Smiley morning

Good morning...
morning messages are great mood uplifters for me, and there's nothing like a morning smiley that boosts our morale, so here's a treat for my readers, virtual... but you may try it out for real, for all your loved ones (strictly for the egg-lovers though).

Margarita with a Straw

Margarita with a Straw is not just a film, it's an experience..... an humbling experience.

Aamir -- Happy Birthday!

He is one of his kind.
He is a class apart.
he does not hesitate to speak his mind.
He walks the least trodden path.
He dares to listen to his heart... and his heart alone, when in doubt.
He is extraordinarily interesting as a person.....
though he can be simultaneously in conflict and at peace.
My his charisma continue.... may we stay enamored with him forever.
After all, he has shown the way, has been a guide, to many of us.
He is Aamir Khan.
And, mind you, the words above aren't mine alone.....
I collated the thoughts and expressions of so many of my dear ones.
We all are Aamir-lovers! Absolutely. Unabashedly.
Here's sending loads of love and good wishes on his birthday.
Quoting one of his greatest fans: May this be the dawn of a new beginning for Aamir.

Holi Sweetness

Gorging on Holi sweets.... the gujiyas, which are special north-Indian delicacies and which I haven't had the privilege of having earlier.

Bombay Velvet

It is one film that has been in the news for all kinds of reasons, right from the word go. The concept itself is one that makes us sit up and take note. The 'period' film, based in Bombay (that's how the city was known to the world in the Sixties, not as Mumbai), where a boxer and a jazz singer face the bitter truth that the city can hardly offer them love or hope - that they've been desperately seeking - hasn't been easy to make. From the casting, to the execution, the post-production and now the much-delayed release, a whole gamut of hassles have had to be fought. But Anurag Kashyap is someone who isn't expected to give up on his dreams.
Now, that the teaser poster is out, our appetite is whetted all the more. Here's wishing the team of 'Bombay Velvet' ( the cast includes Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Karan Johar, Raveena Tandon and Kay Kay Menon) the very best.

Pamper me

I wish to be pampered like someone's darling cat, someone who is spoilt with all the attention and care. Silly me!

Top Ten Films 2014

Best films seen by me this year (be it on the big screen or on home video/telly) are:
1. Boyhood (2014)
2. Ankhon Dekhi (2014)
3. Blue Jasmine (2013)
4. Miss Lovely (2012)
5. The Mudge Boy (2002)
6. Gravity (2013)
7. Dallas Buyers Club (2013)
8. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
9. Finding Fanny (2014)
10. The Man in the Moon (1991)

Of Guys and Dolls

When I was growing up, if anyone dared to suggest that guys too love to play with dolls, he or she would have been spewed venom upon, or worse.... well, that still holds in the society I hail from.
Guys playing with dolls? No, no, no.... it is a big 'no' for goodness' sake!
But action figures.... well, they're fine of course. At least that's the evolved perception right now.
Reading comics from an early age, and being in close touch with the world scenario, although from a distance, I had known all along that guys of all ages can known to be passionate about action figures. The fact remains that still in some cultures it's very much a closet phenomenon.
Times are hopefully changing, mindsets are known to change slowly but gradually.
Even we Indians are wholeheartedly embracing the culture of men (adults of either gender actually) being charged up about collecting superhero action figures thanks to a chocolate major and its unique advertising campaign.
The manliness of the so called pin-ups is also not expected to be doubted by the impressionable majority when these models or actors are shown posing with their favorite action figures. I like it.

Best mini-series watched this year

The best television mini-series watched this year is undoubtedly 'A Young Doctor's Notebook'. It stars Daniel Radcliffe and Jon Hamm, playing the different versions of the same character, the lead protagonist.

RinaDi Once More

Watching Aparna Sen (RinaDi to all who love her, adore her) on the big screen once again is what made 'Chotushkone' (Death... Fair and Square) so special to me. And as an ardent admirer, having observed her from close quarters almost all my life, I can't resist from sharing these stills from the movie... as words can't express the medley of feelings, some if which reside in the realm of inarticulate wonderment.

Khoobsurat: Pretty sweet

'Khoobsurat', the 2014 film is a delight. Yes, it is what's often called a chick-flick... yes, it's too much of a candy floss concoction without the characters or the situations making much sense... and, no, the reference to the Rekha starrer of the same name from the Eighties was not at all necessary. But, for the entire family that's on the lookout for a clean, hilarious romance at the nearest multiplex, this film is just the recommended fare.

Hail Freedom!

Freedom can be suppressed by the forces that be for a short while only, the rebellion of the oppressed, of those who have been gagged, is certain. The voice of sanity, the voice of reason, shall be heard once more, resounding far and wide, and it shall make all the difference. A change for the better will be an outcome for sure. So, all hail freedom, break free of the shackles, the fetters are going to give away in no time.

Finding Fanny

Watched 'Finding Fanny'... one of this year's best!
However, recommended only for those who felt Homi Adajania had defected to cocktailish Bollywood for good (even after having had a superlative directorial debut).
This one's exquisite brandy, make no mistake.

Asha-ji.... happy birthday!

Asha Bhosle.... the name spells music for me, she enchants me with her mesmerizing voice, her magically melodious numbers....
Here's wishing her a very happy birthday.

Lessons learnt

Learning lessons, I mean life's lessons and not the school lessons that we learn by rote, is actually fun and not boring when the lessons are packaged beautifully and are delivered to us in an endearing manner by our favorite films. Especially, the animation films from Pixar - which have been not only entertaining us but also making us learn and accept and welcome things for positivity and harmony, over the years. Here's taking a look, and taking a nod as well, this post is courtesy a mail sent to me by a friend as he found it in a compilation on the Net.

AK in and as PK

Never has a film's teaser and the subsequent trailer captured our imagination as much as Rajkumar Hirani's 'P.K.'. There have been all kinds of speculations prior to the release of the first trailer, and quite naturally, as the makers had their film's content strictly under wraps.
All we got to know was this: "A stranger in the city asks questions no one has asked before. Known only by his initials, P.K.'s innocent questions and childlike curiosity will take him on a journey of love, laughter and letting-go."
That's P.K.... in a nutshell.... and here is A.K. in and as 'P.K.' (or should I say 'pk'?)
How much the audience would accept him, only time will tell.

Hercules

For the first time, an upcoming Bangla film has the same title as a latest Hollywood film & the posters are splashed alongside at 'plexes!
'Hercules'

Revisiting 'Chatroom'

"Ready for therapy?" asks William. A simple question? Well, no.

Seldom do I revisit movies that I have already seen. First, the time is too short to catch up with films, old and new - that's the principle a movie junkie like me abides by; plus, there is the risk of my love for a movie fading, at least marginally if not considerably, when I watch it again. However, recently I made an exception for a movie I had seen some time back (and liked) - called 'Chatroom' - and I am glad I did, because my love and appreciation for the movie - largely the premise and its handling - has grown manifold. It should be made compulsory viewing for young, impressionable folks, for obvious reasons, the chatting - as well as subverting and bullying - ways may keep dating with passage of time, and that too at a very fast rate, but the tale would definitely connect, it does make sense, it'll keep doing so.

Game over!

The curtains come down on FIFA World Cup 2014..... game over? Well, for now..... for me..... the soccermania that reigned for a month or so..... yeah, eyes glued to the tv set all night long, virtually getting transported to Brazil, the venues there, the beaches, the revelry, the madness of it all.

Transformers: Spruced up and how

'Transformers: Age of Extinction' is a lesson on how to spruce up an almost-on-the-verge-of-sagging franchise.