Slumdog Millionaire - 'I' review

And well though its not really a review ....just some thoughts.

 

Ok ...coming back to the point......Saw the movie today finally .....

So 'I' = 'me'

 

Is it worth the hype? Well more of 'yes' and some 'no' - 

Yes for the sheer brilliance in which raw India has been captured.

Yes for the vibrant colors and wonderful camera work.

Yes for the amazing cast selection and the brilliant potrayals of their roles by each character.

Yes for the storyline (mind u ..if u think this is an exact adaptation of QnA, you might be in for a surprise)

Yes for Danny Boyle - if it hadn't been for ARR, the name Danny Boyle would still have made me go watch this movie

And of course the biggest Yes for ARR - A thumping, pulsating score worth every bit in gold (my opinion) - Jai Ho is wonderful and so are the bits and pieces of bgm's and other songs thrown in between.

A mild No - for editing (feel the editing could have been a better, made the movie a little more crispier)

A mild No - because ..probably its something that captivates the rest of the world (the fascination ..that is India) more than it might do us Indians (brickbats please)

Is it a recommended watch - Yes ..defnitely though I would have loved to hear more ARR stuff in there.

After all...ain't that what we Rahmaniacs wish for.

-A

Musical quest

The self styled, so called 'musical quest' ....It continues.


New discoveries ....

Annuals -
Amazing Alt Rock band .....check this out if you want to know why this band gets my approval :-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlNcWqd91kY


The Ting Things
Pop-Rock at its exploratory best.....another group that gets my approval. Mind you, there are just people in this act
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myJnsqGgxxM


Fleet Foxes
Seattle based environmentally conscious pop rock. CrossbyStillsNash styled ..I would say. Glorious indeed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gke4USY8EE&feature=related

The old timers ....
Snow Patrol is out with a new album ...called A Hundred Million Suns ..decent but not their best
Travis is out with a new album - Ode to J Smith ....nice album ...they sound quite different in it..worth checking out

More later ...

-A

Yuvraaj is a classic

Day 1

Act 1:
a BART ride to SFO (workplace) ...Yuvraaj songs on iPod.

Song 1 skip,
Song 2 ....2 mins, skip,
Song 3 -45 secs skip,
Song 4 Kinda Ok ,
Song 5 ...kinda Ok ,
Song 6 ...good but could have been better.
Song 7 - Ok,
Song 8 - Good,
Song 9 ...remix ...yuck ...

General thought. Songs are just ok. What's happened to ARR this time around.
End of BART ride - nah ...this album aint that good.

Act 2:
Login into ARR Yahoo group - post your first thoughts and dimiss the album complaining about Lyrics, music being too techno. Weak album, Shanno Shanno - terrible song....blah ..blah ..blah

Act 3:
Lets give it another try....
After all its an ARR album.
Ok - it sounds better - hmm songs are not that bad.
End of Day - have already heard the album close to 5 times and can't stop listening to it

Day 2 to the present day
Same Act repeated in a loop ....
Yuvraaj is on repeat mode with some occasional breaks (for charging iPod, hearing a new rock act discovery callled the Annuals) but nah ...back to Yuvraaj.
---------------------------------------

That in a nutshell is what has happened with this album. There is little doubt that ARR's music is slow poison but that it was this poisonous is something that I didnt realise.

A detailed review to follow ......all I can say for now is that I have to go back and drown further into this magician's world.

ARR - you rock and yet again I feel blessed to be born in the same era as you and to be able to appreciate the world that you have introduced me and countless others to.

Thank you sire.

-A

Defeated ...tormented ...dejected

After a horrendous and bloody battle with the icici direct website for the past 1 hr and 15 minutes ...even with advanced weaponary such as comcast high speed network, wireless connectivity, direct ethernet connection, vpn access (through wsgc network), I have failed. I submit ....I submit to the power ...to the will ...to the might of the ICICI network.

it was a one-sided affair in which I was thrown out inexplicably - innumerous times - I was given the 'page not found' many times and I was left teary-eyed ....most of the times.

the war is over ..icici has won yet again.

I will now retire into the loneliness ...to the dark of the night and sleep ...a tormented soul shall now sleep.

-A

If this is anything to go by ...

http://www.muktaarts.com/newsite/yuvvraaj/

then we are in for a real treat ...

ARR rockss ...as always

-A

'IMAXed' is the Knight

Twice in 3 weeks ...this movie took me back to the movie-hall in the quickest ever time The last was proabably DCH ..another world ..another time (DCH - Dil Chahta Hain)

Dark Knight ..the movie and Heath Ledger's and Bale's performances have entrenched so deep into my mind that this one is gonna take a long time to wear off (not that I want it to)

This time around at the IMAX ..even as I knew each minute ..each twist ...it still was probably as exciting as the first time around. I think this time around - I was watching the finer points of each person's brilliance in this movie.

I dont think I have enough words to describe the cinematic experience that it is ...this movie.

-A

Why so serious ....

This has to rank as one of the most stunning OST's that I have ever heard ....wow !!!

A 9 minute monster ...consider yourself warned ...



-A

What is Intelligence

or should I say Un-Intelligence in the case of India's security agencies ...the IB and the RAW ????

Two blasts in 2 days ....and the second one despite a e-mail threat ..its plain ridiculous what the state of affairs are. Who is to blame for this miss - apart from the maniacs who committed this dastardly act - it has to be the politicians, the cops and the so called 'Intelligence agencies'. In a few days ..they will claim to get some leads, catch or frame some innocent folks (presumably some muslims) - that will start a cycle ...a vicious cycle of more angry minorities.

Life is cheap these days ....too cheap. This incident like any other previous acts of terror would soon be forgotten and by soon ..I will say 2 days. India will be back to the Dhoni's, the Kareena's the Shahrukh's, the Salmans, bribery scandals for votes ....soon and 50 lives will be forgotten just like this ...poooof !!!

I dont know who to blame ....who is the enemy ....where to start and now where to end ...
Life will go on ...anyway ..

Some articles for a further read
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Ahmedabad/State_intelligence_network_in_tatters/articleshow/3286440.cms

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1826950,00.html

-A

Dark Knight ...flies high

Higher than the rest ....probably one of the most stunning movies I have ever seen.

Whether its the cast, the action, the sets or the chilling soundtrack ....the movie is an example of complete mastery. Heath ledger is as brilliant as I had read about and more. Bale is at his best (as always ..from the days of 'Empire of the Sun') and Chris Nolan at the helm roars yet again telling you that Memento was not a fluke ....and that he is one of the most brilliant directors around in Hollywood.

There is a very good chance that I am gonna watch this one again at IMAX.

-A

Now Reading ....n thinking n excited

Reading
Pillars of the Earth - by Ken Folett
Actually re-reading it after 12 years ...I last read it in 1995 in a 6 day blitz (constrained by a BCL due date).

This book is so remarkably different than anything Follett has ever written (distant from his world of spy novels and thrillers) that I find it exciting to read even the second time around. The main reason I am reading it though is because I want to read its sequel ....

p.s. 'BCL' btw stands for British Council Library ...I loved those trips to the BCL at CP and I miss almost everything about Delhi now :-(

luved a book called 'Water for Elephant' - quite well written ...it

Thinking
Yet again ....where this world is headed to - rising prices a.k.a inflation, rising turmoil in almost every part of the world ....wondering how much the world has changed in just over a year ...

Excited
About the movie 'Dark Knight' releasing tonight/tomorrow- the first Batman became an instant classic in my list ...so its only obvious that I have been waiting since then for this sequel .....

Music
The National, ARR, Elbow and Radiohead occasionally

-A

A list

Think I should list it down before I forget..

India

• Deep Purple
• Scorpions
• Bryan Adams
• Roger Waters

US

• Incubus
• Our Lady Peace
• Bob Dylan
• Willie Nelson
• Eels
• Random Bands@ Croc Cafe, Seattle
• The Who
• Blue October
• Elbow
• KFOG Kaboom
  Collective Souls
  Matt Nathanson
• REM@ Greek Theater
  The National
  Modest Mouse
  REM
• Sivamani
• A R Rahman
• Indian Ocean

Yep ..if you guessed that its the list of Concerts I have attended, then thats right.

-A

Sakkarakatti n JTYJN n Ada

You wil typically review something to write about the pros and cons or to describe your love/hate for something/someone.

There are several reasons why I have almost stopped reviewing ARR albums.
Primarily its due to the fact that this man is so at the top of his game that for miles n miles and miles ...there is no one in sight ...no one in comparison to this man and the magic he creates each time he composes...
or
I could have also stopped reviewing due to the fact that I am just crazy about this man's music :-). So my extolment wont end if I start reviewing his albums.

Be it Ada or JTYJN and now Sakkarakatti (Tamil)- there are really no words for me to pen down since probably each song is a journey ...a lesson in its own right.

I am yet to grab my CD of the new Tamil release - so for now ..i have to limit myself to hearing the songs online .....but wow ....as usual ARR rocks

Probably I can get myself to write a review once I have the CD.

-A

Beat this .....

Jordan Rudess (Dreamtheater)




-A

Yes yes ..there has been a fuel price hike in India

And how would u know that? well for starters ...take a look at this ....



Bravo folks....Bravo !!!!

and well we have bandhs (strikes) too ...look at this

http://hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=4a49c294-db94-45ed-af36-c66cac6a0d8b&&Headline=West+Bengal+bandh+affects+normal+life

I am at a loss for words now ...

-A

A Dream comes true ....

just came back from a R.E.M concert at Berkeley....an awfully long wait but finally got to see them ...

in fact this past month has been great ...Collective Souls, Elbow ...and now REM
and 2 ARR albums ...

what more could I have wished for ...

-A

Sivamani concert ....Bay Area ...Jul 5th

Sivamani concert ...July 5th ..Marriott San Ramon ..



-A

A cool composition

A good one ...the second part is really cool ..

-A

A sad BART Commuter

To the SF BART representatives ....

I have tried all means of trying to communicate my grievances about the problems on the Fremont-Hayward line since the past few weeks. But I dont think I have yet received any satisfactory explanation to how a sub-station problem like the one that occured on May 11th - can take 2 months to repair in today's age and specially when the BART ridership is at an all time high.

To-date since May 11th
-- I have seen at least 3 people faint on the train thanks to the sweltering heat and the crowds
-- I have noticed people lose temper thanks to the packed crowds (and tensions thanks to that)
-- As a daily commuter from Fremont from SF - I have travelled around 10-15 times standing all the way (the other times I hav avoided by travelling back all the way upto 16th Street from Embarcadero to get a seat)
-- Have got up at least 3 times to give someone my seat (mostly ladies or old people)-- Erratic timings of trains (trains from Fremont to SFO leave at any arbit times - its impossible to plan anything)

All this given that Fremont and Union City have probably the largest community of BART riders. These days people beyond Union City dont stand a chance of getting a seat (sometimes not even people from Union City).

It almost feels like no one cares as to what happens to commuters on the Fremont line. As it is we had trains only once every 15 mins ...now even thats an old story ..a luxury ... I have tried speaking to BART employees at stations and also called the BART Customer Service line but everyone seems so apathetic to our plight.

I sincerely hope that something is done to address the concerns of thousand of riders like me.

-A

Holding India ransom ....is easy

Its one group one day ...its some other group the other day .....the latest being the Gujjar community. Strikes, protests, bandhs .....are the order of the day and its just so easy....to stir up something

http://www.hindu.com/2008/05/29/stories/2008052955561200.htm

I just dont get the idea of reservations and quotas. Do these people purposely want to demean themselves by getting themselves classified as 'SC'/'ST' just to get way with an easy life thanks to quotas et al. ?

I abhor the Indian govt and its vote-band politics for having even started paying attention to such matters. All the Mandal commisions and gujjars and whatever the $%^k these folks want ......Come on guys !!!! Are other people idiots ....are folks from poor families who dont belong to the 'ELITE' SC/ST tribes fools to slog for their daily bread and a decent life????? Why the heck should there be difference?? Life is tough ....and accept that rather than resorting to such dirty and pathetic tactics of bandhs and rail-roko craziness ..just to get away from HARD WORK !!!!!

-A

A double whammy !!!!

I bow before thee...oh Lord of music ....ARR (A R Rahman)

The first Monday of this week ..May 19th - music buffs or in this case Rahmaniacs like me have been treated to a double whammy of sorts ....(to rahmaniacs - its called blessings in disguise) - two ARR albums released ....this day

ADA and Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na - Each of them brilliant and each of them show in their own way why this man is unarguably the best ever that ever was ...that ever is and that ever will be.

Detailed reviews and comments to follow .....for now am just immersed in the magic that this man has created in these 2 albums ...

-A