Chak De

Everyone has been raving about Chak De for the last 3 weeks, even people I know, so we went to see it. Its a simple enough story that's been done 1000s of times, but in spite of that if so many people were going gush gush I guess it was worth the risk.

I liked the movie enough to give it a 6 or 6.5 on 10. I'll first deal with why/ what of the movie I didn't like.

1. SRK. Seriously, this guy has got to stop sleep walking through his roles. I never thought he's the world's greatest actor, but he is definitely not the worst either. He is capable of good performances. In Main Hoon Na, he was awesome. After Don, KANK & Chak De, I'm convinced he doesn't care, unless its his own production company's film.

2. YashRaj-isms. The movie was spoilt by the usual over the top moments that YRF would have insisted on, keeping the Indians in Southhall in mind more than the Indians in India. The instances are as follows- before the big finals when the white guy is hoisting the flags, you knew Kabir was gonna say something about how proud he is that a white guy was hoisting the tri-colour. Firstly, I think we as a nation need to stop feeling persecuted. Its been 60 years folks, and we have 10% GDP growth now and the US$ is only (artificially) 40 bucks.
Another was at the end when the triumphant Indian team returns but Kabir is nowhere to be seen. That was because he had gone back to his 'rightful' home with his scooter and mother both in tow. When this happened, you knew that the camera would slowly pan to the small kid who was busily scratching out the words 'gaddar' that were written 7 years ago.
The hockey game. You knew it would come be Rocky-esque where the Indian team would come back against the odds to bring the game down to a penalty shootout. But why the need to miss the 1st 2 shots? So unneccesary.


Now coming to what I did like.
Taking the piss out of cricket. There are at least 8 instances I can remember where they completely destroy cricket. The best 2 were as follows- in the McDonalds when one man is trying to come from behind and hit one of the girls with a cricket bat, kabir catches the offender, takes the bat, and says 'hockey mein cricket ki tarah chhakey nahin hotey hain'. The other was when the Yuvraj-esque vice captain of the cricket team gets turned down on national television by Preeti.

The haryanvi girl & the Punjabi girl.
These 2 completely stole the show. I still cant decide which one I like more. They were the movie. More power to them.

India.
I'm not too sure if everyone got the point the director was trying to make, but whilst SRK was trying to instill a funda of 'now you're playing for your country', what the directors successfully managed to actually tell us through the girls and the movie that we mistrust people from other states more out of ignorance & fear of the unknown rather than anything else. Which is why we will never be united, and only an aggregation of 35 odd countries unified only by currency notes and a flag instead of patriotism.

The system- being exposed
I've seen it at close access when I went to a cycling competition once back in the 90s. How everyone is completely disinterested in winning. How the beauraucrats want the phirang trips. How the players want a government flat, a scooter and a bank job. The state-based partisan-ism. The quota system. The exploitation of those that come from the poorer states like Mizoram, Jharkhand etc. The coterie that exists between the players and the association. How sports funds are misused. How sports grounds are used for Ram Lila shenanigans.

These are as usual my 2 bits. I hope more people watch this movie, but more importantly do some thinking and go beyond the fact that we beat australians in hockey.

Else India will stay an aggregation of 35 countries that overvalues cricket and its cricketers.

Mostly About Music

I got to thinking recently, when somebody asked me 'what I'm listening to these days'.

Now in my case this isn't a simple listing of songs I happen to listen on the radio on the way to work. It's slightly more serious, given the role music plays in my life first as a serious fan/ collector/ authority type thing, and second obviously as a music exec for the world's 2nd largest music company.

The question adequately subtitled and translated actually is 'anything new that you've discovered that truly moves you?'. To be even more precise, 'have you heard anything that is truly innovative, and would be willing to recommend, and hope to see becoming more popular?'

Last year (2006) there was lots of such stuff...The Pearl Jam album, Dixie Chicks, Justin, Continuum, Modern Times, Raconteurs, Gnarls, The Fray, Corinne Bailey Rae,
Stadium Arcadium....2006 was a year of great music.

This year not quite the same...nothing truly new, innovative and breakout as such. The Timbaland album is great but it pretty much templates FS/LS and Nelly F's 'Loose'; both of which were produced by him. Linkin Park's new album is good, but not necessarily 'new'. Bon Jovi has done something new in the sense that they have changed genres and gone country, but the country they're singing isn't necessarily a country you haven't been to.

I can list only 4 or 5 albums/ singers that Ive heard this year that are truly and remarkably 'new' and 'good'.
They are (not in any order as such)

Mark Ronson- Version- This is possibly the most innovative album, and its an album of covers!!! So now can you IMAGINE how innovative it is? Remember Moby's Play and how ubiquitously cool it became? The same should happen here.

Amy Winehouse- Produced by Mr Ronson (yes the same dude), but what works here is her voice, and the lyrics in perfect cohesion with Mr Ronson's expertise in the knob twiddling department.

Icky Thump- How the hell do the White Stripes keep outdoing themselves every time?

HelloGoodbye- Just heard one single (Here in my arms) but I have gotten quite addicted to it. Its a happy happy song that can be best described as "Emo goes to a New Order concert".

Foo Fighters- The Pretender- Their to be released album- Echoes/ Patience/ Silence/ Grace is tipped to be their big mainstream splash...their 'American Idiot' or 'BloodSugar' of sorts.
The premiere single, 'The Pretender' is possibly their best track since 'I'll Stick Around'. I've heard one more track from the album just once- the BIG ballad whose name I forget. But trust me, if the planets are in order and the stars align, that song can be huge...I'm talking Under The Bridge-esque impact here.

Eddie Vedder-
Eddie Vedder and Sean Penn, are quite thick. And one could conjecture, also quite similar in personality...which explains why Eddie Vedder's debut solo offering is 'Music FOR (not 'from', or 'inspired by')the motion picture Into The Wild'- (check it out on wikipedia), which is produced and/ or directed by Mr. Penn.
Mr. Vedder really doesn't push any obvious sonic ground, but the songwriting and singing (especially if you get the plot of the movie) is just brilliant...nay, poetic. Hard Sun, the 1st single, is beautiful...and a bit depressing...but in a 'nice' way, (if there ever was one.)

Honorable Mentions:
Its Too Late (Dirty South vs Evermore)- The 'Missing' of the new millennium.
Umbrella- Rhianna- At least this year's 'You're Beautiful, didn't sound like 'You're Beautiful'.
Velvet Revolver- 'She Builds Quick Machines' and 'The Last Fight'- Slash is the #1 rock guitarist of this era for sure.
How To Save A Life- The Fray
What I've Done- Linkin Park
LP doing what they do best, which is singing about how depressed they (always) are because some chick dumped them (after all that he's done/ suffered/ sacrificed blah blah)...but somehow the 15 year old in heat in me comes out whenever I hear this song...or Numb, or Crawling, or In The End.

Thats all folks...feel free to tell me what you think (thats why they invented the comments thingummy), and if there is anything you think I should give a listen to.

Bye.

D-oh!, Woo-Hoo!, etc

I simply could have titled this post 'The Simpsons Movie', but that wouldn't necessarily be me right?

Anyway, to come back to the point, The Simpsons Movie excels. Why? Because it is quite simply ' The Simpsons'. I mean that in 2 ways- firstly it is The Simpsons, so it can't possibly suck, but the larger point I'm making is that it does an awesome job of being 'The Simpsons'. In other words, if you are a Simpsons fan, it's the best episode EVER, which is 4x the legnth of a usual 23 minuter....

From the beginning its a laugh a minute, and if you thought the jokes are good, the dry sarcasm and satire is at a whole other level. The writer's grasp of the psyche of the audience and probably hence pop culture, (or vice-versa) and the Simpsons own place in it is so strong, you really do wonder what the hell it is that they're smoking...Right from the start- where per Simpsonian tradition Bart is in class writing his umpteenth punishment- "I will not illegally download this movie' to the whole Itchy v Scratchy nuclear political war, the movie just never stops....there is a (social)comment in almost every frame...how Americans view the elderly, Homer's lack of parenting skills, Homer's lack of 'husbanding' skills, and pretty much Homers lack of well...everything, Marge's perennial love and acceptance of Homer which caricatures the (cliched) female 'prototype' (to nurture and protect the home and the hearth) to the ineptitude of authority and authority figures, to our cynicism, laziness and utter denial of looming crises (global warming/ toxicity), etc. And this is what makes it rock. The scene that spoofed An Incovenient Truth was priceless, as was Schwazenegger (I'm not even going to try to spell it), and the Spiderpig sequence, and the sequence where Flanders gives Bart hot cocoa, and the sequence with the Irish dude saying, yes I'm Irish and a musician and I care about the world, but MY NAME IS NOT BONO!!!.

Fave scenes from the movie

Opening sequence- Itchy/ Scratchy
Green Day concert
Lisa meets 'Bono'
Spiderpig, Spiderpig
Bart spoofing Austin Powers
Lisa as Al Gore- An Irritating Truth
'I Am Paid to Lead, Not to Read'
Maggie and Lisa and Marge giving Homer a good talking to
Ross Kargil and Arnie- Meeting 2...'Pick a Number'
Tom Hanks
Duff Hoarding at Green Day concert 'Binge Responsibly'
Bart and Homers incredible Roller Coaster ride


Trust me...Go and watch this movie. Then when the DVD comes out, buy it. And get set for a lifetime of thought provoking fun.

Random Musings: The Aug 2007 Version

Ok, as can be seen I haven't written anything for over 2 months now. Which has some of you (ok only one) wondering and possibly questioning why. Well it's not like I forgot to write, or don't care to write anymore...I do, however one big reason I wrote so much way back in the day was anger. I guess I'm in a happier place than I was 12-18 months ago, so somehow that’s translated into less content being uploaded onto nativityinblog. To make a bad play on words, the more content I am, the less content gets generated. Not to say, things that made me angry then, don’t make me angry now...they still do, but somehow, instead of getting all riled about it, I kind of give an inner smug smile, and say to myself one of two things.
1. They'll get it at some point...i.e. One day the error of their ways will dawn upon them.
2. They are too dumb or stubborn to get it...i.e. I hope one day the error of their ways comes back and bites them in their ass.

Anyway coming back to the point which is the reason for this post...i.e. to muse randomly- here goes.

Global Warming:
I don’t think we as a race can ignore it anymore. Every month something happens that is evidence. Two days ago there was a level 8 warning of a typhoon in Hong Kong. The big apple was shut down by rain 4 days before that. The tragedies in UP and Bihar were severe. The writing is on the wall my friends. I have a four step plan.
The first step is to see 'an inconvenient truth'. The second would be to actually do something about it, however small...squeezing 6 to a car of it’s a small distance, shutting the light off, not have the car come and fetch you at the airport (a cab will do), and the 3rd thing would be to tell your friends what you’re doing and acting slightly smug about it (that way they do it).
The 4th thing would be to spread some kind of awareness on the politics of global warming. Asking why the dirt keeps getting swept up under the rug. That very simply has to do with the likes of exxonmobil etc, which control the propaganda that comes out of DC on this topic. To quote Cheney on global warming: "What we know today is not enough to just sort of run out and try to slap together some policy that’s going to 'solve' the problem.” As long ago as 2001, then White House Press secretary on responding to a question whether Bush would ask Americans to curb their energy consumption was quoted as saying; 'that’s a big no. The president believes that it should be the goal of policy makers to protect the American way of life. The American way of life is a blessed one'. Dude the American way of life is also one where America consumes 40% of the world’s resources.

Rolling Stone magazine:
There is no better music magazine in the world. Period. Sure it’s had its ups and downs...Britney on the cover etc, but in terms proper music journalism there is none superior. Summer 2007 marks the 40th anniversary of the magazine, and all I can say is Thank God for Rolling Stone. Imagine the clout it had in the 70s & 80s...when music was the youth culture mouthpiece...i.e. before the internet and mobile phones and video games and what have you. I’ve now been reading the magazine for 24 years, and all I can say is that its taught me lots about music but more importantly about journalism, policy and philosophy. I'm glad I’ve preserved some classic issues....the two 25th anniversary issues, the one after Live Aid, the one when Cobain died, the 1st Axl Rose interview...

Singapore:
Had a work conference in Langkawi, post which took a right turn and spent the weekend in Singapore, with the man form Thunder Road and his lovely wife. For a sheer good time in a big city, Singapore ranks up there with the best. Shopping is the national pastime; there are restaurants and bars of every kind, and just lots to do. Hit the ground running on Saturday at the malls and one can say by the end of it contributed significantly to the economy...2 pairs of shoes (adidas superstars and puma clydes), 6 dvds, 15 cds, 3 books and 1 digicam worth. Along the way introduced friends to Samuel Adams at Dan Ryan’s on a Saturday afternoon. I also bought a killer pair of sennheiser headphones. DVD wise bought Little Miss Sunshine, Inconvenient Truth, Hustle and Flow, The US Vs John Lennon and because they were going at 9.97 ea. Training Day, The Untouchables. Notable Cd purchases include Rihanna (can't escape Umbrella, ella, ella, ay ay), Mika, The new Stripes album (killa), Wolfmother (had to see what the hype was about), Illusion 1 & 2 (again), a limited edition enhanced etc version of Fleetwood Mac Rumors, and at long last- The Best of Tesla!!! In books, got a book on Slash (more suited to the mind of an 18 year old), The Assault on Reason (Gore) and Devil's Game- a book on how US Foreign Policy in effect gave rise to Islamic Fundamentalism.

Reading
A big reason why I’ve been writing less is because I’ve been reading more. More is an understatement. I’ve been reading. A lot. This brings me to my discovery of digg.com...the most kickass website in the world. If you don’t know what digg is, its a social news network, where news stories make it to the digg server democratically. I.e. When stories are 'dugg' or uploaded (link) to the digg server by people who want to share them. So you get to read all sorts of stuff and discover websites you would never have in the normal course of your own web surfing habits. Reddit, stumbledupon, and slashdot are also good sites of this ilk.

Facebook
I think its killer. I never quite liked orkut and myspace that much because i didn’t find them simple enough or relevant enough to use or in the case of orkut, just too icky and immature. Facebook is something that talks to me. Its clean, its fun, and u can throw food at people!!

Budweiser
In India baby!!! And its good....waiting for
Mallya to call me when he sees sales of KF flagging at a certain wine merchant in Khar...

Later.