The 10 Day 'You' Challenge: Day 3 - Three Films

Bombay: My all time favourite movie by all time favourite director. What’s not to like in this one? The acting of every character is great, cinematography is beautiful, music is fantastic, the romance is sweet, and the issue is so relevant, even today, 16 years down the line.  When all the death and destruction takes place, I couldn’t help but bemoan “Why? Why all this senseless carnage in the name of religion!” and ARR’s music combined with Vairamuthu’s awesome lyrics never failed to give me goosebumps.  Agreed that the ending is a bit cinematic, but I would rather have a positive ending than a tragic one.  I know this movie was dubbed in other languages but I saw it in the original language and my mother-tongue, Tamil. I don’t know how it turned out in other languages, but it is an unforgettable one for me.

Baazigar: I saw this movie on Doordarshan probably years after it was first released, and promptly fell in love with SRK – and still haven’t fallen out of it yet! And this inspite of not knowing much of Hindi! When he dies in the end I actually had tears in my eyes! Sigh! Official language? Phooey! Watching SRK movies is probably the most important reason that I want to learn Hindi.

Life Is Beautiful: is an Italian movie named La Vita e Bella. According to Wiki, it has won the Grand Prize Of The Jury at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival as well as Best Music, Original Dramatic Score, Best Actor and Best Foreign Film at the 71^st Academy Awards. When I saw this movie, I had absolutely no idea that it was such an acclaimed one nor did I know what it was about. The story revolves around the protagonist, a Jewish Italian called Guido. The first half of the movie is slow, funny and light, following how Guido woos Dora, who happens to be much better off than him.  But she is charmed by Guido's entreaties and they marry and have a son and life goes on. Only they are caught bang in the middle of the Nazi persecution and are packed off to a concentration camp. From here on, the movie takes on a more serious angle. Guido tries valiantly to make his young son believe that all this is just one big game and that they have nothing to worry about. His optimism, wit, determination, resilience and innovation even in the face of such adversity and to the very end is heart-warming. I am a born pessimist and this movie makes me ashamed to be one. The buildup to the climax is tension-filled and the ending is touching and bittersweet.  Since I saw the English dubbed version, understandably the language was a little disjointed. But it is a lovely movie which is sure to tug at your heartstrings and bring a lump to my throat.  A must watch!

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

An old published review of mine.

Directed by David Slade, the third part of the Twilight movie series based on Stephanie Meyer’s novel of the same name, stays as faithful to the book as possible. Of course, many still consider the book to be superior to the movie, but then that is almost always the case with books which are converted to celluloid.

Interested? Please head over to Women's Web to read my full review over there.

Have you watched this movie? Share your thoughts with me!

Shutter Island: Intriguing

Shutter Island, a psychological thriller is yet another captivating work of art from the Martin Scorsese stable. Based on Dennis Lehane’s eponymous novel, it begins with US Marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) along with his partner Chuck (Mark Ruffalo), arriving at The Ashecliffe Hospital for the criminally insane, on a remote place called Shutter Island. They have been assigned to investigate the disappearance of a dangerous inmate.

Interested? Please head over to Women's Web to read my full review over there.

If you have already seen the movie, do share your thoughts with me!

Salt: Pulsating

Phillip Noyce’s Salt starring Angelina Jolie in the title role of Evelyn Salt is a power-packed movie to satisfy your thirst for action thrillers. The story revolves around an undercover CIA operative whose already dangerous double-life gets even more treacherous, when she is accused of being a Russian agent on a mission to destroy America.

Interested? Please head over to Women's Web to read my full review over there.

Have you watched this movie? Share your thoughts with me!

Julie & Julia

If you’ve been reading my blog, then you would probably have read about how crazy I am about books here. But the problem with having started reading way too many books, way too early is that I often find that either I've forgotten half of what I've read or muddle up one book with another. Added to that, now with so many books being converted into celluloid, it gets even more confusing. You see, when I read a book, I almost always have the story running in my head. And then I go watch the movie. So at the end of day, I have 3 stories albeit with slight variations – one that I've read, one that I've seen and one that I've imagined! You can understand then, that sometimes I simply cannot recollect if some incident actually happened in the book or in the movie or simply happened only in my imagination. Does anyone else have this problem, or should I fix an appointment with a psychiatrist asap?

Anyway, this has made me come to a conclusion, that maybe I should start writing down my perceptions of books that I read. It would probably help me remember what I read and what I didn’t and also if someone is looking to read those books, they could check it out quickly here. Please do keep in mind that the books I write about here are not always going to be new publications. But maybe one day, one book at a time, my blog too could become as awesome as this one :-)

BTW in case anyone is really interested in reviewing books, you can check out Blogadda and Women's Web. Both give out free review copies to good and deserving reviewers but you should be based out of India. (Which is where I am losing out :-()

So here we go! The very first book review on Abstract Admissions. (Since I've already rambled on quite a bit, I'll keep it short this time!)

Book: Julie & Julia
Author: Julie Powell


This must be one of the very rare books that I’ve read after watching the movie first. Obviously I thought that the movie was charming, after all I love Meryl Streep as I’ve mentioned earlier. Although I am addicted to watching cooking videos l must confess that I have never seen any of Julia Child’s shows-although she does seem to be pretty enigmatic.

Julie & Julia is in a way, every blogger’s dream come true. I mean there you are, stuck in a monotonous job , when you decide to start a blog while eating scrumptious French food almost always cooked one way or the other in butter, only to find that gradually the blog becomes a super-hit and the next thing you know, it has been turned into a book and a movie to boot. Now you can kick that boring old job goodbye and become a freelance writer/food critique or whatever else you fancy! Sounds lovely, doesn’t it?!

The premise of this book then, is pretty straight forward. Julie gets the idea that she should complete all the 524 recipes in Julia Child’s magnum opus, Mastering The Art Of French Cooking, within 365 days, no matter how daunting they recipes seem to be. In Barney Stinson style, she goes “challenge accepted” and starts off, in her own words, “risking her marriage, her job and her sanity to master the art of living”.

Although at times, Julie turns philosophical, drawing parallels between her chosen mission and her life, she doesn’t get preachy on you. She comes across as a normal, girl next door, with pretty mundane problems that are to be expected in the life of any urban woman in her late twenties, trying to figure out a purpose behind her routine life. The sarcastic and sometimes irreverent humour of the author made me smile a lot. The story, itself is of course, quite different from other such books and I know that it has spurred many young women to take up similar challenges. (One such being here). But I do think that it is more of a feminine book and I doubt if many men will enjoy reading it(case in point, my husband fell asleep halfway through the movie and refuses to read the book. Oh well, you win some you lose some ;-)).

On the whole, Julie & Julia is written in a breezy kind of way and I would classify it as a light and enjoyable read, perfect for relaxing while sipping on some aromatic cardamom tea.

Have you read Julie & Julia or watched the movie? Let me know what you think!

TGIF #1: Weekends

Well, first things first. I ask you, what is the point in saying TGIF without being thankful for weekends. Right?

Over the years, my weekends have varied a bit. In school, we used to have Saturdays & Sundays off while in college it was Sundays & Mondays. In a former life, while working as an IT professional it went back to Saturdays & Sundays. Later on when I wasn’t working, all days were weekends! Currently I have Fridays and Saturdays off.

The first thing that comes to my mind when someone mentions weekends is... sleep! I get to sleep a few extra hours! I’m a sleepaholic so yay for that! My husband is exactly the opposite. On weekdays he moans and groans and grumbles to get up but on weekends, he is up bright and early and is pottering about long before I drag myself out of bed. (Sometimes I need to be bribed with a hot cuppa coffee too. Mrs.N S don’t cringe - coffee is good for you;-)) This weekend, we are going to drop in at the library (Yes I am also such a nerd) and then go watch Harry Potter! So yay for that too :-)

But more than anything else I am grateful for weekends because my husband and I get more time to spend with each other. The whole week goes by with him slaving away at office and me cooped up by myself within the four walls of our apartment (as I work from home). Whether we go anywhere or do something useful is immaterial. It just feels nice to simply be with each other.

Apart from that, I also think that in this busy-busy world, all of us need to pause and spare a moment to “smell the roses”; and this is where weekends come in - After all even God rested on the 7th day so hey, who am I to argue?! On that note, I will leave you with a lovely poem I learnt in school (Don’t I have a good memory!?) called Leisure (In fact, I even remember that this was when I came to know that it was pronounced Lee-sure and not Ley-sure)

Leisure

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this is if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

- William Henry Davies

Image Courtesy: www.dreamstime.com

Published Articles

Movie Reviews:

Shutter Island

Twilight: Eclipse

Salt

Interviews:

Sandhya Rao: Tulika

Lavanya Nalli: Nalli

Short Story:

A Letter

Features:

More Than A Teacher

Love At First Sound

Fun Travel For The Older Person

The League Of Extraordinary Conwomen

The Sisterhood Of Philanthropists

Women In The Limelight 2010

Take Charge Of Performance Reviews

Dancing Across Cultures

A Crusade Against Trafficking

India:Confident & Optimistic

http://www.womensweb.in/blog/2010/11/15/76-gestational-diabetes-sweet-yet-bitter.html

Mamma Mia!

is such a charming movie!
Being an ABBA fan I already luuurrvvee all their songs. (Thanks to my friend Martin for introducing me to this)
Added to that, the picturesque locale of a bright, cheery, sun-dappled seaside island with sparkling azure waters reflecting a spotless sky, orangy-pink tinged, dreamy dawns and romantic dusks, a quaint little old Church on top of a cliff and the light, bubbly ambience of the film, not to mention, an exuberant Meryl Streep (OMG! How young is she@60?!?) It has easily become one of my fav movies :-)

On the contrary, just watched Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani a few days back. What a clichéd, boring movie :-( The lead pair looks attractive and watching Katrina Kaif gives me an inferiority complex, but that’s about it.
And seriously, does anyone sporting a beard, long brown hair and blue eyes become Jesus?!? Thank goodness that Ranbir Kapoor says “Jesus?!”-Else it would have been hard to guess really!

P.S: Yeahhh!!! They display English subtitles in theatres here. So I can follow Hindi movies without having to bug the person next to me for translations J Only problem is that I got to read, understand, figure out the jokes and then laugh-by that time everyone is already done with their laughing...
Oh well! It IS better than not comprehending anything at all.

GROSS!

Saw Texas Chain Saw Massacre! Sheesh! What a gory movie!!!!
Why on earth do guys dig such craazzyyyy movies :-((

Movie Magic!

Am not a great movie buff but out of the limited number of movies that I have seen I reeeaaalllyy love all Mani Rathnam ones. I have seen almost all his creations starting from the Murali-Revathy starrer Pagal Nilavu to Abhishek-Aish Guru, and not jus once but a lot many times. And mind you not only the ones which were hits- I even liked the ones which bombed at the box office, like Dil Se and Thiruda Thiruda. I admire his understated, crisp, elegant and subtle way of film making. It came as a striking contrast in an era of melodrama, when everything was loud- people, their voices, their clothes, their dialogues etc- much more suited to the stage than to cinema. In fact, there has been many jokes about his style of filming saying that one can hardly hear or see anything in Mani Rathnam’s movies!
I believe that his movies deal with everyday subjects, be it Patriotism as in Roja, Friendship & Loyalty in Thalapathy, Terrorism as Dil Se, Religious Fanatiscm as in Bombay, the finer nuances of a husband-wife relationship as in Mouna Raagam, Love & Responsibilities as in Alaipayuthay or the intricate Mother-Child bond as in Kannathil Mutthamittal or Social Awareness as in Aayutha Ezhuthu or even the simple love between siblings in Anjali with such sensitivity,without being patronizing or preachy.
They might not lead to a practical end- afterall I doubt if any one would go around like Arvind Swamy in Bombay’s climax or for that matter in Roja’s end- but thts ok as far as I am concerned, coz I hate tragic endings :-( Whtever horrors happen in the movie I always want a happy ending. Don’t wanna go home with a long face and a drooping heart after al!
Mani Rathnam’s movies might not appeal to the realist but they certainly appeal to my heart. Not surprising coz they deal with human emotions more than anything else. His characters stand etched in memory. They make me smile, cry, triumph, love and ponder.
Who can forget the playful and care-free Manohar of Mounaragam? When he is shot dead you jus cant help wishing it wasn’t that way. One can empthasize with Mohan when his wife shuns him coz of her failed past. But finally when the married couple unites in true filmy fashion, the hopeless romantic in me rejoices!
Or the powerful and commanding Velu Naicker? The touching scene when he makes a school going prostitute as his life partner. You feel a father’s pain and a daughter’s angst when his daughter herself confronts him and says that she is afraid to be with him. The question that Velu Naicker’s grandson asks in court ‘Neenga nallavara kettavara?’ is such a poignant moment- it reminds me that not all questions in life have answers and that Life is not jus black & white but therein lies various shades of grey.
Or the innocent and adorable Anjali? You can feel the longing of Revathy when her mentally challenged daughter fails to acknowledge her mother while still accepting total strangers. When Anjali’s sister desperately tries to shake her awake, you too mentally will her to get up.
Your heart aches for the abanded child and the helpless mother in Thalapathy. And you feel almost as proud as Mamooty to have a friend like Rajni!
And when the rampage and looting takes place in Bombay and the little boy throws up simple questions on God and Religion, which have complex answers to them, it makes you wonder why indeed does all this happen? Why are human beings so narrow minded and selfish? Is all this carnage really necessary? I can jus go on and on!
Another strong point of Mani Rathnam’s movies is music. Be it the Maestro Illayaraja or the Genius Rahman, almost all the songs in his movies are beautiful and evergreen. And definitely cinematography too. It lends an aesthetic appeal to his movies.After having watched his latest Guru more than a year back, I am now alongwith thousands of others, eagerly waiting for his next movie and the complexities, relationships and emotions involved with it, from the director who has touched my soul with his magic.