Writer's Bloc...

Do the job you love & you won't have to work a day in your life! NOT TRUE

2018-09-05T07:01:00.000-07:00

Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.

IT’S A LIE!!

Just the other day, the family got together and a distant relative said, “You work for yourself? Must be nice...” My cousin, munching on some cheeda (south Indian snack), immediately butted in “No boss, no schedule and no office.. Waah, what a life”

It was not the first time I have heard this. I have had people from all walks of life telling me something on those lines, just 10 minutes into meeting them. They either think that

(a) I generally sell my services for close to free or

(b) I am living life to the fullest because I am exactly that, free.

Almost everyone feels that the freelance / entrepreneur life is bliss.

Okay, I shall let you in on a secret. The hustle is on everyday & I am busier than I was when I was employed!

The basic principle of freelance is built on the idea of having more time to do what you love. I took this call to have the freedom to work from home, to be free from spending 4 hours commuting in Mumbai, to be free from trappings of a workplace / job, to be free to do work on my terms.

The core idea is to strike (the mythical) work-life balance. I do not have to build my life around a corporate work schedule and have complete control over my work & personal time.

Yes, I put a tick mark against all those. Yet, a good part of my day is spent on developing more work & filling in that empty calendar.

You see, being a freelancer has its own Pros & Cons. To make you understand this in a better fashion, let me list a few “TRUTHS”

WEARER OF MANY HATS : You are Batman. No, not really. Just like him though, you are a one man army. I need to become the owner, business development lead, strategist, marketeer, troubleshooter, finance guy (No one's gonna help you make those invoices & you gotta file your own taxes!!) and a bunch of other roles. It is a heady mix. Apart from the learning curve involved, a lot of these tasks are transactional & administrative in nature. They take away a lot of your time and don't make you money!
Drive: I am not talking about long drives on weekend. One needs to have a strong drive to make things happen. Many times, I feel that it is less about skill and more about drive that will put you on the map. This is not to say that one does not need skills. You do, as much as any average corporate employee. But, what will set you apart is the drive, the ambition, the hunger to make it to top.In doing many things to achieve success / get paid enough, one may find it difficult to maintain the hunger. It is important to not not succumb to these temporary setbacks and keep working.

3. Managing Finances: Cash flow is important. For anyone who draws an assured paycheck at the end of every month, the worry about finances is considerably lesser. All of us have bills & EMIs to pay, we need to put food on the table and also have enough to enjoy life.

As a freelancer, money comes in when there is enough work. So, making a budget becomes extremely crucial. Some clients pay weekly, monthly or even quarterly. So, the budgeting needs to be done all the time to ensure that you are not walking a tightrope.

4.FINDING WORK / CLIENTS: As an employee, one does not need to worry about finding work. As a freelancer, the No 1 nightmare is finding a continuous source of clients. Why? When you have enough client, you have enough work, and eventually, enough money!

It is imperative that you find high quality, recurring and trusted clients. In a competitive environment, there are people who would be ready to do the job at a fraction of the cost. Hence, convincing the client of your worth and getting paid accordingly is a necessity.

5. PRIORITIZING / TIME MANAGEMENT: Prioritize. It is not something that people inherently do. By default, for most of us, our tasks are in the ‘do it now’ zone. As soon as we remember that we have to do it, we jump to getting it done. There is no one to tell you what to do, no one to count your hours, and no one is checking that you are done the work. If you don’t do it, you simply won’t be paid.

I personally follow the 4Ds theory :

Do - Do it now
Decide - Schedule a time to do it
Delegate - Get someone to do it
Delete - Eliminate it
Practicing this takes time and planning. I am yet to master this art completely. Baby steps, the, I guess!

This is not to say that Freelancing is all about stress. While it is, initially, about making a lot of adjustments, it does become easy after a while. The important thing here is to go all in at the very beginning to figure out the highs & lows.

Freelance has offered me a great life.

I have control over my time. I get to spend time with my family. Something that I sorely missed while at work. I enjoy spending afternoons with my 8 month old grow. It is a blessing to watch her grow.
I have flexibility of choice. I get to chose my clients, my project and the general niche that I would like to operate in. I also get to chose my work hours. I am an early morning person. My last workplace was a place where work started at 12 Noon! Now, I begin worK at 8 in the morning.
Better Lifestyle. Life, in general, gets better. You get more time relax. The commute is no more a part of your daily routine. Most importantly, I get to eat home cooked food, on time, everyday :)
Break free from rituals. If you are a person who does not like the stress of living out a routine ( 8 AM train, Check in at 10 AM, etc) The whole time consuming routine to & fro from work is gone and you save a lot of money & energy in the bargain :) You do not meet the same people everyday too :)
Set your own income: As a freelancer, you are not only in a position to control your income, but also increase it. Let me also be the first to tell you that earning more comes with experience. When you grow, you may start delegating work to other amateur freelancers. The options are endless.

So, Is freelancing for you?

I do not know that. In my opinion, it is just like anything else in life. You have great days and some not so great days. Sometimes you win & sometimes you let go. Some people prefer the stability & the paycheck that comes along with a steady job and people like me prefer the flexibility & lifestyle that freelancing offers!

Like I mentioned in my previous article, make a priority list, speak to your mentor / partner, consult a friend who is already a freelancer / entrepreneur and then take an informed call.

In the end, What matters is that you determine your goals and plan a way to get there, whatever that looks like.

I hope this helps all of you in a small, but meaningful way. Some of the things were not taught to me. What are the things no one told you about freelance / Entrepreneurial life?

Let me know :)

Are you a Career Sleepwalker?

2018-08-30T22:53:00.001-07:00

Did you wake up with a foreboding sense of deja vu? Like you've lived the exact same day over and over again? If so, you are not alone.

Before we go any further, Let me give you some perspective.

I met 2 people yesterday. The meetings were held at the same coffee shop. I ended up ordering the same things in both the meetings. Both meetings lasted for 1 hour each. The takeaways from both meeting were, however, very different. 20 mins into the 2nd meeting, I lost interest! I quickly realized that I was talking to a career sleepwalker.

Who is this, you ask? Let me tell you.

A career sleepwalker is a person who has let his / her professional career go on auto pilot mode! These are people who think, 'Life is OK. I do not like job. I am getting through the day. But hey, I get a steady paycheck!' Now, I understand that with all the burdens and commitments (Read EMIs, bills etc), it feels like it is just okay for life to take it's own course as far as there is money coming in. If there is no danger of losing the job, people feel no reason to rock the boat and let the career move on cruise control.

Having spent some time sleepwalking myself & after having spoken to many others over the years, here are some common reasons / excuses:

1) Too risky to switch jobs now

2) Fear of the unknown

3) “I do not want to start over again”

4) Loss of confidence

5) “Don’t know what to do / which career path is right for me”

6) Not skilled / educated enough

Here is what I have to say. It is okay to sleepwalk. It is okay, as far as you realise that. Because, forget the money, you could be missing out on a great career that would make you a happier person.

Gain control of your career! As LinkedIn says, it is time to make a #CareerPivot.

I know that all this is easier said than done. So, I am going to my bit by telling you about how I overcame this and made a successful #CareerPivot!

1) Know the signs: If you find yourself asking the question - “If there more to it than this?” everyday, then there is indeed more to it than you are doing! When you start thinking about this more often than tending to your daily task list, you know it. If you are restless at work, you know it. If you think of a vacation everyday, sitting on your work desk, you know it.

2) Make a check list: Making a simple checklist is probably the biggest and significant step in acknowledging the state of mind. The checklist could include your strengths (that could convert to a career path), interests and look for opportunities accordingly. If you like your current job, but have stopped learning / growing, maybe, look for alternatives / ways to make things happen & not wait for your appraisal to come around! A checklist is like a routine check-up that will put a lot of things in perspective.

3) Research: Once you have something to shoe in the interest / strength column, it is easy to look ahead. Do some research online or get a friend / family to help you with it. Ask around. This could be a good reality check before venturing into the unknown. Aspects like, what designation, salary expectations & job expectations could become very clear and help you make an informed decision.

4) Look for a mentor: Now, this could be a person within or outside of the organisation. An insider could help open a few doors for you, whereas, an outsider, could help you with a broader picture / perspective and help you get ready. Reach out to people & be truthful about your state of mind. It always helps in calming yourself & getting better and quicker solutions.

5) Give that hobby a spin: If you have a hobby / skill that you have been honing for a while and you feel that it has the potential to become a sustainable business, give it a shot at nghts / on weekends. Give your hobby sometime. It helps in de-stressing you and also figuring out if this can become a way of life.

6) Become a part of networking groups:These groups would help you in broadening your network and thinking. A leadership group would push you to think in a way that you haven't thought because you are too stressed with your current role. Surrounding oneself with motivated individuals will certainly help you grow.

7) READ: I cannot stress this point enough. This might not help you in getting a job, but will certainly help you in motivating yourself in figuring out ways to keep climbing that corporate ladder.

It took me almost 8 years to make a #CareerPivot. I too, like many out there, was running on the treadmill with my career going nowhere. With the help of my family and a few motivated friends, I was able to get out of the rut and make a bold move. Yes, I made a couple of mistakes along the way. It is bound to happen, though. Just take the small step in acknowledging that you are sleepwalking and try and move to the next step in a week. I am sure you will find success.

Take steps to stay active in your career, so that you are happy everyday in the work that you do. #YOLO could be a popular hashtag, but that does not mean you can have only one career. Make that move. Life will be better!

Terminator Genisys (2015) Movie Review: We get it, the machines (who wrote the film) have won!!

2015-07-09T07:11:00.003-07:00

Sample this: Terminator 2 (Judgement day), till date,is the only sequel to win an Academy award when the previous movie was not even nominated!

You have this movie & then you have Terminator Genisys (2015)…The Terminator promised us 24 years back that “I’ll be back”. Without venturing into the 2003 & 2009 trainwrecks, he is, inevitabily back. He stumbles back from the mess of the previous “sequels”& tries to salvage another trainwreck. Does he manage to do it?Well, not really.

Here is how the story goes. At least I think so…

After three decades of movies (and The chronicles of Sarah Connor TV series), the franchise is simply a confusing and convoluting mess of timelines. After (yet another) assault on a Skynet facility by Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) and his friend / Son, John Connor (Jason Clarke), someone must travel back in time to 1984 to save John’s mother, Sarah Connor (Game of Thrones’ Emilia Clarke / Khalisee), from a Terminator. So far,so yawnworthy. However, this time Sarah Connor isn’t a waitress carrying humanity’s savior in her womb. This time she’s been living with a Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger), who was sent back even earlier to protect her from anotherT-800 (also Arnold Schwarzenegger)—one who had been sent to kill her exactly at the point Reese travels back to in the Genisys timeline.

Confused?? Don’t be, It doesn’t matter. The plot of every Terminator sequel has been absurd. And that’s because the plot of The Terminator itself (the future comes to the past to change the future, but that means the past is changed, so the future is changed??) was absurd. All this culminates in Terminator Genisys, which erases the scars of the last two movies and fundamentally retells the first. It relies on time travel and computer technology to explain how people (or machines) could know things they don’t know how they know, but not know other things that the movie doesn’t want to bother explaining. Terminator Genisys is a plotless, aimless, meandering, unclear, unpleasant mess. While I have tried to put together somewhat of a plot-line above, I do not really any clue what objectives the characters (even the villain) are pursuing, how they are pursuing them, or what will happen (or not) if they fail.

The sequel that comes closest to this movie is Dabangg 2. Not kidding!! Just Like Arbaaz Khan replicated the template of the original, here Alan Taylor recreates Cameron’s style of filmmaking. This is the most risk-averse sequel ever made (well,just forget Transformers for a moment). You have pretty much the same story-line,an old Arnie pretty much doing & saying the same things that he has done in the previous installments.

Coming to the rest of the cast, the fans of the franchise are pretty much going to be unhappy with everyone. The current crop who get to play Sarah, John & Kyle are no match to the people who played them in the past.Fans of Game of thrones would walk in expecting Khalisee to kick ass, but all you get is a middling, baby- faced Sarah connor who is… I do not know. I just could not accept watching her as Sarah Connor. Linda Hamilton, you spoilt us.

Kyle Reese, played by Jai Courtney , is mildly irritating,largely boring. The fact that you remember him from the super bad Die Hard movie does not work either. He plays Kyle Reese in the MOST boring fashion ever.

As the trailer has already made us realize that John Connor is no more the savior of humanity, the twist does not come off as an “oh-my-god”moment. Well, he gets to say the same things about going back in time and then gets his own 15 seconds of CGI fame. That is that. No more.

At this point,I cannot even get started about how bad the rest of the cardboard (characters) are. They just make up for the numbers. The machines at least look better.The rest of the cast is just a waste. There is J.K.Simmons in the film as well.He gets a 3 minute part !!

One more thing that has not changed is the CGI.. It doesn’t look to have evolved much from Judgement Day. The film feels soft and phony. When the movies is full of time travel mumbo jumbo, you expect the action to be kick-ass. You cannot blame someone for expecting a terminator movie to have a few good action moments. Alas, what you get is a set of completely unimaginative, “been there-seen that”, boring action sequences to make up the time. That said, they have checked almost all boxes. You have humans hitting cyborgs, cyborgs hitting cyborgs, humans shooting at cyborgs (3 decades worth of knowledge has not made them aware that bullets are of no use!), car chase, helicopter chase, exploding vehicles, exploding buildings etc etc..Nothing you have not seen since the evolution of cinema. Yes, we saw better action in the movie made 24 freaking years back! Arnie flipping that shotgun still looks cool.

This is the worst movie of the franchise. That is something, as we have seen some bad, bad movies so far in the same franchise!! Arnold’s Terminator keeps saying,”I’m old, not obsolete”.. Well, truth is that he is both old & obsolete.

Know what is worse??There is talk of 2 more sequels. They are under production!! Our future is indeed bleak.

#Note: This review first appeared in www.madaboutmoviez.com . You may find my reviews here - http://madaboutmoviez.com/author/joinshri/

30 not out..

2015-06-09T05:19:00.001-07:00

I have something in common with Wayne Rooney ( a guy who is somewhat talented at kicking the ball around) , Cristiano Ronaldo (a good looking bloke who is also good at kicking the ball around) and Keira Knightley (she is an actress, so say some people).. Know what? All of us hit 30 this year!!

What is so earth shattering about it, you ask? Well, searching “Batman animated movies” felt a little (only a wee bit) different suddenly. I will never get to use the phrase “When I grow UP”. From now on, it’s only about “When I grow”!

Was I a little reluctant to move on from 29 to 30? Yes I was. Because, if I was not,that meant that I did something wrong with the last decade of my life. Your 20s are, or at least should be, an incredibly fun time. Hell, when I was 21 when….. Something’s are best left unsaid... :)

Turning 30 isn’t all that bad. Here’s the thing: You have absolutely no choice but to embrace aging. Fighting aging is like a wave fighting its own crash, a battle you have no shot at winning.

I’m of the opinion that humans are like wine — that we get better with age. Ten years ago I was a total moron, and now I’m just kind of an idiot. By the time I’m 40, I may very well be smart. Never let your best days get behind you. That’s called giving up. I dig what I see in my rearview mirror, but I’m also pretty damn psyched about where my car’s headed

All things considered and said, turning 30 is fantastic. You finally know who you are (it’s absolutely OK if you don’t, as long as you are making efforts to figure it out), you’re starting to make serious strides in your career, and you’re generally kicking ass. See, you’ve got to be your own internal PR department and take on these life changes in the best way possible. You’ve noticed some gray hair in the beard? Well, that just means you look distinguished. You have an office and a real adult job? Well, that just means that you’re settled into a career.

Here is my list of what every man should know or have done (in no particular order) by the time he hits 30!!

Learn to cook - Making Maggi is not an option anymore. Learn to cook something else. Its therapeutic & keeps the wife happy!

Get yourself a roof of your own – It sounds very “permanent”, but it helps if you have a house of your own. If it is in Mumbai, you may have arrived in life (only just, because, before on the 5^th of every month, the EMI arrives)

Go on an international vacation / trip – It gives you something new to rant about for the next few years. Still talking about the college (those were the days) days?? Get over it.

Save up – Yes, your dad has been saying this for a long time. Must mean something then, right? It helps to have money when it matters the most. Simple.

Know when to call it a night – Walking into the class with eyes as big as saucers was fine. It isn’t cool anymore. Its 4 am & someone in the room says “We need to get more booze." "Great idea!" is the general & acceptable response. Except it's not; it never is.

Hit the gym – Watch the saffola ads for additional details.

Know how to choose a good bottle – Let it be a bottle of wine or aftershave, get to know what you want. It helps. Trust me. Just trust me.

Know how to change a bulb / tube light / flat tyre - The general point I’m trying to make is that it is time you acquired some practical skills.

This is not a definitive list by any means, but just some thins that passed through my mind as I hit 30 yesterday. I have a whole new decade coming up. Gotta go and take it on...

*Confession: I haven’t hit the gym yet. :)

Batman: The mask of Phantasm -The best Bruce Wayne movie ever made!

2015-06-05T07:46:00.000-07:00

In 1939, National Comics (later to become DC Comics), was looking for a new super hero—a character who could build on the success of Superman (who debuted in 1938). Bob Kane, a gag cartoonist, was asked to design a new hero. Kane conceived one of the most popular and enduring characters of the twentieth century—The Batman.

As the 10th Anniversary of Christopher Nolan’s Batman approaches, I went on a trip down the memory lane, watching some of the old classics. What I experienced was nothing short of fantastic. Of all the movies that I revisited, 3 movies stood out. This piece is about the finest (in my humble opinion) animation (or maybe better than the live action) movie that has bought the caped crusader alive on large screen, Batman: The mask of Phantasm (1993).

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, a feature-length film set inside the Batman: The Animated Series universe was the first animated Batman movie. Based in the nineties Batman cartoon universe, the film boasts much of the same cast and crew as the series.

The movie starts out with the Caped Crusader dropping in on some of Gotham City’s gangsters planning a money laundering scheme, only to have a strange new vigilante drop by and send one of the criminals to their death. When Mob bosses start getting bumped off by a guy in a cape, everyone assumes that Batman has gone off the deep end. Meanwhile, Andrea Beaumont, the one time love of Bruce Wayne’s life, returns to Gotham City stirring up memories including those of how he almost didn’t become Batman. As all of this unfolds, and the Phantasm becomes a more imminent, lethal threat, the Joker is brought into the fold as a major wild card. Now, can the Dark Knight elude the police, capture the Phantasm and clear his name?

Like any other Batman feature, there are certain things these movies always seem to have. First, we have the public (and then the police) debating the necessity of Batman, then we have Bruce Wayne pining over his parents death and then we have the the complicated love interest. Love interest? Yes, you read that right.

“Mask of the Phantasm” is a love story, of sorts, tracing Bruce Wayne/Batman’s relationship to Andrea Beaumont, who comes into his life at a time of self-doubt about the self-imposed burden of justice and vengeance. The tale is beautifully crafted and truly shows the emotional depth and humanity of Bruce before and after he becomes Batman. Was this the woman who almost stopped Bruce Wayne from donning the mantle of the Bat, or did she push him over the edge?

Apart from this subplot, the movie is about a dozen times more complex than any of the live action movies. Part of that comes with dealing with an entirely new villain instead of just another nutcase pulled from the pages of the comic. We don’t immediately know who it is or why they’re doing what they’re doing, which allows for a lot of leeway in terms of plot twists and the like. Midway through, the Joker replaces the revenge-driven Phantasm as the villain. The Joker’s introduction and development into the main villain, however, does allow for the Joker’s trademark rants, raves, jibes, and bad puns, which is a total blast.

The extended climax inside the amusement park is only one of several well-directed action set pieces. This is the kind of action that one would want to see in a live action film. Others scenes include the Batman eluding a SWAT team along the rooftops and dark alleys of Gotham City (which takes you back to the scene from Frank Miller’s Batman: Year One). In one of the many flashbacks, one scene set inside Gotham’s World Fair, not only informs us about Bruce and Andrea’s past, but also gives us a glimpse into the inspiration for the Batmobile’s design.

The animation style of this feature film is definitely one of it’s big pluses. It maintains the brilliant art deco noir style that Batman: The Animated Series was based on.. The opening title sequence even features a beautiful CGI fly through of the Gotham City skyline. The animation, though “very nineties”, still stands the test of time. It’s a quality film.

Coming to the music, the main theme from Danny Elfman for Tim Burton’s Batman movies lived on in this DC Animated Universe. For this feature, Shirley Walker, makes it even more gothic and haunting with a beautiful chorus. It’s a fantastic score that rouses, and nails all over the wonderful. The rest of the movie sounded even better, stereo effects a-plenty. Helicopters, gunshots, squealing tires, all coming at you from the direction you’d expect, and they all sound fantastic.

As for the voice acting, could you ask for a better? It has the legendary Kevin Conroy, has been the definitive voice of Batman for over two decades now for legions of fans. Conroy reflects all the best qualities of the character from the upbeat playboy, the serious businessman, the dark, brooding man in the shadows, and the powerfully imposing Dark Knight. And what about our favorite super villain, Joker? Mark Hamill nails it. What Hamill does is make the Joker this insane clown who will do whatever hits the biggest punch line in his own twisted mind. He brings the jovial zaniness meshed with a lethal intimidation that forges a colorful maniac that is endlessly fun and entertaining while still being a major threat. It will also be a grave injustice, if I did not mention Alfred Pennyworth (Voice by Efrem Zimbalist Jr), who walks away with some of the greatest lines and moments in the movie.

If I had to find a flaw in the film, well, for one, it is too short, running at just 75 minutes! Yes, as the movie is almost 25 years old, you may find faults with it, but , at the end of the day, it remains one of the finest features ever made on Batman.

Batman has been in many movies and maybe this incarnation of Batman isn’t for everyone. Mask of the Phantasm may not be the best of the bunch, but it is a classic. It’s a nostalgia ride for a generation of nineties kids. It is still awesome, still relevant and kicks ass, just like Batman does.

*Note: This blog / article was first published on www.madaboutmoviez.com

Chaar Cutting Movie Review: Small in size, yet highly entertaining

2015-05-28T22:45:00.000-07:00

So far, 2015 has been a difficult year for the film industry. Most of the “sureshot blockbusters” have had a bad run at the box office. Relatively smaller films like Dum Laga Ke Haisha, Piku and TWMR have shown the biggies that they can bring in the audience too..

In hindsight, Jamurra (http://www.jamuura.com/index.php/about_us) has nailed the release of its first feature ( a collection of 4 short films) perfectly. All four films, having won awards in international film festivals, narrate stories that would immediately strike a chord with you.

The anthology begins with Anuj Gulati’s MANILA RUNNING. Of the four shorts, this is the only story that doesn’t feature Indian artists, nor is the story set in India. Despite that, you are completely drawn into the story immediately. While the movie may be set in Manila, Philippines, it does remind you of Mumbai. The crowded lanes & alleys, suspicious taxiwallahs & cops, shabby hotels & lodges do make for familiar viewing. After having come to Manila, for a nose job, the protagonist finds himself caught in a series of high tension & embarrassing situations. I found myself smiling throughout the 15 minute film, as I could relate to each of the situation & emotions, thanks to some brilliant performances.

Written by Vikramaditya Motwane & directed by his Assistant, Hardik Mehta, SKIN DEEP, the 2nd short in the lineup is probably the “biggie” of the lot. Set in Mumbai, Skin Deep is about a young couple’s first “adventure” of wanting to make love, tested, when the guy discovers the extra piece of foreskin that hinders them. The film follows what happens when he decides to undergo a circumcision. What starts off as a slice of life romance quickly turns into a dark, shocking and deeply moving story. Revealing anything more would be a huge disservice to the short film. It entertained & shocked me equally.

Post interval (Yes, there was one!), we go from Mumbai to the hinterlands of Rajasthan. Produced by Whistling Woods, BAWDI, is the weakest of the lot. Set in a village in Rajasthan, this story is about a boy who is torn between having to make a choice between taking a stand with his father & choosing a life in the city with his to-be-wife. The story of “City dwellers & large COLA companies are evil” is something we have seen far too many times to really care about it. While the short film manages to get the setting right, it has too many glaring flaws. The dialects mouthed by the characters are inconsistent, the production values are bad. One consolation is the background score that sort of makes up for the otherwise disappointing fare.

The fourth & the last, BLOUSE more than makes up for the dip. Directed by Vijayeta Kumar, this one has the wackiest plot & some fine performances. Set in Rajasthan, this story is about a teacher who makes a promise to gift a blouse to his wife. Simple plot, eh? What follows is a madcap journey of the teacher, going through what not to get the gift his wife desires. It is the most charming film of the lot & each character in the film is a delight to watch. This is one of the finest love stories I have seen in a long time. Again, anything more on the story would rob you of all the fun. This is the film that elicited the most laughs, claps & whistles, and why not? It indeed was the right way to finish off this delightful presentation.

Nobody would have dared to touch these short films a couple of years ago. Thanks to films like Bombay Talkies, such presentations are getting made. What would have directly (and only) released on YouTube, is getting released in theatres tomorrow. I sincerely hope that these features create a minor (if not big) ripple that would result in bigger production houses to appreciate & help such films get the limelight they deserve.

Thanks to Jamuura and PVR, we are getting to see these small, yet important & relevant works getting released & noticed.

Go and watch Chaar Cutting in a PVR near you. It will make you laugh, charm you, entertain you in equal measure.

*Note - This blog / review was first published in www.madaboutmoviez.com

Mad Men -The end of an era

2015-05-13T23:34:00.002-07:00

A man enters his cabin, puts down his suitcase & everything goes downhill from there. The room collapses, and he goes tumbling from the window of his office. We see him take a fall through a chasm of diamond rings, Happy American families in American ad hoardings, martini and women in stockings…

We have seen this for a few years now, but do not know (for a fact) who this man is? Is he one person? Is he the man living inside all of us?

Is he DON DRAPER? Well, we shall get an answer to this question on Sunday (Monday 11 am, IST)

Anyone who has followed Mad Men knows that Don Draper is like none other. He is one of a kind. A man who has it all : Fame, status, money, career, women, admirers / followers / worshippers. He is everything a man tries (and fail) to be. Every man wants to be him, every woman wants to be with him! He is tall and handsome, dresses impeccably and always in control, rules people & commands respect.

So what is wrong with him? When everyone wants to be him, why does he want to escape from himself?

As if this was not the single most important question for Matthew Weiner (The show’s writer) to answer, he needs to bring the characters / stories to a justifiable end in the last episode. Huge task, indeed. After all, we want to see Roger & Peggy (if not everyone else) get a fitting goodbye.

It has been a fine ride. Mad Men entertained & shocked me equally. The ideas & themes it explored in each of its episodes were fascinating. Sometimes too much for a fiction TV show, but all of it was packaged in a beautiful & entertaining way.

The acting is routinely excellent, the dialogue sparkling & the stories amazing. The attention to period detail is astonishing, and the art direction alone makes the show worth watching even with the sound off.

I might not break into tears or miss Mad Men the way I did after Breaking Bad got over, but what I am weary of is the absence of another crazy yet creative package te Mad Men was. It was a mix of some sharp writing, it embraced some bold themes and never confined itself to any particular genre.

Here are some key numbers that make Mad Men special:

# Don Draper (Jon Hamm) has been to bed with 18 women through the series

# 942 cigarettes were smoked on screen

# 369 alcoholic beverages were poured in the office. (Yes, in office!)

And it all comes to an end Sunday night, as the 92nd and final installment shall be aired. No more Don Draper or Peggy Olsen. No Roger, Joan, Betty, Megan, Pete, Ken.

All eyes will be on AMC Sunday night as the network airs Mad Men's series finale. To make sure of it, AMC’s sister networks (BBC America, IFC, Sundance and WE) will suspend regular programming for an hour beginning at 10 p.m. ET on Sunday.

Office Office

2013-04-15T07:45:00.002-07:00

One more hour to wait.
Then will be out of the gate.

The hardest part of work,
is to pretend you’re working hard.
You can only work on so many excels,
or shuffle so many business cards.

I’m bored of Facebook,

I have nothing to tweet,

Now I need my coffee,

and something sweet to eat.

Like always, here’s a group of four,

Gossiping, backbiting,

Never enlightening,

Telling lies, but calling it “true story”.,

Just to achieve coffee time glory,

Back at my desk, I look at my watch,

Just to realize, there is still 30 minutes,

That will drive me nuts,

Just when I think that the day is over,

The client calls and asks for a favor,

Asking for another plan to be sent,

Oh no, one more hour to be spent…

Every day, we take this jaunt,

For satisfying a basic want

When my dad asks me, aisa kyun haal hai?

I say, “Paapi pet ka sawaal hai”

*Views expressed are necessarily not mine, but general observations :)

Fear of Unknown

2013-02-02T10:59:00.001-08:00

My eyes scan the surroundings,

Looking for the old nemesis

I cannot explain

this mysterious pain

Someone please help, make this go away,

For I cannot take this one more day

When everything around is fine,

I do not know why do I worry so much all the time

Just when I started to be happy and free,

The feeling again crept upon me

All I want to do is scream and shout

As I feel there is no way out,

I know you people won’t understand,

But this is not who I’m

As the days go by,

I feel worse and worse,

So many things have gone wrong,

It is just hard to stay strong

THE TENANT HUNT

2012-09-12T09:35:00.000-07:00

On an average I get about 50 – 60 calls a day, of which, several are from unknown numbers. One such call from an unknown number flashed on my screen at about 5:30 pm today. I should say that the phone call left me feeling very uneasy about myself. The 4 minute conversation has left me thinking if I’m indeed the “forward thinking” guy living in a metropolitan city.

The caller was a guy called Abu who was interested in my renting my apartment in Mira road. Due to the housing society rules and fear of unknown on my part, I ended up telling him that the flat is let out only to Hindus. He promptly apologized for having “wasted my time”

What is in a name? You may ask. Well, if you are a Muslim, try getting a house on rent in Mumbai, The city that never sleeps, the financial capital of India is divided over religion and cast behind the veneer of glamour. It is a daunting task for a non-Hindu, especially a Muslim, to go about looking for a house on rent. While there are enough and more flats available, they are out of bounds for Muslims due to a multitude of reasons.

In the forward-looking India, secularism has become a slave of religious lobbies. Religious open-mindedness is measured in economic and cultural terms. Ironically, the Muslims who are aired as examples of the ‘good’ ones are not in a position to speak on behalf of a large community who live lives of abject poverty and fear.

They are also dehumanized by the media. The media creates the larger part of most people’s reality here and they look to it as almost the sole source of their information and reality and wait to be told what to think The world media has portrayed minority communities as being opposed to modernity, women, and world peace. Such ideas have percolated deeply everywhere, including India, and destroyed the centuries-old bonds of friendship and tolerance. The state should make efforts through the media and educational programmes to change this scenario. Political parties should ask their cadres to propagate Hindu-Muslim unity. Only persistent and organized effort with a considerable measure of internal order and purposeful orientation, maintaining group solidarity, a successful political activism can yield results.

Just to let whoever is reading this blog, I’m yet to find a tenant L

The Female Sports Fan!!??

2012-09-04T22:51:00.001-07:00

Men have historically drawn the lines around sports as male territory. Female encroachment is viewed with suspicion by some. For these gatekeepers, fandom is not measured by affection or loyalty toward a team, but by knowledge of its statistics, plays and history.

It is one thing to be home with a bunch of friends and debate and discuss about the latest in Bollywood, party circuit, office gossip, but completely another to be discussing the latest in sports. The weirdness is thrown to an altogether new level when you realize that the girls are not only involved in these debates but also holds on to their own.

Over the course of 3 years, I’ve overseen debates with women arguing about the Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders, and more. When I say debate, it’s exactly that. They know exactly who’s playing for whom, where the games are being held, the personalities of their team, the whole thing. It truly is a sight to sit back and stare at watching a female vent and erupt at the sight of her favorite team’s batsman is giving up, or a bowler not bowling well , or anything that suggests he isn’t doing his job. I’d go so far to say there aren’t too many feelings better than that.

Cricket will always be my first love, and for any man who has a particular sport as their first love, you can ask that same man how he feels when he sees an woman share a similar passion for the game and can break it down to a T. During the last IPL season, you had female cricket fans who were just as invested into the games as the guys were. They’d cheer on their team, cuss out a player, motivate them, and anything else it took to be a part of the game, and do so in an authentic way.

So, why is it that this still small group of female fans looked in a different light? Why do they have to prove their interest in the game each time they want to be involved in the game? Why are they subjected to questions about their knowledge each time they speak of their love for the game / sports? Why is it acceptable for a guy to have an opinion on soaps & reality shows and not acceptable for a woman to have an opinion on why Raina should be picked over Rohit??

As a heavy cricket season is around the corner, I’m sure there are going to be loads of friends turning up at my place or vice-versa. I, for one would like the female participation to go up during these meets. Let us create our own fantasy leagues, let us have your perspective on why Dale Styn should play for CSK, discuss why is SA a better cricket team than England etc etc.

Go ahead, make the hardest guy smile, make a grown man cry. We will not insult your intelligence by asking you to name the playing eleven. Let us leave the name game for the college kids. Let us enjoy the sports season together and derive equal pleasure out of it. Let us enjoy cricket the same way we enjoy the 9 am show on a Sunday. Let us discuss the game just the way we discuss Rahman Sir’s music.

Thanks in advance for all female sports fans (my wife, in particular) for enhancing the sports experience of everyone involved.

Mr. Smith goes to Washington – A 79 year old classic

2012-09-03T09:56:00.001-07:00

If there is a better movie about human ideals, I’m yet to see it.

The 1930’s were a tumultuous time for the world, more so for America. The great depression had forced millions into poverty. The democracy of America was falling apart and communism and Fascism were on the rise. Just before the official breakout of World War 2 in 1939, Frank Capra’s “Mr. Smith goes to Washington” released in theatres. The movie was a instant hit and provided people with a sense of hope in regard to the past, present and future of the United States and the ideologies for which it stood.
Frank Capra and James Stewart combined to take on the Washington elite with this dramatic comedy about a naïve Washington outsider who gets appointed to the senate and stands alone against corruption and graft.

A classic David v/s Goliath tale, the story is the struggle between good and evil. In typical Capra (And maybe, 1930’s) style, the protagonist and antagonists are exaggerated so that there is no confusion as who is who. A timid and idealistic Mr. Smith takes on the mighty senators. This was probably one of the earliest movies to suggest the government as corrupt.

In this “once in a lifetime” role, he plays the perfectly homespun, intelligent, boyishly good-looking, nervous, senate elect who is thrown into the mix of power and corruption. Stewart is brilliant as the idealistic and awestruck kid from the backwoods who is overwhelmed by the glory of Washington, with its monuments and history. He also brings along a whole treasure chest of bumbling comedic sight gags that make him all the more lovable in the part. The look of absolute awe on his face upon first witnessing the Capitol Dome appears truly genuine, despite the fact that he was merely acting against a projection. As the story gets more complicated, and his character is developed further, Stewart is even better.There has only ever been one human being alive who could play Jefferson Smith, and that is of course James Stewart.

Not to go unrecognized are Jean Arthur and Claude Rains performances, in which they were also nominated for an Academy Award. Both of these actors were incredible and so well suited for their roles. Rains’ performance in the final scene of this film was memorable, as the pressure of Mr. Smith’s honesty and integrity start to wear on his conscience.

The real achievement of the film, though, is to portray a political system that immediately echoes the ones we’re familiar with. Through the antagonist characters: the corrupted Senator Payne (Claude Rains) and Edward Arnold as Jim Taylor, the ruthless tycoon who owns the media and controls the power, “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” allows us to revisit the intricacies that still exist today within the political system and how some of the branches involved can lead to spheres that have nothing do with values and ideals. The all-time complicity between the media and politics is highlighted with such boldness that makes us wish we’d had more Jefferson Smiths today. But we don’t, because to be elected, one must pledge allegiance to these driving forces. In the name of progress, of economy, the big guys take the biggest share of the pie and leave the crumbs for people.

Capra’s direction is flawless, capturing the feel of tradition in Washington and producing the best acting from his lead. He had an uncanny ability to tug at our base human emotions and elicit direct responses.Nominated for an Academy Award, Capra lost out to Victor Fleming and Gone with the Wind.7 years later, he would go on to direct James Stewart in another wonderful movie, It’s a wonderful life.

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is a lovely movie. Age will always remove the realistic qualities of such films, but this remains a worthwhile film to watch, both for the entertainment value, as well as the political aspects of it. Although made over 70 years ago the story is still relevant and maybe even more so today, than it was then.

(THIS POST WAS WRITTEN FOR & PUBLISHED IN www.madaboutmoviez.com on 30th Aug, 2012)

Remembering Tony Scott

2012-08-26T04:02:00.000-07:00

I was 13, when I saw Enemy of the state (EOTS). It was the same year I saw Kuch kuch hota hai and Pyaar to hona hi tha and I remember thinking what would it take to make a movie like EOTS in India. Back then, I did not know about the concept of editing, cinematography, screenplay etc. No movie had given me the sense of thrill, adrenalin, like EOTS. It was the first film that got me thinking about the aesthetics of film making. I was blown by the pace of the movie. I rushed to the nearest Crossword (It was 1998 and I had not even heard of Google) to seek more information on the movie.

It was then, that I came across the name, Tony Scott.

There is a popular line in Top Gun, "I feel the need, ... the need for speed!" this line alone sums up what people / admirers like me loved about his movies. Top Gun, made Tony's career and also defined and set a tone for commercial hits in the late 1980s.

Scott was one of the first to extensively use flash cut editing, slow motion action sequences, extreme close-ups, and super - saturation and / or high contrast grainy visuals - techniques that would come to be employed by many subsequent filmmakers including Micheal Bay, Peter Berg and Oliver Stone.

His spinning camera shots and tight snickery-snack approach to editing were derived directly from two of his biggest influences : his years working in TV advertising and MTV.

A lover of fast cars on and off the screen, Tony was adept at injecting thrills into his slick films. This was hugely loved by his fans and hugely hated by his critics. All the slickness and technical wizardry rarely brought him critical acclaim and his movies were always unfairly and unfavorably compared with the more ambitious, deep and sentimental works of his older brother- Sir Ridley Scott.

Unlike Ridley, Tony was never nominated for an Oscar. Nonetheless, several of Tony's films were rewarded with huge commercial success.

Top Gun immediately opened the doors to huge funding and big proposals.He then went on to direct Beverly Hills Cop 2, Revenge, Last boy scout and Days of thunder which paired him with Cruise again.

Just when people thought that he was content making actioners with Jerry Bruchiemer, he popped a surprise in 1993. He adapted the script of a certain young man, called Quantin Tarentino. He scottified it and showed the world that his movies are not only about technical glitz. that even he can direct a movie with sharp and witty dialogues, handle an ensemble cast with panache.

He then settled into directing a sequence of highly entertaining, star powered thrillers like Crimson Tide, The Fan and Enemy of the state, each with convincing performances from Denzil Washington, Robert de Niro and Will Smith respectively.

Over a period of time, as he directed movies like Spy Game, Man on fire, deja Vu, Taking of Phelham 123, he not only concentrated on style but these films also gained subtlety and sophestication. His charecters became more complex and darker, dealing with complex emotions.

His movies gave simple pleasure. There was a musicality to everything. he made complex scripts seem beautiful and engaging.

I have always felt that critics took his skills for granted and did not appreciate the artistry he brought to the table. To call him as just an "action filmmaker" would be huge injustice to him. Few people combine talent and artistry the way Tony Scott did.

Deep down, I know that this is not the best eulogy written in your name, but I also know that words wont do justice to your work.

I shall miss your movies Mr.Scott. May your soul rest in peace.

Why is Nolan's Batman trilogy important?

2012-07-17T09:43:00.002-07:00

I do not want to be Christopher Nolan this week. No way!! My fragile shoulder would wilt under the impossible, insane, humongous expectations around The Dark Knight Rises (TDKR).
The yearning for the return of the caped crusader started right after the brilliant and cerebral, The Dark Knight. It has been four years (8 years in TDKR) since Batman vanished into the night.

It is probably safe to say that, TDKR, is the most anticipated Hollywood release of the year. Yes, there were The Avengers, then there was Prometheus and then came the spidey reboot. These movies only acted as appetizers to the splendid meal awaiting us.

Whether or not the movie lives up to all possible expectations, Chris Nolan and the movie shall go down in history as one of the most cerebral, celebrated, successful and influential works ever in cinematic history. The trilogy shall be remembered for the technical brilliance, the sheer musical genius of Hans Zimmer, Heath Ledger's immoratalisation (If such a word exists) of Joker the audacity of Nolan is not bowing down to studio pressures and presenting our fav superhero in 2D.

We all know about all this, and appreciate the facts and the trivia, but why I really love this man is because of the way he injected sociopolitical themes with amazing clarity into a superhero movie. While, all the other comic book superheros dealt with their foes, their struggles were one dimensional. their struggles were limited by the strength (or the lack of it) of the foe. What Nolan bought to the table was refreshing. He did something very special. He seeped in social sentiments like crime, law, pain, fear, oppression, ideals, hope and yearning for an Utopian world into a superhero movie script.
While Batman might fight his battles in Gotham, Nolan showcased the landscape of modern America. It was, as if, he was taking potshots at people in power. He insists that this is a world we live in.It is Nolan's way of asking us to choose between the the man without a face (Bruce) or the symbol of change, Batman. He creates Batman out of anger, the fury of a world gone wrong.

What began as a stark reflection of the times we live in, got reaffirmed in The Dark Knight. Batman believes that Gotham is not the best city to stay in, not the safest place to live in, but has certainly got better. He realizes that this is not only his doing. People who have rallied behind him, against crime are also responsible for the state of the city. Hence, the importance given to Harvey Dent, the white Knight of the city, the crusader without a mask.

Nolan's Gotham is not very different than the Mumbai we live in. we too need the dark and the white knights. We too need to be taken care of. People suffer from pain, anxiety, crime and fear. Ras Al Ghul, Scarecrow, Joker and Bane (TDKR villian) embody the above mentioned plight of our city. Nolan makes us believe that a knight will come, when the night is darkest to lead us to the dawn.

With just 2 days to go for the IMAX premier in India, I can hardly wait to watch the most badass superhero take on his most intimidating enemy. Will he prevail or will he falter and pass on the baton to a younger ideal?? Questions and more questions.
Move on Avengers. Move on Spidey, The Dark Knight is here. And a new dawn for cinema is imminent.
Cannot wait to write the movie review.

Hail Batman, Hail Nolan!!!

Jaago re... against shitty cinema.

2012-07-10T09:04:00.001-07:00

Ever heard of this guy called Gus Van Sant? Those who have seen the Matt Damon & Robin William starrer, Good Will Hunting, might have. Why did he take 11 long years after 2000, to come out of hiding and make the universally acclaimed film, Milk??

Maybe or I'm almost sure that he was ashamed to rub shoulders with his Hollywood mates after having made the ultimate mistake of remaking Mr. Alfred Hitchcock's classic, Psycho!! Yes, people make SUCH mistakes in life.

Why am I writing about some obscure Hollywood directer?? Because, our very own Rohit Shetty has committed a similar crime by remaking Hrishida's (Hrishikesh Mukherjee) timeless classic, Golmaal. It is bad enough that he thought of Golmaal as source material, but , it is whole different game to make such a despicable movie and attach Hrishida's name to it.

No, I have not seen the movie,will not watch it, and will try and stop others from watching it. The promos are enough to repel me.

This worrying trend started with the famous Ram Gopal Verma Ki Aag and it was just the tip of the iceberg. Then came Don, then Agnipath. Now we will have remakes, reboots, rehashes, rethinks and re-inventions of Zanzeer, Abhimaan, Aaradhana, Seeta aur Geeta, Chasme badoor.

It is easy to blame a "creative Vacuum" in the Hindi movie Industry, but ultimately it is the demand that shapes the commercial realities. Directors may innovate , but producers need to feel confident that public will welcome and like the product. It is just wishful thinking on my part, because, what I have mentioned above is only about the classics being remade, but, the other worrying, and more irksome trend is remaking southern movies to make big monies in Bollywood.

Rowdy Rathore might have earned zillions in the box office,but help me find 3 people who have liked it. I do not think many people would like to take up that challenge.

Okay, I may think that remakes should be banned. Obviously, Mr. Shetty and gang think otherwise. What about origininality, you ask? Well, let me refresh your memory. Take out Kahani, Ek mein aur ek tu, Paan Singh Tomar, Vicky Donner, Shanghai and Gangs of Wasseypur and what do you have? You have had an absolutely delicious list of movies this year like Ghost (remember the Shiney Ahuja film?), Ek Diwana tha (Yet another south remake), Jodi Breakers (no one saw it) , Agent Vinod (Haha, some spy movie), Housefull 2 (Shut-up), Hate Story ( oh come on), Tezz ( Shit, it gets worse).... Hold on, let me present the big three... PLAYERS ( the godawful attempt at remaking a decent remake of a classic, yess), DEPARTMENT ( Ramu's latest headache - inducing take on the Mumbai underworld) and DANGEROUS ISHQ ( shitty storytelling, 3 times over)...

What is wrong with our industry? Where are we going wrong? where is the problem? Are we, the viewers, responsible? Are we somehow propagating these rank bad movies by paying up upwards of Rs. 200 /- per ticket? As I said, demand fuels everything....

I'm sad , very sad, as I write this, but the year ahead does not look bright either.

Just like The Dark Knight rises to save Gotham, we collectively need to rise and stop this phenomenon of propagating mind numbing cinema. Let us boycott movies made in bad taste, movies that are made purely to zillions at the box office, let us stop "keep your brains at home" argument.

It is your hard earned money. Stop wasting it. If you have to spend 3 hours, get yourself a hobby instead.

We, the multiplex class should bring about this revolution.

Signed,

An angry guy who is disappointed most of the Fridays.

Some know him as God, You may call him Marty

2012-04-08T23:12:00.001-07:00

In a world where the superstars or actors pull-in the crowd, how many directors manage to do the same? How many directors command a bigger pedestal than the cast of the movie? Not many, I guess.

During the Academy awards, one name was invoked more often than anybody else’s name. Martin Scorsese.

After giving us 22 movies, 13 documentaries, many commercials and just 1 Oscar, the 70 year old Marty, as he is fondly called, gave us HUGO.

Whether it is gritty and violent like MEAN STREETS, TAXI DRIVER or poignantly romantic like ALICE DOESN’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE, or satirical like THE KING OF COMEDY, AFTER HOURS or just plain stylish like AVIATOR, GOODFELLAS, Marty‘s uniquely versatile vision has made him one of cinema’s most acclaimed directors.

As a young kid, bought up in the little Italy section of Manhattan, he decided to “Make movies about what really happens”. In hindsight, you will know that Marty does not only make movies, but also is a great movie fan with a insatiable appetite to watch, discuss and enjoy cinema. His inspiration for making movies can from came from his own childhood spent in the Bronx. By his own admission, he said that the biggest research he did for making Mean Streets, his first major release, was his life. He would watch people in the gritty neighborhood go about their life and business and just poured his experiences in the movies that have made him the man he is today.

40 years after he made his first major Hollywood movie, his balance sheet looks balanced. He is one of the few directors today who have received both critical and box office acclaim. Of course, like anybody, he did go through a lean patch in the late 70s and early 80s when none of the studios supported him after box office disasters like New York, New York and The King of comedy. His professional life dipped further when studios did not accept The last temptation of Christ, as it was deemed too radical. All the while, he lived in Los Angeles, he learnt the mechanics of how large cities function. It was this knowledge that he put to use to bounce back. He moved back to New York to set his professional career on track.

The second part of his career is the part where-in he came into his own. He belted out movies like The last temptation of the Christ (he made Universal studios to produce the movie), Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Cape Fear, Casino and Kundan before ending the millennium on a high. Post 2000, having juiced DeNiro with some fine performances his association with Leonardo Dicaprio began. The noughties saw Scorsese shed his Mafia fixation and dabble into big budget set piece movies. Scorsese and Dicaprio would collaborate to give us movies like Gangs of New York (a script that he had been wanting to make for 20 years, with DeNiro in the lead), Aviator, Departed (the movie that won him the most coveted Oscar, finally), and finally Shutter Island.

While all of us love the overall feel of his films, he should be credited for all the factors and innovations that he bought to cinema.

Known as the “king of tracking shot”, he is known for his lengthy takes. Most of his movies start and end with 2-3 minute scenes, which is a mean feet. Other contributions like bring the “New York vernacular” talk in movies like Mean Street, Goodfellas, color treatment in movies like Aviator, Gangs of New York, and now re-interpretation of how 3D can bolster a film’s beauty without intruding on the story only add to his folklore.

Having been fed on movies by Howard Hawks, Billy Wilder, Sidney Lumet, he was adamant about learning from them and developing his own unique style of film making. He was mainly influenced by these greats, because, they did not bend down in front of the Hollywood studio system and got their creative vision on screen.

When not giving in to the big studios or simply battling it out with them, he vented out his creative genius into making documentaries , music videos (the Rolling Stones concert and Micheal Jackson shows were legendry) and restoration of old-movies.

His style of movie-making combined a rough and gritty attention to the everyday life of the urban jungle with a monumental visual sensibility. In one of his most acclaimed films, Taxi Driver 91976), he focused on the particulars of an individual and his obsessions. Starring Robert DeNiro (with whom Scorsese has had one of the most celebrated collaborative relationships in American cinema), Taxi Driver elevates the obscure specifics of a disturbed life with greatest drama.

Through movies like Mean Streets, Goodfellas, Casino, Departed, he has shown us the engaging world and power structure of Mafia. He bought together and style and theoretical content with great flair. Scorsese often focused on a theme that has permeated nearly everyone of his movies – the plight of the desperate and out-of-control individual. Often unsympathetic, his characters display a crazed violence that mimics the repressive social structures in which they live. Almost all his movies are engaging and social commentaries.

Martin Scorsese is the most important living American filmmaker – one whose relentless search for the furthest emotional reaches of his genre have led him to the center of the American ( and global) psyche.

In an era where careers are measured in months rather than years, Marty has served us for close to 45 years. In Hollywood, that is no lesser than a battlefield, he has battled it out with studios, stars and himself.

But all this has not resulted in a burn-out. At the age of 68, he set out to make a 3D movie. For a man who has always believed in old-school film making, and who has never tasted massive box office success (his most successful film was Shutter Island, that grossed $ 300 million worldwide), he adapted to the rigors of a new technique of film making. He has achieved three things that very, very few filmmakers achieve in life – (1) Enough money to make movies and documentaries that interest him, (2) enough freedom to make the movies in the way he wants to make them, (3) Enough acclaim and appreciation (not in the way of awards , though) from his peers and fans.

His lack of recognition from the Academy awards actually adds to rather than detracts from his reputation: after all, Orson Welles, Alfred Hitchcock and Stanley Cubrick were also all denied Oscars.

Just like a 3 minute show reel of a lifetime’s work cannot do justice to a man or his body of work, this is just a sincerely written piece of tribute to a man who has worked his lifetime to entertain us. I raise a toast to Marty, the movie fan, who also makes movies.

( This post was first published on www.madaboutmoviez.com - http://tinyurl.com/brhcxov )

Why do I prefer Agent Bob Biswas over Agent Vinod?

2012-03-27T12:08:00.003-07:00

With the Hindi film industry churning out over 800 films each year, films that really matter are few and far between. Yet, I find myself seated in the nearest multiplex, every weekend to catch the latest motion picture.
This year has been fascinating. Without getting ahead of myself, I would say that most of the movies have been worth the ticket, pop-corn and petrol.
Then came Agent Vinod!!!

My expectation soared when I heard that Mr. Shriram Raghavan was at the helm of things. In our country obsessed with STARS (not actors), how many would go to watch a movie because of the director, and not because of the star? Afterall, how could a guy, who gave us gems like Ek Hasina Thi & Johnny Gaddar go horribily wrong, you may ask? Well, he did go wrong. So badly, that he lost a fan in me. I'm not ready to give him a second chance, just yet.

The movie was not THAT bad, but I do not buy the "Production valueas were superb" line anymore. Thanks to production houses like Excel Entertainment, Dharma productions, most movies are well shot, superbly produced.

Now, why dont I like our own James Bond? Surely, the movie screams style. That is it. It is like one of those glossy expensive men's magazine (No, I'm not talking about GQ) that have loads of pics, but suck when it comes to content. What makes you averse of the wannabe, super / hyperstylised superhero is that, within a span of a month we have seen two more superheros who are original, non-wannabe, completely desi and loads of charecter. I'am talking about Irfan Khan in Paan Singh Tomar and Vidya Balan in Kahani. These two gave us a temporary sense of happiness and made us believe & hope that all is not last.
This post is not about story of Paan Singh Tomar or Kahani or Vidya Balan though. Enough said and discussed about it!!

This is about Agent Vinod pitted against Agent Bob Biswas and Mr Tomar.
An LIC agent outshot and a Chambal decoit has outrun the smart,sauve RAW agent.
The popularity of Bob Biswas and Pan Singh over Vinod throws up a few points.

1) You do not have be dressed in tuxedos to impress the audience.

2) You do not have to be a globe trotter. (A friend of mine posted this on Facebook - Considering the movie covers 8 locations and our does not do much any way, the movie should have been called TRAVEL AGENT VINOD.) While Agent Vinod goes out and apes James Bond and Bourne films, Bob & Pan Singh just do the opposite.

3) You do not need angrezi with accent. Irfan spoke so convincingly in HIndi with the chambal accent that forced us to rely on subtitles and Bob Biswas did it with a simple "Nomoshkar...ek minute"...

4) You do not need to be in every scene of the movie to get noticed - OK this one does not apply for Mr. Paan Singh. But, Bob Biswas, with barely 10 minutes of screen presence, has become a household name and a social media rage.

5) You do not have to dance to silly and stupid item numers like Pungi, just incase, the audience does not like you in the first place.

6) You do not need silly mannerisms, punch dialogues and a swagger to get the audience hooked. Again, just a simple Namoshkar works...

While, I have already undermined Agent Vinod, I would say it was entertaining in parts at best. Cannot take away the sheer gineus of a way in which Shriram has shot the RAABTA song. Splendid. Cannot take away the "always on it's toes" background score. Cannot take away the frentic camera work. But that is it. Game over. It is not Max Payne. It is a movie.

What makes us fall for Bob & Paan Singh? Well, in Bob's case, it was simple. While, we are use to see burly, tough men play out the charecter of a hitman, Bob surprised us with his commonman and unasumming looks. He could be the most unlikely guy to play a hitman. Yet, he doid it with elan. And Pan Singh? Hehe, It was Irfan Khan. Enough said.

Now, it is not Saif's mistake that he is being pitted against these splendid guys. Just that , we expected better.

I guess, I will just have to accept Agent Vinod as a film that belongs to Saif the producer, than a film that belong to Shriram, the director.
Last heard, they are planning to make a sequel.

Let's hope, sense prevails and we get to watch and cheer a truly well etched, detailed, desi, non-wannabe spy movie.

Kahani - A story we want to believe in

2012-03-15T03:10:00.001-07:00

By the time you read this, I’m sure you would have seen Kahani. Some of you would have seen it twice, maybe.

I can safely say that sensible cinema makes a comeback to the Hindi film industry.

Seldom do we, the people in the Hindi film industry tell stories of our cities. Forget telling stories about them, we do not even use them as good backdrops. Once in a while we may see Dibakar Banerjee use Delhi as a splendid backdrop (Khosla ka Ghosla and Oye lucky lucky oye) to tell his stories or Kiran Rao shoot Mumbai in such a way that it re-introduces us to the city we live in.

Kahani opens with a shot of Kolkata, and you immediately you warm up to the prospect of something different and new. Sujoy makes passionate love with Kolkata the way we have seen Woody Allen make love to Manhattan or Paris through his films. Mind you, this is not a stupid placement or government funded / aided tour, but pure, unadulterated love for the city. What you see in Kahani is nothing short of a treat.The lazy trams, the cramped alleys, the crowded markets, Durga Pujo is shot with splendid detail and care.

Sujoy lets his cinematographer, Setu, bite into Kolkata and give us a heady cocktail of cacophonous city. The dust, grime, color and the air of the city come alive in each frame of the movie.

The second lead of the film (Kolkata is the lead character) Vidya Balan is just as outstanding as the city itself. She is one women whose body of work might one day end up mirroring that of Meryl Streep. It is getting REALLY difficult choose the best amongst her performances. Vidya’s performance as a heavily pregnant woman is so damn convincing that just 10 minutes into the movie, you are rooting for her and you let her enthrall you. She gets you to do what most superstars (I’m not saying actors) do not. She gets you to root for her, go through the roller coaster ride with her instead of just sit and watch her go through her lines. Your feelings / emotions for Vidya Bagchi only gets more sensitive as the movie progresses.

It has been a week since I saw the movie and I have probably read zillions of tweets and Facebook updates that spoke about how Vidya Balan has rocked the show. Agree. No two ways about it. But, spare a thought for the guy who made this whole movie possible, the guy who conceived this movie, and left no stone unturned to get this movie to screen.

(Pls go through the link at the end of this post. Once you are done reading the whole post, that is).

While most us know that he is more than a capable director, what clicks for him in Kahani is his writing. This movie does come across as his most passionate, most loved and most cherished work. This is one of the most smartly written work in the recent past. First of all, kudos to him for resting a very tricky genre on the shoulder of a woman, a pregnant one, no less.

The movie is like a puzzle where-in the viewer does not watch characters unfold the twists and turns. Here Sujoy sucks you into the vortex immediately. The viewer is taken trough a highly fulfilling roller coaster ride. It has all the elements of a classic whodunit. The story grabs your attention almost immediately, keeps you enthralled, teases you along the way, makes you hold on to your breath, throws little tit-bits at you and in the end gives you the high of a 12 year old seasoned scotch whisky. This is beautiful blend of Hitchcock and Satyajit Ray in equal measure.

While it would be criminal to give away any of the plot details it would be in the scope of permissible praise to say the writing is clearly not meant to strew red herrings in our way. As we go back to the film, at the end we see every detail, every twist and turn in the plot was meant to be a coherent pointer to the complete picture

Though, it feels longer than 115 minutes, there is never a dull moment, as every character keeps throwing something at you to keep you guessing, wanting you to crack the code.

The experience is heightened by some razor sharp editing and a rousing background score by Clinton Cerejo. In fact, the score is largely responsible for the tight pace of the movie.

At the end of it all, you come away as a happy person, because, here is a movie, that satisfies the thirst for good cinema. It makes you believe that Hindi movies can indeed entertain and rewarding.

As promised, here is a link to Sujoy Gosh’s blog on Kahani :

http://kahaaniblog.wordpress.com/2012/01/18/the-story-of-kahaani-part-1/

See you at the movie :)

The Artist - A splendid ode to a bygone era

2012-02-29T01:34:00.000-08:00

For all of you who are reading this and have not yet seen the modern classic yet, please do.

Calling it an experiment , like a lot many people did, would be a great disservice to the makers of this splendid movie. 'The Artist' is sure to go down in history as a must-watch. For those who want to study films, for those who pursue cinema relentlessly, and also for those who just watch movies because they just like to. If you're wondering why a silent film, the movie not only answers it, but makes you fall in love with the medium. it's clearly a product of a thinking director, where everything in the scene has a story to tell.

To be fair there is little of substance happening in 'The Artist'. It tells a fairly conventional and frankly kind of cliché story about rags to riches to rags. 'The Artist' isn't really about anything other than pure emotion. It's a sentimental film designed to really invoke a response in it's audience and it does it beautifully.

The film tells the story of George Valentin (Jean Dujardin), a silent film actor megastar who withers away into obscurity when the introduction of "talkies" meets monumental popularity. Movie extra Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo) is a star on the rise who's admiration for George's work runs much deeper than the film's they share.

Jean Dujardin, largely unknown to the world, looks like a cross between Clarke Gable, Rock Hudson and Cary Grant. Armed with a very charming smile and towering presence, he nails it as a megastar of the bygone era. He does such a splendid job, that it is almost impossible to think of this movie without him. He is superbly supported by Bérénice Bejo, who plays a sprightly extra who goes on to become a Hollywood pin-up girl.

Both of them bring wonderful works, reaching that exact point of theatrical exaggeration and intimate detail the best actors from that period possessed. We tend to watch old films almost like involuntary comedies, full of apparatus expressions and excessive melodrama, but the actors were testing the limits of the new medium, and their best exponents (such as Buster Keaton, Lillian Gish and Lon Chaney) discovered the balance which was perfectly captured by Dujardin and Bejo.

Then, there is Uggie, who is Jean’s dog. If only the Academy had an award for an animal, he would have been the first choice.

Director and screenwriter Michel Hazanavicius made a brilliant work at capturing the atmosphere, rhythm and texture of mute cinema. He deserves more than a pat on his back for crafting a movie which is deeply reverential of the world of movie making, in addition to stimulating the sense of joy in all of us, making it irresistibly charming and appealing to the modern audience. In this era of slam bang actioners, cacophonous explosions, VFX laden spectacles, remakes and sequels and of course the ubiquitous 3D, it takes extreme gumption to make a silent film that celebrates the old magic of movies.

Three aspects (amongst many others) that stand-out are:

Music score - The movie may not have dialogues, but it has a rousing soundtrack. After Jean, the music lends itself as the most important character in the movie. Every scene, each emotion is amplified beautifully by Ludovic Bource’s Oscar worthy score.

Cinematography - Hitchcock used to say that the silent movies were the most perfect state of the cinematographic art. The cinematography is gorgeous. Guillaume Schiffman makes love to the beautiful production design through his camera. The movie was shot in the 1.33:1 "Academy ratio," just as in silent-film days, since director-writer Michel Hazanavicius considered it 'perfect for actors' because it gives them 'a presence, a power, a strength. They occupy all the space of the screen.'

Subtle placements / plot-points - The titles shown on posters and outside cinemas often mirror the plot - for example, "The Thief of His Heart" is visible as Peppy tries on George's coat, "The Lonely Star" when George sadly crosses a street and "Guardian Angel" is the Peppy Miller film visible just after the auction. The 3 wise monkeys George's desk are a constant reminder of his aversion for all things sound. The staircase scene symbolizing George’s downfall and Peppy’s raise is worth it’s weight in gold.

This movies sets a precedent and creates a strong example for aspiring film-makers. This amazingly detailed, nuanced, visually brilliant film was shot is 35 days flat!!!

Some very interesting trivia about the movie. (Those who are yet to experience it, please skip this as it may contain spoilers)

# The movie was originally shot in color, then converted to black and white.

# There is not a single “Zoom shot” in the entire movie because zoom technology did not exist in the movie’s time period.

# The first spoken word of the film is 'cut', while the last spoken word is 'action'.

# All the dance sequences were performed by the actors themselves through heavy rehearsals.

# Peppy Miller does not have a single audible spoken line - despite being a talking superstar.

# The role of Jack the dog was actually played by three matching Jack Russell Terriers: Uggie, Dash and Dude.

Go ahead, treat yourself to this classic. It is highly recommended.

Was it worthy enough to win the Best picture oscar? YES

Is it worth watching? YES. TWICE :)

The problem with Rom-coms

2012-02-13T20:51:00.000-08:00

I have a problem with rom-coms. I have consumed whatever Hollywood and the Indian film industry has churned out in the past, including the current favorite “Ek mein aur ekk tu".

I do not call myself a discerning critic, but I have my own reservation towards most of these films.

Maybe, I have enjoyed these movies because I have successfully separated these movies from reality. What do I mean, you may ask?

I mean, I do not know or have come across guys who have won over a women with a grand romantic gesture or have confessed their love at the altar when the girl is getting married to somebody else.

I also do not know of a guy and a girl who keep hating each other for 5 years then get married in the most absurd way.

Not all guys are cute like Imran khan and have abs like Bradley Cooper nor do all women look like Katherine Heigl or Meg Ryan…..

Before I go any further, I ask myself a basic question…… Do romance and comedy go together ? Food for thought.

These rom-coms are adult versions of fairy tales that follow a simple formula – boy meets girl, girl hates boy, they are together, something gets in the way – interval – more things get in the way, boy starts liking girl, boom, and they live happily ever after. Rom – com is probably the most predictable genre of movies one can watch. One look at the 30 sec promo, we know the pot and how the movies gonna end!! This has remained true forever.

Funny thing is that this works. Script-writers across the globe know about the golden rules of coming up with a successful rom–com. The main character must be relatable and appealing, there must be obstacles to their union, and these obstacles must be overcome so that they can get together at the end.

THERE… I have repeated myself in the same paragraph. I feel, all rom-coms have the same plot with maybe a dozen variations that have been around since the invention of motion pictures.

Ok. Let us move over the “plot / story”. Let us come to the biggest pitfall of this genre. The idea of finding “The one”. “The one” is always presented to be someone who complements the other person, someone who has what they lack and, therefore, can offer it to them. So, you have movies which feature a women who is free spirited, bold and fun while the man is shy and quiet or the man is a Casanova, not willing to settle down, and the women has her mind set on marriage more than anything else. All these variations have shaped all the films that were to come, and are still coming.

It’s the idea that love is about finding “the one,” that it’s all about that chance meeting that happens through that hook up in just the right way and if you could just find the right person, that love would just happen.

Love is everywhere. Love is a mouse-click away or a glass of whisky away. The day our genius script-writers get this right, the sun shall rise from the west.

For years, men have been complaining about their wives and girlfriends forcing them to sit through romantic comedies. If you throw in a couple of fart jokes or make the leading guy a stoner, guys will lap it up. The there is also a new sub-genre that people have come to love these. The BROMANCE genre. I largely hold Farhan Akthar responsible for this. He has smartly got the male audiences in on the romance fest. But is that it? Nope. I do not spend exorbitant amount of money to watch two people doing the same thing that they have been doing for ages.

Here are some myths that these movies propagate :

Not having number / address is ok. True love shall rule.

You just know he / she is the one.

Change yourself (read cosmetic surgery), he / she will fall head over heels over you.

Love changes him.

Waiting till the girl is almost married and gate-crashing into her wedding works

The rom-coms that I like are the Woody Allen type movies (read Manhattan / Midnight in Paris) or Ek mein aur ekk tu or 500 days of summer. The relationships are complex, exciting, and, most importantly, do not involve only two people who are, somehow, meant to be together. Instead, people break-up, or come together not because they change in some significant way but because they find someone who can stand their flaws and can live with them. And the ending does not imply that “this is it” for the two characters.

Instead, life goes on as it did when the film started and the protagonists may have been lucky enough to have experienced glimpses of true romance, with its flaws and all, and keep going. That sounds, and seems on film, much more romantic to me than formulaic and predictable plots based on impossible expectations.

It’s bad enough for people to hold up romantic comedies in general as models for their own lives, whether they do it consciously or not. But if they’re basing their romantic expectations on current rom-coms, I fear for the future of our society.

What is it with men & porn??

2012-02-09T23:12:00.000-08:00

As if watching people fight and throw slippers at each other in the Parliament house were not enough, 2 Karnataka ministers have upped the ante by watching porn on their handheld devices when a session was going on!!!
Holy S#$& !!! Some people voted for these guys. Scary. It would have been scary even if they would have been reading Chacha Chowdhary or Archies, but watching porn in an assembly house is carrying things way too far.

Long before the .xxx websites and playboy magazines existed, men were trying to sneak peeks of nude women. Men have always been driven by visual sexual stimulation. I think, as far back as art is found, we find porn. So why is it that men are so driven to see women in the buff??
Why does all of this pain women so much? Because women want to be loved and cherished for who they are as persons, not for the sexual release they offer men. The opposite of love is not hatred. The opposite of love is to use someone merely as a means to an end. This is what lust leads men to do and use women rather than love them.

Never in Human history has pornography been so readily available and on demand that it is today. This is largely due to internet. Nobody remains untouched by it.
Pornography is not only bigger business than ever before, it is also more acceptable, more fashionable, more of a statement of cool.

At it’s most basic level, pornography answers natural human curiosity.
Adolescent boys (mostly) want to know what sex is about, and porn actually demonstrates the mechanics.
It begins like a rehearsal for the real thing. Lost in a world of pornographic fantasy, men can become less inclined, as well as increasingly less able, to form lasting relationships.

The reason why men ( after a lot of deliberation, I write only men and not people) like pornography is almost as varied as the men who like it. Here are a few reasons I could think of....

Reason 1 # - POWER

Pornography allows men to escape into an alternate universe where there are endless beautiful (debatable) women who want them and wish to gratify their every sexual need. While invoved in this type of fantasy, men are no longer vulnerable to women they love and NEED - they can get their needs met with any of the many women available. Men are simple in a way - if a women is ready to use the power she has over men in a sexually generous way, she can very easily make him feel loved. Men may not like to admit it, but they ARE dependent on women.
However, when watching porn, they are independent and at that moment, that is what they get.
Of course, independence is not real, but at times fantasy must do!!

Reason 2 # - IT IS A QUASI DRUG

Do not think most men are aware but, when they do watch porn they do not feel anxious. The brain goes into an altered state. Men get anxious about a lot of things - women, money, work. Men, often come to rely on porn to escape anxiety. Porn is just like Archies or Dennis. Always young, always new, always beautiful and it's free. Just like substance abuse, men do not know why they use porn. They just know they cannot stop, and end up feeling depressed and shameful. But whether porn is used addictively or recreation ally, it acts as a powerful anti - anxiety drug.

Reason 3 # - MEN ARE VISUALLY WIRED

Visual stimulation works for men in a way it does not seem to work for women. Clearly men are turned on by visuals of women than women. Pornography industry takes special efforts in making porn look awesome and attractive. High resolution photography and internet has resulted in some fine quality porn that gets sampled across the globe. The latest tech does not only make life simple but also makes porn look great. Visuals / videos of people indulging in sexual acts has a far more powerful effect on men than reading. Some men are not affected by porn but some become compulsive about it.

Today, we live in an increasingly sexually tolerant culture. A generation ago, things were radically different. Today, we are comfortable with almost any kind of sexual arrangement people can think of. Porn is as close as your computer or handheld device.

There are pros and cons to this. For the lack of a better line, i say that I cannot think of any particular advantage, the negatives exist. Just like any other freedom, pornography, if not used in discretion or properly, may wreck one's life. When it affects person's ability to function in a relationship r affects their productivity & happiness, they should seek help!!

More on politicians surfing porn - http://www.rediff.com/news/slide-show/slide-show-1-photos-politicians-caught-surfing-porn-in-office/20120207.htm

Regards,
XXXX

Anxiety strikes again

2012-02-08T03:20:00.000-08:00

Disclaimer : Most of you who have read my earlier blogs Noise in my head and Affair with insomnia, would find this post on similar lines. Yeah, I know, it is dark and negative, but this is a state of mind!!

The noise in my head refuses to cease

Lying awake in the middle of the night,

I wonder what is wrong with me?

What is it that the Doc did not spot?

She said “You are fine”,

But I keep worrying all the time……

Could someone explain,

Because I just do not know..

Why is it always at night that my thoughts run a riot?

Anxiety creeps into my head and strangles my throat,

I try to fight, I fight to control it,

But it will just not go…

It was not supposed to be like this,

My mom did not warn me about this,

Hands under my head, I look at the darkened ceiling,

Wondering what is the truth and what is the lie,

What? Who? Why? So many questions,

High and dry, I gasp for breath,

my own shadow is strangling me,

I wish this anxiety wave will die…

I’m holding on to my past I can do nothing about,

I count my sins, drown in guilt and hide in fear,

I shut my eyes only to stare at the abyss,

My mind is confused wondering where to go,

just want to get out of this horror show..

I see the clock ticking away,

I think my mind is playing games inside,

I’m like this inside me, but look normal on the outside.

Afterlife

2012-02-02T21:48:00.000-08:00

I woke up in the middle of the night

I saw myself sleeping,away to glory,

dreaming, oblious to the world.

I felt endlessly free,

I felt no pain,

There was no despair,

for I was not down there.

I was no longer burdned by life,

from the constant fear

of loosing my near and dear,

from the all the noise and pollution,

free from seeking endless solution.

There is no darkness here,

only light..

I can feel peace here,

as there is nobody to fight.

There are endless valleys,

full of flowers and trees,

As i walk by these alleys,

I feel weightless.

I smile to myself, as I'm fateless.

I walk down and tell myself,

Hey there, do not just survive,

Live, otherwise, you are not alive.

I saw myself smile in sleep.

I smiled,

I love my afterlife…..

Decoding the Oscar nominations - Part 1

2012-01-27T03:15:00.000-08:00

The Academy award nominations are out. In a long time, maybe after 2005, the fight for Oscars will be a closely contested one. Not since the year when Million Dollar Baby, which was pitted against The Aviator, Ray, Finding Neverland, Ray, Sideways, won the Oscars, the clutch of nominations have been so rich.

Just like 2005, this year too, films with a strong emotional core have made it to the shortlist. These films may be set in various times and countires, but, they all have one thing in common. All the movies revolve around simple, believable and relatable human emotions.

In this post (which is the first in the 2 part series) , I shall write about Midnight in Paris , The descendents, The Help , The ides of March, and Moneyball.

Midnight in Paris –

This surprise selection is my favorite of the lot. This romantic comedy is set in Paris and is about a family that goes there because of business, and two young people who are engaged to be married in the fall have experiences that change their lives. It’s about a young man’s great love for a city, Paris and the illusion that people have that a life different from theirs would be much better.

Certainly there‘s no better place on earth that Woody Allen could have chosen for his new romantic comedy than Paris. The past endures and shines brightly in Paris, which makes it well- suited for a story of a man reinvigorating his feelings and finding inspiration to reflect on his life.

While there are always dark themes underneath all of Woody Allen‘s comedies, the tone of MIDNIGHT IN PARIS is more upbeat. The movie is hopeful in that Gil comes to that conclusion that it‘s better not to delude yourself—even though it‘s more pleasant and less painful, it‘s still better not to.

As is typical for a Woody Allen film, a group of superlative actors fill out the supporting cast. The film‘s locations include some of Paris‘s most cherished sites, including: the Shakespeare & Co. bookstore, the grounds and Hall of Mirrors at Versailles, Monet‘s Gardens at Giverny, Musée Rodin, Musée des Arts Forains, Marché Paul Bert (flea market), Rue Montagne St. Genevieve (where Gil goes at midnight).

The descendents –

Having won the Golden Globe award for the best picture, this is a front runner in the Oscar race. This is not a movie that is easily defined.

This movie celebrates the flaws and imperfections of human beings. Alexander Payne directs George Clooney and a bunch of others in this delightful family movie which takes you on a ride.

I chose to use the word ride, because, Matt King (Played by Clooney) goes through great turmoil, dealing with the sudden situation he is not prepared to handle. When his wife meets with an accident, he is suddenly required to take care of his 2 daughters apart from handling the issue of selling off his ancestral property. This story is about the coming –together and the falling-in –love story of the dysfunctional family.

Payne sets his story with a simple premise in Hawaii. The city lends the movie a beautiful character. Complemented by some breezy performances by Clooney and the rest of the cast and equally breezy soundtrack, Payne deftly handles a protagonist who is put in a dilemma with monumental tasks to handle.

Not the finest, but certainly one of the best of 2011.

The Help –

As far as performances go, this is the best I have seen this year. Set in 1960s, this movie tracks the stories of black women who served as maids / helps to white women. This is an incredible film that not only pays justice to the bestseller on which it's based (according to those who have read the book AND seen the film), but is phenomenally cast. Without any major star, this movie manages to stand –out on the sheer strength of the performances by it’s leading ladies.

This movie delves deep into the lives of maids who give up their lives in order to raise white kids who grow up to become like their uppity mothers. This thoroughly nuanced and detailed movie is both heartwarming and heart wrenching at the same time. While the basic premise may sound very simple, the story unwinds leisurely and addresses issues like domestic violence, race discrimination, education and love.

The costumes, homes, settings, accents give you a very 1960’s feel.

Ides of March –

How does George Clooney get it right all the time? Is there a higher hand, a divine intervention that helps him choose these scripts? I’m sure there is.

This is the story of a young hot-shot election campaigner who is sucked into the vortex of politics. Ryan Gosling, who impressed the critics earlier this year with a silent but powerful performance in Drive, goes on to show why is he billed a the next big-thing in Hollywood. George Clooney gives plenty of screen-time to his younger co-star, while he helps himself to a very under-stated role himself. He looks every bit the senator , running for the post of the “most powerful man in the world”.

As if these two were not enough, there is Philip Seymour Hoffman and Paul Gamiati who light up the screen. Watch it to get a ringside view of what unfolds behind the screens during a Presidential election campaign, what do people do to make the President-elect look good in front of people. Clooney treats the film like a pseudo – thriller and throws in some smart dialogues which escalate the film to a different level.

Little known fact – Leo Di Caprio was suppose to play Goslings character, but ended up producing the movie.

Moneyball -

Brad Pitt and Oscars? Now, I have seen it all. Well, it is a sports film (something that the Academy jury loves) with eye-candy Brad Pitt as the lead star.

On a serious note, this is one of the finest sports films in the recent years. I do not know a thing about Baseball, but I thought this is a beautifully crafted film and it is a wonderful representative of the game.

Based on a true story, Moneyball is a movie for anybody who has ever dreamed of taking on the system. The premise is the real story of how, with an extremely small budget for a professional sports team, he managed to win a surprising number of games, including setting an all-time major league record of 20 consecutive wins. Pitt is the top of his game. As an everyman—or at least one that isn't played up as wealthy, a man struggling to keep his job—frustration is clearly seen in Pitt's face. Pitt brings humanity to the ominous job of a general manager.

Writer Aaron Sorkin knows how to write, and as evidenced by "The Social Network" (2010), he also knows how to turn computer-programming into riveting cinema. We find humor in the least-expected of places, we find heart in the least-expected of people, and 'Moneyball" gives us a completely enjoyable movie that becomes so much more than numbers.

All these films talk about the triumph of human emotions and take us through a joyful ride.

Yet to see the rest of the movies that have been nominated. Cannot wait to experience the rest of the movies.

Long live, show business.

Confessions of an addict

2012-01-11T22:49:00.000-08:00

Disclaimer –

This post may portray me as a guy who did not have much of a childhood / adulthood other than watching movies all the time. But hey, that is fine, because, that is what I did and I’m pretty sure, most of you did the same!!

Why am I writing this?? 2 reasons. Read on.....

Reason 1 : My scrap book that was once the most precious possession of my life. I was not expecting to find it. So when I saw it, I got very happy.

Flashback sequence – A kid (ME), after getting back home from theatre ( it a 5 pm show at Alka Talkies), scribbling notes on his movie log file. Once done, he promptly puts the book inside his shelf and makes a mental note to save enough money (spent on bun-maska) for the next movie.

The room suddenly was brimming with nostalgia.

Reason 2: The writing is on the wall. My family gave me an ultimatum.

They have been asking me to give up my addiction for quite a while now. Yesterday was the last straw.

My Ipod & laptop have been snatched away to cure me.

Just like any other addiction, my affair with movies started as a healthy habit.

Before I was taken to the theatre to watch “Gone with the wind” (Oh mercy, What was my Appa thinking?) at the age of 6, I was shown Godfather, assassination of JFK on our 14 inch black & white TV. Though I could not comprehend a thing then, I was inducted into the world of cinemas quite early.

The first movie that I vividly remember watching in a cinema hall was Amar, Akbar, Anthony (It was a re-run show in Apollo Talkies in 1992). I could not stop gawking at the screen. It had the biggest stars ( I was told) doing awesome stunts on a large screen. I wondered if my Appa could do things that Amitabh Bacchan (there, I picked my favorite of the lot) did on screen.

During school, most of the weekends were spent watching movies on VHS. It was during these weekends, when I discovered Nitin Manmohan Desai, Yash Chopra, Mani Ratnam, K.Balachandar, Kamal Hassan, Frank Capra, Sergeo Leone, Clint Eastwood, Al Pacino.

These were people who did extraordinary things that we people could never do. These stalwarts made me realize how rewarding cinema could be. In retrospect, I feel that I enjoyed movies because I was always told that it is something that you do to have fun and look forward to. I was conditioned that way. If the movie turned out to be good, it was an added bonus.

In the years that have gone by, I have seen all sorts of movies. Some great, some ok, sum just plain horrible. What I have come to realize is that it is the “just plain horrible” movies that make me sit up and enjoy the great / ok ones. Rabindranath Tagore said that our brains are lazy and they look for patterns. They do indeed, but, every now and then, a filmmaker has come by and just shifted the paradigm. Movies like Kannathil muttam ittal (A peck on the cheek), Taxi driver, Nayakan, Inception, It’s a beautiful life, Memento (and a lot more) made me sit up and take notice. They challenged my brain. I felt like how Shriram (my maths teacher’s son and my classmate) would have felt when he would have solved a difficult trigonometry sum or got a chemistry equation right.

Films are a catalyst. They present dramatic problems, crises, and turnarounds. Films beg to be interpreted and discussed, and from those discussions we come up with principles / ideas in our daily lives.

Here are a few lessons that school did not teach me.

Rocky - You may be dumb, but to fight, you need heart, a big one.

Godfather - Be ruthless, things will fall in place.

Western actioners - You need to make the first move, else you are dead.

Lagaan - (a) Believe in yourself. (b) Make a beginning, (c) build a team, (d) Support team members, (e) lead from the front, (f) make the best use of limited resources, (g) Your girlfriend will always be jealous if you talk to just any other girl.

Nayakan - Always help people. People stand by you.

Dalapati - Stick your neck out for your friends.

It's a wonderful life - Be good to your family & community. God notices everything.

The pursuit of happyness - If you ever feel down and out & feel you have lost everything in life, go watch this movie. You will know why this movie is on the list.

Ok enough.

This has been one of the most self-indulgent posts I have written. I would have done the same when I was a kid (from the flashback sequence). After all this is just like the diary / log that I maintained when I was a kid.

Food for thought - What is the full form of a blog - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog