[Movies] Star Wars - (7) The Force awakens 2015

The Force has awakened! No one back in 1983 knew it would. Likewise, the parents of the majority of the audience I saw the movie with, hadn’t decided to have them back then too. So, here’s a movie and an audience celebrating the joy of being born! If a movie franchise could capture the imagination of such an audience, more than three decades after its inception, then one should acknowledge the power of its force. And, if I told you that this crowd raised the roof even as ‘Lucasfilm’ appeared on screen, then you can imagine the rest!

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SPOILER ALERT - Do come back after you have experienced the movie

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In the way, Rey, a lonely girl on a desert planet, moves, thinks and relates, you are constantly reminded of someone you’ve seen before. As she scavenges for machines and machine parts to make a living; In the way her life changes with the arrival of a droid; In her sense of goodness in refusing to give up the droid no matter how desperate she is; In her sense of duty in wanting to go back to Jakku, her planet, although it’s a dreary and unliveable place. Yes, it’s young Luke Skywalker, in aptitudes, attitudes and even life circumstances, as the world first saw him, a long time ago, in a faraway galaxy, in 1977.

What ho to see Han Solo again! Not the handsome one we remember. A haggard-looking Solo, now in the shoes of a father pining for his prodigal son. One of the defining dynamics of Star Wars, its focus on father-son relationships, is at play in this one too. In the first trilogy, a son tries to save his father from the dark side and now, it’s the father's turn to do the same for his son. Why is it that it’s the father who dies, no matter what? 

One sees the ‘continues…’ in bold, underlined and italicized fonts even in the backgrounds and characters. Here’s an intergalactic pub, up-cycled for modern purposes, reminding us of the one we met Han Solo for the first time. An obese Jabba-like creature sits with an attractive female in its armpit, watching the proceedings. And most of all, there’s Maz, who looks like she’s related to the legendary Yoda. His uber-cool granddaughter, why not? 

The thing I love about this sequel is the power it gives to a girl. In the very first Star Wars, there was a ladylike Leia, a leader to her troops. In spite of her bravado, you could sense her lack of confidence as she pulled the trigger on her machine gun. Now, in this latest sequel, there is redemption. Here we find Rey, a girl living on her own and quite capable of taking care of herself. She does not want to be saved or held by the hand by any man, no, thank you! She’s capable of saving herself and what’s more, she can even resist the power of an errant Jedi, with no training whatsoever! In my eyes, a tribute to every modern woman, living life on her own terms.

The movie begins with an image of a girl sitting huddled up in an ocean of sand, looking expectantly at the sky. It ends with the girl walking up an island in the middle of an ocean from her dreams, and looking into the eyes of the person whom she has been searching for, her whole life. This poignant moment holds in its grasp, questions about their past which is the hope for the future of Star Wars. And we can say, the Force has captured the imagination of yet another generation!

[Movies] Star Wars - (6) Return of the Jedi 1983

The Return of the Jedi found me exhausted with this series. In spite of the initial excitement of watching this cultural phenomenon of a movie, I found it hard to continue sticking to my initial plan of watching all six. So, this will be my last on this series unless ‘awakened’ by the upcoming sequel of Star Wars.

Creatures and their characterization in Jabba’s island tested my patience. There were some that seemed straight out of a Dr. Seuss book, only painted in evil tones. A significant point of interest in this episode was in finding out that Darth Vader was indeed Luke Skywalker’s father and not just a ploy employed to trick Luke into turning over to the dark side. This led me to ask myself why I couldn’t see it. Anakin Skywalker was portrayed as such a great and good man that it was unthinkable for me to consider him to be this dark and destructive Darth Vader. The confirmation of this fact and the revelation of who the other 'hope' is, were the only intriguing moments in the film. Luke and Leia! Brother and sister, they turn out to be! This unraveling story of sorts becomes a circus of too many things flying all over the place.

The way Luke senses Vader’s presence and vice versa strongly reminded me of the same connection between Voldemort and Harry Potter. The faith and patience of Luke makes his father repent and turn over to the good side in the end. This stands as illustration to the religious core on which the philosophy of this series seems to stand.

There was a light moment when Yoda tells Luke, seeing him look at him curiously, in his characteristic style, ‘When 900 years old you reach, look as good, you will not!’ If not 900 years older, at least a little older Leia, Solo and maybe Skywalker, we shall get to see in the sequel and see for ourselves, if there isn't some truth in Yoda’s words.

After being done with this, decided just reading the plot of the prequel trilogy would do. There was one point that disturbed the flow. In the summaries of the prequel trilogy, I read that Leia and Luke’s mother dies giving birth to them. But Leia tells Luke that she remembers her mother. ‘She was beautiful, kind but sad’, she says. This jarred as a contradiction between the two trilogies! Other than this food for thought, the rest of it was about a lot of Jedi action and the story of good Anakin Skywalker becoming the evil Darth Vader. 

On the whole, the characters in the series didn’t have much depth. Perhaps, when trying to bring in all this technology that did not exist and conjure up things about space and creatures, there wasn’t time for depth. On this tangent, the protagonists of Arthur.C.Clarke’s Rama Series come to mind in recollecting the shades they had, as space travellers and how even that was in flux throughout the series. From another angle, one should admire the patience and strategy of the director to wait for more than two decades for the technology to progress to the level he wanted on the animation front, before making the prequels. This is a movie series for the tech-buffs and the animation nerds, while the rest of us are left with an empty feeling of wanting more.

Still, what is interesting about what lies ahead is that here comes a sequel after 32 years. Makes one reflect whether a movie too grows like a human being in one’s imagination. How much have we changed from what we were in 1983 to now? As a grown person, we probably ‘know’ more but do we really understand more? Isn’t it completely possible that childhood was the true period of understanding, when all this learning hadn’t corrupted our thinking? Perhaps, these parallels apply to the movie series too. That remains to be seen!

[Movies] Star Wars - (5) The Empire Strikes Back 1980

The Empire Strikes Back starts on an icy remote planet. The rebels are being hunted by the dark forces and forced to evacuate their base. The tensions in the relationship between Han and Leia play out, with Han declaring that Leia is in love with him and Leia refusing that, insisting that the allies need him not just her. Luke Skywalker is getting a lot confident in using the 'Force' and he is able to escape the grip of an abominable snowman kind-of-creature.

The attacking ‘Imperial Walkers’, bug like metallic robots with long legs and an impenetrable armor reminded me of the chunky robotic things in the transformer movies and the machines invading Pandora in the Avatar movie. It made me conclude that the Star Wars series is indeed the mother of all the hi-fi sci-fi movies of today. In three years, the designs and detailing have gotten much better. Perhaps, the success of the first one helped. Emotionally, the characters don’t seem to have evolved much. In a scene, just to prove to Han that she’s not in love with him, she kisses Luke Skywalker, who turns to look at Han, as if he’s beat him and won a trophy! While, from the relationship angle, the characters seem to still be in the adolescent stage, things have matured a lot in the philosophical front, for here is Yoda!

As the voice of Ben sows the seed for Luke’s journey towards becoming a Jedi warrior, we first hear of the legendary Yoda in the Star Wars Series! No other character seen so far comes close to the interestingness of Yoda.  In some ways, Yoda reminded me of Oogway, the tortoise Grand Master in Kung Fu Panda. Whether it was the way they both hold their eyes half closed a lot or the intuitive, wise and a little crazy approach of the two, I couldn’t pinpoint exactly, but I see a clear shade of similarity. 

Live from Yoda, we get to hear all the lines that pervade popular culture. These are my personal favorites.

’Do... or do not. There is no try.’

(The king of motivating punch lines. The kind of words that seem to zing with action)

Luke: I don't believe it.

Yoda: That is why you fail.

(The essence of what he must learn, captured tersely. In believing lies winning)

Luke: Is the dark side stronger?

Yoda: No, no, no. Quicker, easier, more seductive.

(A perfect psychological portrait of all darkness, be it anger, hatred, doubt) 

Yoda: [points to a cave opening beneath a large tree] That place... is strong with the dark side of the Force. A domain of evil it is. In you must go.

Luke: What's in there?

Yoda: Only what you take with you.

(Could all the evil we perceive, be whatever we take with us? )

Entering this very cave, Luke finds Darth Vader within and defeats him, only to find that his own face in the black mask of the slain Vader. Perhaps, this cave is the place where one finds what one fears the most. Perhaps, it’s the philosophical inverse of Harry Potter’s Mirror of Erised where one sees what one desires the most. 

As predicted through out, Darth Vader tries to win over Luke to the side of the Dark Emperor. His motive and the methods are reminiscent of Lucifer tempting Jesus. Interesting is the way Vader tries to confuse Luke Skywalker saying that he is Luke's father and we are led to believe that Luke believes this, as he keeps murmuring ‘Why didn’t Ben say?’

There are plenty of puzzles in this one. As Ben declares to Yoda that Luke’s their last hope and Yoda replies, ‘No. There’s another!’ Much to look forward to, in the final of the initial Trilogy!

Yoda Quotes: Courtesy - IMDB.

[Movies] Star Wars - (4) A New Hope 1977

I have been meaning to see the Star Wars series for sometime now, having first heard of it a from a geeky friend in college. I remember that he rolled his eyes when I said ‘Nope. I haven’t watched Star Wars’, as if I had no right to call myself a movie buff. Besides, I read about the Indian Prime minister’s address at Central Park, New York where he seems to have told Hugh Jackman, ‘May the Force be with you!’ amidst rousing cheers. Does one need any other reason? Then again, the order of release in the movie series was an intriguing 4-5-6-1-2-3. This going back and forth over more than three decades on a single plot caught my fancy because that would have so much to inform us about not just the changes in technology and knowledge of space travel but even the cultural perceptions and life attitudes reflected therein. Most importantly, there’s the Star Wars Episode 7 about to release in 7 days. It seemed like the ‘Force’ was indeed pushing me to finally watch it.

I was advised to not begin from the beginning but begin from how it began! So, I started with the 1977 movie, which was the 4th episode. The fact that I wasn’t even born then made it extra interesting to me, as a viewer. Still, it took quite a bit of effort to stop myself from giggling at the representation of robots, the expressions of those actors interfacing with advanced technology, and the so-called hi-tech computer effects, which to a person of this decade, looks like pretty primitive video games. I’m sure, in another thirty years, they’ll be roaring with laughter about what we consider impeccable sci-fi movies of today. Anyway, I had to keep bringing myself back to sobriety by reminding myself that how one sees the future is, for the most part, an extension of the present. That the future could be something phenomenally different from today is not an idea we seem to entertain often.

As the movie started, the first ‘thing’ that caught my attention was C-3PO, a feeling robot, who was fearing its doom almost poetically. An over-talkative, over-smart human-cyborg relations droid, portrayed in a shiny gold exterior and going out of its way to show that it’s a robot, courtesy those colorful wires that seem to peek out of its torso. Its companion is R2, the super-intelligent robot that could hack into any system and do just about any technical operation. Of course, we don’t understand a word it says. That’s why we need C-3PO! In a way, these two are modeled like a genius, eccentric man and his talkative, emotional wife. 

Princess Leia, whom we meet soon after, glowing in white, seems a delicate person with lofty ambitions to save the whole universe from the evil forces. Even the way she fires a gun is as if she’s shocked about it. At times, it feels like Princess Leia is playing a part in a romantic-comedy movie. Case in point, she kisses Luke Skywalker clumsily when they are about to make a leap across a ledge on the enemy starship and says ‘It’s for luck!’

Luke Skywalker is a boy brought up by his relatives, after the death of his father, but in him, there is a sense of destiny beyond his immediate dry world. He tries to be dutiful to the uncle and aunt who have raised him even though he is frustrated to be doing meaningless chores in the name of duty. There was a scene where the uncle, aunt and Luke are at the dining table having their breakfast of a white liquid and some powdery stuff, the planet’s version of milk and chocolate cereal, no doubt! Luke is having a meltdown about being held back from the academy to help his uncle. The aunt stays perfectly quiet as Luke argues with his uncle, observing him intently, not trying to get a word in. Only after Luke leaves in a dejected albeit accepting manner, does she talk to her husband, arguing for Luke’s sake. Again, her husband listens to her advice but shows he’s the one in control by ending the discussion having his way and the last word. Perhaps, a reflection of man-woman roles as it was in 1977, rather than in the future, in a faraway galaxy.

In a reflection of what we know not, being an extension of what we know, the extra-Terrestrial creatures on this far-off planet have for the most part, human torsos and deformed or distorted heads of animals we have seen and read about. In this alien world too, we find a pub and there are all these creatures drinking and behaving as if they are in Madison Avenue on Planet Earth instead of Mos Eisley on Planet Tatooine. No surprise in finding a swashbuckling Han Solo here. Interesting to get into the skin of this pragmatic but good-hearted character played by the charismatic Harrison Ford. His very hairy first mate is a bear kind of figure who goes by the name ‘Chewie’. Although a ragged looking creature, Chewie cares about how he smells and expresses extreme reluctance to jump into the garbage chute even when it’s a matter of life and death! Even if these characters are clashing laser swords or are surrounded by enemy bots amidst laser gun shots, they are seen reeling off wisecracks at one other. An ‘Aha’ moment was when Han Solo looks at a moneylender, don kind of figure, to whom he owes money and who happens to be a greedy talking lizard and says ‘You are a great human being, Jabba!’  Who really is a human, it makes you think!

What I learnt about the ‘Force’ from this movie is that it is that which connects and moves all living beings. The Jedi warriors are trained in employing the force in their warfare, which is referred to as a religion. The Force is felt when there is a disturbance to life forms. ‘It controls you but obeys you too’, Obi Wan says. It made me reflect on other things in this same combination. ‘Instinct’ would fit the bill too. Heard phrases popularly used like ‘The force is strong with this one’, as Darth Vader remarks of Luke Skywalker in what I heard as a grudging but complimenting tone. Speaking of the devil, isn’t the idea of Darth Vader turning evil after training under a Jedi master like Obi-Wan, much reminiscent of Angel Lucifer’s fall from Heaven? 

At the end of the first movie, I think Star wars is legendary because it combines religion, politics, technology and serves a heady cocktail to a dreaming nation, waking up to the possibilities of the future. 

In the end, the evil forces are destroyed and our hero brings home the ship and saves the rebelling warriors on the good side. All’s well that’s end’s well, American style, but there’s more, as the Empire will want to Strike back. Unlike the first viewers, I don’t have to wait three years for that!

[Movies] Aarohanam - On the highest Note!

When the cyclone Thane struck the shores of Chennai, there was an unexpected and unfortunate personal loss! It was the loss of catching a good movie, that was leaving theatres that very week. Although unexplainable at the moment of experience, time does have a reason for everything. A very good one, it turned out! Having heard a lot of positive reviews on the movie, Madhan and I were sad to let it go unseen. By a magical serendipity, we met the director of the movie, Lakshmi Ramakrishnan, in a mutual friend's wedding last week. How time orchestrates these things in a way, that only it understands! She was next in line in the queue to meet the wedding couple. Even if we were separated by two more rows, we might have missed them. As we had done in our earlier meetings, we started talking about Aarohanam and she asked if we had seen it yet. Hearing the reply in the negative, she asked if we wanted to catch a show on Tuesday organized by Dreams India. Absolutely, we said, delighted to be finally seeing the movie.

As the person who introduced the movie said, "Many people missed this movie, and sadly, many theatres too missed this movie."  This show was meant to be the means to let a few people catch what they wanted to, but couldn't. Luck was to give us an added bonus of interacting with the director, at the end of the movie. These few moments where people queried her about the movie and the fascinating details that thereby emerged made me thank Thane, for its mysterious kindness!

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SPOILER ALERT - If there is even the slightest inkling to watch Aarohanam somehow, please stop at once and do come back, when you've experienced the movie.
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The movie was narrated the way life whispers our own story to us. Normally, it doesn't neatly begin at A and plod along till Z. It has the habit of throwing random things at the random moment, that somehow explains a puzzling something from the past. Likewise, the story unfolded in jigsaw pieces, that the director seamlessly completed in your mind's eye, as the final credits ran. Although obviously coming from an affluent family, she has caught the essence of someone living a poor and wretched life, in minute detail. As Director Bharathi Raja, who happened to watch the movie with us, quirkily put it, "I simply refuse to believe this person has directed this movie, given the intricate details of the poor protagonist's life. A life has been captured deeply, penetrating through many layers", applauded one of the best film-makers of authentic Tamil Cinema.

The spotlight was positioned on a woman from a poor background with a mental illness and a husband who did not understand her. But in the periphery, there are also sad stories of other women from other worlds.  One might ask, what could possibly be tragic about a woman who has achieved it all in her business career? What might even be remotely sad about a wife, who travels around the country with her decorated army husband? Seems there is. The woman who has achieved stupendous success in her business career may have an empty home to go to. The woman who travels the country with her husband may have put away her personal dreams and aspirations, to be with the man she married. When the lives of these women are placed in parallel, there is perspective. You may have every advantage such as a rich family, a happening career and end up with a hollow feeling in your heart. Or, you may have every disadvantage such as poverty, abandonment, mental illness and still, emerge winning over the challenges in life.

Now, coming to the central theme in the film - a mental illness. Time and again, we've seen this topic being abused, misinterpreted, ending up horrifying the viewer. It is indeed hard to find a movie that balances creativity and authenticity in presenting a mental illness. In Aarohanam, we have a clear winner. Let me introduce the illness with scenes carved on the mind because of the picture-perfect performance of actor Viji. In one frame, the protagonist wears a bright saree, puts a big red kumkum on her forehead and is smiling so dazzlingly, full of happiness and confidence. In another, her hair is lying all tangled and messed up, tears streaming down and she stares blankly at the wall. In one scene, she arranges everything beautifully, keeps the house so neat and organized. In another, she doesn't lift a finger when the same is in a complete mess. In one moment, full of energy, she does the work of ten people in ten minutes. In another frame, she cannot even rise from her bed and can only sit and stare at the wall. In one moment, she dances for her kids, laughs with them and teases them like a friend. In another, at the slightest provocation, she throws a bowl of curry onto her kid's plate. In one phase, she is capable of securing a hard-to-get loan and starting multiple enterprises to become a vegetable vendor, an LIC agent and a house-cleaner. In another phase, she doesn't have the inclination or the strength to talk to a single person. Two different people, you say? The very same person, oscillating like a pendulum between these two extremes. The pendulum rests at various points in the interval but never for long and especially never at the neutral centre.

Know someone like that? Suffered because you were not able to understand or cope with the extremities of this person. If you haven't already been introduced, meet Bipolar Disorder. This is an illness, which makes the person who has it believe at points that they are not just in heaven, but are Gods themselves and at points that they are not just in hell, but the worst possible sinner there. A standing ovation for the sensitivity and the solid research behind this movie!

What about the people surrounding this central character, this ball of fire and ice? Imagine you have a stable mind but are constantly being provoked by the eccentricities of the person suffering. The director brings out the surrounding characters, in a realistic way. The daughter who stands by her mother so proudly and responsibly, understanding that her mother, in spite of her mental illness, has done more for her, than her father with a stable mind. The son who wants his father's affection, but cannot live without his mother. Most of all, the husband, who has used the excuse of his wife's illness to seek a life elsewhere. As he so indignantly declares in the movie, "When men are seeking other wives when their wife is perfectly alright, why shouldn't I seek someone else when I'm fated with a person like you?" Even more interesting in this movie is the other wife, who taken up by guilt or regret, comes to the support of the first and ill wife. Women and their various dimensions have been so beautifully captured in this movie. All you women directors, with dreams in your eyes and burdens on your shoulders, do come on and sensitise the world with your deep sensibility, as this director has.

In the interactions afterward, there was a psychologist, who deals with these issues every day of her life, who remarked, "Awesome job with this movie. So rightly, the focus here is on the patient. But, it is my request that sometime you must focus on the difficult and support-less life of the caregiver." It is indeed the care-giver who is the caught in the cyclone of this illness, without a shelter nearby. Made me think that the ill are treated, but for the pain of watching someone you love suffer, is there any medicine?

And why Aarohanam? The director illuminated that, "Of the two musical notes, Avarohanam is the one that falls and Aarohanam is the one that rises. Here I wanted to capture the rising phase of the illness in that one momentous night, where she touches many lives". So meaningfully apt to capture the positives of this up-and-down illness. The final note in the movie brought forth how some of the greatest human beings have made amazing contributions to society, in spite of all the lows of their mind. Kudos to this director from our shores, for shattering the stigma of mental illness everywhere.

Although her very first attempt at movie-making, so glad that this director understood that the most rewarding journeys in life are not to a new place in the world or even, the universe. But rather to an unknown recess of a mind. It's despair and it's hope!

[Movies] Naan Ee - Fly high!

Readers of this blog are aware that sometimes even a rocket's buzz doesn't rouse me enough to write. Surprisingly, it's a fly and it's war-cry!... And here I was thinking, "What? A revenge-story about a fly - Surely not (in) my cup of tea!"

Puns apart, the movie was a class apart! The last time I felt so high and happy because of our sibling-species in movies, was Ratatouille. The makers could have easily seen this as a super-hero fly, capable of anything. But no, it is just a common house-fly, that has a hard life in this human world. In intricate, logical advances, the fly conquers the heart of even a cynical skeptic.

A bold attempt and a sincere one, at that. The devil is in the details, they say and so is this 'Naan Ee'. I would say that everyone, from the director, cinematographer, dialogue-writer, lyric-writer to the animator, involved in the movie became a micro-artist, for it was from every angle, etched in a fly's perspective.

Odes should be written about the apt characterization of the roles in the movie. Firstly, in portraying the female actor as a micro-sculptor.

 ["நுண்சிலை செய்திடும் பொன் சிலையே/ பென்சிலை சீவிடும் பெண் சிலையே"

"A micro-sculpting gold statue/ A pencil-sharpening girl statue"]

Then, in the adorable charm of the male lead. His life is so short but it doesn't seem so, for what are we, but our soul and will?! This shines through every action of the fly and that is the true success of the movie. Not to miss, the hated villain! We've been thrilled to see villains pounded to our satisfaction in Indian movies, galore. Still, this actor takes it to a whole new level, in the duel between him and the fly. Likewise, even miniature roles bring jumbo laughs, in the end.

The camera and the chemistry makes you fall in love with the leads' love and feel fully its poignancy in being realized only in another birth. 

                        [Image courtesy - viewtamil.com]

"நீ திரைகள் மாட்டினால்

உள் அறைகள் பூட்டினால்

உன் இதயமூலையில்

நானே இருப்பேன்."

"You may hang those curtains

And close the doors within,

But in your heart's corner,

I will still remain!"

The movie is intricately and beautifully interwoven. In a fluid flow, you see the music in the dialogues, you see the lyrics in the cinematography and so on... A true treat, that makes you cheer at every strike. All emotions are aroused, but like caring mothers, the makers have ensured that you leave with a smile. Also, a glow in your heart that Indian movies are starting to do class things and reaching the mass too!  

                    [Image courtesy - http://www.sattigadu.com]

In making this fly, they have taken us on a journey to find that, what ultimately moves any man, is his mind and with that, no one is a small fry. A complete pleasure to simply sit back and enjoy how this bug bucks you up!

[Movies] A Separation / Iranian 2011

Once again, I am jolted from my months-long literary slumber by a magical journey. Here you are, on a theatre seat one moment and vanishing into thin air, the next. It is very rare that you take the entire theatre with you, and in perfect 'zen' silence, that too. That is to be seen to be heard! Introducing 'A Separation' at the International Film Festival, in Chennai.

From the word go, one feels pulled into a mesmerizing painting and one is the artist, the colors and the subject, all rolled into a perfect whole that one forgets what one is. Each actor, acted not, but lived. Each emotion was not out there, it was within. Every element of the movie had one unifying element - economy. Not a single scene, a single word, a single expression was unnecessary. Sculpting precisely, ego, honesty, loyalty, love, as real as it can be!

Ever thought about what would you do if you had to choose between a dying old man and an unborn child? A moral dilemma indeed, specially to those concerned. Many philosophers theorize about man's morality. One such theory describes it as stages with the first layer akin to the simple reasoning of a child who thinks "it's all right to do anything as long as one doesn't get caught". The next one being the phase when we do things "to keep the others around pleased or things that are right according to law". Then again, the final level, the highest and most difficult level founded on the "universal principles of an ideal humanity". This movie touches on every one of these layers and from multiple angles. Life as it is, seems to be the most interesting story of all.

Into the homes, in the streets, you walk following an enigmatic stranger - the story. You see unfolding the multiple realities of every character - their faith, their conflict, their honor, their life, in fine detail. Not all that different from you and me. In all, a perfectly woven persian carpet, magically flying you through the hills and vales of the human mind!

[Movies] Inspired by Inception

Experienced a movie or was it a dream? No, way too logical to be a dream.

The layers of the seemingly complex subconscious presented simply! The stunning visuals, spatial magic, surreal performances are not what I want to talk about. It's just my fascination with the core - The idea of an idea being implanted!

Is this a bizarre idea, an 'out-of-this-world' concept? Hardly! I think this has been done as long as humanity has existed. In our childhood, in our day-to-day life, why even in advertisements, ideas are sown into our head knowingly or unknowingly. We come to believe them as our own and even guard them fiercely. Ideas inside the head that seem to impersonate you perfectly. "You can't do this" "You'll fail" "There you go again, why can't you ever do things perfectly?" "Always make a mess" "The fair girl gets the guy" "Tall, dark, handsome hunk speeding on the bike". This, an idea spreading roots, taking firm hold and growing into an haunted tree, that sadly, sometimes, even invite us to end our lives on it. Whoever may be the cause of this deadly inception, the reason it is alive is simply because we choose to believe it. It has become so ingrained in us, that we see this thought as 'me'. "I can doubt me and my capabilities, not my thoughts!" Wow, how did we get here?!

For those of us, who can look inside and see this truth, it's a gentle reminder: Watch out for the seeds you sow. Contrast the above dark lines to, "You are so adorable" "I know you will do it" "It's not impossible" "There's something special in you" " You are born to be happy" "You always do your best" "Even an amputee can be a ballerina" "A ninety year old woman can do the salsa". These seeds, though hard to grow in today's cynical world, once they find their niche, sprout heavenwards and captivate us all with their power, their gentle breezes, their unmoving support, their smiling invitation to live, fully and deeply!

Plant the seed of hope or be the plant of hope. Stay alive, in the true sense of the word - You are needed to make a difference!

[Movies] Gurushetram / Tamil 2010

Drugs. Movies with this background, was way down on my list, only a notch above horror movies, which is a complete no-no for me. Such was my aversion to these movies, that anything with this background gave me the jitters, goose-bumps and what-not. By the way, I would attribute it to some skull faces and skeleton men when TV was first introduced at an impressionable young age of 8. Well, this long and slightly uninteresting autobiography is to say, "For a very long time, we go on with hard-wired notions that we definitely wouldn't like something and then we are jolted out of it by an exceptional piece of work!" The exceptional work, in this case, is 'Gurushetram'.

They speak the same language, maybe with a light intonation and a different accent. Not any more diverse than Kovai and Madras Tamil. But here is a whole new culture and perspective. The quaint feeling of watching a foreign language movie in your mother-tongue. As my understanding of the Singaporean Tamil culture, at the cost of sounding politically incorrect, they seem more Tamil than the Tamil Tamils! This has led me to believe that it is the far-flung seeds that guard the roots vehemently.

A tight packed screen play, that has something to hide and reveal until the last moment. Perfectly etched characters, with distinct and consistent identities. Theme, handled with maturity and clarity. The one song in the movie, that blends aptly, with the flow. Lead performances, that bowl you over with their perfect rendition. Emotion in certain scenes, that becomes a character by itself. Most of all, the confluence of all these elements makes the experience much, much greater than the sum of it's parts.

A fine way to know your own in another land!

[Movies] Whatever Works / English 2009

How can one write a review for a movie that didn't end? Well, why not? You walk out of so many Tamil movies and throw away so many Hollywood discs in disgust, to quote Woody Allen himself, unable to understand their "stupidity beyond comprehension". But this movie was definitely not that kind...quite the other end...The only reason it didn't end was the disc was dirty! So, here's my review of 'Whatever Works' or to be more specific "Whatever worked"! - Loved it, was awfully disappointed not to see the ending and live in Allen's world, just a bit more...

It is not rocket science to infer that this man, Woody Allen is a true literary genius. He must have talked when he was only a month-old, I bet... His vocabulary and the effortless way he just interconnects the words and jumps from thought to thought, painting character sketches with each word, simply a marvel! I've watched that his creations are always extremes, almost cartoonic. It's the thing about Allen that all his male leads have the same core - highly intelligent, taking a dark view of every single thing about the world("there are summer camps for everything in America... chess camp,movie director camp, football camp! Kids should actually be sent to concentration camps to understand what the world's like!") and misanthropic beyond imagination. But where Allen wins is that how many ever times he creates these characters, they almost never bore you. Larry David plays the neurotic lead well or rather mimics Allen perfectly for I am certain he is himself in all his movies!



Allen's fans are sure to love this one and I am sure I wouldn't change my mind if the rest of the disc worked too!

[Movies] Italian Film Festival

In my rating scheme, I am beginning to move up the slot for Italian movies, quite close to the French. A couple of masterpieces are the reason for this 'falling-in-love-all-over-again' phenomenon.

Don't Tell/2005

Imagine watching a movie with a couple of really annoying strangers in your backseat. They talk in loud voices, laugh at inappropriate times and don't care if they are disturbing you. Well, that's to give you an idea of the atmosphere of 

this movie screening. To explain further, there was something wrong with audio in the discs.The technicians didn't get that at first and were tooling around every possible piece of equipment. When nothing worked and no voice emanated, they hit on a audio channel that had the italian directors commentary. They thought , "Ah, we got the audio!" and left us, watching the entire movie with the commentary. Thank Goodness, it was in Italian. I slowly trained my ears to shut off . All thanks to the really great movie. If the movie had been any less beautiful, I might have screamed and left... Well, at least left! It handled some very sensitive topics in such a neat manner. Natural performances by each of the characters. The wit and irony in one of the last scenes just bowls you over. I think this movie taught me something deep... To get some meaningful things, you sometimes have to put up with a lot of nonsense but it all still makes perfect sense in the end.

What will happen to us/2004

A truly hilarious piece of comedy about three high schoolers. 

In the first few scenes, it gave a very unique perspective on the student life there. 

It had some awesome pieces of dialogue.  Here's a quick conversation between the examiners and a student in the movie. It's an oral exam and the examiner sizes up the student and says: 

"I am going to make this easier for us. Please talk about about anything you want"

"Oh yes, I know about World War 1.. It started with the extermination of a prince person."

"Assassination!"

"The war was born on June 14, 1928 ..No,no June 28,1914.."

 "A war is born? and then it dies? It breaks out!"

 The examiners nod their heads in disbelief. 

I imagine what fun it must be for teachers, if they really take the time to read some of the papers we write! 

The characterization of the trio is remarkable. Their personalities share nothing in common other than their friendship and still stay so connected till the end. There is another character that stands in stone in your mind. 'How a journey changes the life of these friends forever' is told in a very funny, moving manner. 

Here's another excerpt:They are finding a place to stay at the last minute in Greece and only get a run-down place . It has some very quirky rules like the toilet hours: Morning 7-9 and Evening 7-9. One character sees this and says," What? Should I be in diapers the rest of the time?" 

It has me in stitches every time I think of it!

[Movies] In the Mood for Love / Chinese 2000

An enchanting movie set in 1960s HongKong. The outward appearance and the attire of the characters are so comfortably western whereas the feelings and the societal constraints, through the movie, mirror Oriental philosophies. It is this conflict that's been captured picture perfectly. There is no hurry at all in the screenplay. The movie moves much like the female lead ,walking gracefully up the stairs in slow motion, in one unforgettable scene. The theme music is mesmerizing beyond description. The flow of the movie and the music fit like a perfect couple. I would compare the movie to a piece of poetry or an artwork. But I felt it is not more than once, I would want to watch it. It doesn't belong to that genre of movies that makes you want to see it again and again. And, that is no vice. It gives everything it has to offer in one magical,relaxed shot.

[Movies] International Films right here in Chennai

Movies...I have rolled in laughter, sympathized, empathized and shed many tears over this grand illusion. In my years in the US, one fascinating thing that kept me going was the ease of movie-watching. At one time, I had membership in Blockbuster, Hollywood videos and Netflix. Right, every possible movie rental outlet..crazy me!  Especially loved the international section. In my time there, A Very Long Engagement, Rossenstrasse, The Lives of Others, The Sea Inside and Love me if you dare, were some of the movies that moved me, in all senses of the word. To be transported away to a different time, place, mood, perspective and all with a few frames! That's what lured me to the magic of movies, I discovered!

Although movies fascinated me from very young, the one, who pointed the way to options other than Tamil and Hollywood, was Madhan. Amelie is one such he talked about in the early 2000s. I have spent fascinating hours watching this masterpiece. I have found French movies, in general, to be a notch apart. As I speak, the frames of the Spanish Apartment flash before me. 

After our marriage and eventual settling down in Chennai, Madhan and I were sorely missing our respective international movie experiences. One morning, as I was casually browsing through the Metro Plus section, my eyes hit the 'Korean Film Festival' hosted by ICAF, Chennai. We both were excited and decided to find more about it. There it started. We both have seen more international movies right here in Chennai, than we would have abroad, thanks to ICAF. Every month, they host movies from at least 3 countries. Ideal for the armchair traveller!

I have been meaning to write about every movie I saw but a year has passed by and 'tis only now, I am penning my thoughts on the ones that stand out..

SECRET SUNSHINE/KOREAN 2007

- The female lead character's performance was remarkable.

 She moves through many confused phases in the movie and her portrayal was stunningly realistic.

GHOST PUB/JAPANESE 1994

- My first Japanese movie. We were surprised to find ourselves in fits of laughter. You would think humor is bound to cultures and here we were laughing our heads off at this movie about a wife returning as a ghost to haunt her husband and his new girl-friend. I think the Hollywood version, "Over her dead body" was inspired from this movie.Not inspired enough, though! The Japanese original was authentic, funny and moving in certain parts.

KATYN/ POLISH 2007

- A story about a people's struggle for the truth about their past. Set in the background of the World War 2 . It shows how history can be twisted, depending on who has the power!

ELEVATOR TO THE GALLOWS/ FRENCH 1958

- A simple murder story but told with very clever screenplay. Each knot of suspense plunges the movie in an awesome way. A film that old really puts some of these latest so-called thrillers to shame. French movie-making at its best.

CAMPFIRE/ ISRAELI 2004

- A peek into the settlement culture of Israeli Jews. It gives deep perspectives on conforming to a group Vs. standing for oneself.

THE SILENCE/ SWEDISH 1963

- An Ingmar Bergman classic. A stark portrayal of sibling conflicts and personalities.   The dying female lead is a translator of exotic foreign languages while living in a dark silence with her own sister. The performance of the young child caught in the complex relationship between the sisters and yearning to discover the strange place he visits, was very mature.

BLISS/ TURKISH 2007

- Intense emotional portrayal of a society's view on rape and family shame. The stunning thing about the movie was the cinematography.. the locales and the camera were absolutely mesmerizing.

GRAVEHOPPING/ SLOVENIAN 2005

- A black comedy on a funeral speaker's witty confessions. The dialogues were dryly humorous and specific scenes evoked such outbursts of laughter. The female lead's view of life and the portrayal of her final decision was breathtakingly fresh.

CZECH DREAM/ CZECH REPUBLIC 2004

- A satirical, bold look at the commercial tendencies of the public. The movie is about a couple of researchers who start on an advertising campaign on a product that does not exist. They gather thousands of people at the site of a mall. The catch, there is only a wall and no mall. The people who gather are not actors but the general public taken in by the marketing. In the final moments, the movie really gives a perspective on human reactions and emotions, at their most foolish moments.

ARABIAN NIGHTS /LUXEMBOURG 2007

- The routine, smooth life of a person is thrown out of bounds by some simple events. It creates a story wherein a man risks losing his everything, just following his heart, which soon turns out to be a mirage in the desert.

SHE KEPT CRYING FOR THE MOON/ SLOVAKIAN 1982

- A look at slovakian lifestyle and the stigma of raising a child alone. The performances of the mother and daughter duo were outstanding. 

JAN DARA/ THAI 2001

- A very intense portrayal of the sensuality in human relationships with its bundle of confusions. Even situations where you would expect to feel nauseous, on after-thought, are portrayed with such subtlety and beauty.

That's the list for now. Here's a promise on more frequent updates in the future..