Thursday, November 28, 2013

A GOOD NIGHT

The night has come dark and slow
Time to catch up with your pillow
Keep good memories and forget the day
As the day has gone by now
And for sure there is a better tomorrow
That will bring more shine into your life
So, for now, go have fun with blanket and mattress
They are true givers of love and happiness
A wonderful night of sweet dreams
Funny, dreams shall be and none with screams
"Happy night my friend"
I wish you as I go to sleep
But this is not the end
Life has so much still for us to seek

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

MY REMAINS

I drenched myself in monsoons of your passion
I quenched my thirst in the rains of our unison
Yet, parched and withered I remain
Because our warmth has left me in pain
I seek to walk away from you but just cannot
For, to leave you is going to make my life go vain
When I trudge towards you and I am rewarded by a slap
"The good times have gone by, now you shouldn't expect a clap"
I hear this from your still and mellowed voice
Still, I do not crib or sob upon on my choice 
I live alone now, in those gone by monsoons unmoved and still
With patience, like a patent who took a time-stop pill
I wait for to come for one last time, just come and kill me
So that, when I die, I pass in peace as I see you in my last breath
I am not in your heart perhaps now any moment
Come take my life and make your eternal past 
I would then be happy living as your past, though dead in the present

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

MARIGOLD IN RAIN

Love the rain drops drooling from the Marigold flowers. Taken at a nursery in Hyderabad, India.



Monday, November 25, 2013

Saturday, November 23, 2013

A SMILE

Smile for the morning and smile for the noon
Smile for the night too that comes so soon
Keep a smile, for your kid and a smile for your mother
Smile back at those too who just make you bother
Life is fun till it is done away
To smile all through is the best way
A precious gift which is undervalued
So know its worth and make it valuable
Smile when down if you can
Coz if you smile then you are the man
A smile makes up all the worries
Smile surpasses all the glories
Nothing glorifies life than a beautiful smile

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

VICKY AND THE TREASURE OF THE GODS (2011) - GERMAN


A fun kids film thats enjoyable when you have kids around.

Before I review, few words please to let you know that I am just sharing this review to keep up with my discipline of writing and sharing reviews as and when I see a film in a theatre or on Big Screen. 

I caught up with this film yesterday night at the Children's film festival at Lalitha Kala Thoranam with my nephew and my sister. It was fun in many ways to be seeing kids film with so many kids around. 

This is a German film and I am surprised how many kids gathered to see this and my nephew was interpreting most of the film perfectly fine, I was in awe with the knowledge and ideas todays kids have. 

The movie is a fable like story where a boy loses his father to an evil man and must get him back. It was a simple enough story that was made interesting by some wonderful shots. It is an adventure that shot akin Harry Potter. I believe so, many will mostly like this considering the simplicity it has. The film is done simply with noble intention of presenting a story with a moral. The boy rises above odds and uses his powers and gets back his father and wins over the evil. 

The production qualities were good and certain shots made in Computer Graphics were amazing. The art direction was great too. But I am not over impressed by the story as it is more a common place story than a different or a special one which you might expect at a film festival. Also, I loved a few dialogues which were humorous. The acting by most actors was very funny even silly and yet so apt. It's good that most of the acting brought out laughs.

I am going with 3/5 with this film. Above all, I loved the atmosphere and watching kids laughing and screaming at movies. 

MY PASSION

A hope I had within got me thus far
The passion of self-made me this now
But my own ego tainted many a scar
The lust for life made me stoop low

I wish not to have such valor
For that induced a taste so vigor
Can't say if it was for worse or better
Can't even say if anything does matter

Yet just can't give up my passion
That thought me a great lesson
That when cries don't work then laugh
It's better to laugh than being laughed at

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

CLOSE-UP (1990) - PERSIAN


A powerful film that has a question, how do we know if something is real or fake.

A man is disguised and pretends himself to be a film director; he uses that as an alibi to feed himself and earn some money. Now that he is satisfied and is good at it, he overdoes it to a point that he gets caught by the law. But wasn't he real to a right amount of time, are people so easily convinced and if all is true, then what is the real truth? Now, this might sum up the film or perhaps create an intrigue. For me, I kept jotting myself some notes (one of the few films that demanded me to take notes) as I was curious even after the end of the film.   

Primarily, I thank CRITERION again for putting this in their collection and helping me learn about it. I respect their collection much. Secondly, I was lucky to have decided to watch this on Sunday night as this kind of film makes up most of the lost weekend. It simply gives me a viewer joy, because this is not a regular movie that has a beginning with the introduction of hero, and ending with a big fight or dance. This film has questions, be it of identity or even purpose of existence and means of survival. That's like fodder for the cattle of viewers, and I love such good food which makes me relish as well as force me to try the same taste again.

Abbas Kiarostami took this story from a real incident and made it as a docu-drama, and he did it with finesse and perfection. So thanks to him in a big way. As my earlier Kiarostami movie which is WHERE IS FRIEND'S HOME, this film is also low on production values but supremely rich in content. 

Thanks to the ensemble cast who have played out their real life characters here. Kiarostami pulled it off astonishingly well. I would be critical if I said that anybody in the film acted well. Indeed, it's not called acting, it's called living the role, and each one has done that exquisitely well. Kiarostami also used the sound superbly; it was real and yet so dramatic. The dialogues conveyed a deeper philosophical meaning, and they had layers. The questions the judge put across to the accused were well drafted, and they clarified most of my doubts as a viewer too.

As and when I cast a logical doubt; the film returned me the answer asking a similar question that was running through my head and it was phenomenal in my perspective. Seldom, I have seen such a thing that keeps you glued making you think and as if it has heard your questions,  answers you back. Kiarostami seems to have known the psyche of a viewer way too well, that he might have himself asked so many questions before putting the script in place. 

Also, I got to know of another Iranian director in this film Mohsen Makhamalbaf. Maybe I will catch up with some of Mohsen's films too. But for now, I am happy to have seen this and reviewing it for my own good. It gives me happiness. 

I am going with 4/5 and please consult this in any which way possible, and I assure you that you will be subjected to a different kind of experience that's unique, to say the least. 

Also, my review of another Kiarostami movie which is WHERE IS FRIENDS HOME?

http://braddugg.blogspot.in/2011/10/where-is-friends-home-1987-persian.html

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

FRANCES HA (2013) - ENGLISH

I revel in the exploration of music and movies and am very happy to have found this film. Here, I share my feelings about this film. My review goes like this

An admirable film that relates to growing up, understanding relationships and more so seeking companionship.

At 27, in America, you are naturally expected to be with someone either in a physical relationship or dating or engaged. But, Frances Ha does not have any of those, she is seeking and trying to find if there is someone or hoping that may someone find her. Staying with her girlfriend 'Sophie' there is a world she has made of her own and tries to do something good for Sophie and herself always.  

Derived from the name of the character which is Frances Haliday and portrayed superbly by Greta Grewig who has brought life to the character. Greta Grewig plays it extremely convincingly and with complete control over every nuance and the subdued emotion of the character.

Characters are etched out by actions and the actions are reflected in the dialogue. The dialogue is a sheer choice of words like we do in our daily lives. If someone asks something we have a plethora of words and emotions to pick from. The range varied from a sarcastic remark to an admirable sigh to a gesture of gratitude. Now, this very choice makes us what we are and that indeed had made Frances Ha a very relatable character. It can be you too given that you are a girl or rather understand what is being a girl all about.

As I mentioned, dialogue reveals character and in this motion picture it's the choice of words by Noah Baumbach and they turn into good dialogue and making the film interesting and worthwhile. This is a film of a Woman of today that is 2012 and her own self-identify crisis, self-goals, financial coping upon standing by herself in making ends meet and all of that and more, even some psychological and physical aspects. All put together it is a completely contemporary movie. And I love it coz this about a girl of today, in the times I live.

Interestingly, the film is in Black and White I have always loved the Black and White simply because they minimize the trappings of admiration, you cannot say, oh, that was lit of so well, the lights are wonderful, a great natural scene and all that, coz it's all devoid of colours and if leaves are not green, most would not bother if they are black or white. So that sets me as a viewer in focus and the focus primarily is on the emotions of the character.  I love the black and white films and happy that even today a handful of directors are trying this.

It's good in editing, indeed it was so quick that it got over in a whizz, it's wonderful in cinematography that made me feel claustrophobic when shot in the apartments and made me feel so clumsy in the crowd and happy in the woods. The dialogues are smart witty and extremely relatable.

Now, above all, I loved the relationship between the two girls Sophie and Frances. They are like two thick friends who have some ego within them that develops, it can be considered envy to an extent but there are no hard feelings yet as they wish each other luck. So tough to put a name to it and it really made it interesting. 

The climax is not there and is like, life goes as in the Telugu film "ANTHULENI KATHA" where the protagonist's life goes on, driven more by circumstances this film too has that and it makes it more realistic.

This kind of cinema is becoming a rarity as we are moving into more commercial space where a film is losing the purpose of art, it's more like how much money will I get with a venture than about, how many will like it. I am unhappy coz I had to watch this as a download and not in cinemas. Thanks to Criterion collection for making me aware of this gem.

I am going with 4/5 for a film I loved. For the real film aficionados, this will be a well worth spent time.

About Me

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I firstly declare here that all the content written in the blog is exclusively written by me and I hold the copyrights of each and everything. Be it a poem or a movie review. Also, the videos or photographs I upload or attach are exclusively owned by me. This declaration is important in a world that seems so worried of piracy. The prime purpose of these blogs is to put my writings and photographs on the net. and well to start with.... I live in my mind, and existence is the attempt to bring my thoughts into physical reality, I celebrate myself, sing myself and I am always happy in my own company.....I am not the best in the world but I strive for excellence and thats what keeps me alive... Talking much about oneself can also be a means to conceal oneself--Friedrich Nietzsche