[Movie] Frozen

I love animated movies, and there are quite a few I love, but the one that I absolutely adore is the latest- Frozen. More than the movie, the plot, I am in love with this adorable character in it- the snowman called Olef...

Here are two adorable videos featuring Olef from the movie.. 

:D

Siya Seth Decides to Die by Sneha Mehta

Siya Seth has committed suicide. After her death, she decides to bare it all, telling the world her story. Siya, a school girl [17 years of age] was a victim of parental abuse since she was 8. Though she tries doing everything possible to gain her some peace and comfort, her hidden secrets keep haunting her, not letting her rest, driving her over the edge at the end. 

Review of Siya Seth Decides to Die...Pages 255. Rs 100

Publisher- Diamond Books, Delhi

When i 1st read the title, i was taken aback. Made me wonder if the author had been inspired by Paulo Coelho's Veronica Decides to Die, but as i read through, i realised this is fairly different.  

The opening lines -

“Life sucked me dry. I felt like a diagonally parked car in a parallel universe. People rolled up, collided, had accidents, and recovered; while I lay bruised. externally and internally. Seen and unseen. I committed suicide. For my own good.”

had me engrossed.. Though i kind of knew where the story was headed, i was curious to see how Sneha's novel would be... 

Siya seems to be a a regular teenage rebel, one who is very bold, and yet on other hand she is coming to terms with adulthood, trying to deal with changes in her physical appearance and inside of her. She goes on with life, with only a best friend- Reva.  

Although she has it all, Siya does not seem to live in peace. There is something that is haunting her, giving her sleepless nights and endless nightmares. She even dates the good looking Randeep, which does not sit well with her best friend Reva. She bunks school, bribes a policeman in Marine Lines, bluffs her way through the day, visits a man who is proficient in Past life related issues, who claims to heal her soul for just Rs999. But, none of this seems to help... And we, the readers wonder why?!

Siya is a depressed teenager who has a dark secret buried deep inside her heart. She is depressed, lonely and sad. She is also stinking rich, an only child and has servants attending to her day in and day out, so nobody can understand why a filthy rich and good looking teenager could be miserable. As readers we do know it has to do something with her dark secret.

No prizes for guessing what Siya’s dark secret is..you will know it if you have read the blurb on the back cover of the book, or if you read through the 1st 50 odd pages.  The book starts off strong, but after a while makes us wonder where it is headed. Siya takes her own sweet time in revealing the truth, and what was really going on in her life, and why she committed suicide. 

The abuse, the victim and the culprit, the emotions running high and the society's role in all of this could have been highlighted better. I felt the plot kind of fizzled out after a point, and the extent of Siya's trauma dint come through the pages.  Also, there were quite a bit of grammatical errors and typos here and there, which the author and editor should spend time in polishing! 

But hats off to Sneha for taking such a sensitive and prevailing issue and attempting to bring it out to the world!

About the Author

Sneha Mehta is a student of organizational psychology and a freelance writer. 

[Movie] A Christmas Carol

Its gonna be a week since i saw this movie, so thought its about time i wrote about it...  A Christmas Carol , the last show was what we managed to watch, that too Sunday morning 9am show.. Can you beat that? And we feasted on it in 3D style~!! :-)

Starring: Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Bob Hoskins, Robin Wright Penn, Cary Elwes, Fionnula Flanagan

Director: Robert Zemeckis

Did you know that A Christmas Carol is actually a book by Charles Dickens? I discovered that piece of trivia only recently, and was mighty curious to watch the movie to know more...

 In Disney’s A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge is not a man people want to be associated with, they hate him- for his grumpy attitude, misrely qualities... He shouts and bah humbugs at everyone who wishes him Merry Christmas!! His partner at work has recenlty passed away!!!

He returns home on Christmas Eve only to be confronted by a series of ghosts. They take him through life, showing him various scenes involving people around him and how their lives are. How difficult his clerk's life is, and how inspite of all that, and the pittance he earns, he praises Scrooge during the Christmas meal... Each of the ghosts teach Scrooge a lesson - about hiimself, about how others view him and what he can do to change his fate....

The part where the ghost takes him to his nephew's place where the dinner party is being hosted is beautiful...  How his own nephew mocks him, bringing to light what people actually think of Ebenezer and the effect these playbacks have on him is the bottomline of the movie....   We saw it in 3D, and there were scenes with snowfall and i could literally feel them on me.. wanted to put my hand out and catch a few.... !! A beautiful tale of how people's attitude changes the minute your approach/outlook/attitude alters is what the movie teaches us....

It is a children's movie, but meant for adults as well, there are quite a few scenes that kids just wont understand... But i was amazed at the boy sitting 2seats from mine, his dad next to me.. the kid was full of vigour and was literally narrating the tale to his dad [who sadly wasnt too interested in the movie, but was more into his phone...] :-)

[Movie] The Soloist -"Based on a True Story."

Director: John Wright

Cast:

Jamie Foxx (Nathaniel Anthony Ayers)

Robert Downey Jr. (Steve Lopez)

Catherine Keener (Mary Weston)

Tom Hollander (Graham Claydon)

Rating: ****3/4

The Soloist opens with Los Angeles Times Columnist Steve Lopez (Robert Downey Jr.) riding his bike down a slope and crashing head first on the ground.... But the real story begins when he meets Nathaniel Ayers (Jamie Foxx), a talented musician who's been playing a two-stringed violin while living on the streets and battling mental illness[hears voices in his head] ...Instantly drawn to Ayers’s passion for music, especially Beethoven, Lopez begins to write a series of columns about his new acquaintance while attempting to get him off the streets and perform again.

The lady who sends the Cello she has used for 15odd years before Arthritis confined her to a chair, and how the Cello rides to Lopez is a beautiful scene... The way Nathaniel looks in awe at the New Cello, how he does not want to let go of it are heart wrenching scenes...  Amidst numerous achievements and setbacks, Lopez and Ayers develop a friendship based on mutual respect despite their many differences, and Lopez rediscovers his humanity.

The movie uses sound and silence very well. Two great examples are a flaming car passing Nathaniel’s window in a flashback during the race-riots and Steve jumping into his fancy car to escape the sights and sounds of the homeless around him. This is a perfect way of showing two different worlds.

The voices in Nathaniel’s head give us an insight into how frustrating life must be for him but there are too many scenes with people sitting listening to him play. The sequence with neon colours flashing on screen while an orchestra performs has quite an effect on the audience...

The driving force behind this movie is, without doubt, the lead actors in the form of Foxx and Downey Jr as they prove to be a powerful combination. Foxx is left to run with his character of Ayers, whose only desire is to play music, and his performance is every bit as good as that in Ray.

Jamie Foxx- with his eyes darting, head bowed down, wacko sense of dressing, anger on a low simmer, doesn't cheat in his portrait of Ayers' illness. Something inside him will always remain unreachable. Downey's eyes finally come to reflect that acceptance, capturing the film's heart.  

The Soloist isn't about Big fancy moments, a fairly slow movie, it leaves you wondering what happens next... even after switching the DVD off...!!  beautiful is how i would describe the movie!!

[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!!! :)