Monthly Archives: November 2011
Why This Kolaveri Di ? Guitar Chords & Lyrics
(C#)Šhe Is Happy Høw(Eb)vu?
(Fm)This Šøng’gu (Eb)Pass Tø Bøys’su
(C#)We Døn’t Have Chøice(Eb)su
Keeping my temptations in check, trying to stay away from talking about this song has been most taxing & hence this is where I give in. The frenzy and adulation that some artists crave for after years of penance in search of inspiration and tireless rehearsals burning the proverbial midnight oil has been achieved by this random 4 minuter, running amok across the broad spectrum of various ears and (eyes for some) thanks mostly to the medium of the internet.
A couple of minuscule stats in support of my sensational opening claim :
- Date of Debut on Youtube : 16.11.2011
- Hits as of now 7:40 PM (+8 GST) on 24.11.2011 : 3,012,702 (it’d be more by the time I post this
A screenshot of the video : Dhanush
Barre Chords : Indian Guitar Tabs
Aaron Sorkin to pen Steve Job’s biopic ?
Aaron Sorkin - The sought after writer
Its been 8 weeks since Steve Jobs passed away, and we have come to accept that there is no dearth of incessant tributes from fans & commoners alike, including Yours truly. The mad reverence however seemed to have reached on an all time high when we first heard the news of Aaron Sorkin being roped in by Sony to write for the biopic based on Walter Isaacson’s biography.
Forbes recently have spoken their mind out aloud, dismissing the prospect as a second coming of Sorkin, as he fabricated most of “The Social Network” story. Its no doubt that they aren’t very supportive of the Facebook and their frivolous attitude towards its patrons privacy.
Here’s what Aaron was heard saying to E! through THR : ”it’s something I’m strongly considering“, but added, “Right now I’m just in the thinking-about-it stages. It’s a really big movie and it’s going to be a great movie no matter who writes it.”
To that collider.com thinks :
The Subject
Sorkin can usually bring magic to anything he writes and Jobs would certainly make for an interesting protagonist based on his personality. The biopic would probably be helped by the personal friendship between Jobs and Sorkin (Jobs even asked Sorkin to write a Pixar movie). According to the synopsis of Isaacson’s book (which I am reading right now), Jobs was “driven by demons” with a “searingly intense personality”. Nothing has ever said “searingly intense” like black turtlenecks and jeans.
One more thing: No offense to Sorkin (whose work I greatly admire and respect), but Lawrence of Arabia is “a really big movie”. This is about a guy who built revolutionary products and marketed the hell out of them. He didn’t campaign for social justice or try to stop wars. His greatest risk was bankruptcy and I think we would all do well to remember that.
Well not contesting their opinion of the man, I hope Aaron pens it and does so beautifully making a brilliant movie. And adding that dash of lime to the wounds inflicted by a bunch in Forbes, would nominate David Fincher to direct it Noah Wyle (of ER fame) and George Clooney are being considered to play the lead. Keep watching this space for more.
Christopher Nolan & Tom Hardy speak out : The Dark Knight Rises
Tom Hardy as Bane. Cover of Empire option 1 
Here’s a sneak peek at some of the news on The Dark Knight Rises inside the Empire magazine’s latest issue. Specifically, let’s hear from director Christopher Nolan first, and see what he’ll divulge about the film. “It’s really all about finishing Batman and Bruce Wayne’s story. We left him in a very precarious place. Perhaps surprisingly for some people, our story picks up quite a bit later, eight years after The Dark Knight. So he’s an older Bruce Wayne; he’s not in a great state.”
If You thought he gave a lot, there’s more : “With Bane, we’re looking to give Batman a challenge he hasn’t had before. With our choice of villain and with our choice of story we’re testing Batman both physically as well as mentally.”
Speaking of physical challenges, what can Tom Hardy tell us about Bane? ”He’s brutal. Brutal. He’s a big dude who’s incredibly clinical, in the fact that he has a result-based and oriented fighting style. It’s not about fighting. It’s about carnage. The style is heavy-handed, heavy-footed, it’s nasty. Anything from small-joint manipulation to crushing skulls, crushing rib cages, stamping on shins and knees and necks and collarbones and snapping heads off and tearing his fists through chests, ripping out spinal columns. He is a terrorist in mentality as well as brutal action.”
Empire's cover option 2. Christian Bale, BATMAN
Costume designer Lindy Hemming also lets drop a few clues to his backstory as she talks about Bane’s look. On the mask, she says, ”He was injured early in his story. He’s suffering from pain and needs gas to survive. He can’t survive the pain without the mask. The pipes from the mask go back along his jawline and feed into the thing at his back, where there are two cannisters.”
The magazine should be out very shortly and The Dark Knight Rises is touted to release world over on July 20, 2012.
Its prologue, Nolan has confirmed, will be in select IMAX cinemas on December 21. As with The Dark Knight, it will be – according to Nolan – “basically the first six, seven minutes of the film” and will serve as “an introduction to Bane, and a taste of the rest of the film.”
Here’s the chilling teaser trailer if You have not seen it already. Enjoy
Story originally published on Empire Online
The Dewarists : The best Indian show that deserves a world audience
Just when I was wandering around for inspiration, and was on the verge of giving in to another non consequential coverage of a Hollywood “here nor there” caper, I stumbled into an Indian TV show on Youtube called “The Dewarists“. Its a documentary – travelogue series hosted by singer/actress Monica Dogra (of Dhobi Ghat fame), that explores music fused with folk elements from the far wide corners of a vast melting pot, that is India.
Vishal & Imogen take some undiscovered paths through the dusty yet colourful lanes in Rajasthan
Well to put it mildly, I have been blown apart by the noble attempts of having two or more varied components of a very wide platform put in their best foot forward in collaborating and creating beautiful pieces of music. The featured artists so far at a glimpse includes the likes of Imogen Heap with Vishal – Shekhar, Zeb & Haniya with Shantanu Moitra, Indian Ocean with Mohit Chauhan, Agnee+Parikrama with Shilpa Rao, and most recently Angaraag Papon Mahanta with Rabbi Shergill. Its without a shred of doubt the best TV show to have come out from India in a long long time with 6 episodes aired and 4 more to go in its inaugural season so far.
Indian Ocean & Mohit Chauhan (What not to like?)
The latest episode featured the newest Assamese find, Angaraag “Papon” Mahanta collaborate with the sufi + punjabi talent Rabii Shergill of “Bulla Ki Jaana” fame. The backdrop they chose was the Kaziranga National Park which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, that hosts 2/3rds of the one horned rhinocerous of the world. Being a native of the land, the feature has been inspirational of sorts and in a manner an introduction for a wider audience who haven’t seen most of this beautiful blend of green and a deep rooted culture of colours that is Assam.
Both for arts and for economic reasons, this is is truly the best advertisement of India as a nation brimming with pride and something to offer to the world. For as much as You’d like to take the mic on rallys, debates and economic forums to press Your existence, nothing speaks louder and travels deeper than the sound of music. And for that alone this show is worth every minute of Your mundane or “blink & You will miss” lifestyle. Give it a try.
Here’s the official Website. The Dewarists
RECOMMENDED.
One of the best fusions from the pioneers of rock music in India. Agnee, Parikrama with Shilpa Rao
Courtesy : Youtube, Star World
Here’s the latest episode (As You let it load, You may choose to watch the entire documentary or just the music at the end of it). Enjoy Thank me after !!!
Happy Feet 2 : Best visuals of the year ?
Vibrant colours, intricate visual details make "Happy Feet 2" stand tall
If Your idea of fun is eye popping visuals and a 3D effect thats arguably the year’s best, Happy Feet 2 will be just the treat You were waiting for. Compared to its predecessor, the storyline isn’t as strong. With an exhausting list of the multi starrer line up of artists, the voice over my Brad Pitt & Matt Damon for Will & Bill, the 2 Krills who choose to take the path of adventure over monotony will stay with You long after You walk out of the theater. The fact that they had the best lines and also they didn’t have to come face to face with the penguins, meant it kept the main plot engaging for most parts.
The visual effects are absolutely unbelievable. Minimalist details have been given such attention that it makes every frame look like a million bucks. But as I must have mentioned sometime back, I am not a fan of the musical genre and that is putting it politely. Everytime they broke into a song and dance sequence esp. when the situations were odd and it didn’t demand one, I switched to snooze mode (almost). Dont let that take away anything from the movie, as thats personal as far as I am concerned.
Overall there were plenty of oohs and aahs in the theatre among the adults. & plenty of shrills and wild cheer followed by giggles and laughter among the kids. So yeah its a very cute, charming movie with plenty of visual treat. Enjoy it with the little one. A fantastic way to bring in the festive season.
Recommended for the little ones. 3.5/5
“Being Flynn” : Trailer of De Niro’s next
Robert De Niro and Paul Dano come together in movie adaption of scripwriter Nick Flynn’s “Another Bull$hit Night In Suck City“, “Being Flynn“. A true account of an estranged father son relationship. The role of Nick’s (Paul) deceased mother is played by Julianne Moore. The man behind the movie is Paul Weitz whose last outing was the sorry ass “Little Fockers” but also has the critically acclaimed “About A Boy” to his credit.
1st Poster "Being Flynn"
Without dwelling into further profanity, the trailer itself looks solid from start to finish. Rumour mills are rife on the slagging career of Niro which I tend to agree owing to the non consequential roles bordering on B grade capers he has been doing off late. This could be his comeback vehicle (yeah it looks that good). The trailer has the backdrop of a writer’s triumph through life’s ugly realism told through metaphors. Flashback’s of Nick’s dead Mom and his spiteful relationship with the father that he has come face to face thanks to an utter strike of coincidence in the most inconceivable of circumstance ala ward for the homeless. By the end of the trailer You could see that there seems to be some kind of mutual admiration for each other before the title comes out in ***muah***delectable fonts Also don’t miss the tagline “We’re all works in progress” as Niro says in one of the scenes “Life is gathering material…”
Two beautiful pieces of music helps carry the promo forward :
1st : The Shining by Badly Drawn Boys /2nd : Helplessness Blues by Fleet Foxes (Courtesy : Trailer Song Blog)
The wait’s a long one with the feature touted to release in the Spring of 2012. Here’s hoping its worth it.
P.S. If You can’t tell it yet, I have not read the book 
The Hunger Games : Are You ready for it ?
The theory of “cash in while its hot”, gets another testimony in the form of film adaptation of Suzanne Collin’s first edition of her runaway hit trilogy ”The Hunger Games“. The story adapted by herself is being directed by Gary Ross known for his terrific “Seabiscuit” some 8 years back and the worldwide distribution rights have been acquired by Lions Gate Entertainment. The cast is led by last year’s Oscar Award Nominee in Female Lead Jennifer Lawrence for her powerhouse performance in “Winter’s Bone“, followed by the likes of Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth and the brilliant Stanley Tucci.
The story revolves around Katnis Everdeen in the make believe city of Capitol, in Panem of a post apocalyptic world, where once stood the United States. Its an annual television series captured live where one boy and girl ranging from group 12 – 18 from its 12 districts are thrown into a battle of survival where only 1 that survives is the winner. Sounds a little like the Japanese cult hit “Battle Royale” ? The original idea for the novel was derived from Suzanne’s mundane act of channel surfing where She came across a reality television series on one channel and a news channel covering the Iraq War on another. It stayed with her for long that sowed the first seeds of the trilogy. She also credits the Greek myth of Theseus who fought and killed Minotaur as an inspiration.
Its by now known that the feature is aimed at young adults following the path of the “Twilight” series and “I Am Number 4″, that didn’t do pretty bad at the BO either. Whether “The Hunger Games” receives the kind of reception it intends to remains to be seen. But if there is one hypothesis that it stresses on, it has to be “cash in while its hot”. & I am not complaining or anything
The teaser trailer here :
Courtesy : Wikipedia & IMDB
“Our Idiot Brother” : Pleasant watch with plenty of Charm
You can almost tell the title with that fancy beard and locks : Official Poster
Yeah I know its a tad late in the day. But what the heck !!!
Simple, light hearted, for almost all ages are a few choice of words You can use to describe, Paul Rudd’s “Our Idiot Brother“. As You’d have thought some trailers these days leave nothing for the ticket buyer’s imagination and its no different for this Jesse Peretz directed feature.
The humour is of the same vein as Rudd’s recent works and the one he is known to be good at. The darker undertones of a man played brilliantly by Rudd, who does not know how to live like the rest of us in the society is what makes this movie worth the watch. Its not because he’s is a conscious decision, but because he just cannot succumb to do something he does not believe in. Something trivial for us rat racers, for instance : “lying for a profit”, is unimaginable to Ted (Paul). So this is a story of all the troubles he gets into while living his life the way he sees right. Add to that possibility, a gang or stereo typically & socially acceptable (who will do wrong for material benefits) siblings and their familes and how their lives are affected due to Ted’s influence is what “My Idiot Brother” is about. My only gripe was the change of heart at the final act, which could have been more convincing specially after the draining experience of seeing the same thing happen to all the sisters one after another.
The long list of supporting cast did their bit very convincingly to help the story move forward. Amongst the crowd of female casts, a couple of male supports stood out for me. T.J. Miller (sucker at this genre)& Adam Scott in their respective roles and Steve Coogan in an out and out negative shade shone the brightest in the medley.
All in all, “Our Idiot Brother” is a pleasant watch. A story well told with abundant charm. Recommended.
3.5/5
Here’s the trailer :
Peter Jackson’s “The Hobbit : An Unexpected Journey” begins…
Having accomplished cinematic immortality through the stories of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien‘s “Lord Of The Rings”, filmmaker magnifico Peter Jackson is spending his nights and days, bringing to film, to life the fantasy novel where it all began in 1937, “The Hobbit“. Arguably the lesser complicated storyline that later served as a prequel to the LOTR tales and also the third highest selling novel of all time.
The 13 dwarves get together in their conquest against Dragon Smaug
It is now being accepted that only Peter Jackson from the world of motion has exhibited the true love and respect for the original creation while weaving his own technical wizardry sparkled with brilliance, that the story deserves. In the process, not only has he managed to preserve the world that J.R.R. Tolkien once envisaged but with all due respect to the writer ,has done twice as much in reproducing the times and visions in a manner that it would go down as the finest achievement in the annals of movie making history. As expectations for “The Hobbit” the movie rose, Jackson called upon his “trusted men” and set sail in his earnest quest to reach for far out boundaries of what is both humanely and technically possible by redefining the horizons discovered and set by his predecessors, withering many a storm on its way but eventually surpassing them by many a miles.
The Dreamweaver behind it all
Here is a collection of his 4 production videos, from his blog (in order) since the journey began. This in my point of view is how he keeps his sanity alive by connecting with a world outside the “middle earth” that demands (by the looks of it) every awake minute. A process that must be energy sapping being an add-on to all that he has at hand but at the same time must be rewarding as it must help him come back to set with a vigour that is easier talked about and dismissed than reinstated. A treat for us fans and thanks largely to the internet.
More videos from “On Location” in New Zealand are coming soon as I vow to keep my blog updated through his postings. Thank You Peter.
Here we go
