I’ve updated the Best Films by Year page with the Top 10 movies of 2005. Looking back I see some really good films in the Best Films of 2005 ; Paheli, Sarkar , Sehar – you name it we got it – The Best of the Best ! Desi cinema sure is going places. Check it out to see if your favorites feature in it !
Categories : _films , _film_reviews
I’ve been reading short stories lately, and here are links to a few famous ones online :
– The diamond necklace (Guy de Maupassant)
– Hills like white elephants (Hemingway)
– A clean well-lighted place (Hemingway)
– A good man is hard to find (Flannery O’Connor)
– The open window (H.H.Munro)
Some good links to read more short stories on the net are :
– Classic Reader Website
– Storyglossia website
– East of the Web
Some special effects, like those wings on earthly angels are eye-popping. An interesting watch.
“Eulogy” (2004) on the other hand is touted as a “hilarious” comedy, about a dysfuntional family whose patriarch has suddenly died, thereby summoning all the children under the same roof, for the last rites. So, the siblings gather, along with partners and kids, and discover that the old man, even though dead, has more secrets in store. And while this is not rip-roaringly funny, it has some good gags. Not my first pick in the video store, but if you’ve seen the rest, you can see this one.
The above protagonist fundas go for explaining why as a kid, I totally abhorred Nancy Drew, disliked the Hardy Boys, but found the “The Three Investigators” interesting. Nancy lived in a nice home, was good-looking, mature, kind, understanding (oh, kill me now !), had a handsome boyfriend, and a rich lawyer father to boot (he was the one who provided Nancy with new cars whenever the old ones got stolen etc.). Ditto for the Hardy boys (reverse the gender). The 3 investigators were, granted not poor, but had limited means, they biked everywhere – not old enough to have licences. Definitely not rich, they didn’t have familial support for detective work, and pretty much depended on their smarts to see them through.
Anyway, coming back to “BB”, it reminded me of “Judge Dredd”, fragmented and slow-paced, at least in the first half. Actually I think a faithful translation of the comic format, it doesn’t work well in cinema. This really begins from the very begining, really taking you through Bruce Wayne’s life as a child, his fear of bats, the death of his parents and the problems he faces thereafter. Liam Neeson was a misfit, I thought, but Michael Caine was perfect as Alfred. Parts of the story seemed very theatrical, and far-fetched, but on the whole an OK watch for Batman fanatics.
Take for example “The Great Indian laughter Challenge” which has as it’s judges Shekhar Suman, and the odious Navjot Singh Sidhu, and as it’s hostess the beautiful Parizad Kohla. Now this is a comedy show targeted at a family audience, aired at prime-time. While Ms. Kohla is indeed beautiful, would it be too much too ask that Suman and Sidhu keep their wolf-whistles to themselves ? On one show that I watched, Suman and Sidhu called her a “pataka”, “phuljari”, “sonyo”, “malai de golyo”, and went on ad nauseum about how she stirred their senses. These are (in case you didn’t get it) Hindi and Punjabi adjectives which border on the offensive/sleazy and should not preferably be inflicted on show-hostesses. I’m not sure Ms. Kohla appreciates being subject to this kind of adulation on camera, although she keeps the smile firmly plastered on her face.
It is a problem that 2 grown men, with wives and kids no less, can behave like little boys eyeing candy, and apparently not offend any sensibilities. Is it OK now, to make salacious comments at women ? When exactly will we get offended ? When such shows air on TV and are watched by the millions that do see these programs, what kind of an image of “culture” do they project ? Suman and Sidhu are apparently unaware that this is sexual harassment and should Ms. Kohla call them on it, she would have sufficient proof.
Some guys I talked to about this, advised me to cool it, after all it is a joke, they aren’t doing it in seriousness. Apparently we all should cool it, until the specter of our sisters/wives becoming show hostesses and being subject to such treatment, emerges.
On another note, take “Super Sale” which recently changed it’s hostess from Neeti Mohan, to a more statuesque Ms. Tur (don’t know her first name). I would term this show also a “family” show, where the nicley-dressed but oomph lacking Ms. Mohan fit nicely. Ms. Tur on the other hand, while full of repartees for Khan’s comments, comes dressed more often than not in mini-skirts and mid-thigh concoctions. Khan often makes comments on her “hotness”, although couching it in comic terms. How this makes sense on a quiz show who’s contestants come from the middle class, and often comprise women, I’m not sure – but apparently sex sells. If this is to appease the male section of the audience, where is the female audience appeaser ? Should we campaign to replace Khan with a more visually appealing version ?
One of this year’s awardees is 25 year old MIT student Gauri Nanda, who invented Clocky, a clock which can run and hide. It’s a furry looking contraption, with 2 wheels, which help it roll and hide (everytime in a different place) once the Snooze button is pressed. Ms. Nanda’s inspiration comes from pet kittens which would bite her toes forcing her to wake up.
Also among the 10 awardees are E. Cussler and B. Gettelfinger for their research into the confounding mystery of whether “people swim faster in syrup or water ?”
The online dictionary defines ignoble as :
1. Not noble in quality, character, or purpose; base or mean.
2. Not of the nobility; common.
I am not sure who this program targets – the super-duper rich of India, the stars, socialites, the Page 3 people, the ones who need guidance when buying that 5th or 6th car to stock up that 10 car garage ? Is Star One beamed to only such homes ? Honestly, I have no problems with the content if that content is honestly potrayed. But to purport to be a fashion-passion entertainment guide for THE man, when all it really is is prettied up advertisements for extremely expensive products, is a farce, and chock-ful of artifice.
Actually shouldn’t really be complaining – haven’t we heard the same thing, only targeted at women for ages ? So now men too are climbing onto the bandwagon. Then, what really is the problem ? It’s vague, amorphous and takes different forms, but it encompasses all those programs, books and magazines, which sell you the look, an external look and the message that upon gaining the look, hitherto unlocked doors will open and the poor schmuck will gain entrance into the upper echelons of whatever he/she is aiming to get into. Yes, clothes (and bikes) maketh the boys. But only marginally so. Brains and common sense maketh THE man.
My problem is not with money either. It is an important accesory, that which makes the world go around. It is the flaunting of money, and the in-your-face distinction that “MMM” makes between the haves and the have-nots that churns my stomach. With programs like “MMM”, India and it’s populace seem to be on the fast-track to commercial consumerism. It’s like flying without having walked first. In it’s unabashed marketing aimed at the super-rich, only-the-moneyed-can-be-cool attitude, and it’s unashamed puffery, “MMM” makes itself odious and the bane of sane television.
This is the first novel by Khaled Hosseini, and I’d describe it as stunning. And I actually mean stunning – I’m not saying it for effect. Once in a while you read a novel where the prose is so clear, that each word has impact, and you can see the events unfolding before your eyes. The “Kite Runner” is one such. Hosseini’s language is not overtly florid, but he describes things very skillfully. The story ofcourse is compelling and the novel develops beautifully.
The story is told from the narrator, Amir’s point of view (first-person). Amir is the son of a rich merchant in Afghanistan, and good friends with Hassan, the son of their domestic servant, Ali. Amir is Pashtun (higher class) while Hassan is Hazara (lower class). Also Amir is Sunni while Hassan is a Shia. Both boys are motherless, and spend time playing and kite-flying, where Amir flies the kites, and Hassan is the “runner” (the one who runs to fetch kites which have been cut down in kite-duels). Hassan is a good and loyal friend, while Amir though good has a weak streak. Stiuations develop which test this friendship, and change it, and the story wends it’s way through Amir’s growing years, his journey to America, and his one final return to Kabul.
I guess a novel that moves you to this extent has many powerful events (and I don’t mean world events, wars etc.) describing people’s lives, and all the tumult and the pain these events bring. People with kids, please be warned that “Kite runner” has some passages which are heart-wrenching and saddening to read. Still, one of the best books I’ve read, I highly recommend it.
Technorati tags : kite runner, khaled hosseini
Categories : _books
Recently seen English films :
– Crash
– Longest Yard
– Sahara
– Monster-in-law
– Guess who
– Coach carter
The “Longest Yard” is a “TT” film. There’s a good guy, there are bad guys, and we root for the good guy as he rubs the villain’s nose in the mud. Nice ! Besides I like Adam Sandler, he exudes a down-to-earth attitude combined with a quirky sense of humor. “Sahara” is an adventure, very Indiana Jones like, where the protagonists hunting treasure atop a sunken ship, fight the villains in different locales interspersed with the blowing up of boats, encounters with fighters on horses, and the firing of an age old (couple of hundred years) cannon. Again of the TT variety.
“Guess who” and “Monster-in-law” were the hammier films, on dealing with issues of color, and obnoxious kith and kin respectively. Watchable but only just. “Coach Carter” was the heart warmer, based upon the true-story of an African-American coach trying to rouse his community to a better future, and willing to stand by his ideals.
