We saw Moneyball this past weekend, though I am dying to see the Contagion but looks like I have watch it alone :(.
Is Moneyball any good?
Depends on if you like sports and feelgood films. Since it is based on a true story, therefore a lot of it might have happened, but who knows. However the character, Peter Brand ( Jonah Hill) is based on a real person, who doesn't look like Jonah in the film at all, however if they have filmed it now when Jonah has lost his weight, then I can see resemblance.
Everyone pretty much know what happens in the story. Watching this film in Bay Area is another experience, especially when Oakland A's fans are sitting next to you and giving you the running commentary and rooting for A's when they are in field.
Storyline is pretty straight forwards, looks like a buddy film crosses path with a classic underdog story with not a Hollywood ending, which is great, or may be I give credit to the real event aspect to it . I couldn't help noticing Aaron Sorkin ( Writer, Social Network ) is one of the screenwriter, therefore such a strong star cast.
Which also explain the estimated 47mil USD(courtesy: IMDB).
Ironically, Lion King was also playing and was the show stealer, but hey, its F#%*ing Lion King, no body messes with the King.
This is first Bennett Miller's film I ever saw, being filmmaker my self I would say I kind of liked his style. Did not like the flashback aspect of the film, I mean I really did not care about how Billy bean become the General Manager of Oakland A's, without his flashback the movie would have been great. People are there to watch the story of Oakland A's where Billy Beane is just a Catalyst. Its also Aaron Sorkin way of writing.
The Cinematography , they wanted to include more of the green tint to the movie to give the Oakland A's feel to it. Like other sports movie most of the film takes place in stadium offices and all hence that also helped to create the look.
Now, lets talk about performances, it is pretty right on, I can see Brad Pitt, and Jonah Hill getting nominated for Oscars.
All in all, good film, I will give 4 out of 5 stars.
Cheers
Mragendra Singh
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Monday, September 19, 2011
Drive
I wanted to see Contagion but we decided to go and see Drive, starring Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston and Albert Brooks.
While walking into the theater I had no clue what was this movie all about I only knew Ryan Gosling and Bryan Cranston is in it. Lately we started watching Breaking Bad hence my inclination to watch Bryan Cranston doing something else then cooking crystal meth. All in all my expectation was set to 0, I will not say negative because it first of all sound pretentious and secondly, every movie needs a fair chance.
So, back to Drive, The opening of the movie was unpredictable (spoiler alert!) when we go to these kind of movie where you know from the reek of it that this movie is filled with action and explosion however, this movie started with a twist, they set you up for a car chase but then show it from altogether different perceptive, He is not Popeye Doyle who is driving rashly on street, but he has finesse in his driving that what we experience as he is being chased by the cops.
Ryan's character had no name in the film, he was either referred as Kid or Driver. His character is eccentric in some ways, not very expressive types. He observes and thinks. And every once in a while smiles. Story is pretty Ok.Bryan Cranston character(i.e. Shannon) kind of do most of the talking on his behalf. We know from the get go (Spolier Alert!!!) that Shanon will die. Unlike most action film this film have element of surprise, and very graphic scene I kept catching myself say S$%# and F*&# a lot .
The total estimated budget for the film is 13 million dollars. Looks like shot on location mostly. Which is cool, and very inspiring for filmmakers.
I will like to talk more elaborately about the Cinematography first. Especially for the moving car shots, I think the choice of shooting most of in the night paid off, I do not know if the DP was thinking the same, but they always shot him making decisions while he is driving at night mostly, the different light from the business falling on his face not only establishes that he is driving in a business area but it also kind of show his internal turmoil. Moreover, I think director was smart to use the light as the medium to express the character inner thoughts.
Long pauses tend to be boring while we are watching a film, it generally feels like the editor is newbie , However , in this film there are a lot of long pauses and with out any sound track which kind of leaves the audience hanging in anticipation. Again for filmmakers this movie is great example of how to break cliche.
All in all its an entertaining film, Oscar worthy, can't say yet. I will give 3 stars out of 5
cheers
Mragendra
While walking into the theater I had no clue what was this movie all about I only knew Ryan Gosling and Bryan Cranston is in it. Lately we started watching Breaking Bad hence my inclination to watch Bryan Cranston doing something else then cooking crystal meth. All in all my expectation was set to 0, I will not say negative because it first of all sound pretentious and secondly, every movie needs a fair chance.
So, back to Drive, The opening of the movie was unpredictable (spoiler alert!) when we go to these kind of movie where you know from the reek of it that this movie is filled with action and explosion however, this movie started with a twist, they set you up for a car chase but then show it from altogether different perceptive, He is not Popeye Doyle who is driving rashly on street, but he has finesse in his driving that what we experience as he is being chased by the cops.
Ryan's character had no name in the film, he was either referred as Kid or Driver. His character is eccentric in some ways, not very expressive types. He observes and thinks. And every once in a while smiles. Story is pretty Ok.Bryan Cranston character(i.e. Shannon) kind of do most of the talking on his behalf. We know from the get go (Spolier Alert!!!) that Shanon will die. Unlike most action film this film have element of surprise, and very graphic scene I kept catching myself say S$%# and F*&# a lot .
The total estimated budget for the film is 13 million dollars. Looks like shot on location mostly. Which is cool, and very inspiring for filmmakers.
I will like to talk more elaborately about the Cinematography first. Especially for the moving car shots, I think the choice of shooting most of in the night paid off, I do not know if the DP was thinking the same, but they always shot him making decisions while he is driving at night mostly, the different light from the business falling on his face not only establishes that he is driving in a business area but it also kind of show his internal turmoil. Moreover, I think director was smart to use the light as the medium to express the character inner thoughts.
Long pauses tend to be boring while we are watching a film, it generally feels like the editor is newbie , However , in this film there are a lot of long pauses and with out any sound track which kind of leaves the audience hanging in anticipation. Again for filmmakers this movie is great example of how to break cliche.
All in all its an entertaining film, Oscar worthy, can't say yet. I will give 3 stars out of 5
cheers
Mragendra
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
The Help, is not a chick flick.
There are very few movies in this day and age which are neither a franchise nor a remake. Summer is officially over and sadly there are only a handful movies, I can think of falls into the category of original films. Fortunately The Help is one of it.
However, before I go further, I want state a fact, as the movies which are based on real events addressing socio-political views cannot be considered as "Chick Flicks." Don't get me wrong I do not mind any kind of movie. Also being a filmmaker myself one thing I don't really care about while watching a film is its genre. But just want to throw it out there that "The Help" is not a Chick Flick.
The Help is based on a novel by Kathryn Stockett. The story takes place in Jackson, Mississippi in 1960s, with racism on its prime. Its the story about how Skeeter ( Emma Stone), with the help of two Maids, Aibileen (Viola Davis) and Minny (Octavia Spencer ) successfully publishes a book, "The Help". Which is mainly written from the view point of the maids who are working in white families.
As far as the story is concerned , it is very well structured , in an engaging way. This is a very genuine film. The actors are great, especially Hilly (Bryce Dallas Howard).
The camera work was great, But I think they could have made the same impactful film without those aerial shots, but again for the cinematic point of view it just does the justice to the story. Score was one of the things which stood out to me, it was so well done as if felt like it belonged there. Good sound coverage. All in all a movie which deserve to be seen in theater. I am so thankful that it is not 3D.
Hollywood is just going for 3D overkill now. I mean the one thing which filmmaker should be paying attention most should be the story of the film rather then all the mumbo jumbo they put in. This movie is actually a very effective way of telling that yeah a good film just need a good story.
On my scale of 5 I will definitely give 4 out of 5.
Cheers
Mragendra
However, before I go further, I want state a fact, as the movies which are based on real events addressing socio-political views cannot be considered as "Chick Flicks." Don't get me wrong I do not mind any kind of movie. Also being a filmmaker myself one thing I don't really care about while watching a film is its genre. But just want to throw it out there that "The Help" is not a Chick Flick.
The Help is based on a novel by Kathryn Stockett. The story takes place in Jackson, Mississippi in 1960s, with racism on its prime. Its the story about how Skeeter ( Emma Stone), with the help of two Maids, Aibileen (Viola Davis) and Minny (Octavia Spencer ) successfully publishes a book, "The Help". Which is mainly written from the view point of the maids who are working in white families.
As far as the story is concerned , it is very well structured , in an engaging way. This is a very genuine film. The actors are great, especially Hilly (Bryce Dallas Howard).
The camera work was great, But I think they could have made the same impactful film without those aerial shots, but again for the cinematic point of view it just does the justice to the story. Score was one of the things which stood out to me, it was so well done as if felt like it belonged there. Good sound coverage. All in all a movie which deserve to be seen in theater. I am so thankful that it is not 3D.
Hollywood is just going for 3D overkill now. I mean the one thing which filmmaker should be paying attention most should be the story of the film rather then all the mumbo jumbo they put in. This movie is actually a very effective way of telling that yeah a good film just need a good story.
On my scale of 5 I will definitely give 4 out of 5.
Cheers
Mragendra
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Human Centipede
I never imagined I would be writing a review for this movie. *SPOILER ALERT*(if you don't already know) - This is the story about a demented scientist who wants to create human centipede.
It was really a torture to watch the whole film but I managed to finish it, just because I kind of dared myself.
Despite the horrid visuals the film is shot pretty good. Whole filming is done digitally, in one major location, which is a big house. I will talk about the production design in a second but one logic escapes my mind, how they end up spending 1.5 Million Euros(courtsey IMDB) on a film like this?
I mean as far as production design is concerned, it was great, well suited for the film's mood. The paintings on the wall, the hidden operation room in the cellar, was very clever, but 1.5 Mil not convinced.
Practical effects and makeup was also dead on, but doesn't justify the cost.
Acting was pretty decent, by all the actors. The pain and suffering was so real that it was making me hard to watch it, hence I call this experience a travesty.
As per box office mojo it made on 181,467 USD.
I think this movie just fits perfectly in the horror genre, However, I think the filmmaker took this movie to the next level. Which ofcourse a filmmaker should do, I will commend him for that, in the case of Human Centipede it just did not work out. I mean when people hear how Dr Heiter( the demented scientist) creates the human centipede, it gross them out and they choose not to watch it.
Now lets talk about story, till the time he was working on the Human centipede it was kind of interesting but once the human centipede is created, story just halts , nothing happens, looks like the writer thought how we end it? how about sending some cops and then Dr Heiter should screwup.BINGO! In my opinion it was the easy way out.
Do I regret watching it, I would say no because it made me realize how much gore and atrocities I can handle on TV. But I plan not to see the sequel.
Cheers
Mragendra
It was really a torture to watch the whole film but I managed to finish it, just because I kind of dared myself.
Despite the horrid visuals the film is shot pretty good. Whole filming is done digitally, in one major location, which is a big house. I will talk about the production design in a second but one logic escapes my mind, how they end up spending 1.5 Million Euros(courtsey IMDB) on a film like this?
I mean as far as production design is concerned, it was great, well suited for the film's mood. The paintings on the wall, the hidden operation room in the cellar, was very clever, but 1.5 Mil not convinced.
Practical effects and makeup was also dead on, but doesn't justify the cost.
Acting was pretty decent, by all the actors. The pain and suffering was so real that it was making me hard to watch it, hence I call this experience a travesty.
As per box office mojo it made on 181,467 USD.
I think this movie just fits perfectly in the horror genre, However, I think the filmmaker took this movie to the next level. Which ofcourse a filmmaker should do, I will commend him for that, in the case of Human Centipede it just did not work out. I mean when people hear how Dr Heiter( the demented scientist) creates the human centipede, it gross them out and they choose not to watch it.
Now lets talk about story, till the time he was working on the Human centipede it was kind of interesting but once the human centipede is created, story just halts , nothing happens, looks like the writer thought how we end it? how about sending some cops and then Dr Heiter should screwup.BINGO! In my opinion it was the easy way out.
Do I regret watching it, I would say no because it made me realize how much gore and atrocities I can handle on TV. But I plan not to see the sequel.
Cheers
Mragendra
Monday, October 18, 2010
The Question...
It's time to "pop" the big questions and Paul[Nathan Doughty] (being a bit of a worry-wart) is concerned that he might just screw up the most important moment of his (and his girlfriend Michelle's[Heather Shaw] life). Just as he gets ready to go, he realizes that he has misplaced the ring, or did he?
This is a 2 minute short film we made for a movie making contest called "Monthly Movie Madness" conducted by Emerging Artist Productions.
Please feel free to leave comments and concerns.
To view full cast and crew please click here: http://thequestionfilm.webs.com/
We also like to give special thanks to San Pedro Wine and Bistro, San Jose.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Mission Inaudible!
This is the video we have created for a contest check it out ...it is hilarious!!!
Monday, March 22, 2010
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Back from Hiatus!
I will start today's blog with this thought on mine feel free comment on it:
Most people live their lives as per the norms....trying to fit in one picture...is it sad ?
I think it is not sad because that is the extent most people can think of. Just a thought...be back with more of these one-liners.
Cheers
Most people live their lives as per the norms....trying to fit in one picture...is it sad ?
I think it is not sad because that is the extent most people can think of. Just a thought...be back with more of these one-liners.
Cheers
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Snow: A short story
He was walking back from work after a long and bad day. He was thinking what had happened wrong. This day started with the usual stuff till his wife called him at work.
"Yeah Eleanor," he continued," What happened?"
" I cannot do this any more."
" What you are talking about?"
" We are done CJ."
"What? Everything was fine in the morning what happened?"
" I am having an affair with Glen"
"So, you called me to tell me on phone that you are sleeping with my best friend and now you are leaving me," asked CJ furiously.
"Yeah, sorry but I cannot do this any more," she hung up.
CJ was still in shock about his wife's infidelity and his boss asked him come to his office.
CJ opened the door," You wanted to see me Don?"
" Yeah CJ, can you come inside and be sure to lock the door."
CJ locked the door and took his seat.
" So, what's up?" asked CJ.
"Why are you looking like crap?" asked Don.
" Nothing just something happened in my family. See, I am not in mood for chit chat now. Can we jump on the business right away Don?"
"Yeah, sure. Actually you know the Glenard's account?"
"Are you kidding me? That guy is a D%^&k."
"Yeah, I know and they are suing us, however, they will not sue us only in one condition."
"And that is ?" asked CJ.
" Management has decided to let you go."
" What? Why?"
" They don't want to pay millions of dollars in a court case in this kind of economy. So, I have to ask you to clean the space. Sorry!"
CJ was deeply disappointed. Everything has to happen before holidays. He had plans for Christmas. He was sad. He parked his car and started walking back to his home. And suddenly he felt something very cold on his nose. He looked up and he saw snow flakes all over the sky. They started showering on him. This was the first snowfall of the season. He chuckled with delight as he noticed it, he forgot all the bad things happened to him and started enjoying the snow. Then he realized the importance of living in the moment.
"Yeah Eleanor," he continued," What happened?"
" I cannot do this any more."
" What you are talking about?"
" We are done CJ."
"What? Everything was fine in the morning what happened?"
" I am having an affair with Glen"
"So, you called me to tell me on phone that you are sleeping with my best friend and now you are leaving me," asked CJ furiously.
"Yeah, sorry but I cannot do this any more," she hung up.
CJ was still in shock about his wife's infidelity and his boss asked him come to his office.
CJ opened the door," You wanted to see me Don?"
" Yeah CJ, can you come inside and be sure to lock the door."
CJ locked the door and took his seat.
" So, what's up?" asked CJ.
"Why are you looking like crap?" asked Don.
" Nothing just something happened in my family. See, I am not in mood for chit chat now. Can we jump on the business right away Don?"
"Yeah, sure. Actually you know the Glenard's account?"
"Are you kidding me? That guy is a D%^&k."
"Yeah, I know and they are suing us, however, they will not sue us only in one condition."
"And that is ?" asked CJ.
" Management has decided to let you go."
" What? Why?"
" They don't want to pay millions of dollars in a court case in this kind of economy. So, I have to ask you to clean the space. Sorry!"
CJ was deeply disappointed. Everything has to happen before holidays. He had plans for Christmas. He was sad. He parked his car and started walking back to his home. And suddenly he felt something very cold on his nose. He looked up and he saw snow flakes all over the sky. They started showering on him. This was the first snowfall of the season. He chuckled with delight as he noticed it, he forgot all the bad things happened to him and started enjoying the snow. Then he realized the importance of living in the moment.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Confrontation: Is It a Bliss or Curse?
Yeah is it this something which most of us try to avoid as much as we can?
So, what is confrontation? We all know that we are not perfect, but for some reason we try to ignore that fact and see ourselves as flawless creatures; the epitome of awesomeness. I am not saying there is anything wrong with it, one should be proud of him or herself. However, sometimes it is very good to accept our imperfections. On the contrary, people tend to run away from it and live a peaceful life of self denial. So, when these people see their actual reflection in the mirror of confrontation they seriously freak out.
Now, confrontations can be bliss in the ideal world. People will appreciate the one person who confronted him or her. Lets take an example, remind you, this is ideal world experience: A guy walked to his friend put his hand on his shoulder and suggested him to use a deodorant, or advised him not to eat beans at lunch in order to spare other people around him. The friend will hug the person and remember the advice next time, and in the ideal world they would become best friends since that day. One more? Okay lets take the example of a dating couple. No no no I am not talking about bedroom experience; dirty minds. I am talking about the general complaints the girls have with their boyfriends," you never listen to me." Isn't that sounds awful lot familiar? So again in the idealistic world the boyfriend will apologize right away, I told you earlier that this is the ideal world example. Coming back to the apology, he will say "I am sorry and from now on I will listen to everything you will say," and then they lived happily ever after.
So my question is, do we live in the ideal world? Do we? Lets take this two ideal world examples in the real world. The guy confronts his friend with his body odor issue or bad gas issue in real world. Now, his friend will get mad at him if he is lucky else things might get bad from worse. People are very cautious about these two issues. In real world this confrontation will cost the confrontationist his friend. Second case, the guys answer to the girlfriend's usual question, " you never listen to me," would be, "yes, I do listen and I don't know why you bring up these stupid issues." Thus, we wonder why so many people end up single at the end.
Confrontations can be bliss and curse at the same time. It also depends on how people face their fears? Nobody wants to be told what to do and how to do things, and confrontation might also make one feels like being attacked or patronized. Honestly, ideally it is good to be confronted with my fears and imperfections but realistically I don't know if I have that much caliber to handle it. I think keeping open mind helps a lot. So , I will like to mention this cool concepts I saw in the movie 2012 ; they showed Dalai Lama in the movie talking with one of his disciples. The disciple had some doubts and as a result of it, he was not very sure with the outcome. Dalai Lama starts poring tea in his disciple's cup, the cup started to fill to the brim, however Dalai Lama didn't stop, on the other hand, he keeps on pouring and pouring, thus the tea started spilling all over. Then he smiles and says keep your cup of knowledge always empty because once you think its filled then you cannot fit more valuable knowledge into it. So, if we see it from this angle I think confrontations are worth the pain :D.
Cheers
MS
So, what is confrontation? We all know that we are not perfect, but for some reason we try to ignore that fact and see ourselves as flawless creatures; the epitome of awesomeness. I am not saying there is anything wrong with it, one should be proud of him or herself. However, sometimes it is very good to accept our imperfections. On the contrary, people tend to run away from it and live a peaceful life of self denial. So, when these people see their actual reflection in the mirror of confrontation they seriously freak out.
Now, confrontations can be bliss in the ideal world. People will appreciate the one person who confronted him or her. Lets take an example, remind you, this is ideal world experience: A guy walked to his friend put his hand on his shoulder and suggested him to use a deodorant, or advised him not to eat beans at lunch in order to spare other people around him. The friend will hug the person and remember the advice next time, and in the ideal world they would become best friends since that day. One more? Okay lets take the example of a dating couple. No no no I am not talking about bedroom experience; dirty minds. I am talking about the general complaints the girls have with their boyfriends," you never listen to me." Isn't that sounds awful lot familiar? So again in the idealistic world the boyfriend will apologize right away, I told you earlier that this is the ideal world example. Coming back to the apology, he will say "I am sorry and from now on I will listen to everything you will say," and then they lived happily ever after.
So my question is, do we live in the ideal world? Do we? Lets take this two ideal world examples in the real world. The guy confronts his friend with his body odor issue or bad gas issue in real world. Now, his friend will get mad at him if he is lucky else things might get bad from worse. People are very cautious about these two issues. In real world this confrontation will cost the confrontationist his friend. Second case, the guys answer to the girlfriend's usual question, " you never listen to me," would be, "yes, I do listen and I don't know why you bring up these stupid issues." Thus, we wonder why so many people end up single at the end.
Confrontations can be bliss and curse at the same time. It also depends on how people face their fears? Nobody wants to be told what to do and how to do things, and confrontation might also make one feels like being attacked or patronized. Honestly, ideally it is good to be confronted with my fears and imperfections but realistically I don't know if I have that much caliber to handle it. I think keeping open mind helps a lot. So , I will like to mention this cool concepts I saw in the movie 2012 ; they showed Dalai Lama in the movie talking with one of his disciples. The disciple had some doubts and as a result of it, he was not very sure with the outcome. Dalai Lama starts poring tea in his disciple's cup, the cup started to fill to the brim, however Dalai Lama didn't stop, on the other hand, he keeps on pouring and pouring, thus the tea started spilling all over. Then he smiles and says keep your cup of knowledge always empty because once you think its filled then you cannot fit more valuable knowledge into it. So, if we see it from this angle I think confrontations are worth the pain :D.
Cheers
MS
Monday, November 9, 2009
Hollywood Classics:North By North West
I am starting this section here Hollywood Classics.
So, past week we ordered 'North by North West' on Netflix. This Hitchcock's flick is considered one of the Hollywood classics. From time to time I have seen many renditions and heard referenced about the "Air plane shooting" scene from this movie. Carry Grant in the main lead was also one of the factors why I wanted to watch the movie. We have decided to watch movie on Sunday afternoon when there is not a lot going on and we wanted to just lay back and relax. However, it was not that much relaxing as we were expecting it to be, the DVD was stopping horribly in the beginning. I took it out then washed it under the tap water and for our surprise it was working fine.
The movie starts with Carry Grant dictating letter to his secretary in an elevator . Followed by his abduction after few minutes in the movie. His character was Roger Thornhill, Add men from Madison Avenue.n His performance was great as usual. The plot takes time to buildup but when it is build up it gets more interesting. Although, being a suspense thriller, it has a lot of jokes which also work in the favor of plot.
I will recommend this movie to be on the "to-watch" list. All in all great script, direction wise unbeatable, entertainment wise awesome. Few things might look dated however rest of the movie is very relevant to these times.
Cheers
MS
So, past week we ordered 'North by North West' on Netflix. This Hitchcock's flick is considered one of the Hollywood classics. From time to time I have seen many renditions and heard referenced about the "Air plane shooting" scene from this movie. Carry Grant in the main lead was also one of the factors why I wanted to watch the movie. We have decided to watch movie on Sunday afternoon when there is not a lot going on and we wanted to just lay back and relax. However, it was not that much relaxing as we were expecting it to be, the DVD was stopping horribly in the beginning. I took it out then washed it under the tap water and for our surprise it was working fine.
The movie starts with Carry Grant dictating letter to his secretary in an elevator . Followed by his abduction after few minutes in the movie. His character was Roger Thornhill, Add men from Madison Avenue.n His performance was great as usual. The plot takes time to buildup but when it is build up it gets more interesting. Although, being a suspense thriller, it has a lot of jokes which also work in the favor of plot.
I will recommend this movie to be on the "to-watch" list. All in all great script, direction wise unbeatable, entertainment wise awesome. Few things might look dated however rest of the movie is very relevant to these times.
Cheers
MS
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Paranormal Activity!!!!
So, we saw the paranormal activity and thought of just ridiculing it...here is what we got.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Guns Vs Gays: Are you serious?
People always keep me wondering about these two issues: guns and gays. So, if you are suffering from severe homophobia or you are running away from confrontations your entire life, I suggest you not read this article.
Recently, the law of gay marriage was rejected in the beautiful state of Maine. Plus, I found out in an article that 31 other states have also rejected (including the liberal state, a.k.a. California) the concept of two people of the same sex going in any matrimonial union. I have a question for the government: what are you thinking and what are you trying to accomplish by these self contradictory laws? The logic behind this escapes my mind. If we take a closer look I think the government is trying to play the divide and rule game among liberal and conservatives. First, the state governments declared same-sex marriage legal just to lure the homosexual community and for that matter the whole liberal vote bank . So, when they think that the liberals are happy now, it is time to please the conservatives. So, they go for a public vote on this law. Obviously most of the states' majority consists of straight populations and this is a very big deciding factor while handling this issue. Therefore, the majority wins. However, is it justifiable to discriminate somebody's right because he or she is gay?
Now, lets talk about guns. Yes, it is our birthright to own a gun , but come on, think about it: in the last 24 hours there were two shootings in two different states. Yes, I heard this argument several times, ' People kill people, guns don't.' But guns make it easy. Now people have another argument that is, if there are no guns then the killers will find some other weapons. I agree , but what would that weapon be - knife, stone, or may be a baseball bat. So, in order to use any of these alternative weapons one needs a lot of strength to actually kill a person. One more benefit is since it requires a lot of power and hard work, people will have to actually come up with a plan instead of just walking and shooting. Moreover, the impact, by impact I mean body count, will not be as high as when guns are involved.
Gun owners always claim that it is their right as per second amendment, to lawfully own a gun. So, why do we have a right to own a gun but not a right to marry whomever we choose?I find it kind of strange that it is okay to own killing machine but it is not okay for people in love to get married and spread the love. I personally think if people are allowed to carry guns then two people who love each other should be allowed to get married irrespective of their orientation.
Cheers
MS.
P.S. Please pass this around and help in generating awareness.
Recently, the law of gay marriage was rejected in the beautiful state of Maine. Plus, I found out in an article that 31 other states have also rejected (including the liberal state, a.k.a. California) the concept of two people of the same sex going in any matrimonial union. I have a question for the government: what are you thinking and what are you trying to accomplish by these self contradictory laws? The logic behind this escapes my mind. If we take a closer look I think the government is trying to play the divide and rule game among liberal and conservatives. First, the state governments declared same-sex marriage legal just to lure the homosexual community and for that matter the whole liberal vote bank . So, when they think that the liberals are happy now, it is time to please the conservatives. So, they go for a public vote on this law. Obviously most of the states' majority consists of straight populations and this is a very big deciding factor while handling this issue. Therefore, the majority wins. However, is it justifiable to discriminate somebody's right because he or she is gay?
Now, lets talk about guns. Yes, it is our birthright to own a gun , but come on, think about it: in the last 24 hours there were two shootings in two different states. Yes, I heard this argument several times, ' People kill people, guns don't.' But guns make it easy. Now people have another argument that is, if there are no guns then the killers will find some other weapons. I agree , but what would that weapon be - knife, stone, or may be a baseball bat. So, in order to use any of these alternative weapons one needs a lot of strength to actually kill a person. One more benefit is since it requires a lot of power and hard work, people will have to actually come up with a plan instead of just walking and shooting. Moreover, the impact, by impact I mean body count, will not be as high as when guns are involved.
Gun owners always claim that it is their right as per second amendment, to lawfully own a gun. So, why do we have a right to own a gun but not a right to marry whomever we choose?I find it kind of strange that it is okay to own killing machine but it is not okay for people in love to get married and spread the love. I personally think if people are allowed to carry guns then two people who love each other should be allowed to get married irrespective of their orientation.
Cheers
MS.
P.S. Please pass this around and help in generating awareness.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Believe "IT" or not: The Mystery of Evil Clown
Plot:
It all starts with kids getting killed mysteriously in Derry, ME. Nobody knows who is killing the children of the town, except one guy who knows "IT" is back. He and his friends have defeated that demonic evil clown 30 years ago however, now it is again haunting the little town of Derry. This whole story is about seven friends, who are living their lives separately but get back together after 30 years to finish "IT."
Overall, the whole series is interesting and very well done for a show aired in 90s. Tim Curry was brilliant being IT a.k.a. Pennywise. The child actors were great too and one interesting fact: Seth Green still looks the same. The grownup actors were alright; not that great. However IT was good enough to keep us hooked for three and half hours.
We liked the series but not very pleased with the ending. The director, Tommy Lee Wallace, was very good in keeping the suspense till the very end. But the climax didn't work out great. It felt like the whole thing was buildup for nothing. The first half is obviously better then the second half, no doubt. However,there is always room for improvement. I will also say that seeing IT in these day n age does make the effects look poorly done, but you know it was very well suited for 90s and IT is considered as one of the horror classics. Therefore, I will say "IT" is good.
Overall, the whole series is interesting and very well done for a show aired in 90s. Tim Curry was brilliant being IT a.k.a. Pennywise. The child actors were great too and one interesting fact: Seth Green still looks the same. The grownup actors were alright; not that great. However IT was good enough to keep us hooked for three and half hours.We liked the series but not very pleased with the ending. The director, Tommy Lee Wallace, was very good in keeping the suspense till the very end. But the climax didn't work out great. It felt like the whole thing was buildup for nothing. The first half is obviously better then the second half, no doubt. However,there is always room for improvement. I will also say that seeing IT in these day n age does make the effects look poorly done, but you know it was very well suited for 90s and IT is considered as one of the horror classics. Therefore, I will say "IT" is good.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
The Film Club: Review
The word film always excites me . Since I was five, I've always enjoyed watching movies. Even though, growing up we were not allowed to watch a lot of movies. My love for cinema increased with age. English not being my first language kept me away from watching English films till the age of seventeen; since then I have watched a lot of English movies, including classics. So, a book about film naturally grabs my attention, but I was very reluctant to get hooked to another book when I have a lot to accomplish. My girlfriend also wanted to read the same book , so we got a copy of 'the Film Club' from the local library. She read it first and after completing it she told me that this is one book which I would really appreciate. I was very apprehensive about reading it, but I started reading anyways. A couple pages later I said," I am hooked on this book."
To say it in one sentence: this is a story about a father and son who watched a lot of films together. It sounds boring, doesn't it? I felt the same way, I said to my self ," why do I need to know what movies they watched together? However, after reading a few pages, I realized it is a story about a father and son. Both of them are in different stages of life. Son is sixteen years old and he is dealing with all the teenage issues like hating to go to school and girls. The father is dealing with his own life along with being a dad to a sixteen year old. This story also depicts how they see the world and how their relationship evolves.
David Gilmour, is the author of the book "The Film Club". It is based on true story ; his life. It also covers a lot of classics and little juicy bits about the movies which avid movie fans will like to know. The writing style is very creative ; the author made sure that he is doing justice to the story along with movies. Plus it is not very hard to read, very entertaining and keeps you hooked.
Cheers
Mragendra
To say it in one sentence: this is a story about a father and son who watched a lot of films together. It sounds boring, doesn't it? I felt the same way, I said to my self ," why do I need to know what movies they watched together? However, after reading a few pages, I realized it is a story about a father and son. Both of them are in different stages of life. Son is sixteen years old and he is dealing with all the teenage issues like hating to go to school and girls. The father is dealing with his own life along with being a dad to a sixteen year old. This story also depicts how they see the world and how their relationship evolves.
David Gilmour, is the author of the book "The Film Club". It is based on true story ; his life. It also covers a lot of classics and little juicy bits about the movies which avid movie fans will like to know. The writing style is very creative ; the author made sure that he is doing justice to the story along with movies. Plus it is not very hard to read, very entertaining and keeps you hooked.
Cheers
Mragendra
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Village WITCHES : Consequence of superstitoon and illiteracy
It is Halloween time, so discussion about witches and witchcraft will sounds commonplace.However, recently five women were tortured for allegedly being witches in India. The details can be seen on http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8315980.stm
It is so horrendous that people in third world countries still believe in ghosts, witches and all sort of superstitions. I blame the the illiteracy as the contributing factor towards this kind of behavior. This is neither the first case that ever happened nor that last case that we will see. This incidences are very common in the rural India.
India is one of the fastest developing countries. When people talk about IT , economics , and for that matter, any thing ; India will always be mentioned. India is competing with developed countries in all the aspects, head to head;shoulder to shoulder. People love Indian cuisine, Bollywood is one of the biggest movie industry of the world; they make more movies per year than Hollywood. However, apart from this developed side there is one aspect of India which negates the entire achievement of it as a country. The underdevelopment of Indian villages.
Majorly people in rural India depend upon agriculture as occupation. However, farming in India is not the most coveted profession and farmers are not the rich people. Most farmers in India live below poverty line. They have not enough money to feed their families. The whole family work hard to get the bare minimum to survive. Generally these villages are deprived with the basic necessities like electricity and water supply. In some villages ladies have to walk ten miles to get a gallon of water, everyday.
Generally education is not very popular concept among the villagers. Government of India, spends million of dollars to create awareness in rural areas about literacy; but it is not impacting the masses.Corruption also have a part in it ,but that is another can of worms.However, the school enrollment among the kids in villages is increasing day by day. Though, it doesn't change the fact that there are still uneducated superstitious people living in the villages; who believe in ghost, and witches.
The lack of education also stops people to think rationally. Although,Social evils like discrimination on the basis of Caste, Child Marriage, and Dowry are illegal ;they are still being practiced in the villages. Yes, in this day and age. If you are unfamiliar with these words I will suggest to google them. I mean discrimination on the basis of caste not only exist in smaller villages but also in big cities. Several, ladies are still being burnt alive because of dowry all over the country. Every once in a while there is news of child marriage in the news paper.
So, when I saw this news I was not shocked actually; however, felt sad about the situation. I think I was fortunate not to be born in any of those conditions and be able to get education so that I will be able to distinguish between right and wrong. These, villages needs awareness so that people living in villages encourage their kids to go to school and help in eradicating the whole concept of superstition.
Cheers
P.S. If you loved this or you hated it to the core or you are in middle somewhere please leave a comment and let me know how you feel about it.
It is so horrendous that people in third world countries still believe in ghosts, witches and all sort of superstitions. I blame the the illiteracy as the contributing factor towards this kind of behavior. This is neither the first case that ever happened nor that last case that we will see. This incidences are very common in the rural India.
India is one of the fastest developing countries. When people talk about IT , economics , and for that matter, any thing ; India will always be mentioned. India is competing with developed countries in all the aspects, head to head;shoulder to shoulder. People love Indian cuisine, Bollywood is one of the biggest movie industry of the world; they make more movies per year than Hollywood. However, apart from this developed side there is one aspect of India which negates the entire achievement of it as a country. The underdevelopment of Indian villages.
Majorly people in rural India depend upon agriculture as occupation. However, farming in India is not the most coveted profession and farmers are not the rich people. Most farmers in India live below poverty line. They have not enough money to feed their families. The whole family work hard to get the bare minimum to survive. Generally these villages are deprived with the basic necessities like electricity and water supply. In some villages ladies have to walk ten miles to get a gallon of water, everyday.
Generally education is not very popular concept among the villagers. Government of India, spends million of dollars to create awareness in rural areas about literacy; but it is not impacting the masses.Corruption also have a part in it ,but that is another can of worms.However, the school enrollment among the kids in villages is increasing day by day. Though, it doesn't change the fact that there are still uneducated superstitious people living in the villages; who believe in ghost, and witches.
The lack of education also stops people to think rationally. Although,Social evils like discrimination on the basis of Caste, Child Marriage, and Dowry are illegal ;they are still being practiced in the villages. Yes, in this day and age. If you are unfamiliar with these words I will suggest to google them. I mean discrimination on the basis of caste not only exist in smaller villages but also in big cities. Several, ladies are still being burnt alive because of dowry all over the country. Every once in a while there is news of child marriage in the news paper.
So, when I saw this news I was not shocked actually; however, felt sad about the situation. I think I was fortunate not to be born in any of those conditions and be able to get education so that I will be able to distinguish between right and wrong. These, villages needs awareness so that people living in villages encourage their kids to go to school and help in eradicating the whole concept of superstition.
Cheers
P.S. If you loved this or you hated it to the core or you are in middle somewhere please leave a comment and let me know how you feel about it.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Mad-Men: The Review
This AMC drama's takes place in 1960s. The show mainly depicts the life of people working Madison Ave New York in that era. Advertising, was emerging as a full blown industry in the same time as well. This drama revolves around the creative head, Don Draper, of the Advertising firm " Sterling and Cooper". There are other important characters as well in the show, to name a few Peggy Olson, Betty Draper, Roger Sterling,and Pete Campbell etc.
It is fascinating that how brilliantly the creators has delineated the mindset of people living in those times. It shows, how there was no such thing as sexual harassment exist back in those days. Women, in offices are not treated equally. Racism, adultery , and drunk driving was very prevalent. It also shows how people use to carry themselves in the social circles.
So, as far as screen play is concerned, it is written brilliantly. They did their homework very well. It doesn't look like a made up story. It also shows how the whole advertising industry became so big from being a very unthinkable occupation. They made sure it looks authentic.Few things I will like to mention are; The cigarette smoking,the alcohol consumption, the clothing style, and the setup it make it look more believable.
It is fascinating that how brilliantly the creators has delineated the mindset of people living in those times. It shows, how there was no such thing as sexual harassment exist back in those days. Women, in offices are not treated equally. Racism, adultery , and drunk driving was very prevalent. It also shows how people use to carry themselves in the social circles.
So, as far as screen play is concerned, it is written brilliantly. They did their homework very well. It doesn't look like a made up story. It also shows how the whole advertising industry became so big from being a very unthinkable occupation. They made sure it looks authentic.Few things I will like to mention are; The cigarette smoking,the alcohol consumption, the clothing style, and the setup it make it look more believable.
Over all the show is a good combination of creativity and originality. It keeps one hooked; very addicting.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Commercials Between the shows; don't you love it
You are watching your favorite Crime Drama, or your favorite game show or your favorite reality show; you are getting into the show and then animated detergent particles appears on the TV screen dancing and singing about their cleaning strength followed by a car commercial. You get the point; it spoils the mood. One thing I promise about this blog , there will be no commercials :).
TV is filled with either TV shows or Commercials. Who gets excited about commercials? No one; I mean, they are really annoying. They have no skin, they just drop by whenever they feel like. OK, I have to say commercials are not always bad. There are some great commercials which are very entertaining. However, the sad part is that they are not that many.
My problem is with all the commercials which are boring and they last forever. I hate the especially infomercials (Information Commercials). They are one of the most cheesy things I have ever seen. So, these infomercials always has some sort of great inventions which will transform your life forever. Once you get that product you will get all the virtues in the world. You are now confident all the girls wants to hangout with you and suddenly you became rich. Infomercials always have 'before' and 'after' concept;Before this person was such a loser and after using the product he is Super hero. For my astonishment these infomercials actually works on the people. Apparently, people buy a lot of things from these infomercials. Since we are talking of infomercials it will be shame if we don't discuss"Snuggie". This product is the most ridiculed product; however, Snuggie made $80 million since it came out, even in this economy. Recently , they came out with new designs for Snuggies i.e. Zebra and Leopard print.
Now lets talk about some of the good and creative commercials. The commercials which actually make you laugh and helps you in remembering the products they are endorsing. For instance Geico commercials are one of the most liked commercial;especially the Cave-men commercials. Their tag line:"15 minutes can save you 15 % on insurance" actually helps in remembering about their services . So, when you think of insurance the first thing comes to mind is Geico. Contraceptive, commercials are also very creative ones too; unfortunately majority of those commercials gets banned before they even get aired. If you want to check out those commercial go on www.youtube.com and look for banned commercials; there are loads and loads of banned commercials and these are the commercials which are funny and entertaining.
Now, lets talk about the commercials which are boring and they infuriates us when it comes on tele. Erectile dysfunction commercials are the worst. They show a couple doing outdoor activities and the narrator is talking in double entendre. I will consider those ED commercials are poorly made also how can you solve bedroom problems in outdoors. It giving out the wrong message. Now second worst commercials are car commercials. They start out interesting only to kill your suspense by showing a car in the end. When I see some interesting commercial, I hope it doesn't end up as car commercials. Let talk about the commercials which talk about "those days" or "monthly gift". I mean, do you really need to show on TV at prime-time how much liquid a sanitary pad can soak in a day. I mean there are many other ways to skin the cat advertising agencies should find a good way to represent it.
In this day and age how many people do you think actually watch the commercials during the shows?The answer is not a lot of people. Generally the TV commercials focus on a market segment and the people in that market segment already have TiVos or DVRs where they can record the shows and watch whenever they want "Commercial Less". So, they don't have to go through the pain of seeing people wearing Snuggie and talking on the phone or any of the ED commercials. I think it will be good if the agencies will start coming up with the cool commercials so that when viewers are interrupted by commercials during their favorite show they don't get miserable.
Cheers
P.S. If you loved this or you hated it to the core or you are in middle somewhere please leave a comment and let me know how you feel about it.
TV is filled with either TV shows or Commercials. Who gets excited about commercials? No one; I mean, they are really annoying. They have no skin, they just drop by whenever they feel like. OK, I have to say commercials are not always bad. There are some great commercials which are very entertaining. However, the sad part is that they are not that many.
My problem is with all the commercials which are boring and they last forever. I hate the especially infomercials (Information Commercials). They are one of the most cheesy things I have ever seen. So, these infomercials always has some sort of great inventions which will transform your life forever. Once you get that product you will get all the virtues in the world. You are now confident all the girls wants to hangout with you and suddenly you became rich. Infomercials always have 'before' and 'after' concept;Before this person was such a loser and after using the product he is Super hero. For my astonishment these infomercials actually works on the people. Apparently, people buy a lot of things from these infomercials. Since we are talking of infomercials it will be shame if we don't discuss"Snuggie". This product is the most ridiculed product; however, Snuggie made $80 million since it came out, even in this economy. Recently , they came out with new designs for Snuggies i.e. Zebra and Leopard print.
Now lets talk about some of the good and creative commercials. The commercials which actually make you laugh and helps you in remembering the products they are endorsing. For instance Geico commercials are one of the most liked commercial;especially the Cave-men commercials. Their tag line:"15 minutes can save you 15 % on insurance" actually helps in remembering about their services . So, when you think of insurance the first thing comes to mind is Geico. Contraceptive, commercials are also very creative ones too; unfortunately majority of those commercials gets banned before they even get aired. If you want to check out those commercial go on www.youtube.com and look for banned commercials; there are loads and loads of banned commercials and these are the commercials which are funny and entertaining.
Now, lets talk about the commercials which are boring and they infuriates us when it comes on tele. Erectile dysfunction commercials are the worst. They show a couple doing outdoor activities and the narrator is talking in double entendre. I will consider those ED commercials are poorly made also how can you solve bedroom problems in outdoors. It giving out the wrong message. Now second worst commercials are car commercials. They start out interesting only to kill your suspense by showing a car in the end. When I see some interesting commercial, I hope it doesn't end up as car commercials. Let talk about the commercials which talk about "those days" or "monthly gift". I mean, do you really need to show on TV at prime-time how much liquid a sanitary pad can soak in a day. I mean there are many other ways to skin the cat advertising agencies should find a good way to represent it.
In this day and age how many people do you think actually watch the commercials during the shows?The answer is not a lot of people. Generally the TV commercials focus on a market segment and the people in that market segment already have TiVos or DVRs where they can record the shows and watch whenever they want "Commercial Less". So, they don't have to go through the pain of seeing people wearing Snuggie and talking on the phone or any of the ED commercials. I think it will be good if the agencies will start coming up with the cool commercials so that when viewers are interrupted by commercials during their favorite show they don't get miserable.
Cheers
P.S. If you loved this or you hated it to the core or you are in middle somewhere please leave a comment and let me know how you feel about it.
Monday, October 5, 2009
How to get rid of Writer's block: Well tested Formula
The in-ability to think about something to write is called "writer's block". Writer's block not only incapacitates the writer; but also makes him/her feel horrible about one-self. Writer's block can hit you that time when you need your creativity most. Furthermore, it doesn't discriminate between writers or non-writers; it can hit anyone at anytime.
The symptoms of Writer's block are:
1) Blank face
2) Isolation
3) Distracted state of mind; in extreme cases people have been reported to start talking to themselves.
4) Very fidgety
5) Unable to hold conversation; in extreme cases people have been reported to start rambling random words which does not make sense at all.
If you experience any of the above mentioned behavior that means you might be infected with writer's block. Now, if you find out that you might have been attacked by writer's block, remember DO NOT PANIC, because the more you panic the more you will make it worse.
Dos and don't if you get exposure from Writer's block. I will start with "don't", first.
DON'T:
1) Do not panic, if you did not notice it above, in caps.
2) If you choose to ignore my advice then, DO NOT ORDER, "PIZZA". You think it will make you feel good, after have couple slices. However once you finish eating, you will realize the amount of calories you have consumed which will make you more depressed. Same applies with ice-cream as well.
3) Do not go on internet because you might read some tweets, Facebook message or YouTube video which might trigger inferiority complex in you; that might result in harnessing negative energy in you. Trust me you don’t want to do it.
4) Do not try to take nap because you will have nightmares.
Now I will be covering Dos
DOs:
1) Phone a friend; if you have left any.
2) Take shower, which you were avoiding for weeks
3) Pay your bills; because loosing money will automatically kick the writer's block of you head.
Now, I am going to cover few techniques which will help you in getting rid of writer's block.
1) Start writing random words on the piece of paper. I will explain this concept in detail about how it helps in elimination of writers block. Imagine writer's block as a water dam; which is stopping water to flow through. In our case the Writer's block is analogous to water dam and the water is ideas. So in order to break that dam we have to dig holes in the dam. These holes will let the water seep through the dam, and if we keep making the holes the whole dam will be collapsed and the water will start to flow. So, we are trying to accomplish something like that here. If this doesn't help, try the next method.
2) Take a pen and paper and act that you are about to start writing. Now I explain how this will help in knocking writer's block out of you system. When you start acting as you are about to write it will create a self doubt in writer's block which will weaken it and once its gets weak then you can knock it down. If this doesn't work, try the next method.
3) Start talking to your writer's block. Have a question answer session. I can sense that you are not convinced with this step. Writer's block might have some issue and nobody have ever given attention to it. It might need a shoulder to cry on. Give it the shoulder and then see how fast it will be gone. If this also doesn't work try this.
4) Write a blog about it. This will definitely work :)
Cheers
P.S. If you loved this or you hated it to the core or you are in middle somewhere please leave a comment and let me know how you feel about it.
The symptoms of Writer's block are:
1) Blank face
2) Isolation
3) Distracted state of mind; in extreme cases people have been reported to start talking to themselves.
4) Very fidgety
5) Unable to hold conversation; in extreme cases people have been reported to start rambling random words which does not make sense at all.
If you experience any of the above mentioned behavior that means you might be infected with writer's block. Now, if you find out that you might have been attacked by writer's block, remember DO NOT PANIC, because the more you panic the more you will make it worse.
Dos and don't if you get exposure from Writer's block. I will start with "don't", first.
DON'T:
1) Do not panic, if you did not notice it above, in caps.
2) If you choose to ignore my advice then, DO NOT ORDER, "PIZZA". You think it will make you feel good, after have couple slices. However once you finish eating, you will realize the amount of calories you have consumed which will make you more depressed. Same applies with ice-cream as well.
3) Do not go on internet because you might read some tweets, Facebook message or YouTube video which might trigger inferiority complex in you; that might result in harnessing negative energy in you. Trust me you don’t want to do it.
4) Do not try to take nap because you will have nightmares.
Now I will be covering Dos
DOs:
1) Phone a friend; if you have left any.
2) Take shower, which you were avoiding for weeks
3) Pay your bills; because loosing money will automatically kick the writer's block of you head.
Now, I am going to cover few techniques which will help you in getting rid of writer's block.
1) Start writing random words on the piece of paper. I will explain this concept in detail about how it helps in elimination of writers block. Imagine writer's block as a water dam; which is stopping water to flow through. In our case the Writer's block is analogous to water dam and the water is ideas. So in order to break that dam we have to dig holes in the dam. These holes will let the water seep through the dam, and if we keep making the holes the whole dam will be collapsed and the water will start to flow. So, we are trying to accomplish something like that here. If this doesn't help, try the next method.
2) Take a pen and paper and act that you are about to start writing. Now I explain how this will help in knocking writer's block out of you system. When you start acting as you are about to write it will create a self doubt in writer's block which will weaken it and once its gets weak then you can knock it down. If this doesn't work, try the next method.
3) Start talking to your writer's block. Have a question answer session. I can sense that you are not convinced with this step. Writer's block might have some issue and nobody have ever given attention to it. It might need a shoulder to cry on. Give it the shoulder and then see how fast it will be gone. If this also doesn't work try this.
4) Write a blog about it. This will definitely work :)
Cheers
P.S. If you loved this or you hated it to the core or you are in middle somewhere please leave a comment and let me know how you feel about it.
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