The Review Post

A book review, finally! The excessive delay is because I've not read anything lately that I felt like writing about. But, of course, only Amish could change my mind. It's been a while since I read this one, so pardon any nuances I might miss. I'm doing this purely out of memory. Amish is one of my favorite Indian authors. He has a way of connecting the mortal with the immortal and I truly believe that's a gift. How many writers can make Gods seem like real people? Not many I know. Of the ones I've read, authors can decipher, interpret at best, but not flesh out a character so well that it seems real, and yet maintain a surreal quality about it. Needless to say, I'm a big fan of exactly this trait of Amish's writing. Which is why, The Immortals of Meluha  was such a hit with me. I did not know much about Lord Shiva or his clan until Amish wrote this book. So, the story of Shiva was also high on mysticism for me. Having established how big a fa...

So Kangana Ranaut is turning out to be something of a powerhouse. This movie is all her - and some others who managed to scratch the surface. Everyone else is like background props to set context. Yes I've been away for quite long and I chose to return with Tanu and Manu in their latest outing – Tanu Weds Manu Returns . Hopefully, my blog will make a better impression on you than this film did on me. To sum it up, it's ekdum timepass . IMDb has rated it 8.3 and I seldom disagree with them, but this time I do and strongly so! The story is supposed to be about the marital life of Tanu and Manu, four years hence (they got married in part 1 - just FYI). But it's nothing but an exaggerated rant of a bored couple. I wish there was more to it. They try going their own separate ways but fail miserably. And in their endeavor to get back at each other, they drag poor Kusum into the soup. After a while everything seems like a drag. The songs are good but seem like ...

I must state at the outset that I'm not the zombie-apocalypse-movie-watcher type. I'm more the chick-flick variety. But what happens when zombie apocalypse meets chick flick? Answer: Shaun of the Dead I'd never in my wildest imagination thought that zombie flicks could be funny. Neither had I thought that I'd find myself watching it some day. Well, as you can see, Shaun of the Dead has proved me wrong on most accounts. And boy am I glad it did! The camera work and narrative are quite unique. Horror + comedy only makes me think of the Scary Movies series or American Pie series. But the Brits have shown the Americans how it's done. Smart and funny with a real story line - that's a sure-shot recipe for awesomesness. And I'm saying this 10 years too late. So imagine the furore it might've caused when it first came out? Or wait, don't put your imagination to work yet. Get the first copy of the movie you can lay your hands on and let yo...

This is a fresh out of the oven type thing. The film hasn't even finished running credits as I write this piece. That's how compelled I felt to write about this movie. There's so much to be said and yet so little that was. I'm truly astounded by Ben Stiller's take on something so mundane as a closet-hero seeking something more from his life. Walter Mitty is no one but he's everyone. Every one of us who wants to go out there, do something we've never done before, look outside of our comfort zone - but we don't. Because we're too caught up in our own little web of things. Believe you me, when I say, I didn't know what I was watching, for the first hour. Was he searching for his boss? Did he find himself during the course of his journey? What's he doing? Why? My mind was full of questions. But I didn't stop to think. Not once. I was so engrossed, so zapped. The story telling is so unique. Or I haven't seen something like this...

In a first, I'm going to review a restaurant! This is simlply because I have had the opportunity to visit this place twice in the last 2 months and I believe it's worth a review. You may have sensed from my tone that I'm quite impressed with this place. Any time of the day, any day of the week, Social is living up to its name! It's thronging with people all the time and there's no particular kind of crowd that comes in. You'll find your typical college crowd to the working class and everyone in between. I've visited the place during prime time in the day and night. Strangely, both times bang in the middle of the week. But before you judge me, let me tell you even I was surprised at the number of people that come out on weekdays/nights. The music is good, appropriate for the time of the day - I've noticed restaurants generally have a playlist that keeps repeating over and over. Not happening! - Social brings a refreshing change to that scena...

I'm taking a slight detour from writing about classics for now. Because I chanced upon this movie and I wanted to write about it, pronto. A hilarious narration of the lives of two people whose jobs have become obsolete. A couple of old school sales guys (Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn) find themselves not only out of jobs but also out of any more job opportunities in the new digital world. So they apply and get through none other than Google - but - as interns. They're surrounded by 20-somethings, all aspiring to work for one of the world's biggest corporations. They know nothing about Google Hangouts, coding, HTML5, X-Men or Qidditch. [Yes! They actually play Quidditch with brooms between their legs as part of their week-long assessment. You'll just die laughing when you see the snitch though.] These guys are the most experienced of the lot but the youngest at heart. And you'll cheer for them all along as they dodge geek-hurdle after geek-hurdle to prove...

I'd like to start with a couple of classic movies. Husband and I are doing a 'Classics Special'. We're trying to watch, not necessarily Academy winning movies but, Academy-level performances. I'll keep it really short. A young Tom Cruise, a young Demi Moore - what more could you ask for? No. This movie is more than just their faces. It just goes to show that at some point in time, actors were paid to act, not just appear pretty on the screen. For those who haven't watched it, it's about a murder investgation in the US Marine Corps. The unfortunate death of a young cadet raises many questions about the conduct and treatment meted out to new recruits in the Corps. Enter the star of the show - Jack Nicholson. He's vicious. He's proud. He's arrogant. There's no one you want to hate more. And I felt this way as I watched it in 2014. I can only imagine the impact his performance might've had in 1992. And rightfully so, he was...