White Collar Hippies

Bitcoins - The Open Source Money

2013-04-19T03:19:00.002-07:00

In the past couple of weeks with an unprecedented crash in the gold prices some of my friends – all of whom are reasonably savvy with their investments – have asked me about Bitcoin. There’s a lot of misinformation floating around, so I figured it’d be worthwhile to bring you all up to speed on the topic.

I’ll get into the technical details momentarily, but the main things you need to know about Bitcoin are: although Bitcoins are completely electronic, they’re more than a little bit like cash; Bitcoin transactions are completely untraceable to individuals; and the value of a Bitcoin is set by the open market, not by any government.

If that sounds like a truly remarkable development, it is. A hundred years ago you could take a Maria Theresa Dollar or Pound Sterling – silver coins of known quality and easily measured weight – to the far corners of the earth and receive fair exchange.

Now, we have paper currencies backed by the "full faith and credit" of the issuing nation, with values that frequently fluctuate day-to-day, influenced not only by open trade, but also by governmental intervention. And if you want to transfer more than a little bit of money, it takes a wheelbarrow or a bank account, and an intermediary bank or two or three, with all the ensuing paper trails.

Not so with Bitcoin. By employing some cryptographic magic and extreme redundancy, there’s no central bank for Bitcoins, no list of Bitcoin holders, nothing that can trace a person to a specific transaction. If that sounds like an ideal setup for money launderers, drug dealers, or fugitive ex-Prime Ministers, well, you’re on your way to understanding the brilliance of Bitcoins.

Back in the day (four years ago), Bitcoins came to prominence as the preferred way of transferring money on a web site called Silk Road – and the majority of financial transactions on Silk Road involved drugs. But the future of Bitcoins now seems to be considerably less sordid.

Why all the interest in Bitcoins, all of a sudden? Consider that the value of one, single Bitcoin, grew from US$5 at the beginning of 2012 to about $13 at the end of 2012. Since then, in just three months, the value of a single Bitcoin has skyrocketed to more than $150. While there are many reasons for the increase, Bitcoin saw its largest boosts around the time the banking crisis in Cyprus hit the newspapers. Many people speculate that Europeans who are afraid of getting Cypriot-style "haircuts" on their bank accounts are more willing to bet on non-traditional vehicles for saving money.

The ones who jumped to Bitcoins early this year have been rewarded with a 10-fold increase in the value of their bets. Er, purchases.

At its heart, a Bitcoin is a number, not unlike a serial number on a banknote. In order to use the Bitcoin, you have to log in to a program – either a program that runs on your computer, called a wallet, or an online service – with your account number and password. To transfer money, you tell the program or online service which account you want to transfer the Bitcoins to, and how much. In some respects it’s like a normal online bank transfer, but in other respects it’s completely different.

The biggest difference? Bitcoin doesn’t have any central clearing house – there’s no big bank looming in the background. Nobody has a list of account numbers and owners. There is, however, an ongoing list of transfers: which accounts transferred how much to which other accounts. That list of transfers is stored in hundreds of different locations, by hundreds of different computers.

The technical details of how the transfers are implemented – how "ownership" of a Bitcoin gets transferred, and how people are prevented from transferring the same Bitcoin twice – involves public key cryptography and some very fancy computing techniques, but the bottom line is that it’s entirely anonymous.

No central lists of account numbers.

Also, no email addresses. The only username and password you need are to access your own Bitcoins – the Bitcoin network doesn’t keep track of them.

There’s a time delay on the transactions. Typically it takes 10 minutes for Bitcoin transfers to take effect. The reasons are complex, but they’re associated with tracking down "double spends" – people who try to spend the same Bitcoin twice, either intentionally or inadvertently. Since there’s no central repository of accounts and balances, the delay is basically the price you pay for having a whole bunch of computers simultaneously verifying the transactions. If you’re accustomed to bank wire transfers taking an hour, or a day or a week, to complete, ten minutes doesn’t seem like much of a penalty. And the Bitcoin verification runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, on hundreds of computers.

When you ask somebody to send you money, you have to give them a public key (somewhat analogous to an "account number"). The Bitcoin software actually encourages you to generate a new account number for each transaction.

So if you get money from one person, and send some of the received money to another person, new "account numbers" in each direction make it basically impossible to trace where the money came from or went to.

The system’s entirely open. If you want, you can see the transactions going by in real time: just go to blockchain.info.

If you want to keep your Bitcoin transactions private, there are two vulnerable points: the point where you buy Bitcoins using some other currency, and the point where you sell them. If you just use Bitcoins to pay for your purchases (one person recently sold his house with Bitcoins; another sold a Porsche), there’s no traceable record.

Every law enforcement agency on earth recognizes the threat that the Bitcoin system entails. They’re leaning hard – sometimes with sanctions, sometimes with legislation – on the Bitcoin clearing houses to provide information about transactions. The largest Bitcoin clearing house, a Japanese firm called Mt Gox, warns that if you try to access your account using the Tor network or public proxy servers (two common means of disguising your location), they may suspend your account and force you to submit Anti-Money-Laundering documents.

The first widely recognized Bitcoin transaction involved two pizzas, for which the buyer paid 10,000 Bitcoins. Right now there are approximately 11 million Bitcoins in circulation, with an approximate value of $1.6 billion, in circulation. Oops, I just checked preev.com. The value of a Bitcoin just went over $160, so there’s almost $1.8 billion in circulation.

Bitcoins have a fascinating history. The originator(s) of the concept, who went by the handle "Satoshi Nakamoto," has never been identified. I say "went" because he appeared out of the blue in 2008, published a few papers, never made a public
appearance, and stopped answering emails in December 2010 – although I found one post purporting to be from him, dated April 2011. If you know the story of Laozi and the Tao Te Ching, you know Nakamoto’s story. The importance of Bitcoins (as in the Tao Te Ching, for that matter) isn’t in the person(s) who created it. The creation itself holds the answers to many pressing problems.

There’s a mechanism in place for generating new Bitcoins: the computers that keep track of the transactions are basically rewarded, very slowly, by being granted new Bitcoins. By the year 2140 there will be about 21 million Bitcoins in circulation – and that’s it, there won’t be any more new ones. If you want to learn more about Bitcoins, take a look at the Bitcoin FAQ (bitcoin.org/en/how-it-works).

Bitcoins have a tumultuous history, as of late. A software problem last month caused many people to lose confidence in the project, and the value of the Bitcoin dropped 27%. Just last week there was a sustained attack on the Mt Gox website, apparently in another attempt to undermine confidence in the concept. An online Bitcoin wallet service called Instawallet was hacked, with an undisclosed amount of Bitcoins stolen.

Rumors are flying that organized crime elements are trying to knock down the price of Bitcoins, so the bad guys can pick them up.

Here’s the question everyone asks me: "Would you buy Bitcoins right now?" My answer is a resounding "Hell no." It’s a great concept – appealing on many levels – but the recent spate of attention and run-up of price gives me nosebleeds. You may be able to make enough to retire off of Bitcoins in the next year. Or you may lose 90% of your gamble . . . er, investment. It would take a stronger stomach than mine to ride this one out.

Pre-sales support is a necessary evil

2012-11-22T22:22:00.003-08:00

Pre-sales support is a necessary evil

Technical people can be of invaluable assistance to pre-sales project teams, however most techies are loath to be involved in such work

Many of us in the field of information technology like to remain involved in hands-on technical work that lets us broaden our skills and add domain or functional expertise. Some, who aspire to managerial roles, move towards the team or module lead and project manager path. IT organisations and consulting companies, realising the divergent interests of employees have started offering dual career paths—towards management or technical architecture—to employees.

Another interesting aspect of a career in IT is that most techies work for consulting or software services companies and only a small percentage work for end clients. For those working at software consulting companies, there is an element of un-billed (bench) time that comes with the job. However, bench is not the topic of this column. The real topic is an activity that consulting companies are increasingly asking benched consultants to work on: pre-sales support, preparing project proposals, and responding to RFPs (Request for Proposals). Most techies dislike performing this task.

Before we get into a discussion on the role of techies in preparing RFPs, what does it involve? Clients or companies that need software services and project implementations generally call for proposals from a pool of preferred vendors. Although it is hard to generalise on the nature of or the contents of such proposals, most documents follow a structured framework: detailing the project, asking vendors for suggestions or solutions or proposals along with cost estimates regarding the work to be done. A typical response to an RFP would involve two components:

a) The “How To” part

A technical solution architecture, approach or framework to solve the problem;
Case studies, proof of concept, demo or mockup, etc.

b) The “Management” component

Cost, budget and financials;
Resource management;
Credentials, testimonials and references from past clients.

A typical response to a RFP, therefore, will include a substantial technical component. However, most consulting companies employ dedicated teams of pre-sales or sales support people from marketing or sales who regularly respond to RFPs. They generally follow a well-defined operating process involving plugging the response documents with common templates about the company and its capabilities. The customisation process kicks in only when it comes to project and client specific responses; and here is where someone with a technical background is really valuable. Technical people will be able to analyse the client’s problem, and think through a framework to create a solution based upon their knowledge and experience.

Marketing people may not have the same depth of experience in technology to respond, although they generally try to take an educated guess. Such skills can be especially useful while preparing a proof of concept or technical demo.

Even though technical people can be of invaluable assistance to pre-sales project teams, most techies are loath to be involved in such work. There are a number of reasons why techies abstain from being involved in pre-sales support work:

Sales support is a repetitive work: Most responses to RFPs involve “cut and paste” from seed documents and various sources—a task which technocrats find monotonous.
Lack of instant gratification: Pre-sales cycles are generally long, and it takes weeks (or months) before the results of a proposal can be known. This is the reason pre-sales people work on multiple proposals at any given time. Techies, on the other hand, come from a background where they can “see” the results of their code or work almost instantly.
Fear of getting into a management career track: As mentioned earlier, many technocrats like to remain technically focused and fear that by being involved in pre-sales, they might be expected to move towards the management track.

Organisations are increasingly becoming aware of the importance of such pre-sales work, especially in a market that is getting squeezed. Consulting companies are requiring off-assignment technical consultants, and in some cases even those on assignment with clients to be involved in pre-sales technical support.

Larger companies, especially the ‘big five’, weave incentive plans, bonuses and career growth around such “corporate activities,” typically expecting consultants to log 15 percent to 20 percent extra time on such initiatives. Using intranets, VPNs, remote logins, and sophisticated workflow tools, companies are able to track the activities of consultants to reward and motivate them. Many have tried building large knowledge management systems by adding a repository of frequently asked questions, how-to’s, past projects, case studies, standardised response templates, etc.

Indian consulting companies operating on a global scale face similar problems. Even with dedicated teams of pre-sales consultants, they undertake an exercise similar to fire-fighting while preparing responses to RFPs. Validating technical solutions, references to past projects in similar technologies, etc, becomes harder because people move around projects and are not available to answer questions on the nature of work done. Estimating the level-of-work involved can also be a very heuristic process without adequate benchmarks based on expertise from past projects, especially for work involving newer technologies. By adopting the best practices of their global competitors, they will be in a better position to respond to proposals accurately, with the least possible disruption to their regular activities.

The Empire of the "crumbling paper kings" - What's wrong with INFY and how arrogance killed the crow

2012-10-16T01:44:00.001-07:00

For over a decade the poster boy of Indian IT sector, Infosys, led a charmed existence. The Bangalore based IT firm known as the IT bellwether had built a reputation to under promise and over deliver on the results front. It now appears that Infosys has hit a road block.

Infosys has been struggling since quite some time and things seems to have got worse when the 4th quarter results for FY11-12 were announced. Infosys had delivered a shocker. The company missed its revenue forecast for the quarter and the year. It said it would grow revenues between 8 and 10 per cent in FY12-13, significantly lower than the 11-14 % growth that Nasscom had predicted. The market hasn’t taken this news kindly and punished the stock relentlessly.

So what has gone wrong with the Infosys story?

Analysts say that Infosys has failed to keep pace with the changes happening outside. It’s one thing to reach the top and another thing to stay there. Infosys is clearly struggling to stay there.

The thing that has worked in favor of Infosys now seems to derail its growth story. Strangely enough the reasons for its success in the last decade seem to be the reason for its current problem.

Throughout the 1990s Infosys had perfected the global delivery model (GDM). It concentrated only on the US and Europe. It focused on becoming a leader in just a couple of sectors — BFSI (banking and financial services) and manufacturing, and it delivered excellence in a few areas of IT services — package implementation, application development and maintenance (ADM in industry parlance) and testing.

Infosys was a pioneer in many of these fields. Also because of its excellence in process and in house systems it was able to charge a premium over other Indian IT companies. Even after charging a premium its cost were much less compared to the global IT service providers like IBM and Accenture. One of the main reasons for this was the human arbitrage factor that Indian companies enjoyed.

This premium pricing led to Infosys maintaining a higher EBITDA margin than its peers. Infosys has over the years maintained this high margin of over 30 percent. It would not go in for deals with lower margins and was very rigid with its pricing.

This model worked for them very well till around 2009. Post 2009 things in its main market, US, changed. Clients were now looking at getting the maximum out of their IT deals and were looking at reducing costs.

Rise of the mid-cap players

Post 2009 some of the then smaller companies like Cognizant and HCL have caught up with the Big3- TCS, Infosys and Wipro. In fact Cognizant has replaced Wipro as the third biggest player and very soon will also replace Infosys.

As you can see from the above figures, Infosys has always been a big margin player operating in the 30 percent or above region. Companies like HCL and cognizant have been able to eat into Infosys market share because of the premium strategy followed by Infosys. These companies are gaining at the cost of Infosys.

Critics feel that Infosys is overly focused on service delivery and not enough on the top line numbers; that it only focuses on maintaining margins at the expense of getting new deals. Smaller rivals Cognizant and HCL are winning market share partly due to Infosys’ reluctance to reduce prices in a difficult market.

“ADM is quickly becoming commoditized. Everyone of a certain scale can deliver services of nearly the same quality and cost," says Vineet Nayar, CEO, and HCL Tech. As a result of this Infosys is losing its premium position.

The 850 billion IT industry is looking at a smaller growth rate in future. In such a scenario, when clients are cutting down on the fresh contracts, the big opportunity lies in the churn of existing contracts which will need a slightly different business strategy.

As per outsourcing advisory IDG’s numbers, of the $207 billion worth contracts up for renewal in the next five years, only 16% are in ADM; 36% is in IT infrastructure services and 48% is in total IT outsourcing.

It seems that companies like HCL and cognizant are chasing this market and Infosys has been left behind.

Is it all about the business model?

Infosys’s focus on the ADM model has become outdated. If all companies recruit from a similar set of colleges, work with similar clients and are capable of delivering the same output then there is no scope to charge a premium. The entire ADM business has become commoditized now.

"This is a battle of business models, not of individual companies," says HCL CEO Nayar. "We are the No. 1 player in three of the four markets we are in and application development is a must to undertake total IT deals."

In turn, Cognizant has focused on four industries and tried to assimilate service delivery lessons from India based vendors as also build consulting muscle like IBM. R. Chandrasekaran, President and Managing Director of Cognizant says, "Our strategy focuses on winning as many customers and broad-basing our range of service offerings across mature and emerging verticals."

Strategies used by some of the Indian IT players

Mergers and Acquisitions

Also over the years Infosys has followed a very conservative approach. It has a cash pile of close to 4 billion which is almost 50 percent more than TCS. Yet the company has been very slow in acquisitions. It has preferred the organic growth method.

At the same time its peers have acquired companies and have gone ahead with Inorganic growth.

1: TCS’s acquisition of Financial Network Services (FNS), an Australian core banking Solutions Company, led to the evolution of the ‘TCS BaNCS’ product which is used extensively in the industry.

2: HCL acquired Axon in December 2008 for about USD 660 million. The acquisition was directed at blending the SAP practice of target with existing capabilities of acquirer and come up with productized solutions for large transformational engagements. The acquisition was able to help the company expand its revenues from this stream to reach USD 718.0 million in 2011 accounting for 21.3 percent of company’s revenues.

The other side of the story

Infosys has been in the industry for over 30 years and has arguably been one of the reasons for the tremendous growth of the sector in the last decade. With so many years of experience in the industry, Infosys would be aware of its current problems related to its margin strategy. So what is Infosys’s view regarding their margin strategy and why does it persist with this strategy.

Infosys CFO, V Balakrishnan believes that Infosys is the pricing umbrella for the entire industry. According to him, if Infosys reduces its price then the entire industry will suffer. Shibulal who is the current CEO also shares similar views. He feels that the easiest thing to do would be to reduce the price now and reap the benefits. This might work in the near future but as the compensations are increasing and clients keep on demanding more value for their money it would be difficult to maintain these low prices in the long run. Also the reduced pricing will create a price war amongst the top players which cannot be good for the industry.Shibulal believes that Infosys has taken the right route which is not necessarily the easy route.
The way forward: Non Linear Growth

Infosys’s goal is to migrate to higher value offerings to maintain its ability to charge premium pricing. The company is planning to achieve this by gradually shifting to products and platform based solutions. The role of intellectual property is very important here. Also all these solutions would be sold through a consulting led-approach which will help the company to move on to a higher value chain.

It looks like Infosys is trying to move from a linear growth model to a non linear model. Over the years the revenues of IT companies increased proportionally to the number of employees working in the company. This is called a linear growth model. Given the challenging IT environment, the linear growth model is neither sustainable nor desirable and companies are shifting to a non-linear model.

In fact, companies like HCL Tech, shifted to this new model quite early. Infosys is beginning to catch up now. The revenue per employee figures of global companies is currently much higher compared to their Indian counterparts.

Source: Non Linear Model, KPMG

From a very long term perspective, Infosys might try to match these levels but as of now it looks difficult. For now, Infosys’s management is confident that they are on a right track and 2-3 disappointing quarters would not change their long term strategy. And as they say, the success of your business strategy can only be judged in hindsight. Let us wait and watch as only time will tell whether Infosys can reestablish itself as the bellwether of the IT industry.

10 reasons why proposals fail

2012-09-17T04:38:00.003-07:00

Your business is great. You’ve invented something better than sliced bread. You offer such an amazing service at such a great price that people should be knocking your door down.

And they might be. But they’re all asking for a proposal.

Proposals are a fact of life. We all do them, and we’re all trying to blow our prospects away.

But most proposals are bad. Here are 10 reasons why proposals fail:

They’re too long. Proposals aren’t meant for “shock and awe” – don’t try and overwhelm the prospect into submission. Edit and cut. Cut and edit. There’s no perfect length for a proposal, but how many of your prospects really read the whole thing? They scan and skim till they get to the price and timeline. Keep it short.
They don’t reference the prospect’s pain. Why did the prospect ask you for a proposal? You better have a crystal clear answer to that question. Too many proposals don’t reiterate the pain properly. Skipping that makes the prospect feel like you don’t get it.
They’re too technical. I know you’re the expert in your field, that’s why I asked for a proposal. You don’t need to inundate your proposal with buzzwords and industry-hooey. A prospect only knows a smidge of what you know about your business, and they don’t really want to know more. Your proposal fails when it sells industry mastery using language I won’t understand.
They’re not selling benefits. Proposals that miss out on #2 and focus too much on #3 invariably aren’t selling benefits. If you’re not selling benefits you’re sunk. And for the love of everything that is holy, spell these out as clearly as possible.
They’re not well structured. Proposals are stories. And every story has a beginning, middle and end. Think of your proposal as a story and write it accordingly.
They’ve got spelling and grammatical problems. A proposal with spelling errors is unacceptable, it’s as simple as that. Grammatical problems may be harder to catch. Three tips: Read it out loud. Write short sentences. Have someone else read it.
They’re poorly formatted and packaged. Style counts! On top of that, your proposal isn’t the only game in town. You want to stand out right? Take some time to format things nicely. Add some pictures. Use bigger headers, smaller paragraphs, and color where appropriate. Think jazzy. If you’ve got substance, sell it with nice packaging.
They’re missing testimonials and client references. I’ve rarely seen a proposal with testimonials or client references. It makes no sense. Pepper in a few testimonials to spice it up and add a feeling of success. Add in some client references with contact information to give your prospect a clear message, “you know what you’re doing and you can prove it.”
They’re missing a thank you. Proposals are personal. You’re not writing installation instructions for IKEA furniture are you? Unless you’re sending a proposal unsolicited (which makes little sense) someone’s given you that opportunity. Thank them for it.
There’s no call to action. You submit the proposal. Now what? Um…um…um…oops. Put in a crystal clear call to action. It could be a follow-up meeting, contract signature, or something else — it almost doesn’t matter. What’s important is that there is a next stepand you’ve explicitly told the prospect what it is.

Your business rocks. You work hard. You deserve more business.

Don’t let proposals get in the way. Do them right and you’ll win a lot more business.

RGV's Bhoot Returns : First Look

2012-09-04T04:20:00.001-07:00

Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has introduced a new age horror genre to Indian cinema with the film Bhoot, which has become a huge hit at the Box Office. Now RGV is coming up with Bhoot Returns. Now, the maker of the film has unleashed the first look of the movie. These posters are really stunning.
Produced by Alumbra Entertainment and presented by Eros International, Bhoot Returns will release worldwide on 12th October 2012. It is director RGV's first 3D film. The film stars actress Manisha Koirala and JD Chakravarthy. The movie will also release in Tamil and Telugu.

Fear works best when it happens where you least expect it and when it happens in situations and to people with whom everyone can identify. Bhoot dealt with a simple everyday couple who get subjected to a ghost in hunted apartment. Carrying that tradition forward, Bhoot Returns will be about a family trapped in a terrifyingly supernatural situation.
An engineer along with his wife, son and daughter moves into a house which is situated near his work place. Soon a series of inexplicable things happen to his family and over a period of time he is forced to accept that there is something supernatural in that house. By the time he decides to rush out with his family one of his kids disappears seemingly swallowed by the house.

Fresher Salary Survey 2017 - STP Research

2012-09-04T04:05:00.001-07:00

- ABB India Fresher salary – 6.5 lakhs

- Accenture India Fresher salary – 3.4 lakhs

- ADP India fresher salary – 3.65 lakhs

- Adobe India fresher salary – average 6 lakhs

- Amdocs India fresher salary – 4 to 5 lakhs

- Amazon India fresher salary – 8 to 12 lakhs

- Birla soft fresher salary – 3.1 lakhs

- CSC India fresher salary – 3.6 to 3.8 lakhs

- Cisco Systems India fresher alary – 8 to 10 lakhs

- Computer Associates CA India fresher salary – 5 lakhs

- DE Shaw fresher salary India – 10 lakhs

- Dell India fresher salary – 2.75 lakhs

- Deloitte fresher salary – 5 lakhs

- DRDO fresher salary – 4 lakhs

- Perot Systems fresher salary – 2.8 lakhs

- Persistent Systems fresher salary – 3 lakhs

- Philips India fresher salary (R&D) - 5 lakhs

- Reliance Energy fresher salary – 5.5 lakhs

- Samsung India fresher salary (R&D) – 4 to 5 lakhs

- Fidelity freshers salary India – 3.8 lakhs

- Siemens fresher salary India – 4.6 lakhs

- GCI solutions fresher salary – 2.9 lakhs

- Sapient fresher salary – 4 to 4.5 lakhs

- FSS fresher salary – 6.5 lakhs

- eValue Serve fresher salary – 4 lakhs

- Freescale fresher salary – 5.5 lakhs

- Schlumberger fresher salary – 10 to 28 lakhs

- Schneider fresher salary – 3.1 to 3.5 lakhs

- FuturesFirst fresher salary – 6.4 lakhs

- SolidCore fresher salary – 7 lakhs

- Global Logic fresher salary – 3.6 lakhs

- Sun Microsystems fresher salary – 3.5 lakhs

- Godrej Infotech fresher salary – 2.8 lakhs

- Sunguard fresher salary – 4.5 lakhs

- Goldman Sachs fresher salary – 5.5 lakhs

- Syntel India fresher salary – 3.3 lakhs

- T Systems fresher salary – 2.2 lakhs

- Habinger fresher salary – 2.7 lakhs

- HCL fresher salary – 3 lakhs

- Tavant fresher salary – 3.5 lakhs

- Hexaware fresher salary – 3 lakhs

- Honeywell fresher salary – 4 lakhs

- TCS fresher salary - 3.3 lakhs

- Teradata fresher salary – 3.4 lakhs

- IBM fresher salary – 3.3 (GB S) or 5.5 (ISL)

- Tech Mahindra fresher salary – 3 lakhs

- Thoughtworks fresher salary – 5.6 lakhs

- I-flex fresher salary – 2.4 lakhs

- Texas Instruments freshers salary – 6 lakhs

- iGate fresher salary (Oracle financial services) – 2.5 lakhs

- Tisco fresher salary – 4.5 lakhs

- Impulsesoft fresher salary – 3 lakhs

- Torry Harris fresher salary – 3 lakhs

- Indorama fresher salary – 7 lakhs

- Toshiba fresher salary – 3.8 lakhs

- Infogain fresher salary – 2.5 lakhs

- Informatica fresher salary – 5.5 lakhs

- Trident fresher salary – 6 lakhs

- Infosys fresher salary – 3.25 lakhs

- US technologies fresher salary – 2.4 lakhs

- Integra fresher salary – 6 lakhs

- IOCL fresher salary – 7 lakhs

- Verizon data services fresher salary – 5.5 to 7.5 lakhs

- ITC infotech fresher salary – 3 lakhs

- Vestas RRb fresher salary – 3 lakhs

- Ivy Comptech fresher salary – 7.2 lakhs

- Whirpool fresher salary – 3 lakhs

- Jindal Steel fresher salary – 3.2 lakhs

- Wipro Fresher salary – 3 to 3.5 lakhs

- Microsoft India fresher salary – 7 to 10 lakhs

- Naukri fresher salary – 3 lakhs

- Intelligroup Asia fresher salary – 1.75 lakhs

- Colaberra fresher salary – 3 lakhs

- Kennametal fresher salary – 4.8 lakhs

- Yahoo India fresher salary – 7.5 to 10 lakhs

- Zensar technologies fresher salary – 2.5 lakhs

- Motorola India fresher salary – 4 lakhs

- Robert Bosch fresher salary – 3.1 lakhs

- Polaris India fresher salary – 1.6 lakhs

- Synergy India fresher salary – 1.6 lakhs

- NCR corp fresher salary – 3 to 3.3 lakhs

- JDS software fresher salary – 3 to 3.5 lakhs

- Eragroup fresher salary -1.5 to 2 lakhs

- Capgemini fresher salary – 2.5 to 4 lakhs

- Adsys India Fresher Salary – 1.25 to 2 lakhs

- Avaya Fresher Salary - 3 to 4 lakhs

- Mahindra Satyam fresher salary – 2.75 to 3.25 lakhs

- Unisys India fresher salary -2.5 to 3 lakhs

- Cognizant India fresher salary – 3 lakhs

- Kumaran Systems fresher salary -1.75 to 2 lakhs

- VIA fresher salary – 5.5 lakhs

- QL2 fresher salary – 1.25 to 1.75 lakhs

- Thomson Reuters fresher salary – 3 lakhs

- Retina Software fresher salary – 2.5 to 3 lakhs

- Intel India Fresher salary – 5 to 8 lakhs

- Progressive infotech fresher salary – 3 lakhs

- Infotech enterprises fresher salary – 2 to 2.4 lakhs

- PRDC infotech fresher salary – 2.5 lakhs

- FIS Global fresher salary – 2.5 to 3 lakhs

- 3dPLM fresher salary – 3 to 4 lakhs

- HP fresher salary – 2.5 lakhs

- iWebleaf fresher salary – 3 to 3.5 lakhs

- Codepalm fresher salary – 3 lakhs

- Value labs fresher salary – 1.75 lakhs

- Source bits fresher salary – 2.5 lakhs

- Qualcomm fresher salary – 3.8 to 6 lakhs

- Patni fresher salary – 2.6 lakhs

- Oracle India fresher salary – 4 to 8 lakhs

- Webyog solutions fresher salary – 3 to 3.5 lakhs

- MU Sigma fresher salary – 3.3 lakhs

- Google India Fresher Salary -12 lakhs

Top 100 IT Companies in India

2012-08-28T03:09:00.002-07:00

Rank & Company name with related company url

To get a paid report of top 500 IT companies in India with UR's addresses and Email Connects with HR mail sales@stpresearch.in

1 Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) – http://www.tcs.com/

2 Infosys Technologies Ltd – http://www.infosys.com/

3 Wipro Limited – http://www.wipro.com

4 Hewlett-Packard India Pvt. Ltd – http://www8.hp.com

5 IBM India Limited – http://www.ibm.com/in/en/

6 Satyam Computer Services Ltd. – http://www.mahindrasatyam.com/

7 HCL Technologies Ltd. – http://www.hcltech.com/

8 Intel Technology India Pvt. Ltd. – http://www.intel.com/

9 CISCO Systems India Pvt. Ltd. – http://www.cisco.com/web/IN/

10 Patni Computer Systems Ltd. – http://www.patni.com/

11 Cognizant Technology Solutions India – http://www.cognizant.com/

12 HCL Infosystems Ltd. – http://www.hclinfosystems.in/

13 Mahindra-British Telecom – http://www.techmahindra.com/

14 Redington (India) Limited – http://www.redingtonindia.com/

15 i-Flex Solutions Ltd. – http://www.iflex.com/

16 Oracle India Pvt. Ltd. – http://www.oracle.com

17 Moser Baer India Ltd. – http://www.moserbaer.com/

18 Microsoft Corporation (India) Pvt. Ltd. – http://www.microsoft.com/india/

19 NIIT Limited – http://www.niit.com/

20 TATA Infotech Ltd. – http://www.tata.com/

21 iGATE Global Solutions Ltd. – http://www.patni.com/

22 Ingram Micro India (P) Ltd – http://www.ingrammicro.com/

23 Sun Microsystems India Pvt Ltd – http://www.oracle.com/in/index.html

24 Polaris Software Lab Ltd. – http://www.polaris.co.in/

25 Samsung India Electronics Ltd. – http://www.samsung.com/in/

26 Perot Systems TSI (India) Limited – http://www.perotsystems.com/

27 SAP India Pvt. Ltd. – http://www.sap.com/india/about/company/saplabs/index.epx

28 American Power Conversion – http://www.apc.com/in

29 Celetronix India Pvt. Ltd. – http://www.emsnow.com/cdps/cditem.cfm?NID=844

30 Computer Associates India Pvt. Ltd – http://www.ca.com/in/default.aspx

31 Dell Computer India Pvt. Ltd. – http://www.dell.co.in/

32 Hexaware Technologies – http://hexaware.com/

33 Larsen & Toubro Infotech Ltd. – http://www.lntinfotech.com/

34 Siemens Information Systems Ltd. – http://www.siemens.co.in/

35 Mastek Ltd. – http://www.mastek.com/

36 CMS Computers Ltd. – http://www.cms.com/

37 Texas Instruments India Pvt. Ltd – http://www.ti.com/ww/in/contact.html

38 Honeywell Technology Solutions Lab – http://www.honeywell.com/htsl

39 Acer India (Pvt) Ltd. – http://www.acer.co.in/ac/en/IN/content/contacts

40 MphasiS BFL Ltd. – http://www.mphasis.com/

41 Datacraft India Limited – http://www.datacraft-asia.com/

42 Nortel Networks (I) Pvt Ltd – http://www.nortel.com/

43 Syntel (India) Ltd. – http://www.syntelinc.com/

44 Flextronics Software Systems Ltd – http://www.flextronics.com/

45 Kanbay Software India Pvt. Ltd. – http://www.in.capgemini.com/

46 Rolta India Ltd. – http://www.rolta.com/

47 Infinite Computer Solutions (I) Pvt Ltd – http://www.infinite.com/

48 GTL Limited – http://www.gtllimited.com/

49 Covansys (I) Pvt. Ltd. – —

50 Sify Limited – http://www.sifycorp.com/

51 Zensar Technologies Ltd. – http://www.zensar.com/

52 Tulip IT Services Ltd – http://www.tulip.net/

53 Zenith Computers Limited – http://www.zenith-india.com/

54 Sonata Software Ltd – http://www.sonata-software.com/

55 D-Link (India) Ltd. – http://www.dlink.co.in/

56 Mascon Global Limited – http://www.mgl.com/

57 3i Infotech Limited – http://www.3i-infotech.com/

58 WeP Peripherals Ltd. – http://www.wepindia.com/

59 Computer Sciences Corporation India – http://www.csc.com/in

60 Philips Innovation Campus – http://www.bangalore.philips.com

61 Xansa India – http://www.xansa.com

62 Canon India Pvt. Ltd. – http://www.canon.co.in/

63 TVS Electronics Ltd. – http://www.tvse.com/

64 Infotech Enterprises Ltd. – http://www.infotech-enterprises.com/

65 KPIT Cummins Infosystems Limited – http://www.kpitcummins.com/

66 ITC Infotech India – http://www.itcinfotech.com/

67 MindTree Consulting Pvt. Ltd. – http://mindtree.com/

68 PCS Technology Ltd. – http://www.pcstech.com/

69 Sasken Communication Technologies – http://www.sasken.com/

70 Tally Solutions Pvt. Ltd. – http://www.tallysolutions.com/

71 Ramco Systems Ltd. – http://www.ramco.com/

72 Epson India Pvt. Ltd. – http://www.epson.co.in/

73 Numeric Power Systems Ltd. – http://www.numericups.com/

74 Rashi Peripherals Pvt. Ltd – http://www.rptechindia.com/

75 Network Solutions Pvt. Ltd. – http://www.netsol.co.in/

76 TATA Elxsi Ltd. – http://www.tataelxsi.com/

77 Aftek Infosys Limited- http://

78 EMC Data Storage Systems India – http://india.emc.com/

79 Tata Technologies Ltd. – http://www.tatatechnologies.com/

80 Geometric Software Solutions Co. – http://www.geometricglobal.com/

81 Cranes Software International Limited – http://www.cranessoftware.com/

82 Accel Frontline Limited – http://www.accelfrontline.in/

83 Mediaman Infotech Pvt. Ltd. – http://www.mediamangroup.com/

84 Priya Limited – IT Products Division – http://www.priyagroup.com/

85 Keane India Ltd. – http://www.keane.com/

86 Persistent Systems Pvt. Ltd. – http://www.persistentsys.com/

87 Aptech Limited – http://www.aptech-worldwide.com/

88 Lipi Data Systems Ltd. – http://www.lipidata.com/

89 Cadence Design Systems (India)- http://

90 Intex Technologies (India) Ltd – http://www.intextechnologies.com/

91 Aditi Technologies Pvt Ltd – http://www.aditi.com/

92 MRO-TEK Limited – http://www.mro-tek.com/

93 Subex Systems Limited – http://www.subexworld.com/

94 Blue Star Infotech Limited – http://www.bsil.com/

95 Aztec Software & Technology Services – http://www.aztec.soft.net/

96 Pentamedia Graphics Ltd. – http://www.penta-media.com/

97 TATA Interactive Systems – http://www.tatainteractive.com/

98 Birlasoft Limited – http://www.birlasoft.com/

99 DB Power Electronics (P) Ltd – http://www.dbups.com/

100 Atlanta IT Solutions Pvt. Ltd – http://www.atlanta-it.com/

101 RMSI Pvt. Ltd. – http://www.rmsi.com/

Gangs of Wasseypur part 2 movie Review : Anurag's Brilliance

2012-08-07T04:51:00.002-07:00

Gangs of Wasseypur part 2 movie film review full movie review waseypur 2 GOW review 2

This instalment is a trademark display of the director's hardheaded slant to story-telling. With a lengthened runtime, the story dips a little, though marginally, at the middle of the subsequent half. But gathers momentum and steam ensuing a stunning climax. Gangs of Wasseypur 2 is a revenge story, a illustration of reckoning connecting peer groups of gangsters. The writing is unrepressed and creative.

Crammed with stimulating characters with eccentric names such as Tangent, Perpendicular and Definite, GANGS OF WASSEYPUR 2 is attention-grabbing, fascinating and gripping than the initial part. Along with pulsating characters, Anurag Kashyap integrate humor adeptly in the progression of events. It also exemplify how Wasseypur is inspired with Bollywood; they copy hairdos and appearances of various Hindi movie heroes. While there is little doubt that GANGS OF WASSEYPUR was winning to the core, GANGS OF WASSEYPUR 2 infuses some remarkable light moments in the tale that smell of revenge and retaliation.

The pillars of the movie is strengthened by its enthralling performances. GOW2 belongs to Nawazuddin Siddiqui, playing the protagonist, he beams out a lot of charisma with authenticity and controlled grace. His act is of convincing that you cannot detach him from the part. Same applies to the very charming Huma Qureshi, who mesmerises the screen with some marvellous and realistic scenes with Nawaz. In one word – she's FANTASTIC ! Richa Chadda draws poise to her character. Her character grows old, but she is convincing in her portrayal, through tone of voice, body language, facial expression and eye movements. Tigmanshu Dhulia as Ramadhir Singh excels, especially at the fag end of the film. Piyush Mishra conveys a lot through his gestures, which is the hallmark of any brilliant actor.

Definite and Perpendicular, the two new actors who depict these never-seen-before characters, are remarkable. Reemma Sen doesn't get much scope here. Pankaj Tripathi breathes fire in his part. Watch him gun down his sister; the expressions on his face gives you goose bumps. Anurita Jha is effective. Rajkumar Yadav, Vineet Singh, Jameel Khan, Yashpal Sharma, each actor justifies his presence in the movie.

The screenplay will not make you feel that its repetitive, there is not a single scene in the film that leaves you with a sense of deja vu. Not just the plot of the movie, but the music needs to applauded. After presenting moviegoers with some sprightly sounds in GANGS OF WASSEYPUR, music composer Sneha Khanwalkar returns with some impressive music in the succeeding chapter of the film. While 'Hunter', 'Womaniya' and 'Bihar Ke Lala' remain etched in the hearts and on the lips of many, the songs in the subsequent installment, 'Chi Cha Leather' and 'Kaala Rey' have incredible recall value. Also, I'd like to point out that Anurag uses the songs against the film's most violent and fierce scenes, which hardly ever happens in a Hindi movie. And to leave the audience surprised, Anurag uses the songs against the film's most violent and fierce scenes – something you've not experienced in any Hindi movies ever.

Gangs of Wasseypur 2 may demand patience from some of the viewers, but I enjoyed the pace and the time it took to settle down. It's like reading beautiful prose, whether or not you like what is written, you admire the way it is written. More often than not, you find yourself wondering if this is India's very own Godfather. Yet, it doesn't take away from the nagging incomplete feeling. Though what it also means is you are asking for the more you have been promised with utmost eagerness.

In its entirety, GANGS OF WASSEYPUR 2 belongs to its director, Anurag Kashyap, who needs to be applauded for picking a subject which most filmmakers might not have. Can be labelled as one of Anurag's brilliant work till date. Watch it for its absolute cinematic brilliancy!

100 Best Blogs for Film and Theater Students

2012-08-01T23:30:00.001-07:00

100 Best Blogs for Film and Theater Students

Film and theater students aren’t limited to their school labs, studios or stages anymore. Online resources including performance and audition tips, production and editing tools, monologue databases and film festival entry guidelines are available to anyone interested in the industry. Following is a list of 100 of the best blogs to find these resources and tips.

Indie Film Blogs

Learn about budgeting, editing and showing indie films here.

The Independent Eye: This IFC blog includes stories about classic films and movie stars and more recent projects.
Jurgen and Marcy’s Independent Film Blog: These About.com guides share news and more about film festivals and the independent film circuit.
Independent Film Blog: Read about budgeting, film festivals and more on this blog.
Filmmaker Blog: Filmmaker Magazine’s blog posts photos of special events, writes about new technologies and trends for indie filmmakers and shares newsworthy tidbits.
The Real Indie Film News Blog: This blogger posts about "ultra-low budget, DIY, non-Hollywood and non-Indiewood movies" and projects.
SundanceThe Salt Lake Tribune‘s blog is all about the Sundance Film Festival.
MYFILM: This blog includes reviews of indie films, but it also dispenses valuable advice for producing, financing and distributing your own films.

Production and Video

For tips and tools related to video production and editing, college students should look here.

HD for Indies: If you want to make your film in HD, read this blog.
Media Production Blog: Catch up on news about the film industry and get tips and resources for producing here.
Bob Donlon’s Adobe TV Blog: Learn how to manipulate and produce Adobe TV here.

Documentaries

This list includes blogs about documentary projects.

Earth Pilgrims: This documentary film blog includes interviews and long summaries of the documentary filmmaking process.
P.O.V. Blog: PBS’ documentaries blog tracks film festivals, new directors, classic documentaries and more.
International Documentary Association: Visit the community pages to read member blogs and learn about exciting new projects from around the world.
In the Life: This blog covers documentaries from a gay perspective.
indieWIRE: indieWIRE often posts about documentaries.
Steady Diet of Film Blog: This blogger ranks documentary films, reviews movies and more.

Animation

For information, inspiration and tips on animation and cartoons, read these blogs.

Animation Blog: This blog judges animations, from very basic designs to more cutting edge projects.
Classic Cartoons: This blog is a kind of timeline and historical tribute to old cartoons and the evolution of animation.
Thinking Animation: Two animators write this blog, which shares tips about staging, freelancing and finding inspiration.
Cartoon Brew: Get the latest on the cartoon industry and animation tips here.
3-D Stereoscopic Film and Animation Blog: Those interested in creating 3D films should read this blog.
ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive: Access the online database of classic animations for inspiration and a sense of history.

Movie Projects

These blogs give directors and filmmakers an inside look into the journey and progress of a movie project.

The Martini Shot: Besides blogging about film festivals and events, this site often references the online project PINK.
TIM Film Production Blog: Follow the progress of this short film.
Tampa Film Blog: Get tips on movie making, marketing and more when you read about the indie films being made in Tampa, FL.
Subdivided: This award-winning documentary about McMansions and the housing crisis is tracked here.
The 48 Hour Film Project: This popular filmmaking contest has blogs for different projects and cities.
J.P. Film Project: Get updates on this film project, which follows a young man’s struggle with schizophrenia and mental illness.

Industry Blogs

Learn about the business of Hollywood, movie marketing, Broadway and more here.

Movie Marketing Update: Find out which studios are backing which projects, learn marketing techniques from big and small films, and more.
Risky Biz Blog: The Hollywood Reporter’s blog studies the film industry’s latest trends, "ups, downs and deals."
Variety: Get movie reviews, casting news, project updates and more from the Variety blogs.
Entertainment News and Buzz: The LA Times’ blog shares the latest in entertainment and celebrity news.
Broadway Blog: Get Broadway news and gossip here.
Arts Beat: The New York Times arts blog shares the latest on arts events, including film festivals, theatre openings and more from around the world.

TV and Media

Before jumping into the TV industry, read up on job cuts, the TV culture, working in TV and more.

TV Film Society Blog: The TVFS Blog connects you to job boards, film festivals and more.
TV Squad: Learn about the changing culture of TV, from filming and new media to corporate deals to TV fans.
Tuned In: CNN’s TV blog offers an insightful look into the industry and its evolution.
TV Decoder: From job cuts to new show ideas, this blog from the New York Times is more than just a review of shows.
Blink: Learn about everything that’s going on in the TV industry here.
Digital Dish: This Internet-turned-TV insider wonders about the redundancy of TV, Web TV, programming and more.

Acting and Auditions Blogs

These blogs are for actors wanting to get tips on auditions, performances, and finding jobs.

Los Angeles Acting Blog: David August shares tips for self-promotion and becoming a better actor, as well as reporting on acting news.
Philly Actress Blog: A Philadelphia actress has tips for avoiding auditions scams, finding gigs, and more.
The Actors Blog Network: This blog often posts about Australian acting news, but also shares tips and news that’s relevant to all actors.
The Actors Enterprise: Get tips for promoting yourself and your acting business here.
Backstage: Unscripted: Actors blog to share reviews and track their journeys from show to show.
Stage: Here’s a blog that helps actors get organized, find auditions and more.
Dennis Baker LLC: Dennis Baker is an actor and web designer. Read his blog for tips on balancing a creative life with a more economically practical one.
Angela Learns to Act: Angela is an MFA Acting student, and she blogs about auditions,school life and shows.
Milwaukee Shakespeare: This Shakespeare company blogs about its shows, backstage and more.
Simply Broadway: Aaron Lazar is a Broadway actor, and he shares his experiences here.
Acting Auditions: Learn about auditions for big movies, Disney TV shows and more.
Knock ‘Em Dead Acting: Get tips for auditions and performances here.

Directing

Directors can read blogs that review filmmaking techniques and reveal inside experiences.

Zoom: Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Errol Morris blogs about cinematography and photography for the New York Times.
Film Directing Tips: Peter D. Marshall shares filmmaking tips from editing to marketing.
Jason Reitman’s Blog: Jason Reitman shares his experiences shooting Juno and more.
Illiterary Fiction: Learn how to direct low-budget films when you read this blog.
Sam Longoria Filmmaking Blog: This slightly bizarre blog has tips for making small-budget films.
Filmmaking for the Poor: Learn how to make your movie without a big financier when you read this blog.
Tait’s Film Making Blog: This blog is touted as an "online filmmaking school" and has tips for auditions, casting and more.

Broadway

Check out these blogs to get an inside look at New York theater.

Broadway World: Get the latest on Broadway shows, investments and the culture of Broadway here.
The Best of Off Broadway: Learn about Off Broadway shows and what it’s like to work on Off Broadway productions here.

Musical Theatre

Musical theatre and musicals are decoded in these blogs.

Musical Theatre Spot: Here you can read about producing your own musical, as well as get news on bigger productions.
All About Musicals: Here you can read about "all things musical theatre and film."
Musical Theatre Audition: Actors can get tips for callbacks, preparing college audition material, and more.
Coloured Lights: Read reviews and industry news here.
North Shore Music Theatre Blog: Here you can read about the shows and backstage culture of NSMT, the largest non-profit producing theater in New England.

Crew

Those interested in set, lighting and costume design will learn a lot from these blogs.

John Paul Green’s Set Design Blog: Set designers can get a look into British production designer John Paul Green’s experiences here.
Set Design Thinking: View these gorgeous photographs for inspiration recreating fancy hotels, elaborate place settings, apartments and more.
On Stage Lighting: Learn about lighting, digital stage lighting, new operating tools and more.
Costume Design Blog: Read all about "the art and business of costume design" from a professional.

Survival Tips

These blogs share tips on surviving the industry.

Fast, Cheap Movie Thoughts: Here you can read interviews with directors and screenwriters to learn how they created movies.
Making the Movie: Read movie reviews and get tips on promoting your projects here.
The Movie Blog: Beyond the movie reviews found on this blog, you can also get tips for making your own movies and relating to your audience.

Management

Arts managers and theater directors will get tips and more from these blogs.

Butts in the Seats: This blog is all about "practical solutions for arts management." Read posts about getting grants, avoiding advertisements and more.
Arts Management Ireland: Although this blog focuses on the theatre and arts projects in Ireland, it also has good insight and advice for arts managers and directors around the world.

Screenwriting and Playwriting

For inspiration, tips and industry news, screenwriters and playwrights can turn to this list.

Unknown Screenwriter: The Unknown Screenwriter answers questions about characters, creativity, plot, and more.
JohnAugust.com: Here you can study older films and their success, get tips on saving money and joining the WGA, and more.
The Third Draft: Alexis Niki is a screenwriter and blogger who posts listings about workshops, reviews films, and has general tips for screenwriters.
My Next One Will Be Better: Read the musings of Andy Coughlan’s ideas and experiences screenwriting and filmmaking.
Playwrightsnotebook: This writer and actor keeps us updated with her rewrites and lessons learned.
Playwrights Foundation Blog: This San Francisco-based writer shares excerpts, blogs about industry news and more.
Creative Screenwriting Magazine: Read interviews with the screenwriters of current films, like Milk,and more.
The Artful Writer: Catch up on SAG news and learn about the professional culture of screenwriting.
Screenwriting Goldmine Blog: Read "inside screenwriting stories" and get tips for writing your own film here.
Fun Joel’s Screenwriting Blog: Joel is an LA transplant who blogs about screenwriting industry news.

Miscellaneous

For even more helpful and stimulating blogs about the film and theater industries, look here.

A Filmmaker’s Life: Filmmakers Alliance founder Jaques Thelemaque shares stories, "insights, nightmares" and more about the film industry and his journey in this blog.
DIY Filmmaker Sujewa: Read about this blogger’s film projects, as well as film festivals, the indie film movement, movie reviews and more.
CinemaTech: Innovative filmmakers will like this blog, which shares tips and resources about new media techniques, including digital cinema and democratization.
Diyong’s Portfolio Blog: View this blog to see how sketches evolve into a short film.
LA Stage Blog: Find out all the news and gossip from the LA Stage Alliance here.
Steppenwolf: The famous Steppenwolf Theatre Company posts about its goals, shows and events here.
Theatre Notes: Read theatre reviews and more right here.
Roger Ebert’s Journal: Whether you love or hate Roger Ebert’s reviews, you can read them all here.
The House Next Door: This popular film review blog is a must-read.
Film Dailies: A small budget filmmaker uses this blog to share advice and analysis on large films, video production and more.
Cinebeats: Cinebeats is a great place to catch up on and review films from the 1960s and 70s.
Drifting: Check out the latest projects coming from Texas filmmaker David Lowery on his blog.
Alliance of Women Film Journalists: Here you can learn about women filmmakers, documentary makers and more.
Theatre is Territory: Read about theatre theory, performance and productions here.
Job Opportunities in Theatre and Education: Check this blog for job notices around the country. Previous posts advertise jobs for music education coordinators and full-time drama teaching positions.

Gabbar singh Review. Gabbar singh Movie Review. Pawan kalyan Gabbar singh Review. Gabbar Singh Review Rating

2012-05-10T21:22:00.001-07:00

Gabbar Singh Movie Review: 3.75/5

Star-Cast: Pawan Kalyan, Shruti Hasan, Sonu Sood, Suhasini, Kota Srinivasa Rao, Sushanth, Bramanandam, Tanikella Bharani
Director: Harish Shankar

Music Director: Devi Sri Prasad

Producer: Ganesh Babu
Story:

Corrupted cop Gabbar Singh ( Pawan Kalyan ), He steals from the bad guys and occasionally passes it on to the poor, wants to narrow the distance with his step brother, and father on the behest of his mother even as he needs to set his own house in order by marrying the vagrant girl (Shruthi hassan) who refuses to succumb to his charms. And if that’s not enough, there’s the local goon and the crumbling administration of the small town that is craving his attention too. Can Gabbar Singh deliver?

Performance:

Pawan Kalyan has undergone Robinhood style of character for the first time in his career, His action as Rowdy Police is Mind-Blowing.His dances, action sequences, comedy carried the complete grip of the movie.Sruthi Hassan as village girl is good. She added colors to the screen with her fresh looks and beauty. Suhasini and Nagineedu are good upto their mark. Ajay has given best performance after Vikramarkudu it would be better if his character is elevated to some more extent.Abhimanyu Singh is the boon for this movie. He is going to be the one of the best actor for negative roles in South India.

Technical:

Director Harish Shankar taking is excellent, He elevated the heroism at the same time handled the story, though Harish Shankar added some dose over these scenes but still he proved himself to be among top league directors.Music by DSP is really awesome for the movie ,Kevvu keka would be the mother of all item songs for years ,Re recording ,Back ground is good. Fights by Ram Laxman especially the pre interval and climax fight , editing by Gautam Raju is good, Dialogues were good . Screenplay was perfect.Cameratography is excellent especially the fights and swiss song picturization.

Analysis:

Though this movie is the remake of Dabbang we will not find the most of the similarities with that movie. Some major changes in the story has been made in entertaining way. 40% of the story has been changed as per the nativity of the telugu audience.The duration of first half is around one hour. It totally runs in speed pace without boring for half second. The first half of the movie will be the best ever for PK fans.
Interval fight at railway station is good.
Coming to second half the movie gets into some emotional scenes and gets slow down as the depth in the story is being evaluated.

The highlights are

Pawan Kalyan entrance on horse is extra-ordinary. The first fight is superb.
Pawan Kalyan enters into market in Rikshaw which has back ground song “Ee petaku nene mesthri” is quite entertaining.
Love scenes are romantic and good.
Anthyakshari scene in Police Station is hilarious.
Songs are picturized in stylish manner with complete mass formula.
Kevv keka song adds energy during pre-climax.
Climax is nothing but one word Awesome.
Minus Points :
Ajay has a very small role and does not have much to do. Same goes for Kota Srinivasa Rao. Except for the ‘Mandu Babulam’ song, he does not have any significant role in the film. There have been some major changes in the script, particularly in the second half and perhaps, the original storyline from Dabangg should have been used. Tanikella Bharani’s role does not do justice to his talent.

Verdict:

Full meals of entertainment for every one.

A complete guide to how guys see the world when they are drunk

2012-04-23T09:58:00.000-07:00

The world through the eyes of a drunk

The world through the eyes of a drunk. Funny pics!!

Two Art-House Films to look forward to in 2012

2012-04-22T05:58:00.001-07:00

Art House films to look forward to in 2012

Love

Director: Michael Haneke, ETA: autumn 2012
This is Michael Haneke’s first film since winning the 2009 Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival for ‘The White Ribbon’. We’re told the story is about an elderly French couple, played by Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Riva (both of them in their eighties), whose relationship is severely strained when one of them suffers a stroke. Haneke’s regular collaborator Isabelle Huppert (‘Time of the Wolf’, ‘The Piano Teacher’) also features in the cast, playing the couple’s daughter, we believe. Haneke has spoken about wanting to explore the ageing process and its indignities, and we expect this to be at the heart of the film. The Austrian director shot the film in Paris at the beginning of 2011 and is believed to be taking his time with the edit to be ready to show it at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2012. It will mark Trintignant’s return to cinema after an absence of almost a decade.
The End

Director: Abbas Kiarostami, ETA: mid 2012
In 2010, director Abbas Kiarostami delivered ‘Certified Copy’, his first film made outside his native Iran. The film combined a French lead actress (Juliette Binoche), English lead actor (William Shimell) and an Italian setting (Tuscany), and the final product felt like a celebration of all that’s great about European art cinema. His follow-up, ‘The End’, takes him east to Japan, for a film he has said will be a continuation of themes explored in ‘Certified Copy’. Details of the plot suggest it’s about a student (played by Aoi Miyazaki) who sells her body in order to pay for her studies, but her life changes when she instigates a relationship with an older scholar. Kiarostami has already made one film in dedication to Japanese master, Yazujiro Ozu (‘Five’), and on paper, this one sounds like it could be another one. According to reports, shooting started in November 2011, so Cannes 2012 looks like an outside possibility.

Kshay - The thin line between faith and obsession

2012-04-13T20:24:00.003-07:00

Recently watched kshay's trailer it seems to be the most promising independent film in the recent times

The basic story of Kshay is about a woman’s (Chhaya) obsession with a Goddess Laksmi sculpture and how a simple sweet life of the couple goes haywire when Chhaya’s simple need becomes an ugly obsession. Then why doesn’t she buy the sculpture. She cannot because they are poor and cannot afford daily life needs and an Rs.15 thousand sculpture is out of question. But then why Chhaya does needs the sculpture and why can’t she just suppress her need, well to know all this we will have to see the movie.

Seriously the basic premise of the movie just moves you psychologically, the trailer itself shows what kind of obsession Chhaya has towards the sculpture. The movie is shot in Black and White, and it kind of captures something what a color picture wouldn’t have captured; and what is that it is sadness, the madness in Chhaya’s eyes.

Kshay revolves around the personification of an obsession, fueled by nothing more than intangible desires. Chhaya is a simple housewife who has an artistic bent of mind and a seemingly happy life with her husband Arvind. Money trickles in every month and life goes on for an unassuming Chhaya, until her eyes catch hold of an unfinished sculpture of the Hindu Goddess, Lakshmi.

Her values and relationships as she knows them begin to decay day by day, surrendering to the clutches of an ugly obsession that feeds on her weaknesses and past disappointments. She must have the “Lakshmi”, as if to make up for all that she has yearned for in her life.

Kshay takes an unforgiving look at obsession; how it infects the frailty of our minds, corroding reasoning, reality and emotional fullfillment.

Kshay is an independent and a very brave venture by Karan Gour, who has written, directed and produced the movie. The movie is in Black and White, well it doesn’t hampers the movie but it is surely helping the movie look better and more realistic. The movie is based on the theme of human obsession and what that obsession can do to you.

Check more on the movie at http://www.kshay-thefilm.com/

2012-04-13T20:03:00.001-07:00

The 10 Best Horror Films of the Last 10 Years

Most universally recognized horror classics are from years ago,Halloween, Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm St, Carrie, The Exorcist, Evil Dead, are all antiques by today’s standards, though they were revolutionary at the time and heavily influenced modern horror. But what has been released recently that can compare to such classics? I’ve assembled the ten best selections below, see if you agree. I’m sure you won’t.

10) The Hills Have Eyes (2006)

The Hills Have Eyes is one of those rare horror remakes that actually turned out to be worthwhile. Alexandre Aja is a modern day horror master and you’ll see another project of his higher up on the list, but his crack at Wes Craven’s original tale of hillside mutants is a distinctly memorable experience.

What makes Hills great is that it defies nearly every cliche of the tired horror genre. The victims aren’t teenagers, they’re a family of all shapes and sizes. The aggressors aren’t immortal, mute killing machines, but fragile (albeit deformed) humans with personalities all their own. And most notably, the movie takes place mostly in the day time in wide open spaces, rather than dark cramped houses or log cabins.

The film has all the gore and scares of a traditional horror flick, but it’s anything but formulaic. It’s good to be different, especially in this genre, and Aja can be proud of a remake that actually seemed like something new.

9) 28 Days Later (2002)

It was a toss up between putting this or Dawn of the Dead at this spot on the list, but ultimately Danny Boyle won out over Zack Snyder. Both films were excellent, but 28 Days came first, and should be credited with sparking the revival of the zombie genre.

Boyle employed the use of “fast zombies” as opposed to the slow, plodding ones that populated George A. Romero’s classic films. This added a new sense of terror to the proceedings, as zombies sprinting at you are much more fearsome than ones power walking toward you.

The film also explored the human side to the zombie apocalypse, showing how mankind can degrade under the physical and mental toll of such an ordeal. The final scene at the makeshift military base remains one of modern horror’s most frightening sequences.

8 ) Saw (2004)

It is unfortunate that those behind this franchise got the idea in their head to churn out a new installment every year since the original, no matter what the quality. The series has gone up and down in it’s five installments to date, but more often than not, they’re still smarter than the average horror flick, and that all started with the original.

Saw may have ushered in a briefly dumb era of “torture porn” type movies (Hostel, Captivity, etc.), but the original premise for the film was rock solid, and two men in a rotting bathroom armed only with hacksaws was a chilling setting for a film, and the ending left everyone absolutely floored. The film has close to the lowest budget of anything on this list, and what the writers managed to do with pretty much nothing is simply stunning.

Jigsaw has become a horror icon just as prominent as Freddy, Jason or Michael Myers, but he turned a new page on the horror genre, using mind instead of muscle to rain retribution down on his victims.

7) The Descent (2005)

Women are understandably frustrated with horror films, as they usually portray them as large chested sorority girls who don’t know enough to not walk into dark rooms alone and unarmed. That’s why The Descent‘s cast made up entirely of badass chicks was a welcome change for the genre, and the film had the story, writing and directing to back them up.

Taking place entirely in an underground cave system, The Descent is extremely claustrophobic and so tense you’ll be sore afterwards. It’s scary enough facing the prospect of being buried alive for eternity, but once the “creatures” show up? Shit gets crazy.

The ending defies the genre as well, and it’s haunting, depressing and strangely satisfying all at the same time.

6) High Tension (2003)

Alexadre Aja is back on the list with his critically acclaimed slasher, High Tension. On first glance, the film seems like a well-shot, well-written French take on the slasher film, but as the plot unravels, it’s revealed that the film is anything but typical, and does much to set itself apart from a sea of similar premises.

Americans enjoyed the film slightly less than their European counterparts, and were quick to point out plot holes with the film’s twist, but in any case, High Tension is a welcome change for the slasher genre, which features an endless parade of the same movie reworked slightly different ways.

Also, lesbians. Nice.

5) Audition (1999)

You didn’t think I’d make this list without a Takeshi Miike film right? Well,Audition has to be one of the most ****ed up movies ever made, and if you can get through the absurdity of it, it’s a damn good horror flick as well.

The burlap sack reveal remains one of the most disturbing thoughts ever put into film, and the movie even provoked one woman so much at a screening with Miike, she stood up and yelled “You’re evil!” at him. How’s that for a screen test?

If you haven’t seen Audition, you should, but approach with caution. You might not be the same afterwards.

4) The Sixth Sense (1999)

We must ignore the laughing stock that M. Night Shyamalan has become in recent years in order to appreciate his original masterpiece, The Sixth Sense. It’s the film that got him nominated for an Oscar, and which made giddy critics start hailing him as the next Alfred Hitchcock. But as we all know, Hitchcock went on to make more than two and a half good horror movies, where Shyamalan, so far, has not.

Horror films are often noted for their twists, and some bend over backwards to try and surprise the audience (see Hide and Seek for a prime example), but The Sixth Sense had the twist to end all twists, and if your asshole buddies didn’t ruin it for you, you were probably blown away like the rest of us.

Shyamalan made a great movie here because he didn’t rely on blood or gore, but rather atmosphere and tension more than anything else, something modern day horror directors should definitely learn from.

Also, this just in: Bruce Willis is dead the whole time.

Sorry, but it’s been 10 years, you’ve lost the right to be surprised.

3) The Blair Witch Project (1999)

To the layman, The Blair Witch Project is “just a bunch of people running around the woods yelling,” but to those of us with half a brain, the movie is a master class in low budget film making, and should be treated as such.

Part of the appeal of Blair Witch is that it feels real, and to capitalize on this, it was marketed as such. I remember upon its release that some people were buzzing this was actually a true story, and it was all real. That may sound stupid now, but at the time, even a hint of that going into the film made the experience all the more unnerving.

And if you’re upset because they didn’t show the witch at the end, you’re missing the entire point. Go watch Freddy vs. Jason or something.

2) The Ring (2002)

I know I’ll get a lot of flack for putting The Ring so high up on the list, and leaving the Japanese movie it was based off of, Ringu, off completely. Well, guess what? This is one of the only time where the American’s actually did it better. That’s right, I said it.

The original Ring may have started the concept of the video cassette that kills you via creepy, vengeful long-haired girl, but frankly, it’s just not that great of a movie. The ideas presented are all half formed and unfinished, and in the American adaptation, Gore Verbinski stepped in to take the project from more than merely a solid idea to an excellent film.

I have no regrets about placing The Ring this high, it’s a near perfect blend of classic horror and commercial appeal, and it deserves to be recognized for the modern horror classic that it is. But do NOT mention the sequel, alright?

1) The Orphanage (2007)

The Orphanage is the best horror film of the last decade because it’s just so damn smart. The entire movie can be read two different ways, depending on how you’d like to interpret it. It can either be a ghost story, full of long-dead children running around the halls of a creepy orphanage, or it can be a psychological thriller, where all the ghosts turn out to be either real or imagined, and I’ve had many people miss this aspect of the film completely.

The movie is absolutely terrifying despite lacking any real gore and only a handful of jump moments. It’s an exercise in what can happen when intelligent people actually get their hands on a horror script, and the reigns are handed to a director who knows that real horror is more about the prelude to the kill than the kill itself. And sometimes there doesn’t even need to be a kill at all.

Runners up that I know you’ll tell me I missed:

Dawn of the Dead – Zack Snyder’s remake of George A. Romero’s classic exceeded everyone’s expectations.

The Midnight Meat Train – A very WTF cast (Vinnie Jones and Bradley Cooper?), but a brilliant horror concept that hopefully gains a cult following someday.

Session 9 – Many proclaim this as an unspoken legend of horror, but honestly I wasn’t that impressed.

Suicide Club – A great concept to be sure, but the film is about three stops past crazytown, and it’s almost too nonsensical for its own good.

Shaun of the Dead – One of my favorite films to be sure, but I didn’t want to include horror-comedy here. Also in this category would beSlither, and some would argue The Host, though I don’t view that as a horror film. Don’t even get me started on Drag Me to Hell.

Battle Royale – Horror? Ehh, maybe. Is “Gore” its own movie category? This gives me an idea for a “10 best movies to play drinking games to” list.

Twilight - Horrifying, but only because of the acting and writing.

Initiating a Horror Novice

2012-03-11T01:28:00.003-08:00

A Horror Novice must be introduced to the genre carefully to keep from scarring them for life!

When one finds something that they enjoy, human nature leads them to want to share that something with others. Like when you find a great restaurant or hear a new band that you love and can’t wait to bring your friends or family to dinner or a concert. We as “horror freaks” feel the same way about horror movies. The problem that we face is that we can’t just show any horror movie to a horror novice.

This is not a definitive list, but these are the films that I have found to produce the intended outcome – enabling a new “ horror freak”.

So let’s begin, shall we?

Slasher – April Fool’s Day

April Fool’s Day is a great introduction to the “slasher” film. It starts lighthearted enough to be fun, the tension builds slowly but steadily, there are well place “jump” scenes, and the gore effect is low-keyed. With a well done surprise ending, it should have a horror novice prepared for the next logical step. The “slasher ” sub-genre is well defined enough where you should be able to move directly into Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street, or Friday the 13th with little to no problems.

Ghost – The Amityville Horror

All ghost stories have one thing in common: They are all supposed to leave an impression on your mind that has you wondering what that shadow in the corner is. The difference for a horror novice would be the effects and gore. The Amityville Horror is a great starter for this reason. The gore is low key if not even non existent and the effects are typical for the late seventies. I would then follow up with Poltergeist or The Changeling. If you are in a real jaunty mood you could try A Chinese Ghost Story but you better be prepared for the reaction if your prospect has not been properly introduced.

Monster – Jeepers Creepers

Jeepers Creepers is the perfect modern day monster movie for newbies. Though theoretically every horror movie is a monster movie, the ones that get classified in this sub-genre have a creature that is not normally found in nature in its current form. Jeepers Creepers happens to have a demon looking thing to fill this requirement. It has suspense, gore, supernatural happenings, and dopey teenagers but nothing that could be labeled as over the top. You could possibly follow this with the monster flick of your choice, but for a severe horror novice I would go with something along the caliber of Pumpkinhead.

Psychotic – Psycho

This is probably the most disturbing of the sub-genres of horror. It takes an otherwise normal average person next door and makes him/her the villain in a “psychotic” way. Psycho is the perfect example of the psychotic sub-genre. Alfred Hitchcock takes plain, feeble, and shy Norman Bates and uses an overbearing and controlling mother to create a monster in every sense of the word except his appearance. Though released in 1960, Psycho stands the test of time and is a perfect starter film in this sub-genre for the horror novice. Great follow ups would include Misery, Seven, and May.

Zombie – Shaun of the Dead

There was never really a great beginner’s zombie film until Shaun of the Dead came on the scene. It is virtually impossible to separate the zombie from the gore and it is the gore that usually turns the hopeful horror novice away from the sub-genre. What makes Shaun of the Dead such a good choice is that it is a classic zombie film on all accounts without detracting from anything that zombie lovers look for and still it is funny enough for a newbie to watch and accept the gore. I have found that the easiest way to move on from here is to start telling the prospect about the many references in SOTD to other zombie films and then show them. The typical horror novice might require multiple viewings of SOTD before being ready to more on, but I see absolutely nothing wrong with that.

This list should be enough to start the meek down the path to Horror Freak.

Charulata - Satyajit Ray's Best

2011-11-28T06:37:00.001-08:00

Charu lives a lonely and idle life in 1870s India. Although her husband devotes more time to his newspaper than to their marriage, he sees her loneliness and asks his brother-in-law, Amal, a would-be writer to keep her company. However, after several months, Charu and Amal's feelings for each other move beyond literary friendship.

Set in British India in the 19th century, the film revolves around Charulata, the beautiful wife of a learned Calcutta intellectual. She sits at home alone while her wealthy husband Bhupati runs his English language newspaper. Upon recognizing her profound loneliness, Bhupati invites his brother-in-law Umapada and wife Mandakini as house guests. Amal, his handsome younger cousin also comes for a visit following his graduation from college. Charu and Amal spend hours reminiscing over literature, poetry and the arts while Bhupati works on his paper. For a short time everyone is content. Then, a tragedy occurs. Umapada absconds with Bhupati's savings, leaving the entrepreneur in terrible debt. But the betrayed man soon realizes that something much more precious than his money is lost.

Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda -- Peak of India's Art Genre

2011-11-28T06:28:00.001-08:00

In this movie, the narrator, Manik Mulla (Rajit Kapur) tells three stories of the three women, (Neena Gupta (the poor), Pallavi Joshi (the intellectual) and Rajeshwari Sachdev (middle class)), he had met in his life at different times. These three stories are nothing but a single story seen from stands of different characters of the film.

The lowest, slowest or the weakest in a group or society determines the speed or progress of the whole. The title of the movie, a metaphor as the movie itself, draws this analogy with the seventh horse pulling the chariot of the sun. As a director of abstract meaningful cinema, Shyam Benegal pulls off another masterpiece that makes you think. Lightly laced with extremely subtle humor, this is a story of love that is markedly different from the many love stories on screen.
An interesting narrative approach adds to the abstractness - as the film is presented as a flashback of a contemporary artist (Raghuvir Yadav). He remembers the many stories of a born-raconteur (Rajit Kapur) during the gossip sessions of four young men with no better way to pass time. The neo-realism in the stories and the starkness of human character brings life to the narrative.
The film is narrated in a series of independent short stories. The brilliance of the director lies in tying these short stories with the same characters creating a complex matrix of humans and relations. The movie comes alive when the same events are depicted in the different stories. This is captured beautifully by showing the same scenes from different angles, emphasizing different personalities on screen, but the same dialogues.
All along the narrative, the movie amazes you with the realism of the stories - contrasted with the character of Rajit Kapur as a master storyteller. The audience to his stories add humor as well as an element of human nature to gossip about others.He plays an important role in each of the stories he tells yet he keeps himself aloof from the responsibilities and characters in his stories. At the same time, the personalities within the story portray a strong variety of human traits - positive and negative. Artistes like Amrish Puri, Samir Khakkar, K K Raina and others from the world of art cinema bring the stories alive. Rajeshwari Sachdev, Pallavi Joshi, and Neena Gupta play the love interests and vastly different characters. Any attempt to explain the narrative the movie or to divulge information about the characters would make the movie less interesting - as seeing the movie is an evolving discovery.
The music by Vanraj Bhatia plays a distinctive role. The direction is brilliant, and the performance of various lead actors is consistently superior. The script and dialogues are of the highest calibre.
However what strikes you at the end is the closeness between reality and the world of tell-tale; and the virtues and vices that exist in these worlds. How all this come together in the end is explained in a brief message in the end - but that still leaves a lot to thought. And indeed the movie is about thinking, and you leave the movie thinking about a host of issues raised throughout - from the virtues and demands of woman in love, the commitment of men in love - to more explicit and implicit elements of the human psyche.

Ten Best Horror Movies you haven't seen

2011-11-19T22:32:00.001-08:00

I presume many of you are searching for a good horror flick to curl up with this month, I thought I’d compile a new one made up of films that aren’t quite as widely known.

Yes, I love The Ring, The Orphanage and The Descent, but there are smaller, more niche movies that are deserving of your attention, and really, once you’ve been scared or grossed out once, it’s not quite the same if you watch the same film again.

Here are some new titles that some of you may have seen, but I predict most of you will have not. You may think a few of them suck, and I’ll admit they’re not without their flaws, but if you’re looking for a few decent horror films, you could do a lot worse than these. Feel free to chime in with your own suggestions in the comments. I’m always looking to expand my horizons.

10. All the Boys Love Mandy Lane

f you’re not in love with Amber Heard yet, watch Drive Angry, Zombieland or better yet, All the Boys Love Mandy Lane.

The film draws on the actresses insane sex appeal, and it’s sort of like if they made There’s Something About Mary a horror movie, as beauty can inspire boys to do crazy things.

It’s a fairly straightforward slasher film, but with a few clever twists thrown in, it stands out over similar films.

9. The Ruins

The Ruins is an interesting horror film that tries to be different than most other entries. It’s far from a perfect effort, but at least it’s trying, and it deserves a fair amount of points for that.

A group of hot young people (who else) go exploring to find some ancient Mayan ruins, but what they find is a curse that manifests itself in a way you probably wouldn’t expect.

It’s definitely one of the goofier entries on this list, but it’s worth it to at least figure out who the bad guy is. After that, judge whether or not you’d like to press on.

8. Wolf Creek

I always go back and forth over whether or not I truly like Wolf Creek, but in the end, I have seen it about three times so there must be something to it.

Wolf Creek benefits from having a long load up time that humanizes its future victims in a way that most horror films don’t bother to. I also like that it has a villain that’s literally the exact opposite of the mute masked killer archetype, as most of the time, he’s downright jovial. Still psychotic though.

The film falters when it gives in to a few horror cliches, most of which will have you screaming at the terrified twentysomethings onscreen “WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?” but the film can shine despite this, and you won’t look at Australia as all kangaroos and Crocodile Dundee after this.

7. Splinter

Splinter is a weird little film that stuck itself in my brain and never really went away. Like many of my selections, it’s sci-fi meets horror, but this is probably the lowest budget entry of all of the ones I’m featuring.

Practically the entire film takes place in and around a gas station, where the patrons and a would be robber are terrorized by a force unknown.

Splinter is interesting because of its enemy, which isn’t a man with a weapon or a zombie-like plague. It’s the Splinter itself, but you’re going to have to watch the film to fully know what that means. That hand should be somewhat of a clue.

6. Suicide Club

Well I had to include at least one crazy ass Japanese movie on here didn’t I? I think that movies like Audition and Battle Royale are generally pretty well known, so I figured I’d try to drop one rung down with Suicide Club.

It’s a film that’s part horror, part social commentary on the astronomical suicide rate in Japan. The opening scene has a row of 40 singing school girls jump into the path of an oncoming train, and that’s only like, the third craziest thing in the movie. Can you say, rape/murder musical number? I kid you not.

Suicide Club may be a little too out there for some, but for those who can handle the madness that is Japanese horror, you might appreciate it.

5. The Crazies

This is probably the most recent movie I’m pulling for this list, so much so that I actually did a review of it while it was still in theaters, but I think enough people might have missed it where it’s worth revisiting and recommending.

The Crazies stars Timothy Olyphant as a small town sheriff whose world is turned upside down when the people in his town start going “crazy.” It sounds simple enough, but it’s truly terrifying to watch friends and neighbors and other seemingly normal people become slowly effected by the disease of madness, and there are some truly tense moments to be found here that will stay with you (the pitchfork scene, you’ll know what I mean).

The film escalates to a point FAR beyond where you thought a movie like this would EVER go, perhaps too far, but I vastly prefer it to other modern horror efforts a-la-The Strangers.

4. High Tension

Yeah, I know I put it on my last list, but I think it’s still relatively overlooked. I will be the first to admit that High Tension is not without its flaws, as it is in fact riddled with an insane amount of plotholes once a world flipping twist is revealed at the end, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a good film in a lot of other ways.

It’s the first of two French films on this list, and as it turns out, that country really knows its horror. High Tension is brutally violent, but features a protagonist that actually fights back against the horror that terrorizes her, which is a rarity in movies like this.

You may not appreciate the twist the way I did, but the journey to get there winds through one of the better made horror films out there, and is well worth the trip.

3. Midnight Meat Train

It’s the title that launched a thousand porn jokes, but if you can get past the initial snickering, Midnight Meat Train is an extremely unexpected quality horror flick that is very original in a genre that is usually a sea of copycats.

It even has people you recognize too! Bradley Cooper plays a photographer who gets wrapped up in the tale of the subway butcher, played by a yet again mute Vinnie Jones, who hacks people up on the last train out of town.

2. Triangle

There’s nothing too terribly innovative about a group of attractive people getting murdered on an abandoned spooky cruise ship, but once the time travel kicks in, things start to get interesting. Yes, you heard that correctly, time travel.

The film is perhaps more sci-fi than horror, but there’s plenty of blood and mayhem to be found nonetheless, and it’s an incredibly smart film that will have you trying to fully understand what you’ve just seen for hours afterwards, and hunting through internet forums to find the answer. After you’ve seen it for yourself, come back here and we can talk about it.

1. Martyrs

The French horror film Martyrs was originally recommended to me on the basis that it is one of the most “messed up” films in the genre, with a plot and specific scenes that can make even the most hardened horror veteran flinch.

It certainly lived up to that promise, as the film is absolutely stomach churning at times, but what I did NOT expect was the fact that Martyrs has some really profound themes running through it, and is one of the most intelligent horror movies out there despite all its gore.

If you can wade through the blood long enough for this message to become clear, I congratulate you. I’ve seen it with a few different groups of people, and many were split on what exactly the movie was trying to get across, and whatever you may believe in the end, it’s rare to see a movie in this genre inspire such a level of discourse.

Should you buy a DSLR or a Point and Shoot Camera ?

2011-11-19T22:23:00.001-08:00

Are Megapixels Everything?

Before I get into the Pros and Cons of DSLRs vs Point and Shoot digital cameras I want to address a common misconception that I regularly hear among digital camera owners – that a cameras megapixel rating is the main thing to consider when determining a camera’s quality.

The fact is that megapixels are NOT everything. Despite point and shoot cameras now coming with up to 18 megapixels their quality level is not necessarily has good as a DSLR with only 1- or so.

The main reason for this (and there are many as we’ll see below) is that the image sensor used in point and shoot digital cameras is generally much smaller than the image sensor used in a DSLR (the difference is often as much as 25 times). This means that the pixels on a point and shoot camera have to be much smaller and (without getting too technical) collect fewer photons (ok I lied about the technicalities). The long and short of it is that because of this point and shoot cameras need to work at slower ISO levels which means that they produce ‘noisier’ (or more grainy) shots.

A lot more could be said on sensor size – but trust me, smaller sensors significantly reduce the quality of an image. I’d much rather have a camera with less megapixels and a larger image sensor than the other way around.

This is one factor that needs to be considered when choosing between a DSLR and point and shoot – but let me run through some more:

DSLRs

A quick definition - unfortunately some camera manufacturers in recent months have released cameras with the DSLR label that technically are not. For the purposes of this article I’ll define DSLR’s as cameras that have removable lenses, that have a reflex mirror which allows live optical viewing through the lens taking the image. ie DSLR’s use a mirror that allows you to see the image you’re about to shoot through the view finder – when you take the shot the mirror flips up allowing the image sensor to capture the image.

Some cameras these days are being touted as DSLRs because you have ‘through lens viewing’ but they are not true DSLR’s – (Digital, Single, Lens, Reflex). This does not necessarily make them a bad camera – but in my opinion it there is a distinction between them.

DSLR Strengths

Image Quality - I’ve already covered this above in my discussion on megapixels and image sensors – but due to the larger size of image sensors in DSLRs which allows for larger pixel sizes – DSLRs are generally able to be used at a faster ISO which will lead to faster shutter speeds and less grain.
Adaptability – DSLR’s ability to change lenses opens up a world of possibilities for photographers. While my point and shoot has a nice little 3x Optical Zoom (and many these days have longer ones) my DSLR can be fitted with many high quality lenses ranging from wide angle to super long focal lengths depending upon what I’m photographing (and of course my budget). Add to this a large range of other accessories (flashes, filters etc) and a DSLR can be adapted to many different situations. It should be noted that when it comes to lenses that the diversity in quality of lenses is great. Image quality is impacted greatly by the quality of the lens you use.
Speed – DSLR’s are generally pretty fast pieces of machinery when it comes to things like start up, focussing and shutter lag.
Optical Viewfinder – due to the reflex mirror DSLR’s are very much a what you see is what you get operation.
large ISO range - this varies between cameras but generally DSLRs offer a wide array of ISO settings which lends itself to their flexibility in shooting in different conditions.
Manual Controls – while many point and shoots come with the ability to shoot in manual mode, a DSLR is designed in such a way that it is assumed that the photographer using it will want to control their own settings. While they do come with good auto modes the manual controls are generally built in in such a way that they are at the photographers finger tips as they are shooting.
Hold it’s value – some argue that a DSLR will hold it’s value longer than a point and shoot. There is probably some truth in this. DSLR models do not get updated quite as often as point and shoot models (which can be updated twice a year at times). The other factor in favor of DSLRs is that the lenses you buy for them are compatible with other camera bodies if you do choose to upgrade later on (as long as you stay with your brand). This means your investment in lenses is not a waste over the years.
Depth of Field – one of the things I love about my DSLR is the versatility that it gives me in many areas, especially depth of field. I guess this is really an extension of it’s manual controls and ability to use a variety of lenses but a DSLR can give you depth of field that puts everything from forground to background in focus through to nice blurry backgrounds.
Quality Optics – I hesitate to add this point as there is a large degree of difference in quality between DSLR lenses (and point and shoot cameras are always improving) but in general the lenses that you’ll find on a DSLR are superior to a point and shoot camera. DSLR lenses are larger (more glass can add to the quality) and many of them have many hours of time put into their manufacture (especially when you get into higher end lenses). I strongly advise DSLR buyers to buy the best quality lenses that they can afford. It it’s the difference between a high end lens on a medium range camera or a medium range lens on a high end camera I’d go for quality lenses every time as they add so much to photos.

DSLR Weaknesses

Price – while they are coming down in price (especially at the lower end) DSLR’s are generally more expensive than point and shoot digital cameras. Also consider that you might want to upgrade your lens (as kit lenses are generally not of a super high quality) or you may wish to add more lenses later and that this adds to the cost of a DSLR.
Size and Weight – the only reason I take my point and shoot out with me is on those occasions when I don’t want to lug my DSLR (and it’s lenses) around with me. DSLRs are heavy and sizable and when you add a lens or two to your kit bag you can end up with quite the load!
Maintenance – a factor well worth considering if you’re going to use a DSLR with more than one lens is that every time you change lenses you run the risk of letting dust into your camera. Dust on an image sensor is a real annoyance as it will leave your images looking blotchy. Cleaning your image sensor is not a job for the faint hearted and most recommend that you get it done professionally (which of course costs). This is a problem that is being rectified in many new DSLRs which are being released with self cleaning sensors.
Noise – DSLRs are generally more noisy to use than point and shoots. This will vary depending upon the lens you use but while point and shoots can be almost silent when taking a shot a DSLR will generally have a ‘clunk’ as the mechanisms inside it do their thing. I personally quite like this sound – but it’s something that is a factor for some.
Complexity – while DSLRs are designed for manual use this of course means you need to know how to use the tools that they give you. Some friends that have bought DSLRs in the past few months have told me that they were a little overwhelmed at first by the array of settings and features. The learning curve can be quite steep. Having said this – all DSLRs have fully Automatic mode and many have the normal array of semi-auto modes that point and shoot digital cameras have.
No live LCD – in many DSLRs the only way to frame your shot is via the optical viewfinder. Some photographers prefer to use a camera’s LCD for this task. This is another thing that is changing with more and more new DSLRs having a ‘Live View’ LCD which enables you to frame your shots without looking through the view finder

Horror Movie Top 5 : Weekly Dose

2011-10-30T03:38:00.000-07:00

Bored with a hangover of Ra.One ? ..shocked at the cheap imitation of the Hollywood action genre ..? Need some Creepers for the Halloween..?
Catch up with this weeks Horror Top 5 all low budget or Indie Horror movies

1. The Shrine

A group of young journalists investigate a cult said to practice human sacrifice, but their ambitious ways may lead them to becoming the cult's next victims.

2. Tunnel

An investigation into a government cover-up leads to a network of abandoned train tunnels deep beneath the heart of Sydney. As a journalist and her crew hunt for the story it quickly becomes clear the story is hunting them.

3. Prowl

Amber dreams of escaping her small town existence and persuades her friends to accompany her to find an apartment in the big city. When their transportation breaks down, she and her friends gratefully accept a ride in the back of a semi. But when the driver refuses to stop and they discover the cargo is hundreds of cartons of blood, they panic. Their panic turns to terror when the truck disgorges them into a dark, abandoned warehouse where blood-thirsty creatures learn to hunt human prey, which, the friends realize, is what they now are...

4. Fertile Ground

Emily and Nate Weaver leave the city for the rural comfort of Nate's ancestral home in the country. Once there, Emily is plagued by horrifying visions and haunted by the ghosts inhabiting their isolated new home.

5. Outcast

It tells the tale of Petronella (a Scottish/Romany girl) and Fergal (her mysterious Irish traveller boyfriend). As their doomed relationship plays out, a Beast stalks the estate, killing locals, working its way towards our protagonists. Meanwhile Cathal and Liam, two mysterious travellers from Ireland use ritual and magic on a blood hunt. Mary, Fergal's mother performs ritual and magic of her own. As Cathal comes face to face with Mary in a vicious finale we know one thing: the Beast must die.

http://www.filmproposals.com/federal-and-state-tax-incentives-legal-finance-and-marketing-services.html

2011-10-19T08:13:00.000-07:00

http://www.filmproposals.com/federal-and-state-tax-incentives-legal-finance-and-marketing-services.html

Movie of the day : Megan is Missing (Found Footage Genre)

2011-10-19T07:15:00.000-07:00

Storyline

Megan Stewart, 14, and her best friend Amy Herman, 13, though opposites in personality, are best friends. Megan carries the front of being the most popular girl in school, but this masks a lifestyle of hard partying, drugs, alcohol and indiscriminate sex. Amy, unpopular and socially awkward, clings to her relationship with Megan as a lifeline to social acceptance. Together, these two young girls forge a deep friendship based on their mutual needs. The two girls regularly communicate by web chat cameras or cell phone, and even meet boys online. As Megan seeks friends who are different from her usual posse of hanger-ons, she is introduced by a friend online to a 17 year-old boy named Josh in a chat room. Megan and Josh bond quickly, leaving Amy feeling a bit left out. One day, Megan goes to meet Josh in person, and she is never seen again. Amy launches into a concentrated effort to find her friend...

Movie of the day :Shadows of time (Bengali film by a German Director)

2011-10-17T08:05:00.000-07:00

Brilliant Bengali film by a Oscar winning German director..The movie is very overwhelming and has some brilliant cinematography and acting.

I would've never been able to tell, if it was made by someone who's NOT Indian, if I hadn't known before hand.

It has some really subtle and powerful acting by Prashant and Tanishta. If it had been an Indian movie, it would've been a sure contender for the Oscars.

Whoever watches it, should be ready to change his mindset and place himself in a different setting - that of where the movie's placed.

Movie of the day : A horrible way to die

2011-10-16T04:16:00.000-07:00

A very mature, organic, moody, restrained, dark, character driven drama/thriller that took its time going down a tense, sometimes terrifying path. The movie was filmed in a very artistic, independent, simplistic way that connects the viewer with the characters in a personal way that makes the ordeal effective and all too real which makes the sinister acts very disturbing and chilling. The film has a very familiar theme that we've seen before as a serial killer escapes from prison and begins to kill again but to me it hasn't quite been done like this before and makes the thriller different from the norm and ends on a surprising and powerful note. The movie did have suspense in it and some bloody scenes but it's done in a less is more way making it have a classic feel but this movie is smarter than that and relied more on character depth, performances and story than anything else which it mostly succeeded on. Overall if you like your serial killer movies to have a more deeper meaning and not over the top like it was back in the day you might find something to appreciate about A Horrible Way To Die but don't expect a lot of gore, scares and action but more on mood, atmosphere and suspense and even at that it a pretty slow burn of a movie but a decent one at that.

Cameras for Independent Filmmaking

2011-10-16T03:43:00.000-07:00

The first tool that an independent filmmaker needs is a decent cost effective camera, what to look out for in a good Indie camera ?

At least 1080p resolution - There are too many options out there at all price ranges capable of this, which is increasingly the standard. 720p is too soft on big screens and 1080i not as cinematic.

Interchangeble lenses - I no longer am recommending getting a cheap camera and an expensive lens adapter. It seems pretty clear that filmmakers want the ability to change lenses built into the camera already.

Tested workflows - This criteria is a bit more subjective, but it encompasses whether I consider the camera experimental when it comes to shooting feature films or not, whether the footage is recorded with enough latitude that it can be manipulated with a color-timing program to achieve more cinematic looks, etc

Ok tat was a lot of techno crap but helps , now as a layman in if you are looking for a great camera under 50,000 INR (1000 US $) try the following

1. Canon Rebel T2i (550D) (Price around 35 K)

2. Canon 1000D (Price around 25 K)