February 23, 2010

Excellent Photography by Scott Stulberg



Check this website for some stunning visuals which blend traditional and digital photography. Scott Stulberg, googling further reveals, is a teacher and a professional in photography and is one of the most-revered photographers on the planet. He seems to make the most unobstrusive settings come alive. Photography, like social networking, is increasingly embracing technology - and Scott seems set to ride the cutting edge for many years. Savor his samples in: http://www.asa100.com/ and read about his art and workmanship in:  http://jrphoto.wordpress.com/spotlight-interview-photographer-teacher-scott-stulberg/

"Bindaas" movie review



"Bindaas" movie starring Manchu Manoj Kumar is a contrived attempt to rehash all the comedy fares which have hit the screens in the last two years - from "Dhee" to "Ready". The movie tries to concoct comedy at every turn of 24-frames and almost succeeds but the audience is tired of such upbeat nonsense. Comedy bores, if overdone. Watchable if you have bindaas time!

February 22, 2010

"Leader" Movie Review


"Leader"  - Sekhar Kammula's attempt to show leader distinguished from politicians is mostly unconvincing and lacklustre due to limitations self-imposed - his style of sober story-telling, no emotions or cinematization (except unnecessarily so towards end) and little entertainment. By attempting to address cleansing the political through dubious means and equating every politician as a crook except the hero, Sekhar has missed many points - his world only seems black or white, not grey. One expected more homework and attention to detail. The movie's highstand moments come in just two or three scenes but thats not enough to be the ideal launch for Rana Daggubati - he looks impressive, though.

February 17, 2010

What the Dog Saw and Other Adventures by Malcolm Gladwell



Malcolm Gladwell - an iconic writer on the hidden extraordinary in the ordinary things - weaving patterns with or without empirical evidence. After The Tipping Point, Blink and Outliers, comes an eclectical collection of his favorite pieces from his favorite magazine The New Yorker   - written from his days as a Staff Writer since 1996. The book is a delicious read for Gladwell fans - and covers conceptually blockbuster ideas for his next book - the reason some choke and others panic, the reason why there are many kinds of mustard but only one kind of ketchup, the hazards of statistical predictions, the trouble with personality tests and intelligence tests, the history of the world through the evolution of hair dyes...the list is indefatigably long and multi-faceted as Malcom Gladwell is truly. There's a piece about late bloomers where he says that Genius, contrary to popular opinion, has nothing to do with precocity; infact the best writers, painters and directors made it big in the late fifties and sixties. For fans of Gladwell, this is not just a curious case of what Gladwell thinks is - its the curious case of dramatic patterns in everyday life.

February 13, 2010

"My Name is Khan" movie (Hindi)


"My Name is Khan" after all the controversies is surprisingly good film - with powered performances by Shahrukh Khan and Kajol. Karan Johar scores new high with a better story and crisp screenplay (Syed Field helped?). Its just a bit longer with low mass appeal. The movie may resonate more than recent movies on 9/11. Good music apart, you get to see San Francisco closer in multiplex. And its a movie which may bond with American audiences than here.

February 5, 2010

"Striker" Movie Review (Hindi)



"Striker" starring Sidharth is explosive depiction of true life story of a carroms player with all the "slumdog millionaire" twists. Director Chandan Arora makes up for lack of entertainment with mind-blowing story-telling and above-par performances from all. If an outdoor game like carroms can be drop-dead gripping and intense, story-tellers need not look westward or wayward. Music is another first - six composers and one BGM composer fire all cylinders.

February 2, 2010

"Maya Bazar" - Ever "Green" No longer Black & White!



"Maya Bazar" (is Tollywood's "Sholay" and greatest blockbuster) in cinemascope and color is an entrancing restoration done with lots of diligence and panache - the effort is audio-visually enhancing and mesmerising. Considering the number of Telugus and non-Telugus who will populate theatres to see it atleast once, this is a jackpot from a classic whose text and subtext, plots and sub-plots continue to haunt movie-goers and inspire generations of movie-makers. Watch with all.

"Jailor" (Telugu/Tamil) Movie Review: Electrifying!

        "Jailer" is an electrifying entertainer in commercial format by Nelson who always builds a complex web of crime and police...