six secrets

"I have Six Stalwart Serving Men,
They taught me all I know,
Their Names are What and Where and When,
And Why and How and Who."
--Rudyard Kipling

After ascertaining the methods etc. of a process, by using the 5 questions of What, Where, When, How and Who, question each and every detail Why?... Why?... Why?...
This is the secret of creativity.

risque?

Risks

- by Janet Rand


To laugh is to risk appearing the fool
To weep is to risk appearing sentimental
To reach out for another is to risk involvement
To expose feelings is to risk exposing your true self
To place ideas and dreams before a crowd is to risk being called naïve
To love is to risk being not loved in return
To live is to risk dying
To hope is to risk despair
To try is to risk failure
But risk must be taken, because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing
The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing,
is nothing and becomes nothing
They may avoid suffering and sorrow, but they
cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love, live
Chained by their certitude, they are slaves; they have forfeited their freedom
Only a person who risks is truly free

good and bad

Capote: More tears are shed over answered prayers than unanswered ones... thats how Capote ends. The story of the unscrupulous author of In Cold Blood who shocked most around him with his provocative remarks is worth watching if only to see a realistic portrayal of the author by actor Philip Seymour. The film is a mix of thriller, drama, love story albeit a bit skewed, and history. If Seymour's voice begins to grate midway, clench your teeth and keep watching. It's a telling tale about how people will go to any lengths to get what they want only to realize that perhaps they shouldn't have wanted it in the first place!

Broken Flowers: A man in his 50s gets a note from an ex-lover saying they have had a a son, a fact that she has kept hidden from him for 20 odd years. She doesn't disclose her name which gets the aging hero into a tailspin as he begins the long voyage of visiting all the girlfriends of his past to see whether they fit the "bill".
bill Murray here is fantastic, the film as a whole is not. One thing to glean from this is that no matter how much we try to alter the art of filmmaking, closure will always be number one priority for audiences all over. They need to know that the two hours they spent on a story has been wisely invested. Which is why when you see a film end, too philosophically, giving nothing away, you are left wanting. That's not a nice feeling to have either in real life or reel. Which is why Broken Flowers is a great story but not a great film. Sadly! Since it had so much potential. Watch it if you are a fan of Murray's poker-faced expressions, and clenched-lip sarcasm.

black, white, and shades of gay

since i am in the process of hurriedly catching up on "the best films of 2005", here are my next 2 entries:
Crash: absolutely loved it, thought provoking, it brought to the surface the simmering rage between blacks and whites in america. without being preachy, it maintained the racy pace without once going overboard. one word to sum it up -- clever!!
Brokeback Mountain: don't know why it keeps reminding me of Bridges of Madison County. it's the same kind of love story that extends 20 years, set in breath-takingly beautiful countryside, with one of the protagonists dying in the end. Madison County was heart-stopping, can't say the same for Brokeback... though the performances between the two gay men here was as good as it gets, the film as a cohesive whole didn't do much for me. why has it got a nomination? well, now that gay marriages have been legalized, on screen gay romances might just seem the order of the day!!