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April 11 'Allo 'AlloThis is nite'awk calling ...
Been a busy couple of days, get back after work and just chill out on the couch, happened to discover re-runs of 'Allo 'Allo on KCTS. Forgot how laugh out loud funny this show was. Good thing its on every weeknight been guffawing like crazy ... nice way to unwind after a crazy work day :)
If you have no idea what I'm talking about check it out on YouTube: 'Allo 'Allo I'm embedding a clip (jump YouTube) of my fave dialog: Ep: The Gateau from the Chataeu
March 17 The simple lifeWatched the 300 … finally.
Ahhh… the simple life ... honor, love and loyalty. Complex values depicted in the most simplistic view. Black and white in a world of color. If only life was as simple as that. What do I think of the movie … I loved it … it strays from the comic (expected) but stays true to it in spirit. Notice the subtle replacement of an existing title for this in my top 5.
Been a good week … sunny San Diego, the 300. Now back to the grind and the real world. September 17 Wisdom of CrocodilesSaw this movie on the tube tonight. A non-commercial bristish flic. The description on IMDB doesn't do it justice at all and I can't claim to do better. Just dark, different and interesting.
 Also called "Immortality"
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September 08 Flight of the conchords These guys cracked me up. Saw their show on the tube sometime ago and then heard them on the radio today. Check out these snippets from one of their shows (courtesy: YouTube.com).
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August 29 Alone in the wilderness Every time I see this documentary (KCTS shows it at least once every 3 weeks :)), the same thoughts come to mind:
How many of us would survive the harsh realities of the wild? Is that why we as species seem hell bent on wiping out every possible trace of pristine wilderness? Nature can be so beautiful and nourishing, then at the drop of a hat she can turn around and devastate entire cities. Our forefathers were some of the toughest and most tenacious creatures to live on this planet, compared to them I'm a spoilt brat.
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August 16 Omkara Watched this movie over the weekend. Enjoyed it, loved the subtleties. Nice adaptation of Othello. See:
July 18 Being Cyrus OK Movie, worth a watch.
Heard about it from a bunch of people, who went on about it being a classy movie, way above the standard 'desi' movie, so on and so forth. Piqued my interest. Saw the movie, good plot, ok acting (but then who am I to judge.)
The after effect felt familiar. Every story has an effect that lingers briefly and this one reminded me about "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabrielle Garcia Marquez. If you let the story carry you, both stories have a similar theme, the absolute waste of lives, the dragging boredom of the daily grind, the blinded trudging and often self inflicted ignorance to a circular path that goes no where, compromises, betrayals, lies, deceptions, gray relationships, emotional baggage and the helplessness of old age. Desperation for change, a series of stupid mistakes, leading to a storm. Don’t get me wrong, I'm not saying that the movie portrays this in the best way it could, I'm just saying it leaves you with those thoughts.
The movie ends with the following quote:
"After a game of chess, the king and pawn go back to the same box." All I could think of was, all the pawns can leave the board and the game goes on, but if a king's gone so ends the game. But that could have been the after effect of "Lost for words" - Pink Floyd.
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July 12 PC vs Mac AdsPretty sure everyone's seen the PC vs Mac ads ...
Original Mac Ad (click pic to see video if you haven't)...
 Check out this awesome spoof on YouTube
... (click pic to see spoof)...
 Hilarious. July 02 Superman Returns Just got back after watching the movie (the IMAX 3D version). If you were a fan of the original series (the ones starring Christopher Reeve) you'll love this one. Lots of subtle references to the old movies, they've kept and tweaked the original theme music (loved it ... click here to play it ... thanks to Rhino.com). The graphics are awesome.
  Worth the watch. Prefer Kate Bosworth to Margot Kidder as Lois Lane anyday ;). Back to reality.
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May 20 The DaVinci CodeThe movie released yesterday and after all that hype I felt it was a let down. It had some great actors, a good director but it didn't live up to what I expected. But then most movies based on books don't.
The funny thing is that the book and now the movie has caused an uproar among conservative Christians all around world. A scenario not limited to just Christianity. Some people get all riled up when something questions their faith. I've never understood this and don’t think I will. Religion is based on faith. Faith that there is a greater power and the book(s) of choice provide a set of guidelines to achieve unity/ proximity to that power. Faith by definition is the belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence (Dictionary.com). If this is so, nothing short of divine intervention should cause a believer to question his beliefs. If something like a book or another person can cause you to question your faith maybe you never truly believed in the first place.
Violence and dissentment for the sake of religion is a waste of time, free will includes the freedom to choose your own path.
Who are we to judge on behalf of that greater power?
John 8:2-11: "…So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her…"
Who are we to avenge?
Romans 12:19-21: "...Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord...Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good…"
Faith is a lot like Love. Its either there or it isn't and if it goes away don't look around for excuses, look inside for reasons.
See
May 17 Closer Got back home late, wasn't sleepy, turned on the tube and started watching a movie called "Closer".
The movie has some pretty weird characters but they all some how fit together to make an interesting movie about relationships and human behavior. I'm not sure if I was meant to laugh through certain parts but the dark humor was just exquisite. BTW, if you think this is a story about love you're right, but if you think its romantic you're far from the truth. See
March 30 Two BrothersThe good thing about coming down with a fever is the fact that you can stay in bed all day, laze around and sleep, without feeling guilty about skipping work. It also gave me much needed time alone.
In any case, watched a movie called, Deux frères (Two brothers), the story about two tiger cubs, 'Kumal' & 'Sangha', and their encounter with the world of man. Though the movie is based on tigers in French Indo-China it reminded me of another movie, one I saw as a kid in school, about a lion cub 'Elsa' called "Born Free". The funny thing about nostalgia, pick up one end of the string and like a cat with a ball of yarn, you spend hours lost in thought, both comforting and dangerous. See: (Thanks to IMDB.com) March 25 The Inside ManWatched a movie this afternoon called "The Inside Man", liked it, fast paced action-mystery about a bank robbery directed by Spike Lee. But more than the movie, it was the soundtrack for the credits (beginning and end) that got my attention, a song from a hindi movie, yup, the whole song ("Chaiyya Chaiyya" from Dil Se). Interesting choice of music for a mainstream Hollywood flick from Universal Pictures wouldn't you say?
More later.
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March 21 Lies and the artistWatched a movie called 'V for Vendetta'. A pretty standard super-hero flick, simple plot with simple twists. But with a few saving graces, try this on for size:
"An artist uses lies to reveal the truth, a politician uses lies to conceal it." A plain statement hidden in layers of movie magic, but one of such basic truth that it leaps out and hits you in the face. So what are you, an artist, a politician or a bit of both ;) ? See:
PS: Finished Freakonomics, interesting read, keeps its promise of no unifying theme. |
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