Valkyrie : Ein Erstaunlich film

I happened to watch the movie 'Valkyrie' yesterday. Hold on! Is it my second movie review in a row? :) Don't worry. Am not turning into a movie critic. The truth is that I am either at the office most of the time OR at home watching movies these days. And you obviously don't want me to write about the former ;) So, lets roll the dice!

The movie is nothing short of spectacular.It was hard for me to believe that I was watching a movie. I have always been a Tom Cruise fan ( yes , I am :)) but that has mostly been because of his charisma. 'Valkyrie' proved to me that he is an extraordinary actor and seeing him in uniform is always a treat. :-D

Before I talk about the things I loved, let me give you a backdrop of the story. The movie portrays Tom Cruise as Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg who proposed and executed the idea of an attempt to assassinate Hitler and save Germany from his atrocities. It is about the 20th July plot of 1944. The mission was being named 'Valkyrie'. The winning element of the movie is that despite being aware of the fact that Hitler wasn't assassinated and instead had committed suicide, you wish for the success of 'Valkyrie' and believe for a moment that Hitler was actually dead. I kept telling myself "Hitler can't be dead. I know he committed suicide" :). The movie definitely succeeded in building up the suspense for me despite being aware of the history. Another fact that cannot go unnoticed is the character 'Adolf Hitler' played by David Bamber. His resemblance with Adolf Hitler is astonishing. Take a look :

You obviously know "who is who" ......Right? ;)

Even Tom Cruise’s similitude with Stauffenberg is plenteous.

Agree ?? :)

If you look at the following link after watching the movie: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20_July_plot , you can easily recognize the characters. The movie is a masterpiece and definitely deserves kudos for making it look so real.I also loved the fact that a movie was being made on an incident which we all know failed to be a success. The question in my mind was 'How and why did it fail'? and I absolutely enjoyed finding it out :)

An after thought : I watched this movie after watching Raavan. This could also be one of the reasons why I loved it so much :-D

REVIEW : Raavan (Tamil) :)

Yesterday , I ,with my friends, watched Raavana in Tamil language (Please don't ask me why! :D).If you don't know me personally then let me tell you a fact about myself. “I don't understand 'Tamil' “ :D. I am still going ahead and writing a review .... I know its a pathetic thought! But can't help :)

Before I begin, let me disclose the fact that I am a huge admirer of Mani Ratnam and my expectations are always high from his movies. When I found out that the movie Raavan is a modern take on the Asokavanam phase of Ramayana , I understood the storyline and I am sure you all did too. So, I expected some new elements to the story. Whereas Raavana has not an even single surprise and the ending of the movie just kills it.

The character Veera (Raavan) is full of exaggerated expressions and annoying noises (you know what I mean if you have seen the movie). It would have been interesting if they would have shown 10 facets of the same personality instead of just showing how many different noises he can make. The character Raagini (Sita) has nothing to do in this movie except trying to flee away and getting caught again. It was even worse to see her getting drowned in water with all her makeup being intact. I liked the music of course and the location where the movie has been shot. The cinematography is really praise-worthy.

Overall I didn't like the movie but it is unfair to comment until I watch it in Hindi and understand the dialogues. But honestly, there is nothing much to understand:). You can make out what's happening if you have read/watched Ramayana. I will try to watch Raavana (Hindi version) this week and will update. Let me see if my reviews about the movie will change or not. Let me find out if 'Language' can really make any difference :) Till then, have a great time!

Hi Blog!

Well! I am feeling absolutely abashed about the fact that I am updating my blog after a gap of nearly 2 years.... Wasn't ever that busy really. Anyway , now that I am back , I hope I stay consistent with my writing :)

WHAT IS LIFE ABOUT?

I happened to come across these lines and couldn't stop myself from reading it again and again ...... It's beautiful !

Our innocence grows to learn how to grieve

Experience teaches what we must believe

Belief is a curse that leads us to doubt

Until we’re left wondering what life’s all about

Our aging is constant; it never lets up

It’s made up of filling and spilling each cup

There’s nothing we learn that we cannot change

So long as we’re growing, we all re-arrange

Strife is a constant of change underfoot

Our fire and chimney produces our soot

We live for a lifetime, for that is our test

For only the living deserve final rest