shut shop

Let me first say that I love Leonardo diCaprio because he's an intelligent actor and does things to save the environment. I still love him after watching Shutter Island because I think he didn't quite expect the film to turn out the way it did. Did Scorsese know what the outcome was going to be? I don't think so, but getting back to the film-- it had a superb beginning and a lousy ending. The story revolves round an island for the criminally insane which is doing experiments on mad people a la Coma etc, and Leo poor boy goes to investigate. The film has a climax on the lines of Sixth Sense, with many juvenile sub-plots going on in between. Watch if you're a Leo fan and Scorcese buff. Don't watch if you're expecting something between the ears. Coz it all comes out a hodge podge of good bad and ugly!

you drive me crazy

You know what they say: take a has-been singer, shove a bottle in his hands, give him some chicks to take home every night and sad songs to sing, and you've got a hit film on your hands.
Now take the same scenario and throw in an oscar winning performance by Jeff Bridges and you've got Crazy Heart, a searingly honest performance by a guy who finally got his due in Hollywood. Crazy Heart has all the elements of a tried and tested formula but somehow just cuts to the chase. You get glimpses of past glory, a man's downward spiral into booze, an intrepid journalist and some heart-breaking country tunes. Surprise package this, but all credit goes to Jeff. He's the man! Can't say the same for Maggie Gyllenhall though who plays his love interest.She's just too affected at times, but I guess some find it alluring. This one's a must watch just for the hero's performance!!

Marriage not for everyone

Also watched another gem Rachel's Getting Married and am prone to say that Anne Hathway is a powerhouse of talent. She got into her role as addict on the rehab route with so much zest that you wonder how its all going to end. She's searingly honest in her performance and almost rivals Angelina Jolie in some of the gutsy emotional angst ridden scenes. Nice! The film too is a colorful take on marriage and multi-culturalism what with shades of Afro beats, punk rock, Indian tabla, Oriental chimes... Interesting I might add to see how it all comes together!

Nothing Cagey about this

I've always liked Nicholas Cage and always wondered why an actor of his calibre wasn't picking up the right scripts... But the other day I caught Bad Lieutenant and find it safe to say that Cage is back with a vengeance. He plays a bad cop riding on the edge, liberal with his fists and with a penchant for anything addictive. Though the film has its highs and lows, Cage is outstanding as man on the verge of desperation. Almost like Leaving Last Vegas but though the aforementioned film was a bit understated in terms of performance, this one was a no holds barred one. Not for the faint hearted of course since some of the degenerate scenes of Cage are really brutal. Almost unnecessarily so at times! But worth a watch anyday!

Murder charge

Kristin Scott Thomas is haunting in I've loved you so long. She plays a woman who gets out of prison after 15 years for a murder. The film is all Kristin even though she does not say much, but the lighting of her cigarette just stays with you. She's killed her six year old child, you realize along the way, and she's remorseless. You figure the whys in the end, so it's a must watch!
I loved the way the film built up though I didn't like the climax. The performance was excellent but I could not buy into the veracity of the last 15 minutes. It somehow robbed the film of its essence!

Clint in your eyes

Wow. How time flies! This year has rushed past and the sleigh bells are upon us once again. Had a a bad movies year. Just no time to catch the best! Did see a wonderful Clint Eastwood offering Gran Torino the other day. It just makes me envy those who tell the story of life and its relationships in a simple, untoward manner. The film was very powerful and covered an entire gamut of emotions ranging from rage to fear to isolation. Eastwood was devastating in his role as a old man with young fists. And the young priest was a complete surprise package. Must watch!

back!!

like they say, the show must go on, and so here i am back from a year and a half hiatus. back to watching the films lying around...
last 2 were slumdog millionaire and a wednesday.
the former was interesting, i loved the music and the kids and the pace. but i was shocked at the awards it picked up. it just didn't seem "that good". then again, the premise of the film makes for an outstanding storyline, so i am hoping the screenplay wins. and the score. about the rest, the direction was impressive, but best picture... i am not so sure!
a wednesday was simply OK. good plot, but it fell apart at times. good performances by the two stalwarts, kher and shah, other than that, it waxed and waned, just couldn't keep up the momentum...

just a forward

To all the wonderful kids who were born in India and survived around the 70's:

First, we survived being born to mothers, some, whose husbands smoked or drank while they carried us. The mothers ate whatever food was there, and didn't get tested for diabetes. They were mothers who did not keep checking their blood pressure or go for special exercise classes before delivery.
We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, or childproof doors on cars, and when we rode our bikes we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking or going out on our own. As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or airbags. We sat on top of our or neighbors car without a second thought.
We drank water from the garden hose or for fun imagined it to be a captured snake. We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and no one actually died from this. We would share a dosa, dip a chapatti into someone else's plate of curry without batting an eyelid. We ate sandwiches with pickle on bread and raw mangoes with salt and drank orange squash with sugar and water in it.

We ate at roadside stalls, drank water from tender coconuts, ate everything - bhel puri to bhajias and samosas, but we weren't overweight because WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING - We jumped on each others backs shouting 'kity-kity' & went places in rented cycles & fixed its chain if it came out, on our own. We had no gadgets, we just hoping-goed & batting-goed & sometimes turned our sofas & chairs into 'land' and floor into 'water' or put 'jolly' dots on our palms and sometimes got 'statued'. We celebrated with 'same pinch' and 'new pinchs' with buddies & felt joy.

We would leave home in the morning and play all day during the holidays, we were never ever bored, and we were allowed freedom all day as long as we were back only when the streetlights came on. No one was able to reach us all day by mobile phone. We got drenched in rains, made paper boats, got pleasure from imitating croaking frogs, catching tadpoles and cutting earthworms. We touched street dogs & adopted their pups. And we were O.K.

We swam with an inflated tube which we got from somebody who was replacing their car tyres. We ran barefoot without thinking about it, if we got cut we used iodine on it which made us jump. We did not wash our hands ten times a day. And we were OK.

We did not have parents who said things like "what would you like for breakfast, lunch or dinner". We ate what was put in front of us and best of all, there was never any leftovers. We knew our cousins & our friends family well and had un announced lunches there. We never said to them "Thanks for having me over at your house to play" yet we were not dubbed "manner less". We had birthday parties at home & not in a party hall. The same B'day menu of cake, wafers & Thums-up still excited us & there were no return gifts, yet we looked forward to a friends birthday.

We fell out of trees numerous times, got cut, broke bones and teeth. We ate fruit lying on the ground that we shook down from the tree above. And we never washed fruit. We had a bath using a bucket and mug and used Lifebuoy or Hammam soap. We did not know what shampoo and conditioners meant. We sang along & recited all the 10 TV ads that came only before start of a program and enjoyed them as much as the program. All converged on Sunday time pass by watching Magic Lamp or Hindi movie on a black & white TV.

Yet this generation of ours has produced some of the best risk-takers & problem solvers ever! The past years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!
Those were the days my friends, those were the days !

bang of brothers

watched diehard 4.0 and thought that bruce willis still rocks. the film had some great action, with lots of extra sound effects. it was fast paced and the chemistry between the male protagonists was really good. willis seems to have a way with kids. all his films which feature him saving the young ones have all done well if you've noticed.

pitter patter

its raining outside and i am so thankful for that. had just about enough of the heat and i do love the rains. it makes me feel like finishing all the books i had kept aside for a rainy day. am currently reading shantaram which i love because it talks about the bombay i knew. leopolds, colaba causeway, gateway if india, reminds me of the late night sojourns with old friends. don't usually like reading books set in bombay but this one makes me nostalgic. also saw shrek 3 just to keep my movie quota up. wasn't bad at all. tried watching kevin costner's postman but it was just too dark, but then his films on the future of civilization usually are! looks like he used the same set as waterworld here. on the desi side watched honeymoon travels which i loved, bheja fry which i liked. i say liked for the latter coz i am a claustrophobic kind and any film shot in just a living room makes me want to scream for air. but it had a good script and great acting.

nachos?

watched nacho libre the other day. and though i found it mildly annoying, i had to watch, since i am a big fan of jack black's humour. the movie has some great shots, though i didn't get too taken up by the script... probably because it revolved around boxing, which i completely hate watching!

also saw an inconvenient truth and would recommend it to everyone i know, especially those who care about the environment. al gore makes a good case for the perils of global warming and the earth as he sees it 100 years from now. enough to make you switch to cycles instead of cars, and plant trees in all available corners. ominous, but an intelligent watch, though gore's detractors claim he is making an unnecessary hue and cry!

happy feet is for smiling happy people so if you're smiling and happy at the same time, you can take a look at it. the penguins make for a cute star cast, though their walking styles now remind me of a lot of my childhood buddies who have simply let themselves go!

cruzing thru

managed to catch volver the other day. from the little i saw, penelope cruz was quite impressive, more beautiful than ever and with varied facial expressions. she has come a long way from the bimbette in woman on top. i didn't take to the movie though, felt it was a little loose in parts. but the story was interesting, about a woman who comes back from the dead to make changes in the living. interesting!

oscar fever?

ok so i saw kate winslet shed all her clothes and get nominated for an oscar in little children, i saw ryan gosling give a heart-rending performance in half nelson so much so i have transferred my loyalties from leonardo to him... i saw helen mirren get all royal in the queen and transferred my compassion from diana to her!
(little children by the way is as bizarre as suburban america can get, and if you like that kind of paedophile-is-your-neighbour thingie, then don't miss it.)
the queen meanwhile makes you think twice before marrying into royalty, so don't watch it if you are about to marry your prince charming.
and please watch half nelson. it's the saddest story about a brilliant teacher hooked on coke and his favourite student who finally ends up selling it to him to make a quick buck!

ruled out?

liked these 2 New Rules for 2007:
New Rule: Ladies, leave your eyebrows alone. Here's how much men care about your eyebrows: do you have two of them? Okay, we're done.

New Rule: When I ask how old your toddler is, I don't need to know in months. "27 Months." "He's two," will do just fine. He's not a cheese.And I didn't really care in the first place.

over to leo

i'm really hoping leonardo di caprio wins the best actor oscar this time round. i thought he was awesome in departed and have yet to watch blood diamond but i am sure he will not disappoint.

also think little miss sunshine is a great film since it works on the one premise that i find most reassuring: keep it simple.

they kept it simple and i was in splits at the end. very clever!!

no kidding?

i have been busy helping a friend set up a playschool for kids between 2-4 and through teaching them i have learnt so much about human behaviour.

when i first started out i was quick to divide the group into the ones that were irritating and those that were cute. had a lot of experience with this albeit for a slightly older age group.

soon i realised that there was more to the irritating behaviour than what met the eye. so i decided to closely observe the parent that came to pick them up each day. and soon very soon i quit getting irritated with the kids. i just transferred the irritation to the parent, usually the mother in this case.

lesson no. 1: we are what we come from.

realized that parents are becoming more adept everyday at creating monsters. then when its too late they ask themselves why their kids are in disarray!!

like so many of the kids keep banging their heads...this is sometimes due to an under-stimulated environment or just to recreate the act of rocking that they enjoyed as kids.

similarly, if a kid is showing aggression or has just knocked someone over out of spite, the trick is to give your attention to the one that is injured making sure there is enough drama to indicate that something very wrong has taken place. the villain of the piece should ideally be given time out or taken to another room and made to understand that he will qualify for timeout each time he decides to play bully!

i am trying all this out on adults now and have found that it's working brilliantly.

each time someone irritates me now, i take much longer to react since i try to make myself understand that its not the person to be upset about but where he comes from... read spouse/ home/ work etc.

its back to school for me!

tick tock

is greatness really in the genes or does it get diluted with each passing generation? only recently i chanced to meet the great grandson of Lokmanya Tilak and i thought that i would get the feeling that comes when you're in the same room with a slice of history. but what i saw was a young, handsome man, sitting behind a huge desk, with a black and white portrait of his famous ancestor over him, looking perfectly, well, uncomfortable!
that same week i heard tushar gandhi on TV trying to justify why his form of gandhiism didn't make an impact on politics. and i was left wondering... often one's place in history is only about good timing.
the beatles were a hit coz they were at the right place at the right time. would they have made as much of an impact on people if they had appeared earlier or later? similarly there are so many great people in our midst today who will remain unknown coz, "their timing is not right".
which brings me back to the old saying:
There is a time for everything under the sun..
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant.
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to tear down, and a time to build.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to be silent, and a time to speak.

haves and have nots

there are different kinds of people you meet today: the ones who are in synch with their lives and those who are not. the latter are usually the ones who are living the eternal lie. yes, they are seeing new places, trying new restaurants, trying new designers, redoing homes. but look into their eyes and all you can see is intense boredom.
only recently i met a friend who had had a life altering experience read divorce and she seemed to be scared. even though she had a great career ahead of her she looked scared. the loneliness scared her, and the fact that she might live really long with no one to chat with on a rainy day.
but then again i have met so many people in their 50s and 60s who even with scores of kids are completely alone. and they have the same fear. the fear of being alone.
in fact, more women today are showing signs of insanity very early on purely on the premise that they will die all alone. while men handle it by becoming irritating, women try to get past it by acting strong and in doing so, lose it along the way thus alienating themselves even more as no one wants to be with them.
the one thing that cheered me on was a single friend of mine in her 50s who told me that she was looking around for a good retirement home where they have yoga, meditation, and interesting people to spend the last few years of your life with. supposedly a place like this actually exists! so even if it attracts a band of very loony people, at least, there will be a method to the madness? and lots of hope for everyone who dreads the fact that people today are living well into their 90s... all alone!

top dog

does a higher education really matter when it comes to reaching the top? i don't think so anymore. all you need is clever packaging and you can rise faster than the froth in your beer glass. but of course, staying there is another matter altogether, and this is where those degrees come into play. i have encountered many bright chaps who have pulled off a top spot but haven't a clue about managing people or themselves after reaching there. all they do is surround themselves with people less fortunate than themselves to feel like they belong. but in effect, they don't and they know it.
then again, what degrees can't touch is experience, and that's for another post. till then...

deeply depp

Films I caught.
Water: Brilliant cinematography. Lisa Ray was superb, so was Seema Biswas. It was a chilling tale of widows in the pre-independence era. And it was done unpretentiously, with no holds barred. The child widow (i don't know her name) deserves an award for her sensitive portrayal of a girl child banished from the external world on the death of her aged "husband". Simply unforgettable.

Pirates of the Caribbean-Part 2
I have always wondered why Hollywood never gives Johnny Depp his due. He was flawless in Finding Neverland and he is once again flawless in Pirates- Part 2. In fact, I preferred this to the first part. Depp had various emotions running across his face, and so did Keira Knightley. Clever scripting!! Also, the villians of the piece were tres extraordinaire, in fact, the entire package was completely spectacular. Some of the fight sequences and action scenes were outstanding, and very very creative. I really liked!!

Blue
This is a part of a French trilogy. There's also White and Red. The latter has won countless awards. They are all stories of liberty, equality, and fraternity. Told through the eyes of ordinary people, and everyday dilemmas. Blue is about a woman who has to deal with the sudden death of her child and husband. How she shuts out the world is cleverly scripted and executed. It's the little things that stay with you, stark symbolisms, that foreign films love to explore! Bollywood should try it someday -- less talking, more acting!

click flick

you know how we are always talking about the photgraphs we have shot, the hills, the sunset, baby's first smile etc. but what if we were to write about all the photographs that we didn't shoot? images that weren't captured because, well, the camera was too far away.
this site is far more interesting than any photography site i have seen because it revolves around the images that got away... like i recall so many instances where i feel i should have clicked a picture-- it mostly had to do with people's prized expressions-- but unfortunately the camera wasn't near at hand! i should have written it down "his eyes were narrow slits, his cheeks had sunk in, and the mole between his right eyebrow and forehead glowed menacingly..."

bread of fresh air

mumbai never ceases to amaze. it always offers you whole packages which is what makes it different from the service sectors in other cities. like it is the only city i have encountered that has a lounge bar also selling a range of exotic breads.
so people who have downed a couple extra on a saturday night can in their hazy states throw some breads into a basket for a late sunday brunch.
the brown breads and pink magaritas both hold equal sway, which makes it all the more interesting... talk about innovative night-outs.

dreams unlimited

Two films really got me thinking last week.
One was Requiem for a dream, the other The Sea Inside.
They were both so riveting that I feel it is not right for me to say anything about them just yet. they are both still sinking in.
The first one shocked me. it hit me right in the stomach.
the other, left me bedazzled.

i have never seen a more beautiful film perhaps. and it amazes me to say that maybe i never will?

The Sea Inside will always stay with me whenever i think about film making being intuitive. you just need to believe in what you are telling, and show it in a manner closest to your heart.

that's pure for me.

storylines:
requiem for a dream: it's the story of america and its addictions to a better life no matter what the price. it's not just the very young who are vulnerable here, but also the very old. finally it is about a descent into madness to keep addictions alive. at the cost of love, sanity, and most of all, self esteem.
shocking, scary, and absorbing!

the sea inside: don't think i can do justice with my five liners here, so i will not say much. it's the story of euthanasia, and a man bedridden for 28 years who tries to find somebody kind enough to kill him off! how he escapes from reality without moving an inch is a marvel to watch!

rang de viggo

Being Cyrus: very irritating. don't know why this film got on my nerves, but that's exactly what it did, much to my bewilderment. it was very good in phases, and so irritating in the rest, that it is all i remember of the film. irritation!! i think dimple really overacted, naseer, was wasted, saif did nothing noteworthy... the only ones who i liked were the guy who played the old father, boman, and simone singh who was understated and a relief. so what was all the brouhaha about? "path-breaking" and "indian cinema has arrived" were what i kept hearing about this thriller-in-patches. not in my books, it was not! you see countless such "dark" films on star/hbo between 2-4PM if you take a day off and stay glued to the tv screen. one saving grace: good soundtrack!

rang de basanti: oh-mi-god! another letdown. it didn't even come close to dil chahta hai. where was aamir the powerhouse? i searched for him everywhere, through the fields and the college campus, but i couldn't find him anywhere. what i did find was another gem, but then again, i couldn't find his name. he was anupam kher's son in the film and i think he did a fabulous job. soha too was endearing, and a complete natural. she looks like she was born to act. the film had some excellent moments, like the blokes jumping from a height into the pond below etc. but i found parts of the story unrealistic and difficult to believe. for one, would any political party in the heart of delhi have the guts to beat up a peaceful procession carrying candles, and put one old lady into a coma? i don't think so!! similarly, i don't think the last scene of the film made any sense. the cops just start killing the boys without finding out if they are ALL armed? wouldn't they enter into a dialogue with them first? ask them to surrender, or some such thing? given the fact that they are live on air!! i dunno, but this film on the whole was very unconvincing. the music was good! thank god.

history of violence: they say bad things come in threes:) hmm. brilliant first half. stupid second half. that's all i can say. viggo mortenson was terrible. he was like a flop porn star all throughout. no expression. just waiting for the next love scene to appear so he could start acting again. the story had an amazing start, in fact, it was fast-paced and snappy for the first hour, but then it disappeared into an abyss of mediocrity. a happy loving mcdonald-like family is shattered by a piece of unexpected violence. now you can do wonders with a plot like that. but no. the film has to go and get all entangled in its own web. the end leaves you amazed -- you can't imagine that something so right could end up so wrong!!

tagged!!

i have been tagged by mindcurry.

5 people who top my shit list..... and why:

1. People who are nice on your face and bitch about you behind your back
2. People who can't bear to see other people do well
3. People who put other people down in order to look/feel good
4. People who pass snide remarks out of insecurity
5. People who look around for people to blame when things go wrong


5 Guilty pleasures:
1. Sleep
2. Dessert
3. TV
4. Daydreaming
5. Tuning off

5 things I never want to forget:
1. My friends as a journo
2. Bandra
3. The first time I walked into my present home
4. Living on my own
5. Discovering the magic of cinema

5 things I wish to forget:
1. Bad friends
2. Bad jobs
3. Bad films
4. Bad bosses
5. Bad moves


5 exotic dishes I have tried ( most were exotic coz of the people who made them, otherwise have tasted better in random restaurants)
1. My grandmother's mutton curry
2. Stuffed Bombay Duck at Gajali, Santacruz
3. Mother-in-law's prawn wadas
4. Stuffed bhangra at Calangute beach
5. Vindaloo at a Goa wedding

5 most valued possessions
1. my memories
2. my downloaded music
3. my diary as a schoolgirl
4. my crucifix from fort aguada
5. my patience

it was men-to-be

The Constant Gardener: There's not much to say about Ralph Fiennes in The Constant Gardener. The movie happened each time Rachael Weiz walked in, and paused each time she walked off. No matter how hard Ralph tried to pull off the subterfuge, the jealous husband, and the weed puller, he couldn't get the camera to fall in love with him, as Rachael unintentionally did. She was provocative, honest, and completely impassioned in her role as the vociferous activist for the down-trodden in Africa.
As with most other movies set in Africa, some of the shots were heart-rending, others kept reminding you of India.
The plot weakens in places, but it manages to keep you spell-bound with the rest. Not to be missed. Especially the politics of the giant pharamceuticals in under-developed countries. It's enough grist for the NGO mills.
Walk the line: Joaquim Phoenix, that's what the movie was. But yes, Reese Winterspoon won the Oscar for her role as his one and only love interest. Phoenix was Johnny Cash all the way, the way he swaggered, hung his guitar, or twisted his facial expressions. His love-sick moments were quite commendable, the drug battle even more so. There were so many parallels here to Ray Charles -- both men lost a sibling at a very young age and blamed themselves for it, were very very unfaithful to their wives, and pursued drugs for a good night's sleep. The only difference was that Ray married the right woman, and Johnny Cash the wrong. That's what made their music so impassioned?

killer looks

Munich: In the aftermath of the tragic slaying of eleven Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics, a secret band of highly trained agents is formed to track down and kill the men responsible for the murders. As their mission unfolds, its repercussions begin to take a psychic toll on Avner, the group's leader.
Astounding performance by leading man Eric Bana. His piercing eyes stay with you throughout as he goes down the torturous path of the mastermind seeking revenge on the terrorists. Each kill is a treat to watch, and every single character is masterfully put together. I would watch this film more for its performances than anything else. I still preferred Crash, and Brokeback to it in terms of entire packages. One thing it does manage to do is switch scenarios artfully, from english to french to middle eastern... Interesting!!

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!!

purrfect man

I have been tagged by Mindcurry.

Rules of the game are...

1. The tagged victim has to come up with 8 different points of their perfect lover.
2. You need to mention the sex of the target.
3. Tag 8 victims to join this game & leave a comment on their comments saying they’ve been tagged.
4. If tagged the 2nd time, there’s no need to post again.

Sex of the target :
Male (in this case)

The Perfect man

1. A Comic- he should possess the ability to laugh at himself once every day

2. A Maverick- he should not have to rely on tried and tested formulas to live his life

3. An adventurer- he should not be afraid to take risks, or lose

4. A solutions provider- he should be able to come up with a solution on the fly, ones that work of course

5. A believer- he should have one passion which he will do anything for, which is non-work related

6. A bit of Bond- he should be a lover of gadgets and intelligent design

7. Aesthetic- he should have an eye for beautiful things

8. Medicine man-he should have a cure for all my ills, physical/mental/spiritual

8 and a half- he should juxtapose all his TV watching read cricket/WWF with my ha-ha-ha serials

two of a kind

m night shymalan has an interesting take on people. in unbreakable he puts forth a theory that for every individual on this earth, there is an exact opposite. so for every evil black guy out there, there is an honest to god white man to keep the balance. and everyone should make a concerted effort to meet this personality if only to get enlightened on how the other side works...
the concept is quite intriguing, it gives a completely new twist to the tried and tested "opposites attract".
like, i always wonder, are all people in a relationship really at diametrically opposite ends of the spectrum? i for one don't think so. i think two people who come together are arguably more alike at the core than they would like to believe. and i'm referring to relationships that make it here.
which is why one is often caught wondering "what do those two see in each other?" see being the operative word, they are actually seeing things you and i can't and never will see. that's why some of the unlikeliest couples make it while the ones you thought were "made for each other" don't!

worldly wise

ok...so now mans world has decided that there are just too many single women doing the rounds of clubs and bars looking for men who come in presentable packages. and they have stepped in with a TV show that will tell men that shoes, watches,and fingernails are what will find them a companion for life. so naturally, business in parlours, watch outlets, and shoe shops, is booming. and why not?
which brings to mind a thought... what women look for in men is 2 accessories, and one body part--well trimmed and packaged. so what do men look for in women? the reverse? 2 body parts and one accessory? he he. anyone up for "woman's world?"

flick pick

movies i caught up with:
transamerica ***
brillant performance by felicity hoffman. great in desperate housewives, she excels here as the man opting for surgery to become a woman. in true grit and spirit, she delivers a fantastic portrayal of the trauma and suffering transsexuals experience in their quest for a better life in a gender-friendly body. Must watch.
Matador**
Watch this if only to see pierce brosnan deliver a volatile performance as an assassin on the brink of a nervous breakdown. though the film as a whole wasn't spectacular, pierce is completely astonishing...never would have thought there's this much hope for james bond!
syriana*
written by the guy who wrote traffic, one is sorely disappointed by the disparate characters. though it all came together in traffic, coz the plot was so riveting, the sheikhs and their oil in this case, didn't quite have the same impact. george clooney was somewhat Ok, though i don't know why he won a globe, and matt damon was poker faced. should be renamed sorryiana...

why madonna rocks

heard her new single "hung up" the other day and since it has been ages since i have listened to madonna, i didn't quite know how to react to it. pop songs are no more my listening pleasure but this particular one brought back the memories of a red-lipped madonna wearing lace and garters, looking wild, as she gyrated. it also brought back images of college socials in the middle of the day and enthusiastic DJs called chris and ryan falling back on La Isla Bonita to rev up the crowd.
hung up has some great tempo, and you kind of get hooked on to it real quick, even if you are well past the disco stage/age.
i distinctly remember moving to the beat the whole song through, even though i was in the midst of serious work! that's madonna for you.
she may not be able to match J K Rowlings in writing children's books, but she sure can give beyonce a run for the booty...