01.30.09
Ghajini is a great movie – yeah right …
I keep hearing that the hindi Bollywood movie, Ghajini is a great movie. People who have watched it and also reviews in various Indian newspapers speak highly of the movie. I think we can safely conclude that it is a superhit ’cause people really did like the movie.
I am not going to try and argue that the movie sucked or people who liked the movie are not the smartest of moviegoers. That would be a waste of time and space. I completely acknowledge that people really liked the movie for their own reasons. What I want to do here is to state my reasons why I think this movie was a terrible waste of time.
Yeah yeah they say Aamir Khan (AK) did a great job. Well for one, I think he did not. For very valid reasons AK has established himself as an excellent actor. That however, does not mean that he will be great in all his movies. In this movie, he tried too hard …. he was too clinical …. every movie role these days is an exercise for him, a project and he has to finish it perfectly. A wonderful actor like him is wasting his natural screen presence. He should live that character instead of trying to play it. If he keeps at it like this, he is going to end up in the same level as some other actors such as A. Rai (who, by the way, is clueless in all movies). Its like watching movies of De Niro where he started doing comedy – he was just trying too hard.
And whats up with those songs. One is quietly tolerating all the asinine scenes with Asin and Jiah with the expectation that their scenes are part of the large picture. But no, there have to be songs! They destroy the continunity of the story and add to the confusion.
I do not mind poor acting at all. Not everyone is going to be a very good actor which is completely acceptable. In life, not everyone can be a super-success story but that doesn’t mean that the rest of the world’s contribution is negligible. However, one should try one’s best at all times.
What made the movie terrible was that Asin Thottumkal, Jiah Khan (the two female characters) and Riyaz Khan (the actor who plays the role of an inspector) don’t even bother to try to act. They just don’t. They seem pretty satisfied to be just being about mediocre about everything. The typical ‘Chalta Hai’ attitude. (A separate post disccussing that attitude – one of my pet peeves).
In summary, lackadaisical acting by three main characters, unnecessary songs, and a mediocre attempt by AK makes it a terrible movie (for me, that is).
01.22.08
Need for rational thought (Was ‘Control’)
Hmm …. I thought I would somehow sidestep some of the questions I posed, by hand-waving. Didn’t work. So Tor, my good friend, asked me to answer the question I asked earlier.
Here is what she asked: “so, my question for you is: why the need for rational when you are talking about interactions with people?”
Irrationality, like laziness, is a default for me. Like everybody else, I am start imagining a lot of things when I am interacting with people. Its only when I am working, reading, writing, listening to music that I attain some focus. Music is the unusual one in the list. It is the only one that I can internalize in a short time. Coltrane.
On one hand, I think about my interactions with people and invariably have to start sifting through my thoughts just so I can try and make sense of anything.
On the other hand, I have been given a lot of second chances by people I thought would have given up their faith and hope in me. Gratitude.
Therefore, if I am rational or at least when I try to be, then it helps me understand the reasons behind the good and bad things people say or do. Understanding has the power to drive out most of the negative thoughts. This, of course, has the added advantage of having more time to think about work.
01.21.08
Thanks to Kyla
My second post of the day. Have a presentation to give on Wednesday, so all the more reason to procrastinate.
A few people have made favorable comments about my blog over the past couple of weeks. In turn, I should thank the person whose blog I read at some point and decided that I too should write.
Thanks, Kyla.
01.18.08
:-) 100 Hits :-)
Well, thank you to all the friends and family who have visited my blog. Thank you, thank you, thank you. A hundred blog hits. How cool is that! 
12.18.07
Evenings in the lab
Digression:
Its winter time in San Diego. That, of course, means sun light here. The mornings are cooler, no doubt. The days are warm just as you would expect in San Diego. The best part is the evening around here. The sky takes a different color everyday. Lasts a few minutes after which it is gone. Three different days, three different skies. Taken from the balcony outside my lab. Cannot complain about the view from my window.
