August 11, 2007
Rescue Dawn, an entertaining tale of POWs' escape
The year is 1965 and the U.S. military is fighting against VietCong in secret. The movie 'Rescue Dawn' opens up at a Navy ship near the coast of Vietnam. Dieter Dengler (Christian Bale) and his fellow pilots are given details of a classified mission they are to undertake in Laos. We see Dengler and other pilots in a relaxed mood as they make fun of a U.S. military training video.
The movie wouldn't be of fruit if Dengler's mission went according to plan. Dengler's plane gets shot down by anti-aircraft fire and he crashes into a paddy field. He manages to escape the VietCong fighters chasing him but not for long. Knowing the overall direction that the movie is going to take actually makes it all the more nerve-wracking. You know that Dengler is going to get captured at some point and every moment that he is still free, you wish that he doesn't get captured at that point.
Dengler is taken to a Prisoner of War campsite where he meets other POWs already in the camp for a few years. Two of the prisoners stand out in the movie: Duane Martin (Steve Zahn) and Gene DeBruin (Jeremy Davies). The rest are Thai and Vietnamese who did not support the VietCong. When Dengler arrives at the prison, Martin acts as a mentor advising Dengler on how to avoid punishment from the guards. Slowly, as Dengler spends time at the prison, the roles reverse. DeBruin is shown in the movie to be selfish, childish and fainthearted. When Dengler takes steps for a escape attempt, DeBruin is discouraging the idea at every step. When the other prisoners save their rice for their rescue attempt, DeBruin wants his share of the rice then itself. He also threatens to shout and alert the guards if Dengler goes ahead with his escape attempt. Only when they hear the guards discuss a plan to shoot all the prisoners, DeBruin relents.
Dengler and Martin team up after their escape. Their plan is to float along a river until they reach Thailand, where they would be on safer grounds. Escaping from the prison is only half the battle, as they soon realize. Watch the movie to find out if they manage to get out of the jungle.
One of the characters in the movie is the jungle. The views of the jungle itself might be worth the admission ticket. There is so much greenery around that it is surprising that it can be so harsh on the escapees. You would think that it would be filled all the food that they need. But it turns out not to be the case.
The main reason that I saw this movie was for the director Werner Herzog. His documentary 'Grizzly Man' was mainly based on video footage shot by the protoganist of the movie. However, what was special about that movie was the empathy you felt for the character. Herzog doesn't fail in evoking interest for Diedler as well.
There have been questions raised about the ethics of the way Herzog has re-written the story to suit a movie audience. Please do not continue reading this article if you plan to see the movie. There have been complaints that Dengler's role has been made out to be of heroic proportions in everything from leadership, planning, sacrifice and courageousness. As discussed earlier, DeBruin's character is the exact opposite. The website Resuce Dawn: The Truth attemps to clarify some of the misstatements. While Herzog adds a disclaimer at the start of the movie that it is a dramatized version of Dengler's story, it appears that Herzog distorts the characters of Dengler and other prisoners enough to not simply brush it away as artistic freedom. While it might be excusable to hype up a person's contributions, I don't think it is fair to negatively portray the character of DeBruin just to make the movie dramatic. It appears that the Resuce Dawn: The Truth website does not fault Dengler himself for this skewing. A more truthful analysis of what really happened in the prison and during the escape can probably be found in Dengler's own recollections in his book "Escape from Laos."
Posted by kjagasiv at 11:06 AM | Comments (0)
August 5, 2006
The Scoop: Woody Allen delivers in his second film based in London
Scoop, a murder-mystery genre film, is set in London. A Robert Altman film this is not but if you are willing to accept the absurdity of the movie's premises, you will enjoy this movie.
The movie begins by introducing us to two journalists at opposite ends of their careers. The movie opens up at the funeral of Joe Strombel (Ian McShane), an ace reporter. His colleagues give a toast in his honor and speak highly of his penchant for breaking major news stories.
Sondra Pransky (Scarlett Johansson) is an American journalism student with a dream of making it big in investigative journalism. While visiting her friend in London, she meets a British celebrity and wants to write a story on him for her college newspaper. Not only does the celebrity seduce her into sleeping with him but as Sondra anguishes to her friend later, she didn't even make use of her attraction to get the interview.
These two characters are brought together at a magic show of Sid Waterman (Woody Allen), (better) known as Splendini. Wait, you say! Isn't Joe Strombel dead? Hmmm, yeah, but ghosts exist right? There are different interpretations of what happens to us after our death. After someone dies, this movie contends, they are taken on a boat ride in small groups by the Grim Reaper for eternity. The scenery reminds you of a dark night in a Charles' Dickens novel (imagine Great Expectations). On such a boat ride, Joe strikes conversation with a young woman, who had recently died of mysterious circumstances. She suspects her employer Peter Lyman (Hugh Jackman) is the tarot card serial killer and had in fact poisoned her to keep her from revealing the secret. Peter is the son of Lord Lyman and if this allegation turns out to be true, Joe realizes that the story would be a sensation. While he won't be able to investigate the case himself (with him being in the clutches of the Grim Reaper), he wants to pass his tip onto another reporter while he momentarily escapes from the Grim Reaper.
After Joe appears to Sondra briefly at Sid's show, she believes this is the moment that she had been waiting for - a chance to show her dedication for her work. She prods Sid to tag along her as they try to find out if Peter is the tarot card serial killer. The rest of the movie is about how Sondra and Sid get closer to Peter to try to get clues that would implicate Peter as the serial killer.
One of the funny moments in the movie occurs when Sondra and Sid spend time with Peter and Allen privately admonishes Johannson for suspecting Peter of being the serial killer by saying that Peter doesn't even look like someone who would kill one person. Maybe you didn't find it funny but with the delivery, trust me, it is funny.
The movie has a lot of zany one-liners typical for a character played by Allen. There are some jokes that lose the audience but most hit the mark. I would not say any of the acting is above the mark but the strength of Woody Allen's movies is the writing. In that regard, the movie is a success.
P.S.: This movie is pure fiction, in case any reader has doubts. Just like how many Indian movies now have a disclaimer at the start of the movie confirming that the movie is not based on any real person, I think English movies (and perhaps even movie trailers) should start carrying such disclaimers. :P
Posted by kjagasiv at 11:59 AM | Comments (1)
June 25, 2006
Citizen Kane
There are different kinds of movies, from movies that make you laugh and let you forget your worries to movies that make you think. Citizen Kane will definitely fall in the latter category. Watching a part of the movie today, after many years, made me realize that it is not enough if the movie provides a message. The viewer also has to be in the mindset to not just listen to the message, but apply it to their lives. Otherwise, it serves no more purpose than an Adam Sandler movie.
If it is so hard for a movie to make a difference on the viewer, then is there is a purpose to view movies or read books hoping to learn from them? I suppose, as with most other things in life, looking forward is the solution. It is upto us to try to apply what we learn, realizing that we can do better than what we have in the past.
Posted by kjagasiv at 10:49 AM | Comments (0)
May 19, 2006
Ungal choice
Seeing
the worst part of the show is when the host asks what song the caller wants, the caller says "any new song"... the whole point of the show is supposed to be putting songs of your choice...
Posted by kjagasiv at 7:39 AM | Comments (1)
April 22, 2006
Tamil Nadu elections
This year's elections hasn't really made me view the fight as between Good and Bad. Don't get me wrong, I want Karunanidhi back as CM. But, whether it is elections in U.S. or India (or for that matter, even Italy), I feel that if one side wins, there will be paradise on earth, and if the other side wins, it is the Second Coming. If it had been a few years ago, there were a lot of tangible problems that could be attributed to the Jayalalitha government. There was the way that she handled the strike by government employees, the way she cut pension without giving workers time to adjust, the way she brought the state and religion close, the way her ministers had to be subservient to her, the way she treated criticism by the press and the Opposition parties and, of course, the way she carried about the arrest of Karunanidhi.
After her party's complete defeat in the Lok Sabha elections two years ago, she reversed track and withdrew most of her earlier policies. It seems like a distant memory what the state went through in 2001 and 2002. I used to wonder how people could forget what politicians did and vote them back to power. (This is not to say that there weren't problems with Karunanidhi's government either, most obvious of it is the promotion of his family members.) I can see why it is not that difficult to forget. I have to consciously remind myself what Jayalalitha is capable of if she is voted back to power without any checks.
Remembering Jayalalitha's past deeds is only one side of the coin. The electorate would also have to feel that a Karunanidhi government would be better. Of course, Karunanidhi government's policies will not be all good and Jayalalitha government's policies will not be all bad. I cannot claim to be an objective judge because I feel innately that Karunanidhi will be a better leader, based on what I have read and heard about his passion and his skills. Trying to be a little objective, there will be similar sops provided by both parties. (I don't like Karunanidhi's idea of giving away television sets but looking at how things are going, Jayalalitha will probably announce some similar measure.) One advantage with a DMK government is that there are obvious benefits with having the same party in power at both the state-level and central-level. The state and central governments haven't seen eye-to-eye and the fault should be attributed to both sides not wanting the other side to get credit. If Jayalalitha comes back to power, we can expect similar deadlock to continue. On the flip-side, Karunanidhi probably won't make any drastic policy changes that is unpopular. At the same time, aving learnt how the electorate can punish unpopular decisions, I am not sure if Jayalalitha would be as bold as she was at the beginning of the current term. So I cannot really say that Jayalalitha has a big advantage on this aspect.
Posted by kjagasiv at 3:18 PM | Comments (1)
March 5, 2006
Vaiko's speeches about Jayalalitha
Posted by kjagasiv at 1:23 PM | Comments (0)
Three Burials movie review
Posted by kjagasiv at 1:23 PM | Comments (0)
Paris 2006 Journal (part 1)
Posted by kjagasiv at 1:21 PM | Comments (0)
March 3, 2006
walmart
it seems wal-mart will start carrying morning-after pills...
what bullcrap man... who is the pharmacist to decide what the customer should buy?Posted by kjagasiv at 4:10 PM | Comments (0)
January 21, 2006
video coverage of pmk MLAs joining admk
i happened to see a news article about two PMK MLAs joining ADMK the last week... the two MLAs give jayalalitha bouquets... after each person gives the bouquet, one of the ADMK underlings takes the bouquet from jayalalitha (the manner he took it was noteworthy... he was bending down his full back almost horizontally and he takes it very very very slowly from her... it felt like it was important for him to show his respect this way)... after that, jayalalitha hands over a photo of her to each of the two MLAs and poses for a photo handing over the photo... after each photo, she commands where the two MLAs have to stand (to be fair to her, the two MLAs probably would have just stood still afraid of doing anything that might antagonize her and so she had to take the initiative)... and as a necessity, the MLA falls down on jayalalitha's feet (the video only showed the guy MLA doing it... not sure if the woman MLA also did it)... i don't know how these people can stoop so low to put away their self-respect and do all this for power... to top it all the off, the woman mla says that she waited until this time to switch parties because she had to serve the people who voted her and now that the assembly term is almost over, she was now free to switch parties...
(totally unrelated, the raj tv news coverage also showed some young students doing science fair projects on bio-diesel... the student explaining it and nudging the other student to talk was cute)...
Posted by kjagasiv at 5:32 PM | Comments (0)
January 14, 2006
Afridi is back!
Scored a century :D... and hit four consecutive sixes...
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November 6, 2005
World Cup 2006 (soccer) tickets
I was checking the World Cup website and I found out that the U.S. team has qualified for the World Cup. Hooray! Actually, the main reason I cheer is because FIFA allocates portions of tickets for matches played by U.S. to the national soccer federation. Tickets for the U.S. games go on sale on Dec. 12. I just hope the U.S. team is in the same group as Holland. That would be real cool. I would love to see Holland play. However, it looks like only U.S. citizens are eligible for buying the tickets from U.S. soccer federation; don't know why it is not based on residence instead.
Posted by kjagasiv at 3:49 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
Apple Powerbook blows away Windows notebooks
I got the chance to try out a Powerbook over the last week. No one can deny that Microsoft Windows has more applications than any other OS. There is one area, however, in which it cannot compete with Mac OS X: elegance.
What do I mean by elegance? Maybe the way things are organized in an easy-to-access manner. The dock bar in Mac OS stores frequently used apps and identifies currently running apps. It also keeps a list of minimized windows with a little thumbnail of the window. Another nice feature is the system status information at the top-right corner that gives details such as battery life, 802.11g/bluetooth/vpn connectivity and so on. The top-right corner also features the spotlight search tool that performs super-fast file searches. Of course, we can't forget the dashboard that has cute little widgets that can do anything from google map search to weather to stock quotes to post-it notes. The best part is that the dashboard is normally hidden and if we simply press F12, the widgets super-impose themselves on top of the desktop.
Another nicety about Mac OS is a lack of clutter. Applications are usually present as a single file making the process of installing and uninstalling applications very easy. Moreover, just the metallic texture of title bars and the smooth corners of windows add to the Mac's chic appeal.
Apart from the OS, the Powerbook is also packed with excellent physical design. The widescreen displays allow sufficient room to run multiple windows. The 15" proved to be plenty of real-estate. The recent update to the Powerbook G4 line have further improved the resolution. The keyboard was a pleasure to use and the best I have seen.
On the flip-side, I didn't care much for the touchpad. It was awkward moving things around and I frequently ended up dropping selected items. Another problem with the touchpad, consistent with Apple's philosophy, is that it comes with only a single mouse button. If you want to delete something, either you had to drag the item to the trashbin or press the
There are also complaints about the speed difference between Mac processors and Windows processors. While applications are a tad slower in Mac, especially at start-up, it didn't bother me. I also wouldn't depend on the VirtualPC software to replace your Windows desktop PC. The VirtualPC software is a Windows emulator software but it proved to slow enough for me to avoid using it. In the end, the biggest thorn for Mac users is the dearth of software compared to Windows OS.
Personally, I found the Powerbook very practical for day-to-day usage. For simple things such as browsing, writing, playing and editing multimedia, I don't think it can be beat. If you can live with the deficiencies in the mouse and if you already have a Windows desktop PC, the Powerbook is an excellent choice for a laptop.
Posted by kjagasiv at 3:05 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
October 30, 2005
Sivakasi doesn't deliver its potential
Sivakasi runs for a full three hours - without any interval. To be fair, the movie doesn’t feel that long. This is mainly because it is two separate stories, one before the interval and one after. This would be fine if only they were any good.
The first half of the movie tells the love story between Sivakasi (Vijay) and Hema (Asin). Sivakasi works at a welding shop and Hema is the daughter of a rich jewellery merchant. There isn’t really any issue at all in the love story. Sivakasi berates, makes fun of and teases Hema and in the end, Sivakasi gives a reason for why he did it. It seems Vijay was trying to compete with Rajinikanth’s character in Chandramukhi to see who could insult the heroine more and still end up with the heroine. The only difference I suppose is that in the end, Sivakasi admits he was wrong about something, though not related to how treats Hema and her family.
In the second half of the movie, Sivakasi confronts his past. Even though the second half is a clichéd revenge story, it had all the ingredients necessary for a hero. However, it doesn’t live up to its potential.
Vijay does have the star persona, no doubt about it. He has already proved himself capable in dances. The special effects added in his fight scenes in Sivakasi add an electric effect during his fight scenes. His introduction is no less than superstar material. When he is locked in his shop, he cuts his figure’s shape using a welding torch and kicks out the shape with his leg.
Asin doesn’t have much scope in the movie but manages to fill her scenes. She is able to emote well especially when she shows mock anger. Prakashraj delivers in the role of the villain and this is just yet another feather in his cap. However, the screenplay makes his dialogues a little too repetitive.
Director Perarasu does a cameo role solely to introduce himself and roll out his title credit. Directors like K. Bhagyaraj have a right to bring attention to their name. They have proved themselves. Perarasu’s introduction seemed nothing more than cheap gimmick.
The movie states the obvious by showing that using movie stars in election campaigns makes all the difference and a campaign does not need to spend any attention on issues. The movie seems to justify it by stating that using cinema is the only way to fight against money power. Even if it may be the truth, it doesn't seem appropriate.
Nayanthara plays herself as she appears in a cameo role for a single song. The song “Kodambakkam area” with Vijay and Jayanthara turned out to be the overall best among all the songs. Among the other songs, only “En theivathukkey maaruveshama” and “Ithu enna puthu ulagam” are mentionable with good lyrics.
Posted by kjagasiv at 4:47 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack (0)
October 28, 2005
libby indicted
fitzgerald was very eloquent in his press conference... he said that charges of making false statements, perjury and obstruction of justice are just as serious as a charge of outing a cia agent... he said that prosecutors have to rely on truth to bring out justice... if they don't get the truth, then the underpinning of the whole system breaks down...
another thing he defended was issuing sub-poena to journalists... he said that while he supports source confidentiality, in this case, the whole case was about if people in the white house talked with journalists about something that they were not supposed to (he made it clear that it was an issue of national security and not about a whistle-blower)... so, how can a prosecutor decide on whether or not to prosecute someone unless he talks with both sides and finds out what libby told the journalists...
he was very clear on what he was allowed to speak about... he said that he cannot talk about anyone who was not charged and he also cannot talk about allegations involving libby that are not pertaining to the indictments... he said that he can understand that people want to know more details, but the grand jury works under an assumption of secrecy and witnesses are accorded the right to privacy... he said that while he and the grand jury cannot talk about things not in the indictment, witnesses are free to say what they want... however, he asked them not to say anything while the investigation was still pending...
it seemed like as if he was discounting the chance of rove getting indicted sometime in the future... he said that it was routine for special prosecutors to continue the investigation even after an indictment has been served and nothing should be read into it...
Posted by kjagasiv at 12:35 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
October 18, 2005
southwest sucks
i used to like southwest airlines a lot...
but recently, a lot of the flights that i have travelled on or picked up people from have been delayed in recent months... it sucks when you "adichipidichify" and make it on time only for the flight to be delayed by an hour...
and also, southwest has jacked up prices... it costs me $200 to go even within california...
the only redeeming feature of southwest is that they still allow you to cancel your reservations and use the money in future flights without any penalty...
Posted by kjagasiv at 11:48 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
October 5, 2005
beowulf
wow... can't believe they are making this into a movie... i struggled so hard to read that novel...
(source: Radar Magazine)
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September 26, 2005
Does Iran have a right to develop nuclear weapons?
With North Korea and Iran aggressively pursuing nuclear capabilities, there is a debate whether the world has a right to prevent these two countries from pursuing their interests. On September 24th, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) passed a resolution that threatened to refer Iran's non-compliance with Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) to the UN Security Council. To many observers' surprise, India voted in favor of the resolution. There might be tactical reasons for India to vote along with United States on this issue. However, the issue is not whether it is beneficial for India to vote along these lines. Rather, is India's decision consistent with its prior stand on nuclear weapons development?
Supporters of India's decision state that India's policy is simply to not give nuclear weapons capability to rogue nations. They point out that Iran and North Korea do not have functioning democracies. They point out that it would be fool-hearted to give such power to leaders who do not have much accountability within their country. They also state that while India operates on a no-first-use policy, Iran may not be as responsible and might resort to nuclear weapons to attack other countries. These are valid fears. Let us look at them one at a time.
Iran's government setup is very complicated in which ultimate power rests with the Guardian Council and the Supreme Leader and not with the elected President. In such a scenario, the Supreme Leader is liable to use nuclear weapons without having to receive approval from other officials. In effect, the decision could rest in the hands of a single person. How is this different in United States and India? I searched for this information for quite a while but didn't find any definitive answers. Nuclear weapons are armed and remain ready to be deployed in a matter of minutes. This would not allow any serious consultation to take place before their launch. This implies that, in all likelihood, the decision rests with just the top elected official and perhaps even with the top military commanders. A surreal consequence of power in the wrong hands was shown in Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove.
The Founding Fathers of United States created the Constiution with the intent purpose of placing checks and balances. However, very few of the elected Republican legislators act independent of the Bush administration. Moreover, with Bush appointing two to perhaps three of the Supreme Court justices within the next year, the conservative movement's control of all branches of government is complete. The Bush administration has tried to keep its decision process as secretive as possible by refusing to divulge details of policy meetings. It has asserted the power of the executive branch as strenously as possible and has gone to court defending such policies. What does this mean? Simply that even in countries as highly open as United States, it is possible for nuclear weapons to be misused. The reality is that more often than that, power still lies with individuals in governments throughout the world. It is liable to be misused anywhere. This is not to say that United States and India should generate as much concern as North Korea and Iran. The point is that there should be more emphasis on ensuring only responsible leaders have access to nuclear weapons than about allowing "democracies" to have access. A more practical solution is to place the power in the hands of a world body so that it is used more selectively.
Supporters of India's decision maintain that India stands by a no-first-use nuclear policy. They believe that India is responsible and would never violate this policy (never mind the fact that the policies are brought by governments and can be revoked by any subsequent administration). India also states that it developed nuclear weapons for the principle purpose of protecting its soverignty and does not have any expansionist motives. Now, doesn't Iran have the same right as India to protect its soverignty? Isn't Iran also under threat from its neighbors and from United States of a potential attack? When people of one nation start placing their soverignty above others, it smacks of nothing but self-righteousness which we have seen plenty of from the U.S. government.
The United States government would probably claim that non-nuclear nations don't have anything to fear about their soverignty. They point that they are the world superpower and they would go to war on behalf of other nations to bring peace in the world. In essence, they want everyone to blindly accept the virtuousness of United States because you see, United States is special and would never let genocide to take place. Either Iran should accept such a stance of the U.S. government or it should not. If Iran should not accept it, then what else can it do to protect itself other than developing nuclear weapons? If Iran should accept such a stance, then India also should not have developed nuclear weapons.
As mentioned earlier, the ideal solution is for a world watchdog like the United Nations to have control over nuclear weapons that would be used only under consent of the majority of world nations. Not only would this move give the world body more power to fight but it also ensures that superpowers respect the world body's decisions. Certainly, reforms are called for in the power structure of UN to make it more "democratic".
I would much rather prefer if no nation had nuclear weapons. However, until Iran can turn to a world watchdog that will be impartial and will be armed substantially to take on even superpowers, I see no basis to prevent Iran from arming itself.
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September 25, 2005
funny how biased newspapers can be...
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September 22, 2005
Ganguly unfit to lead: Chappell emails BCCI
Ganguly unfit to lead: Chappell emails BCCI
nice...
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