Phurrrrrrr :-D

It is a long time since I wrote something ( I have lost the count of the number of times I have used this line as a start to my post!)

Anyways, December has come and gone and 2009 has come and gone!! My life in general has become somewhat busy..2009 was a difficult year personally for me, even more than the 2008! In comparison, 2008 was nothing as compared to 2009! And I am pretty sure that 2010 is definitely going to be an eventful year, good or bad, that time would tell but I seriously hope it turns out well! I have been thinking for the last few days about 2009 and some instances of the year make me feel " accha yeh bhi hua tha?", some are like " Are haan, kal hi ki to baat hai", and some are like " yeh toh bahut pehle hua tha" I think I haven't changed much in the last year but I am still introspecting what all happened to me and how i reacted in each situation.. In a few days, I will try to write how 2009 went for me and am pretty sure it is going to be on the negative side, me being the eternal pessimistic :-

This month on the movies side, I have been watching some excellent movies like Being John Malkovich, American Beauty, Gran Torino and Road to Perdition! In Hindi, I saw Rocket Singh whcih I will write a small post on why I loved it!! 3 Idiots has opened to some great reviews and I really want to watch it but there is this Sonia Gandhish-inner voice that stops me because the subject matter being the rote encouraging education system in India that still considers engineering and medicine as the best careers and the need to identify and follow your passion in life.. these are the things which I have been thinking for the last few months and the movie will make me even more confused than I am right now :-(

But I will watch it for sure, I will not miss it..if not possible this week, then next week for sure..BTW next week I also plan to see Raat Gayi Baat Gayi which has got some great reviews at the New York film festival, if I remember correctly!

I love Ishqiya's trailer in which the song has Phurrrrrrrrrrrrrrr ;-)

More in another posts!

American Beauty: A Real Beauty...

Another week passes by!! So much happened this week but I will write about it soon!! But I am becoming more and more obsessed with films.. I don't know is it a good thing or bad thing? but the thing is the people I know have some passion!! Like my friend R is so passionate about cars that one can ask him anything literally anything about any car! or P whose passion in life is dance! or Y who can create the most amazing things!! But sadly I don't know what my passion is! I want to do everything.. I love films and to talk about them but even in movies my knowledge is very limited.. I hardly know anything :-( I haven't watched Mughal-E-Azam completely yet!!!! OK I will crib in another post!

Today I watched American Beauty! I had wanted to see this film like for ages! It is such a wonderful movie that I wonder why don't we ever make films like these here.. But yeah I can understand, not many would like to watch!

The film's tag line is Look Closer! There are many beautiful things in the world but we just have to look closer! There is this awe inspiring scene where you know you have seen a poly bag how it flies in the air when it is windy? They show that scene and it is so beautiful! I am writing some of my favourite lines and scenes for so that I do not forget..I keep forgetting about the scenes :(

The Bag Scene:

It was one of those days when it's a minute away from snowing and there's this electricity in the air, you can almost hear it. And this bag was, like, dancing with me. Like a little kid begging me to play with it. For fifteen minutes. And that's the day I knew there was this entire life behind things, and... this incredibly benevolent force, that wanted me to know there was no reason to be afraid, ever. Video's a poor excuse, I know. But it helps me remember... and I need to remember... Sometimes there's so much beauty in the world I feel like I can't take it, like my heart's going to cave in

Rick:

Never underestimate the power of denial

The death of Lester:

I had always heard your entire life flashes in front of your eyes the second before you die. First of all, that one second isn't a second at all, it stretches on forever, like an ocean of time... For me, it was lying on my back at Boy Scout camp, watching falling stars... And yellow leaves, from the maple trees, that lined my street... Or my grandmother's hands, and the way her skin seemed like paper... And the first time I saw my cousin Tony's brand new Firebird... And Janie... And Janie... And... Carolyn. I guess I could be pretty pissed off about what happened to me... but it's hard to stay mad, when there's so much beauty in the world. Sometimes I feel like I'm seeing it all at once, and it's too much, my heart fills up like a balloon that's about to burst... And then I remember to relax, and stop trying to hold on to it, and then it flows through me like rain and I can't feel anything but gratitude for every single moment of my stupid little life... You have no idea what I'm talking about, I'm sure. But don't worry... you will someday.

There was this smile on his face when he died! So content!

The Dead Bird:

Ricky Fitts: I was filming this dead bird.
Angela Hayes: Why?
Ricky Fitts: Because it's beautiful.

Ordinary:

I don't think that there's anything worse than being ordinary.

There are so many more scenes that it just made me think more and more! The dysfunctional families where each felt trapped!

Burnham Family: Lester in the marriage! His wife in her unsuccessful business! Daughter who looks ugly!

Fitts: Colonel who hides his sexuality, mother who forgets everything, and Rick a drug addict!

Angela who knows that she is an ordinary beautiful girl and tries to be cool by her explicit talks!

This was Sam Mendes first film and won 5 Oscars! I loved his Revolutionary Road, again about a dysfunctional family!

Both are just amazing! Watch them!

Paa :-)

I saw Paa today and after Wake Up Sid, this is the film that I really liked..

Paa is about Auro, a 12 year old child suffering from a rare genetic disorder called Progeria where the body ages much faster than others, a 12 year old boy could look an 80 year old man..

Auro's mother Vidya Balan eponymously called Vidya is raising him herself along with some help from her own mother as she refused to get him aborted when her college boyfriend Amol played by Abhishek Bacchhan asked her to do so as he wants to nurture his political career. Years later he becomes an MP and meets Auro at a school function without realising that Auro is his own blood. There starts the journey of Paa...

When the movie begins Jaya Bacchhan speaks all the credits and she says " Introducing Amitabh Bacchhan" Well, I thought who doesn't know Mr. B but the film rightly introduces him in his whole new avatar. What I really liked about the film that it doesn't make us to have too much sympathy for Auro and treats him like a normal child.. his friends don't mock him..so unlike Taare Zameeen Par where Ishaan's friends used to ridicule him!

The film belongs to Auro.. it is hard to not to be charmed by Auro! Mr. B is totally unrecognizable and his tremendous persona never overshadows Auro. He calls his grandmother Bum as she has a big bum! He believes that doing Potty on the road is better than defecating in public toilets! He is so shy of girls and runs away from them..

What is being shown as father son son father relationship but what works better is mother son relationship! Vidya Balan is terrific in the role though the script doesn't give her much scope! She looks so beautiful in the film and her acting skills are as always excellent! There's this terrific scene when she gets to know of Auro's disease and tears fall from her eyes..it is so natural that you can almost feel her pain! Vidya's mother played by Arundhati Naag is also really good

Yes, the film has its flaws.. the second half drags at places but it never loses the plot though! Illayaraja music is soothing, the 3 versions - Mudhi Mudhi ( great cinematography), Udhi Udhi, Gali Udhi, and Gum Sum are different from the "Pritamish" influence of today..

My Best Scenes in the film:

Childen's Visions- India Pakistan Band Aid, Obama reading Hindi, Child Labour and Auro designing a white globe devoid of any boundaries signifying a united world...so thoughtful!

Vidya's mom supporting her to keep the child rather than abort it..any other mother would have told her to think about her future!

Auro says that he hates slow motion, perhaps in a way his body also hates slow motion!

When Vishnu (Auro's friend) talks about the similarities between him and his dad saying that his dad should say sorry tom him for giving him such looks..so funny..

When that small girl comes to meet Auro in the hospital bringing a sorry drawing in the shape of Auro's face apologising for laughing at him and saying that "galti karne valo ko galti sehne vale se zyada bura lagta hai"

Paa is different and not at all Benjamin Button..it deserves to be seen for its novel subject in these days where pathetic films earn humongous amounts... ***1/2

P.S.- Rocket Singh trailer was so cool..he says " life mark sheets se nahi, heartbeats se chalti hai".....if only..... :-(