Monday, December 19, 2016

MOANA (2016) - ENGLISH

A typical animated film that is a fable made as a musical.

This is for children only film is what I started feeling after the first 10 minutes and as the movie ended, I concluded that this film is made for kids up to 12 years specifically.

There are too many songs to my liking and the story is pretty juvenile. Although there are south pacific cultural elements added, the story is fable-like and in almost every folklore there shall be a hero who has done amazing things fighting against odds. In this film, the hero is the daughter of a chief. She is brave, dares against superstitions and goes all the way for her people to be happy and prosperous. Ah, how many times I have seen such themes and almost similar films. How to be a leader, a king. This plays the same theme in a different backdrop.

Looking at the trailer, the film seemed so different than it really is. The songs are too many and the editing is pretty ordinary. The graphics, the colors are as great as any other Walt Disney movie. Yes, Disney has set a stupendously high started in animated films which other studios can only emulate but hard to beat. I loved the richness of visuals but got pretty bored by many other aspects.

A 2/5 for this film. Though not so much of my taste, I suppose this will be loved by kids.

Sunday, December 18, 2016

DEEPWATER HORIZON (2016) - ENGLISH

An engaging film filled with good action and acting.

This is a film based on true events of oil rig explosion in 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico. In 2010, I was in Florida in 2010 April and I remember warnings in news channels to avoid beaches. Florida is a state known for its beaches and in June and July, we were told not to get into the sea as the oil spillage has done a lot of damage and it would be hazardous. This movie rekindled those memories.

The acting is good and pretty casual I would say. It’s professional I must say to go out and play real people and be natural as oil rig workers and talk their language. From a Magenta warning to cutting the pipe, there are some layman words yet there are some technical words which would be understood better by those working on the oil rigs. Despite, the language, the action is so good that it kept me engaged till the end.

I knew this was a survivor story and also who would survive can be made out by the roles each actor plays and also if we know the story of Deepwater Horizon. Yet, the packaging was done well with respect to how it all began and how someone’s reckless attitude lead to a catastrophe.

The direction is good, the visual effects are great and the acting is terrific. I am not singling out anyone in acting as the ensemble cast did a great job together. The writing is precise and the editing is pretty decent cutting it to just 107 minutes with hardly any dull moments.

I liked it and it’s a decent watch. A 3/5 for this.

Thursday, December 1, 2016

ARRIVAL (2016) - ENGLISH

A film that is designed for a debate.

The film tries to raise questions on many dimensions. The film questions the craft of screenplay and the technique of film writing on one level. At the same time,it questions the existential questions on death, our view of life and how loved are our loved ones. How important is communication and what are the difficulties in the case of an alien insurgence.

It pushed me to the edge by the end of the film without any rush, any big thing happening and even 4 days after watching it, it's keeping me in the "Arrival" zone. The name Arrival itself is deceptive for the film. It's not just about aliens or anything, it's deeply human and that's a great achievement.

The editing is done amazingly well. Though the film seems slow and literally nothing much happened in the 116 minutes, yet everything was connected superbly at the end. Actually, it was a shocker for me. What I expected and what I got was hugely different and yet it left me wanting for more.

Acting is superb by Amy Adams and by Jeremy Renner. There is poise and composure to their characters which is rare as compared to protagonists of a sci-fi film. Oops, I expected this to be a sci-fi film too, but it's a deliberately well made emotional drama in the guise of a sci-fi film.

Dennis Villeneuve who surprised me with "Prisoners" surprised me with "Arrival" too and I am in awe of this director now. Also, thanks to Ted Chiang, the author of "Story of Your Life". "Arrival" is an adaptation of "Story of Your Life"

A 4/5 for this wonderfully made movie.

Monday, November 21, 2016

SAAHASAM SWASAGAA SAAGIPO (2016) - TELUGU

A film that is plotless and pointless. A film so pointless that even the great master of music could not help.

I did not like the film for the following reasons:

1. The hero does not know how to pronounce Silhouette (he pronounces as like sil-hout). He has an SLR at home and does not know how to spell the photography term. Basically, he does not know either English or Telugu.
2. The hero does not know how to emote. He does not know how to give lip sync either.
3. There is nothing called cinematography, the faces are shot straight. Lazy photography.
4. I did not like the timing of songs especially, "Vellipomakey".
5. "Vellipomakey" is terrible in Telugu while "Thalli Pogathey" is awesome in Tamil.
6. The road trip is so convenient that I disliked the taken for granted writing of the trip.
7. Did not understand how the guy gets keys of an unknown Royal Enfield in the second half.
8. Actually, did not understand how could the hero stuff so many clothes in one bag for the road trip.
9. The plot, Theme, Characters, Action - Nothing is memorable but my dislike is so strong that it's hard to forget.

It's been more than a week since I saw this film, trusting some rave reviews by friends. But, I could not help myself from writing this review to vent my anger.

There is a reason why I am very afraid of watching films with A R Rahman music. In Hindi, they justify it much better than in Telugu or Tamil films. So sorry, ARR, you gave your best but others messed up everything else.

I love 3 songs
"Thalli Pogathey" - yes Tamil version only. Rap is Telugu is not apt.
"Chakkori" - lyrics in Telugu are decent.
"Taanu Nenu" - liked the lyrics.

A 0/5 for the film and 3/5 for the album. I seriously pledge never to watch a Naga Chaitanya film in the theater again.

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

THE GAME (1997) - ENGLISH

A film that is abstruse and absurd yet not so abstract.

There is no believability or factual presentation when surrealism is the theme. "The Game" goes by surrealism that boggled my mind at the end. The built up was great and the action was sleek yet the ending was not fulfilling. I was not fully satisfied as a viewer and a lot of expectations from Fincher got battered.

Technically, it is good in all aspects. But what good are all the embellishments when the dish is too dried up. The script was just too dry to make me engage or perhaps, the screenplay was not provocative enough. There is a missing element in the film is what I felt.

My heart went to Sean Penn whom I thought was totally wasted. Michael Douglas was gracious in suits and cars but his body language was not good enough. I felt like Michael was told to be too casual in the film and he was just there without any passion.

A 2/5 for an average showing and take on surrealism.

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

PINK (2016) - HINDI

An impactful film that lingered long after I came home from the theater.

I have seen this movie twice in 2 days and I cannot get over it yet. It's a tough film to let go. Each moment is progressive and takes the story forward. It's a case that is fought well and proves a point. The film takes up not one but multiple issues and handles them extremely well.

The issues which are highlighted in the film as I saw are

1) Forcing women into non-consensual acts
2) Objectification of women by society
3) Judging women by their looks and habits by society
4) Treatment of North East Indians
5) Pollution in India
6) Corruption in Police
7) High handedness of politicians
8) Headstrong attitude of rich and powerful
9) Modesty of sincere lawyers

I can write cliched lines as "Performance are supreme and writing is terrific". Let me cut the technicalities out and say that it's a film we needed in our times. It's poignant and indeed the most relevant films of the year.

In performances, I loved Amitabh Bachchan, Piyush Mishra and a special mention to Taapsee who stood out. The song "Kaari Kaari" will be on my playlist for a long time to come.

Thanks to the makers and all those involved in bringing this film out. I loved it despite its obvious result and its preachiness. Yes, mind you the film is preachy yet sticks to the point.

A 4/5 for one of the best stories and films of the year.

Tuesday, September 20, 2016

AZHAR (2016) - HINDI

A worthless film that is clichéd and is manipulative.

It’s like a film made by a biased fan of the cricketer Azharuddin to show him in good light and to tell the world that he is innocent. I did not buy the ticket myself for the film and did not want to see this. Having said that, to kill some time, I went to this film. The result was on the lines of my expectation. I expected that the film would not focus much on the betting or match-fixing and so it happened. The film was about Azharuddin's Love Affairs and his relationship with his grandfather than about his cricket affairs. It tried hard to bring out reality but is too biased to be appreciated.

What a waste of time and money. A 0/5 for this.

UDTA PUNJAB (2016) - HINDI


So there comes a powerful film on drugs in India.

It is powerful because it addresses the issue right from the core. The political nexus is seen, how youth are inspired by wrong icons is seen and a lot more is seen. The script is terrific on paper. Having said that the direction could have been better as the screenplay was slow and also spoon fed.
Abhishek Chaubey made "Ishqiya"  and "Dedh Ishqiya" but this is much better than those films. This film has a purpose and depicts a real issue.

Performances are great and they hold the film well. Alia Bhatt as Bihari worker stands out. Shahid tried his best but overplayed a bit. Kareena Kapoor looked composed at most places and in few scenes her unnecessary reaction came out. Diljit Dosanjh was good in his role and I loved his screen presence.

The intent to make the film is noble but at times it became preachy. Shahid Kapoor as "Tommy Singh" goes gaga over the ills of drugs and I did not like that part. Perhaps, it could have been edited out. So editing could have been much sharper.

The film is shot well as the camera is handled by Rajeev Ravi, a master of cinematography. The music has its place and is well done.

A 3/5 for a good film. Just a word that there were few unnecessary deaths which did not add any value to the film. 

REVIEW OF ISHQIYA

http://braddugg.blogspot.in/2011/08/ishqiya-2009-hindi.html

REVIEW OF DEDH ISHQIYA

http://braddugg.blogspot.in/2014/01/dedh-ishqiya-2014-urdu.html

Sunday, September 18, 2016

THE JUNGLE BOOK (2016) - ENGLISH

A good book has transpired into a wonderful film.

Filled with graphics and visual effects created animals and one human who stands out, this is an adventure that's made extremely well. The book is adapted into a film or TV series several times and this is a great adaptation of the book.

I loved Shere Khan and his voice over. Idris Elba is terrific in voice over for Shere Khan. Also, Ben Kingsley as Bagheera came into his own realm and nailed the character. Neel Sethi as Mowgli is a surprise and a good find.

The direction is superb and brings a connection from beginning to end. There is not a dull moment in this adventure. I have seen the film twice in the theater and both the times, I fell in love with it. This is a book I loved as a childhood. Sure, Rudyard Kipling gave us an adventure that will last for centuries.

Technically, the film is brilliant. The visual effects are stunning and the whole landscape and animals are real that actually there are some frightening moments. The one scene in which "Kaa" (voice given by Scarlett Johannson) comes to talk with Mowgli is creepy and haunting.

I am going with 4/5 for this. A memorable adventure that's worth the money and time.

JAWS (1975) -ENGLISH

Truly, one of the greatest pictures ever made.

The film is about capturing a killer shark that feeds on humans. It's a spectacle to be seen on the big screen. The first half or three-fourth of the film is about planning how to go about capturing the shark. The last part is all in the sea. It's an amazing film because the way it traverses from scene to scene. The film involves a lot of character build up and a basis for the shark to be killed. It also keeps minimalistic in sound and gets loud only when needed.

The sound design and the music by John Williams is a study in itself. The editing is precise and keeps the movie gripping. To be fair, there are hardly any dull moments in the film, even though the end is known. The journey is so interesting that the destination feels like a by-product of the journey.

Steven Spielberg grew in stature with this film. I am told by my uncle who saw the film in theatre  1970's when it got released that it was indeed a phenomenon and one of his friends does not enter into the water even today that is 40 years after seeing the film he is still afraid of sharks. Though funny, it is indeed true and confirmed by the person itself.

It's impactful and must be revered for the change it brought about in mindset and understanding of the sea the nature of sharks.

Acting is stupendous and though I don't know any of the cast, they played their roles superbly and are heroic in their own ways.

A 4/5 for one the great films ever made, though it lost it's aura a bit as technology got updated, it must be seen for the content.

BLOOD DIAMOND (2006) - ENGLISH

A powerful film on the diamond trade and exploitation of people in Africa.

This is a film based on True Events and is made realistically. The film's strong points are writing, directing and acting. This film seems to be shot in real locations with real people. There are many points in the film which I liked technically. The shot composition, the capture of African Landscape is amazing. The music is something I liked and felt it went with the flow of the film.

The writing of dialogues is simple and yet stood out. The relationship between "Danny Archer" (Leonardo DiCaprio) and "Solomon Vandy" (Djimon Hounsou) is well established and concluded beautifully.

In 2006, there were two memorable films which came out about exploitation in Africa. One is this one and the other is "Last King of Scotland". While both are historical films and based on True Events, I thought "Blood Diamond" was better in drama.

I loved the performance of Leonardo DiCaprio and he was terrific in the role. Watch it if you are a Leo fan, or if interested in the history of Africa. Others, watch if interested in good cinema.

A 3/5 for a good film.


Saturday, September 10, 2016

DHANAK (2016) - HINDI

A film that moved me not by sympathy but with humor.

When I watch films of underprivileged people, I feel blessed and privileged. To be sane and healthy and everything working fine in the body is a great blessing which I value much more than many other things. Dhanak is a film that made me feel blessed and privileged.

The nuances like the turn of a coin to play either Shah Rukh Khan or Salman Khan or dreaming a house build of sweets were simply amazing. I must say Nagesh Kukunoor is still an original director. There are elements of genuine originality in his films which are rare in Indian films. He is one of the few directors who sticks to his subject and puts it across well.

With this film, he is back to the landscape of Rajasthan where he shot few of his films. I loved his DOR. So the sand dunes, the dry lands are part of the backdrop and they are wonderful.

There are few moments I loved in the film. The song of "Dam-a-Dam Mast Qalandar", the "Maatha" moment and the letters to Shah Rukh.

Krrish Chhabria as Chotu is superb and this film belongs to him. Hetal Gadda as Pari is memorable. It's the kids who brought so much life to the film and for me as a viewer.

A 3/5 for a good film. Kudos to Nagesh Kukunoor who keeps churning good movies despite many constraints.

Thursday, September 8, 2016

THE VIRTUOUS BURGLAR (A PLAY) - ENGLISH

Dramanon Presents Dario Fo's 'The Virtuous Burglar'

About The Play: A burglar enters a house that he has been studying from the outside for days. Thinking he knows everything there is to know, he enters with absolute confidence, only to find out how wrong he was! Being on the inside, error-filled encounters with and among strangers unravels so much more than he can handle.

Language : English
Cast : Saurabh Sensharma, Vaishali Bisht, Rahul Premchander, Richa Jain, Shayontoni Ghosh, Adnan Hararwala, RK Shenoy
Director : Harika Vedula
Length : 1 hour
Writer : Dario Fo

VENUE : RTTC AUDITORIUM, HYDERABAD
DATE : 28th AUGUST 2016

My Review:

The play is about a burglar who comes to steal and is entangled in a cat and mouse game of husband and wives. Infidelity took the centre-stage and all others played their part.The first 15 minutes of dialogues were missed out by noise. I could not hear what was being spoken on stage properly. I owe this to the bad sound arrangement. Also, one of the lights was directly onto my face and I could not take that. So it was tough for me to sit through the play.

Of all, Saurabh Sensharma as Burglar impressed me. Others did their bit. I would be cautious going forward in going with hype and friends words. My friend hyped the play as if it is one of their best plays. To be fair, I have seen much better plays than this. I would rather forget this play. An average one. I could take nothing back.

The best part of everything about the play is the sketch of The Virtuous Burglar (as shown in the poster above) by RK Shenoy.

Wednesday, September 7, 2016

DONT BREATHE (2016) - ENGLISH

A big waste of time. Neither horrifying nor memorable.

This was hyped as one of the best horror films and I fell into the trap of hype and went for it. I came back with curses and complaints than liking it even one bit. My wife loves horror films and she is the driving force and I hope I would be enjoying my first horror film in the theater along with her and that was not to be. To be fair enough, it was a boring experience.

Until the time, the antagonist did not open his mouth, there was some eerie feeling. But once his dialogues began, the essence was lost and it became dull and the interest it generated was fizzled out.

The good thing is sound. Yes, horror films bank on sound and this film is no different that way. Also, acting was good especially by Stephen Lang. The climax was pretty horrible, to say the least, and the reason behind the antagonist's work was just too lame. I felt like they created a lazy character as a villain and tried to sell him to the audience.

It's set up well only to fizzle out at the end. This left me with a bad memory. The movie is forgettable and I am going with a generous 1/5.

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

THE POWER OF HABIT

AUTHOR: CHARLES DUHIGG
ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

A book that overwhelmingly talks about the power of a habit.

There are numerous examples of people who have a habit and what did they accomplish with that habit. Also, there are stories of people who have a less valuable life because of their habits.

Habit is defined in English as below

Habit(n): an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary

Now with that definition of habit, it's a pattern. Habits are consistent as consistent as doing brush daily. Our life is actually consumer by habits for 70-80% what we do for the remaining part is actually a luxury. So if we have good habits, then we shall be successful and we have bad habits we shall be a failure in life.

This book did not tell about how to correct bad habits in detail and almost followed a similar pattern for each of habit that was explained. Be it drinking a coffee, eating a choco chip or brushing teeth. Also, organizations mentioned in the book are told to have benefitted with habits. The examples given in the book depict reality and I appreciate the author Charles Duhigg for his research work.

After reading through the first two chapters I got a hang of the context of the book and started skimming through the pages. I did not find any great value add I must say by the end. Although,
in Appendix I found something of huge value, I thought the rest of 250 odd pages were filled with stories that were reasoning more on habit formation and sustenance.

The book though gives a scientific explanation, it evolves from stories and studies. It's like trying to sell a thought process providing examples. That's one of the main reasons, which did not make me involve as a reader. I cannot buy or read through books whose intent is to sell a thought. Those are preachy books and this book I felt is preachy too. I am not sure if I can call it self-help too coz I could not get any great help from the book.

Yet, I got to know an understanding of habit and the cue-routine-reward loop.

Also, the framework for reshaping a habit was well put.

Identify the Routine
Experiment with Rewards
Isolate the Cue
Have a Plan

Though for me it was an average read, I got some insights and am thankful for that.
The best paragraph for me in the book was actually a quote of William James.

"All our life, so far as it has definite form, is but a mass of habits - practical, emotional, and intellectual - systematically organized for our weal or woe, and bearing us irresistibly toward our destiny, whatever the latter may be"

Thursday, September 1, 2016

BLUE OCEAN STRATEGY


AUTHOR(S): W. CHAM KIM & RENEE MAUBORGNE
ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

A book that focuses on how we can create markets by disrupting the prevailing markets and have our own space.

For me, it was a good read with many insights. I was actually amazed that if I were a marketing or sales head of a company how much valuable this book would be. This should be a must-read book for many entrepreneurs and marketing managers. There are so many case studies and each is derived from a strategy. If the strategies are understood, applied to the organization, and executed using analytical data then I am sure more often than not, a blue ocean (a disruptive market space) can be created.

The book is divided into two parts with the chapters as mentioned below.
Part One : Blue Ocean Strategy

Creating Blue Oceans
Analytical Tools and Frameworks

Part Two : Formulating Blue Ocean Strategy

Reconstructing Market Boundaries
Focus on the Big Picture, Not the Numbers
Reach Beyond Existing Demand
Get the Strategic Sequence Right
Overcome Key Organizational Hurdles
Build Execution Into Strategy
Align Value, Profit and People Propositions
Renew Blue Oceans
Avoid Red Ocean Traps

All through the book, there are tons case studies and many types of industries are covered. Example, from Circus Industry which is disrupted by the formation of Cirque De Soleil to the Computer Industry, disrupted by Apple. From the evolution of Automobiles from Ford to Mercedes-Benz to Southwest Airlines Tagline changed the Airlines Industry, there are overwhelming examples.

This is one of the most relevant business books now and there is no doubt it is one of the best sellers too. Of the plethora of concepts given, I loved the Reduce, Raise, Eliminate, Create concept. Also, the path of creating a strategy and implementing at strategy level in an organization is superbly documented.  I would refrain to explain concepts in detail here, as that would be like giving away some insights which are worth knowing by reading the book itself. The way the concepts are presented in the book is commendable.

Though I found some disconnect in few aspects as I was not well versed with certain examples, yet I could understand the thought process behind the need of expressing the same. The logical flow of chapters is nice and so the English. In this book, I expected a language that would be tough to comprehend. For my surprise, it was in a professional's language (a person who has some kind of work experience to understand his own work sphere) and I could thus understand without any assistance.

Also, there are diagrams and some of which are graphs. It took some time for me to get the vision of graphs and how to read them. If looked at in isolation, they did not mean mush, but in the context, those were well done.

I thank the Harvard Business Review Press and the Authors. They published this book so that public at large, especially entrepreneurs are benefitted. 

Saturday, August 27, 2016

100 DAYS OF LOVE (2015) - MALAYALAM

Utter waste of time.

This is a Malayalam film dubbed into Telugu and I saw it yesterday.

After first 15 minutes, I decided that there is no point watching this film.  Dialogues are bland and acting is superficial. The screenplay is lame and cinematography should better be not talked about. I have wasted my time watching this and I am wasting more time reviewing it. I just wanted to say all my readers to be warned of the film. I found nothing I can take back or value in the film. Perhaps, a black and white song. Everything looked artificial and manipulative only.

A 0/5 for this.

Friday, August 26, 2016

STONER



AUTHOR: JOHN EDWARD WILLIAMS
ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

Every human being has a story, every story has its own interesting aspects.The biggest takeaway from the book is this.

After the third chapter in the book, I stopped expecting anything above than a typical ordinary man's routine and I fell in love with the narrative from then. Stoner lives an average person's life. What the big fuss then, one may say. Yet, the essence is to remind us to value life as it is. "I am just a little person, one person in a sea" - Lyrics of a song that I love. Yet, that little man in the world is world to many people. For his family, he is a sea, for his wife or kids he is an ocean.

John Williams put up a normal story and the style is also pretty normal. Fiction, though this book may be categorized into, but there is not even a page that is unrealistic. Not an event, that may not have happened or heard in any of our lives. Yet, to celebrate each of those and understand that it's okay as long as lessons are learned and reflected upon. Mistakes are meant to be made by humans, nobody is perfect they say. But strife for perfection should never be stopped. I am learning new things and unlearning old things. There are few things I carry and few things that I realized to have learnt the wrong way.

Life gives us choices, rather time gives us choices and we pick what we think is right at that point time. Is that the right choice or not, shall again be decided by time. Also, nothing is like a love for eternity. Those who find their true love are lucky I must say. But for most, life ends searching for true love. This book about one of those many lives, which ends in pursuit rather than fulfillment.

I loved the book for its simplicity and authenticity. Stoner avoided the World War and he avoided many wars in his life. It's a book that I can relate to and am connected. It's a beautiful find in my life.


Tuesday, August 23, 2016

DEAR LIAR (A PLAY) - ENGLISH

The Hindu Theatre Fest present Dear Liar. Produced by Motley and Samuel French Productions.

About the Play: It's a play written by Jerome Kitty based on correspondence shared between George Bernard Shaw and Mrs. Patrick Campbell between 1899 and 1939.


Language : English
Cast : Naseeruddin Shah, Ratna Pathak Shah
Director : Late Satyadev Dubey
Length : 2 hours
Writer : Jerome Kitty

VENUE : RAVINDRA BHARATI, HYDERABAD
DATE : 21st AUGUST 2016

My Review:


Dear Liar, the play by Jerome Kitty dramatises the written correspondence between George Bernard Shaw (referred as Joey) and Patrick Campbell (referred as Stella). This is an excellent adaptation by two incredibly talented actors Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak Shah who seem to have mastered the theatre in India. The dialogues, “Not Shah, Mr. Shaw.” by Naseer or “I am not older than 39 even though I have a daughter of 28, it happens in India all the time.”  by Ratna Pathak, were timely and brought in the native touch of Indianness. The performances were spellbound and sublime. I was wondering how they can remember each line correctly and enact with such precision. The exploration of characters and their relationship is memorable. There is not even one dull moment in the 2-hour play. Although, most of the credit goes to the writing of the play, yet to get under the skin of the characters and make them alive is a supreme achievement. I am thankful for these actors to choose a historical play and bring it to my city. Directed by Late Satyadev Dubey, the props are well placed; the usage is appropriate, and the improvisation is commendable.

I am grateful to Hindu, a newspaper which strives to keep our art and culture alive. I am a fan of the November Music Festival as well and now the theatre festival will be a part of my calendar

Monday, August 22, 2016

TURMERIC VERMILION FLOWER

Half yellow and half red, it made me think of Turmeric Vermilion tradition in India. Vikarabad, India.

PECULIAR FLOWER BUD

I don't know the name. Looked peculiar thus the name. Vikarabad, India.


GRASS SUNFLOWER

A flower that grows in the grass and looks like a sunflower. Vikarabad, India.


FIRE DRAGON

Felt like a dragon is burning. Campfire, The Grasswalk Resorts, Vikarabad, India.


SHADE OF LAMP

The shade of the lamp. Inside the room. The Grasswalk Resorts, Vikarabad, India.


TEA AND BOOKS

The bench where we read and had tea. Loved the Spot. The Grasswalk Resorts, Vikarabad, India.


Thursday, August 18, 2016

CHE (2008) - SPANISH



A terrific film that raises the spirit of a revolutionary to the hilt.

This movie is a 2 part biopic that runs nearly four and a half hours.
When I saw it for the first time at home on in 2009, I just took a ten-minute break after the completion of the first part and was dying to start the second part. After finishing the movie viewing, I was overwhelmed. I was very happy; there is an inspiration that I must make my life worth before I die. There is an incentive to value life.

Ernesto Che Guevara is one of the most inspirational revolutionaries of the centuries the world over. The way he organized and won guerilla wars was something that was a shock to many regimes in the American continents. The depiction of Che by Benicio Del Toro is something that took me by a surprise. Benicio Del Toro was intrepid in playing Che. Never did I feel, I was seeing an actor, all through it was just Che.

The makeup was superlative. For the first ten minutes of the second part of the film, I was stunned. I could not recognise who is playing the character. So right is the disguise and so great is the acting. Cinematography and art direction in this could be used as references for generations to come. The film took me into 1950's and 1960's and made live in those times.

From the word go to the last frame, there is perfection in craft technically. The spirit of revolution is in place. Cuba, Fidel Castro, Revolution, Bolivia, UN conference, Che, wow so many overwhelming elements.

Kudos to Steven Soderbergh and perhaps this is his finest effort. Also to Benicio Del Toro. Benicio, you will live on as Che forever.

A 5/5 for my favorite revolutionary films. One of the all-time great films this.

Saturday, August 13, 2016

RAMAN RAGHAV 2.0 (2016) - HINDI

                      
The eerie, scary and a satisfying film that I watched in a long time. 

This is terrific by Anurag Kashyap and I believe he is back to his best. His best was "Black Friday" and followed it up with films like "No Smoking" and others. He took the bar of narration higher and with this Raman Raghav he is back from limbo. Last year he made a dud called "Bombay Velvet" with a lot of money. Perhaps, he was robbed of the luxury of money and was asked to find his ground. Thus, he made a film like this that is devoid of any budget.

My hunger for watching a great film has been satisfied.

I was happy with the terrific performances in the movie. Nawazuddin Siddiqui nailed his bit; this is something superlative even from a man who has set highest standards in acting. Vikas Kaushal played his part with the needed poise. Shobhita Dhulipalla was excellent showcasing her vulnerabilities.

Zodiac was the last film I can remember on a psychopath. There was a mystery in Zodiac, but here it gives a shock right in the first few minutes. You know the murderer, and you know how he murdered too, but that’s not all. He sits in leisure and explains the whole story to police. The way the protagonist narrated made my hairs stand and spine chill. It was a hard hit on me to hear such lines.

The screenplay is fantastic in the form of chapters. Anurag Kashyap used such a format for his supreme accomplishment “Black Friday” and he repeats the format here and it comes organically. The size helped a lot in killing the time. I did not even know when each chapter finished. They were engaging from start to finish. In this film, we can never miss a moment.

Writing drives the film. There is humour, horror, drama and thrill. What else is needed, engaging elements are in dialogues itself. Kudos to the writers who have done such a fabulous job. 

A 5/5 for my favourite film of the year so far.

FORCE MAJEURE (2013) - SWEDISH

During an emergency, will you protect your family or not is the question.

The film is too long I felt strongly. The title Force Majeure means "Act of God." 

I missed the fun part of the film. The conversations are up to 5 minutes, and there are some ten conversations like that. Okay, these were adding little value to the story. Once, the point is established it was about taking the point forward with an interesting narrative. Here the conversations revolved around the same point. After 45 minutes into the film, I thought it was just a drag and dozed off. I ended up completely watching the film the third time. 

There are some terrific points. The concept of the movie itself is interesting. When I put myself in the protagonist's shoes, I was baffled. The director took up an interesting point and toyed with cleverly. Kudos to the director.

The writing was just too lame I felt. I believe that too much of writing was do to make the film realistic. The intent perhaps was to keep the conversations real. Alas, they made the film less fun.

The cinematography was fantastic. I felt like I was experiencing the Alps rather than merely watching them. To shoot at such an altitude in a steep terrain takes a lot of pain. For the sheer efforts of the team, I applaud them.

Editing could have been crisp. At least 20 minutes could be cut, and it would have made a world of difference to the whole film.

I loved the use of music of Vivaldi's Four Seasons - Summer. Happy to be listening to classical music in a modern cinema.

Overall, a 3/5 for a good film that could have been great.

Thursday, August 4, 2016

PELLI CHOOPULU (2016) - TELUGU

A laugh riot that's realistic and well put.

After a long time, I enjoyed a Telugu Film and felt happy after coming out of the theatre and also watch it another time. Last time I had such a feeling for a Telugu Film was for "Mithunam" and it was four years ago.

The good thing is that this film does not have any dances, there are no fights, there are no melodramatic dialogues. Though the sentimental part drags the movie, the humour overtook the drag and added a pull. It's the fun I took back home and was happy with the feeling this movie gave.

The protagonists were new for me and of all the characters I liked the character of "Kaushik". It is played by "Priyadarshi". Of course, the film belongs to Ritu Varma as "Chitra" who reminded of "Roopa" in Anand (Anand is a 2004 film). 

It's refreshing to see a new director make a movie that's terrific in content (the writing, narration) and make the actors do an excellent job. Kudos to Tharun Bhascker. He has a long way to go if he sticks to non-commercial films and believes that content is above all else.

The cinematography and editing are two departments which impressed me. The camera was invisible, as there are no specific long shots. The whole movie is shot in a straightforward and realistic way which is a huge bonus. From locations to interiors decors it was all well put and also colorful at the same time. There was life all through the film and hardly there was any dull visual. Also, the film was fluid with very few dull moments (dull moments were mostly in the sentimental last half hour). The cuts done were nice; there were no jump cuts and it is simply put. So, Telugu Film Industry can look forward to Nagesh Banell the cinematographer and Ravi Teja Girijala the editor. These are two good finds from the film.

I was impressed by the use of music too. Taking the budget constraints into account Music is a commendable job done by Vivek Sagar. I loved the usage of the song "Raalu Raaga Poolamaala." Also,  I must appreciate a huge fact this film is done in Sync Sound. That is there is no dubbing used; a terrific challenge is handled well and the results are seen in the movie.

I am not putting the story or any dialogues out here. I am sure the Telugu Film Audience will embrace a film like.

A 4/5 for a Telugu Film. A rarity from me but this is one film I will watch multiple times.

Wednesday, July 27, 2016

SIDDHARTHA

AUTHOR: HERMAN HESSE
ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: GERMAN
TRANSLATOR: HILDA ROSNER (translated from German)

An important book on the potential of a human being. 

People are privileged in much more ways than perhaps I can comprehend and write here. I am blessed to be hale and healthy and have my senses working and organs intact. Many like me are around, and I am sorrowful when I see them while away time and fade away without reaching their potential. But before that, there is a pertinent question that bothers me, have I realised my potential. Have I at least understood what is my potential? What I can do in a day, if I can stick to a regime and perform the activities? Have I ever experienced or lived a day to my full potential yet? I have passed days, months, years and reached this point. Is it too late to realise that too much of time wasted? Is it the right time to reflect and see, what are the good things that I can continue, and what are the things I need not keep and things where I need to change? Oh, too many questions and I am privileged again to be in space, where I am with people I want to spend time with. Privilege if taken for granted culminates into death (the purpose of existence will be defeated). After I read the book, I am more grateful for the privileges that I have.

I read the book two times, I must confess. First time when I read, I took it for a story of a boy. Siddhartha, the eponymous boy who is contemporary to Buddha (referred to as 'Gotama' in the book), travels a path like that of Buddha, yet when encountered, he decides to go his way and find peace and bliss on his own. The second time, I read with few questions in mind "What does the book tell? What is the author's intention behind writing the book and telling the story?" Answers enlightened me. It talks about life, human culture, beings, river, flow. I am amazed by the insights. The book is indeed a spiritual journey and thus triggered the questions as I mentioned in the above paragraph.

Among the chapters, I especially loved "The Ferryman". Life is like a river. Patience, listening, and perseverance; characteristics that I took from the chapter.

The style of the author is lyrical, it flows like a river and culminates beautifully. The journey, the transitions, the learnings are well put and are precise. There is preach certainly, but more than preach, I call them dialogues. In conversations, there is a lot of understanding on life.

I quote from the book

"Did you," so he asked him at one time, "did you too learn that secret from the river: that there is no time?" 
Vasudeva's face was filled with a bright smile. "Yes, Siddhartha," he spoke. "It is this what you mean, isn't it: that the river is everywhere at once, at the source and at the mouth, at the waterfall, at the ferry, at the rapids, in the sea, in the mountains, everywhere at once, and that there is only the present time for it, not the shadow of the past, not the shadow of the future?"  

Also, I loved many verses as below. Here Siddhartha has a conversation with his friend Govinda (worthy one)

"When someone is seeking," said Siddhartha, "it happens quite easily that he sees the thing that he is seeking; that he is unable to find anything, unable to absorb anything, because he is only thinking of the thing he is seeking,because he has a goal, because he is obsessed with his goal. Seeking means: to have a goal; but finding means: to be free, to be receptive, to have no goal. You, O worthy one, are perhaps indeed a seeker, because, striving for your goal, there are many things you do not see many things that are under your nose."

I am happy to have found and read this. A recommended read. I need to find my voice now not to share with others but to find internal tranquility; it can be an Om, a Song or it can be mere silence. I need to have my voice.

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

THE SECRET OF LEADERSHIP



AUTHOR: PRAKASH IYER
ORIGINAL LANGUAGE:ENGLISH

Before I began reading this I was skeptical with the title “Secret of Leadership” I have rarely found secret associated with the word leadership. Secret refers to a mystic characteristic while Leadership is an evident characteristic. So I was doubtful before I began as to what secrets it would tell me. I have found some wonderful points. These are told hundreds of times all through the life and re-emphasized in this book.

When I am down in life, I need something to pull me up. Although, I am not low still it’s good if something pulls me up. This book is one such thing that happened. I was told to read this book by my boss and my boss is right all the time. There are many insights on leadership and it is a pretty easy read.  

Cricket, is something that we as Indians relate easily. In this book, there are many cricketing stories and many memorable ones and they are in a unique leadership style. The author Prakash Iyer I am sure is a huge cricket enthusiast and thus the cricket references.
As an example, the VVS Laxman and Ishant Sharma Partnership of Mohali 2010 against Australia showed how entrusting responsibilities on less capable team members might work wonders.

There are numerous examples as mentioned above. Rahul Dravid giving the foreword is add-on and overall this is a book that is worth a read.

Lessons worth noting from “The Secret of Leadership”

  •   Find my mountain that is worth the climb.
  •  Become Passionate, Have Hunger, Practice Discipline
  •   I need to run my race
  •  It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up
  •  Develop the habit of perseverance.
  •  Perseverance pays.
  •  Always find what works for and go with it.
  • Stop focusing on obstacles and start focusing on opportunities
  • To achieve something in this lifetime, wake up early.
  •  Hope is not good enough. I need to take responsibility and action.
  • Learn to forgive. Don’t carry grudge.
  • Whatever I am, must be a good one.
  •  Be careful what I say when I am angry.
  • Writing down goals is the first and most significant step towards achieving success
  • Excellence is an attitude.

Write down things to do for the day each morning and do them. This is the simplest mantra to success but the toughest thing to do. Those who practice such work ethic and discipline become leaders. Now, this is just a start and there are many other characteristics that we shall acquire once we have discipline in place.

It’s a push I need and I hope to write things down and accomplish them each day. 
A 3/5 for a good book.

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