[Book review] Love, That Shit by Chandru Bhojwani

Title- Love, That shit

Author- Chandru Bhojwani

Pages- 143

Cost - Rs 195/-

One day, I received an email from Chandru asking if I would like to review his book. Since I enjoy reading and have no qualms about reading across genre, I replied with a confirmation. Within a few days an Amazon parcel arrived at home with the book in it. All of 143 pages, this is a light read indeed. 

The book opens with a note about how being in Romance is such a euphoria while breaking up is quite depressing, it is a book that goes on to explain why we feel what we feel. Every single person who has ever been in a relationship will be able to relate with this book with ease. 

Extract from the book: Like a rollercoaster, relationships have their nauseating ups, downs, twists and turns... Sure, like a rollercoaster, relationships are also fun and exciting but what happens when the ride isn’t as smooth as you thought it would be?..... 

Now those of us who have been in love know that it is no cat walk, far from it. We go through crazy range of emotions, feelings, mood swings and our entire life goes for a toss.. The pages take us through the journey called "being in love" " the aftermath of a broken relationship" and all that happens in between.  Spread across 23 chapters, each one starting with a witty quote, there are instances where the author has used anecdotes to explain the whole concept to us. The one thing that the author mentions every now and then is that we are not alone, there are quite a few others going through something similar.  

Unlike other self- help books, this book is not preachy, not does it judge you for doing what you do. He has stuck to being general, while making sure the readers connect with all that he says.  There were instances where I was left wondering if it is the author's lessons from being in love, but then shrug that thought away as I move on to the section about single men/women and their attitudes, the different circumstances and situations in a relationship and much more. Oh and he has also spoken in length about matrimony woes, arranged and love marriages, the In law factor and why marriages fail a lot more these days.  Going beyond just romance, he teaches us how to deal with LIFE... 

It was a breezy read, I think I was done with it in a few hours. Quite liked his simple style of writing. But if asked about how the book stood out or was it wow, I would have to say No. For all of us who has been thorugh atleast one relationship, we know what we went through and how we dealt with it. Apart from this, we do have friend/family circle from where we have learnt about different experiences as well.  Do give it a read if you are into the whole Men are from Mars -Women are from Venus or other such books.. 

[Movie] Neelakasham Pachakadal Chuvanna Bhoomi

Last weekend I watched yet another Malayalam movie, this time a movie with a long title, but one that had a beautiful meaning. It was Neelakasham Pachakadal Chuvanna Bhoomi [English: Blue Skies, Green Waters, Red Earth]

Directed and co-produced by Sameer Thahir

Cast: Dulquer Salmaan, Sunny Wayne, Surja Bala Hijam,Ena Saha, Dhritiman Chatterjee,Joy Mathew,Pearle Maaney, Paloma Monappa and Avantika to name a few. But the main stars are Dulquer and Sunny 

Over the past few months, I must have seen close to 10 Malayalam movies and I have discovered they are quite good. Especially since I began understanding the language, I looked forward to watching more of these flicks. Sunday morning 10am show at PVR was what was on the agenda. I reached the theater around 9.45, grabbed a sandwich & cold coffee at CCD and got ready to watch the movie. 

The story is losely based on 2 college guys who head out on a road trip on their bikes. Destination: unkown. Along the journey, Kasi [Dulquer] decides to head over to Nagaland in search of the girl of his dreams, and Sunny joins him on the mission. At every stage, they meet interesting people, come across challenges, are helped by random strangers, leave with lessons learnt from people of small villages, and there is a spark every now and then with the girl in the town they camp in. There is quite a bit of drama, a tinge of humour and a lot of life's valuable lessons in this movie. It basically goes to show that everybody we meet has something to teach us. All we need is an open mind to absorb these points.. 

The one thing that captured my heart in this movie was the cinematography by Gireesh Gangadharan. SImply outstanding. Even though the movie feels long, he kept me glued in with the sights and sounds captured so beautifully. I have never seen our country look so gorgeous and it left me wanting to travel and explore all these places. From the beaches of Puri, to the hills of the North East, the wide highway in the middle of nowhere flanked by red mountains, the visual were breath taking to say the least.  How can i forget the scene where a group of riders help them and take them with the group to Puri. Oh what a sight. Men on bikes- heart stopping !! :D 

The songs and background score was lovely. It blended perfectly with the rhythm of the movie. The songs that stood out were Doore Doore and Thaazhvaaram. The Manipuri actress is so delicate, while Gauri from the small village near Calcutta comes across strong willed, and the surfer chick in Puri the caring one.  But the one who stole the show has to be Dulquer-  He moves between the various roles with ease and grace, be it the playful college kid, the SFI activist protesting against commercialization  the son , the uncle who dotes on his niece and above all, the confused youngster  in search of his goal... 

Overall rating: 4.75/5 [had it been half hour shorter, would have been crisper]  

Missing Varrun by Amar Agarwala

Format:  Paperback
Publisher: Leadstart Publishing Pvt Ltd
No. of Pages: 326

Genre: Fiction

On reading this book, i realized it was all about the beautiful connection between a husband and his wife, a father and his daughter; a father and his son; and a grandfather and his grandson.... it was all about Bridging the distance... Reconnecting with people who mean a lot and about a family that is living in different parts of the world and their stories.... !! 

The book opens with  the protagonist waiting to meet his wife Amaya on her last day at the school. The story then goes towards the home she has created in Ceuta and her circle of friends and family and ofcourse him... 

He hails from Bengal, lives with his mother but through a mysterious act of fate meets this charming Spanish girl, falls in love with her and makes her his wife.. Their love goes beyond religion, nationality, lifestyle and so much more, which is what brings them together and keeps them apart...As their marrried life progresses, they pick up a small flat where they move to, stretching the little money he makes, while she goes on to look for opportunities. And one such lands on her lap, albeit it is in Spain... He agrees, she goes back to her hometown with their 2 children and he visits once a year to spend time with them. Yes, they live apart pretty much through the year...

Living alone, he gives up their apartment, moves back in with his mom and continues to pass each day....    The story weaves beautifully between the dusty lanes of Kolkata and the scenic sites of Spain... The big farewell get together they have at home the day Amaya retires, the way the entire family comes together, their love, connections... As days progress, Amaya tells her husband she wants to return to India with him, and she is sure of her decision... He hesitates, but relents... No sooner does the couple get back together that destiny plays a evil game and Amaya passes away, leaving him alone once again... 

He returns to Kolkata, gets on with his life, all the while missing his wife and his kids and grandson Varrun... The skype calls, the emails and chats continue and so does their life... he reminisces of the children growing up in Kolkata, his son's best friend who is a reason for him to visit once again[for her treatment] and their chauffeur, who has been around forever, who was at Amaya's beck and call..

Amar has woven a beautiful tale via this book, he has managed to capture the emotions and turmoil that people go through when relationships are broken, the difficulties in a long distance relationship and that of a yearning man who wants to reach out to his family but is dealing with life.... Its a good read, and am sure looking forward to Amar's next book...

Mayakkam Enna

So, it was weekend and we were looking at the movies that had been released to see what we could catch... Since my Saturday was packed, we decided to hunt for tickets for Mayakkam enna for sunday.... The only theater that had tickets was AGS, Navalur OMR.. "What the heck, lets go check it out" we said in unison and i went on to book the tickets!!

The ride from Nungambakkam to Navalur took about 40mins, the theater complex is beyond Sathyabama College and Asiana Hotel... It sits majestic but only on entering did we realise it was barren [ empty...] but for the 5th floor with movie screens and the floor below- meant for Food court with 3 outlets..! The theater was huge, but the crowd was a very local crowd.. Infact two guys who came and plonked in seats behind us were DRUNK and belting out all the choicest colourful Tamil swear words!!

We sat back, sipped on our drinks and hoped the movie was worth the drive.....

Starring: Dhanush, Richa, Sundar Ramu and a whole host of others i have never seen before!!
Director: Selvaraghavan

Selvaraghavan and Dhanush have come together to release a movie that is all about a young boy finding his dreams and the hurdles he has to overcome and the people who stand by him through the ardeous journey.... Just that i get the feel Selvaraghavan has this streak in him to mess with people's head along the story....

The Story-Karthik Swaminathan (Dhanush) is a young boy who is passionate about photography, living his life on his own terms.. His friends call him "genius" and pretty much all they did through the movie was sit around drinking and bad mouthing others.... The same happens when Sundar brings his new girlfriend Yamini [Richa] who is met with sneers and flurry of not so pleasing words!

Anyways, back to the plot, Karthik works hard, takes photographs of just about everything that catches his eye, but it fails to give him a break.. He works hard and wants to leave a mark as a photographer.  Though he does portfolio and weddings assignments, his passion is wildlife photography.

Even though their 1st meeting was bitter, for some reason Yamini is drawn to Karthik and tries getting close to him, going on to tell him she loves him and not Sunder..  After quite a bite of drama between the friends, Karthik & Yamini get married. Karthik one day goes to meet a renowned photographer Mathesh Krishnamoorthy [Ravi Prakash], who gives him a project to prove his worth.. Alas, Mathesh kicks Karthik out saying his photographs were crap, but then one day Yamini asks Karthik to pick up the National Geographic magazine in which his very photograph is published but with credit to Mathesh.. This drives Karthik over the edge, he falls down, and becomes mentally unstable- an angry violent drunk young man!!

Yamini sticks with him no matter what, sends out his photographs to every magazine and publication in hope of getting him a break.... Which eventually happens via the Kumudam magazine at an ad agency... 

In between, there is a lot of drama between the couple, the scenes that had me wondering what is up with Selvaraghavan, why does he want to mess with our heads like this? show some gruesome scenes[ a miscarriage, blood stains on the floor] and sights..... But i guess that is the turning point in the movie where even though there is a rift between the young couple, there is a breakthrough in Karthik's life and he goes on to reach great heights....

The movie is painfully slow, very dark [literally- no lighting] in many scenes and sometimes you wonder where the fastforward button is... But one thing for sure, the movie is packed with emotions and drama... 

I loved the locations and cinematography wherever there were scenes with Danush heading off for a photo shoot... The lighting, settings were lovely in those locations!!

But there were some scenes, little things that had me wondering "Why oh why... what do the directors think when they are making the movie...." Do all movie makers assume Audiences are stupid, or that they dont notice these small nuances?

• The maple leaves falling in the forest.... 
• A Cormorant posing for Danush in the middle of a forest 
• The mystery behind what happens to the cars? [in the scene where Danush goes to pick up Yamini who is stranded with a car breakdown in a bus stop and then he runs away the minute they kiss which is interruped by a call from Sundar]

Newcomer Richa has done a good job of being this "stiff upper lip, i have an attitude" kinda girl.... Danush has acted well, essayed the role to perfection i would say.... but this is not a movie for all...


If you enjoy movie about Friends
If you like Danush...
If you have been humming the songs from the movie..
If you enjoy watching people sit around drinking for hours
And if you are prepared for selvaraghavan's style... Go watch Mayakkam Enna!! else, give it a miss!!

Ides of March

Starring- George Clooney, Ryan Gosling, Philip Seymour, Paul Giamatti, Evan Rachel Wood, Marisa Tomei
Directed by - George Clooney

Trivia on ides of March :-

The Ides of March (Latin: Idus Martiae) is the name of the 15th day of March in the Roman calendar, probably referring to the day of the full moon

In modern times, the term Ides of March is best known as the date on which Julius Caesar was killed in 44 B.C. Caesar was stabbed (23 times) to death in the Roman Senate by a group of conspirators led by Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus.

The Movie

The Ides of March takes place during the frantic last days before a heavily contested Ohio presidential primary, when an up-and-coming campaign press secretary (Ryan Gosling) finds himself involved in a political scandal that threatens to upend his candidate's shot at the presidency.

The movie is a thriller that is centered around the political campaign of Mike Morris [George Clooney], the Pennsylvania governor who is also  a Democrat eyeing the President post. Before he can go on to acquiring the President's seat, he needs to win the Ohio elections, where it is evident he needs the support of the influential Senator Thompson (Wright).

The campaign is managed by veteran Paul Zara (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and the younger smart Stephen Meyers (Ryan Gosling). Thompson, the senator seems to be leaning towards Morris' rival Senator Ted Pullman, whose campaign is managed by Tom Duffy (Giamatti).

. Though Paul agrees that Duffy has the “brains”, Paul continues to  maintain that he has the “balls" along with the brains, which is Stephen.  Stephen does what he believes in, unlike Paul who will do anything to WIN... As the campaign progresses, one fine day Duffy invites Stephen for a meeting and offers him a job, which is where the twist in the movie takes place. And before Stephen could share news of this meet with Paul, the story hungry reporter Ida Horowicz (Marisa Tomei) threatens to publish news of the meet about Stephen consorting with Duffy, which he rebukes in return getting blackmailed by Ida to squeal something from the inside...  
 
Stephen gets close to Molly, an intern with their campaign office, eventually discovering a deep dark dirty secret related to Morris... This however does not end well, Molly dies and Stephen then takes this opportunity to corner Morris... 


The Ides of March  is a movie that is slow, but yet paced well.. Every scene has been thought through, every dialogue delivered after much planning.... Each of the cast has done a commendable job, keeping their emotions in check, delivering crisp dialogues and emotions...

George Clooney has held the role of Governor Mike Morris, a politician with a drive to win beautifully.. The interview on TV where he talks about banning death penalty and yet when asked about how he would react if someone attacked/misbehaved with his wife, without batting an eyelid he replies he would avenge her dead and go to jail...  

Ryan Gosling has proved he can take on versatile roles and deliver them with finesse. I recently saw 2 other movies of his- Drive and CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE....  

The movie is based on a stage play, Farragut North by Beau Willimon,  George Clooney and his co-writers Grant Heslov & Willimon (who  had infact spent quite a bit of time working for Hillary Clinton) have beautifully crafted the movie, where the main role has been essayed with ease by Clooney...  

Ides of March Trailer... 

La la la la la lalala la go The Smurfs

I watched The Smurfs yesterday morning with a friend and her son.... The theme song is just so annoyingly addictive, have been humming it non stop since then.... here it is,

Enjoy this, while i go get the Review written!! Oh, and here's the trailor as well :)

Toodle Doo....

Rules Kidaiyathu... 180.. Nootri Enbathu

Couple of days back, 25th June to be exact saw 3 good friends, bloggers march into Escape Cinemas in Express Avenue and get all set to watch the movie 180- Nootri Enbathu... We had all seen trailers, all but me had been tripping on the music and now we were curious about the story, the plot, the acting, etc... 

Cast: Sidharth, Priya Anand, Nitya Menon, Mouli, Tanikella Bharani, Gita, MS Narayana, Laskhmi Ramakrishna, Janaki Sabesh, Sricharan, Misha Ghoshal, Cees Van Toledo, Xango Henry, Manager Cheena аnԁ others
Director: Jayendra

Music: Sharreth

Here is how the movie went... 

Ajay or Aj (Siddharth) is sitting on the foot steps of Ganges river in Varanasi while a small kid performing the last rites for his father plays around with a toy car... We then come to know that Ajay has come to India when he moves into a space in Mouli-Geeta's house.. He pays them 6months rent in advance and says he is going to be there for only 6 months. He befriends the paper boy, is one day seen ironing clothes, the other day racing an auto driver who demands an exhorbidant amount from an old lady... No one really knows who he is or what he is upto? It baffled us to see him throw around money like he was a millionaire and yet not see him do any work.  

One day, Vidya (Nithya Menon), a photo journalist spots Siddharth, is fascinated by what she sees and tracks him down. They get friendly, start hanging out, pretty soon Vidya falls for him... Every now and then we see Ajay go into a blimp, spaced out and lost in thoughts. It does make us wonder what the story behind that is, but we are kept captivated by his naughtiness and liveliness.... 

All is well till Mouli tells Ajay 6months is up and the very next day, he is off with his bags packed, ready to scoot off into the horizon.. And then, there is the photograph that the ironwala kid hands over saying he found it in Ajay's trousers.. 

You can also listen to Rules Kidaiyathu here

The 1st half is quite enthralling, with amazing visuals and fun songs.. The photography is simply wow.. As my friend Gils said, we were getting 3D effect at 2D rates!! :D

Anyways, let me not digress...

Ajay is off to the bus stand when Vidya comes looking for him, to profess her feelings. She chases him on her bike, and as we watch, she meets with an accident.... This is where the past is revealed and we learn more about this elusive Ajay..  Vidya has a spine injury and Dr Ajay kicks into action, taking charge and getting his Chief in USA to be prepared to operate on her. 

His past involves his friend Sam and sweetheart Renuka(Priya Anand). He's a well accomplished doctor in USA who falls in love with Renukam marries her and has a fairy tale life till things take a turn completely. This is the stage where we understand why the movie is called 180. It signifies the 180days he has left to live...  

As he discovers news of his illness, he distances himself from Renuka

Decides to disappear from her life

Packs his bags and leaves the country...................... 

he almost fakes his death and remains invisible to all those he knew in USA! 

And now, because of Vidya's injury he was back in USA... Was he ready to reconnect with Renuka? or will he choose Vidya and start a life with her? Does he live or does he die? The director decides to take us on a journey so long and winding that at the end of the movie, we felt like we had been sitting in the theater for 180hours!!  uff....

My Analysis:
The movie starts off light and fun, but suddenly goes through a tunnel and comes out after what seems like forever. The director got caught and dint know how to cut the chase... Wish the movie was crisper and shorter, more to the point... 

The visuals are amazing... it shows that the director has an Ad background.. The colours, outfits, camera, photography are simply amazing.....  

Positives:

Camera work.
Siddharth, Nithya, Mouli, Geeta, Priya have all acted very well... 
Rules kidaiyathu song picturisation was fun!!
The final Climax.

Negatives:
The story.
Dragging 2nd half

Unnecessary twists...
Overacting in some places... 

Overall rating: 2/5 [merely for the camera work] 

Wait for it and watch it on DVD or TV!!

[Movie] Michael Jackson - This is it!!!

Directed - Kenny Ortega

 

Produced - Paul Gongaware, Randy Phillips

 

Starring - Michael Jackson and his group of dancers, singers, musicians, performers...  

 

This is it released on 28th Oct and was gonna be in Theaters for only 2 weeks.. I was hoping to catch it and i sure did... the last day it was being screened, at Sathyam Cinemas.. And what an experience it was.... !!!

I grew up listening to Michael Jackson's songs and the day he died, i felt very sad... Like someone i knew close was gone... After watching this movie, this tribute, i miss him more..!!  Here's why..

The movie opens to show his dancers and backstage guys sobbing and talking about how much they were looking forward to the shows, and how close they'd gotten to MJ during the practice sessions.. From there, it is an amazing rocking beautiful soulful music filled tribute to the Man himself.. Rehearsals for various songs, dancers setting the floor on fire, the film editing, singing, vocal sessions, and so much more is what we get to see during the 2hr movie...

It's amazing to watch MJ control every nuance of the performance, from the dancers' cues to details in the music that goes unnoticed most times... even how he describes his earpiece hurting -"it felt like "fists in my ears, but am trying to get used to it"... The little "God Bless you"s he says every now and then to his team and to the director.... 

The part when the music director makes a joke about bringing more booty into the song, Jackson sort of walks away giggling like he'd heard a naughty joke. When Ortega tells him that the cherry picker he's on is only on the low setting, he laughs and says that Ortega shouldn't have told him that because Ortega knows he'd just want to go higher. :-)

Be it Beat it, Earth Song, Man in the Mirror, I just cant stop loving you, The way you make me feel, each of the songs shown, each step they practice had us engrossed.... Woww!!! Words fail to describe the amount of effort that goes into a show [ i know this much effort goes into every show, but not many you get to see, right!!?] The footage they shoot for  Thriller is just mind blowing, almost like they've recreated the video as it were... hey were working on and the music video intro shoot for "Smooth Criminal" that uses '50s movies with Jackson merged into it. I am curious to know if Thriller was finished after Jackson's death, because the doc shows him and Ortega watching the screen wearing 3D glasses as it's being filmed, and we're shown a 2D, more final version. 

Audiences are given a privileged and private look at Jackson as he has never been seen before. Michael Jackson's "This is it" captures the singer, dancer, filmmaker, architect, creative genius and great artist at work as he creates and perfects his final show........... It was like watching a live performance, actually a live rehearsal i should say... had me singing along with the songs, grooving to the beats and wishing He was alive.... 

Have never seen my mom so engrossed in a show before.. Infact she called saying - can we go for a movie and when i was browsing through Satyam website, and saw MJ's This is it, i was tempted to ask her, but thought she might not like watching it.. Alas, who would have thought.. she picked that exact movie and said "chk if tickets are there and lets go"... Am so glad!!! She was engrossed it.. completely emotional... Infact i think the entire theater was glued in like never before...  probably the  1st movie where not a soul [ apart from the ones sittig right in the front, they just pay Rs10 and come sit in theater for AC comfort i guess.. most of them look like that ]... Everyone was in their seat as credits rolled on and till the very last word was done with!!!  Beautiful................

Only thing i felt could have been incorporated was his interaction wit others, few words from his family, an interview... something more than just practice...!!!

[Movie] Reel on.. I

The past couple of weeks, work has been good, busy but not crazy busy, so managed to catch quite a few movies.. Indian and Foreign.. Am just gonna go ahead put up the names and a mini review on them...!! :)

Kanthaswamy

Director: Susi Ganesan

Actors: Vikram, Shreya Saran and a host of others... 

Rating: **

A movie that has been in the news forever was quite a disappointment and had way too many frills and fancy stuff.. After 3hr 15min, we walked out thinking had it been for an hour, it would have had quite an impact. the story is also nothing very new, or original, its all about how Vikram and his 10 buddies are the new age Robin Hood, taking from the corrupt rich and giving among the needy....Revolving around the Kanthaswamy temple, it is a movie where wishes made by Devotees on the tree comes true...  Way too many traces of Gentleman and Anniyan is a bit of a spoiler here... !! 

  

Shreya- dont even get me started on her.. Not only does she not look good[ some mite beg to differ..] but Suchi's voice is a total mismatch... Flat with zero emotions... And whoever did dance choreo for Shreya needs to take dance classes.. The best scene acc to me is the Fight in the corn field and ofcourse the En Peru 

meenakumari dance by Umaith Khan.. Her dance, lip sync and movements were soo awesome, i loved it... 

Watch the movie if you are a crazy Vikram or Shreya or Shankar Fan... dont expect too much, you wont be disappointed!!

=======================================

Quick Gun Murugan

Direction: Shashanka Ghosh

Cast: Rajendra Prasad, Naser, Raju Sundaram, Vinay Pathak, Ranvir Shorey, Rambha, Anu menon aka Lola kutty..

Rating: **

Quick Gun Murugun is an unlikely Superhero with sufer Gun powers. A Sincere South Indian Cowboy who considers it his duty to serve and protect all around him. All i knew of this character were the little snippets shown on MTV and the Ennada rascala in Om Shanti Om!!

The movie basically revolves around [mis]adventures of Quick Gun Murugun and his fight with his arch villain Rice Plate Reddy!Not to forget the Rowdy MBA and Mango Dolly who are all part of his clan!! Rice Plate has a bee in his bonnet because he wants to be the supreme overlord of Dosa-makers, and kidnaps anyone who possesses the perfect recipe for making lip smacking Dosas.
 

Though i dint really enjoy the movie, or wasnt laughing my head off, there are some funny scenes , only one i remember is the  take off on Clint Eastwood's 'The Good, The Bad and The Ugly' parodied  in Carnatic mix... A movie meant for those who like Slapstick comedy, and dont mind seeing Southies being ridiculed!! maybe if i were a northie, i mite enjoy it more.. who knows!! :)

==============================================

Ninaithale Inikkum

Director: Kumarvel

 

Actors: Prithviraj, Karthik Kumar, Shakthi, Priyamani 

Music :Vijay Antony 

Rating: ***

Ninaithale Inikkum is a remake of the Malayalam film "Classmates".... Its just a tough guy with a heart of gold Shiva beats up bad guy Vasu. He has the support of friends Shakthi and Bala.

On the other side is Meera , the daughter of an MLA and she opposes Shiva at every turn. Then there's Sethuraman the silly hostel warden, the cook Subramani and a pointless lecturer character who make up the college side of things. Completing the troop is Shali  a quiet Muslim girl, who at the end you see a completely different side to... The story just ping pongs between present and past, making you wonder what you are watching... and if this is the today or yesterday!!! 

Loads of bits and pieces for the audience to remember, until the end where they finally fall into place..
i've heard the mallu original is a beautiful movie, after watching this 2hrs of "makes no sense, songs start off for no rhyme or reason" movie, i think i'll take a peek at the Mallyalam version to understand the story!!! 

============================

[Movies] Offbeat

I buy dvd's, and yes, some are good, whilst others are bad!! I dont read ahead of the shopping expedition... Infact,very rarely do i know what i am going to Buy..

I BUY ---

If the name looks interesting

If the cover is appealing

If i like one of the actors

If i get a gut feel about the movie

If  its a movie someone has reccomended [ these are few and far between] :)

In the latest batch, i had bought this movie called Funny Games... and went on to watch the movie,..

 Director: Michael Haneke

Writer: Michael Haneke (written by)

Cast
    * Naomi Watts as Ann
    * Tim Roth as George
    * Michael Pitt as Paul
    * Brady Corbet as Peter
    * Devon Gearhart as Georgie
    * Boyd Gaines as Fred

 The movie opens with George, his wife Anna, their son Georgie and  dog Lucky arriving at their lake house. Their next-door neighbor pays a visit, accompanied by two young men, Peter and Paul, whom he introduces as friends. The two men begin imposing themselves by coming over asking for eggs, breaking batch after batch, eventually a frustrated Anna demands that the men leave, asking George to get them out. What happens next is what baffled me... Peter breaks George's leg with George's golf club and the two men take the family hostage. 

They force the family to participate in a number of ugly sadistic games in order to stay alive. When some of the other neighbors arrive for a visit, Anna passes the men off as friends until the visitors leave. How they torture the couple, playing mind games with them has us cringing, wondering what is going to happen next!!! One by one, they kill the members of the family, starting with the dog, the last victim being Anna!!! 

It's a thriller movie but very different from the run of the mill ones. Sort of satire, I think. If you're sick and tired of de'ja`vu film-making this one is just for you. 

 =================************* =================

The 2nd movie- Ghosts of Girlfriends Past we saw at my friend Anita's place post the yummy Potluck lunch.... 

Director: Mark Waters

Cast:
    * Matthew McConaughey as Connor Mead

    * Jennifer Garner as Jenny Perotti

    * Michael Douglas as Wayne Mead aka Uncle Wayne

    * Emma Stone as Allison Vandermeersh, the Ghost of Girlfriends Past

    * Daniel Sunjata as Brad

    * Noureen DeWulf as Melanie, the Ghost of Girlfriends Present and Connor's assistant

    * Breckin Meyer as Paul Mead
    * Lacey Chabert as Sandra Volkom
    * Anne Archer as Vonda Volkom

    * Amanda Walsh as Denice
    * Camille Guaty as Donna

I wouldnt call it a Chick flick.

Nor a romcom.. romantic comedy flick

hmmm.. what can we call it??? i dunno!!! 

Connor Mead, the playboy hops from one woman to the other, leaving behind quite a trail of unhappy women... The day he goes to attend his brother Paul's wedding rehearsal dinner , the complete world comes toppling down... Meeting Jenny [the one woman in his life who has always seemed immune to his considerable charm.] after all this time, trying to keep his lusting thots to himself, he finds he is given one last chance by his late Uncle Wayne [who tells him its not too late to change]... He meets one Ghost after another, who take him thru his life, starting with childhood to the future.... 

Through the journey, Connor realises this is the only chance he is going to get, and finally decides to confess his love to Jenny ... The world is then set right and all are happy!!! 

A movie that would have been fun had it not been stretched so much.. it just goes on and on and on and on............................ watch it if you have NOTHING else to do!!!  :)

[Movie] Masilamani

Maasilamani by RNR Manohar

Starring- : Nakul, Sunaina, Pavan, Karunas, Santhanam, M S Bhaskar, Raj Kapoor, Santhana Bharathi, Delhi Ganesh and many others.

Music: Imman

The movie opens with Nakul chasing a man down the streets and getting sentenced to fine or term in jail. Masilamani [Nakul], living in Rani Anna Nagar is not the usual romeo or run of the mill hero. He is a social activist goes after anyone who does wrong, be it a case of eve teasing on the bus, cheating an old couple in a property sale or chain snatching. One day, he catches sight of Divya [Sunaina] confronting some guys who tease her students, and in the process he falls head over heels in love with her.

However, the hunky dory romance hits a dead end the day he causes mayhem at her dance concert, when all he wanted was to meet their area MLA requesting for assistance in clearing up a sewage problem. One look at his angry face and Divya lables him "Rowdy" . She mistakes his character and assumes he is a crook, despising him from that minute on!

Invariably from thereon, everytime their paths cross it is when he is beating someone up or chasing a thief. He even jokes to her about this. Knowing there is no way Divya will love Masi, he adorns the role of Mani, a soft spoken sophisticated guy.

With the help of his two friends, he stages the whole drama and wins over Divya's family and subsequently her as well. This is where,Bhupathi [Pavan] comes into town taking over as the Sub Inspector of Ashok nagar police station. After a run in with Masi, he vows revenge, but is left confused whenever he tries to prove Masi and Mani are one! Infact, the residents of Rani Anna Nagar, where Masi resides come together to establish that Mani is different from Masi. The day Divya decides to test him, a simple text message has his friends jumping into action and helping him strengthen ties with Divya!! It is one amazing scene that leaves us all stumped. So, is the one at the hospital when Bhupathi brings in the Masi's sister's daughter, while Masi is pretending to be Mani and the way the situation is handled deserves a lot of praise.

As the movie progresses, Divya comes to know that indeed Masi and Mani are one. She must now decide who she loves and if she will marry Masilamani!

Laced with sharp dialogues, plenty of action, and romance, the movie goes on tell the tale of how Masi as Mani convinces Divya he is a good samaritan and truly loves her. The entire plot has been beautiful crafted by the director and executed very well by Nakul and rest of the Rani Anna Nagar residents!

With every scene, Nakul has proved that he can act, dance, do comedy and is good at it. Suniana looks beautiful, and there is a certain grace in her acting as well. In certain scenes, she does come acrss flat, but overall good performance. Bhaskar , Santhanam, Karnas and Srinath provide just the right amount of comedy, without going overboard!!

Music by Imman is enjoyable, especially ‘Odi Odi’ track, it is quite a peppy number. The other songs have variety and vigour to keep the audiences glued to the seats; however all of them are a tad too long. Song locations and cinematography was good.

All in all, Masilamani is a romantic thriller, filled with intense moments and rib tickling comedy!!

[Movie] Women and life...

Last week was hectic.... or was it the week before? Nah, i think every week is almost the same story...

Work...Home.. chores... cooking,etc... and well, tonnes of fun weaved between all this!!

Saw 2 beautiful interesting movies... actually saw 3, but this post is about 2.. both related to WOMEN...!! :)

1st one was an Israeli movie called Aviva, My love!  [me and a friend of mine caught this at the South India Film chamber]

Aviva --

Works in a hotel, yearns to write, jots down ideas on a small writing pad

Takes care of her family

Puts up with her jobless husband,

who, she loves, but has been cheating on her [with her own sister]

Cares about her sister and 

wants her away from her abusive husband

[knows she still is secretly in love with her ex boyfriend]

Aviva--

Takes her writing to a famous writer [or rather once upon a time famous, Oded]

Tells her, - he will sell her stories as his

in exchange for a decent sum of money....!!! [ the f@$%  B!@%#] 

A son, confused and lost

A daughter, stubborn but sweet

Another son, glued to the TV....

Aviva ---

Dealing with a psychotic mom

a dad who loves her, but is not respected 

[cos he once cheated on her mom]

A doctor who says -" let me look at you"

in exchange for not being able to pay for her son's treatment...

Finally... Aviva -

The woman, who takes charge of her life

The woman, who finds joy in writing

The woman, who is loved and respected by her family......!!!

 =============================

2nd Movie - The Guitar

The movie by Amy Redford [Robert Redford's daughter] slides through the journey of this one woman - Melody "Mel" Wilder!!! She is diagnosed with a terminal illness, given 2months to live, fired from the job, dumped by the boyfriend. ... 

What does she do ?

Leaves her home... Moves into an expensive Loft apartment for 2mths [on rent], shops like crazy[ all from the comfort of her new home], buys the most expensive materials, fabric, clothes,and everything else you can dream off!!!

Makes friends with Rosco, the delivery man and Cookie, Pizza girl... What follows are the scenes filled with plenty of lovemaking..[all candlelight and exotic linens galore] ....... Melody doesn't connect to people as much as she does to her most extreme purchase -- a red electric guitar she's longed for since her unhappy childhood (shown thru streaks of  flashbacks) .... With sudden realization of how much time has gone by, Melody visits the doc where she discovers-- Thanks to her complete transformation[of life], the tumor knows not where it lives and has gone away..............!! Oh shit, What happens to melody? What does she do with all the stuff? the payments??? watch the movie to know!!! :D

[Movie] Abhiyum Nanum

Most girls i know have a spl connection with their fathers, i do too, though i cant point out one reason why, but its just something that is there.... :)

This movie, Abhiyum Nanum, made by Radhamohan of Mozhi fame is also about the same..A movie that was sweet, cute, mushy mushy and at the same time had a bit of "oh,God, no not again..." :D

[But anyday i choose this movie over Vaaranam Aayiram.. that movie drove me up the wall and over infact!!]

Raghuraman (Prakashraj) comes across another father of a girl child (Prithviraj) at a park in Ooty and they get to talking, which is when he narrates his journey with his dear darling daughter Abhi [Trisha].... He talks about how girls keep giving their dads shocks every now and then , and how fathers grow with their children... 

With boundless love and affection, his life is filled with fresh joy; his day starts and ends with his Abhi. He takes care of everything and ensures Abhi leads a happy life devoid of any worries. As days go by, the girl grows up. The way he comes to terms with her heading off to school on her own, making decisions regarding college with confidence is beautifully depicted... Esp when Abhi (Trisha) decides to pursue higher studies in Delhi, how he tries to convince her otherwise....  Eventually, she persuades him to accept her plans. 

With time, Abhi returns from New Delhi only to give her father a great shock. She informs him of her love for Joginder Singh alias Jogi (debut Ganesh Venkataram), an independent journalist and an economist. The scenes that follow makes us realise Prakashraj is the best choice for this role.. His childish behaviour in refusing to come to the airport, looking at all the guys walking out of departure lounge, and finally his reaction when a Sardarji comes over to say hello is awesome to watch.....

 The dad starts finding ways to distance himself from the girl, alas failing.. all because he loves her too much... The first half of the movie is absolutely wonderful, brilliantly made.... but the 2nd half is where it falters.. yes, the story line is good, and all that, but the songs, scenes towards latter half seem so unnecessary... We almost lose the momentum..

I wonder when Tamil movies will break away from this song and dance mould and start focussing on the story alone!!!

but, a damn sweet movie.... can watch once!!! :)

Books am reading....

 

been reading this for some time now.. but just cant seem to finish it..everytime i pick it up, i start at the beginning.... :) 

-------------------------------------------------------

  

An amazing book.. picked it up cos a friend recommended it, and must say i've not been able to put it down.. got another 20pages to go!! very nice..funny, wacko.. and so insightful!!  

------------------------------------------------------- 

  

Bought it at Odyssey cos it seemed interesting, just started on it!!!  

[Movie] My Sassy Girl aka Yeopgijeogin geunyeo

My Sassy Girl, A movie i had no clues of, and had bought couple of weeks back only because the cover looked interesting.. Little did i know that Bollywood was going to come out with their version of this, titled Ugly Aur pagli ....

Its one of those movies that has you smiling, laughing and gasping every now and then. A light romantic comedy where the lead actors are Gyeon-woo( cute simple looking (Korean pop singer Cha Tae-hyun, in his feature film debut) and ofcourse the vivacious, brash,sweet, genteel girl (who doesnt reallly have a name, but is ref to as Ji-hyun Jun, played by Gianna Jun)..

The movie has three parts... 1st one being the First Half... Second Half and then the Overtime!!

The story kicks off with college student Gyeon-woo crossing paths with a drunk girl in the train station. He then hoists her into the train, where she promptly pukes on a fellow passenger, and before passing out, the girl looks at Gyeon-woo and calls him 'honey'. The other passengers assuming him to be the hapless girl's boyfriend, demand that Gyeon-woo look after her and he takes off his shirt to clean up the passenger's(on whom she threw up)shirt. After carrying her on his back for what seems to be miles, Gyeon-woo takes the girl where he meets destiny... he gets arrested and thrown into jail, where he gets a chance to rub shoulders wit a gang....  Here is where the movie begins, and all the fun unravels...

They meet quite often, coincidence at times, and others is when she calls him and orders him to get somewhere to meet her... She is brash, and a bully at it.. :)  When they dine out and Gyeon-woo orders anything but coffee, she barks her mantra "Do you wanna die?" and then promptly changes his order to coffee. When her feet begin aching from walking wearing heels her mom got her, she talks him to a point where he is forced to switch his comfortable running shoes into her high heels.

Since she likes to write, she subjects him to reading her scripts.. Each one with a twist, but one commonn thread being the girl is from the future..[ In one of the funniest scenes, Gyeon-woo gives her screenplays to a film producer, who winds up getting ill, throwing up minutes after reading it... ]

.. Inspite of her constant whacks and thwacks, Gyeon-woo finds himself hopelessly hooked on this 'sassy girl'. And though the girl seems to relish in humiliating and belittling those around her, it becomes clear that underneath the brash exterior is a wounded soul who holds a genuine affection for Gyeon-woo. She is going through a heart break so deep, she finds herself confused unable to decide....

Their relationship continues in this manner for quite some time, and they are more like friends, except they arent really just friends.... The meetings with her family where her dad drinks a few shot and then Thud, falls on the table... Gyeon woo's mom beating him with whatever she has in her hands, are some of the wacko scenes in the movie....

Towards the last part of the movie, it takes a U turn, adding a bit of twist to the plot... What happens to their relationship... how far do they go or not.. and what is her story are told beautifully... the scenes touch us so deep, that we become one with the characters...

The final scene takes the cake!!!! [noway, i aint given it out...]

Watch it to enjoy it!! the movie runs for nearly 2hrs, which is a rare thing for any movie apart from our Indian ones!!!

Oh and watch this clip... one of the beautiful scenes in the movie... couldnt resist.... :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRNgGWpzmp4

[Movie] Khuda ke Liye - In the Name of God!!

A movie i had been wanting to watch ever since i read about it in the papers and heard raving reviews from my friends... yep, am talking about Khuda Ke Liye, [In the name of God] directed by Shoaib Mansoor ... This Pakistani movie has become one of my favorites over night, and am going around telling others to watch it!! its probably the only movie of its kind that i've seen till date.... 

I wonder why it dint get released in the theaters here?? sad.. i wish more such movies came about....

here is a sneak peek into what the movie is all about... 

It is the story of two brothers, Mansoor (Shaan) and Sarmad (Fawad Khan). Both of l them love music, and have been performing as a team for years now.. they belong to a family who lets them live their life the way they desire, and does not beleive in forcing anything on anyone.... Mansoor is all about music, focussed and knows he is off to USA for a future in music... on the other hand, Sarmad is confused, and that is when he turns towards religion to give him guidance... her is where the movie takes a turn, he comes across the self proclaimed Islam prophet, Maulana Taheri (Rasheed Naz), who turns the soft spoken Sarmad into full fledge Jehadi... 

• Music is against Islam
• Wearing western clothes is also against Islam
• Women should wear a veil

are the messages drilled into him, so much so, that he stops singing, grows a beard, wears only salwar kameez, and even asks his mom to wear a veil....

Things are complicated when their cousin Mary (the beautiful Iman Ali who has acted well, excpet for where she tries for fake a Brit accent, but that fades away against her acting..) arrives from London to spend a few days with them, only to discover that she has been tricked by her father into coming to Pakistan to avoid her marrying her Non-Muslim boyfriend Dave. All this, while he has not been living life the Islamic way, and has a live in relationship with a British lady.... 

Meanwhile Mansoor leaves for Chicago to enrol at the “School of Music”, which is when his life goes through so many changes, that at the end, he does not know who he is anymore (literally). He meets Jani (Austin Marie Sayre), a fellow music student, who he falls in love with, and eventually they get married.. The song they sing together Bhadya ho is absolutely mind blowing...  Around this is when the 9/11 attack happens and one night, he is abducted and interrogated to find out if he was part of the Al Quaeda group.. these scenes made me cry, they are heart wrenching... its almost like every muslim is a terrrorist, and as the cop says "but every terrorist we've come across is a muslim"....  

How the tale goes from Pakistan, to UK and to USA is where the movie stands tall and strong... the battle Miriam( her name is changed to Miriam when she is forcefully married to Sarmad) fights to take revenge on her father and the man who forced himself on her, just bcos the Maulana said he needs to bear a child to prove he is a man is an amazing segment of the movie... This is where, Moulana Wali (Naseeruddin shah) steps in, and takes control of the entire situation , bringing to light what Islam is all about in REAL... 

Few of his dialogues --

“Two men who did the greatest service to Islam in Pakistan, Mahomed Ali Jinnah and Allama Iqbal, did so without a beard and out of the so called Islamic dresscode, in western dress." 

“There is beard in religion, but no religion in beard,”

All this opens Sarmad's eyes, and he withdraws the case against Miriam, and mends his ways, getting back to music...

Shoaib Mansoor does not miss a beat, he does not leave any stones unturned. While all characters have more or less the same significance in this plot, it is Mansoor who is at the centre of it....The grandeur of the Wazir Khan Mosque is simply breathtaking....  and so are the deserted moutains of Afganisthan...


 The movie depicts the lives of those connected with Pakistani society and shows the wedge between the moderates and extremists, it also brings to the fore the less-acknowledged truth, that, Muslims are being viewed with increasing suspicion in the West.

A must watch! 

 

Click here To listen to Khuda ke liye songs, and here to download em.... :)