I have been desiring to write about a few movies that I have watched in the recent times, but was holding myself back because most of my posts have either been about movies, books or just plain rant. But then I thought, well these are the things I like or love, so why stop writing about them. So here it is :)
Reservation Road:
Genre: Family Drama
What I liked: The portrayal of emotions by both the fathers (one who has lost his son in a hit-and-run, and the other is guilty of the hit-and-run of the kid, but in turn is afraid to lose his kid's affection if he confessed and turned himself over to the cops). Both the actors Joaquin Phoenix and Mark Ruffalo have done complete justice to their roles. Very heart wrenching.
After thoughts: In this movie, Jennifer Connelly, who plays the mom of the kid who is killed in the hit-and-run, recovers from the trauma much faster than the father. In fact, their relationship gets strained because Joaquin doesnt let it go or may be he doesnt want to let it go, until he gets justice for his son and Jennifer wants to go on with their lives, as they have a daughter to take care. In general, the greatest loss would have been to a mother, who has lost her kid. So this aspect of the movie, got me thinking a little. But you know what, it is true, that even though men are stronger physically, in terms of emotional strength, women are the strongest. I guess that is how the concept of balance works. Women are made emotionally stronger to compensate for their physical weakness. This way, both men and women can coexist sharing their strengths and balancing their weaknesses.
Also is it really possible for Joaquin to forgive the man or atleast let him go, when he so badly wanted to get justice for his dead son ? I guess he definitely would have, if he didnt know or if Mark didnt have a kid of his own and if Joaquin didnt see how much Mark is struggling to be a good father to his kid. Does it justify the accident ? No, it doesn't. But when a man is already fighting with his own ghosts on the accident that he happened to cause, how much more can you punish him ? I would say, by letting him go, Joaquin gave him the highest level of punishment that even the legal system cannot give.
Must watch movie, if you have a little inclination to family drama.
Iris:
Genre: Drama (what kind ? I am not sure)
What I liked: The beautiful rendition of the life of Iris Murdoch by Judi Dench and Kate Winslet. Judi Dench is always a pleasure to watch (just like Susan Sarandon and Meryl Streep). Jim Broadbent (I was wondering...where have I seen this guy ? then after Googling I found out .....Prof Horace Slughorn of HP - HBP... ) does touch your heart with his portrayal of John (Iris's husband). I dont know much about "Iris Murdoch" but started to watch this film only for Judi and Kate and ended up watching it fully. It is about the novelist Iris, for whom Words were her life (some dialogues are so so nice.. ) and slowly when she becomes a victim of Alzheimer's disease, how even the simplest of words become difficult for her to understand. It is also about her husband, who is with her till the end and who tries his best to give her a peaceful end. You should see the desperate ways Jim tries to find Iris when she goes on her own in the rain, while he was typing something and how he reacts when one of her friends brings her home after finding her in a super market. I remember one of the lines which Iris tells her husband in the restaurant.
"Between two evils, always choose the one you haven't tried before". Dont ask me why this stuck with me...it just got stuck......
After thoughts: I pray to you God, that if you ever happened to put me in such a situation, with such a disease, where I cannot even remember myself, please be kind enough to give me a quick death. I dont want to be a burden on someone in my life. It is definitely scary to even think that you wouldnt be able to remember what you said a sec ago and to repeat the same again. We do it all the time when we start getting older, but then we say "you know what, I think I am getting older that is why I keep forgetting things". But I wish I will be able to say that but still be able to remember other things. If there is a name for the fear for Alzheimers, I have got it..
Again a must watch movie, if you like Drama.
Irumbu kottai muratu singam:
Genre: Satire
What I liked: It is a plain simple story with political and movie sarcasm. Nothing too grand, but plain enough to understand and make you smile all the way through. You cannot stop giggling in some places. Simbudevan has did it again. After 23 pulikesi, this is on such a high note, that you cannot miss the beat. Am going to say nothing more. Just watch it, you will love it. And one more note: none of the senior actors were wasted, according to me. Everyone has their own role to play, be it Manorama, Raghavan, Nasser, Delhi Ganesh, Mouli, Bhaskar. I cannot say that for the heroines though. They are used only for the songs. Highlights: Bhaskhar and his interpreter (Sorry boss, I dont remember your name though). Awesome performances, especially the scene where he translates the cries of help of Bhaskar.
Must watch (atleast when compared to the likes of Vettaikaran and Sura...these movies are 100 times better)
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Good & Bad
Today in office during one of our vetti talks ;) the topic of good and bad came in. Doesn't it come in almost all our talks (this is good, this is bad, what he/she did is good/bad blah, blah....) I have had this belief about good and bad (and a simple example of mine) with me for long and I had the pleasure of presenting it to those poor souls (my friends) who had no other option other than to listen to me (irrespective of whether they were convinced or they agree with me or not).
According to me, Good or Bad is not a definitive thing at all. It is a non-absolute term. Its meaning or value changes with place, time and people. What was considered once bad can be considered good in a later point of time or even in a different place or with a different set of people. (This is the example I gave today to my friends and I am repeating the same here...)
Drinking ... is this good or bad ....
Before going to the example... What is Bad ? Anything/anyone which/who causes harm/discomfort to any other being (nature, animal, or at the least human) is bad. Period.
OK, now to the example.
Too much drinking is harmful to one's health and hence it is considered bad.
So does that mean if one has a peg or two and if it is taken in a proportion where it doesnt harm one's health, is that termed as good ?
Well it is definitely not termed as bad. I say so, because you might not know the long term effect of it yet. So I would go so far to say it is good. But yes it doesn't do a major harm at least in the short term AFAIK.
OK, so now a person who is not bothered about his health, has too much drinks and he abuses his wife or he/she drinks & drives and harms people while driving (too many incidents like this, is happening now) : In this case, yes Drinking is BAD....VERY BAD....
Next, cut to cold countries, like northern Russia, or any other country for that fact, where the winter is too cold to handle and in order to keep up the body heat and body parts functioning properly some external heat generator like Alcohol is required (isnt there anything else other than Alcohol.. I am not sure... Personally, I would prefer a hot cuppa of chai...) : In this case, it becomes a necessity... and due to the necessity it isn't termed BAD...
What about Social Drinking... As far as it is under control .. well fine, then. I think ( I say I think here , because the next sentence is based on what I have heard and not experienced) that even cops fine only those drink and drive people who have crossed the alcohol limit of XYZ. So they have a limit there isn't?
OK, having said all that, is drinking good or bad ? Well it depends on the Place , Effects and Quantity :)
Let us say a Person X does harm to Person Y but is very considerate and is very nice to Person Z. So is Person X good or bad ? Well Person X is good to Z but bad to Y. Here Good & Bad is relative to People. But again that depends upon what kind of harm this person has done to Y. If it is something that Person X can at any point of time repeat the same to Person Z then Person X is not too good to Person Z.
So this is how the story of Good and Bad goes on :)
I believe that in this world, everything is relative to something. Nothing stands alone.....
Now, let us say that someone did something bad to us and we know that it is good to forgive.... so what should we do ? To Err is human, Forgiving is Divine blah blah blah... Again, for me, at least, it depends on the intensity of the bad thing. But ultimately, I might not forget what happened and might have that lesson with me forever. But I may forgive, only for one selfish reason and that is , I don't want to carry the burden of hatred that comes out of having a grudge on the person who did wrong to me. By forgiving, I may let go of that grudge and go ahead with my life (I can do that with the grudge too..but will be carrying a baggage with me always isn't)
Have I done that or is that just one of my rants ? Yes and I have already written it on one of my posts. It is definitely not easy to forgive. But if we do, it feels nice. I have quite a few people to whom I need to ask for forgiveness and a few of them whom I need to forgive. The time for both hasn't come yet and I am carrying the baggage with me still.
Hope I find time to unburden myself soon enough.
Here are a few quotes and stories.
An ancient Chinese story tells of a farmer who owns a famous racehorse. One day, the horse ran away. His friends commiserated with him, but the farmer replied, “This isn’t necessarily a bad thing.” Soon, his horse returned and brought another fine-looking horse. His friends congratulated him, but the farmer observed, “This isn’t necessarily a good thing.” Later, the farmer’s son is thrown while trying to tame the new horse. He broke his leg, which left him lame. The farmer’s friends offered condolences, but he responded, “This isn’t necessarily a bad thing.” Sure enough, war broke out and the son’s lameness prevented him from being conscripted. Though many neighbors’ sons were killed in the fighting, the farmer’s son was spared. Sometimes it’s hard to tell what’s good and what’s bad.
Bob Seidensticker
"You can forgive someone almost anything. But you cannot tolerate everything...We don't have to tolerate what people do just because we forgive them for doing it. Forgiving heals us personally. To tolerate everything only hurts us all in the long run."
Lewis B. Smedes - Forgive & Forget: Healing the Hurts We Don't Deserve
Ciao
Forgive all who have offended you, not for them, but for yourself. ~Harriet Nelson
According to me, Good or Bad is not a definitive thing at all. It is a non-absolute term. Its meaning or value changes with place, time and people. What was considered once bad can be considered good in a later point of time or even in a different place or with a different set of people. (This is the example I gave today to my friends and I am repeating the same here...)
Drinking ... is this good or bad ....
Before going to the example... What is Bad ? Anything/anyone which/who causes harm/discomfort to any other being (nature, animal, or at the least human) is bad. Period.
OK, now to the example.
Too much drinking is harmful to one's health and hence it is considered bad.
So does that mean if one has a peg or two and if it is taken in a proportion where it doesnt harm one's health, is that termed as good ?
Well it is definitely not termed as bad. I say so, because you might not know the long term effect of it yet. So I would go so far to say it is good. But yes it doesn't do a major harm at least in the short term AFAIK.
OK, so now a person who is not bothered about his health, has too much drinks and he abuses his wife or he/she drinks & drives and harms people while driving (too many incidents like this, is happening now) : In this case, yes Drinking is BAD....VERY BAD....
Next, cut to cold countries, like northern Russia, or any other country for that fact, where the winter is too cold to handle and in order to keep up the body heat and body parts functioning properly some external heat generator like Alcohol is required (isnt there anything else other than Alcohol.. I am not sure... Personally, I would prefer a hot cuppa of chai...) : In this case, it becomes a necessity... and due to the necessity it isn't termed BAD...
What about Social Drinking... As far as it is under control .. well fine, then. I think ( I say I think here , because the next sentence is based on what I have heard and not experienced) that even cops fine only those drink and drive people who have crossed the alcohol limit of XYZ. So they have a limit there isn't?
OK, having said all that, is drinking good or bad ? Well it depends on the Place , Effects and Quantity :)
Let us say a Person X does harm to Person Y but is very considerate and is very nice to Person Z. So is Person X good or bad ? Well Person X is good to Z but bad to Y. Here Good & Bad is relative to People. But again that depends upon what kind of harm this person has done to Y. If it is something that Person X can at any point of time repeat the same to Person Z then Person X is not too good to Person Z.
So this is how the story of Good and Bad goes on :)
I believe that in this world, everything is relative to something. Nothing stands alone.....
Now, let us say that someone did something bad to us and we know that it is good to forgive.... so what should we do ? To Err is human, Forgiving is Divine blah blah blah... Again, for me, at least, it depends on the intensity of the bad thing. But ultimately, I might not forget what happened and might have that lesson with me forever. But I may forgive, only for one selfish reason and that is , I don't want to carry the burden of hatred that comes out of having a grudge on the person who did wrong to me. By forgiving, I may let go of that grudge and go ahead with my life (I can do that with the grudge too..but will be carrying a baggage with me always isn't)
Have I done that or is that just one of my rants ? Yes and I have already written it on one of my posts. It is definitely not easy to forgive. But if we do, it feels nice. I have quite a few people to whom I need to ask for forgiveness and a few of them whom I need to forgive. The time for both hasn't come yet and I am carrying the baggage with me still.
Hope I find time to unburden myself soon enough.
Here are a few quotes and stories.
An ancient Chinese story tells of a farmer who owns a famous racehorse. One day, the horse ran away. His friends commiserated with him, but the farmer replied, “This isn’t necessarily a bad thing.” Soon, his horse returned and brought another fine-looking horse. His friends congratulated him, but the farmer observed, “This isn’t necessarily a good thing.” Later, the farmer’s son is thrown while trying to tame the new horse. He broke his leg, which left him lame. The farmer’s friends offered condolences, but he responded, “This isn’t necessarily a bad thing.” Sure enough, war broke out and the son’s lameness prevented him from being conscripted. Though many neighbors’ sons were killed in the fighting, the farmer’s son was spared. Sometimes it’s hard to tell what’s good and what’s bad.
Bob Seidensticker
"You can forgive someone almost anything. But you cannot tolerate everything...We don't have to tolerate what people do just because we forgive them for doing it. Forgiving heals us personally. To tolerate everything only hurts us all in the long run."
Lewis B. Smedes - Forgive & Forget: Healing the Hurts We Don't Deserve
Ciao
Forgive all who have offended you, not for them, but for yourself. ~Harriet Nelson
Monday, May 17, 2010
The Ashes have Risen in T20
At last the World Cup T20 came to an end with such an expected winner. To quote my friend here, "people probably thought that "australianism" might overpower "engladesque" firepower ,but that was not to be". It is true. I was backing the Aussies in their finals, with Husseys and White shining, I thought they would have a better chance, but again they faltered at the end game. Appadiye shock aayitean. And England, with nothing to lose and with their (slightly overconfident) Captain Collingwood and very decent bowling performances, were in control right from the word Go. This might be first ever finals, after some decades, where India didnt play and I ended up watching the whole match. God save me. But at the end, guess the best team won. That is all. The Ashes cruised their way to the finals, and they proved that they deserved to get the cup with all their might.
This World Cup T20, as I blogged earlier, was very exciting and the only sad part in this was that India didnt make it to the Semis. Well there is always a next year and a next time :) or may the World Cup (50 over) even. Who knows.
This World Cup T20, as I blogged earlier, was very exciting and the only sad part in this was that India didnt make it to the Semis. Well there is always a next year and a next time :) or may the World Cup (50 over) even. Who knows.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
WCT20 cup India kab aayega ?
A few days before, I was so happy that CSK won the IPL T20 Cup.. but to my dismay, India had such a disastrous performance in WC T20 and are finally out of the semis, just like the last time. OMG... what happened to these guys. Why couldnt they perform ? Well there are too many stories and articles that are already discussing this issue. So I better not start on that.. All I wanted was to bring back the cup to India.. Now my favorites are SL or AUS (in the same order).
This years WC T20 cup is a little special to me because I have been watching even other matches where India isnt playing and it has been a great pleasure being a part of these matches this season. My friends might understand why it is a little special to me ;)
The only surprising element was my mom's interest in the T20 matches..be it IPL or the WC T20.. she showed the same enthusiasm as me :)
Kudos to you mom!!!
Waiting for the next IPL ;)
This years WC T20 cup is a little special to me because I have been watching even other matches where India isnt playing and it has been a great pleasure being a part of these matches this season. My friends might understand why it is a little special to me ;)
The only surprising element was my mom's interest in the T20 matches..be it IPL or the WC T20.. she showed the same enthusiasm as me :)
Kudos to you mom!!!
Waiting for the next IPL ;)
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