CARNAGE (2011) - ENGLISH

A movie that's a must watch for it's sheer stupidity that has a point of it's own. 

Yeah, at times you may feel the whole thing absurd and at the end you may confirm yourself that the whole movie is absurd too, but I thought this to be a more meaningful cinema and it's pure fun. You can't just lock parents over their children's act and then take it head on to reveal how childish the parents are, and how mature their kids are. 

Nothing is explicitly shown and nothing is elaborated, but yet in a few glimpses or frames, we can make out each character, and that's what it is so essential. For a writing to be called good, it has to be remembered by it's characters and their lines and that's what exactly this film does. Based on a play by Yasmina Reza, who has done a stupendous job in writing, Roman Polanski has tried effectively in depicting the emotions and what had each character been through. Even a tiny phone conversation that is actually so digressive becomes very important. Yes, its easy to remember each character coz they are just four. Tied up in an apartment where a hall, a kitchen or even bathroom become such important locations now. In Nearly 75 minutes of the length, the film could have gone anywhere but it ends at a point after which everything else seems pointless. 

How ever they may crib about each other, each character is unique and has his or her own misgivings.  One has insecurity complex, one has cunningness to hide things, one is very upset due to her deeds, the other is so because he is not doing what he wants to. So in all it's absurdity too it has a meaning so very underplayed that by the end, all seems so meaningful then. The kids patch up so very easily than the parents, who bring their egos to everything they can and just cannot let their egos go. 

I am so happy to have watched this, and thanks to Roman Polanski to undertake this play and turn it to a cinema that is subtle, underplayed but the end is very warming and overwhelming. A 4/5 for a film that says "with minimum of things, you can still tell a very important story". This is the kind of film even I would love to be a part of.

LIFT OF SULTAN

So many new years I have been part of but none made me happier than this moment. 

The rendezvous on 1st made me so very happy on 2nd of January this very year.

LIFT OF SULTAN

I was returning home on my bike and I found a guy, barely 20 years of age asking for a lift. My other lift encounters made me weep very much if one was running around for blood at midnight then other was to save a man from an accident. This was different completely and yet it made me weep but in a good way. So receding into past, I was very wary but still halted to take him along. And I never thought that this brief advent would make me so very happy.

I asked him his story, who he was and where was he going to. And he, without telling his name told that he had to go to nearly 50 km away from where we were. It was a regular travel for him to such distance and he would manage. He said, he was an orphan his parents have left him and he was brought up in Street Children’s orphanage run by Government and studied till 10^th in Government Boys High school and had to quit studies due to lack of funds. Even after that, he pursued reading English as he was very much interested in that language. Ok, till this it was fine, and then he revealed that his interest in poetry, I was astonished as I do write poems. When I asked him to recite one, he told the below lines.

“If God were a man, I’d ask him to be my father

If a woman, then request him to be my mother

Alas, God is above all these

I ask him again, who would make my heart please”

I had to stop coz there were lumps in my throat. We had tea together; I asked him if he searched for his parents, he said he is still doing that and is in hope of finding them one day. Also, as of now, he was going so far so as to attend a job interview tomorrow. He held my hand and asked me to wish him luck. I said I am proud and he would surely get a job. We exchanged our contact numbers and I offered him 100 rupees “keep them for your expenses”, he politely denied saying “every penny in my life shall be earned and not be taken from others, you have given me this lift and I am very grateful” Saying this, he said his name is SULTAN. He left, I said bye, my eyes were still moist but happy. I met a brave young boy in this world and I hope he succeeds.

That night I prayed hard and wished that he gets the job and hopefully his parents.

Next morning, rather an afternoon around 1 PM I got a call from SULTAN. He was ecstatic and thanked me a lot. I asked him the reason, he said, “I got a job and I can now earn 5000 per month”. I was super happy, “we must again meet” he responded, “yes sure will give you sweets, HAPPIEST NEW YEAR OF MY LIFE”. I said “Not just your buddy, even mine and this is for better things to come. Cheers” We hung up then and I am waiting to hear from him again.

KAHAANI (2012) - HINDI

A gripping thriller that succeeds at many places but yet has not so convincing climax.

Evenutally, though it evokes many emotions it would have appealed more to me if it did not explain so many things at the end. No spoon feeding was required and I would have been happy walking out with questions in mind than being fed the answers. The cinematography and acting were top notch. The dialogues were a bit cliched yet impressive as they went with the mood of the scene. The pace of the movie is really appreciable and so is the lengths about 2 hours.

If I would say what the movie is about, it would be OK, but if I would say what the movie shall reveal, I may well spoil the whole point. Being an ardent film lover, I would express this much, the journey is enjoyable and reveals many points of views but I felt like being deceived by the point of view of the narrator, who makes our protagonist, Vidya Bagchi into a demi goddess, alias Durga Maa. 

The film was shot in real locations and has very good feel in terms of locales, where in Kolkata can be felt and smelt at places, like the Trams, the buses, the chai wallah, etc.. But why Kolkata? was this chosen because it had a metro, or because of Durga Puja and the white and red sari tradition or just getting us cut off from the now overseen Mumbai or was it because director Sujoy Ghosh was from Kolkata. I would subscribe to the last reason though. Same story, set in any other city may have been dealt differently, cause the topography, the dialect, the outlook towards life of people will change. Kudos for director in setting up the whole screenplay and spreading across the length and breadth of Kolkata. 

The story is about a wife searching for her husband, and there are few very very evident flaws as I have seen. 2 years after an incident, how can a woman become pregnant or at least be seen as pregnant. If policeman can make out another policeman his agent, then what are we being driven to, a mockery of system that has honesty under the veil. 

OK, I give in to the logic, to everything for nearly two hours, why was such an explanation given so elaborately explaining incident by incident and how did the policeman Rana just on fly, conclude what he said about Vidya Bagchi in climax. Question still remain, but I would have been happier if the twist was subtle and simple rather than explicative. Happy for everything but the end. 

A movie that has to be watched only on the praise it accrued through, but dont feel bad if you are disappointed in the end. Expectation and tastes differ. It's 3/5 for me, a good movie till a point where the purpose of story is revealed. It was better being hidden. I would have been happier coming out with questions rather than being clarified about every tiny instance.

FREEDOM IS ABOVE MARRIAGE

There is a subtle meaning to life which is to live life on our own terms and conditions, it may be meek us feel weak about the decisions we make, but we are responsible for everything. It's this very sense of responsibility that I want myself to be a part of. It's that very life where I live by myself. My dreams my aspirations all seem to be falling apart and torn and each time with great care, I collect them back and aspire more and for better things. Now, I am through a phase where every boy who aspires an alliance will pass from, its marriage and acceptance of a girl into my life. Inviting her to a journey of a lifetime where we can both take turns to drive our own vehicle called "Married LIfe". A journey that would take us places not just in world but even to heaven at times, coz I aspire to see moments of bliss more than cribbing.

These days, cribbing seems to become a fashion, more than self contentment and being happy with what he have, we crib about what we do not have. I need more salary, I would work or fight for that. I need a bigger home, I would find resources for that. I need a better wife, how is that possible now? We have one life and one wife is what he have been taught. You have been given one so how can you aspire for a better one?


A great lesson on this was taught in the film Mr & Mrs 55 by Guru Dutt and later on in many more films too. But a film is so very different from life, I am just realizing this as I am going thru the scrutinizing process for an alliance. What's the prime most thing that we can offer as a human (boy) to another human (girl) in a relationship, as per me it's freedom, freedom of choice of picking up what she wants to do, freedom of expression, an expression that is reasonable and acceptable by the partner too. If disagreed, they have to speak about it than remain silent and slowly accept the others without a say. Silence is a grave mistake done in relationships and silence is taken as an approval too.

It's better to fight, shout on if we disagree than accept one thing silently, thinking that what the partner says is right and then on one day, regret it or worse, repent on it.

Have no fear for giving in
Have no fear for giving over
You'd better know that in the end
Its better to say too much
Then never say what you need to say again

So I am going to offer freedom of choice and expression and wish that love shall be the outcome of it, she can do things what she wants too, and if ever that freedom is taken for granted and she even wants to leave me, she shall be free, if she convinces me for her reasons. But I shall never leave her, my love shall remain for her as long as I live, it's simply uncompromising and it's for only one special being I can dedicate my whole life.

There are some rules and ideals I have set for myself, I am rethinking an re looking at those, this world is a place, where ideals are not understood and rules are often misread. If I say, I want to go for a register marriage, aspersions are cast "You shall have a loner's life" or apprehensions posted "Oh, some reason is there,, may be he is afraid of society or maybe, he has a bad past that he does not want to face" nothing of that sort ever happened, I have a glorious and the most happening past but society shall again misread the word "happening". Sorry I need to be present physically to explain each nitty gritty of my life, but there is no pint of explaining to a gallery of prejudiced people.

So tough choices have to be made, and I am working towards a middle path, where I shall not compromise or give in, but at the same time be flexible too to accept the beliefs, thoughts, the ideas of the other side. What are those, objectively I cannot put them on blog as they are pretty personal, but shall redeem myself and come out with a solution that shall surely satisfy me and even the society at large. How??? Wait and watch please.

MY PLAN - PURSUE MY PASSION

Romain Rolland in Jean-Christophe

So many men – they have no opinions except in so far as they disapprove of all the enthusiastic opinions. But if a man is to be independent, he has to stand alone and how many men are there who are capable of that? How many men are there even amongst the clear-sighted who will dare to break free of the bondage of certain prejudices, certain postulates which cramp and fetter all the men of the same generation? That would mean setting up a wall between themselves and others, on one hand, freedom in the wilderness, on the other, mankind. They do not hesitate. They choose mankind, the herd. The herd is evil-smelling but it gives warmth. Then those who have chosen pretend to think, do not in fact think. It is not very difficult for them. They know so little what they think! “Know thy-self” How could they, those men, who have hardly a ‘me’ to know. In every collective belief, religious or social very rare are the men who believe, because very rare the men who are men. Faith is a heroic force; its fire has kindled but very few human hearts.

Above paragraph was told in his book and I read it in Musings by Chalam (My favorite Telugu writer) and I used this in my script Poornima too.

The point I am trying to make is, few are men who had faith and did what they wanted to. I want to be in the league that believed in themselves and did what they wanted to. All these years, since my birth I have done actually nothing but write and learn photography. I love writing (from Shayari to poetry to movie script to lyrics of a song) and then photography. Now, the time has come to pursue this.

My dream is to tell a story that I want to see. To make a movie what I want to see. Let it be what no one is interested in, but I am interested in it and I will make all my effort and give my blood and sweat to make it the way I want to. UN-compromised Cinema is the new term. OK, so here is my plan; quit the organization and software industry, start narrating the script to producers and convince him that my story is worth to be told and made. (damn software industry, I saw more politics than work here, but this is not that is driving me to move out, it's my passion which is the driving force) and start-up with the movie-making. I have got people who have a fire in them to work in a project that they are interested in and have got people who want to run away from the software industry too to make their own mark in the film industry. But, I am one who is running away from what he is doing now to make his only dream come true.

What if things go well, I will be telling stories all my life and I will be happy as I am living my dream. Only very few souls in this world are privileged to do so. There are 90 failure stories and 10 success stories; I am willing to be a part of both than dying without even strife.

What if things fail, I will starve, I will be ripped off by the people around me and I will be looked down as one who should not be respected and I will be cursed, I will be taken as an example to be looked down upon and they may term me a loser and the as the worst part my parents may even disown me (nothing worse than this, I see) and eventually I will die in the strife which is also fine.

Things are so easy to write and told but it’s so tough to face them, how will a day be when I am shivering in cold on a footpath or running for the water to quench my thirst on a scorching day. I am game for both coz I have never seen any hardships in life my parents were generous and gave all I needed when I needed (the prime most thing being education) and even I did get everything in life without ever struggling for it, I was given this job at a campus interview and maybe that’s why I do not value this much or maybe because of my passion and dream of so much of kicking this off, I am holding onto it and striving to make my own place.

So let’s see where time will take me but I am going to pursue filmmaking, I have got scripts ready, camera-ready and the team set up, get a producer and start making films (I am ready to give all my life for it). How prepared I am, I asked this myself time and again and now I am saying to myself YES I AM MORE THAN PREPARED. How many may disagree but I am starting things.

So bye-bye herd, I am going to fetch the freedom in the wilderness and hopefully, I will find it or may die in the strife. I am a game.

All this while, I am accused of just talking and not doing any substantial work. Now, the time has come for me to start doing and stop talking.

Wait and Watch for better things to come by.

ACADIA NATIONAL PARK, MAINE, USA

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HOOVER DAM

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SMOKY MOUNATINS

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NASHUA - NEW HAMPSHIRE, USA

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LAS VEGAS

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LOVE IS WORTH THE STRIFE

In days of wait, the hope shall fade,

For the revival, the chances are bleak

But I think for life to be re-made

It’s better, that I shall not speak

Waiting for you to come back in life

Is completely worth though, you ain't my wife

Else I shall lose someone special

Who made me believe that love is worth the strife

Yet, neither did we love nor did we sleep

But there were promises made to keep

HELP ME SACK MY LIFE

You may be gone, you may forget me

But dear, don’t ever miss me

As that would be a pain that can let me

Yell and scream in agony of not being there for u

You have come, we have done

And in a moment, you have gone

Now I stand, at the same place

With a face that’s known to be all alone

Thanks for the time, being with me

Though I know you shall never be back

I still take however this feeling will be

Coz that will help me just sack my life

ROMANCE AND CIGARETTES (2005) - ENGLISH

Sexiest Musical ever. A movie all about sex and music.

Not sure what the writer director John Turturro wanted to venture before writing this film. But once he wrote, it clearly came as he wanted it. The songs are meticulously chosen and the lip sync done by actors adds up to the music.

This movie is about marital issues in simplest terms. But there are layers which just keep coming along. 

James Gandolfini as Nick Murder has too many issues at home to deal with. If he deals with his wife, he would deal with all the issues. But sadly, he just cannot leave his wife. A shameless husband he is.

Kate Winslet as Tula, the lingerie seller add so much life and color to her character that whenever she is turned on, she becomes the dirtiest woman. She is so naturally good I feel, he acceptance of this movie just re establishes her liking for meaty roles. 

Susan Sarandon as Kitty, Nick's  wife just does what she believes is right for the scene. She is yelling or aggressive at Nick and has fun with her ex lover Angelo.

The characters are sketched out from cliches and are written from director's brain which is so damn tough to decipher. Any film can end in any way, but life ends in one way only that is death. Do I need to say more. The story of infidelity was never told more beautifully or comically or even sexually.

There are so many other characters like Nick's friend or Nick's daughters who are so very cliched and just speak as they should. Acting is superb as expected but what takes the acting to a higher altitude is the dialogues. Each dialogue makes the character in itself interesting.

I watched this film just be seeing the poster and getting to know that Barton FInk's John Turturro has directed it and was blown away by the time i finished watching.

It's good in every which I shall say, but i's a tad longer than expected. Yet, it makes a great watch. I am unhappy that I missed such an opportunity to see it in theater but now, I have seen and am happy.

I would go with 4/5 for one of the best musicals ever. And it's very good to see a movie for not taking the point it wanted to say seriously.

BEAUTY AT SHORE

Smooth as Silk, one of the best black and white photo by me. At Daytona Beach, Florida

ANAND (1971) - HINDI

The first few lines of Amitabh Bachhan as Dr. Bhaskar Bannerjee in this movie are

Maantaa hoon is yeh zindagi ki taakat maut se zyada badi hai

Lekin yeh zindagi kya maut se badtar nahi?

College se degree lete hue zindagi ko bachaane ki kasam khaayi thi

Aur ab aisa lag raha hai, 

jaise kadam kadam par maut ko zindaa rakhne ki koshish kar raha hoon

I agree that life has greater strength than death

But isn't life worse than death

I vowed to save lives when I took my degree

Now I feel, I am trying to keep death alive at every step.

Sheer poetry and my eyes became wet. Then the dialogue, 

Hey Ramu Kaakaa khaanaa lagaao 

Shaadi karne se toh khaanaa achha hai

So thats the how the whole movie runs it gives lumps in throat and follows with a smile on face.

Anand : Zindagi Badi Honi Chaahiye Lambi Nahi 

Life has to be big not long

Jab tak zinda hoon tab tak maraa nahi

Jab margaya saalaa main hi nahi

As long as I live, I am not dead

And once I am dead, I am just no more

Just each dialogue as the film rolls on teaches so much more.

Now, let me officially begin the review.

It's one of the most heartfelt movies that moves in a way that you are aware of the inevitable destiny but you just dont want to let him go. Damn, life is so very cruel, it takes even the best for a ride and ends abruptly.

Anand knew his destiny and he wanted to live every moment of it, so did I as saw each scene of the movie. However disconnected the other person his, Anand makes a connection in every which way and all the characters along with myself as an audience hoped for a different ending which was not to be.

I saw this movie innumerable times (which means just too many) and each time, I had tears in my eyes, the climax is simply unbearable for me but I just watch it all through each time. There is no fast forward or rewind button in life and that applies to this movie. Each time I start this, i just complete it.

Rare to see movies as good as this. How much ever I appreciate I very deeply feel that is too very less.

Dialogues by Gulzar are impeccable, editing, screenplay and direction by Hirshikesh Mukherjee and all alive and they are characters no more, those are alive beings and Anand is a prime example of a willing to live protagonist. The sotry and characters are simply heart touching and deeply moving. 

But Rajesh Khanna brought life to Anand is his very own way and his charm, there is that subtle warmth that you always want to meet him and see him in full life. Amitabh brought his very own dignity to Dr. Banerjee. 

All other characters played their roles very well. 

Can't say much with moist throat and eyes. It's undoubtedly 5/5 and one of the best indian films ever. It will defineitely move every indian who watches it. I am pretty happy to see this time and over again.

THE ARTIST (2011) - ENGLISH

A silent spectacle. One of the toughest films in recent times.

Right from the first frame, it engrossed me, pulled me into it, made me laugh at it and also made me think at times, without even a word being uttered on screen. Sheer beauty and exquisitely performed by the artists. It's a highly appreciable thing that audiences have embraced this film but what is more appreciable is the fact that there are people who would still love to make such movies. It's the same wine in new bottle, just that it caters to tast of the new audience which is 'said to be intelligent'.

A simple conflict of whether an artist likes sound in movies or not, is drawn to magnanimous proportions and one scene where the glass sound, the laughs of girls come along portray how much he is stuck and in love with silence. He is overtly adamant about silent films than being passionate about them. He hates the sound so much that he goes to even end his life, on hearing people speak. Such a character is tough to portray and Jean Dujardin does emote exceptionally well. 

The dog named Uggy who is the hero and as written in the film, "He owes his life to the dog" has done a remarkably good job. The art direction was outstanding and so was the choreography. The music complemented each scene well whether it is the initial part of cinema where he performs for audiences, the comic sequences or the dramatic part. Also, the screenplay just flew. 

Having said all the above, there are a few dislikes of which few are 

1) This film has a completely predictable storyline, in fact me and my friend were talking to each other what would happen next and it turned out to be same

2) The story in itself is too very common and so is the treatment

3) The actress Berenice Bejo was good at places and at few times was just awkward, example the way she speaks to George Valentin on the stairs was like making a spoof of the old silent films.

4) Oh yes, its just too melodramatic, the final climax where she rushes in car as if she would definitely do an accident was uncalled for.

So going out with 3/5. Having said about the flaws, I would still say it's a must watch for those who love cinema for the way cinema is. I loved it, coz I go for cinema to be taken into it and pulls me into a path that it builds for me, and this movie did that in every sense to me. This is for sure, is the best actor movie I saw in recent times.

SPIRITUAL SMOKE

Smoke from an Incense Stick, En route Yamunotri,  Himalayas,  India

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962) - ENGLISH

A compelling drama and a best written work for celluloid as far courtroom drama goes.

Written as a novel and adapted as a screenplay, made as a film, the century's most widely known novel is one of the finest pieces of writing.  Now, you have half job done, the best work is written, but Robert Mulligan as a director has to handle a tougher task, he has to bring a well written and much known work with life and living characters onto the screen. Man, he does this job with flying colors. Firstly, the acting be it a Tom Robinson or a Mayella or a lesser known Cunningham, all have done exceptionally well. Above all stands, Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch, a disciplined father and a lovable one indeed. He brings life to a character of rare dignity that is realistic yet ideal.   

Told through the eyes of a small girl Jean Finch, this story is one good one to hear or see. It has many moments that give us a lump in the throat. The climax is a befitting one and is symbolism of "Natures judgement". The courtroom acting of Tom Robinson and Finch and Mayella is enough to say that even for a brief 20 minutes of courtroom scene, this movie is still considered as one of the best courtroom dramas. That was the power and passion involved in the making.

Acting and wrting both are sublime and all else just falls in place, be it art direction or background score, they would have been good anyways, with the acting that we see it is obvious why it is hailed as a textbook for classic acting and same is the case with writing too.

I loved it and am hopeful any one who see it will. 

Neighbors bring food with death and flowers with sickness and little things in between. Boo was our neighbor. He gave us two soap dolls, a broken watch and chain,a knife and our lives. 

That dialogue summarizes most of the movie.

But the very point that is being said is humanism, we alienate humans with our own prejudices, be it a beggar or a toilet cleaner even guards at offices are not treated as humans as we feel as if we are above them, there is only color and it colorless, there is only one caste and religion that is humanity. 

It's a 5/5 without any doubt and please request all to see it. Have patience though,  we have to endure it.

Watch it for acting and writing above everything else.

BEAUTY OF GAIT

Seagull's Gait at Daytona Beach, Flordia, USA

DARK TUNNEL

I came across a funny dark tunnel

Having few gaps through which faint light came in

I had to fight the darkness all through

I had reached the other end without having to give in

But then came a friend after a hiatus

I rushed back to her with a well-done status

Now, I held her hand and made her understand

That these gaps are the ones she has to rely on

She began to walk but it was tough to stand

The darkness within even with me as company

These gaps will decide the fate

She wished, she had a better mate

Her mind was in a pendulum

Going to and fro on a swing

Her feet were crippling

And more too afraid to think

Now, these openings were betraying

They grew dim making the walk much grim

Even I, as her company had to stall my walk

And moreover, we could barely whisper, leave talk

These openings closed down and we were struck

In the tunnel, amidst the darkness

Now we are both in wait, for the light to clear

And for the darkness to fade

To help us celebrate as if a festival of lights

FLATTERED

The hair loosened on your shoulder
That makes each heart say "go and hold her"
The eyes are a temple of beauty
Looking them is a lovely duty
The nose is apt, like a sculpture
A perfect one, and just not a structure
The lips are small and yet they give a call
"for you girl, every boy would fall"

HUSBAND AND WIFE

One fine morning, when the sun was low

It was overcast, drizzle began pretty slow

I saw her walking in a dazzling gait

She for sure enjoyed with drizzle albeit

I was holding my teacup in room

Feeling that she was my bride and I her groom

While the pour began to hush, yet she began to rush

She ran and came into my home and gave me a push

Got her close and tight and she threw me off

Saying "Hubby, not today" and she flew off

I ran and ran around the house till I caught her

Held her up close and kissed her till sunset

THE APARTMENT (1960) - ENGLISH

As the poster says, there has never been anything like the Apartment.

A movie that begins with a man at his desk and then revolves between two places mostly, his apartment and his office and that involves humor in a way just as we talk, a wicked sarcasm hidden under the wraps of humour.

What makes The Apartment so very engaging is its acting and writing, both just go hand in hand, as written and directed by Billy, he extracted the exact output of what he aspired to, this reflection is evident in every frame. And this ability to extract acting as required per the script is what makes Billy Wilder one of the best directors. 

He took the writing seriously and wrote almost each dialogue and frame along with I.A.L Diamond, so well that I could just connect to everything that was going on screen. Jack Lemmon as Baxter is sublime and has that rarer innocent face, that does not need histrionics to act, but is so very natural. Shirley Maclaine as the very straight and at times funny Fran Kubelik, brought life into a character that was otherwise very casual. All other actors did their part so very aptly.

Now coming to other aspects, this film has such subtleties and are handled so very well without any noise, its a take into the psyche of each character and what is special is that we can firstly relate to chracters and even empathize to either one of them. So written ahead of it's time and acted superbly well, this is a classic that has stood the test of time. When I watched it even today, was so refreshing.

Thanks to Billy Wilder for presenting a great movie. It's 5/5.

ALICE IN WONDERLAND (2010) - ENGLISH

A wonderland that is dreamy and funny and simply wonderful. A trip that we take on in dreams.

Alice has a dream and the whole story is a familiar story for most who have known it since childhood. But never have I seen it come off so wonderfully with exquisite costumes, art direction and the graphics that are so intrinsic. Once you have the whole feel of it, then each characters come across with a panache that is their own, be it a stalwart like Johnny Depp or a Anne Hathaway, all take the story forward in a way that is so engaging and also enticing. 

The  music took me in and was fantastic, it was aptly creepy at most times and it was thrilling too as the trip went on. The finale music is just a great one though the finale fell short of lot of my visual expectations. I must say the movie got dragged right when Alice met White Queen and since it started to loosen a grip on a suspense thriller it held to for thus long.

All performances were very very engaging and they all induced a character of their own and this appreciation goes to Burton for extracting such performances. 

Burtonish and Johnny Deppish. It's 3/5. It is good for now but surely could have been a Wow had the finale been better and the movie been shorter.  

A NIGHT BEAUTY LEFT

In vain goes a night as the beauty goes out of sight

But hope is still there, that one night shall be very bright

She has left me in the lurch

And in tears, I came to church

To plead with the lord so that I can hear

From her just once more so to clear

Those clouds of guilt and to curb my fear

At an ungodly hour of the day, I do pray 

"Never again will I do baby

Never again will I speak

Never again will I smile baby

Never again will I freak

But I shall for this lifetime wait

And hope that though away you may be

Hate me for a moment one day

For that day I shall be a beat in your heart

And then in peace from this life, I may part"

BABU KOSAM (2011) - TELUGU

A short film written and acted by me.

AGNEEPATH (2012) - HINDI

This film took a path of fire and came out firing.

Nice remake, I must admit and I liked many bits of it barring a few which as I said to my friend "I will give in to such few things".

Power-packed and intensifying, this is one drama of vengeance that will go well how many times to make it. But only one rule, it has to stick to the plot and performances have to be to very intense to engage the audience. This movie wins in performances. Hrithik Roshan stands out and so does Sanjay Dutt, all other actors just pitch in aptly  and it sticks to the plot of vendetta. The more imaginative it is, the much better it will be and this one comes in all guns blazing. Sanjay Dutt comes as a surprise and turns out of one the best bad guys of recent times. Hrithik Roshan is a rare actor who does not need lines, a look through his eyes says it all and so very good in this film, he may even win the best actor for this year if something equally riveting or better than this does not come along.

The most prominent thing to notice apart from Hrithik and Sanjay is the background music by Ajay-Atul. I am not sure how many movies in recent times have really had such good background scores and all appreciation to the music director duo. 

It's really a path of fire coz to remake a movie that is made as recently in 1990 and then give its own interpretation or identity is a tough choice. Firstly the comparisons are very nervy, Vijay Dinanath Chahuhan as Amitabh Bachhan is still in my memory and the way he delivers , "Naam Vijay Dinanath Chahuhan", in police station is still very good. Now, most of that was reinterpreted for the good of it and it all came out engagingly, specifically the screenplay took care of many aspects. 

Also, the cinematography and art direction have to be commended. Dialogues by Piyush Mishra are in fact terrific. Just a mention of the raunchy fast paced item number Chikni Chameli, liked it for its pace and thanks to Shreya Ghoshal for singing it so well and for Katrina Kaif for dancing superbly.

Yet there were flaws and the biggest disappointment was editing, a few flashback scenes were not needed and so was a song of a wedding of Rishi Kapoor's son, that song felt more like a distraction than being in film.

Hirthik Roshan, Sanjay Dutt and Ajay-Atul made this movie worth a watch. 

I go with 3/5 but again it's a bollywood typical masala film. So go have fun.

TODAY'S MOON

My favorite beauty, the full moon. Taken today from Home

NATURE'S STAIRWAY

In Ship Harbor Trail, Acadia National Park, USA

GAMYAM (2008) - TELUGU

Written with good intent made to entertain solely, this is a compromise of sorts.

To be frank, I have seen this film for the first time and was very disappointed to sit all through the 2 hours journey of it. 

It's a journey of a rich brat realizing the truth and life as a whole. It tries too hard to pass on a message and to entertain at the same time. Bad acting by it's main protagonist Sharwanand (who has till date made offbeat films) lets the film completely down. The locales selected are good but showing them is too immature, if you have to capture an emotion of a character you can show his face in a close up rather than showing the whole of the background scene. Also, the music is a major hinderance and I would request the directors to keep music out of such films they act as spoilers more than songs. All, in all it's a badly made film but still written with a noble intent. 

I would credit the writer director Radhakrishna (Krish) for his writing abilities more than his directing abilities. For cinema's sake, one must understand should he himself direct the film or write and let some other person direct it. There are too many unwanted aberrations and scenes that made the film a bland thing rather than an engaging watch.

The story is of a self discovery of a rich brat who used to see world through his bungalow or car windows, he takes upon a journey on bike to seek his love. And in this journey meets our hero (Gali Seenu), seriously Allari Naresh has done this role superbly well and for me is the hero of the film. Also Kamalinee Mukherjee just complements to her role Janaki aptly and thanks to dubbing by Sunitha.

It moves from one place to another from Hyderabad to Kurnool (yaganti) to Narasipatnam. It shows the milieu of Andhra Pradesh but the characters are too cliched and ineffective. Many a time, dialogues seem so fabricated and unnatural. (reason may be I was watching this alone at home and had I watched in theatre, reaction can be something else, sorry for the analytics).  

From feudal henchmen in Kurnool to Naxalites in forests of eastern ghats, it moves and shows the world that we seldom see. But was so much necessary for a self discovery? is what I seriously asked.

Few dialogues as below just give a glimpse of what the movie is "I have seen the world, paris, london not seen such poverty there" is where it begins and at the end our protagonist says "I have seen everything, from giving a baby's birth to Seenu's death in my own hands" so that may well give you a measure of what this movie is about. 

I would still say it's a very well written screenplay and dialogues strike the chord too. But all this is taken a back seat by bad direction. Bad direction examples

1) Seenu getting his wound healed by Janaki and Abhi does not even see her face. Too filmy boss

2) They get into Naxalites ok fine but was killing of Seenu so very necessary

3) Was Brahmanandam a character or a caricature 

4) Is getting in a recording dance an attempt to include an item number or showing a culture of our state or to take the story forward, never got this logic.

It's much overrated or may be we never saw quality cinema yet of self discovery that made this movie so very good for most of the viewers. Go see Good Will Hunting or better Motorcycle Diaries (from where this film was inspired)

For me, it's average 2/5. Sorry Krish, hope you make better movies than this. Also, "of the whole money spent, this film could have been much better with half the budget, dont add songs and remove the Brahmanandam episode and your budget will be cut."