The Wailing (2016)

An epic Korean horror thriller that is riveting, violent,enthralling,relentless, chilling descent into hell. It has one spine chilling moment after another. This movie might give you nightmares and it will certainly haunt you for days to come. The ending is open ended and left to the interpretation of the viewers. This film will definitely be revisited and discussed in the future as it manages to not only scare the viewers but also confound them.
I wish this film was available on any streaming platform so that re watching it would have been easier.
Na Hong-Jin's best film by miles though he has made films like The Chaser, Yellow Sea etc but nothing like The Wailing. I am very eager to see what his next film is.

Emmy Nominations 2019

2019 Emmy Nominations (my picks in bold)

Outstanding Drama Series:

Better Call Saul
Bodyguard
Game of Thrones - will win
Killing Eve
Ozark
Pose
Succession
This Is Us

Outstanding Comedy Series:

Barry
Fleabag
The Good Place
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (might win)
Russian Doll
Schitt’s Creek
Veep

Outstanding Television Movie: Black Mirror was okayish, havent seen the rest, but Deadwood might be the winner from reviews in general.

Bandersnatch: Black Mirror
Brexit
Deadwood
King Lear
My Dinner with Hervé

Outstanding Limited Series:

Chernobyl -without a doubt
Escape at Dannemora
Fosse/Verdon
Sharp Objects
When They See Us

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series: 

Jason Bateman – Ozark
Sterling K. Brown – This Is Us (might win)
Kit Harington – Game of Thrones
Bob Odenkirk – Better Call Saul
Billy Porter – Pose
Milo Ventimiglia – This Is Us

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series: Either Comer or Sandra is fine by me.

Emilia Clarke – Game of Thrones
Jodie Comer – Killing Eve
Viola Davis – How to Get Away with Murder
Laura Linney – Ozark
Mandy Moore – This Is Us
Sandra Oh – Killing Eve
Robin Wright – House of Cards

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series: 

Anthony Anderson – Black-ish
Don Cheadle – Black Monday
Ted Danson – The Good Place
Michael Douglas – The Kominsky Method
Bill Hader – Barry
Eugene Levy – Schitt’s Creek

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series: Lyonne might pull off a surprising win but JLD was great in the final season.

Christina Applegate – Dead Like Me
Rachel Brosnahan – The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Julia Louis-Dreyfus – Veep
Natasha Lyonne – Russian Doll
Catherine O’Hara – Schitt’s Creek
Phoebe Waller-Bridge – Fleabag

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie:

Mahershala Ali – True Detective
Benicio del Toro – Escape at Dannemora
Hugh Grant – A Very English Scandal
Jared Harris – Chernobyl
Jharrel Jerome – When They See Us -- great to see him nominated, he is a future star for sure.
Sam Rockwell – Fosse/Verdon

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie:

Amy Adams – Sharp Objects
Patricia Arquette – Escape at Dannemora
Aunjanue Ellis – When They See Us
Joey King – The Act
Niecy Nash – When They See Us
Michelle Williams – Fosse/Verdon

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: not sure either of Dinklage or Waldau maybe

Jonathan Banks – Better Call Saul
Giancarlo Esposito – Better Call Saul
Alfie Allen – Game of Thrones
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau – Game of Thrones
Peter Dinklage – Game of Thrones
Michael Kelly – House of Cards
Chris Sullivan – This Is Us

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: Lena or Maisie?

Gwendoline Christie – Game of Thrones
Lena Headey – Game of Thrones
Sophie Turner – Game of Thrones
Maisie Williams – Game of Thrones
Fiona Shaw – Killing Eve
Julia Garner – Ozark

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series:

Anthony Carrigan – Barry
Stephen Root – Barry
Henry Winkler – Barry
Alan Arkin – The Kominsky Method
Tony Shalhoub – The Marvelous Mrs. MaiselTony Hale – Veep

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series:

Sarah Goldberg – Barry
Sian Clifford – Fleabag
Olivia Colman – Fleabag
Betty Gilpin -GLOW
Alex Borstein – The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Marin Hinkle – The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Kate McKinnon – Saturday Night Live
Anna Chlumsky – Veep

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie:

Stellan Skarsgård – Chernobyl
Paul Dano – Escape at Dannemora
Ben Whishaw – A Very English ScandalAsant e Blackk – When They See UsJohn Leguizamo – When They See Us
Michael K. Williams – When They See Us

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie:

Patricia Arquette – The Act
Emily Watson – Chernobyl
Margaret Qualley – Fosse/Verdon
Patricia Clarkson – Sharp Objects
Marsha Stephanie Blake – When They See Us
Vera Farmiga – When They See Us

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series:

Michael McKean – Better Call Saul
Bradley Whitford – The Handmaid’s Tale
Glynn Turman – How to Get Away with Murder
Ron Cephas Jones – When They See Us
Michael Angarano – The Twilight Zone
Kumail Nanjiani – The Twilight Zone

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series:

Jessica Lange – American Horror Story: Apocalypse
Carice van Hout – Game of Thrones
Cherry Jones – The Handmaid’s Tale
Cicely Tyson – How to Get Away with Murder
Laverne Cox – Orange is the New Black
Phylicia Rashad – This Is Us

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series:

Luke Kirby – The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Rufus Sewell – The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Adam Sandler – Saturday Night Live
John Mulaney – Saturday Night Live
Matt Damon – Saturday Night Live
Robert De Niro – Saturday Night Live
Peter MacNicol – Veep

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series:

Fiona Shaw – Fleabag
Kristin Scott Thomas – The Good Place
Maya Rudolph – The Good Place
Jane Lynch – The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Emma Thompson – Saturday Night Live
Sandra Oh – Saturday Night Live

Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series

David Benioff & DB Weiss – Game of Thrones, “The Iron Throne”
David Nutter – Game of Thrones, “The Last of the Starks”
Miguel Sapochnik – Game of Thrones, “The Long Night”
Daina Reid – The Handmaid’s Tale, “Holly”
Lisa Brühlmann – Killing Eve, “Desperate Times”
Jason Bateman – Ozark, “Reparations”

Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series

Alec Berg – Barry, “The Audition”
Bill Hader – Barry, “ronny/lily” - one heck of an episode, watch it to find out
Mark Cendrowski – The Big Bang Theory, “The Stockholm Syndrome”
Harry Bradbeer – Fleabag, “Episode 1”
Amy Sherman-Palladino – The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, “All Alone”
Daniel Palladino – The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, “We’re Going to the Catskills!”

Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie or TV Special

Johan Renck – Chernobyl
Ben Stiller – Escape at Dannemora
Jessica Yu – Fosse/Verdon
Thomas Kail – Fosse/Verdon
Stephen Frears – A Very English Scandal
Ava DuVernay – When They See Us

Outstanding Directing For A Documentary/Nonfiction Program

Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi & Jimmy Chin – Free Solo
Chris Smith – FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened
Dan Reed – Leaving Neverland
Julie Cohen & Betsy West – RGB
Tim Wardie – Three Identical Strangers

Outstanding Animated Program:

Big Mouth
Bob’s Burgers
BoJack Horseman
Come Along with Me (Adventure Time)
The Simpsons

Outstanding Short Form Animated Program:

Love, Death + Robots
Robot Chicken
SpongeBob SquarePants
Steven Universe

Outstanding Variety Special (Live):

The 76th Annual Golden Globe Awards
The 61st Grammy Awards
Live In Front Of A Studio Audience: Norman Lear’s ‘All In The Family’ And ‘The Jeffersons’
The Oscars
RENT
72nd Annual Tony Awards

Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded):

Carpool Karaoke
Hannah Gadsby – Nanette
Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé
Springsteen on Broadway
Wanda Sykes: Not Normal

Outstanding Reality – Competition Program:

The Amazing Race
American Ninja Warrior
Nailed It!
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Top Chef
The Voice

Oustanding Documentary or Non-Fiction Series

American Masters
Chef’s Table
Hostile Planet
Our Planet
30 for 30

Outstanding Variety Talk Series:

The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
The Late Late Show with James Corden
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

Outstanding Variety Sketch Series:

At Home with Amy Sedaris
Documentary Now!
Drunk History
I Love You, America
Saturday Night Live
Who Is America?

Diary entry -27th April 2016

At work, still waiting for a project to come. I hope I get work before my buffer code expires after 8th May.

In the evening, there was a party organized by my flat mate as he is travelling onsite to Oz land this weekend. It was a bit of fun as along with drinks there were snacks aplenty in the form of chicken pakodas. We watched the IPL match which was a nail biter and later on the UCL match between Atleti vs Bayern where Saul scored a sublime goal for At Madrid.

Chicken Biryani was had for dinner which was decent unlike what we get in Kolkata. I was cautious and downed 3 pegs because for some reason rum doesnt suit me and I didnt want to risk being nauseated like last time and moreover it was the middle of the week. Other folks drank to their full contention all through the night till early morning. As usual my bottles were again taken from the fridge but luckily I got up early in the morning once and had managed to fill an empty bottle and put it inside the refrigerator. In this hot&humid weather it is futile to drink anything other than chilled water.

Before the party had started had started watching the Flash episode which I finished later in the night before going to sleep.

The Flash had a filler episode, it was all about people helping each other out, relationship dynamics were explored particularly between Wells and her daughter. Jesse filled in for Caitlin on the team who we saw is held captive in Zoom's den. Killer Frost tried to convince Caitlin to release her so that they can escape together only to betray her. Well Zoom came in on time and killed Frost and reiterating the point that his love for Caitlin is real. Zoom has a big plan and he takes Snow along as he starts on his multi earth domination with Earth 1 being his first stop.

On the other hand Team Flash tries to rescue Wells who has been kidnapped by Griffin Grey, a metahuman with super strength but with a catch-he ages while using up his strength. Once he was 18 yrs old, but in the present state he has become much older. Barry is ready to absorb the punches and the beatings if that means to help the team save Wells. So with some help from Cisco, Jesse and using Atom's alloy in Barry's suit, they eventually take Griffin down. Wells reconciles with his daughter in the end and they share a nice father-daughter moment. In the end Wells promises Barry that he would help him to get back his speed by recreating the experiment that gave him his powers.

Also managed to download latest Agents of Shield episode which I will watch today along with latest Arrow and a western movie which I had heard a lot about - The Proposition.

I had started reading Premendra Mitra's Mejokorta stories and even though I didn't finish the story, the writing was fluid and also it made me want to read further. His writing is usually fun and informative and full of adventure like his Ghonada stories and there might be scares also here because Mejokorta deals with ghosts! I will continue with this today evening along with Zero to One.

 The latter is turning out to be a very good non fiction book especially for those who are working professionals and who are interested in creating something new rather than work on reusable code or stuff. Innovation is the way forward for business enterprises these days including start ups. Anything else might lead to saturation because there is nothing new in reusing and modifying existing tech or code. In a competitive market, IT firms will try to leverage the best out of reusability but it wont thrive unless it is creating something new like PayPal, Facebook etc. If the products are similar, it will only rise to competition. For that matter it is better to create a niche market and dominate it, is what the book ascribes. It also talks about optimism, planning etc. Still there are portions to complete but I must say I am enjoying non fiction more than fiction. There is lot of information to assimilate from non fiction books.

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?

Online Life and Real World..

Well when you see around many online internet sites, forums and blogs where people from different parts of the world meet, unite and make friends doesn’t it all give a sense of déjà vu- I mean people try to use these online forms of communication as an escapist route from their troubles and worries in Real Life…Let me take you more into the analogy between the two.  Online sites like Orkut, etc –well they are nothing but a sort of virtual reality, a virtual simulation game where in the people we meet and make friends online are the virtual entities, the virtual characters playing their role…you have not met them in real life and there is no guarantee that you would meet them but why do people find solace in these so called online relationships? Why is it that even though the mind is separated from the physical being of the individual (in the sense that despite your physical absence you actually pen down your thoughts by writing down, scraps, blogging, posts etc) do people actually sense a kind of closeness to each of the other so called ‘online’ friends the virtual entities to be precise? This is one question that seemingly reclusive on its own might have some explanation…  Consider the virtual online world to be The Matrix- a metaphysical world where the physics of life don’t validate or govern an alternate dimension and time frame where despite the physical disparities in the location of the individuals- the characters of the game unite with their minds, their thoughts. However can we expect feelings to be transferred from one person to another- a feeling of closeness to the individual, maybe development of mutual admiration and affections despite the fact that all the individuals have not even once met in real life?  Well as I had earlier stated there might be an explanation to it-after all you cannot expect online relationships to blossom and flourish and get converted into some thing as marriage unless the twain don’t meet! Even then the cases where such have been established are rare…they have happened- like the 2 souls met each other through online first and then in real life and went ahead and married-for one thing this is not easy-you cannot vouch for all the credentials that the said individual is posting on his or her behalf and trust me putting a genuine pic also would not suffice-it can be morphed for all you know.  So how do the trust and friendship develop- is it only through words, the style of writing that one can figure out :- a) the gender of the person. b) that the person is not a poseur? Well partly yes and this also brings us to the 2nd level of communication- and that is voice chatting and telephone conversation-here despite the advances in voice modulation you cannot obscure the true nature of your voice no matter how you try and as you gradually speak along you get to gauge the person somewhat better as you would have say while chatting or orkutting.  People meet become friends virtually but to me it doesn’t make much practical sense – it is just that you are temporarily transferred to a make belief world where almost everything is perfect and going according to you-a place where you can share your thoughts and feelings with everyone, discuss about your interests and that’s all there is to it without going into any emotional attachment of any sorts. Friendship is something which cannot be solely established through the online world-no matter how much a smooth talker you might be and how much you portray yourself as the sane individual who is utmost in terms of character and morality. It goes beyond that-it transgresses the mind and conjugates with the physical being of the person-in short unless you meet ,you cant just call anyone your friend per se-at the most acquaintances.  This is because whatever happens in the alternate dimension-the virtual online world is shut off once you disconnect the internet and shut down your computer-whatever connection was their with the virtuosos it all goes off once everything is shut down- just like when you disconnect yourself from a virtual reality world. It is akin to coming back to the ground reality –if you stay alone then sinking once again into your couched hermit life or if you are among friends then once again digressing into the mirth and laughter with them.  So who does seek solace and comfort in the virtual world-people who are lonely and those who might have got bored and frustrated with life that they think spending 40% of their lifetime on the internet would help them find people and meet people and give him or her that much added sense of relief. However life is so fast paced in the current world and it is so competitive that rarely do you find such categories of people but even then there are sections of them that do exist. So which one do you prefer-online world or the real world-the question itself sounds inane but I just want to derive an opinion out of everyone out of this article I wrote and what do they make of it. For me I would obviously prefer the real world even though I am a self confessed net addict :P

Of progressive rock and Dream Theater

Octavarium album and the title song is epic in every sense of it.The track with a length 24 minute long encompasses in its final few stanzas all the prior 7 songs of the album.What more the ending tune of Octavarium leads to the opening salvo of the first song of the album-The Root of All Evil-in fact the album is like a loop quite aptly put by the lines-"

Trapped inside an Octavarium" it s the lyrics,the vocals and the awesome guitaring of Petrucci and drumming of Portnoy that makes DT a band worth listening to.Metrpolis Part 2-A Scenes from a memory is probably one of the best concept albums in progressive rock that I have listened to.

Images and Words would always remain their core popular album what with tracks like Pull Me Under,Another Day,Under the Glass moon scoring heavily with the fans.

Fall into Infinity also has good melodious numbers as in Hollow Years,Take Away my Pain-with the epic concluding It was Raining,etc 3 part track.

Progressive rock is defined largely by Dream Theater being at the core but bands like Porcupine Tree,Rush are also good in this genre-Neil Peart is a great drummer,an idol for many drummers that includes Mike Portnoy.

PS: I intend to buy the DVD of Metropolis Part 2.No idea about the prices though.

Chennai 600028 review

Over the weekend I saw a very good Tamil movie recommended to me by my friend, Chennai 600028 with English subtitles of course :P .The movie has everything-action,drama,comedy,romance- it’s a movie based on a theme that is the nation’s favorite sport-cricket. It showcases from gully cricket to tournament cricket and also the rivalry between two teams-Sharks and Rockers. Along the way it highlights team unity,amity,friendship, fights, interpersonal rivalry, ego clashes and also some minor quibbles that happen in friendship but above all it highlights the spirit of the game which is cricket.  The movie starts and ends with a run out albeit the out come is different for the both. The climax of the movie is the all important cricket match and just like Lagaan it goes all down to the wire-the last ball of the match and few runs required to win. The ending is climactic all right and all the actors have played their role well-notably characters playing Shanmugam,Karthick, Raghu( a former Rocker team player turned Sharks team’s lead bowler) and Selvi’s brother(forgot the name who was the captain in the final for Sharks).  Entertainment throughout with a good soundtrack the movie was enjoyable. PS: Learnt some Tamil words in the process-machan=buddy,ball podu pa=bowl,thambi=younger brother-these are the few that caught me the most along with poda=go.:P PPS: I heard Venkat's 2nd film Saroja is equally good as the first and I would check it out once the DVD is released of it with subtitles..the reviews look good so far of it.The star cast is basically the same as that of Chennai 600028 so it should be a good one.