The Namesake – The last movie my father wanted to see

Its been a long time since i posted on this blog (more than 8 years). I had started this blog to mainly review movies (my passion). However with the daily grind of life (yeah i know thats an excuse) and also with very less visitors to the blog, I soon lost interest and stopped posting.

However, a recent event prompted or rather urged me to post again, and i will mention on this later.

A couple of days back i saw the movie — The Namesake, directed by Mira Nair. The movie is based on the novel/book with the same name, authored by Jhumpa Lahiri. My father loved this novel, and had suggested me to read the book, and i quite liked it as well. Later when the movie came out, we really enjoyed that as well. Although its based on a bengali family that is based in the US, this is a movie that everyone can pretty much relate to (whether you are a bengali or not). I remember a scene in the movie, where the character (Irrfan Khan) had gone to meet the girl’s family for a marriage proposal. In that scene, the girl (Tabu) mentioned that she enjoyed english poetry and then …like in the olden days… recited the famous poem – “Daffodils” by William Wordsworth. I recall how my grandmother also used to make me and my brother recite the same poem and other poems, when we were young. Overall, this movie is a must-watch…do see it with your family.

Anyway, coming back to the main point — my father passed away a month back due to a massive heart attack (he was a severe heart patient). A few days before he passed, he mentioned to me he wanted to see — The Namesake movie, again. I don’t know why he wanted to see the movie, when i think about it now — maybe it was because the actor Irrfan Khan had also passed away a few days back then; maybe it was because he had a ‘premonition’. In the movie, Irrfan’s character (the dad) passed away due to a heart attack.

However, for some reason i couldn’t find the movie on any OTT streaming platform…and didnt pay much attention to it, and let his request slide. In the movie, i remember a scene where the son character (Actor Kal Penn) mentions during his father (Irrfan Khan’s) funeral — “I have so many regrets” (as he realized he had become a bit detached and was not around when his father passed away). I was there when my father suddenly passed away…but amongst the many regrets i have, one of them is– that i did not put much effort in my father’s request to see the movie (me, being a movie fan). A few days back, like i mentioned, i discovered that the movie was on my external hard disk drive.

I know this may sound a bit trivial, with all the tragic things happening in the world nowadays, but this keeps recurring in my mind. With my father’s 1-month death anniversary, and father’s day.. almost coinciding….this further plays heavily on my mind. ‘I hope Baba, wherever you are..you are in peace’.

I leave you with a picture/quote from the movie (below).

Movie Review: Red Dog (2011)

IMDB Link

Movie Rating: Whisky (Check out the movie ratings scale at the bottom of the page)

In Short: A simple and yet beautiful movie that somehow seems to have missed the limelight. Just go and watch this one (or just download it).

I happened to bump into this movie by chance, and hadn’t heard about it, prior to watching it. However, it turned out to be quite an engaging watch and a beautiful movie. Dog lovers will especially be moved by this Aussie movie, which is actually based on a true-life story of Red Dog (Pilbara) who was known for his travels over a vast part of Australia.

The director has done a very good job at keeping the story simple but yet engaging. The acting has also been quite good across the board, including that by Koko (the dog) who has delivered a fine debut performance.

This one is definitely a catch, despite being such a low-key and relatively unknown movie. If you don’t find the DVD anywhere, just download it and watch.

Because some things are just worth watching!

   Click to Watch the Episodes on Youtube

Wow!! … its been a long – long time since I updated this blog. I got really busy with work…. ya I know the same lame excuse (blah..blah). However, this particular show put the urge in me to write again. The show that I am talking about here is The Dewarists, and it airs on Star World channel every Sunday. If you already haven’t seen it there, you can catch it also on Youtube (link above).

The show basically is a collaboration between some well known music artists, and is shot in a travelogue kind of style. It includes some good but yet unconventional Indian artists like Agnee, Parikrama, Indian Ocean, Mohit Chauhan, Vishal Dadlani (of Pentagram) etc. and also some foreign artists too, who collaborate together to create some wonderful tracks …. not in a studio — but in some distant and enchanting places.

The production on this is awesome, and so is the narrative by Monica Dogra who happens to be from the duo group Shaa’ir+Func. The visuals are stunning, captivating and yet sublime. The style in which this travelogue cum documentary has been shot is very raw, fresh and engaging.

Another thing that you will notice is that there are no irritating product placements in the show or sponsorships which clutter it up . The show has been sponsored by Dewars whiskey, but it is never shown even once through any surrogate placements. It has truly been kept very subtle and hence works better in the artistic frame of mind. The format I feel is much better than other similar shows that have been around like Coke Studio and MTV Unplugged. The production house behind the show viz. Babble Fish Productions has done a great job in giving this format a fresh look.

The title of this post has been borrowed from the show’s tagline “Because some things are just worth doing”. To borrow a few more words — “There is a need to be moved in life…”. Do yourself a favour — watch this show — and be moved!

I miss…

I miss gazing into a star-filled sky ….. which is quite improbable in Mumbai.

I miss getting sun-tanned while lying on white sandy beach, without a care in the world of how ridiculous I will look the next day.

I miss those weekend trips.

I miss those times when you could reply in yes or no, and didn’t have to look for a ‘grey’ area.

I miss those weekends when you would not think about your office work, even for a single moment during the entire course of the weekend.

I miss watching the sun set and the sky turn a bright orangish-red….. god only knows when I saw a sunset last or atleast  yearned to see one.

I miss that time when I used to believe that all human beings are innately good.

I miss the feeling or want to be an adventurer, even though deep down I always knew that I never was one.

I miss that time when I could think up a joke in a whiff.

I miss that time when I was a bit more patient.

I miss those brief moments of raw earthy feeling.

I miss those out-of-body experiences :p

I miss those times when I used to get philosophical, and impart advice to others, thinking that they were pearls of wisdom.

I miss those times when things were more simple and straight-forward.

I miss those times when I believed that I would make a difference to the world.

I miss those times, when I didn’t have to think in my mind —“Man, I am getting old for this”.

I miss those times when you didn’t have to think of tomorrow.

I miss those Good- Old -Times!

P.S.  You will notice that people mostly reminisce about the past with the phrase ‘good old times’.  No one says ‘bad old times’ or something similar when they are feeling nostalgic. That’s because of the tendency of associating the past with the good or treasured moments, and filtering out the unpleasant things, even though everyone has had a fair share of them as well.

Movie Review: Blue Valentine (2010)

IMDB Link

Movie Rating: Whisky (and half) (Check out the movie ratings scale at the bottom of the page)

In Short: Boy meets girl. Both fall in love …. and then there’s marriage! Terrific acting…terrific direction…and so believable.

I started to see this movie without expectations, and was blown away as it unfolded slowly. Btw, I have seen over time that films which I usually see without any expectations, many-a-times turn out to be my fav ones. Anyways, the movie sways back and forth between the now deteriorating relationship of a married couple and their earlier happy and love-filled yesteryears. There are several movies that have used this technique of transitioning back and forth between different points of time of the storyline. This film also follows the same, but at the same time keeps it fresh and imaginative.

The acting by both the stars in the film is very natural and realistic. You almost feel like the story is actually playing out in front of you. I think the female actor also managed to land up an oscar nomination for herself, although even the male actor (Ryan Gosling) did a very good job. The direction was superb, and the director knew which emotional strings of the viewer to pull at. The tile of the movie viz. Blue Valentine, kept me guessing, but as the movie progressed I realised why it was named that, and the pun that was intended.

All in all, this was clearly one of the best of the year. The story and acting was very believable and refreshing. The film moves at a rather slow pace, and is also a bit depressing in parts. So if you are looking for a fast moving or action packed flick; look elsewhere. Definitely worth a watch on a lazy weekend afternoon. You will come out with a whole new perspective.

Btw, my favourite line from the movie was when the male lead actor says that women look for ‘prince charming’ their entire life, but settle for the safe bet when it comes to marriage.

Movie Review: 127 Hours (2010)

IMDB Link

Movie Rating: Wine (Check out the movie ratings scale on the top left pane of the page)

In Short: Frankly, not enough material here to be made into a movie. Over-rated; but the cinematography was quite good.

The latest fare from Danny Boyle, the director of ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ and ‘Trainspotting’, did not impress me too much, although there seems to be a lot of buzz surrounding this one. Without any disrespect to the person who this movie is based on, there was frankly not enough material within this movie to keep me engaged through its entire length. After all, watching a mountain climber stuck in a crevice by a boulder for 127 hours, does not truly make great premise for a movie story. I do acknowledge that it would be a difficult job for any director, to make this into an engaging and interesting watch, and thats where the movie fails.

That being said, the movie did have good cinematography and visuals, and James Franco (the lead actor) did do a rather good job of conveying how it would be for a person (both physically & mentally) being stuck up in a desolate place for so long. The oscar nomination for A.R. Rahman for providing the score for this film, should also keep Indian audiences cheered up and excited for a while.

In my opinion there have been some better accident related  / trapped movies, which have made for a more interesting watch. These include “Alive” (based on a rugby team stuck in the Andes after their plane crashed), “Open Water” (based on a couple who accidentally get left behind in shark-infested waters on a scuba trip), and “Frozen” (based on a group of friends stuck in a ski lift).

So watch this one only if you are a big Danny Boyle fan, or for that matter an A.R. Rahman fan.

Movie Review: The Company Men (2010)

IMDB Link

Movie Rating: Whisky (Check out the movie ratings scale on the top left pane of the page)

In Short: A good look at the hire-and-fire and downsizing policy adopted by many American companies, especially in the midst of the now erstwhile financial crisis of 2008. The movie makes an interesting mention of how nowadays we (incl. me) are all obsessed with the more shiny, white-collar,  (high paying financial services jobs), rather than working in jobs / roles in which we actually produce something you can touch or feel.

According to the movie description on IMDB, “the story centers on a year in the life of three men trying to survive a round of corporate downsizing at a major company – and how that affects them, their families, and their communities.” The acting by all the three leading men in the movie was quite good and at the same time very realistic. It focuses on the high maintainance lifestyle within America — the lavish houses with pools, the fancy sports cars, and how it can all go away in a whiff on losing one’s high profile job. More than the loss of these so-called luxuries, what probably hurts people more here is the loss of ego, especially if you are the one with all those golf buddies.

Anyways, another interesting turn of events within this movie was when one of the first employees of this big company (who also happens to be on the board now) gets fired during the corporate downsizing exercise. He was apparently one of the few board members who was objecting to the downsizing. I mean, how can a company which has been in existence for 20 years (or whatever) fire its first employee (who has stayed on with the company for so long). That, in my book is clearly wrong. It reminds me of a famous quote by Mr. N. Murthy (the founder and mentor of one of the biggest technology companies in India called Infosys) — “Love your job but never fall in love with your company, because you never know when it stops loving you.” Somehow it makes sense here – doesn’t it?

Another interesting point within the movie was that nowadays we are all obsessed with the more shiny, white-collar,  (high paying financial services jobs), rather than working in jobs / roles in which we actually produce something you can touch or feel. I know it sounds a bit dramatic; after all who doesn’t want a high-paying and comfortable job. But it does start to make sense when you think at it for long (atleast to me). In business school I learned how one of the key underlying reasons / causes for the global financial crisis of 2008 (which was playing out when i was in b-school), was the imbalance between the financial economy and the real economy. I don’t want to get into technicalities of this now (as it this not a finance / economic blog .. lol), but somehow it got me thinking — and maybe it will also provide you food for thought as well?

My Best of 2010!

First – off, wishing everyone a great 2011 ahead. I know this post of mine comes after a long break, but lets just say that all good things come after a wait (hahahaha). Well, this post will not be just restricted to movies but other topics of interest as well. However, since the theme of this blog is movies, lets kick off with them first.

Best Flicks of 2010

Well I gotta admit; 2010 has not been too great a year for movies in my book. There has not been a single movie released in 2010, which received my highest rating (Absinthe rating), although there were quite a few to watch this year. Anyways, the ones which I liked this year are as follows (in no particular order):

Fish Tank : This was not a widely released movie, but still was a good watch.

Lebanon: This is another low-key foreign language movie which was quite unique and definitely worth a look. I have always wondered how it will be for people sitting within a tank, and this movie gives an excellent perspective of the same, with almost 80% of the movie being shot in a tank. And then too .. its not boring at all !

Four Lions: This was a rare spoof-comedy on jihadis, and was quite hilarious (provided you could keep up with the british accent). My movie review here.

Social Network: A good perspective on Facebook and its origins, and its founder. This is more of a drama, so the story is what matters here. My movie review here.

Ghost Writer: This movie by Roman Polanski was a bit slow but turned out to be quite a good watch. I think the novel may have been better.

Easy A: The comedy pick of the year. ‘Due Date’ and ‘Other Guys’ were also quite good.

Shutter Island: The cinematography was excellent; the ending could have been better.

Biggest disappointment(s) of the year:

Never Let me Go: Snooze-fest! … although the cinematography was quite good.

Black Swan: Artsy -fartsy bore from the director of ‘Requiem for a dream’. Hope this doesn’t win the Oscar this year ……..aaargh!

 

Best Sound / Music Artist of 2010

And the award for that goes to Aussie Band “Temper Trap”. Well, technically they came to the limelight in 2009 with their album “Conditions”, but since I discovered them in 2010, lets just leave it at that 😛 . ‘Coldplay’ has some serious competition now. I have no idea why the band is called Temper Trap, but whenever i listen to their music, it does help me to relax or cool down my temper …. maybe it’s that then? … lol

Below is a music video of one of their most popular tracks – “Sweet Disposition”.

 

Best Music Video of 2010

And the winner is OK GO for “End Love”. Their music videos are pure creative genius. Read my previous blog post on them here.

 

Best (??) / Most Read Article of 2010

Well, its not like this is my favourite article. However I did notice that this was the most read article on Time magazine’s website in 2010. You can read the full article here. I had mentioned this in a previous blog post here. Guess we should start buying stocks of beer / alcohol companies  in 2011 😛 …… the best stock -tip of 2011 …lol

Misc. Review: The Comedy Store (Mumbai)

Rating: Whisky (Check out the ratings scale on the   top left pane of the page)

This is the first time that I have experienced a stand up comedy show in real-life, although have managed to catch many of these shows on the telly and online, in the past. So it was good to see that Mumbai finally has an international version of stand – up comedy, and don’t worry —  its not like the crap they show on Indian TV like “Great Indian (made-up) Laughter show” and scores of similar ones. This is very much in the international format, with loads of cussing, profanity and ofcos fun!

I happened to pop into this one, as was in the mood of experimenting that evening, and this turned out to be quite a pleasant surprise. The entry price of Rs. 500 per head, is also quite affordable (considering this is Mumbai), but I gotta admit that the drinks over there were a tad bit expensive. Now I had no idea who was the trio that was performing there that night (i think the lead one was some Tim Clark). However they ended up doing a very fine job …… maybe not as good as Russell (Peters) Paaji, but still a heck of a job for Indian audiences.

So try out this one, if you are in the mood of trying something new or like stand up comedies (not the indian ones). Ofcourse, you have to have a sense of humour, and also be a sport, especially if you forget to make your mobile silent during the show…. man do they take your case then 😛

Somebody hit me on the head or something :P

I can’t seem to get this song by Jack Johnson out of my head. Somebody hit me on the head or something 😛 … or let me take a walk around!