Homeland

The art of creating a thriller. Homeland is one of the best series I have seen. The casting, direction, screenplay, music, story - all spot on! Nothing to complain about except the pace - which eventually suits the twists that the viewer is subjected to.

Claire Danes (Carrie) has done a stupendous job - beyond stupendous. Damien Lewis (Nick Brody) has done a good job. My favourite character though is Saul Berenson played by Mandy Patinkin. He is a caring, decisive, brutal, soft spoken gentleman and ruffian all rolled into one. His equation with Mira is the stuff of great emotional content. In the last episode of the 2nd season, when Mira tells Saul that she is coming to the US, Saul says 'Yes'. No triumph, no happiness, just plain relief.

Homeland touches the viewer at so many different levels and makes the viewer question each possibility. A true masterpiece. But as it goes with so many shows, the odds are that they fk things up in the next few seasons...

Listen Amaya

I had to see this movie because of Farooq Sheikh and Deepti Naval. I saw it today and I was a little disappointed. The story was good, but they made a mess of how the daughter handles the change in her life. The music was rubbish because of its placement and the unnecessary songs (as they do with so many Hindi movies) - I enjoyed the cinematography and the screenplay at times, like the time that Deepti narrates her story to her daughter. The movie was half an hour too long...

The reason I am writing though is because of Farooq Sheikh. I wouldn't say that he is a fantastic actor, but I will say that he is an actor you want to fall in love with. Something so blithely adorable about the guy and the way he creates his character.
He was a good guy. A plain good guy in the city of New Delhi who saw the beauty in the people about him, he spread a smile and a warmth in others. As he walked away with Amaya towards the end and didn't say a word, I saw in him a good life. An honest life lived truly, lovingly and a dash of humour in the simple things we take for granted.

A good life is what we strive for towards the end. Nobody knows when illness will come by, and death will take away a loved one, or a financial crisis will throw us off - all we can do is control who we choose to be. A good life is one that is lived consciously.

All in all, a cute movie - see it for Farooq Sheikh.
For me, it was another eye opener.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

At first, I was quite dejected that the capitalists wanted to stretch a 330 page book into 3 movies!
But then, it was Peter Jackson.

This movie exceeded expectations on many counts; the director took his own sweet time in finishing  the first third of the book in nigh 3 hours and the new HFR (High frame rate) screening is mind-blowing (or as my folks in India like to say: mind-blasting).

About the HFR experience; I was surprised at how clear the image was - detail that made real life seem boring and focused shots which got one counting the strands of waters down a waterfall. In addition to this, one can even see how far filming technology has come since the third LOTR movie.
But this isn't an action thriller, kill the bad guys movie.

It's a story as a story should be. Slow, purposeful, inspiring, emotional and reigniting the strength of good fiction. Bilbo is a good cast, Gandalf is brilliant, not a big fan of any of the dwarves, and Gollum too is amazing. Sure, there are a lot of inconsistencies but I have come to a stage where I give credit to another Tolkien lover and his creative spirit.

The mountain trolls, and the eagles, and the elves - Galadriel in all her majesty and Elrond in his wisdom - and Smaug! and Erebor - Oh! how grand Erebor was... and how that home was lost!
For me, the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit and the Silmarillion were a part of my formative years - hence, I am biased.

Oh, there were tears inside me.

Closer

Is love a creation? Are humans always in pursuit of that which they don't have and especially of that which they can't have...? May be things like alcohol in prohibition or restricted drugs?

The law of the land enforces monogamy and somewhere, humans have started believing that monogamy makes sense; for most cultures, multiple partners had been the norm for a long time and then things began to change as humans started living in societies and the concept of materialism reared its ugly head.

Another issue that this movie raised for me was about sex.
Could sex really be that desirable? Could sex really be that much of an issue such that it could hurt a man's ego? May be this movie says a lot about the India that is becoming.

Jude Law, Natalie Portman (didn't think she would have had such a brilliant body) and Clive Owen were phenomenal. One can see Clive's potential on the real stage. I have never liked Julia Roberts. Alas.

The movie is not for the masses because it demands patience and thought. Parts need to be glued together to make sense and one is left wondering how it will end and often, how it is still progressing. Something very operatic about the movie, like a tragedy. It ends with the godess that is Natalie.

Can't take my eyes off of you.

Paradox

I had always wanted to see Zakir Hussain perform, and yesterday I had my chance.
Two weeks ago when the tickets opened up the general public, I pounced and bought 2, now knowing who my accomplice would be - it turned out to be this nutty fun friend from Spanish class.
We made our way to Shanmukhananda Hall in Sion East, Mumbai - I had heard a lot about the auditorium and yes, it lived up to the grandeur I expected.

Here is what I went for: (Courtesy: Bookmyshow.com)

When geniuses come together, magic is the only outcome!

Hello classical fans, You won’t believe what we have in store for you. A unique combination-a first time ever - Pandit Birju Maharaj (Kathak) in session with the magical Tabla beats of the great table master Ustad Zakir Hussain. If that was not enough, the vocal renditions of the legendary maestro Pandit Ajoy Chakravarty will merge their brilliance into a crescendo. Dr. Trichy Sankaran, the world famous master on the Mridangam with his co-artists will also join in, in celebrating Pandit Birju Maharaj’s 75 glorious years. Date : Dec 13, 2012 Time: 6.30 PM Venue : Shanmukhananda Hall, Mumbai I am a music lover. I love most kinds of music and no, house and club don't qualify as music (yet). I can listen to Indian classical music for hours; the thing about Indian classical music is that if one gives it its due attention it can be quite strenuous on the brain, in a pleasant way. Dr. Trichy occupied the stage for a good hour and it was phenomenal. Zakir came on after the 15 minute interval and Brijmohan Mishra (Birju Maharaj) made a grand entrance - and this was after a wonderful introductory speech by one of the organising dudes. Birju will celebrate his 76th birthday in February! And he was a sight for weary minds. Was amazing to see someone dance this way - I think dance ought to be this, rather than the shaky swivelly nonsense from the West. More blues. Zakir impressed me - I think it's because I could see why he is a maestro. I don't understand Indian classical music but I appreciate its nuances and the ingenuity that seldom tags along. It's in his eyes. I didn't like Pandit Ajoy even though I did like his voice. There is a difference you see... It is what one had once said: There is good casting, there are no bad actors. He didn't belong on the stage last night according to me. But I am a lowly commoner and know not what all that music 'meant'. The evening was cut short because it was past 10pm and Ajoy's singing is not what me and my friend signed up for. May be we were weary. The thing about Art is that it is all around us and with this note I will move on to the next phase of this post: I found it hilarious that people were bumbling in like drunk minstrels at 730 pm when the performance had started at 640 pm. And by hilarious I mean that I wanted to punch them in their punani region. I also found it hilarious that one of the ushers had his cell phone ringing to a bhojpuri/ bollywood type song. I made my way to a bar where my friend was drinking for me and I saw a conglomeration (yes, a conglomeration) of people pretending to have a merry time by jiving to techno/ house. They looked like pigs and the smell of smoke hid their foul stench. And the following is the reason why I may be writing this post... I dropped my friend home and made my way through a lane I have been driving through for the last 2 years. A couple of families had made their quaint shanty home there, away from the populace and usually playing with their dogs. Last night, I found their homes torn down and shrouded in rubble. Imagine that, you are living your life and one fine evening a vindictive tsunami decides to rid you of your iota of belonging. Yes, that is capitalism where the strong survive and the weak are washed away into the gutters; it is what a lot of city dwellers secretly desire and socially ridicule. I stood there looking at the canvas. And someone opened the trapdoor beneath my feet. I knew not how to swim. But did I ever exist? To the music inside us all.

Argo

A thriller after a long long time. Who knew that Ben Affleck could actually make a career in Hollywood!? I woke up today craving a movie, so I booked one ticket for Argo and didn't know what the movie was about, except for the fact that it had received quite a few praises. So it starts off and they say its based on a true story - OK.
The story is simple - 1979, Iranians storm the US embassy in Tehran. 6 Americans take refuge somewhere; the CIA has to get them out. But there's something that gnaws at you when faced with the prospect of having your freedom taken away - and that is what got me quite hooked. Were the Americans right in giving refuge to their stooge - the Shah? Were the Iranians right in having held innocent Americans hostage? I guess that the Iranian anger was justified...
And then I thought of the madding crowd - if a bunch of people do it, it is justified. It's like the broken window syndrome and it is quite an influence in my field of work. An American tried to reason with the crowd; of course, he was tied down and used to gather more hostages...

I enjoyed the slight comical element of Argo fuck yourself. A movie production unit that goes to Iran, from Canada. The screenplay and the writing was excellent. Here too, I found it funny how certain crass jokes got the audience in an uproar and certain subtler jibes had only a few of us laughing and thinking.

A must watch. Brilliant movie.

And if you think that you have the end figured out... may be you do, but the movie doesn't allow you to believe your forecasting abilities.

Looper

Finally - a sci-fi movie!! :D
Sad premise and quite illogical but engrossing nonetheless.
I am not a movie reviewer but I do like movies that make me write - this is one such movie.

The music was top-notch, the direction was oddly brilliant - had not heard of Rian Johnson until this movie, wonderful characters and it seems that Jason Levitt has a promising future.

As I was watching the movie, I thought of the mother and her kid and wondered if protection could be that strong; I thought of Willis' longing for his wife. I also thought of the plague that affects humans who are unable to focus on a good movie and then have to ask others for explanations for a simple story. I also thought of how cool that blunderbuss gun was!! And about how such a wicked kid could warrant affection...

I am a troubled little human being I am.

Barfi!

Ranbir Kapoor is one of the better mainstream actors in India today, it is because of him that the movie works, because his character is central to the movie. Yes, the movie is too long (thank you PVR for your soggy popcorn - it keeps me active) and one knew of Pritam because of those idiots playing some music while the movie played on.
Ranbir plays the role of Barfi effortlessly at times - the director did a good job with him and much appreciation for the director Anurag Basu for not making it an emotional drama with respect to the deaf and mute condition of the lead actor.
I liked Priyanka Chopra just because she had the nerve to dump her glamorous avatar and take up one of an autistic child who is also dyslexic, seems stupid, stutters and also has Freddie Mercury teeth.
Ileana D'Cruz is an Indian hottie and I like her Indian dressed-up avatar.
Saurabh Shukla is brilliant!!
Papon's Kyon is one of my favourite songs from the movie and so is the intro song of "Picture Shuru"

What I did not like - Chaplin copies, sure one could say, "We paid homage to Chaplin..."
Stuff from the Notebook - blatantly copied.
The entire love triangle and Ileana's inability to get over her love for a deaf-mute Barfi was unreasonable.

What I loved - I have already mentioned this but Ranbir's performance was quite awesome. I like the way he could dance, seem comical and non-sensical, comb his hair, make fun of others and act like a much loved much hated fiend of a small town in India. He always wanted to live a full life they said. The character could not have existed in real life, but one hopes that such a character one lived.

Barfi! is also India's official entry to the Oscars. This, for me, is disappointing. The movie is not exquisite and I believe it has been chosen as India's entry because of the selectors' perception of what an international audience would like. I believe that Indian movies are generally made for Indian audiences and hence an Indian entry should be one that speaks of India, not like a Salman Khan movie but like an Ab Tak Chappan which speaks of Indian society.