The Artist(2011)

The Artist is a tribute to the B/W silent films of the past.In a way it is a nostalgic trip and makes us revisit those films that we enjoyed even though there were no dialogues in them. Jean Dujardin is the essential silent film actor who has managed to create a niche for himself in that genre. When he is asked to act in talking films(talkies) he refuses to go along with the change whereas his co-star and love rises in the talkies. The film is feel good and has enough light and comic moments courtesy Dujardin to keep you chuckling.

The Artist is a beautiful recreation of the silent era. Presented in a 4:3 aspect ratio and shot in gorgeous black and white, it is presented as a film from the late 1920's would have been presented. But more than just a recreation of the era, Hazanavicius has created here a clever meta-commentary on the history of film and the movement from one technology to another.

Working in the silent format allows the director to cast purely by look and physical ability without needing to worry about language or accent and the results are fantastic. Dujardin takes the lead - and proves that he simply has a remarkably timeless movie star quality to him - while Berenice Bejo glows as Peppy. Also in the mix are John Goodman - a perfect choice as the hard driving studio head - and James Cromwell as George's faithful driver. The entire cast fits perfectly into this world of silent B/W films, everyone adapting their acting styles smoothly to the demands of the format .

Dujardin proves that you do not need dialogues to prove your worthy as an actor,his emotions and expressions spoke volumes and revealed his quality.

This is definitely one film that would surely win some awards mainly because it is brave enough to make a silent film in 2011 and one that actually works because of its actors and the pleasantness of the script and feel good factor. I am sure you will have good laughs while watching this film.

My take on SOPA and why in India it is unnecessary

1.We do not have streaming services like Hulu and Netflix to avail the benefits of streaming online media.

2.We are not blessed with high speed broadband internet,in which case the above point becomes void.

3.It's not that we do not go to theaters to watch new movies and are willing to pay high prices for tickets as well if they are good movies.

4.Not every movie sees the light of release in theaters in India or releases on time.For that we have few options other than relying on the internet to get the relevant media.Sometimes because of the content,the movies might even escape the release in shops in India.

5.We would be hard put to purchase titles from Amazon etc in terms of US Dollars since 1 USD=Rs 50 at current exchange rate nearly.So 5$ and 10$ price tags even though tempting in US would actually be expensive if realized to rupees.

6.Quality matters to most of us and if we have to purchase Blu Rays then we would have to add the expense of a Blu Ray player as well.

7.Its not feasible to purchase TV episodes of each and every show that we follow considering the prices at which they are offered,and since we do not have Hulu and high bandwidth,using the internet remains the only option for us.We cannot wait till they are shown in our television channels and most of the time even if they are aired,they would be censored as in the case of most movies that are on air on TV channels.Moreover bulk of advertisments kill the pleasure of watching a movie or a TV show actually on the television.

8.Of late,there has been a trend to release media on the internet first free of cost before they are made widely available to the public.This has also resulted in a boost in their sales and also unknown talented people have managed to come into the foray because of the internet.So downloading is not always evil.

9.Its not possible to track each and every IP address,that would be like snooping on people's privacy and hacking which is not ethical without consent or if it is for other purposes.If you take out direct download sites or torrents there would be alternatives already available and something which is mutual sharing like P2P and ED2k networks cannot be stopped.

10.Lastly,if a movie is bad it will tonk at the box office or get panned harshly.If a movie is good,it doesn't matter how people view it if in the eventuality the film is praised and well received.Viewership is very important and especially in case of Indie films which people do not watch normally,it helps in promoting the film and its crew as well.

PS- Please make sure that you know how to use magnet links,because in future torrent links might be disabled.

Here is a good article on how to use magnet links which is pretty simple as it eliminates the need of a torrent file to start downloading-

Magnet Links

Megaupload is dead,but here are few alternatives to direct download and no one can stop or kill everything :)

- Five Great Alternatives to Megaupload

Some movies that I have watched of late

Up(2009)

Its simply amazing how Pixar animation studio churns out masterpieces after another...this one is a simple story with simple characters yet it was a joy to watch..it encompasses a plethora of emotions..its a touching story filled with fun,adventure and its a movie that one can enjoy no matter how old one is...and the animation was top notch to say the least..the locales were so realistic that it made me sit up and wonder if they were actually real or not.If Ghibli is the powerhouse of anime,then Pixar is the powerhouse of animation-you name it-Wall-E,Ratatouille,the sheer rate at which they make good films accessible to all is what is praiseworthy.

Star Trek(2009)

The year 2009 has been a great year for sci-fi movies and what with the supposedly magnum opus sci-fi Avatar in the pipelines looks to finish really well.
This movie was fantastic-the visuals,the concept the plot line,the characters-Spock,and Kirk specially were very well made. You wont get to see a fast paced sci-fi action thriller-space galactic wars than this. Star War fans would definitely dig this one even though it lacked the many land one-to-one combats. The strategies,the time warps were all fascinating from a sci-fi lover's point of view like myself,
All in all definitely worth a watch-JJ Abraham continues to enthrall the viewers-now I think I should go back and continue LOST from Season 3,the kind of drama and taut tension that the director manages to create in this film is quite commendable. As someone who was hardly aware of the franchise(yours truly) to make him like the movie shows the worth of the director-watch it even if you know zilch about Star Trek-you would definitely enjoy it.

Tintorretor Jishu-(Bengali-Feluda film)

the movie is based on probably one of the weakest of Feluda plots..penned by the auteur Satyajit Ray...Sandip Ray handles the subject decently though not in the same way his father did with his films especially the Feluda films...even then its a nice effort from the part of the director for its no mean feat carrying the legacy of a genius father and trying to emulate him...of all the new Feluda films that he directed this one was the least happening of them in terms of twist,adventure or action...cant blame the director much except for choosing the not best of Feluda mysteries...those who have read them in BENGALI would understand what I am talking about..moreover somehow I cant fathom and picturise Sabyasachi as Feluda..he certainly lacks the aura,charm and charisma that his worthwhile predecessor Soumitra Chaterjee had..and of course no one can match the humour,wit and the jocularity of Santosh Dutta as Lal Mohan Ganguly..watch it only if u are a hardcore Feluda fan..

IPL Rescheduled-Consequences,etc

With the rescheduling of IPL outside India, it once again underlines the futility of the Indian government in organizing the security arrangements on time for the players. If IPL were to have been scheduled in India, at least the common mandate would be India is a safer place to play than Pakistan. After the terrorist attacks on the players of the SL team not long ago, no one would dare to venture into Pakistan at least for some years down the line. With questions over the hosting of the upcoming World Cup creeping in, ideas were being permuted that India can be a safe haven for the players to play matches.

However with the elections in the background what resulted was total chaos and mismanagement. Some of the states could not provide the adequate security measures citing elections as an excuse.

IPL stands for Indian Premier League. Now if it is taken out of India, the very purpose and charm of the league would be lost. Immigrants outside the country and local support notwithstanding, the flavor and the excitement and the atmosphere that is generated inside India’s stadiums is quite palpable and unparalleled. So there should have been more earnest efforts by the government to come up with a more stringent security plan.  IPL is such a huge money making franchise that any tinkering with the schedule or even a cancellation would lead to huge losses of money. And question of changing the dates does not arise as there is a T20 WC coming up soon after the IPL is done over with.

BCCI had no option but to go ahead with the planned IPL and when they knew that the government was being recalcitrant they decided to move IPL out of the country. In this way the game of cricket is not lost and the audience can view from their television sets at least. This is a solace that they have provided for the time being to the cricket fans but the charm of watching a match live in the stadiums is lost now.

BCCI is also partly to blame for this-they should have consulted the players before taking such a decision. I am not sure how many players would relish playing abroad a domestic competition like IPL.

What more this rescheduling of the tourney outside the country would once again throw questions at the overall security management of the country. Future foreign teams would question before coming for a tour. If a domestic tournament like IPL had to be scheduled outside the country owing to security concerns then they would well ask how different India is from Pakistan. After all the Mumbai attacks happened not so recently. The future of the World Cup to be held in the subcontinent is also under cloud. To be honest, elections are definitely not a hindrance to scheduling of IPL matches. After all the elections would happen in the morning and the IPL matches are scheduled in the evening. Couldn’t there have been some kind of adjustment done there?

Well such a situation would not have been there hadn’t the SL players been attacked last month in Lahore. Cricketers were never a target for terrorist attacks before but the attack that happened was so unprecedented and unforeseen that it took the entire cricketing world by surprise. This incident marked loopholes in the security system of Pakistan and pointed towards an inept government there who could not stem the terrorism from their country. Terrorist continue to strive and unless we do something drastic on that front to nullify or at least abate it, sporting events would be hampered in the future. After all everyone’s lives are precious and it is more important than the game. If the players can’t play knowing that they won’t be safe why would they bother coming to the subcontinent for future tours?

Cricket is one of the most watched and followed sport in the country. We cannot let terrorists spoil the game for us by attacking our players. We should have had sufficient and adequate personnel equipped such that the players can play without fear in their minds. This rescheduling of IPL outside India was largely due to a congregation of all the above factors and more importantly because the government was unable to be more proactive according to the situation.

For the time being to satiate the fans and to prevent money loss IPL is going to be held but would it attract the same audience and attention that last year’s successful IPL had? Only time would tell because the local crowd would not be replicated in SA or England. And you would not get the boisterous crowd cheering for your team. Eden Gardens packed with 1 lac capacity egging Knight Riders on-where would this atmosphere be say in Durban?

Let’s hope that the IPL this year is not just a namesake. IPL stands for Indian Premier League. Now since it is being held outside the country who knows the name too might not remain for long.

Waltz with Bashir(2008) review

While I type this,I am stunned and disturbed by what I saw just now-it had that kind of punching effect on me.

The film has surreal animation style and abrupt way of portraying such a horrific event. The event being the Sabra and Shatila massacre, in which Palestinian men, women and children were massacred by Christian Phalangists as revenge for the assassination of their leader Bashir Gemayel. The Israelis did not perpetrate the killings but did nothing to stop them, even sending flares into the night sky to assist the Phalangists.

The film has used a unique style of animation to tell a documentary/war film which shows the futility of war boldly. Although animated, the film features graphic violence and some of the most disturbing images I have ever seen. This movie would probably not have had the same impact if it were not animated.The music adds an incredible amount of depth and emotional impact to the already challenging imagery. The scene from which the title is named after, in which one of Folman's fellow comrades waltzes in the middle of gunfight, firing a heavy machine gun while surrounded by posters of Bashir, is magical as well as mystical.

In short,this movie shows the pointlessness of war and the effect it has on people.

Umberto D review

It is a neo realist film...and it showcases the abject conditions in society that was prevalent during that time especially in Italy...there was social inequality and one such person-the lead character,an old man was a victim of it as he barely lived off his pension and also had to deal with a cantankerous rude land lady...it also shows the warm relationship that he had with his dog...the end scene with it is quiet poignant and is bound to move you..also the relation he had with the maid...as the only person in the house who cared for him..

Where have all the patriotism gone?

Well just the other day there was a big discussion and it was appalling to note the attitude of few of our next generation youngsters-who calmly were indifferent to the blast victims or for that matter the rampant poverty present in our country. According to them even if we give a helping hand then it would not make much of a difference as the ills of the nation like corruption, terrorism and poverty would still continue to harangue and torment the citizens of India . However we can’t just lay back and be callous and lackadaisical towards such rampant issues that are hovering over our nation. I am not trying to preach anything but it comes naturally within oneself to help others when they are in need. If it is within your capability I believe one should not hesitate in trying to offer a helping hand. Let me give you an analogy on this. Few years back India faced disasters in terms of tsunami as well as the Gujarat earthquake. Now I did not earn that time but my father who was earning contributed to the relief fund. That time it was not within my capability to help the victims so I did not help but wasn’t it unconcerned about the whole thing? The answer is no-my heart reached out to all the victims and I felt that only if I had earned than I too would have contributed something. I didn’t go around claiming that since I cannot do anything about this there is no point for others to do the same-where in fact many NGOs, social organizations had organized charities and funds for the sole purpose of helping out the victims. Now with the Bihar floods and the fact that I am earning I have contributed to the relief fund and so has my father. This is something that does not need to be taught by someone-it’s not a cultivated trait-the feeling of social responsibility and the helping nature of individuals of doing something for the country. I am not asking people to join the defense force and fight for the country-all that needs to be asked is a small amount of patriotic feeling, a feeling of well being towards our fellow country men. I have seen and read in papers, articles about people being indifferent about accident hit people dying on the road , or people being thrashed by goons-they just stand and walk away, I don’t understand what debars us from helping them out-is it a sense of fear or a public exposure or has morality been lost completely out here? I know myself and people normally in situations like this would act preemptively and offer a helping hand-even though I might not be strong enough to thrash the goons but at least I can damage control. The point here is we all complaint about corruption etc and other mitigating factors plaguing the nation but if the attitude of today’s youth is bordered on callousness then the country would further plunge into despair instead of any chances of improvement. We have to remember that it is we who elect the leaders who form the government and if they are corrupt it is our responsibility since we have chosen them. I am not saying like in the film RDB we should be rebels and sacrifice our lives for the country but at the same time we need to do something to weed out these problems that are at the root of our country. I have heard from today’s youngsters-14-18 year old who do not feel patriotic as others do-so it makes me wonder what needs to be done so that they have some love for the country. The Western influences largely have to do with this mentality as the perennial aping of the West would never go away from the individual’s psyche. We have seen brain drain pretty much rampant now and it is mainly because our education system is flawed-it is not enough to satisfy the needs of an individual who seeks to better his career. I cant blame the people who are going away outside India to study-it is something that the government has to look into and see how can the education be improved in our country-if you have reservations in every premier institution that certainly is not going to help the cause.  All I am saying is its very easy to say words sitting in your air-conditioned couch that doing anything wont help the over all cause in mitigating the issues but remember that the entire process is cumulative in nature. It is through the combined small efforts of all within each one’s capabilities that the troubles plaguing the nation can be overcome.  Together we stand divided we fall-it is time to make use of this phrase before it is altogether too late. I am sure being born an Indian there is certain iota of love for the nation-the patriotic feeling is inherent in every one of us. Remember there are heretics, there are agnostics and there are devouts in India but it’s difficult to accept that there are non patriots in our country. Dont we all sense a feeling of elation,pride whenever our country does well in sports notably cricket.We all cheer for our players when they do well-be it any sport as had been evident when India won 3 medals at this year's Olympics which also included a gold medal! We all were proud of those who had done our country proud and we held our heads high. Victory in Sports of our counry can instil a sense of nationalistic pride in our country a feeling of patriotism but why cant it be there all the time.Does it really require a push to arouse the dormant feelings in us?