26/11: The Attack on Mumbai (Review Coming Soon)

Right now I'm reading this book... The review will appear alongwith 'Piercing the Heart' (Unheard Voices of 26/11)

26/11: The Attack on Mumbai  
Author/s  : Hindustan Times  
Publisher  : Penguin Book India
ISBN PB      : 9780143067054
Pages : 304
Year of Publication : 2009
Price PB(Rs.)  : 225.00

Publisher's Note about the book:
The attack on Mumbai shocked the world. For three days terrorists wreaked havoc over multiple venues in India's commercial capital, leaving a trail of blood, death and destruction. Reporters from Hindustan Times tracked the events as they unfolded at Cama Hospital, the Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus and followed the three-day siege at the Taj and Trident Hotels and at Nariman House. The collection brings together their dispatches as well as commentaries, profiles and columns published during the siege and its aftermath. This is a dramatic snapshot of the victims, heroes and perpetrators of the attacks and also of the outrage that still grips the nation

Piercing the Heart (Unheard Voices of 26/11)

The review of this book is coming soon...(maybe in a week) In the meantime you may go through the book description from the publishers.   Book Description:

Piercing the Heart: Unheard Voices of 26/11 is a very sensitive and astonishing collection of first hand accounts of the victioms of the terror attacks in Mumbai. The book is an attempt to document the events of Mumbai 26/11 through the stories of different surviviors. In addition to their personal accounts, the book on a parallel, has also tried to bring the politics surrounding the event and its aftermath to the reader. Author: Simran Sodhi lives in New Delhi where she is the Foreign Affairs Editor for The Statesman. She has a Masters in International Relations from American University in Washington DC. Prior to that, she worked with The Indian Express in Chandigarh and Mumbai. This is her first book.

The Accidental Husband

If you are an avid listener of the so-called love or relationship experts on radio talk shows this film comes to tell you that you need not always door follow the advice they give you.

Dr Emma Lloyd (Uma Thurman) is host of a hit radio talk show giving advice to people whom she has never met. Unaware of the consequences of her advice she has made a big career out of her traditional opinion about love and is happily engaged to Richard Bratton (Colin Firth), a man who meets her show’s definition of a perfect partner.
However, the couple find themselves in a strange situation when they try to register their marriage.

Record shows that Emma has already been married to a guy named Patrick Sullivan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan)! So, she tracks Patrick down to make him say that there was some mistake in the records department. But soon, she gets involved in a messy love affair with the care-free Patrick.

A big question pops up in her heart, questioning her head just like those people she had given her advice to. Will she remain true to her dream of a perfect partner or rather go for the most unpredictable man she has fallen for? Complex decision to be taken here. The answer is a simple ‘No’.

The plot of the film ‘The Accidental Husband’ is so predictable that one can leave the theatre half an hour before the show ends. There is not much one can say except that it has a big star cast who do their best to stitch up the broken threads in the script. The film is also supposed to be a romantic comedy for its strange plot but there aren’t many laughter gigs for the audience to giggle and grind.

The only useful tip we get from the movie is that our very own RJs may have also been talking about love they see fit for others and not for themselves. Their do’s and don’ts in relationship never work all the time just like this romantic flick.
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English (A)
Cast: Uma Thurman, Colin Firth, Sam Shepard, Lindsay Sloane
Director: Griffin Dunne

The International

This thriller, true to the title takes you across the United States, Europe and the Atlantic with Clive Owen, a die-hard Interpol agent and Naomi Watts, a New York assistant district attorney, trying to track down the huge financial irregularities by a Luxembourg-based bank called The International.

The plot holds firm till the first half. Owen is always taken on the wrong track to get the real people behind the mega scam. It gives the impression that ‘The International’ could be a serious flick with signs of secret tie-up between government officials and banks to finance terrorists.

The film also rolls quite fast with some amazing gunfight scenes and beautiful architectural setup until the second half when the script requires more sitting and speaking by the characters.

This is where you get the holes. When characters speak too much to explain what the film is about it usually means it has failed to make you see the best techniques in making a good cinema. The plot, therefore, disintegrates slowly with each character turning out to be some kind of complicated letters even a small kid would find it difficult to read.

However, this is not to say that the film is a total turn-off. The efforts put in by the entire cast balances the flaws. Armin Mueller-Stahl as a former communist who now serves as a middleman between banks and their ‘esteemed customers’ looks exceptionally good in his suit. The film may not be a wholesome thrilling exercise but there are director Tom Tykwer’s exotic setup and brilliant action scenes to keep you spellbound.
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The International
English (A)
Cast: Clive Owen, Naomi Watts, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Ulrich Thomsen
Director: Tom Tykwer

Out of Bounds

Nominated for the Golden Leopard at the 2007 Locarno International Film Festival and Winner of Silver Leopard Best Actor (Michele Venitucci), at the 2007 Locarno International Film Festival, ‘Out of Bounds’ gives a brutal account of the illegal fight clubs in North-Eastern Italy.

A 30-something hot blooded fighter Mike (Michele Venitucci) dreams to make it big as a profession boxer. He enters the fray against his sister Anna’s (Maya Sansa) wishes, without knowing how far he has to undergo the pain and unknown dangers. Initial success makes him a favourite but when he tries to get out of the illegal fistfights, a new gameplan which he had never imagined must be conquered first.

There is no doubt that Italian director Fulvio Bernasconi is brilliant but his scripting of this interesting tale of struggle is a disappointment to a certain extent.

The bitter story lacks the punchline it needed. The spirit of survival barely manages to crawl out of the shady warehouse where the gruesome fights are shot.

The spark between the brother-sister duo also provides a second thought on their relationship. It is too ambiguous to figure out what really goes on between them.
The cliched script, the stereotypes in portraying the villains and the lack of a hard-hitting climax are definitely a setback had it not been for the excellent performance of Venitucci. All in all, ‘Out of Bounds’ is a safe bet but don’t expect too much in return.
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Out of Bounds
Italian (A) with English subtitles
Cast: Michele Venitucci, Maya Sansa, Juan Pablo Ogalde, Vili Matula, Claudio Misculin
Director: Fulvio Bernasconi

Fine Just The Way It Is

Author: Annie Proulx
Publishers: HarperCollins,
Year: 2009, pp 221,
Price: Rs 325

Of all the clouds and dusts 'Fine Just The Way It Is' remains a compelling take on how fate decides human lives.

What happens when the author’s name becomes bigger than the book title itself? Well, great expectations plus some disappointments are the usual answers. For Pulitzer Prize winner Annie Proulx (of The Brokeback Mountain fame) this is her third edition of the Wyoming Stories — a compilation of nine short stories featuring life in America’s West.

Annie stretches her symbolic boundaries covering generations of Americans and their struggle by infusing endless and painful memories, yet there appears to be some gap in some of the stories involving the never-ending search for peaceful-reunion with the self.

The book begins with the ‘Family Man’, the reminiscences of an old rancher in a nursing home, and climaxes it with the remarkable ‘Tits-Up in a Ditch’, a kind of an autobiography of a character Dakotah Lister. Lister is a bitter single mother who returns to her grandparents’ farm after losing an arm while serving in Iraq. Sandwiched between the opening and the closing stories are, traumatic experiences and some black humour involving poor cowboys, damned hikers, and awfully lonely women. The first and the last stories are perhaps the most painful of all. The ‘Family Man’ invokes the reader’s sympathy and support for the old man who tries to reveal his family’s bitter secret to his granddaughter. ‘Tits-Up in a Ditch’ prods the softest corner of the heart and it hurts.

Narration remains Annie’s forte. One could clearly picturise the vastness, the void and emptiness in the lives of her characters. ‘I’ve Always Loved This Place’, ‘Them Old Cowboy Songs’and ‘The Sagebrush Kid’ (not exactly about a boy) makes a lighter read with a bit of dark comedy here and there. However, ‘The Great Divide’, takes a new turn when a couple, Hi and Helen, looking for a suitable home faces obstacles the ‘American way’.
Annie also provides a wide-ranging mixture of metaphor in symbols associated with Old American West which may be interesting for cowboy genre fans. But for an ordinary reader, there are many phrases and expressions that need simplification.

All the stories are generally sad and depressing. The characters try to run away from extreme poverty but fate always had something else for them. We feel sorry for them but at the same time Annie seems to stretch way beyond imaginable limits. Her bold language and complexity in revealing the plots are also a turn off.

The overall theme of the book is admirable for its detailed observation and sense of humour but stretching the reader’s mind too far way from the event to other elements like the weather and so forth, is somewhat distracting.

Of all the clouds and dusts Fine Just The Way It Is remains a compelling take on how fate decides human lives.

Monsters vs Aliens (A review)

The makers of ‘Shrek’ and ‘Kungfu Panda’ have come up with another unlikely animated film.

The plot of ‘Monsters vs Aliens’ is simple with a young woman, Susan extremely happy at the thought of getting married to her news anchor boyfriend. But fate spoils her dream on her wedding day when she is hit by splinters of a meteorite infused with Quantonium, a powerful element that causes her to grow to an enormous size.

Captured by security forces and held at a secret location she meets odd characters: Dr Cockroach, a scientist whose accidental experiment transformed him into a humanoid-cockroach; B O B, a gelatinous, brainless mass brought to life in an experiment gone wrong; The Missing Link, a lizard man, and mutant larvae named Insectosaurus.

Now with alien overlord Gallaxhar trying to capture planet Earth, United States’ President Hathaway offers the ‘monsters’ their freedom if they could defeat Gallaxhar and his legion of robots.

‘Monsters vs Aliens’ though not a typical superhero animation flick is packed with endless laughs. Unlike the our ‘friendly neighbourhood’ kind-of-superhero storyline this film is devoid of any preachings or lessons to adopt.

It is cent per cent fantasy adventure with lovable characters. From a president who is always confused with which button nuclear weapons will be activated to jelly-like B O B’s ‘brainless’ acts, all you get is fun save for the last few minutes towards the end.

Though the film remains largely a 2D show in most theatres across the world DreamWorks’ team of special effects and graphics gives you an almost perfect 3D screen experience. Besides, the superb sound quality can raise a few hairs.

Unusual plot and even unusually light script with lots of fun embedded throughout make ‘Monsters and Aliens’ an all out family entertainer.
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English (U/A)
Cast: Featuring the voice of Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Hugh Laurie, Will Arnett
Director: Rob Letterman and Conrad Vernon
Monsters vs Aliens

Monsters vs Aliens (Summary)

Release Date(India): April 17, 2009 (InTru 3D, conventional theaters)
Director: Rob Letterman, Conrad Vernon
Screenwriter: Maya Forbes, Wallace Wolodarsky, Rob Letterman, Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger
Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Hugh Laurie, Will Arnett, Seth Rogen, Rainn Wilson, Stephen Colbert, Kiefer Sutherland, Paul Rudd
Genre: Animation
Official Website: MonstersvsAliens.com

Plot Summary: When California girl Susan Murphy is unwittingly clobbered by a meteor full of outer space gunk on her wedding day, she mysteriously grows to 49-feet-11-inches tall. The military jumps into action and Susan is captured and secreted away to a covert government compound. There, she is renamed Ginormica and placed in confinement with a ragtag group of Monsters: the brilliant but insect-headed Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D.; the macho half-ape, half-fish The Missing Link; the gelatinous and indestructible B.O.B.; and the 350-foot grub called Insectosaurus. Their confinement is cut short, however, when a mysterious alien robot lands on Earth and begins storming the country. In a moment of desperation, the President is persuaded to enlist the motley crew of Monsters to combat the Alien Robot and save the world from imminent destruction.

Girl tortured by teacher dies

NEW DELHI, APRIL 16: An 11-year-old girl, who was beaten up and made to stand out in the sun for not knowing the English alphabet, died here on Friday sending shock wave across the nation.

Shannoo Khan, a Class-II student of a school run by Municipal Corporation in North Delhi, slipped into coma on Wednesday after her class teacher reportedly beat her up and made her stand in the sun for more than two hours, after she failed to recite the alphabet.

The girl was shifted to the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital on Thursday evening after her condition deteriorated. Her end came on Friday afternoon.

According to sources, the teacher had allegedly hit the girl’s head against the table before making her stand out in the sun. Unable to bear the heat , the girl fainted. Her younger sister who studies in the same school informed her mother, who soon rushed the girl to a nearby hospital.

“A case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder was registered against the teacher following the death of the girl. The teacher will be arrested soon,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (outer district) Atul Katiyar told reporters.

As the news spread like wildfire, a large number of people surrounded the school and raised slogans against the school authorities. The school was closed and policemen were stationed outside its gates. Delhi Mayor Arti Mehra said both the teacher and principal were suspended and teacher’s services would be terminated soon.

This is not an isolated incident in Delhi. In March 2008, a 15-year-old girl was hit by a male teacher for refusing to take private tuition from him. The girl died after remaining in coma for nearly two-and-a-half months. Last month, 10 students of a government-run school in the national capital were thrashed by teachers after students created noise during mid-day meal.

Deploring the incident, Union Minister for Women and Child Development Renuka Chaudhury asked the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) to be more pro-active and set up a counselling centre to council parents and teachers about the sensitiveness of the teaching profession. She also said that the Ministry had asked all states to start National Institute for Public Co-operation of Child Development for looking at issues pertaining to children.

Deccan Herald

Street Kings

‘Street Kings’ brings back memories of the early 90s cop-gone crazy thrillers most of which were escapists in nature.

Based on writer James Ellroy (of the Black Dahlia fame) this film takes on depressing life in the aftermath of an unsolved crime. Tom (Keanu Reeves) plays an alcoholic LAPD cop whose sense of instant justice invites internal affairs probe every now and then. With his boss Captain Jack Wander (Forest Whitaker) always there for him Tom keeps on his ways. But when his colleague with whom he had some tiff is killed in a Korean grocery store shootout all eyes turn on him.

Even then with cunning Captain Jack’s help, Toms dodges his own department to look for the murders.

What follows are hunt and chase for the bad guys with Tom becoming as cruel as his targets. Even then sexy Nurse Garcia (Martha Higareda) heals his wounds whenever he is hurt. The love angle is inserted simply to take care of your emotional cravings thereby actually serving you nothing.

The film also suffers from star struck performances. Big stars but each is a unit unto themselves. Both Keanu and Whitaker struggle confusingly.

The psychological plot, perhaps, is the only connecting threat that keeps this film rolling. To put it short and straight: The lack of balance in the cynical view of human nature is a bit complex.
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English (A)
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Forest Whitaker, Jay Mohr, John Corbett, Cedric the Entertainer, Naomi Harris
Director: David Ayer
Street Kings

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans

A third in the Underworld series- Rise of the Lycans is like a sinking ship with broken masts and boards. The 2003 Underworld franchise falls flat even as the werewolves rise up in rebellion against their masters- the vampires.

The two earlier editions were known for their aesthetic sense especially in the battle scenes. Another plus point was Kate Beckinsale in her skintight leather pants. Now with the Rise of the Lycans being devoid of both, besides the over simplification of the plot, the drama ends as soon as it began. This is simply another sequel trying to reap the fruits of the earlier flicks.

The brilliant anecdotes here and there but the film fails on all other front. Even the vampire lord Bill nigh who is against his daughter Rhone falling in love with werewolf Michael Sheen has little to contribute. The set is way below average with poor lighting and not so majestic medieval castles. Director Patric and the scriptwriter must have forgotten the famous dialogues from the earlier two. There are seamless repetitive dialogues and similar battle scenes.

Nothing really shines in this film except for Nighy’s fluorescent lenses. It appears that darkness is deliberately employed to hide the not so fine things in the film. The movie is a painful experience-in thematic presentation and at the theatre.
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English (A)
Cast: Michael Sheen, Bill Nighy, Rhona Mitra, Steven Mackintosh, Kevin Grevioux
Director: Patrick Tatopoulos.
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans

TESTTTT

The aims and objectives of North-East India Centre for Indigenous Culture and Development Studies (NEICICDS), a non-governmental organisation are to:1. Study; 2. Build up knowledge base;3. Compile information on the myriad socio-cultural and development aspects of the tribes of North-East India through-a) An inclusive in-situ researches and investigations;b) Grassroot trainings, consultations, workshops, seminars with a view to promote and facilitate inter and intra interaction among the numerous indigenous communities furthering understanding/grasp on the issues of and also on the approaches and any other appropriate interventions on-i) Culture-development related conflict situations;ii) Socio-cultural preservation andiii) Other developmental issues of the Indigenous peoples of North-East India.NEICICDS also seeks to strengthen consultative relationships with several bodies any national and international bodies committed to and working on research and appropriate interventions on conflict-sensitive development, preservation of the cultural, developmental and issues related to these and will seek to further an integrated approach to the work of non-governmental organizations whose primary focus is on NEICICDS’ main objective, and to supplement the activities of NGOs and any Governmental bodies in this regard.

Fast and Furious 4

Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) and Brian O’ Conner (Paul Walker ) are back in yet another hit sequel of the ‘Fast and Furious’.

In ‘Fast and Furious 4’ the zeal for revenge and reconciliation seems to get faster than the fully-throttled cars as Dom seeks revenge and O’Conner tries to settle with his ‘real’ life.

From Panama City to Los Angeles and the US-Mexican border the wheels hiss and fine-tuned exotic cars roar but there is not much from the plot angle even as Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster from the earlier editions are back to add extra heat to the storyline.

Driven together by a common enemy fugitive Dom and FBI agent O’Conner drive along the weak script which tries to add a few witty one-liners here and there from their earlier days. An exception: Some unexpected twist towards the end.

One reason for the film attracting lots of viewerscan be due to the fact that earlier editions had involving storylines with a balanced display of the richly decorated cars.
This part, however, rests only on muscle pumping, sexy women and cars. Special effects and extreme car chase scenes remain the catchword of this film.

Justin Lin skillfully employs sound and the special effects to make ‘drag racing’ an enjoyable hobby, atleast on the reel.
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English (A)
Cast: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster
Director: Justin Lin

The Reader

Adapted from Bernhard Schlink’s bestseller, ‘The Reader’ follows the trials and tribulations of a thirty-plus tram-conductor Hanna (Kate Winslet), who seduces a 15-year-old schoolboy.

Set in the post Warld War-II Germany, Hanna and Michael (David Kross) have a love affair during which he would read plays from his school book to her. However, when hard working Hanna gets a better career option she disappears suddenly from Michael’s life leaving him heart broken. A few years later Michael, now a law student, accidentally sees her again but this time in a courtroom where Hanna is facing trial for Nazi war crimes.

The film’s morally complex plot revolves around Germany’s guilt and its desire to meet international obligation in providing justice to the Holocaust victims. Director Stephen Daldry manages to create a balanced view of the issue with more emphasis being given to the lives of the people separated by fate. The screenplay and script were both Oscar-oriented so what you get is originally awesome.

Good performances from all the cast members and exceptionally the best so far from Kate Winslet thereby winning her the ‘Best Actress’ at the Oscars for her portrayal of a straightforward and innocent woman who just wanted to earn her livelihood. Ralph Fiennes is confident as an adult Michael who remains afraid of another face-to-face meeting with his ex-flame.

‘The Reader’ moves along slowly but it remains a heart-moving film on emotional attachment and the capability of books to humanise the hard realities.
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English (A)
Cast: Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes, David Kross
Director: Stephen Daldry

Watchmen

The film is based on the limited edition of DC Comics which was published during the late 80s. A re-written American history. Nixon is elected US President for the third term. Americans win in Vietnam. It’s the height of Cold War and there’s nuclear threat from the Soviets.

Enter the Watchmen – A disbanded team of superheroes. Members: Blue-giant Dr Manhattan (Billy Crudup), night owl Dan (Patrick Wilson), masked Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley), The Comedian (Jeffrey Morgan) and sexy Silk (Malin Akerman).

The film opens with the murder of The Comedian. Former teammate Rorschach sets out to solve the case and seeks the help of other ex-heroes. However, Silk and Dan are busy with their own problems. In the meantime, Ozymandias (Matthew Goode), the brainiest of the group, has gone into hiding, having made billions from merchandising himself, while Dr Manhattan, the most powerful too is on self exile to Mars.

Can they prevent a war between nations now and save the world? As Rorschach puts the pieces together in The Comedian’s death, the plot thickens with love, hate, memories of harassment, old secrets, and comradeship and human sacrifices.

Though the film somehow unravels the twist and turns quite well it fails to generate enough heat to catch a fire.

The soap-opera style tones down each segment into a kind of individual plot.

Despite the endless narration, flashbacks and dark look, the film has technical finesse. The special effects and reflected light effects on the nude (all time) Dr Manhattan’s appearance is a classic touch making him look majestic and non-provocative.

Some disappointments for fans of director Zack Snyder as well. This film no doubt has his expressionist action sequences in the form of raw violence and stylistic moves but there aren’t simply enough fights.

Considering the theme being saving humankind from total annihilation, it’s rather strange as to why there are too many graphic shots involving blood and flesh.

‘Watchmen’ is not for all, especially children. It contains heavy dose of blood, sex and nudity. Fit only for mature consumption.
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Watchmen
English (A)
Cast: Billy Crudup, Patrick Wilson, Jackie Earle Haley, Jeffrey Morgan, Malin Akerman
Director: Zack Snyder

Elegy

Elegy presents sex, love and age with a compassionate look by showing how one can become blind to reality. The film reaffirms that the age factor in love is an universal issue. Even for those who are most forward and liberal there'll always be a second thought on taking relationship to the next level after the hook-ups.

David Kepesh (Ben Kingsel) the old New York college professor of literature falls for one of his students, a young Cuban-born, Conseula Castillo (Penelope Cruz). Both know that they have affections for each other. But they have their own problems. David who had lived in fear of a committed institution called marriage ever since his separation from his wife some 20 years ago has just found out that Conseula is not just a good sexual partner but she means a world to him. Conseula, who has had five boyfriends realises that she has just found a man with whom she could spend the rest of her life. So, social expectations and lover's jealousy come in the picture leading to their parting. However, when David finally replies to Conseula's phone messages after years of no contact; he finds out that a problem far serious than his own fear needs to be overcome.

Family sense and the need for togetherness in troubled times speak out loud enough even though the film is a love story of an old man and a young lady.

Director Isabel Coixet handles the age factor in human relationship in a digestible manner. Even the erotic images can't get friendlier than this with its humanistic touch and refreshing script surrounding hypocrisy, lust, family, friendship, distrust and commitment.
Academy Award winner Ben Kingsley is exquisite and Penelope Cruz ever hot and real. It's fun to watch them being happy and sad at the same time.

Dennis Hopper as David's womaniser poet friend George, also springs up humour quite well with his endless rantings on his sexual adventures and advice.

The only drawback is that the film is rather slow which sometimes tends to exert too much. Overall, Elegy is refreshing and a creative take on the need for emotional security.
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English (A)
Cast: Ben Kingsley, Penelope Cruz
Director: Isabel Coixet