Monday, February 14, 2005

Valentine's Day ...? Let's get over it people ......

Today is Valentine's Day. Yup, the day supposedly dedicated to your loved one .... I've even heard somewhere that if you're not going to love him/her the rest of the year, it's all good. But you have to do it on February 14 .... (Ok, I didn't hear it anywhere. I made that up.)

Aaarrgghhh !! It's just so frustrating at times. I'm sorry to say so but I really don't believe in special days like this. Or in any special day for that matter. It's just not fair to discriminate one single day for some special occasion like dedications to your significant other, father, mother or even your birthday. It's just way too lame. We don't need reminders once in a year to give a thought to your father, mother or significant other. It's an insult to that person and relationship in fact. If we were really care about them, we'd think about them everybody and I'm sure we do. We don't need no special day to tell us when to remember them. It's probably just a marketing strategy for businesses to make some money. Sad, but true ......

Saturday, February 12, 2005

Black .....

That's right ... today, I watched, apparently, the most awaited Bollywood movie of 2005 (according to www.indiafm.com), BLACK.

First of all, I wasn't very keen on watching the movie. But as it is with movies, if your friends are going, you gotta tag along !! The most surprising thing was when we entered the theater, the only people were my friends and me !! ..... Hmmmm ... The most awaited Bollywood movie of 2005 .... sahi hai !! :D ... A few more people (mostly comprising of Uncles and Aunties) joined us in the theater later.

Right from the start, I got the idea that this wasn't your usual Bollywood movie, which is good in a way ofcourse. I had read a lot on the Internet about how it was technically well made, after reading the interviews of the director, actors and cinematographer. But right from the start, you also know that it's going to be a slow movie.

The first half is good; it kept me interested. Special mention for the scene in which the little Michelle says "Maa" and "Paa" for the first time. It was very touching and the background music at that point would've left most people in tears. Hell, I almost cried in that scene ... !! I was smiling throughout the scene. Very good.

But the second half really drags. Especially the end when they focus on the romantic relationship between the teacher and the student (sorry, if you haven't watched the movie ... I might've given it away).

Ayesha Kapur, the kid who plays the role of the younger Michelle, has acted very well. As for Amitabh Bachchan and Rani Mukherji, I think they have overdone their parts. I think they overacted in most of Black. I agree the characters they are playing extraordinary and inspring, but I'd still like to feel that they are real. Their characters didn't seem to come through as real. I don't know ... it's just my small opinion. And it's not even like I don't like their movies. I love Deewar and I still feel "Main Azaad Hoon" is the Big B's best performance to date. And I liked Rani Mukherji's acting in Yuva as well.

Well, atleast the good part is I wasn't disappointed !! I didn't expect much from Black, and it lived up to my expectations ... !!

Chalo bhai ... bahut lamba ho raha hai ab !! :)

Recommended song (English) : Boulevard of broken dreams by Green Day. I'm not a big fan of rock music. But this really gives me the kick. The guitar in the song is just amazing and uplifting. And I think this song is already very popular on FM stations in the US. By the way, it is also one of the theme songs for Smallville, a popular TV show about Superman in his younger days.

Thursday, February 10, 2005

my first blog ..

This is my first blog .... so I don't know what I'm going to talk about. This is typical me by the way : confused ... !! :) Whether it is describing myself, or selecting to what song to play next in Winamp, or just figuring out what I want to do in life. It's all very confusing, and I must say I'm very good at it !!

I think I'll do something different at the end of each blog post. I'll recommend a song and/or movie. I don't know why I'm doing this. I guess I realize that there are some songs and movies which not everybody has a chance to listen or watch; most people have not even heard about it. This is my way of 'marketing' it and making sure more people atleast know about it.

Recommended song (Hindi) : Bande from the movie Black Friday (2005). It's a very nice rock number performed by Indian Ocean. I'm really looking forward to the movie, but what to do : the Indian courts are not giving permission to release it.

Recommended movie (English) : Hamburg Cell (2004). This movie has not been released in theaters anywhere I think. It's an HBO production so I think they might show it on TV or something. It's about the terrorists who were directly responsible for the 9/11 events. The movie shows how they were trained and most importantly, how they are brainwashed into becoming extremist Muslims by organizations in Germany, where they are pursuing their college education.