Hurrah for Clint!

I haven't seen Million Dollar Baby yet, but I'm very happy ye olde Eastwood won. Morgan Freeman too, finally.

And ahem!

Kireedom Revisited

There's this bus which ferries doctors to and from from their college in Hoskote. It stops near the Hope Farm in Whitefield, cuts through ITPL and then hits the Outer Ring Road. This bus was blocked by two drunks on Saturday evening, near the Hope Farm junction. One of them got on board and started abusing the driver for driving through that area. Apparently, the drunk mistook the bus for a public transport vehicle.

The abuse turned violent when the drunk pushed the driver out of the bus and started hitting him with a thick, flat stone. Blood started pouring from the driver's head. The people in the bus looked on, unsure of what to do, not wanting to get involved. People on the road stood and stared, as they always do.

A woman stepped out of the bus and ran towards the fight. She positioned herself between the drunk and the driver, stretched out an arm and said,"You will not touch him again". The drunk tightened his grip on the stone, said "I don't care for ladies. Step aside or I'll hit you too". The lady didn't reply, but kept her arm outstretched. The drunk moved around in a circle, trying to see if he could get closer. The woman moved with him, making sure the driver was protected. The drunk stopped short of hitting her, but tried a few lunges from time to time. The woman maintained her position, not saying a word, not budging an inch. This was the tableau when the cops arrived, ten minutes after the lady had intervened.

The drunk tried to run away, but couldn't go far. The cops caught him, brought him close to the lady and asked her to identify him. She did. The cops hauled the drunk away and took the driver to a nearby hospital.

The lady took her cellphone, called her husband and asked him to come get her home. Which is what I did.

Black

Is beautiful. The best Hindi movie I've seen on screen since Dil Chahta Hai.

Announcing a new release

and I have started a new community called , to discuss Malayalam movies. We figured there are enough people on LJ who might be interested enough to join and contribute. The idea is to talk about movies, music and gossip related to Malayalam cinema.

Interested? You know where to sign up.

Udayananu Thaaram

Phew, Mohan Lal hasn't forgotten how to act. The movie is no great shakes, but I liked the way Lal's character was etched. A few laughs, Sreenivasan doing what he does best and Lal playing a believable, realistic character for a change.

Sideways

Delectable. Brilliant acting and direction, coupled with a silken smooth script. Tight enough to keep you engrossed, smooth enough to let you walk around with the characters, glass of wine in hand.

Cellular

Good thriller-cum-advertisement on Nokia cell phones. Ideal for a Hong Kong-Singapore flight. No, seriously, it's worth a watch. Or a cell.

I "Heart" Huckabees

Tries a bit too hard to be clever. Metaphysical codswallop, but fun nevertheless. Jason Schwartzman is excellent.

elf

Oh cho chweet and christmassy. Har har, he acts like a kid. Har de har, he's wearing tights in New York! Oh, they are singing Santa Claus is coming to town, isn't that cute, Ebenezer?

Jesus Christ Superstar

Lovely music. A direct translation of the musical to the screen, or so I'm told. Judas walks away with the film, of course.

Love Actually

Love is all around us, or so the story goes. Cameos by every Brit on earth. A bit of fluff, but endearing.

Malena

No, there are no great scenes with Belucci in the buff. And no, it's not quite like Summer of '42, though it comes close. Overdone, over-dramatic waste of time.

A Shark Tale

Yawn. Load of tripe.

The Motorcycle Diaries

Or How Two Buddies Went Looking For Nothing And Found It. Watchable flick, though I liked the sidekick better than Che. Left me feeling slightly cheated - what's missing?

we don't live here anymore

Adultery, married life, sex, men and women. Anyone who's been married for a few years should watch this at least once.

Bonnie and Clyde

Brilliant film with believable characters. Both Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty have done a fantastic job.

Mother and Child Union 

Hey!

Hello, world!

Lagged, but back

In office right now, trying to see the day through. Feel quite tired, but it's great to be back.

Movie watched on the flight from Singapore to Bangalore:

1. Sideways.

Books bought from Amazon:

1.The New York Times Guide to the Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made
2. The A List: The National Society of Film Critics' 100 Essential Films
3. 5001 Nights at the Movies by Pauline Kael

Movies bought from the SFO airport:

1. Reservoir Dogs (the 10 years edition)
2. Basic Instinct

Token pulp paperback bought from the Bangalore airport:

1. State of Fear by Michael Crichton