Casey's Korner

Nanban -- Tamizh movie

2012-01-15T18:59:00.043+05:30

After watching Madrasapattinam yesterday, if you thought we would not see another movie so soon - you thought wrong! The Arien had booked the movie tickets for Nanban -- the Tamizh remake of 3 Idiots. We both felt that that movie would be a safe bet rather than Rajapattai or Vettai.

Yet again, we went to Cinemax and throughly enjoyed the movie. We also had lunch outside and so it was a totally pleasant experience.

The movie was everything we hoped it would be. The 3 idiots in Tamizh were Vijay, Jeeva, and Srikanth. Vijay has done a good job and thanks to his wiry build, he is quite believable as a college student. Both Srikanth and Jiva are also well-chosen. Srikanth appears quite young without his moustache and is well suited for his role. In fact, for a moment I was not sure who he was.

Image Courtesy: http://www.tamilwire.com/

Ileana looks extraordinarily slim and absolutely stunning. The song sequences are simply to showcase Ileana's slim figure. This is Ileana's second outing after Kedi. Unfortunately, the songs are not impressive except for the Yen Nanban pola yaaru machhaan song which is actually a background song. While the songs are not impressive, Ileana looks very nice.

Image Courtesy: http://www.southdreamz.com/

Sathyaraj, with hair combed over his bald pate, and a lisp, as the Virus is good. Shankar has stayed true to the script and has tweaked the script only in a few places.

I was bored stiff of the pregnancy scene in 3 Idiots - I did not feel that in the Tamizh version. Maybe Vijay did not overdo the "All izz well" part or maybe I was watching it after a loong time. Anyway, it was not as bad.

Nanban is a good, clean movie that is ok to watch with family. The pregnancy scene is a bit much but its manageable.

Madraspattinam -- Tamizh movie

2012-01-14T19:58:00.051+05:30

MIL was planning to visit - she had informed us on 1st. It has been a while since she has stayed with us. She has stayed over for a day or two, ~ thrice in a year, but never for two whole weeks since 2 years at least. I was a lil concerned because I have not become a great cook in these years :D But, I needn't have worried, the arien helped out quite a bit and 3 days went past very quickly. Before we knew it, the weekend had arrived. I have always wanted to watch Madrasapattinam. The Arien downloaded it on Friday. We asked my MIL if she had watched the movie. When she said no, we all sat down to that movie after breakfast. I know movies after breakfast was absolutely shocking!! So, we spent a nice, lazy morning having shundal, sweet aval for breakfast as we watched Arya do a la Lagaan.

The story is straightforward - it starts out in 1945 in chennai alias Madrasapattinam before India got its independence. The daughter of the then governor, Amy Wilkinson (Amy Jackson), arrives in Madrasapattinam and is drawn to a Dhobi, Parithi, (Arya) who is also a good wrestler. Amy's wedding is arranged with an official whom she does not like. There are plans to convert the Dhobi Ghaat into a golf link. However, with India getting its Independence and the British asked to leave, things take a turn for the worse for the two young lovers. What happens next? Do the young lovers unite? Does Parithi die? Is Amy killed? You must watch the movie to know 'bout that.

Image Courtesy: http://www.indiaful.com/

Arya looks fantastic and has done a commendable job as the proud Indian who refuses to bow down to the Britishers. Amy Jackson is a sight to behold. Very young but has done a great job. I have heard that she is doing the hindi version of Vinnaithandi Varuvaya with Prateik. There are a number of other characters and they lend good support for the main cast. Some of the scenes are shot really well. There is a nice balance between the present scenes and the flashback scenes. This pic is of an ethnic Tamizh ponnu Amy. Doesn't she look very pretty? My MIL said that she resembles Amala.

Image Courtesy: http://news.sky.com/

Catch the movie if you have not seen it yet. It ends with a montage of how chennai was in the 1940s and earlier and how it looks today. That was a nice touch.

The Camel Club -- David Baldacci

2012-01-05T18:59:00.023+05:30

I borrowed this book and the winner from my cousin during my visit to Chennai, in January, last year. I had enjoyed the winner a lot and so was looking forward to reading this book but somehow the first 20 pages failed to hold my attention and I kept it aside. Last year, in December, I finally took up the challenge and made up my mind to get past the first 20 pages. Surprise! Surprise! I managed to finish the book - sometime this year.

This is a politico-drama-murder mystery story and the author brings in a number of characters during the first 20 pages. Maybe that was why I lost interest. Anyway, the pace picks up after the murder which happens a few pages after the first 20 pages. And then, moves forward at a brisk pace. The ending was quite unexpected. I was quite surprised because I expected it to have a filmi ending. I liked the book even though a few months ago - I could barely devote even an hour to the book, I was quite engrossed after the murder. Considering I like murder mysteries, it is but natural.

I have only read the winner and the camel club so far. Both very different. I should try reading other books by this author. Any suggestions?

Sherlock Holmes -- A Game of Shadows

2012-01-01T20:22:00.014+05:30

Wish you all a very Happy New Year! We managed to catch a movie on 1st January. We know almost every movie hall is packed and so it was gr8 we managed. January 1, 2012 saw us eating at my aunt's place. My cousin was in India for a short trip (Visa + some much needed family time) and after her visa formailty was done - she was all set to meet the entire gang for lunch on 1st. She suggested the movie idea. So, 6 of us made our way to Cinemax - the one @ Total Mall which has fast become my favorite :)

Onto the review, if you liked the first movie, you'll like this movie. Though this movie is a sequel, you can still watch this movie even if you have not seen the other. The humour is typical, subtle, wry, and hilarious.

The first movie had this scene - a slow motion action sequence to depict the character's thought process and moves, followed by the rapid shot of the actual action sequence. I liked it a lot and so was looking forward to it, in this movie. It was done quite well.

Image Courtesy: www.teaser-tailer.com

This movie is all about Moriarty and Sherlock Holmes. Dr. Watson manages to get married and has his honeymoon spoiled by Sherlock Holmes who comes to save them from Moriarty's evil plan, dressed as a lady. Robert Downey Jr. has done a fantastic job and so has Jude Law. A surprise, if you do not already know, is the appearance of Noomi Roopace (Lisbeth Solander in the Girl with the Dragon Tatoo original movie) as a gypsy fortune-teller. She looks so different that one cannot believe it is her. She does not have a big role but she is good.

Its a good movie, watch it now, if you have not seen it. I lowed it - it made 2012 start out so well :D

X-mas Wreath inside the house -- X-mas

2011-12-28T20:20:00.001+05:30

Ceiling Decorations -- for X-mas

2011-12-27T20:16:00.003+05:30

On the X-mas Tree

2011-12-26T20:11:00.001+05:30

Merry X-mas

2011-12-25T23:00:00.005+05:30

From today, I will post a snap of the decorations till Wednesday. It shall be my tribute to the concept of Wordless Wednesdays -- of course it is not a single day but 3 days of no words - only pics - to show you my x-mas decorations. I like the idea already. No more writing, talking, or thinking out loud.

Of course, I can write today. This is the snap taken on the 25th - of the crib. The Arien is quite creative. This time, I helped a bit. Usually, he gets so hyper that I keep away but this time we both were involved in the creation of the crib.

The Arien had this amazing design and by the time we finished with it - he felt our crib did not match up to his expectations.

According to me -- It was made by him with a lil help from me and so it was ob. great :D But, naturally, I would say that :D

This is a close-up shot of the crib - You can see baby Jesus and the focus was perfect for the snap. Of course, some of the others snaps were not so easy or blur-free.

Merry Christmas to you all :D

Merry Christmas to you all -- Happy Holidays!

2011-12-23T23:45:00.008+05:30

The first bit of decoration that was completed on the night of the 23rd while we were giggling and shushing each other outside our door in the common hallway. It was also the first time we were hanging up the decoration on the door especially because the Arien is paranoid 'bout the door. He is so sure someone will walk away with our decorations.

We usually only put up the Merry Christmas on the door but this looked so much nicer -- Xmas spirit was on the rise :)

Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol

2011-12-22T19:30:00.016+05:30

This movie had garnered so much of publicity that though we were not ready for X-mas yet, we made time for the movie. Yes, we saw the movie on a weekday two days before X-mas. It was a nice idea - catching a movie on a weekday. Both of us felt so relaxed - it was almost as if we were dating :D Also, we were seeing it at the new multiplex near our home, Cinemax @ Total.

About Cinemax @ Total:
The new multiplex is a hop, skip, jump away from my place. Wah! The Gold Class tickets are 200 bucks a head. Wah! Wah! The Gold Class seats are huge, very comfy, and simply fantastic. Double Wah! Wah!

Image Courtesy: http://www.guardian.co.uk

About the movie:
The MI movies always have some amazing stunts and this one does not fail to impress at all - in that department. Of course, in this movie the mega stunts are actually over and done with by the time we come to the intermission. Tom cruise looks seriously old in the escape scene at the hospital. However, in the last scene, he looks clean and yumm!! Its surprising how much damage unwashed hair can do to your looks :P

Waaah: Tom Cruise is good, yet again. I was very surprised to know that he has actually performed the stunt in Dubai and did not take the help of a stunt-double. They are simply aeons away in terms of technology wen it comes to film-making. Inspite of squinting real hard, I really could not see the wires that were holding Tom - fantastic! Story was ok. Both the Arien and self realized after a few minutes that the main villain, Kurt Hendricks (Michael Nyqvist) was actually the actor who played Blomkevist from "The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo". He is older but is good as the villain. We had recently seen Jeremy Renner (William Brandt) in the movie "The Town". Good choices. Simon Pegg provided some comic relief and was perfect for the role he played.

Blaaah: Anil Kapoor, is not the villain as mentioned in various press releases, but can actually be described as an extra with a few dialogues. He plays the part of a foolish, rich, Indian businessman with an eye for the ladies. He is absolutely ridiculous. The scene supposedly shot in a parking lot in Mumbai, is very clearly not shot in India. While we have not yet reached tht level of spohistication wrt parking lots, the number plates of the cars also has not been modified. A colleague remarked that some of those cars have not even been launched in India. Attention to detail was clearly missing. When Tom Cruise mentions that they will be travelling to India, it almost sounds like an anti-climax punch dialogue which falls pathetically flat. WTH???!!

Worth watching once - if only to see the stunts!

The Town

2011-12-20T21:00:00.011+05:30

This movie was the Arien's choice. I wanted to see it because the movie starred Ben Affleck. This whole week seemed so lazy that a movie seemed like a good idea :D I remember "Good Will Hunting" which was a fantastic movie. We hoped this was a good one too. It was. Not great - good. Definitely worth a watch.

This movie is yet another bank heist movie but I liked it because of the script. The movie also stars Jeremy Renner. I had not seen him in any other movie before this. He is good. Usually, movies end with the robbers walking off into the sunset with the money. This movie begins with the heist and how their life changes after that. Four friends, from Charlestown, known as the Town, plan the heist and successfully pull it off. Ben and Jeremy are close friends. As part of the heist, they take the assistant manager hostage and let her go without harming her. Ben is drawn to her. Jeremy wants no loose ends and is worried that she may recall something which may result in their capture. Ben falls in lowe with her, gets close to her and makes her fall in lowe with him all the while hiding his true identity from her.

At the same time, the police are waiting for the gang to make mistakes or plan another heist. They are blackmailed into planning another heist and what happens after that forms the rest of the story.

Adhoc Interpretations of an Ad

2011-12-08T09:00:00.002+05:30

Today, as I sat down to watch some TV, the first ad I saw had me cringing. It was an ad for pickles (Aachi). They had used an old Tamizh song "Thottu Kollava..." as the background. If you have not seen the ad, watch it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbwBfVjjnds&feature=related

Why was I cringing? Well, they had this handsome hulk giving you a sidey smile as he sang "Thottu kollava.. "! A very small percentage of Tamilians use the term "Thottukka" to refer to the side dish accompanying the main dish. Now, if I am told that we are having sambhar and rice for dinner, I will probably ask "Thottukka Yenna irrukku?" The answer is usually the name of the subzi that was made. If you are eating curd rice, pickle is usually the answer. Thus, the idea for this ad, I think. However, literally translated, it means "What is available for me to touch?" And from the guy's expression, it looks like he means it literally - Naturally, I am cringing at the double meaning! So when he is singing "Thottu Kollava..." with sidey grins and glances, he is probably singing it literally to the heroine and not so literally to the pickle jar.

Well, if we are going to look at it literally, I vote for the big bad wolf singing this song to Little Red Riding Hood. Makes it less of a double meaning and kinda more believable - don't you think?

Wordless Wednesdays -- My new Footwear -- Comfort Won Over Style

2011-12-07T10:00:00.006+05:30

The Song Playing In My Head Nowadays

2011-12-06T20:13:00.010+05:30

No no no... Its not "Why this Kolaveri Kolaveri di?" which has been a hot fav on Facebook. However, this song is yet another Dhanush song - at least it is picturised on him. The song is from the movie Mayakkam Yenna and I am unable to shake the song from my head.

I liked the song when the Arien played it in our car. When I saw the video, I liked the song even more. Dhanush is purrfect as the desperate guy and the video is quite good for a Tamizh song.

Naturally, one part of me wonders why I like this song.

Without further ado, the song is: "Voda Voda Voda Dhooram Korayala".

If you have not heard it yet, check this out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_aS5agMhAg

Wordless Wednesdays -- Separated at Birth?

2011-11-23T10:00:00.002+05:30

How much do you lowe ur hair?

2011-10-31T19:30:00.000+05:30

I have never bothered too much 'bout my hair. I have always had ramrod straight hair, which turns wavy when it is left to grow too long. I keep my hair short, in what used to be known as a boycut, for several years now. Low-maintenance, easy to manage were my buzzwords when anyone asked me why I was not going in for a change in hair style. All that changed, thanks to the combined efforts of water, pollution, some amount of negligence, trying out various hair care products, indiscriminate usage of hair colour, and not to forget, age.

Wondering if I will ever find a product that would help my hair go back to soft and smooth was on my wish list for a while. I came across Dove shampoo which seemed like god-send to me. My hair was soft to touch and smelt divine. It seemed like I could finally put a check against this item on my wish-list.

This Diwali, when I had to decide on some nice gift for myself, I decided to pamper my hair. Yes, I got myself the Dove Hair Care products. Yes, all 4. Kinda too much?? Well, ya especially because I am still not sure how to use the serum or the mask. I saw the directions but am still a bit confused. The Arien has been teasing me -- "You got what you wanted and now you don't know what to do with it. Seriously?!!" I am sooo grrr.. that I wrote this post to ask for help. Do any of you use the Dove hair mask? Or the serum?

Happy Diwali -- 3 Reviews in 1 -- Loong Post

2011-10-30T22:33:00.004+05:30

Diwali is a special time for most Tamilians. Apart from the celebrations, the pattasu, the sapadu, and the bakshanams, most Tamilians eagerly await the diwali film releases. This year, there were a number of releases around Diwali timeframe, we had Vedi, Velayudham, 7aam Arivu, Engeyum Eppodhum fighting it out for audience attention and appreciation. Naturally, I had to see all or some of them. Thanks to the Arien's enthu, we caught 3 of the 4 movies. Happy Diwali, you all!!

Vedi

This is an action movie starring Vishal, Sameera Reddy, and Vivek. Though the movie released almost a month before Diwali, I am including it here. This movie was directed by Prabhu Deva, who gave us Wanted, [Beeg Hindi Hit], Engeyum Kaadhal [Beeg Tamizh Flop]. I went to this movie with low expectations. This movie is typical of Vishal's movies and follows the regular tamizh masala movie template through and through.

Vivek, though he manages to bring a smile to your face, is hardly in his element here. His comedy is a far-cry from his usual style and seems to follow the slapstick comedy of Vadivel. However, he was one of the bright spots of an otherwise absolutely blaaah movie.

Image Courtesy: http://www.tamilrelease.com/

Vishal beats up guys left, right, and center and they go flying across the screen, doing somersaults in the air, bouncing back from the ground.. Ufff!!Sameera Reddy first hates Vishal and then falls for him, as usual. She is the other bright spot in this movie. She looks very lean and quite cute. The first part is funny and moves at a fast pace. The second part got so boring that the Arien decided to leave before the film ended. For once, I did not disagree.

Verdict: Thumbs Down

7aam Arivu

This was a much-anticipated Diwali release starring Suriya and Shruthi Hassan. The masala movie template was thrown out of the window which was a welcome change. A R Murgadoss, known for Ghajini, is the director of this movie. Some of the songs in this movie were very different and reminds you of A R Rehman's songs. However, Harris Jeyraj is the music director for this movie. Except for the first song, which introduces present day Suriya and his circus, others seem disconnected and jarr a bit. Though the songs were good, well-picturised, it disrupted the flow of the story and looked as if it was forced into the script because they were already shot. (While this is the case in most movies - it seemed particularly out-of-sync in this movie).

Bodhidharman, a tamizh pallava prince, goes to China to ensure that the epidemic that was killing most of the chinese people, does not reach India. He cures the chinese folks and also displays his martial skills when the village is attacked by a group of men. He teaches them these skills to protect themselves. He is fondly known as Damo. When he wants to return to Kancheepuram, India, the chinese decide to poison him because it was predicted that he must be buried in China so that the disease does not return to China. Knowing that he was poisoned, and realizing the reason for this, Bodhidharman eats the posioned food and is buried in China. This was well-shot and Suriya comes alive as Bodhidharman. In the next part, Suriya is a circus artiste or performer with the Great Bombay Circus.

The chinese villain, Dong Lee, is fantastic and has nearly as much screen space as Suriya and is outstanding. Shruthi Hassan is not a natural. She looks very pretty, slim, but somehow in the songs, she seems to be holding back. Lot of plot holes and an amateur Chinese conspiracy theory spoils the rest of the movie. While the movie shares information that would make most Tamilians proud, it was kinda done in a very prabhu deva style and so failed to make an impact. The ending is also slightly weird. See if you can catch A R Murgadoss in the final scene.

Verdict: 50-50

Engeyum Eppodhum

This is a movie that most people saw, liked, and recommended. It sounded so much like Engeyum Kaadhal that I was not sure. However, it was the best of the lot. There are two love stories, one involving Jai (Subramaniapuram, Goa) and Anjali (Angadi Theru, Mankatha) and the other involving Ananya and Sharavanand. Both stories strike a chord and are well-written as well as well-picturised.

The love story between Jai and Anjali happens over a few months. Jai watches her across terraces and attempts to wave at her for a period of 6 months. Jai is soft-spoken, shy, and does not have the guts to talk to her. Also, from the distance, sometimes he is unable to differentiate between daughter and mother resulting in some funny scenes. Anjali is quite bold, visits him in his home one day, much to his shock. He is also not sure if she is the girl who he has been waving at. She tells him that on the fourth day, she went to the tea shop opposite his house and had a good look at him. She then waits for him to make his move but he seems to be happy waving at her frm his house. She orders him about mercilessly and both are a treat to watch.

Image Courtesy: http://www.vadakudin.blogspot.com/

The love story between Ananya and Shravanand happens during the course of a single day. Ananya comes to Chennai to attend an interview and is suuposed to be picked up by her cousin who is called away because of a family medical emergency. Ananya wants to go back to her village immediately but the cousin asks her to attend her interview and shares the bus details. Ananya fears the travel and her cousin asks her to call someone to the phone who will follow her instructions and put her on the bus. The stranger she asks is Sharavanand. Her innocence, shock as she observes the goings-on in Chennai is a lil contrived but amusing nevertheless. Shravanand, as the patient, understanding guy, who takes an hour's permission, half-day leave and then finally full-day leave so he can drop her off at her cousin's place is good. Ananya refuses to take the job as it means she has to work in Bangalore. They do not meet after that but they both have slowly but surely fallen in lowe with each other. They finally decide to find each other with very few details.I do not want to share too much except to say - WATCH IT!

Verdict: Thumbs Up

Been there, Done that -- Bengaluru Metro

2011-10-25T22:26:00.003+05:30

Finally, 5 days after Metro service was launched in Bangalore, I went on my first metro ride. It was a holiday and I was visiting my grandma and aunts who live in Cambridge Layout. Visiting them was never an issue before 'cos I had my two-wheeler. Last Diwali, I disposed off my bike. And, because I am not comfortable driving my car, I have to either wait for the Arien to pick or drop me or take an auto. You do not want me to rant 'bout the rampant auto issue that folks in Bengaluru face. I was quite glad I had another option. Yes - The Metro!

After a nice loong chat with my aunts, and my grandma, a bowl of papaya, hot chai and biskoot, I decided it was time to go home. While I could have taken the metro frm Ulsoor, I opted to walk up to Indira Nagar and then take the metro from that station. The walk was invigorating. It had jes stopped raining and somehow the place felt so much like Bangalore and not Bengaluru.

Image Courtesy: www.mrnewz.com

The metro ride was a joy. I have travelled on the Delhi Metro and so while the experience was essentially the same, I was so glad to experience it here. The ride from Indira nagar to Baiyappanhalli cost me Rs. 12. "So cheap.. so so cheap" was all that was running in my head :D I wished I had taken the ride earlier, as it was becoming quite dark and I really could not appreciate the view. All the seats in all the coaches were occupied. And quite a few ppl were standing when I got on. It took me ~6 mts to reach the station. I was lucky enough to get on the feeder service that dropped me off right opposite my Dad's place. That cost me Rs.9. I got to spend some time with the Taurean and the senior Arien before the Arien landed up to pick me up. If I had taken an auto from Indiranagar to my home, I would have spent minumum Rs. 100. On top of that, I would have to listen to the auto drivers rant 'bout how IT folks who sit in AC rooms all day are mean (because they refuse to pay auto drivers their hiked up charges). Let me not forget to add that most times, they are positively rude and refuse to take you anywhere that you have to go to. The metro is such a nice solution to all those issues. I wish they hurry up and finish up all the other lines as well. I wish they had a station near K R Puram or B Narayanapura. There is some plan to extend the existing route to whitefield. I wish they do.

Go Bengaluru!! Very positive news for Bengaluru!

Wordless Wednesday -- Aloo Gobi (North Indian Style) -- Yummy!

2011-10-19T20:00:00.000+05:30

Mausam -- Movie Review

2011-09-30T21:00:00.000+05:30

Over the weekend, we decided to take the Arien aunt out for a movie and lunch. The Arien aunt is back in Bangalore from Mumbai for a month. It was my idea to take her to Mausam because I felt it would be slow with no major dishum dishum. You may recall, she enjoyed Deivathirumagal. Both the Arien and self found it quite boring in some places and very slow. Anyway, come saturday, both the Arien and self book tickets for Mausam, and treat the Arien aunt to an interesting lunch at Gokul Kuteera, a veg eatout. Both self and the Arien aunt chatted nineteen to a dozen while the Arien watched us both, amused. My aunt was enjoying her timeout and was keen on having some fun. The mistake was taking her out to watch Mausam! *Spoiler Alert*

The first one hour of the movie moves at a languid pace and you enjoy the antics of the gaon ka handome chora (Shahid) as he tries one dare-devil stunt, runs across rooftops to catch sight of the love of his life (Sonam) using a pair of binoculars from a different era, teases his sister, makes fun of his would-be brother-in-law, and generally behaves like a naughty younger brother you may have. If you recall your first crush and your behavior at tht time - you may feel a lil indulgent. But, as the movie moves on, we now have Shahid as a smart ofser with a moustache and a vardi, both of which look very good on him btw, and Sonam in Scotland as a ballerina, that you wonder -- whaaattt??? You wish 7 or 9 years had such an effect on you :P

Image Courtesy: www.ibnlive.com

Anyway, they are apparently as crazily in lowe as they were then. Sonam seems to have developed her fashionista sense at Scotland and family members of Sonam are quite impressed with his vardi that they claim it is an honor that someone known to them is in a vardi! He is the absolute pukka sahib. But, somehow he comes across very serious for no reason. If he had come to announce someone's death - I can understand tht expression but seriously holding on to that expression throughtout the second half - killed the movie. On the day Shahid is supposed to meet Sonam's dad to ask for her hand, kargil war beckons and Shahid goes away before getting married. At this juncture, the movie becomes absolutely boring and you really want to go home - the Arien asks aloud "Where is the villain?" I had to shush him. The movie is far from over.

Image Courtesy: http://www.forevernokia.com/

After the war, Shahid has paralysis on his left arm and believes Sonam may not lowe him anymore. (Reminds you a lot of that Aamir Khan and Manisha movie). Are you dead yet? Well, believe me it goes on and on and on. Rather than boring you further, I will take you to the last but one scene :D This scene was largely mistaken for a dose of humor or slapstick comedy in an otherwise very boring part of the movie. In ahmedabad, there are riots going on and people are setting fire to houses, cars, people. Sonam has been living here for several years and Shahid has jes landed here to attend the wedding of one of his punju friends from the dare-deviliry days. Amidst all the confusion, Sonam runs out and meets Shahid who saves her. Shahid then goes on to save a horse, and a child from a giant wheel whose mother lies dead - all by himself with one paralysed arm. They decide then to set up home with the horse and the child. That was when ppl started walking out. My aunt said "Aiyooo - this movie will never work". And then the song "Malla Malli" is thrown at us - no one is keen on watching it at all and is quickly walking towards the exit sign.

I like Shahid. This movie did not work for me at all. While the initial part was nice, interesting, indulgent, and slow but still likeable - the rest of the movie went over the top with slow scenes, no impact scenarios, and the final saving scene involving a child, a horse, and the heroine was absolutely a throw-back from the 70s era. We now watch those scenes and laugh - It jes served to confuse the already confused audience. The arien summed it up in one word "BLADE". I have to agree. I hate to do this but watch this movie with very low expectations and you may not feel so bad.

Wordless Wednesdays - Balmuri Falls & Ranganathittu

2011-09-21T20:15:00.000+05:30

Wordless Wednesdays -- Smoothie made by the Arien

2011-09-14T10:00:00.000+05:30

180 Not Out

2011-09-13T21:12:00.001+05:30

Happiness need not be a beeg nice happening in the day - it can be one small happening - a word, a smile, a handshake, a chocolate, a cookie, a small accomplishment, a word of praise, a second look, a nice cuppa chai, anything.

Well, I jes submitted my 180th post!! Its a small accomplishment but it means a lot to me. Woohoo!! Woohoo!! Ya - you are allowed to shout from rooftops when you are happy.

Ooops!! The Arien has the shocked look of someone who is on an important call and has to now explain why someone in his house is going Woooohoooo!!! His eyes are giving me the naughty smile: "I was dying there - thanks to ur scream - ppl woke up" while his mouth was saying "Sorry - tht was the TV in the other room - hahahaha - sorry again - haahaha".

Thats my second accomplishment for today. Its very tough to faze the Arien. I jes did it!! woooohooo -- jes lowering the volume! Have to keep the peace in the house.

And if you are wondering what this shoe has got to do with it - Well, thats 180 Not Out. Go figure!

Image Courtesy: www.cricket-hockey.com

Callista -- Nice

2011-09-13T20:46:00.001+05:30

Have gone past this restuarant every single day since we moved to the new office premises but the Arien did not budge. This month, the ofc junta chose that place to go for a lunch treat. The food was ok - they had a fixed menu. We had mushroom soup, one veg starter (veg coin), one non-veg starter (not sure wht it was). We had a bread basket and the veg dishes were jeera aloo, a panner dish, and another dish, which I cannot recall now. I think there was a non-veg side dish as well. This was followed by the biriyani (veg and non-veg) and finally dessert. Dessert consisted of fruit salad with ice-cream and gulab jamoon. Quite a mouthful. Not bad at all - in fact, quite good.The ambience would be much better later in the evening, was my thot. They had a huge projector and a few wall-mounted TVs. They also had a decent bar. From outside, it looks quite small but it is actually not that small. I actually enjoyed the place as well as the food though the music played was a bit loud and one waiter was a lil dim. I wanted to visit the place for dinner once before I gave my final verdict.

The same week, we were treating the Arien's bro and sil to dinner and I chose Calista. We reached the place around 10 pm for dinner. (Yupp! Thts a first - we are usually back home by tht time) We opted for the fixed menu again as they did not have a buffet in the evening. The Arien ordered for two non-veg starters (chicken) and was quite impressed. His bro was also happy with the food. I had ordered the Paneer Chilly which was quite spicy and tasty. We moved to the main course - bread basket with yellow dhaal (absolutely yummy), some paneer dish which had no specific taste, and a non-spicy vegetable biriyani which was tasty. The Arien had asked for mutton biriyani which was not available but the chicken biriyani was quite good, he said. The same dim waiter brought our orders. He blinked when asked any question and then smiled. Next thing you know, he has left everything on the table so that he can call another waiter to answer our question. By then, it was 11 and everything was going to close. He quickly brought the dessert - fruit salad with ice-cream (no change since last visit). The bill arrived around 11:30 by which time most ppl were waiting at their table for their bill. We reached home ~11:45. The Arien and his bro watched a bit of the match on the wall-mounted TV because we were on the other side of the projector. It was a nice, lazy end to a gen day.

Image Courtesy: www.bangalore.burrp.com

Mankatha -- Movie Review

2011-09-08T23:27:00.002+05:30

A new movie from Venkat Prabhu, the director who gave us Chennai 28, Saroja, and Goa. It was also supposed to be Ajith's 50th movie. I am not a beeg Thalai fan but the Arien's bro was quite keen. So, 6 of us went for the movie.

The movie is fast-paced. It has shades of "The Italian Job". It is also an all-out guys movie with loads of action. Lot of shooting, guns, bad language, and reference to names given to the stars by their fans. A lil tiring but manageable.

The story is about Arumuga Chettiar, a rich man, who owns a theatre and is involved in a few shady deals in Mumbai. Trisha is his daughter. Ajith, a suspended policeman, is in love with Trisha. Arumuga Chettiar, decides to route 500 crore of betting money (IPL) through his theatre. So, the story is about this heist. 4 guys plan the heist - one is a henchmen of Arumuga Chettiar, other is a policeman who is regularly bribed by Arumugam. Another guy, who runs a bar and his IIT friend. Ajith comes to know of the plan and decides to join them. In another side of Mumbai, Arjun who is the Assistant Commissioner is working to unearth the masterminds involved in the betting scandal. What happens next forms the rest of the movie.

Image Courtesy: www.latesthot.in

Ajith had absolutely no make-up on - no hair dye and appeared quite natural. Though he did not resemble George Clooney in the least - the salt and pepper hair, and unshaven look actually made him look quite good and required a lot of courage - which impressed me a lot. Trisha had a small, itsy-bitsy role which she handled in her usual style. Lakshmi Rai, was the manipulating bimbette. Arjun, looked his age, but did a good job.

The movie was not at all a typical Tamizh movie that I have to say "Go and watch it!"

Ganesh Chaturthi

2011-09-01T19:58:00.036+05:30

I had missed celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi last year thanks to the golden triangle trip we went on. So, I was quite keen on not missing it this year. For the first time, the Arien insisted that I take an off on Wednesday (ytdy) so I do not feel hyper stressed on Ganesh Chaturthi. I think that idea was good. After cleaning up the house, we went out for a drive and purchased Ganesha idol, the go-green one as usual, and all the other misc stuff. We were actually back home before 6 pm on wednesday. Thats a first!

We made Kothhu Kadala shundal, sweet Kozhakattai, and Vadai. The Arien forgot to get Vermicilli. So I could not make Semiya Payasam. The arien suggested Gulab Jamun as an alternative and I agreed. If I mentioned that to any of my aunts especially my periamma - she will burst into laughter and I will never hear the end of that for the rest of my life. So, I did not call her or anybody else to discuss the dishes I made :D

It was a nice celebration - no tension, no stress - jes the way I wanted. Yeah!!! Thanks a lot to the Arien, of course, without whose help I may not have been able to celebrate it - the way I wanted to :D

Wordless Wednesdays -- So Cute!

2011-08-31T03:30:00.000+05:30

Zafraan Divine Cuisine

2011-08-09T21:00:00.012+05:30

After a marathon run of eating only home cooked food, I rebelled. The Arien acquiesced. It was yet another one of those rainy days. I actually wanted to curl up in bed with a good book and order in food. The Arien wanted to shop and because he had agreed that we could eat out - I was ready in a jiffy. We decided to try Zafraan, which was enroute.

The ambience at Zafraan was quite nice, welcoming, and cozy. The chairs were a bit severe. We should have chosen the sofa but it was already occupied. There were only a few folks arnd and we were late and so I was sure we would be served quickly. We took a few minutes to identify what we should eat and then waited for the waiter to take our order. He took forever to take our order. The Arien was ready to lose his cool when the waiter appeared and took our order. After that we had another looong wait. I noticed that most of the folks who were seated had been waiting a loong time. Some of them were slowly losing their temper. We waited for ~40 minutes before our dishes made an appearance. The food was piping hot and tasted quite different. We actually enjoyed the food a lot. Definitely a lot more than we had expected to. The Arien was also pleasantly suprised.

Image Courtesy: http://bangalore.burrp.com

We had not ordered very spicy dishes and the Arien had also not tried the Non-Veg items on the menu. So, I think Zafraan deserves a second visit from us. Nope, I am not going soft in my old age - I liked the food and really wanna visit again to see if they ever serve on time. While I agree that food gets the highest preference, ambience, and service play a very important role in making you re-visit the restuarant. Making your customers wait 40 minutes is taking the customer for granted.

Locked Out

2011-08-01T19:39:00.037+05:30

Today, I forget my keys at home. I did not even realize that I had done so until I got off the bus at the bus-stop near my house, in the evening. I called the Arien instantly b'cos this was only the second time in 4 years that I have done something so foolish. The Arien was going for his Chai break but sweetly agreed to come home immediately. I was glad because Dad was coming home only after 9 pm and I really had nowhere to go and no vehicle either.

Immediately is subjective. That is what I realized after sitting outside my apartment for more than 45 minutes. Before coming home, I even went to the local Bakery and purchased sm general items. I spent the 45 minutes sitting on the stairs playing Global Bloxx to while away the time. A thoughtful neighbour asked me in but I had one of my TB coughs going on and they have a chuntu baby. I really did not want to be blamed if the baby fell sick. As a general rule, I do not venture into the neighbouring apartments and chit-chat. So, their invite made me feel quite awkward. I probably ended up sounding rude. While I was wondering 'bout tht, the Arien called and told me he would be home in 5 mts... and he was.

I did not realize how much of a haven my home was until I was stuck outside with no way of getting in. Oh Oh! This is the first time I have posted on the first of the month -- Woohoo!! Its a blooper post of mine -- Boohoo!!

Myna

2011-07-28T20:00:00.048+05:30

I was not too keen on watching this movie. Myna was released in November, 2010. I was sure it was going to be some graamathu kathai with "louvves" thrown in which does not appeal to me at all. The Arien mentioned that I had said the same thing 'bout Aadukalam which I had actually enjoyed. Hmmm...

Well, this was the movie which had a Vizha (Celebration) for its hit status and Kamal Hassan came and said a few words 'bout how great the movie was and how he shed tears and all tht - actually, that should be the one reason for not watching this movie. This whole Vizha stuff is overdone - they have a Vizha for almost anything nowadays. Forcing popular actors to say a few words, making some TV actress dance for the songs from the film etc. etc. After all tht the movie is a total blaade and you wonder why they are having a Vizha??!!! Blade da saami. Hmmmm...

Image Courtesy: http://www.chennaionline.com/

The Story: (No Spoilers)

Surali is the hero, who as a boy rescues Myna and her mother when they get thrown out of their house. He requests an old lady for whom he has a lot of affection, to take care of both of them. Myna's mother makes Kuzhi Paniyaram and other tiffin items and earns her livelihood. Myna goes to school while Surali is a wastrel. Myna's mother always calls him her Maruman (Son-in-law) but when Myna grows up, she decides to get Myna married to someone rich from Dubai. This upsets Surali who has a nasty temper, he picks up a stone to kill the mother. The mother reacts by filing a police complaint and Surali is put in jail for 15 days.

In the meantime, the mother arranges for the wedding. Surali comes to know of this and escapes from the Jail to stop the wedding. The entire police station and all the constables are forced to abandon Diwali celebrations. One police constable and the Inspector go in search of Surali. Meanwhile, Surali reaches home and confronts the mother. The mother locks the door and stays inside with Myna while threatning to commit suicide by burning herself. Myna informs her mother that she would rather die than marry the Dubai Mappilai and the mother can go ahead and commit suicide. She walks out with Surali only to be caught red-handed by the Inspector and the constable. What happens after this forms the rest of the story.

Watch the movie and let me know how you like it. I felt the movie was well-edited and had a good story which was presented well. It kinda reminded me of Aadukalam. Naturally, the Hero's looks meet the requirements of a gramaathu wastrel (unshaven look, curly hair tht fell over his forehead, overall an unkempt appearance).

Deiva Thirumagal

2011-07-20T20:59:00.040+05:30

A new movie starring Vikram, Deiva Thirumagal, released last week, with absolutely no hype. If that was not plain weird, I wonder what is. I had not even seen a single trailer. In fact, when I found the movie listed, I did not want to see it until I found out that it was Vikram's movie. And then my Arien aunt insisted that she wanted to watch a Tamizh movie and she said she did not want to watch Vengai starring Dhanush. So, we booked tickets online and went for this movie.

The story revolves around a man who has the mental capability of a five-year old and his daughter, Nila. The mother is no longer alive. And the relatives from the mother's side do not think the father is capable of taking care of the child and separate the two in a very shocking manner. In a funny twist of events, the father meets a lawyer who finally takes up this case. The father's role is played by Vikram. And he has done a fantastic job. Baby Sarah as the daughter has also done a great job. Amala Paul has a small role and she has done her job well. Anushka plays the role of the lawyer. Nasser is the lawyer from the other side.

The movie is quite slow, funny in bits, has absolutely no dishum-dishum, and jes 'bout ook. The Arien aunt fell in lowe with the movie. She is the same person who was very shocked after watching Kaminey, here. I did not like the movie much. I felt the premise was interesting but the movie failed to match it. Its quite possible that a movie about a mentally challenged person is kinda not my favorite type of movie. I did watch Sadma but tht was a looong time ago and while Vikram is almost as good as Kamal - this movie seemed too indulgent. I was quite bored at times. There was a totally unnecessary song between Anushka and Vikram which should have lead to some romance but it did not. Probably the idea was to develop that bit but it got cut or maybe Anushka feared that Amala Paul may end up walking away with the heroine tag and insisted on the song. Y G Mahendran was wasted in a role that did not require him to do much and he delivered. After over-indulging in some places, the story ended in an abrupt manner as though someone had yelled "CUT!". This movie should have been edited better.

the winner

2011-07-12T19:35:00.044+05:30

Beginning of July we visited Chennai. The trip was hectic and at the same time quite relaxed. As I was leaving, I picked up the camel club by David Baldacci from my cousin's bookshelf. My SIL offered me another book, the winner, by the same author and so I was all smiles. However, it was only last week when I actually started on the winner because I was keen on finishing The Reversal. I have not read any other book by this author and the fact that the book was recommended by my SIL was an added plus.

The winner is interesting. The story is about an evil genius, Jackson, who carefully chooses 12 people who will ultimately win the government-sponsored lottery for a particular year. He plans to use their money to get what he wants. He fixes the lottery so that his chosen 12 win. Of the 12 people he chooses, LuAnn is the weakest link as well as his nemesis. LuAnn and her baby, Lisa, stay away from the US of A for 10 long years, as instructed by Jackson. This is easy for LuAnn because she is wanted for murder in the US of A. Meanwhile, a reporter is writing a story on how lottery winners usually end up bankrupt and he finds that 12 winners (Jackson's 12) have surprisingly kept bankruptcy at bay and are quite wealthy. This makes him wonder if they had some help. Amidst all this, LuAnn returns to the US of A under an assumed name, Catherine Savage, and purchases a huge property to settle down after years of looking over her shoulder. The reporter makes the connection and realizes that Catherine Savage and LuAnn Tyler are one and the same.

The premise is interesting but it ends quite tamely. Some portions defy logic and no effort has been taken to develop the secondary characters and so mid-way, it gets to be a general rom-com with some action thrown in. Otherwise, it is a good read.

The Reversal

2011-07-04T11:59:00.045+05:30

A visit to the bookstore and I saw the new book from Michael Connelly. As usual, I picked it up without thinking. After I billed it, I remembered that I had not liked his previous one, the one in Hong Kong, 9 Dragons. Kinda late realization but then I have always had a soft spot for his books and so I hoped for the best. I was not disappointed.

The Story:

When Mickey Haller is invited to prosecute a case for the LA District Attorney, he knows something strange is going on. Mickey's a defence lawyer, and to switch sides like this would be akin to asking a fox to guard the hen-house. But the high-profile case of a convicted child-killer who spent almost 25 years on death row before DNA evidence freed him is an intriguing one....

What do I think of the book:

This feels like the first book where Mickey Haller and Harry Bosch work together, while in fact, it is not. The story is quite interesting. Mickey Haller is pulled into this case by the DA's office and for the first time, Mickey is prosecuting for the people instead of for his client. His first ex-wife is his co-counsel, in this daunting case. Mickey Haller chooses Harry Bosch as his investigator to investigate the missing links. The story consists of individuals who are good at what they do and believe they do not need any assistance but are forced to work together for a common good. This book enabled me to view the case from both their perspectives.

I always preferred Harry's approach to a case. He was somewhat like a dog following a scent. I always felt like cheering him on, encouraging him to find that elusive clue that would help him break the case. I frankly, did not like Mickey Haller all that much. However, in this book, I realized how Harry's attitude can be detrimental to the case.

One of the big pluses for me was that I was reading this book right after watching Lincoln Lawyer. So whenever I am reading about Mickey, I am in fact, imagining Mathew McConaughey saying those things. Of course, I was also wondering who would play Harry Bosch. Back to the book, I enjoyed it. I was quite surprised with the ending but again I felt that Michael Connelly did not shy away from stating the facts. Read it and let me know what you think.

Addictions

2011-06-30T18:08:00.025+05:30

**Disclaimer: This post is not a helpline for folks who need help with their addictions**

Re-reading Agatha Christie Novels over and over again --- Am currently reading They Do it With Mirrors. I know who the murderer is. That, however, does not stop me from finishing the book. Cannot understand it.

Watching Fear-Factor based Indian Reality Shows --- Am currently watching Khatron Ke Khiladi Torchaar. The format has not changed - you would think I would be bored by now - naaah.

Never walking out of a book-store without purchasing --- Went to get 2 books for my niece but ended up buying the latest Michael Connelly book, Reversal without having read a single review.

Watching Re-Telecasts of the popular sitcom F.R.I.E.N.D.S --- Have the entire collection, season 1 through season 10 except season 7. Still cannot switch it off when there is a re-telecast of even a single episode of any one of the seasons. Drives the Arien nuts.

Purchasing shoes, sandals, slip-ons, and a variety of other footwear --- I have to try on a pair of stilletos or wedges, fall madly in lowe with it even if I cannot walk a step without support, and then purchase it. Of course, it is def not comfortable for daily wear and so is dumped in the far corner of my shoe rack until I forget all 'bout it. It is the Arien who sweetly informs me that I have a very similar one at home when I am busy contemplating my next purchase.

Watching movies with Subtitles at home --- I believe that a complete movie experience involves no missed dialogue, no did-not-get joke, no "wh?-whaa?-whatwastht?" etc. When you have subtitles, you don't miss dialogues, you get 98% of the jokes, and there is no "whaa?". Of course, it is tedious but I wudn't have it any other way.

Wordless Wednesdays -- My Snap was posted on TOI

2011-06-22T10:10:00.001+05:30

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Bangalore-Elevated-Tollway/

Look under Photos and Select More.

Ragged -- A funny day!

2011-06-21T19:25:00.052+05:30

My ofc moved to a new location last month. I like moves because of the change aspect. We get new cubes (Yeah!), the day before the schedueld move is spent in packing (no work - Double yeah!), and then after we actually move, we waste a lot of time clearing our clutter i.e unpacking (yaba daba doo). Well, all that happened last month - yes, during the movie mania month. Anyway, the new place is nice. However, thanks to the move, I now take the public transport aka the Red Bus (Not Red Bull) -- the Red Volvo from ofc to home.

These red volvos have been around since 2006 itseems, but I always had my Honda Activa and so I had no use for the red volvo until quite recently. Anyway, I am now quite a regular on the red volvo, which is a fully air-conditioned, low-floor, sooper cool bus.

Image Courtesy: www.bangalorebest.com

I am so regular that I got ragged by the driver and the conductor last week. The reason - I refuse to sit on the seats and spend the 15 mts that it takes for the volvo bus to reach my stop, standing. In some weird way, they actually felt insulted that I refused to sit. The driver asked me if I was worried that the bus may have an accident. Red-faced, I started "It takes hardly any time to reach my stop.." and stopped. The conductor interrupted "Your stop is 5 stops away." Grrr... I started again "The bus goes so fast..." - I could not complete the sentence. The driver took offense by assuming that I meant he was speeding and informed me that he was not going fast at all and gave me a baashan. I got more and more red-faced, trying to explain the same point in different ways and was totally and completely ragged! I gave up finally and I was never so glad to see that it was my stop. I jumped out and heard their uproarious laughter from inside the bus. Whaaat a day!!

Five Children and It

2011-06-04T21:21:00.028+05:30

After a really looong time, I read a book. And, I am sooo glad that this post is not a movie review :) This young adult novel was a total joy to read. It reminded me of my Enid Blyton days. Enid Blyton could draw me into her world and I would always hate to go back to mine. Edith is equally good. I really wanted to know what happens with the children next. Do they meet Psammead again? When? I think thats wht good writing is all about. You keep the audience interested long after the book has been read. Thats a good tip for my blog posts and for later!

Anyway, I had never heard of this book or the author and that is suprising considering I am quite a bookworm. However, I recall that I steered clear of classics. So, probably I missed this as well. Anyway, I would have never read this book, if it weren't for my frend's blog. Thanks Nish!

This book is part of a trilogy and as is my practice, I must read the rest of the books. Yeaaahh!! I think I will finally read some books :D

Wordless Wednesdays -- Ofc Decorations

2011-06-01T21:41:00.005+05:30

The Hangover - Part 2 - Season of the Sequels

2011-05-31T23:05:00.005+05:30

We celebrated the last weekend in May by catching yet another sequel. Yes - we caught Part II of the Hangover movie. I did not have too many expectations from this movie. Sequels usually carry a lot of hype and then fall flat. However, this movie was funny in bits, was true to the premise followed in the earlier movie, and was watchable. As usual, the humour was bordering on crude but Part I was not any different. Also, this movie had an extra share of male nudity which was quite over-the-top.

Most of the characters reprised their roles, with the exception of Heather, the person that Stu married last time. Mike Tyson has a brief cameo. This movie is regarding the bachelor party for Stu, who is getting married in Thailand and actually decides not to have a bachelor party. Of course, the others agree after kicking up a fuss. There are a host of new characters but none of them have any scope to perform as the story is not 'bout them. Doug, the suntanned bridegroom of Part I, misses out on this adventure, but the bride's younger brother, Teddy, takes his place. It is a crazy ride. Good to watch in an adult-only environment and preferably with folks on the same frequency. Some people may find some of the scenes quite uncomfortable. Watch it and let me know what you think.

Image Courtsey: http://hangover2-trailer.com

Paranormal Activity 2 -- Addiction thrives on

2011-05-30T20:08:00.005+05:30

Sometime last year, I saw Paranormal Activity. It probably happened during the time when I decided "No more movies" and so instead of not seeing the movie, I decided not to write 'bout it. Yeah - I kinda do such things. Back to the movie, most folks do not consider Paranormal Activity to be a scary movie. However, I was totally creeped out after watching the movie (both parts), and so I disagree. The key point about both these movies is that we watch the story unfold via video cameras that are placed all over the house. The idea is not really new but works for a lot of reasons.

The second part is not a sequel but actually runs parallely. This part was quite confusing as we watched the main characters from the earlier movie appear in this movie and we realized that the second part is kinda where it all begins but it is not a prequel. Anyway, there are more characters in this movie. A husband and wife live with their teenage daughter, a young baby, and a dog. Things start happening, the house looks broken in but nothing valuable is taken. This creeps the new mom and they install cameras all over the house. So, what exactly is in the house? That forms the rest of the story and this movie was as scary as the previous one. And, to really enjoy the movie you must watch it late in the evening!

Image Courtesy: http://cinema.theiapolis.com/

Issues: It takes a while to get to the scary part and this can be a bore. There are some unexplained bits.. we may have a Part III in the works. The ending is totally unexpected and you are like "Whaaaaa??? Come on!" Good to watch at home.

Lincoln Lawyer and Limitless -- Addicted to Movies

2011-05-27T20:47:00.005+05:30

After all that Gyaan 'bout reading more books and watching fewer movies, May was movie month. This time, I blame it all on the Arien. I saw Lincoln Lawyer twice, once with the Arien and once with the Taurean. Limitless had the cute Bradley Cooper and so irrespective of the reviews, there was no way I was going to say No to that movie. So, another movie weekend began and ended before we knew it and my addiction continued to thrive. *No Spoilers*

Lincoln Lawyer

This movie is based on the Michael Connelly book with the same name. I love Micheal Connelly's books and am actually surprised that he did not make his first movie with one of Harry Bosch's stories. But, no complaints.

Anyway, this movie worked for me. The movie had the right amount of style, good actors, interesting story-line --- purrfect! The Arien took a while to warm up to the movie because so many characters were added at the beginning but he liked the twists. The Taurean also liked the movie.

A big positive is that the actors chosen were perfect for the part and were ob. chosen with care. Though the movie did not promise a meaty role for most of the actors, they all did a great job. Mathew McConaughey was quite good and though he looks old, he pulls it off. Marisa Tomei is cute but looking her age. Ryan Phillippe, William Macy, Josh Lucas, Frances Fisher were perfect for the part.

Image Courtesy: www.rottentomatoes.com

Limitless

An interesting premise, a good-looking actor in the lead and a script that fails to keep up its promise. Bradley Cooper is Eddie Morra, a "highly" intelligent writer, suffering from writer's block, who after having spent his book advance and losing his girl-friend, meets his ex's bro. The bro introduces him to NZT, an untested drug that is capable of harnessing the entire brain's power. As you may already know, we only use a fraction (around 2% of the brain power).

Anyway, Eddie takes the pill, against his "sooper intelligence" and comes up with a first draft of his novel, and feels more alive than ever. Because the drug wears off in a day, he contacts his ex's bro only to find him dead and the apartment thrashed. He finds the stash that the bro had hidden (How?? - Do not bother - he is "sooper intelligent") and then begins a new life - taking a pill a day. He learns multiple languages, changes his career and becomes a Wall Street genius (Why?? - No idea). He also sleeps with and murders women. Anyway, if you ignore some of these "what-the-hell?" issues, you can actually enjoy the movie. Bradley Cooper is enthusiatic, charming, and perfect for this role. Robert Di Niro is the surprise addition in this movie that is relying wholly on Bradley Cooper's charm. Good to watch on a lazy saturday when you want to relax.

Image Courtesy: www.popcultureshock.com

Source Code Review - Finally

2011-05-26T19:51:00.028+05:30

The reviews of Source Code were a lot better than the ones for Limitless and so we decided to catch this movie on the same day we tried out mexican cuisine @ Taco Bell, Koramangala. Both were good decisions.

Jake Gyllenhaal plays Colter Stevens, an army pilot whose mission is to locate the person who places a bomb on a train. The sci-fi twist is that Colter is actually inside a program known as the Source Code which enables him to take on the body of one of the passengers in the train for the last 8 minutes of the passenger's life. The first time Colter wakes up as a teacher, he is new to the entire process and is quite confused with his dual identity. As the process is repeated over and over, he is quicker at grasping things and figures out the identity of the bomber. When he offers to stop the bomber, he is informed that he cannot alter the past but he must find the bomber to prevent him from planning another attack in the future. As he works with Vera Farmiga and the creator of the Source Code program, he tries to remember life as Colter and wonders if his father is aware 'bout his whereabouts and wants to contact him.

An interesting movie, with a very bollywoodish ending. As Colter figures things out, we are doing the same and that makes this movie interesting. And while the 8-minute window gets repititive, we are provided a different angle for each window and that keeps boredom at bay. One of the passengers in the train is Russel Peters. Though he has only a short duraction to crack jokes (~3 mts), the addition does not seem like an intrusion.

Wordless Wednesdays -- Cross Helmet

2011-05-25T21:57:00.003+05:30

Saapadu -- Foodie Weekend Continues..

2011-05-24T19:17:00.004+05:30

After experimenting with Mexican food, you would think that we would be satisfied for the rest of the month. But, No. Anyway, I am getting ahead of myself. Lets start at the beginning. It all started when the Arien forgot to lock his helmet to his bike on Friday. When he came back - the helmet was missing. Sometimes, the Arien's trust in other humans is too shocking to be true. Well, end result, we had to go helmet-hunting in JC Road over the weekend. We invited the Taurean. With the Senior Arien away at Pondicherry, the Taurean was feeling a lil lost. We walked into the first shop and both the Arien and the Taurean fell for the Cross helmet and purchased one each. Ya... and I am known as the shopaholic... Hmpf!! Anyway...

After the purchase both of them acted as if they had climbed mount Everest and said in one voice "Lets Eat." The timing was kinda between a snack and dinner and I was not sure when the choice was taken out of my hands. We walked to MTR (Mavalli Tiffin Room) - a place that I was visiting for the first time since I moved to Bangalore 11 years ago. They mentioned that dinner would be served at 7:45 and tickets would be given at 7:30. It was around 7:15 and so we decided to wait. The waiting Room was quite old-fashioned and had a board mentioning where we were and was kinda funny. I did not even have my camera for the historic moment was all I was thinking when I remembered that I had my cell phone and viola - a grainy pic of the Waiting room.

And then the meal started.... Firstly, the Arien is a huge foodie and wanted a Yelai Saapadu but we were given steel plates. The Arien was a lil disappointed but cheered up when he saw the items arrive one after the other. First up was fresh orange juice, which tasted heavenly, arriving in a silver tumbler. I heard that that was the tradition at MTR. Coffee was usually served in silver tumblers. Wow!! This was followed by the thick coconut chutney, payasam, alu palya, kosambri, vadam, and then Masala Dosa. You could have two dosais but if you had more, you would regret that decision sorely. This was followed by Bisibele bath, Vaangi baath, and steamed rice with sambhar and rasam. And then... (yes, there is more) we had curd rice followed by ice-cream. I stopped after the Vangi bath but both the Arien and the Taurean went on and on and on. Naturally, I had to tease them for that. I think we had had enough for the month now. If you have not visited MTR yet, ... Do so NOW.

Wordless Wednesdays -- Coziest Seat @ Ofc

2011-05-18T13:41:00.008+05:30

Mexicano Foodo -- Foodie Weekend

2011-05-17T18:01:00.016+05:30

Our regular weekend plan usually consists of a movie followed by lunch. Lunch is the usual traditional south or north indian fare. While the Arien is a big fan of traditional Indian food, I am fond of experimenting with different cuisines as long as the items are vegetarian. For the first time, the Arien suggested we visit Taco Bell in Koramangala. Naturally, I almost fell of the chair.

Because our weekend is not complete without a movie, we saw Source Code, before we visited Taco Bell. Thankfully, Source Code was still running in the theatres. The Arien put on his best "Back-frm-the-USA" air and ordered a chicken burrito while explaining what a burrito was. This was the first time I was trying out Mexican food, and so I ordered the veg burrito instead of trying out the other dishes.

The burrito is like a roomali roll made from wheatflour with paneer and alu stuffing for the veg burrito and shredded chicken for the chicken burrito. The roll also consists of rice which was quite interesting. We had opted for a combo and ended up with Nachos and unlimited coke/Mountain Dew/Miranda/Pepsi refills.

Price-wise, I was surprised. It was not as expensive as KFC or McD. Taste-wise, I liked the burrito, but not the Nachos. I think it had to do with the oil it was fried in or maybe the masala. Not really sure. The soft drinks were ice-cold and I was unable to drink it until after we finished the meal. The Arien added that this was how it was in the US as well. I could see his "B-F-T-USA" cap re-appearing :P

April Jes Whizzed Past

2011-04-25T20:44:00.036+05:30

After resolving to write one post per week this year, I am amazed to see the title of this post. But, seriously, it was a case of too many things going on at the same time. First, came the news of the Arien's impending visit to the US. While I initially toyed with the idea of accompanying him, I dropped it because his itinerary was hectic and I had a release coming up. Then, came the shopping frenzy for the Arien because we found out tht it was around 5 degrees in Chicago.

After a major send-off from his family which kinda became a lil too much for his two week trip, he was gone. I opted to take up additional work to keep myself occupied. Also, my cousin and family were visiting me the week after and so I was all set. Soon, I was very busy: chatting with the Arien in the morn and in the evening, working on the day-2-day office work, completing the additional work that I took up, catching up with 2 old friends and colleagues over dinner at Tangerine, travelling to Mysore with the extended family, MIL's short visit - the general crabbiness that follows, Easter weekend and the hoo-haa that follows, etc. etc.

As a month, April rocked. I mean, I have not had it this busy for a while both professionally and personally, but I was really tired and cranky by the time the Easter week came to an end. I think I was totally zoned out. I felt like I was in a Giant wheel that kept spinning, spinning, and spinning and while I love Giant wheels, I was kinda wanting to step on good ole stable earth for a while. The Arien summed it up by saying "All U really wanted was everyone out of your house - rite?" I agreed :P

Image Courtesy: http://geardiary.com/

Wordless Wednesdays -- Michael Connelly discusses The Lincoln Lawyer Movie.mov

2011-03-23T18:46:00.003+05:30

Aadukalam

2011-03-21T21:00:00.001+05:30

Another Tamizh movie -- I finally caught up with my backlog :) The Taurean insisted that this was a movie totally worth watching. Now, he is not a fan of Dhanush and is aware that I am not one either. Naturally, I was curious. Thankfully, the arien had purchased the VCD a while ago (ya ya - thiruttu VCD). So, we made haste (have been reading too many books set in sm other era) and watched the movie last weekend.

Surprisingly, this was one movie that totally lived up to the hype. It stayed true to the script and you are drawn to Karruppu (Dhanush), and his unflinching faith in his rooster and his mentor, Pettaikaran (Jayabalan).

Image Courtesy: http://kollywoodz.com/movie-preview-aadukalam/

The Story: The story revolves around rooster fights, which is considered a sport in Madurai. Pettaikaran is known for his wins and Karruppu (Dhanush) is one of the lads who handles the roosters and feeds them on a daily basis. A policeman, who belongs to a family who were known for their wins, has been losing to Pettaikaran and wants to have that one last match that will enable him to reclaim his lost glory. Pettaikaran does not want to give in but is forced to. In the last match, Pettaikaran again wins. It is around this time that Pettaikaran asks Dhanush to kill his rooster, because it can never be a winner. Karruppu believes that his rooster has the capability to win and decides to participate, mainly because he is provoked by the other team. This angers Pettaikaran and he announces that Karruppu's participation does not count as Pettaikaran's entry. The policeman loses 3 matches against Karruppu and Karruppu wins a huge sum of money. Pettaikaran is happy for Karruppu. What happens next forms the rest of the movie.

Wah Wah:

The script is clearly the winner. A taut storyline, an interesting twist makes it worth the while.
Songs are good. The dapanguthu number, Otha Solala, is choreographed to suit the movie and not Dhanush, who is known to be a good dancer. (You can totally understand his joy and his crazy moves)
Taapsee, as the anglo-indian girl, is a doll to look at. (Not Kaif-like barbie but those cute ones you had forever as a kid). Her dialogues are few and she has given it her best.
Pettaikaran -- a fantastic performance.
Ending - so not typical.

BAH:

Nothing really.

I enjoyed the movie, the rustic feel of it, the love story hidden amidst the fights. In fact, it brought to mind, Murrattukaalai. A film that made Rajni, highly popular and a superstar. That movie dealt with bull fights in Madurai and Rajni played a larger than life character. While this movie cannot be compared with that classic, it still earns its place in the Hall of Fame.

Wordless Wednesdays -- Outing with the Team (Movie + Lunch)

2011-03-16T20:56:00.012+05:30

Image Courtesy: www.bollywoood3000.blogspot.com and www.bjngroup.in

Angadi Theru -- Market Place

2011-03-15T17:52:00.022+05:30

The title of this movie means market place or more specifically a road that only consists of shops. Angadi (Shop) + Theru (Road). Since the movie is filmed in Ranganathan Street,
Chennai, the title fits very well. I was actually surprised that Angadi was a tamizh word. I thought the Tamizh word for shop was Kadai (Not Kadaai Paneer, Kadaai Vegetables etc.). I knew that Angadi was a Kannada word which meant shop. Hmmm.. Interesting - the way Tamizh and Kannada are linked.

Image Courtesy: movie.suleka.com

The Story: The movie is 'bout a fictitious shop "Senthil Murugan" that is in Chennai on Ranganathan Street. The shop recruits their salesboys and girls from remote villages in Tamil Nadu. The primary criteria for recruitment is that the younster should belong to a large family and must be the primary bread-earner. The hero, whose father dies in an accident at an unmanned railway crossing is ob. chosen because he is the sole bread-winner. His friend, who fails his XII, wants to escape his father and lies to get the job. The movie show cases the life of these salesboys and girls.

My View: It is a realistic movie, with a lot of sub-plots and a number of characters. Each character does justice to their part and the director has ensured that they do not overact and unnecessarily add drama or comic relief. If you wanted to experience the life of a salesboy or girl, I feel that this would be the best possible depiction of it. A slice of life is how I would describe this movie. In some weird way or maybe it was intentional, everything about the shop "Senthil Murugan" reminds you of Saravana Stores, including the character who plays Annachi and Sneha who does a cameo. The movie was released last year in March. Don't get put-off by the looks of the hero and the heroine and avoid the movie. The script is the hero in this movie. Hats off to the director for taking up the not-so rosy side of life and for staying away from the cliched endings.

Wah Wah:

Hard-hitting, realistic movie with an undercurrent of hope

No unnecessary characters or comedians - the friend provided the much-needed comic relief.

Good selection of actors to play key roles - sneha in a cameo playing herself.

The song "Aval appadi onrum azhagillai" was nice and apt.

Bah:

Slow pace after the intermission and slightly depressing

Meeting with the Master Storyteller

2011-03-14T17:26:00.005+05:30

Yes.. I am referring to Lord Jeffrey Archer, who was in Bangalore, last week. I would have missed the event altogether if it had not been for a chuntu advertisement. The Sunday Times included a small ad 'bout the author's book-signing event. I called the Senior Arien, from whom I inherited my interest in books, and asked if he would accompany me to the book signing event. He agreed immediately. The Arien sulked a bit because I had not invited him. Well, he is not that into books and he comes home only around 10 pm and he knows this.

So, at 5:30 pm on Wednesday, 9th March 2011, myself and the Senior Arien were on our way to the Reliance Time-out outlet on Cunningham Road. Unfortunately, the store had no idea 'bout the number of folks who would turn up on a weekday at 6 pm. The number of chairs were few and occupied by the time we entered the place. The author, Lord Jeffrey Archer, entered the building and then moved to the dias around 7 pm. He kept the crowd enthralled with anecdotes, his success-story shared in a self-deprecating manner, references to Indian celebrities such as Sachin Tendulkar and R K Narayan, making the audience Whooop in delight. He also tackled questions from the audience, some of whom were ~9 years of age, while others were as old as 60. All this with a twinkle in his eye and a Grrowwl for the photographers who annoyed him.

It was after 8 by the time we pushed our way to the dias. It took him a second to sign his name before we were out of the dias. The queue, with folks yet to get his signature on the book, was right up to the entrance of the outlet. The senior Arien, who was completely tired after standing for two straight 2 hours, realized that he was better off than the guy who was still standing at the queue :D It was after 9 wen we finally reached home. Surprisingly, the Arien was at home and I was late. I bladed him to death 'bout my experience. He wanted to know if I managed to get a picture of myself with the author and my response was to show him this snap. What you are seeing is 1/4 of the actual queue. The fact that Jeffrey Archer even agreed to sign all the books was very generous of him. Overall a nice experience.

Wordless Wednesdays -- Only Time Will Tell

2011-03-09T22:36:00.006+05:30

Wordless Wednesdays - Finished, Finally!!

2011-03-02T09:00:00.005+05:30

Lunch @ Sue's Kitchen in IndiraNagar

2011-03-01T21:13:00.044+05:30

This weekend, both of us wanted to eat at some place we had not been to and I opted for Sue's Kitchen. I had heard 'bout this place from a few colleagues and friends. The cuisine is Carribean and that in itself was going to be a new experience for us.

I was so fed up of the buffets I have been to offlate, that I was ready to enjoy any change. The food was quite different and nice. I was also amazed at the vegetarian variety. There was a Ghar-ka-Khaana feel to the food. I especially enjoyed the Calypso Rice, the Russian Salad, and the fried vegetables. The Arien found some of the non-veg items slightly sweet. He likes his meat to be spicy. Some of the dishes were spicy and the Arien enjoyed those. He went in for seconds which means it was good. There was a karela subji which I avoided that the Arien bravely tried. By the time, we started on the Dessert, I was stuffed. The Dessert was simple, no zillion pastries to choose from which was a blessing, and yummy.

The place was quite empty, two or three couples, at the most and usually accompanied by chattering or yelling toddlers. Surprisingly, majority folks who came, were malayalis. While I was slightly disappointed with the ambience, the lunch for two turned out to be quite expensive. Parking is a challenge sometimes - someone from the resturant helped us out and so it was easier for us. Overall, an OK experience.

Wordless Wednesdays -- Confessions of a Shopaholic

2011-02-23T11:15:00.004+05:30

7 Khoon Maaf

2011-02-21T18:53:00.013+05:30

The Story:
Susanna (Priyanka Chopra) is a young rich orphan who falls in lowe with the dashing Edwin Rodrigues (Neil Nithin Mukesh). She marries him only to learn that he is not quite what she believed him to be. A brave fighter during war-time, he is quite insecure in his personal life. His suspicious attitude, hurtful comments, and jealous actions hurt susanna a lot. Susanna, instead of divorcing him or running away, kills him. She meets and marries Jimmy (John Abraham), a choirboy turned rockstar. Just wen she is settling into wedded bliss, she learns that he is a liar, a cheat, and an addict to boot. So Susanne, sends Jimmy to parlok as well.

And subsequently she meets 4 other men: Wasiullah Khan (Irrfan), Vronsky (Aleksandra Dyachenk), Keemath Lal (Annu Kapoor), and Dr. Modhusudon (Naseeruddin Shah) and while all of them love her in their own way, they also hurt her very badly and so they have to die too. Susanne's quest for love ends when she meets her 7th husband. As Susanna moves from one husband to the next, she is ably assisted in her murders by her butler, maid, and the horse trainer, Goonga. Arun, the orphan she adopts, falls in love with her and the whole story is shown from his perspective and what he has pieced together. Based on Ruskin Bond's short story, Susanna's Seven Husbands.

Image Courtesy: http://bollywood3000.blogspot.com/2011/02/7-khoon-maaf-music-review.html

What I liked about the movie:

The concept of the female bluebeard character. Priyanka does a good job.
Fleshing out the characters of the husband(s) to show us the qualities that Priyanka falls for and the ones that she abhors
Transformation of Irrfan from the soft-spoken, romantic, poet by day to the beast by night.
Vronsky's mouthing hindi dialogues especially "Mera pass Ma hai" in a thick russian accent.
The song "Daarrrling" was simply fantastic.

Why some folks may not like the movie:

No suspense element -- the trailer gives away the plot. Some folks believed the movie to be a murder mysetery.
Linear style of narration and pace -- no twists
Why did Priyanka never not stop falling in love or stop murdering her husbands?

You can either like it or you can hate it -- there is no middle ground. There are no punch dialogues, no mushy stuff, no masala potboiler, no detective story, and no twists. This was my first Vishal Bharadwaj movie and I enjoyed it. Watch it and let me know what you think.

What am I reading nowadays?

2011-02-18T09:00:00.007+05:30

I do not like vampire stories.. I did not even watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer when it was aired, like a zillion years ago.

So, when my SIL handed me her copy of the first book of the Twilight series, I was not so sure if I wanted it. That was until my cousin(her hubby) started groaning in the background and yelled: "How can you ppl read such trash?" His putting the book down was enough encouragement for me to accept the book and begin reading it :D I had watched a few scenes of this movie everytime it was aired on televison but I never got to see the whole movie. So, this was kinda like the Golden Compass. I can only hope that I like the other books.

I am yet to finish reading the book -- it even has a poster of the two actors which means this is another young adult book. I mean, who would stick a poster of the movie inside the book - movie promoters who are sure gals would go ga-ga over it. And I am reading it :( More in my review... coming up shortly.

Kaavalan -- a movie review

2011-02-17T19:03:00.015+05:30

After taking a break from watching movies.. I am back with a bang. Well, I was not really guzzing the movie watching all this time - jes not reviewing them :D Anyway, I wanted to see a Tamizh film after a looong time. Though this movie was fraught with gossip and bad press about both the co-stars: Asin's return to Tollywood after London Dreams flopped big-time, Vijay's chance to redeem himself after his successive flops and his political hoo-haa, I wanted to see the film. Maybe that is why I wanted to see it :P

Image Courtesy: http://www.movih.com/tamil-movie-songs-download/kaavalan-release-date.html

And then I heard that Kaavalan was a remake of the malayalam film, Bodyguard (pronounced bow-dee-gaa-rd). Now, malayalam movies are way ahead of Tamizh movies in terms of script, story-line, movie-making style etc. Tamizh folks, meanwhile have to contend with Vijaykanth in yet another fight against corruption movie, or Sarath Kumar in yet another triple role as grandfather, father, and son, or watch Simbu gyrate to yet another mindless dapanguthhu song in his next movie or watch Dhanush play the underdog yet again. Naturally, this movie would be like movie-amrutham.

So we went with high expectations. And as usual it ended up going phhhhttt! Firstly, it was not a typical Vijay masala movie. The songs were bad and looked mostly unnecessary. There were a lot of holes in the story and a couple of loose ends which the director did not tie up towards the end. The end was supposed to be a twist. However, because the movie is sans masala, the twist has minimal impact and actually raises a lot of questions. Vijay's awful wigs for two songs were honestly laugh-worthy. There were some scenes which were good but I think the director tried catering to the Superstar Vijay instead of the actor Vijay resulting in a movie that only partially redeems itself. I am not a major fan of Vijay but I usually enjoy his songs and some of his movies are pretty much like Dabaang -- loads of fun and a total entertainer. This movie disappoints and how. Watch it and share your thoughts.

Wordless Wednesdays -- Belgian Chocolates for me

2011-02-16T19:20:00.002+05:30

Manmadhan Ambu

2011-02-07T19:19:00.057+05:30

Madhan (Madhavan) is a rich business man and the suspicious fiance of film actress, Nisha (Trisha). Due to his suspicious behavior, Trisha asks him to wait till she completes all her film commitments. She decides to go on a European cruise with her childhood friend Deepa (Sangeetha), a divorcee with two children. Madhavan hires a detective, Major Mannar (Kamal Hassan) to spy on Trisha because he is sure she is meeting Suriya (Suriya in a cameo). Usha Uthup, as Madhavan's mother was quite funny, and the credit goes to the script-writer for the hilarious one-liners. Madhavan was good as a amma kondu, suspicious lover, and a drunkard. Kamal sleepwalks through most part of the role and his flasback story (told in re-wind mode) does not offer anything new and fails to impress. Some of the dialogues are so non-filmy that you are impressed but post-interval, the movie kills you with a supposedly filmy comedy sequence where you want to say "Oh Stop it!!".

The movie is supposed to be a laugh riot. However, the movie drags and fails to impress. There are a few nice scenes in between which raise your expectations but sadly the movie does not meet those expectations. There is absolutely no chemistry between Trisha and Kamal -- I think the audience connects to their character in the movie but their falling in lowe makes it absolutely filmy. Who is the Hero? sounds innovative. Neeeeela vaaanam could have been good but Kamal kills it, I feel with his rendition of "neeeeeeeeee ----eeela vaanam". The movie is different - it does not have an item number, the story deals with a business man falling in lowe with a film star and his insecurities while dealing with her work and her proximity with her co-stars. Sangeetha as the divorcee seems quite mercenary - very realistic. It could have been great but it misses it for me. Catch it and let me know what you feel.

Wordless Wednesdays -- Four Years completed in Jan

2011-02-02T09:00:00.002+05:30

Happy New Year -- an incident that spooked me!

2011-01-31T22:51:00.030+05:30

Another day, another walk but this time the incident was not so pleasant. Ok.. let me start at the beginning.

I was walking home from work when I noticed this rat darting out of a hole in the road. I had this goofy smile on my face regarding the sad state of roads in Bangalore. When I finally looked away, I noticed a boy (an adolescent) running towards me with his hand thrust out yelling "Happy New Year". Now, for some vague reason, I did not want to shake his hand and so I shook my head and mouthed "No". The lad looked mentally unsound. My not shaking his hand irritated him no end. He continued to insist while I ignored him and walked on. He was soon following me, blocking me, and at the same time shaking hands with the other folks on the road. After running ahead and shaking hands with a guy on the scooter, he came running back and said, "Why are you insulting me? Happy New Year. Last chance". I started panicking big-time. I called the Arien on the phone and told him of the incident.

I noticed that the lad was still following me so I slowed to a snail's pace. I wondered why I decided not to shake his hand. Thankfully, because I had slowed down, he was now ahead of me and I could keep him within my eye-sight which was a major relief! While I was talking on the phone, I noticed that the lad tried shaking hands with a young gal and she ran as if a mad dog was chasing her. I felt that I had done the right thing by not shaking his hand. He walked into a bakery and I continued walking. I stuck to the main road, and kept a close watch to see if he was following me. I was so glad to reach home. I finally cut the call with the Arien.

It was a small incident but it scared me no end. He was blocking my path in the middle of the road and no one even noticed. When he saw that I was likely to scream, he fled to shake hands with the guy on the scooter. Walking is no longer risk-free. You could come across loony folks like him and you would swear never to walk again. Ok - thts carrying it too far. Anyway, I never saw the boy again but I still keep a sharp lookout for the likes of him.

127 Hours

2011-01-24T23:46:00.029+05:30

Danny Boyle and A R Rahman team up again after Slumdog Millionaire, for the movie 127 hours which stars James Franco, Spiderman's cute friend-turned-foe, in the lead. The reviews promised that the movie would be gripping and very realistic and that decided it for us.

The movie starts with Aaron (Franco), leaving at dawn for a weekend of mountain climbing. His passion for mountain climbing is very evident right from the beginning. As he starts walking towards the remote trail, he notices two young women trekkers who have lost their way. He shows them the right way after they overcome their initial distrust. He then shows them a hidden water body. They have some harmless fun together and Aaron is attracted towards the girls but he is ready to leave as he still wants to complete his trail. Within 15 minutes, the girls are left far behind, he enthusiastically climbs down when a small boulder moves and his right hand is caught between the boulder and the wall. He is unable to move his hand and yells out the names of the girls but they are too far away. He is totally imprisoned for 127 hours (5 days) at that isolated canyon and the rest of the story is regarding his fight for survival.

What I liked 'bout the movie

Simple story. The movie starts off in a fast-paced manner. During the course of the movie, the pace slows down, stops and then picks up speed. The movie's pace matches the mood of Franco.
Realistic. Sometimes too realistic and quite painful. Franco's performance was fantastic - worth a watch.
"This rock has been waiting for me my entire life.. I have been moving towards it my entire life." - I quite liked this dialogue for its karmic connection.

Verdict: 3 Stars

My Latest Addiction - Global Bloxx

2011-01-20T10:54:00.028+05:30

When I found out that Philip Pullman's third book (The Amber Spyglass) totally failed to hold my attention, I was at a loss. I used to hurry home so I could read in peace before the Arien came home :D And now, I had nothing to come home too. Waaanh :( Plus, the Arien had actually purchased the two books for me after I bladed him to death 'bout the Golden Compass. I couldn't really tell him tht this book was blaah :(

I spent a whole day hunting for a game, that we all used to play on the system a looong time ago, known as Tetris. The Taurean was very good at the game and I sucked big-time. I thought this would be a good time as any to hone those skills. No No - I am not on a break, or a sabatical or anything like that. Its part of my new year resolution. More on that in a different post. Anyway, so while I was unable to find it, in sm kind of weird co-incidence, a version of the original Tetris was available on my mobile phone. No, I kid you not. Its known as Global Bloxx. Yupp - totally ridiculous name :D

Global Bloxx is my latest addiction and I am lovin it - I say :D This game has me so badly addicted that there are times when I do not respond for ages when the Arien is talking to me. He is hopping mad :P His plan is to beat my score to get even. Hehahahahaha (Evil Laugh). Does he think it is so easy??!!

hey - Do you remember me?

2011-01-18T21:30:00.009+05:30

Yesterday, as I was walking home from work, a guy stopped his bike right in my path. I decided not to panic when he took off the helmet and made as if to talk to me. I tried out various answers in my head, when he called out my name. The plan was not to look up but his saying my name, changed the rules. He continued, "Hey - Do you remember me?" and I looked at his face sans the helmet and realized that it was my friend and not a serial-killer on the loose or a Hindi Mallum guy on a bike. The last time I saw him was 10 years ago when we studied together. Now, both of us were a lot plumper but not unrecognizably so :D

It was such a relief that I burst out laughing wen he asked me if I remembered him. After I convinced him, we spoke 'bout our other class-mates. I cud remember most of the names. (Surprisingly!) Our batch was the naughtiest of the lot. We were also quite competitive. Some of the folks had completed their Engineering (like my frend), others were college students, some were students who had completed their +2 (XII Std), and there were also a few housewives. To say ours was a mixed bunch was an understatement. The one thing common to all of us was the fact that we were part of the 11-1 batch and that we were in awe of our teacher. He was the bestest thing to happen to us. More 'bout that in a different post.

After spending the next 20 minutes reminscing 'bout those days, what we were upto of late, etc. it was time to say bye. It was such a welcome break to my otherwise boring day that I spent the rest of the evening, smiling.

Wordless Wednesday -- Don't you wish..?

2011-01-12T22:24:00.004+05:30

Unstoppable

2011-01-10T15:29:00.021+05:30

On Monday, when both of us were feeling the effects of Monday blues and feeling totally blaaah, the Arien decided to catch the movie "Unstoppable". For some reason, I was reminded of the action movie, The Expendables and so did not want to watch the movie. But, as usual the Arien insisted and added "Its based on a true story". Well, that did it :D

The movie has Denzel Washington, Chris Pine but the real hero is an unmanned runaway train. The unmanned runaway train is identified using the number 777 and is bright red in colour. Denzel and Chris are the villains whose aim it is to catch this train. Well, not really :) In bollywoodishtyle, the train is the anti-hero, somewhat like the badshah Khan's Baazigar act. Anyway, 777 is loaded with toxic chemicals and is running full steam towards Stanton. Denzel and Chris, who are on a collision track with 777, narrowly escape 777. They then set out to attach themselves to 777 in a bid to stop it.

The movie is interesting in bits. The train occupies a large part of the movie and the media captures events in real-time and information is shared via the newsreader as well. Honestly, there is very little for the heroes to do until almost half the movie. After that, you are cheering them on :D While there is nothing new in this plot, the chemistry between the two actors works very well for this movie. I enjoyed the movie. Coming from a person who hates action movies and loves romcoms - means that the movie had enough human interest to keep me glued. Some scenes do seem OTT (Over the Top) but if you can disregard that, you can enjoy the movie.

Image Courtesy : http://www.beyondhollywood.com/

My green ipod shuffle -- Wordless Wednesday

2011-01-05T22:18:00.004+05:30

Bye bye 2010

2010-12-31T09:46:00.022+05:30

2010 was a fair year for me both professionally and personally. I had some good stuff happening and a few blaah stuff happening. I usually do not indulge in this post mortem thingie except to laugh at myself but somehow felt that this year - I must look forward to 2011 using the lessons learnt in 2010. Fear not -- This is not a boring post on my lessons. This is mostly to say goodbye to 2010 and I will not discuss onion prices, commonwealth games, or any other potentially life-threatening topics :D

I would like to thank:

The Arien for being a rock and supporting me when I was overwhelmed by work, stress, or relatives.

The senior Arien for saying all the right things at the right time and sometimes bluntly stating the truth even when I did not want to hear it.

The Taurean for his single-minded focus and never-say-die attitude towards his goals which I tried to imbibe in vain.

My friends who enriched my life by simply being there.

My colleagues for making life @ work -- fun.

My blog for providing me an opportunity to share my thoughts, vent, ramble, and for generally being another frend @ times :)

Too sentimental?! Well, it is the end of the year. Wish you all a very Happy and Prosperous New Year. See you all in 2011 :D

The song playing in my head

2010-12-30T22:20:00.012+05:30

Was watching TV yesterday and came across this trailer from "7 Khoon Maaf" which had a very catchy song. After listening to it once, cud not get it out of my head. Have been listening to it over and over and over again today since I came home. The Arien has asked me to switch it off now :P

Catch the trailer here:
http://www.nowrunning.com/movie/7526/bollywood.hindi/7-khoon-maaf/trailer.video.htm

Let me know what you think.

Christmas Celebrations

2010-12-30T16:45:00.030+05:30

This year we welcomed Christmas with a lot less fanfare. The gifts for family members were purchased in September, when we had visited Delhi and Jaipur. We still had the marathon gift-wrapping session but we did not have to break our heads 'bout the gifts.

The Arien was on leave on the 23rd and 24th. The house was completely cleaned on 23rd. The gift-wrapping was planned for 24th but I changed the date to 23rd. The Arien was not too happy but we went ahead anyway. It took us 3 hours to complete it. Oh yes, b'cos it was my idea - the arien patiently waited for me to come home. Grrr... By the time we finished - we were dead tired and it was 9 pm. We postponed the decoration plan to 24th.

24th was a hectic day: we took my MIL shopping. We got her loong kurtas - she finds the saree pretty cumbersome and so we thot it wud be a good idea. She was in an agreeable mood and so we purchased 5 kurtas. I hope she wears them. (Fingers crossed!) We had lunch outside and then dropped her @ home. We drove by Commercial street and saw that it was decorated with bright lights and a number of folks taking pictures of the street using their cell phone cameras. It was almost 8 pm when we returned home. And then we started with the decorations. We then put up the crib, and by the time it was 12 pm on the 25th - we were not too exhausted (I think!!)

25th disappeared before we realized as we were surrounded by relatives, family members, and friends. Usually, there is so much hungama and tension surrounding X-mas that I dread it. However, this time the Arien was quite patient, did not insist that we follow smthng blindly, and did not kick up a fuss when we reached church a bit late. The Arien gets hyper @ Christmas and this time was quite unlike his usual self @ Christmas.

I am very thankful for that :D

Raktha Charitha

2010-12-28T13:15:00.012+05:30

After hearing sooo much 'bout the violence and gore in this movie - I was not too sure if I wanted to watch this. Naturally, the Arien was not of the same opinion. So, on the sunday after the Christmas celebrations, we sat down to watch the first installment of Raktha Charithra. Yes, Raktha Charithra is released in two parts and this is a first of its kind in Indian Cinema. Anyway, now for the movie itself.

The movie is set in a place called Anandpur and starts off predictably with a violent killing. (I mean - else it wud jes be Charithra and not Raktha Charithra :P) As I watched the scene, I was reminded of a similar scene from Nayagan where Kamal violently kills a rowdy. The similarities do not end there but it is a different movie, altogether. The movie is based on the life of Paritala Ravi. Ravi studies in a city college and is meeting with the parents of his girlfriend when he gets the news that his father has been brutally murdered. He rushes back to Anandpur and is informed by his brother that the murder was a politically-motivated killing and how he avenges the murder and becomes a plotical leader forms the rest of the movie.

Vivek Oberoi has done a good job as Ravi. Shatrugan Sinha (moustache-less avatar) as an aging famous actor who wants to become a minister is convincing and his "Topic is over/finished" dialogue is quirky enough to not grate on your nerves. Bukka Reddy, played by Abhimanyu Singh, seen in the picture, was a surprise package. He plays the role of the son of politician Nagamani Reddy. (Nagamani Reddy plays a key role in the murder of Ravi's father and is murdered by Ravi.) Bukka Reddy's costume designer was probably a little confused and made him wear ample gold jewellery and very gaudy silk kurtas. This coupled with a thick mallu-beard was quite scary but does not distract you from his presence which was a good thing.

The taut storyline, good acting by most ppl are this movie's key strengths. It is a short movie (1 hour 30 mts). The killings are scary and I would advise folks to not watch this movie with young children. After the terrible Phoonk2, I was happy to see a good movie from RGV.

Image Courtesy: Sulekha.com

Christmas is here!

2010-12-19T20:29:00.015+05:30

So its that time of the year when:

the Arien plays Christmas carols on the computer;

the house is all decked up or at least preparations are on the way;

we start on the gift-wrapping marathon session;

last-minute purchases are made for items we will never need and no one keeps tabs;

we play secret Santa @ work;

someone dresses up as Santa @ work;

the US folks are away on vacation and we have no mails from them for almost two weeks;

sometimes we have a shutdown and sometimes we do not - depends on which you company you work for or on what is their policy that year;

Anyway, the song that the Arien is listening to lately is: Santa Baby. Did not know it was so popular. Almost every female singer has a version of this song. Jes FYI it is not a regular carol or a goody-goody song. If you have seen the movie P2, this song plays in the background. Its a gal's wish-list to Santa somewhat like Madonna's The Material Girl.

Manorama Six Feet Under

2010-12-19T18:52:00.020+05:30

A colleague at work had suggested this movie for a weekend watch. The movie was downloaded and ready a week ago, but we finally caught it this weekend. Thankfully, the Arien was not inclined towards any other movie. Both of us had not read any reviews of this movie and the colleague had also not shared any snippets.

The movie begins in a small town in Rajasthan, where the Hero, Satyaveer Singh, who is an Engineer with the PWD (Public Works Department) has just been suspended on a bribery case. SV finds the town desolate and dry - just like his life. He starts his bike and as he is driving, he sees Yana Gupta in the middle of the road only to realize as he drives through that she is just an illusion his mind has conjured. As soon as he enters the house, he is greeted by his wife, Nimmi, who runs a beauty parlour. Nimmi is very unhappy to hear that he has been suspended and tries to comfort him but he cuts her off. She angrily retorts that she wished she had married the guy who had four saree shops instead of marrying him. So begins the fight which, like in most marriages, runs its course till it is way past dinner. A stranger, visits SV at his house just as they settle down to watch some TV. The lady wants to talk to SV alone and is aware that he moonlights as a writer. His first book, Manorama, sank without a trace having sold only 200 copies. The stranger states that she is the wife of the irrigation minister, Rathore, and wants SV to investigate her husband like his detective character in the book. She offers Rs. 10, 000 as an initial payment and offers to pay him a similar amount after the job is done. Because he is awaiting the results of the bribery investigation, he accepts the offer. He also discusses this with his bil, Brij, a policeman. What happens next is totally unexpected and he realizes firstly that the stranger is not the wife of the minister and before he realizes he is deep inside the web of lies, deceit, and greed. There are enough twists and turns to make the rest of the story interesting.

After a looong time, I saw a good hindi movie that had a very good story-line, a love story that was not over-the-top or filmy, actors who did a fantastic job and were well chosen. Although the narrative was a bit slow in places, I enjoyed the movie a helluva lot. In fact, this is the kind of movie you want to watch. The Arien felt the movie should have been edited tautly to make it a good thriller. Anyway, What works for this story is firstly Abhay Deol as Satyaveer Singh. Abhay with a mustache and aviator-like shades looks good and as usual, acts very well. Gul Panag as Nimmi, is amazing. Her stitched salwar suits, the nighties worn with a sweater, and her sharp retorts seem very natural. Vinay Pathak, as Brij, is equally good. Sarika as the mysterious stranger is also good. Catch it over a lazy weekend, as I did and share your thoughts.

Image Courtesy: IMP Awards (http://www.impawards.com)

Wordless Wednesdays -- Where in Indiranagar have u seen this?

2010-12-15T20:03:00.004+05:30

The Subtle Knife

2010-12-15T19:28:00.021+05:30

This is the second book in the His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman. I took a really loong time to complete this book. That, however, is not a reflection of the book but more of my time management skills. (I spent last evening playing Solitaire on my mobile phone till the Arien got home :D **Warning: It is quite addictive**) Not that this book is uninteresting but somehow it did not grip me like the first book did. Maybe it was because the focus was on a new character, Will, and not on headstrong Lyra. Maybe I was too involved with my Solitaire :P Anyway, by the time the story picked up speed, I was halfway through the book and was wondering if I made a mistake by purchasing the book instead of reading the PDF online.

The story begins in this world where there are no daemons. Will takes his mother to his piano teacher and requests the teacher to take care of her while he is away. The piano teacher agrees with not much hesitation. Will goes back to his empty house to pack and prepare. Late in the night, he hears people in his house searching every room. He is glad that he has moved his mom away and prepares to run when they notice him and suddenly one of them trips over a cat and dies. Worried that he will get into trouble with the authorities, he sticks to the shadows and keeps walking. He also has his father's leather writing case. He knows that the two men were searching for this case.

Suddenly, he sees a cat disappear and follows the cat, into another world. In this new world, he meets a lot of kids, and also meets Lyra. The adults in this world have had their life-force taken out of them by creatures known as the Spectres, who the kids cannot see. Then follows a series of adventures, a bitter fight in which Will realizes that he is the bearer of the Subtle Knife. The story ends with Will coming in contact with his father, John Parry, also known as Stanislaus Grumman. Yes, in the first book, Lord Asriel shows a head in a box and mentions that it is Grumman's head to the Authority. Ob. he lied. Will spends a brief moment with his father when they become aware of their relationship when the father is shot dead by a witch, Juta. He returns to his sleeping area and sees that every witch has been eaten by the Spectres and Lyra is missing.

Mrs. Coulter does not feature prominently in this book. Lord Asriel is just mentioned. This book is more about Will, Will's quest for his missing father, John Parry (aka Stanislaus Grumman), the witches, Lee Scoresby (balloonman/aeronaut), Lyra... in that order.

MTR @ Forum Value Mall

2010-12-13T14:21:00.019+05:30

For once, we reached the Forum Value Mall an hour before the show and actually managed to have dinner there. We walked into MTR because we wanted to have something light. We chose to sit outside in their terrace-like-place because the rest of the place seemed too suffocating but there was absolutely no breeze. The table we chose was yet to be cleaned. A boy came by and cleaned and there was a foul odour and the Arien gave up trying to identify the source. It finally hit us as we both sat wrinkling our noses after the boy left that it was the cloth he had used to wipe the table. The source of the stink was now transferred to our table!! We realized that we could not change tables and so we both sat facing away from the table until the waiter came up.

We ordered for Bisibele Baath, Kesari Baath, Poori Saagu, and Rava Idli. And this was wen we were not hungry :P The Arien wanted the waiter to bring the Rava Idli and Kesari Baath first but he over-ruled us and brought both the Baath(s) 2gether accompanied by a small kinnam of ghee. The Kesari Baath was low on ghee and was yummy. The Bisibele Baath was maha-mashed and yummy too. We had half-an-half so we could try each other's dish. Then came the shocker, there were no more Rava Idli(s). Ob. someone else had been served my Rava Idli. The waiter walked up and asked me to choose something else - no apologies. I knew that the Arien was likely to lose his temper badly and so quickly ordered Idli(s) for myself. As I turned to the Arien, I saw another couple staring at us and they were eating Rava Idli(s)!! Telling the Arien could result in his losing his temper and so I dropped the idea. The Idli(s) and the Poori(s) arrived with the small steel kinnam full of ghee. Somehow I thot it was oil and poured it on my Idlis and totally regretted it. The Arien meanwhile had a really rough time eating his Poori(s). The palya or was it kurma or saagu or whatever it was - was so bland tht the Arien felt nauseated.

After all the enthu 'bout eating here, the experience was totally blaaah and while the food had its pluses, it is not a place I would suggest to friends, relatives. I think the Kamat(s) are way ahead in this aspect.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

2010-12-13T14:20:00.017+05:30

After a looong, loooong, really loooong time, we were finally catching a movie. The Arien had been out playing cricket and booked tickets for the 7:55 pm show of "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader". I wanted to tell him that he may not like it as much as the first movie but dropped the idea. We completed most of the Christmas shopping for my MIL - who did not join us. Lunch was ob. late but thankfully we had dinner @ MTR on time :) You can read 'bout the dinner @ MTR here.

The movie was slow and a lil boring initially. The Arien was bored and after sneezing like a dozen times informed me in a loud stage whisper that the movie was a lil boring. I had read the series in the chronological order many many months ago and remembered the story in a vague manner which was not very helpful when the Arien asked me queries. I was so happy to be inside a theatre and compared to the various flop movies - this was a lot better and I enjoyed myself to the hilt.

The story is 'bout Edmund and Lucy who are presently staying with their cousin, Eustace who is a major pain. Suddenly, they are all pulled into the painting of a ship at sea. For Eustace who disbelieves all talk of Narnia, to be dragged into the Narnian world, rather a ship which has King Caspian, should have been a bitter pill to swallow but instead of learning a lesson, he continues to behave in a priggish manner and irritates everybody. King Caspian is hunting for seven lords who disappeared during his father's time. They have various adventures in their quest and allz well that ends well. Edmund and Lucy learn that they will not visit Narnia again, from Aslan. They are very sad to hear that.

Image courtesy:Imdb

Hindi Malum?

2010-12-07T20:27:00.007+05:30

As I walking to a bakery near my home, I saw this woman and kid accost a young gal on a bike, with those exact same words. I was very tempted to do various things but I resisted them all and walked away.

Ages ago, when I was new to Bangalore, I remember hearing the exact same words and I had stopped to reply. I was soon rummaging in my bag for spare change and gave her all the money I had. She had said that she needed money to buy a ticket to some place in North India where she lived. I walked away with a spring in my walk because I had done a good deed. Of course, I had just been conned. She was lying. I met her exactly a week later and she did not even remember me or my money or my change :)

So now, anytime I hear "Hindi malum?", I walk swiftly away. Has anyone had this experience? From what happened today, I know I am not the only one :)

Music Mania -- a saturday evening special

2010-12-06T11:29:00.037+05:30

Both the Arien and myself were looking forward to the weekend -- we had some minimal shopping planned and we wanted to catch a movie. All that changed after the Arien received a call from his brother who lives abroad. I could hear the Arien utter "Yes.. Of course ... Sari... No problem... Yes, yes" and was quite curious. Well, the Arien had decided, all by himself, what we would be doing on Saturday evening. We were going to a musical gala at his nephew's school. We had not been to see him since he joined over 6 months ago and so this was a good opportunity. The program was scheduled to start at 5:30 pm and after picking up the folks who were joining us - it was 4:45 pm when we actually got started. I had almost given up hope on our reaching on time wen the Arien surprised me by reaching the venue (beyond Electronic City - after Elevated Tollway) by 5:45 pm and the program was yet to start. The stage was all decorated and we walked right upto the first row and settled ourselves in th seats meant for the kids :D

The school campus was huge and the number of parked cars informed us that we were the last ones :( The first to come on stage were the Prep 1 kids. The kids were actually lil more than tiny tots. They were 3 rows of kids (15 per row) and of them two would introduce the group and then join the others. Some of them were watching the guy who was playing the casino. Some of them were following what their friends were doing - at a very slow pace. I think we have never laughed so much. I had tears in my eyes. Only a small group was intently following the teacher who had a chair facing the stage and was miming the actions for the song. They sang and mimed for Popeye the Sailor man, Noddy, Sound of Music and kept us entertained. And then the capricon, Arien's nephew, came on stage with his first group (First Standard). The Arien settled down right next to the Stage so he could take good pics.

The capricon seemed so alone that all of us felt very bad. He is such a naughty kid that it is usually very tough to get him to do anything we want and seeing him like this - had us all go awwww. As he did his steps, he kept an eye out for us in the Audience and though the Arien was sitting right in front of him - he did not notice him till the very end. He did his steps very well and luckily for us - for some reason the mike did not work too well for one of the girls who was the star singer and so the teacher wanted a Repeatu of the song. I called the Arien because sometime earlier, we were asked to vacate our seats for the kids and told him to take more snaps. We were seated at the back -- close to the projected image and so we actually had a clearer shot of the stage.
And just wen the second round got over, we noticed that the capricon had seen the Arien because a brilliant smile shone on his face. He also did a quick step for the Arien as if to say "Oh.. I knew I wud come - How is this?" before he was shooed off the stage alongwith all the others, by his teacher.

The program got over around 7. The kids were given some coupons so they could eat something at the stalls. We had also purchased some goodies and so he was at his naughty best. He ran all around and refused to eat. We finally left around 8:10 after visiting his dorm, seeing two of his three room-mates and spending some time with them all. He is the youngest in the group and in the school. As we returned home, everyone had an opinion on the naughty capricon and if this was really what we wanted for him. It was 10 pm when we reached home.

A song a day makes my day

2010-12-02T19:25:00.009+05:30

It has been a while since I listened to songs on my mp3 player and I had totally forgotten the calming, soothing effect it has on me. Yesterday, I was feeling a lil stressed and wanted to focus on my work. However, almost everybody and everything seemed to work in co-ordination to ensure that I did not complete any work. The ringtone from the neighbouring cube, the anxious mother calling up her kid's playschool every 15 mts, a pregnant woman discussing the food she had packed for lunch, another annoying ringtone, some senior employee giving gyaan to the junior employee, the loud discussion 'bout english speaking classes between the security guards, and more such distractions had me wondering if I should have worked from home rather than visit the fish-market that was my cube :(

I rummaged in my bag for my headphones and then Bliss! I was soon tapping my foot to match the song and before I knew it - my work was done. I still had a whole hour left - Wow!! Thts a first :P I really miss the headphones we had at my previous organization - it looked like we were air traffic controllers :) Anyway, I like what I have right now and all I am looking forward to now is to keep my mp3 player updated with the latest and greatest so that I can end each day with a beeeg smile. Howzaatt??!!

PS: Last song heard today was Pretty woman by Roy Orbison.

Wordless Wednesdays - Waiting for the Arien

2010-11-24T23:31:00.004+05:30

His Dark Materials - The Golden Compass

2010-11-21T22:40:00.029+05:30

Had seen portions of the movie when it was telecast on TV but never the entire movie. As part of my "Back to Reading" plan, I selected this book to read because for some reason, I was never able to watch more than a few scenes from the movie. However, because I have watched the first few scenes of the movie many times, I was able to vividly recall the scenes as I was introduced to Lyra, Lord Asriel, and Lady Coulter.

Lyra, an orphan, lives in the Jordan college, with her daemon, Pantalaimon. Her stay at the college and her studies are being paid for by Lord Asriel, her uncle. Lyra spends most of her time playing with Roger, her friend, going into forbidden rooms, and trying her best not to learn what the professors want her to. One day, while sneaking into one of the forbidden rooms, Lyra manages to foil a plan to poison Lord Asriel. Suddenly, things change.

The book is quite interesting and keeps you engrossed and so I was surprised when I found that this book and the others in the trilogy were part of the young adult section. Was I embarrassed? I mean this could be like being caught with a Nancy Drew but it was not and I was not. Though predictable in some places, the book still managed to pique my interest. I only wish I had read it years ago. Waiting to read the rest of the books.

Chocolat -- A review

2010-11-15T08:57:00.027+05:30

I read this book sometime in January and lowed it. Its a very small book - almost the size of one of the Secret Seven adventures but the story is - simply delicious. No, I am not kidding - there is so much talk of chocolate, types of chocolate, hot chocolate drinks that you will probably drool over the book - if you are not careful :) So, when I saw the movie on Saturday, I was very pleasantly surprised that the movie actually managed to be as good as the book. Now, the Arien refused to watch this movie with me until I informed him that Johnny Depp was acting in it. He started wondering if it was a thriller and I decided to not tell him that it was definitely not a thriller.

I hinted that the movie wud be like Narnia and by then the movie had begun. I was soon glued to it and surprisingly so was the Arien. Now, for the story -- A young lady, Vianne, and her little gal, Anoshka, walk into a small french town on a windy day. The mother sets up a chocolate shop and soon the entire town undergoes various radical changes. The mayor is very shocked to hear that Vianne is unmarried and does not wish to attend mass on sundays. He considers her as a bad influence and tries to stop the townsfolk from visiting her shop and socialising with her.

The movie is great for two reasons: The first, of course, is the cast. The folks picked to play the role were so well-chosen that you are left feeling very comforted. I realized half-way that the old, blunt, cantankerous lady was M (Golden Eye). Seeing Trinity (Matrix) as the obsessive mother who fusses over her son- was fabulous. I did not make the connection until I saw the trailer for Matrix later in the evening :( Alfred Molina, as the mayor who lives by a strict code of moral conduct, is very good. The second is the story itself. At one level, the story deals with magic, chocolate as a solution for most problems that ail the townsfolk and is a fun story. At a deeper level, it deals with conformance. It deals with a young mother who is different. It deals with a person's inability to deal with something or someone who is not like them.

It is actually a movie to be watched on a lazy saturday evening or read when the house is silent and you are free to go back to your world in the magical kingdom... yummy is how I rate this book :)

Wordless Wednesdays -- Whats in a Name?

2010-11-10T11:09:00.004+05:30

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

2010-11-08T12:50:00.037+05:30

This is the last book in the Stieg Larsson trilogy though I did hear rumours of an incomplete fourth book. This book ties up the loose ends regarding Lisbeth. * Spoilers ahead*

The second book ended with Lisbeth being shot in the head and taken to a hospital. This book starts at the hospital where Lisbeth and Zalachenko are admitted for recuperation. Their rooms are two doors apart at the ICU and both of them figure this out within a few days.

The book traces the entry of Zala into Sapo. The Special section of Sapo, known only as the Section, takes on the Russian defector. After they offer support, they realize that Zala is a drunkard who abuses women and they have to clean up after him or his identity will be revealed. Zala foolishly gives his real name to Lisbeth's mother, Agneta Solander and then makes it a habit to beat her senseless, whenever he visits. During one of those visits, Lisbeth throws the molotov cocktail at him and watches him burn. The Section works with Teleborian to keep Lisbeth locked up as otherwise all their efforts would come to naught. When the Section is again dragged into the latest goof-up, Evert Gullberg, ex-head of the Section, decides that he has had enough, and kills Zala. The rest of the story is interesting and well-written. Paulo is not a part of this book. Mimi is brought in belatedly, as an afterthought. Erika leaves Millenium and then re-joins. Blomkevist has yet another affair and another woman falls madly in lowe with him. Too many things are happening but I cannot say that the book is uninteresting at any point of time. Maybe a bit slow towards the end but uninteresting - not really.

Wordless Wednesdays -- Whats on my mind Lately ??

2010-11-03T13:47:00.012+05:30

The Girl Who Played With Fire

2010-10-29T16:41:00.040+05:30

This book is the second one in the Trilogy from Stieg Larsson. Because I really lowed the first book, I was hoping that the second book would somehow be as good or better than the first. Also, I was looking forward to completing the book in record time. Usually, when the main character is a woman, most authors make her out either as an arrogant successful woman or someone downright dumb. It was such a relief that the main character was well-defined (though quite complicated), her quirks and eccentricities did not consist of shopping and gossip, and also that she is not quite the fantasy woman of most males.

This book gives us some insight into Lisbeth Salander's character and her past. At the end of the first book, Lisbeth is broken-hearted, angry, and bitter. This book takes off from there. Lisbeth cuts off all contact with Blomkvist and travels for a year before she returns to Stockholm. She has her share of adventures at various places ending the travel at Grenada with Mathilda - the hurricane. We are also given a peek into what happened so many years ago, how Lisbeth had thrown a molotov cocktail at her father and watched as he burned and as a result was institutionalized. Blomkvist, meanwhile recruits a new investigative journalist who is planning to write an expose` on human trafficing. And just when you are wondering Ok.. now what? The writer who free-lanced @ Millenium, and his partner are murdered. And everyone is looking at Lisbeth as the person who committed the crime(s). Soon, there is a nation-wide hunt for Lisbeth. Blomkvist trusts that Lisbeth is innocent and tries to re-establish contact after Lisbeth goes into hiding. The rest of the book is quite interesting and keeps you engrossed. Quite a few new characters are brought in who have interesting viewpoints on Lisbeth. The book ends wen Blomkvist catches up with Lisbeth as she cracks the case wide-open. I had somehow assumed that the phrase "All the Evil" was used to indicate sexual abuse at the hands of some1 very close, probably her father, but was very relieved that it was not so.

New Look

2010-10-24T19:44:00.006+05:30

In an effort to get started on my totally-ignored book reading interest, I changed the look of my blog.

Lets hope it helps me read more and watch fewer movies...

Fyi, started on the "The Girl Who Played with Fire" - PDF version.

Never realized that holding a book in my hand meant so much to me. The PDF version is so not like reading a book. But, it is an option which lets me read and because driving to the library becomes yet another chore, I am glad to have the PDF version. My cousin wants me to get a Kindle. He is totally into audio books. Well, lets see...

Am I the only one having trouble with e-books, PDF versions, etc. etc. ?

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

2010-10-15T15:28:00.037+05:30

So many ppl have already read this book. My cousins discussed the books till I staged a walkout. Grrr.. After 6 loong months, numerous conversations that had: "Ya, I want to read tht book; No don't tell me the story; Can I borrow your copy?No? Well..; Do you have the first book? No- I do not want the third book;" - I finally picked up the PDF version of the book.

After a loong time, I came across a book where I wanted to know the ending and at the same time did not want the book to end. This book had all the ingredients of a thriller: suspense, an unsolved mystery, a detective who was actually a financial investigative journalist, the girl with the dragon tattoo. Even though the author had quite a few key characters: Blomkevist, Erika Berger, Wennerstorm, Lisbeth Solander, Henrik Vanger, and Harriet Vanger, each of them had a well-etched role. There are two tracks in this story: Blomkevist, while investigating a financial giant, Wennerstorm, publishes an article based on a "trust-worthy" source who disappears and he is charged with libel. As a result, he has to spend 3 months in jail and is fined a huge sum of money. The second track: Henrik Vanger, an ageing member of the Vanger Corporation wants someone to investigate the disappearance or possible murder of his niece, Harriet Vanger. Harriet, before she died, always presented him with a photo frame consisting of a flower. After her disappearance, Henrik continues to receives the photo frames on his birthday. He suspects the murderer of doing this act to make him crazy. He also suspects a member of his large family. The girl with the tattoo, Lisbeth, forms the connection between the tracks.

The book was engrossing, very difficult to put down, and a good read. However, I must point out that it is not a book for all. There is a fair amount of casual sex and quite a few explicit macho-sadistic scenarios. Some of them are scary, painful, and frankly quite disgusting. The author, is quite influenced by an incident that happened to him wen he was fourteen. He witnessed the gang rape of a young girl and was unable to help her.

I saw the movie too, but I rate the book a lot higher than the movie. In fact, I got bored while watching the movie. There are some changes from the book and I did not like the digressions that much.

Lunch at Zoe

2010-10-11T11:13:00.022+05:30

After a really looong time, I was meeting with a frend whom I knew and worked with - a loong time ago. We opted to have lunch and a shopping break. The Arien was on a drive to Bheemeshwari with a bunch of other phatphatiya owners. It was the purrfect time to take a break plus no guilt tht I have guzzed the Arien. (I know... I really cannot understand tht guilt thing.)

Anyway, we met at Garuda mall and shopped like mad. The mall had sm arbid singing fest going on and we had to yell on top of tht to be heard. She wanted to have Italian food or a Sizzler and so I settled for Zoe. Zoe is a small restoCafe in Indiranagar that serves yummy food. We had a lot of catching up to do and so we decided to order so tht we cud get started on the catching up. We ordered Loaded skin and Chilli Cheese Fries, first. Between the two of us - we polished it off :D Because we loved the starters so much - we went a lil crazy and ordered a pasta and a sizzler. The pasta was creamy and nice and the sizzler had pineapple which we were amazed at but we simply cud not do justice to the food. We felt so stuffed tht we decided to not have dinner. While I like the pasta served @ Casa Picola, I like to eat out with company @ Little Italy. Zoe, has now been added to tht list -Yeah!

Zoe is not easy on your pocket but is a nice place to sit and talk for hours - no one hurries you out. And you if you like cheese, pasta, and all tht - you will probably like it here. However, be warned, if you want a quick bite so you can head for a movie, or if you are very very hungry, Zoe is not the place for you. They take forever to serve, fill water in your glass, or even give you the bill.

Endhiran -- Finally

2010-10-09T18:16:00.029+05:30

So after all the Waaanh(s) and this cannot be happening(s) - we finally saw Endhiran, on Friday. We were late by 5 mts - thanks to the amazing traffic at 8:55 pm. The Arien drove like he was in an F1 race. I spent the entire drive praying. The senior Arien did his best to maintain an outward calm. Anyway, all that was forgotten as soon as we entered the theatre.
** Spoilers ahead**

First, the Good Stuff: I was very impressed with the look that was given to Rajnikanth - all 3 versions. The graphics was mind-blowing for a bollywood movie - pretty impressive. Return of Rajni as the quintessential villain -- superb touch. No punch dialogues - SCORE!! Picturisation of the song - Kadhal Anukkal - nice. A R Rahman - good, not excellent. Ash - looked pretty slim- quite unlike herself in Action Replay. Some unnecessary display of non-existent cleaveage which was not reqd.

The Stuff that was so-so: Actually, the songs sound better without the video. Somehow the picturisation of some of the songs killed the song. The story was quite slow and predictable in bits unlike Shankar's Mudhalvan. The story picks up speed only in the last 40 mts and majority of tht is graphics. Not much of a role for anyone but Rajni saar- thankfully, it was not Dasavatharam.

Absolutely Fantastic Stuff: Rajni as a villain after a really looong time. He is menacing, scary, and absolutely believable as the evil robot. After seeing him play the good samaritan, the poor lil rich boy, the orphaned servant boy, etc etc. in so many of his movies, I find him a boringly nice actor. However, seeing him as a villain again (albeit for a short time) - makes you realize why he is a demi-god and also why so many ppl worship him, are crazy 'bout him. The Arien(s) totally liked his tongue-in-cheek dialogues as the villain, as well. If you are crazy 'bout Rajni films - his recent ones - you may not like this movie much - tho' it is raking in the moolah. This is strictly for folks who are looking for an entirely different experience. However, in all honesty, this movie jes allowed Shankar to re-invent Rajni. And Rajni delivers and how - Thalaivaa Vaazhga!!

This cannot be happening....Waanh

2010-10-07T20:08:00.016+05:30

A colleague casually mentioned "Today, I feel like running off @ 4 to catch a movie". It must have been some kind of magic spell 'cos tht idea got stuck in my head. We do not attempt catching movies on weekdays but hey - I was under this spell. I was hoping we cud mayb catch the 9 pm show b'cos the Arien had a conf call @ 7. The Arien agreed. Woohooo!!! The Senior Arien also agreed. Double Woohoo!! The Taurean asked us to go on ahead - Well.. he had already seen the movie - so it was ok. I left work early (Ok Ok-by my standards). So, there we all were - all set to catch a movie on a weekday. And then the Waaanh part: The Arien was unable to book the tickets online. He kept trying till 7 pm and gave up. His call went on till 8 pm and by then I gave up. I felt very blaah when I called the Senior Arien to tell him tht the movie was not hpng. I was very surprised wen he said: "Its actually good - I was feeling very tired. I think I have a headache. Its ok. We can catch it some other day." Thus ended the evening - I spent most part of the evening biting my nails, calling the Arien repeatedly and ... we are not seeing the movie?!!! This cannot be happening - but it did :( Waaaanh -- Do you think this is the Arien's way of ensuring tht we do not catch too many movies?? Grrrr...

On an aside, I started reading "Girl with the Dragon Tatoo" and I am lovin it :)

TS3 from Net and BEB on Thiruttu VCD -- 2 Reviews in 1

2010-10-03T18:48:00.018+05:30

This weekend was going to be Movie Weekend. After Dabaang, I thot we had had enuf of movies wen the Arien insisted that we finally watch Toy Story 3. He had dowloaded the movie a long time ago and was dying to watch it. He wanted to get Dabaang out of his head - me thinks. We also had this camera print of the hugely popular - Boss Engira Bhaskaran movie. We caught Toy Story 3 first.

Usually, sequels never have the impact the first story does. You may recall Shrek 4, Hannibal, etc. and so I was actually not too keen on this movie. However, I was in for a surprise. The movie, while continuing as part of the series, goes on to have its own story. Andy was going away to college and his toys are mistakenly given away to a Day Care center. What happens at the Day Care center, how the toys get back to Andy's attic and do they get to stay there - forms the story. I do not want to share too much of the movie except that it lived up to high expectations and some more. I was trying to distance myself from the movie b'cos I felt it wud not meet my expectations - but got pulled into the story. There was no room for any disconnect. Some scenes you shd not miss: Ken and his outfits, Buzz in his spanish avatar, etc. If you have not caught it yet - go borrow, download, and watch the movie. Do not miss it. I wish I had watched it on the beeg screen :(

The next movie that we caught was of course, BEB. Rumoured to be Nayantara's last movie before she got married to namma desi MJ - Prabhu Deva, I thot it may be one of those hyped movies which usually fall flat. After listening to a colleague, I decided it was worth checking it out at least. Firstly, the movie is not a full-length spoof like Tamizh Padam but it has a number of these "spoof" moments which will make you break into a laugh in the middle of a scene. Arya plays the role of a good-for-nothing lad who writes his arrear exams annually and lives a happy-go-lucky life. His tongue-in-cheek performance leaves you in no doubt of his acting skills. Nayan has a role that demands little from her and she delivers. In fact, the actors who play Arya's mother and brother must be commended. The ending falls a little flat with a totally silly climax - but it is ok to watch once. Some scenes not to be missed: meaning of the word "pardon" as stated by Arya's frend, Santhanam, the scene following the wedding of his elder brother etc.

After a looong time, caught some movies that I did not regret watching. Want to catch "Endhiran" - probably next week or the week after tht. Do not want to catch "Anjaana Anjaani" after seeing PC in KKK. The Arien thinks we are watching way too many movies -- I have to agree :(

Dabaang -- A Review

2010-10-02T21:24:00.020+05:30

I wanted to see Dabaang when it released. First Day First Show. But, we were at Jaipur at that time. It took us this long to finally catch it. The Arien woke me up saying - "Looks like we may not get the tickets if we jes land up at the theatre so I am booking online." I think I agreed. (Hard to tell at 7:00 am on a Saturday). 10:05 am saw us zipping past traffic in the Phatphatiya and we managed to get parking space and walked in during the National Anthem. Thank God!

And now for the movie: Dabaang is a Sallu movie all the way. Its a total masala movie with a teeny-tiny story-line. Sonakshi looks pretty and holds her own in her debut movie - which is pretty awesome for a newbie. Sonu Sood, as Cheddi Singh is good. The movie survives only on Salman - his aviator glasses - and his charisma. With almost a zero story-line, Salman makes you fall in lowe with his bad-boy image of Chulbul Pandey urf Robinhood Pandey. A case of reel life imitating real life. If you think 'bout it - tht was a very clever idea. Sallu is at his hilarious best in the "Munni badnaam hui" song. Well, I am a fan of Sallu and I was really tired of the terrible movies that he chose to act in. Not that this is a fantastic movie. This movie was completely over the top but I enjoyed very bit of it. The more bizarre the action sequence - the funnier it was. The songs were catchy and I was humming the "Dabang Dabang Dabang" as we left the theatre. Dabaang - it was. Catch it if you wanna have a good laugh.

Khatron Ke Khiladi - Thiguna

2010-09-22T17:04:00.011+05:30

Fear Factor has been one of my favorite shows, F.R.I.E.N.D.S and Caroline in the City, being some of the others. I was usually found glued to the TV screen whenever these shows came on during school and college vacations. When I heard that we would soon have our very own Fear Factor - Khatron Ke Khiladi, I was impressed. Akshay as the host, was the perfect choice given that he is known for his action-oriented roles and his love for death-defying stunts. Having said that - I must add that Akshay was not the best of hosts. However, there was an innate simplicity in him that has stood him in good stead. Also, he grew on you.

After seeing the latest show, Khatron Ke Khiladi - Thiguna, with Priyanka Chopra, I feel that Akshay was simply great. Not only is Priyanka absolutely boring and completely unwatchable, she has with her "anchoring skills" made Akshay seem like a Demi-God. (Don't believe me? Catch the show). Don't even get me started on her outfits or her "filmy" expressions. She totally lacks spontaneity and that is surprising because she is known to have a bubbly, cheerful personality. At times, she is so blunt - the celebrities are taken by surprise. And, then there are times wen she forgets that she is the host and goes "eeee-yuck" or "Ohhh". If thats the bubbly, girlie behavior - well, the less said the better.

So, if I am so fed up - why am I still glued to the show?The celebrities, of course. Rahul Bose, Rahul Dev, Milind Soman, Karan Singh Grover, Cyrus Broacha, Terence Lewis, Shabbir Ahluwalia, Dino Morea, Manjot Singh ... to name a few. If you are a regular viewer, you may notice that the third level is indeed tougher but then the celebrities are also known for their fitness. The show shd have been great but thanks to PC, it is just about OK. This is only my opinion. If you disagree, drop me a comment.

The Lost Symbol

2010-09-19T18:48:00.015+05:30

Robert Langdon, arrives at Washington DC, at Peter Solomon's request to be the key note speaker, at a private gala. When he reaches the Hall, where he is supposed to give his speech, he is shocked to see that no one is there. The hall is empty, save for a few casual observers. The security guards are completely unaware of the event and this leaves Robert puzzled. Then, he recieves a call from Peter Solomon's executive assistant, who had actually initiated the discussion and confirmed the plan. Robert explains that there is no one at the Hall, and it does not look like anyone is aware of the gala. The executive assistant replies, "Peter Solomon has no idea that you are here. You are here, Mr. Langdon, because I want you here."

So starts the book.. Actually, all of this happens in the first 10 chapters that also contain detailed descriptions of Washington DC, the landmarks, etc., typical of Dan Brown. This is the latest offering from Dan Brown, and it totally falls short of my expectations. I feel that the book started off interestingly enough but failed to capitalize on any of the interesting bits.

I thot Da Vinci Code was a good book because it combined a murder, cryptic clues, a thrilling chase, an intelligent professor, with some information that some ppl considered anti-christ. I think the fact that we were not aware of that information and the subsequent controversy, helped increase the sale of the book. But, I doubt if the controversy was the reason the book was popular.

Now, in this book, while he has most of the same concepts, the moment you figure out the truth and this is way before the author reveals the truth to you, you get bored. Then, your patience gets stretched as he tries to show you something more which you either already know or when you get to know it, you are not too impressed. I was wondering where he was going after the murder and kept reading, only to be truly disappointed. I had a lot of expectations riding on both these books, and I am now :( Any suggestions for a book that does not disappoint?

Nine Dragons

2010-09-12T11:33:00.038+05:30

Michael Connelly is one of my favorite authors. I never seem to have enough of the main character, Bosch. I usually re-read most of the books over and over again. Sadly, this is one of those books, I did not like as much. *Spoilers Ahead*

In this book, Nine Dragons, Harry has had enough of his partner, Iggy, and is contemplating if he shd ask for another partner when they are pulled into a case. The case involves a robbery which also resulted in the murder of the man behind the counter, accidentally or so it seems. The clues they notice point them away from the accidental "murder" theory. First, the missing tape that recorded the robbery/murder. This pointed to the murderer having prior knowledge of the shop, the camera, and the tapes. Second, just behind the counter, slightly above it, sat a shelf containing very expensive alcohol which was untouched. Third, there was a gun taped to the under-side of the counter which the victim would have reached for if he was suspicious. He had not. Because the victim was someone who had offered Sanctuary to Harry at a time when it was very dangerous to be a cop and to be outside, Harry feels he has a debt to be repay and takes on the case with full enthu. After some very quick jumps, Harry with the help of another detective from the Asian Crimes Unit, catches the person who they think has committed the crime (murder of the shop-owner). Everybody including Harry, have doubts regarding the criminal. I, too had some doubts if he was indeed the person who killed the shop-owner. In fact, I felt that Harry was botching up the case big-time because he seemed to have taken major leaps from very basic clues. Amidst this, he receives a phone threat. When he checks his phone, he notices that the message sent by his daughter is actually a video clip. She has been kidnapped.

While it is racy and gripping until the kidnapping, somehow after the kidnapping of his daughter, the book does not do justice to either the kidnapping or the rescue. I was left feeling very blaaah. I am not sure if it is because of the movie, Taken, that handles a similar scenario, of a detective father going in search of his kidnapped teenage daughter. The movie was very very good and somehow I feel that the comparison did not work in the book's favor. Also, I think we all had harboured a hope that Eleanor and Harry would get back together at a later date, and so by killing her, the book evokes "You cannot do that. You did?? Oh come on!" reaction. Somehow that the daughter could actually play such a prank on Harry was a major shocker. All in all - I would rate the book 2.8 out of 5. Do you think I am over-reacting? Read the book and let me know :)

The Veg Zinger

2010-08-29T11:50:00.020+05:30

For the folks who are blinking at the name -- Zinger burger is the name of the crunchy chicken burger that most non-vegetarians love to eat at the Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) outlets. I know because the Arien is total Fida over a Zinger burger. Whenever we visit KFC, I usually have the veggie burger to give the Arien company.

Yesterday, we went to the KFC outlet on Commercial Street and the new veg option was the Veg Zinger. When I stated that I did not want a zinger and I would prefer the veggie burger, I was told that the other option was a veg snacker. Now, a veg snacker is a teeny, tiny, burger that def cannot be my lunch. I decided to try the Veg Zinger. The picture on the right is for representation purpose only. After I finished it, with great difficulty, I had the following questions for the folks at KFC:

Why would anyone create a Veg Zinger at KFC?? (Considering that KFC caters primarily to the non-vegetarians.)
Was it maybe a marketing strategy gone wrong? (Lets fight competition (read McD) with the all-new Veg Zinger.)
A survey whose results could not be verified? (Vegetarians want to have this crunchy taste and look for their burgers as well)

I was totally uncomfortable with the Veg Zinger. I want the veggie burger back which looked and tasted the way I wanted it to. Has anyone tried the veg zinger? How do you like it? How does it compare to McVeggie? Share your views as comments.