The cynical sister says... :)

I'm a very cynical person.

I saw 'The Help'.

Ohwait... I forgot the connect. No, this is not about how I dint like the movie. In stead it is about why I liked the movie, in spite of it being a slightly Disney-fied version ( btw, is this a very Indian thing to do, or does everyone do this... making a new word by '-fying' it ?!) of the black emancipation. To explain why, I need to give a little bit background about myself.

Like I said already, I'm a very cynical person. Not the kind of schizo person who thinks everyone is bad and out to get you. Nope, I'm a more difficult to argue with sort of cynic- the kind that believes that people really want to be good, but ultimately they'll do only what is convenient for them. Period. There are obviously exceptions but at large it's a pretty good rule to hold 99.999% of the population. This might not make me a very nice person, but it sure allows me to be more tolerant and have lower expectations of people in general and that makes me a nicer person than I might have been.

Is anything Impossibile for these brats?!
Courtesy: goldenagemag.com

But there are two situations where this cynicism doesn't apply. 

One, with children. These fresh souls run largely on instinct and the sheer amount of energy, imagination and curiosity they have leaves little which appears to be inconvenient. Rather the thought process doesn't process convenience or inconvenience, just the way they don't always process good and bad. Which means these little angels and monsters almost always do things directly from the heart till they are told otherwise. And it's downright criminal to be cynical in the face of such brutal, life affirming openness and honesty. Every time I talk to a child, I'm renewed with hope that humanity is not entirely a lost cause.

The other, is when I see a sisterhood. It's a rare thing. And it's hard to explain the magic around one. It's not like an all accepting bond like a brotherhood. Nope, we fight, we bitch about each other, we even refuse to stand by each other occasionally. But we never cut each other away. Not even when someone wants to. In spite of all the dissension, there's a collective wisdom that holds the women together.

Viola Davis, Jessica Chastain, Octavia Spencer, Emma Stone and Bryce Dallas Howard : The Help cast

Part of the magic might be in the fact that a lot of times, the bond is formed without having a lot of common characteristics. There's no ulterior motive. This is pretty much the only other space, especially in adulthood, that I've seen where people think less of how it might be convenient or not and more about what the other person needs! And there's pretty much only one rule or code - Loyalty. But it's not your conventional definition ( we are women, ergo there can be nothing conventional about the way things are done.. esp the way men have defined it! :-P) but I wont even try to define it. One, because it's complicated even as a woman to understand it. Two, hehe.. Why give away the secret to men?! :D

Another curious thing is the fact almost always, the sisterhood is made of people who are not even remotely related. And I felt 'The Help' was a beautiful example of that kind of sisterhood.

[Spoiler Alert!!] One of my most favorite scenes in the movie is when Hilly Holbrooke tells Skeeter that she should not cut herself short just because her mama(Skeeter's) thinks she's not good enough to meet nice guys. For the most parts, Hilly's a self serving, arrogant woman who insists that she can never be wrong.  But you always bring out the best when you are rooting for a fellow sister! :)

Another favorite scene is the when Celia Foote cooks an entire dinner all by herself for Minny which gives Minny the strength to finally confront her abusive husband. There's pretty much nothing which can stop you when you have your sisters backing you.

Another scene which hit a chord is when Constantine talks to Skeeter under the tree; along similar lines,when Aibileen tells Elizabeth's kid in the morning to repeat after her,"I is kind, I is smart..." They are the Yin to your Yang, your sisters and that's what keeps you in balance.

Touchwood, because I've always been blessed with that rare kind of sisterhood all my life so far. I've always had women, some whom I am still in touch with, some I'm not ( and the blame's almost always mine!), who argued with me, comforted me, scolded me, complimented me and no matter what reminded me how lucky I am to be me! And that's why I like 'The Help'. Because it made a very cynical person sit up and reminded her that there are somethings in life which are unabashedly beautiful and one ought to be grateful for it! :)

MUUUAHH!! to all my sisters, past, present and future! :D

Finding my muse..Again!

It's been a while since I wrote anything. Not just in terms of the blog. Anything. Blog was just one of the places and spaces that I scribble on. Always carry a pen/color pencils and a book irrespective of where I am and where I'm going. Else I'd be composing pages long mails to any of my mad mad friends who are always patient enough to sit through anything I'm currently rambling about! It's a very unusual feeling for me not to write at any point in my life unless I'm depressed. But that's the whole point, I dont feel anywhere close to being depressed. And neither am I so busy that I dont have time to write. So what's missing?!


It's been very "And you never know, when it starts
Until there's fog inside the glass around your summer heart" - esque*

I'd been missing my muse. She seemed to have gone off on a vacation. As lazy as I am and as annoying as she used to be, I missed her terribly! And so I went hunting for her in the usual places. Read new books and old favorites. Saw a bunch of movies, all of which I more or less enjoyed but dint seem to have much to say about.

Listened to my old favorites of classic rocks which she used to hum a lot.But nothing!

Then on practically a whim and a fancy, went to see "The Artist". 


*Something's Missing -John Mayer
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This post's been in a coma for well, about a month now. So I'm taking a different approach. I'm going to do a quick summary of all the things I have kept pending.


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And You can't but help love Uggi too! :)

So like I was saying saw 'The Artist'.. (twice! :) and it was just as awesome the first time around which is saying a lot according to me because it proves there's some innate value beyond the novelty of the idea.) Jean Dujardin had me sighing (...again. Except this time I also had the time to notice Berenice Bejo as Peppy Miller. I dint give her enough credit the first time around.) The story line was predictable, something in almost any other case would have irritated the hell outta me. But with the Artist I merely felt it was because I understood him so well. Anyways, the point was that I found my muse along with Dujardin. He/the movie made me feel like doing something impulsive like sleeping under than stars ( well, I did grab a mattress and blanket and stay under the stars that night..sleep, not so much!). Grab a book and start writing again. Tear out a sheet and splash colors. And it felt marvelous, finding her again!


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Ode to Culcatta as well!

Saw 'Kahaani'. Vidya Balan rocks the heck out of it! The woman is beguiling in way few actress are in the industry today. She's playful, vulnerable, strong all at the same time. The last 3 mins being overkill and unnecessary is the only complaint I had. But the woman had me go gaga, esp when she goes all Jolie-que in the Bengali saree in the end. I doubt even Jolie could have pulled that off in a saree! :-P And I love how Culcutta is just as much a protagonist as Vidya is. You can feel the vibrancy of city and it's life teeming around her all the time.


Was extremely disappointed to know the 'inspiration' was from Jolie herself in 'Taking Lives'. Oh well! :( 
But I still strongly recommend it. 


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I dont get why they are like me!

Read 'Insects Are Just Like You and Me Except Some of Them Have Wings' by Kuzhali Manickavel. Something I've not been able to grasp entirely. Short stories which seem to have been written while having hash brownies! The funny thing is while reading, it sort of makes sense. The way dreams do while we are dreaming. But finish the story and look at the whole picture and things start to fall apart slowly. Like the way dreams do after waking up. But certain stories have morbid yet endearing aspect. Like the nose bleed story. It's hard to explain why you relate to it, but you do. The rest of it, I'm waiting to have a go again after #brownies. Hopefully it'll make more sense then! But then again, most things do after #brownies! :)


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Totally get why it's in the
top 10 IMDB Horror list

Saw 'Tale of two sisters'.  South Korean psychological thriller with horror-like frills. A movie which needed more than one take to see it from every angle. Wonderfully interwoven, the flash backs, the dialog. Can seem disorienting the first time but the second time is when you fully appreciate how delicately nuanced each scene was. Have to give it to the chinky* people. They really know how to get your goosebumps going!




*pardon my political incorrectness!


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Finally finished the Paolini's Inheritance series. Unfortunately I cant pass a clear judgement on the 4th book because by the time I got my hands on it I had more or less forgotten the other 3. Need to re-read from the start. But there was something mildly disappointing about it. Of the first three I remember the 'sitting on the edge and reading' feeling which was missing here. There were moments but the climax was, well, ok..Just ok! Still as a series it was well worth the ride. Besides there's something so inexplicably sexy about dragons that the series was just bound to be cool anyways! :)

Dragons Rule! :)

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Well, that's it for..the last month :) Take care folks!

Losing that Disney feeling!

Looks like I'm not the only one out there
who thinks so. Courtsey : www.tumblr.com

 You know you have lost your childhood innocence entirely when you start asking 'What do you think this is, a Disney movie?' and what you are really saying is ,'That sort of optimism is crass and that'll never happen in real life' :-|

While I'm sure I still won't say no to Disneyland, Disney movies seemed to have lost it's magic for me quite a while back. I think I sat up and noticed it for 'Ratatouille'. There was/is/ever-will-be nothing cute about a rat in your kitchen. Unless he's Mickey Mouse. But even he's a mouse. Rats are a no-no, even if they are Disney endorsed! ARGHH. I lost my appetite for days thanks to my room mate happily saying 'ratatouille' every time she went in to cook in the kitchen! She was all for Disney rats! Bleh!

Another disappointing movie experience was 'Meet the Robinsons', and that's an understatement. I will not start on that because it's one of my pet peeves and I'll not know when to stop. Suffice to say that if someone forces me to pick between watching the movie again and sitting through 15 mins of nail scratching against the blackboard, the black board musical will have a better chance of having me in it's audience.

Tangled and Princess and the Frog, the last two animated offerings from Disney was not bad, but there was nothing truly memorable about either. Not like Toy Story 3 or How to train your Dragon, both of which were delightful to adults and kids alike. That's the sort of magic that Disney used to have.

Damn. I kinda lost control on the post. It was not really supposed to be taking an anti-Disney direction as much as loss of childhood innocence. I'm not even sure if it can be salvaged in that direction any more. :-/ Anyways, lemme try. 

One of the reason I cant relate to Disney movies anymore is 'black and white' nature of all the characters. They are branded 'good' or 'evil' from the start and they stay the same. No one ever really grows as a person. People don't get second chances if you fall in the ugly category, which is the same as evil in Disney's world. The old Disney movies from my childhood retain their charm more because of the happy memories associated with watching them.

[Warning: Spoiler Alert - Tangled]

The bad Mother? 

The Good Hero?

Least that ways I thought Tangled was refreshingly un-Disney. To be really fair, the witch might have locked Rapunzel up but never really ill-treated her. She did try her best to keep the girl happy in her tower. Getting Rapunzel all those expensive paints



 and letting the girl mess up the walls knowing that it'll kill the market value of the place if ever she has to sell it! I'm not sure her real royal parents would have let her do that!

And the hero of the movie though devilishly handsome was a relatively untrustworthy guy. He was a bandit and no Robin Hood at that either. He almost sold Rapunzel up the river to get out of trouble.

The menacing Crooks?

What is clear at the end is that Flynn ( the hero) is a good guy is because he chooses to not to give into his greed while the witch stops at nothing to satisfy her vanity. The fact that people become bad or good based on choices or actions they take is far more acceptable. And for once the bad girl was hot and there were ugly people who were good ( the crooks bar scene where all the really ugly people helped them hide and get away from the soldiers! You'll know what I'm talking about if you seen the movie!)

Of course one could argue that Jafar or Scar was evil because they were always power hungry. But we dont   really know why they became so. Maybe Scar was neglected coz he was a weaker cub? Maybe all work and no play made Jafar a cranky person. I mean even the most generous of viewers will not be under the impression that the Sultan was taking care of the country's admin stuff. C'mon! It was clearly Jafar who managed it. He probably felt a little under appreciated! There might be shades of grey we dint realise before. After all, Scar could have just killed the cub with one swipe. Surely it was always a possibility that the cub could come back to challenge him for the throne. So why did he let Simba go?

There are no easy answers in life and there are no people etched out in black and white. Sometimes we put people into boxes marked different colors because it's easier and not because it's true. And once we grow up and realise that, Disney movies are never the same again!

ps: Not a bad job, right.. I mean the salvaging bit, changing direction etc etc :-)

Every Girl has her Yellow Boots...

Saw Anurag Kashyap's That Girl in Yellow Boots.[Spoiler Alert]

 It's a very hard movie to pin down. For one, I'm still undecided whether I like it or not and for someone who has an opinion on everything under the sun, it's a mighty odd feeling. It's disturbing for sure, and not a movie I would recommend for everyone. Kalki is her usual brilliant self as the lost girl and so are the rest of the cast. It's hard to believe that it's Prasant Prakash's first movie and Gulshan Devaiya [ one who plays the kanadiga mobster] was priceless!! The only problem with the movie is the ending. It's too disturbing and a wee bit far fetched that the the father she lost was also her stalker. I mean how did he find her?! How did he/could her have known that she was coming to India to look for him? I hate movies with loose threads (unless it's left deliberately for the audience to solve!)

For me, it was less about a girl looking for her father, and more about a girl looking to be taken care of. For me it's the scene with her outburst which sums up the movie; and the secret forlorn wish of every woman out there. The build up to the outburst is just about perfect. Her voice is sweet and calm while asking her boyfriend with his self imposed chaining if he want anything to eat. Even when she has to clean up after him she appears composed, in spite of the taunts. It's his assumption that he knows her and what she's all about that ticks her off.

The script for that scene is brilliant according to me. It's something I've heard from every other girl I've known, the jist of it. It doesn't matter from where she is, but as a girl she's been asked to bend, compromise, give, give up herself for making life easier for people around her. And she does too. All the while dreaming of that one person with whom she'd be nothing but herself. To have someone who gives as freely as she does. Someone who will take care of her without asking something in return. To love and be loved unconditionally.

But we are flawed creatures. We, while having the capacity for unconditional love, are conditioned not to give anything without a price. And while not in such dramatic force as Ruth's revelation, it hits us all the same way, the disappointment- that unconditional love is myth; fairy tales told to make life easier because we all need that little bird Hope singing to get through!

I still don't know if I like the movie or not. The ending is still very hard to accept. But I think it gives a brief glimpse, a rare insight into what women are.