips on screen.
The good shepherd:
Decent movie. De Niro's debut into direction. One dialogue between Joe Pesci and Matt Damon was really the pick of the flick in which Matt Damon tells Joe Pesci that his(cuban immigrants views) or Italian-Amerian views or Irish views etc., do not matter in this country(USA), but only views like his(English Protestant) matters cause they are the true patriots. Joe Pesci's role was a good cameo.
Birds:
Really good movie this. Only Hitchcock can scare the viewers with even harmless innocent animals like sea gulls or with other birds. Seagulls seems to have earned enormous respect from me !
A Good year:
Drab movie this, surprising how Russel Crowe picked this role :-(
A Simple Plan:
Creepy movie this, not sure I enjoyed it anyway
Rogue Trader:
The story of Nick Leesing, somehow it appeared to be more of a documentary rather than a movie, not enjoyable of course!
Airplane:
Typical Leslie Nielson movie, enjoyable !
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Movies by weekend
The Namesake:
Ordinary movie. What could have been a ripper of a movie was sadly lost.
I have serious doubts on any biopic(running through years/decades) being flawless!
What a star cast for this movie - Kal Penn, Tabu, Irfan - but sadly the director loses them all with some rather pathetic plots all around. I have not read the book by Jhumpa Lahiri, but will try my hand on that soon.
Hopefully, the book is much better than this movie.
I really wish Mira Nair could have done a better job when Kal loses Irfan and then decides to shave his head.
There is something so innocent about Kal Penn's role, which the director manages to lose. Irfan's story and Tabu's story also could have been developed better. I think you cant have too many plots all around and still manage to pull off a coup. Only very few movies like Steven Soderberg or Alejandro González Iñárritu or Paul Thomas Anderson (Magnolia) or Darren Aronofsky(Requiem for a Dream) can pull it off.
8 1/2:
Federico Fellini movie was simply puzzling all the way. Some of the imagery reminded me of David Lynch style of film-making with dreams allowing the audience never to really understand where the story is really running.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang:
Bad movie. I only wished I had given a skip watching this movie !
Barbarians at the Gate:
Not sure, if I enjoyed this movie. It was more like a drama and the movie just coasted along thanks to interesting dialogues. But this movie is certainly nowhere near Wall Street's class.
Ordinary movie. What could have been a ripper of a movie was sadly lost.
I have serious doubts on any biopic(running through years/decades) being flawless!
What a star cast for this movie - Kal Penn, Tabu, Irfan - but sadly the director loses them all with some rather pathetic plots all around. I have not read the book by Jhumpa Lahiri, but will try my hand on that soon.
Hopefully, the book is much better than this movie.
I really wish Mira Nair could have done a better job when Kal loses Irfan and then decides to shave his head.
There is something so innocent about Kal Penn's role, which the director manages to lose. Irfan's story and Tabu's story also could have been developed better. I think you cant have too many plots all around and still manage to pull off a coup. Only very few movies like Steven Soderberg or Alejandro González Iñárritu or Paul Thomas Anderson (Magnolia) or Darren Aronofsky(Requiem for a Dream) can pull it off.
8 1/2:
Federico Fellini movie was simply puzzling all the way. Some of the imagery reminded me of David Lynch style of film-making with dreams allowing the audience never to really understand where the story is really running.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang:
Bad movie. I only wished I had given a skip watching this movie !
Barbarians at the Gate:
Not sure, if I enjoyed this movie. It was more like a drama and the movie just coasted along thanks to interesting dialogues. But this movie is certainly nowhere near Wall Street's class.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Eating lunch infront of the computer !
I hate to eat lunch in office cafeteria alone and would gladly skip lunch if I don't have company. But it was a rude shock for me to find some on site colleagues having their lunch (sandwich) in front of the computer @ work. Damn, thought how unsocial this :-( and was wondering what is wrong with these guys! But, I guess these guys really take their 8 hours at work too seriously, while we in India have an idea of extending this 8 hours to an extra hour or two, since we think it is important to socialize with colleagues/friends at work during lunch or tea time or chatting online with a friend or chatting with a friend on sports/current affairs. Lunch for an hour is certainly a luxury for on site colleagues but not for offshore workers here. Socializing helps in a way to beat the drudgery that one hits at work.
When relationships does not mean a thing!
Have you ever sit with your relatives or friends who you consider close, but still afraid to utter a word cause you think that might really hurt them or you are afraid they might consider this offending. Hmm.. , it's a real tragedy this predicament. I only wish I don't have to face a situation like this. Guess, the ideal situation is for people to be more open and talk it over honestly with sincerity.
Movies by weekends
The Big Lebowski:
Nice comedy.
Jeff Bridges coming across as 'dude' and his friends were major fun to watch.
The political sub-context though was a bit tough to understand, why censure George Bush?
Fearless:
Classic Jet Li action flick.
Mindhunters:
Ordinary plot :-(
Definitely not worth the watch
Asterix and the Vikings:
Not sure whether I enjoyed this animation flick.
Ordinary one.
Just my luck:
Chick-flick featuring Lindsay Lohan.
Ordinary movie all the way !
The Queen:
Fantastic movie.
The way the story unfolds is really outstanding.
The way the chemistry between Tony Blair and the queen builds is picturized in a fantastic way.
Philip, Cherie and Charles characters were also nicely pictured.
The last king of Scotland:
Another fantastic movie. I think the James McAvoy deserved the Oscar and not Forest Whitaker, wonder how come he got
nominated in the first case :-(
The historical background made this movie a delight i.e the 'eviction of Asians' and 'Raid on Entebbe'.
Pan's Labryinth:
Another fantastic movie which has a historical background, this time Spanish civil war.
Maribel Verdu had a superb role.
This movie was certainly mesmerizing and eats your brain all the way.
Dead or Alive:
hmm.. I wish I had not seen this movie :-(
Heat:
When De Niro and Al Pacino act in a movie - what else does one need - it's a true delight !
Movie was really fantastic. Probably the best sequence is when Pacino has dinner with De Niro !
Movie had superb casting too.
Thank you for Smoking:
Liked this movie. It was so dark, so insensitive but still was so real.
The ladykillers:
Decent watch this Tom Hanks movie.
Probably too many gospels all around and the slowness are the spoilers.
Traffic Signal:
Though the movie is a bit ordinary.
But one really has to admire the conviction of Madhur Bandarkar in experimenting with movies such as this with a
novel backdrop.
Clueless:
When I first saw this movie a few years back I got so bored with the cliches that I switched off my TV.
But ever since I read 'reelfanatic's review on 'Clueless' I was keen to give this movie another chance and now I guess
I think I am happy I saw this movie again. The movie appeared to be lot fun if you could patiently watch through all
the antics of Alicia Silverstone..
Casino:
What a movie! Guess, this probably has to be the best Scorcese movie ever!
De Niro and Joe Pesci combination was a treat to watch.
Saving Silverman:
Good comedy movie this.
Wished Jack Black had a bigger role in this flick. Though have to admit Jack Black parts were great fun to watch.
Amanda Peet's role was also good fun to watch.
Letters from Iwo Jima:
Not sure whether this movie deserved all the nominations that it got in Oscars.
Think it s an ordinary flick from Clint Eastwood.
Lucky Number Slevin:
Good masala all around and time just flies when you watch this movie.
Dirty Harry:
Not sure why this movie appears to have a cult-following :-(
Very ordinary flick
The Last Temptation of Christ:
This movie was too good an attempt.
Mel Gibson's movie "the passion of christ" really fades away when one compares his movie to Scorcese's.
What a shame really a person like Mel Gibson who has directed really phoney movies like 'the passion of christ'
and 'braveheart' was awarded an Oscar for best direction :-(
This movie had a few technical faults like camera shadows, bad lighting and shadows due to those lightings during
many parts in this movie.
Chasing Amy:
Good movie. The dialogues were crisp and quick and the movie was short which would help one to enjoy the movie!
Hannibal:
Thought this movie was very good.
Though one would wish Jodie Foster could have acted in this sequel!
Black Friday:
Very good movie.
Anurag Kashyap is certain to go places.
Inspite of many sub-plots all around, the movie sequence was coherent.
Mozhi:
Okay kind of movie, but I think my mother liked this movie.
Curious George:
Dont think I enjoyed this movie.
Nacho Libre:
Jack Black movie sadly failed to live up to his usual standards :-(
Hercules:
Another animation flick, which is really ordinary.
Ferris Bueller's Day Off:
Out of the world movie.
This was a total entertainer.
The tragedy of MacBeth:
Did not really enjoy watching this movie. I did not like 'The Pianist' either.
Maybe Roman Polanski movies a bit hyped.
Fistful of Dollars:
May not be the best western movie, but still a decent watch thanks to the climax.
Though I feel that bullet proof was a bit silly, but still the high-pitch music will really get you behind the lead actor.
From Hell:
I think I am a sucker to conspiracies.
Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell certainly have to be the god of conspiracies.
This movie will certainly grow on you if you are willing to ignore some gory brutal scenes.
All the Kings Men:
Was totally lost while watching this movie. Thought this entire super starcast is wasted in a rather ordinary movie.
Later via imdb, got to know that this happens to be a take on the life of Huey Long.
Apocalypto:
This movie was a ordinary, though the saving grace was the 'action chase sequences' in the climax.
Frankenstein:
Wished I had skipped this movies :-(
The road to Perdition:
Thought this movie was brilliant. Tom Hanks ' underplayed performance is a delight to watch.
Sam Mendes is brilliant.
The Dreamers:
Bernardo Bertolucci's movie is a master-piece for sure.
Probably a movie fan's delight.
Idiocracy:
Ordinary movie. could have been a laugh riot but somehow lost its way.
A History of Violence:
Movie based on a graphic novel, ordinary movie though.
All Quiet on the Western Front:
Decent watch this movie. Though it was black all the way.
Dog Day Afternoon:
The movie was ordinary, though it was fun at times.
Rat Race:
Surprised that the maker of 'Naked Gun' series made this movie :-(
Falling Down:
Ordinary movie.
300:
Was expecting this movie to be similar to 'the 300 spartans' but the moment movie started was certain that this is a take on a graphic novel. The movie was slick and was reminded of Robert Rodriguez's 'Sin City'(also authored by Frank Miller) i.e the flying robes, the bright eyes, the night shots.
8 1-2:
The title refers to the total number of films Fellini had previously directed: six films plus three collaborations (one of them, Boccaccio '70, counted as half a film as it was a short segment), making this production number 8½.[citation needed] Its working title was La Bella Confusione (The Beautiful Confusion). (picked from wiki).
Enjoyed the parts when flash-backs come-and-go unannounced and when director's imagination runs wild when real scenes are running. But was disappointed to see the movie running on and on, wished the movie had a more interesting climax :-(
Good Night and Good Luck:
Superb movie!
Set in 1950's this story of 'typical' New York left-leaning Democrats taking the fight against McCarthyism.
Nice comedy.
Jeff Bridges coming across as 'dude' and his friends were major fun to watch.
The political sub-context though was a bit tough to understand, why censure George Bush?
Fearless:
Classic Jet Li action flick.
Mindhunters:
Ordinary plot :-(
Definitely not worth the watch
Asterix and the Vikings:
Not sure whether I enjoyed this animation flick.
Ordinary one.
Just my luck:
Chick-flick featuring Lindsay Lohan.
Ordinary movie all the way !
The Queen:
Fantastic movie.
The way the story unfolds is really outstanding.
The way the chemistry between Tony Blair and the queen builds is picturized in a fantastic way.
Philip, Cherie and Charles characters were also nicely pictured.
The last king of Scotland:
Another fantastic movie. I think the James McAvoy deserved the Oscar and not Forest Whitaker, wonder how come he got
nominated in the first case :-(
The historical background made this movie a delight i.e the 'eviction of Asians' and 'Raid on Entebbe'.
Pan's Labryinth:
Another fantastic movie which has a historical background, this time Spanish civil war.
Maribel Verdu had a superb role.
This movie was certainly mesmerizing and eats your brain all the way.
Dead or Alive:
hmm.. I wish I had not seen this movie :-(
Heat:
When De Niro and Al Pacino act in a movie - what else does one need - it's a true delight !
Movie was really fantastic. Probably the best sequence is when Pacino has dinner with De Niro !
Movie had superb casting too.
Thank you for Smoking:
Liked this movie. It was so dark, so insensitive but still was so real.
The ladykillers:
Decent watch this Tom Hanks movie.
Probably too many gospels all around and the slowness are the spoilers.
Traffic Signal:
Though the movie is a bit ordinary.
But one really has to admire the conviction of Madhur Bandarkar in experimenting with movies such as this with a
novel backdrop.
Clueless:
When I first saw this movie a few years back I got so bored with the cliches that I switched off my TV.
But ever since I read 'reelfanatic's review on 'Clueless' I was keen to give this movie another chance and now I guess
I think I am happy I saw this movie again. The movie appeared to be lot fun if you could patiently watch through all
the antics of Alicia Silverstone..
Casino:
What a movie! Guess, this probably has to be the best Scorcese movie ever!
De Niro and Joe Pesci combination was a treat to watch.
Saving Silverman:
Good comedy movie this.
Wished Jack Black had a bigger role in this flick. Though have to admit Jack Black parts were great fun to watch.
Amanda Peet's role was also good fun to watch.
Letters from Iwo Jima:
Not sure whether this movie deserved all the nominations that it got in Oscars.
Think it s an ordinary flick from Clint Eastwood.
Lucky Number Slevin:
Good masala all around and time just flies when you watch this movie.
Dirty Harry:
Not sure why this movie appears to have a cult-following :-(
Very ordinary flick
The Last Temptation of Christ:
This movie was too good an attempt.
Mel Gibson's movie "the passion of christ" really fades away when one compares his movie to Scorcese's.
What a shame really a person like Mel Gibson who has directed really phoney movies like 'the passion of christ'
and 'braveheart' was awarded an Oscar for best direction :-(
This movie had a few technical faults like camera shadows, bad lighting and shadows due to those lightings during
many parts in this movie.
Chasing Amy:
Good movie. The dialogues were crisp and quick and the movie was short which would help one to enjoy the movie!
Hannibal:
Thought this movie was very good.
Though one would wish Jodie Foster could have acted in this sequel!
Black Friday:
Very good movie.
Anurag Kashyap is certain to go places.
Inspite of many sub-plots all around, the movie sequence was coherent.
Mozhi:
Okay kind of movie, but I think my mother liked this movie.
Curious George:
Dont think I enjoyed this movie.
Nacho Libre:
Jack Black movie sadly failed to live up to his usual standards :-(
Hercules:
Another animation flick, which is really ordinary.
Ferris Bueller's Day Off:
Out of the world movie.
This was a total entertainer.
The tragedy of MacBeth:
Did not really enjoy watching this movie. I did not like 'The Pianist' either.
Maybe Roman Polanski movies a bit hyped.
Fistful of Dollars:
May not be the best western movie, but still a decent watch thanks to the climax.
Though I feel that bullet proof was a bit silly, but still the high-pitch music will really get you behind the lead actor.
From Hell:
I think I am a sucker to conspiracies.
Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell certainly have to be the god of conspiracies.
This movie will certainly grow on you if you are willing to ignore some gory brutal scenes.
All the Kings Men:
Was totally lost while watching this movie. Thought this entire super starcast is wasted in a rather ordinary movie.
Later via imdb, got to know that this happens to be a take on the life of Huey Long.
Apocalypto:
This movie was a ordinary, though the saving grace was the 'action chase sequences' in the climax.
Frankenstein:
Wished I had skipped this movies :-(
The road to Perdition:
Thought this movie was brilliant. Tom Hanks ' underplayed performance is a delight to watch.
Sam Mendes is brilliant.
The Dreamers:
Bernardo Bertolucci's movie is a master-piece for sure.
Probably a movie fan's delight.
Idiocracy:
Ordinary movie. could have been a laugh riot but somehow lost its way.
A History of Violence:
Movie based on a graphic novel, ordinary movie though.
All Quiet on the Western Front:
Decent watch this movie. Though it was black all the way.
Dog Day Afternoon:
The movie was ordinary, though it was fun at times.
Rat Race:
Surprised that the maker of 'Naked Gun' series made this movie :-(
Falling Down:
Ordinary movie.
300:
Was expecting this movie to be similar to 'the 300 spartans' but the moment movie started was certain that this is a take on a graphic novel. The movie was slick and was reminded of Robert Rodriguez's 'Sin City'(also authored by Frank Miller) i.e the flying robes, the bright eyes, the night shots.
8 1-2:
The title refers to the total number of films Fellini had previously directed: six films plus three collaborations (one of them, Boccaccio '70, counted as half a film as it was a short segment), making this production number 8½.[citation needed] Its working title was La Bella Confusione (The Beautiful Confusion). (picked from wiki).
Enjoyed the parts when flash-backs come-and-go unannounced and when director's imagination runs wild when real scenes are running. But was disappointed to see the movie running on and on, wished the movie had a more interesting climax :-(
Good Night and Good Luck:
Superb movie!
Set in 1950's this story of 'typical' New York left-leaning Democrats taking the fight against McCarthyism.
Friday, March 02, 2007
Movies by weekends
Borat:
Somehow, could not really appreciate this movie.
The movie was comical in parts but otherwise it was a major bore.
The Day of the Jackal:
Almost everything about this movie was good.
No unwanted zoom or rowing camera work, no unwanted dialogues, no blaring music, clean story and typical European kind of stylish cinema made this movie a treat to watch.
Corporate:
Madhur Bandarkar's style is slick and is good. Fellow is trying something out of the box.
Though this movie was a bit ordinary, maybe the movie was a bit too long.
Duck Soup:
Movie was an ordinary slapstick comedy, but for a movie made in 1934 it is good.
Pride and Prejudice:
Classy Jane Austen novel adapted into a movie.
I have become a fan of Jane Austen movies(novels adapted into) ever since I saw Sense and Sensibility and now with Pride and Prejudice maybe the all-Brit star cast and the Brit-accent tilts my opinion towards these movies.
Alwar and Pokkiri:
Alwar is definitely forgettable. Ajith really needs some acting lessons.
Pokkiri is a take of 'the departed'.
The hero-orientation in tamil movies and the punch dialogues has added lots of slick-content to tamil cinema, but also kills the content part.
Old School:
Good fun movie, more of teenage american comedy genre.
If Only:
The movie appeared to be a drab and hopelessly romantic.
Blue Velvet:
David Lynch movie.
Surprisingly less confusing story for a Lynch movie.
Waist Deep:
Decent masala movie. Fast action packed thriller.
Listening to Ebonics or Brit accent is major fun.
The Last Kiss:
Started as a good movie, but somehow lost its way after a while and never really got back on track.
Hopelessly romantic and a bit of a drab.
Requiem for a Dream:
What a movie !
Totally mind-blowing.
I have seen couple of drug-addiction related movies, but this is certainly the best.
The best scenes must include how the old lady tries to diet and refuses to eat food inspite of all the demons she is facing.
16 Blocks:
Decent watch. Out and out masala movie.
Though all the while I hoped someone will shoot Eddie Bunker who kept on talking nonsense in spite of Bruce Willis instructions asking him to stop talking.
Dazed and Confused:
Looking at the star cast I was really surprised to see so many good actors featured in this movie, though I could not identify many of them in this movie.
Thought this movie was a bit ordinary.
Surprised to find 'cricket bat' used for hitting juniors in this movie.
About Shmidt:
Did not like this movie, thought there was hardly a plot in place in this movie.
Movie was also a bit too slow.
25th Hour
Spike Lee movie.
Thought this movie was just ordinary.
Worst could not understand the rationale of reminding us the WTC debris.
Find me guilty:
This movie does not have much of action though it is about Italian Mafia in New York.
Decent watch though.
Derailed:
Nice thriller. Clive Owen is a fantastic actor. Shame he missed out James Bond's role.
Manhattan Murder Mysteries:
A classic Woody Allen movie.
Fun to watch.
Man on Fire:
This movie is an ordinary one where Denzel Washington does a Terminator.
Radha Mitchell sadly has a pretty much of a nothing role in this movie.
Amorros Perreros:
Master-piece of a movie by Alejandro González Iñárritu.
Little Miss Sunshine:
Too good a movie.
Like American Beauty, the idea behind this movie is also about American dysfunctional family but this one is so much fun to watch and falls more into the feel good genre.
Crank:
Damn fast action packed movie.
Worth a watch and time really flies while watching this movie.
Paths of Glory:
Classic movie. This movie made a fantastic watch.
The men humming in the background before the war and long shots in the trench reappered in Kubrick's future classics like 'Dr. Strangelove .. ' and 'The Shining'.
Michael Douglas ' walking style and dialogue delivery is so similar to his father Kirk.
Unforgiven:
This movie appeared to be an ordinary western movie by Clint Eastwood.
The Prestige:
Too good a movie. The Edison-Tesla conflict really made this movie more interesting.
Somehow, could not really appreciate this movie.
The movie was comical in parts but otherwise it was a major bore.
The Day of the Jackal:
Almost everything about this movie was good.
No unwanted zoom or rowing camera work, no unwanted dialogues, no blaring music, clean story and typical European kind of stylish cinema made this movie a treat to watch.
Corporate:
Madhur Bandarkar's style is slick and is good. Fellow is trying something out of the box.
Though this movie was a bit ordinary, maybe the movie was a bit too long.
Duck Soup:
Movie was an ordinary slapstick comedy, but for a movie made in 1934 it is good.
Pride and Prejudice:
Classy Jane Austen novel adapted into a movie.
I have become a fan of Jane Austen movies(novels adapted into) ever since I saw Sense and Sensibility and now with Pride and Prejudice maybe the all-Brit star cast and the Brit-accent tilts my opinion towards these movies.
Alwar and Pokkiri:
Alwar is definitely forgettable. Ajith really needs some acting lessons.
Pokkiri is a take of 'the departed'.
The hero-orientation in tamil movies and the punch dialogues has added lots of slick-content to tamil cinema, but also kills the content part.
Old School:
Good fun movie, more of teenage american comedy genre.
If Only:
The movie appeared to be a drab and hopelessly romantic.
Blue Velvet:
David Lynch movie.
Surprisingly less confusing story for a Lynch movie.
Waist Deep:
Decent masala movie. Fast action packed thriller.
Listening to Ebonics or Brit accent is major fun.
The Last Kiss:
Started as a good movie, but somehow lost its way after a while and never really got back on track.
Hopelessly romantic and a bit of a drab.
Requiem for a Dream:
What a movie !
Totally mind-blowing.
I have seen couple of drug-addiction related movies, but this is certainly the best.
The best scenes must include how the old lady tries to diet and refuses to eat food inspite of all the demons she is facing.
16 Blocks:
Decent watch. Out and out masala movie.
Though all the while I hoped someone will shoot Eddie Bunker who kept on talking nonsense in spite of Bruce Willis instructions asking him to stop talking.
Dazed and Confused:
Looking at the star cast I was really surprised to see so many good actors featured in this movie, though I could not identify many of them in this movie.
Thought this movie was a bit ordinary.
Surprised to find 'cricket bat' used for hitting juniors in this movie.
About Shmidt:
Did not like this movie, thought there was hardly a plot in place in this movie.
Movie was also a bit too slow.
25th Hour
Spike Lee movie.
Thought this movie was just ordinary.
Worst could not understand the rationale of reminding us the WTC debris.
Find me guilty:
This movie does not have much of action though it is about Italian Mafia in New York.
Decent watch though.
Derailed:
Nice thriller. Clive Owen is a fantastic actor. Shame he missed out James Bond's role.
Manhattan Murder Mysteries:
A classic Woody Allen movie.
Fun to watch.
Man on Fire:
This movie is an ordinary one where Denzel Washington does a Terminator.
Radha Mitchell sadly has a pretty much of a nothing role in this movie.
Amorros Perreros:
Master-piece of a movie by Alejandro González Iñárritu.
Little Miss Sunshine:
Too good a movie.
Like American Beauty, the idea behind this movie is also about American dysfunctional family but this one is so much fun to watch and falls more into the feel good genre.
Crank:
Damn fast action packed movie.
Worth a watch and time really flies while watching this movie.
Paths of Glory:
Classic movie. This movie made a fantastic watch.
The men humming in the background before the war and long shots in the trench reappered in Kubrick's future classics like 'Dr. Strangelove .. ' and 'The Shining'.
Michael Douglas ' walking style and dialogue delivery is so similar to his father Kirk.
Unforgiven:
This movie appeared to be an ordinary western movie by Clint Eastwood.
The Prestige:
Too good a movie. The Edison-Tesla conflict really made this movie more interesting.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Defensive cricket :-(
Whether it is 10 for 2 or whether it is 200 for 2, when Sachin and Dravid are in the crease one thing is certain to happen i.e game becomes drab when they both compete who scores lesser runs or who leaves more balls to the wicket-keeper. It is such a miracle how these guys have done this time-and-again i.e to kill the spirit of the game.
1999 India in Australia - First Test in Adelaide - the infamous test in which Sachin got out lbw to a McGrath bouncer(which sadly did not bounce). When Laxman got out after a quick 35 runs in which he was freely pulling/cutting/driving McGrath and other Aussie fast-bowlers (Laxman was kind of hinting to us all on what he is going to do in the next tests(he scored 167* in Sydney then) and in all the future matches against Australia), Sachin and Dravid started their patnership. The next hour or two probably saw the worst defensive batting one can ever see in international-matches when Sachin and Dravid were competing each other as to who is a better leaver of the ball. Once Aussies knew these guys are playing a drab innings they nailed us and India never lifted its head all through the series including the one-dayers. Imagine what other batsman in the dressing room will infer if Sachin gets to play such a pathetic knock in a pitch like that of Adelaide(which historically is kind of similar to India pitches i.e conducive for batting)!
Both these guys did it again in the recent series in South Africa when they needlessly went for another hugely irritating defensive tactic while setting a total for SA for the 4th innings. SA attacked and India kind of went kneeling from then on. What a shame, at one end we had Kumble/Sreeshanth/Zaheer struggling very hard playing attacking cricket high-priests of Indian cricket Sachin and Dravid spoiled the party.
Sachin did something similar in 1998 test against Pakistan in Chennai too i.e when he and Nayan Mongia played atrocious defensive cricket against bowlers of the calibre of Nadeem Khan(who is like a Mr.Nobody in international cricket) or Shahid Afridi. Though a good thing about that test is when, Sachin suddenly let loose and went on to play a memorable attacking shorts of Saqlain, though sadly we lost that test by a whisker.
Sachin has this rather irritating habit of looking at the pitch when he gets out to a ball which did not bounce as much as he had anticipated, and my god you have to see the commentators reaction when Sachin does this glare on the pitch immediately one gets to hear some mumbling by Gavaskar/Shastri(and other Sachin-crony commentators) as to pitch not conducive for test cricket and all that blah. The worst part is the kind of signals Sachin sends to other players in the dressing room who are bound to get psyched with all this and will stop playing attacking cricket.
But it s such a surprise how Sachin ups his game from nowhere for World Cup series alone. One has to look his World Cup average to realise how much of a big-match series this player is. Hopefully he does some justice to that reputation this world cup.
1999 India in Australia - First Test in Adelaide - the infamous test in which Sachin got out lbw to a McGrath bouncer(which sadly did not bounce). When Laxman got out after a quick 35 runs in which he was freely pulling/cutting/driving McGrath and other Aussie fast-bowlers (Laxman was kind of hinting to us all on what he is going to do in the next tests(he scored 167* in Sydney then) and in all the future matches against Australia), Sachin and Dravid started their patnership. The next hour or two probably saw the worst defensive batting one can ever see in international-matches when Sachin and Dravid were competing each other as to who is a better leaver of the ball. Once Aussies knew these guys are playing a drab innings they nailed us and India never lifted its head all through the series including the one-dayers. Imagine what other batsman in the dressing room will infer if Sachin gets to play such a pathetic knock in a pitch like that of Adelaide(which historically is kind of similar to India pitches i.e conducive for batting)!
Both these guys did it again in the recent series in South Africa when they needlessly went for another hugely irritating defensive tactic while setting a total for SA for the 4th innings. SA attacked and India kind of went kneeling from then on. What a shame, at one end we had Kumble/Sreeshanth/Zaheer struggling very hard playing attacking cricket high-priests of Indian cricket Sachin and Dravid spoiled the party.
Sachin did something similar in 1998 test against Pakistan in Chennai too i.e when he and Nayan Mongia played atrocious defensive cricket against bowlers of the calibre of Nadeem Khan(who is like a Mr.Nobody in international cricket) or Shahid Afridi. Though a good thing about that test is when, Sachin suddenly let loose and went on to play a memorable attacking shorts of Saqlain, though sadly we lost that test by a whisker.
Sachin has this rather irritating habit of looking at the pitch when he gets out to a ball which did not bounce as much as he had anticipated, and my god you have to see the commentators reaction when Sachin does this glare on the pitch immediately one gets to hear some mumbling by Gavaskar/Shastri(and other Sachin-crony commentators) as to pitch not conducive for test cricket and all that blah. The worst part is the kind of signals Sachin sends to other players in the dressing room who are bound to get psyched with all this and will stop playing attacking cricket.
But it s such a surprise how Sachin ups his game from nowhere for World Cup series alone. One has to look his World Cup average to realise how much of a big-match series this player is. Hopefully he does some justice to that reputation this world cup.
Movies by weekends - Directors copy themselves !
Me, You and Dupree:
Ordinary watch this movie. Did not expect such a drab of a movie.
There is hardly any comedy worth and worst part Michael Douglas too has a bad role.
The Departed:
Too good a movie. Mark Wahlberg character was total fun right from the start.
The starcast of this movie made this movie an enjoyable one.
I am reminded of Kamal Hassan's 'Kurudhi Punal' while watching the undercover agent plot, but this one was more fun to watch thanks to those all those f words, b words, s words and the chiding comments by Mark Wahlberg made this movie a really entertaining one.
But I trust this movie will find it hard to break into the Oscars, cause this movie is not really all that feel-good.
Surprising, how Scorcese left his NY backdrop for Boston.
Yet to see 'Infernal affairs' though, would love to see that.
The Curse of the Jade Scorpion:
Fun movie. Woody Allen calls the shots all along. Helen Hunt looked a bit old in the golden blonde hair style.
Cars:
Decent watch this movie. The history part of Route 66 and Inter-State made this movie more interesting.
The way Hollywood brings in a little bit of history/social consciousness/political activism into the movies and making the plot relate to that is pure genius. Range De Basanti tried something similar and it was a brave attempt.
My Super Ex-girlfriend, Step Up, Miami Vice, Step Up:
Watching the above list of movies in-flight, helped me doze off.
Definitely not worth the view.
Tightrope:
Ordinary Clint Eastwood movie, not much of a plot to follow.
Crimes and Misdemanours:
Good movie. Woody Allen parts are fun to watch.
The 'luck' part in this movie plot seems to have been reused in another Woody Allen movie 'Matchpoint'.
One gets the feeling that it is kind of impossible for any directory to copy himself.
Manhattan:
Good movie. Fun to watch all of Woody Allen antics again.
Best part of the movie is when Woody Allen runs towards his former girl-friend in a sudden moment of realisation and tells her about his love for her - that part was so Hollywoodish, but the ending was certainly not. It is truly remarkable how Woody Allen movies end.
Small Time Crooks:
Fun movie again. Woody Allen carries the movie all the way.
Teen Deewarein:
Thought the movie was slowly taking the 'Shawshank Redemption' route with all the slow shots on jail-life and the plan to escape, but the movie took a rather tame turn in the end. Decent watch.
Babel:
Fantastic movie. The way different stories are shot in different geographies and the way all the stories bind together made the movie an enjoyable one. Think this movie has the potential to win a few Oscars. Great actors and great story.
Kind of in the same mould as 'Traffic' or 'Crash' or 'Syriana', but still a lot different.
Wonder Boys:
Decent watch this movie. Both Frances McDormand and Katie Holmes were a treat to watch.
Happy Feet:
Not really a good entertainer. Ordinary view this movie.
First Daughter;
Bad movie. Surprised that Forest Whitaker directed this movie, did not know him much as a director.
Bad chick-flick (is this a deadwood?) :-(
Everyone Says I love you:
Good movie this one. Funny musical. Woody Allen parts again is great fun to watch.
When you watch a Woody Allen movie, one gets to see all characters in the same Woody shade.
Old or young or poor or rich or male or female - you can see a little bit of Woody in all the characters.
The Purple rose of Cairo:
Fantastic movie. Mia Farrow was a treat to watch.
It s truly a ripper of a fantasy story.
The best part is the ending of this movie.
The end seems to be so real to all the magical reality that one got to see all through the movie.
Magnolia:
Good movie. The story is so complex that there is no way out while watching this movie. You are glued to the movie from minute one and you have to go all the way till the movie ended, the director gets the credit for making a movie like this. The toad rain was another unexpected part of the movie. Another movie which totally caught me was 'butterfly effect', movies like these kind of grips you to find out what the ending is ...
Ask the Dust, Bandidas:
Mexican sub-plot in Hollywood is pretty irritating at times cause of all the type-casting that have gone through in all the movies that have been made till now. Salma Hayek or Penelope Cruz probably were too naive to get type-cast like that. The credit for making good Mexican sub-plot in movies must go to Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino, these guys romanticised the Mexican sub-plots in their movies.
After the Sunset:
Decent flick this one. Certainly not as classy as 'The Thomas Crown Affair', but still pacey movie.
Enjoyed this dialogue,
the FBI guy says, "Just because you're English doesn't mean you need to hide your emotions."
Pierce Brosnan replies, "I'm Irish. We let people know how we feel."
And then says, "Now fuck off."
Frida:
Good movie. Probably a once in a lifetime role for Salma Hayek.
Very complex story as any biopics are always are.
Still, this is a superb attempt.
Colour of the night:
Bad plot, not worth the watch.
Get Over It:
Small role for Colin Hanks, who I thought is a good actor after seeing his 'Orange County'.
This is an ordinary movie, and Colin Hanks comes across as a bad actor who can never challenge Sean William Scott of American Pie fame in potraying a happy-go-lucky dude of American teen comedy movies.
Chasing Papi:
What a bad movie - chick-flick again.
The Mexican type-cast really sucks.
Guru:
ManiRatnam movie. One would get a feeling of deja vu while watching this movie.
Hardly anything original, probably re-ascertains the fact that directors end up copying their own old movies/ideas.
Abhishek certainly has played his part well, probably once in a lifetime role for him this.
The final sequence when Abhishek gives a lecture to the court, appeared to be totally senseless and totally stupid.
Thought ManiRatnam maybe tried a lift-off of 'The Aviator' in this sequence, but it comes across as a really poor attempt.ManiRatnam has shot this movie mostly in Mysore and one cannot miss out lots of landscapes or backgrounds which he had earlier used for his other movies like 'thalapathi'. I wish ManiRatnam can try something novel in his next attempt rather than copying ideas from his own earlier movies.
The Kid:
Decent watch this movie. Entertaining in parts, particularly the fat-chubby kid and the way he expresses himself to Bruce Willis.
Ordinary watch this movie. Did not expect such a drab of a movie.
There is hardly any comedy worth and worst part Michael Douglas too has a bad role.
The Departed:
Too good a movie. Mark Wahlberg character was total fun right from the start.
The starcast of this movie made this movie an enjoyable one.
I am reminded of Kamal Hassan's 'Kurudhi Punal' while watching the undercover agent plot, but this one was more fun to watch thanks to those all those f words, b words, s words and the chiding comments by Mark Wahlberg made this movie a really entertaining one.
But I trust this movie will find it hard to break into the Oscars, cause this movie is not really all that feel-good.
Surprising, how Scorcese left his NY backdrop for Boston.
Yet to see 'Infernal affairs' though, would love to see that.
The Curse of the Jade Scorpion:
Fun movie. Woody Allen calls the shots all along. Helen Hunt looked a bit old in the golden blonde hair style.
Cars:
Decent watch this movie. The history part of Route 66 and Inter-State made this movie more interesting.
The way Hollywood brings in a little bit of history/social consciousness/political activism into the movies and making the plot relate to that is pure genius. Range De Basanti tried something similar and it was a brave attempt.
My Super Ex-girlfriend, Step Up, Miami Vice, Step Up:
Watching the above list of movies in-flight, helped me doze off.
Definitely not worth the view.
Tightrope:
Ordinary Clint Eastwood movie, not much of a plot to follow.
Crimes and Misdemanours:
Good movie. Woody Allen parts are fun to watch.
The 'luck' part in this movie plot seems to have been reused in another Woody Allen movie 'Matchpoint'.
One gets the feeling that it is kind of impossible for any directory to copy himself.
Manhattan:
Good movie. Fun to watch all of Woody Allen antics again.
Best part of the movie is when Woody Allen runs towards his former girl-friend in a sudden moment of realisation and tells her about his love for her - that part was so Hollywoodish, but the ending was certainly not. It is truly remarkable how Woody Allen movies end.
Small Time Crooks:
Fun movie again. Woody Allen carries the movie all the way.
Teen Deewarein:
Thought the movie was slowly taking the 'Shawshank Redemption' route with all the slow shots on jail-life and the plan to escape, but the movie took a rather tame turn in the end. Decent watch.
Babel:
Fantastic movie. The way different stories are shot in different geographies and the way all the stories bind together made the movie an enjoyable one. Think this movie has the potential to win a few Oscars. Great actors and great story.
Kind of in the same mould as 'Traffic' or 'Crash' or 'Syriana', but still a lot different.
Wonder Boys:
Decent watch this movie. Both Frances McDormand and Katie Holmes were a treat to watch.
Happy Feet:
Not really a good entertainer. Ordinary view this movie.
First Daughter;
Bad movie. Surprised that Forest Whitaker directed this movie, did not know him much as a director.
Bad chick-flick (is this a deadwood?) :-(
Everyone Says I love you:
Good movie this one. Funny musical. Woody Allen parts again is great fun to watch.
When you watch a Woody Allen movie, one gets to see all characters in the same Woody shade.
Old or young or poor or rich or male or female - you can see a little bit of Woody in all the characters.
The Purple rose of Cairo:
Fantastic movie. Mia Farrow was a treat to watch.
It s truly a ripper of a fantasy story.
The best part is the ending of this movie.
The end seems to be so real to all the magical reality that one got to see all through the movie.
Magnolia:
Good movie. The story is so complex that there is no way out while watching this movie. You are glued to the movie from minute one and you have to go all the way till the movie ended, the director gets the credit for making a movie like this. The toad rain was another unexpected part of the movie. Another movie which totally caught me was 'butterfly effect', movies like these kind of grips you to find out what the ending is ...
Ask the Dust, Bandidas:
Mexican sub-plot in Hollywood is pretty irritating at times cause of all the type-casting that have gone through in all the movies that have been made till now. Salma Hayek or Penelope Cruz probably were too naive to get type-cast like that. The credit for making good Mexican sub-plot in movies must go to Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino, these guys romanticised the Mexican sub-plots in their movies.
After the Sunset:
Decent flick this one. Certainly not as classy as 'The Thomas Crown Affair', but still pacey movie.
Enjoyed this dialogue,
the FBI guy says, "Just because you're English doesn't mean you need to hide your emotions."
Pierce Brosnan replies, "I'm Irish. We let people know how we feel."
And then says, "Now fuck off."
Frida:
Good movie. Probably a once in a lifetime role for Salma Hayek.
Very complex story as any biopics are always are.
Still, this is a superb attempt.
Colour of the night:
Bad plot, not worth the watch.
Get Over It:
Small role for Colin Hanks, who I thought is a good actor after seeing his 'Orange County'.
This is an ordinary movie, and Colin Hanks comes across as a bad actor who can never challenge Sean William Scott of American Pie fame in potraying a happy-go-lucky dude of American teen comedy movies.
Chasing Papi:
What a bad movie - chick-flick again.
The Mexican type-cast really sucks.
Guru:
ManiRatnam movie. One would get a feeling of deja vu while watching this movie.
Hardly anything original, probably re-ascertains the fact that directors end up copying their own old movies/ideas.
Abhishek certainly has played his part well, probably once in a lifetime role for him this.
The final sequence when Abhishek gives a lecture to the court, appeared to be totally senseless and totally stupid.
Thought ManiRatnam maybe tried a lift-off of 'The Aviator' in this sequence, but it comes across as a really poor attempt.ManiRatnam has shot this movie mostly in Mysore and one cannot miss out lots of landscapes or backgrounds which he had earlier used for his other movies like 'thalapathi'. I wish ManiRatnam can try something novel in his next attempt rather than copying ideas from his own earlier movies.
The Kid:
Decent watch this movie. Entertaining in parts, particularly the fat-chubby kid and the way he expresses himself to Bruce Willis.
Monday, November 27, 2006
Ay Hairathe
This song really took me by storm.
Guess, Hariharan and Alka Yagnik are lucky to have got this song.
Wish, Shreya had got this song though.
The starting of this song, reminded me of mouth-organ tone featured in 'Iruvar'.
Beyond that, 'dum dara duma...' was pretty much okay, though again not mind-blowing.
And alas, suddenly Hariharan sings 'Ai Hairathe.. ', what a start to the song, more like a dialogue. I cant understand much of what is sung but the starting phase of the song(pallavi) really is the highlight of this song.
And my fancy towards lyrics that I cant understand grew more when Alka sings 'Kyon Urdu Farsi bolthe.. '. I cant make out what 'farsi' means, but it really sounds romantic. Guess, it means 'why are you speaking Urdu so bad. .. maybe.. '
Of course Irish filler between pallavi and anupallavi is not really great.
And the 'tabla' accompanied all through the song is also pretty regular one but again nice. Remember my mother used to be a fan of 'tabla'-usage, will try to check with her, if she liked this 'tabla' piece.
'Hey Beauty, Dont go my love'
'Dont keep your foot on the ground'
'why do you speak Urdu like a foreigner'
'when i ask you to speak, you run away'
'the king of lies, why dont you speak'
'wherever i go, my eyes , hearing a poetry'
'which opens the mouth'
'Hey Beauty, Dont go my love'
'Dont keep your foot on the ground'
'2 4 months time have passed by'
'life has gone for a toss..'
'i see whom, who has till now'
'who has forgotten my face'
'Hey Beauty, Dont go my love'
'Dont keep your foot on the ground'
Here, goes my yet another translation attempt. I think I am pretty brave to try this, in spite of not knowing the language in which this song is sung. Guess, it's a Gujarati song?
The violin piece in unison in the final phase of the song i.e in sync with Alka's and
Hariharan's 'Ai hairathe... ' is a fine piece really. Only Rahman can pull off something like this..
Guess, Hariharan and Alka Yagnik are lucky to have got this song.
Wish, Shreya had got this song though.
The starting of this song, reminded me of mouth-organ tone featured in 'Iruvar'.
Beyond that, 'dum dara duma...' was pretty much okay, though again not mind-blowing.
And alas, suddenly Hariharan sings 'Ai Hairathe.. ', what a start to the song, more like a dialogue. I cant understand much of what is sung but the starting phase of the song(pallavi) really is the highlight of this song.
And my fancy towards lyrics that I cant understand grew more when Alka sings 'Kyon Urdu Farsi bolthe.. '. I cant make out what 'farsi' means, but it really sounds romantic. Guess, it means 'why are you speaking Urdu so bad. .. maybe.. '
Of course Irish filler between pallavi and anupallavi is not really great.
And the 'tabla' accompanied all through the song is also pretty regular one but again nice. Remember my mother used to be a fan of 'tabla'-usage, will try to check with her, if she liked this 'tabla' piece.
'Hey Beauty, Dont go my love'
'Dont keep your foot on the ground'
'why do you speak Urdu like a foreigner'
'when i ask you to speak, you run away'
'the king of lies, why dont you speak'
'wherever i go, my eyes , hearing a poetry'
'which opens the mouth'
'Hey Beauty, Dont go my love'
'Dont keep your foot on the ground'
'2 4 months time have passed by'
'life has gone for a toss..'
'i see whom, who has till now'
'who has forgotten my face'
'Hey Beauty, Dont go my love'
'Dont keep your foot on the ground'
Here, goes my yet another translation attempt. I think I am pretty brave to try this, in spite of not knowing the language in which this song is sung. Guess, it's a Gujarati song?
The violin piece in unison in the final phase of the song i.e in sync with Alka's and
Hariharan's 'Ai hairathe... ' is a fine piece really. Only Rahman can pull off something like this..
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Movies by weekend
Being John Malkovich:
While watching this movie, I could not help notice a similarity between this movie's style with 'Adaptation', later came to know that 'Charlie Kaufman' is the writer for both these stories.
The story and the sequence of events were original which must be the USP for this movie.
North By Norwest:
The starting credits for this movie was awesome.
The backdrop of UN for this movie, reminded me of Sydney Pollack's "The Interpreter".
The background music was also quintessential Alfred Hitchcock i.e the fast violin which raises the tempo of the movie.
The long shot when the bus comes from distance through a deserted highway in mid-west also made a fascinating shot, reminded me one of trade-mark David Lean shots.
The movie was an entertainer for most-parts. AH simply rocks!
Water:
The movie was good, the cinematography was also rich.
Fine display by all actors including the little girl, Seema Biswas, Lisa Ray and John Abraham were a delight to watch.
The first few sequences with the little girl walking around the streets merrily and the pleasant sitar chords in the background will remind the viewer of Satyajit Ray's "pather panchali" which had similar visuals with Pandit Ravishankar's
sitar in the background.
The final slide which mentions India still having too many married widows being treated shabbily sounded mythical.
That slide seemed like Director's attempt at selling India's poverty or shady past to West in-parts, which I guess even Satyajit Ray was blamed-upon. This statistic reminded me of Sidhu's famously lifted-quote:
"Statistics are like bikinis. What they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital"
Gandhi's effect on ordinary Indians can never be disputed. If not for Gandhi or Raja Rammohan Roy or Dayanand Saraswati, maybe India's social evils would have never waded away. But still reliance on macho-men like these, is never going to help, in the end it is individual's resolve/courage to stand in his/her own legs and think on his/her own which is more important. Thus, the ending of this movie was greyish i.e expecting Gandhi to rescue the little girl. After all Gandhi himself was accused of sleeping with girls to test himself (of course the veracity of this information is disputed), but still the point to note is that, one just cannot rely on someone else to fight one's battle. One can take advise or support, but in the end of the day, it is he/she who has to fight for himself/herself.
And the background music in some parts seemed to be a lift-off of 'Titanic' theme music.
Otherwise, Rahman's music, Sukhwinder's songs and the flute-solo were awesome.
Don:
Farhan Akhtar is yet to catch up to his "dil chahta hai" standards.
Except for the end and some parts of the 2nd half of the movie which were decent, the movie was a bad-watch :-(
Breakfast at Tiffany's:
This movie was ordinary.
Thought the story was pretty weak and bland, so Audrey Hepburn's role would never really impress the viewer.
V for Vendatta:
Ordinary movie.
Movie has got loads of style, but not much content.
Some dialogues are out-of-place, reminded me of the conversation between "oracle and neo" or "architect and neo" in 'the matrix' trilogy. Wonder why someone would write those "smartypants" kind of dialogues and thus, lose the respect of the viewer.
The Magnificient Seven:
This movie certainly has to be the source for "Sholay"'s story.
The movie seemed like a typical wild-west-story and enjoyable for the same reason.
Arsenic and Old Lace:
Cary Grant movie, so unlike the Cary Grant one saw in 'North by Northwest'.
Almost everyone overacts in this movie, must have been an entertainer during the time this movie was released.
While watching this movie, I could not help notice a similarity between this movie's style with 'Adaptation', later came to know that 'Charlie Kaufman' is the writer for both these stories.
The story and the sequence of events were original which must be the USP for this movie.
North By Norwest:
The starting credits for this movie was awesome.
The backdrop of UN for this movie, reminded me of Sydney Pollack's "The Interpreter".
The background music was also quintessential Alfred Hitchcock i.e the fast violin which raises the tempo of the movie.
The long shot when the bus comes from distance through a deserted highway in mid-west also made a fascinating shot, reminded me one of trade-mark David Lean shots.
The movie was an entertainer for most-parts. AH simply rocks!
Water:
The movie was good, the cinematography was also rich.
Fine display by all actors including the little girl, Seema Biswas, Lisa Ray and John Abraham were a delight to watch.
The first few sequences with the little girl walking around the streets merrily and the pleasant sitar chords in the background will remind the viewer of Satyajit Ray's "pather panchali" which had similar visuals with Pandit Ravishankar's
sitar in the background.
The final slide which mentions India still having too many married widows being treated shabbily sounded mythical.
That slide seemed like Director's attempt at selling India's poverty or shady past to West in-parts, which I guess even Satyajit Ray was blamed-upon. This statistic reminded me of Sidhu's famously lifted-quote:
"Statistics are like bikinis. What they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital"
Gandhi's effect on ordinary Indians can never be disputed. If not for Gandhi or Raja Rammohan Roy or Dayanand Saraswati, maybe India's social evils would have never waded away. But still reliance on macho-men like these, is never going to help, in the end it is individual's resolve/courage to stand in his/her own legs and think on his/her own which is more important. Thus, the ending of this movie was greyish i.e expecting Gandhi to rescue the little girl. After all Gandhi himself was accused of sleeping with girls to test himself (of course the veracity of this information is disputed), but still the point to note is that, one just cannot rely on someone else to fight one's battle. One can take advise or support, but in the end of the day, it is he/she who has to fight for himself/herself.
And the background music in some parts seemed to be a lift-off of 'Titanic' theme music.
Otherwise, Rahman's music, Sukhwinder's songs and the flute-solo were awesome.
Don:
Farhan Akhtar is yet to catch up to his "dil chahta hai" standards.
Except for the end and some parts of the 2nd half of the movie which were decent, the movie was a bad-watch :-(
Breakfast at Tiffany's:
This movie was ordinary.
Thought the story was pretty weak and bland, so Audrey Hepburn's role would never really impress the viewer.
V for Vendatta:
Ordinary movie.
Movie has got loads of style, but not much content.
Some dialogues are out-of-place, reminded me of the conversation between "oracle and neo" or "architect and neo" in 'the matrix' trilogy. Wonder why someone would write those "smartypants" kind of dialogues and thus, lose the respect of the viewer.
The Magnificient Seven:
This movie certainly has to be the source for "Sholay"'s story.
The movie seemed like a typical wild-west-story and enjoyable for the same reason.
Arsenic and Old Lace:
Cary Grant movie, so unlike the Cary Grant one saw in 'North by Northwest'.
Almost everyone overacts in this movie, must have been an entertainer during the time this movie was released.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
High Hopes
Beyond the horizon of the place we lived when we were young
In a world of magnets and miracles
Our thoughts strayed constantly and without boundary
The ringing of the division bell had begin
Along the long road and on down the causeway
Do they still meet there by the cut
There was a ragged band that followed in our footsteps
Running before time took our dreams away
Leaving the myriad small creatures trying to tie us to the ground
To a life consumed by slow decay
The grass was greener
The light was brighter
With friends surrounded
The night of wonder
Looking beyond the embers of bridges glowing behind us
To a glimpse of how green it was on the other side
Steps taken forwards but sleepwalking back again
Dragged by the force of some inner tide
At a higher altitude with flag unfurled
We reached the dizzy heights of that dreamed of world
Encumbered forever by desire and ambition
Theres a hunger still unsatisfied
Our weary eyes still stray to the horizon
Though down this road we've been so many time
The grass was greener
The light was brighter
The taste was sweeter
The nights of wonder
With friends surrounded
The dawn mist glowing
The water flowing
The endless river
Forever and ever
Great lyrics and a super video encapsulates the abstractness, which is so typical of Pink Floyd.
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Nostalgia - a baggage?
Why would someone want to visit 'nostalgia'?
I guess 'Nostalgia' is like an easy virtual-meal.
You might be hungry and you might want to eat something
Now, what is it you can do ? :
i. Do some work or sweat and then earn your meal
ii. Or visit nostalgia. In 'nostalgia' one has the luxury of gaining a good dosage of ego-boost by just visualising the amount of hard-work you
might have done 'once upon a time' and the way you relished the fruits you got through that sweat.
Is 'nostalgia' good ?
Sadly no. What nostalgia provides is a fake self-esteem.
Why do we still visit and revisit 'nostalgia' no matter how 'stupid' it is really ?
Hmm.. that's a good question really :-)
I think self-gratification is the key.
And the moment one does not want to sweat any further, mentally one gets transported to nostalgia.
But the sad part of nostalgia is, 'nostalgia' does not pay, since the 'past' does not matter, while the 'present' always does.
Does yahoo groups or orkutting or clubbing onself to groups via alumni network or other groupings based on race/religion/nationality/caste/interests, involve revisiting nostalgia?
Yes, since we are more comfortable with folks we knew or we worked with or we studied with, one is bound to feel more at-home.
Everytime we associate ourself with a community i.e family or friends or religion or race, one is just trying to find a way to be @home rather than explore oneself in foreign places.
Guess, sustaining one's contacts(network) is an impediment, cause that is bound to allow the gradual evolution of onself and instead will provide a 'readymade short-cut' and thus, bound to kill one's originality or individuality.
I guess 'Nostalgia' is like an easy virtual-meal.
You might be hungry and you might want to eat something
Now, what is it you can do ? :
i. Do some work or sweat and then earn your meal
ii. Or visit nostalgia. In 'nostalgia' one has the luxury of gaining a good dosage of ego-boost by just visualising the amount of hard-work you
might have done 'once upon a time' and the way you relished the fruits you got through that sweat.
Is 'nostalgia' good ?
Sadly no. What nostalgia provides is a fake self-esteem.
Why do we still visit and revisit 'nostalgia' no matter how 'stupid' it is really ?
Hmm.. that's a good question really :-)
I think self-gratification is the key.
And the moment one does not want to sweat any further, mentally one gets transported to nostalgia.
But the sad part of nostalgia is, 'nostalgia' does not pay, since the 'past' does not matter, while the 'present' always does.
Does yahoo groups or orkutting or clubbing onself to groups via alumni network or other groupings based on race/religion/nationality/caste/interests, involve revisiting nostalgia?
Yes, since we are more comfortable with folks we knew or we worked with or we studied with, one is bound to feel more at-home.
Everytime we associate ourself with a community i.e family or friends or religion or race, one is just trying to find a way to be @home rather than explore oneself in foreign places.
Guess, sustaining one's contacts(network) is an impediment, cause that is bound to allow the gradual evolution of onself and instead will provide a 'readymade short-cut' and thus, bound to kill one's originality or individuality.
Movies by weekend
A bout de Souffle or Breathless:
Saw this French movie without English sub-titles.
Thus, I did not really get the hang of this movie.
Though I felt the movie did not have much of a plot or build-up that one would associate with movies in-general.
American President:
Ah, It feels quite good to watch a 'Democrat' movie.
Wonder why too many 'Republican' movies are not getting their due in Hollywood ?
Runaway Bride:
Ordinary movie, though it was fun to watch in parts.
Lucky Numbers:
Lisa Kudrow with her wisecracks makes the movie interesting.
But otherwise the movie is a drab.
Shiva (2006):
This Ram Gopal Varma movie made up a good-watch.
RGV's underworld movies make up very good viewing and I guess it s difficult for people to get tired no matter how many
times RGV tries to make more movies on underworld-themes.
RGV is a genius i.e in the way he shot action sequences, the old-world style of simple fist fighting and simple background
score made up good viewing.
I saw the old 'Shiva' featuring Nagarjuna and Amala, that movie too made up very-good viewing thanks to the pregnant
silences before any action sequence. Raghuvaran's acting style was an added fillip.
Yun Hota To Kya Hota:
I think this movie which also happens to be Naseeruddin Shah's directorial debut, could have been lot more interesting had
the director not mentioned the "date" i.e Sep 10/11 during the various phases of this movie.
Since Sep 10 or Sep 11 dates is mentioned often, one is already aware of the ending and the climax wont surprise most
viewers :-(
Thunderball:
This movie was a thorough entertainer, quite advanced for its time.
Guess, this has to be one of the best Bond movies ever.
Saw this French movie without English sub-titles.
Thus, I did not really get the hang of this movie.
Though I felt the movie did not have much of a plot or build-up that one would associate with movies in-general.
American President:
Ah, It feels quite good to watch a 'Democrat' movie.
Wonder why too many 'Republican' movies are not getting their due in Hollywood ?
Runaway Bride:
Ordinary movie, though it was fun to watch in parts.
Lucky Numbers:
Lisa Kudrow with her wisecracks makes the movie interesting.
But otherwise the movie is a drab.
Shiva (2006):
This Ram Gopal Varma movie made up a good-watch.
RGV's underworld movies make up very good viewing and I guess it s difficult for people to get tired no matter how many
times RGV tries to make more movies on underworld-themes.
RGV is a genius i.e in the way he shot action sequences, the old-world style of simple fist fighting and simple background
score made up good viewing.
I saw the old 'Shiva' featuring Nagarjuna and Amala, that movie too made up very-good viewing thanks to the pregnant
silences before any action sequence. Raghuvaran's acting style was an added fillip.
Yun Hota To Kya Hota:
I think this movie which also happens to be Naseeruddin Shah's directorial debut, could have been lot more interesting had
the director not mentioned the "date" i.e Sep 10/11 during the various phases of this movie.
Since Sep 10 or Sep 11 dates is mentioned often, one is already aware of the ending and the climax wont surprise most
viewers :-(
Thunderball:
This movie was a thorough entertainer, quite advanced for its time.
Guess, this has to be one of the best Bond movies ever.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Free-hand writing
(In this passage, read skill in the generic sense)
I just have this feeling that, it is really not difficult to gain a skill. Only thing one needs to gain a skill is the motivation and hard-work. I think all men(and women) are born with equal skill, it is the exposure and the interest that really separates them.
For example, I once read an extra-ordinary interview with Gary Sobers(West Indies all-rounder). He once said in an interview that he got to see some extra-ordinary talents i.e better players than him in the islands and considering that Gary himself made this point makes it more astounding to read, but quite tragically Gary Sobers said none of those folks really got to represent Windies or shine like him. That interview made a fine reading.
I guess, there is an inherent difference between acquired and a natural skill. Natural skill has its pitfalls i.e you think you are good and you will be the best in a small-group and there comes the great recognition inside the group, but some rude shock awaits you when you find folks who are better than you in that skill. And the wall would seem to be closing on you from all directions. And it is quite a bad feeling and you will feel like calling it quits. Cause you are totally dependent on the natural skill. And natural skill has its limitations cause you cant improvise beyond a certain point.
And there comes the "acquired" skill. Acquired skill has no borders as I see, cause you are open to get snubbed all the while and learn more in this process. Acquired skill's advantage is that you start from nowhere, while the naturally skilled person is already moulded and thus, difficult to get out of that moulded-shape.
Here an interesting question arises, which is - "is natural skill an acquired skill?"
Guess, it s true.
Considering the fact that nothing is really natural/original. One acquires even the basic skills via copy/inspiration based on an existing skill. But what differentiates the natural skill to an acquired skill is in the mind.
Once you feel your skill is natural i.e you start becoming loyal to it and you stop learning or get drubbed by others and thus, you would stop learning/growing.
The moment you feel you are in the zenith, the learning stops and so does the growth.
Now, arises another interesting question, "does Federer or Tiger Woods or Sachin survive with their natural talents?". I think "no" is the answer. It is truly amazing to see Federer or Tiger or Sachin going on-and-on inspite of breaking any existing record. I guess, these folks would have to create their own demons or competitors to keep themselves competitive.
This thought of creating ones demon sounds like 1984 in a way. In 1984, the government or the big brother wants its citizens to work/grow and thus creates a mythical demon called "enemy state". The citizens listen to the big-brother and do as he says i.e they wage war towards the enemy state. Now, had there been no enemey state the citizens are bound to divert their interests on something else and if these citizens start thinking on their own the position of the big-brother goes for a toss. Thus, creating an artificial enemy helps the cause i.e to keep the status-quo up and running for some more time.
Guess, prodigal folks rely totally on the creation of "artifical barriers" or their own "big brothers a la 1984" in their heads and compete to achieve those "self-designed goals".
And, this cycle is definitely infinite i.e there is no peak in this quest. It goes on and on forever, cause there is no logical end to this search.
Guess, the solution lies in sticking to what one has(or rather relinquish) and not run after these artifical goals. This has got to be nirvana i.e this realisation.
Do we need nirvana or do we want to wantedly aim try to conquer the peak inspite of the knowing "what the logical end for this quest is" ?
Guess, the answer is there in the latter part of the above question i.e no matter what, we still try to invent a logical end to something which has no logical end.
Why do we do this i.e inspite of knowing the inevitable ?
hmm..
wish i know the answer...
I just have this feeling that, it is really not difficult to gain a skill. Only thing one needs to gain a skill is the motivation and hard-work. I think all men(and women) are born with equal skill, it is the exposure and the interest that really separates them.
For example, I once read an extra-ordinary interview with Gary Sobers(West Indies all-rounder). He once said in an interview that he got to see some extra-ordinary talents i.e better players than him in the islands and considering that Gary himself made this point makes it more astounding to read, but quite tragically Gary Sobers said none of those folks really got to represent Windies or shine like him. That interview made a fine reading.
I guess, there is an inherent difference between acquired and a natural skill. Natural skill has its pitfalls i.e you think you are good and you will be the best in a small-group and there comes the great recognition inside the group, but some rude shock awaits you when you find folks who are better than you in that skill. And the wall would seem to be closing on you from all directions. And it is quite a bad feeling and you will feel like calling it quits. Cause you are totally dependent on the natural skill. And natural skill has its limitations cause you cant improvise beyond a certain point.
And there comes the "acquired" skill. Acquired skill has no borders as I see, cause you are open to get snubbed all the while and learn more in this process. Acquired skill's advantage is that you start from nowhere, while the naturally skilled person is already moulded and thus, difficult to get out of that moulded-shape.
Here an interesting question arises, which is - "is natural skill an acquired skill?"
Guess, it s true.
Considering the fact that nothing is really natural/original. One acquires even the basic skills via copy/inspiration based on an existing skill. But what differentiates the natural skill to an acquired skill is in the mind.
Once you feel your skill is natural i.e you start becoming loyal to it and you stop learning or get drubbed by others and thus, you would stop learning/growing.
The moment you feel you are in the zenith, the learning stops and so does the growth.
Now, arises another interesting question, "does Federer or Tiger Woods or Sachin survive with their natural talents?". I think "no" is the answer. It is truly amazing to see Federer or Tiger or Sachin going on-and-on inspite of breaking any existing record. I guess, these folks would have to create their own demons or competitors to keep themselves competitive.
This thought of creating ones demon sounds like 1984 in a way. In 1984, the government or the big brother wants its citizens to work/grow and thus creates a mythical demon called "enemy state". The citizens listen to the big-brother and do as he says i.e they wage war towards the enemy state. Now, had there been no enemey state the citizens are bound to divert their interests on something else and if these citizens start thinking on their own the position of the big-brother goes for a toss. Thus, creating an artificial enemy helps the cause i.e to keep the status-quo up and running for some more time.
Guess, prodigal folks rely totally on the creation of "artifical barriers" or their own "big brothers a la 1984" in their heads and compete to achieve those "self-designed goals".
And, this cycle is definitely infinite i.e there is no peak in this quest. It goes on and on forever, cause there is no logical end to this search.
Guess, the solution lies in sticking to what one has(or rather relinquish) and not run after these artifical goals. This has got to be nirvana i.e this realisation.
Do we need nirvana or do we want to wantedly aim try to conquer the peak inspite of the knowing "what the logical end for this quest is" ?
Guess, the answer is there in the latter part of the above question i.e no matter what, we still try to invent a logical end to something which has no logical end.
Why do we do this i.e inspite of knowing the inevitable ?
hmm..
wish i know the answer...
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Movies by Weekend
Road:
Thought this movie was good.
The plot looked more like a soft-porn movie with action-here-and-there.
And this movie kind of seems to have been inspired from some Amritraj-movie or some Jag Mundhra movie.
The best part include the final-climax sequences(and the real good chase, which reminded me one of those Road-Rash or Need-For-Speed kind of backdrop). Too bad, Antara Mali is not to be seen in many movies.
Swimming Pool
Good movie.
The slow lift that this movie gets is the best part of this movie.
There is hardly anything happening for maybe first 30 minutes of this movie and suddenly the plot lifts off in an extra-ordinary fashion. Guess, "plots" are what make movies exquisite to watch.
The actors were all brilliant. Most of the dialogues were in french and my un peu french was not of much use.
United - 93:
The last scene or commentary is what this movie is all about i.e the part when the narrator says "it s about the fight as to who controls the world".
Good movie to watch out with lots of characters playing as real-world themselves in this movie. It was rather awkward that when the passengers of United-93 revolted against the hijackers one might foolishly hope for a typical Hollywoodish-escape where passengers all defeat the hijackers and save the President of USA and reinstate the honour of USA etc., but that's not the case here.
It's also truly remarkable to see the resolve of the hijackers as well to die for a cause, but again it is very scary that someone will give their life-for-nothing. Afterall nothing really changes in the ground-level except maybe the hostile-attitude between warring-factions will hit the peak.
For the director, to have come-up with that climax-plot was truly remarkable i.e as to how the passengers fought-back against the hijackers.
Thought this movie was good.
The plot looked more like a soft-porn movie with action-here-and-there.
And this movie kind of seems to have been inspired from some Amritraj-movie or some Jag Mundhra movie.
The best part include the final-climax sequences(and the real good chase, which reminded me one of those Road-Rash or Need-For-Speed kind of backdrop). Too bad, Antara Mali is not to be seen in many movies.
Swimming Pool
Good movie.
The slow lift that this movie gets is the best part of this movie.
There is hardly anything happening for maybe first 30 minutes of this movie and suddenly the plot lifts off in an extra-ordinary fashion. Guess, "plots" are what make movies exquisite to watch.
The actors were all brilliant. Most of the dialogues were in french and my un peu french was not of much use.
United - 93:
The last scene or commentary is what this movie is all about i.e the part when the narrator says "it s about the fight as to who controls the world".
Good movie to watch out with lots of characters playing as real-world themselves in this movie. It was rather awkward that when the passengers of United-93 revolted against the hijackers one might foolishly hope for a typical Hollywoodish-escape where passengers all defeat the hijackers and save the President of USA and reinstate the honour of USA etc., but that's not the case here.
It's also truly remarkable to see the resolve of the hijackers as well to die for a cause, but again it is very scary that someone will give their life-for-nothing. Afterall nothing really changes in the ground-level except maybe the hostile-attitude between warring-factions will hit the peak.
For the director, to have come-up with that climax-plot was truly remarkable i.e as to how the passengers fought-back against the hijackers.
Woh Lamhe
Dont think I am going to watch this movie after a disastrous visit to watch "Gangster". But thought this music-video "Woh Mujhe pyar hai" was good and not sure what was good, is it the song or the remix tune or the woman - Kangana.
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