Two Original Jokes

I laughed loudly at these two original jokes recently.

We were discussing the bad news that newspapers dump on us the first thing in the morning. Some said they did not wish to read newspapers anymore, some said they wished they stopped soon, and so on and so forth until Milind came up with this solution. 'I think we should tell the newspaperwala to take the newspaper and deliver it directly to the raddi shop (the shop that buys used newspapers) instead of delivering it to our doorstep. I'd pay him gladly for that service.'

On another occasion while out at dinner, Krishna was having a tough time ordering. He was done with the drinks and was running through the menu. The waiter was somehow insistent on on our ordering starters and kept on bugging Krishna about them. After the umpteenth question from the waiter regarding the 'starters' and noticing Krishna's bewilderment at this starters business Shobhs quipped - 'Tell him you're a non-starter'.

Silver Linings Playbook - Movie Review

This is a most unusual movie and hugely entertaining at that. A medley of the most unusual characters, some of them who have been diagnosed with disorders (and some who have not), show us that our world is one where we are all generally on the edge - one cannot make out who is which side. But the movie, adapted from a novel of the same name written by Mathew Quick, is full of unusual twists and turns right up till the end. Not to forget some powerhouse performances by all the actors, especially the leads.

Pat (Bradley Cooper), coming back from a mental asylum where he had been sent for his bipolar disorder and a consequent attack on a man he catches with his wife, meets a sex-addict widow Tiffany Maxwell (Jennifer Lawrence) at a dinner. The two neurotics hit it off in an unusual manner with Pat refusing all invitations from Tiffany to have sex with her and making it clear that he wants to get back to his wife Nikki. Tiffany uses Nikki as a bait to convince Pat to enter a dance competition with her. Now this dance competition and the fact that she and Pat are good luck for the Eagles (as she proves to Pat's bookmaker father) become the key points for an all or nothing bet that Pat's father places, much to the dismay of Pat's mother and her whole family. But the bet is on. There is drama in the dance hall as Nikki comes to watch the dance, Tiffany gets drunk as a consequence and the couple ends up doing a decent job. Will they get the 5 points required? Will the Eagles win? Will Pat get back to Nikki? What happens to Tiffany? Ah, watch this funny, romantic and crazy movie to find out. For certain you will be entertained no doubt.

Jennifer Lawrence got a well deserved Oscar and Bradley Cooper deserved one himself. Robert DiNero as Pat's father was good  for another. Overall, fast-paced, full of life, and as unpredictable as life can get if you let it rip without trying to control it. Go watch.

A Better Life - Movie Review

I was trying to watch another big star movie with lots of names and lots of gunfire but it just would not interest me. And then I switched to this movie 'A Better Life' and was instantly hooked. It is about a Mexican immigrant (illegal as it turns out) who works as a gardener in the US. He lives with  his young teenaged son who is studying in a school. His son, however, has friends who are related to Mexican gang leaders and is drawn to their life.

The gardener is a single father and works hard to bring up his son and educate him. The son is ashamed of his father's low lifestyle, his way of begging for work while standing at street corners, and is more attracted to the gangs and their tattoos. The father buys a truck to propel his dream of earning more money and getting a better life, the truck gets stolen. The father and son go out to recover the truck and in the process, the father gets arrested. The father is deported back to Mexico but the son is allowed to stay with the father's sister. In the jail, the father and son discuss their lives, and the father tells his son how his mother left him and how he hoped his son would make a good future for himself.

It's a simple, lovely movie with no frills but all the drama in the world. I could not take my eyes off the screen for a moment and was totally drawn into the father's struggle, his honesty in the face of his hardship, his son's dilemma and his acceptance of his culture. The song that the father sang to the boy when he was a child, the pain when the father breaks down before his son thinking that he has failed his son and the son's comforting words that he had always been there for him are such simple stuff that one can always relate to any number of times if they are told the right way. I loved the movie. 'A Better Life' is a good watch on one of those lonely evenings.

Spineless Show by the Aussies

For all that we expect of the Aussies this was a truly spineless performance. I was disappointed with what they put up at Hyderabad in the second Test. I watched part of Day 2 - when they started bowling their fourth over to the Indian openers. (On Day One they batted atrociously and got out for a paltry score - there is not enough batting in that lineup that can play positive cricket.)

As Pattinson and Siddle bowled and bowled, save the wicket of Sehwag, there was no respite, no penetration. And I was hoping there would be some sort of an imaginative play by their skipper Clarke. But he did not change their ends, nor did he bring in the slow bowlers and attacked the batsmen, nor did he ask the fast bowlers to change their  angle and bowl around the wicket, nor did he bowl himself or Watson on to change the bowling. He just kept at it predictably, doing nothing and hoping something would happen. It did not. Finally all that happened on Day 3 happened when the bowlers switched ends and bowled around as Glen Maxwell did. You need to be imaginative and create opportunities and I was clueless why Clarke let it drift along happily. With their sharper pace they could have bounced the ball a bit more, created uncomfortable angles for the batsmen and forced a mistake.

One thing for sure is that this batting line up lacks application as they showed in the way they are getting out playing odd shots. I cannot understand a test calibre batting lineup giving three wickets the way they did to Bhuvaneshwar Kumar (who bowled well nevertheless and got us a stranglehold in this game). It just showed bad application to get bowled to a medium pacer or get lbw playing a pull shot or get bowled round the legs playing a sweep shot.

I also suspect that they are imagining too many things in their heads. They should play a bit more positively and not play spin bowling as if it were some live bombs being hurled at them. When the ball is there to be hit, they are better off hitting them.

Similarly when they bowl they should show some more imagination and adjust to the condition quicker. Pattinson and Siddle cannot bowl the same length and expect wickets on these surfaces. They need to get further up and perhaps even cut their pace to get the batsmen to play that length on the front foot. One cannot help a side that lacks imagination. he way things are going, they will go back with a 4-0 drubbing.

Hyderabad put up a good show in terms of number of spectators but one does wish the Aussies put up a better performance. I only wish there had been more shade for the spectators left in the sun. In these times, the sun can be a killer. Despite all the batting heroics, my vote for game changer goes to Bhuvaneshwar Kumar who got three wickets and put Australia out of the game on Day one on a wicket that was a beauty. And if that edge of Clarke had carried to Dhoni Australia would not even have made 200.

To Rome With Love - Movie Review

'To Rome With Love' is Woody Allen's latest. Not surprisingly it is set in Rome. But then like other Woody Allen movies of recent times it is leaving me a little lost - as if I am listening in on a private joke. There were long stretches of dialogue in Italian which is a language I do not understand so I was left trying to make sense of the movie from whatever I could see and hear. Nothing much to show from my end, I must confess.

It is a difficult movie to review, to retell. Enough to say that it is about several people and several stories happening in Rome. One is that of a young American tourist who falls in love with an Italian lawyer and they decide to get married. The American girl's father (Woody Allen) and mother arrive to meet their future in-laws. The boy's father is a mortician who sings well while scrubbing himself in the shower. Allen who is a retired opera director believes that the mortician in-law has a voice that can make him a star. The mortician's family does not like these ideas. But Woody convinces him to audition - which ends as a disaster. But Woody does not give up and realises that the mortician can sing well in a shower. He gets him to perform operas on stage, singing in a shower. There is some success and then the mortician goes back to his work. Funny in a weak way. Nothing really impressive about this story.

Then come a young couple to Rome on honeymoon. The girl goes out to the salon before the boy's relatives arrive to take them to lunch. She gets lost. A prostitute lands up at the young man's room by mistake and when the relatives enter, they find their nephew in a mistakenly compromising position with the prostitute. The young man convinces them that the prostitute is really his newly wed wife. She plays along. Meanwhile the lost wife stumbles upon a film shooting of her favorite actor who instantly starts seducing her. In the end the prostitute sleeps with the boy and the girl is all set to sleep with her favorite actor, but ends up sleeping with a thief. Oh, finally, the couple gets together and sleep together too. Unimpressive story. Penelope Cruz was fantastic as the prostitute and the time when all her clients meet her at the hotel brings on a few smiles.

Then come the young architect and his ordinary girlfriend. He meets a famous American architect visiting Rome (he spent some time there as a student thirty years ago). Now the young architect's girlfriend brings home a friend of hers known to give off sexual vibes to men. Against all odds (really?) the boyfriend and the sexy girlfriend hit it off, have sex in the car, and decide to hook up together. Just as they are on the verge the sexy girlfriend gets a part in a movie and she dumps the new boyfriend and goes away. What is the architect doing in this story? Nothing, except that he keeps popping up in every intimate scene, warning the young architect against the sexy girlfriend. Boring story that brings back moments of deja vu.

Then comes the most boring of the lot. Fully in Italian. A clerk in an office suddenly becomes a celebrity. I don't know how and why. But he is hounded by the paparazzi, gets a promotion, gets new girlfriends. One day they lose interest in him and he is missing their attention. He does everything - even take off his clothes - just to sign an autograph and is grateful when someone recognises him. Anyway he goes back home. Boring.

Of all the Woody Allen movies I saw, this was by far the worst. His usual fun element was missing and some themes looked repetitive causing feelings of staleness. Also his disarming honesty normally shows the paradox - missing in this movie totally. The whole idea never comes together and one wonders what Woody was thinking when he got it all together. Perhaps he had it in his head as stuff he had seen and retained about Rome which is why it all begins to sound like a personal joke. I also did not understand Italian and would have loved some sub titles. Could easily give this one a miss. I wish I had.

Revolutionary Road - Movie Review

'Revolutionary Road' stars two huge stars - Leonardo Dicaprio and Kate Winslet and is directed by Kate Winslet's ex-husband Sam Mendes. It is based on a novel by the same name written by Richard Yates. The movie dwells into the lives of a young couple trying to deal with life, their dreams and the loss of their illusions in the 1940s.

Frank Miller (Leonardo Dicaprio) meets April (Kate Winslet), an aspiring actress, at a party and they get married. April gets pregnant and they move to a new house on Revolutionary Road in Connecticut to sustain growing costs and their new family. Frank gets an uninspiring job as a salesman in Knox Machines where his father worked for twenty years and April's career as an actress is going nowhere. Anyway with two kids, the suburban life, ordinary neighbours and a life that seems to be slowly settling down into the ordinary, April proposes moving to Paris. She would get a job as a secretary and Frank, who is not really happy with his job, can do whatever he was meant to do. Frank is convinced, April is thrilled at the idea of going to Paris and they announce their dream, and the chasing of their dream to everyone. It is wonderful to see them tell this piece of shocking news and revel in the responses they get. 'We're going to Paris,' she says with a smug expression.

Not many understand this madness from the 'perfect couple' on Revolutionary Road. At least not the normal neighbours. However the psychologically instable son of their real estate agent seems to understand their need to go away and he fully supports it. But Frank gets a promotion offer and April gets pregnant throwing all their plans astray. April offers to get an abortion done. Frank is livid that she can think of such a thing. April sees her dream fall apart while Frank reconciles to a life in Knox Machines - preferring the safe to the unknown. The real estate agent's son blasts the two of them when he comes to know of their dilemma and almost gets beaten up. But he merely says what they fear the most and is a fantastic character. In a night out at the bar a drunk and disillusioned April ends up having an affair with her neighbour (Frank is already having one with his junior at office). As the dream slowly heads towards a bitter halt April realises that only one thing can save her dream.

Leonardo Dicaprio and Kate Winslet are such fine actors and I was left admiring how much they convey in their expressions, their postures. The way Kate stiffens up, you know that she has made up her mind. Just as Leonardo bursts out as he tries to deal with his own cowardice and his need for security - his need to be a man. Set is a humdrum setting 'Revolutionary Road' tells the story of youth and its aspirations, the times, the consequences of our decisions and what one may have to encounter when one chooses to fly. Beautifully told, intense and well performed and directed, I enjoyed watching this movie.

Satyr of the Subway - Anita Nair

Read the collection of short stories 'Satyr of the Subway' by Anita Nair (first published in 1997). It was her first work of fiction and won her much critical acclaim. In these short stories Anita gives a whiff of what's to come in her future books as she shoots straight and hard with her themes and characters being shamelessly themselves - with all the shades of darkness and grays. Anita's style is rich and her use of the language is evocative and lyrical which makes the contrast to the characters and their darkness even more exciting. You know when you read her works that she believes that 'good' is good, but 'bad' is more interesting; perhaps more real. This book is like an interesting person you'd like to know more of as each layer comes off.

Short stories for me are a bit like poetry; sometimes I just don't get it. Or even if I do, they don't stay. So I assess short stories in my own way - their stickiness to my mind. Typically in a collection of stories I have one that sticks to my mind. In this collection of 15 stories the 'Hippoman' stands out for me. Something about that story stays with me almost scene by scene - it's like a movie almost and I am surprised it does that to me because only one other short story by Roald Dahl stays with me so clearly. But having said that almost all of the other stories in this collection of stories by Anita Nair have highly interesting themes and I enjoyed reading them.

The first story 'Satyr of the Subway' sets the tone with the story of a ruthless old man who preys on young women and gets them hook or crook. But then it is also about how both the parties use one another of course - when someone gives there has to be someone who receives. 'The Witch's Wife's Tale' is a haunting story of how a woman has immense power in her hands but can do nothing with it as she doubts her deservability of that power. I loved the idea - how many of us have let our own doubts kill our immense power that god granted us. I liked the idea of 'Mistress of the Night' too, of a man wanting someone to call his own, even if it's paid for and momentary. Just the thought that one can access unconditional and non-judgmental companionship makes it so comforting. How many relationships are shams where one cannot speak of one's most intimate fears and doubts, likes and dislikes. 'The Karmic Cat' is the story of the jealous cat and is all too real - reminded me of a horror movie from Hollywood. 'Come to bed, my pretty' is about the man who is so considerate and affectionate to his partner's needs and wants that he is always waiting to do things for her and never what he feels. 'A Prayer for Sax' is about a woman and the day she probably dreads the most, a misfortune that befalls her young. 'A Thanksgiving Tale' is about a lonely woman who is invited, or rather invites her self to a Thanksgiving party at an Indian's house in New York and the rather unsavoury consequences of wanting love or friendship so badly. 'Mercury Woman' is about an Indian woman in a lesbian relationship in the US who has to put off her family and prospective grooms and finds the perfect solution. 'Two out of three ain't bad' is about an older woman and her fantasy of meeting a blind date who she could marry.The setting at Koshy's Bangalore makes it all so visual - I'll always remember that story when i walk into Koshy's next.

The themes are interesting and vividly distinct from one another ad one expects no less from Anita who in my opinion strives to explore new paths all the time. But it is what she does to the story with her writing that makes Anita immensely readable. Worth a read for her tone and voice, the way she tells her stories and mostly for the boldness of the themes - Anita makes her stories far more real than most.