The Hulk: Movie Review

Saw the movie "The Hulk" on TV last week. Heres the review.

Well, so what do you want? The good news about this movie or the bad news?
Okay since most people ask for the bad news first, here it goes. For people who wanna read the good news about the movie, scroll down below....

BAD NEWS:
As the heading suggests, this movie was crap, a big load of it...i mean so big that it would be bigger than Mt. Everest. Why am i so pissed off with this movie?
Well for one, the director tried to make a comic book of a movie and his idea of the same was to panel every shot.

EVERY SHOT! Imagine!
In comes a truck and suddenly panels start moving and now you can see the same truck in 3-5 camera angles, all at the same time (a la PiP). Wow!!!

The whole sequence was so disctracting that it took me a little less than a blink of an eye to lose interest. If only he had shot it normally, maybe it could have been good.

Most of the actors are emotionless in the movie save THE HULK himself. (Eric Bana)
Most of the locations were ill-timed as well...
The plot was sketchy and brief. Nothing much to grab my attention.

My suggestion: Avoid the movie at all costs!

C'mon it cant be that bad!!!

Ok Ok...
So here's the GOOD NEWS:
The Hulk transformations are pretty neat.


Thats it... :) For more good news, please follow my suggestion.

Good night...and Godd luck
May the Force be with you.

Traffic in Bangalore…Part 2

Recent developments in the situation in Bangalore have prompted me to write this blog.
Don’t worry traffic is still the same, people still flaunt the rules…

One major change that I have noticed is that Roads are being laid afresh and they have survived a rain….A big kudos to Mr. Kumaraswamy (CM) and his team…

The roads that have been laid so far are of good quality and have helped in increasing the life of the vehicles :)
Most of the roads that were in the East of Bangalore are all laid… I was mighty surprised when I saw this happen a month ago… So far so good… Lets just hope that the telephone companies DON’T take note of this…Otherwise they would be back to start digging again…

Another thing that I have noticed quite prominently is the appearance of Traffic signals in almost all areas…. These signals running on Solar Power have helped immensely in regulating the traffic…

Could this be the beginning for a new beginning??? Lets wait, watch and pray.

Good night … and good luck

UEFA Champions League Final

Well yesterday night was the UEFA CL Final between Arsena and Barcelona.

The build up to the annual extravaganza was good this year as two of the strongest teams made it to the final... Arsenal, in the final for the very first time, had eliminated Real Madrid and Juventus en route to the final, while Barca had eliminated Milan and Chelsea.

Arsenal were further buoyed by the fact that they hadnt let in a goal for over 700 game minutes...

Arsenal Had Henry and Barca had Ronaldinho... Two of the best at the moment...

The match began steadily with Arsenal attacking twice in the first ten minutes. Barca were getting the runs to the goal but werent finishing them. Then around the 18th minute, disaster struck for arsenal... Goalkeeper Jens Lehmann gets a Red Card for a foul... Barca score in the confusion but the goal is later disallowed (quite rightly so). Arsenal down to 10 men. They substitute Pires for the reserve goalie Almunia...

Then the pressure mounts... Barca attack in waves... but are thwarted by the Arsenal defence.
Ronaldinho and Eto'o combine for a brilliant strike which is saved by Almunia...
Then just after the hour mark, Eboue of Arsenal is brought down outside the Barca goal area.

There was hardly any contact and the dive worked. Henry kicks in and a towering Sol Campbell header puts 10 man Arsenal up 1-0. GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

Bad decision by the referee... Barca are shocked...
Arsenal celebrate... Barca respond in a way known only to them...
They attack like crazy, but somehow the defense holds up for Arsenal...

HALF TIME...Now the 2nd Half...

Barca continue attacking and the referee's decisions keep getting worse. A couple of Barca defenders dive and the Arsenal players are yellow carded. Ljunberg creates some magic for Arsenal with Fabregas but it aint enough...

Then in the 76th Minute, a brilliant play sees Eto'o strike from the near post. Goalkeeper mistake and GOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL to Barca...

Five minutes later, substitute Juliano Belleti makes a good run and another goalkeeping error sees a GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL...

Barca 2-1 up... Barca then just waste the remaining time to win the champions league...

Well Summary.... Not a great match... Relly bad refereeing standards... Lots of Dives and a lil bit of magic...

Thats all for now... Hope the World cup would be better...
Good night...and Good luck
May the Force be with you....

RESERVATION>>>RESERVATION>>>RESERVATION>>>

Now why is the present central Indian government so hell bent upon reservation?
Is it so that they can now garner votes from these people for the next elections? Or is it that they truly wanna push this country to the dogs?

I don’t know whatever it is, its not good for the people of the country…
When Dr. Ambedkar vouched for reservation for the lower classes in some areas, it was so that they could gain their foothold to compete with the rest of us…He himself told that the reservation was to be abolished as soon as possible…Now what has happened? They want to include a wide variety of careers under reservation…Great!

People …listen…Improve the condition of the downtrodden. That is the first priority, instead of hand feeding them forever… Someone once said “Give a starving man a fish and he will be satisfied for a day, Teach the starving man to fish and he will be satisfied for life”.
This is what must be done…

NOOOOO! The politicians I guess are more interested in ruining the country…

They want reservation for Doctors, Lawyers, Private sector companies etc….Where will this lead us? Only to the path of destruction…

What is going to happen to the widespread protests against reservation? Nothing!!!

Another reason why I am against all this is that there is a lot of corruption in the government.

When I was in college, the students belonging to backward classes were supposed to pay a lower fees if their families’ annual income fell below a certain barrier…Most of them I knew were affluent enough to own cars of their own and still paid only the minimum fees. Why? Because they could afford the hefty bribes to the government officials who would certify that they did not have enough money to reach the income ceiling…

Why is all this happening? What would happen to our wonderful nation due to this reservation, I shudder to think…

Well, since the government has a vested interest in Reservation, why don’t we have reservations in prisons? Ensure that a percentage of backward classes have to be in prison to meet the quota… Set the regular criminals free because their quota is full…

WOW…

MONSTER BLACKOUT on TUESDAY 09MAY2006

Well it rained like crazy on Tuesday here in mysore... for about 2 hours...and then came the granddaddy of them all... A power cut...(A blackout).

Well i guess this wasnt an ordinary power cut... Lost power at home at 7:30 in the night...

9 PM:

I decide to have a candle light dinner :) No electricity remember!!!

10PM:
Still no power... My roommates are getting a little restless.

11PM:
Still no power... We are now down to our last candle.
Two others valiantly fought with the darkness till 10:30until they could fight no more...
The last one remained.
We decide to retire, hoping for a miracle. The candle is saved for another day.

2AM: Still no current. Am getting a little restless.

5AM: No current means no water... Oh My god! How do i take a bath???
My apartment has a water problem, so you know!!!

6:15 AM:
The nightmare is increasingly disturbing. I got up and rushed to the bathroom.... you know, for obvious reasons...Thank god the water is still coming...

7:00 AM: Am quickly done with my bath as well. My roomates get in, hoping that the water doesnt stop yet...

7:45AM:
Lucky everyone is in and out...SQUEAKY CLEAN...

Apparently the power came only by 3:00PM or so...The other areas got them back by 3:00AM itself. Lucky!!!

And Weird! One small drop of rain and one giant power cut...

Expect more though!!! Thats all for now...

Good night... and good luck
May the Force be with you!!!

DEMOCRACY: WHAT I SAW AND FELT...

Democracy… that which is seen in almost all the countries in the world… Is it good or bad??

Well my personal opinion is that democracy is not for development… I don’t like democracy because you end up choosing between two or more incompetent (couldn’t find any other decent words) people.

Why is it called the power of the people when the only power that people have to is to elect other people???? Shouldn’t development be the key for any government? Why is power, money, greed and corruption the key now-a-days?

I just wish that elected representatives do what they are supposed to do for the benefit of the people. Believe me one complete development oriented 5-year term is all that will take to turn this country around…

But in the current state, I just wish that no one votes for a candidate who does not focus on development. I feel that a dictator or a communist style would do better for the same…

But people still have faith in this wretched system… My neighbor is constructing a new house. There is lady who works in that construction… You can imagine my surprise when I heard that the lady took a 2 day leave from work just so that she can go to her native town in Tamil Nadu to vote in the assembly elections there. Whoa….

So why don’t the elected idiots realize that this is how much each vote they get is worth?
Imagine… a normal laborer forfeits 2 days work to vote…!

Just hope that the elected reps worry about something other than their own pockets…

Me? Well I do intend to vote when elections come around in my state… As said earlier it wouldn’t be for one who hasn’t done anything for the place…

When will this nation see a bright future? Hope the later generations are more honest than their predecessors…

Good night and… Good Luck
May the Force be with you!!!

ICE AGE 2: MOVIE REVIEW

Saw ICE AGE 2: The Meltdown over the weekend. Cool movie!!! (Get it, ice…cool…J)

The movie was well made and had a nice plot. Sid (The sloth) is hilarious as usual. Scrat and the acorn bit is also very nice. Diego (The tiger) is relegated a bit to the background this time as the focus shifts on Manny (The mammoth).

Main plot goes like this.

The Ice is melting and the inhabitants are warned against the great flood. The only hope is to cross the valley in three days and board a boat which will save everyone… Manny realises thathe is the last of the Mammoths until he discovers another one… Only this one thinks that she is a possum…:)...Cool... The rest of the movie finds manny bonding with Ellie (the lady mammoth) in a way that we would relate to... How everyone puts off their differences, fights the baddies and manage to survive the flood forms the rest of the story...

Of course... Look out for Scrat...:)

Though the first movie was better, this one definitely provides much more laughs...

So what are you waiting for??? Go watch ICE AGE 2: THE MELTDOWN….

Today’s Topic: Australia v South Africa the series 2006: A recap

People will remember this series for a very long time. This cricket series was more exhilarating than the Poms’ defeat of the Aussies in the Ashes series of 2005.

SA had just been crushed by the series in Australia where they had failed to make it to the VB series final (Sri Lanka got to the final only to lose to the Aussies). They were distraught. The fans had bullied and booed the South Africans. The Aussies expected a big backlash. The South African fans wanted to give the Aussies a piece of their own action, and so began one of the greatest series’ ever.

The One Day Series:
This one day series was indeed one of the greatest ever. Australia did receive the backlash. Before they knew what was happening, they were 2-0 down in the 5 match series. I guess the turning point here was Ntini’s five fer which led to the aussies being bowled out for under a 100.

The Aussies decided enough was enough but they were still not completely up to the challenge. They beat SA in the third oneday somehow and then convincingly in the fourth. The series was now all square with the final one at Johannesburg.

The Big One: 5th ODI: Series leveled at 2-2

Australia starts with a bang. 97 for the first wicket between Gilchrist and Katich in 15 overs. Ponting comes in at the fall of Gilly and blasts a 154 ball 164. A sparkling innings studded with 13 hits to the fence and 9 hits over it. The second wicket (Katich) falls in the 31st over with the score reading 216. Hussey walks in and the aussies continue the onslaught. Hussey falls with the score on 374 from 46 overs. The world record 396 (by Sri lanka v Kenya 1996 WC) is at stake. Ponting continues to blaze and finally falls with the score at 407 in the 48th over. Late hitting by Symonds ensure that the Men from Oz finish with 434 in the allotted 50 overs.

What a scintillating batting performance.

The south Africans are dejected. 435 to win in 50 overs. The mood is somber. Kallis breaks the mood in the dressing room by saying “ Guys, it’s a 450 wicket. They were fifteen runs short.”
I guess that changed everything. South Africa came out in a way that was well awesome..

Dippenaar fell in the second over to take aussies to the moon. The came the big one. Smith and gibbs batted with gay abandon, flaying the Aussie bowlers to all parts of the ground. Smith finally fell for 90 in the 23rd over with South Africa already on their way with 190. Gibbs then took over and blasted the Aussie bowlers everywhere. 94 run partnership with AB de Villiers with de Villiers scoring just 14. Gibbs finally fell with the score on 299 in the 32nd over for a brilliant 142 ball 175. The essay contained 21 beautiful boundaries and 7 towering sixes. South Africa looked to have the match under their grasp until Gibbs fell. Kallis and Kemp followed soon to raise the hopes of an Aussie Victory. C’mon no one has ever scored past 400 before. But could the South Africans do it???

Score 355/6. In walks this un-assuming bloke called JJ van der Wath and starts smashing the ball about. JJ van der Wath and Mark Boucher put 44 quick runs with Mr. van der Wath hitting 3 huge sixes. van der Wath fell on 399. 36 more required from 21.
Boucher keeps his cool as the Proteas reach 423. Telemachus falls and it is now 8 down. Hall gets in and gets the score till 433 and gets out. Nine down 3 balls 2 runs to win.

Either team could win.

Ntini edges the ball to third man for the tie. Mark Boucher hits it towards long on for four for the win. An epic victory.

Mike Lewis of Australia becomes the only bowler in ODI history to concede 100 runs in a match. He conceded 113 runs off 10 overs. Why ponting continued to bowl him was beyond my grasp, especially when Lee still had 2 overs and Michael Clarke was quite economical of the lot giving only 7 an over. Bracken was the pick with a 5/64 haul in 10 overs.

MOTM: Herschelle Gibbs

End Result: RSA bt Aus 3-2

Test Series:

South Africans were Jubilant. Aussies had a point to prove.

The emergence of Stuart Clark with 9 wickets in his debut test ensured that the Aussies won the first test comfortably by 7 wickets.

A century in each innings by Ponting buoyed the aussies as Lee took 5 in the first and warnie took 6 wickets in the second to beat the Proteas by 112 runs.

The third test…Johannesburg… The aussies wanted to get back and get even at the same ground.
Ntini picked up 6 in the first innings to give South Africa a 33 run lead. But Warne, Lee and Clark did not let the Proteas get away and set themselves a target of 292.
A hundred by the comeback Martyn and a polished 89 buy hussey put Australia on the road to victory before Ntini took a flurry of wickets to reduce the men from OZ to 275 for 8. Brave hitting by Lee made sure the Proteas suffered their first ever whitewash at home.

Result: Aus bt. SA: 3-0

A fitting reply from Australia after losing the one dayers.

Wish we get to see more matches and series like this in the near future.
Don’t hope for another exciting ashes series as the Poms aren’t at very good strength right now…

Maybe we will have a similar series if the current Indian team lead by the WALL takes on the Men from Oz.

Short Story

Hi,

The following is my entry in a recent short story competition. Commentz welcome.

POINT BLANK

"Firing a gun is a binary choice: you either pull the trigger or you don't. As surely as the bullet rips through the victim's flesh, organ and bone, it shatters the image of the man who presses the trigger". – Max Payne

The bullet is one of the most destructive pieces of machinery ever invented by man. A single small piece of lead and gunpowder can shatter, virtually, anything living.

It could bring down a person from dizzying heights to become a lowly cripple or worse face death. A bullet is one of the most commonly used methods of exacting revenge. Yes, Revenge. A harmless little seven letter word designated to bring doom based on the seven deadly sins. All revenge originates from one of the seven deadly sins, Lust, Greed, Gluttony, Envy, Sloth, Pride and Wrath.

So why am I talking about all this revenge? Who am I?
Listen to me, mortal, while I unravel the sands of time and take you back into my past.

I am a bullet. Yes, one of those vessels of doom. I am talking about all this because this is the reason why I was created. This was my purpose in this hateful life. I was born in an armament factory in the USA as a .45 steel magnum bullet. I thought that this was great. I had a shiny look and the land of freedom and liberty was perfect for me. I was soon packed into a box containing other bullets. Chip was my friend there. (He was called chip because his body was chipped off while manufacturing.) Chip was a regular old shotgun bullet. Slow and wise. One shot was all it took. I guess one shot in the right place was all it took no matter what the bullet.

I was shipped into a small town called Happyville. Happyville, I am so happy. Little did I know that this would be the hit. I was taken to a small gun store and placed on the shelf. A few days later, I was bought by a soft looking person who said he was looking for a gun for self defense. This was good because, at least, I will save someone’s life.

But something did not seem right. Why was a soft looking person buying a .45 magnum? Wouldn’t a normal .3 suffice for self defense or a shotgun which was so that the adversary would be scared away? But I kept my thoughts to myself. The next day found me in the gunslinger of my owner. A nice leather gunslinger, which increased my doubts of this person even more. He cleaned me and kept me shiny. I was happy to get such a nice owner who made sure that the machinery was maintained well. But why? This constant thought kept nagging my head.

The D-day had arrived. My owner (I overheard people calling him SAM) took the gun and placed it in the gunslinger. I was surprised and a little scared here because I was the only bullet in the gun. He sat in his 98 Chevy Corvette. Vrooom!!! and off we went. The destination: Sam’s fiancée Sheila’s home.

We reach there in twenty minutes amid the bustling traffic. Sam knocked on the door; Sheila opened it and let Sam inside. They wasted no time in getting into an argument. Apparently Sam suspected Sheila of having an affair with his friend Joe. The argument got a little out of hand.

BANG! Everything happened too fast. I was released from point blank range straight into her head. I guess she moved a little, but not too much, because I went right through her face taking an eyeball with me and crashing into the brick wall behind. It was over. I could hear her body slump into the floor. Blood was flowing down that beautiful face, which I had just scarred to death, staining the new carpet.

So what happened? Why am I feeling so bad? My purpose was fulfilled, albeit the killing of a lady. But what is that which makes me feel so remorseful? A day later, I was taken by some forensic experts in a plastic bag. The eyeball had since been removed from me. I came to know as I overheard the cops talking. My worst fears were realized. This was a classic case of wrongful revenge.

Sam had indeed misunderstood the relationship between Joe and Sheila. Those long meetings between them were only a plot to surprise Sam on his wedding day with a huge gift, the gift that he would now never receive.

As Sam now sits behind bars regretting his rash decision, I realize that the seven sins were the keys for doom. Yes, those seven deadly sins which fuel that seven-letter word REVENGE.

Today’s Topic: Traffic Woes in Bangalore…The beginning

How many times have we all wondered, is there anything at all that can be done to the traffic situation in Bangalore?
Well after a lot of deliberation, I feel that the answer is NO… there is no solution.
After spending most of my life in the city of Bangalore, (am currently put up in Mysore… THANK GOD FOR THAT),I have felt that it is just not possible. Let us look at a few of the reasons for the traffic woes.

Scene 1: Saturday: 11:00 AM… MG Road.
Traffic jam stretching from Brigade Road junction to Trinity Circle. Why?
One reason: Useless people. (By this I mean, that people has no decency or knowledge of traffic rules or are extremely contemptuous about both.)
Who are these people? These are the same people you see around you (including you). They are the people who decide to cut into MG Road from near the Public Utility building whenever there is a gap of 5 mm, the people decide to take U-turns haphazardly in front of the Public Utility Building, the people who jump lanes to squeeze into miniscule gaps, the people who jump the traffic signals….

Yes, the very same people who would not give a second thought before cursing the government and the corporation for their woes…(I am not supporting the authorities here. Their bashing will come later.) Don’t they realize that half the problem is solved just by obeying the traffic rules? No, they don’t. Why? Because everyone is in a hurry to get somewhere. Leaving early not only helps the traffic but also your personal stress levels.

No everything has to be on the button and everyone already has the headweight that they would not be caught no matter what. You can escape today and you can escape tomorrow, but when you are involved in an accident caused by your negligence, you blame the authorities. Why dude? Can’t you change yourself first? Complain when you have imbibed the correctness and the right attitudes in your life.

Another reason for the same is population explosion. There is a lot of migration to Bangalore from other places in search for a brighter future. So what do the authorities do about this?

Scene 2: Road laying process near XYZ road (Name omitted as it occurs everywhere):
Contractor and crew block the road and lay the road. Demand commission from residents if the road is in a residential area. Complete process, pocket money and leave. Road is not of good quality as the first rain which falls after a month washes the road away with. Complaints to the authorities only results in flak. Blame is placed on the contractor who is currently absconding. Enterprising residents file PIL which runs in the courts for 15 years. END RESULT: Bad roads… Traffic jams…

Scene 3: Telephone cable digging, half constructed flyovers and proposed Metro Rail…

All the roads are dug up on the pretext of the same reasons above. They are not filled back properly or they are filled up very late, a few broken arms and legs later. Authorities are only interested if this comes up in a Minister’s or a MLA’s locality.

Why this negligence, minister saar? What is happening? Is no one concerned about the common man anymore? What is the need for earning that much illegal money? You are not going to carry it to your grave, neither are your children. All the talk is not going to result in any action. Just Do it. Make this city a better city. Don’t you ever feel frustrated about the traffic? Don’t you ever feel like doing something about it?

I want everyone to give a thought about this. Would you rather that your grandchild spends hours in a traffic jam because he decides to drive like you in an irresponsible manner? Would you rather that your future generations can never leave their homes in a vehicle due to traffic?

It’s up to each and every one of us to solve this problem. Do your part first and then make sure the government does theirs…

Good night … and good luck
May the Force be with you.

Today’s Topic: Facial Hair in Movies

After successfully and unsuccessfully watching a lot of good, bad and ugly movies, one point on the same has kept coming back to me. What is the significance of facial hair among male actors in movies?

Let us dwell first on the various types of facial hair encountered in movies.
1. None at all. (No comments coz I have a handlebar moustache. General category.)
2. A thin moustache, (though this breed is almost dead now. Was very popular in the era of B&W cinema and early colour movies)
3. A thick moustache, (initially created to signify the bad guy later caught on for the negative hero character and finally for the hero as well. This category was widely prevalent in South Indian movies)
4. A beard. (signifies people who have been in a lot of trouble, jailbirds, people who have had love failures. Though initially created for the rough vagabond type, the above is now prevailing extensively.)
5. A stubble. (initially created to signify a natural feel in the movie, for example, a guy who has been traveling for 3 days in the wilderness obviously cannot shave. But now it is more of the norm in Indian cinema. Apparently having a thick stubble is considered heroic these days, why, is totally beyond my comprehension).
6. Miscellaneous. (Includes Handlebars, Side locks, soul patches etc etc, entirely based on the character of the story)

Having analyzed the different types of facial hair in movies and their significance has made me realize that there is no significance in today’s movies on the relevance of facial hair. Gone are the days when they were used to communicate to the audience about the character himself. (For example a thin moustache signified a distinguished gentleman or a charming Casanova).
Now it is just whatever the makeup artist or the director feels like. No significance one bit.

It grieves me here because there is no more silent/hidden meaning to the moustache or facial hair, no more is the subtlety and the charm.

Good night…and Good luck.
May the Force be with you.

Chronicles of Narnia

Saw the movie " The chronicles of Narnia - The lion, the witch and the wardrobe" a few days back.

Found it to be a really nice movie. Okay but you shouldnt compare it to LOTR.
One the story was smooth and flowing. The characters were well created.
The lion was good and so was the witch. The witch could have used a little less makeup when Narnia is frozen, but thats okay i guess.

The fight sequences were really good. Now why did i like it soo much?
Is it because of the refreshing way of storytelling or is it because it is a story for kids?

Either way Chronicles of Narnia is a must see.

Hello

Hello to one and all.

this is my first post in my blog.

So a big hello to everyone.

Bouquets and Brickbats welcome.

Sayonara,
:)