total timepass...

Why oh why! Why do I always give in to the temptation of going for a Hindi movie!! Aarrgghhh.. they do mostly tend to disappoint, but still there I am, at the next release, in queue to watch another new one, as soon as it releases! And I dont think either of the two is going to change, neither would the Hindi movies improve, nor would I give up on them:). So anyways that's that.. Now to the movie: it had a very interesting theme. A woman who murders seven of her husbands (P.S. who was the seventh one she murdered? I did not get it!!) should make for interesting viewing. But it did not. The pace of the story especially in the first half was sooo slow. And for what? Its not as if Susanna's character was being developed and explained. The movie just kept dragging on and on, slowly. And with each husband, the sequence of events also became predictable. Susanna meets the guy, a song, a marriage, a hidden truth about him and a murder. Some of the deaths were not even justified.

The Merchant of Venice is the second Shakespeare play I have seen (after Comedy of Errors) and the first serious one for sure. And what a pleasure it has been!! Shakespearen plays have always intimidated me, I guess its the doubt whether I would understand the language and the nuances of his plays. And this one at least does not disappoint! There is a lot to explore, understand and think about in his creation. And its given me the confidence to go for more of his plays for sure! (Would always still read up the storyline before I see the play though!) The show that I saw had Al Pacino playing the role of Shylock. So he was one of the major reasons I went for this play, but when you come out of the show, its still the play that you remember more than just a star performing in it! The play revolves around a loan that a merchant in Venice, Antonio takes from a Jewish moneylender, Shylock for which he agrees to pay back a pound of his flesh if he forfeits the loan. Antonio is unable to

Another of the Oscar nominated movies and another one based on real life. The King's Speech details the life of an unconfident younger brother Albert to the future-king of England, King George the VI, the younger brother who stammers and cannot even speak publicly, to the King of England who leads the country through the Second World War. Of course, this change in him happens with time as well as due to the tutelage of Lionel, an Australian speech therapist and the constant support and encouragment of his wife. The movie traces the journey of Albert through this period, his failures, his introduction to Lionel, the ups and downs between the two, the speech training he undertook under Lionel, his brother's accession and abdication of the throne and his own crowning. The acting is brilliant, the story slow and the interaction between Lionel and Albert the high point of the movie. Still found the movie a bit slow, so would just go with 3 stars for this.

Dhobi Ghat, the directorial venture of Kiran Rao, Aamir Khan's wife.. And hence the hullah around its release... Dhobi Ghat follows the life and happenings of four people in Mumbai, all four from different backgrounds and what they go through over a span of time; the emotions of loneliness, love, fear, inspiration, disappointment and so on. There is Arun or Aamir, a whimsical painter drowned in his own life of art and oblivious to a lot happening in the world and around him; then there is Shai, an NRI banker, looking to interest herself in photographing around the city, and who falls in love with Arun and hangs out with a local Dhobi; Prateik Babbar as the local dhobi during day, rat catcher during night, aspiring actor and a lot more; and the last character of Yasmin, a small town girl who was the previous occupant of Arun's house. We see her through the video letters she has left for her brother and also her views on the city and her life. The acting in the movie is abov

I generally don't do book review blogs but this book surely deserved one! Its maybe the best (if the only one) book I have ever read on Indian history, and I am not talking about the Rajas and the Britishraj history. I am talking about the history of India after independence, or after (Mahatma) Gandhi as the book specifies. Its the history of India which might be very important for the people to know and understand, but which is the most neglected in the school textbooks for one. Why is that, just because its current, or we are expected to know it in everyday life anyways? We do tend to know bits and pieces of this history anyways, but there is so much which we still don't know, and this book fills the gaps. The leaders big and more importantly the small ones who have shaped India's history. The history changing events which have given direction to where India is now.. It details Nehru's vision which has shaped a lot of the positives we have in the country. It ta

We went for this movie after seeing it receive a couple of nominations for the Golden Globe, and I was a bit apprehensive about how good the movie could be if its about boxing.. Well it surpassed my expectations.. Its a really well made movie and a pleasure to watch. The story tracks the career of Mickey, a boxer in the making from a small town, working under the tutelage of his once on-the-rise boxer brother, Dickey and his mom as his agent. They all try hard and there are misses and bad lucks on the way. Plus with his brother being addicted, it doesn't really go too well for Mickey and his family. And slowly things change, Mickey breaks off from his family, trains under professionals and is on the rise. There are multiple issues still though, family ties versus commercial reasons. It all sorts out though and he goes on to win the boxing title. A brilliant movie, with a carefully thought of script. Perfect acting. All in all, a good piece. Would give it 3.5 stars.

Two and a half men details the lives and times of Charlie : a super-rich, alcohol loving, completely unconventional womaniser and jingle writer; his brother Alan : a twice divorced and completely unlucky in life kind of loser guy; and his non achiever son, Jake, all three living in a beach house in Malibu. Then there is a supporting cast of Berta : their housekeeper, their mother who they both despise and try to avoid always, Judith : Alan's wife who robs him of whatever he does have left, and Rose : the neighbour stalker in love with Charlie. Together these people lead an interesting life with an excellent and witty script to support. The jokes may be over the top, but they are really funny. The jokes Charlie makes of Alan and his life, the interaction between Charlie and Jake where Charlie teaches Jakes about women and the like much to Alan's discomfort, the fun Berta has based on their problems, how both Charlie and Alan try to run away from their mother and so on. All the