Kiss

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Note 1: "We've never kissed before and I'll never know when to make the right move or anything. So we'll kiss now and get it over with, and then we'll go eat." - Woody Allen in Annie Hall

Note 2: This is one of the most ironic posts that I have made. I am using words to describe something that, umm, well, cannot (should not) be described in words. However lovely and flowery and beautiful words do I choose to “describe” these moments, I know I will fail. Because? It has to be felt. The moments. So, I will try not to describe, and rather urge you to feel these moments yourself. It is improbable that they will fail you.
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A kiss. Probably the highest form of expression of love. Is touching. Is moving. Is powerful. Is emotional. Is universal. Is beautiful. Is good cinema. Yes, cinema. I am not talking about the ones used to sell more tickets over the counter. I am talking about cinematic triumph.

The more you learn, you learn how less you have you learnt. As I present this, I want to clarify that this is only out of the cinema that I have witnessed, but I can guarantee that every bit of this is great cinematic experience, even if they might not be THE greatest.


#7 Rainman

We have the autistic Raymond Babbit (Dustin Hoffman) and Susanna (Valeria Golino) inside a lift. Raymond has never been kissed. And Susanna, Raymond's brother's girlfriend, so touched by his innocence, wants him to experience his first kiss. They dance to the music in the lift! She asks him to close his eyes, and slowly kiss her on her lips.

Susanna: "How was it?"

Raymond: "Wet!"

#6 The Notebook

I have several problems with this movie. But some of the moments in this movie are absolutely genuine. In this particular scene, Allie (Rachel McAdams) and Noah (Ryan Gosling), who had fallen in love, meet after several years. He takes her on a boat in a lake, surrounded with a million ducks! It starts to rain heavily. The differences resolved, and there, that is the moment!



#5 Black

Yup, this is the only movie from India on this list, because quite frankly, most Indian film-makers and the Indian audiences don't have the slightest clue of how to handle a kiss. Debraj (Amitabh Bachchan) is Michelle's (Rani Mukherjee) teacher. Michelle is deaf and dumb, and Debraj teaches her everything about the world. Michelle witnesses a kiss at a wedding, and is intrigued and curious. In one of the warmest and touching scenes, Debraj kisses Michelle, and goes.




#4 Husbands and wives

Gabrielle (Woody Allen) is Rain's (Juliette Lewis) professor. They have utmost mutual respect, for each other's writing. Gabrielle is a (happily) married man. But there is a perfect moment at Rain's birthday party.

Rain: "Because, you cannot ask for a more romantic moment. It's my birthday, we are in the middle of a storm, the lights are out, there's rain sweeping the skyline"

It is mind-numbing how Woody Allen could pull off a scene like this on-screen! The lightning outside the window right at the moment they kiss!




#3 The Matrix Reloaded

Can we possibly talk about 'kiss'es and not talk about Monica Bellucci? Neo (Keanu Reeves) wants the key from the key-maker, and Persephone (Monica Bellucci) can help him.

Persephone: "I'll give you want you want, but you have to give me something."

"A Kiss. I want you to kiss me, as if you were to kiss her (Trinity). Because, you love her, she loves you. A long time ago, I knew what that felt like. I want to remember it. I want to savour it. That's all."

#2 V for Vendetta

V (Hugo Weaving) fulfills his plan, but he falls in love with Evey (Natalie Portman).

Evey: "I don't understand. How can you be one of the most important thing that has happened to me, and yet I know almost nothing about you."

V: "There is not much time. I have something I must give you."

V: "This is my gift to you, Evey. Everything I have, my home, the books, the gallery, I am leaving to you, to do what you will."

Evey: "Where are you going?"

V: "The time has come for me to meet my maker, to repay in kind for all that he has done."

V: "All I want, all I deserve is at the end of this tunnel"

Evey: "That's not true."

#1 Wall-E

Wall-E might just be THE most romantic and artistic movie that I have seen. So much, that I want to do a dedicated post for it some day. [sigh] Wall-E and Eve's romance is so beautiful, it is difficult not to have watery eyes several times during this movie. And can robots kiss? Hell yeah they can!








Kiss...

Dabangg

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Note 1: Dabangg is a (somewhat lengthy) fresh attempt in the Indian film industry.

Note 2: This post does not attempt to be sarcastic. If it does seem that way, it is so NOT. Also, the scale used to judge this movie is solely Indian, discounting any existence whatsoever of "foreign cinema".
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Dabangg is one of those movies which makes you think, "Finally! Finally, you get a home-made movie which is absolutely sure of what it wants to do." Dabangg is NOT a Rajnikanth-movie spoof, nor is it an "intelligent plot-driven cinema", nor does it attempt to claim - "Hey! We have a great story to tell." The movie is about entertainment, and entertain it definitely does!

Salman Khan is a treat to watch on-screen. You can see how much fun he is having on the screen. He claims to be 'Robinhood Pandey', and oh boy does he deliver it! I might as well add that maybe we have got our first true superhero (the Indian Robinhood, if you may), and there is definitely a possibility (which should be exploited to the fullest) of a sequel. Salman Khan is probably the only actor in India who could pull-off a character like Chulbul Pandey. There is this 'Once upon a time in Mexico'-ish feel to the movie the entire time, and the director has done well to keep the momentum going even after the intermission.

The dialogues, witty, the style slick, and the moments genuine. And there is not one moment (surprisingly), when it seems to be over-done. So much that when Chulbul Pandey and Bulbul Pandey (as I would like to call her) are on a honeymoon, we still see Bulbul in a saree, riding an ATV behind our very own Mr. Chulbul.

The sets were genuine, and took you right into the heart of Uttar Pradesh. The colors splendid, and the minute details have been worked out with such diligence, the art design absolutely perfect. They could have worked a little more (or spent some more money) on the special-effects though.

The music is spot-on! Agreed, the music was one aspect of the movie which wasn't very Indian (Spanish/Mexican feel to the background score), but I am not complaining. It blends into the scenes seamlessly. They could have trimmed (or gotten rid of) the songs though, and made this movie well under 2 hours of running time.

Sonakshi Sinha is stunning! Well done Mr. Shatrughan Sinha, kudos to you! :D There is not one moment when she is on-screen and you can get your eyes off this damsel (in distress). I hope that one day, I can barge into some damsel's house, just like that, and say it to her face, "I want to marry you", and she comes with me, just like that! :D But then, it is a movie [sigh]. Ms. Deepika Padukone, be wary of this new kid on the block.



In all, Dabangg is an absolute entertainer. A sequel would not be a surprise if this movie succeeds at the box-office.

Dabangg...

GMail Labs

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Note 1: It was the 'About' page on this blog, on reading which I realized, "Heck! Just two geeky posts!"


Note 2: If you are geeky enough, you would already know what is said here. If not, read on!
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GMail (by Google) is the best e-mail client. The re-vamped contact manager in GMail made me fall in love with it, all over again. The GMail Labs feature is what makes it really very exciting, and truly makes GMail better than being already the best. Enable the Lab features listed below, and see for yourself! :)




#7 Inserting Images

Enable this to insert images into your e-mails. You can insert images from your computer, or from a web link. Very handy and useful. \m/


#6 Quick Links

The good thing about GMail is that every "view" has a unique URL. Quick Links can save any "view" as a link on your left-panel navigation menu, which you can access later. For instance, there is an important mail, or a frequent search that you do. Open that, and save the view as a Quick Link. There you go! No more searches for that again, just one-click access! \m/ \m/


#5 Undo Send

"Damn! I needed to attach a file." "Oh I forgot to add a few lines". Don't these realizations hit you right after clicking the 'Send' button? With Undo Send, you can cancel the sent mail upto 30 seconds after 'send'ing the mail, depending on the settings. \m/ \m/ \m/


#4 Multiple Inboxes/Message Sneak Peek/Inbox preview

I have clubbed these 3 features as one, because they help you towards the same goal - easier e-mail access.

Multiple Inboxes - Add upto 5 additional inboxes. Use can use labels to sort specific types of mails, and make them appear in a separate inbox.

Message Sneak Peek - Just right click on the e-mail to view its contents without opening the actual e-mail.

Inbox preview - Preview inbox even before GMail loads. Extremely helpful on slower connections.

\m/ \m/ \m/ \m/


#3 Old Snakey

Old Snakey is on this list because its cool, its nice, and its geeky. Hit '&' to start and play Snake, GMail style! \m/ \m/ \m/ \m/ \m/


#2 Nested Labels

Labels help you sort mails. And Nested Labels lets you sort Labels. =)
\m/ \m/ \m/ \m/ \m/ \m/


#1 Add any gadget by URL

This is by far the most flexible and geekiest feature, because, you can literally do anything with GMail with this. Here's how you convert GMail into GMail + Facebook + Twitter.

For facebook, add this gadget -> http://hosting.gmodules.com/ig/gadgets/file/104971404861070329537/facebook.xml

For twitter, add this gadget -> https://twittergadget.appspot.com/gadget-gmail.xml

Thats it! Access twitter and facebook right from inside GMail. :D

For a full list of gadgets, head straight to the Gadget Directory.

\m/ \m/ \m/ \m/ \m/ \m/ \m/


GMail Labs...

Snooze

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Note 1: Crack it!


Note 2: Wish me (luck)!
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The devil that invented alarm-clocks, and, oh the angel, who invented a snooze button for it! \m/ \m/

The sweet, sweet pleasure of sleeping that extra 5 mins, and more, and more and more... I thank thee Lord for it! :D

The madness, the anger, the frustration when you were just about to hold her hands with love and the painful, agonizing noise wakes you up, and the contentment in resuming it right where you left it, and completing the dream exactly the way it was meant to end! :D

The foresight, of setting the clock for atleast 10 minutes before you have to actually wake up, just for 'snooze'ing... :)

Like 'Inception', that's the 7 'snooze' minutes which feel much, much more... :)

Though, like 'Inception', the final "kick", it still hits you hard. :|

Snooze...

Inception

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Note 1: I generally don't blog about a subject unless I have a strong opinion about it. I am blogging about Inception because everybody else seems to have strong opinions about it.

Note 2: This movie deserves a watch, and your *complete* attention. :D

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There are two types of people in this world. One, who genuinely understand and appreciate 'Inception', and the others, who say "Inception was AWEOMEEEEE!!!!! It is SUCH a COOL movie", primarily because they couldn't get most of what was happening on screen, and NOT appreciating the movie would make them look like idiots.

First things first -

(a) This movie is NOT better than 'The Dark Knight'.

(b) This movie is NOT going to win the 'Best Film' Oscar next year (It might win some technical Oscars though, and my bet is 'Toy Story 3' out of the movies that have come out so far).

(c) This movie is NOT difficult to understand, contrary to popular belief.

Having said that, 'Inception' is brilliant!

"What's the most resilient parasite? An Idea."

There are some movies that take innovation to such a level, that it makes you wonder "What next?". 'The Matrix' made me think that, and that "next" is 'Inception'. It also gives me confidence that when, after watching 'Inception', I ask "Is there any room left for innovation?", the answer would be a "Yes".

Coming back to the movie, 'Inception' explores dreams. Dreams are universal. We all dream. And we all have concluded at some point in our lives several elements about the nature of dreams, and they have been well explored in this movie. The elements that Nolan has used gives him much room for freedom, and boy does he exploit them! There were ample opportunities for going over-the-top, but he has it under control throughout the movie. Also, the film has ample metaphors thrown into it to make this movie a joy for the viewer. The very idea that the inception of an idea can change so much is mind-boggling. But, as far as exploring psychology is concerned, 'Inception' is nowhere close to 'The Dark Knight'.

"Dreams feel real while we're in them. It's only when we wake up that we realize something was actually strange."

The way this movie builds up, it makes you pray to God that you get to watch a worthy climax, and Nolan doesn't disappoint. The Climax! The screenplay! The way it has been handled! Mind-boggling. "Kicks" you right at your face! :D I would give this movie a second watch just for the climax.

Now, the music by Hans Zimmer has been appreciated a lot. I don't see how it was any different from 'The Dark Knight'. I would have loved it if Zimmer would have done a more Sherlock Holmes-esque music for this one.

Second, the levels of the dreams, it WAS a bit of a stretch towards the end, but then I don't blame Nolan for this, I don't see how could he have come up with a more elegant treatment of the subject.

Finally, my only problem with Nolan's treatment of dreams is the level of detail and definition he has given to them. Maybe this is a cinematic liberty he takes, but I perceive dreams to be very vague and volatile. I don't see how ALL dreams can be so definite.

In the end, this movie respects our grey matter, and I respect such movies. :) Mr. Nolan, please keep making movies and keep entertaining us. I almost died waiting for 'Inception', and the waiting-game has begun again for "The Dark Knight Rises". I hope he takes us for a journey as exciting as he always has.

"You're waiting for a train. A train that will take you far away. You can't be sure where it will take you."

Inception...

Cars, etc.

I like cars. There are so many types of cars. Cars come in so many different colors. Some cars are brightly colored. Some cars are elegantly colored shiny black. Some cars are fast, very fast. Some cars are small, and cute. But then, who doesn't like cars? Everyone wants a nice ride! There are so many types of cars that a car can easily show what you are, a lot more about you than you'd imagine.

I got a job, like everyone else. I earned money, like everyone else. I wanted to buy a car, like everyone else. I didn't buy a car, unlike everyone else. Because, a car to me wasn't a convenience (conveyance), it was more of a dream. I will save lots of money and get the best car for myself, the car I wanted all my life. That was the dream. A cherished dream. Yes, everybody around me got a car for themselves. So what? Let the dream go? Peer pressure? First car. Its all about the first car. First car is special. In fact, first car is (should be) the car. Some of my friends keep changing their cars. They don't care about the cars they drive. They use them, sell them off, and then get a new car for themselves. Lifestyle, I say. One of my friends even offered me his car, that I buy it "second-hand". Ha! Second-hand? Is he out of his freakin' mind? Anyway, some have more than one car. Is it like, "I have 5 cars, but the blue one is my favorite car"? Though, some have more than one cars because - one, official use, one for the wife, one for the kids and so on. Some have rich dads, so that solved their problem of getting a fabulous car. I wouldn't take money from my dad to buy a car even if he could afford it, or even if he wanted me to. I will not (and should not) get my first car just like that! Some went abroad and got amazing cars for themselves. Boy, cars are cheap abroad! I sometimes wonder if I should get an imported car. But then, It'll cost me a fortune to get an imported car. (Earn more? Goddamit! >.< ) Oh, cars are so difficult to choose. Though, I think, once you really admire and like a particular car, there should not be much doubt. It is more like, 'the car chooses you', not the other way round.

Some, on the other hand, got really fat paychecks right from the start. Yes, they had worked hard for it and they deserved it. Yes, some among them shared my dream too, and they realized their dream of getting a car, a really good, nice car, early on in their lives. Oh! I still remember that day when my friend, my very close friend, showed me his red, shining brand-new car. Boy, was he happy! And that car, a mighty beast! The twinkle in his eyes. The sparkle. I will have that feeling one day. No, there was no envy. But the dream got more resolute, and I, stronger.

Some, on the other hand, bought a cheaper car. Yes they couldn't afford an expensive car, and compromised their dream somewhere along the road. Good for them, I say. Get what you can afford (deserve rather) rather than what you dream. Different priorities, I say. I am not like that though. Stubborn, you may say. "I will have this, nothing else". Ah what the hell, who cares? Get what you want and let me have what I want, how I want.

Oh, and yes, it has been long since I have been doing a job (not that long, but long enough). My current job has been paying me very well (I wouldn't boast, but heavy the paycheck is). Stick to the dream was all I did. And work for it. My bank balance is swelling. I think it is time that I get what I wanted all this while, I have waited long. Ah, and before leaving, might I add, that the dream was always rational. Of course I wouldn't have waited to be so old to buy a car that I wouldn't enjoy the thrill or not be able to drive it. That would have been a silly thing to do. Really.

I See You

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Note 1: I have blogged about "Love" before - Love (and Networks). For that matter, I have blogged about Avatar before too - The Pandora that is KGP. This one is almost like a tribute, referenced to a movie which released exactly 6 months ago, that is still driving people crazy all over the world. :)

Note 2: Doctors reading this, please DO NOT confuse 'I See You' with 'I.C.U'; it will kill the charm these words have. For the rest, DO NOT confuse this with the movie 'I See You', a movie which came and went, and no-one bothered to "see".

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Avatar is one movie that has so many interpretations, so many themes and inspirations, so detailed, shot so tastefully and aesthetically, that this was probably the reason why people all across the planet fell in love with Avatar and the mythical Pandora.

While on one hand it has political overtones, it is about colonialism, it addresses an environmental issue, it is about a philosophical self-discovery, on the other hand, it is a plain, simple, honest, pure and divine love-story. And, this movie gives us one of the most romantic lines written for cinema, ever. 'I See You'. I am not aware of any other movie that makes seeing such a metaphor! Seeing, truly seeing, right into each other. "No-one can teach you to see". Yet, the moment you begin to see, the feeling is indescribable.

Jake enters into Pandora's dreamy wilderness, and is discovered by Neytiri. The first time they meet, we know that they are meant to be together. Even Jake knows, you can see it in his eyes. He is almost killed by Neytiri. But, there is a sign, a sign for Neytiri, by the sacred tree, Ewya. It beats logic, yet it doesn't seem illogical. It is meant to be.

Walking through a dream

I See You...

Jake: "Fine, if you love your little forest friends, why not just let them kill me instead? Why save me?"

Neytiri: "Why save you? Why save you? ... You have a strong heart. No fear."

Neytiri teaches Jake the Na'vi ways. Jake experiences higher perception through 'tsahaylu', the bond. He is able to connect to nature around him, in an absolutely new perspective. The 'civilised humans' turn out as primitive, jaded and increasingly greedy, cynical, and brutal — traits only amplified by their machinery — while the 'monkey aliens' emerge as noble, kind, wise, sensitive and humane.

You teach me how to see

All that’s beautiful

My senses touch your world I never pictured

I pray in my heart that this world never ends

Tsu'tey is the heir to the chieftainship of the tribe. And Neytiri his partner, naturally. Jake is an alien, not of their race, not even trusted by the clan, yet, he comes close to Neytiri. Against that which is natural.

Jake: "Oe-l nga-ti kameie. I see you!"

Norm: "But, its not just like 'I see you in front of me', its more like 'I see into you, I see you, your soul, I understand you' "

My light in darkness breathing hope of new life

Now I live through you and you through me

I pray in my heart that this dream never ends

I see me through your eyes

Neytiri takes Jake to the 'Tree of Voices', where prayers are heard, and sometimes answered. He becomes an Omaticaya, and has to choose a woman.

Jake: "I've already chosen. But this woman must also choose me."

Neytiri: "She already has."

They bond through the 'tsahaylu', a bond into each other, completely surrendered to each other, that when made, cannot be broken in the lifetime. It is a spiritual and divine connection between two lovers.

As destiny would have it, there were problems, mistrust, and fear. Eventually, its love that brings them back together.

Neytiri: "I was afraid Jake, for my people, I am not anymore."

When my heart was never open

(and my spirit never free)

To the world that you have shown me

But my eyes could not division

All the colours of love and of life ever more

Oe-l nga-ti kameie

I See You

I See You...

Listen to this song now, and you shall see. :)

Lefpom ftxozä!

I C U . . .