Lithium Ribbon

Movie Review : My Life in Ruins (2009)

2015-02-28T16:18:00.000+05:30

My Life in Ruins aka Driving Aphrodite is one of my favourite chick flicks. This movie was savaged by critics upon release and was not a major financial success unlike Vardalos' previous outing - My Big Fat Greek Wedding. The script is a by-the-numbers affair - uptight leading lady, stereotypical characters on a road trip and a cliched happy ending.But this odd mix works for me. I have viewed it multiple times, laughed at the silly jokes and would do so again.

Georgia, played by Nia Vardalos, is an American who moved to Greece because of her passion for classical history. She works as a tour guide while awaiting a better job preferably one hat involves teaching history. She is not a very successful tour guide though, partly because her people skills are poor, partly because she has a low opinion of the Greeks' easy going approach to life and also because she insists on foisting her 'boring' lessons in history on tourists that just want to have a good time amongst beautiful ruins.

This seems a bit odd, because in 'real life' not everyone pays to go on a tour bus to eat ice creams and buy cheap trinkets. Some people do actually care about classical history. However, she ends up with a bunch of tourists that tick off every major stereotype - crass Americans, boozy Australians, stuck-up Brits, senior citizens, divorcees, wise guys, sulky teenagers, creepy bus driver. Her frustrations at managing the expectations of these oddball characters reach boiling point on this particular trip and while she decides to quit, perhaps these very annoying people will teach her more about keeping it together and regaining her 'kefi'.

The movie rests on Vardalos's shoulders - her character is the only one that gets a storyline. Her performance as the uptight, passionate, exasperated Georgia wont win awards. But she is relatable as she rolls her eyes at the antics of her tour group. Richard Dreyfus gets the next largest role of substance. He tries hard to work through the jokes and succeeds in most places. What does work is the combination of performances from the supporting cast who make the most of their one-note characters and play out lively situations. The beautiful locations help as well. The scenes are filled with light and energy and it is a pleasure to just look at some of the scenery and ignore the chatter sometimes.

Recommended for an afternoon.

Movie Review : Man of Tai Chi (2013)

2014-01-01T20:58:00.001+05:30

To be honest, the only reason I happened on this movie was because the awesome Iko Uwais was linked to it. He has a reaallyy small part in it, although good things are bound to come his way because of his contribution to mankind (The Raid: Redemption)

This is also Keanu Reeves' directorial debut and a good effort at that. One of his 'Matrix' colleagues - Tiger Chen - is cast as the protagonist. As a small production (not low budget), the movie gets full marks for having its heart in the right place. It charts the journey of a talented Tai Chi martial artist who is tempted and trapped by desire and must fight his hardest battle against himself.

Tiger Chen plays Chen Linhu, the only student of an aging Tai Chi master. He works the competitive fight demonstration circuits and is generally acknowledged as a master practitioner but this fame and respect does not translate into money. Chen's teacher is not too impressed with him, fearing that his violent and aggressive side will never allow him to embrace the philosophy of Tai Chi. Chen is determined to popularise Tai Chi but his day job as a delivery boy limits his dreams and his financial constraints jeopardise his school when greedy developers want to buy the land and demolish it.

He comes into contact with Mark Donaka - Keanu Reeves - a shady businessman who organises fight-to-the-death matches and who is smart enough to realise that Chen is a skilled fighting machine. He pits Chen against all types of fighters in brutal matches that Chen wins nearly every time. The fights offer Chen an outlet to vent his anger and frustration while also sprucing up his bank balance, although he struggles with the concept of fighting for money early on. When he warms to the idea, the law catches up with him and he has to figure out for himself if that is the life he wants to continue to lead.

A moral dilemma packaged as an action movie, Man of Tai Chi is an entertainer. The screenplay is tight, the characters are relatable and the fights are satisfactory - shot stylishly with minimal wire-work.

Tiger Chen may well be a member of that rare breed - an action star that can also act. His performance is surprisingly understated, demonstrates some range and is completely believable. He makes quick work of his opponents although with some of larger fighters one is inclined to overlook some artistic liberties taken.

Chinese stars Karen Mok and Simon Yam plays the cops trying to pin down Mark Donaka - superfluous characters - but perfectly adequate. The movie rests on Tiger Chen because the weak link here is Keanu Reeves. He seems to have gotten carried away and is too many scenes getting ever more over-the-top as the film progresses. Compared to the lithe and wiry Chen, he is not very convincing as a master fighter either. It is not a major drawback though; Keanu's fans should be excited to see him in a rare negative role while his presence ensures that there is a wider, mainstream appeal for the movie.

It is a good directorial debut and will be appreciated by fans of action movies.

Movie Review : Ninja : Shadow of a Tear (2013)

2013-12-15T23:24:00.000+05:30

Ninja : Shadow of a Tear is the follow-up to 2009's Ninja. Scott Adkins is back as Casey, after a trip to the dark side in Expendables 2. He picks up from where he left off in 2009, having married Namiko and leading an peaceful life as the sensei of the dojo he inherited from his father-in-law.

But bad things happen to good people and one night poor Namiko is brutally murdered. Inconsolable Casey is on the warpath. This will see him rampage through three different countries, bring down innumerable bad guys with his bare hands and lay waste to bars, jungles and dojos as he tracks down the villain who destroyed his life.

The screenplay does require one to leave one's thinking cap at home but it is all in good fun. For the most part, the movie plays like the average revenge flick but there is a cool climax that really spices up the story and is a bit of a pleasant surprise.

Regular readers of this blog (both of you) will know of my legendary distaste for wirework. Wirework creates unnatural situations that subvert law of gravity and take away from the beauty of the fight. The mark of a hero is to conform to the laws of physics and prevail against a zillion bad guys. A ninny flying around, kicking at the air can never convey the raw power of a real kick as the foot pounds flesh or properly display the crushing impact of falling over furniture or being hit by sundry objects and weapons. No sir, not cool.

So I am happy to announce, that Scott Adkins is a real hero - or he fights like one. Given the low budget, there are no trick shots or CGI, just plain, old fashioned action. He seems have to performed nearly all of the fight scenes and stunts and that includes plenty of flying kicks, 360 degree flip kicks, fistfights, knife fights, swordplay and bone jarring falls. There is a cool scene where he pummels 5-6 guys in the room, shot in a single take. He is not a guy you want to meet in a a dark alley as two unfortunate goons find out. He is not a guy you torture with hot irons and lock up in a prison cell - as the prison warden finds out. You don't give Scott Adkins a bunch of ninja paraphernalia and grenades and then expect a tea party. Even his friends are not spared a royal smacking when he gets angry.

The performances are tolerable. Scott Adkins doesn't really have much time to emote, which is a blessing because a thespian he is not. His emote-o-meter maxes out at the identical disconsolate, pained look he sported in Assassination Games - and lucked out again with his on-screen spouse. Shun Sugata puts in a sinister performance as the drug lord Goro and Kane Kosugi proves himself to be a formidable fighter in his own right.

In all, a good action movie, well worth a watch. One hopes that one doesn't have to wait for four more years for the next Ninja flick.

Movie Review : Tales from the Dark 1 (2013)

2013-10-21T12:58:00.000+05:30

Tales from the Dark 1

Tales from the Dark 1 is a compilation of 3 horror stories - all by author Lillian Lee, filmed by three different directors. The 3 films are unrelated to each other and are jarringly different in their approach to their subject matter.

The first deals with an eccentric, middle-aged man who cant hold down a job and resorts to stealing funeral urns and ransoming them to the families of the deceased. This marks the directorial debut of actor Simon Yam, who also plays the eccentric. This film is the weakest of the lot with plenty of pretentious imagery and random ghosts that contribute zilch to the story. Think irrelevant visuals of little girls wandering around and crying, a gluttonous ghost who wont or cant stop eating, an elderly grandmother talking to these other ghosts and so on - similar to some of the visuals in 'Thir13en Ghosts'.

The second film deals with a psychic played by Tony Leung and a fortune teller played by Kelly Chen who team up to exorcise the vengeful ghost of a schoolgirl. This one is straight forward, light-hearted and more 'traditional' than the first movie. It also has a decent back-story for the ghost, allowing us to sympathise with her. Some portions are annoyingly contrived though - especially the sequence revolving around the psychic and his son's CD.

The last film deals with another bitter ghost trying to exact revenge on an elderly lady. It starts off with an affluent woman who comes to a 'villain basher' - a person who places a curse on her clients' chosen victims and symbolically 'beats' photos or images representing said victims in exchange for money. Then the story of this woman is abandoned as another young girl approaches the villain basher - a good performance by Susan Shaw -and the story turns into a violent, revenge tale. This film is the most stylish of the three but suffers from a thin storyline that is unnecessarily padded out.

The movie relies too much on filler material to stretch its running time and is not a horror movie at all - zero scares. It is just a set of sad stories where the antagonists happen to be ghosts. Fans of horror movies will be sorely disappointed and most movie-goers should be puzzled as to why this was made into a motion picture instead of a TV series.

There is a companion piece - Tales from the Dark 2 - released a couple of months after the first one; if the entertainment provided by the first is any indicator of what can be expected from the second, one will err on the safe side by skipping them both.

Can avoid.

Movie Review : Metpo / Metro (2013)

2013-07-06T22:15:00.000+05:30

On the heels of 'A Good Day to Die Hard', that features a super-cool chase sequence in Moscow, comes the Russian disaster movie Metro, directed by Anton Megerdichev. Here the action shifts underground to the subway, where passenger lives are threatened when a crack develops in the subway tunnel and the river starts flooding it. The unlucky few trapped in the tunnel must rely on their wits and each other to escape.

One bright, cheerful day, the unsuspecting passengers of the underground train find the trains shutting down, threatened by water from the Moskva River leaking into the tunnels. The trains crash and the people make a run for it. But electric rails and water make for an unfortunate combination and only the few passengers that stayed behind in the carriages are spared this grisly end. The motley group that survives trudges through miles and miles of underground railroads trying to find an opening to the surface. Meanwhile tragedy after tragedy strikes the group as well as the rescue teams and both are running out of time and ideas for survival and escape.

The movie doesn't start as abruptly. There is an introduction to the main characters ; a doctor, his daughter and his wife's lover who are (surprise, surprise) all on the same train in the same carriage. The wife is on the brink of divorcing her dull husband for the dashing businessman because he spends too much time saving people's lives and is not making enough money. On this fateful day, she is not on the train and we have to watch her run around Moscow in high heels, wracked with guilt and remorse, looking for her loved ones.

For the younger viewers, there is a sweet love story that blossoms between a young girl and boy as they keep saving each other lives while trying to escape the tunnel. An eccentric hippie woman and an overweight accountant are the other survivors, the former is annoying and the latter doesn't get to do much. The emotional elements introduced don't really do much for the story, but provide a breather from the relentless disasters striking the hapless Muscovites. I watched the movie with a terrible set of subtitles but the slick pace and good performances from the cast ensured that I did not miss too much of the plot - the story is simple enough to follow. The tension never really lets up and even while we know enough to expect a happy ending, there is an ever present undercurrent that suggests the characters are doomed.

This is a complete entertainer. It is very evident that a lot of talent was involved in making this a technically sound, interesting and neatly packaged product and one looks forward to even more entertainers from the land of matryoshka dolls and samovars.

There is a very good chance that even though you thoroughly enjoy the movie, once you step out of the theatre you would be at a loss to recall specific elements of the story. Yet definitely worth a watch even if it makes one nervous about using the Moscow subway.

Dell Vostro stops recognising the adapter and charging the battery

2013-06-01T12:13:00.001+05:30

The good ol' personal laptop is an HP dinosaur - it has served me for over 6 years now and has taken a massive amount of abuse. That said, it is the equivalent of an automobile held together by duct tape - functional but the sum of its parts is worth way less than each part on its own.

The Office issued me a Dell Vostro 1220 - an uber-basic laptop loaded with security provisions that is halfway decent for word processing, mail-check and a random video viewing. It provides minimal incentive to work on (and that is a very good thing , who likes to lug the monster back home and work after hours). It also has its flaws and plenty of them.

The battery charging for instance - the fickle machine randomly refuses to recognise the Dell adapter provided and this is usually the case when the battery juice has been drained down to under 10% (and when the charging is required the most!!).

Here is a workaround.

1) Get into the Device Manager
2) Disable the Microsoft AC Adapter.

I have been in hassle-free battery charging mode after this neat trick.

I don't really know what the side-effects are, but it has been over a couple of days and the laptop hasn't exploded yet. So I guess this is ok-to-go.

Now to look forward to a day when we figure out how to stop the annoying jumping-cursor effect (the cursor jumps to a previous line in the document and all your text ends up typed there).......

Movie Review : Love Is All You Need/Den skaldede frisør (2012)

2013-03-05T00:00:00.000+05:30

Love Is All You Need

After the Denmark Incident, the Family had decided to boycott all things Danish. It is only recently that the embargo is being lifted and hence this movie. This one is escapist fare for women of a certain age. It has a trite storyline, unlikable characters and gets by on the strength of performances.

Ida’s daughter Astrid, is marrying her beau Patrick, in Italy and their family and friends descend in Italy to participate in the festivities. All of them have some issues that will be addressed in due course of the movie.

Hairdresser Ida has completed treatment for cancer and is on tenterhooks about a relapse. She is at an absolute low - her looks are fading, she is edgy all the time, her children are leaving the nest and her cad of her husband is cheating on her with a younger colleague. Possessing very low self-esteem, she blames herself for her husband’s infidelity and pleads with him to not leave her, even after catching him red-handed in their own living room.

Patrick’s father, Philip, is a British businessman in Denmark who trades in fruit and vegetables. He owns a farm in Italy and is hosting the planned wedding. He is a widower who immerses himself in his work to overcome his anger and loneliness. He is immune to the charms of the women who throw themselves at him but falls for the simple hairdresser, his son’s future mother-in-law.

An assortment of supporting characters tries to enliven the proceedings.

Astrid is having serious doubts about the strength of her relationship with Patrick who is growing distant as the wedding date approaches.

Patrick has spent a lifetime trying to bond with his intimidating father and must come to terms with his identity, perhaps at the stake of his future.

Ida’s husband Leif brings along his scatter brained girlfriend Tilde to the wedding snubbing Ida even as their son Kenneth tries to fob them off in defense of his mother. Philip’s sister-in-law Benedikte has her eye on him and will go to any length to seduce him and secure her meal ticket.

These are meant to be foils to the leading actors, but don’t really add value except to clear the path for Ida and Philip to be together in a non-gross sort of way.

Super-suave Pierce Brosnan, who is aging like fine wine, appears to have wandered off the Mamma Mia set onto this movie. His gruff manner is the only indication that this is a different film. It is an easy role and he tries to bring an earnestness to his character but mostly sleepwalks his way to the bank.

Pretty boy Sebastien Jessen brings a heart breaking helplessness to Patrick although he wears out his welcome quickly as he morphs into the mandatory gay character. It is an easy way out for the writers to breakup the wedding and clear the way for the Ida-Philip story while also being politically correct and all-inclusive.

Molly Blixt Egelind is wide-eyed and fresh as the loving but naive Astrid. Astrid loves to take care of her hair - her roots keep changing color and finally she is all blond at the wedding.

Paprika Steen as the loud and obnoxious Aunt Benedikte brings energy to her scenes but she doesn't have much to do.

Trine Dyrholm is the only reason to watch this movie – she is equal parts vulnerable and vibrant and lights up the screen. Saddled with a weak character, she puts her big blue eyes and radiant smile to work, trying to depict Ida’s inner turmoil and bravery in the face of everyday struggles.

There are many questions left unanswered about why the characters put up with each other in the way that they do. The chief question though is why a professional hairdresser would choose such an obvious, unflattering wig for herself.

There are better ways to spend time than watching this movie, but it is a harmless couple of hours and the Italian setting brings in sunshine, color and cheer to a dull day.

Movie Review : Lost in Thailand (2012)

2013-01-15T15:15:00.000+05:30

Lost in Thailand

Lost in Thailand is China's highest grossing movie for 2012. Three oddball characters face a series of misadventures in Thailand while learning some important lessons along the way.

Xu Lang, a scientist, must convince his boss to grant him sufficient time to research and refine his latest invention - a chemical with the power to increase the volume of any liquid that it comes in contact with.

Gao Bo, Xu Lang's colleague and professional rival, wants to convince their boss to sell this research to a French company instead.

The boss is vacationing in Thailand and has agreed to go with the suggestion made by the colleague that finds him first. Xu Lang takes off for Thailand immediately, closely tailed by Gao Bo. Xu Lang is also in the midst of divorce proceedings initiated by his wife, who has grown frustrated with his workaholic nature and neglect of their daughter. She keeps calling up and reminding him to turn up in court in a couple of days, not quite believing him when he says that he really can't come this time.

While on the plane, he meets Wang Bao, who has brought along a list of activities he wants to undertake - plant a cactus, fight a Muay Thai boxer and visit a spa. He works as a pancake cook and is a bit of an earnest simpleton. Xu Lang tags along with Wang Bao to throw Gao Bo off his trail - but Gao keeps catching up with them. He only has a picture of a shrine where his boss is vacationing and drags along Wang Bao with him to find it, promising to help him achieve the tasks on his list. Along the way Xu Lang loses his money, phone, laptop and very nearly his sanity but he also learns the importance of relationships and re-calibrates his moral compass.

The story is light weight and the movie relies on the chemistry between the characters to move forward. Although billed as a comedy, the only chuckles to be had are from the dazed expressions on the characters faces as they must come-to-terms with the helplessness of their situations.

Xu Zheng - who also the director - is adequate as the uptight scientist, Huang Bo is a decent nerdy, evil colleague and the charming, dimpled Wang Baoqiang fits the simpleton role to a T.

For a debut directorial effort this is a really good movie and a pleasant enough experience although it doesn't quite live up to its 'blockbuster' tag. Be prepared to be assailed by thoughts such as 'is this supposed to be funny?", "was this really a $200 mn grosser?".

Android Wi-Fi Connect Error

2013-01-04T13:44:00.000+05:30

I have had a tough time with getting my Android devices to connect to my wireless router. I cannot figure out if this is a router problem because laptops connect in a flash but I am inclined towards this explanation since I have had 3 devices – 2 Samsung phones and an Android tablet – struggle to connect with the network. I don’t have the energy to keep configuring and tweaking and testing the router settings – but it isn’t like one hasn’t tried.

A rudimentary Root-Cause Analysis brings up the following

There is an issue with the router settings
There is a problem with Samsung phones
There is a flaw in Android
Some/All of the above

Now, one has better uses for one's time than deconstructing the mysteries of the wireless networks and hence has to come up with a quick-fix, 'dirty' solutions to nudge these devices into ‘talking’ to and connecting to the wireless. Needless to say, the router has been switched on and the network password has been punched in correctly on your device.

Samsung Galaxy Ace

There is a nifty, preloaded app called AllShare that helps Samsung devices wireless-ly connect and share media and is based on the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA). Simply create a shortcut to this app on your home screen and always use this to connect to the network of your choice.

Click the icon on the Home screen, OK to connect, Wi-Fi icon lights up after connecting

Do not switch on the Wi-Fi from the Main Screen and then attempt to use AllShare - it won’t work.

This irrational sequencing of rituals angers the elves that leap from the Ace to the Router dragging behind them the diaphanous strands of connectivity that link the Ace to the World Wide Web and they will curse your phone and cause it to bear that Mark of Horror – the Gray WiFi signal

Budget Android Tablet

Things get a little tricky with the tablet. AllShare doesn’t work with it, so a similar app needs to be found – one that allows various devices to connect to a common network (your wireless network!!) and start ‘speaking’ to each other.

Thankfully, the very first app that I tried – iMediaShare– did the job. This app allows media to be streamed across various connected devices and also very brilliantly allows for a seamless connection to be established with the router/WWW, all within a matter of seconds.

Connect to the Wireless network
Switch on iMediaShare
Wait for the glorious Wi-Fi icon to light up and start flashing and the 'success screen' to show up.

iMediaShare Home Screen and 'Success' Screen on connecting to Wi-Fi

Sequencing is the key - if you don't follow my words of wisdom in the order as prescribed, then fully expect to be disappointed.

If you have faithfully adhered to what I have told you to, you can now partayy on the WWW with your Android device. WOOT! WOOT!!

Create a rotating banner / image header for Blogger

2011-12-22T22:19:00.002+05:30

So I wanted to create my own jazzed up header after The Sibling said that the blog layout was boring. I tweaked around some websites, found a bunch of pictures and went overboard with Paint, Snipping Tool, Picasa and Picnik. I intend to keep creating new banner images and have a 'dynamic' header of sorts for a cheery, fresh look. But my troubles had only just begun.

I am no technology whizkid. My eyes glaze over when I come across HTML code. But what I wanted was a steady feed of pictures that would keep the banner refreshed and this endeavour demanded additional effort towards HTML/Javascript/CSS editing since Blogger has no straightforward solution. It took me the better part of a day to figure out how to do this and hopefully others will also benefit from it. I know it is long winded but this is what finally worked for me.

Challenge 1 : Content

I wanted a header/banner that was 1100 pix wide and 200 pix high. So I created my images according to these dimensions. By default, all Blogger images are stored on Picasa Googleweb in a folder named after the blog. I uploaded my images into this folder.

Challenge 2: Identifying the location of the image

I have a separate post on this.

Challenge 3 : Generating code for a rotating banner

Goto http://www.htmlbasix.com/banner.shtml

Banner Code Generator

Put in the required details. I have 3 images that I want to use, so I input those details into the generator. In case the image doesn’t load I should like the blog name to show up, hence the ‘alt text’.

You can play around with the other options. The settings here will produce a banner that is 1100 x 200 pix in size and that will refresh every 15 seconds with one of the 3 images provided.

Hit the ‘Generate’ button at the bottom of the form and copy the code that appears into Notepad.

Challenge 4: Where should this be uploaded on the Blogger page.

In Blogger-> Design->Page Elements, add an HTML/Javascript gadget under the Header.

Add HTML/Javascript Gadget to Blogger Layout

Click ‘Edit’ for the HTML Gadget and paste the code you just generated into the large box.

Paste the banner code into the gadget configuration box

Challenge 5 : Removing margin for HTML/Javascript

By default, the template will include a margin for all gadgets. This will make the HTML Gadget overflow the blog width and look wonky like so. Here, the red banner is the default Blogger Header and the box below it with the seven little girls is the HTML gadget.

HTML gadget overflowing the blog width due to margin

A simple CSS edit will fix this.
In the Advanced potion of the Template Designer, put in the following code in the box

#HTML1{
margin-left: 0px
}

This will align the HTML Gadget properly.

Properly aligned banner with no margin

Since I wanted just this banner on my blog, I removed the ‘Lithium Ribbon (Header)’ box from the Blogger Design.

The End

Now one would think that this could be achieved by using a Picasa feed for the header and playing around with code on the Blogger layout. There are some solutions for using RSS feeds from Picasa, Flickr, Photobucket etc. The Picasa one didnt work for me as all the images appeared horribly pixelated. This is because, the script was referencing the Thumbnail versions of the images and then scaling the Thumbnails.

The same happened when I tried the Slideshow Gadget and I lost patience when faced with the prospect of trawling through the HTML code of the Gadget and editing it. I couldn't figure out how to do that either.

Good Luck with whatever solution you choose to implement.

Casual Games 2 : Galaxy Ace

2011-12-20T15:42:00.002+05:30

I am pretty confident that there is research to show that gamers are better equipped to handle pressures of life due to the possession of superior decision making skills – finely honed while constantly striving to better our game scores. Well, even if there isn’t any evidence of the sort, you couldn’t get me to stop playing and I'd rather have sore fingers than a sour personality just because a little delay somewhere set me off on a bad mood. Some of my current favorites for the Android platform include:

Cooking Dash

The game’s title card calls it ‘Restaurant Cook’. This is a fun time management/dash game with two modes Casual & Time. In Casual mode, you have to prepare and serve your patrons’ dishes of choice within a reasonable time. Some dishes need to be cooked while others (bread) can just be served on a plate. You need to take care that your customers don’t lose patience and that your dishes don’t burn while on the stove.

Casual Mode

Time Mode

Time mode is unlocked after a few levels are completed in Casual mode and this is my preferred variant. You get to serve an array of precooked dishes to customers within a time frame of 2 minutes. So you constantly keep trying to beat your scores while figuring out where on the screen the required item is.

While graphics could certainly do with some brightening up (cute-ning, cut-yfying?), for a free game this provides plenty of entertainment.

Sushi Bar

This is similar to Cooking Dash but focuses on Sushi. The graphics are cleaner and the gameplay is slightly more sophisticated. The objective is to serve up different types of sushi to customers in a limited time. When you run out of ingredients, you need to order more and replenish your inventory. All the while, customers’ patience needs to be monitored and angry patrons can have their frayed nerves soothed with free drinks. You get to open sushi bars in many different locations and each location brings in new recipes and increasing revenue targets.

Customer Order

Recipe flippin'

I learnt about sushi and different animals used in preparation from this one. A pleasant way to kill time.

Block Puzzle

This is a tangram puzzle with Tetris blocks. I needn’t say anymore. There are plenty of free Tangram variants for the Android, but this one seemed a little easier on the eye. This is also a little easier to play since the blocks are already constrained as they cannot be rotated.The game can definitely get a little frustrating if you don’t arrive at the solution very quickly, but it provides a good mental workout and is definitely a better option than getting frustrated while in a queue.

All three games are free to download and play. So, let fun be had by all.

Movie Review : Choejongbyungki Hwal / War of the Arrows (2011)

2011-12-14T16:38:00.000+05:30

Already a massive blockbuster in its native South Korea, this is a gripping, super-entertaining movie that should be played worldwide for more people to enjoy. The script is tight, the performances are very good and the action scenes are highly engaging.

The movie is slotted into the historical action movie genre although I found the historical portions to be incidental. This is a movie about warriors playing cat and mouse with each other, with the hunter and the hunted exchanging roles at every turn. This scenario is played out against the background of the second Manchu Invasion of Korea in 1636.

Nam-yi is fiercely protective of his sister Ja-in and when, on her wedding day, she is captured by the invading Manchu army, he will stop at nothing to save her. Nam-Yi is an accomplished archer and must use his entire arsenal of wits and skills to battle the equally powerful enemy, single-handedly.

Hae-il Park plays Nam-Yi, the heroic archer. Over the course of the movie he transforms from an aimless youth into the liberator of his village from the Manchu oppressors. Although a skilled archer and master tactician, this is not a man who enjoys killing and the anguish and uncertainty in his eyes when he is forced to do so elevates him from a mere warrior to the status of a true hero. It is an insightful and delightful interpretation of an action hero.

Seung-yong Ryoo is a scene stealer as Jyu Shin-Ta, the general of the Manchu forces. He is a cool, restrained, calculating commander who is struggling to maintain his composure as Nam-yi is chipping away his elite warriors (and family members) one by one. This is a marvelous portrayal of a man who is thrilled to have met his match and yet is reaching the end of his tether, frustrated by his inability to do away with the enemy.

Moon Chae-Won puts in a competent performance as the feisty and loyal Ja-in. It is a small role and she doesn’t really have much to do except ‘be there’, although the character acts as the catalyst to the plot. Min-seo Jeon plays the younger Ja-in aged about 7 years. She is utterly adorable.

Mu-Yeol Kim is Seo-Goon, Ja-in’s husband. He is extremely cute as the bumbling, love-struck lad who graduates from goofiness to glory as he leads the villagers into an uprising against the Manchus.

Gi-woong Park is Prince Doreukon, the evil Manchu invader. He has a manic grin and a delighted gleam in his eye as he bubbles over with joy while his forces sweep across Korea to victory. It is a small part, but he makes an impression. The rest of the cast is also very good.

The action scenes are the highlight of the movie. They are superbly shot and suitably thrilling and each time Nam-yi strikes bull’s-eye or escapes the enemy, you want to punch your fist in the air in joy and relief. The conflicts are brutal and often bordering on savage. The animal (death) count is high – deer, dogs, horses and tiger.

Well worth your time and money and highly recommended.

Movie Review : My Kingdom (2011)

2011-12-13T13:30:00.001+05:30

My Kingdom a.k.a Silly men with floppy hair hamming it up.

I did not like this movie. Barring the intricate costumes nearly everything else is wrong with it. The script is sub-par, the leads can’t perform to save their lives and every scene gets into melodrama overload. Neither is it a satisfactory look into the Chinese opera culture nor a compelling saga on revenge and redemption. This is a shame because the eye popping visuals could have elevated even a poor script to something watchable if not enjoyable.

Guan Yi Long and Meng Er Kui are gifted opera performers who must avenge their Master’s humiliation and reclaim the title of “The Mightiest Warrior” from his old adversary. Er Kui is also obsessed with avenging the death of his family at the hands of the former Prince Regent. The lads must fend for themselves as they forge their way through Shanghai. But their desires may lead them on separate ways and ultimately destroy their careers and even their friendship.

The casting is a let down. Chun Wu as Guan Yi Long and Geng Han as Meng Er Kui struggle REALLY hard, but both are completely unsuited to the job. Geng Han seems to continuously channel Tony Leung. It’s an admirable yet poor effort but he is still better than Chun Wu who simply cannot act. He should stick to modeling or whatever his regular job is.

The hair and makeup department appear to have been a free hand in this movie. Both actors are generously caked in greasepaint and that’s not even when they are performing as opera artists. It cannot bode well for a film if you are watching a scene where brothers are warring and you are more concerned about their tears wiping away the thick layers of yellow makeup on their face than the fact that one of them has just broken a leg. Their hair styles are also particularly distracting. I am no expert but I wouldn’t associate the current pop idol flat-ironed styles with Shanghai in the 1920s. The movie attempts to bring in a ‘period’ look but somehow all the sets look very contrived - though extremely beautiful - and more suited to a vintage-themed photo shoot for a decorating magazine than an authentic setting for this movie.

The super-awesome Yuen Biao and Yu Rongguang redeem the movie a little bit. Both veterans have more talent in their pinky fingers than the main leads and it shows. Their presence in the first half promises some hope for the movie. But once Yu Rongguang leaves, the script disintegrates spectacularly and makes for a horrible second half.

Louis Liu is very interesting as General Lu. With his ‘emo’ styling, he appears to have traveled back in time from the 2000s to early 20^th century Shanghai. His military-chic clothing, big hair and affected gestures are puzzling and he isn’t physically suited to the role of a police officer either. But he is very intriguing - whether by choice or by chance one really cannot say. It feels like there was something more to the character but the writer/director/editor lost interest and did away with the scenes.

Barbie Hsu is the saving grace of the movie. As the beautiful object of everyone’s desires, she is suitably conflicted, conniving and cool. Yet when she starts shrieking and screeching in her action scenes towards the end of the movie, one has simply had enough.

Mercifully it is a short-ish film and if you can be happy with aesthetics, you shouldn’t suffer too much but you could still avoid it.

Review : Where's My Water

2011-12-03T15:22:00.002+05:30

Where's My Water is a Disney Mobile puzzle game for the Android platform. It involves diverting the flow of water through a bunch of obstacles so that it reaches an alligator's shower-bath, an alligator that is desperate to take a bath and will whine and bang the tub if the water doesn't flow out on time.

WMW - Title Screen

WMW - one of the levels

Obviously there is a water stream, constrained by gravity, time, pipes, bombs and sand formations. We encounter moss that absorbs the water, pink acid that will turn the water into acid and green slime that will melt into the water. These also have other interesting reactions with each other and the objective of the game is to figure out the correct tool to build the path. Each level also has 3 duckies that need to be dunked in order to score maximum points.

While sometimes you need to take care about having the water flow at particular angles, you don't have to be a physics ace to play this game. Mainly requiring the application of common sense, EVERYONE will enjoy it since it is simple enough to adapt to and complex enough to give you a sense of satisfaction at completing the level. Where Angry Birds regularly builds up the complexity to near-frustrating levels, Where's My Water never compromises on the playability. The graphics are cheerful and bright, music is alright and the game runs smoothly on the Galaxy Ace.

WMW - Levels

Treasures and Bonus levels

I haven't played any other games from the Disney stable previously, always slotting them into the cutesy, kiddy category and was pleasantly taken aback at the quality of this game. With over 120 levels and bonus levels for finding hidden treasures, there is tremendous re-play value. I finished the entire game over two days. Yet, I could still play it all over again to beat my previous scores and not feel the tiniest bit jaded.

I tend to descend into extra-lavish praise of content that really excites me. And since I am unique (just like everyone else!), this means that many of my personal preferences don't often fall into the popular or even mainstream categories. The ratings for this game have consistently been high on Amazon and the Android Market. It retails for $1, delivering excellent value for your money.

Highly recommended.

Data collection for thesis : Pointers, Insights, Dos and Don'ts

2011-11-29T14:59:00.002+05:30

One of my frequent collaborators has had some interesting - bordering on exasperating - experiences while she has been on a survey spree. She took the trouble to distil the essence of her acquired wisdom in order to provide insights into what to anticipate while gathering data for your thesis and pointers on how to manage exigencies. This should be extremely valuable to doctoral students, PhDs-in-the-making who are embarking on this venture.

While it helps to be structured and have a robust plan of action, you should be prepared to encounter uncertainty and bucket loads of frustration on a near daily basis. The key to not go insane, while watching your non-progressing Gantt Chart, is to be flexible and keep your eyes on the prize. Big picture. Perspective. Hold on tight to your copy of Murphy's laws.

Read her views at
http://mitushispeak.wordpress.com/2011/11/28/data-collection-woes-some-dos-donts/

Movie Review : The Sorcerer and the White Snake (2011)

2011-11-27T17:52:00.000+05:30

Don’t be fooled by name into thinking that this yet another cheesy Chinese take on a Hercules/Xena-Warrior Princess mythic storyline. This is a truly epic, awesome fairytale and totally in sync with what I think a fantasy film ought to be. There are monsters, super powers, epic battles, force fields and kungfu.

Abott Fahai is a demon slayer who, along with his disciple, wanders the countryside looking for devious demons to capture. His chief weapons are his faith and his rosary although he is pretty mean with knives, axes and cloaks as well. His idea of torture for the demons that he has captured is, funnily enough, a strict course of meditation and repentance within a cool containment unit in his monastery. When he encounters a simple village medic and his wife, he cannot control himself from unmasking the woman as a demon and sets off a chain of tragic events.

I won’t give away the plot too much, simply because it is so much fun to watch the action unfold. There are no limits to imagination here and while this freedom is not completely capitalized on, it is an exciting roller coaster for the viewer.

One could get into analysis of the underlying themes here, the more obvious one being a greater need for humans to control their meddlesome intentions and controlling urges in relation to the environment and animals. Had the abbot not interfered with the harmless White Snake, the ensuing tragedy would have been averted. Ultimately, the very demon that he despises comes to his aid.

The other undercurrent in the movie is its slant towards misogyny. It doesn’t help that the majority of demons are in female form as temptresses, seducing the men to their doom. We don’t see any women victims either. Even White Snake is fairly uninhibited and sexually aggressive. Clearly the female form represents desire-slash-evil and the abbot-slash-religion is the instrument to curb and subdue their natural selves. White Snake meditates for over a thousand years and is a higher being –in the grand scheme of things - than the mortal abbot. Yet for all her cool, magical powers and sheer force of might, she must suppress her wild nature and ‘accept’ religion in order to truly redeem herself. All this is when the abbot forces his way into her life even though she is not really causing much harm. Despite that, when she finally breaks down and ‘admits’ to her ‘sins’, she is ‘rewarded’ with separation from her beau. Woman, suffering shall be thy lot.

One doesn’t really know if these were unintentional because an adventure film such as this usually doesn’t descend into moralizing. I should like to put that down to my over-trained brain, because I really liked the film.

The movie is awash with digital effects, not all rendered very nicely, especially towards the climax. There is an adorable talking mouse though. Even the wirework can get excessive – though I can’t really stomach ANY wirework in a movie.

Based on looks alone, the willowy Eva Huang shouldn’t have made the cut. However, she is a surprise package. After a few initial awkward scenes of frolicking in the meadows, she gets into the skin of the character and is alternately vengeful and loving as the script demands. She is given a meaty role and is more than a match for Jet Li.

Jet Li has never been famed for his acting prowess. He is given a less demanding role here. As the wry, duty bound, stern demon-slayer-abbot, he is in his comfort zone. He looks the part and completely kicks butt with his own brand of action.

Raymond Lam’s role is undemanding and he is required mainly to play a good-natured foil to both Jet Li and Eva Huang.

Charlene Choi and Wen Zhang have strong supporting roles and I found myself rooting more for this couple than for White Snake and Xu Xian.

In order to make it a truly perfect film (for myself), I would have snipped the ending by about 10-15 minutes. I don’t really subscribe to the (Chinese) view that an individual’s tortuous route to salvation needs to be depicted in excruciatingly, torturous detail. By the time the abbot and White Snake get into their self-actualization states, I was rolling my eyes ready to scream ‘Yes! I get it! Enlightenment has found them”

I would have also changed the ending because COME ON! How could you not.?

However, you get your money’s worth and more with this movie. There is something for everyone and I can’t urge you enough to go have a look.

One of the best entertainers of 2011.

Movie Review : I Don't Know How She Does It (2011)

2011-11-26T14:48:00.001+05:30

Often, the appeal of a film lies less in itself and more in the viewer’s viewing circumstances. You could watch a well made movie – Jane Eyre (2011) comes to mind – and find it uninteresting because you were thinking of the next day’s work deliverables to send out while gingerly massaging that sore point on your spine that was throbbing a little too much after driving over dust paths and rocks to reach your remote factory site. May be that was just me.

Or you could watch ‘The House Bunny’ and LOVE it just because you had a wonderful day and it was a good way to end it with a bunch of laughs. Again this could is a specific personal circumstance.

Hence, I must be indulged when I say that IDKHSDI is a good example of the latter. Having not watched a movie for a long time (a week IS a long time for me), I popped this into the video player with trepidation. Reviews have been overwhelmingly negative, even for a chick flick.

The movie is based on a bestseller chick lit of the same name, hardly a seminal look at women’s travails at balancing family and career demands when published in 2002. With zero to negative expectations, I warmed to the plot and found myself suitably invested in Kate’s problems and her self-inflicted pressures to be everything to everyone.

Kate Reddy is pitching a major investment fund idea to her bosses and she must juggle her increased workload and ensuing travel with the demands of her husband and two little children. No surprises here, there are a couple of obstacles but all goes well and Kate ends up with a promotion AND more family time.

Sarah Jessica Parker is her usual anxious-to-please, likable self here. Forever stuck in Carrie Bradshaw mode, she really seems to have no other approach to playing her characters - which is not really a bad thing. She doesn’t usually feature in intellectually stimulating fare anyway, so when you watch anything that she features in, you know what you are getting yourself into. Here she licks batter off her cardigan, frantically scratches her lice-infested scalp (very realistically I may add), goes bowling in a frock and generally saves the day. The aging process isn’t being kind to her though and she looks a little too haggard here.

Christina Hendricks is the obligatory best friend and Olivia Munn is the stereotypical, driven career-woman. Both are cardboard cutout characters, but the roles clearly are good breaks from their television day jobs for both actresses.

Greg Kinnear and Pierce Brosnan are oh-so-good eye candy. They just seem a little too much for the roles. In a chick flick and SJP vehicle, the men don’t really matter as long as they are hunky and appear suitably impressed and charmed by the female lead’s – often ditzy – antics.

It’s meant to be a comedy but is not very funny. I did smile a bit – more at the moviemakers’ attempts to accurately portray a corporate, investment banker feel by randomly dropping jargon all over the place. Having the actors constantly break the fourth wall was something I didn’t really like as well. I associate that tactic more with television and combining that with SJP, made the movie seem like back-to-back episodes of some a generic TV Show.

In all, it is rather mind numbing and cliché ridden, but it is 90 minutes of watching SJP prance around doing her thing. There are worse ways to spend your time.

Movie Review : Rockstar (2011)

2011-11-13T20:47:00.001+05:30

Janardhan Jhakad wants to be a musician and a legendary one at that. While his talent is unmistakable, his music has neither soul nor passion in it. His friend/manager muses that unless he experiences pain and tragedy, his music will never have the necessary fuel to rise above the ordinary. Janardhan/Jordan sets out to seek heartbreak - and finds it in spades. He loses most everything that he takes for granted – family, livelihood, love – and, in one touching scene, realises that music alone is his salvation if he chooses to give it his all. Yet, when he fulfills his dream, he also realizes that he would give up everything in the blink of an eye for love.

Rockstar aims to be a blend of a love story and a look at what drives talent to succeed and get enmeshed in the trappings of success. The first half takes a look at how Jordan finds his muse and sets about on his calling. The second half is a chaotic mess as we watch how he copes with loss and sorrows, even as his star is on the rise.

It is difficult to reconcile the boy who has known rejection and privation with the rockstar who repeatedly looks a gift horse in the mouth. Sure, human beings are complex characters, yet here we are not treated to sensitive insights on why this man is so. Jordan doesn’t mature over the better part of three years or come to terms with life and too often he resorts to venting his frustration through being rude, violent and destructive. Yet, the lingering question is - does the pain experienced at being unlucky in love truly warrant such a crude display of bad-boy behavior? One too many times we are left with the feeling that a silly, self-centered, rebel-without-a-cause, man-child is posing for the cameras.

The pain he feels doesn’t appear to translate into markedly better music or better writing either. We think of him as less of a musical genius and more of a well marketed artist. As the music company owner declares, ‘image’ matters more than talent, and Jordan’s fame is fed by photo shoots and media coverage of his ‘rebellious’ behavior.

The female lead, Heer is meant to be the epitome of femininity and passion. She comes across as parasitic, selfish, bored and under sexed. The antics that appear quirky, free spirited and rebellious for a college girl simply appear weird for a, presumably happily, married woman. We are not given to understand what exactly she is looking for and why she re-bonds with Jordan who is boorish and earthy when compared to her suave, affluent, understanding husband. If she seeks him out for his ardor, she has few qualms about letting him go and getting on with her life. Effectively, she seems to be looking to have the best of both worlds – hardly an ideal muse for a sweeping love story.

The reason the script begets a deeper look is due to Imtiaz Ali’s name being attached here. He has proven himself to be adept at delivering fresh, intelligent, commercial cinema with well fleshed characters. Here he chooses to ride on the goodwill he has garnered till date by filming a patchy, uneven script populated with unlikable people who are difficult to empathize or sympathize with.

For a musical, the score is a major disappointment. Except for the epic ‘Sadda haq’ the other songs are forgettable.

Nargis Fakhri is lovely, but she is no actress. She must be fortune’s favourite child since there can be no other explanation for her landing the lead role in the face of all the home grown talent that can act in circles all around her.

Ranbir Kapoor is a revelation. He switches between shy, charming, dashing, rebellious, arrogant, spoilt, petulant and charismatic at the drop of a hat. This is his show all the way because Imtiaz Ali mislaid his thinking cap somewhere.

Considering the quality of talent attached to this movie, this was a potential classic in the making. Ideally it should have been a unique affair that could hold its own, anywhere and anytime; it feels immensely disappointing to recommend this movie only because it is a better film when compared to the stuff churned out recently.

Movie Review : Dzhentlmeny udachi / Gentlemen of Fortune (1972)

2011-11-09T14:27:00.001+05:30

Studio Mosfilm’s 1972 comedy Dzhentlmeny udachi was a massive blockbuster on release. Now a Russian classic, it deals with the shenanigans of a group of thieves - gentlemen of fortune - who must relocate an object that their gang leader has hidden away.

A bunch of small time crooks steal an artifact – a helmet belonging to Alexander the Great - from the site of an archeological excavation. They are captured by the police who have a tough time getting the leader to reveal any information about the priceless artifact. They send in a doppelganger of the leader to impersonate him and extract information from his henchmen regarding the whereabouts of the stolen object. The imposter, who is really a soft spoken kindergarten teacher, must adopt the mannerisms and language of petty criminals in order to successfully find the relic. He pretends to have lost his memory and stages a jailbreak. On the way he realizes that ‘his’ henchmen are really simple folk who don't necessarily relish a life of crime and sets about to reform and rehabilitate them.

The movie is primarily a comedy but there are a few dark moments – the most of serious of which occurs when the troubled Gavrila realizes he has let his family down and attempts suicide believing he is beyond redemption. The distinguished looking Georgy Vitsin, who plays Gavrila, brings the despair of the character to the surface. It is an uncomfortable scene for the viewer.

Yevgeny Leonov plays the dual roles of the nasty gang leader and the genial school teacher. He transforms from a kindly character to a sneering, scheming brute with aplomb. He must constantly struggle to maintain the façade of the tough criminal for his increasingly suspicious henchmen and these situations make for funny sequences.

Yet again, this is a movie where familiarity with the native language will make or break the deal. There is little slapstick and only Russian language speakers will appreciate the slang and street language that is generally lauded as the highlight of this film.

Even if you must resort to the subtitles to understand it, this is a pleasant, old fashioned entertainer to while away an afternoon with.

Prayer

2011-11-06T00:06:00.000+05:30

Hail Blogger filter-server
Give us this day our daily protection

From http://bllog.tk
As we forgive this autoblogger

Who strives to corrupt our faith in you
By delivering false pageviews
And stealing our content
Deliver us from spam
Amen

Movie Review : Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (2011)

2011-11-05T13:35:00.002+05:30

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is an exotic tale of friendship between two girls in China. The relationship is initiated formally by their families and the girls themselves continue to nurture the friendship despite their lives leading them on different paths. At its core it’s a tale of a relationship that doesn’t always survive human failings. We are given fascinating insights into the lives of 19^th century women in rural China with glimpses into food, clothing, travel, rituals, ceremonies, songs and of course, the secret language of nu shu. The women must come to terms with their lives. They are constantly on edge, trying to navigate a complex web of relationships that bring much heartache but simply cannot be broken.

It's plain to see that the filmmakers were also enthralled by the story. So much so, that they decided to have it repeated TWICE in the movie – one is the original tale and the other is set in contemporary Shanghai. The same actresses portray both sets of laotong (sworn sisters).

Lily is born into a poor family. Based on the size and quality of her feet after the process of foot binding and also as predicted by the stars, she is destined to marry well and have a happy, prosperous life. In order to kick start her good fortune, she is contractually bound as a laotong to Snow Flower, a girl from an affluent family.

The girls grow to love each other dearly and strive to stay close even when Lily is married into a wealthy family and Snow Flower is wed to a lowly butcher.

It may be unfair to compare the movie to the book. Perhaps if you watch the movie without having read it, you might enjoy it. However, having watched the movie with the mater (who hadn’t read the book) I find that unlikely.

Comparisons to Memoirs of a Geisha are inevitable. The mater found that movie and her subsequent perusal of the book to be vastly enjoyable. This movie didn’t really pique her interest to have a go at the source material. That’s due to the fact that most of the elements that added to the pleasure of the book have been omitted here.

Many of the important characters are given little screen time. The mothers of both girls, their catty mothers-in-law and the matchmaker form a little society of women that keep driving the girls up the wall and pushing them closer, seeking unconditional trust and companionship in each other. All these people are reduced to walk-on appearances in the movie.

The little pleasures each girl derives from the other's company, their annual visit to the temple and fair, Snow Flower’s training in household chores, Lily’s awe of Snow Flower, her horror at the pathetic circumstances that her friend is reduced to and her subsequent rejection of Snow Flower, Lily's inability to derive love and comfort from her gentle husband in stark contrast to Snow Flower's devotion to her brutish spouse, their awful experiences while exiled in the mountains during the rebellion and Snow Flower’s gradual decline into depression on the death of her son are all glossed over when truly, these elements formed the backbone of the story.

Instead we are treated to numerous close ups of the leads staring pensively into space as generic music plays in the background. Three writers have been credited with the screenplay – is this heavily condensed version the best they could come up with for a movie adaptation? It plays like an extended slideshow.

Li Bingbing looks a little old to play Lily/Nina in the characters’ younger years. She has to steer the movie and puts up a good show while playing the long-suffering girl who must look out for her friend.

Gianna Jun is wet-eyed and demure as the tragic Snow Flower but annoying and self-absorbed as Sophia.

Hugh Jackman has an unnecessary cameo as Arthur. If you can be satisfied with that sort of thing, he sings in English and Chinese and looks handsome in a suit.

My opinion of this movie may be colored due to already having read the book. A friend who judged the movie on its own merits, found it appealing. It is possible that the filmmakers wanted this movie to appeal to both Western and Chinese audiences; hence the dual track. So go ahead and have your own take on this.

Watch for exotic elements and a nice story about friendship and sacrifice.

But read the book for a better experience.

Movie Review :The Green Lantern (2011)

2011-11-04T16:09:00.018+05:30

O Green Lantern team! How you have squandered the budget that was so generously made available you and in an economic downturn to boot. Had the cash been charred in a tragic fire instead of being blown up on this, the world would be in the exact same state. Excluding the heartburn of the producers who threw money at this venture, the film makes nary an impression on anyone.

~~I must rewrite the story after referring Wikipedia since I have already forgotten it.~~ While, I wouldn’t want to ruin this expensively mounted project for you, simply put, there’s a giant, smoke-octopus that induces fear in good people and eats them. So ‘The Chosen One’ Hal Jordan must fly his aeroplane, help Carol Ferris sell the plane, think back upon his life and kill the octopus by luring it into the sun. And then every body across the universe wants to be his friend. Well, it may be not as bad as that but does feel like it.

Ryan Reynolds is not a big enough star to carry the weight of this mega-production on his shoulders. He smirks, rolls his eyes, acts macho, mouths unmemorable lines and generally behaves like he is in a Top Gun themed sitcom.

Blake Lively is comparatively more comfortable in her role as a test pilot turned businesswoman.

Peter Sarsgaard was intense and made me feel like he was in a different movie from all the other characters.

Tim Robbins and Angela Bassett are clearly feeling the pinch of the recession having signed on for the pay cheque only.

The visual effects are lovingly rendered – barring the octopus. The travel across the galaxies was fun. The gadgets and aircraft look cool. The octopus, however, is a laugh. It’s just some gas with beady eyes……er smoke, fiery rage in threatening dark cloud format.

It is truly puzzling as to why studios are unable to take a brand that has lasted 60+ years in a visual form, albeit amidst a niche audience, and make a sufficiently exciting popcorn adventure movie.

If I had a penny for every time the death of Bruce Wayne’s parents was rehashed in ANY medium….er I’d have 50 pennies or more. But that’s not my point. Bruce Wayne entertains across comics, movies, TV and video games. That’s not due to the fan relating to a guilt ridden millionaire who plays with expensive toys and has a butler for taking care of his chores. Batman simply works (most of the time anyway) due to smart writing that creates innumerable, interesting variants of the same tale - across media. An exercise that the owners of the Green Lantern brand cruelly compromised on with this movie.

A sequel is unlikely. 10 years down the line, expect a ‘reboot’. The reboot could even take place next year though. No one will remember this one anyway.

Can watch if you have medium-low expectations.

Samsung Galaxy Ace - Screen Capture

2011-11-03T18:19:00.002+05:30

In order to take a screen capture on your Ace

Click and hold the 'Back' button
Simultaneously press the 'Menu'
A popup announces that the screenshot has been taken and saved as an image file.
Navigate to the 'My Files' folder and locate a newly created folder called 'ScreenCapture' on the SD Card. You will find your screenshot in there.

This will work only on static screens. If you are in the middle of a game (Fruit Ninja!!) and press the 'Back' key, it will likely return to the main menu of the game and not provide an opportunity to press the Menu button.

You can find apps (mostly paid) on the Market that will help you take screenshots of games.
Look around and have fun!

Movie Review : Wu Xia (2011)

2011-10-31T20:05:00.002+05:30

Did I mention that I luuuurve Wuxia films? So to get to watch a movie titled Wu Xia sounded like the beckon of the chocolate river to my inner Augustus Gloop. The mater and I settled down for what seemed like the best way to kill 2 hours on a Sunday.

The wuxia genre encompasses stories concerning the adventures of martial artists. This story occurs somewhere in the early 1900s. I like my wuxia stories to be a little older since magic and romance seem vividly plausible at least 300 years ago, but I digress.

The movie started off promisingly enough. Bandits attack the general store that Liu Jinxi works in and when he tries to fend off the bad guys, ends up killing both. Detective Xu Baijiu is assigned to the case and through a series of stylishly presented observations, comes to the conclusion that Liu Jinxi is not really the peaceful village simpleton that he seems.

So far so good.

Then it goes downhill when people from Liu Jinxi‘s past start cropping up and creating trouble. Will Xu Baijiu discard his emotional baggage and make amends for the harm he has caused?

This is another of those movies that seem to be too long by about half an hour. I also got the distinct feeling that 2 directors were involved in making this movie. The first half is styled along the lines of Hollywood noir movies and the second half is based on Oriental themes of family and honor. The styles don’t really complement each other, at least here.

I seem to be on a Donnie Yen film extravaganza of late - Ip Man 1 & 2, 14 Blades, Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen, The Lost Bladesman and now Wu Xia. Unless in his comfort zone of affable, gentlemanly martial arts master, Donnie Yen is not a powerful actor. His expressions are limited and he is at his best when he is flying all across the screen and pulping up the bad guys. When he brings on the emotions and soul searching, the movie is a drag.

Takeshi Kaneshiro was dashing and charming in House of Flying Daggers. As the nervous yet super sharp detective, Wu Xia has some edge and bite when he is around – it is literally a different film when he is away.

Tang Wei as Ayu – Liu Jinxi’s wife – has a small role. She is very believable but – and the mater concurs - she looks too young to play Donnie Yen’s wife. I wouldn’t mind seeing more of her work though.

Jimmy Wang plays the master villain and Liu’s psychopathic father. No way do they look even remotely related - much less father and son - but Liu probably took after his mother. He looks like a plump, ol’ Grandpa but when he unleashes the crazy side – as the poor grandson finds out – not even Donnie can bring him down.

It is not really a new story to make an action movie on. The story leans more towards a man seeking to build a new life for himself but being thwarted. One gets the feeling that the presence of a major action star mandated the inclusion of the fight scenes. Personally, I felt they could have been trimmed down and a bit more of the psycho-crazy included.

The movie was a bit hit in China and I totally get why that’s the case. It is a visual treat - stylish and fresh. The indoor action sequences were amazingly shot and with my limited understanding of early 20th century Chinese clothing styles, I though the costumes also added to the general atmosphere.

Also loved the chase sequence over the village rooftops – wasn’t all wirework-technique-abuse. Please Donnie Yen, tell me you didn’t use a stunt-double for some portion of it.

In all, a good way to spend the evening.

Movie Review : Zookeeper (2011)

2011-10-28T21:44:00.000+05:30

Some movies are amazing and some movies are dreadful. C’est la vie. The Zookeeper falls into the amazingly-dreadful category.

Seriously, how badly can you screw up a story about a clumsy, kind hearted guy who is given advice on his love life by talking wild animals? That premise has CUTE written all over it. Sure, it’s a tired plot and no one associated will win any awards but sassy animals, one liners, bad people getting their comeuppance and the good guy finally getting the (best) girl are what escapism and entertainment is all about - for the major part. But this lemon of a snooze-fest is as dull as dishwater.

Here the script is as cliched as the previous sentence, the animals are unfunny, the special (!) effects are terrible and most of the actors are completely disconnected from what’s going on in the movie. They seem to just wander around, deliver a line or two and stare at Kevin James trying valiantly to be funny and constantly failing.

Rosario Dawson has a smug smile that screams “You paid to watch this while I laughed all the way to the bank”

Leslie Bibb tries hard and almost succeeds at being a vapid, vacuous, gold digger. The guy in the gorilla suit and she are the highlights of this film and that’s hardly a compliment since they should be trying hard to wipe this embarrassment off their resume.

Nobody walks into this sort of a movie expecting award winning performances. Movie goers line up in droves for a fun night out with the family, watching a light-hearted movie with a happy ending. The movie made money for precisely this very reason but it is doubtful if people will continue to patronise the makers after viewing this.

AVOID.