THE Movie Marathon

I know,I know.All I’ve been writing about for quite some time is movies.But when one has been away from something for a really long while and is suddenly given the chance to break that long break,one truly indulges oneself [ No prizes for counting the number of ones in that sentence.].

So finally,after 8 long months,I got a chance this weekend to watch most of the movies that I’ve been wanting to watch for real long.Naan Kadavul did the honors.Followed by 13B.Was pretty decent.Felt like all the horror,thriller movies that I’ve seen so far rolled into one.But it was nice .I liked it.Not too scary or gory.Works for me.And ,there were no unnecessary scary characters who simply pop their face into the camera just to give you the jitters.

Also waiting to watch Raman Thediya Seethai and Anjathey on TV tomorrow.

Anymore suggestions? I seem to have lost it for English movies of late.I just don’t know what are the ones I should watch and what I’ve missed.Any suggestions are welcome.

LOL

From Madagascar 2

This is the captain of your plane speaking.

I have good news and bad news.

The good news is that we are landing immediately.

The bad news is that we are crash landing.

Naan Kadavul

Whats the point ?

• Aham Brahmasmi [The Self is Supreme ?]
• Maranam Varam [ Death is a boon.Salvation from this wretched life.And,oh ,did they show wretched ! ]
• What are you still looking for ??Thats it.

Halfway through the movie,spouse commented ” Ithu sariyaana pitchkaara padama irukkum polirukkey”.A little later,I said “Where’s the story,man ?”.At the end of the movie,spouse was growling Aham Brahmasmi every five minutes.He liked the movie so much.I’m still wondering what the fuss was all about.No strong storyline.Not my type.Though,I did look up stuff about Aghori Sadhus after watching the movie.It quite intrigued me that such people exist.

Shoo..Shoo.

This whole shoe throwing business is getting out of hand.At this rate,press meets will soon be akin to places of worship – ” Please leave your shoes outside”.

Footwear will soon appear on the things-not-to-be-carried list aboard flights.We’ll all be travelling barefoot on planes.

I see a real shoeless future.

Height of ..what?!!

One of the contestants in Femina Miss India ‘09 had something of this sort to say,about herself – “I not only have a healthy body and mind ,but also a beautiful and caring heart”.

How can one say this with a straight face,that too,on camera ? And,isn’t there a limit to gloating about yourself ?? How do you know if you have a beautiful and caring heart ??! Shouldn’t other people be the judge of that ?

Ennamo ponga.The things people say to win a crown,I tell you..Atrocious.

Enna Vannam !

A breezy evening.A beautiful sky.A cuppa steaming coffee.The love of my life and the apple of my eye beside me.

Could life get better than this ? And ,oh ,yea ,beautiful lyrics and music playing in my mind.

Alaiyillaatha aazhi vannam,

Mugillilaatha vaanin vannam..

Mayilin kazhuthil vaazhum vannam,

kuvalai poovil kuzhaitha vannam.

Oothapoovil ootriya vannam,

ellaam sernthen kann munn minnum. [ithu mattum paathi original lyric ] “

And a mediocre mobile phone camera to capture the kodak moment.

Innocence personified…irks me.

I’m a big fan of Maniratnam.And Kamal.And Surya.And Vettori.And,yea,it just seems to get longer and longer .But ,Maniratnam and Kamal are constant variables.

Love watching most of Maniratnam movies.Happened to watch Bombay again a few days back.What struck me is that most of Maniratnam’s heroines are the epitome of innocence ! Except for ,maybe,Simran in Kannathil Muthamittal or all the heroines of Aayutha Ezhuthu,.Only ,lately ,has he started to ‘empower’ the women in his movies with more than just innocence.Take Manisha in Bombay ,or Madhubala in Roja or Shobana in Thalapathi.Why are they all soooooooo innocent,to the point of annoyance ,sometimes ?? I think women should be more real in movies.More bold,more mature,more fun.Actually,perhaps ,this applies to most Tamil movies.Take,Genelia in Santhosh Subramaniam.Jeez..seriously,can someone like that exist at all ???

So,Tamil film industry,grow up . Stop painting the women in white.A few splashes of black wouldn’t hurt.
And respected people like Maniratnam should lead the way.

Driving and me

The Nano has finally arrived,or ,is arriving shortly,rather.And I quite like the appearance of the car.To be more precise ,its small.And small cars suit drivers like me.Or bygone drivers like me.

Perukku,I have a driver’s license,which thankfully need be never renewed.[Such is the government's belief that one can never get worse at driving,I guess].Years ago,I still remember my first driving experience.It was seriously weird.I felt very puny in my dad’s maruti suzuki.And suddenly,the car was huge and monstrous to me.I remember holding the steering wheel and driving at a snail’s pace,mainly ‘cos there was a dog lazing in the middle of the road a few metres away from me.I wasn’t very confident of avoiding the dog,but the dog seemed pretty confident that anyone who drives a car like a bullock cart possibly couldn’t run over him.He lay there.For a really long time.

And so continued my tryst with driving,till I had sort of mastered it to the best that I could.That is,I could drive safely on a straight road.U -turns,uphills,flyovers,no.I avoided them like the plague.I still wonder how I got my license.It was basically,luck and divine intervention,I think.Else why would the daughter of the inspector who took my driving test get admission into the same college that I had passed out from ? And why would he be more interested in getting further details about the college and its benefits than in my quality of driving ? Which is why,that fine morning, i drove on a straight stretch on Beach road,sans any traffic.No u-turns,no parking in between two cars,no flyovers.And thats how I got my driving license years back.Thank God for a concerned father

I still intend to master the art,soon.

Why ?

Why do most Hindi-speaking junta presume that every other Tom,Dick and Harry can speak as fluently in Hindi as them ?Why do they insist on carrying on a conversation in Hindi with a south Indian Tamil-spouting lady ,who has made it quite obvious in the first few minutes of the conversation that she’d rather converse in English than in Hindi ?

What would they feel if I just went on and on in Tamil the first time I meet them ?

Funny.

Why is it that..

… just when you decide to get your act together,everything else around you falls apart ?Recession,for instance,people.

… when you’re in college,you wish for the good old school days;when you’re married,you wish for the good old “singleton” days ? And vice-versa.Perhaps ,life is actually meant to happen backwards ?? Benjamin Button-like,I think.

…when you desperately want something,it never comes your way. And when it does decide to come your way,you don’t really need it anyway ???

I just STILL don’t get it ,God.You work in some seriously unique ways !