Its summer time - Its movie time!

The summer is a festive time for movie-freaks. I am no freak, but do enjoy watching good movies. A usual weekend during this time of the year is spent worthwhile by watching a movie a day. That means watching 2 movies in theatre every weekend.

Yesterday, I watched 'Jaane Tu, Ya Jaane Na', a movie by Aamir Khan Productions. Aamir indeed has a great acumen in selecting his movie scripts. This movie is fantastic with a fresh cast and a debut director. Genelia is cute as always, and the movie packs so much fun! The music is at its best as you would expect from the master Rahman.

Prior to this, I watched Hancock and 'The Dark Knight'. I liked both of them. Hancock was bit of a drag, and its good for a one-time-see. 'The Dark Knight' is a superb action-packed movie that is worth its hype. I regret not having watched it on IMAX. A couple other good ones I watched are Wall-E and Wanted.

Now, I'm waiting for the launch of "The Mummy", and that Steven Spielberg's upcoming movie (I forgot the name). Life is Fun!

Living, Loving & Finding Your Inner-ness

Today, I re-watched the movie "You, Me and Dupree", and loved it yet again. The very essence of life is just that... Living, Loving & Finding Your Inner "-ness". Many times in this blog, I mentioned that each one should truly be oneself, and not just follow the herd or mimic the society. This movie conveys this message right on spot!

The most important part of the movie is understanding your "-ness". The principle is taking your name and adding "-ness" as a suffix. For instance, Mark becomes Mark-ness! Well... The other half is to live and love life, dance with the tune of life, and enjoy every experience (be it sorrow or bliss).

In the movie, I liked the scene of Dupree's interview, where he speaks about his ideals. The movie is fun, and Kate is really cute!

Speaking of this topic in hand, here are a few quotes to remember...
"Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever."
"Plan before you act, and Act before you talk."

Also check out this wonderful article that I recently came across on LifeHack.
How to Be an Expert (and Find One if You’re Not)

Heros - A superb thriller

I am usually a big fan of comedy TV series like Friends, Seinfeld, and 'That 70s Show'. Just when I was looking for a change, my friend Vinodh recommended Heros - the TV series on NBC. To understand the story better, I watched its first episode on Netflix streaming mode. I just loved it! The story, screenplay, suspense, and the cast are all very impressive.

I really loved the touch of Indian elements to the cast, and the inquisitive voice that talks about human purpose and adaptation. I also liked the characterization of the Japanese guy with his little knowledge of English, and the pretty looking cheer leader.

So far, I have watched a handful of episodes in its 1st season. With one episode each day on Netflix, I can catch the latest on TV within a month. If you've never watched it, its time you buckle up and give it a try. Don't miss a superb thriller!

Happy Days

Last weekend, I watched the telugu film "Happy Days" at a far-away theatre. The director Sekhar Kammula did an excellent job of entertaining his audience with a touch of class. The film portrays the college days of Engineering students, while touching upon their immature mind-states, ambitions, friendship, and fun.

I enjoyed the movie from start to finish. The climax gave the movie a perfect end with a powerful message and an emotional touch. A couple of dialogs at the end especially won my heart.

After graduation, one of the students feel sorry because he did not achieve anything during the 4-year stay in college. The Dean consoles him saying "College is not for you to achieve a thing ; It is to prepare you in order to achieve something in life". Thats an excellent statement. I'm reminded of the words from Swami Vivekananda who always laid emphasis on Character-education that should complement knowledge-education in schools & colleges.

Here is another good one... "Today is the end of the most happy days in your life, and the beginning of the most purposeful days in your life" says Dean to his students on their graduation day.

The movie creates a nostalgic effect among us, while refreshing our college memories. Its director (Sekhar Kammula) experimented with a fresh new cast, corporate-deals, offbeat release date, and no drama. The melodious music hit from Mickey J Meyers will sure earn him many laurels.

I especially liked the characterization of Chandu, Rajesh, Maddhu & Appu. This movie makes everyone say "I miss my college days!".

Some related links: Cast Profiles, Team Celebration

Chak De! India

Yesterday, my friend and I saw the film 'ChakDe! India' at a nearby theatre. Its a superb one-of-a-kind movie that Bollywood has ever produced. The film displays the culture of India along the sidelines of team spirit and sport training. I'll let you read the storyline and actor profiles from Wikipedia and others. There are several scenes in the movie that I appreciate.

The virtual concept of 'Unity in Diversity' that India is always proud off is well presented. We often hear people say that this is India's greatest strength, and one of her greatest weaknesses too. Most Indians relate themselves to their state first, and then the country.

The movie actually makes me think that Hockey is more of a sport than Cricket, as it is lively, entertaining and time-bounded. I hope this gives a kickstart for India to embrace Hockey once again, and show an all-round performance in Sports. Let there be options for the youth to choose their sport, and an increased support from schools & colleges. Not to forget the need for more sponsors!

The committee's attitude is well portrayed in the movie, as it discusses the religious, regional and gender conflicts in India. I hope Bollywood will continue to make such good movies in time... Its a very good effort from all the actors on screen and on the field. Coming out of the theatre after the movie, we atleast get a pseudo-feeling of India winning a World-Cup. It does feel great!

A movie for mixed emotions

Today, I saw "The Pursuit of Happyness" at a nearby Cinemark, and I should say it is among the best ones of its class. This movie, based on the true story of Christopher Gardner is highly inspirational, and brings out mixed emotions within us. One is of course the determination to achieve something substantial in life.

Further, this movie instigates the philanthropic nature within all of us. Its sad to find people struggling on a daily basis to make ends meet. I feel each of us should have the philanthropic nature running alive in us as long as we live on this planet.

We often spend hundreds $$ on cool gadgets, weekend parties, luxury items, etc... Why not contribute a small fraction of our salary for the poor & needy. It does not hurt much! does it? I'm sure many of us do our best, and many others don't. Its a shame on those cold-hearted people who care less about others, and selfish for the most part.

To serve as an eye-opener, just ask yourself this one question: "On an average, How much service do you do to the society each year? (in any form including money, things, work, ...)". If you have not defined it, this may be a good time for you to put some thought on it.

Well... talking about the movie, Read the article on Wikipedia for some interesting notes that include trivia, and differences between the film and actual events. I personally loved the movie, and the message it delivers. The scene I liked the most is when the commentator says "This brief moment is called happiness" during the climax of the film.

Guru - The movie for inspiration

Y'day, I watched one of the best films in the recent years... "GURU". Its an excellent hindi film that inspired me, and sure million others to become a legend. The movie makes a deeper sense as its a true story (most of it) based on the life of Dhirubhai Ambani. I indeed have great respect for Dhirubhai Ambani, and awe at his one-man accomplishment of building the Reliance empire.

The direction, the music, and the performances are speechless... absolutely superb! Check out this insightful review of the film by a fellow-blogger Balaji Viswanathan. This review maps the movie characters to the real people in Dhirubhai's life, and briefly analyzes the state of Indian economics. Its a good read.

Mystic India

Y'day, I watched the movie 'Mystic India' in the nearby IMAX theatre. For the first time, I watched an Indian movie on an IMAX screen, and I just loved it. The IMAX quality is indeed the best, making me feel my presence in Ancient India.

The movie depicts the splendid journey of a 11 yr old kid (Neelkanth) who walked bare-foot across the length & breadth of India in search of TRUTH. It emphasizes the culture, unity, and beauty of India, and its people.

Here is an exerpt from Wikipedia:

Mystic India is a 2004 large format film (commonly known as IMAX format) about India's unique culture, diverse people, and moving traditions. Using the story of the 12,000 km barefoot journey throughout 18th century India undertaken by Hindu priest Swaminarayan (then known as Neelkanth) from the ages 11 to 18, Mystic India is a film dedicated to the universally inspiring message of unity in diversity. As Peter O'Toole states in the film "we walk the same earth, breath the same air...we are a single human family."

The movie is simply superb! and I cannot stop thinking about the determination Neelkanth had at a very young age. One of the enlightening scenes of the movie that caught my attention is when Neelkanth decides to climb the Himalayas, and says "It is FAITH that will show me the way".

IMAX 3D - A DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE ALTOGETHER

On last sunday (June 27, 2004), I had been to Imax theatre along with my friend Naveen to watch a 3D film titled "NASCAR". Its indeed a totally different experience watching a full-fledged 3D film in a screen of dimension 80ft X 60ft with a 6 channel digital sound system. The experience is nothing short of awesome.

The film is all about the history & present of NASCAR sport and is basically a documentary film. I could feel the experience of being a spectator of live car race, sense the need for speed, and smell the ambience in and around the race. Let me rephrase it... I got the feeling of being substituted in place of the camera and not merely watching a video that had been shot by a camera.

Naveen and I decided to enjoy every Sunday by exploring what America has in store for us. Lets see whatz coming up for next weekend. I guess its a South-Texas road tour ! By the way, You can visit my photo blog to view my pics that were clicked at IMAX theatre.

FREAKY FRIDAY

'Freaky Friday' is the movie that I had seen y'day night. Its a very hilarious, entertaining, frolicsome (all mean the same) movie... I prefer watching such fun-oriented ones to heavy-story weighted ones. The story of this film tries to convey a message that every person can understand each other if one can put oneself in the place of the other person. The story goes like this... A mother & her daughter always failed to understand each other and ended up in repeated arguments. One day, some fortune cookie from China (a magical toy) made the mother to get into the body of her daughter and the daughter to get into her mother's body. Now, the actual fun starts ... and this lasts until they completely understand each other.

This reminds me about how I quarreled with my old friend during my under-grad college days... Not a day passed without a quarrel with her (all in the name of friendship)! Sounds odd... isn't it? Gone were those days when i lacked the emotional maturity. Now, things are going very cool between us... and do u know how & why? Its because we very rarely communicate with each other. Haa haa haaa~

K3G... SENTI TO THE MAX !

Y'day night, I saw the film "Kabhi Kushi Kabhi Gham" from my laptop. My friends were surprised to know that I was watching it for the first time. Naveen infact had asked me what was I doing when whole of India was watching the film last year. Well... it was a worthy film to watch again and again, as long as u dont get senti and tears dont run down ur cheeks on watching it. Sharukh was indeed the best... showing excellence in both humour and family senti. Soon after watching the film, I was speechless and went to sleep experiencing a lot of emotions. I felt like flying back to India to see my parents as early as possible.

INDRA - TOO GOOD A MOVIE...

Today, I saw the movie "INDRA" for the 2nd time. What a movie... Its just great. Hats of to the entire team and special hats to Chiru. Its a great piece of action-display by the Mega Star. I am now really disappointed for having missed his latest movies "Tagore" and "Anji". May be I will watch them during my summer hols in India. Just cannot offord to miss them ~