Life is Busy

I have been super busy since quite some time and it's taken a toll on my blogging. Whatever free time I get, I spend it in sleeping or catching up with friends or watching a movie and off late, in enjoying the IPL.

Everyone is busy with work, but some of us have more than usual work loads, it depends on luck and job profiles; but I have been having an exceptionally busy time. It's been fun at most times.

I will be back soon though with more of David Flabbergaster, one liners and random incidents pretty soon. The stories are all in my head and I'm waiting for some free time to put them up on the blog. Meanwhile, if you happen to visit the blog, read up on some of the links in the 'Recommended Reading' post to which I have a link at the start of the blog on the right hand side.

And if you've been in touch with me on the phone I am sure you already do know some of the stories ;)

Hope I get some free time pretty soon. See you later!

Loins of Punjab Presents

I have never had so much fun watching a crossover film as I had while watching Loins Of Punjab Presents. It has some hilarious scenes and brilliant acting by the entire crew. The movie is about a 'Desi Idol' contest which is being sponsored by a company called Loins Of Punjab. They choose this lecherous organizer by the name of Bokade for the show, played brilliantly by Jameel Khan. The movie then shows the experiences of all the candidates who appear on the show for auditions and progress forward. Shabana Azmi plays a very bitchy socialite who wants to win the contest at any cost and plays the role to perfection. I loved the ending of the movie, which is really perfect for it. Special mention must be given to Seema Rehmani who plays Sania Rehman, a woman who can't speak Hindi at all but is in love with Bollywood. One line she says is pretty cool, 'Hollywood movies are so one dimensional, it's either an action movie or a romantic movie or a drama. But a Bollywood movie combines all of it in one. I don't know how to speak Hindi, but then again, I want to be an actor, so it's fine' :D

Another standout performance is by Ajay Naidu as Turbanotorious B.D.G. The man is hilarious in the role of a wannabe gangsta-bhagra-king! Insane performance, thoroughly enjoyable. The man dances very well in his performance scenes. Watch-out for the song 'Dhagi Naki Naki Naki Dhin Tara' funky song!

Shaan comes in for a special appearance as a judge in the final round and gives a brilliant WTF expression in one scene where one rejected contestant off stage starts singing the male version of 'Bole Chudiya' when Sania Rehman sings the female part on stage. Hilarity! Bokade is brilliant in a scene when he has a hangover and has to announce the results of the prelim round. Each time he announces a winner, the winner starts celebrating loudly and he gets pissed because of the loud celebrations :D Lots of other hilarious scenes especially with Darshan Zariwalla as a Gujju family patriarch trying to make sure his daughter wins the contest.

The movie is a must see, can't imagine someone not liking it. I for one loved it and would recommend it to everyone.

Karthik Calling Karthik - Movie Review

One Word - Bakwaas!

If you still want to read more, here you go.

I have seen a lot of bad movies, and I never thought I'd hate a movie more than Singh Is Kinng and then I saw Karthik Calling Karthik.

I won't even insult your intelligence by telling you the story line, because it is pointless. The movie is riddled with crappy over-acting by Deepika in almost every scene, lousy situations which try to be cool/cute/intelligent but are completely the opposite. Farhan Akhtar is an OK actor but he is far better as a director and should stick to it. I have nothing good to say about this movie.

Nadia - Lesser Know but Awesome Song

I just stumbled onto this song while going through my bro's iPod. Freaking brilliant, if you like to experiment with fusion once in a while. Later, when I was just randomly Googling the song, I stumbled onto many versions of this song played brilliantly by Jeff Beck. Take a look at one of those versions.

The song is called "Nadia" by Nitin Sawhney and Reena Bharadwaj.

Star Screen Awards - Good ceremony, crazy award choices

Disclaimer: Fans of Paa do not read this post! Fans of Love Aaj Kal do not read this post.


I happened to catch some parts of the Star Screen Awards last week and I thought the jokes that night were pretty well done. But freaking hell, did they mess up the actual awards bigtime!

Some screamers:

Best Dialogues - Abhijat Joshi, Raju hirani (3 Idiots)

Are you kidding me, KAMINEY people! It had the lines of the year! Especially when it comes to quality and depth of thought.

Best Lyricist - Irshad Kamil For Choor Bazari ( Love Aaj Kal)

WTF, when you have Gulzar nailing every song of Kaminey with awesome lyrics, you nominate and then give the award to the most lame song of Love Aaj Kal, even Yeh Dooriyan was better.

Best Music Director - A R Rahman ( Delhi 6 )

I love A R Rahman's music, but Dev D was far superior to Delhi 6!

Best Jodi of the decade: Shahrukh Khan and Kajol

While giving away this award they showed clips of DDLJ and KKHH, both movies from the 90's, I think they got confused about which decade they were giving away the award for, as it is I think it should have gone to SRK and K Jo :D

Best Editing Results - Raju Hirani (3 Idiots)

Dev D being technically superior to 3 Idiots should have been given it's due! One only has to look back to the dope scenes of Abhay Deol to know which had superior editing.

Best Story - Imtiaz Ali ( Love Aaj Kal)

An award for Best Story given to a movie which had the crappiest 2nd half of the year! They might as well have given it to Blue or Kambakth Ishq.

The final screamer:

Best Actor: Amitabh Bachchan (Paa)

I have the greatest respect for AB, but please! Out of sheer respect for his tremendous skill I wanted to refrain from shredding the movie Paa on my blog. But then when performances like Dev in Dev D and Shahid's awesome double role in Kaminey are ignored for trashy campy rubbish like Paa, one can't help it. It was a disastrous movie which just got away with the sympathy card and was called a hit! It's almost a crime to criticize movies made on people suffering from problems, but honestly Paa was trash!

I really wish award ceremonies stopped celebrating camps in Bollywood and instead actually gave awards to the deserving performances!

Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji - Lyrics

My first fave of the New Year, it's a song from the movie Ishqiya. I especially liked the remix version, the original is also amazing. Brilliant track from the amazing combination of Gulzar and Vishal Bharadwaj.



Aisi uljhi nazar unse hatt ti nahi
Daant se reshmi dor katt ti nahi
Umar kab ki baras ke safaid ho gayi
Kaari badari jawani ki chatt ti nahi
Walla ye dhadkan bhadne lagi hai
Chehre ki rangat udne lagi hai
Darr lagta hai tanha sone mein ji
Dil to bachcha hai ji
Dil to bachcha hai ji
Thoda kaccha hai ji
Haan dil to baccha hai ji
Aisi ulji nazar unse hatt ti nahi
Daant se reshmi dor katt ti nahi
Umar kab ki baras ke safaid ho gayi
Kaari badari jawani ki chatt ti nahi
Ra ra ra ..

Kisko ptaa tha pehlu mein rakha
Dil aisa baaji bhi hoga
Hum to hamesha samajhte the koi
Hum jaisa haaji hi hoga
Hai zor karein, kitna shor karein
Bewaja baatein pe ainwe gaur karein
Dilsa koi kameena nahi
Koi to rokey, koi to tokey
Iss umar mein ab khaogey dhokhe
Darr lagta hai ishq karne mein ji
Dil to bachcha hai ji
Dil to bachcha hai ji
Thoda kaccha hai ji
Haan dil to baccha hai ji


Aisi udhaasi baithi hai dil pe
Hassne se ghabra rahe hain
Saari jawani katra ke kaati
Piri mein takra gaye hain
Dil dhadakta hai to aise lagta hai woh
Aa raha hai yahin dekhta hi na woh
Prem ki maarein kataar re
Taubah ye lamhe katt te nahi kyun
Aankhein se meri hatt te nahi kyun
Darr lagta hai mujhse kehne mein ji
Dil toh bachcha hai ji
Dil toh bachcha hai ji
Thoda kaccha hai ji
Haan dil toh baccha hai ji


5/5 for this song.

Why December was such a great movie month...

You have a roller coaster year, then have an incredibly busy December. You work your ass off all month, burn the midnight lamp, when even that goes off, you just bear the excess strain of the laptop light in your eyes and carry on working. But then comes that occasional evening when you decide that it's movie time. You pay big bucks for it and go to the theater... hoping, praying even, that at least it won't be a total waste of money. Then... all of a sudden, from nowhere you get to see something on the big screen that makes you thank God that you bought that ticket and came to the theater.

That happened to me twice in close succession this month. I saw two outstanding movies.

Avatar and 3 Idiots. I didn't even have time to write a review for Avatar, but now that I've just come home fresh from watching 3 Idiots, I think it'd be unfair to praise one while forgetting the other.

Avatar showed me special effects that totally made up for the super expensive price of the ticket. 3 Idiots showed us why Rajkumar Hirani is easily the best director of the decade and why Aamir is the Ace of Bollywood. Both the movies have amazing repeat value. Both have super expensive tickets, but both are totally worth it.

Avatar has brilliant special effects along with a decent storyline to back it up.

3 Idiots... IMHO is far far better than the book it is inspired from. The best moments of the movie have nothing to do with the book. That is why I loved the movie. You know that in the end everything will be fine, but you still are engrossed in the movie, rooting for the characters. Anything that has repeat value, has it because what you've seen impresses you so much that you want to see it again. That is what Avatar and 3 Idiots do to you. They make you enjoy the show so much, you just know it by the interval that you will be back in the queue to watch another show very soon.

Special mention to Boman Irani, whose performance in 3 Idiots seems extremely natural. I think he doesn't get enough credit for the incredible work he does in Raju Hirani movies, each movie he has been the pivotal antagonistic character [not a villain in the usual sense], but each time he plays the character so naturally that it's not Boman Irani you remember, you just remember Dr. Asthana or Lucky Singh or Viru Sahasrabuddhe aka Virus :P

All in all, a brilliant movie month. One can only hope there are more such months in the coming year. Thank you James Cameron and Raju Hirani!

December

December 09 has been by far the busiest month of my life. Everything has been in fast motion. I've worked crazy hours [current personal record being 19 hours in the day], slept very little [an average of 4 hours for 2 straight weeks], spent an entire weekend working [a first ever] and still managed to catch Avatar, Rocket Singh, Paa [wtf] and a host of other movies that I found time to catch up with. I managed to keep in touch with friends no matter what. Basically, a lot happened.

Fortunately along with a lot of work, I did end up having a lot of fun as well.

A brilliant photo of a brilliant Tendulkar shot

Source Link - http://blogs.cricinfo.com/shotselection/archives/2009/11/tendulkar_turns_it_around.php

This photo looks like it's a straight drive, but since the wicketkeeper is facing Sachin, it obviously is not a straight drive. Tendulkar used this shot against Warne in his first innings century in the third Test in Chennai in 2001. A match we eventually won! Stuff that only true cricket lovers will enjoy. Brilliant photo!

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