Funkiest College Names

I have no words to explain this, just take a look. This is actually true.


I wish I would've known of this college before I joined COEP :D

American History X - Review

This is yet another, revisited movie review. I just saw this movie an hour back, thank God I skipped the De Dana Dan outing or else I would've missed watching American History X. A truly amazing movie about racism in America and how devastating it can be when the youth get misguided.

This movie is a must watch simply for the stunning screenplay, direction and for one of the best ever performances by Edward Norton. In the movie he seamlessly portrays three different versions of the same characters through flashbacks and in the present.

The transformation in his persona is so amazing - take for instance the flashback of his impressionable teen days, he actually acts and looks the age.



Then as the adult Neo-Nazi White Supremacist who goes all out in his hate based on race. The telling sequence, where he slaughters a black gang member, the look that he gives as he is being arrested - genius!



And then, once again, the transformed and repentant man who finally realizes what a wrong path he had chosen.



Special mention to the director for not being biased for or against any race while making the movie, it is not some propaganda/preachy movie. It is a brilliant showcase of what hate does to society.

A little lesson in the movie which is applicable in all intolerant situations, where misguided youngsters are driven on a path of anger and hatred by someone who rides the wave for personal benefit, is shown through a perfectly crafted scene in the movie. Derek Vinyard [Edward Norton] has his illusion of White Supremacy shattered in prison. As he lies broken on a hospital bed, his former history teacher [an African American] comes to console him. Derek still clings on to his hate philosophy though he accepts things aren't what he thought they were. That's when Prof Sweeney and Derek have this conversation:

Bob Sweeney: There was a moment... when I used to blame everything and everyone... for all the pain and suffering and vile things that happened to me, that I saw happen to my people. Used to blame everybody. Blamed white people, blamed society, blamed God. I didn't get no answers 'cause I was asking the wrong questions. You have to ask the right questions.
Derek Vinyard: Like what?
Bob Sweeney: Has anything you've done made your life better?

____________________________________


That dialogue is something applicable to every situation where one lets anger and hate take control. Brilliant scene!

The rest of the movie is just as good and it was a pity that this Oscar nominated movie didn't go on to win the Best Picture award. But something like this rarely gets made. Edward Norton carries the movie on his shoulders and well, that's it, it's a must see!

Rating - 9/10

QSQT song - Shocker of a rip off

In another example of shameless ripping off from lesser known western songs [i.e. lesser known in India] resulting in super hit "originals" we have this masterpiece from Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak:

Return to the Alamo by The Shadows here is clearly ripped off by Anand-Milind in QSQT's super hit track Akele Hain Toh Kya Gum Hai.

Dumb Q, dumb A

Q: Dude, I've heard that if you use a Bose headphone and put the volume on zero, you can hear nothing but silence, is it true?
A: Yeah only as long as you don't talk or fart!

Paranormal Activity Movie Review

Ok, so finally we have a movie that succeeds in scaring you enough that you know watching it was worth it.

This movie is more of a psychological horror movie than one of the usual horror movies that one gets to see. The best part about it was that even though you know from the start that when the night video screen comes on, something scary will happen; you think you're prepared for it, but when the scary stuff happens you're still getting scared and loving each minute of Micah and Katie getting spooked by the "evil entity".

I don't want to go into the story and spoil it for you even a bit, but this I got to say, the night video thingy becomes so great a scare tactic in the movie that towards the last 15 minutes, just the fact that the night video comes on, starts to frighten the audience. That is the beauty of a psychological thriller.

The base story is of this couple who are living together, the girl Katie starts having recurring experiences that frighten her. The boyfriend, who spends the first 30 minutes providing some laughs with his witty comments on the events going on, initially thinks of all the spookiness as some sort of a game... well the movie is basically shot in home video style and it adds to the value of the movie. The end is so freaking awesome that it takes it to the next level.

On the comparison with Blair Witch Project, I think this movie is slightly better, simply because that movie tried to, at times, fool the audience with a lot of spooky stuff happening off the camera and the end kind of messed it up. This movie isn't trying to prove some myth or any such thing, it has just one purpose to screw with your head and scare you. The movie starts of slowly and builds to a crescendo. A brilliant last 5 minutes make it the horror movie of the year. Go ahead and watch it, even though you will want to quit the movie at times because it just gets scarier and scarier you will feel compelled to finish it out of curiosity.

It has set the record as the most profitable independent film ever made having earned over $100 million with a production budget of $15,000.

4/5 for this movie.

November Rain Lyrics

This song is so famous and awesome that me posting the lyrics on the blog, is more out of respect for this amazing song than for informing anyone about it. In case you haven't heard it yet, please do so immediately. Here is the link.

Here are the lyrics of one of the greatest songs of all time:


When I look into your eyes
I can see a love restrained
But darlin' when I hold you
Don't you know I feel the same
'Cause nothin' lasts forever
And we both know hearts can change
And it's hard to hold a candle
In the cold November rain
We've been through this
Such a long long time
Just tryin' to kill the pain
Yeahh..
But lovers always come
And lovers always go
And no one's really sure
Who's lettin' go today
Walking away
If we could take the time
To lay it on the line
I could rest my head
Just knowin' that you were mine
All mine
So if you want to love me
Then darlin' don't refrain
Or I'll just end up walkin'
In the cold November rain

Do you need some time
On your own
Do you need some time
All alone
Everybody needs some time
On their own
Don't you know you need some time
All alone

I know it's hard to keep an open heart
When even friends seem out to harm you
But if you could heal a broken heart
Wouldn't time be out to charm you

Sometimes I need some time
On my own
Sometimes I need some time
All alone
Everybody needs some time
On their own
Don't you know you need some time
All alone

And when your fears subside
And shadows still remain
I know that you can love me
When there's no one left to blame
So never mind the darkness
We still can find a way
'Cause nothin' lasts forever
Even cold November rain

Don't ya think that you
Need somebody
Don't ya think that you
Need someone
Everybody needs somebody
You're not the only one
You're not the only one

Don't ya think that you
Need somebody
Don't ya think that you
Need someone
Everybody needs somebody
You're not the only one
You're not the only one

Don't ya think that you
Need somebody
Don't ya think that you
Need someone
Everybody needs somebody
You're not the only one
You're not the only one

Don't ya think that you
Need somebody
Don't ya think that you
Need someone
Everybody needs somebody

Another insane clothing item

After the brilliant Ipod charging bra, here is the next path-breaking clothing item which deserves mention on the blog - the venetian blind shirt

Innovation zindabad :D

Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani - Movie Review

Thankfully I saw this movie during the weekend without having read a single movie review in detail [I just saw the ratings and skipped the rest]. The movie is extremely entertaining, from the promos itself you know it isn't supposed to make any sense. It's a movie that's supposed to entertain you.

The movie is a bunch of sequences strung together to make you laugh and feel good. Staying true to it's name, the movie does have many random twists to the story. Ranbir Kapoor gives another smashing performance, be it the comedy, drama, dance you name it - he does it well. Katrina, well, just watching this woman on screen is worth the time. She just pulls of every kind of look. Her accent too in the movie is acceptable considering her story background. Some really nice touches in the movie are the stammering thingy that the two protagonists do when they get emotional. Darshan Zariwalla and Ranbir play the hilarious father and son angle very well. Two scenes in particular are awesome - in which a fantasizing Ranbir's murmurs are heard by his dad and taken to be compliments, the other is the one in which Ranbir has to get Katrina out of the bathroom before his dad enters - hilarity!

The music of the movie is extremely popular and has been done justice to in the movie. The songs don't come in the way of the story telling. One complaint I had in the movie was the stretched out fight sequence which was nowhere near the similarly stretched out fight sequence in Andaaz Apna Apna, but that was God level comedy. Apart from that minor minor glitch I loved every other sequence.

The most entertaining movie of the year, you can watch this one with friends or family.


All in all, a very entertaining movie, go have fun people!

Sachin Tendulkar - The shining star on a dark night

Today we saw a match in Hyderabad, which had one of the all time greatest ODI knocks by the man who has brought glory to India so many times that being a fan of the great man is an honour by itself.

The problem is that he is miles ahead of all the rest. Today's match for instance, just contrast the last ball catch he took with the rest of the team's efforts. Giving away 100 plus runs in the last 10 overs, how do you expect to win a game with bowlers who seem to be so secure in their mediocrity while Zaheer Khan is away? We so dearly miss Anil Kumble who actually used to put the breaks on the opposition. Mark my words, the Indian batting line up will face a similar fate once Sachin Tendulkar retires. These two men, have one huge factor in common. Determination. They have endured everything to win a match. Just think back to the game where Anil Kumble bowled with a broken jaw or the game where Sachin battled his aching back to battle Akram and co. in Chennai. A loss actually pains them. Both were miles ahead of their team mates.

The very fact that India looked like winning the game is a testimony to the Herculean effort of Mr. Sachin Tendulkar. 175 from 141 at the age of 36, batting from the first over till the 47th. What else can we ask of him? And it wasn't just the runs he scored, look at the way he did it. It was an honour to see him in action today, just as it is each time he graces the field.

During the match a friend of mine said, "Even after this innings some people will say, he doesn't play well when it counts". I told him that such remarks and comments don't deserve a reply. You can not give sight to the blind. Only fools will choose to criticize a legend like this when they should be catching every glimpse of his genius while it is still on display. In a few years there won't be the name Sachin Tendulkar on the score board when India plays. There wont be the name which tilts the game just by his mere presence. There will no longer be the man who gives us hope when there would be none if it weren't for him. We'd have these T20 wonders, people who think hitting 30 from 20 balls is a job well done. People who won't dive and would rather get run out. People who would buckle under the sheer pressure of having to chase 7 runs an over from ball one.

I for one just respect the fact that I have seen this man play innings like the one today, or the one at Sharjah, or the one in Johannesburg against Pakistan in the World Cup, or the one in the Chennai Test, innings' which were decades apart at times and yet reminded you of the single factor binding all of them - Sachin Tendulkar carrying the hopes of a billion.

In school, the entire lot of us used to watch him play, in college it was the same at the canteen or the hostel mess, now I am in office and still when he plays everyone makes it a point to see him score his 17000th run, or his 45th century, those who can't or are in a meeting have Cricinfo on their screens.

I will henceforth never bother to respond to a critic of this legend, who is above all petty complaints. I have seen a man who in one lifetime has played innings that others won't even if they were given ten.

About the match we just saw, the bowlers are the main culprits, this is not a bowling attack worthy of a team that wants to be the World No. 1! The batting line up hasn't got the patience or determination to win consistently. At the crucial times the only one who stands up to be counted is Sachin Tendulkar whose brilliance is such that even his severest critics have to applaud.

Todays game proves that Sachin Tendulkar is still and will always be the greatest batsman of our time.

Things that went wrong today:

1. Fielding
2. Bowling
3. Crappy batting by the Young brigade.
4. A thankless presentation ceremony speech by MS Dhoni [for whom I have lost a lot of respect]

Something about MSD, if you see the stats and check the number of times we have won due to Sachin under his captaincy, you'll be alarmed at how much Sachin's brilliance has contributed to his success.

Anyways, at the end of the day, Sachin will play many more such awesome innings, we will win most of the times and on a few occasions lose! But the one thing the rest of the team must remember, something that Sachin mentioned in his Man of the Match speech, "He is proud to play for India". It's India you are playing for! If only the others realized this, we would win most of these crunch games.


Thanks for yet another innings of a lifetime Sachin. Everyday your legend grows bigger!

London Dreams Movie Review

So I saw London Dreams today with friends [yes, I am vela on weekends and do take risks with my life by going for such movies] and it sucked! But even in this disaster of a movie, there was a saving grace, Salman Khan. That guy was acting so well it seemed like he was in an altogether different movie, gone was his accented Hindi which he seemed to be stuck with for the past few years, gone was the campy acting. Here was a man acting beyond what one could imagine. He did comedy and drama with his trademark charm. His role was so refreshing, that one actually felt the movie may survive but that's where the entire cast and crew delivered the killer punch. Ajay Devgn [if he changed his surname based on an astrologer then he better realize it's not his name but his astrologer that needs a change] was completely out of place in this movie. Not that he didn't act well, it's just that you can't cast someone like him as a rock star, he just can't pull it off no matter how good an actor he is. It's like asking Sachin Tendulkar to run like Usain Bolt. It won't happen, even if the man gives it everything he's got.

The dialogues suck, e.g. Bhagvan kyu tum Mannu ke gale mein baith gaye? [asks a crestfallen Ajay after he watches Mannu i.e. Salman Khan steal the show during a performance] The music sucks big time, for a movie based on a musical backdrop not one song is a super hit.

Asin, what the heck is she doing in this movie? What was her dad doing in this movie [not her real dad, her movie dad]? Why the hell was this movie made?

Now for some non LD stuff, I saw Amadeus last night, and not to act like some pretentious Hollywood worshiper, but LD is clearly a rip off of Amadeus. That movie is a 3 hour acting extravaganza. The role of Salieri [the basis of Ajay Devgn's character] is brilliantly crafted and exceptionally performed. Mozart's musical genius is well exploited in the movie. In this movie you hardly see that apart from the rip off scene in which Mannu takes a tune composed by Arjun and improves it impromptu.

I just feel bad about one thing, Salman Khan's best performance in a long time was wasted in this dud of a film. On the other hand, at least something was worth watching in the movie.