Posts
We were out shopping and D wanted to buy a new strap for his Timex watch, which he had bought in India. The strap he selected and got fixed to his watch cost $7. This was enough for S to see the lighter side - "7 dollar watch ke liye 7 dollar ka strap," he said, getting us into peals of laughter. D said, "Come on, its not 7 dollars, it cost me around Rs.600." S promptly replied: "So what.. It would have depreciated anyway... Still, strap = half the price of watch!"
Such conversion tactics never work. The value of goods is skewed if converted for every small thing, so the best is to compare value with goods from the same country. Then it works out perfectly.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Google Reader - 2 convenient buttons(bookmarks)
I use Google Reader to keep in track with the zillions of posts fed to Nittians.com, but I started it out to keep watch on my friends.
I found two useful buttons(bookmarks).
The first one is a 'next' bookmark, which upon clicking will take you to the next unread item(the actual page itself) in your Reader; you don't have to visit the Google Reader homepage to find the next unread item.
This option is found in the 'Settings>Goodies' in Reader, under the 'Put Reader in a bookmark' section. You have to drag it and put it in the bookmarks tab(or bookmarks folder if you don't have one).
The clearest advantage of this bookmark is that you will visit the actual page of the person you've subscribed to, giving it a 'personal touch'. However, if you have subscribed to a news feed, this is not a good choice, instead you can use the other option available: you can bookmark only for certain tags. This option too is available in the same section I mentioned earlier.
The second useful bookmark is the 'Share' button with which you can add a webpage to your (Google Reader's) shared page with a click of a mouse, adding any notes if required.
It can be found by clicking on the 'Notes' link under 'Your Stuff' on the collapsible panel on the left side in Reader. Again you have to drag the given link to your bookmark toolbar(or folder), and upon clicking it when on a page will give an option of sharing by including any remarks or 'notes' you want to. Here's a picture to help you better:
Hope these two help you out in some way.
I found two useful buttons(bookmarks).
The first one is a 'next' bookmark, which upon clicking will take you to the next unread item(the actual page itself) in your Reader; you don't have to visit the Google Reader homepage to find the next unread item.
This option is found in the 'Settings>Goodies' in Reader, under the 'Put Reader in a bookmark' section. You have to drag it and put it in the bookmarks tab(or bookmarks folder if you don't have one).
The clearest advantage of this bookmark is that you will visit the actual page of the person you've subscribed to, giving it a 'personal touch'. However, if you have subscribed to a news feed, this is not a good choice, instead you can use the other option available: you can bookmark only for certain tags. This option too is available in the same section I mentioned earlier.
The second useful bookmark is the 'Share' button with which you can add a webpage to your (Google Reader's) shared page with a click of a mouse, adding any notes if required.
It can be found by clicking on the 'Notes' link under 'Your Stuff' on the collapsible panel on the left side in Reader. Again you have to drag the given link to your bookmark toolbar(or folder), and upon clicking it when on a page will give an option of sharing by including any remarks or 'notes' you want to. Here's a picture to help you better:
Hope these two help you out in some way.
Google's 'favicon': I like the old one better
Google have changed their 'favicon', i.e. the icon displayed on tabs and in the address bar in Firefox 2 and in IE7 (I wonder if it is displayed in the older IEs?).
From the capital G taken from their "Google" to a lower case blue coloured g from the same font, it does not have the same imperial feeling it used to.
Old icon
New icon
A search yielded only 2 results; looks like only a few have noticed enough to document it.
I prefer the older icon. The new one may seem stylish but.....an upper case character plays more on the mind than a lower case one.
I guess it is a permanent fixture, but I would love to imagine that it is only a temporary change.
:'-(
From the capital G taken from their "Google" to a lower case blue coloured g from the same font, it does not have the same imperial feeling it used to.
Old iconA search yielded only 2 results; looks like only a few have noticed enough to document it.
I prefer the older icon. The new one may seem stylish but.....an upper case character plays more on the mind than a lower case one.
I guess it is a permanent fixture, but I would love to imagine that it is only a temporary change.
:'-(
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Copying and pasting content from other websites to your blogs is wrong
I have noticed that many folks copy content from other blogs/websites and paste them wholly, without a return link.
You should know that this is copyright infringement, especially when the websites have specific copyright statements, you could be breaking a law. For example, take the BBC's copyright policy from this page:
"In accessing the BBC's web pages, you agree that you may only download the content for your own personal non-commercial use.
Except where expressly stated otherwise, you are not permitted to copy, broadcast, download, store (in any medium), transmit, show or play in public, adapt or change in any way the content of these BBC web pages for any other purpose whatsoever without the prior written permission of the BBC."
Sometimes it is very tempting to share something interesting, but copying and pasting it verbatim is not the answer. What should be done(from what I have noticed on many websites), is to quote some of the relevant text and give a link to that page, like is done on this page.
Another way to look at it is, would you like for the content you write on your blog with your creativity and talent to be copied elsewhere without proper reference or attribution? Please, avoid copypasta. Instead you could provide commentary on that piece, like its merits/demerits or explaining the effects it would have on you/the community in general.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Firefox extensions I use
One of the pillars of Firefox's popularity is the number of extensions that can be installed, giving the browser a powerful functionality. Listed below are the extensions I use, ones I have installed but have disabled and finally ones I installed and then uninstalled(with links).
In current usage:
1. WeatherBug
A weather display; I found it to be better than the ones from ForecastFox and Weather.com.
2. Personas (Scroll down on that page)
This gives a background to the browser
itself; the pictures should explain it better.
(I removed a Bookmarks folder toolbar for these snapshots and resized the window; the toolbar is usually placed just above the tabs)
There are a lot more options to choose from. The Personas option is visible in these snapshots as the image of the fox on the bottom left corner on the status bar.
3. Hyperwords
This is a convenient set of sub-menus available in the right click menu,
which have most of the search options we do on text on websites - image search, video search, Wikipedia/Wikitionary/Dictionary search. Very useful.
In fact, if you hover over your selection, say Wikitionary, a window will appear with the results from that Wikitionary.
4. Flashblock
This blocks all flash items on a page from downloading; however when there are too many scripts sometimes the flash content is downloaded before the Flashblock script kicks in.
If you want to view the flash content you can click on it and will load.
Some websites may not load their flash content separately, so you may have to turn Flashblock off and then load the page again. Hence you can place a Flashblock button on the Bookmarks toolbar and turn it off and on at will.
The upside of using this is that you are not distracted by those 'flashy' ads, which tend to download first, which is not good at low speeds. You can also whitelist sites you frequently visit like YouTube so that content from that page will always load.
5. ScreenGrab!
This allows you to capture entire webpages as images - so you don't have
to take separate screenshots and paste them together. Basically you will have the webpage in the form of an image. You can also take snips of the required page. As an example I have taken the ScreenGrab of a Google search (30 results) for Firefox. On the other screenshots it is the icon, first from right, on the bottom of the status bar. It is also available in the right-click menu.
6. TimeTracker
This is timer which keeps track of the time you have browsed, on that day, since you reset it and since it was installed. It is quite intelligent, as it does not count when you are on a blank page or if you are idle for a specified time. It is just an indicator of how much you browse and solid proof of it. On the other screenshots you can see it, as numbers(4:--:--)
7. LongTitles
This is for mouseover tooltips which are truncated for being too long; I read that since it is already incorporated in the new Firefox 3, it will not be needed for that version.
8. Splash
It displays an image, basically a kind-of welcome screen, when you are opening Firefox.
9. ChatZilla
An IRC client for Firefox.
10. Mouse Gestures
This is by far the best and most powerful extension I have come across. This allows you to perform browser functions like opening a link in a new tab, closing a tab, opening a tab, refreshing a page, etc. by dragging the mouse pointer.
For e.g. I currently use two gestures I created: if I hold down my right button on my mouse and drag it to the right, the tab closes. If I hold down the right button and move it downwards, across a link(s), it opens that link(s) in new tabs.
The default setting has several options, remembering them will take time, but as of now I am very delighted in using these two.
Installed but disabled:
I disbaled a few, not satisfied with them.
1. ForecastFox, 1-Click Weather: I found WeatherBug to be better; 1-Click Weather seems to hang everytime before it refreshes.
2. Google Photos Screensavers
3. Piclens: Presents all the pictures on a webpage in the form of an interactive cloth; the idea is an awesome one, you should definitely give it a try. I disabled it because I didn't find much use of it.
Installed and uninstalled:
1. ScribeFire: Helps in posting to blogs, but I didn't like its password management.
2.NoScript: Blocks any script from running prior to user's permission; I found not much use
3.ReminderFox: A reminder service within Firefox.
4. One extension which switched between tabs stylishly; I didn't like it.
5. A few more I can't recollect.
And so I pitch to you, the wonderful phoenix risen from the ashes of the vanquished Netscape of the First Browser War, ready in full battle glory for the Second Browser War with its third incarnation, against the mighty IE, Mozilla Firefox.
In current usage:
1. WeatherBug
A weather display; I found it to be better than the ones from ForecastFox and Weather.com.2. Personas (Scroll down on that page)
This gives a background to the browser
itself; the pictures should explain it better.(I removed a Bookmarks folder toolbar for these snapshots and resized the window; the toolbar is usually placed just above the tabs)
There are a lot more options to choose from. The Personas option is visible in these snapshots as the image of the fox on the bottom left corner on the status bar.
3. Hyperwords
This is a convenient set of sub-menus available in the right click menu,
which have most of the search options we do on text on websites - image search, video search, Wikipedia/Wikitionary/Dictionary search. Very useful.In fact, if you hover over your selection, say Wikitionary, a window will appear with the results from that Wikitionary.
4. Flashblock
This blocks all flash items on a page from downloading; however when there are too many scripts sometimes the flash content is downloaded before the Flashblock script kicks in.
If you want to view the flash content you can click on it and will load.
Some websites may not load their flash content separately, so you may have to turn Flashblock off and then load the page again. Hence you can place a Flashblock button on the Bookmarks toolbar and turn it off and on at will.
The upside of using this is that you are not distracted by those 'flashy' ads, which tend to download first, which is not good at low speeds. You can also whitelist sites you frequently visit like YouTube so that content from that page will always load.
5. ScreenGrab!
This allows you to capture entire webpages as images - so you don't have
to take separate screenshots and paste them together. Basically you will have the webpage in the form of an image. You can also take snips of the required page. As an example I have taken the ScreenGrab of a Google search (30 results) for Firefox. On the other screenshots it is the icon, first from right, on the bottom of the status bar. It is also available in the right-click menu.6. TimeTracker
This is timer which keeps track of the time you have browsed, on that day, since you reset it and since it was installed. It is quite intelligent, as it does not count when you are on a blank page or if you are idle for a specified time. It is just an indicator of how much you browse and solid proof of it. On the other screenshots you can see it, as numbers(4:--:--)
7. LongTitles
This is for mouseover tooltips which are truncated for being too long; I read that since it is already incorporated in the new Firefox 3, it will not be needed for that version.
8. Splash
It displays an image, basically a kind-of welcome screen, when you are opening Firefox.
9. ChatZilla
An IRC client for Firefox.
10. Mouse Gestures
This is by far the best and most powerful extension I have come across. This allows you to perform browser functions like opening a link in a new tab, closing a tab, opening a tab, refreshing a page, etc. by dragging the mouse pointer.
For e.g. I currently use two gestures I created: if I hold down my right button on my mouse and drag it to the right, the tab closes. If I hold down the right button and move it downwards, across a link(s), it opens that link(s) in new tabs.
The default setting has several options, remembering them will take time, but as of now I am very delighted in using these two.
Installed but disabled:
I disbaled a few, not satisfied with them.
1. ForecastFox, 1-Click Weather: I found WeatherBug to be better; 1-Click Weather seems to hang everytime before it refreshes.
2. Google Photos Screensavers
3. Piclens: Presents all the pictures on a webpage in the form of an interactive cloth; the idea is an awesome one, you should definitely give it a try. I disabled it because I didn't find much use of it.
Installed and uninstalled:
1. ScribeFire: Helps in posting to blogs, but I didn't like its password management.
2.NoScript: Blocks any script from running prior to user's permission; I found not much use
3.ReminderFox: A reminder service within Firefox.
4. One extension which switched between tabs stylishly; I didn't like it.
5. A few more I can't recollect.
And so I pitch to you, the wonderful phoenix risen from the ashes of the vanquished Netscape of the First Browser War, ready in full battle glory for the Second Browser War with its third incarnation, against the mighty IE, Mozilla Firefox.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
The trip and My review: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Indy was finally coming back after so many years, it seemed worthwhile going all the way to the theatre rather than watching it.... er... elsewhere. Review below; trip details after that.
------------Possible spoilers ahead---------------
So this is why most of the reviews were cautious and mixed. The movie isn't that great, but can't be dismissed as a dud, but core Indy fans might just like it. I think you can get the picture when I tell you I wouldn't be looking forward to watching it again, while I have watched the two other ones(I didn't like Temple of Doom) atleast a couple of times each.
I can summarise the movie as such: intro, motorcycle scene, next dialogue act, rumble in the jungle, and the final climax.
To be frank, I was intently watching every scene, but my friends were not actually invigorated at all... I don't blame them, the intro scenes were not dashing or super engrossing, I could see them stretching at the about 5 min mark itself. Great, I thought, because I was the one who proposed the idea for this movie(Sunil wanted to see Iron Man).
I don't want to give out the details about the movie, but it's about a Crystal Skull that Indy is forced to search for and tries to return to it's place of origin, thus finding out the secrets about ancient Indians in the Amazon.
The lighting in Hollywood movies is always screwed, with tungsten-filament-sourced light always visible in night scenes. In this movie though, a lot of extra lighting could be seen in the movie, making things very bright. And how could so many Russians roam around the US, at the height of anti-Communism, fly in and out of the country, operate so freely.. Looks like the FBI was wantedly non-existent. Maybe they knew Indy would take care of everything!
Indy does look really old, but doesn't show it in action scenes at all. Indy even finds out he has a son.. Probably they want to continue the franchise in the future too. Shia LaBeouf has done well, as the slick young guy from the '50s, he could carry the baton, but he doesn't have the look of the tall adventurous Harrison Ford. Cate Blanchett as the Russian wonder woman is convincing enough.
There are a few gaffes(in my view) in the movie, like putting the Victoria falls from Africa onto the Amazon for the sake of a wonderful shot, and the huge Amazonian ants which carry and devour humans. Well, there has been always a spot of fantasy in his previous films, so this is not new. In the jungle scene where they are moving by clearing the growth, after the lead vehicle is destroyed, the path ahead seems to be mysteriously devoid of plants, just wide enough for the them to pass through unhindered. Putting Aborigines in the middle of the jungle is NOT passable. (Edit 1)LaBeouf becoming Tarzan is plain stupidity, compounded by his monkey troop who telepathically know who the villains are.
Indy is portrayed to be gullible, believing his triple crossing close friend Mac. Oxley's character is a strain on the script; his mental delusion was irritating.
The movie has Indiana Jones, a Skull, a Crystal one at that, but a Kingdom?
The makers of the movie have tried to give us an 'out of this world' experience, with a special appearance by that thing.. is it an animal? No.. Is it human? No.. But it has life and a few missing fingers.
Overall verdict: It could have been made better. I don't know how they should have, but Indy is just missing his magic. Are you going to make another one?
End of review
I decided that this film was worth watching, so planned with Sunil, who brought along Dayanand. Armed with bus schedules we headed out to Downtown to take out bus. Having booked tickets on the internet, there was no worry about queues. The tickets are issued by a machine at the front of the bus, we decided to take a one-day pass in case we planned a trip to other places(slightly costlier). So we arrived at Chapel Hill Mall, and, with some help from printouts of Google Maps found our way to the Regal theatre hall. We showed our proof of purchase, bought a huge bucket of popcorn(refilling it once) with some soda and headed to the hall. Indiana Jones was showing in 4 screens, the one we were in was about a 100-120 seater, half full when the movie began. We took pictures with the bucket of popcorn(an employee laughed by herself when she saw our childish antics).
I was surprised as the movie had release only a couple of days back, there wasn't a bigger crowd. A lot of previews and trailers were shown; Kung Fu Panda and Hancock's were clearly aimed at kids, because after Kung Fu Panda's, a kid in the front rows said out loud, "Mom I wanna see that movie!" All those seated took a giggle at that.
After the movie began, two middle aged women took their seats and they were clearly core Indy fans, who laughed heartily at a scene of ruckus in the pub and expressed awe at the huge ants.
Sunil was seated next to me, so when he was feeling uncomfortable in the opening minutes I felt sorry for bringing him to a movie he wouldn't enjoy. He seemed to enjoy some latter scenes, though, so I heaved a sigh of relief.
They had some shopping on their minds; so we headed out to Sears, posing with the Mini and Mitsubishi Eclipse on display. The two of them bought a pair of shoes each, taking eternity to decide on the colour, brand and price(such is the variety of choice). Next was food; Daya had a Sub; Sunil and I deliberated before having Spaghetti and Noodles respectively. It wasn't nice at all. Next time I'm going to stick to the traditional Subway.
More pictures in front of JCPenney's and more window shopping, looking at what rich people bought there and in Macy's. I saw a Paris Hilton range of accessories, the Martha Stewart brand of household items.....
We even met a couple of desi university mates who were also shopping. The next available bus was 6.30, so we decided to do more window shopping and checked out a Pet store. They had quite a few breeds of dogs, kittens, hamsters, aquarium fish, parakeets, rabbits, rats... Yes, rats(or mice?) which we usually set traps for.
And so we headed back to the bus station for a nice outing which encompassed a movie and window shopping through Sears, Old Navy, Macy's, JCPenney, among a few small ones for me and actual shopping for the others. Sweet.
------------Possible spoilers ahead---------------
So this is why most of the reviews were cautious and mixed. The movie isn't that great, but can't be dismissed as a dud, but core Indy fans might just like it. I think you can get the picture when I tell you I wouldn't be looking forward to watching it again, while I have watched the two other ones(I didn't like Temple of Doom) atleast a couple of times each.
I can summarise the movie as such: intro, motorcycle scene, next dialogue act, rumble in the jungle, and the final climax.
To be frank, I was intently watching every scene, but my friends were not actually invigorated at all... I don't blame them, the intro scenes were not dashing or super engrossing, I could see them stretching at the about 5 min mark itself. Great, I thought, because I was the one who proposed the idea for this movie(Sunil wanted to see Iron Man).
I don't want to give out the details about the movie, but it's about a Crystal Skull that Indy is forced to search for and tries to return to it's place of origin, thus finding out the secrets about ancient Indians in the Amazon.
The lighting in Hollywood movies is always screwed, with tungsten-filament-sourced light always visible in night scenes. In this movie though, a lot of extra lighting could be seen in the movie, making things very bright. And how could so many Russians roam around the US, at the height of anti-Communism, fly in and out of the country, operate so freely.. Looks like the FBI was wantedly non-existent. Maybe they knew Indy would take care of everything!
Indy does look really old, but doesn't show it in action scenes at all. Indy even finds out he has a son.. Probably they want to continue the franchise in the future too. Shia LaBeouf has done well, as the slick young guy from the '50s, he could carry the baton, but he doesn't have the look of the tall adventurous Harrison Ford. Cate Blanchett as the Russian wonder woman is convincing enough.
There are a few gaffes(in my view) in the movie, like putting the Victoria falls from Africa onto the Amazon for the sake of a wonderful shot, and the huge Amazonian ants which carry and devour humans. Well, there has been always a spot of fantasy in his previous films, so this is not new. In the jungle scene where they are moving by clearing the growth, after the lead vehicle is destroyed, the path ahead seems to be mysteriously devoid of plants, just wide enough for the them to pass through unhindered. Putting Aborigines in the middle of the jungle is NOT passable. (Edit 1)LaBeouf becoming Tarzan is plain stupidity, compounded by his monkey troop who telepathically know who the villains are.
Indy is portrayed to be gullible, believing his triple crossing close friend Mac. Oxley's character is a strain on the script; his mental delusion was irritating.
The movie has Indiana Jones, a Skull, a Crystal one at that, but a Kingdom?
The makers of the movie have tried to give us an 'out of this world' experience, with a special appearance by that thing.. is it an animal? No.. Is it human? No.. But it has life and a few missing fingers.
Overall verdict: It could have been made better. I don't know how they should have, but Indy is just missing his magic. Are you going to make another one?
End of review
I decided that this film was worth watching, so planned with Sunil, who brought along Dayanand. Armed with bus schedules we headed out to Downtown to take out bus. Having booked tickets on the internet, there was no worry about queues. The tickets are issued by a machine at the front of the bus, we decided to take a one-day pass in case we planned a trip to other places(slightly costlier). So we arrived at Chapel Hill Mall, and, with some help from printouts of Google Maps found our way to the Regal theatre hall. We showed our proof of purchase, bought a huge bucket of popcorn(refilling it once) with some soda and headed to the hall. Indiana Jones was showing in 4 screens, the one we were in was about a 100-120 seater, half full when the movie began. We took pictures with the bucket of popcorn(an employee laughed by herself when she saw our childish antics).
I was surprised as the movie had release only a couple of days back, there wasn't a bigger crowd. A lot of previews and trailers were shown; Kung Fu Panda and Hancock's were clearly aimed at kids, because after Kung Fu Panda's, a kid in the front rows said out loud, "Mom I wanna see that movie!" All those seated took a giggle at that.
After the movie began, two middle aged women took their seats and they were clearly core Indy fans, who laughed heartily at a scene of ruckus in the pub and expressed awe at the huge ants.
Sunil was seated next to me, so when he was feeling uncomfortable in the opening minutes I felt sorry for bringing him to a movie he wouldn't enjoy. He seemed to enjoy some latter scenes, though, so I heaved a sigh of relief.
They had some shopping on their minds; so we headed out to Sears, posing with the Mini and Mitsubishi Eclipse on display. The two of them bought a pair of shoes each, taking eternity to decide on the colour, brand and price(such is the variety of choice). Next was food; Daya had a Sub; Sunil and I deliberated before having Spaghetti and Noodles respectively. It wasn't nice at all. Next time I'm going to stick to the traditional Subway.
More pictures in front of JCPenney's and more window shopping, looking at what rich people bought there and in Macy's. I saw a Paris Hilton range of accessories, the Martha Stewart brand of household items.....
We even met a couple of desi university mates who were also shopping. The next available bus was 6.30, so we decided to do more window shopping and checked out a Pet store. They had quite a few breeds of dogs, kittens, hamsters, aquarium fish, parakeets, rabbits, rats... Yes, rats(or mice?) which we usually set traps for.
And so we headed back to the bus station for a nice outing which encompassed a movie and window shopping through Sears, Old Navy, Macy's, JCPenney, among a few small ones for me and actual shopping for the others. Sweet.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Chelsea vs ManU: Chelsea let their chance slip away...
I was exiting the building, when I saw a group of 9 people sitting around the TV watching a football(soccer) match. I realised it was the climax of the Champions League final, but Americans watching it? On moving closer I found out that 3 were Chinese; a couple Korean; another 2 African, a single East Indian and a lone American(at least he looked so). So much so for my assumptions, but I hadn't expected the match to go on for so long, as I had come across the score at half time, 1-1, looooooooong back.
There were about 3 minutes left into the 2nd extra-time, so I decided to wait and watch who won. In the overtime of the extra time two guys fell to the ground in what seemed to be a performance worthy of an Oscar, but replays showed they had banged their heads against each other. And so the 2 minutes extra time became 4.
Then came the penalties. Christiano Ronaldo missed his kick while trying to over-do a fake, it was so bad. But we were in for a surprise: Chelsea skipper John Terry, who should have wrapped things up as his teammates had missed none, shot wide of the goal, slipping, even when the goalie(Van de Saar) had dived the other way. Apparently the wet outfield had let the cup slip away. So sad.... Things came to an end when Van de Saar saved a goal.
The crowd I was with was in shock; they almost celebrated when Terry's strike seemed to be on target. None of them were happy with ManU's victory. I felt sad too. Talk about losing from a winning position in front of your bosses' home country.
There were about 3 minutes left into the 2nd extra-time, so I decided to wait and watch who won. In the overtime of the extra time two guys fell to the ground in what seemed to be a performance worthy of an Oscar, but replays showed they had banged their heads against each other. And so the 2 minutes extra time became 4.
Then came the penalties. Christiano Ronaldo missed his kick while trying to over-do a fake, it was so bad. But we were in for a surprise: Chelsea skipper John Terry, who should have wrapped things up as his teammates had missed none, shot wide of the goal, slipping, even when the goalie(Van de Saar) had dived the other way. Apparently the wet outfield had let the cup slip away. So sad.... Things came to an end when Van de Saar saved a goal.
The crowd I was with was in shock; they almost celebrated when Terry's strike seemed to be on target. None of them were happy with ManU's victory. I felt sad too. Talk about losing from a winning position in front of your bosses' home country.
Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, my music review
I saw the trailers long time back and the theme music used were just too good.
However in Pappu Can't Dance, A R Rahman's done it again(like I mentioned here) - potentially wonderful clips seem to have been stitched together to make the song.....sound awful. I was disappointed to listen to the catchy tune having no connection to the chorus of this song.
It also bears a 50-50 resemblance to Ilamai from Godfather/Varalaru - I could slightly connect the tune '......tamizh nattil ethanai kiligal veettukkul.....' to this one's chorus. But, both are his songs, he has every reason/right to use them, moreover they were in different languages.
Like most of the songs in this film, this one too is devoid of too many background tunes - just a few instruments seem to have been used - it does sound different and nice. Maybe he's aiming for a 'fresh' feel.
The remix version of 'Pappu...' didn't sound much like a dance song, but a bad dancer making such comments is futile.
Kabhi Kabhi Aditi Zindagi is very melodius... Sounds like a fresh voice to me(is Rashid Ali a newbie?). This song vaguely brought Alaipayuthe's Kadhal Sadugudu to mind, probably because the voices in both are similar. I'd say this singer's voice is a cross between Adnan Sami's(who sung the version in Saathiya) and SPB Charan's.
Both Jaane Tu Meri Kya Hai songs are sad... something terrible must be happening in the film. The male version has a wonderful, attractive theme in the beginning, building up to the 'down in the dumps' feeling in the song.
I was sure the opening tune in Nazrein Milaana sounded familiar - and I was right - it sounds like the chorus from BumBum Bole from Taare Zameen Par. The rest of the song is a nice sing-along.
Tu Bole Main Boloon has the maestro at the vocals, as good as ever. It's supposed to be in the Jazz style(I'm not that familiar to relate the two of them). This one is more like a live rendition, Rahman and the instrumentalists enjoying themselves performing(Jazz is mostly live) and making you want to nod along.
Kahin To Hogi Ho is another live-rendition-like performance. Sounds so soothing too......
A wonderful set of songs, though not the best(best=Mani Ratnam/Shankar series), which are composed in a fashion I guess focuses the movie just around the two central characters in the movie. It's just a guess, but all the songs are kind of you-sing-a-song-I-sing-a-song-in-return songs. I also guess some new voices have been used, Rahman isn't afraid to experiment, but there is a difference in the songs sung by these and the more established singers.
This post may seem critical of Rahman, but keep in mind he is way better than any of the others - so even if it may be a 4/5 according to Rahman's standards, when compared to the others, who use so much accompanied music and try to make everything a dance song, it will be a 4.9/5.
However in Pappu Can't Dance, A R Rahman's done it again(like I mentioned here) - potentially wonderful clips seem to have been stitched together to make the song.....sound awful. I was disappointed to listen to the catchy tune having no connection to the chorus of this song.
It also bears a 50-50 resemblance to Ilamai from Godfather/Varalaru - I could slightly connect the tune '......tamizh nattil ethanai kiligal veettukkul.....' to this one's chorus. But, both are his songs, he has every reason/right to use them, moreover they were in different languages.
Like most of the songs in this film, this one too is devoid of too many background tunes - just a few instruments seem to have been used - it does sound different and nice. Maybe he's aiming for a 'fresh' feel.
The remix version of 'Pappu...' didn't sound much like a dance song, but a bad dancer making such comments is futile.
Kabhi Kabhi Aditi Zindagi is very melodius... Sounds like a fresh voice to me(is Rashid Ali a newbie?). This song vaguely brought Alaipayuthe's Kadhal Sadugudu to mind, probably because the voices in both are similar. I'd say this singer's voice is a cross between Adnan Sami's(who sung the version in Saathiya) and SPB Charan's.
Both Jaane Tu Meri Kya Hai songs are sad... something terrible must be happening in the film. The male version has a wonderful, attractive theme in the beginning, building up to the 'down in the dumps' feeling in the song.
I was sure the opening tune in Nazrein Milaana sounded familiar - and I was right - it sounds like the chorus from BumBum Bole from Taare Zameen Par. The rest of the song is a nice sing-along.
Tu Bole Main Boloon has the maestro at the vocals, as good as ever. It's supposed to be in the Jazz style(I'm not that familiar to relate the two of them). This one is more like a live rendition, Rahman and the instrumentalists enjoying themselves performing(Jazz is mostly live) and making you want to nod along.
Kahin To Hogi Ho is another live-rendition-like performance. Sounds so soothing too......
A wonderful set of songs, though not the best(best=Mani Ratnam/Shankar series), which are composed in a fashion I guess focuses the movie just around the two central characters in the movie. It's just a guess, but all the songs are kind of you-sing-a-song-I-sing-a-song-in-return songs. I also guess some new voices have been used, Rahman isn't afraid to experiment, but there is a difference in the songs sung by these and the more established singers.
This post may seem critical of Rahman, but keep in mind he is way better than any of the others - so even if it may be a 4/5 according to Rahman's standards, when compared to the others, who use so much accompanied music and try to make everything a dance song, it will be a 4.9/5.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Who is Jayam Ravi?
Jayam Ravi(or Jeyam Ravi) seems to be belting out hit after hit.
But I have just one question to ask - Name one film which has become famous because of Jayam Ravi.
Answer: Zero.
His first, Jayam, was a remake of his brother's effort, with some extra publicity the film did well, helped along with some songs.
M Kumaran S/o Mahalakshmi was a hit because of Asin. Ask anybody, he will tell you they went all the way to the theatre to watch a fresh and beautiful face.
Daas... didn't do as well.
Mazhai.. another remake, with Shriya. No rewards for guessing why this one was famous.
After a film which disappeared came Something Something. Having watched the Siddarth version first, I was ready to bang the director's head onto a wall for casting Ravi. Not only was he uneffective, Trisha wasn't as good as in the original.
Deepavali they say was a hit, but with Bhavana and a good director, I can see why.
And so we come to Santosh Subramaniam. Another remake, with Goddess Genelia, you will find all the reasons for it becoming a hit, except the casting of the hero.
There you have it - I doubt anyone going to the theatre just for Ravi's sake. His acting skills are passable, his voice is bad(I don't want to be so harsh, but that's how bad he is) and his mannerisms are tiring. However his fighting skills are good(given that he is a trained in martial arts) and his height is an advantage.
My Gulti friends told me that his brother Ravi Teja had a mediocre career to start with in the Telugu film industry, becoming an established hero only after a long time. Jayam Ravi and co. clearly have a well laid out plan, making established movies, because, they cannot sell the Jayam Ravi brand as a stand-alone product. Danush and Vijay can also be clubbed in this category, but they atleast have a certain likeability factor, unlike Ravi who has none.
But I have just one question to ask - Name one film which has become famous because of Jayam Ravi.
Answer: Zero.
His first, Jayam, was a remake of his brother's effort, with some extra publicity the film did well, helped along with some songs.
M Kumaran S/o Mahalakshmi was a hit because of Asin. Ask anybody, he will tell you they went all the way to the theatre to watch a fresh and beautiful face.
Daas... didn't do as well.
Mazhai.. another remake, with Shriya. No rewards for guessing why this one was famous.
After a film which disappeared came Something Something. Having watched the Siddarth version first, I was ready to bang the director's head onto a wall for casting Ravi. Not only was he uneffective, Trisha wasn't as good as in the original.
Deepavali they say was a hit, but with Bhavana and a good director, I can see why.
And so we come to Santosh Subramaniam. Another remake, with Goddess Genelia, you will find all the reasons for it becoming a hit, except the casting of the hero.
There you have it - I doubt anyone going to the theatre just for Ravi's sake. His acting skills are passable, his voice is bad(I don't want to be so harsh, but that's how bad he is) and his mannerisms are tiring. However his fighting skills are good(given that he is a trained in martial arts) and his height is an advantage.
My Gulti friends told me that his brother Ravi Teja had a mediocre career to start with in the Telugu film industry, becoming an established hero only after a long time. Jayam Ravi and co. clearly have a well laid out plan, making established movies, because, they cannot sell the Jayam Ravi brand as a stand-alone product. Danush and Vijay can also be clubbed in this category, but they atleast have a certain likeability factor, unlike Ravi who has none.
Kuruvi - my review
Edit-1
Kuruvi is an over-exaggerated version of Ghilli with the director trying to emulate the that film. Rarely has Vijay ever delivered a hit when a lot is expected - prior examples being Aathi and Madhurey.
Specific comments:
Kuruvi has been recreated scene-by-scene (for a major part)from Chatrapathi(Telugu), as this video will prove.
Trying to outdo his nemesis Thala Ajith, Vijay has included Malaysia and car racing in the plot.
What's with the Pakistani flag in the Palanadhu song... It could also be the a flag of the Islamic faith, but it seems more Pakistani to me, and its specific placement may be giving away something about Vijay trying to reach out to them.
In the Malaysian disco, when the fire extinguisher explodes, the dust seems to adapt from radially spreading at a height to rising upwards from the floor.
Why isn't our hero wearing a helmet during the race when the others are? This is a bad precedent. Talking of a Grand Prix, I cannot imagine a car with such dynamics(flying doors, accessible undercarriage) as the hero's winning the race. I think we can forgive him for once so that he can win a race from the position of a clear underdog.
Vijay is doing a lot of jumping from building to building in the name of heroism, but a child could easily try and imitate him with disastrous consequences - he should try and be more realistic and less ambitious next time(there is no next time for him....because the next time is the same crap as the previous one).
Suman seems to be getting a lot of windfall from Sivaji, but clearly he like the others has been forced into dishing out a performance which is ..... "too much".
When Vijay lands in Kuala Lumpur, he brings boxes, via the main terminal itself, which I would say is not possible(customs, handling, etc etc).
Trisha.. was, is and will always be a(my) darling. Especially when she was being 'treated' at Vijay's place, it was more revealing than hiding.
When Vijay is running over the chain link fence with Trisha, he tries breaking the lock after jumping over... Why didn't he pull the rod through the fence when he was on Trisha's side itself and attempt to break it..
I think I heard BG music derived from Rang de Basanti's for one scene.
Vivek disappears for the second half of the film, but even without him, I felt like laughing at the supposedly 'serious' scenes(e.g. when Vijay kicks a guy who rocks the jeep Cudappah Raja is sitting in).
Comparisons with Ghilli - like the villain treating his hometown as a fort - rescuing the heroine from that fort - heroine in his house - are evident.
Goats for the marriage - non vegetarian for the meals during the marriage itself? I'm pretty sure it is only veg in most Hindu customs.
The theme of rescuing bonded labourers toiling away extracting riches from the earth I have already seen in The Mask of Zorro(climax). This is notwithstanding the fact that a lot of scenes for this film have been copied from Chatrapathi(Telugu), as I have mentioned in the beginning. As a matter of fact, the BG for that film itself is from anime films from Germany - link here.
The fingerprint-laptop gaffe - it might be admissible, but since I have such a laptop I can tell you that your password box does not fill up when you swipe your finger. And, though you can register(for the first time) any finger, the index or middle finger is easier to swipe.
Just another cheap run of the mill from Vijay. I see Surya as the true hero of the industry, with his varied roles.
Kuruvi is an over-exaggerated version of Ghilli with the director trying to emulate the that film. Rarely has Vijay ever delivered a hit when a lot is expected - prior examples being Aathi and Madhurey.
Specific comments:
Kuruvi has been recreated scene-by-scene (for a major part)from Chatrapathi(Telugu), as this video will prove.
Trying to outdo his nemesis Thala Ajith, Vijay has included Malaysia and car racing in the plot.
What's with the Pakistani flag in the Palanadhu song... It could also be the a flag of the Islamic faith, but it seems more Pakistani to me, and its specific placement may be giving away something about Vijay trying to reach out to them.
In the Malaysian disco, when the fire extinguisher explodes, the dust seems to adapt from radially spreading at a height to rising upwards from the floor.
Why isn't our hero wearing a helmet during the race when the others are? This is a bad precedent. Talking of a Grand Prix, I cannot imagine a car with such dynamics(flying doors, accessible undercarriage) as the hero's winning the race. I think we can forgive him for once so that he can win a race from the position of a clear underdog.
Vijay is doing a lot of jumping from building to building in the name of heroism, but a child could easily try and imitate him with disastrous consequences - he should try and be more realistic and less ambitious next time(there is no next time for him....because the next time is the same crap as the previous one).
Suman seems to be getting a lot of windfall from Sivaji, but clearly he like the others has been forced into dishing out a performance which is ..... "too much".
When Vijay lands in Kuala Lumpur, he brings boxes, via the main terminal itself, which I would say is not possible(customs, handling, etc etc).
Trisha.. was, is and will always be a(my) darling. Especially when she was being 'treated' at Vijay's place, it was more revealing than hiding.
When Vijay is running over the chain link fence with Trisha, he tries breaking the lock after jumping over... Why didn't he pull the rod through the fence when he was on Trisha's side itself and attempt to break it..
I think I heard BG music derived from Rang de Basanti's for one scene.
Vivek disappears for the second half of the film, but even without him, I felt like laughing at the supposedly 'serious' scenes(e.g. when Vijay kicks a guy who rocks the jeep Cudappah Raja is sitting in).
Comparisons with Ghilli - like the villain treating his hometown as a fort - rescuing the heroine from that fort - heroine in his house - are evident.
Goats for the marriage - non vegetarian for the meals during the marriage itself? I'm pretty sure it is only veg in most Hindu customs.
The theme of rescuing bonded labourers toiling away extracting riches from the earth I have already seen in The Mask of Zorro(climax). This is notwithstanding the fact that a lot of scenes for this film have been copied from Chatrapathi(Telugu), as I have mentioned in the beginning. As a matter of fact, the BG for that film itself is from anime films from Germany - link here.
The fingerprint-laptop gaffe - it might be admissible, but since I have such a laptop I can tell you that your password box does not fill up when you swipe your finger. And, though you can register(for the first time) any finger, the index or middle finger is easier to swipe.
Just another cheap run of the mill from Vijay. I see Surya as the true hero of the industry, with his varied roles.
A burnt child... never plays with matches..
It is a well known fact, that until a child gets his fingers burnt or feels the intense heat sear his skin, he won't hesitate to play with a naked flame. Well, that is the case with me too, but the 'flame' and the 'burns' are of a different kind.
Case 1
It so happened in college that in the collection of the hostel movie patriarch(PRS), there was a movie by the name of "The Green Mile".
Now watching half a film or just the opening scenes wouldn't be satisfying(reading the plot and the spoilers on Wikipedia was still not the norm), so the only option was to finish the movie in its entirety, counting on your stars for a good ending.
If you haven't watched it(DON'T), a synopsis would be: The tale of an African-American on death row for allegedly murdering white children, set in racially segregated America(pre-Civil Rights Movement). Only, this African-American had magical powers, curing the prison guards and performing miracles.
I assumed until those 'magical' scenes that it was going to be a movie about racial tensions and this meek African-American. These magical powers of his, curing the renal problems Tom Hanks had and bringing back a mouse to life, breathing out black flies, had no explanation whatsoever.
My point is, if I wanted to to see unexplained acts of sorcery, I would have been happy with some B grade Hindi movie with snakes becoming maidens and lightning shooting out of the eyes of an angry woman. Watching a fantasy movie or a superhero movie is different - you expect them to do out of the world things.
This movie affected me a lot, primarily because I never expected to see paranormal things but ended up with an overdose. It was like eating a bitter tablet, making you rub your tongue against your palate in an to unsuccessfully remove the taste from your mouth. Ever since this brush with the paranormal, I have been paranoid about any Hollywood film - making sure to catch up with the reviews(not the spoilers) before embarking on the journey to see it. Because of that film, I was despondent about all of the other movies in that collection, not wanting to burn my fingers again.
The only positives I will draw out of that damn movie are the sets and the performance of the actors. That's all.
Case 2
I confess that I was used to Enid Blyton, Sherlock Holmes and Hardy Boys in my school days. Hercule Poirot beckoned; unfortunately his first novel tried to distance itself from me. I read and read till the first half, but absolutely nothing happened; the rigmarole of characters introducing themselves to each other didn't entice me; I promptly dumped it. Aeons passed before I touched it again, but I had to constantly go flip to the previous pages to check who a character was.
Clearly fiction was not my forte. Non fiction and current affairs were more appealing.
Trying to reclaim lost touch, I attempted to read something of value - what better way to do it than to read Booker Prize winning book, "The God of Small Things", by Arundhati Roy.
It only made things worse - skewed abuse and relationships - I never expected. End of story.
And so the burnt child never tried to play with matches again. At least not without knowing the consequences.
Case 1
It so happened in college that in the collection of the hostel movie patriarch(PRS), there was a movie by the name of "The Green Mile".
Now watching half a film or just the opening scenes wouldn't be satisfying(reading the plot and the spoilers on Wikipedia was still not the norm), so the only option was to finish the movie in its entirety, counting on your stars for a good ending.
If you haven't watched it(DON'T), a synopsis would be: The tale of an African-American on death row for allegedly murdering white children, set in racially segregated America(pre-Civil Rights Movement). Only, this African-American had magical powers, curing the prison guards and performing miracles.
I assumed until those 'magical' scenes that it was going to be a movie about racial tensions and this meek African-American. These magical powers of his, curing the renal problems Tom Hanks had and bringing back a mouse to life, breathing out black flies, had no explanation whatsoever.
My point is, if I wanted to to see unexplained acts of sorcery, I would have been happy with some B grade Hindi movie with snakes becoming maidens and lightning shooting out of the eyes of an angry woman. Watching a fantasy movie or a superhero movie is different - you expect them to do out of the world things.
This movie affected me a lot, primarily because I never expected to see paranormal things but ended up with an overdose. It was like eating a bitter tablet, making you rub your tongue against your palate in an to unsuccessfully remove the taste from your mouth. Ever since this brush with the paranormal, I have been paranoid about any Hollywood film - making sure to catch up with the reviews(not the spoilers) before embarking on the journey to see it. Because of that film, I was despondent about all of the other movies in that collection, not wanting to burn my fingers again.
The only positives I will draw out of that damn movie are the sets and the performance of the actors. That's all.
Case 2
I confess that I was used to Enid Blyton, Sherlock Holmes and Hardy Boys in my school days. Hercule Poirot beckoned; unfortunately his first novel tried to distance itself from me. I read and read till the first half, but absolutely nothing happened; the rigmarole of characters introducing themselves to each other didn't entice me; I promptly dumped it. Aeons passed before I touched it again, but I had to constantly go flip to the previous pages to check who a character was.
Clearly fiction was not my forte. Non fiction and current affairs were more appealing.
Trying to reclaim lost touch, I attempted to read something of value - what better way to do it than to read Booker Prize winning book, "The God of Small Things", by Arundhati Roy.
It only made things worse - skewed abuse and relationships - I never expected. End of story.
And so the burnt child never tried to play with matches again. At least not without knowing the consequences.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
AAA-6
Continuation of the All About America series, which is just a collection of facts which you might not have known. This is Part 6.
It is not good manners, in fact some might consider offensive if you sit occupy an empty seat at a stranger's table at an eatery/other public place. Usually there is always space, you will find a place to sit.
Tip graciously to the waiter. That means about 13-15%. This includes pizza delivery guys too. Interestingly, tipping barbers is also a must(i.e. if the barber charges $7 for a haircut, it is good manners to give him $7 + $1 or $2 as a tip. I really don't understand why, even when the barber is the sole owner of the shop, but you have to do it. By the way, haircuts are not always $7, my friends have to take an appointment and pay $15 at the place they go to).
Most of the fast food chains have their kitchens open to the public - as in they are not barricaded or hidden away from the public. This might be intentional to keep the workers from adding unwanted ingredients and maintaining 'open' standards in cleanliness.
Education in America, vs India: Another Nittian wrote a post on that, including many details, but I will say that most have the freedom to choose whatever they want, so the chance that they will excel in that field is high.
This might be catching up elsewhere too, but from what I have seen, almost every other smoker is female. And most consider it their 'right', citing the First Amendment where they have the freedom to almost everything. Hence banning it on campus is more tricky than an official order.
The biggest consumer of salt in the world is... USA. They use it to clear the snow/ice during winter(depression in freezing point), so you will find huge salt tents along main highways then.
Greeting anyone you are going to talk to, be it a salesman or a desk attendant with a Hello and thanking him is customary. Else its too rude.
The f word, fcuk, is just another common word. No special oops for it.
As a matter of fact, on television, 'bctih' is not censored, but 'shit', is. I don't understand why.
For all the informal clothing worn in classrooms and campuses, corporate wear is a level on its own. It is very, very formal.
Claiming, as a joke, in your blog or scrap or comment that you will cause harm to someone(e.g. if you don't delete that picture, I will kill you!) WILL land you in deep trouble(read: Police, jail, psychiatrist, etc.) if anyone decides to tip the authorities off. On the other hand, slander could result in a lawsuit..... You just have to be careful of what you say. What's more, I have read of a case where a Judge ordered a restaurant to pay damages to a customer for serving coffee "too hot".
Interested? Read previous parts here:
AAA - Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5
It is not good manners, in fact some might consider offensive if you sit occupy an empty seat at a stranger's table at an eatery/other public place. Usually there is always space, you will find a place to sit.
Tip graciously to the waiter. That means about 13-15%. This includes pizza delivery guys too. Interestingly, tipping barbers is also a must(i.e. if the barber charges $7 for a haircut, it is good manners to give him $7 + $1 or $2 as a tip. I really don't understand why, even when the barber is the sole owner of the shop, but you have to do it. By the way, haircuts are not always $7, my friends have to take an appointment and pay $15 at the place they go to).
Most of the fast food chains have their kitchens open to the public - as in they are not barricaded or hidden away from the public. This might be intentional to keep the workers from adding unwanted ingredients and maintaining 'open' standards in cleanliness.
Education in America, vs India: Another Nittian wrote a post on that, including many details, but I will say that most have the freedom to choose whatever they want, so the chance that they will excel in that field is high.
This might be catching up elsewhere too, but from what I have seen, almost every other smoker is female. And most consider it their 'right', citing the First Amendment where they have the freedom to almost everything. Hence banning it on campus is more tricky than an official order.
The biggest consumer of salt in the world is... USA. They use it to clear the snow/ice during winter(depression in freezing point), so you will find huge salt tents along main highways then.
Greeting anyone you are going to talk to, be it a salesman or a desk attendant with a Hello and thanking him is customary. Else its too rude.
The f word, fcuk, is just another common word. No special oops for it.
As a matter of fact, on television, 'bctih' is not censored, but 'shit', is. I don't understand why.
For all the informal clothing worn in classrooms and campuses, corporate wear is a level on its own. It is very, very formal.
Claiming, as a joke, in your blog or scrap or comment that you will cause harm to someone(e.g. if you don't delete that picture, I will kill you!) WILL land you in deep trouble(read: Police, jail, psychiatrist, etc.) if anyone decides to tip the authorities off. On the other hand, slander could result in a lawsuit..... You just have to be careful of what you say. What's more, I have read of a case where a Judge ordered a restaurant to pay damages to a customer for serving coffee "too hot".
Interested? Read previous parts here:
AAA - Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5
Friday, May 16, 2008
It was...
It was a hot and dusty day with flies sitting on his sweaty face making things worse. The mid-day sun was forcing its way through the wooden shutters meant to keep it out. After all, the building was so old anyone would say "That place is a lodge? Really?" He was awoken by his wet pillow...he was sweating profusely. He opened his eyes, to confirm his belief - the fan was not working. There had been a power cut. He didn't care about complaining, there were worse things to worry about.
He sat up on his bed, wiping the beads of salty water on his face. Looking around the room, the folded front page of the newspaper caught his eye - "SEARCH ON FOR...." He hadn't looked at it for more than a second, but it made him look proud. The next second he was squirming with fear. The enitre city was abuzz with the news - but the massive hunt made them keep things hush-hush. He felt a sense of pride; but things were catching up.
He walked up to the window, lifted the rusting hooks and opened it slowly. Opening it any faster would break it, he thought. Immediately the dust rising from the mad street below hit him. The hawkers shouting at the top of their voice, hand carts jostling for space amongst the crowd of people doing their daily shopping. He could sit for days watching the crowd, the different wares being sold, the people haggling over prices, the constant noise which was more pleasant than irritating. But he didn't have the time.
The papers on the table almost flew off in the gust of wind. Those were his ticket to freedom. He glanced out the window peering into the distance, barely making out the glistening sea. All he had to do was get to the ship at 8 o' clock... and he would be on his way home... far from the maddening Malaya. He could go back home to a hero's welcome. If, he could get home. Holed up in that room for days, he was getting sick. The loneliness was killing him.
He tried to look at all the people down below and remember their faces and recollect them as he slept. He saw some beautiful women, some carrying their children in bags on their bags, some men taking children for walks through the street, a few children running around playing catch, an occasional old lady making her way through the bustle, asking random vendors about their products. Some would just stand there, smoking away, others not so unoccupied, running through with bags in hand. Then, suddenly, he noticed something - he thought he recognised a face - recollecting that he'd seen that man the day before. He strained his eyes to observe closely - but what he realised sent a chill down his spine. That same man, he thought, had actually been in the same spot some days back - except without that beard. Wait a minute - if that man puts on a short sleeved shirt - he shuddered at the thought.
Clearly, he was being spied on. A flurry of thoughts ran through his mind. Why didn't they apprehend him earlier? It didn't make sense. All this while he had been a sitting duck. Frantically he shoved the papers into his waist, collected a few set of clothes, put them in a bag and charted is plan. He could exit the building from the entrance, but that would already be under surveillance - and then he hit a brainwave. Rummaging through a drawer he found the costumes he had stashed - wasting no time he put them on. Then, there was a knock on the door. He froze - one hand on the revolver under his shirt.
He sat up on his bed, wiping the beads of salty water on his face. Looking around the room, the folded front page of the newspaper caught his eye - "SEARCH ON FOR...." He hadn't looked at it for more than a second, but it made him look proud. The next second he was squirming with fear. The enitre city was abuzz with the news - but the massive hunt made them keep things hush-hush. He felt a sense of pride; but things were catching up.
He walked up to the window, lifted the rusting hooks and opened it slowly. Opening it any faster would break it, he thought. Immediately the dust rising from the mad street below hit him. The hawkers shouting at the top of their voice, hand carts jostling for space amongst the crowd of people doing their daily shopping. He could sit for days watching the crowd, the different wares being sold, the people haggling over prices, the constant noise which was more pleasant than irritating. But he didn't have the time.
The papers on the table almost flew off in the gust of wind. Those were his ticket to freedom. He glanced out the window peering into the distance, barely making out the glistening sea. All he had to do was get to the ship at 8 o' clock... and he would be on his way home... far from the maddening Malaya. He could go back home to a hero's welcome. If, he could get home. Holed up in that room for days, he was getting sick. The loneliness was killing him.
He tried to look at all the people down below and remember their faces and recollect them as he slept. He saw some beautiful women, some carrying their children in bags on their bags, some men taking children for walks through the street, a few children running around playing catch, an occasional old lady making her way through the bustle, asking random vendors about their products. Some would just stand there, smoking away, others not so unoccupied, running through with bags in hand. Then, suddenly, he noticed something - he thought he recognised a face - recollecting that he'd seen that man the day before. He strained his eyes to observe closely - but what he realised sent a chill down his spine. That same man, he thought, had actually been in the same spot some days back - except without that beard. Wait a minute - if that man puts on a short sleeved shirt - he shuddered at the thought.
Clearly, he was being spied on. A flurry of thoughts ran through his mind. Why didn't they apprehend him earlier? It didn't make sense. All this while he had been a sitting duck. Frantically he shoved the papers into his waist, collected a few set of clothes, put them in a bag and charted is plan. He could exit the building from the entrance, but that would already be under surveillance - and then he hit a brainwave. Rummaging through a drawer he found the costumes he had stashed - wasting no time he put them on. Then, there was a knock on the door. He froze - one hand on the revolver under his shirt.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Tamizh MA and Anjathe - My review
Tamizh MA/Katradhu Tamizh
Jeeva seems to enjoy psycho-based movies, given that he has found success with Raam and this one. I enjoyed Tamizh MA a lot, simply because it had a different storyline and wonderful performances. The director seems to be split between whether to make a film decrying the software industry or the downside of getting a Bachelor's in Tamil or a psycho movie, and settled for a mix of all these.
I found it very obvious that the story writer was pointing to the negative side of the IT industry in Madras all through the movie. That aside, the idea is good; I'd rather write in points.
Anjathey
The director along with the screenplay-writer and story-writer seemed to have decided to make a completely new film, notwithstanding the success of Chithiram Pesuthadi(which I have not seen).
A free flowing camera, rather than a fixed one, brings an effect seen mostly in Hollywood, like the opening scene, the blank sky and then the actor. The story on the outset might seem normal - bad guy becomes cop and good guy becomes villain. It's how the characters have been handled, the scenes in between and the acting that make the movie stand out.
Similarly, the director wasn't afraid to play with shadows and zooming in and zooming out. He clearly wants to break free from the norm. But, this is where Shankar/Mani Ratnam stand out - it is very difficult to shoot real closeups of the actors- that involves familiar actors and exceptional camera.
I loved it when all the language used in the film was completely natural - Madras dialect, the IG speaking mostly in perfect English - an effort to maintain the flow.
The casting, if it had big heroes - like Vijay/Surya, would have made the film a sure blockbuster. Definitely. The current cast did have shortcomings - Satya(Narain, the cop) and Kiruba(Ajmal, the cop aspirant) at times show that they need to improve their skills - but its not bad either. You know they aren't great as yet. Casting physically challenged and physically disabled persons in the movie is a nice ploy - it not only plays on your heart, it also gives a special flavour. As an example, the physically challenged guy couldn't run, whereas Prasanna(villain) leaves him behind only to shoot him dead. As with the physically disabled guy, who tries to point with his amputated arm, waving it around... some of the subtle factors.
Vijayalakshmi as the sister, does well, keeping her acting straightforward. She is as beautiful as a wild flower in a field, i.e. of the local crowd yet stands out.
I didn't expect Kiruba not to clear the exam, I was pleasantly surprised. Kiruba's character is interesting, because it neither embraces evil completely, nor leaves it behind. Fate, as it would have it, transformed him into a society-changing guy. It was weird to note that Satya cleared the exam/interview by malpractice, rather than by the ardent-studying we see in other films.
I took a while to confirm that the villain was Prasanna. He could have done slightly better.
The kidnappings were novel, I am curious if they actually take place in real life in that manner.
The final climax was not seamless, it was mainly like a wild goose chase, you keep wondering what will happen from which direction. Not that it was not good.
I believe that a movie is successful not because of the first tier of actors, but because of the supporting ones. All of them have done a great job. They seem to be picked off a stage show, because rarely do supporting actors support so well. It greatly shows that the director aims for an as real-to-life-as-possible film as possible.
I found a couple of gaffes in the movie.. In the scene when the kidnappers call the IG's home, and they listen in on headphones, Satya seems to hear the kidnapper's voice and discovers it's Kiruba's, which means it should have been quite loud, so even though they were in another room, Kiruba should have heard his own voice. A long shot, though.
The background music reminded me of Jaws a lot, the director clearly wanted music matching his scenes, so its unusual to cycle between 'tragedy', 'racy' and 'soft' in a matter of minutes. I grant 100 on 100 for effort, 75 for the actual performance in the background music.
The final scene, when I discovered Kiruba had been restrained by his sister to keep him from running away with the handcuffs, plucked on my sympathy strings, because, it said a lot.. the sister didn't want to let go of her brother to evil... the brother wanted to escape to keep his 'loyalty' to the one who had given him money... yet the brother didn't want to harm his sister.. and in the ensuing melee, it is shown that you will be punished for being a criminal, regardless of your love for your sister/allegiance to friendship.
No wonder this film was a box office hit... I only hope, pray, to the director, that he not screw his next film by signing on Captain/Sharath Kumar/Jayam Ravi, instead he continue his current thought process of casting interesting, new faces with a radical script.
It is such rich movies which keep the industry from buckling under the heavy weight actors and producers. I feel so nice after watching them. Hats off.
Jeeva seems to enjoy psycho-based movies, given that he has found success with Raam and this one. I enjoyed Tamizh MA a lot, simply because it had a different storyline and wonderful performances. The director seems to be split between whether to make a film decrying the software industry or the downside of getting a Bachelor's in Tamil or a psycho movie, and settled for a mix of all these.
I found it very obvious that the story writer was pointing to the negative side of the IT industry in Madras all through the movie. That aside, the idea is good; I'd rather write in points.
- I was wondering... Which University offers both Bachelor's in Tamil and Engineering? Jeeva's roommate was for Engineering, though it may be possible that they were in a hostel outside the university. University of Madras used to once upon a time, but I think this movie is not from that era.
- I liked how Jeeva's wise saying in the classroom backfired on him when he was arrested by the police.
- The newcomer Anjali is wonderful; she not only looks beautiful but has done a great job.
- She looks a bit like Shrin(Azhagiya Asura song).
- The twists of fate through which Jeeva loses his dog, family and teacher are... indicative of the strain the story writer wanted to put on the character, driving him further into madness.
- His infatuation towards Anjali, throughout, sending her gifts, tracking her down indicate his deep love for her, which he finds difficult to sever after meeting her in Maharashtra. I wonder why she changed her character towards avoiding Jeeva when she was in interior Maharashtra with her uncle. Maybe she was looking forward to a fresh start in life.
- The background music is apt for each scene and camera angles with the locations have a realistic touch about them.
- The 'mystical' journey undertaken by Jeeva is like a path taken by many to find the 'truth in life' or the 'substance of life', crossing roads with hallucination and discovering the inner self.
- I thought the confrontation in the software company was a bit too much, but I laughed when he teased his friend because he had taught him English for his placements. It happens.
- The one-on-one with the Call centre guy was hilarious, but over the limit again, in an effort to show the disturbed mind of the hero.
- Overall, its a different film; highlighting an 'issue' in Madras city and making an off beat storyline work.
Anjathey
The director along with the screenplay-writer and story-writer seemed to have decided to make a completely new film, notwithstanding the success of Chithiram Pesuthadi(which I have not seen).
A free flowing camera, rather than a fixed one, brings an effect seen mostly in Hollywood, like the opening scene, the blank sky and then the actor. The story on the outset might seem normal - bad guy becomes cop and good guy becomes villain. It's how the characters have been handled, the scenes in between and the acting that make the movie stand out.
Similarly, the director wasn't afraid to play with shadows and zooming in and zooming out. He clearly wants to break free from the norm. But, this is where Shankar/Mani Ratnam stand out - it is very difficult to shoot real closeups of the actors- that involves familiar actors and exceptional camera.
I loved it when all the language used in the film was completely natural - Madras dialect, the IG speaking mostly in perfect English - an effort to maintain the flow.
The casting, if it had big heroes - like Vijay/Surya, would have made the film a sure blockbuster. Definitely. The current cast did have shortcomings - Satya(Narain, the cop) and Kiruba(Ajmal, the cop aspirant) at times show that they need to improve their skills - but its not bad either. You know they aren't great as yet. Casting physically challenged and physically disabled persons in the movie is a nice ploy - it not only plays on your heart, it also gives a special flavour. As an example, the physically challenged guy couldn't run, whereas Prasanna(villain) leaves him behind only to shoot him dead. As with the physically disabled guy, who tries to point with his amputated arm, waving it around... some of the subtle factors.
Vijayalakshmi as the sister, does well, keeping her acting straightforward. She is as beautiful as a wild flower in a field, i.e. of the local crowd yet stands out.
I didn't expect Kiruba not to clear the exam, I was pleasantly surprised. Kiruba's character is interesting, because it neither embraces evil completely, nor leaves it behind. Fate, as it would have it, transformed him into a society-changing guy. It was weird to note that Satya cleared the exam/interview by malpractice, rather than by the ardent-studying we see in other films.
I took a while to confirm that the villain was Prasanna. He could have done slightly better.
The kidnappings were novel, I am curious if they actually take place in real life in that manner.
The final climax was not seamless, it was mainly like a wild goose chase, you keep wondering what will happen from which direction. Not that it was not good.
I believe that a movie is successful not because of the first tier of actors, but because of the supporting ones. All of them have done a great job. They seem to be picked off a stage show, because rarely do supporting actors support so well. It greatly shows that the director aims for an as real-to-life-as-possible film as possible.
I found a couple of gaffes in the movie.. In the scene when the kidnappers call the IG's home, and they listen in on headphones, Satya seems to hear the kidnapper's voice and discovers it's Kiruba's, which means it should have been quite loud, so even though they were in another room, Kiruba should have heard his own voice. A long shot, though.
The background music reminded me of Jaws a lot, the director clearly wanted music matching his scenes, so its unusual to cycle between 'tragedy', 'racy' and 'soft' in a matter of minutes. I grant 100 on 100 for effort, 75 for the actual performance in the background music.
The final scene, when I discovered Kiruba had been restrained by his sister to keep him from running away with the handcuffs, plucked on my sympathy strings, because, it said a lot.. the sister didn't want to let go of her brother to evil... the brother wanted to escape to keep his 'loyalty' to the one who had given him money... yet the brother didn't want to harm his sister.. and in the ensuing melee, it is shown that you will be punished for being a criminal, regardless of your love for your sister/allegiance to friendship.
No wonder this film was a box office hit... I only hope, pray, to the director, that he not screw his next film by signing on Captain/Sharath Kumar/Jayam Ravi, instead he continue his current thought process of casting interesting, new faces with a radical script.
It is such rich movies which keep the industry from buckling under the heavy weight actors and producers. I feel so nice after watching them. Hats off.
Some changes at McD's
New employees at McD's... Some old faces too, but a lot of new ones. Maybe an overhaul.. Or maybe they work at this time of the year... Or maybe they are rotated amongst the franchisee outlets around the city. Freebies on offer! Fillet-o-fish on Friday.. No use to me... :-(
Friday, May 9, 2008
My eyes wander... two people at a table
I had to write this.
Two students, a guy and his friend who was female, headed to a table. By their actions they didn't seem that close. May have met recently.
They were Chinese, they head to a small circular table, sit down at 3 o'clock positions. And they bite into their Subs from Subway.
Now the guy tried to cross his legs, his right over the other. The girl was sitting to his right. Unfortunately his shoe seemed to graze her's; so he aborted that pose and tried to cross his left leg over his right.
That's when I nearly choked on my pretzel - his left leg banged into his bag which he had placed on the ground to his left, thwarting his subtle moves to cross his legs. Talk about serious laughter. Wow.
And what did the poor guy do? He seemed satisfied with legs crossed at his ankles. I really don't know how I ended up not choking with my mouth so full.
Check out my other eyes wandering posts here and here.
Two students, a guy and his friend who was female, headed to a table. By their actions they didn't seem that close. May have met recently.
They were Chinese, they head to a small circular table, sit down at 3 o'clock positions. And they bite into their Subs from Subway.
Now the guy tried to cross his legs, his right over the other. The girl was sitting to his right. Unfortunately his shoe seemed to graze her's; so he aborted that pose and tried to cross his left leg over his right.
That's when I nearly choked on my pretzel - his left leg banged into his bag which he had placed on the ground to his left, thwarting his subtle moves to cross his legs. Talk about serious laughter. Wow.
And what did the poor guy do? He seemed satisfied with legs crossed at his ankles. I really don't know how I ended up not choking with my mouth so full.
Check out my other eyes wandering posts here and here.
The 'politics' behind Sivaji - The Boss
You may have noticed this when you saw the movie and kept it to yourself, but I've decided to put it down here.
Rajini, the Superstar and the true king of the Indian box office - much 'admired' by the media, has a tradition of rotating actors in his films. Atleast after he became really famous(after Badsha). Comedians, villains... Badsha saw his old ally Janagaraj, Arunachalam had Janagaraj again, Muthu had Senthil and a young Vadivelu, Padayappa had Senthil again with Ramesh Khanna, Baba(remember there was actually a film of this name?) had Goundamani, while the comeback Chandramukhi featured the in-form Vadivelu and finally Sivaji - The Boss had the role played out by Vivek. "Everybody will get a chance to work with me". Nice. Doesn't bore the audience as well.
Pretty much all the comedians of the day.
What really put that evil smirk on my face were the castings for Sivaji's father, mother and special appearances. A new villain must have made things easy for everybody, because, all the
three roles mentioned were given to actors who had actually done a negative role in his previous films. The father, Manivannan, was the second antagonist responsible for Rajini's father's death in Padayppa; Vadivukkarasi was the foul-mouthed hag in Arunachalam; finally the doctor played by the late unparalleled Raghuvaran was the father of all villains in Badsha.
This seemed like a sort of 'redemption', made necessary by the pubic's belief in what they see on the big screen. Rumour has it that Vadivukkarasi was made to fall at the feet of a poster of Rajini while touring some villages after the release of Arunachalam, allegedly because of the way she treated him in the movie(I haven't seen the movie to be frank).
Raghuvaran's image has been stamped forever with the wicked Marc Anthony, so it was ironical to see him play Rajini's best friend and life-saver in Sivaji. That great actor, may his soul Rest In Peace.
As for Manivannan, again I was laughing inside to see him play Sivaji's father just after he had played Rajini's uncle in Padayappa.
All these actors seemed to have been pardoned for their sins in their previous avatars - I know these words seem too flashy.
Actually, if you look at it in a different angle, Vadivukkarasi was the heroine-in-part in Kamal's Sigapppu Rojakkal - but she plays Rajini's mother in Sivaji! That movie was awesome by the way, I will write about it some other day.
Talking about heroine to actress, S N Lakshmi played the elder Rajini's wife in Netrikan but was cast as his mother in Padayappa.
Strange, isn't it.
Rajini, the Superstar and the true king of the Indian box office - much 'admired' by the media, has a tradition of rotating actors in his films. Atleast after he became really famous(after Badsha). Comedians, villains... Badsha saw his old ally Janagaraj, Arunachalam had Janagaraj again, Muthu had Senthil and a young Vadivelu, Padayappa had Senthil again with Ramesh Khanna, Baba(remember there was actually a film of this name?) had Goundamani, while the comeback Chandramukhi featured the in-form Vadivelu and finally Sivaji - The Boss had the role played out by Vivek. "Everybody will get a chance to work with me". Nice. Doesn't bore the audience as well.
Pretty much all the comedians of the day.
What really put that evil smirk on my face were the castings for Sivaji's father, mother and special appearances. A new villain must have made things easy for everybody, because, all the
three roles mentioned were given to actors who had actually done a negative role in his previous films. The father, Manivannan, was the second antagonist responsible for Rajini's father's death in Padayppa; Vadivukkarasi was the foul-mouthed hag in Arunachalam; finally the doctor played by the late unparalleled Raghuvaran was the father of all villains in Badsha.
This seemed like a sort of 'redemption', made necessary by the pubic's belief in what they see on the big screen. Rumour has it that Vadivukkarasi was made to fall at the feet of a poster of Rajini while touring some villages after the release of Arunachalam, allegedly because of the way she treated him in the movie(I haven't seen the movie to be frank).
Raghuvaran's image has been stamped forever with the wicked Marc Anthony, so it was ironical to see him play Rajini's best friend and life-saver in Sivaji. That great actor, may his soul Rest In Peace.
As for Manivannan, again I was laughing inside to see him play Sivaji's father just after he had played Rajini's uncle in Padayappa.
All these actors seemed to have been pardoned for their sins in their previous avatars - I know these words seem too flashy.
Actually, if you look at it in a different angle, Vadivukkarasi was the heroine-in-part in Kamal's Sigapppu Rojakkal - but she plays Rajini's mother in Sivaji! That movie was awesome by the way, I will write about it some other day.
Talking about heroine to actress, S N Lakshmi played the elder Rajini's wife in Netrikan but was cast as his mother in Padayappa.
Strange, isn't it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
