My Christmas Playlist 2011

Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!!!  :)
Here's a list of songs I have been listening to this Christmas.

1. So this is Christmas (War is over) by The Corrs - This is originally a John Lennon song. But, i love The Corrs' rendition.
So this is Christmas (War is over)

2. O Holy Night - The Corrs - A popular Christmas carol rendered by The Corrs
O Holy Night

3. We wish you a Merry Christmas - Enya  - Another popular Christmas carol in Enya's unique style
We wish you a Merry Christmas

4. Beautiful Christmas music to dream and relax - This one is an instrumental i found on Youtube
Beautiful Christmas music to dream and relax

5. Christmas Day -Dido
Christmas Day

6. The magic of Christmas Day - Celine Dion
The magic of Christmas Day

7. Grown up Christmas list - Kelly Clarkson
Grown up Christmas list

8. Christmas Lights - Coldplay
Christmas Lights

9. Have yourself a merry little Christmas- Coldplay
Have yourself a merry little Christmas

10. I'll be home for Christmas - The Carpenters
I'll be home for Christmas

11. Shake Up Christmas- Train
Shake Up Christmas

12. I believe in Father Christmas (No Snow) -U2  - A cover version by U2 of the song by Greg Lake and Peter Sinfield
I believe in Father Christmas

13. Christmas Song - Coldplay

Christmas Song

14. White Christmas - Michael Bublé
White Christmas

15. All I want for Christmas is you - Mariah Carey
All I want for Christmas is you

16. All I want for Christmas is you - Michael Bublé - Cover version of Mariah's song in a softer tone. Mariah's  version is more upbeat.
All I want for Christmas is you

17. Feliz Navidad - Michael Bublé feat Thalia
Feliz Navidad

18. Fairytale of New York - The Pogues Feat. Kirsty MacColl
 Fairytale of New York

19.  A Spaceman came travelling - Chris De Burgh
 A Spaceman came travelling

20. Wonderful Christmas Time - Paul McCartney
Wonderful Christmas Time

21. Driving home for Christmas - Chris Rea
Driving home for Christmas

22. Merry Christmas Everybody - Slade
Merry Christmas Everybody

23. Stop the cavalry - Jona Lewie
Stop the cavalry

Have fun, enjoy the music and spread love all around
A very Merry Christmas once again dear friends :)

The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn [2011]

Director: Steven Spielberg        

Writers:   Hergé (comic book series "The Adventures of Tintin")
              Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright, & Joe Cornish (screenplay)

Featuring: Daniel Craig, Jamie Bell, Simon Pegg, Andy Serkis, Nick Frost

Our favourite comic book character Tintin now has a movie of his own, based on his adventures.
I watched Tintin (3D) in the theatre today. I know, I know. It's a bit late to watch the movie now (The movie got released on the 11th of November), but better late than never. I am glad i did manage to catch it before they took it off the screens.

The movie was totally amazing. The effects were magnificently rendered. The story was an exciting and gripping adventure where Tintin, Haddock, and Snowy are on a treasure hunt. All the characters, including Thompson and Thomson, were endearing.
There was not one second where you could say the movie was dull or boring. It is so well-done that I can actually guarantee you will love the movie (whether you are a Tintin fan or you just got introduced to him through this movie). I had taken along my cousin who normally steers clear of animation/special effects movies, and even she loved it! 

For a combination of Steven Speilberg as Director, and Speilberg & Peter Jackson as Producers- what else could you expect but a masterpiece.

Rating: 9/10

I just had one of the most traumatic experiences a blogger can have.. :(

I had been working on a blog entry for many days, and somehow managed to lose my entire post while undoing some changes with Ctrl+Z. I find this is a common problem that people here in blogosphere have. The entire hard work i put into my post has vanished into thin air with no trace to even suggest it was ever there.. :(

My advice to all fellow bloggers:
Please work offline on your content first. Then, paste it into your blog entry. Do not work directly on the blog drafts. I am never going to in the future either. :( :(

Holiday [1938]

Director: George Cukor
Writer: Philip Barry (Play)
            Donald Ogden Stewart and Sidney Buchman (Screenplay)
Featuring: Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, Doris Nolan


As i had noted earlier, 'Guess who's coming to Dinner' made me want to watch all of Katharine Hepburn's movies. So, I started with one of her earlier films - "Holiday".
Although this movie was a flop when it was released, it got termed as a Classic later on. Maybe the time just wasn't right when the movie was released, because it didn't deserve a flop. As stated in Wikipedia, "Hepburn biographers have speculated that Johnny's plans to give up working did not appeal to the 'Great Depression' audiences who were struggling to find jobs".

Johnny (Cary Grant) is about to marry a girl Julia (Doris Nolan) when he learns that she is a millionaire's daughter. He feels a little uneasy with the wealth and the lifestyle but still sticks with his marriage plans as he believes he is in love with Julia.
He then meets Julia's father, her sister Linda, and her brother Ned. Linda is referred to as the black sheep of the family, and the long-suffering Ned, trapped in a world where he doesn't belong, is almost always drunk.

Linda (Katharine Hepburn), being the loyal and protective elder sister, wants to know everything about her sister's fiancé. Johnny, wanting to know more about his fiancé's family, finds Linda to be someone who shares his ideals and understands his dreams.
It turns out that Linda has more in common with Johnny than her sister does, and they instantly hit it off and become good friends.

Linda and Johnny are attracted to each other. But, both of them deny it, even to themselves, due to their loyalty to Julia.

The tables get turned when Julia doesn't seem to understand Johnny's plans for a "holiday" in the early years of his life, and pressurizes him to join the family business. Johnny, who doesn't care to have more money than is just enough for a living, starts to rebel. Now, Johnny has to decide whether his love for Julia is enough for him to desert his plans for the "holiday", and has to decide on which sister he wants to spend his life with.

Other characters of note were of Johnny's friends Professor Nick Potter (Edward Everett Horton) and Susan Potter (Jean Dixon), and of Linda's sympathetic brother Ned (Lew Ayres). The acrobatic sequence by Katharine and Cary, and the antics of Johnny's friends are very charming.

It was interesting to look at the lifestyle of the wealthy as depicted in the movie. Also, as I had just read in a book ("Everyday Living" to be precise - a must read!!) a description of how introductions are to be made, I found it delightful to note how the characters made the introductions in the good, old-fashioned way. Movie clips of these 'introduction' scenes should be shown to kids while teaching them good manners.

Rating: 7/10

Office Space [1999]

Director: Mike Judge
Writer: Mike Judge
Featuring: Ron Livingston, Jennifer Aniston, David Herman, Ajay Naidu, Gary Cole

Tagline: Work Sucks


All of you office-goers, especially my friends working in IT companies, this one's for you.
Oh, and well, even if you're not an office-goer, it doesn't really matter. You will still love the movie all the same.

This is a hilarious comedy made at the time of the dot com boom, and is based on the work lives of software professionals. 

"Office Space" is based on the "Milton" series of cartoon shorts created by Mike Judge that were aired on NBC and MTV in the early 1990s. But, while Milton and his boss play the central role in the cartoon series, they are supporting characters in the movie.

Although the movie was made around a decade back, the work-related frustrating situations depicted in the movie are still as relevant in our work-lives today -  the never-ending sea of cubicles, the morning traffic jam on the way to work, the late-nights and working weekends, the printer that always seems to get stuck, the monday blues, company downsizing, and the day-long staring at a computer screen.

 

The characters are so believable that you will find atleast one character fitting the description of someone you know at work. 

Peter is disillusioned and fed-up with his job at the software company Initech.
 His two friends and co-workers Michael Bolton (David Herman) and Samir Nagheenanajar (Ajay Naidu) are equally frustrated with their workplace. Michael is irritated of people always asking him if he has any relation with a popular singer who is his namesake, and whom Michael hates. And Samir is bugged by how people are never able to pronounce his surname right.
There is also a very frustrating printer in their office that keeps showing errors when they try to print something. They do finally get their revenge with the printer as shown in the picture below.

Joanna (Jennifer Aniston) is the waitress at the café next-door who is equally frustrated by her boss wanting her to wear dozens of flairs (badges) at work. Peter is too shy to ask her out, and also feels that he should try harder to work it out with his current control-freak girlfriend Anne (although he has the nagging feeling that Anne is cheating on him).

The four characters described above are treated as the main characters in the story, but the supporting characters of Milton and the boss Bill are no less. The characters of Milton and his boss Bill Lumbherg are totally fun to watch as they add their own unique tones to the already humourous script. Gary Cole does a nice and convincing work as the condescending boss Bill Lumbherg who keeps saying 'mmmm...yeah' in a drawling tone, and keeps calling in employees to work overtime. And Milton (Stephen Root) annoys you and fills you with pity at the same time with his almost incomprehensible mumblings of how everyone wants his stapler, and how he wants to set the building on fire.

When Peter ends up being indefinitely hypnotized by an occupational hypnotherapist (due to the hypnotherapist dying in the middle of the session), life takes a new turn for him. Suddenly, from being burdened with work-stress, he turns into a care-free dude and even gets promoted when the consultants hired for company downsizing are impressed by his frank nature.On the personal front too, things only get better for him. Leaving his controlling girlfriend, who was actually cheating on him, he goes after the girl (Joanna) he really likes.
But, when his friends Michael and Samir are fired, Peter starts devising a plan with them to upload a virus into the company system so that a fraction of money from each company transaction goes into their account.


Now keeping the humour and entertainment aside, the movie also wants us to learn something and that is summed up in Jennifer Aniston's line at the end "Peter, most people don't like their jobs. But you go out there and find something that makes you happy". Be sincere in your work, but never work too seriously. Because in the end, when you are lying on your deathbed, it won't matter if you worked overtime in office or not. What will matter will be what you did when you were not in office.

Go ahead and watch it. I'm sure you'll love it - more so if you work in the corporate world.. :)

Rating: 8/10

Like Water For Chocolate (Como agua para chocolate) [1992]

Director: Alfonso Arau
Writer: Laura Esquivel
Featuring: Marco Leonardi, Lumi Cavazos

This is a Mexican film based on a novel published in 1989 by a Mexican novelist Laura Esquivel.
The narrator tells the story of her aunt in a folklore fashion.

Her aunt Tita was the youngest child in her family. As per the family tradition, the youngest girl was not allowed to marry and was supposed to take care of her parents in their old age. Tita was not allowed to marry her true love Pedro whom she had loved since childhood, and who had loved her as much. Not only did that ruin their lives, it affected those around them too.

The story narration has a mystic quality to it. Tita is depicted to have a magic ability of pouring her emotions into her cooking, thus making others feel what she is feeling when they taste food cooked by her.

The movie was ok (bending towards good), and one could even say it was interesting. But I found this movie a little weird because it depicted that one can actually die of happiness. I have heard the hindi phrase "khushi se mar jaoonga/gi" (I'll die of happiness) in movie dialogues, but this movie actually showed that a person can die of extreme happiness.

 Rating: 6/10

Guess Who's Coming To Dinner [1967]

Tagline: A love story of today

Director: Stanley Kramer
Writer: William Rose
Featuring: Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Sidney Poitier, Katherine Houghton

One fine day, you bring home to your parents a guy they hadn't even heard of before, and announce your engagement to him. And as if that's not enough, add the fact that you are a white girl and your fiancé is a negro.
Any parent would suffer a little shock on suddenly stumbling on the news. And when Joey brings home Dr. John Prentice, whom she met 10 days back while on a vacation in Hawaii, and announces her plans to marry him in the next week, her parents Matt and Christina Drayton are taken aback.
Matt and Christina's liberal attitudes are now put to test for although John is an ideal choice (highly respected internationally in the medical field, well mannered, and mature), he's black.

This movie was made at a time when inter-racial marriages were still illegal in some of the US states. It was meant to educate people that a deep and sacred feeling such as love should not be smothered because of superficial reasons such as difference in colour, caste, or creed. When a couple knows very well their differences and the problems they might face in the future, and they still want to be together, it would be a tragedy if they are kept from marrying each other - because theirs is a love that is true. 


"If they know what lies in store for them and they still want each other enough to accept it, i think it's plain as anything that they love each other very much. And you'll have to agree that any two people who love each other that much deserve all the best luck in the world."

 

Katharine Hepburn looks lovely in the movie. This movie introduced me to her and made me want to see more of her movies. On searching online, I came to know that she is considered one of the top screen actors of all time, being ranked by the American Film Institute as the greatest female star in the history of American cinema. I wonder why i had not got introduced to her earlier. I am planning to cover more of her movies now.

Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn's acting is natural and beautiful. They share a charming chemistry on screen. I hear they were a famous pairing, with 9 movies together, and I could see why in this movie. Love seems to radiate from the screen when they are together in a scene.
Tracy's health was so poor during the making of this movie that people were doubtful if he would be able to complete the film. But, he did and a good thing too because it would be hard to replace such a fine actor. He passed away just 17 days after the completion of the project. I read somewhere that Katharine's tears were real in the final scene where Tracy makes his speech, as each one of those present knew that these might be the last words Tracy ever said on screen.

The song "The Glory of love" that plays in the opening and closing credits brings a smile to your face and creates a picture of sunshine and love in your mind.
I also came across a trivia that the main character Carl in Pixar's  "Up" was based on Tracy in this movie. No wonder watching Tracy in this movie reminded me of Carl (As I had already watched Up)

I really liked this movie. Special recommendations to parents whose children want to marry for love, especially inter-caste/religion/nationality/etc.. 

Rating: 8.5/10

Modern Family [2009-- ]

Currently, I have been watching season 1 of the show, and I'm liking it. I will keep updating how i like the rest of the seasons as comments in this post.
This is a comedy show based on 3 very interesting families that are also inter-related to each other - An American man with a much younger Colombian wife (and her son), a gay couple, and a family with 3 kids.
Their day-to-day trials and triumphs are shown as a 'Mockumentary' (Fictitious events shown in a Documentary fashion). This 'Mockumentary' format adds to the flavour and makes the show even more interesting.

Rating:

Season 1:    4/5

 

A movie eagerly awaited... The Hobbit

Peter Jackson did justice to The Lord of the Rings book. So, I am sure he'll do this one good too. You could say 'The Hobbit' is Book 0 of 'The Lord of the Rings' series.
The Hobbit is a story mainly of Bilbo Baggins' adventures, and took place before 'The Lord of the Rings' happened. I love the book and totally look forward to watching this movie because the way Peter Jackson depicts the Middle-earth is beautiful. Also, we'll get to see Gandalf, the great wizard, again.. :)

Movie description in IMDB

Life is Beautiful [1997] (Italian: La Vita è bella)

Tagline: An unforgettable fable that proves love, family and imagination conquer all

Another definite Must-Watch!!  This is an Italian movie that is truly beautiful.

Guido is a Jewish Italian who is quick-witted and has a great sense of humour. With the help of his humour, he wins the heart of a pretty girl Dora in a heart-warming romance.
The two of them get married, have a son Joshua, and are leading a happy, contented life, when one day their life is torn-apart by the Nazis.

Guido, along with his uncle and his son, is sent to a Nazi concentration camp. Dora manages to follow them to the concentration camp by going to the authorities and insisting on boarding the same train as her family. 


To help Joshua escape the horrors of the camp and safeguard his innocence, Guido pretends they are part of a game with a real tank as the first prize. Even in the torturous environment, Guido manages to keep a smile on his face in front of his son. 

There are scenes in the movie that particularly show how cold and selfish people can be, like the time when Guido's uncle helps a female guard and she gives him a cold stare, or when Guido's old friend (who is a doctor at the concentration camp) considers solving a riddle more important than helping Guido.

This is a movie that will move you to tears and leave a lasting impression on your mind. A movie that portrays emotions naturally and beautifully. A movie that completely deserves all the awards that it has garnered worldwide. 

I can watch this movie again and again and still love it the same each time.
Now you know where the title of my blog comes from.. :)

Rating: 10/10

Cyrano de Bergerac [1990]

This is a French movie on unrequited love, based on Edmond Rostand's play with the same name.

Cyrano falls in love with his cousin Roxane. But, he's unable to express his love to her as he thinks she will reject him for his extraordinarily large nose. Then, he finds that Roxane is attracted to another man Christian. Christian is handsome, but not eloquent in romantic poetry in the way Roxane wants. Cyrano being superior in matter of wit, words, and poetry, decides to help Christian by lending his soul to Christian's beauty. Thus, through letters, Cyrano writes as Christian and romances his cousin by proxy.

Cyrano's story is heartbreaking and is so beautifully rendered by Gérard Depardieu that you can feel each and every emotion that throbs through his veins.You laugh and you cry with him. You feel his helplessness, his love, and his sacrifice as strongly as he experiences them.

The sets are magnificent, nothing is over-exaggerated, and the humour interspersed with the script is good.

This movie totally deserves being in your must-watch list.

Rating: 9/10

Bride Wars [2009]

This story is not that unusual. Two girls fight over the same thing, then make up in the end.

Emma (Anne Hathaway) and Liv (Kate Hudson) have been best friends since childhood. They have been planning their weddings, down to all the minute details,together since they were kids. Conincidentally, they get engaged at the same time.
When they go to book their dream wedding destination, Hotel Plaza, the secretary makes an error and books them for the same day, same time.This turns the best friends into arch-enemies because neither of them wants to change her dream wedding destination, and they start trying to ruin each other's wedding.

If you just want to pass your time with a light comedy, this movie wouldn't be a bad choice. But, the story is nothing special or new.

Rating : 5/10

Julie and Julia [2009]

I like to try out new food dishes. And I am totally fascinated by anything French. So, my friend M (who i consider to have my kind of taste in movies) recommended this movie to me. The movie revolves around two women and french cooking.

The movie is based on 2 true stories- Julia Child's story of how she got started and got famous in the cooking profession; and Julie Powell's story of a blog she wrote on taking up a challenge to cook all the 524 recipes in Child's first book - in just a year.

The movie was not that great. The Julia part was interesting and Meryl Streep's acting flawless, but there wasn't much to like in the Julie part of the story. 

Some parts of the movie where they had pleasant-looking desserts made my mouth water just like M had said would happen. Yes M, I did like the movie, but well, it just wasn't that great.. :)

Rating: 6/10

Chupke Chupke [1975]

A very good light-hearted comedy. Newly-wed couple Dharmendra and Sharmila Tagore receive an invitation from Sharmila's jijaji (brother-in-law) to stay at her jijaji's place for some days. Sharmila's jijaji boasts of never being fooled by anyone and Sharmila is fascinated by her jijaji's intelligence. So, Dharmendra, in a bid to impress his wife decides to pull off a practical joke on her jijaji - with full support from his wife and his friends.
What follows is a delightful series of events.. Sharmila goes to her jijaji's place alone quoting important work as the reason for her husbands absence, and Dharmendra makes his entry as the new driver.
Dharmendra has fun pulling jijaji's leg in the pretext of learning English ("T-O is pronounced as TOO, D-O is pronounced as DOO, then why is G-O not pronounced as GOO") , and fooling around with Sharmila - sometimes 'chupke chupke' (secretly) and sometimes right under jijaji's nose (literally) :D

Adding to the fun, English Professor and Dharmendra's friend,  Amitabh enters into the prank in the role of Sharmila's husband , and then fools around with Jaya Bhaduri.

Sharmila's jijaji and sister, confused and perplexed, don't know how to react to the situations placed in front of them.

The Acting is convincing and the Storyline is good. Director Hrishikesh Mukherjee displays wonderful talent in comedy. None of it is overdone (as is sometimes done in the movies these days), and it provides plenty of laughs. Also songs 'Chupke chupke chal re purwaiya' and 'Ab ke sajan saawan mein', brilliantly sung by Lata Mangeshkar, deserve a mention.
Watch the movie with your family. This makes for a good watch - 2 and a 1/2 hours well spent.

Rating: 9/10


Ab ke sajan Saawan mein - I love this song