Knight & Day

Image source - Wikipedia

Jolly good fun!

Good chemistry between Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz.

Tom Cruise is Roy Miller a rogue CIA agent who holds a zephyr a pocket-sized battery that can power an entire city!

He meets June (Diaz) a car modelling expert on her way to her sister's wedding and uses her to get the zephyr passed through the checking counter at the airport.

The movie has its share of twists, chases, humour, shoot-outs and is shot in Austria, Germany and Mexico.

Roy and June are chased by CIA agents, the police and an assassin hired by a Mexican weapons dealer. Watch the movie to find out how Roy outwits everyone.

Rating - 2.5 stars.

Chennai Super Kings are the Champions

Many considered the crowning of Chennai Super Kings as IPL-3 champions to be a fluke.
Dhoni has proved his critics to be wrong by leading his team to victory in the Champions League in South Africa.

Murali Vijay, Bollinger, Michel Hussey, Raina, Ashwin and Muralitharan have been instrumental in CSK's success. Obviously getting a place in Group-A was an added bonus with the weaker teams from Sri Lanka and New Zealand being present in it.

There was heart break in the match against Victoria, which CSK lost in the Superover. A remarkable victory defending a meagre total in the last group match against the warriors moved CSK into the semifinals. A rain curtailed semi against Royal Challengers Bangalore was made memorable as Suresh Raina went all hammer and tongs against the RCB bowlers. An injury to Dale Steyn while attempting a catch and a top-order batting failure 13/4 brought CSK into the finals.

Disciplined bowling and excellent fielding resulted in CSK defeating the South African Warriors. All-in-all a great performance by the men in yellow. The next edition of IPL with two more teams will see many members moving to other teams. This victory should boost Dhoni's confidence and help him face the Australians in the home series that will start in a few days.

As the theme song goes Dhoni Chennai Super Kings kku Whistle Podu

Prince of Persia

Image source-Internet

Jake Gyllenhal goes into six-pack mode and comes out as a convincing Prince Dastan. The boy who was picked from the streets of Persia and became a prince. The movie is based on one of the most successful video games of all time and has excellent production values.

The story is about the King of Persia who is poisoned and killed by his brother Nizam played by Ben Kingsley. Dastan is falsely accused of killing the king and is chased by the rightful sons of the king Tus and Garvis.

How Dastan proves his innoccence is linked with a magical dagger, which allows its holder to control time. The dagger is safeguarded Princess Tamina played by Gema Arterton. The chemistry between Dastan and Tamina is forced but has its share of laughs. There is a slavetrader and his faithful African slave as a side-plot.

Great timepass but not an adventure of epic proportions. The biggest problem is how does a supposed Persian speak with a prim and proper British accent:) Children will enjoy the movie.

I am still waiting to see Inception.

Hope to see it soon.

The CWG - A Mess beyond Redemption

All this while when corruption was rampant, the general public had no other choice but suffer. Years of being left disappointed has brought in a stoic calm to the psyche of the common Indian when it comes to politicians and bureaucrats.

The Commonwealth Games in comparison is a national spectacle of great proportions. What was to be India's moment of pride in replicating China's successful Olympic Games has ended up in a matter of shame for the country.

Everyday there are reports about a ceiling falling down, roads in bad condition, uninhabitable residences for players, the list goes on. When the CWG scam came to the spotlight the news that caught my attention was "Toilet Paper Scam". Apparently each roll of toilet paper was purchased for Rs. 4000. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Scams for the purchase of treadmills, toiler cleaners, there is a whole list. Everyone has a share in the pie.

Things are moving on at breakneck speed and at the eleventh hour our PM Manmohan Singh is leading the operations. I hope for the sake of the country that things are put in place. Already top athletes have pulled out citing various reasons. I guess in an unfair sense it will give an option for lesser known athletes and players to reach the podium and win medals.

Once the games end a thorough investigation regarding the financial irregularities concerning CWG should be conducted and the guilty should be punished. But knowing the way how things work in our great land it will be one long case with hearings and additional hearings, cases getting transferred, one more mess the judicial system of which I will blog later.

As of now I hope the CWG goes on smoothly and that there are no terrorist attacks. Security has been lax as shown by some Australian journalists who went about with semi-explosives without being questioned.

As they say - "May the games begin" and punish the guilty in the Organising Committee.

Back on Track

Thankfully the break was short.

Life is back on track and I am at work.

God has been kind and merciful in answering my prayers.

Now I need to work with patience and stick to this job.

On Staying at Home

What does one say?
When people ask you,
Hey aren't you leaving yet?

How do I tell them,
I'm jobless at the moment.
Dusting all my books,
My music and movie collection.

I get endless calls a day.
Some from HR personnel,
Some from friends,
And some from relatives.
Sympathetic folks, angry folks, folks who say!

You deserved it!
I always told you don't quit SFY!
Another chap says "Man, you shouldn't have refused those KPO offers!
It's the curse of that angry HR bloke.
Well reasons may be many, excuses even more.
What to do?

Helping mom wash and cook and clean the house.
Updating my resume across job portals.
Shooting e-mails to companies across the country.
Life goes on at its own pace.
So folks till something worth posting comes up!
Or till I find something I love,
Or well if I find someone to love!

Well that was cheeky:)

It's ADIEU!

One more chapter closes

Life is falling in to a strange routine, where in every six to seven months, I join a new firm, make friends, and then am forced to say adieu.

So the quest begins all over again.

Don't know how I am going to manage.

Very very scary future.

SALT

Tom Cruise missed a chance to belt out a blockbuster. Yes, the role portrayed by Angelina Jolie in SALT was originally written for Tom Cruise.

The story is about how a section of Russia's KGB trains children to become spies and sends them to the U.S. In addition, to children they also replace American adults with look-alike Russian spies.

Angelina plays a CIA agent Evelyn Salt who is accused of planning to assassinate the American President. This info is provided by a Russian defector. How Evelyn goes about escaping from the CIA and proves her innocence forms the crux of the story.

Chases, shoot-outs, plot-twists; it's all there.

The climax proves that there is room for a sequel and SALT might well end up becoming a franchise like the Mission Impossible series.

With Knight & Day tanking at the U.S. box-office, Tom Cruise might be regretting his decision of skipping SALT.

Need Help

Folks need help.

If there is a job opening for content writers / copy writers / copy editors.

Please send me an e-mail with the details of the company at rmaheshiyer@hotmail.com

You can also add the details through the comments section.

Thanks in advance.

HAPPY ONAM

May King Mahabali bless you with joy and riches.

Wishing everyone a HAPPY ONAM

The Wolfman

Image courtesy Google Images

Starring Sir Anthony Hopkins and Benico Del Toro, the movie is a remake of the 1941 classic with the same name.

The story starts on a dark night in the woods of Blackmoor. A man seems to be chasing someone when he is mauled by something. The next scene shows a performance of Hamlet. A woman Miss Gwen approaches Lawrence (Benico) and says that her fiancee Ben is missing.

We learn that the person mauled at the beginning is Lawrence's brother, Ben. During the train journey to Blackmoor, Lawrence is given a cane with the head of a silver wolf by an old man.

The old castle holds many secrets, we learn that Lawrence found his mother dying in his father - Sir John(Anthony Hopkin's arms)many years ago. This resulted in young Lawrence losing his sanity and being admitted to an lunatic asylum.

Lawrence investigates his brother's death. He sees his corpse and is shocked by the mutilated body. He discovers a medallion in his brother's belongings, which leads him to the gypsies. It is a full moon night and again the strange creature attacks the gypsy camp. In trying to save a young boy the creature bites Lawrence.

The gypsy-woman nurses Lawrence and stitches his wounds despit others asking her to let Lawrence die. The woman answers "He can die only at the hands of someone who loves him."

Lawrence finds out that his father is the werewolf. He realises his father killed his mother many years ago and is now tormenting the people of Blackmoor. Circumstances cause people to suspect Lawrence to be the werewolf and he is once again sent to the lunatic asylum.

Lawrence escapes from the asylum seeking revenge.

What happens? Does he become human? Is he killed? Does he kill Sir John?

Watch the movie to find answers.

The movie moves between slow suspense and super quick CGI action. The fight between the two werewolves brilliant. The cinematography and music catch the essence of the dark theme of the movie. Acting is good. Worth watching once.

Team India's Moment of Truth

India's mammoth loss by 200 runs to New Zealand has brought to the fore-front the inability of our batsmen to tackle the short-pitched ball.

It was practically fielding practice for New Zealand as catches kept coming.

Dhoni's run-out was brilliantly executed.

What was MSD thinking when he started on that run?

Can somebody please explain why is Ravindra Jadeja still there in the team?

It was his spell that initiated the onslaught from Styris and Taylor.

Team India buck up for the remaining matches!!!

Book Fairs in Chennai

Folks two minor book fairs or exhibitions are happening in Chennai.

One is at the Guild of Service in Egmore, Chennai. All new books on display.

The other one is at Chetpet in the premises of the Women's Hostel located near Palimar Hotel and parallel to Sparky's Diner. For exact directions...

Walk past the Palimar Hotel, cross the fuel-station and you will notice banners announcing the "Book Sale".

A mix of new and used books. There are fabulous discounts n the used ones.

It is a treasure trove for comic-book lovers as lots of old comics are available. In addition picture books for children, coffee table books on cuisine, architecture, music, well pretty much every topic are on display.

New books get a 10% discount.

I picked up some real comic-book gems. I got a 1987 Dennis the Menace Annual comic for Rs. 50. 5 lucky Luke comics and 4 Iznogoud comics for Rs. 99 each. The big surprise was the complete illustrated Panchatantra by noted Indian cartoonist Bujjai for Rs. 99. Believe me it is a real treasure and a book that every child should read.

I got two novels based on the 24 TV Series, a Pink Panther novel based on the Steve Martin movie and some old Tinkle digests.

Folks do not miss this, you never know what treasure you might find for a real good bargain. This "book-sale" at Chennai is been on for quite some time and will continue for a few more months as per the organisers. Open from 10 AM to 9 PM on all days.

The Ghost Writer

Image Courtesy-Wikipedia

You are an ex-prime minister (Pierce Brosnan, living in a foreign land. Your auto-biography is being written by a ghost-writer, who is found dead. A new ghost-writer played by Ewan Mc Gregor is appointed to complete the auto-biography.

Tension builds slowly and we realise that things are not correct. Was the death of the earlier ghost-writer an accident or a murder? As Ewan tries to find out the truth allegations of war-crimes are thrust upon Pierce Brosnan. He becomes the centre of media attention and a bitter war of words starts.

Ewan digs in to the PM's past as skeletons slowly tumble out regarding the PM's college days. Ewan rummages the belongings of the earlier ghost-writer and discovers photos and a telephone number. As he tracks his predecessor's activities many secrets are revealed. Ewan realises that the PM was a CIA agent and helping USA.

He confronts the PM with his findings. Pierce is shot dead as he steps out of a plane. The autobiography is published and becomes a best-seller.

I am not revealing the climax!

It is a minor twist and somehow the movie is let down by it.

Do watch the movie for an old-fashioned cloak and dagger kind of thriller.

Roman Polanski's direction is great, Pierce and Ewan excel in their roles.

Background music is restrained and the visuals of the sea and the rain are well shot.

Raavanan

An unintentional comedy:)

Aish manages to track down Vikram's hideout without any troubles.
While the police and special commandos could never find him.

Loved seeing Karthik as the drunken forest guard.

Songs were good.

The climax-fight on the wooden bridge was executed well.

The Karate Kid

Jaden Smith does a great job.The presence of a legend Jackie Chan does not bother him at all and the kid proves he is a worthy son to Will Smith.

The kid plays Dre who lands up in Beijing with his mom after his father's death.

The first day in Beijing, results in a visit to a park, a crush in true Hindi film fashion and a beating up by the local teen bully.

School has surprises as both the girl practicing for a violin concert and the bully training for a Wushu tournament study there.

Jackie Chan works as Han the maintenance man in the apartment block where Dre and his mother stay.

One day Han saves Dre from the bullies. A few scenes later the trainer of the bullies challenges the kid to participate in the Wushu tournament.

Training starts and Dre is disappointed when Han asks him to remove his jacket, put it down, pick it and put it on a hanger.

This continues for a while along with some friendly banter between Dre and the Chinese girl.

The training sequences are well shot. A journey to the Dragon Well atop a mountain looks good. Jaden has worked hard for this role and his sparring sessions with Jackie Chan are a treat to watch.The tournament climax is predictable and executed well. Dre wins it by beating the bully. The bully and his compatriots become the students of Jackie Chan to learn Kung Fu under him.

Jaden has a great future and is sure to do well.

Rating ***/5.

A Triple Movie Treat

Saw three Malayalam movies over the weekend:


Ividam Swargam Aaanu

The Mohanlal starrer was slow to pick up its pace. Directed by Roshan Andrews, the movie is about a farmer's fight against the land mafia.

Innocent, Thilakan, Srinivasan, Jagathy and all the usual stars were there.

With three heroines, Laksmi Gopalaswamy (bank manager), Priyanka (TV reporter) and Lakshmi Rai (lawyer), Lalettan has a tough choice to make.

Lalu Alex as the scheming land-grabber - Aluva Chandy does a splendid job.

The last thirty minutes remind one of Khosla ka Ghosla.

Good movie to be enjoyed with the whole family.

Nayakan

No not the Kamal starrer. This movie surprisingly went unnoticed. Stylishly shot with an awesome performance by Indrajith and Thilakan, this is a revenge saga with a difference.

Indrajith is a Kathakali dancer. Thilakan plays Vincent Karanavar, an old don kind of person, a protector of a small community of people living in an old part of Kochi.

Indrajith's father and sister are killed by Siddique a magician who became a rich political kingmaker. He is beaten by Siddique's goons and left to die.

Thilakan rescues him and plans a revenge saga.

The movie unfolds at a quick pace and some great shots of Malaysia and a twist in the climax increase the suspense.


Kerala Cafe

This collection of ten short movies produced by Ranjit uniting ten of the most popular directors in Malayalam cinema is a great effort.

This movie will be reviewed in a separate post.

Spain Win

The Orange Squad failed to win as a goal by Inivestas in the 116th minute ensured that Spain lifted the FIFA World Cup 2010 title.

Heart-break for Holland.

The octopus Paul was right again.

Spanish Armada Sinks German Juggernaut

The psychic octopus had predicted a Spanish victory.

True to the predictions a late goal by Spain helped them end Germany's World Cup dreams.

An exciting clash is on the cards on Sunday when Spain take on Netherlands in the finals.

Let us see who wins!

I will be rooting for Netherlands, but I have a strange feeling that David Villa & Co. might take the glittering Jules Rimet Trophy to Spain this year.

If you look at my predictions made in the post dated June 11, they match the finalists.

Let us see what happens.

World Cup Updates

Netherlands make it to the finals.

Will the German brigade win or will the Spanish Armada emerge victorious?