Terminator Salvation

After having watched Hugh Jackman sleep-walk through X-Men Origins: Wolverine and waiting for something unpredictable to happen - I really did not think I would like Terminator Salvation. This was another one of the most hyped movies of the month but the Arien is completely crazy 'bout action movies and so I decided to go along, yet again. The only plus I cud see was Christian Bale who was fantastic in the Dark Knight and Illusionist. He plays the part of John Connor. The minus was tht some of the machines looked like the ones in Transformers but lacking the colour n the personality. It was a tie n so I went with the Arien's optimistic frame of mind.

For the folks like me who started with Terminator2 and then watched Terminator1 and missed Terminator3 alltogether - it was good. For folks who have not watched even one of the Terminator series - the graphics are cool, you may feel you are a part of sm JigSaw puzzle which you can solve only if you have watched the earlier parts but for most part you follow wht is going on. We were on time, thanks to the Arien's persistence. The movie started well. There were scenes when I wanted to whistle or shriek alongwith the crowd. There were a few surprises - making this movie really worth watching. *Spoilers ahead*

Wah Wah

• This was the movie tht made Arnold Schwarzenegger's career. Not seeing him in this movie was not ok. However, Christian Bale (John Connor) and Sam Worthington (Marcus Wright) were pretty good.


• The scene where Marcus attracts a magnetic mine; when he realizes tht he is not human and is a cyborg with the goal to bring John Connor to Skynet were taken very well.


• Seeing an almost lifelike Arnold (T-800 model 101 terminator), who starts fighting with John Connor gets full points for the surprise element and the computer generated graphics.


• The machines: they played different roles.

Blaah

• The look of the film was dark, dusty, and gloomy. I guess tht is the result or after-effect of the nulcear holocaust.

Verdict

****

X-Men: Origins of Wolverine

This movie is one of the most hyped action thriller of the month. Most ppl have been looking fwd to this movie especially after the Multiplex vs Single-screen theatre wars. Does the film live up to the hype?

X-Men: Origins of Wolverine

Before I start, I must share that we arrived late at the Hall and missed sme of the crucial childhood scenes of Wolverine. Naturally, the Arien was pretty bugged 'bout tht and wud have cribbed 'bout it till we left after watching the movie. The fact tht he did not, expresses wht he felt 'bout the movie. Missing some of the scenes however does not change my opinon of the movie. The movie was completely predictable. Somehow, Logan did not connect with the audience. Hugh Jackman is famous for his connection:- You feel his pain when he is unable to recall his past. However, when he loses his gal friend, it seems pretty much expected. You are waiting for him to get over it and get on with it. You do not feel the pain.

Wah Wah

• This story begged to be told - Logan's haunting memories and his inability to remember his past was, I believe a crucial part of the X-Men series. A movie that dealt only with Wolverine's past was a smart choice as the base for the movie.


• Hugh Jackman in his body-builder avatar in blue jeans n a vest.


• Ryan Reynolds as DeadPool or Weapon XI.

Blaaah

• I like Hugh Jackman. I liked him in Swordfish, Kate and Leopold, X-Men series, and The Prestige. However, I did not like him in this movie tht was all 'bout him.


• The movie stopped short of being anything spectacular and was a completely predictable, boring account of his totally forgettable past.


• The dialogues did not have the impact you have come to expect frm a sought-after movie. They seemed a tad cheesy in some of the important scenes.

Verdict

**1/2

Boyfriend's Jeans

It was one of those lazy saturday mornings when I came across this article on "Boyfriend's Jeans". It was all 'bout how cute Katie Holmes looked in them and how the said pair of jeans was soon going to become a popular fashion trend. Firstly, there is all together too much hype and hoopla 'bout TomKat. I felt Katie looked very cute b4 she married Tom. Kinda goody-two-shoes but sweet. However, she totally lost all sense of dressing after her marriage to Tom and she looked dowdy most times - blame it on scientology or Suri - but its a fact. Anyways, wanting to know what other ppl think of the latest fad - I took this up as a conversation starter to find out what ppl think.

Overheard at the Gym:

"Boyfriend Jeans???!! I wouldn't fit into them" said Thunder Thighs Tina. "I prefer borrowing their T-shirts - I can easily fit into a size M while I wud b a XXL if I had to buy T-shirts meant only for women. "

Overheard at the Pantry:

"Boyfriend jeans... Chah" exclaimed Sneezing Sneha. "I prefer borrowing their kerchiefs. Have you noticed how beeg they are? Perfect for my cold. These chuntu, lacy stuff - wht use are they? I ask you Aaah... Achoooo!!"

Overheard at the Mall:

"Jeans? Why on earth wud I wear my boyfriend's jeans? I spend so much time Gymming and doing Yoga to get this amazing figure - why would I want to hide it in a pair of boyfriend jeans?" asked shopaholic Sweety. "If I had to borrow something from my boyfriend - it would be his wallet for my shopping."

Over the course of the day, I found that most women want to borrow something that belongs to their man, but it was not their jeans. Hmmm... Well, do guys want to borrow something from their women?

Shared in strictest confidence
"I used to borrow my gal's Fair and Lovely cream for years" whispered Vijay. "That was until John Abraham endorsed Garnier Mens Fairness cream."

All names have been changed to protect the identity. If you would like to share what you would like to borrow, send a comment and I shall include it here.

Sea of Poppies

When you have a library membership, a pretty good one at that, you rarely buy books. I miss owning a book. So, last year when I received a Crossword voucher for my birthday, I was happy that I would be finally owning a book or maybe sm books. Of course, I forgot all 'bout the voucher and it languished in my cupboard until the Arien, while doing a routine clean-up, found it. We then made plans for the subsequent weekend for book buying. I still recall a time when smne asked me what I would with my first salary and my answer was "Buy a book". Hmmm... So much has changed.

The Sea of Poppies is one of the books I purchased using the voucher. So, at long last, we have a book review :) It took me a while to get started on this book. I was worried that it maybe a lil too intellectual for me as I had read one of his essays a while ago. While I found the essay well-researched, excellent to read - it was not smthng I would recommend as a light read.

So when I started on the Sea of Poppies, I was not sure if I would like it. On the contrary, I liked it. The book was actually pretty good. In fact, the first chapter kinda draws you into the life of Deeti - one of the central characters of the book. The other characters are introduced from the diagrammatic representation of them as drawn by Deeti: be it the simple giant, Kalua, the american sailor Zachary or the others. As the story unfolds, you appreciate his style of introducing the eccentricities of each of the characters, the difference in the language of the lascars and the malums, the concept of girmits, the voyage undertaken by the coolies and the sudden change in the direction towards the end. Its a good read.

Blah: The only blah part of the book is that it is part of a trilogy. I, after reading the first part, want to know what happens next but he is yet to write the next book :(

Angels and Daemons

It was a boring Friday evening and suddenly I decided that I had to watch "Angels and Daemons' on Saturday. Managed to convince the Arien tht it was ages since we saw a movie in the theatre and so off we went to Fame Lido to book tickets. Well, considering that the Innovative Multiplex has rats and had recently suffered a pretty bad fire, Fame Lido was a reasonable bet. So, imagine my shock when I am told to come back next Friday. I am so zapped - I do not question why. I recall having read that the movie was released on Friday and assume that all tickets are booked for a week. The Arien comes back after parking and I tell him the news and so we exit amidst a loong boring lecture 'bout how I must have checked earlier blah blah blah.

The Arien calls "Just Dial" and finds out that the movie has been released only in single screen theatres and so we decide to catch the movie in Rex. While the Arien attempts to find some parking spot in the ultra-crowded brigade road, I rush in to book the tickets. Imagine my shock-cum-surprise when I am told that the tickets costs Rs.60/- a head. Yes... thts right! I book two tickets and come back with a stoopid grin on my face. Meanwhile, the Arien has actually parked the car on Castle Street and expected me to join him there. Its not an interesting walk and so I am fuming. The Arien is so zapped at the price of the tickets tht he completely ignores my rants. Grrr...

Anyway, we make it on time for the movie and actually manage to park in the Parking Lot provided by Rex. The Balcony is packed. The usherer and the person who serves snacks - come to stare at us during the Intermission. I guess its been a while since Rex was this crowded. Hmmm....

Wah: Tom Hanks sans the wig as Robert Langdon, the story was non-conterversial almost simple in comparison to the hue n cry generated for Da Vinci Code(I have not read the book and so I may be wrong here), editing was slick and quick, fast-paced, the grandeur of the churches and the beauty of the sculptures was almost ostentatious or maybe shown in that manner. However, the city itself has been beautifully shot.

Blah: Not much really. Haven't read the book and so I guess I did not have any issues. Folks who have read the book did not like the movie much.

Conclusion: Lukewarm water on a cold day. Not a edge-of-your-seat thriller.